Battle of Linwood

The Battle of Linwood is a battle that occurred at the end of the Years of No Rulers and ushered in the first year of the reign of Queen Tesni.

The events leading up to the Battle of Linwood had begun over two-hundred years prior, during the thirty-third year of the reign of King Ailill and Queen Catriona, when the Hearts of the Five Kingdoms were stolen. Things remained peaceful, however, until the forty-sixth and last year of their reign, when they were murdered. The assassins who killed them, however, were never found, and tensions began to rise in the Advisory Council, who became nervous that the newly crowned King Ithel and Queen Rhiannon would soon be killed as well before Queen Rhiannon could produce an heir.

The next milestone on the road to the Battle of Linwood was the assassination of King Ithel and Queen Rhiannon one-hundred eighty-six years after they took the throne. The orb was turned over to the Rangers for hiding, and word soon began to spread that there was a valid heir to the throne hidden away. However, Ithel’s sister, Princess Agrona, had run away, surrounded by rumors that she was responsible for her brother and sister-in-law’s assassination, and there was no proof that Rhiannon had given birth to a child that had survived infancy. It was at this point that the Years of No Rulers began.

In the thirteenth and final year of No Rulers, however, the heir to the throne finally revealed herself. It was Tesni Greenblade, the daughter of Ryder Greenblade. Her mother, Cliona, thought to be a simple handmaid to Queen Rhiannon, was actually the lost princess. She was believed dead, however, and it was for Tesni that the orb glowed brightly, showing her to be the rightful queen.

Tesni had an obstacle in the form of her grand-aunt, however, and so she found herself raising a small army. She also recruited her former lover, Aeron Windrunner, who had learned some sorcery from Agrona. He created an illusion spell for use in battle and cast it on another of Agrona’s former servants, Fiona Rainsong. The spell transformed her so that she looked exactly like Tesni, and it was Fiona that, thus disguised, led Tesni’s army into battle.

Tesni, meanwhile, entered Agrona’s keep to confront the sorceress. She took the first shot and found it blocked by one of Agrona’s spells. Agrona then revealed that she had captured Arya, who had been left behind because she was pregnant with Tesni’s younger half-sibling. Tesni immediately whipped around and shot the two men holding Arya. Arya, in turn, attempted to attack Agrona but was blocked by a sudden wall of ice.

This, however, turned out to be the distraction that Tesni needed, and she tackled Agrona. Facing the possibility of being killed, Tesni used a magical incantation to name her unborn sibling her heir should she die without a child of her own. She then killed Agrona, taking a blade to her side.

This released Agrona’s forces from the spells she used to keep them loyal and ended the Battle of Linwood, allowing Tesni to take her place as Queen.