The Ice Warrior (Part 3 WoE)

Part 3 of War of the Elements (read the first two)

NOTE: welp this doesn't REALLY fit the prompt... but oh well. I promis this story will start moving WAY FASTER after I get Celeste's part out. These are the backstories. The maximum amount of parts are 10 so yah... ENJOY KATE + FEMALE EMPOWERMENT :DDDD

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“Mom! Mom! Look.” I handed my mom the envelope. She put down her glasses as she took the envelope from my hands. I had recognized the crest of the Iceberg Dynasty on it, but I had been to afraid or apprehensive to open it. I thought it was likely it was a letter from the army, but I was too excited to open it myself. Maybe I have been accepted...? 

 The Glacier Kingdom had the element of ice, but we also had a secret. In the past wars, we had always been a weak kingdom that was most targeted due to our vast amount of land, but feeble army. Since the only people with the powers were the royal bloodline (the power of ice was only transferred by blood), there was no way to have a big army. While other empires and kingdoms could train a calvary army as well, we couldn’t due to the frigid temperatures. The solution? A select ten children each year would be injected with royal blood. Of course, that didn’t make us royalty, but that gave us a tiny bit of ice power. The children would be trained with the royal princes and princesses as soldiers and generals. However, the girls who were picked were always looked down upon for their weaker physique. Often these girls went on to live a normal life and practically forfeited their powers. But I, Kate Reynolds had more backbone than that.  

At the age of ten, when I had been picked to be injected with the royal blood, the official there had given me a choice to either forfeit my powers, and let another boy be chosen, or I would train in the army as well, but at a disadvantage because of my gender. Even at the young age of ten, I had proudly announced that I would join the army training instead of being a coward. Nothing my mother said could sway my decision, so that was that. Surprisingly, I didn’t do that bad. In our group of thirty kids who were all aged ten to eleven (it was a mixture of royalty and half-royals like me), I was the only girl, but I was the smartest. While during battle training, the boys would boisterously use brute force and strength to bloody the others as much as possible, I would catch them unawares and trip them.  

As we learned how to control our powers, the boys who were actually royalty were separated from us due to their higher level of powers. That left twenty of us, nineteen of which were boys. The first moment I shot a blast of ice across the floor, tripping a boy, I knew I wanted to be an Ice Warrior. But not just any Ice Warrior; I wanted to be the first female Ice Warrior in history who came from peasant blood.  

A week ago, the Ice King received a note from King Trevas from the Darkness Empire. Although I didn’t exactly know the details, it seemed that King Nobelius had waged war or something on King Trevas (something about a bloodthirsty princess...?). Thus, due to the allegiances of the two kingdoms, it was our duty to oblige and prepare an army to help attack. King Iceberg Killink sent out an urgent message to the five generals in the Ice Kingdom asking them to quickly assemble a group of twenty individuals out of the one-hundred people in our league who were the strongest, smartest, and most determined. The General had said that a letter would be sent out to the twenty people who would be picked within five days.  

Those five days were a mixture of nervousness (what if I don’t get chosen? Oh my gosh Oh my gosh), anticipation (hurry up letter! Will it come today?), negativity (I definitely won’t make it. What was I thinking anyways?), positivity (I think I have a pretty good chance!) and lastly, complete fatigue (I must practice my strength and skills!) So now, staring at the envelope which my mother held in her hands, I knew the fate of my future lay in that square paper.  

“Open it, Mama! Hurry!” She frantically sliced open the envelope and took out a piece of paper. I snatched it from her in pure ecstasy.  

Greetings to the Reynolds Family.  

Due to the need for warriors in possible upcoming battles against the Kingdom of Water and Kingdom of Light, we have recruited twenty able-bodied warriors to join the army. Your daughter, Kate Reynolds has beheld the honor of being chosen for her strong physique, quick-wittedness, and determination. These are the traits we look for in a good warrior. We are delighted to accept Ms. Reynolds into the army, as we are sure she will bring pride, honor, and victory for her land.  

On the 25th of December, she will report to the Grand Palace Entrance, where she will go off to battle. Her battalion is: Iceberg One, Cavalry, Group 4. She will train with the others in her battalion to practice cooperation and coordination during battle. Armour, food, drink, and shelter will be provided.  

If Ms. Reynolds returns after the War harmed in anyway, you will receive reimbursement. If she dies as a hero in battle (by 1. Killing an enemy general 2. Performing an act of self-sacrifice for the good of the Iceberg Empire, 3. Capturing an enemy battalion) the Reynolds Family will go down as a family of honor in the Iceberg Empire History.  

Once again, we look forward to seeing Ms. Reynolds in battle for her homeland.  

Best Regards,  

Army General Arvis Vanderal 

I sat in shock for a moment before leaping up into the air.  

“Mom! I did it! I’m a warrior now! First female ice warrior! Lookee! Lookee!” A feeling of great accomplishment and pride overwhelmed me as I continued leaping and bounding around our house. 

“THE 25th is TOMMOROW! OMIGOSH I NEED TO GET READY!!!” I shot a blast of ice which propelled me to the bathroom. There, I hurriedly stared at myself in a mirror. Messy ponytail... Should I make it something fancier?

I took out the hairband and shook loose my shoulder-length chestnut colored hair. I tried a man bun (hair too messy), braid (hair not long enough), pigtails (arghh... They're so uneven), and finally I just scrunched my hair up back into a messy ponytail. I liked how the wisps of dark hair framed my pointed face. My sapphire blue eyes stared back at me.

First girl warrior in history. Here I come.

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2 Days Later

I blinked. Where am I? Then everything started coming back to me. During the battle I had been hit full force in the face by a burst of water. It had knocked me out before I had any time to freeze. I looked up above me. Treetops, treetops, and more treetops. I supposed I had been knocked off balance and landed in this forest by the power of the gush of water.

"Shhhhh. I think she's coming to." I gulped silently. That was the sound of a human voice. What if I was a prisoner? That would mean great shame for my family, and my goal to be an ice warrior would end right now.

"That was too loud Luke, she's definitely heard you now."

"Well, you're being even louder!"

"SHHHHHHHHH."

"Let's check if she's awake. Maybe she's thirsty."

"Well. She looks pretty bloodied." The two voices sounded like kids around my age. Definitely didn't sound like they were plotting my death or anything. I turned my head towards the direction of the voices.

A boy with messy brown hair and piercing silver eyes was standing above me with a regal looking girl with thick, luscious curls.

"Hi. Please don't kill me." I waited to see if they would.

"I'm Luke, and I'm very dangerous, but I wouldn't kill you."

"I'm Princess Mira and I'm dangerous too. Probably more dangerous than Luke-"

"Hey!" The boy, or should I say, Luke, frowned. I stared at the two amusedly.

"Er, hey. I'm Kate, and um, I'm not royalty, but like-"

"I'm not royalty either. But I have powers." He shrugged matter-of-factly.

"I'm royalty, and I have powers, but my dad's just been abducted. I was in the middle of telling Luke about the whole story, but you're just in time to hear the rest of it." They sat down again, joining me.

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DEDICATED TO KATE, LUKE, MIRA, AND CELESTE (who will be in my next story)

Love y'all for reading this pretty unlogical story. Last time I submitted a story was LAST YEAR (hahahahhaha see what I did there)