Short story - Hearts of Stone and Ice, Part III (End)

Do you need to refresh your memory? Or have you missend Part I and Part II missed? Then read those first; -)

Melanis went south with Princess Isa and his army of dark wizards to the former realm of King Aldevar to take revenge. Heliodor ordered his followers to go north with Princess Petra to stop the troops of Melanis. The former realm of Aldevar was divided into smaller states. After the exile of the magicians and years of civil war, the ordinary people decided to continue living in smaller groups that were allowed to choose their own leader. That system worked well, but it was not washed up against the threats from the north and south. The former realm was too divided to cope with such great armies.

When in the middle of spring the temperature suddenly turned to the freezing point and the sky turned purple, the leaders of the various states gathered. Because they did not know what was going on, they sent envoys to all directions of the wind. Some came back without news, others did not come back at all, and some did not dare to tell what they had seen. The armies of Melanis and Heliodor marched to the states to fight against each other, but also against the ordinary people who had exiled them. Although leaders had to devise a strategy to protect their people, they only discussed who they would support. Most wanted to join Heliodor. Even if they had betrayed the Lord of Light, he would forgive them if they supported him. Others preferred to fight alongside Melanis. Not because they supported him, but because they were too cowardly to fight him.

When the two magical armies had almost reached the former realm of Aldevar, the people had already divided into two new fractions: the fraction of light and the one of the dark.. The leader of the dark fraction approached anxiously Melanis. He asked the dark sorcerer for forgiveness and suggested supporting him in the war. Although Melanis could use that support, he wanted nothing more than punishing his traitors. He ordered Princess Isa, who believed that the sorcerer had the right thing in mind, to turn people into moving ice sculptures that would fight for him until they fell. On the other side of the former realm, the leader of the light tried to seek protection from Heliodor. The Lord of the Light refused. He felt betrayed because he had offered that protection a long time ago, but people had banished him. He admitted that he could use help. As punishment, he had Petra, who believed that the lord was on the right side, turn the people into living sand pillars who would fight for him until their death.

Then the battle began. Thanks to Isa, Melanis had an army of ice men by his side, and thanks to Petra Heliodor had an army of stone people. No one knew exactly why they were fighting. Was this because King Aldevar had once not listened to Melanis? Or because the Dark Wizard felt betrayed by everyone? Or because Heliodor Melanis blamed for all the mischief? It didn't matter to anyone. The former realm was a slaughter field of ice shards and stone murmur.