MtmE/War Song

This songfic's lyrics are those of "War Song" by O.A.R. on their album All Sides, written by Mark Roberge.

Oh my God, tell me this won't last forever Tell me that I'm not alone Tell me this will come together now...

Kendrick de Perci, perched high up on his post on White Wolf Mountain, watched as a sentry to guard the city of Catherby from attack. The Mishtalian Armed Forces had already ruthlessly attacked the Asgarnians, and had totally destroyed their resistance. They knocked down the wall that divided Asgarnia from Kandarin, built just six months ago after the last. Now, their new enemies were testing the water for an invasion. Only a kilometre away from Kedrick's bird's nest lay the pristine coastal fishing town of Catherby, and the sleepy Seer's Village just to the northwest. Kendrick was the first line of defense against the Misthalians, and if he failed his job to protect two of the most crucial trading points in Kandarin, its economy would implode, along with the peoples' sense of unity. He had the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, and they were about to break.

Packed my thing up just the other day Said my goodbyes to all these things I've saved Out in the driveway, we laugh under the moon Among my friends for now, but I'll be leaving soon

Kendrick, alertly scanning the fields ahead with his snow-covered binoculars, suddenly flashed back to the very day he was drafted, almost 9 months ago.

A knock on his door, and a note in his mailbox had notified him that he'd been "emergency recruited" by the Kandarian Armed Forces, and was deployed to a base in Catherby. Convenient, considering it was his home town. Disdainfully, Kendrick packed all he owned into a rucksack, and said his sorrowful goodbyes to his wife, Sola. "Don't worry Sola, I'm sure this war with the Misthalians will be over before we both know it. We have a mountain protecting us from them!"

"Ken, so did the Asgarnians, and they are almost completely conquered! Soon enough the war will reach Catherby, and you first! And with you in the army, who will be winning the bread? You know and I know that I've been pregnant for a month, and with a war on the horizon and a new child on the way how will we live a normal life?"

"Sola, don't worry! Those Misthalians made a mistake to mess with us, and they are going to pay for it." Sola started to weep, and put her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and calmed her down, and whispered in her ear: "Now, let me tell you something:"

Many days from now, I'm sure I'll be back among your graces And with you I won't pretend No, not at all

Crack, the morning Up and running quick No sleep again last night but that's the way it is Out in the open under broken skies I feel every footstep I see everybody's eyes

Snapping out of his flashback, Kendrick de Perci searched the horizon through his binoculars. And what he found was clearly not something that his commander would like. The Misthalians had modified a siege engine, and were using it to ferry soldiers over the protective ditch that had been dug in anticipation of attack. By the time he had come out of his daydream nearly 500 soldiers stood at White Wolf Mountain's foothills. Hell no, he thought. This is my turf.

He grabbed a handle on the floor and slid it back, revealing a long passageway to an underground base. No stairs, just a meter by meter square hole leading to a secret fortification buried just under the mountain. Without any hesitation, he jumped straight in. He crashed and thumped against the sides of the passageway as he fell, slightly denting his mithril armour. Then, only a few meters from the ground, he crushed six tiny runestones in his hands, resulting in a huge burst of air exploding from his fingertips. Clink! Against the odds, he landed safely in the underground base on a cushion of air. On the opposite wall was a keyhole, adjacent to a long hallway full of barracks, his own included, and on the other side the exit out of the mountain. He ran quickly, and with his shaking hands inserted his special key and twisted the lock.

This connected a series of leyden jars behind the wall to a circuit with two bells in each room. As the bells were electromagnetised by the leyden jars' electricity, they repelled and attracted a centre clapper. A perfect alarm system. Soon, the sound of brass bells filled the base, all soldiers quickly donned their armor, and stood at attention in the hallway. Kendrick joined the steel-clad ranks, and the legion commander stood before them, dressed in adamantite platemail. And no sooner, a booming voice echoed from beyond the base. On the outside. On the border with what used to be Asgarnia.

"People of the Kandarian Armed Forces," it roared, "All effort to oppose out righteous conquest will be destroyed efficiently and swiftly. Resistance is futile." Just as the voice ended, it was replaced with the noise of half a thousand soldiers marching up the mountain. The Kandarians had only fifty.

"Men," yelled the commander, "move out!" Everyone made for the exit and the front lines. "Captain de Perci! Send an electogram to the base in Catherby. We'll need reinforcements."

"Yes sir!" Kendrick made for the electrograph, a large electrical generator, and started twisting a knob back and forth. Turning the knob sent a series of electrical pulses along a wire, whose patterns could be interpreted as letters and words. After sending 'reinforcements - white wolf mtn' through the electrograph to the General in Catherby, he ran out the door and joined the battle.

Oh and this is summer in another world Far from the driveway and my baby girl Soon comes the winter With it quiet nights Darker days and darker fights

Running outside, Kendrick slipped on his mithril helmet with his special yellow plume, signifying that he was a Captain. The heat outside was unbearable compared to the temperature within the base. "De Perci Company! Front and centre!" he yelled, over the sound of swords clashing and spells being fired. 10 men ran to his call. "We have to stop those Misthalians from finding our base, so we need half of you to rig the heavy cannons on the lee side of the mountain! Lieutenant Gree, that'll be your squadron. The rest of you, come with me!" Just then, a large purple orb appeared to Kendrick's right. As it evaporated, 50 men were standing there. Reinforcements, the General with them.

"Men! At attention!" he yelled. The General turned to Kendrick. "Captain, what is the damage to the base?"

"None as of yet, sir. I'm having my men prime our heavy cannons to fire shells on the Misthalians, but as you can see, neither side has made much progress."

"Good work nonetheless. I have one third of my men here, the others are securing White Wolf Mountain and the surrounding area. There's also a mage company on the way, but I don't think they'll be here until well into the battle."

"We can only hope."

But many days from now, I'm sure I'll be back among your faces And with you I won't pretend No, not at all

Oh, the theatre is burning Over at midnight but never like this Hot under the fire The stars are all falling but never like this I hope you never see this

Catherby. People gathered in the streets to hear the news flooding in about the battle. "How many fatalities 'ave there been?" yelled a man in a stained burlap shirt.

"None as of yet!" the electrogram operator yelled, "But it seems the Misthalians are advancing at an alarming rate!" Just then, the sound of cannon shells going off rung into the village. "The troops are firing on the Misthalians, nothing to worry about!"

"Are you sure?" the man asked. But the operator was wrong. A wave of glowing balls of energy suddenly flew over White Wolf mountain and into the village. Flaming balls. The first ones to hit burned the docks, and ships at harbour, engulfing them in orange flame, and destroying any chance of a sea escape. The rest impacted town buildings. The church and general store were being swallowed by a firestorm. Screams exploded from buildings as innocent souls were incinerated by flames. It was the end of the world for everyone in Catherby.

Wait, wait for my love Don't forget me, never let me go If you wait, wait for my love I'll remember, never let you go Until I'm fine, fine, fine Until I'm fine, fine, fine

To be back in my room I have the same dream every night Just me among my things No one else is there There's no one left to fight Just me among my things

In the small, burning village, on an insignificant street, in an insignificant house, lay Sola de Perci on her bed. Next to her knelt a midwife. "Push, Sola! Push! You've got to push!" Sola's heart felt small and weak. Around her was her burning hometown, with screams from the streets each time a new ball of fire pushed over the horizon. On the mountain to the east, her husband Kendrick was on the front lines of an ongoing battle to protect Kandarin from the Misthalian assault. And now, Sola was having their child in the midst of the conflict that would determine his lifespan.

"I can't do this, I just can't. I need to know that he is safe." Sola began to weep as her newest contraction began.

"Who?" Just as she asked, a voice shouted out from the charred, half burnt buildings that enveloped Catherby.

"Sola! Sola!" the voice hollered, getting louder and louder as it moved closer. "Sola!" A face appeared in the shattered window, one belonging to Kendrick de Perci.

"Kendrick! You're safe!" Sola's expression changed instantly, like night and day.

"Sola, we have got to get you out of here; the Misthalians have breached the base and now they're disabling the teleportation matrix!"

"There is no way in hell I can move right now, Ken." A blast of rock flew past Kendrick's head.

"Enh, she's right Mr. de Perci. She's going to have your child any moment now."

"Be that as it may," he replied, "we must get going now." The sound of clinking platemail filled the alley. "Come on! There's got to be a way out of here!"

Many nights from now, I know I'll be back among your graces  Until then I'll just pretend  That I'm not cold 

Thousands of uniformed men marched robotically up the alley, as Sola, Kendrick, and the midwife carefully escaped out a window. Kendrick held his wife's hands, the midwife her feet, and they ran out of Catherby and into the nearby meadows. Sola felt her strength slowly draining from her heart as they quickly ran from their old life. The battle was all but lost, Catherby was reduced to charred ashes and the Misthalian army now controlled the teleportation matrix.

Kendrick and the midwife made a sharp turn, making Sola squeal in pain as another contraction began. "Ken!" she hollered, "No more, no more of this running! We must have our child here and now, because I cannot take any more of this!

"Sorry Sola," he said softly, and released her onto the soft sands of the Entrana bay shores.

"Miss, you have to push." Sola held her chin to her torso and pushed with all her might. Her face turned red and her knuckles white.

Oh my God, tell me this won't last forever Tell me that I'm not alone Tell me this will come together Oh my God, you know

Wait, wait for my love Don't forget me, never let me down And just wait, wait for my love I'll remember, every one of you Just wait, wait for my love Until I'm fine, fine, fine Until I'm fine, fine, fine I'll be fine, fine, fine I'll be fine, fine, fine

Sola de Perci was pushing for her life; she was in heavy labor. "Aagh!" she screamed, still pushing. Her knuckles turned a ghostly white and she tightened her eyelids so much they could have ripped.

"Sola, listen to me!" A voice came through all the pain. Kendrick's voice. "You can do this!" Sola heled her breath and pushed again.

"There you go that's it," said the midwife. A tiny scream erupted from the sand. One that was not Sola's. "Kendrick and Sola," the midwife said, "I congratulate you. You are the parents of a baby boy. She held up the baby and quickly washed it in the oceanic waters. Its cries were soon calmed. Tears began to run down their faces, as the midwife took out a cloth and swaddled the baby, placing it gingerly in Sola's arms.

"It's a magical day. Sola, it's magical. We might not have won this battle, but now I'm ready to win the war." Kendrick adopted an ear to ear grin.

"That's it my baby boy." Sola rubbed his stubble. The new family all gazed into the setting sun. "That's it son. Lukas."