The third and final defensive army assembled outside the trade city of Goldmeadow.
Unlike NorthFolk's towering forests or Briarwatch's shadowed woodlands, Goldmeadow sat amid rolling plains and fertile farmland. Wide-open fields stretched for miles in every direction, making it an ideal place for trade.
And a terrifying place to fight.
There would be nowhere to hide.
No mountains.
No forests.
No natural choke points.
Only open ground.
And twenty thousand soldiers standing between the Empire and the heart of the United Kingdoms.
When the shimmering portal opened, the crowd immediately began to murmur.
Then cheer.
Then shout.
Because they recognized who stepped through first.
Aurabelle Darquebane.
Bunny.
The most famous of the Vixens.
According to sales of portraits, paintings, and collectible illustrations sold throughout the United Kingdoms, Bunny was the runaway favorite.
Some claimed it was her bright blue hair.
Others said it was her infectious smile.
Still others insisted it was because Merriweather's paintings somehow always made her look impossibly radiant.
And yes, many privately admitted that her generous figure certainly didn't hurt.
Whatever the reason, Bunny had become a phenomenon.
Children adored her.
Women admired her.
Men openly fanboyed over her.
The moment she stepped through the portal, a wave of excited voices erupted.
"It's Bunny!"
"Lady Aurabelle!"
"I have three of your portraits!"
"Can I get your autograph?"
Bunny blinked.
Then smiled.
"Oh! Of course!"
Before anyone could stop her, she was signing helmets, shields, pieces of parchment, and, in one memorable case, the chestplate of a very red-faced young soldier.
Standing beside her was Zephrial Darquebane.
Zee.
Zephrial Darquebane
If Bunny was the brightest smile in the group, Zee was its quiet heart.
Dressed in flowing white-and-gold robes, her staff Sanctaris shimmered with holy light.
Her serene presence calmed everyone around her.
Even as Bunny signed autographs and chatted happily with the troops, Zee simply smiled.
"We should probably begin soon."
Bunny handed back a signed spear.
"Right! War."
Bunny's armor drew almost as much attention as Bunny herself.
Designed by Merriweather, it was both practical and outrageously eye-catching.
A blue-and-silver enchanted battle ensemble, styled to maximize mobility while somehow accentuating Bunny's natural beauty.
At first glance, many would have described it as scandalous.
At second glance, they would have noticed the shimmering magical barriers filling the open spaces.
The armor radiated power.
So did Bunny.
And when she reached over her shoulder and drew her massive war hammer, the crowd fell silent.
The weapon was nearly as large as she was.
Dragon-forged.
Rune-etched.
Absurdly heavy.
Bunny lifted it with one hand.
Then brought it down.
BOOM!
The hammer struck the earth.
The ground trembled.
Dust burst upward.
Several soldiers stumbled.
A few fanboys looked like they were seconds from fainting.
Bunny tilted her head.
"Oh."
She smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry."
The crowd erupted in cheers.
A fairy mage fluttered to Bunny's shoulder.
"Lady Bunny, your speech."
Bunny froze.
"My what?"
"Your speech."
Bunny slowly turned to Zee.
"I was supposed to have a speech?"
Zee smiled serenely.
"You'll do fine."
Bunny leaned closer.
"What do I say?"
Zee whispered, "Say what you feel."
Bunny took a deep breath.
The fairy mage amplified her voice across the entire army.
Twenty thousand soldiers stared up at her.
Bunny swallowed.
Then waved.
"Hi!"
The army roared in delight.
Bunny grinned.
"Okay, so... I didn't prepare anything."
Laughter rippled through the ranks.
Bunny rested her hammer on her shoulder.
"But that's okay, because I know exactly why we're here."
She looked over the assembled soldiers.
Elves.
Humans.
Minotaurs.
Fairies.
Rabbitkin.
Wolfkin.
Dwarves.
People who had once fought each other.
Now standing together.
Bunny's expression softened.
"When I first came to Solmere, it was a muddy little town that most people ignored."
A few soldiers chuckled.
Bunny nodded.
"And then I met Jax."
Cheers erupted.
Bunny smiled.
"He didn't just change my life."
Her voice grew stronger.
"He changed all of ours."
Heads nodded.
Faces brightened.
"He taught me that being different isn't something to hide."
She touched her chest.
"He taught me that strength isn't about what you can destroy."
She gestured to the army.
"It's about what you're willing to protect."
The field grew quiet.
Bunny raised her hammer.
"Today, we're protecting our homes."
Cheers spread.
"Our families."
Louder.
"Our future."
Thunderous.
"And the really nice lives we've all become used to."
The crowd burst into laughter and applause.
Zee stepped forward with a warm smile.
"I believe what Lady Bunny means to say is that we fight today not because we hate our enemies—"
She glanced at Bunny.
"Though some of us certainly do."
Bunny nodded enthusiastically.
"Very much."
The soldiers laughed.
Zee continued.
"We fight because we love what we've built together."
Her voice carried like music.
"We love our homes."
"Our families."
"Our freedom."
"And each other."
The soldiers grew still.
Many straightened.
Some wiped away tears.
Zee raised Sanctaris.
"And because of that, we will not break."
Holy light shimmered around her.
Protective barriers flickered across the sky.
The troops gasped.
Bunny stepped forward again.
"I know some of you are scared."
Several soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.
Bunny nodded.
"I am too."
The admission surprised them.
"But when I'm scared, I ask myself one question."
She grinned.
"What would Jax do?"
The army cheered immediately.
Bunny twirled her hammer.
"He'd grin like a maniac."
Laughter.
"He'd say something ridiculously confident."
More laughter.
"And then he'd do something so insane that nobody would believe it."
The cheers became deafening.
Bunny lifted her hammer high.
"Well, today we don't need to be Jax Darquebane."
She pointed to the army.
"We just need to be the people he believes in."
The response was thunderous.
Weapons slammed against shields.
Voices rose to the heavens.
The very ground seemed to shake.
Bunny's eyes glistened.
Zee squeezed her hand.
"You were wonderful."
Bunny leaned over.
"I completely made that up."
Zee smiled.
"I know."
Scouts raced in from the horizon.
"The Empire is approaching!"
The cheers faded.
The reality of war returned.
Bunny mounted her position at the front of the army.
Zee stood at her side.
Bunny rested her giant hammer across her shoulders.
Zee planted Sanctaris into the earth.
Protective wards spread through the ranks like ripples across water.
Twenty thousand soldiers stood ready.
Waiting.
Watching.
Trusting.
Bunny's blue hair danced in the wind.
She smiled.
Not because she wasn't afraid.
But because she knew exactly what she was fighting for.
Home.
Family.
Jax.
The dust cloud on the horizon grew larger.
The Empire had arrived.
And at the front of Goldmeadow's defenders stood Bunny and Zee.
The Hammer and the Healer.
The Smile and the Shield.
And behind them stood an army that finally believed.
The Third Great War was about to begin in earnest.