Skirmishes in the Ash

We came back to camp tonight bloody and broken. The lucky ones of us died, the rest of us returned to fight again. I got to my tent and my squire began removing the armor off my bruised and battered body.
"Another great victory my Prince." my squire assured me.
"Yes, and tomorrow there will be another." I said stepping outside.
The sun was beginning to set over the ocean. The dark night began creeping its way over the ashen land we lay on. The injured were crying out in agonizing pain as they were being carried to the healers tent. Even in the night it was hot, it was always hot. The kind of heat that seeps into you head and makes you a little woozy. Three Nathairian warriors were drinking around a campfire, stamping their feet in the ash. They looked happy enough so I joined them. They were singing as I approached them.

"Evil ensnared, you'd be wise to beware. The demon a freeman will leave you beaten, The fright at night His glare a nightmare,

"He comes at night, stalks in the moonlight. The wicked he sees, cuts them as he will please. Do not run, its over you done, The Demon will leave you beaten."
"A good song" I said as I stepped into their circle.
"What are you doing human? Go find your own people!" the green one hissed at me
"Don't you know who this is?" the red Nathair asked
"Aye I do." the green one hissed again. "The human prince. Who lives better than every other solider in this camp!
"No one lives good here." I said stepping away from the fire a bit. Why even make a fire out here?
"Oh how awful it must be, to eat a full meal every night and to have a bed to sleep in! To have a servant to polish your armor and clean the pot you shit in! You may be royalty where you come from but here you are just as worthless as everybody else!"
"I will go find somewhere else to sit." I said stepping away.
He isn't wrong. I do live better than most people here, but what he doesn't see is that is just a cover up for the truth. The large tent, my bed, my squire, all of it is to cover up the fact that I am disposable. I am not the eldest, and my father has other sons. He sent me here to make our family look good. Prince Alexander a Knight of 13, fighting against evil in Ashgaurd. Must make him look pretty good at feasts and balls. I skipped dinner that night. I just wanted to find my bed and sleep.
I woke up to the sound of the smith's hammer singing is song through the smoldering air. The sound echoed across the barren Ash Lands. My squire burst into the tent soon after. He brought in a dust cloud of ash with him that attacked my lungs.
"Sire, we must get you ready. The General has another task for you today."
"Yes, yes I am quite aware." I said stepping out of bed. "Funny how I don't get to make the battle plans."
"You are unhappy?" My squire asked, tying my gambeson around me.
"Only somewhat. I know why we are here, what we are fighting for, but I can't help but feel like a tool."
"Never! You are a hero, a Knight. You are the one who will be in the songs."
"The songs, is that what you want? You know the songs leave a lot out. They don't tell you that people shit themselves when they die, they don't mention the sleepless nights or the staring into the campfire, cold and lifeless, wishing for death."
Once suited up I joined General Drake who had been waiting outside. He gave me my assignment. I was to take the Bullk camp west of here. I would have 15 of my men, 10 Nathair and 8 dwarves. At the time I thought this would be enough.
So I joined the food line to get my breakfast, ate the stale porridge and lead my soldiers to the camp. It took us over an hour to get there and the entire trip was across barren fields of black and grey ash. It burned our eyes and stung our noses. Once I saw the camp I knew we were in trouble. The General told me that it was a small settlement, mostly housing, he was wrong. It was a war camp. Large wooden pikes stuck out of the ground and surrounded the camp. A wooden watch tower in the center of the camp, the would see us coming a mile away. A few of those weird looking worm things, Lungers I have heard the men call them, Was outside getting suited in its armor. It was taking a team of the Bullks just to fasten one piece of the armor. We stood no chance. I turned the the soldiers.
"Soldiers, you are not blind. We are out numbered ten to one. Death is certain today, but I do not fear that thought. Today I shall go the the heavens above! You Nathair shall soon be in the cool mists with your Ancient One! Dwarves, you shall soon become legends, your songs will be sung in halls all across the mountains! With such great afters waiting for us we have nothing to fear! But these Bullks, they have nothing waiting on the other side for them! They will have nothing but pain and death!"
We marched on, weapons in hand. The Bullk in the tower blew its horn. They were coming.