Battle for Stormholt

In *The Crown and the Flame,* the **Battle for Stormholt** is a battle in the Rys-Nevrakis Conflict, in which Queen Kenna Rys retook Stormholt from Prince Marco Nevrakis and the Nevrakis family.

The defeat of the Nevrakis army marked the end of the occupation of Stormholt led by King Luther Nevrakis, as well as the liberation of the Kingdom of Stormholt and the restoration of the Rys Family as the true rulers of Stormholt.

## Prelude

Inside Kenna's command tent, she and her advisors and allies review their equipment, siege engines, and the quantity of their soldiers. They have 4250 soldiers, equipped with the best swords, armors and shields (thanks to Annelyse), 5 Tecnocrat Catapults (determinant), and a drill to breach Stormholt's walls.

After they are done discussing, Kenna exits her tent and talks with her allies. After she's done, her army starts to assemble, and the soldiers raise their weapons in the air and scream Kenna's name.

Kenna makes a speech to her soldiers where she tells them that they suffered at the hands of Luther Nevrakis and his cruelty for far too long, and that now, it's their time to fight the Nevrakis Family and take back Stormholt once and for all.

## Initial Assault

Shorty after, Kenna, flanked by a dozen of her soldiers equipped with shields, is escorting the drill to the side wall of Stormholt Castle. A Nevrakis soldier tries to attack her but she quickly defeats him.

As the drill moves forward, a huge wave of Nevrakis soldiers charges against Kenna and her army. She orders her army to get ready for the coming fight, and her allies rush in to fight by her side. After that, the two armies collide. The soldiers fight viciously and persistently, and Kenna personally slays many Nevrakis soldiers herself, until she looks up and sees a massive blue fireball in the sky. It hits both her men and Marco's, burning them alive.

Whitlock warns Kenna by saying that his drill is part metal, part wood, it can burn, and without the drill, they will never be able to take back Stormholt, so Kenna decides to pull back in order to think of a new strategy.

## Disabling the Cannon

Meanwhile, inside Stormholt, Dom manages to escape the castle's dungeon. He picks up an axe from a dead guard and heads to the courtyard, where the cannon is located. As he notices that Sei's hands are still locked inside the cannon, he strikes the lock several times and frees her. Hex notices them both, but before she can do anything, Sei strikes her so hard she falls unconscious. After that, Dom and Sei decide to use the cannon against the ones responsible for their pain.

After a while, Kenna notices that the cannon is firing only on Marco's soldiers, and soon after it ceases to fire entirely. She immediately leads her army back to the castle wall. Nevrakis archers try to take the drill down with flaming arrows, but Kenna's soldiers successfully manage to block all the arrows.

## Breaching the Walls

After a handful of minutes, the drill finally manages to make a hole in Stormholt's wall, and Kenna and her army rush inside. Multiple Nevrakis soldiers are ready to face them, but they are instantly overwhelmed by Kenna's soldiers. Leon tells Kenna that Marco is a coward, and that he's probably going to escape the castle, so she decides to take the bulk of her forces and secure the castle.

Kenna finds Marco waiting for her inside the castle. He orders his soldier to close the doors of the hall, so they can cut off Kenna, Gabriel, and Whitlock from the rest of the army. Helene shows up with a group of Nevrakis soldiers, and Marco orders her to kill Kenna and her companions before retreating to the Stormholt Great Hall. Kenna fights the enemy soldiers and protects Whitlock, until she notices Helene standing in front of Gabriel. Kenna tries to convince Helene to join her army, but she declines by saying that she swore her life and sword to King Luther, and that she won't betray him. Gabriel is amazed by Helene's loyalty and understands that they both have no choice but to fight to the death.

## Gabriel's Death

The two warriors start fighting; Gabriel fights with incredible speed and strength, and so does Helene. Gabriel hits Helene with a powerful strike on her breastplate, nearly defeating her, but she stabs Gabriel in the side. With the last of his strength, he pushes her outside the window.

Gabriel collapses, and Kenna rushes to his side. She tells Gabriel that she can't keep going without him and that he's been like a father to her. He replies by saying that she became everything that he ever hoped of, and that he's incredibly proud of her. Gabriel closes his eyes and his breathing stops. Whitlock tries to gently pull Kenna away, but she shouts that she's not going to leave Gabriel like this. Whitlock tells her that if she stays, Marco will get away and Gabriel's sacrifice will mean nothing. Kenna slowly gets to her feet to pursue Marco.

## The Duel

Kenna finds Marco in the Stormholt Great Hall, and they exchange insults before starting their duel. He lunges at her with his sword, but she swiftly blocks with her weapon and injures his shoulder. Marco tries to make Kenna fall in a trap by provoking her, but she sees through his trap and manages to hit him in the side. Marco notices a glass goblet and throws it at Kenna, but she easily dodges it. Marco charges at Kenna and they both exchange a lot of blows; their weapons lock and grind, and they both push each other. Kenna rolls backwards and kicks him in the stomach, and the strength of her kick causes Marco to fall on the floor.

Marco quickly gets up and strikes at her heart, and Kenna parries his blow. He pushes close and grabs her throat, but she hits him with a powerful kick to the groin. They both fall on the ground. Marco is furious, and he gets up and tries to hit Kenna with a high attack, but she disarms him with a strike to the hand. His weapon flies away and he stumbles on the floor, completely at her mercy.

Whitlock arrives with Leon and the members of Kenna's army. Whitlock begs Kenna to spare Marco, saying he could be useful, but Leon disagrees and claims that men like him are too dangerous and that killing him is the best course of action. Regardless whether Kenna kills or spares Marco, the Nevrakis army is defeated and Kenna retakes Stormholt.

## Aftermath

Mere hours after the end of the battle, Kenna prepares for her coronation while Annelyse advises her on what to wear. Shortly after, the doors to the Throne Room swing open and many of Kenna's new subjects gather inside the hall. Kenna climbs the steps of the dais and kneels so that Leon can place her crown on her head. The crowd cheers happily.

Later, at the coronation feast, Kenna discusses the status of the nearby villages and farms with Leon. He tells her that the farms didn't receive any kind of damage, so there will be plenty of food for the coming winter. Kenna is happy when she hears the news, since she thinks that her people deserve to celebrate after everything that they had to endure. Leon agrees with her, but tells her that the war with Luther is far from over.

Kenna also tells Leon that since Gabriel died, someone else will have to take his place as her bodyguard. She takes a sword from a nearby guard and names Leon her Crown Guardian, Protector of the Queen. He gladly accepts the honor. Shortly after, Kenna notices Dom alone in the crowd. They greet each other and discuss how much time they spent apart. They keep talking for a while until Kenna sits on her throne for the first time. Her subjects and companions cheer for her, and Kenna makes a speech. She tells them that they all did an incredible job, and that Stormholt is finally free from the Nevrakis family.

However, she also reminds them of the work they still have ahead of them. They won the battle, but the war is not over yet. Many of Luther's allies still hold the rest of the Five Kingdoms, and Luther himself will sail back from the Iron Empire as soon as winter is over. She assures her subject that, despite their odds, they will all beat him, **together**.

## Gallery

The Battle for Stormholt beginsKenna becomes the new rightful Queen of Stormholt