Legend of Dread Winter

The Legend of Dread Winter tells the tale of Lord Commander Derrick von Castille who rallied the defenders of King's Crossing into a glorious victory that saved the Kingdom of Arkland from destruction by the Stars of Ixohtl during the Second War of the Stars.

## The Dread Winter

 File:Starixtoca.jpg
Over a thousand years ago, before The Republic and before the Kingdom of Arkland had truly separated from its homeland, the settlers of Arkland found themselves fighting against the warriors of the Stars for their very existence on Indagar. 25 years earlier, the first settlers arrived at the Bay of Kings, escaping famine from their homeland of Montilliare, a mountainous land that is a long journey across the eastern sea from Indagar. When they did, after having been at sea for so long, they were not greeted kindly but rather seen as invaders from the ocean by the people who originally inhabited the Arkland Peninsula, the Stars of Ixohtl. This led to the First War of the Stars in which the settlers of Arkland managed to establish themselves on the Arkland Peninsula. However, this defeat was not forgotten by the Stars, and Star Ixtoca, seeking a chance at glory, rallied her tribe to war against the people of Arkland once again hoping to drive them into the sea. Thus, the Second War of the Stars began, and with a horde of Horse Lords massive enough to tremor the earth, the Arkland Peninsula was surrounded, and King's Crossing was placed under siege. This story returns to that very siege, in the dead of a brutally cold winter, known as the Dread Winter.

It is a rare sight, one in which most lifetimes never have a chance to witness, in which the snows come to the Arkland Peninsula in any amount to speak of, let alone to pile drifts against the fortified walls of King's Crossing. However, that was the setting of the Dread Winter. The people of the city huddled within make-shift walls, desperate for food and warmth and unable to adequately find either. They could not venture outside of the walls as just out of sight, was the army of Star Ixtoca camped in the nearby wilderness. The barely established city of King's Crossing had been under siege for almost two months, and because of the terrible winter, supplies were running desperately low. The cold was equally as brutal to the city's attackers, but with the ability to forage and to cut timber for fires, the besieging army was faring much better than the people of the city. What reinforcements for the city that had been able to march during the bleak winter had been easily driven back, and repeated attempts to lead the soldiers defending the city to break the siege had all ended in bloody failure. And in these failures, all but one Lord Commander had been slain, and that remaining Lord Commander within the walls, Lord Commander Ashtonne Erregan was mortally wounded and slowly dying. The Officers of the combined Army of Arkland were also just as decimated as the troops with those that remained being from different battle groups and a disorganized mess. The talk of the remaining Officers was to plan a retreat and to abandon King's Crossing, a move which would signal certain destruction for the fledgling kingdom.

However, there was a handful of Officers who were still willing to fight. Among them was Derrick von Castille, a young and confident Officer who had just recently risen to that rank a few months before the siege. These Officers were attempting to rally the remaining remnants of the defenders of King's Crossing to continue to man the walls even as the other Officers were asking them to plan for a full retreat. This was causing a great turmoil among the rank and file of the army as the cowardice of some of the Officers was decimating the morale of the soldiers which had already been destroyed during the long siege and repeated defeats on the field. It looked as if certain defeat and likely death was at hand for the defenders of King's Crossing.

## Mutiny

One night during the siege, disaster struck as some of the Officers began to mutiny. A group of cowards had hatched a plan to move themselves, their men, and their belongings to the harbor and steal the ships therein. They would then set sail, back to Montilliare and abandon those who wished to stay. This plot was unknown to most of the remaining Officers and army, and were it to be successful would spell certain death as those ships were all that remained for King's Crossing to receive any supplies or reinforcements from those forces that were far away on the Bay of Kings.

The mastermind behind this dastardly plot was an Officer known as Ludovic De Guignes, a name which all Arklanders recognize as no one since has ever been given the name, Ludovic. Ludovic was a terrifyingly large man by Arkland standards, nearly six inches taller than any of his fellows and with a weight that would dwarf them. As a combatant, Ludovic commanded fear, and it was through this fear and intimidation that he had been able to sway the weak wills of some of the other Officers to be his co-conspirators. Although a powerful man, Ludovic was also a coward.

That night, Ludovic executed his plan. He and several other Officers and soldiers crept through the fledgling city, keeping to the darkness. It was bitter cold, and snow came down in flurries which made it almost impossible to see. The docks of King's Crossing were nothing like they are now, merely wooden planks built into the bay. And there, anchored, were the ships, all of them original ships sent from Montilliare twenty-five years earlier. They tumbled on the rough waves as the storm battered them. Ice covered their hulls and the docks making footing difficult.

However, as fate would have it, on this particular night, one Officer who had been charged with guarding the ships had taken his duty seriously, and rather than stay inside for warmth, he was instead on patrol with a few of his loyal comrades. That Officer was Derrick von Castille. Castille was a normal man by all accounts in stature, save for his deeply brown skin which was almost the color of black. Castille was not known for his physical presence but rather the presence that his charismatic personality projected. However, he was not to be underestimated as Castille was top of his class in swordplay. He was as quick and agile as a bird, able to strike and fade like a snake. He was also equally skilled with his polearm, able to spin and slice as effortlessly as a master chef prepares a meal. For those that knew Castille, they remembered him for his gallant voice and demeanor and a soft wit that would almost immediately endear you, but for those who saw him fight, they remembered him as a dancer of death.

When Ludovic and his men appeared from the shadows, they darted onto the docks, careful with their steps so as not to slip on the ice into the frigid, rolling waves. However, as they moved into the lantern lights that were swinging heavily in the gusting winds, one of Castille's guards spotted them. They were unsure of what to make of the men who were quite obviously sneaking onto the docks but also equally as obviously clad in the armor and colors of Arkland.

"Stop where you are!" yelled Castille. He voice was loud enough to be heard but also muffled by the winds.

"Derrick, take your men and go before you end up dead in the snow," bellowed back Ludovic. Ludovic and his men stopped on the docks and turned to face the shoreline where Castille and his guards were standing in the snow. The wind blew, chapping their lips and faces, and snow blurred their visions of each other.

"Ludovic?" called back Castille. "What are you doing, Ludovic?"

"They've already seen us Ludovic," yelled one of Ludovic's men. "Castille won't understand. He won't break."

"So be it," snarled Ludovic. "Castille, sorry to have to do this, but now it's time for you to return to the seas." With that Ludovic and his men began charging back down the docks towards Derrick.

"Nicollete, form arms at the dock," said Castille to his Sergeant. She responded in silence and without hesitation. Her men followed her to the place where the land ended and the dock began. They removed their pikes from their backs and brought them to bear in a small rank against the charging men of Ludovic. The otherwise unmistakably loud sounds of steel and armor crashing together would have been heard all over the dockyards if not for the howling wind. There, the men of Ludovic, outnumbering the guards by at least two to one, began engaging the makeshift pike wall that Nicolette had formed. Steel clashed as the men, using their weight and numbers, began to push the guards back, battering aside pike tips with shields and trying to close the distance. However, the docks were icy, and they had a hard time getting their footing. Nicolette's men were well trained and able to fight. However, they slowly gave ground until they were off the dock and now onto the snowy ground where the men of Ludovic could begin surrounding them.

Ludovic stood behind his men as is the way of a coward. He was still on the dock when Castille charged past the otherwise distracted soldiers to engage Ludovic himself. Castille had his pike drawn and in a leap, spun to swing his pike in an arc which Ludovic was able to narrowly avoid but the back swing caught one of the mutinous soldiers in the nape of his neck, just below the helmet. Using his momentum, Castille landed and then immediately leapt to bury his shoulder into the chest of Ludovic. The ice was slippery and Ludovic slid backwards, falling to a knee to maintain his balance. Castille swung his pike overhead and brought it down to crush Ludovic's skull, but the giant of a main caught the head of the pike in his steel gauntlet.

"I will crush you, little man," snarled Ludovic. With a powerful motion, he gripped and wrenched the pike out of Derrick's hand and flung it into the water. Castille adopted a fighting stance and drew his sword. The sounds of battle were intensifying now and the first death screams could be heard as the fighting ensued behind them.

"Right," muttered Castille. Instead of attacking, he threw his sword directly at Ludovic, distracting the giant. Castille then lept to plant a kick directly in Ludovic's chest. The slick ice on the dock and the power of the blow pushed Ludovic back. He lost his footing and tumbled into the waves. However, Castille did not declare victory here. He immediately dove into the frigid water after his quarry. They both disappeared beneath the waves.

Nicollete's men were able to wound or kill the other soldiers, with some losses on their own. They had lost sight of their Officer, but it wasn't long before out of the waves, sloshing to the shore, came a shivering and nearly upon death, Derrick von Castille. In his hands were the head of Ludovic and the dagger he had used to remove it. He stumbled onto the shore line and collapsed from the cold. Nicollete's remaining men scooped him up and hurried to carry him to a warm fire.

## Rally

News of the mutiny and Castille's actions spread quickly on the following morning. However, instead of being excited about the death of the mutineers, this only served to lower morale even further. The remaining few Officers met in the town center of then King's Crossing to discuss what they would do next. It was clear that others had given up hope, so much so as to mutiny. Further, there were no Lord Commanders left to lead them against the Star Ixtoca. Perhaps Ludovic had had the right idea in trying to escape. They begin to draw up plans for how to evacuate knowing that there were not enough ships to carry all the soldiers and civilians. Some of the Officers began to volunteer to lead the rear guard on what would surely be a death mission as the citizens of Arkland began to escape.

Castille, still recovering from the shock of the cold and battle from the previous night, appeared,. Having been able to kill the giant Ludovic in combat, Castille now wore the respect of all the other Officers. The winds were just beginning to die down as he approached the meeting, and the snow stopped falling from the sky. From behind the clouds, the sun began to peak out, and the day grew brighter. Castille marched up, and he threw the grisly head of Ludovic, frozen from having been left in the cold all night, to the ground.

"It is cowards like him as to why we are stuck in this mess," calmly stated Castille. His voice was low, on purpose, causing the other Officers to have to huddle around him to hear. "But it is brave men like me who are going to see us out of this. Some of you can stay behind, but I am going out there, beyond the wall. I am going to bring back the heart of Star Ixtoca."

"You're mad," replied one of the Officers."

"You're mad if you think that you can escape in this storm by sea. You'll all die out there on the waves. No, I'd rather die here, defending my homeland," retorted Castille. It was an odd thing to say as most of the men still considered Montilliare to be their homeland.

"Maybe, Castille," spat one of the Officers. "But you can go die in the snow, alone." He turned to walk away.

"Who's with me?" cried Derrick. This time, his voice was powerful.

"I am, Lord Commander," spoke Nicollete. She had walked up behind Castille. Her reference to him as Lord Commander shocked the other Officers. They were stunned by his daring, and the pause caused them to think.

"Alright, Lord Commander, I'm in as well," replied another Officer. He stepped forward, a war veteran, his face scarred and rough with battle and cold.

"I am as well. For Arkland!" shouted another, younger Officer, perhaps just fresh from a battlefield promotion.

"For Arkland!" shouted a few more men. They began to rally around Castille.

"We die like cowards on the sea or we die like heroes outside the walls. Either way, before I die, I'm taking that witch with me!" shouted Castille. The others cried to the winds. The charisma of Castille had steeled their minds.

They made their preparations for battle for the rest of the day. The Officers went back to their soldiers and began to inform them of the plan and to calm their fears. It was almost certain death to leave the walls as it had been for many who had tried before. But at this juncture, all understood that they really had no more choices. The people of the Arkland Peninsula needed them to win this battle else the would all die there.

Castille enlisted the support of a couple of the remaining Officers who were known for their tactical prowess. Castille was not an arrogant man, and he would be known to surround himself with those he considered his superiors in the future. They decided that their only real hope was to cut the head off the snake. They would exit the walls, and they expected that within mere minutes, the Star Ixtoca would lead her horse warriors to run them down. Perhaps then they could use that to their advantage. They would make as if they were struggling to muster and exit the walls, leaving the gate open and taking a considerable amount of time to form ranks. This would entice the Star to charge them, and they would feign a retreat back through the walls. An open gate would be a prize the Star could not refuse. However, just before a full on retreat through the city, they would turn to form ranks, and Castille and other Officers would charge back into the fray, find the Star, and remove her heart just as Castille had sworn.

Despite knowing this was a mission of almost certain death, Castille sought out Nicollete, his most trusted Sergeant. He granted her the title of Officer and told her that she was to be his right hand. Together, they would lead the counter charge and cut the Star down. Were he to die, he would rather die fighting next to his closest friend for the people of Arkland than freezing to death on a ship in the Bay of Kings. He spent the evening with Nicollete and some of his most loyal soldiers. There wasn't any wine and barely any food, but they celebrated what was likely their last night on the world just the same with song while also hearing stories of Montilliare from the elderly.

## Battle at the Gates

The remaining soldiers of Arkland began their march in the morning as the people within the walls began loading the ships for what might be a hasty retreat. At the time, the crude walls that protected the Arkland Peninsula were made of wood, and they flung open the wooden gates just as the sun rose over the horizon. They began a slow muster, purposefully taking their time so as to give the chance for the scouts of the Star to spot their movements.

The Stars of Ixohtl were fierce, horse warriors, and the tactical problem for Arkland was that they did not have horses with which they could counter their movements. This forced Arkland to rely on the longbow for support, but it made their soldiers more or less useless on the offense. As such, the way in which Arkland was able to fight the Stars was through defense, by establishing forward lines and slowly inching them forward. Or, if they were lucky, they could goad the Stars into attacking and thereby bring them to their own terms. Such was the ploy for the day. They needed to present Star Ixtoca with a scenario in which she simply could not refuse a close assault, and what other such prize could there be than a supply wagon, stuck, blocking the gates of the wall from closing?

As the morning continued, the Warriors of the Realm mustered onto the field just outside the walls, taking up defensive formations. There weren't many left now as the Dread Winter had claimed many lives. It was then that Castille ordered a supply wagon train through the gate. The slow maneuvers would have ensured that the scouts of Star Ixtoca had had plenty of time to muster forces in the nearby tree lines, and Derrick knew that they would be waiting to ambush his men once they were far enough away from the wall. There were five wagons, each covered in cloth, none of them actually holding any goods, but to the enemy, they would appear full and thereby, heavy. The idea was for the first wagon in the train to conveniently snap an axle, thereby immobilizing it, but also thereby causing four wagons in the train to be stuck just behind it. All of them would have to be backed up in order to close the gates. Then, to seal the deal, all it would take is for the third wagon to break down, right in front of the eyes of the enemy, and now, the gates of the Arkland Peninsula would be stuck open for several minutes. There woudl be plenty of time for a fast moving enemy to attack but also not enough time for said lighting strike to properly muster reinforcements. Derrick was gambling it all that Ixtoca herself would seize on the opportunity and lead the charge before the Arklanders could close the gate.

It only took a couple of minutes from the time that Derrick watched the axle of the third wagon snap, already prepped for disaster the night before, before the howls of the Stars echoed from the nearby tree line and the thundering of hooves began. Castille issued the order of the feigned retreat, and it was echoed to the sergeants who were commanding the men already mustered outside the wall. The men began a purposefully raucous retreat, seeming to flee in terror. This had the desired effect of spurring the horse warriors to charge even harder towards their now fleeing enemy.

The soldiers began retreating through the open gate, past the disabled supply wagons. The goal was to draw the horsemen through the gate and ambush them on the other side of the wall where they could not see. It was an extreme gamble because if they were unable to repel the horsemen at the gate then Arkland would be lost. The current settlers would try to take to the sea and escape before being overrun. Castille, Nicollete, and others waited on the other side of the wall as the soldiers who had been in the field made a screaming spectacle of fleeing back through the gate. The hooves of horses thundered and snow sprayed up behind them as they charged across the field. There was no way to know if Star Ixtoca had joined them.

The last remaining soldiers came charging through the gate, their armor and weapons clanking as they ran but not to be overhead due to the noise of the cavalry charge that was almost literally on their heels. Sadly, the last soldier was struck down by the club of a horseman as the horse charged through the gate, but vengeance would come swiftly as to the horseman's horror, the soldiers suddenly stopped fleeing and turned to snap to ranks with pikes brandished. He and his horse were impaled as were the next four horsemen who were just behind him. The headlong charge through the open gate was suddenly halted as more horsemen came pushing through the opening but had to immediately engage with the Arklanders. Despite being funneled through the gate, however, there were simply more horsemen than soldiers, and the horsemen began to push through the pike line devolving the battle into a mass melee.

The battle took place in front of the gates, and a swirling mass of horses and men became a blood bath. One of the sergeants, just before himself being brought down, raised a tall flag pole on which was the flag of retreat, signaling across the city to the people on the boats who were watching that they should pull up the ramps and start to set sail. The soldiers were heavily outnumbered and losing despite their tactical deception. However, it was now their job to fight to the last to protect the Arklanders on the ships who were making their retreat.

Castille and Nicollete along with a few of their best men joined the fray as a fighting unit. Star Ixtoca was no where to be seen in the vanguard charge, and as such, their plan seemed to have failed. It was now on them to repel the charge as best they could and give time for the retreat to occur should they lose. They entered the melee in a pike formation, unseating riders and skewering their horses. Once they drew the attention of the horsemen, they were beset on multiple sides and resorted to individual combats. Castille and Nicollete fought back to back, interweaving broad overhead swings of their pikes so as to keep their enemies at bay. The battle seemed to them to last for an eternity as the cries of the wounded and the sounds of clashing weapons filled their ears. They fought for their lives, without a concern for anything else besides the enemies before them. As they fought with such focus, they did not realize that the flow of horsemen had stopped coming through the gate, and that the tide was shifting. They were winning.

With sword in hand, Nicollete laid the finishing blow on a downed horseman at her feet. Seething, she turned and saw Castille doing the same. Around them were just a handful of soldiers who were also finishing up the melee. The remaining horsemen were fleeing back out of the gate. Other than the sounds of the hooves, it became quiet and they were all suddenly keenly aware again of the biting cold and light snowfall on their faces. They were surrounded by the bodies of horses and soldiers, strewn out before the still open gate as a muddy and bloody mess.

"She's there, she didn't charge," scowled Castille. "Arkland is through on this day, and what remains is for us to go and get her." Castille sheathed his sword and grabbed his pike which was laying on the ground. There were several rider-less horses milling about as if in shock and unsure what to do without their riders. He stepped up to one of the horses, grabbing its reigns, and fumbled to seat himself on top of it.

"We don't know how to ride," Nicollete stated solemnly as she watched Castille try to manage his horse.

"We don't need to in order to draw her out," replied Derrick. "She'll come when she sees how few of us are left. Besides, they'd never let us defile their horses by riding them for long. What have you got to lose? Our homes are burned after this, and the ships are already setting sail."

Without word, the few remaining soldiers began to try and find a horse. There weren't enough for all the soldiers and so some began to simply march out of the gate. Combined, they hardly even made up a battle group, but they were all fierce veterans having survived the war for this long.

## To Kill a Star

Clumsily, the soldiers managed to direct their mounts back through the gate, over the bodies on the ground, and into the open field beyond. The snow began to fall just a little heavier and was slowly filling in the horse tracks that had been placed there by the previous charge. The soldiers on foot began to walk beside the now mounted warriors. Castille rode ahead of the rest, brazenly.

"Come on then!" Castille shouted with all his voice could muster. "We're not afraid of you!" He doubted any of the stars could really understand his tongue, but they would surely understand his gestures. He raised his hand, and one of his men stopped to dismount. He pulled out his sword and brutally swung it into the throat of his horse, spilling its blood grotesquely on the snow. That was good enough, and the sound of war howls emanated from the tree lines just seconds later.

Out of the tree line came a group of horses as well as men on foot. In the middle of the group, clearly visible due to ornate leather armor and head dressings, was Star Ixtoca. Castille and Ixtoca met gazes, locking their eyes in a cold, death stare. Castille drew his sword and pointed the tip directly at her, imagining himself ramming its point through her heart. Ever aggressive and prideful, Star Ixtoca raised her spear to the sky and barked a charge order. The horsemen and footmen began charging across the field towards the Arklanders. They were the Star's elite guard, dressed in the thick, studded leathers of the barbarians. Their weapons were more finely crafted and ornate, mostly spears but some with clubs and axes. Their faces were painted for war in a bright display of blues, whites, and reds.

Unsure of even how to fight on horseback, most of the remaining Arklanders began to dismount to receive the charge with pikes planted. The horses were merely a ploy for Castille knew that Arklanders being mounted on the horses of the Horse Lords would spur them into a frenzy. He needed them to charge, not only to draw out their leader but also because his soldiers had no hope of engaging them in a ranged battle where they would surely be outmaneuvered.

Castille, however, did not dismount. Instead, precariously, he began to climb atop his horse, balancing himself on its back. He stood up right, and in a feat of balance, raised his pike high to the air unleashing a war howl. Star Ixtoca and her two closest guards angled their horses directly for him. The ground began to shake from the horse charge, and for Castille, time began to slow down. In his mind's eye, the horses began to become slower and slower as they approached him. He bent his knees and prepared his timing. He waited. He breathed. At the last moment, just as the horses reached them, he leapt from his horse, swinging his pike up and around his head, landing between Star Ixtoca and the warrior on her right. The pike cleanly sliced off the warriors head, and on the backswing, it bit hard into the rear flank of Ixtoca's horse causing it to drop and tumble to the ground, carrying Star Ixtoca with it.

Battle erupted around him, but Derrick Castille was not aware of it. His sights were focused on the Star, having been thrown from her horse and a tumbled mess on the ground. A barbarian footman ran up to him, club raised and a howl emitting from his mouth, but Castille could not hear it. With seemingly no effort, his sword came out of its sheath and he plunged it backwards into the stomach of the warrior. Just as he did so, however, Ixtoca's other guard, on horseback had circled around and was bearing down on him with an axe. Unable to time it correctly, Castille started to flinch, but the head of a pike shaft erupted from the warriors chest, dislodging him from the horse. Nicollete dragged the warrior down, planting her foot on his back so she could remove the pike.

"For Arkland!" she shouted. "For our home!" She spun on her heels to engage another horseman with her pike. Castille wrenched his sword from the body of the warrior he had just impaled. He flung it violently with his wrist, spattering the blood off onto the ground. He stomped towards Star Ixtoca who was now picking herself up from the ground, bloodied and mildly injured from her fall. She turned to face him. The war paint on her face was smeared with snow, mud, and blood, but the fierceness in her eyes burned brightly, almost causing them emanate a red hue. It struck Castille as he approached her that perhaps these Stars were more than just human. He tightened his guard and removed his shield from his back in preparation for the toughest battle of his life.

Star Ixtoca spat words at him that he did not understand, and she twirled her spear above her head with what appeared to Castille to be a super-human display of speed. She leapt at him, driving the head of her spear directly towards his neck, and the movement was so fast that Castille barely had time to shift his weight and deflect the blow with the top of his shield. Castille had always been fast and agile, but he had never before faced someone who perhaps outmatched his own speed. He tried to counter by blitzing forward and swinging his sword in a side arc, but Star Ixtoca was much to fast, easily side stepping and swinging the shaft of her spear around to connect directly with Castille's shoulder. The blow was entirely too strong for someone her size, and it sent Castille reeling.

He instinctively brought his shield up to guard his side as more blows rained down on it. The force of it caused him to stay off balance, and he struggled to recover. "She is some sort of demon," he thought to himself as he propelled his legs backwards to escape from the hammering blows. He stood again, readying himself, but he was already too late as Ixtoca launched the head of her spear directly towards his mid-section. It struck home, shattering his chain armor, and embedding itself in his side. He exhaled, and dropped to a knee. She did not attempt to remove the spear but instead dropped it and pulled out a finely crafted, bone axe. She twirled it above her head and advanced to finish him.

Just then, Nicollete, attempting to save him yet again, appeared in his peripheral vision with her sword gripped in two hands. She charged at Star Ixtoca, but poor Nicollete had not yet learned about the speed and ferocity of this foe. To his horror, Castille watched as Star Ixtoca twisted and buried the head of her axe in Nicollete's gut. He wanted to cry out, but instead, his legs propelled him for one last leap. Roaring, the spear still embedded in his side, Castille flung himself at Star Ixtoca, and while she was still trying to pull her axe from Nicollete, Castille drove his sword with both hands directly through Star Ixtoca's neck.

It was as if time stopped. Suddenly, the fighting around them ceased. In but a brief instant, the horsemen and warriors, shocked by the death of their leader, began retreating back to the tree line. Castille did not have time to wonder why. He was gravely injured, and released his sword, falling bodily on top of the dead Star. He rolled onto his back, the spear still sticking out of him, and just breathed.

## Aftermath

With Star Ixtoca's death, the warriors of the plains lifted the siege on Arkland and disappeared. The retreating ships of Arkland were summoned back to shore, and the Arklanders began to clean up the mess. The snows lifted in a day, and it began to grow warmer as the land thawed out. It was however, discovered that the woman killed in this battle was not Star Ixtoca but instead her daughter who had been put in charge of the siege. After witnessing how they had fled at her death, Arkland devised a plan to end the Second War of the Stars through assassination. After learning of her daughter's death, Star Ixtoca did indeed bring herself to the Arkland Peninsula with the bulk of her war host. However, the people of Arkland were waiting, and through another great story, although a much less heroic one, Star Ixtoca was killed through poison having been put there by an assassin of Arkland. That act was what ended the Second War of the Stars.

Castille, who would forever carry the injury to his side, causing him pains that would never heal, buried his friend, Nicollete. She would forever remain in his mind the true hero of Arkland, but to the remaining soldiers and people of Arkland, it would be Castille who would wear the banner as the savior of Arkland.

--Neil (talk) 18:25, 19 October 2016 (AST)