The skies above the battlefield were clouded. Rain poured down as if the world itself cried over the terrible tragedy that occurred that day. The vast fields of verdant green turned to obscure mud, occasionally decorated with the corpses of the dead and those that would soon join them. In this fields plagued by death and violence alike, a young woman stood up from the mountain of corpses that littered the land.

As she slowly stood up, all she could see was the carnage that had been left by the on-going battle. Her friends and foes alike laid down before her, most of them dead. Those that could still stand were slowly crawling out of their own guts like some kind of undead creatures. With broken armor, lost limbs and shattered swords they stood again.

The young woman watched in horror as she saw the bloodbath ahead of them. Her injured head that confused her for a second, as she thought for a moment that she was standing in some sort of dream. Until one of her comrades called out to her, that is.

"Savael, listen to me! We have to push them back, gather your men and charge for Ald's sake!"

The familiar shouting of the Commander shook her head for a few seconds until sound came back to her ears and her conscience fully recovered. A rush of memories flooded back into her head as she realized she was truly in the cruel reality of the battlefield that laid before her. Gritting her teeth and shaking the confusion off her mind, young Knight-Captain Aurelia Savael sprung into action once more.

"Those that may still stand come with me! Those that can't fight must drag the injured back to the rear, you hear me?! Let's spill some blood!"

The shouting came almost as a natural thing for her. She had grown used to the death that seemed to almost surround her no matter where she went, and this battlefield was simply another obstacle in her way to peace. With her commanding pressence doing its work, her men heeded her call and joined her together with the Commander as they pressed on back to the front line. 

It was the battle of Ferdinand, circa 475. The Prussean expeditionary forces had been caught in a bad situation. Surrounded by the main army of the Badlands, they faced truly ruthless foes in the worst weather possible. The green plains of the Dista Riverlands were covered in a storm and the ground quickly turned to mud, making a full-scale retreat impossible without suffering crippling casualties.

Lord Commander Arthur Rakhaz had taken the decision to stand his ground against the enemy forces and hold them back until the main army could send in proper reinforcements to overwhelm the enemy flanks.

The reinforcements never came.

Backed against a corner without hope of a merciful surrender, the expeditionary forces were practically sentenced for death. His second in command, a young and talented Knight-Captain Aurelia Savael had a plan however. Lower their numbers at the center and fortify their position as much as possible, moving the men to the flanks instead to try and flank the surrounding enemy forces.

It was a reckless plan that could very much mark the end of their lives, but the Lord Commander had no other options. Giving out the orders, the day previous to the battle would be used to set barricades using whatever materials could be salvaged from their nearby areas and their own supply wagons. If death was imminent, they had decided to take as many barbarians as they could with them.

At dawn the blue skies above were slowly covered by the thick clouds of rain, and the ground beneath quickly turned to mud. Close to noon, the horns were heard over the horizon as the Barbarian armies advanced upon their position.

The battle went on for hours with no end. The central forces of the expedition were to hold as long as possible to give the Barbarians the illusion of weakness. As the day neared its end and the defensive forces were about to break, the flanking forces heeded the call of the horns and the Barbarians were suddenly rushed from all sides.

With their lines in disarray, the Expeditionary Forces cleaved fast and mercilessly through the Barbarians using their cavalry and lightly armored units. Such was the efficacy and the shock of the sudden overwhelming attack that the battle was won before the sun settled on the horizon once again.

This was the battle of Ferdinand, the moment that defined Aurelia as a prominent tactician and a hero amongst the Prussean Military. Or at the very least, that was how it looked back then.

With the battle signifying the defeat of the Barbarian Badlands, yet another territory was annexed to the Prussean Kingdom thanks to the bravery of its Expeditionary Forces. With the recommendation of Lord Commander Rakhaz, Aurelia was granted a prize worth her service to the fatherland.

Her very own fief and tittle as a noble lady. With her dream so close in sight, Aurelia accepted without realizing the meaning that would come with this so-called "Gift".

Much to her misfortune, of course.