The banners of the old kingdom had once flown proudly across mountain and sea. That night, they burned in the smoke of betrayal. The fields before the capital were black with the shapes of men, an endless tide of steel and fire. The coalition had come, not as allies or neighbors, but as jackals that smelled blood. The treaties sworn to the king's forefathers had shattered like clay in the rain, and every neighbor who had once shared his bread now came to take his crown.
King Aldren stood on the hill where his ancestors had watched over their land. His armor was scorched and battered, and his crimson cloak was stained dark with blood, but his back was straight. Around him the last of his household knights held the line, their shields broken, their spears snapped, yet still they fought. The air reeked of iron and ash. Arrows fell like rain.
"Stand fast," the king called. His voice was raw from shouting, yet it carried over the roar of battle. "Stand fast, men of the realm! Tonight we hold the gate, or all is lost!"
The reply came in ragged shouts, in the clash of steel, in the desperate thrust of a spear. They were exhausted, wounded, half of them bleeding from wounds that would never heal, but still they fought. Behind them, beyond the hill, the city still burned. If they failed here, the last walls would fall, and with them the kingdom itself.
The coalition pressed in. On the banners of the enemy shone the colors of those who had once been friends. Gold lions, black ravens, blue towers, all marching under foreign kings who had sworn oaths of eternal brotherhood. Aldren's teeth clenched as he struck another foe from his saddle. His sword arm was heavy, yet it did not falter. He thought of his sons, already fighting their own battles within the walls. He thought of his daughter, too young to understand, sheltered by her mother in the palace. He thought of his people, starving and frightened, watching from windows as their world ended.
An arrow grazed his cheek. A spear took his horse in the chest, and the beast screamed as it toppled. Aldren hit the ground hard, but he rose again, wrenching his blade free. His knights gathered around him, a ring of battered shields against the tide.
"Your Majesty," one gasped, his face pale with blood loss. "They are too many."
The king gripped the man's shoulder and pushed him back into the line. "Then let them break upon us like waves upon the cliff. We are the last stone that holds. If we fall, the sea will swallow everything."
The coalition surged again. A thousand voices roared as one. The clash was deafening. Aldren fought like a man possessed, each swing carving space where there was none, each breath a defiance against the night. His blade was heavy, but he thought of his forefathers, of the throne that had stood for centuries, and he refused to yield.
The hours dragged on. One knight fell, then another. Their circle grew smaller. Aldren's arm felt like iron, his vision blurred, but still he stood. His cloak was torn to shreds, his crown gone, his shield hacked apart, yet none who came before him left whole.
At last, a horn sounded in the dark. Not his own, but that of the enemy. The hill shook with the tramp of fresh troops. The coalition had committed their reserves. A wall of spears and shields advanced, torches blazing behind them, and for the first time that night Aldren felt the weight of despair.
He looked to the city one last time. The towers still stood, lit by firelight, but he knew they would not stand for long. He thought of his queen, her gentle hands, her quiet strength. He thought of his daughter's laughter, soft and bright as bells. He whispered a prayer that they might be spared, though he knew mercy was not often found in such times.
The spears closed in. His knights were driven back, their line shattered. A blade pierced his side, and he staggered, yet even then he raised his sword high. With his last breath he bellowed, "For the realm!" and hurled himself forward.
The tide swallowed him.
On that night, the kingdom's last great king fell, and with him the age of strength came to an end.