GIVE THEM ONE HECK OF A FIGHT

IVAN POV

The whole kingdom was in chaos. Soldiers ran up and down, grabbing whatever they could lay their hands on in the armory. Swords, shields, arrows—each man trying to equip himself for the battle that loomed just beyond the horizon. I stood at the edge of the courtyard, the heavy weight of the sword in my hand feeling like both a blessing and a curse.

It was coming.

The war we had dreaded for so long was now inevitable. Word had reached us just days ago—Azar was on the move, marching with his armies toward our borders. We had known this day would come, had heard stories of the kingdoms he had conquered, the lands he had burned. Every warning, every plea for unity among the surrounding nations had been ignored. And now, it was too late. Azar was here, and there would be no reasoning, no diplomacy.

Only war.