《The Union》 1 A Dream and a Letter "Mat? Will you promise me?" Her pretty face was like sunlight on a rainy day, having radiance that melts the heart. " Promise me that¡­." Her voice became inaudible and she completely dissipated like smoke. Fear replaced joy and sadness filled the rest. Timothy opened his eyes and clutched his chest. It was painful, like thousands of needles pricking through his heart. It was the same dream again. For as long as he could remember, that dream kept haunting him from time to time. In the dream, there was this woman- a beautiful woman whose presence was unmistakable. The dream was pleasant at first, giving the feeling of warmth. But as the woman slowly disappears, an inexplicable pain surges through his heart. It was an agony, borne of sadness and longing. Timothy looked around. It was almost sunrise so he decided not go back to bed. Although no one would judge the third prince of Castonia for waking up late, he wanted to be an example. In this cruel world, the people''s respect was a resource every leader should have. Timothy wiped his face with a cloth. The coarse fabric absorbed the wetness of his skin. He then decided that it was time for the morning march. The men won''t hate him for making them do it so early right? Well it won''t kill them to be industrious every once in a while. If he, the third prince of Castonia who was raised at the palace, could wake up before sunrise, so could they. "James! Erik! Wake up. Bring me my armor." Timothy called his two squires. His squires'' room was just beside his. After a while, someone knocked on his door. " It''s us your highness" A voice came from the other side. It was James. Timothy opened the door. His squires still have a sleepy look. "We..We are very sorry your highness. It looks like we failed you again" James stammered. The lad lowered his head, clearly ashamed to look at him. It was commonly the duty of a squire to wake up before his master does, but Timothy doesn''t mind. "Don''t be sorry. It''s his fault for waking up so early" Erik gave him a small grin as he entered his room with the armor. " Oh? Is that the proper way to talk to your prince?" Timothy raised his eyebrows as he allowed Erik to help him with the armor. " Prince?" Erik looked at him with questioning eyes "How many princes do you think wakes up before sunrise?" " How many princes do you think are as good looking as me?" Timothy smirked. If Erik''s going to play with words, he''ll show him how eloquent his opponent is. " Dammit Tim can you please be a bit lazier? Your family''s sigil is the white lion but you act more like a rooster. " Erik complained while fixing Timothy''s chainmail. He ignored Erik and commanded James, "Tell General Marvin to change the watch and prepare the men" "Your servant shall do as you will your highness!" James saluted in a very stiff manner and left. Timothy and Erik looked at each other. "He''s so¡­ polite" Timothy couldn''t help but shake his head. "Ah don''t worry Tim. He''s been here for a month. He''ll learn to ''adjust''" "By adjust you mean disrespect me like you do? No thank you" Timothy chuckled. He doesn''t need another Erik. One is enough. "Oh I''m touched. So that means I''m your one and only best friend" Erik laughed but then his expression turned serious. "You woke up earlier than usual. Same dream again?" There was a hint of worry in his voice. Tim was a little touched. "Yeah. I don''t know Erik. I''ve been trying to understand what the girl said after but she always disappears. And then I feel¡­sadness." Timothy clutched his chest. He had been trying for years to understand the meaning of his dream. If it was just a random dream, he wouldn''t be having it every few days. And the emotions¡­they felt so real and vivid. "Well, I hope you stop having that dream in future. It''ll also be good for my sleep." Erik let out a gentle laugh. "You can sleep for as long as you like when you''re dead. Let''s go." Timothy stood up. It was a little dark but he knew his way around his room. He went out and headed to the castle grounds. The coldness of the morning greeted him. "So how many rounds of marching are we doing this time?" Erik asked as he followed Tim. "Depends on the weather" He lied. Smirking, he turned his head towards Erik. Sunrise was still about half an hour away so most of the soldiers were asleep. But with General Marvin''s call, it shouldn''t take them long to wake up. "Ha! Who are you kidding? It depends on your mood. You had that dream today. I can only feel pity for them." "Oh so the demon squire still feels pity?" Timothy playfully asked. He was well aware of Erik''s reputation among the soldiers. They nicknamed him the ''demon squire'' because of his strict attitude. "Who are you calling demon squire, rooster prince?" replied Erik. And yes, the garrison also gave him a nickname- rooster prince for his habit of waking up so early. It was actually a good nickname, he thought, queer but good. But before they could reach the castle grounds, a soldier went to him and saluted. The soldier balled his hand and put it in his chest. This was a common salutation to a person with a higher authority. "Report!" Timothy''s voice was crisp "What''s so damn important for you to interrupt me from giving my men their daily gift?" he said mischievously. The so-called gift he was talking about was the daily march he and the garrison do. They would march every morning from the castle to the nearby village in full armor. Marching in full armor was not difficult at first, but it drains the stamina. How many rounds of marching? Just like what Erik said, it depends on his mood. "A letter sir!" The soldier answered Timothy doesn''t care about letters. Being the third prince, he receives a few of them every day. "If it''s from one of the nobles, give it to me later. If it''s from the other castles give it to Squire Erik. If it''s from Baron Randy from the nearby village throw it." He shrugged and explained to Erik "He always invites me to dinner trying to secure some royal favors. He sent me dozens of letters already it''s getting annoying." Erik gave him a weak smile as if indicating that he would do the same. "But the seal is golden sir! I thought you might want to read it as soon as possible" the soldier insisted. Timothy was shocked. "The seal is golden?" he repeated as if confirming he didn''t misheard the soldier "give it to me" he grabbed the letter. Letters with a golden seal meant one thing- the sender was a royal. Timothy looked at the letter and saw the seal. His eyes went wide. It was a letter from the King! His father, the King, never wrote him a letter before. In fact, his father rarely talked to him. The old man treated him like he doesn''t exist and even exiled him to this castle near the border. In the past, whenever the King had orders for the castle, he would write to General Marvin. But now the King actually wrote him a letter! A hand-written letter that took effort to make. Timothy was overjoyed. With a smile, he broke the seal and opened the letter. But after reading of the contents, his face contorted. "Erik" he called "Yeah?" "Father¡­um..ordered me to come home¡­" said Timothy "Well you will be recalled sooner or later. You should have known that already. Why are you so surprised?" Erik questioned. "And I''m getting married" 2 Knightsend Timothy stared at the window. After reading the letter, he cancelled the march and went to his office with Erik. The two were silent for a while until Erik spoke with a worried tone "Tim, you don''t know anything about women" "Yeah" he answered lazily "And¡­" Erik paused as if recalling something "you never had a lover before" "That''s true" Timothy agreed Erik leaned on his chair "Some people even say that you" he paused and whispered "like men" Tim shot Erik a piercing look that almost made him fell off the chair. While it was true that he never had a lover before, it was not because he likes men. He just doesn''t have interest in romance. For him, romance was a privilege only commoners could enjoy. Every noble family uses marriage as a political tool so he already knew that someday he would marry someone for political reasons. But now that it finally happened, he was slightly scared. He will live with this person possibly his whole life. Although Castonian law allowed divorce, he will still be tied to her. He was young and still had many ambitions. He wanted to experience his youth and discover the secrets of this world. He wanted to travel north where the sea spans the horizon, to visit the howling mountains of Ninev, the lush fertile plains of sond, the ghambit desert. Most important of all, he wanted to find the person in his dreams, that woman whose presence fills his heart with both joy and sadness. If he will marry, he can''t do these things. "Baseless rumors!" Erik immediately clarified "but Tim, are you alright with this?" "It''s father''s orders. I don''t have a choice. As long as she doesn''t shackle me, then it''s alright." Timothy stood up and went to the cabinet. He took a bottle of aged Hadean wine. The bottle was one of the best ones in his collection. He then took two cups and offered one to Erik. "Drinking before breakfast. Is that wise?" Erik cautioned. Timothy ignored his question. "We will leave the castle and head for the capital tomorrow. You''re not unfamiliar with the King''s patience. Besides.." he poured some wine into his cup. The aroma of aged hadean filled his nostrils with glee. " we also need to visit your father in Greenwater along the way. The Marquis will be happy to see you again." he took a sip. The rich taste of the wine warmed his heart. "I''ll make the preparations then" Erik also poured some wine into his cup. He took a sip and then emptied the cup into his mouth. He let out an ecstatic grunt "After we''re done with this of course" he raised his cup and took the bottle again to pour some more. ************************************************************************************ Erik and James prepared for the journey while Tim went to see General Marvin and gave his final orders. He relinquished his command of the castle to the General. It was a bad time to change leaders because there are rumors that the neighboring Kingdom of Tulosa was preparing for an invasion. Nevertheless, Timothy trusts General Marvin abilities. News of the imminent departure made the mood in the castle somber. Although Timothy was strict, he was also popular with the soldiers. Several officers and even common soldiers went to Timothy to confirm the news. In the afternoon, Timothy decided to give the soldiers his farewell. 4000 men stood silently. Their discipline was absolute and their eyes were brimming with pride. Timothy remembered the same scene a year ago when he punished the soldiers by making them stand all night. They were undisciplined back then, now they stood strong like true Castonians. "Garrison of Knightsend" He started. His voice was loud and clear. His posture was powerful but not overbearing "I am Timothy Castonia, your garrison commander" he paused "You know me as rooster prince" he gave a playful grin. The soldiers contained their laughs and the mood was lightened. "You may have heard of the news. I''m leaving Knightsend. But no, I''m not abandoning you" he assured them "the entire Castonian army is behind you so don''t be anxious." "I only have one request" he paused to catch everyone''s attention "If the Tulosans dare invade us, make them kneel. Make them understand that when the lion roars, even the wildest stallions tremble. Show them that they had chosen the wrong land to invade. " Timothy''s voice echoed throughout the castle. "15 years ago they also tried to invade. Our predecessors broke them while defending the walls" Timothy pointed at the walls "these very walls. They assaulted these walls thrice, each time failing. It was bloody, but our predecessors broke them. We then renamed the Castle, Knightsend to warn them not to think about future invasions" "But it seems our warning did not deter them from trying their luck again. If they did invade, it will be your turn to break them. It''s your turn to defend your Kingdom. Instill in their minds that Knightsend''s name still stands!" Timothy raised his fist into the air and the soldiers'' cheers boomed inside the castle. Timothy paused to let the noise subside. He then ended his speech with a question, "Will you defend Castonia?" Filled with emotions, the soldiers saluted by pounding their fists into their chests. Timothy could see the smoldering fire in their eyes. He was proud of them. They are the very definition of a Castonian, strong, loyal and brave. The assembly was then disbanded with the soldiers in high spirits. The afternoon gave way to evening, and evening became morning. It was time to leave. Timothy, Erik and James took one last look at the Castle. Although Timothy might not want to admit it, he had grown fond of Knightsend. The walls were not that tall, but they gave an aura of strength and vigilance. The towers were not so imposing, but Timothy knew that only a fool would underestimate these towers. The gates were not the strongest in the word, but the enemy would have to sacrifice a lot to take it. The three of them turned their horses around and started their journey. Their destination- The City of Nirvana, Capital of Castonia. 3 Lucia Holm, Capital City of Vanadis The sound of a baby crying filled the room. Lucia washed her hands and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Another life was brought into this world. She turned to the mother lying in the bed cuddling her newborn baby. The mattress was covered in blood and fluids. The odor was not pleasant, but Lucia was used to it. Beside the woman was her husband, a man in his early thirties with a muscular physique. Some people were also inside the room including Lucia''s two personal guards. " If there''s any complications the coming days, come find me" Lucia said while walking closer to the couple. "Especially if she contracts fever. Fevers are dangerous. To be safe you should consider staying in Holm for a few more days" she suggested. From their story, this was easier said than done. The couple came from a distant village in the north. They stayed in the City of Holm for more than a month waiting for the woman to give birth. They didn''t have any relatives in the city and were forced to sleep in an expensive inn. As a merchant city, many people found Holm''s living expenses a little too high. The couple''s savings must have been exhausted by now and they will be forced to return to their village soon. Lucia was tempted to offer the couple some money, but she must conserve her resources for future patients. Lucia had encountered such cases before. People all over the Kingdom went to her for her skills in midwifery. Childbirth had always been dangerous and many women die because of it. Lucia''s methods were effective and the mortality rate for mother and child was lowered with her around. At first people were reluctant to come to her, after all she was the second princess of the Kingdom of Vanadis. But now, she had patients almost every day. The husband in front of her must have loved his wife so much for him to spend all their savings just to ensure the safe birth of their child. Lucia had always been fascinated with babies. Seeing a baby fills her heart with ecstasy. But at the same time, she also feels sadness. She couldn''t explain the feeling. It was like having a feeling of deep regret. Her father, the King, never approved of this hobby of hers. To him, a royalty shouldn''t do such things. Why can''t Lucia be a normal princess? Why can''t she play with dolls rather than blades? Why can''t she be fascinated by dresses instead? So the King never supported her financially and she was forced to use her personal allowance. Lucia''s expertise was not limited to childbirths though. About a year ago, a strange disease ravaged the city of Holm. The disease killed hundreds. The King ordered a quarantine to the area first hit by the disease, but it was not very effective. People kept dying and trade was greatly affected because merchants were too afraid to set foot inside the city. For a merchant city like Holm, a day without trade was a day without productivity. The general belief was that, the disease was passed like flu. People started suspecting each other and violence started to overwhelm the city. Lucia can''t explain it but the symptoms of the disease were familiar to her. She knew that the believed diagnosis was wrong. It was really strange. Call it intuition, luck or divine intervention but she knew that the disease was caused by the dirty drinking water of the city. She doesn''t have proof but she still managed to convince her father of her theory. When people heard of this, they were hesitant at first. But desperation drove them to try every method possible. Some people started to get their drinking water further upstream. Since these first pioneers never contracted the disease, more people joined. After a week, the city was free from the disease. Because of this, the people of Holm loved her. They started calling her the Pearl Princess of Holm. The trust of the people on the royal family was also increased because of Lucia. Some people even wanted her to become the heir. This, of course, alienated Lucia from her older brother. "Thank you Your Highness" the father thanked sincerely and bowed to her "we will do as you suggest" Lucia bent down and caressed the smooth face of the newborn. "Your son is healthy so I don''t think there will be any complications regarding the baby" She smiled and comforted the couple " by the way, have you thought of a name?" "Not yet, Your Highness. I''ll let my mother decide on the name" the woman answered. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties. " Your Highness it''s almost sunset" One of her guard reminded her. Being a member of the royal family, she was always at risk of being assassinated. Her office was located outside the palace and she promised the King to always return before sunset. Lucia looked outside the window to confirm the guard''s words. It was almost dark. "Find Sylvie and then let''s go back to the palace" "I''m here your highness" Sylvie immediately indicated her presence. " Do you want to change your clothes here?" Sylvie was her assistant. She took care of everything Lucia needs. She was the daughter of an exiled noble. Her father was suspected of embezzling money by a merchant and was proven guilty. In the Kingdom of Vanadis, a merchant was as powerful as a noble. Sylvie was three years older than her and she seldom talks. She was always polite and proper, a perfect representation of a noble lady. " I''ll change when we get back. Mr. Trevor is right, it''s late." Lucia turned to the couple "You can stay here for the night. I know inns in Holm are outrageously overpriced." She offered. Nobody will use the room until tomorrow anyway so it would be a waste. She got up and went outside the room. Her guards flanked her while Sylvie followed her from behind. Holm is a wonderful, she thought as she savored the chilly air. The people were wealthy and proud, common among rich merchant cities. Years of prosperous trade made Holm into what it is now, a vibrant and bustling city. Because of its secure location, Holm, and the Kingdom of Vanadis as a whole, became a trading giant. By now, the sun was sinking fast on the horizon and the light of day escaped the earth. Candles and lamps were lit inside each house, giving illumination and warmth that swallowed the darkness of the night. The city guards started to hang lamps on multiple poles around the city, guiding travellers to their destinations. The city was as alive at night as it was on day. Lucia smiled, appreciating the grandness of Holm. After arriving at the gates of the palace, the guard greeted and let them pass immediately. To this, Lucia felt discomfort. What if she was someone else, she thought. This really troubled her. The guards were too lax. Vanadis was a rich Kingdom and many other Kingdoms desire its riches. It will only take a single assassin to put the Kingdom into turmoil. Lucia went inside the Palace of Holm. This palace was renowned for its exquisite design and lavish decorations. The halls were enormous and the palace itself was eight-story high. Every foreign merchant, noble or emissary lucky enough to witness the magnificence of Holm''s palace had applauded the building. Even Lucia, who was raised here, still can''t resist being amazed every time she enters her home. But Lucia knew that this extravagance comes at a price. A palace is the home of the royals, yes. But the palace was also their last bastion in case of an invasion. These are tumultuous times. Many people started calling this era as the Warring Period. Currently there were dozens of large wars happening across the continent and several other smaller conflicts. Due to its protected location, the Kingdom of Vanadis was never invaded before. But this could change in the future. Times are changing. Lucia''s room was located on the third floor. It took her a while to reach her room because of the size of the palace. She dismissed Sylvie and then took a bath. The King always wanted her to be a proper lady so she wore a dress and went to have dinner with her father. "Father" Lucia bowed in a lady-like manner The King looked at her and pointed to the seat in front of him "Sit. We have.." the King hesitated. "um.. Something important to discuss" he avoided eye contact. Lucia seated herself in front of the King. Since her brother and step-mother were in a business trip, only she and the king ate on the table. The food was already prepared in front of her. Despite Vanadis'' extravagance, the King preferred to eat local produce. Lucia cut her meat and took a bite. The savory taste delighted her taste buds. "Lucia" the King still avoided eye contact with her "Castonia and Vanadis have declared an alliance" 4 Farewell Castonia and Vanadis were neighbors and were on good terms. Trade between the two Kingdoms was good. But this was the first time Vanadis tried to support Castonia militarily. Although Vanadis was rich, its army is weak. Due to neglect on its land army brought upon by decades of peace, Vanadis relied heavily on mercenaries to guard its borders. Nevertheless, Lucia saw the sense of the alliance. Castonia may have a large and powerful army, but they need Vanadis to fund this army. On the other hand, Vanadis can''t rely forever on mercenaries so they need the protection of Castonia. It may look like a Protectorate agreement, but Lucia believes that the two kingdoms will treat each other as equals. " Castonia is strong, I hope this alliance goes well" Lucia commented. She poured some weak wine into her cup. Since the incident a year ago, the King rarely drinks water anymore even if it''s from further upstream. It''s better to be safe, he once said to Lucia The King did not eat his food and just stared at Lucia with a strange expression. "Yes, Castonia is strong" He was slightly sweating "Lucia, we really need this alliance. The wealth of Vanadis would surely attract invaders in the future so for the sake of our Kingdom we need this alliance. These are troubling times. Wars are being waged everywhere. It''s just a matter of time before somebody invades us" he stressed Lucia felt that the King was acting strangely. It was very apparent. She knew her father so much that she was certain that the King was still holding something back from her. Lucia stopped eating and looked at her father seriously. "Father, I''m flattered that you wanted to discuss national policies with me, but I sense you have more to say." "The Castonian King is a very cautious man." Her father hesitated "he demands a more permanent tie" In that instant, Lucia realized the whole story. For Castonia and Vanadis to have a long-lasting partnership, a royal marriage was required. With a royal marriage, it would be hard for either of the two Kingdoms to break the alliance. In short, Lucia must marry a Castonian prince. Lucia lowered her head and tried to maintain her emotions. On the outside, she was calm. But it was chaos inside her head. She did not feel wronged, political marriages after all, were common with the nobility. Furthermore, she doesn''t have a lover. Although many sons of nobles and rich merchants tried to court her in the past, she never agreed to their advances. Lucia just felt sad and afraid. Since she will be the bride, Lucia will be forced to live in Castonia. This meant that she would have to leave Holm behind. She loves Holm. This was the city she grew up in. She had heard that Castonian culture and traditions were similar to Vanadian, but she was still afraid. Furthermore she will miss her father. Although she would have another father in the form of the Castonian King, nobody could replace her own father. It took her a long time to gather herself. It was her duty so she needs to do it. It will be hard. There will surely be times that she will long for Holm. But she needs to do it nonetheless. What her father said was true. These are troubling times and they need a strong ally. It was only a matter of time before some Kingdom sets its eyes on Vanadis'' wealth. If there was a consolation, it was that the study of medicine was more advanced in Castonia. Being constantly attacked on all sides, the Castonians have high regard on health. But would her future husband allow her to study medicine? Lucia can only hope that would be the case. "When will I leave for Castonia?" she asked. There was no need to beat around the bush. She looked at her father. The King gave a long sigh "Thank you Lucia" he smiled bitterly and looked at her with apologetic eyes "You need to leave Holm in three days. The journey to Nirvana will take about 10 days." "I will miss you father" Lucia lamented. She smiled at her father to comfort him. She knew that her father was also troubled by her imminent departure. "But we don''t have a choice, don''t we?" "I thought you would be angry with me" "I know you didn''t want this. I know you did your best to offer the Castonian King a compromise so it''s not your fault" said Lucia calmly. She knew her father. He was a good father who loved his children. He was not the sort of father who would treat his children like bargaining chips. No, her father was different. That''s why she didn''t get angry. "But you''re afraid" the King correctly guessed. She was indeed afraid. Coming to a foreign land, marrying a person she hadn''t met before, of course she was afraid. Things were moving fast. Just a few hours ago, she was helping someone give birth to a healthy baby boy. Now, she just found out that she will be leaving in three days. Lucia lowered her head and nodded slowly, confirming what her father said. "Of course you are" The King said guiltily. He remained silent for a while "It''s Timothy Castonia. I heard he''s a good lad. Otherwise I wouldn''t have agreed with their conditions" Unlike the King, Lucia had not heard anything about Timothy Castonia. " I hope he will be kind to me" "He better be" her father declared. "Or else I would take you back from him." Her father''s protective declaration made Lucia smile. "Thank you father" "No, I should be the one thanking you." said the King "Regarding your safety, I will be sending the Royal Guards with you and the best retinue I can assemble" he promised Although the Royal Guards could be useful in the future, Lucia really doesn''t need a large retinue. She only needs Sylvie. "I only need Sylvie, father" she refused "I don''t like to have many people constantly following me around." "I see. Alright" the King agreed "then write me letters regularly. If you need anything, just tell me. If you''re in danger I will muster every soldier I could find and march to your aid." Upon hearing this, Lucia can''t help but laugh. She may have disagreed with her father several times in the past, but she knew that her father really cares for her. "I don''t think they would go that far." She grinned "I''m going to be a bride, not a hostage" "Just saying" the King shrugged and started eating his food. The mood between them has lightened. Lucia and the King finished the meal while talking about the details of her journey. Ten days of travel was not really that long. Merchants from both Kingdoms constantly make this journey. Additionally, the road between Holm and Nirvana was relatively safe. Even if it''s not, Lucia will have the Royal Guards with her so there was nothing to worry about. After eating, Lucia went to her room and started preparing the things she will need. Of course she could just have Sylvie do it, but Lucia doesn''t want to miss anything. She then lied on her bed. The soft cushion provided relief to her aching back. It''s been a long day, she thought. She''s tired. Lucia closed her eyes and fell asleep. ********************************************************************************************* Lucia spent the next few days checking on the women she recently helped give birth. She checked them and their newborns for any signs of complications. She also informed the city of her departure. Of course many people were sad about this. She was the pearl of Holm. But since it was the King''s decision, they can''t do anything. The days went through quickly and Lucia found herself on a carriage outside the city. Her goodbye with her father was not pleasant. Lucia held back her tears and the old man seems to have second thoughts. Eventually, the King made up his mind and sent Lucia on her way. Both of them knew how important her trip is. She took one last look at Holm. Its grandeur was undeniable. She grew up and spent her whole life in the city . Now she was leaving everything behind to start anew. She will come back in the future not as a resident of Holm, but as a visitor. Castonia will become her new home. Lucia closed her eyes. She reprimanded herself for being so emotional. It''s not like she will never see her father and Holm again. Yes, this wasn''t the end. There was more to the world than just the City of Holm. Her life must not revolve on a single place. She turned her head forward and opened her eyes. Her future was ahead, not behind. To move forward was the only way. It will be hard, yes. But is there a life without hardship and sacrifices? She was already fortunate compared to most people. From this day onwards, she declared firmly in her heart, there''s no looking back. 5 Nirvana Nirvana, Capital of Castonia It was midday when Timothy arrived at the gates of Nirvana. The whole journey only took 15 days as expected. On their way, they visited the city of Greenwater and Erik''s father was elated to see his son again. Of course he was somehow cold to Timothy, only talking to him when necessary. He was still bitter about Erik''s being a squire of Timothy. The Marquis really loves his son. If something bad happens to Erik, then the entire Western Region would rise in rebellion. Compared to Greenwater, Timothy liked Nirvana better. The city benefited from the nearby gold and gem mines. The gold and gems sold in the city attracts merchants from all over the continent so it could be said that Nirvana was not behind Greenwater in terms of trading income. But potential-wise Greenwater trumped Nirvana. The position of Greenwater was very conducive to trade so Timothy believes that in a few years, Greenwater would be more prosperous than the Capital City. In terms of defenses, Nirvana can be considered as one of the hardest cities to take in the continent. The walls were so high that soldiers at the top were advised not to look down lest courage escape their hearts. These walls were not so high at first, but after the sack of Nirvana 70 years ago, Timothy''s great grandfather built the walls even higher. The walls were so impressive that some bards even sing of it. The five gates of Nirvana were equally impressive. Most rams won''t breach these gates. In the sack of Nirvana 70 years ago, the gates were captured only after the enemies have taken the walls. The gates were so heavy and robust that it usually takes a team of 10 people to open one of them. Ballistae also line the walls of Nirvana. These killing machines looked like eagles waiting to snatch their prey. A single ballista could impale several men with one shot. It won''t matter how good one''s armor is, a ballista bolt can penetrate even the best armor in the world. Because of its robust defenses, invaders usually ignore Nirvana and attack easier targets instead like Greenwater or Solon. But these defenses cost the city a lot. Every year, a huge chunk of Nirvana''s budget goes to the cost of maintaining its defenses. Sections of the wall constantly need attention. The gates suffer from rust every time and the ballistae need constant repairs. It also takes a lot of soldiers to fully guard the walls. The bards only sing of Nirvana''s great walls, but do they have an idea what it takes to keep them? Timothy went inside the city. The streets of Nirvana greeted him with such familiarity that it flooded him with nostalgic thoughts. He missed the city of Nirvana, it''s his home and the city he grew up in. Leading his horse with his hand, Timothy walked the streets. There were merchants everywhere, selling both rare and common merchandizes. These merchants sell their goods directly to the people in retail. Many of these goods were from other nations like Vanadis, Canton, Hadea and Inkit. In return, the merchants buy gems and other precious metals from the miners in Nirvana. They will then sell these gems in other cities where the price is higher. This cycle repeats and the merchant grows richer. Timothy couldn''t help but be delighted by what he saw. The streets were even busier compared to how it was a year ago. The King seems to have put a greater emphasis on trade. For a Kingdom that maintains a large state-owned army like Castonia, income from trade was crucial. The royal coffer always suffers, and the financial department always complains. Any increase in the income of the state will always be welcomed by the treasurers with open arms. On his way to the palace Timothy saw some merchants selling spices. Timothy was not unfamiliar with spices because cooks at the palace usually put spices in the royal family''s food. But spices were rare and only the royal family and some powerful nobles were able to afford it in the past. Now there were heaps of spices sold in the street. " Where did these spices come from?" Timothy inquired as he went closer to the merchant. " Wismar." The merchant said with a heavy wismarine accent "The two kingdoms just recently signed a trade agreement" he further explained " Oh, so they finally accepted our trade request." Timothy turned to Erik. " Maybe alliance is next?" " I doubt it" Timothy demurred "It took decades just to get them accept our trade request. It''ll maybe take a century for an alliance." The Kingdom of Wismar maintained its isolationist policy over the years. They only maintained relations to a few trading nations. With a trade agreement, Castonia would have access to unique Wismarine products like spices and exotic animals. But Timothy knew that an alliance with Wismar was still a long way to go unless the Wismarines wanted something big in return. It''s a shame, with the growing aggression from other Kingdoms, every ounce of help would be good for Castonia. But still the trade deal with Wismar was a good thing. Timothy congratulated the King in his heart. He knew that his father had always sent emissaries to Wismar to coax them. The King wanted to have good relations with Wismar. On top of trade, the Wismarine army was also incredibly strong, even stronger than the Castonian army. Timothy thanked the merchant and left with his squires. Although he wanted to see the city more, he was too tired for that. He still needs to see the King and report his arrival. The three of them arrived at the palace. The palace of Nirvana was not big. In fact, it looked like a common Castle. Other Kingdoms put effort in building their palaces. Take Vanadis for example. Timothy heard that the Vanadian Palace waas a place of grandeur. Everyone who had seen it had applauded its magnificence. But the Castonian Palace in Nirvana was somewhat¡­plain. The design favored practicality over beauty. To maintain the walls of Nirvana, the Kingdom had already paid a great price. Having an extravagant palace was a luxury Castonia can''t afford to have. The guard at the gate greeted Timothy. Timothy had always been popular with the guards. Even after a year, the guard still recognized him. If he was not mistaken, the guard''s name was Alan and his family lives nearby. Palace guards had a higher salary than normal soldiers so his family should be living well enough. Although Allan recognized him, he still needs to inform the captain of the guards before letting Timothy inside. It was a direct order from the King. Anyone who wants to enter the palace must identify themselves first. The captain of the guards must confirm the identity of the person and decide whether he or she will be permitted to enter. It was very inconvenient for the royal family and nobles but Timothy doesn''t mind. For him, it was the right thing to do. Assassination was one of the biggest fears of the nobility. If an enemy army couldn''t force their way into the city, then an assassin could just easily slip by. It doesn''t matter how strong Nirvana''s walls were, an assassin''s blade would still find its mark if the King wasn''t careful. After confirming Timothy''s identity, Alan let them enter the palace. The three of them went to the stables and tied the horses. It was the same as before, Timothy thought. The castle barely changed after a year. On his way to the stables, Timothy saw several familiar faces. He subconsciously smiled, it''s really good to be home. After dealing with the horses, Timothy went to the garden to meet his father. The King was old and liked quiet places to relax. Just as he predicted, the King was in the garden. He was being watched by a team of guards. The King had always been a little paranoid when it comes to safety so he always kept a team of guards around. Timothy doesn''t know why, but his father had trouble trusting people. Before he could approach, the King already saw him. His face was riddled with wrinkles and his hair was almost white. The King allowed Timothy to approach after the guards confiscated Timothy''s weapons. Timothy bowed and knelt in front of the King "Father" greeted Timothy " Son" The King''s voice was cold, his face devoid of emotions " I''ve received your letter" Timothy looked at his father " Then¡­" The King tested Timothy "do you have any idea who you''re going to marry?" " Lucia Vanadis" Timothy answered with a smile On his way back to Nirvana, he actually thought hard of this question. Who was the woman his father chose for him? The King was an ambitious man and Timothy knew that he will not settle for any lesser noble. It must be a princess from other Kingdoms. By eliminating every person on his list, he came up with a single name- Lucia Vanadis. He had heard of Lucia before. People said that she was a good medical practitioner. She was also famous for stopping a disease in Holm from spreading. They also said that her method of helping women give birth was the safest. That''s good, Timothy thought. He always liked capable people. He always admired talented individuals. It will be good to have a capable wife. Furthermore, the study of medicine in Castonia was more advanced compared to that in Vanadis. Maybe she would want to study medicine in Castonia. Timothy also examined the political implications of this marriage. It was highly unlikely that the King, with his ambitious nature, would only settle for a royal marriage. It must be an alliance he was after. That was a good move. Vanadis was a rich Kingdom and Castonia needed money to fund its wars. On the other hand, Vanadis had a weak military and needed the protection of Castonia. But another thing excites Timothy. Although Vanadis'' army was weak, the same could not be said regarding its navy. To put it simply, Vanadis''s navy was renowned for its strength. Vanadis relied heavily on trade and the best trade routes lie in the sea. For a trading kingdom to survive the wrath of pirates and competitor kingdoms, it needs to have a strong navy. Years of fighting pirates made the Vanadian navy one of the best. On the other hand, Castonian navy was puny. Castonia only had three big ports. Furthermore, there was this stigma in Castonia that soldiers of the navy were inferior. Timothy knew that such rumor was baseless, dangerous even. Castonia had already wasted a lot of trading opportunities by having a weak navy. The ocean was the greatest trade route. By relying on land trade, Castonia''s trading capability had been greatly hindered. This must change in the future. " So you knew?" The King raised his eyebrow. " Just a hunch" " Lucia Vanadis will arrive tomorrow." The King wasted no time and explained "After that we''ll arrange a ball the next day in celebration of your future marriage. Custom dictates that a man and woman must know each other for at least a month before they decide to marry so your marriage is scheduled next month and I will send the wedding invitations next week. In the meantime, you should get to know her. We need Vanadis and you need to be good to her so that we''ll get more benefits in the future." After that, the King ordered Timothy to leave. Not even a welcome, he thought bitterly. They had not seen each other for a year and that''s how he treats him? To be honest Timothy was slightly hurt. No, he was really hurt. 6 Freya Freya was awoken by the sunlight striking her closed eyes. The chirping of the birds filled the morning with a peaceful vibe. The fresh early morning air tickled her nose as if seducing her to go back to sleep. But Freya knew that she mustn''t. Today should be the day. Freya stood up and washed her face. She stretched her limbs and looked at the scenery outside her window. Her bedroom was on the fifth floor of the palace so she could see the whole city of Nirvana. It was still early but the city was already alive. The merchants had already settled their stalls and the miners from the nearby villages were already searching buyers for their gems. Back at their old house in Solon, the atmosphere was very different. Solon was dull, like an old man. But Nirvana was like a youth full of vigor. She had been living in Nirvana for about ten years now. Her father was a lesser noble. Although their status was not that high, his father used his connections to allow Freya to live in the palace. Living in the palace was a great opportunity for many noble children. They will meet important people in the palace and this network of acquaintances would be useful later on. For Freya, deciding to live in the palace was the greatest decision she ever made. Of course, she could only see her parents every once in a while, but if given a choice she wouldn''t want to go back to Solon. Nirvana was the King''s city. And there was another reason for her stay- Timothy Castonia. She first met Timothy ten years ago. At first she was shy to go near him. Timothy always had Erik tailing him and they would go on adventures around the palace. One day, Timothy suddenly approached her and asked if she wanted to play with them. Freya felt alone during her first months at the palace, and Timothy was her first friend. The trio became best of friends. Freya doesn''t know why, how or when, but she fell in love with Tim. Maybe because Timothy was her first friend in Nirvana, maybe because of his strange but interesting ideas, or maybe because she just did, but she really fell in love with him. For years, she always hid her feelings. The person she loves was not someone she could marry anyway. Her father was a lesser noble so the King would never allow his son to be with her. She always told herself that it was okay and decided that simply loving him was good enough. But deep down, it was painful. When Tim was sent by the King to Knightsend, Freya wanted to protest. But what can she do? She was just a daughter of a lesser noble in Solon. She wouldn''t even be in the palace if not for her father''s connections. Freya knew of Tim''s wobbly relationship to his father. She knew that the King never viewed Tim as his son. She felt his pain. It was the pain of a son wanting the recognition of a father. But sending Timothy to Knightsend was just too much. The King exiled his own son. Furthermore, the Tulosans will soon invade. What will happen to Tim? Will Freya ever see him again? She was very worried when he left. Every day she would wait for news of Knightsend, but people don''t talk much about the castle. Knightsend was at the edge of Castonia. But about a few weeks ago, Freya heard news of Timothy''s return. The King sent a letter recalling him! Freya was overjoyed. She will finally be able to see Tim again. When he gets back, she will reveal her feelings. What happened last year made her realize that she should take the initiative before it''s too late. But with the news of Tim''s return, comes a troubling rumor. It was the reason why he was being recalled. People began suspecting that the King had arranged for Tim to marry. It wasn''t surprising because Timothy was at the ripe age. At first, Freya didn''t believe these rumors. She closed her ears. The rumors were baseless anyway. But a few days ago, another piece of news kind of confirmed the rumor. The second princess of Vanadis, Lucia, was on her way to Nirvana. A foreign princess coming to the palace only meant one thing, marriage. For years, she had prepared herself for this. But after hearing the news, she changed her mind. She would not be idle. Well, she must admit that Lucia Vanadis was a better match for Tim. She was a princess and Vanadis was a rich Kingdom. She was also probably prettier and more refined. But Freya and Tim had known each other a long time. He must have also felt something for her, right? Even if it''s small, she wanted a place in his heart. Today was the day of Tim''s arrival. It should be. Travel time from Knightsend to Nirvana was about 15 days. For days, Freya waited for Tim and today should be the day. At midday, news of the third prince''s arrival reached Freya''s ear. She smiled dearly. Tim is back. But she knew that she mustn''t see him immediately. He was probably tired and she should give him time to rest. ********************************************************************************************************* Timothy was really tired. They stayed longer than expected at Greenwater so they had to make up for it by travelling all day and night. Apparently, the Marquis missed his son so much. This further annoyed him. Benedict Connel, Erik''s father, was a good father- unlike someone! Not even asking how his journey had been or thanking him for sacrificing his youth for political reasons. Timothy went to his room. It was the same as before. It was a little dusty, but it was still the same. He poured himself some wine. It was almost sunset. He didn''t have the energy to take a bath or eat. Timothy fell asleep. That night, Tim had the same dream again. That woman again. The pain and sadness were even worse this time. He woke up gasping for air. Tim looked outside the window. The city was still asleep. Sunrise was still a few hours away so he went outside to walk around. If he catches a guard sleeping, then only the heavens know what he''ll do to him! He let out a small laugh. It seems that he forgot that he''s not a garrison commander anymore. There was no rooster prince in Nirvana, only Timothy the third prince. Timothy went around the walls of the palace. He knew this place like the back of his hand. After a few hours, the sun started to rise. Thankfully, he failed to catch anyone sleeping on watch or else... He then went to the garden and lied on the grass. He remained there until midday. He then saw a figure of a woman approach him. He can''t forget that face. He had known her for many years and she was one of his closest friends. " It seems you''re back" Freya smiled while looking down on the lying Tim " Howdy" Tim gave a playful smile. " Those strange expressions of yours again Tim. It''s really you" Freya laughed. " What?" Timothy stood up and faced her. He smirked " You think Prince Timothy Castonia can be replaced by an impostor?" But Freya didn''t respond with words. She just lunged forward and hugged him. Timothy was surprised and a little embarrassed. He was not insensitive to Freya''s feelings. He had known for a long time that Freya likes him. For a man and a woman to be in this position, especially if one of them had feelings for the other, it''s strange. But Tim didn''t pull himself out of Freya''s hug. He owes her this much. He brushed Freya''s hair with his hand. No words were needed as they both understood each other. But Tim really felt nothing towards her and fully rejecting her was the biggest mercy he could think of. " I''m sorry Freya" Timothy apologized. " Is.. is there really nothing for me in your heart?" She started to cry and buried her face into Tim''s chest. "I really need to know!" " Yeah." Timothy felt bad for her. But he needs to draw the line. "And you must have known already that I''m getting married" " I don''t care!" She declared stubbornly "If it''s okay with her then I don''t care being second as long as I''m with you. She doesn''t love you anyway." Freya then looked at Tim. Her eyes were still wet with tears. But then, the guard at the gate announced, "Announcing the arrival of Princess Lucia Vanadis, second princess of the Kingdom of Vanadis, and her royal retinue." 7 Arrival " Princess, wake up" Sylvie''s voice pulled Lucia from her slumber Lucia opened her eyes. The camp was already awake. Some soldiers were fixing the tents while others were cooking breakfast. The soldiers don''t usually cook breakfast. They would usually eat the leftovers of last night''s dinner. Sunlight was a precious commodity and the soldiers would rather use the time to march, scout or build something rather than cook. But the soldiers were too embarrassed to make the second princess eat leftovers. She was not just a princess, she was a princess of the rich merchant kingdom of Vanadis. Lucia told them that it''s alright, they were in a hurry anyway so they couldn''t afford to waste time on cooking. The longer they stay on the road, the larger the chance of accidents. But the captain of the guards assured Lucia that they will not let anything happen to her. It was their duty to escort her to Nirvana and they shall fulfill that duty. So every day, the soldiers cook breakfast for her. Every morning, she had meat, fresh bread, porridge and fruits. Lucia fixed herself and went to find the Captain. They should arrive today in Nirvana, at least according to her estimates. She found the captain beside his tent, sharpening his sword. "Good morning Captain Bisham" Lucia gave a radiant smile to the Captain "we will arrive at Nirvana before sunset right?" Captain Bisham was an old man in his sixties. He first joined the navy 40 years ago and he was at the battle of Salam where the Vanadian navy decimated the pirates of Ghoul Island. Now, he was the captain of the Vanadian Royal Guards. The Royal Guards were different from the Palace Guards of Holm. These men were veterans chosen from the navy. There were only about a hundred of them and 20 were transferred in Lucia''s retinue. "Earlier than that Your Highness" the Captain confirmed. He sheathed his sword and put the whetstone away "we should arrive by midday" Lucia nodded and then looked to the direction of Nirvana. She was silent for a while until she questioned the Captain "Captain, you''ve been to Nirvana right?" " Yes, several times in fact" Captain Bisham grabbed a bowl of porridge and handed it to Lucia to which she gave a silent thank you. "my father lived in Ledega so I frequented the City when I was your age. Since Nirvana was nearby, I also got to see the capital" he explained Lucia ate the porridge. The warm food satiated her hunger. "So what are the people like?" "Are you nervous Your Highness? Don''t be " the Captain chuckled. He paused for a while " You know the legend of the two brothers right?" Of course Lucia knew the Legend. Almost everyone does. Once there were two brothers who led a mass migration into the land which now encompasses the combined Castonia and Vanadis. The high priest once prophesized that the new kingdom the brothers will build will conquer the world. The migration attracted people from all over the land. But after they arrived, the two brothers had an argument on where to build their first city. One of the brothers was a warrior and the other a merchant. The warrior favored the rich mines of what is now today the location of Nirvana. He argued that for a Kingdom to conquer the world, it needs warriors. Warriors need weapons so a mineral-rich founding city would be the best. The merchant argued otherwise. He said that only a rich Kingdom could maintain a large standing army. Metals were useless if you can''t pay your army. For him the location of Holm, which was conducive to trade, would be the best choice. So the brothers consulted the priest. In order to solve the disagreement, the priest begged the Gods for guidance. The priest decided to throw a small rock randomly and where it lands would be related to the answer of the Gods. The priest must have thrown the rock too hard that it shattered into two upon impact. One piece of the rock landed on a sword while the other landed on a bag of coins. The two brothers interpreted this differently. Since a piece landed on a sword, the warrior believed that the Gods favored his idea. The merchant also believed the he was the one favored by the gods since a piece landed on a bag of coins. The argument was not resolved and in the end, the two brothers went on separate ways. The Merchant founded the Kingdom of Vanadis while the warrior built the Kingdom of Castonia. " It''s maybe not a legend." Lucia looked at Captain Bisham "Some parts of it must be true. " " I also think so." The Captain agreed "The thing about the rock splitting and the priest could have been purely nonsense, but it is possible that the two brothers really existed. " He smiled Lucia just nodded at the Captain "The brothers in the story had a disagreement, but their goals were the same" Captain Bisham explained "If Vanadians descended from the merchant and Castonians came from the warrior, then we are cousins with the Castonians" he pick up a rock "Take this rock for example. We are in Castonia right now but the soil, the rocks, the trees, they are the same back home. A rock in Vanadis is still a rock in Castonia, a tree is still a tree." "So what you''re saying is" Lucia thought for a while "Vanadians and Castonians are almost the same?" asked Lucia The Captain smiled "Exactly" he stressed "There was no such thing as an evil people or good people in this world. It''s always a mixture of both. Culture, tradition and other factors makes a certain race what it is, but in the end a human is a human. The Vanadians love you, not because of your lineage, but because you are yourself. I''m sure that the Castonians will also love you" Lucia really needed the Captains words. After the wedding, she will become a princess of both Vanadis and Castonia. She will have another identity. As long as the alliance stands, she won''t lose this new identity. If she was to become a Castonian royalty, she needed the support of the people. " Thank you captain" thanked Lucia wholeheartedly At midday, the party arrived at the gates of Nirvana. The first thing Lucia noticed was the walls. She was mesmerized by these walls. The walls of Nirvana were almost twice as tall as those of Holm and also twice as thick. These walls were well maintained too, shining like shields of a giant. And the gates, the gates of Nirvana were made of steel as thick as a man''s arm. Every now and then, patrols of soldiers pass their party. Their march was strong, radiating an aura unique to seasoned soldiers. Castonia really was a nation of warriors, she thought. Lucia was very impressed. After entering the city, a busy bazaar greeted her. Lucia was not actually unfamiliar with such environment since bazaars were common in Holm. Who said Castonians don''t know how to trade? Hundreds of merchants were selling their goods on the street. There were unique goods from faraway places. Holm was of course busier, but Nirvana wasn''t far behind. The primary produce of Nirvana were gems and gold. The warrior must have been a fool for thinking that he could build a militaristic city here. Gems and gold can''t be used to make weapons. Along the way, Lucia was spotted by a Vanadian merchant who recognized her. The merchant left his stall to greet her. "Princess Lucia" the merchant bowed and knelt in front of her " Rise merchant." Lucia gestured for him to stand up. They were gathering too much attention " What is your name?" " Escanor your highness." Escanor stood up. He was a short man in his thirties. " You may not remember me, but you''ve helped my wife give birth nearly a year ago" " I see" Lucia doesn''t really remember him. But judging from his appearance and merchandize, his story seems real "Where is your wife now Escanor? Is she well?" " She and my son are well your highness. They are staying back home." Escanor smiled. But then his expression became serious " Your highness, this is a foreign city. The nobles are more powerful here and they''re more prone to scheme. Be careful your highness. If you need help, I''ll try my best to assist you. " he said with a hushed voice. What Escanor said was true. Nirvana was a foreign city and a foreign environment for Lucia. She remembered what the Captain told her earlier. Humans are humans. Yes, most of the people were inherently good. But there were some who would go beyond the line. Lucia needs all the help she could get. She doesn''t trust Escanor yet, but he will be of great help. Merchants can act as spies or messengers for her , after all it wasn''t strange for a merchant to be in a strange place. Merchants always seek profit so no one will suspect them even if they went to dangerous places. Lucia needs to increase her connections especially with merchants. " Thank you Escanor." Lucia thanked him. She was very fortunate to have met the merchant. After chatting with Escanor for a bit and finding ways to contact him in the future, Lucia went to the palace. The guards at the palace first confirmed her identity before accepting her inside. Lucia was impressed by this. Back in Holm, palace guards rarely checked the identity of visitors. Lucia had always been worried by this lax attitude. When she gets back to Holm, she will convince her father to do the same with the palace guards. The safety of the King and the royal family must be taken seriously. Compared to the Vanadian Palace, the Castonian palace was¡­different. It seems that the palace was built to suit the needs of the Kingdom. Since Castonia had gone through dozens of invasions before, it couldn''t afford to waste its funds on decorations. Furthermore, the walls of Nirvana were magnificent enough that one could overlook the plainness of the Palace. After announcing her party''s arrival, the guard escorted them to the throne room. As common courtesy, she must inform the King of their arrival. Upon entering the room, she saw the King. He was older than his father and had a colder expression. The man in front of Lucia will soon become her father-in-law. "Your Majesty, I am Lucia Vanadis, second princess of the Kingdom of Vannadis." Lucia bowed like a lady " Welcome to Nirvana Lucia Vanadis. I hope that your arrival strengthens the bond between our two Kingdoms" " Thank you your Majesty." Lucia gave a youthful smile "I also do hope so" "How was your journey?" The King asked "Long" Lucia admitted "And tiring. But the roads were safe" The King gave Lucia a friendly laugh "You must be tired then. We''ll soon have a ball in celebration of your arrival and your imminent marriage to my son. But for now you should rest. I''ll order the maids to escort you to your chambers" said the King " Thank you, your Majesty. Then, we shall take our leave." Lucia bowed and then turned to leave the room but before she could, someone entered the room. He was a man about the same age as her. From the looks of it, he must be Timothy Castonia. 8 First Encounter Timothy opened the doors of the throne room. The first person he saw was his father, the King. And then he saw a woman. Their eyes met for the first time. But neither of them talked. A strange feeling of familiarity enveloped Timothy''s heart Who is this woman? He of course knew that she was Lucia Vanadis. But she felt¡­ familiar. I need to say something. Why can''t I? Tongue. Move, he ordered. But Timothy remained silent He examined Lucia. She was also the same. She was frozen in place. Neither of them made a sound. The two of them looked at each other for a long time until the King broke the silence. " Why are you here?" The King said coldly "I did not summon you" There was annoyance in his voice Timothy snapped back to his senses. " I''m seeing our guests your Majesty" he explained and gave the King a bow. " They''re tired. Leave them." The King commanded "Next time if I don''t summon you then don''t come" " In that case, let me escort them to their chambers then. Nothing is more hospitable than the prince himself leading the delegates to their chambers" To this, the King remained silent and just waved his hand as a sign of agreement. Timothy smiled and went to Lucia. His heart was beating fast. He looked at her. She was a little dusty from her journey, but her beautiful appearance still radiated a dazzling glow. Timothy couldn''t help but feel delighted. She was the prettiest woman he ever set his eyes upon. Timothy was nervous. " I..I am Timothy Castonia." Timothy stuttered "Please follow me" he forced a smile and tried to look at her in the eyes. To his surprise, he couldn''t. " Tha..Thank you, Prince Timothy" She also stuttered " We''ll be in your care" It seems she''s also nervous, Timothy thought. To this, he felt slightly relieved. If he was the only one who was nervous, then his self-confidence would drop to rock-bottom. Lucia, Sylvie and the Vanadian royal guards followed Timothy. The rooms prepared for the Vanadian guests were located on the sixth floor. For safety purposes, everyone on the sixth floor was transferred to other floors except for a few maids. Their walk to the rooms was filled with silence. Timothy actually planned to talk a lot of things to Lucia on their way to the rooms but now he was completely silent. He wanted to see Lucia''s personality. He wanted to know if he could trust her. But now he couldn''t say a single word. He wasn''t usually like this. He was good with words. But in the presence of Lucia, he was speechless. The royal guards were stationed in a room that was only a few meters from Lucia''s. If anything happens, they would be able to respond quickly. Sylvie''s room was next to the Princess. "Get to your rooms and rest" Lucia said to the guards and Sylvie. "If you need anything, just tell us your highness." An old guard said to her. Timothy guessed that the old man was the Captain of her guards. He seems capable and experienced. Everybody went to their rooms except for Lucia and Tim. They were left alone. Lucia turned to him but avoided eye contact again. Tim was no better either because he kept his head down. If you really think about it, this awkwardness between them was not that surprising. They will be married to each other and will become as one. She will be his wife, and he her husband. They will spend their whole lives together. This was the first time they''ve met. So this atmosphere was just normal right? Before he went to the throne room, he thought talking to her would be easy. He doesn''t have much experience in these kinds of things, but he had always been good when it comes to dealing with people. Now he was conscious of how he should act. He shouldn''t be the first to experience this. Political marriages were common so those nobles must have felt the same when they first met their betrothed. How about his two brothers? Did they have the same experience as this? Timothy didn''t know what to do to break this atmosphere between them. He wanted to know her as soon as possible. There was one more thing that troubled Timothy. Princess Lucia''s presence felt so familiar. It was like they had met before. He finally found the strength to look at her in the eyes. " Have we met before?" Timothy blurted. He quickly realized how stupid his question was. Think before you talk Tim, he cursed himself. He needs to get out of here before he further embarrass himself. He will just talk to her tomorrow. " I''m sorry. Forget it." He quickly said. "If you need anything just call one of the servants. Welcome to Castonia" he forced a smile and turned away from her. But before he could, she stopped him " Wait" she immediately said. He turned to Lucia again. She was lowering her head. "When is¡­the ball?" After a while she asked. She was still lowering her head refused to look at him. Timothy''s head was in chaos. Why? Of all times, why would she ask about the wedding now? The atmosphere was awkward between them because of the wedding. Also, why does it make him feel slightly embarrassed? She was just asking a question. Dammit Tim. You are the infamous rooster prince. You''ll lead armies in the future, but why can''t you control your emotions! You have no experience in romance but this is not the way to go Tim. It''s just a question Tim. Relax. Answer her with dignity. Show her that Castonians are matured. Don''t embarrass the Castonia family. He lectured himself. "Next month. Grand Cathedral. Father send invitations next week. Hope this union strengthens the alliance!" Timothy answered in a very fast manner. His heart was racing. Talking about the wedding really stressed him. Wait! Timothy felt shivers down his spine. Did she say ball or wedding? Because if she meant the ball¡­In that instant, Timothy realized his stupid..stupid answer. He wanted to bury his face into the ground. What''s wrong with him? "¡­" "¡­" What followed next was silence. It was so quiet that he could hear the wind blowing. It was so quiet that he could hear the birds flapping their wings. It was so damn quiet that he could hear his heart thumping like a horse on a full charge. But he doesn''t care about the wind or the birds. He looked into her eyes with his mouth agape. Although he was almost certain that he had made a big and embarrassing mistake, he still wanted to know if he really did. "You said¡­ wedding right?" Timothy stammered. "¡­" "¡­" "hahahahahahahaha" Princess Lucia burst into uncontrolled laughter. She bent and held her stomach with one hand while laughing. Timothy''s heart melted. Yes, it melted. She was beautiful. The scene in front of him was more beautiful than the best paintings in the world. It was more relaxing than the bluest skies. Making a beautiful girl laugh, even at the cost of some of your dignity, was one of the best things in this world. On top of that, she was not just a beautiful girl, she''s Lucia Vanadis- his betrothed. After a while, Timothy joined in laugher. Both of them laughed for a long time. Lucia tried to contain her laughter and tried to speak" I¡­ hahaha. I asked about the ball Prince Timothy" she grinned at him "not the wedding" Well, he made a mistake. But after seeing her laugh, it was not embarrassing anymore. " I never thought that talking to you would be this intense" Timothy admitted. " I know, right?" Lucia agreed. "It feels like talking to my grandfather. " By now, the earlier awkward atmosphere was gone and the two of them talked as if they were old friends. " Well to answer your question, the ball will be tomorrow." He smiled at her "And I''m looking forward to seeing you there Princess Lucia" He bowed slightly. " I''m also looking forward to having more ''intense'' conversations with you Prince Timothy" Lucia grinned and they bowed like a lady. " Yes, to more intense moments" Timothy also grinned " Have a nice stay Princess Lucia" " Thank you Prince Timothy" She smiled at him. Princess Lucia went to her room and gave Timothy one last smile. Timothy turned the other way and headed to the garden. He was happy and humming a song when Erik interrupted him. " Happy, aren''t we?" Erik joined his walk and teased him. " Oh shut up Erik. Is it illegal now to be happy from time to time?" " It''s not illegal actually. But it is suspicious" Erik winked at him " Suspicious?" He stopped walking and turned to Erik "Why?" " Well, it''s just the timing. The Vanadian Princess arrived today and then I saw you smiling from ear to ear" Erik said nonchalantly "Suspicious" " Ah..is that so?" Timothy avoided his gaze. He was starting to sweat so he changed the topic "Did you see James?" " Changing the topic. Not effective against me you know?" Erik grinned Timothy just glared at him. Erik needs to stop asking questions. " Fine, fine. I won''t pester you anymore." Erik finally gave up "James is in his room" Timothy and Erik then went to James'' room. Timothy knocked on the door. After a while, James opened it. " Your Highness" James was clearly surprised "What brings you here?" James was now able to relax in front of Timothy after only a short period of time. " I need.." Timothy hesitated. He tried to find the best words. " Get me the best clothes you could find. I am attending a ball tomorrow" ********************************************************************************************************** After Lucia closed the door to her room, she leaned on it. Smiling, she thought of Prince Timothy. He was not so bad, she thought. She doesn''t know why, but she was so anxious in front of him at first. But now that anxiousness was gone. Lucia went to her bed and lied down. She thought that her first day in Nirvana would be filled with longing for Holm. But that awkward Prince made her day. "Prince Timothy" She muttered "I think we could get along" 9 Under the Moonligh It was rare for the King to arrange a ball. He was, after all, slightly paranoid when it comes to safety. Since the ball was arranged hastily, only a day after the arrival of the Vanadian Princess, only nearby nobles were able to attend. Nevertheless, the hall was packed with guests. Baron Braun was bored. It has been an hour but that brat Timothy still hasn''t arrived yet. The nobles were busy chatting with each other. This was a rare and good opportunity for a person of value to increase his or her network of friends. But Braun was not in the mood to chat. The brat Timothy was late and the event can''t begin without him. Braun looked around. He saw many familiar faces, faces of people with power. It was the same scene every time these people gather. Everyone wore a fake smile and tried to be friendly to everyone. These people¡­ Braun thought. They''re so fake. He was like them in the past. But now that he was already old, he already gave up on his ambitions. He doesn''t have a son or a daughter so his family''s noble status will end with him. This meant that increasing his family''s status would be meaningless anyway. And his land? Well that piece of land was barren anyway. He will just leave that land to one of his distant relatives. His only concern nowadays was Castonia. Braun was a very patriotic man. He loved his Kingdom and wanted it to grow. He''ll do anything for Castonia. But what was the meaning of Castonia anyway? Was it the land? the people? Or the idea? He was too old to think much about it. Leave that question to the philosophers. He just wanted to offer his services to Castonia. Braun considers himself a very capable person. He was just a Baron with a barren land, but he managed to become the right hand of the King. The King had new laws? Braun will announce it and prepare the required documents. The King wanted a ball? Braun was the man for the job. But that brat Timothy was still late. Well speak of the devil, Braun thought. Timothy just arrived. Braun stood up to reprimand the lad. The event was delayed because of him. The guests may not mind, but Braun does. Before Braun could approach Timothy, his assistant suddenly went to him and whispered something into his ears. Upon hearing those words, Braun''s eyes widened, his face contorted. " Are you sure?" Braun tried to remain calm but his voice was shaky. His assistant nodded. " Let me verify it first." Braun went outside the hall. ******************************************************************************************************* The King suddenly stood up to announce the start of the ball. Everyone stopped talking and listened to the King. " You already know the purpose of this celebration." The King started. His voice was as cold as ever. "My son is getting married to Lucia Vanadis. I don''t need to explain how this union benefits our two Kingdoms. So to formally begin this ball, let my son say a few words" Timothy then went to the stage and faced the guests. His posture was dignified, his voice loud and clear. " The legend tells us of the warrior and the merchant. Well I''m not a warrior, and Princess Lucia is certainly not a merchant." Timothy smiled playfully. Some nobles laughed " I just hope that this union will strengthen the bond between Castonia and Vanadis. I hope that this partnership will last in perpetuity. Long live Castonia and long live Vanadis. Let the ball begin" With these words, Timothy started the ball. Musicians played their music and food was served. Some pairs of nobles danced at the middle of the hall. Timothy then looked at Lucia. Noble ladies flocked to her side. She''s beautiful, he thought. Her red dress fully complemented her complexion. Her necklace gave her a cute but mature vibe. He wanted to talk to her but some nobles got to him first. This was their chance to be friends with the third prince. ********************************************************************************************* Freya looked at Timothy. He was as handsome as ever. His blue coat was adorned with intricate designs. The rose on his coat''s pocket made him look like a gentleman, humble and caring. His hair was combed backwards, which gave him a slick appearance. He had really prepared his appearance for the Princess, Freya thought. She was jealous. What made her more jealous was the fact that Timothy glances at the Princess from time to time. She looked at Lucia. She was not that pretty. Well, Freya was maybe a little biased. Lucia, after all, was the betrothed of the person she loves. She was really hurt by Timothy''s rejection yesterday. It hurts so much that she couldn''t sleep last night. So that was how it felt to have a broken heart. It was so painful. Timothy''s current actions made it worse. It seems he was starting to like Lucia. How could that be? They''ve been friends for a decade and he felt nothing towards her. He met Lucia yesterday and now he was like this? She examined Lucia one more time. It seems they had something important to talk about. She went to her. It took her a while before she finally caught Lucia attention. Noble ladies were in the way. After finally facing Lucia, Freya opened her mouth. She had thousands of things she wanted to say to her. She wanted her to know that she and Timothy were close friends, that they''ve known each other for a long time. She wanted to warn Lucia. She wanted Lucia to recognize her as rival. " Ah.. I''m Freya. I''m.. I''m Timothy''s friend." She stuttered. "Nice to meet you" Freya was surprised. Why can''t she say mean things to her? What did she say? Nice to meet you? As if! Why did she say that? She should be cursing her right now. She should be mean, so mean that Lucia would have no choice but to go back to Vanadis. She should be telling her to stay away. Why can''t she say these things to her? " Nice to meet you too Freya. I am Lucia Vanadis" She smiled. It was neither fake nor forced. It was a genuine friendly smile "I hope we could get along" Freya wanted to inform Lucia of her feelings towards Tim. But seeing how nice Lucia was, she changed her mind. In the end, she was not that kind of person. Yes she loves Tim and wants to be with him. And yes, Lucia was in the way. But she can''t find it in herself to hate somebody just because she lost. " I hope you protect Tim, Lucia." She said sadly. "He''s a good person" Freya forced a smile and left ************************************************************************************* Lucia noticed the change in Freya''s expression before she left. She must be Prince Timothy''s lover, she thought. Lucia can''t explain it but Timothy having a lover somehow pricked her heart. She went outside. Crowded places suffocate her. She found herself standing on the garden. The moon was beautiful that night. After a while, she heard footsteps. She turned around and saw Prince Timothy. The prince''s attire was shining under the moonlight, highlighting his handsome appearance. " Prince Timothy" Lucia forced a smile. Her encounter with Freya still troubled her. Freya was nice to her, but she still felt sad that her future husband likes somebody else. " Howdy" Prince Timothy greeted as he approached " It means hello" he clarified " I know" said Lucia. " You knew?" raised a brow "We''ll you''re the first" Lucia just smiled. " You''re sad" Timothy seemed to notice. Lucia nodded slowly. He approached her and asked, " May I ask why?" Lucia was silent for a long time. She hesitated. Her reason for being sad was too petty. It was normal for the Prince to have a lover, why does it bother her? But she revealed the reason anyway. " Your lover talked to me." She stopped and thought if she should continue but decided to "It wasn''t really a long talk but I could sense that she really loves you" Timothy did not immediately reply. He seems to be confused. "Are you.." He paused and pondered "referring to Freya? She''s not my lover. Freya is just my friend. I am not oblivious to her feelings, but I have no feelings for her" Lucia''s eyes went wide. She was happy but doesn''t know why. She''s so childish, she thought " Okay" Lucia smiled thinly " You seem happy now" Timothy teased her " Well at least I''m not sad anymore Prince Timothy" "Timothy" "What?" Lucia was confused " Drop the prince. Call me Timothy or Tim" She couldn''t help but smile after hearing this. " Then Tim it is. In that case, call me Lucia" she offered " Okay Lucia" said Timothy "By the way, what did you and Freya talked about?" " Oh nothing much." She recalled their conversation "She said that I should protect you and that you''re a good person." " And am I? A good person." Lucia just met him yesterday and he seems kind. But she was too embarrassed to say it outright. So she jested, " Well someone who talks awkwardly to girls can''t be a bad person right?" " Hahaha. You''re basis for kindness seems to be a little off." Timothy laughed. But then he was silent for a while as if thinking of something. " And will you?" he smiled and asked" Will you protect me?" Lucia thought of her answer for a while. Of course she will protect him. She will be his wife. A husband and a wife protect each other. "Of course. I''m your future wife so I must protect you" she answered. But thinking of their future made her a little shy. Timothy turned to look at the moon. " You know standing side by side in the garden under the moonlight, we look like lovers" Timothy teased. He grinned at her. Upon hearing this, Lucia blushed. This guy, Lucia thought. He was teasing her already. He was not being fair. She must get back at him. " Oh really?" Lucia grinned back "Well Prince Timothy Castonia, we are not lovers. Not yet anyway" She emphasized the last few words. Timothy''s eyes went wide. He blushed. Lucia couldn''t help but laugh and feel proud of her accomplishment. " Oh stop teasing me" Timothy complained " You did it first!" The two of them laughed. After a while, Timothy asked. " May I court you? Our betrothal was purely political, but it doesn''t really have to be. " He looked at her in the eye. Those eyes. Freya blushed again. She got lost in his eyes. Lucia was somehow expecting this question. No, she was hoping for this question. " Of course" Lucia smiled. The two continued to talk under the moonlight. It was a beautiful night for Lucia. But that same night, Braun confirmed the news. The Tulosans have invaded the western region. 10 The Tulosan Invasion Castonia-Tulosa border The moon was beautiful. Tomorrow it should be more so, Rickard thought. Behind him, soldiers marched in a line that stretched as far as the horizon. The line moved like a snake, hunting for its prey. The heavy hooves of warhorses shook the earth, the clinking of their armor disturbed the peace of the night. Rickard filled his lungs, and savored the aroma of the wind. The smell of steel¡­ forebodes the coming harvest of blood and vengeance. They are the knights of Tulosa, harbingers of death. This was the same road General Kingston took 15 years ago. The general tried his luck, but failed. He brought 20,000 Tulosans with him, but only a few returned. His failure was mocked by those damn Castonians. Little did they know, they only got lucky. If those damn nobles 15 years ago hadn''t schemed against the King, the expedition would have succeeded. The Castonians act like their strength and valor made them win, whereas it was actually the Tulosan nobles who made them victorious. Rickard doesn''t care who started the war. He doesn''t care who was right or wrong. He felt wronged. Tulosa''s pride was dragged to the mud. The Castonians have mocked them for so long, even naming one of their castles Knightsend! Well what did they expect? General Kingston back then was forced to assault the castle, that''s why he lost. They think that they destroyed the Knights, but it was the walls of the castle that defeated the Knights. Now, 40,000 soldiers marched behind him, half of which were on horseback. He also brought thousands of Knights with him. Every single one of them felt the same, their eyes glowing with hatred. Castonia would face a united and stronger Tulosa. They would tremble and cower upon hearing the thunderous charge of their horses. Their bodies will line the field, for a Tulosan''s charge was a force of nature, unstoppable and merciless. And Tulosa was not alone this time. Vengeance was long overdue- 15 years to be exact. ******************************************************************************* Castle Knightsend The moon was beautiful. Marvin looked at the moon. He once knew a song about the moon, but now he already forgot most of its lyrics. The moon da da da give me peace Make me da da da da da da the sky Da da da da da in your loving care Maybe he was getting old? Marvin thought. He doesn''t feel old. Strength still hasn''t left his body. But he was tired. He will probably retire next year. It was time to put his sword down and relax at home, he was still a noble after all. That fief of his needs maintenance though. His son was too lazy. Marvin smiled, he missed his wife and son. He hadn''t seen them for 2 years. Mark should be 20 now, the same age as his highness Timothy. Speaking of which, his highness should have arrived at the capital by now. Marvin hoped that Timothy would stay at the capital. Knightsend was a dangerous place. Castonia can afford to lose Knightsend, it can be recaptured in the future anyway. But losing a prince as talented as Timothy would be a hard blow for Castonia. The lad had already helped Knightsend a lot. Before Timothy arrived at Knightsend, the garrison had no discipline. But Timothy reformed the garrison into the best soldiers of Castonia. Well, the decadence of the garrison was partly due to Marvin. He had no courage and strength to discipline the soldiers in the past. When Timothy disciplined the garrison, he also disciplined Marvin. Honestly, being reprimanded by a lad less than half his age was painful. It hurt his pride so much that he wanted to write to the King to complain. But in the end, his respect towards Timothy only grew. The Prince had talent. Marvin couldn''t forget what Timothy said after discovering Knightsend''s state about a year ago. He addressed everyone including the officers, especially the officers. " Castonia doesn''t need weak men" It was a single phrase, but it pierced every soldier''s heart. Timothy questioned their purpose. What was their purpose? Why were they at Knigtsend? If a man doesn''t have a purpose, then what is he? He was like evil, no, worse than evil. At least evil had a purpose. Castonia really doesn''t need weak men. If you can''t defend Castonia, then get out of the way of those who could. Marvin smiled. If only Timothy was the heir. The two older sons of the King were not bad, but Timothy was something else. Castonia needs the leadership of Timothy. These are tough years for the Kingdom. Just then, Marvin saw two riders coming towards the Castle. The hooves of their mounts scattered the dust like rain. They were in a hurry. After arriving at the front gate, one of the guards asked for the password. Every day, the password was changed. " Password" The guard demanded. It was a common security check. " Ninev." One of the riders answered "Open the gates faster, brother. We need to report to General Marvin at once" he said anxiously The guards wasted no time and opened the gates. The two riders went inside and dismounted. After they saw Marvin, they quickly approached him. They knelt and pounded their chests with their fists as salutation. " Fifth Scouting Squad reporting sire!" One of the scouts reported " Report" Marvin said. He had a bad feeling about this. The faces of the scouts were pale. Their voice trembled. Why are they so anxious? " About an hour ago, our team spotted Tulosans marching sire. They were already crossing the Sinon River when we spotted them. They were soldiers and there''s too many of them for it to be just a raiding party. We are almost certain that it''s an invasion force" Marvin knitted his brows. So the Tulosans have finally invaded. " What''s your estimate on the numbers?" " It''s dark so we couldn''t get an accurate estimate. But¡­" The scout started and hesitated. "I''m certain that there are more than 30,000 of them and half of them are cavalry." Marvin''s face paled. His eyes grew wide. 30,000! That''s too many! He expected their numbers to not exceed 20,000. And worse, half of them were on horseback! Their situation was bad. Castonia didn''t expect this. He needs to inform the King. He needs to tell everyone. " Squire!" he shouted as loud as he could *********************************************************************************** City of Greenwater, Western Region Benedict Connel was looking at the ceiling. He couldn''t sleep. This wasn''t the first time he had a difficulty sleeping. Ever since the Royal family took his son away from him a year ago, he had always been thinking of Erik. Erik was his only child. His wife was sickly and almost died when she gave birth to Erik. Since then, the couple decided that Erik would be their last child. Benedict looked at her wife who was hugging him. She was old, but she was still beautiful. Other people may say that her beauty had already faded, but to Benedict she will always be the beautiful Maria he married. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. It was a forceful knock. " Sire! Sire ! A letter came from Knightsend via carrier pigeon. The seal is red!" his squire called to him Benedict cursed his squire for disturbing their sleep. Dammit he needs to teach the lad a lesson. He knitted his brows but then the words of the squire finally entered his brain. Did he say Knightsend? Via carrier pigeon? And the seal was red? In an instant Benedict''s heart raced. A letter having a red seal meant that the receiver should immediately read its contents. And if it came from Knightsend, then that could only mean the invasion right? Benedict jumped out of bed and immediately opened the door. He grabbed the letter from the hand of his squire. The seal of the letter was red and it was from Knightsend. He opened the letter. After reading of its contents, Benedict trembled. He closed his eyes. His thoughts were confirmed. Marquis Benedict Connel, Knightsend Castle spotted the Tulosan invasion force. At the time of writing this letter, the enemies are crossing the Sinon River. Our scouts estimated their numbers to be at least 30,000 and half of them are on horseback. Apart from that, no other information is known about them. Knightsend castle is on lockdown. We will defend to our last breaths. Long live Castonia. General Marvin Blunt Dear God! At least 30,000? And half of them are cavalry? This is bad, really bad. If they managed to take Knightsend, then only Castle Timur stood between the enemy and Greenwater. " Honey, what''s wrong?" Maria asked him Benedict''s hand was trembling while holding the letter. He turned his head towards Maria. " Maria." Benedict swallowed. He needs to protect her "I need you to go to the Capital for a while. Greenwater is not safe anymore." 11 The War Room Nirvana, Capital of Castonia News of the Tulosan invasion quickly spread throughout the city. Upon hearing the news, Bisham went to talk to Lucia " Your highness, what are your orders?" " What do you advise me to do?" Lucia was looking at the city from the castle. The city was alive and well. The merchants and the miners still sold their goods. The people were already aware of the invasion, but they were indifferent towards it. Nirvana''s walls seems to have given them a sense of security. "Nothing" The Captain said. He also looked at the City from above "Vanadis and Castonia were not yet officially allied. The official alliance will be announced after the marriage." " Exactly. But the King might move the date of the wedding forward. Castonia needs the funding of Vanadis as soon as possible. Just tell father of our situation." Said Lucia. She knew that the Castonian King would want Vanadian gold as soon as possible. She doesn''t care, it wouldn''t matter anyway. Vanadis will be forced to join the war and help Castonia. "I''ll write a report to your Father later" Captain Bisham nodded. " Please do. " Lucia suddenly remembered Escanor the merchant. "And Captain, please contact Escanor" The severity of the situation had reached to the point where Lucia was slightly worried about the future. Although Castonia could destroy the invading force by transferring all their soldiers on the Western front, it would still take time. She may need the assistance of Escanor soon. "The merchant?" The Captain looked at her with a surprised expression. " Yes. We might need his assistance soon" she explained ************************************************************************************* Timothy heard of the news that morning. The Tulosans have invaded with a force of more than 30,000. Worse, half of them were on horseback. He went to the War room where the Generals should be discussing the strategies. Timothy opened the door of the room. There were three people inside, General Peyton, Braun and the King. At the center of the room there was a huge map of Castonia. There were objects lying at the top of the map probably representing armies. Timothy went closer and heard General Payton talking " I just hope Timur and Greenwater holds until we arrive. But why would they choose Greenwater over Solon?" " May I know of the recent news?" Timothy walked towards the map and looked at General Peyton. But the one who answered his queries was not the General, but the King "You''re butting in again uninvited" there was hostility in his voice " I was at Knightsend just a few days ago. Maybe I could help" Timothy reasoned. He''s also worried about the garrison of Knightsend. The Castle was the first defense of Castonia against the Tulosans. It should be under siege by now. But Timothy wasn''t worried that the castle would fall. The men he trained with will not break that easily. " He''s right your Majesty. The boy might be useful" Braun said. The King signaled that they should go ahead so General Peyton explained the current situation to Timothy. " Our scouts have not been idle and gave more detailed information about the Tulosans." The General knitted his brows "The earlier report was wrong. It''s not 30,000 but 40,000" he said seriously Timothy was surprised. 40,000!. How could they assemble 40,000? Just three years ago, Tulosa was in a civil war. How could they recover that fast? General Peyton continued. "The Tulosans divided their army into three. They left 5000 soldiers to siege Knightsend." Payton pointed to the castle on the westernmost part of Castonia "Well it''s less of a siege and more of a blockade. The Tulosans learned their lessons. They are not besieging Knightsend to take it, but to keep it from interfering and striking them from behind. Also they wanted to keep their supply lines open. The remaining 35,000 split into two groups. A smaller group of 10,000 went to the northwest while a group of 25,000 went to the southwest." The General explained as he traced the paths with his finger. " This doesn''t make any sense" Timothy said while looking at the map " Exactly" General Peyton agreed The western region of Castonia was divided into its southern and northern parts. In the south lies Greenwater and was being protected by Castle Timur. In the north, lies Solon. Timothy expected the whole Tulosan army to rush north. Solon was Castonia''s main source of iron. Capturing Solon would mean crippling the iron production of Castonia. This was the reason why two of Castonia''s Western armies were being stationed near Solon. But the Tulosans not only divided their armies, they also sent the larger one to attack Greenwater. What would they get from Greenwater? Yes Greenwater was a rich city. It was the trade powerhouse and the richest city in Castonia. Although economic losses caused by trade interruptions were severe, trade will eventually recover. On the other hand, the capture of Solon would be catastrophic. If the Tulosans decided to raze the city to the ground and destroy the mining infrastructure, it would take years or even decades to fully restore Solon. The lack of iron will greatly hinder Castonia''s strength for years to come. Why do they want Greenwater so much? " The 10,000 army will probably raid the undefended villages near Solon. They wouldn''t want to let go of their chance to wreak havoc in Castonia. On the other hand, we can''t reinforce Greenwater without destroying the smaller army around Solon first" He pointed at the location of Greenwater. "The Tulosans really want to take Greenwater" " Yes." Braun frowned. He leaned closer to the table and looked at the location of Greenwater on the map. He then looked at Timothy with questioning eyes " But why would they want Greenwater?" " I don''t know." Timothy admitted "But we need to decide what to do. I suggest we combine the garrisons of Thespelae and Munico with some militia to attack the smaller army around Solon" The Castonian generals had already prepared for the invasion. But the thing is, they never expected that the Tulosans would be able to send 40,000 and would directly attack Greenwater. Also, what the Tulosans did was very unorthodox and risky. Their supply lines were vulnerable and their army divided. If it was Timothy, he would take Knightsend first, and then proceed to other castles. That would be the logical thing to do. But the Tulosans went straight for Greenwater. He could understand if they went to Solon, but they rushed towards Greenwater. There were four Castonian Armies stationed in four Castles scattered around the Western Region. These four Castles are Knightsend, Timur, Thespelae and Munico. Knightsend Castle was located at the westernmost part of Castonia and protects the entrance to the Western Region. Castle Timur protects Greenwater to the south while Thespelae and Munico both protect Solon to the north. The number of troops stationed inside each Castles varied because of logistics but the combined strength of all the western armies amount to 20,000. Both Thespelae and Munico near Solon have 5,000 soldiers. This meant that there were 10,000 Castonian soldiers stationed near Solon. Combined with militias, this would further increase. It was not enough to defeat all the Tulosans and it was also probably not enough to defeat the smaller Tulosan army currently razing the villages. More reinforcements are coming from the eastern provinces, but they will still take a long time. "Are you insane?" General Peyton looked at him with disdain "Half of them are cavalry. You want to throw away the lives of the soldiers?" The General seems to ignore that he was talking to a prince. But Timothy doesn''t mind. What he suggested was insane though. Cavalry were dangerous in open field, any man with a bit of sense knew that. But losing the villages around Solon would really hurt Castonia. " We can''t ignore the smaller army." Timothy said calmly "They will burn the villages around Solon." " But we can''t fight them." The General insisted "We outnumber them a little with the help of the militia, but half of them are cavalry. Cavalry are dangerous opponents in open combat. We need to wait for further reinforcements. We must be careful about this!" By now Timothy had some insight on General Peyton''s personality. He was not a coward, but he was the sort of person who would only fight battles he could win. That was actually a good trait to have. Unfortunately, the General was short-sighted. He only thinks of victory and defeat as two sides of a coin. Victory and defeat were not as simple as that. Sometimes, you lose to win. Other times, you need take a risk to win a bigger prize. In this situation, they need to take a risk in order not to lose horribly. " Yes, but we can''t ignore them either. If they kill most of the inhabitants of the western region, then it doesn''t matter even if we achieve victory in the end. Without the villages, our iron production will stop. The long-term effects of it will be catastrophic." Explained Timothy. If they wait for the reinforcements, Castonia would lose in the long run even if they win the battle. If they attack now and lose, then at least they bought time for the reinforcements. " So you want to risk our armies for the sake of iron!?" " You twisted it a little but, yeah." Said Timothy " Enough!" The king roared. The room was silenced. " We will wait for reinforcements. We can''t risk it." He then pointed at Timothy "You''re not even a general. So stay away from this. What? You think that because I''ve given you command over Knightsend for a year, you''re a general now?" The King''s words were like swords piercing through Timothy''s heart. Nevertheless, he kept silent. " This meeting is adjourned." The King said. With that, the whole room was emptied. Only the King and Braun remained. Timothy couldn''t do anything but leave. ************************************************************************************ After a while, the King received news that a Wismarine emissary wanted to discuss something with him. Castonia courted Wismar for decades, but the latter only accepted their trade request just recently. Because of this, the King met with the emissary even though he was very tired. A certain rascal pretending to be a general really drained his energy. " Your Majesty, Wismar extends its greetings to you" the emissary bowed " What does Wismar want?" The King asked. Wismar had rarely sent emissaries before so he was curious. " An alliance" the emissary smiled 12 The Cost of the Alliance The King frowned. " It seems his Majesty is not happy with my offer" the emissary said King Leopold was silent for a long time " What does Wismar want in return?" He looked at the emissary straight in the eye. King Leopold was not a fool. It took decades for Wismar to accept Castonia as a trading partner. They wouldn''t just offer an alliance on a whim. They must have wanted something in return. "His Majesty''s opinion of Wismar hurts my feelings." The emissary put his palm on his chest as a playful sign the Leopold''s words hurt him. "Your Majesty, a friend wouldn''t demand something in return from his friend. Wismar just wants to be a friend of Castonia. It''s just..how should I put it¡­ a friend sometimes doesn''t approve of his friend''s other friend" The emissary smiled again. " Be direct" Leopold demanded "We want you to cut all ties to Vanadis" Leopold understood what the emissary was talking about. Wismar and Vanadis were trading rivals. Relations between the two countries were strained. For Wismar to be friends with Castonia, the latter must first be an enemy to Vanadis. Between the two countries, Wismar would be a better ally. Its armies were strong and it was a rich Kingdom. Leopold had long wanted to have Wismar as an ally. He spent decades improving relations with Wismar. Now that it was the Wismarines themselves who were reaching out, he should be overjoyed. But Leopold already promised Vanadis an alliance. He already spread the news of the partnership between Castonia and Vanadis. What would the other Kingdoms think if Castonia breaks its promise of friendship to Vanadis? Nobody would want to forge relations with them in the future. Even their current trade partners would probably close their ports and gates to Castonian goods. " Why didn''t you come earlier?" Leopold frowned. If they had come earlier, he would have chosen them over the Vanadians . "I already spread the news of my Kingdom''s alliance with Vanadis" " It''s because you forged partnership with Vanadis that Wismar is now reaching out to you. We don''t want our greatest competitor to benefit from Castonian strength" The emissary looked him in the eye. "If I go back on my words, Castonia''s name will live in infamy. We can''t have that" He firmly said " That''s a small price to pay for Wismar''s friendship" the emissary insisted. Braun whispered to his ears, "We can''t agree to this, Your Majesty." "I know" Leopold replied "But let me think of a way" Leopold thought for a while. Suddenly an idea came into his mind" We can''t go back on our words. It''s okay to replace Vanadis with Wismar, but our reputation will suffer. But there''s another way" he smiled " Oh? And what would that be?" The emissary raised his eyebrow " I told the Vanadian King that my condition for an alliance would be a royal marriage" Leopold said " And you intend to cancel the wedding. Am I wrong?" The emissary correctly guessed Leopold shrugged " Without the wedding, there won''t be an alliance." " But if you cancel the wedding, then Castonian reputation would still be ruined" " Not if I had no choice" Leopold smiled " Your Majesty, it''s my turn to ask you to be direct" the emissary frowned " Timothy is the only one among my three children who''s unmarried. If, say, something bad happens to Timothy and he dies, then I would have no choice but to cancel the wedding. The Vanadian princess can''t marry a corpse" he said in a cold tone. Behind him, Braun gave a low grunt and tried to talk. He opened his mouth but Leopold stopped him with a gesture of his hand. On the other hand, the emissary remained silent. He frowned and contemplated for a while. And after a while he smiled. " I didn''t expect His Majesty to want this alliance so much. He''s even willing to sacrifice his son for it" " Just like what you said, it''s a small price to pay" Timothy''s life meant nothing to him. He hated Timothy for a long time. Timothy was never his son to begin with. Timothy was the product of a blasphemous affair between his late wife and a palace guard. After he discovered them in bed, his heart broke into pieces. He loved his wife with all his heart. He gave her everything. He loved her dearly. He was willing to give his life for her. He was willing to die for her. She was his beloved, the joy of his life, his main reason for living. Leopold killed the guard with his own hands. He strangled the bastard in bed until every bit of life was squeezed out of his throat. Even that wasn''t enough-no, it was never enough. The bastard took everything from him, his wife! It was so painful that even if he strangled him a hundred times it wouldn''t be enough. As for his wife, he loved her too much to touch even a single hair on her body. Leopold forgave his wife immediately. He can''t get mad at her no matter what. He knew that he had been wronged, but love makes a man do strange things. So he forgave her with all his heart. But it was already too late, his wife was already pregnant with that bastard''s son. He couldn''t do anything. Ironic, he thought. He was the most powerful man in Castonia, but he was so powerless that time. After his wife gave birth to a baby boy, Leopold decided to treat the child as his own. He fed the child, clothed him and even made him a prince! After a few years, his wife died. At first, he tried to be a father to the boy. He tried to love him as much as he loved his other children. He really tried, the heavens know that he really did. But as Timothy grew up, he looked more and more like him, that bastard who stole everything from him. His hair, his eyes, his face, he looked like him. Every single time he looks at Timothy, he could remember that night- the night he strangled the bastard with his bare hands. In the end, he made a compromise with himself. Since Timothy had his wife''s blood, he would not reveal that he was not his son. He would treat him as a prince. But he couldn''t bring himself to love Timothy. Now that there was a way to forge an alliance with Wismar at the cost of Timothy, he was more than willing to sacrifice his ''son''" " So, you want to assassinate the prince?" The emissary asked. The speed at which he accepted the Timothy''s assassination was astonishing. What a sly man, Leopold thought. But then again, who is he to talk? " No." He refused firmly "A member of the royal family being assassinated would be a heavy blow to the soldier''s morale. We can''t afford it" Leopold doesn''t want the people to doubt the capability of the crown. If a member of the royal family was assassinated, then they would lose morale. That will dangerous especially with the Tulosan invasion. " So how do you plan to kill him?" " The Tulosans are currently invading. Wars are¡­ messy affairs. Princes die left and right" he believes that the emissary understood his meaning " Smart. You won''t only have an alliance, you''ll also have a hero prince. If the Prince was killed in battle, as popular as he is with the soldiers, his name would become a battle cry. So what''s your plan then?" The emissary was right. Instead of lowering the morale of the people by assassinating Timothy, he would use his death wisely. Timothy would be a hero. That would be the last gift Leopold could give to his late wife- that son of her becoming a hero. " I might need your help." Leopold said " There''s a 10,000 strong army currently razing the villages near Solon. Timothy suggested that we should send Castonia''s two western armies to stop it. I''ll let him lead that army" The emissary pondered for a while. " But what if he prevails? Tulosan knights are strong, but no one should underestimate Castonian soldiers." " Who said something about the soldiers? He''ll lead a small detachment of militias. The soldiers from Thespelae and Munico won''t come." Leopold explained " So your plan is to not send messages to the two armies to assist Prince Timothy. He''ll go into battle expecting reinforcements, but they won''t come." " No, I''ll send an order. I''ll send two messengers and a carrier pigeon. If I didn''t, the people would question me." There were two main ways to send messages and orders. The first one was using carrier pigeons. These birds were fast, but they were very unreliable. Many orders and messages were lost due to the pigeons being killed, hunted, losing their way or dropping the letter. Because of this, the most secure way to send a letter was still through the use of human messengers. This method was slow, but it guarantees the safe arrival of messages. In Castonia, the usual practice for sending red-sealed letters was to send a pigeon and two riders. Leopold would follow this practice to avoid suspicion. " So the letters are blank?" the emissary asked " No, they will contain actual orders to meet with Timothy. If the message somehow got through and it''s blank, then the people would also start suspecting me." "Your Majesty, if you intend to send messengers and if the letters they deliver contains actual orders, then the two castles will mobilize to aid Timothy." The emissary frowned. Leopold can see that the emissary was still confused. This man can be stupid sometimes, Leopold thought. " That''s why I need you to hire assassins. You must be the one to hire the assassins so that in case they fail and get captured, they won''t have links to me. I need you to kill the messengers I send. I''ll send one this evening after I tell Timothy of his new task. I''ll send the second one during Timothy''s departure two days from now. You must kill them before they deliver the messages. Treat this as our first joint effort." " And what of the pigeons?" "Pigeons sometimes lose their way so it will not be surprising if they fail to send the message." "And what if I fail to stop the messengers?" "Then that would mean you''re incompetent. I wouldn''t want to be friends with incompetent people. Stop acting tough. You want this alliance as much as I do." Leopold smiled The emissary was silent for a while. He then extended his hand to offer Leopold a handshake. " As expected of King Leopold Castonia. I hope this cooperation lasts" " Likewise Prince Skall Wismar." Leopold shook his hand The emissary looked at Leopold " Since my identity had been revealed to you, then you must have known already that I have the authority to make this alliance with you. Wismar is serious." Skall looked at him with a serious expression. " Yes." Leopold said "Long live our alliance and may our two Kingdoms benefit from this partnership." " Indeed" 13 A Reason to Go That afternoon, the King summoned Timothy. Timothy was still hurt by the King''s words so he was not in the mood to talk to his father. But since it was the King''s orders, he had no choice. " Your Majesty" Timothy knelt and bowed "Rise Prince Timothy" The King''s voice echoed "You''re right" he stood up and went closer to him "I''m right about what?" Timothy looked at his father "We can''t afford to lose the villages around Solon." He offered his hand to help Timothy stand "The aftermath would be irreversible" Timothy was reluctant at first. That was the first time his father did something like that. But he grabbed the King''s hand and stood up. " So you''re sending the garrisons of Castle Thespelae and Castle Munico?" Timothy confusedly asked. His father changed his mind? " Yes" The King put his hand on Timothy''s shoulder. " and you''ll lead them together with a contingent of 2000 militias from Nirvana. You will wait for your reinforcements somewhere in Mercus Plains." Timothy was stunned. Him? Why would he lead the army? Timothy trusted his own capability. Defeating the smaller Tulosan invasion force would not be easy, but it would be hard for him to lose either. But he was to be married to Lucia. What if something bad happened to him? The alliance with Vanadis would be affected. If it was before knowing the importance of his marriage to Lucia, he would have loved to lead the army. Those Tulosans dared to invade Castonia and he will make them pay with his own hands. But Timothy knew that he must be cautious. The alliance with Vanadis was more important. Also, he didn''t want to leave Lucia. " Father I don''t understand." Timothy was still confused. "It''s not that I don''t want to go, but our alliance with Vanadis¡­" " What? Are you afraid that something would happen to you?" The King interrupted him "Don''t you have trust in yourself? You are my son. I believe in you. You''re capable and I''m sure you won''t disappoint me." Timothy had been waiting for a long time for those words. The King''s words were like music to his ears. ''I believe in you'' ''my son'' ''capable'' ''won''t disappoint me'' . Timothy wanted to cry. If his father believes in him, then he should not disappoint him. The King''s words had hurt Timothy hundreds of times before. But this single conversation between them made up for all those pains. So Timothy agreed. " Okay father. I''ll lead the army and make you proud" he declared " I''ll send messengers to Thespelae and Munico tonight and the day you depart- that''s in two days. I''ll make the preparations" Timothy doesn''t want to mess this up so he wanted to handpick the militia. He refused his father''s help "No need father. I''ll organize the militia myself" he smiled "Okay then. You have two days to prepare" *********************************************************************************** After Timothy left, Leopold was left staring at the door. Was he too much? Timothy was a good kid and never disappointed him before. Timothy was stubborn but he knew that the lad loves him. Timothy was also loyal and capable. It would have been nice if Timothy was his own son and not the spawn of that bastard. If Timothy was his son, then he would make him his heir despite being the third in line. It''s a shame, he thought. In the end, his hatred for the betrayal he suffered 20 years ago prevailed. He can''t forget nor forgive that bastard. Furthermore, they really need the alliance with Wismar. " Farewell, son" Leopold mumbled silently ********************************************************************************* Upon hearing that Castonia was preparing the militia and that Timothy would be the one to lead them, Lucia immediately went to see the third prince. She knocked on Timothy''s door. " Who is it?" Timothy''s asked from the other side of the door. " It''s me" After a while, Timothy opened the door . He let Lucia enter his room and then he closed the door. Lucia felt shivers down her spine. Why did she enter his room? She trusts that Timothy wouldn''t do anything to her, but for a man and a woman to be in the same room alone and on closed doors¡­ Lucia banished these thoughts. So what? They were getting married anyway. It was just normal for them to trust each other this much. There were books stacked on top of Timothy''s chair so Lucia sat on his bed. Timothy sat beside her. Timothy broke the awkward atmosphere by speaking. "I don''t have a choice" He refused to look her in the eye So Lucia forced him to look at her. She used her hand to turn his face towards her "You do" " Yes, I do" he admitted " So why?" Lucia demanded a sufficient reason. Why would he endanger himself? Timothy sighed "I don''t know" "You don''t know?" Lucia raised her eyebrow. ''I don''t know'' was not a sufficient reason "Nothing will happen to me" Timothy comforted "But it''s war. You''ll be at risk" "Don''t worry" he smiled "I think my father would still continue with the alliance even if I die" " I''m not just talking about the alliance!" Lucia raised her voice. She was really upset. Alliance? Why should everything be about politics? Timothy made a surprised expression. He lowered his head. "I''m sorry" he said weakly "You..you said that you will court me" Lucia said in a low voice. Timothy''s eyes went wide. His lips curved into a smile " I will." He affirmed "When I return. I''ll court you so much that you''ll really, absolutely and surely fall in love with me." He grinned and held Lucia''s hand. Lucia didn''t move her hand away. She liked the feeling of Timothy''s warm hand. It was both reassuring and calming. " And what if.." Timothy pressed his finger against her lips and looked at her in the eye "It won''t happen. You should learn to trust the capabilities of your future husband" Lucia felt her cheeks flush red. This prince, she thought, he really knows how to make a girl''s heart flutter. Lucia wondered how many women had fallen to his traps. But no, this was not the time to have girly thoughts. " I do trust your capabilities. It''s just, don''t you find it strange? The King immediately changed his mind and chose you to lead the army" said Lucia. Timothy told her earlier what happened in the war room so she knew that the King''s first decision was to wait for reinforcements. " Maybe father was convinced of my reasoning." Timothy shrugged. Lucia doesn''t believe that the King would change his mind like that. There must be a reason. Changes happen all the time. But for a change to happen there must be a reason. A thought came to Lucia''s mind. Nobles scheme all the time. But royals were still nobles. So can they trust the King? Lucia doesn''t want to ask Timothy this question. For a son to be asked about his father''s credibility¡­it was just not right. But Lucia asked him anyway. His safety was her priority. " Tim?" Lucia hesitated for a while "Do you trust him? The King" Lucia thought that Timothy would get angry. She was after all, asking him if he trusts his father. " Yes." Timothy nodded. There was no anger in his voice. Lucia felt relieved. But she then thought of his answer. He trusts the King. He was probably biased towards his father, but Lucia saw his firm belief in the way he spoke. "Then I can''t change your mind" Lucia gave up. She found the sufficient reason she''s been looking for earlier. It was because he loves his father. That was sufficient enough. He will endanger himself because he wanted his father to be proud of him. Lucia can respect that, even though she was still worried about Tim. " If you''re so worried, then I''ll give this to you." Timothy took a small object from his pocket and handed it to Lucia. It was a seal. "This is?" "It''s a seal, a secret seal. Have you heard of Leo''s Tear?" "No" Lucia shook her head "Good" "Why?" "Because Leo''s Tear is a secret fellowship of powerful people in Castonia." Timothy explained " My friends are few, but I trust every single one of them with my life. That seal signifies that I am one of them. I''ll lend it to you until my return. If something happens to me, send letters to the members of Leo''s Tear and seal it with this. The members of Leo''s Tear will immediately read and believe the contents of your letter. I''ll give a list of contacts to you later." After hearing Timothy''s explanation, Lucia wanted to reprimand him. How could he trust her so easily? It''s a secret organization! What if she betrays him? He was being too careless " Why are you telling me all of this? What if I betray you and your fellowship? " She glared at him " I trust you. I don''t know why but I really trust you. I know it''s too much. I know I''m putting myself in danger because of the way I treat you. I know giving you this seal would make me look like a fool. But I trust you. I''m not usually this trusting, but when it comes to you it''s like you got my back at all times" he smiled " Strange. I also feel the same. " Lucia admitted. She can''t reprimand Tim after all, because she was the same when it comes to him. They have known each other for a few days but they were so close already. "Then could you let go of my hand now?" Timothy grinned and pointed at their hands intertwined together with his lips "It''s not that I don''t like it, I really do. But I''m getting so embarrassed" Lucia saw that she has been holding Tim''s hand all this time. Her face reddened. "You were the one who held my hand first!" Lucia protested as she retracted her hand. Timothy laughed. He reached towards Lucia''s hand and held it again. Lucia let him hold her hand. " I''m joking. I''m not embarrassed. I like it and I know you also do. But you know, you''re cute when you blush" Timothy teased Lucia "Oh?" Lucia went closer to him. They''re so close that she could hear his breaths. "Does that mean you''re starting to fall in love with me Prince Timothy?" she smirked "Perhaps" Tim replied with a grin Lucia ended up staying inside Tim''s room for a few hours. The two talked for a long time. It was already dark when she went out of Timothy''s room. Others may think that something indecent happened inside, but they only talked. She enjoyed being with him. Lucia then went to Captain Bisham. " Captain, I need to meet with Escanor as soon as possible" 14 Cooperation Marion''s horse trotted. Bucky was a good horse, she was fast and not easy to tire. Of all the horses in the stable, Bucky was the best. The only problem was her attitude. She was moody and would sometimes refuse to move. Marion doesn''t know why Bucky does this sometimes. She was the first horse he had met with an attitude. Marion sighed. He was still a long way from Castle Thespelae. It would still take him days to reach the castle. The road to the Castle was not that bad, but the journey was boring. He had made this journey dozens of times in the past and none of those times were fun. But he must endure. Inside his bag was a red-sealed letter from the King. A red-sealed letter! And it was from the King! How happy he was when the captain entrusted him with this task. It was an honor for him to carry this letter and he will deliver it at all cost. Marion knew how important his job is. Prince Timothy himself will lead the army to annihilate those damn Tulosans. Apparently, a portion of the Tulosans went to the villages around Solon and they are currently razing the villages one by one. Scums, Marion thought. War is for soldiers, not civilians. Are they so afraid of the Castonian army that they chose to bully the civilians instead? They should leave those villages alone. Luckily the higher-ups decided to protect the civilians by sending Prince Timothy. He had heard of the third prince before. Some people say that he was kind but strict. They also say that the third prince was smart. He was very popular with soldiers like Marion. In the barracks, they always talk about the royal family especially Timothy. But Marion knew that Timothy lacked experience. Yes, he had been to Knightsend for a year, but that was not a battle. Marion fought in several battles a few years ago. A real battle was so different from exercises. A real battle was chaotic and frightening. The deafening noise of the battlefield drains one''s courage. So he would be lying if he said that he wasn''t worried about the Prince. Experience was the best teacher and qualification. Being smart and being experienced were two very different things. He could only hope the prince good luck. It was dark. He already entered the domain of Baron Braun. The Baron doesn''t care about his land so many of the farmers already left the domain. Marion doesn''t understand why Baron Braun let his land degrade like this. It was not a bad land to have, Marion thought. Well maybe not the best and probably not on the category of good, but it was not completely barren. Suddenly, Bucky stopped moving and neighed. " What? Not in the mood? Now''s not the time girl. We need to deliver the King''s message" Marion cursed his horse. He caressed Bucky''s back to calm her. She can''t throw a tantrum now. They still to finish the mission, a very important mission. Suddenly, two figures on horseback emerged from the darkness. One of them was taller than the other. Marion froze. He could somehow feel their murderous intent. Years of experience in the field had shaped his instincts to detect dangers. Bucky must have also felt the danger and that the reason why she stopped. Marion quickly turned Bucky around. His instincts were never wrong before. If he felt that there was danger nearby, then there was probably danger nearby. Now he felt that the two men were dangerous. Why else would they hide in the abandoned houses? Are they bandits? Even though banditry was rare nowadays, some bandits still rob merchant from time to time. But there were only two of them. Normally, bandits group up so that they can attack larger caravans. This brings him to a second and more dangerous possibility. The men were assassins. They must be after the red-sealed letter from the King. If he will give them the letter, they would probably let him go. But Marion was not a coward. He was also not a traitor. Castonia and Prince Timothy need him. He won''t fail his mission. He urged Bucky to run at full speed. The two people chased after them. Surprisingly, their horses were fast too. In fact, their horses were faster than Bucky! Marion whipped Bucky as hard as he could. Both of them were running for their lives. If the two assailants catch them, then the letter will not reach Thespelae. Damn it, he cursed. The men were probably Tulosans. They wanted to steal the letter from him to put Prince Timothy in peril. Dirty tricks! Why can''t they just fight them fair and square? Marion looked at the two chasing men. The distance between them shortened. He was a soldier but two people were too much for him to handle. A fight of two versus one would almost always end up with the death of the person who was alone. Whiz A crossbow bolt went past Marion''s head. That was close, he thought. His hands were sweating hard, his heart thumping like crazy. Will he die tonight? No he shouldn''t think of something so negative. He will not die tonight. And if he did, he will at least die trying to do his duty. Whiz Whiz Two bolts nearly hit him. He got lucky. Those bolts could have hit him. A single shot finding its mark will not immediately kill him, but it will slow him down. Marion gritted his teeth. The assailants were getting closer. Now Marion could see their faces. Wismarines? The men are Wismarines! He thought they were Tulosans. Why would the Wismarines want to kill him? Wismar and Castonia just signed a trade agreement. Wismar was not hostile towards Castonia. But now the two men were trying to kill him. This could start a war! A bolt hit Bucky''s neck. Marion saw the bolt enter the skin and into the flesh. Blood started to flow out of the wound. At first the horse was fine, but she fell down after a while. The impact of the fall was so strong that Marion almost lost consciousness. But one thing made things worse, Marion''s right leg was crushed under Bucky''s heavy body. He couldn''t move. It was over. One of the assailants dismounted his horse. He went to Marion and pulled a dagger. " What do you want Wismarine?" Marion shouted with all his might " Nothing personal Castonian" The Wismarine answered. He went closer to Marion and unsheathed his dagger "Just my job" " You won''t get away with this!" Marion shouted " When the King hears of this, he will declare war to Wismar" he warned The Wismarine ignored his warning " Any last words Castonian?" Marion thought for a while. It seems he was going to die tonight. He smiled. He failed his mission. Prince Timothy will be put in danger. The Wismarines had won the chase. He could only hope that his brothers will avenge him. "Long Live Castonia!" those were his last words. The Wismarine stabbed Marion in the neck. After a while, he died. ****************************************************************** Nirvana, Capital of Castonia " Her highness wanted to see me?" Escanor knelt in front of Lucia. They, along with two of the Vanadian Royal Guards, were inside Escanor''s room. " Have you heard of the news Escanor?" Lucia then looked around. Escanor''s room was clean, small and empty, a room of a real merchant. Since he was travelling a lot and only sleeps in the room whenever he''s in Nirvana, a total of about two months each year, he doesn''t really need a huge and extravagant room. " About the third prince your highness?" Escanor asked from behind. Lucia turned around and nodded " He''s leaving in two days right?" " Escanor, I need you to ask around. Listen for news, rumors, anything. Something feels off" Lucia felt that something was not right. The sudden change in the decision of the King still bugs her. The decision of the King to attack the Tulosans rather than wait for reinforcements was a very risky decision. She had heard of King Leopold''s personality. He was a very careful man. For him to change his mind just like that, something big must have happened. It was just a hunch, and she hopes that it will remain that way. " That would be easy." Escanor assured her. " Merchants talk to each other all the time about rumors. Rumors sometimes point us to profit." " Thank you Escanor" Lucia felt that lucky meeting Escanor. "Will that be all your highness?" "No. There''s one more thing. Do you have connections to other Vanadian merchants from other cities? Solon, for example." Asked Lucia. If Escanor was loyal to her, then his connections will be of great help in the future. " My brother is in Solon and I can still send a carrier pigeon to him. He respects the Vanadian Royal Family as much as I do so he will help you. As for other the other cities, I think I have. " said Escanor " I might need your connections in the future Escanor" "It will be my honor to help you, your highness" the merchant smiled After speaking with Escanor, Lucia went back to the Palace. She lied in her bed. It has been a long day, but she was not tired. She thought of her long conversation with prince Timothy. She got to know him better. Every time she thinks of him, her heart flutters. She buried her face into the pillow. Prince Timothy, what are you doing with my heart! Why do I feel this way whenever I think of you? But a sudden sadness hit her. She hoped that he will be safe. She won''t see him for a long time. She will miss him for sure. Lucia was about to sleep when someone knocked on her door. "Princess Lucia" Bisham called to her "Someone is here. She said she wants to talk to you. I''m sorry to bother you this late Your Highness, but she said it''s important" Lucia opened her eyes. "Who is it?" Lucia asked " Freya" a female''s voice answered. Lucia opened the door and saw Freya " Freya." She was a little bit surprised. Why would she come here at this hour? "What is it?" She looked at Captain Bisham as a sign to leave them for a moment. "I will be in the royal guards'' room. Just call me if you need anything" the captain reluctantly said. After he left, Freya started to talk "You know already right? Tim is going to battle" So it''s about Tim, she thought. It was important after all. " Yes. I went to his room and talked to him about it" Lucia said Freya frowned " Went to his room?" " Ahhh. Yes. He won''t change his mind. How about you? Did you talk to him about this?" Lucia was somehow afraid that she''ll say, ''Yes. I also went inside his room and we talked''. But Freya''s answer surprised her. " No" She smiled and shook her head "He won''t change his mind anyway. I''m here because I want to talk to you." She then looked around to ensure nobody was listening. "Don''t you find the King''s decision strange?" she asked in a hushed tone " I do" she admitted. So she wasn''t the only one who thinks something bad was going to happen. "Then we''re the same. Tim is smart, but he''s not invincible. He makes mistakes." " Mistakes? Like what?" "Like trusting his father. I''ve been here for 10 years and I''ve seen how the King treats Timothy. He doesn''t love Timothy as his son, I''m sure of it. Timothy is blinded by his love for his father." Freya explained "So you want me to protect him from the King?" asked Lucia " Not just from the King, but also from anyone who tries to harm him" " Even if you haven''t talked to me about this, I would still have protected Tim" " That''s reassuring then" Freya sighed "If you need anything, just tell me. I hope we could work together" 15 Lucias Realization There were about 3000 city guards in Nirvana. This means that even if Timothy took 2000 with him, there would still be enough soldiers to defend the city in case of sudden ''incidents''. Nevertheless Timothy insisted on putting up a recruitment notice. He preferred volunteers rather than people who were forced to follow him. That way, he can be sure of their courage and loyalty. By afternoon, more than 5000 men answered his call. Since Nirvana could, at the moment, only support the logistics of 2000 people, Timothy was forced to screen the volunteers. More than half of the 2000 chosen volunteers were veteran soldiers. Old men, Timothy though. But he knew that most of these old men had experienced battle before. So even though they''re old, they would not break even with the charge of Tulosan Knights. Furthermore, Timothy requested the assistance of Leons. The Leons were Castonia''s answer to the Tulosan Knights. This heavy cavalry unit put emphasis on shock. All of them were loyal and would never break. At first the King was reluctant to send the Leons. But in the end he compromised and lent Timothy some of them. By the end of the day, Timothy was done with his preparations. His army''s composition was rather strange though, at least in the eyes of most people. Instead of relying on heavy infantry, he equipped a huge chunk of his army with crossbows. He also recruited a lot of cavalry. Castonian tradition and culture put heavy emphasis on the use of heavy infantry. Since Castonia was blessed with rich mines, it could afford to equip its armies with armor. But Timothy knew that this reliance on heavy infantry was dangerous. The enemies have mobility on their side and mobile enemies will be difficult to deal with. The more mobile an army was, the more it could react to sudden changes. Castonian heavy infantry, although undefeated when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, were slow. Even if Timothy wins, we could not fully rout the enemies. A man on foot with heavy armor could never catch a man on horseback. This was the reason why Timothy warned his father a long time ago of the vulnerability of Castonian heavy infantry. The victory against Tulosa 15 years ago was an exception. The Tulosans back then attacked Knightsend so their cavalry had no choice but to dismount. This time, the Castonians were on the offensive. Cavalry were dangerous. They were not invincible, but were difficult to deal with. Furthermore, the involvement of the Tulosan Knights further complicated things. Timothy doesn''t know how many of Tulosan Knights were there. 15 years ago, there were only a few hundred true Tulosan Knights out of their 5000 cavalry but that was because of the internal struggle Tulosa suffered that time. Now, the Tulosans seem to have solved their issues and united as one. The Tulosan Knights were feared throughout the continent. Their charge alone could tip the balance of every battle. Their horses were all muscular and fast. The riders were all skilled. Like Leons, the Tulosan Knights carry heavy lances. Their charge must not be ignored. The next morning was the schedule of Timothy''s departure. Since they were in a hurry to defend the villages around Solon, they had no time to hold a ceremony. Timothy''s close friends waited outside his door and bid him goodbye. It was just like what happened a year ago, but instead of him going to Knightsend, he was now going to an actual battle. Each one of his friends hugged him knowing that he was going to a dangerous place. But the person he wanted to see the most wasn''t there. Where is Lucia? He wanted to see Lucia one last time so he went to her room. To his surprise and disappointment, Lucia was not there. Defeated, he decided that he should just go. But while walking towards the gate, Timothy saw Lucia standing on the hallway. " Why are you here?" Timothy asked. " I''ve been waiting for you." She forced a smile but Timothy can see the sadness in her eyes. "Is that why you were not in your room earlier?" "You went to my room?" Lucia asked. She went closer to him "Yes" " Why?" "Because you didn''t say goodbye to me" Timothy admitted. He looked away and pouted. What Lucia did next truly surprised him. She hugged him. Her hug was warm and good. He can feel her body so close to him. It felt so good that all his disappointments earlier vanished. It felt like seeing the first sunlight after a rainy day, like the first drop of rain after a drought. Timothy did not hold back. He doesn''t want to be away from her. If it was a normal trip, he would have brought Lucia with him. He wrapped his arms around Lucia. "I also went to your room earlier to say goodbye but your friends were there so I decided to wait for you here." Lucia said. " You don''t want to say your goodbye to me in front of my friends?" Timothy caressed her smooth hair. " If I did that then I would be treated as one of your friends." She tiptoed and whispered into his ear "I don''t want to just be your friend" Those words sparked something in Timothy''s heart. He likes her. He really likes her. He''s happy that his father arranged this marriage between them. He''s so lucky to have met her. Lucia looked at him. Timothy cannot express how he felt with words so he used his actions instead. He lowered his head to kiss her. But before he could, Lucia pressed a finger to his lips and stopped him. "I''ll let you after you come back to me" she said "I want to give you a reason to protect yourself" she grinned. "So you want to be my reason for living?" he chuckled. Lucia really knew how to motivate him. "Yes" she said "So win. And even if you don''t, at least return to me. I''ll wait for you" she then tiptoed and put a kiss on his cheeks. "This is a sample of what''s to come" Timothy''s face flushed red. It was his first time being kissed on the cheek. "After I return, I''ll marry you" he declared. "I will come back for you" Lucia buried her face into Timothy''s chest. They remained that way for a long time. Timothy wanted this moment to last forever. He didn''t want to leave. But Lucia finally said the words both of them didn''t want to hear the most. " Goodbye Prince Timothy" " I will come back for you as soon as possible" said Timothy " Please do" Lucia put another kiss on his cheek. "Are you trying to stop me from going with that?" he chuckled "I would, if I could stop you. But I can''t. So longing for me would be your punishment Prince Timothy" she grinned Timothy hugged her again. After a while, the two went on separate ways. Timothy went out of the castle and saw that everything was ready. The troops were already lined up. As expected, most of them were old men in their fifties. Timothy went to the front of the line. " Let''s go" Timothy said to Erik. After a while, the sound of a horn can be heard. It was the signal to advance. ******************************************************************************** Lucia went back to her room. After a few hours, Bisham reported to her that Escanor found some interesting rumors. She immediately went to find the merchant. "You have news for me?" Lucia asked " Yes your highness, two rumors in fact. I have asked multiple merchants about the rumors so I think they are true" the merchant confirmed. " What are the rumors?" " Several Wismarine merchants said that they had spotted their first prince inside Nirvana. They said that he was dressed in emissary attire and went to see the King two days ago." Lucia frowned. The Wismarine Prince. Wismar and Vanadis have long been at odds with each other. For the Wismarine Prince himself to come, Wismar must have wanted an alliance with Castonia. " And the other rumor?" "This is the most troubling one your highness." The merchant frowned "The Wismarines also confirmed that the Prince went to them to hire some assassins. Being a merchant is sometimes not a clean profession. Many merchants deal with shady people like assassins and saboteurs. But the merchants failed to find assassins that time." Lucia tried to put some sense into this. It was already bad that the Wismarine Prince was here, the involvement of the assassins made it worse. Lucia laid out the facts. The Wismarine prince was here The Wismarine prince tried to hire assassins The first information. The Wismarine prince was here. Lucia knew a lot about Wismar. Her father had warned her many times to stay away from them. For the Wismarine prince himself to come as an emissary, they must have wanted an alliance. An alliance. Lucia knew that the Wismarines won''t agree to an alliance with Castonia if the latter continues its alliance with Vanadis. This brought Lucia to her second conclusion, Wismar wanted to prevent the alliance of Castonia and Vanadis. For this to happen, they must prevent the wedding. Lucia looked into the second fact. The Wismarine prince tried to hire assassins but failed. No, even if he failed to hire professional assassins, he could just order a couple of his guards to act as one. Prevent the wedding Assassins They could prevent the wedding by killing either Lucia or Timothy! If she was their target, then all she could do was to increase her guards. But if Timothy was their target¡­ No. Since the Wismarine prince had already talked with the King, then the King must have already seen the danger his son faces. Timothy won''t be easily assassinated with the King''s protection. Unless..the King agreed to this assassination. Lucia''s face paled. It made sense. Changing his mind after meeting with the Wismarine emissary and suddenly sending Timothy into the front lines, the King must have wanted Timothy to die! What Freya told her earlier further confirmed this. But the King can''t afford to have an assassinated prince. So the only way to kill Timothy was to let the Tulosans kill him. The reinforcements! The reinforcements won''t come for Timothy. The King won''t send a messenger? No, people will find out The message was blank? No, the castle will know The only way to do it silently and safely was to kill the messengers and report the incident as the Tulosans'' doing. Everything made sense now. Lucia must do something. He must protect Timothy. Her Kingdom would suffer if Timothy dies. Plus she had grown fond of him. She likes him and she will protect him at all cost. One messenger was headed to Castle Thespelae, the other to Castle Munico. Lucia can''t protect both the messengers so she must choose one. There was only one road that leads to Thespelae from Nirvana so the messenger heading there should be easier to find. "Captain Bisham!" Lucia shouted "What is it your highness?" "Get half of the royal guards. Scour the path between Nirvana and Thespelae and find the messenger sent by the King. Protect him at all cost and ensure that the message reaches Thespelae." Lucia might be jumping to conclusions but she can never be too safe. 16 Dont Kill the Messenger Julius was bored. He was still far from his destination- Castle Thespelae. Life of a messenger, he thought. At least he was not going to battle. That would be dangerous and Julius doesn''t want to die. To hell with Castonia or Tulosa. Julius was never a patriotic man. Why does it matter anyway? Why would someone sacrifice his life for the sake of an old man with a crown? He just joined the army because of the benefits. Honestly, Julius found his task redundant. He was the so-called second messenger. He was bringing the same message to the same castle. Where''s the sense in that! By the time he arrives at Thespelae, the first messenger would have already delivered the message. He felt that this entire journey would make no difference anyway. But since it was his job, he must do it. Julius reached the first village in the fief of Baron Braun. This village had been abandoned by his subjects a long time ago. So the rumors were true, the Baron had really given up on playing the role of a lord. It''s a shame, Julius thought. It irked him that the Baron would just throw away his land. Doesn''t he realize how lucky he is? To have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Every commoner dreamt of being a noble, having power and bloodline. Yes, one can be good at business and become rich, but nobility can''t be bought. Yes, one could excel in the field of battle and be awarded, but nobility can''t be awarded. Only the proper bloodline could make a person a noble. There were poor nobles and cowardly nobles, but they were nobles nonetheless. As for a commoner? No matter how powerful, influential or wealthy he gets, he will never become a noble. He will never own a fief and have subjects like Baron Braun. But the Baron let his lands rot into what it was now. Julius heard that once there were thousands of people living here, but now there were only a few hundred. Julius'' horse trotted in the mud. Yes the mud! This was the only part of the road towards Thespelae that wasn''t paved with stones. Other lords would have paved the roads going through their land to attract trade and commerce, but that Baron Braun¡­ Julius frowned. Suddenly, two people on horseback emerged from one of the abandoned houses. The house was large so its door could fit a man on horseback. Julius saw their faces. Wismarines? Why would a Wismarine be here? Since Castonia made ties with Wismar, Wismarine merchants were now common in Nirvana. But merchants, why would a merchant hide in one of these abandoned houses with a crossbow on his hand¡­Crossbow? Before Julius could react, one of the Wismarines raised his crossbow and aimed at him. He pulled the trigger and the bolt came rushing towards Julius. The man must have poor aim because it missed Julius. But the second person also fired his crossbow at him. This time, Julius was able to react and turned his horse around. The bolt missed his neck by a few inches. Julius urged his horse to run faster. His heart was racing and he was scared. Whiz Unfortunately a bolt hit Julius'' thigh. He felt nothing at first, but after seeing the tip of the bolt protruding from his thigh, Julius felt the pain. It was unbearable. He couldn''t feel the rest of his leg. The pain is so unbearable that his eyes became wet. Dammit! Julius cursed. Why! Why are they trying to kill him? This task of his was useless anyway. It''s redundant! Julius gritted his teeth. If he somehow survived this, he will quit his job as a soldier and leave Nirvana. Another bolt was fired. This time, it hit the buttocks of Julius'' horse. The horse cried in pain, but Julius managed to keep it running. He grasped the reins of his horse. He doesn''t want to die. He wanted to live. Please stop. Stop chasing me! The horse ran slower. The pain in its buttocks must have affected the animal. The two Wismarines were closing in. One of them, a man with a huge scar on his left cheek, reloaded his crossbow and fired at Julius. It was impossible to miss at this distance. The bolt flew like a fist punching through the wind. It hit Julius'' back and he fell from his horse. Julius hit the muddy ground. His vision was blurry and his consciousness was fading. He saw the two Wismarines dismount their horses and they approached him. The shorter one unsheathed his dagger and slit Julius'' neck. Blood came gushing out -his blood. Darkness engulfed him. ******************************************************************************** " Take his bag" Krul pointed at the brown leather bag on the messenger''s body. The chase only took them a few minutes. They were not professional assassins but they did the job. " Brother" Vilme looked at him. "He''s the last one right?" He then took the bag from the man. He was a young man on his twenties. His features were that of a handsome person. It''s a shame they had to kill him. Vilme opened the man''s bag and took the letter. The letter was inside a metal casing wrapped in a cloth. He took the letter and searched the man for anything valuable. "What are you doing?" Krul frowned. "Searching for valuables." Vilme shrugged. "We will bury him anyway so anything of value he has will be wasted." "So we are thieves now?" Krul raised his eyebrows. It''s not that he doesn''t see Vilme''s point, he does. But the thought of looting someone''s body seems to bother him. They are soldiers, not thieves. They killed the man because their Prince ordered them to do so, not because they wanted to rob him. "But it''s such a waste!" Vilme protested "Look! He got some gold coins in his bag" he said as he showed the gold coin to Krul. " Fine" Krul gave up. "Do it quickly. We still need to bury him and burn this letter." "We will split it I promise" "No need. I don''t¡­" Krul heard the approach of horses. From experience, he estimated that there were five riders. ************************************************************************************ Bisham saw everything. He and four other royal guards rushed to help the messenger but it was too late. He saw the Wismarine kill the messenger and take the letter. And then one of them looted the body. Despicable, Bisham thought. Truly despicable. Bisham charged his horse towards the taller Wismarine. The shorter one who looted the body was quick to mount his horse and run away. "Chase him!" Bisham shouted. "Leave this bastard with me" He looked at the other Wismarine. He was muscular and young. Since Bisham was already old, he can only rely on experience to win. He unsheathed his sword and aimed for the bastard''s neck. Bisham may be old, but his arm strength never diminished over the years. He swung his sword towards his opponent''s neck. The Wismarine was able to parry the sword in time. Clang! The two swords met. If the Wismarine was a second slower, his neck would have left his body. Bisham quickly turned his horse around. He swung his sword again but the Wismarine dodged and aimed at his stomach. Years of fighting had trained Bisham for this. Although he was not experienced when it comes to fighting on horseback, he knew how to fight a man on horseback- dodge and aim for their lower body. Bisham redirected the sword with his dagger. He then kicked the man in the chest. The Wismarine lost his balance and fell down. Bisham again turned his horse around. He directed the horse so that its hooves will trample the Wismarine. The man''s right arm and leg were crushed by the hooves. The man cried in pain. Bisham didn''t waste any time and dismounted his horse. Bisham kicked the Wismarine again in the chest. He then lunged towards the man, putting his weight on top of him. He grasped the hilt of his dagger and stabbed the man''s chest. At first, the Wismarine struggled. He was strong but Bisham really put his weight on top of him. Additionally, the man''s right arm was crushed. Bisham stabbed him many times until the Wismarine ceased on struggling. Bisham was panting and his clothes were red with blood. He looked at the Wismarine. The man was gurgling blood in his mouth. He was still alive but soon he will cease to exist. Bisham''s hand were trembling. He''s too old for this. On the other hand, the other Wismarine surrendered after he was surrounded by the four royal guards. They confiscated his weapons and tied his hands. " Captain, we found the letter. But the messenger was already dead." One of the royal guards reported to Bisham. Bisham wiped the mud from his armor with a cloth. He approached the royal guard and verified the letter. It was what they''ve been looking for. It was a shame that they failed to save the messenger, but sending the letter to Thespelae was their priority. As for this man, they need to extract information out of him. " Let''s see if he could reveal something useful." Bisham said as he looked at the Wismarine 17 Sending Help It was already the next day when Lucia heard from Bisham of what happened. The royal guards fought against the two Wismarine. They killed one and captured the other. But they failed to save the messenger. The captured Wismarine spilled everything. The Wismarine Prince failed to hire professional assassins so he used some of his guards to act as one. All the two messengers headed for Castle Munico were already dead. Timothy can''t expect reinforcements from Munico. As for Thespelae, luckily Lucia''s royal guards were able to recover the second letter. The Wismarine also confirmed that they King was behind all of this. The King and the Wismarine Prince wanted Timothy to die on the battlefield. The King was a careful man so he came up with this complicated and elaborate plan. Apparently, he doesn''t want to be suspected of killing his own son. Two of the royal guards took the letter and the captured Wismarine to Thespelae. To be honest, Lucia felt sick. She felt conscious of the fact that her orders ended up killing someone. Just a word from her and people''s lives would change. She felt slightly guilty that her order killed the Wismarine. But in the end, she decided that it was all for the best. If she didn''t give the order, then Timothy wouldn''t have reinforcements. If given the choice, she would save Timothy even if it means dirtying her hands with blood. But Lucia knew that she only slightly succeeded in protecting Timothy. Although the garrison of Thespelae will come to his aid, those at Munico won''t. Lucia cannot send a warning to him either. It''s too late now. It has been a day since Timothy left Nirvana. To reach Mercus Plains faster, Timothy didn''t take the main road of the Kingdom and instead traversed the grasslands of Kisma. The grasslands of Kisma was huge, stretching for nearly a hundred miles. Even if Lucia sent all her guards, it would be impossible to find Timothy. All Lucia can do now is to increase Timothy''s chances of survival. She decided to meet with two people, Freya and Escanor. Lucia first met with Freya. ******************************************************************************************* Freya''s body was shaking. She didn''t know how to react. She knew that something fishy was going on, but she didn''t expect that the conspiracy would be like this. " Thank you for telling me" Freya lowered her head. "But I never thought the King would go this far." She said in a low voice. The King really was a despicable father. To kill his own son! What kind of monster is he? What did Timothy do to deserve this? Of course Lucia could be lying. She could be plotting something. But somehow her instincts were telling her that Lucia''s words were the truth. The sudden change in the King''s decision, the way the King treated Timothy all these years, it connects. Furthermore, she knew that Lucia wouldn''t do anything to harm Timothy. Vanadis would lose so much if Timothy died. "Timothy needs both of us Freya" Lucia''s voice was stern. "Then tell me what to do" "I need you to stay at Solon" said Lucia. "Solon?" Freya was surprised. Why would Lucia want her to go to Solon? "Your father''s fief is in Solon right?" asked Lucia. "And your father is well-connected with the nobles." "Yes, how did you know?" "Timothy told me" "Oh" So Timothy told her. Their closeness irked her again. How can they be so close after only a few days? But this was not the time to wallow in jealously. Timothy''s life is in danger. "So why am I going back to Solon?" she asked "Because I need you to stay there and make some connections" Lucia looked at her "It should be easy for you because of your father." "How would that bring Timothy more soldiers?" Freya asked. She couldn''t see the sense in Lucia''s plan. "It won''t. Regarding that, you can''t do anything. Like what I said, you need to go to Solon to make connections. Your connections might be useful in the future. I also need you to tell me of every piece of news you have of Timothy because Solon is closer to the battlefield. Listen to me Freya.." Lucia''s eyes were brimming with anger. Freya was a little afraid even though she knew that she was not the one that anger was directed to. "They schemed against Timothy. They want him dead. I will make them pay. And even if I couldn''t, I would make sure that Timothy is safe. For that I need you." Her voice was shaking. " Are you sure that I can''t do anything regarding Timothy''s current situation? What if I write a letter to my father asking him to join Timothy or a letter to Solon telling them of Timothy''s predicament?" "At most, your father could muster 50 soldiers. And even if you write to Solon, they won''t listen to you. Only the King has the right to order them. " Lucia explained Freya might not want to admit it, but Lucia was right. She can''t do anything for the time being. But if Timothy survives the battle, then Freya''s connections in Solon might help him in the future. So she agreed. " Okay I''ll go" Freya nodded her head ***************************************************************************** Lucia then went to her room. She took out the seal Timothy gave her. The seal had the image of a lion inside a teardrop. The seal''s design was so intricate that it would be hard to forge it. Timothy didn''t tell Lucia much about the Leo''s Tear so she didn''t know their purpose and history. But Timothy said that she could trust them, so she will. Lucia took out a note. It was a list of members of Leo''s Tear and their positions in the Kingdom. There were less than ten names in the note. Most of the members of Leo''s Tear were stationed far away from the Western region so Lucia ignored their names. In the end, Lucia was left with two useful contacts: Earl Mathias Beyron of Solon and Baron Marvin Blunt. Baron Marvin Blunt, General Marvin as what Timothy liked to call him, was the garrison commander of Knightsend. Since the Castle is under siege right now, then Lucia can''t expect him to provide assistance. The garrison of Knightsend still needs to break the besieging army to send help to Timothy. That would be nearly impossible. Half of the besieging forces were cavalry. To sally forth and attack the besieging army would be suicidal. Nevertheless Lucia sent the Baron a letter informing him of Timothy''s situation. Lucia was more hopeful with Earl Mathias Beyron. He was the governor of Solon so he could rally its militia to provide Timothy with additional people. Of course by doing so, the Earl would be acting without the orders the King. But Lucia hoped that the Earl would save Timothy anyway. Lucia then went to Escanor and asked him to send the two letters to his brother in Solon by carrier pigeon. One of the letters was addressed to Earl Beyron. The other will be delivered to Knightsend. Lucia knew that the chances of her letter reaching Earl Beyron were slim, but Escanor assured her that his brother will find a way. ************************************************************************************ " I bring bad news Your Majesty" Skall Wismar bowed his head "What happened?" King Leopold frowned Skall was reluctant at first, the problem was caused by his incompetence after all. "The people I sent to kill the messenger bound for Castle Thespelae haven''t returned yet. " The King''s face contorted. "You mean they failed!?" the King roared. He''s so angry that Skall took a few steps back. "Seems that way" Skall admitted. He didn''t tell the King that he failed to hire professional assassins so he sent some of his guards instead. If the King knew, he would be really angry. "Alliance my ass!" The King shouted. He pointed at Skall "I shouldn''t have trusted your abilities" "But it''s only Castle Thespelae. Castle Munico wouldn''t receive your orders. At most, Timothy would have 7,000 against 10,000." Skall quickly explained. The he needs to calm him down. " You don''t understand!" This time the King stood up from his seat and approached him. Skall wanted to run but he knew that the King wouldn''t hurt him. So he stood his ground and lowered his head. The King stopped a few inches away. "For you it''s okay. Yes Timothy will die, but he will take 5000 of Castonia''s heavy infantry with him! Do you have any idea how hard it is to train and equip 5000 men? I shouldn''t have trusted you with this! I overestimated Wismar." "It''s alright Your Majesty. The loss of 5,000 soldiers is nothing compared to Wismar''s help. The moment we sign an agreement, Wismarine troops will cross the border and assist you with this war. Compare us with the Vanadians. What can they do? Can they assist you militarily? No they can''t. They can''t even defend their borders with actual soldiers so they use mercenaries instead. Wismar is different Your Majesty. We will assist you." Skall assured him. What he said was true. Wismar was really serious with the alliance. Wismar had been losing the trading competition with Vanadis so they need to invade them next year. But with Castonia protecting Vanadis, they can''t risk it. Castonians should never be underestimated when it comes to war. It would be better to tame the lion than to fight it. His promises must have calmed the King Leopold. The King was silent. Skall felt relieved seeing that the King''s anger was subsiding. "So who do you think ruined our plan?" The King asked in a calmer tone. " I don''t know your Majesty" Skall admitted "Maybe your assistant?" He really doesn''t have any idea who found out about their plans. "Braun is loyal to me. He also sees the importance of the alliance between Castonia and Wismar" "Well whoever it was, we must be careful. He''s good" 18 A Pragmatic Person City of Solon, Western Region Cobert doesn''t like the current atmosphere in Solon. The people were restless so business was slow. For a merchant like him, wars are bad for business. Well, it actually depends on the type of merchant. There were merchants who benefited during war time. They were those that sell weapons, iron, food and sometimes, ''experts'' like assassins and saboteurs. But Cobert was not one of those merchants. His goods were gems and jewelries. These things were valuable during peacetime and worthless during wartime. Cobert decided that he needs to Nirvana soon. Staying in Solon will not do him any good. He had been going back and forth between Solon, Nirvana and Holm for the past decades. He buys cotton and silk from Holm, gems from Nirvana, and Ironware from Solon. This was his life, a merchant''s life. But Cobert''s heart still lies with Holm. He wass a Vanadian and that will never change. His wife lives in Holm along with his sister-in-law and nephew. Oh how he miss little Ben. That nephew of his was very cute! He was slightly jealous of his brother for having such a wonderful son. Cobert had always wanted to have a child but his wife was barren, or maybe it was him who''s impotent? Who knows. Cobert went inside his house. He sat down and poured himself some wine and took a sip. Ahhh.. Hadean. Hadean wine never changes. The sweet taste of the Hadean wine tickled his tongue. Cobert sighed and thought about Holm. He missed the city. He miss little Ben. The little rascal should have grown so much by now. He will buy him a present along the way. But first he needs to go to Nirvana. Cobert grabbed his pen. He will write a letter to his brother regarding his decision to come to Nirvana. Solon right now is not good for business. His merchandize was left unsold. Luckily, all he had right now were gems and light products so his travel will be light even though he failed to sell them all. Of course Nirvana would still be the same. But before his pen could touch the paper, a carrier pigeon arrived. He recognized the bird. It was the bird his brother uses in sending letters to him. Why would Escanor write me a letter¡­letters, he corrected himself after seeing that there were three letters attached to the pigeon''s leg. Cobert looked at the letters, every single one of the letters was sealed with a red wax! But only one of the letters was addressed to him. The other two were addressed to Earl Mathias Beyron! And Baron Marvin Blunt! Good riddance. These were all powerful people. What was his brother up to this time? Cobert can smell trouble brewing. He opened the letter addressed to him. Brother, Vanadis needs our help. I have met Princess Lucia just a few days ago. Yes, the same Princess Lucia who helped my wife give birth. Brother, I feel indebted to her and I know that you respect the Royal Family too. The princess is asking you to give the two letters to Earl Beyron. This is important brother. The fate of Vanadis depends on this. Escanor Melin So it was trouble after all. He doesn''t want to get involved with politics, but the involvement of Princess Lucia made this different. He wanted to help the princess. She helped his sister-in-law give birth to little Ben so he will return the favor. He was a Tulosan and it was his duty to help the princess. Escanor said that the fate of Vanadis depends on him delivering the letter. Cobert closed his eyes. It seems he needs to postpone his trip to Nirvana. *************************************************************************** Earl Mathias Beyron received a request for audience from a merchant. Normally, Mathias doesn''t meet with merchants but this particular merchant really insisted by standing outside the gate of his villa from evening to dawn. In the end, Mathias received the merchant. " What is your name merchant? What do you want to talk about?" Mathias asked. He was slightly annoyed that this merchant had the guts to force him into a meeting. But he was also impressed by his courage. "Cobert Melin sire. I bring letters addressed to you " the merchant was shivering from the cold so Mathias ordered one of his maids to prepare some hot tea. The maid prepared two cups and poured tea into them. Mathias took a sip. His face lightened. He always preferred tea over wine. "I''ll call you Cobert then." Mathias took a sip again "Cobert, you should have given the letters to my assistant. " "But they''re red-sealed letters sire. I want to hand them to you personally. " Cobert protested "Red-sealed?" Mathias questioned "Who sent them?" If it was an order from the King, then he won''t be getting it from a merchant but from a soldier. If it was from an important noble, then they have carrier pigeons bound for Solon. Who would send red-sealed letters through a merchant? "Princess Lucia Vanadis" Cobert said. Mathias frowned. Lucia Vanadis. He had heard of her before. She was the princess Timothy will marry next month. Their marriage will seal the alliance between Vanadis and Castonia. But why would the princess contact him? He hadn''t met her in the past. They should be strangers to each other. "Where are the letters?" Mathias opened his palms and demanded for the letters. "Here sire" Cobert handed him two rolled papers. Mathias examined the letters The wax of the seal was red. And the seal¡­Mathias'' eyes widened. Why¡­why would she use this seal? How did she know about Leo''s Tear? Did Timothy expose them? One of the letters was addressed to him. The other was addressed to Marvin. "Thank you." Mathias trembled. The contents should be very important. He cursed himself for making the merchant wait all night. " I..I will read these. You can go now." "Thank you sire. I''ll be on my way." Cobert bowed and turned around. After the merchant left, Mathias immediately opened the letter addressed to him. Earl Mathias Beyron, Timothy is in danger. The King sent him along with 2000 militia to face the 10,000-strong Tulosan army. The plan was for him to meet with the two armies from Thespelae and Munico so that he''ll have 12,000 soldiers against the Tulosans. But the King tricked Timothy. The Wismarines sent King Leopold an alliance request on one condition-to cut all ties with Vanadis. To prevent the alliance, our wedding must be canceled. The King decided that the only way to cancel the wedding without ruining Castonia''s name is to let the Tulosans kill Timothy. The king did indeed sent messengers with actual orders to the two castles. But he also told the Wismarine Emissary to kill the messengers. They managed to kill all four messengers, but my guards managed to retrieve one of the letters intended for Thespelae. Despite of this, Timothy would still be outnumbered. He''s in danger. Before he left, he entrusted me with this seal. He trusts me so you must also trust my words. You know Timothy is not a fool. Please do everything in your power to send him assistance. He should be somewhere in Mercus Plains in four days as of the writing of this letter. Timothy needs you. Lucia Vanadis Mathias was silent for a long time. He was slightly annoyed that Timothy told the princess about Leo''s Tear. They will have no choice but to let her join too. Well, another member wouldn''t be so bad. Furthermore, she was the second princess of Vanadis. Their fellowship needs people like Lucia. The only question is, does she have the same ideals as they? Regarding her letter, Mathias felt his anger surge. He knew that the King dislikes Timothy but who could have thought that he would do this? Let his son be killed for an alliance? What an evil thing to do. He was a father himself and he would never even think of doing such a thing to his daughter. He loved his daughter so much and he would never trade her for anything in this world. Regarding Lucia''s request, he felt defeated. Mathias can''t do anything to help Timothy. Solon had 2000 militia at the ready. But mobilizing the militia would mean going against the King''s orders. If he mobilized the militia, then the King would brand him as a traitor. Mathias would be sentenced to death. It will be worth it if his efforts would be able to save Timothy. He would gladly give his life for his friend. But what could 2000 militia do? Even if he mobilized, they would have a combined strength of 9,000 against 10,000 Tulosans. In the end, they would both die. Mathias decided to not help Timothy. It will be better for Leo''s Tear to lose a member rather than two. The only assistance he can provide Timothy was to send the other letter to Baron Marvin. He knew that the Baron can''t help Timothy but it was his duty to send the letter anyway. Solon still had pigeons bound for Knightsend so he sent one. "I''m sorry Timothy" 19 Rooster Prince in Danger Knightsend, Western Region Baron Marvin had been staring at the letter for a few minutes now. He never thought that the King would do this. The letter, of course, came from a person he hadn''t met before. But if Timothy trusted Lucia Vanadis, then he will also trust her. Marvin knew that Timothy was not a fool. If he trusts somebody, then that person can be trusted. If what Lucia Vanadis said was the truth, then Timothy is in danger. Marvin leaned on his chair. A second letter from Mathias added to his worries. Mathias won''t help Timothy. His reasoning was simple, it will be better for Leo''s Tear to lose one member rather than two. Marvin doesn''t think of Mathias'' reasoning as cowardly. In fact, Marvin believes that it was the right thing to do. It will be suicidal to face the Tulosan army. Cavalry was dangerous in the battlefield. Lucia Vanadis got one thing wrong. She probably thought that Mathias would help Timothy. But Marvin knew that Mathias was a very pragmatic person. Marvin stood up and looked outside his window. Well, she got two things wrong. She probably also thought that there was no way for Knightsend to help Timothy. Lucia Vanadis underestimated Timothy''s popularity among the soldiers of Knightsend. They love Timothy so much that they will break any walls just to rescue him. Marvin smiled. It''s time for the lion to wake up from its slumber. He called for a meeting. General Marvin gathered all the officers inside the meeting room. There were 40 Centurions, 4 Prefects and General Marvin himself. The most basic unit of the Castonian Military was the Century. One Century was composed of 100 soldiers and was led by a Centurion. Ten Centuries made up a Cohort which was headed by a Prefect. An army, under a general like Marvin, was composed of several Cohorts. The number of Cohorts an army had varies. Of the four western Castonian Armies, the garrison of Knightsend had the least number of Cohorts at four. Knightsend is so far away that the crown can''t handle the logistics to support a larger army. Marvin looked around. Timothy himself handpicked these men. According to him, every single one of them was capable, loyal and brave. "I had just received troubling news" Marvin started. He stood in front of them with both his hands tugged behind him. "It seems Prince Timothy is in danger." Marvin then told them part of the story. He cut some parts of the story like the King''s role in all of this and the Wismarine Prince. He only told them about Timothy''s predicament. After he finished, the officers were in an uproar. "General.." One of the Centurions stood from his seat "if your information is correct, then Prince Timothy is indeed in danger. We need to do something" "Should we tell the men of this?" another centurion asked "You know how much they love Prince Timothy. If they find out we''ve been keeping this a secret from them, they''ll rip us apart!" " We must first inform the King!" A Prefect exclaimed "Even if we do, it''s already too late. By now, the Tulosan''s should have already heard of Timothy''s situation and are on the process of cutting off his escape." A Centurion said "It won''t be treason if we break the siege ourselves and assist Prince Timothy right?" One Centurion suggested. The officers all stopped talking and looked at him. " And how do we do that?" the Prefect of the third cohort raised his brows "Simple" It was Marvin who answered the Prefect''s queries. He smiled " Just tell the men that the rooster prince is in danger and they''ll rip the Tulosans apart." At midday Marvin gathered all the soldiers at the castle grounds. The sun was at its zenith yet the 4000 men of the garrison stood without saying a word. Luckily, the midday wind started blowing and provided relief. Marvin looked at the men, their postures were firm like rock against a tumultuous sea, their gazes were so powerful candles would melt, their wills were unbreakable like what the men of Castonia should be. Marvin spoke. His voice was loud and clear. Even though everyone was silent, it will still be hard for his voice to reach all their ears so he ordered the centurions to repeat every sentence he said. He told them of Prince Timothy''s situation. He told them that Timothy needs the men of Knightsend. He told them that the rooster prince they love and respect would perish if they do nothing. He told them that it was time to act. Marvin doesn''t even need to make his speech dramatic. He wasn''t good at giving speeches anyway. It was enough to let the soldiers know of the situation. Jop gritted his teeth. He never thought that the ''Tulosans'' would use dirty schemes to win. Killing the messenger, how despicable. Now the rooster prince is in danger. The Tulosans must be fools for thinking they could get away with this. The must be fools for thinking they could just scheme against the prince and for thinking that the garrison of Knightsend would stay idle. Targeting the rooster prince was the worst decision they made. He gripped the hilt of his dagger. He will make them understand that the Rooster Prince was off limits. Elisar looked at the sky. He remembered the first time he met Prince Timothy. At first Elisar thought that Timothy was just some noble playing with soldiers. He thought that Timothy must have been bored by his lavish lifestyle at the palace so he went to Knightsend to mess around. The first time Elisar saw the prince personally was that night a year ago. He was sleeping when the centurion wake him up. Apparently the prince commanded the garrison to assemble at the castle grounds. The centurion that time was as confused as he was. An assembly at night? How absurd. If he wanted to meet them, he should do it in the morning. It was dark and they couldn''t see clearly anyway. Nevertheless, they had no choice but to obey. In the end, the prince gathered them all. He said, "Those who drop or move should then immediately pack their things and leave Knightsend. Castonia doesn''t need weak men". After that he remained silent and stood in front of them the entire evening until dawn. Some people were not able to endure that night and left the castle the next morning. In the end Knightsend lost a few hundred men, but it gained something more valuable- the guidance of Prince Timothy. The prince gave him the pride and the identity of being a soldier. At first he didn''t care about Castonia at all. He became a soldier because he wanted the high salary and impressive retirement benefits. But everything changed after Timothy came. A fire was lit inside his heart. Ever since that night, Elisar was never the same. He became a man of Knightsend, a defender of Castonia. John could still remember that night when the rooster prince caught him drunk while on watch. The prince was so angry that time he ordered the entire garrison to stand all night. John was a little drunk but he still endured. Honesty he was able to endure because he was challenging the prince that time. After understanding that the prince planned on standing the whole night, he felt challenged. How could a boy, few years younger than him, think that he''s better than him? Just because he''s a royal, he thinks that he''s better? So John didn''t want to move a muscle before Timothy did. He wanted to prove to himself that he was better than the prince. In the end, both of them didn''t move until dawn. It wasn''t just a test of strength but also a test of will. Standing all night was a hard physical task. But most of those who failed did so because they lack discipline. Boredom was painful and standing all night without doing anything rips apart a man''s sanity. Days became weeks and weeks turned to months. Their drills and exercises under Prince Timothy turned more rigorous and tiring. Many people complained at first, but they always shut their mouths whenever they see the Prince struggling like them and not complaining at all. Eventually, the Prince won the admiration of everyone including John. The soldiers started calling him Rooster Prince for his habit of waking up so early in the morning and ordering a march. After a year, the garrison''s loyalty to the prince was absolute. If John could meet his earlier self, he would give him a slap on the face for being so stupid. By drinking while on watch duty, he endangered the entire garrison. Timothy taught him many lessons. He gave him a sense of purpose. He gave him a reason for existing. He owes the rooster prince so much that only his life would be able to cover his debt. All the soldiers of the garrison felt the same. Some clenched their hands, others gripped the hilt of their swords. The Tulosans need to pay. If they had forgotten how to be afraid, the garrison of Knightsend will teach them. The stallion had taunted the lion for so long. And the Lion''s patience had finally run out. It''s time to hunt. 20 Sally Forth Dimwald was leaning against a tree when Tyre approached him. The heat of the sun was scorching. Thankfully, this tree was here to shade him. "Fresh supplies just arrived" Tyre stretched his arms to Dimwald offering the apple that he was holding. "I happen to grab some." "You mean steal." Dimwald laughed "Well, it''s about time. I''m starting to get sick of eating salted food every day. My tongue is starting to have blisters." Dimwald said as he accepted the apple and took a bite from it. Every week, fresh food from Tulosa arrives along with other supplies. Tyre was one of the people in charge of storing the supplies so of course he would not let go of his chance to ''acquire'' some resources. Tyre was a strange man. He was a lanky man in his mid-twenties with a curly hair. Dimwald just met him about a month ago, but he acts like they were best of friends already. At first Dimwald kept his distance, but Tyre did not stop on pestering him. In the end, he gave up and accepted him as his friend. "Did the letters also arrive?" Dimwald asked as he took another bite. "Yes." Tyre sat beside him "You''ve been waiting for a letter? I didn''t know you are literate." "From my sister." Answered Dimwald. "Your sister is also literate?" Tyre looked at him with a surprised expression "Yes" Dimwald smiled. "An old merchant taught us to read and write a few years ago" He explained. What he didn''t reveal though was the identity of the merchant. It was their father. Their father was a small-time merchant in Tulosa. He was a good father and taught both he and his sister how to read and write. But one day his father was killed by bandits and stole everything from them. Dimwald did not want to discuss or even remember his father so he just labeled him as a ''merchant''. "Oh. Good for you then. My father is literate and he sends me letters from time to time. But I can''t read so I still have to pay an officer to read it for me." Tyre said. "You want me to teach you then?" Dimwald offered "No don''t worry about it." Tyre shrugged. He leaned on the tree "I paid a merchant to teach me once, but I gave up after a month" Dimwald couldn''t help but feel pity for his friend. Like many people, Tyre must have once dreamt of being able to read and write. Literate people can have high-paying jobs. It was a shame he gave up. "Well if you change your mind just tell me. I''ll do it for free. It looks like we''re stuck here for a long time so why not make use of the time." Dimwald smiled. It will help him pass time anyway. Sieges were boring. "Yeah I''ll think about it" Said Tyre. He then pointed at the Castle in front of them "These damn Castonians are stubborn though. They would rather starve inside the Castle rather than surrender. Are they still hoping that help would arrive?" "Well you know how the saying goes, ''If something is as stubborn as a Castonian, then it probably doesn''t exist''" Dimwald said with a laugh. But his laugh was interrupted by cries that can be heard at the distance. ''Get your weapons! Get your weapons now! They are sallying forth!'' ''Formations! The Castonians are attacking!'' ''Form up! Cavalry units get your horses!'' Dimwald and Tyre looked at each other. The Castonians were the ones attacking them and not the other way around? Why would they attack? Are they stupid? Knightsend''s walls were their biggest advantage. Why would they give that advantage up? "I think we should get our weapons.." The two ran back to their tents to get their weapons. While on their way, they saw three Castonian columns approaching their camp. Most of the horses were still being grazed so the cavalry units were unprepared to counterattack. Most of the Tulosans were either sleeping or unarmed at the moment. The Castonians were all sprinting towards their camp. No, not marching or running, sprinting! "Dear God! How can they run that fast on full armor?" Tyre exclaimed. Dimwald agreed with him. Moving with armor was very tiring. He knew this because his gambeson armor alone makes marches feel like hell. The Castonian heavy infantry wore both gambeson and chainmail that covered most of their bodies. So how could they rush towards them at this speed?. The Castonian Column on the left slammed against some dismounted Tulosan Knights. The knights were swept like dust on a windy day, completely trampled by the Castonians. The Castonian center reached part of the camp and started slaughtering unarmed soldiers. Meanwhile, the remaining column of Castonians were rushing towards them! Courage started to escape Dimwald''s heart. He went to his tent and donned his armor. He grabbed his dagger and spear. At first planned to fight, but after seeing the massacre in front of him he changed his mind. "Tyre we need to flee!" He shouted. They need to run. There was no point in fighting the Castonians. The Castonian column was like a wall blades. Anyone caught by them were cut into pieces. What can they do against that force? He cursed himself for being a coward, but sometimes being a coward was the right thing to be. They really need to get away as far as possible. Tyre just nodded and followed Dimwald. The pair ran but two Castonians saw them and chased. Dimwald was never a good runner. He broke his leg when he was a child. Since then, his legs ached from time to time. So although the Castonians were bugged down by armor, they still managed to corner them. There was no point in running now. They need to fight. One of the Castonians went after Tyre while the other faced him. The Castonians had halberds while Tyre and he had spears. Dimwald bent his body a little and held the spear with his two hands. The Castonian also did the same. It was the Castonian who first made the move. He thrust his halberd towards Dimwald''s face. The iron tip of the halberd stabbed towards his face. Dimwald dodged the attack and also stabbed his spear towards the Castonian. He aimed for the chest. The Castonian deflected Dimwald''s spear with the other end of his halberd. Dimwald took a few steps back. The halberd was a versatile weapon, but it was a little heavier compared to the spear. Coupled with the fact that the armor of the Castonian was heavier, Dimwald knew that all he needed to do was tire his opponent. So Dimwald''s plan was to keep his distance and tire the Castonian. But the Castonian must have already seen through his plans. Like a madman, the Castonian charged towards Dimwald. Dimwald was surprised but he quickly regained his senses and stabbed at the man''s chest. The Castonian deflected the stab with his halberd and rammed his shoulder on Dimwald''s chest. The impact was so hard that Dimwald lost balance and fell. Dimwald recognized the danger he faced. The Castonian swung his halberd towards Dimwald''s chest. In a nick of time, Dimwald was able to roll to his side and avoid the blow. That was close. The bladed end of the Halberd could have split his gambeson armor like cutting through paper. He grabbed his dagger and pushed himself up. Since the Castonian wanted a close quarter combat, he will give him just that. Dimwald charged towards the Castonian and aimed his dagger towards the man''s belly. The Castonian threw his halberd and grabbed Dimwald''s hands preventing his stab. The two wrestled for the dagger. But the Castonian was stronger than Dimwald. He was able to tilt the dagger towards Dimwald and stabbed him on his shoulder. The stab was powerful enough to penetrate his gambeson. The Castonian then punched him in the face. Dimwald fell down. The Castonian kicked him in the chest. It was so hard that he felt one of his ribs broke. The Castonian sat on his chest and started punching him. Each punch blurred Dimwald''s vision. He felt some of his teeth separate from his gums. One of the punches hit him in the nose. He felt his nose break. The Castonian was wearing a chainmail gauntlet so each of the punches shredded a part of his skin and flesh. A few meters away, he saw that Tyre had already fallen. The other Castonian lodged his sword into Tyre''s skull. Tyre''s body twitched for a while, but after a few moments he died. Although he had known Tyre for only a short while, he was already his friend. Dimwald could only say a silent goodbye to his friend because his mouth had already been deformed beyond use. Dimwald looked at the face of the Castonian that would soon become his killer. Dimwald closed his eyes. His last thoughts were that of his sister. "I''m sorry Lina, I couldn''t even read your letter" 21 Mad Men of Knightsend On top of the castle, Marvin saw everything. The sudden rush of Castonians truly caught the Tulosans unprepared. But they were starting to lose the element of surprise. The Tulosans at the rear were quick to arm themselves. The main problem though, were the horses. The horses were being grazed at the back so the Castonians failed to capture them. Now, the Tulosan Cavalrymen had begun to mobilize. They formed into two big units. Both groups targeted the left flank of the Castonians which had the least number of soldiers. The Castonians had made a great gamble. By charging in like this, they disregarded formation and any semblance of tactics. It was great at first, but it put them into a vulnerable position. Their attack was neither idiotic nor genius. They simply made a gamble because it was the only way to catch the Tulosans off guard. ********************************************************************************** John was charging forward. He was angry. These Tulosans suddenly invaded his Kingdom and they expected him to do nothing? He will show them how wrong they were. His halberd had already struck down two Tulosans and most of the enemy infantry had already fled. As for the cavalry, a huge number of them were currently charging towards them. If it was any other army, this charge would have broken their spirits. But the men of knightsend stood strong. They were not afraid. They formed a solid wall of defense and raised their halberd towards the charging cavalry. The cavalry charge''s strength was half true and half false. Yes the momentum of the charge was deadly, horses were powerful beasts after all. A person hit by a horse at full speed could die just because of the impact. If we also take into consideration the rider, then we can surely say that a cavalry charge was a very frightening thing. But for a cavalry unit to fully utilize the effect of its charge, the enemy should be afraid of them. The most successful cavalry charges were those times when the infantry had already routed before the impact of the charge. This way, the cavalrymen could just harass them from behind. But horses were not stupid. They wouldn''t charge into pikes and a large group of people standing still. Charging the infantry from the front had always been a gamble for the cavalry. If the infantry were not afraid of the charge, then they wouldn''t run away. If they presented a solid line of defense to the horses, then the animals would terminate the charge. This was the reason why the charge''s strength was half true and half false. It was half physical and half psychological. If it was a year ago, the men of Knightsend should have already routed by now. Unfortunately for the Tulosans, Timothy came to Knightsend. Just as expected, the cavalry charging towards them suddenly halted and retreated. The horses must have seen the line of halberds pointing towards them. But before the Castonians could rejoice, a second group of cavalry hit the them from behind. Charging into the rear of the infantry was a hundred times more effective than charging into the front. Apparently, a second cavalry unit of about 500 encircled them from behind. The Castonians at the left flank didn''t notice the second cavalry unit and were caught by surprise. To further exacerbate things, this particular group of cavalry were the feared Tulosan knights. ******************************************************************************* Marvin saw the whole thing. A second cavalry unit struck the left flank in the rear. He recognized them as the Tulosan Knights. It was bad enough that the infantry got charged from the rear, but the Tulosan Knights specialized in this. Charging at the rear of an army is what they were trained to do. Their long lances can penetrate Castonian armor, skewering the unlucky person from behind. Their horses were strong and muscular so anyone hit by the impact of their charge would surely suffer heavy injuries. The Tulosan Knights folded the left flank like a carpet. Many people were skewered by the lances, others lost consciousness from the impact. Seeing this, the other group of cavalrymen charged back. Now, not only did the left flank suffered two successful charges from the front and the back, they were also outnumbered. The center of the Castonian army rushed to help their brothers. But they were still far away. The earlier crazed charge of the Castonian infantry had put a huge gap between the left flank and the center. Any other armies would have routed after this, but Marvin saw that the soldiers on left flank were fighting to the death. Those who were downed earlier by the charge stood up again. The fighting on the left had become a free-for-all brawl. ******************************************************************************* John''s ears were ringing. He found himself lying down on the dirt. Apparently, a horse hit him in the back. He stood up. He can still fight. Behind him were several of his fellow Castonians who were also recovering from the charge. A lone Tulosan suddenly charged and stabbed his spear towards him. John gripped his halberd and deflected the blow. The Tulosan turned his horse around and charged him again. John crouched and avoided the spear. He then slammed the hook part of his halberd into the chest of the Tulosan and unhorsed him. The Tulosan fell from his horse but he was quick to roll out of John''s final blow. The Tulosan unsheathed his sword and swung it towards John''s face. The man was able to get pass the halberd''s zone of attack. John used his forearm to defend his face and the sword hit the mail gauntlet John was wearing. John let go of his halberd and grabbed his dagger. He stabbed the Tulosan in the armpit but blade wasn''t able to penetrate the man''s armor. Now it was the Tulosan''s turn to grab his dagger and stab John in the stomach. The blade was able to penetrate part of his mail armor but the gambeson underneath was able to stop it. Seeing that the Tulosan was in an awkward position, John bashed his head towards him. The Tulosan took a few steps back, he was clearly stunned by the bash. John took the opportunity to bury his dagger into the man''s face. The Tulosan cried in pain. With the Tulosan wallowing in pain, John was able to grab his halberd and delivered the final blow. The axe part of the halberd cut the man''s neck. Since he was wearing a gambeson collar, the halberd failed to decapitate him. But the blow was fatal and blood gushed from his neck. John looked for another target. He spotted a Tulosan on horseback who was harassing a Castonian. John rushed towards the Tulosan and lodged the tip of his halberd into the man''s back. His strike was hard and true, penetrating through armor. But it wasn''t enough to kill the Tulosan. The Tulosan turned to him but his fellow Castonian also stabbed the man in the chest. With both of them skewering the Tulosan, they managed to unhorse him. John delivered the final blow with a swing of his halberd. The two of them decided to team up and rescue more Castonians. The battlefield by now was covered with dust from the charge so visibility was low. Despite this, the two of them were able to rally several Castonians. There were seven people in John''s group at first, but this quickly grew into a few dozens. The group then found the best target they could find- the Tulosan Knights. No words were needed for orders. They all knew that they must kill the Knights. The Knights had gambeson, mail and pieces of plate armor and they were trained for years unlike the soldiers they fought earlier. It was harder and more dangerous to kill a knight, but they wanted to anyway. They charged at the Knights with anger in their eyes. These people killed many of their brothers today. "Kill them all! Kill the Knights! Today, we will make the rooster prince proud! " John shouted as he rushed towards the Knights "For Castonia! Long live the rooster prince!" "For Prince Timothy!" Cries can be heard as the group slammed against the Knights. The Tulosans must pay with blood! ********************************************************************************* The chaotic battle on the left flank lasted for a while until reinforcements from the center arrived. Seeing the approaching Castonians, the Tulosans fled. The men on the left flank were all bloody and battered, but they remained unbroken. In the right flank, the Castonians had finally broken the Tulosans. It was a complete victory for the Castonians despite the messy affair on the left flank. In the end, the Tulosans lost more than half of their army. The Castonians, on the other hand, lost about 800. Most of the Castonian casualties were from the left flank. General Marvin took 3000 men to reinforce Timothy. He left the others to tend to the wounded and guard the Castle. Since many of the villagers were also staying at Knightsend, he doesn''t need to leave many men behind to maintain the castle. Marvin then discovered that the Tulosans had just recently replenished their supplies. Now they don''t have to worry about food for a while. Marvin also captured a lot of the Tulosan horses. He can now have more scouts to look for Timothy in Mercus Plains. Before he left, Marvin sent letters by carrier pigeons to all the castles and cities in the Western Region. "Knightsend had broken the siege. We''re now going to reinforce Prince Timothy" 22 A Knights Conscience In a village near Solon, Western Region `The scent of burning corpses filled the air with dread. Evil. Only this word can describe the scene in front of Henry. And the worst part? He was responsible for this sinister act. He closed his eyes. He can still hear their screams. Their wails horrify him beyond belief. And the children¡­especially the children. A single tear fell from his eye. This¡­this was not the way a knight should act. Knights protect the weak. Knights defend justice. But this act does not protect the weak nor defend justice. He mumbled the Knight''s Oath. I am the wall of the people, the refuge of the weak I purge evil and vanquish the unrighteous I am the sword of justice, the spear of morality I am the banner in which the truth stands Even in a cruel world Even if I''m alone Even for all eternity I will always be Because I am a knight Lies. Sinful lies. He once believed in Knights. That was the reason why he became one himself. They were the Knights of Tulosa, and they were supposed to be the defenders of righteousness. But now, he doesn''t know anymore. Their hands were already dirty with the blood of innocents. He felt disgusted with himself. For the past days, he kept telling himself that this is war. Casualties were normal during conflicts. He was just following orders. But the more he tells himself of this, the less he believes it. General Rickard had commanded General Sigurd to lead a portion of the army and raze the villages around the City of Solon. The villages around the city had long provided Castonia with a steady supply of iron. General Rickard wanted to erase these villages so that Castonia would suffer in the long run. Without the iron, Castonia can''t support a long war. Henry thought that their only job was burn the villages. That''s why he readily agreed when General Rickard ordered him to accompany General Sigurd. But General Sigurd seems to enjoy his task so much that he slaughters every man, woman and children in the villages. He butchered them like they were animals. This was the third village to fall under their villainy. But he can''t stomach this anymore. This is wrong. Everything they did went against his principles and he was not alone. Many knights had also expressed their dissatisfaction. He had pleaded with General Sigurd multiple times to just burn the houses and let go of the innocents. Their enemies were the soldiers of Castonia, not these people. They had nothing to do with this war. Wars were supposed to be between soldiers. But the General won''t listen to him. He even threatened Henry with demotion and even execution. Now, Henry could only watch as the Castonian villagers burn in front of him. "Don''t feel sad about them Prefect. They deserved it. " General Sigurd said as he walked towards him. " I apologize General, but my views are still the same. This is just too much." Henry''s voice was trembling as he turned towards the General. He saw Sigurd''s profile. The General was a big man, a head taller than most people . His long and unkempt beard gave him an intimidating appearance. "As long as you do your job, then it''s alright." General Sigurd said to him. There was not an ounce of friendliness in his voice. The wind suddenly changed direction and the air around them was filled with smoke. Yes, smoke from the burning bodies and houses. Henry almost flushed his lunch when the revolting aroma filled his nostrils with horror. "But can''t we let them go General? General Rickard''s orders were to burn the villages, not kill the people." He forced a reply with coughs in between his words. "No Prefect." General Sigurd disagreed "General Rickard''s orders were to destroy Castonia''s main source of iron. If we merely burn the villages, then the Castonians could just rebuild them. We need to kill every single one of them to make our mark permanent. I told you not to question my orders. " The General''s voice was firm as he looked at Henry examining his expressions. But Henry doesn''t care even if the General discovers his resentment. He knew that this is wrong and he must convince the General to stop this carnage. They are Knights, not barbarians. He became a knight because he believes in the ideals of a knight. "We are Knights, General. Keep us out of this. Other soldiers may find this barbarism tolerable, but we don''t." He protested. He doesn''t really care that he General would find him disrespectful. What can the General do? Unless he violated his orders, the General couldn''t do anything to him. Henry knew that General Sigurd''s threats were just that, threats. He was too important to execute or even demote. Henry was the Prefect of the third cohort of Tulosan Knights. There were about a thousand Tulosan Knights in the Cohort and he was the one in charge of them all. Not to boast, but his abilities were actually quite good, earning him the nickname ''First Spear''. His nickname actually came from the Battle of Mesali three years ago. The charge of the Tulosan Knights under his command tipped the scale of battle. His knights formed in a wedge formation with him at the very front. The charge was so powerful that it broke the enemies'' morale and won them the battle. Since then, people started calling him First Spear, a testament to his courage and abilities. He wasn''t just a Prefect, he was also the face of the Tulosan Knights. The Genaral was silent for a while, clearly annoyed by his insistence. "I was there 15 years ago at Kimpler, or Knightsend as what the Castonians like to call it." General Sigurd said as he looked at the burning bodies "So I''ve heard. You were just a centurion back then." Henry already had heard that the General was a veteran of the failed first Tulosan invasion of Castonia. The defeat was, and still is, one of the darkest moments in Tulosan history. General Kingston took 20,000 Tulosans with him 15 years ago to invade Castonia. Less than a thousand were able to go home. He was 10 years old when news of the failed invasion spread throughout Tulosa. The King that time actually wanted some quick victory against the Castonians to further cement his shaky rule. But the invasion ended up to be the straw that broke the camel''s back. Instead of cementing his rule, the invasion ended it. A civil war in Tulosa followed which would last for 12 years. Henry grew up in a messed up Kingdom because of the failed invasion. " Do you know what they did to those soldiers they captured?" Sigurd asked him. Henry shook his head "They killed the half and enslaved the other half. Many of my brothers died in these mines. The Castonians forced them to work in these mines for more than a decade. Most of them should have been dead by now." Henry grimaced after hearing of the General''s words. It''s not that he doesn''t understand the General''s pain and anger. He does. General Sigurd probably lost many of his friends and even family members. Additionally, the civil war that followed put Tulosa in chaos for more than a decade. Many people lost their lives. But Tulosa was the aggressor. Furthermore, these people had nothing to do with the invasion 15 years ago. "I''m sorry general. Maybe I''m too young but I still don''t think these people deserve to be slaughtered" He said firmly. What they did was evil and nothing can justify it. " As long as you follow your orders then I don''t care what you think. You already have blood in your hands anyway." These words struck Henry''s heart. It was true though. He was not clean of this war crime so he shouldn''t act innocently. He was part of the massacre even if he didn''t like it. Even if he detested what he did, even if it haunted him every night, even if his conscience was being ripped apart, nothing will ever change. He did it. He led the knights to slaughter the innocent. "By the way, our scouts just reported that there is a camp of refugees nearby. There were at least a few thousand of them. It seems that they are heading to Solon. We won''t let them reach the city. Prepare some of your knights. We''ll leave in the morning." General Sigurd ordered Henry was afraid the General would again give him an order like this. The refugees only wanted to escape with their lives. They only wanted to survive. Why couldn''t they let the refugees go! His mind was in chaos. Torn by a sense of duty and his own conscience, he remained fixated for a while. But at the end of the day, he was still a Tulosan soldier. He must follow the orders. He gritted his teeth. "Yes General" 23 The Oath "The men are awaiting you command sir" the Centurion said Henry caressed the back of his horse Behind him were a hundred Tulosans Knights ready for action. They hid behind a nearby hill. Other groups of soldiers were also hidden in other locations. The scouts confirmed that the refugees will pass in front of them soon. "Nervous? Hahaha I never thought that the famous First Spear would be nervous in a mission like this. It''s not like we''re fighting actual soldiers" A voice told him. He turned and saw Prefect Romel leading his horse towards him. Romel was the Prefect of the Whistler Cavalry. Like him, Romel was young. But unlike him, Romel seems to enjoy this task of killing civilians so much. So much in fact that the lunatic personally volunteered the Whistler Cavalry. The Whistler Cavalry were a group of light cavalry specializing in hit-and-run tactics. Both horse and rider barely wore armor. The horses themselves were chosen for speed rather than charge power. In the battlefield, their job was to harass enemies from all sides. He had actually seen their performance many times before. It was not bad, but he would be lying if he said it was impressive. "Return to your post Prefect. You have no business being here. You will get trampled upon by my Knights'' charge if you stay here" He told Romel. "Oh? You''re boasting about the charge of your Knights." Prefect Romel raised his eyebrow "Nothing of that sort Prefect. I''m just¡­worried about your safety" Henry gave a meaningful smile He was actually telling the truth. He had always been annoyed so much by Romel that he was actually restraining himself from slapping the hell out of the smug face of the lunatic. "Ha! Worried about my safety? Is that a threat Prefect?." Prefect lunatic asked him. "Why would I threaten you? We are ''friends'' Prefect Romel. Friends don''t threaten each other. Or are you saying that we''re not friends Prefect? In that case then do heed my warning. A man''s patience, after all, is not infinite." He smiled. "You sure talk tough boy. You Knights think that you own the army. " Romel turned his horse around. Henry was delighted to see the lunatic''s face frown. "Whistlers" The Centurion shook his head. He then put his hand on Henry''s shoulder "Don''t mind them Prefect, all they do is talk and run. We Knights are still the gem of the army." "Knights you say" He gave a bitter smile. Knights don''t do things like this, he thought. "Um.. What''s the matter Prefect?" "Nothing." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a while, the refugees finally arrived. They formed a long line that stretched for several kilometers. Even though there were thousands of them, their numbers were lower than the General''s estimate. Because of this, Henry felt a little relieved. The refugees had no idea of the ambush so when the blaring of the horns began to echo throughout the plains, they were confused at first. But then the charging horsemen finally confirmed their worst fear. It''s an ambush. Thousands of horsemen galloped towards the refugees. The thunderous noise of hooves filled the plains with an uncertain atmosphere. Some quick-witted refugees formed groups to deter the charge. Others ran for their lives. Henry was, like always, charging at the front of the column. The target of his unit were the refugees at the front. The refugees at the front of the line were composed of sick and injured people, the old and children. Since these particular group of people were slow, they should dictate the pace of the entire column. If they were put at the back, they would have been left behind by the rest. The general put the Knights in charge of them because he values the knights. Contrary to the muscular and youthful miners at the back, these refugees had no way of fighting back. Henry closed his eyes. He should not look at them because their faces would just haunt him with guilt. Henry opened his eyes a little to take a look at his sword. Normally, the knights would carry lances but this particular task has no need of shock cavalry. Henry had seen his sword bathed with blood many times before- blood of enemy soldiers, of traitors, of rebels and as of lately, innocents. At the moment his sword was still clean but it will be drenched in the blood of children and the elderly soon. Henry''s unit was just about a hundred meters from the refugees. He looked forward and then cursed himself for doing so after seeing their faces. He then saw a little girl, only a few years older than his sister. The girl''s clothes were dirty maybe due to the fact that they had been travelling for days. The refugees didn''t run. They don''t have the ability to. They must have known already that running would be futile. So they just stood and waited for their doom. The little girl hugged his grandfather. The old man knelt to comfort his granddaughter. Why are you hesitating? You must do this! You are a soldier of Tulosa But they are civilians. Knights don''t kill civilians It doesn''t matter. Orders are orders. You''re just following your orders. Would you be able to sleep at night after this? But if you don''t do this, you will be a traitor to Tulosa! If you do, you''ll be a traitor to yourself. "Halt!" Henry shouted as loud as he could. The entire unit ceased the charge just a few meters from the refugees. "What''s the matter Prefect?" The Centurion asked. He tried to act like his will is strong, but his voice was trembling. "Go! Run as fast as you could! Don''t look back" Henry shouted to the refugees. The refugees ran as fast as they could. They did not dare look back. The little girl gave Henry once last look before running away with her grandfather. "Prefect.." the centurion blurted. Henry knew that the Knights he brought with him also felt the same. They detested the ways of General Sigurd but still followed his orders. Henry did not answer the centurion. Instead, he recited the first line of the Knight''s Oath. "I am the wall of the people" Henry shouted. Nobody made a sound but after a while, a knight recited the next line. "The refuge of the weak" The Knight said "I purge evil" Another Knight said "And vanquish the unrighteous" the rest of the Knights joined. "I am the sword of justice" "The spear of morality" "I am the banner in which the truth stands" "Even in a cruel world" "Even if I''m alone" "Even for all eternity" "I will always be" "Because I am a Knight" Henry finished The Knights were silent for a while. Henry can see that they felt the same way as he does. At that moment, they understood each other. What they were doing was wrong. It was evil. A Knight should vanquish evil, not partake in it. But the silence was broken by the arrival Prefect Romel and his Whistlers. They were drenched in blood. "You let them go Prefect" Romel said with an unfriendly voice. He wiped his sword with a cloth. "This is not right Romel." Henry answered "This is war!" Romel shouted " We are soldiers. Our job is to kill not to decide what''s right or wrong" "You''re free to decide for yourself but my Knights had enough of this" "Well, in that case let me finish your job for you. I will not tell General Sigurd about this. Thank me later" Romel said as he ordered his Whistlers to charge at the refugees. Henry was not prepared to stop Romel. In just a few seconds, the Whistlers were already charging at the refugees. Henry did not waste time and ordered his Knights to stop the Whistlers. But Whistlers were light cavalries, they were faster than Knights. " Stop! Romel stop! I order you to stop!" Henry screamed. He screamed so hard that his throat ached. But it was too late. The Whistlers reached the refugees before the Knights. They slaughtered them all. The old, the sick and injured, the children, none of them escaped. Henry personally saw Romel bury his sword into the little girl he saw earlier. The girl died after a few moments. Henry cried. And then his vision darkened. How? How can they be so heartless? These monsters don''t deserve to live. Romel needs to die! Knights vanquish evil and evil right now is in front of him! He grasped his sword and charged towards the Whistlers. His target was Romel. Behind him, the Knights also charged. These people are scums of the Earth! The Knights slammed against the Whistlers. Henry thrust his sword into Romel. Romel blocked with his own sword. "This is treason Prefect Henry!" Romel shouted "Shut your mouth!" Henry turned his horse and charged Romel again. He tilted his body and stabbed his sword towards Romel''s stomach. His blade entered Romel''s body. He pulled out his sword and kicked Romel''s chest. The Prefect fell off his horse. Around him, the knights were slaughtering the Whistlers. But then more units of Whistlers were already charging towards them "Prefect go! We will hold them of" the centurion shouted. " How about you?" Henry doesn''t want to leave him behind. "Don''t worry about me Prefect." The Centurion smiled "This is retribution for my sins. May all those Castonians forgive me" "Then this will also be my retribution." Henry declared "No prefect" The Centurion shook his head "Take the rest of our brothers with you. They need you." Henry thought about it for a while but in the end he decided to run with the rest of the Knights. He had a responsibility to his knights. "Goodbye Centurion Hinds" Henry offered his arms to the centurion. "Goodbye Prefect Henry" the Centurion grabbed Henry''s arm. This is a common salutation among equals because at this moment they have neither rank nor hierarchy. Henry escaped with a handful of Knights. That same day, he decided to head for Solon. They can''t go back to Tulosa now. They are traitors already. Even if the Castonians decide to execute them, then that would be better than being executed by their fellow Tulosans. It was the Castonians they owe, not the Tulosans. The surviving Knights agreed and followed him to Solon. ****************************************************************************** When General Sigurd heard of Henry''s betrayal, he was furious. He wanted to kill Henry with his own hands. He wanted to chase them . But before he could order his soldiers, one of his scouts delivered an interesting piece of information. The third prince of Castonia, Timothy, had been staying at a camp somewhere in Mercus plains for a while now. Some of his reinforcements had been delayed. Currently, the Prince only had 2000 militiamen. Sigurd smiled. Henry could wait. He had a Prince to kill. 24 Redemption Lucia, My connections told me that some Tulosan Knights went to Solon yesterday. Apparently, the Knights cannot stomach the act of killing civilians anymore. The Earl is keeping this a secret from the King. The knights are being detained at the Earl''s Villa. Normally, soldiers defecting are a common occurrence in wars. But I''ve heard that one of the Knights is the famous First Spear. I think you should know about this. Freya Lucia was impressed. Freya knows how to gather information. She also knows how to evaluate the importance of each piece of information. First Spear was a famous. Lucia had heard about him several times in the past. For him to defect would be a huge blow to the Tulosans. But something else excites Lucia. Since First Spear was a high ranking officer, then he knows the secrets of the Tulosans. He could give them valuable information. Earl Mathias was also not a fool. He knew that he couldn''t get information out of First Spear by torturing him. First Spear was a knight. The only way to get information out of him was to appeal to his Knight spirit. She needs Freya to report directly to her. It''s time to write another letter to the Earl. ********************************************************************************** Solon, Western Region After receiving Lucia''s response, Freya went to see Earl Mathias. Lucia''s father was actually a close friend of the Earl so seeing him was not a problem. She went to his villa and gave the Earl Lucia''s letter. "It seems you are friends with the Vanadian Princess. I never expected that our little Frey would make such acquaintances at the capital" Earl Mathias said to Freya. The Earl was actually very fond of Freya. He treats her like his own daughter. "We just met a few times Earl Mathias." Freya smiled. She had not seen the Earl for a long time so she was a little anxious when talking to him. "It just happens that our interests are similar." She said as she took a sip from the tea the Earl personally prepared. "Oh? By interests you mean Timothy?" The Earl winked at Freya. She almost choked on the tea. "Hahaha I''m sorry little Frey" The Earl laughed "It''s just I haven''t seen you for years. We need to catch up. My daughter, Celine, will be home soon. You must join us for dinner" "Thank you Earl Mathias. But shouldn''t you read the letter first?" Freya also wanted to catch up with the Earl and Celine. She had not seen them for many years. Celine was two years younger than her. "It''s not red-sealed right? It can wait." Earl Mathias took the letter and examined it. He frowned after seeing the seal. "By the way, just call me Uncle like what you used to" "Okay Uncle" The two talked for a long time until Celine arrived. She went to kiss her father on the cheeks but she didn''t recognize Freya at first. "Freya? You''re Freya right? Freya! It''s been a long time" Celine went to Freya and hugged her. "You''ve grown up Celine. You are now a beauty." Freya hugged Celine back. It felt like yesterday when they were still playing around the villa. "What brings you here? You''re not coming immediately to Nirvana, are you? Please stay here for a while." Celine begged "Well I''m staying for a while in Solon so we could go around the city like we used to" Freya smiled. Apart from the mission Lucia entrusted her, she really missed Celine and everything in the city. Yes, Nirvana was better compared to Solon, but Solon is where she grew up. "Good! Why don''t you stay here in the villa for a few days? Father would approve. Right father?" Celine looked at the Earl with puppy eyes. "Umm..Yeah I think it''s okay" The Earl reluctantly said "Good! By the way, we have another guest. Father said that he''s one of my distant cousins. His name is Herny" Freya already knew who this ''Herny'' was. Of course he was First Spear. Lucia asked Freya to befriend the First Spear and report to her whenever she finds valuable information. Lucia''s letter to the Earl was also a request to let Freya get close Henry. "Herny? I can''t wait to meet your cousin" ***************************************************************************** Henry did not expect this. When he and 13 of his knights arrived in Solon, he thought that they would be executed that same day. He was prepared for it. He was prepared for death. He is a monster. He should die. The image of a little girl constantly haunted his dream. Henry did not attempt to kill himself. His life does not belong to him anymore. He will let the Castonians decide. If they want him dead, he will die at their hands. If they want him to rot in the mines, he will rot in the mines. If they want to parade him in the streets of Nirvana, he will let them. He will do anything except betray Tulosa. But Henry did not expect this. Instead of being imprisoned, they were treated as guests. Yes his Knight brothers were under house arrest at a nearby villa, but the Castonians were treating them good. As for him, the Governor let him stay on his own villa. At first Henry refused, but the Governor insisted. In the end, Henry agreed to stay on the villa. It seems that the Governor doesn''t trust him yet though, because there were guards everywhere. There were even guards outside his room. But it''s okay. Just a few days ago, he was an enemy prefect so the tight security was not unusual. This kind of treatment just made Henry guiltier though. How could the Governor treat them like this? Henry told him how they butchered the civilians. He told him everything and all his crimes. Well maybe this was his punishment. The Governor was killing him with guilt. Just then a guard knocked on his door. "Mr. Herny dinner is ready. The Earl and little miss are waiting for you" the guard said with an unfriendly voice. Henry doesn''t mind. He was, after all, a criminal. "Thank you" Henry went outside his room and went to the dining area. The guard walked behind him. After arriving at the dining area, Henry saw a new face. "Earl Beyron, Lady Celine" Henry put his hand on his chest and bowed "You don''t have to be so polite to us Herny. And stop calling me Lady Celine already" Celine said. This was one of the requests of the Governor. It seems he didn''t want everyone to know about Henry''s true identity. They agreed on a story that his name was Herny and he was one of Celine''s distant relatives. Most of the guards knew about his true identity but Lady Celine does not. Henry understands why the Earl wanted to hide his identity so he agreed. "I''ll try Celine. It takes a while to get used to. And this pretty lady is?" Henry offered his hand to Freya. "Freya. I''m the daughter of Baron Hall" Freya shook Henry''s hand "Freya will be staying with us for a while. I hope the two of you can get along" Earl Mathias said "Of course. Nice meeting you Freya." Henry smiled and seated himself on a chair far from the three. "You''re sitting far from us again Herny" Celine pouted. "She''s right. Come here. There''s nothing to be shy of" Freya smiled. Henry had no choice. He sat on the chair directly in front of Freya "So, tell us about yourself Herny" Freya looked at him. Henry did not expect this question. He was not a good liar so he looked at the Earl "Oh? Herny?" The Earl gave a nervous laugh "He''s a. He''s my wife''s nephew" he said as he took a bite "But you said yesterday that he''s your nephew" Celine looked confusedly at her father "Oh. Is that so" The Earl was sweating and Henry can see his reluctance to lie to his daughter. So Henry answered Celine instead "The earl must have made a mistake. I am his nephew" answered Henry. "I see. Either way, you''re my cousin" Celine gave him a smile "By the way, I never see you eat meat Herny. Why is that?" "I''m uhhh" Henry thought for a reason " It''s because of my beliefs" he lied. It''s because every time he looks at meat, the memories of his crimes come back to him. Those village people he killed and burned, the refugees he failed to protect, the little girl who looked like his sister, he can see the image of their dead bodies whenever he looks at meat. "What a strange belief." Celine commented. "Stop pestering him Celine" the Earl said Celine sighed "I''m just curious about my cousin. Okay then" The dinner proceeded with little discussion about Henry''s past. Henry was actually thankful because he doesn''t like to talk about his past or even to think about it. He was a traitor, a murderer and a criminal. After dinner, Henry went back to his room. But he saw Freya waiting for him on the hallway. Freya sent the guard away so the two of them were left alone. "What can I do for you Ms. Hall?" Henry bowed "You''re so polite" Freya laughed " Call me Freya" "Okay then" Henry scratched his head "What can I do for you Freya?" "Nothing. I just want to be your friend, Prefect Henry Molt" Freya emphasized the last words. Henry was stunned. She knew? How? If she knew about him, then she also knew about what he did. "You.You know about me?" he asked She nodded "How much do you know?" "Everything" Freya smiled "Oh" Henry lowered his head. He was too ashamed to look at Freya. He killed her fellow Castonians so she must be angry. She must be confused as to why a criminal was being treated like a guest "Don''t worry. This is only temporary. The Earl will give my punishment soon enough" he assured her "I''m not worried about that. Like what I said, I want to be your friend" Freya went closer to him "I''m a criminal Ms. Hall" Henry avoided her eyes "You''re a noble so why would you want to be friends with a criminal" Freya pondered for a while. Meanwhile Henry still avoided her eyes. "Your smile" she suddenly said. "What?" "Earlier all your smiles were fake. I mean all of them. I''ve never seen such extensive use of fake smiles before" she laughed "I live in the palace so I know how a fake smile looks like" she explained "You want to be my friend because of my smile?" Henry was confused "Yes" she answered "You''re broken. More broken than I was when the person I love rejected me. I want to fix you" she smiled "I can''t be fixed" Henry said firmly "I''m waiting for the Earl''s punishment" "The Earl won''t punish you. And you don''t need a punishment because you changed your ways. What you need is redemption. Pay your debts not with your life, but with good deeds" Hearing her words agitated Henry. "No. Do you have any idea what I did?!" Henry shouted "I am beyond redemption! I killed those people. I am a Knight but I did those things. I am evil! I killed them with my own hands. These hands!" He showed her his hands. They were trembling "And I failed" His voice became pitched. " I failed to protect them. I can''t do anything. And the girl¡­the girl" Henry''s words were reduced to sobs. Tears came pouring from his eyes. He''s evil. Even after he decided to stop being evil, he was useless. Redemption? He doesn''t even deserve to hear that word. "You''re wrong Henry" She lifted his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. She then wiped his tears away. Henry calmed down after looking through her eyes. "Nobody is beyond redemption" 25 Decisions It had been a week since Timothy made a temporary camp in Mercus Plains. Mercus Plains, contrary to its name, was not actually a plain. The geography of Mercus Plains varies. In Mercus Plains, one could see grasslands, hills, forests, swamps and even small mountains. Mercus Plains was divided at the middle by the great Carnack River. The river originated from the Ferico Mountains near Knightsend and passes through the two cities of the Western Region, Solon and Greenwater. The name of the region actually stems from a major misunderstanding. The first groups of explorers that gave Mercus Plains its name were actually referring to the nearby Grasslands of Kisma. But when people started to settle in the region, they thought that it was what the explorers referred to as the Mercus Plains. The locals didn''t bother changing the name of the place because they had gotten used to it. Today, the Mercus Plains is a region in the Western Castonia that isn''t actually a plain. Timothy had chosen a protected area near the Carnack River as the place to build his camp. A hill protects his camp to the south, while the river protects it from the west. Timothy also built a bridge over the river in case he needed to escape to the other side. The militia under Timothy was supposed to meet with the garrisons of Castle Thespelae and Munico. Both armies were still missing. Timothy had already sent messages to the two Castles but replies were yet to arrive. His situation was precarious. If the Tulosan army nearby discovered that he was in Mercus Plains with an understrength army, they would surely attack him. Timothy knew that his death at the hands of the Tulosans would do them more harm than good. The third prince dying in battle would reverberate through the hearts of the soldiers giving them courage in battle. Despite this, Timothy had no plans on letting himself get killed so he decided that if the two armies still fail to show up by tomorrow, he will retreat back to Nirvana. For the meantime though, he can''t do anything but wait. "After the wedding, we need to visit Holm. I want the meet the Vanadian King. I know Lucia would want that" Timothy said to Erik while sitting on the grass. The two of them had nothing to do so they were currently relaxing on a nearby natural garden. "Yeah." "I also want to visit other cities in Vanadis. But the journey would be long and tiresome. I hope Lucia will be fine with that." "Tim, if you say Lucia''s name one more time, I''m going to stuff this grass into your mouth. Every single sentence you say contains at least one ''Lucia''" Erik showed him the grass he''s holding. "Hahaha What? You''re just jealous because you don''t have anyone. If you continue being single I might think that you like men" Timothy laughed. Erik threw the grass towards Timothy. But then he smiled. " Oh? Is that so rooster prince?" Erik stood up and went to a nearby flower field. He plucked a flower and said, "Do you think Lucia likes daisies? This flower is pretty, like her." Erik grinned while looking at the flower. "What? You want to give her flowers!?" Timothy frowned. He was annoyed by Erik''s question. "Hahahaha This is the first time I''ve seen you jealous Tim. You look like a child who had his candy stolen." Erik laughed so hard he almost choked. "What are you laughing at?" Timothy was still annoyed "Hahahaha Answer my question Tim" "No she doesn''t. She likes white roses" Timothy said with a grumpy face "Oh? How did you know? Did you asked her?" "I just do" "Hahahaha Alright I was just messing with you" Erik put down the flower "Even if I gave her flowers, I don''t think she would accept them" "You think so?" Timothy asked. His annoyance earlier had now subsided after he heard of what Erik said "Yeah. I believe she''s loyal to you and only you. But Lucia really hit you hard Tim. I never thought I would ever see the rooster prince like this" Erik grinned. "Yeah she really did." Timothy admitted. He likes Lucia. This was the first time he felt this way. He was always thinking about her and the thought of her brings smile on his face. It had only been a week and he already misses her dearly. "Well if the garrison of Munico is still not here by tomorrow, at least we''re going home. I''m tired of eating rations" Erik sat beside Tim. "You''ve been eating rations for a whole year at Knightsend. Why would you get tired of eating rations now? Don''t tell me you''ve grown fat and lazy at a young age Erik."Timothy grinned "Want me to make you jealous again?" "Please don''t" Just then, James came running towards them. His face showed signs of anxiety. "Tim the soldiers from Thespelae just arrived."He said between breaths "Good!" Timothy exclaimed "We only need to wait for the garrison of Munico" "No Tim! They''re being chased! The Tulosans are chasing them" "What?!" Timothy blurted. But then he tried to remain calm. This was not the time to panic. He must think of solutions with a clear mind. "How close are the Tulosans behind?" "Less than a day''s march!" Timothy''s jaw dropped. Okay maybe now is the time to panic The three of them immediately went back to the camp. Timothy ordered James to call all the officers inside his tent including the officers of Thespelae garrison. *************************** "How could this happen?" Timothy looked at General Bourgis. He was the garrison commander of Thespelae "I.." The General was clearly tired from the march but he tried to maintain his composure "We received the letter a little too late. The messengers were killed on the road. Luckily the Vanadian Royal Guards saved the letter and captured the assailant" he explained "Vanadian?" Timothy raised his brows. The first thought that came into his mind was Lucia. How was Lucia involved in all of this? "Yes" General Bourgis looked at him sternly "They said that the Wismarines killed the four messengers headed for Thespelae and Munico. Munico did not receive the orders so they won''t come. We had interrogated the Wismarine and his statement matches that of the guards." Timothy''s heart skipped a beat. Munico won''t come? Wismarines? "So someone ordered the assassination of the messengers to prevent my reinforcements?" "It seems that way Prince Timothy. Also the Vanadians gave me a letter addressed to you" The General handed him a letter. Timothy saw the seal. It was Lucia''s personal seal. He grabbed the letter and immediately read it. Tim, I know this will hurt you and you will find it hard to believe me, but I must tell you of your situation. It''s your father. He made a pact with the Wismarines. In exchange for an alliance your father must break the partnership with Vanadis. The only way to do that without losing face is to prevent our wedding and kill either one of us. The King can''t afford to kill me so he planned to kill you instead. He agreed on your request to draw you into the front lines and let the Tulosans kill you in battle. I came with this conclusion after hearing some rumors from the merchants. At the time of writing this, I am not yet sure about my conclusion. But if you are reading this letter, then that means I was right. I know it''s hard, but please believe me. I do not wish you harm and will never lie to you. Even if you don''t believe me, then please survive Tim. Come back. I need you to survive. I will wait for your safe return. Lucia Timothy closed his eyes. It was too much. What Lucia said was right, it will be hard for him to believe her. This conspiracy¡­it''s just too much. If Lucia was lying, then his heart would break. He trusted her already and breaking that trust would be painful. He would still like her and would probably still marry her, but their relationship would forever be strained. But if she was telling the truth¡­ then the situation was worse. His opponent was his father, the King. The involvement of Wismar also complicates things. Tim can''t decide on who to trust. Personally he wanted to trust Lucia, but he also loves his father. Either way, his situation was dire. The Tulosans are coming. He looked at the officers. He must have been silent for a very long time for them to look at him like that. Now is not the time to decide on who was telling the truth. Their situation was dire and the Tulosans were near. Timothy could only think of single way out of this. "We need to cross the river and go to Knightsend. We will break the siege. And then depending on our losses, we would either fight the raiding army or stay inside the castle" Timothy pointed at the map. "Your highness, that would be dangerous! It would be better to go back to Nirvana. It''s the closest safe haven for us" General Bourgis protested. "If we go back to Nirvana then we need to traverse the Grasslands of Kisma. Horses move faster in plain grasslands so they would catch us halfway. Don''t forget that the enemy is more mobile compared to us. If we go the other way, the forest and swamps in Mercus Plains would slow them down. Furthermore if we burn the bridge, we could probably buy ourselves a few hours" Timothy explained "But if we go to Knightsend, then we still need to break the siege." "I trust the capabilities of the garrison of Knightsend. I trained them for a year and I know that they are good soldiers. Besides, we don''t have a choice. It''s either we fight them with these numbers or join the garrison of Knightsend" Timothy really thinks highly of the garrison. In fact, he believes that if the garrison learned of his situation right now, they would break the siege themselves. But Timothy knew that there was no way for them to learn about his predicament. "What if we defend the bridge? It''s a choke point and we could defend against cavalry here" General Bourgis suggested "No!" Timothy disagreed "There are shallows a few kilometers ahead. They could just flank us with their cavalry" The General frowned. But Timothy could see that he understood the logic. They had no choice but to join Knightsend. It will be hard to outmarch the Tulosans but it was better than facing them directly on the grasslands of Kisma. "Okay" said the General. Timothy was relieved. If the General cooperates with him, then there''s still a chance for them to survive this. "We will march in an hour. Let your men rest. And one more thing" Timothy looked at General Bourgis "Bring me the Vanadian guards and the Wismarine" 26 Interrogation Four men were seated around a table, two Vanadians, a Wismarine scum and Timothy. Timothy looked at the three with a stern expression. He actually got this facial expression from his time at Knightsend. Whenever he had crucial orders for the soldiers, he would give them this expression to let them know that he was serious. It worked on the men of Knightsend and it seems to work on the Vanadians and the Wismarine. The three of them refused to even glance at Timothy. Timothy looked at the Wismarine. His hands and feet were tied. His face was full of dirt and dried blood. General Bourgis must have already tortured him a little. "Speak!" Timothy commanded. The Wismarine was startled. He opened his mouth but no words came out. "I..I''m so..sorry your highness!" he lowered his head. Timothy could see his body trembling. "Erik" Timothy turned his head towards Erik who was standing behind him "I didn''t asked for an apology, did I? I commanded him to speak. I asked him to do one thing, and he did another. He must think that I''m a fool right?" "Perhaps" Erik replied "No!" The Wismarine shouted on top of his lungs "I..I didn''t mean to disrespect you your highness! I apologize" he bowed so low that Timothy was afraid he will break his neck "I will talk now! We killed the messenger" "Now we''re getting something." Timothy looked at the two Vanadians. They were more composed compared to the Wismarine but Timothy could still see them trembling "Does the two of you confirm his statement as a fact?" "Yes, Your Highness" one of the said. But the man still refused to look at him "There were five witnesses to his crime including our captain" "I also confirm this Your Highness! I saw him slit the throat of the messenger. He had an accomplice but the captain already killed the bastard" said the other Vanadian. Timothy recognized him. He was indeed part of Lucia''s retinue. "Since none of the messengers reached Thespelae and the killer himself confessed to the crime, then we can put this as a fact. Fact number one, you killed the messengers" Timothy pointed at the Wismarine. "Now for the next question, why?" " To prevent them from sending the message Your Highness" the Wismarine revealed "Oh no Erik" Timothy again turned to Erik "He did it again. I asked a question and he answered another. He really thinks I''m stupid, doesn''t he?" "He''s wasting our time on purpose" "Well we have about thirty minutes to talk to him. If thirty minutes had already passed and I''m still not satisfied with the information I got, then we have no choice but to resort to a more¡­violent method" Timothy gave the Wismarine a smile "No! Your Highness I''m not wasting your time on purpose! Please. I answered your question truthfully. Ask me anything. Yes, I''ll answer all your questions!" the Wismarine shouted. To be fair, he really did answer Timothy''s question truthfully. Why did he kill the messengers? To prevent them from sending the message. Timothy just wanted to mess with the Wismarine. He wanted the man to fear him. Fear loosens one''s tongue and makes the person speak truthfully. From the looks of it, he succeeded in scaring the man. "So let me ask you again" He gave the Wismarine a piercing gaze "Why?" his voice was cold. "Because..ah..because the prince ordered us to kill him. Prince Skall Wismar! He wants you dead to break the alliance with Vanadis. To kill the messengers was King Leopold''s plan." The Wismarine voice was trembling. "And how did you know that my father was behind all of this? Don''t tell me that you''re just speculating. If you feed me wrong information, I''ll" "I was there your highness! I swear I was there!" the Wismarine interrupted him Timothy smiled. Now we''re getting a first-hand account. "Go on" he commanded "I was there when the King and Prince Skall made a pact. I was his guard at that time. I heard everything your highness. King Leopold planned it all. He can''t have you killed by an assassin because the people would lose confidence on the royal family if that happened. So he wanted the Tulosans to kill you in battle. Since I already heard about their conversation, the Prince chose me and the other guards to act as assassins. He paired me with Krul to kill the assassins going to Thespelae" "Why did he hire you? You''re not an assassin. Wasn''t it better to hire professional assassins instead?" Erik asked. "He did your.." the Wismarine struggled to find the correct title for Erik. Erik waved his hand as a sign that the Wismarine should just continue. "Like what I said, he did try to hire professional assassins. He went to the merchants and asked around but the merchants failed to find a professional assassin on such short notice" Timothy frowned. This somehow gives weight to Lucia''s words. Timothy remembered a sentence from Lucia''s letter. ''I came with this conclusion after hearing some rumors from the merchants.'' She must have heard that Skall Wismar met with the King and that the Prince tried to hire some assassins. If it was him, he would have the same conclusion as Lucia. Timothy felt guilty. What if Lucia was telling the truth? She had been protecting him and he repaid her with doubts. "Get him out of here" Timothy commanded "We will punish him later". Timothy''s guards dragged the Wismarine out of his tent. Timothy then turned to the two Vanadians. "The letter" he started "It''s from Lucia?" "Yes your highness. Before we set off to find the messenger, she gave the letter to the captain. She instructed that if her suspicions were proven true, we must deliver the letter to you." The Vanadian explained Timothy nodded to his explanation. "Tell me exactly what you saw" "We saw the two Wismarines chasing the messenger. They were able to do that without arousing suspiscions because the village was slightly abandoned" "An abandoned village?" Timothy raised his eyebrows "Where did they set the ambush exactly?" "We don''t know the name of the place Your Highness. But a lake was nearby. And it was the only part of the road that doesn''t have paved roads" Baron Braun''s fief. There was only one place along the road from Nirvana to Thespelae that doesn''t have paved roads. It''s Baron Braun''s fief. Furthermore, there was a lake near the abandoned village. This piece of information also increased the weight of Lucia''s words. It would make sense if Baron Braun was involved in all of this. Timothy knew the Baron''s personality. He''s a good man actually, but he loves Castonia so much that he''s always willing to get his hands dirty for the sake of the Kingdom. Timothy admits that his death and the dissolution of the Vanadian alliance will benefit Castonia. Wismar is strong. But he doesn''t want to die. "Thank you for doing your duty" Timothy thanked the royal guards "I will send you back to Nirvana. Protect Lucia at all cost. I also need you to bring her a letter from me." "We will deliver the letter your highness" the royal guard hesitated "But wouldn''t it be better if you come with us? If you go to Knightsend with your army, then there''s a chance that you will be killed. I do not doubt your abilities. But it will be safer if you abandon your army. This fiasco is not your fault anyway." "I had actually thought of that. But I won''t abandon these people. I was the one who recruited them and it''s my responsibility to take care of them." Timothy answered. There was another reason though. If what Lucia said was true, then the King would be his opponent. To at least survive, he needs to save the soldiers. He needs their support. In short, he needs power so that the King won''t dare scheme against him or Lucia again. The royal guards nodded indicating that they understood Timothy. The two of them then saluted. Timothy immediately wrote a letter and gave it to the royal guards. The Vanadians left just as the army was preparing to move. It didn''t take a long time to disassemble the camp. The veterans were experienced so the whole process took less than an hour. Since the soldiers from Thespelae were exhausted, they were put at the front. They will dictate the pace of the march. Timothy also ordered the soldiers to leave their supply trains behind. The supply trains will bug them down and they threw most of their things into the river. They only carried food that will be good for ten days. But Timothy knew that this was not enough. They still need to use the terrain to outmarch the Tulosans. The army marched across the bridge and then burned it. Timothy turned and looked at the burning bridge one last time. Beyond the bridge lies the way to Nirvana. Beyond it, lies home. They were going the opposite way. They were going to Knightsend where they will probably stay and starve for a few months. And before they could enter the castle, they still need to defeat the besieging force. Hard days were ahead. 27 Eriks Reques Timothy''s army had been forced marching for days. They only stop to sleep for a while, and then back to marching again. They even march at night. Despite all these hardships, the Tulosans were still closing in. Every day, the distance they bought by burning the bridge shortens. Every single day, the Tulosans were getting closer to them. But Timothy had a plan. The path they took was actually not the shortest one. Timothy took the path that will pass through a forest south of Mercus Plains. He knew that he needs to delay the Tulosans using the terrain. Timothy also planned to set up guerilla forces that will disrupt the enemy''s march. "Your father is a medicus right?" Timothy asked James who was behind him. They were not on horseback because all the horses were being used either as a mounts for the scouts or as supply carriers "If I''m not mistaken, he''s one of the leading experts in the study of medicine" "Yes" James answered. "Why?" "Do you think your father would accept an apprentice?" "It''s Princess Lucia right?" James correctly guessed .He thought for a while "I think he would. But my father is a little strange. I don''t think it will be good to let the Princess be his apprentice" "Why?" Timothy gave a confused look. James'' father was a good medicus and Lucia wanted to learn. What could go wrong? "My father is strict when it comes to teaching. He will not consider the princess'' rank and will not hesitate in reprimanding her." James revealed a shy smile "That''s good. That means he''s serious. " Timothy disagreed "Don''t worry, Lucia won''t mind. In fact, I think she would want a strict mentor" "Are you sure? Tim, she''s a royal of a rich Kingdom. Why would she let a mere commoner reprimand her?" "Trust me" Timothy smiled and put his hand on James'' shoulder "She''s different" Timothy then heard the sound of a horse approaching. He turned and saw that it was Erik. Timothy could see his grave expression. Erik then dismounted and gave Timothy a salute. "Tim, they''re near." He took a map from his pocket "Our scouts reported that their vanguard is currently in this location." He pointed at the location of the Tulosans "Most of their cavalry went ahead of their infantry" Timothy examined the location on the map. It was near the entrance of the forest. At this rate the enemy cavalry would be able to harass them from behind. Timothy believes that the cavalry won''t attempt a full-scale attack. But if the enemy cavalry were able to harass them from behind, then their strength would be slowly nipped away on their way to Knightsend. They still need to break the siege of Knightsend so every loss of manpower was fatal. "Tell Prefect Adrian to take all our horses and form a group of guerillas from the veterans. Set up traps around here" Timothy pointed at a choke point "Remind him to retreat if the enemies give chase. They must not engage the Tulosans." "About that Tim" Erik smiled and put his fist on his chest "I volunteer to lead the guerillas" Timothy immediately frowned after hearing those words "Erik" "I know Tim. I am the heir of the Connel family so I shouldn''t put myself in danger. But you need me. You know I''m the only one capable of accomplishing this task." "Do you think Prefect Adrian can''t do this job? But you could? Aren''t you getting full of yourself Erik?" Timothy''s reply was as sharp as a whip. He didn''t want to use Erik''s safety as a reason for refusing his request. "Thank you for your concern Tim. But you know that you can''t refuse me" "I refuse. You''re not ready to lead an army yet. " Timothy said firmly "Come on Tim. We both know that you''re just looking after me. You''re afraid that something will happen to me" Erik teased "But we both know that only I can do this" "I can also lead the guerillas. But why am I here?" Timothy questioned him. "Because" "Because I can''t risk myself" Timothy interrupted. "If I die, then the army would lose the only thing that''s keeping it intact." Timothy lectured. He twisted their conversation a little, because he was a little afraid of Erik''s argument. It was true that apart from him, only Erik had the ability to lead the guerillas. This was a complicated task which involves timing, precision and adaptability. Erik was only second to Timothy when it comes to leadership and cunning. But he can''t risk Erik. "You''re still the most eloquent person I know Tim." Erik grinned "Unfortunately, you can''t twist our conversation this time. Apart from you, I am the only person capable of doing this." "If you die, your father would kill me." Timothy said "I will surely die if we fail to slow them down. We will both die" "Then maybe I will lead the guerillas." "And risk yourself?" Erik scoffed "Do you think Lucia would want that?" he purposely struck his weak zone. At the mention of Lucia''s name, Timothy felt uneasy. "Don''t bring Lucia into this" "Lucia has done so much to protect you and this is how you use her help? I wonder what she would think" "Okay stop. I will not lead the guerillas" he didn''t let Erik finish. He really felt guilty "But you can''t either" he pointed at him "I think it would be better to let him lead Tim" It was James'' turn to persuade him. "This is war. You can''t be picky. You also can''t play safe all the time. You have to take risks and use everything" "Thank you James." Erik then glared at Timothy "You think I like risking my life Tim? I don''t. Like a normal human being, I don''t want to die. But look around you. We are in the middle of nowhere while being surrounded by enemies at all sides. We are battered Tim. There are Tulosans from behind and Tulosans in front. Our food reserves could only last us a few more days and the men are afraid. I''m not trying to be a hero. I''m just doing what I think will save our asses. And you should too. Being a leader means playing with the lives of people, even the lives of your friends. That is both your privilege and your curse. So man up and accept your responsibility." Those words silenced Timothy. Erik''s words struck him like a huge wave of truth. Being a leader meant accepting bigger responsibilities. Sometimes a leader must take risks. If the result of the risk he took was not favorable, then he must accept the responsibility, but he must take risks nonetheless. Life was all about taking calculated risks. People who were afraid to take risks don''t achieve much. In their case, not taking risks now could mean their end. Prefect Adrian was smart and loyal, but Timothy doesn''t trust his abilities as much as he trusts Erik''s. General Bourgis was also smart, but he also can''t be compared to Erik. Only Erik can lead the guerillas. This was his responsibility, his curse. This was his payment for accepting the role of a leader. He must play with lives, Erik''s life. Timothy gritted his teeth and slowly nodded "Take all the horses with you. I mean all of them. It should be enough for six centuries. If something goes wrong, retreat at full speed." "Leave it to me" Erik saluted and knelt "I will not fail you Prince Timothy Castonia." "Rise Erik Connel" Erik stood up. Timothy then looked at him sternly. "If you die, I won''t forgive you" "I won''t" Erik assured him "I am the demon squire of Knightsend" Timothy chuckled. Erik was indeed the demon squire. " If you die and the soldiers of Knightsend hear that the demon squire who made their lives a living hell was killed by mere mortals, they would be very disappointed" " So what did the soldiers called me back at Knightsend?" James butted in. Timothy and Erik looked at each other and burst into laughter. So James didn''t know after all. The soldiers also gave James a nickname. It was Stiff Neck because he was so stiff and formal back then. But they can''t tell him this because he might lose his reason for living or something. "What?" James frowned "Was it that bad?" "Not really" Timothy tried to compose himself "Yeah it''s not that bad" Erik snorted the last of his laughter "Just ask around when we arrive at Knightsend" "Fine" James conceded. He then offered his hand to Erik "I can''t take care of Timothy alone. You''re the senior squire. Come back safely" Erik then shook his hand. It was Timothy''s turn to say his goodbye to Erik. "I''ll repeat, your father would kill me if something happens to you" he offered his hand "He would probably drown you in Greenwater Bay" Erik grinned and shook his hand. "I will go now" "Make them bleed Erik" "I will" 28 Battle in the Forest 1 "About a hundred of them" The scout reported as he pointed at the Castonians on the other side of the Carnack River. The river divided the forest into two. Fortunately, there was a shallow in front of them so they can attack the Castonians. Prefect Luther did not immediately respond. He was annoyed by the scout''s lack of respect. "Samuel, right?" Luther turned his head and glared at him "Have you forgotten how to address your superior Samuel" Luther expected to see the scout''s face to pale, but to his surprise the rascal was indifferent to his words. "I am sorry sir. It won''t happen again" the scout apologized halfheartedly. Luther creased his brows. His hand wanted to slap the spirit out of the disrespectful scout. But he stopped himself. He needs to control his anger because the soldiers are watching and they will hate him for hitting their comrade. He cursed the late Prefect Romel, this was all his fault. Well, maybe not. The biggest offender of all was the bastard Henry. The traitorous bastard killed Prefect Romel and fled. Romel was fine at first and everyone was hopeful that he would survive, but his stomach wound festered and he died of wound fever a few days later. Now, both the Tulosan Knights and the Whistlers lost their prefects. It''s a shame, both Henry and Romel were good leaders. Henry was brave and trusted by his knights, while Romel was¡­well let''s just say that he was oddly charismatic. With just one stab of a sword, one prefect died and the other was declared a traitor. Curse Henry and his outdated views on the Knight''s honor. General Sigurd replaced Henry with a more loyal Knight as prefect. As for the Whistlers, the General gave him the position. Luther doesn''t really have experience when it comes to leading armies. He was chosen because he was the General''s nephew. The General must be afraid of further betrayals so he gave the position to a family member instead to one of the centurions. Luther was happy to accept the position. Being able to lead a cohort was a privilege. His political career would surely be boosted by this. The only problem were the Whistlers. They don''t respect him. But he will force them to respect him. He will lead the Whistlers and harass the Castonians from behind. His first target would be the Castonians waiting at the other side of the river. "Tell the Centurions of the first and second centuries to cross the river and attack the Castonians" Luther commanded his squire. He actually forgot about the names of the Centurions. His squire saluted and went to the first and second centuries. After a while, the two centuries moved out. Two hundred men advanced towards the Castonians. It was just a trot at first, but the Whistlers soon sped up a few meters from the riverbank. But halfway through the river, the horses started to neigh. Some horses fell and some of the riders were pressed underwater. Luther grimaced. Caltrops. The Castonians scattered caltrops on the riverbed. How smart, he praised. His enemy was capable. But the caltrops were not enough to stop the Whistlers. Their charge was slowed, but they were still advancing. There were a few who fell , but the rest still pushed forward. Despite this, Luther couldn''t help but feel anxious. His enemy was cunning. It was unlikely that caltrops was his only trap. Soon, his thoughts were confirmed. The Whistlers fully stopped a few meters away from the riverbank. It was like they hit a wall. Whines of horses can be heard. To make matters worse, the Castonians fired their crossbows. The sound of arrows flying filled the air. Since the Whistlers wore light armor, the bolts buried through their flesh. Both the horses and the soldiers were hit by the bolts. Neighs and human cries mixed in the air, forming an unholy symphony of horror that siphons courage from one''s heart. Even at this distance, Luther could feel their pain. It only took two rounds of arrow fire to break the Whistlers. The two centuries retreated hastily. Some horses stepped on the caltrops again on their way back, increasing the casualties. In the end, dozens of horses and humans died on the river. "What happened?" Luther asked the centurion angrily "Spikes Prefect!" the centurion defended "The bastards planted wooden spikes! The spikes were hidden below the water so we failed to see them." Luther turned his head towards the Castonians and gritted his teeth. Spikes and caltrops. Damn the enemy commander, cunning bastard. He also cursed himself for being so reckless. It seems he needs to think this through. Since they can''t advance towards the Castonians without losing a huge chunk of the cohort, then Luther must find another way to cross the river. The shallows were only a few meters long. That''s why the Castonians were able to set up traps. But they can''t set traps along the entire river. "Tell Centurion Mark to take his century south. Tell Centurion Lyn to take his up north. They need to find shallows." He commanded. ******************************************************************************* Erik wore a smile. The first phase of his plan worked. The Tulosans actually advanced rapidly towards them, amplifying the effect of his caltrops. But the spikes took the cake. Dozens of horses were impaled by the spikes, taking their riders underwater. The arrows had also been very effective. There were no Knights in the vanguard, only lightly armored men so arrows were able to injure or kill them. But this was just the beginning. If he was the enemy commander, he would find shallows. As a matter of fact, there was a shallow a few kilometers down south. Another surprise would be waiting for the Tulosans there. Erik gestured to one of his subordinates. It''s time for phase two. ********************************************************************************* Mark held onto the reins of his horse. His century was riding in haste. They need to find a shallow soon or else the Castonians would get away. He saw the earlier skirmish. It wasn''t really a skirmish, but a one-way massacre. The horrendous screams of horses and humans still rings inside his ear. The Castonians really love to use tricks to win. They have no trust on their strength so they need to resort to tricks. They had always been this way. And the fool Luther, fell for the Castonian tricks. If it was him, he would have never fallen for the Castonian tricks. His blood boils when he thinks of Luther. How dare he issue commands to him? He was just a nobody a week ago. General Sigurd gave the position of Prefect to his nephew. It should have been him! He had served as a Centurion for decades. He had experience under his belt. Now, the General bypassed him and chose his inexperienced nephew instead! Blasphemy! After he gets back, he would show Luther that the position of Prefect should have been his. But first he needs to find a shallow. He needs to beat the Castonians alone. He needs to prove that what Luther failed to achieve with a thousand men, he accomplished with a hundred. "A shallow sir!" the soldier beside him shouted. Mark squinted and scanned the part of the river the soldier was pointing at. It really was a shallow. He then ordered his century to cross the shallow and they did so without any trouble. But before he could celebrate, several arrows hit his men. He looked at the direction the arrows were fired from and saw about fifty Castonians. He ordered a charge. "Attack them!" Mark shouted. He whipped his horse, urging it to charge. The entire century also charged at the Castonians. But the Castonians retreated at full speed. Cowards, Mark thought. When General Kingston invaded 15 years ago, the Castonians ran inside their castles. Now the Castonians in front of him were also running away. But Mark had no plans to let them get away. The Whistlers were famed for being fast. "Charge!" he screamed "Don''t let a single one get away" The distance between the Castonians and his century grew shorter by the minute. Mark could almost taste victory. They outnumbered them two to one so it was not really a question of who was going to win. But just as his Century was able to catch the Castonians, a group of horsemen emerged from behind and fired their crossbows. A lot of arrows found their mark and the charge was halted. Many of his men were hit. Another group of horsemen emerged from the trees and also fired arrows. It was more devastating than the first group. Meanwhile, the retreating Castonians turned towards them and also fired. They were surrounded. It was a trap. He had fallen into a trap. Mark''s blood turned cold after he made an estimate of their numbers. Nearly five hundred! How was this possible? Normally Castonians would only have a hundred cavalry every five thousand infantry. Now there were five hundred around him and a hundred more in front of the rest of the Whistlers. A second volley of arrows flew towards them. One of these arrows hit him in the throat. He clasped his throat with two hands, and tried to stop the bleeding. But the blood from his wound slowly drowned him. After a few moments of fighting to survive, his body felt weak. He was drowning, drowning from his own blood. Mark fell from his horse. "The Centurion has fallen! Retreat!" those were the last words he heard. ****************************************************************************** Beside Erik, a soldier raised his crossbow and aimed at the retreating Tulosans. There were barely a dozen Tulosans who were able to get away. The rest were either dead or struggling to live with arrows lodged inside their bodies. Erik slowly pushed the soldier''s crossbow down and prevented him from shooting the arrow. "Let the go" he commanded "We need to leave survivors.". The soldier nodded to his command. Ordering the veterans around was very uncomfortable for Erik at first. Most of them were twice his age. But Erik soon got used to it. The discipline and obedience of veterans were very impressive. The second phase of his plan was a success. The Tulosans never expected them to have so many cavalry. This was all thanks to Tim. He really admires the insight of his friend. Now all they have to do was to wait for the survivors to report to the enemy commander. After that, phase three begins. 29 Battle in the Forest 2 "What did you say!?" Luther grabbed the soldier by the collar. "Centurion Mark is dead sir!" The soldier''s eyes were filled with dread as he looked at Luther. His body was shaking "Dead! Along with the rest of the Century. I was there. The Castonians ambushed us. Only the fifteen of us survived" The soldier looked down. His eyes were wide open, but trembling. Luther could see that he was still in shock. Luther let go of the Soldier''s collar. Mark''s Century had been annihilated. A hundred men, gone. "Dammit!" he cursed loudly. He then looked at the soldier. "How many Castonians?" "Nearly five hundred sir" the soldier answered Luther was shocked. Five hundred! How were they able to get so many cavalry? Castonians were crazy about their infantry and only used cavalry to scout and send messages. How come a significant portion of their forces were composed of cavalry? The enemy commander was a tough opponent. Luther had already lost nearly two Centuries worth of men but the enemies were yet to suffer casualties. If he can''t destroy them, then his military career would be over. His uncle would surely castigate him. He would send him back to Tulosa. Luther needs to achieve something in order to have a reason for his cohort''s casualties. But he can''t afford to be careless. His opponent was cunning. "If I''m not mistaken, a century of knights will catch up to us soon" he looked at his squire "How long until they arrive?" "The century of Knights under Centurion Stan?" The squire asked him to confirm. Luther nodded "About an hour sir. The rest of the cavalry cohorts will arrive a few hours after that. The infantry are still a day behind." Luther pondered for a while. He should wait for Centurion Stan. Stan''s century will be useful. He''s a Prefect so Centurion Stan would follow his orders. The Tulosans had 600 cavalry and who knows how many were still hiding. With the Knights'' help, he should be able to defeat the Castonians. But he must strike before the rest of the Cavalry arrives or else the other Prefects would snatch away his victory. "Recall Centurion Lyn." He commanded one of the soldiers. "Also send a messenger to Centurion Stan and tell him to hurry" The messengers rode away to deliver Luther''s orders. After about an hour, Centurion Lyn and Centurion Stan arrived almost simultaneously. "Your messenger told me of what happened" Stan went closer to Luther "You should have known that it was a trap" "Are you forgetting something, Centurion?" Luther emphasized the word ''Centurion''. Centurion Stan needs to know the difference between their ranks. "Sir" Stan gritted his teeth, clearly annoyed. But Luther doesn''t mind. He can''t control other people''s feelings, only their actions. "That''s better Centurion" Luther mocked. "And don''t you dare question my actions. The destruction of Centurion Mark''s Century wasn''t my fault. It was his foolishness that killed him." "And now you want to attack again. The enemy commander would again trick you. It''s better to wait for the rest of the cavalry detachment. You have no talent in leading. " Stan sneered. This time, Luther was not able to hold his temper. He slapped Centurion Stan in the face. Since the Centurion was wearing a mail coif, Luther''s hand hit the metal. The slap did more damage to his hand compared to the Centurion''s face. Luther retracted his hand and bit his lips. His hand was in pain. Despite this, he tried to act tough and reprimanded the Centurion. "I told you Centurion, don''t mock me. Prepare your men. We will attack soon" He turned and mounted his horse. Below him, the Centurion was still glaring. Luther felt victorious. The Whistler Cohort and Stan''s Century, a total of about nine hundred men, rode towards the shallow down south. It took them less than an hour to reach the shallow. On the other side, the Castonians were waiting. There were about three hundred of them. That meant, the other three hundred were still hiding somewhere. They intend to use the same trick, Luther thought. The Castonians would again lure them into the trees and ambush them from behind. But Luther was not afraid. The Whistlers were fast and would just chase the Castonians if they dared to flank them. The Castonian plan was to use hit-and-run tactics. While they might succeed in the ''hit'' part, they can''t run. The Whistlers were faster. Their trick worked on Centurion Mark because the fool was outnumbered and was not able to give chase. Now, he outnumbered his enemy. Many of the Whistlers will die today, but the reward would surely be worth their sacrifices. Furthermore, the presence of the Knights gave him assurance. They completed their crossing without difficulties. Just as Luther thought, the Castonians don''t have enough caltrops. After they finished their crossing, Luther immediately ordered a chase. After the Tulosans charged, the Castonians retreated. Luther doesn''t care whether this retreat was fake or real. They will catch them anyway. Nine hundred Tulosans chased the Castonians. Chasing was actually a little hard because of the trees. If one was not careful, he could hit his head on a tree. Despite this, the Tulosans endured. They can almost grab the Castonians. But Luther now felt a little worried. He was wrong. He thought that the Castonians would flank them and shoot arrows from behind. He thought that half of the Castonians were waiting behind the trees. But the chase had been going on for a few minutes now and the rest of the Castonians were still missing. Now he was really worried. Where are the rest? The Castonians then did something dreadful. They scattered caltrops behind. There were so many caltrops that it was impossible for a horse to not step on one. Most of the horses at the front stepped on the caltrops and halted. This caused a chain reaction that temporarily stopped the Tulosan advance. But that wasn''t the end of it. Arrows started raining from above. Luther knew that the Castonians would use this method again. But the problem is, where are they? Luther can''t see the Castonians. If they only showed themselves, the only thing left to do was to chase and destroy them. The Castonians were still missing, yet arrows were raining. "Above! They are on the trees!" One of the soldiers shouted. Luther looked up and saw hundreds of Castonians firing arrows from the trees. His heart skipped a beat. He was too focused on the flanking army that he forgot about the trees. Their situation is bad, no, it was deadly. The Castonians could just fire arrows without worrying about being chased. Speed? The Whistlers'' speed can''t help them climb the trees. They had fallen into a trap. The Castonians on horseback turned and also fired arrows at them. After a while, dozens of Whistlers lie dead and hundreds were injured. Luther tried to rally his men, but the Whistlers already panicked. Some soldiers started to rout. Luther closed his eyes and made a decision. This decision would ruin him, but it was better than being killed. He ordered a retreat. They can''t do anything anyway. They can''t attack the Castonians on top of the trees. They also can''t attack the Castonians on horseback because the bastards would just run away. "Retreat!" Luther shouted but his voice was lost among the cries. He didn''t need to command them though because the Whistlers were already routing. Now the hunter became the hunted, the predator turned into the prey. The Castonians on horseback continued to fire arrows at them until they reached the other side of the river. By then, only five hundred of them remained. The Knights also retreated. They fared better compared to the Whistlers, but they were still in bad shape. Those who lost their horses were picked by the Castonians one by one. Luther wanted to scream. He wanted to scream so loud. But he was too exhausted to do so. He lost half of his army. Half! And the Castonians probably lost none. He failed. Being defeated was painful. His life was over, his political ambitions gone. He will become a laughingstock. He looked to the other side of the river. The enemy commander bested him. "You''ve won." He silently said. ***************************************************************************************** Erik won. Hundreds of Tulosans lie dead on the forest ground. No one died on his side, but some people were injured. The caltrops they scattered on their retreat earlier injured some of the horses while chasing the Tulosans. Some of the soldiers also fell from the trees. The old bodies of the veterans were not suitable for doing strenuous work. But this was just the third phase of his plan. There was actually a fourth phase. It doesn''t require fighting, but it was the most important part of his plan. "Sir, Prince Timothy and the rest of the army had left the forest" the soldier reported "Do it then" he commanded "We also need to retreat" Erik looked to the direction of the Tulosans. He must thank the enemy commander for being cooperative. The fourth phase of his plan begins now. The solution to their problem was actually easy. Timothy went to the forest for a reason and Erik understood this reason. Also the weather these past days enabled them to go through with this plan. But for this plan to work, they must first put enough distance between them and the Tulosans. That was why Timothy sent a guerilla detachment. Erik formulated four phases to make this plan happen. First phase ¨C Hinder the crossing of the vanguard. They would surprise the enemies with traps hidden underwater. Second phase- The enemy commander would send a small detachment to find other crossing points. They need to destroy this detachment but leave some witnesses alive. The enemies don''t know that they have 600 horsemen so they will be cocky. Third phase- Destroy the rest of the vanguard. They enemy commander by now would use the superior speed of their horses to chase them. Unfortunately, they can''t chase them if they were up in the trees. Fourth Phase ¨C Burn the forest. Burning the forest was the core of their plan. If the first three phases were successful, that meant Erik bought enough time for Timothy to leave the forest safely. The infantry need to leave the forest first before Erik could burn the trees. Their main purpose was to delay the Tulosans and the burning forest would probably buy them a few days at least. After a while, a fire engulfed a huge portion of the forest. The searing heat scorched the earth. Erik led the cavalry detachment out of the forest and behind him was a wall of fire, consuming everything like a hungry beast. Erik smiled. The Demon Squire with a burning forest in the background. How fitting, he thought. 30 Good News Timothy was looking at Erik''s handiwork and sighed. He can''t really see the fire from where he was standing, but the smoke was large enough. Behind him were his soldiers resting from a whole day of marching. In order to get out of the forest as soon as possible, he ordered a quick march. The men were exhausted, but they got out of the forest before sundown. But now he was starting to worry about Erik and the veterans. Escaping the fire would be hard. "Tim" James tugged his sleeves "Look!" James pointed at the forest. Timothy squinted and saw several moving figures among the trees. The figures were small at first, like dots, but soon their features became more apparent. It was Erik and the cavalry detachment. The soldiers also saw the approaching figures and stood up. They then cheered after seeing that it was the cavalry. They rejoiced and shouted. Erik dismounted his horse and went to Timothy. His face was still black from the smoke and his armor was dirty. He then saluted and knelt in front of Timothy. "Your Highness, we have accomplished your orders." "Rise Erik Connel" Timothy gestured for Erik to stand up "Castonia is grateful to you and the Connel family." Erik stood up. "It''s my honor to do my duty to your highness" he bowed "The honor is mine" Timothy smiled. He then turned to the soldiers who were silently watching their exchange "Although he gave the Tulosans a free bonfire to warm their nights" The soldiers laughed. Timothy then slowly raised his hand to silence them. "Erik Connel and the Cavalry detachment''s heroic deeds bought us a few days of time." He then pointed at the muddy and haggard soldiers of the cavalry detachment "For that we must thank them. But this isn''t over yet" he paused to let his words sink in. "I know that these last few days had been hard. We marched all day, stopping only to sleep for a few hours. Our food was bad, our water dirty and our bodies weak from exhaustion. But this isn''t over. Tomorrow we will march again, tomorrow we will eat stale food again, tomorrow me must satisfy our thirst with dirty water again. But at least we have tomorrow. Our living conditions are bad, but at least we are alive. And as long as we are alive, as long as we are breathing, a tomorrow is an opportunity, an opportunity to make things better." "So grab your rucksacks, eat your stale bread, drink your dirty water and look forward for tomorrow. We will face tomorrow together with grim determination. Don''t look back to the past, yearn for the future, yearn for a better life. Because I assure you, we will live! We will survive! And tomorrow will come!" Timothy raised his fist into the air. The deafening cheers of the soldiers shook the earth. Their living condition these past days was abysmal. Timothy suffered with them. He knew how they feel because sometimes even he felt giving up. But he banished these thoughts. He will survive and live on. Tough days were ahead, but he''s still alive. Being alive meant having the power and opportunity to change one''s fate. Also every time he was about to give up, the thought Lucia gave him courage to go on. He hadn''t decided yet on who to trust between Lucia and his father. But if Lucia was telling the truth, then he owed her his life. She had done so much to ensure his survival. He needs to get back to her. He needs to live so that her efforts would not go to waste. Also, he wants to see her again, he wants to live by her side. Timothy smiled and ridiculed himself. He vowed to remain neutral between Lucia and his father but it seems his heart had been inching closer toward Lucia''s side. The soldiers camped for the night and left the next morning. Just as what Timothy said, they carried their rucksacks, ate their stale bread and drank their dirty water. But this time, the did so with conviction. At noon the next day, Erik informed Timothy of great news. "What?" Timothy looked at Erik in disbelief "The garrison of Knightsend are coming to reinforce us? But Knightsend is.." "They broke the siege by themselves Tim!" Erik excitedly declared. "It''s better to ask the messenger directly" "Tell him to come here immediately" Timothy ordered. Erik then left and came back with the messenger. "John? You''re John right?" Timothy asked. He recognized him. He really was a soldier of Knighstend. He remembered John as the soldier he caught drunk while on guard duty about a year ago. There was now a dry wound that runs across his cheek, but Timothy still recognized him. John dismounted his horse, knelt and saluted to Tim "It brings me joy that His Highness still recognizes me." He said happily "Centurion John Wilkin at your command sire" "Centurion?" Timothy raised his brows. John was not an officer when he was still at Knightsend. Even though John was capable, Timothy was reluctant in promoting him. His record of being drunk on duty made Timothy worry of the promotion''s effects on the soldiers. "General Marvin promoted me your highness" John shyly scratched his head and avoided Timothy''s eyes "But I can relinquish my command if you desire" "No need for that Centurion" Timothy smiled "You deserve your promotion. By the way, address me as sir, not your highness. Let''s not be so formal. Now, tell me about General Marvin''s message" " We have broken the siege sir. 3000 men are coming to reinforce you. We also captured many horses and supplies" Timothy was delighted. This was certainly, without a doubt, good news. Horses! Supplies! And experienced soldiers from Knightsend! This also meant that they don''t need to break the siege anymore. "Good!" Timothy exclaimed "But you must be crazy to sally forth and attack the Tulosans" "It was dangerous sir. In fact our left flank was charged by the Knights from behind. The rest of their cavalry also attacked the left flank. I was there. We were outnumbered and many brothers died. But we did not rout sir! Any other army would have routed but we stood up and fought. It was hard at first, but Castonian strength prevailed. We made them pay." John proudly said. Timothy was also proud. What they did was dangerous, but in the end their training and courage saved them. These are the soldiers he had always wanted to have. "And I believe your deeds in that battle were the reason for your promotion" Timothy commented "Yes sir" John refused to look at him again "But it wasn''t just me. Many of the brothers also fought ferociously. After knowing that you were in danger, we were enraged. We wanted to break the siege as soon as possible and fight for you" Timothy was so touched that words failed to escape his mouth. The soldiers of Knightsend were not just strong and brave, they were also loyal to him. His earlier prediction was correct. If the garrison knew of his situation, they would break the siege themselves. "Thank you for your loyalty. But how did you know of my situation?" "General Marvin told us sir. He said that a letter came from Lucia Vanadis that warned him of your situation. If I''m not mistaken, Lucia Vanadis is the Princess of Vanadis and your betrothed so we believed her. " Lucia. Timothy closed his eyes. She must have used the seal he gave her. Lucia saved him again. Now, he''s almost certain on who to trust between Lucia and his father. If Lucia wanted to harm him, she wouldn''t inform Marvin of his situation. She had done so much for him and he doubted her. Doubting her was actually the logical thing to do, their time together was short and trust blooms with time. But he still felt guilty for doubting her. She must have done so much just to increase his chances of survival. She didn''t have connections in Castonia but she still found a way to help him anyway. Lucia was smart and capable. He didn''t deserve her. She was too good. He wants to hug her right now and thank her. He also wanted to apologize for doubting her at first. But that can wait. It''s his turn now to impress her. With the help of Knightsend''s garrison, he now had the strength to destroy the Tulosans. He will annihilate them. He is Timothy Castonia, third prince of the Kingdom of Castonia and he will show the Tulosans how dreadful he is. He will win, for Castonia, for the soldiers who trust him, for himself, and for Lucia. "Erik, tell the men of the good news" he smiled "Also, tell them that I changed my mind after receiving this news. Tell them that the Western Region will soon become red with Tulosan blood" 31 Luther Sigurd''s fist wrecked Luther''s face. With a single jab, he downed his foolish nephew. The punch was so strong it made Luther gasp for air on the ground. "Fool!" he kicked Luther. He then grabbed Luther''s hair and forced the fool to look at him in the eye "Do you have any idea what you did!?" Luther''s face twitched a bit. He forced a reply "I''m sorry Uncle" Sigurd slapped him "You lost half of the Whistlers! Half, Luther. Half!" he shouted to his face "And worst of all, you allowed them to escape!" Sigurd let go of Luther''s hair. He wanted to bury his sword into the fool''s stomach, but he stopped himself. Luther was still his nephew. He stood up and went to the table and poured himself some wine. Luther crawled towards him and hugged his foot. "I''m really sorry Uncle. I accept responsibility for this disaster. I promise to restore the honor of the Whistlers next time" Sigurd looked disdainfully at this Nephew. "What makes you think that you will keep your command" he scoffed "You don''t deserve the position of prefect" "No Uncle!" he pleaded "I will be ruined if you strip me of my command. Our entire family will be ruined. Let me keep my position so that I can restore my honor" Luther''s pleas angered Sigurd. He splashed his wine to Sigurd''s face. "You can''t!" He then grabbed him by the collar "You know why? Because you''re a fool. You got tricked, not once, not twice, but four times! You have no talent. You shouldn''t dream of restoring your honor because you can''t!" he let go of him. Luther was silent for a very long time. Sigurd thought that his words had broken the fool''s spirit. But Luther suddenly said something. Sigurd failed to catch what Luther said, but he''s certain that the fool said something. "What?" he creased his brows "You need me Uncle" Luther said silently. Sigurd''s anger blazed. How dare he. The fool actually said that he needed him. Sigurd raised his foot to stomp on Luther''s chest. He needs to teach him a lesson. "Let me explain!" Luther begged before Sigurd could kick him "I have a reason!" Sigurd stopped and lowered his foot. He was a little curious of what Luther has to say. "You have one sentence to convince me" "I may not have a talent, but I''m loyal" Sigurd already knew that his nephew was loyal to him. This was the reason why he chose Luther to replace Romel as Prefect of the Whistlers. But he was wrong. Luther was a fool. The destruction of half of the Whistlers was the effect of that mistake. Nevertheless, he was intrigued by Luther''s answer. "Go on" "The Whistlers have always lacked loyalty. Prefect Romel was able to keep them in line for a while, but now Prefect Romel is dead. I''m afraid that the loss of half of the Whistlers would make them desert, or worse defect to the Castonians." Luther explained. "Desert? What are you talking about? Why would they desert?" "Because they''re afraid of the Castonians Uncle" Luther was shaking. "In fact, I am too. They are devils. They''re strong and smart. I can still feel the horrifying feeling of hundreds of arrows whizzing out of nowhere. I know the Whistlers feel the same. After the battle I saw them trembling from fear. They would rather flee rather than fight the Castonians again." That actually makes sense, Sigurd thought. In fact, he was aware of the tendency of the Whistlers to desert. He had seen them after the battle and he was not pleased with their condition. Some still had arrows lodge in them while others were trembling from fear. Sigurd was so angry at Luther that time that he paid no mind to it. But now, he thinks this will be a potential problem. If the Whistlers did desert, then morale of the entire army would be greatly affected. It was tolerable if the only problem was not being able to use the Whistlers. But it would be a big problem if their desertion causes a huge drop on morale. He can''t have that. "And I should keep you as the Prefect of the Whistlers because you are loyal?" "Exactly Uncle. I will not lead the Whistlers in battle. You can''t use them anyway with the state they are in right now. I will just prevent them from deserting" Luther promised. Sigurd believed him. His nephew might be stupid, but he really was loyal. Luther would not lie to him. "And how would that benefit you, dear nephew?" Sigurd tested him "You will be a prefect in name only. Your political career was over the moment you lost the battle" "Failures can be forgotten Uncle. If you will be able to kill the Castonian Prince, then the loss of five hundred Whistlers would become old news." Sigurd nodded. That was correct. His nephew just lost 500 good men, but that was nothing if they were able to kill Timothy Castonia. "And you are certain that you can control the Whistlers?" "Yes, uncle. Many of the Centurions died so there were few who will be able to challenge my command. On top of that" Luther looked at him with a pained expression "I will promise them fifty gold coins each" Sigurd frowned. Fifty gold coins was a great amount. A normal soldier''s salary was a gold coin each month. Luther was actually willing to spend most of his fortune just to keep his command. He was impressed by Luther''s willingness so his anger dissipated. "You are willing to pay that much?" "My career is more important Uncle" Luther answered "Fine" Sigurd agreed "But I want you to understand that the Whistlers would not take part in future battles. Promise me Luther" "I promise Uncle" Luther saluted to him and bowed *********************************************************************************** Luther left his uncle''s tent with a smile. Even though his body hurts from the physical abuse he experienced, he was still happy. His uncle agreed to his request. Luther actually lied. He had no plans to stay idle. He needed to take revenge on the enemy commander who defeated him. His heart still aches whenever he thinks of the defeat. Losing was actually alright. But losing half of his command without a single casualty on the enemy''s side was so painful. It broke him. He wanted to find the enemy commander and personally gut the bastard. His hand was still shaking from fear and anger. This was the first time he lied to his Uncle. He was so afraid of his Uncle in the past that he never lied to him. But anger drowns fear. He will find the enemy commander and defeat him. His uncle may punish him for that, but it will be worth it as long as he had his revenge. He will also spend a huge fortune to bribe the Whistlers into accepting him as their leader. They may be broken for now, but nothing fixes a broken man better than gold coins. He needed to sell a huge portion of the fief his father left him. This may result to his destruction, but he can''t just sit idly. He really, absolutely, truly needs to satisfy his anger. He clenched his fist. "Luther" a voice called to him. He turned and saw Centurion Stan "I am glad you came back alive from the General''s tent" he mocked "That''s Prefect Luther for you Centurion. You Knights always forget how to address your superiors." he reprimanded Stan. Centurion Stand made a complicated expression "You" he pointed at him "You were not demoted?" "Of course not Centurion" he slowly pushed Stan''s finger down. He then went closer and whispered to his ears "I did nothing wrong" "Nothing wrong!" Stan roared "I lost twenty of my brothers because of you. I told you to wait for the rest of the cavalry but you did not listen!" "Don''t blame me for the death of your Knights" Luther shrugged "I will blame you for all eternity. You don''t deserve the position of Prefect. You are a fool! And look!" he pointed at the burning forest "You allowed the Castonians to cover their retreat" Luther looked at the burning forest. The fire was so large that it turned the night into day. Thankfully, the Carnack River isolated the fire to the other side of the forest. "Once my Uncle kills the Prince, then my failure would be forgotten" "I will not forget Prefect" Centurion Stan warned "I will never forget. You will always be a failure to me and to my men." "I don''t care" Luther laughed. "Your opinion doesn''t concern me Centurion. And why don''t you fix your own cohort before judging me? Your last Prefect was a traitor" "Shut your mouth!" Luther saw Stan ball his fist. "Prefect Henry is not a traitor. He just followed his conscience. It was the bastard Romel who crossed the line" "By following the General''s orders?" Luther raised his brows "Centurion, you don''t have traitorous tendencies, do you? Henry is a traitor. He killed Romel and he betrayed Tulosa. That is a fact, Centurion. Don''t say otherwise because some people might think you are on the traitor''s side." Luther gave Stan a smile. The Centurion did not answer. He just lowered his head and balled his fist. Luther could see that he''s very angry, but Luther''s statement was correct. Romel was just following orders and Henry killed him. That was a betrayal. "Well Centurion, I think you understand. You are a smart man. My Uncle does not tolerate any form of betrayal so be careful" He walked away and left Centurion Stan. 32 Fake Loyalty After leaving Centurion Stan, Luther went to the tents of the Whistlers. Along the way, he encountered injured soldiers with bandages wrapped around various parts of their body. Some still had arrows sticking out of their bodies. All these injured soldiers gave him a hostile glare. But Luther doesn''t mind. Their anger will be replaced with loyalty soon enough, fake loyalty but loyalty nonetheless. "Assemble the cohort" Luther shouted in a commanding voice. The soldiers looked at him for a moment but they did not listen to his words. Luther was actually a little irritated by this. In the entire history of Tulosa, he should be the only prefect who was treated this way. "I said, assemble the cohort!" Luther screamed. The soldiers again stopped what they were doing, but this time they glared at him with murderous eyes. Luther was a little afraid. "What gives you the right to command us?" a soldier asked. He had bandages wrapped around his arm. Luther lifted his chin and looked at the soldier. He needs to act tough. "What gives me the right?" Luther laughed "Your oath to the army. Don''t tell me you forgot that you promised to always follow the orders of your prefect. Not following my command is a betrayal to Tulosa which is punishable by death" "You are" the soldier stammered "You''re still our prefect?" his eyes went wide. "Of course soldier" he smiled and went closer to him. He then put his hand on the soldier''s shoulder "I am Luther, Prefect of the Whistler cohort" "Why!?" another soldier asked angrily "Why were you not demoted?!" "Yeah. Many of my friends died because of you!" "It was your fault!" "It''s General Sigurd. He is the general''s nephew so he can''t be demoted!" "To hell with that. He doesn''t deserve to be our Prefect." "We need to protest!" Luther threw a bag of gold coins towards the soldier. The soldier dodged the bag, causing it to fall to the ground. Everyone was silenced by Luther''s actions. "You did not catch it soldier. You don''t want it?" Luther said in a mocking tone "What?" "It''s yours. Take it" Luther gestured towards the bag of coins The soldier looked at the bag of coins. He slowly bent and picked up the bag. "Why?" he looked at Luther confusedly Luther did not answer him. He turned to the rest of the Whistlers "Fifty gold coins!" he emphasized the amount "I will give every single one of you fifty gold coins. Follow me as your Prefect and I will give you this amount. It''s worth four years of your salary. I will make you rich if you follow me. Furthermore, I will give you all the loot of the cohort. I will not take a single coin from your future loot." The Whistlers were silent for a long time. Not a single one of them made a sound. Luther dreaded their silence so he broke it. "Any questions?" A soldier slowly raised his hand. Luther gestured that he should continue "You will give us money?" "Yes" Luther answered "For what?" "Your loyalty" "So you''re bribing us?" another soldier asked "No, comrade. I am not bribing you" Luther smiled "It''s a gift for your loyalty" "That''s bribing" the soldier reasoned "Let''s not stick to technicalities" Luther said. Bribery was illegal in the army so he didn''t want to admit it. "And why should we agree?" "Because I am sincere. I want you to forget our past misfortunes. Let''s start anew. Besides, fifty gold coins is a huge sum. It would be a shame if you pass on this offer" Luther reasoned "I will follow you!" a soldier shouted "Wait! We shouldn''t be hasty. We just lost five hundred of our comrades because of him." "Don''t tell me that your comrades are more important than fifty gold coins? The people you lost are already dead. Whether you accept my gift or not, they will never come back. So why not accept my gift? It''s free money. You need to offer your loyalty of course, but like what I said, fifty gold coins is a huge sum." Luther wasn''t actually worried that the Whistlers would deny him. The Whistler cohort was a mercenary company during the civil war. They were infamous for being greedy so Luther was certain that they would accept his offer. "When?" the same soldier asked after a moment of contemplation "When can you give us the money?" "After we get back to Tulosa. I don''t have that much right now" Luther admitted "But I will give you promissory notes instead. You can exchange the note after we get back. Also, don''t be afraid that I will let many of you die just to lessen my expenses. The money of those who died will be shared by those who survived at the end of the campaign" The soldier frowned at first but then he knelt in submission. "Long live Prefect Luther. " "My loyalty is yours" another soldier did the same. What followed was a chorus of soldiers offering their ''loyalty'' to Luther. Luther felt pleased. Money can''t buy everything, but it sure is powerful. ********************************************************************************************* After a day of marching, Timothy and his army met up with the soldiers from Knightsend. The soldiers gave his exhausted men fresh food and clean clothes. The food and clothes boosted the men''s morale. It had been a week since they had fresh food and clean clothes. In fact, they were running out of food. After resting for a bit, he called for a meeting. All the Prefects, the Quartermaster, General Marvin, James, Erik and Timothy went inside the war tent. "First of all, I want to thank you for coming to my aid." Timothy looked at General Marvin "Any other General would have never risked coming to help me" "Any friend would help their friend in need. Also, Castonia can''t afford to lose you" Marvin replied "Besides, the soldiers would kill me if I refused to help you" he jested Timothy grinned and nodded. "What''s the report on our combined numbers and supplies?" he then asked the Quartermaster "3245 soldiers from Knightsend and 7035 from the army you brought. That would total to about 10,280 sir. Additionally, we have about 2000 horses at the ready. In terms of food, I''m not sure Your Highness. Should I include the food you brought?" Timothy knew what the quartermaster meant. All the food left from their march were stale bread. Stale bread wasn''t actually bad for the body. It tastes bad, but it doesn''t lead to food poisoning. Timothy nodded his head. "If we include that. Well" the quartermaster thought for a while "I estimate our food to last for three more weeks. We also have food reserves back at Knightsend in case we need to retreat." "How about weapons, armors and shields? Include those stored at Knightsend" "We have enough mail for the whole army Your Highness. We also have enough halberds, swords and spears. But we only have about 2000 shields" Timothy nodded. The shortage of shields was understandable. Since most of the infantry use halberds as primary weapon nowadays, shields became less popular in Castonia. "Crossbows and bolts?" he asked the quartermaster again "Nearly four thousand usable crossbows back at Knightsend and I think more than a hundred thousand bolts" "We have an abundance in supplies and weapons. Now let''s talk about strategy" Timothy smiled. He then pointed at the burning forest in Mercus Plains. "You may have heard already but the Tulosans are stuck here" "Yeah. That was a genius move" General Marvin commented "Now that the army is undivided, we have a chance to destroy them." Timothy chuckled after hearing General Marvin "What do you mean ''we have a chance''?" he smiled "We already won" Everyone gave Timothy a questioning look. "Your Highness I think it''s too early to claim victory. It will be hard for us to defeat the Tulosans in the field" Erik said Timothy always knew that this was Erik''s weakness. His friend was good at tactics, but not at strategy. He was meticulous, but he always fails to see the bigger picture. "Look at the map" Timothy said. He then pointed at their current location and traced his finger towards Knightsend. "What do you see?" Erik squinted and looked closely. His eyes then went wide "We" he looked at Timothy "We are blocking their supply lines!" he exclaimed Timothy smiled. Erik learns fast. "Not just theirs but also the larger Tulosan army''s supply lines. They probably didn''t expect this to happen. I mean who would expect that the soldiers from Knightsend were crazy enough to sally forth and break the siege. By breaking the siege, we also blocked their supply lines. They will run out of food soon enough. They will have no choice but to attack us to keep their supply lines open. In that case, we will go back to Knightsend and defend the castle" "So we will retreat to Knightsend and do nothing?" General Marvin asked "We will go back to Knightsend, but that doesn''t mean we won''t do anything. Like what I said, we already won the moment you broke the siege and blocked their supply lines. It''s checkmate no matter how you look at it. It''s just a question of how much we will make them suffer. We could just do nothing and let them retreat to Tulosa. Many of them will die of hunger and exposure. The larger army besieging Timur and Greenwater will also have no choice but to retreat. It will be a win for us. If they choose to assault the castle instead, they can''t win. They are dangerous now because of their cavalry, but cavalry is useless in castle assaults. Either way they will lose men." "So what''s your plan?" General Marvin failed to hide his excitement and grinned from ear to ear. "First we need to make sure they assault the castle. I need saboteurs to burn their food. They are running out of food now, but if the saboteurs succeed, the Tulosans will have no choice but to assault Knightsend. Do you have a man for this job?" Timothy asked General Marvin "Yes and they''re good" "That''s perfect then. If they can burn the Tulosans'' food, then I can promise you a miracle." Timothy stood up examined their expressions. All of them were confused. "A miracle?" Erik questioned "Yes" Timothy smiled "A complete victory that will be remembered for centuries to come" 33 The Stupid and the Talentless "Solon or Ledega?" Jop suddenly asked "What?" Elisar turned. What stupid things is he talking about this time? "Where do you want to live after you retire?" Jop then sighed and looked at the stars with a smile "Twelve more years and we can already retire" "Retire?" Elisar scoffed and shook his head "We are at war and you think about retirement? Think about surviving those twelve years first." "It''s not like we are going to lose. We have Prince Timothy so we won''t lose." Elisar also felt safe with the presence of the prince. The Rooster Prince was smart. Even if they were put into a difficult situation, he would think of a way. But winning and surviving were two different things. For lowly soldiers like them, survival in times of war was like distant dream. "Winning is not the same with survival. We won our last battle but many of our brothers died" Elisar said "Oh come on!" Jop led his horse closer to Elisar. He then wrapped his one arm around Elisar''s neck and grinned "Can''t you be a little optimistic? You''ll grow old faster if you think like that" "First of all, I survived all these years because I think like this. Second" he pushed Jop''s arm away from his neck "Get your hands off me. I almost fell off my horse you bastard" Jop laughed. "But you didn''t and you won''t. I did that to you dozens of times already but you did not fall even once" "Another way of saying that is you tried to kill me dozens of times already but failed everytime" "Why would I try to kill you? You are my best friend" he grinned and offered his knuckle to Elisar. "Come on brother, don''t keep me hanging" In response, Elisar just rolled his eyes. "No" he said firmly "Why?" "Because it''s stupid" "It''s not stupid. This is how best friends declare their friendship" Jop defended "Come on El. My arm is getting tired" Jop was actually his best friend, if his definition of a best friend was correct. They grew up together in a village near Solon and even became hired blades at one point in their lives. When they decided that they had enough of the underworld, they both joined the army. The two of them practically spent their whole lives together so Jop was the closest person to him. But Elisar can''t admit this to Jop. "Even if your arm falls off your body, I would never" Elisar declared firmly. He finds the gesture awkward. Jop actually copied the gesture from Prince Timothy himself. One day he saw Prince Timothy and Erik hit their knuckles as a sign of friendship. Ever since that day, Jop had always pestered him about bumping their fists together. Jop retracted his fist and chuckled "You never change El. By the way, who''s the beneficiary for your pension? Being so pessimistic, I believe you already planned whom to give your money in case you die. Your family are all dead so it must be one of the brothers right?" Elisar turned away from Jop. "Wh..why should I tell you" he stuttered "I''m just curious. Come on tell me." Jop urged "I told the centurion to divide the money equally among the century. In case I die, buy some drinks" "Really?" Jop''s eyes went wide "That must be the reason why you always think I''m trying to kill you whenever I grab onto your neck on horseback" he jested "Many people died by falling from their horse so I''m not actually wrong" Elisar reasoned "And can you be a little more serious about this? Prince Timothy gave us an important mission so we should not mess around" "I''m not messing around. I was just trying to calm you. You were so nervous earlier" Jop grinned "Ha-ha-ha. Very funny Jop. During our first mission, who peed his pants again because the merchant chased him with an axe?" "You promised to forget that!" Jop protested "And who wouldn''t. It was a very huge axe" "Who goes in there!" a man on horseback suddenly approached them. Elisar and Jop were surprised by the sudden appearance of the Tulosan. He must be a scout. They never expected the Tulosans to send scouts this far. But from the looks of his armor, he was not a Knight so Elisar felt relieved. Worst case scenario, they have to kill the Tulosan. It would be hard to kill a knight with their current weapons. Thankfully, the man was just wearing poorly-made gambeson. "Ahoy Brother" Jop said with a Tulosan accent. After hearing those words, Elisar couldn''t help but glare at him. His accent was good, but who says ''ahoy brother'' at a soldier? It was a greeting among the navy. Nobody greets a fellow soldier like that. "What?" The Tulosan was confused by Jop''s greeting. He led his horse closer. Elisar could now see his face. "Pardon my friend, brother. He''s a little strange" Elisar said. He tried to salvage the situation but he completely butchered his Tulosan accent. The moment those words left his mouth, he knew that he made a mistake. He examined the Tulosan''s expression. It was of disbelief. He confirmed that they had been revealed. "You" The Tulosan frowned and pointed at them. But he then lowered his trembling arm and gave a fake smile "Ah forgive me brother. Continue with your journey. Don''t mind me" he said in a shaky voice "Kill him" Elisar immediately whispered to Jop. He knew that the Tulosan already found out about their identity and was just acting dumb. He wanted to escape so that he could reveal the presence of spies. But Elisar can''t let him leave. They will fail the mission if the man revealed them to the rest of the Tulosans. Jop nodded after hearing Elisar''s whisper. Without question, he galloped towards the Tulosan. Elisar also did the same. The two of them rushed towards the Tulosan. The Tulosan was quick and smart. He realized that he couldn''t win this so he tried to flee. The two of them chased the Tulosan. "Help! Enemies!" the Tulosan shouted. This is bad, Elisar thought. Even though they were still a few hours away from the Tulosan camp, there''s still a chance that someone will hear them. Jop grabbed the reins of his horse firmly. He positioned his body perfectly to achieve maximum speed. Elisar must admit that Jop was a better soldier compared to him. Jop''s horse quickly reduced the distance. Jop then jumped towards the Tulosan and pushed him. The Tulosan fell off his horse. Elisar did not waste any time and led his horse towards the Tulosan. One of the horse''s foot hit the Tulosan somewhere in the torso. Upon further inspection, Elisar noticed that the horse''s stomp crushed the Tulosan''s chest. The Tulosan cried in pain, but his cry was shortened by his crushed chest. Elisar quickly dismounted his horse and grabbed the hilt of his dagger. He must kill the man quickly. He then slit the Tulosan''s throat. After a while, the Tulosan died. Everything happened so fast. Elisar was staring blankly at the Tulosan''s corpse when Jop''s voice echoed behind him. "It''s a team effort then" Jop said. Elisar frowned after hearing another stupid remark from Jop. They almost failed their mission so this was not the time to make another stupid remark. "Team effort? What?" he looked at him. "Team effort. My accent was good, but my response was bad. Your response was good, but your accent was bad." He shrugged "No. It''s all your fault." Elisar said as he wiped the dagger with a cloth. He did it thoroughly lest the blood rusts the steel. "You were the one in charge of talking and you failed. ''Ahoy brother''? What the hell." "Who are you to talk? That Tulosan accent of yours was so bad." Jop retorted "If I only have your skills, I would have reached the rank of Prefect a long time ago" Elisar mounted his horse. They will just leave the Tulosan. It''s night anyway so nobody will see him. "Well look at it the other way. If I only had your brains then I would also have reached the rank of Prefect years ago" Jop countered. Elisar sighed "Just shut up okay? Please give me silence" he pleaded "Just focus on our mission" "No I won''t. I will keep on talking. " Jop defiantly said "You''re still so nervous I''m afraid you''ll pee your pants" he smirked After a few hours of riding, Elisar and Jop reached the Tulosan camp. Several Tulosan scouts stopped inspected them on their way, but Jop did the talking and Elisar the thinking so the scouts did not suspect them. The Tulosan camp was just beyond the burnt forest. It seems that the fire delayed the Tulosans for few days. Elisar and Jop hid their horses behind a nearby tree. After that, they dismounted and started walking towards the camp. This is it, Elisar thought. He was a little nervous. He knew the importance of their mission so there''s no room for error. 34 Saboteurs "So this is it?" Jop asked as he pointed at the camp "Yes" Elisar answered. He was slightly annoyed by Jop''s stupid question. Of course this was the Tulosan camp. What else could this be? "But it''s so large. It''s larger than our camp" "That''s because they have horses to tend to." Elisar explained. He then stopped walking. "Wait. We first need to plan our move" "So what''s the plan?" Jop also stopped walking and turned to him. Elisar was glad that his partner was cooperative. Jop might be stupid sometimes, or most of the time, but he''s a good partner to have. Jop had always listened and obeyed Elisar''s plan in the past. That was why they became successful in the underworld a few years back. Elisar was the brain, Jop was the brawn. They were a great team since they complemented each other. "Since my Tulosan accent is poor, you will do the talking" Elisar said. "What if they ask you a question?" Jop inquired "You can''t just ignore them" "Tell them that my tongue was cut. I''ll then make inaudible sounds so they will believe our excuse." Elisar looked at Jop. "And only talk if it was needed. You''re bad at making excuses" "I know, I know" he assured "I''ll try not to blabber" "And?" Elisar raised his brows "And I won''t do something stupid" Jop sighed "Let''s go" "Aren''t you forgetting something? Like something very important?" Jop scratched his head. He then checked his dagger and other equipment. "I don''t think so. My dagger is here" "The plan Jop, the plan!" Elisar exclaimed in a hushed tone "We still need to plan this" "I thought the plan was for you to act like you lost your tongue" Jop reasoned "No! I mean yes but that''s not all. What if they ask to what unit we belong?" "Knights?" Jop guessed "Do you think we look like knights? Tulosan Knights have special brands on their arm. Do you have that Jop?" "Um. Whistlers?" "No Jop. We are from the infantry." Elisar gave up "Third cohort, second century. Our Centurion is named Nart and our Prefect''s name is Pyr. Now, repeat what I said." " Infantry, Thrid Cohort, Second Century, Nart, Pyr" "Good" Elisar was satisfied "Let''s go" The two of them entered the camp. It was already late and most of the soldiers were asleep so the two of them snuck inside. The sentries were actually very lax. The camp''s size made it easier to get past its defenses. Experience pointed Elisar to possible weak points in the camp they can sneak into. In just a moment, the two were inside the Tulosan camp. Next, they need to find the food storage. For a huge camp like this, food was usually stored in different places. But Elisar knew that the Tulosans were running out of food. It would be troublesome to separate their food so there should be just a single storage. But where did the Tulosans put their food? Elisar''s guess was at the back near the burnt forest. That would be the logical thing to do. The only problem was the distance. The camp was really huge. They have to walk for a long time to reach the other side of the camp. It''s not that he''s lazy, the longer they stay at the camp, the bigger the chance of them getting caught. So they needed to hurry. If his guess was wrong, then the chance of failure would increase. He can''t let that happen. Elisar pointed at the far end of the camp "I think it''s there" he whispered Jop nodded and followed him. They crouched in the darkness and headed to the other side of the camp. Their progress was too slow and Elisar started to worry. But they don''t have a choice. They need to evade the sentries. The sentries had a password so the two of them can''t lie. They also can''t pretend to be soldiers because the camp had a curfew. The only way was to avoid detection. Elisar suddenly heard the approach of a pair of sentries. He stopped and gestured for Jop to hide. There was nothing to hide into except a bush. It was not the perfect place to hide, but it will do. Elisar and Jop dived and hid themselves in the bush. They remained stationary, not even breathing. "Don''t you find it strange?" one of the sentries asked "The fool, Luther kept his position as prefect and the whistlers did not even protested" "I bet he silenced them with gold coins" the other sentry said. "Loyalty nowadays is so cheap" "Who said it''s cheap? For all we know, Luther might have given them dozens of gold coins for their loyalty." The first sentry replied as they walked in front of Elisar and Jop. Elisar covered his mouth with his hand. He was sweating. They were done for if the sentries discover them. Fortunately, the sentries passed by without noticing. They remained hiding in the bush for a while. "I think they are gone" Jop said behind him. "Yeah" Elisar nodded. That was close. He wiped his sweat and crept out of the bush. They resumed their crouch towards the far end of the camp. After what seemed to be eons, the two finally reached their destination. It was dark so Elisar squinted. There were several sentries guarding two wagons. He can''t see what''s inside, but it must be important for the several soldiers to guard it. Important, like food. Elisar was delighted. He made the right choice. The close encounter earlier with the two sentries was worth it. His legs were numb, but it was worth it. But now comes the hard part. Elisar counted the number of guards. There were eight. The two of them can''t defeat the eight guards so he needs to think of another way to burn the food. There were torches nearby so fire wouldn''t be a problem. The problem was finding a way for the fire to reach the wagons. Distract the guards? No, the Tulosans were not stupid. They will not get distracted. Talk to them? No, his Tulosan accent was terrible and Jop was equally terrible at finding excuses. Fight them? Don''t even think about it. Eight versus two? Elisar must have been frozen for long that Jop poked him as if asking for their next move. The two of them had experience with sabotage before, but not as dangerous and difficult as this. In the past, their employers would hire them to burn a merchant''s goods. That was fairly easy because most merchants could only afford to hire a guard or two. Now, they were facing eight fully armored guards. He had no choice but to use a very dangerous method. He whispered his plan to Jop. After making sure that Jop gets it, both of them started to work. The two went further and positioned themselves near the burnt forest. Elisar grabbed a flask that contains boar''s blood. Because the flask wasn''t tightly sealed, most of the blood already hardened. Nevertheless, the blood would still be useful. Elisar poured the blood into some parts of his body. He also rolled in the dust to make himself look haggard. But to make his appearance more convincing, he needs Jop "Jop, punch me." He said "Not too hard" Jop looked at him blankly. But then Jop punched him many times. He felt dizzy and fell down. Jop''s strength was terrifying. "I said not too hard you bastard" Elisar cursed "Are you trying to kill me again?" "During one of our missions in the past you also asked me to punch you. You reprimanded me because my punch was too soft" "That was years ago" he complained. It took him a moment to recover from the dizziness "How do I look?" he asked Jop "Battered" "Let''s go then" Elisar and Jop sprinted towards the supply wagons. When they were near the wagon, Jop supported Elisar with his hand. "Help!" Jop demanded the attention of the sentries. The sentries gave them a confused look at first, but then they pointed their spears towards them. "Identify yourselves!" one of the sentries commanded "Bastard! We don''t have time for that!" Jop shouted "They are coming!" Elisar felt relieved. Jop can act. "Who are coming?" "The Castonians. They attacked us. Look!" He pointed at Elisar''s stomach. It was bleeding The Sentries'' eyes grew wide. "What?" "We don''t have time to discuss this. Soldier!" Jop said in a commanding tone he then pointed "Get to the General and tell him that the Castonians flanked us. You two, get the medicus. The rest of you, inform the prefects of our situation" The sentries stood still for a while. Elisar started to become anxious. Was Jop''s acting not enough to fool them? For him, it was perfect. But if they failed to fool the Tulosans, then they will surely die. "Now!" Jop screamed "They are coming. Don''t waste time!" "But the general had strict orders not to leave the food" "Then one of you must stay behind. Good. He can help me patch this wound. But go now!" "I will stay" One of the sentries said. After reaching an agreement, the sentries rushed to inform the camp of the situation. Elisar felt proud. Jop''s skills were superb. The sentry then knelt and put his hand on Elisar''s stomach. "What were you doing in the forest anyway?" he asked "Defecating" "Defecating?" the sentry asked. "Together?" "I''m afraid of the dark" Jop reasoned. It was a good reason, but Jop said it hesitantly so the sentry must have started to suspect them. "Which unit do you belong?" the sentry looked intently on Jop "Third cohort, Second Century" Jop answered. "Your Prefect and Centurion?" "Prefect Nart, Centurion Pyr" At that moment, Elisar wanted to strangle Jop. He switched the names! It was supposed to be Prefect Pyr and Centurion Nart. He examined the sentry''s face. It was apparent that he already realized their identities. Elisar saw the sentry slowly reach for the handle of his sword. But Elisar was faster. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed the sentry in the chest. His blade buried through the man''s heart. Elisar then lunged towards the sentry and cupped his hand against the sentry''s mouth. Jop also acted fast. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed the sentry''s neck. After making sure that the sentry was dead, Elisar released his hand. "What the hell?" Jop asked "That was so sudden" "Fool! Prefect Nart and Centurion Pyr? It was the other way around you moron!" Jop scratched his head "Is that so?" "Yes!" Elisar roared. He then tried to calm himself. They still have to burn the food "Forget it. Let''s burn the wagons." Elisar stood up and grabbed a torch. He then went to one of the wagons and looked inside. It was food. He threw the torch inside and after a while, the wagon was burning. Jop also did the same to the other wagon. After making sure that the fire was big enough, he turned to Jop "We need to run" he said 35 Escape Elisar and Jop ran towards their horses. Elisar looked behind. Nobody was chasing them, good. But he knew that they must hurry. The Tulosans should have already discovered the burning wagons. "Can''t you run a little faster?" Jop complained "I''m trying!" "Then try harder. You are too slow" Elisar did not answer. He was not slow, Jop was just a fast runner. Jop was one of the fittest people he knew. After a while, they reached the tree where they tied their horses into. The Tulosans were now awake. The camp was bustling with activity. Elisar wasn''t worried that the Tulosans would be able to put out the fire. And even if they were able to, most if not all of the food were already burnt by now. Their mission was a success. The only thing left to do was to escape. The pair mounted their horse and fled. Knightsend was still a few days away. They can''t lower their guard until they were inside the walls of Knightsend. Elisar still can''t believe that they succeeded. They had done things like this before, but those sabotage missions were smaller and less daring compared to what they accomplished today. They actually did it. They snuck inside the Tulosan camp, burnt their food and escaped. He would be lying if he said that their little adventure did not make him feel a little euphoric. Of course it wasn''t easy and there were many close calls, but in the end they accomplished their mission. He looked at Jop. Elisar may not want to admit it, but he and Jop were a good team. He was smart but weak, and Jop was strong but a little slow-witted. Maybe Prince Timothy would entrust them with missions like this in the future. It would be dangerous but Elisar felt his body shiver from excitement. Of course he didn''t want to admit this to Jop or else his friend would feel proud about himself. He was strict towards his friend, but Elisar really cares for him. His friend may blabber stupid things but the truth is, Elisar enjoyed listening to all the stupid things Jop talked about. "We''re being followed!" Jop shouted Elisar snapped back to his senses after hearing Jop. He turned his head and confirmed what Jop said. Elisar''s vision wasn''t sharp so he only saw several moving dots at the distance. He asked Jop about the details of their followers. "I counted three so far." Jop answered "I think they are Whistlers" "Why?" Elisar asked. He was surprised that Jop was able to find out about that. It was so dark and he himself can''t even determine their numbers. "Because they are wearing leather armor and" Jop squinted as if confirming his observation "They are fast. They are gaining on us El!" Elisar clutched the reins of his horse. He can''t get any faster. He was never a good rider to begin with. He cursed himself for lacking talent. "I can''t go any faster" he admitted to Jop "They will catch us with this speed." "Can you go faster?" "Of course" Jop answered "Their horses may be fast, but the rooster prince lent us the fastest horses in the army remember? Your horse is also fast, you just need to tilt your body a little and mind the timing of your body movements" Elisar tried to shift his body a little but he can''t find the proper balance. He almost fell at one point. "I really can''t make this beast run faster!" "They are close El! At this rate they will catch us in a few minutes" Elisar looked at the Tulosans again. He can now see their leather armor. They were close, dangerously close. He was dragging Jop down. He needs to think of something, anything that can help them escape this predicament. But there was nothing he could think of. The Whistlers were faster and they can''t lose them. They also can''t defeat the three Tulosans . There was no other way. He made a decision. "Jop" he called "Do you remember what I said earlier about the beneficiary of my pension?" "What?" Jop turned to him. "Now is not the time El. Think of a way that will get us out of this. That''s your job" "There''s no other way Jop. I can''t think of any plan that will save both our asses." He smiled bitterly "Anyway, about my pension. I lied. I do not intent to divide my pension among the century in case I die" "Then who is your beneficiary? Don''t tell me you have a secret wife and child" Jop chuckled "It''s you Jop. I left all my savings and my pension in your name. Get it." "You''re kidding right?" Jop asked "Why would you make me your beneficiary?" "Because you are my friend, my closest friend. Since we were little I''ve known you. I was always strict with you. I always reprimanded you and I was always cold towards you. But that''s just the way I am, Jop. That''s just my personality. I''m sorry if my words hurt you before. I hope you can understand. And I want you to know that you are my best friend." Elisar felt tears falling from his eyes. "You''ll always be, until my last breath and beyond" "Are you crying?" Jop confusedly asked "El you''re scaring me. Why are you acting this way?" " Report to Prince Timothy that we succeeded in our mission. I''ll hold them. You go on. You''re a good rider so the time I can buy you should be enough" "What!" Jop glared at him "No El, don''t. Don''t even think or talk about such nonsense. You always reprimanded me for talking nonsense all the time. Now you are talking nonsense. Don''t steal my job El! I''m the only one qualified to talk nonsense! We can do this. We can find a way like how we always do. With your brain and my talent, we can do anything. So don''t talk nonsense!" he screamed Elisar gave his friend one last smile. "Goodbye Jop" he grabbed the reins of his horse and turned the animal around. He unsheathed his sword and charged towards the Tulosans. His objective was to delay them for as long as possible. He leaned his body forward. He can hear the wind brushing against his face. It was a cold night. What a cold night to be a cold corpse, he thought. The distance between him and the Tulosans shrank rapidly. Three versus one, what a heroic way to die. The bards won''t sing of his death, but it''s okay. He will die tonight, but Jop will live. The Tulosans will kill him, but he will make them work for it. The Tulosans maneuvered their horses so that Elisar would pass between them. That way, they could attack him from all sides. Elisar raised his sword and lowered his body. He may be weak compared to Jop, but he was still a soldier. He knows how to fight at least. The Tulosan on his right swung his sword towards Elisar''s head. Elisar dodge. He then swung his sword and aimed not on the Tulosan, but on the horse. His sword wounded the animal on its leg. Elisar did not attack the Tulosan because the man was wearing leather armor . Although leather was inferior compared to mail, it still offers good protection. The horse, on the other hand, had no armor. If he crippled the animal, then the Tulosan can''t chase Jop. Unfortunately, his victory was short-lived. The Tulosan on his left stabbed his horse. It was a fatal strike and the horse fell. Elisar was able to jump in time and he avoided being crushed by the horse. His body hit the ground and air escaped his lungs. To make things worse, the Tulosans turned their horses around and surrounded him. " Drop your weapon and come with us. Our Prefect wants to talk with you." the Tulosan whose horse he cut said. The man dismounted his injured horse and approached him. Meanwhile, the two who were on horseback flanked Elisar. "Your Prefect wants to interrogate me about Prince Timothy''s plan. Unfortunately, I don''t know what his plan is. And even if I did, I won''t tell you" he replied. Elisar was actually telling the truth. Aside from burning the Tulosans'' food, he doesn''t know anything about Prince Timothy''s plan. "Fool. You only had one chance and you threw it away." the Tulosan pointed at Elisar "Kill him." The two Tulosans on horseback prepared their swords. Elisar was about to close his eyes and accept death when he saw someone charging towards them. Upon realizing who it was, he frowned. Moron! Jop you Moron! Why did you come back? He cursed. Jop''s charge was silent and fast. Additionally, the Tulosans were distracted. Jop buried his sword into one of the Tulosans. The sword stabbed through the man''s skull. Jop then dueled the other Tulosan on horseback. Elisar was surprised but he quickly recovered his senses. The Tulosan on foot will be his opponent. He grabbed his sword and rushed towards the Tulosan. His opponent was surprised by the sudden turn of events. Elisar swung his sword and the Tulosan was too slow. Elisar''s sword cut the Tulosan''s face. The man screamed and instinctively held his wound. Wrong move, Elisar thought. He used the time and stabbed his sword into the man''s armpit. The sword pierced the Tulosan''s heart. Elisar won. A few meters away, Jop was able to defeat his opponent. It took a while, but the Tulosan finally succumbed to his wounds. "Fool!" Jop shouted " I thought you are the smart one between the two of us?" Elisar was exhausted so he sat on the ground "Sorry. I thought we couldn''t defeat them. I was wrong." "Well genius, you got two more things wrong" Elisar looked up to him. Jop dismounted his horse "You thought that rooster prince would need the confirmation of our success. But no, he doesn''t." he approached him "And you also thought that I would abandon you. Well you''re wrong, I would never abandon my partner." He offered his hand Elisar tried to talk but he couldn''t. He did not expect that Jop would come back for him. "Thank you" he finally said. He then grabbed Jop''s hand and stood up. "Let''s go back brother" Jop said with a smile 36 Burnt Food "We''re under attack!" a shout pulled Luther from his sleep. At first he ignored the voice. But the word ''attack'' resonated through his mind. He slid off his bed and looked outside. It was chaos. "What happened?" Luther grabbed a soldier by his collar and asked aggressively. "The said that the Castonians are attacking us from the burnt forest!" the soldier revealed Luther''s jaw dropped. How! How could the Castonians attack them from behind? The Castonians under their third prince were supposed to be ahead of them, not behind. Also, the nearest army was the garrison of Timur. They can''t attack because the castle was under siege. General Rickard himself was leading the siege of Timur so there was no way for the Castonians to escape the siege. He refused to believe that they were under attack. Suddenly another cry reached Luther''s ear. "The food wagons are burning! Help!" The food wagons! Luther rushed towards the burning wagons. Since the camp of the Whistlers were the closest to the forest, it didn''t take him long to reach the wagons. But it was too late. The fire had already consumed the two wagons. Even if they managed to put out the fire, the food was gone. There was a corpse near the wagon. Luther saw stab wounds. He was confused. If it was a guerilla team, they would have killed all the sentries guarding the wagons. But there was just one corpse. Where are the rest of the sentries? "Where are the sentries who guarded the food wagons?" he asked the soldiers. "That would be us sire" a small voice sounded not far from him. Luther turned to the direction the voice came from. He saw three soldiers lowering their heads. "What happened!" Luther roared as he approached the soldiers "A pair of soldiers came running from the burnt forest sire. One of them was wounded. They said that the Castonians are coming and ordered us to inform the camp." "And you listened to them!?" Luther shouted "You left the wagons!" "We are sorry sire. We panicked. We left somebody behind" the soldier looked at the corpse "But the pair must have killed him" Saboteurs! Not guerillas but saboteurs! That was the first thing that went through Luther''s mind. And they''re good. They managed to trick the sentries. Luther could understand if there were only two or three sentries guarding the wagons. But eight? The saboteurs managed to trick all of the sentries. But the fire was set not so long ago. The saboteurs were still nearby. Luther needs to catch them. That would gain him fame and erase his humiliation. If they could reveal the Prince''s plan, then that would be better. He turned towards the Whistlers. "Group yourselves into small groups and scour the surroundings. If you see two people riding their horses away from the camp, catch them. They are Castonian saboteurs. You need to bring them to me. I will give a hundred gold coins to each of the members of the team that catches the saboteurs! " After hearing of Luther''s offer, the Whistlers ran towards their horses. There were so fast. Money makes a man gain lightning speed, Luther thought. Luther then examined the food wagons. Nearly all of the food was gone. Their food situation was already bad enough before, but now it was abysmal. An army marches on its stomach. If they can''t find food soon, many soldiers will die of starvation. After a few hours, the Whistlers came back empty-handed. Well, maybe not empty-handed because a team of three was annihilated not far from the camp. Luther cursed the three morons. Useless! How could they lose! He was so close. Even if the saboteurs revealed nothing, catching them would increase his fame. But the three morons not only failed, they were killed. Weaklings! Luther''s anger was interrupted when his squire informed him that General Sigurd called for an emergency meeting. Upon hearing his uncle''s name, Luther subconsciously trembled. The physical abuse he suffered still haunted him. Also he was not unfamiliar with his uncle''s temper. Some people are going to experience hell today, Luther thought. *************************************************************** The sun started to rise and blanketed the earth with its warmth. The birds were already singing their songs and the daylight had already illuminated the land. A new and beautiful morning dawned. But Sigurd''s morning was the opposite of beautiful. It was dark, gloomy and maddening. His knuckles were itching to beat somebody to death. He wanted to rip the bodies of the seven sentries kneeling in front of him. Sigurd roared. He roared as loud as he could. He released his anger with his shout. The sound of his voice was so frightening that the seven sentries trembled. He then stood up and inched towards the sentries. His steps were heavy and his pace was slow. The seven idiots bowed in fear. "You Morons!" he yelled. "Useless shits!" Sigurd then grabbed the hair of one of the soldiers and forced the idiot to look at him. He yelled at the man''s face. His voice was too loud and intimidating that the man closed his eyes and cowered. "I''m sorry general!" the soldier pleaded "Sorry? Can you bring back the burnt grain to its original edible form with your apology?" Sigurd was so angry. He kneed the man on the head. His knee hit the man''s face like a hammer. It was so strong the soldier went limp immediately. He then went to the second soldier and slapped his face. His palm was heavy and a painful sound resonated throughout the tent. Sigurd wasn''t satisfied. He slapped the idiot again. It was a strong slap because Sigurd put all his strength into it. The soldier cried in pain. He repeated this dozens of times. In the end, the soldier was left clinging for dear life. His face was swollen. Sigurd then stood up and went to the next soldier. "General I think that''s enough. We still need to plan our next move." An officer told him from behind. Sigurd turned his head. The officers were already seated around the table. Some of them refused to look at him while the others were staring at the sentries. Sigurd looked back at the sentry. He felt his anger surge. He grabbed the sentry''s tunic and dragged the bastard towards the table. Sigurd then made the sentry sit next to him. "What''s our situation?" He asked "How much food do we have left?" The Quartermaster did not answer immediately. He must be afraid. "It it''s not enough General" he stammered "The food will last a day at most. And that''s if we make the soldiers eat burnt grains." "But we can''t survive with that!" a Prefect said "If the garrison of Knightsend really broke the siege all by themselves, then we will have no choice but to assault the castle." A few days ago, a preposterous news started to spread in the camp. The garrison of Knightsend sallied forth and defeated the sieging army! The news was so unbelievable that many soldiers and even Sigurd doubted it at first. But after meeting one of the survivors, he confirmed the news. All of this happened while they were chasing Prince Timothy''s army. This meant that their supply lines were broken. Sigurd had already sent a messenger to General Rickard informing him of this. After hearing of the news, Sigurd abandoned his dream of killing the Prince and decided to retreat to Tulosa. Many of his soldiers will die of hunger, but he doesn''t have a choice. Although Sigurd really wanted to kill the Prince, he was not a fool. They need to re-establish their supply lines first. General Rickard would probably also retreat. This was a huge setback on their plans but they really need to retreat and fix their supply lines. But now that most of the food was gone, they had no choice but to assault Knightsend. Almost all of his soldiers will die if they insisted on marching back to Tulosa. They need the food stored at Knightsend. "You heard that?" Sigurd looked at the sentry beside him. "We have no choice but to assault Knightsend because of your stupidity! Many of my soldiers will die! This is your fault! " he grabbed the sentry''s head and smashed it on the table. The sentry immediately lost consciousness. "General!" one of the officers shouted in surprise. But Sigurd did not listen. He repeatedly pounded the sentry''s head onto the table. His hand was bloodied by the act. After a while, the sentry''s head was reduced to a pulp. "I didn''t call you here to discuss our next plans" Sigurd was panting from exertion. "The moment we lost most of our food, there was only one thing left to do and that''s to assault Knightsend. Prince Timothy left us with no choice. I called you here because I wanted all of you to see the fate of the sentries. This is the punishment for failure so none of you should fail in the future. If you dare fail, you would suffer an even worse fate" he pointed at the dead sentry whose head was reduced to a pulp. "Prepare the men. We will march immediately." He commanded The officers did not make a sound. They must have been surprised and scared by Sigurd''s actions. After a while, they saluted in an unsynchronized manner and left the tent. It will take at least an hour to fully mobilize the camp. Sigurd had an hour. He will spend that time with the remaining sentries. His knuckles were still itching. 37 The Calm Before the Storm "Mat? Will you promise me?" She asked. It was her again, Timothy thought. Her visits to his dreams had become less frequent. But now he was dreaming of her again. Timothy prepared himself for the next part. He will soon feel sadness. But what happened next surprised Timothy. Lucia''s face replaced that of the woman''s. She wore the same clothes and had the same posture, but it was Lucia. "I will wait for you Tim. Come back to me" Lucia said. Timothy reached out to her. He missed Lucia so much that seeing her face, even in a dream, triggered extreme emotions. But as his hand touched Lucia''s face, she turned into smoke. He tried to reach the smoke with his hand, but a force accelerated him away from Lucia. Their distance grew until all he could see was darkness. Timothy sat on his bed and remained frozen for a while. His heart ached. He wanted to see Lucia again. He wanted to gaze upon her beautiful face, to hear her sweet voice and to feel the warmth of her embrace. His heart longs for her presence, a longing that can''t be extinguished by mere thoughts of her. It was a thirst, a thirst so vile and powerful. Only Lucia could quench the desires of his soul. He needs to survive. He needs to return to Lucia. There were still many things he wanted to know about her. Although their long talks made them know each other, Timothy still wanted to immerse himself into her. That''s why he needs to win. Timothy stood up and washed his face. Like always, he woke up before sunrise. He flapped the cloth that serves as the door to his tent and went out. The chilly air danced around his nose. It was still dark, but camp was well lit. He sauntered around the camp and inspected the sentries'' performance. A Century from Knightsend was in charge of sentry duties today. After examining the alertness of the sentries, he was impressed. The sentries patrolled the whole camp like bees defending their nest. Some even stopped him and demanded identification. After seeing Timothy''s face, the sentries paled and apologized. But it was alright. Stopping him was the right thing to do. He felt proud of his men. They are professionals. After his stroll around the camp, Timothy went to General Marvin''s tent. He was stopped by other groups of sentries on his way. When he arrived at the General''s tent, it was already morning. Most of the soldiers had begun their daily routine. Timothy knew that in less than an hour, the camp will be ready for mobilization. The past days had been busy for Timothy and his officers so wasn''t able to find the time to talk with General Marvin. He entered the tent. "I received this from a pigeon that came from Solon" General Marvin handed him a letter "She also wrote a letter to Mathias but you know the Earl''s personality. He is too pragmatic." Timothy took the letter with a broken seal. The seal used was the one Timothy lent Lucia. She also used red wax, indicating the urgency of the matter. Timothy opened the letter and read it. Lucia''s handwriting can''t be mistaken. And as for the contents, Timothy could feel her desire to protect him. "You''re lucky Timothy" Marvin commented "You''re lucky to have her" "Yes, I am. I owe her my life. But I doubted her at first." He said guiltily. "Don''t feel bad about it. Doubting her means that you''re not a fool. But I suggest you trust her from now on. She really cares for you " The General sat in front of him. He then offered Timothy some wine, but Timothy refused. He was not in the mood to drink. "I will" Timothy declared "But you know General, our little fellowship could use another member." He smiled as if indicating something. Marvin sighed. "Why are you talking to me about this? I just joined Leo''s Tear less than a year ago after you invited me. You should talk to the others." "You know the rules, all decisions must be decided by a vote. I''m worried that the others will reject her because she''s not a natural-born Castonian. So I''m garnering support." "Well she''s smart and her family is powerful. She will also become your wife soon. Also, I think her ideals fit that of Leo''s Tear. You don''t need to poach my vote. But you''re right. The others might reject her. It will be you job to convince them." "That might take time. It will be hard. Some members were traditional in their views. For them, Leo''s Tear should only accept natural-born Castonians." he sighed and admitted "By the way, what do you think about her conclusion?" Timothy asked seriously. Although he now trusts Lucia, she might still be wrong. All the evidences point towards his father''s involvement in this conspiracy, but a part of him was hoping that his father had nothing to do with it. If Lucia was wrong, then neither of them betrayed Timothy. That would be the best case scenario. "I think she was right. I''m sorry for being too honest and blunt but I think your father betrayed you. You may not see it Timothy, but the people around you does. I remember when you first arrived at Knightsend a year ago. After you made the whole garrison stand all night, you went to my office. At first I was furious at you for undermining my authority in the castle. But after talking to you, I felt your sadness. You are a son who longs for his father''s recognition. That''s your weakness Tim. You are smart, but you can be fooled sometimes." Timothy pondered on the General''s words. He already knew about that. He had known for a long time that his father hated him. He had known already that his father never treated him as a son. But Timothy still believed that maybe someday, his father will love him. He was hoping that his father will change his attitude towards him in the future. But this was the last straw. He will never beg for his father''s love again. "Thank you General" Timothy said. "Think nothing of it. We''re brothers, with or without Leo''s Tear. If you need help, just tell me and I will do my best to assist you. If you want advice instead, then I will also give you mine. " Marvin said with a smile. "By the way Your Highness, I think we should go now. The camp should be almost ready to march. We need to mobilize as soon as possible to reach Knightsend before sundown." Timothy nodded. He never intended to stay inside the General''s tent for a long time anyway. They still have many things to do. Now that they have thousands of horses, they need to take care of the animals. Horses were high maintenance animals and taking care of thousands was not an easy task. Timothy wondered how the Tulosans managed to do it. The Tulosans had so many horses yet their army moves fast. Also the soldiers from Castle Thespelae still needed close guidance. They were amateurs compared to the rest of the army. General Bourgis had tried to train them for the past year just like what Timothy did, but the soldiers hated him so the training was not very successful. When Timothy went out of the General''s Tent, most of the camp was already disassembled. Most of the tents were now folded. The soldiers were now eating breakfast. He was impressed by the soldiers'' efficiency. This is how Castonian soldiers were supposed to behave. They may not have many horses, but their discipline made up for that deficiency. If given a choice, Timothy would always choose a disciplined army rather than a cavalry-heavy one. A horse can''t break a disciplined man''s will, but a man can break a horse. After a while, the army started the last day of their march towards Knightsend. The soldiers, especially those who were unfamiliar with the region, were joyful after hearing that they will reach Knightsend that day. For them Knightsend''s walls were a refuge that ensures their survival. Timothy couldn''t help but smile. Just a week ago, they were starving and were surrounded by enemies. They ate stale bread, drank dirty water and slept with one eye open for fear that the Tulosans had already caught up. Now they had an abundance of supplies. All his soldiers had clean clothes and they were eating fresh rations. The situation had been reversed. The Tulosans were now the ones suffering. Even if the saboteurs failed, the Tulosans would still suffer attrition. It was afternoon when the army reached Knightsend. Timothy was back. Knightsend was still the same even though Timothy knew that thousands of people died near the castle not too long ago. The village people who were staying inside the castle cheered for the soldiers as they entered the castle. The atmosphere was festive and the soldiers mingled with the locals. Timothy let them continue the festivities even though they still have preparations to make. The soldiers, especially the veterans and those who were from Thespelae, deserve some rest and relaxation. 38 A Reason to Figh The next day, Timothy received splendid news from James. The saboteurs he sent to burn the food of the Tulosans were successful. "Where are they?" Timothy excitedly asked. He was making an inventory of the weapons in the armory when he heard of the news. "In your office" James was ecstatic. "Tim, luck is finally on our side" Timothy put down the sword he was holding. He gently sheathed the blade and gave it to one of the Quartermaster''s assistants. He then walked towards James and put his hand on his squire''s shoulder. "It''s not luck James. Many things in this world are brought upon by mere luck, but our situation right now is not a gift from the goddess of fortune. We made this for ourselves." "Yeah" James lowered his head and smiled. "We made this for ourselves" he repeated. "Let''s go. I need to hear the full story. But first" he paused and thought for a while "Do you think General Marvin still have some Hadean wine left?" ************************************************************* Timothy poured the bottle of Hadean wine into three cups. He carefully filled each of the cups with the divine liquid, afraid that a single drop will be spilled. The golden hue of the wine seduced him into gulping the whole bottle. He then blamed Marvin. The General actually sent him a bottle of Angel''s Wings. There were only about a hundred bottles of Angel''s Wings left in the whole world and it was the second rarest wine ever produced. After seeing the bottle, Timothy''s first thoughts were to hide it and offer the saboteurs a lesser wine. But he dispelled these thoughts. The two men in front of him risked their lives so they deserve a taste of the second rarest wine in the world. "Before you tell me of your story, drink first." Timothy gestured towards the three cups. "Your Highness" one of the saboteurs voiced. Timothy remembered his name to be Jop "That''s Angel''s Wings right?" he pointed at the bottle with his finger shaking. "It is" Timothy confirmed "Then" Jop looked at him like a puppy begging for food "Can we have a taste?" "Of course. I told you to have a drink, didn''t I?" Jop grabbed two of the cups and offered the other to his partner. Timothy also grabbed his cup and slowly poured the wine to his mouth. It was a sip at first, but after Timothy''s tongue was touched by the divine liquid, he couldn''t help but gulp the whole cup. It was beautiful. He had never tasted wine as good as Angel''s Wings before. The aroma of aged wine and its unique sweetness combined into a concoction that severs one from reality. "Praise the creator!" Jop exclaimed after licking the bottom of the cup. "Am I dreaming? Elisar, don''t wake me up if I am" "Have some respect Jop" Elisar gritted his teeth "We are in front of the Prince" Timothy laughed. These two¡­ They were so different from each other. One of them was serious, and the other was a chatterbox. They were unlikely friends. "It''s okay" Timothy coughed to stop his laughter "So, let''s begin" Timothy saw that Jop was still eyeing the bottle. "Don''t worry, it won''t run away. Bottles don''t have feet" Timothy joked. "I promise we will split the rest of the wine later" "Then.. let me start at the beginning" Jop said "No!" Elisar protested "Your Highness, let me report to you about the details of our mission instead. My friend sometimes blabber about useless details" "Shut up El. I got this" Jop insisted. "Go on. I like reports to be as detailed as possible" Timothy said to Elisar. The soldier nodded but he gave a worried look towards Jop. Jop started talking. Timothy then understood what Elisar meant. ''Sometimes blabber about useless details'' was an understatement. Timothy regretted his decision. Jop wasn''t just a chatterbox, he was a talking machine. It was very detailed, too detailed. He blabbered about unrelated things like what they ate, how the food tasted, the weather, where they rested for the night, the hole in his tent, his soggy shoes. He also revealed personal details like the little drama they had when they were escaping the Tulosans. He revealed every single line of conversation of that night. It was like watching a dramatic play. Timothy eyed Elisar and he saw that the soldier was lowering his head, clearly embarrassed. Jop''s story took an hour. "Wow" Timothy was amazed by Jop''s ability to talk endlessly. "I''m so sorry Your Highness. We wasted your time" Elisar apologized "It''s alright" Timothy comforted "You two are really good friends, aren''t you?" "Of course Your Highness. I''m his best friend. He said so" Jop nudged Elisar proudly "Shut up Jop. I was just confused that time and that''s why I said those embarrassing things. It''s not like I care about you or anything" Elisar looked away and pouted Timothy contained his laughter. These two were the strangest pair of saboteurs he knew. Before meeting them, he thought that the two both had cold personalities. Saboteurs and other experts in the underworld usually acted like that. But these two, they were so different from the norm. But Timothy remembered the real reason why he met with the two. He wanted to confirm that their mission was a success. He knew the Tulosans will most likely ignore Knighstend and rush towards Tulosan if they still have food. To force the Tulosans into attacking Knightsend, their remaining food supplies needs to burn and disappear. "Are you sure that most of the food was burnt?" Timothy asked The two soldiers stopped bickering and turned towards Timothy. "I''m sure Your Highness. It took them a long time to extinguish the fire. I saw it with my own eyes" Elisar said "Good" Timothy smiled "And how many days do you think until they arrive. Consider that they are marching at full speed." "Two days at least Your Highness. They are desperate" Elisar answered That meant Timtohy had two days left to prepare. The upcoming battle will be his first. Timothy was actually a little nervous. Of course he was, the battle will decide his fate. The lives of the soldiers rest on the palm of his hand. His performance as a General will either save or take lives. So he needs to do his best and prepare the soldiers. The preparation he had in mind was not actually physical, but rather psychological. His soldiers were already in shape for the fight. But as for their will, he can''t be too careful. Many battles were lost and won in the past just because someone in the group panicked. Panic spreads like wildfire in a group. Discipline and morale were as important as strength in battle. He decided to inspire the soldiers. He needs to give them a reason to fight and a reason to live. He already had something in mind on how to do this. Well he was planning on doing it the moment he heard that Knightsend had broken the siege so it will be killing two birds with one stone. He walked towards the window and looked outside. The gloomy weather will also help set the mood. "Come with me to the graveyard." He ordered Jop and Elisar. But then, Timothy remembered the bottle of Angel''s Wings. "Well, maybe after we finish this" he grabbed the bottle. ****************************************************************** Droplets of rain fell down on John''s face. He looked up and the dismal sky was revealed to him. The clouds hid the sun''s warmth and a depressing feeling enveloped his soul. He looked around. Thousands of people were ahead and behind him. They were in a line that stretched as far as the eye can see. In John''s hand was a dagger that had been with him since he was young. When Prince Timothy announced that he was going to the graveyard to pay his respects and anyone who wanted to pay their respects could come with him, it created a commotion among the soldiers. Many of the soldiers actually wanted to go and pay their respects too. Their friends and brothers were now below the ground and their sacrifice will never be forgotten. They gave their lives for the sake of Castonia. They died as heroes. But the soldiers were too busy to visit the graveyard. The graveyard was about an hour''s walk from the Castle. It was also illegal to leave the vicinity of the Castle without direct orders. Prince Timothy''s announcement gave them relief. Most of the soldiers followed the Prince even though it was raining. Now there were thousands of people inching their way towards the graveyard. The villagers joined the procession too and the whole line was composed of men, women, children, the elderly and the soldiers. The mixture of the people was homogenous and one could not distinguish the soldiers from the civilians. In that moment, separation of class and hierarchy was lost. Prince Timothy himself was at the front, trudging in the mud with wet clothes and dreary spirit. In that moment, all of them had one identity. They were all Castonians. It doesn''t matter if one was a soldier, a miner or a farmer. They were all Castonians who were grieving for their dead countrymen. It was cold. John was shivering. His wet clothes absorbed the warmth of his body. But John bore the cold, at least his body still had warmth unlike 800 of his brothers. It took a long time for him to finally reach the entrance of the graveyard. There were hundreds of gravestones that lined the field. Every single one of the gravestones had a story. The corpses beneath the gravestones were his living brothers once. He lived with them, grew with them and fought with them. Now they are no more. At the entrance of the graveyard was a huge plate made of marble. Thousands of things were scattered around the plate, offerings of the people to the dead soldiers. There were flowers, swords, bread and wine bottles. John laid his dagger beside the marble. He felt his heart twinge. He remembered Aduin, Erasmus and Que. He remembered the time he saw their lifeless bodies. It was painful. They were his friends and now they''re dead. So he must fight. He must ensure that their sacrifices wasn''t for nothing. He must show them that their deaths had an impact to the world. In the marble plate, there was an inscription. ''To the mad men of Knightsend who fearlessly fought and died. Their bodies now cold, and their consciousness no more. But their courage and loyalty lives on. Defenders of Castonia, we are thankful'' 39 Prelude to the Battle of Knightsend Luther was hungry. His stomach was growling and his body felt weak. The past few days had been hellish. If it was already hellish for him, then it should more so for the rank and file. The Castonians really had them in checkmate. Without food, an army can''t function properly. Marches can be tiring and a man needs to eat. Luther put his hand inside his pocket and cupped a piece of dried meat. He took it out and secretly ate the whole thing in one bite. It was salty, too salty. But a person forgets his tongue''s protests when the stomach talks. Luther wasn''t satisfied with a single bite. He was really hungry. He put his hand inside his pocket again, but to his surprise and disappointment, there was nothing left. "Centurion Lyn, do you have food left with you?" Luther asked the Centurion beside him "No, Prefect. I ate the last of my rations a few hours ago." Centurion Lyn answered. There was annoyance in his voice. Luther doesn''t care, he bought their loyalty so he shouldn''t expect the Whistlers to be genuinely friendly with him. "That''s a shame then." Luther said with a melancholic tone. "I would have offered you a gold coin for a piece of dried meat" "Keep dreaming. I wouldn''t sell it to you even if you offered me two gold coins per piece. ''If'' I still have dried meat, it would probably cost five gold coins each." Prefect Lyn gave Luther a meaningful smile. "Sometimes I suspect that you Whistlers are merchants disguised as soldiers" Luther laughed "You really know how to haggle" He then took a pen and started writing a promissory note. "No Prefect, I want the real thing. I don''t want your notes" Centurion Lyn stopped him. Luther frowned. He only had about twenty gold coins left. He was saving it in case of emergency. Now Centurion Lyn wanted to take his coins. But his stomach was growling and his mouth was salivating at the thought of food so he agreed. He took fifteen gold coins from his bag and handed it to Centurion Lyn. "Three pieces" The Centurion took his coins and handed him three pieces of dried meat. "An honor doing business with you" he mocked. Luther grabbed the food and ate it. It only took him a minute to finish his meal. Fifteen gold coins, Luther lamented, that was the worst deal he ever made. It would take a common soldier more than a year to save fifteen gold coins, yet he just spent the same amount on three pieces of salty dried meat. But hunger makes one desperate. He looked around. Most of the soldiers marched lazily. They were weak from hunger and exhaustion. His uncle''s decision to march at full speed didn''t help either. A couple of weaklings had already fallen. They just left them on the road to die. They can''t save the weaklings anyway. Although they could just eat the horses, they refrained from doing so. More than half of the army worshiped the Great Rider. In many parts of Tulosa, eating horses was prohibited. The Great Rider loves his steed so much that eating horses was a sin for his followers. Fools, Luther thought. Outdated, foolish and dangerous beliefs. They would rather starve than disobey their deity. Luther was not a believer of the Great Rider, so he was a little biased. But the Great Rider would forgive them right? It''s a life and death situation so he will understand. Unfortunately most of the soldiers doesn''t think so. His uncle actually ordered the slaughter of horses at first. But the order was met with fierce objection from the soldiers. Even those who do not believe in the Great Rider opposed the order. Mutiny threatened the camp so General Sigurd changed his mind. It was really a shame and Luther cursed the Great Rider for making such an absurd request to his followers. The three pieces of dried meat wasn''t enough to satiate Luther''s hunger. He wanted more. He was used to a life of luxury so his tolerance for hardship was not that high. He wanted to spend his last coins to buy more food, but he stopped himself. He needs money in case of emergency. Maybe his uncle would give him rations? Luther thought. He was afraid of his uncle, but he needs to eat. Additionally, his Uncle won''t beat him in front of the soldiers just because he asked for food. It''s not like he was doing something illegal. So Luther decided to head to the front of the column and ask his uncle for food. "I am going to the front. Centurion Lyn is in charge" he shouted to the Whistlers "Why?" Centurion Lyn creased his brows "The reason does not concern you Centurion" "It does." Luther could feel that the Centurion was angry "These past few days, you have left your responsibilities as Prefect to me. The men always complained about our situation and I was always the one who faced them. Rations? Yes I was the one who distributed what meager food we had. Protests? I was the one who prevented them from having a mutiny. These are volatile times Prefect Luther. Face your responsibilities as Prefect. I''m tired of doing your job for you. You are the Prefect of the Whistlers. " Luther doesn''t really care. He bought them so he had no responsibility towards them. "What if I order you to do so? You will have no choice but to obey my orders. Like what you said, I am the Prefect of the Whistlers so I have the right to make you do my will. You''re just like that because the Whistlers right now are a mess. Besides, I am going to the front for the sake of the army. General Sigurd needs me at the front. We still need to plan our strategy." Luther lied. Centurion Lyn did not say anything. He just glared at Luther. "In case you did not catch my words Centurion, I am ordering you to take over for a while. Do you understand?" Luther said Centurion Lyn was still silent. He then slowly nodded but the Centurion was still glaring at Luther. "I asked you a question Centurion. Answer me!" Luther shouted "Yes! I nodded didn''t I? Just go. Go now." The Centurion conceded. Luther smiled. Finally the Centurion gets it. He mounted his horse and went to the front of the line. It didn''t take him long to find his uncle because the General''s banner was huge. There were also many officers at the front, including Centurion Stan. "Good morning General" Luther gave his uncle his most radiant smile. "Why are you here? Your cohort was supposed to be at the back" General Sigurd said grumpily. "My second-in-command can handle them. I just want to see Knightsend as soon as possible." "Who are you kidding?" His uncle scoffed "You just want food. Well tough shit, we don''t have any left. And even if we still have food, I won''t give you special treatment" Luther''s heart broke after hearing that. He just wanted a few more bites, but fate wasn''t good to him. "No Uncle, I wasn''t here for that. I just wanted to see Knightsend as soon as possible." He gave a nervous laugh. "Besides, I can''t eat with that around." He turned his head towards the thing that was being dragged by the General''s horse. It was the body of one of the sentries who failed to guard the food wagons. General Sigurd tied the man to his horse and dragged him. The sentry''s hands and feet were tied so he was dragged while lying down. The rocks and the ground shredded his body like minced meat. The wails of the sentry lasted for a few hours until the poor man died. After a few more days of marching, the sentry was reduced to grounded meat. It was revolting. Luther can''t stomach seeing such a disgusting display. Many soldiers, especially the Knights, protested after seeing such horrendous sight. Centurion Stan even tried to cut the rope once, but he was stopped and the General himself cut one of the Centurion''s fingers as punishment. "What? Do you want to follow Centurion Stan''s footsteps? My punishment for the Centurion was not severe because of his good performance in the past. You, on the other hand, failed to kill even a single Castonian. Don''t test my patience nephew." He warned "So endure it. I know you''re weak but I need to show the soldiers the price of failure. The sentry deserves it anyway. Isn''t that right, Centurion Stan?" he turned to the Centurion. His muscular appearance was terrifying. Centurion Stan was silent for a long time until he said softly, "Yes General" "I can''t hear you Centurion Stan" "Yes General" Centurion Stan gritted his teeth. "Good. See? If righteous and noble Centurion Stan understands, then you should shut your mouth Luther. Now, go back to your Cohort" Luther was just about to turn his horse around when the General stopped him. "Wait" General Sigurd called. Luther turned to his uncle "You said that you wanted to see Knightsend. That''s Knightsend." He pointed forward. Luther squinted. At the distance, he could see a white dot. The dot grew as they approached it. After a few minutes, the figure of the castle became more apparent. The finally arrived at Knightsend. 40 Battle of Knightsend 1 The Tulosans camped just outside Knightsend. They surrounded the Castle but they were not planning on laying a siege. They don''t have enough supplies for a siege. "Look at those horses!" Erik exclaimed "Big, muscular and I think they are fast too!" "So we are cheering for the enemy now?" Timothy joked as he caressed the rough surface of the walls. After hearing of the news that their guests had arrived, he, Erik and General Marvin went up the walls and observed the Tulosans. Suddenly, General Marvin started to sing ''The Horse and the Castle Wall''. It was a song mocking the failed first invasion of Tulosa. "And the Knights charged, But three times they failed. For a horse can''t jump over the walls. They fought, they trot, and injuries they got. For a horse can''t jump over the walls" "Nice voice General" Erik commented "Thank you. But my voice has degraded over the years. When I was still your age, I swooned dozens of noble ladies with my voice" "Don''t make Erik envious, General. He''s not good with women" Timothy quipped. "Shut up Tim. You''re not either. You just got lucky. I don''t have a lover because I don''t have time for such things." Erik said back. "Reasons. I remember you tried to woo Freya many years ago. She was so confused because you gave her a soldier figurine as a gift" Timothy snorted at first but it turned into a full-blown laugher after recalling Freya''s confused face. "I was young and stupid that time okay? I didn''t know that courting can be so complicated" Erik defended. "Well you just have to find your style Erik. Every man has his quality. My voice is good so I used it. I''m sure you have your qualities too." General Marvin said with a serious face. "And don''t give women soldier figurines" the General couldn''t hold his laugh anymore and his serious face faded. He joined Timothy in laughter. "Did he really do that? What was the reaction of Baron Hall''s daughter?" Marvin asked Timothy between laughs. "She was so confused. She thought that Erik wanted to play with her. Erik spent the entire week inside his room" Timothy guffawed. The two of them laughed heartily. "Oi! Shut up. In a few years I''m going to marry somebody. The two of you will drop your jaws." Erik declared All of a sudden, the three of them heard the heavy footsteps of soldiers. Timothy and General Marvin stopped laughing and returned to their usual serious state. Timothy turned towards the footsteps. It was General Bourgis flanked by two guards. "Your Highness, I received the information too late. My squire was drunk so he failed to inform me. Don''t worry, I already punished him. Nevertheless I apologize." General Bourgis knelt. His body was stiff and powerful. Timothy could see that General Bourgis was a very traditional Castonian. He was very strict not just to the soldiers, but also to himself. He was the sort of person who will punish every single mistake of his subordinates. But he was too strict. Being a disciplinarian must be coupled with charisma because the purpose of being strict was to gain respect, not hate. Timothy heard that General Bourgis was too strict when he was at Thespelae. That was the reason why most of the soldiers from Thespelae hated him. "It''s alright General." Timothy comforted "We can''t fully control the performance of our subordinates." "Thank you Prince Timothy for your leniency towards my shortcomings." General Bourgis stood up and fixed his clothes. "So, what should we do about the Tulosans Your Highness?" "I''m sending an envoy" Timothy smiled "An envoy?" General Bourgis had a surprised expression. "For what?" "A parley of course." "But you said that we will crush them. Why do you want a parley? The battle will begin soon. Isn''t it too late for a parley?" "We will General, we will. But we need a parley first. Also, you''re wrong General" Timothy approached the General and smiled. He wanted to dispel General Bourgis'' concerns. "The battle had already begun" **************************************************************************** Sigurd was seated at the center of the table. Beside him were his Prefects and other high-ranking officers. On the other side of the table sat five Castonians. "What do you want to talk about?" Sigurd''s voice was firm and unfriendly. He never thought that the Castonians would send an envoy requesting for a parley. He wanted to refuse them first, but his curiosity got the better of him. "Peace" The envoy replied "By the way, call me Adrian" "Peace!" Sigurd spitted. "You burn our food and you request peace?!" "You invaded us, laid siege to our castles and killed our people" Adrian''s voice was shaking "You are right, you don''t deserve peace. But our Prince offered you peace anyway." Sigurd was taken aback by Adrian''s anger. He himself was a violent person, but the envoy''s anger was something else. He stroked his beard. He always stroke his beard whenever he was confused about something. Why would the Castonians send a peace offer at a time like this? It was too late for peace. His soldiers were already starving and they already killed many of the people who once lived in the villages around Solon. Also why would they want peace? They had the upper hand. Sigurd doesn''t believe that Prince Timothy was stupid. The Prince bested him twice already so he must be planning something. "So what do you want in return?" Sigurd tested the envoy "Nothing. I told you, we only want peace. We Castonians are peace-loving people unlike you" Adrian''s words were sharp and they drew frowns from the officers. Sigurd himself felt annoyed by the Andrian''s tone. Doesn''t he realize that his life was in danger? One word from Sigurd and he will die. Sigurd calmed himself. He had anger issues, but the envoy''s insults meant nothing to him. He was just an envoy so Sigurd should not lower himself and be annoyed by a lowlife. "So you will let us go back to Tulosa? You will not harass our rear, is that it?" "Yes. In return, you should pack your things and get out of our sight. Your dirty images are revolting" Sigurd again calmed himself. Dealing with this sharp-tongued envoy really tests his patience, patience he didn''t have in the first place. But this will be the last time. "That will be your final insult, understand?" Sigurd gave the envoy a menacing look. "Or else I would personally cut your tongue!" Sigurd expected that the envoy would tremble in fear. But he was wrong. The envoy nodded, but his face showed no signs of fear. Sigurd was impressed. Most people would have already cowered after hearing his threats, but the envoy didn''t. "Let''s continue" Sigurd said "Why? Why do you want peace? You have the castle and we are starving." "Because we don''t want to lose more men. We are tired of this. Prince Timothy is tired." Sigurd smiled inwardly. He was lying, the envoy was lying. Sigurd detected the slight hesitation in the envoy''s answer. "Oh? Prince Timothy doesn''t want to lose men." Sigurd mocked. But then his expression turned serious. "You''re lying." "I wasn''t!" the envoy panicked. It was satisfying seeing a sharp-tongued man panic. "Prince Timothy really wants peace!" Sigurd unsheathed his sword and pointed its tip towards the envoy''s throat. The officers and the guards also grabbed their weapons. "Tell me the reason why Prince Timothy doesn''t want to fight!" Sigurd shouted The envoy''s eyes were now slightly wet. So it was an act after all, Sigurd thought. The earlier tough stance of the envoy was no more. "Harming envoys is a war crime" The envoy tried to act tough one last time, but it was apparent from his voice that he was afraid. "Do you think I''m afraid of war crimes? We just butchered civilians so we are already criminals. So please be careful with your words next time." The envoy nodded. But this time, Sigurd can see that he was afraid. Finally, Sigurd could savor the fear in the envoy''s eyes. "The gates are broken" the envoy finally revealed while lowering his head. "Adrian!" one of the Castonians shouted. "Don''t betray us!" The Castonian tried to attack Adrian, but Sigurd''s guards stopped him. "They will kill us if we don''t tell them. I don''t want to die!" Adrian shouted back "What do you mean?" Sigurd asked Adrian. Does that mean, they can just enter the castle? "It''s broken. The last battle damaged the front gate. That''s why we don''t want to fight. Actually, Prince Timothy sent me here to buy time. The soldiers should be fixing the gates by now." The envoy revealed. Sigurd can''t believe it. The gates of Knightsend are broken! His army could march inside. If he remembered correctly, the Castonians kept the front gate open even after they camped outside of the castle. At first Sigurd though that the Castonians were just mocking them by not closing the gates. Sigurd ran outside. He then squinted and examined the front gate of the castle. It was open. His army could enter the castle! Sigurd ran back inside the tent. He should not waste time. "Get to your cohorts! We attack now!" 41 Battle of Knightsend 2 Nearly nine thousand men were charging towards Knightsend, half of them on horseback. It was a spectacular sight. The soldiers were like bees, swarming and flocking towards their poor target. The combined sound of hooves and boots shook the earth. The glistening tips of their spears and swords were like a bed of needles. It was a grandiose moment, a scene worthy of songs from the bards. Centurion Stan put his weight on the stirrup. This habit of his was dangerous. He could fall or if the horse''s momentum was suddenly interrupted, he could break his legs. Despite this, Stan had no intention of stopping or even curbing this dangerous habit of his. He likes to put pressure on his legs because it makes him calm down. Stan was anxious, so anxious that his sweat was as cold as morning dew. The next few hours will decide their fate. When the Prefect of the Knights suddenly ordered a charge towards the castle, Stan was actually hesitant. The Prefect said that the Castonian envoy revealed that the front gate of Knightsend was broken and General Sigurd ordered the most of the army to seize the opportunity and assault the castle. But even if the front gate was broken, Stan still felt anxious. He felt that the General''s order to commit most of the soldiers was too impulsive. Something felt wrong. He experienced firsthand the deadliness of Prince Timothy''s soldiers. He still feels a little afraid whenever he thinks of the battle in the forest. Prince Timothy''s subordinate was cunning, and the prince should be more so. It just felt strange that they could just enter the castle through the front gate. It was too simple. It was too easy. He expected that they would spend thousands of Tulosan lives just to break through the gates. But now most of the soldiers were entering the front gate unopposed. He was really anxious about this. Stan closed his eyes and mumbled a silent prayer to the Omniscient. Unlike most of the Tulosans who prayed to the Great Rider, the Knights worship the Omniscient. ''Omniscient guide my ways for I am your son. May your light shine brightly even in the darkest times. May your will be done for it is good. Omniscient guide my way for I am afraid. Protect me with your light. Save me from the darkness of the night. Omniscient guide my way for you are great. Your wisdom illuminates ignorance and your power is divine. Omniscient, protect me and my brothers. I am Stan, your servant, your follower and your son.'' He opened his eyes. By now, most of the soldiers had entered through the front gate. The Knights were at the back because it took them a long time to don their armor and prepare their steed. The front gate of Knightsend was large, able to fit three wagons side by side so congestion was not so bad. It didn''t take long for the Knights to finally reach the gate. Stan''s century entered the castle. *********************************************************************** Luther was not happy. After witnessing the betrayal of the Castonian envoy, he thought that his uncle would let his cohort join the battle. Even if the front gate of Knightsend was open, they still need all the men they could get. But his uncle forbade his cohort from joining the battle. Although Luther promised his uncle to stay idle and to not join the battle, he hoped that the General would forget about his promise or at least change his mind. But no, his uncle personally reminded him of his promise. The whistlers were guarding the camp along with the General''s personal guards. Cavalry as camp guards? What a waste! His cohort was supposed to be fighting at the front, gaining back their lost honor. This was supposed to be his chance to get his revenge. He spent all his fortune just to buy the loyalty of the Whistlers. He needed to join the battle soon to at least get his money''s worth. He won''t gain prestige by guarding the camp. "Can''t you really talk to your uncle about this?" Centurion Lyn slapped the saddle of his horse and asked angrily. Although the General prohibited them from joining the battle, they were currently on horseback in case of emergency. "I did. But he was adamant in keeping the Whistlers away from the battle" Luther answered He understood the Centurion''s resentment. Not being able to join the battle meant that they will receive little to no loot. Now Centurion Lyn is angry even at the General. Greed really makes a man brave, Luther thought. "Dammit" Centurion Lyn cursed. "Why do I feel that this is your fault?" "My fault? Don''t blame everything to me" Luther answered awkwardly. This was really his fault. But he was as unhappy as the Whistlers with this arrangement. He spent about 25,000 gold coins just to guard the camp. "You know what?" Luther looked sternly at Centurion Lyn "I don''t care anymore. Let''s go!" "What?" Centurion Lyn asked. He gave Luther a questioning look. "Do you want to join the battle or not? If you don''t, then remain here and enjoy the view or something. But I''m going inside the castle with the rest of the cohort" "But" the Centurion stuttered "But I''m going against the General''s orders? I don''t care! I just spent a huge amount of money on bribing you. Maybe he will forget, I don''t know. But I''m getting my money''s worth." Centurion Lyn smiled. It was a greedy smile like that of a merchant. "Let''s go." He then turned to the Whistlers to announce the order "The Prefect¡­" But Luther interrupted him. "No! Let me do it." Luther coughed a few times to clear his throat. He turned to the soldiers "Whistlers! Charge!" ***************************************************************** Sigurd watched his men enter the Castle. He felt excited and at the same time, anxious. He remembered fifteen years ago when they attacked Knightsend. It was a bloody battle that lasted from sunrise to sundown. They assaulted the castle three times, but the walls were just too strong. The Century under his command fought like madmen, scaling the walls, ramming the gates, forcing their way inside the castle all while the enemy hurled rocks and fired arrows from above. It was grueling. They bled and fought like men that day. They killed and died, it was chaotic. But it was glorious. Battles always excite Sigurd. Maybe his excitement stems from his violent nature or maybe battles were really just exciting for men, but the chaotic appeal of battles fills his heart with an unexplainable calmness. He stared at the wide-open front gate of Knightsend. Fifteen years ago, many of his comrades died trying to snatch control of the gate. Now it was open. Sigurd then went inside his tent. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn''t be able to stop himself from joining the battle. The appeal of battle was just too strong. Sigurd flapped the entrance of his tent and was greeted by the sight of the tied Castonian envoys. Sigurd went to his desk and grabbed a bottle of wine. He poured some wine into his cup and enjoyed the unique aroma. It was a cheap wine, but it was Sigurd''s favorite. Hadean wine was overrated. He turned towards the envoys and took a sip. "I really must thank you for your help. Don''t worry, I will give you Prince a quick death" he mocked. Sigurd felt proud of himself. Seeing the pitiful state of his enemies made Sigurd happy. He took another sip and studied the expression of the Castonians. Suddenly the envoy whose name was Adrian laughed. He laughed so loud that Sigurd wanted to cover his ears. Did he finally lose his mind? Sigurd knew that guilt could sometimes turn a man insane but he never expected to see something like this in his lifetime. "What are you laughing at?" Sigurd asked angrily But Adrian continued his laughter. Sigurd felt his anger surge. How dare he. Sigurd put his cup down and approached the Castonian. His footsteps were heavy and his movement was powerful. Sigurd bent his body and lifted Adrian''s chin. He looked into his eyes. "Answer me!" Sigurd roared The Castonian stopped his laughter and looked back into Sigurd''s eyes. Adrian''s eyes were burning with anger. Sigurd could see it. It was hatred, smoldering like wildfire. Sigurd considers himself as a brave man. But Adrian''s eyes scared him. He was really scared. On the other hand, Adrian''s face had no trace of fear. It''s like he was looking at an insect. Sigurd felt small and powerless. Instead of answering him, Adrian turned to the other Castonians and started singing ''The Horse and the Castle Wall''. The four Castonians also joined his song. "And the Knights charged, But three times they failed. For a horse can''t jump over the walls. They fought, they trot, and injuries they got. For a horse can''t jump over the walls" After singing the song, Adrian turned to Sigurd and looked at him in a mocking way. Sigurd couldn''t hold his anger anymore so he punched Adrian''s face. The envoy fell down but he immediately stood up and gazed at Sigurd. It was terrifying. Sigurd felt his blood turn cold and he trembled. "You want me to answer you General Sigurd?" Adrian''s voice was cold. "Then I will tell you this" He paused and gave Sigurd a sinister smile. "Never, ever underestimate the loyalty of a Castonian. Especially if Prince Timothy is your opponent" Sigurd was taken aback by the envoy''s words. At first he was confused. But then thousands of thoughts came flooding inside his head. He felt shivers down his spine. Was it all an act? Did he fall into a trap? His heart beat fast. Sigurd stood up and immediately ran outside. His powerful leg muscles accelerated him so fast it seems inhuman. But before he could reach the door, his squire entered his tent. Sigurd could see that his squire was in shock. "General! We''re in trouble!" 42 Trapped After going through the front gate of Knightsend, the inside of the whole castle was revealed to Stan. To put it simply, Knightsend was a small castle. The walls were not very high and the towers were not impressive. But it was well maintained. The Castle was clean and the walls, although old, have not degraded. The castle ground was crammed with the Tulosans. To this, Stan was confused. At first he thought that he would be greeted with bloodbath. The Castonians, after all, were fighting for their lives. But the Castonians didn''t fight for the gate. In fact, he was confused why the Castonians didn''t just put a wall of pikes to block the gate. It wouldn''t hold forever, but it would be better than letting them take the gate unopposed. Now, there were thousands of Tulosans in the castle grounds. He had been in a siege before and he knew how castle assaults work. After taking the gates, the attacking army must then take the walls through the doors in the walls that lead to the top. It would be tough because the defending army would defend these entryways. If the defending army locked these doors, the attackers must then use the rams to break them. Stan then remembered something. They didn''t bring rams. General Sigurd was so focused on taking the front gate that he forgot about the doors that lead to the walls. If the Castonians locked these doors, then it would be hard for them to take the walls even though they now control the castle grounds. And if the Castonians showered them with arrows from above, it would be catastrophic. He looked around. At their back was the front wall of the castle that faced the road. To their sides were also walls. To their front was another wall that divided the castle into two. He then realized their dangerous situation. His eyes went wide. The the entire Tulosan army was in a basin! If the Castonians were lying about the broken gate and closed it, then the whole army would be trapped inside the castle grounds. He needs to warn them. This is dangerous! They need to retreat! "Retreat!" he shouted as loud as he could "It''s a trap! Retreat now!" but his voice was lost among the noises. Stan didn''t give up. He warned and shouted to his Knights. He tried his best to preach his realization. His throat was aching. At last he was successful. He eventually gathered the attention of his century. Stan''s Century retreated to the gate. They need to get out of here as fast as possible. This was all Prince Timothy''s trap. They had fallen into a trap. Many people will die but at least Stan saved his century. He will be mocked for retreating but who cares? His knights need to live. His Knights were fleeing fast and the clinking of their armor rented the air. They were close to the gate. Stan felt a little relived. They will survive, his Knights will live. On the other side of the gate was salvation. Stan thanked the merciful Omniscient for saving him and his knights. But just as they were only a few meters away from the gate, it closed. The heavy gate fell, its bottom pounded the ground. Stan''s hope was snuffed like a candle. His jaw dropped. They were so close. They were almost out. But they didn''t make it. What will happen to them now? "No!" Stan shouted. He immediately dismounted his horse and ran towards the gate. His Knights also did the same. They squatted and tried to lift the gates up, but it was too heavy. Stan filled his lungs with air and held his breath. He poured his strength into lifting the gate. But the gate didn''t move even a little. Eventually, Stan''s vision blurred. He fell down. Beside him, many of the Knights were also panting from exertion. "No!" Stan cried. He pounded the iron gate with his hand "No" his voice became weaker. Stan failed. It was too late. Many of his Knights will die because realized the trap too late. He looked at the faces of his Knights. They were as worried as he was. Arrows started to rain. *********************************************************************************** Luther was riding at the front of his cohort when the gate closed. Fortunately, they were still outside. At first he thought that he was just seeing things, but the gates dropped. Luther was confused. The gates were supposed to be broken. He was there when the envoy revealed that Knightsend''s front gate was broken. Luther squinted and confirmed it. The gates of Knightsend were really close! Most of the army were trapped inside. Was this a trap of the Castonians? Was the envoy lying when he said that the gates were broken? Luther then realized that this was clearly a trap! With the gates closed, most of the Tulosan soldiers were trapped inside. The Castonians could just fire arrows all day and not lose a single soldier. Prince Timothy planned all of this. They had fallen into his trap. From the burning of the supply wagons to the envoy''s deceit, he planned it all. And they followed the Prince''s plan step after step. Suddenly, Luther had flashbacks of that night, that dreadful battle in the forest that destroyed both his military and political career. This level of trickery was comparable to what he experienced that night. No, this was more vile and refined. It involved both large scale and small scale planning. It also involved political deception and sabotage. Luther was both awed and angered by the Castonian trickery. The trap was perfect. For the first time since that fateful night in the forest, Luther felt real fear. He was afraid when he faced his uncle after his defeat and that time he went to the camp of the Whistlers. But the fear he experienced in those moments was incomparable to the fear in his heart right now. It was a sinister feeling. It was dread. Prince Timothy was an enigma that worked behind the scenes. He was a phantom that strikes from behind, an unstoppable force that destroys anything in its way. They had been dancing on the palm of his hand all along. "Halt!" Luther ordered and his cohort stopped their charge. "This is a trap. We have fallen into a trap." he muttered "For the first time, I agree with you" Centurion Lyn said as he looked at the castle. "I wonder what''s going on inside. Should we do something to help them? If so, what?" "To hell with that. We can''t help them anyway. We need to retreat" Luther immediately said. Help? What can they do? Luther turned his horse around. They need to flee to the refuge of the camp. But what he saw shocked him. He thought that Prince Timothy''s plan was already perfect, but turns out it wasn''t complete yet. Hundreds, no, thousands of cavalry were charging towards the camp. It was both an amazing and terrifying sight. It was a scene that future paintings would depict. It was marvelous yet terrifying. Luther''s eyes were glued on the charging cavalry. He knew that he should do something. It was his duty as an officer to help the camp. But there were only a few hundred soldiers defending the camp and that already includes the non-combatants. The camp was already doomed so Luther was reluctant to help. "In the name of the Great Rider!" Centurion Lyn exclaimed. He then turned to Luther as if he was begging for guidance. "We need to flee Centurion. We lost this battle" Luther admitted. The people inside the castle were done for. Also in a few moments, the Castonian cavalry will swarm the camp. Only his cohort will remain. Only the Whistlers will survive. Luther was thankful to his Uncle for preventing him from joining the assault. He was also thankful to his own stubbornness for getting them out of the camp. If there was a God, it doesn''t matter if it was the Great Rider or the Omniscient, he should have favored Luther. ************************************************************************** " General! We''re in trouble!" Sigurd himself halted and looked blankly at the squire. "What happened?" he yelled. "They are.." his squire''s words were interrupted by the shaking of the ground. It was powerful. Sigurd could feel the force of whatever caused the tremble. His squire faltered for a while but he managed to finish his sentence "They are charging General! The Castonians are charging!" "What?!" Sigurd can''t believe what he just heard. That was preposterous! The Castonians are charging? But Sigurd wasted no time. He immediately moved his legs. Sigurd leapt outside and saw that the camp was now different from before he entered his tent. It was chaotic. The soldiers were running around, clearly in panic. Shouts of orders can be heard. He then looked around. What he saw stunned his senses. It looked like a cloud of dust at first, but upon closer inspection one could clearly see what it really was. Thousands of cavalry were charging towards them with their lances pointed forward. Their flags display an image of a white lion with two swords crossed above it. It was the flag of Castonia. 43 A Monsters Cage Timothy was looking at the dying Tulosans from the walls. It was a bloodbath below. Although the Tulosans were trying to defend from the arrows, they can''t do anything but defend. Timothy locked the doors that lead to the walls. He also positioned pikemen in all of the entryways in case the Tulosans break through the doors. The Tulosans were in chaos. Some were trying to break the doors that lead to the top of the walls. Some were busy finding shelter from the arrows. But most of the Tulosans were at the gate, trying to lift the thing open. There was a huge steel lock at the top of the gate so even if a hundred men tried to lift it open, the gate won''t budge. By now, hundreds of Tulosans lie dead on the castle grounds. Several hundred more were injured by arrows. Cries of pain filled the air with a dreadful vibe. Timothy detested this. Even though the Tulosans slaughtered many of the people who lived in the villages around Solon, Timothy knew many of them were just forced to do so. He hated the Tulosans for invading his Kingdom, but Timothy did not enjoy their deaths. A human''s conscience was a fragile thing. Timothy believes that most human beings were inherently good. Laws were made and rules were implemented because human beings desire peace, they desire goodness and prosperity. Although some people were evil, they belong to the minority. These animals of society were being punished because people hated evil. So even though the Tulosans below him did terrible things, he still felt uncomfortable seeing them die. He was still a normal human that felt empathy towards the suffering and death of others. Timothy wasn''t a pacifist. He believes that sometimes, war and violence were necessary to solve conflicts. But the reason of this war was stupid. Stupid leaders led the people to this stupid conflict. The powerful tricked the weak into believing that this war was necessary. No, this war wasn''t necessary. By killing each other, they are wasting lives and resources. Timothy doesn''t want to fight his whole life so he will show mercy to those who surrender. For Tulosa and Castonia to have a lasting peace, he should minimize the hatred brought upon by this war. His duty wasn''t to kill the Tulosans, but to subdue them. Timothy raised his hand. After a short while, his soldiers stopped firing. "I will show mercy to those who surrender" Timothy declared to the Tulosans. "Drop your weapons and I promise not to harm you. I am Timothy Castonia and unlike your General, I desire peace. Of course we will still punish you for your war crimes but we will do it justly." The Tulosans just looked at him. They did not say anything. Maybe it was out of loyalty to their Kingdom or maybe they just don''t trust Timothy, but it seems most them didn''t want to lay down their arms yet. "Your silence indicates that you still wanted to fight. I respect that. Every hour, I will order a minute of ceasefire and will offer you peace again. Just tell me if you had enough of this." Timothy lowered his hand "Fire" The Castonians fired their crossbows again. ************************************************************************* John''s horse was charging. The wind brushed against his face as his horse ran at full speed. It was a glorious feeling. Beside John were the Leons. The Leons were famous among the soldiers. Even though the Castonian army neglected the use of cavalry in combat, every soldier still dreamed of joining the Leon cohort. The pay was good and the prestige was even better. At first John thought that the Leons were proud and unapproachable. He was wrong. They were just normal people. They drink, they eat and they shit. They even let the veterans borrow their horses in the battle of the forest. Most of them were kind and humble. John felt honored charging with the Leons. If he survive this battle and grow old as a veteran, he would tell his grandchildren of this day. He would tell them that he, Centurion John Wilkin, charged with the Leons in the name of Prince Timothy. He then clasped his lance. The Leons taught him the proper way of holding a lance while charging. He made sure that his lance was straight and his posture was firm. The Tulosan camp was near. He can now see the figures of the Tulosans. Most of them ran but a good portion of the enemy stood their ground. John was not surprised. These soldiers were the best of the best. They were the chosen guards of their General so they will not break easily. "Remember lad" a Leon Centurion said to John "Don''t put your weight on the stirrup unless you want to break your legs. Move with the direction of the impact and leave your lance after you impaled somebody." "Thank you sir!" "Don''t be like that. We have the same rank. See you on the other side" the Centurion winked John smiled. The Leons were really different from what he expected. He then looked ahead and found his first target. It was a small group of soldiers who were holding their ground. They wore good armor and it was apparent from their stance that they were well trained. John aimed his lance towards the chest of one of the soldiers. He followed the advice of the Leons and held his lance straight and firm. The tip of his weapon inched closer to his target. Time ticked slowly and John held his breath. Finally, his lance struck the chest of the Tulosan. It was a direct hit and his lance penetrated the man''s armor. John felt his lance pierce the flesh and bone of the Tulosan. It was a strange sensation. John had killed before, but killing on horseback was different. He let go of his lance and drew his sword. Swords were almost useless against armored opponents but John had no choice. He turned his horse around and looked for another target. The battle was chaotic. Hundreds of men were running around the place. Horses charged out of nowhere. The cries and screams resonated like a sonata of fear. But before John could find his next opponent, the battle was already over. Most of the Tulosans were either dead or had already surrendered. What remained of the Tulosan army was a small pocket of guards forming a circle wall with their spears. At the center of the circle was a huge man holding his sword firmly. John went closer. Hundreds of Castonians surrounded the remaining Tulosans. *************************************************************************** It was over. Sigurd knew that he already lost. He knew that there was no way out of this. The soldiers guarding the camp were folded by the Castonian charge. It wasn''t even a battle. The Castonian cavalry outnumbered them five to one. Sigurd looked around. His nephew was missing. Well he shouldn''t expect the Whistlers to stay and fight. Sigurd was certain that the cowards had already fled. Good for Luther, he thought. Regarding his current situation, Sigurd can''t do anything. It was an utter defeat. "General Sigurd" a familiar voice called. Sigurd looked towards the direction of the voice. It was Adrian. "Surrender now. We will not harm you" Adrian promised "Prince Timothy offers mercy to those who drop their weapons." "And then what?" Sigurd asked "You will imprison us until our bodies rot? Or maybe your Prince wants to parade us in chains?" "I assure you that Prince Timothy will not parade you in chains. He will protect your honor and dignity at least. But you''re right. We need to punish you for your crimes." Adrian explained. He walked towards the wall of spear. Just like earlier, he was unafraid. Sigurd looked at his sword. It was a gift from General Kingston himself. Fifteen years ago, when he was just a centurion, General Kingston gave him the sword as a gift. He treasured the sword and rarely used it. The sword was a gift from a great person and he planned on making the sword a family heirloom. His descendants will pass the sword as their family''s treasure. At least that was how he planned it. He then looked at Knightsend. He remembered the first time he saw the castle. He was still young that time. He was a young officer with big dreams. Unfortunately, the botched invasion ruined his youth. It ruined his sanity. He was never the same after he returned to Tulosa. Many of his comrades died that day. He always had nightmares showing him the vivid corpses of his comrades. Whenever he looks at the Castle, he always sees that bloody scene fifteen years ago. Knightsend''s walls were white. But Sigurd knew that once these walls turned red. The Castle''s front gate was now clean, but once hundreds of corpses were scattered near the gate. Sigurd closed his eyes and then he smiled. "You know, I really don''t care even if you execute me for my crimes." Sigurd went closer to Adrian. His voice was calm "But I have my pride" Adrian looked at him and slowly nodded "Is that your final decision General?" "It is" Sigurd answered "Then I will respect that. You are my enemy and I despise every fiber of your being. But as a fellow warrior, I will respect your decision. I will give you an honorable death." "Thank you" Sigurd said "Then, shall we start?" "Yes" What followed next was a short but intense battle between the Castonians and the Tulosans. It was bloody. The remaining Tulosans fought to the death. In the end, Sigurd was the only one left standing. His right arm was dismembered and he had three stab wounds on his stomach. He was bleeding. He had no strength left and he fell on his knees. Sigurd looked up and saw Adrian approach him. Adrian knelt in front of him and held a dagger to his chest. "Rest now, General Sigurd. You have fought bravely." Adrian stabbed Sigurd''s heart. He then supported Sigurd''s back and laid him on the ground facing up. Sigurd saw the sky. It was peaceful, the peace he had been searching for these past fifteen years. His life had been a cage, and he was a prisoner of his own hatred. He released all the hatred inside his heart. He then saw the smiling figures of his comrades. He had finally broken the cage. Sigurd''s vision darkened. He was finally free. 44 Aftermath Timothy''s men had been firing arrows for five hours now. Since there was a limited number of a crossbow in the castle, he divided his soldiers into two shifts alternating every hour. This way, his men wouldn''t get exhausted. As for the arrows, they spent more than half of their stockpile already. Nevertheless, more than a thousand Tulosans had already died while the rest were exhausted. It shouldn''t take long. "I surrender!" a voice resounded from below. Timothy searched for the source of the voice and found a group of Knights hiding under their shields. The shields they held looked like porcupines with dozens of protruding arrows. Many of the Knights were injured with some bolts finding their way through the small gaps in the Knights'' armor. Timothy raised his hand and ordered a ceasefire even though it had only been half an hour since the last one. His soldiers lowered their crossbows and there was a cessation of hostilities. The atmosphere that was earlier filled with the sound of whizzing of arrows was now silent. "What is your name?" Timothy asked from the top of the wall. "Stan Belford, Centurion of Fifth Century, Third Cohort of Tulosans Knights" the man answered. "Do you wish to surrender, Stan Belford?" "I do" Stan answered without hesitation. "Do you understand that even if you surrender, we will still punish you for your crimes? We would have treated you as prisoners of war if you just abided with the rules of war. But you committed war crimes against the citizens of Castonia so we will treat you as criminals. You will be appropriately punished depending on the severity of your crimes. We could even give you capital punishment." Timothy said slowly and clearly. He wanted Stan to understand that surrendering doesn''t wash his hands of his crimes. Justice will be served fairly but ruthlessly. "I do Prince Timothy" he then turned to the rest of the Tulosans. "I had enough of this. We lost. We should just surrender and accept punishment for our crimes." Stan then turned back and looked at Timothy. "I, Stan Belford, surrender to you Prince Timothy Castonia. May you treat me justly" he then unsheathed his sword and dagger and threw them away. He removed his armor and also did the same. Many Tulosans followed Stan''s actions. They threw their weapons, put their hands on the back of their head and lay down. Timothy felt relieved. He wanted to let as many Tulosans to live as possible. There were only two ways to have peace with Tulosa in the future. Either he tame them or exterminate them. Timothy was not willing to exterminate a race. He wasn''t that evil. So the only to have peace was to end the cycle of hate and revenge. It would be hard, but time heals old wounds. He needs to reduce the casualties to hasten this healing period. This stupid war with a stupid cause had taken many lives already. It took three more hours to break or exterminate the rest of the Tulosans. There were some who never surrendered and fought to the death. Somehow, Timothy understood their choice. Accepting defeat was hard, it was painful. Some people were just too consumed by emotions to see the bigger picture. Nevertheless, most of the Tulosans surrendered. In the afternoon, Timothy received news from the cavalry. They were victorious but a force of about five hundred cavalrymen got away. Timothy can''t blame them after hearing that this group of cavalry were the Whistlers. He had heard of the Whistlers before. They were fast and light. There was no way for his cavalry to catch up to them. Also Timothy received some disappointing news. General Sigurd fought to the death. Timothy thought that General Sigurd would surrender and lay down his arms. But the General fought until his last breath. Timothy was really disappointed that General Sigurd did not surrender. Of course with the severity of his crimes, he would still get capital punishment. But at least he would die for justice. General Sigurd was an evil man. He did evil things. The dark deeds of his army were mostly because of him. Human beings may be inherently good, but human ethics was a fickle thing. People will always follow a leader. They always thirst for guidance. And if the leader was evil, the followers would disregard their personal feelings and forget morality. This was the reason why leaders hold the most responsibility in this world. A weak but charismatic person, when propped on a horse, could still inspire armies and change the course of history. Timothy considers himself a leader. He was powerful because his followers decided that he was. Timothy wasn''t a saint. He wasn''t faultless. But he was better than most leaders, at least he tries to be. Timothy wasn''t the sort of person who would sacrifice everything for the sake of the greater good. No, he wasn''t like that. Yes he wanted to make the world a better place, but there was a limit to all his sacrifices. He was neither a saint nor a devil. He was a human- a human being who was inherently good but flawed. ********************************************* The next morning, Timothy arranged a funeral for the dead soldiers. Thousands of new gravestones filled the graveyard. Each of the gravestones had a name, ensuring that the memories of those who died will not be forgotten. The last time they went to the graveyard was to grieve for the dead Castonian soldiers. Now, they were here to grieve for both the dead Castonians and Tulosans. He allowed the Tulosans to grieve with them. Of course, they were in chains but Timothy gave them the freedom to say farewell to their comrades. It was a solemn event and the graveyard was filled with silence even though thousands of people were present. Division due to race, nationality, language and religion was removed. They were all human beings, suffering from the effects of this unnecessary war. Timothy was standing at the front. He then turned around. The Castonians and the Tulosans were divided into two groups but one couldn''t see the difference between them. They all wore the same expression, that of weariness. "Dead men won''t come back to life" he suddenly said. In an instant, thousands of eyes were looking at him. He paused to purposely gather their attention. "You will never see them again. ''We'' will never see them again" he corrected "We have all suffered, Castonians and Tulosans alike. We are all tired of this useless war. I''m not saying that we will end this conflict between us- no, conflicts are essential in finding a middle ground between our differences. I told you that I desire peace, but I will not force a premature peace. It''s just that at the end of the day, I hope we can still look at each other as human beings. We are different, but we are the same." "We grieve today and we remember the memories of the dead. But tomorrow, is another day. Dead men won''t come back to life. Their bodies will rot and their consciousness had faded. But I believe that every single life has a meaning, at least that''s what every person desires to have- an impact on this world, an evidence of existence. Our comrades are dead. But as for the impact they left, it''s up to us, the living, to preserve it. So live your lives with memories of them and make their deaths meaningful. That is our responsibility." The men just looked at Timothy silently. No one uttered a word. Timothy was disappointed that he failed to reach their hearts. He turned around. But then he heard a thumping sound. He turned around again and saw a single Tulosan kneeling. The others followed. What happened next was the chorus kneeling of the Tulosans and Castonians. Thousands of people knelt and put their balled fist on their chest. It was a salute. Timothy knew that the salute was not directed towards him. It was directed to the dead. The people behind him were saluting to the dead. He turned towards the gravestones. He then knelt and also saluted to the dead. **************************************************************** After sending letters informing the whole kingdom of his victory, Timothy decided to leave Knightsend behind and head to Solon. The larger Tulosan army are coming and they can''t defend the castle whilst guarding thousands of Tulosan prisoners. Also, they were running out of food. Timothy destroyed the gates of Knightsend and demolished its defenses. They can''t let the Tulosans use Knightsend. The villagers also followed Timothy. Some of them were reluctant at first, but Baron Randy encouraged them to leave. "Are you sure you''re not retreating just because you miss Lucia?" Erik jested. They were at the front of the whole column. "What if I am?" Timothy smirked. "Then your flowery words at the graveyard would mean nothing. It''s a shame, your words nearly moved me" Erik grinned "What are you talking about? My words always move you" "Nope" Erik denied "Not even once" Timothy laughed. Back at the graveyard he saw Erik''s watery eyes so he knew that his friend was moved by his speech. "Let''s go" Timothy then said with a smile After a while, thousands of people started their march towards Solon. 45 Effects of Victory Greenwater, Western Region of Castonia Prefect Ryon stabbed his halberd towards the body of a Tulosan soldier. He missed. The Tulosan tilted his body and Ryon''s halberd missed the man''s stomach by a few inches. Ryon''s halberd hit the stony merlon of the wall. The blunt impact vibrated through his arm. He felt pain and instinctively let go of the halberd. He cursed himself for doing so. Letting go of one''s weapon was stupid. Now he lost his weapon and the Tulosan''s spear was coming for his chest. He quickly jumped back and avoided the Tulosan''s stab. It was close and the spear brushed against Ryon''s mail. Although chainmail could protect against sword slashes, it was vulnerable to stabs. He grabbed the shaft of his enemy''s spear and grappled the weapon from the Tulosan. The man wasn''t prepared and he let go of the handle of his spear. Ryon reversed the tip of the spear and stabbed the Tulosan with his own weapon. This time, Ryon''s stab was hard and true. The tip of the spear penetrated the Tulosan''s thin armor and pierced the man''s chest. The Tulosan fell down and Ryon put his weight on the spear. He felt the spear move a few more inches into the Tulosan''s body. The Tulosan grabbed the shaft of the spear and tried to dislodge the weapon out of his body. Ryon felt the spear move a little. He was impressed. The strength of a desperate man fighting for his life was truly impressive. But it was already over. The man was impaled under Ryon''s stab. He struggled for a while, but Ryon knew that he punctured the man''s lungs. After a few moments, the struggles of the man became weaker. He pulled the spear out. The Tulosan''s body was still twitching, but Ryon knew he will die soon. He looked around. It was bloody and chaotic. Screams, shouts and cries mixed in the air. A portion of the wall had crumbled and his unit was trying to defend the hole while building a makeshift barricade. Their situation was dire. His men were being pushed back by the endless wave of Tulosans coming through the hole. To make matters worse, some of the Tulosans climbed the walls with their ladders. Ryon personally led a few dozens of his men to defend the top of the walls. They were outnumbered at first, but they prevailed. The Tulosan he killed just now was the last of them. Even so, his soldiers below were slowly losing ground. If this continues, the Tulosans will take the walls of Greenwater and possibly the whole city. They must defend the walls. They need to. Ryon would fight to the death himself, but some of his men won''t. A few of his men below were already retreating. "Prefect!" the soldier behind him called. Ryon turned to the soldier. "It''s the Marquis! The Marquis is coming!" he pointed towards a mass of soldiers at the distance. Ryon saw Marquis Connel''s flag. The winged swordfish in the flag was unmistakable. "Reinforcements!" Ryon shouted as he quickly went down from the wall. "The Marquis is coming!" he shouted to his men. After hearing that Marquis Connel is coming to rescue them, Ryon''s soldiers cheered. Those who were in the process of retreating turned back around. They were pushing the Tulosans back. After a few moments, Marquis Connel arrived with his men and joined the fray. They fought like wild beasts and drove the Tulosans out. Many of the Castonians died, but they were successful in defending the walls today. "I''m glad we reached you in time" the Marquis said to Ryon. The Marquis personally joined the fight and his sword was bloody. His armor was also damaged. "How''s the Eastern Wall Sire?" "Worse" he grimaced "We can''t repair the gate so we just built barricades. But the Tulosans destroyed the barricades with one charge." "They are getting desperate Sire. Do you think this has something to do with Knightsend?" Ryon asked. During the first weeks of the siege, the Tulosans just camped around the city. Their trebuchets hurled stones at the city walls form time to time, but that was the end of it. But about ten days ago, shocking news arrived. Knightsend had broken the siege by themselves. It was unbelievable. Ryon knew how hard it is to fight a cavalry-heavy army. Around the same time, the Tulosan attack became more aggressive. They assaulted the city almost everyday. Eventually, they breached some parts of the walls of Greenwater. The Marquis wiped his sword and sheated it on its scabbard. "Yes. Their supply lines are cut. They need to take Greenwater as soon as possible." He looked around "Three days" he then said "What?" Ryon asked. "I estimate the city''s fall to be in three days if they continue their assault. I recalled the men from Castle Timur and consolidated our forces inside the city, but we still can''t defend against 25,000 Tulosans. Soon the city will fall" he lamented Ryon frowned. Marquis Connel was right though, the city was on the verge of defeat. Thousands of Castonians were either dead or too injured to fight. In fact, only half of his cohort remains. Morale was also low. Suddenly, a man ran towards the Marquis. He was in a hurry. From the looks of it, the man must be Marquis Connel''s squire. "Sire! A red-sealed letter arrived from Knightsend" The squire said as he handed the Marquis the letter. Ryon could see the anxiousness in the Marquis eyes. He took the letter and immediately read it. "Impossible!" Marquis Connel exclaimed. His expression was that of surprise but there was a hint of joy in his face. "Are..Are you sure you didn''t just make this up? If this was just a joke, I would strangle you" he said to the squire. "No sire. It came from Knightsend. Look at the seal. It was Prince Timothy''s personal seal" the squire replied. Ryon couldn''t hold his curiosity anymore. "Sire, pardon me for asking but what did the Prince wrote in the letter?" The Marquis didn''t answer him. Instead, he asked Ryon back "Prefect, you have experienced dozens of battles before, right?" Ryon nodded "Do you think it''s possible to destroy an army of ten thousand with just a few dozen casualties?" "No Sire. That''s impossible" Ryon quickly answered. It really was impossible. Why would the Marquis ask him a question with an obvious answer? "You''re wrong Prefect" Marquis Connel corrected "Because Prince Timothy just did it." ****************************************************************** "General Sigurd is a fool! This is probably the worst defeat Tulosa had experienced." Prefect Maine shouted. He then looked around as if he was gathering support from the other officers. "I should have led that army." "We just experienced a humiliating defeat and you''re scheming for power. How shameless can you be?" Prefect Jerome reprimanded. "You!" Maine glared at Jerome. The two Prefects then stood up to brawl but the others held them down. "Ten seconds" General Rickard said slowly and coldly. "You have ten seconds to behave or else I will be your opponent." The two fighting Prefects immediately froze and went back to their seats. They behaved after hearing Rickard''s words. The other Prefects were also silent. "Now let''s talk about what happened to Sigurd''s army" Rickard put his hand on his forehead and frowned. "How could this happen?" "Maybe the letter was a mistake or a joke" Prefect Dan commented "I don''t think so. I told you, Sigurd is a fool" Prefect Maine repeated. "Or maybe Prince Timothy is just too good?" Prefect Dan said. He stroked his beard. "We shouldn''t have underestimated them." "We didn''t" It was Prefect Jerome''s turn to speak. "First, who would''ve thought that Knightsend would break the siege. Second, we never expected that Prince Timothy was a beast." "Enough with that. We should decide what our next step is. Continuing this siege is too dangerous" a Prefect voiced "But we are so close. Our spies revealed that the defenders are weary. The city will fall any day now." "He''s right. We need to retreat." Rickard finally voiced out. "We can''t risk it. We''re already pushing our luck by assaulting Greenwater even after Knightsend broke the siege." "But General, what about the Calgarians? They will be disappointed" "We don''t have a choice. We must find another way." Rickard replied. Their original plan was to take Greenwater and let the Calgarians have the city. Calgari and Tulosa were in a secret alliance and planned a joint invasion of Castonia. Tulosa will invade first and take Greenwater. The Calgarians would then enter Castonia through Greenwater by the sea. This was the reason why Rickard''s army attacked Greenwater instead of Solon. Destroying Solon would damage Castonia more, but their victory would be short-lived since Castonia could repel them with its full force. On the other hand, the combined force of Calgari and Tulosa would be enough to defeat all the armies of Castonia. But now they failed and the King will be pissed. They need to find another way to join forces with the Calgarians. It will be hard, but that''s better than continuing their assault on Greenwater. Although the city was on the verge of surrender, they can''t spare even a few days. They need to retreat back to Tulosa. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Castonians bested them this time 46 A New Scheme Nirvana, Capital of Castonia Leopold had repeatedly examined the letter he was holding. The letter came from Timothy. His first thought after reading the letter was that it was fake. But it was not. The seal used in the letter was Timothy''s personal seal. And it was not forged either because he took the old letters Timothy wrote to him and compared the seals. He spent a long time trying to find fault in the seal but it was perfect. It was identical to the seal used by Timothy in the past. He next thought that Timothy had lost his mind. This would be a better explanation. The report written in the letter was just too unrealistic. Leopold cannot believe it, no, he refuse to believe that such thing was possible. It must be a lie. Timothy never lied to him in the past, but Leopold could only think of two reasons why Timothy would write such an unbelievable story to him. Either Timothy was lying or he had lost his mind. Leopold''s guess was the latter. Or maybe Timothy was telling the truth? No, he couldn''t be. But if Timothy was telling the truth, then this was a historic moment. This moment would forever be remembered by generations to come. The battle of Knightsend, as what future historians would probably call it, will be etched in the annals of history. He contemplated for a while. And then it occurred to him. It wasn''t really impossible for Timothy to achieve such a stunning victory. The Prince was capable, maybe even more capable than Leopold himself. Leopold felt shivers down his spine. He was slowly accepting the validity of Timothy''s words. A month ago, when he schemed against Timothy, he thought that the boy wouldn''t survive. But it seems the god of fortune took Timothy as its pet. Leopold does not believe in Gods, but only divine intervention could explain Timothy''s uncanny fortune. First, someone found out about his pact with Skall Wismar and interrupted their plan. The person was cunning and capable. He covered his tracts and until now, Leopold still had no idea who he was. Because of the mystery person, Thespelae''s garrison mobilized and joined Timothy. Next, he received a letter from Knightsend saying that the castle had broken the siege. His current reaction was identical to his reaction back then after he read of the letter. Knightsend broke the siege by themselves. He was really shocked back then and doubted the credibility of the letter. A besieged army breaking the siege by themselves with minimal casualties was the stuff of legends. He never thought that he had such capable soldiers. If he had known that the soldiers from Knightsend were such beasts, he would have recalled them all to the capital. But even with the help of soldiers from Knightsend and Thespelae, Timothy would still have to face an opponent with similar strength. Even if Timothy retreated back to Knighstend, the battle would still be bloody for both sides. And even if Timothy won, he would still lose at least half of his army. This was Leopold''s prediction. But he was wrong. Not only did Timothy achieve victory, he demolished the Tulosans with negligible casualties. According to the letter he just received, only five hundred Tulosans escaped Timothy''s hands. About two thousand Tulosans died and the rest surrendered. What really shocked Leopold was Timothy''s report on the Castonians casualties. Thirty-five Yes, only thirty-five soldiers died. Although several dozens more were injured, the number of casualties was abnormally low. Leopold suspected once that Timothy made a clerical error, but he repeatedly used the word thirty-five to indicate the number of Castonian casualties. Leopold put his hand on his forehead. His head hurts and he was torn. He wanted to be happy. The great victory of Timothy saved the Western Region. The villages around Solon were also not utterly destroyed despite the loss of three or four villages. This was great, this should be great. But Timothy did not die. The alliance with Wismar will not be realized as long as Timothy lives. Of course, Leopold could just break his promise to Vanadis, but it would be too risky. He could not afford offending the other Kingdoms. Furthermore, what troubled Leopold the most was Timothy''s growing power. With a victory as complete like this, the people would elevate his name. The bards would sing of Timothy''s capabilities. That son of his late wife will become a power not to be trifled with. Leopold must think carefully about his next move. He needs to be cautious when dealing with Timothy. *************************************************************************** Skall threw his cup after hearing of the news. The cup was full and its contents were spilled on the floor. "Useless horse loving bastards!" he screamed. His squire, Amir, picked up the cup and put it back on his table. "It seems King Leopold''s plan backfired Your Highness. Not only did Prince Timothy survive, he just became the most powerful person in Castonia. The people hail him and he has an experienced army. He''s more powerful than the King. We must be careful Your Highness. We can''t offend Timothy Castonia" Skall was thankful that he had Amir by his side. Amir wasn''t just his squire, he was Skall''s advisor. "Too bad, we already did." Skall took a coin and fiddled it with his finger. He always does this whenever he was nervous "I think he knows what we did" "Don''t worry Your Highness, I think he won''t retaliate. But we need to be careful next time." Amir comforted. He then sat on the chair in front of Skall. "So, what''s your advice?" Skall put down the coin and looked sternly at Amir "We can''t remain idle. Father just wrote to me a few days ago. He said the treasury is losing money fast. Trade is slow because Vanadian goods flood the market. We really need to invade Vanadis next year." "I actually have a plan Your Highness, but you won''t like it" Skall raised his brows "Tell me" he demanded "I said you won''t like it, but I will make you" Amir smiled "First, I will tell you of another piece of news." "Just tell me Amir" Skall sighed "I just found out who interrupted our plan to kill the messengers." He revealed "Who is he?" Skall immediately asked. He clenched his fist. That person was the cause of all of this. He also killed two of Skall''s best guards. "Not a he, but a she" Amir produced a letter and handed it to Skall "Lucia Vanadis" he said Upon hearing Lucia''s name, Skall frowned. She was his enemy, the daughter of King Edmund Vanadis. A few years ago, his father also offered a royal marriage to Vanadis intending to marry Skall to Lucia. With a royal marriage, the two trading giants will cease their competition and work as one. But Edmund Vanadis refused and resumed the trading competition with Wismar. The two Kingdoms were on par with each other at first, but Vanadis slowly got the upper hand. "What is this?" Skall asked "It''s Prince Timothy''s letter to Lucia. I already read it. Lucia was also the one who informed the garrison of Knightsend about Timothy''s situation. You don''t need to read it." Amir gave him a strange smile. Skall liked Lucia once. When his father sent the request for royal marriage all those years ago, he also sent Skall. Wismar always sends members of its royal family whenever it makes diplomatic ties. He spent a month at the Vanadian Palace and met Lucia a few times. He fell in love and tried to woo her. But Lucia refused his advances. In the end, King Edmund refused Vanadis and Lucia refused Skall. He failed diplomatically and romantically. "That was years ago" Skall gave Amir a bitter smile. He may have felt something for her in the past, but it was gone now. He then read the letter and frowned "They''re really close" Skall commented. "I told you not to read it" Amir then looked at him "So?" he asked "Let me ask you first how you got this" "Our spy handed it to me" "Just like that?" "Your Highness, spies are powerful. A single capable spy can bring down a whole Kingdom" Amir said. Skall nodded. Spies really are powerful. Trust is a dangerous thing. "So it was her. She''s capable. It''s a shame she and her father refused Wismar." He leaned back on his chair "But I can''t see how this relates to our plans" "We need to get rid of Lucia Vanadis" Amir said directly Skall was stunned. He considers his own self as a sly person, easy to accept both violent and dark schemes. But he was still stunned by Amir''s plan. "Why?" he asked "Because Lucia likes Prince Timothy. Prince Timothy is also the same. Both of them are capable. Only the heavens know how powerful they''ll get if they work together. In fact, they already worked together. The result was devastating for their enemies. Look at the Tulosans Your Highness. A month ago they had 40,000 soldiers, now they only have 25,000. We need to stop their union. We can''t let that happen or else we will face a monster that devours everything on its path. Also if we kill Lucia, the alliance between Vanadis and Castonia will end." Skall contemplated for a while. For the first time, he was reluctant in following Amir''s advice. It''s not because of his past feelings for Lucia. He was afraid. King Leopold Castonia will be furious. Since no one else knows that he was in Nirvana, all the blame will fall on Castonia. The other kingdoms will suspect King Leopold of assassinating the Princess. Leopold will have no choice but to accept Wismar''s alliance, but Skall was still afraid of the King. Also nobody knows what Timothy Castonia will do. The Prince really cares for Lucia. With her death, he could run amok. This plan felt like stepping on two lions'' tail. Nevertheless, he saw the sense in Amir''s plan. They can''t let Lucia and Timothy unite. Both of them are weak at the moment, but they will soon become an unstoppable force. Also like what Amir said, they could force King Leopold into an alliance by doing this. With the hate from other Kingdoms, Castonia would have no choice but to accept Wismar''s help. "I don''t know Amir, this is dangerous" Skall shook his head "You said earlier that we can''t afford to offend Prince Timothy. This is offending Prince Timothy" "I know what I said. Prince Timothy is a dangerous opponent. But this will be the last time." "For the first time, I''m reluctant in following your advice" "Good" Amir said "Because this plan of mine is dangerous. Nevertheless, we have no choice. Like what you said, we can''t remain idle" "Okay" Skall finally said after thinking for a long time "Make sure it''s clean. Make it look like an accident" 47 The Spy "How much for this?" Lucia showed the silk tunic to the Vanadian merchant. The merchant looked at Lucia and then eyed the guards behind her "Three gold coins. It''s made of pure Abicut silk, fresh from Northern Tulosa. You''re so lucky I still have one left. The others were already sold" The mechant said. Lucia doesn''t know whether to laugh or cry. Abicut silk? Who was he kidding? It was not even close to abicut silk. Lucia knew how real abicut silk felt like. She grew up in the most extravagant palace in the world so things of luxury were not strange to her. The merchant must have thought that she was just some na?ve and rich noble. "Twenty silver coins. That''s the best I can do. This is not Abicut silk, this is Coon silk. Abicut silk is soft and shiny. This is nothing compared to Abicut. Also Abicut silk comes from eastern Tulosa, not the north" Lucia smiled The merchant frowned. He then put his hand on the tunic and caressed silk. "You''re right" he said with an unfriendly tone. "I must have made a mistake. Twenty silvers then" he opened his palms and demanded the money. Lucia handed the merchant twenty silver coins. She then took the tunic and gave it to Sylvie. Tulosan people are not violent, but they can be very greedy, she thought. With her guards standing by her side, Lucia walked around the city. Nirvana was in a jovial mood. Tim''s shocking victory was the topic of every discussion. Everywhere, people talked about Tim''s exploits, in the pubs, in the market, in the streets and even in public restrooms. They all hailed Timothy as the savior of Castonia. Even the bards were already singing praises to Timothy just a week after the Battle of Knightsend. Some people say that the Prince made an elaborate plan and tricked the Tulosans. Others say that the Prince himself led the cavalry and dismantled the Tulosans with one charge. There were even those who believed that Prince Timothy turned into a lion and bit General Sigurd''s head off. The people only know that Prince Timothy utterly destroyed the Tulosans with mininal casualties. Clear details of the battle were yet to arrive. But Lucia already knew. Tim sent her a letter a few days ago. It was several pages long and reading it took her nearly an hour. Half of the letter detailed the entire battle while the other half was a love letter. Lucia blushed. She remembered what was written in the letter. Tim promised her courtship and he delivered masterfully. Lucia couldn''t sleep that night after she read the letter. Timothy''s sweet words reverberated through her mind and heart. Timothy doesn''t really need to court her because she already likes him. But Tim seems to enjoy making her heart flutter. Lucia can''t wait to see him again. "Sylvie, go back to the palace first. I still need to do something" Lucia ordered her assistant. "But your Highness, I need to accompany you at all times." Sylvie protested. She confusedly looked at Lucia. "Not at all times, Sylvie" She smiled. Unlike before they left Tulosa, Sylvie was now tailing her at all times. Even if she didn''t call for Sylvie, her assistant would just pop out of nowhere. Sylvie lowered her head "Okay, but please hurry. It''s my duty to serve you" Lucia didn''t reply and just nodded. She and Sylvie parted ways. Lucia then went to Escanor. For the past month, Escanor and his brother had been building connections among the merchants in Nirvana and Solon and they were good at it. Nobody suspected them and their connections provided Lucia with fresh news from the Western Region. "It''s an honor to have you again Princess Lucia" Escanor knelt and bowed. "Rise Escanor" she gestured for Escanor to stand up. "It is I who should be honored. You and your brother have been of great help" "It brings me joy that our efforts were recognized" Escanor smiled and stood up. He then went to his stash and rummaged for something. After a while he produced a jar filled with leaves "First class Calgarian tea. I traded two horses for this" he said proudly and took two cups. He then prepared two cups of tea and offered one to Lucia. "Thank you" Lucia said as she drank the tea. It was refreshing. It was her first time drinking Calgarian tea because Calgari and Tulosa still don''t have a formal trade agreement. Also, Vanadis had its own tea products. "So, what brings you to my humble abode Your Highness?" Escanor asked "Same as always" Lucia put down the cup and looked at Escanor "Information" Escanor smiled "Then you''re in luck. I have just received a letter from my brother a few hours ago. Do you want to read it or I''ll just tell you of its contents?" Lucia knew that the letter also contains private details. Even if Escanor doesn''t mind sharing his private conversation with his brother, Lucia doesn''t want to intrude other people''s private matters. "Just tell about your brother''s findings" she said. Escanor refilled Lucia''s cup before speaking "The Tulosans have retreated and left Greenwater. With the defeat of General Sigurd, they don''t have a choice. But you already know about that, don''t you? You are more interested of news about Prince Timothy" he smiled meaningfully Lucia nodded. She doesn''t want to hide her affection towards Tim. "Prince Timothy will soon arrive in Solon along with the Tulosan prisoners and some villagers. The people of Solon, especially the refugees, are planning to celebrate his return. Earl Mathias had also declared the day of Timothy''s arrival as a holiday. There will be a feast." Lucia was glad that the people recognized Timothy''s success. She was proud of her future husband. "I know this is personal, but will you also go to Solon Your Highness? Or will you just wait for the Prince''s return here in Nirvana?" "I still don''t know Escanor. I want to meet him as soon as possible, but I still have things to do here in Nirvana" she said. Escanor nodded and continued his report "My brother also heard of an interesting piece of news." He paused as if thinking how to put the news into words "A movement have started in Solon advocating for Prince Timothy to become the heir. I have also encountered people who have the same views here in Nirvana. Your Highness, I think this could lead to another bloody chapter" Lucia was slightly surprised. She knew that Timothy''s victory would elevate his status, but not to this level and certainly not this fast. Timothy really knows how to gain the favor of the people. But Escanor was right, this could lead to another war. Timothy''s brothers will not be happy about this. Lucia''s older brother was furious when the people called for her to become the heir. She knew how this kind of thing damages relations between siblings. "Anything else?" she then asked Escanor "I think that''s all of it Your Highness. But my brother and I will open our eyes and ears for news and rumors. You will always have the latest information." Escanor assured her "Then I must thank you. Like what I said, you''ve been of great help to me" "Think nothing of it, Your Highness. It''s our duty to help you" **************************************************************************** Sylvie looked at her back and ensured that nobody followed her. She scanned her surroundings for a while. After she was certain the there was no one, she went on her way. She went towards an old tower just outside the city . The tower was now covered with vegetation and its stones were crumbling. She climbed the stairs leading to the top of the tower. One wrong move and she could fall. Nevertheless, she ran as fast as she could. Her heart was racing. Finally, she arrived at the top. She looked towards the far end and saw a man waiting. "You''re late" the main said "The Princess strolled around the city again" she said "Also she ditched me again. I tried to follow her, but she lost me" The man approached her. He was tall and muscular. His tanned skin gave a feeling of unique masculinity. "Do you have any idea where she went?" he asked. "No" Sylvie shook her head "I really have no idea. Maybe to her spies" The man was silent and just looked at Sylvie. "Well, it doesn''t matter" he said after a while "I have a new task for you. This will be your most important task. This will also be the hardest one. " "What is it? Don''t worry, I can do it" she assured him. In response, the man grabbed a small vial from his pocket and put it on Sylvie''s hand. "This is Silver Moon. It''s tasteless so you can put it in her drink. After that, you have a couple of hours to make your escape." Sylvie now understood what he meant by an important task. She needs to kill Lucia. "So it has come to this" she smiled widely. "Yes, it has" the man said "After the deed, come here. I will prepare a horse and supplies for you. Flee to Wismar." "Okay Amir" Sylvie nodded while smiling. She had waited a long time for this. "I trust your arrangements" 48 The Assassin Four years ago "No!" Sylvie grabbed the hem of his clothes. She grabbed it like she was hanging for dear life. "Don''t leave me" she pleaded Her father bent his body and caressed her face. He then embraced her "I don''t have a choice darling" Sylvie''s tears rolled down her cheeks. She buried her face into her father''s neck. "I''ll come with you then. Whenever you go, I''ll follow. Just don''t leave me behind. I promise I won''t complain even if our lives become hellish. I''m contented just being with you" She put strength into her embrace. She will not let go. "Don''t be like that Sylvie. You and your mother will still retain your titles as nobles without me. You can still live your lives in luxury. As for myself, I don''t have a choice but to leave. The King had already put down his judgement" Sylvie felt her anger surge. "But you are innocent!" she shouted "You didn''t embezzle national funds. I know you are an honest man. The merchant was lying" She looked at her father. Her father, on the other hand, refused to look at her in the eyes. "It doesn''t matter"his expression was that of a pained and weary man "If the King says so, then I''m guilty." Sylvie clenched her fists. The King. It was his fault. This was all because he made a wrong judgement. She will never forgive the King. "To hell with him! He''s an old fool!" Sylvie screamed. Her father instinctively cupped his hand on Sylvie''s mouth. "Are you insane!?" he asked angrily "Somebody will hear you" "I don''t care. It''s the truth anyway." Her father frowned but then he sighed. He then held Sylvie''s hands. "Sylvie" he looked at her tiredly. "In this world, truth doesn''t matter. Only power matters, understand?" She nodded. "Power makes a person just. Power makes him right. Power is everything. Without power, a person is nothing. So you must stay here and gain power. Remember this day and make them pay darling. Never forgive, because forgiveness is not power. It''s weakness. Grow and be wise. Become powerful and make me proud." Although her father''s voice was calm, Sylvie noticed that he was just hiding his anger. His words reverberated through her mind. Power is everything. The King had power so he took everything from Sylvie. She then thought of something. "Is trust power too?" she asked "It is. Trust is a shackle Sylvie. It is also a shield and a sword. You can use it to protect yourself and to kill" "Then" she paused and wiped the last of her tears. "I''ll stay father. I''ll stay here in Holm. And then I will gain their trust. I will crush them all and make them pay for what they have done" she diecided. This wasn''t the time to wallow in tears. Her revenge will come soon. She then hugged her father one last time. "I promise this to you father. I will make you proud." ************************************************************************ Present day Sylvie stood in the kitchen and thought of her promise to her father. It had been four years since she made the promise. For many years, she played the role of a perfect noble. She was respectful, kind, and conservative. She was so successful in playing the role that the people eventually forgot that she was the daughter of an exiled noble. The King even made her the handmaiden of Princess Lucia. Little did they know, she was only looking for an opportunity to stab them in the back. Sylvie found that opportunity a month ago when she met Amir. Amir gave guidance. He gave Sylvie a purpose. When he asked Sylvie to spy against Lucia, she immediately agreed. She shared everything she knew about Lucia. But the Princess was not a trusting person. She kept secrets even from Sylvie. Now it doesn''t matter. She was not spying today, she will kill Lucia.Her death wouldn''t just hurt King Edmund, it would also help destroy Vanadis. They will finally feel despair, they will finally feel how painful it is to lose. She took the vial of poison from her pocket and fiddled with it. Strange, she thought, with a few drops of poison she could destroy a nation. Amir had explained everything to her including their plan to invade Vanadis next year. Her success today will decide whether they could go through with the invasion. So she must succeed. For her father, and for revenge. She popped the cork of the vial and poured the contents into the Lucia''s tea. Droplets of a silver liquid fell into the cup. It was colorless when mixed with water, it was also odorless. Sylvie was amazed by the poison. Amir really knows his stuff. Sylvie stirred the cup with a spoon. Even if the poison was colorless, odorless and possibly tasteless, she knew how smart and observant Lucia is. Sylvie needs to be careful or else Lucia would know. After making sure that the tea was good enough, she brought it to Lucia who was eating her dinner. There were two guards behind Lucia so Sylvie felt a little anxious. If they find out, she will be dead. Lucia may not be a violent person, but she wouldn''t tolerate betrayals. Sylvie could feel her hand shaking as she approached the table. She cursed herself for being nervous. This is the moment she had been waiting for. For many years she had dreamt of this moment. She had dreamt of the time she could finally bring Vanadis down. But she can''t stop shaking. What if Lucia found out about her betrayal? She doesn''t care even if the Princess executes her. But her hardwork over the years would mean nothing. Her act would be useless. Her father wouldn''t have his revenge. She must succeed. She reached the table put the cup in front of Lucia. She then eyed the Princess for changes in her expression. Lucia''s expression was the same as always. Sylvie sighed inwardly. She was glad that Lucia didn''t suspect anything. As smart as she was, Lucia was powerless because she trusted Sylvie. Her father was right, trust is a sword. A person could use trust to stab someone to death. Sylvie looked at the Princess and examined her face. She wanted to engrave Lucia''s face into her mind. She wanted to remember the face of the person whose death would lead to the destruction of Vanadis. Lucia''s pretty face would soon become contorted because of pain. Her beautiful pale skin would soon become paler. "What did you put in the cup Sylvie?" Suddenly Lucia asked her. Her heart skipped a beat. She felt a little dizzy. How did she know? What gave it away? Was her performance not enough? Nevertheless, Sylvie played dumb. "What do you mean Your Highness?" she nervously said "I didn''t put anything in there" "You didn''t?" Lucia creased her brows "Y.yes. I didn''t Your Highness" she stuttered. "What are you talking about Sylvie? There are clearly tea leaves in here. I was asking what kind of tea you put in the cup." Lucia said as she looked at the cup. "Ah so that''s what you mean" Sylvie could feel her body shaking. "It''s the Calgarian leaves you recently brought." "Next time don''t use it. I''m trying to save it for later. Calgarian tea leaves are so rare." Sylvie wished she could slap her own face right now. She was so nervous. Princess Lucia was just asking what variety of tea she used, and she thought that she had been discovered. She inhaled deeply to calm her heart and mind. She needs to hold her nerves because she still needs to witness Lucia drink the tea. Only then can she be certain that her mission was a success. Lucia lifted her cup and blew on the hot liquid. Sylvie couldn''t hold it anymore. The anticipation, the anxiousness, it''s making her crazy. She had waited a long time for this. Lucia then looked at Sylvie whilst lifting the cup towards her lips. Sylvie was surprised by the look on her eyes. It was of sadness and disappointment. It was like the Princess just lost somebody dear to her. And then Lucia lowered the cup and looked down. "Why?" there was pain in her voice "Why would you go this far? Why would you kill me?" Sylvie''s jaw dropped. So she knew all along? How? She did not expect this. "Your Highness, I don''t understand" Sylvie feigned a confused laugh. "The tea Sylvie, you put poison in my tea. Poison you got from the Wismarines. I knew Sylvie, I knew all along" Lucia looked at her in the eyes "You betrayed me. You spied for the Wismarines. You even gave them Timothy''s letter as evidence. I overlooked those crimes Sylvie. It doesn''t matter if they knew anyway. But this is going too far. Trying to kill me is too much. I never expected you to go through with it, but you did. Just now, I gave you every opportunity to change your mind that I even put the cup just a few inches from my mouth. I have always known that you were scheming something even when we were in Holm. But I still hoped that if I just treated you nicely, you will change. In the end you didn''t." Sylvie''s world crumbled. So Lucia didn''t trust her after all. She laughed at herself for being so naive, for thinking she had power. She didn''t. All along, Lucia held the power. She was just a weak noble who can''t fool Lucia no matter how hard she tried. "Because of your father" Sylvie said. There was no point in hiding now. "Change? You can''t change me. I will hate you and your father for all of eternity!" she shouted. Sylvie the proper lady was no more. She threw her mask and showed Lucia her true self. "I have nothing to do with your father''s exile Sylvie. It''s a shame, I treated you as a friend even though I knew that you were plotting something." Lucia then gestured to her guards "Take her" she said with a weak voice. 49 Disturbance in the Palace Lucia''s guards held and tied Sylvie''s hands. She really felt disappointed that Sylvie didn''t have a change of hearts. She was hoping that at the last moment, Sylvie would prevent her from drinking the poison. She was wrong. Some people were just too consumed by anger. "What will you do to me?" Sylvie laughed. It was that of a crazy person. Her laugh was so unlike her that Lucia felt uncomfortable."Do you think I''m afraid of death Lucia? I''m not! Execute me if you want but you will not see fear in my eyes. You already took everything from me that nothing remains." Lucia walked towards Sylvie in a hurried manner. She lifted her hands and slapped Sylvie. It was so hard that a whacking sound rang across the room. Lucia felt pain in her hand but her current heightened emotions dulled the pain. Lucia leaned on the table . "I told you already, don''t blame me for your father''s exile. I already knew that you were acting all along, but I never expected that you''ve gone crazy" Sylvie laughed again. Her pitched laughter was so uncomfortable to hear that Lucia wanted to cover hear ears. "Crazy? That''s right, I''m crazy. I was crazy even before my father left me. He was the only one who kept me sane. When your father exiled him, he also took my sanity. Look at me Princess Lucia Vanadis. This is who I am, my real face without a mask. You said that you treated me as your friend. Well Lucia, am I still your friend now?" Lucia could not bare seeing Sylvie this way. She may not want to admit it right now, but not only did she view Sylvie as her friend, Lucia also viewed her as an older sister. "Imprison her in the dungeons and inform King Leopold of this. Also tell him that I want to have an audience with him as soon as possible. Tell him that it''s urgent" she told the guards. They then dragged Sylvie out of her sight and left the room. Since the dining hall was reserved only for the Vanadian delegates, Lucia was left alone. She looked at her unfinished meal and sighed. After what happened she couldn''t finish her meal now. ***************************************************************** "Your Highness, we have a problem" Normally Amir would kneel and salute first to Skall, but this time he didn''t. Skall could feel the urgency of the matter. "What?" Skall asked as he braced for a shocking news "The spy failed in assassinating Princess Lucia." Amir''s voice was low "It seems Lucia knew that we have been spying on her." Skall folded his arms and looked at Amir "What do you mean she knew? So you''re saying that she allowed us to spy on her?" "Yes, that''s what I''m saying. But that''s not the problem Your Highness. Our men reported that she commanded her guards to seek for an audience with King Leopold. Luckily, our men intercepted her guards. Your Highness, it will be catastrophic if King Leopold will know about this" Skall pounded his hand on the table "Your plan not only failed, it backfired!" he shouted. "I trusted your abilities Amir since you never failed me before. But why the hell are you failing me now?" "I told you that my plan was risky. That''s why I asked for your consent." Amir defended. He then took his dagger and put it in front of Skall. "If you no longer want my services then punish me with death. If it pleases you, then kill me with your own hands. But I suggest you don''t. We still have many things to do." Skall took the dagger and examined it. It was the dagger he gave Amir as a gift a long time ago. "Your reaction was exaggerated. You know I won''t do that." He handed the dagger back to Amir "So what what do we do next?" "We need to go through with it" Somehow, Skall had expected this answer. Since the die had already been cast, they need to finish the deed. Nevertheless, he still asked Amir to clarify the plan. "You mean"he took a coin and fiddled with it again. "send my guards to kill Lucia?" "Yes. We need to. She will tell the King about this. For now we intercepted her guards, but tomorrow she will have her audience with King Leopold. Who knows what King Leopold will do after knowing that we tried to assassinate Lucia. He may even give up on us because he may think that dealing with us is too risky. If we kill Lucia and blame it to King Leopold, then the other Kingdoms will shun Castonia. He will have no choice but to accept our friendship whether he likes it or not. " "Okay" Skall nodded his head. He understood. Desperate times call for desperate measures. "Send all the men and make sure she''s dead." ************************************************************************ "Princess we''re under attack!" Captain Bisham opened the door with a panicked look. Lucia frowned. She doesn''t understand. "What?" she asked "The guards you sent to request audience with King Leopold were killed. It''s the Wismarines Your Highness. The others are keeping them busy as we speak. We need to leave now!" he spoke in a fast but clear manner. Lucia still couldn''t believe what she heard from Captain Bisham. She was taken aback by the Captain''s revelations. She did not expect this to happen. But she needs to make decisions now. "I need to send letters to Solon and Holm first. I need to inform my father and Freya about this." She then grabbed a knife from the table and ran with the Captain to her room. Behind her, she saw that the Royal Guards formed a shield wall and held the Wismarines at bay. She could hear the sound of men fighting and dying. This was all because of her foolishness. She never thought that the Wismarines would go this far. Killing her would invoke King Leopold''s anger. But they still did it. Lucia must give credit to Skall''s guts. After reaching her room, Lucia hurried to the table and wrote two letters. One of the letters was addressed to her father, informing him of the situation. She also begged her father not to declare war with Castonia. They need to think clearly about this first. Sometimes aggression and impulsiveness were not the answer. She also wrote a letter to Freya. There was only one place to go now and that is Solon. She needs to flee to Solon and seek Tim''s protection. Outside, the ringing of steel against steel became louder. The Wismarines are close. Even if the Royal Guards fought to the death, they were still outnumbered and could only buy her a few more minutes. She felt guilt that the Royals Guards had to die for her. They were all good and loyal people. They were her family here in Nirvana. Her hand moved fast and finished the letters. She then tied the papers to two pigeons and sent the birds to their respective destinations. She could only hope that her letters reach Holm and Solon. Lucia did not waste time and escaped the palace with Captain Bisham. The only one they could trust right now is the merchant Escanor. Halfway to the merchant''s home, the Captain noticed people following them and informed Lucia about this. They took detours and shortcuts but the pursuers were good. In the end, they decided to just run at full speed. It was tiring but they reached Escanor''s house. The pursuers were still following them. Captain Bisham pounded the door so hard it almost broke. After a short while, Escanor opened the door with creased brows "What the hell are your doing!" he shouted. But he then covered his mouth after seeing Lucia "Your Highness?" "We need your help Escanor. The Wismarines are trying to kill me. I don''t have time to explain but we really need your help." Escanor was stunned for a while but then he let them enter the room. He peeked outside one last time and then closed the door. "I don''t know the full extent of your situation Your Highness, but I will help you." He reached to the top of his cabinet and grabbed something. It was a big and sturdy lock. He then locked the door. "Thank you. We are escaping to Solon and I suggest that you come with us. We have been followed so they already know about your affiliation with me. For that I apologize." "Think nothing of it Your Highness. I want to see my brother again anyway." He smiled "Luckily, I have three horses hidden in a secret location." Escanor pushed his bed and revealed a secret passage. "In here Princess." He gestured. Lucia was surprised Escanor had a secret passage inside his room. "Let''s go then" Lucia approached the secret passage. It was small, but it was enough to fit a person. But behind them, someone pounded on the door. "Open the door merchant. Hand over Princess Lucia and we will not kill you." 50 The Tunnel "Go now Princess. Captain, help me block the door" Escanor went to his cabinet and pushed it to block the door. Captain Bisham also helped him. Lucia turned to the passage. It was dark and long. She lowered her body into the darkness and hoped that she will see the light again. She patted on the walls of the passage and made a visual construct of the place. It was a tunnel, probably an old one because the hardened stones can be chipped. It was also cold. Lucia didn''t have time to change her clothes so she was wearing a dress. She crossed her arms to prevent heat from leaving her body. Lucia started to walk. The ground was dry and she was thankful for that, but it was dark. Lucia had always been afraid of the dark. She detested not being able to see anything. She trudged on, trying to find the exit of the tunnel. It had been a while but Escanor and Bisham were still not behind her. She started to worry. What if something had already happened to them? Lucia shook her head. No, she declared. She mustn''t think like that. Even if situations are dire, she must think of solutions rather than wallow in despair and worry. There''s no point to worry, worries only cloud judgement. She then thought of Tim. What will be his reaction to this? Will he be angry? He will be worried for sure. She doesn''t want him to worry. But at the same time, knowing that he will worry about her gave Lucia joy. If there was a consolation in all of this, it was that she will see Tim again. After a month of separation, Lucia missed him dearly. She heard the sound of marching from above. It was probably the patrols. This means that she was somewhere below the wall. It seems Escanor''s horses were tied outside of the city. Lucia looked behind but still couldn''t see Escanor and Bisham. She turned forward and continued. After a few more minutes of walking, she encountered a crossroad. Escanor didn''t say anything about crosscroads so she was confused on which path to take. She saw faint light emitnating a few meters away in the path to her right so she went that way. It must be the end of the tunnel, she thought. Even if she made a wrong turn, she would just go back to the tunnel and go the other way. Her footsteps became hurried. She couldn''t wait to see the surface again. She reached the source of the light. Above, there was a small wooden door. This must be it since there was also a ladder leading to the wooden door. Lucia pressed her foot on the ladder rung and tested its durability. The ladder was high and it would be a long fall if one of the rungs broke. Lucia couldn''t afford to be injured right now. After making sure that the ladder was strong enough to support her weight, she climbed it. Slowly but surely, she ascended to the top. After tapping the wooden door with her hand, she pushed it open. The cold night wind blew against her face. Her already cold body trembled. But she didn''t mind the cold because at last she saw light. After nearly an hour inside the tunnel, she could finally see her surroundings again. It was a pleasant feeling to have. Even though the moon wasn''t bright tonight, this was better than being inside the tunnel. Lucia exited the tunnel and fixed her clothes. She then saw three horses tied on a huge tree. She made the right decision. Also, Escanor wasn''t lying. She was actually a little afraid earlier that Escanor would betray her to the Tulosans. Escanor was loyal and helped her before, but the merchant could just easily betray her. It seems Escanor didn''t. Lucia looked around. She could see Nirvana''s walls at the distance. There was an old tower nearby that was covered with vegetation. Even if the location was somehow remote, she decided to hide while waiting for Escanor and Captain Bisham. Nearly an hour passed and the two were still missing. Lucia was anxious. Being a few minutes late was understandable, but the two were missing for nearly two hours now. Something bad must have happened. She heard footsteps. Lucia lay on the ground and remained frozen. A single movement could reveal her presence. "You failed to catch her?!" a female''s voice said. At first Lucia didn''t recognize the voice. It was familiar but not in the way she remembered. And then Lucia realized the identity of the woman. It was Sylvie. Her voice was the same, but the way she spoke now was different from the way she spoke before. "The Royal Guards are tough. They held us for a long time." Said a male''s voice. The accent was unmistakable, he was a Wismarine. Lucia cupped her hand on her mouth to hush the sound of her breathing. She was hiding behind a tree near the horses. "I thought you are smart. Of course they are tough. Those soldiers were the best of Vanadis. You should have expected that and made a more cunning plan." "Listen here Sylvie." The footsteps stopped. Lucia peeked and saw them standing near the horses. "First, you should realize that you are in no position to question my decisions. Also, this was all because of your failure. You failed first so don''t blame us for this." "You think you can intimidate me Amir? You can''t!" Sylvie shouted "I want her dead! She must suffer, her family must suffer for what they did to me." She then laughed crazily and looked at the man with a crazed expression "I want to do it myself Amir. I want to make her death as slow and painful as possible" The man looked at Sylvie with disgust "You''re crazy" he said. "I am" Sylvie laughed again. Lucia detested that laugh. It was both terrifying and uncomfortable to hear. The Wismarine must have also felt the same because he covered his ears "Crazy bitch" he commented. The man then went to one of the horses and mounted it. "Do whatever you want for tonight. Search for her, rest, whatever. But tomorrow you must come with us. We can''t have a witness running around." The Wismarine then commanded his horse to move. In a few moments, he was gone. Sylvie didn''t move. She just stood with her mouth curving into a wide smile. She was mumbling something, but Lucia can''t hear it. Lucia listened carefully and her eyes went wide after hearing Sylvie''s mumbles. "Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill" Sylvie repeated the word like a prayer. Lucia couldn''t hold her shock anymore. This was too much. The Sylvie she knew was so different from the real Sylvie. Even though she knew that Sylvie was a traitor, Lucia never expected her to be this insane. Lucia''s then made a mistake. Sylvie''s craziness was such a shock to her that she moved a little. "Who''s there!" Sylvie shouted and approached her location. She then saw Lucia. "Lucia!" she smiled and laughed again. "Thank the heavens you''re safe. I thank all the gods the Wismarines didn''t catch you" She then gave her a cold stare. "Because now I have my chance to get my revenge" Sylvie sprinted towards Lucia and grabbed her hair. She was so fast that Lucia didn''t have time to react. Sylvie dragged her. "Sylvie stop this!" Lucia demanded and tried to free her hair from Sylvie''s grasp. "I will kill you with my own hands Princess. Finally! Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep myself from killing you in the past? The people of Holm cheered your name. They love you. But what about me? Your family took everything away from me yet the people cheer your name!" Sylvie lunged at Lucia and strangled her. Lucia could feel the pressure on her throat. She struggled, but Sylvie was stronger. Lucia was dying. And then she remembered that she still had that knife. Lucia took the knife she had hidden in her dress. It was a small knife, but she needs to try anyway. She stabbed towards Sylvie''s neck, but her vision was already blurry and the knife hit Sylvie''s face instead. "AHHHHHHH" Sylvie let go of Lucia''s neck and covered her wound. Lucia didn''t waste time and kicked Sylvie''s chest. Lucia mounted one of the horses and rode away. She turned her head and took one last look at Sylvie. She was still on the ground, trying to remove the knife from her face. After riding for a while, Lucia heard the sound of horses. Her encounter with Sylvie scared her so much and she shivered upon knowing that she was being chased again. "Princess!" an old voice called to her. Lucia turned around and saw that it was Captain Bisham and Escanor. Lucia wanted to cry. Seeing familiar faces was a relief. At long last, she was not alone. She slowed her horse and let them catch up. "I''m so sorry Princess" Escanor lowered his head "I forgot to tell you about the crossroad. It seems you took the wrong way. I really apologize." So that was it, Lucia thought. They weren''t missing, she was the one who''s missing. She thought that she was in the right place just because she saw three horses tied on a tree. What a grave coincidence. "Well, I did almost die. I was also very scared. But it doesn''t matter now. We need to hurry and escape this place" Lucia gestured for Escanor to lift his head. "She''s right. Let''s go" Bisham said to Escanor. The three then continued their journey towards Solon. 51 A Forced Alliance Leopold learned about what happened after his squire woke him from his sleep. At first his squire''s report was strange to him. His drowsy mind failed to connect the words, ''Princess Lucia'' ''Attack'' and ''Skall Wismar''. But then he realized that the situation was an emergency and that he needed to beat a Wismarine Prince tonight. Leopold summoned Skall in the throne room. Behind both of them were their guards clad in full armor. Leopold did not speak. He just examined Skall Wismar''s face for half an hour. "Scum" he finally voiced. Skall lifted his head and looked at him. "Scum!" Leopold shouted as loud as he could. He started to throw things to the scum in front of him. Cups, glasses, quills and various things hit Skall. Skall''s guards defended him from the flying objects. "Your Majesty I can explain!" Skall shouted from behind his guards. Leopold stopped, not because he listened, but because he ran out of things to throw except his own crown. "You don''t have to explain bastard!" Leopold leaned forward and supported his weight by pressing his hands on the armchair of his throne. "Do you have any idea what you''ve done?!" Skall gestured for his guards to move behind him. The guards obeyed and Leopold could now see the bastardy face of the Wismarine Prince. "I know what I did King Leopold. I know the consequences of my actions. But we don''t have a choice. This will be better for both of us" Leopold''s heart almost stopped after hearing Skall. "Better you say" he made a bitter smile. "The other nations will condemn us. My Kingdom will face political backlash, economic and diplomatic sanctions, and possibly a war with the Vanadians!" Leopold lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. "And you know the worst part? The people, my people" he paused and pointed at himself "will think that I tried to kill the sweetheart of their hero. Now, explain to me which part of that makes our situation better." Skall''s responded to Leopold with a long silence. After a while he revealed "Lucia Vanadis was the one who interrupted our plans Your Majesty. She was also the one who informed the garrison of Knightsend." Leopold was surprised by Skall''s revelation. He never thought that Lucia Vanadis would be capable of doing that. For him, Lucia Vanadis is not a threat. She was just a foreign Princess in a foreign land. "And you are sure about that?" "We have evidence Your Majesty." "Still, that is not a reason for you to kill her, you idiot! If she''s really as capable as you say, then I have made the wrong decision by choosing you. I should have kept my alliance with Vanadis." "Perhaps but now you have no choice but to continue your alliance with us" Skall said. Leopold felt his face redden with anger "Bastard" he stood up and approached Skall. After seeing Leopold''s abrupt reaction, Skall''s guards unsheathed their swords. In response, Leopold''s guards also drew their weapons and rushed to the King. "Throw down your weapons!" Skall ordered to his guards "He won''t kill me" Meanwhile, Leopold was unfazed by the tension. He hurried towards Skall and grabbed the idiot by the collar. "I have no choice but to continue the alliance with you? I could kill you right now!" Leopold shouted to his face. The Wismarine guards grunted after hearing Leopold''s threat. Skall turned his face towards his guards. "He wont!" Skall shouted. "Lower your weapons already. He won''t kill me. Don''t add fuel to the tension you idiots!" The Wismarine guards lowered their weapons while Leopold''s guards surrounded them. "Are you sure about that oh great and wise Skall Wismar?" Leopold then spitted to his face. Skall wiped Leopold''s saliva. "I am Your Majesty. Because you need me" "I need you? But you caused all of this!" "Yes, I did. I messed up. But we need to look into the future. Forcing you into an alliance is not the main reason why we tried to kill Lucia. Like what I said, Lucia''s death would benefit us. Well maybe not benefit, but it will save us from imminent destruction" Leopold was curious what the fool was talking about. "Explain" he demanded. "The union of Lucia and Prince Timothy is terrifying. Both of them are capable. Once they work together, their enemies will fall like flies. Your Majesty, do I need to remind you that we tried to kill Prince Timothy about a month ago? Both of us are already their enemies. We must kill both or at least one of them. Unfortunately I failed. I should have sought your help." Leopold wanted to scratch his head but he was still holding the idiot by the collar. He never thought that Prince Skall Wismar of the great and powerful Kingdom of Wismar was this foolish. "Idiot. Trash-headed idiot! That''s the reason why you tried to kill Lucia Vanadis? Fool! You don''t know my son" Leopold was surprised that he called Timothy as his son that easily. Nevertheless he continued. "He is not a violent person. He is not vengeful either. He will not seek revenge for what happened a month ago as long as we don''t scheme against him again. My relationship with him will forever be shattered, but he will not seek revenge against me. But what you did crossed his bottom line. That line is not easy to reach but I suggest for you not to reach it. He''s not violent, but once you crossed his bottom line he would hunt you down without remorse. You''re afraid that they will seek revenge? Now they surely will!" Leopold slammed his head on Skall''s. The impact cut the idiot''s eyebrows and blood started to flow from his head. Skall''s guards tried to move but Leopold''s guards held them down. Skall put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Aside from that, he did not react violently to the cut. "I see. But that doesn''t change our situation Your Majesty. What''s done is done. We can''t change the fact that we tried to kill Lucia Vanadis and you will be implicated for it. We need to work together. If what you said about Prince Timothy is true, then we also need to kill him. I suggest we declare alliance immediately and kill both of them." What the idiot said was the truth. What''s done is done. He can''t prevent the political turmoil, the sanctions or the possible war with Vanadis. But he can limit the damage by announcing his alliance with Wismar. Leopold fixed his clothes and adjusted his crown. "I will never be your friend Skall Wismar and I will remember what you did until my last breath. I will always see you as garbage. But Castonia shall become Wismar''s ally. We will work together" Skall was still covering his wound, but the bleeding was severe. Blood trickled from his eyebrow. "I understand" he nodded "I will send my men to chase Lucia. You should too." Leopold put his hands behind him and looked at Skall "May our alliance last Skall Wismar. And may we save ourselves from the wrath of my son." ********************************************* After his memorable encounter with Skall, Leopold sent for Braun. He then told him what happened. "What did you say?!" Braun raised his voice. "I know that you are upset Braun, but you are still talking to you King" Leopold reminded him. Disbelief was written on Braun''s face. "Pardon my rudeness Your Majesty, but this means the diplomatic ties we worked for all these years are now gone." "Maybe not all of them. Some Kingdoms will probably maintain trade relations with us but no one will agree with an alliance for a long time. That''s why I accepted Wismar''s alliance. We are reliant on them for now" "And what did you do to the bastard Prince!?" Braun''s voice was trembling. "I did not kill him. I want to, but I can''t. Let''s just say that he will live with a huge scar on his forehead." Leopold explained. "But let''s not talk about that for now. We still need to limit the damage caused by Skall''s foolishness. I think Timothy will come and rescue Lucia. I read the so-called evidence that Lucia was the one who disrupted our plans. It is a letter from Timothy and it''s apparent that my son cared for the Princess. He will come and save her. Kill Timothy but capture Lucia alive so we can use her as hostage to prevent Vanadis from declaring war." It took a while for Braun to snap back to his senses. "Will the people be alright with that, Your Majesty? They will hate us for killing the hero of Castonia" "They will and I''m also afraid of the people''s wrath. But I feel that by letting Timothy live, we''re creating a bigger monster. We must nip the bud before it grows." "I understand. I will do as you say Your Majesty. You know I will do everything for Castonia." Braun said. Leopold nodded and took the crown from his head. The thing was made of pure gold and was heavy. "Also make Timothy''s death as quick and painless as possible." Leopold said. "So you still care for you son" there was a hint of ridicule in Braun''s voice. Leopold didn''t mind his disrespectful behavior. "He deserves that much. He''s still a good lad." "Okay" Braun nodded "But I can''t promise that I will be nice to our new allies." 52 A Bad News The people''s cheers boomed inside the city of Solon as Prince Timothy and his soldiers entered the gate. The main street leading to the Earl''s Villa was decorated with banners of the royal family. The people on the sidelines were throwing flowers to the soldiers and cheering for the Prince. Their cheers were along the lines of ''long live Prince Timothy'', ''Savior of Castonia'', ''Prince Timothy please name my child''. Wait. Name a child? That will be exciting. Timothy pulled the reins of his horse and stopped. The whole column also stopped. He looked for the source of the voice and saw a woman in her thirties holding a baby. "Boy or girl?" Timothy smiled at the woman. The woman was speechless. She must have never expected that Tim would hear her request. "Girl Your Highness" she raised the baby and showed it to Timothy. "Stella is a good name." Timothy said as he inched his horse closer to the woman. "Where is your husband?" The woman''s expression which was of joy turned grim after Timothy mentioned her husband. "He''s dead Prince Timothy. He sacrificed himself for us and held the Tulosans. The Tulosans descended on our village like locusts. Only a few of us escaped." Timothy''s heart ached after hearing the woman''s story. This conflict had taken a huge toll on the lives of the people. They were living their lives and then everything changed in an instant. "I grieve with you madame. Your husband is a good man for loving his family more than he loved his own life. He is a true Castonian, brave and righteous." he consoled the woman. Timothy then turned to the people who were silenced by Timothy''s conversation with the woman. "Stella will grow into a beautiful lady someday. She will have dozens of suitors and will live in a peaceful and prosperous Castonia. That is my dream, our dream. For that dream to happen, we need to remain strong. We need to work together as a nation. We are Castonians, offsprings of the warrior. We will survive and come out stronger. The white lion shall stand in the pedestal of nations and will be held in high regard. Are you with me Castonians? Will you follow me to the future?" The people again screamed Timothy''s name. It was louder and more powerful than before. "Do you have some sort of disease that requres you to make a speech every few days?" Erik asked with a grin. "What? Moved by words again?" Timothy shot back. And then his face became serious. "Strike the iron while it''s hot, Erik. We have the momentum both in military power and the support of the people. We should not waste it. Besides" he looked at Erik "Don''t make it sound like I was insincere. I really felt pity for her you know." "If you say so Rooster Prince" Erik smiled. The whole parade lasted for a few hours and it was afternoon already when Timothy reached the Mathias'' Villa. The city guards dispersed the people and Timothy let General Marvin lead his army to their camp just outside the city. Timothy examined the villa. It had been at least a year since the last time he was in Solon but the villa was still the same. The building was large and spacious, displaying the wealth of the Earl. The gate of the villa can fit two wagons side by side and its walls were so tall that one could mistake it for a castle. The Earl then greeted Timothy at the gate. "Our savior, Prince Timothy has arrive!" He approached and embraced Timothy. He then whispered to his ears, "I''m sorry Tim. I really am. I never thought you could win" "It''s okay Mathias. I know you did it for the sake of Leo''s Tear." Timothy whispered back. The Earl had already expressed his apologies many times in his letter. But it seems his friend still felt guilty. Mathias freed Timothy from his embrace and gestured towards his daughter. "Celine also wants to express her gratitude towards you" Celine held the hem of her dress in front of Timothy. "Prince Timothy"she bowed. Her smile was mischievous and childish. She never change, Timothy laughed inwardly. The last one who greeted Timothy was Freya. "You made Lucia and I worried." she smiled. Her face now radiates a rejuvenated glow, a far cry from her depressed state a month ago. Timothy was well aware of how he had hurt Freya when he rejected her feelings. But now it seems his friend had recovered. Mathias then ordered the guards to close the gate. Timothy and his retinue went inside the villa. "I believe Lucia had already told you about our guest?" Mathias said in a hushed tone while walking towards the building. Timothy nodded, "I want to meet him. All the officers we have captured so far revealed useless information. But I believe First Spear, as important as he is, knows more. We need him Mathias." "I don''t believe that your eloquence can break his shell Tim." "No, it won''t. I can''t make him talk. Nevertheless, I need to meet him face to face" "I will arrange it immediately" After sending his retinue to their respective rooms, Timothy secretly went to First Spear''s room. "I will wait for you outside" Mathias said as he put his hand on the handle of the door "If something happens, just shout" "Come on, do you think I''m a child?" he looked at Mathias. He then sighed "Okay I will." Mathias opened the door and Timothy entered the room. The first thing he saw was a man reading a book on his bed. He cleared his throat to indicate his presence. "You must be Henry" Timothy went closer and offered his hand. Henry looked at him first, but then he started to avoid eye contact. He slowly reached Timothy''s hand and shook it. "I am. And you must be Prince Timothy." Timothy let go of Henry''s hand and pointed at the book. "Abott? I''m a fan of his works. His ideas are new and convincing." "Yeah" Henry''s eyes lit up "He discussed in this book what he think about nobility. He said that having capability as qualification is better than blood. Nobles are born powerful, but most of them are not capable." "And you believe him?" "I don''t know. It seems logical, but many things are different in theory compared to reality. Nobility has it''s downsides like what he said, but it also has advantages." Seeing Henry enthusiasm in philosophy surprised Timothy. He thought that the famous First Spear was a warrior, strong and war-like. First Spear was famous for leading his cohort in the front, demolishing his opponents in battle. But the First Spear in front of him was very different from what he expected. "Good catch" Timothy smiled. "If you want, I can lend you more books written by Abott. I have the whole collection" "Really?" Henry asked like a child. But then he seems to remember his position and went back to his formal self "Thank you, but I''m sorry I can''t read them." he lowered his head. "I am to be executed soon?" "What makes you think that?" "I heard about your victory. It was stunning. I also heard that you accepted their surrender and I must thank you for that." He closed the book and put it on the table. "I want to be judged with them." "While I will let you see them, you won''t be judged with them. It''s too dangerous. Some of them still harbors hatred towards you. Also, your crimes are not that severe so your punishment will be light" Timothy sat on the chair and faced Henry. "I want my judgement to be fair Prince Timothy. I don''t want to get special treatment." "You won''t. But like what I said, your crimes are not that severe. Even before your battle with Prefect Romel, you have already purposely let go of the villagers." Timothy''s face then turned serious "I am a just person, Henry. I''m still angry that you slaughtered the innocents. But I will give you fairness and I say you need redemption more than you need punishment" Henry frowned at first, but then he gave a resigned smile "You sound like her" "Who?" "Freya" Thoughts then started to flood Timothy''s mind. Maybe First Spear was the reason of his friend''s recovery. He needs to know more. But just as Timothy was about to ask personal matters, there was a loud knock on the door. "Tim!" It was Freya''s voice. Well speak of the devil, he thought. But what Freya said next dispelled his calmness. "Lucia is in danger!" Timothy rushed to the door and opened it. "What happened!?" Freya handed him an opened letter with a red seal. Timothy grabbed the letter and read it. It was Lucia''s handwriting. From the looks of it, she was in a hurry. Timothy could not believe what he read. Skall Wismar attacked her retinue and she was forced to flee Nirvana! And then Tim read the last part of the letter. ''Tim, if you''re reading this, I want to say that I''m sorry for being a fool. I never expected this to happen. If I don''t make it to Solon, I want you to know to know that I like you Tim. I really do.'' Timothy grasped the letter so hard that it was crumpled. Fool, he thought, say that to me personally.He then turned towards Earl Mathias who was startled by the events. "Prepare all of our guards" he gritted his teeth "They have just crossed my bottom line." 53 A Race "You must be Braun. Nice to meet you" a smile streaked across his face as he offered his hand towards Braun. He was tall and sinewy. His arms were thick and his body abnormally good. If the man wasn''t the cause of this shitshow, Braun would have been impressed. But the Wismarine in front of him was the supposed mastermind of all of this. Braun recognized him because the man was always tailing Skall Wismar. The muscular scum''s name was Amir. Braun did not shake his hand. He still had enough self-respect. Even if they were supposed to be allies, he will not be his friend. "Amir right?" Braun stared at his face "Amir is too long, mind if I call you Scoundrel instead? It suits you better." Amir retracted his hand and sighed. "We are allies, you know. Can''t you be a little friendly? We need to work together to catch Princess Lucia." "Then please excuse my rudeness oh dear ally. I can''t help it, you destroyed all my hard work after all." Braun paused and looked at the gloomy sky. "All of it, gone. Dozens of personal visits to the neighboring Kingdoms, the sleepless nights I had planning on how to clinch every damn economic and diplomatic deal, all of those are for nothing. In just one night, you destroyed my life''s work." He murmured. "But now you have Wismar at your back. We are strong and we will.." Braun interrupted him with a loud laugh. "You will defend us? Or maybe you''ll say that you will not give up on us? Lies, Scoundrel, lies." He mocked Amir in his face "Wismar is not as strong as it once was." Amir tried to rebut, but Braun didn''t let him. "Let''s not kid ourselves, Scoundrel. Wismar''s golden age had passed. Your arrogant isolationist policy had made you weak. Now you are taking Castonia down with you. Well let me tell you something Scoundrel" Braun glared at him "As long as I live, as long as I breathe, I will not let you drag Castonia to the mud." Amir opened his mouth and tried to talk, but Braun kept his glare. One word, Braun decided, one more word from the Scoundrel and he will stuff that mouth of his with mud. He doesn''t care even if the Scoundrel was a head taller than him. Surprisingly, the Scoundrel kept his mouth shut and just nodded. He went ahead with his men and left Braun''s party behind. Good, Braun thought. Now he could focus on his task without being distracted by the urge to beat some Wismarine. Braun looked again at the sky. It was gloomy like the future of his dear Castonia. A bolt of lightning dashed across the sky, followed by the booming of thunder. Braun was supposed to be afraid of thunder and lightning. But this time, he was calm. Droplets of rain fell into his face. It was just a drizzle at first, but soon it turned into a heavy rain. Braun hated the rain. It reminds him of that day his first wife died. That was years ago, but he could remember the scene like it happened yesterday. The bloody body of his wife who was killed by bandits on the road still haunted him. While Braun really did love her, most of Braun''s pain stems from the loss of their unborn child. They were travelling to Nirvana that time to find a midwife, but the bandits attacked them. Braun tried to negotiate at first, but the bandits grew tired and just killed his wife. The death of his wife and unborn child was his fault. By hesitating on giving up his belongings, the bandits took the most important thing from Braun. He tried to remarry multiple times but all his marriages were loveless and he ended up a divorcee every time. It was probably a punishment from the Omniscient for being greedy. In the end, Braun was left alone. He gave up on his fief and stayed in Nirvana where he became the King''s right hand. Braun immersed himself in his work. Surprisingly, he fell in love again. But this time, he fell in love not with a woman, but with the Kingdom of Castonia. Braun did his best to make Castonia strong. He guided King Leopold. He travelled all over the continent just to make deals and connections with the other Kingdoms. And his efforts were not for naught. After decades of hard work, Castonia had become strong despite its precarious location. But three nights ago, all of his hard work was shattered. The Wismarines tried and failed to kill Princess Lucia Vanadis. Even if Castonia was innocent, the other Kingdoms will still think that King Leopold tried to kill his own guest. This was probably the darkest moment in the history of Castonia. A single horse galloped towards Braun and mud was splashed into his face. "What the hell!" he grimaced and tried to find the culprit. But the horse''s rider was missing and the saddle was bloody. Braun clicked his tongue. Although he brought nearly two hundred men from Nirvana, he divided them into four groups to expedite the search. It seems a whole team was annihilated. Lucia couldn''t have done this because reports say that she only had two men with her, one of which was a merchant. So it must be Timothy''s doing. He was too fast. Braun had expected that Timothy will come, but not this soon. This just turned into a race to find the Princess first. Honestly, Braun was afraid. He was scared of Timothy. The third Prince of Castonia is currently the most powerful man in the Kingdom and Braun was trying to catch his lover. Just then, a pair of horses also galloped towards him. He expected that the horses would also be riderless, but he was wrong. Two scouts saluted to Braun. "Report!" the rain was noisy so he loudened his voice. The scouts reported to him, but the rain was too noisy. "What? I can''t hear you!" Braun put his hand on his ear "Shout if you have to!" The scouts tried to report one more time but Braun failed to catch their words again. He lost his temper and grabbed one of them by the collar. "Report now!" he shouted to the scout''s ear. The man grimaced in pain "We found them sire!" he shouted back. Braun''s eyes went wide. He needed this good news. At last he could accomplish his mission. "Where?" He let go of the scout''s collar and asked. "A few kilometers west." The scout revealed. Braun did not waste time and ordered his men to charge. The fifty soldiers behind him rushed towards the direction the scout pointed to. Mud and rain splashed behind them. ***************************************************************************** "Princess they are coming." Captain Bisham said beside her. Lucia urged her horse to run faster but the animal was tired. They had been evading both the Wismarines and the King''s soldiers for three days now. "I don''t think my horse can make it" Lucia turned to the Captain. She then looked behind "Are you sure somebody saw us?" "Yes" Captain Bisham answered "I think they are scouts. Their main force will come soon" As if to confirm what Captain said, Lucia heard the sound of horses. She looked towards the direction the sound came from and saw dozens of horsemen rushing towards them. "We will hold them Your Highness" Captain Bisham started to turn his horse around. "No!" Lucia shouted and stopped the Captain "I may not be an expert when it comes to fighting but I don''t believe you can buy me a single second Captain Bisham. There are dozens of them. You will just waste your life." Captain Bisham stared at her blankly "You''re right. I''m sorry Princess I wasn''t thinking. I''m just afraid that I can''t do anything for you this time. I don''t want to admit it but they will catch us soon enough." Lucia gave the Captain a comforting smile "It''s alright Captain. You have done your best. I thank you and all those who died for me." By now, their pursuers are getting closer. Lucia saw the man in the front and she was shocked. It was Baron Braun. Timothy had told her many things about Baron Braun. Tim said the Baron was a patriotic man. He will do anything for Castonia. Tim was right though, Baron Braun will indeed do anything for the Kingdom even at the cost of his morality. Lucia then lost hope. The soldiers chasing them will catch up soon. She will die here, halfway through Solon. She will never see her father and Holm again. She will never see Timothy again. It''s a shame, she was so close. Her death would also ignite a war that will probably hurt the people she love. "Soldiers at the front!" Lucia heard Escanor shout behind her. She then looked forward and saw dozens of cavalry charging towards them. They are closer than the ones at their back. At first she thought that the soldiers were enemies. But Lucia''s heart fluttered after seeing the person charging at the very front. It was Timothy. 54 Eriks Resolve He finally saw her again. She was still the same, beautiful and regal. She was like a flower amidst a sea of weeds. He must protect her, even at the cost of his life. Timothy wiped the raindrops off his face. He leaned his body and forced his horse to run at full speed. His horse was galloping so fast that there was a huge gap between him and his guards. Thankfully, he will reach her before Braun from the looks of it. When he was less than a hundred meters, Lucia''s horse finally gave up and fell. Timothy saw the very moment Lucia was thrown like a doll in the mud. Seeing her circumstance, Timothy''s heart ached. He stopped his horse near Lucia and dismounted with haste. He went to her and held her body with both arms. He then examined her for any injuries. "Are you okay?" his voice was shaky. He then looked at her face "Where does it hurt?" "Tim" Lucia uttered one word. She then buried her head in Timothy''s chest and cried. Tim wanted to console her. She had gone through so much in the past month. He wanted to hug her until she stopped crying. But he can''t. Baron Braun and his soldiers are coming. He carried her in his arms and went to the horse. "I know your body hurts but we can''t stay here. Come with me." He said next to her ears. Lucia just nodded and kept her head buried in Tim''s chest. After they reached the horse, he gave her a boost. He also mounted the horse. "Hold tightly onto my waist" he said. She complied and wrapped her arms around his waist. Timothy felt his heart jump. It felt so good. But he banished romantic thoughts. They are still in danger. He looked at her two companions. One of them was an old man clad in armor. The other was a short and bald man. "Come with me. My guards will hold them" he then turned his gaze towards the older man. Timothy remembered the man''s name to be Bisham and he was the Captain of Lucia''s guards. "Don''t even think about fighting. Lucia still needs you" Timothy expected Bisham to hesitate. He knew that it was painful for a Captain of the guards to lose his men. Bisham should be itching to fight their pursuers right now. But the old man calmly nodded and followed Timothy''s horse. Timothy now understood how Lucia survived the Wismarine assault and assassination attempt. Part of it was because of Bisham''s capabilities. The three horses galloped towards Timothy''s guards. The guards split their formation in the middle and allowed them to pass. Timothy looked behind and saw the moment the two armies slammed against each other. Cries of horses and men echoed in the air. A fierce fighting began. Timothy only brought about a hundred men with him from Solon. Although he wanted to bring his own army, he can''t afford to waste time. After fighting and decimating two groups of Braun''s men, the number of his guards was reduced to less than half. Worse than that, his men were exhausted after riding and fighting all day. Even though Timothy''s men fought hard, they were being pushed back. Braun''s men outnumbered them. It pained him that more of his loyal men will die. He looked for Erik. His friend must survive at least. But Erik found him first. Erik''s sword was already bloody. "Go Tim. We will hold them for a while. Don''t worry, we will slowly retreat after you''ve put enough distance." Timothy nodded. "Be safe Erik. And don''t even think about sacrificing yourself. We are not in a dramatic play!" Erik laughed "Yes. I know. I''m not going to die. I''m smart, you know." He tapped his forefinger on his temple. "Good" Timothy said. He wanted to say more but he can''t find the words. There was a moment of silence between them until Erik broke that silence. "What are you waiting for? Go now! We will follow, I promise." Timothy''s words were again stuck in his throat. He just nodded. He then turned his horse around and commanded the horse to run. Bisham and the short man followed him from behind. He was worried about Erik, but he put his worries aside. Erik will be okay, he thought. It was true that Erik was smart so his friend will find a way. He needs to focus on Lucia. Timothy looked behind. She was still clinging to him dearly. He held her hands. "Don''t worry. I''m here and I will protect you. We will survive this" he comforted. ******************************************************************************* Erik stared at Timothy''s figure as his friend slowly vanished at the distance. "I''m sorry Tim." he murmured. "I may not keep my promise" Erik lied to Timothy. It was his first time breaking his promise to his friend. He had never broken a promise to Tim before and that was the reason why Timothy believed his promise immediately. But Erik had no choice. After he saw Timothy''s extreme reaction to Lucia''s situation back in Solon, he understood that Lucia meant the world to Tim. He can''t forget Timothy''s expression back then. It was of hate. He had seen Timothy''s anger before, but not as powerful. It was like Timothy was going to devour all his enemies. Honestly, he felt a little jealous. They''ve been best of friends for decades but he knew that Timothy cared for Lucia more. In just a month, Lucia replaced Erik. But he put his envy behind. He understood his friend. Timothy was just longing for the King''s love and appreciation but the old man responded with violence. Timothy must have found that love and appreciation from Lucia. That''s why his friend fell deeply for the Princess. And now he must help Timothy. He will do everything to save Lucia and Timothy. Erik looked at the battle. It was bloody and chaotic. They were losing. More than a dozen had fallen on their side. Each of those men was his friend. He ate with them, fought with them and lived with them. He decided that it was enough. "I surrender!" he shouted as loud as he could. At first, nobody paid attention to him but he kept on announcing his surrender. After a while, there was a brief ceasefire and all the soldiers looked confusedly at him. "Surrender then." Braun said on the other side while wiping the blood from his sword. "And let us pass." Erik gave a loud and fake laugh. "We can''t do that Braun. We need to buy time for Prince Timothy. Isn''t that right, men?" he looked at the remaining guards. "Then we will resume our attack" Braun raised his sword again. What Erik did next made all the soldiers drop their jaws. He raised his sword and pointed it towards his own neck. "Move and I will kill myself!" "What?" Braun creased his brows. "You heard me Braun, I will kill myself. Think of how my father would react if I die. He will surely raise the flag of rebellion against the crown. Do you want that Braun? Do you want your dear Castonia to fall into civil war?" Everyone was silent. After a while, a soldier behind Braun pointed at Erik and shouted. "He''s insane!" Braun looked at the soldier. "Shut your mouth Idiot!" he then turned towards Erik "I understand. So, what do you want?" "Let''s make a compromise Braun. How about this? You can take me as hostage if you want, but let my men go. Give up your chase on Timothy and let''s return to Nirvana." "But Prince Timothy¡­" Braun started but then he stopped and looked at Erik "I don''t trust you Erik" "The feeling is mutual. So what''s your answer Braun? You have ten seconds to decide." Erik then counted loudly "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three¡­" "Stop!" Braun shouted. "Okay, but keep your end of the bargain. You must come with us" Erik then turned to his men. "Go, find the Prince and protect him at all cost." The soldiers were dumbfounded by the turn of events. They looked at Erik with confusion written over their faces. "Didn''t you hear me?" Erik asked "I said go! Prince Timothy needs you. Ensure that he and Princess Lucia are safe." "But sire¡­" a soldier started but Erik interrupted him. "Follow my command soldier." His voice was firm. The soldiers were still frozen but after a while they saluted to Erik one by one and left. Erik just looked at them from behind and sighed. Now he was alone with the enemies. "Now lower your weapon." Braun said as his men slowly surrounded Erik. Erik shook his head. "No, I won''t. The moment I lower my sword, your men will rush towards me and tie my hands. You will then resume your chase. I''m not a fool Braun. Let''s just go back to Nirvana. I will probably lower my sword when I my arm gets tired. By that time, Timothy should be far already." Braun remained silent for a long time and examined Erik''s face. "Okay. Let''s go" he turned his horse around and commanded his men to go back. Erik was still holding the sword against his neck. He couldn''t help but laugh at their situation. He was supposed to be the hostage, but this felt like he was the one taking them hostage. He smiled, knowing that he protected Tim and Lucia this time. He is a good friend, he thought. How many people in this world would threaten the enemy with suicide for the sake of their friend? He was probably the only one. He commanded his horse to move and followed Braun to Nirvana. Long and dangerous days were ahead of him. 55 Hunted Lucia held tightly on Tim''s waist. Her body hurts from her earlier fall but Timothy''s warmth dulled the pain. She wished that they could remain like this. Even though the rain was pouring like stones, even though she was injured, even though it was cold, at least she had Tim. Lucia tightened her embrace. She didn''t want to let go. Tim must have noticed because he put one of his hands on Lucia''s. "I''m sorry Lucia." Lucia shook her head on Tim''s back. "No, it''s my fault. I should have known that it will come to this. I was a fool" "A fool couldn''t have protected me. You did and I owe you my life. Thank you. " Timothy said. "Do you remember that night we talked in the garden? I said that I will protect you. So I did. It is my duty to protect you Tim." Lucia again shook her head "No, calling it a duty might be unfair. I protected you because I care for you" Timothy laughed "Stop making my heart jump Lucia. Or else¡­" "Prince Timothy!" Captain Bisham interrupted "Soldiers at the back" he pointed behind. Lucia and Timothy turned their heads around. Lucia saw dozens of horsemen chasing them. "Thank the Omniscient! We''re saved. Your guards are tough Prince Timothy" exclaimed Escanor as the merchant raised both arms in the air. "No!" Timothy shouted. He shook his head and turned his head forward. "They are not my guards. Look at the armor. They are wearing lamellar breastplates." Lucia understood Tim. Although mail armor is popular nowadays because of its flexibility and effectiveness, some nations still use lamellar. One of those nations was Wismar. "Tim. What should we do?" Lucia asked. "Don''t worry. We can lose them. Like what I said, we can survive this. I will not let anything happen to you." Tim comforted. But Lucia noticed the slight tremor in his voice. He must also be scared, Lucia thought. This made her like Tim more. Even though he was scared himself, he was trying to act like he wasn''t in front of Lucia. He wanted to be her stone, her refuge even though he needed a refuge himself. "Okay. I trust you" Lucia said. The chase went on for nearly an hour. It was grueling. Mud and rain splashed like waves of the ocean. Lucia looked behind again and saw that the Wismarines are catching up. At the front of the Wismarines was a tall and muscular man. She recognized him. When Skall went to Vanadis many years ago, he brought the man along. Lucia saw the man a few times but she didn''t know his name. "Prince Timothy. They are close" Captain Bisham informed. "I know" Timothy said "There will be an acute blind curve ahead where they can''t see us for a few moments. We must split up after the curve. They will see three diverging hoof prints. With the threat from my guards, they can''t afford to also split up so they can only follow one." "Okay." Captain Bisham said. "We will meet you at the end of the forest. Protect her Prince Timothy." "I will. Even with my life" "Don''t say things like that Tim!" Lucia shouted Timothy remained silent. His silence made Lucia worry. It meant that he might do extreme things just for her. She doesn''t want that. She doesn''t want to be away from again. After a long time of separation, they were finally reunited. Just like what Tim said, there was indeed a blind curve. After that they split from Captain Bisham and Escanor. ***************************************************************************** Amir and his men stopped. The trails diverged into three and he had no idea which way Prince Timothy and Lucia went. "Should we split our forces sir?" A soldier looked at him as if begging for his guidance. His men knew how important this mission was. If they fail, Wismar will be dragged into a Castonian Civil War. They need to find the two royals. "No, we can''t. I''m sure Timothy''s guards are just behind us. We can''t divide our forces" Amir said. He only brought about fourty men with him so they can''t afford to be divided. "Then which way should we go?" the soldier asked again. Amir looked at the three trails. The rain turned the ground into mud so the hoof prints are clear. He dismounted and examined each of the trails. "This way" he pointed to the left. "The hoof prints are deeper so the horse must be carrying two people" He mounted his horse again and ordered his men to resume the chase. Prince Timothy was smart. But the Prince didn''t know that Amir was one of the best hunters in Wismar. The hunt continues. ************************************************************************** It had been three hours since they split up with Captain Bisham and the short man. Timothy looked around. It was still raining hard and the rain turned the ground into a marsh. The mud was slippery and the horse slipped many times. In one of those times, one of the horse''s legs was sprained. Since then, the horse had run slower. "Tim" Lucia said behind him "I hear horses approaching" "What?" Timothy turned his head around. "How many?" he asked. "Dozens" Timothy listened and he also heard the approach of horses. There were too many of them for it to be Captain Bisham and the short man. His heart beat fast. How? How could the Wismarines make the right choice? Out of the three trails, they chose the one leading to him and Lucia. "It could be my guards. Don''t worry." Timothy said but he knew that his guards were still hours away, that is if they even escaped Baron Braun. In truth, Timothy was afraid. Even if he stood his ground, he can''t protect Lucia against dozens of Wismarines. Because both of them were on the same horse, the animal ran slower than usual. The Wismarines would catch them eventually. He needs to find a way soon or else¡­He stopped these thoughts. There''s still hope, there will always be hope. He will not give up. Timothy then heard the sound of flowing water. He looked sideways and saw a river at the distance. From what he knows, the river was a tributary to the bigger Carnack River. An idea then came to him. "Do you know how to swim?" he asked Lucia. "What?" Lucia confusedly asked. "Yes. Why?" He pointed at the river. "See the river? We need to get across." "But it''s swollen. We could drown." What Lucia said was right. The heavy rain had swollen the river. It will be dangerous to swim across it. But they don''t have a choice "The horse is slow. They will catch up to us soon. We need to make a gamble. Their armor will drag them down on foot." Lucia was silent. After a while she nodded. "Okay. I trust your judgment. Timothy forced the horse to run the last kilometer. It was slow but they reached the river. Both of them dismounted and prepared for their crossing. "Cling onto me" he told Lucia. He then wrapped one of his arms on her shoulder. "And if the river sweep us, make sure that your feet are the ones pointing downstream." Timothy looked at the river. The river was swollen and the current was strong. Their crossing will be dangerous. But they must do it. If the Wismarines catch Lucia, they will kill her. Things would be different if the ones chasing them were Braun''s men. Timothy knew that Baron Braun only wanted to capture Lucia. But the Wismarines were different. He surveyed the river and looked for a shallow. Most of the time, a wider portion of the river also means shallower water and slower current. Since the river was only a tributary, finding a shallow should be easier. "There" Timothy pointed at the widest portion of the river. The two of them went to the shallow and began their crossing. Timothy picked up a stick and used it to test the level of the water. Slowly and carefully, they crossed. The current was strong but Timothy strengthened his legs. Thankfully, there were rocks along the way so they could rest every once in a while. Inch by inch, they approached the other end. Lucia was clinging tightly on him. It was hard. There were even times when the river almost swept them away. When they were halfway through, the Wismarines arrived. They immediately removed their armors to start their own crossing. But some of them were preparing something. Timothy squinted and saw that some of them had crossbows. "Lucia!" he shouted but the Wismarines already fired their weapons. Arrows flew towards them. Some of the arrows fell near them. "Are you hit!?" he frantically asked her. "No. I don''t think so Tim. And you?" she gave him a worried look. Tim shook his head as answer. That was close. They can''t stay here. He looked towards the Wismarines and saw that they were already reloading. "We need to let the current take us. We can''t stay here" he said. "Okay." Lucia said. She then hugged him. Timothy then made the most dangerous decision of his life. He let go of the rocks. In an instant, the powerful river currents swept them. 56 The Cold Nigh Timothy''s head went below the water. The shattered light underwater disoriented him. He doesn''t know where he is or if he''s still alive. A plethora of thoughts entered his mind. It was confusion. It was fear. It was disappointment. And then he remembered Lucia. Before he let go of the rocks, he had been holding Lucia tightly. But at one point, he lost his grip. No. He declared. He can''t lose her. Timothy struggled, but he was drowning himself. Strength left his body as water entered his lungs. "Mat! Don''t leave me Mat. Open your eyes" It was a woman''s voice. Her voice was so pitched that it sounded like she was crying. Timothy then saw the woman in his dreams looking at him with a worried face. Is he dead? That was the first question in Timothy''s mind. No, he can''t die just yet. What will happen to Lucia if he dies? "Tim! Don''t leave me Tim. Open your eyes" It was the same words, but the voice was different. It was Lucia. Timothy slowly opened his eyes and Lucia''s crying figure was revealed to him. She was pressing his chest repeatedly. Timothy coughed water out of his lungs. He was panting, struggling for air. After a while, his body slowly recovered its strength. "What happened?" he asked between breaths. But Lucia did not answer. She just lunged at him and cried on his chest. Timothy caressed her wet hair. "I''m so worried. I thought I lost you. You should have told me that you can''t swim!" she sobbed. Timothy felt slightly embarrassed. He can actually swim, but was not good at it. "But you didn''t lose me. You even saved me again." Timothy kissed her head. "Thank you Lucia" They remained that way for a long time. After Tim regained all his strength, he sat and surveyed the surroundings. They were on the riverbank and the rain had stopped. Nevertheless, the river was still swollen. "Where are we?" he asked Lucia looked around. "At least a few kilometers downstream. We floated for a while and it took me a long time to drag you out of the water." "You dragged me out of the water?" Timothy was surprised. He couldn''t imagine that Lucia, with her small physique, managed to drag him out of the water. Not only that, but she remained conscious throughout their ordeal. "Well, unlike you Prince Timothy, I grew up near the ocean." She grinned and leaned against him. "So, what do we do now?" Timothy looked at the sky. It was almost dark. "We need to find a shelter for the night. Also, we need a fire." "Won''t they find us if we build a fire?" "We could always run if they find us. But that''s better than freezing to death with our wet clothes." Timothy then held Lucia''s hand. "Let''s go" The two of them went to the forest nearby. Timothy built a makeshift tent out of leaves and started a fire. It took him a long time to start the fire because of the wet ground. It was already dark when he finished. "I didn''t expect that the third Prince of Castonia has survival skills. You never cease to surprise me Tim" Lucia laughed. "Impressed? Do I get extra points in your heart for this?" he smirked. "There is a forest near Nirvana. Erik and I would camp there from time to time whenever we are bored in the palace" he explained. Timothy then examined Lucia. She was sitting inside the tent and warming herself with the fire. She was wearing a dress. The scene in front of him was the definition of irony, a beautiful princess in a rugged, makeshift tent in the middle of nowhere. "King Edmund would kill me if he found out that I let her daughter stay in a makeshift tent" he commented. Lucia laughed "Yes, he will. Do you know what he said three nights before I left? He said that he will take me back from you if you do not treat me nicely" Timothy sat next to her and shared the warmth of the fire. "Really? Then that means I must give you everything you want from now on. So what do you want Princess Lucia?" he asked mischievously as he turned his head towards her. Their faces were so close. She looked at him in the eyes and teased him with her words. "You know what I want" Timothy''s thoughts were lost. The night was cold and their situation was dismal. The Wismarines were also hunting them. But at that moment, Timothy forgot about the bleakness of their situation. All he felt was his desire to be with Lucia. Like magnets, their faces drew closer with each other. Timothy''s heart was beating fast. But their beautiful moment was interrupted by the sound of horses. Timothy looked towards the direction of the sound. "We need to run" he immediately said. Lucia nodded and they left the tent. They ran as fast as they could. Timothy cursed them for interrupting their moment. Why? Why of all times. Couldn''t they wait a few minutes? "How in the world did they cross the river?" Lucia asked behind him. There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. Timothy felt a little happy with that. It seems he was not the only one annoyed by the sudden appearance of the Wismarines. "The level of water in the river should be lower by now." Timothy answered. He then looked behind. "We can''t outrun them. We must hide." "There!" Lucia pointed at a large downed tree. Timothy looked at the tree and judged that it was large enough to conceal both of them. They stopped and hid beneath the downed tree. He wrapped his body around Lucia. They must evade the Wismarines. A few moments later, dozens of horses passed them. Thankfully, it was dark so they did not see or suspect the fallen tree. Time passed slowly. It was excruciating. Every step of the horses was too slow for Tim. He looked at Lucia and she was closing her eyes. She must be scared- no, of course she was. In fact, Timothy himself was trembling a little. It was a nerve-wracking moment. The enemies were just in front of them. One wrong move and both of them will die. After what seemed to be eons, the Wismarines were gone. But Timothy still can''t breathe a sigh of relief. They were still far from safe because the Wismarines could come back anytime. Nevertheless, they are alive, for now. "We should go" he said. Lucia held him. "No" she said. "We should stay here. They didn''t see us so this hiding spot is good" "But you need to rest. Our journey tomorrow will be more tiring." Timothy was worried about her. She needs rest. They don''t have food so sleeping could at least give some comfort to their bodies. It was better for Tim because he had been eating his rations up until today, but Lucia hadn''t eaten anything since her escape from Nirvana. "I can sleep here" she said. "Are you sure?" She nodded. Timothy agreed. She was right though. The tree offered them both protection and concealment. They should stay here for the night. "Okay. Sleep." He embraced her. "What about you?" "I will keep watch for the night. Don''t worry, I''m still a soldier so my body is not that weak" he said proudly. "No Tim, rest. You need it" "But I have to.." "Tim" Lucia said sternly. Timothy can''t deny her with the way she looked at him. He sighed and agreed. He hadn''t slept for the last few days anyway. "Okay. Good night Lucia" he put a kiss on her forehead. It must be because of exhaustion, but Timothy slept like a log that evening. He had no dreams and his slumber was uninterrupted. It was already late in the morning when Timothy woke up. The first thing he saw was Lucia''s pretty face looking at him. "Keep sleeping like that and you''ll lose your title as Rooster Prince" she grinned. "If it means seeing you every morning, then I don''t mind losing my nickname" Timothy then looked around. It was almost noon. Waking up late was a very strange experience for him. "We should continue our journey. The Wismarines should be far by now." Timothy and Lucia started their walk. Thankfully, they did not encounter the Wismarines along the way. It was noon when they reached the end of the forest. They were greeted by a wide plain that was divided by a small stream at the middle. It was refreshing, a complete opposite of what they experienced yesterday. But then Timothy saw something that confused him. "Is that a village?" he squinted. There was a small village near the stream. "I thought you''re the Castonian between the two of us" Lucia said. "But there shouldn''t be a village here. I''ve looked at the map of the Western Region many times. This part of the region is uninhabited because of its remote location." Tim looked at Lucia. "Maybe it''s a newly-built village?" she commented. "Let''s find out. Maybe they will offer us food and shelter for a while." They descended on the village. 57 The Village Samuel put the spoon in his mouth and tasted his cooking. He grimaced and spitted the stew. It was revolting. He scratched his head. Why can''t he get the taste right? Maybe it''s the mushroom? He had heard from a friend before that adding wild edible mushrooms to the stew enhances its flavor. Either his friend was wrong, or he just can''t cook. Samuel sighed. What a waste of good venison. Well, he doesn''t have choice but to eat the stew. The men in the village spent two days hunting the deer and he was in no position to waste food. Samuel gripped the handle of the pot and lifted it towards the table. He then took three bowls and filled them with the stew. "Conrad, Mylene, it''s time for lunch." He called. After a while, a boy and a girl ran towards the table and seated themselves. They almost knocked the pot. "Hey, no running." Samuel scolded but the two children ignored him. They were more focused on the food. "Did you cook it? You did, didn''t you!?" Conrad excitedly asked. His blue eyes were shining. "He did!" Mylene exclaimed after seeing the meat in her stew. "Time to eat!" she lifted her bowl. "Ahem" Samuel cleared his throat. "Are you forgetting something Mylene?" Mylene stopped and sighed. She put her two palms together and closed her eyes. "Omniscient thank you for the food!" she recited in a very fast manner. Conrad also did the same. The two scooped the stew with their spoons and tasted the food. "Ahhhh!" both of them screamed at the same time. Mylene wiped her tongue with her clothes while Conrad looked at the stew like he was grieving for a dead friend. "This is blasphemy Samuel!" Mylene pounded her little hand on the table. Samuel wanted to reprimand her but her cute attitude melted his annoyance. "Why..why did it come to this? What did Samuel do to you?" Conrad was talking to the stew while pulling his own hair with both hands. "Oh calm down. It''s not that bad." Samuel scooped his stew and ate it. The revolting taste almost made him spit the food. It was really bad. But he forced himself to swallow the food. "See? It''s delicious!" "Stop it Samuel. Your eyes are watery." Conrad pointed at his eyes like he just found an important evidence. Samuel sighed. "Okay I may have messed up a little?" "A little?" Mylene raised her little eyebrows. Samuel laughed at her reaction. "Fine. I messed up. But we still have to eat it." "You''re so bad at cooking Samuel. I should have cooked the food. We have waited two days for this meat." Mylene crossed her arms and pouted. "Yeah! And as punishment you should give up your position as village chief to me" Conrad declared. Samuel grinned and pinched his nose. "And what will you do if you''re the village chief?" "Do you still have to ask? Of course I will make everyone hunt for meat! Meat is life, meat is love!" "And who will water the crops, build the houses, feed the livestock and clean the village if you send everyone to hunt?" Samuel was amused. "Er.." Conrad thought for an answer. He then pointed at Samuel "You!" "But I''m old. I can''t do all those things" Samuel said with a frail voice. Conrad again searched for a rebuttal. In the end he gave up. "You''ve won this round Samuel" Samuel patted his head and smiled "Just eat the stew okay? Next time Mylene will cook" The trio ate the stew. But before they could finish their meal, someone knocked on the door. "Chief Samuel we have visitors. They said that they wanted to talk to the village chief" It was Jason''s voice "Visitors?" Samuel asked. He was confused. Who would visit them? The village was in the middle of nowhere. "Finish your food" he told Conrad and Mylene. Samuel then stood and opened the door. "Are you sure?" he asked Jason. "Yes chief. A man and a woman just arrived. They said that they were lost" "Take me to them." Jason nodded and led Samuel to their guests. After walking for a while, Samuel saw two people being surrounded by the villagers. Their clothes were dirty, but their postures were regal. Samuel wanted to scratch his head. Who are these people? The man then turned and smiled at him. After seeing his face, Samuel almost died of shock. He cannot forget that face. How is this possible!? "Mushrooms?" he blurted ***************************************************************************** Timothy was taken aback. An old man just called him mushrooms? He went to the old man and offered his hand. "I am not a food gramps. I''m Theo" he grinned. Since they were not yet sure about the identity of the villagers, Timothy and Lucia concealed their own identities. It was better to be safe than sorry. The old man snapped back to his senses and shook Tim''s hand. "Nice to meet you Theo. I''m Samuel, the village chief. What brings you to our humble village?" "My¡­" Timothy stopped and turned to Lucia. He wasn''t sure how he should introduce her. But then he thought of something good "wife. Yeah. My wife and I were lost in the forest." Lucia''s expression was that of surprise at first, but she then gave Timothy a smile of resignation. Samuel stared at Timothy''s face for a while. He then exhaled loudly. "Come with me" Timothy and Lucia followed Samuel. They then reached a small hut in the middle of the village. Samuel opened the door to his home and let them inside. Timothy saw two children, a boy and a girl, eating stew. "Conrad, Mylene, we have guests. I need to talk to them, okay? Go outside for a while" Samuel said. "But we are not yet finished with the food!" The boy protested. Timothy guessed his name to be Conrad. "Yeah! We just found a way on how to defeat the monstrosity you created Samuel. Just wipe the meat with a cloth!" "You can finish your meal after I talk to our guests. If you''re obedient I may arrange another hunt tomorrow" The two children''s eyes lit up. "Really?!" both of them exclaimed. "That is if both of you are obedient" Samuel smiled. The two children ran outside immediately. After they were gone, Samuel closed the door. "Grandchildren?" Timothy asked him. But Samuel did not answer. Instead, he knelt and bowed in front of Timothy. "Your Highness" Timothy and Lucia both looked at each other. Even though they were popular, few people had seen their faces. The other villagers were clueless about their identity but it seems Samuel knew. "Rise, Samuel" Timothy urged the old man to stand. Samuel stood and looked at Lucia. "And you must be Princess Lucia. "I am. Nice to meet you Samuel" Lucia smiled. "So what is the reason for you visit Your Highness?" "Before I tell you, tell me first why there is a village here. This part of the Western Region should be uninhabited." Timothy said Samuel did not reply immediately. He went to the table and cleaned it. He then sat on one of the chairs and gestured to the other two in front of him. Timothy and Lucia went to the table and seated themselves in front of Samuel. "All the people in the village are refugees from the destroyed villages around Solon and Greenwater." Samuel started "We stumbled upon this location by chance. We all came from different backgrounds, some were miners, some were farmers, some were even merchants. But we all have one thing in common, we lost our homes. The children you saw just now are not my grandchildren. They are orphans from the first village burned by the Tulosans" Timothy felt pity for them. They are the real victims of the war. The people praised him for saving the Western Region. But the truth is, he didn''t save all of the Western Region. There were those who had forever lost their homes like the people in this village. "I understand" Timothy nodded. "So what brings you here Prince Timothy?" Samuel asked again. But this time, Timothy was more reluctant to answer his question. The village was small and poor and asking for help felt like too much. But in the end, he revealed their circumstances anyway. "I see" Samuel stroked his white beard. "Then you can stay here for a while until the Wismarines grow tired of finding you. Also, I suggest you don''t reveal your identities to the villagers. Most of them are good people, but we can never be too careful." Timothy nodded and held Lucia''s hand "Thank you Samuel. We owe you our lives" "Will you keep your cover as husband and wife? I think it''s better to do so. We only have one extra hut and the two of you really look like a long-time couple despite your age." Samuel commented. "Yes we will" Timothy looked at Lucia. "I will be Theo, a merchant and she will be Alice, my wife" 58 The Bonfire After taking a bath in the stream, Timothy and Lucia went to the hut assigned to them. It was small, but it looked comfortable. At least it was be better than the downed tree in the forest. The villagers also gave them clean clothes to change into. Timothy looked at the sinking sun on the horizon from the window of the hut. The slow dimming of the earth gave him a melancholic feeling. "How many days should we stay here?" Lucia asked beside him. She was also looking at the sunset. "I don''t know. I don''t want to rush because the Wismarines could find us again, but Erik and my guards will be worried." "Yeah, I think five days should be our limit" Timothy looked at her. She was wearing a plain one-piece tunic and her hair was a little rugged. But she was beautiful. She may not be wearing her pretty dress or her luxurious jewelries, but she was still the most beautiful woman in Tim''s eyes. More than her beauty, she was smart, capable and kind. Someone then knocked on the door. "Theo, Alice, are you there?" Timothy opened the door and saw a young man their age. Even though he just met him today, Timothy recognized him. If he''s not wrong, the man''s name was Jason. "The chief has organized a gathering and he requests your appearance. He said it will be good for you to meet the villagers." Jason said. "Okay we''ll be there" Timothy and Lucia then followed Jason. He led them to the center of the village where the villagers had already gathered. There was a huge pot above the bonfire. The villagers sat on four huge logs that surrounded the bonfire. There were also bottles of wine prepared for the gathering. Timothy surveyed the villagers. There were about fifty of them. Some of them were old, but most were on their early thirties. There were only two children among them. Samuel scooped some stew from the pot into two bowls and offered each one to Timothy and Lucia. "Thank you" Both of them thanked Samuel. "Sit" Samuel gestured towards a vacant space on one of the logs. The pair complied and ate the stew. Timothy looked at Lucia as she ate her stew. She must be starving, Timothy thought. Lucia hadn''t eaten anything for half a week. Also, their tiring journey must have drained her energy. He transferred half of his food into her bowl. "You need it more than I do" he said. Lucia stopped eating and glared at him. "Oh come on! There''s enough food. You can just get more from the pot. No need to act lovey-dovey in front of us!" A big man who looked like a bear shouted to them. "Don''t mind him Theo. He''s just jealous because he''s still single at his age" A villager shouted back. The others laughed. "Hey take that back" the burly man pointed "When I was still a soldier, women flocked around me" "You were a soldier?" Timothy raised his brows. The man was lying. Almost every soldier in the Western Region knows his face. "What is your name?" "Abraham" he said "To what unit did you belong? And why are you here?" "Knightsend''s garrison" he proudly patted his chest. "I retired after the battle. I came here because I was bored" It took Timothy a few moments to absorb what Abraham said. Knightsend? Retired? What? Timothy''s mouth was frozen so it was Lucia who continued the question. "So you know Prince Timothy then?" she stifled her laughter. "Oh yes!" Abraham stood up "Prince Timothy and I are best of friends. He once told me, ''Abraham, you are my champion. Together we will conquer the world''" he tried to imitate what he imagined Timothy''s voice to be. What''s with that drama! Never in a million years would he say something as cheesy as that! Timothy rubbed his forehead and stared at Abraham. "So what do Prince Timothy look like?" It was Samuel who asked. He then turned to Timothy and winked. "He was big! Seven, no, Eight feet tall with a huge scar on his face." Abraham drew a line on his own face to represent Timothy''s scar. "He sword is also big, taller than two people" "Does his sword have a name?" a villager asked "He calls it¡­" Abraham pondered "Ah yes. He calls it Tulosan Slayer" Timothy almost choked on his food. What the hell? Stop ruining my name! Please! Stop. He silently begged Abraham. Beside him, Lucia was giggling nonstop. "I never knew you also had a talent in naming swords" A villager raised his hand and asked, "Is it true that he can turn into a giant white lion?" "Ohoho" Abraham pointed at the villager "I''ve seen it friend. He was big. His claws were so sharp that you''ll cut yourself just by looking at it. His roar was so loud and powerful that it shook the earth. General Sigurd also turned into a stallion. They fought each other for hours until Prince Timothy bit his head off. It was marvelous" Timothy''s jaw dropped. What''s with that tale! So he''s a shape shifter now? How come he doesn''t know? Timothy felt someone tug his arm. It was Lucia. She was cupping her mouth with one hand to hold her laughter. "I can''t take it anymore Tim. Let''s go somewhere" Lucia grabbed him into the darkness away from the bonfire. Timothy looked behind and Abraham was still telling absurd stories about him. "Ahahahaha" after finding a spot where no one could hear them Lucia finally vented her laughter. "I can''t.. I can''t imagine what he said Tim" she said between laughs. Timothy scratched his head "My reputation is ruined¡­Eight foot tall scarred shape shifter with a huge sword called ''Tulosan Slayer'' of all things" Lucia then embraced Tim and looked at him "Well I won''t mind even if you were an eight foot tall scarred shape shifter with a huge sword called Tulosan Slayer" she grinned widely. Timothy laughed. He must admit, Abraham''s description of him was entertaining. "So you won''t huh? How kind of you" he pinched her cheek. "I won''t." she said laughingly "Because you will always be my Timothy" The grin on their faces slowly vanished. There was no need for words because feelings communicate better than words. Their hearts became one, their minds intertwined. The pent up feelings they both had for the past month was released like flood. They kissed. It was ecstasy. It was bliss. It was glee. A strange feeling enveloped their soul. It was like they were the only people in the world, a feeling that the universe belongs to them and only them. How charming it was. How good. It was love. It took a while for their lips to part. But it wasn''t enough- no, once will never be enough. Their lips met again. This time it was more forceful, more rigorous, and more intense. Both savored each other''s affection. Nothing else mattered in that moment. Oh what a beautiful life it was! The kiss lasted for a long time. Timothy doesn''t know how long it lasted and he doesn''t care. When their lips parted again, the world felt new. "I love you Lucia" "I love you Tim" Both of them said at the same time. Timothy smiled and caressed Lucia''s face. He looked at her like he wanted to engrave her existence on his being. The two then sat on the grass side-by-side. Their hands were intertwined as they looked at the beautiful moon. They remained silent and enjoyed the moment. After a while Timothy asked, "Lucia?" "Uhuh?" She looked at him. Her blue eyes were sparkling like diamonds under the moonlight. "Want to run away with me?" 59 Run Away "Want to run away with me?" For the first time, Lucia didn''t understand Timothy. Run away? Where? Are they not running away now? "What do you mean Tim?" She asked. Timothy looked at the moon and sighed. "I''m tired Lucia. I''m exhausted." "I still don''t understand" Timothy lay on the grass and looked at sky. He then slowly grabbed Lucia and made her lay on his arms. The warmth of his body gave Lucia a sense of security. "When I found out that you were in danger, I lost it Lucia. They not only schemed against me, but also against you. We didn''t do anything yet they attacked us. I was furious that time. No, I''m still furious." Lucia nodded. She also had the same experience that time King Leopold and Skall Wismar conspired to get Timothy killed. She was furious. She wanted to make them pay for scheming against Timothy. "My original plan was to rescue you and then go back to Solon to gather my army. I would then besiege Nirvana and force my father to hand over Skall Wismar." Timothy looked at her and winked "I know it''s a bad plan" "It is" Lucia agreed. "You can''t force your father. Even if your soldiers are experienced, they are few. They can''t threaten the walls of Nirvana. Also I''ve heard that one of your brothers is currently in Ledega with a huge army. He can cut your supply lines if you dare besiege Nirvana." "I never knew that you are versed in the art of war" Timothy grinned. "Are you mocking me rooster prince?" Lucia pinched his nose. She then put her head on his chest. "So, something tells me that you changed your mind" Timothy was silent for a while. "When I saw you fall from your horse, I was so worried. When we were being hunted, I feared for your life. Seeing you suffer is painful. I care for you Lucia. I want to give you the best in the world. And then it occurred to me that getting revenge for you and making Skall Wismar pay will not alleviate your pain. I need to focus on you rather than revenge. I will make him pay if I''m able, but your well-being should come first." "Thank you Tim. That''s all I wanted from you." She put a kiss on his cheek. "But I still can''t connect it with you wanting to run away." "The current Castonia is a messed up place Lucia. People scheme here. The involvement of Skall Wismar further complicates the power struggle. I want to leave Castonia behind. I want to start a new life with you in Vanadis. I''m tired of politics." Lucia was slightly surprised. She never thought that Timothy would abandon his fame and power in Castonia just to live a peaceful life with her in Vanadis. Even if she marries him, his position in Vanadis would be lower compared to being the third Prince of Castonia. Also, the people currently cheer his name. They treat Timothy as a hero. He was willing to give that away. Lucia felt emotional. "Are you sure you want that? What about your responsibilities Tim?" "The moment my father schemed against me, I lost the responsibility of being a prince. Sure, I saved the Western Region from destruction but that''s because I care for the people. But now my father and my brothers have this under control. They can now repel the Tulosans even if General Rickard comes back. Castonia doesn''t need me anymore. This may sound like I''m being selfish, but I''m really tired Lucia. The only downside of this is that Vanadis will not get the alliance it wanted." "It''s okay Tim. You can be our general. I''m sure you can reform the Vanadian military. Your presence will be enough to secure Vanadis'' borders." "So you agree? You will run away with me?" He smiled widely. "Don''t make it sound like we''re eloping Tim" Lucia laughed. She then nodded. "If you''re fine with losing your popularity, then I will take you to Vanadis." "It''s decided then. After we get back to Solon, I will inform Erik, Freya, Marvin and Mathias of my decision. We will then elope to Vanadis" he grinned. Lucia laughed again. "I told you already, that is not eloping." "But it sounds more romantic that way" Timothy reasoned. Lucia gave a sigh of resignation "Fine then, we will elope to Vanadis" she hugged Timothy. ********************************************************************************** After cuddling for a while, Timothy and Lucia went back to the bonfire. They did not finish their meals because of Abraham''s tale. "and then Prince Timothy said, ''danger is my middle name''" Timothy again heard Abraham''s preposterous tales about him. It was painful to listen to. He and Lucia sat back on the log. The villagers had their attention to Abraham. "Hey, where did you the two of you go to?" Abraham stopped his story and asked them. "Stop it Abraham. What they did in secret is none of our business" A villager said "Besides, we all know what they did" he gave Timothy and Lucia a meaningful smile. The villagers laughed. It seems that they had the wrong idea. This is embarrassing, Timothy thought. He looked at Lucia and saw that she was blushing. "So, Theo and Alice, tell us about yourselves." "Yeah! Both of you are so good looking that I still can''t believe you are merchants. You look like nobles." "We were just lucky to have met each other I guess" Timothy tried to find an excuse. "But you look so young. How old are you anyway?" "Let''s not pry into their private lives" It was Samuel who saved them from being discovered. But Timothy noticed that the old man was already drunk. After hearing what Samuel said, the villagers stopped their questions and looked for other means to entertain themselves. Samuel went beside Timothy. He was holding a bottle of wine. The old man then put his hand on Timothy''s shoulder. "Don''t mind them Your Highness. It''s so boring here that they will search for any rumors." "It''s alright Samuel. I''m just afraid they will find out about our identities. I wonder what Abraham''s reaction will be if that happened" Samuel laughed. "I think he will piss himself" Timothy laughed with the old man. But then he noticed a brand on Samuel''s hand. "Is that¡­" he stared closely at the brand "You were a royal guard?" Samuel retracted his hand and looked at the brand. "Oh this? Yes, I was a royal guard. But I quit many years ago." Timothy doesn''t understand. Why would he quit? Royal Guards were the best paid soldiers in Castonia. "Why would you quit? Many people dream of being a royal guard" It was Lucia who asked. Samuel stared at them for a long time. Timothy started to think that the old man had already fallen asleep. "It was a long story" he finally said. "Alright then." Timothy didn''t want to pry into Samuel''s life. But he was still curious so he asked, "You know my father then? What was he like in the past?" Samuel''s eyes lit up. He nodded "Yes, I know your father very well. He and I were close friends" Timothy doubted him. Even though King Leopold was fond of the royal guards, he wasn''t friendly towards them. "Close friends?" Timothy asked "So what was he like when you were still in the palace?" Samuel put down the bottle and looked at the distance. "Your father and I had a love-hate relationship. He was my friend, Your Highness. But honestly, he was an asshole" Timothy was surprised. Even if what Samuel said was his own opinion, he was still talking about the King. Samuel was the first person Timothy met who described the King as an ass. "Really? He was like that?" Timothy asked Samuel laughed. "He was. He''s not a good person Your Highness. He''s also kind of a jerk. He even took my lover once. Also he seduced the Queen. Nevertheless, he''s my friend. He likes to eat wild mushrooms and that''s why we called him ''Mushrooms''. He loves it so much that he would eat it every day." Timothy frowned. Why does it feel like they are not talking about the same person? Seduced the Queen? Likes eating mushrooms? That doesn''t sound like King Leopold. "You look like him, Your Highness." Samuel continued "Exactly like him. When I first saw you this morning, I thought I''ve seen a ghost. Your face, your voice, it''s like a copy of him. I think you also got your eloquence from him. But at the same time, you are opposites. Your attitudes are very different." He patted Timothy on the shoulder "I''m glad you didn''t grow up like him" Samuel then grabbed the bottle of wine and left. Timothy looked at Lucia. "What was that all about?" Lucia shrugged. "Maybe he was talking about someone else. He''s drunk so his memories could be mixed." "Maybe" Timothy said as he looked at Samuel "But I really think he''s talking about my father." The gathering lasted until midnight. Most of the villagers were drunk. Timothy himself was a little drunk. He and Lucia went back to their hut. It had been a long and wonderful day. ******************************************************************************* Amir stopped his horse as they reached the end of the forest. "They''re not here" he said. "But where could they go?" a soldier asked him "We lost their tracks already" Amir grabbed a map from his pocket. Even if it was dark, he could see clearly because of the full moon. He examined the map. "We should go back here" he pointed to the other end of the forest. "But that part is uninhabited. Why would they go that way?" Amir closed the map and put it in his pocket. "I don''t know, but my instincts tell me that we will find them there" His men turned their horses around. 60 Refugees Timothy opened his eyes and saw Lucia beside him. He grinned. "Why are you smiling like that?" Lucia played with Timothy''s lips with her finger. "Nothing happened between us Prince Timothy. I''m still a virtuous woman you know." "I''m did not say anything." Timothy shrugged. "And you think I would forget if something did happen? I''ll remember it for all eternity" "Oh really?" Lucia laughed. "Then sorry to burst your bubble, but you still have to wait a long time for that." She went closer and put a kiss on his cheek. "You''re saying that but you''re also teasing me. You are cruel Lucia Vanadis" Lucia chuckled. She punched him on his arm "I''m not teasing you. Showing affection and teasing are two different things" Lucia then stood up and grabbed Timothy''s arm. "Come on, it''s already late in the morning. We need to help around to earn our keep. You''ve woken up late twice in a row now. It will be bad for your reputation if you maintain this habit." Timothy grunted and Lucia was still pulling his arm. "Can''t we cuddle for a while? Just a few more minutes?" Lucia stopped and sighed "Just a few minutes?" "I''m not promising anything but I''ll try." Timothy smiled mischievously. He then grabbed Lucia into his arms. "And I know you want it too" he whispered. Lucia replied with a giggle. *************************************************************************** The few minutes turned into an hour and it was really late in the morning when Timothy and Lucia went outside. The villagers were already doing their chores and Tim felt embarrassed. "I''ll help those women grind the wheat" Lucia pointed to the women grinding wheat with mortar and pestle in one of the houses. "You know how to?" Timothy was surprised. Being the second Princess of Vanadis, surely Lucia didn''t have to grind her own wheat. "I have experience. I often give medicines to the women recovering from childbirth in Holm. The medicines come from ground herbs." She explained. "Okay then. But what if I miss you?" He smirked. She tiptoed and whispered, "Then you''ll have to endure rooster prince" After giving Timothy a playful smile, Lucia left and Timothy was left alone. He looked around but the men of the village were all missing. Someone tugged on the hem of his clothes. Timothy looked and saw the boy from yesterday smiling at him. He estimated the boy to be about ten years old. Timothy felt nostalgic. The boy''s smile reminds him of his younger self. "Mister Theo, will you join the hunt?" he asked. Timothy squatted and faced the boy. He remembered the boy''s name to be Conrad. "Conrad, right? There is a hunt Conrad?" "Yes!" Conrad exclaimed happily. "Samuel arranged a hunt for today. We will have meat again" Timothy doesn''t understand. He informed Samuel yesterday that the Wismarines were searching for them. Why would Samuel arrange a hunt now? The Wismarines could attack the villagers. "Where is Samuel, Conrad? I need to talk to him." Conrad pointed to the stream. "He''s fishing. So, are you coming or not?" Timothy shook his head "I''m sorry Conrad, but I can''t. Take me to Samuel" Conrad nodded and let Timothy to the village chief. The old man was standing beside the stream with a fishing rod. "Thank you Conrad" Timothy patted the boy''s head. "Welcome" Conrad smiled "I''ll go then" Conrad then left. Timothy started walking towards Samuel. But before he could talk, Samuel did. "I know why you came here Your Highness. It''s because of the hunt right?" Samuel turned to him. "Yes. I know it''s none of my business, but shouldn''t you cancel the hunt?" Timothy walked towards the stream. It was small that one could mistake it for a canal. "It is your business Your Highness. These people and I are still your subjects." Samuel said. He pulled the fishing rod but the hook was empty. "Regarding the hunt, we don''t have a choice" "You don''t have a choice? Why?" Samuel made a long sigh. "This land is barren Your Highness" he started "At first we thought that we could make a village here. I mean it is a plain with a stream so it should be habitable, right?" Timothy nodded. The land doesn''t look barren. Samuel then continued his explanation. "But it''s true, the land is barren. We made a mistake trying to settle here. Now I know why this land had remained uninhabited for so long. It''s not just because of the remote location, it''s also because nothing grows here. We tried to plant but nothing grows except grass and weeds. We tried to fish, but the stream is dead. I am yet to catch fish from this stream. The only way to live here is to hunt. We are running out of food, Your Highness. The food we ate last night was going bad so we had no choice but to cook it all." Timothy understood their situation. He felt guilty because he thought at first that the village had enough food and they could spend a few more days. Turns out, the village was starving. "I''m sorry for adding to your troubles. Now you have two more mouths to feed" Timothy said. Samuel smiled. "Think nothing of it, Your Highness. It is our duty to serve the Royal Family." "I feel guiltier when you say it like that. They don''t even know our identities." Timothy said. "By the way, do you have plans to relocate? You said it yourself, this land is barren." "Not for now. The villagers chose to live here because they are afraid. Most, if not all of them had seen the horrors of war, Prince Timothy. The Tulosan invasion took something from everyone. That''s why we are trying to make this work despite the hardships we face." So it''s because of the useless war with Tulosa again, Timothy thought. Wars really are dreadful when they involve the civilians. "I understand Samuel. But I must tell you that I cannot join the hunt. The Wismarines are looking for me. So can you let me help you fish instead?" Samuel smiled "Of course. As a matter of fact, I brought an extra fishing pole" Timothy and Samuel fished all morning. They talked and Timothy learned many things about Samuel. The old man talked about his experiences in the palace. Unlike before, Timothy can now believe his description of King Leopold. In the end, they failed to catch a single fish. The stream really was dead. It was afternoon when Timothy met Lucia again. "Tim, I saw their food supplies" Lucia said with a sad expression. "I know. Samuel revealed their situation to me. But this is their choice, Lucia. They would rather live in a barren land rather than face the effects of war again." Timothy consoled her. He knew that Lucia had a kind heart. She felt pity for the villagers. "I understand. But Tim¡­" Suddenly, Lucia''s face shows signs of surprise "Is that?" she pointed at the distance. Timothy looked at the direction Lucia was pointing at. His heart skipped a beat. There were men on horseback approaching the village. His first reaction was to run with Lucia. But just as he was to grab her hand, he saw Bisham at the front. "It''s my guards!" he exclaimed. After Timothy''s guards arrived, the villagers surrounded them. Samuel was also there. Timothy and Lucia approached the guards. "Thank the Omniscient both of you are safe. Escanor and I waited for you at the end of the forest until dark. We turned around and that''s when we met your guards." Bisham immediately dismounted and knelt. "We are lucky we found this village Bisham." Timothy said. But then he noticed that Erik was missing. "Where is Erik?" he asked. The guards didn''t answer Timothy. Some of them tried to open their mouths, but nobody answered in the end. It was Bisham who revealed what happened. Timothy closed his eyes. It was smart, he must admit. Letting himself get captured and threatening his own life will surely deter Braun from continuing the chase. But Timothy did not wish for this. Although Erik will be safe at the palace, he''s still a hostage. Timothy''s friend gave up freedom for him. To that, Timothy felt touched and sad at the same time. "Tim.." Lucia held his arm "Don''t worry, Erik will be safe. My father will also set him free if I leave Castonia. He can''t keep the son of Marquis Connel forever." Lucia nodded. "Okay. So, are we leaving today?" Timothy then remembered the villagers who are watching them. He turned around and as expected, all of them were shocked. He needs to say something to them. He needs to apologize for hiding their identities and thank them for the hospitality. Timothy looked at Samuel. The old man smiled as if urging him to do so. But before Timothy could say the first word, a cry of help can be heard at the distance. 61 Responsibility Abraham crouched and observed the animal. On his right hand was a throwing spear. He aimed. Slowly and silently, he put force into the spear. But before he could throw the weapon, the sound of a twig snapping can be heard. The deer ran. "Dammit!" Abaraham cursed. He then looked behind to find the culprit. Abraham will break his nose! But contrary to what he expected, a small voice reached his ears. "I''m sorry Abraham. I''m very sorry. I didn''t mean to warn the deer. I just wanted to take a closer look." Abraham saw that it was Conrad. The boy gave an apologetic bow. Abraham scratched his head. "Why the hell are you here Conrad? This is dangerous!" Conrad looked down. "I just want to learn how to hunt. I didn''t know that I will become a hindrance." Abraham closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He was angry at Conrad. The deer could feed the whole village for days. But Abraham''s anger subsided after a while. Conrad was too innocent to blame. He just pursed his lips. He approached the boy and squatted. He then put his hand on Conrad''s shoulder. "Don''t worry about it. But don''t sneak out of the village again, okay? What we are doing is dangerous. A deer may look harmless but they can kill you" Conrad nodded. "I know. But when can I join the hunt? I''m already ten." Abraham shrugged. "I''m not your guardian so I don''t know. But I''m sure the chief will let you join soon. You just need to be patient." He then looked at Conrad. "Why are you following me anyway? You should go with the others. I''m a solitary hunter. You will learn more if you go with them." The boy smiled "Because you are a soldier!" he announced. "And you are Prince Timothy''s champion" Abraham choked on his own saliva. He felt guilty that the boy believed his lies. "Is that so?" he feigned a laugh. "Come on, let''s just find the others." He held the boy''s hands and they started to walk. "Hey, Abraham?" Conrad asked while walking. "Yeah?" "Is it really true that Prince Timothy can change into a lion?" Abraham smiled. He may have lied last night, but his praises for the Prince came from his heart. Prince Timothy gave them light during their darkest times. He avenged them from the Tulosans. "It doesn''t matter if he can change or not, he''s a great man nonetheless" Abraham murmured silently. "What?" Conrad asked. "I mean yeah." He scratched his head and laughed awkwardly "You know, he''s so big that a person can fit into his mouth" Abraham said with an exaggerated voice. "Woah" Conrad''s eyes were sparkling "That''s amazing!" "Yeah, that''s amazing. He''s amazing" Suddenly Abraham heard the sound of horses. Because of his experience with the Tulosan''s his first reaction was to hide. He pushed Conrad''s head down. The two of them hid on a bush. After a while, dozens of horsemen passed them. Abraham saw their faces and was confused. Wismarines? What are they doing here? "Halt!" the man at the front commanded. The Wismarines stopped. Abraham surveyed the man. He was tall and muscular. He was almost as tall as Abraham! But unlike him, the man doesn''t have excess fat. His lean muscles were intimidating. "Why did we stop Amir?" another Wismarine asked "We are in a hurry" The muscular man whose name was Amir looked around. "I feel that we are being watched" Abraham''s heart almost stopped. This is dangerous! He silently cried. It seems Amir had noticed them. He looked at Conrad. The boy was shaking. And then, it happened. Amir pointed to their direction. "There!" Abraham did not waste time. He grabbed Conrad''s arm and ran. Even though he''s big, he can''t win against them. He can''t even win against Amir! His heart beat fast. This is a life or death situation. He must survive. But then he noticed that he had accidentally let go of Conrad. Abraham looked behind and saw that Conrad had stumbled. He wanted to go back, but the Wismarines arrived. Abraham had no choice but to hide again. "It''s a boy Amir" one of the Wismarines said. Amir approached Conrad. He then knelt and caressed Conrad''s hair. "What is your name, boy?" Conrad was trembling. "I''m Conrad" he silently voiced. "Well, Conrad. Do you know who we are?" Conrad shook his head. Abraham felt a little relieved. There is still a chance that the Wismarine wouldn''t hurt the boy. "Let''s go Amir. He doesn''t know who we are. Leave him." The other Wismarine said. Amir ignored him and turned to Conrad. "Do you know to which Kingdom we came from?" "Wismar?" Conrad said. Abraham closed his eyes. That was the wrong answer Conrad! He wanted to rescue the boy, but courage escaped his heart. He doesn''t want to die. Amir slowly shook his head. He then put his hand on Conrad''s shoulder. "I''m sorry Conrad. I''ll have to kill you. I don''t'' want to, but you know too much. If we let you live, you may expose us. We can''t have that. I''m really sorry" Abraham saw the moment Amir buried his dagger into Conrad''s chest. The boy''s body twitched and then he fell to the ground. Amir wiped his dagger and stood up. "Let''s go." He commanded to the equally shocked Wismarines. "Amir! This is too much" one of the Wismarines pointed at Conrad''s body "He''s a child Amir. A child!" Amir turned to the Wismarine. "Do you think I enjoyed killing him!? I didn''t. But I had to because he may reveal our location to Prince Timothy. We can''t fail our mission!" "But¡­" the Wismarine again looked at Conrad''s body. He nodded "Let''s just go" After a while, the Wismarines are all gone. Abraham had been staring at Conrad all along. Tears flowed from his eyes. It was his fault. He should have rushed and rescued the child. He was a coward. He was big and powerful, but he was useless. Abraham slowly approached Conrad. He lifted his little body and felt that it was still warm. The boy is still alive! He ran towards the others. There''s still a chance to save Conrad. **************************************************************************** "Help!" a cry for help reached Timothy''s ears. He looked towards the direction of the voice and saw Abraham and the men who went to hunt running towards the village. In Abraham''s arms was Conrad. Samuel ran towards Abraham and took Conrad from his arms. "No!" the old man cried. He was holding Conrad''s bloody body in his arms. "We can still save him chief" Abraham said. "He''s dead you idiot! He''s dead" Samuel wailed. The old man''s body shook while holding Conrad. "No, he was still alive earlier chief. We can.." Timothy interrupted Abraham. He saw that Conrad was already dead. He may have been alive earlier, but the boy had already died. "What happened?" Timothy asked. He glared at Abraham. "The Wismarines. They stabbed Conrad to silence him. I saw it" Abraham revealed. Timothy closed his eyes and lowered his head. "You saw it?" "Yes" "And what did you do?" "I.." Abraham tried to answer but he hesitated. "I asked you, what did you do!" Timothy shouted to Abraham. The big man lowered his head and did not answer. Timothy''s anger surged. He approached Abraham and grabbed the collar of his tunic with both hands. "You just watched, didn''t you!?" he snarled. Abraham avoided his gaze. "I didn''t have a choice Theo. There are too many of them and I can''t¡­" "Coward!" Timothy shouted to his face "You are a coward! And you say that you belong to Knightsend? What a joke! The men of Knightsend are not cowards like you. They will fight until death even if their situation was grim. Mentioning you in the same breath as them is an insult! You cannot be compared to them. You don''t even deserve to be called a Castonian!" he pushed Abraham so hard that the big man fell on his back. Timothy wanted to break the coward''s nose with his fist, but he stopped himself. He turned and walked away. Timothy then found himself standing outside their hut. He was angry. He also felt guilty because it was them who brought the Wismarines. Suddenly, Lucia''s soft arms embraced him from behind. Timothy''s anger subsided. "It''s not his fault Tim" Lucia said "It''s not a sin to save one''s own life" Timothy held her hands "I know Lucia. I know it was unfair for me to blame him. I was just finding someone to vent my anger to. In truth, it''s my fault for bringing the Wismarines here" "It''s both our fault Tim." Timothy remained silent for a long time and just enjoyed Lucia''s calming embrace. After a while, he started to talk. "Lucia, I¡­" "I know Tim" Lucia interrupted him. "We can''t elope to Vanadis." So she also realized it, Timothy thought. Nevertheless, he still explained. "I just realized that I can''t leave the people in the hands of the Wismarines. I can''t leave my people in the hands of someone who would kill a child just to eliminate a witness. The Wismarine royals don''t care about the people. They only care about themselves. Many innocents like Conrad will die if I leave Castonia to the Wismarines." "You''re right Tim. You have a responsibility towards them. That is the cost we royals have to pay. We must sacrifice our own happiness for the people. Even if it''s hard, we must." "I''m sorry Lucia. I can''t come with you to Vanadis. I''ll remain here in Castonia." He turned around and faced her. Lucia smiled. It was bittersweet, but her smile wasn''t forced. "If we can''t have our happiness in Vanadis, then let''s just make our own paradise here in Castonia." She then paused "And I know what you''re going to do next. I won''t stop you Tim. It is your duty as a Prince to seek revenge against Conrad''s killers. But please be careful and return to me." "I will" Timothy put a kiss on her lips. Timothy and Lucia then went back to the villagers. Samuel was still sobbing and holding Conrad. "Captain Bisham!" Timothy called. "Your Highness" Bisham indicated his presence Timothy turned to the Captain of Lucia''s guards. "Will you fight for me?" Bisham hesitated for a while and looked at Lucia. Lucia nodded to indicate her approval. "I will" Bisham answered. "Then I will make you the temporary Captain of my guards. Let them rest for a while but then you must prepare yourselves for battle" Timothy then turned to the villagers "If you want to avenge the death of Conrad, then come with me. Get whatever weapons you could find. I will lead you. We will avenge Conrad" The villagers were confused by Timothy''s declaration. They murmured to each other. But then Abraham pointed at him. He was still sitting on the ground. "Who in the world are you, Theo?" Timothy approached him. "My name is not Theo" he declared. He then turned to the villagers. "I am Timothy Castonia!" 62 Justice "Is that what I think it is?" one of the Wismarines pointed forward. Amir looked and saw that there were people in front of them. Some were on horseback while the others were on foot. And then he saw Prince Timothy in the middle. He rubbed his eyes, but the scene was still the same. Prince Timothy is in front of them. Amir was confused. They were looking for the Prince and then suddenly here he was, standing in front of them. This was a dream, right? He thought that it would still take days for them to capture the Prince. He imagined going through the same grueling chase. Prince Timothy then raised his spear towards them. Like an unstoppable wave, the prince''s men charged. ************************************************************************* The charge enhanced his spirit. It dulled the fear and made him feel like he can do anything. Timothy was sprinting towards the Wismarines. His guards on horseback reached the Wismarines first. Their lances impaled some of the enemies. The impetus of the charge was devastating. Timothy looked around and saw the villagers charging with him. Many of the villagers joined the battle, even some of the women. In their eyes was hatred. Samuel once told Timothy that these villagers were here because they were afraid. Now, he can''t see that fear anymore. He then eyed Samuel. When he declared that he was seeking revenge for the death of Conrad, Samuel stopped grieving. The old man went to his hut and came out dressed in his royal guard armor. He even still had his sword. At first Timothy thought that the sword was dull. But upon closer inspection, it wasn''t. Samuel maintained the sword even though he quit being a royal guard. He looked forward. The earlier effectiveness of the charge had faded and the Wismarines were fighting back. Thankfully, they are close. He held his spear. Timothy was a royal, but that doesn''t mean he''s weak. After a while, they reached the enemies. Timothy stabbed his spear towards a Wismarine. The man evaded, but Timothy bent his arm at the last moment. The tip of his spear impaled the man''s arm. He retracted the spear and stabbed again. This time, he missed. The Wismarine stabbed his own spear towards Timothy. It was so fast that he failed to dodge. The spear hit him in the chest. The iron tip slightly penetrated his armor and buried through his flesh. It was painful. Blood dripped from Timothy''s armor. It wasn''t fatal, but pain from the wound made him stumble. The Wismarine wasted no time and led his horse to trample Timothy. Timothy rolled to avoid the hooves of the horse. Luckily, he wasn''t trampled. He quickly stood up and rushed towards the Wismarine. He put strength into his legs and lunged at the man. Both of them fell down. The strong impact of the fall shook Timothy''s vision. But between the two of them, the Wismarine had it worse. Timothy saw that the man went limp from the fall. Timothy doesn''t want to kill a defenseless man, but the Wismarine could wake up any moment. He held his dagger towards the man''s neck and stabbed. It was a strange feeling. Timothy hadn''t killed before. He never knew that the act of taking someone''s life was this hard. Marvin told him before that the first kill was the hardest, but he did not expect that it would be like this. He pulled his dagger and blood flowed from the man''s neck. Timothy sat on the ground to catch his breath. His chest wound was painful. If he wasn''t wearing armor, he would have been dead already. Timothy then saw someone hiding. At first he thought that the man was an enemy. After looking closely, he confirmed that it was Abraham. He stood up despite the pain on his chest. He went towards the tree Abraham was hiding and grabbed the coward. "What are you doing?!" Timothy grabbed the coward by the hair. Abraham looked at him with tears on his eyes "I am a coward Prince Timothy. I''m sorry but that''s what I am. I don''t want to die!" Timothy got angry. He was about to punch Abraham''s face when he stopped himself. This isn''t like him, he thought. He was supposed to be Timothy Castonia, the rooster prince. He had always used his brains to solve problems, not his fist. Earlier, he almost died because he insisted in joining the battle. That was stupid, he thought. Although charging with the villagers will boost their morale, it also put him in danger. If he falls in battle, his men will rout. Also hitting Abraham''s face will not solve his problem. Of course he was angry, but his anger would not give Abraham courage. Even if he punched Abraham thousands of times, nothing will happen. Timothy decided to use his most powerful weapon, his words. He lowered his fist and looked at Abraham. "Being a coward is a choice Abraham." Abraham stopped crying and looked at him. "Do you want to be a coward?" Timothy asked. Abraham shook his head."Of course you do. Like what I said, being a coward is a choice. You abandoned Conrad because you chose to." "No!" Abraham shouted "I abandoned him not because I want to. I wanted to help him, but I didn''t have the courage" "Having courage is a choice Abraham. Fear is the one we don''t have choice over. Whether we like it or not, we will always be afraid. And that''s alright because brave men are afraid too. Everyone fears death Abraham. The difference between a brave man and a coward is facing that fear. Courage is when you''re afraid but still faces your fear because you know that you have to." Abraham again lowered his head, but Timothy noticed that his words had penetrated Abraham''s heart. The big man looked at Timothy and nodded. Timothy patted Abraham''s shoulder. "Go Abraham. Fight for me. I know you''re afraid, but face that fear. Today, you are my champion. Your strength shall be my strength. I trust you." "I am your champion?" Abraham repeated Timothy''s words. "Okay Prince Timothy. I will be your champion." Abraham stood up and sprinted towards one of the Wismarines. He used his large body to ram the enemy. The Wismarine fell and Abraham stomped on his head. Timothy was glad he was able to unleash Abraham. He stood up to rejoin the battle, but his legs were weak. It must be because of his wound, Timothy thought. He had lost too much blood. He felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Timothy lost consciousness. ************************************************************************** Abraham had already killed four Wismarines with his bare hands. He did not expect that he was this strong. A single punch from him could crumple lamellar armor. His kick can break bones. He felt proud of himself. He is Prince Timothy''s champion. He then grabbed a sword from a dead Wismarine. He looked around and saw the man who killed Conrad. It was Amir. The bastard was pulling his sword from the body of one of Prince Timothy''s guards. Abraham sprinted towards Amir and swung the sword. Amir noticed him and parried the sword with his own. Abraham was surprised by Amir''s strength. The Wismarine was as strong as him. But Abraham will not lose. He will avenge Conrad. He balled his other hand and punched Amir. His punch landed on Amir''s face and the Wismarine stumbled backwards. Abraham grabbed the handle of the sword tightly and stabbed the pointy end towards the downed Amir. But Amir kicked his arm and Abraham lost grip of the sword. He stumbled himself. His face hit the ground and his vision blurred. But he can''t. He can''t lose! He steeled his resolve and lunged at Amir again. They wrestled. Punches and jabs flew between them. Occasional head-butts and bites were also included in their fight. He put both of his hands on Amir''s neck and strangled him. Amir did the same. The two of them screamed at each other''s face. Their incomprehensible yells filled the battlefield with virility. Like two brawling bears they fought. But Abraham was stronger in the end. Amir may be muscular, but he was heavier. He was able to pin Amir down. With a single powerful jab from him, Amir lost consciousness. Abraham was panting and his face was bloody. His body was weak and had injuries all over. But he wasn''t finished yet. He forced his body to move and grabbed the sword he lost earlier. He held the sword against Amir''s chest. "Conrad, this is justice for you" Abraham murmured as he stabbed Amir''s chest. The blade entered the Wismarine''s chest and blood flowed from the wound. Abraham let go of the sword. He did it. He avenged Conrad. Abraham stood up and looked around. The battle was coming to an end. They had won. Most of the Wismarines were already dead. He looked for Prince Timothy to declare his victory against Amir. He wanted to thank the Prince for helping him find courage. And then he saw Prince Timothy lying on the ground. The image of the body of Prince Timothy sprawled on the ground was a horrific scene. Even though his body hurts, Abraham rushed towards the Prince. "Prince Timothy!" he called. But the Prince had lost consciousness. He lifted Timothy with both arms and saw that the Prince was wounded on the chest. Blood from the wound dyed the armor with a red hue. He saw flashbacks of Conrad''s death. "Help!" he screamed "Prince Timothy is wounded!" Abraham looked at the Prince. No, he declared, Prince Timothy must live! He carried Timothy and ran back to the village. 63 Waking Up The first thing Timothy saw was Lucia sleeping on the chair. Her face was pale and she got thinner. "She was frantic, you know" an old voice said. It was Bisham. "She personally stitched your wound and put the medicine. She checked on you almost every minute, afraid that you will suddenly stop breathing. Every small grunt from you made her panic. She did not leave your side for three days, not eating and not sleeping. I even suspect that she cries whenever I''m not around. This is her first rest in three days." Timothy was touched. Lucia really cared for him. He wanted to hold her in her arms, but she needs to rest. Also, his wound still hurts. "What was that anyway? Why put yourself in danger?" Bisham''s said in a reprimanding voice "You should have stayed in the back. You shouldn''t have joined the fight. You are the banner and if you fall, your soldiers will rout. I thought you knew about that. I thought that the great Prince Timothy who defeated the Tulosans with minimal losses, the rooster prince who awed the masses, knew about the basics of combat." Timothy laughed. He must admit, personally joining the fight was stupid. "Disappointed?" he turned his head towards Bisham. The Captain shook his head. "No. In fact I''m impressed by your sense of justice. I would have done the same if I was in your place. You are as gallant as they say" "Thank you" Timothy smiled "And did we win?" "We wouldn''t be talking like this if we didn''t" "You know what I''m asking about" Timothy insisted for an answer. He was asking if their losses were minimal enough to justify their victory. Bisham avoided his eyes. "I think so. We killed most of the Wismarines. Seven died from your guards and eight from the villagers." "But he died, didn''t he?" Timothy guessed. Their losses were minimal so Bisham''s reaction meant that something else saddened him. Bisham nodded. "Did he die bravely?" Timothy asked "He did. There was one time when the two of us were surrounded by five Wismarines. We fought with our backs behind each other. He took two down before dying himself. He was a great warrior." Even though Samuel''s death saddened Timothy, he was still relieved knowing that Samuel died a hero. He died avenging Conrad. "I will visit the grave" Timothy told Bisham. He then looked at Lucia "Can you remain here and guard her?" "Your Highness, I''m still the Captain of her guards. I will guard her with my life. But I know your words had deeper meanings." Bisham paused and also looked at Lucia "Yes, I will stay by her side even if she decides to become a Castonian." "That''s reassuring then. She needs capable people around her" Timothy said as he tried to stand. But his legs were weaker than he thought. He almost fell until Bisham supported him. "Here" Bisham offered him a cane. "Lucia prepared this for you. She said that it will still take a long time for your strength to come back to normal." Timothy took the cane and used it to support his body while walking. Every single step was hard and painful. But he forced himself to walk. "Tell her that I''m paying my respects to the dead" he said before opening the door. It took a while and a lot of effort, but Timothy reached the graves. One of the graves was Samuel''s and beside it was Conrad''s. Even though their time together was short, Timothy had already considered Samuel a friend. He was an old man who just wanted to escape war, but it was war itself that chased Samuel. "Prince Timothy" a voice called from behind. Timothy turned around and saw that it was Jason. Behind him were the villagers. "We are glad that you''re alright." Jason said "Thank you" Timothy smiled. "And have you decided yet?" "We have" Jason confirmed. "I''m sorry Prince Timothy but we can''t come with you to Solon. We will remain here in this village. Although life here will be full of hardships, we will endure. It''s not that we are running away. We are just tired Your Highness" Timothy was disappointed. He didn''t want the villagers to stay in this barren place. Although it will not be impossible to live here, life will be hard for them. But he understood their reason. They were not running away. They simply wanted to start anew. Timothy put strength into his arms and straightened his body with the help of the cane. "I understand. It seems I can''t change your mind. Even though I want you to come with me, I will respect your decision. If you want to start anew, then who am I to stop you? My guards and I will be leaving tomorrow. I thank you for your hospitality and I''m sorry that our presence brought blood upon your village." He then approached them and patted their shoulders one by one. This is goodbye, a farewell to the people who opened their doors to them. It was a short stay, but a part of Timothy wanted to stay in the village with Lucia. Even though food was scarce, at least it was peaceful. But he had already decided. Running away from his responsibilities is not a trademark of the Rooster Prince. The people of Castonia need his guidance now more than ever. Castonia still needs him. Even though it will be hard, even though schemes, hardships and betrayals await him, he will not run away. A new bloody chapter will engulf Castonia, one that will be of his doing. But like the villagers, Castonia needs a new start. A new beginning cannot be achieved without demolishing the old. He may fail and future historians will mock his name as the man who tried to ruin Castonia, but that''s okay. This is his duty, his responsibility and his resolve. After saying goodbyes, the assembly was disbanded. Timothy wanted to talk to his guards to plan their journey for tomorrow, but he saw that two people remained. It was Mylene and Abraham. "Your Highness we will come with you" Abraham said. Timothy went closer to the two of them. "You want to come with me to Solon?" Abraham nodded. "Yes. Although Jason accepted the responsibility of being Mylene''s new guardian, I don''t think that will be good for her. She''s the only child in the village." Standing was too stressful so Timothy sat on the ground. He then gestured for Mylene to come nearer. The girl complied and shyly approached Timothy. "You want to come with me to Solon?" he caressed the top of her hair. "Yes, Your Highness. Without Conrad and Samuel, I don''t think living here will be fun. Abraham and I will find a place in the city" Timothy smiled at the girl. "No need for that. Lucia needs a new handmaiden and I think you can become her new one. I''m not promising anything but I''ll talk to her about it" Mylene''s eyes widened "Really!?" "I told you, I''m not promising anything. But we''ll see. You will become the handmaiden of the third Princess of Vanadis. Will you accept the job?" "Of course!" Mylene exclaimed "I can cook well and I can do chores. Thank you Your Highness" she bowed. Timothy then turned his head towards Abraham "And you? What are your plans?" "Your Highness, I.." Abraham scratched his head and looked away. "I want to apply in the army. I know I still have much to learn and my past actions deemed me a coward in your eyes, but I want to use my strength." "You''re right. You still have much to learn. Your strength is terrifying but strength is not everything Abraham. A dwarf could easily kill a giant with the right weapon. Also, your courage is still unreliable." Abraham looked down, clearly ashamed. "But you are loyal. And you have the potential. Do you want to become one of my guards?" Abraham was dumbfounded. His jaw dropped and his eyes were bulging. "Your Highness, I¡­" "The answer is either yes or no, Abraham" "Yes!" Abraham immediately declared "I will become one of your guards." Timothy supported his body with the cane and stood up. "Kneel Abraham and say your oath" Abraham knelt and bowed in front of Timothy "Will you stay by my side until death?" "I will" "Will you defend me from harm even at the cost of your own life?" "I will" "Will you be my sword, my shield and my strength?" "I will" "Then Abraham, with the Omniscient as witness I proclaim you as one of my royal guards. May your sword be sharp and your will strong. Protect me against my enemies as I protect the Kingdom from its enemies. Rise Royal Guard Abraham." Abraham stood up a new man. He still had so much to learn, but Timothy was certain that he will become a hardened soldier in time. If he doesn''t, then Timothy will make him. If the rooster prince can reform a whole garrison, he can make Abraham into a soldier. ******************************************************************************* After a day of preparation, Timothy and Lucia left the village for Solon. The journey will take at least two days. "If you feel pain in your wound, we can always rest. Don''t force yourself." Lucia looked at him. Timothy sighed. "I''m not an old man you know" "Tim" she said firmly. "Fine, fine. I will. But we need to hurry. I''ve gone missing for too long. The people will think that I''ve turned into a hermit." Lucia laughed "Well Hermit Prince sure has a nice ring to it" "And will you still accept me even if I''m the hermit prince?" Timothy looked at her with puppy eyes. He remembered that night with the bonfire. "No" she grinned and shook her head. "Why?" "Because being a hermit means living alone. Are you fine living alone without me Prince Timothy?" Timothy chuckled. "Good point." Timothy then looked forward. He was slightly anxious. After they reach Solon, a new war will start. A new chapter that will either hail him a as a hero or condemn him as a traitor. 64 Change "Where are they going?" Henry asked as he pointed at the multitude of wagons exiting Solon. "Home" Freya answered. "Inkit, Hadea, Canton and of course Vanadis had all cut their ties to Castonia. Our allies abandoned us and only relations with Wismar remains. Only Wismarine merchants remain in the city. If this continues, Castonia will face hard times." "I can''t blame them though" Henry leaned on the wall of Solon. "What your King did was dishonorable. Trying to kill your own guest is a vile crime that shouldn''t exist even in imagination." Freya also leaned on the wall beside Henry "Is killing your own guest a crime in the book of knights?" "It''s not specifically written, but I believe that''s because the first Grandmaster never thought that such vileness could exist in this world. And even if it isn''t a crime, a person''s wickedness should have a limit. May the Omniscient guide King Leopold''s soul into the light. May his power lead the King to repentance." Freya pursed her lips to prevent her smile from being seen. She was amused by Henry''s firm belief in justice and righteousness. Although Henry had committed crimes before, he was trying to fix his mistakes. She was impressed. Also, Freya knew that it was the Wismarines who perpetrated the assassination attempt against Lucia. Although King Leopold wasn''t faultless, Freya knew that the King did not want this. Castonia had become weaker than ever. Nevertheless, the other nations blamed Castonia for the crime. Inkit, Hadea and Canton who were allied to Castonia were on the process of sending soldiers to help the fight against Tulosa. When the news of Lucia''s failed assassination spread, the three Kingdoms withdrew their troops, recalled their ambassadors and broke the alliance and trade agreement with Castonia. Vanadis, on the other hand, was on the verge of declaring war. Rumors say that King Edmund just hired 30 companies of mercenaries. "I''m not worried though." Freya said "Timothy will fix this. Even though the people now hate King Leopold, they still trust Timothy. And the news of Timothy rushing with his guards to rescue Lucia was spread by yours truly" she made a mocking bow. Henry laughed at little but then his face returned to its usual serious state. Freya was shocked. He laughed! Ever since she met him a month ago, Freya had never seen Henry laugh. He was always serious and gloomy as if he was carrying all of the world''s problems. "You laughed!" Freya pointed at Henry Henry was equally shocked. "I did?" he asked "Yes you did! We must thank the Omniscient for this wonderful day!" she announced "You should laugh more Henry. You''re cute when you- I mean your face looks better when you''re not your usual gloomy self." Henry smiled "You think so?" "Yes" Freya nodded with a smile on her face. "Then thank you for your advice. I''ll keep it in mind." Henry then looked towards the hundreds of wagons exiting the city. "Are you not worried about him? He''s been missing for days" Freya also looked at the wagons. "I am. His life is in danger. I can''t sleep well at night because I''m worried about him." "May I ask you a question?" Freya nodded. "You really do love him, don''t you?" Freya did not expect that Henry would question her about this. As for her answer, she doesn''t know. The pain from Timothy''s rejection was gone. Of course she was worried about Tim''s safety, but it was different from what she felt back in Nirvana. She really doesn''t know how to answer. "Yes" she said halfheartedly. "Oh" Henry went back to his gloomy self. "I see" After that, the two of them were silent for a long time. There was an atmosphere of awkwardness. Suddenly their silence was interrupted by a shout. "Prince Timothy is back! He''s back!" The merchants stopped their wagons and made a commotion. Freya and Henry looked at each other. They went closer to the gate to take a closer look. After a few moments, men on horseback entered the city. Freya saw that the one at the front was Timothy and beside him was Lucia. The people surrounded their party. "Prince Timothy!" "It''s Princess Lucia. She''s safe!" A Vanadian merchant shouted. "Prince Timothy please save Castonia!" Shouts and cheers mixed in the air until Timothy raised his hand to silence the crowd. In less than a minute, the crowd hushed and listened carefully to what Timothy was going to say. "Castonia is in ruins!" he started "Our honor has been tarnished and our allies had abandoned us. These are dark times for our Kingdom." He then balled his fist and gritted his teeth. "But I promise you that I will fix this. I am here and you don''t have to be afraid anymore. We shall restore what we lost. Lucia Vanadis will stay by my side and she will give me her support. Isn''t that right, Princess Lucia Vanadis?" He turned his head towards Lucia. "I will." Lucia said firmly. Her resolve was absolute "Now it''s my turn to ask you. Will you support me? Will you give me your strength?" Like a furious storm, his words captivated the masses. The people''s cheers boomed like thunder. In that moment, Timothy became the light for the people. He had become the personification of hope. The people then let the party proceed. Timothy, Lucia and their retinue went to Earl Mathias'' villa. "Freya" Henry tugged her arm "I know Henry, I know" Freya looked at the direction Timothy''s retinue went to "War is coming" ******************************************************************************* After a few days of preparation, everything was ready. Timothy''s supporters had gathered inside Earl Mathias villa. "Aren''t you afraid?" Lucia asked him before they entered the room. Timothy stopped and looked at her. "I will be lying if I said that I wasn''t" he smiled "I am afraid. The next time I pass through this door, everything would have already changed. But I still have to do it. I''m scared, but I have a responsibility to the people. So I must do this. Besides.." he held her waist and looked at her. "I have you so I''m not that scared" "Yes, you have me. Vanadis will support you in this" "I''m not taking about Vanadis. I''m taking about you. You are smart and capable. I need you to help me make decisions." "Is that so?" Lucia slightly blushed. Timothy nodded and kissed her forehead. "Let''s go" he then said. They opened the door and Timothy saw dozens of people already seated around the long table. They were all powerful people in the Western Region. He had already informed them of his plan. Timothy went to the front and straightened his back. His wound still hurts, but he endured. "You know why we are here" he said "Our dear Castonia is in peril and it is our duty to defend our Kingdom." He then surveyed them. Most of them were loyal to their cause. Of course some of them could betray him in the future, but he will deal with that later. "We must act. We must make a choice and ask ourselves, Am I a Castonian? Do I care for the people? Because King Leopold doesn''t! He conspired with the Wismarines to kill Lucia Vanadis and look at the result!" he pounded his fist on the table. "I did not want to do this, but King Leopold forced my hand. I have a responsibility to the people of Castonia to raise my banner in revolt and restore Castonia''s honor!" He paused because his next words were the most important ones. "I declare war against King Leopold. I will inherit the throne and drag Castonia away from the darkness. I will unsheathe my sword and raise the banner of civil war. Are you with me?" The first one to react was General Marvin. He stood up and knelt in front of Timothy. "I have fought with you before and I will fight with you again. The men of Knightsend are yours" Earl Mathias stood up and did the same "I did not fight with you in the past and I regret that. But now I will. My sword is yours, my loyalty is yours, and the city of Solon is yours." The next one who moved was General Bourgis. "King Leopold''s actions shamed Castonia. I am compelled to offer you my strength. Restore our lost honor. The garrison of Thespelae is yours to command" General Hoover, the General of Castle Munico also knelt in front of Timothy. "My men will kill me if I did not join you" his jest drew laughter inside the room "Munico is yours!" he shouted. The other nobles and powerful people offered their loyalty to Timothy one by one. The last who spoke was Lucia. Since she was still the Princess of a foreign country, she did not kneel. "Vanadis will support you in this war and I am yours in victory and defeat. I will never abandon you and I will stay with you until the end. My loyalty is yours, my life is yours, my heart is yours." It was a new day, a day of blood, but a new day nonetheless. Change is coming, change is inevitable, but change is good. The civil war had now officially begun. Thousands will die and chaos will rule. But in the ashes, a new Castonia will be born. The people inside the room chanted one powerful line. It was a line highlighting their willingness to accept change. A line that will forever change the world. "All hail King Timothy!" 65 The Two Lions Nirvana, Castonia Leopold rubbed his swollen eyes and leaned back on his chair. The soft cushion alleviated the pain on his back a little. "What''s the situation outside?" he asked Rupert, the Captain of his guards. "Still the same Your Majesty" Captain Rupert answered with a steely voice. "The city guards are trying their best to suppress the riots, but the people are angry. Violence has erupted in the streets targeting mainly Wismarine merchants. But they can''t enter the palace, I''m sure of that. I also think that the riots will only last for a few days at most." Leopold examined the Captain of his guards. Like him, Captain Rupert hadn''t slept for days. He then noticed the smudge on Rupert''s armor. "And they are throwing rotten eggs at the royal guards, I suppose?" Leopold pointed at the smudge. So that''s where the revolting odor comes from, he thought. Captain Rupert looked at the smudge on his armor. "Eggs are the least of our problems. They also threw rotten food, rocks, sewage, urine and sometimes.." he grimaced as if remembering a horrifying memory "feces" Leopold grunted in disgust. He shouldn''t have asked Captain Rupert. He wondered what the people will throw at him if he dared show his face to the masses. He must admit, he underestimated Timothy''s popularity with the people. Ever since the news of the failed assassination spread, Nirvana and many other cities in Castonia experienced riots. Of course Leopold tried to deny the accusations that he perpetrated the act, which was actually the truth. But the people did not listen to him. It was as if there was someone controlling the sentiment of the people. The good thing though was that Braun and the Wismarines failed to kill Timothy or else the people would have already torn the palace stone by stone. That was close, he thought. Honestly, Leopold felt so stupid. His wrong decisions caused this. First, his ambition prompted him to choose the Wismarines over the Vanadians. He should have been contented with the alliance with Vanadis. He tried to scheme against Timothy and it backfired horribly, giving Timothy soaring popularity instead. Second, he underestimated Skall''s slyness. Leopold never expected that the bastard would attempt something as despicable as assassinating Lucia Vanadis and blame the act on Castonia. Now Leopold''s name will live in infamy. Sure, this scandal will be slightly forgotten in time, but its current effects were severe. All of the neighboring kingdoms shunned Castonia and recalled their merchants. Inkit, Hadea and Canton all broke their alliance with Castonia. Also, rumors say that Vanadis is preparing for war. Leopold''s third mistake was ordering Braun to kill Timothy and capture Lucia. Truth be told, he was afraid of Timothy. That bastard of his late wife commands respect and admiration from the people. Thankfully, Braun failed or else the people would again blame him for the death of Timothy. This time, it was really his doing. If the people were angry now, they would have been furious if Timothy died. There was a good news though. Braun captured Erik. Marquis Benedict Connel wouldn''t support Timothy with Erik being held hostage in Nirvana. Without the support of Greenwater, Timothy couldn''t rebel against him. It seems civil war was averted for now. Leopold stood up and went to the window of his room. He opened it and looked outside. He saw that the streets were in chaos. Hundreds of people stood outside the gate of the palace throwing rocks and shouting incomprehensible insults to him. Leopold never wished for things to end up like this. He may have schemed against Timothy, but all he did was for the benefit of Castonia. "Rupert, we have known each other for many years right?" he asked his guard while still looking at the rioting people outside. "Yes, Twenty-nine years in fact." Rupert answered "Then tell me honestly, am I a bad King?" He then looked at Rupert "Don''t worry you can be completely honest. I won''t hold it against you." Rupert tilted his body to face Leopold. His expression was strange. It was as if he was happy and sad at the same time. "You are a bad father Your Majesty, especially to the third prince. Sometimes you can be evil, disregarding your morals for the sake of ambition. But never in my twenty-nine years of service have I seen you disregard Castonia. Well sometimes you make bad decisions like that with the Wismarines, but I know you did it for Castonia. You thought that it was the right thing to do. So even though you tried to kill the third prince twice, even though this shitshow is largely your fault, I never once thought of betraying you. You are a good King and nothing will change that." Leopold laughed after hearing Rupert''s opinion of him. "When I told you to be honest, I didn''t mean for you to be that honest. I''m still hurt you know" Rupert chuckled "I did tell you that you are a good king and you said that you won''t hold it against me" Leopold snorted the last of his laughter and went back to his chair. "But you''re right. I am an evil person and a bad father." He leaned his head against the headrest of the chair "You know, I may have loved him once. Timothy, I mean." He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "When he was little he once said that he wanted to be like me in the future. Whenever we eat together, he would follow all of my movements and I mean everything. The way I drink, the way I chew, the order in which I eat my food, he copies everything. I promised myself once that I will forget about the past and move on. I can''t change the past by hating a child anyway. But everything slowly changed. He grew up looking like him, that mushroom-loving asshole. Whenever I look at Timothy, I remember his father. After more than twenty years, it still hurts. Margaret''s betrayal broke me and my heart had never been repaired ever since that night. So even though Timothy have nothing to do with it, even though I tried to love him as my son, I still can''t escape my emotions. I know that scheming against him is wrong. Braun is even disgusted by my actions. But emotion is man''s greatest strength and biggest weakness." Rupert walked towards Leopold. The clinking of his armor was loud. He then sat on the chair in front of Leopold. "Pardon me for asking Your Majesty, but what would have happened if he was your son?" Leopold massaged his aching knees. Even though his room was warm, the coldness of the night still seeps through his bone. "Sometimes I wish to forget what I have seen that night. I even wish to go back in time and prevent my older self from discovering their betrayal. Even if they continue their treachery, at least I wouldn''t know. Timothy is one of the kindest people that I know. He''s the smartest among the three princes and the people love him. If he was my son, I would have made him my heir even at the cost of offending Ivan and William." Leopold shook his head and laughed mockingly "But fate is harsh Rupert. The Omniscient plays cruel games with us mortals. The world is not perfect and Timothy is not my son. It was a shame, really." Suddenly, the door was flung open and Braun entered. His walk was brisk but heavy. His face was convoluted. He pointed at Leopold "Look what you''ve done!" Rupert acted fast. He jumped towards Braun and pinned the Baron on the floor. Braun struggled but Rupert was strong. Leopold was shocked by the events. He knew that Braun did not intend to hurt him, but Braun''s expression was grim. It was full of anger and worry. "What is the meaning of this Braun! Have you lost your mind?" Leopold approached Braun and looked at him in the eye. Braun was panting. After a while, he calmed down. "I''m sorry Your Majesty." Braun said The other Royal Guards also arrived and pointed their swords towards Braun. Braun looked at Rupert who was still pinning him on the floor. "I said I''m sorry. I did not intend to hurt him. I''m not crazy." "Unhand him" Leopold ordered. He knew that Braun won''t harm him. And even if he tries to, there were eight royal guards surrounding the Baron. Rupert looked at Leopold and hesitated. "Your Majesty I think¡­" "Unhand him Rupert. He won''t hurt me. As a matter of fact, I''m curious as to what made Baron Braun act this way" Rupert slowly loosened his grip on Braun''s arms. Braun stood up and looked at Leopold with the same look in his eyes. "Timothy just declared war on you. He challenges your throne. Solon in is open rebellion against the crown." These three short sentences reached Leopold''s ears like knives. Strength left his legs and he almost fell. He was speechless for more than a minute. "Why! Why would he start a civil war now? The war with Tulosa is still not over, our allies had abandoned us and Castonian diplomacy is in ruins!" Leopold clenched his hands. He looked at Braun and demanded an explanation. He needed an explanation for all this madness. "Well we just tried to kill him, twice if I may add. And we tried to capture Lucia Vanadis." Braun said "I know. I know that. But can''t he wait until the war with Tulosa is over? Dammit!" he grabbed a bottle of wine and was about to throw it, but he stopped. He put down the bottle and looked at Braun again. "And I thought without the support of Greenwater he wouldn''t do this. What can he do with such a meager army? He will just waste Castonian resources with this meaningless war!" "Your Majesty we should just focus on what we''re doing next. Thespalae, Knightsend, Munico, Solon and many other small fiefs in the Western Region have declared their allegiance to Timothy." Braun paused and pondered for a while "But our biggest concern are the other Kingdoms. Some of them will support Timothy. If Timothy wins, he will become their puppet. We must prevent that!" Braun was right. The other Kingdoms will smell blood in the water and they will support Timothy. This could turn ugly. Leopold must act fast. "Send a message to Ivan in Ledega. Tell him to come here. The first thing we need to do is to quell the riots or else the people would open the gates of Nirvana for Timothy. I will talk personally with Skall regarding the Wismarine assistance." Leopold then turned to Rupert "Double the city watch and implement a curfew but avoid violence with the people at all cost." Despite their earlier scuffle, Braun and Rupert immediately saluted to Leopold and left. Leopold then ordered the other royal guards to leave. He was left alone in his room. He went to the window and looked outside again. The riots were still ongoing and the city was still in chaos. The night was still cold and his knees still hurt. It was still the same scene and he was still standing on the same spot. But in the darkness of the night Leopold saw a small boy eating dinner with him and following his every move. The boy''s smile was radiant. The boy was innocent and had a heart full of love for him. Leopold wanted to go back to those times. He wanted to experience those peaceful meals with Timothy. Those times were precious. But he can''t. Both of them hated each other now. Blood had been drawn and their relationship had been damaged. Oh how things have changed. 66 Blood in the Water 1 Holm, Capital of Vanadis Edmund stood up from his chair and pounded his fist on the table in excitement. He couldn''t help but smile from ear to ear after reading Lucia''s letter. Castonia is now in a state of civil war. Timothy Castonia, the prince Lucia was supposed to marry, had declared himself as the new King of Castonia. That''s how a man should act, Edmund thought. A man should avenge his woman and take necessary actions to protect her. Well, he might be a little biased in his views. The woman in question was his daughter after all. Nevertheless, Edmund was impressed by Timothy''s decisiveness. Edmund sat back and took another letter that came with the same pigeon. The seal belongs to Timothy Castonia. He opened it. King Edmund Vanadis, First of all, let me apologize for sending you this letter in lieu of an ambassador. Time is short and we need to hurry. I will go straight to the point. I am offering you an alliance. Western Castonia needs the help of Vanadis. I know my father''s name lives in infamy, but I am not my father. In fact, the coming war is my way of rectifying my father''s mistakes. So trust me, and even if you don''t, consider these benefits. First, our alliance provides you with a way to avenge what happened to Lucia. Second, if I win this war and become King of Castonia, I will make Lucia my queen. Third, Lucia may have already told you about it, but the Wismarines are the ones behind the assassination attempt. They will join the war on my father''s side. If I lose, then Wismar will have a stronger grip on Castonia''s throat. I know you don''t want the Wismarines to get stronger. Let us join hands King Edmund. These are dark times and we must help each other to survive. King Timothy Castonia Timothy had guts, Edmund thought. Also his arguments were convincing. He was impressed by Timothy''s persuasiveness. First Timothy used Edmund''s anger by providing him with a way to avenge his daughter. Second, Timothy appealed to his love for his daughter by saying that Lucia will become the Queen of Castonia if Timothy wins. Lastly, Timothy used Edmund''s fear of a stronger Wismar. But even without the arguments, Edmund would still join the Timothy''s side. Ever since that night Lucia informed him of the assassination attempt, Edmund had been itching for a fight. Even though Lucia begged him to not declare war, Edmund still hired thirty thousand mercenaries as preparation for war. What King Leopold and Skall Wismar did was unforgivable. They must be fools if they thought that Vanadis would remain idle. Vanadis'' army may be weak, but mercenaries always follow gold. He took a quill and a paper to write his reply. He will agree of course. And it''s time to show his future son-in-law the power of Vanadian gold. ********************************************************************** Haubern, Capital of the Republic of Inkit Five men sat silently around the table. None of them talked after hearing Magistrate Devik''s news. "We must do something, right?" It was Magistrate Vedur who asked. "This is a good opportunity" "An opportunity for what?" Magistrate Chen raised his brows. "For profit" Vedur answered. "Timothy Castonia is young. If we support him and he wins the war, we can ask for favors in the future. If we''re lucky, we can even control Castonia through him." Chen laughed mockingly and pointed at Vedur. "Don''t bring your slyness here Vedur. This hall is sacred. I can''t believe we''re talking about schemes here." "I''m just pointing out the possibilities Chen. We must always be open-minded to possibilities" Vedur rubbed his forehead. "Herberk, can you explain to this fool how great of an opportunity this is?" Herberk nodded and faced Chen. "I understand your sentiment Chen. But Vedur is right. We can''t let this pass. Castonia is in a state of civil war and we can choose a side. Since we had already condemned King Leopold, we can''t pick his side without looking like complete hypocrites to the people. So we will support Prince Timothy instead" "King Timothy" Devik immediately corrected. The four Magistrates looked at him. "He goes by the name of King Timothy Castonia now." "Why does it matter?" Herberk shook his head. He then sighed "Fine. Like what I was saying, King Timothy is young. I think we can control him" "You want to make him into our puppet?" Chen sneered "What happened to our dear republic! Our forefathers must be grieving right now. Since when did we start on doing despicable things like making a puppet out of our allies?" "The Castonians are not our allies anymore Chen. We broke our alliance with them remember?" "Can you please shut up with the technicalities Devik? And even if we''re not allied to them anymore, that doesn''t give us the right to control other Kingdoms. This is against the principles of the republic!" Chen pressed his finger on the table. "Times have changed Chen. Your old traditional views cannot lead the republic into the future. King Timothy will be useful to us." Vedur rebutted. "And what if he loses?" Chen spread the map on the table and circled his finger around the northern half of Western Castonia. "Timothy only has Solon and less than twenty thousand men. He can''t win against the rest of Castonia." Vedur chuckled. "I can''t believe you became a Magistrate with a brain as small as that. Timothy has the support of Vanadis and the people of Castonia. Also even though he has less than twenty thousand men right now, his soldiers are all experienced." "If I may add, King Timothy is capable. Just look at what happened to the Tulosans in the battle of Knightsend." Herberk pointed out. Chen shook his head. "If he''s capable, then we can''t make him into a puppet like what you say. It''s better to remain neutral in this." "Enough" a cold voice sounded. It was the voice of the Magistrate who was silently listening to the argument up until now. The four Magistrates shut their mouths. Magistrate Bouvin''s temper was a terrifying thing. "You''re all wasting my time. You keep arguing like children! Just decide this with a vote and be done with it." "I see. Magistrate Buovin is right." Herberk''s voice was trembling. He then wiped the sweat off his forehead "Then who are in favor of supporting the side of Timothy in the Castonian civil war?" Four out of the five Magistrates raised their hands. Herberk then looked at the defeated Chen. "Shall we continue Magistrate Chen?" he mocked Chen remained silent. After a while he balled his two fists and put them on top of the table. It was the gesture of a veto. "Are you really going to use your yearly veto for this? You''re wasting your veto Chen. One of us could just veto your veto" Herberk said. "Actually, I''m just afraid." Chen admitted. He then pursed his lips. "Supporting Timothy Castonia just to make him into our puppet is a bad decision. Wasting our resources is the best case scenario actually. You mentioned earlier about the battle of Knightsend. Of course I know about the battle in which Timothy destroyed a whole army with just a few dozen casualties. I''m telling you, Timothy Castonia is terrifying. He is a fire that needs to be snuffed out as soon as possible. By helping him, we are fueling that fire. If you think that you can make him into a puppet, then you must be fools. By helping him, you are creating a monster. I will use my veto so that I can tell myself in the future when all hell had broken lose that I did my best to stop you" "So you finally showed your true colors Chen. You don''t care about the principles of the republic, you''re just afraid! You dare use the name of our forefathers to mask your cowardice. Well, fine. Then I use my own veto to counter yours." Herberk said in a mocking tone. "It''s decided, we will join the Castonian civil war on King Timothy''s side. Devik, lead the formal announcement of the decision." Devik cleared his throat "We, the Magistrates of the Republic of Inkit, have formally decided to join the Castonian Civil War on the side of King Timothy Castonia. This decision we make with the power vested by the great founding fathers of the Inkit. Long may the Republic last" To formally end the announcement the Magistrates were supposed to put their fist on the table as sign of agreement. "For the Republic" "For the Republic" "For the Republic" "For the Republic" The four Magistrates looked at Chen and waited for him to do the same. Chen frowned but then he gave up. "Don''t tell me that I did not warn you about this. I''m telling you, this is a mistake." He then put his fist on top of the table. "For the Republic" 67 Blood in the Water 2 Headquarters of the Knights of Tulosa, City of Bivon Luther put his hand on the knob of the huge door that serves as the main entrance to the building. He then turned his head towards Centurion Lyn. "What!?" Centurion Lyn frowned. "Hesitating after you dragged me all the way here? Come on! If you don''t want to go, then let me go back to the camp." "You know, that''s not how a subordinate should talk to his superior. And I did not drag you, I ordered you to come with me" Luther then looked at the doorknob "Besides, General Rickard said in his letter that I need to meet him as soon as possible. I can''t go back now" Centurion Lyn went to the door and opened it. "There, opened it for you sir" he mocked Luther with a fake bow. "Let''s just go. Dragging me with you, what are you? A child?" he murmured. Luther wanted to kick Lyn but he can''t. This is the headquarters of the knights. Violence is forbidden here. So he just bit his lips and entered the building. What greeted Luther''s eyes was a sight worthy of the Omniscient''s envy. The inside of the building was spacious. The walls were lined with gems and flakes of gold. The floor was paved with smooth marble tiles. But what captivated Luther the most was the ceiling. The domed ceiling of the building displayed beautiful paintings that melt the soul. It was as if Luther was being lifted into the heavens. Of course he had been here before, but he felt like this every time he enters the headquarters of the Knights. "Tell me again Prefect, how much do they make each year?" Lyn asked him from behind. Luther looked at Lyn and saw that the centurion was looking at the ceiling. "Millions of gold coins Centurion." Lyn looked at him "How?" "Trade, loots and donation from the King and nobles. Also they own ten percent of all the land in Tulosa" Luther answered. He then started walking towards Rickard''s room. "That''s absurd Luther!" Centurion Lyn exclaimed while following Luther from behind. "How can we be sure that Tulosa is run by the King and not the Knights?" Luther laughed. Centurion Lyn was na?ve. "The government is run by both the King and the Grandmaster of Knights, Centurion. On the outside it looks like that the King is the one ruling. But the truth is more complicated than that. The Grandmaster can veto any orders from the King. He also commands twenty thousand Knights that can demolish the capital if they want to. They have become a state within a state." Luther expected that Centuion Lyn would exclaim a curse or something, but the Centurion remained silent. Luther looked back and saw that the Centurion was staring at the floor while walking. There were large droplets of sweat on his forehead. "Is that the reason why the faith of the Omniscient has slowly replaced that of the Great Rider over the years?" Centurion Lyn asked with a serious face. Luther understood that as a believer of the Great Rider, Centurion Lyn had an animosity towards the Knights. It was the Order of the Knights which brought the religion of the Omniscient to Tulosa. The growing power of the Knights prompted many believers of the Great Rider to convert. But Luther also hated the Knights. He''s tired of seeing the way they look at him. It was like they were looking at an insect from a high pedestal. "Yes Centurion. And they are also the ones responsible for the Tulosan Civil War. People always blame Castonia for the civil war, but the real culprit is in front of them. They opposed the last King and that lead to a division among the nobility. It is written in their book that Knights should protect the people, but they are the ones responsible for the death of thousands in the civil war. What a bunch of hypocrites." Luther said. It''s not that he cares for the people, it''s just that he was tired of the Knights acting like they are sinless. "It seems you have a history with them." Centurion Lyn pointed out. Luther smiled bitterly and remembered how he failed the examination to become a Knight. The Knights accept newcomers from both the nobility and the common people. To become a Knight, one must train for years and pass the physical, moral and spiritual tests. Luther failed in all three while commoners like Centurion Stan and the bastard Henry, passed. He couldn''t accept his failure. It was an insult to his bloodline. Being defeated by a commoner was a bitter pill to swallow. Luther shook his head. He didn''t want to tell Centurion Lyn of his failure. "I won''t tell you, Centurion. We are not friends so why would I tell you about personal things?" Centurion Lyn frowned. But after a while, he gave Luther a fake smile. "You''re right. We are not friends. Pardon me for asking Prefect" After a while, the two of them reached Rickard''s office. Since General Rickard was one of the three Masters of the Knights, he had his own office in the headquarters. General Rickard''s guards first confirmed their identities before opening the door. Contrary to the marvelous sight outside, General Rickard''s room was dark and gloomy. The walls were not decorated and the floor was dirty. There were two swords crossed above the fireplace, but that''s the end of the room''s decoration. Luther''s eyes were still adjusting to the darkness when a cold voice sounded. "Sit" General Rickard gestured towards the chairs Luther and Centurion Lyn sat on the two chairs in front of General Rickard''s table. "It seems you brought a companion with you. Afraid?" General Rickard said as he poured wine into a cup. Luther thought that the General would offer them wine. But to Luther''s surprise, the General emptied the cup into his mouth. "No General. My subordinate begged me to let him come. I can''t refuse him" Luther said. He then felt Centurion Lyn''s piercing gaze. General Rickard chuckled to Luther''s answer. "Page thirty-six, paragraph seven of the Book of Knights. ''The tongue is weapon. A Knight must keep the purity of his tongue. Lies and deceit are crimes.''" He then pointed at Luther "You are lucky that you''re not a Knight. Or else I would have already punished you for lying." Luther swallowed his saliva. It was foolish of him to lie to General Rickard. The General might not be as brutal as his uncle, but Rickard was stricter. "I''m sorry General" Luther bowed his head. "So why did you call me here?" he changed the topic. General Rickard did not answer immediately and instead looked at Centurion Lyn. "Fine, he will know sooner anyway." He said after a while. He then turned his gaze towards Luther. "What do you think of Timothy Castonia?" Luther''s blood turned cold after hearing that name. It was the name of an enigma, a person Luther fears the most. Ever since the battle of Knightsend, Luther kept having nightmares about Prince Timothy. Luther closed his eyes. He could still remember clearly the events of that day. It was terrifying. The cries of the trapped men inside the castle were still fresh on his mind. The scene displaying thousands of Castonian cavalry charging towards their camp still awed and scared him at the same time. The sinister feeling of falling into Timothy''s trap still causes him to physically tremble. "He is a monster, General. My uncle was a fool for facing Timothy Castonia in battle. He is a puppeteer, someone who can make you question your free will. He can turn the darkest and bleakest situations into victory." Luther warned. Luther then looked at Centurion Lyn and gestured for him that it was his turn to speak. "Ah, yes. Also, his soldiers are loyal to him. They will not rout even when facing our terrifying cavalry charge." Centurion Lyn added. "Is that so? From your descriptions, he is a man we should avoid at all cost. " General Rickard said. He then sighed "Unfortunately, we can''t avoid him this time." The General took a letter from his desk and gave it to Luther. The already broken seal was golden and the letter was from the King. Luther took the letter and read it. After a while, Luther''s face showed a strange expression. He couldn''t believe what was written in the letter. Castonia in a civil war and Prince Timothy, or King Timothy if that''s how it is now, had declared war against King Leopold. "General, I.." "I know. I also had the same reaction when I first read it. With the Castonians fighting their own, we can now go back and attack again. The tables have turned. But I''m still worried about facing Timothy Castonia." General Rickard said. "And you want the Whistlers to join you?" Luther asked "Correct. I will give you funds to replenish the men you lost. I need the swiftness of your cohort. But more than that, I need your experience with Timothy Castonia." "Can we refuse you General?" Luther asked. He was reluctant in fighting against Timothy Castonia again. General Rickard shook his head. "No. But it would be better if you join me voluntarily. I don''t want to threaten you with execution." General Rickard then stood up and went to the window. He stared at the huge tree outside. "You know that the Grand Master of the Knights is dying, right? He has been bedridden for years." Luther understood what General Rickard was talking about. As one of the three Master of Knights, he can become the next Grand Master once the current dies. But the slight delay in the invasion of Castonia had lowered General Rickard''s popularity. Also, the General was a black sheep among the Knights. He was tough and strict. He also sees the traditional values of Knights like chivalry as relics of the past. General Rickard''s ways of doing things had gained popularity over the years and many other Knights had followed his example. Despite this, traditional Knights still dominate the Order. "Yes General. And I suppose your desire is to be the next Grand Master. Isn''t that right?" Luther guessed. "It is" General Rickard answered. "The Knights are falling behind of the times. Our presence has weakened Tulosa. Many Knights refuse to join the invasion just because we are the aggressors. This must change. The old ways of the Knights should go. Chivalry and kindness are not compatible with this world anymore. I will lead the Knights into the future, Luther. I will become the next Grand Master. Only then could the Order of the Knights become an asset to Tulosa instead of a liability. But for that to happen, I need to show my worth by defeating Timothy Castonia." He then turned his head towards Luther and looked at him in the eye. Luther saw the big difference between General Rickard and his uncle. General Rickard was strict, cold and harsh. But he had this unique charisma. He pondered for a while. Since he couldn''t refuse, he had no choice but to return to Castonia and face Timothy again. He was afraid, but he was also hopeful that the current situation in Castonia will give them victory. Luther revealed a defeated smile. "Then the Whistlers will follow you General" 68 Loyaltys Shackle Solon, Capital of Western Castonia "Do you know that we have the best allies in the world?" Timothy said while shuffling through the letters on his desk. He turned his head towards Lucia who was eating her meal. "It took them more than a month just to muster their armies when the Tulosans invaded. But when presented with the opportunity to support a side in a civil war, it only took them less than a week. I mean, wow. We are blessed with such allies." Lucia laughed and went to Timothy''s desk. She then put a lump of bread in his mouth. "What did you expect? Not everyone is as reliable as my father as an ally." Timothy chewed the bread and swallowed. "Not everyone has a daughter as smart and capable as you" He then pulled Lucia into his lap. He embraced her and savored the appeasing scent of her hair. "So, how bad is our situation?" Lucia asked "How bad do you think it is?" Timothy put his chin on Lucia''s shoulder. "My father threatens us from the east, the Tulosans will soon come back and attack us from the west, and our own allies are scheming against us. It is apparent in their letters that our allies wanted something in return for their help." "Like what?" Lucia asked Timothy grabbed three letters from his desk. "Inkit is sending one of their Magistrates to lead their army. I think the Magistrate will try to control and make a puppet out of me." He put down the letter that had the seal of the five Magistrates of Inkit. "Canton is also sending troops, but they said that they could probably send more if I cede the city of Ledega and the surrounding area to them once the war is over" he put down Canton''s letter "And then there''s Hadea" Timothy paused and sighed. "I think Hadea''s King is coaxing me to make his daughter my queen after I won the throne." Timothy was about to put down the letter when Lucia grabbed it from his hand. She then read it out loud. "King Timothy Castonia, My young and sweet daughter Isabelle is in need of a husband. Her beauty transcends imagination and her heart is more pure than the whitest snow. The great mountains of Ninev howl her name as praise. The heat of the Ghambit desert can''t be compared to the warmness of her being." Lucia then looked at him with a confused face "I don''t know if it''s a letter or a poem" The two of them then laughed. "I was also confused the first time I read it. And then I remembered that Hadea''s King is as ambitious as my father." He caressed Lucia''s hair "Aren''t you jealous Princess Lucia Vanadis?" Lucia put her two palms on both of Timothy''s cheeks. She then leaned her forehead on Timothy''s "Of course I am. You have to take responsibility Your Majesty" Timothy was about to press his lips against hers when Lucia lifted her head. "On second thought, I want to punish you for making me feel like that. Enduring will be your punishment." Lucia said with a playful smile. Timothy grunted. "It''s not my fault. I even refused his offer without second thought. And I only want you anyway" he murmured like a child while burying his face on Lucia''s back. Lucia giggled. But after a while she asked, "And what about Marquis Connel?" "He will remain neutral in this conflict. With Erik in the hands of my father, he can''t support us. He said in his letter that he will take men to Knightsend and repair it. He will serve as buffer between us the Tulosans. We don''t have to worry about the Tulosans for a while." "I have good news too. The mercenaries my father sent are on their way. He will also fund most of the cost of this war." Lucia said. "That''s good then. We need the support of Vanadis. I think Wismar will also send troops. This war looks like a civil war on the outside, but it''s actually a messy affair between nations." Timothy commented. Someone then knocked on the door. "Your Majesty, the Prefect and Centurions of the Leons request an audience with you" the voice belongs to James. Timothy gave a long sigh. So they will do it after all, he thought. He had actually expected this to happen but he was still hoping that they will change their mind. He stood up and grabbed Lucia''s hand. "Come on, let''s meet them" he then pursed his lips "I have a feeling that we are about to lose our heavy cavalry" ************************************************************************* Four people were already inside the room when Timothy and Lucia entered. After seeing them, the four men knelt. "Prince Timothy, thank you for seeing us" the tall man in the middle said. He was a man in his late thirties that had an aura of a seasoned soldier. The man''s name was Solomon and he was the Prefect of the contingent of Leons that had provided Timothy support for the last two months. But the way Solomon addressed Timothy confirmed his expectations. Unlike the regular soldiers and the militia, the Leons were part of the Royal Guards. They had sworn an oath to the King. Timothy knew that most, if not all of the Leons, were loyal to their oaths. They had a duty to defend his father. "You may rise" Timothy said. The four men then stood up. "I know what you want to talk about. Can''t I change your mind?" Timothy''s voice was bitter. Even though he understands that the Leons made their oath to his father, the loss of four hundred heavy cavalry will be a hard blow to his military power. Solomon shook his head. "We are sorry Your Highness. Although you have the moral high ground, we can''t break our vows. We have a responsibility to the crown." "What about your responsibility to the people? You know that the Wismarines don''t care about the Castonians. They want to make my father their puppet. You also have a responsibility to prevent that." He tried his best to reason with the Leons. But he knew that his chances of changing their minds were slim. "Our vows are both our shackle and our sword, Prince Timothy" Solomon looked at him. Timothy could see the sadness in his eyes. "When we believe in the person whom we made our vows to, we gain courage. But if the person we have sworn to serve does something that is against our principles, then we are shackled. When we made our vows to your father, we understood that someday this may happen. Nevertheless we made our vows and we will not break it." Timothy slowly nodded after hearing Solomon''s determined answer. Although their decision to leave put him into a disadvantageous position, Timothy was still awed by their loyalty. It was blind loyalty, but loyalty nonetheless. He had no choice but to let them go. Timothy put both of his hands behind. "I will not hold you back. Like what you said, I have the moral high ground in this war. I will not lose that by preventing loyal men from fulfilling their duties. I only have one request though." "What is it Your Highness. As long as it is within our power, we will do it." "In exchange for the food and supplies that I will give you for your journey to Nirvana, leave your horses behind. Your horses did not swear an oath to my father I suppose?" Timothy said with a smile. Solomon chuckled. "They did not, Your Highness. Very well, we will leave our horses to you. Treat them as our parting gift." He then balled his fist and saluted. The three Centurions also did the same. "You are a good man, Prince Timothy. I think you will become a great King if you win. So do your best for Castonia. Defeat us and become King. It''s a shame we can''t help you. Also, thank you for letting us go even though we will fight against you in the future. We will remember your kindness." He then smiled "May we go now, Your Highness?" "You may." Timothy answered with a weak voice. "Then please excuse us" They bowed and walked away. But before opening the door, Solomon stopped and turned his head towards Timothy. "The next time we meet, we will be enemies. Nevertheless, you will always have my respect." With these words, the Leons left and Timothy was left staring at the door. "So, like what you said, we just lost our heavy cavalry. Do you have a plan?" Lucia asked "I do." He answered "But many people will be against it. Also, I''m not sure if he''s going to accept" 69 The Knight and the Maiden Contrary to how things were two weeks ago, the situation in Solon had returned to normal. It can even be said that the current Solon is more vibrant and busier compared to before. Henry had heard from Freya that after King Timothy declared war against King Leopold, most nations which had broken their ties with Castonia turned to Western Castonia. Inkit, Hadea and Canton even made alliances with King Timothy. "We should go back, it will rain soon" Henry said to Freya who was walking beside him. Almost every day, the two of them would go around the city. Freya had said to Henry that enjoying the chilly and calming air of Solon will help wipe the gloominess off his face. At first Henry was reluctant. Most of the refugees from the surrounding villages still hadn''t returned to their homes and were still in Solon. Even though none of them could recognize him, he was still ashamed to go near them. But it worked. After more than two months, he can now look into their eyes. He was even able to buy second-hand books from a refugee yesterday. Henry felt delighted that his life was starting to have meaning again. And all of these changes were because of the woman beside him. Freya put her index finger on her lips and thought for a while. "Not yet" she said after a moment of contemplation. "But we had already bought everything on the list." Henry showed her the bag he was holding. It was filled with various food products like bread, vegetables and cheese. Since they were staying in Earl Mathias'' villa, it felt wrong not to help with the chores. "Don''t worry, I think we can make it before the rain. And even if we don''t" Freya spread her arms. "Let''s just enjoy the rain!" Henry almost laughed but he prevented himself. Freya can be childish sometimes and that''s alright. Actually, he likes her that way. Her youthful smile makes Henry''s heart flutter. Her childish but sweet actions bring color to his dismal world. About a month ago, Henry realized that he had fallen for her. "Still with that face?" Freya''s voice had a hint of sadness in it. She then cleared her throat and smiled. "Let''s go Henry. I promise this will be our last stop. It seems you don''t want to enjoy the rain with me today" "No, I.." Henry wanted to tell her that she was wrong, he wanted to spend more time with her. Every moment with her was golden. Enjoying the rain with Freya would be a memory he wouldn''t forget. But he prevented himself from saying so. What if she realizes his feelings for her? What would be her reaction? Henry was afraid. He is a criminal. A criminal falling for a noble lady? What a joke. So he just asked, "Where are we going anyway?" In response, Freya just smiled and grabbed his hand. "It''s a secret" She then ran and dragged Henry. After running for a while, a familiar sight was revealed to him. He had been here before, albeit in hiding. Thousands of tents sprawled for as far as the eye can see. This was the place King Timothy set aside for the refugees. Being a refugee camp, the place was disorderly. There were garbage lying around and the odor wasn''t nice. "I had seen you go here last week. I didn''t mean to spy on you, but I was curious so I followed you. You were hiding in that fence" Freya pointed at the fence that serves as the border between the refugee camp and the rest of the city. "Even after two months, you still felt guilty for what happened to them" "That''s because we caused this Freya" Henry looked down "When the Grandmaster of the Knights asked me if I wanted to join the invasion, I agreed. I thought that since it''s my duty to serve my nation, then I should go. I thought that our only job was to break the spirit of your soldiers. The Tulosan civil war was like that. Even though many civilians died, the Order of the Knights did its best to keep the civilians out of the war. But the invasion is different. We caused this and my hands are not clean." A cry for help then reached Henry''s ears. He looked towards the direction of the cry and saw two men bullying a thin refugee with tattered clothes. One of them, a man with a big belly, was holding the refugee by the collar. The second man was holding a knife. Years of learning the doctrines of the Knights trained Henry on how to act in this situation. His sense of justice was still sharp even though he had already committed crimes. Without a second thought, he rushed towards the men and rammed them with his body. Even without a horse, a knight''s charge is powerful. The fat man was downed by the impact while the other was stunned. Henry tilted his body and punched one of the assailants in the face. His punch was powerful and it broke the man''s nose. The fat man stood up and grappled Henry from behind. But contrary to what he expected, the fat man''s grip was weak. It didn''t take long for Henry to escape the man. Henry elbowed the fat man''s belly. He then turned his body and delivered a punch to the chin. The fat man staggered and fell backwards. Henry lunged towards the man, but Freya held him from behind. "Henry, don''t!" she shouted. Henry looked at her. He was confused. Why would she stop him? He still needs to tie their hands or something and wait for the city watch. The two men didn''t waste time and ran. Henry was left staring at their vanishing figures. Evil had escaped again. "Why?" he asked her. But Freya did not answer. She just looked blankly at Henry and remained silent. The silence was broken by the refugee. "Thank you for saving me. I would have been hurt if not for you!" the refugee bowed. Henry was still confused by the turn of events. "It''s¡­It''s fine. Think nothing of it" he waved his hand. "But without you, I would have died! You saved me from those men. What you did was good." The refugee bowed again. Henry''s felt his heart jump with joy. It was an ecstatic feeling. It was true, what he did was good. Even though he had committed crimes, he''s still capable of doing good deeds. Being thanked for a good deed was a great feeling. Henry couldn''t help but smile. He then looked at Freya and saw that she was smiling too. It seems his life just got better today. Although he still felt guilty of what he did, he just discovered that he can still do good deeds. His dark past can''t prevent him from making his future bright. Freya was right, nobody is beyond redemption. "Thank you" he said to Freya. Freya smiled, but Henry noticed that her smile was fake. "No Henry, you don''t have to thank me. In fact I need to apologize to you" she avoided his eyes. "What? Why?" Freya did not answer and kept her stare glued on the ground. "Nevermind" she shook her head and gave Henry a fake smile again "I..I just remembered that I still need to go somewhere. I''ll meet you in the villa" she then hurriedly left. Henry scratched his head as he watched Freya from behind. "What was that all about?" he turned towards the refugee. The man was also acting weird and avoided Henry''s eyes. "I..ah¡­ Thank you but I need to go" he also left hurriedly. Henry was left alone, confused by what happened. First, he just discovered that he was capable of doing good deeds. He was thankful to Freya for dragging him here. But then, Freya and the refugee started acting weird. He sighed and decided to go back to the villa. But after several steps, he changed his mind. He turned around and followed Freya. ********************************************************************************* Freya wanted to cry. It was a mistake. What she did was wrong. The look on Henry''s eyes was that of pure happiness. But Freya knew that Henry''s happiness stems from a lie, her lie. Her hands were shaking. Her heart was thumping like crazy. She felt guilty for what she did. She hurried her footsteps and after a few moments, she reached the place. It was an alley near the western wall of Solon. She saw three men, one fat, one a lanky and one dressed in tattered clothes. Two of them had swollen faces. "Are both of you alright?" she approached them and examined their injuries. "Honestly, we nearly died little miss. My mouth is swollen and his nose is broken. Your friend is strong" "I''m sorry. I underestimated his passion when it comes to justice." Freya lowered her head and apologized. She then looked at Ben "But what''s with the knife? I told you not to bring weapons." "Oh this?" Ben showed her a small knife. "It''s dull. I just thought that it would look more real if I brought some props. Don''t worry, it can''t cut. Look" he sliced his palm with the knife. The blade just slid on his palm. "But bringing a knife heightened his emotions. You know he''s a knight" "I''m sorry" Ben apologized. He then looked at Freya "But little miss, this isn''t like you. I think you had gone overboard. Tricking your friend is wrong." Freya''s heart again tightened. "I know, I know" she held back her tears. "But I needed to do it. My efforts for the past two months bore nothing. He is still the same. He''s still burdened by his guilt. I can''t watch him like that anymore. My heart aches whenever I see him blame himself for everything. Henry is a good man. He may have made mistakes in the past, but I know that he is a kind person. I know, what I did is too much. I tricked him." She knew that it was wrong to force Henry to understand that the world still needs good people like him. Tricking him was painful. It was like her heart was being ripped apart. She didn''t want to lie to him. But seeing him in a miserable state every day was more painful. She tried to remain cheerful for the past two months, but it was hard. She cares for him and seeing him in pain was excruciating. "Freya?" a familiar voice sounded from behind. Freya turned and saw that it was Henry. Disbelief was written on his face. His mouth was agape. It was apparent that he had heard about everything. Henry closed his eyes and turned around. Freya did not waste time and went after him. His steps were fast but Freya was running. She eventually caught up to him. She grabbed his arm "Henry, I can explain! I''m sorry. I''m just tired of seeing you blame yourself every single day. I know it''s wrong, but believe me. I did it for you" tears started flowing from her eyes. It also started to rain. Henry remained silent. His silence was painful. After a while, he talked. "You know, I had fallen for you Freya" Freya did not expect what he just said. "I..I.." she wanted to talk but she couldn''t. Henry turned his head towards her. He was also crying. "When I first came here, I was ready for death. I even begged the Earl for an execution once. But after knowing you, I slowly changed my mind. Now, I''m afraid to die. I''m afraid to be away from you" he then laughed bitterly "My life had meaning again because of you. I can now genuinely smile because of you. I fell in love with you Freya. I was ready to forget about my past mistakes and redeem myself for you. But you betrayed me. You tricked me. I trusted you with all my heart and you broke that trust." "I''m sorry Henry. I''m really sorry" she sobbed "What''s done is done Freya. Your trick worked by the way. Earlier, I felt that it''s still possible for me to redeem myself. But that whole thing was a lie" he then wiped his tears "I think we shouldn''t see each other again Miss Hall" He pulled his arm from Freya''s grasp and left. Strength left Freya''s knees and she was forced to kneel on the wet road. Droplets of rain poured from the sky as droplets of tears fell from her eyes. She buried her face on her palms and cried. 70 Warmth in a Cold Nigh The tea warmed her body, but Freya still felt the same, cold and brokenhearted. She took another sip from the cup, but the flavor of the tea eluded her tongue. "Honestly, that was a bad plan" Timothy commented who was sitting in front of her. Lucia and Earl Mathias were also in the room. "Not just bad, it was unnecessary" Earl Mathias added. He poured tea into his own cup and took a sip. "Can the two of you mind your words? You are making her feel worse" Lucia said beside her. She gently patted Freya''s shoulder. "Don''t mind them Freya." Freya caressed the table which was made of black oak. The surface of the table was smooth and firm. "No, it''s okay Lucia. It''s true anyway. I made a bad and unnecessary plan. Henry was on his way to recovery and I just didn''t notice it. I made a huge mistake by being selfish, arrogant and impatient" "Ah, yes. You made a mistake." Earl Mathias said while refilling all their cups. Both Timothy and Lucia waved their hands as a sign that they had enough tea. The Earl then looked at her "But everybody does, little Frey. Everybody is a sinner and nobody is perfect. Freya already knew about that. But she was worried. She was afraid that Henry will hate her forever. She can''t have that. Henry had become dear to her. Being hated by someone you care for was a torment. It was like being caged in a fiery prison. It was like seeing hope being snuffed out over and over again. The memories they had together can only be memories. All those moments she enjoyed with him can never be repeated. Walking around the city with him, hearing his vigorous and justice-driven remarks ¨C she can''t experience those anymore. He had become a big piece of her life and she was afraid of losing that piece. Lucia dragged her chair closer to Freya. "I know what you''re thinking. But don''t worry, I don''t think he will hate you forever. Right, Tim?" Timothy leaned closer and looked at her. He was holding his cup with both hands. "That''s right. Feelings change Freya. Hate can become love, love can become hate. Even enemies can become friends because emotions are dynamic." He then slid the cup towards the Earl and asked for a refill despite refusing earlier. Earl Mathias poured tea into the cup and Timothy chugged it like it was wine. He again looked at Freya. "When I first arrived in Knightsend, do you know the first person I saw was a drunk sentry? His name is John. I was so angry that time that I ordered the whole garrison to stand in the castle grounds all night. And then I looked at John. What I saw in his eyes was hatred. That hatred was directed to me. It was like he wanted to swallow me whole. It was like I massacred his whole family and robbed him of everything. Guess where he is now." The room became quiet. Earl Mathias then turned towards Timothy. "Are you talking about Centurion John Wilkin? I just met him the other day. Half of his words were praises to you." Timothy chuckled a little. "Is that so? Then there you have it. If John''s opinion of me could change, I''m sure Henry could also forgive you. He is not a hateful person and your intention was good." After hearing what Timothy said, Freya felt a little relieved. Maybe Henry could forgive her in the future. Even if they can''t go back to the way they were, Freya would be contented just with Henry''s forgiveness. "I have a question though" Earl Mathias demanded Freya''s attention. She looked at the Earl. "Do you love him?" he asked. The question hit Freya hard. Up until now, she never considered her feelings for Henry. For all she knows, she still loves Timothy. Her heart was faster than her mind. For the past months, the pain of Timothy''s rejection had gradually faded. She had slowly accepted that Timothy can never repay her love. And then Henry came to her life. All she wanted was to help him at first, but she found his company enjoyable. His firm belief in doing what is right completely matches Freya''s caring nature. Little by little, Henry replaced Timothy in her heart. She nodded. ***************************************************************************** Henry was reading the book he recently bought. But even after reading the lines repeatedly, he understood nothing. The message behind the words escaped his mind. He closed the book and put it on his desk. He then looked down and stared at the floor. He clutched his chest. It was still painful. What Freya did truly hurt him. He trusted her. He thought that although this world is full of lies and deceit, at least he can trust someone. Freya had become his light. She had become his refuge. But she lied to him. She tricked him. The more you trust someone, the more painful their betrayal will be. And Henry really trusted her. Although he did say that he didn''t want to see her again, that wasn''t true. He was hurt, but he can''t hate her. He will eventually forgive her but it will still take a while. "Henry? Are you there?" a voice called from the other side of the door. Henry went to the door and opened it. He saw King Timothy standing outside his door. They only talked once and that was before Timothy Castonia was hailed as King by the Western Nobles. Now that they met again, Henry didn''t know how to address him. The man in front of him was a King. Henry bowed "Your presence gives me joy Your Majesty. To what¡­" "Oh stop it" Timothy interrupted him by waving his hand. "Nobody else is around so being formal only wastes time" he then gestured towards the room "Can we talk inside?" "Of course" Henry answered. He then cleared his desk and offered King Timothy the single chair in his room. King Timothy didn''t sit and went to Henry''s cabinet instead. "You''ve been collecting books." He then looked at Herny. "After I take Nirvana, you can borrow from my own collection. I know you refused me once but I''m just informing you that my offer still stands." "Thank you King Timothy" Henry thanked him. King Timothy sighed. "King Timothy, Your Majesty, that''s how they call me nowadays. It takes time to get used to. Just address me as Timothy whenever we are alone." Henry nodded. Although he wanted to show his respect to Timothy''s rank, he can''t ignore a King''s request. "So, what brings you here Timothy?" he asked. Timothy smiled. "You know why I''m here" Freya. He''s here because of her. He must have heard about what happened, Henry thought. He sat on his bed looked at Timothy. "She told you?" Timothy finally sat on the chair. He crossed his legs and leaned back. "She did" "And what is your opinion of what happened? What do you think I should have done?" Henry asked. "Oh me?" Timothy pointed at himself "I''m not in position to provide my opinions Henry. I''m just an observer. I can only tell you of my observations." He showed him three fingers "And I have three observations" Timothy stood up and turned his back on Henry. "First, her plan was not a good plan. It worked for a while, but she was too careless." Henry nodded. He felt a little relieved. Freya being bad at scheming and lying meant that she was still the same. She may have made a mistake but it wasn''t her nature. "Second" Timothy turned and faced him "Her plan was unnecessary because you are already in the process of recovering from your past." Henry nodded again. Spending time with her eased his pain. She helped him see the beauty of life again. "Third" This time, Timothy smiled. "She loves you" Henry frowned. "Is that a joke? If it is, then it''s not funny." He felt insulted that the man Freya truly loves was taking her feelings for granted. Timothy chuckled "It''s not a joke Henry. It''s not an opinion either. It''s an observation" Henry clenched his fist. He was shaking. "An observation you say. You are the one in her heart!" he stood up and faced Timothy "You have the thing I wanted the most, but you dare say that!? How dare you take her feelings for granted? She''s not a toy. She was hurt when you rejected her and now that''s how you treat her feelings? Do you know how worried she was before your return? She said that she had trouble sleeping because she''s worried about you!" "That''s because Freya and I have been friends for more than a decade Henry. Of course she was worried about me." Timothy interrupted. His voice was hostile "Oh, and fourth observation? You are a fool!" he pointed at Henry. Henry was taken aback. But Timothy didn''t give him time to breathe. "Think Henry, think! Why would she do something like that? Why would she do something against her morals? She''s not like that Henry and her actions surprised me. It''s because of you. She cares for you. She wants you to be happy. I''m not saying that what she did was right. It was wrong. But I want you to know about the truth. You are the one belittling her feelings. It is apparent and you didn''t notice it. Now it''s my turn to ask, how dare you take her feelings for granted?" Those words hit Henry like rocks. But he was thankful because those words opened his eyes. Timothy was right. Freya went against her morals because of him. Even if she doesn''t love him, at least she cares. He is a fool! "I..I didn''t realize that until now" he said. "She.." "She loves you Henry" Timothy completed. "Unfortunately she already left" Henry''s jaw dropped. "What?!" he exclaimed. Timothy sighed. "We convinced her to stay but she said that she can''t face you anymore. Well, you did tell her that the two of you shouldn''t see each other again. She will go back to her father''s fief. It''s a shame though we.." "Where is she now!?" Henry demanded answer from Timothy. Timothy smiled "I think she''s still in the garden bidding Earl Mathias goodbye. But I''m not sure. She may have already left." Henry rushed to the door but Timothy called him one more time. Although he was in a hurry, Henry turned his head around. "What?" "After you''re done, come to the dining hall. I have an offer for you" Timothy''s words were lost in Henry''s head. He didn''t understand him so he ignored what he said. All he can think of was Freya. He needs to prevent her from leaving. ******************************************************************************** Freya was running. After a while, she reached the garden. It was dark but she was frantically searching for someone. She needs to prevent him from leaving. After Lucia informed her that Henry is leaving the villa, she did not waste time and ran to the garden. He can''t leave, he needs to stay. Their story can''t end like this. She started looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. She started to lose hope. She was too late. Suddenly, someone embraced her from behind. "Don''t! Don''t leave. Please!" Henry begged her. "I can forget what happened. We can return back to how we used to be. Just don''t leave. I need you Freya. Don''t leave me." He sobbed. Droplets of tears fell from his eyes. Freya was confused but she smiled and enjoyed Henry''s embrace. "What are you talking about? I''m not leaving. I''ll never leave. I will stay by your side Henry." Freya comforted him. She then turned around and looked into his eyes. She wiped his tears and was reminded of the first night she met him. "I''m sorry Henry. I really didn''t mean to.." Henry pressed his finger against her lips. "It''s alright. Let''s just forget about what happened." "But we can''t. I lied to you and betrayed your trust. What''s done is done." Henry embraced her again. "Then let''s remember our mistakes Freya. We can''t change the past, but we can look forward into the future. I want to be with you. I want to stay by your side until the end. Even though I''m not a knight anymore, I will protect you. I am yours Freya." They kissed. Freya couldn''t remember who made the first move but their lips ended up pressed against each other. It was beautiful. All of the heartaches, the disappointments and the tears were nothing compared to Henry''s warmth. In the garden their hearts became intertwined. It was a kiss of forgiveness and a kiss of hope. Life may not be perfect, but at that moment it was. 71 An Agreemen Timothy yawned. It was already late in the evening. He stood up and went to the fireplace. He then added wood to the fire. Normally this was James'' job, but James was already asleep. The crackling of the flame was music to Timothy''s ears and its warmth enveloped his shivering body with the much-needed heat. "If you''re sleepy, then we can just do this tomorrow" Lucia joined him. She lifted her hands and enjoyed the warmth. Timothy shook his head. "No, I need to arrange this as soon as possible. Reinforcements from our allies should arrive next week. Our cavalry situation should have been fixed by then. What happened between Henry and Freya had already delayed our plans." He then looked at Lucia. She was wearing a white nightgown and her hair was tied into a braid. It was clear that she was tired but she acted like she wasn''t. "I know you''re already drowsy" "So what?" she looked at him. "I''ll wait for you to finish your negotiations with Henry. Besides, you might need me later." Timothy did not insist. Besides, he also enjoyed her company. "Well if you change your mind, you can always go to my room" he teased. Lucia laughed and playfully punched him on his arm. "You wish! I''m not sleeping in the den of a predator lest I get devoured." He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled. "So I''m a predator huh?" he sniffed her neck "then I''ll devour you now" He lifted and laid her on the floor. He then nibbled on her neck. Lucia giggled and hit his back. "Stop it Tim. You''re tickling me!" But Timothy did not immediately stop and Lucia''s giggles filled the room for a while. He then lifted his head and put his face close to hers. "So, am I still a predator?" he grinned. Lucia playfully smiled and nodded. "Oh really?" Timothy said with a laugh. He was about to nibble on her neck again when Lucia held his face. She then lifted her head and kissed him. It was a forceful kiss, but Timothy also put force into his. He felt his body heat up and his mind was drowned by the ecstatic feeling. His thoughts were lost and his senses were dulled. He forgot about everything and there was only a single thing on his mind- her. After their lips parted, both of them were panting. Lucia smiled and put her warm palm on his cheek. "When are we getting married?" she asked. Her question gripped Timothy''s heart. He had been avoiding that question for a while now. It was not because he didn''t want to take her as his wife. He does. The heavens know that he truly does. But he can''t. Even though he wanted to, he can''t. Their situation right now is dangerous. They were surrounded by enemies and their allies were unreliable. The road to taking Castonia from his father and the Wismarines will be paved with skulls. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. He looked away. "We can''t Lucia. Not yet. Not until I get the throne. You don''t know how much I want to show the world that you are my Queen. You don''t know how much I want to make you mine. But I still can''t do that." He sat and held her hand. He then looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "This war will be bloody. Even though we''re doing our best to win, victory is still not assured. If I lose, then I will either be executed or branded as a traitor. I don''t want you to become a widow or the wife of a traitor. We must wait until the war is over so that if I lose you can always cut your ties with me." Timothy expected that Lucia will get angry but she didn''t. Instead, she sat and hugged him. "We are going to win Tim. We will win. And even if we don''t, I will never cut my ties with you." "But.." Timothy wanted to object, but Lucia stopped him. "No buts. This is my choice and I say we escape this continent if we fail. And I''m sorry for asking. I know it''s hard for you too." She then smiled and blushed "Let''s.. let''s just continue what we were doing" Timothy was about to kiss her again when there was a knock on the door. So they finally arrived, he thought. Lucia grinned. "Too bad Your Majesty. Your guests just arrived" Timothy chuckled as he stood up. He then pulled Lucia up. "We can always resume later" he winked. But then he thought of something. "And you''re sleeping in my room tonight." Lucia opened her mouth to protest, but in the end she just gave a sigh and smiled. "As you wish" Timothy opened the door and just as he expected, Henry and Freya were waiting outside. "Took you a while" he commented as he lead them to the table. Henry and Freya seated themselves in front of Timothy and Lucia. "First of all, we want to give our thanks for your help." Freya looked at Henry and held his hands. Henry smiled and bowed. "You have my gratitude. I was a fool and you opened my eyes." "By the way Tim, Henry said that you have an offer for him. Having waited here, it must be important" Freya said. "Yes" Timothy looked at Henry. "I will go straight to the point. I want you to train my cavalry. I just lost the Leons and I need heavy cavalry for the future battles." Henry crossed his eyebrows. His face showed signs of confusion. "Your Majesty I don''t understand." "Your expertise Henry. I need it. We have an abundance of horses from the battle of Knightsend. We also have enough armor and weapons, with Solon being the main source of Castonian iron. As for the men, my soldiers are brave and disciplined. What we lack is the expertise." "But I am a prisoner, am I not? I can''t train your cavalry. Also, I can''t train them on such short notice. I''m sorry Your Majesty, but I refuse." Timothy smiled. Henry''s response was similar to how he expected it to be. "I know the real reason of your reluctance. You are afraid that I will use the cavalry you trained against Tulosa." Henry slowly nodded. "Yes. I am grateful for your kindness and I know you are doing this for your Kingdom. But I can''t betray Tulosa." "Well you''re right. There may come a day when I use the cavalry against your nation. If your Knights fight against me, then I will annihilate them with my new cavalry detachment." Timothy stood up and sat on the table. "I have heard that Grand Master Nelson has been bedridden for a long time. Isn''t that right Henry?" "Yes. He is a good man but his body is already weak. But I don''t see the connection Your Majesty" "What will happen when he finally dies Henry? I am not ignorant about the current situation in Tulosa." He looked at Lucia. He got most of the information he currently have from her. Apparently, her network of merchants in Nirvana and Solon had provided her fresh news not just in Castonia but also in Tulosa, Vanadis and the neighboring Kingdoms. He again looked at Henry. "There are three Master of Knights vying for the position of Grand Master. One of them is General Rickard, the cold-hearted leader of your invasion. One of them I''ve heard is a puppet of the nobles. And the last one is a puppet of the foreign Kingdoms. Such bad luck because none of them deserves to lead the Knights. All of them are also hostile against each other and blood will be spilled over the tittle of Grand Master. The nobles, the King and the other Kingdoms are now scheming for the eventual death of Grand Master Nelson. Now I will ask you again, what will happen after his death?" Henry''s face contorted. Timothy saw that his words had affected him. "I already know about that. Tulosa will again fall into civil war." "Yes Henry. On the outside, the Order of the Knights is a perfect and clean organization. But it is not and you know that. It''s hard to remain pure in this world. Grand Master Nelson did his best to keep the Order clean and he somehow succeeded. But now he''s dying. The situation in Tulosa is like a volcano that is about to erupt. If I hadn''t declared war to my father, I would have proposed that we wait for the death of the Grand Master before retaliating. That way, we will face a divided Tulosa." "What you said is true King Timothy. But I still don''t get the connection" "Help me and I''ll help you." Timothy finally said. "Train my cavalry and help me get the throne of Castonia. After my Kingdom is pacified, I will take my army to Tulosa and intervene. I will prevent a civil war and even if I couldn''t, I will make sure that the people are safe. The Knights kept the people safe during your last civil war. But things will be different if the Knights are the source of the civil war. Your people will need a strong refuge to turn to in times of chaos. Castonia will be that refuge." Henry shook his head. "How will that benefit you? And if I decide to support you, how is that different form conspiring with a foreign nation?" "When Castonia saves the day, the relations between our two people will become warmer. For peace to last, we need to stop hating each other. Many of my own people will hate me for helping you. Nevertheless I must. I want a lasting peace Henry. Now for your second question, it is true that you are conspiring with a foreign nation. But is that really wrong? Is it wrong to seek help? You know me Henry. You know that I just want peace and prosperity for both our nations. So I will help you. But before that could happen, I need to win this war." Henry was silent for several minutes. He just stared at the table, lost in thought. After a while, he nodded. "I will become your new cavalry trainer. And I hope that you will keep your word." Timothy was delighted. With Henry''s help, he can have a cavalry rivaling the strength of the Knights. He was actually worried that Henry would refuse, but in the end he was able to convince him. "Good. It''s settled then." Timothy stretched his arms and yawned. "Let''s meet tomorrow Henry. Good night to the two of you." Timothy grabbed Lucia''s hand and was about to leave when Henry stopped him. "Your Majesty" he called. Timothy looked back and saw that Henry was still staring at the table. He was still thinking about something. He then looked at Timothy. "If we''re going to work together, then I also need to stop your Kingdom from being destroyed. I actually have something to tell you. I kept this a secret despite your kindness because revealing it to you felt like a betrayal to my nation. I apologize for that. But now I must reveal this to you." Timothy felt anxious. Henry was about to reveal something important. "What is it Henry?" "It''s the reason why General Rickard chose to assault Greenwater instead of Solon." Timothy''s heart skipped a beat. Ever since the first day of the invasion, he had always wondered why General Rickard chose Greenwater over Solon. It was a mystery that made him uneasy for the past months. "Why?" he asked Henry. Henry looked at him and said five words. "Calgari and Tulosa are allies" In an instant, everything was revealed to Timothy. Calgari also wanted to invade Castonia but invading by land will put strain on their supply lines. The easiest and safest way to invade was taking Greenwater and supplying their army by the sea. General Rickard went for Greenwater to open the door for their allies. Greenwater is currently undefended. Marquis Connel took most of his soldiers to Knightsend. He said in his letter that he only left a cohort in the city. The Calgarians should already know about this and were currently on their way to Greenwater. It wouldn''t take them long to take the city. Timothy felt shivers down his spine. "Lucia!" he called to his most trusted ally. The look on Lucia''s face revealed that she had also already realized the situation. "I will¡­ I will immediately ask my father for help." And just like that, the once peaceful night turned into a race to save Greenwater. 72 Salt and Steel The Golden Sea, South of Greenwater The sun is up, the wind is strong and the steady sound of rowing was a lullaby to his ears. Morgan filled his lungs with air and enjoyed its salty appeal. Other men hated the smell of salt. But Morgan? No, he''s different. The smell of salt represents the sea, and the sea represents freedom. He smiled and spread his arms. Good fortune comes to good men, he thought. The God of Fortune smiles upon him. For the past few weeks he received only good news. First, Castonia had fallen into a civil war. The arrogant Timothy Castonia actually dared to declare war against his father amidst an ongoing war with Tulosa. Fool, Morgan mocked. The little lion cub thinks he can fight a war on two sides. Who does he think he is? Some sort of a war god? One victory and he already thinks highly of himself. The little lion will soon find out that his roar was just a cat''s growl. Well, not that Morgan cares. Timothy Castonia''s arrogance will benefit Calragi. The second good news was equally-sweet. Morgan smiled from ear to ear when he first heard of the news. Marquis Connel had left Greenwater for Knightsend. Now the city was defended by a single cohort. It shouldn''t take long before Morgan could plant the flag of Calgari in the city center of Greenwater. Morgan turned around and walked towards the other end of the galley. The thumping of his boots against the oak deck of the galley demanded the attention of the rowers. Every single one of them would look at Morgan, show fear and respect in their eyes, and then turn away as if hiding from his gaze. Normally, Morgan would stop and then scrutinize a soldier. He would then punish the lad for the smallest mistakes he could find. This habit of his had earned him the fear and respect of his men. But Morgan was not in the mood to do that today. He just passed beside them and reached the stern of the galley without stopping. He then looked at his fleet. "What a sight eh?" he heard the voice of the single person in the fleet who doesn''t fear him. He turned around and saw the smug face of Commodore Charles. "I''ve seen better sights Commodore" Morgan said and leaned closer to Commodore Charles. "Back in the old days, eighty-seven galleys is merely enough for a royal escort" "Back in the old days men are fools for thinking that quantity is everything" Commodore Charles shrugged. Morgan didn''t rebut. What Commodore Charles said was true. Over the years, he had seen the importance of a well-trained army. In the case of the navy, the effects of experience are more drastic. A few well-trained marines could sink an entire fleet. Morgan again looked at the fleet. "Transport galleys" he sighed. "Ugly things" "Ha! You stole the words right out of my mouth Admiral. Don''t you just hate how their wide hulls waddle clumsily in the water?" Morgan wanted to laugh after hearing Commodore Charles'' description of the transport galleys. "Ducks" He suddenly said. "What?" Morgan looked at the Commodore. "When we were little, my friends and I would refer to transport galleys as ducks. The way they move in the water because of their oars is similar to how a duck would waddle." Commodore Charles grunted a laugh. "That is a unique perspective General. You have quite the imagination" Morgan raised his brows. "Do you think I would be in my position if I didn''t have imagination? Imagination is a tool Commodore. My life had been saved many times by my imagination. Did you know that I have suffered eight assassination attempts? I escaped the assassins because I can imagine events before they happen" "Then how do you imagine this assault would turn out?" Commodore Charles asked. "Bloody" he paused and wetted his lips. "The Castonians will fight to the death. Those bastards are tough, stubborn and proud. They will not give up just because a foreign fleet suddenly showed up. We will lose many men in the assault. But being tough, stubborn and proud doesn''t make a man immortal, Commodore. They bleed as we do and they die like we do. We have more than ten times their number and I have heard that there are two breaches in their walls. By the end of the day, I would be sitting in Marquis Connel''s chair, drinking my tea. His villa will become mine, his treasures will become mine and his city will become mine." Morgan then heard footsteps approaching their direction. He looked towards the direction of footsteps and saw the First Mate. Since Morgan was the default Captain of the flagship, then First Mate Faye was technically the Captain of ''The Basilisk'' when he''s not around. "I think I should leave" Commodore Charles said. "No, stay" Morgan put his hand on Commodore Charles'' shoulder. "You are my Second-in-command. Let us both hear what First Mate Faye has to say" He then looked at the First Mate. "Speak First Mate Faye. What is it?" The First Mate was shaking in front of Morgan. To this, he felt satisfied. "Admiral, I think.." "No First Mate. Don''t do that. It''s either you know or you don''t. Being indecisive only leads to failure. If you''re wrong, then accept the consequences. If you''re right, then reap the benefits. Life is that simple. So I''ll ask you again, what do you have to say?" The First Mate was silenced but after a while he puffed his chest. "Admiral we have arrived. The scouting vessels have reported that they can now see the walls of Greenwater." "About time" Morgan commented. He then walked towards the center of the ship. Like before, his slow and heavy footsteps demanded the attention of the crew. After reaching the center, he put both of his hands behind him. He loudly cleared his throat. After a moment, all eyes were on him. "Our scouts have reported that Greenwater is within sight. Prepare your weapons because we will attack immediately." He paused and closed his eyes. The salty odor of the sea calmed his mind. The splashing of waves against the oars was music to his ears. He opened his eyes again. "Raise the sails and full speed ahead!" ************************************************************************* Prefect Ryon was looking towards the direction of Knightsend. It had been more than a week since Marquis Connel left with most of the soldiers for the Knightsend. Since his Cohort suffered the worst during the siege of Greenwater, the Marquis left him in charge of the defense of the city. Honestly, Ryon was disappointed in the Marquis'' decision to remain neutral in the civil war. He understands that Erik Connel, the son of Marquis Benedict Connel, was being held hostage by King Leopold. But not joining King Timothy still felt wrong. The Western Region should unite and support King Timothy. After all, it was Timothy Castonia who saved them. Ryon sat on the crenel of the wall and took a piece of bread from his pocket. The thing was already a little moldy and Ryon was reluctant to eat it. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth and chewed the moldy bread. He can''t waste food. What a life, he thought. Boring, uneventful and dull. Staying here in Greenwater would probably rob him of his sanity in the end. This wasn''t actually his first time to be assigned with garrison duties. But his entire being demands action. King Timothy is fighting against King Leopold. Marquis Connel is defending against the Tulosans. While he¡­ Ryon sighed and smiled bitterly. He was doing nothing, stuck in Greenwater like a nanny. "Sir!" a soldier ran towards Ryon and saluted. "What is it?" Ryon asked. He immediately pressed his hands against the crenel and stood up. "We¡­ we have spotted ships sir! Dozens of them." "What!?" Ryon exclaimed. He was startled by the report. Why would ships approach the city? Because of what King Leopold did, Castonia''s lost most of its trading partners. The ships shouldn''t be merchants. Ryon''s instincts were tingling. He didn''t wait for the soldier''s answer and ran towards the southern wall facing the sea. After reaching the southern wall, he looked towards the sea and saw dozens of galleys approaching the city. Many soldiers were also looking at the spectacle. Ryon squinted and saw that the galleys belong to the Kingdom of Calgari. "Sir, should we send them a message and demand identification?" A soldier behind him asked. Ryon was left speechless for a while. "No" he then said. He looked at the soldier and frowned. "Sound the alarm" "Alarm? But the protocol.." Ryon grabbed the soldier''s shoulders. "Sound the alarm! We are under attack!" 73 Battle of Greenwater 1 The defenders of Greenwater quickly took action. Because of the Tulosan invasion, Ryon''s cohort was under-strength with only 700 men. He ordered five centuries to defend the breach in the western wall. The remaining two centuries were scattered around the top of the walls to deter any attempt of the enemies to scale the walls with ladder. Thankfully, the Eastern gate had already been repaired or else his already puny force would be further divided. Ryon then turned his attention to the navy. He knew that Greenwater, having Castonia''s biggest port, had the bulk of the navy. Bulk? Ryon wanted to laugh. While it''s true that half of the navy were in Greenwater, the entire Castonian fleet was composed of only twenty war galleys. Decades of fighting land battles had prompted Castonia to neglect its navy. Nevertheless, Ryon had a plan and it involves the ten war galleys in the port. In less than an hour, the Castonians were already in position. The five centuries below formed a shield wall to defend the breach. The men on top of the walls were also ready with their crossbows. Ryon then surveyed the enemies. Calgarians, he silently cursed. Back-stabbing bastards. Calgari and Castonia were indifferent towards each other. Although Calgari shares the Golden Sea with Castonia, the two nations don''t have a common border. Ryon was confused as to why the Calgarians would suddenly attack Greenwater. The Calgarians then made their move. Just as he expected, their flagship will not join the battle. Good, he thought. He can still go through with his plan. But the other sixty transport galleys approached the city. Compared to war galleys, transport galleys were larger and slower. Including the rowers, transport galleys could accommodate nearly two hundred men. Twelve thousand. That was the number of enemies they have to face. Such a large force, he thought. The defenders on the other hand, were few. Including the men from the navy, Ryon had less than two thousand soldiers. One by one, the sixty transport galleys berthed on a beachhead just outside the city. Because the beachhead was narrow, it will still take a long time for the entire Calgarian army to finish their disembarkation. "Should we send the signal now sir?" the soldier behind Ryon asked. He looked at the soldier and shook his head. "Not yet. We must draw them in. We must wait until their entire force is already committed in the assault. Be patient." He looked towards the enemy ships. Half of them had already berthed. It wouldn''t take long. Time ticked slowly and Ryon was slowly losing his nerve. He looked towards the enemy flagship. The Calgarian flagship remained stationary in the deep water and three other ships protected it. Ryon rubbed his two palms together. He was sweating hard but his body felt cold. His heart was thumping like crazy. He cursed himself for wishing for action. Now that action had finally come to Greenwater, he missed the peace. He was a fool for thinking that peace was boring. If given a choice, Ryon would choose being the nanny of Greenwater over being its defender. "Sir I think we should do it now" the soldier again said. Ryon looked at the sixty transport vessels. Most of them had already reached the shores. He saw that they had already committed their entire force. "Now!" Ryon commanded. The soldier raised a flag to signal the commencement of their plan. Ryon''s plan was actually simple ¨C stab the enemy in the heart. The Castonian navy will attack the enemy flagship. Without their Admiral, the Calgarians would lose hope and rout. The chain that guarded the port was dropped and the ten war galleys sailed towards the enemy flagship. The Castonian galleys raised their sails and the marines rowed with vigor. The war galleys approached the enemy flagship like arrows. Ryon bit his lips and hoped for the best. ***************************************************************************** The Basilisk, Flagship of the Calgarians "Now those are ships!" Commodore Charles exclaimed while pointing at the approaching Castonian war galleys. "Sleek, fast and powerful. Nine, no, more than ten knots. And look at those sailors. Look at how fast they row. It''s amazing!" "Castonian war galleys are currently approaching us at full speed and you are acting like that? You are insane, Commodore" Morgan said with a laugh. He then took a bite from an apple. He savored the taste because the apple in his hand was the last piece of fresh fruit in their food reserves. Life at sea sure had its downsides. "You are not better Admiral." The Commodore laughed. "Eating while the enemy fleet approaches us. They are the feared Castonians you know. Sons of the Warrior. We should be afraid. But you.." Commodore Charles shook his head "You are not a bit afraid." "That''s because I had already imagined the outcome. Men are anxious creatures, Commodore. But a man who already knows about the outcome of his action, is a man deprived of fear." Morgan said. "Wise words Admiral." Commodore Charles stroked his beard. "And how do you imagine the future to be Admiral? What scene comes to your mind?" Morgan turned his body towards Commodore Charles. He then smiled. "Drowning Castonians" ************************************************************************** From the top of the southern wall of Greenwater, Prefect Ryon watched the war galleys. Even though the Castonian navy was small, all of the marines were professionals. Castonian soldiers had a stigma against the marines. But seeing the smooth but fast movement of the war galleys, he couldn''t help but feel awed. But the war galleys suddenly slowed their approach. Ryon saw that the captains were frantically giving orders to the marines. The marines on the other hand, started rowing towards the opposite direction. It was as if they were about to hit a wall. And then he saw it. Two dozen enemy ships appeared out of nowhere. They have been hiding all along. He saw the moment the enemy ships slammed against the Castonian galleys. The impact threw many of the marines into the water. Since the marines were wearing the standard heavy armor of Castonian soldiers, most of them drowned. In just a few minutes, three Castonian galleys were already sunk. Piles of wooden debris float in the water where hundreds of marines were drowning. It was a trap. They had fallen into a trap. The Calgarian flagship was a bait to lure the Castonian galleys out of the port and Ryon took the bait. Strength left his knees and he almost fell. This can''t be, he thought. His orders doomed hundreds of his brothers. His already small army just grew smaller. It was his fault. He was too arrogant for thinking that the Calgarians would just leave their flagship undefended. He again looked at the situation. One more galley was sinking and another was being boarded by the Calgarians. The five remaining galleys were retreating towards the port while being chased by the Calgarians. One of the retreating galleys was caught and men from two of the enemy galleys boarded it. Compared to the larger galleys of the Calgarians, Castonian galleys were smaller and could only accommodate a hundred marines. So although the Castonians were armored and were better trained, they were surrounded and slaughtered by the Calgarians. As for the remaining four Castonian ships, they barely avoided capture. They reached the safety of the port in time. Ryon was stunned by the events but he quickly regained his senses. Even though the disaster was his fault, he was still the leader of the defenders. He must remain strong or else his soldiers would further lose morale. He straightened his back and puffed his chest. He then ran towards the port to check on the marines. What he saw after he arrived wasn''t good. All of the surviving marines were exhausted. Many of them were shaking while the others were looking blankly at the horizon. A captain then noticed Ryon. The man was bathing in his own sweat and he had this pained look in his face. The captain pointed at Ryon with his fingers shaking. "You caused this!" the captain shouted "You sent us there to die! I saw them. I saw them drown" the captain''s voice became pitched and tears started to fall from his eyes. "Their screams¡­" the man continued to talk but his words were reduced to mumbles. Ryon was speechless. He wanted to smash his head on the pavement of the port, but he can''t. He must remain strong for his men. He then looked around and counted the survivor. It was a quick and inaccurate count, but he only needed an estimate anyway. Less than four hundred. From more or less a thousand marines, only four hundred survived. That means Ryon was responsible for the death of six hundred of his own men. His foolishness killed a third of the defenders. To make matters worse, Ryon heard the sound of a horn. The marines also heard it and most of them cowered in fear. It was the horn signaling the start of the attack. The Calgarian assault on the walls had begun. 74 Battle of Greenwater 2 With four hundred exhausted marines at his back, Prefect Ryon ran towards the breach in the western wall of Greenwater. When he arrived, the fighting had already started. The Castonians formed a wall of shields along the breach while the Calgarians were trying to break through their defense. The sound of steel hitting steel filled the air. Shouts and cries mixed and the familiar chaotic sight of battle was the scene in front of him. A soldier grabbed his shoulder and pointed to the top of the walls. "They are scaling the walls Prefect!" Ryon looked upwards and saw that the two Centuries stationed on top of the walls were already firing their crossbows. Some of them were fighting enemies who were successful in scaling the walls. He then decided that his men on the walls needed help more than the ones defending the breach. Ryon turned towards the exhausted marines. "We must prevent them from taking the walls." He pointed upwards "I know all of you are tired but we must fight" He didn''t wait for their answers or salutes. Ryon ascended to the top of the Western wall in haste. With sword in hand, he climbed the stony stairs of the wall. It didn''t take him long to reach the top. What he witnessed then was a terrifying sight. Thousands of Calgarians were attacking the defenders in the breach below. Although the Castonian defense was strong, they were being pushed back by sheer numbers. But the situation below was still manageable. Five Centuries of Castonian heavy infantry will not be destroyed that easily. On the other hand, the top of the wall needed immediate attention. There were already dozens of ladders leaning against the wall. Some of the enemies were still climbing, but many of them were already on the top and fighting against the defenders. He rushed towards the nearest ladder and grabbed a rock from the floor. There were stockpiles of rocks on top of the wall for this situation. He looked down and saw that three people were currently scaling the ladder. He aimed and hurled the rock towards the attackers. It found its mark. The rock hit the head of the Calgarian and the man immediately lost consciousness. He fell down. The other two stopped for a while and watched as their comrade fell. They then looked at Ryon with anger in their eyes and resumed climbing. "Help me push this ladder!" he shouted to a soldier beside him. The soldier nodded and dropped his crossbow. He then grabbed a spear and used its blunt end to push the ladder away from the wall. Ryon also helped. Pushing a ladder with two fully grown men in it required strength. Ryon planted his feet on the floor and pushed the ladder with all his might. He could feel that the two enemies also hurried their climb. Little by little, the ladder tilted away from the wall. A hand appeared from below the ladder revealing that one of the Calgarians had already reached the top. But it was too late, Ryon and the soldier were able to push the ladder away. Ryon heard screams as the ladder fell. He didn''t bother looking down. The two Calgarians were as good as dead. "Where is your Centurion?" Ryon turned his head and asked the soldier. But he was greeted by the sight of the soldier being impaled by a spear from behind. The tip of the spear protruded from the soldier''s chest and blood dripped from his mouth. Ryon realized the danger and he jumped back to avoid another spear thrust directed towards him. Apparently, a group of Calgarians were able to scale the walls from another ladder. There were five of them. He gripped his sword and was about to rush forward when someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. Ryon turned around and saw that the one who grabbed his shoulder was the Captain who shouted to him earlier. "Leave this to us Prefect" The Captain said. "The men below need you." Ryon looked below. The Castonians defending the breach were being pushed back. Some of them were already routing. Her cursed himself for making another mistake. He thought that the line below will hold for a long time. He was wrong. The Castonian defense is crumbling. It will be catastrophic if the enemies captured the wall through the breach. He nodded. "Protect the walls at all cost" Ryon didn''t look back and ran towards the stairs. Behind, he heard the clattering of swords, spears, shields and armors. But he didn''t worry about the marines. They will not lose control of the top of the walls with the help of the marines. He went down the stairs as quickly as he ascended earlier. Many of his men were routing and the ones at the front were being pushed back. The Centurions were trying their best to drag the fleeing soldiers towards the front line. But it wasn''t enough. The sight of thousands of enemies and the news of the destruction of the navy siphoned courage from the Castonians. "Go back you cowards!" he roared but the soldiers continued their retreat. Some of them bumped into Ryon without batting an eye. Ryon himself started to lose hope. The battle was turning into a full-blown rout. Greenwater will fall if the rout wasn''t stopped. And then the retreating soldiers stopped. Their eyes widened and the battlefield was put into a momentary silence. Ryon turned around to find out the cause of their shock. He saw a woman surrounded by her guards. She was old, but her presence still emits an aura of wisdom and strength. Everyone in Greenwater would show respect whenever she was around. The woman''s name was Maria Connel, wife of Marquis Benedict Connel. "Lady Maria? What are you doing here? You should go back this is dangerous!" Ryon almost exclaimed but he needed to show respect to the wife of the Marquis. "The last time I checked, mere Prefects can''t command nobles." She smiled and her white old teeth were revealed. The smile then faded from her face and her expression turned serious. "You should learn when to shut your mouth Ryon." Ryon was cut by her sharp words. "I''m sorry Lady Maria.. I just¡­" She didn''t let Ryon finish and walked forward. She looked around and raised her chin. Her actions demanded the attention of the fleeing soldiers. "So what do we have here? I thought the battle is at the front, not behind." Lady Maria then turned to one of her guards. "Tell me, is there a battle behind?" "No My Lady" the guard answered. Lady Maria pointed at the soldiers. "Then where are they going? Is there a naked woman in the back?" "I think they are routing My Lady" "Ha! Routing. Haven''t heard that word since the battle of Pedes thirty years ago. This must be a historic moment! Castonian soldiers running like rabbits, what a great sight. Well I say let them rout. Let them cower and flee. Men without balls. Truly a sight to behold." She mocked the soldiers "Let''s go. Men without balls annoy me." Lady Maria and her guards went forward to the remaining defenders in the breach. Ryon realized what she was going to do. He needed to stop her. "Lady Maria, where are you going!?" Ryon shouted. He must keep her safe. His honor wouldn''t take it if the Lady dies on his watch. Maria Connel turned around "Well seeing that the brave and strong Castonian heavy infantry is retreating, I don''t have a choice but to defend the walls myself. Let''s see if these old and frail bones of mine could break someone''s skull." She turned around and continued. "No! Stop. It''s dangerous!" Ryon implored but she didn''t listen. He then turned to the soldiers who were equally surprised. "Fools! Protect her! You dare call yourselves soldiers and you can''t even protect an old woman?" His words struck the soldiers. They grabbed the weapons they had already thrown and went back to the front lines. The collapsing shield wall at the front was now holding. Instead of being pushed back, the Castonians were the ones pushing the Calgarians away. With renewed vigor, they fought ferociously. Ryon didn''t join the fight and instead went to lady Connel. She was at the front, being protected by the soldiers who were routing earlier. "My Lady, thank you for doing this. Your presence strengthens the men''s will." he said. She didn''t reply and continued watching the battle. Ryon decided that since she was not in the mood to talk, he should just leave and join the battle. But when he was about to walk forward, she asked him. "Reports say that you fucked up. Is that true?" Ryon lowered his head in shame. "Yes. It''s true." "Oh don''t look so grim Prefect. Everybody fucks up. It''s part of life." She looked at him. "You just fucked up horribly" Ryon bit his lips. He was hurt. "That doesn''t make me feel better My Lady" "Who said I want to make you feel better? I''m just telling you to smile a little. Your gloomy face irritates me." Ryon laughed. Lady Maria was still the same. "Don''t laugh either. It''s more annoying than your gloomy face. Just remain silent and watch the battle with me." She said. Ryon pursed his lips and didn''t make a sound after that. He stood beside the Lady in the front lines for hours. Their presence prevented the soldiers from routing. The battle lasted until sundown. Civilians also joined the battle with their knives, axes and various household weapons. In the end, it was a stalemate. The Calgarians retreated to their ships for the night. The Calgarian assault on the top of the walls failed too. The marines prevented their attempt to scale the walls. But the defenders were battered. Dead bodies piled on the breach in the walls. Hundreds were also injured. Ryon estimated that less than half of his men remained. Greenwater will fall tomorrow. "Well that was a bloody affair." Lady Maria commented while watching the injured being carried away. Some of them will not survive the night. "I don''t think we can defend Greenwater tomorrow My Lady" Ryon said. "You may be right Prefect. Tough world eh? Come to my villa with your surviving officers. We will make our plans for tomorrow. Let''s make Greenwater''s last stand as grandiose as possible." She walked away with her surviving guards and Ryon was left alone. Greenwater''s last stand, he silently repeated. What a sad way to go. 75 Last Meal "We are doomed aren''t we?" Lady Maria asked as she took a bite from the grilled pork on her plate. She chewed and then pointed the fork towards the officers. "We survived today but their attack tomorrow will surely break our defenses. Let''s get that straight. I don''t want anyone having false hopes." Food was served in front of the officers but none of them ate. Everyone was worried about the battle tomorrow. Only the Lady was the one brave enough to admit that everyone''s going to die tomorrow. Ryon himself was hungry. The battle which lasted until sundown robbed him of his strength. But he can''t eat. He was not in the mood to eat. In the end, he just found himself fiddling with the spoon. "Lady Maria, I have a proposition" Ryon said. She was about to put the spoon into her mouth but she stopped after hearing Ryon. She lowered the spoon and looked at him. "And what might that be Prefect?" Ryon hesitated because what he had in mind will dishonor the Connel family. Lady Maria may get angry. But he decided to tell her anyway. "I think you should flee the city tonight. You can seek refuge from King Timothy. He will protect you. My Lady, you must survive." Ryon prepared himself for her sharp words, but she gave him a smile instead. "Thank you Prefect" the old Lady said. "But I can''t leave. I''m old and frail. I can''t even ride a horse now. There''s no way for me to reach Solon without dying along the way." "A carriage then" Ryon immediately said. She laughed. "A carriage. And do you think they don''t have scouts scattered on the road? Do you think they hadn''t thought of that? They will capture me and only the heavens know what they''ll do to me." After hearing her words, one of the Centurions couldn''t hold his anger anymore. "Bloody Calgarians!" he screamed. His anger was contagious. Another Centurion cursed. "Bastards! Rotten eggs! Attacking us just like that!? Striking us when we are down. Where is their honor?" "I say King Timothy will avenge us and raze their cities to the ground!" A captain exclaimed. "You wish. King Timothy still needs to win the civil war. After that he needs to face the Tulosans. What Lady Maria said was right. We are doomed!" "Defeatist talk!" A Centurion pointed at the man "People like you shouldn''t be in the army!" The once quiet dining room was filled with the rowdy argument of the officers. Slurs and shouts were exchanged. Ryon spied Lady Maria and saw that she was quietly enjoying her dinner. This situation remained until an officer pounded his fist on the table. Lady Maria cleared her throat. "I really don''t mind you arguing, but can you please leave my table out of it?" All of the officers looked at her and behaved. Those who were standing went back to their seats. The room became quiet again until one of the officers started laughing. Little by little, the other officers joined him. Ryon laughed too and the tension in the room vanished. "Fool, Lady Maria''s table is worth more than your house!" a Captain pointed at the Centurion who pounded his fist on the table. The Centurion looked at Lady Maria. "You may be right." He said laughingly "Lady Maria, don''t take this from my salary this month" "I won''t. You salary won''t be enough anyway" she shrugged. Her answer drew more laughter from the officers. They then started to eat. Ryon also found the current atmosphere more pleasing. The officers ate like they don''t have a single problem in the world. They talked like old friends. After remaining like that for a while, Lady Maria then asked the heavy question. "So, any suggestions for the defense tomorrow?" Unlike before, the officers were now able to respond to her question. "Caltrops, spikes and boiling oil" a Centurion said while chewing. "I can also order my men to repair the broken ballistae." Another officer added. "What if we lure them into the villa and then attack from behind?" "Attack with what? They outnumber us maybe thirty to one." "Oh I know! We should repeat what King Timothy did at Knightsend. We can let them through the breach and then seal it with, er, something." "There''s no way they will fall for that. Everybody had already heard about what happened in Knightsend. Also we can''t seal the breach" Everyone gave their opinion and the dinner lasted for more than an hour. As the officer with the highest rank, Ryon was responsible for making the final decision. But before he did, he consulted with Lady Maria first. In the end, they came up with a simple yet effective plan. They will again defend the breach but this time, they will plant traps for the enemies. Caltrops and spikes will be scattered. Some of the soldiers will try to repair the ballistae. Boiling oil will be poured to the attackers from the top of the wall. Also, they will ditch their spears for the longer pikes. The officers went to their separate ways after finalizing the plan. Tonight will be a busy night. Everybody knew that they will die tomorrow. But before they do, they will make the Calgarians bleed. Before Ryon could leave, Lady Maria prevented him. She said that they still had to talk about something important. The dining table was cleaned and wine was served. Ryon was left alone with the Lady. "Wine?" Ryon raised his brows. "What? You think an old woman like me can''t drink wine?" She laughed. "Well it''s true, I can''t and I shouldn''t. My stomach is weak. But we''re going to die tomorrow so who cares" "You''re not going to die Lady Maria. The Calgarians will not kill you." He assured her. It was true though. They will not waste an important hostage. Lady Maria just smiled and stood up. She supported her body with a cane. Ryon''s heart ached. Earlier she was standing proudly in the front line. She stood for hours. But Ryon just discovered that her legs were already so weak that she needed a cane to walk. She endured earlier for the soldiers. She went to the living room and came back with a sword in her hand. The sword''s pommel was made of gold and there were gems embedded in it. The sword was beautiful but it was impractical. "This sword was my Father''s. He gave this to me just before he died. He said that I should give this to my son but Erik won''t take it. He said that the sword is useless anyway." She then laughed. "The Golden Useless Sword. That''s what he called it." "Pardon me for saying this but he was right Lady Maria. The pommel is soft and heavy. It upsets the balance of the blade. The gems also make the handle uncomfortable for the wielder." Ryon commented. "That''s exactly what he said. You sound like my son Ryon, only he is smarter" "Being compared to your son brings me joy My Lady" he bowed his head a little. "So what''s with the sword?" Lady Maria caressed the blade of the sword. "Tomorrow when all hope is lost, I want you to stab me with this" "What!?" Like a released spring he asked immediately. She looked at him. "I have no plans to let myself captured Prefect. The Calgarians will make me a bargaining chip against my husband and my son. I can''t let that happen. My husband will surely return to Greenwater immediately and nobody knows what will happen to him. Erik will also betray Timothy for my sake and I don''t want the young Lion to destroy my Erik." Ryon stood up and slammed his fist on the table. He doesn''t care even if the damage on the table costs him his entire life''s salary. "I will not kill you" he stressed each word. "Nobody will know Prefect. This is an order. I''m also dying from a disease so your conscience can be free." "Do it yourself then! Or drink poison. Do what you want just leave me out of this!" he shouted. In response, Lady Maria just looked outside the window. "The Connel family does not deal with poisons Ryon. Also I can''t do it. I''m too scared to stab myself. I''ve always been scared." She then looked at him. Her face was still the same, but tears started to flow from her eyes. "I have been forcing myself to look strong in front of the soldiers. But the truth is, I''m weak." She admitted. Her voice started to crack. "My husband, my dear Benedict, is going to defend a small castle against the Tulosans. My boy is being held hostage at the Capital. Do you think I''m ready to die? No I''m not. I want to see my husband and my boy again. I want to feel their embrace again. They are everything to me. I want to see them even if it''s just once. Even once will be enough. But I can''t let the Calgarians use me to harm them. I will die before I let something happen to my family." By now, Lady Maria was sobbing and her tough appearance was gone. She looked like a normal old woman who was afraid to die, but will chose death in order to defend her husband and her son. Ryon was reminded that Lady Maria was still a human being, fearful and emotional. "Does it really have to be me?" he asked. "I trust you know how to make it painless?" Ryon nodded. "Then it has to be you. Make it quick and make it look like I did it. Thank you Ryon" "Don''t thank me yet Lady Maria. I''m not promising anything. I may not be able to do it tomorrow." She smiled and nodded. 76 The Pelican Mercus Plains, Western Castonia Two thousand horses were trotting fast towards the direction of Greenwater. It was still early but Timothy and his men were already travelling. For the past days, they only stopped a couple of times to rest for a few hours. He looked beside him and saw that Lucia was holding tightly on the reins of her mount. She closes her eyes every now and then, a clear indication that she was tired. Timothy felt sorry that he had to put her into this ordeal. He wanted to let her stay in Solon but he needed her for this. Other than taking two thousand men to reinforce Greenwater, they also asked for the help of the Vanadian navy to defend Greenwater. The Vanadian navy will not listen to him without Lucia. So although his heart aches whenever he looks at her deplorable state, he had no choice but to endure. Lucia must have noticed Timothy because she also looked at him and smiled. "I''m fine" she said "Don''t worry about me." "That actually makes me more worried about you." Lucia laughed. Her hair was swaying with the morning wind. "I told you, I''m fine. We will be there by tomorrow anyway." "Okay" Timothy nodded. "But tomorrow you must stay in the back lines. I''ll leave a hundred of my men with you. If the battle is lost, flee and don''t look back." "I prefer if both of us stay at the back. You are a King now. You can''t join battles anymore." Timothy didn''t reply because she was right. The Calgarians will surely rush towards him in the battlefield. But aside from him, nobody could lead the soldiers. Well Henry could, but the Castonians wouldn''t listen to the commands of a foreigner. "Your Majesty, a scout just returned. He said that he needs to report to you immediately" the large man behind him informed. Timothy turned his head towards Abraham. "Bring him here" After a while, the scout approached Timothy on horseback. After seeing the man, Timothy smiled. So it''s him, he thought. "Centurion John." Timtohy greeted. "I''m surprised to see a Centurion on scouting duty. Well you can tell me your reasons later. Tell me of the situation." John saluted. "It''s bad Your Majesty. We saw the battle yesterday. The defenders were able to survive but at a great cost. One more assault and the Calgarians will break them." Timothy''s heart sank. He was too late. If the Calgarians attack today, then according to Centurion John''s report, Greenwater will fall. They were still nearly a hundred miles away from Greenwater and the journey will still take them a day or two. He turned towards Henry. "Any suggestions?" Henry thought for a while but then he shook his head. "The horses are tired King Timothy. This is as fast as we can go" he then lowered his head. "I''m sorry. If I just told you a little bit sooner we could have¡­" "It''s alright. Don''t think about what had already happened. We can''t change the past anyway. Just do your job as my cavalry trainer" Timothy interrupted. He was not in the mood to hear another apology from Henry. He then turned back to Centurion John. "I hope you''re wrong Centurion. I hope Greenwater could survive another day. Because if they can''t.." Timothy looked towards the direction of the city. "I don''t even want to imagine how dark our situation will be" ****************************************************************************** Greenwater Prefect Ryon was watching the Calgarian fleet from the top of the southern wall. He had already counted the number of galleys several times. Each time, he got the same number. Eighty-seven. What a great fleet he thought. Seventeen thousand men, enough to destroy his tiny army many times over. It was a miracle that they survived yesterday. It would take more than a miracle for them to survive the assault today. "Ugly flags, don''t you think" an old woman''s voice sounded from behind. "The colors.. they don''t complement each other. Whoever designed their flag should be hanged." Ryon didn''t turn towards her and continued watching the Calgarians. "What are you doing here Lady Maria? You should stay in your house." "You are gloomy again today Prefect." She chuckled. "Normally your gloomy face irritates me but I can make an exception just for today" Ryon leaned forward against the merlon of the wall. "Don''t you find it sad, Lady Maria? Sometimes even if we do our best, things just don''t go our way. Most of my men will fight until their last breaths but what will that change? In the end their sacrifices will be forgotten, not even a dot in history." Lady Maria joined him. She put her cane down and also leaned against the wall. "I think the future historians will write about me Ryon. The Lady of Greenwater who chose an honorable suicide over getting captured by the Calgarians. My story will surely draw tears from the future generations" Lady Maria said laughingly. "But do you think I really want that Ryon? Do you think that''s my dream?" Lady Maria shook her head. "No. I don''t care whether the future generations will remember about me or not. All I want is to spend my days peacefully with Benedict and Erik. I want to see Erik marry a woman who loves him and will care for him. I want to see my grandchildren, Ryon. I would gladly trade my page in history for that. Not everybody wants to be remembered Ryon. Sure, it will be great. But the essence of one''s life is not in the future, it''s at the present. The soldiers who will die today will be forgotten. But if they''re happy and contented, then how is that sad?" Ryon sighed. It was a bad idea to discuss philosophy with her. "You''re right Lady Maria. It''s not a sad thing." He looked towards the ocean. Its blue hue was calming despite the distressing sight of the Calgarian ships. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the breeze. "But it''s not happy either" he silently mumbled. ****************************************************************************** The Basilisk, Flagship of the Calgarian Fleet The captains of the other galleys were all giving their speeches to their men. This will be their final assault and great speeches will give the soldiers the courage and the strength to win. But Morgan didn''t bother giving a speech to the crew of The Basilisk. His flagship will not join the battle anyway. Also, he was not that kind of leader. Giving speeches was not his forte. "Won''t you go to your squadron?" he asked Commodore Charles. Charles stretched his limbs and yawned. "What squadron? I left my squadron of war galleys in Calgari." He pointed towards a group of transport galleys. "But if you mean these ugly things, then my answer is no. My Captains can manage by themselves. It''s not like were fighting a naval battle anyway." "Stay here then. Let''s watch the fall of Greenwater together." Morgan said. "Well I''m not disrespectful enough to refuse an Admiral''s offer." The Commodore went to Morgan''s side. "I''m surprised though. You are not a bit nervous. Our scouts say that King Timothy is on his way. Shouldn''t you be afraid? "Afraid of what? A lion cub?" Morgan sneered. "He''s too late anyway. He can''t reinforce Greenwater in time. I told you, I have already imagined the outcome of this campaign. I may have made a slight miscalculation yesterday but that''s because the Castonians exhibited uncanny stubbornness. Greenwater will fall today, I assure you." "Then let''s begin. I''m tired of staying in this cramped ship. No offense, your flagship is great. But I hadn''t had a bath since we left Calgari." Morgan laughed. "Fine, let''s begin. I''m also tired of waiting. I think the Captains had already said their flowery words." Morgan was about to give the order to advance when the First Mate came running to him. He was in a hurry and almost tumbled at one point. He was panting when he finally faced Morgan. "What is it First Mate? I''m about to give the order to advance." Morgan said in an unfriendly tone. Being interrupted is one of the things he hated the most. "Admiral, I think¡­" "I told you First Mate, it''s either you know or you don''t. It is bad manners to forget the advice of your superior. Now, repeat.." "Admiral we don''t have time for this!" The First Mate raised his voice. Morgan almost lost his temper but he calmed himself. "Fine! Report." "The scouting ships signaled that they saw a fleet approaching our direction. The fleet is close Admiral. It seems they sailed nonstop through the night." Morgan''s face twisted. He started to become anxious. The appearance of another fleet was beyond his expectations. "What flag?" he gnashed his teeth. "I don''t want to jump to conclusions Admiral. The reports of the scouting vessels were still hazy." He grabbed the First Mate''s naval uniform. "What flag!?" The First Mate looked at Morgan. "A pelican spreading its wings around a ship. It''s the Vanadian Navy" Morgan''s hands started to shake. He let go of the First Mate''s uniform. He realized the imminent disaster that will befall his fleet. "Retreat" he mumbled. Nobody heard it. He tried to repeat his order to retreat but his voice was lost. Morgan was in shock. He was afraid. Commodore Charles had also realized the danger. He was less shocked compared to Morgan so he gave the order. "Retreat! Order the entire fleet to retreat! Faster!" the Commodore shouted. In just a few moments, the entire fleet was stirred like a disturbed beehive. The Captains were issuing orders and the crew were running around. Meanwhile, none of the ruckus reached Morgan''s senses. He was still in shock. He could imagine his fleet being devastated by the Vanadians. One saying kept repeating on his head. Every sailor in the world knew about this phrase. ''When you see the pelican on land, you can laugh. But when you meet the Pelican at sea, you bow your filthy head and show respect.'' 77 Hellfire "Admiral!" Morgan''s ears were ringing and he couldn''t make sense of what Commodore Charles was saying. The Commodore shook his shoulders violently. After seeing that this didn''t work, he slapped Morgan. "Get a hold of yourself Admiral!" he shouted to Morgan''s face. The Commodore''s slap was like icy water poured all over his body. Morgan was awakened from his trance. "What?" he asked confusedly. His mind had been severed from reality for so long that he forgot about their situation. "What should we do? Reports say that the Vanadians hunter ships are chasing us" Morgan''s senses returned and his mind quickly went to action. "How far are they?" "Less than a mile from our last ship." "They hadn''t attacked yet? Commodore, Vanadian hunters are probably the fastest ships in the world. They should have already caught our ships in the rear." Morgan creased his brows. That doesn''t make sense. And then a sudden realization came to him. "Wait! Where are we?" Commodore Charles immediately took a map from his pocket and spread it on the deck. He knelt and pointed at their location. "Here" Morgan also knelt and examined the map. Commodore Charles was pointing at a location southeast of Greenwater. Calgari is located southwest of Greenwater so this meant that they had gone off course. "Tell me Commodore, they have been directing our movement haven''t they?" Commodore Charles nodded. "We tried to go southwest but they forced us to go east instead. But it''s alright, we have avoided battle so far." "Then don''t you see what they are doing?!" Morgan''s body shook again. He had a bad feeling about this. This felt like a hunting technique, only they were the ones being hunted. "I think they are chasing us towards the rest of their forces. We must go the other way immediately" "But if we go west, we will clash with the Vanadian hunters. We will lose many of our ships to them." Commodore Charles reasoned "I don''t care! We must go southwest now!" he stood up and was about to give the order when the First Mate pointed forward and shouted a report. It was a report that confirmed his hypothesis. "Ships at the front!" Morgan looked at the direction the First Mate was pointing to. What he saw was his own nightmare. It was a sight that no sailor dreamed of seeing. For a seasoned Admiral like Morgan, the scene meant fire and destruction. There were dozens of Vanadian Hurlers aiming their catapult towards Morgan''s fleet. "Commodore" Morgan calmly called to the man beside him. He realized that they can''t do anything. Once the Vanadian Hurlers had already aimed, only luck could save a ship. He had no choice but to let the Gods decide his fate. He turned his head towards the Commodore. He only had one order for him. "Pray" Just as he finished saying the word, the simultaneous boing of torsion springs can be heard. It was the sound of a great force being released. The sky was filled with hundreds of flaming projectiles flying in an arc. Morgan prayed to all the Gods that none of the projectiles will hit his flagship. The worst weapon ever devised for naval warfare was currently being used against them. The Vanadians call it hellfire, but for Morgan and the other unfortunate Admirals who had to face such a terrible weapon, the thing doesn''t have a name. Because fear doesn''t need a name. The Vanadian hellfire was an unholy concoction with unknown composition. The Vanadians first used it in the battle of Salam where they burned an entire fleet of pirates. Morgan had seen smuggled hellfire before. It was a slimy flammable liquid that burns even in water. It was lighter than seawater so it will float, which means it can cover the sea with fire. The Vanadians had kept the formula of hellfire a secret, making them terrifying to face in naval combat. The projectiles coated with hellfire landed on some of the galleys. Many missed their mark and hit the water instead. But even those projectiles were still dangerous as they coated the water with flame. Luckily, The Basilisk wasn''t hit. "Creton''s Ass! This is horrible!" Commodore Charles exclaimed while looking at the burning ships. The crew of those ships were also burning. Some jumped into the water only to find out that the water was burning too. Creton might not forgive Commodore Charles for his blasphemous tongue, but the Commodore was right. This is horrible. Morgan snapped out of his trance. The Vanadian Hurlers were already reloading and they have to get out of here. "Turn back!" he shouted to the dazed crew of The Basilisk. The men also snapped out of their trance and started rowing. Morgan tried his best to maneuver the ship. The Vanadian Hurlers may be devastating, but they are slow. Even transport galleys were faster than them. The Basilisk was able to turn around. The other surviving ships also followed. They fled towards the other direction. They will face the Vanadian Hunters along the way, but that is better than being grilled by hellfire. Morgan again heard the unholy boing of torsion springs behind them. He turned his head and confirmed that the Hurlers had fired for the second time. The burning projectiles chased the surviving ships of his fleet. The effect was less devastating this time. Nevertheless, more than a dozen ships were hit. But they were successful. Morgan''s fleet was outside of the range of the Hurlers. He thanked every God he could think of, including the Castonian''s Omniscient. But before his men could breathe, a new danger presented itself. The Vanadian Hunters were sailing towards them. The Hunters were designed for speed and ramming power. The rams mounted on their bows could puncture enemy ships with ease. Their extraordinary speed gives birth to a deadly momentum. "Row! Faster!" Morgan implored his men. Even though they were already exhausted, the crew of The Basilisk rowed like their lives depended on it. It was true though, their lives really depended on their speed. After a while, the Hunters slammed against Morgan''s fleet. Several ships were punctured. Some unlucky vessels which were hit by multiple Hunters sank immediately. Morgan''s flagship again survived the ordeal but thousands of his men were drowning behind. He doesn''t care about that now. His only thought was to survive. He needed to live. After the initial collision, the Hunters again followed Morgan''s fleet. The Flagship was at the front so it was relatively safe from the attack behind. The harassment continued for long time as they fled towards the southeast. It took several hours, but the Hunters eventually grew tired and retreated. Morgan counted the number of ships remaining. Twenty-six. Only a third of his fleet survived the Vanadian attack. In just a few hours, he lost more than ten thousand men. "So what are we going to do now?" Commodore Charles asked. His haughty attitude was gone. "We.." Morgan stopped. For the first time in his life, he doesn''t know what to do. They just suffered a devastating defeat. He thought that he would be dining in Greenwater by the end of the day. Now, he was in the middle of the Golden Sea with a ravaged fleet. Morgan fell backwards. It was painful, but Morgan didn''t mind the pain. He just realized what''s going to happen next. "The Queen will be pissed" ***************************************************************************** The sun was setting but Ryon and Lady Maria were standing in the dock. They were waiting for the arrival of their allies who saved them earlier. It was a miracle. Ryon had prepared himself for the Calgarian assault just this morning. But instead of attacking, the Calgarians turned back. At first everyone including Lady Maria was confused. But then they discovered the reason why the Calgarians fled. A messenger arrived and told them that the Vanadian Navy was chasing the Calgarians. The messenger also requested the use of the port. Apparently, King Timothy was also on his way towards Greenwater and he requested the help of the Vanadians. Lady Maria agreed and now they are waiting for their allies. Even though Greenwater chose to remain neutral in the civil war, they can''t deny their saviors. The chain guarding the port was lowered and a huge ship entered the port followed by hundreds of galleys. There were so many ships that the port of Greenwater wasn''t able to accommodate all of them. After the flagship had docked, a young man descended on the dock. He was being escorted by his retinue. His clothes and his actions betrayed his lavish lifestyle to everyone. "Greetings dear ally" the man spread his arms. "I am Arthur Vanadis, your savior. You can now thank me for saving your lives." Even though Arthur Vanadis really did save them, Ryon already disliked him. He was arrogant. Lady Maria looked at Ryon and shook her head a little as if indicating that Ryon should leave the talking to her. Lady Maria was about to step forward and thank Arthur Vanadis for saving them when another man descended from the flagship. The man was old and had an aura of authority around him. Every single one of his movements was regal. "Shut up Arthur, leading a squadron of ships that didn''t even join the battle doesn''t make you their savior." The old man said. His words silenced the arrogant Arthur. The old man then walked towards Ryon and Lady Maria. "While my navy did save you, I don''t want to introduce myself as your savior. I am simply your ally." He offered his hand towards Lady Maria. "I am King Edmund Vanadis" 78 Reunion They were about thirty miles away from Greenwater when Timothy and Lucia got the good news. The Vanadian navy, by sailing from Holm at full speed, had reached Greenwater in time. The relieved look on Tim''s face gladdened Lucia. Yesterday after they got the report that the defense of Greenwater wouldn''t last another day, Timothy became distressed. Even though he tried to hide his despair, Lucia had seen through it. She understood his feelings though. If Greenwater falls, then it doesn''t matter even if they win the civil war. The loss of Greenwater would be disastrous since the city could be used to supply the invasion force. Calgari and Tulosa could just send all of their armies without worrying about their supply lines. Lucia had seen the exact moment Timothy''s face lit up after the scout reported that the Vanadian navy had arrived to save the day. Timothy immediately looked at her like a child who had his wish fulfilled. "Thank you" he said. He only said two words but his expression was filled with a plethora of emotions. At that moment, they fully understood each other. Lucia felt Tim''s genuine gratitude towards her. Of course, seeing him like that made her blush. The scout also reported another piece of unexpected news. King Edmund Vanadis, her father, personally led the navy. Lucia felt mixed emotions after she heard that her father was currently in Greenwater. She was worried. Her father leading the navy meant that King Edmund wanted to join the war personally. His life would be put at risk. But Lucia was also happy, elated in fact. It had been nearly three months since she had last seen her father. She missed him. She can''t wait to tell him of the numerous adventures she had for the last few months. She also can''t wait to introduce Timothy to her father. Imagining the imminent encounter between the two most important people in her life filled Lucia''s heart with both excitement and anxiety. It seems Timothy was also anxious because he was asking nonstop about her father. "Does he like wine or tea?" Timothy asked. Lucia tried to remember her father''s preference but she found that she couldn''t discern it. "Both, I think. I''ve seen him drink tea, wine, rum and even beer as long as it was produced locally." Timothy gave her a surprised look. "You mean to tell me that King Edmund Vanadis prefers local produce? I thought he likes expensive things." Lucia laughed. So that''s how people from the outside views her father. But Lucia knew better. "Being expensive doesn''t automatically make a thing better. Some local produce taste better compared to the expensive food sold by foreign merchants." "But from what I heard, King Edmund is extravagant." "His extravagance is actually just for show Tim. He told me once that Vanadis needs to show its extravagance to the world. He said that we have a reputation to maintain." Lucia explained. "Is that so? Makes sense actually" Timothy commented. He then became silent. Lucia thought that she had already answered all of Timothy''s queries about her father. But Timothy asked her one more time. His question this time showed how anxious he was. "Do you think we could get along?" Lucia couldn''t help but smile. She was reminded that despite Timothy being the King of Western Castonia, he would still be restless when presented with the thought of meeting his lover''s father. "You''ll be fine" Lucia steered her horse closer to him. She then held his hand. "I think the two of you could get along" "Thank you." Timothy smiled. "And what about your brother?" Lucia was taken aback. She was so engrossed with the thought of her reunion with her father that she completely forgot about her brother. Her relation with her brother was the complete opposite of her relation with her father. "Arthur" Lucia paused and recalled her brother''s attitude. "He''s kind of a jerk. Haven''t I told you about his resentment against me?" "You did. That''s why I''m worried. Will he be a problem?" "No." Lucia shook her head. "He will try to cause trouble. With his personality, he would probably insult both of us and challenge our authority. But I believe you can take care of that?" Timothy grasped her hand tighter. "Don''t worry. If he dares insult you in front of me, then I will have no choice but to indulge in the experience of making a prince wet his pants." Lucia laughed. "That would be quite a sight" Despite losing the reason to continue their fast approach towards Greenwater, Lucia and Timothy had decided to keep their pace. They need to still need to plan their next move and to decide the fate of the city. As a result, they arrived in Greenwater that same day. Lucia looked around and saw that there were many ships anchored in the port. Lucia was not unfamiliar with them because these were the same ships she had seen in the port of Holm. After seeing their approach, Greenwater sent a welcome party. Twenty horsemen went out of the gate and greeted them. "King Timothy" The man at the front saluted. "I am Prefect Ryon Walt, the one in charge of the garrison of Greenwater" "It is an honor to meet you Prefect." Timothy looked around. "We rushed here to reinforce you against the Calgarians. But it seems they are gone. A shame Prefect." He grinned and pointed towards Abaraham at the back with his thumb. "Abraham here has been itching to bash some Calgarian skulls and see if it''s true that they bleed tea instead of blood" Prefect Ryon laughed to Timothy''s jest. "They don''t Your Majesty. They bleed like we do." He then bowed his head. "I would like to personally thank you for saving Greenwater. The Vanadian reinforcements you sent saved the city." "You''re wrong Prefect. I wasn''t the one who sent them and you are thanking the wrong person." He pointed towards Lucia. "This is Princess Lucia Vanadis, my betrothed. She is the one you should be thanking." Prefect Ryon turned his head towards Lucia and immediately lowered his head. "I''m sorry Your Highness. I apologize for my rudeness. And thank you for sending help" "It''s alright Prefect." Lucia smiled "By the way, where is my father?" "He''s at Lady Maria''s house along with your brother. I think he didn''t expect that you will arrive today." Lucia looked at Timothy. "Then let''s go meet him" The soldiers Timothy brought were escorted to the barracks and only their guards remained. Prefect Ryon led the party to Lady Maria''s house. Along the way, the people of Greenwater flocked towards them and cheered. The crowd was exuberant despite the pitiful state of the city. It took them nearly an hour just to reach the villa of the Connels. After entering the villa, Lucia and Timothy were then personally escorted by the Prefect to the living room. After opening the door, she saw the familiar back of her father. King Edmund was merrily talking with an old woman. There were also other people inside the room which includes Arthur. But Lucia doesn''t care about Arthur. Her attention was solely focused on the man who was recounting an old story. "Father" Lucia called. Her father stopped talking and turned his head. "Lucia?" he looked like he had seen a ghost. "I thought you''ll arrive¡­" He didn''t finish and immediately rushed towards Lucia. He embraced her. "Oh Lucia. My lovely Lucia. You have suffered. But don''t worry, I''m here now. Your father is here." Lucia buried his head on her father''s chest. She was holding back her tears. "I missed you Father" "Me too. I was so worried when you sent me that letter" he said as he caressed her hair. Lucia didn''t say anything and just enjoyed her father''s warmth. She had missed him. She thought at more than one point that she will never see him again. But now he''s here. After they parted, Lucia gestured towards Timothy. "Father, this is King Timothy Castonia." King Edmund looked at Timothy and examined him from head to toe. "You look different from what I imagined." Timothy went closer to him. "And how did you imagine I would look like?" "Older, bigger and with a huge scar like what the rumors say" King Edmund said. "The rumors also say that I can turn into a huge lion yet here I am, a completely normal human being." King Edmund paused as if thinking. "Have you tried staring at the full moon? They say moonlight gives power to shapeshifters" "I have" Timothy grinned. "And all I got were mosquito bites." And then there was silence. The silence was broken when King Edmund started to laugh. It was a chuckle at first but then it turned into a booming laughter. "He got humor" King Edmund said to Lucia while still controlling his laughter. He then offered his hand towards Timothy "I am King Edmund Vanadis. A pleasure to meet you" Timothy shook King Edmund''s hand and smiled. "I am King Timothy Castonia. The pleasure is all mine" 79 War Plans After shaking King Edmund''s hand, Timothy greeted Lady Maria. With her distinctive cane, she walked towards Timothy. "I suppose I should call you King Timothy now" she said. "Customs" Timothy shrugged. "Don''t blame me" he then smiled towards the old Lady. "It has been a while Lady Maria." "Ah yes. It has been a while King Timothy. The last time you were here, you were still a Prince, Castonia was still at peace, and Erik" she paused. "Erik was still a freeman." there was a hint of resentment in her voice. Timothy knew that Lady Maria still harbors resentment towards him. Erik sacrificed his own freedom for Timothy. Timothy knew how much the old lady cares for her son. So even though they were old friends, the relations turned somewhat sour after Erik''s capture. Timothy really felt sorry for her. Being a mother of a hostage wasn''t easy. But what Erik did was of his own decision. Timothy did not force or command Erik to do as such. Of course he felt guilty for what happened to his friend and he was thankful. But being blamed for what happened was unfair for him. Timothy did not want Erik to get captured. He benefited from what happened, but he did not want it. Being the King of Western Castonia, Timothy needed to assert his dominance. "You have quite the eye for noticing changes Lady Maria. Of course, I noticed some changes too. The last time I was here, Greenwater is still a bustling trade city. Now its dilapidated state makes my heart ache. Luckily, my soldiers and I won the battle of Knightsend or else I couldn''t even imagine what disaster could have befallen on the city." Speaking like this to Lady Maria made him uncomfortable. Timothy respected her and she was his friend. But he wanted her to know that the Timothy she was facing now was different from the Timothy who visited Greenwater three months ago. He is now a King and even a wife of a Marquis shouldn''t speak to him like that. Like the extravagance of Vanadis, Timothy had a reputation to uphold. As a response, Lady Maria gave a defeated smile. "You''ve grown up Timothy" her voice was so low that only Timothy heard it. She then clapped her hands once. "Well the number of Kings inside my house just increased to two. Naturally, as the host, I have the responsibility and honor to treat such great men with hospitality. You must be tired from your long journey. I shall have the maids escort you to your rooms. Dinner will be served later." "Actually, there is a reason why we still rushed towards Greenwater even after hearing the news that the city was saved." Timothy said. "We must return to Solon as soon as possible. My father and brother are currently gathering their army. While I am certain the General Marvin and Earl Mathias were more than able to manage Solon, my absence will surely weaken Western Castonia. We need to make our plans now." King Edmund nodded. "He''s right. We are at war so we can''t afford to dally. Time is of the essence and we must act fast." "Then in that case, we will discuss our shared future in this room." Lady Maria then turned towards her servants. "Bring us the biggest map of Castonia you could find. Also, get the bottle of Angel''s Wings in my husband''s storage." After a while, the servants brought a huge and detailed map of Castonia. It was so large that it occupied half of Lady Maria''s table. Five people were seated around the table. All of them held great power. "Like what I promised, I brought thirty thousand mercenaries with me plus a huge chunk of the Vanadian navy." King Edmund said as he filled his cup with the Hadean wine. Timothy was about to ask the number of ships in the Vanadian fleet when Arthur Vanadis butted in. He grabbed the bottle from his father''s hands and poured it into his own cup. "And a million gold coins if I may add." He then looked at Timothy. "King Timothy, right? I''ll call you Timothy instead. After all, I think we will soon become brothers based on the lecherous way you look at my sister" he laughed mockingly. Arthur Vanadis then crossed his legs. "To tell you honestly Timothy, I think my father is investing too much on this war. Thirty thousand mercenaries, hundreds of warships and a million gold coins is overkill. Compared to your own resources, our contribution to this war is overwhelming. I mean, not to put you down but what do you have exactly? A single city, two castles and less than twenty thousand men. Not to mention your lack of navy and the fact that you can''t pay your army for long." Timothy saw that Lucia was clenching her fist. She was shaking. "That''s King Timothy for you, brother. Don''t forget that you are talking to a King." She sneered. "And King Timothy has more than that. His soldiers are tough and experienced, Solon is well-defended, and he has the support of the people." "Ah, support of the people. How good. How charming. How¡­ intangible. Just tell me the truth that you have nothing." Arthur smiled. "Easy for you to say. That''s because you had never experienced being loved by the masses. Some people in Holm don''t even know that you exist." Arthur frowned. "What did you say? Take that back!" "May I remind you that you have no right to raise your voice against my future Queen?" Timothy voiced. "Just tell me what you want Arthur." Arthur calmed down. His face went back to its usual smugness. "Like what I was saying, without us you can''t win this war. We have invested too much and we only want something in return. We want something that can make our help worth it. Take this city for example. What a great city, calm and deep bay, excellent location. But I think only an experienced merchant nation could really harness the potential of Greenwater. A merchant nation like Vanadis." Timothy saw Lady Maria''s face contort. He knew that he needed to act fast or else Lady Maria might smash Arthur''s face with her cane. "If you''re asking me to cede Greenwater to you, then my answer is no. The people of Greenwater will not obey Vanadian law." Timothy said. King Edmund finally spoke. "I apologize for my son''s rudeness King Timothy. Sometimes he blabbers nonsense. We can just ignore him." He then looked at Arthur. "Arthur, we are not negotiating, we are planning for war. And even if we were negotiating, we are not shameless enough to ask for a city." "I''m just making this fair for our side Father. Like what I said¡­" "You''re right King Edmund, let''s just continue" Timothy interrupted. He had enough of Arthur''s nonsense. "King Edmund, I will be shameless and ask you to leave your navy here in Greenwater. The Calgarians will surely attack again and only the Vanadian navy could stop them. Is that alright?" "Fine by me. We need an escape route if we were to be defeated anyway" King Edmund answered. "By the way, what''s the situation in Solon? You said that your father and brother are preparing their army." "They are. That''s why we need to start our march towards Solon tomorrow. Hadea, Inkit and Canton will also send soldiers. We will meet them in the city. From Solon, we will strike towards Nirvana." Lady Maria cleared her throat. "What about Knightsend? My husband can''t defend against the Tulosans for long." "She''s right." King Edmund agreed. "Also we can''t let the Tulosans strike us from behind. I suggest we send half of the mercenaries to Knightsend. The logistics will be troublesome but Vanadis will take care of it." Timothy examined King Edmund''s offer. Although the support of the mercenaries would more than double the number of defenders in Knightsend, it will weaken their integrity. Mercenaries were loyal only to gold and he was worried about their loyalty. But not sending the mercenaries felt like abandoning Marquis Benedict Connel. In the end, Timothy decided to take the risk and he agreed. "Now for the last agenda, we will talk about Greenwater." Timothy looked at Lady Maria. Lady Maria sighed. "Although we tried to remain neutral, that is impossible now considering there are thousands of Vanadian mercenaries inside the city and hundreds of warships inside the port. I have already instructed Prefect Ryon on what story to tell the people. The Connels supported King Leopold and declared Timothy Castonia a traitor. But in less than a week, Timothy Castonia captured the Greenwater. Our family will not support you but if you control Greenwater then that will be no different." Timothy nodded. Telling such tale will weaken the Connels. The people had already hated them for remaining neutral. Now that they opposed Timothy, the people will be angry towards them. But Lady Maria doesn''t care about their reputation as long as Erik will be safe in Nirvana. "Thank you Lady Maria. You will become my prisoner then. I hope that''s alright." "It''s alright. I''ll be the best-treated prisoner in the whole world" She smiled. Timothy again nodded. "So that''s it. We will march towards Solon tomorrow, leave the Vanadian navy here, send half of the mercenaries to help the Marquis in Knighstend, and Lady Maria will become our prisoner. I think we''re done" "Not yet Timothy" Arthur again spoke after remaining silent for a long time. "What about the leadership? Who will lead the army?" "King Timothy of course" Lucia said. She then looked at King Edmund "He has the experience. I hope that''s alright with you father" "I have no qualms about that. I don''t know how to lead an army anyway" Kind Edmund admitted. "I say that''s horseshit" Arthur said with hostility. He pointed at himself. "I will lead the Vanadian portion of the army." "You? Brother, while I admire your confidence, dividing the leadership of the army will just make it less coherent. It''s better for King Timothy to have unrestricted authority. He won the battle of Knighstend because he knows how to lead. He is our trump card." Lucia said. Arthur laughed loudly to Lucia''s words. His face then became serious. He was agitated. "Why are you praising him like he''s some divine being?! Every word that comes out from your mouth is about him. Don''t you see! He''s using you. He''s using Vanadis to fund his own ambitions!" He stood up and pointed at Lucia''s face. "You wag your tail to him like a dog. What? Have you opened your legs to him so many times that you had already lost your mind?! You betrayed Vanadis Lucia. You betrayed Vanadis just to maintain your lustful relationship with this bastard. You are a wench!" The room became quiet. Timothy filled his lungs with air. Arthur had just crossed the line. The foolish Prince just crossed the line. Timothy and Lucia''s eyes met. They understood each other. Lucia nodded slightly as if giving him the permission to do his thing. "King Edmund" Timothy broke the silence. "May I teach your son a lesson in respect and courtesy?" It took a while, but King Edmund nodded. "Then the three of you should leave us." Timothy said. King Edmund, Lady Maria and Lucia all went outside the room. Timothy was left alone with Arthur. He stood up and poured the bottle of Hadean wine into his cup. He then sat on the table. "So Arthur" Timothy said with a cold tone. "You just called Lucia a wench. That wasn''t very nice." 80 A Lesson "A jest, King Timothy!" Arthur spread his arms and smirked. "A mere harmless jest" "Oh a jest. I didn''t know that Prince Arthur Vanadis is such a good comedian. Now I feel bad for telling your father that I will teach you a lesson in respect and courtesy. It turns out you are merely jesting. How rude of me." Timothy drank from the cup of wine he was holding. "I was insulted King Timothy. I was hurt." Arthur put his palm on his chest. "Such big words. Respect and courtesy. What did you mean by that anyway? I am curious as to how could you teach me those things." Timothy chuckled. He pointed the cup towards Arthur. "I will teach you how the world works Prince Arthur." He then turned his head towards the door. "Abraham, could you please get in here" After a while, the door opened and a huge armored man entered the room. He was nearly seven feet tall and had a hulking body. "What is it Your Majesty?" Abraham asked. Timothy opened his palms towards Abraham. "May I borrow your dagger Abraham?" "Of course" the big man answered. He then gave Timothy his dagger. Timothy looked at Arthur. He saw that the Prince had become more tensed after seeing the dagger. Timothy put the dagger in front of Arthur. "Cut one of your fingers" Timothy said. Arthur''s jaw dropped. He looked at Timothy like he was looking at a crazy person. "Are you insane!? Why would I do that?" "As punishment for your rudeness towards Lucia. You are lucky that I am a reasonable man Arthur. Because you see.." Timothy smiled and shook his head. "Calling her a wench is just too much for me." "But she is a wench! I will not cut my finger for telling the truth. I will die before I let you have what you want" Arthur yelled. "Funny that you mention that." Timothy looked at Abraham. "Abraham if he doesn''t cut his finger, kill him." Arthur was now shaking. "Kill me!? How dare you!" Timothy tilted his head towards Abraham. "It seems the Prince doesn''t believe that you could kill him Abraham. Tell me, are you capable of killing a Prince?" "Just say the word King Timothy and the world will have one fewer Prince by the end of the day." Abraham answered. "Heard that? Abraham is willing to end your life. Like what I said, I am reasonable. But I am also impatient. So make your choice now Arthur, your finger or your life?" By now Timothy could see the fear in Arthur''s eyes. The Prince was sweating hard. He was still obstinate but he was now afraid. He was shuddering. Timothy decided that it was enough. "A jest!" Timothy exclaimed. He then laughed. "It was a jest Prince Arthur. A mere harmless jest." The fear in Arthur''s eyes quickly turned into anger. His lips folded and his eyebrows met. "Are you a fool!" He grabbed the dagger and pointed it towards Timothy "My pride will not be trampled like this!" Abraham acted quickly and grabbed Arthur''s wrist. With a flick of his hand, Arthur was forced to let go of the dagger. Abraham then used his other hand to pin the Prince on the table. Arthur struggled but his strength was incomparable to Abraham''s. "Pointing a dagger towards the direction of His Majesty is unforgivable." Abraham said. Meanwhile, Timothy again grabbed the bottle of wine. It was already empty. He raised it and poured the last remaining droplets into his mouth. Arthur was glaring towards Timothy. He was still panting. "I am Prince Arthur Vanadis. I am the heir to the Kingdom of Vanadis!" "So you are. And now one word from me and you''ll die. Kings, Princes, nobles, all of us will die. Where is your wealth now? Where is your position? When faced with death, all men are equal." Timothy said. "Is that a threat!?" "It is. I am threatening you" Timothy walked towards Arthur and put his mouth close to the prince''s ear. "Tread lightly Arthur, for you are in the den of a predator. You said earlier that I am weak, that I have no power. But I am more powerful than what your puny stupid mind could imagine. You will become a King when your father dies, but you will never possess the same power as I do. One word from me and thousands will die. Fear me Arthur because I am a person to be feared. I am dangerous so watch your filthy mouth. You also said that the support of the people is intangible, that it is useless. How wrong you are. The support of the people is everything Arthur. Coins, armors, castles, ships, they are all useless without the people. It is they who are giving us, royals, the power. We are powerful because they decided that we are. Our power stems from an idea Arthur. It is merely an illusion. And you are a party magician who can''t even do party tricks. While I¡­ I am a damn illusionist." Arthur calmed down. He was close to tears. His mouth was shaking. Timothy continued. "Never, ever insult Lucia again Arthur. Lucia, your father and I are doing our best to save all our asses. Do not be a hindrance. I will tell you what you''re going to do. From now on, you will behave. You will not talk unless talked to. You will not do something unless we told you to. You will follow like a good Prince. But most important of all, you will watch. You will learn respect, humility and wisdom. You will learn how to become a good King for the future of your Kingdom." Timothy paused to let his words sink in. "If you don''t do these things, then we can''t be friends Arthur. If we can''t be friends, then Lucia and I will be your enemies. To tell you frankly Arthur, you don''t want us to be your enemies." Timothy straightened his back. With a single gesture from him, Abraham let go of Arthur. But the Prince did not move after that. He just stared at the horizon. Timothy walked away. He did not look back. He hoped that Arthur had learned a lesson today. He hoped that the Prince will someday change. After opening the door, Timothy saw King Edmund waiting for him. The King looked at Timothy. "Walk with me King Timothy." Timothy nodded and followed him. They walked side by side towards the garden of the villa. Neither of them talked. "Thank you" King Edmund said after a while. "I thought you are angry with me for treating your son like that" "I am. I love my son and hearing him being lectured harshly makes me uncomfortable." King Edmund answered. "But I am impressed King Timothy. You are wise despite your age. You are firm like a rock. And what you did is the right thing. My son challenged your authority and insulted Lucia. Nobody should challenge a King''s authority and insult his woman." King Edmund stopped and sat on a stone bench in the garden. It was already dark but the villa was well-lit. He leaned and rested his back against the backrest of the bench. "I was worried, you know. As I watched Lucia grow, I realized that I will have trouble finding a suitable partner for her. My daughter is beautiful, smart and kind. She is a gem and finding a suitable match for her seemed impossible. So you can imagine how devastated I was after Lucia left Holm to marry you." He then looked at Timothy. "But now I am finally assured that she found her match. You are a good man Timothy and I approve of your relationship with my daughter." Hearing King Edmund''s approval made Timothy smile from ear to ear. He was really happy. Getting the approval of Lucia''s father meant a lot to him. "Thank you King Edmund." "Father" Kind Edmund smiled. "Even though were equals, I want you to call me Father whenever we''re alone. That is if you''re fine with that." Timothy felt emotional. He felt a strange connection with this old man. The bond between a man and the father of his betrothed had always been strong. Both men were committed to protect a single woman. In their case, both Timothy and King Edmund wanted to make Lucia happy. That was the bond they shared. Timothy nodded. "Yes Father" ********************************************************** The next morning, Timothy and his allies started their journey towards Solon. It will take them ten days to reach the city. Fifteen thousand mercenaries went to Knightsend while the rest will go with them. King Edmund also left the Vanadian Navy to defend Greenwater. If they lost the war, then Greenwater would be their escape route. But Timothy had no plans to let things come to that. They will win. With Lucia at his side, no army could defeat them. He was happy that he found a father in the form of King Edmund. But now, it was time to face his own father. It was the time to strike. The wheels of the civil war had started turning. The two Lions are at each other''s throats. 81 Old Scars Twenty-one years ago "Why?" he asked as he slumped back against the wall. His eyes were empty and his heart was in tatters. He was a broken man. He looked at the naked corpse of the royal guard on their bed. Despite being dead, at least the bastard was in peace now. While he... he was shattered. He then turned his eyes towards his wife. She was covering her naked body with a blanket. "I''m sorry Leopold. I.. I''m sorry. It was a moment of madness, nothing more" She wept and her voice was shaking. Droplets of tears skidded on Leopold''s cheeks. His face was blank but he felt like he was going mad. "I loved you Margaret. I loved you with all my heart." He lowered his head and shut his eyes. His tears wetted the floor of their bedroom. "I gave you everything. I cared for you more than I cared for myself" He raised his head and met her eyes. "You are my life, my world. We have known each other for a long time. I have loved you since we were kids. Decades Margaret, decades!" He pointed towards the dead bastard on their matrimonial bed. "You just met him a few months ago and you chose to betray me for him." Margaret crawled towards him. She was dragging the blanket to cover her body. She reached her hand towards Leopold. "I was stupid Leopold, forgive me!" she implored. "You are the one I love. I was wrong. I made a mistake" None of her words reached Leopold''s ears. All he could think of was the scene he witnessed after opening the door. Margaret was pinned under the guard. Both of them were smiling. They were happy, happy of their betrayal. Leopold couldn''t hold it anymore. He screamed. His cries and screams mixed into a wail. It was painful, too painful. It was like he was being torn to pieces. His love for Margaret, his efforts, were all useless. His pride was trampled like garbage. It was as if saying that decades of loving her, decades of caring for her, decades of making sacrifices wasn''t enough to cement their love. In just a few months, the bastard had broken what they built for decades. Worst of all, she was happy. Leopold had seen it in her face. She was smiling while doing the thing with the guard. One look and Leopold knew that she loved him. She loved the bastard more than she ever loved Leopold. His wails then turned into a crazed laughter. Leopold heard his own crazed voice. He didn''t know what he was doing or why he was doing it. He lay on the floor laughing like a madman, a broken madman. A hand touched his arm. He looked and saw that Margaret was holding his arm. He saw her face, and was reminded of her blasphemous smile while doing her betrayal. His vision turned black and his body moved according to his instincts. He balled one of his hands into a fist and used the other to hold her shoulder. He pinned her on the floor. She struggled but Leopold was stronger. He raised his fist and aimed it at her face. He was wronged. He was pained. He wanted justice. But his shaking fist remained in the air. He couldn''t do it. He couldn''t hurt her. He loved her more than anything. Margaret was his life, he loved her ever since he was old enough to know what love is. Leopold lost his strength and fell into Margaret. He buried his face into her shoulder. He sobbed like a child. He was the King but he felt powerless like a child. The world is unfair. **************************************************************************** Present day Leopold was looking at the busy barracks from the wall of the palace. The Quartermaster was scratching his head, probably racking his brains on how to accommodate the influx of soldiers from Wismar. The already packed barracks of Nirvana will become more crowded with the addition of 5000 Wismarine troops. "This feels more of an occupation rather than reinforcement." Leopold heard Braun speak from behind. "Look at how these Wismarines act. They act as if they own the place. They have been here for less than a day but there are already reports of violence against the civilians." "The Wismarines are not popular for being tamed Braun. Also we need them. This is a necessary evil we have to accept. We really need their help" Leopold stressed the last sentence. "We need them for what? For destroying half of Castonia? This civil war is nonsense Your Majesty. We are not just facing Tulosa, Calgari also..." "I know." Leopold interrupted. "You don''t have to remind me how desperate our situation is. Being the King, I am more worried than you are" After he heard of the news that Calgari joined the invasion too, Leopold wanted to take his army to Greenwater regardless of the strategic implocations of his move. If he did that, Timothy would be able to strike him from behind. But Leopold doesn''t care. Saving Greenwater was more important. Luckily, Timothy also thought the same. In fact, Timothy was faster than him and was able to repel the Calgarians in time. He was thankful to Timothy for doing that. So even though Timothy''s just got more powerful with the support of Greenwater, Leopold doesn''t mind. His son deserves their support anyway. "Why are you here Braun? Something tells me that you''re not here just to enjoy the sight of rowdy Wismarines with me." "It''s about Prince Ivan. He said that he wanted to have a meeting and I know that you already knew what he wanted" Leopold nodded. "I do. But I won''t give my permission." "But why? This is our chance to end this worthless civil war!" Leopold looked at Braun. "Because we still have to wait for the rest of the Wismarines. Skall promised me twenty thousand and I will have my twenty thousand Wismarines." Leopold lied. The thing Braun was talking about was the rare opportunity to attack Timothy from behind. Because it was Timothy who reinforced Greenwater, then his back was open for Leopold to strike. But Leopold doesn''t want to do that and it had nothing to do with the reason he gave Braun. Striking Timothy after his son saved Greenwater just doesn''t feel right. Leopold doesn''t know if this was because of some strange remnants of fatherly love, but he couldn''t do such a thing. Even if it could bring an end to the civil war, he wouldn''t do it. "I smell bullshit Your Majesty. I really don''t understand you. First you conspired to kill Timothy. You were so heartless when you did that. But now you can''t even give the order to attack. Don''t tell me you are having a change of hearts." Leopold let Braun''s disrespectful behavior pass. He had lost Braun''s respect a long time ago. He can''t blame the Baron though. His bad decisions caused this war. "What if I am?" Leopold smirked. He knew that it was impossible for him to change. He is an evil man and a bad father. But Leopold wanted to mess with Braun a little. Nothing is more disgusting than watching an iredeemable man act like he''s changing for the better. Leopold looked at the Baron, but Braun''s face didn''t look disgusted. Instead he smiled back to Leopold. "That would be nice if that''s true. Prince Timothy is still your son. He had been a good son to you. I really don''t get how a person could scheme against his own blood." Leopold remembered that aside from Cobbert and a few other people, nobody else knew that Timothy is not his son. To people like Braun, Leopold looked like a monster. Well he is a monster actually. Even if Timothy wasn''t his son, what he did was a wicked thing. Leopold doesn''t want to talk about his relationship with Timothy so he changed the topic. "The meeting" Leopold said. "They are currently waiting for me in the war room, aren''t they?" "They are. Skall Wismar, Prince Ivan and General Peyton are already discussing strategy as we speak. They said that they will wait for you to make the final decision, but I don''t know how long they will wait." "Is it possible for me not to attend?" "If you want foolish men to plan Castonia''s future, then stay here and admire the smug faces of these Wismarines." Braun said. Leopold looked at the Wismarine soldiers. Their faces were as what Braun described, smug like they own the City. Leopold adjusted his crown on his head. "Let''s go." 82 Powerless There were three people inside when Leopold entered the room with Braun. All of them were seated around a large table with a huge map on it. The three stopped discussing and looked at Leopold. "Don''t mind me." Leopold said as he approached the table. "Just the King butting in." "Come on, Your Majesty" Skall smiled and offered Leopold the seat beside his. "We have been waiting for you" Leopold did not take Skall''s offer and instead went to the seat beside his son. Braun was the one who sat beside Skall instead. "So, what are we talking about?" Leopold asked. He looked at Ivan and demanded an explanation despite already knowing the reason of the gathering. His son was dressed in a thin tunic. He was wearing a turban on his head and three of his fingers had golden rings. Ivan looked more of a Wismarine compared to Skall. "Father, this is our chance. Ashkara had given us a way to destroy Timothy" Ivan excitedly said. But Leopold only paid attention to the latter half of his answer. Ashkara was the God of the Wismarines. They say that the deity was a half-human and half-falcon being. Leopold smiled bitterly. Ivan had been living in Wismar as an ambassador for the past years. He was the one responsible for opening the trade between Wismar and Castonia. Although Leopold knew that the Wismarine customs had already influenced Ivan, he was still shocked by its extent. Leopold ignored Ivan and instead met Skall''s eyes. "You promised me twenty thousand troops. Where are they?" "Father, it is rude to talk to Prince Skall like that. He is our guest." Ivan reprimanded. Leopold was unfazed. Why should he show respect to a scoundrel like Skall? He continued staring at the scoundrel Prince and pushed for an answer. Skall scratched his head. "Your Majesty, you see¡­ There are complications in our logistics. Sending twenty thousand soldiers is no joke. But the soldiers are on their way. A little bit delayed but they will arrive soon" "Delayed?!" Leopold almost shouted. "It took the Vanadians just a little more than a week to reinforce Timothy. Thirty thousand mercenaries and hundreds of warships! Now you are telling me that Wismar can''t even handle the logistics of twenty thousand? No wonder the Vanadians are defeating you in trade. Great and powerful, that was the impression I had with regards to Wismar in the past. Now I just discovered that you are weak and terrible." "Father!" Ivan stood from his chair. "Prince Skall is doing everything. We must be thankful to him. He had already done so much for Castonia. This is not how we treat an ally" Leopold''s frowned. Thankful? For what? The Wismarines caused all of this. He conspired with them once, but that was a mistake of his. The Wismarines were merely fixing the trouble they caused. Why should he be thankful? "Leave us" he said. "Leave me alone with my son" When Braun, Skall and General Peyton didn''t move immediately, Leopold''s anger blazed. "Out! All of you!" he roared. The three men hastily stood up from their seats and went outside. Leopold massaged his throbbing head. A few more outbursts like that would probably pop one of his veins. "Why are you defending that bastard?" he asked Ivan. "Because he is our ally, Father. We should treat our allies with respect. Isn''t that the right thing to do? He is our friend." Leopold sighed. The man Ivan referred to as their friend was the one who damaged their reputation. He pointed at the map on the table. "Ivan, what do you see?" Ivan looked at the map and his face showed signs of confusion. "A map of Castonia?" he guessed. "No Ivan. A map of Western Castonia and Eastern Castonia. They call us Eastern Castonia now. And who do you think caused this split?" Leopold didn''t give Ivan the chance to answer. He pointed towards the door. "The scoundrel Prince you are defending. Skall caused this, Ivan. He is a moronic Prince who destroyed what we have built for decades." "No Father! Prince Skall only freed us from the shackles of our fake allies. The one who caused this is Timothy. That is why we must destroy him. Send the order now to attack. My army is ready to strike." "No, we must wait for the rest of the Wismarines. We should then defend Nirvana. The great walls of the city will break Timothy''s army." Leopold said. "And what? Wait until Timothy rejoins the rest of his army in Solon? The Hadean, Cantonese and Inkish armies will also arrive in Solon soon. We must attack now!" Leopold laughed mockingly. "Do you think that you can defeat Timothy? You can''t! Timothy is dangerous. He is smart and his soldiers worship him. In the battle of Knightsend, he destroyed the Tulosans utterly. He will also destroy you." Leopold doesn''t know why, but he felt a little proud talking about Timothy''s exploits. Even though Timothy was his enemy, Leopold respected his son''s abilities. Ivan lowered his head. "Why are you talking as if he is your son? He is not your son." Leopold''s heart skipped a beat. Does Ivan know? But he kept Timothy''s true identity as secret even from his two real sons. "What are you talking about Ivan?" "I know father" Ivan looked at him. "Timothy is not your son. While he is mother''s child, you are not his father." Leopold was shocked. "How.. how did you find out?" "I have connections. Also, his face is different from ours. It''s alright, nothing really changed after I knew about it. I had always hated him. How dare he claim the throne? He is a bastard." Ivan then went closer to him. "Father, we must let the people know about this. Timothy will lose his claim to the throne. He will be weakened by this. I will personally.." "No" Leopold interrupted him. He then grasped Ivan''s arms. "You must keep this a secret, do you understand? Our family will be destroyed if word of this gets out. Timothy is beloved by the people not because he is a royal. He saved the western region and he is a hero to them. His power comes not from his legitimacy, but from his charisma. Revealing this will do more damage to me, Ivan. The people will mock me." Leopold tried to sway him but Ivan was adamant. "You don''t have to worry about getting your image destroyed father because it already is. But how about this. Pass your crown to me and I will lead our armies." "Pass my crown to you?" Leopold repeated to confirmed that he heard right. "You mean, abdicate?" "Yes. Make me the King of Castonia and I will protect our family from Timothy. I am the heir anyway and you are just hastening the process." Leopold was speechless. After seeing Ivan wag his tail to Skall, he couldn''t give his son his crown. Under Ivan''s rule, Castonia will become a puppet of Wismar. Things will be different if he was the one leading the Kingdom. He had fallen into the sweet promises of Wismar once, but that will never happen again. "No. You are still too young. Maybe in a few years, Ivan." Ivan wrinkled his forehead. He was breathing heavily, probably from hiding his anger towards Leopold. "Fine" he said. "I will wait. I will also not reveal Timothy''s secret for your sake. But I will take my army and attack him." "I told you, that will be dangerous. Even if you outnumber him and even if most of his army is composed of untested mercenaries, he could still defeat you. It''s better to let him come to us. I will not give you my permission." "Who said I need your permission?" Ivan sneered. "You are King in name only. My army follows my orders. The people hate you, the whole world hates you. I can do what I want without your permission. You have no power anymore." For the first time, Leopold was smacked in the face by the truth. He had been avoiding this truth since the riots in Nirvana. He had no power. A King''s power was an illusion and he can''t do magic tricks anymore. He had lost the respect of the people. The soldiers mocked his incompetence. Aside from a few loyal souls, he had nothing except his crown. This could change in the future though. His sins will be forgotten after many years. He was confident that he could recover. But for now, he had no power. He can''t stop Ivan. Leopold nodded. "Do what you want then. But I already warned you that attacking Timothy is dangerous." "It''s decided then. Turns out, we don''t need those three." Ivan stood up. "I will prepare my army now father. Skall and I will destroy Timothy." He walked towards the door and left Leopold. But Ivan stopped just a few steps from the door. "And I need him" Leopold raised his head and looked at Ivan. "Who?" "Erik" 83 The Hostage "Lured like a fool, caged like a beast. In Knightsend he dueled, lion in the mist. He thought he won. Laugh he began. Little did he know King Tim brings woe. In the castle King Tim feigned. Arrows then rained. Trapped! they were. Surrender! they did." Erik sang the new song he overheard from his guards. He leaned back against the iron bars of his cell. His voice was not good but the person who was also leaning against the bars from the other side clapped. "What a great voice you have Erik!" she rubbed her head against his. Erik pulled his head away. It was ticklish and making physical contact with her makes his hair stand on end. "I thought you''re only crazy. I never expected that you''re also deaf. " Erik distanced himself from her. She had an unpredictable behavior and he was afraid that she will stab him without any reason. "Fine, I lied. Your voice is like that of a frog. With a voice like that, you''ll never impress me" She winked at him. Seeing her wink brought shiver down his spine. She was beautiful, he must admit. But that only made her cute act more tragic. How could the Omniscient give a beautiful face like that to a crazy person with a rotten personality! "I have no intention to impress you. Go away little devil" he shooed her. But his gesture only made her laugh. "Come on Erik. I know you don''t want me to leave. My visits are the highlights of your days. Would you rather be alone rather than enjoy the company of a beautiful lady such as myself?" She had been visiting his cell ever since the first week of his capture. The first time he saw Sylvie, he thought that the crazy woman would kill him. He had heard about what happened from Timothy. Sylvie, Lucia''s handmaiden, turned out to be a crazy bitch. She tried to kill Lucia because of some messed up idea of revenge. Luckily, Sylvie didn''t kill him. She just talked to him as if they were friends. She visited him again the next day, and the day after that. Sometimes she would stay outside his cell for a few hours. Contrary to his first impression of her, he just discovered that she was actually a chatterbox. She would talk about her day-to-day experiences to him. It was like listening to a diary. He might be reluctant to admit it, but her daily visits had become an integral part of his day. He found himself always looking at the door, waiting for the arrival of a crazy woman. It must be because of boredom. Because of his status, King Leopold isolated him. He must be afraid that Erik would be assassinated. Erik''s death while being in the care of King Leopold would further damage the King''s already abysmal reputation. But the isolation was killing him. The guards themselves were not allowed to stay near Erik for a long time. They would bring food and water three times a day and that was the extent of his contact with people. Being alone was painful. The boredom was eating him from the inside. So even though he was afraid of Sylvie''s unpredictable behavior, he had no choice but to tolerate her presence. "I don''t enjoy your presence, I tolerate it. Also you are not a lady. Have you forgotten that you lost your noble title?" Sylvie''s face lit up. He pointed at Erik. "You did not deny the beautiful part!" Erik shook his head in confusion. "Huh?" "I may not be a lady anymore, but I am beautiful right?" She put her two palms on her cheeks. "Nope. You''re not my type. Crazy is not my type. Also that facial scar is not good to look at." He shrugged and again leaned against the bars. "Scars will vanish Erik" "Scars are called scars because they don''t vanish. Perhaps they do in that crazy mind of yours, but they don''t." She excitedly put her face in the space between the bars. "Skall said that there is an herb in Wismar that repairs scars!" "Ah yes. Prince Skall. The idiot who made all this mess." Erik closed his eyes and sighed. "He''s a medicus now, I see. Is he imitating Lucia? What a¡­" Erik stopped talking. He spoke the name of the person who must not be mentioned in front of Sylvie. He had learned this lesson the hard way about a month ago. At the mention of Lucia''s name, Sylvie would fly into rage. Her long silence indicated that she was pissed. Erik became nervous. His head was close to her. He feared for his life. He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head towards her. He was ready to jump away and call for the guards. But her expression was not what he expected. She was smiling. "What?" she raised her brows. "You think I would be angry just because you mentioned Lucia? I''m not crazy." Erik choked on his own saliva after hearing her last remark. Hearing a crazy person say that he or she is not insane was¡­ weird. "Believe what you want Sylvie. For me you are. Who sent you here anyway? I think it''s not Skall Wismar. I also bet it''s not King Leopold. He is not stupid enough to let a crazy person near an important hostage." "Oh King Leopold? No, not him. He would probably end my life the moment he sees me. You''re also right, it''s not Skall either. Would you believe me if I said that I am here of my own accord?" "No, I wouldn''t" Erik shook his head. "But it''s true." her shoulders dropped. "While someone did send me to spy on you, I grew tired of that. You are boring Erik. Lucia was the only one interesting to spy at. Do you have any idea how secretive she is? It was like.." "Sylvie, don''t go off course. Who sent you?" Erik asked. He was curious. "Well, it doesn''t matter if you know. I gave up on my mission anyway. It''s actually¡­" She was interrupted by the arrival a man. The guards saluted to the man and let him pass. Sylvie pointed at the man. "Him" Erik examined the man. He was familiar yet different. He was dressed like a Wismarine but his complexion betrayed his identity. The man was a Castonian. Erik squinted. "Ivan? Is that you?" "It has been a long time Erik. Three years huh? A lot has changed." Ivan removed his turban and his long hair was revealed. "Should I say nice to meet you, or should I tell the truth?" Erik said. Even three years ago, his relation with Prince Ivan was sour. "You have the same feisty words Erik. Good. Ashkara loves strong personalities" he smiled. "Ashkara?" Erik was confused. "You mean the half-pigeon and half-human God in the Wismarine fairy tale?" Ivan''s smile vanished. It was replaced by an expression of annoyance. "It is not a fairy tale Erik. Do not confuse the Wismarine faith with the false teachings of the other Kingdoms. Ashakara is the true God. Also he is not a pigeon. He is a falcon. His speed and strength is absolute. Oh may the wind guide his wings" Ivan looked at the window and bowed a little. Erik grunted. It seems Ivan had already been greatly influenced by the Wismarines. But he doesn''t care. That was King Leopold''s problem. "Fine, I don''t care anyway" he said with double meaning. "So why are you here?" "Do you know what your friend did Erik?" Ivan approached him. The prince squatted and looked at Erik. "My friend? Your brother! He is your brother and you should call him as such. Can''t you be nice to Tim every once in a while?" "He is not my brother and he will never be" Ivan said with hostility. He then looked at Sylvie. "Since Erik is not willing to answer me, then I''ll ask you instead. What did Timothy do?" Sylvie did not answer immediately. "He declared war against King Leopold? Is that it?" she guessed. "Exactly." Ivan confirmed. "And now he is dragging Wismar into this war. Such vileness.. Shameless to the extreme." Erik scratched his head. He felt the little lice that had inhabited his hair avoid his long fingernails. "Why does it feel that you''re more concerned with Wismar compared to Castonia?" "Because Wismar is Castonia''s future, Erik. We will become stronger with their help. They are powerful Erik. The Wismarines are wise and strong. I envy them" Ivan answered. Erik realized that Ivan was beyond help. The Prince was blind. It was painful listening to his praises towards the Wismarines. "Just tell me why you''re here Ivan." "Timothy needs to be destroyed. He is currently marching back towards Solon with undisciplined mercenaries and I will attack him before he reaches the city. Just in case he makes things difficult for me, I''m bringing you along" Ivan said. Erik frowned. "You mean.." "Yes Erik." Ivan smiled. "Time to do your duty as a hostage." 84 Meeting in Secre "For¡­It¡­Is...tantamut¡­" "Tantamount" Lucia corrected Mylene. "You have to be careful with long words. I told you already, don''t force it if you are not familiar with the word." "I''m sorry Your Highness." The little girl bowed immediately. Lucia laughed at her reaction. She caressed Mylene''s hair. "Don''t be sorry. In fact you are making great progress Mylene." She flipped the book''s cover and pointed at the author''s name. "Also, can you read the name of the author?" "Hu..go¡­A..bott" Mylene read. "Do you know who Hugo Abott is?" Lucia asked. The girl shook her head as expected. Even in the nobility, not many people knew of Hugo Abott. "He is a reformer who lived many years ago. His ideas are fascinating and radical." Lucia explained. She felt a little guilty using the book in teaching Mylene how to read. But she had no choice since didn''t bring any book with her. Luckily, Timothy pointed her to Henry saying that the Knight always had a book with him. Henry lent her the book and here she is, teaching a child how to read using a book about politics. "A reformer?" Mylene asked. Lucia put down the book. She decided that teaching is done for the night. "A reformer" she stopped and thought of the best way she could explain the word to Mylene. "A reformer is someone who changes things because he or she believes that changing that thing will make it better" "So¡­like King Timothy?" Lucia analyzed Timothy''s political views and realized that Tim is a reformer. He often tells Lucia that both the army and the political system of Castonia need changes. Lucia nodded. "Yes he is. King Timothy is a reformer." "I''m not as crazy as Abott though" a voice sounded from the other side of the tent. Lucia only saw a shadow and she became afraid until she realized that it was Timothy. "Tim?" She stood up and went to the tent. She then put her hand on the fabric and a hand from the other side met hers. "It''s me" Timothy confirmed but Lucia already knew that. The warmth of his hand was unmistakable. Timothy pulled the tent up and went inside. "I will replace your guards tomorrow. These guys are incompetent. If it was Captain Bisham, he would have already caught me sneaking into your tent." "And why are you sneaking into a Lady''s tent anyway?" Lucia put her hand on her waist. Timothy patted the dust off his clothes. He stood up and embraced Lucia. It was so sudden and her heart raced. But it was good. Timothy''s unique scent filled her nose. She was pleased by this sudden show of affection and she also wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you" he whispered. His breath tickled her and she had the sudden urge to bite his ear. And then she remembered that Mylene was also in the room. She turned her head and saw that the girl was sneaking towards the entrance of the tent. Mylene noticed her and she waved them a goodbye. Lucia and Timothy both laughed. "So, why are you here?" Lucia asked. "I told you" he kissed her on her cheek. "I missed the presence of Lucia Vanadis" After hearing his cheesy response, Lucia found that she couldn''t hold it anymore. Her mind lost against her emotions. She tiptoed and nibbled on his ear. Timothy let out an ecstatic grunt. He then lifted her with both arms like a newborn and put her on the bed. At that moment, both of them were driven by passion. And then Lucia perceived the danger if they continue without thinking for consequences. It took a lot of effort but Lucia was able to free herself from her desires. He was about to kiss her when she stopped him. "Tim, we can''t. If we continue, something might happen." Timothy stared at her. Their faces were so close that if she lifted her head a little, their lips would meet. "You''re right, we can''t" he finally said. He put his hand on Lucia''s cheek. The sensation of his touch was so fulfilling. She felt safe whenever he does this. "Soon" "Yes, soon" Lucia said. She then changed to topic lest both their emotions devour them again. "Why are you really here Tim?" Timothy rolled to her side. "They agreed" he said. Lucia was confused at first. His answer was vague. And then he realized that he was talking about Leo''s Tear. Timothy asked the other members to let her join a few weeks ago. "You mean, I''m a member of Leo''s tear now?" Timothy shook his head. "Not yet. They agreed to consider my request but your application could still be denied until they made the final decision. But this is good news. I thought they will reject you outright because you are not a Castonian." "Such a strict recruitment. What is Leo''s Tear anyway?" Lucia asked. Apart from the seal she had no idea what Leo''s tear was all about. She agreed to join because Timothy said that it will benefit both of them and she trusts his judgment Timothy showed signs of guilt. He couldn''t look into her eyes. "I''m sorry Lucia. I can''t tell you yet. I mean, I want to but I can''t. I have sworn an oath to never reveal the secrets of Leo''s Tear." Lucia can''t stand his pained expression so she nudged herself towards him. "It''s okay Tim. I know you want to tell me everything but you can''t. So I''ll just wait." "Thank you Lucia" he smiled. "But I''m still troubled so I''ll tell you this much. What I will tell you is not against my oath to Leo''s Tear anyway." Lucia prepared her ears. Although she said that she will wait, she was still interested about the secrets of Leo''s Tear. The secretive organization piqued her curiosity. "This world is strange Lucia." Timothy started. "No, strange is maybe an understatement. This world is full of secrets. There are many unexplained phenomena." "Unexplained phenomena?" Lucia asked. "Yes. Have you ever wondered how the Ninev Mountains make its unique sound? They say that the Ninev Mountains have been howling endlessly since the beginning of time. And what about the continent Lucia? For many years, the people have known that the world is round because of the shape of its shadow on the moon during an eclipse. But not a single one of those who tried to circumnavigate the world came back. Leo''s Tear is not just an organization whose members help each other, Lucia. It is more than that." Lucia''s hair stood on end. Timothy was right, this world is strange. In fact, she had also thought about that in the past. "And Leo''s Tear has all the answers?" "No" Timothy answered. "Leo''s Tear is also blind. But we have enough knowledge to question the common beliefs of the people." Instead of quenching her curiosity a little, what Tim said about Leo''s tear further heightened her curiosity. She wanted to join the organization now more than ever. Timothy must have also realized this because he held her hand. "I''m sorry, I must have made you more curious" Lucia laughed. "What do you think Your Majesty? Of course you did." "Well even if we lose this war, you could still join Leo''s Tear. I even think that the chances of you getting accepted is greater compared to our chances of winning this war." "Let''s achieve both Tim." Lucia said. "Yes, we can have both." He put a kiss on her forehead. Lucia did not notice it but she fell asleep on Tim''s arms. His scent was really her favorite. It was relaxing. It gave her a feeling of intimacy. When she opened her eyes, it was already morning. Timothy was not beside her. His absence made her uncomfortable. She looked around and became happy when she saw that he was still in the tent. He was sitting on the chair while reading a small piece of paper. At first, Lucia thought nothing of the paper, but Timothy''s frown said otherwise. "Tim?" She called. Timothy looked at her. His frown vanished but she could tell that he was worried. "You are awake" Lucia stood from the bed and went to him. "You look worried. Why?" Timothy handed her the paper. It was a report from the scouts. Timothy''s brother, Ivan, had mobilized his army and was currently approaching them. "Why would you be worried?" Lucia asked. "You told me back in Greenwater that you are expecting for this to happen. Surely, you have a plan." Timothy did not answer her. Instead, he handed her another piece of paper. After reading what was written in the paper, Lucia understood Timothy''s worries. Prince Ivan is bringing Erik as hostage. 85 Partings Two thousand horsemen were passing in front of them one by one. There were still noticeable flaws in the way they ride their mounts which showed their lack of proper training. Nevertheless, their current performance was a far cry from their performance in the battle of Knightsend. Henry''s guidance works, Timothy thought. Even though the Knight had encountered difficulty at first in gaining the trust and respect of the men, he was able to train the two newly-built Western Castonian Cavalry Cohorts. Even though the Leons were still better riders in Timothy''s opinion, his cavalry were not far behind. He even predicted that one day, Castonia will have a cavalry matching that of Tulosa. "You don''t look nervous" King Edmund commented beside him. The King was also on horseback like Timothy. "I am nervous. Nothing is for certain after all. I just don''t want to show it in front of the soldiers. My confidence will give them strength." Timothy answered. "Sometimes I wonder if you''re secretly an old man, Timothy. Your words are too advanced for you age." King Edmund chuckled. "But I admire that about you" "Thank you. But don''t give me your full admiration yet. I''m still not sure of our success. My cavalry is still untested." He looked at King Edmund. "But I will do my best. This is for our shared future. I''ll leave the rest in your hands." King Edmund patted the armor of his horse. The reflection from its gold coat was blinding. "Yes" he nodded. "Leave the rest to me. I may not have experience when it comes to battles, but I think even a fool can do my part. I''m surprised though, I thought you will come up with some complicated plan like what you did in Knightsend. This feels too simple" "Simple is effective." Timothy said. "People often associate simple plans with incompetence. But that''s not true. The simpler the plan, the better. There''s no need to complicate things." Their plan was as what King Edmund said, simple. Since Ivan wanted a fight, then Timothy will not give him a fight. Ivan knew his strength. Timothy''s brother knew that mercenaries were unreliable. This was the reason why Ivan rushed to attack Timothy. He saw an opportunity. This was the price Timothy had to pay for reinforcing Greenwater. He was now separated from the rest of his elite soldiers in Solon. Ivan will surely catch them halfway through the city. But Timothy had no plans to give Ivan a battle. He would lose if he did that. According to reports of the scouts, Ivan had twenty thousand men, five thousand of which were Wismarines. The fifteen thousand mercenaries and two thousand cavalry he had were no match compared to Ivan''s force. If Timothy was foolish and met Ivan in the field, the mercenaries would buckle leaving his poor cavalry at the mercy of Ivan''s army. So Timothy will not give Ivan what the latter wanted. He will avoid battle at all cost and will rely instead on harassing Ivan with his cavalry. Timothy''s two thousand cavalry were superior compared to Ivan''s and he will use them to slow the enemies down. He would cut their supply lines, raid their camps and use hit-and-run tactics. By the time Ivan catches the mercenaries, his army would have already been weak enough for Timothy to accept battle. Timothy himself would lead the cavalry while King Edmund would be in charge of leading the rest of the army towards the safety of Solon. Normally Timothy doesn''t want to get involved in battles but he lacked good leadership in his ranks. He missed having a capable second-in-command like Erik. King Edmund remained silent after that. Timothy had been with him long enough to know that the King was thinking about something important. He had the urge to ask but King Edmund talked first. "I saw you enter my daughter''s tent last night." He said with an expressionless face. Timothy''s heart raced after hearing him. The King''s lack of expression further increased the tension. "Yes, I did enter her tent" Timothy admitted. Kind Edmund straightened his posture and sighed. "You know, I don''t really have any qualms about it. Both of you are old enough to think about your future. Also, I know the feeling. When I was your age, I even did those things with multiple women. One of those women was Arthur''s mother, my current wife." He paused and frowned. "But having a child now will be hard for the two of you. You are fighting a war and that will make things difficult for my future grandchild. I''ll give the two of you the freedom, but please heed my advice." It seems King Edmund had the wrong idea of what really happened. Well, he was not entirely wrong though. Something did almost happen last night. "Nothing happened between us. Your daughter is a virtuous woman" Timothy smiled. "And yes, we will heed your advice. There is a right time for everything." "Thank you. And if that time finally comes, I would prefer a granddaughter." King Edmund said with a grin. "A granddaughter?" Timothy was surprised. "Why?" "Although it will probably ruin your succession in the future, that''s you problem." King Edmund patted Timothy''s shoulder and laughed. "I just wanted another Lucia in this world" Timothy also laughed. "That would be quite good. A granddaughter it is" The two men looked at each other and there a long silence between them. The last of the cavalry had already passed. It was time to go their separate ways. King Edmund offered his hand to Timothy. "Stay safe King Timothy. May the Omniscient be with you. I still want my granddaughter to have your blood." Timothy grabbed his hand. "Thank you. I know I don''t have to say this, but take care of Lucia. If necessary, retreat to Greenwater." With these words, the two Kings parted ways. King Edmund went to his mercenaries while Timothy turned his horse towards the cavalry. But Timothy still had to say goodbye to one more person and this goodbye will be the hardest. He went to Lucia. It didn''t take him long to find her because she found him first. Both of them dismounted their horses and approached each other. The two were silent at first. Timothy didn''t talk because he felt bad about leaving. Lucia on the other hand, was glaring at him. "You sure have talent in making me worry. When you told me that you have a plan, I didn''t expect that your plan would include putting yourself in danger yet again." she said. "It can''t be helped. Only I can lead them." Lucia''s glare turned mellow and her expression turned sad. She wrapped her arms around him. "I will never forgive you if you don''t come back. So come back." Timothy also wrapped his arms around her. "This feels like our first parting. Only, this is sadder." Lucia wriggled her face on his chest. "I am more reluctant in letting you go. I don''t want to be away from you. I also don''t want to worry day and night. But I don''t have a choice, do I?" "You don''t. We don''t. " Timothy lifted her chin and looked at her face. He was heartbroken when he saw that her eyes were wet. "It''s just for a few days anyway. Yes my life will be in danger, but this ordeal will be over in a blink of an eye." Lucia nodded. "I will be waiting for you Tim" "You better be" he put his lips against hers. It was a long kiss and a sad kiss. He could feel tears tricking down their cheeks. He doesn''t know to whom the tears belong. They could be Lucia''s, they could be his, or maybe the tears belong to the two of them. It doesn''t matter anyway. If only the world is perfect, but it is not. Dangers must be faced and partings must be done. Only then could this imperfect world become better. Lucia wiped her tears after their lips parted. "See you in a few days" she forced a smile. "Yes" Timothy agreed. "In a few days." The two of them didn''t want to say goodbye as the word only brings pain and uncertainty. Their future was already certain. They had decided that they will win this war. Timothy and Lucia went to their horses and mounted. After staring at each other for a while, they understood that it was time to go. They turned their respective horses opposite each other and went their separate ways. Timothy gripped the reins of his horse. He forced himself not to look back. He doesn''t want to go. He doesn''t want to be put in danger. All he wanted was a peaceful life with her. But he can''t. Wars and troubles follow them. Suddenly, he felt the strong urge to see her face again. In case he doesn''t make it back, at least he would have one last look at her. Even a single look would satisfy his raging feelings. He finally gave in and turned his head around. But it was too late. They were already too far from each other. She was but a dot in his vision. The world was cruel for not giving him the comfort of seeing the face of the woman he loves one last time. With an aching heart, he turned his head forward again and continued. 86 Lessons From the King Timothy took the leather canteen from his side and popped it open. He poured the contents into his mouth. Wine. Cheap wine, but wine nonetheless. Even though the taste was nothing compared to the aromatic Hadean wines, it will do. He swirled the liquid inside his mouth and savored the strong taste. He grunted and felt warm in his belly. He was about to put the lid back when he felt that the Prince riding beside him was staring at the canteen. Timothy extended his arm and handed the canteen to Prince Arthur. The Prince just looked at it with suspicion written all over his face. "I assure you, this is not poison. You just saw me drink from it. I know you want to have a sip." The Prince continued his stare. He then slowly took the canteen from Timothy''s hand and drank from it. Timothy saw the moment Arthur grimaced. His facial muscles contracted and he spitted the wine out from his mouth. He brushed the remaining liquid from his tongue using the cloth of his coat. "This is not wine!" Timothy frowned and grabbed the canteen from Arthur''s hand. He again took a mouthful of the liquid. "What are you talking about. It is wine." Timothy refuted. And then it occurred to him that Prince Arthur was the son of the King Edmund. Cheap wines must have been unfamiliar to him. Timothy closed the lid of the canteen and put the thing aside. "My bad. I may have desecrated your divine tongue with cheap liquor. We just ran out of Hadean yesterday so you have no choice but to fill your palate with the taste of good ol'' cheap wine." Arthur did not say anything and just looked ahead. Even though the Prince had stopped being discourteous, it would still be a long time before they become close. Timothy wanted to be friends with Arthur despite their earlier sour encounter. He is still Lucia''s brother and the future King of Vanadis. "It seems you have some left-over resentment towards me, Arthur. Want to share your burdens with your future brother-in-law?" Timothy nudged his horse towards the Prince and the distance between them became shorter. "Nothing of that sort Your Majesty. I''m just tired, that''s all." "Tired." He shook his head and smiled. "You are lying Arthur" Timothy looked up to the twinkling stars and savored the fresh country air. "Well, if you don''t want to share your thoughts then I''ll just guess. You are grumpy because you don''t want to be here. You want to be with your father but instead I dragged you here. Isn''t that right?" Arthur finally looked him in the eye. And just as Timothy thought, there was resentment in those eyes. "Yes" Arthur said. "I don''t get it. I did what you told me to do. I zipped my mouth and did nothing. I let you make the decisions and didn''t challenge your authority. Also, I have been nice to Lucia ever since that day. But why are you punishing me? This is dangerous. I could die. I am a prince you know." "And I am a King. Yet here I am, leading a small force of cavalry." "Then don''t.." Arthur was about to say something when he stopped. Timothy could see that the Prince was being careful with his words, afraid that he will suffer Timothy''s wrath. "You may speak freely" Timothy smiled. "I won''t hold it against you" Arthur was silent as if considering Timothy''s offer. But with the prince''s mouth, Timothy believed that Arthur wouldn''t pass on the offer to finally reveal his bottled resentment. "Then don''t include me in your madness. If you are what they say you are, then you don''t need me anyway." Arthur''s voice had no trace of friendliness in it. But Timothy was a little relieved that the two of them are conversing. Even though Arthur was just venting his feelings, at least they are talking with each other. Conversation is the first step in forging bonds. "Because I want to teach you Arthur. I already told your father about this and he agreed. You are the next King of Vanadis. If I win this war, then our two Kingdoms will become allies in the future. This may be blunt but I don''t want a weak ally." Arthur grunted after Timothy said the word, weak. Timothy understood him. Being called weak was an insult. It damages one''s pride. But Arthur needed guidance more than his petty pride. Being a leader sometimes requires sacrifices. In the case of Arthur, the prince must accept that he is weak and learn from Timothy''s guidance. "Did my words hurt your feelings?" Timothy asked. Arthur nodded. He was frowning. "Yes. And I am not weak." "Alright, if you are not weak then tell me why I avoided my brother. Why won''t I accept his invitation of battle? This has nothing to do with war strategies. Even your father knows the reason for my actions." Arthur showed signs of interest after given a chance to prove his wisdom. He looked at Timothy with a smug face. "Because you are luring him into a trap. You want him to think that you are weak" Timothy''s head hurt a little after hearing Arthur''s answer. While it is true that he may spring a trap of two, he wasn''t playing weak. "I am not trying to make him think that I''m weak Arthur, because he already knows about that. That''s why he attacked us in the first place. He sensed weakness because we are weak at the moment. I am avoiding battle because I know that he will beat me if I give him a battle." Timothy paused and thought for the best words that can teach Arthur. "Sometimes we must accept that we are weak. We must think of what''s real and question our own perception, Arthur. We must know our strengths and our weaknesses. Only then can we gauge the chance of success. If chances of victory are slim, then we must reset and try to gain more advantages. Except for a few circumstances, only fight battles you can win." Timothy saw that Arthur''s frown vanished. "Tell me King Timothy, what are our chances of winning this war?" It was Timothy''s turn to grimace. "Slim. My forces are weaker compared to that of my father''s. Although my soldiers are loyal and professional, I don''t have the resources. That''s why we are trying to squeeze every bit of advantage. But don''t worry, we will win." Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a scout. The scout saluted. It was dark and Timothy did not recognize the man immediately. "Centurion John" Timothy called the scout''s name. "You are still on scouting duty?" "My own volition Your Majesty. But if you want, I will return to my Century immediately" Centurion John said with worry in his voice. While there was an unwritten rule that a Centurion should be with his Century at all times, Timothy doesn''t want to lecture Centurion John at the moment. "For now report to me Centurion." Timothy ordered. Centurion John straightened his back. "We have spotted five supply caravans Your Majesty. The number of soldiers defending the caravans varies. The most heavily-guarded caravan has two hundred guards." Timothy nodded as a silent confirmation to the Centurion that he had heard the report. After leaving the mercenaries under the care of King Edmund, he led his cavalry directly behind Ivan''s army. Such was the advantage of cavalry. Their mobility allowed them to evade the Ivan''s large army and go wherever they wanted. The most obvious weak point of an army is its supply lines. Before the battle of Knightsend, Timothy had cut General Sigurd''s supply lines and that was how he forced the General to assault the castle. Now, he will do the same to Ivan. He will cut off his supply line from Nirvana. Timothy turned his head towards Prince Arthur who was listening to their conversation. He put his hand on the Prince''s shoulder. "Do you want another lesson? Because may I have another lesson for you tonight." "Can I say no?" Arthur said grumpily. "No, you can''t." Timothy smiled. "Then I don''t have a choice. It will be my pleasure Your Majesty" His response was unenthusiastic and had a hint of mockery. But Timothy doesn''t mind. At least the Prince was willing to learn. Timothy again took the canteen from his side and drank a mouthful of wine. Contrary to Arthur''s exaggerated reaction earlier, the wine wasn''t really that bad. He swallowed and said a single word to Arthur. It was both a command and an offer that will kick off the lesson for the night. "Watch" 87 Supply Caravans Grasslands of Kisma, Western Castonia It was a moonless night. Only the withering smolder of embers provided specks of illumination. Using a metal rod, Cole pushed the unburned pieces of wood into the smolder in hopes that his source of light would last a little longer. He should be asleep. He should be resting. He should be. Yet he was here, sitting around the remnants of the bonfire. He would be lying if he said that he was comfortable. It was cold, it was dark and it was lonely. The sentries were roaming around, but none of them would talk to Cole. Who would talk to weird insomniac anyway? The last of the embers died and darkness filled his vision. Although the torches of the sentries provided light, it wasn''t enough. He hated nights like this. Moonless, starless nights. Cole allowed his buttocks to slide down from the log. His bottom hit the grassy ground. The grass was cold but at least he could now lean against the log. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. As a soldier, sleeping time was a valuable resource that shouldn''t be wasted. But he can''t sleep. Irritated, he kicked the ashes of the bonfire. He lay on his side but this didn''t help as well. Maybe he should just return to his tent after all, he thought. But Cole discarded the idea as soon as it entered his mind. His tent companions snore and it will be harder for him to sleep there. He gave up. If his body won''t sleep, then he will not force it. Poor him, he thought. Well, at least tomorrow they will reach Prince Ivan''s army and deliver the supplies. After that, they will return to Nirvana. He felt excited thinking about their return. His bed was the only place he could sleep well. Cole finally felt it. At last he was falling asleep. At long last he could rest. But shouts. Horrible, despicable, awful shouts pulled him from his sleep. He opened his eyes and saw that the camp was awake. The torches were lit and the soldiers were running around. He was dumbfounded until he realized that only one thing could cause such a sight in the middle of the night ¨C an attack. Cole''s awareness returned and he stood up at once. The full scene was revealed to him. People were indeed running around. The camp was in disorder. People on horseback were fighting their side. And they were losing, horribly. The horsemen were fast. They would appear out of nowhere and then strike their unsuspecting victims. Cole reached for his sword, but he found it was absent from his waist. He remembered that he left all of his weapons inside the tent. He suddenly became aware of the danger he was facing. He felt afraid. He could die! He crouched and ran towards the tent. Luckily, it was near the bonfire. He put strength into his legs and he was able to reach the tent in no time. All of his tent companions were gone. Luckily, he found his sword immediately and grabbed it. He went out of the tent and surveyed the surrounding. It was still the same. The fighting was harsh and the enemies were fast. He was about to join the battle when he remembered about his armor. It may be because of stupidity or he was just anxious, but Cole forgot about his armor. He was about to go back to the tent when a horseman appeared out of nowhere. The man swung his sword towards him. Cole parried the blow with his own sword and a strong vibration travelled from the sword to his shoulder. It was painful and his arm became numb. But Cole didn''t waste time. He was at a disadvantage. His enemy was on horseback and was wearing a full set of chainmail armor with gambeson underneath. Cole was on foot without armor. Logic dictates that Cole would lose. He wanted to run. He will most likely die if he stayed. But running against a man on horseback? What a foolish thing to do. If he ran, then the man would just strike him from behind. So he stayed. He planted his feet on the grass and adjusted his form. He will fight. At least fighting would give him a chance to live. He was shaking but he will fight. The man charged again. He aimed his sword towards Cole''s head. Cole swallowed his saliva. Seeing a fully-armored man on horseback charging at full speed towards him deprived Cole of his courage. His knees were shaking. His whole body was shaking. His doom was just a few moments away and it will come in the form of a horseman''s sword! But before their clash happened, a horn sounded. And then a very strange thing happened. The horseman terminated his charge and looked at the direction of the horn. He turned his horse around and left Cole. What happened didn''t make sense. The man was just moment away from removing Cole''s head from his body and yet he backed away. Cole looked around. It seems his comrades also experienced the same. All of the horsemen were gone. They vanished as suddenly as they appeared. It was like nothing happened at all. Yes there were some dead bodies and the whole camp was now in chaos, but the enemies were nowhere to be found. But this was not the time to be idle. Their enemies could return any time and they needed to act fast. A formation would be a good start. He ran towards his comrades. "Form a square! Formations! Quick!" he shouted. Even though Cole wasn''t an officer, the men listened to him. In less than a minute, they were able to form a crude square. Their formation was probably not enough to stop the onslaught. Cole could imagine the horsemen tearing through their formation like a sword through a fabric. Even though the casualties they suffered weren''t that severe, they would still lose. Nevertheless, all of them still hoped for a miracle. Such was the thought of men facing imminent doom. It was unreasonable for them to hope for salvation. They were surrounded by a well-trained cavalry unit that outnumbered and outmatched them. There was nowhere to hide or run. But they still hoped. They held on to an unreasonable hope that somehow they will survive the night. It was foolish and silly for dying men to dream for a tomorrow. They did anyway. "Surrender" A calming voice sounded from the darkness. The voice was firm like a rock but mellow like a tranquil ocean. "Surrender now and I will give you mercy. Continue your resistance and I will give you death. Make your choice." The voice continued. Cole and his comrades looked at each other. Part of them wanted to surrender. Fighting was suicidal anyway. But they can''t trust their enemies. Dropping their weapons would mean that their enemies could just charge without worrying about casualties. "Who are you and why should we trust your words?" The soldier beside Cole shouted. The others agreed with the question and the camp was filled with a ruckus. All of them demanded reason from the voice. As answer, the enemies lit their torches. In the darkness, multiple fires were born one after another. After the last torch was lit, Cole shuddered. There were more than a thousand of them. Too many to face and impossible to defeat. The message was clear. Cole and his comrades had no choice but to trust them. The enemies moved. The clinking of their armor filled the air with an uncertain vibe. They were getting closer. Cole''s hand became sweaty and the sword was slipping from his grasp. He wanted to be strong, but it was hard to remain strong when facing such a show of force. The enemies were so close that the face of the man at the very front can now be seen. Cole heard gasps from the men behind him. Almost all soldiers know that face. Cole also recognized the man. He was a legend among the soldiers, a figure of fear and respect. He was their enemy, yet he was also their savior. The crown on top of the man''s head was a symbol of power. It was a representation of the man''s new identity as King. Timothy Castonia. Cole admired Timothy Castonia. He was both sad and afraid when he heard that he will be fighting against King Timothy. And now they were defeated by King Timothy. Finally, Cole can now stop fighting against the man he admired. Never had defeat become so sweet. He knew that King Timothy would never go back on his words. They will be treated with respect if they surrender and be given death if they did not. Cole dropped his sword. "I choose mercy" 88 Into the Flame "Do you mean to say that they''re all dead!?" Ivan spitted the question after Braun informed him that Timothy had attacked five separate groups of supply caravans last night. They lost all the food and all the men guarding the supplies. Thankfully, they still have enough food for more than two weeks. It will be enough to get by. The Baron was pacing back and forth inside Ivan''s tent when he stopped to answer Ivan''s query. "No! Worse than that Ivan. Don''t you understand the situation?" Ivan didn''t understand. What''s worse than dead? Losing a few hundred men was a severe detriment to his forces. Even though fresh recruits were being sent to Nirvana from the other parts of Eastern Castonia, the men he just lost to Timothy''s ambushes were veterans. The Baron seemed to notice Ivan''s confusion. He gave Ivan a disappointed expression. "They have joined him Ivan. They have joined Timothy''s side. You are losing men while he is gaining numbers." Braun trudged towards Ivan and pointed repeatedly to the ground to express the important of his next words. "This must not continue or else we would lose before there is even a battle" After realizing that Braun was right and that their situation calls for immediate action, Ivan''s first reaction was to ask for Skall''s guidance. He looked at the Wismarine Prince who was sitting cross-legged in his chair. Skall noticed his plea for help. He massaged his chin and leaned back. He was about to talk when Braun interrupted. "No, Ivan." Braun''s voice stole Ivan''s attention. "You must not seek advice from him. The ways they do things in Wismar will not work here in Castonia. Castonians are more emotional and honorable than Wismarines." "Ey!" Skall snapped. "Are you insulting us you old fool?" Ivan also felt insulted. While Wismarines can be different to Castonians, they are not inferior. In fact, Ivan believes that Wismarines were better compared to Castonians. His stay in Wismar had taught him that the Wismarine way is always the best way. "Leave us Braun." Ivan ordered. "But.." The Baron tried to say something but stopped. With Ivan''s determined gaze, Braun seemed to understand that he can''t do anything. Braun snorted and shook his head. He turned around and headed to the exit of the tent. "I''m telling you Ivan. As a fellow Castonian, as a man who only wants the best for our Kingdom. This is a mistake. Attacking Timothy in his own domain is a mistake. You should have listened to your father." The Baron pointed at Skall. "And listening to his advice will only aggravate our problems. Castonia is not Wismar." With this warning, Braun left the tent and Ivan was left alone with Skall. Ivan finally sighed. Talking to an old man with outdated views was stressful. Who does he think he is? Ivan had seen the efficiency and strength of Wismar. He had seen their power. It was only natural for a lesser nation like Castonia to follow the steps of a great kingdom. Also, Ivan had one more important reason for trusting Wismar. Ivan went to his table and made some tea for Skall and himself. The water in the pot had cooled down a little, but it will do. With two cups in hand, he went to Skall and offered him a cup. Skall took the cup and drank the tea. Ivan also drank from his cup. The warm liquid gave him relief in this cold night. The winter season was supposed to be a few months away but the air was already cold. "So, what do we do?" Ivan asked. He really needed the guidance of Skall. He admits that he was not a smart man. But he was smart enough to depend on a great man like Skall. It took Skall a long time to give Ivan an answer. The tea was already cold when he started to talk. "Amir is dead" There was sadness in Skall''s voice. Ivan understood the source of that sadness. He had seen the closeness between Skall and Amir. They were like brothers. "He was a smart man so I was surprised when I heard the news that he was defeated. After I heard of the details of his death, I was more surprised. He shouldn''t have lost. He was outnumbered a little but the villagers that time only had hunting spears, kitchen knives and other useless weapons. He shouldn''t have lost, but he did." "And that''s because of Timothy?" Ivan guessed. He acknowledges that Timothy was a better leader than him. That bastard brother of his was good. Skall finished his tea. The tea was not steaming so Ivan assumed that it was already cold just like his. "Yes, it''s because of him. The greatest strength of your brother is his ability to inspire loyalty. Loyalty is a valuable resource. Gold and armies may provide immediate power, but loyalty trumps these things in the long run." "So what do we do?" Ivan asked the same question again. He understood what Skall said about loyalty and stuff but he can''t derive a solution from it. "Fortunately, loyalty is complex. It is an idea- intangible, unpredictable and sometimes fickle. It is a complicated thing. Braun is right, we can''t let our situation continue. Your soldiers could have a mutiny. We must destroy Timothy''s reputation. Reveal that he is not your father''s son." Ivan felt mixed emotions after hearing Skall''s suggestion. He was afraid. He told his father that he would not reveal their family''s secret. He knew that there''s no going back after he revealed that Timothy is a bastard. This could destroy the royal family. But he trusted Skall. Ivan trusted that Skall knew what he was doing. After a moment of contemplation, Ivan agreed. "How? I can''t prove that he is a bastard. The best we can have are rumors. We can''t¡­" "Rumors are enough Ivan. I thought you already knew about that." Skall cut him off "In Wismar, rumors can destroy someone''s reputation. Everyone will not believe it of course, but soldiers¡­ you know how they are. They like to talk and they love to listen. Let''s give them a topic of conversation. It should be easy for us to circulate a rumor like that. After all, the two of you look nothing alike. Also, the biggest effect of this lies with Timothy himself. As smart as he is, your brother is emotional. This will affect him somehow." Ivan''s reluctance still lingered even after agreeing with Skall. This felt like jumping into the flame with Timothy. This will also damage them. He hoped that the damage they incur from this will be less severe compared to Timothy''s. "Okay" he nodded. ************************************************************************************* "HAHAHAHAHA!" Erik''s laughter boomed inside his cell. His eyes were tearful from his laughter. Sylvie just told him what happened last night. "I know, right?" Sylvie was also laughing with Erik. "That was a great move. Your friend sure has talent." "You bet he does. Timothy is good" he wiped the tears from his eyes. Sylvie leaned against his back. Normally he would avoid physical contact with the crazy bitch, but he let it pass this time. There was a silence between them. "Hey" Sylvie broke the silence. "Tell me honestly. Are you not jealous of him? He is a King now and many people worship his name while you are stuck here, labeled as a hostage. In terms of talent, you are not really far behind. You are the one who delayed General Sigurd''s vanguard in the forest but they attributed the victory to your friend." Erik sighed. If it was a month ago, he would have chosen not to answer Sylvie. But things were now different. She had become his primary source of conversation for the past month. Talking to her and being honest with his true feelings was refreshing. As for her question, he found it hard to say that he was not jealous. Since they were little, people had always viewed him as Timothy''s replacement. With Timothy''s blinding radiance, Erik''s own light had always been snubbed. It was also true that he didn''t deserve his current situation. Yes, it was his own choice to sacrifice his freedom for his friend. But living in isolation for the past few months was hard. He only had this crazy woman to talk to and he was sure that people outside viewed him as a damsel in distress. "I am" Erik admitted. "You know, when King Leopold made me the squire of Timothy, I didn''t say anything. I could have said no and it wouldn''t have happened, but I didn''t. A son of a Marquis becoming a squire. Our case was a first in the history of Castonia you know. Even though many people laughed at me and my family protested, I remained silent. But as I think about it now, I found that I was hurt and I felt insulted back then. All my life I followed Timothy. I am unnoticeable behind his shadow. Of course I am jealous." Erik turned his head towards Sylvie and smiled. He then continued. "But Timothy is my friend. He is my closest friend and I love him. So if you are trying to make me betray my friend, then just give up." Sylvie also smiled and put her hand on Erik''s face. She then pressed her mouth near his ear and whispered. "Liar" 89 Gossips of the Pas Two men entered Timothy''s tent. Their long cloaks slightly betrayed their profession, or rather their talent if technicalities are to be minded. The men bowed in front of him with their right hands balled into their chests. Henry, Prince Arthur and Abraham were also inside the tent "Report" Timothy commanded as he sat cross-legged in front of the men. He had waited all night for their return and he couldn''t wait anymore to hear their reports. "Your Majesty, we saw more than a dozen wagons of food in their camp. It seems our attack on the supply wagons is not effective. They came prepared." Elisar explained while still kneeling in front of Timothy. Timothy felt disappointed. He had spent a lot of energy just to maneuver around Ivan''s army. Even though hundreds of experienced soldiers joined his cause, he expected the impact of his actions to be more drastic. If Elisar''s description of Ivan''s supplies was correct, then his brother''s army could feed themselves for more than two weeks. They could also forage for food since this part of the Mercus Plains was fertile. Burning their food actually came into Timothy''s mind but with the details of the battle of knightsend now revealed to the public, such a strategy won''t work twice. "So it''s a dud, huh?" Timothy said. He adjusted his gaze towards Henry. "Take two hundred of our fastest and scatter them around. They will attack any foraging units." "And I presume you want them to take the same stance as before?" the knight asked. The reason why most of the soldiers guarding the supply wagons joined Timothy was because of his lenient but deadly stance against them. He offered them their lives if they join him and death if they continue their resistance. Of course many of those who surrendered were only cowards and Timothy had seen the danger of letting cowards into his army. But reputation was currently more important to him. He wanted to paint himself as a benevolent but strict leader. He will be both their carrot and their stick. Coupled with the fact that he had the moral high ground in this war, such a reputation would sow loyalty from the Castonians. Timothy nodded his head to Henry''s question and the knight showed an expression of approval. "And what about the soldiers? What are their sentiments? What are they discussing in the camp?" Timothy asked Elisar and Jop. He couldn''t help but put a hint of excitement in his voice. Other than the effect of the cut supply lines, Timothy was also excited to hear about the sentiment of the soldiers. If the news about the food was not very satisfactory, then maybe the opinion of the soldiers would be. After hearing the question, Jop''s face showed signs displeasure. "Your Majesty¡­" he blurted but Elisar stopped him from speaking by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let me explain the situation to His Majesty" Elisar said. Timothy could tell that the two men witnessed something serious inside the camp. Elisar cleared his throat and opened his mouth. He was sweating. "There are rumors" Elisar emphasized the last word. "the rumors say that Timothy Castonia is in fact a bastard of the late Queen Margaret " "You dare put the word bastard and His Majesty''s name in the same sentence!" Abraham''s anger surged. It was terrifying like a devastating storm. Elisar and Jop flinched. But Timothy was unfazed. He was too confused to mind the hostile atmosphere between Abraham and the two saboteurs. "What do you mean?" he asked the two. Elisar eyed Abraham first before answering as if gauging the huge man''s anger. "They say that your father is not King Leopold. And that you are a product of an unholy affair between a royal guard and Queen Margaret. The rumor started but it spread rapidly and we think Prince Ivan started it. In just one night, the whole camp was discussing the truth about the matter." Timothy felt anxious about the news. He was not expecting this. Even if it was just a propaganda to weaken his claim and drag him down from his moral high ground, such a rumor was dangerous not just to him but also to the rest of the royal family especially his father. If such rumor crossed the border to the other Kingdoms, future allies and trade partners would avoid Castonia. The already tarnished reputation of Castonia would be further dragged into the mud. "And what are the reactions of the soldiers?" Timothy asked. "Many of them are starting to believe it with the main reason being the difference between your appearance and Prince Ivan''s. Some of those who already believed the rumors are still on your side. But there were also those who had lost their faith in you" His plan sort of failed. That was Timothy''s realization. In the ambushes against the supply wagons, he had taught Arthur the value of reputation. He easily clinched the loyalty of the soldiers who guarded the supply wagons because of his reputation. Now he can''t use the tactic again with the same effectiveness. Since he can''t stop the rumors from spreading, he must do something else to at least control its effects. "Anything else?" Timothy again asked but this time, the tone of his voice was downcast. Elisar shook his head. "I think that''s it Your Majesty." "Then the two of you may be excused. I don''t have orders yet so you can rest." After saluting to Timothy, the two men left the tent. Just after the exit of the tent stopped flapping, Arthur immediately opened his big mouth and Timothy was reminded of how much more the Prince had to learn. "So is it true?" Arthur asked as if he was discussing a harmless gossip in the palace. "Are you a bastard?" "Permission to break the Prince''s jaw Your Majesty." Abraham sneered and Arthur was silenced like a child. "Permission denied. We can''t return him to his father with a broken jaw. But if he talks like that again, then I will personally break something of his" Timothy said. He sighed and took his crown off his head. He never thought that wearing a crown would put such weight into his head. After staring at the ground for a while, Timothy asked for the opinion of the Knight in the room. "What do you think Henry? Am I a bastard?" he tried to ask calmly but his irritation showed. Henry had the etiquette to walk towards his front before answering. The knight was unafraid of the pissed Abraham. "I don''t'' know Your Majesty. Only Queen Margaret could reveal the truth. Since she is dead, then we can never know the answer. In such cases, the only thing we can do is to look for clues and make an inference." "Clues huh?" Timothy smiled bitterly. He didn''t want to look at the clues because they point to a conclusion he didn''t want to believe. Growing up with Ivan, William and King Leopold, he had always known that his appearance differed greatly from them. The three had wide chins, striking eyes and brown hairs. Timothy on the other hand, had a small face with mellow eyes. His hair had a dark color and his body shape looked different and smaller compared to his siblings. Another clue was King Leopold''s treatment of him. If he was a bastard of his mother, then the actions of King Leopold made sense. But what really put weight into the rumor were the actions of Timothy''s mother when she died. Timothy was there when it happened. She was hallucinating when she died and kept mumbling a single line. ''Leopold don''t hate Timothy'' Up until now her mumbles were a mystery. But if Timothy was indeed a bastard, then all of these made sense. He felt pained that he can''t deny such allegations without lying to himself. He wanted to laugh at Ivan''s accusation and prove that it was a fallacy. But he can''t. According to Henry, all they could do is to look at the clues. The clues point towards him being a bastard. He was conflicted. If he was indeed a bastard, then he had no right to declare war against King Leopold. He was a nobody, a commoner. If he remembers correctly, his mother was not a noble. She was a daughter of a servant in the palace who grew up with King Leopold. Even if he won the crown, it would feel like stealing it from the royal family. If it was the old Timothy, he would have already been broken by now. But he was not the same Timothy. Things have changed and the thought of a sweet woman who was also his partner in everything gave Timothy strength. He was selfish, too selfish that it was shameless. The main reason why he was not shaken was his desire to be with Lucia. Being a bastard meant that he can''t marry her without destroying her name. So even if he was a bastard, he would deny it until his last breath. He was also angry, furious at the Castonian soldiers for gossiping about him just like that. He sacrificed an easy life with Lucia for them. He bled for them and will probably die if he loses. Now they are losing their respect towards him just because Ivan spread something malicious. Timothy finally stood up from his chair. His sudden move startled the three men. With a determined face he declared, "I am not a bastard. I will never be a bastard." He looked at Henry. "Prepare the men. We will attack tonight." He clenched his teeth. "They are gossiping about my birthright as if I am just some lowly noble. It seems they have forgotten who they are gossiping about." He then remembered that this could be another valuable lesson for Arthur. "Arthur!" he called. "Sir?!" Arthur blurted. He was so startled that he addressed Timothy in a military manner. "I have taught you the value of love as a tool to draw loyalty. Now I will teach you how fear keeps men in line." 90 Purging the Traitors Twenty-three men were lined up in front of the soldiers. The nooses tied around their necks suggested an inevitable outcome. Traitors. That''s what these men are. Bloody, cowardly traitors who were too blind to see who the real enemies are. Foolish men who betrayed the King. Timothy walked slowly across the platform and checked their faces one by one. He wanted to see the faces of the men who betrayed him. With the help of Elisar, Jop and some loyal men, Timothy spent the entire day purging his own camp of traitors. It was hard and it was tiring, but the process was generally successful. In the end, twenty-three men were found to be guilty of spreading the rumor around. What really surprised Timothy though was the presence of some Wismarines in his camp. Apparently, foreign spies had already infiltrated the camp. This could have been disastrous. The spies could have notified Ivan of Timothy''s every move. If Lucia was with him, she would have already noticed the spies before they even had the chance to spread the rumor. But Timothy was alone this time and he can''t expect the help of Lucia. Timothy examined the traitors and was pleased when he saw that none of them were his original soldiers from Knightsend. In fact, the purge was successful mainly because of reports from the men of Knightsend. If even one of them were from Knightsend, then he will be really disappointed. Thankfully, his original soldiers knew better than to betray him. "Bastard!" One of the traitors called Timothy from behind. Timothy turned around and saw that the man was a Centurion form Munico. "Shameless bastard! You don''t have the right to command us commoner. You even contracted a Tulosan to train us. You call us traitors but you are the traitor. Shameless! Shameless beyond belief. That crown on top of your head makes me sick!" The man continued. Timothy started walking towards the man. His pace was slow and the tapping of his boots against the wooden platform was audible. He was like an inevitable force, approaching like an imminent doom. When he reached the traitor, Timothy looked at the man''s face. The man swallowed but maintained his tough stance. "Fight me bastard. We are both commoners so why should I be executed for your sake? Fight me man to man. Draw your sword and let''s see what bastards are made of." Timothy wetted his dry lips. "That is not a bad idea. Release him and give him a sword." Timothy''s order drew grunts from the men below. Some of them tried to step forward and protest but Timothy''s glare stopped them. Timothy was relieved to see that many of the soldiers below were loyal enough to care for the life of their King. The soldier in charge of the execution hesitated. But pressure from Timothy''s order prompted him to release the traitor and give his own sword. "What is your name traitor?" Timothy asked as he drew his sword from its scabbard. The sound of friction between the wooden scabbard and the steel sword added uncertainty to the already tensed atmosphere. "Howland. I am Howland and I will spill your filthy bastard blood right here. With the Omniscient as my witness, I will end this war with one swing of my sword." He replied. "Then do your best Howland. Kill your King" "You are no King of mine" With these words, Howland sprinted towards Timothy. He held his sword high and bent his body a little. His form was good and his charge was powerful. He was truly an experience soldier. Meanwhile, Timothy did not even raise his sword. He just stood like there wasn''t a veteran soldier charging towards him. Some of the men watching from below had already disobeyed Timothy''s order to stand down. Nearly a hundred of them rushed towards the platform to defend their King. But before any of them even reached the platform, a huge man appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Howland by the neck. His hand was big enough to wrap around the traitors neck. Abraham lifted the traitor with one hand and used his other hand to grab the sword away. Howland''s face showed a purple shade. He was struggling for air. Abraham then slammed him into the floor of the platform. The cracking of wood was heard, displaying the extent of Abraham''s strength. The men below were shocked by the events. They stood with their mouths agape. Those who were on the process of helping Timothy stopped in their tracks. Timothy did not waste the moment. The atmosphere was just right. "If you thought that I was foolish enough to risk my life just because he insulted me, then you don''t know me at all. Why would I put myself in danger when I can end his life without even raising my sword?" He said as he walked towards Howland''s body. The traitor was still alive. He then handed Abraham his sword. Timothy faced the soldiers. Pain and anger were both mixed in his eyes. "I saved you" he started. "When the Tulosans were swarming in the Western Region like locusts, who repelled them? When the Calgarians suddenly attacked Greenwater, who marched day and night just to save the city?" He then pointed at the Wismarine spies. "When the Wismarines colluded with my father and destroyed Castonian reputation, when they destroyed our honor, who raised his flag in rebellion to make a new Castonia?" "I did! I did it all of these things for you, for your fathers, for your mothers, for your brothers and sisters, for your sons and daughters! I should be living a peaceful life now if I had just ran away." "But I am here" his voice had a hint of sadness. "I am here fighting with you, bleeding with you. I am here because you need me. And now you are discussing my legitimacy as if I am just some scandalous noble?! How dare you do that to me? I have shown you nothing but love yet you repay me with this." He paused and then said a single powerful line. His voice wasn''t too loud but the way he said it flooded the air with emotions. "You disgust me" None of the soldiers uttered a word. Even the sound of their breathing was muffled. The camp became a graveyard of sound. "No!" A soldier reached his arm towards Timothy. His knees fell on the ground. "Forgive us King Timothy!" another soldier fell to the ground. "We are in the wrong! It won''t happen again!" "Punish us! Punish all of us!" "Don''t abandon us Your Majesty!" "We need you!" The camp was filled with the pleas of the soldiers. Some of them were crawling in the ground towards Timothy. Timothy''s face showed the same serious expression but he decided to give them one more chance. "If this happens again, if you ever betray my trust again, I will abandon you. I will leave you to the Wismarines, the Tulosans and the Calgarians. Let''s see if your murmurs will still be worth it. Let''s see if questioning my legitimacy will still mean anything by then." "But for now I will forgive you. I will forgive your transgressions against me. In exchange you must fight for me tonight. We will attack their camp and wreak havoc into their ranks. With every swing of your sword, with every thrust of your spear, you will remember that I forgave you despite your betrayal. Do you understand!" Like a mechanical beast, the soldiers saluted in unison. Timothy knew that their loyalty was stronger than before for they have realized the cost of another betrayal. After hanging the traitors, Timothy''s army made its move. More than two thousand men approached Ivan''s camp with most of them on horseback. Since the spies and the traitors had already been purged from the group, Timothy was confident that his sudden attack will surprise Ivan this time. It had been a busy day and an emotional day. But this night will bring more surprises. They will hit them fast and they will hit them hard. Ivan will soon fear Timothy. He will realize that the one he was mocking will be the one who will bring his doom. Bastard. They called him that. Well the one they were calling a bastard is coming and he brings death. 91 Freedoms Bitter Irony It started as a single scream. And then several other screams followed like a horrifying symphony. Erik doesn''t know what was going on. All he heard were the clashing of swords, the neighing of horses and the sound men do when they die. "Hey what''s happening!?" Erik shouted to his guards while rattling the bars of his cell. The guards were unresponsive. He can''t see them from inside the cell and Erik assumed that they have joined the battle. He was afraid. Even if Timothy was the one attacking, he can be caught in the crossfire. He begged for help. Any help would do. ************************************************************************** Sylvie was running. Her heart was racing and she will die if she got caught. It was stupid. She did a stupid thing which added problems to her already stupid situation. She was crazy sometimes, she knew that. Her emotional instability made her act crazy before. But what she was doing now wasn''t crazy, it was just plain stupid. She was in control of herself, but she was still doing this. In her hand were the keys she had stolen from Prince Ivan. The chaos in the camp and the trust they gave her made it easy to steal the keys. She doesn''t know why she was doing this anyway. She reached the tent where Erik''s cell was hidden. The guards had abandoned their posts. Useless guards, Sylvie thought. She entered the tent and saw that Erik was trying to slip in between the bars. He noticed her and stopped. "Sylvie! What''s happening?" Sylvie didn''t answer immediately. She mustn''t waste time. She went to the lock and tried to open it with the keys. Since there were many keys and she didn''t know which key will open the lock, Sylvie tried them all. "Timothy is attacking the camp" Sylvie answered as she put a key into the lock. It wasn''t the one. "And what are you doing?" Erik asked in a confused tone. "Releasing you of course" She smiled towards Erik. "Why?" His question hit her hard. Why? Why is she doing this? She doesn''t know why actually. If Skall or Prince Ivan found out about this, she will die. But she was freeing Erik anyway. "I.. don''t know" "You don''t know?" Sylvie decided that she didn''t want to answer Erik''s question. "They are attacking the southern and western part of the camp. Avoid the fighting and come to Timothy''s camp when everything has settled." There was a long silence between them. This was the eight key Sylvie had put into the lock but it still won''t open. She was starting to think that none of the keys could open the lock. "Thank you" she heard Erik say. Her hand stopped from moving and she looked at him. And then she realized why she was doing this. Because Erik needed her. Erik gave her the same normalcy her father provided in the past. Even though Erik''s words were sharp sometimes and he called her rude names, she could see that Erik enjoyed her company. It was a good feeling. Being herself, not wearing masks and still having her presence enjoyed. Erik had seen her true self and yet he still accepted her for what she is. She knew that Erik was forced to, but she was happy nonetheless. She felt sane whenever he was around. At last a key fitted on the lock. Sylvie turned it and a click sounded. Erik''s cell was finally open. "Go" she said as she pulled Erik out of the cell. "What about you?" he asked. "I will remain here for a bit. I will then make my own escape a few nights from now. My father is waiting for me in Wismar." Erik hesitated. "Come with me instead. Timothy and Lucia hate you but I can protect you." She shook her head. "I can''t face her Erik. After what I did, I can''t face her anymore. Just tell her that I am sorry. She was good to me and I repaid her with that. And for you Erik, my advice is for you to stop being jealous of Timothy. Just like my anger, jealousy can lead people to do extreme things." Erik didn''t move. "But¡­" What Sylvie did next surprised even herself. She was sad that she will not see Erik again. She will miss him and she will never forget him. Their paths would diverge and a goodbye was necessary. This is for the best, but it still made her extremely sad. Sylvie tiptoed and pecked on Erik''s cheek. Erik was surprised. He looked at Sylvie with his eyes wide open. His reaction almost made her laugh. "Go!" she pushed Erik out of the tent. Erik was reluctant to move but she put force into her push. They stared at each other for a while until both of them decided that there was nothing they can do. Erik ran into the darkness. ********************************************************************************* Erik was running fast. He stumbled many times and both of his knees were scraped. Nevertheless he was running like a madman. He was free. He smiled from ear to ear. At long last, freedom! After months of being caged, he was free. He was free, right? The smile on his face slowly vanished and his legs stopped. He wasn''t free. No, freedom doesn''t feel like this. Freedom was sweet, but what he felt now wasn''t sweet. It was bitter as if he lost some part of himself. He looked behind. He didn''t even say goodbye to her. What a fool he was. Their paths would diverge tonight and she will become but a distant memory, a fading footnote in his life. No, he declared. His body will be free but his heart will still be caged. He had the urge to go back to that cell. In front of her, he was free. Even though he was a prisoner, at least he was his true self with her around. She was his mirror, a reflection of his true feelings. His jealousy towards Tim, his bitterness towards the people''s underrated treatment of him, all his real opinions and resentments - he could say all of these in front of her. Ironic, he felt more freedom when he was caged compared to the freedom he felt now. Erik decided. He will go back and take her with him. Going to Wismar? What a joke. What is the crazy bitch going to do there? Sell spices and hide her identity? No, she deserves better. Even though she can be crazy sometimes, she still deserves happiness. He will give her that happiness. He turned around and headed back to the camp. But after a few steps, he stopped. Nearly a hundred soldiers were running after him. They must have discovered that he escaped. He didn''t want to go back to that cell. He wanted to take her with him but he didn''t want to go back to being a hostage. So he ran again. He will just implore Tim to send a rescue party for Sylvie. He will beg if that''s necessary. He will have her. But first he needed to escape. He was being chased. Running was not really Erik''s forte yet he ran like the wind. Even though his body was weak from a few months of inactivity, he was still fast. At least that''s what he thought. But the truth is, the soldiers were faster than Erik. The moment someone was able to grab his tunic, he knew that he was caught. He will go back to that cell and Sylvie''s efforts were in vain. The soldier''s yank made him stumble face-down. Dirt and mud entered his mouth. His shoulder also hit a rock. It was painful. And then he heard the neighing of horses. He looked up and saw a familiar face at he distance. It was Timothy with several hundred men at his back. Even if it was dark, Erik could recognize his best friend. His friend was here to save him! His friend now wore a crown on top of his head. Timothy''s clothes were also clean and regal. He looked like a King now. Erik on the other hand looked like a vagabond. His clothes were tattered and his face was dirty. Erik felt hope. He will not go back to that cell and these men tying his hands are going to feel fear. Timothy will save him. "Tim!" he shouted. 92 The Choice "Your Majesty" Henry called Timothy''s attention and handed him a small piece of paper. The paper had a report written on it. ''Second,third and fourth Centuries of first Cohort made contact. Effects, devastating. Casualties, minimal. Awaiting for further orders.'' Timothy folded the paper and gave it to Abraham. Since James was not here, Abraham had become his temporary squire. "Order the sixth and seventh Centuries to reinforce the second, third and fourth" Timothy ordered Henry. The knight relayed the order to the messengers. The second, third and fourth centuries were attacking the middle of Ivan''s camp. Timothy wanted to divide the camp and with the help of the sixth and seventh Centuries, he will be able to cut off the southern camp from the north. If the northern half of Ivan''s camp rushed to help the south, he will then attack them from behind. So far the battle was going well. They surprised Ivan and the southern part of the camp was being devastated. Reports say that the Ivan''s southern camp was in disarray. Even though Timothy was outnumbered heavily, a sudden attack with cavalry of all things was destructive. If he was lucky, he could even defeat them tonight. He was not expecting that though, his main purpose was to nip a huge chunk of Ivan''s forces and instill fear. He would be like an unpredictable wolf in the darkness. But Timothy was a bit worried. He had already committed most of his forces for the southern attack. As of now, he only had five centuries in reserve, all in the north. He was commanding three of them in the northwest while Arthur was commanding two in the northeast. Suddenly a messenger arrived. The man was riding his horse at full speed. His expression worried Timothy. "Sir!" the soldier saluted to Timothy "First and second century of second cohort are being pinned by the enemies. Prince Arthur needs reinforcements" Timothy''s anger blazed as he realized what happened. Arthur must have acted without his orders. "Fool! Useless fool!" he roared. Arthur not only revealed their hidden forces, he was also in need of rescuing. Now Timothy had to commit all his reserves. But he needed to help Arthur. The fool was still the heir of Vanadis. He regretted agreeing when Arthur asked him for a small force to command. "Where are they!?" Timothy was still furious. "Near the middle sir but on the other side. He said that he found a weak spot so we attacked. But the enemies are too many and they surrounded us. Luckily I was able to escape." Timothy was struggling to control his anger but he must think clearly. Since the three Centuries under his direct command were the only ones not fighting, only he could help Arthur. Helping the fool would mess his plans but Arthur''s life was more important. He gritted his teeth and looked at Henry. "Order an organized retreat. Organized, I tell you. Make it clean and make it safe. We will meet in our camp." He then turned to the soldiers behind. He handpicked these soldiers and they were his best. "Follow me!" With these words, the three Centuries advanced. They galloped to rescue Arthur''s ass. They needed to hurry and couldn''t afford to waste time. Timothy was at the very front. He wasn''t worried about his safety though because Abraham was beside him. They encircled the camp towards where Arthur''s forces were being pinned down. But before they reached Arthur, something caught Timothy''s eyes. A chase. A man was being chased by nearly a hundred soldiers. And then the soldiers caught the man. The poor man fell face-down and was surrounded by the soldiers. At first, Timothy didn''t mind it.They really need to reach Arthur as soon as possible and he couldn''t waste even a second. But his eyes widened after he saw the face of the man. It was Erik. Timothy halted and the rest of his men also stopped. Erik looked up and for the first time in months, their eyes met. The last time they saw each other was when Erik held Baron Braun''s forces. Timothy had heard that Erik made a deal with Braun back then. His friend sacrificed his own freedom for him. Now, Erik looked different. His hair was long and he had a beard. He was wearing some tattered rags that couldn''t even be called a tunic. His face was dirty and the brilliance in his eyes was gone. Timothy could see that the past months had been hard for Erik. His friend was a broken man. His heart ached after seeing the state of his friend. Erik was still a noble and yet he was treated like this. How despicable, he thought. Ivan didn''t even know how to properly treat a hostage. "Tim!" Erik shouted. He was pleading for Timothy to save him. Timothy was put in a dilemma. He needed to make an immediate choice and he can''t waste any more time. But he struggled in making his choice. Timothy wanted to help him. Erik was his best friend and helping him was just natural. Erik had suffered enough. Furthermore he owed Erik so much and he wanted to repay that debt. But he can''t waste time. The soldiers guarding Erik had already formed a perimeter around him. Of course Timothy''s three Centuries of cavalry could wipe them all. But it will take time and many of his men will die. Arthur was in danger and he needed to save the Prince at all cost. Timothy then decided. Even though his heart aches, he chose Arthur. The foolish Prince would die if he helped Erik first, but Ivan wouldn''t kill Erik. Timothy could just plan another rescue mission for Erik a few days from now. "I''m sorry." Timothy blurted with a pained expression. Being a King and making decisions meant that Timothy sometimes have to make tough calls. It was hard but he forced himself to abandon Erik for now. "I will come back!" Timothy declared as he ordered his horse to move. The rest of his men followed and they left Erik. Timothy pulled his hair. He wanted to scream but he steeled his resolve. He still have a foolish Prince to save. After a few minutes, they arrived at the location reported by the messenger. Timothy saw that Arthur''s forces were being surrounded by about a thousand enemies. Some of the men had dismounted and formed a circle. Arthur was at the middle and was being protected by a dozen soldiers or so. Arthur''s line of defense was on the verge of collapse. "Form a wedge!" Timothy commanded. In just a short moment, the wedge was completed. Since Timothy was an important figure, he went to the middle of the formation and left the front to Abraham. The large royal guard would be their apex. "Charge!" With Timothy''s order, the three hundred men charged towards the enemies. Henry''s teachings, coupled with the toughness and discipline of his soldiers, made the charge fluid. Like battering ram they surged forward. And then they hit the enemies from behind. They caught them off guard and the charge shattered part of the enemy formation. They tore through the enemies. Bodies lay dead and the rest of the enemies had been broken. The charge shattered them and they routed. This should have been the moment Timothy ordered to chase the routing enemies. Attacking from behind was the specialty of a cavalry unit. But he can''t. They can''t stay here any longer. He was sure that more of the enemies will come. Timothy then saw the fool approach him. Arthur was still riding his horse but the prince''s face was pale. It was apparent that the fool was shaken. "King Timothy! You took so long!" Arthur was almost crying. Timothy was not able to hold his anger. He grabbed Arthur''s collar. "Fool!" He shouted. Timothy wanted to give endless insults to the Prince. The fool ruined his plans. Although his attack had caused devastation in the enemy camp, he could have done more damage. But Arthur''s recklessness forced him to order a general retreat. The fool could have waited for his orders. His encounter with Erik further soured Timothy''s mood. He had to leave Erik just like that because of Arthur. Of course Erik would still have been recaptured even if Arthur didn''t make this problem, but at least that encounter would have never happened. Timothy wanted to say more but the soldiers were watching them. He didn''t want to embarrass Arthur in front of the soldiers. He wasn''t that kind of person. "You taught me to grab opportunities. I just followed your teachings." Arthur defended. Timothy leaned closer to Arthur. "Then make sure that it is an opportunity you are grabbing and not the tail of a monster! You bit off more than you can chew. You knew that we are outnumbered ten to one. What opportunity are you talking about!?" he told Arthur in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Let''s continue this in the camp. You don''t want to be further embarrassed in front of the soldiers, do you?" Arthur slowly nodded. Timothy straightened his body and looked at the soldiers. They have won, but things could have been better. "Let''s just go back." he ordered. 93 A Treacherous Hear "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to ruin your plans. I just thought that was the right thing to do" That was the first thing Timothy heard from Arthur after they entered the tent. Timothy sat on his chair and leaned back. He closed his eyes and was silent. "Well?" Arthur asked again. "Are you not going to say something? Are you not going to curse me or reprimand me or something?" "Don''t make it sound like I''m bullying you Arthur. What''s done is done. You already ruined the night. Do me a favor and just shut up okay?" Timothy massaged his throbbing head. He was still angry at Arthur but like what he said, what''s done is done. Shouting or cursing at the prince would just exacerbate his headache. Timothy heard the cloth of the tent flap "Your Majesty" Henry''s voice sounded. Timothy opened his eyes. He was dizzy from the headache and he was not in the mood to talk. "Just tell me the summary, I''ll read the whole report tomorrow." "The reports are still unclear but I already know the gist of it. We lost just over a hundred men from the attack with most of the casualties coming from Prince Arthur''s unit. As for the enemies, we can expect that they suffered nearly a thousand casualties." "And how is he?" Timothy asked. He was referring to Abraham. After breaking through the enemy ranks, Abraham was injured. Apparently, an enemy unhorsed Abraham using the hook of a halberd. The hook bit through his armor and slightly punctured his chest. "The wound looks bad but I think he will live. The Omniscient grants healing to those who are brave and righteous." replied Henry. Timothy sighed. He was relieved. Although he wanted to be impartial towards his guards, Abraham was sort of his favorite. He had seen the development of Abraham from a coward to someone who will lead a cavalry charge in the front. "The two of you can leave. I believe the officers can take care of the wounded and the paperworks so you can rest for tonight." Timothy said as he slumped back in his chair. He massaged his head again. The headache was killing him. Arthur left the tent but Henry didn''t. The knight went to the table and made a cup of tea. He handed Timothy the cup. "It will help. Coupled with a proper rest, the pain will soon be gone." "Thank you" Timothy said as he took the cup. He drank the tea and its warmth slightly reduced the pain. "So, what''s bugging you? Something tells me that Prince Arthur''s actions are not the only cause of your headache." Timothy took a sip again. "You know Erik right?" "Erik Connel, the son of Marquis Benedict Connel?" Timothy nodded. "Yes" Henry sat in front of him. "I have met him once. Freya also told me a lot about him. Why?" "I saw him. When I was on my way to reinforce Arthur, I saw him. Ivan''s soldiers were chasing him. He called for my name and asked for my help but I did not help him. There was no time and Arthur needed my immediate help." Timothy closed his eyes and remembered the pained look on Erik''s face. "And you feel bad for choosing Arthur over Erik." The knight correctly guessed. "I would also feel that way if I were you. From what I''ve heard, Erik, Freya and you were close. Well, there''s nothing I can say that you haven''t thought of because you are probably several times smarter than me. So I will listen for now. My ears are all yours." It took Timothy a few moments to organize his thoughts and feelings. "I would have done it again if I was presented with the same choice. Even though Erik is suffering, I would abandon him again for Arthur''s life. The moment I put a crown on top of my head, I understood that someday I will encounter choices like this. A choice between following either the heart or the mind, such a cruel choice to make. Nevertheless, I made a choice Henry. A King must make a choice, you got it!?" He turned his gaze towards Henry. He then continued. "He probably hates me now, but what can I do!? It''s either him or Arthur. I know that I did the right choice, so why do I feel this way!?" There was tremor in his voice and his heart was in disarray. He was agitated. Henry remained silent and Timothy thought that the Knight had already fallen asleep. But Henry soon asked him a question. "What if that was Lucia? Let''s say that she was not the Princess of Vanadis and was simply your lover. Would you still abandon her in that state for Arthur?" "Of course I would¡­" Timothy stopped because he realized that his choice would be different if that was Lucia. Seeing her in that state would probably affect him enough that he will follow his heart over his mind. He would have saved her and abandoned Arthur instead. He would have forfeited his dreams of becoming the King and fixing Castonia just to save her. He would have lost his reason if that was her. He could organize another attack and just rescue her a few days later but he wouldn''t do that. He would save her immediately. Her suffering was more painful to him compared to Erik''s suffering. And then it occurred to him that his words earlier were all just to mask a simple fact ¨C He abandoned a friend. Hard choices a King must make? A lie. He abandoned Erik because his ambition is more important than his friend. A right choice? There was no right choice to begin with. He chose ambition over friendship. Timothy was annoyed by Henry''s question because it showed him the truth, a terrifying truth that he is changing. Henry must have also realized it. "I''m sorry. My mouth is blabbering useless things. I''m really.." "Leave Henry. I need to rest." Timothy said flatly. "Then good night Your Majesty" Henry stood up and went to the exit. But Timothy asked him a question before he could leave. "Henry, am I evil?" he asked with a pained voice. Henry stopped and turned around. There was a small smile in his face. "If you were, I wouldn''t be serving you. Doing a few mistakes doesn''t make a man evil. But be careful Tim, the heart is a treacherous thing. I''ll try my best to be your compass but in the end, you alone are responsible for your own actions." Timothy nodded. The past few days, he felt that he was turning into someone he is not. He is afraid that he was losing his morals. He then decided that he will rectify his mistakes towards Erik. He looked at Henry. "Tomorrow, send Elisar and Jop to spy around. Order them to find Erik''s location. I will get my friend back at all cost" ****************************************************************************** The morning was cold, freezing even. But Erik didn''t mind the cold. Something else was on his mind. He was hurt. He knew that Timothy had his reasons and will come back for him, but he was still hurt. Timothy left him just like that. After his recapture, he was dragged back to his cell. His previous guards were punished and replaced. Now Erik was back in his cell with his butt sitting in the cold ground. "So you''re back" Sylvie''s voice sounded from behind. Erik turned his head and forced a smile. "I am. A certain person whose name I don''t want to hear right now, did not help me." Sylvie sat and leaned against his back. The cold iron bars separated them. "By the way, I''m glad you''re alright." Erik whispered. He was worried that Skall and Ivan would find out that it was Sylvie who released him. "They would never suspect me. They think I''m nothing but a crazy woman. Well I am, probably." Erik laughed. For the first time since last night, he felt lighthearted. "Well who would suspect a crazy bitch after all." "Hey! Can you be little nicer to me?" Sylvie pouted. "Last night¡­" she stopped as if remembering their tearful goodbye last night. "Oh god. This is so awkward! I even said those things." "You were so dramatic last night that I was nearly moved by your words." Erik teased. He then smiled. "But thank you Sylvie. Thank you for going that far for me" "You''re welcome Erik" Sylvie said. She then rubbed her head against his. He had always been annoyed by this habit of hers but after last night he found it enjoyable. "So, do you hate him now?" Sylvie asked the question which answer Erik himself doesn''t want to hear. Does he hate Timothy now after what happened? "I''m hurt Sylvie. It is painful. He left me just like that. I''m angry at him. But I don''t think I hate him. He is still my friend, he will always be my friend." "Good" Sylvie said. Erik looked at her. "Why?" Sylvie leaned closer to his ear and whispered. "Because I''m planning another escape for you. You need to go back to Timothy. They have tightened your security after what happened last night but I will find a way. I promise you, I will find a way." Erik was touched. When he first met her, he never expected that she will turn out like this. "You must escape too." "Yes, I will go to Wismar a few days after your escape." "No, come with me. I will take you to Greenwater. I know you can''t face Timothy and Lucia and they probably hate you, but I will protect you. I need you Sylvie" "But.." "Please Sylvie, come with me." Erik held her hand and pleaded. Her face showed signs of anxiety but he could tell that she was happy for his offer. "Is that really okay? I''m emotionally unstable and protecting me will cause friction between you and Timothy." "It''s okay. So it''s a promise then. You will find a way out for both of us and I will take you to Greenwater." He gripped her hand harder. Sylvie nodded and smiled. "I''m looking forward to seeing the famous Greenwater Bay" 94 A Visitor "Three, two, one, Heave!" Elisar lifted the corpse of a horse with Jop and several other soldiers into a wagon. The animal was heavy and he ran out of air. It took them three tries to load the animal and he was panting after the effort. He sat on a nearby rock. Jop also sat beside him. "Haaaa!" Jop let out an annoyingly long sigh. "We went here to ask around, but we are helping them clean their camp instead." "Don''t complain. You know this is the easiest and safest way to gather information." "But I''m tired." Jop complained "I have the urge to ask them directly and be done with it." "And how are you going to talk to them huh? ''Hi I''m Jop, do you know where Erik Connel''s prison is?'' " Elisar imitated Jop''s voice in an exaggerated way. "Patience is important Jop. Although His Majesty said that we need to hurry, I think he knows that spying takes time." "Well, you''re right. I did find some other useful information on my own though." Jop revealed a smile. "They say that Prince Ivan had ordered a retreat to Nirvana. Our attack last night shook the Prince." Elisar felt delighted. When he first heard that Prince Ivan was coming to Solon with an army of twenty thousand, he thought that thousands of Castonian lives would be needed to stop the aggression. But if Jop''s information was correct, then that means the number of casualties will be lower. Elisar hated fighting against fellow Castonians. Their current enemies were their past friends. Even though his loyalty to King Timothy was still absolute, swinging his sword towards old friends was hard. The retreat of Prince Ivan would not mean the end of the Civil War, but at least they will have a respite from the fighting. How he wished for the end of the civil war to come soon. He hoped for the day King Timothy enters Nirvana as the King of all Castonia. "And what about the men? What are their reactions?" Elisar asked. "Most of them are afraid of King Timothy. Just like us, they regret gossiping about King Timothy''s birthright. Most of them don''t believe the gossip now. They say that if King Timothy was indeed a bastard, then how in the world did he turn into a lion last night?" Elisar laughed. He was familiar with the habit of the soldiers to exaggerate things. The rumors about King Timothy having the ability to turn into a lion must have resurfaced after the attack last night. "And what about their morale?" Jop went closer to him. "Many of them wanted to switch sides. They say that Prince Ivan is incompetent and this war was King Leopold''s fault in the first place." Of all the news and rumors they''ve heard today, this was the best. Elisar hoped that many of the Castonians would switch sides. He hoped that his brothers will see that King Timothy is a better leader compared to King Leopold or Prince Ivan. "Let''s go back Jop. Although we haven''t discovered the location of Erik Connel''s prison, we need to report our findings to His Majesty. It''s almost dark anyway." Jop agreed and the two of them stood up. They were about to go back to their camp when a woman approached them. The appearance of a woman in a military camp was strange enough. What really was strange was the fact the woman looked like a noble. She had a long black hair tied into a braid. Her clothes were plain but the way she wore them gives off an aura unique to the nobility. If Elisar was to guess, she looked like a Vanadian. She was pretty despite the scar on her face. "What can we do for you milady?" Elisar bowed his head a little. Jop looked at him and imitated his actions. "You are King Timothy''s spies" she said without batting an eye. Elisar''s heart almost stopped. She knew? How? Thousands of thoughts entered his mind. He perceived danger. They had been discovered. Beside him, Jop had also realized the danger. He was looking around and had one hand on the hilt of his sword. Elisar was about to run with Jop when the woman reached out her hand. "I am Sylvie" ********************************************************** "No, I don''t trust her. I can''t trust her and never in a million years will I trust her." Timothy said after hearing Elisar and Jops''s report. Sylvie, the crazy woman who betrayed and tried to kill Lucia, contacted them. She said that she needed help in setting Erik free. She wanted Timothy to cause a commotion in Ivan''s camp again and send a rescue party to get Erik out of prison. She also said that she will be their guide and eyes inside Ivan''s camp. Timothy doesn''t buy her story. She had betrayed Lucia before and she could betray them again. Although the prospect of having a well-rooted spy inside Ivan''s camp was tempting, Timothy doesn''t want to gamble. After what she did, he can''t trust her. She could be working for Ivan or Skall and was luring them into a trap. He looked at Henry who was sitting beside him. Although he had almost already made up his mind, he wanted a second opinion. After their talk last night, he realized that he needed to hear the knight''s opinion before making a decision. "What do you think?" Henry seemed surprised that Timothy asked for his opinion. "From what I know, she betrayed Lucia. Isn''t that right?" Timothy nodded. Henry continued. "The book of Knights puts heavy emphasis on redemption from sins. In fact, I am working for redemption now. The Omniscient forgives betrayals. But forgiveness is different from trust." Timothy discovered that Henry had the same opinion with him. But he wanted to hear an opinion or a reason different from his. So he turned to the person in the room who had a very different opinion to him. "And what about you Arthur?" Contrary to Henry''s good etiquette, Arthur had the audacity to eat while they were discussing plans. The Prince put down his spoon and wiped the smeared porridge off his mouth. "Sylvie? Yea. I know her. She was pretty noble girl with long legs. The shape of her body is good too." Timothy ignored Arthur''s lecherous remark and continued listening. "Don''t trust her." Arthur said. "When she was at the palace, I thought she was an angel. She was proper, kind, you know it. Turns out she is crazy. If she can put up an act like that, I don''t think you should trust her." After hearing the opinion of Henry and Arthur, Timothy was disappointed. Both of their arguments were similar to his. He found Lucia''s absence to be tiring. Discovering spies, traitors, schemes and plans were Lucia''s expertise. Timothy on the other hand, was bad at these things. If Lucia was here, she should have already given a convincing advice. "We will not trust Sylvie. It''s too dangerous" Timothy gave Elisar and Jop his decision. After discussing plans to further weaken Ivan''s camp and increase the number of defectors, Timothy dismissed Henry. Although the day wasn''t a busy one, Timothy was still exhausted. He had waited all day for Elisar and Jop''s report, only to discover another hard choice in the end. He went to his bed and snuffed the candle. The moon was bright so his tent had good illumination. The moon, Timothy thought bitterly. The moon remind him of Lucia. He missed her already. His decisions were flawed without her and he had no one to discuss his deepest feelings with. How he wished that she was beside him. From her last letter, Timothy estimated that she had arrived in Solon with King Edmund. At least she was safe, he thought. With Ivan retreating, he will also go back to Solon soon. Although he wanted to chase and harass Ivan on his way to Nirvana, they were running out of food. Horses consumed more food than he expected. Just a few more days, he silently murmured. He will come back to her in just a few more days. He was losing himself and he needed her. Timothy lay on his bed and pulled the blanket. The night was cold and winter was fast approaching. He turned to his left side, his usual position of sleeping. But in the darkness, something caught his eye. At first he thought that he was seeing things. He was tired and it was dark so it could just be nothing. He blinked and the thing became clearer. It was a man standing just about a meter away. He was tall and his clothes were, weird. Timothy had never seen such clothes before. The man had a black coat, but it was not the same coat Timothy wears. He also had white buttoned clothing underneath the coat and some sort of clothing accessory on his neck. On top of his head was a hat. The hat was equally weird. It was black and had a cylinder-like shape. But what really stood out from the man''s outfit was his cane. He wasn''t old yet he was carrying a cane. It was a smooth black cane that looked like a stick at a glance. Timothy''s first reaction was to scream for help. He was almost sure that the man was an assassin. But before he could open his mouth, the man put one end of his cane on his lips and leaned forward. His movements were smooth and fluid. "Shhhhh" he gave a sinister smile. It was so sinister that Timothy felt shivers down his spine. "We are here to help" 95 Spectators Timothy''s jaw was frozen. He was scared. "What¡­ what do you want?" he stuttered due to fear. The man chuckled in an unsettling way. Timothy noticed that one of his teeth was replaced with a golden fake one. "I told you, we are here to help" he sat on the bed and like before, his movements were fluid. "The one you call Sylvie is telling the truth. You must trust her." "What are you talking about? Sylvie? Wha¡­?" Timothy shook his head and frowned. He was already confused and the mention of Sylvie''s name further mangled his thoughts. "Who are you anyway?" The man spun his cane in a playful way. "It doesn''t matter who we are. We have been watching you for a long time Timothy. We have taken a liking to you. You have the potential and we are starting to invest. But lately, you are making some big mistakes so we decided to intervene. Treat this as our gift to you. Now let me tell you that your friend Erik can''t be rescued without the help of Sylvie." Timothy was still scared. He can''t set aside the fact that there was a strange man sitting on his bed. Also, the man''s words were the stuff of horrors. Watching him for a long time? Invest? He felt like a puppet being controlled from the shadows. "I.." "You don''t trust us?" He smiled again and the golden tooth was revealed. "Good. We would be disappointed if you trusted us that easily. So we will instead let you see someone who can change your mind. I''m sure you missed her already. You have an hour King Timothy" Timothy''s vision blurred. Everything went dark. The next thing he knew, he was inside a room. The room was familiar and it soon occurred to him that it was Lucia''s room in Solon. He was still shaking from what happened. Is this a dream? He asked. But the lack of answer terrified his being. "Tim?" a sweet voice called from behind. He turned around and saw Lucia in her nightgown. She looked shocked. He ran towards her. Even though he understood nothing of what''s happening, his longing for her won over his fear. She stepped back at first. He could tell that she was scared. But it seemed she also missed him enough. She ran forward to embrace him. But when they were about to embrace each other, a strange thing happened. Timothy''s arms passed through her body like smoke. He couldn''t touch her. He tried to touch her again and the same thing happened. He looked at his hands. So they can see and hear each other, but can''t touch? "What''s happening Tim?" She looked at him. "You are Timothy right?" He did not answer and walked towards her bed. He sat down. Lucia followed and sat beside him. "It''s hard to explain, but let me try." He said. Timothy then explained everything to her, every single thing that transpired. He told her about Erik and his sins towards his friend. He told her about Sylvie''s offer. Lastly, he told her about the strange man and how he ended up here. Lucia listened without saying anything and his explanation took almost an hour. "So let''s talk about the man first. If he was telling the truth then we only have a few minutes left." Lucia said after Timothy finished his tale. "Who do you think he is? And why is he talking as if he''s not alone? And how in the world is he able to send you here?" "I don''t know. I''m as puzzled as you are. He said that they have been watching me. I''m scared Lucia. I''m sure he was the one who sent me here. He said it''s a gift of sort. He is powerful. If he wishes to, he could have killed me. I''m truly scared. It''s my first time experiencing something like this. " "Does Leo''s Tear know something about this?" she asked. "No" Timothy shook his head. "We don''t even know that such thing was possible. I was in my tent a few minutes ago. The next thing I know, I''m here. " "Then we don''t have enough information about him. He could be our future enemy, but for now he is helping us. We don''t know anything so we can''t do anything. Be careful Tim." "You seem calm about this" he commented. "I''m not" she showed him her shaking hands. "I''m as scared as you are. I''m really scared. This is not normal Tim. But what can we do? We are powerless. Whatever he is, whoever he is, we can''t do anything. So we must do what he said. He sent you here to talk to me so we should talk." "Right" Timothy tried to calm his nerves. Since the man sent him here to talk to Lucia, then he will and the thing with Erik was a good place to start. He forced himself to forget about the strange man for a moment. "Are you disappointed regarding my decisions with Erik?" "I am. " Her face turned sad. "This is not like you Tim. I know saving Arthur is strategically more important but you are not someone who would leave a friend behind. You are turning into him, your father. Your actions are similar to what King Leopold would do. When you started this war, you told me that you wanted to be better than him. Now you are turning into him." Hearing her say that she was disappointed pricked his heart. He was hurt. He didn''t want to disappoint the woman he loves. He wanted to be someone she could be proud of. "Would you still love me even if I turned out like him?" She smiled but sadness still lingered in her eyes. "Yes. Yes I would. I will always love you Tim. Even if you''ve turned into the likes of King Leopold I would still love you. The heart is strange. The heart doesn''t need reasons. The heart knows no morals. But I prefer you to be like before because if you change, then I will be sad." Seeing her like that prompted Timothy to make a decision.. He will think of his actions from now on. If he can''t do it for himself, then he will do it for her. He will not disappoint Lucia and he will become a man she can be proud of. "And what about Sylvie?" he asked. "Trust her" she said without hesitation. Her answer surprised him. Lucia was the one who experienced first-hand Sylvie''s betrayal. She was almost killed twice by Sylvie. She should be the first one who would tell him to not trust Sylvie. "Why? It could be a trap." "If Ivan and Skall were indeed preparing a trap for you, then they would use a more sophisticated plan wouldn''t they? You said that she just walked up to your soldiers and introduced herself. That doesn''t look sophisticated to me. Why would they use Sylvie knowing that you wouldn''t trust her in the first place? Her approach reeks of desperation. She is desperate to free Erik." Timothy finally heard the argument he wanted. Once again, he realized Lucia''s importance in his life not just as his lover but also his partner. She completes him. With her by her side, he felt that they could survive anything. "And what if she really is working for Ivan and Skall?" he asked again. Even though her argument was sound, he was still afraid to put his trust on Sylvie. "I may be wrong Tim and she could be part of an elaborate trap. But this is a test, don''t you think?" "A test?" "I know you want to do the right thing. You don''t want your morals to further degrade. This will be a test for you. Yes she could be lying but if she was telling the truth, then you could rescue Erik. Will you risk losing against Ivan for Erik? Will you take a leap of faith for your friend?" Listening to her opened his eyes. A man must think and use his brain, but the desires of the heart must take priority sometimes. The old Timothy would throw away a crown in exchange for a friend. Some people may say that it''s stupid, but this attitude was one of the attributes of the rooster prince. "I will save Erik." He declared. "Even if I lose to Ivan, I will have my friend back. Even if I lose my crown, it doesn''t matter. I am not my father and I will never be my father. I am Timothy Castonia, a better King." The sadness in Lucia''s face faded. She smiled. "Welcome back Tim" Timothy opened his eyes and he was back on his bed. What happened was like a dream. No it was not a dream, he thought. He really talked with Lucia. He was sure that the person he talked to was the real Lucia and not just a fragment of his imagination. To confirm his thoughts, he saw the strange man again. He was still standing near the bed. "Who are you really?" "A spectator" The man smiled. He then continued. "We are investing in you. You have so much potential that we just can''t sit idly. But this doesn''t mean that we will always help. For now you are not yet worthy of our full support. We will meet again Timothy. From the shadows, we will watch you grow. When the time is right, everything shall be revealed." He then turned around and walked away. Timothy blinked once and the man was gone. Timothy was left staring at the darkness. He was glad that he met Lucia again and he was delighted that he finally found his way. But the things that happened were just too strange. He realized that he was but a pawn in the grand scheme of things. 96 Rescue Plan "Your Majesty" a male voice called but his words didn''t reach Timothy. "Your Majesty are you listening?" there it is again, but he was still lost in thought. "Wake up King Timothy!" somebody shook his shoulders and he was pulled back from his trance. He saw Henry staring at him. "What?" "You are spacing out. You called us here early in the morning but it seems you''re still asleep." Henry said. "His face is pale" the annoying voice of Arthur sounded. "And look at those eyes. Oh boy. Somebody didn''t sleep last night." Timothy was now fully awake and he remembered that after the man left, he did not sleep again. He spent the entire night thinking of possible explanations for what happened. After a few hours of thought, he derived a few conclusions but none of them were satisfactory. He decided that he will leave the identity of the man a mystery for now. He needed to discuss this with Lucia. For now, he still needed to rescue Erik. First thing in the morning, he called Henry, Arthur, Elisar and Jop. Most of the soldiers were still asleep and the morning was freezing. Yet the five of them were already talking about the plans for the day. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "I have changed my mind. We will coordinate with Sylvie." Just as he finished talking, the four men showed expressions of surprise. "So you have forgiven her already?" Henry pointed upward "The Omniscient must be rejoicing for we have a forgiving King. While I still don''t think that we should trust her, I will respect your decisions. I will follow you no matter what." Elisar scratched his head. "I don''t really know anything but if I''m not mistaken, you are planning something big right? You will let Prince Ivan think that you had fallen in his trap but in truth, he was the one falling in yours. Coordinating with her is just a front to mask our attack. And then you will rescue Erik Connel by¡­" he paused and pondered. "I don''t know. Something" "Yeah!" Jop exclaimed. "King Timothy had already planned things ahead." "If I''m to guess, you changed your mind because I said she got nice legs. I didn''t know that legs are your thing" Arthur said quietly but he still heard it. He shot Arthur a piecing look. He then turned to the three normal men and clarified his decision. He first looked at Henry. "I haven''t forgiven her for what she did to Lucia and I don''t think I will trust her again in this lifetime." He then cleared Elisar and Jop''s wrong assumptions. "I''m also not scheming anything. While I must make a good plan to rescue Erik, I really want to coordinate with Sylvie. And.." He looked at Arthur but stopped. He decided that he will not entertain Arthur''s blabbers today. "Let''s just say that I realized many things last night. Somebody showed me the way" he smiled as he remembered his meaningful talk with Lucia last night. Even though the circumstances of their meeting were strange, he was thankful that he was able to talk to her. "Can you find her again?" he asked the two soldiers. "It shouldn''t be hard Your Majesty. We could find her and come back here before noon." Elisar answered. "Then go find her. Tonight we will make our move." ***************************************************************************** Erik was eating his food when Sylvie showed up. She walked towards him with a smile on her face. She reached out her hand and there were some berries on it. "Don''t worry, it''s not poisoned. I tried to poison someone a long time ago. It just didn''t work" she said with a grin. "Two months ago is not a long time." He commented and took the berries. He put them in his mouth. The refreshing taste of berries was godsend to his taste buds. He was tired of eating tasteless porridge every single day. "Is it good? I picked them just this morning." He noticed that she was still grinning. If it was a month ago, he would have been irritated by her grin. But now she found her grin to be cute. "It is. Thank you Sylvie" he said while his mouth was still full. A mixture of berry juice and saliva trickled from his mouth. He wiped it with the back of his hand. "By the way, you seem happy. Did Skall finally gave you the scar-erasing herb? How nice of him." "Scar what?" she looked confused and then her face brightened. "Oh you mean the herb. I didn''t expect you would still remember about that. I have already forgotten about the herb until you reminded me of it. But no, it''s not about the herb." "So?" he pressed for an answer. "I can see it in your eyes Sylvie. You can''t wait to tell me about it" She looked around and went closer to him. She whispered but the excitement in her voice didn''t vanish "When I was picking the berries, Timothy''s spies approached me. I was actually the first one who approached them yesterday but I was afraid that my introduction was just too crude. I mean, I just walked up to them and introduced myself. By the way, I knew they were spies because¡­" "Sylvie. Can you please tell a story in an organized way? Jumbling things around hurts my head. Also be direct for now. What did they say?" She smiled like a little girl. "Timothy is going to get us tonight! Of course I still have to give them the layout of the camp. But you can finally escape!" He felt his heart jump in joy. He thought that he will rot in a cell for the rest of his life. His brief escape the other night provided him with a glimpse of a life without a cage. But he also doesn''t want to get his hopes up. He was still a little angry at Timothy. He was still hurt. "Well let''s just hope for the best. It''s Timothy after all. Maybe he will leave me again" he pouted. "Don''t be like that Erik. I''m sure he''s doing everything to make it up to you. Trust him one last time, okay?" "I''ll try" he said, trying to appear tough. But the truth is, he was happy that Tim was coming. "By the way, you''re coming with me right? Don''t forget your promise." "If I remember correctly, my promise is to find a way for you to escape. Taking me to Greenwater was your promise." "Technicalities, whatever. But you are coming with me. It''s rude to refuse the offer of a noble." He said. "Fine, fine. I''ll come with you. It looks like I''ll have to postpone my quest for that scar-erasing herb." She said and her remark made both of them laugh. *********************************************************************************** The plan to attack Timothy failed, thought Ivan. At first he expected that attacking Timothy was as easy as giving the order to march. But he just discovered that armies were more complicated than he thought. He just received news that the Vanadian mercenaries had already reached the safety of Solon. There was no point in chasing them now. Also, the two thousand cavalry under Timothy had been a huge thorn in his side. Their attack the other day shattered the morale of his army. Both Skall and Braun recommended a retreat. "How many days until we reach Nirvana?" he asked Braun. The old man took a deep breath. "Three days if we hurry and I suggest we would. There are rumors of desertion floating around. We must reach Nirvana as soon as possible." "I agree" Skall said while sharpening his dagger. He blew on the blade before continuing. "Tomorrow we should start our forced march." "Actually I suggest we start now" Braun said. "Now?" Skall stopped and put down the whetstone "But it''s already dark. Are you suggesting that we march in darkness?" Braun walked towards Ivan. "Your Highness, I know this sounds crazy and foolish but I do think we must leave as soon as possible. Staying here is dangerous. Timothy will attack again." "And how did you know about that? Do you have spies? Scouts?" Skall questioned. "It''s¡­ It''s a hunch. But Prince Ivan please listen to me. If I were Timothy, I would attempt another attack tonight. We must make our move before his next attack" "I agree that we need to go back to Nirvana as soon as possible. But marching at night? That''s not very wise" Skall rebutted. Ivan looked at the two. It only took him a moment to choose a side. "He is right Braun. We can''t march at night. Let the men rest for the march tomorrow." "Your Highness please just listen to me at least once. You have always listened to him and look what happened. I really have a bad feeling about this." Braun pleaded. The old man bowed. But he had already made up his mind. Skall may have made some slight miscalculations but he still trusted Skall. "No Braun, we will march tomorrow." "Your Highness please¡­" "Braun!" he finally lost his temper. "I have already decided. Prince Skall is right, we can''t risk marching at night. Timothy will not attack to¡­" He was interrupted by a shout from outside. "We are under attack!" The three of them looked at each other and then ran outside. There was man on horseback coming towards their direction. "We are under attack!" The man announced again. 97 A Night of Confusion "Where are they?" With sword in hand, Ivan turned his head from side to side. After hearing the scout''s grave report, he rallied all the men he could find and rushed to direction the scout pointed to. But the scene only bore darkness. The soldiers in the vicinity were even asleep. He searched for the scout to clarify the report. The scout was gone. "Where is the scout?" he asked Skall and Braun beside him. The two men also searched for the scout. The man was truly gone as if he didn''t exist in the first place. "He''s gone" Braun said. "Maybe it was a false alarm?" Skall commented. The prince was also ready for the battle and he had nearly a cohort of Wismarines at his back. Ivan eyed the soldiers whose tents were in the area. They were just waking up. "Hey, you!" he demanded the soldiers'' attention. "Have you seen the enemies?" The soldiers looked at each other. "No Your Highness. We were sleeping until you arrived. Are we under attack?" one of them, probably a Centurion, said. His eyebrows met. He was shaken when he heard that Timothy was attacking. But standing here in darkness with a few thousand soldiers at his back made him look like a fool. "Sir!" He looked to the direction of the voice. Another man on horseback approached them. The soldier saluted. "A mutiny sir. There is a mutiny in the eastern part of the camp!" He didn''t waste a single second and rushed to the eastern part of the camp. A mutiny is worse than an attack. But when they arrived, the same thing greeted them ¨C a peaceful camp. There were no riots, not even a single cry of rebellion. The soldiers in the part of camp all had a surprised look on their faces. By now, he had managed to rally maybe a fourth of his forces and he truly looked like a fool. The men will surely gossip tomorrow on how he destroyed their rest. They will laugh at him for getting worked up for nothing. He looked for the scout who tricked him but the soldier was missing again. "They are playing tricks on you" Skall''s voice sounded. "Punish them Ivan. In Wismar, we don''t let mere soldiers play tricks like these. Show them that you are not a person to be messed with" "Sir!" The same scene was repeated, a scout riding towards them. As expected, the scout saluted and reported another grave news. But unlike before, he was now agitated after being humiliated. He grabbed the soldier''s neck and pinned him on the ground. "What games are you playing at? Why in Ashkara''s name are you doing this to me? I am your Prince!" The soldier''s eyes became watery. "Sir, I''m not playing games with you. We are under attack! Believe me. I searched all over the camp for you." He pulled the soldier''s hair and forced an eye contact with him. "If you are lying, I will personally cut your tongue!" He didn''t wait to hear for the soldier''s reply and stood up. "Let''s go!" he shouted an order to the men. Unlike before, they didn''t rush and took their time. He kept his eye on the scout the whole time. But when they arrived, he realized that the scout was telling the truth. Hundreds of tents were burning and the soldiers were busy putting out the fire. "What happened!?" he demanded answer from one of the soldiers. The soldier put down a pail of water and clumsily saluted. "They¡­ they came out from the darkness sir. They were fast and we didn''t have time to react. The next thing we know our tents were torched and they were gone" "Dammit!" he pulled the turban he was wearing. He was about to throw it on the ground when he remembered that Skall was watching. He just clenched his fist and put the turban in his pocket. But it seems the night won''t give him respite. Five new scouts approached him almost simultaneously. They reported attacks from five different locations. His head was starting to hurt. The two earlier reports were false but the last one wasn''t. As he looked at the five scouts, he found it hard to decide who among them were telling the truth. "What should we do Skall?" he asked. It took Skall a while to reply. "I think we should just divide our forces. We can afford to be divided anyway." He agreed with Skall almost immediately. He was about to give the orders when Braun butted in. "Where is that woman? The woman the two of you have been hiding from His Majesty?" "You mean Sylvie?" he asked to confirm. There was only one woman in the camp and it was the deranged woman he had been using to spy on Erik. "I don''t know and I don''t care. I think she''s doing her thing. Probably in Erik''s cell or something" "Erik!" Braun almost shouted Erik''s name. "Your Highness, I think this is a ploy by Timothy to rescue Erik. He''s confusing us to mask their true intention which is to rescue Erik. And the woman you call Sylvie is helping them!" "We don''t have time for your conspiracies Braun. Sylvie is crazily angry at the Vanadians. She wouldn''t help Erik just like that. We really don''t have time. We must go now!" he said. "No!" someone voiced in opposition. He thought that it was Braun again but he noticed that the voice belonged to Skall. He looked at Skall and saw that the Prince was thinking about something. "Ivan, I think he''s right. I''ve been thinking about Erik''s escape the other day. I still don''t understand how he got the key. At first I thought that some guards were sympathetic towards him. But what the Baron said makes more sense. It''s her Ivan. I think she betrayed us." Ivan also realized the truth. They had been so immersed in the idea that Sylvie was nothing but a crazy woman that they trusted her. "But we can''t ignore the attacks." "Yes we can''t. You must go and defend the camp while I take most of our cavalry to ensure that Erik is still in his cell." "Right." He nodded as a sign of agreement. "May Ashkara be with you brother." ******************************************************************************** Sylvie was trembling a little when she entered the tent that housed Erik''s cell. She tried to hide her anxiousness to the guards outside the tent and it seemed that she was successful somehow. After making sure that she was out of the guards'' vision, she ran to the cell. Erik stood up and met her. He noticed her shaking. "Are you scared?" he asked. She tried to smile and hid her fear. She needs to act brave for him. She must prioritize his escape over her own. "What are you talking about? I''m not scared. In fact, this is fun! You don''t have to worry Erik. I will get us out of here." He reached towards her and held her cheek. "You are lying. You''re scared aren''t you?" The way he looked at her made her admit the truth. She was scared. She knew that Skall and Ivan would kill her if their escape was botched. After Erik promised her that he would take her to Greenwater and away from all the violence and brutality of the war, she became more reluctant to die. When she was still spying on Lucia, all she wanted was to extract her revenge against the Royal Family of Vanadis. But now she realized that there was more to life than petty revenge. Basking in the tenderness of Erik''s hand, she closed her eyes and nodded. She then felt him hold her arm and pulled her closer. With the iron bars in between, he embraced her. This was the first time Sylvie was embraced by someone other than her family. She never expected that such warmth could exist in this world. She felt safe and secured and the thought of the danger she will soon face was lost in her mind. "I''m glad I met a crazy bitch like you." He said next to her ears. "I''m happy, so happy that I wanted to cry. For the past months, you kept me sane. You became someone I can''t do without. Thank you Sylvie." She was speechless. She was a talkative person but she was speechless. She noticed that what he said was also true to her. She was glad that Ivan ordered her to spy on him. For the past months, he helped her become sane and he had become someone indispensable to her. She smiled and rubbed her forehead against his. "Timothy should arrive soon. Remember your promise to me Erik. It''s been a while since I last saw the ocean." She then heard the entrance of the tent flap from behind. While she did say that Timothy will arrive soon, she did not expect that he will arrive this soon. Also she did not hear the fighting outside. But she wasn''t complaining. At long last, they could leave this place. She turned around but was shocked. It wasn''t Timothy. It was Skall and he was clad in armor. 98 Friend When he saw Skall, he knew that they were in trouble. Sylvie on the other hand, tried to salvage the situation. She sprung backwards and did her crazy laughter. "Pleasant night Skall. Are you here to talk to our hostage? I assure you, he has been a good boy. Isn''t that right Erik?" Erik was still surprised but he tried to act with her. Sylvie''s life depended on his ability to act. "Shut up crazy bitch. I''m about to sleep and the two of you are keeping me awake. If this is not torture, then I don''t know what this is." He eyed Skall. The prince''s expression didn''t change. He walked towards Sylvie with a few of his men following him. "You''re good Sylvie, too good. I was almost tricked again by your act. I''m impressed. But your act ends now Sylvie." Skall grabbed Sylvie''s hair. "I know what you did. I know that you betrayed us. For that, you must be executed." The prince then looked at the other Wismarines inside the tent. "Transfer Erik to Prince Ivan''s tent." Skall again looked at Sylvie. "As for this bitch, I will end her life myself. Traitors don''t deserve to live." Erik realized that everything had fallen apart. They can''t lie to Skall anymore. Hearing Skall say that Sylvie will be executed made him desperate. "No! Skall don''t!" he rattled the bars of the cell with all his might. "I forced her Skall. I forced her to help me escape! It''s not her fault. Please!" The Wismarine soldiers opened the cell and dragged him outside. He tried to escape but he was powerless. "Listen to me Skall. I will not escape again! I promise that I''ll behave from now on and I will never dream about escaping. Just let her go." He was almost crying as he pleaded but Skall didn''t listen to him. He could see that Sylvie was in pain while Skall was dragging her by the hair. She shook her head to him and forced a smile as if telling him to just accept what''s going to happen. But he can''t and he won''t. He will probably lose his sanity if something happens to her. He must do everything. He tried to pull his hands from the grip of the Wismarines. The sweat lubricated his forearms and he was able to free himself. He ducked to avoid the hands of another Wismarine. He ran towards Skall. He will wrestle Sylvie away from the prince and they will escape. But before he could reach the prince, some Wismarine soldiers had already caught him again. He lost his balance and fell forward. His chin hit the ground causing him to almost lose consciousness. With his remaining strength, he tried to stand up again. He couldn''t. He was too weak. And then the ground beneath his face started to shake. He thought it was an earthquake but he was reminded of a second possibility. He looked around and the second possibility was confirmed. He saw Timothy riding at the front with his soldiers. Compared to before,Timothy''s soldiers were fewer. But Erik estimated that the force was enough to defeat the Wismarines. "Formation!" Skall screamed but it was too late. Timothy''s soldiers descended upon the Wismarines and a fierce fighting commenced. It was chaotic and Erik lost sight of Skall and Sylvie. The Wismarines at his back didn''t even join the battle and ran away. He then felt someone grab his arm and helped him stand. "Come with me Erik." He was still dazed from his earlier fall but he recognized that it was Timothy. "Tim?" "Yes it''s me Erik" His vision cleared and Timothy''s face was revealed to him. "Let''s go while my soldiers are keeping them busy." "No Tim. He got Sylvie. He will kill her!" He began to look for Sylvie and then he saw her. Skall tied her hands and dragged her onto a horse. They escaped with a few Wimarines. Timothy grabbed his arm. "He is luring you Erik. Sylvie is a bait to lure you again!" He pulled his arm away. "I don''t care!" He ran to the nearest horseman he could find. He didn''t care if whose side the man was fighting for. "Lend me your horse!" he ordered. The soldier looked confused at first but he eventually dismounted the horse. Erik pulled himself up and wasted no time to chase after Skall. He could still see them. His body was aching but he continued. She was crazy sometimes and she can be annoying. Her habit of rubbing her hair against his was irritating. It tickles him. Her sense of humor was abysmally dark. Her laughter was eerie and the scar on her face was not attractive. She talks nonsense sometimes and she loses track of what she was saying. But she was Sylvie and she was important to him. She entertained him during his darkest times. She risked her life just to set him free. He made a promise to her. He will take her to Greenwater and she will relish in the beautiful waters of Greenwater bay. He will help her find that scar-erasing herb even if they''ll have to circumnavigate the world for it. He doesn''t stand a chance against Skall and the rest of the Wismarines. His body is weak and he was alone. Nevertheless, he will get her back. "Don''t worry, we''ll catch up to them. These horses are from Tulosa." Someone said beside him. He looked at the direction and saw Timothy also riding with him. There were also several allies following them. "What are you doing Tim!?" he exclaimed. "You are a King!" His heart was almost stopped by Timothy''s actions. Timothy was a King now and Kings must be protected. Now Timothy was galloping with him into danger. "Go back Tim! I told you, you are a King!" "I am Erik. I am a King. But that''s why I''m doing this. How can I become a King of a nation, how can I become a father to the people, if I can''t even protect the happiness of my friend? I''m sorry for the other night Erik. I''m really sorry for leaving you like that." He sighed. "This is dangerous! You are a fool Timothy." He pointed at him. "A fool you got that!?" Timothy laughed and then handed him a sword. "Then, will you fight with a fool?" He took the sword from Timothy''s hand and grinned. "I will fight with a friend." What Timothy said was true, the horses are fast. It didn''t take them long to catch up to Skall and the Wismarines. They hit the enemies and a bloody melee ensued. Erik ignored the other Wismarines and focused on Skall. The prince was holding Sylvie with one arm. He slashed towards Skall and his sword was parried. He tried to stab and Skall deflected the blow. But he was not alone. Sylvie wriggled from Skall''s hold and was able to hit the prince with her elbow. Skall was stunned for a bit and Erik saw an opportunity. He again stabbed his sword. Unfortunately, his blow was too weak to penetrate Skall''s lamellar armor. He retracted his arm to make another stab but Skall tilted his body and used Sylvie as a shield. Erik stopped his arm. "Leave her out of this Skall! Look around. We outnumber you." Skall looked around. Erik saw desperation on the prince''s face, probably after seeing that defeat was imminent. "You''re right. You can have her but I won''t let you capture me" Skall then stabbed Sylvie''s leg and she screamed in pain. Erik was about lunge forward when Skall stopped him. "It''s not fatal!" Skall shouted and Erik halted in fear that the prince''s next blow will be. "But after I remove my sword, she will bleed. You can still save her life if you hurry so don''t get any funny ideas of chasing after me" Skall then removed his sword and dropped Sylvie from the horse. The prince left in haste with the surviving Wismarines. Erik dismounted from his horse and examined Sylvie. She was unconscious and the wound on her leg was bleeding. He needed to stop her from bleeding to death. He ripped a part of his clothes and was about to wrap it around her wound when Timothy stopped him. "You''ll only get her sick with those dirty rags" Timothy then took a bandage from a small bag on his horse and used it to stop the bleeding. "Let''s go back to the camp." He said. ***************************************************************************** It was almost dawn and Timothy was tired. But he can''t sleep yet. He was back in his tent awaiting reports of the battle. Most of the men haven''t returned yet. "Your Majesty, Erik Connel requests an audience" the guard outside announced. "Alright" He said as he washed his dirtied face. He then wiped with a cloth. "She will be alright Erik. They said that her wound is not that bad. It will scar though." he said after Erik entered but got no reply. He approached Erik and noticed that he was looking down. "Erik?" "I hated many things about you!" Erik started with an unfriendly voice. "I always hated outdoor camping. I mean, who loves to be out there in the open with bugs?! I hate it that your looks are better than mine and that you are always trying to show it off. My nose is better than yours anyway. Even until just a couple of years ago, I had always been jealous that Freya likes you. I hate that I became your squire. It''s insulting Tim! I hate that people are always talking about your exploits. I hate that you left me. I was hurt and I felt betrayed. There are many things I hate about you Tim." Erik stopped and finally looked at him. "But for every single thing that I hate about you, there are dozens that I love. You are my friend Tim, the closest one I have. The best one that I have" Timothy sighed. "I also hate many things about you Erik. I hate that you are physically stronger than me. I hate the way you eat. It''s a little disgusting. I hate that you are hogging all the wine when we drink. And don''t get me started with your jokes. Sometimes they go too far." He offered his hand to Erik. "Nevertheless, you are the greatest friend in the world for me." Erik smiled. "I can''t do that Tim. We are not equals anymore. I am a noble and you are a King." Erik then knelt in front of him. "King Timothy Castonia, I, Erik Connel, heir to the City of Greenwater and its surrounding lands, swear my loyalty to you. I will never betray you and will serve you with all my being. My sword is yours, my shield is yours, my strength is yours, and my friendship is yours. I promise this to you with the Omniscient as witness." "I accept your fealty. Rise Erik Connel. May you serve me with loyalty" Erik rose and the oath was complete. Timothy then embraced his friend. "Welcome back Erik" Erik also did the same. "Thank you Tim" 99 Dangerous Signal Ivan watched as his army marches home. They were now fewer and in their faces were looks of men who had been defeated. He was defeated. When he set out from Nirvana, he had a strong army to destroy Timothy''s soldiers and a valuable hostage to destroy Timothy''s will. Now his army were fewer, weaker and on the verge of mutiny. The valuable hostage was also gone, taken from his hands. He sat on the grass and noticed that someone was behind. With a turn of his head, he confirmed that it was Braun. The Baron went closer and bent both knees into a squat. He grimaced and grunted. "It''s hard to be old. My joints are killing me" Ivan examined the Baron beside him. He was old, wrinkly and smells like an old man. "Hey, tell me Braun. Is Timothy better than me?" he asked. He wanted to know the reason for his defeat. "He is" Braun answered without hesitation. "If he isn''t, then he wouldn''t have defeated you. I''m not insulting you Ivan, but this is a humiliating defeat. Hundreds died, more than a thousand defected, we lost Erik." He paused and sighed deeply. "And you further destroyed your father''s image by spreading that rumor." Ivan''s pride was touched by Braun''s answer. He wasn''t in the mood to argue with the Baron so he just shrugged it off. "What happened Ivan?" Braun again sounded and he looked at him. "What happened in Wismar? Those three years changed you. Why are you so close with the Wismarines?" He snorted a single laugh to Braun''s question. He had noticed the antagonistic way Braun had been looking at his turban. "Nothing happened. I just saw the strength of the Wismarines." He lied. He couldn''t tell Braun that the reason for his closeness with the Wismarines is a woman. Sarah was Skall''s sister and he fell for her. Even though he already had a wife, their marriage was loveless and purely political. At first, he tried to play his role as a husband and there was actually a time when truly loved his wife. But after his wife''s pregnancy ended in stillbirth, they became distant. And then that''s when he met Sarah. She was kind to him and offered him solace when he was grieving for his unborn child. He didn''t notice it but he fell for her. The next thing he knew, he was working for Skall. He knew that the Wismarines were using him. He was smart enough to at least notice that. But he couldn''t let go of Sarah. He had long decided that after everything was settled, he will divorce his wife and marry Sarah. Braun chuckled. "You saw the strength of the Wismarines? I don''t think that''s it Ivan. I think it''s because of a woman. Rumors travel fast even if they have to cross borders." He flinched after hearing Braun. It seemed he can''t hide things from the Baron now. "So what if that''s true? What are you going to do about it? What can you do about it?" "Nothing" Braun answered. "I can''t do anything Ivan. I will also not bother to lecture you about the shamelessness of such disloyalty to your wife. But this really shows the difference between you and Timothy" "What do you mean?" he asked, slightly annoyed by Braun''s crassness. "They say women are either men''s greatest strength or greatest weakness. Timothy is being strengthened by the Vanadian Princess, while you are destroying yourself for love. I bet this will cause a scandal. Your wife''s family is powerful and you having an affair will surely stir the public." "But she is¡­" "Powerful? Also a Princess?" Braun put a hand on his shoulder. "It doesn''t matter who she is. Love is supposed to strengthen a person. If you are getting weaker instead, then you are doing something wrong." He was annoyed and he swatted Braun''s hand from his shoulder. He stood up. "Thank you for the conversation Baron, but we are still a long way from Nirvana." He turned away and left. ****************************************************************************** "Erik?" He was sleeping while sitting on the chair when a hand touching his awakened him. He opened his eyes and was overjoyed when he saw that Sylvie was finally awake. "What happened to your face?" she asked. Erik shook his head in confusion. He touched his face with both hands. "My face? Why?" She gave him her usual mischievous grin. "Your face is not dirty, your hair is not long, your disgusting beard is no more, and your clothes" she eyed his clothes and acted like she was surprised. "Don''t'' tell me you are actually decently good-looking!?" Erik laughed. "You have just awakened and you''re making fun of me already" "Of course. I wouldn''t waste my time not making fun of you" Sylvie then tried to push her body into a sitting position. When Erik saw her grimace from the pain, he couldn''t help but click his tongue. "Don''t push yourself. Your wound is deep." He said as he helped her sit. "What? You think this is my first time being wounded?" She pointed at the scar on her face. "Lucia''s mark on your face is not fatal though" he commented. At the mention of Lucia''s name, Sylvie''s smug face turned somber. He quickly understood her feelings. "We are going to Solon aren''t we?" she asked. "Yes. Timothy is retreating back to Solon because of food issues. We''re going with him" he answered. "I know I promised to take you to Greenwater, but I need to meet with my mother first in Solon. Can you please allow me to do that? I missed her you know" He tried to sway their topic because he knew that he made her worry by mentioning Lucia. But it seemed Sylvie herself wanted to face her worries head-on. "Do you think they''ll forgive me?" she asked. He caressed her hair and smiled. "Tim and Lucia are not hateful persons. And even if they were, I''m going to protect you okay?" It took a while but she nodded. "And your father?" "My father?" "Your father is in Knightsend right? Are you not going to visit him?" "Not yet" he answered. "It''s too dangerous to go to Knightsend right now. And it''s not like he''s going to lose or anything." "You seem to be confident in your father''s ability." "Of course" he declared. "My father is the famous Benedict Connel. With him guarding Knightsend, the western front is safe." ******************************************************************************* Knightsend, Western Castonia Benedict bent his body and redirected Bernie''s thrust. He flicked his wrist and struck his squire''s hand with his sword. "Ahhh!" Bernie exclaimed as he let go of his sword. "How many times have I told you, don''t forget to guard your hand. You''re lucky we''re using practice swords or else my squire would have to start making my tea with one hand." Benedict reprimanded. "I''m sorry sire. But you were just too fast! I couldn''t see your movements. It''s amazing" "Ha! Shut it Bernie. Your praises won''t make me stop our practice. Again!" Bernie slumped "But sire, I''m tired. Can''t we just continue tomorrow? Also, I still have to cook your food." Benedict rubbed his forehead. Even though it didn''t look like it, he was also tired. "Fine. I''m hungry anyway. Don''t overcook the potatoes this time. You know I like them tough." Bernie saluted. "I promise that I''ll give you a satisfactory mean sire!" The squire then left in haste, probably afraid that Benedict would change his mind. Since Bernie had left, then he had just lost his training partner. Of course he could just grab a random soldier from ones who were also currently practicing in the castle grounds, but he decided that such action would be dishonorable. So he just went to the side and slumped against the wall. He watched as his men were sparring against each other. He then saw a soldier defeat another with a riposte so quick it almost eluded his eyes. They are good, he thought. He himself wasn''t capable of moves like that anymore. Maybe in the past, he was. But now aging had taken away his strength, his speed and his stamina. He missed his youth. He also missed being able to awe ladies with his sword skills. Although Maria wouldn''t admit it, he knew that his wife was one of his fans when they were still young. In the past, he had seen her many times peek at him whenever he was practicing. When he asked her about those peeking days, she just shrugged and said that she was merely curious. But he saw it in her eyes back then. She was impressed. Oh Maria, he mumbled. He missed her and Erik. He missed his son and wife. He was shaken when he heard that Greenwater was attacked by the Calgarians. Thankfully, the Vanadians were able to repel the invaders. He just hoped that these wars will be over soon. He hoped that someday, he will be able to put his sword to rest and repair Greenwater with Maria. As for Erik, he hoped that Timothy would save his son. If that happened, then he would be able to forgive the humiliation of Erik becoming Timothy''s squire. Suddenly, a horn sounded and Benedict was pulled back to reality. His trained ears quickly deciphered the meaning of the blast. It was a signal that the enemies had been sighted. But he was confused. If the Tulosans did finally arrive, then the scouts he scattered around would surely report to him first. He hoped that the men on the walls just made a mistake. But as if to slap him with the grave truth, the horn sounded again. 100 Sappers "The food is ready sire" Bernie said next to Benedict. Benedict doesn''t have an appetite though. Food taste dull and even the saltiest dried beef taste like gruel. For the past week, this had been the case. Who in the world would still have an appetite with the Tulosans busy finding ways to take the castle. "I''m not hungry. Eat it yourself." he said, still looking at the Tulosans from the walls. "But sire you haven''t eaten anything for the past days." He ignored Bernie''s insistence. He was too focused on the Tulosans to care for food. "Hey Bernie, how do you think we should call this battle? This year alone, Knightsend had been the location of two battles already. This will be the third battle although this is technically a siege. The names are getting confusing." Bernie shrugged. "I don''t know. Third Battle of Knighstend I guess. Or fourth if we include that battle fifteen years ago. I really don''t know sire. You''ll decide the name anyway because you will win this one with your skills." He couldn''t help but laugh to that. His squire''s servility was legendary. "I don''t need your greasy words Bernie. I know my limit. I don''t have top-notch soldiers like General Marvin. I also don''t have the famous wits of Timothy. I''m simply an old warrior. Plus the Tulosans are serious this time. We need all the help we could get" He then remembered something. "By the way, any news of the mercenaries? They should have arrived today." "No, not a letter reached us. Maybe King Timothy recalled those mercenaries sire?" "Possible but not probable. Timothy will not forsake us. Also he understands the importance of Knightsend. I think the mercenaries will arrive soon to reinforce us." He leaned forward and rested his chin on the wall. "But I hope they make it in time. We need those mercenaries Bernie." He pointed at the busy Tulosans. "Do you know what the rascals are doing?" "Uh¡­ various things?" "Exactly, various things" He paused and blasted some air through his mouth. He wanted to express his worries to somebody. Even though Bernie might not understand him, he decided to confide his thoughts to his squire. "We''ve defended against this General Rickard back in Greenwater. He''s good. Oh so good. Greenwater almost fell remember? But he outdid himself with the way he''s handling this siege now. It''s like he''s desperate or something. I mean he''s doing everything. First he hunted our scouts and shot down the pigeons we sent. Now I bet nobody in Castonia knows that the Tulosans have arrived. And now he''s building everything. Siege towers, ladders, battering rams, catapults, you name it. It''s just a matter of time before they assault us Bernie. Fighting will soon start. Maybe in two days." "No sire, I think fighting will start sooner than that" Benedict looked at his squire and demanded clarification. Bernie just smiled and pointed at the Tulosan camp. "Have you forgotten those sire? You were so frantic when you discovered that they might just finish constructing those things." Benedict looked at the direction Bernie was pointing to. There were seven mounds made of newly excavated earth. He then mocked himself for forgetting the Tulosan tunnels. When the Tulosans arrived, the first thing they did was to dig. They dug seven holes near their camp. Of course the holes were the start of tunnels which, when finished, will lead to the surface inside the castle. If these tunnels were completed, the Tulosans could just attack the castle from the inside and they don''t need to worry about the taking the walls anymore. At first he thought that the Tulosans would fail. Digging tunnels was a hard task which required precision and luck. But the tunnels grew closer to the walls each day. When he realized that General Rickard might just succeed in this bold plan, he quickly ordered his own soldiers to dig their own tunnels and intercept the Tulosan tunnels. "Well Prefect Kristof is doing his best with our own tunnels. There''s nothing to worry about" He said and tried to downplay the danger of the Tulosan tunnels. But the truth is, he was anxious. Those tunnels might just be their end. If the Tulosans managed to enter the castle through the tunnels, then they were doomed. His anxiousness won in the end and he blamed Bernie for reminding him of the tunnels. "Dammit Bernie. You really want me to die of worry don''t you?" "That would be better compared to dying to Tulosan swords." Bernie smirked. He clicked his tongue and shook his head in resignation. "Fine. Now that you have reminded me of the Tulosan tunnels, I''ll have no choice but to pester Prefect Kristof below. Let''s go." ********** Kristof''s clothes were dirtier than rags. He was holding a sack of dirt in one hand and a pickaxe in the other. He looked more like a miner than a soldier. He had just resurfaced from one of the tunnels and he was breathing heavily from the lack of air below. He sat on ground and even had the urge to lie down. He was truly exhausted. Digging tunnels wasn''t an easy task. "How''s the work going Prefect" the Marquis'' voice sounded. He looked for the Marquis and saw him walking toward his direction. "Not good Sire." He forced an answer despite being short of breath. "We haven''t hit a single one of their tunnels. But don''t worry sire. I think we''re close. We wouldn''t let those tunnels get close to our walls." "Good" the Marquis nodded. "Do you need anything to expedite the task?" Kristof thought for things that he need. Building tunnels was complicated and he wasn''t really an expert. He volunteered to lead the sapping team because he thought that just because his father taught him the basics of mining, he was already qualified to build tunnels. When they started breaking the ground many days ago, the first problem they encountered was the growing sizes of rocks. Since the number of pickaxes in the castle was limited, they were forced to convert the tips of old halberds into makeshift pickaxes. Another problem they encountered was the sudden collapses of portion of the tunnels. Eight of his men had already been buried alive by these accidents. But lately, they had encountered another major problem. Since the tunnels had grown, it had become harder for air to reach the sappers below. Although they built vents, these weren''t enough and his men were forced to work on shorter duration. "Men sire. I need more men. I know you had already allotted me nearly a thousand but I need more. The air below had become thin and my men now work with shorter shifts lest they suffocate." "Okay then" the Marquis replied. "I will give you three more Centuries of men to work with. But no more Prefect. Our forces had already been spread thin." Although he was hoping of getting at least half a thousand, he understood that the Marquis was already putting the safety of the other parts of the castle in danger by giving him another three centuries of men. "Thank you sire. I shall use em'' effectively." Suddenly, a soldier crawled out of one of the tunnels. "Prefect!" he called while gasping for air. The soldier then noticed the Marquis and showed signs of embarrassment. "I''m¡­ I''m sorry sire. I didn''t notice you." "It''s alright soldier." Marquis Benedict said. "Catch your breath first before reporting" The soldier nodded and took some heavy breaths. He then started. "We did it sire. We hit one of their tunnels. Of course we only intercepted one but we finally did it." Kristof was delighted. He was actually worried that they wouldn''t hit a single Tulosan tunnel. He smiled and looked at the Marquis only to discover that Marquis Benedict''s smile was wider than his. "Great job!" the Marquis almost shouted. He then looked at Kristof. "I know you''re tired but you know the tunnels more than anyone in the castle. I want you to be the one leading our men below. Collapse their tunnel at all cost alright?" He happily nodded. He would have still volunteered even if the Marquis didn''t request his assistance. "I understand sire. Leave it to me" It took Kristof an hour to assemble the men he needed for the assault. He handpicked these men for their stamina. In the world of tunnels, air is a valuable resource that would mean life or death. Tunnel five, the one which hit a part of the Tulosan tunnel was vacated and work was suspended. Kristof took a deep breath and engraved in his mind the taste of fresh air. He wouldn''t breathe air as fresh as this for a while. He looked at the entrance of tunnel five. The rocks and soil was visible for a few meters. But after that was utter darkness. With daggers and torches in hand, he and fifty of his men went inside tunnel five. 101 Underground Battle He couldn''t see. The world below was dark, robbing his eyes of the comfortable vision he enjoyed at the surface. It was hot. He was perspiring as he trudged forward with his boots rubbing against the ground. The squeaky sound made by the wet leather boots of his comrades echoed inside his ears. He was meters below the ground, an uncomfortably hellish place enjoyed by only those who revel in suffering. He gasped for air, savoring every bit of it like an old man on his deathbed . The thin air here downgraded the experience of breathing. One does not simply breathe normally when in the tunnels. "Prefect, are we there yet? We are close right?" the voice of a worried soldier behind him sounded. Kristof didn''t bother turning his head to see who it was. Probably some soldier who was starting to lose his nerve. "We are. Just a few more steps." he answered "Prefect!" another soldier blurted. "I heard something" He was starting to get annoyed by these people. It occurred to him that some of these men were not suited for the job. This is a problem caused by his failure as a Prefect. "You heard nothing soldier. You heard nothing alright? Those are just fragments of your imagination. Darkness and isolation play tricks upon our senses. So from now on, if you hear something, if you smell something, if you see something like the weird apparition of your dead grandpa, or if in the Omniscient''s name you feel something, unless you are absolutely certain of your senses, do not entertain these thoughts." He said in a lecturing tone. Panic spreads like wildfire and nothing spells like disaster more than the combination of panic and tunnels. They continued walking and finally reached the end of tunnel five after a while. The end of the tunnel was made of a thin layer of clay. On the other side of this thin layer is the Tulosan tunnel. He stopped and turned to the soldiers. After entering the Tulosan tunnel, they need to be more careful. "Remember, our objective is to collapse their tunnel. Do not fight unless it''s necessary. Understand?" The men muttered scattered ayes as answer. He could smell their fear but he let it pass. Everybody fears the darkness and even he was trembling a little. He ordered the men carrying sledgehammers to come forward. With a single simultaneous swing from them, the layer broke. Tunnel five and the Tulosan tunnel were now connected. The Tulosan tunnel was larger than theirs and well ventilated too. Of course this should be the case since the Tulosans had more manpower compared to them. He put one foot on the Tulosan tunnel and pushed his body inside. He gestured for his comrades to follow. One by one, they poured into the tunnel. A hundred meters, he decided. From what he learned from his father, at their current depth a tunnel would collapse if not supported with pillars for a hundred meters. There were other factors of course such as the strength of rocks above and the shape of the tunnel. But he was confident that if they smash all supports and pillars for a hundred meters, the tunnel would collapse. If not, then they would just break more pillars until it does. In just a few moments, they reached the farthest pillar. He signaled for those with sledgehammers to pound on the pillar. The rest would wait and guard them from the Tulosans. The men slammed their hammers against the wooden pillar and the cracking of wood was heard. But it was too loud, he decided. It was just a matter of time before the Tulosans discover them and attack. He was faced with a choice. Either they work slowly and muffle the sounds or they work at full speed and get out of here as soon as possible. He chose the latter. They were running out of air and staying here a second longer would be bad. "Do it faster and don''t worry about the sound" he ordered. The men nodded and again slammed the hammers against the pillars. This time, the effects were more visible. The ground shook and bits of rocks fell from above. It was terrifying but they continued. In just a few moments, the first pillar was destroyed. He quickly signaled for his men to proceed to the next one. There were still nearly a dozen pillars left to destroy. They also did the same thing and one by one the pillars fell. But when there was just a single pillar left, the enemies finally came. They rushed from both sides of the tunnel and surrounded his men. "Keep smashing those things!" he ordered and then held his dagger firm and strong. The enemies made their move. They ran towards his men and a fierce close-quarter fighting began. Since the space was limited, both parties chose daggers as weapons. A Tulosan lunged and tried to stab him in the stomach. He caught the man''s wrist and stabbed his own dagger. Unfortunately, the man was also able to catch his wrist. He tilted his body tried to pin the Tulosan against the wall of the tunnel. He was successful and the tunnel shook due to the force. But when he was winning, the man suddenly slammed his head against Kristof''s. The impact dazed him and was forced to take a few steps back. He then felt the dagger of the man stab into his stomach. The blade penetrated the armor a little and about half an inch of it buried in his skin. It was painful but it was only a flesh wound. He balled his fist and punched the man in the nose. He felt the cartilage break followed by a flow of warm liquid. The Tulosan was stunned and this time he truly had the advantage. He didn''t waste the opportunity and stabbed the Tulosan''s neck. The man gurgled blood and he won. He then heard the cracking of wood, an indication that the last pillar had collapsed. He looked up and saw the roof of the tunnel tremble. There was a momentary ceasefire as men from both sides looked up. The tunnel would collapse. But it didn''t. The shaking stopped and everyone again looked at each other. The Tulosans probably realized that the Castonians had made a mistake in computation. They attacked again, this time fiercer. "Onto the next one! Destroy the next pillar!" he shouted an order to his men and the Castonians went to the next pillar. Meanwhile, Kristof again fought another opponent. This time, the brawl was shorter and he emerged victorious without a scratch. But then he heard that the pounding stopped. He looked around and saw that some of his men had routed. Those who were pounding on the pillar earlier had dropped their sledgehammers. He was furious. Cowards, he cursed. He was tempted to also ran away but he stopped. Although they could just collapse their own tunnel to prevent the Tulosans from using it, he couldn''t bear to experience failure. The Marquis had trusted him of this task and he will accomplish this task. He ran to the last pillar and grabbed the sledgehammer. He planted his foot on the ground and swung the thing. The impact sent a painful vibration throughout his body. Nevertheless, he continued his pounding. Some of his men were still fighting. A single Tulosan rushed towards him but one of his men tackled the enemy. He just pounded the pillar without stopping. It was hard, it was grueling, but at last the pillar finally broke. The tunnel shook again. This time it was harder and scarier. Kristof knew that this was it. The Tulosan tunnel was going to collapse. "Retreat!" he shouted and urged his men to go back. Everyone, including the Tulosans noticed that tunnel was going to collapse. And soon it did. Rocks, stones, dirt and everything on top started falling like a rain of earth. The fighting stopped and everybody rushed towards still standing Castonian tunnel. In that moment, race and nationality didn''t matter. It was every man for himself. Being buried alive was a fate nobody wanted. When Kristof reached the Castonian tunnel, he stayed behind and grabbed everybody he could find into the safety of tunnel five. It didn''t matter to him if the one he was helping was a comrade or an enemy. He just grabbed hands until the Tulosan tunnel completely collapsed. He was gasping for air when he finally surfaced in the castle grounds. Everybody was. He looked around and saw that half of those who surfaced were Tulosans. They would become prisoners of war, but that would be better than dying underground. "Prefect!" he heard Marquis Benedict. He was exhausted but he forced his own self to stand. He then saw Marquis Benedict standing in front of him. "Well done Prefect." "It ain''t finished sire. We still have to destroy six more tunnels." He said while breathing heavily. "Nevertheless, good job. We will find a way to destroy the rest of the tunnels." The Marquis said. "Too late!" a man behind shouted. Kristof wasn''t familiar with the voice so he turned around to see who it was. To his surprise, the speaker was a Tulosan. "Too late I say." The Tulosan continued while still gasping for air "The seven tunnels were a sham. Have you ever wondered why it took you so long to hit even a single one of our tunnels? It''s because we''re only digging a single tunnel out of seven and that''s the one you just destroyed. The other six were just mounds made to look like tunnel entrances." "Liar" Kristof pointed at the Tulosan. "Don''t believe him sire. He''s lying of course." "I''m not lying!" the Tulosan defended. Meanwhile, the Marquis had a frown on his forehead. Kristof could see that Marquis Benedict was listening to the Tulosan''s words. "Why would your General do that? He has the manpower to dig several tunnels. Why would he work on just one?" "Oh he''s building them tunnels alright. But not from the east like you expected. He was digging from the north. Those were his true tunnels. You can''t see the mound from here so you may be unaware." Marquis Benedict''s jaw dropped. Kristof also understood the situation. If the Tulosan''s words were true, then they have been intercepting the Tulosan tunnel from the wrong direction. "And why should we trust you? Why are you revealing this to us?" Kristof asked. The Tulosan clenched his fist. "Because General Rickard sacrificed us. Our battle just now was a ploy to divert your attention to the east while he was preparing an attack from the tunnels in the north. He sent us down there knowing that you''ll succeed in collapsing the tunnel. This is revenge. I''ve had enough of that fake Knight!" Kristof understood the man''s resentments. But he didn''t care about that for now. Something else caught his attention. The Tulosan said that General Rickard was preparing an attack from the north. This meant that the northern tunnels were more advanced than the eastern one. But it was the Marquis who asked the question in his mind. "When is he going to finish that northern tunnel!?" Marquis Benedict demanded answer from the man. The Tulosan''s answer then made Kristof shiver. "It''s finished. The men below ground are just waiting for the signal to attack. The men from the camp will also assault the walls with ladders, siege towers and rams. I think¡­" But before the Tulosan could finish, a horn sounded from the walls. Kristof naturally understood the meaning of that blast. The enemy assault had begun. 102 Assaul After hearing that the Tulosans were assaulting, Benedict mobilized all of his soldiers. He then hurried to his room with Bernie for his armor. Bernie''s hands were as fast as the wind in a stormy night. The squire''s face was squinched. Looking at Bernie''s perturbed expression made him remember the face of a certain merchant whose merchandise he confiscated many years ago. "Does you face normally look like that or are you distorting your figure on purpose?" he asked. "Sire?" "Your face Bernie, your face. You look so grim that you''re sucking the light from this room." He pulled both of Bernie''s cheeks. "Smile a little would ya? It''s not the end of the world." He released his hold and Bernie''s fat cheeks bounced back to its normal shape. "May I remind you that we are under attack sire?" Bernie said as he went back to work. The squire adjusted the mail doublet on Benedicts shoulder and pulled the dangling end near his waist. The mail doublet fitted perfectly to his body. He tried to move his joints to test the mobility of the armor and found it to be passable. "We are. Thirty thousand Tulosans are currently trying to seize the castle from our hands. They are attacking form the north, the south and the west. They are utilizing siege towers, ladders, battering rams, tunnels and I think they have catapults. But there''s no point in worrying. Worry only makes people act dumb." he paused and pointed at the breastplate. He then gestured for the thing to be next. "Besides, I don''t think the castle will fall today. It might fall tomorrow or the next day, but not today Bernie. I''m certain." Bernie took the breastplate and fastened it on Benedict''s chest. "If I remember correctly, you are panicking the other day because of the tunnels. But now that they are finally assaulting us, you are acting like it doesn''t matter anymore. I really don''t get it sire." "You heard the man right? The Tulosan who gave us the useless warning? Even though his warning came too late, I am delighted by it. It just shows that General Rickard''s men are not completely loyal" "And that gives you courage?" "Yes Bernie. At first I thought that our enemies are united, they have a good General after all. That''s why I was so afraid of the tunnels. But now I just discovered that some of them are not completely loyal to General Rickard. If we hit them hard enough, they''ll rout." "I hope you''re right sire" Bernie said and pulled the last strap of Benedict''s armor. "What are you talking about?" Benedict smiled. "We will repel them today" The two then hurried outside. Bernie was carrying the flag while Benedict was clad in armor. The castle was now alive and bustling with activities. The crossbowmen on top of the walls were firing bolts without rest. The Tulosans were scaling the walls with ladders and siege towers. Big flaming stones would sometimes come out of nowhere, confirming the existence of catapults. The gates were also being pounded by battering rams. It was truly a castle assault. But Benedict was certain the walls and the gates would hold. Even though Knightsend''s defenses were not impressive, it would probably take a miracle for the Tulosans to make a breach with one try. So he turned his attention to the part of the fighting that he believes needed his attention¨C the northern part of the castle where the Tulosans tunneled underneath. When they arrived, the fighting was fierce. Hundreds of Tulosans were already inside the castle and many more were coming out of the holes in the ground. The Castonians were surrounding the Tulosans with a weak cordon, trying to keep the enemies from the gates. Although the Castonians were fighting bitterly, it was obvious that the Tulosans were winning. The Castonian circle was crumbling. "They are being pushed back sire!" Bernie said with a worried tone. Benedict on the other hand was not worried at all. He was already expecting that his men will be put into a disadvantage with this surprise attack. He grabbed the flag from Bernie''s hands and went closer to the fighting. When his soldiers noticed him carrying the flag, their hopeless faces lit up. "The Marquis! The Marquis is here!" "Sire! Thank you sire!" "Marquis Benedict has come!" The soldiers rejoiced with his arrival. Those who were losing hope and courage were pulled back by his presence. Upon hearing his name, the Tulosans flinched. It was obvious that even after all these years, his name was still a legend. Benedict planted the flag on the ground. The fabric on top fluttered in the wind. Normally he would carry the flag of his family in battle. But this time, he carried the flag of Castonia. He knew that Timothy was popular with the soldiers. He borrowed that popularity in order to strengthen the will of his men. The white lion of the royal family shone amidst the battlefield. The soldiers looked at the flag. In their eyes, Benedict saw determination. He couldn''t help but feel awed and be jealous of the variant of loyalty Timothy commands. "Give no quarter! Destroy them all and send them back to Tulosa. Long live the Kingdom of Castonia! Long live King Timothy!" his voice boomed like thunder and his order was met with equally booming cheers. The thin line of the Castonians pushed against the Tulosans. Swords crossed, spears met and shields collided. The situation was reversed. The Castonians were now the ones winning the scuffle. The Tulosans noticed the renewed vigor of the Castonians and they themselves attempted one last charge. But it was ineffective. They were met with a flurry of Castonian blows. They were impaled by the Castonian spears and halberds. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn''t break the Castonian line. It was a hopeless and bloody endeavor to defeat the Castonians at this point. In just a matter of minutes, there was already a clear victor. Many of the Tulosans had retreated back to their tunnels. Those who stubbornly refused to give up and acknowledge their failure were being surrounded. Benedict smiled, knowing that his leadership was effective today. He was right, the integrity of the enemy camp was weak. A lot of this was probably because of their earlier defeats from the hands of Timothy and Marvin. "You''re right sire, we are winning" Bernie said. "See? I told you. There is a phrase known by all, Bernie. ''If something is as stubborn as a Castonian, then it probably doesn''t exists''" Benedict said with a laugh. He patted Bernie''s shoulder. "We Castonians are renowned for the prowess of our heavy infantry. So unless the enemies were fanatically loyal to their commanders, there''s nothing to worry about." The cheers from the walls were then heard. Benedict looked at the men on top of the walls and saw them cheering while raising their swords in the air. It seemed that the Tulosans who were attacking the walls had retreated. Except for the few strong-willed Tulosans being finished off by his soldiers, all of the Tulosans had retreated. Knightsend had survived another day. Benedict turned his eyes to the flag he planted. It was strange. A fabric painted with a certain designs could evoke powerful thoughts such as hope and loyalty. It was just a cloth but its effects were dangerously powerful. The morale of his soldiers will surely be increased with the victory they achieved. But he wasn''t contented with that. He must strike the iron while it''s still hot. When the Tulosans assault again, they will be met with men of high morale. "What do you say we celebrate tonight? We just won and this calls for a celebration." he said to his squire. "Celebrate? I don''t understand sire. Do you want to drink or something?" "Exactly" Benedict smiled. "Tell Prefect Kristof to collapse the Tulosan tunnels. It should be easier and safer now. Also, tell the other prefects to clean the castle and repair damaged defenses. After that, we celebrate our victory with all of the men. Roast the pigs and bring out rations good for one day. Also, take some wine, beer and ale but not too much alright? I don''t want the garrison to be filled with drunk men." Bernie nodded and did as he ordered. After cleaning the castle, collapsing the tunnels and repairing the damaged defenses like he ordered, the garrison gathered on the castle grounds in the western part of Knightsend. Food and some beverages were served. The feast had started. It was a feast to celebrate their victory of keeping Knightsend standing for another day. 103 War Stories With his bottom on the ground, Benedict raised his cup filled with diluted wine. "Glory to us! Glory to the defenders of Knightsend!" he shouted with glee. A soldier not far from him raised in the air what appears to be a rib of the roasted pig. "Aye to that sire. Knights my ass! Knights don''t matter when faced with Castonian steel. Ain''t that right boys!?" The soldier''s remark was met with cheerful howls. Benedict was pleased by this. The tension that lingered in the air for the past days was no more. The men now show the unique bravado of victors. He swirled the wine in his cup, perhaps a little too hard as some of the liquid splashed onto his hand. He then drank from the cup and his taste buds were met with the stale flavor of diluted wine. Too stale, he lamented. His tongue had been spoiled with expensive beverages that the taste of diluted brassy wine dodged his senses. Bernie, also with butt on the chilly ground beside him, nudged him arm with bottom of a bottle. Upon closer inspection it was a bottle of the mouth-watering Angel''s Wings. "You are a devil Bernie." He commented to Bernie''s evil temptation. Benedict grabbed the neck of the bottle and was about to pop the cork when he froze his fingers. A good plan to arouse the soldiers'' fighting spirit just entered his mind. He raised the bottle and grabbed a torch to illuminate it. The blue glass glinted in the darkness of the night. "Have any of you lads, seen this bottle before?" he said with a loud voice. A soldier at the back drew his finger towards the bottle. "Angel''s Wings! The second best and rarest wine coins could acquire. I would kill a hundred Tulosan Knights for that!" "Ha! A hundred?" The man beside the soldier snorted. "I would kill a thousand with my bare hands!" "Good!" Another soldier sounded. "It seems we only need thirty bottles of Angel''s Wings and thirty drunkards like you to break this siege. King Timothy would be surprised if he heard that thirty thousand Tulosans perished because of drunkards!" The jest drew laughter from the soldiers. Benedict himself almost dropped the bottle in his hand. After the laughter had subsided, he cleared his throat to muster their attentions. "I shall give this bottle to the man who can tell us of the best story of the best kill he made. I will be the judge." Benedict declared. The soldiers were silenced until one of them sprang into a stand. Benedict could see the desire to clinch the bottle in the man''s eyes. "It was three years ago when I was assigned in the East. Now for any of you lads unfamiliar with the east, there were still tribes there that constantly raid our borders. I was on patrol that time with my mates and then suddenly we were attacked by the enemies. A brawny man rushed towards me with an axe in hand. He swung the thing and I tell ya, I could hear the air tear like a harlot''s flower. I ducked, with the axe passing just an inch above me head. A second later and me brain would have scattered in the sand. I lunged forward and tackled his legs. It was not effective. Heavy. Yea, that man was heavy as an oxen. Guess what I did next? I stabbed him in the balls with this dagger of mine. He brayed. He was hurt. I mean who wouldn''t be hurt when stabbed in the balls! I then passed in between his legs and delivered a blow to the back of his neck. I lived and he died. With his balls punctured if I may add." Another soldier stood up. Benedict recognized the man as one of the Centurions. "That''s nothing compared to my story brother. Unarmored enemies are easy kills. Mine is when I killed a Tulosan Knight with a spoon! A wooden spoon I tell ya. It happened just months ago during the Siege of Greenwater. Remember when they breached the Eastern Gate and the brothers from the third Century of Second Cohort sacrificed themselves to hold the enemies?" "Aye, may them brave souls rest in peace." A soldier said and the rest nodded. The soldiers pounded their balled fists on their chest as respect for the men of the third Century. The Centurion continued. "I was eating my porridge that time when I heard of the attack. I was anxious because my best friend Mort was in the third Century. My Century was just a block away so we were the first respondents. When we arrived there, most of the brothers had already fallen. I ordered my Century to attack and hold the breach. I also charged myself but then I noticed that I forgot my sword. The one in my hand was the wooden spoon and I left my sword. I was about to go back when I saw in the corner of my eye the body of Mort. He was impaled by a lance through the heart. It was a quick death at least but I still grieved for Mort. Seeing his corpse made me furious lads. God, I was furious that time. So even though I only had a spoon in me, I attacked one of the Tulosan Knights. The guy was in his full armor with his sword raised above his head. He was ready to intercept my attack. He swung but I evaded his strike. That was when I punched him in the armpit. My knuckles hit him hard and true and he staggered like a drunken man. I then kicked him and he fell. I again lunged at him and pulled his coif down to reveal his bare neck. I broke the tip of the spoon and buried the thing in the Knight''s neck. That''s when he died and that''s how I killed a Knight with a wooden spoon." The Centurion''s tale brought silence upon the garrison. Even Benedict''s tongue was tied. He could feel the emotions from the Centurion''s voice. Losing a comrade was painful and it could drive men to do extraordinary things like attacking a Knight with a wooden spoon. "Good story Centurion" Benedict said. "But I want to hear the story of the others before making a decision" The story-telling then resumed. Benedict heard all kinds of stories with some of them too absurd. One story involves killing a pirate with a single kick to the chest. Another told the story of someone grabbing an enemy by the hair and tearing the scalp. Benedict knew that some of these stories were made up. He was old and wise enough to differentiate true stories from lies. In the end the Centurion''s story with killing a Knight with a spoon won. Benedict, true to his promise, let go of the precious Angel''s Wings. Seeing the blue bottle leave his hand felt like throwing away a cache of gold coins. Bottles of Angel''s Wings were not just expensive ¨C they were crazily rare too. "What about you Sire? What is your best kill?" One of the soldiers asked. "Do you really need to ask?" an old Centurion said. "Of course it''s the one in the stories. Marquis Benedict killed the vile Captain Cooke while saving Lady Maria" "Aye. That was a great tale. I''ve seen the play once and oh how marvelous it was. Tell us about it sire!" Benedict blew a chuckle after hearing that. The story about him saving his wife from a pirate had become the stuff of legends. While it was true that Maria and several other nobles were once kidnapped by the pirates of the Golden Sea and he was the one who saved them, the tales about the event had been exaggerated. In the stories, he was some sort of a gallant hero who saved his lover from the evil pirates. The climax of the play involves Benedict Connel fighting Captain Cooke for the beautiful Lady Maria. Benedict Connel was wounded in the battle but he prevailed and was able to save his lover. The story was, for the most part, fictional. It was true that Maria and other nobles were once kidnapped by pirates. It was also correct that he was the one tasked by King Leopold to rescue the nobles. But all he did was to command the rescue party. He did not join the fight. He and Maria were also not yet lovers in that point in time. They were still strangers to each other. But the event was the one that linked him and Maria. After the rescue, Maria would always watch him practice his swordplay in secret. He was annoyed at first. He couldn''t concentrate with someone watching him. So he confronted her one day. To his surprise, Maria was not some meek Lady like he expected. Her words were sharp and she was feisty. He couldn''t forget what she said to him that time. ''So what if I''m watching you? Just be grateful that somebody is watching you wobble your sword around.'' That was when he became interested in Maria. Her personality was unique and she was not your usual Lady. After a few months they became a couple and she became the only woman he ever loved. Although they only have one child, their marriage was a happy one. He loved her, dearly and truly. Benedict turned his attention back to the soldiers. He realized that he must have looked like an idiot for smiling and staring in the darkness. "Oh that? Um let''s talk about that another time. This gathering is not about me. It''s about all of our valiant deeds in defending this castle. So drink up and enjoy. Tomorrow we shall face the Tulosans with determined faces and bellies filled with food!" "Aye!" the Soldiers cheered and the celebration continued. By now the night had matured and Benedict was feeling the urge to rest. He yawned, stretching his mouth as wide as he could. "Riders! We have riders coming!" a pitched shout from the sentries on top of the walls was heard and the celebration was halted. Benedict, guided with instincts honed by years of military service, rushed to the walls. With his old knees, he ascended the wall of Knightsend. "Where!?" he asked the sentries after reaching the top. One of the sentries stretched a hand and pointed in the darkness. Benedict blinked a few times and squinted. He saw a single rider approaching the wall. "Open up. Please open the gate!" the rider implored after reaching the front of the gate. The man was looking behind from time to time. "Open it" Benedict ordered. Even if the man was an enemy, he was alone and poses no threat to the garrison. Benedict hurried to the rider. When he was close, he noticed the coat-of-arms painted on the man''s armor. If he was not mistaken, the coat-of-arms belonged to a certain mercenary group. The mercenary dismounted and knelt in front of Benedict. "I am a messenger sent by our commander. We are the mercenaries King Edmund hired." "Where are the rest? Are they safe?" "They are sire. We almost ran into the Tulosans during our approach. Luckily, we managed to evade them. The rest of the mercenaries are holed up in a forest a few kilometers from here. We can''t remain in hiding for long so our Commander is asking for your help. Tomorrow the mercenaries will rush to the safety of Knightsend and we need you to do everything to distract the Tulosans." "Of course. Yes, of course we will help you" Benedict said while secretly clenching his fist. He was truly delighted that the mercenaries are coming. With them around, Knightsend will not fall. But he needed to distract the Tulosans somehow or else the mercenaries would all be slaughtered before they reach the castle. It will be hard considering their lack of horses. He searched for Bernie and found the squire beside him. "Gather all the officers in my room. We have some planning to do." 104 Mercenaries "Fire!" Kristof shouted the order to his men, a host of a few hundred cavalry. He himself pressed the trigger of a crossbow. The bolt took flight in a curved trajectory and vanished into the mass of Tulosans. Scattered screams confirmed that some bolts found their mark. "Retreat!" He bawled. He gripped the reins of his mount and steered the horse around. The others followed. They retreated in haste. Behind them the Tulosans chased, a force several times their numbers with some armored Knights included. Kristof bit his tongue so hard that the iron taste of blood filled his mouth. He was hoping for the best. He was hoping that somehow, with some freaky stroke of luck, they would survive this. He threw a glance behind and fixed his eyes upon their pursuers. A gap of just more than a hundred meters separated his men from the Tulosan swords. This better be worth it, he thought. Those mercenaries better fight to the death or else this heart-pounding distraction his men are making will be all for naught. "Prefect, they are stopping!" He heard someone say. He peeked and confirmed the disappointing words. The mass of Tulosan Cavalry are halting, disturbing the dust on the ground. Other commanders would have been overjoyed with the sight of Tulosan cavalry ceasing their chase. Kristof was not. "Reload and fire men! Reload and fire! We must distract them for a few more minutes!" His host made a sharp turn and fired at the Tulosans again. Some bolts made a hit but most just bounce off from the Knights'' armors. Their actions agitated the Tulosans. It felt like pulling the tail of a bull. The Tulosans again chased and his men again ran. Kristof gritted hit teeth, accidentally biting part of his already wounded tongue in the process. This better be worth it, he again thought. ********** Benedict was looking at the chase from the top of the wall. Prefect Kristof was doing a splendid job, he thought. Kristof knew when to retreat and when to stir the Tulosans. The laughably small force of Castonian cavalry were drawing the attention of thousands of Tulosan cavalry. This was a feat only his best Prefect could accomplish. He was well aware of the rivalry between Prefect Kristof and Prefect Ryon. The two were not really enemies but they often compete. But Kristof''s success in drawing the attention of the Tulosans had just put him ahead of Ryon. That lanky man Benedict left in Greenwater have some catching up to do. He turned his eyes towards the mercenaries currently sprinting towards the castle. They were fewer than he expected. Timothy told him in the letter that fifteen companies of mercenaries were coming- a host of fifteen thousand men. The number of mercenaries currently approaching the castle, according to his educated estimation, was barely ten thousand. The multitude of colorful coat of arms fluttered in the chilly wind of the western region. The coat of arms represented the different mercenary companies King Edmund employed- a force united only by gold if Benedict was to be asked. He grimaced after he took notice of one of the coat of arms. He was far from pleased that the coat of arms of ''Widow Makers'' was included in the mix. The mercenary company was infamous for abandoning their employers a few years back. They routed without even raising a sword. Another mercenary company he was displeasured seeing was the ''vultures''. The name of the company alone was distasteful enough. Benedict had heard that the Vultures sacked their employer''s city in the past because of the late payment. King Edmund mercenaries had quantity but not quality. " Cowards and criminals." Benedict shook his head "Never in my whole life have I dreamed of fighting with cowards and criminals. Marquis Benedict Connel swinging his sword hand in hand with degenerates. Ha. Must have been a sight eh?" "But we need them sire. We are lucky to even have reinforcements." Bernie said. "I know, I know. Ramblings of an old man, nothing more. I am not complaining. Really. I just want to go home to Greenwater with Maria and Erik as soon as possible." "And you will sire. You will. In a few months you will talk with Master Erik and Lady Maria about what happened here as war stories. In the balcony of the villa, facing the humid but lovely breeze of Greenwater bay, with me serving the three of you cups of tea and my famous smoked tuna. We will laugh and mock the Tulosans for failing in taking Knightsend for the fourth time. Just like how it used to be, sire." Benedict threw in a laughter. That would be quite the experience, he thought. Bernie''s smoked tuna was his shared favorite with Erik and Maria. Whenever Erik would come home to Greenwater from the Palace, he would always request smoked tuna. The three of them would then bury their faces in the food not caring even if their faces were smeared with oily bits of the fish. "I can''t wait for that" he stifled with laughter. "But you know Bernie, I really do have the urge every night to slip away into the darkness and go to Maria and Erik. My wife is under the care of Timothy. And my son, the last I''ve heard, is a hostage of King Leopold. The three of us are divided. I dream of the day the three of us meet again. Unfortunately I can''t. I have a responsibility to defend Castonia." "After we come back, I will cook for you the biggest, tastiest and juiciest tuna I could find." Bernie said with a grin. Benedict just smiled and turned his attention to the mercenaries again. Dreaming of the future is good, but they still have work to do. By now the mercenaries were almost at the gates. Benedict scanned for the Tulosans and saw that Prefect Kristof''s distraction was already waning. The enemies were now turning their attention to the mercenaries. Like a buzzing hive of bees, the Tulosans advanced towards the mercenaries. "They won''t make it" Benedict said. Experience was telling him that the Tulosans would reach the rear of the mercenaries before all their allies could enter the castle. "Open the gate" he ordered. "Open the gate!" Bernie repeated the order to the soldiers controlling the gate. In less than a minute the gate opened and the mercenaries entered. They poured into the castle. The Tulosans by now were only about a hundred meters from the rear of the mercenaries. The front of their column was led by what appears to be lightly-armored horsemen. Benedict smelled blood. He could already imagine losing half of the mercenaries. Thousands will be slaughtered in front of him and the front of Knightsend will soon be bathed with a red hue. He waited for the moment the Tulosans slam against the mercenaries. It did not happen. The onslaught he was expecting did not happen. Instead of charging at the rear of the mercenaries, the Tulosans halted just a few meters away. They did not move as if they were petrified. "Ha! Look at them sire. Cowards. Afraid of mercenaries. They''ve lost their balls sire. We got another funny story to talk about when we return to Greenwater." Bernie said in an almost shouting manner. "No" Benedict shook his head. "No" he chanted the word again. A foreboding feeling enveloped him. The Tulosans had every opportunity to demolish the mercenaries. The rear was open to a charge. If he was the enemy commander, he would order an all out attack without second thought. But that''s not how things turned out to be. His heart started to race. He felt fear. It was sinister, an eerie resonance. And then a realization occurred to him. It was a cruel realization that could explain everything. How did the messenger slipped into the castle last night despite the heavy patrols of the Tulosans? Why are there fewer mercenaries? Why did the Tulosans not attack the rear of the mercenaries just now? All of these pointed to a single conclusion. "Close the gate!" Benedict shouted. His order was met with confused look from Bernie and the soldiers. "Close the damn gate!" he poured all his voice into the shout. He was almost pleading for the soldiers to close the gate immediately. But it was too late. Too late indeed. It started with a mercenary burying a sword into the neck of a Castonian. The poor man gurgled blood and fell limp on the ground. There was a momentary silence after that as the two sides looked at each other. And then all of the mercenaries unsheathed their swords. 105 Fall The sun was almost at the horizon. A sunset will soon come into being. With droplets of sweat skidding down their faces, he and his men were looking at Knightsend from a small hill. It was over. As he looked at the swarm of Tulosans pouring into the castle, Kristof knew that there was no saving Knightsend now. "I''ve warned him. Many times I have warned him." he said as wind blew past them. "I told him that the mercenaries can''t be trusted. I told him!" He paused to catch his breath. "He did not listen. He did not even believe that such a betrayal is possible. He and that outdated warrior spirit of his. War is fair my ass. War is not fair!" A hand patted his shoulder. "Let''s go Prefect. We can''t help ''em now. Knightsend is fallen. I am sure that most of our brothers will live. The Sire will protect them." Kristof nodded. More than anything, he wanted to dip his hands into some Tulosan blood. But he had to remember his position as Prefect. The lives of his men were his load to bear. Furthermore, he was confident that the Marquis will be alright. Even if Knightsend fell, the Tulosans wouldn''t waste a valuable hostage like Marquis Benedict. He tugged the leather reins of his mount and angled the horse towards the east. His men followed. ********** The Castonians presented a solid wall of defense against the Tulosans and the mercenaries. They were Benedict''s remaining men - a force heavily trimmed by the earlier onslaught. He held the flag of Castonia on his left hand. On his right was his sword, a steel broadsword that had been with him for the longest time. Meanwhile, the enemies were trying to nip away the defenders. Rocks, arrows and other deadly projectiles were being flung towards them. A man on horseback then arrived and the hostilities ceased. The white feather crest on top of the man''s helm put emphasis into his rank. If Benedict was to guess, the person was General Rickard. "The great warrior, Marquis Benedict Connel!" General Rickard shouted. "I''ve watched the play many times. Such a wonderful tale. Moving. I must admit. I love the part when you told Captain Cooke, ''Leave her alone! Sword to sword face me. Love shall be my strength.''" "If you watched the play then you must have already known what I did to that pirate." he said as a warning. "Of course! You are a legend Marquis Benedict. Your skills in bleeding men is a legend. Many of my people are afraid that you will hack them to death. Unfortunately Benedict, you have lost." Benedict''s anger surged. "Lost!? You tricked us. Dishonorable! Where is your warrior spirit Rikcard? Using underhanded methods to open the gate. That wasn''t a battle. That was a trick!" "And that''s why you lost. You are too consumed by this idea of a fair battle. Fairness doesn''t exist, Benedict. Not anymore. Men with outdated views. You and that weakling Sigurd both. Also that''s hypocritical coming from you. What about Timothy Castonia? Didn''t he use underhanded tricks to defeat Sigurd? Is he dishonorable too?" The question gathered grunts from the Castonians. "Shut your mouth!" "King Timothy ain''t dishonorable!" They shouted. It took a while for the angry murmurs to subside. "Leave our King alone Rickard. King Timothy has more honor that all of your Knights combined" Benedict said. "Perhaps" Rickard smiled. "I don''t care anyway. Your foolish King will soon die- trampled beneath the hooves of our mounts" The remark again stirred the Castonians. Benedict saw that some of his men were grasping their swords. Benedict decided that it was time to face the truth. He lost. Fairly or not, he lost. "We surrender Rickard. There''s no point in fighting. You were right. We lost. Just take me as hostage and imprison my men." He then addressed the Castonians. "Drop your weapons. I assure you, King Timothy will come for us." He could see their reluctance. Some of them struggled to let go of their weapons. It''s not that he doesn''t understand how they feel. He does. A warrior''s surrender was a sacred, given only to those who deserves it. The Tulosans don''t deserve their surrender. But they must. There was no way out of this. It seemed that they have to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the war. Some of his men were still holding their weapons tight. Benedict led the surrender himself. He dropped his broadsword from his right and reached the cloth of the flag with his left. He personally folded the flag, neatly and with care. He then gave the flag to one of the soldiers for safe keeping. Seeing that the flag was no more, the Castonians disarmed themselves. The Tulosans started to tie the hands of his men. Benedict himself approached Rickard''s horse. Two Tulosans grabbed his arms and forced his knees to the ground in front of Rickard. The Tulosan General dismounted his mount with the distinctive crest of his helm swaying in the air. He stood in front of Benedict. "Wise choice Marquis Benedict. I was worried that a proud warrior like you would resist until the end." "I would have if not for my family." "Ah, family. Yes. Lady Maria and your son. Erik if I''m not mistaken." "Yes, Erik." Benedict confirmed. "His name is Erik Connel, the future of Greenwater. He is wiser than me. The next time I see him, he will be a greater man than me." Rickard showed a thin smile. "Unfortunately Marquis Benedict, you will not see your family again. I hate to lose a valuable hostage but you are dangerous. You may be foolish but your men are loyal to you." Benedict''s face started to pale. He immediately understood what''s going to happen. "Don''t!" he pleaded. He struggled from the grasp of the Tulosans but he was powerless. "I have surrendered haven''t I? We have surrendered! There are rules in war. A surrender is a surrender. Captives mustn''t be harmed!" "No Marquis. In war, rules die and morality fade. I am changing the face of the Tulosan Knights. Chivalry is dead. Mercy is for the weak. This is the brand of Knights I''m trying to promote- efficient, unemotional and strong. You need to die or else you will be a banner of future rebellions." Behind him, his men were also struggling to free themselves. "Sire!" he heard Bernie''s voice. He turned his head and saw that Bernie was able escape. The Squire sprinted towards him. But Bernie didn''t reach them. A couple of Tulosans speared him. He saw the iron tips of the spears enter Bernie''s body. His squire fell to the ground but was still alive. He crawled towards Benedict, dragging his body with his bloody hands. Blood was coming out of Bernie''s mouth. A couple of meters from Benedict, Bernie ceased on moving. With eyes still open and looking at him, Bernie died. "Aaahhhhhh!" he cried. He screamed. Bernie was dead. Bernie who served him with loyalty all these years. Bernie who was good in cooking smoked tuna. He was not just a squire, he was his friend. "A friend of yours?" Rickard asked from behind. With eyes still wet with tears, he turned his head around. "Monster!" "For you probably. But for my supporters, I am the Omniscient''s voice. I am their savior. I am the light which guides them away from the darkness of outdated doctrines." Rickard said. Rickard unsheathed his sword and pointed the tip towards Benedict''s back. "You will die Benedict. Your story ends here. Accept that and be free." Benedict was enraged. He wanted to choke the monster behind him. He cannot forgive Bernie''s murderer. But he was also sad. With the way things are going, he will be executed. He must accept that his death is imminent. "Killing me will be your greatest mistake Rickard. Killing me will be the beginning of your end. My death will open the cages of the two lions. They will maul you to death until nothing remains. I may have failed, but the two lions will not. Unlike me, you can''t trick King Timothy. And unlike me, you can''t break King Leopold. They will come for you. Castonia will come for your head!" "And I will come for them. I will defeat both of your Kings." Rickard declared. "Say your last words Marquis Benedict" Benedict smiled and a peaceful vibe enveloped his soul. Life is not perfect and he still wanted to see his family one last time. But at least he will die firm on his beliefs and with untarnished honor. "Kill me Rickard. Kill me and be doomed" The blade stabbed from his back and through his heart. He fell face-down. Strength left his body and he felt a certain coldness. His last thoughts were that of Maria and Erik. He reminisced those precious times they were happily eating together. Erik was grinning from ear to ear while Maria was wiping the grease from Erik''s mouth. His wish was to eat with them again. He can''t. He will die in this small castle at the border. "I''m sorry" he mumbled a silent apology to Erik and Maria. He''s not coming home. 106 Letter of Mockery Greenwater, Western Castonia With the salty yet breezy wind of Greenwater ruffling his auburn hair, Ryon rode towards the west. In his hand was a letter. A dreadful letter from a dreadful man. He clasped the paper. Inside him was a storm of feelings. He was furious. He was anguished. He wanted to scream. The Marquis is dead. The person he had served and respected for many years was no more. Betrayed by treacherous mercenaries and executed like a common criminal. To rub salt to the wound, it was their enemy, General Rickard, who informed them about the Marquis'' death. It was just plain mockery. Unforgivable The deed was unforgivable. Detestable beyond imagining. He was riding towards Knightsend, alone and without help. It was foolish. It was unreasonable. Nevertheless he was. All he wanted was to grab General Rickard by the neck and squeeze every bit of life out of him. "Prefect!" somebody called. He looked for the voice and saw a few dozen of his men approaching his direction. He tugged the reins of his horse, pulling the animal into a halt. "Go back! I''m just practicing my riding." "With your rucksack filled with provisions of food?" a soldier said and pointed towards his swollen rucksack. Ryon sighed. "You can''t stop me. I will avenge the Marquis. I will have him. Do you know what General Rickard said in the letter!?" He showed them the rolled paper that was delivered by a pigeon just a few hours ago. "He mocked him! He said that the Marquis died while pleading for his life. He said that Marquis Benedict pissed himself! He said that... that.." Ryon couldn''t continue. He doesn''t want to repeat the lies included in the letter. He knew that Marquis Benedict was a true warrior, a respectable man. Destroying that image is a sin. "We know Prefect. We know. Contents of the letter has spread throughout the city. We share your sentiments" "Then don''t stop me. This is my decision. I will face any charges of deserting my post later." He said and lowered his head. He knew that if his men were to stop him, then he couldn''t do anything but to go back to the city. The soldiers approached him. They then saluted. "We will follow you Prefect. We will also avenge the Marquis" Confused, Ryon looked at the men. He then noticed that all of them were carrying rucksacks too. "Go back. Greenwater needs its defenders" he said "A couple of deserters wouldn''t undermine the defense of the city Prefect. The Vanadian navy is more than enough to defend Greenwater. I mean, have you seen how big those galleys are?" Ryon clicked his tongue. These people are hard-headed. "You will be executed. You will all face punishment if you follow me" he warned. "So be it. We will get punished together." Seeing the determined looked on their faces, Ryon had no choice but to accept. It would be cruel to rob them of their right to revenge. "Fine. Don''t blame me if you die. I did not force you" "Alright. Let''s go Prefect. It''s a long way to Knightsend" "No." Ryon shook his head. "Knightsend will not be our destination for now." Ryon tilted his horse a little to the northeast. "We need to meet with King Timothy first." ********** Nirvana, Eastern Castonia Leopold lay idly on his bed. The day was still young yet he was awake already. He shifted his body towards the left side of the bed. This was Margaret''s side when she was still alive. In the past, he would enjoy looking at the beautiful face of his wife. Sometimes he would kiss her forehead, careful not wake her up. But Margaret had left him. Despite what she did, he still loves her- even now. Leopold had forgotten her scent and her warmth. All that remained was an empty side of the bed. A knock sounded from the other side of the room. "Your Majesty, Braun wants to see you. I''m sorry to disturb your sleep but he said that it''s important." Rupert said. "It''s alright. Send the Baron inside" The door opened and Baron Braun entered. Leopold slid off the bed and went to the seat by the fireplace. "Sit" he offered Braun the other chair. Braun took his offer and seated himself in front of Leopold. Leopold rubbed his two palms together. The coldness of the morning was biting through his flesh. "So how are you doing Braun? Other than your report when you came back, you never visited me. Not even once." "Knightsend has fallen" Braun said. Leopold stopped rubbing his hands and looked at Braun. Braun then handed him a rolled piece of paper. The broken seal was Benedict Connel''s and the wax was red. Leopold took the letter and read it. The letter was written by General Rickard and he was showing off his victory at Knightsend. Rickard revealed the details of the battle in the letter including how Marquis Benedict died. He put heavy emphasis on how the Marquis pleaded for his life. Leopold crumpled the letter. "He dare call Benedict a coward. It was like a worm mocking an eagle''s wings. I know Benedict. We may not see eye to eye but he is a great warrior. He doesn''t deserve to be mocked like that." "Yes, yes. General Rickard is a despicable man. Of course. But we must focus on Knightsend. I''m sure Timothy will avenge the Marquis and will make a mad dash towards Knightsend. What should we do? I personally recommend laying siege on Solon while Timothy is away. After that, we will then proceed to Knightsend. If our two enemies can fight, we can just come late and defeat the wounded victor. We can end the civil war and the invasion with one move." Leopold shook his head. "No Braun. We will not do that. Benedict is dead. Executed like some lowly criminal! Do you understand? He is dead and we will avenge him." Leopold paused to calm his heart. "Call the cohorts and raise the banner of the royal family. Also, order Skall to assemble his army. If he refuse, you have my permission to do everything. Drag him. Threaten him. I don''t care. Tell him that I will break the alliance if he did not cooperate." Braun''s face showed signs of surprise. "Your Majesty, may remind you that we have just suffered a defeat from Timothy? The men are on the verge of desertion." "I don''t care" Leopold said. "If they desert me, so be it. They will desert to Timothy''s side anyway. We need to crush that monster Rickard. Got it?" Braun did not respond. The Baron was left staring at the withering embers in the fireplace. "Rickard is baiting us Your Majesty. That''s why he''s mocking Marquis Benedict''s death. The snow season is coming. He wants us to come to him. We will be in the open and we will suffer attrition once the snow seasons arrived." "I know Braun. I know." "And yet your decision is still the same?" Leopold nodded. Killing a Marquis just like that is unforgivable. This move will put him at risk of being defeated by Timothy but that would be better compared to letting the Tulosans do what they wanted. Braun gave a long sigh."You are starting to sound like Timothy." It occurred to Leopold that the Baron was right. His decisions in the past were solely governed by logic. But now he was using both logic and emotions in making decisions. Just like Timothy. "Is that bad?" Leopold asked. "No" Braun shook his head and smiled. "It''s not bad" ********** Solon, Western Castonia Lucia stirred the cup of tea. She then offered the cup to Timothy who was sitting beside her. Timothy took a sip and smiled at her as approval of the taste. "You realize that we will depart tomorrow right?" Timothy said as he turned his head towards the other three men who were sitting on the other side of the table. "But we still need time Your Majesty. A few centuries of cavalry from Canton are yet to arrive" the representative of Canton said. "As for us. Our soldiers are afraid that the snow season will catch us" the representative of Hadea said. "The Republic of Inkit wants to support you. But we expected fighting King Leopold, not the Tulosans." The Inkish Magistrate said. From what Lucia knows, his name is Chen. Her spies told her that Magistrate Chen vetoed Inkit''s decision to support Timothy. "Honorable allies" Lucia gave her sweetest smile. "Let''s make haste in helping King Timothy. Vanadis has long been ready to help him. You should too. Or else maybe one day a rumor will spread among the people, yours and ours. That you''ve been dallying your support. It wouldn''t be pretty for your reputation. " "Your Highness" Magistrate Chen also smiled. "You must take into account that your father is here. That''s why you were able to act fast. We, on the other hand, has to answer to our leaders. I myself still have to..." "Let''s not waste words here" Timothy said while frowning. Lucia knew that Timothy had already lost his patience. "Tomorrow I tell you. Tomorrow. Marquis Benedict needs reinforcements as soon as possible. We march to Knightsend tomorrow. If you are still not ready by tomorrow, then we will kick you out of the city and break our alliance with you." The three representatives were all taken aback by Timothy''s demand. All of them started to sweat. "I...I''ll try convincing my men." "Yeah. I''ll talk to mine too" "We will try Your Majesty" Faced with Timothy''s determined declaration they agreed although Lucia could still see their reluctance. "Good!" Timothy said. "You may go honorable allies. You still have some convincing to do right?" The three nodded and hastily excused themselves. Lucia sighed. She couldn''t believe how half-hearted their allies were in contributing to this war. "The more powerful you look, the more reluctant they become" she said to Timothy. "We" "Huh?" "We" He smiled at her. "They are afraid of you too. They view us as a single entity." Timothy then chuckled and pinched Lucia''s cheek. "And what''s with that smile earlier? How can you smile as sweetly as that while threatening them?" "I''m just annoyed. We gave them quarters inside the city and we are feeding their armies. But they won''t cooperate with us?" She grabbed Timothy''s unfinished cup of tea and forcefully drank from it. The tea was bland. She discovered that Timothy smile earlier was just to increase her self-esteem. Her annoyance was melted by Timothy''s actions. "Yeah. Those allies of ours. I want to borrow the Spectator''s cane and hit them with it" Timothy joked. Lucia laughed. She then finished the bland cup of tea. "Well, I hope they will be more cooperative. We need them Tim" "Yeah" The door flung open and James came running towards them. "Your Majesty, pardon my sudden intrusion. A red-sealed letter just arrived." Timothy stood up and grabbed the letter. He then opened and read it. Lucia could see the pain in Timothy''s expression while reading the letter. A single tear fell from his eye. She knew that something must have happened. "He''s dead" Timothy said. 107 Break Timothy was standing outside Erik''s room. He doesn''t want to enter the room and tell Erik of the news. He raised his knuckles and was about to knock when he stopped. He glanced at the woman beside him. "You must, Tim. You must." Lucia said. "Okay" Timothy inhaled and knocked on the door. "Erik. It''s me. I... I have to talk to you for a bit." Steps pounded from the other side of the door followed by the creaking of the hinge. After opening the door and seeing them, Erik grinned. "Are you going to boast about your love-life again Tim?" Erik''s cheerfulness made it harder for him to proceed. Lucia then gripped his hand and looked at him in a way that gave him courage. "I''ll leave the two of you alone." Lucia said. She let go of his hand and walked away. Timothy turned his attention to Erik. His cheerful face was no more. "What happened Tim? Something wrong?" "We should talk inside" "Um. Okay. Then, after you" he gestured towards the room. Timothy then found himself seated in front of Erik. "Your talent in avoiding eye contact is uncanny" Erik commented. "So? What do you want to talk about Tim?" "A letter just arrived. From Knightsend. Marquis Benedict is...uh.." Timothy struggled to find the words. "He''s no more, Erik." Timothy was finally able to look Erik in the eye. His friend''s eyebrows twitched. Erik then gave a wheezing laugh as he shook his head. "Tim, that''s not a good joke. Despite how I act, I still love my father you know" "I''m not joking Erik." "You''re not joking? Cut it out Tim. He''s dead? He''s Benedict Connel. The famous Benedict Connel, Tim. My old man is a little bit senile if you ask me. But he''s a great man. He will not die just like that" Even though it pained him, Timothy handed the letter to Erik. The letter was full of insults and no son should read such insults about his father. Nevertheless, Erik deserves to know what happened. After reading, Erik laughed again. "This is obviously a fake. Bernie must have taken a joke too far. This is fake!" he raised his voice. He threw the paper. "Fake Tim. Fake! My father is not dead. He is Marquis Benedict Connel. He is not dead Tim!" Erik sprang up and grabbed the chair. He smashed the chair on the floor. "Lies! lies! lies!" he chanted every time he slammed the chair. Erik soon ran out of strength. The chair was already splintered when he stopped. He sat on the floor and leaned against the bed. Erik screamed. He pounded his fist on the floor. Timothy rushed towards Erik and embraced his friend. He didn''t say anything because Erik needed warmth more than words. Erik sobbed on his shoulder. His tears were many and his grief overbearing. "I will avenge him. I will get justice for my father. I will stuff that letter to Rickard''s filthy mouth. I will let him suffer a fate a million times worse than what he did to my father. Give me my revenge Tim. When the time comes, let me be the one to end his worthless life!" "Yes. I will make sure of it Erik. I will give you justice. We will crush him like the insect he is. I promise this to you. As your friend I will." It took more than an hour for Erik to calm down. He was still sobbing when Timothy let go of his embrace. "I hate to ask this of you, but you should be the one to tell Lady Maria of this." Erik nodded weakly with his head lowered. Timothy doesn''t want to leave Erik with this state but he still have many things to do. Now that Marquis Benedict is dead, he was more determined to take his army to Knightsend. He let go of Erik and gave him one last pat on the back. "We will leave tomorrow Erik. We will destroy General Rickard, his army and those treacherous mercenaries." Timothy stood up and went to the door. "Tim" Erik called. He looked behind. Erik, with ragged hair and swollen eyes, looked at him with an expression brimming with rage. "You promised. You told me that you will help me find justice for my father. I''m expecting that you''ll deliver." Timothy nodded to that. "Leave it to me. I will dismantle Knightsend stone by stone if I have to. I will give your father the justice he deserves." ********** "You don''t have to do this you know" Sylvie said. Lucia didn''t respond. She just continued replacing Sylvie''s bandage. "Hey. I said you don''t have to do this." Sylvie repeated. "I heard you" Sylvie pushed her body into a sit. "Then stop." She gripped Lucia''s wrist. The two guards standing behind stepped forward but Lucia gestured for them to stand down. She glared at Sylvie. This woman is stubborn. "Your wound is still fresh. Your healing is not that good. Changing your bandage will keep it clean." Sylvie let go of her wrist. "Others can replace it." "Not to boast but I probably have the most experience in doing this. Also, the other Medicus are army medics. Do you want your upper leg to be touched by men you don''t have special relations with?" "You know that''s not what I meant. Why are you doing this? I betrayed you!" Lucia again remained silent. She was too tired to argue with Sylvie. "I tried to kill you once!" Sylvie again exclaimed. "Twice. You tried to kill me twice. The last time I almost died. You also spied for the Wismarines. I treated you as a friend and you repaid me with betrayal." "The why?! Why are you sitting beside my bed and replacing my bandage?" Lucia lifted her head and released a long sigh. "Because I don''t want your wound to fester. Whether you like it or not, our fates are again intertwined. I still haven''t forgiven you for you betrayal and as much as I want to believe that you''ve changed, I still can''t trust you. But here I am, changing the bandage of someone who tried to kill me. Because I really, absolutely don''t want your wound to fester." Sylvie lay down and looked away from Lucia. "I''m sorry okay? I''m really sorry. What I did was wrong. You may not forgive me but I just want you to know." "I don''t really hate you Sylvie. Despite what you did, I don''t hold a grudge against you. Timothy told me what you did for Erik. Good. That was good." Lucia finished the bandage and cleaned Sylvie''s bedside. "And don''t pout Sylvie. I know you''re pouting. Be cheerful for Erik. He needs you. His father just died and he needs your support" Sylvie again sprang. Her quivering eyes were fixed on Lucia. The guards behind grunted and Lucia doesn''t know if it''s because of Sylvie''s rash actions or because of the news. "The Marquis? He''s dead?" Sylvie asked. "Yes. He''s dead. Timothy is informing Erik as we speak. So you see, this wedge between us doesn''t matter right now." Sylvie blinked a few times. Her expression changed from surprise to sadness. "Okay. I''ll come to Erik later." Sylvie said. Lucia didn''t talk to her after that. She fixed her things and went outside with the guards. After opening the door, she saw that Timothy was leaning against the wall and waiting for her. His face was downcast. His hair which was normally combed neatly was all over the place. "Tim!" She blurted. She looked behind and gestured for the guards to leave them. Timothy didn''t wait for the guards to leave. He trudged forward and hugged her. "I''m comforting Erik but my feelings are also in shambles. He''s a good man. The late Marquis. Before our relations broke down because of the thing with Erik being my squire, he was good to me. Whenever he visits Erik in the palace, he would always bring me presents. I respected him, Lucia. I told Erik that I will get justice for him. But the truth is, I''m mostly doing it for myself. I want to avenge Marquis Benedict." Timothy then started to sob and Lucia''s heart broke. Lucia caressed Timothy''s back. "I''m here. I''m here for you. I will always be here for you. Understand? Cry. Sob. Talk. I will listen and I won''t go." Timothy didn''t let go of her. He sobbed like a child. Lucia doesn''t want to see him like this. She wanted to dispel his sadness as soon as possible. After a while, Timothy wiped the tears off his eyes. With a still breaking voice he said, "I may need to change our plans a little. We need to speak with Henry." Lucia immediately understood him but she was still uncertain about this. "Do you really need them?This could turn ugly if handled poorly." She said. "Yes. I need some of them. This has just become a war of ideologies. I will smack that monster with the truth. Before he dies, I will show him that his life''s work is useless. I will show him that all his struggles, his efforts- he lived and he will die a useless man. Unlike Benedict, he will die alone, hated by the many. I will break him beyond repair. He said in his letter that chivalry is dead, that it is futile. No. I will show him just how wrong he is." 108 The Night Before Less than an hour''s walk to the north of Solon and one would find himself in the vicinity of Castonia''s largest mine- Turan. According to King Timothy, Turan was once abandoned because the original owners went bankrupt and couldn''t support the operating cost of the mine. But the influx of the Tulosan prisoners from the third battle of Knightsend brought life again to Turan. The Tulosans who were responsible for the destruction of the villages around Solon were sentenced to hard labor in the mine. From the top of the mine, Henry could see his old comrades mining for iron. With picks in hand, the prisoners were striking the earth to cinch the ores that would soon be refined to iron ingots. This could have been Henry''s world. It wasn''t really a bad world since King Timothy assured him that the prisoners were being treated justly. But he still felt bad that he was given the honor of fighting by His Majesty side while his brothers were doing hard labor. He gave a list of names to the captain of the guards and after a while those people were presented to him in person. He could still recognize their faces. They were not wearing the distinctive armor of the Knights. Their usually cleanly-shaven faces had stubble. Their hairs were uncut. The only remaining marks of their old profession were the brands on their arm. "Henry? Is that you Prefect?" Stan pointed to him. The other Knights who were anxiously looking around, confused probably as to what fate will soon befall them, also noticed Henry. "Prefect!" "Why are you here?!" "What''s going on Prefect?" The Knights approached him but were stopped by the guards. They stepped back after seeing the spears pointed towards them. "Prefect Henry. What is the meaning of this? Are we going to be executed?" Stan asked. "No. I don''t have that authority. Only King Timothy has the power to decide life and death" Henry answered. "Of course. Yes. You are right Prefect." Stan said while nodding. "So? Are the rumors true? Are you serving under him? While he is an honorable person, I personally don''t think we should meddle with their affairs. What would happen if he orders you to fight against Tulosa?" Henry bit his lips before answering. "Well. General Rickard has returned. And I am¡­ I''m joining King Timothy to fight off General Rickard. King Timothy also wants a century of Tulosan Knights to fight with him against General Rickard. I handpicked all of you because I know that you are righteous and have a sense of honor." "Have you gone mad Prefect!?" Stan bellowed. "Fighting for a foreign King is acceptable. But fighting against Tulosa is treason!" The other knights also showed signs of displeasure. Henry had already predicted their behavior but it was still painful to be looked upon like this. "General Rickard is not Tulosa. He is rouge General that must be stopped at all cost. Do you know what he did? Let me tell you what he did." Henry revealed to them everything General Rickard did. He told them about the treacherous mercenaries and how Rickard executed Marquis Benedict despite the latter''s surrender. After he was finished, the faces of the Knights were full of disgust. "Absurd!" Stan shouted. "To kill a captive. Oh the Omniscient must be weeping. Vulgar actions done in the name of the Knighst. How cruel" "And using treachery to take the castle too. I knew that Master Rickard is a little tough on his policies but I never expected that he is a monster with no heart." "He is not a Knight and we should not consider him one of ours. The Prefect is right, he has gone rouge. Grand Master Nelson would excommunicate Rickard if he hears of this." Henry cleared his throat to sway their attention to him. "Unfortunately, Grand Master Nelson is dying. I know it''s hard to discuss this. I myself don''t want to think of the day Grand Master Nelson''s light leaves the world. But we must face the truth. The Grand Master will soon die. A civil war will then engulf Tulosa. King Timothy promised me that he will intervene in the civil war to reduce the civilian casualties. That''s why I''m serving him. He is our hope Brothers. He will bring peace between our Kingdoms. Don''t you want that? Don''t you want peace after experiencing all these chaos? Fighting against Tulosan soldiers is hard. I know. But if that''s the price we have to pay for peace, then isn''t that worth it?" His rhetoric silenced them. He knew how they feel. General Rickard must be stopped and the people of Tulosa needed a foreign interference- the Knights know this. Of course Timothy could go back on his promises and use them to conquer Tulosa instead, but Henry was confident that Timothy would fulfill his promises. "Will he really do that? He will gain nothing." Stan said. "He will gain peace. Isn''t that good enough?" Henry rebutted. "A century of Tulosan Knights wouldn''t help him much." A Knight at the back said. "We are few." "He doesn''t really need us to fight. He wants to make a statement. He wants to show everyone the difference between General Rickard''s Knights and the true Knights. He wants our brothers who were still reluctantly serving General Rickard to see the truth and do the right thing." There was silence again but this time Henry could see their determination. The prospect of peace for the people of Tulosa and erasing the disgusting brand of Knights General Rickard is trying to promote was enough to change their minds. If there was one thing Henry learned from Timothy, it''s to not waste a moment. He walked towards them and offered his hand to Stan. "Then, will you again ride with me?" They looked at him and were still silent. But Henry already knew their answer. They will join him. For peace and for righteousness. ********** After getting the news from Henry that some of the Knights had agreed to join him, Timothy went to his room. It was already dark. Tomorrow will be the day they part for Knightsend. But when he reached the door to his room, he changed his mind. He had a sudden longing for a certain princess and he decided that he will stay with her tonight. He dismissed the still-injured Abraham and found himself walking towards Lucia''s room. "Tell her it''s me and that I want to spend the night here." he said to Lucia''s guards. One of the guards informed Lucia about his visit while the other was looking at him in a funny way. "What is it?" Timothy asked. "Is my face ugly?" "No! It¡­ it''s nothing Your Majesty" the soldier said. Timothy sighed. "Just tell me. I won''t hold it against you" The guard, faced with Timothy''s unyielding insistence, finally revealed what''s on his mind. "Umm¡­ We just want to let you know that we¡­ are fine with it. She''s our princess but it is okay if it''s you" Timothy instinctively scratched his head. It seemed the guards had the wrong idea. "Ahem" Lucia, who had just opened the door, indicated her presence. She looked at Timothy. "King Timothy is just spending the night. Nothing indecent will happen. Isn''t that right Your Majesty?" "Yeah. Of course. I just wanted to see her." "I''m sorry for getting the wrong impression!" The guard bowed his head. Timothy rolled his eyes. People always get the wrong idea when it comes to Lucia and him. He went inside the room with Lucia. "We can''t blame him. ''I want to spend the night''? Isn''t that a little too vague?" Lucia said after closing the door. She put one hand on her waist. Timothy grinned and kissed her forehead. Even though his day was a sour, she makes him feel better. "Just shut up and let me show my affection" What followed was at least an hour of ''showing affection''. Both of them ended up sleeping on the bed due to exhaustion. But Timothy was suddenly awakened by the wind. It was cold. He looked at Lucia and she was still sleeping. When he turned his head to the other side, he saw him. He was still the same and his presence was unmistakable. The Spectator was sitting on a chair not far from them. He smiled at Timothy. "A long time Your Majesty." Unlike before, the Spectator''s presence didn''t scare him as much. He was still uncertain but knowing that the strange man was their friend for now gave him a peace of mind. "Less than two weeks. That is not a long time. Why are you here? I disappointed you or something?" The Spectator grinned. "No. Nothing of that sort. We got the news. It seems there will soon be a large battle and it involves three large armies. Among the three, you have the biggest chance of victory which makes you the person we are betting for." "Get to the point. What do you want?" "What do we want? No. It is you who wants something." He stood up and walked towards the bed. "We are powerful. Not invincible but powerful enough to assist you. For example, we can enter General Rickard''s tent or your father''s and end their lives. We can give you the throne of Castonia in one night. So, do you want it?" "No" Timothy said as soon as the Spectator finished speaking. "We are not weak enough to ask for your assistance. Lucia and I will accomplish everything by our own power. This may sound arrogant but we don''t want shortcuts. Peace and justice would be meaningless if we employ your help." The Spectator frowned but his mouth slowly formed into a smile. "As expected. I got goosebumps. That was a test by the way and we are relieved by your answer. My friends will be thrilled after I tell them of your answer. You are still the same." he bowed. "So your Majesty, I apologize for disturbing your sleep. We just wanted to check on you." "Wait!" Timothy called before the Spectator could leave. The man stopped and looked at him. Timothy turned his gaze on Lucia''s sleeping figure. He put his hand on her face. "I may need your assistance after all." "Oh? I did say that was just a test to see your personality but I''m listening" "If something happens. If everything is lost. Please save her. I know it''s too much to ask but please ensure that she''ll live. I''m not asking for anything else, just keep her safe." The man laughed after hearing this. "You never changed. You''re still the same after all these years. Well¡­ She was in fact our prime candidate in the past. After meeting you she had lost her sense of ambition. You know what they say, history repeats itself. If you lose and die, I''m sure she will regain her ambition. So yes, we will protect her but just once. And not because of your request but for the possibility that she could replace you" Timothy didn''t understand half of what the Spectator said but he was glad that they will protect Lucia. She was both his greatest strength and weakness. "Thank you" Timothy said. The Spectator turned around and walked into the darkness. "Think nothing of it. Until we meet again... Mathew." 109 Into the West We Go "When will I see you again?" Freya asked Henry. He was clad in both plate and mail armor. The crest on his breastplate was that of the Tulosan Knights. Henry patted on the empty side of the stone bench in the garden. Freya sat beside him. "I don''t know. A month at best. I''ll pray to the Omniscient that I will be able to come back as soon as possible." This made Freya sad. Henry was the one her heart chose but their situation was complicated. He was a Tulosan and she was a Castonian. She knew that Henry had a home and he will go back to that home in the future. Their worlds were different. But she was still hoping that this thing between them will work out somehow. "I''m sorry" Freya said. "I couldn''t go with you. Lucia needs someone managing information coming from her merchants and spies." Henry gripped her hand. His callused hand was firm. "I understand. And even if you don''t have responsibilities, I wouldn''t want you to come with me. We''re not going on a vacation. The battlefield is not a place for a lady." "What about Lucia? She was going right?" "She''s¡­ different. I was surprised at first after I heard that she will be coming but King Timothy told me that he needs her. Something to do with decisions or something" Freya looked at Henry. She engraved the sketch of his face on her mind. "I will miss you." "Me too. I will write you letters don''t worry. I will tell you everything that happened." Freya gave a weak nod. "Please be safe." Henry slid off the bench and knelt in front of her. He held both of her hands. "I will. I am your personal Knight Miss Freya Hall. With the Omniscient as witness, I pledge my heart to you. So wait for me." Freya''s eyes were slightly wet. "Even if it''ll take years, I will wait for you." ********** Sylvie was limping towards Erik. Her wound was painful but she trudged onward. Erik''s guards noticed her and presented a wall of spears. Seeing the spears pointed towards her, she lost balance and fell down. "Stand down morons!" Erik shouted from behind the guards. "You act like there was a cohort of cavalry charging towards me." He slipped in between his guards and squatted in front of Sylvie. He grasped her arm and supported her back. "Leave us." He ordered to the guards. "But sire she is¡­ " "I don''t want to repeat myself. Leave us." Erik ordered again. It took a while for the guards to turn around and leave. Sylvie was left alone with Erik. "Why are you here? I was on my way to your room." He glanced at her wound. "I bet your wound is now open like a newly bloomed daisy. Are you crazy?" "Maybe. I was just worried that you''ve already left." "What are you talking about? I told you that I was on my way to your room." "Yeah. But I didn''t know that and I was worried that you have forgotten about me." Sylvie said. She pushed her hand on the floor and leaned against wall. Erik looked at her while frowning. "Do you have a fever? Hallucination of some kind? You''re different today. You''re not making fun of me." "Well I would have but you know¡­ " She looked at him intently. "Ah yes. Because my father just died and I''m mourning. How considerate of you." An awkward silence then followed which has never happened between them before. "Is¡­ your mother alright?" Sylvie said as she broke the silence. "No. She''s been crying all night that I''m afraid her health would further deteriorate. Honestly I don''t want to leave her like this but I still have to get justice for my father. Also I''m now the Marquis of the Western Region so Timothy needs me." "It suits you" Sylvie said. She eyed the golden chain that dangled across his chest. It was the mark of a Marquis. She then grinned and remembered that just a few weeks ago, Erik looked like a beggar. "But your tattered clothes and stinky odor will always be my first impression of you" Sylvie cupped her mouth as she remembered that this was not the time to joke around. Erik had just lost his father. "I''m sorry. Your circumstances slipped my mind. I should have been more careful" Instead of getting angry, Erik also grinned. "No. Just act like how you used to. Although I''m grieving, I want to see the Sylvie that I know before I leave." "Ohhh. Is this like a parting between couples then?" Erik snorted. "Ha! You wish. You''re not my type." "Really? Don''t lie Erik. You can''t lie to me. I am you type." Sylvie brushed the tip of her hair on Erik''s face. She winked at him. "Nope. Not my type." He denied The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing together. Seeing him laugh delighted Sylvie. At least Erik was still the same despite the tragedy he just suffered. Erik ruffled her hair. "Thank you for cheering me up. But I should go now." "I guess this is goodbye?" Sylvie asked. "For now" he answered "Yes" she nodded. "For now" ********** As he looked at his men, Timothy couldn''t help but feel a little bit overwhelmed. This was the largest host he led. Thousands of soldiers were already in line and they were only waiting for Henry and Erik. The multitude of banners fluttered in the wind. Timothy could see the three new banners which displayed the coat of arms of his three legions. Since the day he came back from fighting Ivan, Timothy had started a reorganization of his army from the old system. In the new system, the whole army was divided into large groups of five thousand called Legions. The names of each were decided by the soldiers themselves. The first legion was Steelsword whose ranks were filled mostly with those from Castle Munico. The second was called Dawn which was composed of men from Thespelae. The third, to Timothy''s surprise and delight, was named Rooster by his original soldiers from Knightsend. Also included in the mix were the flags of Inkit, Hadea and Canton, their three unreliable allies. Apparently his threat yesterday worked and the three representatives agreed to help fight against General Rickard. These people were unpredictable though. Lucia had warned him about their loyalty. The last group of soldiers were the Vanadians which was composed mostly of mercenaries. Even though it was mercenaries who opened the gate of Knightsend to Rickard, Timothy still decided to use the remaining mercenaries of King Edmund. With Lucia''s careful handling, Timothy was confident that the mercenaries won''t betray them this time. "They are late. I''m sure they are still smooching with their ladies." Arthur''s said. Even though Arthur was somewhat useless in the eyes of Timothy, he still agreed to bring the prince along. He still had so many lessons to teach Arthur. "Please be considerate brother" Lucia''s annoyed voice sounded. Her horse was next to Timothy''s. "Saying goodbye was never easy." "She''s right son" King Edmund then looked at Lucia. "I remember the day Lucia left Holm. It was not easy to let go. I''m sure Marquis Erik and Henry are also the same with their loved ones." "Henry? He''s the Knight right?" Arthur shook his head. "I don''t think the Tulosan has relatives here. Like what I said, he''s smooching with his lover." Arthur continued complaining but Timothy closed his ears. He had no time to mind the blabbers of the prince. He turned his attention instead to Lucia. With her blue one-piece dress and white diadem, she was the very image of royalty. He had already told Lucia of the Spectator''s visit last night. He told her everything except his request for the Spectator to save her if ever things go awry. Even though the Spectator''s offer was just some test of his personality, both of them agreed that using assassins against General Rickard and King Leopold will not solve their problems. General Rickard being assassinated will just make the monster a martyr. King Leopold assassination on the other hand will sow discontent among the people. Winning the crown in such fashion will make his rule shaky. The best and probably only way to unite Castonia and forge peace with Tulosa was to defeat both General Rickard and King Leopold in battle. Finally the two men they have been waiting for had arrived. Henry and Erik reached his side almost simultaneously. "I''m sorry. Saying goodbye to Freya was not easy. Took me a while" Henry said while bowing his head. "I also said goodbye to a friend" Erik said. Timothy did not delve further into their personal matters. With a wave of his hand, the entire army moved forward. "Marquis Erik" he called. "What is it Your Majesty?" "It''s too silent. Tell the trumpeters to play the new song" Timothy said. Erik smiled. He then told the trumpeters of what the King ordered. The air was filled with the tune of a song. It was a song General Marvin hastily composed last night. By morning, the song had spread throughout the city. In just a short time the tune from the trumpets was joined by the singing of the soldiers. ''Into the west we go For justice into the west we go Betrayal shall be repaid A fake knight we shall cull Into the west we go With the King we march Onward without halt With haste we go They should quiver For we are coming, yes coming Hunting for a fake knight Into the west we go'' 110 Looming Dark Cloud For the past days the Tulosans had been chasing them. No. Chasing might not be the right word. They were being harassed, hunted like prey. His host of a few hundred cavalry which escaped Knightsend had been reduced to less than a hundred. This morning a pleasant news presented itself though. A group of Castonian cavalry requested to meet with them. Kristof thought that the soldiers belong to King Timothy. They will finally reach a safe haven. But his expectations were shattered when he saw the annoying face of Ryon. The moment he saw him, he realized what Ryon had done. "Deserted. Haven''t we?" Kristof asked as his mount inched closer to Ryon. "Ave, Prefect Kristof" Ryon presented his arm to Kristof and waited for him to grab it. This could have been a salute among equals. But Kristof just looked at Ryon''s arm. He was still vexed that Ryon abandoned his post in Greenwater. Ryon slowly lowered his arm. "You would have done the same if you were the one in my position" "No. I am no deserter like you. What can you do anyway? You can''t rescue the Marquis with such a meager force." Ryon blinked a few times and opened his mouth. "You haven''t heard, have you? Of course. You haven''t" "Heard what?" "Kristof" Ryon looked at him with a grim expression. "The Marquis is dead. He was executed by General Rickard. The rest of the defenders are probably also dead." Almost instinctively, Kristof let out a chuckle after hearing this. Nonsense. Ryon was saying that Marquis Benedict is dead. He continued his chuckle and waited for Ryon to change his expression. But Ryon''s grim face remained. "It''s true. He''s dead Kristof." Kristof''s chuckle slowly died. "You surely jest. You have always been less serious when it comes to our job. That''s why the Marquis has always favored me." Ryon grabbed his hand and put a piece of paper on his palm. "Read" Kristof unrolled the paper and read it. His expression turned from pleasant to bleak. It was true, the Marquis is dead. Kristof felt his heart clench. It was his fault. He should have taken his men, stormed the castle and rescued the Marquis. Even if it cost him his life he should have. Instead he ran away. He mocked Ryon earlier for abandoning his post in Greenwater. But after knowing what happened, he would have also done the same. General Rickard needs to pay for his crimes. "And King Timothy? Is he coming?" Kristof asked angrily. The best course of action for now was to offer their service to King Timothy. "He is. In fact we have spotted his army a few days ago. We were planning on joining him but we¡­ we lost the courage to face him. We are deserters after all." "But we must. We can''t do anything on our own. Let''s go see him together Ryon. If he punishes us, then so be it." "Right." Ryon nodded. There was reluctance in that nod. "Prefect! Tulosans!" A soldier behind pointed. Kristof looked at the direction and saw hundreds of horsemen riding towards them. The banner was that of the Whistlers. It seemed their pursuers had already caught up. Kristof and Ryon looked at each other. Both of them understood that they can''t outrun the Whistlers. So they must fight. "Form a wedge!" The two of them shouted in chorus. In just a few moments, a wedge was formed with the two of them at the front. Kristof wanted to be the sole apex. He wanted to be the only one at the very front. But with their lives on the line, he doesn''t want old rivalries to tie them down. They galloped towards the enemies. They were outnumbered but there was no other way other than forward. But when they were about to slam against the enemies, another group of horsemen appeared. Knights. Kristof knew what that armor meant. They were Knights and there were about a Century of them. Battling the Whistlers was somewhat easy. But Knights? They will need a miracle to defeat the Knights. Surprisingly, the Knights didn''t attack them. They rushed towards the Whistlers and hit them hard. Kristof saw several Whistlers impaled by the heavy lances of the Knights. The scene in front of him was unbelievable. The Knights and the Whistlers should be allies right? It wasn''t even a battle. The Whistlers routed as soon as the Knights hit them. Of course with their heavy armor and sturdy horses, the Knights couldn''t give chase. Kristof, Ryon and their men stopped just a few dozen meters from the Knights. The Knights approached them. Kristof surveyed his men and he could see that some of them wanted to run. He also wanted to run. Even though Castonian prowess was not to be underestimated, the Knights were the masters of mounted warfare. When the Knights were just a few meters away, they stopped. The man at the front removed his helm. Kristof doesn''t know who he was but from the man''s movements he could decipher that he was someone of high rank. "Henry Molt?" It was Ryon beside him who talked first. Kristof examined the Knight. So his name is Henry Molt. He then realized the meaning behind the name. Henry Molt was a legend among the Knights. The Knights liked to call him ''First Spear'' for his habit of leading a charge from the front, always first and always deadly. Kristof had heard that First Spear became a Prefect when he was just seventeen, the youngest in the history of the Knights of Tulosa. There were also rumors that if not because of his age, Prefect Henry would have become one of the three Masters. "Greetings Prefect Ryon" Henry smiled. "You have changed a lot since we parted in Greenwater." "Changed? How?" Ryon asked. "When we were in Greenwater, you were still a good Prefect. But now.." Henry''s smile faded. "You have deserted your post and went against orders. His Majesty is not pleased with your actions." Henry then looked at him. "Our scouts have also spotted you. We''re glad we made it in time. King Timothy has ordered me to bring you to him." Kristof was still astonished. A Knight serving King Timothy was surprising enough. But the Knight was First Spear. "Will King Timothy execute us?" Kristof asked. "I don''t think he will do that" Henry turned his gaze to Ryon "As for him, I don''t know. But King Timothy is magnanimous so don''t worry about your friend." "He is not my friend" Kristof denied. "We are colleagues but not friends" "I see" Henry nodded. "Then shall we go?" ********* It was already night when the two Prefects were presented to Timothy. "We accept your punishment!" the two said simultaneously while kneeling in front of him. One of them, Prefect Ryon, deserves to be imprisoned or even executed if the decision of a military tribunal is to be followed. The other, Prefect Kristof, was faultless in his eyes. Nevertheless the act of running away from battle still translates to desertion and some people would always stick to technicalities. In short, both of them were deserters. But Timothy decided to give the two a less severe punishment. They were good leaders and he needed leadership in his ranks now more than ever. "Fine. I will not execute you. But you are demoted to the rank of Centurion. Go back to your men." Timothy said. "Thank you King Timothy" Centurion Ryon said. "We accept this punishment" Centurion Kristof bowed The two men then left his tent and Timothy was left alone with Lucia. He was glad that was over. He had so many things on his mind that deciding the punishment of deserters was the least of his concerns. Timothy rose and went to the table where a huge map was laid. "That was quick" Lucia said. She went to him and cuddled on his chest. "I don''t have time to deal with trivial matters. General Rickard marched out of Knightsend and is only a few days'' march away. A battle is going to start soon." "But isn''t this good news? This confirms that he has no reinforcements" Timothy looked into her eyes. Even after several months of being with her, he was still amazed by her intelligence. She doesn''t have experience in military planning but she correctly inferred the situation. General Rickard had no reinforcements. He had only realized this yesterday when the scouts reported that the Tulosans had marched out of Knightsend along with the treacherous mercenaries. Rickard had the castle and he still chose to meet him in the field. He thought hard of the reason why Tulosan General would do that. While cavalry is deadly in field battles, hiding behind the walls of Knightsend would be a better choice. The Tulosans could just stay inside and wait for reinforcements. They could then destroy the Castonians with their superior numbers. But General Rickard marched out of the Castle. This means that he was afraid of being sieged which brought Timothy to the conclusion that General Rickard was alone. The King of Tulosa might have given up on the invasion and General Rickard doesn''t have reinforcements. "Yes. But I''m still concerned. Facing him will not be easy. Those Knights under him are dangerous. To make matters worse, our allies are unreliable. And the mercenaries under your father can''t be trusted. I don''t know¡­ " Lucia then did a surprising thing. She put her lips into his. He shouldn''t have been surprised by this since giving sudden smooches was a habit of hers- a habit he enjoys. But every time she does this, he couldn''t help but be surprised. He enjoyed the taste of Lucia Vanadis and closed his eyes. He could feel her warm breaths and her soft lips. A feeling of calmness enveloped him. After their lips parted, she smiled at him. "You have so many worries on your mind. Just relax and let me handle half of it. We are partners aren''t we?" Timothy smiled. He was reminded that Lucia was not just his lover. She was also his ally, the person in the world he trusts the most. She had become the most important to him. He was committed in winning this war and the throne of Castonia not just for the people, but also for her. He wanted to give her the best. For this reason, he was worried. Although the Spectator had agreed to keep Lucia safe, there was no telling what''s going to happen. "We are. But Lucia if something happens to me, If I die, I want you to¡­" "No" There was anger in her voice. "I told you already, I don''t want to hear such defeatist words. We have decided that we will win" She let go of her embrace and turned away. Timothy grabbed her arm. "Listen to me Lucia" he pleaded. "If¡­ if I am defeated, I want you to escape. You are important to me. I don''t want your fate to become tied to mine." She again looked at him. "That''s my decision to make Tim. The moment I gave you my heart, I have decided to tie myself to you. If you are going to die, then I will too. If you are going to be imprisoned, then I will gladly join you in your cell." "But I don''t want that. Listen¡­" he slid his grasp from her arm to her hands. "I did not tell you about this but I asked the Spectator to save you if I lose. If that time comes, I want you to come with them" "You did what!?" "I asked them. I know I should have asked them to save me too but I know it''s too much so I prioritized you. I will not forgive myself if something happens to you" She was frowning. It was clear that she was angry. She closed her eyes and her frown slowly vanished. "I will not come with them" she said "Lucia¡­" "Listen to me first. Living without you will mean nothing to me. Do you think I would be happy without you? No. So even if I escape or something, it would mean nothing. It''s either we win together or lose together." She then hugged him. "But we will win Tim. I''m sure of it. So there''s no point in worrying." Timothy still wanted her to agree but he gave up for now. He wrapped his arms around her. "We will continue this discussion next time. For now, let me enjoy you" "Are you not going to plan strategies or something?" she asked. "Like what you said, we will soon face a battle" He filled his nose with her lovely scent. "That could wait. I will plan later" Timothy then shook his head. "No, it''s better for you to help me. Two heads are better than one" Lucia laughed. She again pecked on his lips. "After this?" Timothy grinned and nodded. "Yes. After this" 111 Prelude to the Battle of the Plains The developments for the past days had confirmed the imminence of a battle. General Rickard''s host marched straight to them without stop. The two armies were now positioned in such a way that bloodbath is inevitable. Just this morning, the Tulosans had formed in front of them. The sea of horses that composed about half of their enemies was a sight even the boldest men were afraid of. In the center of the Tulosans were the mercenaries. Their banners, now forever marked with the smudge of treachery, drew sharp stares from the Castonians. If not for their loyalty to the King some of the Castonians would have already dived towards the mercenaries- with swords and spears in their hands and vengeance in their hearts Flanking the mercenaries were two large groups of cavalry of mixed composition. These two groups of cavalry were the real danger. They could swoop in, fold Timothy''s ranks, and retreat like nothing happened. Or if the ways of the Knights were to be followed, they could just charge and crumple Timothy''s soldiers in one go. Although he couldn''t see it, Timothy believed that a reserve force of Tulosan infantry was stationed behind. This reserve force could reinforce the Tulosan cavalry or the Tulosan mercenaries anytime, allowing General Rickard to deal with any change of situations. After seeing the enemy formation, Timothy immediately rallied his own forces in a battle formation they had decided just the other night. He put Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese soldiers on the left flank. The center was populated by the three legions of Castonians with Erik as its commander. The right flank was filled with the Vanadian mercenaries under Bisham. All of the cavalry were put in a single group under the leadership of Henry. The cavalry will be his reserve force. Since the battle had not started yet, Timothy and Lucia visited the commanders. They first went to the Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese forces on the left flank and told them of the plan. "That would be too dangerous!" Marquis Sachi of Canton said while forming a frown. "Marquis Sachi is right, your plan is hinged on the premise that the Castonian soldiers will hold" Marquis Qilo of Hadea added. Magistrate Chen of Inkit cleared his throat and stared at Timothy "The biggest question is, why are you telling us of the plan just now? Don''t you trust us? We are allies. We need to trust each other." Magistrate Chen''s gaze could melt candle wax. Among the three, it was this man Timothy was wary of the most. Magistrate Chen was a farsighted man. If things go complicated, Timothy predicts that it would be the Inkish who will first turn their backs to them. If it was in the past, Timothy would have already crumbled under the Magistrate''s gaze. But he was a King now. His boldness had grown in such a degree that deflecting intimidation like this was child''s play. Furthermore, Lucia was beside him and he somehow doesn''t want to look weak whenever she was around. "Let''s discuss this after the battle Magistrate Chen. The day is still young and we have an army to defeat." Timothy said. "Pardon us if we didn''t tell you." Lucia added. She met eyes with Timothy and he understood her meaning. Magistrate Chen was a threat. Compared to the other two, he was smart. It wouldn''t have been a problem if Magistrate Chen was their friend, but the two of them knew better. Magistrate Chen''s gaze remained. But Timothy maintained a sweet smile. It was true though, they were afraid that these fine noblemen would betray them. With the way they acted in the past ¨C the delayed reinforcements, their reluctance in fighting the Tulosans, and all sorts of information Lucia had gathered about them ¨C these people couldn''t be trusted. He had already discussed this with Lucia. Both of them had the same opinion. Accepting the alliance with Inkit, Hadea and Canton was a mistake. Nevertheless, they were allies now. "Alright" Magistrate Chen said after a long time of gazing at Timothy. "It''s a good plan anyway" "Then we shall excuse ourselves oh good allies. Unleash your soldiers upon our enemies. And remember¡­" Timothy paused and looked specifically at Magistrate Chen. Their eyes met. He wanted him to know that it was too late to back out now. They promised to join him in this war and they shall fight with him in victory and defeat. "Princess Lucia and I will win this war. You chose the right side" ********** Their next destination was the center where the Castonian infantry was positioned. Seeing the banners of the three legions brought a warm feeling to his heart. The soldiers under these legions were all loyal to him. They were his crack force whose strength and courage were superior compared to the Vanadian mercenaries, the Inkish, the Hadean, or the Cantonese. "I trust that you already know what to do?" He asked the four. Unlike their unreliable allies, he had informed them of the plan a day prior. "Yes. The men of Dawn will hold their swords high like that of their honor. The Tulosans shall not prevail." General Bourgis answered in his usual stern voice. General Hoover hooked his arm around Bourgis'' neck and laughed. "Pardon this man Your Highness and Your Majesty. Too serious eh? Don''t worry, the Steelsword legion already knows what to do." Timothy turned his eyes to General Marvin next. The General shrugged. "As for us, you don''t have to worry. Even if I mess up, the men of Rooster legion will not. You know how they are." Timothy truly believed that. The job of the Castonians today was to accept the blunt of the attack. He was confident that the Rooster legion, his men from Knightsend, will never rout. "And what about you Marquis Erik?" Timothy asked his friend. Erik will be the overall leader of the Castonians. Erik raised his brows. "You''re seriously asking a grieving son if he''s prepared to face his father''s killer?" He then smiled. "Of course I am. Don''t worry, the Tulosans will hit a wall of spears" He glanced at Lucia and after seeing her satisfied expression, he looked towards the four. "Then" Timothy paused and examined their faces once more. They all looked determined. "May the Omniscient be with you" ********* After reaching the right flank, they immediately spotted Bisham. The old man was meticulous as he carefully positioned the Vanadian mercenaries. They rode towards Bisham. Timothy greeted with a smile and Lucia also did the same. "Should I call you General Bisham now?" Lucia asked Bisham who was, a few months ago, the Captain of her guards. Because of the lack of good leadership in the Vanadian ranks Bisham was made the commander of the Vanadian mercenaries. This was not really a surprise since Bisham had military experience. The old man bowed to them. "Call me what the two of you used to. General Bisham doesn''t really sound nice." "Then Captain Bisham, are your men prepared?" It was Timothy who asked. "Of course." Captain Bisham confirmed. He gave a small proud smile as he turned his eyes towards the mercenaries "We already know what to do. We will hit them as hard as we could. The Vanadian mercenaries will fight as ferociously as the Castonians" Timothy grinned while shaking his head. The mercenaries will never equal the valor of the Castonians in his eyes. "Pardon me but I doubt that" "Oh?" Captain Bisham also grinned "Want me to prove you wrong?" "You are very much welcome to do so Captain. Prove me wrong and change my opinion about the mercenaries" ********** When they arrived where the cavalry were positioned, Henry and his Knights were not there. The soldiers pointed them to a nearby small hill where, as what the men told them, Henry was praying with his Knights. "I think we should wait" Timothy said to Lucia after spotting Henry. All of the Knights were bowing their heads and listening to Henry lead the prayer to the Omniscient. "Yes. Even if we''re royals, interrupting a Knight''s prayer would be too rude" Lucia said. They waited for several minutes until the prayer was completed. When Henry opened his eyes and saw them, he bowed his head in apology. "I''m sorry. Have you waited long?" "A few minutes. Not that long right?" Lucia asked for Timothy''s concordance. "Yeah. It wouldn''t be right to disturb you." Timothy agreed although he did felt a little impatient "So, is the cavalry ready?" "Yes" Henry pounded his fist on his chest. The rest of the Knights followed. "This will be the largest contingent of cavalry to be placed under my direct command. But I shall make satisfactory results." "Good" Timothy smiled at Lucia. "Then let''s begin" ********** Rickard was looking at King Timothy''s forces from afar. The enemies were laughably divided. Although the center which was composed of Castonians will be a hard nut to crack, the flanks would be an easy target. Furthermore they were currently on a wide plain- the specialty of cavalry. He had the advantage even before the battle had started. He could already smell victory. But he instilled in his mind that the one he was facing was King Timothy. According to Luther, King Timothy was a man to be feared. Surely the young King had some trick up his sleeve. A horn then sounded at the distance. It was followed by movements from the enemies. The center of King Timothy''s forces advanced. Rickard scratched his head. King Timothy just ordered an attack. He was the one with the offensive capabilities with his superior cavalry but it was Timothy who advanced first. He was further confused after he saw the fast pace of Timothy''s center. "Are they¡­ sprinting?" he asked. 112 Battle of the Plains 1 From where Rickard was standing, the Castonian center looked like a a sea of stones- rolling towards them like an avalanche. The mail armor they were wearing, coupled with their fast but steady movements evoked a feeling of trepidation in him. While the Castonian center was, in essence, dashing like madmen, their flanks remained stationary. The center was disjointed from the flanks in a way that Rickard''s cavalry could just surround and annihilate them. After advancing for more than a thousand paces, the Castonian center stopped to catch their breaths. There was then a standstill of sorts as if King Timothy was giving Rickard a time to choose. Rickard thought hard about his next move. He was at a crossroads with only two choices. The first choice, like what any normal General would do, was to attack the isolated Castonian center. This was the perfect opportunity to destroy the Castonian center. His cavalry from both flanks and the Tulosan mercenaries from the middle could surround the isolated Castonians. They could rout them in just a few minutes. But he knew that King Timothy was a smart man. He could have hidden a trap somewhere. Although he had screened the surroundings, there could be a hidden Castonian cavalry waiting in secret. The second choice was to ignore the Castonian center and order his cavalry to attack the Castonian flanks instead. This was equally dangerous. Although his cavalry could overwhelm the Castonian flanks, the Castonian center could plow through the mercenaries in his center and the Tulosan infantry behind. He was sure of this. The Castonian center was composed of crack and experienced men. His infantry will be no match. It was a choice between an obvious trap and losing his infantry. King Timothy was playing mind games with Rickard. Is there a trap? If there was a trap then he should avoid it. But avoiding the trap would mean sacrificing his infantry. Rickard made a decision. It doesn''t matter if there was a trap. His infantry was precious to him. He cannot, by all means, lose his infantry. If he could overwhelm the Castonian center, then victory would be his. He will show the young king the power of Tulosan cavalry. "Order the mercenaries and both cavalry flanks to attack. They must overwhelm the Castonian center as soon as possible. The infantry is to remain in reserve." Rickard ordered. His order was repeated and in just a short moment the horn to advance was blared. The mercenaries and the cavalry moved to attack. ****** "They are attacking sire!" James was in panic and forgot the proper way to address Timothy. Timothy, on the other hand, was eating a piece of cold bread. He doesn''t really care about formalities. He was focused on the developments of the battle. He chomped and swallowed before talking. "Calm down. Erik got this" "So General Rickard made the wrong choice." Smiling, Lucia said. "Am I wrong?" Timothy''s lips curved into a thin smile. She was right. Rickard made the wrong choice. Well, to be fair, there wasn''t a right choice as both choices would lead to Castonian victory. But Rickard took the path that will lower the Castonian casualties. "You''re right" Timothy confirmed. He offered Lucia a piece of the bread. He then remembered that he was offering Princess Lucia of the rich Kingdom of Vanadis, a piece of cold bread. To his surprise, Lucia took and ate it. "Um. Like what I said, you''re right. He must have thought that he could finish off the the three legions just like that. He''s wrong. Even if the fighting lasts until sundown, the Castonians wouldn''t rout." James again asked for his attention. "Your Majesty, what should we do?" Timothy looked at the battle. The Tulosans hadn''t made contact yet. He will wait until the enemies were fully invested in their attack. This will be the hardest part- watching as the Castonians were put in peril. He opened his mouth to answer James. But it was Lucia who talked first. "We wait" she said with a bitter smile directed to Timothy. ********** "Are you afraid?" General Marvin asked Erik. "Of course" Erik answered. He was afraid. A mixed force of mercenaries and Tulosan Cavalry were approaching them which was almost twice their numbers. Any man would have his face pale when presented with such a situation. "But I bet our enemies are more afraid of us than we are of them" continued Erik. "Castonian infantry. No. They call us Castonian heavy infantry now. If I were a Tulosan, I would be afraid too after hearing that I would be up against Castonian infantry." "You couldn''t be more right Marquis Erik. Discipline is tied to our name. No matter how hard they''ll hit us, we will never yield. " a low powerful, almost booming, voice said. Erik doesn''t need to confirm who it was. "Could you be a little less serious General Bourgis?" Erik said while breathing a deep sigh. "We are at war. Wars are supposed to be serious." "No. What I mean is... Fine. Just go to your legions. Remember, if your legion routs, you''re fired." The three Generals saluted to Erik and left. Erik put his foot on a small rock. He put one of his hand on the hilt of his sword. It was the Golden Useless Sword his grandfather gave to his mother. He didn''t actually want it. The sword was as useless as a carriage without wheels. But for now, yes just for now, he wanted to awe the soldiers with his Golden Useless Sword. He raised the sword in the air, the golden pommel embedded with gems glistened. Erik saw eyes looking at his sword. Stare all you want boys, he thought. Yes, I am Marquis Erik. And yes. I will lead you to victory. With orders from the three generals, the Castonian infantry formed a triangle with backs each of the legions serving as a side. They planted their feet on the grassy ground and waited for the Tulosan attack. And then the two sides met. The Tulosan mercenaries slammed against the Rooster while the Tulosan cavalry attacked both Steelsword and Dawn. The fighting between the mercenaries and the Rooster ended in a fierce melee. Since the men of Steelsword and Dawn formed a mixed wall of spears and halberds, the effects of the cavalry charge on their side was negated. The Tulosan cavalry tried to charge again, but the men of Steelsword and Dawn remained vigilant. Seeing that the charge was with no effect, some of the cavalry just dismounted to fight on foot. They were outnumbered. To make matters worse, there were thousands of Knights who had more armor and possibly more training than them. They were also surrounded. The Castonians were only superior in three things- courage, morale and discipline- all of which are intangible. Ideas so to speak. Their ability to withstand this attack rests on ideas. But this was enough for Erik. Ideas are powerful. ********** As he looked at the clash of swords and spears, Rickard frowned. This was different from what he expected. He knew that the Castonians were tough. But he never expected this level of stubbornness. The battle has been raging for an hour now and his soldiers had surrounded the isolated Castonians. But those damn soldiers wouldn''t rout. It was like hitting a wall with a sword. The cavalry charged many times but the Castonians wouldn''t budge. It seemed the sight of thousands of stampeding horses wasn''t enough drain their courage. Rickard was still waiting for a trap. There was nothing yet. All there was are Castonians repelling the attack like it''s nothing. By now, the cavalry and the mercenaries were committed in the attack. A fleeting thought occurred to him. What if there was no trap to begin with? What if Timothy was just betting on the courage of his men? He eyed the flanks of the enemies which still hadn''t joined the battle. And then he realized that if his men fails to break the Castonian center soon, the Castonian flanks were in a good position to attack. ********** They surely were tough, his men that is. Timothy saw the Castonian infantry being slowly surrounded. A whirlwind of repeated charges and violent melee hit them. Not yet, he silently said while biting his lips. Not yet, he repeated despite his heart being broken by the state of the Castonians. Not yet, he held his breath, knowing that brave men were fighting and dying on his orders. A hand held his own. It''s warmth insurmountable. He looked and Lucia''s pale small hand was gripping his. "Be strong" she said. Her words were like a harbor amidst a storm. She soothed his nerves and brought firmness on his heart. He must endure. Yes, he must. For the Castonians For Justice For Himself And for her So he endured. He watched as the Tulosans surround his dear Castonians. He waited. Excruciating, oh yes it was. But with Lucia firmly holding his hand, sharing the burden of leadership, he persisted. And when he saw that the Tulosans were completely committed on the attack, he smiled. It was time. "Forward!" 113 Battle of the Plains 2 "Look at ''em" Chen said to his aide. He didn''t need to say that though as all of their eyes were nailed on the scene. "Yes" his aide muttered in concordance. "Those horsemen are deadly. They are tearing the Castonians apart!" Chen was confused at first. And then it occurred to him that they were talking about different things. For young men like his aide, the prowess of the Tulosan cavalry will be the first thing they notice. The Tulosans, after all, had dealt damage to the Castonians. The once firm lines of Castonians had become a mishmashed defense. Short-sighted naivety, Chen mocked. His aide could only see the Tulosan power. But the resilience of the Castonians was more amazing- or terrifying depending on whose side you''re fighting on. The Castonians were being subjected to a vicious attack for an hour now. Even though their defense was crumbling, they were still holding on. If it was his soldiers who were fighting, they would have already ran a few minutes into the fight. "The Castonians are terrifying" he said. "Why?" his aide asked, cocking his head like a fool that he was. "Look closely" he pointed forward "Those Castonians are probably made of iron. If I''m the enemy General, I would be scared by now. Imagine striking a piece of glass with a hammer without it breaking. You will feel confused at first. And then you strike it again with the same results. Now comes anger. How dare the piece of glass defy you strength? After that- fear. Yes, fear. You will be afraid because you just witnessed something unusual. You will start to think that the piece of glass was actually a monster. General Rickard just discovered his glass and it has thousands of spears." "Magistrate, I still don''t understand" "The Castonians you fool! I was right. We shouldn''t have supported them. If possible we should have helped their enemies. What do you think will happen if King Timothy turns his sword towards us?He is too dangerous. If this continues, he will break the balance of power in the continent. And that Vanadian Princess. She looks like a harmless pretty lady on the outside but I bet she''s also a threat. She..." Chen shut his mouth as a Castonian messenger went to them. He gave the signal to advance. "Magistrate... I''m still confused but if you say that Timothy Castonia is dangerous, then he probably is. We should flee now. We shouldn''t help him get what he wants" his aide said quietly, almost whispering. Chen pursed his lips. His aide was really stupid for not knowing that they don''t have a choice but to obey. "Why do you think he placed the cavalry behind us? Just coincidence? For greater maneuverability? No. It''s because he knew that we may falter and not join the battle. If we do not move, the Castonian cavalry will slaughter our men. We have no choice but to help a monster grow another fang." He breathed heavily, savoring the fresh air that could be his last. Painfully, he ordered. "Sound the horn to advance" ********** "Hold the damn line!" Erik rattled his throat with a loud shout. He pointed his sword in the air and hoped his current posture looked like those in the paintings of great generals. "I don''t think we can hold much longer sire" General Hoover said. This was a rare occasion, Hoover being serious. He wasn''t wrong though. The right flank which was populated by men from Steelsword was crumbling. The once solid line of spears had turned skewed. The earlier proud cheers of the Steelsword legion was no more. All that remained were men that are fighting for survival. The Tulosan Cavalry were professionals. They made use of every single cavalry tactic. They did hit-and-runs, charged, threw javelins, fired crossbows and some even fought on foot. Whenever there was a gap, the Tulosans would attack it and they would lose several men. Compared to the other two legions, Steelsword was in a worse state. This was why Erik chose to be here. For the past hour, he meticulously arranged the men. He filled the gaps and even did counterattacks. He was successful- somehow. But being successful doesn''t mean they were safe. The Steelsword legion will rout for sure. It was just a matter of time. Erik saw a distant banner. Swaying in the air was the flag of Vanadis- a pelican spreading its wings over a ship. They say people were permitted to laugh when seeing the pelican on land. Well Erik was laughing, not as a mockery but as a celebration. Their reinforcements had arrived. "Do not fear!" he shouted again, his throat dry due to overwork. He pointed his sword towards the Vanadian mercenaries. "Friends are coming. Stay strong. They are coming!" Seeing the Vanadian mercenaries excited the Steelsword legion. Their desperate defense became an offense against the Tulosans. The Tulosan cavalry seemed to notice the approaching Vanadians meecenaries and stopped their attacks. It was too late to make an organized retreat though as the Vanadians had cut off their escape. Sensing an impending doom, they charged towards the mercenaries instead. But before they could reach the first line of mercenaries, the Castonian cavalry led by Henry hit them out of nowhere. ********* They were his blood, his comrades. He bet he even knew some of them. But his hand was wet with the blood of the first Tulosan he impaled with his lance. He didn''t know who it was as half of the man''s face was hidden behind his coif. All he knew was that the man was a knight- a brother now dead by his own hands. Nevertheless Henry kept on fighting. The momentum of their charge was still strong. He hated wetting his conscience with the blood of old comrades. But this was a necessary evil. These knights supported Rickard anyway. They smeared the honor of the Knights by following a lunatic. Furthermore he was doing this for the Tulosan people. King Timothy was the way to peace. By now the impetus of their charge had weakened. It was turning into a cavalry-to-cavalry melee. They need to charge again. "Retreat!" Henry commanded. The Castonian cavalry retreated except for two centuries who were, at a closer look, competing. "Retreat!" Henry again shouted and the signal to retreat was blasted. But the two Centuries were still getting themselves deeper into the enemy lines. Henry recognized who the Centurions of the two Centuries were. Ryon and Kristof. Those two, Henry angrily thought. He knew that Ryon and Kristof had some sort of an old rivalry. But to compete now would mean undermining the effectiveness of the Castonian cavalry. In the end he decided to leave them. If they want to get themselves killed for the sake of competing with each other, then he wouldn''t stop them. The Vanadian mercenaries reached the Tulosan cavalry. Steelsword legion, who were pinned earlier, had also rushed to attack the cavalry. Henry again ordered a charge, with him at the front of course. The three forces attacked the Tulosan cavalry from all sides. But despite being outnumbered and their mobility impaired, the Vanadian cavalry still fought hard. It''s a shame. These brave men could have used their courage for great and gallant things. But instead they followed a fake knight who had no honor, thought Henry. But the resilience of the Tulosan cavalry were nothing compared to the resilience shown by the Castonians earlier. They still routed after a while. The right flank had been won by the Castonian force. ********** The Left Flank That was close. They had almost surrounded them. This was Luther''s thought as he looked behind. The Tulosan Cavalry were catching their breaths. The Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese forces had almost cut off their escape. Luckily, the enemies were slow. Or have they been dallying? Who knows. The important thing is, the Tulosan cavalry on the left flank were able to escape onslaught. They had retreated at a distance where the enemies cannot reach them. "Those hard-headed pricks!" Centurion Lyn screamed like a child beside him. Luther cannot blame him though. Fighting the Castonians was like fighting against rocks. It was frustrating beyond belief. They were unresponsive to charges. Hit-and-runs were also not effective. Crossbow bolts and javelins bounced off their armor. Only the Knights were able to deal them some damage. "So what now?" Centurion Lyn asked. "We wait for orders from the General" Luther answered. The original plan to rout the Castonian infantry had failed. They had lost their offensive advantage. Centurion Lyn, with his mouth agape, pointed towards the other side of the battlefield. "Are those... ours?" Luther squinted. He then saw clusters of cavalry running away like rabbits on the right flank. His heart sank. The Tulosan cavalry on the right flank must have failed to escape the Vanadian mercenaries. Now they were routing. Luther had a bad feeling about this. With half of their cavalry gone, there was no way for them to win this battle. Just as the thought crossed his mind, it was immediately confirmed by the sound of a horn. The sound came from the direction of the General Rickard. It was a command for a general retreat. "Yes" Luther said in a defeated tone. "And we have lost this one" 114 Inferior "Cheers to our strength!" the shameless rascal declared as he raised the cup in the air towards Timothy. Magistrate Chen then made eye contact with Timothy and curved a mocking smile with the corner of his mouth. "Cheers!" Timothy also raised his cup and faked a smile. This man, he thought, this man is dangerous. Both of them drank from their respective cups at the same. After Timothy lowered his cup, he looked intently at the Magistrate. They were victorious, another victory under his belt. But they failed to destroy the Tulosans. Although General Rickard lost half of his cavalry, most of the Tulosans and their mercenaries escaped- all because of Magistrate Chen. Since the Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese forces in the left flank failed to surround the cavalry in their side, the said cavalry were able to escape. Since thousands of Tulosan cavalry escaped, Timothy cannot order an all-out chase of the fleeing Tulosans for fear that his cavalry will be overwhelmed. While his cavalry did captured hundreds of fleeing mercenaries, the numbers were just too small. Magistrate Chen, Marquis Sachi and Marquis Qilo all expressed their apologies for their failure. They said that the Tulosans were just too fast. But Timothy and Lucia doubt that claim. Their dear allies just don''t want to help. "He''s testing you" Lucia whispered "He''s gauging your personality by your reactions to his mockery. Fake your expressions" Timothy looked at her and realized that she was right. Magistrate Chen was probably testing the waters. He just maintained a placid expression. The officers were all celebrating inside a large tent. The soldiers in the camp were also given booze and meat. This was Timothy''s way of thanking his men for the job well done. Timothy and Lucia were seated together in a high table while the other officers were drinking and eating in front of them. It was a lively atmosphere with the officers conversing merrily about the events of the battle. Erik, although still grieving for his father, was talking and laughing with Bisham and Henry. They were discussing on how the three forces they led surrounded the enemy cavalry in the right flank. General Hoover was pestering the serious General Bourgis while drinking what looks to be mead. General Marvin was not eating though. He was busy scribbling some words on paper. If Timothy was to guess, it was another song celebrating their victory in the plains. Suddenly, King Edmund pounded his cup on the table. The chattering was silenced and all eyes were locked on the Vanadian King. King Edmund rose and faced Timothy. His flushed face betrayed the fact that he was slightly drunk. "We have been celebrating for hours but I haven''t heard a single thanks to the pair who brought us victory." King Edmund jabbed his cup towards them, spilling some of its contents. "My Lucia sure has grown a lot. We should thank her for her smart thinking. I am proud of my daughter. I am happy to be remembered in history as the father of Lucia Vanadis!" His declaration was met with cheers for Lucia. King Edmund raised his hand to silence the crowd. "And King Timothy! Oh what a brilliant mind. He is my son now, or soon to be. Not that it matters. He will soon wed my daughter and their matrimony will link Castonia and Vanadis. But as early as now I declare- King Timothy is my son! My son is a great man eh? The greatest son in the world!" "Aye!" the crowd shouted and cheered. They were loud and their shouts remained for long. "Oh he''s your son now!?" Arthur who was sitting beside King Edmund shouted. His shout silenced the cheers. Timothy could see that the Prince was not pleased. "Great! Oh how great. I now have a brother. I must be honored." Arthur rose and looked around. "Why are you being silent? Aren''t you cheering for him!? Aren''t you shouting his name as if he''s a God of sorts? Even my father, my father whom I grew up with, was so amazed. It must be great to have a son like Timothy. A great son he calls him. The greatest in the whole damn world!" Nobody uttered a word. The tent was as silent as the grave. Arthur must have already noticed what he had done so he laughed. "I''m sorry" he said while laughing. "I was merely acting out a play I once saw. Pardon this foolish prince for disrupting your celebration" Arthur grabbed his cup and limply exited the tent. "I... I should follow him. I''m sorry for the commotion he caused. He''s a little drunk you see. Just continue." King Edmund said. The King then followed Arthur outside. ********** Arthur was sitting on a boulder in the darkness. It was cold. His shivering flesh was exposed. He didn''t mind though. This was better than going back to that tent. At least here he wouldn''t hear his father''s praises for Lucia and that bastard. "You shouldn''t have done that Arthur." Somebody said from behind. He knew it was his father. His father sat on the grass beside the boulder. "I''m sorry if I hurt your feelings Arthur. I was a little drunk. I blabber things when I''m drunk. It''s just. I don''t know how to put it. Timothy did a marvelous thing. We need to praise him because of that. I praised your good deeds in the past didn''t I?" "A couple of times" "See? Then you understand. Let''s go back eh? When I went outside that tent, they have already resumed their celebrations so you don''t have to worry about the awkward atmosphere." his father said while smiling. Arthur did not agree. He was hurt. He already knew that Lucia was better than him in all aspects. She was talented, smart and the people loves her. All his life he had always been compared to Lucia by everybody. The commoners even wanted Lucia to become the heir instead of him. All he had was his gender. He is a son, the only son of King Edmund Vanadis. But now Timothy stole that from him. He felt like a substitute. He had nothing. "Is he better than me?" Arthur asked. "That''s... not really the case. You have your strong points Arthur and Timothy had his. You are better in some aspects" "Like what?" Arthur looked at his father''s eyes. "Like ah, like..." "I already know so stop it." Arthur started to tear. "He is the son you have always wanted me to be. Smart, kind, charismatic, talented. Well I''m sorry father. I''m sorry if I''m not smart enough. I''m sorry if I''m not kind. I''m sorry if the damn people don''t love me! But this is who I am okay?! This is Arthur Vanadis, your son!" His father embraced him. "Shhhhh. I know Arthur. I know. But no matter what, please know that I love you. You are my son" Arthur pushed his father away. "You love me? No! Over the years it''s only Lucia that you loved. Only her! And now Timothy. Hah! What a cruel joke." Arthur ran away. He didn''t want to look at that old man. He was angry at the world. Why!? he shouted in his heart. Why am I inferior? ********** The earlier cheerfulness of the people inside the tent was reduced to a forced one. Arthur''s tantrum had strained the mood. Lucia sighed. She did not expect that Arthur would do that. Well she couldn''t really blame him. It must have been painful for Arthur too. At the very least though, Arthur shouldn''t have soured the mood. Now people would gossip about their family. The pain he felt was nobody''s fault anyway. "I know how he felt" Timothy said "I know because King Leopold had always favored Ivan and William. In fact my father even did extreme things" he winked, a playful reminder to Lucia that King Leopold tried to kill him several times. Lucia laughed. "And you didn''t embarrass the Castonia family in front of many people. Not even once?" Timothy drank from his cup. "Nope. I think I don''t even hate him. I tried hating him but I just couldn''t. He''s my enemy- our enemy. But If he was currently in front of me, I think I couldn''t even shout at him. I loved him. And I still do despite what he did. Love makes people do strange things. Even if the rumors are true that I am indeed not his son, I would still treat him as my father. I hope he will live at the end. He needs to pay for his crimes but I wouldn''t execute him or something." Lucia leaned her head on his shoulder. The difference between Arthur and Timothy lies not just in their ability but also in their heart. Timothy still loves King Leopold despite everything. Arthur on the other hand... She pursed her lips and just hoped that Arthur would change. James then ran towards them and whispered something on Timothy''s ear. Lucia lifted her head and examined Tim''s expression. After James'' whisper, Timothy smiled at Lucia. It was not a smile of joy but bitter smile. "Our situation just got more complicated." Timothy said. "The scouts say that King Leopold is near. And..." "And what?" Lucia asked "And he''s doing something dangerous" 115 A Rue Too Late The air inside the tent was heavy. Bloodstained and grubby, the officers hung their heads low. "How many did we lose?" Rickard asked the quartermaster. "Including those who deserted sire?" Rickard nodded and bit his lips. He waited for a number that would soon give him heartache. "Eight thousand" the quartermaster said and as expected, it was too high. Rickard examined the faces of the officers inside his tent and all of them had their brows furrowed. Heavy breathing can be heard. Rickard tapped his finger on the table. "So? Who among you can explain to me how this happened? How in the Omniscient''s name did you fail to break those Castonians?" A Knight Prefect raised his hand. Brave, Rickard thought. The Knight was brave enough to answer his question. Rickard leaned back. "Go on" "They just won''t rout sire" "Won''t rout?" "Yes" another Knight prefect confirmed. "They won''t rout. Many times we hit ''em sire. Many times. But they stayed." There was a hint of respect on the Knight''s voice. Respect for enemies huh? Rickard mused. Respecting one''s enemy was dangerous. He made a silent reminder to himself that he will discipline this man later. "Sire I¡­" a cavalry Prefect butted in. "I have something to report" Rickard cocked his head towards the Prefect. "Speak then" The Prefect was lowering his head. "I¡­ think. I mean I''m not sure but I do think I saw Firstspear among the enemies. He was leading their cavalry." The news gathered angry grunts from the officers. "Traitorous degenerate!" "Man without honor!" "In the next battle I will find him first and let him taste a kiss of steel!" Rickard himself was distraught by the news. Henry was skilled. Yes. With him being the cavalry commander of the Castonians, his men will be in danger. But the effect of Henry fighting for the Castonians goes more than that. Henry was once the face of the Knights. He was the most popular Tulosan Knight, just behind the Grandmaster himself. Henry was even more popular than Rickard. He was young, full of vigor and he knew how to inspire his men. Many knights still view Henry with respect and awe. For them, Henry was the perfect Knight. This will become catastrophic if his Knights will revolt against him in favor of Henry. "Nobody shall speak of the Firstspear again. Understand?!" Rickard bellowed. "From now on, he is not Firstspear but merely a nameless traitor. Anyone who speaks his name again will be punished!" The officers were silent. Rickard then decided that he had enough for today. Although his army is still intact, he just lost a huge chunk of his forces. Without reinforcements, failure was almost certain. Nevertheless, he would see this through. He will defeat Timothy and then convince the King of Tulosa and the Queen of Calgari to renew the war with Castonia. "Leave" he ordered while resting his forehead on his palm. The officers left one by one. "Not you" Rickard said to Luther. He gestured towards the seat beside his. Luther transferred seats. "General¡­" "You''re right" Rickard admitted although it breaks his heart. "Timothy Castonia is someone dangerous. His soldiers are fiercely loyal. He also knows his stuff. " Luther pinched a chunk from the bread in front of them and ate it. "So are we going home General?" "No. The King will probably execute me for taking his army without his permission. Things would be different if I defeat the Castonians." "And how are you going to do that General? I mean, not to put you down. But we are in a bind here. Morale is low, deserters flee the camp as we speak and Timothy Castonia will soon catch up to us." "I don''t know" Rickard exhaled heavily. "I honestly don''t know. We probably need to make deals or something. But for now we will lick our wounds and fight another day." Just then, the cloth of the tent was flapped. "General! I have something to report" a familiar face almost shouted. Rickard remembered the man to be a Centurion under Luther. "Learn some manners Centurion Lyn. The General and I are still talking " Luther reprimanded with a hoarse voice. "It''s alright. Let him speak. I think whatever he wanted to tell me, it''s important" Rickard said to Luther. He turned to Centurion Lyn. "Speak boy. Good news or bad news?" Centurion Lyn hesitated. He bit his lips. "Bad news General" ********** A combined force of Castonians and Wismarines marched on the road that leads to Knightsend. They carefully avoided Timothy''s host yesterday and chased the defeated Tulosans. With banners held high, one would assume that their morale and integrity were absolute. But Leopold knew better. "Even since yesterday, you''ve been smiling from ear to ear" Braun, who was dressed in a full set of armor, said. This was the first time Leopold had seen Braun in armor. A simple waistcoat coupled with long-sleeved shirt was the usual attire of his right hand man. When asked about his lack of enthusiasm towards armor, Braun would always say that armor is uncomfortable. But today, just for today, the Baron was wearing armor. "Just happy" Leopold gave a nonchalant answer. "Reason?" Leopold just raised a brow for an answer. "Right" Braun said. "I would be happy too if my son grew up to be someone like Timothy. Destroyer of Tulosans eh? You must be proud" "Nothing of sorts. He is still my enemy. I''m just happy that General Rickard tasted defeat" he answered, lying both to himself and to Braun. He was actually sort of proud of Timothy. He doesn''t want to admit it, but he knew that he was. It must be because of their shared enemy or maybe something else. Leopold doesn''t really know and he doesn''t want to dwell on the matter. Braun looked at him in a way as if the Baron had discovered his lie. Smiling Braun said, "Well your business is your business" Their gleeful conversation was interrupted by a scummy man and his guards. Prince Skall Wismar, Leopold mused, destroyer of Castonian diplomacy and the main cause of this civil war. Skall halted his horse near Leopold, causing Rupert and several other royal guards to flinch. "King Leopold we have a problem" "Is that so? We would always have a problem since you are stupid. Good thing I left Ivan in Nirvana or else your combined stupidity would doom us" The prince opened his mouth in protest. No words came out. "So what is the problem? Just tell me and be done with it" Leopold said. "First, before I tell you, please understand that leading scouts is not my usual job. Amir was the one who usually does this in my stead and now Amir is dead" Skall started and Leopold felt anxious at the mention of scouts. The prince continued albeit stuttering. "I¡­ I mean we have been scouting earlier and some of my men may have been captured by them." Leopold''s face shrank into a deep frown. "So they have discovered that we are going to attack them? Is that what you are saying?" "Yes. It''s just bad luck. They just happen to spot us" "Bad luck he says" Leopold said with a hissing laughter. "Incompetent! That''s what you are. Have you realized what you''ve done!?" "That is not really the worst of our problems Your Majesty!" Braun cried out. "Why? They have just discovered us. General Rickard could run away. What could be worse than that?" "No" Braun''s face was filled with worry. "The Tulosans still have thousands of cavalry left. If.. If I''m General Rickard, I would order the remaining Tulosan cavalry to harass our forces." Leopold realized that Braun was right. Armies were vulnerable to cavalry harassment when marching. Timothy countered this by swelling the number of his own cavalry. But Leopold''s army had hundreds of horsemen at best, mostly used as scouts and messengers. Their original plan was to surprise the Tulosans but Skall''s incompetence not only alerted their enemies, he had also put everyone in danger. Leopold clenched his hand into a tight fist. Why is it that his past mistakes had been constantly haunting him from time to time? If he just went through with the alliance with Vanadis, this wouldn''t have happened. If he just accepted Timothy as his son, they wouldn''t be at each other''s throats right now. But he conspired against Timothy and now he''s reaping the punishment for it. Instead of a stable alliance with Vanadis, he had a shaky, puppet-like partnership with Wismar. And instead of having a talented son that shares his love for Castonia, he had Skall who can''t even command the scouts. "Order a retreat to the east. An organized one." Leopold said in an exhausted voice. "We can still fight King Leopold" Skall said while still propped on top of his horse. "Better shut your mouth and follow my orders. After this is finished, pray to your Ashkara that I''ll maintain our alliance." Skall shut his mouth after that and just went to his Wimsarines. Leopold looked at Braun. "I lied earlier Braun. I am proud of Timothy and I regret my past decisions. But it is too late isn''t it?" 116 Side Story 1 Moonlight Chronology: Continuation Of Chapter 9 They have been talking for hours under the moonlight but not a second of it was dull for Lucia. This person, Timothy Castonia, will become her husband in the future. When she left the city of Holm, she was afraid. But now that she had finally met him and gauged his personality, she was relieved. Timothy Castonia is kind and smart. Every word that came out from his mouth lulled Lucia into a beautiful trance. Furthermore, although she pridefully refused to give in to her carnal desires, she found Timothy to be good looking. His mellow eyes whose reach seemed to penetrate into her very soul, were a perfect match to his dark hair. She felt like melting whenever he looks at her. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Timothy asked laughingly. Lucia was pulled back from her trance. "What?" Timothy laughed. He leaned closer to her. "You had been staring at my face for a minute" "Oh. Well... " "Let me guess" he interrupted. "Do you, perhaps, find me good looking?" A smirk formed on his face. Lucia was surprised. How did he know? she asked in silence. And then she reprimanded herself for asking a question with an obvious answer. This Prince must have swooned dozens of ladies already. Of course he knew the potency of his looks. "Yes" she admitted. Timothy jerked his head back. The moonlight revealed his flushed cheeks. "I was just joking you know. You didn''t have to be direct" he said with a lowered head. Lucia chuckled. "But you asked me!" "Like what I said, that was just a joke." Timothy pouted and avoided her gaze "Now I''m embarrassed." "So Prince Timothy Castonia is embarrassed whenever somebody praises his looks? Then what if I say that you are my type?" Lucia raised an eyebrow with her lips forming a smug smile. She will tease this Prince as much as she could tonight. His cute reactions delighted her. "Stop it. You''re enjoying this, aren''t you? Well ha ha. Do you want me to retaliate?" He winked as if challenging her. "Do your best" He was silent for a while. And then he again leaned towards her. He looked directly into her eyes. She was drawn in. It was mesmerizing. It had little to do with his dazzling eyes but more with the sincerity of his gaze. She could also smell his perfume. An Inkish one, probably of high quality. The perfume''s virility combined with his natural delicate fragrance, concocted a scent that is both gentle and formidable. "If I''m good looking, then how much more will be our children?" He whispered, a remark whose purpose was to tease her- and was successful at that. That wasn''t fair. This prince wasn''t being fair. Using their imminent marriage to his advantage is not fair- because it''s effective. As soon as he stopped speaking, Lucia''s cheeks warmed. She tried to open her mouth to rebut him. She had the upper hand just a while ago. But no words came out. He succeeded. He laughed, a satisfied laugh. "See? I told you I''m going to retaliate" ______________________________________ A Knight''s Woes Chronology: Between Chapter 24 and Chapter 69 "Have you ever had bison meat before?" Freya asked, skipping on the cobbled road of Solon like a child. "Can''t say that I have" Henry answered a few paces behind. He looked ahead and mused himself in her adorable movements. Freya turned her head to him "Then are you excited for tonight''s dinner?" "Not really. I don''t eat meat remember?" "But you must try it!" Freya stopped and bent towards him "I''ve had it before. It''s like beef but leaner and better, a little bit tougher to be honest, but it''s good" Henry just continued on walking and passed Freya. "Meat is meat. They all taste the same." "Hey! What''s with that bland outlook in life?" Freya said as she followed. A few moments passed and Henry found himself carrying the ingredients they bought. Turnips, leeks, onions, cabbages and other vegetables filled their bags. There was also wine, cheese and outrageously expensive spices. Too excessive for Henry''s taste. As a commoner who just managed to gain power because of the order of the Knights, Henry considers himself as a frugal person. When he was still young and when the Tulosan civil war had still been raging, food was scarce and luxurious ingredients like cheese and spices were nonexistent. "Hey" Freya tugged the sleeve of his shirt. "Hmmmm?" Henry turned to look. Freya''s hands were on her stomach. "Wanna have lunch? I''m hungry and I know a good tavern" "Okay. I''m hungry too" ***** "You''re out of bread? " Henry couldn''t believe what he heard. Freya took him into this small establishment on the western side of the city. They walked for a long time and now the owner was telling them that there was no bread. "That''s not really the case mister. We are not out of bread, we just don''t sell bread here." The owner pointed at the signage "I named my tavern..." ''Carnivore''s Heaven'' - that''s what it says. Knights were taught how to read so Henry was literate. It''s just, the name of the establishment confused him. "We only serve meat" The owner explained. "A little bit expensive compared to other taverns but I assure you, the taste of our food is good." "We will take two steaks and two servings of wine" Freya said with a smile. "At once miss. One for you and one for this young man" the owner said with a cheerful wink. He went to prepare their food. "Freya, you know I don''t eat meat. It''s against my beliefs" Henry whispered. "Stop it Henry. I know it''s not because of your beliefs. You''re missing on so many things by acting like that. Now being your friend, I will help you taste the wonder of meat again!" It didn''t take long for their food to be ready. The owner handed them two plates with steak on them. It smells good. The aroma tickled his nose. After saying a prayer, Freya dived in. She put a chunk into her mouth and made an ecstatic shrill. "So good! It''s worth the price mister!" "Told you" the owner smiled "I used my grandmother''s recipe. My grandmother used to hide her recipe but alas, my grandmother died recently." he said sadly. "My condolences mister" Freya bowed a little "How did she die? If you don''t mind me asking that is" "She was killed by the Tulosans" the owner answered Henry''s heart skipped. He looked at the owner and felt angry with himself. It was his fault. He was evil. "I''m sorry" Henry eyes were tearful. He was pushing himself not to lose his composure. If not because of him, the man''s grandmother would still be alive. "Huh? Why?" the owner asked confusedly "Pardon my friend mister" Freya patted Henry''s back "He''s a little emotional when it comes to the Tulosans you see." "Is that so? Such a strange man. Well, it doesn''t matter anyway. I think I don''t even hate them anymore" "But killers!" Henry almost shouted "Murderers!" "Yes. Perhaps" the owner said while pouring wine into their cups. "But not all of them are evil. Sure there were some who enjoyed burning our villages but I know many of them were just forced to do so. In fact, it was a knight who helped me get away. I didn''t get to see his face because of his coif and helm, but I saw his eyes and I tell ya- that man was caged with guilt. I feel pity for him. Yes, it was his kind who killed my grandmother but not everybody is the same. I just hope that young man would forgive himself..." he paused and smiled "because I have already forgiven him" The word ''forgive'' echoed in Henry''s mind. It gave him a pleasant feeling, freedom mixed with joy. Was it really possible for him to gain forgiveness after everything that he did? He didn''t know if it was him who helped this man. He had indeed helped civilians get away but he was too ashamed to look at their faces. Henry looked at the food. The steak still reminds him of the slaughter that he was part of. His actions in the past still disgusts him. But with shaking hands, he cut part of the steak and skewered it with a fork. He stared at the meat for a while. He was evil. He did horrible things. He must be punished. But Freya was right. He at least deserves happiness every once in a while. He looked at her. He had already forsaken himself but she stayed by his side. She was his redemption. Henry ate the meat. 117 Leopold Fifteen years ago "How is the situation at Kimpler?" Leopold asked his new right hand. His name is Braun and despite being a Baron, Braun was talented and smart. "Not good" Braun shook his head and pointed at the westernmost castle on the map laid on the table. "They are low on provisions and the Tulosans greatly outnumber them. They need immediate reinforcements." "Have you told Marquis Benedict about it?" Braun looked at him as if he wanted to say something. "Your Majesty¡­" "Go on" Leopold said. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible. His head was aching and he wanted to rest. "I don''t think Marquis Benedict is the best man for this. The Marquis is a great man, respected by everyone. But I think his sense of honor will get in the way. It would be better to have your brother lead the reinforcements" "Wilson?" Leopold was bewildered by the Baron''s suggestion. "Wilson is in Ront. Why him?" "Because he''s more cunning that Marquis Benedict, Your Majesty. Unlike Marquis Benedict your brother is not shackled by things like honor. Also I think it would be better for a member of the royal family to lead the reinforcements. This is an invasion and we must show the people that the royal family will drive the invaders away or else they would murmur about how the royal family remained idle while Marquis Benedict defended the west." Leopold''s curled his lips and a smile bloomed. This Baron sure is smart. It was the right decision to make him his right hand. "Alright. I get your point" Leopold rose from his chair. "I''ll leave the rest to you Braun. You have my permission to recall Wilson. Anything else?" Braun shook his head. "Then I shall rest now" Leopold proceeded to the door and left the room. "Your Majesty!" Rupert ran towards him as soon as he was outside. The guard was panting and was making a grim face. Leopold''s heart raced. What is it now? Another invasion? Rebellion? Riots? It was neither of those, but equally alarming. "The third prince is missing" Rupert said. "Along with Marquis Benedict''s son." Leopold''s headache immediately vanished. He woke everyone in the palace. From his guards to the cooks, he mobilized them all to search for Timothy. Even the city guards were tasked to search every nook and cranny of Nirvana for Timothy. Leopold had started to fear for Timothy. Countless scenarios entered his mind. What if rebellious nobles had taken Timothy? What if it was the bandits? He was anxious and his anxiousness turned into anger. He reprimanded the useless sentries. How could they let two small children go outside at this hour? He was furious. If something happens to Timothy, all their heads will roll. He was gripping the collar of one of the sentries when Rupert called to him. Leopold turned his head and saw Timothy beside the royal guard. The boy was muddy. His hair had smudges of dried mud. In Timothy''s hands was a nest. Leopold let go of the sentry and ran towards Timothy. He knelt and shook his shoulder. "Where have you been!?" "I¡­ I was out in the forest. Erik and I got some bird''s nest" Leopold looked at the nest in Timothy''s hands. "Nest?" he confusedly asked. "For you father" Timothy gave an innocent smile. "You can now eat bird''s nest soup!" "For¡­ me?" "Yes! You have been complaining this morning about our food. You said that you''re craving bird''s nest soup for your headache. I just¡­ I just want to help. For the past days you have been sad. I don''t want father to be sad" Leopold''s heart melted. He pulled the boy into an embrace, not caring about Timothy''s muddiness. "Never do that again Timothy. Never. You almost stopped my heart. Tell Rupert whenever you''re going outside the palace. What you did was dangerous. Do you understand?" "I''m sorry. It won''t happen again." Timothy said. Leopold lifted him on his arms. He pointed to the sentries who were still shaking. "Dismissed. Be thankful nothing bad happened to my son or else I don''t know what I would have done to all of you." Leopold then carried Timothy to his room. His earlier headache was truly gone. "Timothy, you must think about your actions. What if something happened to you? The world is not a friendly place. You must think before you act." Leopold said while walking. "But I really want to help." The boy said next to his ear. "You can''t help. You''re still a child." Timothy sighed. "Then I want to grow up soon. I want to grow up like father" "Like me? You want to be a King? Timothy, Ivan will be King" "If I can''t be a King, then I will be a General like uncle. I will defeat our enemies" Leopold found the boy''s dream to be amusing. "And why would you want to lead armies? You are already a prince. You can just become a prince and live a peaceful life" Timothy pulled his head away and looked at Leopold. He smiled, the most radiant smile Leopold had ever witnessed. "Because I will protect you father" ********** Shrieks and cries and roars blended in the air. Leopold and his army were fighting against the harassment of the Tulosans. Braun, like always, was right. General Rickard sent his cavalry to harass Leopold''s host. He thought that by the end of the day, he would have General Rickard''s head on a spike. But it seemed the opposite was going to happen. It would be his head instead. "Fight on!" Leopold shouted to his Castonians. His entire force was scattered into small clusters and were being nipped by hit and runs. The few thousand men under his direct command were the ones being targeted heavily. Of course it would be, Leopold thought. He is the King and killing the King would rout the entire army. A javelin flew towards Leopold, its path straight and true. The tip of the javelin wobbled in the air as if eager to pierce Leopold''s body. Rupert grabbed Leopold''s mail and protected him with a shield. The javelin hit the shield and was stuck on it. "Are you alright?" Rupert asked. Leopold was still dizzy. He was downed by Rupert''s strong yank. "I think so" Leopold said. He gripped Rupert''s arm and pulled himself up. That was close. He almost died. Even though his armor could, in theory, block the javelin, he would still be wounded. "Where in the world is Skall?!" Leopold shouted. He looked around and the annoying face of the Wismarine prince was still absent. "We shouldn''t bet our lives on the scum''s help Your Majesty" Braun said who was crouching "He may have already fled. You know how useless they are." There was then a momentary cessation of violence as the Tulosans retreated. Leopold''s soldiers, despite being shaken by the attack, used the time to form a defense around the King. With spears and halberds held high, they planted their feet and waited for another attack. And then it truly happened. Like a band of locusts, the Tulosans charged towards them. There were more of them now, at least triple. Like a single-minded beast they galloped towards the Castonians. Leopold himself was shaking upon seeing such a display. Even though he wasn''t good with military matters, he knew that he was done for. The charge would break his men and that would be the end of his life. He will die. The fleeting thought of an inevitable end became more permanent in Leopold''s mind. He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t afraid. He was. He had done evil things throughout his life. He murdered and schemed. He lied and treated people like pawns. But his greatest sins were those of what he did to Timothy. Timothy. Leopold breathed a deep sigh. He remembered the small child who was innocent and loved him. While he did try to love Timothy, Leopold knew that he could have tried harder. What if he did? Things would be very different. Regret always comes last. He never even apologized to Timothy for all the evil things he had done. He will never have the chance as he will die today. Leopold closed his eyes. A familiar scene was then visualized on his mind. It was a moment with Timothy all those years ago. "Because I will protect you father" the boy''s small voice said. Protect him, Leopold mused. He doesn''t deserve that. Not after doing all the things he had done. Ironic. Timothy was not his son but it was him who treated Leopold the best as father. A slamming sound was heard. Crunching, like metal hitting metal and bones breaking. Curious, Leopold opened his eyes. The first person he saw was Timothy. He, along with thousands of cavalry, intercepted the Tulosan charge before it hit Leopold''s line. Timothy''s charge rolled the Tulosans like carpet. With spear in hand, Timothy directed his cavalry to retreat and charge again. The second charge was less impactful compared to the first but it caused the Tulosans to rout. Timothy and his cavalry were then left alone with Leopold and his infantry. In theory, the two forces were enemies. But they just stared at each other. "I don''t want bloodshed between us today. Fighting against each other will only benefit the Tulosans" Timothy announced. "I want a ceasefire until we defeat them" Timothy then looked directly into Leopold. For the first time in months, their eyes met. A father and a son, estranged by schemes. "And don''t do stupid things again" With these words directed towards Leopold, Timothy commanded his cavalry to retreat. Leopold was left staring at the back of the man who should have been his son. Timothy''s old words again echoed in his ears. "Because I want to protect you father" 118 Stalemate As Timothy was riding with his cavalry back to their camp, one thought was on his mind. He could have ended the civil war right there. He could have ordered his cavalry to attack King Leopold. With one gesture of his hand, he could have become the King of all Castonia. He could have. But he couldn''t. At first he thought about it. But after seeing his father again, his emotions won. King Leopold''s appearance had changed. His hair which only had specks of white hair was now fully white. His face which was still tight a few months ago had sagged. His posture which was once brimming with Kingly pride was reduced into that of a slouching old man. In the corner of Timothy''s eyes he saw Henry staring at him. "We couldn''t have won earlier. They have formed a tight perimeter around King Leopold. They would have slaughtered us." Timothy reasoned before Henry asked. "Pardon me for saying this but between the two of us, I am more experienced when it comes to the intricacies of mounted warfare. And I say one charge could have toppled their defenses. And yet you ordered a retreat" Henry said with a smile. Timothy inhaled deeply. The scent of mud invaded his nostrils. He couldn''t lie to this knight. "He''s broken. King Leopold, the great king Leopold of Castonia is broken. I felt pity and that''s why I ordered a retreat. It won''t happen again." Henry cocked his head towards Timothy and again smiled "While that''s part of your reason, I don''t think that''s it" Timothy felt slightly annoyed because he realized that Henry had already seen through him. "Fine! I still love my father okay!?" He said hoarsely all the while maintaining the volume of his voice "I thought I could turn my sword against him. I envisioned the scene several times already in my mind. Me, leading my soldiers to attack him, making him pay for all the things he had done to me. I thought I could do it. I really absolutely thought I could, but I can''t! There. Are you satisfied now!?" "You once asked me whether you are evil" Henry took a deep breath and cheerfully shook his head. "But I dare say that a son who can love his father as much as you do is not evil" The next few thousand paces of silence belonged to Timothy. He was still annoyed that he wasted the opportunity to end the civil war. Even though Henry was kind of happy because of his actions, the truth is, he just doomed an unknown number of Castonians by prolonging this war. When they reached their camp, Timothy went directly to Lucia''s tent. She was sitting and reading a book when he went inside. He let his knees fall on the ground in front of her and kept his head lowered. "Let me guess, you''re disappointed with yourself because you didn''t have it in you to attack your father" she said as she closed the book. Timothy lifted his head. Lucia really knows him well. Also she already had a solid grasp of what happened by looking only at his expression. Lucia pinched both of his cheeks and smiled. She then put a kiss on his forehead. "Strategically, that was a mistake. But people who only think strategically are fools" she said. "A self-contradictory sentence" "Not if you look at the bigger picture. Isn''t that the field you excel at?" "Explain it to me. My head and my heart are both in pieces right now" Lucia rose and pulled him up. She patted the dirt off his knees before wrapping her thin arms around his waist. "People are more than plans and schemes and strength Tim. You were the one who taught me that. Humans are emotional beings. We get angry, we feel happy, we laugh, we gloom, we cry..." she met eyes with him and gave a small smile "we love..." "...because we are humans" Timothy continued. "Exactly" She said "And you, Timothy Castonia, is just being human. So don''t feel disappointed just because you couldn''t attack your father. Instead, be glad. Be glad that you are still human despite the cruelty of our situation. Even though your decision might cause us problems in the future, I''m pretty sure it will be worth it" The raging storm in Timothy''s heart had been ceased by her words. The earlier heartache caused by his conflict with his father and his disappointed in himself were gone. He couldn''t express how thankful he is to her. He couldn''t imagine how hard it would be for him if she wasn''t by his side. He wanted it to stay that way. "Lucia?" "Hmmm?" Timothy pulled her closer and put his forehead onto hers. He could feel her warm breaths. He could see the deepness in her eyes. "Will you marry me?" Lucia laughed. "Why are you asking me now? We are already betrothed to each other" "But we were forced at first. I want to hear it from you. I want to hear that you are choosing me to be your life-long partner" "Let me hear it from you first" she said. "I want you to be my wife. After all of this is over, we should go through with the original plan before the invasion and get married in the grand cathedral of Nirvana. I want you Lucia. I really do. Will you be mine?" She nodded and her eyes became teary "With you looking sincerely at me like that, how could I say no?" She wiped the wetness of her eyes "Yes. Yes, I will Tim. I will be yours" Their lips grew closer which ended in a kiss. At that moment, a promise was sealed between them. A promise of happiness after this storm. ********** The past two weeks had been a stalemate between King Leopold, King Timothy and Rickard. Neither of the three fought each other for fear that the other one who did not join the battle would just swoop in and defeat the victor. This should have been beneficial to Rickard. He was the one who had the closest refuge which was Knightsend. With the snow season coming, he would be the only one who will not suffer from attrition if this stalemate continues. But that was not really the case. For the past two weeks, Timothy had emerged the victor among them. King Leopold''s Castonians and Rickard''s knights were slowly deserting to Timothy''s side. That traitor Henry had been preaching about how Rickard''s ways were shameful to the Knights. Henry dubbed him as ''the fake knight'' and he had heard many of his own knights call him as such behind his back. Hundreds of knights had already defected. Rickard tried his best to prevent the desertions, even publicly executing caught deserters, but in the end he couldn''t. This must stop. Timothy was getting stronger while he was getting weaker. He had become desperate and that''s why he was currently riding under the cover of the night towards a small forest to the north. "You still haven''t told me where we are going General" Luther said who was beside him. "Just follow Luther. This is important" Rickard answered "More important that guarding the camp for deserters? We are losing the knights General. The Whistlers need me in their patrols" "I know. That''s why we are going to that forest. Listen..." Rickard wetted his lips for the cold night wind had cracked it "It took me a long time to accept that I cannot defeat Timothy in the field. It was hard and my pride was shattered. But I know now. We are hopeless if we fight him fairly. That''s why we must think outside the box" "Outside the box? I''m confused General. What exactly do you have in mind?" "Just wait Luther. You''ll see" The forest was truly far. It took the two of them quite long to reach the place. Also it wasn''t really a forest after Rickard had a closer look at it. It was more like a band of trees. The Westermost part of Castonia really is inhabitable, Rickard thought. They halted and dismounted after reaching the first of the trees. There were already four horses tied nearby, implying that their friends had arrived. With Rickard leading Luther, they went deeper into the trees and spotted several torches illuminating a certain spot. As expected, there were four people sitting around the torches. "You''re late" said one of them. He pointed at Luther "And you''re bringing a companion. Our deal was to go alone." "Let''s just get on with this. I''m getting anxious" another man said. His accent betrayed his Wismarine blood. Rickard went to them and squatted on the ground. Luther followed and sat beside him. As he looked at the four men, he was relieved. At first he was worried that this was a trap but it seemed these men also hated Timothy''s growing power. Rickard cleared his throat before speaking. He then smiled. "So. The four of you are the greatest allies in the world huh?" 119 The Good Allies "I would have suggested we stop kidding around and begin immediately. But alas, we are not animals to start without introductions." Chen suggested. He grabbed one of the torches and illuminated the faces of the newcomers. "You must be Rickard. An honor to meet a Master of the Knights. And you¡­ I don''t really care to be honest. A squire of sorts?" "Prefect Luther of the Whistler Cohort. Glad to meet you" the young man offered his hand. Chen didn''t bother and pointed the torch towards the Wismarine. "His highness Skall. Rumors say that it was actually you who tried to assassinate Lucia Vanadis. If that''s true, then you are the most powerful man among us. You just caused a damn civil war that threw our Kingdoms into a mess" Chen said without warmth in the tone of his voice. If it was true that this Skall Wismar is the true cause of this civil war, then it was him who propelled Timothy into a position of great power. If not for this prince, Chen would have been relaxing his butt in Inkit. Instead he was here, fighting a war all the while preventing Timothy from getting more powerful. "I wouldn''t deny it neither would I confirm it." Skall evaded. Chen grunted. Not that he cares. He planted the torch in front of him. "I am Magistrate Chen of the great Republic of Inkit." "And I am Marquis Sachi of the Kingdom of Canton" Sachi said who was on his right. "And I am Marquis Qilo of Hadea" Qilo said on his left. "Nice to meet you gentlemen. Then I will begin with an offer of alliance to the four of you" Rickard said "That would be great" Skall replied. "I am in fact authorized to break my alliance with King Leopold and ally with you instead. And I suggest we make haste. Timothy Castonia is getting powerful by the minute" Chen was surprised by the willingness of the Wismarine to break alliances. He was disappointed in Skall Wismar. It seemed the prince was a little foolish. "No" Chen dropped his absolute answer "We will not be allies. An alliance would benefit only Tulosa while the four of us will be destroyed diplomatically. We are not even friends. We only share a common enemy, a great power we must prevent from forming" "I agree" Marquis Qilo voiced "In fact I don''t think we should even be doing this. If King Leopold and King Timothy finds out about our secret meeting, I don''t know what will happen to us." "Yes. Maybe we should just end our discussions here. My own King would kill me if he finds out." Sachi said There was then a silence as all sides gauged each other. Chen already had a solid grasp on the willingness of all sides. Skall and Rickard were bent on destroying Timothy at all cost with Skall even willing to ruin his nation''s diplomacy. Qilo and Sachi were both reluctant to betray Timothy but they see that letting Timothy grow more powerful is not a good idea. Chen was actually at the middle. He wasn''t willing to ruin the name of Inkit but he will do almost anything to weaken Timothy Castonia. "I say you need to reconsider oh fine noblemen" the young Prefect beside Rickard said. "You don''t know how powerful he is because you haven''t faced him in battle. If you have known, you would have bet everything you have to destroy him." The Prefect paused as if recalling a terrifying distant memory. He continued with a shaking voice "I have fought him three times and three times I''ve tasted defeat. The first one I lost half of my cohort while he didn''t lose anything. And that''s just his subordinate. The next defeat was at Knightsend and my cohort was the only one that got away. I lost my uncle. The third was just recently" he looked at Chen "And if not for your dallying, I would have been dead. We are doing the continent a great favor by eliminating Timothy. He is tamed now but who knows what will happen in the future when he had tasted power. Maybe he will crave for more and by that time even the combined forces of Inkit, Canton, Hadea, Wismar, Tulosa and even Calgari wouldn''t be enough to stop him." There was another silence as Chen, Qilo and Sachi looked at each other. Chen could see that the two were frightened. It was true though. King Timothy''s greatest sin was getting powerful. If history teaches one thing it''s that powerful people are the banes of peace. It is the difference in power that causes war. For peace to reign there must be a balance of power between nations. Timothy Castonia and Lucia Vanadis will break that balance. That was the sin Chen couldn''t forgive. "I''m sorry but we still don''t want an alliance. The price to pay is just too steep. But we are committed in our partnership. We will do anything in our power to help you in secret" Chen said "Fine. Then we must postpone our alliance for now. But what''s our plan? Assassination? A knife to the back? I would be disappointed if you''ll just spy for me." Rickard said. "I say we send a cutthroat" Skall suggested "A cutthroat? Have you seen his guard? That big man who is a head taller than everybody? That guard is fanatically loyal to King Timothy and stays by his side all the time. Assassination wouldn''t work." Qilo said "Sabotage then?" "Sabotage.." Rickard shook his head "That wouldn''t be enough. Even if we destroy all their food, those Castonians would eat grass if they have to!" "Please lower your voice Rickard" "No, I''m tired of all of this. If you are not committed enough then just leave. For all I know, you could even be working for him!" They argued loudly and emotions ran high. Chen was silent all along- thinking. "A hostage" Chen said and all of them turned their gaze towards him. "A hostage?" Sachi asked "Yes. If we can''t assassinate him, then we should just threaten him and make him do what we want. Of course Inkit, Hadea and Canton would be out of it. Either Rickard of Skall would take the hostage." Chen said "And who are you going to take hostage?" Skall asked "Lucia Vanadis" It was Rickard who answered. He smiled towards Chen as if giving his praise. "That would be the best course of action" Chen explained "If we capture Lucia Vanadis then we also hold Timothy as hostage." There was another reason though and Chen didn''t tell them about it. It''s because he deemed Lucia Vanadis as someone equally dangerous. That Princess looked harmless but Chen could see that Timothy''s success was partly because of her. "I.. don''t think that would be a good idea" Skall said "You have a history with her?" "No. I mean yes. Not that it matters. But I''ll admit it now. I was the one who ordered her assassination. And look where it led. She''s smart and we can''t take her that easily and even if we do, Timothy would burn the entire western region just to get her back." "Nonsense" Rickard said "You were alone that time. But all five of us are currently united. I say we capture Lucia Vanadis. Do you have something in mind on how we can do that?" he threw the question to Chen Chen pondered for a while. "Yes. As a matter of fact I have" ********** In a dark corner of the camp, two figures were talking in hushed voice. Arthur was constantly looking around in fear that somebody will hear them. Although Magistrate Chen assured him that it was safe, he was still afraid. "Will she be hurt?" Arthur asked, adjusting his cloak to cover his face. "No. The Tulosans will not hurt her. They would only take her to force King Timothy to lower his sword and end this war. General Rickard is willing to sign a peace agreement with the Castonians as long as Timothy is defeated. If King Leopold agrees that is. Apparently parading Timothy in the streets of Bivon is enough for General Rickard. They will then return Lucia to you safe. Isn''t that great? An end to this war with King Timothy as the only casualty." Magistrate Chen answered "I don''t want her to be hurt" Arthur said, pleading for the assurance that Lucia will not be harmed. Even though he was angry at her and he was going to betray her, she was still his sister. "I told you, the Tulosans will not harm her. They wouldn''t dare harm a princess" Arthur thought hard about Magistrate Chen''s offer. He was still not sure about it. He was afraid that something would happen to Lucia. He hated her but his conscience would not take it if something happens to her. But he was angry. Timothy and Lucia had taken everything from him. He was supposed to be the heir to Vanadis, but they treated him like a child. Timothy even taught him lessons. While he found Timothy''s lessons to be useful, he was insulted. He was older and just a few months ago, they were both princes. And yet Timothy was treating him like a younger brother. He wanted to show Timothy that he was also powerful. With one move, he could destroy Timothy. People should show respect to him. He couldn''t take it anymore. Although his father would get angry, he would eventually forgive Arthur. Besides, the people of Vanadis should thank him for ending this war. That''s right. He, Arthur Vanadis, will drag Vanadis out of this mess. They had bled enough. Their coffers had bled enough. Magistrate Chen promised him that they would return Lucia once Timothy was defeated. With the defeat of Timothy and Lucia''s return, Vanadis would be out of the war. Nobody will be hurt except probably Timothy. Serves him right, Arthur thought. It was Timothy who dragged Vanadis into this war. "Alright. I''ll do my best" Arthur said "Good. Now remember Arthur, do not include us in this. We did not talk today. If you get caught, tell them that it was General Rickard who ordered you. Not that you could prove our involvement anyway. It will be your word against ours. But just don''t. Do you understand?" "Yes" Arthur nodded and agreed. 120 Little Men With Little Marks The chilly morning air was a harbinger of the approaching snow season. When she was a child, Lucia loved the snow seasons. It was a season of warm blankets, furry clothing and cozy indoors. Those warm things delighted her nights. But now she found something warmer- Timothy. "I know you''re awake" Timothy said. Lucia pretended to be asleep. She was resting her head on Timothy''s chest with her body wrapped in Timothy''s arms. She wanted this to continue. "Yeah. You are indeed awake" Timothy pushed her hair from her neck, exposing the skin. He then blew on her neck. It was cold. Lucia covered the back of her neck with her hands. She glared at Timothy who was laughing. "Funny is it" She asked with raised eyebrows. "Of course" Lucia retaliated and also blew on the side of his neck. Timothy curled his neck and it was Lucia''s turn to laugh. "Serves you right" "Ohoho are you challenging a King?" Timothy pinned her down and nibbled on her neck. Lucia''s neck was her weak spot and Timothy knows about it. His warm damp breath, coupled with his tiny bites tickled her. "Tim!" She giggled. Timothy didn''t stop. His nibbles went from her neck to her cheek and eventually he bit her lip. Lucia did not hold back as Timothy''s actions flooded her with an ecstatic feeling. She also bit his lip and they ravelled in a deep kiss. Timothy was a little forceful this time, with occasional bites included. This somehow made the experience more exciting for Lucia. She felt that she was losing control of herself so she parted her lips with his. "What? Losing your control because of my technique?" He grinned mischievously. "Oh so you were doing that on purpose?" She lifted his chin with her finger. "As a matter of fact I am. What are you going to do about it?" "No smooches for the rest of today" Lucia winked "Lucia¡­.don''t" Lucia laughed and wrapped her arms around Timothy. "It doesn''t matter anyway. You will again become busy with hundreds of defectors coming to our camp each day. We don''t have time for private cuddlings." Timothy sighed. "As much as I want to stay like this, you are right. Our camp has become a den of defectors lately. Knights, Castonians, Castonians, Knights- even Henry is complaining about their influx" "Isn''t that your plan? You positioned our camp in such a way that it will cause a stalemate because you knew that a stalemate would benefit us. You seem unhappy" "I am not unhappy. I''m worried. There is a saying that if a tree is brimming with fruits, people would throw stones at it. The more powerful we get, the more enemies we make. Sometimes, it''s better to be underestimated. The mass defection to our camp is a show of force that will surely gain us some enemies" "You''re talking about our allies right?" Lucia guessed but she already knew that was the case. "Yes" Timothy said with pursed lips. "They may soon attempt something. Especially that Magistrate Chen. I believe I can leave this matter to you?" There was genuine worry in his voice. Timothy was not the sort of person who could immediately notice betrayals. So it was Lucia''s job to protect him from behind. "Don''t worry about it. I got this okay?" "Okay" he nodded. Timothy was the first one who exited the tent. To avoid rumors of indecency, Timothy was forced to exit through the back. Even though nothing indecent was happening between them, Lucia wanted to avoid rumors. She knew that even those who were loyal would still gossip about them. Now that Timothy was a King, she wanted to protect his public image. After washing her face, Lucia went out of her tent. It was already late in the morning. Although there was a stalemate going on, the camp was busy. Several skirmishes between foraging parties happen every day. This translates to the steady arrival of wounded soldiers in the infirmary. If the increasing number of sick soldiers due to the cold weather was also to be considered, Lucia''s day was as busy as Timothy''s. With composed strides, she walked towards the infirmary. Her boots became wet of the dew that clung to the grass. Soon these grasses will be covered by snow, she thought. Everything will be covered with a white shade. Before then, they should win and end this war. With how things were going though, Lucia wasn''t hopeful that the war would end before the snow season. Timothy plans to retreat to Solon a week prior to the first snow. When she was halfway through the infirmary, she saw Arthur who was walking towards her direction. Ever since that night, she hadn''t talked with her brother. "Arthur? What happened to your eyes?" Lucia asked, noticing Arthur''s swollen eyebags. His face also reeks of exhaustion. She put her palm on Arthur''s face to check for fever "Are you well? Tell me if you are not well. I have medicine" Arthur, on the other hand, showed signs a surprise and a hint of fear. His eyes widened and he pulled his face from her hand. He was sweating and clearly trying to compose himself. "I¡­ I am well." "You don''t look like it. Tell me what happened Arthur." "I told you it''s nothing" He said. Arthur then looked down as if pondering "Lucia?" he asked. "What?" "Am I really inferior to Timothy?" Lucia did not expect his question. Why would he ask about this out of the blue? "You have your qualities Arthur" "Don''t try to sugarcoat it. Tell me the truth. Tell me what you truly think" Lucia was about to lie to him that he was just a little bit inferior to Timothy. She did not want to hurt her brother''s feelings. But she stopped and changed her mind. Arthur had been spoiled by his mother for a long time. He needed to hear the truth because hearing the truth would be the first step in changing for the better. "You are" Lucia said directly. "He is smarter and kinder. He is a great leader and he knows how to inspire loyalty. But comparing yourself to him is not fair Arthur. He is one of a kind. Rather than compare yourself, it''s better to follow his steps. You can improve. You can be like him" "I see" Arthur slowly nodded "So that''s the truth huh? I''ve made up my mind then" he smiled. "Thank you for being honest" Arthur put his hands inside his pockets and continued walking. Lucia was left staring at Arthur''s back. It was weird. Their encounter was weird. ********** He was spinning his cane as he watched Lucia and Arthur talk. Leaning against a tent, he whistled a song. It was an old song, composed by men of old. The ancient melody rang inside his ears. Would this be the time they''ll need his help? He asked. He hoped not. Although he promised King Timothy that he will protect Lucia, the others will not be pleased with his interference. This was still not the time to interfere. The two were still unripe. That''s what he and the others had decided. But he promised King Timothy. Although the schemers'' target was Timothy, letting Lucia get captured doesn''t sit right with him. So even though the others might get angry with him, he decided that he will help if Lucia fails to notice the impending crisis. They were done talking and Arthur looked upset. Foolish prince, he thought. In fact all of them were foolish. They thought that petty betrayals would be enough to topple Timothy and Lucia. They were wrong. Well he shouldn''t complain. They just hastened the ripening. They are digging their own graves. Especially that Magistrate Chen. Using Arthur to capture Lucia? He had no idea how incompetent Arthur is. Rickard, Skall, Sachi, Qilo and Chen. Foolish little men who will leave little marks in history. He wondered what their reactions will be if they only know the truth. Lucia walked forward. He fastened his helm and followed her. He had a sudden longing for his hat. Observing Timothy and Lucia required him to dress as a soldier and the experience wasn''t pleasant. Helms and armors that stink of sweat wasn''t his thing. But then Lucia suddenly stopped. She was thinking. He smiled. It''s good that she was thinking. In fact he shouldn''t be surprised. She is smart so of course she will notice that something was weird with Arthur. She then turned the other way and walked towards a certain tent. He knew to whom that tent belongs to and he was amazed. It seemed she noticed after all. He again smiled. It looks like they won''t need his help for now. 121 Decisions The sun had set and the sky was sheathed in darkness. The moon was absent, letting a tenebrous night reign. His hands'' tremors match that of their coldness. He was afraid- anxious beyond explanation. The grasses beneath the hooves of his mount swayed in the biting wintry wind. He watched as the horsemen approach- big, muscular and with an aura of experience around them. One of them though was an aged stout man whose posture was crooked. This man looked feeble, and that may be true, but he knew that this man- Magistrate Chen- was the most dangerous of them. "Pleasant night Arthur" Magistrate Chen greeted, pulling the hood of his cloak. He clucked and his horse stopped beside Arthur''s. The others in the party also halted. "A pleasant evening Magistrate" Arthur greeted back as he shone his torch towards them. He eyed the horsemen "Are they not too few?" "Few is not a word a wise man would blurt Arthur. A wise man would notice quality first before he starts counting." "And are they? Good I mean." "The very best according to Rickard" Magistrate Chen showed him a bottle. It was a bottle of one of those expensive Hadean wine. Arthur grabbed the bottle and examined it. "Midnight Rose" Magistrate Chen said with an amused tone "Fresh from Wismar. I swear those Wismarines really know their poisons. Tasteless and odorless. Although it clouded the wine a little, such change will not be noticed in the darkness. I''ve already put five drops in the wine" "Are you sure this won''t kill her? What if the Wismarines gave you the wrong one?" "It will only knock her out. And don''t worry, I have made experiments this afternoon with my aide. While he slept for a few hours after drinking a cup, he didn''t die." Arthur kept his stare on the bottle until he put it inside his satchel. "Then we should go Magistrate" "You should. Good luck Arthur" Magistrate Chen turned to the horsemen "Make sure the princess will not be harmed." "Aye sir!" they answered simultaneously The Tulosans followed Arthur to where Lucia''s tent was. He didn''t bother counting their numbers because it was dark. After riding for a while, a big blue tent greeted them. Both the flags of Castonia and Vanadis were erected outside and the tent itself was illuminated by dozens of torches. "Are you sure this is it?" one of the Tulosans asked. Arthur looked at the tent. Since Lucia is an important figure, the surrounding area was cleared and the next tent was about a hundred paces away. He was sure that this was Lucia''s tent. "This is it. Follow me" he ordered as they dismounted. While holding the bottle with two hands, he walked towards the entrance of the tent where two Vanadian guards were stationed. With full sets of armor the guards stood like statues with their spears crossed on the entrance. "Prince Arthur" One of the guards smiled "Are you here to visit your sister?" "I am" He answered. Lucia''s guard maintained a smile. "Strange though. You''ve never visited your sister. Not even once. And now that you are¡­" the guard tilted his head towards the Tulosans who were dressed in Vanadian armor "you are bringing armed guards. I wonder, why is that?" "None of your concern soldier. Just let me pass." Arthur acted tough. He puffed his chest, straightened his posture and looked directly into the guard''s eyes. Ironically, it was Timothy who taught him this good way of asserting dominance. The guard stared back at him with a smug face. Arthur was holding his breath. Every second seemed to last for a day. "Let him pass brother. He''s our prince" the other guard uttered. The guard looked at his partner and then at Arthur. "Fine. Then proceed Your Highness. Princess Lucia would be happy to see you" the guard bowed and gestured towards the tent. Arthur breathed and audibly loud sigh. He was so anxious that he couldn''t imagine how pale his face was. With trembling legs he walked inside. The fragrance of cherries greeted his nose with a welcoming scent. It was also warm inside the tent. "So you''re here" Lucia said. She was sitting on a chair, leaning against its backrest. In the table beside her was an unfinished meal. "Lucia" Arthur faked a cheerful smile. "Why are you here Arthur?" "To see you of course." He showed her the bottle of wine "Wanna join me in this?" Lucia eyed the bottle and patted on the chair beside her. "Have a seat. We have something to talk about" Arthur didn''t waste a second lest Lucia notice his shaking knees. He sat on the chair and put the bottle on the table. When he was about to open the cork, Lucia gripped his wrist. "Arthur" She was lowering her head "Timothy is a good man. He may be harsh to you sometimes but he just wanted you to grow." "I know" Arthur lied and proceeded to open the bottle. He poured a cup for Lucia. "It''s Hadean. Good stuff." Lucia didn''t even glance at the cup. "Arthur please reconsider. We love you- Father, Timothy and I." "Yes. I''m not mad anymore. If you''re talking about what happened during that celebration¡­ Well to be honest I was just drunk. You know me, I talk nonsense when I''m drunk" "Arthur!" She raised her voice. She was glaring at him. "Please! You don''t have much time. We don''t have much time. Reconsider now!" Arthur was both taken aback and confused at the same time. "What are you talking about? Don''t have much time? What?" He then noticed a shiny thing under the cuffs of her dress. He ran his hand through it and pulled the cuff up her wrist. There was mail armor underneath. Arthur heard a commotion outside. From the shadows against the tent he saw men being impaled by spears. A certain liquid splattered on the cloth of the tent. "What''s happening!?" he looked at Lucia and demanded answer. His heart was racing . "We know Arthur. We know everything." Those words choked him with fear. He didn''t just fail, he was played. They knew. Arthur opened his mouth but the words were stuck on his throat. Lucia was looking at him with both pity and sadness. The entrance of the tent flapped. Arthur looked at the direction and he saw two men. Both of them had crowns on top of their heads. It was Timothy and his father. Timothy''s face wrinkled. With pounding steps he hurried towards Arthur and hit his face. His world blackened for a bit and the next thing he knew he was on the ground. "Traitor!" Timothy shouted while pointing down at him "No!" his father also shouted and went between him and Timothy. He put both hands on Timothy shoulders. "Please don''t. I¡­ I will fix this. Let me handle this. He is still my son and your brother." "Son?! Brother!? He betrayed us. He would rather ally himself with the enemies. What about us?" Timothy looked at him with anger on in eyes "Do you realize that we are doing everything in our power to survive? We are fighting two wars back to back. Three! If that damn thing with the Calgarians is included. And you¡­ You have the guts to betray us. And you dare include Lucia in this mess? You are a scum!" "You were the one who started this war anyway!" Arthur shouted back. "I''m just doing the people a favor. I want to end this war. Besides they promised not to hurt Lucia." Timothy curled his fingers and formed a tight fist. "Fool! Doing the people a favor? I raised my banner in rebellion because I don''t want the Wismarines to enslave my people! I don''t want the Tulosan criminals to escape justice! You did not betray us for peace Arthur. You betrayed us because you are angry at us. Cut that self-righteous crap. Also you say they promised not to hurt Lucia? How foolish you are to believe them!?" "Just calm down. Just let me handle this okay?" his father patted Timothy''s shoulder. He knelt and supported Arthur''s head. "Why Arthur? Why have you betrayed us? We loved you" "Loved me?" Arthur looked at their faces. They never loved him. He was just a foolish prince in their eyes. He hated the way they treated him. What Timothy said was true, he betrayed them because he hated them. "None of you loved me. I am inferior remember?" His father teared. Droplets of tears fell on his arm. "You are. But we would have loved you even so. But what you did crossed the line Arthur. I''m sorry but you left me no choice. This is for the best. I have realized lately how bad of a King I am. I failed to even see that my own son is conspiring with the enemies. I am weak. This will be both our punishment Arthur. Yours for betraying us and mine for being a bad father and an even worse King" He straightened his back and wiped his tears. He took a deep breath. "Arthur Vanadis. With the power vested in me by the first King of Vanadis, I, Edmund Vanadis do hereby strip you of your heirship and transfer it to Lucia Vanadis. With the Omniscient as witness, let all men know of my decision which will be effective immediately" Arthur blinked a few times until he realized what just happed. He turned his look towards Timothy and Lucia. Both of them were equally shocked. "No" he mumbled under his breath. But his father''s next words were more shocking. King Edmund turned to Lucia. "Lucia Vanadis. I, Edmund Vanadis, abdicate my crown to you. Let the Omniscient be the witness to this declaration. You are, beginning this moment, the Queen of Vanadis. All hail the Queen and long may she reign" 122 All Hail the Queen The night was chilly but Rickard was sweating under his armor. The hooting of the owls was loud, but he could only hear the sound of his own heartbeat. The five of them were seated around torches staked on the ground. The two Marquises were toasting on Hadean wine, trying to act nonchalant but their occasional grunts betrayed their unease. The Magistrate and the Prince were both silent with Chen looking at the flames and Skall shaking his foot. "We should have received news by now" Marquis Qilo said, putting the leather canteen away. "We should have. And yet not a single messenger. Not even a shout or a scream in the Castonian camp. I wonder why" Marquis Sachi said "I told you, we shouldn''t have targeted Lucia" Skall voiced in a shaky tone "Timothy must be grinding the bones of the men we sent as we speak" "Gentlemen, please. Be at ease. Those men are the best. Isn''t that right General Rickard?" Chen asked his confirmation. "They are" "Then there''s nothing to worry about. One of Princess Lucia''s guards is my spy so it would be easy for Arthur" "If they haven''t discovered our plot beforehand that is" Skall butted in and the four of them looked at the prince. "Yes¡­" Magistrate Chen said with gritted teeth "If they haven''t discovered our plot" "And if they have?" Skall pushed Magistrate Chen slammed a loud sigh "Your Highness¡­ could you be a little optimistic? We have done everything in our power to increase the success chance of this" "It''s a risky plan nonetheless." "Risky, yes. But we are desperate aren''t we? King Timothy put all of us in a position that we can''t remain idle. We need to do everything we can to prevent him from getting stronger" "But kidnapping Lucia Vanadis is not doing everything we can. I told you, no more half measures. We should have declared an alliance. The five of us. Include King Leopold if you have to." "And be destroyed diplomatically?" "If that''s the cost, then yes" The two treated each other with hostile gazes until Rickard cleared his throat. "But we have already decided. We have already sent the men. We have already prepared the poison. We have already told Prince Arthur about our plan. And the ball is already rolling. All we can do now is to wait for the result. Magistrate, what''s the worst that could happen?" "The worst that could happen¡­" Magistrate Chen looked at the ground dimly lit by the torches "They capture the Tulosans and you lose your best men. Even if Arthur rats the three of us, we could just deny our involvement. Rumors will spread but that''s the end of it." Rickard then heard the neighing of a horse. He looked for a rider and saw one a few hundred paces from the forest. The rider dismounted after reaching the forest, tied the horse to a tree and ran towards them. Rickard pulled one of the torches from the ground and illuminated the approaching soldier. The man was wearing the golden cloak of the Vanadian royal guards. On his chest hung a solid breastplate with mail doublet underneath. The soldier hurried to Magistrate Chen and whispered something. Chen''s face paled. His eyes squinted with his eyelids quivering. "Are you certain boy?" "Yes" the Vanadian replied "What happened?" Rickard asked "We¡­ need to go back" Magistrate Chen looked at the four of them. "Our plan failed" Qilo, Sachi and Skall muttered grunts of disappointment. Rickard, however, fixed his eyes on Chen. The Magistrate''s face paints that there was an even bigger problem- worse than their plan failing. "And?" Rickard asked, pushing Chen to reveal the worst news. Magistrate Chen met eyes with him. He blinked in rapid succession and looked down. "And¡­ Lucia is Queen" ********** The top of a small hill was blanketed with hundreds of torches, illuminating the dark and starless night. Around the hill were the few hundred Vanadians who were kneeling, puffing their chest into a proud show of elan. The Castonians and the mercenaries surrounded the Vanadians, keeping silent as respect to this sacred event. Chen clenched his fist as he watched from horseback. This night will be remembered throughout history, he should be honored. But Chen doesn''t feel honored. He was afraid, shaking on the inevitable aftershocks of this night. There were two figures on top of the hill. King Edmund Vanadis, one of the wealthiest men in the world, was on his maroon cloak. Gems and specks of gold decorated the cloak, highlighting the wealth of Vanadis. Lucia Vanadis, meanwhile, was kneeling in front of her father. Her golden cloak, ornamented with the same luxuries as that of King Edmund, served to make her look majestic and exalted- the very image of a Queen. King Edmund lifted his crown and positioned it on top of Lucia''s head. Lucia closed her eyes as King Edmund put the crown on her head. As the crown touched her braided hair, the Vanadians slammed their balled hands on their chests. And then came the deafening cries of the Vanadians. It was incomprehensible at first but their cries slowly took the form of a cheer. "All hail the Queen" they shouted repeatedly, on top of their lungs and with glee. Terrifying ¨C yes it was. Chen never expected that one day he would fear Vanadian soldiers. Never had it crossed his mind that the people who were viewed as merely merchants and swindlers and money-grubbers ¨C the people whose land army they mocked ¨C would show virility matching those of the Castonians. Amidst the shouts of the Vanadians, Chen saw a vision. Burning. The Great Hall of Inkit was burning. Soldiers bearing the flags of Vanadis and Castonia marched the streets of the capital. A union between Castonia and Vanadis must be stopped. He will do everything to stop such a bleak future. Power must be shared for peace to last. Strength must be balanced between nations. The union will break that balance. Chen vowed, deeply in his heart, that he will do anything to prevent the union. "Such a wonderful sight Magistrate Chen" a voice said beside him. He turned and the first thing he noticed was the crown. The second was the large bulky guard beside the man with the crown. The third was more like a feeling- it was a feeling of being suffocated by a person''s authority. He felt like an insect standing next to a lion. "All hail the Queen" King Tmothy said, looking proudly at the hill "The best monarch of Vanadis to date. Smart, beloved and has so much potential. Plus she has Castonia behind her. I will support her until the end." "Yes" Chen couldn''t do anything but agree albeit with trembling mouth. "And you just tried to poison and take her hostage. Such a wonderful deed for an ally" King Timothy smiled Chen''s body froze. He knew that they would find out but he never expected that King Timothy would directly confront him about it. He opened his mouth but the King cut him off. "No debts shall remain unpaid Chen. No injury shall be unavenged. The time of reckoning will come for you. She is innocent and yet you schemed against her, used her as a weapon against me." Timothy glared at him with fury "The Queen may forgive you but I won''t. The Queen may forget but I will remember. We treated you as allies and you treated us as enemies. If I were you Chen¡­ I would use this night to defect to King Leopold. And I would rack my brain in finding ways to prevent the union from forming. Do your best Chen" King Timothy inched his horse forward and put a hand on Chen''s shoulder "The next time we meet will be at the battlefield. I hope you''re prepared to pay for your sins against my beloved." ******** With the rising sun at his back, Timothy flapped the tent open. Lucia was sitting on a chair with the table and another chair in front of her. "You shouldn''t have waited for me" Timothy said and sat on the empty chair. The table was filled with food, breakfast for the two monarchs. "I cannot do that. We eat together" She showed a thin smile "Are they really gone?" "They are. I have just confirmed it. The Inkish, Cantonese and Hadean have defected before dawn. Their betrayal benefited us somehow. Now we don''t have to worry about getting stabbed from behind and can just focus in winning this war" "Good" She nodded. Timothy noticed that she was looking down so he reached for her hand and held it. "I know what you are worried about. And yes, your father made the right choice to give you the crown. Do not doubt yourself. Never. You will be the best monarch in the history of Vanadis" "I just wanted to become yours." She said, still looking down "A simple life with you would have been enough for me" "And yet that didn''t happen. I am the King of Western Castonia and you are the Queen of Vanadis. We are now both shackled by our responsibility to our subjects. All we can do is to see this through." "See this through" Lucia repeated. She nodded and finally looked at Timothy "We will end the war" "Yes. The final battle of the civil war is upon us. We must prepare" Lucia took her crown and put in on the table. "Together?" Timothy smiled and also did the same. "Together" The crowns of Vanadis and Castonia met. The gems from both glittered in the morning sun. But more than the glittering gems and the frames laden with gold, both of them understood a deeper meaning behind the two crowns. There are tons of challenges ahead. The road to peace is paved with thorns. But they must trudge onward. Togethe 123 Leopolds Decision Leopold''s tent was cold. The thick fabric and the numerous furs that line the the inner walls couldn''t stop the chilly wind from penetrating to the inside the tent and into his old bones. A sudden itch pricked his throat and he coughed. It was a hard and painful cough with stubborn phlegm. Rupert, who was sitting beside his bed, supported his head and offered a cup of water. Leopold grabbed the cup and drank. The itch slowly eased but he was still left gasping in the end. "I''m getting old" Leopold said as he handed the cup back to Rupert "You are. The weather is also bad for your health. And yet you refuse to eat breakfast." Rupert said Leopold looked at the food placed on top of the table. Old smelly cheese. Cold bread with spots he hoped are not molds. It wasn''t appetizing. He shook his head. "I''m not hungry. You can have it" "You need to eat Your Majesty. Please" Rupert maintained his stance. The two of them stared at each other, neither side wanted to give in. But after seeing that Rupert''s eyelids were already twitching, Leopold laughed. Rupert''s serious face was just too funny. But his laughter soon turned into a fitting cough. Leopold clutched his chest. Rupert again offered him water to calm his throat. Leopold took a deep breath. He opened his palm towards Rupert "Fine, you win. Give me the plate" Rupert gave him the plate filled with stinky cheese. "You seem happy today. Is it because of what happened last night?" Leopold took a bite of the cheese first before answering. "Of course. Last night was a terrific event. Lucia is now Queen. When I first met her, I knew that she was talented. But I never expected that she would someday become a monarch. She and Timothy are a good match." "Yes. But should you be happy about Lucia''s coronation? Lucia Vanadis supports Timothy. We are at war with them. Their romance will be your end." "Shhhhh. It is blasphemy to mention love and war in the same breath Rupert. Do not taint the pureness of love by the evils of war." Leopold said while smiling. "By the way Rupert, have you ever fallen in love before? Oh wait... If I remember correctly, you have a wife. How is she?" "I had. But I divorced her a long time ago" "Why?" Leopold asked. "She had an affair" Rupert said with pursed lips. "A shame" Leopold shook his head and put a chunk of cheese into his mouth. "But doing that to a royal guard is dangerous. Tell me, what kind of man had the audacity to steal a royal guard''s wife?" Rupert''s smile was bitter. He looked intently at Leopold "Another royal guard" Leopold stopped eating as he realized the identity of the arse who stole Rupert''s wife. There was only one royal guard who was shameless enough to steal other people''s wives. "So the same kind of man who had the audacity to steal a King''s wife huh? That mushroom-lover really is an arse." Rupert laughed. "Yeah. He''s been dead for decades and yet his dark deeds are still being discussed by us." Leopold lifted the cup filled with water and acted as if it was wine. "Cheers to the dark deeds of that arse" "I thought you would be more bitter Your Majesty" "I am bitter. But like what you said, that arse has been dead for decades. All we can do now is to honor his memory by mocking it. We shall mock his memory Rupert. We shall mock it night and day until his memory is reduced to dog vomit" Rupert grinned. He grabbed another cup, filled it with water and raised it. "Aye to that" The tent flapped and Braun entered in haste. Rupert rose, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Baron Braun" Rupert said in an annoyed tone "It is bad manners to enter His Majesty''s tent just like that." "It is" Leopold smiled and looked at the Baron. "But Braun seems to have urgent news. What is it now Braun? Timothy is attacking? Desertion? Mutiny? Rebellion? Tell me" Braun stepped forward. His old waistcoat made him look dull. "Oh you won''t believe what just happened Your Majesty" ********** It was true- Leopold couldn''t believe it. He couldn''t believe that people with such level of shamelessness exist in this world. The three men sitting in front of him were the personification of dishonesty. "No" Leopold declared, slamming his fist on the table. He pointed at their faces "After what you did to Timothy, you expect me to accept you into my camp!? You dare propose an alliance!? I am not stupid. I cannot trust you. Get out of my sight. Now!" The three flinched including Skall who was beside him. Leopold''s anger was blazing. How could they abandon their ally just like that? How could they do that to Timothy? Magistrate Chen raised his hand to calm Qilo, Sachi and Skall. "We would ask you to reconsider King Leopold. Because if you won''t accept us, then we will go to the Tulosans instead" Leopold sprang forward and grabbed Chen''s clothes "You dare help invaders! How could you" Skall, Qilo and Sachi all rose and tried to separate them. "We are desperate!" Chen shouted while being collared by Leopold "I''ve seen it King Leopold. He is a threat to the peace of all nations. They are a threat! He and Lucia both. We also don''t want to join the Tulosans. But we would if you don''t accept us. So what''s it going to be King Leopold?" Leopold slowly released Chen. He sat down again. He needed to make a decision. If the Tulosans, Inkish, Cantonese, Hadeans and if God forbids the Wismarines joined forces, they would overwhelm Timothy. It would be alright if he was the one to capture Timothy but it would be General Rickard. With the fake knight''s personality, Leopold could see General Rickard parading Timothy in the streets of Bivon. Just the thought itself was painful enough. Timothy with his hands tied and being dragged by a chariot. The Tulosans throwing insults at him. Being treated worse than an animal just because he defended Castonia. Leopold shut his eyes. The painful thought of Timothy being treated like that was too much. He would not let that happen. He would never let that happen. He had been a fool- a blind fool. He did horrible things to Timothy. But now he had realized Timothy''s importance to him. The little boy''s voice again echoed in his ears. "Because I will protect you father" You have Tim. You have protected me. Now it will be my turn to protect you. Your father will protect you. Leopold then made a decision. He opened his eyes and looked at Skall, Sachi, Qilo and Chen. These men will pay for what they did to Timothy. He may burn for it, but he will make that happen. "Fine. We will be allies. But if you ever betray me..." "We will not" Chen cut him off "We only want Timothy destroyed" "Then we have a deal. I only have one request though" "What is it Your Majesty?" Chen asked "I want a parley" "A parley?" Chen asked with confusion written over his face. "Not really a parley technically. I just want to have one last meal with him. A farewell dinner of sorts. The boy is my greatest enemy but I still spent two decades with him." "Eh..." Chen looked around "I guess that''s fine. A parley it is" "It''s settled then. Tomorrow, the five of us will battle Timothy. Timothy will die tomorrow" Leopold said as he offered his hand to the four. Each of them shook it as a symbol of their shared alliance. After the deal was done, Leopold rose. He smiled, the most evil smile he could show. "Gentlemen" he started. He tugged his hands behind and prepared to give a speech. "You know that I am an ambitious person..." I was an ambitious person "You know that I would kill for power..." but I realized power is not everything "Timothy took that power away from me..." Timothy taught me that there is more to life than the pursuit of power "He is my son and yet he did that to me..." I am his father and yet I sinned against him "So it is just natural that I will make him pay..." It is natural for me to pay for my sins "In the battlefield I will charge with the four of you..." In the battlefield I will smash against the four of you "Because I hate Timothy..." Because I love my son "And I will destroy him..." And I will protect him Leopold paused and looked at the direction of Timothy''s camp. He shut his eyes to prevent tears from falling. "Even if it costs me everything" 124 Father Leopold stood outside a lone tent with Rupert behind him. At the distance, two men were inching closer to them. They were not alone though as hundreds of torches float behind each party- horsemen prepared for action in case this parley turns ugly. Timothy and his guard stopped just a few paces from them. Leopold looked at the face of his son. The last time he saw him was just a glimpse. But now he had a closer look. He looked just like the arse. The same nose, the same eyes and the same color of hair. But at the same time, Timothy was different- better and more imposing. "King Leopold" Timothy greeted with a single nod. "King Timothy" Leopold nodded back. He turned his look towards the guard behind Timothy. The man was a head taller than the three of them "Would you look at this man. Big, burly, arms thicker than my legs. I bet he could crack a man''s skull with one hand. What do you think Rupert?" "Yes" Rupert uttered in an annoyed tone. "I''m sure I''m better though" the old guard added a quiet mumble but Leopold heard it. Rupert''s remark made Leopold smile. "So, shall we go inside?" Leopold gestured towards the tent "We should" Timothy said and the two of them entered. The tent was just a common one. No ornaments, dull colors, cheap carpet. The insulation was good though with thick animal furs covering the walls. There was a table in the middle filled with food and two chairs on the opposing sides of the table. Leopold went to the table and let his buttocks fall to one of the chairs. He massaged his aching knees. "Food?" Timothy asked as he sat on the other chair. Leopold removed his hands from his knees and pinched a chunk of roasted pigeon. He ate it in front of Timothy. "Don''t worry it''s not poisoned. I am not insane to poison someone on a parley" Timothy was still looking at the food. "But why are we eating?" "Because I''m hungry. And I think you are too. I''ve included some of your favorite foods. Although the lack of chicken prompted my cooks to slaughter pigeon instead. Tastes different but just close your eyes and it will taste like chicken" Leopold then reached for the bird''s nest soup, poured two bowls and offered Timothy one. "You''re still having headaches?" Timothy asked "There''s no evidence that bird''s nest soup removes headaches" Timothy agreed with a shrug and took a sip. Leopold saw the moment Timothy grimaced. "Too salty" "I actually cooked that one" "Makes sense" Timothy grinned "Alright. I''m still confused with all of these but let''s eat" The two of them ate in silence. Leopold glances from time to time at Timothy. As he watched his son eat, his heart ached. Timothy''s style of eating was similar to his. Soup first and then a lump of bread and finished with a mouthful of wine. Timothy may look like that arse, but his actions were Leopold''s. "You''re still eating like that?" Leopold asked "You mean... the method of eating you taught me all those years ago? Yeah. It works and I got used to it" Timothy pointed the spoon at him "By the way, this is the first time in years we ate together. The last one was... I don''t know. Five years ago?" Eight years ago, Leopold thought but didn''t say. That was the time Timothy''s face started looking like that arse. He couldn''t look at Timothy at that time so he stopped eating with him. That was also the time he started hating his son. "Yeah. More or less" Leopold said with a low voice. He again felt sad that he wasted those eight years with his hate for Timothy. Timothy stopped eating and put his plate on the side. He must have noticed Leopold''s reaction. "You done eating?" Leopold asked. "I am" Timothy smiled. "So... is it true? Am I really not your son?" After taking one last sip of the soup, Leopold put the bowl on the side. He turned his eyes towards Timothy. "Will it matter? Will you put your crown down if I said that it''s true?" "No. Nothing will change. I''m just curious" Leopold leaned back, his full belly protruding. "It''s true. He was a royal guard and he and your mother were lovers" Leopold said, lying because he didn''t want to further burden Timothy with the fact that the arse didn''t even love Margaret. "That''s not the truth" Timothy said "I think he did not love my mother. Am I wrong?" Leopold slowly nodded and admitted the truth. "You''re right. He had an affair too with the wife of Rupert. So, how does knowing that your father didn''t love your mother make you feel?" "It doesn''t make me feel anything. And he''s is not my father. I didn''t even know him" "You look like him" "Is that so? Must have been hard for you then. Watching me grow over the years. A product of your greatest rue in life" "It was... painful. Being reminded day after day that I wasn''t good enough for your mother. After the thing with the royal guard your mother never loved me again. She acted sweet towards me but I know that she loved that man until the day she died" Leopold smiled bitterly towards Timothy "As a result I did horrible things to you. Horrible." "Like exiling me to Knightsend and trying to get me killed?" Leopold couldn''t say a word so he just nodded. There was then a long silence between them. The silence was painful so Leopold broke it by saying the words he wanted to say the most. "I''m sorry" he said, looking at Timothy. "I''m very sorry for what I did to you. I''m not asking for your forgiveness but I want you to know that I''m sorry." Timothy gave him a pained look. "If you''re really sorry, then stop this nonsense. I told you several weeks ago that I want a ceasefire until we destroy the Tulosans. After that I''m hoping for some sort of a diplomatic resolution of the civil war. There''s no point in letting Castonians fight Castonians. And now I just heard that you''re attacking me tomorrow? I don''t get it. I really don''t" Leopold couldn''t tell Timothy of his plan because he knew that Timothy would just reject it. No, Timothy will do everything to stop him. His plan was dangerous and would put him in danger. So even if Timothy thinks of him as a monster now, it would be worth it. Even if his sacrifices would not be recognized, he doesn''t care. As long as Timothy wins in the end, then he would be contented. The only reason why he called for a parley is because he wanted an excuse to see Timothy one last time. He wanted to have a meal with his son and apologize for his sins. "There will be a battle tomorrow. I cannot stop it" Leopold said Timothy sighed. "I don''t want to fight you. Is there really no other way? Will you really attack me?" "I will" Timothy closed his eyes "Then" He looked at Leopold and offered his hand "Please be safe. Don''t do anything stupid tomorrow. I don''t want this to be our last meal together... father" Leopold shook Timothy''s hand, carefully hiding his own hand''s tremor "You too" Timothy smiled at him one last time before standing up and leaving the tent. As soon as Timothy was out of the tent, Leopold''s tears started falling. With his hand supporting his forehead, he let his tears fall on the table. The tears were neither of joy nor of sadness. They were of both. Leopold was happy that Timothy called him father again. His heart was bursting with joy. But it was also sad. He wasted all those years not being a father to Timothy. And now that he finally decided to be, it was too late. Before leaving, Leopold dried his eyes first. He went outside the tent and saw that Rupert waiting for him. "Rupert" he called while they were walking towards their horses. He turned his head towards the Royal Guard. "I told you before that I may have loved Timothy once right?" "You did" Leopold took a deep breath and looked above. Unlike yesterday, the stars were shinning bright tonight. "I did love him and I still do" "Even though he''s not your son?" "You''re wrong Rupert" Leopold stopped walking and smiled "He is my son. The arse''s blood runs through his veins but I was the one who raised him. He is my son and I am his father. Nothing can change that." ********** Thousands of soldiers were lined on both sides of the field. It was silent, although Timothy knew that the field will be filled with shouts and cries and yells later on. "Cold" Lucia said as she turned her head towards their intertwined hands. "Worried about the battle or about him?" Timothy looked at their hands and then at her. She was wearing her crown neatly with her braided hair tugged. Her one-piece flowing dress was a little bulky, showing the presence of mail armor underneath. "Both. This has become complicated. I just hope that everything works out" Horns from the enemies'' side then blared. They advanced. Soldiers bearing flags of Inkit, Wismar, Hadea and Canton marched forward. Their target were Timothy''s Castonians at the center. But the Castonians under King Leopold remained stationary. Timothy first guessed that they were put on reserve but Castonians were tough. It would be a waste to put them in reserve and it would be better for them to be the vanguard. Timothy fixed his eyes on King Leopold''s Castonians. And then they moved. No. They sprinted, rushing like waves of fury. At their current pace and direction, they would soon slam on the backs of the Wismarines. Timothy realized it. He realized it all. The sudden call for a parley, his melancholic tone last night, the way he looked at him- it was all clear now what he was intending to do and it was dangerous. Timothy was frowning and his jaw dropped. "Fool!" he cried out 125 Castonia It was satisfying. Oh how good it felt. He should have done this a long time ago. Because of the number of people involved, he didn''t get to see Skall personally. But he bet the idiot was shocked. The initial effect of their charge was splendid. The Wismarines were trampled from behind. Those ugly lamellar armor they were wearing were no match to Castonian steel. But now the effect of their charge had already been dulled. The Wismarines, Hadeans, Inkish and Cantonese had all turned around and surrounded Leopold''s men. Now it will be their turn to suffer. They were outnumbered, surrounded and their defensive line was stretched. So many of his soldiers had already defected to Timothy that his remaining forces were now outnumbered nearly three to one. Leopold was at the very middle of the Castonians with his royal guards. The Leons were also with him and Prefect Solomon was visibly sweating. "Our men are faltering Your Majesty. They cannot hold for long" Solomon, on top of his bulky horse, remarked while eyeing the battlefield with a grim face. Leopold shifted his armor. The breastplate he was wearing doesn''t fit his chest anymore. It seemed he got thinner these past months. "Make them. We need to hold the enemies until Timothy overwhelms them from behind with his infantry" "But Prince Timothy''s infantry is slow. The line will be broken before he arrives" "King Timothy, Solomon" Leopold corrected the Prefect with a smile "But if that''s your learned opinion, then take the Leons and the royal guards to reinforce weak points in our defense." Solomon looked at him like he was crazy "Your Majesty, the Leons and the royal guards have sworn their lives to protect you. We will stay by your side until the end" "And I''m ordering you to reinforce the lines. They will execute me if they break through anyway. Do it Solomon. Or would you rather have me reinforce the front lines by myself?" Solomon didn''t move. He just stared at Leopold, biting his lips. Leopold understood his feelings though. The royal guards have sworn an oath to protect him and they were loyal to their oaths. "Go Solomon" said Rupert beside Leopold "Take most of my men with you. I will defend His Majesty" "Rupert!" Solomon shouted "Go!" Rupert shouted back "Our King gave you an order. Obey it" Solomon looked at Leopold and then back at Rupert. He was frowning but he agreed with a single nod. In just a few moments, the Leons and most of the royal guards left. "Thank you" Leopold gave Rupert his thanks. Rupert shrugged "Like what you said, they are going to kill you if our line breaks. Just doing my job" Leopold didn''t say anything and just looked at the battle in front. He puffed a short sigh. Although he had been in battles before, the things that happen in battles still surprise him. Paintings and songs and stories depict battles as honorable encounters between two armies. But the scene before his eyes does not display that kind of greatness. The paintings and songs and stories do not include the horrible screams men do when they die. Neither were the grit and dirt being flung around discussed. The fear on the soldiers'' eyes, their dilemma when choosing between self-preservation and loyalty to their cause- Paintings, songs and stories do not include these details. What''s in front of Leopold was the truth. A symphony of screams erupted from one portion of the defensive circle. With a turn of his head, Leopold saw hundreds Castonians rout all at once. They dropped their weapons and ran. Soldiers'' bearing the flag of Hadea burst through the gap. The reserves immediately tried to fill the gaps but many of the Hadeans had already broken through. Cohesion and formation were a thing of the past in that portion. The fighting was reduced to a messy melee. Rupert and the remaining royal guards unsheathed their swords and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Leopold, eager to defend him. "Do not worry. We will fight until our last breaths." Rupert promised with a confident smile. "Like I want that" Leopold scowled. But his scowl turned to a grin. "Should I apologize for dragging all of you into this? You might all die because I am a stupid person who led his men into the heart of the enemies" "Nah" Rupert shook his head "In fact we should thank you. We have been itching to fight those arrogant Wismarines for a long time. Ain''t that right boys!" "Aye!" the royal guards agreed Leopold was happy- an ironic feeling for a man who could die soon. But he was. All of this started when he entertained Skall''s request for an alliance. This would end with him shoving that alliance into Skall''s throat. The thunderous charge of cavalry then echoed in the battlefield. Leopold saw thousands of horsemen galloping towards the Hadeans. They were Castonians, proudly waving the flag of Castonia. The figure of the white lion with crossed swords flew in the chilly wind of late autumn. The effect of their arrival was instantaneous. The Hadeans who were pounding many of the Castonians earlier flew into panic. But the Castonian cavalry didn''t show mercy. They slammed against the back of the Hadeans, driving them into a rout. Most of the Hadeans threw their weapons. Those who resisted were killed. Those who ran were butchered. The Wismarines, Cantonese and Inkish retreated. Leopold''s struggling line was given respite. With the Hadeans utterly crushed, the rest of the enemies formed a defensive line. They could not run because of Timothy''s cavalry. So they formed a perimeter with their backs against each other. Leopold then saw a man with a crown. It wasn''t a good crown- just an imitation of the real Castonian crown on top of Leopold''s head. But the man wearing the crown was something else. With his white steed and purple cloak, he was a bringer of hope. No. The man was hope itself- hope for a united and stronger Castonia. Timothy was frowning when he approached Leopold on horseback. He dismounted in haste and hurried towards Leopold "Fool!" Timothy shouted and embraced him. Leopold felt a satisfying warmth. Yes. This is his son- the son who had grown to be stronger than him. The son he had treated badly, tried to kill and yet still loved him. "I told you last night not to do something stupid" Timothy said, still tugging him into an embrace "This is stupid! Letting yourself get surrounded- aren''t you King Leopold?" "I am but at the same time I am not" "I really don''t have time to listen to your philosophical mumblings right now" Leopold chuckled "Yes you don''t" Timothy stopped his embrace and looked at Leopold. There was a thin but sad smile on his son''s face. "Thank you father. For all this" "It''s the responsibility of a father to protect his son and it is the responsibility of a King to protect his Kingdom. You don''t have to thank me. But we should continue this talk later" Leopold looked at the distance where the enemies formed a defensive circle. He couldn''t see it but he knew that Skall, Sachi and Chen were all trembling right now. As for Qilo¡­ Leopold turned his eyes on the Hadeans being bound by the hundreds. He just hoped that Marquis Qilo survived. It would be a shame to waste such a hostage. "Finish this" Leopold said to Timothy who was also looking at the enemies. "I will" Timothy assured him with a smile "Watch me father. Watch me elevate Castonia into the pedestal of nations." ********** It took a while but all of Timothy''s men had been gathered. Now they outnumbered the enemies. He sent messengers asking Magistrate Chen to yield but his offer for peace was rejected. If that''s what they want, then he will have no choice but to use force. With the full force of all the Castonians behind him, Timothy lifted his sword and pointed it towards their enemies. It started with a single trot but it turned into a mass charge. The Castonians who were, just this morning, divided by a civil war, advanced as one. The Castonian cavalry and the Leons who were supposed to slaughter each other mixed into a cohesive cavalry unit. Whether one supported Timothy or Leopold, none of that matters now. Their cries were one, their shouts in unison. It was a cry of the people who had been divided. It was the voice of men who had longed for the end of this cruel civil war. Castonians fighting Castonians. That dark spot in history was but a history. Now they charge. United, unbroken and strong. A single people and a single Castonia. 126 King As Chen watches the angry Castonians rushing towards their line only one thing was on his mind- When did everything start to go wrong? When he convinced the others to defect to King Leopold? When he proposed they capture Lucia Vanadis? When he failed to persuade the other Magistrates to just ignore the Castonian civil war? No, he decided. Everything went wrong from the start. Those two- King Timothy and Queen Lucia- were born for greatness. Even without his intervention they would have broken the balance of power anyway. Chen sheathed his hand into his sleeve and pulled out a vial. It was a small glass vial filled with a silver liquid. The Wismarines called it Silver Moon after its silvery appearance. They say the poison was tasteless, odorless and painless. Good, he thought. He doesn''t want his last moments to be that of agony. Chen popped the tiny cork open. He swirled the liquid in the vial, it''s silver hue made it look appetizing. Once more he turned his eyes to the Castonians. There were so many of them that he didn''t bother making an estimate of their numbers. As far as he knew, they will soon trample what was left of their forces. The Castonian Cavalry were already positioned behind them, ready for a flanking maneuver. The people around Chen were shaking. Many of those at the front lines had routed-only to find that there was nowhere to go. Honor demands that Chen drink the poison and enter his eternal sleep. He failed and the price for failure was death. Now the world will be engulfed in war. Power corrupts. That was Chen''s philosophy in life. Power makes a person mad. He had seen many fall evil because of power- merchants, aristocrats, nobles, Kings. They were all fine people at first, but they turned evil after tasting power. The powerful oppresses the weak. That was the natural order of things and even animals know that. That''s why he wanted power to be shared. If every person in the world had the same level of power, then there will be peace and none will be oppressed. Timothy and Lucia would surely fall into corruption soon. The two will oppress the other Kingdoms. He didn''t want to live and see them do that. Chen lifted the vial into his lips. But when he was about to pour the liquid into his mouth, he stopped. A thought came fleeting through his mind. But what if he was wrong? What if Timothy and Lucia were different? If that was the case then that would be interesting. His beliefs about power would be wrong but he would be happy to be wrong. Chen then decided to give Timothy and Lucia a chance to prove him wrong. His honor requests for death but his curiosity prompted him to keep on living. He was curious of the future. He wanted to see it. He threw the vial. The glass broke, spilling its contents on the ground. He will not die today. "Drop your weapons!" he shouted to his men. "We will surrender. We lost" he said while unfastening his breastplate. The heavy thing dropped on the ground. The flag of the republic was lowered and his men dropped their weapons. It was a defeat- the first defeat of the Republic of Inkit in a decade. Skall and Sachi also did the same. In fact they surrendered first, lowering their respective flags. Chen failed and Timothy won. But at least he will live to see if people like Timothy and Lucia, who were blessed with strength, could indeed deflect the corruption power brings. ********** The sun was already at its setting direction. The day was more than half spent. But there was still enough sunlight left for this event. Timothy was standing on a hill with his boots brushing against the grassy ground. It was the same hill Lucia where was crowned. It was not a big hill, only big enough to draw out the importance of whoever was above. With his buttoned white coat, he must have looked nice. He doesn''t know. Lucia said that he looked good before he came here. To be honest, he doesn''t really care. What he cared about were the thousands of eyes fixed on him. He looked to the right. The Rooster legion''s flag met him with its proud fluttering. General Marvin gave Timothy a kind smile as if congratulating him for this great day. The men of the Rooster Legion stood like immovable rocks. He felt proud of them. They were his finest. A little to the left were Steelsword and Dawn. Two legions led by two generals with different personalities. General Hoover and General Bourgis nodded at him, giving their support. An old wrinkly man dressed in a fine silk robe ornamented with rubies walked towards Timothy. His steps were slow and short. His movements were firm. The man was the very image of a King. It was his father- King Leopold. Just this morning he was Timothy''s enemy. But now he was walking towards him with a smile. His father stopped just a few paces from him. King Leopold''s hair was swaying in the wind. His old eyes were fixed on Timothy. "You look nice. Did the Queen prepare your clothes for you?" his father asked "Yes. She said that white symbolizes peace and unity. Also the lion in our flag was white. She wants me to be the personification of that lion" "Smart. When I was crowned, I wore a deep blue long-sleeved shirt" "A shirt?" Timothy asked confusedly. "Don''t ask why" King Leopold grinned "I was going through a phase that time" Timothy stifled his laughter. "Well if I ever go through that same phase at least I have her to pull me back to my senses" "Good for you" King Leopold said, still grinning. He then straightened his posture "So, shall we begin?" Timothy nodded. "We shouldn''t make thousands of people wait for a long time, should we?" He then knelt. The dry but cold grass pricked his knees. Timothy lowered his head. He was reminded when he was crowned as the King of Western Castonia. The people supported him then, and they still support him now. King Leopold took the crown off his head and hovered it above Timothy''s head. "Timothy Castonia" he shouted as loud as he could. His old voice spread thinly in the wind. "I, Leopold Castonia of the royal blood of Castonia, abdicates my crown to you. With the Omniscient as my witness and the people as judge, let all men know that beginning today you are the King of all Castonia. All hail the King and long may he reign!" The crown was placed on top of Timothy''s head. He lifted his head and rose. Booming cheers erupted, shaking the atmosphere around him. The soldiers, especially the Castonians, raised their weapons in the air. Now the civil war was finally over. Castonia had been united once more. One King, one Castonia. Timothy nodded at his father, giving his thanks. The old man, who looked different who looked different without the crown on his head, smiled at Timothy. With his hands tugged behind, Timothy turned his head to look for Lucia. He saw her on the foot of the hill standing next to her father and Arthur. They locked eyes. When he first met her, both of them were not even heirs. But now the two of them were the monarchs of their Kingdoms. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Now that Castonia is out of the civil war, there was only one thing left for them to do- destroy the fake knight. ********** Luther was clenching his sweaty hands while watching the monster being crowned. The monster was already a King before, but this crowning confirmed his authority over all of Castonia. Timothy Castonia yet again escaped a difficult situation. And not just that- he came out stronger. He was truly a monster. "What should we do Prefect?" Centurion Lyn asked in an unusually courteous manner. Luther looked down and fiddled with the reins of his horse. "We should tell General Rickard about this" "And after that?" "I don''t know" Luther shook his head "I could only hope the General could think of something. Retreat to Knightsend maybe?" "I dont think we could make a flawless retreat" Centurion Lyn said. Luther bit his lips because Lyn was right. With the way those Knights were currently acting, there was no way for them to make a clean retreat. "Let''s just go Centurion. We''ve seen enough. Let''s inform the General of this" Luther said as he gripped the reins and angled his horse towards their camp. 127 Man Against Chivalry My father once told me, "Rickard, the world rewards those who are meek" - or at least that''s what I remembered. My father is a believer of righteousness and loyalty and goodness. A good man, they call him. But for me? No. My father and the millions of Tulosans who believe that righteousness is strength are fools. Strength is strength. Nothing more. The world belongs to the strong. Fear is what keeps men in line, not the thing they call loyalty. But I must admit. I was once like them. A fool who believed that being good, being kind, being fair will give me strength. I once believed in chivalry-that disgusting code of Knights. That was why I joined the Knights of Tulosa. My father is a noble you see. An Earl. But the Knights didn''t give me special treatment. I worked and trained hard to become a Knight. Eight years I tell you. I trained for eight years just to have this brand on my arm. During my times in the academy, I met her. Cecile was her name. She was not a beauty to be honest. Just a normal girl with a bright smile. Ah, her smile was so radiant. I could still feel the warmth of her smile even now. Cecile and I fell in love and married a few years after I became a knight. We had two children. Two boys. Marco and Veni. The three of them were the most precious people in my life. I was also doing good as a Knight. I even became a Prefect. I was the second youngest Prefect in history, only behind that weakling Henry. Life was good. No. Perfect was a better word. I wanted to go back to those times. But things changed when the King suddenly announced an invasion of Castonia. He told us that it was because some Tulosan merchants were jailed in Castonia. But we Knights all knew that the King was just looking for a victory that will cement his shaky rule. Some Knights agreed to join the invasion. But me? No. I remained. I abhorred violence that time. For me, the King was in the wrong for invading a Kingdom just to maintain his grip on the throne. You know what happened next. General Kingston was defeated at Knightsend. The Tulosan Civil War followed. A foolish war by foolish nobles who were fighting for the crown. Tulosa was engulfed in chaos. The Order of the Knights remained neutral in the conflict. The Order only supported civilians and punished nobles who had committed crimes against the people. Naturally I was one of the punishers. I commanded my cohort to defend the people. They started calling me Rickard the Good. A funny name I tell you. But one day the Grand Master received reports that civilians were being levied forcefully in the fief of Baron Rex Trunt. The Grand Master commanded me and my cohort to rescue the civilians and bring Baron Rex into justice. We went to the fief and a Baron Rex was unwise enough to attack us. Attacking Knights with militias. It was a stupid move. We slaughtered them of course. And I... I killed Baron Rex''s brother. The Baron was furious. He fought me with the strength of vengeance on his arms. He stabbed, slashed and even tried to bite me. In the end, my training prevailed. I disarmed Baron Rex. He was laying on the ground with my sword pointed at his throat. He pleaded. He pleaded like the swine that he is. "Prefect Rickard spare me!" he shouted, with tear coming from his eyes. I didn''t remove my sword immediately. It was because I saw that he was still furious at me for killing his brother. But his next words truly moved me. "I will change" he cried with face in an ugly grimace "From now on I will treat my subjects fairly. The Omniscient knows that I can change! Please don''t hurt me" My sword hand weakened. I felt pity for the Baron. He could change. That''s right- we are all brothers in the eyes of the Omniscient. It was my duty as a Knight to grant a chance of redemption to others. I lowered my sword and embraced the Baron. After checking for the civilians and witnessing Baron Rex take an oath to change, we went back to the headquarters at Bivon. Months passed and life went on. Even though we were at war, I still felt that life was perfect. I was only able to come home once every week. But Cecile, Marco and Veni were always waiting for me at home. We bought a little house no more than a league away from Bivon. I also bought a small plot of land. That way I could farm when I''m old without being a subject to a noble. Cecile was not good at cooking. She was clumsy and her soup was always salty. Nevertheless I loved it. Marco and Veni had also grown into strong boys. They were tough just like me. I had hope for them to become Knights one day, to follow the steps of their father. But one day when I came home, I noticed that something wasn''t right. Marco and Veni who would usually run towards me as I approach our house, were nowhere to be found. I shrugged and thought that they were just asleep. It was almost dark anyway. With my heavy armor clinking, I continued my walk towards our house. I looked at the fields and saw that the potato were almost ripe for harvest. We were not actually short on money but a little but of extra would be nice. But when I turned my head towards our fence, my heart raced. The fence was broken. The house was also damaged. And then I saw it. Cecile and my boys were near the door. Their bodies were dipped in pools of dried blood. I ran towards them and embraced their bodies. Cold. They were already cold. Dead. Yes, they were dead. At first I couldn''t believe it. I just noticed a single drop of tear from my eye. And then it hit me. My family was dead. My precious boys were dead. Cecile, my beloved, was no more. Multiple stab wounds line their back. I screamed. I let out a deafening scream of agony. It was painful. Too painful to describe. But what made it worse was a note tied on Cecile''s neck. ''Now we''re equal'' I then realized the identity of the monster who did it- Baron Rex. It was my fault. My family died because I was too weak to kill Baron Rex. I knew that he was going to get revenge on me but I still let him go- because I''m weak. I felt pity towards him and spared his life. I killed my family by sparing that monster. I then buried Cecile, Marco and Veni. I couldn''t even look at their faces. You know why!? Because It was my fault they died. I realized that mercy is for the weak. Honor is for the fools. And Forgiveness...forgiveness is a sin. I took my cohort and attacked Baron Rex. He was waiting with more than a thousand mercenaries and militias. There were also traps hidden. But we prevailed. I again defeated and disarmed the swine. And again he pleaded. He pleaded to me. You know what I did? I buried my sword into his filthy mouth while he was pleading. If I have done that when we first met, Cecile and my boys would still be alive. Marco and Veni would have already been Knights by now. Cecile and I would have been resting on our farm while our boys play with swords. We would have grandchildren. But I spared Baron Rex''s life and my family are all dead. That was when I realized that everything the Order of the Knights taught me were lies. Deceits of old weak men. The Book of the Knights was a garbage that should be burned. Righteousness? Honor? Chivalry? These things are dangerous. Only power and strength could make a person happy. And now you condemn me for killing Marquis Benedict. I tell you, if he lived he would have become the banner where my enemies would gather. He would have killed me like how Baron Rex killed Cecile and Veni and Marco. Chivalry is a mistake that must be purged from the earth. It''s kill or be killed. Take or be taken from. ********** Rickard finished his story with a sneer towards the seven Knights he caught defecting to Henry. They were on his tent, with tied hands and knees on the floor while he was telling his story from his chair. "You say that I am a fake Knight? I am not. I am the truest Knight amongst us" The defectors still refused to lower their heads. They even had the guts to look at Rickard with pity on their eyes. "We are sorry for your loss General. We truly are. But what we are doing is wrong. Marquis Benedict is not Baron Rex. Righteousness is still relevant in this world." Rickard''s punched on the table beside him. The crack of the impact made the defectors flinch. "My wife and my children died because I was righteous! Never again. Never" he shook his head. "General" One of the defectors called, unmoved by Rickard''s anger "You have become evil" Rickard rose and walked towards the defectors. He grabbed the man''s hair and forced an eye contact with him. "I am evil and I will continue to be evil. I regret nothing. Nothing I tell you. My beliefs will remain unchanged." "May the Omniscient have mercy on you General for you are beyond salvation." the defector shot back. Rickard laughed. He doesn''t need salvation. If he could destroy the idea of chivalry- the idea that killed his family- then he would be satisfied. It was his mission to erase chivalry from the knights. He will avenge his family by destroying an idea. But before he could mock the defector, a voice rang through his ears. "General Rickard we have a problem" Luther said who entered his tent in haste. Luther eyed the defectors before looking again at Rickard. "So what is it? Who won, Timothy or Leopold?" Rickard asked, removing his grip from the defector''s hair. Luther frowned. His breathing was heavy. "Both General" 128 Rickard Rickard was sitting alone in his tent. The flickering candlelight indicated that the wax had almost been burned out. With one hand resting on the table he was staring at the ground, lost in thought. He was doomed. His career was over. His dream of reforming the Knights into a better organization was now but a dream. His mission to erase the idea of chivalry had failed. He had expected that King Leopold would win. Or if Timothy would win, then at least his army could sweep in and destroy the wounded Castonians. But the old King had a change of hearts. Admirable, touching- but foolish. If King Leopold just grabbed the opportunity to kill Timothy, then the old fart would have become the King of all Castonia once more. Now King Leopold had lost his crown and would possibly be imprisoned for his crimes. Leopold''s decision also destroyed Rickard''s dreams. With the Castonians now united, his army would lose for sure. Even if he runs to Knightsend, what then? He would survive for a few more months but he can no longer escape. He cannot retreat back to Tulosa because King Brice would surely execute him. He was alone- and defeated. Rickard leaned on his chair. The aches on his back had worsen over the years. He turned his head towards the table and grabbed a bottle of cheap wine. He popped the cork with his thumb and drank directly from the bottle. The strong flavor of the cheap wine filled his mouth. After he had his fill he lowered the bottle and grimaced. "I too hate the taste of cheap brothel wine. The aftertaste is just too bitter for my tongue" a chilly voice said. Rickard sprang his head towards the direction of the voice. There was a man sitting on his bed. The lighting in the tent was dim but he could see the man clearly. The man had a strange outfit. Black coat with white clothing underneath. The man''s hat was too big to be of fashion. And the cane on his hand- It was the smoothest and most beautiful cane Rickard had ever seen. His first reaction was to scream for help. But before he could open his mouth the man talked first. "I''m not here to hurt you Rickard. If I were, then your back would already have a knife buried in it." Rickard fixed his gaze on the man. His heart was pounding like a steed on full charge. "Who are you?" "Not a fan of small talks are we? I feel you. Small talks are dumb sometimes. Well let me quench your curiosity a little about my identity." The man crossed his legs, leaned forward and smiled at Rickard "We are many Rickard. And we have been watching all your little games. You are not worthy to hear my name so just call me the Spectator for I am watching- always" "Spectator?" Rickard frowned "Did Timothy sent you? Are you his ally?" "Hoooh. Worried? Well to answer your question, I am and at the same time I am not. Although King Timothy had already earned my personal favor, we can''t be called allies yet" "Then why are you here?" "To help you and Timothy" The Spectator''s answer was immediate "You see Rickard, I don''t want King Timothy to waste time on this war. He had won and you lost. I could kill you but King Timothy wouldn''t like that. So I''m here to convince you to surrender" "Surrender!?" Rickard roared with gritted teeth. "And change your heart if I am able" the Spectator said with a shrug "What I''m going to do is a waste of our power. You are not worthy of our power but if it''s for King Timothy then why not. Enjoy this gift from us Rickard." The next thing Rickard knew, he was outside a house. It was a small brick house that gives off a familiar feeling. He looked around and saw a potato field. And then it occurred to him that this was their old house. Arms wrapped around him and he smelled a familiar scent. With a turn of his head, he saw Cecile hugging him. She was wearing a green dress- her favorite dress which he bought for her with his first salary as a Knight. "Rickard" She cried "I''ve missed you. I''ve missed you so much" Rickard stared at her. She was Cecile, he was sure of it. The Cecile he loved with all his heart. His eyes started to wet. And then two small pair of arms embraced him from the other side. He looked and saw Marco and Veni embracing his waist. Rickard was overwhelmed. He was still confused but he doesn''t care about details. The three most important people in his life were around him. Rickard wrapped his two arms around the three of them. He cried. It had been so long that he had forgotten about their faces. But now they were here. If this was a dream, he doesn''t want to wake up. He wanted to stay here with Cecile and his boys. "I''m sorry" Rickard sobbed "I couldn''t protect you. But I promise... I promise that I will avenge you from their false ideas. You died because I was deceived by the knights in believing in goodness. I swear that I will destroy those ideas. I will uproot them even if it costs me everything" "No Rickard" Cecile looked at him and put a palm on his cheek "We don''t want that. It has been revealed to us what you did- what you have become. Righteousness is not a sin Rickard. We died because of evil people, not because you did the right thing. There is still a chance for you to repent my love. Do it. Let go of us. Let go of the past and be free." "What are you saying Cecile? I spent my entire life changing the outdated ideas of the Knights" "And you wasted your life Rickard. You have become evil. It hurts us. We don''t have much time. They can''t maintain this for long. So please change your mind now" "Cecile..." The scene slowly faded from Rickard''s eyes. Cecile said something but he didn''t hear about it. From her lips, he could read that she was saying "We love you" And then Rickard was back inside his tent. Tears were still falling from his eyes. The Spectator was now standing in front of him. "You heard her Rickard. The decision is yours. Will you let go of hate or will you keep being swallowed by it?" ********** Timothy opened his eyes and gasped for air. He had the same dream again involving the woman. His loud gasping awakened Lucia. She supported him and patted his back. "Same dream again?" Lucia asked. Timothy nodded, still gasping. Lucia peeled the blanket away, stood from the bed and went to the table. When she came back she was holding a cup of water. Timothy drank the water and his heart was calmed. "Thank you" he said Lucia hugged him. "Don''t worry about it. I''m here" "You''re not jealous?" Timothy gave a small smirk. "A little" Lucia grinned "We are about to get married and you''re still dreaming of other women. I swear, she should just go to her Mat and leave my Timothy alone" She was just too cute to ignore. Timothy wanted to bite her lips. With one move of his head, he shortened the distance between their lips. But before they could kiss, the tent flapped open and light from the outside blinded him. "Tim!" Erik''s voice called Timothy squinted and looked with annoyance at Erik. The moment was perfect and yet Erik destroyed it. "What is it?" Timothy asked coldly and Lucia giggled. But Erik''s face remained serious. ********** With his hand intertwined with Lucia''s, Timothy hurried outside. Erik just informed them that General Rickard and his Knights surrendered. There were already thousands of soldiers surrounding the Tulosans when they arrived. General Rickard was kneeling at the very front. The General was clad in armor and was just a few paces away from Timothy. "So you surrender General Rickard?" Timothy asked while his guards surround the General. "Yes. I just realized that my ways are evil and I was in the wrong. Give me your judgement King Timothy" Timothy still couldn''t believe it. He thought that he would need to waste thousands more lives just to make General Rickard yield. This was totally unexpected that he wasn''t sure what to do. He turned his head towards Lucia. "What do you think?" he asked silently Lucia was looking at General Rickard. "I think we should.... Tim!" Lucia shouted and shielded him with her body. Timothy looked forward. General Rickard and a few of his men were sprinting towards them with daggers in hand. 129 Exhausted "You heard her Rickard. The decision is yours. Will you let go of hate or will you keep getting swallowed by it?" As Rickard pushed his legs into a leap, the Spectator''s words echoed in his ears. No, he declared with an adamant resolve. He cannot. He cannot let go of the past. Even though Cecile, Marco and Veni hoped for him to do so, he simply cannot. It was too much to ask. Even though he may die today, at least he would take King Timothy with him. He may have failed in erasing the idea of chivalry, but he was sure that others would follow his footsteps. He sheathed his hand inside his bracer and revealed a dagger. His hold on it was firm- like that of his resolve. The others followed, loyal men who were loyal to their ideas. Just like him these dozen or so men had also been deceived by the idea of chivalry- and paid the heavy price for it. The royal guards were fast and apprehended his men almost immediately. The thrashing sound behind indicated that most of them had already been neutralized. Rickard might have been the only one who could still reach King Timothy. He looked forward. Just a few more paces. A few more paces and he could reach him. King Timothy. A god-like existence above all others. Powerful, smart, beloved by all- one word from him and thousands will die, one gesture and thousands will perish. The crown on King Timothy''s head was a symbol of power. But crowns can''t protect one from a dagger''s kiss. All men bleed and all men die, for a dagger doesn''t bow to crowns. The Vanadian Queen shielded King Timothy with her body. Such an touching scene. Well if that''s her choice then Rickard would have to kill both of them. He prepared his arms for the moment. He had taken lives before- of peasants and nobles and knights- but never had he taken the life of a royal. This would be his chance to do so. But before Rickard could reach the royals, a young man in armor blocked his way. The young man had a gold chain dangling across his chest- an indication that he was a Marquis. Rickard halted, clicking his tongue upon knowing that he failed. The young Marquis was holding a sword, ready to strike. And then realization occurred to Rickard. A Marquis huh? A young Marquis that somehow had burning anger towards him. He knew the identity of the young man. "Marquis Erik" Rickard smiled. The royal guards had already surrounded him. "Here to avenge your father?" ********** He was uglier than he expected. Erik couldn''t believe that his father, Benedict Connel, was killed by an ugly man. Hooked nose, puffy cheeks, and abnormally wide chin. "Leave him" he commanded the royal guards who were slowly tightening the wall of halberds around General Rickard. The royals guards were not under his direct command and only the King had sole ownership of their loyalty. But the guards seemed to respect him enough that they stopped. "General Rickard. I, Marquis Erik Connel of Greenwater, challenge you to a duel. With the Omniscient as witness, let us resolve our differences by the way of the sword" "Erik" Timothy voice from behind "Don''t do this. If avenging your father is what you want, then we could capture him and you could be the executioner." Erik did not look back and fixed his gaze on General Rickard lest the ugly does something underhanded. "Your Majesty I need this. My father taught me that honor is everything. Getting justice for Benedict Connel by killing a criminal in cold blood would only dishonor his name. I want justice just like how my father would have wanted it- through a duel. Don''t worry, this will be the last stupid thing that I do" There was silence. Timothy did not give his immediate blessing. Erik became aware that what he was asking for might be too much. "But if you order me to stand down, I will follow the will of the King. But I..." "Do it Erik" Timothy interrupted "Avenge the late Marquis with honor. I give you my consent" Erik smiled- a questionable smile coming from a fool who might die today. But he was happy. "Give him a sword. That dagger he''s holding would not even be able to scratch my armor" Erik commanded the guards as he unsheathed his own sword. A sword was thrown near General Rickard and the General picked it up. "Are you sure boy?" General Rickard said while inspecting the sword. He lifted the sword and inspected the balance. He then mocked Erik with a sneer "The last time I faced a Connel, I made him cry while begging for his life." "The last time I faced a man as ugly as you..." Erik paused and smirked "Well.. to be honest I haven''t met someone as ugly as you" "Sharp tongue. Let''s see if your sword is sharper. I will put and end..." General Rickard lunged at Erik mid-sentence. Erik was surprised and could only parry the strike at the last moment. He was forced to take a few steps back. "I killed him" General Rickard talked again. I stabbed my sword through his back and he stopped..." The General again did the same trick- lunging at Erik without warning. But this time Erik was more prepared. He redirected the blow to the left and punched General Rickard in the face. The General staggered backwards, swinging his sword all the while to prevent Erik from striking. Erik gave no ground. He pushed his advantage and lunged forward. Strike after strike he gave. General Rickard managed to parry some while some hit his armor. Cornered by Erik''s relentless attacks, General Rickard gave one last powerful stab. The General''s sword came for his neck. Erik was wearing a coif but such a strong stab could break apart the links of the armor and puncture his neck. He tilted his body a little and let the stab fall on his chest. His breastplate absorbed the stab well. With his opponent''s weapon occupied, he saw an opportunity. The General was wearing light armor, probably because of his plan of sprinting towards Timothy. Poor choice in a duel. Erik jabbed the pommel of his sword towards the General''s chest which was protected only by mail. The impact winded the General. Staggering backwards, General Rickard curled his body and was gasping for air. Erik again angled his sword. He aimed for the General''s neck. His stab was fast, deadly and true. The sword stabbed through General Rickard''s neck. It was over. Although General Rickard was still on the process of drowning on his own blood, such a wound meant death. Erik let go of his sword. His hands had become sweaty, his breathing was deep. As he watched General Rickard breathing his last breaths, he was engulfed in a certain feeling of liberation. His father''s killer was no more. The debt had been repaid with blood. ********** The war was over. The fake knight lay dead. Timothy watched the duel and Erik won honorably. Nobody uttered a word and the only sound were General Rickard''s futile last gasps. And then there was complete silence. General Rickard stopped breathing. "He''s dead" a voice said, the speaker was one among the thousands of people who watched the duel. Timothy looked at Lucia. She nodded at him as if saying that it was time to end this messy war. Timothy stepped forward, the grass scraping against his boots. The wind was not strong but not placid either. All eyes were on him. "It''s over" he said with booming voice. He looked towards the Tulosans. "General Rickard is dead. His ideas and philosophy are dead. We are all tired of this. Thousands have died and countless have grieved. I say we''ve had enough with this. With General Rickard''s death we shall fight no more!" The mellow sunlight hit his eyes. It was still silent. He could hear the wind''s brush on the ground. "No more" a voice said from the Tulosans, followed by similar utterances. "No more" They repeated, silently, calmly and with weariness. "No more" the two words were repeated by thousands. As Timothy looked at the resting General Rickard, he couldn''t help but feel the exhaustion. But at last the war was over. He sighed and also uttered the words "No more" 130 Going Home The grass was pricking Timothy''s bottom. Beside him, Lucia was leaning her head against his shoulder. With thick coats, the two of them were sitting alone in the darkness just outside his tent. "Gold and White? I''m not an expert but isn''t that too bright?" Timothy asked "I know, I know" said Lucia "But it''s a powerful symbol. Gold is the color of Vanadis while it''s white for Castonia. With the Union of our two Kingdoms, I think symbolism is a good trade for style" "Makes sense. But is that alright with you? It''s your special day- our special day. I thought you would want the decorations to be more stylish" "I do. But let us not forget that we are still at war with Calgari, Tulosa and possibly Hadea, Inkit, Canton and Wismar. We cannot afford to waste even a small opportunity to bring our people closer together." Timothy hooked his arm around her waist. He pulled her closer and Lucia was now leaning her head against his neck. "Alright gold and white it is. We only have a few months to prepare for another series of wars anyway so just like what you said, we can''t waste opportunities. Good thing the snow season will give us a short respite. But after the last snow melts into puddle" Timothy shook his head in weariness "I don''t know. We are going to get busy again" "We will always be busy" She said. Her voice calmed Timothy''s worried heart. "We chose this path. Our neighbors will do everything to prevent our union. Until our last days, we will always encounter problems" "Not if we elope" Timothy jested with a grin. Lucia gave a surprised laugh "How kingly of you! Imagine the King of Castonia and the Queen of Vanadis, eloping to a distant land, leaving the two kingdoms at the mercy of our neighbors" Lucia was still laughing when Timothy felt that someone was watching them from behind. He immediately knew who it was. "Lucia don''t freak out. I think he is behind us" He whispered and Lucia''s laugh was stopped. "Talk" Timothy said in a monotonous tone "Stop watching us like a creep from behind" Footsteps brushed against the grass. The Spectator revealed himself and went to their front. His cane was truly smooth and his clothes were still weird. Timothy felt Lucia flinch. He couldn''t blame her though. Seeing the Spectator for the first time was truly a terrifying experience. "I apologize. That is not my intention. I just don''t want to disturb the two of you" The Spectator turned to Lucia. He took off his hat and made a bow. "Queen Lucia. You may have heard of me. Nice meeting you" "Nice meeting you too" Lucia said. She looked at Timothy, sighed and shook her head nervously. Timothy calmed her with a kiss to her forehead. He then turned to the Spectator and asked the question he had always wanted to ask since General Rickard''s actions just this morning. "About General Rickard¡­" Timothy started. "I was part of it. He was planning on making a last stand and I tried to change his mind. But it seems I failed and the two of you were put in danger. For that I apologize" The Spectator cut him off with a direct answer. "What did you do to him?" Lucia asked with slight tremors in her voice "I¡­ gave him a gift- an expensive gift I shouldn''t have wasted on him." "Like what you did to us? That dream-like meeting?" asked Timothy. He didn''t bother to wait for an answer and asked another question "Who did you, erm¡­ connect him with?" The Spectator took a deep breath and said with reluctance, "His family. Wife and Children" Timothy''s blood froze. It was such a shock to him. He looked at Lucia and she was also the same. Both of them had heard of what happened to General Rickard from Henry. It was a tragic story. Timothy felt pity for General Rickard as he listened to Henry back then. But General Rickard''s wife and children have died a long time ago. If the Spectator had such power- bridging the dead to the living- then the power he possess was insurmountable. Timothy felt shivers. The Spectator seemed to notice both their shocked reactions. He cleared his throat and snapped them out of their shock. "We cannot bring the dead back to life if that''s what the two of you are thinking about. We cannot bring back their consciousness. No. I don''t think even a God can do that. The people General Rickard saw were just fragments of the consciousness of his wife and children. But fragments are enough to reveal the feelings of a person" "Is that so" Timothy uttered, his forehead started to sweat. "But it''s still a great power." "Which comes at a great price. I don''t think we can replicate such a thing for a while. Like what I said, I wasted an expensive gift" There was annoyance in the Spectator''s voice. Timothy understands though. If making General Rickard see his family for a short while was indeed of great expense to the Spectator, then it was such a waste. General Rickard didn''t change in the end. A shame, Timothy lamented. "So, why are you here?" Timothy asked and put the matter with General Rickard aside. The Spectator smiled. "To say goodbye" "Goodbye?" It was Lucia who asked "I thought you support us" The Spectator turned to the north and looked at the sky. His black coat was swaying in the cold wind. "The others have recalled me. I may not be able to be of service for a while. Well you won''t need me anyway. The snow season brings a short peace" "Will you come back? Even though you say that what you gave to General Rickard was a waste, it helped us. It led to their surrender and saved many lives" Timothy voiced "I¡­ don''t know. Perhaps. Nothing is for certain Your Majesty" Timothy nodded. He rose and offered the Spectator his hand "Then let me thank you for everything. We still don''t understand much but you have helped us" The Spectator shook his hand. Lucia also rose and also offered her hand "Any last advice for us?" The Spectator shook her hand. "Peace Your Majesty. The two of you must strive for peace. There is always something more dangerous on the horizon. Petty wars between Kingdoms are nothing compared to the real threat. So the two of you should forge peace. The world is bigger than just Castonia and Vanadis" he paused and turned his eyes towards Timothy "And also¡­ try to remember" "Remember what?" Timothy asked The Spectator again smiled. He shook his head "Nothing. Never mind my blabbers. I''m sure the two of you will be fine" ********** The next morning thousands of people were lined in a formation that stretched for several leagues. More than half of them were prisoners, in chains and heavily guarded. They were about to start their journey. Timothy was on his horse at the front of the marching formation. As he turned his look towards his side, he saw a certain woman who had captivated his heart. She had been his partner for the past months. The bond they shared will soon be proven by their union. Lucia smiled towards him. With her lips forming into a perfect smile, he couldn''t help but feel enchanted. "What is it?" She asked "Nothing" "Staring at me like that and saying that''s it''s nothing doesn''t really match" "Would I get away with it if I just say that you look beautiful?" "Beautiful?" Lucia gave a playful grin. She showed him the armor underneath her coat "A lady wearing armor is beautiful? I thought dresses and gowns are your type King Timothy?" Timothy shrugged "For me you are beautiful. Always" "Oh..always is it?" She maintained her grin but Timothy saw that she was flushed "Always" Timothy confirmed. "Your talent in making a lady''s heart flutter is uncanny" Lucia said as she shook her head. She looked at Timothy "Fine. So, shall we go?" "Yes" Timothy said with a nod. After the snow season, they both have to face many more problems. Knightsend was still under the control of a few hundred of General Rickard''s supporters. Greenwater still needed repair. And Ivan¡­ reports say that Ivan fled Nirvana. Nevertheless, like what the Spectator said, the snow season brings peace. It will be the perfect time to unite the two Kingdoms through marriage. Castonia''s flag was flying in the wind beside that of Vanadis. The Lion and the Pelican, the warrior and the merchant. As Timothy looked at the two flags not far from them, he felt glee. It had been a complicated journey, he thought. Many times both of them almost lost their lives. And although he and Lucia have prevailed so far, there will surely be problems ahead. But if he''s with her, then facing those problems doesn''t seem too bad. 131 A Promise One week later It was cold outside but inside the room it was steaming. The lights from the lamps were floundering, giving a flickering illumination inside the room. There were a total of five people inside, Flame, Book, Dream, Stone and him- Shadow was what he was called. He traced his cane from one end to the other with the tip of his finger. He then put the thing on the table carefully. "So Hammer is dead" he said and wetted his lips "I was annoyed at first when you recalled me but if it''s because of Hammer''s death, then the matter is grave afterall. Did he die true to our cause?" "He did. I saw his end. He did not even flinch" Book replied. She was sitting cross-legged in front of him. She changed the position of her legs and continued "Hammer''s brother ratted him to the Council. What a wicked man. And the Council... well you know how fast they move. They caught and executed Hammer that same day and labelled him as a cowardly traitor" Hearing the word ''coward'' gripped his heart with anger. The Council had been calling them as such for a long time. They are not cowards. If they were then they wouldn''t be resisting the Council''s rule. "May Hammer''s memory live forever" Dream said with a bow. Flame, Book and Stone joined Dream to honor Hammer''s courage. He also bowed. "It is a sad day for us but we must continue" Flame said and then looked at him "So Shadow, what''s the situation with the humans? Are they still bickering? Petty creatures aren''t they? I told you. We shouldn''t expect much from them. We are on our own. The humans can''t help us. They will destroy each other like what happened last time." "I disagree Flame" Stone interrupted before he could rebut Flame himself "Humans are powerful. Back when they were in their prime, they could have destroyed the Council in a blink of an eye" Flame mocked with a snort "And yet they destroyed themselves. They exterminated each other back then. And now they are doing it again. Sometimes I wonder if they really are sentient beings. They are..." "I confirmed that it''s them" He interrupted Flame "It''s really them. I''m sure of it. And now they are together. The Humans could again become united under their rule" The others looked at him with their jaws dropped. "You mean... that Prince Timothy and Princess Lucia?" Flame asked, shaken. "It''s King Timothy and Queen Lucia now. In less than a year they have become possibly the most powerful humans. I''m sure it''s them. Those two are good" Flame frowned "Does Gold also think the same?" Shadow nodded as an answer. "And where is Gold now? Have you met him?" "I''ve met him in Solon. He was perfectly hidden among the merchant class. He has the same opinion. He also thinks that the Humans could help us. That''s why he was helping those two. In fact Gold has been watching Timothy and Lucia since the beginning. But I suggest we refrain from bugging Gold. He has a family now and he said that he will do his part as long as we don''t include him in our games" Nobody uttered a word. All eyes were fixed on the table and everyone was thinking. Shadow knew that the Resistance had somewhat given up on the Humans. The Resistance only sent him after Gold, who had left the Resistance a long time ago, reported that there might be more to Timothy and Lucia than being just competent humans. After spectating their movements for months, Shadow had confirmed Timothy and Lucia''s identities. He felt shivers after the realization hit him. He even shook their hand just a week ago. It was convenient too as the Resistance had been watching Timothy and Lucia for a long time. Now that their identities had been revealed, Shadow knew that the Resistance had again taken interest in making the Humans their ally. "The culling for the Humans will soon come. Next year is my guess" Book said "So it''s too late?" Dream asked "I don''t think so" said Book "If those two really were who Shadow thinks they are, then we should help them. The Council is winning against us. We need the Humans" "I agree" A voice said. Shadow was surprised when he saw that it was Flame. ********** The first snow had fallen. Nirvana was now blanketed in white. But the people''s cheers from outside were as warm as a hearth. Lucia was wearing a golden gown with sleeves decorated with sapphires. On her neck hangs a necklace with a huge pearl in it. Her braided hair, which was groomed by Mylene for hours, was tied in a bun. It was her special day with the special person in her heart. She was walking beside Timothy with her hand hooked on Timothy''s arm. As they walked towards the platform at the front, Lucia was looking around the Grand Cathedral of Nirvana. There were hundreds of people inside, witnessing not just the wedding of two monarchs but also the union of two Kingdoms. "Nervous?" Timothy asked "Yeah" Lucia nodded. "Having second thoughts?" Timothy again asked, this time with a hint of a jest. His lips showed a small grin. "What if I am? What are you going to do King Timothy?" Lucia said with a smirk. "I will court you again. And again. And again. Until you become mine" Lucia''s heart again fluttered. She was left staring at Timothy and was reminded of the potency of his eloquence. Her next words were reduced to a stutter "I... I don''t think that''s necessary. I''m not having second thoughts. No" She looked down, embarrassed and flushed. She then realized that Timothy planned the flow of their conversation. She glared at him. Timothy chuckled a little. "I''m sorry. I just wanted to see you redden. You''re so cute when you blush" He pulled her a little closer "But you''re not too nervous now are you?" She giggled "But now I''m flushed! You have to take responsibility King Timothy. Doing that to a lady in front of many people wasn''t nice." "I will" "And how are you going to do that?" Lucia asked with raised eyebrows "By giving you my heart for the rest of my life" Timothy gestured forward and Lucia saw that they have reached the platform. It was time to say their oaths. As planned, both of them went to the opposing sides of the platform where tables were prepared. Lucia went to the left while Timothy to the right. After reaching the table on her side, Lucia poured wine in a chalice. The sweet aroma of Hadean enticed her nostrils. She then stepped into the platform, meeting Timothy halfway. With Timothy in front of her, looking good and splendid, her heart again raced. She had been dreaming of this moment for months. This day was the fruit of their hardwork. As she fell into a daze, only Timothy filled her vision. He was the one she chose. He was the only one. In that moment, she was not the Queen of Vanadis and Timothy was not the King of Castonia. The two of them were simply Lucia and Timothy, two souls who decided to become one. She held the chalice near her chest. "I, Lucia Vanadis, with the Omniscient as witness, offer this wine to you, Timothy Castonia, as a symbol of my undying devotion and love. The only thing I want for it is that you return my love and treat me well. Shield me against my storms as I protect you against yours. What is mine will be yours. What I am will be you for we are one. From this day to our last, we are united." She offered Timothy the chalice. Timothy smiled and took the chalice from her hand. He then drank the wine. "I accept" he said as he gave the chalice back to her. Timothy also held his chalice near his chest. "I, Timothy Castonia, with the Omniscient as witness, offer this wine to you, Lucia Vanadis, as symbol of my eternal love. I promise to protect and give you happiness. What is mine will be yours. What I am will be you for we are one. From this day to our last, we are united" Timothy reached the chalice towards her. Lucia took it and drank the wine. She handed the chalice back to Timothy. "I accept" Lucia said, smiling as she was too happy to describe what she felt. At last she and Timothy are one. She promised herself that she will do everything to make Timothy happy. Applause from the audience boomed as the ritual ended with both of them clinking the two chalices. And then Lucia''s vision suddenly blurred. The scene of Timothy smiling from ear to ear was replaced with darkness. "Mat? Will you promise me?" A woman''s voice said, coming from Lucia''s side. It was as if she was the speaker. "Promise me that we will be together no matter what happens" the woman added "You know that we will Stella" A man''s voice replied "But I want to hear it from you" The man laughed "Alright. But I can only promise to do my part. You must also promise yours" "Fine. I promise. I promise that I will be yours. Now it''s your turn Mathew" But before the man could again talk, Lucia''s vision was returned. Timothy was again standing in front of her. "I promise that I will be yours." Timothy said to Lucia with a smile. "No matter what happens" Lucia instinctively mumbled, still shocked by what she saw. 132 Commitment and Happiness The great hall of the palace of Nirvana was as bright as day. Beeswax candles and lamps were scattered all around, gifting illumination to the guests. White and gold decors, colors of the two kingdoms, lined the walls. The music and the food were also the best Lucia had ever seen in a celebration- a weighty remark if coming from a royal of Vanadis such as herself. Hundreds of people were inside the hall, laughing and dancing and eating and doing whatever nobles do in a celebration such as this- albeit in a more formal manner as she and Timothy were at the front. A lot of these nobles must have wanted to gain favorable first impression in their eyes, she mused. "Are you sure of what you heard earlier?" Timothy asked beside her, secretly cupping her hands below the table. She met his eyes and saw that her husband was anxious. His frosty hands also confirmed this. This won''t do, she thought. Seeing Timothy worry about things saddened her. What she experienced earlier can be discussed later. It was blasphemy to soil this celebration with worry. She pinched a single grape from their shared plate and put it on Timothy''s lips. Timothy wiggled the fruit with his lips into his mouth and chewed, still looking at her. "Fine" said Timothy "Not now right?" "You know me too well Your Majesty" Lucia teased with a sweet smile. Timothy chuckled and slumped on his chair. Lady Maria walked towards their table. She was flanked by Erik and Sylvie who were both wearing formal attires. Sylvie shyly smiled at Lucia but still avoided looking at her. "A great day King Timothy and Queen Lucia. Congratulations to the two of you." Lady Maria greeted with a smile. Erik made a small courteous bow towards them. He then grinned at Timothy "I will be the one to follow you Tim. I''ll probably tie the knot in less than a year''s time" "With the lady beside your mother I suppose?" Timothy sprang a rapid reply, "No!" Erik glanced back at Sylvie "We¡­ we are not like¡­" "Oh they are like that" Lady Maria interrupted and grinned, her old white teeth showing. "Isn''t that right Sylvie? Didn''t Erik promise to take you to Greenwater?" "He did. Like a noble prince he made an oath to me." "And didn''t my Erik once rode to your rescue, alone and unarmed?" "Oh I can still remember how gallant he looked that time. More gallant than a knight" Sylvie put her two palms of her cheeks. "See?" Lady Maria wrapped both her arms on Erik and Sylvie "These two are lovebirds. I could only wish they hurry and make me some grandchild already" "Ma!" Erik exclaimed with flushed cheeks. The next ones who congratulated them were Freya and Henry. Freya looked beautiful with her red gown and Henry- well the Knight was wearing what appears to be a soldier''s uniform. "Congratulations to the two of you" Henry put a palm on his chest and bowed "May the Omniscient bless you with joy. May his eternal light shine on your marriage." "May the Omniscient bless you too Henry" said Lucia. She turned her head towards Freya and gave a grin "So¡­ when will you follow us?" Freya was holding Henry''s hand. She looked at Henry and then back at Lucia "We don''t have plans yet. With Castonia and Tulosa still technically at war, the legalities are difficult to solve" "I say legalities don''t matter as long as we make our oaths to the Omniscient. But if it needs be, I am willing to take Castonian citizenship" Henry declared "Are you sure?" Timothy asked "I thought you still wanted to go back to Tulosa" "Just a visit probably. I want to see my father, mother and sister again. But I don''t think I will live back there. I am now hated by many Tulosans for.." Henry shook his head "obvious reasons" After Henry and Freya, Lucia''s father and Arthur greeted them next. Her father was as extravagant as ever with robe made of Abicut silk and expensive rings on multiple fingers. Arthur was also the same but unlike before, his proud demeanor was gone. Like Sylvie, he also avoided looking at them. "Your Majesty" The former King bowed "I have a gift to both of you" "A gift?" Timothy turned a short look at Lucia. "Yes. Well since my Lucia is now the Queen a gift feels like taking from her pocket and then gifting it back to her. But still¡­" her father leaned forward and said in hushed tone "Availability is the real issue here. It took me a lot of effort and connections to buy my gift." "So what is it father?" Lucia asked with a chuckle. Her father seemed so excited to show the gift. Her father smiled and gestured for a servant. After a while, the servant put a bottle on the table. Lucia was not familiar with the bottle. But as she turned her head towards Timothy, she saw that her husband''s eyes were glittering. "Is this¡­" "It is" "How¡­ even¡­" Timothy caressed the bottle. "Connections Your Majesty" "May I ask what that is?" Lucia voiced. "It''s Omniscient''s Touch" said Timothy "This is the rarest wine in the whole world! Last I''ve heard, there were only five bottles left." Lucia enjoyed the sight of Timothy staring at the bottle like a child. Timothy shook his head while smiling. "We need to hide this from Erik" Timothy''s jesting remark drew laughter from Lucia and her father. Arthur also laughed before shutting his mouth and lowering his head again. Many guests and nobles approached them after, offering gifts and greetings. Some of them were even Vanadians who endured several days on the snowy road just to attend the wedding. When most of the guests had left, a hooded figure approached their table. Their guards drew their weapons but Timothy raised his hand to stop them. When the hooded man was just a few paces from them, Lucia saw who it was. "Son" Leopold gave Timothy a single nod before turning his look towards Lucia "And may I call you daughter?" "You may" Lucia said sadly. She had been expecting this to happen but it was still heart-breaking. Timothy was also the same with his head hung low. Leopold Castonia was still hated by many people. For most Castonians, he was still the foolish King who caused the civil war. With the addition of his betrayal to Wismar, Hadea, Canton and Inkit, he had gained the reputation of being a dishonest coward. Even though his betrayal helped Timothy, the idea of striking allies from the back was still dishonorable for many Castonians. Because of this, he personally proposed not to attend the wedding and the following celebration for fear that nobles would use his presence in the wedding to destroy Timothy''s reputation. Timothy refused at first but Leopold was stubborn and his argument made sense. In the end a compromise was made- Leopold would attend the wedding and the celebration but in hiding. Even so, it was still sad. A father shouldn''t be treated like a fugitive on his son''s wedding. "Don''t be looking dismal the two of you" Leopold put a palm on each of their faces "This is a happy day remember? Also many people could see you. The King and the Queen must be tough" Lucia forced a smile "Of course¡­ father" Leopold''s face lit up. The old man smiled. "Having the Queen call me father is such an honor. Timothy is lucky to have you" he glanced at Timothy "You should make her happy. It is our family tradition to love our wives dearly" "What about Ivan? William? Er, uncle Wilson?" "Exceptions" Leopold said Timothy laughed "More like the two of us are the exceptions" Leopold joined in laughter "You may be right. I swear those three are the worst husbands ever" he then cleared his throat of the last of his laughter. He nodded to the two of them and with lowered head he said, "I don''t have a gift actually. I tried rummaging through my things but all I have are old man''s clothing and lesser Hadean wines. So I guess I''ll just congratulate and wish you a good marriage" Timothy rose and embraced his father. "Your presence is enough Father. Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me" ********** After all the celebrations and the insincere greetings of the nobles, Lucia found herself standing in front of their bed. Timothy was beside her, also staring at the wooly mattress fragranced with amyris. The bed was large, at least a few armspans long, and complimented with a thick fur blanket and two pillows wrapped in silk. "If you''re not ready then we could do this later" Timothy said "I''m ready" Lucia leaned her head against his arm "And you? Are you ready for this?" Timothy turned his head towards her and their eyes met. The sincerity in the way he looked at her melted her heart. Timothy hooked his arm around Lucia''s waist, pulled her closer and put his lips on hers. Their lips raveled into a passionate kiss. It was soft. It was warm. It was good. His breaths tickled her nose. His scent was lovely- a little sweet like berries. The taste of his lips was more complicated than his scent. It was a mixture of saltiness like the ocean and the saccharine taste of honey. Of course his scent and the taste of his lips were too unique to describe with utmost accuracy. His taste was Timothy and his scent was Timothy. The warmth that she felt as he touched her was also Timothy. Lucia lost her thoughts. She didn''t notice the moment their clothes were dropped to the floor or the instant their bodies coiled into an affectionate embrace. She wasn''t thinking of these trivial things. In that moment, her thoughts were that of her love for him. She wanted Timothy to know that he was the one she chose and he''s the only one she will give this kind of treatment. She wanted him to feel special- because he really is. Timothy will be the only one to experience her vulnerability. She was committed to him and only him. Lucia wanted Timothy to be happy so she gave all of herself. Words were not enough to express her feelings and neither were their current actions. But at least by giving herself to him, they could be a little closer. She was his and he was hers. They own each other- a sole ownership of each other''s soul. Timothy was still on top of her after they finished. He had been staring at her face for a while now as if memorizing every detail of her figure. "Do you think we did it right?" He asked with a smirk Lucia giggled and playfully pounded her fist on his arm "How should I know! I was just following your lead" "Then was it¡­ good?" He grinned, almost laughing. Lucia''s cheeks felt hot after being reminded of what they did earlier. She shyly nodded an answer. Timothy laughed and lay on her side. He then pulled Lucia closer and made her rest her head on his arm. "I''m happy" Timothy said with a sigh "I''m so happy that I couldn''t believe it''s possible to be this happy" "I am too" Lucia admitted, enjoying the feeling Timothy''s firm arm "I want us to stay like this Tim" "We will. This is just the beginning. The two of us will be together until the end" "Until the end?" Lucia repeated. Those phrases brought her contentment. The prospect of being like this with Timothy was all she ever wanted. "Yes" Timothy put a kiss on her forehead. "Until the end" 133 Side Story 2 Undying Love Chronology: After Chapter 132 Everything was covered in white. Snowflakes danced in the air like smooth feathers. With flowers in hand, Leopold trudged in the snow. His coat was thick and every part of his body was covered save for his eyes and nose. He pulled the flowers towards his nose and relished on its fragrance. Gardenias. Margaret had always favored gardenias. When he was still courting Margaret, he would give her this flower almost everyday. Now that Margaret is gone, all he could do is to bring gardenias to her grave every now and then. "We must hurry. Your knees are aching due to cold right?" Timothy said who was walking beside him. He was also holding a bunch of gardenias. "You''re treating me like an old frail man. I am still strong" "You were strong" Timothy smiled "Now your knees are aching" "Heh. It''s only cold" He halted and pointed to the left "That''s it" At the distance there was a huge oak. The oak ''s size was not really its unique characteristic though. It was the tree''s isolation. Around the oak sprawled a bed of white snow. When spring comes and when the snow had melted, the ground where they are standing right now is a wide plain at least a league across. The oak stood alone in the plain. Leopold could still remember the day she told Margaret of his feelings. It was summer of that year under the oak. They had been close friends for more than a decade that time. Leopold had been hiding his feelings for the same length of time. Margaret returned his feelings and the two of them became couples that day. After several years he took her as his Queen despite the protests of many people. When they were just a few paces from the oak, a block of marble was revealed. Flakes of snow covered the marble, painting it in white. Leopold knelt and swept the snow with his palm. The inscription, Margaret Castonia, was written on the surface of the marble block. Leopold put the flowers on the block. Timothy also did the same. He then caressed the inscription with the tip of his fingers. Memories came flooding to his mind- both good and bad but memories nontheless. "What does she look like?" Timothy asked "I was still small when she left us that I have already forgoten her face" "She..." Leopold closed his eyes. Margaret''s face was still fresh in his memory. "She was beautiful. Her smooth black hair was pretty. Her kind eyes were so deep that you would drown by looking. And her smile... oh her smile was the best thing in the world. Nothing makes my heart flutter more than her smile" Leopold pulled his coat tighter towards his body. "I was rude to her when we first met. She was a servant girl and I was the heir of Castonia. I would always meet my eyebrows whenever she was around. There was something about her innocence that annoyed me. But you know son..." He looked towards the marble block with a smile "We eventually got closer. I grew up with a servant girl with an innocent smile. The next think I know, I fell for her." Timothy knelt beside him and hooked an arm around his back. "May I ask you a personal question?" "You may" "Why... didn''t you marry again after she left? It would have lessened your heartache" Leopold sighed "Because I never ceased on loving her. The thought did come into my mind. But I just couldn''t replace her in my heart Tim. I have always loved her. Even time couldn''t dull my love. I love her now as much as I did when I first told her about my feelings." Leopold''s kneel slumped. He let his butt fall on the cold snow. "Even though she betrayed me, I couldn''t blame her for the act. That royal guard was good looking and his words were greasy. While I... I am hard to love. I am an evil person. My looks are also nothing special. Of course she would be stolen from me" Timothy plucked one of flowers and put it inside the pocket of his coat. "Don''t look down on yourself. You are Leopold Castonia. You are my father. That man shouldn''t have done that to you." Timothy''s words made Leopold smile. He felt warm and good inside. "Thank you" Timothy patted his back and shuddered under his coat. "It''s cold. We should go back soon. I''ll give you a moment alone. I''ll just be nearby" Timothy rose and walked away. Leopold was left alone with Margaret''s grave. He again caressed Margaret''s inscribed name. "He has grown" Leopold said "Your son. No. Our son has grown. He looks just like him but I don''t care. Not anymore. He is now a great man Margaret. And he''s married to this lovely woman. She is a Queen. A Queen Margaret, a Queen. Can you believe that? Her name is Lucia Vanadis. She''s kind don''t worry and she loves Timothy. Our son is also beloved by many. His name alone strikes fear in the hearts of our enemies. He will soon become the most powerful person in the world. And I''m lucky enough to witness that. I''m really really really proud of our son. He..." Tears dropped from Leopold''s eyes and into the marble block. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand and continued. "I''m so happy Margaret. I am so happy that I got to be his father. Life wasn''t good to us in the end. We have both suffered. I lost your love and you lost him. But that''s just life I guess. But now I''m happy. I''m contented at the very least. Timothy has been good to me even though I did horrible things to him" Leopold put a palm on top of the block. "About our other sons, I hope I can tell you about Ivan and William but I don''t know what those two are doing right now. Ivan is rebelling I think and William should still be running around" Leopold sighed "Well that''s enough. I''m a talkative old man aren''t I?" Leopold laughed and rose. He patted bits of snow from his buttocks. "See you next time my love. I will come back and tell you again about our sons." He then turned his back and walked away. Timothy was waiting not far from the marble block. "That was fast" Timothy said. They started walking back to their carriage. "It''s cold. My knees are aching" He cocked his head towards Timothy and grinned "And I''m an old frail man remember?" "Now you''re admitting it" Timothy grinned back "So, what do you want for dinner?" "Stew. Mutton preferably" "We don''t have mutton. What about beef?" "That''ll do. And I want it spicy" "You really love it spicy don''t you?" "I wouldn''t be Leopold Castonia if I don''t" The two of them continued talking on their way back. 134 Resentmen After shifting through the dark alleys of Holm, Pod found himself dipping into the sewers of the city. Sewer water splashed onto his boots, some even touching his feet. It was damp, slimy and cold. But Pod didn''t mind the sewer water. The worst was the smell. The putrid scent of the decaying refuse of the city was unbearable. A certain sourness rose through his throat. He gagged, almost flushing his lunch. But the smell and the cold and the slimy liquid couldn''t stop Pod. Trivial things, he thought. He was determined in seeing this through- for he had decided. A huge rat, almost stygian in color ran not far from him. Pod screamed a scream of both shock and fear. He had always hated rats. Nevertheless Pod trudged forward, withstanding his fear. He must see this through for he had decided, Pod repeated in his heart. After a few hundred paces of waddling trough the sewers, Pod found the place. It was a small dry portion of the sewers directly below the noble district of Holm. Noble houses were sparsely distributed unlike those of commoners. The sewer below the noble district was dryer and more... accommodating for their purpose today. There were already a few dozen people talking amidst the dim illumination of torches. Some of them wore commoner clothes while a select few wore expensive coats made with beaver fur. "Ave, comrades" Pod greeted. The few dozen people all turned their heads towards him. "Late. Aren''t we Pod?" An old man wearing beaver fur coat said. If Pod was not mistaken, the old man was a silk merchant. "I got lost. I''m sorry" Pod bowed a little "Apologies are enough I hope?" The merchant chanted something under his breath. If Pod was to guess, it was a curse of sorts. The merchant then opened his palm towards Pod "We have wasted enough time. Do you have it?" Pod stepped forward. His boots scraping against the dry but still sticky floor of the sewer. He sheathed his hand inside the pocket of his woolly coat and pulled a folded piece of paper. Parchment was a better word to describe the thing as it was tough and durable. He examined the faces of the several dozen people and raised the parchment level to his head. "Before I give this, I would like to remind the lot of you that this is treason. The Queen..." Pod paused and shook his head a little "As merciful as she is, will not be kind to traitors. We could all hang just by meeting like this" "Are you having second thoughts now boy?" The merchant bellowed with a hint of mockery. "Nothing of sorts. My determination remains as it is. Just reminding you of the gravity of your actions" "Hush now boy. Give us the map and let us be done with this" Pod clicked his tongue once. He handed the merchant the folded parchment. The merchant unfolded the parchment with a smile- a smirk if examined more closely. But the smirk soon turned into frown and the frown turned into a glare. "This is not the map of the palace. All there is are words and names" "I know" Pod put both hands inside his pocket. "I know" he repeated a second time before clearing his throat and straightening his posture. "Those are your names and that is your arrest warrant" Pod snapped his fingers and some of the people in the group revealed their weapons hidden inside their coats. Like him, they were loyal Royal Guards tasked to defend the Union from people of little vision like the merchant and his lot. Seeing the royal guards the would be rebels all flinched. "What is the meaning of this Pod!?" the merchant roared a confused question. "With the power vested in me by Her Majesty, Queen Lucia Vanadis, I, Pod Fickle, Royal Guard, do hereby order your arrest for the crimes of conspiracy, sedition and treason. With the Omniscient as witness, I accuse ye, traitors to the Union. Surrender and you will be judged by law. Resist and we will take all measures necessary" The silk merchant took a single step backwards. The other rebels huddled near the him. "You are a betrayer!" The merchant shouted to Pod. "I betrayed no one" Pod said with calmness "I was, am and always will be loyal to Her Majesty" "To Her Majesty!? That harlot sold our nation to the Castonians! She betrayed us. Opening her legs to a foreign King in exchange for what? I bet she only wants a warm splutter inside her belly. A wench I tell you. And you still follow her. You are a disgrace!" "Do not insult Her Majesty. You are the disgrace. Too close-minded and blind to see that cooperation with Castonia is the future. Surrender now!" The merchant smiled "No. We shall fight. Weapons!" he shouted and the rebels revealed their weapons. Some were carrying clubs while others had daggers. "You choose death then?" "No boy. I choose freedom" the merchant said with a smile and a sigh. Pod unsheathed a short sword fastened on his waist. He raised and held it firm. Blood will flow with sewer water today. He must defend the Union and Her Majesty. "For the Union!" ********** Anthapis, Eastern Castonia Ivan was riding his horse at full speed. Snow was falling onto his face. The coat he brought when he escaped from Nirvana was now soiled. He looked behind. Six other people were riding with him. He brought nearly thirty from Nirvana but there were only six of them now. The worst part? They were all Wismarines. None of the Castonians joined him. "I think we lost them Your Highness" one of the Wismarines said. "Majesty" Ivan corrected harshly with gritted teeth. "I am no prince. I am the King of Castonia. The true King! You should remember that" "Of course" the Wismarine said "Pardon my mistake Your Majesty Ivan" Ivan didn''t talk after that. He fixed his eyes on the dark road. He bit his lips so hard that the iron taste of blood filled his palate. He failed. Again. Ever since he escaped Nirvana, he had been gathering support in the eastern regions. He was the rightful heir after all. That usurper Timothy wasn''t even of royal blood. But inciting a rebellion wasn''t as easy as he expected. He thought thousands would raise their banners for him. Timothy successfully gained support in Solon in just under a week when he started the civil war. Ivan should also be capable of doing that. He, afterall, is the rightful King. But it was difficult. Although some nobles entertained him, all they wanted was to gather some royal favor. He was willing to reward them after he gains the throne but he had already promised his allegiance to Wismar. There was no room for ambitious nobles in his camp. The common people were harder to convince. Ivan once stood in the city center of Anthapis once and gave a speech. He reasoned with them that Timothy doesn''t have the right to rule as he was just a bastard. They threw insults and rotten things at him. Some even moved to attack him. Luckily his Wismarine guards saved him that time. But his life had become significantly harder lately. It seemed Timothy had planted spies and traitors everywhere. Just this evening, he met with a Baron. The meeting turned out to be a trap. Soldiers rushed towards them and he lost another six of the Wismarines. He escaped but with this failure he had no choice but to retreat to Wismar in shame. He was a King without his Kingdom. "How far are we from the border of Wismar and Castonia?" Ivan asked the Wismarines "Three days if we rush King Ivan. But considering the state of our horses, I think we should slow down. We cannot afford to lose the horses" "Right" Ivan said with a nod "After we pass the Ashir mountains we will go directly to the capital. I need to request an army from your King and take back what is mine as soon as possible" "As you wish Your Majesty" In the darkness in front of him Ivan spotted a figure of a man. The horse saw the person first and halted with a neigh. "Swords!" Ivan shouted, shaking and fearing for his life. The Wismarines trotted their horses forward and surrounded Ivan. They were holding their swords tightly. "Identify yourself or feel the kiss of our blade!" one of the Wismarines shouted. There was a momentary silence. Both parties froze in place. Ivan was sweating despite the snowfall. "You wouldn''t want to do that" The man finally said and walked forward. His steps were slow and heavy. "Trust me. You don''t" The man''s face was now revealed by the faint illumination of the moon. The man''s face clearly displayed his old age. He was wearing an ordinary coat and thick trouser. On his neck hung a medallion half the size of a person''s palm. His face was unremarkable. If Ivan was to guess, the man was of the northern descent. "Identify yourself then!" Ivan shouted. He was also gripping his sword. "Identity? Names then" The man shook his head "No, you don''t have to know my name. That is if I even have one. What''s important is whether I''m a friend or a foe" "Answer that then! Are you my ally or my enemy?" "Friend. For now that is" The man said "It was painful watching you fail over and over again. Pitiful little creature you are. Well since we have a common enemy, we should help each other." "You mean... Timothy?" "And his wife the Queen too. You want to know how he bested you Ivan? He had help" The man stepped forward, not giving a care to the Wismarine guards. He then offered Ivan his hand. "It''s also right for you to have help don''t you think?" 135 Enemies From Within "Escanor Your Highness. You may not remember me but you''ve helped my wife give birth a year ago" I did not lie. "Your Highness, this is a foreign city. The nobles are more powerful here and they''re more prone to scheme. Be careful Your Highness. If you need help, I''ll try my best to assist you" I did want to help her. "Think nothing of it Your Highness I want to see my brother again anyway. Luckily I have three horses hidden in a secret location." All I wanted was to return the favor. She is a kind girl and I am a grateful merchant. "I''m sorry Princess. I forgot to tell you about the crossroad. It seems you took the wrong way" I even messed up many times. But that was because I didn''t know their identities back then. "I think there''s more to Lucia Vanadis and Timothy Castonia than we originally thought. I request assistance" I came looking for copper. But soon I realized that¡­ "Shadow I think they are them. I think we humans can help you now" I found Gold. ********** Fair flakes of snow drifted in the wind- brazen, harsh, unyielding. It was the snow season, the season of hot broths and the huddling children in the corners with blankets and furry clothing. It was the season of inactivity- hibernation of sorts. Farmers cease their plowing, miners stop mining, merchants don''t haggle and diddle, and soldiers have a respite in bleeding and dying. But the city of Solon didn''t follow the norm. Like an old man toiling for his starving family, the city was alive in the snow season. Hundreds of forges lit the night, burning, churning and eating iron ores like monsters with insatiable appetite. Horse-drawn carts went back and forth between the mines and the city, feeding the beast with inexhaustible supply of ores. Cobert was enjoying the sight of the burning furnaces from his room. Standing by the window and cupping a bowl of steaming stew, his eyes were fixed on the furnaces. His feet were wrapped in winter boots. His coat was that of thick authentic fur of beavers- an animal found only in Vanadis. On his hands were black mittens, knitted by his lovely wife. Behind Cobert was his brother, Escanor, who was reading reports from fellow merchants while sitting on the couch. The room was dimly lit and Cobert worried about his brother''s eyes. Nevertheless he remained silent as he knew from Escanor''s meeting eyebrows that there was a problem. "So what is it brother? Problems for the monarchs?" Cobert asked, failing to withstand his curiosity. Escanor did not utter an answer right away and just shuffled through the papers with his soft merchant hands. "Yeah" Escanor fixed his eyes on the papers. Still reading he continued "Wismar, Hadea, Canton and Inkit are pissed as expected. Our merchant connections have heard that the leaders of the four nations are meeting soon. I bet they are forming a coalition of sorts. Vanadis and Castonia could face a coalition war by the end of the snow season" Cobert stepped towards his brother and sat beside him. The soft cushion of the couch provided relief to his bottom. "But I think the monarchs have already expected this brother. The Castonian army is at its peak. Vanadis is also guarding the waters. While trade is greatly disrupted at the moment, the Vanadian treasury can support a long war." "Yeah, the King and the Queen have a plan. It''s just¡­ Inkit, Hadea, Canton and Wismar- those four are not the best of friends. Wismar even invaded Canton just a decade ago. And yet they have banded together in just a short time. But the greatest threat comes from within. Many Vanadians and Castonians are against the union. I''ve heard hundreds of arrests were done in the city of Holm alone. Some people here in Castonia are also resisting although not as strongly as in Vanadis" Fair point, Cobert thought. He was amazed by how his brother''s skills had developed. Escanor was still the same older brother that he was familiar with but at the same time there was something different about the current Escanor. If Cobert was to guess, the change started after Escanor came back from a few years of trading in the north. Escanor had become a little paranoid after he came back. Cobert even heard that Escanor helped Queen Lucia escape once using a secret tunnel. He scratched his head after he heard that Escanor had a secret tunnel under his room in Nirvana. They were merchants, not fugitives. Normal merchants wouldn''t have tunnels under their rooms. He was starting to suspect that his brother is dealing with illegal merchandise or smuggling or both. Cobert took a piece of paper from the pile still unread by his brother. He squinted and read the contents. "Holy tariffs! This is insane. This says that Emperor of Dandaria is dead. Heirless!" Cobert turned a look at Escanor expecting his brother''s bulging eyes. But Escanor was nonchalant. His eyes were glued on the papers he was reading. "Brother! Didn''t you hear me?" "I heard you Cob" "Then do you realize what will happen to the Dandarian Empire?" "Power vacuum, warring nobles, include the interference of other nations and you got a perfect civil war. No, not just civil war. It will be anarchy in the south soon. The Dandarian Empire is done for" Escanor said, still shuffling through the reports. Cobert remained staring at his brother. Escanor seemed to notice him and sighed. "Look, the Dandarian Empire is a few hundred leagues away. Their matters don''t concern us. We can''t save everyone Cob" Cobert rubbed the back of his head. He took another piece of paper and resumed his reading. "A fleet of Lutani merchant ships were sunk in the strait of Mesali." "I have already read that one. Lutan is accusing Borondi of the deed. A valid casus belli" Cobert held another paper "And this. Raised taxes in some Kingdom whose name I don''t know how to read" "Feschi. Yeah they will soon face a rebellion" Cobert put down the paper "Everyone is at war with someone huh? Conflicts everywhere. It''s like the Omniscient is punishing us humans" "Like a cull right?" "That''s the word. A cull." There was a silence between them. The only sound Cobert could hear was paper rubbing against paper. "Cob" Escanor suddenly voiced "What if I told you that the conflicts and chaos we are currently having are all instigated by some people?" Cobert shifted his body towards his brother "What do you mean by that? Some people? Like a group or something?" "Yeah. Like that" "Their purpose?" "Chaos and division of all humans. This is just hypothetical but what do you think?" Cobert pondered for a while. He then opened his mouth and opined. "They have to be powerful. Like really powerful to do that" "And do you think they will succeed?" "Eventually, yeah. Why do you ask me these strange questions? Don''t tell me you think everything that is happening- the death of Dandaria''s Emperor, the sinking of Lutani merchant ships, the increased taxes in Feschi, and even the conflicts here in Castonia- are all caused by some secret organization? That''s impossible brother" Escanor chuckled. He rubbed his eyes "Impossible right? Don''t mind me Cob. I''m just probably tired" Cobert shrugged and just grabbed another paper. "How about this? Counterfeit coins and increasing prices of food. Multiple accounts of nobles hoarding food" "Ah, the triangle of economic collapse. Hoarding, counterfeit coins and snow season. Next thing the people will starve. And when people starve they blame the King. And when they blame the King, they will murmur whispers of rebellion. And after the murmurs¡­ well let''s just hope that it''ll stop at that. That nation is done for without help. Where is that anyway?" Cobert agreed in his heart. Being a merchant for a long time, he immediately noticed that the things written in the report were precursors to economic turmoil. He eyed the name of the writer. His brows soon furrowed. "It''s¡­ in the city of Anthapis, Eastern Castonia" Escanor finally looked at him. His brother then grabbed the letter from his hands. "This is bad. We need to inform the King and the Queen. But we must confirm this news first. Let''s finish reading all of these" Although shaken by the news, Cobert nodded in agreement. Both of them read through all of the gossips, news and reports. The candles were almost melted to the base when they finished. They confirmed that the eastern region of Castonia could soon face starvation. They also found many more subtle problems that could soon cause big problems for the union. "So... the same things are happening in Vanadis huh? Hoarding and counterfeit coins" Escanor voiced a trembling utter. Cobert was also trembling. His eyes were blank after realizing that they have discovered a hidden plot to destroy the union of Castonia and Vanadis from within. "Also the rise of banditry and the missing companies of mercenaries" Cobert took a deep breath and turned his head towards Escanor "What you asked me about earlier. That thing with powerful people trying to cause disorder amongst us" "What about it?" "I''m starting to believe that''s the case brother" 136 Eastern Problems Lucia''s warm body entwined with his own. She was still sleeping, her eyes shut close. Timothy accidentally pulled the blanket a little and Lucia''s nakedness was revealed. He felt heat rose through his body. Nevertheless he kept on staring. Lucia yawned and opened her eyes. She then grinned. "Who gave you the permission to stare?" "Is it wrong now to stare at my wife?" "It''s not the matter of staring. It''s where you''re staring at" Timothy chuckled. He pulled her closer. "And where am I staring at?" "Somewhere you shouldn''t" Lucia pinched his nose "Lest you get any outrageous ideas" "Too late for that. The idea already crossed my mind" he started nibbling on her neck. Lucia giggled "Tim! We can''t do it in the morning. I''m still tired from last night, and the night before that." "We need an heir" Timothy stopped his nibbling and grinned at her "We need an heir? A feeble excuse for your carnality" "But we do need an heir" Lucia put her finger on Timothy''s lips "And you need restraint my King. Erik and Freya are leaving Nirvana today. We still need to meet them early in the morning." Timothy remembered that today was the day Erik will return to Greenwater and Freya to Solon. Before they leave, he and Lucia first need to have a meeting with them to discuss further plans. Timothy grunted "Fine. And after they''ve left?" Lucia put a kiss on his cheeks "We''ll see" Timothy kissed her back. He then reached towards the table and grabbed a small box made of wood. He handed the box to Lucia. Lucia opened the box and pulled out a small iron seal. She looked at him. "They have agreed to let you join Leo''s Tear. But you''re not an official member yet until you have sworn the oath in front of the leader. Well that is if you want to join." "I do" She smiled happily "So who is the leader?" Timothy sighed before talking. "My uncle. I don''t know his whereabouts at the moment and that''s the problem. I guess we should wait for him to pop his head out from some hole in the ground" Lucia embraced him "It''s alright. But can I use the seal now?" "You could. That''s why I gave it to you" Timothy embraced her back. ********** Timothy was rubbing his forehead. His earlier mood was ruined the moment the meeting started. This was supposed to be just a normal meeting with him giving his final commands to Henry, Freya and Erik before they leave. But apparently some people were brewing an economic crisis in the eastern provinces. The economic crisis could engulf Castonia into chaos as the people were already starving. Braun, Leopold, Erik, Freya, Henry, Lucia and he were all sitting around the table in the war room. On the table was the large map of Castonia. Timothy eyed the three cities where reports of hoarding came from and his brows furrowed. It was Henry who first talked. The Knight balled his fist on the table. "Unforgivable" Henry shook his head "To cause such a thing. To starve the innocents for political gains. Such lack of conscience. Such ugliness. May the Omniscient forgive them. These truly are troubling times for many people''s heart are dark" Leopold brushed his fingers against the map. "I myself also did not expect this. We were informed too late. Given, information travels slowly during the snow season but the rate the news traveled was just too slow" "And not just that" Braun added "Even though the manner of His Majesty''s ascension to the throne is rather peculiar, the nobles should be frightened by your army. But hoarding food? The eastern nobles are playing with fire. They are challenging your rule. They''ve grown bolder as if someone is behind them" "I concur. But it''s not Ivan for sure. You know he is not capable of doing such thing. You know how incompetent he is" Leopold said Timothy studied the expression of people sitting around the table. They all wore dark expressions except for Lucia. She was looking at Timothy with sadness written all over her pretty face. She gripped his hand and lowered her head a little. "I''m sorry but Vanadis can''t help you this time. If Escanor''s report is correct, then nobles in Vanadis are also hoarding food and spreading counterfeits. Although the effects are not that severe, Vanadis would also face rebellion if I do nothing. We can''t spare grains to Castonia" "It''s alright. The problem is not a shortage of food anyway. The eastern region has an abundance of grains from the last harvest. It''s just the nobles who are controlling the supply. " Timtohy said. He met eyes with his father "You had to deal with hoardings many times before right?" "Too many to count Your Majesty. Some people just wanted to go against authority. About ten years ago some nobles and merchants in Ront tried raise the price of food by hiding hundreds of tons of grains. Greedy creatures. When I heard about it, I assembled my soldiers and marched to Ront. I rooted and imprisoned those damn nobles. A few I turned into serfs. Ah that was a satisfying day. You should have seen their faces when I stripped their family of the noble status" Timothy had heard of the great noble purge ten years ago. His father did indeed imprison a lot of nobles that time. Too many in fact that the eastern nobles all respect his father. The action was still being praised or condemned until now. "But the number of rebellious nobles now exceeds that ten years ago. Ront, Straso and even Anthapis are all suffering from food scarcity. I can''t just march my soldiers into the three cities and punish the nobles" "That is correct Your Majesty" Henry said. The Knight looked nervous when all the heads in the room turned to him. Nevertheless he continued. "All of your soldiers are currently stationed in the west. Sending them to the east would be difficult especially during the snow season. Cavalry is a worse choice as horses can''t graze in winter. The logistics would be a nightmare" Timothy nodded. Henry was right. Whoever was behind the sudden change in the attitude of the nobles had thought this through. Doing something like this during the snow season had a double effect. First it exacerbated the effects of lack of food. Another thing was that Timothy could not send the bulk of his army. "What about the people? Will they fight for me? Why aren''t they resisting the nobles" he asked his father "If this happened in the western region the nobles should have already been shredded by now. Unfortunately the eastern regions are different. Most of the inhabitants there are serfs. Unlike landowners who are more welcoming to ideas of loyalty and nationalism, the serfs only desire food, clothing and security. They can''t eat ideas nor will ideas give them warmth in winter. Whoever holds the grains, holds their loyalty. And currently the nobles have the grains " Timothy turned to Lucia after hearing his father''s opinion. "We can''t send our armies in the east and we can''t expect the serfs to rise against the nobles. In fact I think the nobles will use the serfs against us. What do you think we should do?" Lucia leaned back and was silent for a while. Everyone waited for her to talk. It was apparent that everyone now viewed her with respect. Timothy remained silent too. He was the one who truly grasps and respects the extent of her intelligence. "We need allies in the east. Not all nobles are against us. If they were then the entire eastern region would have already risen in rebellion" "I don''t think we have allies in the east" Braun rebutted "We have" Lucia looked intently at Timothy. She opened her palm and secretly showed him the seal he had given her just this morning. Timothy smiled as he was reminded of Leo''s Tear. He was too anxious that he forgot that they had loyal friends in the east. Powerful loyal friends. "She''s right Braun. We have allies we can trust in the east. I have decided" Timothy looked at Erik who had remained silent since the start of the meeting. "As planned you will go back to Greenwater and repair the city" "You don''t need me in the east?" Erik asked with a surprised tone. "We really need Greewater. We can''t afford to have our trade income remain stagnant." "So who will fix the situation in the east? Don''t tell me you are going personally." "I''m not" Timothy confirmed "I will send someone whose name still strikes fear into the hearts of the nobles there and someone who knows Ivan the best. Also, someone who knows the east more than I do" He looked at his father. Leopold was zapped by Timothy''s look. He pointed at himself. "You mean¡­ me?" "And Braun" Timothy answered as he turned his head towards Braun. 137 Sowing Disconten Anthapis was a dubbed as the city of golden grains. What iron was to Solon and gold to Nirvana, grain was to Anthapis. Just outside the city, lush and wide farmlands sprawled for as far as the eye can see. Every year, Anthapis supplies most of the grains of Castonia. The citizens of Anthapis and even the serfs were happy and plump. But the people in front of Ivan wore grim expressions of hunger. These were the same fat swines who attacked him nearly a month ago. Last time they did not listen. Now that food prices were high and supplies were low, they were listening to him. A growling stomach really does open the ears. "I do not want violence with my brother. King Timothy is kind and going against him truly crushes my heart. Oh how cruel it is to pit brother against brother and blood against blood" Ivan put his palm on his chest and acted hurt. He had practiced this pose probably a hundred times last night. "But King Timothy''s policies are hurting you my people. Anthapis was once the grain basket of the Kingdom. Now look at the city. Starving people are everywhere. Grains are scarce. The people are hungry. We are suffering" Ivan stepped forward and raised his fist in the air. He breathed deeply and cleared his throat. "King Timothy is focusing on war. His courage is admirable. But his wars are making us suffer. The people of Castonia are starving. You are starving. I cannot bear watching this anymore. Because of this I will personally write a letter to King Timothy and beg to him to end the wars and focus on the suffering people instead. If he won''t listen then I would have no choice but to fight and convince him!" His rhetoric must have been bad as it was met with silence. Some people even had the audacity to laugh at him. Ivan just bit his lips and endured the humiliation. "We know you just want the crown. Your words now are different from your words last time. But it''s alright boy. You''re right, we are starving and we are yet to hear from King Timothy. We demand to be fed" A muscular man from the crowd said. From his clothes and posture Ivan discerned that he was a landowner and not a serf. "I myself ain''t caring about the damn politics. Just hurry up oh dear prince. Fix your bloody beef with your brother and feed us already!" a woman shouted. She was met with howls of the same pleas. "We want food!" Another man said. He spitted to the ground "We''ve toiled all year in our farms and paid the right taxes. We''ve bathed ourselves in sweat. And now the nobles are hogging all the food. Damn them. What little silver we have can only buy us thin broths. What little coin we have can only get us a few weeks into the snow season. Do they want us to starve? And the King is doing nothing!" Ivan smiled, inwardly as he cannot show that he was pleased with their growing distance from Timothy. These people were landowners after all. They were the ones affected the most by the shortage of food. Serfs were fed by nobles but landowners were on their own. This was just the start. Soon all of Eastern Castonia would chant his name against Timothy. Although some nobles will probably die in the ensuing chaos, they would have the honor of dying for him. He turned a look at Helios. He was still not sure if the old strange man''s name really is Helios. They just agreed on the name. He respect towards Helios had grown for the past weeks. At first Ivan was worried that Helios was just another of Timothy''s spies. Helios turned out to be useful- very useful in fact that all of the current disorder in Eastern Castonia were all because of him. He was also well-connected as almost all nobles knew him. He was able convince the nobles to hoard grains in just a short time. But what Ivan liked the most about Helios is that the old man doesn''t want anything in return. He was just like Ivan- bent on destroying Timothy. For a powerful man to desire nothing but Timothy''s downfall, Helios was weird. Ivan even suspects a little that Helios was Ashkara''s blessing to him. Ivan again feasted his eyes upon the enraged populace. They were still angrily murmuring. "That''s it for today oh good people of Anthapis. May the Omniscient be with us. May King Timothy have mercy. I will inform you of his answer soon enough" Ivan bowed and strode towards Helios. The Wismarine guards moved to protect him from behind. "Nicely done" Helios said with a smile as Ivan was being escorted by the Wismarines from the platform. "Thanks to your guidance" Ivan smiled back. "All of these are because of you. After I take the throne, I shall reward you handsomely. I know you want nothing but such service to Castonia demands for a reward" Helios did not talk and just smiled at Ivan. He started walking. Ivan hurried his steps to catch up. For an old man, Helios was fit. His hair had shades of white and wrinkles dotted his face. But Helios'' body still emitted a certain aura of virility. "Where are we going now? Personally, I want to rest. I''m tired" Ivan said "Oh you''ll rest. In fact you''ll sleep in the best bed in the city tonight" Helios put his hand on his medallion and fiddled with it. The thing''s design was unique and had a certain beauty about it. Ivan had the urge to ask Helios about the medallion but he prevented himself from prying too much. "First we need to meet with someone" Helios said "Someone? Where are we going exactly?" "You''ll see King Ivan. Patience. A lot of things we gain just by having patience" Ivan shrugged and just walked with Helios. The Wismarines followed behind. As Ivan walked in the streets of Anthapis, he couldn''t help but notice the stark difference between the current condition of the city and its condition just a few weeks ago. Vagrants now line the streets, begging for scraps of what little food the city has. Those who still had food were walking aimlessly. It was as if the city had died. Ivan felt a pinch of pity and guilt. They were the ones responsible for this. But he shook his head soon after. No, he thought. He was slightly responsible for the famine but it was Timothy''s fault all along. If Timothy hadn''t stolen his crown, then Ivan wouldn''t have been forced to do this. Timothy took what was his. It was just right for Ivan to take all measures necessary to take back the crown. Ivan eyed Helios who was still fiddling with his medallion. There were still many things he doesn''t know about Helios. The old man just popped out of nowhere. He felt lucky that Helios was his ally. "May I ask you a question?" "Question. An answer is what you want then. Answers are terrifying King Ivan for some truths are too dangerous that they are better buried under lies. Ask anyway. I''ll try to answer your question but be reminded of my warning about truths" Ivan ignored his unusual blabber. Ever since he met Helios, he had always been like that. "Why do you hate Timothy? My own hatred for him is understandable and just. But you seem to have a history with him" "I don''t hate him" Helios replied "I got nothing personal against King Timothy. I''m just doing my job. A man''s got to do what he was tasked to do" "And what is your job? It''s strange that someone as well-connected and powerful as you still have to work for someone" Helios chuckled. It was an unsettling chuckle that brought shivers into Ivan''s spine. "My job? Oh Your Majesty Ivan. You don''t want to know. Trust me, you don''t. It''s one of the truths that is better buried under lies. The important thing is that we''re working together as allies. Am I wrong?" Ivan swallowed but was slightly annoyed. He really wanted an answer. He looked towards Helios, committed on having his answer. But Helios talked first. He pointed forward. "We''re here King Ivan. Like what I promised, you will sleep in the best bed tonight" Ivan traced Helios'' finger with his eyes. What he saw in front was a huge house in the center of the city. It was the house of the Governor of Anthapis, Earl Vernice. "You also have connections with the Governor?" Ivan smiled and shook his head. He was pleased "You never fail to surprise me Helios" Helios again didn''t talk. He just trudged forward with his old legs. Ivan followed. He was too pleased to mind Helios'' disrespectful behavior. He grinned a little knowing the importance of Earl Vernice''s help. 138 Nobles Revol Earl Vernice was fat. Ivan had heard of this swine''s legendary voraciousness before but he never expected that those tales were true. Red plump cheeks, thick fatty arms, oversized belly- Ivan was surprised the Earl could even move. Earl Vernice had his huge butt glued on his huge chair while eating a huge turkey leg. Juice was dripping from the Earl''s mouth. It was disgusting. If Ivan didn''t need the Earl''s support, he wouldn''t be sitting here, watching as the pig devoured his food. Ivan leaned forward, intertwining fingers on both hands. "Earl Vernice..." "You want me to also hoard food. Isn''t that right?" The Earl interrupted while chewing the food. He picked pieces of meat from his teeth and continued. "What''s in it for me?" "The honor of serving me" Ivan replied "So I won''t gain anything then? The King''s gratitude is a good thing to have but you are no King yet. Not unless I support you" Ivan wanted to slap those plump cheeks of the Baron. He was the King, the rightful one. The Earl should be honorable enough to give him what was his. It was the duty of nobles to serve the King. "That is not the only merit of this Earl Vernice" It was Helios who spoke. "Oh enlighten me then. Uh... who are you again?" "My name is not important, just my purpose" Helios said with a hint of smirk "Let me ask you Earl Vernice, what is the difference between landowners and serfs?" The Earl finished the turkey leg first before opening his mouth. "Landowners own land while serfs toil lands owned by nobles" He tilted to one side of his chair. "Squire! More wine! And bring me some hot breads" "What you said was correct Earl Vernice. Landowners own land while serfs don''t. Serfs are bound to the nobles they serve. If nobles go to war, serfs follow. They also give half of their harvest to the nobles. In short serfs are beneficial to nobles while landowners are not" "I guess that''s the case. Why are you telling me this old man?" Helios rose. He walked to the window where flakes of snow were visibly falling from the other side. He smiled before talking. "But landowners are also serfs don''t you think?" The Earl who was gulping wine stopped and lowered the cup. His eyebrows were raised. "A confusing statement. But I sense there''s more to it. Explain my good man" "Landowners..." Helios paused. He again gave a smile "They are basically just serfs. But instead of serving nobles, they serve the King directly. Serfs give half their harvest to the nobles. Landowners give a portion of their income to the King as tax. Serfs can be called to war by their lords. But landowners can also be levied by the King. Landowners are serfs to the King." The Earl chuckled, his belly shook. "Unique perspective. Juicy, meaty and nice. Tell me more" "The more landowners there is, the stronger the King becomes. The more serfs, the stronger the nobles." "And by hoarding food and making an artificial economic crisis we can increase the number of serfs. When the landowners starve, many of them would have no choice but to turn themselves into serfs just to survive. The more serfs the more powerful we nobles get. That''s nice" Earl Vernice said with a happy nod. The first time Ivan heard about this plan, his brows formed into a deep frown and his face flushed red in anger. He is the King and he wasn''t willing to empower the nobles at the cost of his own. Nevertheless he shut his mouth. This was the only way to win against Timothy. He continued watching Helios explain to the pig Earl their plans. "May I ask Earl Vernice, what is the percentage of serfs compared to the overall population?" Helios asked "I don''t know. The last census was years ago and this memory of mine is not sharp. About half perhaps?" "Too low. Ten years ago I''ve heard that eight in ten of the Eastern Castonians were serfs. That noble purge by King Leopold had surely reduced the power of you nobles" "Eh, that old man is as hard as a tack. His stare alone is enough to make me bones shiver. King Timothy is much more scarier. He won''t forgive me if I hoard food also. His army is strong" The Earl tightly crossed his arms. "And stationed in the west" Helios added. He tucked his hands behind "His soldiers can''t march. Not during the snow season they won''t. We have time on our side" "Let me ask you then" Earl Vernice leaned forward "How many nobles have supported you so far?" "More than enough" "How many I asked. Numbers not description. Ah never mind. Just write me their damn names. Too many ears in the walls you see. Squires! Fetch me some paper and a quill" "And I think the chicken is done roasting. Bring it here!" he added. After a few moments two squires entered the room. One of them was carrying a plate with aromatic roasted chicken on top while the other had the quill and the papers. "Give him the paper and the quill and give me the chicken" The squires followed and a while after the Earl was holding the leg of the chicken while Helios was holding the quill and paper. Helios scribbled the names of the nobles and gave the paper to the Earl. The fat pig grabbed the paper with his greasy hands and raised his eyebrows. "Sixteen Barons and two Earls. Not bad. These people command enough force to threaten King Timothy. Fine I''ll join your hoarding game. What else do you need?" "I need an army" Ivan finally spoke. He was tired of being treated like a statue. "Oh do you? Heh. Alright I''ll command my banner-men and rally the serfs. I am not promising anything though. You know serfs. Fighting only for food and protection. They will be trampled by King Timothy''s army in the blink of an eye. Better we hire mercenaries" "That would be a substantial help Earl Vernice" said Helios "But we also need real Castonian soldiers" "Ah, you want the city watch. Greedies the lot of you. It''s alright I think. There''s nothing to watch in the city during snow seasons anyway" "Thank you Earl Vernice" Ivan said, smiling as he knew that he was getting closer to gaining the throne. "Don''t thank me. I''m merely doing it for profits. Just keep your promise that you''ll let us have many serfs when you''re the one in charge. Now His Majesty Ivan must be tired. You want to go to your room? We''ve prepared the best" "Nothing will please me better, Earl Vernice" Ivan said. ********** Vernice kept his eyes on the back of Ivan and the old man. After they were gone he threw the bone of the chicken as hard as he could. A frown was formed on his face as he read the names of the traitorous nobles who were hoarding food. "Degenerates! Foolish traitorous degenerates!" he said while gritting his teeth. He was surprised at first when the price of food suddenly spiked. Now he realized that it was because of that foolish Prince who would rather have his people starve for the sake of his own interest. That kind of man doesn''t deserve the crown. He could poison Ivan now or just send a cutthroat in the middle of the night. That''ll solve this mess. But the main problem is that old man. Vernice sensed that the old man was dangerous. He was the true enemy as he was capable. Also killing Ivan would just give the traitorous nobles a cause to rally under. He again looked at the paper with the nobles'' names written on it. Sixteen Barons and two Earls, he said inwardly. These sixteen Barons and two Earls will soon face execution. He''ll just have to cooperate with Ivan for a little while. He took the quill and grabbed a clean paper. He must inform Timothy of this. The city watch of Anthapis, even when combined with force of the serfs under him, were no match to the armies of the sixteen Barons and two Earls. He needed help. Vernice wrote the letter and addressed it to Timothy. He ordered his squire to melt some red wax. He then took an iron seal from his pocket and stamped the wax. The red wax took the shape of the seal. It was the image of a lion inside a teardrop. 139 Flame Nearly a thousand hoof marks dotted the fair snow. It was a good thing that today was a windless day or else the horses would have been neighing nonstop due to cold. After passing through the gate of Nirvana, they separated into three. One party was led by Erik. They will be further separated as half of them will go to Solon with Freya while half will go to Greenwater with Erik. Another party was led by Leopold. The former King, with the assistance of Braun and Henry, will march to the East to solve the ongoing crisis with the rebellious nobles. The last party was led by the King and the Queen. They were bound for Holm in the south to strengthen Lucia''s rule and to levy more soldiers from the Vanadian populace. Before going on their separate ways, Timothy, Erik and Leopold met in the middle of the three parties. "Make sure that Greenwater is shining like a curved shield when I go there by the end of the season" He told Erik who now looked like a real Marquis. His clothes were truly that of the high nobility and his posture was gallant. The golden chain that dangled on his chest was well pronounced. "Hah I''ll make it so that General Marvin will compose another song about Greenwater''s recovery" "Cocky. I like it" Timothy looked at his father. "I''ve already given Rupert the medicine Lucia personally made. She said it''ll help lessen the biting pain of cold nights and mornings. Just ask him for it. Lucia also prescribes for you to drink tea every sunrise. Calgarian would be preferable" Timothy said to his father. Seeing him shiver due to the weather was painful. He was old. He should be resting. But nobody could solve the problems in the east better than his father. "Bah. It''s just cold. The weather can''t stop me from cracking some nobles'' skulls" "Just do me a favor and stop being stubborn" "But I''m not old... Fine. I''ll drink my medicine. Tell the Queen that I''m grateful. In return I''ll really bash some nobles'' skulls for you" "I prefer you not" Timothy gave a flat chuckle "So you know what to do?" Leopold took a small note from the pocket of his coat. He held it in front of Timothy "The list of friends and enemies you gave me. Don''t worry I got this" "Then may the Omniscient be with you father" "May the Omniscient be with you son" Leopold smiled. Timothy also made his farewell with Erik. He clucked his horse into motion and the three of them went to their separate ways. Timothy turned his head one more time and could only distinguish his father by his white hair at the distance. After reaching Lucia''s side he smiled bitterly towards her. "Are you sure about this?" Lucia asked "I am. Although it breaks my heart, I need him" "I mean... about going with me rather than with him" "Well I can''t just let my wife solve her Kingdom''s problems on her own right?" Lucia lowered her head. "Thank you Tim. For going with me" "Think nothing of it. I''ll miss you anyway. Besides..." Timothy looked towards the mass of soldiers going east. "He''s going to be alright. He is Leopold Castonia remember? Men tremble in fear just at the mention of his name. I trust the capability of my father" "I see" She nodded a single nod "Then shall we go? Holm is still days away" "Yes" Timothy answered. His signaled for the party to advance. In just a short while hundreds of horses trotted in the snow. ********* It was already dark. Vernice put his weight on his cane and trudged. He was not old. He had been in this world for a mere forty summers. He had seen men of older age with better legs. It was his weight. He was too heavy for his legs to support his body. Without the cane his bones would probably crack. So even though it made him look ridiculous, he carried a cane whenever he goes. He knew that people were talking on his back about his weight. He knew the names they called him. Pig, swine, Earl of lards. So many names and so many insults. But Vernice would always just let these insults pass. He cannot be petty. He was an Earl and he must set an example to his subjects. Those are just words anyway. Words hurt for a while but if you just hold your breath a bit, the pain will vanish. He was on his way outside. He needed a gulp of fresh air as he was exhausted by the stressful encounter with Ivan and the old man. Evil people, he thought. How could they cause this nonsensical crisis? How could their conscience stay silent while people were starving to death? It was disgusting. Timothy was a thousand times better than Ivan. It was just right that the crown went to Timothy. If the original plan of succession was followed then Vernice doesn''t even want to imagine what will happen to Castonia under Ivan''s rule. He took the seal of Leo''s Tear from his pocket. He fiddled with the thing, feeling the unique figure of the lion inside the teardrop. "Brothers" he mumbled in silence and sighed. Castonia surely is facing a tough year. First the Tulosan invasion. And then the civil war followed. And now the foolish Prince Ivan is destroying Castonia from within. It was as if the Omniscient had some sort of beef against the kingdom. Nevertheless Vernice was confident that Timothy will one day bring order, peace and prosperity to Castonia. That day might not be tomorrow but it will come. After a few dozen steps, Vernice found himself outside. The air was fresh. The snow beneath his boots emitted audible crunches. But it was cold. The seldom blows of wind rattled his body. His fat was thick and yet he still felt cold. Vernice was again reminded of the people of Anthapis. They wouldn''t survive this cold without warm food, thick clothing and a stable roof above their heads. He was secretly providing them food and clothing out of his own pockets but there were more than a hundred thousand people in Anthapis and he cannot support them all without the cooperation of other nobles. By then end of the snow season thousands would surely die. Vernice made his way to the lone Wisteria tree in the garden of his villa. The beautiful flowers were still scheduled to bloom in Spring so the tree was still far from exhibiting its lovely form. Just a few steps from the trunk of the tree, Vernice noticed that there was someone leaning against it... and smiling sinisterly towards him. It was the old man who was with Ivan earlier. "Pleasant night Earl Vernice" "Pleasant night" Vernice replied in a flat hurried voice "I guess this spot''s taken for tonight. I''ll just go back inside" Vernice was about to turn around when he was stopped by the old man''s chuckle. The old man shook his head. "No, no. There''s no need for such a thing. I''m not stealing your spot. I''m just here because I wanted to talk to you" "Talk to me? We have already talked. I told you that I''m joining your game against the King" "Oh right. Our discussion about the serfs and the landowners was fruitful. But we are not going to talk about that. We have a more... significant topic for tonight" Vernice sensed danger so he put his two hands on the top of his cane. The top of the cane was a detachable blade he could use whenever his life was in danger. If this old man attempts something funny, he would have to defend himself. He was not an agile man but his weight translates to strength. "I guess I''ll get another juicy bit of your knowledge old man. Tell me, what is it?" The old man was silent for a while. "What if I told you that the world, your world, will soon be engulfed in chaos? Would you believe me?" "Eh. Another doomsday prophecy. Throw that garbage in the pits. I have not respect nor need for prophecies of old men" "But it''s true Earl Vernice. It''s true" the old man repeated in an almost whispering manner. "But it''s not doomsday. It''s more like a reset. A cull of sorts. And we will be responsible for it." "You? Responsible" Vernice laughed "It seems you''ve gone senile. You are but an old man" "Not just I Earl Vernice. I have comrades. We call ourselves the Council" "Such a name. The Council. Tell me old man, what can you do? You are but an old frail man." The old man smiled "Assumptions. Sometimes correct sometimes wrong. We assume using what we see, what he hear and what we feel. But senses don''t reveal the whole picture. Be careful Earl Vernice. Wrong assumptions can get you killed" He held his arm out towards Vernice. Slowly, he opened his palm. It started as a flicker. And then it grew and grew into something Vernice''s eyes could not believe. A ball of flame was floating on the man''s palm. 140 The Cull Vernice took a step back. He stumbled. His butt hit the snow. "What are you?" He asked. His pain was dulled by the shock. His voice was shaking. His eyes were bulging. His mouth was agape. "What am I?" the old man raised a brow "Such a vague question. What. Well Earl Vernice I am many things. Just this morning I was just an old man for you. Now I am something else. The first time I met Ivan I was a threat. He raised his sword against me. But now I am his savior. You see Earl Vernice. I am many things" The old man closed his palms. The flame was extinguished and all that remained was a rising black smoke from his hand. "Don''t worry Earl Vernice. I am not here to hurt you. An offer is what I bring" The old man leaned forward and offered his hand to help Vernice. Vernice just stared at the hand, too scared to grab it. The old man retracted his hand and shook his head. "Too shocked to move eh? Too scared to talk. Too appalled to think. Well let me provide an answer to your query. What am I? Well let''s just say that I am a dealer of death and destruction. My job is to cause chaos and disorder" The old man smiled and sat on the snow. "Like what I said, a reset is coming in the near future. But first we need to soften you humans. You are just too powerful to defeat when united. Too stubborn to accept defeat. The wars and conflicts around the world are our doing. You like food right? I''ve seen you eat this morning and I must say, you seem to like food. You just tore that turkey like it decimated your family. Well let me put it in a way you can understand. We cook meat not just to add flavor. We also do it to soften the thing. You humans are the meat while we are the fire. We soften you through division and wars. When it''s time for the cull, we can tear you to pieces with ease" Vernice eyes quivered "Tulosa...Calgari..." "Yes, yes. Smart man you are. We caused their invasions. And not just them. All over the world we have sowed seeds of conflicts. And now those seeds are growing into beautiful wars" Vernice put his hand behind and gripped a handful of snow. Despicable. This man, if he can still be called a man, was despicable. "Why would you want that. What did we do to you?" "Because it is my job to do so and a man''s got to do his job right?" the old man cocked his head to the side "But lately we''ve had some problems. Your Kingdom is tough. Two invasions and a civil war it faced and two invasions and a civil war it survived. Now Castonia have formed a union with Vanadis. That''s why we need smart men like you to help us. We need you" "And why..." "Should you help us?" the old man interrupted "Simple. Because you will survive the cull if you help us. Our goal is not the extinction of all humans. We just want to reset. And when everything is new- when the world has been reborn- you will become a King. You can choose which land to rule. You will become powerful. More powerful than you can ever imagine" I don''t want that- that''s what Vernice wanted to say. He doesn''t want such a thing. But he cannot say it. He was reminded of the ball of flame. That was a real flame, he thought. That was not a trick nor was it an illusion. He would die if he uttered even a word of refusal. "Why me? Why choose a fat man who can''t even walk properly? I am also hated by many people. Just stroll outside and every few steps you will find a person who wants me dead." "Who then? Ivan? That Prince is a foolish creature. Incompetent. He can''t even give a speech properly. Also he is loyal to Wismar. You, on the other hand, is a smart man. The second most powerful man in the east" the old man opened his hand. A flame dance on top of his palm. "The best thing about you is that you are loyal to yourself. Only yourself. We want such people as such people won''t betray us" "And and you are sure that I am like that?" "You are. What happened ten years ago is the proof" Vernice was reminded of what he did all those years ago. His vision was filled with the red hue of blood. He could smell its disgusting iron odor. And the cry. The dying cry was breaking his nerves. He started to shake. The old man put an arm on his shoulder and whispered into his ears. "You killed him. You killed him for your own benefit. You acted fast and you acted wisely. That''s the kind of person that we need" The old man didn''t even let him take a gulp of air. He continued. "So what''s it going to be? Will you join us? Will you grab this opportunity like what you did in the past?" Vernice was still recovering from being reminded of his sin. What he did was indeed wrong. But this man is talking about the death of millions. He cannot allow that. He swallowed his saliva. "I want Castonia" Vernice lifted his head and looked at the man "When everything has settled I want to rule the land where Castonia stands" "Such sentimentality. Bad choice I must say. But it''s your choice" the old man offered his hand. Vernice shook it. "What should I do then?" "Wait for further orders from us" The man rose and started walking away. "And if you ever betray us Vernice" he produced the same flame on his hand "You will suffer a fate worse than death" ********** Shadow pushed the door of the alehouse open and stepped inside. It was warm and bright- a jarring contradiction to the gloom and cold outside. He expected the usual booming laughter of drunken men, the happy chatter of citizens, the rowdiness he was accustomed to. But none of it reached his senses. All there was were angry men drinking with clenched fists and gritted teeth. "That fat swine!" a hairy man wearing crude clothes pounded on the table "That Earl of lards is hogging all the food" "Aye" his drinking companion confirmed "I swear lads, that ugly pig just wants more food for his belly. Glutton. That''s what he is" Shadow continued walking and sat on the stool near the bartender. He put three silver coins on the table. "My good man, give me the best wine you have" With a swipe of his hand the bartender took the coins. "Hadean then. Lucky for you lad I still have half a bottle left in me storage" The bartender grabbed a bottle from below. He popped the cork with his thumb and poured a cupful. Shadow first indulged himself in the aromatic smell of Hadean. It was one of those cheaper kinds but it''ll do for tonight. He drank and filled his palates with a sweet tang. "I swear lads! I really hate that swine. Damn him. Damn him and that gigantic belly of his" the same hairy man again said, too drunk to realize that he was already singing a rebellious tone for the others. Shadow just continued drinking his fill. He just thought of how he missed his hat and his cane. Because he had to mix with the locals, he had to dress like them. "I say we grab some weapons and storm the villa. We should raid his storage of grains. Those grains belong to us anyway!" the rebellious tone continued behind Shadow. "The Earl doesn''t seem so popular" Shadow commented. "Of course he isn''t. That pig has been bleeding our coffers dry for years. The former Earl is so much better. And then the pig killed him. I swear he should have hanged for what he did but no he became our Earl. Justice truly is dead" the bartender said while drying a cup with a cloth. Shadow shrugged and emptied the last of the wine . He put the cup down. "You''re not from around here lad?" the bartender asked "I''m not" "Let me guess" the bartender studied his face "Heh this is too easy. Golden hair, dark eyes. You are from the north aren''t you?" "I am" Shadow rose. He turned his back and started walking away. "I have actually seen your kind around here. Too unique to forget the lot of you" Shadow halted. He looked behind. "You''ve seen another man with golden hair and dark eyes?" "Yes. Old man he is. I think he''s with Prince Ivan" He frowned "And this old man. Is he wearing a medallion?" "Aha. So you know him. A friend of yours?" Shadow''s heart raced. He found him. So it was him who was causing all these troubles. That man should be currently staying in the villa. He walked towards the door. "He''s not. That person is my enemy" 141 The Earl Vernice held the neck of the flagon of wine and poured into his mouth. It was a full flagon as a mere bottle can''t satisfy his cravings. He put down the flagon and wiped the smeared fluid with the back of his hand. A grunt followed. He was shaking. It was not of cold nor of age. It was of fear. His earlier encounter with the old man shook his bones. He must inform Timothy. He knew that he must. And yet his hand stalled, the quill was untouched and the paper remained blank. He sighed. Not all men are brave, he reasoned. Not everyone had it in them to face the darkness. Even brave men cower when faced with the depths of the abyss. What he saw and what he witnessed were stuff of nightmares. It was a deep secret his ears shouldn''t have heard. Vernice hoped that the old man was just insane. Even if he was the insane one that would be better. Because if the old man was right- then a painful future awaits in the horizon. "Does the two of you believe in ghosts, demons and monsters?" he asked the two squires who were standing idly near him. They were both young and fit- unlike him. One of them, from what he knew, was a talkative son of a mason. The other was the opposite of the mason''s son though. He was shy, silent and would only talk if asked a question. "I personally don''t sire" one of the squires answered. It was the mason''s son. He made a small bowing gesture before continuing "The only ghost I believe in are those of the past and the only demons are those in a person''s heart" The other squire just smiled as if indicating that he was the same. "So the two of you don''t believe in those things huh? Well can''t blame you. Young people nowadays think differently. But I do believe in them. They are real and I''m scared" "Are they powerful sire?" The silent squire asked. Vernice was amused by his rare show of chattiness. "They are" He said with a bitter smile on his face "They are" he repeated a second time. It was almost a whisper but more weighty. "Then how come most people haven''t seen these peculiarities?" "Because they hide" "And why do they hide?" Vernice opened his mouth but said nothing. Why are they hiding? The old man did say that they were orchestrating wars all around the globe to weaken humans. If they needed humans to be weak before making their move then that would mean they also acknowledge human strength. "I don''t know" Vernice gave a safe answer. He doesn''t really know. "I tell ya" the talkative squire said with a grin "Nothing is worse than humans. I hope I didn''t trample on your beliefs sire but my father once told me that the most fearsome enemy of a human is another human. We are addicted to power. We lie, we scheme, we take. Some would even kill their family..." The squire stopped and looked at Vernice. His eyes started to quiver as he said something that he shouldn''t. If he was some other noble, the squire was as good as dead. But Vernice was not like that. He just smiled. "Like me right? The Earl of Lards? Murderer of the my brother Vin" The talkative squire was silent. He looked at Vernice with fear on his eyes. "You didn''t murder him sire" the laconic squire said. "I didn''t? But the entire city has been talking about how I stabbed my brother to inherit my current position" "The entire city are full of blind ignorant men sire. They believe what they wanted to believe. At first I was like them. I believed the rumors too. My brother even warned me against taking the job of being your squire. But now my opinion of you is different. You are a little glutton and hard to please. Sometimes you stink and don''t get me started with your lack of humor. But a murderer? No" Vernice laughed as he just discovered why the Omniscient made this man laconic. If this squire was as talkative as the other one, he would have already been stabbed in a dark alley by men he insulted with his mouth. Vernice''s laughter slowly died down. He wiped the wetness from his eyes. "You sure are something. Thank you for both the insult and the praise. But I did stab him. Many times. In the back. It''s true. What they say is true. I am a murderer. " Vernice grabbed another flagon of wine and took a big gulp. It was true, he repeated in his mind. He killed his brother. He was the second son and Vin was supposed to inherit Anthapis from their father. Growing up with Vin was difficult. Vin was liked by many people. He was charismatic and good-looking. He was the perfect son while Vernice was the opposite. He had always been fat ever since he was a child. With crooked nose and wide cheeks he was not a handsome man. But Vin was not a good person. Others may think that Vin was some sort of a holy man. Vernice knew better. His brother was evil. Growing up with him, Vernice had always been the subject of his brother''s cruelty. It would have been better if all Vernice got were insults. But Vin would sometimes hurt him. He had gotten hurt many times. The worst was when Vin pushed him from the stairs of the villa. His leg broke that time and his left leg was still hurting from time to time until this day. Vernice''s childhood was not all bleak though. There was this servant girl he fancied. Beatrice was her name. She was a beauty. So beautiful that people normally wouldn''t believe the she was a servant. For many years she was Vernice''s happiness. He doesn''t talk to her though as he knew that a beautiful girl like her would not agree to his advances. While he could force her using his status, Vernice never did that. She was too dear to him. Little did he knew that Vin also fancied Beatrice. But Vin doesn''t want to take Beatrice as his wife. No. That ego of his wouldn''t take it to marry a servant girl. Vernice knew that his brother only thought of Beatrice as a toy. One night when Vernice was eating leftover food in the kitchen, he heard a woman''s scream. He went to where the scream originated and found Vin trying to violate Beatrice. His brother was ripping the clothes of his beloved. Beatrice was on the floor, screaming for help. His vision went dark. His breathing became heavy. He gripped the hilt of the knife he was using earlier to peel some apples. With a powerful quick lunge he rushed towards Vin''s back. He stabbed Vin many times. Each stab felt good as he remembered everything his brother did to him. Vernice killed his brother. With Beatrice looking shocked and Vin bathing in a pool of blood he realized what he did. His hands were trembling after the deed. He let go of the blade and embraced Beatrice. Both of them were trembling. Both were scared of the repercussions of what happened. Since both of them were victims of Vin''s cruelty, they decided to hide the evidence. But Beatrice betrayed him that very night. He was still washing the blood from his clothes when the guards arrived. She was paid while he was arrested. Everybody hated him. He was paraded in the streets in chains. The people threw refuse at him and the insults were unbearable. To them, he killed the man they admired- that perfect brother of his. But the worst reaction was that of his father. His father was furious. To his father, Vernice killed the son he always treasured. Shaking with anger, his father ordered his execution. Nobody cared about his side of things. He was betrayed by the woman he loved, hated by the people and shunned by his own father. But the executioner''s blade didn''t come for his neck. That was the time of Leopold Castonia''s great noble purge. Everybody respected and feared the might of the King. And when the King heard of what happened, he personally went to Anthapis and reversed the sentence. He couldn''t forget what Leopold told him that time. "You did nothing wrong son. That man deserved to die a hundred times. It''s good of you to rid the world of another womanizing scum" Nobody could go against the King. Vernice was declared innocent and he even became the heir to Anthapis. Leopold warned his father that if something happens to Vernice, his head will roll. After a few months his father died and he became the Earl of Anthapis. Vernice was good at being an Earl. Under his rule, the city of Anthapis became the most prosperous city in Eastern Castonia- even more prosperous than Ledega. But the people still hated him. Whenever the harvest fails, he was blamed. Whenever there was an increase in taxes, they would curse at him. They always wondered how better their life would be if Vin was their Earl. Little did they know the real Vin was an incompetent scum who acted kind on the outside but rotten inside. It was unfair- truly unfair. But Vernice got used to it. He loves his subjects even though they hate him. The current Vernice sighed. His squires were still looking at him after his confession of his crime. The talkative squire was visibly sweating while the laconic squire maintained his calm demeanor. "Leave me. I am tired" he ordered. "Then good night to your sire" the laconic squire bowed "And... I also hope you have a good night sire" the talkative squire also bowed albeit in a hurried manner. The squires left and Vernice was left alone in his room. He again looked at the resting quill and clean paper. He had already made his mind. He will write to Timothy even if that old man kills him. After a deep and long sigh, he held the quill and started writing. ********** He was playing with the flame of top of his hand while walking towards the Earl''s room. He was about to sleep when he received new orders from the council and he needed the Earl''s help for it. His footsteps were frugal in length, mirroring that of an old man. When he was just a few dozen steps from the room, the door opened and the Earl''s two squires exited. They didn''t see him as they went the other way. He continued his walk until he arrived just outside the door. Normally even guests are required to knock first before entering but the Earl already fears him so he didn''t bother. He put his hand on the handle of the door and pushed it open. He entered the room. 142 Lockdown Vernice finished making the letter by sealing the wax with the seal of Leo''s Tear. The letter was addressed to Timothy and the wax used was red. And then the door creaked open. Vernice first reaction was that of annoyance. It seemed one of his squires entered his room without knocking. But then he realized that none of his squires were like that. Even the talkative one was tamed enough to respect him with a knock. His nerves were shaken by the remaining possibility. And that grim possibility was confirmed by the voice that followed. "Writing a letter?" the old man asked in a surprised tone "May I ask to whom are you sending that one?" Cold sweat trickled from Vernice''s forehead. He swallowed and tightened his throat a bit. "A merchant friend in Ront. I was just asking for prices of grain. You know, trade stuff. A man got to make his living right?" Vernice let out a small chuckle and hoped the old man would buy his story. The old man stepped forward, slowly and with a smile. Every step tugged Vernice''s heart. Every moment was excruciating. When the old man was just a few steps away from Vernice, he opened his palm. "May I see?" Vernice took the sealed letter and gave it to the old man. His palms were sweaty enough that the letter almost fell from his hand. "What a unique seal. A lion inside a teardrop. I thought the seal of your family is shaped like unharvested wheat?" "My friend and I have this secret seal" Vernice again let out a brief chuckle "Childish right?" The old man stared at him while smiling. The stare lasted for what seemed like eons to Vernice. That smile soon vanished. "Remember what I told you earlier about what will happen to you if you betray us?" Vernice nodded. The old man lowered his head a bit. Vernice saw the moment the old man''s lips crurved into a smile. "And did you betray us?" "I didn''t. No. I am on your side remember? Why do you doubt my loyalty?" Vernice hurriedly said. "Only fools would trust a man they''ve known for but a day. I do not want to doubt your loyalty Earl vernice. But I do think you betrayed us. Why else would you write a red-sealed letter to a merchant friend? If your intention is just to ask for grain prices then you should have used a brown wax. Well I may be wrong and a sure do hope so. Because if I''m right..." he looked at Vernice- expressionless as if looking at an insect. "You will burn" The old man proceeded to open the letter and started to read. Vernice knew it was over. He clasped the top of his cane, ready to draw the hidden blade. The old man''s eyes widened. It was followed by a grin. "You did betray us" his cold voice sounded. Flame then burned from the old man''s hand. It was burning. The old man''s hand was burning. Vernice stepped back. The once dimly lit room was illuminated like day. It was hot. The cold sweat turned into perspiration. And then the old man suddenly turned around. Another man, moving like a shadow in the darkness tried to stab him from behind with a shortsword. It wasn''t successful. The old man sidestepped, dodging the stab. He tried to catch the shadowy figure with his burning hands but the shadow was also fast. But after a few more attempts the old man cornered the shadow. The flame burned hot. The shadow took the form of a man with a hat and black coat. He was leaning back against the corner of the room. The shadowy figure started to scream in agony. He was not being burned but the heat must have been painful. He was protecting his face with his arms. Vernice uncapped the top of his cane. He held the blade firm. His rushed towards the back of the old man, almost falling several times. The old man of course noticed his heavy approach. He looked behind and tried to dodge. But he was facing two enemies now. The shadowy figure, despite still being in pain, again stabbed his sword. The old man was again able to dodge. But it was Vernice''s strike that connected. He was able to draw blood from the old man''s shoulder. The old man grimaced in pain. He stepped back and studied his two opponents. The three of them came into a stanstill. "The two of you will soon burn!" the old man dropped a threat. "The cull will soon come. You made the wrong choice oh dear Earl. You should have given your loyalty to us rather than your King. That King of yours will be destroyed by us anyway. But first this city will burn. I will show you how we deal with traitors!" With a sneer he ran away. Blood dripped on the floor, indicating that the old man''s injury wasn''t light. Vernice, on the other hand, was shaking. He could barely stand because of his weight so he couldn''t give chase. He looked towards the shadowy man. "Who are you?" Vernice shook his head "No. Let me first thank you" The strange-looking man did not reply. He was still grimacing from pain. "Are you alright?" Vernice asked "This is not the time for idle talks" he finally said "We just pissed him off. You must capture Ivan or else the other nobles would besiege Anthapis" Vernice realized that the he was right. Anthapis just openly declared its allegiance to the King. The rebellious nobles would surely attack the city. He must act fast to capture Ivan or at least put the city on lockdown. His legs were still weak but he forced himself to walk forward. The strange-looking man grabbed his wrist. "On second thought write to the King first. You cannot capture Ivan anyway. Not with that man protecting him. Tell King Timothy that we need help. Tell him that I''m here. Tell him that the Spectator is in Anthapis and the situation is dire" ********** The gates of Anthapis closed one after another behind them. With a heavy bang the iron things dropped. Ivan was riding with what remained of his Wismarines. Helios beside him was injured. He looked behind. They escaped. Helios was fast and they were able to escape. But Ivan was burning with anger. "That fat pig!" He exclaimed. "Hush now boy" Helios said and then turned an eye towards him "Your Majesty I mean. That pig will pay. Oh yes he will. I will roast him personally" In Helios'' voice was anger. It was rare for the old man to show such demeanor. "So what are we going to do now?" Ivan asked Helios leaned forward on his horse. "I said that I will make you a King. I said that Timothy will fall. I shall abide by my words. But first we need to Anthapis. I was tricked by that fat Earl but never again will I make the same mistake" he glanced at Ivan "How many serfs can the nobles raise?" Ivan thought for an estimate. The sixteen Barons and two Earl had thousands of serfs under them. "Nearly ten thousand. Twenty if the serfs are to fight with bare hands. It''s the weapons we lack, not the population" "That''s good enough. Our contracted mercenaries will also arrive soon" Ivan didn''t talk after that. He was contented as long as he gets the crown. ********* Nighttime during snow seasons was a time of silence. The city of Anthapis was usually bathed in inactivity. But that night the city was alive as if it was day. People were woken by blares of horns and shouts of sentries. The city guards were like bees buzzing in search of fugitives. The personal guards of the Earl were also put into motion. At first everyone was confused. The Earl of Lards wasn''t one to rouse people from their slumber. Everybody knew that something must have happened. The city center was filled with a crowd thirsty for information. And then a representative stepped into the platform. The murmurs of the crowd hushed. The representative cleared his throat. He was holding a piece of paper with scribbles on it. He held the paper and started reading. "I, Earl Vernice Devon, Earl of Anthapis and its surrounding lands, is a witness to Prince Ivan''s betrayal to the crown. With the responsibility given to me by the King, I shall bring Prince Ivan into justice. Every citizen of Anthapis, serf or landowner, is hereby commanded to do the prince harm if he or she is able. Anthapis shall stand by the King in these hard times. The city gates will be locked night and day until the arrival of a suitable representative of the King. Curfew shall be implemented. A militia shall be levied from the populace. I urge you, citizens of Castonia, to support our King in these difficult times. Long live King Timothy and may the Omniscient''s light give us strength" 143 Oaths and Promises "Your Majesty forgive me!" the Baron said in an almost shouting manner. He was kneeling and crying- pleading was a better word. Leopold raised his hand and swiped it towards the face of the Baron. A painful smacking sound made everybody in the tent grimace. "I am not your King. My son is your King and to disrespect him in front of me is unforgivable" he yanked the hair of the Baron "And be thankful that I am not boy. Because if I was, then your head would have already been rolling on the ground!" The Baron cried. His ugly plump face reddened. "It won''t happen again! The King. Yes. King Timothy. I will remain loyal to him until the day I die. Don''t hurt me please!" Leopold studied the face of the Baron. The lack of remorse was apparent as day. The Baron''s act was driven only by fear. Just this morning his forces had caught the Baron hoarding grains in his manor. The worrying thing is that the Baron was not included in the list Timothy had given him. It seemed the number of rebellious nobles had risen. To make matters worse, Straso and Ront had closed their gates. "I won''t hurt you" Leopold said, calmly as he himself was exhausted. "But tell me everything you know" The Baron hesitated a bit. He looked down and shut his mouth. "Braun" Leopold called behind "Tell me. What are their chances of winning? These fine noblemen. It seems they are underestimating the power my son commands" "Laughable" Braun answered. "They think they could distrupt the east because King Timothy''s army is in the west. They cannot sire. Not in a million eons. Half of the Rooster legion alone could turn the east upside down" Leopold lifted the chin of the Baron "You heard of the rooster legion before?" The Baron nodded slowly. "Then you should have known that every single one of them is worth twenty armed serfs. I have seen them in action and your serfs will eat steel when faced with them. I have five hundred of them with me. What''s more, Anthapis stands with the King" The last sentence drew a frown from the Baron. "That fat pi.." Another slap landed on the Baron''s face. "Say it" Leopold gripped the Baron''s expensive coat. "Say it boy. Say it and lose all your teeth. Fat pig right? Remember this. Chisel this in your puny little mind. Earl Vernice is a true noble. Loyal to his King and compassionate to his subjects. His serfs are the best-treated in Castonia. While you and your lot, those rebellious friends of yours. You don''t deserve to have the power. And soon... Oh it will be soon. You will crumble under the weight of the King''s force. Do you understand? King Timothy has a huge army in the west just waiting for the snow to thaw. I am just just a bandage to stop the bleeding. The real storm will soon come for you. When the last snow melts into puddle, when the spring wind finally comes, blood will flow. Your blood" Leopold waited for his words to sink into the deep skull of the Baron. He enjoyed watching the Baron''s face contort several times. The Baron was lowering his head. "We... just want what you took from us all those years ago. We want our serfs back. We want our lands. Those lands were given to us by our forefathers and you distributed them to the serfs like free bread. We really don''t care who wears the crown. As long as we get back what is ours then we will cease hostilities with the King" "The what about a deal?" Leopold said, smiling as he found an opening. "What deal sire?" "You know that it is futile to fight against my son. And I also can''t give all of you back your serfs. But if it''s just for you then I think we could arrange it. How about that? Tell me everything you know and I will double your lands. I could even make you and Earl. You can choose between Ront and Straso" "I accept!" The Baron blurted. A hesitant expression then showed on his face "I mean why should I believe you?" "I''ll say an oath to the Omniscient" he looked towards Henry who was silently watching their exchange "In front of a Knight. You know Knights- they are a stricter when it comes to oaths. Ain''t that right Henry?" Henry walked towards them. His armor was clinking loud. "Oaths to the Omniscient are sacred sire. They are the highest oaths. Are you sure about this?" "I am" He swayed his look towards the Baron. "So?" "I accept. I will tell you everything that I know" The Baron said with fast nods. Leopold breathed deeply and closed his eyes. "I, Leopold Castonia, makes this oath to the Omniscient. I vow that I will make this Baron and Earl if he reveals useful information. May the Omniscient curse me if I break my promise. May the people curse my name if I don''t abide by my words" Leopold opened his eyes and directed a glare towards the Baron. The Baron''s face now emits a hint of smile. Braun also joined them. "Five new Barons joined us. I''ll write you their names later. They are gathering their serfs a few leagues west of Anthapis. About here. They are going to lay siege on Anthapis" The Baron pointed at a location near Anthapis. Leopold smiled after tracing the Baron''s finger with his eyes. It was a good location. "Numbers?" "Sixteen thousand serfs and nearly five thousand mercenaries" "And I suppose Straso and Ront are supplying their grains?" It was Braun who asked. "Yes" The Baron confirmed "If you are thinking about cutting their supply lines then just forget it. You need to take Straso and Ront first before you could reinforce the city" Leopold frowned. The Baron was right. They have to take Ront and Straso first before they could reach Anthapis. "There is a way. There will always be a way" Braun said with a grin. "What way? We can''t reach Anthapis without going through Straso and Ront and the two Earls of those cities are against us" Braun traced his finger from their location to the northeast where the Meander Plains lies. "We could save ourselves the trouble of going through those cities if we go north to the Meander Plains and then south to cut their supply lines" Braun said "No!" Henry was breathing deeply "I am not an expert when it comes to Castonian geography but the Meander Plains is a deathtrap during the snow season. I''ve heard that the plains extends for almost a hundred leagues. It will be nearly a hunderd leagues of nothingness. We will be exposed to the elements. We will trudge in snow so deep our feet will sink. Even horses will have a hard time. We will lose half of our men before we reach their supply lines. I don''t think..." "Let''s do it!" Leopold declared with enthusiasm. He patted Braun on the back. "You really are a beast Braun. Those nobles wouldn''t expect us coming!" "Sire" Henry uttered in opposition "I''m really sorry for saying this but you yourself might not survive our journey" "Bah! It''s just cold. I''m not weak" he pointed towards the Baron and laughed "Have you seen how I thrashed his face earlier?" "Sire be serious about this. King Timothy has instructed me to protect you" "But we need to help Anthapis. There will be no more discussions. We march at once. Let''s give those nobles a taste of the Rooster. Braun! Preapare the men" Leopold turned around with a smile on his face. He flapped the tent and the cold breeze greeted him. He walked outside, enjoying the cold despite the biting pain on his knees. He then heard footsteps from behind. "I told you Henry, I will be alright" he said "Henry is still inside the tent" Braun''s voice sounded "Praying. For your good health I think" Leopold shook his head. "How nice of him. So why are you here Braun?" Braun''s strides became faster. He eventually caught up to Leopold. "You swore an oath, a promise" "To the Omniscient. Yes" "And are you planning on keeping that promise?" Leopold just remained silent. "That Baron would ruin your name if you don''t keep your promise. You can''t silence him either because of Henry. People will call you oathbreaker and your reputation would further fall. I think you should keep your promise to that Baron" Braun said "That Baron is infamous for his cruelty towards his serfs. Dozens of his serfs die every year from overwork. There are also rumors of other disgusting crimes he committed. And you expect me to make him an Earl? No. I will strip his family of their noble status" "This is serious. I am not a pious man but it is to the Omniscient you made your promise" Leopold sighed. "I do believe that oaths and promises are important Braun. And despite how I look and act, I am still afraid of divine smite. I also still view honor and keeping one''s word as important. But there are things more important than keeping one''s promise Braun. Oathbreaker. Blasphemous Fool. They may call me that. They may mock me. They may curse my name beyond my grave. But I will wear their insults with pride because my oathbreaking just saved thousands from the cruelty of that Baron. One of the reasons why Timothy sent me here is because he knew that I have what it takes to do the job. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty. Marquis Erik will not break an oath. Neither will General Marvin or that General Bourgis. I am the only one who can do that" Braun lowered his head. He smiled "I see. You never change Leopold" "That''s the first time you called me by my name" Leopold chuckled. He put one hand on Braun''s shoulder "Let''s go. We have some frostbites to earn" 144 Attrition Another man fell in the snow. His body lifeless. His thoughts no more. He was dead- fallen to the harsh cold. Leopold looked behind. The comrade was the fifty-fourth to fall. Every heavy crunch in the snow, every sound of a body falling, brought him sorrow. Such is life, he thought. Such is life, he repeated. He dismounted and went to the corpse. The corpse was that of a young man with curly hair. His eyes were still open. His body was stiff. His fingers were already pale. "What is his name?" Leopold asked to the people around "Rudolf Gale sire. Second Cohort, third Century" A voice answered. Leopold didn''t bother looking at the speaker. He kept his eyes on the dead man. "Thank you Rudolf Gale for your service to Castonia. Now you lie dead- a corpse. But your sacrifice will not be for naught" Leopold knelt on the snow and closed the man''s eyes. "May the Omniscient''s light guide your way. May his arms cradle you to a peaceful rest" He rose and sighed. Cold white air exited his nose. "Treat him like the others. Dig straight to the ground. Don''t just bury him in the snow. I don''t want wolves and vultures to feast on him once the spring comes" He turned around and trudged towards his horse. He mounted and noticed someone staring at him. It was Braun. "You cannot do this for every person that falls" Braun said "But I can and I just did" Leopold reasoned, giving a bitter smile "They followed me Braun. They did not utter a single word of complaint when I commanded them to tread this path. The least I can do is to give their corpse an honorable burial. I will bury them one by one" "The dead has no need for honor but we, the living, are wasting time. We are still far from that abandoned village" It was their plan to rest in an abandoned village along the way. But looking at the whiteness that spread endlessly, Leopold doubted that they would find that village. He leaned back and winked at Braun. "And we, the living, are not animals to just leave our dead like some dropped baggage. I''ll have no more of this Braun. Let''s just continue" Leopold clucked his horse into motion. The march resumed. White snow extented all around them. There was nothing- not a single tree and not a single rock. Only the dim illumination of the sun above provided them with a sense of direction. It was also cold. It was the coldest Leopold had ever experienced. The seldom gelid breeze would freeze both his saliva and tears from time to time. Small ice crystals clung on his eyelashes. His beard, which was already white due to age, was further painted with the white hue. His bones ached. His jaw shivered. And his fingers... Leopold turned his eyes on his hands. Inside the furry mittens he was wearing were his frostbitten hands. His fingers were numb. All of the ten were already turning pale. Soon the damage would become permanent. He again sighed but his sigh ended in a violent cough. He raised an eyebrow towards Henry after the cough. "Don''t you dare doubt my health. It was just a cough. Coughs are normal" "I did not say anything" Henry said. The knight was just beside him. "Yes. But your sticky stare is screaming at my face. Say it Henry. Holding your tongue would only give it frostbites" "You are acting like a young man" Henry provided a laconic answer. "Still not resting the issue huh?" "We shouldn''t be doing this. Marching through a wide lifeless plain in the snow season is..." Henry shook his head "This goes beyond sense" "So what? Sometimes having sense will only hinder us" Leopold inched his horse closer to Henry''s "Don''t worry. We will live. Mere cold cannot bring a Castonian down. "It just did. Fifty-four to be exact" Leopold bit his lips as he realized that he just disrespected the dead. "Fine. Let''s just continue" he said in a hoarse voice. The march continued. Dozens more fell along the way. Their lips already dark and body stiff. But what really devastated the party was the blizzard that followed. Strong freezing wind hit them- cold, unresponsive, uncaring. Every now and then a thumping sound would echo from behind. Leopold didn''t know which thumps were those of horse corpse and of men. He wasn''t able to stay true to his word and bury the dead one by one as he himself was struggling to live. His breaths had become short. He had lost the sense of touch in his fingers already. The tip of his nose was also turning pale. He couldn''t even talk lest his saliva freeze in his mouth. A sudden darkness filled his vision. His body felt light. Strength left his flesh. His last feeling was that of his bottom sliding off the saddle of his horse. The last scene he saw was Henry and Braun dismounting and running towards him. Leopold closed his eyes. It was cold. ********** The first thing that filled Leopold''s vision was the faint light of the lamp. He was on a bed inside a small room made of wood. It was a small room but it was warm. He then saw two faces- that of Henry and of Braun. He pushed his body into a sit. Henry helped him. "So we found the village. Good for us" Leopold said "With the Omniscient''s mercy we did" Henry grabbed a bowl of steaming stew and offered it to Leopold. Leopold took the bowl. The hot surface of the bowl provided relief to his hands. And then he noticed his fingers. They had recovered their color and their warmth. "How many did we lose?" He asked as he took a mouthful of the stew. He shook his head "Let me rephrase that. How many survived" Henry grimaced "Just a little more than three hundred. The horses fared worse. Only about two hundred survived" Leopold nodded weakly "And how did I survive?" "Someone... offered to carry you on his back" It was Braun who talked. "Who?" "Rupert" Leopold''s heart raced. With shaking voice he asked, "Is he alive?" "He is" said Braun "But four of his fingers will have to be cut off. One of his ears is beyond saving. And he is yet to wake up" Leopold blew a forceful exhale. He frowned and clenched his hands. "I want to see him" "You are too weak. Rest. He is a royal guard. Rupert did what he thought was his duty. Besides..." Braun put his hands inside his pockets. "You need to meet one of the scouts" "A scout?" Leopold lifted his head to look at Braun "Yes, a scout. He is one of the few who survived. Protocol commands that he reveal his report only in your presence. I forced him to give me his report but that scout is a strict follower of rules" "Bring him in" Leopold commanded. Aftet a few moments a scout was escorted inside the room. The scout was wearing a thick fur coat padded underneath with mail. He wad a man of short stature. His face was pale perhaps because of his long exposure to the elements. "Have you eaten?" Leopold asked "I have sire. Mister Braun is kind enough to offer me food after my return" Leopold saw Braun shrug. He cocked his head down and took a mouthful from his bowl. "What is your name?" "John sire. John Wilkin" "I have heard about you. If I remember correctly, you were a Centurion. The King demoted you because it seems you want to play soldier more than you want to lead" "Centurion''s life ain''t for me sire" John said with a lowered head. Leopold finished the last of his stew with a long sip directly from the bowl. "Don''t worry. The King doesn''t dislike you. He understands that some people just likes to follow rather than lead. And based in your performance as a scout I can say that you are doing well. You just survived that blizzard. Now tell me boy. What did you see?" "I''ve seen lamps sire. And wagons. And horses. I''m still not sure but I think what I found are the supply wagons of the nobles" Braun''s jaw dropped. He glared at John. "You are withholding such a valuable information!?" Braun roared "Hush now Braun. He was just following orders" Leopold said "But..." "Continue John. How many guards and how far from here?" John looked at Braun and then back at Leopold. "Less than a hundred sire. But they are fully armed. Mercenaries. They camped about a league from here. It seems they are taking a different path" "Good" Leopold said with a smile "Good" he repeated with an even wider smile. "Braun" He called "Prepare some of the men. Choose those who are still fit. We attack tonight" "Too risky. Night raids in the snow? You must be joking" "We need food right? I have noticed that the stew was thin. Also we can surprise them" He looked at Henry "Can it be done" "It will be difficult and only the Omniscient could ensure us victory. But I have led night attacks before" Henry said Leopold pushed his body to stand. It was difficult and he was still weak but he was able to present a gallant posture. He grinned at them. "Let''s paint the snow red tonight" 145 Henrys Coun The abandoned village was filled with an air of restlessness. Armored soldiers were running around. The officers were shouting orders. Preparations for the attack was almost done after only a short period of time. Leopold was watching the busy soldiers while leaning against a wooden wall of a house. Beside him was Rupert who had just woken up albeit with fewer fingers and one less ear. Leopold eyed the bandage that wrapped around Rupert''s head. There were also bandages on Rupert''s hands. "Does it look ugly? Please tell me it doesn''t look ugly" Rupert asked with a grin. It was as if the royal guard wasn''t aware of what he lost. Leopold slumped and sighed. "After this. After we fix this problem we have in the east" He looked at Rupert in the eye "You should retire" "Is that a command?" "It isn''t" Leopold said "You know only the King could force a royal guard to abandon his post. And I am no King. It was merely a suggestion. From an old friend" Rupert lowered his head. "I am touched sire. Calling me a friend fills my remaining ear with a ringing joy. But I can''t. Being a royal guard has been my life. I think I''ll die a royal guard. If I quit then I wouldn''t know what to do after" "Grow some plants" Leopold leaned a bit towards Rupert "Or travel around the world. Or maybe you could go back to your village. Don''t you want to meet the grandchildren of your siblings?" Rupert''s face contorted. He massaged his jaw. "Growing plants and running around like a foolish bachelor. What do you take me for? Are you are saying that I''m useless now? I''m losing four fingers. Five if my left thumb croaks. I''m old. So I''m useless. Is that it? Is that what you''re saying? That I can''t defend royals anymore?" "I.." Leopold squinted "You know that''s not what I meant. I''m sorry. I just feel bad. They told me what you did for me. And you suffered" "Don''t worry about it. I just did my job" Rupert said. "Are you still mad?" "I wasn''t mad. I was just scared. I cannot imagine myself not holding a sword. You may be right. I may be forced to retire soon" Rupert looked at his bandaged hands "A royal guard with only six whole fingers. What a joke" "Can you still hold a sword?" "With my right. Yes. I can" "Then you can still defend me. You are not useless" "Thank you" Rupert said. His gratitude felt real. "So may I join you tonight? I''ve heard about the raid" "Of course. Just don''t overdo it" Leopold said. ********** The moment a person takes up a sword, that person has already washed the sin of murder from the hands of his killer. Killing is a sin. The Omniscient detest murderers. But killing another person with a sword is not murder. The Order of the Knights had put a great emphasis in this idea. This was one of the first lessons Henry had learned. He was less than ten summers old when the Grandmaster himself taught him of this. Killing unarmed civilians is a sin but killing a soldier is an honor. Henry had killed both civilians and soldiers before. Thirty-six souls he took from this world. And he must say... it all felt similar. Civilians or not, unarmed or armored, they all die the same- with a shaky crunch and a last croak. Henry doesn''t feel honored whenever he kills a soldier. Not once did he felt honored. All felt was a slight relief that he was still alive and little regret that the world needs violence. Henry''s breath fogged. His horse was, just like the others, trudging in the snow. His left hand was gripping the reins while his right was holding the lance. At the distance he saw lights- campfires of their enemies. The mercenaries didn''t even bother to circle their wagons. It was a foolish mistake. Doing so could have deterred a charge. He raised his left hand and signalled to attack. The soldiers behind him kicked into a charge. When they were just about hundred paces from the camp they divided into three groups, each went to attack different sides. Henry led one of the groups. He was at the very front. He saw the surprised faces of their enemies. The mercenaries were all wearing coats so he cannot determine what armor they wear. He prepared his right arm for the strike. With a quick stab he plunged his lance into the chest of a mercenary. The lance encountered resistance but it went through. From experience Henry determined that the mercenary was wearing poorly-made mail. Definitely not a Castonian one as Castonian mail armor were the toughest. Henry let go of the lance. He passed the mercenary and looked behind. The tip of the lance portruded from his opponent''s back. The mercenary fell. His body twitched. Thirty-seven, Henry counted. The mercenary was the thirty-seventh person he killed. He still didn''t feel honored by the kill. He took a reserve javelin slung on his back. The javelin was shorter than the lance. It was lighter too and less penetrating. But the javelin could be thrown. He held the shaft of the javelin level to his head. He aimed at another mercenary. The man was running towards him with spear in hand. Henry threw the javelin. It was dark but his trained eyes adjusted his aim. The javelin whistled in the air. It hit the mercenary''s belly. The man slouched and fell forward. Thirty-eight, Henry again counted. The battle was over in a short while. The mercenaries were new recruits- probably bandits and serfs who took the sellsword profession. The nobles must have never expected that Leopold Castonia was crazy enough to trek the Meander Plains in the snow season. In the end Henry''s number rose to forty. The last one almost had him with a spear stab to the chest. Lucky for Henry his breatplate absorbed the blow. After commanding his host to clean up and secure the wagons, Henry dismounted. He knelt and unsheathed his unused sword. He stabbed the tip of the sword into the snow. He then rested his forehead on the pommel amd closed his eyes. Henry mumbled a prayer to the Omniscient. "Oh eternal light above forgive me for I have bathed my hands with blood once more. Your philosophy is peace. Your command is to love. And yet I, Henry Molt, brought death to four of your creations today. May their consciousness be brought to peace, may their memories be remembered. Lead them to the light. Wrap them in your merciful embrace. As for me, give me your forgiveness oh Omniscient above. The shedding of blood wasn''t without reason. This is not the first and this might not be the last for I have taken the oath of a Knight and I will shed blood to protect the innocents until my last day" ********** "What is he doing?" Rupert asked Leopold "Praying. I think for the ones he killed. Knights are like that." Leopold said, looking at Henry. He turned his head towards Rupert "What about you? Are you the same? Do you also count the number of enemies fallen by your own hands?" "I don''t even remember how many" Rupert smiled "All I remember is that two of them are in duels. What about you sire?" Leopold didn''t answer and just smiled. He again looked at the remnants of the battle. Most of the mercenaries had fled. Some surrendered. Leopold doesn''t care about them. All he cared about was the contents of the wagons. "By the way" He tilted his head towards Rupert a little "I''m surprised you didn''t join the battle" "What? You thought that I would charge with them? I am a royal guard, not a common soldier. My place is by the side of royals. I am your shield" Leopold gave a small chuckle. He was both pleased and relieved after he discovered that Rupert wasn''t joining the attack. But he did not underestimate Rupert''s abilities. He was just a little concerned as battles were known to be unpredictable. He doesn''t want to lose the royal guard who had been with him for decades. All of a sudden, Rupert unsheathed his sword in a hurry and turned around. It happened so fast that Leopold flinched. "We are under attack!" Rupert shouted while holding his sword high. He sneered at the darkness "Reveal yourself! I know you have been watching us" Rupert shifted his body to cover Leopold. The other soldiers and even Henry were already running towards them. Leopold stared at the darkness. He couldn''t see anyone. But if Rupert say so, then he should trust the instincts of a royal guard. "There''s no need for violence" A voice from the darkness said. After a while a figure of a man with a hat was revealed. The man took his hat and bowed. "Please be calm for am not an enemy. I am a friend" 146 Chuckle in the Darkness The man''s name was Shadow and he changed the way Leopold looked at the world that night. It was too much. He thought that things like these exist only in imagination. He was wrong. Shadow''s hand materialized. It looked like a smoke before- completely hidden for those who lack perception. Now the smoke turned into a hand. The light illumination of the three candles was enough to display the expressions of the people inside the room. Their eyes were all bulging. All four of them along with Shadow were sitting around a table. Henry was mumbling a prayer. Braun was frowning and shaking his head. Rupert was gripping the hilt of his sword. Leopold was looking at Shadow''s face. "You could kill anyone you like. Hide in the shadows and walk in the room of anyone while they are sleeping. Merchants, Nobles, Kings- you can end lives just like snuffing out a candle" Leopold said "I probably could. In fact during the Castonian Civil War I offered King Timothy my services. He refused" "To kill me I suppose?" "Yes" Shadow nodded. Rupert leaned forward. "And it wouldn''t have worked. I would have stopped you with my sword" "Maybe" Shadow sighed "I am not a fighter. I can only hide myself in the shadows hence my name. But let us all be thankful that King Timothy refused my services. All the three of us are still alive" Leopold felt thankful towards his son. Even though Rupert wasn''t going to admit it- it was apparent that Shadow was powerful enough to assassinate him. Timothy could have ended the civil war earlier. He could have become the King of all Castonia without having to go through hardships. Instead Timothy refused Shadow. His son gave him a chance to realize and correct his mistakes. "Enough with that. You are powerful, we get it. So why are you here? You said that you are our friend" Braun said "I am your friend. To be exact- I am King Timothy''s friend. You are his loyal subjects which makes all of you my friend" Shadow said as he looked at them one by one. Two soldiers entered the room. They were carrying five bowls. The two men laid the bowls on the table and exited the room with a salute and a bow. The bowls were filled with steaming oatmeals. A wooden spoon was submerged in each of the oatmeals. They had eaten just before the attack but they had just secured a victory and the success calls for a celebration. He ordered the distribution of oatmeals for all the soldiers. A second dinner would surely raise their morale- at least that''s what Timothy taught him. Leopold dragged a bowl towards Shadow''s front. "Eat" Leopold gestured towards the bowl. Leopold dragged another bowl towards his front. He dug a spoonful of the food and started eating. Braun frowned. He glared at Leopold. "Shouldn''t we interrogate him first before eating?" "Shadow is hungry Braun. Answers could wait. But a growling stomach? No. Let the shadowy man have his meal" "It''s alright" Shadow said "I could eat later" "No foolish words tonight" Leopold pushed. Shadow looked at the bowl. He scooped the spoon and ate. Leopold smiled at the still grumpy Braun. He understands why Braun was upset. He himself was a little impatient for answers. But Timothy once told him that patience could bear amazing fruits. Pushing Shadow for an answer would just alienate him. More can be gained from a friendly conversation compared to a brusque confrontation. "So how is Earl Vernice? I suppose you''ve met him? Someone as powerful as you should be acquianted with the Earl of Anthapis" Leopold said "I''ve met him just recently. I actually saved him from an enemy and he also saved me" Shadow put down the spoon "Thank you for the meal. I think I should tell you now of purpose of being here" "Our ears shall be yours" Leopold said Shadow told them of what happened. He told them how he and Vernice met. He also told them about the origin of the rebellion. Apparently an old man who could burn things with his hands is the one behind the noble uprising. His tongue was coated in silver and his wits were sharp. He was able to convice the nobles to hoard food. With the food, they have the power of life and death for the commoners. Since Timothy''s army was away, the nobles were hoping that they could use the snow season to fortify their position. Shadow also revealed that Ivan was included in this troublesome fuss- not that Leopold was surprised. Ivan had always been a little dull. He must have thought that the old man and this laughable uprising could give him the crown. Leopold could only hope that Ivan would grow his brain someday. Idiots, Leopold thought. All of them-idiots. Even if the nobles were able to muster tens of thousands of serfs and thousands of mercenaries, they cannot win. The few hundred mounted soldiers under him were just the vanguard of a larger force. Loyal nobles in the East still exist and they are sending a punitive force in the name of the King and the Queen. The garrisons were also loyal to Timothy. Furthermore, Anthapis under Earl Vernice could threaten them from another side. "He wants chaos" It was Braun who talked. The Baron''s bowl remained untouched. He lifted his head to look at Shadow "Why? Why is he doing this? And who are you for that matter? That old man and you are the same. What is your aim?" Shadow''s face diaplayed displeasure. "That man and I are not of the same. Our goals are different. I have comrades and he has his" "But both of you can do extraordinary things" "That is right" "Tell us more. Who are you? Who are these comrades you are talking about? Reveal these things to us or we will treat you as our enemy" Braun said, apparently agitated. The Baron was clenching his fist. "Alas, I cannot reveal more than that" Shadow''s eyes hopped from person to person "I still don''t trust all of you. One of you could be working for them" "That is alright Shadow. Distrust is a common thing between people who have just met" Leopold said cocking his head and looking towards Braun. Braun was smart but he was terrible in dealing with people. During Braun''s frequent visit in the past to other Kingdoms to forge relations, the Baron would often resort to intimidation rather than sweet talking. And now Braun was doing the same thing. Timothy also taught Leopold that talking with people is like choosing the right key for a lock. Every person has his own key. In the case of Shadow, intimidation would not work. "Leave him Braun. If his lips are sealed then who are we to force them open? If he doesn''t trust us yet then we can''t make him trust us by threatening him. Isn''t that right Henry?" "Yes" The knight nodded Leopold intertwined his fingers and raised an eyebrow towards Shadow. "Just tell us what you can. I suppose Earl Vernice would like to coordinate with us?" "He does. Anthapis still flies the royal flag. The Earl is loyal to the King. When I left Anthapis, the city was clouded in an air of war. The city guards were roused. The serfs were armed. The civilians were drafted. But the armies of the nobles and your other son is marching towards the city. My plan was to meet with you and offer my services for you to take Ront and Straso. It would take long but that''s the only way" Shadow shook his head. A happy grin erupted from him. "But I underestimated you. Marching through the plains in the snow season? The nobles and even that man would never see it coming" "Aye" Leopold smiled but his expression bore sadness "But we lost many during the march. I even almost lost my life. Rupert here lost four fingers and an ear" "Such is life" Shadow bowed "But because of your losses the the supply line of the nobles has been cut. They will starve and we now hold the initiative. Your losses just saved the people of Anthapis" Even so, Leopold stil felt sorry for the people he lost. He knew that it was irrational of him to feel this way but he does. "Not yet. Anthapis is still not saved. We first need to defeat the nobles. Any ideas?" Leopold swung his look at the people inside the room. Two persons smiled- Shadow and Braun. Both of them blurted the same words simultaneously. "Another rebellion" ********** Ivan was a little irritated at Helios. The old man dragged him in the middle of the night towards a big tree. It was cold. He was drowsy. It was also dark. He wanted the comfort of his tent. "So what is it?" Ivan asked. He leaned against the tree and yawned. "You are worthless" Helios said Ivan''s drowsiness was thawed. "I am what?" "Worthless" Helios said "But now I suddenly realized that you are the best card that I have. So even though it hurts my pride to work with you, I have no choice" Ivan straightened his body. He raised a finger towards Helios. He opened his mouth but words didn''t come out. "I will tell you everything Ivan. I will reveal the secrets of the world to you. But first, a demonstration" Helios opened his palm. It started as a spark and then it grew into a flame. A flame soon burned on top of Helios'' palm. Ivan stumbled. His butt fell on the snow. His body shook. Helios smiled at him. "Do not be afraid Ivan. Starting today, you will be our friend" 147 Serfs Harold was carrying a tray filled with juicy roasted lamb. He dared not look at the food lest his growling stomach gets the better of him. The food he was carrying was for the nobles. He was hungry. Ever since the food supply was cut off about a week ago, the rations allotted for them had been reduced. Only single meal a day was given by the nobles- a single meal of thin stew and moldy bread. He glanced at the food he was carrying. It was a mistake. His mouth watered. He swallowed his saliva. The brownish leg of the lamb was just too appetizing. It smells good too. The aroma of roasted meat danced inside his nose. Harold was tempted to pinch a chunk of the meat and put it into his mouth. He was even tempted to eat the entire thing. But he steeled his resolve. He will be flogged if he attempts such a thing. Being flogged in the snow season and with their current situation meant death. A person''s body could only accept enough suffering. Nobles, Harold thought. It was unfair. The world was unfair. It was said that all men are equal in the eyes of God. It was said that nobles and freemen and serfs were all sons and daughters of the Omniscient. It was a lie. Harold had been a serf his entire life. His father was a gambler. Exhausted coffers and mounting debts had turned his father into a serf. As a son, Harold inherited the status of his father. He had been born a serf- the lowest among the low. Although Castonian law treated serfs as human beings, such was not the experience for Harold. The Baron he served was a cruel man. He was a selfish Baron who would flog his serfs even with the faintest of reasons. Harold had been flogged dozens of times. The worst was when he forgot to cook enough food for the Baron''s guests. The Baron was embarrassed in front of his guests and Harold was flogged so harshly that time that he almost died. But flogging was a thing Harold could accept. He could take the blows of whips against his bare back. Pain would dull and wounds would fade into scars. The worst crime his liege lord had committed against him was when his sister was sold to another noble. Yes. Them serfs could be sold like livestock. He had never seen his sister again after that. He had heard that his liege lord had lost a wager against another noble and fifteen household serfs was the penalty. His sister was one of the fifteen. Every time he sees his liege, Harold would have the impulse to strangle him. His hands would sweat and his body would become hot. But he didn''t- he couldn''t. His liege was a noble and Harold was a serf. So as for what they say about the Omniscient seeing all men equal- it was a lie. Equality doesn''t exist in this world. He had experienced that. He knew that. Because he was a serf. Harold flapped the tent and entered. He was able to hold himself from eating the roasted leg of a lamb he was carrying. The tent was filled with two dozen men. Most of them were nobles. Some were mercenary captains. And then there was Prince Ivan- or King Ivan. Not that he cares. Serfs don''t concern themselves with politics. It doesn''t matter who sits on the throne. The nobles were the ones they serve anyway. Other serfs also entered the tent. All of them were carrying food and wine and other fancy things Harold had never tasted before. The bread was fresh. The soup was aromatic. It was as if they were not suffering from a food crisis. Harold made his way to the table and laid the tray he was cradling on his arms. "Anthapis will soon fall. There are grains inside the city. We could feed our army after we take Anthapis" a noble said while drinking his cup of wine. "Ah such a wonderful insight from you" The old man beside Prince Ivan said. This was the first time Harold had seen the man "Talented the lot of you. Talented and smart eh? Fools! Anthapis still stands! The Earl of Lards seems to have inexhaustible number of men under him. Now you talk as if taking Anthapis will solve all our problems, and that may be true. But Anthapis is not that easy to take. Our army is withering. We are sitting our butts in this dismal cold" "Do not be worried Sir Helios" a man said. From his looks Harold identified him as a mercenary captain "My men and the serfs are attacking the city walls of Anthapis everyday. A report revealed that a small breach had been made in the northern wall. Give us a few days and we will have the city." "Have the city he says. Do it faster" The old man stressed Harold didn''t dally. There was no point in staying a moment later. After he put the tray he bowed and went for the exit. But when he was just a few steps from the exit a noble''s voice called. "Serf!" Harold froze. He turned around, afraid of what the nobles would want from him. But to his surprise, the one the noble called wasn''t him. It was another serf. The serf was lanky aged man in his forties. His clothes were soiled like Harold''s. His face was a canvas with fear painted on it. The noble rose. He opened his palm towards the serf. "Stealing is a crime. Give back what you stole" The serf''s face became downcast. He looked around as if begging for help. He grabbed something inside his tunic and handed it to the noble. It was a bread. The serf then knelt. "I''m sorry sire! I''m sorry" he begged "My son is with me and he has a sick. Me boy can''t survive this campaign with no food. Sire forgive this humble one. Please!" The noble gave a proud grunt. He grabbed the serf''s hair. "Stealing is a crime. Stealing food during the a food crisis is an even bigger crime" He looked behind "What should we do to him?" "He''s one of mine. Punish him. Flog him. Execute him. I don''t really care" another noble from the table said. "Just punish him and be done with it. We don''t have time to dwell on the matter" The old man whose name was Helios said The noble who was grabbing the serf''s hair gave a sneer towards the serf. "Lucky. You are lucky" He then looked at Harold. "You. Serf. Give this man five punches to the face" "Sire?" Harold asked, confused. He then remembered that asking such a question was a mistake. He eyed the other serf. The aged man nodded slightly. Harold stepped towards the serf. He balled his hand into a fist and punched. "You have the guts to disobey us boy?" The noble said beside him. "Punch with strength. You are holding back" Harold again looked at the serf. The aged man looked at him in a way as if giving his permission. He again balled a fist and punched. This time he put force into it. Every single strike from him would draw blood from the serf''s face. It was horrible. He could feel the moment the serf''s jaw broke after the fourth punch. The fifth made Harold''s fist bloody. The aged serf was reduced to a laying on ground. He was still conscious but he was hurt by Harold''s strikes. "Drag him outside" The noble said to Harold''s face. "And remember this boy. Remember this for the rest of your life. Stealing is a crime. This man is lucky we are busy today. Next time I catch him he won''t be so lucky" Harold complied. He grabbed the serf and slumped him on his back. He then went outside. It was cold outside, unlike the inside of the tent of the nobles. The aged man was on his back. "I''m sorry. I had no choice but to follow them" "It is alright" The serf replied despite hi broken jaw. The was a long silence as Harold carried the serf towards a tree. He laid him to rest leaning on the trunk. "I would have given you food for your son but I myself am starving" "Forget it. Me son is done for" "But..." "He will die" the serf said shedding a single tear "My son will die. That just now was my last attempt" "So you are giving up? Is that it?" Harold asked, perhaps a little harshly. The serf''s decision to give up angered him as it reminded him of his decision all those years ago. He also gave up on his sister. The serf smiled. His bloodied teeth showed. A pained expression followed. "Because we are just serfs" The answer surprised Harold a bit. He had heard of that phrase many times before. He had even said that phrase to himself. Because we are just serfs. A little better than slaves and treated like property. It was true. Even if the law prohibits nobles from abusing their serfs, nobody could accuse the nobles of such crimes. The King''s eyes could only see so much. The King''s shield could not protect everyone. They are just serfs, nothing more. "No. We are Castonians! We are the King''s subjects" Harold blurted. He himself doesn''t know why he was this agitated. "The King''s subjects. While you were being used to punish me, King Ivan did nothing. He just watched" "Ivan is not King. He will never be King. And we are more than just serfs" Harold said. He then realized that his words just now could be treated as rebellious. He was a fool. He shook his head and turned around. He started walking the other way. He looked from left to right, examining if someone had heard his rebellious blurt. He would be punished or even killed if someone loyal to the nobles heard him say that Ivan is not the King. He was relieved after seeing that nobody cared. The serfs just worked. Those who were assigned for the city assault tomorrow trained with spears. He heaved a sigh of relief. "You are right. We are more than just serfs" A voice suddenly said. Harold became frantic. He looked behind and saw a man he was not familiar with. From his clothes Harold deduced that he was also a serf. The man offered his hand to Harold. "Come with me. A new day awaits us brother" 148 Peasants Revol Harold felt stupid with his decision for he followed the man he just met. A few flowery words and his eyes shone like that of a puppy. He could get killed just by listening to the man. Nevertheless his legs moved and he followed. He just bit his lips and hoped that in the end everything would work out. A few thousand steps and he found himself in a hidden spot in the camp. It wasn''t actually hidden as the place was in an open field but only a few frequented the spot. If Harold''s memory still serves him, the spot was reserved for storing food coming from Ront and Straso. Now that Leopold Castonia cut their supply lines, the place had become a den of silence. The serf he just met turned his head towards Harold. He curved a small smile and gestured towards a big tent. "In here brother" Harold studied the tent. It was truly large, probably intended to house grains. It was unremarkable though as other tents of the same size lined its both sides. Harold met eyes with the serf. "What is inside?" "I told you already" The serf''s smile turned wider. His yellowish teeth showed. With a swipe of his hand he held the flap of the tent open. "A new day awaits us" Harold angled his look inside the tent. His legs stilled. His heart was calm though despite his current situation. His left leg moved forward. And then his right. He doesn''t want to go inside. He just wanted to live his life. Even a serf- a lowly abused serf- could cherish the joy of breathing and the gift of a beating heart. It was better to live than to die. Living as a serf is still living no matter what. That''s what he thought. That''s what he planted on his heart. But he entered the tent anyway despite knowing that only doom and death awaits inside. There were a few dozen people inside the tent. All of them turned a short look at him as he entered. And then they went back to minding their own business. A buzzing chatter ensued. After a few breaths a man clad in armor dragged a stool in front of the crowd. The man was a soldier from the looks of it. The crest on his armor was beautiful. It was an image of a crowing rooster. The soldier went up the stool. Everyone stopped chattering and focused on him. Harold also directed his eyes on the soldier. "My name is John Wilkin of the Rooster legion" the soldier said and held his tongue afterwards as if permitting his words to sink into their minds. Harold of course knew what the rooster legion is. During their free time, serfs would often gossip about various things. Lately the exploits of King Timothy in the west had been the content of their gossips. Naturally the Rooster Legion was included in the tales. They said that the rooster legion once withstood the charge of Tulosan Knights. The rooster''s talons could stop a stallion. Even when surrounded and outnumbered the rooster would not rout. The rooster only crows loyalty to King Timothy. They were his favorite- his best. "You must have heard of the rooster before" John continued with pride in his voice. "We are His Majesty''s sword. We are his shield. And now that the nobles are giving His Majesty trouble, we are here to let them have a taste of our might" John''s posture emanates a feeling of toughness. It was apparent that he was a veteran who had downed many with his sword. "We are supposed to be enemies. You serve the nobles while I serve His Majesty. And yet we are here talking and meeting in this dark secret place. Why is that?" John raised his finger and then formed a fist "I''ll tell you why. It''s because we are not enemies. The nobles are our enemies and we are all His Majesty''s subjects" A hush followed. Nobody moved. Nobody talked. The silence ended with a single serf grunting and asking the question everyone wanted to ask. "You want us to rise against the nobles?" All of them of course knew that the answer is yes. They wouldn''t gather in secret like this for nothing. The purpose was not to confirm John''s intention but to gauge the chance of success. Almost every serf in the camp wanted to fight the nobles. Harold was also the same. He wanted justice for all the inequality he suffered from the hands of his liege lord. But Harold doesn''t want to die. No sane man would want to breathe his last. Living is still living despite the hardships. A life is still a life. "We''ve been serving our liege lords for generations good sir" An old serf said with mellow voice "I''ve seen several peasant revolts in the past. I''ve seen serfs resist against the rule of the nobles over the years. All of those serfs are now dead. Executed for the crime of rebelling against their liege. We wanted to rise against them son. Believe me, we do. But why should this rebellion succeed when others failed? This would end just like the others- with dead serfs and triumphant nobles" "It will be different this time. The King is with us. King Timothy will elevate all of you to freemen. The land you toil now will be given to you after the rebellious nobles have been vanquished" John said "Pardon me for saying this but we haven''t met King Timothy. We all have heard of him but for us he is just a tale. Why should we trust in the promises of a man whose face we haven''t even seen?" the same old man rebutted. "Because King Timothy is not just a normal royal. Many Kings have promised to improve the quality of life of their subjects. And many Kings have failed in their promises. But King Timothy is different. Trust me, I know. I have been with him and I can say that he cares for us. He could have abandoned us when the Tulosans and the Calgarians and the Wismarines attacked. He could have ran away to a distant land and lived a good peaceful life. But he didn''t. He didn''t run because he cares for us. He loves us and we should serve him!" "Fine. Let us say that King Timothy will be true to his word. I personally think that he would be. What now? What''s the plan?" The soldier whose name is John looked at them one by one. "This gathering is just one of many. Several of my comrades are also meeting other groups of serfs. Tonight we will attack the nobles. Tonight you will have your freedom!" John raised his fist in the air. But his rhetoric was met with mumbles of disagreement. Harold himself frowned. The plan was too risky. "A child must have made your plan then" A serf shouted "No! You must be insane if you think that this would work. Do you think that all serfs wants to free themselves from the shackles of the nobles? Not all serfs are like that. It only takes a single traitor to expose your attack tonight. I am even willing to bet that there is a traitor inside this tent. He will report your planned attack to the nobles and all of us who will participate tonight will be branded as traitors. Too naive I say." "Even if someone does betray us the nobles can''t do anything if all of you rise in rebellion. I know this is scary for you. I know that you all fear death. But it is time to have courage to change your fate" "Yes. But alas not everyone is as brave as you good sir. You are a soldier. You are a veteran of countless battles. We, on the other hand, just want to live and go back to our families. I''m sorry but I won''t join you" A serf said sadly. He turned around and started walking to the exit. Several serfs followed. They all left. The tent slowly emptied. Harold also did the same. It was true. The plan was too risky. He had hoped that real soldiers will attack the camp. But the soldier whose name is John implies that the serfs would have to fight for their own freedom. Harold was disappointed. He thought that he had seen hope. He was wrong. There was no hope for a serf like him. ********** The night attack failed. Harold had heard that several dozen serfs were captured by the nobles that night. They were going to be executed for treason. Harold was about to sleep when the right hand man of his liege woke them. All serfs were commanded to watch the execution that night. When Harold arrived at the place of the execution several thousand serfs were already there. The atmosphere was solemn. It was a sad night. There were forty-six serfs on the platform. Their hands were tied and their clothes were ripped. Some of them had bloodied face. Some had missing limbs. The nobles, mercenary captains and Prince Ivan were also on the platform. Harold''s liege stepped forward. He had a whip on his hand. He hauled one of the serfs to the front of the platform where everyone can see him. To Harold''s surprise the serf was the one who dragged him into the secret meeting. He never got to know the serf''s name but he was sure that it was him. "This man" Harold''s liege pointed at the serf "This man betrayed King Ivan. He is a lowly serf like all of you. And yet he dared to raise a sword against us nobles. Bear witness on how such rebellious attitudes are punished. He will be flogged until he dies. May this serve as a warning to you. Rebellion will mean death!" But the serf suddenly laughed. His laugh drew the attention of everyone watching. His mouth was bloody. His face was swollen. And yet he was laughing. He raised his chained wrists. Everyone was surprised by his actions. Harold was also surprised but he felt his heart race after seeing the serf''s unwillingness to give up. "We are more than just serfs!" he started. "We are people too. We are Castonians. We are the many. And these noblemen should be the ones fearing us. Because we are the strong. I may die today but I will tell you this brothers! We can fight them!" "Shut up!" Harold''s liege started flogging the serf. His strikes erupted smacking sounds on the serf''s back. But the serf maintained his stance and continued talking. "Rise brothers! Rise! We have to fight. We can fight! They should be the ones fearing us. They should be the ones cowering. They have abused us for too long. Now is the time for change. Now is the time to rise!" At last the serf fell. The Baron''s whips were too much. The serf''s bleeding back was exposed. It was mangled like minced meat. The serf managed to shout one last line. "We are more than just serfs" There was then a long silence. Only the Baron''s pants could be heard. But Harold didn''t mind the silence. He was focused on the serf. He was staring at the fallen brother. His eyes had been opened. The resilience of the serf opened his emotions like floodgate. A certain rage filled his heart. It was ire. It was fury. They had been abused for so long. They had been treated like animals. It was not fair. The world was not fair to them. Harold''s breaths had become heavy. He gritted his teeth. He was angry. He raised his clenched fist in the air and roared. "Rise!" 149 Fervor "Rise!" another serf cried. "Rise!" a dozen more similar shouts echoed. "Rise!" now there were hundreds. And the hundreds turned into thousands. Helios felt uneasy on his seat. The shouts brought trepidation. He felt like an prey facing a multitude of predators with a single mind. The hair on his arms rose. A chill struck his spine. He shifted a little towards Ivan. "Make them stop!" He shouted to Ivan but his own shout was lost among loud cries of the serfs. The nobles were also scared. They were restless. The mercenary captains on the other hand acted calm. They were the first to move. They ordered their soldiers to present a perimeter around the serfs. But it was too late. Too late indeed. Helios did not see how it started. After a single blink of an eye he saw that the serfs were already fighting the mercenaries in a fierce melee. Many of the serfs were unarmed. Some had crude weapons. But they still slammed against the mercenaries. Chaos. It was chaos. Fighting erupted from all sides. Blood flowed- both belonging to serfs and mercenaries. They clashed. They fought. They died. Men fell in the hundreds. Most of them were serfs. Unarmed fighters were no matched to the mercenaries. But the mercenaries were outnumbered heavily. There were only a few hundred of them present at the moment. Most of the mercenaries were either sleeping, on sentry duty or on patrol. The line of the mercenaries would soon fall. Helios knew that there was no calming the crowd now. The serfs exhibited fury. Only death would calm them. He grabbed Ivan''s arm. "Let''s go! We need to live. You need to live. We still need you" Ivan looked blankly at Helios and with a nod he followed. The nobles were also scramming. It was every man for himself. Helios stepped down from the platform while tugging Ivan behind. They started running towards their camp. Only the bulk force of mercenaries could save them now. Five thousand mercenaries should be enough to slaughter the serfs. It was a shame losing the serfs but they had no choice. Three serfs ran towards them. Helios'' hands erupted in flames. He grabbed a serf by the neck and the man started burning. The other two were taken back by what happened. They hesitated. That was their mistake. Helios grabbed another serf by the tunic. The cloth burned and the serf screamed. He was done for. A fiery death for a lowly serf. The remaining serf looked at him in disbelief. The serf stepped back and started running away. Helios wanted to burn that one too. He wanted his flame to engulf the lowly serf. But they don''t have much time. Even his flames cannot stop them from getting overwhelmed. He gestured for Ivan to continue running towards the camp. It didn''t take them long to reach the safe haven. The camp was already awake when they arrived. The mercenaries must have heard the commotion. Soldiers clad in armor were starting to form lines of defense around the camp. The officers were chanting orders to organize the defense. Upon seeing Helios and Ivan the mercenaries divided and let them inside. Nobles and mercenaries that survived the onslaught of the serfs were also permitted inside the safety of the camp. Helios was panting and so was Ivan. They had just survived a fatal encounter. But now that they had organized a defense, the rebellious serfs would soon all die. Those serfs would burn. "Enemies!" A cry rang from a mercenary not far from them. The mercenary pointed to the north. Helios looked to the direction. Men with tattered and muddy clothes emerged from the darkness. Some of them were bloody. They were the serfs. Their numbers alone could make a brave man lose his courage. "To the east sire! To the east I see something!" another mercenary shouted. Helios turned his head to the east. The city of Anthapis rests like a giant. But when he looked at the gates he frowned heavily. The defenders had sallied forth. Several thousand were marching towards their direction. On their hands were spears and swords and shields. Some carried crossbows. The man at the very front was waving the flag of Earl Vernice. Painted on the cloth was the image of two stalks of wheat with a scythe in the middle. But before Helios could let out a curse another shout of despair rang. "The west! I see the lion! Oh God it''s the lion!" Several horsemen emerged from the trees in the west. From their postures and movements it was apparent that these group of newcomers were veterans. Their discipline emanated, giving fear to the mercenaries. But the most terrifying part of the newcomers was the flag they fly. Two crossed swords above a white lion. It was the flag of the King. The ground started to shake. Enemies from three sides began their assault. Helios knew that the mercenaries wouldn''t stand a chance. "Let''s flee" He tugged Ivan "But we can still..." "We can''t. All is lost" Helios pointed at a group of trembling mercenaries "You. Yes, all of you. Come with us. Prepare the horses" The mercenaries complied. They were able to gather the few horses in the camp. In a moment he and Ivan had mounted two of the horses. But two nobles had also realized the futility of the defense. They tried to take the horses from the mercenaries for themselves. "Give me the reins!" "Lowly sellsword!" Helios has no need for these nobles. All of them are useless to him now. He would rather have mercenaries than nobles with soft hands. He swung down from his horse. Stepping towards the two nobles he prepared the flames in his hands. He swatted them away, making sure that their garments would catch the fire. In the darkness and in the snow the two nobles burned. Just like the serfs earlier they screamed. The dozen or so mercenaries looked at him with bulging eyes. Ivan on the other hand just lowered his head. Helios didn''t mind the reaction of the people around him. Let them awe, he thought. Let them fear. He doesn''t care. All he wanted was to survive this. He wanted to live another day so he could again do his job. He walked towards his horse and pushed himself up. "Let''s go. To the south" he commanded The mercenaries remained still for a while but they soon moved. It seemed that the enemies were more terrifying than his flame. He was a bit disappointed but looking at the charging King''s veterans, the defenders of Anthapis, and the raging serfs- he could not blame them. While riding his horse Helios looked back. It was out of mere curiosity. He was right. The mercenaries failed to hold. They caved in even before the enemies made contact. Their lines bent inward. Most of them routed. They say that mercenaries were loyal only to gold. That wasn''t really true. They were loyal to themselves and no amount of riches could make them sacrifice their lives for their employers. Helios heaved a sigh. He had lost. He was hoping to at least make Ivan the King of Castonia to help them during the cull. But fate wasn''t good to him. He underestimated the resentment of the serfs against their liege lords. But this will not be the end. He will not give up. There were more ways to bring chaos in Castonia. ********** From a small hill Leopold saw the battle. It wasn''t a battle he corrected himself. Mercenaries getting overwhelmed couldn''t be called a battle. His guards, Braun and Shadow were with him. Shadow pointed towards something to the south. "It''s them. They are escaping" Leopold traced Shadow''s finger. At the distance there were a little more than a dozen horsemen riding away from the battle. "You think it''s Ivan and the old man you are acquainted with?" "Yes. I know that old man. I know his habits. I know how he thinks. He will try again. The eastern part of your nation will never taste peace as long as he is alive" Although Leopold understands the threat the old man brings, he cares more about Ivan. He wanted to meet the idiot and drag him to Nirvana even if he has to. Leopold looked behind. Including Rupert and Braun there were no more than twenty of them. If they are to give chase, it will be a tough fight. It will be dangerous especially for him and Braun who were not really fighters. But they can''t let them escape or else their headache in the eastern region will not end. "Let''s go" Leopold said loudly so everybody could hear. He looked at Rupert "Don''t worry I will stay behind you" Rupert nodded as agreement. Leopold clucked his tongue. He tugged the reins of his mount. The trained horse moved forward. It began as a trot. Soon their horses were galloping. The chase had begun and Leopold couldn''t wait to smack that idiot son of his. 150 Helios "We are being followed!" a mercenary shouted from behind. Helios turned his head. There were horsemen trailing them. Their pace was fast. He squinted to get a more detailed description of their pursuers. The one at the front- Helios knew him. It was him. "Delay them" he commanded. "Form a rearguard and let us escape" His order was met by silence and status quo. The mercenaries didn''t bulge. He felt a heat of anger burst through him. "Didn''t you hear what I said?" "Sire" The most senior of the mercenaries said "We cannot. Look at the crest on their helm. Royal Guards sire and I ain''t fighting royal guards outnumbered. Even if you pay me a thousand gold coins I wouldn''t. We would die sire!" "We should all go sire. We''ve seen your hands earlier and them Royal Guards would burn. Fight with us or we all scram" another mercenary said. Helios ground his molars together. Cowards. All of them are cowards. Well what did he expect from mercenaries? The coward was right though. Royal Guards were tough. They were the best. Mercenaries were like flies to them. But Royal Guards were still men- and men burn. Brave or cowardly they all burn. Royal Guard or not the all die. It will be dangerous to fight them head-on. But once again they didn''t have a choice. "Then we should all fight" he turned to Ivan "Including you. They will catch us soon enough. Prepare your weapons. To arms! We turn our mounts together. On my count. Three... two... one..." ********** The enemies turned their horses around. Leopold was behind Rupert when this happened. His heart beat faster. He was afraid. He unsheathed the sword provided to him and pointed it forward. He doesn''t even know if his posture is right. The ones at the front clashed. The horses cried neighs of injury. The riders did too. A few royal guards fell from their horse. Some of them had been injured. Those who were able to escape injury searched for opponents. A mounted melee followed. Three horsemen galloped towards his direction. One of them had burning hands. It was him. It was the old man Shadow was talking about. The flame was scary. Any man would have been scared seeing the flames. But two royal guards and Rupert met the flame. They clashed with the mercenaries and the old man. One of the two mercenaries fell almost instantly. A royal guard''s sword was thrust on his chest. The other ran away but Rupert was able to chase the man and strike him down with a stab to the back just a little below the neck. But the old man was triumphant on his side. The royal guard he faced burned. The guard screamed. It must have been painful. Of course it was. Rupert turned his horse around and went for the old man. The old man presented a flame but Rupert didn''t even bulge. Rupert angled his body a little. He crouched on his horse to avoid the old man''s hands. And then he sprung with a thrust of his sword. The sword buried through the old man''s belly. Rupert twisted the blade, ensuring the old man''s demise. "Helios!" a familiar voice shouted. Leopold looked for the voice. He knew that it was Ivan. A few steps from the old man and Rupert, Ivan charged with his horse. He met swords with Rupert. The royal guard was able to parry each one of Ivan''s strikes. But Ivan''s actions gave the old man time to escape. The old man pulled the reins of his horse and trotted away. Leopold rode towards Ivan. His son was still fighting Rupert. It wasn''t even a fight. It looked like a child throwing a tantrum. Rupert was going easy on Ivan, only defending and not attacking. "Stop it Ivan. In the name of the Omniscient just stop this nonsense. Look around you. You have lost. Fighting Rupert like that is just embarrassing our family" Ivan really stopped. He was panting and shaking from exertion. He looked around. Several mercenaries were able to escape. The others were already dead. Ivan looked at him. There was pain on his expression. "I am the King! You gave what is mine to Timothy. He is not even your son. He is mother''s bastard. And you gave him the crown. You dare to this to me father? Am I nothing to you!?" Leopold went closer to Ivan. He rode his horse slowly like an approaching storm. "Helios promised me the crown" Ivan declared with an air of superiority "They are powerful father and you must be afraid. Oh they are powerful. Timothy should shake in fear. He should be kissing my boots right now if only he knew. I want to see him tremble. I want to see him realize how weak he is in the grand scheme of things. That bastard..." Leopold didn''t let Ivan continue his blabbers. His fist struck Ivan''s face. Even though he''s old, the strength of his arm was still a force to be considered. A painful smack echoed. Ivan''s head was sent bobbing. He went limp from Leopold''s strike and started falling from his horse. Leopold caught Ivan on his arms. The idiot opened his eyes after a while. Leopold leaned his mouth closer to Ivan''s ears. He wanted his words to be heard. "I don''t care!" ********** Shadow followed the trail of blood in the snow. The bright moon aided him in his quest. A few thousand paces and he found the horse Helios was riding earlier. It remained stationary in the vast snow. He looked around and sure enough he found him. Helios was sitting in the snow and looking at the moon. Shadow dismounted and walked towards Helios. The heavy crunching of his boots announced his presence. But Helios didn''t rose to fight nor did he tried to escape once more. It was over for him. The amount of blood in the snow confirmed Helios'' imminent end. Shadow stood just a few paces in front of Helios. He had known this man since he was a child. "You gave them your name. Helios. I heard the Castonian prince call you as such. May I ask why you told him your real name?" "Do you know what Helios means?" Helios looked at him and smiled "In the old tongue it means the sun. It doesn''t fit you know. My flames are not as hot as the sun. I am a mere flicker. A nobody. I couldn''t even do my job well" "You still didn''t answer my question. Why give Ivan your name? Our names are more than just names. They are our titles. Some of our kind are too proud to give the humans our name" "Same reason why you gave them yours. Respect. At first I was like most of our kind. I viewed humans as nothing more than insects. But living here in Castonia for the past years have changed my views. Although they don''t have abilities like we do, they can be powerful sometimes. But I still underestimated them in the end. I thought that the serfs would continue cowering under the rule of the nobles. I was wrong. I now know the importance of the cull. They need to be destroyed or else they would destroy us" "The cull will fail" Shadow said "King Timothy and Queen Lucia will stop it. It''s a shame that you have to die. You could have joined us" "No. I am and always be loyal to your father until the very end" Helios shook his head "You know, your father was devastated when you left. His own blood betraying him and supporting the resistance. It must have been painful for him. He told us that we could kill you since you betrayed us first. But I saw it in his eyes. He loves you. He doesn''t want his only child to die. Tell me Shadow. Are you also the same? Do you also love your father?" "I do" "Then why do this? You are supporting the resistance and the humans" "My father is wrong. He oppresses our people. He wants the humans to die by the millions. My conscience can''t accept that" "Your father is a good man Shadow. He is one if not the kindest that I know. He is merely doing this for our people. Do you think he wants to oppress? Do you think he wants his hand to be bloodied with the deaths of millions? It pains him. But he has no choice. He had seen the horrors of the past and those horrors would be repeated if he doesn''t rule with an iron fist. Those horrors would again occur if the humans were permitted to get stronger" "That doesn''t make my father right. His ideas are old. His ideas are wrong" Helios sighed but his sigh turned into a cough of blood. "Then may fortune bless your way Shadow. I hope you find peace in the end. As for me, my time has come. I will not be able to see the future. Good luck to all of you. My path ends here. My flame will burn no more" Helios lay on the snow. His hand cupped his wound. His breathing had become less frequent. With a last huge heave of air, Helios died. Shadow walked towards the corpse. He knelt and closed Helios'' eyes. "It has been a long time of fighting. May your flame finally guide you to a warm rest" 151 Free Serfs As the faint winter sun rose the chaos of last night abated. Hundreds of mercenaries lay dead on the snow. Thousands were in chains. Only five of the nobles survived, one of which is the Earl of Ront. The said nobles were kneeling in front of Leopold. Their bloodied and muddied faces manifested defeat. Once these noblemen proudly displayed defiance to his son. Now they kneel with heads hung low and hands tied behind. The serfs watched in silence. They were a mixed lot of people with different backgrounds. Most of them were farmers. A few were household servants to their lieges. The rest were of different professions. But all of them once served the nobles. Leopold put his hands behind. He puffed his chest and acted tough despite the cold biting through his bones. The wind swayed his coat and whistled past his ears. His eyes jumped from left to right- examining and enjoying the defeated look on the nobles. "You have rebelled against the King. You have defied his might. You tested the lion and now you cower under its roar. You also abused our people. You broke Castonian laws against maltreatment of serfs" He angled his look towards the serfs "Tell me oh united people of Castonia! Do you want justice!?" The serfs clamor blasted like a million horns sounding in unison. Raising their fists in the air they shouted as agreement. Leopold finally saw the power Timothy was talking about. Timothy told him that the power monarchs possess are all but an illusion. It was the people who truly holds power. A populist would always bring forth drastic changes in a nation. To hold the heart of the many meant to hold the power. The nobles disregarded this fact. They thought that titles and family names would mean something. They thought that coins and lands meant they could do whatever they want. They were wrong of course. Titles and coins and lands didn''t save them in the end. "With the power vested in me by King Timothy Castonia. I, Leopold Castonia, hereby strips your families of their noble title. The reason being the crimes of rebellion, treason, sedition and abuse of serfs. With the Omniscient above and the people of Castonia as witnesses, I bring this judgement upon you" The nobles kept their heads down. They did not move. They must be happy, Leopold thought. He was being lenient with his judgement. If he was to decide, he would have given death to these rebels. But Timothy warned him against doing so. Executing those who surrendered would give them difficulties in the future. Their future enemies would not lay down their arms knowing that they will be executed anyway. Execution would just breed more resilient future enemies. Leopold rolled his eyes. The nobles must be smiling with their heads lower. It was frustrating. He just focused his look towards the serfs. "And to you brave people of Castonia who rose against inequality and injustice. Now that your liege lords have been stripped of their titles, you and your families are now free from the bondage of serfdom. Lands of the nobles will be distributed equally. Their properties will be sold, half of which will go to the crown and the half will go to you" Leopold held his words for a little while. The serfs started to chatter happily on the prospect of freedom and wealth. Leopold raised his palm to stop the chatters and continued "This is a gift the King has offered you. In his mercy and love he has given you this gift. He only desires one thing. Loyalty. We should all offer him our loyalty. Will you, oh good and brave people of Castonia, give King Timothy your loyalty!?" The Castonians knelt to the direction of Nirvana and bowed. Timothy wasn''t currently in Nirvana but it was a symbol of them giving their loyalty to the crown. Seeing thousands of people kneeling in the cold snow just to show their loyalty to the King, Leopold felt warmness in his heart. His lips curved a smile ********** The side of Vernice''s belly hurts. He opened his eyes and saw that a bandage was wrapped around his side. He remembered that he was wounded last night. Leading his serfs and the city watch personally was a little foolish. He shifted on his bed to alleviate the pain. "You''re finally awake" It was shadow. The mysterious man was back on his old attire. The hat and the cane and the black coat were a weird combination. "We won?" Shadow chuckled "Of course we did. The moment we pinned the nobles with our three forces it was over for them. And yet somebody was foolish enough to lead at the front despite not having training " "I am fat too right?" "Yeah but that actually saved your life. The spear didn''t hit any of your organs because of your fat. Let''s just hope your wound doesn''t fester" Somebody entered the tent. The cold wind from outside blew inside. An old wrinkled person with white hair entered. Vernice knew who he was. Never would he forget the only person who believed in him all those years ago. "Ah the hero of the hour. Waving his flag and leading at the front like the warriors of the past. What are you? Some kind of skilled swordsman? Legendary fighter?" Leopold said in a sarcastic reprimanding tone. "I should leave and let the two of you talk alone" Shadow said and proceeded to exit the tent. Vernice looked at Leopold "One of your officers. Henry is his name I think. He also leads the cavalry from the front I''ve heard. So maybe leading at the front is not such a bad idea after all" "And Henry is in his prime. Tough knight with decades of training. Armored and expert in the art of puncturing holes in the bodies of his enemies. While you..." he looked at Vernice "I''ve heard you can''t even walk without your cane" "Fine. I get it. I shouldn''t have joined last night" Vernice lowered his head Leopold stepped towards him. A hand patted his shoulder. "But that was gallant. Waving your flag at the front is gallant. Getting stabbed with a spear is gallant. You have my respect even though you did a foolish thing. Your people have also warmed up to you. On my way here almost everybody was talking about how you led the defenders of Anthapis last night. I think they will call you Earl of Lards no more" "Is that so? A shame. They have called me Earl of Lards for such a long time that the name had become an endearment" Vernice grinned "You really have a certain weirdness in you Vernice. You never changed. It is nice meeting you again" Leopold sat beside his bed "Now, I hate to do this but we still have many things to do. Especially you" "You have set the serfs free and you want me to arrange the division of lands and wealth among them" Vernice guessed. He could smell trouble and headache for him in the horizon. "Correct. Also the cases Ront and Straso could garner you some difficulties. The two cities need new Earls. To make matters worse, many serfs in other areas would also aspire to be free from their bondage upon hearing how I freed thousands of serfs today. You must prevent them from rebelling" Vernice sighed. "Should you really go through with the freeing of serfs? I could manage replacing the Earls of Straso and Ront and the restoration of order but preventing a war between the serfs and the nobles could be too much for me" "Unfortunately I should. Timothy is changing Castonia. He envisions Castonia in the future not as a land of nobles but as a land of the people. Old and inefficient ways he calls our system with the nobles. He wants to transition but he doesn''t want to do it abruptly. Little by little he wants the serfs freed and the noble system erased. Freeing the serfs around the areas of Ront and Straso is just the start. In a few decades or so there won''t be any nobles in Castonia. There would only be one King and a loyal people to follow him" "Nationalism could not thrive while the nobles reign powerful" Vernice nodded "Timothy had written to me several times of this. A convincing idea and a great dream. I shall help him achieve it. I shall grind my bones even if I have to" "Thank you" "Think nothing of it" Vernice smiled towards Leopold "So you are going back to Nirvana?" "Yes. Ivan is still refusing to talk to me. I still need drag that halfwit ass of him back to Nirvana" Vernice laughed. He offered his arm to Leopold "Our reunion is short. Regretful that it has to be. Until we meet again" Leopold grabbed Vernice arm "Recover from your injury. Pacify the east. And don''t eat too much. Until the Omniscient permits our next reunion Vernice" ********** Holm, Vanadis It was cold. When Timothy opened his eyes he discovered why. Lucia wasn''t by his side. He sat on their bed and yawned. He couldn''t tell the time of the day. The palace of Vanadis in Holm was just too large. The door opened and a beautiful woman entered. She was his wife. She wore a thick furry coat. Her hair was hung lose on one side. Upon entering she smiled to him. She was carrying a plate filled with steaming bread and cheese. He felt warm and thankful inside- a little honored since it was the Queen herself that brought him breakfast. Life has been good so far. 152 Merchant Kingdom Lucia sat on their bed and put the plate on Timothy''s lap. She broke a chunk of the hot bread and held the food near Timothy''s mouth. "I have hands" Timothy said "You do. I just want to feed you. Don''t you want it?" Timothy took the bread with his lips. He chewed and swallowed before talking. "I have the impulse to grab your waist right now and cuddle with you" Lucia leaned forward. She put a kiss on his forehead. "You can do that after eating. For now just let me love you" It took a while for Timothy to finish his meal. He chewed the food as if it was hard tack. All the time he had been staring at her with a smile on his face. He must be enjoying it. Lucia put the empty plate aside. She let herself fall towards Timothy. She rested her head on his bare chest. He smells really nice. "I have good news" she rubbed her cheeks on Timothy''s chest "A letter just arrived from Anthapis" Lucia took the letter from her pocket. She handed it to Timothy. Timothy opened the letter and proceeded to read. He put down the letter afterwards. His expression became lighter. "They won" "You don''t look surprised" "I expected it. The nobles were never a threat to begin with. The Spectator or Shadow if that''s how he goes by now, was also with them. But now comes the hard part- cleaning up the mess. Vernice should be scratching his head right now" Timothy laughed. He wrapped both arms around Lucia. Lucia enjoyed the way Timothy grips her body closer to his. She could feel his heartbeat. "I need your help on something" Lucia said after a while. She looked at Timothy "The ball is coming and everything must be perfect to show the nobles and merchants that Vanadis stands strong" Timothy gave a mischievous smile. Lucia had already anticipated that he would next give a mischievous answer. She prepared her hands to pinch both Timothy''s cheeks. "The Queen of Vanadis asking the King of Castonia for help in setting up a ball. It''s like a merchant asking a miner on tips on how to haggle and diddle" Lucia proceeded to pinch both of Timothy''s cheeks. "Your jests are getting dryer by the day my King" Timothy also pinched her cheeks. He leaned forward and put a kiss on her. "Alright. Just tell me how I can help" "It''s regarding my dress. Mylene prepared three sets of clothes for me to choose from but I can''t make up my mind" Lucia rose from Timothy''s embrace. She went to the wardrobe and grabbed three dresses. She showed Timothy the first one. It was a white one-piece dress with diamonds on it''s v-shaped collar. The sleeves were short and the back was opened. "What about this?" "I prefer not" Timothy made a cute pout "Too revealing. Other men would fantasize about you. Only I have the right to fantasize about you" Lucia burst out into laughter. Timothy was just too cute. "Fantasize? And what are you fantasizing about me?" "Various things" "And should I be afraid of these so-called various things? Should I fear being devoured by your prurience towards me?" "Oh you should be very afraid. But fear shall not become your shield" "Funny you say that. But last night and the night before. And the other night..." Lucia grinned "I was always the one with the better endurance. You tire too fast my King. So it was me who was always devouring you" "Ohoho devour me is it?" Timothy curved a wide grin. He leapt from their bed and and ran towards her. Lucia ran away and a short chase ensued. Soon he caught her and imprisoned her into his embrace. He tickled her neck with his warm breaths and bites. "Tim. I''m kidding. I''m kidding! Not there" Lucia giggled loudly at first but her giggles later turned into moans of satisfaction. She put her palms on Timothy''s cheeks and averted his lips into hers. The kiss became sensual. She started to feel her body become warm. She hooked both arms around Timothy''s neck and pulled him closer. Timothy started undressing her. Her coat fell on the floor. A few moments and her tunic was next. Timothy''s hands then started exploring around and the exploration added to her pleasure. Every touch sent sparks down her spine. Every caress on her body increased her desire to be one with him. They soon made love. Timothy was more vigorous this time but so was she. The whole thing ended with both of them panting on the floor with bodies intertwined. "Do you still doubt my ability to give pleasure to my woman?" Timothy whispered with a laugh. Lucia shyly shook her head. Even if it was just for the purpose of teasing him, she couldn''t say yes. Timothy chuckled. He rose and examined the two other dresses. He held the red dress sparkled with flakes of gold. The hem was decorated intricately. It was made of pure Abicut silk. "What about that one?" Lucia asked. She grabbed her coat and wrapped it around both of them. "Too eye-catching. Your beauty alone demands enough attention. Wearing this would direct the stares of everybody on you all the time. At first that would be good but later on it will become uncomfortable for most people" Timothy put the dress down. He took the last one. "Ah this. Perfect. The blue hue would match your complexion well. This will make you look more mature" "But isn''t it also too revealing?" Timothy smiled towards her. "Although other men fantasizing about you still makes me uncomfortable, the merits outweigh my displeasure. You will look stunning in this dress. I want my beloved to have the best. I want you to be viewed by everybody with utmost respect" Lucia embraced Timothy. What he said warmed her heart. She doesn''t know what she would do if not for his support and guidance. "Thank you Tim. Thank you so much. I''ll wear this one then" "It is my pleasure my Queen" he put a kiss on her head "So have you sent all the invitations?" "Not yet. This will be the largest ball and gathering in the history of Vanadis. Father is working night and day just to make sure that all the merchants and nobles and everyone who holds power is invited" "We still have a week. He can still finish the preparations. I also have work to do" The work Timothy was talking about was the recruitment of regulars from the Vanadian populace. Being reliant on mercenaries for so long, it was like stretching numb muscles for Vanadis to levy an army from its populace. "You want me to go with you?" "I can manage. Focus on being Queen. Work has been piling up right?" Lucia nodded. She could feel the exhausting work that awaits her already "Vanadis has been without a monarch for months. I have a lot to do. Unlike you, I don''t have a ''Braun'' to micromanage things for me" "Maybe I will be your Braun" Timothy shrugged "After I''m done with the recruitment of regulars" "Yeah but until then I must toil by myself" Timothy held her hand "Let''s go? Me to your barracks and you to the stacks of paperworks" Lucia nodded. She looked towards the door. Inside their room was the only place the two of them could be Lucia and Timothy. Outside, both of them had reputations to uphold and responsibilities to fulfill. In the eyes of many she was the Queen of Vanadis and he was the King of Castonia. ********** Arthur put the flowers on the feet of the bust of Aunt Anna. As he looked at the bust, he noticed that the nose and the lips were wrong. Aunt Anna''s nose was a little thinner and her lips was a little higher. Nevertheless the bust really looked like Aunt Anna. Looking at the image of the bust, Arthur couldn''t help but awe in the uncanny resemblance between Aunt Anna and Lucia. They really are mother and daughter, he thought. The only difference is that Aunt Anna had been good to him while Lucia... Well whatever happened between them, whatever injuries they inflicted against each other, he could at least say that he was partly responsible for it. "You miss her, don''t you?" A voice said from behind. Arthur looked back. It was his mother. Specks of grey hair were on her head. Her face was starting to sag from age. "She..." Arthur lowered his head "She was kind to me. Whenever I''m sad she would console me. I treated her as my second mother. Of course I miss Aunt Anna" His mother walked towards the bust. She put her palm on the face. "I hate to admit it but she was more beautiful than me. More intelligent, more cunning and kinder too. The only advantage I had over her is that I am your father''s first wife while she was second" "Wasn''t it difficult for both of you? Sharing father''s love and attention and all?" "It was difficult, yes. We made it work nonetheless. Both of us learned how to find our places" His mother smiled towards the bust "Right Anna?" His mother then turned to look at him. "But you know what? I now realized that I shouldn''t have shared with her. I was the first wife and she was only the second. I should have taken your father for myself. But I didn''t and look where it resulted now. My own son was skipped in the succession despite being the eldest. Don''t you find it frustrating?" "I do. But..." "Then come with me Arthur. We have some things to do" "What do you mean mother?" Arthur frowned in confusion. His mother again looked at the bust. "I know some people who can give you back what is yours. You will become the King of Vanadis" 153 First Vanadian Legion A dozen people followed Timothy on his back. Another dozen were walking in front of him. All of them wore the familiar blue cloak and white armor of royal guards. On their hips hung longswords. On their chests were breastplates made not of iron but of steel. Their helms cover much of their heads save for the ear, nose and mouth. Immediate to his right walked Abraham. A head taller than most of the royal guards, Abraham stood out like a nail among needles. His walk was brisk and his steps were heavy. A lot of people would feel awe and fear seeing a man of Abraham''s stature wearing a royal guard''s armor and weapon. But the giant''s expression was opposite to his looks. Abraham was looking around like a child on a fair. Timothy couldn''t blame him though. Holm is beautiful. His pride as a Castonian wouldn''t want to admit it but his eyes were not blind to deny that Holm was more beautiful than Nirvana. Yes the walls of Holm were not impressive. The city guards were few and lax. The gates were made of old iron. Most of the ballistae don''t work. Unlike Nirvana, Holm''s defenses were laughable. But the capital city of Vanadis offered a different approach to beauty. It was a merchant city after all. The buildings in Holm were lined neatly. Not a single one sported only one story. The minimum was two. Below were the shops and above were the living spaces. All of them were made of bricks, some showy ones have portions made of marble. The buildings all have the same color according to their district as was mandated by King Edmund- red for the noble, gold for the merchant, white for the common people and blue for the palace. The streets of Holm were wide and clean. The center was designated for carriages and horses. The sides were for pedestrians. He couldn''t see it right now because of the snow but Lucia had told him that the streets of Holm were paved with a black substance they called dark cement- residues from making the famous Vanadian lamp oil and Hellfire. What impressed and at the same time annoyed Timothy the most were the people. Most of the people in Holm were merchants. The art of selling and haggling were in their blood. An average person in Holm was twice richer than a counterpart in Nirvana. As a result the people walked the streets in proud strides with their chins raised. On their way to the barracks, Timothy and the royal guards passed by the shipyard of Holm. He could feel the amazement of the royal guards. He himself felt the same. The shipyard of Holm was probably the largest in the world. It stretched widely and took a huge chunk of the coastline. It looked like a behemoth eating lumbers and spewing ships in return. Thousands of professional shipbuilders were busy making galleys out of timber. Each person knew his job and everyone worked in unison. Some were shaping the lumbers. Some took the job of making masts. The sails and flags were being sewed in one place. The oars were being shaped on another. But another thing captivated Timothy''s attention. It was a building guarded by more than a hundred marines. Timothy knew what was inside and they were right to give it security. Hellfire was a state secret of Vanadis. He had seen samples of hellfire before. It was a sticky liquid that catches fire easily. It was combustible and explosive to some extent. The liquid was one of the reasons of Vanadis'' dominance at sea. Hundreds of galleys and thousands of people had already experienced the might of Vanadian Hellfire. None of the survivors wanted another taste of the treat. Now that Castonia and Vanadis are, to some extent, united under one rule, hellfire would see some action on land. It was such a waste that a weapon with the potency of hellfire was only being used in naval warfare. Vanadis only had dominance at sea after all. This would change. He had already talked with Lucia about this. Hellfire''s use must be expanded. Timothy could imagine castles burning and battlefields on fire in the future. Charges of cavalry could be deterred with a wall of flame. Sieges wouldn''t last months and years under the pressure of fire. "Would you want to take a look Your Majesty?" Abraham whispered Timothy shook his head. On his lips remained the smile he had earlier. "Not today. The Vanadians know more about navies and flammable liquids more than we do. Let them show their expertise on their field while we show them ours. We would look like tourists if we take a look. Our place is the barracks, not the shipyard" He walked forward to continue to the barracks. The royal guards snapped out of their trance and followed him. After a while Timothy was standing outside a military camp. It was the barracks of Holm. The arrangements were not even worth comparing to that of Nirvana. The barracks of Nirvana was grand with stone walls bearing paintings of major battles. The moat was well maintained. Nirvana''s barracks also had a library, a courtyard, a garden, three kitchens, two hospitals and a well-maintained bathhouse. The barracks of Holm on the other hand was just a camp outside the city walled with wooden spikes. A few months back, the mercenaries populated the barracks. Now that a reform was made by the Queen to slowly replace the mercenaries with regulars from the citizenry, the mercenaries stationed in Holm were the first to be replaced. "What is that smell?" Abraham asked with wrinkled nose. "Sweat and garbage concocted into an unholy putrid union. That, Abraham, is the smell of an undisciplined camp" He gestured towards the gate "It''s not even locked. No sentries despite this camp being outside the city walls. One night attack and the city of Holm would have fallen" Timothy entered the camp with his guards and it got worse. Soiled clothing and broken pottery met him. Broken furniture and other garbage were piled on one side. Some of the tents have holes. There were already people inside. Raw volunteer recruits from the first round of the levy sat on the clean portion of the camp. From their looks and posture he guessed that most of them are sons of merchants. They knelt facing Timothy as soon as they saw him. Event though their monarch was Lucia, he was still the consort. Timothy walked towards them with his guards still flanking him. He breathed the cold air before talking. "How many?" He asked the ones wearing marine uniform and armor. "Less than two hundred for now Your Majesty" "Sir" Timothy corrected "Inside these walls I am your General. View me as such. Only outside am I the consort of your Queen and the King of Castonia" He put his hand on the shoulder of one of the recruits. He was a young man about Timothy''s age. "What is your name?" "Gerald Your... Sir!" "Your father is a fur merchant I suppose?" "How..." "Just a guess" Timothy smiled "Now Gerald, let me ask you a question. Why did you join the first legion of Vanadis?" "Honor sir! I want to do my part in the wars to come" Gerald said without batting an eye. "Ah honor. Such a word. Such a lie. You did not join because of honor. You joined because you are young and you thought, no, you still think that joining would be exciting. You thirst for adventure, for new things. That is why you''re here. Am I wrong?" Gerald gave a nervous nod. "My father want me to take over the family business sir. I don''t want to. The recruitment looked promising so I thought it wouldn''t be a bad idea to enlist. I''m sorry" "Don''t be sorry. Everyone starts like that. Nobody is born honorable. Everyone wants something else at first but soon after they gain the identity of being a defender of their nation, they forget what they want to achieve in the first place" Timothy noticed that some of them were staring intently at him. He must be famous he thought "You" He pointed at a man a few paces back from Gerald "You are looking at me like you''re about to sell me some spices. You got a question. Spill it" The man was surprised at first but after a while he nervously asked, "Is it true sir that you can turn into a lion?" "The only thing I can turn into is a handsome King and I do it all the time" he gave them a smirk. The new recruits laughed to his jest. Lucia was wrong. His jests were not getting dryer. Timothy started walking towards the far end of the line of recruits. "Now all of you are green as grass in spring. Soft hands and weak heart. I bet most of you never held a sword before. No worries for I have experience in dealing with this kind of situation. I once reformed a garrison of drunken men into the legend that is the Rooster Legion. That took me a year" He paused and grinned "I have a month to do the same with you" 154 Training Timothy looked at them in the eye. He could see the excitement of each person in the ranks. "I have an important task for you. Mind you" he pointed at them "The task is so significant that it would mean life and death to you in the future" There was a commotion in the ranks. The recruits looked at each other with excitement on their faces. Some were clenching their fists, ready to prove themselves. What he would say next will shatter their excitement. "Has anyone noticed that smell? Putrid. Just putrid. And this camp. Broken pottery everywhere. Look there''s a tunic laying on the ground. Bones of animals are scattered like seeds in a spring planting. The tents have holes in them. The equipment are in disarray. Such a shameful sight. Are we barbarians to use this camp as it is? Now your job is to clean this camp. I want it squeaky clean. I want the garbage to be collected in one spot. I want the tents repaired. I want the wooden palisades in order. I want that putrid smell gone. I want this camp or barracks if we are shameful enough to call it as such, to be comparable to the great palace of Holm. And you should begin now" The smiles of the recruits vanished like the sun in the snow season. Their expressions were replaced with that of frown. Timothy couldn''t blame them. They must have expected that fancy swordsmanship awaited them. They must have thought that joining the legions only meant fighting and doing honorable stuff. That''s what the plays and the poems and the songs taught them. It was wrong. Cleaning and marching and toiling and maintaining equipment took most of the time. The plays and the poems and the great songs of the bards don''t mention the boring things. The people in front of him were still dumbfounded. Timothy raised his eyebrows to shove them into motion. In a few moments they scrammed. Some took care of the tents. The others grabbed sacks. A few repaired the tents. It was frustrating to watch. These people don''t know how to work together. He had the urge to order the royal guards to help but he prevented himself from doing so. In the end, the cleaning took until midday and the result wasn''t satisfactory. "How was it?" Timothy asked them with a huge smile. They didn''t answer. They just looked at him like lost puppies. Cleaning after the mess of the mercenaries must have been tough. "Grab your boots because another task awaits you. This time, you will feel like real soldiers" The recruits again showed excitement. But Timothy was about to break their false expectations again. ******** Timothy still got it. Lucia was again wrong. He still had endurance. He was fit. The same cannot be said about the Vanadians marching behind him. They had only circled Holm halfway and yet they acted as if they were dying of exhaustion. Well they must be. The snow outside the city leveled to the knee. It was cold. It was tiring. It was a good ol'' march. Abraham beside him was holding his laughter. He had been doing so since the march began. "Holding it could lead to instant death" Timothy turned his head towards Abraham "Jolly today aren''t we?" "Those lots Your Majesty" Abraham showed his teeth "They were so hyped when you ordered them to don their armor. But now look at them. I bet they are sweating despite the cold" "Well it''s their first time after all. Give them time and they will refine themselves like diamonds from mudpits" "That is if they don''t quit" "They won''t. Don''t worry about that. Most of them will not" "Are you sure Your Majesty? It''s just the first day but more than half them them looked like they wanted to quit and scram back home already. By the end of the month nobody would want to continue" "Same thing they said back at Knightsend and you know what happened in the end" "Alright. But still, their numbers are still far from the intended one whole legion" Timothy smiled "I''m not planning on recruiting one legion. Three is the minimum" Timothy knew that Abraham trusts him. But the way Abraham looked at him after that was just devoid of belief. "I have a plan Abraham. The Queen has agreed to it. We would make young men flock into the banners like locusts" He put his hand on Abraham''s plate shoulderguard "And I need your cooperation" The sun was about to set when the march finished. They were slow, sluggish and prone to complain. Still Timothy thanked the Omniscient for all of them returned alive. They were huddling in their coats. Their faces were pale. They were shaking from the cold and exhaustion. Timothy and his guards on the other hand were still standing. He again denied Lucia''s accusation that he lacked endurance. He doesn''t lack endurance, he was still fit. He walked towards them, smiling of course. "How was it?" "Cold sir!" A Vanadian huddling under his coat replied "My legs are shaking sir!" another one said. Timothy chuckled "But still alive eh? Nothing shapes bones like a good ol'' march in the snow. Another truth I''m going to teach you is that an army marches on its stomach. Now, who among you is hungry?" All of them immediately raised their hands. From their faces Timothy guessed that they were starving. Who wouldn''t, he asked himself in silence. They must be expecting hot broths and warm bread to be served to them on silver trays and golden bowls. He curved a mischievous grin "If you''re hungry, then you better start cooking" ********** Lucia was sitting by her desk. For the entire day she had managed the affairs of Vanadis. It hadn''t been easy. Her head started to throb in pain. It was also cold. Although Mylene would sometimes bring hot treats for her stomach, she still missed the warmth of Timothy. She sighed and took another piece of paper. This one detailed the debt of a certain Gill Mace to the crown. The Vanadian treasury acted like a bank for the Vanadians. Vanadian citizens could loan money from the treasury of Vanadis at an interest. As long as they were of legal age, no criminal records and no unpaid loans, they could take a loan. This was one of the reasons why Vanadis had excelled in trade and business over the years. The case of Gill Mace shouldn''t have bothered Lucia. This was probably the hundredth time she saw details of debts since morning. "Father" She called to her father who was sitting not far and also busy writing the invites and planning the upcoming ball. "Did something happen three weeks ago?" Her father looked at her. His eyebrows met "What do you mean?" "I just noticed that a lot of loans happened on that day. In fact the same thing happened five days ago" "Business fervor probably? A lot of people borrow money from the crown during the snow season. They are preparing for the continuation of trade in spring" "If that''s the case then why on these certain dates? And the difference is large compared to other days" "How big is the difference?" "On a normal day twenty thousand gold coins will be borrowed. But three weeks ago and five days ago have seen spikes in the loans. About eighty thousand gold coins were borrowed on those days. This Gill Mace alone borrowed three thousand gold coins" "And when is the intended payment date?" "Two months from now" Lucia eyed the details of the debt "Two months. That''s unbelievably a short time" "That is indeed strange. Honestly I don''t know. What do you think?" Lucia thought hard about the matter. It could be nothing and she could be overreacting due to stress. But unease still plagued her. If these people were planning on forming a trading company then she should have heard about it. She thought about the two dates. Why? Why these dates? And then she remembered another peculiarity about the dates. She bent and took a pile of papers she had finished reading earlier. She shuffled through the papers and saw what she was looking for. "Same dates father" Her heart began to race "Three weeks ago and five days ago a lot of merchant ships went out of the harbor. Most of them returned a few days later" "Where would they go? Trade is almost stagnant during the snow season" "Exactly. A rise in loans and a sudden trip of the merchant ships. It would make sense if the owners of the ships were the ones taking the loans. That would mean that the merchants were merely buying their goods for the upcoming spring. But that''s not the case. People like Gill Mace are not merchants and they don''t own ships" Lucia then secured a hypothesis on the identity of Gill Mace and the other loaners. "Mylene!" She called to the girl. Mylene came running towards her after a while. "What is it Your Majesty?" "Go to the library. Shelf six and you will find a black book. It''s easy to find because it''s the only black book in that shelf" Mylene bowed and went on her way. "The latest census" Her father said "Why would you need the census?" Lucia didn''t answer her father. Instead, she asked another question. "When was the last census?" "Before the snow season. We need to constantly take a census of our population. Merchants are good at record-keeping" "Good" Lucia nodded A while later and Mylene brought her the latest census of the Kingdom. It was a thick black book with a tough cover. Lucia wasted no time and flipped through the pages. She hoped that she was wrong. Because if she was right then the situation would become eerie. Alas, she was right. Written on the page was the information about Gill Mace. ''Gill Mace- deceased- cause of death- wound fever'' Lucia shook her head while frowning. "The dead can''t takes loans, can they?" 155 Trus The night was already raging for long when Timothy and the royal guards were able to go back to the palace. Walking in the streets of Holm at night was a different experience compared to when he was at Nirvana or Solon. It was too different. All the buildings have illumination, glittering like fireflies in the empty darkness of the snow season. Streetlamps lined the streets. Some business establishments were even open. As they entered the palace district of Holm, the atmosphere quickly changed. The lights and the lamps were even brighter. The guards were dressed in exquisite attires that favored style over functionality. The gate of the palace curved like a giant cake- decorated with precious stones and colored with bright hues. Timothy could only imagine the pain of seeing the beautiful gate being rammed by attackers. And then there is the palace itself- probably the most beautiful building in the world. It stood tall and wide. It was twice the size of Nirvana''s palace. Every stone was an artwork. Every pillar was carefully crafted. This wasn''t his first time seeing the palace and he had been living here for the past weeks but he still felt awed. Past the winding steps and long corridors of the palace was their room. It was Lucia''s old room back when she was still the princess. Father Edmund had offered them his room actually- Lucia, after all, is the new monarch. But the two of them refused it. Lucia wanted to preserve the nostalgic feeling of sleeping on her old room and Timothy saw that Lucia''s room was more secured than that of Father Edmund''s. "Is she already inside?" He asked the two guards watching the door. "Yes Your Majesty. The Queen has retreated to your chamber early" Timothy gave a single nod. He pushed the door and went inside. He was surprised that Lucia was still awake. She was reading a book beside a candle. "Burning the midnight candle aren''t we?" Lucia turned around. She smiled and rose to give him a loving embrace. Timothy then heard a tiny sigh from her. "You''re late" Lucia looked at him. She was still enveloping him in her embrace. "The training took longer than I thought" "And how are they?" "Slow, clumsy and green. But they will do. I will make a rooster out of them" "And how are you? Did you run out of stamina again?" Lucia teased. "You want to be devoured again like what happened this morning?" He pinched her nose "You just don''t know but you are hugging a predator" Lucia giggled. She turned around and grabbed a plate from the table. There was a chunk of grilled meat and a slice of cheese in the plate. "Have you eaten? It''s already cold but still good" She handed him the plate. "I have already eaten. Part of the training is learning to cook. Naturally I joined their little feast" "And the food is horrid I suppose? You are a King and the consort of Vanadis. Letting your palate play with horrible tastes is almost a crime" Timothy smiled. He looked at the food. It was a hundred times better than the burnt bread and salty stew he had earlier. "Can''t argue with that" He sat on the chair and started eating. Lucia sat on their bed. "Tim" She called. Timothy put down the fork and turned his head towards her "I need your help" "Personally or as an ally?" "As an ally" "Well how can Castonia be of help to Vanadis?" It took her a while to answer. She detailed what she discovered earlier about the loans and the sudden sailing of merchant ships. "Lucia..." Timothy frowned "The writing is on the wall. It is apparent. Even I, know already what is happening. The loans were used to hire mercenaries. The ships were used to transport the said mercenaries. Three weeks ago, I bet those were the mercenaries hired to bolster the nobles in Eastern Castonia. Those hired five days ago are yet to show themselves. I will call the rooster here. We will secure Holm and the surrounding lands and root out whatever forces the merchants and nobles have acquired" "Yes. But that will be too late. I believe they will strike during the grand ball. Even if they fail, at least they can embarrass the royal family" Her theory was convincing. And it was too late like what she said. It normally would take ten days to travel from Nirvana to Holm. It would be longer now that the roads are burdened with snow. "Then we must rally the city watch and assemble the navy. We should freeze the treasury and improve our security" Lucia smiled "Wrong, wrong, wrong and right" "Why?" "Not everything can be solved in a military manner Tim" "Worked for me so far" Timothy shrugged "That is because you command the absolute loyalty of your soldiers. You are easy to love and they will follow you everywhere. I, on the other hand, don''t have the Rooster Legion. I don''t have capable subordinates like Erik and Henry. I don''t know how to give speeches that could move the masses to tears" Lucia rose and leaned forward on his back "We can''t trust anyone except the two of us. That is why I''m revealing all my thoughts only to you. First we can''t trust the city watch. Most of them are mercenaries remember? And then the navy. If the merchants are indeed ferrying mercenaries to our shores, why do you think didn''t the Vanadian navy reported that to us? The Vanadian navy are experienced. It should be easy to spot dozens of galleys carrying armed men" "Some of them are on the enemies'' side. A high-ranking official betrayed us. An Admiral or a Commodore at the very least. He or they have power in the navy" "That is so. We should be careful who to trust. And the third. I can''t freeze the treasury" "I assume an explanation will follow" Lucia cut the meat on the plate. She fed it to Timothy. "Let me put it this way. If you discovered that an enemy is planning an ambush, what will you do?" "I will evade the ambush. But first I will learn as much as I could about them and if I am able, I will set a trap for them" "The treasury will be our bait. They will take loans again. The amount they have right now cannot support a coup. I say let them take funds from the treasury. The Vanadian coffers are deep anyway. We shouldn''t let them know that we have already discovered their plan. We will learn as much as we can about them. And then we will, like you said, bait them into our own ambush" Timothy shook his head and grinned. This woman he married is something else. "So what should we do? For security I mean" "That is what I want from you as an ally Tim. We need security. My royal guards and yours combined will not be enough if say, a few thousand mercenaries descend upon Holm. We should bolster our security. Castonians preferably as they are loyal to you" her tone became quieter Timothy was beginning to understand what she wanted. The Rooster is in Nirvana. Steelsword and Dawn are in Solon. All of them couldn''t reach Holm in time. "Erik" Timothy said. "You want Erik to sail from Greenwater to Holm" "A two-way trip by sea between Holm and Greenwater would only take four days at most. He could come here under the guise of attending the ball. His men could disguise as servants. I know this will make Greenwater undefended. The Calgarians could come back and all. But please Tim. We simply can''t..." "Done. I will write a letter to Erik. You should send ships to Greenwater at once. We should also begin screening the navy for those who can be trusted. Let Captain Bisham do it" Lucia tightened her embrace. She put a kiss on the back of his ear. "Thank you Tim. Thank you" "Don''t worry. I don''t think the Calgarians will attack Greenwater anyway. From experience I dare say that their defeat last time has shaken them. They cannot send another invasion force. Probably in a few months they could but not now" "Still, thank you" "Oh stop it. We are allies aren''t we? It is just normal for me to help you. We cannot let mere conspirators ruin us here. We just survived a civil war coupled with a Tulosan invasion. How dare they think that conspiracies like this could bring us down? I have you and you have me" He rose from his chair and turned to Lucia. He cocooned her in his embrace. ********** They have been travelling for days. It was tiring. He was reminded of his shaky relationship with snow. Well all merchants despise snow to be fair. Snow stagnates trade after all. But they finally arrived. Their decision to travel without rest paid off. It was already dark but they arrived without accidents. He and his brother were operating their own wagons. The road near the city was cleared of snow. It only took them a little while to reach the front of the gate. "We are finally home brother" Cobert said, giving a sigh of satisfaction. Escanor looked at the gate of Holm. It was as beautiful as he remembered. A certain feeling of longing struck his heart. "Yes" He said while breathing the cold air. He smiled "We are finally home" 156 Marquis of Greenwater Erik was standing on the beach. The white sand of Greenwater was so fine that his boots were sunk to the heel. The calm waves pushed against his shin- gentle and caring. "You are right my handsome Marquis. Greenwater Bay is beautiful" said Sylvie who was beside him. She was holding the tip hem of her dress, preventing the waves from bathing the cloth with seawater. "Stop calling me that. It''s a little creepy. My Handsome Marquis my bottom. First of all, I am not your property" "You''re flushed my handsome Marquis. But what my endearment says about you is true. First you are good-looking. Not as good-looking as the King. Heh, lucky Lucia. But you''ll pass. Second you are a Marquis. Third, you are mine for I have your heart" "You have my heart? How come I myself didn''t know?" "But it''s true my handsome Marquis. You even proposed to me" Erik choked a little after hearing her. He looked at Sylvie. "I didn''t" "You didn''t? But last night...Oh right. That was just a dream of mine. But dreams are prophetic sometimes. Who knows. Maybe you will suddenly hold my hand, kneel, look at me in an endearing manner, and propose. Why else would you suddenly bring me here on the beach?" "I brought you here because I promised to show Greenwater Bay to you. For the past weeks I''ve been busy reconstructing the city and doing various things that I kind of lagged on my promise. Let me clear that up for you Sylvie. I did not bring you here to propose" "A shame then. There is romance in the air. The scenery is beautiful" She nudged him a little "And I would have said yes" Erik cupped some seawater using his hands. He was about to sprinkle it to Sylvie when something cold dripped on his neck. It was so cold that he was zapped. He then heard Sylvie''s laughter. "Trying something impish because you lost to my teasing" She was still laughing "Unfortunately my handsome Marquis, I am faster than you" What ensued next was a chase. He chased Sylvie who ran to the water. The water was freezing but he must at least repay her mischief. In the end he failed to catch her and their clothes became wet. Erik sat on the sand. He let out a foggy sigh. Sylvie sat beside him and leaned against his arm. "It''s already freezing and yet you are adding to the cold" "Permit me just this once my handsome Marquis" "Fine, fine. But we should return to the villa soon or else we''ll freeze to death" "Isn''t that romantic? Freezing to death together? They''ll make ballad of tragedy about us" Erik just chuckled. Dealing with Sylvie''s weirdness was a like a breath of fresh air after dealing with masons, craftsmen, shipbuilders and carpenters for weeks. "Ah look at you two" An old voice said "Grandchild. When?" It was his mother who was flanked by guards and was supporting her stand with her cane. "It''s not what you think Ma. We are just resting" "Resting from a romantic chase in the sand" Sylvie grinned "Ma" Erik glared at her and she returned with a satisfied wink. He looked at his mother. "So what is it? Portion of the wall went down? Masons complaining again?" His mother''s expression turned serious "A pigeon just arrived bearing a red-sealed letter. It''s from the King" ********** "He really attracts trouble" Erik pursed his lips. After going back to the villa and changing clothes, he read Timothy''s letter. The contents were, of course, trouble. It seemed many merchants and nobles in Vanadis are discontented with how the things are going between Castonia and Vanadis. The Queen suspects a coup. Erik shifted his bottom on his seat. Sylvie and his mother were in front across the table. After also hearing the contents of the letter, they fell into silence. "It is expected that not everybody will be happy with the current arrangements. Especially the Vanadian merchants. Can''t blame them actually. Making a union with Castonia must have felt like sharing their hard-earned wealth to us Castonians" his mother said. "I can confirm. They fear change. The current laws and arrangements in Vanadis are designed to increase trade revenue" Sylvie said. She took a small sip from her bowl of steaming stew "So when will you leave?" "We" Erik corrected "You are coming with me. You''ll accompany me in the ball" Sylvie started to avoid looking at him. "I prefer not sire. It''s cold. Sailing wouldn''t be the best experience. And I... I need to take care of your mother" Erik had known her to the point that he also knew that when she was evading something, she would suddenly become polite. She would avoid eye contact and her ears would redden. "You don''t want to see Holm again?" "I do. But you see sire. I have things to do here in Greenwater. Yes, important things" "You are afraid because you once betrayed the Queen and now you are going to her palace. You are going to meet her father and her husband who is, coincidentally, the King of Castonia. You have a complicated relationship with powerful people and you are going to their home" Sylvie nodded slowly. She lowered her head. It was out of character for her to be this tamed. "Stop worrying. You want to at least see the city right?" She again gave a slow nod. "You can''t avoid her forever. Sooner or later you will have to face her again" "I know sire" "Keep your head up and stop calling me sire" Erik pouted "You can address me like how you used to" Sylvie grinned after he made that statement. Erik felt relieved that he was able to at least reduce her anxiousness even if it meant that Sylvie would again start calling him that embarrassing nickname. "As you wish my handsome Marquis" She said, maintaining her grin. A laughter erupted from the side and Erik remembered that his mother was also in the room. ********** Arthur sat on a stool inside a merchant''s warehouse. The warehouse was designed to accommodate silk from the northern parts of Vanadis. Now the building was cleared. Tables and stools were placed inside. Food and beverages were also served to them. It felt like being in a tavern. His mother brought him to a group of merchants and nobles. The said people congregated here- in this warehouse. He was shocked upon knowing that they were planning to overthrow Lucia and let him become the ruler of Vanadis instead. He must admit, he was a bit happy that some people want him to lead. At last people found him useful. He will become the richest man in the world if they succeed. But he was tired of wrestling against Lucia for the crown. He was lucky enough that Timothy didn''t execute him that one time he betrayed them. He had learned that Timothy was scary especially when angry. And Lucia- she''s not a fool. It would feel odd if this plan of the nobles and merchants succeed. It was Lucia and Timothy they were facing. He had experienced first-hand how terrifying those two are. He doesn''t want to be part of this suicidal plan of theirs. He was already living a peaceful life and then they are dragging him to this. "What''s the plan again?" he asked the silk merchant beside him. The merchant was the owner of the warehouse. There were also dozens of people inside the warehouse merrily chatting. The merchant leaned closer to Arthur "We strike during the ball. The mercenaries are already waiting. We will oust that harlot from the palace and that arrogant husband of hers. We must prevent Castonia from meddling with our trade affairs. Those brutes don''t know the intricacies of trading" "Yeah lad. For profit! To maintain Vanadis'' place as the leading nation in trade!" Another merchant said with glee. He looked at Arthur "Oh and yes. Of course. To restore the rightful King to his throne" Arthur rolled his eyes. They don''t care about him at all. They were just using him to give legitimacy to their actions. "I suggest you stop now. You don''t know how cunning my sister is. You will all have your heads hanging on spikes after the ball. I bet she already knows what you will do" "Lacking faith aren''t we?" The silk merchant took a bite from the roasted rib he was holding "That may be right but we must fear nothing because powerful people are on our side" "What? Powerful people?" "Yes" The merchant reduced the volume of his voice "I was doubtful at first. I mean, what he showed us was out of the ordinary. It took me a whole day to snap out of my shock. He is a beast Prince Arthur. A literal one!" The silk merchant proceeded to laugh. The door was then flung open. "Oh I think he''s here" Arthur looked towards the door. A big hairy man entered. He was grinning proudly as if he was showing off his muscular body. His steps reeked of ego and the atmosphere was filled with a suffocating virility. The hairy man turned his look towards Arthur. He smiled widely. "You. You''re the Prince right? Look at this prince" The man''s arms shook. And then they swelled. Claws erupted from his fingers and the hairs grew into a fur. Soon his arms looked like that of a bear''s. Arthur''s jaw dropped. 157 Easy Life The wooden cup Escanor was holding stopped in mid-air. He was about to take a sip of the ale when the hairy man entered and turned his arms into that of a beast. He heaved a deep sigh. So it was him after all. This muscle-head was the one sent by the council for Vanadis. No wonder Vanadis is still relatively peaceful. Even though he wasn''t one of them, Escanor had been part of the Resistance. He was a learned man when it comes to these kind of things. For years, he had provided them with information and he of course knew the identity of the man. "I go by the name of Bear, Prince Ivan" The man said to the shaken Prince Ivan. Escanor just closed his eyes and drank from the cup. He knew it wasn''t the real name of the man. He must be too proud to tell people his name- or too ashamed. Bear stood near the Prince, loudly tormenting everybody with his boastful booming laughter. He put his hand, which turned back to normal, on Prince Ivan''s shoulder. "You want the crown? Ha! It''s me you want. Steel will crumple under the weight of my swipe. My charge alone is worth a thousand cavalry. Worry not for I am the strongest there is. I will smash against them with the strength of a thousand arms!" He was not wrong, Escanor judged. Although this Bear was not the smartest, his physical strength was a thing to be feared. But he was lazy and would often pursue a challenge rather than a goal. Escanor suspected that Helios helped this Bear in doing his job or else nothing would have happened in Vanadis. The real problem were the Spice Merchant and Silk Merchant who held monopoly over the trade of their respective goods in Vanadis. They were among the richest and a huge part of the Vanadian Treasury was theirs. There were also some nobles, notably the Earl of Southport and several Barons. What worried Escanor the most are the mercenaries. These merchants really had a foul taste when hiring armed thugs. He had heard from a conversation earlier that one of the mercenary companies they hired was Silverback. Silverback was one of the most renowned mercenary companies in the continent. It was a mercenary company composed of veteran Castonian soldiers who had mutinied against King Leopold many years ago. The Castonians declared their freedom from the crown and left Castonia to make a mercenary company. They were not cheap to hire as they wore full sets of armor and had the discipline and toughness of a Castonian to match. Add to that the experience they gained fighting around the world for the last years, it could be said that the mercenary company was not a force to be ignored. Silverback prided itself in being fair all the time. The leader of the company, aptly named Silver, was said to be a man of deals and contracts. He was rumored to stick to a contract no matter what unlike other mercenaries. Escanor doesn''t know much about Silver. Nobody does. The only distinctive detail about him is his hound who was said to be as large as a person. Other issues also merited concern. Escanor had heard from this talkative seatmate of his that a few thousand of the Navy were on their side. One of the Admirals was supporting the ousting of the Queen. The nobles were also able to raise their serfs and were on their way to Holm. Bear was still harassing Ivan with his crass talks and show of strength. Ivan was slouching in his seat, still with empty eyes. Escanor decided that it was time to go. He had gathered enough information to be of use to the Queen. He grabbed his wooden cup and drank the remaining of his ale. Swirling the liquid in his mouth, he rose and headed to the door. All eyes were on Bear so nobody noticed him leaving- at least he hoped so. He pushed the giant door of the warehouse and exited the building. The familiar cold of the snow season greeted him. The merchant district of Holm was teeming with activities. Carts and wagons were being pulled by both men and beasts. The atmosphere was much more refreshing than the one inside the warehouse. Escanor put his hands inside the pocket of his coat. He started walking towards the palace. ********** After the meeting of the conspirators ended, Arthur immediately boarded a carriage arranged by his mother. His mother was also inside the carriage, smiling as he approached. "How was it?" His mother asked before he could take his seat. It took Arthur a while to utter a word. He was still shaking after seeing what he saw. "Mother" he said "Did you know?" "I did. It was a shock. Really. I never knew that things like that exist in this world. But you are not so shocked right now, are you?" "He could turn into a bear!" Arthur shouted "He could" "His hand has claws! Furs! And his arms are are thick as my body!" "That is correct. Hush now my boy. It doesn''t matter what he is. He''s just here for the thrill of a coup anyway. He''s not someone who will try to gain power in Vanadis. His strength could make you the King" Arthur turned his head outside. The falling of snow was pretty. With a slow and quiet mutter he said, "What if don''t want to be King" His mother grabbed his chin forced him to look at her. Her eyebrows met. She was furious. "You are the rightful monarch of this nation. That daughter of a harlot snatched the crown from you! Stop saying nonsensical things. You will become King" "But I don''t want to be King anymore mother. I''m tired. I''m so tired of all the conspiracies and the backstabbing and these wars. When father made Lucia the Queen I felt free. For the first time I felt free. No more expectations to burden me, responsibilities are gone. I am just a mere prince, savoring the wealth of Vanadis. Lucia could toil as long as she wants while I live a life of luxury. My life right now is easy and peaceful and I have everything that I wanted" Arthur paused and took a deep sigh. "And I''m afraid. Do you think that mere mercenaries, nobles, merchants and that thing, whatever that is, could bring her down? You haven''t spent time with them. Her husband is the King of Castonia. He is a beast of his own. His armies could wreck us several times over. And Lucia. Do you think she''s still in the dark about this? I believe she already knows" "But you will become King. No matter what" "But mother..." "I''ll have none of this Arthur. Do it for me. Take what is yours. I almost died many times just to give you this opportunity. I put my neck on the line just to secure the merchants and nobles to our side. The least you can do is appreciate my efforts" Arthur shut his mouth. He slumped on the seat of the carriage and turned his head again outside. He watched the dance of snowflakes in the air. He felt a sudden tiredness. He was really tired. It would be nice if they would just leave him in peace. ********** Somebody was following him. He was certain. He could feel eyes trailing him. It was an eerie feeling. Escanor hastened his pace. His eyes were scanning every corner of the road but kept his head down. He was close to the palace but his pursuer was also close. He couldn''t see them. He doesn''t even know how many. All he knew is that he was being followed. He was almost certain that they were the merchants he met earlier. The Queen would be put into a disadvantage if he fails to deliver the information. He must deliver the information he got. The area around the palace doesn''t have many people. That''s where he assumed they will strike. Escanor changed his mind of going into the palace. Luckily, his pursuers were just merchants. Child''s play, he thought. He had been running from the council for years. Escaping from mere merchants was almost an insult to him. He turned a few alleys and blended with the pedestrians. With his dark coat he should be harder to distinguish from the others who wore the same color. A few more corners and he evaded them. His pace slowed and matched that of the other people who walked the same street. A satisfied smirk formed on his lips. He still got it. How dare they think that someone as elusive as him, who once was chased by the Council for days and survived, would fall into their hands. He inhaled the salty cold air of Holm and continued walking. He then noticed a person from behind match his pace. The person went closer to him. Escanor looked to his side and saw a grin from a hooded figure. "Hello Gold" the hooded figure said. Escanor''s heart jumped. But then he recognized the face. He squinted. "Shadow?" 158 War of Information "What are you doing here Shadow?" Escanor asked in a hushed tone. "Same as always brother" Shadow said. He looked forward "They have the whole area surrounded. Your sudden exit earlier alerted them. You are in a bind Gold. I am disappointed. Your edge is getting dull" Escanor looked around. The busy street accommodated dozens of pedestrians. He couldn''t identify his pursuers in the mass of people. "How many?" "Three. The rest haven''t caught up yet" "Point them to me" "The carriage driver to the right. The aged woman sitting by the clothing shop. And one is behind us" "I know a secret passage on the next alley" Shadow smiled "Alright" After walking a few more paces they turned to the alley to the right. It was a narrow passage between a merchant house and a store. The moment Escanor judged they were out of sight he ran. Shadow followed him. To the left of the alley was a hole in the wall of the merchant house. They squeezed through and found themselves on the garden of the house. Escanor crouched. His head was hidden by the plants. They crossed the garden and went up the other side of the wall. Another alley greeted them. After turning a few more corners, they found themselves looking at the palace. The area was cleared of houses and only seldom patrols of royal guards walked the streets. "I retract my words. You still got it" Shadow said. He was catching his breath. "I pride myself in being elusive and prepared" Escanor said "So why are you really here?" "Same as you. We need to be of service to the King and the Queen. I also need to talk to His Majesty to report what happened recently in Eastern Castonia" "And are you going to tell them about who we suspect they are?" "Not yet" Shadow said. His forehead formed a fleeting frown "I''m afraid the truth will affect them" Escanor nodded. It was the right choice. They need to wait until the end of this crisis first before dropping the truth to them. "And do you know what''s happening here in Vanadis?" "The merchants and nobles and that muscle-head right? Planning a coup as if it would succeed" "It could" "It wouldn''t. Have faith in them. The Queen is cunning and the King..." Shadow smiled widely "Do you have any idea what he''s doing right now?" ********* "Oh it was glorious!" Timothy''s voice boomed in the streets of Holm. He was standing on a platform telling stories to the people. Thousands of faces, mostly of young men, were on him. The people were not blinking. He had sole ownership of their attention. "My three legions were pinned by a force more than twice their numbers. A few thousand of the enemies were cavalry. Tulosan Knights I tell you! Their charge was like raging storm. Their horses were fast and muscular. They were clad in armor, a hard kill even for a veteran. Imagine a sea of horses charging towards you with spears and lances. Lesser men would have ran. Lesser men would have lost their will to fight. But my men? No. They firmly looked the enemies in the eye and met their lances with courage" Timothy leaned his head closer as if telling an old friend about a secret. "And do you know what happened?" He slammed his palms together. "Bam! They collided with a force that can shake mountains. Steel met against steel. They brawled into a chaotic melee. They fought like crazed men. To tell you, the Tulosans questioned reality upon seeing that my men didn''t rout. They scratched their heads, confused as to why my men were not showing fear. They charged again but the same thing happened. They were met with a resolve stronger than the hardest steel. Several times they charged and several times they failed. But something was happening on their back. They didn''t know that I had prepared a trap for them. Now who among you knows what happened next?" A Vanadian raised his hand as soon as Timothy asked. His eyes were brimming with interest. "The Vanadians! The Vanadian reinforcements arrived!" "Aha! So they did. The Vanadians slammed against the Tulosan cavalry. My own cavalry also arrived. The three forces enveloped the Tulosans. The hunter became the hunted. The predator turned into prey. They tried to escape but we didn''t let them. It was truly glorious!" Timothy feasted his eyes upon the faces of the listeners. For the past days he had been telling stories to the people of Holm. Abraham stood in full armor beside him to give the listeners an idea what his soldiers looked like. It could be called cheating because Abraham is a giant, but he couldn''t find a better model other than his royal guard. At first the Vanadians only numbered in a few dozens. But today there were thousands of listeners. The number of volunteers for the Vanadian legions had also risen. "But things were different on the left flank" Timothy''s voice became mellower, colder and lower. "The other allies we had were too slow. The Dawn legion was struggling against the continuous attack of the Tulosans. They tried to..." "surround the Tulosan cavalry but failed. As a result my husband had a headache that night" said a familiar voice. The people looked behind. Timothy also searched for the source of the voice. "The Queen! It''s the Queen" "Queen Lucia!" Timothy soon sighted Lucia. She was being escorted by armored royal guards. She was smiling, a smile so sweet that was directed to him. The people knelt upon seeing the Queen. Lucia continued walking towards the platform. Timothy reached towards her hand and pulled her up. "Missed me?" Timothy put a kiss on her cheek. He didn''t mind the thousands of eyes watching. "I did hear that there was a new preacher in town, spreading whispers of war. I also heard that you are doing a great job turning merchants into footmen" She smiled and bent closer to his ear "I hate to disturb you but new information about the conspirators just surfaced" "Reliable information?" "Yes if you consider Escanor and the Spectator as reliable informants" Timothy doubted his ears at first. "They are at the palace?" "Yes" Timothy nodded. He turned towards and smiled to the people of Holm. "I would like to continue the story next time. The Queen and I have pressing matters to attend to" ********** Hot food was served for Escanor and the Spectator. These two were here to bring them valuable information. Listening to how they evaded pursuers confirmed that they risked their lives to get in the palace. Filling their bellies with a hot meal was the least she could do. Lucia didn''t know that Escanor and the Spectator knew each other. She was surprised when a royal guard told her that the two were at the gate and requested her audience. She poured tea into her own cup. She took a sip and looked at Timothy who was intently listening to the report of the Spectator or Shadow. Strange names they have, Lucia thought. "I see" Timothy was supporting his head on his knuckles "So my father is well?" "The healthiest person of his age that I know" Shadow confirmed. "Good to hear. Now let''s talk about what''s happening here in Vanadis. The Queen said that you have information?" Shadow looked at Lucia. "I already told the Queen the gist of it Your Majesty. I have also already pointed in the map where they would strike. Four thousand mercenaries and at least three thousand of the navy. Unknown number of serfs and a bear" "A bear?" "He is... strong. But he''s not smart. He''s one of my kind" "Should we be worried about this bear?" Shadow shook his head "No. Ten of your Castonians could put him down" "And what of their leaders?" Shadow again looked at Lucia as if getting her consent. He looked back at Timothy. "An Admiral. Veno is his name I was told" Lucia angled her look towards Timothy "Admiral Veno. Ironically he''s the one we sent to fetch Erik from Greenwater. He has thirty-eight galleys under his command. Strict and has the loyalty of his marines" "So it''s him. Should we be worried that he''ll find out that Erik is ferrying his people?" "I don''t think we should worry about that" Lucia said "Have faith in the Marquis" "Alright. And the other leaders?" Lucia decided to answer Timothy herself. She already listened to Escanor and Shadow earlier anyway. "The wealthiest spice merchant and silk merchant. And..." She lowered her head "Escanor spotted Arthur" "Arthur again?" Timothy gave a troubled look "When will he learn?" Lucia shrugged. It pained her that Arthur was again fighting against them. "I hope soon" Timothy sighed loudly "Okay. It''s his choice anyway. Anything else that may be of significance?" "One of the mercenary companies!" Escanor blurted. Up until now the merchant had remained silent. He looked embarrassed by his sudden utter. "Your Majesty, one of he mercenary company is Silverback. They are tough" Lucia had heard of this information from the merchant earlier. She again shrugged and disregarded the information. No matter how tough they are, her husband has the best mind in the world when it comes to military planning. Surely Timothy could make a plan. But when she turned towards Timothy to admire, she saw that his expression changed. He was shocked and pained at the same time. "Escanor and Shadow, we thank you for the information you provided us. But now I must request that you leave us alone for a little while" "Of course Your Majesty" The two gave a bow and exited the room. After a while she was left alone with Timothy. "You can talk to me now. They''re gone" "Lucia" Timothy''s expression remained "About the mercenary company Escanor was talking about" "Silverback. Yes, what of it?" "The captain, he is known as Silver. I know who he is" "A friend of yours?" Timothy looked at her. His face was downcast. "He''s William" 159 Arrival of the Marquis "I thought you have good relations with your other brother" Lucia said "I do" said Timothy "I do" he repeated with pain in his voice. "So why would he accept a contract to fight against us?" "I don''t know. I am puzzled as to why he would do this. The last time we saw each other was when he left" Lucia could see that Timothy was shaken. He was affected by the news that his beloved brother is fighting against him. She dragged her chair closer and sat. She grabbed his hand. "Escanor could be wrong" "A man of his caliber is rarely wrong" "If you don''t want to fight him then let us Vanadians handle them. Just give us a plan" Timothy fell into a deep silence. "No" he said after a while "I will fight him and use my Castonians if I have to. I am a King and I have a responsibility to my Kingdom" he looked at her "And to you" "Even if your heart aches?" Timothy smiled and nodded. "William was...kind to me. He is a righteous man with noble ideas. He has passion and the capability to match it. I admired him." Timothy pursed his lips "He left about five years ago. He was discontented by my father''s way of ruling. For him it was shameful for a King to go back on his words. And my father- you know how he is. He was a sly man- breaking oaths and promises left and right. My father was also kind of cruel and a little dishonest- too dishonest for William to bear. One day my brother decided to leave. He kept it secret to everybody except to me. Until now my father is still clueless as to where William is. I never told him because William requested me to keep his secret. And so William took a few thousand of the eastern garrisons and built a mercenary company. He even left his wife because of it. He named the mercenary company Silverback and he changed his name to Silver. Silverback became famous in the East. A reliable mercenary company composed of crack Castonians is hard to come by. During the civil war I even sent him a request for a contract but he never replied. The next thing I know Silverback is here in Vanadis" "Any chance we could sway him to our side?" "I don''t think that will happen. Silver is a man of contracts. He would stick to a contract no matter what. So even if William and I would fight against each other, he wouldn''t hesitate to raise his sword against me- because he is contracted to do so" Lucia understood Timothy''s pain. From the tone of his voice and the choice words he uttered it was apparent that he loves his brother. It was the same situation she had with regards to Arthur but Timothy and William''s bond was stronger and one of them was bound to be destroyed at the end of this. "So what will you do?" "I will..." he gripped her hand "Fight him if it comes to that. Like what I said, I am a King and I have a responsibility. And I have you to protect. If anyone dares raise his sword against you, I will make sure that person''s end. Even if it''s William. It''s his fault for accepting the contract anyway" Just by looking at his face Lucia knew that Timothy still wanted to add something. "But" "But? What?" Timothy asked "A ''but'' is coming, am I wrong? You will fight him but... I know you too well Tim" Timothy sighed "Yes. I will fight him but I want to see him first. I want answers. I want to look at him in the eye and ask why in the world is he doing this. I want him to explain everything to me. I cannot just brawl with him without knowing why" "It will be dangerous" "I will be" "And foolish" "Yes. That is the impression of meeting with your enemy" "Do it Tim" She put a kiss on his cheek "Though it makes me worried, I want you to be at peace. Just be careful" He smiled to her and wrapped her in his embrace "You really are spoiling me aren''t you?" ********** The galley was crowded. There were vomits everywhere. It was disgusting. Erik couldn''t put a blame on them though. Castonians rarely venture to sea. Many of the people he brought had never even boarded a ship before. "Your people" Admiral Veno said "They are weak" "Our people Admiral" Erik made his smirk as annoying as he could "They are your people too. Vanadis and Castonia will soon become one under the heir of the King and the Queen" "A disgusting vision. Mixing blood with you Castonians is a disgrace" "Disgrace. Hah. That''s a word you say pertaining to something inferior. We Castonians are not inferior" "Your pukes are all over the place. That is inferiority" "And your men will clean our pukes after we disembarked, yes? Tell me Admiral, which among the two is inferior- the puker or the one cleaning the puke?" "You dare mock us boy? I am twice your age. And I am an Admiral of the great Vanadian navy" "And I am a Marquis of Castonia. I have power second only to the King. And I am just half your age. I have fought men more powerful than you. I have humiliated them all. Now your status compared to mine deserves mockery" The Admiral''s face turned red. Clenched fists and a glare met Erik. "You better not regret this" "Ah so now you''re angry. Frustrating isn''t it? You cannot strike me no matter how much I mock you. That, Admiral, is power. Never again will you look down on my men Admiral. Never. Now I''m tired. I shall go back to my quarters and rest. You.." Erik chuckled "You can go and clean the pukes of my men" Erik turned around with a smile on his face. People like this Admiral Veno are not worth his time. He walked towards his room below the deck. But before he could get into the stairs of thee ship, he noticed Sylvie near the edge of the galley. She was looking at the horizon with her hair swaying and arms spread. A mischievous thought entered Erik''s mind. He grinned and snuck up to her, making his steps soft and quiet. "A noble sneaking up to a lady. Oh what lecherous designs do you have for me Marquis Erik? I could only imagine the state of myself after you''re done. Please be gentle" She turned her head and raised her eyebrows. Erik''s grin vanished. He straightened his back. "Can''t you be normal even just once?" "My reaction is merited my handsome Marquis. I sensed a predator crouching behind and about to pounce on me. Tell me, what could a lady do but beg for the predator to be gentle?" "You make me sound like a lustful old man" Erik went beside her "So, looking at the horizon huh?" "Looking at the sea. The horizon is boring. The sea is not" "Are we close?" "We have entered the bay of hundred islets just this morning. We are close" "Excited?" "Not really. Although I miss the city, I have nobody to to reunite with" Erik turned his head towards her. "Your father. We can talk to Lucia about reconsidering the sentence. You once told me that it was an unfair judgement" "I prefer not. My father is in Wismar anyway. And as I think about it now, I believe the sentence was fair. He did embezzle funds and the merchant who reported him was right" Erik feasted upon the beautiful waves. A sudden gust of wintry air blew towards them. "After all is resolved. You know, peace with Wismar and stability in Castonia and Vanadis" Erik leaned closer to her "I will help you reunite with you father. It should be easy with the resources that I have" "Thank you. And after that?" Her eyes twinkled "What about us?" "Us?" Sylvie''s cheeks reddend a bit "When are you going to be serious about me?" "You really have a talent in teasing me with your jokes" Erik beamed "What if I''m not teasing? What if I do really like you?" Everything stopped for Erik. For the first time he saw Sylvie serious about something. He felt numb to the chilly wind or the rocking of the galley. The shouts of mariners didn''t reach his ears. Only Sylvie''s words echoed inside. He doesn''t really know how he felt about her. He was comfortable around Sylvie despite her eccentric behavior. He doesn''t have plans yet but he cannot imagine himself without her around. "I..." Before he could say anything Sylvie turned the other way and pointed at something. "We have arrived! That''s Holm" Erik looked forward and saw a huge city in the horizon with an equally huge harbor. He quickly lost interest and looked at Sylvie instead. Other people would have been amazed. But Erik was too distracted by her to care about the city. 160 The Day Before The harbor of Holm was famed as the largest in the world. A few decades back the harbor at the Wismarine capital was the largest but Edmund Vanadis developed the harbor into the monstrosity that it is now. Over a hundred galleys lined the harbor with areas designated for merchant ships and warships. Another area was reserved for the shipyard which is another monstrosity of its own. Timothy rubbed his boots on the cemented harbor. It was such a unique feeling not having to deal with the crunchy snow. Beside him was Lucia and around them were the royal guards. The flags of Vanadis and Castonia were in front with the bearers constantly adjusting the height of the flags so that the banners of the two Kingdoms would fly in the same height. Small things, Timothy thought. Simple gestures of equality and unity that will not be noticed by everybody. But small things like the equal height of the flags would mean a lot in the long run. About a league from the harbor were a group of galleys flying the flag of the Vanadian Navy. They were large galleys designed for transport. The galleys docked one after another. The passengers slowly disembarked. Some of them carried crates. Most wore soiled clothing. "He''s good. Disguising his men as serfs. And the crates. I bet they contain the armors and weapons" Timothy said. "Not just that. Look at those people in clean clothing wearing jewelries. They were supposed to be merchants huh? Hardened veterans disguised as serfs and merchants. Your Marquis is capable" said Lucia. Timothy then spotted Erik. The Marquis walked with head held high and posture unbent. The golden chain that dangled across his chest was a symbol nobody could ignore. He was truly a Marquis. Beside Erik was a lady dressed in expensive clothing. Her hair hung on one side, covering her left cheek. The pair stopped a few paces from them and bowed. "King Timothy, Queen Lucia. I have come to witness the grand ball everybody was talking about. And I have brought my serfs as reward for their long service to my family. I hope that''s alright" "And how many are these serfs you are talking about?" Timothy asked "Two thousand heads. Some of them are merchants though. I am also here to open trade between Holm and Greenwater" "Welcome to Greenwater Marquis Erik Connel. It is cold outside. Let''s go to the palace" Lucia said. ********** "I swear, that Admiral Veno is not friendly" Erik finally revealed the sharpness of his tongue after they were left alone. Timothy was sitting beside her while Erik and Sylvie were sitting on the other side of the table. Lucia broke the steaming bread and put the other half on Timothy''s plate. "He''s not friendly. He is one of the conspirators who wants to oust me" Erik''s eyes squinted "What!?" "Yes Erik. You''ve been speaking with the enemy for the past days. I hope he didn''t suspect anything. Ferrying two thousand is suspicious" Erik drank from his cup of diluted wine. "I am not a fool Lucia. Apart from annoying him to death, I didn''t waste my time speaking with that traitor" "Yes, yes" Timothy said "You are not. But so are they. The conspirators are good. Their plan is not bad I must say. Guess what they had in mind" "I don''t know. Attack from the sea?" "It''s more sophisticated than that" Timothy smiled bitterly "They plan to cause a fire in the Hellfire storage" "They..." Erik''s breathing became heavy "They are planning on blowing up the shipyard?" "Ambitious right? And during the chaos they will attack the palace" "Such a waste. I would trade my right arm for Greenwater to have such a beautiful shipyard and they would rather have it burn. Insane" Erik finished his cup. He grunted and shook his head "So do you have a plan?" "I have..." "But the map is in the library" Lucia interrupted. She saw this as an opportunity to be alone with Sylvie. She met eyes with Tim and she could see that he understood her. "Yes. Come Erik. There is a large map of the city in the library. I will tell you about all my plan" The two rose and left their seats. Timothy led Erik outside. Lucia turned her look at Sylvie who have been fixing her gaze to the floor all along. She was slouching. Lucia poured some diluted wine into a cup and pushed it towards Sylvie "I already know the identities of the conspirators. Some of them anyway" Sylvie finally lifted her head "How?" "The treasury. They''ve been using names of dead people to loan money from the treasury. Yesterday they again borrowed. That was their undoing. It only took a few spies and a common sense to trace their identities. I have a list already" "You surely are good in this kind of thing" Sylvie said with a smile. "You were always good. I have always admired you. I''ll say it now, you deserve to be the Queen" Sylvie then retreated with a silence. She lowered her head and avoided looking at Lucia again. "I''m sorry" Sylvie said. Her voice was so small that Lucia almost didn''t hear it. "What I did to you. That was wrong. I was wrong" Lucia rose from her seat and went to Sylvie''s side. She sat on the table. "You remember your first day as my handmaiden? You clumsily handled my dress and cooked burnt egg" Sylvie provided a single chuckle "Yeah. Truth be told that was my first time cooking. I was a Baron''s daughter, a lady. I had no experience in those kind of things" "Even a lady couldn''t burn an egg that bad. It was charred" "I can still remember your shocked face back then. And then you looked at me with your mouth opened" Lucia laughed "I must say this now, you were not a good handmaiden. Your cooking especially needs refinement. Too bland" "Still, you ate my cooking for years" Lucia shrugged "What choice did I have?" Sylvie finally looked at her. She smiled. Lucia bent down and embraced her. She had spent a few good years with Sylvie and she still treated her as a friend. "I have already forgiven you for whatever happened Sylvie. So stop acting strange around me alright?" "I''ll try. It''s hard not to act strange around the Queen" "Well you have to try harder" "Thank you Lucia. You''re not inviting me to become your handmaiden again, are you?" Lucia blew a small laugh "No. Unfortunately I found someone who doesn''t burn eggs into charcoal" Lucia severed the embrace. She went down from the table. "What do you say we join them in the library?" ********** His men were training. Swords clashed. Spears met. In the center of their camp was a flag bearing the coat of arms of Silverback- the image of a soldier with a silver shield hung on his back. "Line up!" William bellowed. After a while they were able to get into a formation ten men deep and a few hundred wide. Seeing Silverback like this brought him pride. He was the one who molded them. William paced in front of them. His face was stern and his back straight. Behind him followed his trusty hound, Wasp. Many people described Wasp as a large dog, as big as a full grown man they say. Even his men were afraid of Wasp. But for William, Wasp would always be the cute puppy he raised. Wasp had saved his life many times before. He had been Williams main guard. He preferred it that way. Men lie and tangle with deceit. But dogs? No. Wasp would never betray him. "Tomorrow will be the day of the attack. Silverback has been assigned for the assault of the palace. The front gate will be our entrance and our cue is an explosion in the shipyard. The other mercenary companies will be joining us. Our employers want us in full armor so I want every breastplate and mail and shoulderguards in this camp shining by the end of the day. Your officers will further brief you with the details. But I will say this now- remember the values of Silverback. There will be no unjust killings. There will be no looting either. All those who have surrendered will be spared. Anyone who breaks this law will be punished accordingly. Understood?" "Yes Silver!" They said in chorus. William looked at them. His face was unchanged. His posture was the same. "Good. Now get back to training. At ease" He went back to his tent with Wasp still tailing him. He took a piece of meat from the plate on the table. He bent and fed it to Wasp. The big dog devoured the thing in one lick. William patted Wasp''s head. He showed a smile he never shows in front of his people. "I envy you partner. You have no responsibilities, no heartaches and heavy decisions to deal with" Wasp clung his two paws on William''s shoulder. The dog whimpered. "What? You are too big to be carried" William looked at Wasp''s brown eyes "Ah dammit. You spoiled thing always gets what you want" A few moments later and William was sitting on his bed with Wasp on his lap. Brown-furred and ears hanging, the dog was heavy. He scratched Wasp behind the ear. "You think he will forgive me Wasp? I bet he already knows about tomorrow. I also bet he also knew that I''m joining the attack" "But I have no choice" He said, pained and with a frown "He is my brother and I love him. But I have signed a contract. I made a promise to our employers that we will be their sword. They forced me to. I cannot go back on a promise. What is the world without people who remembers promises? Plus whether I like it or not, my men will join the attack. The best I can do is to ensure that Silverback acts according to our principles" Wasp turned his big head towards William. The dog''s tongue pants outside its mouth. "I''m doing everything I could already. Everything Wasp. Everything" He kept repeating the line inwardly. He had no choice. He was forced to do this. Fighting against Timothy tomorrow evening is just. But the more he repeated it, the less he believed. William sighed- a sigh only heard by him and Wasp. 161 William Ten years ago "Who''s the good puppy?" William scratched Wasp''s fur. The dog lay down on the mattress of his bed, enjoying William''s treatment. William held both of Wasp''s front paws. He snuggled his hair on the dog. Occasional playful bites pulled strands of his hair. A knock patted on the door. "Prince William! Prince William! Your brothers are fighting in the garden again!" his personal servant informed. William pulled his head back. Eyebrows met, he clicked his tongue. "And the royal guards are again enjoying themselves I suppose?" "Well er, yes. A wage has been laid" William scratched his head. Those two were always causing a commotion in the palace. Ivan, the fool, seemed to have a talent in finding beefs towards Timothy. Timothy on the other hand, with his piercing hot words, would always find a way to return an insult to Ivan. The fool would lose his temper first and challenge Timothy into a fight. The royal guards, who were strangely always cheering for Timothy, would always watch the fight and enjoy themselves with wagers. William immediately went down to the garden. The loud cheering of the royal guards could be heard. He decided to let them be for a while. Ivan needed some lessons anyway. "Timothy! Timothy!" The guards cheered like drunken men. They formed a circle around the princes. Only Timothy could make them act like this. Ivan''s face was red with anger. The royal guards siding with Timothy must have agitated him. This had always been the case. Ivan lunged forward- his fist flying fast. Timothy spun and bent to evade the strike. It looked like he was dancing. Ivan plunged head-first into the grass. Shame must have put strength into his legs to spring back up. He again lunged but Timothy again danced around him. "Prince Ivan here accuses me of stealing the heart of the girl he likes! Ha! I tell you lads, I''ve never even met her" Timothy said with hands tugged behind. Ivan leapt and he again missed. "Now I tell you. I am innocent. The girl he likes must have liked me. That might be true. But..." He raised his finger and smiled "It is not a sin to be too handsome, is it?" The royal guards cheered once more. It was loud. They were rowdy. "Shut your mouth!" Ivan finally landed a hit on Timothy''s shoulder. The third prince retaliated by pushing Ivan to the ground. "Oh he finally landed a hit. Quick! Pray to the Omniscient. The world must be ending soon!" A laughter boomed from the guards. William must admit, the fight was damn entertaining. And seeing Ivan thrashed and humiliated was satisfying. But he decided that he needed to put a stop to it. Their father would punish the three of them if he remained idle. "That''s enough the two of you!" With steps pounding he advanced to them. The royal guards let him through. He winked towards Timothy "Shame! For brothers to fight against each other. Such barbarity. Such evil" "He started it! I don''t know what trickery he did. But the girl I was going to court was always talking about how Timothy met eyes with her that one time. She thinks they are destined together!" Ivan pointed towards Timothy "I swear I didn''t do anything. Ivan must have been too ugly. Not my fault" Timothy shrugged. The royal guards again started to laugh. "Silence!" William gazed towards the guards. They shut their mouths. He turned towards Timothy and Ivan. "You will stop this fight at once. You will act like the princes that you both are" He coiled one arm around Timothy and led his brother away from Ivan. They walked inside the palace. When they were out of sight Timothy burst into laughter. William joined him. "Such barbarity? Such evil? Your vocabulary has grown William" "Nah, I used the same words about two months ago. Remember when he accused you of stealing his sword?" "Ah that dismal affair. Our brother could use another set of eyes! Three days later a servant found the sword in his room" "I hope he learns someday Tim" William said "And thank you for not hitting him for real this time" Timothy grinned "I''m not a monster. He''s ugly as he is. I will not make him disfigured" ********** Five years ago "You are leaving?" William was packing his things when Timothy burst into his room. His act was so sudden that Wasp almost mistaken him for an intruder. "I am. I can''t stay here. We promised that man mercy if he point us to his peers. He did and we averted another crisis. But father still executed him in the end. How dishonest. I cannot serve a King like that" Timothy paced towards his back and sat on his bed. "Father has his flaws. You know how he is. But that''s not a valid reason to exile yourself" "Like what I said, I cannot serve a King that lies and deals with schemes and conspiracies as easily as breathing. I cannot, Tim. I am done being a prince of Castonia. My guts wouldn''t accept it" "What about your wife?" "Tilly" William heaved a sigh "She is a good woman. Kind and caring. But I do not love her. Our marriage was purely political, nothing more. I will set her free with a divorce. She deserves a better man than myself" A drab and pained expression formed on Timothy. "And what about me?" Looking at his brother, William couldn''t prevent the flow of his emotions. He pulled Timothy into him. "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry brother. I wish I could stay with you a little longer. But I can''t. Destiny awaits. I have long dreamed of this. And father''s actions has prompted me to finally get out of my cage" Timothy didn''t talk for a while and just maintained his tight grip on the back of William''s tunic. "You better return someday" "I will" "And you better make that mercenary company of yours the best in the world. I will be waiting for news from the east" William looked at Timothy''s face. He will miss his brother. "Someday Tim. Someday we will meet again. We will reunite and laugh ourselves all night with tales about Ivan''s foolish deeds. But until then we must part ways. Goodbye brother" Timothy gave a single nod "Goodbye William" ********** The night had clouded the sky. Multiple candles were already lit. William was on his chair with both feet slung on the table. Wasp was beside him chewing a lamb leg. William reminisced the memories he had with Timothy. He felt ashamed that he ran away. Although he had fulfilled his dream, the years he spent away from his brother cannot be returned. They had grown apart. Timothy became the king of Castonia while he became a mercenary captain contracted to fight against the king of Castonia. He drank the ale from his cup. He rarely drinks as he saw that it was his duty as a captain to be in control of his senses all the time. But William was gulping the ale like water. Tomorrow a hard task awaits and a hard task he will accomplish. He at least deserves this. He swirled the ale inside his mouth. He swallowed and grunted. He preferred wine but ale was the only one they got. It was too sweet for his liking. A low growl suddenly sounded from Wasp. The dog rose on four legs and was showing his canines. Wasp faced the entrance of the tent. William leapt from his seat. He grabbed a dagger he had hidden under the table and delivered a fighting stance. He was in danger. Wasp''s nose was acute. The dog''s sense of smell had saved him many times before. Assassination attempts and night attacks were thwarted because of Wasp. William was no a fool to not trust Wasp. He stepped towards the entrance of his tent. Slow and muffled, his steps advanced. "Identify yourself!" he said "I know you''re outside. Identify yourself now or I will order my beast to rip you into pieces!" Two people then entered his tent. One was wearing a ridiculous hat while the other was masked. But as William looked at Wasp, the dog''s stance became tamed. Wasp approached the masked person with lowered head. The masked person then knelt and started to pet Wasp. William was surprised to see that Wasp was subservient to this person. "Who are you? My dog may be tamed towards you but I can carve the life out of you with my dagger!" "Your Majesty I think it''s time to remove the mask lest your brother stabs the two of us to death. Nobody else could see us anymore" said the one with the ridiculous hat. The person then nodded and removed his mask. He smiled towards him. William''s hand went limp. The dagger almost fell. A flooding feeling of joy drowned his heart. Timothy had changed. His face had matured. His clothes were more refined. His posture now had weight. Every part of his being was tailored to be regal. But the way Timothy looked at him remained. "Pleasant evening brother" Timothy said 162 Arthur A few years ago Arthur was huddling on the garden of the palace. He was hugging his knees with his face lowered. His eyes were wet with tears. He wasn''t crying- he was done crying. But the pain remained. Warm hands wrapped around him. They were so warm and he wanted to be cradled by them. He raised his head. He saw a smiling woman. "Care to explain to me what you are doing here?" Aunt Anna asked. "Nothing" he pouted. "Ah nothing. But your eyes are still wet. And ooh they are red!" "Something just went inside my eyes. I scratched it" Aunt Anna smiled. She pinched Arthur''s nose "You know you can''t lie to me" Arthur looked away. He started to sob. "Mother scolded me again. She teach me reading and she said that I am a slow learner. But I''m trying. I just can''t make sense of the words. She said to me that I need to become intelligent because I am the heir. It''s not like I wanted to be the heir" Tears again fell from his eyes. His mother''s harsh words earlier hurt. Aunt Anna hugged him. "Don''t cry" She wiped his tears. She smiled, her teeth showing "Not a single tear or I will tickle you!" And then she really tickled him. Arthur twitched and a laughter followed. "No! Hahaha Aunt Anna!" She stopped "Told you not to cry" "But I didn''t cry!" he protested "You were about to. Call it a preemptive strike" "But..." Aunt Anna leaned closer. She showed him her tickling hands "Oh! Is that a tear I see?" "No!" Arthur spread his eyelids with his fingers "See? No tears" Aunt Anna mashed his cheeks "That is good then" She lay on the grass. "The day is too bright for crying. So wipe your tears, smile and praise the Omniscient!" Arthur lay beside her. The day really is good. The sun was shining and the wind was fresh. "Hey Aunt Anna. Can I ask you something?" "Hmmmm. One question is worth a tickle yes?" "What!?" "Ha! Just kidding. Ask away Arthur. It''s free just for today" "Um, am I stupid?" "Who told you that!?" There was this sudden and rare anger in her voice. She looked at Arthur with a scary frown. It was probably the first time he saw her angry. "Is it your mother?" Arthur nodded slowly. "That woman!" Aunt Anna was really angry. She then looked at Arthur and the anger on her face slowly vanished. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Arthur you are not stupid. Don''t let anyone call you as such. You don''t deserve to be treated like that. Don''t worry I will talk to your mother about this" "No!" Arthur pleaded. It would be bad if Aunt Anna was dragged into this. He doesn''t want things to become complicated. "Please don''t. Aunt Anna please. I don''t want you two to fight" Aunt Anna stared at him for long. "Fine. But if she ever abuse you with her words again tell me. I will not hold back" "Alright Aunt Anna" Aunt Anna ruffled his hair "Any other questions?" "A bit personal" "You want to ask me why your father has two women in his life" Arthur was surprised. She knew instantly! He had always wanted to ask his mother about this strange thing. Other families were composed only of one husband and one wife. But they were different. Aunt Anna looked up into the sky. "Love" "love?" "Yes Arthur, love. Your mother and I both loved your father. And your father took both of us as his wives. I don''t really know if he loves one of us, both of us or neither of us. But I know that your mother and I loves the same person. It is complicated and a bit frustrating and painful I tell you. But if we mince it into pieces and look at it in its simplest form- the reason is love. A human being will do the wild things for love" "Mother said that following your feelings is stupid too. She said that I should always follow my mind. The heart is treacherous she said" "She was wrong" Aunt Anna said without a bit a hesitation. Her gentle face smiling towards him "The question of following the mind or the heart- most people who had followed their heart and failed would say that following the mind is better. This is somewhat true. If we just use our brains, the chances of dying or getting hurt is low. But being true is not being right Arthur. I don''t think that following just the wisdom of the mind is right. On the other hand, following the heart all the time isn''t right either" "So what should we follow?" "Both. Follow your heart and guide it with you mind. Don''t jump into your feelings without thinking about it first. At the same time don''t disregard your feelings. We are humans Arthur. Humans err. Humans do strange things. But at the end of the day, a human is still a human- and our feelings are what makes us human. A father would stand in the way of a cavalry charge just to protect his family. A mother would feed her children first even if she was starving herself. A common footman would fight and die in a war for a King he never even met. Is the father''s decision logical? No, he cannot stop a cavalry charge anyway. How about the mother? Still not logical. She couldn''t find food for her children in the future if she starves to death. The same could be said for the footman. He was fighting for an idea of loyalty. But imagine if the father leaves his family at the mercy of the enemies. Imagine if the mother gobbles up the food while her children starve. Imagine a world without loyalty. Isn''t it bleak? The lesson is- don''t lose your life by disregarding what the mind says and don''t lose your humanity by disregarding what your heart says" Arthur fell into a deep silence. He didn''t understand half of what she said. "I don''t understand" "Maybe you''re too young for a lesson in philosophy. Just remember my advice Arthur" "Thank you Aunt Anna. Lucia is lucky to have you as her mother" Aunt Anna pulled him into her warm embrace. She rubbed her cheek on his hair. "Oh don''t be like that. I am your mother too" "You are?" "I am" She put a kiss on the top of his head "I baked something special today. Want to eat with us?" Arthur''s face lit up. Aunt Anna''s cooking was good. He smiled and gave fast nods. ********** Aunt Anna''s bust in the garden was illuminated by seven lamps. The garden was dark but the portion where Aunt Anna''s bust stood was not. Arthur was again sitting cross-legged in front of her bust. He missed her. He missed her smile. He missed her cooking. He missed how kindly she treated him. Now she was gone. It was sad that he could never talk to her again. She only existed in his memories. "Your lesson about following the mind and the heart" Arthur said to the bust "I think I understand it now. I didn''t understand back then but now I do" "Lucia. She is a prime example isn''t she? You really taught her well. She is smart- always using her mind. But she never lost her humanity. Not even once. As a result she is happy. I, on the other hand, followed only my feelings. I blindly followed my hate and jealousy towards her and look where it led me. But truth be told, looking back on those days, all I wanted was recognition. I wanted to be a great person, worthy of being the heir of Vanadis. It was a great responsibility that comes with great expectations. But I am too weak to fill those expectations. As a result I was filled with hate and insecurity. I had forgotten about the things you taught me" Arthur lowered his head "Tomorrow they are planning something bad. It would benefit me they say. It would make me the King of Vanadis. But I''m tired Aunt Anna. I don''t want to be a part of it. They will fail anyway. Lucia and Timothy are not that easily toppled. But I feel bad for my mother. I love my mother and I want to make her happy. I am torn" "I wish you were still with us. I wish you could give me your wisdom right now. Of course you would suggest against joining them. Lucia is your daughter after all. But still... Ah dammit" A single tear fell from his eye. He wiped it but more tears followed. "To be honest, I just want to hear your voice again. I just want to feel your warm embrace. I want to eat your baked cookies. I miss you..." Arthur swallowed. He closed his eyes and imagined her smiling face "Ma" Footsteps then sounded behind. It grew louder as it approached him. Arthur wiped the rest of his tears. "Arthur?" A surprised voice asked "What are you doing here?" Arthur looked behind. It was Lucia. She was carrying flowers, probably for the bust of Aunt Anna. She really looked like her. Arthur smiled. Aunt Anna might be gone. But he could still talk to the person who resembles her the most- his sister. 163 Sylvie Many years ago Sylvie lay on the table. Her contorted face was wet with tears. Their insults and mocking laughter still echoed in her ears. They were so mean to her. She only wanted to be a part of their group. The door of their house opened. A man in clean expensive fur coat with boots made of leather entered. He had an aura of extravagance around him. Other nobles in Vanadis were not as rich as her father. Her father was just a Baron but the way he acted surpassed the extravagance of most merchants. But this wasn''t always the case. A few years ago she remembered their old house to be battered and old with a smell unique to old houses. Their serfs were few and their household servants even fewer. They were nobles in name only. Everything changed about two years ago when her father was appointed as one of the treasurers of the king. She could still see the wide smile of her father when he received the appointment. A few months later and their old house was demolished. Built on top of it was a new one- larger and more beautiful. The number of serfs they had also increased. They even had properties here in the noble district of Holm. Salary for treasurers must be good, she thought. He took his coat and hung it on the coat rack. His leather boots were set aside. Servants came rushing towards her father, bearing new sets of house clothes. "The little miss is crying sire" one of the servants said. "Again?" He looked at Sylvie "Why?" Sylvie didn''t reply. She just avoided her father''s eyes. Her father walked towards her. He dragged a seat close to Sylvie and sat beside her. "The other noble children again?" She nodded "I don''t know why they don''t like me. I just want to be friends with them. They shunned me like I was a disease. They called me names..." "What names?" Her father asked with anger "What names!?" Sylvie flinched. "Deranged thief" She looked down "They said that the Omniscient is punishing you for stealing in the treasury by making me weird" A loud slam on the table sounded. Sylvie''s eyes went wide. Her father was fuming in anger. "Shameless gossipers! Shameless all of them. They don''t have evidence so why are they acting all high and mighty?" He looked at Sylvie and put his hands on her shoulder "Sylvie, don''t associate with them again. Do not talk to them or believe what they are saying. They are liars! Do you understand?" Sylvie nodded immediately. She doesn''t want to see her father like that. It was terrifying. But the next day she again went to the other children in the noble''s district of Holm. She doens''t want to disobey her father but she wanted to try again. Being the only child, she had always been alone. Even if the servants were willing to accommodate his conversational needs, she still felt lonely. It was so lonely. Sometimes she would talk to herself just to pass time. Hopping on the streets, the strap of a basket was slung on her shoulder. The basket was filled with apples to appease them. If they don''t want her, then she will force them to. Sylvie smiled just thinking about their acceptance. Below a huge tree in the noble''s district, the noble children congregated. They were all sons and daughters of Barons just like her. They sat and were talking about something. "I swear, the princess is beautiful. She''ll be mine in the future" said a Baron''s son. "Dream on. Your blood is too low to even talk to her. She''ll be married to a son of an Earl" "Or a prince from other kingdoms" added another noble boy. "Well I suggest you don''t give up in your dreams. As for me, I''ll have the prince. And then I will become the Queen!" said a noble girl. "Or one of the Queens" added the same noble boy. "Can you please shut up? I will enchant him with my charms that he will only have eyes for me" "Let''s just stop this nonsense dreams. We all know that we are too lowborn to even exist in their presence" All of them were silent. Awkward smiled formed on their faces as if acknowledging the fact. Sylvie saw the silence as her opportunity to catch their attention. She cleared her throat and all eyes turned towards her "The princess is beautiful. But you know what''s more beautiful?" She showed them what she brought "Apples!" "What are you doing here you deranged thief?" "Your father is stealing money from the treasury. He is a thief. That makes you a thief. A deranged thief. We don''t want no thieves here!" "Aha! But there was no evidence yes? The accusations were not proven. That makes your statement invalid which makes me joining you valid. Valid. Oh there''s the word. There''s nothing more valid than apples!" She again showed them her basket and smiled "Get one now. An apple for my friends" "Apples so nice and juicy, taste it and you''ll be happy!" Sylvie sung in a tone The other noble children showed disgusted looks. "She''s weird" "Deranged, I tell you, deranged. Something is broken inside her head" "My father told me not to entertain her" "A broken deranged daughter of a thief. Get lost scum!" "Come now" Sylvie still maintained her smile but she was starting to get hurt from their words. "There''s no need for vile words. I come in peace. Just taste my apples and you''ll see!" A noble boy walked towards her. He grabbed one of the apples and threw it away. "You think we are beggars and commoners to want your silly apples? We are nobles! My father has a plantation of apples back in our fief!" The other children also approached her and did the same. But this time they threw the apples at her. She was hit many times and eventually fell on her butt. Her apples were rolling on the street. Some were squashed. Sylvie started to cry. She doesn''t know what to do. She was just a little different from them but that shouldn''t be a problem right? She was trying so hard to get their acceptance. And then she laughed. She laughed so hard that the other noble children showed fear in their expressions. She doesn''t know why she was laughing. It just felt good to laugh. And then came an emotion she was not familiar with. Everything went dark. Her body moved by itself. She was sprinting towards them. But before she could reach them, strong hands pulled her back. She tried to escape but she couldn''t. "Sylvie! Stop this at once!" Her father shouted. "The thief! It''s the thief!" said one of the noble boy. "Shut up boy or I''ll file a complaint to your father. Accuse me one more time and I will have you imprisoned and fined for wrongful accusation. I did not steal anything. There is no evidence. Now get lost all of you!" The noble children then ran away and Sylvie calmed down. "I told you not to speak to them again and you disobeyed me" "I''m sorry father. I thought apples will be enough" He sighed "Do not disobey me again Sylvie. Those people are our enemies. I will say this again, never associate with them again. Do you understand?" Sylvie nodded as answer. This time she was sincere. As she looked at her father she realized that she doesn''t need other people. Her father will be the only person she will ever need. ********** A few moments of walking and Sylvie found herself standing outside their house in the noble district of Holm. The house was large and beautiful but now it stood empty. After her father was exiled, their servants all left. She had so many memories here. The four corners of their house was her entire childhood. She could still remember the faces of the servants who took care of her. She could even remember the taste of their cooking. But now all of those were but memories. She had grown and she had experienced many things. She met wonderful people like the smart, a little good-looking but awkward Erik. The house belonged to her now. She had no intention of living in it though. The four corners of their house couldn''t satisfy her thirst for new things. "You came back" A voice said. Sylvie searched for the voice and found a person standing. Her heart started to throb fast. She couldn''t defend herself if the person had vile intention towards her. The person stepped forward and his face was illuminated by the street lamps. Sylvie recognized him. How could she ever forget. She took a step back and shook her head in disbelief "Father?" He smiled "Yes Sylvie. Nice to see you again. It''s been a while, isn''t it? We have many things to talk about" 164 Brother, Mother, Father Timothy was the one on his seat. Timothy, after all, had a higher authority compared to him. His brother was a King while he was just a mercenary captain. William showed Timothy the bottle of ale he was drinking. "The Queen would scold me for drinking ale. She said that royalty should be mindful of what they ingest. Only expensive and refined stuff" Timothy grabbed the bottle and poured into his cup "But this is not some cheap ale. This is a valuable offering from my beloved brother" "The same beloved brother who will fight against me tomorrow" Timothy added with a shrug. "I have no choice Tim" "We always have a choice William. You signed the contract. That is a choice. I wonder why?" William looked down. He sighed and looked around the room and then at Timothy "Because of you" "Me?" "Yes. It is a hard task managing a mercenary company. Silverback prides itself in being tamed and just but the truth is, we experience the same problems as other mercenaries. You know the biggest problem we face" "Authority" "Yes. Authority. I always had to defend my authority- and I did for many years. But when you declared yourself as King of Castonia I experienced big problems regarding my authority. I handle Castonians Tim. They know who we are. They know that I''m older than you and yet you passed me in line. They wanted me to go back to Castonia and also press my claim. I didn''t. That was hard enough for me. But the straw that broke the camel''s back is when the rumor spread. That thing about the circumstances of your birth. I tried to stop the rumors from spreading but I failed. I faced mutinies left and right. My Silverback was almost destroyed from within. They don''t respect me anymore. And then a contract arrived. It is from the Vanadian nobles and merchants. My men gave me a choice. They wanted to see if I have guts to face against my brother for their sake. They thought that I was weak. They made me choose Tim. It''s either you or them. It''s either my brother or my dream" "And you chose Silverback over me" "It was a hard decision Tim. I built Silverback with my own two hands. Seeing it destroyed breaks my heart. You can just escape anyway. I know you can. You''re smart. This whole thing will set you back a little but you can always return with your army. While I... I''ll have nothing if I refused them" "You''ll have me" "I..." William''s words were stuck in his throat. "But thank you brother. I am relieved to know that you don''t really want to fight against me" Timothy said "By the way, about the rumors. Do you believe in them? Do you think that I am mother''s bastard?" William smiled "I know that you are. I have always known" "Since when?" "Since we were little" Timothy lowered his head "And yet you were still kind to me despite knowing" "What are you talking about?" William put his hand on Timothy''s shoulder "You are my brother. The circumstances of your birth doesn''t matter. You will always be my brother no matter what. And despite not having noble blood, you are the best King that I know of. You are the King I have always wanted to serve" Timothy nodded. He rose and walked towards the exit. "Silverback is your dream. I get it. You are also too honorable to break a contract. But I''m still your brother. I will not escape tonight William. I only have one shot at this. A mere setback you say. But a single setback would mean defeat to me and the Queen. Tomorrow I will accept your combined attack and I will annihilate everyone that is our enemy. You know that I will. You know that I can. I don''t want to annihilate my brother so think it over. Choose William" Timothy stepped outside. William was left with Wasp. He sighed. He doesn''t understand, he thought. Timothy doesn''t understand. He turned around and looked at the coat of arms of Silverback. A soldier with a silver shield hung on his back. He didn''t tell Timothy but the coat of arms was based on him. Back when Timothy and Ivan were still fighting in the garden, the royal guards nicknamed Timothy as Silverback. It was because everyone wagered their one silver for him. Timothy would always win and they would get the same amount they wagered in the first place. William had always admired his brother. He stared at the table. Timothy''s words again echoed in his ears. "Choose William" ********** Lucia laid the flowers on the foot of Aunt Anna''s bust. She knelt and said a silent prayer. After she was done, Lucia also sat cross-legged in front of the bust. "You still remember her favorite flowers huh? White roses. They are also my favorite. These flowers are too pure" "Just like her" Arthur said. "Yes. Just like her" Arthur looked at the flowers. They really are beautiful. "We already know Arthur" Lucia said. Arthur was jolted with shock. "What do you mean?" "You know what I mean. The assault tomorrow" His face fell into a frown "Why are you telling me this? I could tell them that you already know and they could changed their plans" "Oh come on. You know already that we know about what will happen tomorrow. In fact I bet you had already warned them about it. They didn''t listen, did they?" "I just told them to keep me out of this. I had no intention of alerting them. I didn''t mean to go against you" Arthur said defensively. Lucia smiled "I know" "Lucia, I am not that smart. Just tell me why you are talking to me like this" "We might lose" She said in a low tone "Even if my husband is the best military planner in the world, that cannot guarantee victory. Tomorrow the merchants and nobles could win and we could lose. Mother once told me that life goes on without assurance. Even how hard we try and plan, things could go wrong. The only thing we can do is to do our best and hope for success. Tomorrow is a clean sheet of paper Arthur. The book of history will either write about a failed coup or the defeat of the Union. I''m sorry for saying this but you cannot change the course of history tomorrow. You are a mere figurehead I suppose. But have a choice in which side to pick" Arthur thought about what she said for a while. "I love my mother" "Which mother? Yours or ours?" Arthur found himself not being able to reply. He had two mothers- Aunt Anna and his own mother. He opened his mouth but Lucia talked first. "That will be your choice Arthur. Which among them do you consider as your mother? Which among them had been a real mother to you. Your fate lies in your decision. Choose wrong and there will be consequences" She rose and before walking away she said, "Choose Arthur" ********** After their shocking reunion, Sylvie and her father sat on the exposed roots of the huge tree in the noble''s district. It was the same tree where the noble children gathered in the past. Now she was here with her father. "I thought you are in Wismar" Sylvie said. "I was in Wismar" Her father leaned on the trunk "But now I''m back" "You have been exiled. The guards will arrest you if they see you" "If they see me. If they don''t..." He shrugged "I am free as a poorwill in the spring" "You shouldn''t have come here" "You don''t seem happy to see your father again" "No. That''s not what I meant" Sylvie went closer and hugged his arm "I missed you father. For the longest time, I wanted to see you. I was lost without you. I was truly lost. But now I''ve met amazing people. The Queen even considers me as her friend. And I''ve met Erik. Oh you need meet him father. He is a bit quirky and he''s mean to me sometimes. He''s also smart but he''s too stupid to notice me. But he''s kind to me. You need to meet him!" Her father smiled and put his palm on Sylvie''s cheek. "I''m disappointed Sylvie" Those three words struck her heart with pain. She doesn''t understand. What did she do? She doesn''t want to disappoint her father. "Father I..." "Remember what I told you before I was forced to leave? I told you to never forgive. I''ve heard you tried to kill the Queen once" "No that was..." "I was proud. You were avenging me. You were giving me justice. It was the royal family who exiled me and you repaid them. Well... almost" He clicked his tongue "But lately I''ve been hearing concerning rumors. Some say that you helped the Castonian Marquis escape and even fought against Prince Skall. I didn''t want to believe it. My Sylvie wouldn''t betray me like that" "I didn''t..." "But my heart was broken when I heard that you are now living in Greenwater and is good friends with the Marquis of Castonia. You are breaking bread with our enemies. And now you confirmed it yourself- you are friends with the Queen. Imagine how hurt I am right now. You are friends with the people who broke our family. You share laughters and joy with the people who sent me away. I am truly disappointed. My poor Sylvie has changed. She doesn''t love me anymore" "I love your father!" She cried out "But Lucia has nothing to do with it. She is innocent." "Innocent you say?! Her family exiled me!" She hugged her father "Father I''m sorry. Please don''t be angry with me" Her father''s breathing became tamer. "Fine. But I have a request" "A request?" He put something on her palm. It was a small vial. Sylvie recognized it and her body trembled. "You know what this is right? Silver Moon. You failed once but she trusts you now. The attack tomorrow will fail. I have warned them against it. The conspirators'' soldiers are weak. Having weak solders is dangerous. But there''s something more dangerous than a weak army. Trust, Sylvie, trust. Right now the Queen trusts you unlike before. You know what I told you about trust. It can be used to kill. Make her drink this. We will then go to Wismar. I promise I will bring you with me. We will be together again" Sylvie''s hands were still shaking. She looked at vial. "But.." "Choose between me and her. I have loved you since you were little. She sent me away." He gripped Sylvie''s shoulders "Choose Sylvie" 165 Vanadian Coup 1 More than a thousand people were waiting in front of the close gate of the palace. The clothes they wore were shaded with hues reeking of wealth. The jewelries that hung on their ears, neck and wrists were lined with precious glittering stones. Their expensive perfumes exposed odors unknown and exotic to most people. And yet they were waiting outside like how a child would wait for playtime. They were like beggars waiting for free charity food. These people were the wealthiest of Vanadis, Castonia and the neighboring kingdoms but they waited nonetheless. Such was the case if the Queen of Vanadis and the King of Castonia were the ones who arranged the ball- a ball known far and wide to be the most extravagant in recent memory. It was still early- too early. But most of the guests wanted to be early to see or, if they were fortunate, talk to the fabled King and Queen of the Union Alliance. The clang of the bells signified that it was time to open the gates for visitors. Everything was prepared. The servants, decorations and food were ready. The gate rose upward, opening the way for the guests to pour inside the palace. Timothy was standing beside Lucia in front of the great hall of the palace. The great hall was large- several times larger than the great hall of his own palace in Nirvana. The guests occupied the seats and filled the hall. Occasional gasps can be heard from them. Timothy understood how they felt. This was also the most extravagant ball he had ever attended. But all of these costed the crown a lot. "Fifty thousand gold coins" Timothy said with a half smile "I could have hired several companies of mercenaries for several months with that amount. And yet you are spending fifty thousand gold coins in just one night. You Vanadians really know how to arrange gatherings" Lucia smiled. She looked so pretty tonight that Timothy was lulled for a bit just by looking at her. Her hair was lined with gems. Her dress was made of first-class silk, tailored to match her beautiful body and complexion. He felt his heart throb and his face heat up. "First of all, it''s not just me who''s spending. Our treasuries are linked. Second, this night will be talked about for generations to come. Do you want them to write about how bland the food was or how low class the wine and other beverages were? Do you want them to gossip how we used the same decorations from the last ball? We need to awe them. Reputation is hard to build. Everything must be marvelous like the blooming of flowers in spring. Everything must be perfect like..." she looked at him "you" "Uh what?" Lucia''s cheeks shaded a blush. She held firmly on his arm "Nothing. Let''s just enjoy the night. There''s nothing to worry about I suppose?" "Everything is under our control Your Majesty. Leave everything to me. Erik and Captain Bisham are already in position" "Then shall we begin? Most of our guests are already seated" Timothy looked towards their front. Only seldom late-comers were arriving in small groups. He nodded. Lucia stepped forward. The sudden movement from the Queen drew everyone''s attention. "Greetings honored guests. Some of you traveled for days just to come here. Some even crossed the sea. I welcome all of you to Holm. It brings us great honor to have you here. Now to formally start this celebration, my husband, and King of Castonia, would like to say a few words" Timothy matched Lucia''s position. He coiled his arm around her waist. He smiled before talking. "Has anyone heard about the tale of the spider and the bee? Some of you may have. For those unfamiliar with the tale, it goes like this. One day a bee and a spider became good friends..." ********** "...the spider spun its web to give shelter to the bee while the bee would sometimes bring the spider honey from its nest" Admiral Veno''s voice boomed in his flagship. His fleet of patriots were hidden in the night. The sailors in his flagship were listening to his tale. It was the tale of the spider and the bee- a story told to him by his brother a long time ago. Now he was retelling the ridiculous tale to his men. "The friendship lasted for a while until the other small animals grew jealous of their prosperity. The others tried to separate the two but the spider and the bee stubbornly refused to break their bond. As a result they were attacked. The first ones that attacked were the ants. With strong mandibles and numbers, the ants would surely destroy the spider and the bee. But the bee carried the spider up in the air. The ants couldn''t reach them. In the end the ants gave up. But then the mosquitoes attacked. There were so many of them and the bee cannot stand their attacks. The spider, thinking for the well-being of its friend, spun its web. The mosquitoes were trapped and both of them again survived. The lesson...." ********* "...Is that we all have our weaknesses. We are weak alone and we need to find others to fill our weaknesses. The spider survived because it found someone who can fly. The bee survived because it found someone who can spin webs" Timothy continued his tale in front of the guests. His voice echoed and all their eyes were on him. He looked at Lucia before he continued. "Castonia and Vanadis both face crises of their own. Both Kingdoms have its own weaknesses and both Kingdoms need each other to survive. The Queen and I have decided to link Castonia and Vanadis into a single powerful and united Kingdom. For now we only have an alliance- a strong alliance as unbreakable as our marriage. But in the future, Castonia and Vanadis will truly be united under our heir. Just like the spider and the bee we will triumph against our enemies. We will survive. Because we are united!" ********** "...Or at least that''s what a fool would say. They would say that the spider and the bee survived because they worked together. I tell you lads, that is a lie. The other animals would have never attacked them if they didn''t form a bond. It was because they are together that they faced attacks!" Admiral Veno continued his tale. His men''s breathing became heavy. He could see that they were boiling with anger. They were patriots like him. "The Union will save both our Kingdoms? Ridiculous! Castonia is the one dragging Vanadis into wars! Now we are at war with six other nations because of Castonia. And the Queen is too blind and weak to see that Timothy Castonia is using her- using our nation for their benefit. This must stop. I feel your rage. I feel your anger. We have been wronged. We have been betrayed by our very Queen. For that, we must fight" He tugged his hand behind and looked up to the flag of Vanadis hoisted in his ship. "Raise the sails and raise your swords! We will take back Vanadis tonight!" "Aye!" his men shouted with fists in the air. In a few moments his fleet started to sail towards the harbor of Holm. ********** After speaking, Timothy sat beside Lucia. The two of them were at the front with their own table. The music was superb. The musicians they hired were the best after all. Sweet and unique tunes danced in Timothy''s ears. Their guests were enjoying themselves. Delicious food were served and dancers and bards were doing their craft with expertise. Some people were conversing with each other. Some opportunists were trying to talk to him and Lucia. Others just enjoyed what entertainment was provided to them. A clang of spoon hitting a goblet was heard. Everybody turned their eyes to Edmund Vanadis. "Dear guests! This ball is a celebration of the union between Castonia and Vanadis. The monarchs of the two kingdoms are right there!" Edmund pointed towards them "This night is all about them. Their union will bear a stronger future for all of us! But I can''t help but feel that the music is so fine. The atmosphere is just right. Who among you wants to see the Queen and the King dance?" "Aye!" The guests raised their goblets in unison. The hall was filled with excited chattering. The center was cleared and the musicians prepared their tunes. Timothy looked at Lucia. He had never danced with her before. It would be a shame to pass on this opportunity. Lucia also looked at him. She gave a slight nod to indicate her approval. Timothy opened his palm towards her and she rested her hand on it. Both of them rose from their seats and stepped forward into the center of the hall. Eyes were glued on them. The music started and they turned to face each other. Holding both her hands, he stepped forward and she stepped back. They started dancing into the tune. ********** They reached the harbor without incidents. His men started to disembark. As Veno walked in the cobbled harbor, he adjusted the strap of his armor. He ensured that he was prepared for the assault. His men rushed like ants in the darkness. They were crouching and hiding. There were thousands of them- thousands of patriots just like him. The storage of Hellfire was just a few hundred steps away. They crept closer with their heads lowered. Veno then saw the guards. There were only a few of them- not even a hundred. They were guarding the Hellfire from intruders. But Veno and his men were not intruders. They were the owners of the Hellfire for they are the true Vanadians. A shout was heard and a horn of alarm was blared. Veno cursed. They guards must have spotted them. It was too early. But they had no choice now. They must attack in haste. "Go!" he shouted. His men rushed towards the storage. With cries of rage and voices filled with patriotism they ran. In their hands were swords. In their heart was their love for their nation. He was the same and he also ran with firmness in his heart. The guards retreated. Not a single drop of blood was shed because they retreated. Veno should have felt relieved but he was not. He felt a pang of worry. Hellfire guards were not this weak. They were guarding a state secret after all. His men cheered loudly after reaching the storage. Their arms were raised in the air and their voices were loud. They opened the door of the warehouse. Thousands of barrels of hellfire were neatly stored inside. Veno still felt worried but it was too late to change his mind now. "Back off and throw lamps inside!" he ordered ********** The Captain of the mercenary company Moon was clad in armor tonight. His men were marching double pace behind. Other companies of mercenaries were also with them in their assault. But one thing puzzled him. It was a question everybody was asking- where is Silverback? Silverback was supposed to go with them in their assault. They were going to attack the front gate of Holm. A direct assault like that would be difficult and they needed Silverback''s expertise. Those Castonians really are crack when it comes to fighting. And now Silverback is nowhere to be found. Their absence will greatly weaken the assault. He didn''t worry about failure though. The Vanadian soldiers inside the city are raw recruits. He had heard that King Timothy just started training them a week ago. Even though he feared the name of the Castonian King, soldiers trained for just a mere week were not a threat. He could now see the city walls. Moon had been a part of more difficult assaults. Holm''s defenses were not impressive. This one should be easy. ********** Silver''s second-in-command was a man of strength. Inside his armor, his bulky arms were itching for the upcoming battle. But there was a problem. It seemed they got lost. He looked towards his Captain, Silver. Silver, or William, was a man of honor. William was the rightful King of Castonia after all. They all followed William all those years ago because they believed in him- they believed in his strength and the brand of his leadership. For years, Silverback became famous. There was even a saying- Leave it to Silverback. In battles, when all hope is lost, people would look up to Silverback to save the day. He was proud of being part of Silverback. And much of their success could be attributed to Silver. But lately, Silver had shown them weakness. It seemed that their Captain had been devoured by his love for his brother. When they pleaded Silver to go back to Castonia and take the throne for himself, Silver refused. That was understandable. If Silver doesn''t want to get involved, they would respect that. But when news spread that Timothy Castonia was just a bastard of the late Queen, that was when things started to get sour. Silver even defended his brother. Silver would rather bow down to his younger bastard brother. It was unacceptable. He maintained his loyalty to Silver but he had lost respect towards his Captain. There was a half-moon in the sky. Silver was just in front of him- wearing his unique silver breastplate. They were supposed to meet up with the other mercenaries ages ago. But they were still in the forest. There was then a clearing and Silver suddenly stopped. The entire company also stopped marching. After a few moments, Silver turned towards them. ********* The music reached its crescendo. Timothy and Lucia''s movements became faster. Their movements were in unison. It was fast. The steps were difficult. But both of them were of one mind. He knew. He knew about their plan. He knew that Admiral Veno will attack from the sea and burn the Hellfire. He knew that the mercenaries would then assault the gates and draw the city guards. He knew that underneath the palace, the Bear and the leaders of the conspirators are waiting in the sewers. He knew and he had already made plans. He swirled Lucia and put his hand on the back of her waist. He smiled towards his wife and she smiled back. They both knew. ********* Veno wrinkled his forehead. It wasn''t burning. They had thrown several lamps inside already but the barrels wouldn''t burn. He had expected that the barrels would burst into flame the moment the lamps were thrown. But the barrels didn''t. He turned his head towards his men. The also wore the same frowns of confusion. "Why wouldn''t it burn?" ********** The Captain of the mercenary company Moon was frowning. In the end, Silverback ditched them. That was odd. Silver was known to be a man of honor. He wouldn''t just break a contract. Now they were near the gate. The snow on the ground wasn''t thick. They stood in the darkness and waited. The signal for their assault is a fire in the shipyard. Once the barrels of Hellfire were lit, they would begin their attack. The soldier beside him wrinkled his nose. "What''s that smell?" ********** Silver''s second-in-command was staring at his captain. Silver was clad in armor. He looked marvelous in his distinctive breastplate. There was silence. It was too silent that he could hear the crows. A cold wind blew. Silver''s brown eyes behind his helm looked at them one by one. He had the urge to ask Silver what was going on. But he held his tongue. His trust towards Silver at least merited his silence. "Castonians" Silver''s voice was cold "We are all Castonians. We have once turned our back towards our nation, but deep inside we are all Castonians. But what is a Castonian? Let me tell you. A Castonian is strong. A Castonian is brave. A Castonian would not run from a fight. But most of all, a Castonian is righteous. A Castonian is a moral person" Silver paced a single step forward. "King Timothy is a true Castonian. He is strong. He is brave. He will never run from a fight. Most of all, King Timothy is righteous. He is a true King" "What are you saying Silver?" The second-in-command asked. He acted surprised but his hand was already reaching into his sword. "Last night I was forced to choose. I chose. Now it is your turn" Silver paused and filled his lungs with air. "Choose!" 166 Vanadian Coup 2 "Why isn''t it burning?" Asked Veno as he looked at the barrels. A shrill alarm spread in the air. He knew that alarm. It was the one being used by the navy to indicate an attack. He looked towards his ships docked in the harbor. The sailors he left to guard the ships were waving torches. His men on shore started to murmur. They were afraid. Veno looked at the barrels again. If they were Hellfire, they would have already burned so hot that part of the shipyard would have melted. But nothing was happening. The barrels didn''t contain Hellfire. This whole thing was a trap and he just stepped right into it. "Go back to the ships" He said. It was almost a mutter so nobody heard his command. Veno turned his head to the left, towards his marines. "Go back to the sh-" His mouth froze. His body stiffed. In the darkness to the left he saw flags raised. They were flags of Vanadis. Soldiers in thousands marched towards them. They were steady in their pace. Their movements suggested that they were also from the Vanadian Navy. He turned to the right and the same scene greeted him. The two forces outnumbered his lads and they are closing in. "Get back!" Veno shouted on top of his lungs. He ran back to their ships. His men followed behind. They had been discovered. They had fallen into a trap. Fighting would be futile now. But they were too slow and their enemies were fast. Some of the enemies had already boarded his ships. The marines he left to guard the galleys were overwhelmed. He shed a single tear hearing their cries for help. But he couldn''t do a thing. He was trapped himself. His galleys belonged to the enemies now. "Hold your ground! Formation!" Veno shouted to his men. The lads were shaken but they managed to make a crude defense. He stood in the center with his sword unsheathed and raised. Their enemies crept closer from all sides. They must have outbumbered them at least two to one. "Steady" he said "We are the righteous ones. We must never fear for justice in on our side. The Omniscient shall guide our swords" And then the enemies stopped. It was a sudden stop with a single unison clank. A person from the line of enemies stepped forward. The street lamps made it possible for Veno to see his face. Bisham. The great Captain Bisham who is famous for leading the slaughter of pirates in the battle of Salam. Captain Bisham was also famous in the battle of the plains where he led Vanadian-hired mercenaries to reinforce the Castonians. Bisham''s face was riddled with wrinkles. His white hair was combed back. The clothes and armor he wore were that of the navy. On his hip hung a sword. Veno swallowed his saliva. His legs trembled. There was only one person in the navy that is senior to him- and that was this man. Veno both feared and respected him. "Look at the flags you fly and the coat of arms on your uniforms" Bisham said with disgust in his voice "Aren''t they of Vanadis? The ships you sail, aren''t they built here in this shipyard- the same shipyard you are trying to burn. Dishonorable. All of you are dishonorable. You raise your swords against the Queen- the same Queen who is trying to protect you!" "The Queen sold Vanadis to Castonia. We are just taking it back!" Shouted Veno. "Is that you Veno? No wonder this whole affair reeks of stupidity. Better shut your filthy mouth Veno. You were not there when the Wismarines attacked us in the Castonian palace. You were not there when King Timothy rode night and day just to rescue our Queen. You were not there Veno. You did not see how Vanadians and Castonians fought side by side in the Battle of the Plains. You don''t know what we can do -what we can accomplish- if we just join forces with the Castonians!" Bisham unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards them "The Queen is merciful. She forgives despite your deeds not worthy of it. Surrender and the Queen promises clemency. Struggle and we, the Vanadian Navy, will annihilate you without remorse. Drop your swords rebels" Hearing the word rebel put an ache into his pride. He was no rebel. Everything he did was for Vanadis. "You must be mistaken..." He was interrupted by the sound of metal hitting the cobbled dock. Several iterrations of the same sound followed. His men were dropping their swords and running towards the enemies. His breathing got louder and a surge of pain jolted him. His eyes narrowed. His head shook sideward in disbelief. He thought they would join him to death. He thought they were men of courage. Never had he felt more alone. Those who surrendered were disarmed. Only a little more than a hundred remained by his side. "Your decision is to die. I respect that" said Bisham "A shame you will not see the future" And then their enemies advance unto them. Veno held his sword. ********** "What is that smell?" asked the soldier beside him. The Captain of Moon wrinkled his nose and the odor also reached his senses. It was a sharp smell but a little mellow after a while. It smells like a mixture between lamp oil and wax. "Probably your own breath. Your nose is just above your mouth!" jested another soldier. A lively laughter ensued. But he was not laughing. Silverback''s absence coupled with the strange smell brought him worry. He had heard about the Castonian King''s might before. He was awed listening to tales about how Timothy Castonia defeated armies sent to fight against him. Timothy Castonia and his legions were undefeated. "Sir" A soldier called for his attention. The lad was kneeling and patting the ground. He smelled his hand "I ain''t sure sire but this snow smells funny" He also knelt cupped the snow. It felt different. It was a little slimy and oily. He immediately knew what it was. "Run!" he shouted. The others looked at him with confusion. ""Retreat!" he shouted again and now they were starting to move. But just then several horsemen rode towards them. They were carrying lamps. The horsemen threw the lamps towards the ground. The snow burned. ********** Veno thrust his sword into an enemy. His strike was blocked by armor. He ducked to evade an attack and thrust again in between his enemy''s breastplate and arm guard. The familiar feeling of slicing flesh reverberated through his arm. Upon retracting his sword, the tip was drenched in blood. His opponent cried in pain and Veno moved for the kill. He aimed and he thrust his sword. But Veno was bashed from the side by another enemy with a shield. He staggered back. Hell fell and he felt dizzy. One of his allies defended him. Veno sat on the ground, still recovering. His brave men were being butchered. They were dying left and right. It was horrifying. He was shaken. He smiled bitterly. The King and the Queen bested him- bested them. What was supposed to be their surprise became a surprise for them. They had failed and he was going to die. Bisham was standing not far from the fighting. The old veteran was watching him. He must be amused, Veno thought. Unlike his uniform and armor already soiled with blood, Bisham''s were clean. And unlike his fate, Bisham would live. He looked towards the cowards who surrendered earlier. They were sitting in the snow with their hands tied. He had high hopes for them. He thought that they would fight to the death just like him. He also thought that the citizens of Holm would rise in rebellion once they attack. He was wrong. He overestimated their patriotism. He grabbed his sword again. Bringing only swords to fight armored enemies was really stupid, he mused. They could have brought spears or hammers at the very least. He will die with his sword. Veno supported his body to stand. He held his sword with both hands. He spotted a target- a green boy whose fighting stance was wrong. With his body leaning forward, he rushed to the boy. And then light. There was light in the darkness. It wasn''t blinding but it was big. The light was followed by cries at the distance. His feet stopped. He almost dropped his sword as he faced the north where the light originated. Around him the fighting was put into a standstill. Everybody knew what it was. All of them were in the navy so they knew the only thing that could burn that bright. Hellfire. According to the location of the fire, Veno realized that the mercenaries in front of the gate were doomed. "Sir I think I now know where the Hellfire is!" said one of his men. The lad was a halfwit and Veno would always scold him for doing and saying stupid stuff. But for the first time Veno laughed to the lad''s stupid words. He knew that it was truly over for them. He was amazed by the Castonian King. Timothy Castonia, he thought, such a mind he has. His sword fell followed by his butt. He sat in the snowy harbor drenched in sweat and blood. He was laughing. After a while his laugh was interrupted by multiple spears piercing his body. 167 Vanadian Coup 3 William''s second-in-command presented his weapon- a steel longsword which hilt was shaped in a curve. He pointed it towards William. "Stop talking nonsense Silver. This is a jest right? A bad jest" He looked around and gave a chuckle "But nobody is laughing anymore. Your humor has soured brother. Let''s just go and meet the other mercenaries. Let''s go Silver" "My name is not Silver" William''s voice was unshaken "I am William Castonia, second son of Leopold Castonia and brother to His Majesty Timothy Castonia. As a prince I command you all to fight for our King" "Have you lost your mind? King!? That boy is not my King. You should have been my King but you refused. We would have followed you to death Silver. But you refused us. That is alright. We could understand your refusal. But to call a bastard boy many years younger than you my King? Until my arse bleeds diamonds, he will not be my King!" "Insults to his Majesty will not be tolerated. Another wrongful accusation of his birthright will be deemed treason. I implore you, King Timothy needs us" His second-in-command shook his head, slowly and with weight "He has lost his mind lads. Silver has lost his mind! Put him in chains!" The men of Silverback looked at each other. Some then started to approach William. Their aim was to subdue him. William unsheathed his sword. "I am William, a prince of Castionia! If you have any shed of honor left defend me. I am the one who led you for years. I am also the one who elevated you to veterans. My leadership saved your lives many times in the past. Defend your Capatain!" His shout shook many of his men into action. Some drew their swords and formed a cordon around him. Silverback was now divided into two. On one side were William and his loyalists and on the other were his second-in-command and most of his men. He felt saddened that there were more opposing him compared to those who are defending him. The two sides were destined to meet- and with clangs of swords they did. ********** Screams and cries of pain were behind them. Many of his men were burning. The Captain of Moon was running away from their original position. It turned out that the smell was the dreaded Hellfire. They had been standing on snow drenched in the unholy Vanadian liquid. After the horsemen threw the lamps, fires erupted from below. The flame spread rapidly like a wave in the ocean. The snow burned hot. Even the soil was torched. Hellfire was truly deserving of its name. Many of his men were burning from behind. The mercenaries from other companies were also running away. Who wouldn''t run, he thought. Only suicidal maniacs and idiots would stay. But they were able to survive. His leg was burned and the pain was unbearable. The skin of his leg merged with his trousers. But he survived with most of Moon. Pain and injuries would vanish in time. Death, on the other hand, was permanent. He stopped and panted to catch his breath. Smoke from the fire blew towards them. Even the smoke of the unholy liquid was painful to the lungs. He took the opportunity to estimate their losses. He lost less than a hundred from his company. The other companies had it worse. But the fire didn''t annihilate them. They could still fight and return the injury they suffered. But as he looked at the faces of his men, he understood the real purpose of the fire. It wasn''t to cull their numbers but to shake their courage. His men were pale. Some were vomiting. The others were shaking not from cold, but from fear. Such would be the case if one sees the snow burst into flame. The fire dragged their morale into an all-time low. His lads were on the brink of routing. As the Captain, he must say something- a speech or a gesture of courage to keep them from running away. With a long and deep sigh he rose in his feet. He cracked his knuckles and prepared his words of encouragement. He opened his mouth. And then the sound of boots crunching in the snow was heard. It was a march. From the simultaneous sound of their marching he knew that the ones marching were disciplined soldiers. There was no question about it. "Silverback!" One of his senior officers exclaimed "It must be Silverback! Rise up lads, leave it to Silverback!" It was a possibility he thought- and the only possibility with the information given to them. Only Silverback could march like that. Not even the Moon company could do that. He also began to get hopeful. If Silverback arrives, then they were saved. Nothing would raise his men''s morale more than seeing the stern face of those Castonians clad in armor. Those Castonians were their last hope. And soon the smile on his face vanished. The flags the newcomers fly were not of Silverback. They were Vanadians. And when he saw the rest of them, his heart sunk to the bottom. Another flag waved in the air. It was Castonia''s. But that was not the end of his nightmare. Another look towards the coat of arms of the Castonians confirmed that they were done for. It was over whether Silverback joins them or not. "Sir" The person beside him had a trembling voice "Isn''t that¡­" "Yes it is" He cut off. The coat of arms of the Castonians was clear as day. The danger it represented was beaming. It was the Rooster. He was scared. He hoped they would at least offer them a chance to surrender. ********** Erik was on top of his horse. Seeing the pale faces of the mercenaries almost made him laugh. Who wouldn''t be afraid when presented with the coat of arms of the Rooster legion? It felt cheating though. Most of the Castonians he brought from Greenwater were just from the city watch of the city. Some belonged to his personal guards. Only a few dozen of them truly belonged to the Rooster. But technicalities were not his thing. At least he was not completely lying to their enemies. The important thing is that he was able to scare them. He looked towards the new Vanadian legion. They were not bad. Actually they were good considering Timothy just started training them a week ago. They were green and untested. But their willingness to join the battle was commendable. Erik mused on the name the Vanadians chose for their legion. They called it Snow. He returned his look towards the pale faces of the mercenaries. Now he must offer them surrender. Having the enemies surrender would always be better than fighting. He clucked his horse forward. "Surrender. Only death awaits to those who will resist. The Rooster and Snow legions demand that you lower your weapons. The King and the Queen¡­." Before he could finish his demand for surrender, the mercenaries already dropped their weapons. Erik couldn''t believe his eyes. Thousands were surrendering right in front of him. He thought that there would at least be a few who will resist. But all of the mercenaries surrendered at once. His men took the captives one by one. There were so many that the weapons and armors they confiscated piled up high. But he noticed that one mercenary company was missing. "Where is Silverback?" he asked a chained mercenary from the top of his horse. The man flinched and showed a nervous expression "Sir, Silverback didn''t join us" "Didn''t join? Where are they?" "I don''t know sir. I truly don''t know. We were supposed to meet before we reach the walls of Holm. But they didn''t show" Erik frowned. The reason why Timothy entrusted him with the bulk of their forces is because of Silverback. Now they were missing. He had seen Timothy wait all day for Prince William''s reply but it never arrived. So they just assumed that they would have to fight Silverback today. But what if the Prince was doing things on his own again? What if he¡­ Erik stopped his thoughts and just moved. "Everyone with a horse on me!" He shouted as loud as he could. His men on horseback came riding towards him. "Scour the forest!" Erik shouted "Not a single tree unchecked. Not a single rock unturned. Find Prince William or any signs of battle. Go. With haste go!" ********** Arthur was sitting in the garden. The grass pricked his bottom. "They will come right?" He asked his mother beside him. "They will. Trust them Arthur" "But they will be filthy and they will smell" "Of course they will. It''s the sewer they waddled in after all.This is not the time to be fussy Arthur. Those people are doing dirty things like going into the sewer just to make you King" "To make me a puppet you mean" His mother didn''t speak back. She just frowned while shaking her head. Footsteps approached them. His mother''s eyes showed confidence. "They''re here" She said with glee. But the people who emerged from the darkness were neither filthy nor smelly. They wore clean clothes topped with armor. They were royal guards of both Vanadis and Castonia. The leading person was a giant who could squash a skull with one hand. Arthur was once threatened by this giant. His mother rose abruptly. "What are you doing here!?" "Shouldn''t we be here?" Abraham replied. He looked at Arthur "Prince Arthur, everything is ready" "Arthur what is he saying?" His mother asked. Arthur didn''t mind her. "Take my mother to the her quarters and guard her" Two guards moved to hold his mother. "Arthur what are you doing!?" "My responsibility mother. Every citizen of Vanadis has a responsibility to defend the Queen." "Defend the...You have betrayed us!?" Her eyes were brimming with rage. Arthur turned his head to her one last time before going with Abraham and the rest of the royal guards. "Arthur answer me! You cannot do this to me! Arthur!" Those were her last shouts as she was dragged away. Arthur sighed. His posture was firm but his hand was shaking. "Are you nervous sire?" Abraham asked "Can my armor shield me against a sword?" "You''re wearing plate with mail doublet underneath. You''ll be fine sire" Arthur shook his head and smiled "I am a coward aren''t I?" Abraham patted his back. The force of the pat almost made him cough his lungs out. "I was a coward once. I watched a little boy killed and did nothing. You, on the other hand, volunteered to join us. You are not a coward" "Thank you" Arthur said. His heart was still beating fast and his hands were still shaking. But his body was moving towards the sewers. He let out a silent curse and just gritted his teeth. 168 Vanadian Coup 4 William slammed his shoulder against the chest of his opponent. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed the man in the stomach. The blade went through the mail and into the man''s belly. The man gurgled blood. William was in tears. The sensation of killing on of his own men was harrowing. The crunch of the blade burying through flesh sent tingles down his spine. "Sorry" he whispered to the man he killed as he laid him to the ground. He remembered the lad to be a cheerful youth he would always scold for making obscene jokes. And now William just killed the lad with his own hands. He knew that they meant him no harm. They just wanted to capture him. But he cannot let himself be captured. Wasp growled beside him. The dog''s mouth was already bloody. William again searched for an opponent. He rushed towards another enemy. Gripping both his sword and his dagger, he let out a cry. ********** The sewer was disgusting. Arthur''s boots were wet with whatever liquid he was stepping in.The smell was also horrid. It smells like rotten egg mixed with decaying flesh. He cupped his palm over his nose. A few moments of waddling in the sewer and he found them. The merchants, nobles and their lot looked miserable. "Prince Arthur" The Silk merchant''s tone was surprised "Why are you here?" "There is a problem. The Queen found out about our plan. She blocked our passage from the sewer to the palace. We need to take the other route" There was a murmur among them. The silk merchant raised his palm to demand silence. "And why should we trust you? Trust is a commodity not easy to trade. There is too little supply you see" "I swear I''m telling the truth! Our comrades in the navy and the mercenaries are successful. But the Queen has realized the attack from the sewers so she blocked our passage. We can''t waste time. Let''s go!" The silk merchant stared at him for a while, not even blinking. "I''ve met hundreds of swindlers and liars all my life boy. I know a lie when I see it. He''s lying. Get him!" Arthur took a step back. He shivered from fear. His deceit had failed. "Help!" He he screamed as he ran away. They followed him behind. He was being chased. "Help! Abraham help me!" Arthur again cried. He regretted going into the sewers. It was foolish. Lucia had warned him that it will be dangerous. She said that he could die. But Arthur wanted to prove that he was not useless. He wanted to prove to himself that he could at least be of use. Now he was running with enemies bent on killing him just behind. Somebody grabbed his clothes. He fell and rolled in the muddy and disgusting sewer water. The fall was bad. He coughed in pain. He looked to the side and was relieved when he Abraham and the other royal guards rushing towards him. They slammed against the enemies. A clashing of swords and the parrying of spears followed. Abraham took on the bear while the rest of the royal guards battled the others. It was chaotic. It was grim. There were deaths everywhere. Arthur then saw a royal guard pinned by two enemies. The man was holding for dear life, evading strikes left and right. A dagger pierced the guard''s arm. The guard did not even flinch. He just defended from further attacks. But it was over for him. With a wounded arm the guard couldn''t defend against multiple opponents for long. Arthur was afraid. He was shaking from fear. But he was useless. He had always been useless and he wanted to prove that he could at least save a single life. Aunt Anna told him to both use his mind and his heart. Well now both pointed him to this dangerous decision. He rose with the sewer water still dripping from his body. He presented his sword. Arthur rushed to the pinned guard, screaming loudly. He thrust his sword towards an enemy but the man''s armor caught it. The enemy looked at Arthur and stabbed his dagger to his face. Arthur blocked his face with both hands. The dagger penetrated his hand. The tip of the dagger was still able to bury into his left eye. There was a surge of pain as he screamed and staggered. The guard he saved was able to finish the two enemies. Arthur was successful. He wasn''t useless. He felt happy that he was able to do something. But his left eye was bleeding and his vision was halved. ********** He knew them all by name. He knew their faces- their quirks. They were his friends, his family. But he was killing them. William was slashing and stabbing and bleeding the men of Silverback. His hand was shaking and there were tears in his eyes. He doesn''t want to do this. He detested what he was doing. He built Silverback with his own two hands. It was his dream- to travel the world as a leader of a mercenary company. It wasn''t a good dream- he knew. But he really loved the men of Silverback. But his hands were wet with their blood- dripping even. With every slash of his sword, with every stab of his dagger, he was killing his dream. He was destroying what he built for years. His honorable stance in things- his promise to himself to never lie and cheat- he had become a kind person he detested the most. This was for Timothy, he thought. He endured killing his comrades and breaking his honor for Timothy. His love for his brother trumped everything else- including his dream. William''s face was now bloodied. Hundreds lay dead on the snow. Silverback was broken. There was a momentary respite to the fighting. The two sides just stared at each other. Beside William were just a few dozen of his remaining loyalists. The neighing of horses then sounded. Both sides were surrounded by trees and everybody was looking around to find the horsemen. And soon a new force arrived- a contingent of a few hundred cavalry. Unlike the mercenaries and unlike the serfs, the cavalry wore full armor. They were Castonians. "Thank whatever is above!" The person riding at the front exclaimed. His voice was familiar. A few steps later and William realized that it was Erik. "You are surrounded. Drop your weapons and step away from the Prince!" Instead of following Erik, the men of Silverback tightened their grip on their weapons. "We will attack. Don''t test my patience. I am Marquis Erik Connel. Obey my words!" Erik added. "We just want our Captain back" Said William''s second-in-command "We will fight until our last breaths. You cannot threaten us!" The situation was getting sour. The men under William''s second-in-command were agitated. If a battle was to ensue, it would be bloody. He cannot stand seeing more men of Silverback fall. "Wait!" William shouted "You and I Marco. Let''s have a duel. If I win, all of you will drop your weapons and surrender to the Marquis. If I lose, I will come with you. We will leave this place and go east. We will not meddle in Castonian affairs anymore. We will forget this bloody event and continue with our business like nothing happened" "A dishonorable thing Silver" Marco, his second-in-command said with a disappointed tone "You just need to kill me while I need to capture you. It''s not a fair duel. I never thought I would hear you say this" "Aye. Dishonorable. But this is better than having more of our brothers fall. Just you and me Marco. Let''s end this. No armors, just swords" "Or I could just trample them in one charge. You don''t have to do this William" said Erik "Shut your mouth Marquis Erik. I am Prince William Castonia. I command you to witness this duel and do nothing" "Do nothing?!" Erik''s voice was raging "Timothy is waiting for you. He wants you to come home. If you lose you can never go home" William didn''t pay attention to the Marquis. He stepped forward, slowly removing his armor one by one. Marco also did the same. They approached each other. With a last thud, his mail doublet fell in the snow. He looked Marco in the eye and then turned his head to Erik. He smiled. "If I lose, give my brother my regards" ********** "Go!" Abraham shouted to the royal guards as soon as he heard Prince Arthur''s cry for help. They emerged from hiding and struck their enemies. Most of these people are just serfs. Some were personal guards of the nobles and merchants. But the greatest threat is that hairy man. Abraham made sure to isolate Bear. He slammed his body against the hairy man. It staggered backward. The other royal guards surrounded the isolated Bear. "Get back!" Abraham shouted "Leave him to me. He''s mine" The royal guards looked at Abraham with confusion. "Help the Prince. If he dies, your heads will roll!" They stared at him and then gave a single nod. They backed away and went to fight the others. The Bear was shaking. His hairy arm was trembling. Soon his laughter boomed. "As expected from a great warrior! You are what I expected you to be. I have long dreamed of meeting you King Timothy!" Abraham''s grip on his sword and shield laxed for a second. "Did you just call me King Timothy?" "Enough talk. Let''s fight!" Bear lunged at him. His arm turned into that of a bear''s. He swiped towards Abraham. Abraham blocked the swipe with his shield. He ducked a little and slammed the boss of his shield to his opponent''s chest. "Strong!" Bear said with glee while clutching his chest. "You really are a true King!" "I am..." Abraham slammed his shield towards Bear''s chin "Not His Majesty!" Bear ignored his strike and just swiped blindly while laughing. "Stop lying. You are King Timothy. A giant that can change into a huge lion! Oh I have long dreamt of fighting you" Abraham blocked each swipe with his now tattered shield. The Bear was strong. It was deadly. One wrong move and he will die. But the Bear lacked patience, technique and proper training. Like what King Timothy once told him- Strength is not everything. Abraham saw many openings in the Bear''s attack. He thrust his sword and impaled Bear''s arm. The Bear grabbed his shoulder, the claws sinking deep into his flesh. Abraham then slammed his shield against Bear''s face repeatedly. He slammed it hard and fast. Each slam shook the Bear''s head. After a while the Bear''s hold on his shoulder weakened. Abraham''s opponent fell. "Fool" he said, gasping for breath "You don''t even deserve to see him personally" Behind him the royal guards were victorious. The foolish people were either dead or begging for their lives. But then he noticed the Prince. His left eye was bleeding. His hand was also wounded. Abraham paled. He didn''t know how to explain Arthur''s injury to Queen Lucia. It was his fault. "Take the prince back!" he shouted in fear. ********* William''s sword was buried in Marco''s side. He hit the heart. His friend grimaced and cupped the wound. The duel was over after just a while. Marco was holding back while he was going for the kill. Marco had been his best friend. What Erik was to Timothy, Marco was to him. He had shared countless joys and hardships with this man. He bled and fought with him. He would have given his life for Marco. But now he was the one who ended Marco''s life. The look on Marco''s eyes were that of a person betrayed. There was hate, disappointment, surprise, sadness and a little bit of pity. William retracted his sword and Marco fell on him. Marco''s breathing became disjointed. He laid his friend on the snow. "You are not..." Marco still looked at him with the same eyes "Silver" Marco closed his eyes and his breathing stopped. Everybody was silent. Not a voice echoed in the vast darkness. Even the Marquis didn''t say anything. William killed his friend in a dishonorable duel. What Marco said was true. He is not Silver anymore. "Drop your weapons" William said to the watching men of Silverback. He steeled his voice and firmed his heart. "Let''s go and see the King" 169 The Grand Ball of Vanadis "You want what?!" asked a merchant. The other merchants'' eyes were also bulging while looking at Timothy and at Lucia beside him. The jolly celebration was interrupted by his sudden announcement and the guests began to congregate around them. The guards were alarmed. "Like what King Timothy said, we want to hire your galleys" said Lucia "Hire? Commandeer you mean!" "You got it wrong citizen" Lucia tone was sharp "We want to hire your galleys. You will get compensation" "Compensation my arse! What if my ships are sunk? What then?" Said a fat merchant. "Aye! And I bet their compensation does not amount much. My ships are better sailing with goods on their deck and trade in their purpose. We are not in the business of lending ships!" Said a noble who was also a merchant. "We have rights! You may be our Queen but our ships are ours" Timothy clicked his tongue. Their disrespectful behavior towards Lucia was starting to annoy him. "Calm down gentlemen. Are you not talking to your Queen?" Timothy looked to the side "And that''s not the only thing we want tonight. Where is the ambassador of Borondi if I may ask?" "Here I am Your Majesty" Answered a young man with thick eyebrows and curly hair in fine clothes. "Ah. Let me be frank. We want an alliance with your nation" "An alliance?" The ambassador frowned. "Your Majesty, my liege did not send me here for an alliance" "But we are offering you an alliance" Lucia said, nonchalant to the ambassador''s protest. "And why should I agree?" "Because you will see that it is the best course of action" Timothy smirked "An alliance will benefit both Borondi and the Union. Lutan is on the verge of declaring war against you. Having an alliance with us will prevent that. At the same time you could help us against our enemies" "What are you saying!?" Exclaimed a noble in the group "You are opening another war with Lutan! Six wars you brought to Vanadis. Don''t make it seven lad" "Lad?" Timothy raised an eyebrow "I may be younger than you but I am still the consort of Vanadis and the King of Castonia" The noble just lowered his head. He again turned to the ambassador who was shaking his head. "And you are still against an alliance I suppose?" "Nothing against you personally Your Majesty. But this is a big decision for my nation" "Just tell the truth. You don''t trust that the Union will prevail against Calgari, Tulosa, Wismar, Inkit, Canton and Hadea" "Yes" The ambassador looked at him in the eye. "You are at war with six nations. You are surrounded by enemies. Wismar alone has an army comparable to Castonia. Add to that the other five nations you are also at war with and nobody would want to get involved in your squabbles" "You don''t believe in us" Timothy smiled "But you must. Let me show you a presentation of our competence" "A presentation?" Timothy rose from his seat. He presented a smile "There are other guests that are yet to arrive. Those sweet rascals surely took their time. They took detours before coming here. Some went to the front gate of the city, the others sailed to the harbor before coming, some even went to the sewer. Pardon their smell by the way. The sewer is not known for its fragrance" The frowns on their foreheads were heavy. Timothy gestured for Abraham to open the door. The creaking of the door of the great hall made the guests turn around. Several men in chains were permitted inside. Timothy held Lucia''s hand and both of them walked forward. "These people tried a coup tonight" The guests murmured loudly. Meanwhile Timothy was relieved to see William still alive and not in chains. He took a deep breath and continued. "I know that many of you are confused. A coup? But the night has been peaceful. There haven''t been soldiers running around the palace. The ball was marvelous. How could there be a coup? Well honored guests, that is because we knew what they will do tonight and we prepared. The threat they pose was negligible and the damage they did was even more so. They thought that their little games would succeed. They thought that flawed plans would work against us. They thought wrong" "And are we safe now Your Majesty?" the same fat merchant who had a disrespectful tone earlier asked. He was now humbled, probably after seeing powerful men in chains. "We are. Everything is under control. We are lucky that the Queen is smart. She saw through their plans. But imagine if the Queen failed to notice their plan. Vanadis would have been ruined. Danger lurks in every corner. Whether you like it or not we are already at war with six nations. Whether it suits your business goals or not, we cannot deny the fact that we are surrounded by enemies. Enemies from both the outside and inside. You think your petty coins can save Vanadis once the Wismar and Calgari attack by sea? No, they will loot the city and steal all of your gold. Only a huge navy could stop them. You think of wars as mere disruptions of trade. As you can see, war is closer to home than you think" He looked at the merchants "We need your ships" And then at the nobles "We need people to fill our ranks" "We need your resources and you need us. Only the Queen and I can save you now. But we cannot save you if you don''t help us first. We are not just some young couple who decided to be monarchs. We are the kind of people who can stop a coup while arranging a marvelous ball. You want evidence of our competence? Look at their chains. You want evidence of the danger we all face? Then you should see how high their confiscated swords pile in the garden" Timothy paused to let his words sink into their minds. "Ten ships" a merchant said. He looked at Lucia "The Queen shall have ten of my galleys" "Seven" another merchant said. "Thirteen for me and a steady supply of cotton" The merchants pledged resources to them one by one. Timothy looked at the ambassador of Borondi. "I cannot promise anything but I shall write to my liege" said the ambassador. Timothy nodded. He knew that Borondi cannot refuse his offer anyway. He looked at Lucia and coiled his arm around her waist. With a burning stare he looked at their guests. "We did not want these wars. We are the defenders and they are the aggressors. They have invaded our land. They have butchered our people. We have always been on the defensive. But starting today the Union will be on defensive no more. We will attack them. We will make them bow. After the last flake of snow falls, our armies will march into their lands and root them out of their castles until they yield. When the spring wind finally blows, our navy will ravage their shores. Coalition. They are forming a coalition against us. They think numbers can save them from our steel. They think that they could just look down on us. We will make them think nothing" Lucia tightened her grip on Timothy''s hand. "Castonia and Vanadis are one. King Timothy and I are one. Will to serve us?" The Castonian and Vanadian guests slowly offered them salutes. With hands balled into their chests, they looked sternly at Lucia and him. And thus the biggest and most extravagant ball in recent memory ended with a show of loyalty and a declaration of the renewal of war. ********** Timothy lay on his back. Lucia was huddling on his arm. The night was already deep. The ball had ended and the two of them were left exhausted. "How is Arthur?" "Not good" Lucia said, shaking her head. From her voice it was apparent that she was saddened by what happened to her brother "His left eye is done for" "A pity. I heard he saved one of my guards. I never expected that to happen" "Well he finally learned courage. Foolish courage but courage nonetheless" "At a great cost. Abraham still couldn''t look at me" "Not his fault. I heard he''s wounded too." Lucia said. "Yeah. But you should have seen how thrashed the Bear''s face is. We could finally question him" "And what about William?" She asked Timothy sighed "I haven''t spoken to him. But I heard he''s shaken too. Tomorrow we should meet with all of them. Include Sylvie too. She will be important tomorrow. We will discuss the spring offensive" She nodded, showing her agreement. "Tim" Lucia huddled closer to him "I''ve made my decision. I have named you my heir" "Heir?" Timothy looked at Lucia "Yes. You will be my heir until we have a child of the right age. It will spring you rebellions left and right but you are the only one that can secure Vanadis if something happens to me" "Thank you. But let''s not waste breaths in this" "This is important Tim. Tonight we did everything. We planned it as best as we could. And yet your brother William was put in danger and Arthur lost his eye. Things can go wrong. We must be prepared for anything that might happen. If I..." "You will not" Timothy scolded "I will hear none of this. You want me to be your heir? Fine. But it''s useless because you will rule by my side until we are old" She kissed him "Alright. Don''t be angry now" "You started it" He turned to the other side. Lucia embraced him from behind "You can be like a child sometimes, you know that? I know you want to hold me in your arms" "I do. But my mood is soured by what your said" "Fine. We will talk about it another time" Timothy rolled towards her and wrapped her in his embrace. He kissed her forehead. "I''m sorry for being too emotional. I know we must talk about this. Someday perhaps" "Yes, someday" 170 Future Plans Arthur trudged in the halls of the palace. His walk was crooked and he almost flopped many times. His legs were alright and so was his balance. He wasn''t drunk- although he wanted to be. The problem was his vision. His left eye can''t see. He cried for a few hours after he realized that he would become blind on one eye. Now that his new reality was starting to sink in, he was a bit depressed. Followed by three royal guards and a servant carrying a tray of food, he made his way to his mother''s chamber where his mother had been detained since last night. A few rooms away and he could already hear distant shouting and cursing. "I''ll remember your names! And by the end of the week, you''ll hung by the neck. Don''t test my patience!" Came a pounding from the other side of the door. "My husband will not stand for this. You are detaining me without evidence!" Arthur went closer to the door. "Mother" he called "Have you had breakfast yet?" "Arthur? Arthur! What in the Omniscient''s name are you doing?! Let me out of here. Open the door!" "Has she always been like this?" He asked the two royal guards standing by the door. "Since last night Your Highness. Nonstop. She slept for a while and then back at throwing insults and threats against me and my partner" "Alright, open the door" The royal guard nodded and opened the door. His mother came rushing towards him. "You spoiled brat!" The royal guards held her away from Arthur "You have betrayed us haven''t you? You stupid kid!" "Calm down mother. I brought breakfast" He gestured and a servant showed the food. "Answer me!? What have you done?" "Mother" "What!?" "My left eye is blind now" Arthur lowered his head "You should have noticed right away. You should have cared that your son is now disabled. But all you are talking about is what happened last night" His mother shook her head slowly "How should I have known?" "A mother should know immediately" "That''s your punishment then. You betrayed us. You betrayed me!" "And a mother shouldn''t say that" Arthur raised his head. He looked at her and smiled "Funny and ironic. I lost one eye but I can see more clearly than before. You are not my mother, you have never been" Arthur shook his head "You will never be" He sighed "Well I think arguing with you is just a waste of time. I''ll be going. Here''s breakfast for you. Eat well. As for your detention, don''t worry you will join the other conspirators in a proper jail. You will be tried and punished for conspiring against the Queen. Take her back inside. Somebody will fetch her later" Arthur looked at her. She really looked ugly with that big frown of hers. "Goodbye Imelda Vanadis. May the Omniscient guide you to the light. May you find repentance for your deeds" Arthur turned around and started walking away. "Arthur!" Imelda called "Son, I''m sorry. I was wrong! Let me see your eye son. Arthur!" "Arthur please! Speak with me. Arthur!" None of it reached Arthur''s ears. He just walked away with a smile on his face. "What''s for lunch?" He asked the servant. "Sea bass Your Highness. Sauteed with spices and mushrooms" Arthur''s mouth watered "Ah, sounds delicious" ********* Marco was coated in a black shroud. William stared at the corpse of his friend- the same friend he killed with his own two hands. Around him, the soldiers of the Union were busy disposing of the dead. All the corpses were to be cremated. "He is a good man I suppose?" Asked Timothy beside. "He has his faults. I couldn''t count the number of times we had a fight. But Marco is a brave man. He is honorable. Wrong courage and blind honor, but people are not perfect" A soldier lit the woods on fire. The corpses shrouded in black were burned in a huge funeral pyre. William said goodbye to Marco and those of Silverback that died last night. It had been a great journey for them. Now it ends. "So what now?" He asked his brother. Timothy wore his crown proud and with weight. The crown suited him. "You have a choice" "I just made a heavy choice. Now you''re telling me to again choose" "Life is a all about choices brother. Bad decisions, good decisions, they make us" "So, what are my choices?" "You could go back to Nirvana and help father and Braun with administrative duties. You will become a good prince again" "A pretty dull life" "Father misses you. A reunion wouldn''t be so bad. Plus you can make fun of Ivan in his cell all day if you''re bored. A life of mocking Ivan is never boring" William chuckled "It isn''t. But I would rather have a more active life. I''ll grow tired of seeing Ivan''s face after a while" "Then you should go for the second choice" "Which is?" "Stay here in Holm and train the Vanadian legions. I have already started their training and men are flocking into our banners. But I will lead the spring offensive myself. I need someone to train new recruits" "Not bad. I could bully young men again" "Not bad indeed. Plus if your work is done, you can come with me and become one of my generals. I need capable people" "I''ll go with the second choice. Father will have to visit me here if he wants to see me" Timothy patted his shoulder "Good choice. I shall arrange for it" William nodded "And what about them? The survivors of Silverback?" "I''m sorry William but we can''t trust them. They will have to go" William had expected this response. After last night, many men of Silverback hates him now. It would be foolish to trust them. "An exile then" "They have forsaken their identity as Castonians long ago. I bet many of them don''t want to return to Castonia anyway" "That is true" William lamented. His days as Silver was truly over. "They will be fine William. A mercenary company composed of crack Castonians is rare. Employers will flock towards them. Plus I don''t think they will accept contracts against the Union so you won''t have to fight against them in the future" "I hope so" William smiled. "Thank you brother" Timothy stretched his limbs "And now I will excuse myself. Matters concerning the state awaits. Don''t make the new recruits cry" "I''ll try" William laughed. ********* After speaking with William, Timothy went with Abraham to the dungeon. His meeting with Lucia and the others was about to start but he decided to look into the prisoners from last night before going. The dungeon was busy. The guards gave a stiff salute to Timothy the moment they saw him. They pulled the large and thick wooden door open. Inside there were a few hundred guards on watch. It was cramped. It had to be as the prisoners awaiting trial and sentence numbered to several thousand. Nobles, merchants, mercenaries and navy men mixed in each cell. It was smelly and warm inside. The air was humid. It was also noisy. "Where is he?" Timothy asked one of the guards. The guard pointed to the farthest cell "Last cell to the left Your Majesty" Timothy strode towards the cell. Outside there were tens of guards standing. The cell had a tighter security compared to the rest. It also contained only one prisoner. The large hairy man rose. Timothy had seen him unconscious last night with a bloody face. Now the Bear looked more menacing awake. Bear suddenly knelt. "Please let me serve you!" Timothy was surprised. He tried to maintain his composure. "Serve me? And why should I trust you?" "Bah! Shut up thin man. I was not talking to you" Bear looked at Abraham "I serve only the strong" Abraham''s sweats were visible. "Your Majesty I swear I don''t know anything about this. I am not trying to undermine your authority. I was, am and always be loyal to you. The Bear and I only met yesternight when we fought" He showed his bandaged shoulder "Look. He and I are enemies. Please Your Majesty believe me!" Timothy raised his hand to demand silence. He turned towards Bear. "You want to serve Abraham?" "I do! Nobody has ever defeated me before. Given, last night we were in a tight space and he was armored and I am a little drunk, but he is a man of strength- a man to follow" Timothy saw an opportunity. If he could employ the Bear into his army, it would be good. Just imagining an armored Bear charging at the Wismarines thrilled him. Their enemies would talk about tales that the Castonians have beasts of war. This would lower their morale and bring the Union closer to victory. Of course he cannot trust this Bear and he still have to consult Shadow, but the possibility is good. "Was he able to kill, maim or injure any of our men?" Timothy asked Abraham "No. I was able to prevent him from doing so. That means I am loyal to you" Abraham was still nervously blabbering. Timothy looked at Bear "We shall come back. I might have a job for you" With these words and a smile he walked away. Abraham followed. Bear could wait, he had a meeting to attend to. 171 Silver Moon There were already people inside the dining hall when Timothy arrived with Abraham. The royal guard was still acting anxious when Timothy left him outside the hall. He had repeatedly told Abraham that it was alright. But Abraham actions remained. He must be guilt-stricken after what happened to Arthur and the Bear. Timothy seated himself beside Lucia. Arthur, Erik, Captain Bisham, Father Edmund, Shadow and Escanor were on the other side. Sea bass was served for lunch. "You took your time" Lucia said "Yeah. But I have good news. I''ll reveal it later" The door then opened and Sylvie went inside. She was carrying a jar of wine. Sylvie put it on the table and sat beside Erik. "I brought heated wine" She smiled and gestured for the wine to be distributed. Erik was the first one to grab it. He poured until his cup was filled to the brim. He drank, chugging it like it was water and grunted loudly. "Nothing beats heated wine in winter. Such a taste. Where did you get this? Tastes like authentic Hadean" Sylvie''s face showed a complicated expression. She just lowered her head. The others also filled their cups and drank. When the jar arrived on their side, Lucia poured for both of them. She put the jar aside and drank. "This sea bass is a little salty and I''m a thirsty" Lucia reasoned with a sweet smile after drinking. Sylvie then put something on the table. It was a beautiful vial adorned with an exquisite shape. The content was a clear liquid that looked like water. But a vial that exquisite shouldn''t contain only water so the liquid must be something else. And everybody knew what it was. Every person with a noble blood knew the danger of beautiful vials filled with water-like liquid. The Wismarines call it Silver Moon. Just like Hellfire, the process of making Silver Moon was a state secret of Wismar. Many had fallen to this vile poison. Erik dropped his cup. His eyes quivered as he looked at Sylvie. The others also looked surprised with fear on their eyes. Erik then embraced Sylvie. The embrace was sincere. He whispered something to her. There was silence. It was eerie. Everybody just stared at the table with thoughts unknown. Three drops of Silver Moon was enough to kill. There were no antidotes- just death. "Don''t worry she did not poison the wine" The calming voice was Lucia''s The six people turned their heads towards the Queen- begging for an explanation with hope that they were not going to die. "Two nights ago, Sylvie went to us" It was Timothy who continued. "She told us that her father wanted her to poison the Queen. Her father gave her a vial of Silver Moon to finish the deed. But she didn''t. Instead, she told me and Lucia" "At first we were horrified" Lucia said "She could have succeeded because nobody expected this. Not even me. So the only reason why Timothy and I are still alive is because Sylvie chose us over her father. For that we should give her our gratitude. We decided to only tell you about this now because we want you to learn a lesson like how we learned our lesson two nights ago. All of you have important roles to play in the coming spring. You will meet people. You will trust these people. But you shouldn''t trust them completely. Leave space for imagination. We have probably the strongest army and navy but like what you witnessed, Sylvie could have decimated us that easily. An enemy from within is more terrifying than a conventional one. Be careful who you trust" The silence was maintained. Everyone just stared at the table until a laugh was heard. It was Captain Bisham. The others followed and the hall was filled with laughter. "That was a cruel way to teach us lesson. My old heart almost gave up" Captain Bisham cleared his throat. He drank the remaining wine in his cup "Mine too" Father Edmund confirmed with a grin. He made a small bow towards Lucia and him "But thank you for the reminder. I agree that we must be vigilant at all times. Honestly my heart almost gave up after seeing the vial. I knew it was over" He gave Sylvie a look "Thank you for choosing us over your father" "It is the right choice" Sylvie''s small voice said. "But I''m a little upset that you told them and not me" Erik severed his embrace and pouted. Timothy was amused by Erik''s actions. He never knew that his friend had this side of him. But that could wait. They need to discuss the upcoming spring offensive now. "So now that the lesson is learned, we will now start talking about future plans. As what you''ve heard, we will launch an all-out assault against our enemies this coming spring" said Timothy. "A bold plan" Erik said "I like seeing Vanadis'' and Castonia''s flag crossing the borders. Our reputation alone will make most their cities surrender without a fight" "Everything is prepared" Timothy added "General Marvin, Bourgis and Hoover have been recruiting, training and organizing our legions in both Solon and Nirvana. The number of Castonian legions has risen to ten. Fifty thousand heads. Many of them are raw but they will soon bleed into veterans. Vanadis currently has two legions but since the recruitment is doing better than expected, we will increase this to five" "We could also hire mercenaries to bolster our numbers" Added father Edmund "Yes but we will keep it to a minimum. And as for the navy I don''t have the numbers" "Two hundred sixty eight ships" Lucia said "The ones we hired from the merchants almost doubled the navy" "Biggest in the world huh?" Timothy couldn''t help but smile in admiration. "And what about you Erik? How is the Castonian navy?" "Twelve" Erik proudly said "Well better than nothing" Timothy cleared the table and spread the map. "You will return to Greenwater tomorrow. Organize the city''s defenses so we wouldn''t have to worry about it getting attacked again. Come spring, you will go with Henry to Tulosa with four legions and make peace" "Four legions and peace. Those things do not mix" Erik repeated with a smirk "They do. We are yet to receive a formal peace treaty with them. I''m tired of dealing with knights. They don''t have an army" "They have knights. Twenty thousand knights with full armor and years of training" "Henry should be able to help you with diplomacy. Just be resourceful and you''ll be fine" "Alright" Erik sighed "The Marquis of Greenwater will do as you command" "Thank you. Now let''s talk about Calgari. Captain Bisham?" "The ones we destroyed were just transport galleys. Calgari has a real navy" Captain Bisham said "But they are no match compared to the Vanadian navy" The veteran added. "I''ll send two Castonian legions to assist you. Ravage their shores and capture coastal cities. No pillaging or any unruly act. We need to maintain the moral high ground in this war" "Calgari will bow under the might of the lion and the pelican" Captain Bisham said with a salute. "They will. But it is better to get help from others. Lucia and I think Borondi will soon agree to an alliance with us" "The last time we forged an alliance, Inkit, Canton and Hadea betrayed us. I''m not questioning your decision but do you think we can trust them Tim?" Erik asked. Timothy looked at Sylvie "Have you forgotten what Sylvie taught us earlier? We cannot trust anyone. Borondi might betray us. Nothing is for certain. But we need them and they need us. We will just watch our back." "We need an ambassador" Father Edmund said "A member of the royal family to show our sincerity. I shall go" "No, we need you here. Vanadis still has matters that need to be addressed" Lucia eyed Arthur "Arthur should go" "Me?" Arthur looked around while pointing at himself "I lack experience" "Nothing will make you learn faster than doing it yourself" Said Lucia "But I might mess this up. I don''t have the qualification" "Your blood is qualification enough. You will have advisers anyway. All you need to do is to smile and be friendly" Lucia said "And no leacherous remarks" Timothy added "No gambling, don''t get drunk lest you blabber things that would insult them, and please stop going to brothels" The last one made Arthur flinch "So I''ll be living a pure life then. It will be difficult" "It will be" "Fine I''ll go. But I better have those advisers" Timothy nodded. He pointed at Wismar in the map "As for myself, I will face the coalition with the Queen" His words drew frowns from them. "There are ten Castonians legions. Two will go with Captain Bisham. Four will go with me. That leaves you four legions. You have twenty thousand against the armies of the four nations. That is beyond being outnumbered" Erik said. "We will have reinforcements from both Vanadis and Castonia. Plus we have hostages to bargain" "And should you really lead yourself? If you and the Queen fall, all is lost. It doesn''t matter whether we win in Calgari or Tulosa. We should at least postpone the assault against Calgari or even better- leave the Queen here in Holm" Timothy understood the danger of his plan. He also fears for Lucia. But Lucia really wanted to go with him. He cannot stop her. She said that she cannot bear waiting for letters just to confirm that he''s safe. He also needed her. Wars are more than just about armies and sieges and battles. He needed her guidance. As for the lack of soldiers, he was confident that the four legions will be enough. He would bring Steelsword, Dawn and Rooster- his three most senior legions. They could also hire mercenaries and a steady supply of fresh troops will arrive from both Castonia and Vanadis. Also, bringing inexperienced soldiers will just bog him down. Raw recruits would just ruin his plans. His strategy was to move and strike fast like lightning. He cannot do this with a large army. "We cannot. My husband and our reputation are enough. Have trust in us" It was Lucia who reasoned. Their expressions grew lighter but there were still worries on their faces. "All of these are not final though" Timothy said. All eyes were on him "Our general plan for the spring offensive could change" "Why?" asked Erik Timothy looked towards the two people who were silent since the beginning. "I believe it is time for you two to finally reveal what you know. Tell us everything" he told Escanor and Shadow. "Where should I begin?" Shadow sighed "The world is... not what you think it is" 172 Truth Nobody knows what it was like before. Nobody knows except my father and a few elders. So much of the truth is buried in mystery- shrouded in lies and iterations. But one thing is for certain. This one is an undisputed truth. A disaster happened. Yes, a global disaster that wiped the world of its memories. Millions died. Civilizations crumbled. And things were never the same ever since that day. Everything changed. What caused the great disaster? Nobody knows. Some say that that it happened because the Gods were punishing the humans. Some believed that it was the humans themselves who cause the great disaster. One thing is certain though- you humans had something to do with it and the whole world paid the price. My father is afraid of the great disaster. He detested what happened in the past and feared that it would happen again in the future. He once told me that for the great disaster to be averted, both humans and our race needs to be controlled. A few decades ago, he called for the creation of the Council. The purpose of the Council is to prevent the past from happening again. I was once a member of the Council and I did my job with impressive results. What job you may ask? Well the first order of my father was to stop technological advancement. You see, our race had been living inside the mountains of Ninev ever since the great disaster happened. Contact with the outside world was prohibited. We tried to develop our own technology, separate to you humans. We have advanced. We made great strides. But my father put a stop to it in a bloody manner. Scholars advancing knowledge in astronomy, medicine, weapons- everyone trying to extend the frontier of development were either killed or imprisoned. Books were burned and learning institutions demolished. It was bloody. It was a sad day. My father then made it into law that all crimes of violence shall be punished with execution. Even a small scuffle would mean death. People were executed without trial. My hands are bloody with some of these executions. People lived in fear under my father''s rule. But people also lived in peace. He is a tyrant. People would cower just hearing his name but the same people enjoys the peace he created. But not everybody was happy with how the things were. Some craved freedom. Some just wanted my father to pay for the evils he had done. I was one of those people. And so the resistance was born. We fought for the freedom. My father was oppressing my people. I know he means well. I know he is just trying to prevent the great disaster from happening again. But my people are suffering. ********** "You said that the Council''s was partly created because of us humans. Is this because we caused the great disaster in the past?" Timothy asked while frowning. He still had tons of questions. "Yes. My father witnessed the great disaster himself. He wouldn''t tell anybody what it was or what really happened. But I could see his fear. You humans had some part in it and he wants to control you" "And that is the cull? He is sending the council to wreak havoc in our lands?" "That is the precursor to the cull but that is not the cull itself. Only my father knows what the cull is. Extinction is not his aim but rather control. I don''t know what will happen but he needs to soften you first before he could cull" Timothy''s frown grew. The war with the six nations was troublesome enough. Now dealing with this new and bigger threat was probably beyond him. He looked at Lucia. She was also in a deep frown. "It is not our fault that the great disaster happened. And if your father really wants what is better for us and for your people, he would share what he knows. We could stop the great disaster from happening again. We could work together. And yet he is deciding for himself what to do. How many people had died because of him? That is foolishness and arrogance nothing more" "That is so. I had the same thoughts before I decided to go against him. For years the Resistance have fought but we are losing. Many of us had died" Shadow''s voice had a hint of sadness. "How can we stop him?" Lucia finally voiced "You said that he is oppressing your people and he is about to kill millions of humans" "The only way is to kill him. Only he knows what the cull is. But I am certain that his gift is related to it" "You mean we should invade the Ninev Mountains?" "Yes. You should unite all humans and invade. Although it pains my heart, he must die" Timothy took a sip of the wine Sylvie brought. It was good. He was then left staring at the liquid. Uniting all humans is not that easy. He and Lucia could barely hold Castonia and Vanadis together, let alone the neighboring Kingdoms. "How powerful is he?" "He has an army. Many of my people have grown to love him. Like what I said, he is a tyrant but he means well. That attribute of him attracted loyalty from many. Many of my people have gifts like I do. Some could turn into various animals. Others have peaceful gifts like the dream I gave you when we first met. That one was caused by a special dust forged by my friend. There are some like Helios that could bring forth elements. But they all die the same. A united human force and the resistance could topple my father" "The day I fight beside a Wismarine is the day I piss some twigs" Erik said angrily "We don''t need the other Kingdoms. The Union is enough. Our legions could root them out of that snowy mountain" "Yes. I feel your resentments too Erik. Fighting with our enemies is not right. It is better to win our current wars and then we should deal with that tyrant afterwards" Timothy said. "If that is your wish then I have no qualms" Shadow said "But I still think that it''s better to work with the others. You could unite all the humans" "You seem certain" "I am" Shadow looked at him and Lucia "That is because I know who you two are. I know your identities" "What are you talking about?" Timothy asked while shaking his head "You have forgotten, haven''t you?" "Forgot what?" "Among our race, there are two who have special gifts. My ability to blend with the dark is special and rare enough but their gifts are more unique. They have the gift of infinite lives. The two will be reborn over and over again- retaining their memories and the wisdom they gained through the ages. The two had united humans before. They were destined to do so again. But the latest reincarnates of the two have gone missing. None of the newborns for the past decades were them. It was unusual. We thought that we lost them until" He looked at them "We found you" Timothy squinted "You mean, you think that we are those two? Lucia and I are those two? But you said that they should remember everything. And why are we not born under the Ninev mountains?" "We don''t know. We simply don''t know. You should remember. But you don''t. That is a mystery. But we do think you are the ones gifted with infinite lives. One of them must be a male and the other a female. Both must have talent for leadership. But the greatest evidence are the stones" "Stones? Like rocks?" Shadow put his cane on the table. He also removed his black hat. He then opened his coat and revealed a medallion. He took it off his neck and handed it to Timothy. The moment Timothy touched the medallion, it glowed faint light. "Escanor also has one. This glows whenever it touches one of my race. Since we are running from the council, this medallion is our warning. The Council is also using this to hunt us down" Timothy stared at the stone in the medallion He then gave it to Lucia. It also glowed. "You might be mistaken" "That could be the case" Shadow said "If you are right" Timothy''s jaw was almost frozen "What do you want from us?" "Remember" Shadow eagerly said "You are blessed with wisdom. Remember what it is like before the great disaster. And now that both of you have power, unite the humans and fight with us against my father. Also..." He sighed "Don''t repeat what happened in the past" "What do you mean?" "All we have are tales" Escanor finally talked "It is regarding your last lives. How the two of you fell" "Explain" "After the great disaster the two of you united many people. You led them to a prosperous land to start again" At this point, Escanor''s voice trailed. He showed reluctance to continue. "And then what happened next?" Timothy asked. His heart throbbing fast. Escanor looked at him. "And then the two of you betrayed each other. You fought because in all of your multiple lives one sad thing kept repeating" Escanor looked at Lucia "She can''t have a child" 173 End of Winter Timothy jumped from his seat. He rushed towards Escanor to the other side and yanked the collar of his shirt with two hands. "You dare tell my wife that!? You.." He was fuming in anger. His breaths were heavy. "I''m sorry. I''m sorry Your Majesty. I was just telling you what we heard!" Escanor exclaimed with quivering eyes. Timothy loosened his grip. He let go of Escanor''s collar. "Out. All of you. Out! Leave us" The people inside the room immediately vacated. Only he and Lucia were left. Timothy sat back on his chair. "You shouldn''t have done that Tim" Timothy rested his forehead on his hand. "I know. But the way he talked irritated me. It was as if he was pushing us to be that couple in their fairy tale. He could be wrong. And even if we are those two, we are different. Unite all humans? What nonsense. We are free to choose for ourselves" She just nodded weakly. "And I will never betray you. I love you too much to even think of it. You could have Castonia if you wish to. You can have everything that I have. That''s how much I love you" "Me too. I know that. But a part of me is still saddened" Timothy wrapped one arm around her waist. She leaned on his chest. "Even if it''s true, we are not them. They messed up. We will not. Even if we won''t have a child, it is fine by me. You alone is enough for me to be happy" "Do you really mean that?" "I do. Whatever happens, I will stay by your side" She kissed him "Me too. I will stay by your side. They are wrong. We are not those two. We don''t even remember. We are different. Our bond is stronger. And about me not able to bear you a child. We will prove them wrong. You and I will have our child. A boy, a girl, it doesn''t matter" "Yes" Timothy sniffed her hair "And if we need an immediate heir, we could just secretly adopt one. We will raise the child as our own. We will teach him or her how to become a monarch. Of course if we are to get a daughter we should choose someone with good looks or else she would be compared to your godly beauty" Lucia chuckled. She mashed his cheeks "You are still flirting with me even though we are now together" "I will always be" He kissed her hand "Always. I promise" When they exited the room, the Escanor, Shadow, Father Edmund, Arthur. Sylvie, Erik and Captain Bisham were still standing outside. Timothy looked specifically at Escanor who was still shaking. "I apologize for my outburst. That was a moment I''ll try not to repeat" He looked at them "As for our plan, it stays the same. Captain Bisham will attack Calgari. Father Edmund should stay and manage Holm. Arthur you will go to Borondi. And Erik will march to Tulosa. We will make them yield. After that we will invade the Ninev mountain. As for uniting the Kingdoms, we will not go through that path. It is too complicated and the Queen and I are not so kind-hearted to forgive their transgressions" They all uttered agreement to the plan. Timothy eyed Shadow. "The Bear wants to join us. He sees Abraham as a man to follow. Can we trust him?" "Errr I think so Your Majesty. Just double your guards and keep a close eye on him" Timothy nodded "Then the meeting is adjourned. Spend the rest of winter preparing for your tasks in spring. Good luck to all of us" ********** Erik was standing in the balcony. After the stressful meeting, he went up here to breathe some fresh cold air. He could see the city of Holm from where he was standing. The houses which were lined in a neat arrangement were blanketed in white snow. The breeze was cold, the sun was mellow and he was satisfied. "I found a handsome Marquis" Sylvie said from behind. Her footsteps grew closer and she leaned on the railing beside him. "You found a Marquis who is still confused by what happened" "Shocking right? That man in black coat with a ridiculous hat sure dropped some heavy truths. I feel bad for Lucia. She has always been fond of babies. It must have been painful knowing that she can''t have one herself. And that was rude" Sylvie frowned "Telling a woman that she can''t have a child must be done in secret not in front of everybody" "Timothy must have been heartbroken also. Well enough of that. We shouldn''t pry into their private lives. What I wanted to know is why you kept a secret from me" "Are you still upset that I didn''t tell you the thing about my father?" Sylvie clung on his arm "I''m sorry. I just don''t want to be a bother to you. I mean it''s a family problem. He is my problem. I should report him to a person with authority and I just did" "You know I''m just kidding. You did the right thing by not telling me" He smiled "And how is he? How is your father?" "I bet he''s going to be executed" Sylvie lowered her head. "His crime is treason and attempting to kill the Queen. My father is going to die" "That''s... sad. You have sacrificed a lot for us" "It is the right thing to do" Sylvie attempted to smile "He is a traitor" Erik couldn''t bare seeing her fake smile. He wrapped Sylvie in his embrace. "You can be yourself in front of me. No masks. No lies. I am here" Sylvie snuggled her face on his chest and sobbed. The sob turned into a painful wail. She was trembling. "I... I don''t want him to die. He is not a good person but he is still my father. And I... I was the one to cause his death. My actions were as good as killing him. He will die because I betrayed him. But I had no choice Erik. I had no choice!" Sylvie looked at him. Her usually smug face was downcast. Tears wetted her eyes. "I did it for you. I disobeyed him because I chose you. I would have still disobeyed him for Lucia, but I did not have second thoughts because of you. Imagining what your reaction will be filled me with dread. I don''t want to hurt you" "I know" Erik caressed her face. There was a scar but she was still beautiful. He wiped her tears. He then put a kiss on her forehead. Erik realized that she had become dear to him. "What you said earlier. Is that true?" Erik''s cheeks showed a shade. Earlier when he thought that Sylvie had poisoned their wine, he hugged her and whispered that he still loves her no matter what. His actions were abrupt and he himself was surprised by what he said. "It is true" Erik confirmed "And I want you to be the next lady of Greenwater" Sylvie grinned "Oho. I never thought that this day would come. My handsome Marquis is finally ensnaring me in his net. Are you proposing to me Marquis Erik?" "I am. Will you become mine?" Erik said immediately His answer made Sylvie''s jaw drop. She was speechless. She lowered her head. "You were supposed to say, ''Begone vile woman. Do not misunderstand. Although a net suits a curious creature such as you''" Erik laughed "I am not that cruel to you" "Well you were never sweet to me either" "Although it is not in my nature, I will try to be. Just accept me. I''m still waiting for your answer" Sylvie smiled. It was sweet and genuine "I will. You know that I will" ********** A month later The snow finally stopped falling. Those already in the ground were starting to form puddles amidst the punishment of the growing sun. Timothy yawned and stretched his limbs. It was early- too early. He was on horseback along with Lucia and their guards. "That was a good winter" he said to her. "Yes. And probably our last if we lose in the war" He looked intently at her "And do you think that will happen?" She smiled "No. Not with you around we will not lose. My husband is Timothy Castonia" Timothy also smiled. He looked around. The people of Holm gathered in the streets to bid them goodbye. They were holding baskets filled with copper coins. Lucia told him that it was customary to spread coins instead of flowers in Holm. Timothy was amused knowing this. Holm really is a merchant city and Vanadis is a merchant Kingdom. Father Edmund approached them. He embraced his daughter and then Timothy. Arthur also did the same although more awkwardly. "I will await for good news. Teach those Wismarines fear" said Father Edmund to him. He looked at Lucia "May the Omniscient guide your way. Know that I am proud of you" "Thank you father" Lucia said "And Arthur. You know what to do?" "I do" Arthur looked at Lucia. His blindness on the left eye was not apparent "I will surely cinch that alliance for you" Timothy reached his hand to Arthur. He had seen Arthur grow from what he was before to whatever he is now. The next one who bid his goodbye was William. His brother was clad in armor probably because he came from the barracks. "Tell father that I''m here and I''ll be waiting for him to visit me. And remember what you promised. I will join you once my job here is done" "And join me you will. See you brother" he grabbed William''s arm. William nodded "Until we meet again King Timothy" Timothy straightened his posture. He pointed forward and Abraham shouted the order to advance. Their party of a few hundred horsemen guards started the procession towards the gate. Along the way, the people of Holm shouted cheers for them. Copper coins were thrown on the road. They will go to Nirvana and fetch his legions. After that... Timothy couldn''t help but smile in excitement. The spring offensive begins. They will crush them all. Wismarines, Tulosans, Hadeans, Inkish, Cantonese, Calgarians and that old tyrant hiding under the Ninev mountains. They will know fear in the image of the lion and the pelican. 174 Tulosan Situation Knightsend, Western Castonia The Centurion of the third Century of the Tulosan Knights was kneeling in front of the painting. The man in the painting had deep brown eyes with shaggy dark hair. It was the great General Rickard. Now General Rickard is dead. The Centurion had heard that the General was killed in a duel by the Marquis of Castonia. He may be dead but his ideas were still alive. His few remaining men that garrisoned Knightsend were loyal their idea. Chivalry is dead. Chivalry must remain dead. Only strength could make a person happy. Only might could give life. They were the last remaining knights who believed in this. But their ideas will not die. The teachings of General Rickard will again flourish. In time it will. The Centurion gave a salute to the painting. He rose and snuffed the candles. "You will not be forgotten Master Rickard" He said before going outside. As he opened the door, the chilly early spring wind blew onto him. His men were busy maintaining the castle. Some were cleaning the stables. The others were drying the puddles. "We have spotted them Centurion" A soldier greeted with an information. "How far?" "Not more than an hour" "How many?" "She brought a few thousand. Most of them are royal guards" "Good" The Centurion nodded "We need those royal guards if we are to defend this castle from the evil King of Castonia. Assemble the men for her arrival. Groom them well and make them presentable to her highness" Less than an hour later and the gate of Knightsend was opened. About two thousand soldiers came marching in neat order. The last thing that entered the castle was a carriage adorned with the colors of the royal family of Tulosa. The door of the carriage swung open and a woman stepped out. She wore a crimson dress overlapped with a white coat. Her jewelries were shining and her smile was radiant. "Welcome to Knightsend Princess Emily. How was your journey?" "Not good. It was a bumpy ride from Bivon" "That is so. Still, we welcome your presence here Your Highness. Although General Rickard is dead, me and my lads have decided to fight to the death if the Castonians dare take this castle from us. The reinforcements you brought will help. But may I ask, where is the rest of the army Your Highness? We can''t conquer Castonia with too little men" Princess Emily stepped closer to him. "General Rickard brought the Tulosan army in Castonia last autumn. He lost and the Tulosan army is also lost" "Surely Princess..." The Centurion shook his head "The King, your father, was able to raise another one. We have been sitting here for months without news from home. Also the order of the knights still has thousands in their ranks" The newcomers then started to move. They were subtle but his trained eyes noticed their movements. They were surrounding his men slowly. He looked at the Princess. She smiled and stepped back a few steps. Princess Emily raised her hand. "Chain the traitors" The soldiers then started wrestling his men. They were violent. Some of his men were pinned on the ground. Some were beaten. He himself was hit in the belly with the blunt end of the spear. He lost strength. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with his hands tied. His sword and armor were gone. Many of his men lie dead. The rest were incapacitated. "Princess Emily! What are you doing!?" The Princess walked towards him. She squatted and gripped his chin. There was furry on her eyes. Her sweet smile earlier was no more. "My job. You lads are traitors and you are all fools!" She rose and turned around. She faced one of her people. "Prepare a diplomatic party at once. We will leave in an hour" She looked at him and the rest of his men "Haul them with us. Drag them, force them, carry them, I don''t care. Just bring all of them. I hope these fools are enough to appease King Timothy" ********** All the snow already melted when Timothy reached Nirvana. At the distance the city''s defenses were still as marvelous as he remembered. Trade in the city was not as prosperous as before. Merchants from Inkit, Hadea, Wismar and Canton were now gone after all. But the capital city of Castonia maintains a closer bond to Holm than ever before. This is apparent not just in trade but also in the transfer of armies and weapons across the two cities. Along the road, they have met hundreds of carriages going back and forth between Holm and Nirvana. "Ah this is a city!" The hairy man shouted. He raised his chained hands and pointed at Nirvana "Big walls, sturdy defenses and stern men. Hah such a glorious show of strength" He spitted "Unlike that puny city you call Holm. I piss on that one" "Your Majesty how many teeth shall he lose for such vile words in your presence?" Asked Abraham "If he loses teeth, how can he bite the Wismarines into oblivion? Order him to shut his mouth" Abraham yanked the Bear''s chains "Shut your mouth savage" "As you wish sir Abraham" The Bear lowered his head into submission. Timothy enjoyed the silence with Lucia on their way to the city. At the gate, they were greeted with Henry and the rest of the legions. They were lined in a neat formation in the streets with their backs straightened and in full armor. The citizens of the city also greeted them with howling cheers. Some of them poured outside of the gate and the royal guards had a hard time containing the crowd. Directly below the gate was Henry on his steed along with his father and Braun. The three welcomed them with the flags of Castonia and Vanadis. Timothy clucked his mount into a halt a few steps from his father. Both of them dismounted and greeted with a warm embrace. He had heard the crazy things his father had done in the east. He had heard the famous march of Leopold Castonia across the Meander Plains which was now etched in history as a daring but genius move. He even heard they are going to make a play out of it. "How is your knees?" "Never better. The Queen''s medicine works" Timothy patted his father''s arm "And have you received my letter?" He smiled "Yes. How is he?" "He is enjoying the amenities of Holm. He is doing great. Are you planning on visiting him?" "I''m planning to visit Holm perhaps a few weeks from now. That old man Edmund should be also happy to see me" "That''s good" Timothy looked around "I want to see him" "Now? It might be stressful to talk to him. On our way home I had to gag that big mouth of his. But if you insist, Ivan is in the dungeon along with the bastard Skall and the other hostages" Timothy looked back at Lucia "You can go ahead. I need to visit someone first" "Alright. Be quick" Timothy went with his father to the dungeon. He was accompanied by Abraham and other royal guards. Lucia and the rest went to the palace to take their rest. The dungeon of Nirvana was not as cramped as that of Holm. It should be cramped as they had thousands of prisoners from the battles in the west during the civil war. But those prisoners were put into work in the mines around Solon. As a result, only important prisoners were detained here. Underground, the cells were lined. A few moments of walking in the damp floor of the dungeon and Timothy spotted familiar faces. Magistrate Chen, Marquis Qilo, Marquis Sachi, Skall Wismar and Ivan were inside their own cells. "Hello old friends" Timothy greeted "Tim! Let me out of here. I am no pig to be treated this way. I am the King!" shouted Ivan. "Please be silent Ivan" Skall said in an exhausted voice Marquis Qilo and Marquis Sachi just looked at Timothy with blank expressions. On the other hand, Magistrate Chen rose. Surprisingly, he bowed. "A pleasure to meet the white lion. The guards would always gossip about your exploits in Holm. They say you stopped a coup without even raising your finger. Impressive" "All thanks to the Queen" "Ah yes. The Queen. Is she with a child?" The question drew a frown from Timothy. Magistrate Chen doesn''t mean to mock but talking about the topic would always leave him irritated. "None of your concern Magistrate. Now I am here to bring you good news. Except Ivan, all of you will go with me. I need you as hostage for the upcoming war" "Bargaining chips" Magistrate Chen said "That''s right. We will leave in a couple of days. I''ll send servants to clean you up and feed you. I..." Fast footsteps sounded. Timothy looked behind and saw that it was Lucia. "I thought you are at the palace?" "I was" She eyed the prisoners "We need to talk alone. I have news" Timothy approached her and they stepped away from the others. "What happened?" He whispered She produced a letter "This just arrived. At first I thought nothing of it but turns out it is important" "What is it?" Lucia looked at him with a serious face "Princess Emily from Tulosa is coming and she offers truce" 175 Request For Peace A carriage stopped just outside Nirvana. A white flag it hosted and a message of peace it presented. With the carriage were armed soldiers. There was a special group in the party composed of malnourished men with tied hands. A few hundred of them were being dragged in chains. From the top of the wall, Timothy massaged his jaw. He raised his arm and then dropped it to signal his order. The gate of Nirvana was raised. As it creaked open, Castonian soldiers poured out. They surrounded the carriage and disarmed the Tulosans. Those in chains were taken and put in a line. The door of the carriage opened. The person inside set foot on the carriage''s steps. She looked at the walls and the city and permitted a smile. "Is that her?" Timothy asked Henry "I confirm Your Majesty. That is Princess Emily of Tulosa" Timothy stared at the Princess. She was young- about a year younger than him. With straight flowing auburn hair and tall stature, she was a beauty. Not as beautiful as Lucia- not even worth comparing- but the royal blood was apparent in her looks. Princess Emily looked innocent. But from what he heard from Henry, she was a person to be wary of. "Bring her in the palace" Timothy said to Henry as he turned around "Permit two of her guards. Two, nothing more" ********** "I was told that the King of Castonia has looks to match his ferocity" Princess Emily lifted her cup and took a sip of the tea. She shrugged and put down the cup "I was not told wrong" "You were not" Queen Lucia said. "He is a great catch for me" "I envy you Queen Lucia. I once had someone in my life.. Henry cleared his throat "Princess, you have a proposition for the King and the Queen?" Princess Emily eyed him then smiled. "You haven''t changed Prefect. Still not a fan of small talks or reminiscing the past. Well I do have proposition Prefect Henry. As we all know, last year Tulosa invaded Castonia. And last year we were defeated twice. You Castonians play a little too rough when it comes to war. Us simple horse-riders were decimated by marauding lions" The smugness in her expression remained "Now that spring is here, let us set aside our differences and bury the hatred in the past. We want peace. The few hundred prisoners outside are our gift. But a transgression as heavy as an invasion can''t be solved by a simple gift right? So name your price. Although please be lenient as we Tulosans are poor" "Justice" Lucia said "We only want justice. We want the rest of them. Gather those who led the invasion and all the soldiers who participated in the butcher of our citizens. Bring them to us. We want justice for what we have suffered. We also want Knightsend back" Princess Emily was silenced. She smiled smugly "A queer request I must say. Tulosa is defenseless. You have destroyed our army. We are at your mercy already" "And I dare say when in the negotiating table one must not lower her position" "Honesty itself has its merits in the negotiating table. And Tulosa, honestly, has lost against you. I trust you two are smart enough to see that. Now name your price for peace" "We just told you our price" Lucia said "We don''t want your gold. Vanadis is rich enough. It will also make the Union look weak. We don''t want your lands. It will make the Union look like the aggressor. All we want is justice. If we can force you to hand over the people responsible for what happened, the other nations will grow to fear us. They will respect us." "That is...a valid statement. I must admit, you are right. But handing over the people responsible for the invasion is a little tricky. Some of them hold high position in our government you see. Just plucking them out wouldn''t be nice" "As what you said, Tulosa is at the mercy of the Union. It''s either that or we will send our army to capture your capital. We could do so. You know we could" The Princess'' smile vanished. "We cannot promise to hand over everyone. My father himself had some hand in the invasion. We cannot hand over our King" "A few exceptions will be granted" "Then fine. We agree on these terms. In return you will not retaliate. Castonia and Tulosa will remain indifferent to each other. Shall we write the terms on paper and sign it now?" "Not yet. We still have something else to discuss" Lucia''s lips curved into a smile. "He''s dead, isn''t he? The Grand Master of Knights- Grand Master Nelson is dead. Tulosa is on the brink of civil war. That''s why you came here. That''s why you want peace" The Queen''s statement made everyone in the room look at her. Princess Emily chuckled. "Who? Ah that old man. You''re wrong, he''s still breathing" "You cannot lie to us. We know he''s dead" Princess Emily laughed again. This time, her anxiousness was apparent. "He''s not dead" "Let me guess" Lucia tapped her finger on the table "He''s been dead for months and you were just hiding it" This time Princess Emily lowered her head. She allowed a bitter smile. "It seems you are as smart as they say" "Your statement betrayed it. Tulosa is defenseless? Not with the Knights it isn''t. And handing over officials in your nation would be a hard blow. It would shuffle your government. I myself wouldn''t agree to it. Not unless you''re already expecting your government to be shuffled with the civil war on the horizon" "It is true" The Princess'' complacent disposition earlier was no more "Grand Master Nelson is dead" Henry had expected the death of the Grand Master but hearing it now pained him. Grand Master Nelson is a good person. The Knights had stayed true to their character under his leadership. Henry considers the Grand Master as his father, his mentor. "Is that true Princess?" Henry asked "He''s... dead?" "He''s been dead since the start of winter. We have been hiding the fact from the people and to the two candidates for the next Grand Master. But we cannot hide it for long. Those two candidates will fight for the position. The Knights will fight among themselves and the rest of Tulosa will be dragged into it" "But to hide his death?" Henry clenched his fist "What did you do to the Grand Master? Did you send him off with the necessary honors and ceremony?" "We buried him in secret" Henry rose. He pointed at the Princess. "You... The Grand Master is a good man! He is a person worthy of being honored with at least three laurels. And you''re telling me that you just buried him without any ceremony?" "That''s what he would have wanted Henry. A civil war in winter would have killed many of our people. By making his death a secret, we postponed the chaos" "But..." "Calm down Henry" King Timothy''s voice was firm "The Princess means well. You would trade the lives of thousands for some fancy ceremony? Don''t you knights value the lives of the commoners?" Henry''s racing heart grew tamer. He sat back but kept his glare onto the Princess. "So you confirmed it, he''s dead" The Queen voiced "Your position in the negotiating table just grew weaker" "What more do you want from us?" Princess Emily said. Her placid voice was no more. "I know we were in the wrong but we have nothing left. Tulosa have nothing. My nation is on the brink of collapse. Thousands of Tulosans will die soon- citizens who just want to live their lives will die because of two ambitious men. If gold and land are what you truly want then we can provide you some. But aside from that, we have nothing left" "You should have thought of that before you invaded us" Said Timothy "You think all of us wanted to invade you!? I tried to stop my father. I really did" The Princess'' voice trailed "Many of us tried. My mentor was even killed because he tried to stop the invasion. Many good people have even sacrificed their lives. Most of my people have nothing to do with it. We didn''t want the war with Castonia as much as you. Scheming old men brought the war, not my citizens. So please be contented with our offer of peace in exchange for justice for your dead. We can add gold and lands and even monopoly in trade if you want to. But let us Tulosans solve our civil war first. I beg you- not as a fellow royal- but as a fellow human. Please don''t strike us when we are already down. Tulosa is bleeding. We are tired" King Timothy stood from his seat "Then how about another deal? What if we help you solve your problems?" "Help? Why would you do that? And what do you mean help?" He looked at Henry "I once promised a knight that if ever the Grand Master dies, I will send my soldiers to help the Tulosans. I think it''s time to fulfill my promise. Plus a ruined Tulosa will not benefit the Union. We also desire peace. We want a stable neighbor we can trade and forge relations with. Also we don''t want refugees rushing towards our borders. Many of my own people will hate me for this. But I know this will be for the best. As long as we have justice for your transgressions, I am open to forging a long-lasting peace with you. I want a real peace between our nations- a peace not just on paper but a real peace between our people. We are also tired of this war" Princess Emily fell into a deep though "Your soldiers will march into our land. Why should we trust that you won''t attack us?" "Because you don''t have a choice. We could attack you, that is true. But if we are truly going to help you, then the benefits outweigh the risk. My army would protect the noncombatants. Let old men fight and let old men die. But your citizens will be protected under the flag of the Union" He held his hand towards the Princess "So what would it be Princess Emily? Are you strong enough to take a leap of faith?" 176 Spring Offensive Erik was reading Timothy''s letter with a stupid smile on his face. He forked a sausage, took a bite and chuckled. "I worry about your mental stability Erik" Sylvie said. She filled the plate with more food. "That coming from you is preposterous" He tilted the paper and looked at her on the other side of the table. His eyebrows met "Are you wearing a gown?" "Just testing it. Looks good on me?" "Looks good... what?" Sylvie pouted "You asked me to be the lady of Greenwater didn''t you? Last month. On the balcony of the palace in Holm. Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten" "I haven''t. But that gown is old" "I like this one. The designs on the shoulder and neck are nice" "I''ll have the tailor make you a new one" "But I like this one!" "You are like a child you know that?" Erik looked at the dress. It wasn''t bad "You really like that one?" "I do" "Let''s just mark it as one of our choices" Erik sighed. "Thank you my handsome Marquis" Sylvie rose and went to his side. She leaned on him "So, the King huh?" "Yes it''s him. Orders" "You will soon crush the Tulosans into nothingness" "That is quite wrong" He smiled "A series of curious events just transpired at the Capital" "Oooh curious. Can you tell me? I''m not a spy. Not anymore anyway" "Later. But first call the officers. Tell them to raise our banners high and prepare for a march. We are to meet Henry in Solon with the rest of the legions" Sylvie''s expression grew sad "Can I come with you?" "Are you skilled in the art of war? Can you stop a cavalry charge?" Erik grinned but his grin vanished when he realized that Sylvie was being serious. He pulled her onto him "I''m sorry. But we already talked about this. We will tie the knot after I come back. You must remain here in Greenwater and learn from my mother how to govern a city" "But I want to be with you" "Sometimes what we want and what is better are different" He intertwined his hands with hers "I am Marquis Erik of Castonia. I am not going to die. I will come back and make you the lady of Greenwater" "I am not fond of promises" Sylvie said "Then I will not promise. Just trust me" "Alright" Sylvie managed to smile "I will trust you" The next morning, Erik left Greenwater with his elite guards and a thousand levies from the city. He looked back and saw Sylvie waving at him from the top of the wall. He waved back and fixed his head forward. Those Tulosans better be grateful to him, he thought. ********** Port city of Hydas, Calgari The young city guard shook his head, his rusty old helmet rattling. "That ain''t true! Her Majesty never did that!" "Better believe it lad. I didn''t believe it at first either. But it''s true. Me cousin heard it from a harlot in the capital. The harlot heard it from a baker who is also her customer. The baker heard it from a guard. And the guards saw it themselves" said his senior- a middle aged man with white beard tugged behind his helm. "Bollocks! You ain''t fooling me with those bedtime stories. You drunk, mate?" Asked another guard, yanking the bottle of ale they have been sharing on daylight. It was illegal to drink during watch duty but an illegal thing breathes life only when caught. "Aye. I''m sorry but I find it needy to believe such a tale" said the young guard. "But it''s true!" the old guard insisted, grabbing the ale back with one hand. He pressed the bottle''s mouth against his cup, filled the cup with the brownish ale and then brought the filled cup against his mouth. "My cousin is no liar" "A fool, maybe, or a drunken man. Impossible tales fill your cousin''s ears mate" said one of the guards. Then rang laughter from the others. "Laugh all you want lads" The old guard warned, somber tone and fixed stern eyes. "I know my cousin. I know he''s no fool nor deaf nor drunk. You are free to doubt my tale. But one day, I swear by Creton''s shinny arse, one day you''ll know I''m right" The others were silenced by the senior''s heavy warning. The young guard was too. He just accepted the bottle from his senior with head lowered. "Oi! Lads! Look at this" Then came a shout from near the edge of the wall. One of their mates, the one they kept on lookout for officers, pointed towards the sea "I think something is moving in the far" "Don''t shout if it''s not the officers. I almost panicked and threw our bottle down the wall. What is it anyway?" "I think I see ships. Many ships" Said the lookout. "Ah probably a seagull like last time. Have your eyes plucked those useless things!" Shouted the senior. The young guard, however, thought different. He rose on his feet and walked several steps to the edge of the wall overlooking the sea. "Where?" he asked, salty air meeting his nose. Before a reply reached him, he saw the ships. They dotted the horizon, galleys of war- fast, sleek and proper. Trailing behind the front line of galleys was another line of galleys and another behind that. They were endless. Raised sails and moving oars confirmed their fast approach. He had never seen such a display before. He gulped. A single sweat skidded off his face. Only a single nation could support an armada of this size- and that nation is warring with Calgari at the moment. One look at the distant flags of the galleys confirmed his guess. Two flags he saw and two flags he feared. One was the lion with swords and the other was the pelican above a ship. "Lads..." He muttered. He looked back to his mates. They were still chatting and drinking- oblivious of the huge armada ********* Castonia-Canton border The boy was running along the bank of the stream. Following behind was his little sister. Their run was fast and a scraped knee will result if they lose balance. "It''s going to sink!" his little sister shouted and pointed at the boat made of wood. The boy followed the wooden boat with his eyes. The fast spring current of the stream carried it with haste. It was sailing in the stream as what he intended it to be. "It will not. I made it strong. I used some good nails. Just don''t lose sight of it" he said. The boat then struck rocks. The side was broken and it sank a little. "Not going to sink?" His little sister asked. She stop and panted. "Not my fault the rocks caught it" The little boy said, lamenting his lost efforts making the boat. He looked above and the fading sunlight met him "Let''s just make another on the morrow. It is getting dark. Da da will give us some whips again if we stay out late" The boy then went into the stream to fetch the boat. It wasn''t a deep stream- he is not an idiot to waddle in a deep stream after the melting of snow. Suddenly the water around him rippled. The ground shook in a rhythm. The boy flinched and looked around, eyes wide. He reached for the wooden boat and rushed towards the bank. He pulled himself up, his knees scraping the mud. "Brother" His sister said, pointing afar. The boy whisked the mud first and then traced his sister''s point. He put his palm over his eyebrows to shield against the glint of the fading sun. With an addition of a squint, he saw what she was pointing at. There were men, walking in line as straight as strung thread. Five men side by side, they marched in a uniform rhythm. He tried to count but exhausted all the numbers he knew. He tried to see the line''s end but failed to see the last men. The men grew closer. They crossed the stream, splashing water as they go. The men wore clothes made of iron. Some of them had capes hung on their backs. A few were riding horses. Colorful and unique crests marked the iron clothes they wore on their breasts. There was a sun, a sword and a rooster. After some while two persons with crowns perched on top of their heads passed the stream. One was a young man with black hair and deep dark eyes. They were so deep he was drawn for a moment. The other one was a beautiful woman with a long golden braided hair. The woman smiled at him while the man winked. Both then turned their heads forward again and continued their crossing. The boy, still holding his wooden wrecked boat, was left staring at the back of the man and woman with crowns. 177 Two Heads Flanked by about a hundred Knights, Balian made his way into the High Tower where Grand Master Nelson''s room is located. His knees hurt ascending the highest building in all of Bivon. At the very top of the tower, to the north, was a large room. The room was reserved for the Grand Master of the Tulosan Knights. Armed royal guards stood erect with their backs against against the room. "Let us pass" Balian demanded, both hands tugged under the sleeves of his white robe. "We apologize but we cannot" Replied the captain of the royal guards, Rain was his name- A middle-aged warrior veteran of several battles. With the crest of the royal family of Tulosa etched on his breastplate and a greatsword slung on his hips, Rain looked menacing. "Reason?" "Same as always Master Balian" Rain permitted a half smile "The Grand Master is old. Poor good man. He can''t even meet old friends. Come back later when he is feeling better" "We will not stand down this time Rain. Nobody had seen the Grand Master since the start of winter. We just want to talk to him" "His order is not to allow any disturbance" "His order or the Princess''?" Rain leaned his head forward, one-eyebrow raised he asked, "Does it matter?" Balian reached behind. His squire put a sheathed sword on his hand. He took his steel longsword from the scabbard and held the blade down with both hands. "There will be bloodshed if you don''t let us pass. Move royal guard Rain" The royal guards also unsheathed their swords. The action was reflected by Balian''s knights. Both parties were now in a stand-off. Rain raised his palm against the royal guards as an order to calm down. He shook his head. "You know that we will fight to the death Balian. We royal guards are true to our oaths. It will not be a pretty fight" "My Knights are not built for pretty things Rain. Our armors may be shining bright but we are not afraid to paint it crimson" "So I''ve heard" Rain puffed a sigh. "You win Master Balian. Lads, let the Master pass" "But sir! The princess..." protested a royal guard. "The Princess ordered us to delay these honorable knights for as long as possible. We served our purpose" Rain stepped aside and gestured towards the room "Grand Master Nelson''s room is open for you honorable sirs" Balian spared Rain one last look before sheathing his sword and walking towards the room. Rain followed behind. He pulled the door open and stepped inside. The Grand Master was not there. Rain wrinkled his forehead "Where is Grand Master Nelson?" "A few feet below the ground. He''s all bones now I suppose" Replied Rain "He''s dead?" "A monotonic tone Master Balian" Rain smirked "I thought you would be devastated. The Grand Master is dead. Oh what a dark day for the children of the Omniscient. What a dark day. A good man has left the world. But instead you are as calm as a lake" Balian smiled. He leaned closer to Rain''s ears. "It is indeed a dark day, Rain. You have just denied me three months of my reign as Grand Master" "You seem confident that you''ll win the vote Master Balian" Rain whispered back. "You are a fool if you think that there will even be a vote" Balian chuckled "There will only be blood" Balian walked back to his Knights. "Prepare the others" ********* The knights were humming an ode to the Omniscient. Tobias walked slowly to the front on his white robe. He raised his arms towards the Knights. He closed his eyes and let his soul dance with the tune. "The day is good brothers!" His body was trembling with the holy light of the Omniscient. He could feel it. "Hail you praises to the Omniscient. Oh for he is good. He is good!" "He is good!" shouted the Knights. Tobias fell to the smooth marble floor of the cathedral. His body contorted. "Praise him! We are his children oh dear ones. Our lives are for him" Tobias opened his quivering eyes "Praise him for he is good!" The Knights shouted in unison. Tobias'' ears were filled with voices of men shouting their faith. It was beautiful. Suddenly his squire ran to him. It was abrupt and Tobias was annoyed. But after he heard his squire, Tobias smiled. The Grand Master is dead. Balian, his rival, had declared himself as the new Grand Master without a vote. Tobias had foreseen this a long time ago. He knew that Balian would resort to force just to get the position of Grand Master. He also knew that Balian''s men are coming to kill him. But he had made plans already. By the Omniscient''s grace he will be the next Grand Master. He is the Omniscient''s prophet. Tobias rose. "Brothers, a terrible news just reached my ears...." ********** The Sinon River served as the unofficial border between Castonia and Tulosa. Beyond the Sinon River was the Deadland Plains, a desert as large as the Meander Plains of Castonia. Erik, four legions of Castonians, a few hundred Tulosan Knights and Tulosan royal guards were marching across the cold sand of the Dead Plains. The spring had made it such that wild plants and flowers bloomed on the sandy ground. "So between the two who is better, Tobias or Balias?" Erik asked Henry. "Balian sire. Master Balian. Whoever is going to win the voting sire, that man is better. During the voting, the Omniscient''s light fills every knight with wisdom" "Or the Masters fill their pockets with gold. I don''t believe in miracles Henry. Men that could produce flames and men that could turn into bears and men that could become shadows- I believe those things. But miracles? I''ll rather believe in corruption and bribery" "Your statement dangles on the edge of blasphemy Marquis Erik. The Omniscient is supreme" "Aye" Erik shook his head "Supreme. Let''s say it''s true that you knights will be bathed in holy light and wisdom and all those things during the voting. The question is, will there even be a voting?" "I hope there will be" Henry said with bit lips. "So there won''t be. What now? Who among them is better? Any thoughts on the matter Princess Emily?" "The two have their own faults" Princess Emily said, head popping from the window of her carriage "Master Tobias is a little cranky if you ask me. He is strict when it comes to worshiping the Omniscient. Master Balian on the other hand" She paused and gave a small head shake "He is a little proud and crass. Think of him as a paranoid King. He is playing knighthood like damn politics. Some say he is a puppet of the other nations. Anyway the crown will support Master Tobias. He is more popular so we can expect the majority of the Knights to join us" "I agree" Henry spoke "Master Tobias is still a better character. I''ve seen one of his sermons and I must say that he''s... serious about his faith" "A fanatic then? Great." Erik lamented with lowered shoulders "You hit it right in the balls Marquis Erik" Princess Emily smiled "Sadly the crown will support a fanatic. But a fanatic is better than a violent sly person" "Just demolish the Order of the Knights and be done with it" said Erik "But the Order is deeply rooted in Tulosa. If you pull the root, the stem and all the parts goes. What would be left is a gaping ugly hole" said the Princess. "Anyway, it''s not that easy to demolish the order" "We Castonians could. We could pull the root with our steel. But alas, King Timothy''s strict order is for us to remain neutral. We will be your referees in this conflict. That is unless the citizens are harmed. We will fight against anyone who harms the citizens- even against you if need be" A rider was spotted from afar. His horse kicked a flurry of sand behind. His speed was fast- he is in a hurry. The rider went to them. He gave a salute to the Princess and a scornful look at Erik. "Your Highness I have news from the Capital" "They''ve found out?" Princess Emily asked, frowning. "Yes. About two days ago death of the Grand Master spread. Master Balian has declared himself as the next Grand Master without a proper vote. He has barricaded the headquarters and the entire city. The people of the city are also being levied by Master Balian" "And Master Tobias?" "Master Tobias escaped the capital Your Highness. A hundred knights lay dead at the cathedral. They tried to delay Master Balian while Master Tobias escaped. We think Master Tobias is gathering knights from the outposts to bolster his forces. Reports say that he is headed to either Vuono or Mort" "And my father? What of him?" "The King" The messenger lowered his head "He also fled the city with the nobles. They brought the royal treasury with them. As a result, violence has erupted in the city. Bivon is currently lawless" "Another great news" Erik clicked his tongue "So one Master has sort of occupied your captial. The other Master is gathering forces around to storm your capital. While the King left the citizens to fend for themselves. Great. You sure have some competent officials" Erik''s statement was met with silence from both the Princess and Henry. "Alright" Erik said "You two stop staring at the ground as if it will give you answers. He is levying the citizens in force right? That is a violation of the rules of war so we Castonians will interfere. We will demand that he stop what he''s doing" "He will not agree" said the Princess "Oh but when presented with twenty thousand Castonians he will surely think hard about it" Erik looked behind to his squire "Order a double time march. We will also do a forced march" The squire nodded "March at the double!" he shouted. The order was repeated many times. After a while the rhythm of the trumpeters grew faster and the entire column was marching fast. 178 Bivon Henry was on top of his horse, fixing his look towards his home. The brown and sturdy walls of Bivon presented firmly to his front. The gates were shut close. Crossbowmen were perched on top, pointing their loaded crossbows towards them. He looked behind. They were right to be afraid, he thought. Behind him were the Castonians. Mail cover their arms, sides and legs. Solid iron breastplates were on their chests, etched with crests of their respective legions. Coifs sheltered their heads and necks- save for the ear, nose and eyes. The Castonians stood still. In neat lines ten men deep they dispensed discipline and grit. Only their banners moved amidst the cool spring wind. Even Henry, who had been in Castonia for the better part of the year, was still being awed by them. The front gate of the city opened. Came riding were two knights in their usual white armor and helms. One of the Knights bore a white flag of peace. They stopped in front of Henry, Princess Emily and Marquis Erik. The Tulosan guards to their back rode forward to their side in case the two men had dark motives. A knight, after all, is still a man with a sharp sword. "Ave, Brothers" Henry greeted the two Knights. They just sneered towards Henry. They eyed the Marquis for a bit and then back at Henry "We''ve heard distressing rumors that you''ve sided with the enemies. At first nobody would believe it. The First Spear joining the Castonians? What a terrible joke. But it seems the rumors are true. We are disappointed in you First Spear" He angled a look at the Princess "And Your Highness Emily. While your father ran with the royal treasury, you brought the brutish Castonians here at the Capital. We are also disappointed in you" "Chatty guy this one" Erik pointed at the Knight. The Marquis'' annoyance was apparent as day "We are not meeting under the white banner just to discuss who you are disappointed with. Whether you''re disappointed with your cobbler, baker, or favorite harlot, we simply don''t care. You are messengers. Your job is to deliver messages, not tell us your feelings. Now deliver the message. What did your commander say?" One of the knights clicked his tongue. The other shook his head to the Marquis'' sharp words "Grand Master Balian wants to meet with Henry. Regarding your request, he will decide after talking with the First Spear" "Alone?" Asked the Marquis "Alone" The messenger confirmed with a single curt nod. "Then you must be fools for thinking we would agree to send Prefect Henry inside alone. Or are you blind to not see twenty thousand fully armed Castonians outside your gates? We hold the negotiating upper hand and we say we set up a tent and do a parley" said Marquis Erik. "Grand Master Balian is a busy man. He is preparing the defenses of the city for the eventual attack of the pretender Master Tobias. He cannot spare time for a parley" The Knight produced a half smile towards Henry "But for an old friend he can spare a short chat. For old times sake, he said" "Then I shall go" Henry said "Henry" Marquis Erik called as protest "You will be defenseless. If you die, Freya would never talk to me again" "He will not dare do such a thing Marquis. He is on the losing end of this war. He''s not very popular. Killing me would further erode his popularity" The Marquis nodded. He looked to the Knights "If he''s not back within an hour my lads behind will storm the city" "Give us two hours Castonian. The headquarters of Knights is far" shouted the Knight. "You have three" Marquis Erik put a hand on Henry''s shoulder "May the Omniscient save you still Prefect" "He will Marquis Erik. He will" replied Henry. He clucked his steed forward and followed the knights into the city. The city gate was pulled open. Henry entered. He was back in Bivon. But the scene he saw was not the Bivon that he knew. Bivon was supposed to be a holy city. He remembered Bivon to sport travelers from around the world- pilgrims and merchants. The wide streets and two-story marble houses were supposed to be teeming with activities. It wasn''t. The city had turned dull. The wide streets had become narrow because of garbage and broken pottery. The pretty marble houses near the gate were fortified with ugly spikes and barricades. The merchants were gone. The pilgrims were too. Only citizens forced to wear mismatched armor and weapons walked the street. The helms they wore were dangling. Their gambeson had huge holes and were poorly repaired. Their spears were rusty and the ones wielding were untrained. It was as if the citizens had all been turned into mindless warriors forced into a war they didn''t even want. The once bustling holy city had now turned into a nest of warfare. It was a sacrilege. Henry was pained seeing the state of the holy city. The Omniscient must be too. He just tugged the reins of his mount and adjusted his bottom in the saddle. He followed the knights to the headquarters. A few moments and they reached it. The building occupied four whole blocks. It was larger than the palace and more beautiful with its ornate designs and marble walls. Henry entered and the familiar sight of the great dome struck him with nostalgia. Colorful paintings depicting famous battles were hung on the walls- each the size of a steed. The floor was tiled again with white marbles. On courtyard were more than a hundred knights. They were training with swords and lances. Henry stared at them for a while, drowned in reminiscing his days as one of them. He was once the best rider and the best swordsman among his peers. "We have three hours First Spear" The messenger earlier voiced, unfriendly and impatient "The Grand Master is waiting" "Of course" Henry replied as he followed them. After shifting through the long corridors they arrived at the High Tower in the middle of the headquarters. It was the highest building in all of Bivon. A long ascend met him after that. At the top of the tower was a large room. It was once the room of Grand Master Nelson. In the past Henry would spend hours each day inside this room with the Grand Master. He was the Grand Master''s squire after all. He could still hear their shared laughter inside his head. The Grand Master''s smiling face would always bring him calmness. Grand Master Nelson was a good man. Henry treated him as his second father. Now as he looked at the room, he felt saddened. The Grand Master is dead. Henry didn''t even get to say goodbye. The room belonged to a different person now. "Grand Master Balian" the knight called outside "Prefect Henry has agreed to meet you" "Bring him inside" said a voice from the other side of the room. The knight opened the door. Henry stepped inside. Just like the city, the room had changed. The shiny brick walls were the same. The ornaments were barely changed. The desk was still where he last saw it. But the feeling was different without Grand Master Nelson. "First Spear" Balian greeted from his seat beside the desk. Heaps of paper were on top of the desk. The quills were scattered. "Master Balian" Henry bowed "It''s Grand Master Balian now Prefect" Balian gestured towards the seat on the other side of the desk "Rest your knees Henry" "I apologize but without the vote I will not hail you as the Grand Master" Henry said as he took a seat. "Still a stricter for rules eh? You''re still the same First Spear. But I cannot hold a vote. I will lose and that fanatic will sit on this chair" "The book of knights puts heavy emphasis on the vote Master Balian. Rules are rules. You need a majority vote to become the Grand Master" "Rules can be bent. For the good of Tulosa we must" "For the good of Tulosa? I''ve seen the state of the city" "Which is only temporary until all the knights support me. I''ll hear none of this Henry. I have the city. The King has fled. As for your request, I deny it" "Our request is simple Master Balian. We just want you to let go of the civilians. You and Master Tobias could brawl it all you want but you must let the civilians come under the Union''s banner" "I will lose if I do that. The civilians are my levies. They are the bulk of my forces. I cannot let them go" "The Castonians will storm the city if you don''t. They will force you" "And will you join them?" Henry opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked down. "My allegiance is to the people. I will join the assault if you don''t let them go" Master Balian puffed a sigh. He fiddled with the quill "I must admit, I am afraid of the twenty thousand Castonians outside. They could take the city if they want to. Even my knights are afraid. So how about a deal?" 179 Silent and Discree Eleven years ago Henry swung his sword, angling it with precision. The edge met his opponent''s. His opponent slashed overhead and Henry crouched to avoid. The wind broke above him. His opponent was strong- a large kid for their age. But his opponent doesn''t deal speed. Henry was faster and agility was his friend. Henry sprung back up again. This time he aimed for the stomach. His sword punched towards his opponent''s stomach. The large kid spew saliva. He was lucky they were using wooden practice swords or else his intestines would have already fallen out of his belly. Henry rammed his shoulder towards his opponent''s chest. A loud falling sound followed. He pointed his wooden sword at his opponent who was down on the ground. "I yield Henry!" The big boy shouted, grimacing from pain and with face dirtied with mud. Claps rang across the courtyard of the headquarters. Henry produced a smile. He turned to the left and knelt with his wooden sword struck vertically. "Well done Henry!" Grand Master Nelson shouted. This, sadly, was followed by several raging coughs. The Grand Master staggered back to his seat. The other Knights rushed towards him but the Grand Master stopped them with a raised palm. "See that brothers" The Grand Master continued in a wheezy voice. He demanded the attention of the several hundred who were watching the bout. "That is my squire. I trained him" "Lying is a sin Grand Master" Master Tobias said. He fixed the hem of his white robe with a single sway of his hand "You did not train him to fight" "You are a fool then for thinking that Henry won just because he knows how to fight. He won because he has discipline and courage and a sharp mind. I trained him to have those things" "Can''t argue with that" Master Balian said "Henry could one day become a Prefect. I suggest you aim for the position Henry and take it for yourself" "A Prefect? Too low of a dream. He could one day become the Grand Master. You two better watch out. A new rival is in sight" said the Grand Master. His statement was followed by laughs from the other listeners. Henry''s face flushed red. Grand Master Nelson would sometimes be like this. "Come Henry" The Grand Master gestured with a sleight of hand "You lads better get back to your work. Entertainment is finished. I shall retreat to my quarters and massage these bones of mine" The Grand Master rose. This was met with bows from the other knights. He limped with his cane towards the High Tower. Henry followed from behind. The Grand Master''s long purple robe had its end dragged. Henry bent to pick the hem. "Don''t bother. Let it get dirty" "But sire, you just wore it today. It is a gift from the King" "A bribe you mean" The Grand Master said as he turned a corner "If I had just known earlier that this was from the King, I would have returned it" They reached the High Tower. The two Knights posted on guard duty saluted and pulled the wooden door open. Then followed was the painful ascend to the top. The Grand Master was grimacing all the way. His knees must have hurt so bad. "You shouldn''t have gone to see my bout sire" "Nonsense. The Squire''s Championship is a prestigious event" "The Knight''s Championship is more prestigious but you didn''t show" "Ah that dull affair. Watching grown men play with swords and maces and lances is boring. Fighting is boring. I know Balian would win that thing anyway. The Squire''s Championship is also boring but when I heard that you''re in it I was thrilled! I wouldn''t miss seeing my own squire fighting his way to the top" After the last step of the tower, the door to the room greeted them. Henry went ahead and opened the door. The Grand Master entered with his robe still rubbing against the floor. The Grand Master sat on his seat then proceeded to massage his knees. Henry saw that the Grand Master''s knees were swollen. "I shall get you some warm water sire" "No need. Just sit Henry. We need to finish with our lessons" "Your knees are swollen sire" "It''s just pain. Pain will not last forever. But knowledge?" The Grand Master raised his finger, a small smile formed on his lips "Knowledge is forever Henry. It is gift from the Omniscient" Henry just shrugged. He went to have a seat. "History, politics or philosophy? Your choice" "Actually I have a question sire. It''s about Prefect Rickard" "Ah Prefect Rickard. Such a sad tale. He lost his wife and sons. That was a tragedy the Omniscient detests. But you''ve heard what he did right?" "He beheaded Baron Rex and dragged the thing with his horse in the streets. Barbarism sire, nothing more. I want to ask how a Knight could do that" The Grand Master''s jaw stiffed. He caressed his long white beard. "Because he is human" "A human wouldn''t do that" "Trust me Henry, Prefect Rickard did that because he is human" "But dragging a severed head in the streets of Bivon is a sin. He is evil" "Yes, he sinned. He made a mistake. But a human is born to err Henry" The Grand Master leaned back. His wooden chair creaked "I was once a thief. During my early days I pickpocketed the food I put in my belly. Nobles, merchants, common people- I did not discriminate. I stole. I lied. I even held a knife against a lady''s throat once. Poor lass was forced to give me all her jewelries. She cried. Now am I evil?" "No!" Henry almost slammed his fist on the table. His hand shook nonetheless "You are the most righteous man I know sire. Nobody should say that you''re evil. You are shining with righteousness. You are the light that guides the Order of the Knights" "I do hope so Henry. I do hope that the Omniscient is impressed with my deeds. Listen to me child. Never forget what I will tell you" The Grand Master held his shoulder. The old wrinkly hands were cold. "You will grow up into a strong knight. You will lead. You will choose. Sometimes a righteous choice doesn''t exist. Sometimes we are forced to choose between two evils. Have the courage Henry. Have to courage to choose the lesser evil. Even if your choice makes you puke. Even if your conscience breaks apart. You must have the courage and the strength to choose. That is what it means to be a knight" Henry nodded "I shall keep in mind your wisdom sire. Thank you" The Grand Master tapped Henry''s cheeks with his palm "Now bring me some food. This old man is starving" ********** "Join me Henry" Master Balian leaned back on the chair. As expected, came a creak. "You saw how the royals abandoned the citizens. The King ran away. What a shameful deed" "A shame indeed. But you were the one who caused this mess in the first place. You were the one who barricaded and occupied the city" "Strictly speaking, yes. I am the villain in this situation. I am the monster who devours children. I am the one lurking in the dark. But the royals have long been like this Henry. The last two invasions of Castonia were caused by the royals" "What are you saying Master Balian? I must warn you, your tone stenches of treason. Tell me what I''m thinking is wrong" "You are thinking it right Henry. Tulosa has long been ruled by both the King and the Grand Master. What a stupid situation. Two rulers? No. This must stop. One of them must go" "And you want the royalty to go. You want it so that only the Knights will rule Tulosa" "Imagine a world like that. No Kings, no princesses. Only the Grand Master''s word will be followed" "Madness" Henry sneered. "And who will you rather rule? Princess Emily? Just because she was born the heir, she will rule? I piss on that. A Grand Master should rule" "And what will happen to the believers of the Great Rider? They will not accept a knight as a ruler" "They will have to accept Henry. In time they will. So what will it be First Spear? Will you join me? We will fight against both the King and Tobias. Those Castonians of yours look tough. Help me get their favor in exchange for whatever they want. Join me Henry. I will make you my heir. You will rule Tulosa after my death. Grand Master Nelson have always seen greatness in you. It is time to prove your greatness" Henry closed his eyes. He shook his head in disgust "I must respectfully decline Master Balian. My allegiance is to my oath that I shall protect the people. Your vision is beautiful but I''ll be no part of it. It will alienate the worshipers of the Great Rider" Henry rose, the chair dragging against the floor. He offered a small bow. "We are not in agreement sire. The knights that followed me here and the Castonians will provide safety to the people of this city. If you do not release them, we will attack. Fight fairly Master Balian. I will go now. May the Omniscient guide you into the light" He stepped back and went out of the room. ******** "I suppose he rejected your offer Grand Master" said Balian''s squire. The man was already a Knight but Balian kept him as a squire. Balian was still left in thought after Henry left. He caressed the oak desk. The table was old and dusty but it was still firm. "He did" "A shame. The First Spear is terrifying to face in combat. The couple hundred knights under his command are also loyal and strong. Add to that the thousands of Castonians outside our gates, then I think we need to flee from the city. What should we do?" Balian cracked his knuckles. He cocked his head to the side and breathed a heavy sigh. "Take a hundred citizens, women and children preferably. Take them to the top of the wall. If the Castonians advance, threaten to push them down. As for the First Spear..." Balian paused, putting his chin on top of his hands "Take a few dozen knights and hunt him down. I think he will go to the ghetto. Kill him. Make it silent and discreet. Remember, Henry is still popular even within our ranks so nobody must know" "An assassination then. Fine we will make it look like he was murdered by a common thief" The squire rose from the chair. Balian grabbed his wrist. "Remember lad, silent and discreet" 180 The Ghetto With sticky looks falling onto him, Henry walked in the streets of Bivon. As the number of his steps grew, the street also became narrower. The proud stone and marble houses slowly turned into wooden homes. This was the ghetto of Bivon. Beggars and vagabonds with smeared faces and broken eyes sat on the street with their palms open to any merciful passerby. Thin dogs and cats with pronounced ribs scour the trash for any small meal they could acquire. Rats ran around, black, big and stenching. Sewer water mixed with urine and feces flow in the street. The odor was unholy. The sight was heartbreaking. "My lord!" A beggar with ragged tunic and muddy face called. She crawled towards Henry, dragging her already soiled clothes. "Mister Knight!" Called another beggar, a thin man with a sharp chin Henry tried to ignore them. He had nothing to spare. The little money inside his pocket was for someone else. "I''m sorry" he muttered to them. He hastened his walk, avoiding the sewer water that flowed in the street. He then found himself standing outside an old wooden house. Half of the wood had fallen to termites. The door had holes and the windows were broken. He stepped forward and put a knock on the door. The door creaked. What greeted him was an old woman, white was her hair and wrinkly was her face. Her lose tunic was soiled. She squinted. "Henry?" Henry hugged her, as tight as he could as powerful as it could be. "Ma!" Henry buried his face into her shoulder. "Oh thank the Great Rider and his endless steed. I thought you were dead. The news... they say the knights were decimated by the evil King of Castonia" "That isn''t true Ma. King Timothy is not evil. He is righteous. He is good. He is a fine person. I missed you" She put her palm on his cheek. "My boy. Look how you''ve grown. Come inside. Shirley! Your brother is here. Prepare something" Henry went inside their house. It was the same but a little old and spent. The furniture were dusty. Several chairs were missing a leg. The only clean and well-maintained place was the carved wooden image of the Great Rider on his endless steed. Three candles were lit around the wooden image. Henry sat on one of the chair. His mother sat on the creaky bed. After a while a small child brought them a jar. "I prepared water mother. We don''t have bread anymore" said Shirley. She looked at Henry and her eyes grew wide. Henry''s heart melted. He took the jar from her and put it on the table. He then grabbed his sister into an embrace. "You''ve grown. The Shirley that I know was just a little girl" "I thought you were dead. Mother and I thought you were dead" Henry severed the embrace. He caressed his sister''s hair. "Have you been living well? Where is father?" Shirley looked back at their mother. She stared for long before turning to Henry "Father is dead" A jolt of pain struck him. His bones shook in despair. His arms lost strength as his head fell downwards. Several heavy breaths later and he managed to ask in quivering voice, "how?" "The winter wasn''t kind to us" His mother voiced "After the invasion, life became harder. Your father lost his job and you know how hard it is to find jobs here in the ghetto. They discriminate. We are lowly infidels they say, believers of a false God. All the high-ranking officials are believers of the Omniscient- the King, the Princess..." She looked at him "The Knights" "But before I left the King promised to improve the condition in the ghetto. He even gave a speech. He said that whatever God we believe in, the crown will protect all the citizens" "A lie. Believers of the Great Rider had always been discriminated in this city and single speech couldn''t change that. Even serfs have better living condition compared to the people in this ghetto. And your father, after losing his job as a mason, did all kinds of job just to feed me and your sister. He plowed snow, he cleaned stables, there was one time he guarded a traveling merchant. A fight broke out and you father''s jaw was broken. Despite his injury, he still worked until..." Small droplets of tears shone from his mother''s eyes "Until his body gave up. We buried him" "I''m sorry" Henry was reduced to a grieving man. He wasn''t close to his father since he changed his belief and joined the order of the knights but he still loved the old man "I should have returned sooner" "No Henry, don''t feel sad. Your father is now riding with the Great Rider in an eternal journey. I dare say he is happier now than when he was still alive. You have lived your life well. I''m happy that you have. You shouldn''t shackle yourself with us. Live your life freely Henry. Just like how the Great Rider rides freely in the endless grasslands. You have no responsibility towards us" "You''re wrong mother" Henry said, head lowered and eyes filled with conviction "I am Prefect Henry Molt. I have sworn an oath to be the people''s justice. I have a responsibility towards you and the others. I have hundreds of Knights and twenty thousand Castonian allies at my back. We will put an end to this folly. Just wait mother" Henry rose from the old seat. He grabbed a small bag of coins from his pocket. He handed the thing to his sister. "It''s not much but it will help you until we take the city. After that come and find me or I will find you. In the past, Father was too proud to accept financial help from his son who have taken the faith of the Omniscient. I hope you''re not the same" Shirley handed the bag to their mother. Their mother took it and looked up to Henry "Thank you. And I hope you and your allies are successful" Henry hugged his sister and his mother. Eyes closed, he embedded the feeling into the deepest crevices of his mind. "I must go Ma. This is farewell for now" "Be careful on your way back Henry. The ghetto is not a friendly place for a knight" He put a kiss on her forehead "I will Ma. And I will be safe. Your son is the one known as First Spear" Henry went to the door. Providing a single nod to them, he exited. His heart was heavy, especially knowing the state of his mother and sister and the death of his father. But he must go on. ********** Hooded men watched First Spear exit a house. Their images were hidden beneath the rags that covered half their faces. Beneath their long hooded dark coats were their armored bodies. First Spear is a dangerous opponent after all. First Spear''s white armor glinted. He was a target as clear as day. Balian''s squire shook his head. He couldn''t believe that Henry was stupid enough to believe that he will be able to get out of the city alive. He had lost many duels against First Spear. Henry''s strength was legendary, he must admit. But every man dies when stabbed deep enough. Every man croaks death. First Spear was the same. The squire had his palm raised. The knights behind gave a nod. Five moved to the east, passing through a rubbled house. One group secured the west, moving in silence. The rest were put on back up and lookout in case something goes awry. The squire fixed the cover on his face. Putting his hand beneath his cloak, he grasped a short dagger. He held it firm. The Squire advanced, his footsteps muffled. His focus was solely on Henry. Dashing in small and silent steps he approached from behind. He bent a little, providing shade to his face. He sprung, stabbing the dagger towards Henry''s unprotected neck. The First Spear spared him a quick glance before his dagger made contact. Henry tilted his head, his movements soft and fluid. The squire''s strike fell to the side. The squire grabbed another dagger with his other hand. He again stabbed but Henry was able to dodge again. He stabbed for the third time. This time First Spear caught his hand, tilted his palm, and made the blade fall. The squire''s other hand also moved. He aimed for Henry''s face. But Henry was also able to grab his other stabbing hand. Henry redirected his strike to the side and slammed a knee to the squire''s stomach. The squire''s vision blurred for a second. Body bent into contortion and pain surging through his abdomen, he dropped to the ground, rolled in pain and gasped for air. Henry stood above him with sword drawn and prepared. Henry took a step back. The other knights drew their weapons and slowly approached. 181 Oddities With a single step backward, Henry crouched and ran. Clanking was his armor and dangling was his sword. The hooded men followed in haste. The narrow street became their field. His boots tried to grip against the slippery road. The nearest man, the fastest among the bunch, was able to close the distance. Henry slowed and hit the man with his elbow. The elbowguard met the man''s nose and the result was a cracking sound. Henry didn''t bother looking back. He skidded to the side and turned a corner. He blended with the people in the streets but his armor stood out. More than two dozen men were running after him. Henry finally looked back. His face grimaced by what he saw. He knew them. They were knights. They all belonged to Master Balian''s faction. He then remembered the first person he downed. That was Master Balian''s squire. "Catch him!" Came a shout from behind "Five gold coins to anyone who could" Henry felt the sticky stares of the onlookers. Some scrawny beggar tried to lunge at him. Henry met the beggar with a knee to the face. Another man, this time with a little bit of flesh and muscles, swung some iron rod at his face. Henry blocked it with his sword and a kick to the stomach followed. Some people tried to hold him, many managed to. Henry bent, swung his body and pushed them aside. His pursuers loosed their crossbows. Several whistling bolts flew towards his back. Most of them missed but two hit the back of his breastplate. The metal was dented and the tips penetrated a little. Henry grabbed the bolts and threw them aside. Then came another round of bolts. Henry bent his body but a single bolt hit his back thigh. The mail was punctured and half the arrowhead bit through his flesh. Henry grimaced. A wounded leg meant a slower run. Cornered, he just swung around, striking his sword towards his closest pursuer. His strike was parried, vibration ringing through his arm. He angled the sword to the left and followed a quick thrust. It hit the knight''s belly in the gap in his armor. Crimson blood oozed from the wound. Henry retracted his weapon and kicked the defeated to the side. He prepared to face another opponent. But as he looked around, he only saw the scared faces of the onlookers. Some wore faces of shock while the few smart ones started to run. Henry eyed for another knight. With his sword raised and senses heightened, he gauged the site. He was surprised that he found none. With a quick decision, Henry went limping away. He turned towards an alley. He turned another corner and hid behind a barrel. He was panting. His heart was racing like a steed on full charge. His thigh was bleeding red and his pursuers could trace him with the blood. But Henry needed to catch his breath first. He pulled the arrow but discovered that it was barbed. He rested his head and shut his eyes. A hand cupped his mouth. Henry jolted but he was pulled, strong and harsh. He tried to look behind but all he saw were glinting blades. ********* The white fluffy clouds above provided shelter from the raging sun. With the Castonian legions behind and the shaking crossbowmen to the front, Erik was having tea with the Princess. Delicious Calgarian filled his cup but stale bread populated his plate. "Tell me Princess, do you believe in magic?" "I have heard that there is a certain snake in the east that is so venomous that everything it touches dies. They say that it oozes venom in its wake, dealing death to any animal that dares touch its tenebrous scales" "I do believe that isn''t magic but a mere oddity" "But what is magic Marquis Erik? Is it not just a more refined breed of oddity?" "Magic is for things we can''t explain while oddities are rare occurrences. One brings confusion while the other, awe" answered Erik, cup of tea raised and lips in a satisfied smile. "Fear you mean. People are afraid of the unknown" "That may be the case, yes. So, do you believe or not?" The Princess'' auburn hair was blown by a cold gust of wind. She fixed it and raised an eyebrow towards Erik. "I do. Our world is a strange one. The Ninev Mountains howl endlessly they say. The Ghambit desert have monsters lurking beneath its fiery sand. In Castonia, there are tales of an old man that can produce fire with his bare hands. In Vanadis I''ve heard merchants mention a hairy man turn into a bear. I believe in these things Marquis Erik. May inquire as to why you asked me the question?" "Because they are true" Erik gifted a smile "It''s all true Princess. The Ninev mountains howl because an ancient civilization lives under it. The Bear and the man that can produce fire, they are part of that civilization. I also met a person that can blend with the Shadow" Princess Emily laughed, a childish pure laugh. "Your jest is what they say Marquis Erik- unique." "Oh but I did not jest Princess nor am I in a mood to do so. What I told you is true. King Timothy knows it, Queen Lucia too" Princess Emily stifled her laughter but maintained a wide smile "Let''s say that it''s true- that some magical civilization is living under the Ninev Mountains and that some of them are wandering around. Why are you telling me this?" "Look around Princess" Erik took a mouthful of tea. Calgarian tea really is a treat "We are in a field outside your Capital. Magic exist and yet we are here with our butts planted on the soil. Where are the greenskins? The curious oddities? The man who can turn into a bear? Nowhere Princess and that is because the greatest threat your nation faces comes not in the form magic bears and a fiery old man but in the form of two ambitious knights. Magic and oddities make us fear, confused and awe. But at the end of the day, power is what decides life and death. A human''s heart presents more danger than mere curiosities. Our fellow are our own greatest enemies. Never forget that Princess. A human is the most dangerous thing in the world" "So you are telling me to be wary of other people''s motives? Then should I be worried about yours?" She looked at the Castonian soldiers behind "I let you inside my nation. Twenty thousand fully armed Castonians outside the gates of Bivon. Should I birth worry in my heart?" Erik produced a smile on his face. "You are already worried. But being worried is alright. If you didn''t worry at all when my soldiers crossed the border, I would have abandoned your foolish arse. What concerns me is the result of your worry. I know that you''ve been withholding information from me. Imagine that- we are allies and yet you are keeping secrets" Princess Emily chuckled. She bent, took the jar and poured Erik some tea "Alright I admit that I have been keeping information from you. But as what you said, I can''t be blamed. Your exploits is known far and wide Erik. The Marquis of Castonia as what you are known. Your name alone strikes fear. Your presence commands respect. I am no fool to give a wolf the key to my room" "Things will be different if the wolf aims to protect you" "Only the wolf knows whether that is true or not" "But now the wolf is inside your room already" Erik raised the cup "And you are at his mercy" The Princess'' smile vanished. She looked down "What information do you want Erik?" "About you" Erik emptied the last of his tea "And your Father. You are planning something against him aren''t you? Tulosa is not just divided by the two warring knights. A certain Father and daughter are also wrestling for dominion. You want to be Queen" "This is why I keep secrets from you, Castonian" She looked at him, her long eyelashes quivering "You are too smart- too dangerous" "I''m glad that you know. I will not ask your motives and I am too tired to pry on your relationship with your father. So let me just ask you this. Will this become a problem to Castonia?" "No" She shook her head "I shall finish this on my own and silently. After the thing with the knights you can go home" "Marquis Erik" His squire suddenly interrupted. The Squire pointed at the top of the walls "Something is happening" Erik rose on his feet. He stepped forward, aiming a better look. His squinting eye turned wide. Women and children were dragged on top of the wall. With tied hands and gagged mouths they were held near the edge by armed men. The gate opened. A single knight rode out. Erik''s guards shielded him.The knight stopped a few steps away. "Grand Master Balian wishes to inform that if you dare assault the city we will push the hostages down the wall" "Are you mad!? Hostages? They are your own citizens!" "We don''t care about your opinions Castonian" Erik eyed the hostages. Most of them wore rags. "Where is Prefect Henry?" "Henry is dead" The Knight said before turning his horse around and riding back to the city. 182 The Madman "So what now Marquis Erik?" asked the Princess. Erik delayed his answer. He put a sharp look towards the walls of Bivon. "Sixty-five" He uttered in a sudden "I''ve been counting over and over for an hour now. There are sixty-five hostages. Thirty-two are women, twenty-eight are children. The rest are the old" "And they will all die if you attack" Erik ground his molars together "Henry is dead if the words of that knight is to be believed" "And do you believe in his words?" "I am not a fool Princess. If they managed to kill Henry, the First Spear in full armor and with a weapon, then half of them are already dead" "Your words bare hope in the form of an exaggerated jest. But the question remains. What do we do now?" Erik wetted his lips and finished with a sigh "If my Castonians attack and the hostages die, we will be blamed for it. King Timothy''s hope of mending the relations between Castonia and Tulosa will crumble. If my Castonians retreat, we will look weak as if we abandoned the citizens. The same thing will happen. If we stay here and do nothing, we will run out of food" "So checkmate?" "No. There is a way" Erik said "But you won''t like it" "Let''s do it" Princess Emily said, her voice void of hesitation. "I just said you won''t like it. We can''t save the sixty-five hostages and it will make you look bad" "I don''t care" Came her cold unfaltered answer "The city and my citizens are at the mercy of a madman. A madman occupies the city and calls himself Grand Master. Let my reputation be ruined just drag that madman out!" Erik permitted a silence. He looked at the city. "Alright. Prepare for a march tonight" ******** Henry bit hard on the wood. Sweat formed on his face, forming channels in the smut. His face was red, his hands clenched tight. His leg was bound tight on the table. Five men held him down while an old bearded person extracted the arrowhead. Only forward would a barbed arrow move- and forward it did. The bearded man pushed the arrowhead deeper and caught the thing on another side of his thigh. Henry prayed while biting on the wood. He prayed that his leg veins wouldn''t be punctured. One look at the old bearded man''s shaky hands and he lost confidence that he would live. The arrowhead was extracted, metal falling to the wooden table. Blood oozed. The old man wrapped a piece of clothing around his leg. "Will he live?" Asked Captain Rain "The First Spear dying of a thigh wound? Can you name a more anticlimatic death?" Jested the old man. He jerked the clothing into a full bandage. Henry grunted. The wood he was biting fell from his mouth. His saliva trickled down. "Can he fight?" Asked Captain Rain, wiping royal guard armor smeared with blood. "In a month he will recover. He''s lucky the mail stopped most of the bolt''s punch" Captain Rain looked at Henry. "You really are the Omniscient''s pet. You were lucky that we found you" "Yes" Henry said, his breaths short "That was close. Thank you for holding the knights back for me. By the way Captain Rain, why are you still inside the city? King Brice has fled I heard" "Aye he fled" Captain Rain''s voice was heavy "He''s no King that man. A King doesn''t flee just like that. The crown on his head reduced the size of his balls. Some of my men remained to do what the King refused to" "So you abandoned him? You are the Captain of the Tulosan royal guards" Captain Rain produced a defeated smile. "I have heard that the Captain King Timothy''s royal guard is a big person. As tall as a tree and as powerful as thunder they describe him" "Abraham? Well yeah. He is indeed a head taller than most men and his arms are as thick as my legs" "I envy him" Captain Rain said "Abraham is his name huh? It must be good to serve and protect a monarch you believe in. His strength is for a great man, not wasted- never wasted. There you have it Henry. I did abandon King Brice. I quit. Me and my men quit" Henry looked around. They were a spent force, no more than thirty. More stood guard outside but he estimated their number to less than a hundred. "Are you sure the King''s cowardice is your reason?" Captain Rain shook his head. He looked at the other royal guards inside the room. "Leave me and Henry alone" The royal guards gave a stiff salute and exited the room. Captain Rain looked at him. "How is she?" "She is fine. She''s currently under the care of the Marquis of Castonia. Does she know?" "No. I saved her from the pain of knowing" The Captain sat by the bed "Thank you for keeping my little secret Henry" "Well you made me promise on knife point" Henry chuckled "But don''t worry I keep my promises. So what do you plan to do now?" "We will keep causing trouble for that madman Balian. Tonight we will attack and cause chaos in the barracks. A shame you can''t go with us in your state" "Be careful Captain. Balian is a tricky opponent" The Captain nodded. "I know. But my lads and I are prepared" ********** Henry was sitting outside the house that served as the royal guards'' hideout. The night was already deep. The moon, brightly showing in the dark sky, was beautiful. Henry looked up, feasting his eyes upon the beauty of the moon. He looked down again. He cannot enjoy the moon with an anxious heart. Captain Rain should have returned already. The royal guards have left just before sundown. They should have finished the deed by now. Or if the fighting lasted longer than expected, the city would have been roused. But it was silent- as silent as a peaceful night in the plains. The silence was loud, jarring and screaming to his face. The silence tugged his imagination into sorrowful possibilities. The silence was harsh, unyielding, unending. Silence was bane. Henry shifted the sword on his lap to the side. He pulled his leg into a better position. He made a grimace as the surging pain from his thigh erupted. Henry then heard clanking sounds. It was the clanking of armor. The wearers were running. He forgot the pain, jolted into a stand and eyed the darkness in front. From the darkness emerged the royal guards. They were bloody, some with injuries worse than him. Their weapons were broken. Theirs shields were tattered. Helms with crack and armors riddled with bolts, the royal guards manifested defeat. They made their way into the house. A few fell just before reaching the door- panting, some screaming in pain. They were fewer. "What happened?" "Ambush" said a royal guard. His arm had a bolt sticking out of it. His breastplate was splattered with blood, crest of the royal family bathed in grit. "And the Captain?" The royal guard looked up to him. For a moment Henry saw quivering eyes and sorrow. The royal guard looked down. "Captured" Henry clenched his hands, gripping the leather gloves hard. He couldn''t imagine what horrors will befall Catain Rain in the hands of Balian. Just then the blaring of horns was heard. Low was its sound but eerie was its message. Henry and the royal guards looked at the direction of the horn. "An attack" said one of the royal guards "The Castonians are attacking" Henry''s comprehension went beyond just knowing that Erik was attacking. Frantically he looked around. "The hostages on the wall! Let''s go" He grabbed his sword and limped towards the direction of the wall. He looked back. Disappointment hit him when he saw that the royal guards didn''t follow. "Those of you who can still fight, come with me" "But we don''t have a leader First Spear" "Oh but you do" Henry said. He repeated, a second time and more of a whisper to addressed to himself, "You do" ********** A few thousand men wore gambesons with mail on top. With left hands holding wooden kite shields and right having the spears, they looked like Tulosans. The banners they fly were also that of Tulosa- the sigil of the royal family presented to the front for all to see. But Erik knew they were not Tulosans. Hidden beneath the lowly mail coifs and gambesons were men of Castonia- disciplined and trained. Their enemies might expect poorly trained peasants levied from the neighboring fiefs. But these men were the opposite of poorly trained. Like all Castonians, steel was in their blood and strength was their word. Erik looked at the hostages on the wall. He felt rue that they will have die. He cannot save them. Erik just warmed himself in the fact that it was Princess Emily who decided to go through with this. He merely suggested. "You don''t need to give a command. You just have to stand there and act" Erik said to the Princess. With the flag of Tulosa in hand and armor covering her body, she was prepared. "I know" "Then shall we begin?" She was silent for a while. She then nodded. Erik raised his arm. He felt the cold night wind brush against the tip of his fingers. "Advance!" 183 Onto the Walls Henry''s armor was heavy. The strength of a single leg would struggle to support it. He was dragging his other leg and using the sword as a makeshift cane. It was grueling. It was painful. But he trudged. The royal guards followed. They were still smeared with blood. Bolts of arrows still protruded from their kite shields and armors. Injuries and cuts still dotted their bodies. But the defeated faces they wore were washed. Henry was too. Captain Rain was a good man- a trusty veteran loyal to his oath. He was a loss. But this was not the time to wallow in defeat. It was the time to take arms. "Half of you take the gate and open it to our allies. The others" Henry unsheathed his sword in sharp ring. "With me!" Henry limped his way to the top of the wall. The defenders were fixated on the approaching enemies that they failed to notice the few dozen of Henry''s lots. The first knight who tasted his steel''s kiss didn''t even saw his face. Henry stabbed him in the neck, red blood oozing like a river. He didn''t feel remorse. His conscience wasn''t even touched. These knights followed a madman. They were evil. And Henry- his job is to rid the world of people like them. His next opponent was more prepared. They wrestled in the stairs leading to the top of the wall. He pushed the knight to the side, helm hitting the stone wall with a splitting echo. Henry bashed his opponent again. He then grabbed the dagger on his waist and stabbed upward. The blade entered his opponent''s chin. Henry reached the top. The royal guards behind stormed the wall, stabbing the defenders with fury. Surprise was with them and the element had a fatal result for their opponents. Below the royal guards attacked the few guards at the gate. Armored or bare, knight or levy, they did not discriminate. They need to open the gate at all cost. Henry glanced towards the attacking force. The attackers formed a shield wall. Shields overlapped and spears pointed forward, they advanced. The last line of men were holding ladders. Henry noticed their equipment. Kite shields with spears, gambesons with mail- they were not Castonians. He looked at the banners that fly in the cold wind. The cloths were painted with the image of an armored horseman. Two of the horse''s feet were up in the air and the horseman was pointing its spear forward. In the background a stone tower can be seen. It was the flag of Tulosa. But when he saw the way they march- he knew it. They were Castonians dressed as Tulosans. The uniform heavy steps that approached like an unstoppable storm was the trademark of Castonian heavy infantry. The neat straight lines and the order in their ranks also confirmed Henry''s thoughts. Henry took a second to appreciate Erik. But he focused his mind towards his enemies on top of the wall. He must save the hostages. The royal guards were fighting the knights. Swords and spears met. The defeated swallowed death. He joined the fray, swinging his steel, angling it towards his enemies. He is First Spear, Henry thought, he must live up to the name. After a while the outnumbered knights broke. They ran. Some royal guards tried to pursue but Henry grabbed them all towards their true aim. The hostages were bound by ropes. About a dozen more knights were on their backs, ready to push them. It was an ironic scene- knights who were supposed to protect were the ones threatening the hostages. "Don''t move!" A knight shouted, his voice full of desperation. "Go back or we will kill them!" Henry held his sword. He eyed the Castonians. They were still a certain distance away. He needed to buy time. "Just go brother" He said in a calm tone, careful not to breed distrust "You know all is lost. You cannot stop them. Just retreat and leave the hostages. You cannot...." One of the knights pushed a wailing woman down the wall. The woman fell, hitting the hard ground below. Her bones were broken. Her body contorted in an ugly shape. Blood flowed from her body. She was dead. Everything stopped for a moment. Henry shook. His lips and eyes and cheeks quivered behind his helm. He looked at the knight who did the murder. Henry gripped his sword even harder. He screamed as he rushed forward. The royal guards followed. ********** Erik saw the moment a woman was pushed from the wall. She fell headfirst and hit the ground. His eyes were wide. He was in shock. Part of him was expecting that the knights inside the city wouldn''t do it- that it was just a ruse. But they did and a person just died. Even though it was the Princess who made the decision, he still had part in it. But no, he snapped inwardly. This was not the time to think whose hands were wet with the woman''s blood. He could worry about that later. He needs to act. Other hostages will die if they dally. "Order a charge" He said to his squire behind "Break formation and order a charge" "Sire breaking formation will..." "Shut your mouth and blow the damn horn!" Erik shouted. The squire was taken aback. He recovered after a while and forwarded Erik''s order to the horn blowers and the signal to charge was blared. ********** The Castonians were overlapping their shields in the front and above. The defenders loosed bolts but they were ineffective against the layers of shields. Emily was behind. Her guards held their shields to protect her. Bolts were raining and the shields of the royal guards looked like porcupines now. Under her armor was her flesh. Under her flesh were her organs. One instance. It would only take a single instance of a lucky shot and she would die. But she joined the assault. Foolish, yes. Careless, of course. But Emily wanted to be seen. She wanted to be known as the one who saved the city from Balian. She wanted to erase the smudge the King made on the royal family''s reputation by running away. She wanted the Tulosans to know that the royal family still functioned as the people''s refuge. A single thud was heard. She looked through the gap in the shields and saw the body of a woman lying on the ground. She felt a surge of guilt. The knights above might be the one who pushed the woman down, but it was her who gave the order to assault the city. Horns blared from behind- low, booming and strong. Three blasts reached her ears. The Castonians stopped as soon as the blasts echoed. A momentary silence prevailed. And then what followed was the sudden and uniform sound of Castonians arranging their their formation. The once tight turned into a loose formation. And then the Castonians charged. A deafening battle cry echoed from them. In full armor they charged towards the walls. The ones carrying the ladders rushed forward and set them up. The battering ram was carried towards the gate. It was chaos and order mixed. The Castonians acted in unison, each person knew his place. Emily had heard about the prowess of Castonian heavy infantry before. She had heard that Castonians are crazy enough to charge against cavalry instead of the other way around. Now she finally witnessed their skills. Open-mouthed she looked as the Castonians scaled the walls. The gate was raised. Emily saw royal guards from the other side waving their arms. Those holding battering rams dropped it and rushed inside. Emily looked around. The walls were as good as taken. ********** Several more hostages were dropped by the knights. Henry swung his sword. The royal guards behind had thinned. But he was not afraid. It was too late to be afraid. He permitted a glance towards the attackers. The Castonians had scaled the walls with ladders. Many were pouring through the open gates. The defenders were routing in mass. But the knights that hold the hostages were yet to retreat. Henry pushed on, bathing his white armor in blood. It was hard. His thigh was bleeding. He had small cuts all over his body. But he didn''t care. In the end the rest of the knights retreated, running like the cowards they are. The visor of Henry''s helm was cloudy with grit and blood. He struggled to catch his breath. The Castonians have taken the wall. The hostages were saved but about two dozen of them died. Henry knelt. He uttered a prayer to the Omniscient. He opened his heart and spoke with honesty. He pleaded for the end of this dismal affair. When he opened his eyes the rest of the Castonians, in real Castonian armor, have begun entering the city. Leading them was Erik. He also saw Princess Emily. Henry went down from the wall to meet them. The walls may have been taken, but the battle was far from over. 184 Mistakes Shirley''s head throbbed. It was dark. It was cold. She tried to move but noticed that her arms and feet were tied. She tried to shout but her mouth was gagged. She then remembered what happened. She was just cooking dinner when armed men dressed in cloaks burst through their thin wooden door. They were fast, dragging her and her mother out. Her small body was slung on one of the men''s shoulder. She struggled as hard as she could. Her mother was also dragged, her already soiled clothing further damaged. They were powerless. That was afternoon. Now it was evening. She felt the floor with her cheek. It was marble. She then looked around. The huge halls and towering columns confirmed one thing- she was in the headquarter of the knights. Shirley wiggled to one side. Her mother was also gagged and tied. She was still breathing- or at least Shirley hoped. A few steps from her mother was a man. His face was bloodied and swollen. A closer look and Shirley recognized the man to be Captain Rain of the royal guards. Shirley heard footsteps- fast, heavy and many. Down the white marble stairs came several men in armor. She didn''t bother counting. They were many and that''s what she knows. "They have breached the walls Grand Master. The Castonians are currently pouring inside" said one of the men. "And the city guards?" Asked a knight with a special armor. On top of his helm was a crown broken in two. The slit of the helm was narrow and the whole thing looked marvelous. "Most of them are fleeing sire" "Damn them. The bribes we paid meant nothing at all" Said the senior knight. He leaned against one of the columns "The militia?" "They..." the junior knight struggled to continue. "They?" "They joined Princess Emily and the Castonians. The militia are currently fighting against our forces" The senior knight slammed his fist against the column. "Damn it all! I was hoping we could hold the city until the Calgarians and our noble allies arrive. And Lutan..." he paused "Damn them. Once the news spread that Castonia and Vanadis are joining this mess, they retreated like the cowards that they are" "We should escape Grand Master" "That''s the plan, yes. Order the third Century of knights to cause some trouble in the ghetto. Make it big and make it loud" he then looked at Shirley "And bring these people with us. Are you sure they are Henry''s family?" "Yes and we should just slit their throats. They are heavy baggage sire" The man went to Shirley. He knelt to match her. He grabbed Shirley''s chin. She just shut her eyes. "Yes, the resemblance is there. She looks like First Spear" He rose and went to Captain Rain. He pulled the Captain''s head up by the hair. Captain Rain grunted lowly, mixture of saliva and blood drolled from his mouth. "We should bring them with us. I need the Captain in case the Princess comes after me and I need these two for Henry" He rose, patting his hands together. A few knights then carried Shirley, her mother and Captain Rain. Outside the headquarter a few knights were waiting beside some carts. "Is everything ready?" asked Balian. "Two caches left sire" one of the armored knights answered. "Leave it" Balian said. He pulled the cloth that covered the top of one of the carts. Shirley saw gold coins heaped in the cart. They were shining. The knights nodded. Shirley was put on another cart next to the one that have the gold. Her mother and Captain Rain were beside her. After a while they started to move. ********** "Erik!" Henry called. The Marquis was on top of his horse-directing his men. Henry went closer, raising his arm as high as he could. "Marquis Erik!" Erik looked at him. He dismounted from his horse and approached Henry. They both held each other''s arm. "They told me you''re dead" Erik eyed the the blood that trickled from his thigh "Never mind that. Let''s get you on a horse" A horse was brought and Henry was propped on top. His own knights followed him from behind. "We will secure the city Henry. You should go and cut off the head of the snake. Go to the Headquarter directly. Find him" Henry provided a single nod. It might be curt but they were running out of time. "I''ll be seeing you after this Marquis" Henry pulled the reins. His horse''s hooves ticked against the cobbled road. Several separated pockets of enemies tried to stop them but couldn''t. Henry''s force demolished them in one go. It was chaos everywhere. Civilians were running around. Some of the city guards and Balian''s knights were still resisting against them and the militia. A lone rider then went to meet Henry and his men. The rider was one of Erik''s scouts. "Report" Henry demanded. Scout reports during battles are common so he didn''t give the scout too much attention. "About a hundred knights are attacking the ghetto sire" With a sudden pull, Henry''s horse stopped. His knights also stopped. Henry''s face had a deep frown. "Change course. We will go to the ghetto first" "Prefect, the Marquis'' strict order is to go directly to the headquarter" said Centurion Stan. "I know" Henry breathed heavily behind his battered helm "But by the time the Castonians reach the gheto, many would have died already. You can go if you want but I shall protect the people of the gheto first" Henry angled his horse to the left and made a turn towards the ghetto. The sound of hooves from behind confirmed that the knights followed him. After reaching the portion of the city set aside for the believers of the Great Rider, Henry and his knights dismounted. They held their shields interlocked. The mayhem earlier had stopped but the dead bodies littered around provided evidence. It was silent all around as if all the civilians in the ghetto had run away. Out of nowhere several of Balian''s knights attacked them. Henry held his shield with strength. He accepted the strong blow of a mace from a knight. His shield cracked, almost splitting in half. Henry retaliated by slamming the boss of the shield. His opponent lost balance and Henry saw a beautiful opportunity. He took his dagger from his side and stabbed. He knew where all the weakness of a knight''s armor is located. His blade went into his opponent''s side, just below the armpit. The knight staggered and fell. A few heavy breaths and the knight closed his eyes. The surprise attack of Balian''s knights failed. Several dozen of Balian''s knights lie dead in the ghetto. A few of Henry''s own knights were injured but none of them died. And although many people in the ghetto are dead and injured, the situation was better than what he expected. All of a sudden a rider approached- another one of Erik''s scouts. The man dismounted. "Prefect Henry" called the scout. Henry''s eyebrows crossed. The scout was panting. "What is it?" The scout looked at him and then lowered his head. "I report bad news" ********* The battle finished just after dawn broke in the horizon. They have won against Master Balian with minimal casualties. It was a great victory. The people of Bivon were cheering in the streets for both Princess Emily and the Castonians. The efforts of the honorable Knight Henry was also being sung. But both the faces of Henry and Princess Emily were not slates of happiness. They wore deep frowns while sitting around the table in the great hall of the palace of Bivon. "You should have went straight back to us after speaking with him" Princess Emily said. Her tone was unfriendly. Henry would have just let this pass but he was not in a friendly mood after hearing that Balian escaped with the gold of the knights and, according to scouts, three hostages. After rushing back to his family''s home, he confirmed that the hostages were his mother and Shirley. Henry cannot focus. He feared for them. If Erik didn''t give him strict orders to remain, he would have already chased after Balian. "I didn''t think that Balian was capable of doing what he did. He is a knight. I trusted his oath" "And you are foolish for doing so. You should have seen his intents" "I am a warrior. I am not versed in reading intents" "That''s why you will only be a warrior. First Spear they call you, legendary name. Who would have known that First Spear can be tricked so easily" "I made a mistake" Henry admitted, too exhausted to argue. "Yes you did" The Princess pressed on "You made too many mistakes Henry. Look where your mistakes led us. You injured your thigh, your family was taken hostage and Rain was captured!" "Captain Rain''s capture is not my fault. Do not blame me for that Emily!" "Oh but you let them go" "They were attacking the ghetto. My honor as a knight cannot stand not to help them" "Your honor as a knight doomed this war to continue longer" "I miscalculated" "Well if you didn''t miscalculate then we could have recovered Captain Rain and your family" Henry gripped the edge of the table with his hand. "Like what I said, I made a mistake. I''m sorry. Why are you so upset that Captain Rain got captured anyway? I should be more upset than you" Princess Emily looked at him. Henry lost his annoyance after seeing her wet and red eyes. "You have the audacity to ask me that Henry? You know why!" Henry opened his mouth. He slumped and looked down. He nodded. "You know. You already know" "I''m not stupid" She looked away "I have always known. The two of you... no, all of you have been trying to hide it from me but I already know. You think I don''t remember but I do" "So you do" Henry nodded "What will you do now?" "I will take what remains of my guards to rescue him of course. I will do everything in my..." Henry then heard heavy footsteps. The Princess heard it too. Both of them looked to the side. Erik was looking at them with a terrifying expression. "I heard it" He eyed the Princess "I have always noticed something off about you. I thought it only involves the King but it seems that it goes deeper than that. Tell me everything oh my dear ally" "It is a personal thing Marquis Erik..." "You think I care? Your personal secrets are yours to keep Princess. Yours! But now it involves you taking your men in some rescue mission. I marched here with my Castonians to help you. We marched here to provide you ease with your civil war. And now I just discovered that you have other priorities. I couldn''t care less about your secrets but your decisions are already affecting my men! Tell me or I will pull my men out of Tulosa and leave you to deal with this mess yourself. I cannot ally myself with someone who keeps important information" Princess Emily shivered under Erik''s scolding. She looked at Henry as if asking for help. Henry cleared his throat. "Calm down.." "Shut it Henry. She''s the one I''m talking to. And I''m not done with you yet. You disobeyed my direct orders" Erik continued his glare towards the Princess "Spill it now or before midday you''ll find my Castonians out of Bivon" The Princess avoided Erik''s eyes. She bit her lips. "I will tell you. But first you need to know what happened during the last civil war of Tulosa sixteen years ago..." 185 Emily The Princess led Erik to the hall of the palace. Henry walked behind them. She stopped and turned towards a painting on the wall. The painting was large- as tall as two full grown men and as wide as the length of a steed. Colorful dyes were used but the prevalence of red was noticeable. The painting was a depiction of the Battle of Uruk Plains, one of the first battles of the Tulosan Civil war sixteen years ago. "Twelve thousand men lost their lives in this battle" The Princess said with hands tugged behind and chin raised. "As a child I would always look at this painting. They say my father, King Brice the bold, won the Battle of Uruk Plains against the royal army of the old royal family. They say that King Brice, or Earl Brice as what he was known then, implored his men to hold the line against the charge of the royal cavalry. They say it was glorious. But every time I look up on this painting, all I see is blood. All I see is a violent period in the history of Tulosa. There is no glory in it. There is no beauty. War would always be ugly no matter how much the paintings glorify them" "Nobody in their right mind wants war Princess. Only fools and madmen wanted violence. I do believe that human hands are crafted not to hold spears and swords but to grasp bouquets of flowers" "And yet there are more armories and smithies than flower shops. You Castonians are lucky that your civil war lasted mere months. We, the new generation of Tulosans, grew up in a divided land" "Your father brought an end to the civil war" "A better way of phrasing it I believe is that King Brice outlived the other claimants to the throne. Five families warred for years just for a seat" "A throne is not just a seat Princess" "A throne is worse than a seat. A normal seat at least wouldn''t make people spill barrels of blood" Erik went closer. He felt the painting with the tip of his fingers. "Talk Princess. I want to hear it" "I am not King Brice''s daughter" Princess Emily started "My parents are serfs. My father was a farmer in Brice''s fief. My mother was a beauty. Some say that she was a bastard of some noble. It doesn''t matter. Her beauty was her curse. My father and my mother loved each other. Their love bore them a daughter, me. When the civil war broke out, my father was enlisted as a soldier and sent to battle. He was one of the nameless and faceless soldiers who fought for Earl Brice. My mother and I were left alone. Unfortunately, Earl Brice noticed us" "And he did what evil nobles would often do to their serfs" Erik guessed, forming a deep frown. "I was there when it happened. I was forced to watch the thing. It was horrifying" Princess Emily closed her eyes "I want to forget it. I want to but the scene is still clear to me until this day. Sometimes I have nightmares. She was my mother. I loved her and that monster did that to her. In the end she died. Brice then took me in as his daughter. He and his wife don''t have a child. If he is to become a King, he also needed to show the people that he has an heir. It so happens that me and that monster looks alike. The official story is that I am his niece and he adopted me as his daughter. They killed my mother and used me to cement their claim to the throne. All my childhood was spent inside the four corners of my room. I only got to meet people on special gatherings" Princess Emily stepped back from the painting. "One day King Brice admitted a new guard. They say that the new guard is a hardy veteran. His name is Rain. But when I saw his face, I recognized him. He thinks I don''t recognize him but I do. He is my father. How could I forget? For the first time in years I had hope. My father is now close to that monster Brice. I hoped that he would avenge me and my mother. I waited for a scream in the night. But it didn''t come. My father remained subservient to the monster. Can you imagine a worse joke? He is serving the man that killed his wife and took his daughter. He is a coward" "And what did you do?" "I realized that there is no one in the world you can trust other than your own self. If you want something, you need to act. So I acted. The first ally that I made was my mentor. He taught me how to read and write. He also taught me how to gain power. Little by little, through gatherings and social events, I made allies. I was good at it. I was good at gathering those who hate King Brice. My power grew. The monster and his wife didn''t even see me as a threat even after I truly became one. To them I would always be that meek child they took from a serf woman. They were wrong. They couldn''t see it but everything was ready for a coup. I was prepared to usurp him. But there is one thing that is in the way" "The people" Erik said. "Yes. With another civil war in the horizon with the knights, I postponed the coup. My people cannot suffer both a civil war and a violent change of regime. I sacrificed my chance for revenge for my people" "And Captain Rain?" "He is a coward" Princess Emily said stiffly "Although he obeys my orders, I don''t care about him. He can support that monster Brice if he wants to and be destroyed with him" "Is that what you really feel Princess? You say that but you are sending your men to retrieve him" The Princess'' face flushed surprise for a while. She looked down. "No, I am just grateful to him. He is still my blood. Also Tulosa needs his leadership. It would be a shame to lose..." "Just stop it. You care. You still do. Anything else to add?" asked Erik. She was silent but nodded after a while. "Now you know my personal secret Marquis Erik. You know that I don''t have noble blood, the Captain of the royal guards is my father and I am planning a coup against King Brice, I have a request" The Princess again looked at the painting "I''ve heard rumors about the circumstances of King Timothy''s birth. The truth of it doesn''t matter. You Castonians would follow King Timothy even if the rumors are true. I, on the other hand, will face rebellion left and right if word of this gets out. I believe our friendship merits your silence regarding this topic" "I do not own my silence Princess. Even my silence is not for me to decide. I need to report this to my King and to my Queen" "Loyalty huh?" The Princess produced a smile "Loyalty and Friendship. It must be good to have a subordinate like you. But now that you know the truth, the terrible truth that could ruin me, aren''t you afraid that you''ll find a knife stuck on your back if you don''t remain silent?" Erik leaned closer to her. He stared directly into her eyes. He heard Henry flinch from behind "Are you sure you want to drop threats against me Princess?" She maintained an unfaltering look but Erik knew that she was close to breaking. She is young, he thought. She was unfortunate enough to carry the burden of taking care of the Tulosans and at the same time dealing with her personal problems. It must be hard. "I will tell them about this Princess Emily. Castonia will interfere" Erik said, calm voice but steely stare "And maybe this is for the best" "For the best?" "If you think your coup will succeed, then you are a fool. How many nobles are on your side?" "Enough" she said in a low voice. "Enough is not enough. You must be certain of success. You need allies. You need Castonia" "You will help me fight against King Brice? I thought you came here to remain neutral and just protect the people" "That was the plan, yes. That was what the King and the Queen commanded me to do. But I have seen that just being neutral would drag this conflict longer. We want you to be stable and a friend to Castonia as soon as possible so we will help hasten the process. In exchange, after Tulosa is pacified you will become our ally and help us fight against our enemies. You will send soldiers to attack Calgari, Wismar, Canton, Hadea, and Inkit" "Done. We have a deal Marquis Erik" Erik smiled. He shook his head. "Don''t cheer yet. I first need to get King Timothy''s permission. I have two propositons. First I will propose that Castonia will support your claim to the throne and second I will propose that..." Erik looked at Henry. "Castonia will support Henry to become the next Grand Master" 186 Rules and Morals Dressed in a shiny green silk robe, the orator stood on top of the stage. He tilted his head a little to the left and bent his back a bit to the right. He positioned his two hands as if he was cradling a newborn. Palms open and angled eyebrows, he let the first words flow. "Good People of Bivon! Oh what a great day we have. The sun is shining like the glistening hope inside our hearts. Once that hope was dimmed, now it rises again like a full moon after its absence. I am here because just this morning I had a realization and I want to share it to you! I realized that Princess Emily is a gift from God. I saw her lead the the first wave of assault to rescue us. She was fearless because she cares!" The orator paused to let the audience make their nods of agreement. Sure enough, they did. Several hundred paused from their work just to listen to him. "Because of her attack, many of the hostages died!" Said a man in the back. The fellow wore a smug face and had his arms crossed. The orator cursed the man silently. People like this fool were making his job more difficult. The orator shifted to the right, carefully muffling the sound of coins inside the pockets of his robe. "A sad tale friend. Such a sad tale. But Princess Emily was forced by the evil knight Balian to attack. Her heart is bleeding because of the deaths" "Oi! Bleeding heart? The only bleeding part of her is her arse! She is a Castonian pet. You people should ignore this old fool. He was paid by the Princess to fill your heads with propaganda" The orator smiled. Deep inside he was burning with anger. He looked towards the hooded men in the corner and gave a single nod. "She is a wench" Continued the fool "I tell you, she is selling our nation to the Castonians. She is..." The hooded men cupped the fool''s wide mouth and dragged him away. They were silent, fast and the commotion they caused was minimal. The orator gulped after seeing the skills of the hooded men. The Princess sure has some scary people employed. Some of the audience looked behind but the orator quickly grabbed their attention. "Princess Emily is an angel! She saved us. She saved this city. Oh what a great day. How lucky we are to be her subjects. Of only King Brice is the same but King Brice fled the city and left us. It was a shameful act for a monarch to leave his citizens behind!" The audience looked at each other. They looked convinced. The orator pushed his advantage. "I hope that one day Princess Emily would take the crown for herself. She is the Queen that we need. She, Grand Master Henry and the Castonians are our saviors!" ********** Henry scrubbed the back of his steed. The horse neighed lowly, satisfied with Henry''s care. As a Prefect, maintaining horses is not his responsibility. Even a normal knight doesn''t have to groom his own steed. There were stable boys employed to do the deed. But Grand Master Nelson taught him that the best knights are those that have a connection with their mounts. The horse and the rider needed to be of one mind. So Henry would often spend time with his horse to make this connection. "Grand Master" Stan said from behind him. The low voice was unmistakable. "The Grand Master cannot hear you Centurion Stan" Henry dipped the brush in the bucket of water. Fleas, horse hair and other stinks clouded the liquid "He''s dead. We are yet to elect a new Grand Master" "Our brothers and I consider you as the Grand Master" Henry continued brushing the back of his horse. "You shouldn''t. It is sacrilege. I am a Prefect. I need to be hailed as a Master first. After that I need to have the majority of the votes. And after that a ceremony is required to formally announce my position. Now you are telling me that I could skip these three steps and just leap to the highest position of the Order of Knights?" "Rules change Grand Master" "Not in the Omniscient''s eyes" "I hope you change your mind Grand Master. We need you" "You need repentance for your sin. I am not and I will not become the Grand Master. Let''s not breathe further life into this topic Centurion Stan. Why are you here?" "Marquis Erik wants to see you" Henry put the brush down. He patted the back of his horse as a farewell. "Of course he does" Henry said as he walked outside. When he reached the grand hall of the palace he saw Erik reading a book wrapped in white leather. The inscriptions outside were of gold dust. "Interesting" Erik said, flipping through the pages "You have laws and rules and philosophy for almost everything. Nice book, although the wording could be better. There are words as deep as a Vanadian''s pocket and as difficult to understand as a Castonian''s temper" "The book of knights is inspired by Omniscient himself. The First Grand Master wrote it but the words belong to the Omniscient" Henry said. "So the Omniscient, with his omniscience, made some grammatical and spelling errors while inspiring the first Grand Master to write the Book of the Knights" "The scribbler''s error Marquis Erik. The Omniscient''s knowledge is supreme" "Fine" Erik closed the book and took a letter from his pocket. He gave it to Henry. The letter had a broken golden seal. It was the personal seal of King Timothy. "They agreed to change Castonia''s stance in this war. We will support the claim of Princess Emily on grounds that King Brice abandoned his responsibilities. It is a weak claim I know but even weak claims become strong when backed by Castonian steel. The people of Bivon also view her as their savior so she has support. You should address her as Her Majesty now. As for you, the King and the Queen also approved. Castonia will support your claim as the Grand Master" "There''s nothing to support Erik. I don''t have a claim and even if I have, Castonia''s support means nothing. The position of Grand Master is..." "Elected, yes" Erik interrupted "I know. I have read the portion in your book and it is specified that Grand Masters need to be elected from the current Masters. But these are different times Henry. We need to bend the rules a little" "Not the rules of the Omniscient. God is absolute. If the Omniscient says that a Grand Master should be elected, then we mortals cannot just put someone..." Erik slammed his balled fist on the table. Henry was jarred. "Listen here you stiff-headed idiot!" Erik shouted, his eyes quivering in anger. Erik looked to the side. "Squire! Map!" In just a moment, Erik''s squire came running towards them and laid the map on the table. Erik traced his finger on the map. "King Brice and the fanatic Master Tobias made an alliance. They control Vuono and Murt. The sly Master Balian fled to the west, dragging your mother, your sister and Captain Rain with him. Our scouts reported that the Calgarians are sending men to support his claim. We, on the other hand, control Bivon. King Brice, Master Balian and Master Tobias are all not qualified to lead Tulosa. Only you and Princess Emily care about your people and that is the reason why Castonia chose you. This war will last long and thousands will die Henry. Thousands of children will be orphaned. Thousands of wives will be widowed. So do me a favor and just accept the role! You can be an instrument to end this suffering but you would rather follow the old words written in this book full of grammatical errors!" Henry lowered his head in shame. It was not that he doesn''t know that. Neither between Master Balian and Master Tobias is qualified to become the next Grand Master. But he doesn''t want to disobey God''s command. "I will think about it" Henry said, biting his lips "You better think it fast Henry. By the way, she is coming here" "Who?" "Freya" Henry''s brows creased "Why? It''s too dangerous. Who is with her?" "Now that Castonia supports Queen Emily, we need ambassadors and a diplomatic party. Freya was chosen as one. Also new supplies are coming from Solon" "Erik" Henry went closer "She is in danger. King Brice and Master Tobias could attack her party. I know we have our differences and I know that your strict orders is for me to stay here. But please, I beg you, let me out of the city. Send me to guard her and the supplies" Erik sighed "You talk as if I am an evil jailer. Who do you think I and Timothy are? We grew up with Freya. She is our dear friend. Of course we will make sure that she will not be harmed on her way to Bivon. One of the reasons why I called you here is to order you to meet and guide Freya on her way here. A romantic reunion is not bad right? Take all your knights and half of my cavalry. You leave at once" "Thank you. I will be going" Henry saluted and turned around. He walked towards the door. "Henry" Erik called. Henry looked behind. "The position of Grand Master" Erik said "Think it over. You are a good man. I know you will make the right decision" 187 The Fanatic City of Murt, Tulosa Tobias'' body was shaking. His hair was unkempt. His beard was messy. He laughed. He reached his hand towards the ceiling. His eyes were quivering inside their sockets. Mouth agape, he laughed. Tobias rose from his bed, his laugh unceasing. Suddenly he knelt. His knees slammed towards the tiled floor of the room. It was a good day. It was a great day. Oh the Omniscient loves him! The door creaked. Tobias snapped from his trance. "Sire" Tobias'' squire called. The lad was carrying a platter of food. Tobias crawled towards his squire. His white robe was being dragged. He grabbed the squire''s feet. "Jason. Oh Jason! He called me again. Last night! Oh yes. Last night Jason. I spoke with God. I spoke with the Omniscient again" Tobias looked up to the squire "He said that he is proud of me. He said that I am his chosen prophet. He said that...." tears of joy dropped from Tobias'' eyes. He uttered unintelligible grunts "The Omniscient called me his prophet! I am his light in this waning world. I am so happy" Jason knelt. The platter of food was set aside. "You are sire" Jason''s calming voice said "You are the chosen one. The Omniscient chose you as his personal servant. You need to prove your loyalty to him" "Oh yes! I will. I will prove myself. I am loyal to the Omniscient. I will do anything for him. My faith is absolute!" "Now is actually the perfect time to show your faith sire. News just arrived" Jason shook his head "It is a terrible news" "What happened?" "Henry sire. He came back to Bivon with twenty thousand Castonians and Princess Emily. They took the city from Balian the evil" "That is good. He took Bivon for me. Henry saw the light of God and followed it" "That should have been the case sire. But no, evil again prevailed. The Castonians proclaimed Henry as the Grand Master" "Henry!" Tobias cried, shrill was his voice and long was his shout. "Oh Henry has fallen to the evils of this world. He is lost. This is a dark day" Tobias then chuckled under his breath. His shoulders shook "We should kill him. We should sacrifice his corpse to the Omniscient as gift. The Omniscient demands a sacrifice of infidels" "It will come sire, it will come. We will make a great sacrifice to the Omniscient to thank him for his goodness. But first we need to deal with the Castonians. I''ve heard a Castonian diplomatic party is on their way to Bivon. We should greet them ourselves" Tobias smiled widely "You are right. We will introduce them to the glory of God" ********** Dust flung behind them. Numerous hoof marks dotted the sand of the Deadland Plains. Henry''s armor was hot under the sun. Although seldom gusts of wind would bring respite, he was sweating under his helm. But all of this hardship will soon end, he thought. They have been riding for days but the scouts finally spotted the diplomatic party about an hour ago. Now he could see the Castonian flag fluttering about a thousand steps away. The one at the front was a woman. She was flanked by several other nobles. Henry halted his mount in front of her and slid off his horse. Before he could turn towards her, Freya ran to him. A warm embrace under the already searing afternoon sun followed. "I''m all sweaty and dusty. I probably don''t smell nice" She rubbed her cheeks against his breastplate "It''s alright but you''ve grown thin. Are you eating well? Have you been sick? Is Erik giving you troubles?" He missed her. It had only been two weeks but he had missed her. Henry put his palm on her face. "I am well. You, on the other hand... Freya you shouldn''t have come here" "It is my duty Henry" Freya smiled. She gestured towards the people to her back "By the way these are my peers. The monarchs have decided to give Tulosa the treatment of a close ally. We will propose to have the whole bunch- military pact, military access, alliance, trade agreement, free use of ports- not that Tulosa has a navy, and probably royal marriage ties" Henry walked towards the nobles. They were dressed nicely despite being dusty from the journey. "A pleasure to meet you and welcome to Tulosa. I hope your presence here will strengthen the bonds between our two nations" "We have heard about you Grand Master Henry and we are honored to meet the First Spear. May your guidance lead the order of the knights into peace and prosperity" said one of the nobles, a lanky aged man with a short beard. Henry''s smile stiffed on his face. "You are mistaken. I am not..." Freya tugged his arm and went between him and the nobles. "I apologize for butting in but I think we should set camp. Although the sun''s wrath is still raging, it''s close to sundown if I''m not mistaken. What do you think Grand Master Henry?" Freya emphasized the last few words and smiled. Henry sighed, firm and reserved. He looked behind where his knights and Erik''s cavalry were waiting. "Set camp. Double the scouts and the guards. I want eyes within a two-league radius" The knights saluted. Most of them dismounted while the others went to scout. Henry was dragged by Freya away from the nobles. "So the news of the sacrilege they are forcing on me has spread" Henry said, not a question as he already know the answer. Freya let a momentary silence prevail. Fading sun on top and sandy soil below, she leaned closer to him. "It has spread as far as Anthapis. It is currently being sung in the taverns and being preached in the streets. Lucia saw it as a great propaganda- a knight who took matters into his own hands to free his people from the tyranny of war" "I have never been the smart one like Marquis Erik and I have never been sly. I was and am, a straightforward person. I fight, that is my gift. And I serve, as that is my responsibility. I am a knight, not an instrument for politics. You know that I am against it. " "For now" Freya intertwined her small hands with his under his gauntlet "I do know you enough to know that you''ll be against it. But soon you will change your mind" "My faith to the Omniscient will never change" "I know. But I still believe in you" They reached the rear of the travelling party. Dozens of wagons were lined and protected by armed guards. Freya took him to one of the wagons. "Take off you armor and clothes" She turned her head towards him. A small smile was on her face "Take it off or I''ll do it myself" "May I ask why?" Henry inquired but he was already removing the straps of his breastplate. Freya bent and rummaged through the scattered items in the wagon. She produced some clean folded clothes. "Now that you are known as the new Grand Master, you need to be seen as one. Dusty armor and dirty clothes don''t match your status anymore. And I just want you to be comfortable" Henry took the clothes. He felt warm knowing that there is someone who cares about him. "I also brought your favorites" Freya continued to rummage through the pile of things "I have salted and dried Bison meat and that bread you''ve been buying from you favorite baker although it seems moldy now. I also borrowed Earl Mathias'' cook, you know that one who makes godly broths. You need to eat. Your face is thinner and paler. Also I have seen your crooked steps. You were injured right? Let me dress your wound anew later tonight after dinner. Now than I''m here, you''ll be in good hands" Henry took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. He is lucky to have her. She is the Omniscient''s greatest gift to him. "Thank you" "Oh don''t be like that. You are..." Freya was interrupted by a knight riding towards them. The knight dismounted and saluted to Henry. "We have spotted enemies Grand Master. We think it''s the pretender Tobias and King Brice" "How many?" Henry severed his embrace and fastened his breastplate again. "At least a few thousand. They are near. And.... I have seen the Punishers with them" Henry shook his head. He looked at Freya. He needed her to be safe. "Erect spikes around the camp. Have the Castonians on foot and the knights on mount. Have Centurion Stan spread the caltrops. We will make a stand here. Protect the diplomatic party at all cost" "Henry" Freya grabbed his arm "I need to tell you something. Some of the wagons... they contain dangerous things" She looked up to him "Hellfire. We have been transporting Vanadian Hellfire" 188 Sand and Fire The soldier was sweaty under his gambeson coif. The short spear was slipping from his right hand. His boots were filled with the fine sandy soil. He and his comrades were marching towards the enemies. Side by side with spears and shields overlapped, the formation stood strong. But the soldier knew that a formation is only as strong as the will of the men in it. "Are we going to die tonight?" Asked the young lad beside him in a quivering voice. Just like him, the lad had a gambeson coif, a short spear, a shield and gambeson armor. Marked on their chests was the coat of arms of King Brice. "The Omniscient favors the righteous" the soldier made an attempt to quell the lad''s fear. "Aye" voiced a man from behind "But attacking diplomatic convoys is not righteous, is it? Also the enemies have the famous First Spear as their leader" "And Castonians. Damn, armored and angry Castonians. We will be dead men before dawn" said another. "We are the King''s men lads" The soldier pushed on although the thought of facing First Spear and armored Castonians terrified him "God is with us. Grand Master Tobias is with us" "Grand Master Tobias? The cuckoo? I''ve heard he''s gone mad" "Hush brother" The soldier reprimanded. He looked around "The Punishers might hear you" "I just wanna see me Mum again" said the young lad beside. "We all wanna live boy. But we ain''t gonna live by whining. Just hold your spear and point it towards the enemies" Horses sounded from behind. Their trots were heavy and powerful. A few hundred horsemen went past their Century. They were knights- a special breed of knights. Their capes were black as night. Their helms were angled and crooked. The armor of their steeds have thorns. And their eyes... as one of them glanced at him, he saw the knight''s eyes. They were filled with fanatical fervor. They were crazed. "Punishers" Said the lad beside, his voice was low and his posture bending "They look terrifying" "Trust me lad, their acts are more terrifying than their looks" Said the wide-mouthed person from behind "I''ve seen them execute a serf just for praying to the Great Rider in public" "Fanatics. Damn them" "Hush!" The soldier reprimanded again. "If you want to live, shut your mouths. One wrong word in their presence and we will all lose our heads" Luckily the Punishers didn''t mind them. The soldier heaved a sigh and looked forward. The enemies were positioned on top of a hill. He and the few thousand recruits needed to fight Castonians while climbing the hill. It would be bloody. Distant cries, neighs and clash of steel confirmed that the battle had started. In a few moments, bloodied and broken horsemen came retreating towards them. They were not the Punishers but King Brice''s cavalry. Some of the horses were limping. The soldier just gulped and steeled his heart. His comrades were visibly shaken by the sight. Finally they reached the foot of the hill. The Centurion ordered a slow and steady march- keeping the formation intact was the goal. Their Century and the others made the ascend. It was slow. The loose sand in the hill disrupted the integrity of the formation. The soldier looked up. It should be the perfect time for the Castonians to make their attack. But there was only silence in the enemies'' side. The darkness elevated his fear. He knew the Castonians to be masters of land warfare. They wouldn''t waste a precious moment like this. And then there were lights- no, flames would be a better word. Hundreds flaming pots came rolling down the hill. The first of the flaming pots then hit the front line. They exploded. The pots exploded after slamming against their shields. It wasn''t a powerful explosion but the pots broke and spread its sticky flaming contents onto the front line. Night turned into day. It was so bright that the soldier was blinded for a few moments. The burning gel-like substance stuck to armor. It was hot. Screams of burning men echoed in the Deadland Plains. The sand below turned into a carpet of fire. The soldier was lucky enough to escape the flames. He was lucky to be positioned near the rear. The lad beside him was cowering under his shield. The formation was broken. The officers were trying to rally everyone. Some Centuries were successful, some were truly broken. And then the soldier heard uniform steps from behind. His sweat turned cold upon realizing that only Castonian heavy infantry''s march could make that sound. And sure enough, the Castonians attacked them from behind. The Castonians'' long halberds could cut through gambeson with ease. Chaos reigned. The soldier didn''t bother fighting after making one look at the Castonians. He grabbed the young lad and ran. They were not alone in their cowardice. The whole formation rotted. It was a full rout. Those fools who stayed were butchered. They had lost. "Help me find the King''s banner" "The King would execute us for running away" reasoned the young lad. "He won''t" The soldier looked behind. They numbered in the thousands earlier. Now they were scattered. All the infantry had lost morale. "He cannot execute what little army he have left. It would be better than getting lost in the desert anyway" The young lad stayed silent. After a while they saw the King''s banner and ran towards it. Many people had the same idea. The King''s banner became a meeting point of those who ran. The soldier slumped in the sand. He was breathing heavily. The young lad was also lying in the sand. It was a horrible night. The King was on top of his horse. His old wrinkly face was further wrinkled with a frown. "Cowards! All of you are cowards!" The King dismounted and went to him. He was unlucky enough to catch the King''s eyes. King Brice yanked his collar. "What happened!?" "Fire sir! And Castonians!" "Fire and...." Several horsemen approached. Their knight armors were bloody. The soldier immediately recognized the angled and crooked helms. The one at the front wore a white robe. "Oh the devils play cruel games. Henry has sold his soul. Look at the flames they used. Henry is lost" "This is your fault Tobias!" King Brice let go of his collar and sneered "I told you to wait for reinforcements but you wanted to attack them immediately!" "The Omniscient demands a quick resolution to the infidels'' transgression Your Majesty. Divine judgement cannot wait" "Aye and I cannot wait to break your nose either!" King Brice rose and trudged towards Grand Master Tobias. The Punishers drew their swords and threatened the King. King Brice looked behind towards them. "Fools! Your King has a sword pointed towards his neck. Are you just going to sit there and watch?" The soldier knew it was his duty to protect the King. But he was too tired. Having his collar yanked earlier also didn''t help. He just watched. The others also didn''t act. "Don''t tell me you are losing your faith Your Majesty. I will ask you again, whose fault is this?" Tobias asked with a smile. King Brice gave a friendly but nervous chuckle "It was Hellfire Grand Master. The Castonians and Henry deal with the works of evil. The caltrops and spikes were also works of cowards. It was nobody''s fault. We fought bravely but lost because of their trickery. I didn''t mean to blame you Grand Master" Grand Master Tobias smiled. "Oh I was afraid for a second that you''ve lost your faith King Brice. I''m glad you are still in the light. Now we have lost. It is not our fault. But our defeat only means one thing. The Omniscient demands sacrifice" The soldier''s eyes bulged. He couldn''t believe what he heard. The others and King Brice were also the same. He had heard about how pagan tribes to the west would make sacrifices to their God. But the Omniscient was different. The Omniscient demands only faith and kindness unto others. It was barbaric to even think about such a thing. And now the Grand Master himself is proposing it. The soldier''s body shook beneath his clothes. He realized that he was fighting on the wrong side. Lunatics and cowards- that''s who these men are. He wanted to get out of here. The Grand Master gestured and several chained men in armor were brought to them. From their armor, the soldier guessed they were knights. "Luckily" Grand Master Tobias said, grinning "We have captured some heretics. These knights supported the evils of Henry. That makes them evil. Isn''t that right Centurion Stan?" One of the captured knights spitted towards the Grand Master''s boots. "You are a disgrace! I am ashamed knowing that I squired for you once" The lunatic held the knight''s face "Oh don''t be hostile boy. You should repent for your sins. Don''t worry. I shall cleanse you of your darkness" The Grand Master turned towards King Brice. "Now let''s go back to Vuono and praise the Omniscient. We shall make an offering to gain his support for the wars to come" he smiled, sinister and crazed. "For he is good" 189 Fire and Brimstone The dawning sun rose. The chaos of last night still had its evidence scattered around the hill. Henry surveyed the field. Flames were still burning, scattered like little flickers in the vast sand. Broken pieces of wood and the fragmented pieces of clay pots were everywhere. "How many?" He asked the knight arranging the corpses. "Thirty-two knights and Forty Castonians. The enemies wilted hundreds and we captured at least a thousand. This is a great victory for us" "Losing thirty-two our brothers and forty of our allies is not so great" Henry sat on the sand. His injured thigh jolted pain "And Centurion Stan. Are you certain?" "He and fifteen are not among the corpses. I don''t believe he fled either sire. Let''s just hope that the pretender Tobias is still kind enough to treat hostages with care" "Grand Master" Another knight called Henry. He was too tired to argue about his position so he just let it be. "Report" "Two men just came to our camp" "Stragglers?" "They came voluntarily sire. They said that they have information" "Defectors then" Henry rose, sand falling from his armor "Let''s hear what they have to say" A short walk brought Henry to a tent where the defectors were waiting. When he entered, many of his Centurions were already inside. He glanced towards the defectors. They were seated in the front. One was a middle-aged man while the other was a young lad. Both were bloody and filthy. Both had their heads lowered. "I hope you understand that you were the ones who attacked us. The violence from yesternight was purely self defense" Henry said "Self defense in the form of burning and exploding pots of Hellfire" The older defector smiled bitterly "But rest assured First Spear, we understand" "So you defected" Henry took his seat "Why?" "Tobias and King Brice don''t deserve loyalty" "King Brice is King. Tobias is a Master of knights. Thousands follow them. You are not a serf but a normal levy if I''m not mistaken. You chose to serve them. You..." "That fanatic is thinking of a sacrifice!" The older defector roared with gritted teeth. Henry''s brows met "Sacrifice? What do you mean?" "Sacrifice First Spear. A human sacrifice to the Omniscient!" Everyone inside the tent grunted. Henry still refused to believe the words he heard. "Master Tobias... wants to make a human sacrifice to the Omniscient? My good man, the Omniscient detests works of filth. A portion of the book of knights is reserved to condemning such acts. I..." "Believe it First Spear. Tobias has gone crazy. I''ve seen it in his eyes" Henry looked down, blinking fast "Damn!" he let out his first curse in years. He then realized a grim possibility "Tell me I''m wrong..." "Yes First Spear. Some of your knights got captured right? He is going sacrifice them" "Blasphemy!" Shouted a Centurion "Detestable!" Henry himself was shaken. He cannot imagine Centurion Stan and the other knights being sacrificed. "We need to stop this. They are knights, loyal followers of the Omniscient. Being sacrificed to the God they are devout to is beyond dishonorable. This is a mockery! A cruel act!" Henry calmed his breaths. He leaned against the table. They had won last night. Even though he was saddened by the death of some of the knights, the victory was stunning. But their victory would mean nothing if Stan and the other captives were put into a cruel ritual. The order of the knights would forever be smudged. ********** When Freya heard of the news, she immediately searched for Henry. She first looked into Henry''s tent but nobody was there. After asking around, her feet led her to a spot where the horses are kept. Henry was grooming his horse, picking fleas and dirt from its back. She had seen him many times do this and the way he cares for the animal still amazes her. "I''ve heard" She said "So what now?" "First we bury our dead. And then we should continue our march" "Together?" Henry became silent. He turned towards her "I spent the entire morning thinking of possible harm that may come to you. Balian is at least a week''s march away from Bivon. Tobias and King Brice are retreating to Vuono. The road is safe. I''ll be taking just a portion of my knights anyway so you''ll have more than enough guards" "And why are you chasing after them?" "What do you mean why? Tobias is going to sacrifice my knights. It is my responsibility to stop him" Freya raised an eyebrow "Responsibility as?" Henry looked at her and then lowered his head slowly "As a Prefect. I am a Prefect" "But the technicalities of this is funny, don''t you think?" "What do you mean?" "I have been reading the book of knights. There is chapter detailing the ranks. It also says that there are only three instances where a Prefect could attack a Master. One, if the Master is excommunicated. Two, if the Master committed a sacrilege. Three, if the Prefect is acting in self defense. You fought against Rickard and Balian because of the second instances. Both of them committed war crimes which are sacrilege. You fought against Master Tobias last night out of self defense. But now the situation is different. Master Tobias is not excommunicated. He is also not committing sacrilege- not yet until the sacrifice is over that is. You are also not acting in self defense. So technically you are going against the rules" "I need to correct his ways" "Seems to me, you already view yourself as Grand Master" Freya said with a wink. "Erik put me in the position of Grand Master. I am against it. It is a sin to disobey the rules. But this time, this one time- I will play the part. Until I get my knights back, I will be a Grand Master" "And after that?" "I will go back to being a Prefect" Freya approached him. She put her palm on his cheek. "I prefer you remain a Grand Master. It suits you. Once you realize how better the world will be with you in that position, you''ll never go back. But enough of that. You are leaving me again. We haven''t been together for a full day and you''re leaving already" "I will be back in a few days. I promise..." Freya put a finger against Henry''s lips "Don''t promise. Do. I will wait for you in Bivon Grand Master Henry" ********** Stan''s head hurt. His face was swollen. He opened his eyes and the glare of the sun met him. He tried to shield his eyes with his hand but discovered that he is in chains. He looked around. He was in a cart with the other captured knights. He counted and was relieved when he discovered that all of them are still alive. "Road to Vuono Centurion. The winding road cannot be mistaken. We have exited the Deadland Plains" said a knight With a turn of his head, Henry saw the Coar River not far from them. It shone it''s distinctive glitter under the early spring sun. The grass had also thicken under them with the vegetation burgeoning. "Is everyone alright? Any severe injuries?" "Everyone is fibe Centurion. Except you. Master Tobias really is lost. With the beating you received last night we thought you were a goner. " "It''s just injury" Stan said despite his body aching and his head throbbing in pain "Injuries heal and pain dulls. Have courage brothers. Have courage in knowing that we are in the right" Several men on horseback matched the pace of the cart. They wore an ugly and crooked variant of the knights'' armor. Stan felt disgusted just by looking at them. "The Omniscient demands silence you of weak faith. You should spend your time praying for your sins rather than idle talking" Said one of the Punishers. "You are mistaken. The sinner here is you and your men. Look at the way you dress. Pity. It is a pity seeing men of the Omniscient fall into ruin" The Punisher gave Stan a sharp stare behind his crooked helm. Stan also maintained his unbroken stance. He cannot show fear. Only sinners should show fear and he fulfilled his duty as a knight. "Enjoy your last days blasphemer" The Punisher''s voice was cold "Soon your life will end. The ritual will cleanse you of your heresy" Stan gritted his teeth. He was again reminded of the cruel fate that awaits him. It was truly cruel. Being sacrificed to the Omniscient made him feel robbed of his pride. He had been a loyal knight. He had served under his oath. He cannot bear the thought of being sacrificed by fanatical lunatics. "How will you do it" Stan asked the Punisher "How will you sacrifice me and my men?" The Punisher spared him a single glance before trotting ahead of the cart. He said a single phrase that sent chills down Stan''s spine. "Fire and brimstone shall purify what is evil" 190 The Seafarer Knigh Eight years ago The horse darted. The rider pointed his lance forward. With a breaking sound the lance hit a small wooden target hung by a chain. The rider left the stuck lance on the target and the wood wobbled, swinging like a pendulum. The rider made a turn, slower than the charge earlier. He galloped over a small stone and pulled the horse to a stop just in front of Henry. "How was it? Not bad?" Stan asked while removing his helm. His dark brown hair ruffled in the wind. "Your control is good and the accuracy is excellent" Henry said, pausing a bit to separate praise from critique "But you are still standing on the stirrups when charging" "Little things" "Little things could lead to big things and big things could break your leg. The force of a charge shouldn''t be ignored Stan. One mistake and you''ll be crippled" "But it makes me feel one with the wind" Stan climbed off his horse. He led the animal by the reins. "The final examination is near. I am anxious. I like to put pressure on my legs whenever I''m anxious" said Stan. "Well I can''t blame you. Years of squiring has led us to this. If we fail, although there is monetary compensation, our dream of becoming knights will crumble" There was a small smile on Stan''s face. He lifted his head and took a deep breath. "To tell you honestly Henry, being a knight is not my dream" "What a shame. Your skills and your faith are outstanding. But passion can''t be chosen as much as talent, I do understand. So what is your dream?" "I want to be a seafarer. I want to sail the wide oceans and battle pirates like in the stories" Henry''s strides slowed. Open-mouthed, he turned his head towards Stan. "You do realize that Tulosa is landlocked right? "Castonia is a nation of stubborn and quick-tempered brutes but I bet the number of Castonian who dreamt of becoming a monk is more than nothing" Stan jested. And with face turning serious he continued "Of course I am still a devout believer of the Omniscient. His grace befalls all of us. Being a knight would be an honor. Protecting the innocents and being the light in this dark world is a privilege. But if I fail the final examination, I will spend the compensation and go to either Vanadis or Lutan. I will join a group of merchants in their trading expeditions. I heard that the sea is so large that it spans the horizon. I heard that it is salty. Now that would be a good life Henry" "Good for you. I don''t have a plan in case I fail. Back to the gheto I guess" "I''ve never heard a jest so preposterous. You, failing? You are the champion of the Squire''s Championship five years in a row. Nobody has ever done that. You are the squire of the Grand Master himself. You will not fail. You will become a Master someday or even the Grand Master. I can see it Henry. You are a person to follow" "If God wills it Stan" Stan pushed the huge door of the stables. The wood creaked and the familiar odor of horse urine and feces met Henry''s nostrils. Stan paused, his hand still on the door, and looked at Henry. "The Omniscient wills it Henry. I think you are destined to become a Grand Master. When that happens, seafarer or a knight, I''ll be there to cheer for you" ********** Battle of Mesali, four years ago "The Prefect has fallen!" the chilling cry resounded. Henry breathed heavily under his helm. His shaking hands and smutted armor was testament to the intensity of the battle. Their earlier charge was met with hidden spikes and caltrops. Hidden enemies also attacked them. The three cohorts of knights were driven into a rout and all the leading Prefects were killed. Several Centuries were now leaderless. "Centurion Henry" Centurion Stan called beside "King Brice''s left flank has also fallen. The rebels are pressing against the center. We should flee. All is lost" Henry clenched his hands. Years of civil war had led to this single battle. Now that the knights are finally supporting a side, he thought that the end to this bloody chapter is in sight. But if they lose here now, the civil war would continue. "No we should reform" "Henry" Stan looked at him with a frown "All our Prefects are dead. We don''t have a leader" "Then we should just make a leader. I will lead" "You will..." "God wills it Centurion Stan. We will put an end to the civil war right here right now" Henry grabbed the flag of the Order of Knights from a shaken knight and waved it high. "On me!" He shouted "On me brothers! On me! One last time, I implore. One last time!" Henry pulled the reins. His steed turned around and darted back to the enemies. At first he was alone- a single, battered, foolish knight charging back into the enemy lines. But soon several trots followed. The knights, old and young, turned their mounts around and followed him. The three cohorts of routing knights found cohesion under him. Henry halted his steed. He waited for the others to catch up. Centurion Stan was the first to arrive. The knights formed in a huge wedge with Henry at the very front. He raised the flag once more. "To arms!" The knights charged. Their steeds spew dust and grit behind. Their armor shone under the sun. Centurion Stan was next to Henry, stern and focused. They maneuvered around the enemies and targeted the back lines. With spear in one hand and the flag on the other, Henry led the charge. The wind brushed against his face. The day was good. ********** The spring wind brushed against Henry''s face. With him were the knights he had chosen for this attack. It was dark and humid-the night wasn''t good. On his back hung a golden brown cape with the symbol of a broken crown in front of a rising sun. It was the cloak of a Grand Master and the symbol was the personal insignia of the Grand Master of knights. The rising sun symbolizes the light of the Omniscient amidst this dark and violent world. The broken crown symbolizes that Grand Master''s purpose is to serve and not to be served. The mixture of the gold and brown hues in the cape details that although knights were wealthy, their wealth should be used for the benefit of many. Henry fixed his gaze forward. The Coar river was on the left and a wide grassland was on the right. A dozen league to the front is the city of Vuono. "We are near Grand Master" informed one of the knights. Henry already knew this. He had traveled in this road many times before. "Any sightings of the enemy?" "No sire. The road is clear" "Maintain silence in our approach. In about a league we will ride away from the road and hide" "As you command Grand Master" After riding for a league, they separated from the main road. The paved road under the hooves of their mounts turned into the hilly grassland. Few pockets of trees line the grassland- small forests enough to hide his host from sight. But Henry didn''t mind the forests. There was no time to hide. There was barely even time to plan. His knights must not fall into the evil ritual. They halted and dismounted just outside the walls of Vuono. Uncleared vegetation resulting from decades of neglect hid him and his knights. Henry crouched on the bush. His eyes were fixed on the city. ********** The city of Vuono wasn''t the biggest. It also wasn''t the most populous. There was nothing special about the city save for the huge statue of the Omniscient on its city Center. The Omniscient doesn''t have a physical form. Divinity cannot be represented in mere statues. But Cerwin the Pious, the seventh Grand Master, saw it fit to construct a statue here. Stan argued differently. As he was hauled in a cart inside the city, he couldn''t help but feel sad for the representation they had for the Omniscient. The statue was shaped like the sun, a large sphere with its rays. As if the sun''s illumination was enough to scale the Omniscient''s light, Stan thought. But the reason why the statue was built in the first place was more concerning. Once a large statue of the Great Rider stood here and believers of the Great Rider would make their pilgrimage to Vuono. Cerwin the Pious, in his blind piousness, saw it fit to destroy the statue of the Great Rider and build the not-needed statue of the Omniscient of top of it. The act resulted to a small religious war but the knights prevailed in the end. The believers of the Great Rider cannot do a thing. In a long line of battered soldiers, the remnant of Tobias and King Brice''s army entered the city. The people on the sides were neither cheering nor have joviality in them. The mood was more sour than Lutani vinegar. "We have arrived heretic" The same Punisher said. "I do recognize your voice. Even if you hide your face under that ugly helm, I know who you are. You are Charlie right? We both squired for Tobias" "Charlie is gone- an old and impious name. Charlie was a man of weak faith. I am Punisher number Forty-six. I am reborn through fire and brimstone" Stan shook his head, amused and disappointed by Charlie''s change. He just fixed his eyes on the sphere statue once again. Oh how ugly it was. 191 The blue flame Henry''s face was covered by the hood of his cowl. His neck was bent downward and his eyes were looking around for signs of danger. Vuono''s streets were narrow and dirty. Wooden two-story houses were on the side. Horse-drawn carts occupied the pothole-riddled road. Henry squeezed among the crowd with three of his knights. A sudden clearing met them. The street became wide and the road''s quality turned better. This was the only part of Vuono that is comparable to the grandness of Bivon. It was also the area Henry hated the most. A statue as tall as the dome of the headquarter stood in the city center. It spanned as wide as eight carriages put from end to end. The sphere that was supposed to represent the Omniscient was made of wood and painted with a bright golden dye. It was hideous. "Even if they make this statue as large as Tulosa itself, it cannot represent the magnificence of the Omniscient" said one of Henry''s knights "Yes" Henry agreed "And you know the story behind the construction of this statue right? The order of the knights tries to glaze over the topic and sweeten the story by praising Cerwin the Pious'' earlier acts. But it was a disgrace. Cerwin the Pious demolished the statue of the Great Rider and built on top of it that of the Omniscient. A religious war followed that killed many believers of the Great Rider. It was mockery. The Omniscient''s teaching is tolerance and yet we once waged a war just for a statue. If it''s up to me, I''ll demolish this monstrosity. I cannot believe a mere statue could divide the people" "But it is up to you. You are Grand Master now" Henry turned his head towards the smiling knight and then looked up to the statue again. He didn''t say anything in reply and just continued walking. They entered a small dilapidated house just a few corners away. It was dusty inside- a suffocating atmosphere. The darkness was countered by only a few small candles. A few people were already inside. Henry and his knights sat on the stools reserved for them. The men they were meeting were clad in knight''s armor. "Ave, brothers" Henry greeted. "First Spear" the oldest of the knights greeted. He eyed Henry''s companions "How many did you bring?" "Two hundred sixty-eight" "I''m afraid that wouldn''t be enough First Spear. The Punishers now number close to five hundred. King Brice has also brought soldiers from the north" "Our goal is not to defeat him. We are not strong enough for that. We just need to rescue my knights. How many joined you?" "A few hundred" the senior knight said "Many of our brothers are also disgusted by Tobias'' acts. But I am careful to screen those who join us. It only takes a single fanatic to destroy all of us" "And the sacrifice?" The knight sighed and leaned forward on his stool "In two days time. They are also sacrificing believers of the Great Rider. Fifteen knights and fifteen believers of the Great Rider to make the thirty. They call it fire and brimstone. They would burn brimstone and melt it into liquid. Them fanatics love that blue liquid. They would then shove their sacrifice into the burning brimstone. The smell would be disgusting and the person would suffer a horrifying death" Henry felt his stomach churn. It was truly a disgusting filth. "Has this happened before?" "Not that I''m aware of. Master Tobias was a little too zealous in his faith before, you know that. But lately he has become what he is now. It all started when he got that new squire of his. Jason is his name if I''m not mistaken. Since then Master Tobias would always act crazy. I''ve seen him run naked in the street once. He is lost Henry. Master Balian would be a better choice" "Master Balian has committed sacrilege. He used the sacred authority given to him by the Omniscient to slaughter innocents. He cannot become Grand Master" "And so who will we chose? The order needs a leader Henry" He looked at Henry "Oh no. Don''t tell me..." "We trust in Grand Master Henry''s command" Said one of Henry''s companion. The senior knight fixed his stern eyes towards Henry "Indeed you are better than those two but I do think you are too young Henry. How old are you again?" "Twenty-four summers" "Aye. Too young indeed. You are a good knight Henry. Among your generation, you are the best suited to become the Grand Master. But there are older Prefects than you. I''m not saying that you don''t deserve the position but you must think of what will happen. Many will question your rule" "Have no worries. This is only temporary until I get my knights back. I will return to being a Prefect again after that" "No Henry, you won''t. I can see it in your eyes" The senior knight scratched his head beneath his helm "Well it might not be a bad thing after all. Others may be against it and you''ll face problems but that will be better than having a leaderless order of knights. I pray everything works out in the end" "Thank you. But the Omniscient''s will shall be followed and we mortals cannot do anything to stop it. But enough of that. Let''s talk about our plan" ********* Stan was being dragged by two Punishers in the main hall of the outpost of knights in Vuono. The place was dirty and the odor was pungent. The walls had cracks and the floor wasn''t marble but wood. It truly is an outpost. The Punishers led him to a room in the end of the hallway. The door was opened and he was dragged inside. The room was worse than what was outside. It was dark. The floor was suspiciously sticky. And although he tried to deny it, he really smelled the pungency of urine. An old man closed up to him. The old man''s beard was unkempt. His hair was in disarray. His eyes were bulging and his lips were in a creepy smile. "Master Tobias" Stan sighed while shaking his head "You look different" "Of course. I am a new man Stan. A new man!" Tobias laughed. It was shrill. Stan''s bones shook. His body turned cold. Tobias lifted Stan''s chin. "You have changed yourself. You have grown boy. You look different" Stan furrowed his brows. His head limped "What happened to you Master? In just a year you''ve changed so much. You were once a good man. I know. But now you are lost" "I am not lost my dear boy. I just saw the light. I saw the truth. God talked to me. Take pride in knowing that you once squired for the prophet of the Omniscient!" "A prophet? What does that mean?" "I am his sword. I will cleanse this world of false beliefs. I will cull those who are unrighteous. I will wash the world of their sins!" Tobias declared as he raised his arms "I will start with the infidels. Those people who still cling on the belief of the Great Rider will all convert or they will perish. They will all tremble under our faith!" Stan breathed heavily. The odor of urine didn''t concern him. He thought that making a human sacrifice was the worst idea of this madman. But his old sire was taking about a cleanse. "They will not convert Master Tobias" "Then they will die" Stan lunged towards Tobias but was kicked by the two Punishers behind. Amidst the pain and blood on his mouth he still sneered, "You are crazy! Insane! You are talking about a genocide. This is not the Omniscient''s will. The Omniscient''s teaching is peace and tolerance" "Peace cannot prevail unless we erase the smudge of the unbelievers Stan. Now I called you here because I''m offering you a chance to repent. Even though you have been poisoned by the evils of Henry, I still think you can repent. For old times sake, join me Stan. I still have a soft spot for my old squire. We can sacrifice another unbeliever in your place and you can become one of my Punishers. Of course you''ll have to wear their beautiful helm every time but that''s a good trade for repentance right?" "You want me... to join you in killing the half of the population of Tulosa? You dare insult me with that proposition? No! I will do everything in my power to oppose you" Tobias put his hand on his chest "Pity. Such a pity that Henry''s poison have consumed you so far. Drag him outside. It''s such a pity to lose an old friend" Stan was again dragged by the Punishers . "Wait! Answer one question of mine for old times sake" The Punishers stopped and Tobias turned to him again. "Go on" "Fire and Brimstone. What is it?" "A method of cleansing you. Just like how I cleansed the faithful Punishers of their sins" Stan was confused. He looked at the Punisher holding his arm. The Punisher removed his helm and the state of the man''s face shocked Stan. There were ugly scars borne of burns. The Punisher was disfigured. "You see Stan" Tobias'' voice was cold as ice "Fire cleanses sin and the blue flame of brimstone lights our hearts" 192 Poor Little Jimmy The tavern was filled with people tonight. Every stool and every table was occupied. Men and women alike, with downcast expressions and lowered heads, drank in silence. Ale was the tavern''s special- Eastern Lutani ale. The taste was horrid and the odor was worse. But ale was the way to getting drunk and getting drunk was the only thing that could make one forget the butchery happening outside. The bard held on his harp. It was an old and battered harp he got from his brother but the strings and the tunes are still fine. He shifted his butt on his stool. He flicked a finger and a note sounded in the silent tavern. The people all turned to him- still with their melancholic faces. "How about a song?" the bard suggested. "To drown the cries of those knights? Yea. Good idea" A man with hairy arms said. Taking a single sip from his wooden cup, he continued "I mean it. I don''t wanna hear screams of agony tonight" "Me too Mister. Human ears are better suited to tunes than screams" added a woman. "Then I''ll treat you a song. How about ''Jimmy''s Nightmare''?" "You wanna lose your head Mister Bard?" Sneered an aged man "If the Punishers hear you sing that song, they''ll rip your tongue out" "To the gutters with them. Those Punishers could kiss my shiny arse" A drunk person muttered, rising his empty cup and slamming it on the table "Sing Mister Bard. Sing us that song" The bard formed a smile. He bowed slightly and put his fingers on the string. The first notes of the sad song followed. ''Thrung in the air, arrow made its path Little Jimmy''s leg it hit. The wick of the war, pious man hath loathed a statue a bit.... ********* The Punishers and Tobias bowed on the ground. Thirty people stood tied and gagged on top of the wooden platform. Below the statue revered as the Omniscient were thirty pots filled with brimstone. The Punishers, in their black capes and disfigured helms, screamed a long cry to praise the Omniscient. Tobias raised his arms, his head looking up. "We offer these heretics to you oh Omniscient. Burn them with your holy fire and cleanse their bodies with your searing goodness. May your light guide us to victory. May your providence of faith reach our hearts. May we never stray from your teachings. May we fulfill our purpose in your name. Oh Omniscient above, save us from the evils of this world. We declared our allegiance to you and only you!" ********** ''Little Jimmy fell, a roll in pain, but nobody heard his plea. Grand Master''s oaths, broken and in vain Pious man refused to see... ********* The sentry stood on the tower. His helm was tied with a strap over his chin. His spear was pointed upward and held with one hand. His brown eyes were fixed in the darkness, searching for a movement. The cold wind blew, rattling the creaky wooden roof of the tower. The lamp hung on the side of the tower swayed. His shadow danced under the silent moon. Rustles in the bush a few hundred paces front reached his ears. He looked, opening his eyes and keening his senses. Squinting, the sentry eyed the bush. Armored horsemen erupted from the bush. Their approach was slow and calm. Their mounts trotted in uniform. The front horseman wore a golden brown cape painted with the image of a broken crown in front of a sun. The sentry tilted his body and reached for the horn. His stomach was met with the cold bite of a dagger. The person holding the blade was also armored- a knight. The knight cupped his mouth. As he was being dragged, he could see his trickling blood form a smudge on the floor of the tower. The knight dragged him all the way to the stony steps of the wall. He was conscious enough to take one last look at the gate. As the sentry closed his eyes, the last scene he saw was that of a small battle near the gate. Armored knights fought against the other sentries. The losing side was theirs. ********** ''Broken was his shin, gushing- his blood Crimson shade, tears never fade Little Jimmy Oh little Jimmy Poor thing His only sin is faith He knows no hate Poor little Jimmy... ********* Stan''s bare knees rubbed against the wooden platform. The calloused skin held splinters at bay. He slumped, ankles meeting his butts. Lifting his head and rolling his eye up, the scattered stars met him with glee like a sweetheart smiling to his lover. Beautiful is the world, he thought. The Omniscient''s work is boundless. If his next breaths will be his last, and heavily taxed at that, he would still leave his consciousness a happy man- a happy knight. Onto the pots of brimstone he turned his eyes. No, not his head. Only his eyes for he was too proud to give the fanatics the satisfaction of witnessing his concern. He planned on staying silent during the ordeal. He cannot scream for a scream would show his agony. But thinking about the fate that would soon welcome him, he knew that he would scream in pain. The fanatics ceased their shrill song and Tobias finally provided mercy to Stan''s ears by shutting his wide mouth. The lunatic pointed at them, closing his eyes. His finger jumped from person to person. "The Omniscient chose you!" The lunatic''s finger halted. It trembled, crooked and bent. Stan traced the point into a man of middle age just two paces away. His green tunic had holes as big as coins. His flesh was void of fat with his ribs and other bones making a clear show. His eyes were empty save for the look of fear. "Please sir!" The man cried. He looked back onto the pots and cried even harder "Please! I don''t wanna die. Me little boy is waiting for me back home" A Punisher yanked the thin man by the collar. The thin man hit the floor. His thin face brushed against the coarse oak. The thin man resumed his pleas. None of them reached the heart of the Punisher or Tobias or the other Punishers. None of them cared. Stan rose with both hands still in chains behind. Pushing his feet, he leapt. But his balance was dulled by the chain and he fell again soon after. Many knights also attempted to help but the result was similar. Some of the Punishers went up the platform and rewarded them with a knees to the stomach. The thin man was dragged towards one of the the pots. His feet still struggling. It was a futile move. The Punishers lit the brimstone on fire. The powder turned into liquid while burning a beautiful blue flame. When all the brimstone was burning, the man''s face was shoved into the flame. "Let the Omniscient''s glory be witnessed!" shouted Tobias. ********* '' ''Please don''t sire'', Little Jimmy uttered ''I do not want to go'' But the pious man was filled with hate Great Rider''s statue he saw.... ********** Lance grasped on his right and sword hung on his hip, Henry rode in his steed. The narrow streets of Vuono provided no relief. His golden brown cape fluttered, a marvelous sight- and a dangerous one at that. Tonight he is the Grand Master of Knights. Behind, his knights followed- two hundred sixty-eight souls. The hooves of their steeds clacked against the paved but pothole-riddled street of the city. The citizens opened their windows, curious about the commotion they brought. Many cheered after seeing them. Others cowered. Henry couldn''t put a blame. Tonight blood will flow and it will not stop until he gets his knights back. He just held on to his lance and rode his steed. After turning a corner they met forces with the defector knights. There were no words spoken for they have no need for words. Both sides understood the duty they possess. In total they numbered a little just over five hundred. Turning another corner and riding straight brought them to the city center. The hideous statue built by Cerwin the Pious met them. A momentary silence prevailed as Henry held firmly on the reins. The fifteen knights and a few other civilians were lined on top of the platform. Their hands were restricted with iron chains. They were bare- armor stripped. Tobias didn''t provide even thin garments. A man was struggling while being shoved into a burning pot. His screams were loud but fading. Henry eyed Tobias who also eyed him back. His brows furrowed. His grasp on the spear''s shaft intensified. ********** ''Little Jimmy felt kiss of the blade with the knight as the wielder. His only sin is faith He knows no hate Poor little Jimmy Oh poor little Jimmy Tasted the pious man''s blade'' The bard finished the song with a reverberating voice. His fingers flicked the last note. The bard opened his closed eyes. He discovered wetness on them. The listeners in the tavern wore expressions more downcast before. The bard looked to the window. Outside, Grand Master Tobias is sacrificing knights. It was reminiscent of the great purge of Cerwin the Pious many years ago where the song he sung was based upon. Poor little Jimmy indeed, the bard thought. 193 God Wills I Henry''s steed charged towards the line of Punishers. He was quick, angling the weapon straight. His sight was reserved only for Tobias. Several Punishers leapt to shield Tobias from Henry''s gift of death. One received his thrust. The tip of the lance perforated the breastplate- a rare deed for a knight''s armor is a plated steel. But Henry, ever the master of mounted warfare, knew where to deal his strike. The Punisher grimaced, grabbed the shaft of the lance with two hands, and attempted to yank the weapon out. With a flick of his wrist and the help of his other hand, Henry twisted the lance. The Punisher screamed in a voice so eerie it made Henry''s hair stand on end. He let go of the lance, took a reserved mace on the side of his steed and bashed the Punisher. The ugly helm crumpled and the Punisher went down. The other knights also made contact, pushing the Punishers back with the sudden charge. They should have won already. Their charge was perfect. But Henry discovered how dangerous a fanatic is. The Punishers all screamed. It was a collection of screams. It was so loud and disturbing that he wanted to cover his ears. It was like a mix between a dying last breath and the sound of an agonizing animal. The Punishers held the knights- mindless they fought like the crazies that they are. It would be a long battle and a losing one. Henry reminded himself of the real purpose. It was to rescue the captured knights. He pulled the leather reins and angled his horse towards the platform where his captured knights were. "The hostages!" Henry shouted as he rode towards the platform. ********** Stan was barefoot. His toes grasped the wood beneath. His hands were tied behind with his wrists bound by iron chains. He was naked except for the thin trousers the Punishers provided him. He felt more naked without the usual heavy armor he wore. Several horsemen emerged from the dark alley earlier. The one leading, a person of Henry''s stature, wore the attractive cape of a Grand Master. He thought it was Henry and confirmed the thought when he saw the way the front man rode. It was Henry. The horsemen slammed against the Punishers like how the wind would blow a stalk of bamboo to one side. But also like the bamboo, the Punishers were quick to push back. Now it was melee and now it was bloody. Those in the front lines were trapped in a long cycle of exchanging blows and waiting for a lucky one. Armor prolongs the battle and nobody wears more armor than knights. Stan eyed the serf pushed into the flames the ugly statue. The screaming had stopped. That man who pleaded for his life earlier was dead. Only a black smoke rose from pot. Stan felt dread. A Punisher who shoved the man''s face into the burning pot strode towards him. Hand on his sword''s hilt, the Punisher drew his weapon. Pure steel, professionally forged and well-maintained, the sword presented a terrible outcome for Stan and the others- especially for him as the Punisher seemed to be Charlie his old pal. He wiggled his back. He tried to stand. It was as difficult as a newborn trying to walk. He was able to and just in time to dodge the strike of the Punisher''s long sword. He could hear the wind breaking just in front of him. He saw a quick reflection of his face on the fast-moving blade. Stan ducked, avoiding another strike. He rolled to the side and fell to the road. The fall was a good few feet, his shoulder almost dislocated. The Punisher jumped from the platform. His two feet landed at the same time. Still with the long sword, the Punisher angled another strike towards him. There is nothing he could do, Stan thought. His head would leave his shoulder. His blood would gush from his severed neck. It would be a terrible sight. A horseman hit the Punisher with a mace. The iron head hit the ugly helm. Like a doll tossed by a tantrum-driven child, the Punisher was hurled back. Blood dripped from the crumpled helm. The wearer lay without motion in the road. Stan looked up to his savior. Golden brown cape painted with the symbol of a broken crown amidst a rising sun- that''s what he first saw. "Turn around. I''ll take off the chains" Henry''s voice sounded behind the helm. Stan almost teared. It was Henry. He presented his chained hands and Henry freed him with spare keys provided by another knight. The other captives were also freed. Stan felt his wrists. The lack of chains was a strange feeling- but a welcomed one. "I knew you would come Grand Master" Stan looked at the Punisher who tried to kill him earlier "May I borrow a weapon?" Henry handed him a long sword and Stan held it firm as he approached Charlie his old pal. The lunatic was still heaving short breaths. Stan kicked Charlie''s sword away. He knelt. Lifting Charlie''s visor, he again saw the scarred face of his old friend. One cheek was deformed. The bone was probably ground. A stream of blood trickled from Charlie''s mouth. Stan pulled down the coif and exposed Charlie''s neck. He pointed the tip of the sword on top of an artery. "Fire and Brimstone shall cleanse what is evil" Stan pressed the sword. Charlie''s blood wetted the blade. The lunatic glared at him with eyes filled with hate. Soon that glare faded into death. Charlie the lunatic was gone. Stan rose and gave Henry back the sword. "Keep it" Henry said "Also that''s pretty cold-blooded of you Stan" "Aye" Stan eyed the man whose face was shoved into the blue flames earlier. The body was limp. "But not as cold-blooded as them. We should go Grand Master. King Brice''s would soon reinforce the lunatic" Henry gave a single nod. He raised his hand. "Retreat!" Stan was pulled by Henry on top of the horse. The clash of knights and Punishers was severed. A retreat followed. Hundreds of knights made their way back.It was a mass exodus out of Vuono. Knights in armor flocked to the front gate. "The cape suits you" "We could die today and all you can think of is whether the cape suits me or not?" "Yes" Stan smiled "Thank you Henry. I will..." Stan felt a sudden itch on his chest. ********** An arrow went past just beside Henry''s helm. Several more followed. He looked up and grimaced. King Brice acted fast. Crossbowmen were already positioned on top of the wall. The knights left to defend the gate were fighting in a gritted stand. "Faster!" Henry shouted, an appeal to he knights for haste. But the arrows fired just bounced off the knights'' armors. King Brice may be quick but the King didn''t have soldiers to match the knights'' heavy armor. "Henry" Stan said in a voice pained and low. Henry looked behind and noticed that an arrow was protruding from Stan''s chest. The shaft was buried at least the length of a finger in Stan''s unarmored body. Stan''s face was contorted in pain. His shallow breaths was loud. His bloodied hand weakly held on to Henry''s cape. Henry pulled the horse into a halt. The other knights halted too despite just a stone throw from the gate. He dismounted and supported Stan off the horse. His friend lay on the paved but pothole-riddled street of Vuono, still with an arrow on the chest. "Help!" Henry shouted in the cold spring darkness. He was almost crying. Stan opened his eyes and gifted Henry a smile. "My lung... is pierced" Henry held Stan''s arm "Three weeks of rest will heal you. Two if you pray regularly" "You lie" Stan maintained his smile "l''m happy...you''ve taken the cloak. A shame I can''t ride with you anymore brother" "You can ride with us in two weeks time. You will recover. Stop talking nonsense Stan!" Henry pleaded "Stop talking nonsense" his voice turned low. Stan close his eyes and mumbled something. Henry went closer and heard that it was the knight''s oath. "We are knights" Stan said the last line. He gave Henry one last look. There was a certain happiness in that look but a certain sadness as well. Soon, Stan closed his eyes. Stan''s hold on Henry''s hand loosened. Henry stared at the lifeless body of his friend for a while. Tears fell without a wail. "We should go back Grand Master. The gate is still open" someone said. "He wanted to be a seafarer" Henry said without looking back "Funny and ironic. He didn''t even got to see the ocean. You know why?" Henry''s eyes were burning "Because he stayed true to his oath" Henry rose, his cape fluttering. His hands clenched tight. "We will not go back to Bivon yet. We will not retreat yet. Our job here is not done! We vanquish evil and the fanatics inside the city are evil" Henry puffed his chest. He looked around "With our steel we shall rid the world of those fanatics. We will attack again. This time our purpose is not to rescue but to eradicate all those fanatics like the disease that they are" His glare was burning- more intense than the brightest of flames and more terrible than death itself. "God wills it!" 194 Retribution Henry pointed at the walls. Skirmishes were ongoing between the outnumbered knights and the King''s men. The knights were pinned near the front tower. They were holding for now but soon they would buckle under the weight of the attackers. "First Century and second Century, dismount capture the walls. I want every inch of it in our hands. I want every crossbowmen that serves that coward King bleeding their deaths" "Aye Grand Master" The two Centurions saluted, their balled hands firmly pressed against their chest. Henry next turned towards the four Centurions to his left- an old knight, a young knight with a scar, the two had unremarkable features. "Keep those Punishers at bay. Use your brains for they are not using theirs. Surround them and nip away their strength" "Until our last breaths Grand Master" The young one saluted. The others followed. Henry knelt towards Stan''s lifeless body. He cupped the cold face of his friend. Henry closed his eyelids and uttered a silent prayer to the Omniscient. He opened his eyes again and heaved a deep sigh. He took the sword Stan was holding, the steel was as cold as the corpse. "I''ll borrow this brother" Henry said. He rose. With the mace on his left and the sword on his right, he raised both arms and shouted, "The rest come with me! We shall end the fanatics'' reign on this city. We are the swords of justice!" ********** The bard was too tired to sing another song. Another song was not needed anyway as his last one truly took effect. Other people say that bards got it easy- an occupation of singing in taverns and celebrations and sometimes in palaces had nothing difficult about it. But the bard knew a bard would know. A song is a sword without a hilt. It cuts deep and true to the heart and holding it without incurring wounds is impossible. A song is an ocean of feelings knitted by mere words that would swallow both the singers and the listeners. A song is ram that could batter the strongest gates. A song is an arrow that could pierce even the thickest of armors. The bard knew and the bard sang. He smiled, knowing that he contributed his best. The song earlier wasn''t chosen in random nor was it on a whim. Jimmy''s Nightmare was banned in Vuono for a reason and that reason is fear. Even though the knights were trying to hide the butchery of Cerwin the Pious all those years ago, people like the bard still remember. Even how much perfume they spill on the tale, Cerwin the Pious'' acts will not be forgotten. The bard cupped a wooden trinket in his pocket. The trinket was of the shape of a horse. The ears were longer and the proportions were not perfect but the idea behind the horse was all that was needed. Having this item and getting caught with it would mean death under the new laws of Vuono. But the bard was too stubborn or too foolish to let his faith be trampled by fanatics. The door of the tavern swung open. The iron handle violently hit the wall. The drinkers and the visitors drinking and eating on their tables looked towards the door. "Violence!" A man dressed in a thin green tunic said. There were no ornaments hung anywhere on his body. His hair was unkempt but scruffy may be too much of a description. "The knights attacked the Punishers!" "Your talk deals confusion my good man. Punishers are knights aren''t they? And why would the knights attack their own?" asked the old drinker leaning on the creaking chair. "No" The newcomer stepped inside the tavern, panting like a dog that chased a chicken all afternoon. He pointed at a cup. The owner which is an old fat lady rolled her eyes and handed the newcomer the cup. The newcomer drank, wastefully as channels of ale dripped from his mouth. He grunted. "First Spear came to save his knights. Some of Tobias knights'' also revolted and joined First Spear. Knight to knight fighting followed in the city center" "First Spear? Isn''t he the one who led them knights in a charge several years ago?" asked a young, freshly-shaven man with a long yellow hair. "Aye, he the one. I say let them knights fight each other. Those people had caused us enough troubles" An aged, visibly drunk man, stood. His chair''s legs rubbed against the plied wooden floor. He drank the last of his ale and slammed it on the table before walking towards the shaken bartender. The drunk man produced a small bag of coins and put it in front of the bartender. "Three gold, six silvers and I forgot the number of copper. Payment for me drink and the sword hung on your hips" said the drunk man. "''Tis not for sale Mister" "Rent then" "For what?" "What is a sword for?" The drunken man raised an eyebrow "Just let me borrow it lad. I''ll make some Punishers piss red" The bartender unstrapped his belt along with the scabbard and handed the whole thing to the drunken man. The drunken man took just the blade and staggeredly towards the door while whistling the tune of Jimmy''s Nightmare. A long period of silence prevailed inside the tavern as the back of the drunken man vanished in the darkness outside. People started giving looks at each other. "What a fool. He can''t even walk straight and he wants to bleed a Punisher. Well, someone has to guide his strike towards a Punisher''s stomach right?" someone voiced. Almost simultaneously, most of the people inside the room rose from their seats and went after the old man. The tavern became empty. The bard formed a wide smile. He again recited in his mind the facts a bard would know. A song is more than just words with tune. A song is a poison that could make a rat attack an elephant. He took the dagger he had hidden under his stool. He kissed the horse-shaped trinket one last time and went outside. ********** Tobias'' arm was dripping blood. Some random knight speared him deep. He gauzed the wound with his palm but the bleeding wasn''t stopping. He went back to his room while bumping on the walls several times. "Grand Master" A stiff voice called from outside. Crawling on the floor, Tobias opened the door. "Oh lamb touched by the Omniscient. Tell me. Has Henry the evil been vanquished yet? No... don''t tell me he escaped!" "He didn''t Grand Master. But he''s currently fighting his way here. They are winning" "How!" Tobias exclaimed with eyes so wide it could swallow the moon. "The citizens have rallied against us" The Punisher said "King Brice I''ve heard has escaped the city" Tobias wailed. His reverberating shrill voice filled the room. His body shook. His fingers were tapping the floor. "Go away you fool!" Tobias heard his Squire''s voice. He looked up. Jason pushed the Punisher away and patted his back. "Jason! Jason!" Tobias cried "The Omniscient hates me! The Omniscient would rather support Henry" "No sire" Jason said in a calming voice "This is just a test of your faith. The Omniscient loves you but he needs to be sure that you trust him. You need to be strong sire" "Are you... sure?" "I am sire. You are the Omniscient''s prophet. You are his light in this dark world" Jason showed Tobias his palm. There was dust in it. The dust was captivating in a special sense. It wasn''t glowing. It was also not fine. But there was deepness in the dust. There was peace. "Talk with him sire. Praise him and thank him" Jason blew the dust into Tobias'' nose. He felt drowsy almost immediately. "For he is good" Jason''s voice faded as Tobias'' vision blurred. ********** Slicing enemies with his sword and bashing others with his mace, Henry reached the outpost of the Knights. The building was old. The smell was also old. The wooden walls and columns were blackened by smut collected over the ages. Henry went inside with his knights. He made his way to the room reserved for the highest ranking knight. As they inched closer, the state of the outpost was further revealed. Yes, the headquarter was where the treasury was being stored and yes, the outpost was a mere extension of the headquarter. But the state of the building was just too much to be associated with the knights. Henry reached the room. He put his hand on the handle. He breathed first before pushing it open. Pungent smell of urine met his nose. He saw two people amidst the darkness. One was sitting in the corner, a young man with a short hair. The other was Tobias. Tobias'' arm was wounded. He was slumped against the wall. His eyes were all white. "Is he dead?" Henry asked "No" The young man in the corner said "But either you or I will have to kill him soon enough" 195 The Grand Master Tobias looked up to the floating sphere. The brightness emanating was blinding. He tried not to squint in fear that the action would cause disrespect. "Tobias" The sphere spoke. The voice tingled his ears. Tobias knelt. He bowed so low that his forehead was kissing the ground. As he thought about it, his meetings with the Omniscient never had a semblance of familiar places. He would just see a bright light that would speak to him. Everything else was clouded in a bright light. But now they were in a wide plain that spread as far as his eyes could see. There was a cool wind blowing and there a bright moon above. Stars in constellations unknown filled the sky. "Omniscient I am your loyal servant. I will always obey your commands. But I don''t understand what is happening. Henry the unrighteous, who broke your rules and killed your loyal Punishers, is winning. Not to press my knowledge for I know that my mind is nothing compared to your omniscience, but I think I will lose soon enough. The citizens joined him. Those lowly heretics dared to question your word. And King Brice... he lacked faith to keep fighting until the end. Your loyal servant is confused. What am I to do?" "You have spent a long time struggling and you have lost your way. Rest Tobias. Your time has come" Tobias felt tears fall from his eyes. He sounded a long grunt. A combination of sadness and anger enveloped his being. "What have I done to disappoint you!? I did everything I could to please you. I am Tobias your loyal servant!" "Rest" The Omniscient spoke again. The light was more intense than before. It exploded before his eyes. Everything was white. ********** Henry removed his helm and wiped the blood from his cheek. An earlier lucky strike hit his helm and tore the skin of his left cheek. "Are you one of them? I have met a man named Shadow and another whose name is Helios" he asked the squire "I am one of us" The squire said "I am named terror for I bring bad dreams with my dust" "And Master Tobias?" "He met his God" "A crafted God you mean?" This time, the squire smiled. There was deepness in the smile. "Does it matter?" Henry eyed Tobias. The old man still had his eyes rolled up "It does because you just killed many people bringing your false dreams" "True, I had some hand in it" The squire nodded "But all I did is show him of his God and he believed. You humans have some dark things hidden in your heart. I myself was terrified upon seeing Tobias'' darkness. Imagine that, my name is terror and I was terrified? He did this to himself. He is a weak man and a wicked one" Henry felt a tinge of of disgust. "You will die for your sins. You will both die" "I know" The Squire said Tobias awakened from his sleep. Shaking his head, he eyed Henry. A scream of pain followed. Tobias wailed and cried in the most unsettling way possible "He hates me!" Tobias was ripping his hair from the scalp "He hates me despite my efforts!" Henry knelt near Tobias. He pointed his steel towards the fanatic''s chest. "He hates you for you are wicked" Tobias looked at the blade. He laughed like a madman. His old but white teeth showed a certain emotion. As for what emotion, Henry could only guess. Henry leaned close to Tobias'' ear. He whispered, "I am Henry, twenty-fourth Grand Master of the Order of Knights of Tulosa. For your sacrilege and misuse of the power vested by the Omniscient, I sentence you to death. I shall not give you the privilege of having your last words as you don''t merit such honor. May the Omniscient forgive both of us for our sins" Henry pressed the sword. Tobias'' white robe turned red on his chest. The old man struggled for a while until he closed his eyes. The fanatic was no more. Henry rose with his armor clanking. He turned his head towards the squire. "That was cruel. Making him dream that he lost the Omniscient''s favor is cruel" "He deserves it. He is a cruel man and he needs to be reminded of his sins. As for me, you don''t have to wet your hands with my blood Grand Master Henry" The Squire said. He produced an empty vial as tall as a thumb and drank from it "They say it''s painless. I do hope that''s the case. Nevertheless you have won. For my kind, a death by one''s own hands is the most disgraceful act. This is my gift to you as a sign of my respect" The squire''s body soon slid from the corner. His breathing slowed. Soon, he died. Henry looked down on the squire named Jason. He patted the body and soon he found the medallion hung on Jason''s neck. The medallion was nothing special but the red stone in the middle was something that could be of use to them. Henry took it into his pocket. ********** The dawn gave a grey illumination to the city. Bodies still in armor piled on the streets where the Punishers made their last stand. Dead horses also lined the streets. Some still bleeding while some were already stiff. On Henry''s back was the statue of the Omniscient- a wooden heresy shaped like the sun. It was crackling and burning like how it should have been the moment it was made. Black smoke rose to the sky, swaying to wherever the wind was blowing. Henry said his goodbyes to Stan and the other knights who lost their lives. They had fought against the unrighteous and paid for it with their lives. Stan was dressed in a knight''s armor and his white cape. Many would say that it is a waste wasting a good armor to a dead knight. Henry didn''t feel that it was. A knight should welcome death like how he welcomed birth through knighthood. Armors can be made in days. But a person''s memory will last forever. "Bury the bodies outside. Separate those of ours from the fanatics" "We should just leave the Punishers to rot in the woods sire" Suggested a knight "No. The Book of Knights says that knights, filthy in works or not, should have a proper burial. Bury them in their armor. We can''t use those ugly things anyway" Henry stood up. Only after the battle did he remember that his thigh was still wounded by that arrow he got from Bivon. He stepped towards the platform where the sacrifices were lined last night. His steps were crooked. His body felt heavy. The melancholic sun cast over the sky didn''t help. The wind blew again, soft and gentle like the touch of Freya''s hand. The sweetness of the morning air alleviated the pain on his body. It took him the death of Stan to finally realize that going against the rules was sometimes the right thing to do. Rules are made to guide and not to shackle. He lost a friend just to realize that and he was foolish. He will not be foolish again. He will not lose anyone again and he will get Shirley and his mother back. He will put an end to this nonsense war between Tulosans. Henry eyed the people in the crowd. Most of them were citizens who rose against the King and Tobias last night. Many of them wore bloodied clothes with huge spots of blood in them. Others sported injuries. If not for them, his knights wouldn''t have succeeded. If not for these people, who were not trained in fighting, they would have lost to the Punishers. His knights and the citizens stood in combination. The false statue of the Omniscient still crackled behind. The dead still lay in the streets and in the walls and inside the homes. Henry presented himself as gallant as he could be. His face reeks of youth. He had made mistakes before. He wasn''t perfect like Grand Master Nelson. He doesn''t even know if he could fill the shoes of his mentor. All he knew is that he is the key to end this violent chapter. "I am Grand Master Henry Molt" His voice echoed, reverberating and sounding clear amidst the silent crowd "Last night, violence reigned in Vuono. At least a hundred of my knights lay dead and a few hundred of yours didn''t get to see the dawn. But the violence of last night will not be the last nor will it be the worst. Violence will continue and violence will prevail. But after the violence we will rebuild again" He pointed at the burning statue "Let the old be burned and the new stand on top of it" Henry stepped forward, maintaining his stern look all the while. "As my first act as Grand Master, I hereby excommunicate King Brice and Master Balian for their sins against the citizens of Tulosa. Let all citizens, believers of the Great Rider or believers of the Omniscient alike, know that I, Grand Master Henry Molt, calls for a crusade against the two blasphemer who are committing crimes against Tulosa. We shall vanquish them" Henry tilted a bit towards the rising sun. His cape swung like a flag flied high. "For God wills it and the people demands!" 196 Excommunication Erik read the letter shone by the midday sun. He traced the words with his thumb with a smile, almost a grin. "Oh so you do know how to smile" said one of the two ladies sitting with him. This one sat with a leaned back and matched with a frown. Her auburn hair was decorated with flowers Erik don''t recognize. With her thin nose and nicely-angled cheeks, he still couldn''t believe that she is a full-blooded serf. "Erik was once known as the demon squire. Can''t put a blame on him for trying to maintain the honorary name" Said Freya without even lifting her eyes from the book she was reading. "Oi" Erik lowered the paper a bit "Is it a crime to smile sometimes?" "Why are you smiling anyway?" "Sylvie sent me a letter. It is funny. I smile" "Ah woman. The only thing that could make the great Marquis Erik look stupid" Freya turned a page on her book "You once tried to court me when we were kids. You gave me a toy soldier instead of something gracious like flowers" "Toy soldier?" Emily asked, deeply surprised "That''s dumb. I can''t think of any logical reason why you would do that" "Let''s not dig into the past lest we dig our graves in the process" Erik warned Three loud knocks sounded. The three of them fixed eyes on the door. "Come in" Erik said The Squire went inside with bowed head. On his hand were letters. "Two letters arrived via pigeon from Vuono sire" "Two letters?" Erik repeated, confirming the squire''s words. "Two letters sire" The squire handed him and Freya a letter each. The folded brown paper wasn''t of the best quality. The sender didn''t even bother putting a drop of perfume. "It''s from Henry" Freya said. Erik''s eyes went to the seal. The wax was green and stamped into the image of Henry''s signature. Erik took the knife on his desk. Slicing the wax, he opened and read the contents. After a while his lips curved another smile. "What do you know. Henry never fails to bring surprises" ********** Murt, Northern Tulosa "Go!" Brice shouted on top of his lungs. His throat hurt. He gasped for air. Five carriages rode in the streets of Murt. One was for him. Two were for his noble friends. The remaining were for their gold. A hundred horsemen escorted them. Most of them are mercenaries he hired from the north. They were not worthy of his trust- mercenaries were not worthy of anyone''s. But a man who fights for gold will fight with the same ferociousness as a man who fights for loyalty. He had known this for a long time and that''s how he won the last civil war. Behind them were the loud banging of iron. Just like in Vuono, the citizens rose against him in rebellion here in Murt. He thought he escaped the moment his carriage entered Murt. But that same day the populace revolted after hearing of the successful revolt in Vuono. Brice tried to contain the flames of their anger but he was burned. His sellswords and loyal banner men couldn''t stop the riots. Brice decided to flee, for the third time since violence erupted about a month ago. "Damn them!" Brice looked behind "Damn those plebs! I will make them pay once I retake the crown" "If you retake the crown" His wife said. "Shut your mouth or I''ll sew it close" "Oh how terrible of you. I am afraid" She rolled her eyes "You''ve been saying that for ages and I didn''t even get a single stitch on my mouth. Stop threatening me if you can''t even do it. What I said is the truth anyway. All we have are a few loyal fools and greedy mercenaries. The Castonians and that scum child of yours has Bivon. The fool Tobias is dead. Balian is with the Calgarians down south. We are rotting away our strength while they are getting stronger. And don''t you forget Henry''s declaration" Brice''s anger further surged after remembering what Henry did. The boy dared to excommunicate and declare a crusade against him. Although just a fancier name for declaring a war, he wouldn''t want to be remembered as the only King of Tulosa the Grand Master excommunicated and declared crusade upon. "Damn him. Damn Henry. Damn them all!" Brice shouted. "Ah yes because cursing and screaming like a child will solve all our problems" "If you''re so wise then tell me your plan then!" "Lets just give up" She said with a serious face and tired voice "We are rich. We could start a good life in the north or in the south. We could go west if you want to be eaten by cannibals and east if a war torn nation is your choice. Just get me out of this wretched kingdom" "And what?" Brice barked "Let my name be mocked for all eternity? I will get my crown back. And Emily. She would win if we flee. I cannot stand just imagining her triumphant face" "Make a plan then!" She raised her voice and crossed her arms "I was always the one making plans and doing the thinking while you take all the credit" "Oh how arrogant of you, old wench. Fine I''ll make a plan" "One that doesn''t get both of us killed preferably" "You... Shut your mouth or I''ll sew..." Brice just stopped and turned his head away "Get me my quill and paper" "I am a Queen. I am not your servant" "Please" Brice added. "Say it properly" "Give me the damn quill and paper!" Brice ground his molars "please" His wife bent and took his requested items. She gave it to him and resumed crossing her arms. "What are you writing anyway?" "A letter" She leaned a little closer "Your handwriting is as horrid as your breath. I can''t believe you still can''t write legibly. Give it to me" Brice stare at her for a while. Although her words are blunt, she''s right. He handed her the quill and paper. "What should I write?" she asked Brice cleared his throat. "Greetings Balian...no, um... Greetings my old friend, Grand Master Balian..." ********** Balian''s frown was unceasing since he heard of Henry''s declaration. The other person in the tent also wore a frown as deep as his. "Don''t you have tea?" Balian asked the other man. Corwell, dressed in a thin blue shirt embroiled with intricate but confusing designs, eyed Balian with a stare anything but friendly. "I may be a Calgarian but it doesn''t mean I could just produce tea out of thin air" "I''m just asking. My head hurts" "Well why am I not surprised? You have just been excommunicated by your subordinate. A man half your age if I may add" "I would rather swallow tea right now rather than your insults" "Alright I will order my servant for some tea later. But right now we need to draw a plan. I came here, marched for two weeks with the sole of my boots thinning, just to reinforce you" "Your Queen is my ally" Balian wetted his lips and longed for the taste of Calgarian tea "She will have complete access to Tulosa once I have the power of a king" "Aye and she expected you to still have Bivon when we arrive" "Because Castonians!" Balian gripped the armrest. He despised those brutes. "Yeah" Corwell''s tone was low as if speaking of something inevitable- like a force of nature sinking a fleet of ships "Castonians. The Vanadian navy are also pressing their foot against Calgari''s neck. It was a full blockade. They have captured several coastal towns and a city already. And yet the Queen just sent me and twenty-five thousand Calgarians here. We should be taking our coasts back" "That''s because your Queen understands that Tulosa and Calgari need to work together" "The last time that happened, you lost all of your army to the Castonians and we lost a huge chunk of ours also to the Castonians" "Well this time it would be different and imagine if Henry becomes the Grand Master instead of me. The Castonians will have both Vanadis and Tulosa. Oh I''m pretty sure you don''t want that to happen" "Nobody wants that to happen" Said Corwell "That''s why me and my lads are here, ready to bleed and prepared to die just to put a crown on top of your head. But what now? We can''t be victorious without taking Bivon and I''m not going to assault that city with twenty thousand Castonians guarding it" Balian tapped his finger on the table. Although new allies join their camp each day, Henry still commands a formidable force in the form of the Castonians and that brat Emily. "Grand Master" Balian''s guard peeked from outside the tent "A messenger just arrived" "Who sent him?" "He''s saying... King Brice. He''s carrying a letter" "Give it to me" The guard entered the tent and handed him the letter. Balian was amused upon seeing the golden wax. King Brice still had the audacity to call himself King. Balian opened it and immediately went on reading. An idea soon formed on his mind. "We''re going west to Stonerider" "Why?" Asked Corwell Balian smiled, the first smile his lips formed in days. "The fool expects to forge alliance with us. I''m going to capture a King" 197 Bloodless Siege Kolla rubbed his scar. A long line of cracked and bulging skin ran from his temple to his chin. This one he got from a duel all those years ago. The angry Baron gifted him with a slice to the face. Kolla was generous enough to gift the Baron a permanent sleep in turn. The scar still itches sometimes. Other times it burns. Today it is tamed by the Great Rider''s grace. Kolla tapped the tip of his boots onto the wooden tower of Stonerider. This one''s made oak, if those lumberjacks who sold him wood are to be believed. Kolla sighed, finding it hard to believe those men. Well soon enough the toughness of this tower will be tested. Unlike other cities in Tulosa, the walls and towers of Stonerider were made of wood. "Your estimate Prefect?" Kolla asked the armored person beside. Unlike him who liked to wear thin clothes, the Prefect fancied wearing armor despite the heat. And unlike him, the Prefect''s face was free from scars. "Thirty-one thousand Earl Kolla" "Not bad. Mine''s Thirty-two. A huge host nonetheless. And now they are outside our gates" "I don''t think they mean violence sire" "Ah but they mean to drag us into violence" Kolla looked at the messenger waiting in front of the gate for almost an hour now "You''re the expert in these kind of things. Can we defend if we resist?" "We could if these walls are of stone sire" "Pity then. Imagine the tales they would make of me. Earl Kolla of Stonerider, defending the city from knights" Kolla again put a look at the army outside Stonerider "Grab a pavilion Prefect. We are going to have a parley" ********** "Welcome to the great city of Stonerider" Kolla tried a smile, failing due to the restrictions of his scar. "Closed gates, armed soldiers and flags raised in defiance and yet you utter that word" Balian rose from his seat. Striding to the side of the pavilion he looked at the city outside "Let us in. We need supplies and men" "Oh but pardon me Grand Master... Should I call you that? I''ve heard you have been excommunicated lately. I also heard that another knight named Henry declared a cuseyd against you" "Crusade" Balian corrected "And you shouldn''t worry about that. Only Grand Masters can declare crusades. He is not the Grand Master so his declaration is null" Kolla looked at the tea served in iron cups. "I can have some right?" He asked a young man. "It is a privilege letting allies have a taste of my nation''s product" The young man said. Kolla took a sip, grunted and let his back slide on the chair. He again turned his attention to the knight. "Null or not, I''ve heard this Henry has the backing of Castonians. If I let you inside my city, I will be this Henry''s enemy" "If you will not, I will be your enemy. Choices Earl Kolla" "But you don''t also want to be my enemy Grand Master. I have a huge army inside those walls and being the oppressed believers of the Great Rider, they would love to slaughter some knights" "You think those wooden walls could stop us? It''s funny how the city with the biggest population has wooden walls" "We don''t have a choice. I''ve been to Bivon many times and those stone walls are really impressive. But us here in the Great Plains can''t import stones. Still, those wooden walls could hold you for weeks and then Henry and the Castonians could just sweep in. Me and my people will be saved and the bards will have another song to sing" Kolla raised the cup towards Balian. He wore a smile "Imagine that. A song of your demise" "Your people will perish if you maintain this stance Earl Kolla. The Great Plains is home to hundreds of tribes. If you don''t open the gates of Stonerider, then I will slaughter every man, woman, child and horses in the great plains" Kolla''s smile vanished like the morning mist "Those people are innocents" "Aye and you will have blood on your hands as much as I. I have grown desperate Earl Kolla. A desperate man''s sword doesn''t deal sense" Kolla stared at the cup. "And I can''t challenge you to a duel, can I?" "No. And I will win anyway" "Dare to test that thought?" "No" Balian shook his head "So will you open your gate or should I wipe the Great Plains of life?" Kolla rose. He went beside Balian and also looked at Stonerider. "We would have wanted to remain neutral in this cumbersome conflict between you knights. The last civil war saw Stonerider burn. Playing a part in your games is an insult to my ancestors but I don''t have a choice, do I?" "If you do, you would have been preparing the defense of the city rather than talking to me" "Don''t lay a hand on them. Don''t include them in this. In turn, I will give you command of the city and its supplies. I will also be your hostage" "Done" "So what do you want to do next now that you have Stonerider" Kolla rolled his eyes towards the knight. "King Brice is coming here with his own host. We should invite him and the Queen to a dinner" "Why do I feel that this dinner will not be friendly- one that includes regicide" "Oh you are mistaken Earl Kolla. I don''t mean to waste two important hostages" ********** Brice''s body was stiff. His joints hurt especially the one near his left shoulder. The long ride from Murt took them a week. It would have been a peaceful ride if he was alone. But as he looked at the woman beside, his ears rang. He couldn''t even remember why he married her in the first place. Her looks are not good- especially now that her skin had sagged. Her attitude is dog vomit. She was also not sweet, never had she been sweet to him. Brice just settled for the explanation that he was a fool back then. "Why are we stopping?" Her quick and annoying voice again sounded. Brice prepared for another round of argument. "If you just take a look outside, not that I''m expecting you to be smart enough to do so anyway, you will see that we have arrived" "Ah good. Staying inside this carriage for a week with you is torture. Your breath is as horrid as your looks" "Shut your mouth..." "Or you will saw it closed?" She asked, her eyebrows raised like the wing of a vulture. "Damn you. Stop ruining my day. Servant! Send a message to Earl Kolo and Balian that we have arrived" The servant in the front bowed "Right away Your Majesty" "It''s Earl Kolla you senile old fool" His wife again complained. "A small mistake" Brice took the bottle of Hadean wine he had been drinking last night. He lifted the decorated bottle and popped the cork. But when he poured into his mouth, only three drops met his tongue. "Did you drink my wine?" "It is my wine too. Have you fogotten your promise to the Omniscient? What is yours will be mine for we are one" "Dammit. I was young and foolish back then. I never thought you would steal my wine" "I had trouble sleeping with you snoring like a pig. Plus be grateful that I still have it in me to put my mouth where you put yours" "I don''t want to incur diseases you carry with your saliva" Brice put the bottle down and leaned back. He then noticed her silence. He looked and she was glaring at him. "What?" "You have been mean to me lately" She looked away, still with crossed arms. Brice rolled his eyes. He sighed "Aye. I have been mean to you. But give me a break would ya? We have been running away ever since this madness began. This is all that Nelson''s fault for dying" She was still silent. "I''m sorry" Brice pouted She still maintained her silence "I said I''m sorry" "You don''t mean it" "I do mean it!" "You don''t. All you care is the crown. I told you we should have left this cursed Kingdom but you dragged me all the way here instead" "I did not drag you. You stuck with me" "Where should I have gone then!?" She turned to him. Brice felt his anger quenched after seeing her wet eyes. She is as tired as him, he thought. "Fine. If we fail one more time we will get out of here. We will go wherever you want" "I want to go north. I want to see the Ninev mountains before I croak" She said with an excitement so bright Brice remembered the old times when their marriage was still a happy one. "Your Majesty" The servant returned, peeking at them "They have opened the gates. Earl Kolla and Grand Master Balian have invited you for dinner" "About time I taste some fresh food. I''m getting tired of eating stale bread and salted meat. Let''s proceed" Brice said and soon his host moved towards the city. 198 The Priestess Single strokes and thrifty movements, the horsehair brush danced on the wooden figure of the Great Rider. Kolla dipped the tip of the brush in the pool of scented oil in the bowl. Droplets of oil met the floor as Kolla again brushed the figure. When the figure was oiled and shiny on all sides, Kolla put the brush on the side as well the the bowl of scented oil. He knelt in front of the figure, closed his eyes and mumbled a prayer true to his heart. This custom in their religion was mocked by outsiders as wasteful. Scented oil, after all, is a valuable commodity. Even the believers in the ghetto of Bivon would find ways to rub their figure of the Great Rider and his endless steed with oil. But Kolla never thought of it as wasteful. The Great Rider provides strength to his flock and scented oil was the least they could do to return the favor. Kolla bowed one last time at the figure before turning around and walking towards the door. Once outside, he was met with the rowdiness of their guests. The once silent hall of his house was now populated by Calgarian officers and knights. Not once did these proud men took a moment and greet him a pleasant night. It is not that he wanted their fake greetings but it is customary for guests to at least show respect to the homeowner. Kolla''s stride was slow. His old boots which was a gift from his old late friend rubbed against the smut-blackened floor. He went to a room and knocked. The door soon opened and a woman faced him "Dinner is served my lady" "You never change Kolla" Her brownish eyes looked at him with sadness "Call me something more intimate. I have been living here for almost a decade now and you still act like a stranger around me. Seymore is the name given to me by the parents that bore me. Call me that" "Facing the Priestess of the Great Rider requires one to show respect and not familiarity" "The Great Rider fated us to meet Kolla. His endless steed carried our strings together" She raised her look towards his scar. The emeralds that hung on her ears glistened "You are troubled" Kolla offered his hand and she provided hers. He led her to the dinning room. "You should have fled" "Because a knight came to visit us?" Her teeth showed from her smile "He came here with violent intents. I may have fallen into the state of being a hostage but you could have fled. You are the highest among our faith " "I am as important to the Great Rider as a little child in the ghetto of Bivon. My worth is equal even with the people of weakest faith. In the eyes of the Great Rider, everyone is equal. His endless steed does not discriminate" "Still you should have escaped my lady" "Nothing is without a reason Kolla. Everything happens because the Great Rider saw it fit. You know what I saw in the smoke?" "News about your vision has spread my lady. I am not doubting your divine abilities but your vision seems to be a little vague" "Visions are vague only to those who think it is. The Great Rider''s wind brings out the truth from the mist" They reached the door to the dining hall. Lady Seymore went in first. . The King was seated on one end with the Queen by his side. Balian was on the side with a young Calgarian officer named Corwell. There were fifteen knights positioned around the room and ten of the royal guards. Lady Seymore sat on one end and gestured for Kolla to sit beside her. He did, with a heavy heart as he knew the grim future that awaited them. "Your Majesty" Lady Seymore bowed towards King Brice and Queen Sharon "I hope you like the food here in the west. Dried sheep blood and cheese biscuits may be strange to you. Also we prefer drinking fermented milk rather than wine here. I just hope we didn''t disappoint the royals" "Not bad but could be better. The fermented milk thing is putrid and sheep blood is not of my palate" King Brice said. He was immediately elbowed by the Queen. "It is good Lady Seymore" Queen Sharon smiled "The hospitality you provided us will not be forgotten" "Oh I hope you forget our hospitality Your Majesty" Lady Seymore put a piece of dried sheep blood on her mouth "You will soon be in chains. We don''t want you remembering that" Lady Seymore''s statement drew the stares of the five people around the table including Kolla. "In chains?" Queen Sharon asked "Yes. Grand Master Balian here wants to capture you, King Brice, Earl Kolla and me" She bit another slice and smiled. "Is this true Balian?" King Brice asked "Sadly Your Majesy. I have paid your royal guards already. Their loyalty to you is weaker than I thought. Outside, my knights are cleaning up those who are loyal to you. Poor things. Loyalty should be given to competent people. The rest of your host has turned against you also. There is no escape. So should we do it now or should I give you time to finish dinner first?" "I prefer you do it after we finish eating" It was Lady Seymore who spoke "Ah, the Priestess. We are similar, you and I. We both have the highest authority in our respective faiths" "The only difference is that my authority over the believers of the Great Rider is unopposed while you are being challenged by the famous First Spear" "Not for long Priestess Seymore. I shall destroy him. Enough of that" Balian leaned closer "I am curious as to why you remain here despite knowing that I am planning on capturing you" "Faith I guess" Lady Seymore shrugged "I saw a vision in the smoke. I saw a man in armor on top of a lion. Countless horses were riding with them. The lion roared. It was as loud as a thousand thunders. It was as terrifying as death itself. The man in armor waved its sword and cut off a serpent''s neck. The horses trampled the remains" "That is an unusual vision. Vivid and terrifying if I should guess. But visions are things of soothsayers. I believe in facts. Now I would like to continue eating with you" Balian rose and wiped his mouth "Unfortunately I just lost my appetite. Finish your meals oh dear hostages" Balian and the Calgarian officer went out of the room. The two monarchs, Lady Seymore and Kolla were left with the guards. Kolla was staring at the Priestess. He still couldn''t understand why she let herself be captured. He just drank some fermented milk and hoped that the Great Rider will grant them his wind. ********** News of what happened in the west reached Bivon the next day through a pigeon from one of Freya''s spies. Erik was reading the report on his desk and the two ladies were, like always, sitting in front of him. Freya had almost finished her book while Emily still had the frown on her beautiful face. Erik lowered the paper and turned an eye on her. "You''ve been glaring at me for days. If you fall for me then that will be a problem as I am already promised to someone back home" "Your jests are funny at first but they get sour after a while. This setting of ours is getting too familiar. For the past weeks we have been sitting here and doing nothing" "Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do" Erik continued with the letter "Henry is pacifying the north, bringing it into our control. We cannot rush him. He will be here soon and then we will start doing something. That is our strategy Your Majesty. Well speaking of strategies, this priestess is good" "The priestess of the Great Rider just got captured" Queen Emily said "That is a strategy. Also I think the vision she saw was all made up" "Care to explain?" Erik put down the paper and rubbed his eyes "Only she knows if she really saw a vision. I bet she''s only spreading propaganda. A man in armor riding a lion? That''s reeks of Henry. And getting captured is a good plan. She could have escaped and rallied the tribes in the west against Balian. Her chances of winning will be slim but if she ever won then that will be a bad tale to spread. The priestess defeating the Grand Master- that will continue the hate between the two faiths. Things will be different if a young and famous knight like Henry would be the one defeating Balian and saving the priestess in the process. The relations between the two faiths will be knitted together. Life is about tales Your Majesty" "Or she could just be blessed with the vision and all of these are caused by divine intervention" Freya said. "Can''t rule out that possibility but my own belief leans more on her using her brains" Erik said A horn sounded, two blasts indicating the arrival of an ally. Erik looked out the window. "About time we get our First Spear back" 199 Sieges and Plans The streets of Bivon were clearer than when he was last here. Henry remembered the broken houses with chipped stones and spikes erected in front. He remembered the bodies scattered and fouling with stench so bad one would need to hold breath. The battered and defeated faces of people was still fresh on his mind. That was not Bivon, Henry thought. This is Bivon. He wore a smile, the first smile after that night Stan died. His party was welcomed by people throwing flowers at them. Yellow, blue and red petals filled his cape.The people were cheering, shouting Henry''s name. Erik''s propaganda machine worked. Henry''s knights of few hundred had grown their numbers into a few thousand. Knights from far-flung outposts joined his cause after he declared his claim to being the Grand Master. Some chose to remain neutral and some were against him but Henry was satisfied with the support that he received. His knights were behind him as he rode towards the palace. All of them were on horseback with armors glinting and capes hung on their back that signified their ranks. Some flamboyant ones waved at the crowd, drinking their cheers like wine. Henry wasn''t like that for he knew that he was but an instrument. They reached the palace and the drawbridge was lowered across the moat. The guards wore mismatched uniforms and flew different banners. Some of them are Castonians while the others are Tulosans. But Henry doesn''t need to look at their uniforms or at their banners to separate Castonians from Tulosans. The Tulosans were the ones leaning from the wall of the palace with curious eyes. The Castonians were those with curious eyes but had the will to stand on guard. "Rest in the headquarters" Henry gave his last order for the day and went inside with his chosen guards- a party of seven knights most loyal to him. After bringing his horse into the stable and making sure that the stable boys had the necessary experience to take care of his steed, Henry went inside to meet Erik, the Queen and Freya. He presented a bow and a kneel after entering the room. "Come on" Erik grunted behind his desk "We are friends are we? There''s no need for that. All of us here are equals" Henry rose and took his helm off. His brownish hair was sweaty. "The letters you have sent us lately bore good news. Honestly I never expected you to show such a change. Tell me, what made you decide to wear the Grand Master''s cloak?" Erik asked. "Centurion Stan died" Came Henry''s short answer. Erik opened his mouth and closed it again. A sudden lean on the backrest of his seat shook the golden chain that dangled across his chest. "You did not write about that in your letters" "Hundreds of my knights also died. I cannot write all their names in my letters. Centurion Stan was an old friend but I can''t show favoritism" "Ah fairness. But fairness is a sin Henry. You know why? Because fairness is a lie. It is a collective lie we tell each other until we forget its falsehood. The King is fair? The nobles are fair? The Grand Master is fair? Lies. We are a specie that breathes biases and inklings from the day we were birthed from our mothers'' womb until the day we heave our last breaths. You wanted to bury your friend with the highest honor. You wanted to mourn him for days" Henry nodded slowly "That is true. But I cannot" "Good" Erik said "You did good holding your own biases. That is growth. That is wisdom" "Spare my Henry of your philosophical mumbling Erik" Freya looked at Henry. Her smile was both loving and kind "He did good" "He did" Erik confirmed "He went to rescue his knights but came back with the support of the north and five thousand knights. Also I suppose a certain medallion found its way into the hands of our favorite knight?" Henry took the pouch from his waist and put it on top of Erik''s desk. He loosened the cord. Sheathing his hand inside, he produced the medallion. "Is this it?" "Yes, yes" Erik didn''t take his eye off the medallion for a while "The owner? Is he truly dead?" "By poison" "What is his gift?" "He can make dust that could put people into a dream" "I could have hired him to make my nights more comfortable and yet he used his dust to make a fanatic" Erik said, half joking but Henry felt a tinge of seriousness. "These people are dangerous" "They are and having this medallion will help us identify their presence" Erik hung the medallion on his neck "I shall keep it for the moment. So now that we are all here, let''s talk about our next steps" "We should attack Stonerider with everything we got. Balian is planning to hold the city" Said Queen Emily "You are gifted in politics but I''m thankful you''re not the one deciding our military moves" Erik mocked "Balian has risen into his current rank because he is smart. Holding Stonerider and just waiting for us to attack is not smart. Henry, enlighten the Queen on our situation. What is Balian planning to do?" "Uhhh pillage the tribes in the Great Plains?" "What?" Erik frowned towards him "No. Freya?" Freya just shook her head. "Am I the only one who can see what Balian aims to do?" Asked Erik The three of them shrugged one by one. Henry doesn''t really know what Erik is talking about. Erik sighed. Resting his forehead on his arm, he said in a serious tone "I have been reading books about the geography of Tulosa. The Red River separates the west from Bivon, am I wrong?" "That is correct, a well known fact" Answered Queen Emily "And there are two ways to cross the Red River and that is through the Red Bridge near Bivon and a bridge without a name far up north. If we are to attack Stonerider, our supply lines will have cross the bridge" "That is the basics of logistics, yes" Queen Emily said "And if, say, the Red Bridge gets destroyed, we will be cut off from Bivon. Our army would starve. Balian would win without even losing a single man" "You...think they will sabotage the bridge?" Henry failed to hold his worry "No" Erik said "Here''s what I think will happen. After we cross to the Great Plains, Balian will secretly send a portion of his army to cross the Red Bridge to Bivon. This small detachment would then destroy the bridge after they crossed. Now this will accomplish two things. First we will starve because of cut supply lines. Second, they could besiege Bivon and we couldn''t do anything to stop them. We could lose Bivon and our army will slowly rot into oblivion" Henry''s heart raced. Erik was right. "Balian could afford to divide his army because he outnumbers us heavily. He has enough men to defend Stonerider and besiege Bivon simultaneously. Although destroying the bridge would also cut his supply lines, he could raid the villages around Bivon while we can''t lay a finger on the tribes around Stonerider" "Finally, someone gets it" "So what should we do?" Erik chuckled "We will show Balian that his strategies are childish compared to mine" In the end, Erik didn''t reveal what he was planning. The Marquis would always evade details and just asked for their trust. Henry was then dragged by Freya to her room. With bandage in hand, she dressed his wound. "Your healing is impressive but your crass movements have opened the wound" She said, rubbing his wound with unknown herbs mixed with oil. The smell was good like lemon in summer. "I had to" "I know. But still..." She lifted her head and looked at him. Henry noticed the droplets of sweat that formed channels on her forehead. Her hands were oily with the medicine. Her dress was smudged by herbs. Henry''s heart melted. Her care had a warmth more calming than the best hearths. Henry put his hand on her face. He bent, almost instinctively, and pecked on her lips. He severed but she pulled him. Soon they were raveled in a kiss. When they parted, they were already in an embrace. "There wasn''t a day that you didn''t put me in a worry. Every single day I would wonder if I''m going to see you again. Every day I''m praying to the Omniscient for your safe return" Freya said "Danger is part of my profession, even more now that I am the Grand Master. I cannot promise you peace nor can I pledge you happiness at all times. Our life will be hard and dangerous" "That''s a small price to pay for a lifetime with you" "Do you really mean that?" "I do" Freya said Their lips again met in a deeper kiss. This time, the kiss pushed them to go further. Henry ended up spending the night in the room. 200 The Red Bridge The Red River''s deep blue waters flashed a formidable sight below the bridge suspended above it. The current was slow, like a mother cradling her newborn child. But below the blue sparkles and the calm current was probably one of the deepest rivers in the world. Fishermen and crabhunters have tried to put a number on the depth. They all came with different measurements of course, with the shallowest being the height of a palm tree and the deepest being tales of the Red River being bottomless. Henry doesn''t care about numbers. The fact is that the Red River is deep and wide. He severed his stare from the water below them. The Red Bridge was high and terrifying enough with its crumbling columns and tales of it being built with substandard materials. Now nearly thirty thousand pair of boots will cross the wooden bridge, probably at least two hundred men at a time. Not to mention the weight of horses, Henry prayed that the old bridge would hold. A few clack of horse hooves and he reached the other end. Looking behind, their host was lined far. The Castonians were at the front like they always were, as if a more cheesy stereotype is needed. Henry''s knights marched at the middle except those who were tasked to scout. Queen Emily was at the rear. "You miss her sire?" A sudden question reached Henry''s ears. Henry looked at the knight who threw the question, with a frown of course as he didn''t see the need for such a personal query. "Ah... that Castonian Ambassadress. Our brothers have been talking about her and you" The knight added with an anxious smile. "Gossiping you mean. The Omniscient warns about the dangers of the tongue brother" "We are merely curious sire" Henry fiddled with the reins. He took a quick glance towards the line still crossing the Red Bridge. "Her name is Freya. And yes, I will be missing her. But she will stay in Bivon where she will be safe. That gives me a peace of mind" "And after all of this sire? What then?" "What?" The knight''s head lowered a bit. "Some of our brothers are worried that you''ll go back with her to Castonia" Henry jolted. His eyes squinted. He and Freya haven''t discussed this complication yet. With him as the Grand Master now, he cannot leave Tulosa. Before the snow season, he had decided to live in Castonia for the rest of his life. But now that couldn''t happen anymore. Before Henry could provide an answer or even think of one, two riders went to him. With their black mails and the lion on their breastplates, they were Erik''s men. "The Marquis requests your presence Grand Master" Henry formed a little and fleeting smile, amused by the words used. Because their ranks are now, to a certain extent, equal, Erik''s words were tamer and less demanding. Henry rode with the riders to the front. The Castonians formed in an arc that stretched for at least a mile from one end to another. Two men deep and with their halberds pointed to the blue sky, Henry could only feel bad if the enemies planned an ambush while they were crossing. "Professionals, aren''t they?" Erik said with an air of pride. "You Castonians have that reputation. You yourself have that reputation" Erik curved a smile "We have been here for a month right? How many battles have we won?" "Three" "Three in one month, a great feat. But that pales compared to King Timothy. Do you know the situation up north?" Henry shook his head. He had been focused on the affairs here in Tulosa that news from the north eluded his ears. "The King and the Queen are ravaging Canton as we speak. They have captured half of that kingdom. The Queen plotted for the ousting of the King of Canton and she was successful with the support of rebels and disgruntled nobles. Of course Wismar, Hadea and Inkit have sent support but Timothy just toyed with them, outmaneuvering their huge and bulky army left and right. In one battle, the Rooster legion routed a force five times their number. Guess how many engagements they have won?" Henry shrugged "Three?" "Fifteen" Erik said "Of course some of them are small skirmishes but that is still damn impressive. And how about Admiral Bisham and the Vanadian navy? Have you heard news about their exploits?" Henry again shook his head but guessed vaguely, "They are winning right?" "Better. The Calgarians are losing. It was a full blockade Henry. Calgari''s trade is suspended. All their tea are just sitting in their warehouses. Admiral Bisham also captured the city of Hydas and many coastal towns" "I appreciate the information Erik but I sense a greater reason why you''re telling me of this" Erik sighed loudly and produced a grin "I am losing against my peers. Although we have won three battles already, the civil war is still an ongoing affair. My achievements are far too little compared to them. It is too late now to catch up to Timothy''s achievements in the north but I am not losing to Admiral Bisham. Well fear not for I will soon do something that could impress even Timothy. Future historians will remember the maneuver that I will do as The Marquis'' Claws" "I don''t understand Erik. The Marquis'' Claws?" "Yes" Erik declared "We are the lion and we have a rat to hunt" ********** Under the dark blanket of sky eight thousand Calgarians marched in silence. A sensible commander would pitch tents and gift his men rest after a long day of march. A normal Dux would dread a night march. But there was nothing normal or sensible about their situation. On one side were the enemies and on the other was the deep Red River. Neither would welcome them with loving arms. They must cross the bridge unnoticed. Riding on his horse and at the front of the column, Dux Corwell held a waterskin. The leather had been damaged by time. Like his position, the waterskin belonged to his father and his father before him. Corwell doesn''t want to gain the wrath of his ancestors for throwing the old thing so he kept it. His son, who would also be a Dux after his death or resignation, would inherit the battered waterskin. Corwell took a sip and had a bitter smile after tasting the water. It inflicted a funny taste on his tongue. Clean water wouldn''t taste sour, came a fleeting thought. The footslog led them to a bridge just about eight leagues north of Bivon. He was told to burn the bridge after crossing. For that he had prepared barrels of oil. Vanadian Hellfire could have been better but the supply of smuggled Hellfire had dwindled for the last months. Those available in the black market were either too diluted to burn or just fake. Oil would suffice though as Balian informed him that the Red Bridge is a product of corruption. The wood were old and easy to catch fire. The columns were thinner than in the plans. ''Just sprinkle oil'' Balian told him back in Stonerider ''But make sure none of your men are still in the bridge or you will have to fish them from the Red River. Fish them drowned or dying and probably both for that river is deep'' "Send the outriders" Corwell ordered after finally catching sight of the Red Bridge from afar. A bridge crossing is a thing of danger especially when darkness is not your friend. Ambushes were a threat only fools would enjoy ignoring. Corwell prided himself for being a sensible man like his father and his father before him. The scouts rode to all directions, spreading like sowed grains in spring planting. Eight scouts went ahead to the other side in case the enemies didn''t cross after all and were actually waiting for them on the other side. Corwell ordered a halt before crossing. His horse stood on the entrance of the Red Bridge. He looked forward and darkness met him. The moon hid behind the horizon and the stars snubbed the sky. He held the torch high, the buttocks of the scouts'' horses made a show before fully merging in the darkness of the bridge. What awaited on the other side was beyond Corwell. The Red bridge itself was a little different from what he imagined. It was of a narrow deck with the pillars made of stone at first and then degrading into wood at the middle. The planks were black smutted wood, probably Cedar. The nails showed age through rust. The sound of iron horseshoes tapping on the wood of the bridge demanded Corwell''s attention. He knew then that something is wrong. The Red Bridge is long, some five hundred feet across that connected the two banks of the Red River. It should have taken longer for the scouts to return. The eight horsemen''s faces were pale as lime powder. "What?" Corwell asked the closest rider, still quite a distance away. "Dux Corwell" The rider shouted back "The bridge..." The tone degraded into a fearful show "It has already been destroyed" 201 Monsters in the Dark When he was young, Corwell''s father, the Dux before him, would tell stories about monsters lurking in the murks. Corwell would hear about swamp men and ghouls and wandering man eaters. He would huddle behind his blanket upon hearing scratches and screeches. Corwell feared the dark because of monsters. But as Corwell kept occasional glances towards the dark plains before them, he feared something more real. Swamp men and ghouls and wandering man eaters don''t exist. Marquis Erik''s army on the other hand, were real. Every hooting of owls and every small flit in the tall grass would draw Corwell''s fear. Every sound, every movement would make his heart beat in quick rhythms. Sometimes he would see knights charging with their bulky steeds, only to escape his delusion. Sometimes it was Castonians in their black mails and stern faces. Other times he would hear war drums- unstopping, steady- pounding in the rhythm of his heartbeat. Corwell reached back to the satchel slung on the side of his horse. Inside the satchel was another waterskin, this time made of sheep bladder and not leather. Choking the neck of the waterskin, he drank the wine inside. His shaking hands saw to it that half of the flow dripped out of his mouth. The fermented vine formed smudges on his uniform. Corwell couldn''t do anything but curse. "Have... any of the scouts reported?" Corwell asked, to nobody in particular as it was too dark to see faces. All he could see are the figures of his men marching with him. "No sire" a voice replied curtly. Corwell sent every man with a horse to scout. Even the horses carrying the barrels of oil were used. Corwell wants eyes and he wants warning. If Marquis Erik does attack, he wants to know where and how many. He wants to send spears to where spears were needed, arrows to where arrows would hit and swords to where it would bleed. He is a sensible man, he again thought- but now a degraded belief as he started to question his ability. The march meandered south, tracing the bank of the Red River. The River stayed silent to their ordeal. Corwell heard not a single splash. He was told that the Red River is a placid body. It had been a long time since any of the scouts reported back. Seeds of restlessness sowed in his heart, Corwell thought of grim possibilities. More than a hundred rider he sent and none returned. Not even a cry, not a neigh either. It was as if the darkness swallowed the scouts. "It is dark, aye" Corwell talked, suddenly "They are just lost. It''s the darkness'' fault. The scouts are lost. It is a wide plain. So don''t murmur about the scouts being all dead!" His shout was met with turns of heads. "We ain''t murmuring about such thing sire" A soldier reasoned. "Right. Eh, don''t mind what I said" Corwell adjusted on his saddle, embarrassed. It then occurred to him that he shouldn''t be. He is a Dux. His father is a Dux. His son will be a Dux. Corwell raised a finger "But never murmur of such thing. We are safe. Vulus, Creton and Sulla are with us, Gods of old and Gods of true" Silence, again. Corwell started to loathe silence. He turned towards the front and just rode. A few thousand steps brought them the pale blue glow of twilight. Fresh air filled his nose, minty and a pinch of something sweet. The march became sluggish. His men dragged and yawned. Marching through the night taxed them too much. Should we rest? Corwell thought to himself. Maybe they could pitch tents for a while until mid morning. He then remembered that the tents were left behind because he commanded that all the horses are to be used for scouting. But a rest is needed. He was tired himself and his horse''s head is already lowered. "Halt the column" Corwell commanded. He repeated it a few more times before the order was received. The march stopped. Eight thousand men lay on the grass. Some slept with loud snores. Corwell climbed off his horse. The tall grass drowned his feet up to his ankles. The green things that stretched for leagues on end looked like a blanket. Corwell was called to sleep. He blinked a few times and decided that a moment of rest wouldn''t hurt. "Dux" called one of the Calgarians. Corwell opened his eyes. He traced his look towards the direction the soldier was pointing. His drowsiness was snuffed like a candle amidst a storm. An army presented before them, stretching long. They were many and they were intimidating. A distance of about a league separated the two sides. The Calgarians, still with swollen eyes and ruffled hairs, snapped into formation. It wasn''t a good formation- mismatched with spears mixing with crossbows. Semblance of Cohorts and Centuries was nowhere. Corwell went up his horse in a hurry, almost falling in the process. "Form up! Steady men, steady!" A group of horsemen rode out from the enemies. The white flag was raised. There were five of them. Corwell raised his own white flag and met the messengers. Fifteen of his own stood beside. Only Corwell was on horseback. The messengers were all armored. Three had the black mails of Castonians while the other two were knights. "We have your scouts" the knight said "all except a few who died and escaped" "Died?" "They fought, foolishly, and threw their lives. Most had the sense to surrender though" "What do you want?" Corwell rushed. "Unconditional surrender. We surround you and your men are tired. Look at them. They cannot fight, not in those conditions. With only the River behind, there is nowhere to run. Marquis Erik doesn''t indulge in blood and violence. But if you choose to fight, we will be true to our words and annihilate you" Corwell looked behind. His cowering men were half routing already. It would be their defeat if he fights. But surrendering doesn''t sound good either. He will be a prisoner. He is Dux like his father and his father before him. It would be a shame to surrender without a fight. He will only surrender once his men have routed. That way, he wouldn''t have to face shame. A few hundred of his men would die but their sacrifice will prevent Corwell''s family from being shamed. "Come at us" Corwell said "We will meet swords" "Dux!" One of the Calgarians shouted in surprise. The others gave him frowns. "We will not surrender boy" Corwell barked. "But we will die. We will lose. Are you mad!? We have been defeated the moment that bridge was destroyed" "Shut your mouth or by Sulla''s grace I will execute you!" Corwell again turned towards the knight "You have your answer. Marquis Erik will have to bash through our spears if he wants us to surrender. We will..." Corwell felt a sudden cold on his back, unfamiliar cold unlike the usual brought by wind. It was biting. Corwell looked behind. A sword was stuck on his back. The tip protruded a little out his chest. The wielder was one of his own. "We will surrender" said his killer to the knight. ********** "Well we have won a bloodless victory" said Queen Emily, leaning forward on the table inside the pavilion. The sun was yet to rise. "Not bloodless" Erik corrected "They killed their foolish commander right?" "And blood well spent" Henry said "That was dishonorable, yes. But that betrayal saved thousands of lives" Erik formed a grin "Look at our First Spear. You have grown. If it was the old you, he would have said, ''By the Omniscient''s mercy! That was awful. A stab to the back, what a folly. Oh this is a dark day. The Omniscient is weeping''" "I am not as dramatic as that" Henry protested "Well you were something like that before Henry. But enough of that" Queen Emily shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose "What now? We have captured them, eight thousand Calgarians in an almost bloodless victory. But our supply lines are cut. We have no food. We will starve" "I must agree with the Queen, Erik. Even if we did capture all of the smaller force, we would lose to Balian in a week or so. We cannot feed such a huge host. My knights'' horses alone need a constant supply of hay and grains. The nearest crossing point across the Red River is up north near Murt which is at least a week''s march from here. They could just run down our starving host" Erik clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes "I am insulted by your lack of faith towards my skills. Fine, get on your horses and ride with me" "Where are we going?" Asked the Queen "Just get on your horses. Bring guards if you want to. It will be a short ride" Erik exited the pavilion and a squire brought him a horse. Henry and Queen Emily followed. Twenty guards went with them in a ride towards the river and then down south. When the sky was light yellow and the morning coming into being, Erik halted and dismounted. Queen Emily and Henry followed. "Why did you bring us here?" Asked the Queen Erik went to the river and washed his face. He wiped with a clean cloth a squire provided. "Look around. What do you see?" Henry started to tilt his head around. "The Great Plains to the west, the other bank of the Red River to the east" He looked to the north "More river to the north..." But when he turned his look to the south, he saw dots in the river down south. He squinted, trying to see in the weak light of the rising sun. After some time the figures became more apparent. They were ships, dozens of them and large. Henry was confused because aside from fishing vessels, Tulosa doesn''t have a navy. He looked at the flag and his squinting eyes went wide. "Vanadian ships" Henry uttered. 202 Plans in Shambles A single horseman rode to the west. Wind brushing against his bloodied face, he shuddered. He gripped the reins of his horse tightly. The leather formed marks on his hand. The horseman closed his eyes. It was horrible. The horror he encountered just to escape was too much for him to bare. He was lucky. Sulla favored his bones. There have been almost a hundred of them, Dux Corwell made sure to scout. And they did. Their horses were light and they maneuvered fine in the wide grasslands. But the enemies were cunning. They set up traps everywhere. At first they offered mercy in exchange for surrender, a good trade. But not all men valued their lives equally and not all Calgarians were of the same level of loyalty. The scout was born a little too patriotic, his curse. But he was able to escape. The others have either surrendered or died. He avoided the cold bite of steel against his flesh. Now he rode to the east, bearing dark news to the others. A day of riding brought him to the wooden walls of Stonerider. It was not long before sundown when he arrived. The sentries demanded his identity and he was then permitted entry into the city. "I need to speak with the Grand Master" The scout said to the knight who opened the gate for him. The knight eyed him for a time, the judging eyes were peeling his very skin. "What for? He''s a busy man" "This is important" The scout insisted "Dux Corwell is trapped" The knight''s eyes bulged. With a single curt nod, he turned and shouted to his peer, "Escort him to the Grand Master!" ********** Balian stood at the front of the table. A huge map of Tulosa and the Great Plains was laid before him and his officers. "We should go here and then here. The enemies are trapped but a week''s march into safety would see many of them survive even if we harass their backs on their way. We should envelope them" A knight Prefect said as he traced his finger on the parchment. "No" Balian said "If we do that they could go south and attack Stonerider instead" "A thousand good men could hold for a few days if needed" "Marquis Erik has twenty thousand of such good men. Henry has, I heard, five thousand knights. Only Queen Emily''s host is their weak link. Do not underestimate them. It would be bad if we lose Stonerider" The Prefect nodded in silence. He again pointed at the map. "Then how about we divide our army? Send knights to seal their escape and the Calgarians, mercenaries and the noble''s men to shield Stonerider while pushing them towards our knights" "That would work if we have a huge advantage in horses. Unfortunately, Henry commands thousands. And you know him. I have to admit the loyalty he commands in the field is stunning. If we divide our army and send the knights in advance, we risk of losing the knights" "Sire!" Knocks pounded on the door. Balian and the officers all turned their heads. "Come in" Balian commanded. "A scout just arrived" Said the guard posted outside the door after opening it "From Dux Corwell" A man, not too old, went inside. His face was bloody. His thin armor was crumpled on many parts. His eyes were empty. Balian knew something bad must have happened. He commanded Dux Corwell to cross the Red Bridge in secret after the enemies. But the state of the scouts shouts that a battle happened. Balian hoped that Corwell was at least able to burn the bridge. Even if the enemies spotted them and turned around, it would be a win to just cut the enemies'' supply line. "Did he manage to burn the bridge?" Balian asked, impatient for answer. "The bridge" The Scout''s voice trailed "It has already been burned when we arrived sire" "Not by your doing?" "No sire. The bridge was already destroyed when we got there. It reeks of Vanadian Hellfire sire" "Holy Creton''s bottom!" One of the Calgarian officers exclaimed, tapping his palms on the table "This Marquis Erik is insane. I thought we would need to exert effort to cut his supplies but he did it himself" "Aye, something wrong is inside his head. Something wrong" Said an officer knight in a mocking tone "What a blunder" "You are all fools!" Balian shouted so loud the room was filled by the echoes of his voice for a while. He shifted towards the map and pointed at the river "Dux Corwell and his host are now trapped between the Red River and the enemies. He is done. We just lost eight thousand of our forces. Eight thousand!" "But their sacrifices will be put to good use sire. Without supplies from Bivon, our enemies would starve" Resoned one daring knight. "Are you degenerates? Are you all thinking with your arses to imply that Marquis Erik doesn''t know that? He destroyed the bridge on purpose. He knew the repercussions of his actions but still burned the bridge anyway. He has a plan. I knew he has one. He isn''t some amateur who would cut his supplies on purpose" "What now..." a knight looked up to him "sire?" "It is too dangerous to proceed to the plan. We must be careful and capitalize on our advantages. We outnumber him, that''s one. He is on the offensive, that''s another. We also need more information" Balian looked at the scout "You are a good man. Take forty scouts with you and gather more information. For the time being, we must postpone our plans" ********** The Vanadian galleys sailed towards them. Oarsmen heaved the galleys in position. Anchors were dropped and small dinghies finished the job of transporting men into the bank. "Smart. We don''t have a bridge anymore so you''re going to ferry food and supplies across" Queen Emily said. She opened her mouth and as if deciding that no words were needed, shut it after. "And prisoners" Erik wore a proud smile. The eight thousand Calgarians who surrendered will be transported to Bivon as prisoners of war. The morning sun glaring his eyes, Erik squinted but the smile remained. "When did you send them the order to mobilize?" Henry inquired. "Two days ago. Don''t worry, they are Admiral Bisham''s excess. This squadron was just sitting with their butts in the port of Hydas. Better be of use to me. Although the taverns of Hydas will miss their bad songs and heavy tips for a while" Henry did not sever his stare for a while. He led Erik to away and leaned closer. "''And why didn''t you tell us about this? Don''t you trust us?" Henry''s voice was hushed. "Oh I trust you" "Then..." Henry paused as if realizing. He looked to the direction of Queen Emily "Why?" "Because I''m not a fool. She kept secrets from us once and she is filled with hate. Although her heart is kind, I''m not putting the lives of my men in that kindness. I pressume she already knows about my mistrust. I hope she could prove herself loyal to our cause soon" "She is our ally" "And so were Inkit, Hadea and Canton until they aren''t. Ally is a weak word Henry- too vague. If we are to trust her, she needs to prove that she''s worthy of such trust" Henry fell into a silence as deep as the Red River. Erik noticed Henry''s face undergo several change of emotions. "May the Omniscient guide her into the light" came the knight''s answer after a while. By afternoon, a fort was erected on the bank of the River. Rising twenty feet high with palisades covered in grease, the forts could accommodate a few thousand men. A moat lined the outside of the wall, eight feet deep and with spikes pitched with hellfire. Small ballistae overlooked the plains from the top of the wooden walls, prepared to rain bolts. If the ballistae and crossbowmen are not enough, catapults mounted on the Vanadian galleys would be. Erik swiveled his eyes towards Queen Emily. She was ordering her men around, helping finish the construction of the defenses. Erik doesn''t want to doubt her and he hoped that she would stay true to the end. She would be a great Queen and a strong ally. But if she dared do something disloyal, Erik would not hesitate to show her Castonian steel. She looked at him and they met eyes. She avoided his gaze. She knew. Good, Erik thought as he strode to her direction. Hands tugged behind he said, "Your frown is a terrible thing" "You didn''t tell me about this" Emily didn''t bother turning to him. Her untied hair danced to the tune of the wind. "I didn''t tell Henry either" "Let''s not play with words and evade the main point" "Which is?" "You don''t trust me" "I do trust you" Erik said. He cupped the medallion hung on his neck "It''s just, there is too much at risk to be lenient towards you" "''That''s the same as saying that you don''t trust me at all" Henry savored the wind. Unlike the salty air of Greenwater, here the air smells like grass and soil. The flavor rented his nose for a while. "Come with me. We shall meet with the others" Erik said and started walking away. 203 Wolf at the Back Commodore Bernard was a young man with rare green eyes. He wasn''t blessed with a perfect face with his round cheeks and hooked nose. But his eyes were enough to make an impression. His curly hair was scattered just like his laughter when Erik shook his hand. "On behalf of Castonia, I thank you for coming here Commodore. It must have been cruel for you to leave the comforts of Hydas for the dirt and smut of Tulosa" The Commodore laughed again. His round belly under his blue navy uniform shook with each laughter. "I prefer the honor to be of use rather than the taverns of Hydas..." The Commodore stopped when he saw Emily walked inside the tent "Omniscient be praised! Your beauty is painful. Oh my good day is complete. Omniscient take me now for I have seen the best of your creation" Erik held his laugh upon seeing Emily''s surprise and displeasure. He studied the Commodore. Not bad, he thought. Jolly and loud but he seems reliable. Talking to a jolly fellow would be a good medicine to Emily''s constant frowns. "Oh I apologize if I have slighted you" Commodore Bernard said, this time with a small bow and kempt voice. "My mouth blabbers what my mind blabbers. But life is too short to frown. Smile and be glad for the day is good! But may I know thy name oh fair maiden?" "Emily Tulosa" The Queen clipped her answer. The Commodore straightened his posture. His fast blinking eyes looked at Erik. "She''s the Queen? I imagined her to be older. Well pardon me more Your Majesty. I am not myself" Emily trudged towards the seat. Cross-legged, she sat and drank the Calgarian tea they confiscated from their prisoners. The last to arrive was Henry. "Just tell me the plan" Emily said when all four of them were seated at last. "I need you and Commodore Bernard to remain here and guard this fort while Henry and I would proceed. Continue sending supplies to us" Emily looked at him. Her eyebrows were meeting. Her glare could melt. "I prefer not. I would like to be in the front" "An order is an order" "An order from whom? You? You said we are equals" "We both know that isn''t the case. I command the strongest force so naturally my words are heavier. My commands are more needy to being followed" "That''s just great. You and your Castonians should be followed. Now what makes you better than the Calgarians and the Wismarines and the others?" There were both mockery and fear in her voice. "Because we are acting for the benefit of your nation!" Erik sneered and regretted it after seeing her flinch. He fixed his emotions first before continuing "You are lucky my King and my Queen are not monsters and thieves and killers like the others. But you are not your nation. Make no mistake, we support you because you have a potential to bring stability to this damn forsaken land. But the moment you stray from your path, we will not hesitate to choose someone else. We don''t trust you, not yet" "Now, now" Commodore Bernard said, steady voice "Let''s not be hostile to each other" There was a small respite in their argument before Emily again said with a tamer voice, "So you are leaving me here because you want me out of your way? You don''t trust me" "It''s the opposite. I am giving you a chance to gain my trust" Erik said calmly. "Explain" Emily said. With lowered head she added, "please" "You are in a good position to betray me. If you do, I will be put in peril. Food and supplies would cease on flowing and I would have an army without strength. You are right, my trust in you is not yet firm. But I am putting myself in a vulnerable position" "I would not betray you" She said, lowered head and trembling voice. "I hope so. But only the wolf knows what the wolf knows and by putting you at my back, you would become my wolf" "Then I will prove myself to be a proper wolf, neither rabid nor sly" Emily sighed. She was silent for a while. When she talked, her frown was gone. "You really should trust me more Marquis Erik" "I should" Erik gave a brief nod "''And I hope I would" ********** With six big bites Balian finished his sausage. Down to his stomach the food went. After that was a glass of fermented milk. The taste was weird. His first swallow of the thing jolted his tongue with sour and bitter flavors concocting into an arid taste. The second swallow was a little more tamed. The third and the rest were just a taste of something weird but he had been used to it. Balian put the fork down. He looked outside the window of Earl Kolla''s house. He could see the entire city of Stonerider from here. Wooden houses with dried horse skins as roofs. The believers of the Great Rider believed that every horse is sacred. Slaughter of horses for consumption is frowned upon. But horses were being used everywhere in the Great Plains- from house roofs to bone dolls and dices to fertilizer. Hypocrites, Balian thought. They are hypocrites just like him. He is a hypocrite but at least he admits it. The fermented goat milk drinkers act as if they are committed to their faith. Balian had lost his faith a long time ago. The Omniscient was but a story told over generations to control the masses. If the divine being the knights believe in is a lie, then what stops them from taking over Tulosa? The answer is faith. Many knights like Henry were still devout to the Omniscient. They were afraid of divine smite which doesn''t even exist. It is time for the knights to claim their rightful place as a ruling class. A nation led by experienced knights- that was a dream of his. "Grand Master" Dante, his squire, pushed the door open. "We are too late" Balian played with the oily remnants of his plate. He looked towards the squire "right?" "Dux Corwell died sire, killed by his own. All eight thousand surrendered" "And how did Marquis Erik solved the problem of his cut supply lines?" "There were..." Hesitation filled Dante''s tone "Vanadian ships ferrying food from one side to the other sire" Balian smiled. Smart. He was bested. "And I suppose he fortified the area of the river where the Vanadian ships are anchored?" "Our scouts reported a fort sire. Took them just a single day to build it. Queen Emily and the Vanadians hold the fort while the Castonians and the pretender Henry are marching towards us as we speak" Balian laughed lowly "I thought I was smart. I thought it would work" "You are smart sire..." "Spare me those greasy but unneeded words Dante. I just lost twice in a row. I lost Bivon and now I just lost a huge chunk of the Calgarians" Balian rose and stepped towards the window. The city reeks of horse manure. "Our next steps sire?" Dante asked. "You''re been my squire for quite a while right?" Balian looked at his squire. He could still remember the large child squire he had. Now Dante had grown further with wide shoulders and square chin "You must have at least learned a thing or two from me. What do you think is our chances of victory now?" "Too early to tell sire. We outnumber them but just a little now with the defeat of Dux Corwell" Balian again turned to the window "Still stupid huh? We are losing and we are about to suffer defeat. This city can''t hold our enemies'' attack. Our supplies and allies are slowly melting into nothing. We have lost our chance to win the moment the Castonians decided to stop being neutral" "But sire..." "Marquis Erik knows that. That''s why he''s closing the noose around our necks fast. He will besiege the city and the tribes around the Great Plains would rally into his camp. If we are lucky we would die if he decided to assault us. If we are unlucky, we would also die in a slow and agonizing siege. We would starve and die all the same" "That is a grim future sire" "Grim indeed. But I''m not going to let that happen. The moment their rams touch our walls, we are dead meat. We need to flee" "Flee..." Dante repeated. Bewilderment was on his voice. "Yes" Balian sighed "Order the knights to move. We will flee the city and take refuge elsewhere. With an army composed of purely cavalry we would be able to outmarch Marquis Erik" "And the Calgarians, nobles and mercenaries?" "Leave them. They will bog us down. We must cut our losses" There was this surprised expression on Dante''s face. But the squire bowed nonetheless. "As you command Grand Master" 204 Escaped The day was high when Erik finally saw the city of Stonerider at the distance. Behind him were the Castonians and the knights. Several tribes in the Great Plains joined them on their way and many more were seeking place in their camp each day. The whole region of the Great Plains was in rebellion against Balian and they all met here, outside Stonerider. The walls of the large city were wooden, of the light and soft type as even wood was being imported in the Great Plains. The walls do not span the whole circumference of the city though as half of Stonerider was adjacent to the lake which also serves as its primary source of water. "Maybe we could build boats to attack from the lake" Henry said to Erik. "We could if we have wood but we used most of the wood in building the fort. What little wood we have should be used to build rams and ladders. I would have wanted an assault from the lake though" Erik said, half serious "It would be a first" "I have read about a siege..." Henry looked into the horizon "I forgot the name. But it includes boats" "Siege of Ciet" Erik answered, remembering the time Timothy''s interest when both of them learned about the siege from history books many years ago "But that was a river. The City of Ciet doesn''t have walls on the side adjacent to the river so the Lutanis built boats to cross the river instead of attacking their walls. That whole affair saw it that cities are now walled even if a river or a lake protects one of its sides. But it seems Stonerider didn''t hear of the news" "Interesting" "Is that all?" "What?" "Interesting" Erik repeated what Henry said "When Timothy and I were still at the palace of Nirvana, we were mentored with the other noble children. Timothy was smart and one of his favorite topics was history. When he learned about the siege of Ciet, Timothy was ecstatic. That night he dragged me from my bed into the library. He told me, ''The Lutani General thought himself as smart by building boats but he lost almost half of his army in taking Ciet. If that was me, Ciet would have fallen sooner and with less blood''. I laughed at his arrogant claim until he drew me a plan that includes redirecting the river. My laughter died as I realized it could have worked. But being myself I didn''t praise him back then. I asked, ''What if that was a lake? It''s easy to redirect a river because it flows but a lake can''t be drained''. You know what his reply was? He said, ''I have a plan but I''ll make it a secret until you have yours. We would then compare ours and see who have the better one''. I never thought that I would use the siege plan we had back then for real" "You have a colorful childhood" "Indeed I have. But the siege plan we are going to follow is Timothy''s" Henry heaved him a confused look. As if a sudden understanding, he then smiled "Because his is better?" "I hate to admit but yes" Erik chuckled "I bet he''ll laugh once he read of my report" The city grew bigger as they approached. After reaching the one-league distance from Stonerider, Erik ordered the Castonians to present to the front and the knights to screen the surrounding for any signs of traps and ambushes. His host was still on the process of forming when Henry pointed at the city. "White flag" "White flag?" Erik looked to where Henry was pointing. A man was waving a white flag on top of the wall. "Maybe Balian has been ousted by the citizenry" "No" Erik shook his head "Balian is as ruthless as he is sly. He''s would slaughter every breathing being inside the city before they slaughter him" "Maybe Balian is tired. The Omniscient must have touched his heart into goodness" Erik looked at Henry. "What?" Henry asked with a grin. "Nothing. Well there might not be a siege after all. A shame" Erik pulled the reins of his mount and trotted "Let''s see first what really happened" They were met by five horsemen halfway to the city walls. Their colors were Calgarian. Their horses were thin and lean. Unlike the muscular horses of the knights, these horses were bred for endurance. "We surrender" said the Calgarian "We don''t want blood. Take us as prisoners" "Prisoners. Yea, soon. But I want to talk to the person with the highest rank" "I am that. My name is Prefect..." "Where is Balian?" Erik looked around "Tell him that we will grant amnesty for some of his crimes so long as he cooperates. Enough blood has been spilled. Let us put an end to this war" "Balian and all of his knights fled" There was anger in the Calgarian''s voice "They left two nights ago. Fools and sissies all of them. Balian ordered me and my men to hold Stonerider for as long as possible but I''m having none of that nonsense. We surrender" Erik should be joyed by the Calgarian''s words but he wasn''t. He never thought that Balian accepted defeat so much as to just cut his infantry and escape with his cavalry. It was a mistake on his part. "He is escaping but he could attack Emily on his way" Henry said the obvious part. "Emily could just board the Vanadian ships and be safe on the other side of the river. Once she gets word of Balian''s approach she would retreat" Erik looked at Henry, frown deep. The truthfulness of his guess slowly vanished "Dammit she''s going to hold the fort, isn''t she?" "That''s likely. She is grumpy and impatient" Erik steered his horse towards the Calgarians "Surrender fast. Me and my lads still have a moody Queen to reinforce" ********** The wobbly movements of the wagon woke Shirley from her sleep. She opened her eyes. The grimed canvas swayed with every movement of the wagon. Immediately she formed a grimace due to her aching back. Some nights ago, they hurriedly left Stonerider. She and the other hostages were forced into a wagon. The wagon was dark and she longed for sunlight. "So you have been trying to blade my neck since the beginning!?" a hushed but agitated voice said. With a turn of her body, Shirley saw that it was King Brice. He was frowning towards Captain Rain. "You killed my wife!" replied Captain Rain in a more hushed voice but the anger was burning like a furnace. "She was a serf. I did not mean for her to die! I was also drunken that time!" "And you took my child, my daughter! I have long wanted to wet my hands with your dirty blood. Every time I look at your neck- pulsing, breathing- I would imagine the worst possible way I could make my justice" "Then make it now" King Brice leapt closer but was restricted by the chain "I am nothing. I have nothing. Your child is currently the Queen of Tulosa" "You..." Captain Rain tried to lunge but was also stopped by his own chains. Shirley rolled her eyes. Can''t those two lower their voices a bit? The bumpy ride was punishment enough. Their arguments irritated her. "Not very good travelling companions right?" Said Priestess Seymore beside her, also in chains. "But I do believe Captain Rain''s anger is understandable" Shirley''s mother said "Many people of higher authority have abused their power" "Yes, but Captain Rain should have dealt his revenge a long time ago. The Great Rider permits his wronged children the gift of justice. Shedding of blood will not make the Great Steed neigh" said another voice. This time it belonged to Earl Kolla of Stonerider. He pointed to his scar which runs wide on his face. White tissue replaced the broken skin "A Baron once drunkenly killed my horse once. By law of the Great Plains, he should have paid a huge fine or lost three fingers. A horse''s blood is sacred. But you know what he did? He spitted on the ground near my foot. I took my sword and challenged him to a duel. He died and I lived" "I don''t think that''s a fair comparison Earl Kolla" Priestess Seymore smiled "Captain Rain lost his wife and had his child taken while you only lost a horse. Anyway, I think I know why Captain Rain held his revenge at bay for many years. It''s because of his daughter. Isn''t that right Captain Rain?" Captain Rain, calmer now than a few moments ago when he was fuming, angled his look towards the Priestess. "That is right. If I killed this pig then, there would again be chaos. Other noble families still desire the crown. Naturally, Emily would be dragged into the conflict being this pig''s heir. And so I gritted my teeth and just watched her grow" "And did you tell her?" Captain Rain lowered his head "I don''t have the courage, no" "See? He is also a coward just like me. He can''t even tell his daughter!" King Brice mocked again. Captain Rain burned King Brice with his look. Mouth twitching he warned, "When I''m out of here, I will put a thousand arrows on your back!" The wagon stopped. Shirley looked around for a reason for the stop. She put her eyes next to the canvas cover of the wagon but it was too thick for her to see through. An armored knight swathed the flap of the wagon. Beams of sunlight glared Shirley''s eyes. The knight removed the visor of his helm. It was Balian. "I hope my treatment of you is not too rough" Balian greeted. "Where are we?" It was Queen Sharon who asked. The wrinkled woman produced a smile "You are running away, aren''t you? Your enemies are pursuing you" "A man must live" Balian replied "I admit that I have been defeated but this won''t be forever. As long as I live, I could return yes?" "What do you want traitor?" King Brice sneered. "Hurtful words" Balian pressed his hand against his chest "Well Marquis Erik and..." He looked at Shirley and her mother "Henry are better at making war than what I expected. I have been defeated and on the retreat. But fear not for I haven''t lost hope yet. I still have a thing or two hidden under my sleeves" "And one of those things is us?" Priestess Seymore asked "Yes" Balian replied. He pointed at Queen Sharon and King Brice "Specifically them" 205 Offer Emily was shaking. Her long night gown was stained. Her feet were muddled. "Mom" She called, smooth as a feather was her voice. "Mom" She again whispered. Nobody replied from the shadows. Her mother''s calming embrace whenever she was scared didn''t come to console her. She was alone. It was dark. It was cold. "You did what!?" A woman''s voice shouted. It wasn''t her mother. Her mother''s voice was music. The woman''s was something else- dry and shrill. "I was drunk! I didn''t mean for it to happen. I know I am in the wrong here but let us first think about our next move. Word of this cannot be whispered in the taverns. My name would be cursed. We are winning. I will soon be King and you will be the Queen" replied a man''s voice. "Wasn''t I enough for you?" Pain was on the woman''s voice. "Forgive me Sharon. Forgive me, truly" There was a short but eerie silence. "And the child?" "I took her here. I know what you are thinking and no, I am not making a child disappear. The footsteps grew closer and Emily heard the door open. When Emily saw the face of the Earl Brice, everything that happened occurred to her. Her mother is dead and she saw it happen. She saw what he did and it was horrible. "It would be a hard to hide her forever" Earl Brice said. "She looks like you. Is she really a serf? I will remember what you did for the rest of my life but I may have a plan to make use of her" The woman went closer to her. She grabbed her chin "Yes, yes. Looks like you indeed. Uncanny. Maybe a distant relative or something. We don''t need to make her disappear. What is your name child?" Emily didn''t talk. Her body was still shuddering. "I heard her mother call her Emily" Earl Brice went forward and Emily flinched in response. "Emily huh? You are not a talker Emily. Good. Lucky you we need an heir if we are to become the monarchs of this Kingdom and you could fill the place. Your mother is gone Emily. She is dead. Do you understand that?" Emily nodded weakly. "Starting tonight you will live with us. You will not tell anyone of what happened. Be a meek child if you want us to be kind to you. Now child..." The woman lifted her chin more "From now on, you are Emily Tulosa" ********** The clouds cradled the sun in a warm day. Wind blowing from the east, Emily''s hair swayed. It was cool. It was breezy. The day was good. Unfortunately the sight presented in front wasn''t good. Thousands of knights bearing the flag of Balian lined a few hundred steps from the moat of the fort. Their armors were shining. Their horses were large. "The radiance of this flower is nothing compared to yours but please accept it as a token of my fancy" forced low voice, Commodore Bernard said. He held a yellow flower with six petals near her. Emily spared the flower a single look before turning her gaze back to the knights. "Where did you get that?" "I plucked it among the grass before we got surrounded. Such a beautiful flower" Bernard declared proudly. "That is not a flower but a kind of herb. They grow during late spring in the Great Plains. They also grow in the north and nobles would pay professional gardeners to pluck these things out of their gardens" "Oh" Bernard lowered his hand but Emily took the herb. "But this goes well with mutton stew. I learned that secret from my mother" "Your mother? Queen Sharon?" Emily just answered with a smile. She sighed, deep and long and looked again to the knights "So Marquis Erik made a mistake" "A tiny miscalculation I suppose. Who would have thought that Balian would shed most of his army just to escape" Emily turned her look towards the river to the south. Three dozen galleys waving under the flag of pirates lay motionless on the placid river. They were more than twice the number of Vanadian ships under Commodore Bernard. "And those" Emily lifted her head once towards the pirate galleys "Are those miscalculations too?" "Lutani galleys. I know one when I see one. They may hide under those pirate banners but their long bows and ugly curved oars are trademark of Lutani ships. Lutan surely is playing with fire here. I hope Her Majesty Lucia would take actions and punish Lutan for intervening like this" "Can you defeat them?" "I don''t know. If the Omniscient gives our oars strength we could. But one thing you must know about Vanadian galleys is that they are built for seafaring. The river is not our field" "I am not versed in warfare but I can see what Balian wants to do. He wants to cross the river once more with those galleys. Those galleys couldn''t ferry him to the other side with the threat of the Vanadian galleys. The Lutani galleys couldn''t touch the Vanadian galleys unless they take this fort" "You are smart as much as you are a beauty" Emily ignored Bernard''s youthful words "So what do you suppose we should do?" "Retreat" A sudden seriousness showed in the Commodore''s face "We can make them bleed but at the end of it all we would lose. Those knights would sweep the fort eventually. Forgive me for saying this but your people are untrained. Holding this fort would have been possible if what you have are Castonians but you have fresh levies. The Lutani galleys would also sink my meager squadron. So I suggest we leave this fort and retreat upstream. My galleys could accommodate all of your host. If needed we could even abandon my galleys and run back to Bivon" "Balian would then escape" "Better than dying right?" Emily wetted her lips. She was tired. The snake grows from its head so the only way to end it is to crush the head itself. As long as Balian lives, there would never be peace in Tulosa. "We will not retreat Commodore" Emily said in a firm voice "We will defend until Marquis Erik and Grand Master Henry arrives" The usual smile on Commodore Bernard''s puffy cheeks disappeared "You want to defend this fort? Those people are knights, armored knights trained for years. Their horses may be useless in an assault but they could still be terrifying even when dismounted" "I know" "Being stubborn reduces your beauty" "Do you still fancy me now?" Emily produced a smirk "I do but you are talking about defending a small fort from knights" Commodore Bernard then presented a small laugh "But alright, we will do as you wish. If I die because of this, you''ll marry me in the afterlife?" Emily smiled, a rare smile on her usual frowning face "I''ll think about it" In midday, when all of the knights including their small supply wagons have positioned, Balian went forward under the white flag. Emily doesn''t want to endanger herself by going out of the fort but diplomacy was her expertise and she thought she could buy time through false promises. With about the same number of guards, Emily met them. Her guards were handpicked among her veterans just in case things turn ugly. "Queen Emily" one of the knights greeted under his helm. Upon rising his visor, Emily recognized him. "Balian" Emily greeted back and gave her sweetest smile. "Grand Master Balian, Your Majesty" Balian looked back to his knights and chuckled "If you disagree, there are seven thousand of my knights to disagree back with you" "Oh but I still disagree, sadly. Henry is my Grand Master and Marquis Erik is my ally" "Not for long" "Not for long?" Emily repeated, amused "Yes, because I want to forge a deal with you. At the end of the day, you will open those gates to me and join me in Bivon. Together we will defeat the pretender and the invader" A momentary frown formed on her forehead until she went back to her smile "So you are trying to buy my loyalty in guise of a parley" She looked around "Why am I not surprised by your slyness?" "Yes, I am sly. But my offer is difficult to turn down" Emily gripped the reins of her horse "Unfortunately I am not interested. Take your gold elsewhere. You''ll need it for the wars to come" Emily was about to turn her horse around when Balian said, "My offer is not gold but something more valuable" Balian snapped his fingers. The knights divided into two and two people were dragged to the front. Brown burlap sacks were on their heads and chains were on their wrists. Balian took the burlap sacks off their heads. Emily''s blood started to boil after resting her eyes upon Brice and his wife Sharon. "I know your history" Balian said, words slowly pronounced "I know what they did to you and how your father did nothing to avenge what happened. I know your hardships, your tragedy. Well my offer to you is justice. The Queen of Calgari has offered me gold for them. That was a good deal but I thought I would get a better deal with you. Open the gates and I will give these two to you instead. If you don''t accept, then I will let Brice and Sharon go to Calgari. They would become guests. Justice will be lost. Imagine that, these people will roam free. It is time to choose Queen Emily- or should I call you that? Do you really want to be Queen? Because for me, you are still that little girl who just wants her father back and avenge the death of her mother" Emily''s body was shaking as she looked at the two people she hated the most. 206 Battle of the Crossings 1 "Emily" The murderer uttered. "Child" The murderer''s wife said. Emily''s blood was hot. Her face was red. After all these years she still hated them. Her anger wasn''t dulled by time. What she felt back then, that heavy feeling on her chest eating her from the inside, churning like a hungry devouring machine- that never ceased. She still remembered what these two people did to her. She still remembered that very night-that horrible night. She remembered how they used her to cement their rule. ''Why are you talking to people? Stay inside and stay hidden child!'' ''Your mentor is a good person but he knows too much and he couldn''t keep his mouth shut. He needs to disappear'' ''You are nothing. Without us you are nothing. Know your place'' ''Your father was a serf. Your mother was a lowly dead serf. You are a lowly serf. You are lucky we took you instead of ditching your corpse somewhere dark and wet'' Their old words came back to her. She was a pawn, a tool for their political gains. For many years she looked up to them. They were unreachable. High on the pedestal they sat. She was the ground. They were the heavens. She couldn''t touch them. She watched for many years as her mother''s murderer roamed free. She wept as her beloved mentor had his throat slit on some dark alley in Bivon. She was powerless. But now it''s different. She was sitting on top of her horse with a crown on her head and an army at her back. They were kneeling on the grass, looking at her with fear. She had become justice herself. With a single word she could take her revenge. "Take my offer Emily" Balian said, imposing and firm. "An opened gate for justice. Not bad right? If not, they will escape. You have the power to make justice of your own. Make it so that they pay for their sins. You and I are very much alike. Pragmatists. We see the world for what it is- unfiltered by weak ideals like honor and faith. We understand how things work. If something can be done, we will do it. Right now a choice presents before you. One word and you will have them. Choose wisely Emily" "Loose! Arrows!" Emily shouted all of a sudden. A few of her guards loosed arrows towards Brice and Sharon. But the knights were quick to shield the two. The arrows just bounced off their armor. "Like what I said" Balian wore a smile "I know you. I know that you are a practical girl. I know you would try something like that. Sadly, the only way to kill them is to agree to my offer" Emily jotted a look at Balian before returning her gaze at the murderer and his wife. "Your offer is appealing. You are right. I am a pragmatist. I see, I realize and I do. Unfortunately¡­" Emily produced a smile to mock both Balian and herself "I am a foolish little girl who does foolish things. I am a fool and I will remain one. The answer is no. I am contented with my current allies and I shall not switch sides just because you offered me the lives of two old couple. Kill them, set them free, serve their feces on a golden platter, I don''t care. They are weak, unlike those two who destroyed me all those years ago. They are mere shadows of Brice and Sharon. It wouldn''t be satisfying to have justice from shadows. If you want the gate opened Balian, you would have to open it yourself. Of course arrows and spears and swords and other nasty things are waiting for you but just wear your armor and you''ll probably be fine" Emily turned her horse around. Her guards flanked her. "I will take the fort Emily and your corpses will litter the bloody Red River" "Could be the other way around. And you address me wrongly Balian. I am not just Emily" She turned her head and pronounced the next words with clarity "I am Queen Emily Tulosa" Emily was welcomed at the gate by the ever smiling Commodore Bernard. The Commodore offered his hand to help her off her horse "Parley was useless?" "Like most parleys" Emily took the Commodore''s help. Her two feet landed on the grass with a soft thud. Emily put a small grin "Earlier you said that I would have to marry you if you die due to my foolish decision. Well no Commodore, you will just have my permission to court me in the afterlife. After then, you will have to wait and see if you have a chance" "You jest" Bernard chuckled "Your humor adds to your beauty. I am more inclined to take that afterlife courtship" His tone then became serious "We are going to die, aren''t we?" "Not if you hold them in the river while I hold the fort. I''ve seen the Castonians on the field Commodore. Impressive and terrifying. But their stern faces and brutish demeanor was cold. I''ve heard that you Vanadians are more jolly and calculative like the merchants that you are" Emily paused a little and continued after a while "Raise your anchors and sink those Lutani ships for me" Bernard''s puffy cheeks curved a grin "As Her Majesty commands" Emily and Bernard went to their respective positions. Bernard raised his anchors from the muddy bank. The Vanadian galleys raised their sails painted with colorful images. A horn was blasted from the enemies'' side. Four blasts Emily heard. She didn''t know what that meant but guessed it was a signal for an all-out assault. The knights rode with their steeds. Their powerful steeds were useless unless they take the gate but it helped close the distance fast. Seeing thousands of knights trotting in formation would have erupted awe from her. Unfortunately the knights were marching to battle her and her people. When the knights were only five hundred paces from the trench, Emily closed her eyes. She wasn''t a pious person but at that moment she prayed. She opened her heart and said the words she wanted to say. Like what Balian said, she is a pragmatist. She doesn''t believe in ideals or in a divine being but she prayed. When she opened her eyes the knights have advanced quite the distance. Four hundred paces. "Ballistae" Emily ordered calmly, careful not to show her anxiety. The eight small ballistae shot their large bolts towards the knights. Emily blinked once and the bolts already hit. Four found their mark while the rest missed. Nevertheless there was four less knights to deal with. The ballistae creaked again, the men manning them loaded the weapons in haste. Emily looked around. His people were few. Less than a hundred were Castonians. About two hundred were veteran royal guards. The others were untrained, green and new. Some could barely hold a spear upright. Some never swung a sword other than at a practice dummy. They followed her here in search of peace by making war. They risked their lives on her order and they will die on her command. A sudden booing of springs was heard when the enemies were just three hundred paces from the trench. Emily saw the flight of burning projectiles overhead. Fireballs arched towards the knights from the Vanadian galleys. When the balls of fire landed, they scorched the grass. Fire spreading and flames erupting, the knights on the front line burned in their armor. Their horses neighed and tumbled. Agonizing screams echoed in the vast plains. Their armor couldn''t do anything to shield against the projectiles. Emily even thought that their armor melted. Some knights retreated but most trudged amidst their burnt comrades. It was devastating and several lines of knights were wiped. Seeing that they were under barrage from the Vanadian galleys, they charged. "Two hundred paces Your Majesty. Soon they will be under the range of the crossbowmen" The royal guard beside her informed. "Fire at will" Emily said. She hoped that was the proper order to loose bolts without reserve lest she embarrass herself. The crossbowmen on top of the wall peppered the knights with bolts. Most of the bolts either missed or failed to penetrate the armor of the knights. Those that did inflict damage were not enough for a kill. Emily questioned the need for crossbowmen but ceased her doubts when she saw a single knight fall and several more retreat. When the knights were almost at the trench, Emily ordered for it to be lit on fire. Several soldiers outside threw torches into the trench before running back to the fort. The trench burst into flames amidst the cheering of the defenders. The wall of fire that separated them from attackers was a welcomed sight despite the heat that reached Emily''s face. The knights stopped but the bolts rained still. They dismounted from their horses and just looked at the fire. Emily wore a smile. While the flame burned, they are safe- and Hellfire burns long. But as she turned her head towards her royal guard, the veteran second-in-command of Captain Rain, she noticed the man''s unhappy expression. Seeds of doubts grew in her stomach. "Why?" She asked The Royal Guard pointed. "See those crates being carried by some of the horses?" There were really crates being hauled towards the moat. Emily didn''t bother for a count. "What of them?" "Sand and soil" The Royal Guard said "Even Hellfire cannot burn soil" The cheers of the defenders were extinguished just like how a portion of the wall of fire was. The knights dumped soil and sand and what appeared to be stones into a portion of the moat. Soon, the flame went out and an opening of about ten paces presented. The knights poured into the breach. 207 Battle of the Crossings 2 Bernard walked with hands tugged behind on his Geraldine. His peers called Geraldine an old and creaky galley. That might have some truth to it. Geraldine was built many years ago and was actually first captained by his uncle. Now Geraldine belonged to him and the flagship of his squadron. But soon, Geraldine might rest at the bottom of this river. "Praise to the Omniscient lads!" Bernard declared to the crew of Geraldine "Anyone wants to piss first before we start the battle?" "I''ll just do it here sire. It''ll just drip into the river anyway" "Oi! Geraldine''s deck is not for pissing" Laughter followed and Bernard smiled. He pointed to the knights advancing towards the fort. "Gift our guests a single barrage. Be careful not to hit the defenders instead" "Hellfire barrage!" The artillery officer of Geraldine shouted. Similar orders were received by the other galleys. "Three hundred and a half paces from the trench" The artillery engineer mumbled while looking at his measurement table. He looked towards the sails "Wind going east, moderate speed. Give it seven clicks and forty degrees" The two catapults mounted on Geraldine''s deck were angled forty degrees towards the advancing knights. The springs were heaved seven clicks. The other galleys also adjusted their aims with their own distances and angles from the targets. The pots of hellfire with burning wicks were loaded into the catapults and with Bernard''s order, the whole squadron released their wrath. The projectiles arched and then fell into the knights. Bernard couldn''t help but praise his sailors. People think that hellfire was the reason of Vanadis'' dominance at sea. They often forget that the primary reason were the sailors themselves. His sailors are professionals. The engineers were taught with the latest theory in mathematics. Their measuring tables were accurate and their minds were sharp. The sailors were one with the galleys, handpicked among recruits. "Well that''s all we can spare them" Bernard said. He looked towards the approaching Lutani galleys "Fire when they are in range" The artillerymen again adjusted the aims of the catapults. "Nine clicks and thirty-five degrees" His siege engineer shouted to the crew manning the catapults. "Ten clicks, twenty degrees" Bernard heard the engineer of the neighboring galley. The creaking of torsion was loud as the crew adjusted and loaded the catapults. The Lutani ships were heaving their oars, splashing the river as they go. Their hulls made creases in the river, long and straight. The sails were raised as the wind turned in their favor. Bernard bit his lips but maintained his unafraid demeanor. He must not show fear, not in front of his sailors he will not. He looked to the fort. The pretty girl inside should be suffering even worse problems than him. This was her first time taking personal command. He will not dishonor the Vanadian navy by showing a hint of his fear. If she could do it, so could he. The catapults kicked their projectiles high. Bernard had seen meteors before and the projectiles look just like that. But unlike meteors which bring awe and wonder, the burning hellfire pots bring death and destruction. Eleven Lutani galleys were hit. Three of them burned and were sinking while the others were damaged. Poor show, Bernard thought. The earlier barrage against the knights had a better accuracy. He couldn''t blame his engineers though. The Vanadian navy longed for the ocean. The river wasn''t their field. "Reload!" Bernard ordered, shouting in his coarse voice. The catapults again adjusted their aims. Some were quicker than others. The result was more satisfying to watch this time. Six more Lutani galleys burned while more than a dozen were damaged. The Lutani sailors jumped into the river to avoid a fiery death. But true to its name, Hellfire doesn''t permit respite. "Continue the barrage and sail upriver!" The Vanadian galleys oared upstream. It was grueling and slow as the flow was against them. Several more Lutani galleys were sunk by the catapults but the distance had shortened. If caught, the Lutani sailors would throw grapnels and board them. While this battle would surely degrade into hand to hand in the end, Bernard wanted as many Lutani galleys sunk by the hellfire as possible. The steady beating of drums was the steady heaves of oars. The nearest Lutani galleys loosed bolts upon them. Some Vanadians were hit but they retaliated with their own arrows. This remained for a while until four Vanadian galleys were grappled. The Lutanis began to board the four galleys. Bernard knew that their advantage in range had disappeared. It was time for some old time hand to hand combat. "Reverse course" Bernard announced. The order was repeated to other galleys through flags. Geraldine''s oarsmen rowed towards the Lutani galleys. The wind blew south, a welcomed gift from the Omniscient. Geraldine angled its bow towards a single Lutani galley. The creaking was loud when Geraldine hit the side of the Lutani. It was like an explosion with splinters of wood flying high. A huge gaping hole was inflicted upon the Lutani. The whole ship rocked like a bamboo. Some sailors fell into the water. Looking at the hole, Bernard knew it was over for the galley. One fewer enemy to deal with. Geraldine tried to waddle back and find another target but another Lutani caught eye of it. The Lutani sailed closer and grapnels were thrown onto Geraldine''s deck. Geraldine was pulled towards a Lutani and a plank was laid between the two ships. The Lutani sailors started to board. "Swords!" Bernard shouted. The Vanadians, except the artillerymen who were still raining hellfire upon the enemies, rushed towards the plank. The first foolish Lutani to step onto Geraldine''s deck was cut immediately. The next three also suffered the same fate. But the next ones were able to present a solid assault. Clash of steel rang on Geraldine''s deck. Bernard held on to his sword. He wasn''t good at this with his heavy steps and awkward movements. But like any other sailor in the Vanadian navy, he was prepared to do his duty to Her Majesty Lucia. He was afraid, he was honest enough to admit that. But the Lutanis would have to bite though his blade before he gives up Geraldine to them. The melee was fierce. Blood began to smear the wooden deck. Vanadian blood, Lutani blood- all of them hued red, all had the smell of iron in them. Geraldine''s crews were being pushed back and Bernard had sent all his reserves. Two Lutani galleys were now trying to board Geraldine. Outnumbered and fighting on two sides, it would only be a matter of time before Bernard''s flagship falls. Emily owes him a chance of courtship in the afterlife, he thought. He looked around. Three of the twelve Vanadian galleys had fallen. The others, just like Geraldine, were being boarded by multiple Lutani galleys. He just sighed and accepted his imminent death. Bernard then looked towards the melee on his ship. He gripped his blade firm and rushed towards the fighting. His personal guards joined. They ran with fury in their eyes and the sharpness of their sword in their hands. Bernard would have to cut down as many as he could. They wanted Geraldine. He wasn''t willing to give it to them without a steep price. But before they made contact, horns sounded. They belonged to the Lutani galleys. The long and shrill melody was familiar to Bernard. It was a signal for a retreat. The Lutanis trying to board Geraldine retreated to their ships. The grapnels were cut loose and the two galleys backed away. Confused, Bernard started looking around for answers. As his look angled west, he saw the reason. ********** Emily doesn''t know what to do. The first trench had fallen. The gate fell after just a few hit of their rams. The knights then burst into the gate with their rams. Emily''s men tried to hold but were slaughtered. Hundreds of her men lay dead and many more were bleeding. Only the Castonians and some courageous lads were fighting until the bitter end. "The Omniscient is with us!" Emily shouted while gripping the flag of Tulosa in her hand. She doesn''t know if her act was helping boost their morale but those who routed were again defending the gate. Her hand was tired and her throat hurt from shouting. "It is over for us right?" She asked secretly to her Royal Guard, begging for the cruel and grim confirmation. "We will defend you to the end Your Majesty" Many of her people were being cut down by the knights. She did this to them. She didn''t know anything about defending a fort but she did anyway. She was a stupid little girl who thought that she could match Erik and Henry. In the end their efforts would be in vain and she would either be captured or executed. Emily wondered what Erik and Henry''s reactions would be. They would probably think of her as foolish. Maybe they would feel pity for her. It doesn''t matter now. She wouldn''t know anyway. Several blasts of horn both sounded from the attacking knights and the Lutani ships. Even though she was still new to this, she knew that the signal was to retreat. The knights attacking her men retreated to whence they came. They were in haste. Confused, Emily looked to her veteran guard for answers. The aged guard was looking to the west with eyes wide. Emily traced the guard''s look and soon she shared the shock. They lined as far as the eye could see. They filled the horizon like stars in a dark night. They were fast, charging in their horses. They were endless. All of them were on horseback and flying different banners. "We held" Emily said in her little voice. 208 Last Honor It was the largest contingent of cavalry Emily had ever saw or heard or read about. The horsemen streaked across the grassland, making creases on the grass as they went. Lance pointed forward, they were a marvelous sight. Balian''s knights mounted on their own horses. It was futile as their host was but a dust compared to the attacking force. Perhaps that was the only thing they could do- fight until they die, a sad life and a sad end. There was no honor in their resistance for there was no idea behind it. The horsemen galloped with force. Emily saw the banners of all the tribes in the Great Plains rallying behind those of Castonia and Henry. These tribes had always been at each other''s throats, raiding each other for what little glory and gold they could take- as they have been for generations. These petty squabbles had always been the bane of all Tulosan monarchs and the reason why the west remained as an autonomous region of Tulosa. But now the banners of old enemies rode together and as one. Emily remembered the vision of the Priestess. An armored man riding on a lion with horses behind shall cut off the serpent''s head. Whether she really saw this or planned as what Erik would have it, the vision came true. The horsemen made contact with Balian''s knights. It was loud. Broken bones, bleeding wounds, shattered spears and crumpled armor- Emily saw them all. The knights fell like flies and died like snuffed candles in the dark. Some fled but were chased. Emily wasn''t an expert but it was apparent that they won. It then occurred to her that it was over. The civil war had ended with this battle. The dark spot was now but a stain. She had become the Queen of Tulosa. She would rule and have her page in history beside the giants like Timothy Castonia, Lucia Vanadis, Erik Connnel and Henry Molt. She would be their ally in the wars to come. Perhaps Tulosa was destined for her and she was destined for Tulosa. People would surely talk for generations how she held a small fort against a larger force. She did nothing, she knew that much. The plans and defenses were made by her veterans. But she was the one who remained. She was the one who decided to hold the fort. Brice and his wife escaped though. That was the only downside of this arrangement. But Emily had learned that there are more to life than revenge. Her mother could rest in peace even if the murderer and his wife roamed free. They were nothing to her now, not even worthy of her attention. She is the Queen, the ruler of Tulosa. "It is over" Emily said. ********** It wasn''t over. It would never be over until his breaths stopped. It would continue. He would not rest, not a single day until he comes back to power again. There were allies to be made in the south, powerful allies who feared The Union''s dominance. They would support him. Balian rode with his knights back to their camp. Only a few dozen remained. His loyal ones were butchered. The remaining of his knights were fighting until the end. "What now sire?" Dante asked him, bloodied face, bleeding arm and all. "Calgari" Balian made his answer quick. "But Calgari is too far away sire. Lutan would be better" "Stupid boy. Do you think Lutan would still help us? We were lucky they sent us three sqadron of ships. They are afraid of Vanadis. They are frightened by Castonia. I bet they are going to appease the Union with gifts to make them forget this slight. If we go to Lutan we would become gifts" "And the hostages sire?" "We should take them with us" Balian cleaned his teeth with his tongue. The iron taste of blood was putrid "The Queen of Calgari has a certain interest in the Priestess" When they reached the camp Balian ordered for the immediate preparations for their journey. In total he only had about a hundred knights left. He dismounted and made his way towards the tent where the hostages were housed. When he entered, a dagger was protruding on the side of Brice and Sharon was bleeding on the ground. ********** "Are you disappointed by your daughter''s actions?" Brice asked Rain. There was no mockery in his tone, only curiosity. "She had grown. I am proud of her. She would have both your heads eventually so don''t worry" "Not with Calgari''s protection, she won''t. Balian is sending me and my wife to Calgari. We would be hostages but we would still live as royals. That''s a pretty good life. You, on the other hand, will face execution" "Why does the Queen or Calgari want you?" asked Priestess Seymore. "Who knows?" Brice shrugged and slumped his feet on the pole. "When I was still the King, she sent me requests to send you to her. And I mean, multiple requests. You two are old pals or something?" "Perhaps the Great Rider''s wind touched her heart and she wants to bless her people with the Great Rider''s teachings" Priestess Seymore laughed lowly. "Eh, no sane monarch would want your cult in their kingdom. Great Rider this, Great Rider that. All of you reek of horse manure. When I was still King, do you know how much headache the west gave me? Your backward and barbaric way of life is a curse for Tulosa" "My son begs to differ" said Shirley''s mother "He once told me that it is admirable how the believers of the Great Rider would struggle to buy scented oil just for their faith. He said that if only the believers of the Omniscient are as pious as us, violence and war would not exist" "Master Tobias is pious but you''ve heard the rumors. Piousness alone cannot bring peace" Sharon said. "Maybe my son is quick to generalize after all but he still have a point. Faith is a strong force. Use it good, use it bad and you''ll have a result" Shirley''s mother said to the former Queen. "You have a quick grasp on philosophy. But still..." Shirley was the first one to see it. Her shock came before she could scream and her voice was stuck on her throat. With a quick move, Royal Guard Rain stabbed Sharon''s chest with a dagger. Rain''s arms were free of the chains. Blood wetted the aged woman''s dress. She grimaced in pain and her breathing became slow. "No!" Brice leapt towards his wife with hands still chained. His wails were true and loud. He cried as he looked at his dying wife "Sharon don''t leave me. Talk. Scream at me. No, never mind. Just stay silent but breathe. Help!" Brice called but the guards were away "Help us you bastards!" Sharon was on her last breaths. She smiled towards Brice, the first smile Shirley had seen from the former Queen. After that her eyes closed and never opened again. "It took me several days to free my hands but it was well worth it" Rain said in a cold voice "The two of you will not escape justice" "She was innocent from my sins!" Brice screamed while looking at the corpse "I was the one who did you wrong. I was the one who caused you pain. She loved your daughter as if her own! I know it. I saw it for many years. In her own way she loved Emily. I would have made Emily disappear a long time ago if not for her! And you killed her, took her away from me. It was my sins, not hers!" "A life for a life, a wife for a wife. Equal sins, equal justice" Rain walked towards Brice and stabbed him on the side. The old former King accepted his death while looking at his wife. He didn''t even flinch as the blade entered his side. The others inside the tent were shocked. Shirley''s eyes were dancing inside their sockets. She just witnessed two people die. Someone then entered the tent. Balian''s face was bloody and grim. It turned darker when he saw what happened. Balian''s companion, six knights, hit Rain into submission. The Royal Guard was on the ground with bleeding but smiling mouth. He was again chained. "You fool!" He pointed at Rain "The Queen of Calgari offered me a good amount for them!" Balian stared at the former monarchs of Tulosa. His fuming anger slowly ceased "Dante!" With Balian''s call, a knight in armor entered. He was big with thick arms and had a wide chin. "Sire?" "Dispose of these two corpses" Balian gritted his teeth "Haul the rest with us" Shirley, her mother, The Priestess, Earl Kolla and Rain were dragged by knights outside. But when they exited the tent, several hundred mounted knights already surrounded them. Unlike Balian and his men, the knights wore clean armor, shining under the sun. There was no trace of blood or dirt in them. One of the knights raised the visor of his helm. It was her brother. Henry looked gallant in his armor. His knights were like banners of light. Henry looked at her and their mother before saying, "There''s no escape Balian. The Omniscient made it so. Let them go. You know you already lost" For a moment, Shirley saw Balian''s expression turned mellow. She saw tiredness on his eyes. It was as if the old knight reflected on his life and just saw the futility of it all. Balian nodded weakly as he released Shirley from his grasp. Shirley and the other hostages were taken by Henry''s knights. It was a nice feeling, being safe at last. For the past month she had been wondering each day if she would live another. Now she and her mother are safe. "You don''t have the qualification Henry. Will you still take the cape of the Grand Master? The book of knights forbids it" "Sometimes rules must be broken for the greater good. That is my burden, my sin. But I shall carry it until the day I pass the cloak" "Nelson taught you well" Balian smiled "I wish you luck for your further path Henry. May the Omniscient bless you with strength and may you never stray from your path" Balian raised his own sword towards his stomach. "Will you permit me with this last honor?" "You deserve that much" Henry said Balian nodded slowly. He raised his chin. In a calm voice he said, "All hail Grand Master Henry Molt" Shirley closed her eyes when it happened. She cannot bear seeing another person die today. When she opened them, Balian was on the ground- lifeless. It was over. 209 Prophecy In a sunny day of late Spring, the Tulosan civil war finally ended. Erik does not know the number of casualties. Leave that for the historians and scribblers and even tavern gossipers to decide. He did his job. He did his duty. And now it was over. They had won and the lion''s banner flies alongside the Pelican and the horseman in the tower. Seeing the battlefield, he held the medallion that hung on his neck. ''I did it Tim'', he mumbled to himself, addressed to a man a hundred league away. Yes, he did his part. He was afraid once that he would not be able to fill his father''s shoes. The late Marquis Benedict was renowned for both his honor and his sword. He wasn''t smart, no that wasn''t the case as was most commanders thrust into duty by the virtue of their noble blood. But Marquis Benedict had been in songs and plays. He was a great man and a good father nonetheless. It was a strange feeling, surpassing his father''s achievements. All his life, he looked up to his father. Once he dreamt of being in songs and plays and poems too. He wanted his name to be whispered in taverns and streets. It would be nice if the serfs talk about him while planting their crops. It would be good if the future noble children would have to learn about his exploits in their history classes. Now Erik had achieved it. When future generations talk about the second Tulosan Civil War, they would talk about him. "You are not going to scold me?" Without even turning his head, Erik knew it was Emily. "I am a mere Marquis. Scolding a Queen would get me executed" "You say that but you were always scolding me" "Is that so?" Erik walked forward. Balian''s knights who surrendered were lined and stripped of their armor. As what would happen to them, Erik had no idea. He once skimmed through the book of knights and there wasn''t a page detailing punishment for those who supported the wrong side in the war. "Have you seen them?" Erik asked "No" Emily shook her head "There was no point in doing so anyway. They are dead. What they were and what they did, it doesn''t matter now. I have a whole Kingdom to take care of" "You have a whole kingdom to fix. You have work piled up" Erik looked around "It''s a beautiful land. Diverse culture and strong faiths" Erik smiled "And what about him? Have you talked to him?" "I have" "And would you mind me prying into your personal life a bit?" Emily chuckled "My father would continue being the captain of my royal guard. Our talk wasn''t teary like what you''re imagining right now. I still don''t feel like warming up to him. But I''ll feel safe with him guarding me" "That is good" Erik pushed the door open. Henry was with his mother and sister, eating. A scarred man who must be Earl Kolla and a woman dressed in green satin sat on the other side. The big cheeks of Commodore Bernard was stuffed with the roasted leg of a pigeon. "The tribal leaders?" Erik asked, expecting to see the room full. The tribes of the Great Plains rode with them and their leaders deserve a place on this little feast he prepared. "They did come earlier" Henry said as he transferred more food into the plate of his sister "But soon two chiefs were in an argument. Sides were taken and it became rowdy. In the end they all left" "I''ve heard one Chief say that he''d rather dine with a flea rather than with a bearded Redhoof" Bernard laughed loudly "Funny fellow he is" Erik sat beside the Priestess. The food was appetizing. It wasn''t too fresh. Only the meat looked good. The pigeon, a delicacy in Castonia, was burnt. "You must be the Priestess" Erik held out his hand towards the woman "I am honored to meet the head of the faith of the Great Rider" Priestess Seymore shook his hand "I am more honored that the Marquis of Castonia sat beside me. Well this might be for the best for I have something to tell you" She looked at the rest of the people seated "To all of you" "And what might that be?" Erik was starting to get amused. Just as he thought, the Priestess wasn''t boring. "This might be the best way to explain without much words" The Priestess reached her hand towards Erik. She cupped the medallion hung on his neck. It glowed. Erik flinched as he studied the face of the Priestess. She is one of them. Henry and Emily were frightened too. Erik reached to the hilt of his dagger slung on his hips. He hoped that the woman wouldn''t blast him to pieces or something. "Would you really bleed a woman in front of a child?" She smiled as she looked at Henry''s sister. She then retracted her hand "Fear not for I am not your enemy. I was sent here to cause trouble in Tulosa. I have grown in power, being, as you said, the head of a faith. But I have given up on this mission of chaos. I am but a lowly woman who have taken residence in Tulosa" "Priestess¡­" The Earl beside her muttered "I apologize Kolla. I truly do. I am not who you think I am" "What do you want?" Erik said, perhaps a little too harsh. "I can see visions and prophecies" The Priestess explained "I have seen many throughout the ages. My visions came true and that''s why the believers of the Great Rider hailed me as a holy woman" "Your vision about an armored man on a lion charging with the horse came true" Erik nodded "That is your gift" "Oh that one was a lie. Sometimes a lie is a prophecy of its own. A lie could come true. But you are right. I am gifted with visions" "So what do you want? You haven''t answered my question yet" Erik started eating but his anxiety remained. "What I want is to give you a message. Disregard it, question it, do anything you want with it, but I am prompted nonetheless to give it to you" "A message?" Erik questioned, eyebrows met. "Throughout the years, there was a single vision that kept repeating. I have tried to decipher what it meant but I couldn''t. It is yet to come true" Erik leaned closer to her. His eyes fixed on hers. "What did you see?" "I saw an impostor" The Priestess'' voice was chilling "I saw it with a mask. A crown was on its head, perched high and perched proud. The impostor was seated on throne high on a pedestal. People worshiped the impostor bowing so low by the millions" "What does it mean?" "I don''t know" She shook her head. Sad and drab expression was on her "I truly don''t. Other visions are clearer than the others. The ones with the largest impacts are those that are vague. And this one, this is the vaguest of them all. Through my contacts I already know that the Resistance and Shadow suspects that King Timothy and Queen Lucia are the two missing legends. They are destined for greatness. The heavens itself has etched their destiny. Tell them to be careful of this impostor" "But according to your vision, the impostor will win in the end" "The impostor shall triumph, yes. But still, tell them to be careful" Erik drowned in a deep thought. Why can''t the world be simple? Why do things like shadowy men and man bears exist? It would have been better if logic and common knowledge is all there is. "Thank you for your warning" Erik said "I will write to them as soon as possible. If you don''t mind me asking, what are you going to do now?" "I will stay as the Priestess of course. I am not holy but the unity I bring is true enough. I will help you as much as I could. You will know if I have a new vision" "Then we will be waiting for your wisdom Priestess Seymore" The meal went through without much interruptions and surprises- just like how Erik likes it. That very evening, he sent a letter to Timothy regarding what happened and the vision. A few days later and he received a reply. He was recalled to Greenwater to manage things for a while. The Castonians will also come home. Henry would stay though, true to his new position as the Grand Master. He still had a responsibility to fulfill. After Erik was finished with the letter, he had a smile. He can finally go home and be with Sylvie and his mother again. He missed them. He longed for them. The arid atmosphere here in Tulosa was so different from the salty air of Greenwater. He held the medallion and looked at it. The gem in the middle wasn''t glowing with his touch. Let it stay that way, he thought. He had enough of magic and curiosities. It had been a tiring. But at long last, it was finally time to go home. 210 Separate Paths The Grand Cathedral of Bivon brimmed with people. Knights, nobles and commoners- they packed inside. Once a hundred and fifteen fanatic knights died for Tobias inside the white marble walls of the Cathedral. Once blood flowed against the blue tiled floor. It was sacrilege for a place of worship to be tainted with such a thing. But that was all in the past now. Now an ode to the Omniscient was being sung inside as praise for the end of the civil war. Through the Omniscient''s mercy, Tulosa was again at peace. Henry looked at Erik and Emily both seated in line with him. And through their help and wise decisions, he thought, the Omniscient''s mercy materialized. "Will you stay here?" Freya asked, leaning closer to him. "Of course. Tulosa is still broken. The Queen and I will fix it" He secretly held her hand, maybe not so secret as they can be seen by everybody "And you? Will you stay?" "Timothy gave me and the rest of the diplomatic party a month to finish our work here. Discussions about alliance and trade, probably including shared borders will be ratified the soonest. I will have to leave after that" "Oh, I see" Henry''s neck slumped. Although he knew it already, it still pained him that he and Freya would be separated once more. He is tied to his position and she has a home in Solon. "But last night¡­" Freya suddenly said "I kept wondering. If I leave, then who will take care of you? What if you get sick? What if you have a nightmare? What if you get hungry? I don''t even want to imagine you getting thin and sickly" "The Omniscient shall give me strength" Henry blurted but soon realized the meaning behind what she said. He looked at her and she was already pouting. "You will remain?" "Do you want me to?" Henry''s jaw dropped a little before forming a sincere smile. He gripped her hand firmer "Of course. Please. I want you to meet my mother and my sister. Please remain. I will do my best to make you happy, the best of my abilities. Stay with me. We will have a home in the city or in a small town or anywhere you want. We will be together from now on. So please stay here with me" "Silly" Freya leaned her head on his shoulder, sticky stares from the knights fell on them "Of course I will stay. I have already made up my mind" "Really?" Henry didn''t wait for an answer and put a kiss on her forehead. Everybody could see them but he didn''t care. All he cared about was Freya and the future he is going to build with her. ********** Emily was amused looking at Freya and Henry. They are blessed with happiness, she thought. She, on the other hand, still has a whole kingdom to patch. She needed to find a balance between the nobles and the serfs, she had to mend the situation of the believers of the Great Rider in the ghetto- perhaps there shouldn''t be a ghetto anyway. Of course after uniting under one banner, the tribes in the west were again back at each other''s throats. Although Priestess Seymore and Earl Kolla were trying to solve the feuds in the west, Emily doesn''t think the tribes would be at peace with each other. Perhaps in a few generations they will be. The important thing is that they have united once and they could do it again. They were Tulosans as much as she was. There was also this thing with Lutan. Although they still deny their involvement with Balian, it was an open secret that the pirate ships were actually theirs. But for the time being, she wanted to rest. The ode had a nice melody to it. It was as if she was being lifted into the heavens. She looked towards Erik. He wasn''t wearing the chain on his chest that signified his position as a Marquis. When asked, Erik told her that it was heavy and he had always disliked the thing. "When will you leave?" She asked with lowered voice. "Am I not welcome here anymore?" Erik raised an eyebrow and then smiled "Three days. I shall permit my men some rest and the atmosphere of celebration still lingers. But fear not, my men are tamed. They wouldn''t cause troubles in taverns and drinking houses and brothels. If they did that, they will answer to me. But I shall leave a thousand of my men here just in case you need their help. Use them well" "Should I thank you for that?" Emily grinned "Of course you should thank me" Erik frowned. "I''m jesting" Emily''s grin turned to a smile "Thank you Erik. Thank you for everything you did. We may have our differences but at the end of the day we are of one purpose" "You are scaring me. See? I''m shuddering. You are talking as if you are not a moody and frowning and broody Queen. But seriously¡­" Erik put his hand on her forehead and stretched it "Stop the frowns and smile more" "I''ll try" Emily said. She then next turned to Commodore Bernard. His fluffy cheeks were clean shaven today. "And you? What are your plans?" "Admiral Bisham recalled me to Hydas. But fear not my lovely Queen, I shall send you letters of affection. Although I prefer I would have died in that battle to cinch that afterlife marriage you promised" "I did not promise anything" Emily said laughingly "Still, I''m hoping. Perhaps I''m going to court you when I ascend to the rank of Admiral. A mere Commodore is too low of a rank for a Queen" "That is a great motivation. Well Commodore, I bid you farewell and good luck in your path. May the Omniscient give you speed" "Thank you. And once I become an Admiral, I will have a chance?" "We shall wait and see Commodore" Emily said happily "We shall wait and see" The ode reached its peak. The singer was pushing his vocal cords into the limits. As the ode rang inside her head, Emily suddenly met eyes with her father. Royal Guard Rain was standing on the side with his sword on his hips. His armor was fine and so was his stance. They were estranged. Him being her blood was a secret known only to few. It would take time for her to forget his inaction, his indecisiveness. But wounds can be fixed with time. With him around though, she will be safe from all threats. When the ode''s final notes were being sung, Emily''s eyes were on the rest of the people inside the cathedral. They were of different backgrounds. Some came from the ghetto. The others were knights. They all have one thing in common and that is them being Tulosans. The civil war was over. It had been bloody and dark. But the end of one thing is the beginning of another. Things have just begun for her and her Tulosans. ********** Heraldshome, Capital of Canton The Scribbler''s job was to scribble. With a quill, ink and parchment, the scribbler recorded the events that happened. This was the seventy-sixth parchment inked with history. His hand was moving- careful, delicate and free. Words on paper, words of truth, words of history, the scribbler wrote them all. Others looked down on him. Mouth to feed but hands without blood, they mocked. They were correct. Strength had fled from his old bones a long time ago like a stupid youth who impregnated a girl from a single night of passion. But while others have their spears, he has his quill. Others bathe their hands in blood, he bathe his in ink. What use is their glory anyway if it isn''t recorded? A thousand victory is nothing if there was nobody to sing about it. Without scribblers like him, truth would soon fall into gossips and gossips into lies and lies into fables- until nothing remained. History is sacred. History is a tale and for that matter, he is an author of some kind. The scribbler''s hand danced, painting the letters into being. Today was a busy day. King Timothy won another, the seventeenth one in a row. The Queen had scored several more allies through complex bribery and coercion. The scribbler finished his work with a period. He read the words for mistakes and blew on the wet ink after checking. With the parchment in hand he rose and walked towards the man staring at the map of Canton for a long time now. "Your Majesty¡­" He said but was interrupted by the Queen. "He''s planning, don''t break his concentration" Queen Lucia said, smiling. She took the parchment and read it. "Accurate enough. Pile this with the others" With a bow the scribbler took the parchment again and walked towards his table. There were piles of paper, some of high quality while others were common. The parchment he was holding was of the former. He put the parchment on top of others inside a wooden box and closed it. On the cover of the box etched some more words. It read, ''History of the Spring Offensive'' 211 The Throne The Scribbler made one last bow before leaving with his papers. Timothy''s eyes were stuck on the map. All of a sudden, he felt Lucia''s soft and warm embrace. He closed his eyes, feeling every bit of warmth from her. Her head then popped from his side and looked towards the map. "So we are surrounded huh?" "The remnants of our enemies from the last battle have reformed and retreated to Mythrille. Good for them, bad for us. Thirty thousand, half are Cantonese loyalists and the rest are a mix between Inkish, Hadean and Wismarines. This could be our end" A small laugh erupted from her "Stop trying to scare me Tim, I know you already have a plan against them. We have faced larger forces before and you would rout them all the same. Your eyes were bent on the map for another reason" Timothy curved a grin "I cannot hide anything from you huh? So tell me what do you think this reason is?" Lucia pointed not on Canton but on Wismar, far northeast near the sea. "Malzan, the Capital of Wismar. Many people say that Malzan is the largest city in the world, twice as large as Nirnava and with defenses comparable. The bay of Malzan is a hub of trade. The port is second only to Holm''s. The people there wear silk robes with glittering gems like the sand beneath. But the most outrageous tale is that of a pyramid at the center of the city with a throne on top on which the King sits. It is made of white marble and four hundred and eighty feet high. It is taller than the walls of Malzan, towering in the heaven. You couldn''t wait to conquer the city of Malzan" "Yes" Timothy stared at Malzan on the map. "Nobody has ever conquered that city before. It is the center of the world. I want our names to be known as the only ones able to do it" He looked at her, dearly "I want to carry you in my arms to the top of that gigantic throne. Together we will sit side by side. With the world at our heels, you and I shall become the most powerful humans on the planet" "That is a good dream" Lucia nodded. Her eyes shone for a moment "I want to share it with you. We will make it known that nobody could threaten our union. With you and I united, our enemies will crumble like dust" Timothy kissed her, briefly but with passion. He again looked at the map "Ramming the gates of Malzan is a distant dream. We will come to it step by step and the first step is conquering all of Canton" "We have already subdued half of the Kingdom, three cities including the capital. Only Westlime, Cloudcliff and Mythrille remain stubborn" "That is because King Harold is still at large. We capture him and the whole Kingdom would surrender" "Capture the head and the whole body would follow huh?" Timothy said with a smile "And do you have a plan? A sword can''t reach where a sword can''t go. But letters can travel faster and farther than swords" Timothy wanted to dominate Canton as soon as they could. They were able to strike true and fast because the Inkit, Wismar, Hadea and Canton were separated. A coalition cannot match the unity of a single force. But time would unite their enemies eventually. And when that happens it would be difficult to defeat them. Wismar alone could topple both Vanadis and Castonia with its vast armies and resources. If he was King Harold, he would just retreat and wait for reinforcements from his allies. But King Harold had been impatient for the last months. He attacked Timothy with everything he got, and everything he got was not enough judging from the seventeen victories the Union had cinched. But lately King Harold seemed to be listening to wise advice. Although Timothy still won two more battles, those were cleaning operations. King Harold had remained in Mythrille ever since. Timothy had a plan of course and it could work despite some risks. They could take Mythrille in less than a month. But as Timothy was starting at the figure of his wife, he reiterated to himself that a sword is not the only way to win wars. Sometimes letters are more useful and quick. If Lucia could capture King Harold without him needing to send his four legions to Mythrille, that would be a better choice. "Ash has already infiltrated their ranks" Lucia said, looking at the map with a serious face. "Three days ago. Yes. You''ve told me. And?" "She is trying to get King Brice''s trust through¡­ unspeakable methods" She looked at him and then avoided his eyes thereafter "It''s not my command Tim. She decided that for herself. I didn''t want it but she offered to give herself to the King" "I know" Timothy caressed her hair. If Lucia was like his father Leopold who would use every method available, Canton would have fallen already. But Lucia wasn''t like that. He knew her more than anyone. "If Ash was unable to gain King Harold''s trust, there are other ways. But a woman''s warmth numbs caution more than anything else. I am betting on it. The next decision would be yours to make. What will you do with your Castonians for the meantime? We cannot afford to waste time. Would you still attack Mythrille just to be certain or would you use them to go somewhere else like Hadea or Inkit?" "I trust in you. If you say that Ash could gain King Harold''s trust, then she would gain King Harold''s trust. I think I''ll use Rooster to attack several forts in Hadea, enter their towns and preach their citizens to join our side. Nothing destroys a King''s power like the citizens wanting another King" Timothy grinned "Nothing much really, just to weaken them a little bit just like what we did here in Canton" Lucia laughed "Yea, I remember when we first entered Heraldshome. The people were throwing insults and garbage towards us. If not for Abraham and the other royal guards we would have bathed in smut that day. After a day of your famous speeches, they stopped throwing things. After the second, the insults ceased. The third, a few in crowd applauded. Now you are more popular than King Harold was" Lucia tiptoed and rubbed nose with him "What is with you that makes people love you?" "Do you?" Timothy looked deeply into her eyes, drowning his being into hers. "Are you really going to ask that despite knowing the answer already?" "I want to hear it. I want to hear your sweet voice say it to me every single day" Lucia embraced him "I¡­" "Your Majesty! Red sealed letter arrived. The pigeon has a blue ribbon attached to it" Abraham''s low and booming voice interrupted. Although Timothy was a little jarred by the interruption, he knew that a red sealed letter demands attention. The blue ribbon attached to it meant that it was from Ash, their spy in Mythrille. "I will get it" Lucia said and went opened the door for the letter. She opened the seal and read. "Change of plans we can''t separate our armies now" That was her first words. There was both caution and concern in her voice "She is here and with a two thousand Falconheads. She just arrived in Mythrille" "Sarah Wismar?" Timothy blurted the name of the person whose reputation was as large as his and Lucia''s. She was a Princess of Wismar, the second in line after Skall. Unlike her foolish older brother, Sahar was famed to be capable. Her methods are dark. Once she put down a rebellion in the town of Medis by playing the rebel leaders against each other. She succeeded and then proceeded to burn that Medis to the ground. Everyone was put to the sword. Even animals and plants didn''t survive her wrath. There are tales of how she laughed while thousands were being slaughtered in front of her. She drank and laughed and celebrated their deaths. Today Medis remained void of life. The Falconheads were Wismar''s answer to the Rooster Legion. They were monks of the falcon god Ashkara. They have taken vows of silence. The Falconheads were all trained as soldiers and they excelled at that. Their helms, things they never take off, were shaped like the head of a falcon. Some say they never tire, never fear and never disobeys orders. "We are in trouble huh?" Timothy asked although he was certain that they are. Sarah Wismar with two thousand Falconheads would make things difficult for them. "We are. So what are we going to do?" Lucia asked. Timothy prided himself for having plans for all situations. But he never anticipated that the Wismarines would send their prized Princess to the front line. "Your spy is in trouble" "She is. I will recall her immediately. But what now?" "I don''t know" Timothy admitted. He looked at her "I guess all we could do now is wait and see" 212 Sarah The wimp lay beside her, cuddling on her chest. His warm damp breaths tickled her neck. Traces of doing her ''duty'' last night was apparent on the disorderly bed sheets and stained blankets. Her aching back and tired flesh also spoke of that dirty affair. Ash didn''t want this. Every night she does her duty, she would feel disgust after. But it was her duty. She was born the daughter of Marquis Sachi Brent. She needed this... disgusting act to finally put an end to the shame of her family. Her father was one of those who betrayed King Timothy during the Castonian Civil War. Ash heard that her father sided with the Wismarines instead of helping their ally, King Timothy. When messengers on horse arrived to tell the tale of her father''s betrayal, Ash felt shame. She never imagined, even in the darkest bleakest corners of her imagination, that her father would be involved in an act so shameful. She wanted to hide forever. The Brent family, rulers of Coldford, was shamed. So when news spread that King Timothy and Queen Lucia were marching to Canton, she saw it fit to side with them. They were the ones first betrayed. Naturally it was her duty to serve them and restore her family''s lost honor. Even if that meant breaking their vows of loyalty to the wimp cuddling her breasts right now, she saw that siding with the invaders was the right thing to do. When she approached the Union''s camp in the middle of the night, she was of course stopped by the watchful sentries. Still in her muddy nightgown, she requested to see the fabled King and Queen of the Union. They forgave her and her family''s transgressions that night. She offered to open the gates of Coldford but the Queen refused. In those intelligent blue eyes of Queen Lucia, Ash saw something hatch- something plotty. That night she went back to Coldford. The Union took the city the next day with her help and nobody thought of her as the Union''s ally. Queen Lucia then sent her as a spy to various nobles. Her efforts were significant. Their victory at Seyton Hill was due to her warning. When the Union routed the combined Inkish and Hadean near the town of Veil, it was because of her information. If her betrayal was known, she would be cursed by many. They would think of her as a traitor. That might be true. It was her duty to restore the honor of her family and to give the Cantonese a better King. The wimp beside her was neither cruel nor evil. But King Harold is weak. He stutters when he speak. His advisers and banner men had been taking advantage of him. The wimp would lead Canton to chaos. A good but weak person is as bad as a cruel one when seated on the throne. To Harold the wimp, she could only apologize. Their feelings were not mutual and they were fighting on opposite sides in this war. "Y..you are a..awake" the wimp said while looking at her with his innocent eyes. "I am my love" Ash faked her sweet tone "Although tiredness still lingered in my body after last night" "Was...was I too rough? I... I apologize" the wimp embraced her "Te..tell me if I am hurting you. I don''t want to hurt y...you" He was sincere, Ash knew that. And knowing that he is sincere added to her guilt. He is a good person, kind and caring, Ash told herself in silence. But he is not fit to be King. She felt sorry for him. If only their situation is different. But the wimp was the King she was trying to depose and her family owed a debt of betrayal to the monarchs of the Union. "No" Ash sat on the bed. She looked away and bit her guilt on her lips. "I am alright Your Majesty" "Ca..call me Harold. I..I want you to. You... you will become my Queen" She didn''t want to. Canton already had a Queen and Ash had seen the deepness of her intelligence in her blue eyes. Only King Timothy and Queen Lucia should lead her nation. Even if they would let others rule in their stead, then that monarch should only be a puppet. "You honor me too much Harold. I am fine being a concubine. I am merely the youngest child of Marquis Sachi. I am not worthy of you" "No!" The wimp said without even stuttering. He held her hand "You will be my Qu..ueen. Y..you are more than worthy" "Thank you. Truly, thank you" Ash said something sincere- a rare thing in their conversations. She then rose and donned her clothes "I would bring you breakfast" "Have..ve the servants to bring it here" Ash bowed "But I insist. Don''t worry I will make haste. I know you are hungry" She went out of the room and went directly to the kitchen. She considered going to her room to send another letter to Queen Lucia. But Sarah Wismar hadn''t done anything in the past days. She heard tales about Sarah, tales of her unspeakable acts and antics. Ash''s heart almost stopped when she saw Falconheads march into Mythrille. She knew the danger they bring. When she discovered that the one leading them was the Wismarine Princess, she had the urge to write a letter to Queen Lucia immediately. But Sarah, for her reputation, had been acting tamed. Maybe the rumors were false? The world is large and stories lose their truth the farther they travel. Maybe tales of her grim deeds were just false rumors after all. When Ash was walking back to the wimp''s room, carrying a tray filled with bread, cheese and wine soup, she saw the person she didn''t want to see the most. So she is finally making a move, Ash thought. "Ash right?" Sarah was smiling towards her. Her thin garments were of Wismarine design. The golden rings on all of her fingers were eye-catching- or eye sores depending on the person. She wasn''t really a beauty. But her smile was so sweet that one would forget the cruel rumors about her. "I am Your Highness" Ash bent her knee a little, careful not to show that they were trembling already. "Oh food" She pinched a chunk of the bread "For the wimp right?" Ash''s eyes widened as Sarah''s smile also did. She looked down. "For King Harold Your Highness" "Exactly. The wimp" "King Harold is not a wimp Your Highness" "But you do think that he is right?" Sarah leaned closer. Her mouth was near Ash''s ear. "I can read characters. I am an expert in such. I have read yours- the way you speak, the tone of your voice, the words of your choosing. We can guess a lot about the character of a person just from those things. I have been watching you Ash. Call it intuition or luck but you were the first person I noticed when I first came here. You think he is a wimp right? You don''t really like him. But I can''t really blame you. In fact I should praise you! Oh what a good move. You appeal to his carnal desires to control him. I did that once, or twice, or yes many times. One of them was Prince Ivan of Castonia. Foolish man that lad. An easy job manipulating him. The poor lad converted to the faith of Ashkara. So just so you know, it works" Ash''s knees further trembled. Her heart throbbed fast. Sarah was as vicious and dangerous as they say she is. "I..I don''t know what you are saying Yo..your Highness" Ash stuttered like the wimp. "You do" Sarah''s voice is chilling. It was a wonder how she could change the tone of her voice so suddenly. And then Sarah struck the final blow. "You are spying for Queen Lucia aren''t you?" In that moment, time stopped for Ash. It was over. She would die. She looked at the two Falconheads that served as Sarah''s guards. They were silent- as silent as her soon to be grave. Would she taste the bite of the cold sword they were holding? "I will tell you what I''m going to do next. You are free to report this to them. I will attack your home, Coldford in five days. I will come from the east through a pass in the Crimson Plateau. After I take Coldford, the Union''s monarchs will be trapped in Haraldshome. Of course I could be lying. The possibility is high that I would do something else. Decisions Ash. Decisions make us or kill us. Their decisions will decide life and death" Sarah walked away with her guards and left Ash shaking in fear. She forced to ask, "Why?" "Because I want to play games Ash" Sarah said, her voice waned as their distance lengthened "Life is boring without games to play" 213 Strange Heraldshome, Canton "She is strange" Lucia said. "That is an understatement. She is crazy, beyond eccentric" Timothy had read the letter many times and the message was clear- Sarah Wismar is crazy. The letter was six pages long. The pigeon that bore it almost died of exhaustion. The letter was from Sarah herself. Ash''s explained that Sarah burst into her room one night and forced her to send six pages of paper to them. In the letter, the Wismarine Princess detailed her plan on how she would attack Coldford three days from now through a secret passage in the Crimson Plateau. Sarah even detailed where this secret passage is and the number of men that would attack. She also went into detail on the composition of the force, the commanders and so on. "Have you heard anything like this before?" Timothy shook his head "I haven''t. This is probably the first time in history. A commander giving her enemy her plans is unheard of. Honestly I think she is just a crazy woman. Why would she tell us what she plans to do and in such detail?" "But what if she''s not crazy? What if this really is her plan?" Lucia asked "Then she is dangerous. A hundred times more dangerous than her brother. She could be lying and just toying with us but this plan of her to attack Coldford through a secret passage could be true. What do you think?" Lucia fell into a deep silence. "I don''t know" was her answer after a long time of thinking "We need more information. We are blind as to who this Sarah Wismar really is. All we have are tales of her dark deeds. We don''t know her attitude, her weaknesses, what she likes. We cannot gauge her and we cannot predict what she is going to do next. It is better to ask someone who knows her well" "Skall huh?" "Yes. I''ll leave it to you since you are the one with the golden tongue" Timothy put a kiss on her. "I''ll be back soon" Her rose and went outside. After collecting his guards, he headed to an undisclosed location where the hostages were being housed. After going out of the palace, the lively atmosphere of Heraldshome greeted him. It was fabled that Heraldshome, the capital city of Canton was built on top of the Omniscient''s harp. The Omniscient doesn''t really play harps or sing songs- at least that was what Timothy learned since he was a child from the Castonian version of the Omniscient. But whatever the Omniscient is, it was portrayed differently among the nations that worship it. Culture could influence religion. For the Castonians, the Omniscient is a father that protects his children, a strong war God that provides refuge to the weak and strength to the steel of the strong. For the Tulosans, the Omniscient is a bringer of peace and justice- with eyes far-reaching. For the Vanadians, the Omniscient is wise. Like his name, the Omniscient is an intelligent being above all others. He is wisdom personified. For the Cantonese though, the Omniscient is a jolly being that brings happiness to all. He sometimes sing songs and his harp had a beautiful tone. Heraldshome was said to be the land where the Omniscient buried his harp. That''s why it was dubbed as The City of Golden Songs. As Timothy walked flanked by his guards, Heraldshome was filled with songs and tunes. It wasn''t on purpose. That was just how they are. He was told that the songs were even louder during celebrations. They say that a Cantonese''s day is not complete without singing at least a dozen song and humming a dozen more. They say that a Castonian would always have a sword in his home. For the Cantonese, it''s harps and other instruments. "Beautiful right?" Timothy cupped the back of his ear. All the taverns were filled with the singing of drunkards. Here even drunken people sang in tune. "Some of our lads almost got in trouble for singing out of tune in the taverns. The owner kicked them out. But yes, it is beautiful Your Majesty" Abraham said. The large man''s steps were heavy against the paved road "Ha! Singin'' is for men of weak. The throat is made for roars not tunes" Bear said with hands still chained. Although Timothy knew that if the Bear wanted it, he could break the chains. But with Abraham always around, Timothy could breathe without worry. "Shut your mouth. If his Majesty says it is beautiful, then it is beautiful. Ain''t that right lads!" The other Royal Guards agreed with howls. Timothy ignored their usual arguments and asked Abraham, "You sing right? When we first met, I think I''ve heard you sing. Your voice is good" "Only occasionally Your Majesty. My cords are always tired" Timothy permitted a small chuckle. The tiredness of Abraham''s cords were probably due to him always shouting to his subordinates. As a Captain of both his and Lucia''s royal guards, Abraham was warm towards his subordinates, always laughing and telling stories. But whenever a royal guard did something wrong, Abraham would become terrifying. He would roar even to royal guards more veteran than him. Turning several alleys and going through secret passages brought them to a noble''s house. The gate was of iron. The gardeners working on the garden were in fact Castonian soldiers. There were more Castonians hidden in neighboring buildings. Nobody could break in or out of this house. Not even Shadow. The gardeners gave single nods to him as salute. He could only feel sorry if some foolish people tries to break into the house. The soldiers he stationed here were from the Rooster legion, his best. After entering the house, Timothy made his way into the room Skall, Sachi, Qilo and Chen shared. Over the course of the Spring Offensive, many more hostages were added to their collection- nobles and people of authority they captured. But these four were separated because of their importance. The four were playing a card game and drinking wine when he entered. "Enjoying my hospitality?" he asked. Of the four, Magistrate Chen was the first one to give a bow. Marquis Qilo and Marquis Sachi followed soon after. Skall hesitated for a bit and just remained seated with cards still in hand. "May we know why you graced us with your presence?" Chen asked. "I need to speak with Skall alone" Timothy went straight to the point. The three others left the room guided by guards. Abraham rushed towards Skall and searched the Prince for weapons. After confirming that it was safe, Timothy sat in front of the Prince. He looked at the cards on the table. It seemed Magistrate Chen was winning. "You know why I''m here" "I do. She''s here right? And I bet she brought those horrifying creatures" "Falconheads?" "What else. Those aren''t humans. They were but not anymore. She loves using those things to catch attention" "You know your sister well" "Well.." Skall''s voice trailed "She did try to kill me many times" "Then why are you still alive?" "She''s toying with me like she''s hunting for game. Amir was always protecting me. But I bet she was just enjoying the experience. If you haven''t captured me, I think I would have died already by her doing" "She sounds cruel" Timothy crossed his legs. "Oh" Skall shook his head "Cruel doesn''t begin to cover her being. She is insane, unpredictable and something is wrong inside her head. The scary thing is she''s intelligent, cunning and could act well. She could be cuddling a puppy one moment and eating it alive the next. She seduced your brother. Given, Ivan is a little¡­you know, stupid. But I''ve seen it. She acted sweet and caring towards Ivan. She''s like a completely different person. She just did something questionable right? Strange?" "You can put it like that" "Then be careful. Although she plays games, every single one of her actions has a purpose. She can manipulate you without you even knowing it. Please make her disappear. There is only one person in the world I fear more than you and that''s my sister. So naturally I want you to win. So go. Defeat her, kill her, just delete her from this world. I don''t want to live in this world with her around" Timothy thought hard about what Skall said. If Sarah''s action of telling them about her plans has a purpose, then he and Lucia must know it. She wasn''t just playing with them, she had a plan and it probably involved something vicious. "Her weakness?" Timothy asked Skall sighed "None. Perhaps there is but I don''t know. Even though she''s an eccentric, she hides her thoughts well. Only Sarah knows what Sarah thinks." Timothy nodded "Nevertheless we will make her disappear" Timothy said, believing firmly "She''s alone but I have Lucia" "Well I can''t believe I''m saying this and don''t want to say this to you but good luck. My nights would be more peaceful without worrying that she would just suddenly cut my throat all of a sudden. Truly, I wish you good luck" 214 Crimson Pass Lucia huddled on his side nakedly. Her soft hand was on his chest. Her head lay on his arm. Her scent, the smell of strawberries, invaded his nose. "Does it have a roof?" She asked. "I don''t know. The tales only say that that the pyramid in Malzan has a throne on top. They say you can see the world from up there. But nobody can confirm for sure. Only Kings of Wismar and their servants were permitted to ascend" "And the pyramid? Is it solid or there is something inside?" "I bet it''s solid" "A waste" Lucia shifted closer. Timothy loved her soft touch "The pyramid should have been designed as a palace. It is a waste of space. If the pyramid really is four hundred and eighty feet tall then the base should be gigantic. Such a waste" Timothy was amused. She really thinks like a Vanadian- efficient. He snuggled his head towards her and again feasted on her lovely scent. If not for his exhaustion, another moment of passion would have happened already. "I will carry you to the top once we take Malzan" "I have feet, thank you" She chuckled. "It''s a long way to the top. You''ll get tired" "But I have more endurance than you" She teased him with her fingers caressing his face. "Care to settle that misconception right now?" Timothy tried to get on top of her but was stopped by his aching waist. He''s really done for the night. Lucia laughed and got on top of him instead. Timothy felt heat on his lower body. "See? You get tired quicker my King" "You are cruel" Timothy said "You know I can''t move and yet you are seducing me" "I am you wife. Seducing is probably not the term. Besides, we need an hei¡­" Lucia stopped. Sadness was on her face. Her grin vanished. "Don''t be like that. What Escanor said" Timothy shook his head "That is a lie- a foolish presumption done without much evidence" "I''m sorry Tim" Her voice was low, almost a whisper "I''m sorry that I can''t give you a child. I feel¡­ incomplete. You don''t regret having me, do you?" "I don''t" Timothy declared "You are not incomplete. I am lucky, so lucky that I couldn''t believe it sometimes. You are my wife and my other half. It is not your fault. No, never your fault. We will keep trying. I will put a child in your belly and we will become a family. And if, by some strange bad luck that we fail, I will be contented with just you" "You mean that?" "I do. You are the smartest, most beautiful and kindest person that I know. The Omniscient favored me for giving you. Don''t ever say that you are incomplete because that is not true" "But I feel that way" Timothy put his hand on her belly. He then looked at her "Pinch my cheek" "What?" A small, confused smile erupted from her. "Pinch my cheek. You love pinching my cheek right? Whenever you feel that you''re incomplete, just pinch my cheek to forget" She grinned and really pinched his cheek. "You really are spoiling me" Timothy retaliated with a tight embrace. Lucia felt warm and soft. He then pulled her back to his chest. Her smooth hair was on his face. One of his hands was on her belly while the other was on her bosom. Both of them looked at the moon from the open window. The moon was full just like when the first time he felt her lips. "I have decided" Timothy said "I plan to give you a gift" "Gift?" "Wismar. This war began because of Wismar. If not for them we would have been living either in Holm or in Nirvana at peace" "You wouldn''t be a King and I would still be a Princess. And what about the cull? "I don''t know about the cull but it is certain that Wismar is the cause of all this chaos. The council only helps in sowing chaos but it is us, humans, who make chaos. And Wimsar¡­" Timothy bit his lips "Wismar is the greatest offender. We will bring that whole nation down and replace it with a more peaceful option. That is my gift to you" "For Wimsar to fall you must defeat her" "We will defeat her. By Skall''s description, she sounds like pure evil and competent at being that. But like at things that stood in our path she will be destroyed. She thinks she''s smart and maybe she is. But either she gets out of the way or we will trample her" "Starting tomorrow?" "Yes" Timothy said. Tomorrow a cavalry detachment of about five hundred with Abraham as its head will intercept the cohort of Wismarines sent by Sarah Wismar to attack Coldford. Shadow confirmed the existence of the Wimsarine attacking force. Everything in Sarah''s letter was the truth. Timothy thought that she was lying and was actually setting a trap but she wasn''t. It was strange but he and Lucia decided to go through with the attack. It would be a free victory anyway. ********* The spearman''s nostrils were dirty with dust. Sweat from his forehead trickled down, forming channels on his dusty face. He missed home. About a month ago, he was levied from a small fishing village near lake Tanin. He marched with professional soldiers to Canton under the command of Her Highness Sarah. A few days ago, his century was sent on a mission to capture the city of Coldford through a secret passage in the Crimson Plateau. It was an honor to fight for Her Highness Sarah, it truly was. But as he looked at the state of his peers he couldn''t help but question her decision to send them here. A force of a thousand couldn''t possibly conquer a city even if they surprise them. He had heard from the others that Coldford is guarded by Castonians. They don''t have armor. Their shields were made of thin wood. Their spears were not even tipped with steel. He knew, even with his limited knowledge in military matters, that they couldn''t win against Castonians. But he trudged in the dust. His peers walked just like him- weak steps and bowed heads. But the secret passage exists so they have that going for them. The tall cliffs were on their sides. The passage was more of a crack in the plateau. It wasn''t wide. On average, twenty men could march abreast. Their Prefect told them that they would see Coldford within the day. The Prefect said it with glee but he dreaded the thought. They would have to fight Castonians then. He doesn''t want to fight Castonians. Only a fool would want to face Castonians outnumbered. Even if they were the ones outnumbering the Castonians, it would still be better to avoid a battle. His wobbly spear cannot penetrate a Castonian''s armor. The ground then shook. He was inexperienced but he knew what that meant. It was the movement of cavalry. And soon enough some horsemen were in front of them, charging in haste. The armor they wore were black chainmails plated on the chest. There were about a hundred riders. "Present spears!" He heard his Centurion shout. This order was easy. They had learned at least how to point their spears forward in their short training. But things were easier during trainings. They presented a solid line of spears to the enemies. By Ashkara''s winds they were able to. But the enemies halted a few dozen steps from the front line. Instead of ramming against them, the horsemen lit small pots and hurled to them. The pots broke in midair above them. Came splattering burning liquids. It was hot. Many were burned by the things. Shouts from those hit resounded in the narrow path. The horsemen again hurled the burning pots and the front line were forced to run. Any semblance of formation was lost. He ran himself. He was hit by a portion of the burning pots. It was just a few drops of the substance but his arm was burned. He tried to pat his arm and his hand was burned. And so he ran. He could only imagine the fate of those drenched in the gel-like burning fluid. It was chaos. Smoke from the fires clouded the narrow path. Half of them had routed already despite the officers'' loud cursings. He was one of those who remained. He and a few hundred were huddled on one corner with spears pointed forward. Their hands were shaking. Who wouldn''t tremble? The enemies were using cursed things. The ground shook again. His eyes widened. This time he knew that the enemies would trample them. Neighs of horses sounded from the other side of the smoke. And then he saw it. He blinked a few times to confirm what he was seeing. The man at the very front of the charging enemies was riding an armored bear. The bear was larger than the horses. The armor of the bear had spikes on it. The man riding the bear was also huge, probably more than a head taller than him. The man was wielding a great axe with a blade the length of a person''s whole torso. The man''s arm was as thick as his thigh. It was beyond terrifying. The Castonians had monsters on their ranks. He cannot face the man riding the bear. Nobody could. He felt warm piss trickle down his legs. Soon he dropped his spear and ran away. He prayed to Ashkara that he the enemies, especially the huge man riding an armored bear, would show him mercy. 215 Spies Abraham sat on a stone and wiped his axe of blood. The cloth absorbed the liquid and the blade glinted again. His armor though, needed washing. Wismarines lay dead on the sandy ground. The orange sand mixed with blood. Those who died of Hellfire were lined separately. It had been a win for them without a single loss of life. The rest of the Wismarines either fled or surrendered. Abraham failed to understand why the Wismarine Princess did such a thing. Even if they failed to notice the cohort, Coldford would still have defended. It was a futile attempt. The host they defeated just now were all green. Some didn''t even have armor. He had seen others hold their spears inverted. It was as if the Wismarine Princess just threw away the lives of her people. Well whatever the reason is, he shouldn''t think much about it. The intricacies of warfare was not for him to decide anyway. His purpose is to serve King Timothy and Queen Lucia. But staying away from the monarchs bugged him. What if the royal guards slacked in the duty? What if those lads are chattering again? What if they just did a single round of patrol instead of three? "There you are!" A loud voice exclaimed followed by a heavy pat on his shoulder. Bear was still bloody and disgusting. He handed Abraham a bottle of what seemed to be mead. Abraham took it and drank. Mead wasn''t his poison. He preferred good ol'' wine. But he had just accomplished King Timothy''s command and that called for a celebration. "Have you seen us Sir Abraham?" Bear declared with pride "We are a good team! Ah with you bashin'' and I chargin'', we are unstoppable!" "Yes, yes" Abraham took another sip and promised it to be the last one. He cannot get drunk. "You served us well. You are strong. Is there anyone at the Council stronger than you?" "I don''t know. I haven''t met all of them" "You haven''t?" "Yea. I myself just received orders to come to Vanadis one day. I come to Vanadis but them people there are weak. Not even worthy of a fight. That was boring. So I just built a den in the forest and slept. That is until that oldie Helios woke me. He told me to fight in a coup but you bashed my face in that one. Lucky me, you dragged me here or else I would have slept again. This is fun Sir Abraham. Bashin'' Wismarine skulls is fun" "Well Bear, I hope you serve us long" Abraham held the bottle high as toast "To the Strong" ********** "Ash!" Sarah shouted as she burst into Ash''s room. She leapt into Ash and hugged her on the bed. Ash felt cold dread. This woman is crazy. She wanted to call for help. "Good news Ash! They won. King Timothy won" Sarah''s smile was sweet and Ash couldn''t see any trace of fakeness. It was as if she was genuine. If only she was genuine¡­ "What are you doing here?" Ash asked in a trembling voice. She looked at the two Falconheads standing near them. "What do you mean?" Sarah held both of her hands and looked at her in the eyes as if they were childhood friends. "I just brought you the good news. The Union won another victory. The eighteenth if I''m not mistaken. The survivors just arrived. They are broken with their clothes bloody. They said it was terrifying. The Castonians hurled pots of Hellfire to them. Hellfire Ash! Hellfire! Can you believe that? Genius. And here''s the amazing part." She paused and excitement erupted on her eyes "They saw a huge man riding a bear. Oh Ashkara smite me! A bear and a giant! King Timothy sure is talented. The Bear and the giant caved through their ranks like a hot sword through a bar of tallow. It must have been a glorious sight!" "They are your soldiers" "Oh right. They are my soldiers. But who cares? They are mine to play with and look what they got me. A thousand men for a good tale? That is a good trade. I mean those people were just living their boring lives planting and fishing endlessly until they die of old age. They may father some children or something but it''s still a boring life. There''s no fun to it. There''s no fun in them. So I figured that they must be put to good use" "So you are sending your citizens to their deaths for fun!?" "You put it like I''m evil" Sarah said sadly "Come now. I am not evil. Probably not" Ash couldn''t handle her craziness anymore. She was sweating hard. "Why¡­ why are you here? You told me of the news, now get out please. Please!" Ash cried. She doesn''t know what to do. If she stays here any longer, then she would probably die. Queen Lucia told her to slip into the night and go back. Maybe it was time to flee. "Don''t cry" Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes. She handed her some rolled paper "Here. Send these to your lieges" Ash took the paper. It was a letter with Sarah''s seal. "That contains names if you are curious" Sarah said "Names of my spies in Heraldshome, Coldford and Rockstuck" "Spies?" Ash was beyond confused. "Yes, spies. I imagine you to be familiar with the term. You are Queen Lucia''s spy right? You are spying at me and sending the information to her. My spies are spying at King Timothy and Queen Lucia and then sending the information to me. Of course none of them are as well positioned as you" "Why...These people would be executed. Innocents¡­" "I assure you Ash" Sarah made her voice calming "Those people in the list are my spies. None of them are innocent. When have I lied in my letters? In my last letter I told them what I was going to do. I didn''t lie" Sarah rose from the bed. "Although I already did in my letter, say hi for me would ya?" Ash didn''t reply and just stared at the letter. Sarah left after giving her one last pat on the back. She needs to leave this place the soonest. ********** Marvin, Bourgis, Hoover and Brent were all seated on the other side of the table. Breakfast was already served but nobody was eating. The four Generals including the usually jolly Hoover wore deep frowns. "This is really unusual" Marvin said while looking at the two letters from Sarah Wismar "I have never heard or read anything about somebody sending information to her enemy" "And accurate too. The lass is a little cuckoo" Hoover said "We should punish her. She is mocking us" Said Bourgis "Yes, attack Mythrille with all we got" Brent, the General of Goldentooth legion, added. "Calm down" Lucia said with a sigh "We cannot just attack her and expect that we would succeed. She is toying with us. She is not some lowly opponent like the others in the past. She is smart" "Couldn''t agree more" Timothy said "We need to think about our next moves with care. If what she wrote in the last letter is true, then there are sixteen spies lurking in the shadows. Some of them have high ranks in the nobility. Some are rich" "So the first thing we need to do is to confirm that the people in the letter really are spies?" Marvin asked. "She could be lying. This letter could just be a plot to sow seeds of distrust between us. Some of the names written are names of our supporters. This Baron Hyde, first in the list, feeds my legion" Brent said. "That is why we need to confirm" Marvin said. "A trial for all sixteen would take time. And what evidence do we have? A letter from the enemy herself? We would be mocked" Brent argued. "We don''t need a trial really" Timothy said "We need to spy on the spies" "And if proven?" Brent asked Timothy lowered his head "If proven then woe to them. I don''t like the thought of dark deeds but they must go. We cannot let people know that there are spies among us. We cannot afford to lose their confidence, not now. Our spies and Shadow are already finding the truth about these people in the list" "She only said that these sixteen are her spies" Lucia said, finally breaking a bread. She put the half to Timothy''s plate before she continued "She didn''t say that these are her only spies. Maybe these sixteen are the most useless. There could be more hiding from plain sight. You four should be careful. Although a Castonian''s loyalty is strong, we must remain vigilant at all times" The four Generals agreed with salutes. Timothy looked at his plate. He and Lucia already had a guess as why Sarah was doing this. If all sixteen on the list were proven to be spies, then their guess would be confirmed. She really is a terrifying opponent, Timothy thought. 216 The An Loyalty was a queer construct. There were as many loyal men as there were stars huddling in the night sky. Loyalty wasn''t rare as every man is loyal to something. Loyalty wasn''t a gem, hard-earned and polished. It was more like water- common but essential. A man can only drink from but a single cup of loyalty at a time. Hyde knew that. The others too. They were drinking from different cups of loyalty. Some were loyal to hate- those whose honor had been trampled by Castonians. The foolish ones were loyal to their nation- a strange thing as believing in an idea is anything but genius. The smarter ones were loyal to Wismarine gold- at least those people knew how to put their faith on something more¡­ tangible. But Hyde, he was smart. He knew how the world is. He knew that a man would die if a man slacked. There was nothing more dangerous than giving your loyalty to something or someone else. Hyde was loyal only to himself. Hyde rolled the sliced piece of basilisk root in leaf. After a sprinkle of salt and lime, it was ready to be chewed. The root was soft on his teeth. The juice oozed into his throat. A sudden ecstasy filled him. With a grunt he handed the bowl of sliced basilisk roots to the merchant. The merchant did the same and the two of them indulged in the feeling. "Do you know the story behind this thing we are enjoying?" Asked the merchant "I am a mere consumer" Hyde said, still closing his eyes "I consume, not think about stories" "But this product harbors such an interesting story" "Enlighten me then" The merchant spitted the sliced root before speaking "The Basilisk plant only grows in the south where the climate permits. It is a beautiful plant, large with leaves spreading like domes. But who would have thought that a plant as beautiful as the Basilisk has a dark secret" Hyde smiled "A dark secret huh? Two words interesting on their own. When combined, it draws curiosity. Tell me about this secret then" "Ants" The merchant smiled back "Red ants think themselves as wise for seeking partnership with the Basilisk plant. The ants would defend the basilisk plant from other insects and the plant would give the ants shelter. That would work, for a time, until the Basilisk plant has grown large enough to make poison for insects. The ants would be killed, tossed like dirt. The secretion from the roots we are indulging right now contains the same poison that killed the ants. Don''t worry, it''s safe." "The ants trusted the Basilisk plant and paid the price. Such a folly" "Yes, their sin is trust" "Wrong" Hyde shook his head "Their sin is being weak. They are weak and they couldn''t do anything. They couldn''t do anything and so they died. Weakness meant death. True to the ants and true to us humans" The merchant smiled at him for a long time. His white teeth with two golden incisors showed. The merchant put a hand into his pocket and produced a paper. "Words are being sung by our partners in the south. Apparently a host of Castonians are marching as reinforcements to their monarchs. With the war in Tulosa over, the Castonian legions are free to¡­be of service" "How many" Hyde asked, sucking his teeth for the remnants of the juice of the root. "Two legions. Roar and Tear were the names. The other two would reinforce the Union''s exploits in Calgari but they are not our problems. Our problems are Roar and Tear. Crack men, further experienced by their adventure in Tulosa. I know that you understand that this means a lot. Ten thousand Castonians is a problem" "Of course" Hyde said "King Timothy and Queen Lucia entered Canton with just twice that number of soldiers, four legions, but they are already on the brink of conquering the whole Kingdom" "So are you changing your loyalty again?" "You know me well. Be careful. Not many who knows me well still breathes" Hyde rose. The world was dancing. He must have consumed too much juice of the Basilisk root. He supported his body with one hand and massaged his head with the other. "I will not. Wismar is still more powerful. Sarah Wismar is a terrifying enemy and a good ally. She promised me Coldford once everything has settled" But a betrayal against Sarah Wismar could be a possibility, Hyde thought. Nothing is for certain. Alliances change all the time. Loyalty is a fading thing. A wise man would see where the bird of fate perches. If the Union prevails in the future, Hyde wouldn''t hesitate to change sides. Hyde walked to the window. Heraldshome, the capital city of Canton, was filled with melodies of singing bards and drunkards. It was already dark and this would continue deep into the night. Foolish people, Hyde thought. They would rather sing and indulge in the merrymaking rather than better themselves. He looked back to the merchant. "We should tell the Wismarine Princess. I will¡­" Hyde creased his forehead "where is that letter from our spies?" The merchant looked at the table "I handed it to you" "I didn''t take it" A single snap was then heard. The snap was followed by the loud ramming of the locked door. Six rams the door suffered before it broke. Splinters flew like arrows. Hyde was allowed a moment of shock before armed men burst into the room with swords drawn. One of the men hit him in the stomach. Hyde felt dizzy. His already dancing world shook and faded for a moment. When he regained his vision, he was already on the ground with his hands tied. The merchant was also the same but was unconscious. He looked at the armed men and discovered that they are Castonians. He couldn''t be more sure of their black chainmail armors. "Let me go!" Hyde shouted "I am a noble. I deserve respect you fool! I repeat, I am a noble!" "You will be a dead noble soon" Somebody said. Hyde then saw it. A man erupted from the shadows. He was wearing a black coat and a black hat. A cane was on his hand. "Who.." "A foe" The man produced a piece of paper "I am your foe. You just betrayed the Union. So you were spying for Sarah Wismar. That was not wise" "I didn''t.." "Hmmm but this letter says otherwise. A report about the movement of the Castonian legions huh? How original. Drag him to the dungeon with his accomplice. You will await trial but you shouldn''t have hope that you will evade execution. This letter is a heavy evidence against you" "No!" Hyde shouted as he was being dragged "I am loyal to the Union. You are making a great mistake by doing this to me" The man with the hat didn''t even spare him a glance. He just disappeared in the darkness. ********* "Idiots" Timothy said after Shadow reported regarding the spies "Sixteen treacherous idiots" "Eight" Lucia said, huddling on his arm "We still don''t have evidence for the rest" She looked at Shadow "Leave us" "Then excuse me Your Majesty" Shadow said and disappeared. Timothy stared at the candle slowly being consumed by the flame "Like what you said, we still need evidence for the other eight. But I think we can already say that what Sarah wrote in the letter were facts. The sixteen names were of her spies. We can now put forward our hypothesis as fact" "Yes" Lucia''s small voice calmed him. She leaned on his arm "This is a strange situation we are in" "Strange indeed. I never thought that this could be possible. She is our enemy but we want the same thing" "So should we dance to her tune? She thinks that doing this would benefit her in the future" "Yes" Timothy said "But she will taste defeat soon. True defeat. We will make her realize that when playing with us, not even the grandest of schemes would work" Lucia chuckled and kissed him. It felt warm and good. Timothy tried to chase after her lips when they parted but was too late. "You are too serious" She said, all smiles "She is playing a game with us. Shouldn''t games be fun?" "Yes but this is getting dull. Whatever she is doing, it''s getting dull" "Then let me make it fun for you" Timothy grinned. He grabbed Lucia''s waist closer and kissed her belly "You will?" She laughed "Not that way!" She held both his cheeks "Seriously though, let''s just enjoy this. Sarah may think she''s playing with us but we will laugh back at her. The Feast of a Thousand Songs will soon come. She will again attempt something and she will again reveal her plans to us. This time, let''s make it a little more interesting" "Yes" Timothy agreed deep inside his heart. This strange situation with Sarah Wismar bugged him. It was a little insulting that the Wismarine Princess was playing with them. But he shouldn''t brood. Lucia sat on his lap. Her hair smells like grapes tonight. Timothy loved it and hoped she''s not too tired for making love. Lucia leaned back and whispered to his ears, "I think she''s going to have us assassinated during the festival" 217 Assassins Bane "I am going to assassinate them!" Sarah said with giggles in between. Ash was again trembling. Her life had never been peaceful ever since Sarah started bursting into her room each day and acting like they are close friends. Sometimes Sarah would stay for a long time and ask her about King Timothy or Queen Lucia. Of course Ash would keep her mouth shut if she is able but sometimes details would be worded. She could only hope to leave this place as soon as she is able. She did try to escape and slip into the dark night. She tried many times, even bribing a whole Century of guards once. But every time she tries to escape, Sarah would always find her. The last time, Ash believed that she escaped at last. But when her coach driver turned his head around, Ash saw a face shrouded with a helm shaped like the head of a falcon. The Falconhead just stared at her without uttering a single word. Sarah then stepped into the carriage from the back and laughed as they rode around Mythrille. It was pure horror. "Stop" Ash begged "Please let me go. Or just kill me. Please stop doing this" "What do you mean Ash?" Sarah''s voice was as sweet as an aged fruit wine "I am your friend" Ash didn''t lift her head. She just covered her ears with her blanket. She doesn''t want to see Sarah''s smiling face either. "But seriously" Sarah said "I am going to send an assassin, a large man perhaps with a huge scar to scare. I shall give him a sword, large too" "I will stop you" Ash said in her little voice "Please do darling" An eerie laughter erupted from the Princess. "I want you to stop me. Please tell them what I''m planning" Sarah lifted the blanket and Ash had no choice but to looke at her. Sarah caressed her cheek. "His name is Asit. He is one of my guards. Aged veteran, large body, unstabble temper. Asit is a good man, loyal and strong. He has served my family for decades. But age dulls fun. The older one gets the more boring he turns. Asit has become boring lately. I shall put him to good use and have some fun. He shall redeem himself for being boring" "You are insane" "By what standard? Everyone is insane Ash. Some people are just more... open to trying new things. I am not insane by my standards. I am merely a Princess who just wants to have some fun in this dull world" Ash didn''t talk after. She got what she needed. Asit was the name of the assassin. He is supposed to be a large and aged Wismarine. That would be easy to spot. She will write this to Queen Lucia after. "I know what you''re thinking" Sarah said. "I am disappointed Ash. We have been friends and yet you still don''t know me" She smiled "Like in the past, I am going to provide you with more details. There are many large and aged Wismarines. It would be difficult to spot Asir. Here" Sarah handed her another letter. This was the third time that the Wismarine Princess did such a thing. Ash immediately knew what the letter contains. "During the festival of a thousand songs" Ash said "Yes" Sarah nodded and then chuckled "I am better at spying at me than you" *********** After two days of preparation the city of Hearldshome was finally ready for the festival of a thousand songs. The streets were lined with decorations, petals of the curtus flower, the symbol of music in the old Cantonese folklore. Shops selling musical instruments lined the streets. There were amateur bards offering their services for a couple of coppers. Timothy doesn''t really like music. It was alright. The tingles in his ears every time he hears a song was all there was. But he wasn''t a fan of it. For him, the only real music is the cry of a thousand men lined to stop a cavalry charge. Nothing beats the rhythm of a march. There were only two instruments he was familiar with- war drums and war horns. He wasn''t alone in this sentiment though. Maybe it was because of their culture but most Castonians are not music literate. Lucia though, enjoyed the melody hung in the air. Both of them were on the carriage on their way to the cathedral. Lucia was all smiles. Seeing her with a smile was enough for Timothy to enjoy this festival. Although they were still fighting a war against the giant nation of Wismar, a rest every once in a while wouldn''t hurt. Timothy shook his head. Rest? No. Just like what Lucia had told him, Sarah Wismar is now sending an assassin. First the Wismarine Princess sent a force of a thousand, next she divulged the names of her spies, and now she informed them that she is sending an assassin. Asit was his name. Sarah wrote to them that Asit was a large man with an aged look. Timothy could just really ignore the assassin. Abraham and the Bear could smell a threat like hounds. The Bear alone could tear the Wismarine assassin in half. But a man has his pride, especially a King. Sarah Wismar was enjoying herself. She thinks that she could have fun in this war. Timothy would make her realize the when he and Lucia were her opponents, she should take everything seriously. Lucia cupped his hand and Timothy was forced to look at her. Who wouldn''t? She looked pretty with her curled hair decorated with flowers and gems. Timothy touched her hair, amazed by how her usually straight hair could curl. "Mylene did that for hours. Pretty right?" "Yes" Timothy could only utter a word of agreement. She''s perfect. "Did you fall for me deeper?" Lucia nudged his shoulder and grinned. "Every single day" His answer made Lucia''s grin froze. She looked away. Her face was the color of peach. "Me too" She said after a while with a serious voice "I want to have a child Tim. I want to build a family with you. A boy, a girl, it doesn''t matter really" Lucia leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. A glint of tear was on the corner of her eyelids. If fell, tricking down her cheek "But alas, fate is not with us. I know we''ve only been trying for months and by luck and the Omniscient''s grace our shared dream could come true. But if..." her voice trailed. Timothy''s heart ached "If we will truly be alone, then I will just accept that. Having a child would be better but having you would be more than enough" Timothy gripped her hand "I would have loved teaching a son how to be regal and kind. I have long dreamt of having a training session with my heir on how to speak and to dress. Lessons in sword fighting and horse riding would be nice too even though I am not an expert in such things. Even a daughter would be equally good. I would like her to have your beautiful smiles and delicateness. It would have been amazing seeing thousands of suitors lining for her. But if we cannot have a child then that would be alright too. The Omniscient has gifted me enough by allowing me to meet you. I cannot be greedy right? You are everything that I want. Not even the crown on my head and the armies on my back could match your importance" Lucia sighed. She smiled, a genuine one. She then put a kiss on his his cheek "I apologize for bringing such a melancholic topic into the festival. We should be joyful tonight. We should indulge ourselves in songs" "Songs aren''t really my interest. I may not be able to indulge myself in such things" "Then indulge yourself with me later" her grin was mischievous. Timothy felt his heart stop for a moment. He then chuckled, realizing that he was helpless around her. She was good at capturing his heart and his desires. The carriage stopped. Timothy could see from behind the curtains the huge cathedral. It was a bit larger than the one at Nirvana. The guards moved with their spears raised in an orderly fashion. Every pound of their march was a melody so sweet. The crowd that gathered outside the cathedral had no choice but to give way. Timothy went out of the carriage first. Holding Lucia by the hand, he assisted her. Loud shouts erupted from the crowd. Timothy felt proud. These people were throwing pots of urine at them just a few weeks ago. Now they have warmed to them. As he walked with Lucia towards the cathedral, one thing was on his mind. With a child or not, he will give his family the best of the world. Even if that family meant only Lucia and him. 218 Poisoned Dagger Songs. He had always despised songs and this cursed Kingdom is all about songs. Songs in the taverns, songs in the streets, hummings in barns and stables, even when they eat. These people are crazy. But he took a little joy in knowing that soon, his mission would be over. A success or a failure, same side of the coin. It would all be over. He pulled the sheepskin cloak he was wearing. The dark cloth pressed firmly on his skin. His face was hidden, rightly so as his looks would shout his identity as a Wismarine. He stepped, silently in the darkness. It wasn''t really dark. The night was day because of the festival of songs. He caressed the dagger on his hip. The handle was made of Shirewood, the grip was rough and the balance was right. The blade was coated with Firelizard''s venom. Once kissed, a person would only have ten blinks left. He wasn''t going to use the dagger though. Paintings depict assassins as dagger-wielding, cloak-wearing, shadow men. The part about cloaks was only true for his situation. He needed to hide his Wismarine descent. The smooth steps were only true when attacking at night when people''s eyes were shut in slumber. But the dagger? Only amateurs and wannabes use daggers as their main weapon. A man can be killed in many ways. A scratch or even a small break in the skin would be enough. He went inside the tavern. This fine establishment was just a few steps away from the Cathedral- specifically the paved road he thought the King and the Queen would take on their way to the Cathedral. From there he could strike with poisoned arrowheads from his crossbows. He had already paid for the room overlooking the Cathedral. The tavern was filled with people tonight. Most were men, drinking and singing bad songs. Once he did the deed, he would have to fight his way through these men. Many of them were wise enough to run of course. But many men are foolish. "A lot of people outside eh?" The bartender asked, old man with white hair combed towards the front to hide the baldness. He didn''t answer. Although his accent wasn''t heavy, he couldn''t risk being discovered. There were Wismarines living in Heraldshome. He had seen a few and they have migrated here, forgetting their old home which is Wismar. Being of a Wismarine descent wouldn''t automatically make one their enemy. But he couldn''t risk it. "Still not a talker huh?" The bartender smiled, crooked teeth showing "Well your choice" The old bartender''s expression grew grim"Don''t do it. Once you aimed that crossbow towards them, you will be executed no matter what. Your head would say goodbye to your neck like how you would say goodbye to your life" He stopped. The boots under his feet grabbed the wooden floor. His hand started reaching for his dagger. "Poisoned, yes. I know you have poisoned dagger under your cloak. But I assure you lad, you wouldn''t be able to present your small dagger" The men chattering and singing just now stopped. All grim expressions. He saw hate in their eyes- directed towards him. They rose in stiff manners. Soldiers, he thought, and not just ordinary ones. He had seen those faces. No, not these specific faces but the kind. Castonians. Rooster legion from the looks of it. He gave a small chuckle directed to himself. He was done. "You knew" He said, accent becoming thick with each words "Since when?" "Since you entered the city" The bartender said "We are not fools. The royal guards are paranoid. You are lucky these lads are not royal guards. But make no mistake, one wrong movement and you will kiss their blades" "Rooster? All of you?" he asked "They are. Not me though. I am a mere scribbler, mouth to feed but hands without blood. I write history, gossips and truths. I would have loved to see the festival and record it in my notes but that tale pales compared to this. Assassination..." The scribbler smiled "Nothing is more an interesting tale than assassins and spies and men in the dark and conspiracies" "What will happen to me" He asked, half accepting his imminent death. "I don''t know" The scribbler said, shaking his old head "Only they would know, the people you nearly tried to assassinate" ********** At long last it was over. The festival would go last until the break of dawn, when roosters crow and people yawns their eyes open. The entire night would be shrouded in songs and melodies of both new and old. But the guests of honor, he and Lucia, were permitted to go home early. In the end a young lad won as the year''s Earsoother. Timothy cast his vote on another bard though, a middle aged who sang ''The Fire in the Castle''s Wick''. Although his favorite didn''t win, Timothy was happy that it was over. "The musicians that played last" Lucia suddenly said while walking with him towards the carriage "They are from Westlime" "And did you?" "Yes" Lucia said "It only took a bribe. A hundred gold coins each. They agreed except one who wanted double that. So I doubled all their bribes" "So you have already turned them into your spies?" "Weak and untrustworthy spies. Gold cannot buy loyalty. It could buy services but not loyalty, never loyalty. The best spies are those charmed by love or those blinded with hate" "True. Speaking of spies, the assassin has already been caught. Although I want to indulge in you the soonest, we still have to speak with him" Lucia leaned closer to him and grinned "Let''s hurry then. I know your prurience knows no bounds" Instead of directly taking them to the palace of Heraldshome, the carriage went to the noble''s house where the rest of the hostages were being kept. Only the guards were still awake, patrolling and doing their duties, when the carriage arrived. Making their way into the halls of the house, they soon entered a room guarded by ten men of the Rooster. They saluted and opened the door. When they entered, Skall was already talking with the assassin. The two Wismarines were separated by guards bearing steel-tipped spears. "You know him Skall?" Timothy asked "He is Amir''s father" Skall answered without even giving them a glance. "I was the one who ended your son''s life" Abraham said as he entered the room "Tough warrior, strong. He almost had me but I prevailed. Still the closest I''ve been to touching with death" For a moment there was grief in the assassin''s eyes, followed by burning anger and then a certain calmness "My son was the best hunter I know. He had bled dozens of fine men to death already. His first taste of blood was when he was ten. Amir was a strong lad, smart too. But you... you are something else. I could see him being defeated by you" The assassin then eyed Timothy and Lucia by his side "Prince Skall has already told me everything and even showed me the letter. I confirm it''s her handwriting. My family has served her for eight generations. Countless of my ancestors had died in service for the royal family of Wismar. And yet she tricked and tossed me aside like soiled clothing. Now I sit here with my hands chained and surrounded by your people. Spear tips were pointed at me and barred teeth were presented. How do you execute criminals Your Majesty? Beheading? Arrows? Burning?" "A sword to the heart" Timothy said "Quick one, almost painless. Good. When?" "You are not going to be executed" It was Lucia who talked "You did not lift the crossbow against me and my husband. Technically you didn''t commit a crime" "But I was tasked to do it. I rented a room overlooking where you would pass. I prepared crossbows, loaded them with bolts. I tipped the bolts with poison. I was on my way to my room to make the deed" "Like what I said, you didn''t commit a crime. We will set you free and you will assassinate Sarah Wismar instead" Lucia glanced at Timothy "We have decided that this will be the best course of action" "Not so smart Your Majesties" Asit the assassin smiled "I will come back and finish the deed of killing you if you set me free" "Will you?" Timothy looked mockingly at Asit "Then so be it. To be honest you are not a good assassin. Even without Sarah betraying you to us, our guards would still have been able to stop you. You think you''re smart but you are not. You think yourself as an expert but you leave so many trails. If you do try something sour against us a second time, then we will execute you for real. But I don''t think you will try to assassinate us again" "I''m not good eh?" Asit shook his head "Then why send me?" Timothy smiled. He looked at Lucia and he knew that they were of one mind. He stepped forward and bent towards the old assassin. "To send a message" 219 Betrayal Harold held her hand as they walked around in the garden. It was a good feeling. Of course Ash still didn''t forget that all of these are just her acts. Harold was the King she was trying to depose and she was a spy. But as the Wimp held her hand tightly, close to his heart, Ash felt secured. Now that she finally had a good look at him, Ash thought that Harold had a certain charm in him. His pug nose was upsetting to look at. His crooked teeth were just plain ugly. His hair was unremarkable. His stutters were annoying. But there were other redeeming qualities in Harold''s look. The shape of his face was like King Timothy''s. His ears which each have moles on them were quite cute. The way Harold smiles was like a gift of song from the Omniscient himself. But the best thing about Harold was the way he treated Ash. Harold was kind, caring and understanding, a man every woman would like- most women anyway. If they were not fighting on different sides of this war, if their fates were only different, then Ash judged that they could have been friends. Ash let Harold care for her. Intertwined hands and cuddling elbows, they walked. Harold had the usual pure smile on his face. Ash felt mesmerized for a moment until she reminded herself that all of these, everything between them, were fake. "W-when I reclaim m-my Kingdom from C-castonia and V-vanadis, I will drink the wine from your cup a-as a symbol of m-my devotion to you. My a-advisors also think it would be g-good to unite t-the crown with Coldford. We w-will also s-save your father, r-ransom him from the e-enemies" "My father is a traitor Your Majesty" Ash meant that "He betrayed our allies and dragged us to this war. If not for his foolish decisions then we would still be allies with Castonia and Vanadis. We would have been strong with the addition of Tulosa into the fold. But he betrayed them, our allies. And now we are paying the price by suffering defeat from the Union. These are all because of my father''s doing. We should just surrender and switch sides. Give up your crown if..." Foolish. Ash was foolish. Her tongue was as loose as her head. She must have felt comfortable that she blabbered her real feelings. "I apologize. I didn''t meant that! Believe me..." His smile was more radiant that before. He wasn''t furious like what she expected. Harold nodded. He knelt on the grass and touched a blue Iris. The flower seemed to dance on his fingertips. "Wars a-are weird, d-don''t you think?" Harold said "S-sometimes people fighting on o-opposite sides are not r-really enemies. I admire K-king Timothy. I''ve heard tales about h-him and his Queen. A match made by the O-omniscient himself, they all say. I didn''t w-want to fight him. I didn''t want to f-fight a war against the lion. He has a golden tongue and a s-sharp mind" "Then end this" Ash again pushed. Her purpose was to sway Harold into their side. That was what she owed Queen Lucia. And now she probably could. "T-too late" Harold said "Too late for that n-now" "It''s never too late. I think it would be better if we join the Union in alliance. They are strong. They would triumph in the end" Harold was just silent, still touching the blue flower. Did she overstep? Was she too pushy? Thoughts entered Ash''s mind. Perhaps she had become desperate because of Sarah. Was this her plan? Ash felt dread. Thankfully, Harold didn''t suspect a thing. And if he did, Harold hid it well. Came the downing sun and Ash went to her room while Harold attended some matters regarding the supplies. Ash locked the door, the iron bar kissing the sheath. It was a cold night- rare in early summer. The moon was well though, swelling a glow. Ash took an already burning lamp and stepped towards the table. Six candles were nested on the top and six candles she lit. The wicks burned and the tallow wax teared. The room was bathed in light. In the corner of her eyes she saw a grin, white teeth flowing from the darkness. Ash shrieked. She stepped back. "Don''t be like that" Sarah said. The two falconheads who were always following Sarah were standing beside the the Wismarine Princess. Their black and shiny silk robes were bulging from the armor underneath. Ash could only see their eyes from behind their helms shaped like heads of birds, with beaks of course. Those eyes were empty. "I have news my friend" Sarah stepped forward to cup her face "The assassin probably failed or joined their side. I bet Asit would try to kill me soon" "Good! He''s coming for you! I hope the assassin slits your throat" Ash felt satisfied with that burst. But her satisfaction was barred by Sarah''s unmoved expression. "Asit specializes in poison so he wouldn''t have to slit my throat. An arrow or a small cut would be enough. Anyway..." Sarah sat on the bed and looked up. She sighed after "I failed again. I first sent a force through a secret path but they knew. And then my spies were captured. And now thr assassin I sent failed. I am a failure Ash" There was sadness in her voice. Ash thought for a while that Sarah was really saddened. But she then remembered that Sarah was the one who ruined her own plans. What was she thinking? Ash thought hard about the riddle of Sarah''s weird decisions. Why would she tell her enemies about her plans? Sarah then leapt from the bed like a child. "I know!" The Wismarine Princess'' tone was jubilant "It is time for a battle! A great battle Ash. Yes. King Timothy and I will meet in the field. A good ol'' battle is what we need" "King Timothy will never accept your invite for a battle" Ash said with her limited knowledge in the matter. "Oh but he will have no choice if I attack Rockstuck directly. He will never allow himself being cut from Castonia" "If you do that then you will be cut off yourself" "Perhaps" Sarah said "But ain''t that a lovely situation? Oh I could only dream of the songs they will make of this" "You will die. I hope" Ash sneered "Everyone dies Ash" Sarah walked towards the door and opened it. The falconheads followed "Death is part of who we are. Death is a truth we all deny. Deny it all your life. Deny it with all your being..." Sarah started walking out. Her fading voice was chilling "Death still comes" Ash slumped on the floor after Sarah left. The quiet sizzle of burning wax was all she could hear. She was tired of this. She wanted to rest or run away. But no, Ash reminded herself. She had a duty. She would never give up on her duty. Sarah was going to attack Rockstuck. She must inform Queen Lucia. Her hands moved fast to find the quill and paper. Her writting was hastened but her report was complete. She wrote everything she knew- the composition of the enemies, their numbers, the state of their weapons, their leaders- everything. She finished the letter and immediately went to where she kept her pigeons. Down three stairs and turning two corridors and she was outside of the governor''s villa. She went beside the stables where she kept three cages of pigeons with blue ribbons tied around their necks. She thought of her actions as futile and foolish of course. Sarah already knows about her secret. The Wismarine Princess wasn''t a halfwit who would just reveal her plans and expect everything to be alright. Sarah had a plan, Ash knew. But what can she do? She was just a spy, a trapped spy. She can''t do anything but to do her duty and inform her lieges of the enemy''s plan. The smell of horse manure struck her nostrils. She crouched and grabbed a bird from one of the cages. Such a beauty, she thought for a while. She then tied the rolled paper on one of the pigeon''s feet. "Go darling" She whispered to the pigeon "Go and spread the news to them" Ash let go of the bird. It flapped its wings a few times before flying away. She hoped that the message would reach them. Arrows then rained. Two arrows hit the pigeon. The bird fell with a thud. "See?" Ash heard Sarah''s voice "Told you" With a look Ash discovered Sarah and dozens of crossbowmen standing to her back. When she turned her look a little, she saw the face she didn''t want to see the most. "S-so what? S-sending a pigeon in the n-night does not mean she''s a spy. S-stop these lies Sarah. Ash m-my darling would never betray me. Such n-nonsense" Harold then looked at her. They met eyes. There was pain in those brown eyes. Harold was pleading with her, Ash knew- pleading for confirmation that she didn''t betray him. Unfortunately, Ash did. 220 Dancing Moonligh The cell was tiny. It was cold- freezing despite the summer heat. Ash slumped against the cemented corner wall. Arms around her knees, she buried her face on her legs. Her nightgown was probably dirty by now. The laces and the cloth itself, white before, probably sported brown. It was a respite from the Omniscient that the floor wasn''t wet. Thank the Omniscient it wasn''t wet. In her father''s city, Coldford, the sewage leaks towards the dungeons. Ash had been there a few times but never stayed for long. That was beyond disgusting. She lifted her head. The lone guard stationed outside the cell was staring at her, a young man with curly hair. "Is it true miss? I am curious. The whole city already knew about it. News of your arrest and suspected betrayal has spread. Everybody has been discussing it" The guard said. "They want me dead right? They want me hanging. Since yesternight?" "Three nights ago" The guard answered "You''ve been here for three days already" "Oh" Ash slumped. She bit her lips "It is true by the way. I betrayed him" Ash didn''t bother lying. The evidence was strong against her. Several witnesses stepped forward in accusation. And even if there wasn''t an evidence, Sarah had already rallied the people into believing that Ash was a spy. Whether she was or wasn''t, Ash would be treated as such anyway and would hang. The truth doesn''t matter now, not that the truth would help her anyway. "Why?" The guard''s voice had disappointment in it. "It matters not" Ash shifted to the side "I am a spy. I am a betrayer, traitor, serpent" The guard was silent. A sigh then sounded. "He loved you. King Harold''s love was truer than most" "I know" Ash''s voice was fading. She remembered the look Harold gave her after he read the letter taken from the pigeon''s leg. Never had she saw such pain on someone. Something broke inside him, she knew, she saw. Harold spared her a single look- a single glance. It must have hard for him. Harold then walked away. Ash expected him to be bathed in fury. She expected shouts and hits from him. But Harold just left without saying a single word. But that was somehow more painful. Ash preferred him to burst in anger. She would rather accept his strikes and shouts and even humiliation. Harold gave her something more painful instead- his silence. She would do it again. There wasn''t a tinge of regret in her. She did what she thought was right. Siding with Queen Lucia was the natural way to go. What she regretted though was getting too close with Harold. That was a mistake and a terrible one. Now everytime she closes her eyes she could see that face- Harold''s expression. "I''m sorry" She said to the man who can''t hear her. She hoped that he would hear or even know that she didn''t want this to happen. Like what he said, wars are strange. Sometimes people fighting on opposite sides are not enemies at all. Sometimes ideas were the walls that separate people. Steps then brushed against the floor of the dungeon. Hurried but few, the steps were coming towards her cell. Down the steps came three men. Two wore armors while the one at the center was shrouded in a brown and long cloak. The faint torchlights illuminated their faces but before she could identify, the identity of the cloaked man was revealed by a salute from the guard. One of the two armored men stood guard while the other brought the clanking keys towards the lock. "I''m sorry" Was all Ash could say to Harold. She deceived him. Harold was kind to her- a bad and weak King- but a kind one. She betrayed his trust. The iron lock fell. Harold immediately burst into the cell. Ash flinched and expected something painful to come soon. But it didn''t. Instead Harold embraced her, warm and tight. "A-are you alright?" Harold asked "Did t-they hurt you?" Ash didn''t talk. Her mouth was frozen. Her ears were devoid of hearing. She buried her face on Harold''s shoulder. She sobbed. "Don''t cry" Harold patted her hair. It felt good. She felt safe "I w-will get you out of h-here" Ash stopped her sobs and questioned what she heard. She looked at Harold, the man she deceived and lied to and the one she betrayed and trying to depose. She blinked a few times before moving her lips. "You will get me out of here?" Harold nodded. Ash was perplexed. She stared at Harold for a moment. Maybe he was still denying the truth, Ash thought. She could lie and deny her being a spy. Harold would believe her. She could get out of here and flee to Heraldshome. She would be safe under the protection of Queen Lucia. No, she decided. Enough lies. Deceits should stop. She had hurt him enough. She doesn''t want to see that again, Harold''s pained expression. "I betrayed you" Ash said "I have been spying on you. Queen Lucia instructed me to gain your trust. And so I thought of a way. I seduced you. I bed you. All of it were lies. I..." Ash shook her head "I don''t know what to say. I''m sorry. Forgive me. Truly, forgive..." "I know" Harold said "S-somehow I suspected it" "Then..." "I d-don''t care. I w-want you. I will give up m-my crown if I have to. We will join the Union in a-alliance" Harold''s grip on her hand tightened. It was a good feeling. "But there''s no time. S-sarah the wench. You m-must flee" "And you?" Harold replied with a small smile. He shawled his hood. "F-follow me. Fast" With Harold grabbing her hand, they ran out of the dungeon. The three guards followed. It was dark despite the torches. Ash nearly tumbled many times. She didn''t know where they were going. But she did not care. She trusted him. She trusted that he meant well and he could deliver her to safety. She had been calling him a wimp in secret. She was disgusted by his lack of will. She viewed him as weak. But Ash was wrong. Harold wasn''t a wimp. His will was strong and he wasn''t weak. Him holding her tightly and leading her somewhere safe. Ash felt more guilt. Up the stairs and turning several corners they exited the dungeon. The faint moon greeted her. The warm but fresh summer air penetrated her nose. At long last she was free. She was happy to taste freedom. They ran with bent backs. Several alleys they trudged on. Along the way, a few of Harold''s men assisted them. Finally they reached one of the gates, the eastern one if she wasn''t mistaken. Harold signaled to the guards at the top. With nods, the guards pulled the gate. Ash saw a single horse. "I p-prepared several mounts. Where a-are they?" Harold asked in a confused tone. Several men with bird-shaped helms then leapt from the darkness. The newcomers attacked Harold''s men from both the top and the bottom of the wall. Falconheads, Ash immediately recognized. On the Falconheads'' hands were swords, sharp and glinting against the moonlight. The fighting started not long after. Harold put her behind him. He was trembling, she could see. He didn''t know how to use swords, she knew. But Harold was defending her with his life. They lost. The Falconheads were good. They just danced around Harold''s men. One Falconhead took a sword to the belly but didn''t even utter a grunt. They were not humans. The Falconheards slaughtered Harold''s men. To make matters worse, the people were roused by the commotion. Several heads popped from opened windows. The braver ones went closer. Many people could see them fighting against the Falconheads. Harold then pushed her. It was a hard push and Ash tumbled towards the other side of the gate. "Go!" Harold shouted "T-there''s only one horse. They w-will catch us if we ride double. Go to Heraldshome" "No" Ash shook her head. She rose but Harold ordered the gate to be lowered. Before the iron gate separated them, the last thing Ash saw was Harold''s smile. And then she was alone on the other side of the wall. Ash pounded on the gate. She could still hear the cries and clash of steel from the other side. She couldn''t do anything. She then realized that Sarah was the one behind it all. She planned all of this. Sarah revealed Ash''s secret to Harold because she knew what Harold would do. Her real target was Harold. She wanted Harold to be seen as a traitor. And that just happened. People saw what happened and they would know that Harold set her free. With that, Sarah could gain control over all the Cantonese, Hadean and Inkish soldiers nested in the city. Ash clenched her hands. Sarah won in the end. Harold would be executed for sure. He wasn''t a popular King and the people already hated him. This incident would push Harold''s neck to the noose. She needed to do something. She was a spy, a traitor. But she cannot let him die. She will not let him die. But what could she do? She is weak. Sarah then turned her head towards the horse. The animal was grazing in peace. Heraldshome was three days ride. She corrected herself. It was not true that she was powerless. Ash slowly rose and trudged weakly towards the horse. 221 Advance It was night when Ash left Mythrille. It was afternoon two days after when she arrived at Heraldshome. The city was still jubilant from the recent festival of a thousand songs. Hums could be heard from every corner of the city. Bards and amateur bards sang new songs. But the atmosphere was also filled with melancholic murmurs. Ash heard people talk about how King Harold was being held hostage in Mythrille. Ash questioned her ears at first. News of what happened arrived sooner than her. But she remembered that the Monarchs have other spies in Mythrille. The old woman whose house was just near the gate of the palace, that royal guard with a sharp chin, that person she saw one time- all of them were her fellow spies. With the orange sun cast on the horizon, she rode her battered and exhausted horse towards the palace. People eyed her. She was still wearing the same dirty nightgown. The cloth had further gathered dust and dirt on her way here. Ash did find several small streams and sources of water but she didn''t dare dally to wash her clothes. She shouldn''t care. Harold was her enemy. She bed him only to serve the Union. But after what he did, she felt indebted to him. Ash could only imagine Harold''s state at Mythrille. The citizens were probably clamoring for Harold''s death. The guards at the palace were smart enough to recognize Ash despite her beggary appearance. The iron gate was opened to her. Messengers were sent to inform the monarchs and she was led by a maid inside to wash and to eat. As for the horse, the battered mare with white coat turned brown, she could only wish well. The animal had served her with grace. Bathwater turning hazel as her skin regained its normal color, Ash changed into a new dress, one with sparkles on its cuffs and intricate waves on its collar. It matched her well, Ash decided in front of the mirror. She looked like a noble now. The maid opened the door in a hurry. Popping her head on the gap, the maid informed her that Queen Lucia and the King are coming. Ash prepared herself. She had practiced lines on her way here. She thought hard, honing here words. She thought of the flow of their conversation. Both the monarchs were famed to be clever. She would have a hard time convincing them. But she was prepared. The first who entered was the King. His dark hair was combed neatly. His posture was fine- so fine. The way he walked and the way he presented himself were enough to make her want to kneel. And then the Queen followed, gracious, elegant and pure. "You want us to march into Mythrille and save King Harold" King Timothy''s said "Alright. Lucky us, two more of my legions have arrived yesterday. Some Cantonese soldiers have also joined our ranks to defend King Harold. We will leave on the morrow" Ash''s words were stuck on her throat. She made sounds- stutters probably. She was too confused to care. All her preparations, those lines she committed to memory- useless. "How" Ash uttered the word. The Queen stepped closer to her. The meeting of their eyes as their distance grew short was too much for Ash. The Queen put both hands on her shoulders. "You have served us well" Queen Lucia''s smile served to make her more elegant "But I know how you feel. Kindness shouldn''t be repaid with betrayal" "He did treat me well" Ash said, bobbing her head into slow nods "He is not cruel. He is gentle as a snow. He is..." Ash felt sourness on her eyes "He treated me well like what I said, gave me everything he could give. I am not changing my alliances nor am I ruing my decisions. My resolve stays firm. But he doesn''t deserve death" "I know" The Queen''s voice was calming "We know" Ash raised her look towards the King. "You will march towards Mythrille?" "Fast paced, without rest" The King answered "And not just to reward me I suppose?" "Marching to Mythrille would be dangerous. The road is crooked with many opportunities for ambush. We would also be the ones attacking so we would have to exert more effort than the enemies. In short, we would be put into a disadvantage. I would have not risked that if the only reason is to reward you. You have served us well, as in the words of my beloved Queen. Although we are grateful, you are not the only reason for our decisions" "Then you have something in mind, something big like what you did at Knightsend or in the Battle of the Plains" The King smiled "Rest Ash. You have traveled long and you would travel again with us tomorrow. So rest" He said in a manner neither imposing nor weak "You have done most of your work. Leave the rest to us" ********** Flags bathed in morning light fluttered in the air proudly. Six legions- Rooster, Steelsword, Dawn, Goldentooth, Roar, Tear- Timothy was bringing all of his legions to the west of Canton. Thirty thousand armored and experienced Castonians under the King of Castonia would be enough to shake the land itself. Propped on top of his horse, a brown stallion with ears longer than most, Lucia eyed the preparations. She still wasn''t familiar with these things but she knew at least that the ones wearing full plate armors were the Centurions. The Centurions were organizing their men, some harshly while some had more mellow methods. The Prefects, also in full plates but with white capes, were organizing their Centurions. Lucia couldn''t see the Generals though. They were probably organizing their Prefects. But General Marvin was an exception. Marvin was behind them, third wheeling her lone time with her husband. Well Marvin was permitted to do so anyway. The old General was one of their closest friends and oldest allies. And it''s not like the Rooster legion needed organizing. "You want to ask something General?" Lucia shredded the silence "Word reached us that you have slept late last night, just endlessly staring at the map until your candle melted. The word said that you looked worried. We apologize if this sounds like we are spying on you General. We trust you, we truly do. The spy was not for you but he was overzealous. He was concerned by your look last night. I hope you are not offended" "My squire right?" Marvin sighed "So that''s why he vanishes every night. But I am not offended Your Majesty. Not at all" "So" It was Timothy who talked "What were you thinking? I hope it''s not about our decision to go to the west and attack Mythrille. I do hope you didn''t spend all night staring at the map and trying to make sense of our decision" Timothy looked back. His grin was filled with mischief "I jest. Of course that''s the reason why the skin under you eyes are as swollen as festered wound" "You guessed it right Tim. I cannot see the reason why we should be the ones attacking. Of course I remember that we were talking about attacking Mythrille many weeks ago but that was before Sarah Wismar joined the front line. We would win easily if we were fighting against any other commander. But Sarah Wismar and Falconheads?" Marvin shook his head "Even the Rooster would be put in peril. We would be marching into hostile territory. The citizens in the eastern part of Canton have been indoctrinated by the Wismarines for decades. Their culture leans more on the Wismarine rather than the Cantonese side. Even your great speeches couldn''t make them submit Tim. Our supplies would be exposed. Our soldiers would be tired. Our whole army would suffer from ambushes. Victory would come at a great price" Timothy looked at her. A smirk was on his face "Should we tell him?" Lucia shook her head "No. The wind have ears. The paved road has too. Let''s keep it a secret for now" She looked behind "I''m sorry General" "Fine, fine, have it that way then. But you two have a plan right?" "Yes" Lucia said "But it''s more like a script" The six legions and a few thousand Cantonese began the march not long after. More than thirty thousand pair of boots, not to mention horse hooves, trudged outside the gate towards the east. The pace was fast and the beating of drums joined. To her back, Lucia could see the city of Heraldshome, the capital of Canton. It was a good city, she thought. It was large and jolly. The music was good and the people were warm. When she turned her head back, she saw Timothy staring at her. "A script?" Timothy chuckled "Yes" Lucia joined him "What of it? Accurate, yes?" "Well" Timothy said "You are not wrong. A script made by Sarah herself" 222 Tomorrow The villages were empty. Only rats moved. The people and the pets were nowhere. The livestock were either hauled or slaughtered. The farms were burned. The water in the waterholes had discoloration and foul smell- poisoned. Even the hay in the barns had needles in them- poisoned needles. Timothy wasn''t joyful. A grimace was on his face as he looked at the village. Small, with an open field to the north, farmland to the south fed by the a small stream and the main road sprawling towards the east- the village was a ten leagues from Mythrille. Like the others, the houses had cone roofs sculpted smoothly. Altars to the falcon God Ashkara were everywhere. Yes, the people here were believers of the Wismarine God. Their clothing too were Wismarine. Their accents were Wismarine. Their children play with Wismarine toys. Even the dogs bark Wismarine. The Wismarine influence had encroached to this part of Canton so much. Wars were not the only way to gain territories. Sometimes culture and influence were sharper than swords. "Damn those people" Abraham''s nose wrinkled as he rode Bear. It was still a new sight to Timothy. An armored giant riding an armored bear was a little terrifying despite it being his design. Bear grunted lowly. He was probably saying another insult or a boastful remark. Fortunately, Bear cannot talk whenever he was a bear. Lucia pinched his hand. They had talked about the situation in eastern Canton. Everything that happened were in accordance to Lucia''s prediction. Sarah played the sentiment of the citizens in eastern Canton. With the people already siding and influenced by the Wismarines, a change of affiliation would only take a single mistake from King Harold. And the stuttering King did make a mistake- a terrible one. From the reports, people saw King Harold let the spy escape and Sarah stopped him. In one stroke, Sarah gained the loyalty of the east. Now it was as if she was their Queen. Ash was gloomy on her horse. She was tired, Timothy knew. But her gloominess was overwhelming. Bowed head, eyes staring at the ground- Ash face was mess. "Worry not" Said Timothy "He''s not going to die. Your conscience would still be as clean as snow" Ash lifted her head. The same gloom met him "Pardon me Your Majesty but I know Harold. Although such a word might be too much, I can say that he is weak" That''s why he''s going to survive, Timothy thought but did not say. Sometimes being weak is an armor. Sarah would let him live, even protect him. In the crooked world of politics, sometimes logic is also crooked. "Like what my Timothy said, you need not worry Ash" Lucia said "By the end of it all, Harold would be sitting back on his throne in Heraldshome. That is, granted, that he would side with us" When they were almost out of the village, the sight of a corpse hung from a huge tree greeted them. It was a young man and woman- probably not couples but the representation was clear. On their chests were planks painted with Timothy and Lucia''s names. The incenses that surround the tree spoke of a religious sacrifice. The Wismarines often do human sacrifices to Ashkara. The Cantonese probably thought that making the same ritual and presenting the corpse along the way to Mythrille would terrify him and Lucia. The royal guards attempted to take it down but Lucia ordered against it. "Those two volunteered to become sacrifices" "Yes" Timothy covered his nose from the pungent odor "Ashkara only accepts volunteers they say" "Barbarism" She said, short but sharp. "You couldn''t be more right. This practice should stop" Lucia turned her head towards the royal guards. Her frown was frightening. "They chose this. Those two chose to become sacrifices. Let them be. Let them hang in there as maggots feasted on their flesh. Don''t give them the decency of a burial for they don''t deserve nor want it. Let all our soldiers know what we are facing. This should wake them from the delusion that we could still win the hearts of the people here like what we did in the past. This is a foreign territory with foreign beliefs and practices" The royal guards nodded to Lucia''s stern warning. "Well said my Queen. You took the words right out of my mouth" Timothy nudged her a little. "We are of one mouth remember? We are of one soul and of one mind" Her expression grew darker "But I don''t like this Tim. I don''t like this at all" Their whole host passed by the two corpses in silence. There were occasional glances and heavy breathing from those unfamiliar with the pungent smell of death. Ash vomited her stomach when she caught the smell and the sight. There were no interruptions after the two corpses. The marched resumed in an orderly manner towards Mythrille. The march only ceased only after the sun presented an orange glow from the horizon. The vanguard was recalled from the front. They set up the camp on top of a flat hill, almost a plateau. A small stream was nearby, not poisoned thank the Omniscient. The camp grew fast as the the tents were designed to be deployed in haste. A ditch, eight feet deep and ten across, was dug around the camp. Spikes and caltrops were scattered on the bottom. Timothy would have ordered palisades to be built but there was no wood to work with. Sentries were posted and scouts were sent to all directions. Fires were lit for food, stew and bread was for tonight. The Quartermaster added meat as a battle loomed. The royal tent was larger than the others, five times to an officer''s and ten to a common tent. The cloth of the tent was painted gold and white. The flags of both Vanadis and Castonia stood without sound outside. The royal guards'' tents sowed around it. Timothy was inside along with Lucia, Ash and the six Generals. Their food was no different from the others. "Have you visited your father yet?" Timothy asked Ash. Something dark formed on her face. Shame, guilt and anger, Timothy guessed. "No" She said curtly "I know he''s fine" "It''s your decision" Marvin said, sucking his teeth "But I do hope you will grow to forgive him. Nothing bonds people like blood. He made a mistake but he''s still your father" "He shamed us. My whole family was shamed because of him" "I shamed my daughter once. I brought her dolls not knowing she was already ten and seven years old. I mean who would have thought that children grow so fast? She still doesn''t want talking to me" General Hoover said. Everyone doesn''t enjoy talking to you, Timothy thought. General Hoover''s jests were painful to hear sometimes. "You have the blood of a noble" General Bourgis'' face was ever stern "A noble should have honor. Your father broke his honor and brought shame upon your line. If he was my brother, I would have made him kneel on salt until his knees bleed to the bone. Cruel, but discipline and honor trumps pity" Abraham entered the tent, still on his armor. His walk was heavy. It must have been a mere illusion but Timothy swore, the ground trembled. "Shadow has returned Your Majesty. He''s..." Abraham tilted his head back "He''s bloody" Not long after and Shadow entered the tent. His black coat was smudged in red. His hat had a long tear on the side. "Not my blood, don''t worry. I''m not hurt but three on the scouts were cut down and five were wounded. Two, I think, would never walk again" Shadow said "What happened?" Asked Lucia "Pardon me" Shadow trudged towards the table and drank from Hoover''s cup. He grunted and looked back to them "We were scouting ahead when a group of Falconheads. They were fast and strong. They feared no one. One of the scouts stabbed one but the Falconhead didn''t flinch. Can you imagine that? He didn''t feel pain" "Falconheads outside the city?" Marvin gave him a questioning look. "Why would there be Falconheads outside? Shouldn''t she...rally her forces inside?" "Because she means to meet us in the field" Lucia answered. She was met with raised eyebrows. "That is right. We will have a battle soon" Timothy''s answer was met with more confusion. "Why would she meet us? She has the city. A siege would serve her well. The defenses of Mythrille were not impressive, I know. But going outside of the walls is not smart" Timothy ignored Marvin''s plea for enlightenment. "Exhaust the meat in our supplies. Serve double rations to our men. Tomorrow..." Timothy glaced at Lucia "We will meet them in the field" 223 It Was Fun The soldier''s stomach ached. He had eaten bad food before. He had experienced watery stool many times. But this was different. He couldn''t move. He couldn''t scream for his mouth didn''t have strength. He was just lying on his bed with his comrades. His body was without strength. As he rolled his eyes he discovered that the others were suffering too. It wasn''t just him. It must have something to do with their dinner. This is bad. Tomorrow would be the battle against the evil King of Castonia and Queen of Vanadis. He and his comrades had volunteered to defend Mythrille. But he cannot fight with the state he was in. He cannot even move his mouth. The tent flapped. Cold wind from outside kissed his skin. Two Falconheads then entered. Good , he thought. At least they could still move. Her Highness Sarah could still defend Eastern Canton. But what happened next was horrifying. The two Falconheads unsheathed their swords and stabbed his mates. It wasn''t just a normal murder. It was something gruesome. They should be allies. The Falconheads should be their friends. And yet his comrades were being murdered by them. He was the last one who remained. All his comrades were bloody and minced on their beds. When the Falconhead finally went to him, he saw the Falconhead''s glee from its eyes. The last thing he saw was the glint of blade. ********** Timothy was wrong, very wrong. It was dawn when Abraham woke them up. He and Lucia were still tied in a passionate embrace. Donning their clothes, they went to the site. Guards and scouts already stood around the enemy camp. He almost vomited, bile rising to his throat. They were butchered, no, mauled was a better word. He prided in being familiar with the sight of death but the things scattered around were just too much. "Dead, all of them sire" A scout reported, a chill was on his voice "About twenty thousand dead in one night. No signs of survivors" Timothy covered his nose. Early flies had already feasted the corpses. He held Lucia''s hand. If he was terrified, so was she. This is not a thing a human would do. "And Falconheads?" Lucia asked with grimace. "Gone" The scout said "All of them gone. Not a sign" Marvin trotted towards them "What do you think happened Tim?" "It''s obvious what happened General. Sarah killed them. She killed them all with those Falconheads" "Wha- Sire, that is impossible. Two thousand Falconheads couldn''t have done this" "Poison" Lucia said "See those unwashed bowls and unkempt tents? Sarah fed them poisoned food. Late Goodbye if I should guess. It makes a person weak and bedridden. It is one of the poisons I still don''t have an antidote of. After the poison had settled, the Falconheads went from tent to tent to put them to the sword" "And why would she do that? Why in the Omniscient''s grace would she slaughter her own men!?" Lucia gave Timothy a meaningful look before answering the General. "Not her men. Look at them. Those are Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese. There are Wismarine levies included in the pile of corpses but let''s be honest, she doesn''t view levies as her men or even as humans for that matter. As to why, she wants to blame this monstrous act to us" "The Queen''s words are the truth General" Timothy said immediately. "Why?" General Marvin lowered his head "She...She would lose" "She would" Lucia was the one who adjuncted first "Because she''s trying to lose anyway" "Please explain Your Majesty" Marvin bit his lips "She''s not trying to win?" Lucia turned to Marvin. "She wants to win General. But right now she wants to lose because losing would give her a weapon for the future engagements" "How?" "Wismar is a large nation. Their population is a few times larger than that of Cantonia and Vanadis combined. Their resources are many. Their armies are large and powerful. They have war elephants and Falconheads. And yet during the Castonian civil war, they were only able to send twenty thousand. Now they are sending fewer to stop us. Why do you think that is?" "Levan" Marvin nodded slowly. "Yes, the two Kingdoms are not at war but there have been aggression. Most of Wismar''s forces are tied up north, guarding their border with Levan. Sarah couldn''t have won against us no matter what she did. Our victory had been certain all along. It was written in the stars. That is all because Wismar doesn''t take us seriously. Sarah knew this. Sarah knew that even if, say, the Rooster was defeated, there were other legions willing to serve the Union. Vanadis and Castonia are committed to this. Wismar is not. Defeat was certain for Sarah so she''s accepting it. But not without advantages General. She wants to squeeze every bit of this situation into her advantage" "Advantages like what?" Marvin''s tone was shaky. "First, information. She is trying to gauge us. The battle of Crimson Pass showed our way of fighting to her. Now she knows about Abraham and Bear, the hellfire bombs and our newly trained cavalry. Sending us the name of her spies was a way to gauge our espionage and counter espionage capabilities. The assassin though was just for fun. She did that just to mock the royal guards" "Second was support..." Timothy added as he looked at Lucia "Right? She wants to show her father that the war with the Union was a serious one. By losing badly, she could show them that the Union could indeed threaten Wismar. She wants Wismar to finally commit into this war. When that happens, we will have a hard time. This slaughter was also for support. She wants us to be seen as monsters. No, not just monsters but competent monsters. Competency and infamy should go together in order to breed alarm. She wants to make it look like we killed twenty thousand men in one night without giving them the right to surrender. She also dethroned King Harold for support. She knew that Eastern Canton was a lost cause. But she wasn''t willing to give it to us without rousing the populace into her side. We would get both Mythrille and Cloudcliff but the whole region would still side with the Wismarines. The only thing worse than losing a territory is gaining an insurgent one. King Harold''s rule would be shaky" Timothy turned to Ash "That''s why King Harold would live. He is weak. Sarah wants a weak King on the throne of Canton so when she comes back it would be an easy waddle into the capital. And now we are stuck with King Harold. We are stuck with a weak ally. We can''t replace him without looking complete hypocrites" "So when she comes back..." Marvin said hushed "She will have the entire Wismar behind, a pro Wismarine region of Canton, a weak King to fight and the information about us" "That is right. And we can''t push to Wismar without dealing with Hadea and Inkit first. So she will have time to assemble the Wismarines while we pacify Hadea and Inkit" "Damn" Was all General Marvin could say as the old General rubbed his beard. "When did you realize this?" "When she sent us the names of her spies" "And yet you still willingly fell into her plan" "Strange thing General..." Timothy gripped the reins and angled opposite to the corpses "This move benefits both sides. It shattered the status quo. The situation was heading to an ugly stalemate. And you know why we don''t want a stalemate" "The cull?" "Yes, the cull. If Shadow is right then it''s going to happen this year. Everything should have been settled by then. Petty wars like this should stop. We don''t have time. And so we don''t have a choice but to accept this. Our enemies grew in numbers, Eastern Canton is against us, the giant that is Wismar is finally flexing its strength, and we have a weak ally- but at least the war keeps going. In short, we just won a battle but inched closer to defeat in this war" Marvin didn''t utter a word after that. A nod and a salute and he was gone for the cleanup of the mess. Lucia and him were separated too as they both manned different sides of the large camp. The bodies were buried, carefully as there could be traps hidden. And there were. Poisoned needles were scattered and even vipers were hidden. There was even a live rooster with talons dipped in poison- probably to mock the Rooster legion. It was a hard task, grueling. It took the whole day to finish. When the sun had set and the sky welcomed the night, the Castonians were silent. They had won. The enemies were all dead. But the way they won was strange, eerie even. Timothy sat on the grass. It had been a disgusting day. The only consolation was that Lucia would come soon. But when she finally arrived, Lucia hurried to his side and whispered to his ear. "They released him. We should go in secret" Lucia eyed Ash "And bring her with us" They didn''t waste time and went to an obscure location about a league away. The scouts roamed around. The royal guards were vigilant. Below an oak tree stood a Falconhead. This was the first time Timothy saw a falconhead in person. Its helm was quite...unique. Behind the Falconhead was a person with a burlap on his head. "This is King Harold I suppose?" Ash became restless on her horse but the Falconhead didn''t talk. It just stared with its empty eyes from behind its helm. "Oh right. Oath of silence. Well go on. Release him" The Falconhead then took the burlap off. Ash dismounted her horse and approached the King warily. She knelt and embraced the Harold. The Falconhead then stepped forward. The royal guards pointed their spears. Abraham held the reins of Bear tight and prepared his axe. The Falconhead halted and presented a letter. "Take it" Timothy ordered on of the royal guards. He had enough of Ash''s poisons. The guard inched forward and took the letter. Fortunately, there wasn''t a viper hidden in it. When it reached Timothy''s hand, he closed his distance with Lucia. Unrolling the letter, the words written by their enemy were presented. ''It was fun'' The next time Timothy lifted his head, the Falconhead was dead- with its own blade on its stomach. 224 Anger Asit squeezed through the mass of people gathered in the city center. The smell was not welcoming. The noise was worse. Garbles and shouts coupled with raised fists- he could feel their anger. On top of the stage was Her Highness Sarah. Standing alongside were Falconheads. She was crying- crocodile tears Asit knew. But those droplets of sadness were so damn convincing. He was nearly moved. "My citizens" Her voice trembled, sobs in between "I bring terrible news. We have lost. The Union has defeated our armies. They have butchered our people. The Union''s legions will enter this city soon enough. And you...you will fall under their rule" "Never!" the people shouted in unison. Seering, burning anger was in their voice. "I beg you my citizens, I beg you to remember their sins. The brutes may occupy our city, they may take our homes and eat our grains, they may make our children into slaves, but they could never make us yield. I tried to defend you. We tried. We lost anyway. But there is no shame in defeat. As long as we never give up, as long as our swords remain sharp, they can never make us submit" Asit shook his head in disgust. Prince Skall had his faults, but the Prince was a hundred times better than this woman. "King Harold escaped. We have been deceived. Several nobles betrayed us. Such folly. Such smut. The enemies play cruel and dirty" Angry murmurs erupted like Hellfire. They were restless like a disturbed nest of bees. Whatever Sarah wanted to do, it worked. Asit could only imagine the headache the Union''s monarchs would have in ruling this city. "But fear not my citizens. I am here. I am with you. I will go back to Wismar and assemble spears and my swords to your aid. A hundred thousand and more- we will hit them with hundreds of thousand of spears. The Lion will croak. The Pelican will have its wings cut. I shall come back. I will never abandon you. Know this my beloved, I promise to you- I shall return!" Bellows of support filled the air. It was terrifying. Asit saw the power of words. Others treat gold and armies and lands and birthright as their weapons. But at that moment Asit knew- words were more terrifying. Words could hit deep into the heart. Words could last a lifetime. A charismatic leader could bring an entire nation to arms. The smug King of Castonia was good with words. Sarah was too. Both were able to inspire true loyalty. If this continues then Prince Skall would be deposed as the heir. In honor of Amir, his beloved son, Asit must kill her. Only Prince Skall should lead Wismar. Asit sheathed his hand under his cloak. He grasped it, the small crossbow already loaded with poisoned arrow. He needed but a single hit. Asit moved his hands. Bringing the weapon level to his chin, he gripped the trigger. The arrow flew, straight and unhindered- until it wasn''t. On of the Falconheads accepted the bolt. If it penetrated even a bit of his skin, Asit could only guess. Sarah then eyed him with a mock on her lips. Asit failed. He stepped back as the heads of the people turned to him. He must escape at once. They will rip him apart. He felt somebody block him from behind. Asit drew his dagger, his last resort, and stabbed. The belly of a fat man accepted the blade. The fat man crouched in pain. But in his place stood another, angrier person. His cloak was yanked many times. It was torn. Soon, he himself was being torn. He saw blood, his blood. He felt death, his death. ********** It was silent. Lucia was jarred by the lack of noise as they entered Mythrille. Sarah Wismar was defeated, her army had to retreat to Wismar. Canton was theirs. It was different when they entered Heraldshome. The people there were throwing insults. But here the people only offered silence. She preferred accepting insults than the silence of the citizens of Mythrille. Silence heightens emotion. Silence was like Hellfire to hate. She could feel their sticky looks. Timothy and she were in danger if they stay here any longer. King Harold was inside a carriage. The Cantonese King was still battered and needed rest. It was not wise. A show like this was not wise. Their hatred would only deepen. But they had to enter the city. Mythrille sat near the border of Canton and Wismar. When Sarah comes back, this city would be the first one she would attack. Lucia doesn''t like it. Defending against the Wismarines with disgruntled citizens at the back was dangerous. But Timothy was willing to take a risk. "How many days will we stay here?" Lucia asked discretely. "Two at most. We will leave Goldentooth legion here and Tear legion on Cloudcliff" "Is that wise?" "No, it''s not. Absolutely not. But what choice do we have? If we leave this region without a leader, a power vacuum would propel local leaders into power. There would be division and violence. By the time we come back, this place would be tattered" Timothy sighed "We desire Canton to be our vassal. But what use is a broken vassal?" "I see" Lucia looked around. They were glaring. Some were still inside their homes and looking at the passing Castonian legions by their opened windows. ********* The boy ran fast. On his hand was something covered in cloth. It was heavy. It was cumbersome beyond belief. But it was the only thing he had left after his father died. His father was killed by the Castonians. He had heard that Her Highness Sarah led a force to defend Mythrille from the Union. It was a noble idea, he thought then. His father also too. That''s why his father volunteered to raise his sword and defend Mythrille. His father promised him to bring down at least five Castonians. His father died. He had heard that the Castonians slaughtered even those who surrendered. It was a true defeat. They say his father died a hero. He doesn''t need their confirmation. His father was a hero. But now his father was no more, buried and rotting in the soil along with the rest of the defenders. He was alone, an orphan just like thousands of children in Mythrille. He put the thing on his pocket and climbed on the crumbling brick wall of a house. He had done this many times and he knew which bricks could hold and which could lead him to a nasty fall. Dust and bits of bricks fell as he ascended to the roof. His pacing was fine and his grip was good. Finally he grabbed the clay tile of the roof. One heave and he was on top. They were so many of them. From the gate to the center of the city, the Castonians lined. They were clad in black armor despite the heat. Their heads were covered in coifs, fit to their skins. On their hands, pointed up, were their halberds- one of those glinting weapons must be the one that ended his father''s life. They were proud, and they were right to be. Because they were strong. He could see now that there was no shame in his father''s death. Anyone would die when fighting these brutes. He then saw two people- a man and a woman. They were on horseback, white horses. Glinting crowns were on top of their heads. He knew they were the real enemies. "You are not thinking about firing a bolt towards them, aren''t you?" a voice said and he almost fell when he saw a man sitting on the roof beside him. Black coat, a weird hate with a stitch and a single tooth replaced with gold, the man was strange. "Who...What..." "Name''s Shadow, child" The man pointed to the crowned man and woman "You hate them?" "I do" The boy affirmed "They killed my father. They are killers. We don''t want them here" "Such ungrateful things you are then" Shadow said harshly "I once thought that they could unite all humans but seeing people like you makes me question if such thing is indeed possible. You just don''t know but they are sacrificing a lot for you. They could just leave Mythrille and Cloudcliff to rot under the weight of local feuds but they are risking their forces to instill peace and order here. But here you are, whining and pointing your anger towards the wrong people. Well you are young. You are visibly stupid. I just hope you would learn soon" Shadow rose. He patted dust from his black coat. "A word of advice, stay out of trouble. The Queen wouldn''t let orphans like you starve. She has a tender spot for children. Just ignore voices of rebellion and you''ll be fine. So long kid" The man whose name is Shadow walked towards the edge of the roof. His movements were quick and smooth when he descended. The boy returned his glare towards the two monarchs. No, he decided. He doesn''t need their mercy. He took the thing from his pocket and peeled the cloth. The bronze image of Ashkara with open wings gave him courage. This was his father''s most prized possession. Now it was his. And just like his father before him, he would never abandon his hatred. 225 Last Orders Ash still felt burdened as she looked at the bruises on Harold''s body. Multiple dark spots lined the King''s face and chest. His mouth was swollen. His eyes were too. Lucia had already provided them with a list of herbs to lessen the swelling and hasten the recovery. Ash spent all of last night gathering such herbs. The medicine was at least working by the looks of it. When she was little, her father would always lecture her about honor and justice. She believed in those things. She still does. But the way she became a spy, a person with shady honor, was also because of honor itself. She thought that honor meant following what is right and what was promised. But she had found that sometimes, things were not that easy. Life had complications. If not for the person she betrayed, she would have already died. By the ways of the Wismarines and the Eastern Cantonese, hanging would have been her fate. But her neck didn''t touch the noose. Her feet didn''t fall from the platform. Her life didn''t end. Strange. It was strange. The person she deceived was the one who saved her. Harold opened his eyes. Those murky brown eyes were still teary. Harold had been beaten by his own royal guards. It must have been such a pain for a King to suffer a beating from the same people sworn to defend him. Harold lost consciousness just after the Falconhead returned him to them. "Ash" He smiled, showing his crooked teeth. He looked around "W-where are we?" "Mythrille. But you need not spend worry. Those people can''t hurt you now. King Timothy and Queen Lucia are here. They will protect us" He nodded. A lowered head followed "I am s-sorry" "For what?" His cheek shaded red "For t-taking your maidenhood" Ash laughed and buried her face on the mattress. A few coughs later and she said, "I gave it to you. It was of my own decision" "Still, it must h-have been awful" "It was" Ash agreed "The first time I vomited in disgust. I just closed my eyes and told myself that I am merely doing my duty. The second time was more welcoming. I got used to it. But why are we having this talk?" Ash smiled "It is a little strange talking about this now" "Because I s-still love you. I know that we have more important t-things to deal with but do I have a chance?" "Every person has the right to courtship" Ash said, not closing her doors yet not promising anything. Harold held out his hand "Then let us s-start by being friends. I am Harold" Ash shook it with a smile "And I am Ash" Knocks rang against the door. A moment later and Ash saw King Timothy and the Queen. "You are awake. The moonbringer probably took effect. Good" Her Majesty Lucia said. King Timothy, on the other hand, went closer and cupped Harold''s forehead. "No fever. You''ll be fine. Eat well and recover" "I s-should get up but I am unable" "You shouldn''t bother. We are equals anyway. Canton would join Tulosa, Castonia and Vanadis, yes?" "I am s-smart enough to know that we are not equals. Canton is to b-become your vassal and I w-would become your vassal King" "Then that makes it easier for both of us. You are right. We desire you as our vassal. But don''t worry, we will be fair" King Timothy grinned "Now, I hate to discuss politics and diplomacy with a man recovering from his injuries but time is a commodity. Tomorrow we will leave for Hadea and Inkit" "So soon?" Ash blurted "King Timothy, Mythrille and Cloudcliff are still resisting. Yesterday I heard that twenty-five acts of violence were committed against our stationed soldiers. With you leaving us, the rebels would become bolder. A month at least. Stay with us for a month to stabilize the situation here" "Unfortunately we can''t. When do you think Sarah would return with the bulk of the Wismarine forces? I bet the King of Wismar is already debating with his advisers right now on what to do. My estimate is a month. Add a half to that if we are lucky. Sarah will return in a month. Before then we should bring Inkit and Hadea into our control" "Impossible" Was all Ash could say. The look on Harold''s face also emits similar opinion. Taking Hadea and Inkit in a month is impossible. Haubern alone had formidable defenses. Queen Lucia stepped forward to join her husband. She put both hands on Ash''s shoulders "Nevertheless we can''t have enemies at our back once Sarah returns. King Timothy and I would try our best to make it so. We will leave two legions here, one at Cloudcliff and another at Mythrille. Use them well. Retreat to Heraldshome if needed but maintain our hold in the east for as long as possible" "Still" Ash shook her head "It would be a difficult task" "We know" King Timothy eyed Harold. There was no insult in it, just truth. Harold was indeed weak and the four of them understood that "You don''t have the expertise. Well we are employing the help of someone who knows how to do his job well. Someone tested and we trust could hold the east while we rummage in the west" "Marquis Erik Connel" The Queen said before Ash could ask. Ash of course knew about the Marquis of Castonia. His exploits in Tulosa were known to many. If he was coming, then she and Harold don''t have anything to worry about. People say that Marquis Erik was almost as good as King Timothy in the field. Having capable subordinates was truly a gift. But the last news Ash had heard about Marquis Erik was his wedding in Greenwater. It was known that he had taken a Vanadian baroness as a wife, further strengthening the bond between Vanadis and Castonia. That was the problem actually. Greenwater was far from Mythrille. She and Harold would be helpless for a long time before Marquis Erik could arrive. As if reading her mind, King Timothy looked at her and said, "A month. He will arrive in a month. You would have to hold Eastern Canton for a month without us or Marquis Erik to help you. Not too difficult right?" Ash nodded. It wouldn''t be too difficult a task. But somehow, as she looked at Harold and herself, she doubted that they could hold Mythrille until King Timothy returns. ********** Several days later, near Sweetvine, Hadea The garrison was broken. Splintered shields and corpses scattered like grapes during harvest. The Spearman only saw a rush of men in black mails. They were on forced march to reinforce Sweetvine against the enemies. Unfortunately, the said enemies moved faster than they thought and went behind them. One charge was all it took, a single true charge followed by infantry. They were broken, routed. He was one of the lucky ones who survived. His spear was split in two. His thin gambeson armor was torn. His helm was at least intact. But his spirit and his courage- gone. The flags of Castonia and Vanadis fluttered in the air. The bearers wore proud expressions. They had to be, the Spearman thought. The flags they were holding were of the two nations currently plowing through Hadea and Inkit. Canton had fallen. The whole nation of songs had gone silent under the Union''s attack. Hadea would be next. Inkit then after. He raised his mudled face and spitted the soil from hia mouth. A group of people on horse then approached him. A crown. A glinting crown with two diamonds on both sides and a purple amethysts at the center. The wearer had dark eyes and darker hair. His face was young. He had no beard, and if he did it was too short to be noticed. Timothy Castonia, the spearman knew. He was the King who humbled many. Behind the King was a beauty unmatched. Her face was calming, thin nose and perfect cheeks. Her hair was flowing on her back and a crown was also on top of her head. Her youth was oozing and yet her wisdom can''t be denied. The King dismounted and approach him. His walk was slow and had the weight of a true royal. The guards rushed and patted him before the King could squat to lift his chin. "Do you know who I am boy?" Boy!? The Spearman felt a tinge of insult. He was a couple of years older than him. How dare he call him boy? But as he looked at King Timothy''s eyes he saw what the King of Castonia meant. To him, everyone was a mere boy. "Yes" he managed to answer "Timothy Castonia" The King nodded and looked around "Then..." King Timothy again met eyes with him "Do you fear me?" He wanted to be tough. He wanted to say that he wasn''t afraid even if that would be the last thing he says. But he couldn''t. He was indeed afraid. In the end he nodded. "Do not be afraid" King Timothy''s voice was music "You are not my enemy. But as for your King...Oh things are different. He should be afraid for we are coming. Yes, we are coming" 226 The Republic The ash-colored stone columns of the Great Hall of Haubern were thick and formidable. The marble-tiled roof had a shape like an inverted open book. But for its grandiosity, the Great Hall stood empty. Silence filled the hall like a cry of a woman scorned. At the middle of the closed hall was a round table made of stone. Five seats also made of stone were sowed around it. Vedur glazed the wicks of the five candles on the stone table with the burning wick of the lamp he was holding. Five candles, five lights, he thought. One for each of the five magistrates that shield the Republic from tyranny. Vedur sat on one the seats. He was early. The others were taking their time. Good for them to dally. It was as if there wasn''t an invasion force waiting to devour the Republic. One after another the three Magistrates arrived. Magistrate Herberk, his ally. A man with the same stature as him and yet uglier with his hooked nose. The detail-oriented Magistrate Devik who was small like his father before him. The always grumpy and a little violent Magistrate Bouvin who preferred wearing armor rather than the traditional white toga of a Magistrate. And yet one seat remained empty. It was Magistrate Chen''s. Vedur had argued with Chen many times in the past. One such instance ended in a fistfight when Vedur made the mistake of insulting Chen''s father. One rule about the Inkish people is that one must never insult another''s ancestors. He may not be Chen''s closest friend, or even a friend. But the lack of a chattering mumbling and annoying self-righteous Magistrate Chen was jarring. The Great Hall of Inkit was never the same ever since Chen got captured. Herberk opened the Book of the Magistrates. The dove quill was dipped into the ink and touched the page. "One thousand seven hundred eighty-eighth meeting of the Magistrates of the Great Republic of Inkit. Long live the Republic and may our forefathers guide our ways" "The" Devik said "may the forefathers, not our forefathers. This is the thirtieth time you made such a mistake Herberk" Herberk rolled his eyes "It doesn''t matter Devik. It doesn''t matter. I misused one word, a single word" "Still a mistake" "Just start this damn thing!" Bouvin''s voice was thunder. All three of them flinched on their seats. Herberk cleared his throat "Agenda?" He looked at Vedur "Should we resume where we left last time? We still haven''t voted on what to do with the repair of the old main road" "We have a more pressing matter to discuss than an old road" Vedur brooded on his seat "Information arrived, last night Magistrates, just last night. The Union''s legions have crossed the Long River to Hadea. Sweetvine is in danger of falling" Silence made the stone walls of the Great Hall even colder. "Your information is certain?" Herberk asked. "Yes, multiple reports. They have already defeated the local garrisons" "So fast. The last information we had of them was a few days old. I believe they were still at Mythrille that time. And now they have crossed the Long River to Sweetvine" Herberk said. "You all cry like children" Bouvin sneered "All you do is worry and cry and worry some more" "Caution needs worry Magistrate Bouvin" Vedur shot back almost immediately "Yes but what you are doing is not caution. It is mindless fear-mongering, nothing more. Sweetvine will fall. What of it? Is Sweetvine of Inkit? We have three cities to defend you old senile fools. Three cities, Lauban, Carais and Haubern. Sweetvine is of Hadea. Sweetvine is not of our concern. Let them Hadeans make Sweetvine their problem. We should only make our problems, our own problems" "Diplomacy dictates that we help Magistrate Bouvin. We are their allies in this war" Vedur didn''t back down although he lied. It wasn''t diplomacy that drives him but pride. The past two dozen battles had been defeats for the Republic. The last one was the final straw. He had heard of a mauling. Four thousand Inkish lay dead near Mythrille, butchered by the Union''s army. Defeats come at a cost of lives, Vedur understands that well enough. But during the defeat near Mythrille, not a single soul was spared. The Castonians slaughtered them all. The right to surrender was ignored. The Castonians broke the rules of war and that transgression must be punished. "I come from a long line of Field Commanders" Bouvin''s tone had an air of arrogance "My father was Venir and my Grand Uncle was Besit. Iron runs in my blood. And I know what is best regarding our military matters. I know that if we go and reinforce Sweetvine, we would face Castonians in the field. Nobody in their right mind would face Castonians in the field. We will hold them here in Haubern. Our moats are deep. Our walls are strong. The city watch is trained by me. We could have a siege and wait for the Wismarines to reform. I''m sure Sarah Wismar would return" Vedur didn''t argue further. He knew that Bouvin''s mind wouldn''t change. The armies of Inkit was under the leadership of Bouvin and the three of them cannot do anything. Magistrate Bouvin might be right anyway. It would just be a waste of resources to help Hadea. Nearly forty thousand of Inkish soldiers were already prisoners of war of the Union. It would serve them badly to add more to that number. "How long do we have?" Devik asked, adjusting the crude lens perched on his nose. "Sweetvine could hold for a month if they are lucky" Vedur answered. "If" Devik found the questionable word "The Union takes luck and replaces it with steel. They said that Canton could defend against the Union. It not only fell, it did in just a mere three months. Whole Kingdom, gone to the side of the Union. Let''s assume the worst case scenario here" "A week probably. My spies revealed that most of the small garrisons around Sweetvine had fallen" Vedur said "Five days" Bouvin said in his gruff low voice "I say five days. Your spies are wrong" Vedur sighed "Well if the Magistrate of War says so then it must be true. Five days. Considering they make for Riversalt the day after and also take the city, we have more or less two weeks to prepare the defenses of Haubern. I hope the Magistrate of Infrastructure has prepared the walls" He looked at Herberk. Herberk stopped scribbling the details of the meeting in the Book of Magistrates. He put the quill down and leaned back "The walls are always maintained. The moats are deep. The ballistae are functional. Haubern could stand a siege but without men we can''t defend the walls, we can''t operate the ballistae and those moats would be useless anyway. We need soldiers, real soldiers not militia. Militias would run just at the sight of those brutish Castonians. I don''t know Vedur, you should ask the Magistrate of War" Bouvin grunted. He shifted his large armored body on his stone seat "You always smear the responsibility to me Herberk. Five thousand new levies are coming from all over Inkit. They are green but what else could we do? Our veterans are prisoners of war of the Union. All we have are green levies" "And that would be enough?" Vedur asked. "No. But we can hold for long. By my forefather''s ash I promise we would" "Then we will do that. Herberk, go and reinforce our defenses some more. Magistrate Bouvin, you should gather all the levies and arm them, train them if we have time. As for you Devik, collect war taxes from the surrounding areas and find mercenary contracts" "The people wouldn''t like that" Devik said in his small, rat-like voice "We are taxing them enough as it is. There are already rumors floating around that our own pockets are the ones getting fat" "Just find a way to quell their feelings. Make promises or inspire them with speeches. Tell them that the republic is in peril against tyranny. The usual stuff" Vedur rested his head on his knuckles "Fine we should make it into law that after all of this is finished, we wouldn''t ask for taxes for a whole year. I think that would be enough for them" Herberk raised his quill "Is that final? A year without taxes is a year of stagnation" "Yes, yes. It would be bad but we should focus on the imminent threat. The Republic would fall under the Monarchy of the Union if we don''t hire mercenaries to defend Haubern. All those in favor of this law raise their hand" All four Magistrates did, putting the new law into being. Vedur felt sorrowful that they had to rely on war taxes to defend the Republic. "We, the Magistrates of the Republic of Inkit, have formally decided to make it into law that a war tax equal to a whole year of taxes is to be collected from the populace. In exchange, taxes for next year wouldn''t be collected. This decision we make with the power vested by the great founding fathers of the Inkit. Long may the Republic last" Vedur put his fist on the table "For the Republic". The same things were done by the other Magistrates. But when they were about to raise from the stone seats, a young lad dressed in a simple tunic burst into the Great Hall. "Sire!" The lad shouted as he ran. His feet caught one of the pillars and he tumbled. "What are you doing here!?" Vedur almost shouted to his squire. It was sacrilege for an unauthorized person to enter the Great Hall in time of a meeting. The Squire looked at him, teary. "They''re here sire! They''re here. The Union''s army is here. They didn''t attack Sweetvine like what we expected. They went directly here!" Vedur''s heart throbbed fast. He swallowed "Where...where are they?" "They...they are outside our gates at this very moment" was the Squire''s answer. 227 The Reques The moat around Haubern was eighty feet across. The water was murky and Timothy knew it was mixed with urine, feces, garbage and other nasty things. The stone wall below, the parts closest to the moat, was blackened by whatever was in the moat. The smell doesn''t bring joy to anyone''s nose. There were no flies though. Omniscient be praised there were no flies. But as defiled as the moat was, it worked. Somehow, at least. Not many cities have moats. Castles and forts have moats. But cities? No. Nirvana, probably the most well-defended city Timothy knew of, doesn''t have a moat. The most upfront challenge of building a moat around a city is the cost. A city is large. The amount of work needed to dig a moat around a city would have been astronomical. The expenses would also bust the King''s pockets. And the maintenance- nobody in charge of the maintenance would have a good night''s rest. Another challenge would be the growth of the city itself. Cities grow. Cities prosper. Slums and new areas spawn like weeds. A moat would confine the city into a limit. One would argue that the same thing could be said about walls. But walls had been proven effective many times. Moats, on the other hand, had little to no effect to the defense of a city. The moat around Haubern for example, would become useless in less than a week if Timothy blocks the Long River from feeding it and drains the existing water elsewhere. It would only take a few thousand men with spades. The Magistrates of Inkit had expended so much for this moat only for it to fall within days. He wasn''t betting for that to happen though. The moat of Haubern would be safe and the walls would remain clean of blood. There were other ways to enter the city. Timothy turned his head towards Magistrate Chen beside him. He, Lucia and the Magistrate were standing just a stone-throw from the moat. They were not under the range of the ballistae, he made sure of that. They were, however, under the threat of dying from the heat. It was summer with the sun cast high above. The wind was sticky. And yet they had been standing here since morning. The white flag was fluttering, everybody could see. But someone who wanted to ignore is someone blind. The Misgtrates of Inkit must either be blind or too foolish to reject the call for diplomacy. "Midday" Timothy said to Magistrate Chen "They have until midday to show their faces" There was a bitter look on the Magistrate''s face. "They will show. I know they will" "And what makes you certain?" "Vedur, the Magistrate of Diplomacy, is a prideful and petty man. He is dallying because he wants to at least give you an insult" Timothy slid his hand onto Lucia''s waist and let her head lean on his shoulder. She was tired, he knew. Her legs must be aching. Unfortunately bringing a seat or a tent before a parley was decided would be seen as bad form. The one asking for a parley must be willing to wait for an answer from the other side even if it would take sweat and exhaustion. "Magistrate Vedur must be stupid then. He better not push his luck or I''ll shove his head into this disgusting moat of yours. Who built this anyway? Such an ill-maintained thing" There was a soft giggle from Lucia and Timothy''s aches vanished for a while. "My father did" Magistrate Chen said "He was the Magistrate of Infrastructure then. It is a waste of resources, I know" "Also poorly built" Timothy said "The edge of the moat is too close to the wall. That might have been alright if you have rocky soild soil but the land is soft here. I bet portion of the wall crumbles from time to time" "And imagine the pestilence. Rats and other nasty things lurks in the moat. That would lead to diseases" Lucia shrugged "Moats are alright but a poorly maintained moat turns into a cesspool" The drawbridge lowered just before midday. Armored men from the other side waved five white flags on both hands. It indicated that both parties must meet at the middle of the bridge with just five guards. Magistrate Chen was about to step forward when Timothy held him back. It wasn''t fair and he would be a fool if he accepted that. Five soldiers were not enough to ensure both his safety and Lucia''s. "Ten flags" Timothy told one of his men. The soldier nodded and did what he ordered. It was met with a red flag from the Inkish side. They didn''t agree. Timothy''s grin was big as he shook his head. They think they could negotiate and dictate terms. He turned around and raised his fist in the air. In an instant, a boom of warcries sounded from the Castonians. It was firm and pure. Their shouts shook the wind. It showed a virility unmatched. Satisfied, Timothy again turned towards the city. The Inkish soldiers on the wall were looking at each other. The curiosity on their faces was replaced with frowns. Some were wiping sweats from their foreheads. Yes, Timothy thought, you don''t have a choice in the matter. We will parley with our conditions or my Castonians would pulverize every brick of this city. The Inkish''s response was a green flag. Timothy of course chose Abraham and Bear as two of ten guards. The eight were his most trusted and veteran guards. The person who met them was a man in a white toga. His face was clear-shaven. His cheekbones were sharp. His nose was thin but hooked. His eyes were brown just like Magistrate Chen''s. Flanking him were soldiers in full plates. They were small though, and shaking as they stared at Abraham riding Bear with a huge axe. "Chen" Magistrate Vedur said, nodding to Chen and then transferring the look towards Timothy and Lucia beside him "You did not attack Sweetvine?" "It fell on its own. They were afraid. They surrendered" Responded Timothy "Riversalt is still resisting though" "What are you doing here then?" Timothy grinned and gestured towards Lucia "Queen Lucia Vanadis. You''ve heard about her, beauty unmatched, mind of gold, sweet as a dove''s feathers" The Magistrate shifted his eyes towards Lucia for a bit and then back at Timothy "So what are you doing here?" "Taking my lovely wife for a stroll" He put both hands on his waist and looked around "Such a beautiful land. The people are smart. The ones we captured are also tamed. More tamed than Wismarines I tell you" An ugly frown formed on Magistrate Vedur''s forehead "You will not capture Haubern. We are Inkit. Our forefathers have defended our lands for generations since we overthrew the tyrants. We are a strong people. We will not bow down to you. Tyranny has no place here" "Monarchy" Lucia corrected "We are monarchs, not tyrants. I was hoping a Magistrate would know the difference" "Monarchs are tyrants" Magistrate Vedur said, pronouncing every word with care "Power corrupts. Monarchy is a mistake. The people must be empowered. This talk brings us nothing. We will not surrender if that''s what you want. We will wield our spears high and strong until the last man drops. But let us at least make a deal. You have Magistrate Chen. We need him back. Name your price for his release and we will give it as long as it is reasonable" "Magistrate Chen is not our prisoner. He was but now he is an ally" Timothy said. His words were followed by Chen waving his hands free of chains. It was the truth. Chen had sinned against them in the past. But Lucia told him that the Magistrate can be trusted now. Timothy was doubtful at first but if Lucia says so, then it must be true. Magistrate Vedur scowled "Ally? Keep dreaming Castonian. I may have quarreled many times with Magistrate Chen before. We do not see eye to eye in many matters" He looked at Chen "But he is the only person I know that takes equality more seriously than myself. You monarchs are the banes of equality" "Stop it Vedur" Chen said "His Majesty Timothy..." "His Majesty?" Vedur shook his head. His expression had disgust in it. "His Majesty, yes. And Her Majesty Lucia" Chen said in a flawless tone. "Tell me this is a jest. Tell me you are merely jesting. They are monarchs Chen. Our forefathers, the great founding fathers of the Republic, the ones that freed us from the tyranny, they will spit upon us if we clink cups with tyrants" Vedur clenched his fist "I will hear none of this. If you are not their prisoner, then good for you. I don''t see our talk bearing fruit. We will not surrender. The Republic is prepared to defend" Vedur swiped his toga and turned his back towards them. With one last sneer he walked back. "We demand a plebiscite Vedur!" Chen shouted. Those words halted Vedur on his tracks. 228 A Plebiscite "A plebiscite?" Vedur asked, turning an angle towards Chen "A plebiscite for what?" "For Inkit to be a vassal of the Union" Chen answered. Vedur burst into a laughter immediately after Chen''s last word. The guards also wore grins. "You want the people to vote whether they want tyranny back? All these travelling around must have shook your brains inside your skull Chen. Go back. You and your new allies are welcome to come at us with everything that you have. You want to take freedom from our hands? Then you''ll have to bleed" "We will have a plebiscite" King Timothy''s answer was quick yet powerful. "The lion pup talks nonsense" He grinned, the bastard King had it in him to grin "I have been acquainted with the laws of Inkit. A Magistrate could call for a plebiscite. Magistrate Chen calls for one" Vedur examined Chen. His face was saggy but his posture was firm. His wits were with him. He doesn''t look like someone being controlled. He also hadn''t gone senile by the looks of it. "We have known each other since we were young men Chen" "Since we were foolish youths trying to fill our fathers'' boots, yes. The ninth generation of Magistrates" Chen answered. "I respected you, I still do. That''s why I''m using my veto to stop your proposal for a plebiscite. Stop this nonsense. I veto your motion Magistrate Chen" "And we veto your veto" Said the woman beside King Timothy. "On what grounds, Queen Lucia? I knew your father. Edmund, good man, good merchant, passable King. If you have half his wits then you would have known that only Magistrates have the right to veto" "Oh we also have that right" She smiled sweetly and gestured to the army at her back "The veto of steel" Vedur''s eyebrows met. His distaste was elevated by the proud smirk on King Timothy''s face as he eyed the Queen. Veto of steel huh? Vedur thought. She had a point though. Rules doesn''t matter when presented against steel. And a plebiscite would give them time anyway. The people wouldn''t agree to live under tyranny again. Countless lives had been spent just to forge the Republic into being. A plebiscite would take long and they could use the time to rally the levies into the defense of Haubern. "A plebiscite would take two weeks at the very least. Ten days for a summon, two for the preparation and another two for the voting and counting. There could be other interruptions" Vedur said "We know. Magistrate Chen already told us" Queen Lucia said. "And your army?" "They wouldn''t attack unless you attack us first" Vedur nodded "I need to discuss this with the others. A plebiscite needs a lot of preparation" "Then you better go now. And don''t forget to take Magistrate Chen with you. For the first time in months the five Magistrates of Inkit will be complete again" Her smile remained pure. But Vedur understood that behind that smile, a cunning mind works. Without uttering a word, Vedur began walking back to Haubern. Chen followed him and the drawbridge was raised again. When they were out of sight of the enemies, Vedur grabbed Chen''s tunic and pinned him to the wall. "Tell me this is a bad joke Chen. Tell me!" Chen remained unconcerned. He flicked his tunic from Vedur''s grasp. "I have never made a joke in my entire life. Not a single one" "But the republic..." "Will not fall. It will grow stronger and everybody will be happy. Except the Wismarines though. Woe to them" Vedur stuck his glare at Chen''s face for a while. "You betrayed us?" Pain flitted on Chen''s expression for a bit. "You know me better than that" Vedur lowered his head. "Then why?" Chen fixed his tunic. He pointed at Vedur''s toga. "White. Why do you think the founding fathers chose that color? History books tell us of five nobles who banded together to depose a tyrant King. Mav the Strong, Vepod Ironhands, Berd the Wealthy, Derset Goldtongue and Crod the Just. The five nobles attacked the capital and won. They say that the field outside of Haubern was filled with colors that day, colors if the flags of the five nobles. Red was Mav''s, Brown was Vepod, Berd had green, Derset Blue and Crod had yellow. But why did they decide that a Magistrate''s toga must be white?" "The people" Vedur answered "It represents the people''s vote. The idea is that the Magistrates are only the representatives of the citizens. We are not Kings and never would be. We are servants of the people. We decide through a vote things that are too unimportant for a plebiscite. We are the people''s voices Chen. Our job is to take care of them" "That is right" Chen''s tone was crisp "And do you think the people would want this war to continue? We often forget Vedur. We have been engrossed in this idea of a perfect Republic that we don''t see the real issue here. The Republic is a tool, not a reward. It is a tool to make our people''s lives better. If a tool doesn''t work or another better one exists, then we should let it go. The Republic has done its part. We have lived in peace and equality, a golden age for justice. But times are changing Vedur. A new tool is in sight. A better one. I''ve been with them. I knew they are good people. I thought they would abuse their power at first but no, they are fair and just. As just as my Great great Grandfather" Vedur resumed his walk to the Great Hall. Chen followed. The next thousand steps of silence was his. "Let''s say you are right. Let''s throw out the doubt. I trust your judgement anyway. They are good and they would bring prosperity to us. But what about their heir? The next King or Queen of the United Kingdoms of Castonia and Vanadis? That man or woman would inherit a large Kingdom with Tulosa, Canton and Inkit as its vassals. Would that monarch follow the goodness of the current ones? What if an evil monarch would be born in the future generations? A tyrant? What will happen to the Inkish people then?" Chen''s face brooded. "That is a problem for the next generation" "I cannot believe you talk of such filth. Not our problem? The founding fathers thought about us. It is our responsibility to think about the future generations" "I misspoke Vedur. You know I did. It is indeed our responsibility. But we are too focused on what would happen in the future to see what is happening in the current. We face the present, not the future. I''m sure the next Magistrates of the Republic would have it in them to deal with any problems. But for us, we have our own problems to deal with" "Problems like what?" "Increasing prices of food, external and internal threats, peace, order. The Republic has long been plagued by problems. Corruption is rampant in our echelons. Diseases ravage us each year. And let us not kid ourselves Vedur" Chen shook his head "You know the Republic can''t maintain its independence for long. If not the Union, we would be subjects of Wismar or Levan. Now I think it would be better to be subjects of good monarchs" It''s not that he doesn''t know that. The matter of giant nations drooling over Inkit had long remained undiscussed. Vedur was not so foolish to ignore Wismar''s lack of commitment. It was possible for Wismar to attack Inkit in the future despite it being its ally. Vedur pushed the door of the Great Hall open. The smell of old stone filled his nose. "Well we will soon find out. The people''s vote will decide everything" ********* "Ha!" was Bouvin''s immediate insult after seeing Chen again. The bulky Magistrate leaned forward and wrinkled his nose. Like a hound he sniffed "Is that Castonian perfume you are wearing Chen?" "Vanadian" Chen answered with crossed arms "Chamomile with olive oil and rose petals" "You smell like a catamite" Bouvin showed a rare grin "But seriously Chen, you are smart. You gained their trust. A plebiscite? Oh I thought they are smart enough to know that none of the Inkish would vote for Yea. Now we have time to prepare our defenses" Vedur cleared his throat "Magistrate Chen will campaign for ''Yea'' in this plebiscite" All the other three Magistrates had looks of shock in them. Bouvin had an open mouth. Devik''s reading lens fell from his nose. Herberk was licking his lips. "You really are a catamite" Bouvin said with gritted teeth. "Why!?" "Because..." "He has his reasons" Vedur interrupted, probably for the best as Bouvin could have hit him if he continued. "Reasons?" Devik frowned "You are siding with them Chen?" "Like what I said, Magistrate Chen has his reasons. He will not succeed in convincing the citizens anyway. The voting will happen in two weeks. That should give us enough time to organize our defenses. So, meeting adjourned?" "Not yet" Chen said "Both Yea and Nay have the right to preach. King Timothy and Queen Lucia wish to enter the city and talk to the citizens" The other Magistrates again wore expressions both of doubt and surprise. "And what stops us from slitting their throat once they are inside our walls?" Bouvin asked. "Well if your honor as a Magistrate is not enough then my faction has enough men to guard them. Their guards are also loyal and strong. Have you seen Bear and Abraham? Well if you have then you would understand that trying anything funny would be impossible. And if something did happen to them, the thousands of Castonians outside will tear the city brick by brick and slaughter every living being inside. So please don''t do anything stupid. It would be better for both sides" His words were answered with nods from the four. And just like that, the most important plebiscite in the history of the Republic of Inkit had been put into law. 229 Equality Avery pointed at the steaming bread lined on the baker''s stall. "Two" She said, filling her nose with the lovely smell. Her mouth soured with saliva and her stomach gurgled. This baker sells the best bread in town, apparent in the long queue of impatient and hungry buyers at her back. "Twenty coppers each" The fat baker said. "Twenty coppers!?" Avery''s eyes balled "Crod''s justice, that is robbery. Yesterday..." "Yesterday was before the siege. Grains are low and so is flour, sugar and others. Now, are you going to buy or not?" Avery brooded. She was on the verge of salivating just a moment ago. Unfortunately she was short by eight coppers for the two length of bread. "Thrity-two coppers is all I have right now. Can I pay the rest next time?" "No" Was the baker''s immediate answer. "Please?"'' Avery tried to wink but it turned into a full blink when someone pushed her to the side. A thin man he was, with ornamented shirt and tassled trousers. His chin was lifted. A smug look was on his face. The crest on his upper sleeve displayed the flag of Hadea and some insignia at the bottom. Two guards with swords on their hips flanked him. A noble, Avery thought. "Eight. No, ten pieces" The noble said, holding all his fingers against the baker''s face. "What are you doing?" Avery patted the dirt from her skirt. She trudged towards the noble but the guards took her arms. She was forced to kneel. "Silence you common girl" The noble raised his nose. "Don''t cut lines!" Avery shouted. "Wait at the back like the others" "I am a noble. You commoners should give way. See this mark?" He tilted to the side and pointed at his family''s insignia "I am Baron..." "We don''t care!" Shouted a man two places at the back "We don''t have nobles here in Inkit. We Inkish don''t bow to anyone. Everyone is equal you foolish Baron. Queue at the back like the others!" "You..." "Better heed our words Mister Baron" The Baker was now holding a rolling pin "Garot, the last tyrant who saw himself above all others, was slain in this city. The Inkish people tore his body to pieces. Everyone is equal here Mister Baron. Maybe in Hadea you have servants to boost your ego and make you feel above everyone else but this is Inkit. Raise your head above everyone else and we will pound it low" The noble had a snarl on his expression. But also fear, yes fear. Avery saw fear. He flicked his head the other way. The guards unhanded Avery and followed the Baron. "Damn perfumed bastards. Right?" Avery continued his wink to the baker. "That won''t work girl, twenty coppers each" The baker opened his palm. Avery sighed and in the end only bought one piece of bread. A hundred steps later and the bread had gone to her stomach. She yearned for more. She remembered a tavern near the eastern wall that serves good mutton stew for only ten coppers. With a happy smile, she hopped her way to the tavern. It was buzzing and warm when she entered. Only a single seat was vacant and there were already two men sitting on its table. After getting her stew and spending her ten coppers, she went to the seat. "Girl" One of the men said, lanky with a mole on his left cheek "Our sister was sitting there" "Brothers both of you?" Avery scooped the stew and ate. The seasonings were a little salty today. "He''s my cousin" The other man said, a chubby one with a bright smile "He lies by the way. He doesn''t have a sister. Pardon my cousin girl. He doesn''t like people" "I am not a girl. I am of voting age already" "Old girl, young woman. Same thing" The lanky grumpy cousin said. Avery didn''t argue further. She pointed the spoon at them and swallowed "You new here? Your looks are not of Haubern" "We are soldiers. We are from the north but were drafted just two weeks ago" "Unfortunate souls! Now''s not a good time to be drafted. The huge Castonian host outside speaks for itself. I''m not trying to scare you but I''ve heard that Castonians are so brutish that they dine on steel from time to time. It would be a tough job fighting them" The cheerful chubby looked at his cousin and then back at Avery. He leaned forward. "You haven''t heard, have you?" "Uh, heard what?" "They wouldn''t attack, for now that is. Magistrate Chen is back and he just demanded a plebiscite. In two weeks time we would vote if we wanted Inkit to be a vassal of the Union" Avery snorted. Bits of the stew flew from her mouth. "That wouldn''t succeed. Of course everyone would vote for Nay" "That''s also what I think girl. Who would want to be under a monarch again? We are a free people. Good brain Magistrate Chen has. He tricked them into believing that the Inkish would want their rule. The Union''s monarchs are fools" That last line froze Avery''s grin. She knew of King Timothy and Queen Lucia from tales. All their moves so far were smart. If a common Inkish knew of a plebiscite''s uselessness, then they would also know. The monarchs of the Union are planning something, she knew. "They are planning to attack tomorrow or the next day. The plebiscite is a way to lower our guards!" Avery almost shouted. Her remark was followed by laughter from the two. The cheerful chubby pounded on the table. "Why?" Avery demanded "You think..." The cheerful chubby was gasping "You think the Centurions and Prefects and others experienced in warfare haven''t thought of that? Of course that''s the first assumption anybody would make. But no, that possibility is but a nonsense now" "What makes you so sure?" "Because King Timothy and Queen Lucia are coming inside Haubern. They will use their right to preach" "Impossible!" "Right? But it''s true. As insane as it sounds, the enemy monarchs are coming here. In fact after me and my cousin are done eating we would go to main road. We want to have a glimpse of the famous monarchs of the Union. Let''s see if the Queen is pretty enough to thaw this icy heart of my cousin" Avery rose from her seat. The cheerful chubby and the broody lanky were fools if they think they could still find a spot in the main road. "Where are you going girl? Your stew is half finished. Oy!" "You can have it" Avery answered as she hurried outside. The main road was already brimming with people when she arrived. People from different walks of life lined beside the road. Avery even saw her favorite baker who scammed her with a twenty-copper bread. She tried to push forward but the city watch cordoned the street and only permitted people to stand on the side. Avery realized from the sweaty and anxious looks of the city watch that this could turn bloody. Many Inkish had hatred for the monarchs of the Union. At the same time, the monarchs could break their word in a sudden and use their guards to attack the citizens on the side. It was past midday when the horn was sounded. The watchman at the top of the gate signaled the guards. In a slow creak, the gate lifted. Gasps sounded from many and also from Avery when a giant riding a bear rode first. A huge axe was slung on his back. The Bear was armored with spikes. It looked menacing. After the Giant and the bear were the royal guards in their splendid uniforms topped with white plate armors. Their capes were deep blue in color. Their horses were muscular and healthy. On their hips were steel longswords with gold-plated hilts. On their right hands were halberds pointed up, glinting and sharp. After the long procession of armored guards finally came the two monarchs. Avery first noticed the Queen. She was smiling. And yes, her smile could thaw any heart. She was like a flower blooming in spring, a drop of water after a drought. Her bearing was matured, like a mother or an older sister and yet Avery could see that most men would desire her. And most men were not the King beside the Queen. His hair was really as dark as they say. His presence was kingly. He was a mere youth, she could see that. Everybody could see that. And yet nobody would treat him as such. Everyone was silent as they passed. The angry shouts before the gate opened vanished. The Inkish had forgotten how if felt like to be in the presence of a King. Now the monarchs reminded them what monarchy feels like. It was overbearing and one would feel as small as an ant. It was power, the power of a monarch. Avery understood then. She understood why the Union''s soldiers never rout and she realized how the Republic lost many times. They halted. The entire column halted. King Timothy raised his hand and every bit of sound fled the air. All ears were open. All eyes were focused. King Timothy''s hand fell and pointed at the crowd. "People of the Republic!" His voice was calm, placid as a lake. His smile was warm "Let''s talk" 230 Words in the Wind The King''s finger swayed once more, jumping from one person to another until stopping with a point towards an aged commoner with a bald spot. "You have questions. Oh I can see it glimmering from your eyes. They say an unasked question gives constipation. Save your intestines, ask question without wince" The baldy lowered his jaw. He paused and grimaced. He looked around and let a gulp slid down his throat. When he finally spoke, he stuttered. "Is...is it true? Tales float around that you can turn into a lion at will. Not my tale, of course not mine, only caught wind of it. They say that you bit your first victory from the neck of General Sigurd" "Fortunately, no. Praise the Omniscient I cannot" King Timothy grinned "But I understand. The wind carries stories fit to our curious minds. Castonians ride lions, Vanadians ride galleys and apparently Hadeans ride wine bottles" Avery and most of the listeners laughed. She remembered that famous song composed by an unknown bard about a Hadean so drunk, he thought of a bottle of wine as a horse. ''Oh he rode, he rode, he rode a bottle into battle. Bottle of wine he rode. Hadean what have you done? Riding a bottle into battle'' The King turned to another person. This time, it was a Servus on a striped toga. Avery remembered the Servus as a member of Magistrate Vedur''s faction. "You" King Timothy said "You have a question" "I have" Straight to the point was the Servus'' answer. He raised his chin towards the King "Why are you here?" King Timothy slid off his horse. The royal guards acted fast and circled around the King. King Timothy looked around, tilting his head. "Why am I here?" His voice was louder than before. But it wasn''t a shout. It didn''t felt that way "I am here to make peace" "With an army behind your back" sneered the Servus. "Said the man with a dagger hung on his side. What are you, a warrior or a statesman?" "It is for protection" The Servus said "Too many thugs roaming around these days" King Timothy turned to the masses "If a Servus carries a weapon around inside his own city, surrounded by the same citizens who voted him into his position, is it not just right for me to have my guards? Let''s not mince words here. We are at war! The Queen and I are inside a city filled with thousands who want us dead. Now, do I still need to continue my explanation on the stupidity of the notion that having an army at my back betrays my call for peace?" "You killed my brother!" came an angry shout from the crowd after a while of silence. The King looked for the voice and pointed at a fat woman with ragged hair. "When did he die?" "A month ago in the battle of Veil town. Your soldiers slaughtered the Cohort my brother belongs to. I didn''t even got to see his body. You buried him like a pig!" King Timothy nodded. He stepped towards one of his royal guards and put his hand on the guard''s shoulder. "This brave man is named Wayne. He is from Solon. His father was a miner and his grandfather was also a miner. He comes from a family of miners. But Wayne did not follow the footsteps of his forefathers. He joined the Castonian army and became one of my royal guards. But Wayne''s brother also followed him into being a defender of Castonia. Gale was his name, a good lad- small for his age but loyal, more loyal than most men. Gale was brave, always holding his halberd with grace. In the Battle of Veil town, Gale''s legion, Goldentooth, was positioned to hold the Hadean and Inkish while the other three of my legions flanked. Goldentooth held. It was bloody. It was gritty. And by the end of it all, Gale lay dead, a spear penetrated his side and went through his guts. I''ve seen Wayne weep for his brother" He stepped closer to the woman with lowered head and hands tugged behind "We all have lost people, important people. Family, friends, lovers, people we respect. Thousands of them are now without breath, without warmth" "That doesn''t justify my brother''s death" "It doesn''t" King Timothy''s reply was swift "It doesn''t. Nothing can justify the people we lost. Nothing can justify the pain and the suffering. But the pain and the suffering we all have experienced is a justification for us to end the violence. We have bled enough. I grieve with you madame. I truly do. But the Union didn''t desire this war. Magistrate Chen betrayed us first and that encounter has snowballed into what we have today. We do not want anything from you except your friendship. Yes, you will become our vassal but so is Canton and Tulosa. Are the Tulosans and Cantonese suffering? No. Queen Emily of Tulosa is fixing her Kingdom with the help of the Union. Trade between Canton and Vanadis has resumed. Inkit too will experience great improvements under us. The Queen and I are monarchs. You hate monarchs, we know. Monarchs are the bane of equality and equality is the idea the Republic of Inkit is built upon. But we will show you that being a friend of the Union will benefit the Republic. We will talk again oh good citizens of Inkit. For the next two weeks, the Queen and I would try to persuade you to vote Yea. May the Omniscient guide us all to wise decisions" By the time the King was done speaking and the procession of royal guards had resumed, everybody was more silent that before. Avery herself saw sense in the words of the King. Why prolong this war if peace can be achieved? There was no point in fighting. But the idea of being under a monarch still sounded painful to her. The Omniscient made all people equal. Monarchs are the enemies of equality. She cupped the two coppers that remained of her money. She was prepared to throw the two coppers at the monarchs as they pass. The others too were holding various items like rotten apples and vials of foul liquid she hoped are not urine. But nobody dared throwing something at the monarchs now after hearing the King speak. Avery just clenched her hand and sighed. As convincing as King Timothy was, her vote still leaned on Nay. ********* Vedur pulled the hood of his mantle down. His face was covered as he joined the crowd in dispersing. "You shouldn''t have asked questions earlier" He said to the Diplomatic Servus beside. Yave belonged to his faction and had responsibilities related to diplomacy. He was the equivalent of a diplomat in other nations. "He didn''t see you Magistrate. I shielded you earlier when stepped towards me" Vedur sighed. The people elects rotten eggs from time to time. Unlike Magistrates who inherit their positions, Servuses were elected by the people every five years. Yave was one of those Servuses who won because of popularity and not of skill. "The Queen saw me" Vedur scowled "She even smiled at me" He and Yave turned a corner towards his home. It was just after a few hundred steps when Yave talked again. "What do you think Magistrate? Maybe they will attempt something tonight. Three hundred royal guards and that giant riding a bear could ravage the city if they want to. With the chaos, their army outside could attack" "No they wouldn''t do that" "What makes you so sure?" "Because they are not idiots. They have been given the hospitality of Inkit. Breaking the unwritten law of guests and host would shame them. Even if they conquer Haubern with that trick, they would lose more. Swords and spears are not the only weapons in war. Reputation too has a sharpness to it." Yave nodded but Vedur knew that he was nodding to nothing. Yave didn''t understand what he said and he never would. The only redeeming quality about Yave is his loyalty and closed mouth. Vedur''s knees were aching when they reached his house. It was a small villa in the north side of the city that belonged to his ancestor, Mav the Strong, as it was customary for a Magistrate to inherit the ancestral house of his family. The old gates creaked with the push of the guards. Vedur and Yave stepped inside. The garden was small and drab. Sliding his sandals on the stony path, he reached the door. There were already people inside when they entered. All of them wore togas. Most had the striped toga of a Servus while two had the pure white toga of a Magistrate just like his. "How was it?" Herberk asked "Clean, peaceful and without a singe drop of blood. There wasn''t violence like what we expected" Vedur answered. "Stop this mewling, you two" Magistrate Bouvin''s large body looked strange on his toga. Vedur understood why Magistrate Bouvin preferred armor than toga in their meetings. Vedur nodded. After their last meeting in the Great Hall, Herberk secretly went to him and asked for a private talk. What Vedur didn''t expect was this private talk to include Bouvin and more than a dozen Servuses. "Now..." Vedur said with lowered head "Is it just me or does this private meeting of ours stinks of a brewing plot?" 231 Corruption "Yes" Herberk said, pointing his open palm towards Magistrate Bouvin "Our brawny friend here wants to rally the city watch to attack the monarchs" "The city watch is five thousand heads strong. We could hire thugs from the streets and our number would further swell. My faction has solid support in this. They are at our mercy. We will smash their heads and mount the rotten things above our walls" said Magistrate Bouvin. "Or could be our heads mounted on top" Herberk shifted his crossed legs "They have three hundred fully armed royal guards! The Castonians outside our walls would kill us all" "Cowardice!" Bouvin leapt and raised his finger towards Herberk''s face. The Servuses from both factions argued too. Even Vedur''s own Servuses joined the loud clamor. Everybody was arguing with somebody, pointing their fingers and shouting insults. "Silence!" Vedur''s shout was loud. He walked forward and the clamor dissipated "Are we children to act like this? Are we not the leaders of Inkit? We made vows to protect the Republic from all harms and yet we act like mewling children! Shame. Shame on all of you" He looked at Herberk "Magistrate Herberk disagrees with Magistrate Bouvin. Let''s hear his suggestion then" Herberk looked at Bouvin before speaking. "The Magistrate of War''s faction thinks that we will lose the Republic once we become vassals of the Union. That is a false assumption. We will retain our government. Magistrates and Servuses would still exist. Things would still be the same. The only difference is that we will pay tributes to them, provide people for their wars and they have unlimited vetoes concerning our decisions" "You are saying that we should submit?" "For now. We have been defeated, even I could see that. But if the Union loses to Wismar, we could change our..." Herberk was interrupted by grunts from the Magistrate of War''s faction. Even Vedur doesn''t see the sense in that. They had changed sides in war once with that blunder with Chen in the Castonian civil war. It would be catastrophic to their reputation if they change sides later. But Bouvin''s plan to attack the monarchs would be more disastrous to their reputation. They had given the monarchs the hospitality of Haubern. The Castonian Civil War erupted because King Leopold tried to assassinate the then Princess Lucia even after offering her the hospitality of Nirvana. Castonia was destroyed diplomatically then and Vedur wouldn''t let that happen to Inkit. "You two shut you mouths. We will not attack them and we will also not pretend to be their friends like what Magistrate Herberk suggests" "By the manner of your speaking it is as if you are higher than Herberk and I. We are all Magistrates here Vedur. You don''t get to decide!" "Apparently I do" "By what grounds!?" "My faction, the Magistrate of Diplomacy''s faction, has the most Servuses. My subordinates are wealthy and popular" "That is false" Herberk said "Chen''s faction is the strongest. It remained so even after his capture" "Not for long. Chen is siding with the Union. He will lose popularity. Do not worry. The people wouldn''t vote for Yea. The Union''s monarchs are just wasting time. We will just campaign for Nay while strengthening the defenses of the city" Bouvin rose along with his Servuses. "We have an opportunity! And you fine people are ignoring it. If this goes awry Vedur, I''m smashing your face" The Magistrate of War stormed out of the house, steaming with anger. Herberk''s amd Vedur''s Servuses were also not appeased and so they left after. Herberk was the last to leave but not before giving a warning to Vedur. "We are friends" He said "But you are acting naive. I hope you are right" ********** Avery knocked. It was a new building that was in front of her, brick walls dyed blue. A garden sprawled outside filled with white daisies in neat plots. On top of the door there engraved, ''Veluptin Vera- Servus of Infrastructure'' The door opened and a woman greeted her with a smile. "Come in" she said as she gestured. The interior was clean. The tables and other furniture were new and well-maintained. The floor was of smooth marble. It reeked of wealth. "You are Avery?" A not so old man asked from behind his table. Glinting jewelries were on his wrists and neck. Three of his fingers had rings sporting different gems. His shirt were of high quality silk. "I am" Avery bowed a little. "I am Mechi. You look young Avery, too young. How many summers have you seen?" Asked the woman as she led Avery to a table. "Eighteen. I am of voting age already" "Hmmmm, but you are young indeed. You must have good connections to cinch this job. A lot desire to be in your position right now but Servus Veluptin has recommended you personally. Well Avery, this is your table. Feel free to ask us questions. You know what we do right?" "Yes. We are assistants of Veluptin Vera, a Servus of Infrastructure. He is the one tasked to maintain the walls. Your job is to prepare the payments for the Stonemasons. You do know how to read and write right? It is a requirement" "My father taught me. He said that a learned person can go far. I actually wanted to join the Orator''s Guild. The pay was high but I don''t like talking all day so I declined it" Mechi chuckled "High pay? Girl, you just made the best decision of your life. An Orator''s wage has nothing on ours" Avery frowned "But Orators, good ones, earn two gold coins or more each month" "She''s indeed young" Said the man on his table. "Indeed" Mechi agreed with a nod and looked at Avery "The man who was in your position died and that''s why we needed you. Why do you think he croaked?" "Overwork?" Mechi laughed laud. The man joined her. "She thinks that Berntol died of overwork! Oh Omniscient be praised that''s a good one. He didn''t die of overwork Avery. Berntol had become so fat and his heart couldn''t support his body anymore. His belly was as large as a barrel of wine" "Fat?" Mechi grinned "Yes. You said that Orators make a lot right? Well we make more. I''ll give you a tip. A normal daily wage of a Stonemason is one silver and eighty coppers. Berntold only gives them a silver and fifty coppers. Thirty would go to his pocket. Now there are more than a hundred Stonemasons and other workers that tend to the walls. That means Berntold gets not less than thirty silvers each day" Avery''s eyes widened. She found words and thoughts to escape her. "But...how?" "Knowing how to read and write is more useful than you think" The man said "Name''s Vex by the way. A lot of these common people are not literate. They can''t read contracts. Some can''t even write their own names. Of course a good many knows about our trade. Another tip Avery, use bribes if you get caught. You can sweet talk your way out of a tight situation but money is more convincing than mere words. Also accept bribes if you are offered. That''s how easy our life is. You just made a splendid decision not joining the Orator''s guild" Avery lowered her head "Does the Servus know about this?" "Of course" Vex answered "Servus Veluptin makes money through substandard materials. He makes at least three hundred gold coins each month. Damn rich bastard. Me and Mechi asked him to cut us some of his source of income but he the greedy bastard denied us. Has to earn back his expenses in the last election, he says. Oh but never talk to Magistrate Herberk about this. He is not blind to the corruption of his subordinates. He knows what we are doing. But what can he do?" "But the Republic...equality..." "Is a lie" Mechi said "A big lie. The Servuses are as corrupt as a Hadean is drunk. It is unfair for the common people but it''s their damn fault for electing rotten Servuses" Avery felt deep regret for the state of the Republic. She chose to become an assistant of a Servus to give her life purpose. But she just learned of the extent of corruption in her first day. "Tell you what" Vex pointed the quill at her "Mechi is going to contract some people for the construction of ballistae. Apparently the Magistrates desire fifty more ballistae on the walls. Tough job and we only have a week to finish all fifty" Vex smiled "You can go with her to learn the ropes. I''m sure you''ll learn many things" Avery wanted to decline. She wanted to quit and just run from it all. What they were doing is dangerous and unethical. It was theft, nothing more. But she wanted to see. She wanted to witness the true face of her beloved Republic. 232 Faults The iron lamps unfurled yellow bright lights in the dark room. Two shadows were cast against the wall, one of a woman and the other of a man- both seated on opposite sides of the table. Lucia plucked a glass piece from the checkered board and put it two tiles away. "Hmmmm, an obvious bait" said Timothy "Is it?" Lucia smirked. "I am not yet... certain" Timothy tapped at the wooden board with his finger "But that move leaves an opening directly to your center. I can capture your tower here" "Then take it" Timothy leaned forward. Pinching the top of a piece of infantry, he slid it to the side. "I know a bait when I see one. You are planning something, I can see" Lucia''s next move was retreating one of her cavalry piece to the side. The move gave her room for five more traps for Timothy. Unfortunately, Timothy took none of the five succeeding baits. She smiled. "You are good at evaluating risks. How do you do that?" "I have my ways" "Oooh, ways. Tell me of this magical ways of yours" He smiled "Your face" "My face" Lucia shook her head as she smiled "What of my face?" "Whenever you are plotting something, I can see it in your expressions. Whenever I spoil you plan, when I take your bait, I can see it all. I know you are better that me at this so I have to win some other way" "Unfortunately for you husband, defeat has been certain for you five moves ago" "Is that so? Well I''ll just have to make your victory as difficult as possible" The next developments saw Timothy''s pieces surrounded. But his defense was good and Lucia had a hard time penetrating to his center. That pesky right tower was always on her way. "Having a hard time?" Timothy chuckled. "Said the man who is about to lose" Sixteen moves later and Timothy had lost his monarch. Eight moves after that and Lucia had secured victory by capturing Timothy''s other pieces- eliminating the possibility of a new monarch rising again. "As expected" Timothy offered his hand to her. Lucia shook it but Timothy grabbed her instead and put a kiss on her lips. As if by instincts, Lucia closed her eyes and relished on the experience. "That was a cheap move" Lucia said after parting lips with him. She then sat on Timothy''s lap and felt something hard and familiar poke on her right leg. Coupled with the look on Timothy''s face, she giggled as she realized the dark intention he has for her tonight. "Later Tim" She gave him a quick kiss to stop his hands from undressing her "We still need to write letters to Nirvana and Holm" "That can wait" "Ohoho how responsible of you, trading important orders for a short while of passion" "Short while?" "You don''t last too long against me" Lucia teased "That is false. I can last longer than a whole candle would burn. And I do all the work" He rubbed his hand oh her waist "You know, those letters could wait. I can help you with them later" "That might be true" Lucia head grew closer to Timothy''s until heavy continuous knocks sounded against the door. It was Magistrate Chen and his wife and Timothy didn''t look happy seeing them. "Did we disturb you?" "It''s in the middle of the night" Timothy answered with a meaningful stare at the Magistrate. Magistrate Chen drew a confused look for a while until he nodded his head in understanding. "I truly regret interrupting you" "Regret nothing Magistrate" Lucia said. He glanced at Timothy "The King and I are just writing letters to our associates back home" "Still we disturbed your private time. For that I apologize" He then gestured to the woman beside. "This is my wedded wife, Veline" "An honor and an opportunity to meet you. And I thank you for bringing my Chen home safe" said the freckled woman who was at least half a decade younger than the Magistrate "I hope our hospitality suffices" "More than sufficient" Lucia said, remembering how the Magistrate''s faction housed all three hundred royal guards and their horses. Timothy then spread his arms "Well come on in. This is your house but we shall still welcome you" Calgarian tea was served along with several other exotic food. There were cakes flavored with honey and nuts and sweetened flowers. Lucia had already dined with Timothy but late night snack was welcomed. The Magistrate and his wife were seated on the other side of the table. "Business" Timothy said "You are here to talk about business, yes?" Magistrate Chen took a sip "We have less than two weeks Your Majesty. Although they might try to delay the vote, leave that to me and my faction. What is important now is winning the people to our side" "You are worried that the Nay vote would win" "That is so. Most of the Inkish don''t want your rule. Although the Republic would still exist and the Magistrates would still craft laws, the fact remains that the Republic would become a vassal of a monarchy" "We will preach tomorrow. We will urge them to vote Yea. The Queen and I would personally talk to them" "That..." Magistrate Chen licked his lips "That might not be enough. Time is running out. We must hurry" He lowered his head "And my principle still stands. I don''t want any dark deeds in this plebiscite. Cheating, coercion, vote buying and those immoral acts" "It wouldn''t be wise to use such tactics Magistrate. If we cheat or buy votes then that means that the Inkish would still be against us even if we win the plebiscite. The moment we leave Inkit, the whole nation would break its allegiance with the Union. The Queen and I desire them to truly support us" "That brings me peace. But how are we going to change their minds? The Republic has stood for hundreds of years. Mere two weeks can''t change that" Timothy looked at her, the signal for her to speak. This was her plan after all. Lucia put the cup down. "The Republic has its flaws Magistrate. Big flaws that would consume it when the time comes. You know about this" "Corruption" Magistrate Chen said. "Yes. Rule of the people, such an outstanding idea. Unfortunately such a system doesn''t work. Maybe in the future it would but not now. I have read about the history of Inkit. The Republic was born out of the valiant deeds of the Mav the Strong, Vepod Ironhands, Berd the Wealthy, Derset Goldtongue and Crod the Just. The five nobles rose in revolt against King Garot and that revolt ended here inside Haubern. Ever since that day, the Inkish ruled themselves. The five Magistrates led the Republic along with their Servuses. But have you noticed Magistrate? How the Republic has changed? It was supposed to be a Republic but now it evolved into an oligarchy. You Magistrates are fine but the problem are the Servuses. The same Servuses get elected every election. If a Servus dies, then their children or other relatives will run in office instead. I asked several of my... spies to find out and it turns out that in the past fifty years, nine out of ten positions of Servuses didn''t change families. This has become some sort of a large and organized political dynasty. Why do you think this happened Magistrate?" "The people lack education" Magistrate Chen''s expression grew dim. "Correct, the people lack education. And we can''t educated them all, can we? A person hears a popular name. The person remembers that name. Come election and the person votes for that name. Meaningful discussion about the credibility of a candidate doesn''t happen too often. Why bother discussing such things when the common people are busy trying to find food? There are other more pressing matters they need to give attention to. The common people sing equality and freedom but are they truly free and equal? It is but a mere illusion Magistrate. The powerful families of the Servuses control everything, the people just don''t know and treat it as if the power lies with them. Now let me give you an analogy. You have seen boats right? Ships?" "I have traveled quite far, yes" Lucia opened her palm towards Magistrate Chen "Imagine you are on a galley, sailing to a distant land. You look above and a dark storm was brewing. Would you rather have the passengers make the decisions for the galley or the captain?" "The Captain of course. The Captain has years of experience in manning a ship and has battled dozens of storms already" "Dark clouds are brewing in the horizon of the Republic Magistrate" Lucia looked sternly at the old man "When the five nobles forged the Republic it was all sunny and nice. But things change. It would have been alright if the passengers on board are all Captains but no, a common Inkish is uneducated. Soon the storm will come and if the passengers keeps on making the decisions for the galley, you will all sink" Magistrate Chen''s sweat skidded on his forehead "But..but how? How can we convince them to give power to monarchs?" "We will show them Magistrate" Lucia said "We will show them how rotten the Republic truly is" 233 Evidence The night dimmed above as eight figures shifted in the dark alleys. Hooth curled three fingers. Pointing up, his signal was met with nods from the other two. The grapple was slung on the window. It bit against the wood. Of course it did, Hooth had done this hundreds of times. He had been robbing and pick-pocketing ever since he was thirteen summers old. At age fifteen, he had his first throat slit when that merchant traded his gold for his life. Now he had ascended to the top of the underground world being a leader of a gang. He was respected and his gang was one of the most notorious. Just last night men in dark coats approached him. Their leader had a beautiful cane and an equally beautiful hat. Their offer was so ridiculous, Hooth couldn''t stop laughing at first. "Your crimes will be pardoned if you work with us" the man said, spinning his cane as he spoke. Hooth of course refused. Many powerful families had tried to buy the loyalty of the underworld gangs. A few did, only to be betrayed the year after. The thing is, gangs like Hooth''s control most of the city. They extort payments from the merchants. They coerce payments from powerful. The greatest source of income were assassinations. One could have a political rival''s throat suddenly slit for a small sum. But he made a mistake then by laughing. A dozen more of the men appeared. They were more silent than a grave. Their moves were swift and smooth. His whole gang was surrounded from all sides. But the thing that made Hooth''s body turn cold was the appearance of Castonians bearing weapons of steel. Hooth was terrified. Playing with Servuses and their guards is one thing. Resisting against professional Castonian soldiers is beyond foolish. "It''s not an offer" Their leader said "It is a command. You will help us or we will destroy you" And so Hooth agreed. The terms were simple. His gang would keep the peace in the shadows, assassinating corrupt officials left and right. Nothing serious really. Those that are first offenders would suffer visits from his gang. If the Servus didn''t listen then blood will spill. They are also to spy for any signs of rebellion. The bad thing was that they are to stop any coercion and extortion. In exchange the Union would pay them. The worst thing about the deal is that they would have to report and obey the commands of the leader of the men in black coats. Hooth hated obeying but what can he do? He and his gang escaped death last night though. He had heard that Bat, Venom and a dozen more gangs were decimated in one night. There were no survivors to sing of what happened but Hooth knew those gangs foolishly refused the offer. That same fate would have befallen his gang if he refused that night. Tonight word, command, from the shadowy men reached him. He and his gang, along with a few of the Union''s spies, were to infiltrate houses of several Servuses and find hidden wealth and any signs of corruption. It wasn''t a robbery, unfortunate thing. In fact they are to rouse the city watch and the Servuses of Justice once they find anything. Hooth shook his head as he ascended to the window. Working with the Servuses of Justice and the city watch would be weird. Well he doesn''t care really. As long as coins flow into his pocket then it doesn''t matter who he works with. All eight of them reached the second floor of the Servus'' house. four were his and the others were Union Spies. They soon separated into small groups to hasten their operation. Hooth found himself partnered with a spy. He remembered this man to be the clumsiest of the four. "So you have a name?" Hooth asked as he looked for a secret passage. The spy didn''t bother raising his chin and just read through the letters of the Servus. "Small talks are dumb" "Just trying to drown this damn silence. But fine, I will not talk if conversing is not your skill" "Conversing is my skill" The spy flipped trough the papers "Name''s Elisar" "So what are your other skills Elisar? Assassination? Sabotage?" "Shutting talkers, especially loud ones" Hooth chuckled "Come on, that''s just mean. Mine''s assassination so you better be nice to me lest you find something sharp stuck on your back" "Or yours although you''ll find it on your chest as I don''t fancy striking a defenseless man" "Heh you talk like a soldier Elisar. Oooh you are indeed a soldier, aren''t you? What legion?" "Rooster" Hooth clicked his tongue "You lie. Rooster legion is composed purely of brutes they say. No offense but you don''t strike me as a man who can stop a cavalry charge" "And you are a fool if you think strength is the only basis of an army''s effectiveness. I''ve seen big men with round arms run from midgets. Have you been in a battle? No, not the cheap scuffles between gangs. A real battle friend, is a terrible thing. When everyone is bleeding and dying around you, would you still be able to hold your spear forward? Most men can''t and most men rout. But the Rooster would always stand their ground, willing to die for the Union" "Fine" Hooth shook his head in resignation "You can raise your chin and look down upon me if you like" He gave up finding the secret passage and trotted towards Elisar "Did you find something?" "Many things. Evidence and a lot of them. This Servus is a halfwit if I should guess. He kept signed letters of bribes. A whole stack of them. His head will roll soon" "El" someone called, another Union spy "We found it" "What did you find?" Hooth asked, a little annoyed that he was not the hero of the hour. The spy just smiled and led them to a room downstairs. The others were already inside. Hooth''s eyes balled. There were mounds of copper and silver just scattered around. A whole stash of gold coins lay without care on the side. "Damn" Hooth blurted "I thought we were thieves but this Servus is something else. Thousands of golds by the look of it" Elisar looked at him. "Inform the city watch" "Oi, can''t we take a portion first? A few gold coins wouldn''t hurt" "You wanna bleed?" "So uptight. We would divide it equally. Nobody would know" "Should I kill him El?" asked one of the spies to Elisar. Hooth saw that the spy was serious. Elisar stepped towards him. One on one and Hooth could win. Elisar, after all, was the weakest among thr bunch. But there was something about the spy that scared him. "If you disobey us, I will kill you right where you stand. If you manage to kill me instead then my mates will capture you and make you watch as we execute every last one of your gang. Nobody survives Castonian steel. You know that you are but a rat playing with lions. Be grateful that the King is willing to overlook your past crimes. Now if another word of disobedience comes out of your filthy mouth, we will slaughter you all. Do you understand?" Hooth licked his lips as he looked at the coins sprawled on the floor. Gold was nice. But a man only had a single life. He turned to one of his men "You heard him. Go!" ********** For the past days, Avery had seen how rotten the Republic is. They scammed common workers with their wages. Accepted bribes from smugglers. Just now, Mechi was haggling with a smuggler of basilisk root. "Five gold is pure robbery!" exclaimed the man carrying a bag of roots on his back. "Take it or sell your root elsewhere. You can''t get pass the city watch now that they are on alert" The merchant grimaced "Three gold and fifty silvers is the best I can do" "Five gold" Mechi insisted. The merchant sighed and weakly handed Mechi five gold coins. "Pleasure working with you. East wall. Shout ''Garot'' to the guards and they would let you inside" Mechi then smiled and flicked a gold coin to her. "See that Avery? Don''t sell yourself low. He knows that basilisk root is illegal. It makes a man crazy for a while. Dangerous stuff. Don''t accept a bribe less than three gold coins in peacetime and five in wartime" It was good money, Avery thought. In just the past five days she earned six gold coins already. Apparently business for corrupt officials was bustling during wartime. But it was terrible. She never knew that her beloved Republic would be so dirty. Bribes were exchanged like common payment. Smugglers ran rampant. She couldn''t take this anymore. She ran. She didn''t know why she ran but maybe it was of pure impulse. She found herself panting after a while. She had ran for a few blocks. She would never return there. They were scums, lower than worms. She felt anger surge through her very bones. No wonder the Republic has degraded over the years. "Yes, it is rotten. The Republic you all love is being devoured by corrupt Servuses!" As if by mere coincidence, she heard a confirmation. She looked and saw a man standing on the platform, preaching in front of many. "Last night, another Servus was found with undeniable evidence of corruption. Open your eyes people! See the truth" Avery was drawn to the speaker. She agreed with everything he said so far. "That''s right. They have deceived us for a long time" The speaker looked at her, directly at her "And I say enough!" 234 Last Attemp "That''s right. They have deceived us for a long time" The speaker said "And I say enough!" "Enough indeed" Vedur said under the hood of his cloak. Yave agreed with nods. "Tell me" He turned to the Servus "Are you one of those corrupt officials?" "Me?" Yave laughed anxiously "No, Magistrate. Straight as an arrow I am. I have never stolen from the treasury and have never accepted dark bribes. Never" He wasn''t lying. Yave may be stupid as a donkey but he was an honest man, true to his duty to the Republic. Vedur trudged towards his house, hauling Servus Yave from behind. The orators were all over the city- preaching about the Republic''s stinks. The crowds they gathered were quite a lot. And the people- they are listening. At first they only clapped. But now the Inkish are joining in condemning the corrupt Servuses. This was all the Union''s doing. They were not preaching for Yea. Instead they were preaching for people to not vote Nay. They are using hatred bottled by several decades of decadence and corruption to sway the Inkish into their side. The worst part is that it could very well work. Already, he could hear people address the monarchs as His Majesty and Her Majesty. "The city watch are being trained everyday Magistrate" Yave informed him all of a sudden "I''ve heard from a friend in the Magistrate of War''s faction. They are preparing but I don''t think they would be able to win against the Castonian legions" "We have bigger problems than that" Vedur limited his answer. "They could take Haubern if we don''t reinforce it enough Magistrate. I can''t see a problem bigger than that. Haubern is the center of the Republic" And they could take the whole of Inkit without bloodying their hands, Vedur thought. They could and he couldn''t do anything about it. The monarchs were not aiming to conquer the city, they were aiming for the whole Inkit- without a single spill of blood. The preaching for the Nay vote had stalled. He, Herberk and Bouvin were doing everything but Devik seemed unconcerned. The Magistrate of coins refused to give them enough funds for the campaign. "Prepare a carriage for tonight" He told Yave "We are to speak with the monarchs" "Speak?" Yave raised his brows. "Yes, speak. The chance is great that we would lose to Yea. We need to make a compromise of sorts. We need to strike a bargain" ********** Those bastards are everywhere. He could hear their shrill tones and mocking voices. Bouvin clenched his fingers. Vedur was a fool. Devik was also a fool. They are all fools and they would lead the Republic into ruin. He must act. It was his duty to do something. Opening the door to the warehouse, he immediately saw the others. Herberk and some of his Servuses were also among the people. The smell inside was not great. The warehouse used to store dried fish after all. "Greetings Magistrate.." He interrupted the Servus with raised palm. He wasn''t fond of greetings. "How many do we have?" "Two thousand heads" Answered one Servus. "Not enough" "Magistrate... We have many times their number. I say we hit them hard" "And I say you are thinking from your butt. Let''s say we attack them. We surprise their asses but after that? What? They hold long and hold strong. They are royal guards dammit! We can''t just waddle in and kill them. And even if we foolishly do, we need to do it fast before the army outside catches wind of what is happening. Two thousand heads will not be enough for a quick and effective assault" "Maybe we should just do nothing. They won''t win the plebiscite. Although the voters are slowly swaying to the Yea, most still support the Republic" said Herberk. "Do nothing" Bouvin nodded "Talk of a coward. You''ve been out there Herberk! You''ve heard those orators chattering endlessly about how the Republic has fallen to corruption. You''ve seen how the citizens yell for the blood of the Servuses. You knew and you still advise to do nothing?" "Fine, fine. We should do something. Woe to the monarchs, I get it. But what can we do? We don''t have money. Devik hoards the treasury like a crazed gremlin. We need more men? We need bribes. Bribes cost money. We don''t have money" "Oh we have money alright" Bouvin eyed every single one of the Servuses "You all caused this. Some of you may be clean but most are rotten. It is time to give back what you owe the Republic" "Magistrate" a Servus attempted to act shocked "We are not like that. We are true to our oaths of office. Nonsense. I tell you Magistrate, all those news about corruption are..." Bouvin stopped the Servus'' mewling with his fist. The man''s mouth became bloody. "We are willing to forgive your crimes" Bouvin snarled "Just contribute to this effort! Consider this, if the monarchs gets what they want, your heads will roll" The Servuses looked at each other. These corrupt men had been the bane of the Republic for too long. But the Republic would end without their help. A compromise was needed. "I can donate a small sum" Said the same Servus, now with a bloody nose. "It''s not from corruption or anything like that but I can also provide some coins" said another. One by one, the Servuses agreed. Bouvin looked at Herberk. It was time to cut the two heads of the snake. ********** It was past sunset when Avery returned. She decided that she would quit her job. Being a corrupt official wasn''t her thing. "Mechi told me that you ran all of a sudden" Vex said from his table. "She did. Strange girl you are Avery. Youngsters like you are strange" "It''s a phase I suppose" Vex shrugged "I would like to leave" Avery finally said Vex stared at her for a long time. His eyelids flinched many times. "So you''ve heard huh? Gossips travel fast. Who told you? Which Servus?" "What?" "The news" "What news?" "You know...how we are to donate everything we have. Bastard Magistrate Bouvin demanded all the our earnings. They have just taken three hundred gold coins from me. It was pure robbery I tell you. Golden age of being an assistant is gone. I''m back to being poor" "They took your corruption money?" "Oi girl. Be careful with the words. It''s not corruption money, it''s opportunistic gains. But yes. Those bastards. I do understand. The monarchs needed to die anyway so I''m willing to forgive their robbery" "Monarchs? Die? They are going to attack the monarchs?" "Apparently so" Vex smiled bitterly "Tonight they say with a huge chunk of the city watch. I do hope they succeed though" "Insane. This is beyond insane. This... attacking them would break the promise of safe haven. We...they can''t die here. We offered them the hospitality of Haubern!" "Hospitality doesn''t matter much now. The monarchs'' fault for foolishly going inside this city. Me and Mechi couldn''t care less. Let them croak" Avery''s feet moved. She ran away. "Oi! Running again? What''s with you and running!?" She paid no heed to those two. She needed to warn them. A difference of opinion regarding the Republic is alright. But trying to kill guests is too much. Inkit would be ruined if something happens to the King or the Queen. Magistrate Bouvin is a madman. A couple thousand of steps and a pant, she was outside the house of Magistrate Chen. The moon was waning above. The night was dark amidst the raging summer. "Get back girl" barked one of the royal guards at the gate. "Alert the others! They will come soon. The monarchs are in danger. Please! I beg of you" The royal guards maintained their stern looks. When Avery trudged to the gate, the royal guard pushed he back with a single swath. "Believe me! We don''t have much time. The factions of the Magistrate of War and the Magistrate of Infrastructure..." She heard the thin rolling sound of wheels against paved road. A carriage stopped in front of the gate and soon, two men in togas stepped out. Avery recognized the two of course. One was Magistrate Vedur, the Magistrate of Diplomacy while the other was Yave, a Servus. "We request for a meeting with the monarchs" Said Magistrate Vedur to the royal guard. With a single glance provided to Avery, the Magistrate added "Silence is a virtue girl. Keep it shut. You didn''t see us here tonight" "Now is not a good time" said the royal guard. "Why?" Servus Yave asked with a chuckle "They having coitus or something?" The royal guard''s already grim face turned more grim. "I will punch all of your teeth inside that filth hole. Talk some more. I dare you. Talk some more! Don''t test me perfumed bastard" Magistrate Vedur glared at the Servus and then turned to the royal guard. "Apologies for the reckless mouth of my companion. But we do need to see them. We have important matters to discuss, important. And in secret preferably" "Now is not a good time Magistrate, truly not a good time" The royal guard looked at Avery " You should return tomorrow. We knew already and blood is going to flow tonight" 235 Long Live the Republic Hooth''s back hair stood on end. A single wrong move and his neck would feel the bite of cold steel. And even if the Castonians meant no harm, one would still find himself sweating when put in his situation. "Keep your heads down" He growled and then his tone turned mellow "Please sirs" The Castonians followed him through an old hole on the west wall. Smugglers'' Crib they call this place. Basilisk root sellers and common smugglers use this route to avoid paying bribes to the city watch. The hole was small, able to fit a single man at a time. And it was more of a large crack. It was slow, the Csstonians numbered many after all. Two thousand heads they told him. And they are of the Rooster. Hooth had seen the marks on their arms, a rooster crowing at the sun. He could only feel pity to the poor souls who would fight such a force. A couple thousand paces and they reached Magistrate Chen''s house. The lamps were lit inside. The guards stood idle. But Hooth knew that thousands would die here tonight. Three people stood outside the gate- a young woman and two men in togas. "We thank you for your service" A Castonian, probably an officer, told him as they hid behind an alley overlooking the house of Magistrate Chen. "Well I didn''t have a choice in the matter did I?" "Either die or follow huh?" The Castonian nodded "Of course you chose follow. I know that pleasant things like honor and servitude doesn''t appeal to you so let me just comfort you by saying that you''ll find your pockets fat when serving the Union" "Damn right" Hooth chuckled. A man shifted in the dark. Wearing thin tunic and light boots he was one of Hooth''s. "We''ve spotted them" One-ear Kolm said "Six blocks, bout'' four thousand at the very least" "Ass licking whore, that''s most of the city watch!" Hooth exclaimed "Merely a mob" The Castonian officer said "Weapons at the ready!" In one uniform clang, the Castonians presented their spears and halberds. The torch was lit and the royal guard the the gate nodded. The three people still outside were dragged to a secured location. In a few moments, the enemies presented themselves. They filled the streets with lit torches on their hands. The ram was at the front. In five powerful strikes the iron gate of the house broke. They came pouring inside with shouts. The huge garden accommodated them all. The house was then stormed. "For the Union" The Castonian officer said lowly as he donned his helm. ********** Bouvin wore his armor with pride. It was the same plates and doublet that his forefather wore. Some of the chains had been replaced and the plate had been repaired many times but it was still the same. With the ancestral sword in hand, he burst inside the house. He thought that the royal guards would give them trouble but they just fled and left. So much for the famous royal guards of the Union. Cowards in shiny armor- that''s all they are. The lamps were still lit, hung on the walls. The candles stood melting on tables. But the house was empty. Three hundred royal guards were supposed to meet them and blood should have been spilled by now. But nobody was inside. Nobody except pure silence. "Search every room. Make sure not to harm Magistrate Chen or any of his family" His men scattered. This house was large- the largest in Haubern. "You think they fled?" Herberk asked. The thin Magistrate looked weird on armor. "Probably. I don''t know" Bouvin began to fear. "What if they knew?" "Then woe to us" Bouvin didn''t filter his words. "We should flee" Herberk''s voice trembled now. "Stop it you wretched thing. It''s too late to flee. The arrow had been loosed. All we can do now is to see this through. Dead or alive we will see this through. For the Republic" Most of the men he tasked to search around returned with nothing. The lamps were burning in most rooms, they said. Stew was even being cooked in the kitchen. "Dammit" Bouvin slammed his fist on the wall "Cowards. Damn cowards" "Maybe it''s time to go back? I''m scared" Bouvin nodded. Things had been weird and the weirdness brought trepidation. Seeing this through doesn''t mean finishing this tonight. They will scour the city and find the monarchs. But when he was about to order a retreat, a horn blared at the distance. ********** Avery was gasping. Magistrate Vedur and Servus Yave had worse states. "Damn you Herberk" The Magistrate held a frown "Damn you more Bouvin!" "You''ll be safe here. Although your involvement is unplanned, the King and the Queen want you safe. I have requested several more guards to ensure your safety" The hill they stood on was just a few hundred steps from Magistrate Chen''s house. Avery could see thousands of city watch ram the small gate and penetrate into the garden. She would have died if not for the royal guard. "You knew?" She asked. "They knew" The guard''s face was stern "We, guards, just follow" "How?" The Magistrate asked. The guard looked at the Magistrate as if debating if he should reveal information or not. "The gangs, all the gangs are under their control" The guard finally said after a long while of contemplation. "Vanadian gold huh?" "And Castonian reputation" the guard said. Magistrate Vedur had a smile "I too, would have found that convincing" "But what now Magistrate?" Servus Yave finally voiced. "What now? What indeed. I''ll tell you" Magistrate Vedur smiled bitterly "This just sealed it. This blunder just sealed the win of the Yea vote. I assume those men from the city watch would find themselves dead or in chains by morning. Also by morning, news of this would spread and the popularity of the monarchs would soar. It is a good story- saviors of the people who were attacked by the evil Magistrates. It is over for the Republic. Damn them. Damn Herberk and Bouvin" The Magistrate looked at Avery "What about you girl? Yea or Nay?" Avery found it difficult to answer. If it was a few days ago, before her eyes had been opened to the imperfections of her beloved Republic, she would have said Nay without a single thought. But it was difficult now. She had been educated and she considers herself as smarter than most. She could see through all the Union''s propaganda. But even without the said propaganda, her vote hanged on the Yea side. "Yea" Avery lowered her head "Inkit will be destroyed if the current state of things continues. I''ve seen the dark side of the Republic and it is really dark. We need some changes. The monarchs are extending their hands to give us that chance" "Well said. My own vote is still Nay. The Republic is sacred. But I can''t do anything, can I? Well girl, let''s watch the Republic fall together" Magistrate Vedur said. A horn blared, deep and loud. The blast was followed by men in black armor encircling Magistrate Chen''s house. It happened so fast that the city watch didn''t have the time to react. There was no escape for them now. "Oh look girl" Magistrate Vedur said "Now it begins" ********** They were surrounded. Worst of all, the enemies were of the Rooster based on the flag and their brisk but disciplined movements. Many of the city watch were trembling. He couldn''t blame them. He himself was afraid. Two people erupted from the Castonians. Both of them wore togas. "Pleasant evening Magistrate Chen" Bouvin looked at the other one "Magistrate Devik you sly weasel" "We didn''t come here to trade insults Magistrate Bouvin" Chen said "I know. You are here for blood" "Not that also. You have sinned against both the people and the monarchs. Killing guests is not a principle the Republic is built upon. You have broken the law and for that you must pay" He had broken the law, Bouvin knew that. He knew the consequences of his actions even if he succeeded. His past nights had been sleepless. But he had made up his mind. His ancestors, the past Magistrates of Inkit, had protected the Republic for so long. It would be beyond shameful if the Republic falls on his watch. He couldn''t bear it. He clutched the sword on his side. It was rumored to be the sword that made the killing blow to the tyrant of Inkit. Whether that tale had some truth or not, the sword had been a symbol of his family. He was a Magistrate of Inkit and protecting the Republic was his most sacred task. It trumped all and he would gladly sin for his duty. He drew the blade, sharp as ever and with a good balance. The city watch can''t defeat the Rooster, he knew that much. But he had a duty. "We should surrender" Herberk said. "That is right" Bouvin said, nodding "We should. Surrendering is the sane thing to do. Unfortunately Herberk, I am a Magistrate of Inkit" He raised the sword against the Castonians "Long live the Republic" 236 Duty "Do you know why the Council seem to not care about Inkit? I haven''t seen men with burning hands or men that can meld into the shadow here" said Timothy as he looked at the developments from the window of the large empty house overlooking Magistrate Chen''s home. Lucia and most of the royal guards were with him. "Enlighten me" Lucia smiled. She knew of course, Timothy was sure of that. But it was nice acting like he''s smarter than her from time to time. With hands tugged from behind and puffed chest Timothy answered, "Because the Republic will soon fall into chaos anyway. There was no need to send someone to make it more chaotic. The Servuses are swimming in corruption and the Magistrates cannot do anything about it. And the Inkish... they call themselves free and equal but that also was a lie. Nobody is truly free. No two person are equal. Such is the world" "Politics and philosophy" Lucia walked to his side "So can the two of us be called the saviors of the Republic then?" "Ironic but yes. The idea of the people ruling themselves is a compelling one. It is a good dream and probably would have worked if managed successfully. But it failed here. The people are not ready to rule themselves. A Republic will eat itself from the inside without guidance. It is such a shame that many people can''t see that. They treat the Republic as holy, sacred even. But is it? It is an idea. Ideas fail from time to time when mixed with the reality. The Republic has been failing for decades now. And ironically, a monarchy is the only thing that could save it. We are the saviors of the Republic" "And yet they want us dead" Timothy nodded. It was a waste. He hadn''t met Magistrate Bouvin face to face but from what he heard from Magistrate Chen, Bouvin was better than most leaders. Many years ago when Wismar suddenly attacked Canton, Magistrate Bouvin rallied the Inkish to defend Canton. Magistrate Bouvin was said to have won three battles and losing only one which was not even a full rout. If not for the Magistrates valiant deeds in the field, Canton would have fallen under the rule of Wismar already. Timothy also heard that Magistrate Bouvin''s faction has the least corruption among the five. The Magistrate was strict and efficient and despite his acts, he was somehow charismatic. He could have been a great addition to the leadership of Inkit. Timothy would even bring him to his campaigns against Wismar. Unfortunately, he and Magistrate Bouvin were on two opposing sides. Sometimes, differences in ideas are so deeply rooted that only the complete eradication of one side is the answer. He understood Magistrate Bouvin''s sentiments. The Republic was holy. It is faultless, a shining idea of fairness. The people must be empowered. Timothy disagrees though. The Republic was not holy, it was flawed. And although its principles are noble, achieving them would be impossible for now. The people must be empowered, yes. But the people need peace and order more than power. Freedom and equality are nice to have, but life is a better gift. Timohty sighed, a deep and long one. It was such a waste putting down such a man. ********* Arrows flied as warning when Bouvin attempted to step forward with his unsheathed sword. The bolts were made of hardwood, sharp and fletched with duck feathers. Superb things, he thought. The Union had good weapons in their arsenal and brave men to wield them. Fighting beside the King in a war against Wismar would have been great. He could imagine being in a battlefield with the famous King of Castonia at his side. Unfortunately he was born as the Magistrate of Inkit. He was tasked to defend the principles of the Republic until his death. He swore on his ancestors'' blood that he would uphold the virtues of a free and equal people. He was an enemy of the monarchs and here he was, standing with a sword in his and and thousands of the city watch at his back. He had lost, he knew that much. The city watch were green boys that cannot put a dent on the veterans of the Rooster. It was futile resisting. But he must do it no matter what. Duty trumps all. He ran towards the line of halberds pointed forward. Most of the city watch had surrendered already. A few joined him though, loyal lads. They will die with him and with the Republic. Their names would remain unsung forever. Nobody would know about their story. It was as if they didn''t existed at all. Several were hit with bolts. Their bodies curled into death. The survivors resumed their mad dash towards the Castonians. Bouvin''s sword broke the wind as he thrust it towards the enemies. He didn''t bother aiming nor looking. He was a dead man and a single dead foe wouldn''t change that. His sword thrust was parried away. A knee to the belly put him on the ground. They are indeed of the Rooster, he thought. They were strong and professionals. But they don''t understand. They don''t understand how important the Republic is. Only he and a few loyal Inkish understood. And so he rose. With mouth filled with blood he rose to fight again. He held his sword, firmer this time. His next thrust was aimed. But he failed again, now a fatal failure as his sword struck the wind. A single halberd from the enemy pierced through his armor and into his chest. Pain surged in his body as his blood dripped from his armor. He staggered backward and fell on his butt. The wheezing tone of his breath painted his imminent end. He looked around. Most, if not all of the city watch had laid down their arms. Those who joined him in this mad dash were all dead. His life had been for the Republic and only for the Republic. His death was also for the Republic. Futile, yes. His death didn''t change a thing, a mere drop in an ocean. But he remained a Magistrate until the end. Such was the life he wanted and such was the end he dreamt of. Bouvin closed his eyes. The last image he saw was that of the Great Hall. The towering stone columns, the white marble tiles, the stone seats, the empty chamber. He smiled, fulfilled. Long may the Republic last. ********** It had ended with the death of Magistrate Bouvin and about forty other Inkish. The casualties were small compared to what Chen had expected. He should be gleeful. He should smile. But the death of a Magistrate was a loss for the Republic no matter how you looked at it. The sun was rising and soon the Inkish would know what happened here. It was a blunder and it was a sad thing. But it was over and there was nothing more he can do. Chen sat on the grass near the corpse of Bouvin. Devik and the chained Herberk were just in front of him. Soon, Magistrate Vedur arrived. They were the five Magistrates of Inkit, the servants of the people. Now there were four and nobody could fill the void Magistrate Bouvin left behind. "May the forefathers bless him with strength" Chen said "May the ancestors firm his heart" Devik added "May he find peace, an eternal freedom" Herberk continued "For he was a Magistrate of Inkit. Magistrate Bouvin was his name. His deeds were many. His courage was known. Now he rest, dead and cold. But his legacy would remembered by us" Vedur finished. There hadn''t been an unnatural death of a Magistrate ever since the third generation. A long line of capable and true Magistrates had served Inkit. Chen knew about the corruption of the Servuses. He knew how rotten his beloved Republic is. But the Magistrates had been doing everything they could to keep it alive. For all the generations of Magistrates, there had been none that scorned the Republic. As corrupt as the Servuses may be, the Magistrate had all been loyal. Some may call it lucky. Chen calls is duty. They did their duties. Bouvin did his duty too. Blind duty, but still duty no matter what. Times were changing. Even the loyalty of the Magistrates cannot stop the end of the Republic. In a few days the people would vote. It wasn''t apparent yet which side would win. But whatever may happen, Chen would always do his duty for the Republic as he had for many years. He balled his hand and hovered it above Magistrate Bouvin''s corpse. It had been a long night and a sad one. They all did their duties. They all defended the Republic in their own ways. And he is proud being a Magistrate of Inkit "Long live the Republic" Chen said. 237 Choice of the Many The death of Magistrate Bouvin spread not just in Haubern but also in all of Inkit. For several days before the plebiscite, it filled the gossips everywhere. This was the first time a Magistrate was killed in decades. It of course brought a melancholic tone in Haubern. Although some still blamed the Union for the death of the Magistrate, most admit that it was the Magistrate''s own fault- and choice. Nevertheless, Magistrate Bouvin was buried with honors he deserved. In his place as Magistrate stood his son, a man not even thirty. Three days after the fall of the Magistrate, the time for the plebiscite finally came. Even though an army of Castonians sprawled, the voting was held outside the walls and beyond the creaky moat of Haubern. Thousands gathered in a sea of voters. Each of them carried documents validating that they are of age to vote. Avery held her document, a parchment the size of her palm. Most of the Inkish were not literate and just ignored what was written on the documents. But Avery did not belong to the majority. ''This document certifies that Avery Bechive, born the fifteenth day of midsummer year One hundred ninety ninth of the Republic of Inkit, is eligible to cast a vote in both plebiscites and elections.'' were the words written on her document. At the bottom of the certificate was the seal of Inkit, pressed by one of the Magistrates. Having this certificate might be nothing for some. But for Avery, the certificate doesn''t just give her the ability to cast her vote. It was a proof that she was an Inkish, alive and existing in her own time. The queue was long and the voting wouldn''t be over for at least two days and could last for three. Fortunately pavilions were provided for the scorch of the sun and peddlers of water were everywhere to quench the thirst of the voters. Voting was a tiring and long process. The Republic may have been failing for a long time now. But the people still believed in the power of a vote. It wasn''t until midday when she finally saw the Scale. The Scale, like what its name suggests, was a large balance scale with a simple fulcrum at the middle. The two pans were shaped like wine cups and were larger than horses. A voter would pick a stone at the foot of the scale and then ascend to the wooden platform overlooking the two pans. The voter would then cast the stone to the red pan for Nay and to the white pan for yea. At the end of the voting period, the pan kissing the ground would be considered as the people''s answer. Avery was saddened when she saw that the Nay pan was the one currently on the ground. A few dozen more people cast their votes, more than half voted for Nay. When Avery reached the boxes of stones, she was given a single stone by the three watchers. She saw that the stones were of equal sizes and also of equal weights, manufactured with precision just for this occasion. Of course discrepancies were common and cheating would occur from time to time but the watchful eyes of the watchers and also of the Magistrates themselves limited these unruly acts. Clenching the stone in her hand, she stepped into the platform. The last three people in front of her all voted Yea. Without a second thought, Avery dropped her stone in the white pan. It felt good to voice her decision. After stepping off the platform another group of watchers stamped some dye on her forehead. From what she saw from the others, the stamp was of green dye and the design was that of the flag of Inkit. The dye would vanish in a few days but it would remain for now, preventing her from voting again. Avery wore a smile. The Nay vote still reigned but she had contributed to the Yea. Whichever side would win, she hoped that the people''s choice would be followed. ********* Hooth and his gang decided to vote on the second day. Many sneered at them for voting. For some, Hooth and the underworld gangs don''t have the right to voice their opinion. Criminals shouldn''t be allowed to vote. Hooth doesn''t care what many think. He and his gang were still Inkish despite their... professions. A man''s deeds doesn''t decide a man''s rights after all. He was still an Inkish and he would vote. The queue was shorter this time. Most had voted in the first day. Nevertheless the queue still extended for leagues. The good thing though was that the Castonians haven''t attacked yet. That was the biggest concern of some people. With the voting happening outside of the walls, the Castonians could just sweep in and slaughter the Inkish. But the Castonians haven''t moved even though the pan of Nay still touched the ground. Hooth doesn''t care anymore. The Union was his friend. He had decided that siding with them would bring him fortune and power in Haubern. He would be their watch dog, their hound to hunt those against them. It was afternoon when he and his people were finally given stones. Hooth had the urge to drop a rock instead but the watchers were keen. Usual cheating would be difficult. And so he decided to play fair this time- just this time though. All his men voted for Yea. If the Union loses in the plebiscite then they would also lose. The promise of a good future as hounds of the Union wouldn''t come into being if the Nay vote wins. When it was his time to drop his stone, Hooth closed his eyes. May the Omniscient bring him fortune, he prayed. The stone was flicked in the air, dancing and rolling until it hit the others in the Yea pan. And then it moved. Yes, for the first time since yesterday the balance scale tipped. The Nay pan slowly rose while the Yea pan sank and hit the ground. ******** "Impostor?" Chen asked the King with raised eyebrows "Yes, that''s what the Priestess of the Great Rider warned us about. An impostor wearing a crown and a mask seated high on a throne. It is chilling, I know. The Queen and I have been racking our brains but we still don''t understand the prophecy" "And you are telling me about this because you think I could help?" "No" He smiled "I just want you to know. Whether Inkit and the Union would be allies, our paths are tied. We want you to be careful. This world is strange" King Timothy had told him about Shadow and Bear. Chen had also witnessed their abilities. He couldn''t deny it. This world harbored strange things. Chen returned his gaze on the balance scale. The Inkish were queued long and the Nay vote still reigned. He sighed. "Our paths are indeed tied now. Even if the Nay vote wins, Inkit would ask for peace. Although we will not be your allies, the warming of the relations between our people has begun. The other Magistrates and I will be careful with this Impostor" The King nodded "And whatever the Inkish'' decision would be, the time for us to part draws near" Chen had a small smile. He had been with both King Timothy and Queen Lucia for months and it would surely feel different without them. Ever since he first met them in Solon during the Castonian Civil War, his respect towards them had grown. He did desperate things. He conspired and cheated and betrayed them. He was punished as a result. But whatever happened in the past wouldn''t affect the present. The Republic needs them. He once thought that power corrupts everything. For peace to last, power must be shared. That line of thinking was wrong. Power corrupts those who wants to be corrupted. "Are you making me cry or something?" Chen grinned "A jest" King Timothy''s eyes widened "I thought you never jest" "Aye, I do jest. But only sometimes. Seriously though, I am saddened by the inevitability of our parting" Just after Chen finished talking, a creaking sound was heard. He looked towards the balance scale and saw the moment the Yea pot hit the ground. Chen felt ecstatic. He uttered a quick prayer to the Omniscient that it would stay that way. And it did. It was near sundown when the last of the voters ascended the wooden platform. The King and the Queen along with the other Magistrates watched as the last person dropped her stone in the Nay pot. Chen waited for it to tip again. He hoped it won''t. And it didn''t. The Yea pan remained on the ground. The plebiscite was finished. The people have spoken. Inkit would join the Union. Chen turned to the other Magistrates. "Today, the twentieth day of the early summer month of the two hundred seventeenth year of the Republic of Inkit, the people have voted that the Republic of Inkit would become a vassal of the United Kingdoms of Castonia and Vanadis. Witnessed by the five Magistrates of Inkit, this plebiscite will be put into law at the earliest possible time. Long live the Republic" Vedur, Herberk, Devik and Bouvin''s son, Vulek all said the same lines as confirmation of the result of the plebiscite. The Yea vote had won. 238 A Place to Belong The white stone columns and silent walls of the Great Hall of Haubern cried the wishes of the Republic- freedom and equality. Unfortunately, Chen lamented, such things are impossible to achieve right now. They had, for a time, wallowed in the idea that a people can remain equal and free if they just try hard enough- if they want it enough. But things were more difficult to pave in reality. The real world was an imperfect bust of an ideal one- crumbling, misshapen and drab. Reality trumped dream. That was the ugly truth, but the only truth. And the only thing Chen and the others could do is to accept that ugly truth. The victory of the Yea vote of the plebiscite doesn''t mean the death of the Republic. The Union wasn''t a dagger, driving straight and true to the Republic''s heart. Instead it was more of a medicine- bitter but good. The Republic was falling and the Union caught it in its arms. Chen sighed. The Great Hall still smelled like old stone. The light was still dim despite the slits in the domed top. Sounds still echoed inside, going on and on until only silence remained. But it felt colder now that the Bouvin was gone. It felt different. The five Magistrates sat on their respective seats. The stone seat felt cold on Chen''s butt. As always, the session was opened by Herberk with some mistakes. Devik was slow to correct him this time. "All five of us know about our agenda for today" Chen went to the point. "Where should we begin? Tribute? Defense? Trade?" asked Vedur "Tribute" Chen answered. He paused for a moment, making sure to remember what he and the monarchs agreed. "Our lieges request a small tribute every month in exchange for protecting Inkit against external threats" "How substantial is this said tribute?" Devik raised his quill "Five hundred gold coins" Devik snorted. His little body bobbed. His grin then froze on his face when he noticed that Chen wasn''t laughing. "You serious? Not jesting?" "I never jest" Devik sucked his own tongue. The squelching was loud. "Insane. They serious? One of my Servus earns more than that through corruption" "Not anymore but yes. Vanadis is richer that all of could ever imagine. I think the idea of a tribute even insulted Queen Lucia a bit. But it is customary for a vassal to pay its overlord for protection. Five hundred would probably be a drop in their ocean of treasury. The tribute is more of a formality" "Their demand rests on other aspects, yes?" Vedur asked. "Military. They want men to reinforce their campaigns against Wismar" Vulek, the new Magistrate of war, guessed. And he was right. "Ten thousand men, all in good condition and fit. No diseases and not addicted to Basilisk Root. No past history of crimes and must be volunteers" Chen shrugged "Volunteers fight harder and are braver, the King said" Chen said. "Ten thousand men" Vedur caressed his stubble "Not impossible but not easy to assemble. It would take us long" "They would help hasten the process actually. They control the orator''s guild. They have the underground gangs in their palm. Their propaganda is superb. The youth would flock into the banners" "Then that settles it" Herberk said "You know what to do Devik. Armies cost money. We need to arm them, feed them, pay them, and train them. The blacksmiths will be busy soon" "Actually" Chen looked at Herberk "They want the Inkish legions to be trained in the Castonian way. The armors and weapons, formation... you know the stuff. They are sending officers to train our youths. They also request the Magistrate of War to accompany the Inkish legions once training is finished" "Fine by me" Vulek said "I have my father''s blood. I will carry the torch of the Republic into battle" Chen smiled. Vulek was indeed Bouvin''s son, the same pride although Vulek was more tamed. But he could see that Vulek had Bouvin''s competence. "And for diplomacy? We will have it all?" asked Vedur "Open borders, free trade, military protection, except royal marriage though" "Trade" Vedur found the best deal Inkit would have in all of this. Protection was still uncertain as Wismar still reigned strong. A head-on and inevitable collision between the Wismarine army and the Union''s legions would bear unpredictable results. But trade would surely benefit Inkit. Vanadian goods would again flow in the market. Chen coughed to gain their attention. The next part would be the hardest. He took a piece of rolled paper and put it on the table "The monarchs also requested that we impeach all of the names written. More names would follow and we are expected to do the same" Herberk frowned as he reached for the paper. His frown grew deeper. "These are most of our Servuses and their Assistants. We can''t do this Chen. The people have elected these names into office" "I agree" Devik said "This request of them is too much" Vedur grabbed the paper from Herberk''s hand "Corruption huh? The same thing that stalled our development. I say we do as they requested and impeach these people" "Vedur..." Herberk''s tone brimmed with surprise Vedur looked at Chen before continuing. "The people have spoken. The people voted for Inkit to grab the Union''s help. We are sick. The Republic is sick. It is dying. And I tell you brothers, the medicine is painful to swallow. Impeaching these officials will be difficult, yes. But aren''t we the Magistrates of Inkit? Are we not the protectors of the people? We will find a way even if it grinds us to dust" Chen''s smile was wide. He nodded to Vedur. They were of different personalities and they have disagreed many times before, but their love for the Republic were both true. He put his fist on the table. "For the Republic of Inkit" ********* As Avery walked in the streets of Haubern, she couldn''t help but feel that things hardly changed at all. Some who voted Nay during the plebiscite were either leaving, causing troubles or preaching imminent doom for the Republic. But Haubern was bustling with the addition of the Castonian soldiers. The brutish stereotype Avery thought of them was broken. They were people just like them, a little tough on themselves and stern with orders, but they still sing in taverns, visit brothels, drink until their bladders give up. Some fancied the food of Haubern. Others raveled in the plays and songs of bards. The queue in her favorite baker was long when she arrived. About a hundred people were in front of her. Nevertheless patience would bring her good bread so she waited. "Girl" A familiar voice said from behind. When Avery turned her head, she saw the cheerful chubby and his broody lanky cousin queuing behind her. "You two didn''t die?" The cheerful chubby laughed "You think me and my cousin are stupid to accept the bribes? No we declined when they bribed us to join the attack against the Union''s monarchs. Coins can be earned many times but we only have one life" "And I say we should have accepted the bribes" The broody cousin said "The only ones who died are those who joined Magistrate Bouvin in a last stupid charge" "The casualties are limited because the monarchs provided mercy. Those lads who joined the attack but surrendered after are still alive because they are lucky. I''m not putting my life in the hands of lady luck for a few pieces of gold" "Well good for the two of you" Avery said "So what now? You two going home?" "No, we have other plans" The cheerful chubby grinned. "My cousin here wants to volunteer to the Inkish legions. I''m still debating it in my mind" the broody lanky cousin said. The cheerful chubby wrapped his arms around his cousin "Oh come on, you have already decided, I know" He looked at Avery "Girl, we are going to Wismar" Their talks continued until they reached the front of the queue. Avery bought three pieces of steaming beautiful bread and bit them goodbye. Strange people, she thought. But then again, everybody is strange in their own way. She was also strange. Last week she had probably the most profitable job in all of Inkit. She would have become wealthy beyond her imagination. But she quit after getting a taste of its smut. The Assistants cheat the people. That wasn''t her field. That would never be her field. She made her way through several alleys and corners. It was near midday when she arrived at the place. The building was tall, half a dozen stories. The thick columns were carved with intricate designs. The Great Hall of Haubern, although considered the center of the Republic, paled in comparison to this. People dressed in togas walked bearing scrolls. On top of the main door, the words ''Orator''s Guild'' were etched in stone. Avery smiled as she went inside. She hoped, deep in her heart, that she finally found the place where she belongs. 239 Smolders of Resistance Fedri Village, A few leagues east of Mythrille Cald''s horse neighed deeply. The mare had been sick for days, he knew. Her stool had been wet and her appetite was just not there. Cald had asked the two Tulosans sent as specialists for the Goldentooth legion for advise but it turned out their horses were also suffering from the same illness. In fact, most of the horses were groggy these past days. Despite the sickness of the horses, he and the others were sent here in the village of Fedri. The local chief had requested help from King Harold against bandits. The King should have sent his own men, Cald thought. But indeed, nothing would scare bandits like Castonians. And so just this morning he and twenty other riders left Fort Equistine, the farthest Castonian fort defended by three Centuries. "There are fine brothels in Mythrille, clean with good services" Gerty said beside him though he did not asked. "I suggest you stop going into brothels. Even harlots hate us here. I''ve heard someone from the ninth Century got his member cut by one of the girls he bedded" Gerty grimaced. "To damn with that. Well if a normal enemy soldier cannot get past a Castonian''s armor, then a harlot could" "That''s why you need to be careful" Cald raised his finger "better find a girl, a country one, and make a lover out of her. Country girls are clean, sweet and most are loyal" "Country girls. That''s after the campaign, after the retirement when I''m old. We soldiers can''t have lovers except the sword eh?" Cald''s mare neight loud, a cry in pain "Easy girl, easy. We''ll be there soon enough" He eyed Gerty "Nothing except the sword. Tell you what, I know this guy from the Rooster..." "Bah, Rooster" Gerty rolled his eyes "Those grim bastards think too highly of themselves. More loyal, stronger and wiser if the singers are to be believed. We are strong too. We are disciplined too. And we are loyal as much as them. We Goldentooths just had the wrong General" "Hush now and stop throwing secret insults at the General'' "But it''s true!" Gerty spread his arms "General Brent don''t really strike me as capable. I''d rather serve under General Bourgis. Why do you think His Majesty saw it that we remain here while Rooster, Steelsword, Dawn and Roar are rummaging in Inkit? It''s not fair. We should have been there, serving under the banner of the monarchs. But no, we are on guard duty. Why do you think that is Cald?" Cald had heard rumors from the others. Talks in the fort had been rather busy lately with the boring atmosphere choking everyone. They say that King Timothy don''t really like General Brent. But then again, nobody really likes General Brent. The fat General was a little strict despite his abilities. Cald had heard that General Bourgis was also strict but the attitude was matched by the General''s competence. But General Brent was strict and yet, for the lack of better word, stupid. He was the embodiment of the incompetent side of the nobility. General Vane, the leader of the Goldentooth legion before Brent, died during the battle of Serino Bridge nearly three months ago. A stray arrow hit his eye. General Vane died a day after though his age was his real killer. Medicine don''t work well with age. General Brent was as replacement for General Vane. "I suggest you two stop talking filth about our general. You two are dangling on the edge of treason." said a person from behind. Cald didn''t bother looking behind. The person''s identity mattered not, only the truth behind his words. Being discontented with the leadership of the Goldentooth Legion was treason no matter how you look at it. Cald just shut his mouth until they reached village near midday. The village was small and the grass was long around it. The thatched houses had conical roofs. Incenses were burning around the shrine to Ashkara, rising their aromatic smokes to the heavens. The village was walled with a shabby fence running the whole of its borders. The the east by a small stream there was a plantation of fledgling carrots. The smell of cow manure was strong although Cald didn''t saw any cows. The villagers who met them outside the fences were few with only an white-bearded aged man dressed in greens straps of textiles made into body coverings and five others also dressed in similar attires. One of them was holding a flagon and several cups. They looked more Wismarine than Cantonese. But then again, the east of Canton leaned more in the Wismarine culture. "You are the village chief?" Cald asked. He wasn''t of rank but he was the most senior among the riders so the responsibility of talking was his. "You are late" The chief frowned deeply. His old scabby forehead wrinkled. "This is the last Cantonese village, have some consideration for us. We have had been riding since morning" "I see" The chief said. He waved his hand to the villager holding the flagon "Refreshments. We offer you our hospitality" Cald sighed gestured for the others to cool themselves. The summer had been reckless and the heat was unbearable in some days. At the corner of his eyes Cald saw movements. Something was flitting in the tall grass. It was subtle. It was probably nothing, just the wind or some animal. But his instincts were shouting. "Stop!" He shouted before the others could drink. Three Castonians were already indulging in the water though. His heart beat fast. Most of his brothers were holding cups filled with water already. He could be wrong. He could be a fool. But hoped that he was. "Draw swords!" It was an unexpected and unreasonable command but the Castonians were trained to obey without murmurs. The twenty riders immediately presented their swords and went into formation. Cald was on his horse beside Gerty. "What is it? Why?" Gerty asked with a low voice. Cald looked at the village chief. The old man''s eyes were opened wide. But he was silent along with the other villagers. "Something is wrong. We need to go back. This village. Something is wrong with this village" As if confirmation to his thoughts three of them suddenly fell from their horses. Cald remembered the three to be the ones who drank the water. Poison was his first thought. Betrayal was his second although as he corrected it to rebellion when he saw the fire on the chief''s eyes. "Die demons!" The chief pointed at them "Die!" Several men leapt from the tall grass. In their hands were various and crude weapons- lumber axes, hammers, sharpened sticks, knives. Cald cut down the first person who came for him, a boy no more than fifteen of age holding a sharpened stick. Pity and conscience came after the kill. But Cald knew that there was no time for such things. The villagers numbered to hundreds. They were untrained and their weapons were not impressive but they were not a mob. He could see that these people would fight to their last breaths. "Retreat!" Cald raised his sword to the direction of Fort Fedri and trotted his horse back. The others followed him. A few more of them died by the villagers'' hands during the retreat but the villagers did not have the capability to give chase. Cald counted and they lost seven including those who drank poisoned water. "We should go back and report this incident. I hope the General have the guts to punish the villagers" Cald said. The remaining riders nodded for that was the only thing they could do. Cald could only imagine the state of the corpses of the seven who died. The desecration would probably be severe based on the anger of the villagers. Some of their horses died halfway back to the fort and so their pace was slow. Most of them walked. It was the next day at dawn when they reached Fort Fedri. What Cald saw was a nightmare. The fort was burnt. It was recent, he could tell as dying embers still burned red. The smoke was still dark. The first thought that entered Cald''s mind was his comrades. What happened to them? Was it just a normal fire or an attack? He ran towards the fort along with the thirteen survivors from yesterday. He saw it as little dots from the distance. The little dots lined from the outside of the wooden palisades of the fort. They got nearer and the image became more clear. Cald''s tears soon slithered down his cheeks. They were heads, the heads of his comrades mounted on pikes. He saw Camo, his tentmate, who was loud yet kind. He saw Centurion Ryle, strict but fond of dogs. The three Centuries that guarded the fort were all dead and beheaded. Their bodies were just left to rot on one side. Castonians. They were all loyal Castonians just doing their duty to the Union. And now all three hundred had suffered such barbarism. Cald fell on his knees in front of one of the heads. He had seen the cruelty of war before. He had seen violence. But there was no excuse for this act. "The whole region has gone mad" Gerty said the obvious thing from behind. 240 In Flames They were entrenched. They had a fort. They were Castonians. So how in the Omniscient''s name could this have happened? Questions arrived like jabs in Cald''s mind. He had recovered from seeing the heads of his comrades. But part of him was still puzzled. Three hundred fully armed Castonians inside a fort shouldn''t have fallen in just a single day. Even if the enemies numbered to a few thousand or tens of thousands, mere peasants cannot win against Castonians. And even if they could, it would take a long time. The fort should have held for at least a few days. After doing the terrible job of burying the heads and the bodies of their comrades, Cald and the rest entered the fort to find clues as to what may have happened. The fire had been extinguished now and the mayhem inside presented. There were signs of fighting- fierce and bloody. Although the bodies of the enemies were nowhere to be found. "Search everywhere" Cald told the rest and they began rummaging through the bloody and burnt fort. He sighed, deep and with exhaustion. It was difficult to swallow the reality that hundreds of their comrades were butchered- treated lower than animals. Those villagers must pay. This was a crime. They must be punished. He gritted his teeth. "Cald" One of his mates called. Not a ''sir''. He wasn''t an officer, just the oldest among the group. But decisions were his to make now. They must have a leader. "What?" He asked but was on the process of walking towards the spot his mate was kneeling. "Look at this" Cald leaned closer. It was a piece of metal, he could see. It was curved and thin. It was armor- a piece of lamellar. Cald gasped upon realizing. "We must..." He struggled to continue but forced his tongue "We must hurry back to Mythrille and warn them" ********* Ash was still staring at air. Harold was the same. News of the organized rebellion reached them from the mouth of the scouts. The villages around Mythrille and Couldcliff had all risen in rebellion against Harold. The Cantonese at Fort Bern were also butchered. Fort Cret was devoid of life as the scout reported. Fort Fedri, the farthest fort and was housing Castonians, was yet to report. Ash feared that the men at Fort Fedri also suffered the same fates. General Brent was fuming in front of them, looking at the map like a predator. In just a single day not less than five hundred of the Castonians died, all from the Goldentooth Legion. Worst of all, they were butchered like animals. The scouts they spoke to earlier were still shaking from what they saw. "I don''t want to say this but we need to punish them" General Brent''s voice was hoarse "What they did was barbaric. It wasn''t even war. It was pure barbarism! They deserve to be executed, all of them" Ash agreed, though it was painful. Even wars and rebellions had rules and the rebels broke the rules. There must be a punitive action for them. Harold, however, didn''t look convinced. "M-maybe we should c-converse with them? A-ask what they want and settle an agreement?" "And what about my men!? What justice will they have? Nothing. I just lost hundreds of good men! Their families in Castonia would never hear from them again. They have died like swines!" "I do agree with you General" Ash said "But we should be lenient to some at least. And before we start talking about punitive actions, we should first focus on the main problem" Ash said. "Which is?" "We have a rebellion, a large one that could engulf us all. The King and the Queen are still in Hadea. It would probably take them at least a week to get here" "More than a week, a few at least" General Brent''s voice turned tamer "There has been some complications" Ash frowned. "They have secured Inkit, haven''t they? Won the election. Last we''ve heard they are marching back." "Yes but the Hadeans are giving them trouble. Those drunkards have been harassing their lines. Not to worry though, they would overcome this difficulty somehow" "But it would take them long" Ash said the obvious part. As impressive as the Union''s actions in Inkish were, Hadea proved to be a harder nut to crack. She believed that the monarchs would just request a peace agreement with Hadea rather than entice them into becoming a vassal. But before a peace agreement could be made, they first needed to break Hadea into submission. It wouldn''t be easy. "Yes" The General said. "A-any news about Marquis Erik?" Harold asked all of a sudden. Ash eyed General Brent for answer. It would be nice to have some competent mind in this harrowing times. "Last I''ve heard he was in Ledega with some reinforcements. Since then I haven''t heard about him. We don''t need him though. This is a minor rebellion. The rest of Goldentooth would crush the rebels and seek justice for our dead. I require your assistance in this matter" General Brent said. "You will go out there and crush the rebellion?" Ash couldn''t believe her ears "General, pardon me for saying but the monarchs tasked us to hold this city. That is our job. Yes, the rebellion is a terrible thing. We are sorry for your loss. But I think we should stick to what the monarchs told us to do. As long as we have Mythrille, any rebellion no matter how severe, will not be able to topple us. We should remain here. Increase the patrols and implement a curfew." "Pardon me also for saying this but you are not in a position of power to decide" The General looked at Harold "King Harold has the final say in this" Ash of course knew that Harold would side with her. It was not just because of their bond but because she made sense. A city defended by a legion of Castonians cannot be taken. They could just crush the rebels once the monarchs returned. Also, going out there would be dangerous. Ash had heard that all of the villages have rallied against them. "T-there are nearly a h-hundred villages and small t-towns around Mythrille. The number of c-combatants these villages could raise would be quite a n-number. We don''t know where the enemies are. W-we don''t have good leadership" Harold said. "You don''t view me a competent?" General Brent was not visibly flustered. "You think lowly of of me, don''t you?" "It''s not that. Believe us General. It''s just, this situation is prone to us making mistakes. We three are competent in our own ways but none of us are at the caliber of the King. I say we wait for them. Or if they would be huddled in Hadea for long, then we should at least wait for Marquis Erik to arrive" "And what about my men? What about those brave Castonians who were beheaded and had their heads put on spikes in Fort Cret!? What about Fort Fedri? What if the three Centuries are still defending the fort and awaiting our help? Should we just abandon them?" His men again, Ash thought. It made sense. Those Castonians at Fort Fedri could still be alive despite the lack of news about them. It would be beyond cruel to leave them. But it would be foolish to leave Mythrille undefended. Mythrille must hold at all cost. "This is final, General. My decision is also King Harold''s" Ash was supported by Harold''s nods "We will stay here and wait. We will not go out there and risk our strength against enemies we know nothing about. Mythrille will be at risk if we rush." General Brent''s frown was heavy. Clenching his hand and gritting his teeth he said, "We are allies, yes?" "We are" "We are bound to help each other but not control each other" Ash sensed where this was going. "General, we will report you to the monarchs if you take your legion without our consent" "Consent!?" General Brent spit the word harshly. Ash and Harold flinched "We are allies dammit! I answer to the monarchs of the Union. Only to them. And they have given me the right to make decisions for my legion. Beheaded! The scouts said that both the Cantonese at Fort Bern and the Castonians at Fort Cret were beheaded. Their corpses were mangled. Their dignity trampled! There are three hundred of my men at Fort Fedri. They are alive. I can feel it. They are still out there and waiting for us. I cannot just stay idle." It was hopeless, Ash saw. She began to question her own opinions. Maybe General Brent was right? In the end, Ash thought of caution. General Brent wasn''t the sharpest of minds. The rebels could attack Mythrille once the Castonians were gone. Worse, the rebels could be setting a trap. But she cannot do anything. She, or even Harold, didn''t have the authority to command Brent. "The Cantonese will remain here" Ash said, firm in her decision. Harold again supported her. "Then you are welcome to stay. But forgive me in advance for killing your citizens by the thousands. The lion has been roused by blood and only death can make it calm. The rebels knew that and yet they still did horrible acts against my men" "Your choice General. But please, for the Omniscient''s grace, leave us a few of your Castonians enough to defend the city" There was hesitation in the General''s eyes. Ash could see the bloodlust, the fury. She could see his desire to rally Goldentooth, reinforce Fort Fedri and decimate the rebels. But she also saw some fleeting logic. "Very well" He said. 241 Responsibility and Conscience Ash and Harold were beside each other on top of the wall. A dozen guards stood around them as they watched the Castonians leave. The Goldentooth legion sallied for war that same day. Centuries sent to various forts around Mythrille were recalled but none answered. And so they marched out today. The whole barracks was swept clean except for a contingent of about five hundred Castonians left to defend the city. The bulk of the city watch and the defenders was composed of the Cantonese. Ash still worried without most of Goldentooth. She had a feeling that it wouldn''t be enough. The Cantonese soldiers under her and Harold were weak, disloyal and few. She feared that the whole city would rebel with the exit of the Castonians. She did some arrangements though, with Harold''s permission of course. The gangs inside the city were bribed to keep an eye to the people''s sentiments. She wrote letters to the governors of the Western Cantonese cities to send reinforcements. She even sent for mercenaries. But the most significant thing she did was to inform the monarchs of the situation in Eastern Canton. Everything she could do were just to bandage the bleeding but without the monarchs, Eastern Canton would remain in flames. The last of the Castonians have exited the main gate. They trailed long towards the east. The banner of the Goldentooth legion- two fangs colored in bright yellow- was presented. Ash knew that a whole legion of Castonians would be more than enough to put down a rebellion even at this scale. She knew that they were tough men loyal to their cause. But deep inside she was afraid. Something doesn''t feel right. But alas there was nothing she could do. She was powerless even with Harold''s support. She wondered, sadly and with angst, if these men would return alive. ********* Corknip stood like a brown dying giant at the distance. Half of the city walls had crumbled. Half was burning. The towers bore the flags of Vanadis and Castonia. The streets were littered with corpses Timothy hoped were not civilians. Around them, the defenders were tied. There were thousands of them with some still in their armor. They wore broken faces and shattered spirits. The flag of Hadea that, just this morning displayed proudly on top of the Governor''s villa, now lay tattered on the ground. It had been a hard victory. Corknip, the second largest city of Hadea, resisted the Castonian legions with grim determination. Even after sending numerous requests for surrender, the Governor of Corknip refused, even executing the messenger the last time and sending them the head. That was too much. Timothy would let insults slide. He would let them resist. But killing a messenger was too much. And after consulting with Lucia, he gifted them with flame. Hellfire rained upon Corknip this morning. The flaming projectiles shattered the walls like mudcake. It burned. The projectiles burned. But the explosions were more damaging. Hellfire put on pressured containers would explode. And so a huge part of the wall of Corknip now lay in pieces. Three Castonian legions then rushed with Rooster put in reserve. The fighting was fierce- fiercer than he expected. But they prevailed in the end. The Governor was now on his knees, watching with muddled face and wounded body as Timothy and Lucia rode on their horses. Timothy halted just a few steps from the Governor. He was a slender man, not tall, but looked so because of his body. He wasn''t old, maybe just a few years older than Timothy himself. Golden stubble lined the Governor''s chin as beard. His eyes were wide. His lips were thin. "You know who I am?" Timothy asked. Fury raged in his heart after seeing the person who ordered the execution of his messenger "You know who we are!?" "Yes.." The Governor answered with apprehension "Yes Your Majesty. I do" Timothy couldn''t bare looking at the Governor''s face. His body was stiff. His face was burning. He slid off his horse and grabbed the Governor by the collar. "We offered you truce. We offered you peace. We offered you a way to prevent this bloodshed. Just this morning we sent you a messenger. Bernard was his name. He was a young talented youth from Holm. Tell me, what did you do!?" "I..." The Governor looked down. Not in shame. It was too late for such a man to feel shame, Timothy knew. When the Governor looked up again, his face was more anxious than before "I had him executed" "You murdered him!" Timothy shouted. "Messengers mustn''t be harmed, that is the rule of war. Soldiers die, even monarchs croak. But there are things that are forbidden in war. You murdered Bernard. For that you must be punished. I, Timothy Castonia, King of the United Kingdoms of Castonia and Vanadis, with the Omniscient as my witness, hereby exile...." Timothy was interrupted by Lucia tugging the sleeve of his shirt. He hadn''t notice her dismounting from her horse. Timothy closed his eyes and felt a surge of tranquility flow. "What is it?" "Exile is a far too lenient punishment" She whispered. Timothy was surprised at first. But then he understood. Because of their lenient attitude towards their enemies lately, their other enemies had began abusing their kindness. Respect must be coupled with fear. They must show that they would punish transgressions. He nodded. "You executed a messenger" Lucia said, looking down on the Governor "That is a crime we cannot forgive. That is also a breach of the rules of war. For that you must suffer an equal punishment" Lucia straightened her back the way Timothy taught her. He knew she was still new to this and her posture was flawed. Nevertheless she looked regal, brimming with pride as a monarch. "I, Lucia Vanadis, Queen of the United Kingdoms of Castonia and Vanadis, with the Omniscient as witness, hereby sentence you to die for the crime of murder. Long live the Union" The Governor''s eyes widened as Castonian soldiers dragged him to an empty portion of the street. He tried to shout for mercy. Such was a dying man''s wish. But, as horrid as this was, Timothy knew that it must be done. Lucia was firm beside him. She was shaking, he could see. But she did well to hide her trembles. He couldn''t think of a better way to give her calmness than holding her hand. The executioner''s blade pierced the Governor''s heart soon after. It was the Union''s way of execution- swift and powerful. The Governor''s body soon dropped limp on the cobbled street. It was justice, Timothy thought. It was meant to be done. It was distasteful. It was horrible. But the world is not perfect. They cannot win every battle and every engagement with through peaceful ways like what happened in Inkit. Sometimes they have to shed blood. *** It was horrible. She could still imagine the moment the executioner''s blade went for the Governor''s heart. Lucia vomited on the jar. She lay squatting on the carpet of their tent. She just had a man executed. The executioner''s blade was as good as hers. She just killed a man with a few words. She vomited again. She was shaking until she felt a hand rub her back. When she turned her head, she saw Timothy''s worried face. "Tim" She coiled her arms around Timothy''s neck. "Hush" Timothy continued rubbing her back. It was soothing. It felt good. The trembling of her body lessened. "I...I did that" "You did that" He said "You ordered the execution of a person and saw the execution in person" "It was needed" Lucia said "If... we just exiled him then what would the others think?" Timothy put a warm kiss on her forehead. It felt good. His embrace felt good. "I know" His voice was music "Our enemies and our allies would think of us as weak if we had given the Governor a lenient punishment. It had to be done." "I feel horrible" "You are supposed to feel horrible. Worry if you don''t feel horrible. Listen..." He held both of her hands "In this path we took, we will encounter choices like this. Choices that would make our guts churn. We cannot avoid such things. We must carry the burden together." Lucia nodded slowly. It was necessary, she took refuge in that thought. "Sire!" Abraham''s voice sounded from the other side of the tent. "What is it?" Timothy asked. "A messenger sire. He said that he''s from Mythrille and has important news" Lucia''s stomach tied into a knot. She felt that the news was bad. Has Sarah Wismar returned already? It was earlier than they expected, too early in fact. She looked at Timothy and his face also displayed the same thought. The two of them hurried outside. The messenger was raddled. His clothes were dirty, probably from several days of riding. "News?" Lucia asked. "Rebellion, Your Majesty" The messenger said "The whole of Eastern Canton is in open rebellion" 242 Expense of War The last of their horses had died just after leaving Fort Fedri. They were starved. They were harassed by villagers. Some of them died of injuries. But the suffering was over. Cald and about ten of his mates had arrived at Mythrille. They were exhausted. Cald himself was dying of thirst. But they made it at last. The whole city was on lockdown when they arrived. The gates were closed. Sentries lined the top of the wall like hawks looking for preys. Good, he thought. Watch us. Warn us. These are harrowing times. But as they went nearer, Cald''s frown deepened. He noticed the lack of Castonians on the top of the walls. Usually, groups of Castonians would meet them with strictness. They were a demanding bunch and scary too. That was the way of the Castonians. But the ones at the walls were not strict. They were lax. Some were sitting and chatting. He even saw someone sleeping. Their lack of discipline annoyed him. And then he found the reason of this breach of duty in the uniforms they wore. The sentries had gambesons instead of the familiar reinforced whole body mail armor of the Castonians. They were Cantonese and they were inferior as guards. "Identify yourselves!" One of the Cantonese sentries finally demanded when they reached the foot of the wall. Cald was disappointed deeply. The sentries should have noticed their approach long before they reached the foot. If it was Castonians, they would have been noticed from a league away. "Open the gate" Cald said "We have important news for General Brent. We are from Fort Fedri. The sentries on top murmured to each other. They talked long and debated. Don''t they have a leader? Cald asked in silence. A patrol leader or a senior should have thought of a decision already. That was efficiency. That was how things were supposed to be. And yet it took the sentries a long time to come into a decision. The gate soon opened. The iron bars were raised. Cald and his mates entered the city. On his way inside, he grabbed one of the sentries by the collar and pinned the idiot on the wall despite his weak body. "Next time" Cald growled "You should do your jobs well. Do not slack for your duty means our lives. Do you understand!?" The sentry just nodded. Cald could see that the man was new and still fearful. He felt a tinge of regret. Not all men were built the same way as Castonians. "Now where can we find General Brent?" His tone became more gentle. "You see, sir..." The sentry''s voice trailed "Goldentooth left two days ago" Cald''s body shivered. His spine felt a jolt of coldness. They were too late. General Brent was walking into a trap. Those men... the whole of Goldentooth were in danger. His grasp loosened and his hand went limp. But he must think. He must do something. "The King!" he again asked the sentry, leaning forward with gritted teeth. "Take me to the King!" ********* Ash shuffled through the reports of the sentries. The number of crimes had risen in Mythrille ever since the Castonians left. They were petty crimes at first but they grew more violent afterwards. Now it involved a few murders. Most concerning of all were the rumors. There were breaths of a brewing rebellion inside the city. Even after doubling the number of patrols and recruiting more soldiers from the more loyal part of the populace, whispers of rebellion were still sung inside the city walls. It was inevitable now. It was just a matter of time before a rebellion engulf Mythrille. The exit of the Castonians hastened it but it was meant to happen even if General Brent stayed. Knocks jarred her from reading the reports. Three consecutive rapid knocks and a single one after- it was Harold. She strode to the door and found the King when she opened. He was wearing angst on his face. "What happened?" "Follow me" Harold said and just turned the other way. Ash followed him down the stairs and turning a corridor to the main hall of the Governor''s villa. Ten men sat around the long table. They were filthy. Their hairs were ragged. Some were bloody. Their faces were of broken men. They were Castonians by the look on their armor. "Lady Ash" One of them tried to stand but was unable to. The man grimaced. "Don''t force it" Ash said as she sat on one of the seats. Harold sat beside "Who are you?" "We are from Fort Fedri" said the one who failed to stand "We journeyed here to give you report of the destruction of our fort" "Fort Fedri fell? How? Three hundred Castonians were stationed there. " She could feel her heart thump fast. "Yes but later on that. We walked day and night and battled some attacks from the rebels to deliver you some information but it seems we are too late" The Castonian took something from his pocket and slid it on the table. It was a piece of flat dark metal shaped like a plate. "What is this?" "A piece of lamellar and you know what this implies Lady Ash" "No" the realization hit her and she gasped. She didn''t want to believe it but it was a viable explanation. "A few of the rebels could have found a lamellar armor and wore it in the attack. It''s impossible. Sarah Wismar shouldn''t have returned this early. It is too early" Ash tried to deny. "Possible. Finding a piece of lamellar armor doesn''t mean that the Wismarines are involved in this. But General Brent shouldn''t have left" "We tried to stop him. We really did" She looked at Harold "Unfortunately we failed. It is too late now to inform him. If the Sarah Wismar has returned already, then it doesn''t matter now. Goldentooth is doomed. We can''t do anything for them" His statement was not taken well by the Castonian. The battered man was silent for a long time, just staring at the table and lost in thought. He then nodded. "You are right Lady Ash. We should focus on Mythrille. Your men earlier are slacking. They were supposed to be sentries but they are not taking this seriously" Ash knew that well. Only Harold''s the handful of Castonians were the capable swords they have. Most of the Cantonese were either inexperienced or had questionable loyalties. The whole city could rise in rebellion any moment now. "We need to flee" Ash mumbled. *** The march was long and tiring. The harassment of the locals was brutal. They were furious. The whole of Eastern Canton was against them. Although the losses of the Goldentooth legion was minimal, Brent now worried. It was a far cry from his confidence when he left Mythrille. He was furious that time. He was insulted. He was shamed. And although the main reason was his fury and shame, he was also hurt by the deaths of the Castonians. But as his anger subsided and his head was cleared, he realized that this might be a folly. Ash''s logic was valid and King Harold was right to side with her. Him leaving Mythrille would weaken the city. It was true that the monarchs ordered them to defend Mythrille for as long as possible. Mythrille was the center of Eastern Canton. So long as they held it, the whole region wouldn''t be lost. But it was too late now. They had been marching for days and Mythrille was leagues to their back. Brent hoped that King Timothy wouldn''t execute him. His act of leaving Mythrille was sort of treason and many of his own men were already defying him. They were smart lads, loyal to their King. Not to him though. They should reach Fort Fedri at sundown. Brent decided that they would just check on the fort, rescue the defenders and hurry back to Mythrille. But at that moment arrows rained. They blotted the sun, providing a shade of death. The first barrage hit before Brent could blink. Most of the arrows just bounced off the armor of his men. Some found gaps. Few were fatal. But the barrage of arrows painted a cruel future. Out of nowhere, armored men bearing axes and pikes hit them. The Castonians were quick to get into formation but the surprise attack worked. Several Castonians now lay dead. More were injured. The attackers hit them from all sides. Unceasing. Brutal. Destructive. The Castonians tried to hold and remembered their training. Their halberds were presented in line. The Centurions were effective in their command. But the fighting was tough, bloody and deadly. This was more than the petty resistance of the rebels. This was a real ambush. "Hold!" Brent shouted, pleading to his men to show courage. It''s not that they needed it though. They were Castonians. They were unbreakable. As strong as the enemies may be, the impetus of the ambush had ceased. Goldentooth was holding... and winning. The armored opponents fell like flies. It was glorious. They thought that they could just ambush Castonians and live to tell the tale. They were dreaming. His men would fight until the last drop of blood. And then the attackers retreated, leaving the sight of enemy corpses. Goldentooth began to cheer. Brent himself raised his sword. A victory. The cheer soon died like a candle amidst a storm. Brent also saw it and his sword almost fell. His stomach churned. To the west, things charged towards them. They were large and loud. Hundreds, he counted. Elephants. Wismarine armored elephants. 243 Divide, Surround and Conquer The elephants were large- dwarfing the soldiers both on top and below. Their tusks were reinforced with sharpened steel, some serrated. Their huge bodies were armored by iron scales like what the Wismarines were wearing. Hooks were attached to their legs, sharp and deadly. The cry of the beasts shook the earth. Every single one of their steps seemed to bring a fatal omen. One step was all it would take for a man to die, even an armored Castonian cannot survive. Such was the horror Brent faced. His breathing was low, like a newborn sleeping. Cold sweat skidded on his face. Down, down, down it went to the shaking ground. He tried to still his heart but courage escaped his senses. He was going to die. He was going to get trampled. It would be painful. He needed to run. To live. No, he thought. His duty is to the Union. He would fall and Goldentooth would fall. But not after bleeding the enemies first. Running was for the cowards. He wasn''t a coward. Noble blood flows through his veins- noble Castonian blood. He raised his sword, aiming at the sky. The silver steel glinted. He felt a sudden surge of courage. He is a Castonian, he repeated. The enemies would have to face him, crush him, before they could taste victory. "Hold the line! Never falter! Never fear. The Omniscient is with us!" Brent''s shout was met with silence from the ranks. They hate him, he thought. Well he was not a person to be loved. He was strict, as strict as he could be. It was his duty as a noble to be strict with them. And he was somehow stupid. This was his fault, he must admit. He was the one who insisted to sally from Mythrille. He should have stayed. He should have listened to Lady Ash and King Harold. Who would love an incompetent and strict leader? None. Brent knew that he was unloved. His very being was condemned by many. It was alright. It was fine. He didn''t care anyway. He was doing his obligation to the Union by his own way. The men at the front line stood strong. Brent could see their trembling bodies. He could smell their piss. He could feel their fear. And yet they stood like stones, unmoving against the intimidation of the armored elephants. And then the elephants halted slowly. The trainers bearing whips and spears on top made the beasts stop. It took a while and it took quite a distance. An elephant''s charge was not an easy thing to discontinue after all. The enemy commander has sense, Brent thought. Resuming the charge would probably trample the men of Goldentooth. Over a hundred armored and trained elephants was nothing minor. Such a charging force would crumple anything it would encounter. But hitting a wall of Castonians would also be catastrophic for the elephants. A Castonian''s halberd was designed to pierce through armor. The elephants were armored but not thickly due to weight considerations. Several dozen elephants would die in the charge. One of the elephants turned to one side. Soon a rope ladder was lowered from its back. A person armored in full plate descended the ladder, slow and with grace. Soon, several Wismarines joined the person in full plate. Brent''s heart clenched. How could he forget Falconheads? Those things were eerie to look at. And he knew the only person who would use Falconheads as guards. "Greetings friends" Sarah Wismar upped the visor of her helm. It was truly her, Brent thought. In flesh. Sarah Wismar, the enemy that even the monarchs couldn''t defeat. Not yet, anyway. He had the urge to order an attack. The Falconheads numbered only to a hundred at most. They could cut the serpent''s head and they could serve it on a platter to the monarchs. But no. Sarah Wismar was a smart woman. She should have thought of the possibility already. Attacking would break the line and the elephants could charge again. Maybe that was what she was hoping for. "You are early" Brent said, eyeing the subtle movements from the forest on both their sides. Those people who ambushed them earlier were again surrounding them. "Father gave me an army right away. I am daddy''s girl. More are coming General Brent. A huge Wismarine army is marching here from Malzan as we speak" Sarah breathed the air, an overacted gesture "And smell that? The flames raging. Flames of rebellion General. Inextinguishable. Eastern Canton would forever be mine. You cannot subjugate them after killing all their family members during our last battle" You murdered them, Brent thought. He had seen the enemy camp back then. His stomach still protests whenever the memory comes back. Thousands were butchered in their sleep and the act was blamed on the Union. Such wa Sarah Wismar''s ways. "We have you surrounded General" Sarah smiled "I don''t want more blood to drip onto this pleasant land. We can be friends. Oh the Omniscient wouldn''t smite you. Surrendering is not betrayal. A man''s got to survive right? Save the lives of your men General. Be wise" Brent smiled. His reply was a spit to the ground. *** "A blunder" Timothy said. The inside of their tent was illuminated by several beeswax candles. The light was clear and the smoke was without odor. It was cool inside, despite the raging summer season. It was good. And yet their meal sat uneaten. The stew had gone cold. The sweetened wine was starting to draw fruit flies. Lucia sat without words beside her husband. "A blunder indeed" She finally said. "She has returned huh?" "She has. Even if she tries to hide it, all of this cannot have happened without her. Rebels cannot take forts, especially not in a single day. Sarah Wismar was the one who led the attacks" Timothy was staring at one of the beeswax candles. It burned without noise, without thought. And yet it was as if the candle had less problems than them. "I failed. It was a mistake on my part. I thought we had more time. I thought..." Lucia stopped him with firm grip on his hand. It was not his sole burden, Lucia thought. She also failed in her own way. "And that thing about General Brent was mine" General Brent wasn''t the smartest of the Generals. He was one of the least competent in fact. General Brent was a Castonian Earl and him being in position could help placate the nobles. It was a decision made to balance the Kingdom. Another noble revolt would be disastrous. But General Brent wasn''t just put in the position of a General just because of his noble blood. For all his shortcomings, Brent was a loyal man. Lucia had seen the General''s passion. He would never betray the Union. With the lack of capable leaders, Lucia thought that a loyal but a little incompetent man would be better than a competent one with questionable loyalties. That was especially true for Eastern Canton where Sarah Wismar could just bribe a Castonian General. It was probably a mistake. She never thought that General Brent would be too naive to bite into Sarah''s trap. Little mistakes here and there would be worth having a loyal General. But Brent made the worst decision he could. Lucia also overestimated Ash and King Harold. They should have stopped Brent though underhanded methods. Now both Mythrille and the Goldentooth Legion were in danger. "Can we make it?" She asked. "To Goldentooth?" Timothy asked back and then shook his head after. "No. We cannot cross the Long River without making peace with the King of Hadea. The closest crossing point is the Bacharan Bridge. King Corey has fortified the crossing with a large army. It would be both foolish and futile to fight through that army. We will be victorious but by the time we reach Canton, we would be too weak to face Sarah" "I have been thinking about this, Tim" Lucia said, lowering her head. "And?" "King Corey brought his daughter along right? That''s what the scout told us" "Yes" Lucia saw the moment the realization hit Timothy. He first frowned. And then looked at her with questioning eyes. "Are you certain about this?" "No" Lucia said. "But we need to cross immediately" Timothy grew silent for a while. In those deep dark eyes, Lucia saw him contemplating decisions difficult to make. Timothy raised his head. "Let''s.... let''s have Shadow do it" 244 Sick The night brought darkness in the sky. The twinkling of stars and the shining of the moon were faint. The same thing can be said regarding their fate. Half of the legion was put in rotating sentry duty while the half rested. Campfires were lit in every corner and Brent had ordered a wall of palisades to be built. And sure enough, the enemies assaulted four more times in the night. The sudden clash of steels and the death of men in the darkness of the night had become too familiar. A death here, a death there. It was horrible and yet what could they do? The elephants didn''t attack though and that was a relief. Sarah wouldn''t risk losing her precious beasts. She was probably saving her ace for the Rooster. An insult to him and Goldentooth. Brent pushed the piece of wood towards the other embers in hope that the campfire near his tent would last longer. Cupping the neck of a bottle, he drank from a bottle of cheap brothel wine he got from Mythrille. The taste was a little horrible, bitter with some suspended solids. "You should sleep sire" his squire said beside, an energetic youth Brent took into his service just a month ago. "Sleep while my men are dying?" Brent raised a brow. It was meant to make him intimidating but his squire smiled instead. "The men will die whether you sleep or not sire. Better rest to clear your mind" "You make sense. Unfortunately I am not a man who listens to sense. You''ve heard the things my own men are talking regarding me, haven''t you?" The Squire nodded without reservation. Cocky lad, Brent thought. "They call you incompetent. A few were bold enough to call you a fool. They say that you only ascended to your rank because of your blood. They piss on you. They want you replaced" "Your should learn how to put a hold into that tongue of yours boy" Brent said, maybe a little unfriendly. Those insults were not the Squire''s own words. "But the sire wants to know. I just quenched the sire''s curiosity about the things his men say behind his back" "Maybe so" Brent grimaced upon hearing a scream of death from the distance. The enemies were attacking again, the fifth time since sundown. He should be there. He should be encouraging his men and manning the defenses. He did try earlier but found out that he was just a distraction. The Centurions and the Prefects were trained on what to do. He was useless. And so he decided to just sit here in front of a stupid campfire while Castonians defend the camp with grit. It wouldn''t matter if he was near the fighting anyway. He couldn''t inspire. He couldn''t command. He couldn''t think of a plan. He was just a strict noble with balls for brains. "That''s the fifth time" The squire said the obvious thing. "And the sire is still sitting here, drinking wine" "What could I do then? They don''t want me. I am useless in their eyes. I am the most useless General in the whole army" Brent felt his face heat up, furious at his own self. "What they say is true. I don''t know anything about commanding. I am not a leader. I am not an inspiration to them. I''ve seen the way they look at me. They despise me. They want me dead. I don''t have an ounce of respect from them. Is everything that happened, all these muddled mess, my fault?" It is, Brent thought. All of this was his fault. All of the deaths were his burden. A stupid man shouldn''t act smart. Knowing one''s limit would save others. Suddenly the squire grabbed the bottle from his hand and drank the whole thing in one huge gulp. The cocky lad had the audacity to grunt in pleasure. "These, all these, are your sin" The Squire said "You are a sinner. You shouldn''t have accepted the position of a General in the first place. You should have stayed home in your fief. You don''t have talent." Brent didn''t have time to be angry at the lad. The lad''s words were truth anyway. That''s right, Brent thought. I should have stayed. It is my fault men are dying. "But alas you are here" The Squire added, now with a small mischievous smile "You are the General of the Goldentooth legion sire. Nothing can change that. You made wrong decisions. You are stupid, more stupid than my halfwit brother Cen. But you now have a responsibility. Being idle is a far more heinous crime than incompetence. You are just trying to find an excuse for all the mistakes you did. Weak? Without talent? A lesser man? All excuses for your cowardice. The Queen didn''t put you in that position in a whim. You are more than just a stupid noble who doesn''t know how to lead a legion. The Queen saw something in you. It is your job to find out" Those statements were like needles to Brent. He was probably the only noble a squire talked to this way. He chuckled. The boy made sense though. He wasn''t fond of listening to sense but the words were shoved down his throat. Brent rose and grabbed the bottle of wine from the Squire. He raised it above his mouth and savored the last remaining drops. "Follow me you sharp-tongued cunt" Brent said "I am not General Marvin. And hell no, I am not the King. I am Brent the stupid. And I will lead Goldentooth in my own stupid way." "What are you going to do sire?" Brent didn''t reply. He walked to the center of the camp. The fifth attack had ceased now. He unsheathed his sword and raised it high. "This sword belongs to my Grandfather" His voice was loud, drawing the attention of the soldiers. "He is an Earl just like my father and I. Now my Grandfather loved the habit of chopping heads of things with this sword. Heads of swines, heads of birds, heads of dogs. He is a troubled man" "Your Grandfather is a sick bastard sire!" One of the soldiers shouted followed by laughter from the rest. The camp became jolly despite the threat of the Wismarines. "Aye he''s a sick bastard that one. But we all have a sick bastard in all of us. Sarah Wismar is a sick bastard. King Harold is a sick bastard. You''ve seen how the man stutters" Scattered chuckles breezed through the listeners. Harold raised his hand "We are also sick bastards. You and I are. We are the sickest of bastards. You know why? Because we are fighting and dying for loyalty. A man dying for an intangible thing is sick bastard!" The laughter turned into nods now. Brent wasn''t good with speeches. But he was good with expressing himself. "I hate that I''m loyal to the Union. I despise it. I know you do too. But we are addicted to loyalty as if it is Basilisk Root. We are loyal lads, all of us. We can''t stop being loyal and we are sick bastards! Now we are in a bind here. Sarah Wismar means to destroy us all. She is slowly nipping at our forces and looking for a gap. Now I don''t want that crazed woman to laugh her ass in victory. We will show her why she shouldn''t deal with sick bastards like us. I need volunteers! We will drive our swords direct into their camp, slaughter as many war elephants as we could while our comrades escape. We will buy the rest of Goldentooth time, enough for them to reach safety" He was met with blinking eyes. The grins died. His request was unreasonable. The volunteers would have to sacrifice themselves to let the others escape. A few hours would be enough to let the rest gain a distance to safety. But who would accept to be one of the sacrificial lambs? No sane man would. But the Goldentooth legion wasn''t composed of sane men. No words were needed. It was silent yet half of the men moved and gathered their weapons. All of them knew that it must be done. It was a folly. But they were all fools. Brent gave his red cloak to a Prefect, transferring the Generalship. Tonight, he wasn''t a General. He was just like the others. He was a Castonian. The other half of Goldentooth began their escape. Brent held his spear firmly. He eyed the lights at the distance where the enemies were camping. "You are the most stupid General sire I have heard of sire" Brent heard his squire said. He was both surprised and sad seeing the lad. "You are probably right. This is the only thing that I know. The only thing that I''m sure of" Brent said with a low chuckle. The lad grinned back. In a moment they began their dash towards the enemy camp. Only death waited to their front. But the only way was forward. Brent knew that this night would be his end. But he was too sick of a bastard to care. 245 Flee The full plate armor felt different. Cald expected it to be heavier and bulky. But it wasn''t. He could move freely. Full plate gave the same comfort as mail but offered more protection. He was a Centurion now, Cald thought. Centurion Cald still didn''t feel right to the ears. He was but another grunt a few days ago, a Castonian one but a grunt nonetheless. He though he would die a grunt, not even tasting a higher position. But Lady Ash promoted him. The Castonians General Brent left were a leaderless bunch. He liked to think that his skills brought him this position, this honor. But it was probably his age. Cald marched in the middle of the night. A hundred Castonians followed behind. Forty-eighth Century of the Goldentooth Legion, too mouthful to say yet he felt pride. This was his own Century. His very own. The Forty-eighth''s job tonight was to guard the main gate while Lady Ash and King Harold escape. It was supposed to be a secret but everybody knew it wasn''t. There were spies everywhere, ears to listen, eyes to see and mouths to talk. The rebels should attack tonight. The main gate would soon flood with blood, Castonian blood and rebel blood- all red and horrible. "Halt!" Cald shouted after reaching the gate, a poor imitation of his own Centurion''s voice. The Forty-eighth Century halted in one crisp movement. Cald felt the pressure though tried to hide it. "Form up! Defensive Formation" The Century presented their weapons outward while forming a defensive line around the gate. A dozen went up the walls to assist the Cantonese allies. The wind blew, cold despite the season. Silence prevailed, a song too eerie. Cald could feel eyes around them, watching their every move. The plate felt heavy now. He was terrified. He had seen what hatred could do to a man. He had seen the barbarism that will befall their corpses if they die. This city hated them. He knew. And he feared. And soon enough a mob presented in front. In their hands were weapons of various type. Axes, sticks, knives, old swords, clubs. They were not here for a friendly talk. "Steady" Cald commanded calmly as the enemies approached. *** The shawl covered Ash''s face. Harold was the same. She knew that mere coverings couldn''t hide their identities. But if made her feel a little secured. The thin shawl was all she had to grasp on. A dozen guards surrounded her and Harold as they descended to the streets. They were all Castonians, she made sure of that. It was a sad thing- having more trust in foreign soldiers than their own. But that was the way things are now. She cannot trust even Harold''s royal guards. The wind was cold tonight. And it was silent. The laughter in the taverns and the scuffles in the street were nowhere. It was an open secret that she and Harold would flee tonight. The dozen guards were all prepared to defend, she knew. But what could a dozen men do when faced against a mob? They turned to an alley, dark but guarded by a squad of Castonians. Their steps were fast, scraping against the cobbles. She eyed Harold. He is afraid, she thought. Good. He at least know the danger. He might die tonight. Or she. Or both of them. Omniscient''s song, this is terrifying. The Castonians beckoned, leading them to the main gate. A dozen more joined their group after turning three alleys. A few of the newcomers were bloody. Some had wounds. "A mob overwhelmed Forty-ninth Century by the east gate" One of the Castonians reported, his face in grimace. "All dead?" Ash asked, trembling before the news. "Some. Of course not all. Castonians will not fall that easily. The rest are regrouping as we speak. Don''t worry Lady Ash, we will defend your escape" Forty-eighth Century defends the gate, Ash remembered. They were to stay and hold the gate open until she and Harold could escape. She made that survivor from Fort Fedri the Centurion of the Forty-eighth Century without thinking. The man was named Cald and he seemed reliable. But Ash now grew seeds of doubt regarding Cald''s abilities. More Castonians joined them in their trot towards the gate. She again looked at Harold. He wasn''t the best of monarchs. But Harold was kind and he''s all Canton have. He, at least, must live. *** Cald plucked his halberd from the stomach of his opponent. The tip hued red. Bits of flesh and guts tangled. He swung again, the blade part of the halberd sliced a rebel''s face. The man growled in pain. Mercy was his cry. Cald couldn''t afford to show mercy. He dealt the killing blow through a stab to the neck. Blood gushed when he retracted his weapon. A few of his men had fallen. A mob of probably a thousand surrounded them. The line was holding despite the punishment from the enemies. "Steady!" Cald shouted, his mouth spewing a mixture of blood, saliva and sweat. Above the gate, the Castonians were fighting a battle of their own. Corpses fell from above like reminders of death. "Steady" Cald again shouted, wheezing this time. A group of rebels dashed into a portion of the line, making a breach. Cald''s training kicked in. He rallied a handful of his reserves to plug the breach. An enemy''s sword met his breastplate, vibrating the metal. Sword against armor is spoon against rock. Useless, Cald thought as he jammed a dagger to the enemy''s throat. Another life, another death. The man clutched his throat and tried to breath. He fell to his knees and breathed his last. Cald slammed his elbow against another. He followed with the butt of this halberd. He missed and tumbled forward. In just a moment, three men leapt unto him. Their tried to find a gap in his armor, slamming their knives in random. "His visor! A blade to his visor" Cald heard one said. He paled as one of them aimed a blade towards a gap in his visor. At best he would lose an eye. At worst he would die. He wiggled but he can''t. Their restraint was strong.He couldn''t move. The three men soon fell limp from someone''s sword. A strong hand yanked Cald up. "They almost had you Centurion" Gerty said, smiling. Thank the Omniscient for Gerty, Cald screamed in silence. He panted the last of his fear. He almost died. That, like what Gerty said, was a close one. But he must ensure the survival of his Century. No time for pain. No time for worry. "Steady, they will be here soon. Steady. Defend the line" Their line grow smaller now. The enemies pushed them with vigor. They would hold the line until the end though Cald knew that the end is not too far. They were exhausted and battered. "We are being pushed back" Gerty said, eyeing the battle. "Yes" Gerty then pointed to the east. "They''re here!" It was really them. King Harold and Lady Ash were surrounded by a few Centuries of Castonians and at least a hundred Cantonese. It would soon be over. *** The Forty-eighth Century were fiercely defending when Ash and the rest arrived. The battle did not stop and only intensified when she and Harold went pass the gate. Along the way, Ash provided a nod towards the bloody and wounded Centurion of the Forty-eighth, her thanks to their sacrifice and courage. A jarring peace greeted them outside. They should have prepared horses but all the horse in the stables were poisoned by the locals. And so the long walk back to Heraldshome began. The Castonians poured out of the gate and made a retreating defense for several leagues until the enemies grew tired of chasing them. They inched back, holding the line for as long as possible. In the end they succeeded, somehow but with great losses. Only she and Harold were not bloody. Most of the Castonians and the Cantonese sported injuries, some light while others were life-threatening. "We are not safe yet" One of the Centurions said. Upon raising his visor, Ash recognized the man as Centurion Cald of the Forty-eighth. She felt relieved that he survived in the end. Ash looked around. There were less than five hundred of them left, maybe four including the Cantonese. Many have died inside Mythrille. She could only grimace at the though of the indignity their corpses will suffer. "You think they will attack us again?" "Until we reach Heraldshome or an ally host rescues us" said Centurion Cald. "Can we hold?" Ash asked, but it was more of a plea. Centurion Cald frowned and then sighed. "I don''t know" The answer made gave her angst. But it was the truth. She looked at the direction of Heraldshome. It would be a few days walk. "May the Omniscient save us all" She mumbled. 246 Sacrifice The summer son was frying the top of Ash''s hair. The soft strands were now crisp. The smooth flowing hair she once had, that of a noblewoman, had turned into a ragged mess. She didn''t care. There were things more important than her hair. Her throat was dry. Her body felt heavy. Her trudge dragged. She was beginning to hallucinate, seeing her father and her mother and some people she doesn''t even know. One time Ash saw the Queen and she blamed Ash for all that happened. It was just a product of her imagination. But it still hurt. Because it was true. They lost Mythrille. Eastern Canton had rebelled against them. Goldentooth legion was still out there and probably destroyed. It was a disaster of her doing- of her incompetence. Birds circled their group from above. Vultures probably, waiting for a corpse to gnaw at. It would not be long for the vultures to have their feast. Many of the Castonians were weakened by dehydration. They found a drinking hole earlier but the first man who drank from it collapsed after a few breaths and died thereafter. It was a tricky business dealing with the Wismarines. They poison everything. And then there were the guerrillas. Some rebels would just descend unto them all of a sudden and then retreat, leaving corpses in their wake. The rebels were too smart to invite a full battle. They knew that facing Castonians, even dehydrated, starving and exhausted Castonians, would be deadly. And so the attacks continued, nipping their group. The vultures were happy. The rebels were happy. They were dying. Harold pushed a canteen on her arm. It was dusty and filthy. The leather smells like sweat. "A f-few drops remain. Have it" Ash was tempted to have a taste of water again. Her tongue and her throat cried for a taste of moisture. She was dry and she was dying. She would probably collapse soon. But the few drops belonged to Harold. She needed it more than him but Harold was more important than her. The King of Canton dying would shake the alliance between Canton and the Union. She couldn''t let that happen. Ash pushed the canteen back. She shoved the neck into Harold''s grasp. "It''s filthy. I apologize but I cannot" "Oh" Harold bought her lie with a sigh. He then looked up thereafter. "But you need water. You are pale" "And so are the rest of us. I am alright. We will find water soon" The long march towards Heraldshome was still half done. It would take at least tomorrow to reach the city. But based on the state of the group, the slow pace of their trudge, it would probably take not less than two days. Already they lost dozens since their escape from Mythrille. They would lose hundreds in this journey. But not Harold. Ash had hidden a canteen full of water in case Harold need it. The sun went from one direction to the other. It passing the zenith was a huge relief. They had survived the hottest part of the day. They must survive it again tomorrow and the next day and the next after that until they reach safety. In the afternoon the clouds offered them shelter. Glory to the Omniscient for that. But then the rebels again assaulted the rear, a group of less than a hundred and yet the damage they caused was significant. Ash saw eight Castonians dead, laying in the sand. Two other Castonians were bleeding ugly wounds and were dying. One man had a broken leg. Some rebel hit him with an old mace. A Centurion went to the man who was leaning against a corpse of another. His grimace displayed his pain. "Can you walk?" The Centurion asked. "No sir" The man forced an answer. "Broken. It''s broken." The Centurion shook his head and clicked his tongue. "You know we cannot carry you. None of the brothers have strength to do so. You have a choice. One is to wait here until we come back. Pray to the Omniscient that the rebels won''t find you or else they would play with you and make you suffer before they slit your throat. They would then desecrate your body like what they did to the others. The second choice is..." The Centurion looked down and then directed his eyes on the broken legs "You know what it is" The Castonian nodded. Ash heard a long breath from him. And then there was this sadness on his eyes. This... realization. "I choose the second option sir. Long live the Union." His voice was calm. The Centurion looked back to Ash and then at the soldier. He drew his sword. It was dusty and yet the sharpness cannot be denied. The Centurion held the tip of the sword against the Castonian''s chest. "I''m sorry. You served the Union well brother" The Castonian nodded, stiff and with resolve. With a single hard press, the Centurion slid the blade into the Castonian''s chest. Blood was smeared on the blade after the Centurion retracted it. The Castonian stiffed his body as life slowly squeezed out of him. His hand was gripping the Centurion''s shoulder until it fell limp. "Let''s resume. Don''t fall behind. The less coherent we are, the more gaps they would find to do things like this again" The Centurion said after rising and cleaning his blade. The weary trudge towards Heraldshome continued, lonelier than before. The sun set soon after, a welcomed gift of respite. But with the downing sun comes the cold night. Ash felt that she was closing on her limit. She was a noble and fitness wasn''t her strong side. Soon she felt dizzy and fell. Harold caught her fall and the march came to a stop. She was laid on the cold sand. Several men ran to her aid. Her servant knelt to her and offered a canteen fat with water. Ash wanted to gulp that water in one go. She wanted to taste life again. But then she remembered that it was the same canteen she hid for Harold. "No" Ash said amidst cracked lips. She shoved the canteen away. "You n-need to drink. You w-will die" Harold said, supporting her head with his arms. Ash gathered moisture in her mouth and tried to talk but no sound escaped, only dry long grunts. She was dying. Harold took the canteen and gripped Ash''s jaw. He poured the water. No, Ash was screaming in her mind despite the sweet taste of life. The water was reserved for Harold. It was his. Canton needed a King. She, on the other hand, was just a noblewoman who failed many times. Harold must live. He was the key to an end to this conflict. She tried to reject the water but it flowed freely into her body. If felt good and bad at the same time. When it was over, the canteen was thin. Ash closed her eyes and felt a certain tranquility. It was already morning when Ash regained her consciousness. She was being carried by several Castonians. All of them had bent backs and tired eyes. And yet they smiled after seeing her awake. "Put me down" Ash said and soon her feet again felt the sand. It was the same sight as before. Many of them were missing now, probably dead. She looked for Harold and saw him just beside her. "How many more did we lose?" "More than a h-hundred. The a-attacks have become bolder in the night" Ash felt cold despite the warmth of the morning sun. A lot of them must have died of carrying her. She wanted to ask how many but did not to preserve her conscience. So much for equality, she thought. The Castonian yesterday died because nobody could carry him. And now she was carried all night. It was not fair. She couldn''t hold a sword or thrust a spear. She doesn''t even know how to fasten an armor. And yet veteran Castonians died for her sake. Canton needed more soldiers than nobles. She looked at Harold. He was pale. Harold gave her that water, she remembered. "You shouldn''t have done that" Ash said "I was saving that canteen for you" "I''m s-sorry but I can''t just watch you die" "I''m thankful. I really am. But Canton needs you more than it needs me" "And I n-need you more than I need to live" Harold''s answer surprised her a bit. Love was truly the death of logic. "Thank you" Ash just said. It was done. The water was in her stomach now. There was nothing they can do. Midday came like a storm. The heat was worse. The attack have become fiercer. And Harold fell. Ash tried to support Harold''s fall but she was too weak. Harold lay on the sand with the scorching sun above. He was dying, she knew. But she cannot do anything. It was a hopeless fight. "Riders!" One of the Castonians then shouted. It was over, Ash thought. The enemies had horses now. She watched as the riders approached, still clutching Harold on her lap. The Castonians and what remained of the Cantonese bared their weapons. But soon the Castonians stiffed their bodies and presented a salute. They parted to let the riders in. The riders trotted towards Ash. One of them dismounted. She looked up and saw a man, young and with a smile. His clothes were fine and a golden chain dangled across his chest. "You are Ash right?" The man was grinning. "Well Ash, this is such a damn sorry sight" 247 Mentor "How is your wife...sire" Ash drank the water offered to her by the Marquis. The table was filled with fresh steaming bread and apples. A flagon of sweet wine provided a lingering aroma in the air. "She''s back home with my mother. She is with my child. In a few months I will have a son or a daughter" "Congratulations..." "And yet.." The Marquis interrupted. His tone then degraded into an unfriendly one, warmth gone and sarcasm increased. "I am here, far from home." "I''m sorry" Ash said, looking around. "You sound anxious Ash" "No" A scattered chuckle sounded from her "Not anxious at all" There was a terrifying silence as Marquis Erik seemed to burn her with his stare. "Why didn''t you stop him Ash? Why did you let General Brent leave with Goldentooth" Marquis Erik leaned on his desk, fingers intertwined. "I did try to stop him. But General Brent has higher authority than me. I cannot just order him to stay" Ash said, small voice like a mouse trapped. The Marquis smiled, flashing his polished white teeth. "Let me repeat the question Lady Ash. Why did you not do everything to stop him? You knew that Goldentooth leaving Mythrille would result to this." "There was nothing I could do that time" "Oh? But I''ve heard that General Brent wasn''t a careful man. You could have sent some thug and broke his bones. He couldn''t have marched out with broken legs" "Treason!" Ash shouted and regretted it after. "You could have told the Queen about it and it is no treason anymore. General Brent should have been stopped at all cost." "But..." Ash tried to search for a reason but the realization of her shortcomings slapped her in the face. "I lacked will" She just said. "Yeah, a bad blunder. Now Goldentooth is out there, gritting to survive. We have no word about them. We don''t know if any of them still lives. A bad blunder like what I just said. But you did another mistake after that" Marquis Erik sighed deeply "Why didn''t you go to Cloudcliff? It''s the closest city" "The road to Cloudcliff is perilous. Rebels were everywhere." "You mean you didn''t plan for this. You knew that you and King Harold fleeing from Mythrille was a possibility. You had a month to prepare a safe rout from Mythrille and Cloudcliff. Bribes should have been given. You have the treasury of Vanadis as backing. You have the loyalty of Castonian soldiers. What stopped you?" "I wasn''t sure. I... maybe I didn''t plan enough. Maybe I was focused on defending Mythrille and it didn''t come into my mind that we would have to abandon it. I made a mistake. I did and now the situation in Eastern Canton is bad" "Bad?" Marquis Erik snorted. "Don''t play it low Ash. Bad doesn''t cover what we have right now. It''s a shitshow at the very least." "I''m sorry" Ash lowered her head. He then heard another sigh from Marquis Erik. A finger then flicked her nose. She looked up and the Marquis was smiling. "You should have a plan for any eventuality Ash" Marquis Erik''s voice was now kind "King Timothy had always been berating me about my plans. They are too complicated, he said. My plans are indeed complicated. I admit that. Have you heard of the battle of the forest where I delayed the Tulosans while King Timothy escaped?" Ash had even heard a song about it. Two in fact. She only remembers the tune now. The Battle of the Forest was the second military engagement during the Castonian-Tulosan War, second only to the Second Battle of Knightsend. Marquis Erik Connel who wasn''t a Marquis back then, delayed a larger Tulosan force, burning the forest in the end. "You did well in that one sire" Ash said "I am not an expert in the matter but that whole thing saved King Timothy back then" "Aye it did" Marquis Erik had a smile. "And it was pure luck" "Luck?" "Yes, you''ve heard it right. Luck. I was lucky. We were lucky. Of course I had a plan that time, a complicated one with many holes. What if the Tulosans found another crossing? What if they didn''t give chase? What if they were not stupid? A single thing not going our way could have ruined everything. I just got lucky that things went my way that time. And you are repeating my mistakes again" "I understand" Ash said "From now on I will prepare for the unexpected" "Let me test you then" Marquis Erik had a small smile. It widened into a grin. "What do you think we should do next. I have a legion with me and we have a Wismarine princess who wreaks havoc in the whole region." "We should march and retake Mythrille. We will defend it until the monarchs arrive" "A siege huh? That''s a poor answer. Let''s say we are sieging. You know, the usual stuff. Rams, ladders, catapults, deaths. We are minding our own business and then Sarah Wismar arrives at out back. We don''t have a wall to cower into. Dead Erik and dead Ash." "So we should go to Cloudcliff instead?" To that the Marquis provided a sigh. "I am glad you didn''t say that we should save Goldentooth. It is painful to say this but we can''t help them now. We don''t even know where they are or if they still breathe. Sarah would attack Cloudcliff. We need to help Tear defend it. Which brings us to two possibilities. The first is that we arrive there before Sarah and the second is that she outmarches us and Cloudcliff is already under siege by the time we arrive. What should we do in each of the possibilities?" "If we arrive there before she could" Ash voice trailed as her mind wandered. "We will..." "Ash" Marquis Erik shook his head "I lied. Two possibilities is a little hopeful. There are more than two possible outcomes. We could arrive there and Tear has already been pulverized by the rebels. Tear could betray us and side with the Wismarines instead. Tear could have fled from Cloudcliff just like what you did. There are thousands of possibilities. You need to remember that Ash" Ash''s heart clenched by her another failure. She nodded. "If there are thousands of possibilities, then we can''t plan for them all." "Smart girl. We can''t. But no matter how many tributaries a river has, they all lead to the ocean. We need to have a goal, an anchor to steady our ways. And you know what our goal is?" "Crush Sarah Wismar" Marquis Erik chuckled, loud and booming. "Come on. Be a little realistic. Crush her? No, no. We can''t. I can''t. Sarah Wismar is too dangerous a fish to catch. And so the only thing we can do, the only goal we can have, is to not lose" "Then what should we do?" "We will tail her" Marquis Erik rose, clanking the golden chain on his chest. He went to the side and just stared at the horizon "We will not attack, we will just stalk her army until the monarchs arrive. When she lays siege on Cloudcliff, we will just stay at a distance, letting her know that if she assaults the city we will attack her from behind. If she invites us to a battle, we will retreat like rabbits. We will be there, always, at her back. And watching, always watching for weakness. She can''t attack any city. She can''t cross rivers. She can''t do anything but watch us watch her. And when the King and the Queen finally arrives with the bulk of the legions, we will crush her" Ash fell into a deep thought. It could indeed work. Sarah Wismar had a large army by the looks of it. A large army is a sluggish one. She at least knew that. "I don''t know sire. I don''t understand half of what you just said" "You don''t need to understand. Military planning is not your field anyway. What I want you to understand is that we must think in order to survive. You and King Harold almost died because of a mistake. A mistake would mean death. Remember this in the future. The Union chose you" "The Union is stuck with me, you mean" "Same thing" The Marquis beckoned to her. "Would you come here for a bit?" Ash rose and went to the Marquis'' side. Marquis Erik pointed at the horizon to the east. "What do you see?" "Sand and the sky?" "Wismar" Marquis Erik corrected "Wismar extends for four hundred leagues that way. They have a huge population and a powerful army. Nonetheless the Union is going to crush them. The monarchs are going to take their capital, Malzan, and make their King bow. Now Ash" The Marquis paused. His eyes were sparkling. "would you want to be part of such greatness?" "Yes" Ash said, looking at the direction of Wismar "I would love to be" "Then follow my lead Ash. I will be be your mentor" 248 Woe to the Innocen A huge army camped around the Bacharan bridge. The tents were like stars in a cloudless night. The colors were diverse but the flag of Hadea, a chalice with a crown on top, was the prominent one. From the military fortifications built around the bridge and the way the camp was organized, it was apparent that King Corey wasn''t an amateur. A sea of trenches and tunnels were built between The Union''s legions and the Hadean army. A series of catapults, ballistae and towers were erected in strategic locations. Some portion of the trench had walls. Although he couldn''t see it, there were probably spikes, caltrops, pitfalls and other traps hidden in the winding trenches. The Hadeans had come prepared for this grit. They were well-informed too. Hellfire cannot burn what is hidden beneath ground. If Timothy ordered an assault then the towers, catapults, ballistae, traps and the trenches themselves would grind the legions bit by bit. After that they would have to face the bulk of the Hadeans. He grimaced and felt a tinge of annoyance at the Hadean King. Hadea had been lost. Only its capital city remained in the hands of the Hadean Royalty. The people they conquered now sang praises to the Union. King Corey should have the sense to surrender. But the King remained adamant. He was going to make the Union''s advance as painful as possible. And for what? For glory? For the laughs while he drank sweet Hadean wine? Useless. Timothy was on his horse in front of the sea of Castonians. They were four legions in all. Hardened, tested four legions of Castonians would burst through any fortifications. King Corey would be dead soon as well as thousands of Hadeans. The Long River would flow red. But Timothy had a better and less bloody way. It would reduce the casualties and make their advance faster but it would be sinister. Too sinister for his liking. "How many deaths would it take to take the bridge?" Lucia asked whose horse just trotted near him. "Three to four on our side in a direct assault. A little less than that if we employ some tricks. Would be bloody anyway" "I don''t want it to be bloody Tim" "I do too. Everyone does. Nobody wants a bloody outcome. Nobody indulges in death. That''s why we need him. We need his gift" "And his dagger if needed" "Yes" Timothy sighed "Dagger" The Castonian legions camped about half league from the trenches. Timothy ordered for it to be extra neat this time. A neat and orderly camp would intimidate the enemies. Towers and defensive earthworks were built, not inferior to the defenses of the Hadeans. Sentries were placed all over the camp. Hounds were taken from the kennels for sniffing out spies. Shadow was in front of him and Lucia was by his side. For his strange look and attire, Shadow was a bit shy. It was a jarring far cry from his first encounter with the man. Back then, Timothy''s heart raced like Tulosan steeds charging. "I haven''t been seeing you lately" Timothy said. "I was just occupied with work Your Majesty" "And good work" Lucia turned to him "His efforts had been useful in Inkit" "Indeed" Timothy nodded "You are a fine man Shadow. Loyal and with talent. But tell me, why are you going this far for us?" Shadow looked surprised by Timothy''s question. His lips curved and his eyebrows met. "Because you two are the Eternal Pair. Like my father, you have the gift of eternity. You will end the tyranny of my father and stop the cull" Shadow retreated into a slouch "After you are done with your own wars, that is." "So our gift is being born over and over again huh? That feels a bit weak" "Not weak King Timothy. Never. Your gift is wisdom, sharpened through eons. You also have information and knowledge regarding our world" "But we don''t" Lucia sweetly leaned on his shoulder "We don''t remember anything. Not a bit." "Soon you will" "Maybe" Timothy eyed Lucia. Whether Shadow was right or not, the way he sees her would never change. Even of they did betray each other in their past incarnation, it doesn''t matter. He swung his look at Shadow. "We have a mission for you" Shadow shifted on his seat and clutched his hat. "This is not an ordinary mission right?" He smiled, flashing his gold tooth. "Given, none of my missions were ordinary. But I feel that this one is more so." "Because it is not moral. W want to ask for your consent in this because you will suffer part of the guilt." Lucia said. "Not moral. Guilt." Shadow repeated as if mincing the words. "Let me hear it then" "We want you to abduct the Hadean Princess" Timothy revealed. Shadow looked up to him. "Given" Shadow paused a for a bit. "That is indeed not ordinary. Abducting a Princess would not be moral. But it is too shallow of a crime. Kidnappings happen all the time. I don''t see why you need to ask my consent." "Because abducting a Princess is actually the easiest part. We want to make her a hostage, a leverage to force the King to surrender. King Corey is known to love his daughter with all his heart." Lucia said and then hesitated to put into words the next part. "We are desperate. Eastern Canton is on fire. Sarah Wismar has returned. We need Hadea''s surrender as soon as possible. And so we will threaten to kill the Princess if King Corey doesn''t surrender" Timothy felt uneasy hearing the plan put into words. He wasn''t proud of it. Lucia wasn''t too. The Hadean Princess was innocent of this. And she could become a casualty. "That is... dark" Shadow said, eyeing the carpet. "It is dark. A less darker version of this is to assassinate King Corey but that wouldn''t work. Another would rise in his place. This is the fastest way to gain passage without losing thousands of lives." Lucia further explained. She glanced at Timothy. "We want you to make the decision whether you should do this or not. You are the only one who can pass into their lines unnoticed. But we don''t want to lose your support by the end of this. You see us as the perfect rulers, kind and moral. But we are not perfect. Far from it. The King and I have our faults." "If the Princess dies by our hand then we will encounter a fiercer resistance from the Hadeans" Shadow said. "That is why we need to keep this a secret. The Princess would just vanish as if she just ran into the night and we will give a secret letter to the King on what happened and what we want. Only the three of us and King Corey would know. Even the Generals would be blind about this. The Hadeans wouldn''t know and even if King Corey points the disappearance to us, he will not have a proof." "Would we really execute her if King Corey declines?" The question still remained without answer for Timothy. What would happen if King Corey refuses to lay down his arms? Would they really execute the Hadean Princess? Can they do it? But a threat without weight is a bad thing. "Maybe..." Timothy frowned "maybe a finger would be a warning. Or an ear. I''m not sure. But I think we will keep her alive. There was no point in killing her for real. But it is inevitable for her to suffer in the process." He met eyes with Shadow "Would you do it?" Shadow was silent for a long time. He shifted his crossed legs several times before finally talking. "My father once told me that the world is not a perfect place and would never become one even if we do everything in our power. He said that the imperfections are natural. When I first confirmed your identities, I was ecstatic. The two of you are fated to free my people and stop the cull. But I did not put an unreasonable expectation on you. I knew all along that dark and difficult choices like this must be done. I will go and I will not blame nor lose my confidence in you even if this turns bloody. Woe to the Hadean Princess." 249 Infiltration Darkness was his friend. It hid him. It protected him. It was part of him. Shadow blended with the night. The moon above provided difficulties to his abilities. But he was fine. He was night himself. The first obstacle were the sentries positioned like eagles behind the wall of wooden spikes pointed forward. The sentries were all armored with mails instead of the usual gambesons. Small plates protected their groin, chest and stomach. Their helms extended to cover most of the cheeks and foreheads. Many carried spear taller than a person. Some had crossbows already loaded with bolts. Lamps were hung for illumination for the whole length of the wall of spikes. It would be difficult getting over the spikes without being seen. Shadow searched the whole wall and saw a portion with a considerable length of darkness. It was about ten armspans long- a considerable length to employ his gift. After walking closer, Shadow discovered the reason for the lack of lamps from the sweet and familiar smell in the air. Hellfire, smuggled probably. Shadow reached to one of the spikes. It was damp with some slimy liquid. The ground below was oozing too. He grimaced upon realizing the terrible trap. One lamp was all it would take to burn this portion. Dozens of Castonians would burn crisp inside their armors at the very least. But for now the lack of illumination worked against the Hadeans. He stepped over the spikes, carefully evading the sharpened points. The guards didn''t even notice him. To them the spikes only shifted a little, a rattle by the wind. But if they did notice him, then his cane would have come in handy. From a few steps to the front the trench greeted him with another obstacle. It spread like a maze, extending for half a league. He stepped into it, falling on two feet. The ground was soft against his elkskin boots. Too soft, he noticed. The walls of dirt were two armspans apart and probably narrower and wider in some parts. He stepped three times until he felt the mushy ground. It was wet beyond belief. The sticky feeling reverberated through his leg. The smell wasn''t nice. He was sure that feces and urine were mixed with the mud along with other nasty things. He trudged and dragged mud with his new boots. Balance evaded him. Holding on the earth walls to the side didn''t help. He slipped eventually and hit the ground. His black coat turned brown. Mud splattered on his face while the stink filled his nose. He wasn''t worried about his muddy look or the mixed smell of urine, feces and mud. He was worried about the sound. The squelch was loud when he fell. And soon the sound of multiple boots marching against the mud thundered. Shadow looked to the front. The guards would soon come to check on the noise. He rose, pushing his hand on the mud and leaning against the earth wall. He blended with the shade as they arrived. The Hadeans were prepared. They bared their spears forward, slowly stepping with crouches. There were five of them and they all had the same drunk look in a Hadean- drowsy eyes, thin lips covered by meeting mustache and beard and stout necks. Shadow held his breath as they passed. One of the elbows almost brushed against his coat. He considered striking them with his cane but banished the thought. That would be stupid. He cannot survive against five armored and trained men. "Nothing''s here" said the one closest to Shadow. "But you heard it right? Sounded like a pig waddling in a pen" said the one in the middle. "Maybe it was a pig. Quartermaster''s swine. You know he''s a bit senile already." "Bah, let''s just go back. You are too scared of Castonians." The sentries soon left. Shadow breathed deeply. That was close. His gift wasn''t that powerful when it comes to fighting. He cannot make flames like Helios or turn into a bear like Bear. He again stepped on the mud. He slowed his steps until a solid ground was reached. The stench of urine and feces was tamer now. The ground was dry despite being soft. The trenches were a mess. He felt dizzy just by looking at the multiple crossroads and the hidden tunnels. The journey to the end was long and he encountered traps, blatant ones. His left boot once ate a caltrop. Good thing the spike penetrated in between of his toes. He almost fell into spiked holes twice. The first was because of stupidity. The second just bad luck. He also saw several passages wet with Hellfire. Once set afire, the flame would prevent the passage of Castonians while Hadean bolts rained from above. Nasty things these Hadeans are. At last Shadow reached the end of the trenches. A single wall of earth separated him from the rest of the Hadean camp. But not yet, he thought. He went to the side and waited for a Hadean to pass by. Three groups of Hadean sentries marched pass him before he spotted a single Hadean. The sentry was an aged man with similar mustache and beard. His beard was tied into a braid though. His eyes were sharp, looking at the front. But not vigilant. Shadow could see the Hadean''s inexperience. He stiffed his arm and swung his cane at the Hadean''s face. The Hadean grunted upon impact and staggered. Shadow pulled his dagger and thrust into the Hadean''s neck. He missed and was repaid by a jab to the stomach, a lucky hit. Pain rang across his body, melting his knees. His vision blurred for just a moment and the Hadean''s gauntlet was already flying towards his face. Shadow was flung back. He rolled in the mud. The Hadean pointed the spear towards him and thrust. Shadow was quick to evade. Or maybe it wasn''t his movements that saved him but rather his figure. The spear was stuck in the mud just beside him. "What are you?!" The Hadean demanded. Shadow didn''t answer and rose quickly. His figure was like smoke. He was one with the night. He jabbed his dagger at the Hadean. This time he didn''t miss. The blade bit deep into the man''s stomach. Shadow retracted the bloody dagger and stabbed again, this time at the Hadean''s throat. The Hadean tried to scream for help but Shadow cupped the man''s mouth. The screams were muffled. The dying sound was mute. The sentry soon stopped moving. Shadow was panting. He wiped the blood from his mouth. His lips were probably broken. But he had won. He lived, for now that is. Soon the sentry''s armor and clothes were his. It didn''t look good on him and he didn''t like it. The smell of sweat was strong. It was sticky and heavier than he was comfortable with. He buried his clothes along with the body of the sentry in a shallow hole. He stepped out of the trenches and walked towards the camp. It was smaller than from afar. Soggy tents were erected around a fenced portion where there were two huge tents. One colored dark blue while the other was yellow. The bridge was behind the big yellow tent not even a hundred paces. Beyond the bridge were some more fortifications. So they were not giving up the bridge at all cost? Shadow asked himself though he knew the answer already. If the trenches fall then the Hadeans could retreat to the other side of the river and defend the bridge with grit. They were committed to this. Shadow circled the camp. The river was his first destination. It was wide and deep but the banks were shallow. And then his eyes caught small two-person boats below the river. It was perfect. He thought that he would have some trouble in transporting the Princess. The King of Hadea must have prepared the boats as a way to escape once the trenches fall. Unfortunately for the King it would make Shadow''s life easier. He stepped towards to the yellow tent with a smile. He was a smoke to them, a hidden foe. As long as there was shade, he was an apparition. He went to the back of the tent where the lamps were few. He evaded the two guards stationed at the back. They were oblivious to his movements. He knelt and lifted the cloth. Soon he was inside. The smell of perfume immediately invaded his senses. It was sweet like cherry and had a tinge of roses. The inside was stuffed with expensive things. Jewelries were scattered on the table. A bottle of aromatic Hadean wine was left open. Shadow rose. The figure of a sleeping woman presented to his front. She was sleeping soundly. He snuffed the single lantern that illuminated the tent. The world became black. He cupped the dust from his pocket as he approached the woman. The dust was the last of Dream''s gift. It could make a person talk with someone in a dream. And it could also keep someone in a sleep for at least a few hours. Shadow knelt beside the bed. He blew the dust onto the Princess from his palm. The shining dust danced in the air, curling and curving, until it invaded the Princess''s nose. 250 The Princess and the Shadow White smoke hazed everywhere. Layfare couldn''t see well. It was like being in a thick fog. But not suffocating. Never suffocating. The smoke didn''t have smell as if it didn''t exist at all. As if the smoke was just inside her mind. To the front she saw a man in armor. His red cape was the color of Hadean wine. His helm was curved and ornamented with golden strings shaped like vine. His sword hung on his side, the handle was like a bottle. The man looked back to her, smiling a wide one. Layfare''s heart raced. It was him. She could never forget how he looked like. Never. His eyes were mellow, looking at her with affection as always. His hair was ruffled again though Layfare always advised him, harshly sometimes, to fix it. He always loved the ruffled look. Makes him feel like a lion, he said. His lips were the same red beauty Layfare had tasted many times before Oh how she longed for his kiss, for his affection, for his voice. "Neil!" Layfare called as she tugged her dress and ran. Neil turned turned his head again and continued walking away. Layfare tried to run after. She must see him. Even a moment, a glimpse, would settle her longing heart. She tripped several times on her long dress. It didn''t hurt. And even if it did, she was too occupied to think about it. "Neil! Wait for me. Don''t go. Please Don''t leave me again!" Layfare reached her hand, trying to hold Neil''s shoulder. Her hand passed the smoke, disturbing it. Neil''s figure vanished before her sight. Layfare fell to the ground. She sobbed. It was cruel. Too cruel. The smoke fled, eaten by the darkness, by the void. And then she heard water. The splashing was a lullaby to her ears, like the soft songs Neil used to sing to her. She opened her eyes. The light above told her of a morning. The week breeze told her of the outdoors. She was lying on something hard, different from the soft mattress she was accustomed to. She tried to move but restriction prevented her. Her eyes widened. She saw her hands tied. Her mouth was gagged by some cloth. Her feet... she saw a man in an armor with back facing her. There was dried blood was on the back part, the shape of a drip from the neck. He was rowing and they were in a small boat. She wiggled. She screamed though her tongue only met the arid taste of the cloth gag. "You are a sleeper" The man said, still presenting back against her. "Sun is halfway through the zenith" Finally he turned. His eyes were deep black. His jaws were strong-shaped. The strands of hair sticking from his helm were golden. He looked like one of those people from the north. He approached her, rocking the small boat. He undid the gag and threw the cloth to the side. "Don''t screa-" "Help!" Layfare screamed. "Help me!" The man wrinkled his forehead. "Stop screaming Miss. Save your strength." Layfare turned her head down. She looked for taints of blood on her nightgown. There was none except mud. She then looked for shreds in her dress. There were also none. She wiggled her thighs. Nothing hurt. Nevertheless she asked, "What did you do to me?" "I did not violate you if that''s what you are asking. I promise it in the name of the eternal pair. I just dragged you from your tent and put you in this boat. We are going downstream." "Dragged me from my tent?" She couldn''t believe she was hearing this. "How..." "I slipped in. Those two guards stationed at the back of your tent are now dead by the way. I apologize if they are your acquaintances." Those two were not her friends but the idea of their death still troubled her. "You are a spy from the Union?" "I am" "And...you are abducting me?" "That is so" Layfare grimaced upon the realization. She bet they would use her to force her father to surrender. It was a cheap move from them like always. "My father will look for me. He will send thousands of loyal Hadeans to rescue me. You will die" "Probably" "Then let''s make a deal. Death is certain if you continue this foolish act. Return me and I will grant you pardon. My father would even pay you. He is rich. He is the King of Hadea. You will have riches beyond your imagination. You will have lands. You will ascend to the rank of a noble and your children would become nobles. You seem a reasonable man. Accept my offer." The man smiled. Layfare discovered the golden incisor on the upper left of his mouth. "I decline" Layfare continued to sway the man for hours. In the end she discovered that his loyalty was unbreakable. She shifted to threats but his courage was also unbreakable. In the end she just scoured for information but the man''s lips were sealed now. His occasional answers were just short philosophical mumbling Layfare cared little about. It was midday when they moored to the bank. This part of the river was surrounded by tall forests on both sides. Towering trees hid the sunlight. The man pulled her up and carried her down the boat. He took his boots and dropped them in front of Layfare. "It stinks Miss. It''s a little soggy. But you should use it. The forest offers a variety of dangers to one''s feet." Layfare eyed the boots. It was a leather one, standard issue for the Hadean soldiers. The shaft was neither long nor short though it would look long on her small feet. The soles were wrinkly. And it smelled like what the man said. "I don''t want it" "You do want it. You just don''t know that you do. Come on miss. We should go." Layfare reluctantly put her feet inside the boots. It was slimy and warm. A damp sensation sent vibrations through her neck. She walked beside the man, tall canopies around. Her hands were tied though she could probably escape if she tried hard enough. "What is your name anyway?" The man eyed her as if considering his answer. "Call me Shadow" Layfare grinned. "That''s a strange name. Shadow. Too sinister. Well Shadow, you are going to lose your head soon. My father will behead you himself." "Maybe" Shadow shrugged. Somehow that kind of answering annoyed Layfare. She preferred Shadow to boast that he would never get captured. But Shadow acknowledged the danger of his mission. He knew that he could die in a horrible way and yet he still maintained his nerve. The courage disturbed Layfare deeply. A few hours of walking and she felt thankful of the slimy boots. Shadow''s feet had small cuts while hers were protected. She could probably outrun him. The rope had also become moist with her sweat. A single pull was all it would take. "Are all Castonians as brave as you?" Layfare asked. "I am not a Castonian. But as for your query, most are braver. They are a nation of courage. The lion is perfect as their symbol." "And yet you are dragging me to your monarchs. What? Have the Union ran out of courage? Why not do it the old way and attack the defenses my father has prepared?" "Hoping for a lesser number of deaths is not lack of courage. The monarchs of the Union hope that this war would end soon. This is nonsense. This war is a waste of time" The last statements made Layfare''s ears ring. She felt her face warm. "A waste of time" She said. "So those deaths were for nothing?" "Exactly. Useless" Something snapped inside Layfare. "What do you know about useless? What do you know of losses? Thousands of Hadeans had died and were buried in mass graves. And yet you say that they all died for nothing?" She rode her anger, searing and unstoppable. "Neil died to defend Hadea! He died fighting you brutes! And you say that he died for nothing?" "I don''t know who this Neil is but I think he should have stayed home" Layfare''s hand slipped from the rope and slapped Shadow. It rang loudly under the tall trees, echoes bouncing through the trunks. Her hand was shaking after the act. Shadow grunted. His face was thrown to the side a little. He then looked with bulging eyes at Layfare''s hands. Layfare realized it too. Her anger was quenched by the realization that she could now run. She could escape and return to the Hadean camp. She darted and Shadow gave chase. 251 Vines Shrubs, twigs and grasses brushed against Layfare''s legs, some inflicting cuts she cared nothing for now. The tall trees remained silent as she darted in a direction she chose on a whim. There were no paths. There were no trails either. All she could see are the thick ragged trunks scattered in random. Shadow was behind her, a mere dozen paces separated them. His hand was reaching forward like how darkness crept after sunset. He said nothing. Not a word, not a shout. Somehow that was more terrifying. What would he do to her if she got caught? Layfare doesn''t know. She doesn''t want to know either. She was short of breath now. Her every breathing was turning squeaky, emitting a long pitched sound akin to that of a dying old man. Her chest felt heavy as if a heavy object was pressing on it, sapping her strength and numbing her senses. The faint sunlight through the gaps of the trees above seemed distant- fading like a dream of long ago. She was weak, cold. Her arms were numb. Her legs were squishy. She fell and rolled until her head hit something hard. Everything danced in circles. Soon everything became dark. And then a dream, no, a memory. A sweet one on par with aged wine. She was on the vineyard of the palace. Vines were in straight pots, grapes ready for harvest hung under green leaves. The gaps between pots were carpeted with trimmed grass soft to the feet. The sweet smell was strong that day. She could almost taste the wind. Her feet were bare. Her toes wiggled in the grass. She was smiling that time, indulging in emotions now gone. Arms wrapped around from the back, hands intertwined on her belly. The grip was tight but not restricting. Something damp touched her neck, the sensation brought ecstasy. And then on her cheek. The last was on her lips. The severing of their lips allowed her a look on his face. His eyes were brown with a mix of dark, a common trait of Hadean nobles. His beard was clean, where she shaved him last night. He liked to keep it clean to show his perfect jaws, he often said. Layfare knew it as a lie. His jaw wasn''t perfect. It had a good shape but the side was too sharp to incur perfection. His clothes were a simple white tunic with loose sleeves and a dark trouser narrowing in the ankle. Comfort before style, he always told Layfare. A strange thing for a noble to say. But then again Neil was strange. He was unique. Special. And then another memory flashed. This one was a little hazy as if she was underwater. She could hear muffled sounds that grew by intensity and clarity. "I''ll be back in a few weeks" She heard Neil''s voice. She couldn''t mistake it. It was Neil. The haze cleared and she was in a room. The orange glow of the setting sun through the open windows bit a feeling of longing in her. Neil was standing by the window, leaning against the brick wall. In front of him was a woman sitting on the bed. She had an unnatural paleness in her. A silver tiara sat on her unkempt her, topping the curls, barely holding. The white of her eyes were red, swollen around. She was her. "They say that I''ll have veterans to lead" Neil flashed a smile though it appeared insincere. "And we will be led by General Horis. Great man. Good command of soldiers. They say General Horis..." "Don''t go" The woman glanced up a bit and resumed her stare at the floor. Neil sat beside, kissing her head and wrapping one arm around her waist. "I must go. For your father. For Hadea. For my family. And for you." "You don''t really mean that. You attempt a lie yet I know you more that you know yourself. You don''t want to go." "I don''t" Neil rubbed his face with both hands. A long sigh followed. "I am afraid. They are Castonians, Omniscient''s will be dammed. I want to stay here with you. But what choice do I have? My family will be stripped of its noble status if I stay here while representatives of other families are out there fighting. I don''t want my family to suffer because of my cowardice" "You lie again. You know I can plea with my father to give an exemption to you" A long silence breezed as Neil stared at the setting sun. "If you do that then your family will be the one to suffer. Nobles will murmur about how you gave favoritism." "I don''t care" "But I do" Neil''s voice was soft. "I do. I treasure you. I don''t want to be the cause of your downfall." The woman had bit her lips as a single tear fell. She rose, wiping the wetness of her eyes. "Fine then. Do what you want. I don''t care about all of this anymore" No! Layfare wanted to scream at the woman. Don''t say that you idiot! You don''t mean that. Embrace him. Kiss him. Don''t let him go. Please I beg you! This will be the last time you will see each other again. Layfare choked on her words. Her chest burned as her eyes soured. She was an idiot. She should have done something that day. She should have gone to her father despite his protest. Her indecisiveness killed Neil. She opened her eyes. Darkness blanketed the night, peeking through gaps in the canopy. The leaves below felt like mattresses though prickly. Her head rested on some soft wood. Her ears caught the loud crackling of fire. The smell of burning meat rumbled her stomach. "Who is Neil?" Shadow asked, squatting near the fire where a skewered squirrel was cooking. Shadow''s armor was all gone, leaving a muddy shirt. Layfare forced to sit though her head ached badly. She grimaced until she found a position of comfort. "My cat" "So your cat is a noble who prefers thin shirts and loose trousers?" "How!?" She regretted that impulse after pain surged through her skull. "No outbursts. Your injury is bad. Your jaw is not broken though I think your face will remain swollen for a few days" "How did you know about Neil?" Layfare endured the pain. "Remnants of dust. The dust I gave to you last night didn''t take effect at once. The remnants gave you a second dream. As the giver, i saw it." "What are you talking about?" "Does it matter? What matters is Neil." Shadow offered her a squirrel morsel. Pride told her to decline but hunger won in the end. She took the stick and started eating. It was burnt, chewy and bland. "Care to talk about him? As apology for what I said earlier, I will listen to you" Shadow said. Layfare glared at Shadow. She didn''t hate him though there was something about Shadow that irked her. But the thought of releasing her emotions was an enticing one. The food needed gratitude too. "Neil" She said after a while. "Neil was my lover. He was a nobleman, a low noble. He courted me after we met during my eighteenth nameday. He is the purest, kindest person that I know" Neil''s face flashed before her memory, drawing tears. "Neil was sent to war against you. He didn''t want to go. He was not a soldier, he was a sweet man who loves to paint. About two months ago Neil went to a battle in Canton. They were defending a bridge or something like that. They say..." She couldn''t finish it. It was too painful. "Battle of Serino Bridge" Shadow said. "I was there. A portion of Cantonese delayed the Union''s legions in a bridge while the others escape. The Rooster caved through them. A few surrendered though. Maybe..." "He''s dead. When you returned the corpses, his was included." Layfare sniffed and wiped the last of her tears. "It was a sad thing" Shadow said. "But my opinion remains. This war is useless. The blunt truth is that Neil died without purpose" "I know. I like to pretend that his death somehow changed something but it didn''t. I lost Neil for nothing" Layfare kept her stare at the fire. The squirrel was now but bones. "I don''t have hatred towards your King and Queen nor do I have a need for vengeance. I know how this war began and I know its Hadea''s fault. I just feel powerless. Most of us do." "You know Princess, I''m starting to like you. That is bad because if I like you then the King and the Queen would also like you. I just hope they would get over their guilt if something would need to happen to you" "That is a bleak outcome. I sure hope things won''t go that far. Or better, I escape" "Don''t hope on it" Shadow said. "We have gone off course but riders will fetch us tomorrow. Rest well Princess. Gain your strength and recover. You''ll need it" 252 Thrown Logic The raging summer desecrated the earth, leaving dust and pollen hanging in the air. The forest was behind Layfare and Shadow, the last tree offering shelter before a vast scorched plain met them with a sorrowful journey. Fortunately Shadow assured her that horsemen would come. This was apparently the meeting place they had decided upon. She heaved her worries away though her bleak fate still remained. Water, food and horses would be a good respite. She shifted her tied hands, testing if yesterday''s event could be recreated. The ropes bit deep in her wrist though. Shadow must have learned his mistakes yesterday. Her eyes then turned towards Shadow''s feet, unplanned and accidental. She grimaced upon seeing the state of it. The wounds were like crevices, ugly and split. Some looked like vugs still wet with pus. It wasn''t my fault, she tried to convince herself. Shadow was the one who captured her and Shadow was the one who chased despite being barefooted. She just shrugged, avoiding to look at the carnage on Shadow''s feet though a pinch of guilt remained. The horsemen soon arrived, galloping in their armored horses and waving the flag of Vanadis with glee. The Pelican waved in the air as if flying. Eighteen, Layfare counted. Their armors were different from the Castonians'' black mail topped with plates. Theirs were azure segmented plates over gambeson. Unlike the Castonians who loved their halberds, the Vanadians had simple spears shafted with some dark wood. Their trots ended a few paced in front of her. The front man dismounted, giving a swift salute to Shadow. "I am not an officer" Shadow protested. "You are of high rank compared to us Sir Shadow" Layfette frowned upon hearing that. It seemed his name was truly Shadow. The Vanadian eyed her, nose wrinkled and eyebrows raised. "I don''t know what you''re doing Sir Shadow but the Queen told me that this is urgent. I won''t ask for details but you better dress her nicely if you are going to present her to the Queen" Layfette felt a tinge of insult in that. She had been abducted from her sleep. She was transported down the river through a creaky and flooding small boat. She trudged in a forest. She ran and hit her face against a rock. Of course she would look like this. They soon mounted. She shared a horse with Shadow, an unthinkable act for a lady. Instead of gripping on Shadow, she just let her arms limp to the side. The only good thing was the saddle. It was soft and the leather was gripping. It was near midday when they arrived at the Union''s camp. It was large. The outer walls were reinforced with spiked moats towering walls. The palisades themselves were a man''s length five times over. Towers stood every hundred paces, equipped with ballistae. A hundred leagues to the front was the Hadean camp- safety. The trenches extended long and wide bringing headaches to anyone who looked. She had seen her father''s men build the defenses for a month. She knew how tough it was and how difficult it would be for a breach to happen. But she knew, somehow, that the Castonians would break their defenses anyway. They entered the camp through a wooden gate which also served as a bridge to the moat when lowered. Two guards stood erect on both sides of the gate with their bodies stiffed, almost not breathing. Their eyes were fixed at the distance though Layfare doesn''t see what they were looking at. The whole camp was arranged in a square with four main roads from each sides meeting at the center. The center was occupied by a large tent with walls of its own. The towering the flags were those of Vanadis and Castonia displayed at equal length. The soldiers were all busy doing something. Some were repairing defenses. Others were occupied with cooking some good-smelling broth. A single group though, Vanadians by the look of their armor, were building catapults from planks. "Don''t stare while they work" Shadow mumbled. "Vanadian engineers are shy when it comes to building things. They probably fear condemnation if their computations are wrong" "And the Castonians? Are they shy too?" "Er, no. Just don''t talk bad about His Majesty. Especially the Rooster lads. Never do that." She nodded, not caring if Shadow felt it. Maybe her silence would tell him. She was too tired to ask or to heave worry. If she dies by the end of this then at least she could see Neil again. They reached the large tent at the middle after a while. Now that she had a closer look, the tent was further reinforced with another spiked moat. Guards wearing blue full plates and capes stood with vigilance. There were hundreds of them, the famous Royal Guards of the Union. Tales talk of a giant riding a bear among the Royal Guards. Layfare dismissed it as mere rumors. A giant riding a bear would be ridiculous. Talks of bored... Layfare''s jaw dropped after her eye caught a large burly man in an equally large set of Royal Guard armor riding a bear with spikes. The man halted near them, eyeing Layfare with contempt. "Who is she?" "A secret Mister Abraham" Shadow looked down. "Bear" "A secret? You are bringing a foreign girl into the royal tent." Shadow glanced back to her and gifted a wink "He''s a little overprotective." He faced the large man. "Just take away all our weapons and escort us personally. That will prove sufficient right?" Layfare felt bare when the Royal Guards patted her. It was humiliating though she knew that it was a necessity. They didn''t recover weapons though. Shadow, on the other hand, had a dagger and a cane. She didn''t know where that cane came from. The tent was comfy as they entered with the large man. The carpet was gentle, warm and patterned with pretty designs. The familiar scent of perfumed beeswax candle wandered into her nose, cherry was the flavor if she wasn''t mistaken. She looked to the side. Stacks of paper were on top of a table, a woman with a crown sat behind. Her golden hair curled down to her lower back, braided beautifully. Through those blue eyes she studied Layfare, scanning her for every inch of information. "You can go now Abraham" said a soft male voice. Layfare turned her look for the voice. For the first time, Layfate saw the King of Castonia. Timothy Castonia, The Great Lion, Father of the Union. She had heard too many talks about King Timothy, elevating her perception of him. His deep dark eyes were like those of a falcon, always aware, always looking. His face was youthful, a painful reminder of Neil. He was dressed in a fine silk buttoned shirt of grey shade. His pants reached up to the ankles, loose yet somehow stylish. A dagger hung on his belt with a curved hilt laden with gems. The large guard offered a bow and left her and Shadow with the monarchs. Shadow immediately gave his salutations, a devotion somehow rivaling that of the giant Royal Guard. It wasn''t just loyalty though. No, Layfare had seen the looks of loyalty. It was something else. It was... faith. "I see you succeeded" King Timothy said then lowered a look at Shadow''s feet. "And I see she has given you quite a trouble." "I did Your Majesty" Layfare stole their attention. "I apologize for that" "No, we should be the one apologizing" The Queen said, eyes cast down. "I can justify what we did and what we might do with a thousand reasons but I won''t. I will simply apologize for this. You know what might happen right?" "I might be killed by you if my father refuses to surrender." "You seem unmoved" The Queen said, more of a question. "Oh I am daunted. But what can I do? It is what it is. I am your hostage already" "She is smart and pragmatic. I like her" The Queen looked at her husband. "Sadly" The King said. "Will your liking be enough to make you set me free?" "Unfortunately, no" "Then I will die here. My father is too proud to give up his kingdom to you" King Timothy stepped closer to the Queen. "You are correct, your father refused our demands." She felt terror. She was going to die. If her father refused even after the threat, then the monarchs would need to make it clear that they meant their threats. It also pained her that her father would rather choose Hadea over her. "He refused?" Layfare asked, head lowered. "Well I am surprised but fatherly love has bounds" To her words the King chuckled. "Oh how wrong you are." He was shaking his head. "Your father is so enraged by what happened that he''s attacking as we speak." "Impossible!" She shouted. "Abandoning his position, the trench he built for a month?" The King smiled and shrugged. "You might be surprised what a father would do. They would throw logic away sometimes for the sake of their children. Trust me, I know" 253 Senseless Blood "They will be slaughtered!" Layfare brazened a shout at King Timothy. Shadow was quick to hold her down. "They will be. Instead of us attacking your position, they will attack our fortifications. If they can''t win in a pitched battle, they can''t win against fortified Castonians. The Hadean host will bleed badly" "You... you are killing them! For what? For nothing. They will die senseless deaths!" "I gave you the chance to surrender! I gave you the chance to end this war with us" King Timothy''s voice was thunder, shaking Layfare''s body. She could see the anger on the King''s face, the fury. She could feel the disappointment, the pain. The Queen was quick to console the King. She embraced him with one arm and whispered something in his ears. The young King''s expression turned tamer. "You have lost. All of Hadea is under the control of the Union except for your capital. Senseless deaths? I despise senseless deaths. I abhor seeing people die for nothing and your father is sending people to their deaths for nothing. A two-pronged attack will hit this camp from the north and from the east. Your father leads the attackers from the north while some General named Horis is leading the attack from the east. Now we will give you a chance to lessen the casualties." "How?" The last statement drew both confusion and interest in Layfare. Lessening the casualties, preventing more Hadeans from dying senselessly like Neil was an outcome she desired. The Hadeans needed to go back home to their families and live. This war was lost like what King Timothy said. The resistance her father was doing, although valiant, would not change anything. Hadea would fall and become a subject of the Union no matter what they do. "You are the Princess of Hadea. You have authority second only to your father. Isn''t that right?" "That is correct." "And the group of Hadeans in the east is led by a General. You have higher authority compared to him" "You don''t mean...." "Yes we mean exactly that" The King was smiling now, shallow yet true. "Command them to stand down. Tell them to surrender. You outrank General Horis." "That is true but" Layfare''s anxious chuckle was discorded. "I... I mean General Horis. You don''t know him. He is..." "Tough, violent, hungry for power, prideful?" The Queen said. "We know. His squire told us. The other spies also told us of this behavior. Now Princess Layfare, we are gambling in this plan. You could order them to join the attack. You could flee, leave the half of the Hadeans under your father, and fight another day. You can do these things. We don''t know you too well. We don''t trust you yet. But we are hoping that you have sense to see that surrendering will be the best course of action. It''s not a matter of whether you can do it, but rather whether you will do it." Layfare fell in silence. Ordering the surrender of the Hadeans would bring her shame. Some would mock her for a traitor. Her father would probably hate her. And although she knew that they had lost the war against the Union, she still had the pride of a Hadean. But no more, she told herself. Too many people had died for nothing. Neil died for nothing. She remembered the sorrow she felt that day she found out about what happened to Neil. Everything felt unreal that time. It still haunted her up to this day and the pain would haunt her for the rest of her life. Many more Hadeans would experience that sorrow if they continue this nonsense. "I will. I know you don''t trust me but I will take command of the Hadean army from the east and order a surrender. Omniscient give me strength." "Good then. If you are successful, then you would have saved half of the Hadean army already. Now the only problem is the ones your father is leading personally. You cannot use your authority to order your father to lay down his arms. But I am still hoping that you could convince him somehow" King Timothy said. It would be difficult. Her father was prideful, more prideful than General Horis. She would try nonetheless. "May the Omniscient guide my words. My the Omniscient prevent blood from wetting the land." "Indeed" King Timothy said. "You should go. Shadow and a few riders will accompany you. With haste Princess, with haste." *** Corey was on his horse, a white steed built for a charge. His crown sat proudly on top of his dark hair. His sword was on his hip, sheathed for now. Behind him were three thousand riders and five thousand infantry. His face was still warm. His frown was still deep. His anger was still burning. He tugged the reins of his steed like how a taskmaster would grip his whip. He would bloody his hands with that of King Timothy. He aspired to do just that. The anonymous letter he received last night boiled his blood. He had been searching for Layfare since the other day, sending a thousand of his riders to scour the field. And then he just found out that the enemies had his daughter. It was a cheap move, cowardly. He immediately had the forty sentries that night executed and took half his army on a march to the north. They would hit the Union''s camp while Horis attacks from the east. It would be bloody. It would incur deaths, piles of corpses. But the enemies had tested his limit by abducting his daughter. The Union''s camp was visible now. The palisades were high. The moats were wide and probably deep. There were sentries everywhere and the land was too ragged and sloped for a rush. It would be a tough fight and he could lose. But there was no stopping now. The gate of the Union''s camp facing them swung open. Riders, thousands of them in glinting armor and long spears sallied out. Corey was daunted a little. They couldn''t possibly see his host. They were still at least a league from the camp and lush vegetation and trees covered his approach. That was the reason why he chose to attack from this direction. The riders trotted towards them. Not a charge, not an assault, but a simple trot. Corey ordered a halt. The spearmen presented a wall of spears to the riders. Corey''s cavalry were put on alert. They had been discovered. The plan, which was a simultaneous assault with Horis'' men, was now useless. As the riders neared, Corey changed his mind. Defending against them would be foolish and would waste time. Layfare needed him. His daughter was probably being abused right now. She cannot wait for caution. Corey raised his hand. The ring embedded with a ruby, the symbol of the Hadean royalty, presented a red hue. At the drop of his hand his cavalry charged. The field was dusted by the kicks of their horses. The wind spoke of their cry for blood. Three thousand horses formed in a wedge, charging with a shout of fury. At the front was Corey. He aimed his spear, murder was his wish, rage was his thought. Castonian corpses, Vanadian copses, he will make those things today. The enemy cavalry retreated. Cowards, Corey thought. Cowards, he insisted. The charge wasn''t severed. They chased. "Faster!" Corey shouted though his voice was lost in the sound of a thousand hooves tapping against the powdered soil. The chase went for long. The enemy cavalry were swift. They went around and around, a mockery of sorts, until they retreated inside their fortified camp. The Hadean cavalry followed but the gate was already closed. His blood boiled again, this time steaming through his flushed face. His hand was sweating. His body trembled. Cowards. Face me cowards. Deal me a battle. And then neighs of horses slapped the silence. Their lines were flattened by long bolts of ballistae. In a single blink dozens of his cavalry were bleeding on the ground. Some dead, the others also dead but later. A single bolt whizzed pass Corey, brushing against the head of his horse and then falling beside. He gritted his teeth. "Retreat!" He shouted. The Hadean cavalry ran back in haste to the the infantry. Several more were cut down by the barrage of the enemies during the retreat. They reached their infantry with broken spirits. His cavalry was now exhausted. His infantry was shaken. But Corey still eyed the enemy camp with the same rage, unshaken by fear. Layfare was inside that camp. His daughter was their prisoner. He must pulverize them and get his daughter back even if it costs him everything he have. Horis'' men were still idle. There hadn''t been movement in their direction. Corey cast a contemptuous look to the east. Maybe Horis betrayed him. Maybe they all have fled. Something must have happened to them. It doesn''t matter. Nothing else matters except Layfare. He raised his hand again despite the fearful look of his men. "Attack!" He shouted. 254 Defeat and Victory Twenty riders accompanied Layfare. One of them was Shadow, now dressed in a new but weird attire. Tall dark hat with black coat. He prefered a cane rather than a sword. It was his last pair, Shadow told Layfare whatever that meant. It doesn''t matter. They were but twenty riders, riding to the Hadean camp where thousands were prepared to sortie. There were bigger problems than Shadow''s weird clothes. They zagged through the front of the trench. The two men at the front, Vanadians, carried poles tipped with a white cloth. Not that a symbol of peace would prevent the Hadeans from loosing bolts of death upon them. But it was a start. It was all they had. Immediately they were stopped by a hundred angry Hadeans baring steel-tipped spears. They erupted from the portion of the trench they were hiding from. More soldiers popped their heads from the trenches, looking at them with arms prepared to strike. "We come in peace!" Shouted Shadow as the Hadeans neared. The plea somehow eased the Hadeans but the tension remained. Layfare could now see crossbowmen taking aims. "Stop!" She shouted before it turned ugly and bloody. "Do not advance further" "Princess Layfare?" One of the spearmen recognized her amidst bulging eyes. "Is that you? Is that really you? "I want to speak with General Horis" Layfare said through cracking voice. The Spearmen looked at one another. Some lowered their spears. "You heard her" One of them, a man wearing the armor and symbol of a Centurion, shouted with a wave. Layfare heaved a sigh. Bloodshed was prevented. At least for now. In a few moments General Horis arrived mounted on his horse. His armor was just a bit short of being full plate. His helm had a crest of golden horsehair. His aging saggy face peeked through his visor. "Unhand her!" General Horis shouted to the Castonians and Vanadians. The spearmen again drew near and raised their weapons. "No! I am safe." Layfare slid off her horse. She was halfway between the two sides "I... They didn''t hurt me." "Good then" General Horis eyed the twenty riders. "I thank you for bringing her back here safe. The King has been worried." He looked at his men. "Take the Princess and kill them all." Time seemed to slow as two Hadeans rushed to her side. The crossbowmen raised their crossbows, aiming for the kill. She looked back at Shadow and the rest. They were scared, she could see that. But in just a moment, they seemed to accept their end. End. Deaths. Senseless deaths. What would killing them accomplish? They would die like Neil did. And the Union would annihilate every single one of the Hadeans if the riders and Shadow were killed. She sprang and sprinted towards Shadow, putting herself in front of him. Three bolts had already been loosed, one finding the neck of a horse, the animal neighing to its death. She closed her eyes and awaited more bolts. None followed. "Princess!" She heard General Horis shout "Get away" Layfare looked around. The Hadeans were shaking at the thought that she was nearly hit. They might not be as strong as the Castonians but their loyalty rivaled. She eyed Shadow, the man who abducted her. Somehow she was glad that he did. He provided a single nod. Layfare took a step forward. She pointed at a spearman, the frontmost one. "Who do you serve?" She asked. The man looked around and then back at Layfare. "Hadea, Your Highness" "Then you serve me. Lay down your arms" She didn''t let the man utter a reply and immediately adressed the others. "These people are my guests. Don''t dare point your weapons at them" She took another step and met eyes with the General. His jaws were dropping. "Now General, by virtue of my rank I am taking command of all your men. And I order you to surrender." *** Arrows fell like rain in a bad storm, some fallin g useless while others hitting men to their deaths. The dead now littered the ground, the dying calling for help. "Climb!" Corey shouted at his men scaling the ladders. The enemies flung stones and hot sand from above, killing some of the scalers. Some got through only to be cut down by the defenders. Corpses fell left and right. "Ram it hard!" He shouted as he turned to the rammers. They had been ramming the gate for a long time now. It didn''t break. It didn''t even bulge. The enemies hurled something large and heavy, killing the eight rammers and dropping the ram. It doesn''t matter. More Hadeans were willing to pick the ram again. The assault would continue. He looked above, to the calm Castonians defending the wooden walls of their camp. They barely bled at all. Well it was a foolish assault anyway. The Castonians outnumbered them. They only brought about twenty ladders and two rams. The only consolation was that the Castonians seemed to limit their use of ballistae and hellfire. The arrows also seemed to avoid Corey himself. A crack sounded. Corey looked to the side. A ladder broke. The three scalers on it fell and were gifted arrows. "We should retreat sire" a brave Canturion whispered to him. "We cannot make a breach and even if we could, the Castonians outnumber us." Corey''s ear rang hearing that. He cuffed the Centurion. "Retreat you say?! We will not go back unless I have my daughter! We will tear their walls with our hands if we have to. We will ram our heads against their gate if we have to. Nod if you understand!" The Centurion nodded slowly and Corey released the man. The assault taxed them heavily. Casualties piled. After a while all the ladders had either been destroyed or taken by the enemies. The ramming continued although it resulted poorly, only a few splinters were broken from the gate. Corey''s army was stuck in the killing field. Retreat would save them from annihilation but he will have none of that. Layfare was waiting for him. His daughter was in peril. He will get her back. He gripped his sword tighter and started hacking the wooden pallisades. His buffeted it with all his strength. The stakes incurred cuts and chops but his action did more damage to his sword. The blade was bent and Corey was panting. And yet his anger still burned. The arrows stopped raining. It felt like sunlight after a viscious storm. His men, who were cowering earlier, popped their heads, curious as to what caused the enemies to give them respite. Corey was curious too. And he he heard a march. The slow rythmic pounding of boots against the ground shook the sandy soil. He looked at the distance, to the east. Hadeans. The flag was that of Hadea. He rejoiced, mumbling some low grunt of celebration. "Reinforcements! General Horis is here!" He shouted. His men yelled cries. Friends. Allies. The assault would resume. But the one riding at the front wasn''t Horis. Corey couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw his daughter. It was her. He couldn''t be mistaken. "Lay!" Corey ran towards his daughter. She dismounted and met him with an embrace. "You''re safe, thank the Omniscient. Where have you been? The enemies. The letter...No matter. Time shouldn''t be wasted. Go back to the camp. I will make them pay. I promise. Your father vows it" Corey then saw that the men that Layfare brought didn''t have weapons. They didn''t even have armor. He creased his brows. "What..." "I came here to surrender" Layfare said. "You should too father. We have lost." "Lay" Corey''s chuckle was scattered until he realized what happened. "Please" Layfare looked down. "Enough. I don''t want more deaths. We have bled enough" Corey shook his head. "No" he uttered. He looked back. The King of Castonia was on top of the wall, looking at them. Corey hated that look. He despised it beyond words. He again gripped the hilt of his sword, harder this time. He wanted to slay that arrogant King with his own two hands. He wanted to make him pay for all the losses Hadea had suffered. His pride and anger wouldn''t be quenched. But as he looked at his daughter, he didn''t saw Layfare at all. That little girl he wanted to protect with all his being was gone. Layfare had grown into someone who can think on her own. She didn''t want more deaths. Corey had seen how devastated she was when that lowly noble boy died. He didn''t want it repeated. Seeing that painful cry from her was too much. Layfare''s wish was peace. And as a father it was his duty to make her happy- even at the cost of his crown and pride. Corey raised his sword, pointing at the King of Castonia. He threw it to the side. The blade hit the powdery ground. Hadea had lost the war. 255 Madman A damp warm wind blew from the east, rattling the flaps of the pavilion. The breeze was slow yet powerful, creeping like a predator. It didn''t alleviate the cruel summer heat though. Lucia adjusted her hair. It was tied up, exposing her bare neck. She still felt discomforted by the heat. Wearing a thinner dress came into her mind though she found the idea stale. She was a Queen now. She had an image to maintain. If tradition required her to bear the heat through the thick gowns and dresses she wore then she must comply. Comfort was readily available. In the form of Timothy, she naughtilly added a thought. But reputation would take a great effort to maintain. She eyed the King in front of her. Not her husband but King Corey of Hadea. His beard was full, extending down to his collar. It was gray just like the ragged hair that tumbled down to his neck. His face was still smudged by blood. Princess Layfare was beside her father. She was pretty, commoners'' standards that is. But she was nothing special in nobles'' standards. That swollen face didn''t help either. "So..." Timothy said, smile radiant as ever. "We are here" "Yes we are" King Corey said, tone stripped of warmth. "Hostilities seemed to have abated between us. It is time for words to flow instead of blood" "Spare me of your indirect mumbles" "Oh?" Timothy raised an eyebrow. "Then let me put it this way. Your soldiers are scattered. Your capital will soon be ours. Your crown will become useless, one that is in name only. We have crushed you" King Corey''s face flushed red in a moment. His lips quivered so much that Abraham took a step closer to the table. "See? Truth pangs. We use indirect words to dull the pain." Timothy said. "Very well" Princess Layfare said, putting her hand on her father''s back "Hostilities shall cease though a price must be paid. Name your demands sire" That last word drew a glare from King Corey. Lucia didn''t mind. He was a bitter man. Bitter men do bitter things and give bitter looks. She grabbed the bottle brimming with sweet Hadean wine, already tasted by their poison guards. She slushed it in its container and filled Timothy''s cup but poured only a small amount in hers. She couldn''t get into the taste of wine even now. "Loyalty" Lucia said. "I say loyalty seems a vague demand" The Princess replied. "And I say that I wasn''t finished yet you interrupted me" Layfare retreated into a slump. "Apologies" "Accepted" Lucia slid the bottle towards the Hadeans though both refused to touch it. "Financial tribute is a good start. Although Vanadis is quite insulted by this demand. We hold our treasury in high regard. So five hundred gold coins every month will suffice." "You have offered similar terms with Inkit. Do you mean to offer similar demands overall too?" King Corey asked. "Unfortunately the part about the financial tribute will be the end of the similarities. The first major demand we have is for you to demilitarize" "Demilitarize? You mean disband all our armies?" "All except royal guards and peace-keeping units. In exchange the Union will have three permanent bases here in Hadea to ensure your safety. You will feed them and assist in their supplies" "Your demand is akin to swine filth. Hadeans will not stand for this!" King Corey said. "But they do" Timothy said. "Well in time they would. If you do not agree then we should just incorporate your nation into ours. Bad for both sides as we do not desire to rule over this drunken land" "We accept. Permanent bases. Good" Princess Layfare said despite the frown of her father. Lucia immediately went to their second demand. "A royal marriage sounds good too. The Princess should marry either my brother Arthur or the King''s brother William. Of course with the consent of both sides." "I accept. Your brother sounds a nice choice" King Corey said although it was Layfare Lucia was looking at. She didn''t mind the King and just stared at the Princess. "I need to meet them first." "That''s good enough. William Castonia is still in Vanadis but he will join us soon. There is no rush. We want this to be organic. We desire a good bond with Hadea." Lucia drank what little wine she poured in her cup. Just like what she thought, she didn''t like it. "The third demand we have is to take Princess Layfare with us. We will educate her in the ideals of the Union" "I cannot betray you while you have my daughter. You mean to have her as hostage" King Corey said. "I prefer we don''t say bare truths. We will educate her, that is true" Timothy said. "Kill me now" King Corey''s voice bellowed. Abraham again stepped forward. "You are going to Wismar! You will be surrounded by enemies. No. I cannot have it. I cannot risk it. My daughter will go home with me or we will resume war" "I will go" Layfare said. "No" "I need to go father. I don''t want to go back to the palace. Not yet. Some memories are still painful to bear. Please." King Corey''s frown softened. A sigh followed. He glared at Lucia. "If my daughter is harmed, Hadea will rise again" "She will not be harmed. She will come back with wisdom" Timothy said and rose after. Lucia followed. "Now this was rather productive." He held out his hand. "May our partnership last" King Corey eyed Timothy''s hand for a moment. He reached towards it, slowly and with reluctance, and then grabbed. "Hadea is yours sire" *** Few days later, Near the City of Saibu "I know Ash, I know" Erik eyed the map. There were scribbled and marks detailing the movement of location of Sarah Wismar''s army in accordance with the scouts'' report. "I am not the Omniscient alright? I cannot know everything" "I didn''t say anything" "But you implied it with the way you are looking at me" Erik severed his hands from the table and approached his mentee. "I don''t know why she is retreating" The lanterns flickered and the tent dimmed. He heard a small cough from King Harold. The King was staring at him, gauging and with a frown. Alright you stutterer, Erik thought bitterly. I''m not going to steal her from you. "T-then what is y-your best guest Marquis Erik? Shine us with y-your wisdom" asked King Harold. Challenging my wits huh? Erik again thought. Omniscient''s word, I''m having a child in a few moons already. I have a wife back home. This is not a competition between us. "A jest of Sarah maybe?" Erik shrugged. "An insult?" Sarah Wismar had four times their combined numbers yet she refused to lay siege on Cloudcliff. Instead she retreated to Wismar, leaving a chaotic and rebellious Eastern Canton behind. Erik chased her with the remnants of Goldentooth, Roar, Apple and a few thousand of King Harold''s men. Last week, with the permission from Timothy, he crossed the border to Wismar. "Maybe she was hurt by the suicidal attack of General Brent?" Ash asked. Erik shut his eyes. General Brent and half of Goldentooth perished in a- as what Ash said- suicidal attack. It was the most devastating defeat of the Union to date though it saved half of Goldentooth. "Maybe. Not impossible. But we cannot bet on it" Erik said as he again looked at the map. Is she really weak or is she just trying to appear weak? Questions with unknown answers, Erik thought. If he dallies and loses the opportunity then Sarah Wismar could come back stronger. But it was a trap and he bit on it, then he just doomed fourteen thousand of his own men. "Sire?" Ash suddenly gained Erik''s attention and meekly handed him a rolled paper. King Harold coughed again. Shut up! She''s yours alright? He voiced nothing but gave a glare. "What is this?" "I... a letter. I was going to give it to you but you were already frowning hard when I entered." The seal was Timothy''s and not the seal Timothy shares with Lucia. It meant a strategy plan. Erik sighed deeply. Although the wax wasn''t red, Ash should have given it to him immediately. He unrolled it and read. Soon his lips curved into a wide grin. "Damn it Tim" He uttered. "You are a madman" 256 Under the Rock "In a few days, Roar, Steelsword and Dawn will catch up to us. Fifteen thousand men will be added to our command. That will raise our numbers to nearly thrity thousand. A great host. Although Sarah still outnumbers us, we cannot get wiped out in a single defeat. These three additional legions will help us greatly" Erik said to King Harold and Ash. "And why would they give us command of the three legions?" Ash asked. "Rooster" King Harold said. "It is n-not among the legions y-you mentioned" Finally some semblance of intelligence from him, Erik thought. He was worried that King Harold was just a sack of jealous meat that talks stutters. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "King Timothy will personally take command of the Rooster. He will go straight to Kotara" Both Ash and King Corey''s eyes widened. "Kotara" Ash said. "It is way behind enemy lines." "And also houses most of the Wismarine Navy" Erik added. "Capture it and you decimate their navy. Without their navy and with Kotara under the Union, we could send the Vanadian legions here through the sea. Timothy is a madman I tell you" Ash blinked a few times and then frowned. "They will have to go through Sarah Wismar''s army before they could threaten Kotara" "That''s why we are to distract Sarah Wismar. We will prevent her from reinforcing Kotara" "That sounds difficult" "It is. But King Timothy knows what he is doing. He is smarter than me and I am smarter than you. But if this works" Erik smiled. "Then half of Wismar will be ours." *** Lake Tanin shone in a radiance unmatched. The water was sparkling. It was calm like a mother''s lullaby. Caves of huge rocks lined the shore, hidding beaches made of sand as white as ground Spachi leaves and fine as Ven plant powder. Lucia''s feet were buried in the sand up to her ankles. "Beautiful" Lucia said, cocking her head towards Timothy. "Yes. Lake Tanin is one of the Omniscient''s wonders." He looked at her, smiling a mischievous one. "Like you" "Stop flirting with me. We are already married." Lucia chuckled. "More reason to not stop" Timothy voice was a cool breeze. His eyes were sincere as he held her hand. "More reason to court you." Her face flushed despite her protests. Timothy loved making her heart flutter with words. Lucia looked back, scouring for a change of topic. Her face must have looked ridiculous based on Timothy''s satisfied smirk. She would surely repay him next time for this. "The horses..." She said. "Can they make this journey?" "Ah, avoiding your defeat again." She reached to him to pinch his cheek but Timothy caught her hand and pulled her into his chest. She could smell his lovely scent, that scent so familiar. She relished on it. "Let''s go somewhere" Timothy said. "Where?" "I don''t know. Somewhere." He looked at the lake. "It is more beautiful than Greenwater bay. Erik would be pissed if he sees this" He laughed and turned his eyes back to her. "We should get wet" "We are in the middle of Wismar and you want a swim?" Lucia grinned and shook her head. "I am clutching my wife in front of a beautiful scenery. The summer is scorching and I want a lone time with you. Of course I want a swim" "And what about the Rooster?" "They will manage. We are stuck here until the scouts return anyway" Lucia huddled closer. She tiptoed, closing her lips to Timothy''s right ear. "And where exactly do you intend to bring me?" "Somewhere where nobody could see us. Where we could be alone" He turned his head. "Abraham!" The giant guard jogged along with Bear. Lucia didn''t mind Bear. The two were inseparable. Timothy took his crown and gave it to Abraham. Lucia also did the same. "The Queen and I will have a little jaunt. Do not follow us" Abraham opened his mouth but closed it again. He just nodded. Lucia giggled like a child as Timothy pulled her hand towards the lake. The water was cool. The sand was tender. Timothy smile was mesmerizing as they splashed. The lake grew deeper after a few steps. They swam, drenching her one-piece white dress and Timothy''s shirt and trousers. She was better swimmer of course. Growing up in Holm helped cement that skill. Timothy was slow though he could still swim- or float- or whatever he was doing with that awkward waddling. Even with his struggles Timothy managed to lead her into one of the stone caves that protruded like eggshells. The particular rock they went to was a yellowish limestone the size of a commoner''s house. It was shaped like an deep alcove with smaller rocks scattered inside. Lucia rose from the water. The breeze rattled her body with cold. She shivered, crossing her arms. Timothy gave her an embrace with arms around her chest. "What are you doing?" "Sharing heat" "Sharing your the wetness of your clothes you mean" "Well your loss" He let her go and sat on a nearby rock, pouting. His hair was wet and messy. People view this man with awe. Some even worship him. Others fear him. But the King of Castonia looked like a normal person to her. He was her husband. He was Timothy. She sat on the same rock and unbuttoned Timothy''s shirt. "Do not sprout any wrong ideas. Wearing wet clothes is not a healthy practice." "You have told me dozens of times not to have wrong ideas though what you really intend was that wrong idea I had. It all ended the same" "Not this time. I only want your well-being" Lucia set Timothy''s shirt aside on top of another rock. He was bare and she could see that scar on his chest he incurred that time he got hit by a spear. She brushed her finger on it, feeling the scab. "Considering the same logic then I should also undress you" Lucia looked up and Timothy was smiling now. It was dangerous already when he starts to smile. "I shall do it myself and you will close your eyes Your Majesty" "But I have seen everything" He bent closer "I have touched everything" Lucia''s jaw dropped a little. A giggle then followed. Timothy pulled her closer and soon was craddling her. "No Tim. You said we would only swim and look at the scenery" Lucia said though it was probably hypocritical as she was helping Timothy undress herself. Soon she was naked and on Timothy''s lap. Timothy bit her lips and then made the next moves. Lucia was powerless. Or rather she neither had the strength nor the reason to stop. They made love. Under the rock cave. In a Wismarine lake. It was a strange location yet why would she care about strangeness? They ended with her still on Timothy''s lap. She lost this time. Timothy lasted longer while she was spent. And he still had the drive, evidenced by the thing that was poking her thigh. A short rest would suffice, Lucia thought as she leaned her head on Timothy''s chest. Later they could continue and... She blushed. What had happen to her? No, it was Timothy''s fault for showing her the secrets of life. "This is not so bad" Timothy suddenly said with his eyes fixed on the horizon where the blue waters meet the blue sky. Lucia nodded. "What if we leave? Swim to the other side and start anew where nobody knows us?" "That would be great" Lucia said. "And Abraham would drain the entire lake just to search for us" Timothy chuckled. "But" She breathed and savored the air. "It would be a good life. No more worries. No more fear of assassins. No more sleepless nights planning and agonizing over problems." "Theo and Alice" "What?" "Theo and Alice" Timothy said. "The names we used when we first met Abraham. We will become merchants of some kind and travel around the world." Timothy looked down. "A dream of mine is to sit on top of the great pyramid throne of Malzan. But I would give that up for a safe and peaceful life with you" "Then what stops us from fleeing and taking new identities?" Timothy shrugged. "Responsibility I guess." "And Theo and Alice?" "Will never come into being. Sadly we cannot hop into a wagon and just go on a trip around the world. We are not Theo and Alice. You are Lucia Vanadis and I am Timothy Castonia. We cannot change that" Lucia stared at the water. It was beautiful. Responsibility, she thought. It is a prison, a chain that restricts desires. But withouth it everything would be in chaos. The only reward for responsibility is fame and prestige. "We should stay here for a while" She said, giving her most radiant smile. In truth she was just afraid to take up the responsibility again. At least under this rock there were no burdens, no worries. Under the rock they were Theo and Alice. 257 Twelve Minds Fifteen thousand men soon arrived in Erik''s camp. Three legions, hardened by Timothy''s many exploits in Canton. Unlike his Apple, these legions had bled and gritted some losses already. They were probably the most experienced soldiers in the world. Well no, Erik mused. Those in Rooster were the most experienced. And now Rooster was dashing towards Kotara, all on horseback. They would arrive in the Pearl of the South in a few days. Erik would have to delay Sarah Wismar for at least a week to ensure a smooth siege of Kotara. The three legions settled in the camp, doubling its size. Since Eastern Canton was still belligerent, their supply lines there was fragile and only supported by a series of small fortifications. Erik wasn''t worried that the Eastern Cantonese would again attack forts though. Without Sarah Wismar they don''t have the capability to do so. Also without the unifying effect of Sarah Wismar, Eastern Canton had descended into chaos. Local leaders vied for power. The whole region had become a barbaric civil war torn place with nobles battling each day. Erik had even heard that Mythrille burned the other week. Thousands were ash now. Serves them right, Erik thought. Although retribution would come after they have dealt with Sarah Wismar, the main punishment for Eastern Canton was the withdrawal of the Union''s help. No matter how hard they plea, nobody would help them. The assembly of leaders had grown now. Twelve people were inside Erik''s tent. The six Generals of the Castonian legions, two Prefects of the Cantonese army, Ash, King Harold the Stutterer, the Hadean Princess named Layfare and Erik- all of them were seated around the cramped table. A bottle of Hadean wine was served although Erik was afraid to open it. General Hoover was already eyeing the bottle. "So" He turned to the Hadean Princess, the new face. "I''m surprised that your father allowed you to come here. He is rather famous for being protective of his daughter." "He had some... reluctance sire" Princess Layfare said. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I think reluctance is too weak of a word to describe your father''s reaction" Erik smiled. He remembered Timothy telling him in a letter that King Corey threatened war if his daughter incurs even a scratch. Someone cleared his throat and Erik knew who it was. General Hoover was grinning at him. "I think the Princess is thirsty sire" General Hoover glanced at the wine. "The summer season is at its peak. Sweat trickles down our foreheads. Our throats are dry" Damn you, Erik glared. He regretted presenting a bottle from one of his collections. He gestured and soon General Hoover was indulging in his wine. "We are here to plan, not to drink ourselves to sleep" General Bourgis wasn''t even blinking. His eyes swiveled towards Hoover. "We are in the presence of Marquis Erik of Greenwater. Have some dignity" "Dignity for Angel''s Wings" Hoover shrugged. "Good trade" "Hoover!" "It''s alright" Erik said although his heart ached looking at the depleted bottle. "Let''s just begin. All of you already know what is happening right?" "Rooster will go directly to Kotara while we hold Sarah Wismar''s army here." Said General Tref, the one in-charge of Apple legion. "The gist of it, yes. But do you know why?" He looked at Ash. You better know. Omniscient''s will, please show you''ve at least learned something from me. Erik bit his lips. Ash stumbled on her words. "Kotara is... it is the second largest city of Wismar, dubbed as Pearl of the South. Most of the Wismarine navy is anchored there. Capturing it would capture their ships, give us morale and prestige and open the gate for the Vanadian legions to disembark." Erik smiled, satisfied.He turned to the other people around the table. "If we capture Kotara then Prince William Castonia could transport the five Vanadian legions he trained in Holm. He also has a few companies of mercenaries, good and loyal ones. The man was once a mercenary captain after all. Now, transporting the Vanadian legions is their main problem. We have bit too deep into the enemy''s lands that our supply lines are getting fragile. We need to capture the Pearl of the South. But that is the King''s problem. Leave that to him. Our problem is holding Sarah here. Any ideas?" "We should attack her in force. We need to punish her for what she did to Goldentooth and General Brent" General Bourgis said. General Keef, the new General of the remnants of Goldentooth, nodded to that. Erik saw the fire in General Keef''s eyes. "Punish?" Erik asked, one brow raised. "You throw around that word as if it is just jam you can spread on a bread. It is honey, General. We need to get stung a thousand times and risk our lives just to get a whiff of it. We need to be cautious. Sarah Wismar is not just a local tramp you can swindle for discounts. Well of course she is a tramp but she is one with an army twice our size and a brain to match it." "We should first hide the fact that Rooster is missing. Spread false news about where they are" Ash said. "Good thought" Erik nodded to that. He turned to General Bourgis. "What did you tell the men regarding the whereabouts of the Rooster legion?" "Nothing" General Bourgis said. "Ah nothing yet. Now there are of course spies lurking in our camp. They would soon be asking soon enough where Rooster is. What should we tell them?" "That the King and the Queen went home for safety" One of King Harold''s prefects said. "Too shallow. They went home after they captured Hadea? Sarah Wismar would know that as a lie" Erik said. "I h-have an idea" the stuttering King said. "They w-went to Levan to forge an alliance" "And if her spies in Levan told her otherwise?" King Harold opened his mouth but slumped after. Nobody uttered a word until the Hadean Princess glanced at Erik. "You have an idea" "Well, yes but.." "Tell us" "We should just remain silent about it. If the men ask then we don''t answer." Princess Layfare said. Erik smiled. "Now there''s someone who uses brain. True. We should remain silent about it. Now many people would wonder about the whereabouts of the monarchs and the Rooster legion. We simply won''t give answers. Listen here all of you" Erik shifted on his seat. "You all need to understand the kind of enemy we are facing. Regard her with danger for she is danger. Fear her because she is to be feared. We can''t lie to Sarah and expect her to believe it. We should stay silent. The fewer words we utter, the fewer clues we give to her" "She would soon realize" General Hoover said, putting the empty bottle down. Erik shook his head. "She would. Our job is to delay that realization" "How?" "By giving her a distraction. And what better distraction there is than a battle?" Everyone''s faces had frowns after Erik said that. Silence filled the tent. "She has t-twice our number. She has elephants" King Harold said. "Indeed" "W-we would lose" "We would" Erik agreed with a nod. "We will just keep our losses to a minimum" "You told me that we would just follow her around, not inviting or accepting a battle" Ash said, eyes still staring at the table. "And you told me earlier that a direct assault would be foolish" General Bourgis said. Erik looked at Ash. "Sometimes we must be flexible." He turned to General Bourgis. "What you suggested earlier was a direct assault. I don''t want a direct assault. I want her to attack us. We would choose the field, erect fortifications and defend" "And how can we make her attack us?" Ash asked. "How? By doing what King Timothy is doing right now. We will march directly towards Kotara. Sarah Wismar cannot let that happen and so she will attack us. Or if she is cautious she will just block our advance. Either way we could keep her busy" Silence again. It was broken when General Bourgis balled his hand on his chest. "The monarchs chose you to lead us and we follow. May the Omniscient give us victory" "Not victory" General Hoover said. "A tender defeat" He also saluted. Every person in the tent followed. The last one was Ash. "Lead the way sire" She said. Erik rose, his chair ruffling the carpet. "Now friends" He scanned them all with his eyes. "Raise the tents and prepare for a defeat" 258 The Deser It was blurry. Colors mixed and figures were vague. But Seymore could still see clearly- she needed to see. It was the image of a lion. Well, probably. She thought it was based on its golden fur and ragged mane. It was confirmed to be a lion when it roared. The other image was that of the Pelican. The beaks were large and long and the wings were wide. The pelican was perched on top of the lion, freely spreading its wings like a predator of its own. Everything bowed as the two passed. The trees bent. The grasses curved. The stone pillars crumbled. The wine flagon broke. The horses neighed respect. But the serpent was proud. It coiled and hissed as it faced the two. Its body was large- larger than the lion. It presented its fangs, long and dripping with venom. The two sides met and the battle was legendary. The land shook. In the end the lion had both ears cut while the pelican lost one of its wings. The serpent had long gashes everywhere. But when the two sides were finally meeting in a final clash, everything went dark. Strange. Seymore''s visions never included total darkness before. And then another strange thing happened- she saw another vision. Seymore was familiar with this one. She had been seeing this vision for years now, never actually knowing what it meant. There was a person in a mask, sitting above a tall throne. People bowed. People worshiped. But there was something different this time. Her other visions would just end with just the image of the masked man. This time though, the masked man on the throne opened its two hands and presented its palms. On the left palm there sat a lion and on the right palm there was a pelican. And the two vanished, crumbling into glowing silvers dust. Seymore woke up gasping for air. Her eyes quivered in their sockets. She needed to inform the monarchs of the Union. Now she was certain that the Union and the impostor would inevitable cross paths. *** "Impostor huh?" Timothy asked, holding the rolled paper in his hand. It was one of the last letters they received before cutting all communications from their allies. He steered his horse closer to Lucia. "Pelican and lion too. I''m sure that refers to Vanadis and Castonia" Timothy nodded. Above him the sun scorched. The clouds offered no respite. They were crossing the Desert of Monsters, a wide desert that separated southern Wismar from the north. The name was actually an overstatement. There were no monsters here, only belligerent tribes that never actually submitted to the Wismarine rule. Though crossing the desert was a dangerous move, he was confident that the Rooster could defend against the tribes. "A long gashing wound for the serpent, cut ears for the lion and missing wing for the pelican. That sounds awful" Lucia said. "Losses are natural in war. We had lost half of Goldentooth legion already. Maybe the lion''s cut ears refer to that." "And the pelican''s missing wing?" "I don''t know" Timothy shrugged. "We better be careful and not let mere visions terrify us. But another question is which side won in the end? It all cut to darkness she said" "Neither?" Lucia offered a smile. "Nobody wins in war." "Ah quite a philosopher you are. But nobody truly does" There was silence as a gust blew to their direction, scattering sand on their faces. Timothy wiped his face with some cloth. This desert was lifeless and the wind was strangely strong. Good thing that their crossing would be over soon. The scouts reported that they were halfway through. "Tim?" Lucia said, eyeing him. "Have I told you the story why the pelican is Vanadis'' sigil?" "You haven''t. Though I presume that it''s because of a pelican''s symbolism. Large mouth and wide wings- it is both a symbol of wealth and control over the seas." Lucia shook her head in an amused smile. "My great grandfather, Fredic Vanadis, had a pelican pet." Timothy''s eyes bulged and chuckled after. "You mean there is a pelican in the flag of Vanadis because your great grandfather treasured his pet?" "Yes and Vanad was the pelican''s name if my memory serves. That''s where Vanadis came from" Timothy almost choked in that. "I can''t believe it" "I also couldn''t when my father told me about the story. The wealthiest nation in the world based upon a pet. But it is an amusing story isn''t it?" "It is" Timothy''s chuckles died now. "One that has lessons. Your great grandfather founded a dynasty and put influences of his beloved pet in its flag and name. He must have enjoyed that, the little things. We must enjoy the little things too. Yes we are fighting the largest war both our nations have ever faced. And yes we would probably lose our lives if we lose. Not to mention millions of Castonians, Vanadians, Tulosans, Inkish, Hadeans and Cantonese being enslaved to the Wismarines. The stakes are high, higher than the two of us imagined before we started this. But I think we should rest easy sometimes. Enjoy the little things like how your great grandfather enjoyed the thought of subtly etching his pet in the annals of history." "Enjoy the little things" Lucia repeated. "Let''s play Crown and Country tonight. We don''t have the boards and pieces but we can have a few of the men to scour us some stones." "I''ve never won against you in that one." "I''ll have three of my towers removed as handicap" "Oh?" Timothy leaned closer. Their horses were touching now. "But I don''t need a handicap to win. Tonight will be different" "You have lost forty-eight times in a row. Allow me to offer you mercy" "A tower. That''s the maximum handicap my pride could take" He sighed, looking forward to spending lone time with her. "And I''ll have some lamb roasted tonight. The stars should also be visible based on the weather. We should stare at the sky until our eyes drowses to sleep. Little things right?" Lucia smiled at that and nodded. A horn sounded. Three quick blares indicated an attack. Timothy looked at Lucia and then at Abraham "Defend her" He galloped toward the front line. The Rooster was placed on alert and followed the protocol. The men at the front dismounted and bared their weapons forward- unmoving and stern. Crossbowmen loaded their weapons in the middle of the formation. Those who were still on their horses switched their weapons to lances. Only fools would risk fighting against the Rooster now. Only dead men would try their luck. "What happened?" Timothy halted his horse, flinging sand around. "Men sire. Tribes" A scout reported. His face was grimed with dust and sand. "At least a hundred and all armed" It was a small force, one that the Rooster would trample in one go. But he cannot risk it. This was their territory. They knew this place. Ambushes would be effective here. "How far?" "Quarter of a league south." "That close?" The scout lowered his head- shamed, Timothy guessed. "I apologize sire. I truly do." Timothy kept silent and waited. There was tension in the air. Nobody moved. It was too silent that he could hear their breathing. Other scouts also came back with the same reports. There were desert tribesmen bearing stone-tipped spears coming to their direction. Two hundred, one of the scouts reported. They were unarmored and their lines were undisciplined, the reports revealed. Still, Timothy didn''t want to leave his defensive stance. After a while figures appeared from afar. Their walks were slow. They were not charging. "Steady!" He shouted thought the Rooster had no need for it. They were steady and firm. The tribesmen approached and halted just a hundred paces. They wore thin clothes dirtied by the sand and dust. Most of them were large men with tattooed bodies. One of them, an old man with a cane instead of a spear, had tattoos all over his body. The number of tattoos probably equaled to seniority, Timothy guessed. "You are Timothy Castonia?" The elder asked him with an accent so thick Timothy barely understood it. "I am" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The old man nodded. "And is Lucia Vanadis with you too?" Timothy hesitated in answering that question. Should he reveal that Lucia was with him in this dangerous journey? In the end he decided to tell the truth. "She is. I demand to know your purpose. Speak now or we will annihilate you" The old man showed a smile to that. "Annihilate. Yes, you can. One charge and my men would buckle. Fortunately we are not here to fight. I request that you come with us Your Majesty." The old man turned around without giving a reason. Timothy wasn''t a fool to just accept a request like that without reason. He was about to refuse when the old man uttered something that made his heart miss a beat. "Ashkara awaits you" 259 Stories The village of the desert tribe was larger than Timothy thought. Huts made of bircks sprawled in a circular formation, almost a spiral with a large wooden building in the middle. A small oasis was nearby, a lake no larger than a palace. Domesticated beasts grazed in what little patch of grass the oasis provides. Timothy ordered a camp to be raised as soon as they reached the village. It was almost dark with the orange sun hanging by the horizon. The five thousand men of the Rooster seemed to double the size of the village. "The oasis is open for your men to replenish their waterskins." The village elder said. His name was Cohir. Cohir''s old wrinkly skin was tanned, further blackened by the tattoos he wore. His cane was a simple stick branch worn down by age. "Your hospitality is appreciated but you know we can''t" Cohir looked at him, blinked a few times, and opened his mouth slowly. "Of course. As expected of you. Poison is a trade we Wismarines are famous for. Or infamous. A shame those Ironpeople tainted our name so much" "Ironpeople?" Lucia asked. "Yes, Queen. Here in the desert we call those who dwell inside stone walls and wear iron armor as Ironpeople. They are powerful. But they never conquered us" "There was no reason to conquer you in the first place. Pardon my tongue but I think Wismar didn''t just want to bother with the desert." "True, true. We can''t offer anything of value. Except one thing. That is what we offer you." "Oh?" Lucia asked, raising her delicate eyebrows. "What is this thing then?" "Truth" The Cohir said. "We offer truth. And stories. Truth is like the oasis. It keeps memories alive. But our truth, our oasis, has been ignored. The Ironpeople would rather drink muddled lies than our fresh truth." "Your analogy is quite wrong. The ones you refer to as Ironpeople think that they have the truth. Why should we believe that your stories are the truth?" Timothy asked. "You don''t have to believe. You just have to listen. Let me show you" Cohir began walking toward the center of the village where the wooden building was. Timothy followed with Lucia, some of the royal guards and Shadow. The village was different from the usual Wismarine. The huts were simple instead of having intricate conical roofs. The air was also free of incense. The villagers had the same looks as a usual Wismarine but they were somehow tamer. "You told us that Ashkara awaits. What does that mean? Your winged God is waiting for us?" Lucia asked. "Oh he is not our God, Queen." Timothy met eyes with Lucia upon hearing that one. Strange. It was strange for a Wismarine to not have divine devotion toward Ashkara. "What is he then?" Timothy asked. "A man. One that has flesh and blood and mortality. Though a great man nonetheless." "So he died?" "A long time ago, yes." They reached the wooden building. It wasn''t as large as Timothy thought- just a two story house shaped in a square with a flat roof. There were no windows, only a simple door. Beside the door was a statue of a person wearing a cape of bird feathers. His eyes were sharp behind his helm. A spear was in his right hand while a shield was in his left. Below the statue were desert flowers. On the statue''s forehead was the same stone Shadow uses to identify his people. It was red like a ruby but smoother. Timothy bet that the stone would glow if he touched it. "He is..." "Ashkara" Cohir said, looking at the statue with his wrinkly eyes. "He is not a God but a man. Well maybe not truly a man but like him." He looked at Shadow. "He is my kin?" Shadow asked. "You know about the Ninevians?" Timothy asked. "And magic?" Lucia asked. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I see that I caught your interest" Cohir smiled, teeth missing. "Our tribe and the others that dwell in this desert have kept stories about the past. A great disaster struck the world, shattering kingdoms and empires alike. We call it the Desolation." "What is the desolation?" Shadow asked. "I don''t know" Cohir transfered his look towards Timothy and Lucia. "You two don''t know? You are the eternal pair." Timothy scratched his head. Cohir knew too much. "We don''t remember" Cohir''s mouth swung open. His eyebrows met. "Strange and a shame. I thought ...No matter. You will remember in time." Shadow stepped forward. "There are many things even I don''t know. What are my people? What are the Ninevians and why are we different from other humans? Why is my father hiding under the damn mountain? What is the cull?" "I don''t know. I was hoping that the Eternal Pair would know. We are merely retellers of stories from long ago. What I know is that Ashkara led our people here after the Desolation and founded the nation of Wismar." "So it''s another deadend." Shadow shook his head. "Not at all." Cohir said. He beckoned. "Come inside." Abraham went first, eyes searching with vigilance. A few other royal guards went next. After Abraham confirmed that it was safe, Timothy stepped inside with Lucia and Shadow. The inside of the building was simple. Too simple. There was nothing below except the desert sand. The room was empty. Cohir walked to the other side and pushed something. Timothy discovered that there was indeed a window though it faced the other side. Light from outside crept inside. "There is nothing here" Shadow said. Cohir just shrugged and walked toward the center. He knelt and bagan to dig. "We needed to bury it deep you see" Cohir said. "The building could catch fire." "Then why use wood in the first place?" "Symbolism. Wood is scarce around here. We decided to make the buiding out of something valuable." In a little while Corhir unearthed something wrapped in cloth. He unfurled the cloths and an iron box presented. Cohir took the cover. Timothy leaned his head. There were papers inside, brown and old. Cohir''s shaking hands gently took the papers. "What is that?" Timothy demanded. Cohir walked toward him and handed the papers. There were markings from an unknown language too strange for his eyes. "From Ashkara himself" Cohir said. "That''s what my father told me which was what his father told him and so on." "Omniscience...." Lucia gasped. "This looks like a journal" Timothy agreed. Although the cover was damaged and he couldn''t understand a single word, he knew a journal when he sees one. "Do you know the language?" He asked Shadow. "I am not familiar with it. No." "And you?" He looked Cohir. "I don''t. We have been trying for generations but nothing. I was hoping that the two of you, the Eternal Pair, could at least read it. But alas, things didn''t go well. No matter. I will give it to you nonetheless." Timothy shuddered in excitement. They could transcribe the journal and send copies to the Resistance in Ninev. If even one of them knew of the language then one of thr greatest mysteries in history would show some light. "But you still intend to war with the Ironpeople." Cohir said, intended as a question. "We have to. You may think of it as a distraction but we need war to make peace" "Then we will help you. My tribe could field a few hundred deser warriors. I will send talkers to other tribes as well. End this war Your Majesty. End this and bring peace." *** Erik finally had what he wanted. After days of stalking, harassing and skirmishing with Sarah, the Wismarines finally turned. Four legions of Castonians were put at the front. Apple, the Cantonese and the wounded Goldentooth were in reserve. In the Wismarine side, Sarah fielded her elephants to the front, cavalry to both sides and infantry in a curved formation. "That doesn''t look like sixty thousand" Ash said. Erik bit his lips. It doesn''t require one to count to realize that Sarah fielded fewer soldiers than what they expected. "Thirty, the same size as ours." "Where is the other half? What if they are marching behind us?" "Not impossible. But I have sent scouts to every corner. A trap like that is also too simple. Her moves are more refined that striking at our butts." "And what if..." Ash didn''t continue. "Yea, a possibility. A grim one. They could be marching to intercept Rooster right now. Although Rooster is tough, thirty thousand angry Wismarines is more than just a headache. I hope Timothy is quick enough to seize Kotara. Honestly..." "Sire!" Ash shouted, pointing forward. Erik immediately turned his head. The front line of the Wismarines was advancing. It was the start of a battle. The warhorn blared. 260 The Cost of Caring The Castonian side was protected by a forest to the back and stakes and towers to the front. If things go awry, they could go back to the forest and keep a rearguard to shield the retreat. Roar, Tear, Dawn and Steelsword were the front line, only twelve thousand men in all as Erik took each of the four legion''s cavalry detachment. The undermanned Goldentooth and the Cantonese allies were on the right flank while Apple was on the left. All of the cavalry were collected into a single unit of five thousand placed on the far right side. Erik personally command them. The Wismarine front line moved forward, slowly like a creeping beast. The elephants remained stationary and their cavalry, a force equal to Erik''s, trotted in front of apple in the left flank. Erik fastened his helm. The crest was topped with horsehair dyed bright purple. His cape was azure, fluttering proudly. His horse snorted, the muscular Tulosan stallion seemed to understand the coming bloodshed. He looked at the enemies. Their front line would collide with Tear, Roar, Steelsword and Dawn soon enough. The elephants and Sarah''s personal guards remained stationary. "Hold!" Erik said to the Castonian cavalry. He could see their eagerness to bleed the enemies. But not yet. He must wait for Sarah''s next move. "We wait." *** Dawn Legion, Union''s Center Bourgis breathed dust. He breathed sweat. Steel. His back was straight and his eyes were stern as he watched the Wismarine host approach. They extended in a long line of spears and swords. They walked in such a manner unique to trained soldiers. They were many, too many to count. Though Bourgis doesn''t count. Soldiers do not count. A soldier stands his ground and obeys orders. Dies if he has to. But it was to be admitted that the sight of the enemies strained his courage a bit. Nobody wanted to die. Life was a gift from the Omniscient. Even a veteran General like him still wanted to live another day. The Wismarine soldiers were difficult opponents. They wore proper armor, had proper training and were led by proper officers. They were proper soldiers. The enemies were now crossing the stakes. Some shouted in pain after stepping on caltrops. Bourgis raised his hand and dropped it swiftly. The ballistae and crossbowmen began their barrage. Arrows flew, blotting the sun. The whistling was loud. The Wismarines raised their shields. They were disciplined, Bourgis could see. Most arrows just bounced off the shields but scattered cries confirmed some hits. The crossbowmen again reloaded. The strings of their crossbows emitted a weird stretching sound. They loosed arrows again. This time, more Wismarines fell, the arrows going through gaps in their armor and shields. But where one man had fallen, another came to take his place. They were endless. The enemies continued, trudging amidst arrows and caltrops. They soon reached the trench. It was a shallow trench the height of a person. But it was wide and steep. Caltrops were also scattered in it. At least a hundred of the frontmost Wismarines awkwardly crossed it. "Set it alight" Bourgis said. *** Apple Legion, Union''s left flank "The trench is burning sire" Said one of the Prefects to Tref. "Why, yes. It is burning. Vanadian Hellfire is such a terrible thing. For the enemies that is." "The Wismarines are burning" One of the Centurions added. "That''s the idea. Burn them." "And what would happen if the fire was put out?" Tref dallied his response. The Wismarines knew what to do. Most of them were already shoveling piles of dirt into the flame. It would be a bad thing if the Hellfire flame was extinguished. "We need not concern ourselves with that. It''s our comrades'' problem" He looked to the front. "These lads are our problem" The Wismarine cavalry were just a few hundred pace to their front. They were idle- for now. Those who were in the front line of Apple were pointing their halberds forward. Most of them were still green as the legion was newly recruited by the Marquis himself. But they would hold the Wismarine cavalry. Teft hoped that they would. The Wismarine infantry at the center had put out the fire in a portion of the trench. But they didn''t advance. Not yet. They filled the whole trench with soil amidst the rain of arrows and ballistae bolts. They also destroyed the spikes and gathered the caltrops. They were unbelievably quick and efficient. The trench, the spikes and the caltrops were no more. "They are charging sire" One of the Prefects said calmly. Teft severed his eyes from the action in the center and put his attention in their front. The Wismarine Cavalry were charging at them at full speed. Their horses flung dust and soil. Their lances were pointed forward, ready for the kill. "Steady!" Teft shouted. The men at the front were mostly calm as they awaited the arrival of the charge. Bones will be broken. Torsos will be impaled. Men will die, horribly with mangled corpses. Teft prepared for the onslaught. But then a horn from the enemy camp sounded. It was long and low like a cry of a cow. The Wismarine cavalry halted with the frontmost man just a few dozen paces from the Castonians. They turned their horses in haste. The same thing also happened at the center. The Wismarine infantry retreated after clearing the defensive line, leaving hundreds of their dead. Some Castonians attempted to chase but were dragged back by their Centurions. Teft didn''t know what to make of this. The battle had just began. The enemies had only lost a few hundred and the Union had never lost a man. And yet the Wismarines were retreating. He instinctively turned his head toward the Union''s Cavalry where Marquis Erik was commanding from. The Marquis knows what is happening right? Teft asked in silence. *** Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Erik doesn''t know what was happening. The Wismarines retreated with just a scratch. Their elephants, cavalry and half of their infantry didn''t even joined the battle. It was strange. The Wismarines were reforming now and Erik felt a chill. What is she planning? The tramp must be planning something crazy. Of course she was. He eyed the four Castonian legions at the front. They didn''t lose a single man. That is good. But the lack of blood seemed to be a harbinger of a succeeding storm. Sarah Wismar wouldn''t just send a hundred of her soldiers to die just to tinker with the defensive structures. Like a hammer hitting his head, Erik realized what she was planning. The trench was now filled with soil. The spikes were dismantled. The caltrops were collected. The Union''s side was defenseless. The Wismarines were forming into a single sharp wedge. The elephants were at the front, followed by the cavalry. The infantry was behind. That wedge could puncture his line. Even his most experienced legions will buckle against an attack of this scale. Sarah cleared the spikes and the trench for this. For a single powerful, suicidal charge. "Sire!" General Bourgis'' voice called. Erik looked and the General was riding to him. The salute was swift when he arrived. "You know what they are doing right?" Erik nodded. It was a brainless attack. Sarah Wismar would lose if she continued this. The Union would win. At a heavy cost that is. Erik envisioned what would happen. Those elephants and cavalry would smash through their lines and kill thousands of his men. It would be devastating. But the charge would lose its impetus and soon the Wismarine side would be surrounded. It would be a victory for Erik but he estimated casualties to mount over twenty thousand. Sarah was playing with him. The Wismarine Princess knew how he treasured his men. Every last one of those Castonians, Vanadians and Cantonese were like his children. And so she gave him a choice- a victory with most of his men dead or a minor defeat. Erik wallowed in self pity. Of course he would accept defeat for the sake of his men. Sarah knew that her greatest advantage over him was commitment. She didn''t care about the Wismarines but Erik cares for the Union''s soldiers. She could accept a loss with a shrug while Erik would be haunted for life if he let most of his men die for the sake of attaining victory. Sarah knew and she planned. She gambled. And she won. "Send a rearguard" Erik told General Bourgis. "We will retreat to the forest. We have lost" 261 The Rearguard Cald planted the butt of his halberd on the ground, gripping it firm. He would probably die today. Beside him, men from different cohorts and legions stood unmoved. Their looks were stern, striking the enemies with one last show of resistance. Most of them would die. The survivors would probably get captured and tortured. It was a grim day, a painful day. The breeze spoke like a mother''s weep- slow, long and loud. The midday sun was cast above without a single puff of cloud to shield its radiance. The ground was shaking. The trumpets of the charging elephants were loud. Her they come, Cald thought. Omniscience. They are many. He gripped the halberd tighter, hand slick with sweat. His hair was damp beneath his coif, not too damp to trickle a bead of sweat but damp enough to incur discomfort. They are large! Cald bit his lips. Omniscience! I don''t wanna die. I want to go home. Omniscient save me! No no no no no no. Yes. A voice said inside his head. You need to go home. You need to see the sweet sweet nation of Castonia one last time. The lush forests, the hardy mines, the air of steel. Castonia awaits Cald. The elephants were close now. Each of their steps dented the earth. Their scale armor shone a bright silver. Their tusks were tipped with serrated tips for grabbing and mauling men. On their four legs were curved blades the size of a man''s torso. The riders had crossbows and heavy lances twice the length of the normal ones. I don''t want to die! Cald shouted in his mind. I will die. Omnscient''s will! I am going to die! The other Castonians were also shaking and sweating. And yet nobody moved. A thousand men pointed their halberds forward, awaiting the fury of the beasts. Awaiting a gruesome end. Nobody spoke, not even the officers. The order had been given. Delay the enemies at all cost. Fight until death. And so they stood in the way of charging elephants- terrified- but unbroken. Here they come. Cald filled his lungs. It is too late now. I guess I''ll die. The elephants hammered through their ranks, plowing them. Mangled corpses were flung. Some were mushed inside their armor. Some were impaled by the iron-tipped tusks, bleeding their guts in a gruesome show. And yet they stayed, a defiance undulled. The battlefield was heavy with blood. Cries echoed. Dust were everywhere. It turned into a brawl between men and beasts. Cald thrust his halberd at an elephant. The tip broke the scale armor near the neck but it wasn''t enough for a kill. He ducked, threw his halberd to the side and avoided the tusk, the serrated iron whiffing past his head. He tumbled to the side. A roll on the ground saved him from the elephant rider''s lance. The tip of the lance struck the earth behind his ear. Cald grabbed the lance, trying to yank it from the rider. Cald twisted his pull. The lance slipped from the rider''s hand and fell to the side. Cald drew his dagger. A rush of energy propelled him forward. He ducked again but was hit by the tusk. He flew like a rag doll and landed face-first. Everything spiralled. It was cold- too cold. And dark. I am going to die aren''t I? Cold under the earth, without life and without breath. Forgotte n. Yes you are. A voice said, the tone void of mockery, only truth. You are going to die Cald. Just like the others. You are a dead man walking. You know that. So why are you still here? Cald couldn''t answer. Why? Why is he still here? Why isn''t he running? He would die if he stay. Forgotten. Just another mangled corpse. Then why? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Because I have to. Cald''s answer was without logic, without sense. But it felt right. He opened his eyes, coughing sand and blood. One of his fingers on his left hand was twisted. The pain was searing. He rose. He was still alive. He could still bleed some Wismarines. He grabbed his dagger from the ground. The handle felt just right. The battle had divided into several packets. The Cavalry had joined too. The Castonian rearguard were being slaughtered. Cald dashed again. The elephant that flung him was battling other Castonians now. His vision tunneled to the unguarded neck of the beast where he broke the plate earlier. The rider noticed him and steered the elphant, baring the tusks at his foolish dash. He jumped to the left, avoiding the serrated tusk. He parried the lance of the rider with his dagger. His legs sprang and his dagger bit the elephant''s neck. Blood flooded his face. The beast roared, raising its trunk. Cald avoided the leg as he rolled. The elephant threw a tantrum but soon it fell in a loud thud. The two riders jumped and abandoned the elephant to its demise. You two are mine. Cald''s face was red with the elephant''s blood. It was sticky and pungent. He stepped toward the two riders, slowly and with back straightened. One of them loosed a bolt. He missed. Deadly mistake. He jogged, still gripping his dagger. The two drew their weapons. One had a dagger while the other had a sword. The taller one slashed at Cald. The edge of the blade hit his shoulder but just bounced off his mail. Poor choice. Cald rammed the taller one and thrust his dagger at his opponent''s stomach. The man grunted in pain. Cald kicked the Wismarine and turned to the shorter one where he redirected a stab. Cald buffeted the short Wismarine. His elbow broke the man''s jaw. He reversed his hold on the dagger and stabbed the Wismarine just below the neck. The Wismarine fell limp immediately. Must have severed the spine. The taller one was still breathing, clutching his bloody stomach. He is a dead man, Cald thought. He should just focus his attention to other opponents. He turned and was pushed back. Strangely, he was on the ground. His chest felt heavy. He looked and saw a lance protruding from his chest. The rider was nowhere. Probably just a Wismarine horseman who happened to set his eyes on Cald, thrust his lance and left. Bad form, Cald thought. Not even showing your face to a man you just killed. Blood was gushing from the wound, flowing to his side and down to the ground. He would die soon. He would become a nameless corpse. A horn blared from the side of the forest. It was the signal for the rearguard to retreat. All of the Union''s soldiers were already safe in the forest. About a hundred Castonians from the rearguard ran to safety. Most of them wouldn''t make it. Run brothers, run. Cald thought, gurgling blood. Return to Castonia. To life. His breaths had become forced. Coldness crept on his body. Are you happy now? The voice again said. You are dying. Happy? No. Cald answered. I am not happy. Dying is not happy. It is sad. Endings are sad. I only feel... satisfied. *** "I caused this, didn''t I?" Erik asked as he watched the slaughter of the rearguard. A few got away but most of them would be ran down by the cavalry. "Yes, you caused this. You chose." General Bourgis said. "Either a costly victory or a minor defeat. You chose and you must bear responsibility." "And did I choose wisely?" "I do not know. Probably. Probably not. Future generations would read about this and judge your decision." "And for you? Do you think my decision is wise?" General Bourgis was silent until he opened his steely jaw. "A soldier''s job is to win battles. No matter the consequences, a soldier must strive for victory." He looked at Erik. "But you are not a soldier. You are Erik Connel, Marquis of Castonia." Erik nodded to that. He was not a soldier. He was a Marquis. A single victory is not worth the lives of most of his men. He chose and he must continue on choosing. "Send men to retrieve our dead after the Wismarines are gone. Cremate them and the ashes are to be sent back to Castonia. As for us..." He turned his head to the Wismarine host. "We have done our job. Now it is time for the King to capture Kotara." 262 Bells Kotara was grand city. Its stone towers were tall. The walls were thick and well maintained. But behind the thick walls and intimidating towers was a city of beauty. The tenements were a least three stories tall and mostly made of bricks. Each building had the usual conical roof the Wismarines preferred but the materials and designs dabbled with influences from other cultures. The streets were clean and wide and the sewage system was functional. They say you could cook food in the cobbles and not get watery stool after. The great port housed most of the Wismarine navy and hundreds trade and transport ships. The port had seen so much coins being traded so much that one would find a coin or two in the nooks if he looked hard enough. It was a city that was trying to rival Holm. At least that was what Timothy heard from the stories. He didn''t know if there was truth in these tales. All he knew was that Kotara is the last city in the line of Asiba River. The Great River empties into the icy shores adjacent to the city. It was Wismar''s center of trade and soon it would fall into the Union''s hand. "Everything is ready sire" General Marvin said. Timothy eyed the city one last time. The defenses were tough and would stand an assault for a long time. But there were more ways to capture a city other than assaulting the walls. "Send them" Timothy ordered. *** John heaved the reins of the two horses pulling his cart. Grumpy and beauty, he named the two. Grumpy was a brown Tulosan stallion with thick legs and a bad attitude. John had a complicated relationship with the horse. Beauty, on the other hand, was also a Tulosan stallion despite the name. His legs were long and a match to his slender body. And unlike Grumpy, Beauty was tamed. Stones and potholes made their ride bumpy. The cart danced to every bump. And yet the two other men riding with him were silent and stern. "Ease, brothers" John said. "You''ll give away our profession with those looks" "Maybe they should know. Rooster''s coming to peck their asses. That''ll get them scrambling." Jop said. "And then we fail" said Elisar "Good plan Jop. You just forced the Rooster a bloody wall assault." John smiled, regarding the two with glee. The three of them were in danger and a thousand things could go wrong. But they were calm. That was good. A calm and a clear mind would go a long way. In a moment they reached the front gate of Kotara. There were no queues like what he expected. Wars are bad for trade as they say. The five guards by the gate waved them to halt but John didn''t. It was only when the cart was directly below the gate that he pulled the reins of the two horses. The guards were not pleased. "Name?" One of the guards asked, the senior one based on the markings on his armor. "John Wilkin" The guard looked up. "Castonian?" "My name could be Tulosan, Vinti, Vanadian or Burondian and yet you accuse me of being a Castonian?" "What then?" "Vinti" "And your cargo?" "Wine. Cheap ones for brothels. Don''t assume you''ll get a Hadean bribe mate." "We don''t accept Hadeans anyway. Whole nation''s gone to the other side." The guard then frowned. "Why is your companion holding a lantern in the middle of the day?" It is time, John thought. He unhooked Beauty and Grumpy, jumped off the cart and led the two horses away. Jop and Elisar also did the same amidst the confusion of the guards. Both Elisar and Jop mounted Beauty while he rode on Grumpy. "Oi! Where are you going?" The guard shouted. Jop threw the lantern on the cart. The three of them galloped as fast as they could. Grumpy kicked dust. John looked behind after a few of Grumpy''s wide strides. The cart was burning. The flame was large. And soon it exploded. *** The front gate of Kotara was wiped by the explosion. Bits of stones and rocks flung in the air. A gaping hole opened, the size of three wagons side by side. The wall was cracked and blackened. The horn sounded. There was no need for orders. Five thousand men of the Rooster legion galloped with a few hundred desert riders. They kicked the earth behind. The hooves of the horses pounded in a deafening rumble. They formed in a wedge with Abraham as the apex. Bear beneath roared, prepared for the inevitable onslaught. Abraham held his greataxe. Woe to the person who tries to stop him. They burst into the city like locusts in a field. Several quick guards mounted a defense but were wiped by their charge. Some Castonians went to capture the walls. The others separated to flatten the barracks. Abraham, on the other hand, was tasked to keep those ships in the bay. There were hundreds of war galleys and also hundreds of merchant and transport ships in the port. He must prevent them from leaving. Abraham swung his axe at a foolish opponent who thought he could defeat a giant on a bear. His axe bit the fool in the neck. Blood smeared the blade. His arms swung again in a fury. Woe to them. Wismarines. It was them who started it all. This damn war nobody wished for. To the front a group of Wismarines formed in a line of spears spanning the whole width of the street. Spears pointed forward, eyes prepared for death- they were a tough bunch. Abraham stood on Bear''s wide back. He leapt to the wall of spears. His full plate armor accepted several thrust but did not fail. His axe bit into the helm and skull of one of the enemies. He grabbed another by the neck, crushing the man''s throat in a crunch. He was surrounded. He was insane. But he wasn''t alone. Bear burst through the enemies. His spiked armor tore their bodies. Bear mauled left and right. His snout was bloody as well as Abraham''s axe. They stood side by side, hammering and mauling Wismarines in a battle trance. The other Castonians arrived on horseback. Their charge finally toppled the defense. The Wismarines were shattered. Those who stayed were slaughtered. "To the harbor!" Abraham shouted. Some Castonians were finishing the remaining resistance. He didn''t wait for them to finish and just grabbed Bear''s reins and mounted. As he looked around it was apparent that their sudden attack succeeded. Kotara wasn''t prepared. The civilians were hiding behind their doors. The city watch were routing. The wall had a huge hole. The city was theirs. Kotara was as good as captured. He continued. The resistance was tamer now. Groups of loyal but foolish guards stood in their way and fell without doing much damage. Abraham could smell it. The salt in the air was strong. The damp but cool breeze felt good to his grimed skin. The ocean was near. The harbor would be theirs. Soon an open space greeted him. The harbor was wide, an extension of the icy shores. Nearly a hundred docks lined the dredged beach. But it was empty. The harbor of the Pearl of the South which was said to have the capacity to house thousands of ships was empty. Not a boat in sight. Not even a dinghy. It was clean. Abraham creased his brow. He was too late. They had escaped. But no, he thought. It would take a day to empty a port as large as Kotara''s. Something was wrong. Something worse than him failing. *** Southport, Vanadis Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The Centurion was trembling. Never had he been so afraid in his entire life. An armada was before them. The colors were Wismarine. The galleys numbered hundreds. The bells were ringing without rest. The city watch were running everywhere, assembling a defense, though he could not possibly see how they could defend Southport against an armada this large. "Omniscience. We are going to die!" mumbled a lad manning the ballista on the wall. "We are not going to die lad" The Centurion said. "We are Vanadis. We will not die you hear me?!" The lad nodded anxiously and he regretted snapping. They are indeed going to die. He could see Southport burning and in tatters, the Wismarine flag planted on its walls. There were only a few thousand defenders in the city and the enemies numbered to tens of thousands. He breathed, salty air invading his lungs. Southport is lost. Southport would fall. The first of the Wismarine ships passed them. It didn''t make a turn to the city and just breezed in their front. The others followed. The enemies were ignoring them. "What are they doing!?" Asked a curious soldier from behind. It was the question everybody wanted to ask. But the Centurion already knew the answer. "Southport is not their target" He said. "They are attacking the Capital itself!" 263 A Visi The carriage suddenly stopped, waking Leopold from his sleep. He yawned and rubbed his white beard. "Why did we stop?" "Inspection" Rupert said beside, the old royal guard looked different without his usual armor. Leopold slid the window open. A breath of salty wind skirted inside. He shut his eyes, raised his nose and indulged. "Now this is air Rupert. I have grown to miss the ocean breeze. In the past, the late Marquis Benedict Connel would only seldom invite me to Greenwater." "I know" Rupert''s back remained straight like a tower of Nirvana. "I accompanied you in all of your trips to Greenwater. You always had doe eyes whenever you look at the ocean." "Ah who wouldn''t? The ocean is a wonder. It is water Rupert. Same water with the river and lakes. But it is endless. Tell me a thing more preposterous than that." "More preposterous? Maybe the fact that you just dragged me from my sleep one night and brought me in your unplanned trip. That is more preposterous than the ocean sire." "It is not unplanned. I''ve been meaning to meet William since spring." "But trips require planning. We are short on coins, you only have me as your guard and you didn''t even bring supplies." "That is part of the adventure. Omniscience. I feel like a young man again. I''ve actually had the idea of just riding a horse with you. You and me, riding to Holm, two men cucked by the same arse. But alas we are old and so the carriage is inevitable." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Two soldiers walked briskly to the carriage. Both men wore the splendid uniform of the Vanadians. "Bern Ceolin, Eight Century, Goldentrout Legion. You are entering the vicinity of Holm. I must ask for your identities and purpose of visit." said one of the soldiers, a sharp-chinned man with a hazel hair that flows out of his helm. "Leopold Castonia and my companion is Rupert Coln. The carriage driver is Fres." "Leopold Castonia?" The sharp-chinned soldier glanced a look at his companion. "The Leopold Castonia? Father to His Majesty?" Yes boys, Leopold thought. The King is my son. "In flesh. You''ve heard about my son''s latest victory right?" He asked, smiling. "Of course sire. He..." "He smashed the Hadeans!" Leopold leaned further out to the window. "The Hadeans had fortified a crossing. Trenches! And towers! But no, my son still slapped them with defeat. Oh glorious. It was glorious. He forced the Hadeans to attack him instead. I think..." "Sire" Rupert pulled him. The royal guard pointed to the back. "Other travelers are waiting to be inspected. I think talking could wait after we are out of the way." "Right" Leopold gave a nod. He again leaned out of the window. "Anything else?" "Pardon us sire but we still must ask for the purpose of your visit." "Ah yes. I am here to visit my son William." "The General? Do you want us to send you an escort?" "That will be great" *** "Do not slouch!" William''s voice boomed in the fort. The fifteen hundred men snapped into attention despite their trickling sweat. He walked with hands clasped behind and regarded them with a glare. They were in formation and full armor. They were a fast learner batch. But their form still lacked pride. "Slouching reveals your tiredness to the enemy. Once they see you slouch, they gain courage. Never slouch. Even when you die do not slouch." He halted, boots gripping against the powdery brown soil. His armor bugged him down. His helmet was sweaty and slimy on the inside. But William maintained an appearance fit to his rank. "At ease. Sit" He barked. The Vanadians sat on the ground in one crisp movement. "You all might be wondering when you are going to taste some action. The Castonian legions are grinding Wismar into dust as we speak. The Vanadian navy is sinking Calgarian ships left and right. But you are stuck here. Now do not worry. It will be soon. By the end of the month I think." There was commotion in the ranks. The Vanadians buzzed. "I told you to sit but I didn''t give my permission for you to talk." The murmurs died like snuffed candle. William trotted froward. "Of the five Vanadian legions yours have the least training and you men are the greenest. I..." William was interrupted by his squire running to him. The lad made a clumsy salute. "A carriage arrived sire" "And?" "They say it is your father" William rumpled his forehead. He eyed the squire, searching for a semblance of a jest. But the lad was serious it seemed. He turned to the trainees. "Rest. We resume in a while. And if you still slump, none of you will go to Wismar. Am I understood?" "Yes General" William strode to the gate of the fort, still not removing his heavy armor. Not in front of the men, he thought. "Are you certain that it is my father?" "Who else has a name of Leopold Castonia and.." The Squire''s attempt of a jest was squished by William''s glare. "I mean yes. I think it is him sire." The carriage was a dull one when William saw it. The horses were exhausted though Castonian stallions were not known for their stamina. The driver was a hired one instead of the royal coach driver. Te carriage itself was old and creaky. Beside the carriage was an old man dressed in old clothing. His hair was pure white now and his skin was saggy. His face was a mirror of William''s square chin, dark eyes and thick brown hair- only older. It is him, William thought. *** His son was still in armor and sweating. William''s arms were thick just like his all those years ago and Leopold was sure that he once had that beautiful brown beard. William reminded him of his youth. I have three sons. One is a King. One is an idiot. One is a warrior. Omniscient, you have blessed me enough. Leopold approached his son, halting a few paces away. "You are here." William said. "I haven''t seen you for five years and you talk to me without warmth" "I apologize" William looked down. "Come to my room. I''ll offer you some refreshments." William beckoned and Leopold followed. This wasn''t the reunion he expected. William was somehow cold to him. William''s room was tidy when they arrived. For a man who commands the whole of the Vanadian legions, William lived simply. The walls were unadorned. The bed was a single neat straw topped with cloth. There was a table with folded papers. William unfastened his armor and helm and then taking an effort to put the thing on a rack. He changed his shirt dripping with sweat into a simple tunic. Leopold took a chair given by the Squire and sat by the table. "There are tea leaves inside the box on the table." William said. "You don''t have something more biting to the tongue?" "I don''t drink. Alcohol is prohibited inside the fort." "You can just slip a bottle or two. You are the head of the legions." "If I did that then I would be like..." William stopped as he stared at Leopold. Me, right? Leopold thought. Dishonest. Dishonorable. Impious. William whisked his hair of sweat and sat on one chair. "I have sent my squire for food and hot water." "Good" Leopold said. Their conversation was beginning to stale. He must make it flow again. "Is Wasp still alive?" He asked. "In the kennel. The men are afraid of him." "Let them be afraid. He is your most loyal guard. The kennel would serve to dull his ferocity" William didn''t respond to that. He just stared at Leopold. "Father why are you here?" "What do you mean why? To see you of course. You rarely respond to my letters." "I didn''t have the time. I have to train the Vanadians." "I understand. Forgive me. I just want to see you. I''ve heard that the Vanadian legions will set sail soon. You will go to Wismar with Timothy. I want to see how my son have grown before he leaves again." "And Nirvana?" "Braun is managing it. Don''t worry." "And he let you go? You are old and you only have Rupert as your guard." "You think he would? Of course I employed some tricks. Braun has been holding me from visiting here for months. Too risky for my health he says. I bet he just wants my help in managing Castonia." "You lied to him" William said, shaking his head. There was disappointment in that tone. "Sire" someone knocked on the door. It must be William''s squire. Finally, the food. "Edmund Vanadis request your presence sire" The squire continued. "It is urgent the messenger said." "I should go" William rose. "You can stay here. There is food and you can ask my men for things you require." "No, no" Leopold said, also rising from the seat. "I will go with you. It is time to meet the old man" 264 Invasion The carriage pulled through the streets of Holm. William was on his horse beside with his hound tailing behind. The first thing Leopold noticed was the streets. The wide streets of Holm were made of some smooth dark stones that was unbroken unlike cobbles. It was like wood but black and and made of stone. The wheels of the carriage glided through it like a ship in the ocean. Maybe I could ask that old coot Edmund what this street is made of. Nirvana could use streets like this, Leopold thought but abandoned it after. It would probably cost a lot anyway. Vanadians love their luxury. "First time here?" William asked, not turning a head to him. It was alright though. At least he was talking to him. Gone was Leopold''s expectation of a tearful reunion with his son. "Yes. The streets are weird." "And good. Holm is famed for having the best when it comes to comfort." Leopold stared at the road. He lifted his head after and examined his son. "Are you happy here? Regarding your task. I''ve heard what happened to you all those years. Silverback huh? I should have known back then. Maybe you wouldn''t have left." "It''s all in the past. Silverback too is all in the past. I am not Silver anymore. And I would have left anyway." "Because of me right?" William was silent. Yes, because of me. You left because I am a disgusting person. The silence continued until they entered through another gate of a large building. It must be the palace of Holm. Leopold again felt little against the grandiose decorations. The walls were thin but shaped with intricacy. It was curving in some areas. The moat had fishes swimming in it. It was clean as if you could drink the water. Edmund owes him some expensive wine. Leopold, Rupert, William and- strangely- Wasp were escorted into the grand hall. William pushed the double door and Edmund''s quivering face met them. "Leopold?" Edmund rose from one of the chairs by the long table. "Why... why are you here!?" "Is that how you greet the father of the husband of your daughter?" Leopold grinned. Edmund''s expression remained. "You shouldn''t have come here. You should leave. Now!" "I have just traveled for days in a creaky carriage matched with Rupert''s nagging. They say Holm offers the best comfort. Let me taste that comfort. My old bones are aching." Edmund trudged to him. He shook Leopold''s shoulders. "You don''t understand! The Wismarines. They.. they are sailing here!" Leopold''s grin retreated. He thought to confirm what he heard from Edmund but he was certain of the words. The Wismarines are coming. "What do you mean they are sailing here?" William asked. Edmund walked away to the table, rubbing his forehead. His long silk robe dragged against the floor. "A pigeon arrived from Southport. They reported the Wismarine armada sailing to the mouth of the Bay of Hundred Islets." When Edmund turned back, a letter was on his hand. The broken seal was read. Edmund handed he letter to William. "How many ships?" Leopold asked, trying to quell his disbelief. "Three hundred and fifteen" William raised his chin from the letter. "We must rally all the Vanadian legions now." "I already called them here. All five and even the mercenaries. Also the ones under training. But it won''t suffice. We Vanadians are not famed for our army." "And how long do we have before they arrive here?" William asked. "Two days. The forts scattered around the Bay of Hundred Islets would give us time." William grunted something while Leopold trudged to one of the chairs and let his butt fall on it. Two days to prepare the defenses of Holm. It was a difficult task. "And why would they directly attack Holm?" William asked. "This is bad trade. Attacking a city as deep in our territory as Holm is suicidal" "To make a statement I guess. When I was warring against you and Timothy I actually thought of capturing this city. It would lower the morale of our people and that is disastrous since Timothy had built himself to be undefeated. The people view the Union as an unstoppable beast. That belief would shatter if the capital of Vanadis was captured. Anyway we shouldn''t think much about their purpose. We should worry about our problem. We need reinforcements. All reinforcements we can get. Three hundred fifteen ships equals to how many soldiers?" He looked at William. "It depends on the composition. Transport galleys can hold more than two hundred while wargalleys can accommodate a hundred. Omniscient. That is a lot" "And they are not green levies. These are professional soldiers. They are Wismarines" Leopold added. "We badly need reinforcements. I mean no disrespect but the walls of Holm is trash." "I know." Edmund said. "But where can we get reinforcements?" "The Vanadian warships are just sitting in Calgari. Call them here." "They are not just sitting. They are guarding our conquered territories. And I have already sent for them. It will take two weeks to bring them here though. By the time they arrive, we are all rotting on the ground." Edmund said. "We have other options" Leopold scratched his beard. "Grand Master Henry is in Nirvana when I left." "Nirvana is too far and he might already have left" William said, leading Wasp to the seats but did not sit. His son shook his head. "We cannot count on the knights and the Tulosan allies." "What about Greenwater?" "Sixteen galleys" Leopold said. "Unfortunately the Lady of Greenwater is lacking manpower to sail. We will ask for Greenwater''s help anyway. It will not be enough. Which leaves us one thing." He looked at Edmund. "Borondi" "Your son is Ambassador to Borondi right? And Borondi has promised us their friendship" "Their friendship, not their alliance. And Arthur..." Edmund sighed. "It''s not that I don''t trust his abilities. But you know... it''s Arthur." "Nevertheless we must hope on Borondi and Greenwater to helping us." Edmund sat in front of him. "Thank you for your suggestion. Truly we are thankful. But Leopold, you must go." "Go?" "Yes, go. I am needed here because I am acting monarch. William is also needed because he is the head of the Vanadian legions. For your safety you should go back to Nirvana." "He is right sire" Rupert spoke at last. "This is a terrible time for a visit." Damn right it is terrible, Leopold thought. But will you have me go back to Nirvana while my son is defending against a Wismarine invasion force? Cruel. This is cruel. One of my sons is in Wismar, deep behind enemy territory. The other will soon defend a city. I can''t remain idle you coot. "No" Leopold said. "I will stay here. I could help in some ways." "Do not be stubborn." William said. "Go back to Nirvana." Leopold rose, dragging the chair loudly. "Send the letters for plea Edmund. As for you." He looked at William. "Prepare the defenses of the city." He walked toward the door with Rupert. "Where are you going?" William asked from behind. "Lying and scheming and making false promises. Things I do best." He said as he exited. *** City State of Borondi Arthur was smiling as he went out of the establishment. That was good. Though he could only see half, what he saw was beautiful. He walked the street of Borondi, almost hopping. Life was a pleasant gift. Passersby regarded him with weird looks though he didn''t really care. "That was a poor choice" A voice almost made his heart jump out. Arthur held his chest and glared at Vice Duke Ventil. "Stop doing that" Arthur said. "And why do you care?" The Vice Duke was a tall man of his age. His face was thin though his arms were thick with strength. Ventil liked to wear splendid tight soldier uniform but he was currently in a bland tunic. "Well I don''t really care about your habits." Ventil said. "It''s just, my father would be disappointed if he gets word that the ambassador of the Union went to a brothel." "Let me be clear with you" Arthur turned his good eye toward the Vice Duke. "That wasn''t a brothel. The establishment offered spa and massage." "And they offered you some happy memories for a little payment." "No! I am a pure man. I didn''t..." Arthur lowered his head. "Please don''t tell the Duke" "I won''t, unfortunately. His heart is weak that he might croak if he finds out that pure Prince Arthur is actually dabbling in some murky acts." "Thank you" Arthur heaved a sigh. "So why are you here? You are not spying on me are you?" "Hardly" Ventil snorted. "There is a letter for you. Red sealed and from your father I think." "And why do you have my letter?" "Security purposes, nothing more . Don''t worry." Ventil handed him the letter. The seal was red and the figure was that of a pelican with one two wings folded. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Arthur broke the seal and read the words written. He paled. He trembled. "I need all your ships and your whole army!" He almost shouted to Ventil. 265 Lies Arthur hurried to the Duke''s mansion after reading his father''s letter. His thoughts were filled with dark scenes. Three hundred galleys! He thought. No. No! And I am to convince the Duke to send his fleet as assistance? Insane. It was indeed insane. He thought that his life would be without responsibility here. He was a guest, living in luxury with a fat allowance coming from Lucia every month. Of course he had to give up some pleasures and if he did partake in pleasures he would do it private. But it was a good life so far. And now the letter just thrust him into responsibility. He could ask for advises from his advisers on how to deal with this but it would take too long. He hated this. He hated that he had to work. He hated that the survival of Holm depended on him. But it must be done. The Duke''s Mansion was a simple white building adjacent to the eastern wall of the city. The salt mines of Borondi were just outside the eastern wall and one could smell the sharpness of salt in the air. There was actually a palace located in the center but the Duke viewed living in luxury with disapproval. Tailing behind him was Ventil, the Vice Duke. He hadn''t spoken to him since his blurt earlier and it was apparent from Ventil''s frown that the news also troubled him. Arthur disregarded the Vice Duke and went to enter the mansion. The clean white walls of a building the size of the stables of Holm greeted him with simplicity. The guards were dressed in simple tunics and held wooden staves. They still searched him of course but the security was loose. The Duke was sleeping on his chair while two guards stood beside. "I..." Arthur opened his mouth. "I need to talk with the Duke. It is urgent." "He is sleeping, can''t you see?" The guard barked. Arthur fidgeted his fingers. "I need to talk to him now." "Wake him up" Ventil said. "Or I will wake him myself." Ventil''s words seemed to carry more weight than Arthur''s. The guard nodded and prodded the Duke. "Arthur Vanadis requests to talk to you sire" The old Duke opened his eyes. He yawned and stretched his wrinkly arms. "Arthur?" Duke Gente asked and then curved a smile. "Oh it is you Arthur. Oh how glad I am to see you." He sniffed. "Is that oil I smell. Spa oil? You''ve been going to spas Arthur?" Arthur felt a bead of sweat skid on his cheek. "Yes sire" "But I''ve heard the dark rumors of the filth that has been going on in spas. They call it Happy Memory or something. Why would the gallant and pure Arthur go in such places?" "To preach to them about how filthy their acts are." Ventil said, stepping forward. "I''ve seen him father. He shamed those workers for their dark deeds." "Oh good!" The Duke''s eyes seemed to shine. "That is good. Teach them about morals." Arthur looked at Ventil. You are a good man. Thank you for saving me this time. "Sire" Arthur steeled his heart. "I''m here to ask for your help." "Help? What do you require my boy?" "Your navy and your army" The Duke shook his head and grinned. "What are you talking about?" "A Wismarine fleet is currently sailing to Holm. The capital of Vanadis would soon be under siege. The Union requests the help of Borondi." The Duke''s grin vanished and was replaced with a frown. He rose from his seat and went to the window where the salty air blew. Arthur waited for a response and soon the Duke denied him. "No" Duke Gente said. "I''m sorry but Borondi is under the threat of Lutan right now. We cannot spare help." "But..." "We are not allies. Not yet" The Duke turned to him. "I''m really sorry but I can''t." Arthur''s felt cold inside. He failed, didn''t he? Damn responsibility and damn this ambassador thing. Why do I have to deal with this? He looked at the Duke with his one good eye. This was all he could do now. "The Union will flatten Borondi in the future if you don''t help us now." His words drew gasps from the guards. The Duke''s jaw opened. "Arthur... are you threatening us with war? Is that the principles of your nation?" Arthur''s anger seared. He glared at the Duke. I gave up pleasure for you. "Yes!" Arthur shouted. "My sister is the Queen. If you don''t help us then she and her husband will come here and grind this city into dust. You hear me? And I''m sick of your pure attitude you old smelly fool! Pureness this, innocence that, well guess what? Omniscient be damned!" The Duke''s jaw dropped. Silence prevailed inside the room. The Duke''s face then contorted. "Out!" He shouted. "Get lost and don''t come back!" Arthur realized the foolishness of his actions. But it was too late. The guards grabbed his arms and threw him outside the building. He slumped against the gate with his butt on the cobbled street. Why? Why did he say those things? He is an idiot isn''t he? "You are the worst ambassador ever" Ventil''s voice sounded from above. Arthur looked and Ventil was standing over him. "I am" "My father would never hear any of your words now." "I know." "But I would." "What?" Arthur looked up. "I am the Vice Duke. I have power over the navy and the army." Arthur shook his head. "And why would you help us?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. To that, Ventil smiled. "Let''s just say that I have more sense than my father." *** "And I''m saying this to you!" Leopold''s voice thundered in the streets of Holm. "There''s nothing you should worry about. The Wismarine fleet is coming but we will sink them. Omniscient be praised! They will never have this city." It was a poor attempt of giving a speech to the people of Holm. Talking wasn''t his strong point, exacerbated by his old cracking voice. But it was enough to gather a crowd. What started as a few people watching him out of curiosity turned into a mob of listeners. The Vanadians listened to him with arms crossed and raised eyebrows. Rupert stood behind him, hand gripping the hilt of his sword in a show of virility. Many in the city still hated him. Leopold didn''t care. Let them hate as long as they listened- as long as they believed his lies. "You lie!" A Vanadian said from the crowd, a man with a chiseled face matched with a full brown beard. His shiny silk robes marked him as a merchant. But then again, all Vanadians were merchants by blood. "I''ve heard that the invaders have more than three hundred galleys. Omniscience. They will hammer through our walls with the might of thousands." "Ah you old senile fool!" Leopold pointed at the naysayer. "Spreading false rumors is a crime against the crown of the Union. Speak truth or I''ll have you hanged for treason. Tell us the truth now. How many galleys?" The man flinched. His eyes bulged as his jaw dropped. "I asked you how many!" Leopold shouted. "More than three hundred galleys sire" The merchant said. "That''s what I''ve heard from my cousin who heard it from somebody else. I swear." "One more lie. I''m warning you. One more lie and you''ll hang. How many galleys!?" The crowd all heaved a look at the merchant. Leopold felt sorry for the man. But alas, it must be done. "More than two hundred?" The merchant said in a squeaky tone. "Less than that. Your cousin is a deaf and a dolt." Leopold turned to the other people in the crowd. "There''s nothing to worry about. We will hold Holm. Borondi is sending a hundred ships into our aid. The Lady of Greenwater is sailing here as we speak. And Grand Master Henry is galloping to reinforce us with the force of twenty thousand armored knights! This foolish assault by our enemies will end just like the others. So go about your usual business. Do not bother with matters already addressed. All hail the Union!" Leopold threw his fist in the air but nobody in the crowd gave a response. He felt like a fool but cared little about it. As long as they believe his lies, he thought. He stepped down from the platform, Rupert following behind. The crowd dispersed after, calmer than before. "You just lied to the whole population of Holm" William met him with a scowl from a corner. His son was still in armor. "Hardly the whole population." "But it will spread. Your lies will spread." "Good" Leopold walked beside William, smooth street of Holm beneath his boots. "Let it spread. Let them believe." "It is a lie." "It is a necessity" Leopold halted and looked at his son. "The last thing we want right now is panic among the populace." "But Grand Master Henry is not coming. Greenwater is still not sailing. Borondi hasn''t sent a response to our plea yet." William sighed under his armor. "I know it''s necessary." "But you don''t approve of it. Lying and cheating and the things that I do." "No" William shook his head. A smile erupted from his lips. "In contrary I must thank you. You filthy your hands for the sake of this city." Appreciation. Oh how good it felt. Leopold hid his smile. Yes, keep praising your father, he thought. "Well I still have more work to do it seems" Leopold resumed walking. "Go organize the defenses. I''ll meet you tonight and we''ll drink some Hadean with Edmund." 266 Spring Love "That is the thing, Edmund" Leopold rubbed his aching knees. "Hadean vineyards are special, thus the taste of their wine" "I think you are missing my point." Edmund said, sucking his lips. "It''s the expertise. The Hadeans are naturals in making wine. Just the right amount of ingredients." "Well whatever it is, with the Hadeans as our vassals, I think we are getting free samples of their products. Coerce them if needed!" Edmund chuckled to that, raising his cup to his lips and taking a long sip. He grunted after. His eyes shot to Leopold''s hand on his knee. "Lutani oil will help with that." "I have tried Lutani oil. I have also drank all the miserable concoctions out there from Tidu leaves to lizard blood. My knees still ache. It''s the old bones I pressume. Old bones do not listen to medicine. They ache and ache and bother you even at sleep. How I wish to be young again." "We old men all do. Ah, youth. A thing of the past. When I was young I was as good looking as your son." "You wish" Leopold laughed. "It is beyond comparable." Edmund shook his head with a grin. "Maybe so." His face then turned serious. "May I ask you something?" "Wine demands that we talk. Ask away." "You know that I know right? About Timothy and you and your real connection." Leopold stared at Edmund for a while. He took a sip. "A merchant smells rumors like how wolves catch the scent of blood. Of course you know. What of it?" "Timothy told me about it, not the rumors. You disgusted me once, you know. I never could imagine how a father could have his own son killed. But after hearing your story, I felt a tinge of pity for you. Forgive me for prying, I''m a little drunk and drunkeness makes one thirst for talks. Wanna talk about it?" "You ask terrible questions. But I shall quench your curiosity." Leopold emptied a full cup. He shook his head. "Horrible. Just purely horrible. It burns you from the inside. It was like a cage. I was powerless. And the worst thing about being betrayed by the person you love is that you don''t stop loving even after the betrayal. You wish you do and it would certainly help. But you don''t. I loved Margaret then. And I still do, nearly two decades after her death." "You miss her?" "Everyday. Every single day I find my bedside empty. Every day I am reminded that she was gone. Visiting her grave helps though. I talk to her like a madman as if she could hear me. I tell her of our sons mostly. Lately I''ve been telling her about Timothy''s exploits. Sometimes I pretend to argue with her about our upcoming grandchild." "Grandchild?" "Yes, our shared grandchild." Edmund''s face turned grim. "Leo, you have heard about it, haven''t you?" "The filth talk that Lucia can''t bear a child? Shadow is dumb. All those prophecies are dumb. Filth talk, I tell you. Filth. They are saying that we can''t have a grandchild? To the depths of my ass with that!" That made Edmund smile. "Yes, to the depths of my ass too. I really want a granddaughter Leo. I want to craddle her in my arms and..." "Grandson. I preffer a grandson. Imagine another Timothy in this world. The nations would shake!" "I think a granddaughter is better. Who says that a Queen cannot shake the nations? It''s going to be a granddaughter. I can feel it." "You feel wrong then. Male offsprings are prevalent in my blood." "But Timothy is not your blood." "Well, er, dammit Ed. Just don''t oppose me in this one. I want my grandson to tug my beard as I craddle him to sleep." The wine soon filled their bellies and drunken deep talks ensued. Edmund had a poor tolerance and so his speech slurred first. Leopold was still a little sober when Edmund finally fell asleep on the table. Leopold rose, legs soft to wine. His knees didn''t ache now which was a relief. He walked to the window of the great hall, cold breeze meeting him. The night was deep, couple of hours before dawn. The Wismarine fleet would soon be upon them. He could die. William could die. Edmund could die. All of them could die. But first they must live. "Margaret" He said as he looked at the dark sky, talking to a person who cannot hear him. "I am truly old. I wanted to follow you, just let my fragile health get the better of me. What I told that old coot is true. I miss you too much. But I can''t follow you yet. Our sons still need me. And I want to see our grandchild. So wait for me. I will tell you tons of things about our sons." ''Long it reigned, a flower in the bud...'' Leopold sang the first line of Margaret''s favorite song. He closed his eyes. He was a young man again. He was sitting on the branch of that tree with Margaret by his side. She was beautiful. Her hair was dark and long. Her eyes were kind. She wore that necklace he had given her. ''Under the spring, life is a gift. Smile and drift. Flowers in a bud, blooming in spring.'' Margaret sang to him. She had a good voice, not professional but enough to make his heart flutter. ''So smile and drift. I am here. Smile and drift in life. Spring shall come. Flowers will bloom. And my heart will be with you.'' He was young and she was alive. His knees didn''t ache. His beard wasn''t white. The sun was bright. The spring breeze was cool. The leaves were green. Margaret put her hand on his face. She still loved him. They were happy. ''Smile and drift. Like wood in river. Let nothing bother you. Life is spring. And my heart will be with you. Flowers in their buds. Spring will make them bloom. And my heart will be with you.'' Leopold opened his eyes. He was old again. The sky was back to being dark. Margaret was gone. It was reality. "That was a good song" William''s voice said from behind. "Spring Love. Your mother loved that song. I would always sing that to her despite my cracking voice." William went to his side. He sniffed and sighed. "I wish we could visit her grave one day. The four of us. Ivan, Timothy, you and I. Ivan is a complication but I hope he could at least shut up for Mother''s sake." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "That would be good. The war with Wismar should be over after the Snow Season. We could visit in spring." William smiled but it vanished after. "I have never apologized to you for leaving all of a sudden five years ago. I am sorry." "You mean that time you just packed your things and left? That was probably for the best. You have grown in ways I never expected." "I left without saying a word." "And you were free." Leopold smiled. "I want the three of you to not burden yourselves with me. You have a life. I will always be here if you, my sons, need me. But you shouldn''t think of me as your responsibility. I will just be contented with seeing you from time to time." "Thank you" William said. His arms were thick and his beard was full. But Leopold could only see that boy too large for his age often berate him for doing unruly things. Leopold reached to William''s hair and ruffled it. "You are William Castonia, my secondborn. Do as you please and be happy." William nodded he paced nearer to the window. "They are coming father. The scouts said that they''ll be here in the morning." "Then make me proud and crush those Wismarines. Smash through them and make it known that you are William Castonia." He put a hand on William''s shoulder. "You are my son." 267 Siege of Holm 1 "It is them sire" said one of Hugh''s subordinates, a stout man with curly hair whose name was probably Jast, or Jost or whatever name the lad was given. "Smart" Hugh said, giving praise to the enemies. The Wismarines had the sense to not assault Holm directly. The ballistae loaded with Hellfire projectiles would sink half their vessels before they could even reach the shore. Instead the Wismarines chose a beach protected from Holm by a cliff. Unfortunately for the enemies, General William had already considered all the beaches around Holm and set traps to slug their landing. Behind him stood a thousand men of the Snow legion all on horseback. The horses were neighing impatiently for the eventual coming of the enemies. The men were anxious but steady. The frontmost Wismarine vessels were now about five hundred armspans from the shore. Their hulls seemed to break the water. The oarsmen were simultaneous and trained. They were not amateurs. They had prepared for this. "Prepare the pots" Hugh said. His order was repeated throughout the entire cohort. Many Vanadians took the Hellfire pots from their satchels. It was the size of two fists combined and the weight was enough for it to be thrown a hundred paces away. The clay pots were filled with Hellfire and would be ignited though the oil-slick wicks. At first Hugh thought it to be stupid. The wind would blow the flames from the wicks. Many of the pots didn''t explode. Some even exploded in the throwers'' hand. Psychological warfare, General William once told him. The Hellfire pots were ineffective weapons but the shock that they would cause will be devastating for the enemies. Exploding things saps courage like how a mistress saps wealth. "Here they come. Ready!" The first Wismarine galley shoved the sand through its keel. Several more followed. The Wismarines disembarked, splashing and waddling in the water. "Now!" Hugh shouted. The sound of hundreds of crossbows releasing echoed in the air. Arrows flew in a trajectory and then down to the Wismarines. The arrows fell in the water. Unlucky Wismarines were stuck where their armor didn''t protect. Hugh counted seven dead and eight hit by the arrows. It wasn''t much but they did damage. More galleys pushed through the sand. Hundreds of Wismarines were pouring into the shore. They presented shields after reaching solid ground. Their march was slow, step by step dictated by the officers. On their hands were steel-tipped spears pointing toward Hugh''s cohort. Hugh provided a single nod to two of his riders. The men galloped, their horses kicking sand. The riders rode to the Wismarines, curving at the last moment to throw their Hellfire pots on the sand. One of the pots exploded, splashing burning Hellfire around. The sand mixed with hellfire exploded upon contact with fire. It shook the ground and created a warm gust. The sand burst into flames, burning more than a hundred Wismarines. The sand itself turned into water for a moment until merging with the flame. The cries were heinous. They were in pain and Hugh felt his skin crawl. Hellfire was such a terrible weapon. But then again, every weapon was terrible. The fire did not last long. Where a single Wimsarine fell, two or three filled his spot. They doused the flame with sand. The enemies advanced again. There were at least a thousand of them now. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Hugh raised his fist. In a moment a thousand Vanadian riders descended upon the enemies. They slowed and curved just in time and threw the hellfire pots. Half of the pots were duds. A couple exploded on the hands of some of his men, killing both rider and horse. But those which did explode dealt unnerving damage to the Wismarines. Limbs were scattered by the explosions. Blood wetted the sand. The screams of the dying was an eerie symphony. And then arrows rained, not from their side but from the enemies''. It was time to go back to safety. They had sent their message. They had showed the Wismarines what awaited them during their assault on Holm. Hugh''s cohort retreated. The enemies did not and cannot give chase. It was a victory. They lost about a dozen men while the Wismarines lost hundreds. He gripped the reins of his horse. It was time for the real siege. It was time for... An unfamiliar sound called from behind. It was long and loud. Hugh turned his head and his eyes shook in their sockets. Monsters. He saw monsters taller than two men. They had large ears and two teeth were sticking out from their faces. On the center of their faces were long tubes that moved like arms. They were armored. Hugh felt dread. *** Eastern Wall Elephants. Wismarine armored elephants. William grimaced on top the wall. The Wismarines were insane enough to transport elephants. There were more than two dozens of such beasts. Around him many Vanadian shifted in their positions, apparently terrified by the elephants. Most of them hadn''t seen or even knew of elephants. Most were ignorant that animals double the height of a full grown man exist. To them the largest animals were the bisons and cows. Psychological warfare, William thought. The elephants were the Wismarines'' answer to the Hellfire pots. Those beasts were clumsy in a siege and would be killed by ballistae. But just being in the battlefield would scare the Vanadians enough. It was terrible. The Wismarines were terrible. He was also terrible. This war was terrible. William balled his hand into a fist. He paced across the eastern wall, eyes not severing from the movement of the enemies. He eventually reached one of the ballistae. The three-men crew who were manning it were adjusting the aim of the weapon. They were not soldiers but engineers from the navy, taught in the latest ideas of mathematics. William didn''t understand how they do it and he didn''t have to. That was their job. Leading was his. "How effective is this thing?" William asked the old Vanadian in a simple tunic. The Vanadian was carrying some parchment with numbers written on it. "It depends General" The Vanadian said, fiddling with his white mustache "There are too many factors that could change the trajectory of the projectile. But it mostly depends on the distance and size of the target. Accuracy lessens with distance. Accuracy improves with the size of the target of course." "How about those elephants?" "The beasts? Well uh, let''s see." The Vanadian spread the parchment and made some scribbles on it. "The maximum range of a normal ballista is about a thousand paces. More or less, eh not all ballistae are built the same you see. But I won''t bet on doing damage to the beasts at a thousand paces. And it would be difficult to hit even the large beasts. Five hundred paces would probably suffice." "How about catapults?" "About the same range and accuracy sire. But er, the difference are the projectiles. Catapults hurl Hellfire pots while ballistae shoot long bolts. We can also hurl pots but the accuracy..." "I know, I know" William held his palm as he shook his head. He was frowning now. "Can''t you do anything to snipe those beasts? How about building a larger one?" "It would take days sire and the accuracy would be piss poor. Plus the string cannot hold the tension." "So there is nothing you can do?" "Afraid so" The Vanadian lowered his head. "Alright. Just focus on the beasts. If they come within the effective range of the ballistae and catapults they are to be prioritized. Relay this to the other crews." "At once sire" The Vanadian said. The Wismarines finished disembarking at midday. They divided into three and assaulted the western, eastern and northern walls of Holm. The front line of the Wismarines bared shields against them. There were rams and ladders. Some enemies had grapples to scale the low walls of Holm. Multiple horns blared in the side of the enemies. In an instant, the entire Wismarine force rushed toward the gate. Their numbers filled the field. "Here they come!" William shouted. "Here they come! " 268 Siege of Holm 2 Western Wall "We should not be here sire." Rupert had been complaining for a while now and Leopold''s irritation was starting to show. He breathed deeply, quelling his annoyance. "Sire we should go back." "We are needed here." Leopold said stiffly, perhaps a little too harsh. He turned to the Rupert, one of his oldest friends if that word describes their bond aptly. "The Vanadians need guidance." "There are officers for that more refined than us in giving orders." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "And are there any of these officers that can match my position? My blood? I mispoke Rupert. It is not guidance that I bring but courage- a sooth to their worries. People believe in royals. They will not worry or at least would be too ashamed to run now that the father of their King is watching them." The Wismarines were advancing slowly on the western wall, locking their shields. It was probably the right move. The western wall had the least number of ballistae and catapults at fifteen in all. William must have thought that the longer eastern wall required more defenders. The ballistae loosed their bolts when the Wismarines reached the marked position. Bolts taller than a full grown men barreled to the enemies, impaling bodies behind shields. And then the catapults booed their torsion. Flaming Hellfire pots flew, tumbling and rolling in the air, until exploding into the enemy ranks. The devastation they caused was gut-wrenching. Burning men screamed and ran until they fell to the ground, still in flames. But the Wismarines resumed their advance amidst the sight of their burning comrades. The ballista and catapult crews again creaked the weapons. The Vanadians were efficient and each man in the crew knew his purpose. Leopold heard an nearby engineer mumbling while scribbling on his notes. "Fifteen clicks, sixty-three degrees." "Aye" The three other men replied as they adjusted the aim of the catapult. "Where would that hit?" Leopold asked. The engineer looked up. "Those funny-looking Wismarines at three hundred sixty something paces." Leopold turned a look. He squinted. His heart soon raced. Falconheads. The Wismarines had those fanatics in their ranks. Leopold had heard about Falconheads from Timothy''s letters. He described those men or things in detail. Timothy spoke in great worry about them. Leopold ran to the officer in charge of the artillery, Rupert following him. The officer was directing a group of engineers when Leopold butted in. "Prioritize those things" Leopold gripped the officer''s shoulder and pointed at the group of a couple hundred Falconheads. "Do not let them get near the wall. Do you understand?" The officer was in a daze but nodded afterward. "Of course sire." "Do it now! The rocks, boiling water, and Hellfire pots too. You don''t understand what those things are. Those..." The Falconheads bolted toward the wall. They were inhumanly fast. They cried in an eerie sound strange to Leopold''s ears. Every hair on his body seemed to stand. Drugged. They were all drugged. All semblance of self preservation was lost in them. Their strength and speed stretched to the limit. Trained, armored and drugged fanatics. Omniscient guide us. The Vanadians loosed arrows. The artillery crew focused on the Falconheads. But most of the Falconheads just avoided the arrows, bolts and pots. They skirted like lithe dancers. Some were hit and some burned. But most resumed the mad dash. The Falconheads threw grapples on the walls. The Vanadians were trying to cut the ropes but it didn''t take the Falconheads long to ascend the five-armspans high walls of Holm. They were upon them in a moment. Damn you Edmund. Damn this useless wall. Beauty my arse! Leopold silently cursed. A single Falconhead landed near Leopold, kneeling on one knee. It cocked its head slowly toward him, showing its bird-shaped helm. The several Vanadians around pointed their spears but Leopold could feel their fear. The Falconhead rose without noise. A poleaxe was on its back. It redirected a spear thrust from a Vanadian with its weapon, movements quick and smooth. The Vanadian tumbled and slid on the stone floor. The Falconhead hammered its poleaxe on the Vanadian''s neck. The strike cut the mail and almost severed the head. The axe was bloody when the Falconhead yanked it out. The Falconhead again looked at Leopold. Rupert drew his sword, prepared to defend. The three other Vanadians were sweating but kept their spears pointed at the thing. The Falconhead leapt toward him. Rupert parried the strike but the old royal guard was pushed back. The Falconhead swung again but was stopped by the stabs of the three Vanadians. It regarded the Vanadians with annoyance. It dashed at the poor lads, hitting one in the chest. The other two were fighting for their lives. Leopold took a step back while Rupert dashed at the Falconhead. Rupert stabbed his sword at the Falconhead''s underarm. It bit in between the armor, burying half of the blade. The cornered Vanadians struck back, slamming the spears where in the unprotected parts of the Falconhead. The thing screamed in that eerie sound again. And then it died. Leopold was shaking. It killed two Vanadians despite being surrounded. He looked around. Many of the Vanadians were fighting and dying to the things. The Falconheads seemed to target the artillery crew and officers. The western wall was in chaos and the rest of the Wismarines below were advancing without the opposition from the artillery. In a moment they were ramming the thin gate and scaling the walls with ladders. "Get reinforcements from the northern wall!" He shouted to Rupert. "Me? How about..." "I can''t leave! Look at them Rupert" He pointed at the Vanadians. Many were casting occasional glances at Leopold "I am the only thing that prevents a rout. Go. Edmund knows you. Edmund trusts you. Go!" Reluctance was written over Rupert''s face. But soon the royal guard left. For the first time Leopold was without his most trusted guard. He was alone. And yet he steeled his being. He took a flag of Vanadis planted on the wall. He raised it high. He stayed, Wismarine arrows whizzing around. Some Vanadians moved to defend him. Some men died in doing so. And Leopold stayed. "My knees are aching" He shouted. "My hair is white. I am an old man. I am a frail man. Shame to the man who runs before I do!" Nobody replied but he felt that his words reached them. The Vanadians were fighting in small packets across the wall. Many couldn''t hear him. Those that did probably thought of him as a mad rambling old man. He didn''t care. "Do not fear! You should be more afraid of me. I am Leopold Castonia and I will hang every deserting bastard I will see. Flee or you''ll die. Stay and you''ll live." His presence probably helped. The Vanadians stayed despite the punishment of the Falconheads and the other Wismarines. They wouldn''t rout for now. But below another disaster loomed. The gate was being rammed. It would break soon. Leopold looked for and grabbed an officer by the collar. "You have the walls. If a single man routs, I will hang you for treason later." "But sire, treason is.." "Treason! It is treason to fail one''s duty. Mark my words. I will hang you if you fail." The officer gulped and nodded. Leopold left after and descended down the stairs. The gate was bent when he looked at it. Chips of the wall fell with every hit of the ram. A cohort of Vanadians were stationed around the gate. Their spears and shields were ready but they were afraid. "You know who I am." Leopold''s voice boomed. "I am the King''s father. You lads will not be defending the gate. No, that thing is done for. You will defend me! They will ram through the gate soon and I will stay here. If you let me die the King will have all your heads. Do you understand!?" "Yes sire" Came the scattered answer from them. It was enough for Leopold. He took his position at the back and awaited for the eventual fall of the gate. It soon did. Wismarines came pouring in, tugging two armored elephants. The two sides clashed. Blood flowed from the dead and wounded. The Wismarines pushed with vigor. The elephants mauled left and right. They were more terrifying up close. The Vanadians stayed but were being pushed back. Leopold grew anxious. If the western wall falls, thousands of Wismarines would hit William in the eastern wall and Edmund in the northern wall. He must not let the western wall fall. The sound of a fast march sounded from behind. Leopold turned his head and saw Rupert ahead of two cohorts. They arrived just in time to reinforce the western wall. Their arrival boosted the morale. The Vanadian side was now pushing the Wismarines back. The two elephants died, wailing a long cry before going down. The carnage on top of the wall had also eased. They were holding. "What took you so long?" Leopold asked Rupert. "The distance sire. It''s a long run from here to the northern wall and back." Leopold finally sighed. His body had been trembling since the start of the assault. "And how is the northern wall?" "Holding sire. They Wismarines were scant there. Highness Edmund is sending half of his men here. These lads are just the fastest bunch." "Good. We''ll need them." More reinforcements arrived and the assault lasted until sundown. The Wismarines finally retreated, leaving thousands dead on both sides. It was a victory for now. "We held" Rupert said. "Not until the enemies were all wiped out. This is just the beginning." He eyed the mangled corpses that line the the gate. Half were Wismarines and half were Vanadians. He turned to Rupert. "They will come back tomorrow. And the day after that. And after that, until they capture the city. They will not stop." Leopold shook his head upon seeing the gate. It was beyond repair. "And that busted gate would make our lives piss poor for the next few days." 269 Credibility Bay of Hundred Islets The afternoon breeze was soft to Arthur''s skin. The rocking of Vulture against the waves felt like a mother''s cradle. "Why did they call this Bay of Hundred Islets?" Ventil asked beside him, eyes on the islands around. Arthur leaned against a pole in the galley. He looked up, appreciating the beautiful orange glow of the setting sun. "Because there are a hundred islands here?" "I have been counting and there are more than a hundred. Four hundred sixteen not including the ones I missed. And islets are different from islands" "How should I know?" He shrugged. "If given the opportunity, I would rename it to Bay of Goat Turds. These islands looked like scattered goat feces as far as I''m concerned." Ventil smiled to that. "My father would surely croak if he heard you say that." "He didn''t when I had that outburst." An armored Castonian walked to them. Like all Castonians, this man had an expression of a blank paper. He saluted to Arthur. "Lady Sylvie wants to relay that she is saddened by her absence. Her condition is draws complication." "Lady long legs is with child right?" Arthur smiled but his statement drew a frown from the Castonian. "Sorry" He said. The Castonian turned around without saying a word. Ventil snorted a laugh after the man was gone. "Are they all like that?" "Some are indeed like that. I don''t know. I think brooding is in their blood." Ventil sighed. "Well, may Ashkara''s wind blow away their gloom." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Yes, yes. May..." Arthur shot a look at Ventil. "Did you just say Ashkara?" "Uh yes. Why?" Arthur studied Ventil. "You are a believer of Ashkara?" "Don''t tell anyone. My father won''t like it. He might croak." Arthur felt a tinge of worry at that. "I know what you''re thinking Arthur but let Ashkara''s wind sweep away your anxiety. You can trust me." "And... is it alright for you to fight against the Wismarines?" "The Union warred with Tulosa, Canton, Hadea and Inkit- all nations with the same faith. I don''t see why me aiding you against the Wismarines bears problem." Arthur stared at Ventil. The setting glow of the sun reflected on Ventil''s face, slowly easing into darkness. "You can trust me Arthur" *** "Set ''em alight!" William shouted. The Vanadians hurled barrels of Hellfire from the top of the western wall to the Wismarines. The barrels exploded upon impact and spread burning Hellfire flames. The explosion was the final straw that prompted the retreat of the enemies. The Wismarines ran back to their camp under the setting sun. The Vanadians cheered, raising their spears and swords in the air. But there is nothing to be happy about, William thought. The battle today had been bloody for both sides. The siege had been ongoing for five days. Ever since the Wismarines made a breach in the gate of the western wall, they had concentrated their attack in the west. The Wismarines huddled their large camp facing the western wall. The wall was further fortified of course. The gate cannot be repaired but wooden palisades and earthworks were built around it. Nevertheless the Wismarine attacked every day from morning to sunset. The Vanadian defenders had already lost over ten thousand men. The walls were crumbling now and their side was a spent force. William wiped the blood off his sword. Six men he personally slew today, six enemies, six lives. One was a Falconhead. Those men were not human. Their bodies were but their minds had long been degraded by Wismarine medicine into that of an animal. They fought without fear, without tiring and without thought. Those things were a big problem. He sheathed the sword on its scabbard and ruffled Wasp''s fur. The hound had a bloody snout. William examined Wasp for any injuries and was relieved when he saw none. "You have fought with ferocity old friend" William said as Wasp snuggled to his neck as if the large hound was still a puppy. "I know" William sighed. "This is tiring right? Blood, death, war- all of these are tiring. But we must continue this old pal." Wasp panted to his face, tongue sticking out. William grimaced after smelling the stench. ''A dog is a loyal thing. Train him and you''ll have somebody to watch your back at all times'' He remembered that merchant who sold him Wasp as a puppy many years ago. It was true though. Wasp had saved his life eight times. Wasp had never and would never betray him. William trudge down from the wall. The Vanadians were collecting the dead. It had truly been bloody today. The elephants were used earlier to ram the weak wooden fortifications they built around the busted gate. The Wsimarines broke through at one point and slaughtered many of his men. The Vanadians eventually recaptured the gate and rebuilt what was destroyed but the damage had already been done. William headed to the palace after giving instructions to the officers on what to prepare for tomorrow''s defense. A crowd again gathered in the center of the city when he passed by with Wasp. "They will come you fool!" William heard his father''s voice. "Then why are they still not here?" Asked one of the Vanadians. "It has been five days and the western wall is already battered." "You overreact! The gate has been dented, that''s all." "Dented? My son saw it and it was destroyed!" "Your son is a fool then. Or blind. Or both!" His father showed a mocking smile. "I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. Go back to your homes." "Liar!" Someone from the crowd shouted. "He''s lying!" Several more shouts sounded. His father''s lies were starting to unravel. "Believe what you want. Believe in false rumors if that''s what makes you happy. There is nothing to worry about! I am done with you fools" His father walked away with Rupert behind. William met them in one of the corners. "You cannot hide the truth from them forever" William said. "Truth? What truth?" "That apart from Greenwater, nobody else is promising aid. That the western wall is in peril every day. That the gate is utterly destroyed." "The gate is destroyed? Who said?" William looked at his father. The old man then grinned. "Of course some of them know that I am a lying bastard." His father said. "And most of them don''t believe me." "Then why are you still talking to them?" "Fear creates panic. Panic breeds crime. If I can prevent even a single person from causing us trouble then the time I wasted talking to them would be worth it." To that, William could only smile. He may have disagreed with his father countless times before but he could see his reason. The walk to the palace was filled with banter and occasional philosophical mumbling of his father. Edmund Vanadis was all smiles when they arrived at the palace. He went to them, almost hopping. "Borondi" Edmund said, short of breath. "Borondi is coming in our aid!" "Are you certain?" William asked, a little reserved in believing such pleasant news. "Yes! And Greenwater''s galleys are coming with them." Edmund produced a letter with a crooked penmanship. It was Arthur''s. His father took it and read. "Forty-six galleys in all" Edmund continued. "Now I did tell you that I had my doubts regarding my son''s capability but Arthur did it." His father, on the other hand, seemed unhappy. "Are you sure that this is from Arthur?" "I am sure." "And the Castonian navy in Greenwater is joining them?" "That is right. You seem troubled Leo" "Yes, I am very much troubled. It is good that they are coming but now comes the hard part- getting them inside our port. Three hundred Wismarine galleys are blockading us." Edmund and William gloomed to that. Even though the Wismarine galleys were undermanned, they could still pose a threat. They wouldn''t allow reinforcements to enter Holm''s port. "We could move our artillery pieces to the edge of the harbor. Our engineers are talented and could cover the approach of our allies'' ships." William said and rubbed his beard. "But we need those artillery in the defense of the western wall. The moment the enemies see that the artillery had been moved, they will attack in force." "A dilemma" Edmund said. "No" His father looked up from the letter. "We have another problem." "Which is?" "You didn''t read the whole thing, did you?" His father eyed Edmund and then pointed at a line in the letter. William went closer to see it. The part was near the end of the letter. ''Oh, I have to mention that Ventil seems to pray to Ashkara. I don''t know what to make of it so I''ll leave that to you.'' Arthur wrote. "The Vice Duke is a believer of the Wismarine God." Edmund said. "You think..." "I don''t know. This piece of information casts a doubt on the Vice Duke''s credibility as an ally. You''ve heard what happened to Marquis Benedict right? He trusted reinforcements and the reinforcements betrayed him. " William paled. He had heard about the sad way Marquis Benedict Connel died. He let mercenary allies inside Knightsend and those men betrayed him. The Borondians could also do the same to them. "And so what are you suggesting? We don''t let them in? Arthur is with them. He will be captured by the Wismarines!" His father was silent for a while. "Decisions have to be made and fast. Let''s vote. I personally vote to just let the Castonians in. Arthur would have to smuggle himself into one of the Castonian ships." "I vote to let them all in. The Borondians sailed here to help us." Edmund said and heaved a look at him. "What about you William?" William cast his head down. "I think we should.." he started but struggled to find a decision. 270 Oarbreaker Arthur kept his one good eye on the Wismarine galleys, stifling his breath that could very well be one of his last. They were just dots in his vision, tiny like pollen. But the scouts assured him that the dots were indeed Wismarine galleys. There were more of the Wismarines than the Borondians and Castoniand combined. The Wismarines were well-positioned but everybody assured him that their side had surprise. That would be enough they said. Arthur doesn''t know. "Ashkara guide us Arthur" Ventil said. He didn''t know if he should be happy with that. Ventil said that he could trust him. But could he really? If only Lucia was here. She would know. "Do you really believe in Ashkara?" "My faith is firm. May his wings flap us into an everlasting flight." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I''m sorry. I still cannot believe that the Vice Duke of Borondi takes the Wismarine faith. Why are you telling me of this anyway?" "To convert you of course." Ventil held his two burly arms around his chest. "I have seen the wind in your spirit Arthur. Ashkara doesn''t demand purity like the Omniscient. I think you''ll like him." Arthur cringed on Ventil''s poor attempt of preaching. He kept his one eye on the Vice Duke until a soldier went to their front and saluted. Arthur recognized the soldier to be the same Castonian as yesternight. "The Castonian navy is prepared sire. Awaiting orders." Arthur looked up to Ventil and the Vice Duke shrugged. "You are the prince of the Union here, not me." Yes, I am. But what should I do? Arthur turned his look at the Castonian. He made his face stern though he probably looked stupid in doing so. "Follow the Borondian galleys. Do not attempt to fight the Wismarines." "And if some of our vessels gets caught?" The Castonian asked. "Then..." Arthur again looked up to Ventil. "Rescue them?" "No we should leave them. Better to lose one or two galleys than losing the entire fleet." Ventil said. "Well er, yes. Leave them. A sad thing but necessary." Vulture began to slid on water in a moment. The sails were raised high. The rowers were heaving their oars in rhythm with the beating of the drums. The entire fleet moved, coursing toward the harbor of Holm. The sea cried splashes as the keels split the water. The Borondians, thirty-one galleys in all, were on the front while the sixteen Castonian galleys were sailing in the rear. Their sailing hastened with time. They were flying amidst the waves. The strong wind aided their plight. The whole fleet streaked. Arthur felt like he had wings. The wind ruffled his hair. They could reach in time without worrying about the Wismarines. They could enter the harbor without losing a single man. And then the Wismarine galleys turned. Most of them were beached but a huge number were on the water. The Wismarine galleys sailed to block their approach. More than fifty were on the way. Arthur gulped. We are going to die, aren''t we? "Double pace!" Ventil shouted to the sailors of Vulture. The beating of the drums grew quicker. The rowing became more rigorous. Sweat and saltwater dripped from the muscled rowers, their arms heaving the oars. "We can make it!" Ventil said, voice booming. "Winds guide us, we can break through them!" The Wismarine galleys were sailing toward them now instead of blocking their way. They are meaning to sink us all! Arthur worried. One of the Wismarine galleys, a warship with eyes painted on its front hull, was heading directly toward Vulture. The ram on its bow was the length of a two men and made of iron it seems. Its speed matched that of the Vulture. The two galleys would soon collide. "Steady!" Ventil shouted. "Steady!" Arthur''s heartbeat slowed. Or maybe it was time itself that slowed. He could see every drop of seawater splashed by Vulture''s keel. He could recognize the fear and anguish on the sailors'' faces. He could smell salt wafting around his nose. He could hear every splash, every waddle in the water. "Turn!" Ventil''s shout snapped him from the trance. The rowers on the right raised their oars and a smaller sail was raised. Wind blew on that sail, stretching it tight. Vulture rocked, swaying to the left and then to the right. Arthur almost fell but held on the side in time. And then an explosion. Woods splintered as Vulture''s ram hit the Wismarine''s side. The cracking of the wood was thunder. Arthur was thrown forward by the force, his face sliding on the wet hull of the galley. The sight on his one good eye dimmed. The taste of blood was strong on his tongue. Omniscient what in the arse happened? The crew cheered. Why? Why are they cheering? That was horrible. Terrifying. Insane. Crazy! Something grabbed Arthur up through the cloth of his coat. He was dazed but he recognized that it was Ventil. The Vice Duke''s hair was wet with the sea. His sleeves were folded, showing those thick arms Arthur was envious of. "Are you alright?" "What happened?" Arthur forced that reply through his bloody mouth. "We rammed them. We rammed them bastards hard. Look!" Arthur turned his head around. The Wismarine galley was split in half. The sailors were drowning and screaming and dying. Chunks of wood were floating on the surface, some men clinging to to them. The Vulture again sailed, tamer this time. Arthur looked behind, meaning to see if the other galleys made it. Two Castonian galleys were sinking. Three were damaged and one was being boarded. The Borondians lost one but three were badly damaged. The Wismarine side fared worse. About eleven were sinking and several more were damaged. "You can''t have this in land battles Arthur" Ventil was smiling. Why is he smiling!? "The thrill of a naval engagement pounds my heart with ecstasy. You Vanadians think that you own the sea. Well that might be true but your way of fighting at sea is boring. Hellfire this hellfire that. Hah! Ashkara guide me. That is not naval battle. Good old ramming is." Arthur could never understand what he was saying. But at least his doubts about Ventil eased. Ventil''s faith didn''t stop him from sinking those Wismarine galleys. "Think what you want but Hellfire is supreme. It burns despite being in water." Ventil clicked his tongue to that. "Ashkara guide you Arthur. My opinion remains, Hellfire is boring." The enemies were now sending their whole fleet. There were too many of them to fight, even Arthur could see that. The Borondian and Castonian galleys again sailed at full speed toward the harbor. "Can we make it?" Arthur asked. "The chain is still raised. You informed them about us right?" "I wrote three letters. They know." "But why is the chain still there? We cannot enter with that chain dangling on the mouth of the harbor." "I don''t know" Arthur looked at the chain. They were close now, a couple thousand paces or so. The Wismarines were hot on their tails. One more Castonian galley was grappled and boarded and another Borodian was rammed. "We will be slaughtered Arthur!" Ventil shouted. "Why aren''t they raising the chain?" Arthur had no answer for that. He, too, was worried that Holm wouldn''t let them inside. His father wouldn''t let him die, would he? No he wouldn''t. No. He may be inferior to Lucia but he was still a royal of Vanadis. He did his responsibility. He was... The chain dropped, opening the harbor to them. Catapults then sprang flaming projectiles. Hellfire, Arthur knew. Dozens of flaming projectiles arched into the Wismarine ships, hitting most and burning twelve. Such was the power of Vanadis at sea. The Wismarines scrambled back but the catapults didn''t give them reprieve. A second wave of catapults flung their loads into the enemy galleys. Arthur didn''t saw how many burned this time. He had seen the might of Hellfire before and he must say that old ramming action was part of the past in naval encounters. Hellfire''s might made sure of that. What remained of their fleet entered the harbor. The largest harbor in the world looked empty without the Vanadian navy moored. The Borondians and Castonians were exhausted and bleeding. Most galleys needed repair. But they were safe. They disembarked and for the first time in months, Arthur felt Holm beneath his wet boots. It was the same beauty he grew up in. His father met him with an embrace in one of the docks. He was still the same perfumed old man with fine clothes. "You must be terrified my boy." I am. I am terrified to my bones. Omniscient''s arse. I am shaking. "Terrified?" He chuckled "No. Why should I be? That was easy. I came to reinforce you father. With the power of Borondi and Greenwater by our side we could..." Arthur was interrupted by Ventil. The Vice Duke stepped to them. On his hand was a sword, glinting sharp. Ventil looked at his father and then at Arthur himself. "Many of my men are still fresh and I''m sure the Castonians can still stand. Where should we go?" 271 Reinforcements William struck the Falconhead on the chest. His spear bounced off the thing''s armor. He ducked, avoiding the Falconhead''s poleaxe and leapt to avoid the blade of another Wismarine. He rolled on the stony wall, gathering dust and blood on his breastplate. He blocked the Wismarine''s sword with his gauntlet and smashed the man''s face with a punch. The Wismarine staggered to the side but the Falconhead filled his place. William feigned a dagger stab to the shoulder and angled it up to the neck. The Falconhead quickly saw through it and dodged, ramming the butt of its poleaxe on William''s chest at the same time. Air escaped William''s lungs as he took a step back. He held his arm up just in time for his gauntlets to block the Falconhead''s axe. He felt his gauntlets break, cutting his arm a little. The dripping of blood confirmed it but the pain was dull. The Falconhead rushed again. William grabbed the thing by the arm and threw his weight. He failed. The Falconhead threw him instead. His back hit the merlon of the wall. William was dazed but he heard Wasp''s growl. He opened his eyes, whisked away his confusion. Wasp was lunging at the Falconhead, attempting a bite through the thing''s armor. The dog''s fur was bloody. William feared. "No" William shook his head. "No!" He struggled up and sprinted to the Falconhead. He drew his dagger, flashing its tip. The Falconhead noticed. It was too late though. William slammed his dagger on the Falconhead''s neck. The thin scale armor broke. The thing screamed in a wheezy but still eerie sound until it fell. William knelt to Wasp. The dog was whimpering in a sharp tone that gripped William''s heart. A gashing wound was on Wasp''s side. It was deep bur thankfully not fatal. William embraced Wasp despite the stinking smell of blood on its snout. "Retreat" He ordered to Wasp as he stepped back to the fighting. The Wismarines were overwhelming the Vanadians without the support of artillery. The wall was about to fall to the enemies. Wasp followed him nonetheless, limping. "Retreat boy. Go back to the barracks. Omniscience. You can''t fight anymore." And so am I, William thought. The wound on his arms hurt now. Probably a cut on his flesh just shy of touching the bone. But the Vanadians needed him. Those at the gate were being pushed back. The defenders on the wall were on the verge of routing. They needed him. "Reinforcements!" A Vanadian shouted. William looked and saw banners coming to them from the harbor. There was the palm tree of Borondi and the swordfish of Greenwater. Omniscient be praised, William thought. Honorable Borondians. They are not traitors after all. "Hold!" William shouted raising his dagger for he had already lost his sword. Blood from his wound dripped. The reinforcements arrived with a warcry. The Castonians pushed through the mass of Wismarines trying to take the broken gate. They cut like hot knife to butter. Most of the Borondians ascended to the top of the western wall. The first person William saw was a man with a cape dressed in fine plate. His arms were as thick as William''s and a beard to match. William found himself fighting with the man side by side after a while. Neither of them talked and just regarded each other with nods. He was strong, able to smash a Wismarine''s face with his fist. William was starting to like this person. The Wismarines retreated not long after. The arrival of the Borondians and Castonians secured the defense today. As always they left their dead behind, not caring about the desecration those corpses could suffer. Well they didn''t have to worry anyway. William had commanded the Wismarine dead to be treated with respect. William slumped on the merlon, exhausted. The bleeding on his arm had stopped but the pain was still there. Wasp laid his head on William''s lap, exhausted as well. "You are William Castonia?" The same burly man asked. He threw a waterskin and William caught it with one hand. "Ventil Borondi" "Just Ventil. You foreigners loved having long names. I say one name is enough to be carved in history book." William couldn''t help but smile. He pinched Wasp''s ear. "You fought well Borondian." "And you too Castonian." Ventil looked around. "And these Vanadians too. I''ve never seen money-grubbers fight so ferociously." "But the Vanadian navy..." "Hide behind their Hellfire. That is not war. That is sniping enemies from afar. Cowardly. But this. Oh yes I can respect this." Ventil held out a hand to him. "Let''s go Castonian. You need to welcome us, your guests" A jubilant palace greeted William. The palace of Holm was already grand but the feast served by Edmund made it feel like they were not under siege. The long table was filled with men now, officers mostly who were still wounded but were already laughing boisterously. Many were still in their bloody armors. Fish was served for tonight. The smoky smell was alluring. William sat between his father and Arthur Vanadis who, surprisingly, was gloomy. Poor Arthur must have been shaken, he thought. "Do we have enough to waste food like this?" William asked his father. "We don''t." His father forked a chunk of fish and ate it inelegantly, oil dripping down his beard. "But we have guests. This siege wouldn''t last long anyway. Either the Wismarines destroys us or we shatter them. In a few days we''ll know." "It won''t be enough. The Borondians and the Castonians of Greenwater are a great help but those Falconheads and elephants are our main problem." "We should levy from the citizens." "They won''t accept." "Force them. Execute those who refuse." William grunted to that. "I think execution is a bit too much." "Exile then. Kick them out of the city. If they don''t want to take up arms against the enemies then they don''t have the right to stay and enjoy our protection. You know we must be tough." "Yes. But..." William bit his lower lip. "Alright. We will discuss this with Edmund." The meal went on and, as always, wine flowed. William didn''t have appetite though. The wound on his arm still hurt. Edmund then burst into the hall, dragging his long silk robe. He was smiling. Edmund held out a piece of rolled paper for all to see. "I bring terrific news! Grand Master Henry is coming!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. William''s eyes were wide hearing that. He looked at his father. Old Leopold Castonia was the same. "If that is true..." "Then we are saved" His father noted. "Twenty thousand riders!" Edmund exclaimed again "And half are knights!" His father rose, raising a cup of wine but visibly struggling with his shock. "Twenty thousand riders would be a great help. I say we crush those Wismarines!" *** Leopold''s head ached the next morning. He had too much wine. He slid off his bed, massaging his knees. He yawned, stretched his limbs and again gloomed in the fact that Margeret wasn''t by his side. He went to the table where a basin of water had been prepared. He dipped his face in it, rubbing the grime on his face. He wiped his face with some smooth fabric. It was too smooth and perfumed too. The smell of lime and gardenias was reminded him again of Margaret. He whisked the thought. And just pushed the window open. The pretty but battered city of Holm met him with morning glee. The sun was still low and bright yellow. "Omniscient" Leopold prayed. He wasn''t a pious man, some could even call him an unbeliever. But latety, Leopold found himself praying to the Omniscient. "Bring my sons glory. Give Timothy wisdom and William strength. Provide Ivan with repentance. As for me, peace would be enough." "Sire, William Castonia requests to see you. Should I allow him?" Rupert said after some gentle knocks. Dammit. Leopold glared at the door. He is my son. Don''t treat him like an assassin of sorts. Leopold opened the door and William was standing with a complicated expression. "They are gone" He said. "The Wismarines just vanished all of a sudden. All gone." Leopold felt happy but his happiness soon turned to worry. The Wismarines wouldn''t just give up like that. No, they were doing something else. "Gather everyone" He said. "Fast!" 272 Complications "Our scouts reported that they seem to be heading northwest." Edmund said. Six men were seated together. Their frowns were heavy except for Leopold which was heavier. They should be glad. The Wismarines were gone. Holm was saved. But they were not, especially Leopold. "The villages" He said. "Three days walk from here right?" "Two and a half. I''ve made trips there hundreds of times already. The region is rich with commerce." "And these villages," Leopold nibbled on his lip. "They are populous right?" "Thrice the population of Holm. I have sent messages to the local Barons to evacuate the region and find shelter but I doubt everyone listened or were able to find means of transport." "So we have a whole region of unprotected villagers. And now that the Wismarines realized that it is impossible to take Holm, they are going to slughter the villagers instead." Leopold found himself furious about such thing. Of course he was. He turned his head to William. "I have visited Solon and the effects of the Tulosan pillage last year is still apperent. I have seen fatherless children, widows, orphans. I have seen them weep for justice for their dead. I have seen the devastation. No. It wasn''t pretty." "Then we must go after them in haste" William said. "But it is also possible that all of this is a ploy of the Wismarines to draw most of our forces out of the city. They could be lurking somewhere, waiting for Holm to be left underdefended. We will leave seven cohorts here for the defense. We can''t be too sure." "That much?" Arthur said. "Those people with bird masks... they are scary." "They are not people Arthur. No anymore." Leopold said. "We will crush them in the field." "We?" William raised an eyebrow to that. "You should stay here father." Leopold opened his mouth as protest but found it difficult to say anything. He had no reason to go with William. "And I''m also not going" William added. The other people including Leopold heaved their confused looks on William. William''s head drooped. He folded his sleeves and presented his arms. The wound had festered, black and wet with pus. "I am having the wound fever already. The Falconhead''s blade was poisoned. The medicus said that I am going to lose both arms." "No" That came out of Leopold''s mouth with a gasp. This cannot be. His son, his beautiful, beautiful son will losr both arms? He had the urge to rush out of the gate and just slaughter all of the Wismarines especially those Falconheads. "There were some who recovered." Leopold said. "Maybe if we cleanse the wound enough..." "They were merely grazed father. The Falconhead''s blade bit to my bones. Anyway we cannot dwell on the matter any longer." "Not dwell on the matter?!" Leopold slammed two fists on the table. "You will not lose your arms. You will lead us. You will..." "Father" William stopped him with a calm smile. Leopold realized that his hands were now red. His hair was drenched. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You should rest. I will personally write to the Queen. Maybe she knows something. We will send Arthur in your stead." "Him?" Edmund asked. Arthur leaned forward. "Me?" "We have no other choice but you. You will not lead anyway. Our men need a royal to look up to in the field. I''m sure Henry''s knights will be more than enough to shatter the Wismarines." "He will be safe under my care." Vice Duke Ventil said. "I''m sure he will." Leopold was calmer now. "Let''s not waste time. You should go now." *** Henry knelt to the ground, his kneeguard falling to the damp soil. He closed the eyes of a corpse. The victim was a young girl, a couple of years shy of twenty, with a stab wound to the chest. Her blood reddened the mud where her corpse lay. "Rest" Henry said. "May the Omniscient''s light give you justice. May his true words lead you to peace. Rest" Around him hundreds of corpses were scattered. The same butchery was inflicted, some ever worse. These people hid behind the manor of their local lord. The manor itself was strongly defended with iron fences and barricades. But the Widmarines got them. Poor things, Henry thought. Casualties of war. No. This is not war. This is just... evil. He rose, armor clanking. "Bury them with dignity." "At once Grand Master." replied one of the knights. Henry walked to his horse and mounted. He could see the devastation the Widmarines caused. Entire fields were burned. Pets and livestock were not spared. He even suspected that some of the women were defiled. He clenched his hand. Evil. Those peoplr were evil an it was his duty to vanquish them. He knew the feeling of being given the order to bitcher innocents. He had done it. He was a criminal once and his deeds still haunt him. But he fled. He disobeyed the orders of General Sigurd. Many Wismarines must have been disgusted by this act. Just like him then, they had a choice. And they chose orders over morals. That was a sin, their sin. "Grand Master" One of the knights called, a bearded Prefect with blue eyes. Henry turned his head. "Holm''s forces had been spotted by the scouts. They are expected to arrive soon." A combined force of Castonians, Vanadians and Borondians soon arrived. Most of them looked battered especially the Vanadians. A thin man in fine armor and bright purple cape greeted Henry. Both he and Henry dismounted and gripped each other''s arms. "Prince Arthur Vanadis" Henry said, not smiling. It would be too disrespectful to smile with the corpses still spreading mangled all over the place. "By the Omniscient''s will, we met again" "Sadly under the grim circumstances." "We will give them justice. I promise by the Omniscient, I will find them justice. God is justice, Arthur. His command is peace , forgiveness and repentace but all crimes must be punished under his might." Arthur nodded fast to that though a grimace was on his face. "We thank you dearly for your aid. But what are our chances or winning? I... I honestly don''t know what to do. Help me Henry." Henry looked behind. There were actually Nineteen thousand six hundred fifteen. Half were knights. A few cohorts were Queen Emily''s men. The rest were from the plains in the tribes. They dotted the field behind him. Even he felt a certain trepidation just looking at such a mass of men on top of Tulosan horses. "Have no worries. God is with us. We will get justice by the Omniscient''s will." *** William was burning now. He was sweaty and Leopold doesn''t know what to do. The medicus had given him herbs. The wound was already dressed cleanly. But the fever was still ravaging his son. Leopold sat beside the bed with Rupert standing to his back. William was sleeping. "He will recover sire." Rupert said. "Of course he will. He is William Castonia. And that old medicus is senile. William will not lose his arms. I will not allow it. You hear me Rupert? I will not allow my son to be crippled. I will also not let the wound fever get him." "So you will stay here?" "Yes." "And if the Wismarines attack?" "I will go out for a bit, smash those bastards and come back here." Their talk was interrupted by knocks on the door. Those fast knocks worried Leopold. "Sire we bring a message from Higness Edmund." Rupert went to open the door. A couple of Vanadians entered. They made swift salutes after arriving. "Spill it fast" Leopold demanded. "We caught a spy sir. Wismarine. The man was lurking in the harbor. He tried to swim away but we caught him." "A spy?" He swiveled a look at Rupert and then at William. It needed to leave him for a while. Edmund was already talking with the spy when Leopold arrived. The spy was drenched and had a bloody face. "A hundred gold coins" Edmund said. "Tell us what you know." The spy shifted on his seat. His tied hands were slipping but a Vanadian guard held it firm. "I piss on you" The Wismarine then spitted to the shiny floor of the palace. "Very well." Edmund straightened his back. "Two hundred. We will also give you a home here." The Spy smiled. "You poor old sick bastard. I piss on you!" Leopold couldn''t bear listening to the spy''s insult. He walked to Edmund''s side. He turned his head towards one of the Vanadians. "Bring me some needles, a knife, a saw, a hammer and a cup of Hellfire." Edmund eyed him with mixed curiosity and worry. "What are you planning to do?" Leopold looked at the spy. Poor man. He hated doing this but it must be done. "We will break him" Leopold said and the spy''s eyes widened. 273 Thunder The spy''s face was pulped. His head lolled to the side, bloody spit dripping down his mouth. He was bleeding all over but he wasn''t dead. Omniscient. He cannot die yet. The Vanadian soldier put the third nail on the table. It was the left pinky this time. The spy''s fingers had needles sticking out where the nails used to be. Edmund vomited, splashing his lunch upon the neat palace floor. Leopold was also shaken. But he was firm. His face was blank. He made it blank. The screams of agony was his doing. This torture was his plan. Necessity doesn''t dull conscience. I should stop. I should just let him be. He had enough. "Do it again" Leopold said, pointing to the clean right hand of the spy. The Vanadian nodded and began working. A crooked needle was inserted in between the nail and the finger. The spy screamed of course. He screamed and shook and screamed some more until he gasped for air after the needle was through. Omniscient. I am a bloody madman, aren''t I? Leopold held his palm up before the Vanadian could insert another needle. He stepped closer. The smell of blood and piss was strong. "Tell us everything you know. Do not make it difficult for both of us. What are you planning?" The spy looked up. A smile was on his face. "All hail Ashkara" Leopold snorted. "Again. Do the nails." The Vanadian sliced a nail with a knife. The spy stiffed and quivered. Leopold was getting tired of this. His stomach was revolting. "Use the hellfire. Coat his hand and burn it." The spy flinched to that. He followed the Vanadian with his eyes as the soldier took a cup of Hellfire. The Vanadian grabbed the spy''s hand and drenched it in the liquid. "Set it aflame. Make sure he doesn''t burn throughout. We still need him to talk." The Vanadian nodded to his command and took a candle. The flame was small but Hellfire thirsted for it. "No!" The spy shouted. "I will talk. I will talk!" "Then talk!" Leopold grabbed the candle himself. "Or your hand will burn and it will fall off your wrist! Imagine that. Imagine the pain, the agony while a part of you burns to grilled meat. So you better talk," He shoved it closer. "Now!" "The ones attacking the villages were a bait to draw most of your men out of the city." As expected, Leopold thought. Their true target is Holm. "How many?" "Three thousand." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "He''s lying" Edmund said Leopold warned by grabbing the spy''s wrist near the candle. "You see here boy, this man''s the best merchant in the whole damn world. He would know if you''re lying. You want to burn?" "Alright, eight thousand! I swear that''s what I know." The spy shouted in haste. "That''s a small number. We can defend Holm. It is idiotic for your General to think he can take Holm with eight thousand men." "I know! I know how stupid it is to attack Holm with such a meager army. But the General seemed confident." Leopold leaned to Edmund. "What do you think?" "I think there is truth in his words." "But eight thousand? We can defend right?" "We have artillery. We can. Be at ease Leo. There''s nothing to worry about." Leopold leaned away. "I''ll leave this man to your mercy. Do whatever you want with him. But you''re wrong Ed." He began walking out of the room. "There would always be things to worry about." *** Arthur couldn''t believe that it was over. They had won. The Castonians, Vanadians and Borondians held the bulk of the Wismarine force while the Tulosans flanked on two sides. The charge crumpled the enemy line like carpet. The Wismarines began to rout. Only the elephants and the Falconheads remained- and they too were being slaughtered. "Should we show mercy?" Ventil asked. "I don''t know. Should we?" "I say we should. But there should also be executions." "Then do it." The Vice Duke provided a nod to that. He went to his men and instructed some things. Arthur wiped the sweat off his face. Or maybe it was tears? He had been trembling on top of his horse since the battle began. His guards didn''t join the battle and he hand''t done anything except watching and keeping his chin up for all to see. "We have won," Said Grand Master Henry as he trotted his horse near Arthur. The Grand Master also looked filthy with battle. "We have" Arthur said, shifting on his horse. "But there are too many dead. Is this normal?" Henry grimaced to that. His grimed face contorted. "The Omniscient will give the dead some peace." "So what now?" Arthur asked. "We should divide our forces. Half would stay here to take care of the villagers and half would return to Holm with the captives. We..." Henry stopped and looked to the side. Arthur noticed it too. A single Vanadian rider was galloping toward them. The man''s face was a harbinger of dark news. "What is it?" Arthur asked after the Vanadian halted. He looked at Henry and then back at Arthur. "Your Highness, it''s about Holm." *** Leopold slumped against the merlon of the wall. The stones felt smooth against his back. He scratched Wasp behind the ear. The large dog seemed to like it. "Lucky you. You are the royal hound or something. Well I envy you Wasp. Just a little. Your job is to defend William. Easy. Well not easy but... uncomplicated. As for me..." Leopold sighed. "Let''s just say that I''m too old for this." "I don''t think talking to a dog will do your reputation good sire." Rupert said, standing tall in his splendid royal guard garments. "But isn''t he adorable?" Leopold again scratched the dog behind the ear. "He could maul a full grown man but he is a gentle beast. I wish all men were as loyal as dogs." "That is impossible sire. Loyalty is revered because it is rare." "I should stop you right there Rupert. I am in no mood to banter philosophy. Why are you here anyway?" "I should ask you the same. Why are you here? I thought you decided to never leave Prince William''s side until he wakes up." Leopold looked down. "I cannot stay there, in that room. For now that is." He turned his head to Rupert. "The surgeons are cutting his arms as we speak. I failed. I promised that I would not let this happen but I failed. My son will become a cripple." "I am sorry to hear that sire. But there was nothing you could have done to change it." "Aye. His wounds are now dripping with pus. It was black. I saw it. They say that the rot will spread and he would die. Wismarine poison is a bitch. But that doesn''t make it easier. My son is without arms. He is William Castonia, a great warrior feared by many. He will be mocked, I am sure of it. To that I can do something. I will slap any person who utters a mockery against him." Leopold sighed and averted his attention elsewhere. He looked around. Many Vanadians were on guard duty today, half of the garrison of Holm. The engineers and artillery crew were also roused from their sleep. The Wismarines would have a hard time going through the defenses. He rose and strode along the wall. Wasp and Rupert followed him. He smiled upon realizing that the Vanadians had steeled into real warriors now. They were not as good as the Castonians but the leap they did from relying on mercenaries in their borders to what he was seeing now was incredible. "How are things going Prefect?" Leopold asked one of the officers. He wasn''t sure if this one is a Prefect but he guessed. "Good sire, I think. We have secured the northern, eastern and western walls. We have also scattered defenders in the south but I doubt the Wismarines would attack from there." All of a sudden, Wasp barked facing the west. The ferocity of the hound was unnatural. Wasp was flashing his long canines but his tail was between his legs. "What now boy?" Wasp bit Leopold''s trousers. The dog tugged him away. Leopold was almost downed by the strong pull. Several Vanadians pointed their spears at Wasp. "No!" Leopold shouted. "Do not lay a finger on him or you''ll hang!" The Vanadians stepped back to that. Leopold stepped toward where Wasp was tugging him. They, along with Rupert, walked at least a couple hundred paces until Wasp let go of his trousers. Leopold knelt and patted Wasp''s head. "Why boy? What''s wrong?" Wasp just whimpered. Leopold felt dread to that. He looked around. It was peaceful. Everything was in order. But a beast''s instincts were rarely wrong. The wall shook, violent like a passing storm. Leopold was thrown. Everything was in daze. Shouts rang. And then the a crashing sound banged loud. Dust and debris filled the air. It was thunder. It was brutal. Leopold was shaking when it was over. He trembled more when he saw what happened. A portion of the wall was now rubbled. A gap of about a hundred armspans opened in the western wall. All the men on top a while ago were now buried under the piles of stones. Those who were still living were hanging for dear life. "How..." Leopold gulped, staring at the rubbled wall. He shook his head. "No" 274 Blood, Sweat and Tears Dust misted the air, putting a shroud to the carnage. But Leopold could hear the screams of the dying. Oh how he wish he was deaf. His eyes trembled in their sockets. A single sweat skidded down his cheek. Strong hands pulled him from his trance. Rupert. The royal guard led him down the wall. Everything felt a dream. What was that? The whole picture was revealed to him after reaching the ground. It was more terrible. Debris, chunks of stone the size of a person, buried Vanadians in a dusty grave. A leg here, an arm there, a splatter of meat near his boots. Leopold grabbed one of the few uninjured Vanadians. The boy was dazed as much as him. "Call for help. Edmund Vanadis is in the western wall. Now!" The man scuttled away. Passersby had began helping the wounded, lining them in a clean portion of the street. Leopold went to one of them. This man had a mangled arm. The bones were crushed and the flesh was minced. Only the skin held it from the rest of his body. "We need to cut your arm so we can stop the bleeding and save you from festers. Do you understand?" The Vanadian shook his head. "Your arm boy! Your arm or your life. You will die." He was afraid, Leopold could clearly see that. The Vanadian was afraid of losing his arm. He was afraid of being disabled. Of course he was. Leopold didn''t wait for approval. He held the Vanadian''s body while Rupert drew his sword against the mangled arm. In one clean slice, Rupert cut it. The Vanadian struggled, screamed, cursed. Rupert took a cloth from one of the citizens and wrapped a bandage. Leopold didn''t wait for gratitude. He instructed Rupert and a few abled bodies to aid the wounded. And then his eyes turned to the greatest problem he was trying to ignore. The wall had breach. It was wide and the debris was scalable. If the Wismarines decided to attack then the garrison of Holm cannot hold them here especially now that William cannot lead them. Morale was low. And sure enough the horn blasted the cry of an assault. Leopold felt cold. "Gather the wounded!" He shouted. He bit his lips as he looked at the pitiful Vanadians. "Leave those who cannot walk." "Sire..." "Leave them!" Leopold spitted those words. "Form a defense at once. Get the artillery crew up there. Get everyone here!" The Vanadians stared at him for several heartbeats. And then they moved. The wounded who cannot walk were left. Those who had slight injuries were escorted to the infirmary. The dying were given a quick peace. Edmund arrived not long after. The old merchant''s eyes were wide as he studied the state of the wall. Leopold trudged toward Edmund. "Leave the command of all of our men to me. As for you, gather the citizens to the city center." "We cannot defend this Leo." Edmund said. "The breach is too large." "Lower your voice!" Leopold leaned forward and grabbed Edmund''s shoulder. "There are tunnels beneath the palace right?" "Leading to the sewers and then to the river, yes." "Have the royal guards transport the treasury out. The Union cannot continue this war without the treasury." Edmund nodded to that. Leopold knew that he was aware of the importance of the treasury in this war. "And," He added. "Please take him with you. I beg you Ed. Take my son with you." "I will. I promise Leo, I will keep him safe." "You have my eternal gratitude Ed." Edmund soon went away. Leopold gathered the entire garrison in the defense of the breach. Some were sent on top of the wall to deter the ladders and hurl the stones and Hellfire pots. He could see the anxiety on every man''s face. Even Rupert was afraid. Even Wasp still had his tail between his legs. The ballistae and catapults began flinging projectiles. Leopold could not see if they hit or not. He had trust in the artillery crew of Vanadis anyway. The battlecry of the Falconheads soon followed. That shrill tone melted his bones. The things soon leapt through the rubble and hit their lines. Several were cut down by both Hellfire pots and crossbows but most did reach their line. The Falconheads fought with the same crazed ferocity, dealing deaths left and right. The rest of the Wismarine force followed. The two lines met in a bloody clash. The Vanadian side began to buckle. Some of those in the rear were already running. Leopold grabbed one of the deserters and slapped his heavy hand onto the man''s cowardly face. "Defend or you''ll hang!" The deserter looked terrified. He eyed the battle and gritted his teeth. He soon rejoined the combat. But it was too late. The Wismarines broke through in one portion. The whole Vanadian line melted after. Men were retreating en masse. It was a rout. "No!" Leopold rattled his throat. "Stay. Do not run. Stay!" They did not listen. The broken Vanadians were being slaughtered. The runners dropped their weapons for haste. "Too late now sire" Rupert said as he grabbed Leopold. Leopold was stubborn. He could still salvage this. He could still make the line stay. Rupert yanked him hard and he was forced to retreat too. He failed. All of Holm would burn to the ground with this. Thousands of citizens will be put to the sword. No. Part of him refused to believe that this was happening. They were winning, they had defended Holm for days. And now it was all falling apart. He ran, knees aching, but he ran nonetheless. The smooth streets of Holm stayed silent to the plight of the Vanadians. The Wismarines behind were killing everyone that stayed. They soon reached the city center where the citizens were huddling. They began to murmur after seeing the bloodied soldiers. Leopold saw Edmund on top of the platform. He walked toward Ed and bent close to his ear. "Where is William?" He whispered. "He is being transported by the royal guards along with the treasury." Good, Leopold thought. At least he would live. "You should leave Ed" He whispered again "The wall has fallen. The Wismarines are meaning to slaughter the entire city" "What about you?" Leopold looked behind. The citizens numbered more than a hundred thousand. Most of them would be killed if he leave them. "I will try one last thing. Go Ed." Edmund looked around and then centered a glare at him as if realizing his plan. "This is foolish Leo. They are citizens. They cannot fight. We should just escape. Take everyone we can take with us." "There wouldn''t be enough time for that. Besides, I need to buy time for you and William to escape. I I could even annihilate all of the Wismarines with this. Take Wasp with you and take care of my son." He held his arm out to Edmund. "You better be grateful to me." Edmund grabbed his arm. "You are one crazy old man." Edmund soon left with Wasp. Leopold turned to Rupert. "Scour every soldier you can find. Go to the barracks and gather all our weapons. All. Axes, knives, spears, sticks, swords, all the armor too." Rupert looked at the citizens of Holm. "You mean to arm them?" "I do. We have numbers Rupert. Holm would fall soon, these people would die. And they are doing nothing, just waiting to be killed. Go now. Do not waste time." Rupert nodded and went straight to his task. Leopold was left with Wasp and the fearful citizens. Most of them were women and children but a good number were fit men. The women could fight too as long as they can hold a weapon. The children... well the children could stay. Smoke rose from the harbor area. Leopold realized why the Wismarines were not attacking them now. They were burning the city with the stockpile of Hellfire. If left, the whole city of Holm would burn to ashes. He instructed all the remaining soldiers to herd the citizens closer. It took a while but it wasn''t easy to sway a terrified flock. The citizens of Holm, once probably the richest people in the whole world, were shaking and awaiting their deaths. Leopold cleared his throat. He wasn''t Timothy. He wasn''t Lucia. But in his own dishonest way he would try to put courage in them. He stood on the platform. All eyes were him in a second. Those eyes were begging to be saved. The murmurs and cries vanished into silence as he raised his hand. "The harbor is burning!" He shouted. His words were repeated by the soldiers for all to hear. "The great harbor of Holm, the largest harbor in the whole damn world is burning. And yet you are here, doing nothing, wallowing in your fear. Your languor will be the death of us all. You talk and talk and murmur and worry. And yet you bastards do nothing! They are burning your city. They would soon murder you." Finally Rupert arrived with the weapons after a while. It took faster than he thought. Different kinds of weapons were laid on the ground, scattered. "If you want to live then do something. Life is not a gift, it is earned. Through blood and sweat and tears it is earned. Grab those weapons and follow me to the harbor. We will destroy them all and we will live. Stay here and your will all die." Leopold grabbed one of the spears. It felt heavy to his weak arms. He stepped toward the direction of the harbor, not caring if the citizens were convinced by what he said. Rupert followed him. And then the Vanadian soldiers. Finally the citizens picked up the weapons and moved. Leopold smiled. The streets were filled with a sea of people. All alleys and main streets were crowded. All of Holm was moving as one. When the harbor was in sight, they charged. It was a scattered charge- ineffective, broken- but the rush of the mob surprised the Wismarines. Leopold wanted to run back to safety. But the rush of the mob pushed him to the front. His legs moved, propelling him to the waiting arms of the Wismarines. *** William opened his eyes. The stench of the sewer forced him to wrinkle his nose. It was dark and he was being carried. And he cannot feel his two arms. He looked and had a tinge of dismay. His arms had been cut just above the elbow. The stumps were bandaged but still bleeding. And then it occurred to him that he should be in bed. Why in the Omniscient was he being carried in the sewers? A familiar face met him. Edmund. "What happened?" "Your arms needed to be cut off." "That''s not what I''m asking about." He noticed that Wasp was with them, also waddling in the sewer water. He transferred the look on Edmund. It was dark but Edmund''s face was easy to recognize. "Tell me everything. And where is my father?" Edmund was silent for a while until he told William everything. William was panting when it was over. "Fool!" He shouted. "Fool!" He jumped from the stretcher. Wasp barked to his sudden movement. "William!" Edmund shouted but he did not listen. He ran back and Wasp followed. *** Leopold crawled to the side of one of the unburnt buildings. He leaned back. A dagger was on his belly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. I am going to die, aren''t I? No, I can''t yet. But I am dying. The battle was won. The Wismarines were slaughtered and despite the great casualty in their side, he was happy with that. Rupert was dead. He saw his old friend stabbed by a Falconhead earlier. He didn''t even get the chance to say goodbye to Rupert. Leopold grimaced. His breaths became short. I am going to die. Omniscient. I don''t want to die. I want to see Timothy again. William. Ivan. We will visit Margaret''s grave in spring. My sons. I want to watch them for a while. Omniscient, I don''t want to die. Not yet. The falling sun was orange in the horizon. The sea was calm. The breeze was cool. The harbor stretched beautifully to his front. The waves were battering the harbor gently. I am really dying. So this is death. I don''t have a choice, do I? My time has come. He closed his eyes. In a moment he was back in that tree with Margaret. Gone was the sorry sight of Holm, the sad tone of sunset. The day was bright. It was spring. He was young. Margaret was singing to him. At least I am going to meet you again. If there is an afterlife I will. Oh how I longed for you my dear. Our sons. We have three sons. Timothy the king, William the warrior, Ivan the fool. I love them all. The Omniscient blessed us with three beautiful sons. Oh Margaret. He reached into her. She smiled. I must tell you about our sons. 275 Dus The smoke was high, clouding the sky above Holm. Some small fires still burned. Some houses were already down, scorched and blackened by soot. The beautiful city of Holm was marred. The streets were chipped, some even rubbled. The merchant stalls were scattered. It was devastation. William doesn''t care. He was kneeling in front of the corpse of his father with Wasp just beside. His arms were bleeding but he was numb to the pain. Not a single tear fell from his eye. He had exhausted them all. Now only a void remained, a disbelief that his father, Leopold Castonia, was dead. "I''m sorry" William mumbled. He wanted to say more. He wanted to curse, to blame himself or maybe find solace that this wasn''t wholly his fault. He cannot. An apology was all he could say. He cannot do anything but to grief. Leopold Castonia, the old lion, can never roar again. *** Henry rode to the docks when he heard of what happened. It can''t be, he thought. Leopold Castonia is a weed. Weeds don''t die easily. Omniscient. Please make it so that they were wrong. They were not wrong. Leopold was slumped against the wall. His white beard was red with blood. It was him, Henry cannot be more sure. Leopold Castonia was dead. A burly man was kneeling in front of the corpse. Henry guessed it was William Castonia. No, it was indeed him. William''s arms were cut but that didn''t matter for now. The prince was silent. The air was empty with sound except from the fine breeze and the quiet whimpers of a hound beside the prince. Henry slid off his horse. He raised his visor and undid his helm. He went closer. "He was a good man. May the Omniscient guide him into an eternal peace." "He wasn''t a good man." William''s voice was shaky. "When I was eight, he had a merchant executed for smuggling. The merchant was innocent of such crime but he was rebellious and my father was worried that he would influence others into rebelling. So the merchant died because of a lie. About a decade ago he executed many nobles in Western Castonia. They rebelled against him, I know. But he included those who did not rebel but he deemed dangerous. A few years ago he also executed a conspirator despite promising safety if the man spills information. A year ago he schemed to kill Timothy for an alliance with the Wismarines. He is not a good man. He cheated, murdered, lied, schemed. He dabbled with dark deeds." William paused and Henry saw a bead of tear fell from the prince''s eyes. "But he is not evil either. He did what he thought was right, in his own twisted ways. He is Leopold Castonia. He is my father. And no matter what they say, I love him." William''s entire body was shaking. Henry could feel the sadness, the anger, the grief. Henry was the same. Leopold was never the most righteous nor the most honorable. He wasn''t the smartest nor the most capable. He was simply an old man who lived and died by his own rules. And for that Henry respected Leopold. "What now? The knights are at your command Your Highness." Henry said, perhaps a little too soon for the grieving prince but they needed to move fast. Half of Holm was burnt. Thousands of citizens were dead. "Repair the city while waiting for the Vanadian navy. All our combined forces will be ferried to Kotara. And pray." William looked at him and in the prince''s eyes Henry saw fury. "Pray to the Omniscient, Grand Master. Pray that Timothy will show mercy to the Wismarines. Because I will surely not." *** "We need to cut his leg" Lucia said, staring at the festering wound of the Castonian. "Do it clean and let him chew some basilisk root for the pain." "At once Your Majesty" said the surgeon. Lucia went to the man. He was on a bed in the infirmary with several other wounded inside. The stench of rot was pungent yet Lucia endured. "You need to lose your leg. Do you understand why?" "Yes Your Majesty" The Castonian didn''t show fear. "It is for the best. My only regret is not seeing the end of Wismar. But at last I am to go home." "The Union is grateful for your service" Lucia then nodded to the surgeon. "Make it quick and make it clean. Strive for it to be painless." Lucia didn''t stay for the whole operation. She found that her tolerance for such things had degraded. Kotara greeted her with its night radiance when she stepped out. The city, just like Holm, seemed to never sleep. The Wismarines here were different compared in the other parts of Wismar. They were more open to change and less pious to Ashkara. Lucia was about to walk toward the Governor''s house when Mylene arrived, exhausted from running. Lucia paled. Her handmaiden''s expression didn''t look nice. "What is it?" "News Your Majesty." Mylene said between breaths. "From Holm" Her heart was racing now. The last they heard about Holm was a few nights ago. "It burned" Mylene said. "Half of it is burnt. Thousands of citizens were dead but they repelled the Wismarines." "What?" Lucia shook her head. Her home, the city she grew up in, burned? She then noticed Mylene droop her head. "My father, Arthur..." "Safe. But William Castonia lost his arms." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. No, Lucia thought, this can''t be. William was a good man, the brother of her husband. Good men shouldn''t be repaid with tragedy. "There''s more?" She asked after noticing Mylene fiddle with her fingers. "Leopold Castonia has been slain" Mylene said. Lucia took a step back to that. A gasp escaped from her. Her first thought was Timothy. She ran to the Governor''s house. The guards and Mylene followed her. She cannot believe it. She was refusing to believe it. Father Edmund was dead. That old man was gone. She was saddened of course. Despite everything that happened, father Edmund had been good to her. The gate opened to her. The guards were surprised. Some tried to inquire but nobody truly did. She went inside the main door and went up the coiling stairs. It was trudging. She was gasping for air when she finally reached the door. "Is the King inside?" She asked the three royal guards stationed. "He is Your Majesty." Lucia put her hand on the knob and squeezed it open. A well-lit room met her. Timothy was on the bedside, head drooped and not saying anything. His hand was clutching a rolled piece of paper. It was crumpled. She went closer. "Tim?" She called. To that he raised his head a little but slumped back again. She sat on Timothy''s side and wrapped an embrace on him. He was stiff and his body was shaking. She bent forward and put a kiss on his hair. "I will be right here if you needed me. Cry, talk, do anything you want. I will not go away." Silence. Lucia bit her lips. Seeing Timothy like this was painful. It must be tough for him. She swore that she would never leave his side until he told her to. "I will kill her." Timothy said in a tone so sharp it cut even Lucia. "I will grind her to dust. I will make it so that the future wouldn''t remember a single thing about Sarah Wismar and her Wismarines. I will demolish that pyramid throne brick by brick. I will turn the walls of Malzan into a powdery grave. I will slap Wismar with annihilation. No mercy. I will not show a bit of mercy. They can beg for peace. But I will not stop until Wismar is fully destroyed. I will kill them all, all of them!" Lucia didn''t expect hearing that. But when she saw the fire in Timothy''s eyes, that burning anger that cannot be quenched, she knew that he was bent on doing what he said. She held Timothy''s hand and met eyes with him. "I will help you. Together we will shake Wismar''s core. We will not stop until everything is dust." 276 The Last Push A month later Kotara was bustling when Erik entered its gates with his host. Merchants sold their goods in colorful stalls despite the city being occupied by a foreign nation. The gate, which he heard was busted by the assault, didn''t have traces of damage. He, Ash, King Harold and the others spent the entire month capturing and pacifying southern Wismar. It had been a difficult task and he was proud of himself that he was able to do it in just a month. After seeing the lodging of his men, he went straight to the Governor''s house. The building stood tall near the harbor. The roofs were made of smooth bricks painted red. The house itself took two blocks of the city. A moat surrounded it of course but its shallowness showed Kotara''s weak regard for defense. This was a trade city emulating Holm. He was about to present himself to the guards when the iron gate opened. A crowned man with a dozen guards tailing him went out of the gate. For the first time in months, Erik saw Timothy. His friend was the same regal being. His silk coat was tailored to highlight his good features. His crown was more radiant than before. Timothy also saw him but didn''t provide a smile. It was understandable. Timothy had just lost his father. Erik knew the pain. It was unbearable. But he still hoped to see some glow on Timothy''s face. "Walk with me." Timothy said, hands clasped behind. It was more of a command. Erik passed by the royal guards. He sped his steps and caught Timothy''s pace. "I have expressed my condolences but..." "How many men did you bring?" Timothy asked. Erik looked down. Yes, he doesn''t want to talk about it. Of course. "Forty thousand in all. The Inkish legions joined us but I left some of our own to garrison the forts and cities." "That will suffice. What remained of the Vanadian legions, the Borondians and the Tulosans arrived yesterday. You will see Kotara''s harbor as full. Our numbers are swelling close to the hundred thousand mark." "Nearly a hundred thousand mouths to feed" Erik sighed. "Yes. So you see our difficulties regarding the logistics. Kotara is supporting a huge chunk of our needs for now but when we are finally pushing to Malzan, we will inevitably suffer attrition." A hundred steps of silence followed as they descended into the harbor of Kotara. Just like what Timothy said, the harbor was brimming. The majority of the Vanadian navy was anchored along with the Castonian and Borondian. Captured Wismarine galleys were also included but were moored on a separate group. "This will be a problem" Erik said. "A little more than a month remains until the snow season. If we besiege Malzan, the snow season would catch us." "We will not lay siege on Malzan directly. Sarah Wismar has gathered an army larger than ours. We first need to destroy them and then lay siege on Malzan." "That strengthens my point. We need to defeat Sarah Wismar and then take Malzan. We need to do all that in just a month. If I were Sarah, I would just huddle near Malzan and gather more strength until the end of the snow season." "But you are not her." Timothy turned a look at him, still not smiling. "And you do not talk with wisdom. Avoiding a pitched battle against us is the best move militarily. But the world is too large to be judged by military thinking. She wants to battle us. The two sides will meet in a final battle that will decide the result of this war." "A final battle?" "Yes, a final battle. Wismar cannot afford a prolonged war. We hold Kotara. We hold their main source of income. They had also recently lost tens of thousands in the botched assault on Holm. They will be ruined if they wait until the end of the snow season to recapture what they" Erik blinked a few times until he realized that Timothy was right. Wismar was done. The whole nation would fall into disorder soon enough. "Then we should avoid battle. We could garrison our men here in this city. We would have the advantage." "We will not do that. We will meet Sarah in the field." "Why? That will incur unnecessary danger." "Because I need to kill her." Timothy''s answer was swift and sharp. Erik''s hair stood. Timothy was burning. He could feel his friend''s thirst for revenge. "She would have two choices if we do that. It''s either attack us or remain huddling in Malzan until spring. Both would lead to her defeat. She knows that and she would flee." Timothy continued in a gentler tone. "Justice will escape us. She has played with us for too long. I cannot allow her to escape and so I will provide her an irresistible choice to meet me in the field. And it doesn''t snow here anyway so the attrition will be less damaging." "But it will be cold. And Omniscient, Sarah has a larger force. I have faced her Tim. And I must admit that she is better than me, smarter and more committed." Timothy eyed him deeply. Those dark eyes stared at his very soul. "Do you have trust in me Erik? In my capabilities?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Yes. In just a short while you have positioned yourself as the most powerful man in the world from being a third prince. The bards sing of your exploits. Our enemies talk about you with hushed voices brimming with fear and respect. I have known you since we were young boys bathing in forest mud. You are a pedestal Tim. If there is one person who knows that the best, it would be me. I do not question your capability. I merely suggest caution." Timothy swayed away from him and walked in quick strides toward the harbor. Erik followed again. "I know what if feels like Tim." Erik said but regretted it later. Brazen. That remark from him was brazen. He hoped Timothy wouldn''t lash. A few heartbeats later and Timothy''s shoulder''s calmed. Erik felt relieved. "William told me that father was buried beside mother''s grave under that tree. He personally made a trip back to Nirvana to ensure this. Witnesses reported that my father rallied the entire citizenry of Holm and crushed the Wismarines. He died in a heroic last charge that saved Holm from burning to the ground. I will make sure that the future would remember how he died. I will make it so that the name Leopold Castonia will have prestige equal to mine. But this is not just about him, Erik. We cannot sleep calmly at night so long as the lunatic Sarah lives." They arrived at the harbor bathed with salutes. The harbor was more crowded now that Erik had a closer look. Galleys flying all sorts of flags sat closely in the docks. Timothy turned to one of the docks. This one had a large wooden shack built next to it. Castonians with Rooster insignia painted on their breastplates stood guard, their halberds glinting with sharpness. "Are they finished?" Timothy asked a young man dressed in fine shirt overlapped with silk coat. His hair was slick though his back was slouching. Arthur Vanadis was the same fearful man with good eye for luxury. Erik loved his style. "All done. Now let''s leave." "I need to see it first." "We shouldn''t be here." Arthur squeaked. "We shouldn''t be standing in this dock and oh Omniscient we shouldn''t disturb it." "How many barrels?" Timothy asked. Arthur''s lips were shaking when he answered. "Two thousand six hundred eighty five in all. Every last barrel left in Holm as you commanded." Timothy strode toward the shack despite Arthur''s protests. Erik just shrugged at the prince. "Hellfre?" Erik asked. "What else would make poor Arthur tremble like that?" "Many things could make him tremble like that." For a moment Erik saw Timothy''s lips curve a small smile. But then it vanished. That was enough though. There was hope for recovery. Timothy pulled the double door open. The sweet smell of Hellfire wafted around Erik''s nose. It smelled like tulips marinated in prune juice. The brown barrels were carefully stacked inside. It was dark and cold just as how it should be. Timothy went to one of the barrels, instructed for it to be opened and dipped his finger into the viscous fluid. "Good batch." "How did you judge it to be a good batch?" "My wife is the Queen of Vanadis. How should I not know how to examine Hellfire''s quality?" "Fair enough. So we are using this? I do think this is too much." "Nothing is too much when it comes to Hellfire. We will burn them root and stem and leaves until only ash and soot remained of their once pitiful lives. I will burn their names from memories. I will make it so." Timothy beckoned to him and Erik went closer. "Summon Ash, King Harold, Layfare and Magistrate Vulek. We will talk about our plans for the last push to the heart of Wismar." 277 Dark Days Thirteen people were gathered- Erik, Ash, King Harold, Princess Layfare, Magistrate Vulek, Timothy, Lucia, Henry, Vice Duke Ventil, Admiral Bisham, Prince William, Arthur and a Wismarine named Cohir. It was a large group, Erik thought. But then again, these were the people they had allied in the course of this war. "May I begin by saying that I shouldn''t be here?" Arthur said, raising his hand shyly. "I don''t command. I can''t command." "Me too" Layfare said. "But you are a symbol of Hadea''s fealty to the Union and symbols are powerful." Timothy said to the Princess. He then turned to Arthur. "You are also a symbol of sorts. You will be one of the commanders of the artillery crews." "Artillery crews?" Arthur looked around as if seeking for help. "No, no. I don''t know how to be in charge of them. I don''t even know how those damn things work!" "You don''t need to know. The artillery crews..." Timothy sighed, shaking his head. "They don''t respond well to stern orders from officers. They do, however, respect nobility and royalty. You are the only royal we could spare." "You can spare me as well." William lifted his arms, only stumps remained of his lower arms. Erik''s stomach churned, feeling the pain of a warrior such as William to lose both arms. "You will command the Vanadian legions." "They won''t respect me with these arms." "They will respect your or they will answer to me" The Queen said and that silenced William. The Castonian prince leaned to his chair and nodded weakly afterward. "So what now?" William asked. "We will cross the Great River of Sha. We will also bring our navy with us." "It is as expected." Erik said, realizing the subtle effects of crossing the river. "The Great River of Sha connects Malzan to four other Wismarine cities. Crossing and controlling it would cripple the already crippled Wismar. But Sarah would probably defend the crossings. I think she is already building fortifications around the crossings." "Yes that is expected. The scouts reported that there are already forts guarding the bridges." Timothy turned to the Wismarine. "There are three crossings right?" "Yes" The Wismarine whose name was apparently Cohir nodded. "Sha bridge, Gremlin bridge and the Stony bridge. All three are just about a couple of leagues from each other. Poor design, I tell you." "And what''s left of the Wismarine navy are anchored in the Sha river. They will defend the three crossings. We need to attack with both with our army and our navy. Admiral Bisham will command the attack from the river itself. The Wismarines have fortified the river with chains and traps so be careful. The Borondians will accompany you." "We will rule the waters just like how we rule the land" Admiral Bisham said. "Ash and Harold will be in charge of the Cantonese. You, along with the Inkish under Magistrate Vulek, will assault the middle Gremlin bridge. The fortifications are thin there so it should be a less bloody battle compared to the other two bridges." "We will t-try our best." King Harold said and puffed his chest to Ash. "Together, you a-and I." Erik rolled his eyes on Harold''s poor attempt at flirting. He saw Timothy''s displeasure too. The Queen turned to the Magistrate of Inkit. "We have great respect for your father and we expect that you are of the same caliber." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The Magistrate saluted, bringing his fist on his chest. "I am my father''s son. The Republic of Inkit will serve you well." "The Vanadians will take control of the Stony bridge to the east. The Wismarine desert tribes will accompany you for cavalry support." Timothy continued. Cohir saluted in silence. Prince William just nodded though. "The Tulosans and the Castonians will attack the Sha bridge. This will be the bloodiest encounter among the three. But I have trust in you Henry" Timothy looked at Henry and then at Erik. "And in you. You have full command over the Castonian legions except Rooster. I will personally lead Rooster and the combined royal guards. Prepare your men today. Tomorrow we will head to the north." "Tomorrow?" Erik frowned. "I don''t mean to question but isn''t that too soon?" The others also wore faces of worry. Even William seemed daunted by the thought. "It will not if you move fast. I am not here to discuss our plans with you. I am here to command and you will all follow. Am I understood?" Timothy was calm saying that but Erik could feel the pressure of his words. He was committed to annihilating the Wismarines as soon as possible. "Of course, yes." Erik said. "Tomorrow" "Good then." Timothy rose and the Queen followed. "The day is young but soon night will come and then tomorrow will follow. You better move fast." *** The sun held on its last radiance. Night was devouring the sky -bit by bit but inevitable. The dusty autumn air blew on Henry''s cape, fluttering it like a flag. "Everything is prepared?" He asked a knight prefect. "Not quite Grand Master. But we will manage. You should retreat to your quarters." "Then I''ll go now. Feed the horses double rations. They deserve one last feast." The prefect saluted and Henry went on his way. He didn''t go to his tent though and instead decided to pay the monarchs a visit. Security was strict when he arrived. The royal guards confiscated his weapons and armor except his cape. Henry wouldn''t let them take his cape anyway. And so he went up to the monarchs'' room with simple tunic and trousers but with the marvelous cape of the Grand Master. "Evening Abraham" He greeted to the royal guard. "And you Bear." "You look less daunting without armor and your pointy steel." Bear was mocking him. "And your horse." "Stop it" Abraham pushed Bear away. They were of the same size but Abraham was more confident with his movements. "His Majesty has been expecting you." "Expecting me?" "Yes. So go in." Henry went inside. Both of the monarchs were having their meal. Smoky smell of grilled turkey lingered in the air. Henry''s stomach growled. "You Majesty..." "Eat" King Timothy said. "We have prepared an extra meal for you." There was indeed an untouched plate in the table and a goblet too. Henry sat on one of the chairs but did not touch the food. "Abraham said that you''ve been expecting me. How?" "We are good friends and you haven''t visited me since your arrival yesterday. I figured you''ll visit tonight." He forked a chunk of the turkey but transfered it on the Queen''s plate. "How is Freya?" "She is well. We bought a house and a small plot of land near Bivon. But we rarely stay there as Queen Emily always invites us to lodge at the palace. My responsibilities also demand that I stay inside Bivon so we rarely venture into our home." "And is she with child yet?" The Queen asked. "I hope not. Not until the end of the war anyway. I could die in the field and I don''t want our child to be fatherless." "You are thinking grim things Grand Master. You will not die." King Timothy produced a small smile. "So are the Tulosans prepared to mobilize tomorrow?" "The horses has been weakened by the long sea voyage from Holm but we are ready." "That is pleasant to hear. But I presume you are not here just to talk about horses. You aim to offer me your condolences." "I do. I respected your father. May the Omniscient guide him to peace." Henry bent forward, hands clasped. "But I am afraid that you are being swallowed by anger." "Anger, yes. I am angry. I am furious." "Will this be a problem? I once told you that I will guide your ways. And I''m saying that your father''s death shouldn''t be blamed solely on the Wismarines." "Yes. But most of them are guilty. They started this war. They butchered citizens of Vanadis. They committed crimes." "Not all of them. Please, reconsider this." "If you are worried that I will commit a genocide then be at ease. I will not go that far. I haven''t gone crazy yet." "Are you sure?" Henry bit his tongue. "I mean, thank the Omniscient." Timothy still had that smoldering rage but Henry now believed that he wouldn''t do anything rash and rotten. He wouldn''t right? "Then I will be off. Thank you for your offer of food but I must go back now." King Timothy provided a single stiff nod. "Omniscient guide you Grand Master. Rest well. I need you and your Tulosans." *** Wismarine Camp, Near Malzan ''Twentieth Day of the Middle Autumn, Year Five Hundred Eighty. Her Highness Sarah has been unhappy this past month. She is still smiling and laughing loudly but her antics are more reserved now. It must be because of the defeat at Holm and the capture of Kotara. I don''t know how long this would last but I hope it will be over soon. We need her. The whole of Wismar needs her to think a way to defend against the Union.'' Hatshin halted his hand. He examined the quill amidst the dull flicker of candlelight. The ink had dried now and he was still not through with his daily journal. He dipped the quill in blank ink and resumed writing. ''Rumors say that the Union and Wismar will meet in a final battle soon. It is inevitable they say. I hope not. What could a poor camp cook like me do when faced against a charging knight? Or worse, a Castonian? My body shivers just with the thought. But what can I do really? The wheels of war are turning and even all the world''s donkeys cannot pull it to a stop. I guess I''ll just continue serving delicious meals to Her Highness. Maybe my food will make her feel better. Maybe my cooking will give her peace of mind to think. I''ll be a hero then. Hah! Would you imagine that? Hatshin the hero. Sounds good to me. But as I fill this journal with words nobody would read, I feel worry in my guts. Dark days are coming. Truly dark days. Many of my comrades, people I know, will not last until spring. I pray to the wind that everything will be fine. Ashkara, please save us all.'' 278 Battle of the Bridges 1 The Sha river shone brightly below Geraldine''s deck. The oarsmen rowed calmly. The crew stood in languor. But Bernard knew that soon this calmness, this peace, would be broken in a shower of violence. "You seem happy sire." One of his men asked, a freckled boy from central Vanadis. This one was always the asker, always asking him random questions. The questions served to dull his boredom though. Bernard held a rolled paper pinched between his two fingers. "You know what this is?" "Paper?" "A letter. From the Queen of Tulosa. She and I are good friends." "Poor you sire. I think just being good friends will not satiate your desires. It has been months yet she hasn''t responded to your advances." Bernard frowned at that. "Where did you hear that I have been making advances?" "From the crew. We talk about you all the time." "Ah, mocking me you mean." Bernard turned forward. The wide Sha river sang silent to their approach. "I am not lean. My face is not splendid. I don''t have the looks. But I have the audacity to court a Queen. I get it. But I must ask you to stop this mockery. It will not be good for command." "No mockery sire. We talk highly of your brave advances. Yes you are not lean. Your face has never been splendid. You have the looks of a Basilisk root chewer. But you give us hope that even though common men like us with common looks could one day win hearts of pretty maidens. So keep going sire. Keep going." Bernard laughed at the boy''s words. His belly bobbed. His thick shoulders shook. "I''ll treat you to a good quality tavern when I succeed! We will fill our bellies with booze until we pass out." "I like the sound of that sire." Bernard stepped toward Geraldine''s bow. The wind was in their favor and they should reach the Stony bridge soon. Around Geraldine, several hundred galleys were also sailing forward. Most of them were Vanadians. A few were Castonians. And then there were those haughty Borondians. He heard yesterday that Admrial Bisham got into argument with the Vice Duke of Borondi over catapults. The Admiral wanted the Borondian galleys to mount catapults in their decks but the Vice Duke argued that it would just slow them. The two had a deep conversation which included occasional shouts and insults and in the end the Vice Duke won. And now the Borondian galleys were sailing in front. They were fast, Bernard must admit. But the age of ramming warfare at sea was over. Vanadis once dabbled in ramming. Even a year ago there were still Vanadian hunters, fast galleys that could skewer enemy galleys with their long rams. But the hunters were all decommissioned by the Queen and were all turned into hurlers. A horn blared. The Admiral''s flagship, Seabreaker, raised the blue flag. It was the signal that the scouting galleys to the front had spotted the Stony bridge. Bernard waved his hand and Geraldine''s crew raised their own blue flag, signalling the twelve galleys in his squadron to prepare. The artillery crew of Geraldine began to work afterward. The two catapults were loaded and cranked. The two engineers began calculations. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. After a while Bernard spotted the bridge. It was high above the river and the Wismarine navy was moored below it. A chain was dangling across the river and that could become a problem soon. The Borondians were in charge of breaking the chain though. "Raise the second sail!" Bernard commanded. The sail near Geraldine stern was raised and it was stretched tight by the wind immediately. Geraldine was pushed by the additional power. "Artillery crew prepare!" Bernard again commanded. He kept his eyes on the enemies. The Wismarine navy was fewer compared to them but they had better position. And they must take control of the river from the enemies. They must. The battle would soon begin. This would be the largest naval battle in recent history. A familiar sight met Bernard to the front. The sky was filled with flames. There were hundreds of balls of flames flying in an arch toward them. Everything seemed to stop for him. He of course would recognize Hellfire at first glance. The barrage fell upon them. The loud cracks indicated direct hits. Screams. Shouts. Cries. Their side was hit terribly. The water became fire. It was horrible. Many of their vessels were hit, the crew burning in a cruel flame. Geraldine was lucky but Bernard was gasping. The sight of Vanadian galleys sinking punched him in the stomach. He counted the number of fallen galleys but stopped at a dozen. There were more but he didn''t want to know. He looked to the front. One question was on his mind. "How did the Wismarines get their hands on Hellfire?" *** Gremlin Bridge Corpses lay left and right. The fort wall was still smeared bloody. Some Wismarines were still alive but soon they wouldn''t be. Ash chose her steps well. Harold was guiding her but she didn''t trust his vision. Harold had some problems with his eyesight and the King''s fine boots were already bloody. She finally reached the top of the wooden wall of the fort where Magistrate Vulek was sharpening his sword with whetstone. The Magistrate was slumped back, sitting amidst dead enemies and allies alike. "That was impressive Magistrate" Ash said. Magistrate Vulek looked up. His square jaw looked menacing. "I am honored by your praise. Your men fought bravely too. And His Majesty was right. This bridge was not so well-defended." "Nevertheless t-that was good. Your c-command is superb!" Harold said, confusing Ash a little. Harold wasn''t one to give praises so easily especially in her presence. "Thank you" The Magistrate produced a smile. He rose and turned to the bridge below. Cantonese and Inkish soldiers were fortifying the bridge, putting spikes and repairing the defenses. Some were building moats as instructed by King Timothy. "But this is not the time to celebrate. The two other bridges are still not ours. And I fear for the navy. It wouldn''t be easy for them to take control of the river." Magistrate Vulek said. "Let''s just hope for the best Magistrate. May the Omniscient''s song cradle us to victory." *** Hatshin leaned on his chair. His back ached. The entire day was a mess. He eyed the quill and paper on his desk. He was drowsy but he forced himself to pick up the quill and write his daily journal. ''Thirtieth Day of the Middle Autumn, Year Five Hundred Eighty. Today is the beginning of the Union''s assault. I don''t know how should I feel. I am contented, if that word describes my feelings. But I grow more afraid by the day. I have seen the injured being carried into the main camp this afternoon. Their injuries were severe and I know a lot of them would die. I wanted to help but what could a cook do but to serve food? Maybe I should have followed my father''s advice and took an education in medicine. Maybe if I just listened to that old man, I could have helped. But no, I am a stubborn stupid boy who followed his passion. Anyway I''ve heard troubling news that the Gremlin bridge has fallen to the Union. Cantonese and Inkish soldiers took it. Highness Sarah was furious of course, still smiling, but I have been under her service for too long to see through her hidden emotions. The other bridges were still being fortified. They say the Union will also attack Sha bridge and Stony bridge soon. Well they did attack the Stony bridge already. Through the river but it was technically an attack. The soldiers have been talking how the Union''s navy was annihilated. Hundreds of galleys sunk they say. I doubt their words. People tend to exaggerate things. But one thing is certain, we defended the river today but lost a bridge. I don''t know if I am to feel happy or sad. I guess I just feel pity. Whichever side would win, this war has ravaged us enough. I hope it will be over soon so that I could cook without worrying that it will be the last meal I will prepare. Ashkara guide me. Ashkara guide Wismar. And, as treacherous as this might sound, Ashkara guide the Union.'' 279 Battle of the Bridges 2 Vanadian Camp Near Stony Bridge "We cannot attack as long as the Wismarine Navy guards the bridge. We must wait for our navy to crush them." William said to Arthur, Layfare and Cohir. The cold of the late night penetrated into the tent despite the thick fur coverings. And despite having tens of thousands of Vanadians and Wismarine desert warriors in their camp, it was a silent night, one that William was uncomfortable with. Cohir poured some fermented milk into his cup. The smell wasn''t nice and if not for diplomacy, William would have asked the Wismarine to put it away. "I understand. But we are late on schedule. Gremlin Bridge has fallen to the Cantonese and Inkish." "This is not a competition." "Ah but life is a competition. We get stronger because of competition. In the desert either you compete for food, women and water or you die." "This is not the desert." "Life is a desert. Either you blow the wind or the wind blows you. My warriors are strong with the axe. The Ironpeople will flee when they hear the sound of our hooves." William sighed. He leaned back and was about to scratch his head when he remembered that he doesn''t have arms to scratch anymore. "You saw the damage the Wismarine navy caused ours. You saw it. They have Hellfire and they just sank dozens of our ships." "That fire weapon is scary, yes. But if we rush our attack, we could overwhelm them in one go. You know Ashkara right?" "Your God." "No, our great leader. It was said that Ashkara led our people into war. The desert was drenched in blood that day. There is strength in courage." William was too tired to argue. He looked at Arthur who was slouching as always. "You alright?" "No. I am not alright." Arthur gazed outside from the slit of the tent. William followed Arthur''s eyes and saw the Bridge not far from them. Lights from forts lined like fireflies in a dark night. "You two argue but the attack tomorrow is inevitable right?" "Yes, afraid so. It is just a matter of deciding whether we wait for the navy to attack first or we storm the bridged first." "I personally think we should attack first" Cohir again said. The aged tribe leader then shrugged. "But you are the one in charge so I will listen. Let''s throw glory away to the navy then." The way Cohir said that was devoid of mockery. The Wismarine''s only felt it a shame to throw away a good charge, William could see. "Then it is settled. We will coordinate with the navy and tomorrow we will wait for them to make their move before attacking. You can leave now. It is late and you need to rest. Especially you Arthur. I need the Artillery crews to be well organized." Arthur flinched and then looked at him. The prince nodded weakly as he exited the tent. Cohir also made a farewell salute before going his way. William closed his eyes, too tired to think or worry about tomorrow. It would be a deadly struggle. He saw the Wismarine Navy batter the combined Castonian, Borondian and Vanadian navy just this morning. It was jarring and surprising seeing the Vanadian navy lose a battle. He then noticed that Layfare was still in the tent. The Hadean Princess was rummaging through the bowls, plates and cups in the other table. She turned around holding a tray of food. "What is this?" Wiliam asked after she had brought the tray to his front. "You haven''t eaten." She looked at his stumps. "Well you can''t eat alone." Layfare forked a chunk of grilled mutton, held it near William''s mouth and raised her eyebrows. William wanted to refuse this humiliation but his growling stomach prompted him otherwise. He bit the food and ate. "I could send for a servant. Thank you. You can go now." "Are all Castonians as cold as you?" She was holding a spoonful of mashed potatoes now. William had no choice but to eat. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I am just saying that you don''t have to do this. I have servants. I could command a random soldier to do this." "But what good would that do?" "What good would that do? What do you mean?" "Hadea and the Union has formed a pact. A royal betrothal is included in that pact. I am to be wed to either you or Prince Arthur." She let out a sigh. "I can''t see myself being with him so I chose you." "Arthur is a kind person. Well not every time but he has his days." "I talked to him earlier and he is a bit lecherous. And he avoids responsibility like a disease. I just can''t connect with him." "And you can connect with me?" "I hope I could." "I don''t have arms." "I don''t need your arms, I need your cooperation. Hadea needs your cooperation. And so I am here to better know you." Layfare poured wine into a cup. The smell was nice, sweet as a cherry. "I don''t drink." "That may be a complication between us. I am the princess of a kingdom obsessed with wine." She smiled. "Less of a complication than Arthur''s lechery though." He grinned at that. "What did he say to you anyway?" "He described by legs with exaggerated adjectives pertaining to wine." William chuckled. "I can see him doing that." "Right? He must have thought that I would fall for such cheap tricks! No, no. He only succeeded in making my bones shiver." William pointed at the cup with his lips. "Get one more. We shall drink together." Wine greased words flowed freely from both of them. William was surprised by how much he had revealed to her in just one sitting. He talked about his past, his adventures in the east with Silverback, and, to some extent, his guilt regarding the death of his father. He had also learned things about her. From her words, William saw Hadea in a new light. He once thought, just like what the songs say, that Hadea was a nation of drunkards. He was a bit shamed knowing that it was also a land of loyalty like Castonia with a people united by the monarchy. The night was truly past its middle when Layfare finally rose and stretched her limbs. "I should get going. Me staying in your tent until sunrise would incur some fallacious rumors, unpleasant ones." "Yes, you better go. It would be both damaging to our reputations." William gifted her a smile, a genuine one. "Thank you for the helping me with the meal and entertaining me with talks." "If we survive tomorrow then this would repeat, yes?" "That would be nice." Layfare left the tent and William yawned. He could only do a short sleep but he was used to it. When he was still the captain of Silverback he could go on for three days without sleeping especially during battles. His resilience remained until now. He went to his bed, a simple wooden one topped with some cloth. It was hard to his back but he liked it like that. He laid and was about to close his eyes when the warhorn blared. William jumped. He scurried outside. The horns were blaring loudly now. It was an attack. The Wismarines were attacking, taking advantage of the darkness. But the Vanadians under William were not the same amateur green lads. They had bled and they were professionals. The whole camp was roused and was in formation in no time. William could feel the battle already as he looked to the front. The figures of the Wismarines were running toward them. And then sounds of springs erupted from behind. The dark sky was filled with flaming projectiles. William looked behind to where Arthur should be commanding the Artillery. He smiled. "Maybe you are more than just a lecherous prince after all." 280 Battle of the Bridges 3 Bernard kept his eyes on a single fireball. It streaked in the grey dawning sky- spinning. It fell a few paces from Geraldine, splashing burning Hellfire like a splattered egg. Geraldine''s crew ran for cover as bits of Hellfire showered. A drop would scald. Ten drops would melt the skin and into the bones. The shower ended and sighs from the shaken crew sounded. Bernard raised his head. The other galleys were not so lucky. As always the Hellfire was terrible. The Wismarines had been attacking them since before dawn and it was nearly morning now. It was insanity. The Wismarines were insane. "Artillery crew at the ready!" Bernard shouted, voice booming in the cold morning air. "That now lads was a poor use of Hellfire. The Wismarines may have discovered how to fling Hellfire at us but they will never- I''m telling you, never- steal our expertise. Inaccurate bastards. Now show them how to use Hellfire!" The artillery crews began working. It was still somewhat dark but Bernard was confident that they would do more damage than the Wismarines'' sorry attempt of imitating their Hellfire barrage. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. In a moment the crews finished loading. The other artillery from the other ships were also through. In a simultaneous deafening scream of torsion springs, hundreds of fireball flew, illuminating the sky into day. Cocky bastards, Bernard thought. Vanadis is the king of the waters. *** "Go!" Arthur shouted, trembling finger pointing at a group of Falconheads trying to flank the artillery crew. "We cannot rush calculations or we''ll be off!" Shouted one of the engineers. "Then do it faster! Or we''ll die. You will die. I will die. Omniscient. We will all die!" He shouldn''t be here. He should be in the back lines, enjoying a sip of Hadean wine with his feet slung on a table. But no, he was here, commanding a bunch of moody old men. "We should just abandon the artillery pieces." Said one of the engineers. "We cannot hit them all. Even one or two of them reaching us will be catastrophic!" The beardy old man was right. A single Falconhead reaching them would put all their lives in peril. Most of the artillery crews were not versed in defending. "Do not let them run, Arthur." Layfare said. "Tell them to stand their ground and keep flinging those projectiles." "But they wouldn''t listen!" "Then make them. You are a Prince of Vanadis, are you not?" "I am. But... but..." "Do it Arthur" Arthur looked at the Falconheads. He then turned to the rest of the Vanadians fiercely defending against the attack of the Wismarines. He should not run right? This was the right thing to do. He was scared. Omniscient. He was terrified. He grabbed the engineer''s white beard. "Keep firing or I''ll cut your ugly beard in pieces!" *** Eleven Hellfire projectiles hit Holm, Admiral Bisham''s flagship. The galley was engulfed in fire. Burning splinters covered the water. Bernard''s eyes were open. The flagship was just adjacent to Geraldine and he saw it burst into flames. It was sinking fast. "Row to the left!" Bernard shouted. Admiral Bisham mustn''t die. Geraldine steered to the burning wreckage of Holm. Bernard''s eyes jumped from one corpse to another, hope fading that he would find the Admiral alive. And then Bernard found the Admiral clinging to some wood. His skin was burnt when they fished him out. His fine uniform was tattered. He was dying. "The flag" Bisham forced through his blistered lips. His voice was low, a squeaky sound of a dying man. "The flag. Raise it." Bernard knelt near the Admiral, staring at a loyal man. He was a veteran who had served Vanadis for too long. He conquered half of Calgari. Now Admiral Bisham was dying. "Take the flag." The Admiral said again. His eyes closed after that. Bernard rose, looking at the stunned crew of Geraldine. Splashes and screams around indicated another barrage from the enemies. Nobody cared. The Admiral was dead. "Take the spare flag below. The bright blue one." He ordered calmly. "The symbol of the flagship?" "And the horn. Get it now. Holm has fallen. But Geraldine will become the new flagship. With haste. Now." Two sailors scrambled down the deck. Bernard swiveled his head around. Many of the allied ships were turning around, routing. The Borondians were also breaking. Only the Castonian galleys were still unmoved. The sailors returned with the admiral''s flag. It was hoisted high on Geraldine''s main pole. Bernard grabbed the horn and looked at the Admiral. Bisham was now at peace and that was good. Bernard would continue this no matter what. He blew the horn. A long booming sound reverberated in the air. It was the signal for an all-out attack. He extended his arm forward to the ugly Wismarine galleys. "Onward! For the Queen. For the King. For the Union. We shall not sink today!" *** "Steady." The afternoon sun was hot on William''s skin. The sweat was unbearable. And the sight of the dead and dying was terrible. The Wismarines had been attacking them since before dawn. His men were exhausted. The Wismarines were too. But the battle wasn''t over. It wouldn''t be over until one side buckles and William swore that it wouldn''t be the Vanadian side. But as he examined the casualties, he was beginning to doubt their victory. The desert warriors under Cohir were being slaughtered. Their charge was ineffective. Thousands had also fallen in the front lines. And at the back the artillery crews were silent. William feared for Arthur''s life. He had sent every man he could spare to help the artillery crews but none returned. "Steady!" He shouted to a buckling line. He kicked them forward. He rode to another portion and reinforced them with shouts. "The navy!" A shout informed, the man pointing to the river. The Vanadians cheered before William could see what was happening. The Vanadian navy was sailing toward the bridge and chasing the routing Wismarine navy. Most Wismarine galleys didn''t make it and were either rammed or battered by Hellfire. The sight emboldened the Vanadians and shook the Wismarines. The battle was finally won when the Navy turned their catapults toward the Wismarines'' backs. The punishment of hundreds of Hellfire ravaging their ranks was too much. The Wismarines routed. But William was not contented with that. He would take Stony bridge today. "Advance!" *** ''First Day of Late Autumn, Year Five Hundred Eighty-three I have never seen Highness Sarah so angry before. Winds guide me, I almost pissed my trousers. She executed the General with her own hands. Ripped the corpses to pieces and threatened to kill everybody in the tent. Imagine my fear! I was just serving her some afternoon tea and I almost died! Oh Ashkara. Well her anger is understandable. Those idiots defending Stony bridge thought themselves as smart and attacked the Union instead. Can you imagine that? They attacked instead of defending. They must have become overconfident because of their victory yesterday. It is a blunder. The navy is destroyed. Only a few creaky galleys remain, I have heard. Among the fallen are Admiral Hadin, Governor Derit''s only son, General Kihu, General Vahil, High Priest Nado and the Grand Priest himself. In the Union''s side I heard that their Admiral had also fallen. The chief of the desert tribes had also been slain. Rumors are still cloudy regarding Prince Arthur of Holm though. Other say that he was injured. Some confirmed his death. But beyond the battles and deaths, one thing still bugged me. It is the talk in the camp for the past days. The spies have confirmed that the Castonians and Tulosans attacking Sha bridge are led by the Marquis of Castonia and the Grand Master. These two combinations alone could make even the bravest Wismarine waver. But Sha bridge is the most crucial one of the three. If the Union is going to take it then King Timothy himself would lead right? But there hasn''t been news or rumors regarding the King. The feared Rooster legion is missing too. I wonder, as I scribble in these dusty pages of my journal, would I just wake up one cold morning to the crowing of the Rooster? I hope not. Ashkara, I truly hope not.'' 281 Battle of the Bridges 4 Sha Bridge The Castonians pushed like a storm. Corpses had piled. Henry had seen their prowess many times before but he was still being amazed by these people. It wasn''t their strength. Castonians, like Tulosans and Vanadians, had small builds. The Wismarines were taller on average. It also wasn''t their experience. Most of the Castonians were fresh recruits. They were not the tough eggs of the Rooster. As Henry watched the relentless push, he finally saw the answer- Castonians had transformed war into art. "Our brothers are itching to join the battle Grand Master." One of his prefects said. "For the Omniscient." "Lie." Henry cocked his head. "They are just impatient because the Castonians are taking all the glory." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Well that too." Henry turned his head backward. The knights and other Tulosans were propped in their horses, some more bitter-looking than others. The sun was blazing high. The wind was strong. It was a good day for a charge. Unfortunately they cannot move yet. The Castonians were pushing the Wismarines to the bridge. The Sha bridge was wide enough to accommodate a hundred men abreast but there were so many people that the wide bridge was still crowded. A sudden charge would hit the Castonians. "Page fifteen paragraph nine of the Book of Knights" Henry smiled. "Patience shall be rewarded with good things. A child of the Omniscient should learn how to wait." "Patience is a tree. A tree wouldn''t grow fruits just because one wishes it to. One must wait for the tree to grow and bear good things. So wait, oh child, wait and see. Wait for things of good." The prefect continued. He nodded. "I understand sire. But not all of our brothers are as understanding as I." "Then if anyone complains, send him to me. I shall give him a gentle advise." The prefect grinned to that. The Wismarines were now pushed to the bridge. All of a sudden the Castonians stopped. The two sides severed as the Castonians retreated. The Wismarines didn''t dare chase. They don''t have any strength left in them. Most had broken faces smudged with the blood of comrades and foes. They were on the verge of defeat. The Vanadian artillery sang a melodious tone. The sky was filled with Hellfire projectiles twirling and dancing. The devastation was horrible. Entire lines of Wismarines were wiped. People burned in the hundreds. Henry could only imagine their fear. The artillery crews ceased their punishment. The bridge was starting to buckle and it would incur them difficulties if it crumbles. The Wismarines were close to breaking though. One more fearsome thing would shatter them- like the sight of the charge of twenty thousand cavalry Tulosan cavalry. Henry smiled. He raised his arm, hand forming a fist. The horn was blared and the entire Tulosan column advanced as one. Henry could feel his heart pounding to the rhythm of the hooves. The ground must be shaking. The Omniscient desires peace but it will come through war. He pointed his lance forward, the tip sharp and cruel. He angled his body, waiting and watching his target. The Wismarine to his front had eyes wide open. He was already battered. Rout, Henry thought. Rout now and save your lives. The Wismarines did rout. They fled, all of them. Battered by Castonians, scorched by Hellfire and facing the wrath of the Tulosan charge- who wouldn''t rout? Henry then knew that the battle was over. Sha bridge was theirs. *** Bank of Antibara River, Near the City of Hudi The soft splashes of water against the wooden hull had a certain melody to it. The wind too was singing her a song. Perhaps Lucia was wrong. Perhaps she was just giving meaning to things that shouldn''t have. But if she was right then wouldn''t that be beautiful? She leaned on the side of galley, arms on top of her chest. The moon was waning, the dark night reigned. "Last year, around this time of the year, we were in Western Castonia, campaigning against your father." "Are you saying that a lot had happened since then?" "I''m saying that time flies fast" She smiled at Timothy "Before long we will be old." "A year is but a fraction of our time together." Timothy went to her side. "We have decades ahead of us." "You say that and yet you are about to lead a suicidal mission into the heart of the enemies." "And for good reason. We could end the war." "With you as bait?" "Yes, with me as bait. We cannot have nice things without risks." Lucia lowered her head. "Admiral Bisham is dead. In just a single blink, we have lost one of our oldest allies. He was careful Tim. And yet he fell. Arthur is injured. He was a bit cowardly and he was in the back and yet he got injured. Unexpected things happen. What if..." "We cannot dwell on what ifs. We take risks and live." Timothy leaned down to kiss her but Lucia evaded. She was still annoyed that Timothy had to do this and she would have to watch helplessly. Surprise and disappointment were in Timothy''s face. He nodded, smiled and turned away. "I should get going." Lucia nibbled on her lips. Her annoyance was still raging but she cannot part with him like this. She grabbed the sleeve of his coat and jumped on him. Her eyes closed and they kissed. A single tear fell from her left eye, skidding down her cheek. She hated this. She doesn''t want him to take risks. It would be a torment. But she knew that he was Timothy Castonia and nobody could topple him. Timothy was an unstoppable force. That somehow abated her worry. They parted lips gasping. Lucia''s face flushed. All of the Rooster legion could see them from below. Lucia tried to ignore them. She looked at Timothy, the one she chose. His words were right- they still have decades ahead of them. Sarah was but a bump in the road. "Be safe. Return to me. That is my command and plea." "I will. I promise." Lucia held his hand. Her heart still flutters to his warmth. "Go now. I will be waiting in this galley. I will wait for your triumphant return." "Soon" Timothy smiled. "We will be victorious soon enough" Timothy stepped down to the riverbank. Abraham escorted him to a white steed. He mounted and donned his helm- a full steel helm with the glinting crown of Castonia on top. Timothy turned his head to her. Behind the helm Lucia could feel his longing stare. Timothy turned his head forward and soon he and all of the Rooster rode into the darkness. *** ''Second Day of Autumn, Year Five Hundred Eighty Three. They took the Sha Bridge today. With this, the Union has taken all the three entrances to Malzan. Highness Sarah was subdued this morning, smiling her usual sweet smile but I could feel the tension. The head of General Crut was still mounted and rotting on a spike outside her tent. We are losing, I know that much. Wismar is losing. My nation would soon be subjected to the wrath of the Union. I could only hope that the... My writing was interrupted by loud murmurs from outside my tent. When I went out to scold the loud bastards, they dragged me into knowing a rumor and I still couldn''t believe it. They say that Timothy Castonia and the Rooster legion had disembarked near Hudi. This was somehow expected. Everybody was thinking that the Castonian King would disembark somewhere with the Rooster but Hudi was too far behind. What was he thinking!? We could just turn around and annihilate his meager force. But then again, this is Timothy Castonia we are talking about. He must have a plan and I am afraid thinking about it. Mother, Father, if this journal reaches you somehow, know that I your son loves you but I''m too proud to write that in a letter. I shouldn''t have left home. I should have just listened to you. Now I am trapped in this camp with the King of Castonia wanting to slaughter us all. Winds guide me. I am afraid. A final encounter looms. It would be the end of it all.'' 282 Kings Legion Damn Timothy. Damn him. Damn! Erik was cursing with his jaw clenched tight. Dust filled his vision. Thumps of iron filled his ears. The entire Union''s force was moving as one- eighty-six thousand men if he wasn''t mistaken. There were a diverse bunch- Castonians, Vanadians, Tulosans, Borondians, Cantonese, Inkish and some were Wismarines. The artillery pieces were abandoned. It was a sprint. Well not really a sprint. ''Make haste to save me but move as one. Don''t send the cavalry ahead.'' That was Timothy''s order to him written in some rolled paper he crumpled after receiving. It was insane. Timothy was insane. Taking the Rooster and his royal guards to serve as bait was insane. Well it wasn''t really a bait. Sarah must have known that Timothy was a bait. She of course knew. Now this had become a race. If the Wismarines kill Timothy before the bulk of the Union arrives then they have lost. If Erik arrives before the Rooster was slaughtered, then the Wismarines were trapped. So damn Timothy. Damn him for giving Erik this huge responsibility. Erik looked forward, toward Timothy''s direction several dozen leagues away. Damn you, he thought. Don''t you dare fall before we arrive. Don''t you dare. *** "Everything is ready, Your Majesty." Abraham informed him. Timothy could very well see that though. The Rooster legion was entrenched on top of a hill. Spikes three men long protruded outward, designed to scare elephants. Caltrops were scattered. A moat with another set of spikes was dug as welcome. But the greatest defense were the men of the Rooster themselves. They were veterans of dozens of battles. Undefeated. Unbroken. They were his personal men. The Wismarine host was approaching from the south. He couldn''t see them yet but the disturbance in the dust and sand was apparent. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Timothy squinted and turned to Lucia. What do you think? He was about to ask but remembered that she was not here. He had become used to her presence and advises that not seeing her was jarring. He turned to the north. Lucia was watching him in one of those galleys in the river. If things go awry, he and what was left of the Rooster would scramble to the galleys. But first he and the Rooster would have to hold. "They are near sire" Abraham again said. Bear roared to the direction of the Wismarines. "Let them come." Timothy said. "We will welcome them with steel in our hands." *** Lucia was staring at the mass of Castonians on top of the hill. They are just a league from the river bank, she thought. It would only take Timothy a few breaths to reach safety. There is nothing to worry about. Her racing heart contradicted her thoughts. She bit her lips. How she wanted this to be over. "He will be fine, You Majesty." Shadow said. "This is but a bump in your journey. You will triumph, the two of you." "I know. I have trust in him and the Rooster. I just don''t trust fate. Fate is a simperer, you see. A treacherous thing." "Yes, my father also used to say that. Even how hard we try, some things are just inevitable." Lucia turned to Shadow. He still looked strange with his attire. She hadn''t gotten used to his look. "Are you talking about my inability to bear a child?" "No! Of course not. I was just..." Lucia chuckled. "I apologize. A jest. I was just trying to find a distraction to my anxiety. I..." Shadow''s eyes widened and he pushed her. She lost her balance, tumbling backward. A blade went past to her front. The wielder was clothed in royal guard armor. His eyes swiveled to her as she fell. Lucia hit the deck. She was dazed for a moment. When she looked back, Shadow was battling the assassin. The other royal guards were running toward her. That only made Lucia more afraid. What if one of them was another assassin? A blade coated in poison would be enough to secure her death. "Remove your helms!" She shouted, rising to her feet. The royal guards stopped. The initial assassin had already been subdued by several guards but there could be another. No, there was another. She was certain of it. The royal guards removed their helms one by one. She recognized faces as her eyes jumped from one guard to another. To the left side, about twelve paces from her was a man she had never seen in her entire life. "You.." She pointed and the man ducked. He put his hands on the deck. The other royal guards acted fast but before they could get to the man, the galley split in half. *** The first line of Wismarines would hit their lines soon. These Wismarines were the usual levies. It would be an easy defense but Sarah had more men coming. He tilted to the right, facing the majority of his men. "Two years ago when I first entered Knightsend, the first person I saw was a drunk sentry. Where is John Wilkin?" "Sire!" John raised his hand from the front line. "Not to embarrass you John but you know who that was." Laughs sounded from the Castonians. Timothy smiled, a true one. "But John Wilkin''s transformation mirrors yours. We were doomed men in that castle. We were the front line in case the Tulosans invade. We go a long way and you are my own. It is wrong for me to have favorites but everybody knows that the Rooster is the King''s legion!" They raised their fists. Their shouts were loud. The Rooster was crowing nothing but loyalty and grit. "The Wismarines have played us for too long. They tried to subdue us but a lion''s roar cannot be contained. Now we are standing in their soil. We have conquered half of their land. They are bleeding. One more battle, lads. One more. Wismar would kneel to us. The will bend or they will break." He extended his arm forward, reaching into them. "Your King commands you- slaughter them all!" The Rooster turned forward, eyes stuck to the approaching enemies. The first wave of Wismarines were sprinting toward them. There were at least a few thousand. When the enemies reached the portion where the soil was wet with Hellfire, Timothy had second thoughts whether to use the Hellfire or not. In the end he decided against it. The Hellfire was reserved for the Falconheads and elephants. The Wismarines reached their lines like snuffed candles. Most were already winded by the ascent. The Rooster toyed with them. Wismarine corpses fell rolling down the hill. It was more of a massacre than a battle. The enemies routed. Other legions would have cheered and raised their halberds in the air. But not the Rooster. They were silent as they repaired their formation, awaiting the next wave. "Sire" Abraham called. Timothy turned to the royal guard. Abraham was pointing to the river. Timothy traced Abraham''s finger. "No" Timothy said after seeing one of the galleys split in half. It was Windrider where Lucia was. He ran to his horse and struggled up. He galloped at full speed toward the river. He couldn''t understand what happened or how it happened. He didn''t mean to understand. He just gripped the reins tightly and and kicked the horse into a gallop. 283 The Message Splitered wood floated around, filling everything in Lucia''s vision. And then corpses. Yes there were corpses- royal guards who drowned in their armor. Lucia grimaced. Her hair was drenched as she slumped on a piece of the hull. She coughed water, her lungs still full with it. She struggled to breathe, to live. She clung on the wood as it drifted slowly with the current. Soon she found herself on the muddy bank. Strong arms pulled her, a familiar warmth. She was being embraced. "Thank the Omniscient." It was Timothy''s voice. "I thought...Oh I am so relieved. I''m sorry. I''m so sorry." Lucia opened her eyes. Timothy was still in his armor, clutching her. He was kneeling, embracing her tightly. Shadow was just a few paces away. He was lying on the mud. His hat was gone and his odd attire was drenched. Lucia felt relieved seeing some breaths from him. Royal Guards who survived also found themselves in the bank. "Tim" She forced some words, turning to Timothy "I was so scared." She struggled to rise. Her knees were soft. Her stand wobbled. Abraham and several other royal guards arrived in their horses. Abraham supported her and Timothy seized Abraham''s cape, tearing it and wrapping the cloth on her. "The men need you sire. They must be worried." "They are grown men!" "Grown men facing a huge host of Wismarines. And they saw what happened to the Queen''s galley." Timothy looked at her. "You need to..." Timothy paused and looked toward the hill. He was frowning. Lucia soon discovered that the Rooster were abandoning their position and coming toward them. "Signal them to go back to position" Timothy said to Abraham. The large Royal Guard grabbed the horn from another. He put the hole against his lips when Lucia patted his arm. "No, wait." She said, still exhausted but well enough to think straight. "Why?" Timothy asked. "I saw the assassins. They are Ninevans Tim. One of them could break things just by touching it. Is that right Shadow?" Shadow limped up to them. His cane was gone. "Quake we call him. The other one I didn''t recognize. I should have known. I''m sorry. I should have truly known they are siding with the Wismarines." "They are not siding with the Wismarines" She said. Her statement drew surprised faces from the others. "If they were, they would have targeted Timothy. Why try to kill me and not the one leading the armies? No.." He turned to Tim. "I think they want you to be enraged. By killing me they would doom Wismar with your rage. You would have flatten this entire nation. They want you to powder Wismar so that the cull in this nation would be an easy one." Shadow''s jaw was dropping now but Lucia wasn''t finished. "And so the Ninevans are not working with the Wismarines. And Sarah of course saw the fall of one of our ships. If you were Sarah, what would your thoughts be about it?" "Hellfire" Timothy said, nodding. "Common knowledge dictates Hellfire was the only thing that could have caused a galley to split in half. She would think that most of the Hellfire was still in the galleys, that we are not yet prepared and there was some sort of accident." "Let the Rooster come here Tim, as if they are panicking. We will embark them in the galleys. The plan was for the Rooster to hold the Wismarines and Erik would flank them. We should reverse that. Sarah would think that the Rooster has fled and she would turn to face Erik. We could disembark and flank her instead." "Not here" Timothy said. "I saw some forest downstream about a few leagues. We will disembark there. You are a genius!" Lucia felt good with that praise. Her still wet cheek reddened. "Order the entire Rooster to embark! You and Bear will ride to Erik and tell him the change of plans" Timothy said to Abraham. He looked at the floating debris. "And burn the wood, make it look miserable for Sarah to glee." *** Bear''s heavy steps put creases on the soft forest ground. Small branches and twigs snapped as Abraham and a few dozen royal guards galloped to the south, bearing a message that split victory and defeat. "We got chasers sir." "How many?" Abraham looked back. Falconheads on horseback were chasing them. There were at least a hundred. He didn''t wait for the guard''s answer and patted Bear''s back for haste. "Full speed." Bear was charging now. Abraham just hoped that he would reach Marquis Erik before falling to the Falconheads. A few of the royal guards turned their mounts around, facing the Falconheads. Clang of steel ensued and some screams echoed. Abraham looked back and saw royal guards fall to the falconheads one by one. His stomach clenched seeing the slaughter of his men. He looked to the front, clamping his teeth. Some Falconheads eventually caught up to them. One rode beside Abraham. The thing leapt to him like how a frog would leap to a pond. Abraham tilted his body and punched the Falconhead in the face. The ugly helm broke to his fist, splitting in half. The Falconhead fell rolling on the leaves. Abraham met another with a stab, his trained hand found a gap on the thing''s armor. The Falconhead didn''t make a sound, not even a hint of pain. Abraham punched the thing''s face while holding it high through the dagger on its belly. He seized the helm and what met him was the face of a young man with brown eyes. Some symbol was etched on its forehead, a brand of sorts. It opened its mouth, showing rotten teeth. Abraham headbutted it and drew blood. He wrenched his dagger out, finding another opponent. Only half a dozen remained of the royal guards now. Those that fell were being butchered. Abraham caught another Falconhead by the neck. It stabbed its dagger but Abraham''s armor accepted the hits. He tightened his grip, slowly squeezing the thing''s throat. The plates around its neck bent to Abraham''s force and soon he snapped its neck. Abraham threw the Falconhead behind, not turning to see what happened to it. Soon they emerged from the forest. Bear roared and Abraham grunted upon seeing the mass if soldiers bearing flags of the allied nations. He made it. *** "You are bleeding!" Erik shouted to Abraham as the royal guard slid off Bear. Abraham looked down and there was a surprise in his eyes when he finally saw the dagger sticking out from his side. "I hope it''s not one of those poisoned ones." Abraham said. Erik squinted. Yes, he thought. This is Abraham, alright. Burly, strong and a liar when it comes to admitting fear. "Send for a medic" Erik ordered his squire. He eyed Abraham''s wound. The dagger was buried to its hilt. "You should rest." "I have a message from the King. The plan has changed." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Changed?" Abraham revealed everything to him- what happened to the Queen, the involvement of the Ninevans and the change of plans. Dammit Lucia, he thought. You are one scary woman. But it was brilliant. Deducing deep truths and turning a surprising event into an advantage were things she could and would do. "Dammit" Erik smiled and shook his head. "The Rooster''s going to snag all the glory eh?" 284 Shake the Earth Cantonese-Inkish Line The charge of the Wismarines bent the Cantonese line. The Inkish were struggling too. Ash''s heartbeat was pounding fast. The Wismarines were pushing them back. "We s-should go back, prepare an escape." Harold said. "No!" Magistrate Vulek barked. "Our men will flee. Don''t you dare slump or show weakness." "B-but we are losing!" Ash caressed Harold''s back. She also wanted to run. Their line was crumbling. Any moment now and the Wismarines would have a breach. But she mustn''t. All the struggles and all the hardships. The pain and the near-deaths. The tears, the sweat. The blood and the deaths. All of it led to this. All their sacrifices led to this moment, to this chance to end this conflict. She steeled herself, shaking but firm. It took resolve but she endured. She looked at the lines again. It didn''t look good. Omniscient, she prayed. Please save us. Please don''t... The Wismarines broke through. *** The sun was bright, Omniscient''s gift. He was alive, Omniscient''s will. The lance was slipping from Henry''s grip. His gauntlet was slick with sweat from his hand. He urged his steed for speed. He was almost flying now, galloping toward the enemies. Beside him were the routing Cantonese. The Inkish had remained but half of the Cantonese were broken. He let his purple cape flutter as he rode. His posture was straight- strong- like what the late Grand Master Nelson taught him. ''Aim straight, Henry.'' He remembered Grand Master Nelson''s advice. ''Straight as an honest man''s words. Do not stray. Do not wobble. Aim straight. Ride straight. The Omniscient will guide your lance.'' The Cantonese were turning back now to Lady Ash''s pleas. The sight of knights charging in the glorious full plates with capes fluttering must have been enough. Henry did not slow. He did not falter. His knights folded the Wismarines. The breaching enemies were shattered by their charge, broken like splintered rocks. Now it was the Wismarines who were routing. Henry didn''t give respite. His knights backed and charged again. The impetus drove them deep into the enemy lines, splitting the Wismarines. But as Henry looked forward, he saw Elephants. *** Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Vanadian-Borondian Line Arthur''s trousers were wet. He liked to see it as moisture from sweat but the water dripping down his saddle was too much to be sweat. The Wismarines were battering the Borondians to his left and the Vanadians to his right. Oh what was that? Yes a Vanadian just got his throat slit. How about that? A Borondian had his face crushed. Crushed like literally pulped. A Wismarine''s hammer caved through his helm. Arthur couldn''t believe this. He couldn''t believe his fate. Oh how cruel it was. "Arthur!" He heard Ventil''s voice. Arthur looked and Ventil didn''t look nice. His helm was dented. His arm had a gashing wound. His lips were busted. He was in the front lines, holding a sword and a spear. Arthur was further terrified. "The flag you fool! The flag. Get the flag. Wave it!" Arthur snapped from his fearful trance. The flag. Right. He saw it on his hand, lowered and shaking, the Union''s flag which Lucia herself designed. He raised it through trembling hands. The figure of a pelican on top a lion with a sword on the left and ship on the right was colored brightly. He raised the flag despite the wound on his side. It ached. He just gritted his teeth. Lucia better provide me with a fat allowance to squander after this, Arthur thought. *** Vanadian Line William stood firm amidst the battle, wishing he could participate. But what could a disabled person like him do? Nothing. The Vanadians were holding fine. The Borondians were being pushed back but that was understandable as their formation still lacked coherence. The Inkish and the Cantonese were in worse shape though. He had seen that close rout earlier. Fortunately Henry was able to plug the breach and even push forward. But he had never seen Henry after that. A small worry sprouted from him but he disregarded it. The Grand Master is fine, he thought. As for the Castonians in the far right flank, they were doing better than the other units. They were pushing the Wismarines. It was expected from them as they formed the backbone of this army. If even the hardy Castonians routed, all the rest would follow. The Wismarines did several flanking maneuvers though but the Tulosans who did not join Henry''s charge earlier met them. The desert warriors also defended the flanks despite losing Cohir. For now William was satisfied. The lines were safe for now. *** Castonian Line "Advance!" Bourgis'' voice joined the clang of steel. The Dawn legion was pushing hard, leaving corpses in their wake. They were pushing the Wismarines back. They were winning. Horns sounded. Not a warhorn, but something more organic. Bourgis looked to the side and soon felt cold behind his armor. War elephants were charging at them. Hundreds. There were hundreds of such beasts. Steel-tipped tusks. Armor bodies. Bladed legs. Experienced lancers on top. The beasts shook the ground as they barreled toward the Castonian legions. Riders were beside the elephants. Thousands, maybe as much as twenty. They dotted the land. Omniscient. It was terrifying. After squinting, Bourgis'' fear was maxed. Some of the cavalry were Falconheads. The elephants and the Wismarine cavalry plowed the Castonians line, sweeping like a deluge. In a moment the once pristine line of Castonians were shattered. It was bad. Disastrous. And Bourgis saw several Castonian Centuries mowed in an instant. Several other Centuries were already routing, mostly the green ones though the veterans cannot stand for long either. Soon it was turning into a rout. A full rout of Castonians. Bourgis cannot believe his eyes. "Steady!" He raised his sword and shouted but was stopped when an elephant flung him to the side. *** Henry had lost many of his brothers. Omniscient guide them to a peaceful rest. The charge earlier led them to the waiting arms of the elephants. He steered his knights away but some were ran down, crushed in their armor or skewered by the tusks. Even he was bloody. He wiggled one of his left fingers, the ring one. The pain bit him. Broken. He also had cuts all over. His breastplate was dented. Perhaps he and what remained of his brothers should rest for a while. "They are charging Grand Master." a knight informed him. Henry saw what was happening. The Wismarines collected their cavalry and went for a single powerful charge. It was a smart move. Routing the Castonians would rout the entire army. A loud bang echoed in the battlefield, the sound of a multitude of armor being crushed as the Wismarine elephants and cavalry hammered through the Castonians. The Castonians would soon shatter, Henry knew. But they should be commended for still holding despite that terrible charge. "Collect the other Tulosan units to aid the Castonians." Henry gripped the shoulder of one of his officers. "Do it now!" The knight nodded and went on his way. Other officers also scrambled to inform the others of the crisis. Queen Emily''s men, the tribes of the great plains and the knights who hadn''t join the battle must rush to help the Castonians. Henry looked to his back. He had about three cohorts of knights with him. He raised his lance, pointing forward. "Charge brothers. Charge! The Omniscient is watching. Charge!" *** "Fifth cohort of Roar legion fill that gap. Third cohort aid the lad on the left. Apple legion stand and wait. Steelsword legion hold the elephants." "Sir the Steelsword had been wiped out." A messenger informed Erik. "Not all of them. Not all. Dammit lad." Erik grabbed the four rolled papers and handed each one to a messenger. "Ride." The messengers galloped away, bearing Erik''s orders. The Castonians were in peril. The whole of the Union''s army was in peril. Henry arrived with his knights and other Tulosan cohorts were also reinforcing but it wouldn''t be enough. It would never be enough. The Wismarine infantry had also focused their attack on the Castonians. They were outnumbered and close to routing. Erik could already see groups of Castonians running from the front lines. It was painful watching the slaughter. But when Erik swayed his look to the northeast he gasped. Another group of riders were approaching. The banner, he squinted, the banner appeared to display a Rooster crowing. He ran to the back lines of the Castonians. "The King!" He shouted as loud as he could. "The King is here! King Timothy is here!" There was a momentary respite in the fighting as both sides looked north. The banner of the Rooster was apparent now. The King had arrived and with him the Rooster. Cheers erupted from the Castonians. The Vanadians, Tulosans, desert warriors, Cantonese, Borondians and Inkish had also caught up with the news. The routing Castonians were now firm. Six thousand including the royal guards, Erik estimated. But the Rooster brought more than just numbers. More than the strength of the hardy veterans and the thundering charge of their horse, the Rooster brought hope. *** The wind was silent to their charge. The sun was a witness to the history they will make today. Lucia was behind him, her hair flowing behind. It was safer for her to be with him rather than stay in those galleys. She met his eyes and smiled, that sweet smile he had grown to love. They met a year ago and he wouldn''t have thought then that they would end up like this. She was his half, his partner and his wife. Omniscient. Whatever may happen, whatever the result of this charge might be, he was happy to be with her. "I love you" She said, too low to hear but Timothy read her lips. She looked forward, still with that sweet smile. Timothy also looked to the front, contented and steeled. The Rooster was heading toward the back of the Wismarines. They would clash soon enough. "One last crow, men." He raised his sword. "One last crow. Crow for the Union. Crow and shake the earth!" 285 Rage Timothy pulled Lucia from her horse into his after the Rooster hit the Wismarines. He embraced her tightly, shielding her from the carnage around. The Rooster divided the Wismarines in two like how a chisel would peel wood. The first line of Wismarines were trampled beneath the hooves of the horses. The horse they were riding even stepped on several Wismarines. The crunch of breaking bones was an eerie vibration. The Wismarines attempted to fight back, some of them turning to shield against the Rooster. Those brave but foolish souls were slaughtered by the veterans. The Rooster spread to cover the entire length of the Wismarine back. A few remained to guard him and Lucia though. But the once solid formation had been softened. It was alright. The Rooster was slaughtering Wismarines left and right. The Castonians under Erik which he saw were beginning to rout earlier were now pushing hard. Their black mail armor and smooth movements provided a feeling that they were not men but machines. The Vanadians and Borondians were also coming to surround the Wismarines, apparently already routing the ones they were facing. The Inkish and Cantonese were still struggling with their opponents though. But he wasn''t worried about them. The Vanadians and Borondians soon arrived. He saw William without his arms trying to direct the attack. His brother was a good warrior and a great man. Most of the Wismarines were now fully surrounded, panicking. Timothy closed his eyes and just let everything unfold. There was nothing he could do anymore. Neighs of horses, screams of dying men, steel hitting steel- he heard the chaos but saw none of it. He just hoped that all of this would turn into their favor. "Tim" Lucia called. "They are fleeing." Who? Who are fleeing? Our men? Theirs? Both? The calmness and the little sprinkles of joy in her voice made him believe that they were the ones winning. He opened his eyes and saw that the Wismarines were fleeing, rushing through any gaps they could find. The elephants and Falconheads stayed but they were surrounded and being slaughtered. The battle wasn''t over yet but it was already won. Timothy felt glee. They had won. "But where is she?" Lucia asked "Sarah? Maybe with her Falconheads. I don''t know." She turned her head to him, azure eyes brimming with worry. "I have a bad feeling about this. Our victory seems too easy. She is Sarah Wismar, insane, committed, dangerous. She wouldn''t just remain idle." She frowned as her eyes looked past his shoulder. "Tim, what is that?" Timothy looked behind. A few dozen riders were approaching them. Their armor were those of the royal guards- blue cloak and full plate, head fully covered in helm. They were just about a hundred paces now. "It''s Sarah. Tim, it''s her!" "Defend!" Timothy shouted to the men around them and pointed to the approaching riders. "Wismarines. They are Wismarines." The newcomers galloped in an instant, pointing their spears toward him and Lucia. From the discoloration of the tips, he knew their weapons were poisoned. Nasty. It was nasty. The few men around them met the newcomers. Lucia was right. They were Wismarines. They could hide behind royal guard armor but their identities were apparent as day. The clash began just a few paces from them. Timothy galloped away. One touch from those weapons was all it would take for the Union to fall. Four Wismarines went past despite the gallant attempt of their men. Four opponents with three poisoned weapons. "Tim I''m scared" Lucia said. Timothy looked behind. The four riders were still chasing them. Some Castonians noticed what was happening and were coming to the rescue but Timothy feared it would be too late. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A Wismarine eventually caught to them. Timothy redirected the spear thrust with his bracers. He ducked, pushing Lucia down first, to avoid another thrust. Another Wismarine rode to their side and swung down his sword. Timothy held his arm to defend. The blade was deflected by the armor but he felt the force. The Wismarine pounded on his arm with rage. One scratch. A single scratch would kill him. Three quick-thinking Castonians ran down three of the Wismarines. Timothy recognized them as Jop, Elisar and John- all from the Rooster. The remaining Wismarine was still chasing them though and slashed the leg of their horse. The horse neighed and then tumbled. Timothy was thrown forward. His back hit the ground, one of his ribs probably broke. He grimaced in pain but forced to stand up. He must defend Lucia. He found her lying on the ground. Her eyes were shut. Her dress was torn. The Wismarine dismounted and dashed toward Lucia, holding his sword. Timothy met the man and rammed his body. The two of them fell and rolled on the fine soil. Timothy ended up on top fortunately. He grabbed the Wismarine''s hand, the one holding the sword and angled the blade toward the man''s chest. He eyed the small gap in the armor. He knew he was wrestling with a Falconhead. Behind the royal guard helm was a man devoid of senses. These monsters were strong and he wasn''t the fittest of men. But he must for Lucia. Even if the nasty poison penetrates his skin, he must. Timothy was winning. Surprising but true. The Falconhead wasn''t as strong as he thought. He was able to force the blade into the thing''s chest. It buried deep. The Falconhead leg go of the sword, grabbed and nearby rock and smashed it in Timothy''s face. The world spun. Timothy was dazed. He staggered and fell on his butt. The Falconhead''s rose, its figure was blurry but he could make out the glimmering dagger on its hand. The next thing he knew, Lucia was wrestling with the Falconhead, defending him despite being injured. No. No. No! Timothy leapt, again ramming the Falconhead in the chest. He jabbed at its helmed face, not caring if he breaks his wrist. The Falconhead fell. Lucia handed him the dagger. Timothy rammed it in the Falconhead''s stomach. The blade buried just above the hips where two joints of armor met. The Falconhead grunted and kicked him. It pulled the blade out and tried to stand. Timothy was about to attack again when Elisar came with Jop. The two Castonians each stabbed their swords on the Falconhead. Timtohy turned to Lucia. "Did he scratch you?" "No" She shook her head. "No I was careful. And you?" Timothy doesn''t know. He checked and was relieved that he was uninjured. He wrapped his arm around Lucia and led her near the Falconhead who was still alive but dying. "Where is John?" He asked. "Fallen Your Majesty" Elisar said. "Falconhead got him." Timothy felt sorrow hearing that. John the drunk sentry. John the unwilling Centurion. John Wilkin, he was a loyal man. "Remove her helm" Lucia said. "Her helm?" Timothy eyed her and then realized what Lucia was saying. Elisar complied and the Falconhead wasn''t a Falconhead but Sarah. He knew it was her despite not meeting before. It must be her. She was kneeling with two blades stuck in her body, bleeding badly. She was smiling despite the blood tricking down her lips. "You could have ran" Timothy said. "Escaped." "I''m not a fool" Sarah said. "You would catch me anyway. Isn''t that the reason why you wanted a battle? To catch and kill me? Well now you have, Sarah Wismar in flesh. I enjoyed our little game, the three of us. Fun. It had been fun." "Countless people have died and yet you call it fun? It wasn''t" Lucia said. "Maybe" Sarah grimaced, the trickle of blood from her lips worsened. She smiled. "I misspoke. It wasn''t fun. It was necessary. We are two forces fated to clash. It was written in the stars. One of us must fall. And I could have crushed either one of you. But you two are unfair to work together against me." "Nothing is ever fair." Timothy said. "Yes, nothing." She chuckled. "This world doesn''t offer fairness. There is only victory and defeat." She glared at them "Are you going to kill me now, King Timothy?" "I am. To end the war and bring peace." "But you can''t. Oh you two can''t. I represent the thing you could never kill, no matter how hard you try. I am chaos. I am the dark side of men, the lingering evil in every person. People like me will rise again. You can''t kill the darkness in us humans." "You are right." Lucia stepped forward. "People like you would continue to destroy peace. I guess we''ll just have to kill you over and over again." Sarah laughed. It was endless and loud. And then she screamed. Her rage battered the wind. Her scream soon turned into gurgles after Timothy himself slit her throat. *** ''Fifth Day of Late Autumn, Five Hundred Eighty I am dying. We have lost. As I write this last page of my journal, the gash on my side bleeds. Highness Sarah is dead. Our army is broken. The Union has won. If you happen to pick up this journal and read it, know that Hatshin the cook has lived. I just wished that I could have lived long enough to taste peace. Mother, Father, I miss you both.'' 286 Malzan Two weeks later, Union''s Camp Outside Malzan Malzan was truly a great city. The walls were as tall as Nirvana, thick or maybe thicker. A moat surrounded it, accessible only through five drawbridges each as wide as five carriage side by side. Timothy raised his head. The pyramid inside the city was visible from here. It was taller than the walls. The throne seat at the top was glinting yellow, maybe made of pure gold. The pyramid itself was of high quality marble. It must have costed a lot to build that pyramid. If only his father could have seen it. Timothy imagine old Leopold Castonia heaving some dark plans to sell that golden throne. He smiled at the thought. Unfortunately his father was dead. He would have been proud of Timothy. "How is your wound?" Timothy asked the large man riding a bear beside him. "Nothing but a scratch." "A scratch wouldn''t put a man of your size to bed for two weeks. You can barely walk." "But I can ride." "Bear but not a horse. You were lucky the blade wasn''t poisoned." "It was willed by the Omniscient himself." "You sound like Henry." Timothy tilted his head toward Abraham. "I beg you, one pious knight is enough." Abraham laughed and Bear grunted some sounds Timothy guessed was laughter. "So," Abraham said "Malzan huh? We are almost done. Peace at last once we have broken through these walls." "I did beg the Rooster of one last fight back in that terrible battle but yes, we still need to conquer Malzan before we could have peace." Timothy sighed. "Will you remain in my service even after the war?" "I earn twelve gold coins each month. Twelve. Why should I give that up?" "Maybe you would want to go back to your village. The villages around Solon has been repaired." "I''ll just visit. Besides, I am worried. What could your small body do against assassins without me?" "I am not small. I am average. Just tell me that you love your King so much that you''ll never leave his side." "Well," Abraham pursed his lips. "That too." Timothy grinned. He stabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Let''s go. The others must be tired of waiting." Erik, William, Layfare, Arthur, Vice Duke Ventil, Henry, Admiral Bernard, Cohir''s son, Salaphir, Ash, King Harold and Magistrate Vulek were already inside the tent when Timothy entered. Food was on the table. It appeared to be roasted lamb. Wine was surprisingly absent though that did not stop Erik from chugging mead. "Where is the Queen?" William asked. "She is not feeling well." Timothy went to the empty seat designed like a throne. Lucia''s seat beside his was of course empty. He crossed his leg and grabbed a cup. Water was enough for him as mead just tasted weird. "So? Reports." "The tunneling is ahead of schedule." Erik wiped the oil off his mouth. He shoved the plate and fixed his posture. "I think we can finish it by the next day." "Good. And the artillery pieces?" He looked at William. "I don''t know. I tried to understand but the engineers would always give me words I know nothing about. Arthur should know." "Me?" Arthur shook his head. "No, no. My job is to merely stand and smile you said. Stand and smile and wave the flag like a good prince. And I did. I wasn''t informed that I should manage those old men''s affairs. My father once put me under the care of this tutor..." "Almost ready" Layfare said. "I looked into their blueprints and it appears they are making artillery piece by piece. Only the torsion springs are not yet made. Two days is my estimate. About two hundred more catapults will be added to our arsenal." Timothy smiled to that. Whoever between Arthur and William she chooses would be a lucky man. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "And supplies?" He looked at the newly-promoted Admiral Bernard. "New shipment to arrive three days from now Your Majesty." "Prepare your galleys also, Admiral. You will join the assaults. But be at ease, they don''t have heavy defense when it comes to the sea. Their catapults are all stationed along the walls." "Except about a dozen Your Majesty" Shadow said. "All creaky and old as I have seen. But the number of defenders has risen. They are levying from the citizens." "What is your last estimate?" "Five cohorts at least." "That''s manageable. We can take the city." Timothy said. "Yes but we can also take the city without spilling blood." Erik said. "Tim, er, Your Majesty, they have sent another messenger begging us to parley." "But I don''t want a parley. Not yet until we smash that pyramid to pieces. I want Wismar bending their knee to the Union. I want to destroy Malzal like how they defiled Holm. Now, their army is gone, most are our prisoners of war now. Sarah is dead. Half of Wismar is ours. What''s left is their capital and that throne that serves as a symbol of Wismar." "Our men are tired Tim. We have lost nearly ten thousand from the last battle. Most of them wants to go home. When will this stop?" "It will stop when I say so!" His shout made everyone flinch. Even Erik paled. Timothy snapped back to his temper. He leaned back. "I am tired too." Timothy added. "Omniscient. I am as tired as you are. I am as tired as they are. But one more push. I promise you, one last push and we will go home. This is Malzan we are talking about, one of the largest city in the whole world. It is almost as large as the Dandarian Empire''s capital. Revenge. Justice. Glory. We will have all three after we take Wismar''s capital." "What you seek is revenge." Henry said. "You are the King. Your word is final. But I must warn you that this will not end. If you destroy Malzan then Wismar will hate us forever. Let it end, please Your Majesty. For the sake of peace. Let it end. Accept peace." "I am willing to fight them all my life. They killed my father. They slaughtered my citizens. They burned Holm. Thousands of my soldiers are dead because of them. All of these ramblings are easy to discuss. It''s either you are with me or you''re going home. Let''s begin with you Erik. Will you join me?" Erik smiled, a lonely smile. "You know I will follow you to the ends of the earth, not just because you are my King but because you are my friend. The Marquis of Greenwater will always be of service." Timothy nodded. He looked to Henry next. "And you?" "This is wrong. The Omniscient despises violence. But I trust that you''re wise enough to see peace in the future. My knights and all of Tulosa will stay." Henry said. Magistrate Vulek put his fist on his chest. "As for me you don''t have to ask, King Timothy. My father is an honorable man. Inkit has sworn to follow you. My men and I will..." The tent flapped and Lucia went inside. She was sweating. Her hair was a little messy. Her breaths were long and forced. "Out" She said stiffly. "All of you out. Please. Let me speak with the King alone." The eleven people looked at each other and then rose one after another. They scurried outside. Each one of them bowed to Lucia before exiting. When the last person, Erik, was finally outside, Timothy ran toward Lucia. Her face was drenched. She was pale. Timothy began to worry. Poison? Disease? "What happened? Lucia you are scaring me. Are you alright?" He put the back of his palm against her forehead. She didn''t have a fever, Omniscient be thanked. "Tim" Her voice was a squeaky. "I... I am pregnant." 287 A New Era Timothy blinked. What Lucia said was still murky to him. She was pregnant, she said. Or did he mishear? No she definitely said it. Timothy swallowed. "I am... going to be a father? We are going to have a child?" "Yes" She said. "I haven''t bled. Every morning these past days I have been..." He embraced her, burying his face on her shoulder. "I am going be a father. Omniscient. I am going to be a father!" He looked at Lucia. She smiled as tears trickled down her cheek. "Yes. At last Tim. At long last. I have long waited for this." "We have long waited for this." He gripped both her hands. "Listen. We will announce it at once. We will serve all the sheep, deer, chicken, all meat in our stores. We will have half of the grains we have in a feast. And wine! Oh wine will flow. And mead. And ale. Whatever is available. Everything. I... I am... I don''t know what to say. We have a child. Is it a son or a daughter? Oh wait too early right?" He put his hand over her belly and stared longingly at it. His son or daughter was inside, their first born. "We will provide our soldiers will additional wage, a bonus." Lucia said and coiled her arms around Timothy''s neck. "And alcohol shouldn''t be the only thing on the table for the feast. Tea and fermented milk should be included. But there should be something more. Shadow once told me that there is this drink in their land..." Her voice trailed. She bit her lips. "Shadow...Tim, we should also ask Shadow about this. He said I can''t get pregnant." Timothy fell into deep silence until he nodded. She was right. They had been ecstatic that they forgot that it was supposed to be impossible for her to bear child. Shadow sat with his lanky body awkwardly seated in the chair. His hat was gone and so was his cane. His coat was new but the design was still followed the old one. "So," Shadow said. "You think you are with child." "I know I am." Lucia said. "I''m sorry. I really am but you must have made a mistake Your Majesty." He chuckled nervously. "I mean the eternal pair cannot have a child." "Who told you about this then?" Timothy asked. "You could be the one who is making a mistake." "I am certain. There are three immortals in our race according to legends. My father and the eternal pair. My father, well he is not my real father since immortals cannot bear children. I am sure." "There are two possibilities. Its either my wife is not pregnant or you are wrong about the eternal pair." Timothy looked at Lucia. "My wife cannot be wrong. She is smarter than the two of us combined." "Actually," Lucia said. "There is a third possibility." Timothy and Shadow heaved looks at her. Timothy then realized what she meant. "You judged us as the eternal pair just because we can illuminate some stones. But have you ever thought that you could be wrong? We might not be the eternal pair." In a moment Shadow''s face flashed panic. He was shaking his head, frowning with eyes wide. "No. The Resitance is certain. I...there were..." "Makes sense actually." Timothy said. He then remembered something crucial. "Lucia...the impostor..." "Yes Tim, we could be the impostor. The vision of the priestess showed the truth but not in the way we expected. The Impostor opened his palm and the lion and the pelican were on it." "Impossible!" Shadow rose, the noise prompted Abraham to peek inside. Timothy waved the royal guard away. "Impossible" Shadow said again. "The cull, my people, the desolation, who would save us all now?" "Idiot" Timothy scoffed. "Let''s say that we are not your immortals. So what? Does it matter that we were not the ones destined? The true eternal pair had run away. They left you. They ran from their responsibilities! Tell me, does greatness require destiny? Can''t we become great even without being prophesied? I piss on destiny. I don''t care about fate. We make our own paths. We are free to choose. The eternal pair has abandoned you but we will not. My wife and I are normal humans but we have power greater than any prophecy." Shadow fell on his chair. He was silent, just staring at the carpet for what seemed to be a thousand heartbeats. "You are right of course. It doesn''t matter even if you are not the eternal pair. But I still think you are the immortals. What about your dreams?" He looked at Lucia. "What about that vision you saw during your wedding? It matches." He looked at Timothy. "The male of the eternal pair is named Mathew and the female, according to the Queen''s vision, is Stella. You two have been having dreams and visions of your past memories." "And are those our memories?" Lucia asked. "What if we saw the eternal pair''s memories?" "Possible." Timothy said, nodding. "How can we be sure that those are our memories? We can''t. Shadow, you said it yourself, there is little information about the past. Very little information." "I don''t know" Lucia said. "There is still a possibility that we are the eternal pair. This world is strange. There are many things we don''t understand. But will you still follow us even if we are not who you think we are?" Shadow was calm now. He leaned back against his chair. "I have seen what you two can do. I know that cooperating with you will be good for the Resistance. I will still follow you. No matter where it would lead. But the others in the Resistance will not take this doubt of your identity with friendliness. So I think we should keep this a secret. I will just make some excuses to them about how you got pregnant." "Thus fulfilling the prophecy of the impostor." Timothy said. "Yes." "It is settled then. Our identities are a mystery but you will still support us." It was Timothy''s turn to be silent. He curled his lips. "So now we must accept Wismar''s peace." "Peace?" Lucia looked at him. "I thought you wanted to destroy their pyramid. You want Wismar to kneel." "I was prepared to fight them until my last breath. But we can''t let our child inherit this feud with Wismar. I still want to pulverize that pyramid. I still want Malzan demolished. But our child..." His head drooped. "We need to think about our child." *** A gazebo with red linen roof rose near thr drawbridge. Four seats were placed under, divided into two by a table. "So you finally considered our request for peace." King Himel Wismar said. He was not too old. His grey beard was tied by a ribbon. His loose clothes were lined with shiny jewelries. But his face had the look of exhaustion. Dark swollen lines were under his eyes. "And thank you for returning my son to me." Skall was beside his father. The Wismarine Prince mirrored the King''s looks though Skall had become a little fat since he became a hostage. "He is not free though. He will be one of our bargaining chips." Timothy said. Lucia handed the King a piece of paper. "This is a list of our demands." The King took the paper, unrolled it and the displeasure showed on his face. "Don''t worry, the demands of our allies were already included in there." Lucia said. "Ten million gold coins payable in installments. That is mostly for the destruction of Holm and the cost it would take to support the orphans and widows. We also demand fleet basing rights to all ports in Wismar and we mean all. From small river docks to large ports. Also, military access and control over the thirteen forts written in there. You will also surrender all Hellfire in your possession. You will allow preachers of the faith of the Omniscient to spread the faith freely. You will admit that it was you who massacred the Cantonese, Inkish and Hadeans during that battle near Mythrille. You will never set foot in the territories of the desert tribes again and leave them alone. You will cede the city of Kotara to us. And lastly, you will become our vassal." King Himel was frowning hard. "The last two are unacceptable. Wismar could never recover without the wealth of Kotara. And we are too proud to become your vassal." "We could always subjugate you instead. Annex all your territories or just leave them to rot under a power vacuum." Lucia said. "In a few days we could. But this is mercy, our mercy. Accept it." King Himel looked at his son. His pain was apparent. He again looked at the list of demands. "And what would we get in return?" "Peace obviously. Your son will be returned to you, free of his crimes. But you will also have our protection. Levan will not invade you. We could also open our markets to your goods." King Himel sighed. "Losers don''t have much choice in the negotiating table. We accept. Let the war between our nations end." Timothy and Lucia signed the document detailing the demands and conditions of peace. King Himel pinned his thumb and used the blood as ink as the Wismarine culture demanded. King Himel and Skall rose first and bowed. "May this peace last" King Himel said. "May our two nations never be at odds again. Let it end." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Yes" Timothy said. "Let it end." *** ''Twenty-second Day of Late Autumn, Year Five Hundred Eighty This is awkward. My last record seems to detail my death. But I survived, somehow. My wound had healed. A Castonian surgeon stitched it with care. The reason why it took so long to write again is because I am ashamed. I was just too dramatic last time. Ashkara. This is embarrassing. The thought of tearing that page did occur to me. But I realized that this journal, everything that I''m writing is part of history. So I''ll just swallow my shame. Well a lot had happened since my last record. The Union besieged Malzan after their victory but they suddenly asked for peace. Their terms were heavy but that''s better than losing all of Wismar right? I and everyone else then discovered the reason why the Union''s monarchs decided to trek the path of peace. The Queen is pregnant. Castonia and Wismar will be united. Thank that child for sparing Wismar. A celebration followed, one that was the largest I''ve seen. Food, sumptuous beyond my imagination was served. Wine flooded. It lasted for days. Prisoners of war like myself joined the celebration of course. It''s free food. Some Wismarines from Malzan also braved going outside and joined the feast. Let''s just say that many people haven''t been sober for days. Well as of writing this piece, the Union''s army have left. Wismar is licking its wounds. But it is now peaceful. The sky is blue again. The wind is strong. The warhorns have stopped blaring. The clang of steel is a thing of the past. As for me, I''m going home. Mother and Father would be glad to see their son again. I will cook them good food and we will talk about my adventures. To whoever is reading this, be informed that I have decided to stop writing daily journals. This will be the last page. Know that Hatshin stood amongst giants. I witnessed history. I lived in the era of the Union.'' 288 Parting Ways Bivon, Tulosa, A Month Later Flowers carpeted the streets. The people beside were adding thickness to it, throwing petals, whole flowers and even coins as the knights passed. It was joyful. The end of the war. Peace at long last. Henry probably looked gallant today, like one of those knights in the paintings. His steed had its coat scrubbed to full white. Equipped with a new set of saddle, his mount was the envy of all riders. He himself was in his armor. His full helm had its visor opened. His purple cape was pristine. The sword on his hip was new, Castonian forged. The other knights followed him to the Headquarter. The clack of the horse hooves were hidden behind the loud cheers. Henry smiled. The Omniscient saw it fit to keep him alive. Life was good. He was away for a few months but he had already missed this city and the people. But more than the city and the people, he longed for Freya. He dismounted in front of the Headquarters. Knights around him saluted crisply. Henry didn''t provide attention to them. He hurried to his room on top of the tall tower. His heavy steps rang in the coiling stairs. His heart was beating was after the ascent, mostly of exertion but partly of the thought of seeing Freya. He stepped to the door and removed his helm. He fixed his hair and straightened his cape. An empty room greeted him. Freya wasn''t inside. Henry was a bit disappointed. Well he was indeed disappointed. He expected a warm reunion. He sat on his bed and noticed a piece of paper nailed on the desk. He grabbed it, almost tearing it and read. He soon smiled. He exited the room and hurried down. The knights saluted again but Henry cared less now. He went to his horse, mounted and galloped. The gate opened to him. He headed west, the path as familiar as the back of his hand. He followed the road and then turned to the fifth hill to the right. The cobbled road became a narrow footpath. The grass was tall. The pines were lush. He rode until he saw a wooden house by a stream. Freya was waiting by the door. Her clothes was a simple brown dress extending to her ankles. His mother and sister were beside Freya. Henry dismounted. He was greeted by an embrace from his mother and sister. The three of them were silent. Words were not needed. Both smiled and released him.Henry stepped to Freya slowly. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. "You are home." She said. "Yes, finally. I am home." *** Greenwater, Castonia Grease dripped from Erik''s mouth as he chomped the chunk of tuna tail. He burped loud and leaned back. "I don''t know who between us is pregnant, Erik. Your belly is larger than mine." Sylvie said from across the table. "It''s just food. I''m not getting fat or something. I am Marquis Erik Connel, the very figure of fitness." "I''m pretty sure it''s fat" His mother said. "So you two are working together against me huh?" "Well even if you grow fat, you would still be my Handsome Marquis." Sylvie called for the servant to bring another platter. It was shrimps this time. "You are teasing me for growing a little chubby and yet you do this?" "But you growing a little fat suits us." Sylvie said. "Isn''t that right Ma?" "Yes, yes. You are the Marquis of Castonia. All the Marquises I''ve seen in paintings are men with large bellies." "Father wasn''t. Well he did grew a little in size in his latter years." Erik paused and looked at his swollen belly "Dammit. It is inevitable, isn''t it?" Sylvie and his mother laughed. They are cruel, Erik thought. He has just arrived today and they are already descending upon him. "Don''t get too uptight about it. The War is over. You need to sit back and watch the sunset until your hair grows grey." Sylvie said. "Yes, the war is over. It is time to replenish the lost population." His mother winked at him and rose. Her cane wobbled but Erik was stopped when he tried to help. "I am alright." She trudged toward the door, yawning. "I''ll leave you two. I''m sure being away for too long have taken a toll in your needs as a couple. Just don''t do it too roughly, my grandchild is still inside Sylvie." "Can''t you be a little modest Ma?" "Being modest will not increase the population. You have to do your duty to your country." His mother said before exiting the door with the help of servants. Erik sighed and went back to the food. The grilled shrimp had cooled now. "So," Sylvie said, grinning. "What she said. You need to wash you mouth first. You stink of the ocean." "And you don''t?" She rose, supporting her belly with two hands. She walked and sat on Erik''s lap. She wasn''t heavy and Erik instinctively cradled her in his arms. "Do I?" He delayed answering and just stared at her for a while. Her hair was tied to the back, showing the scar on her face. As always she was wearing that smirk he was irritated with at first but had grown to love. He pulled her closer. "You are still too far for me to decide." She leaned closer and Erik expected a kiss. But she stuffed some shrimps in his mouth instead. She giggled and Erik couldn''t help but find it beautiful. *** "So, you didn''t get the girl." His father said. Arthur just shrugged to that. He resumed his walk to the scorched street of Holm. The houses were being patched by the citizens. Little by little, Holm was recovering but the scar would remain. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He tilted his head so that he could look at his father with his one good eye. "I just let William have her. I showed mercy." "Ha! Showed mercy. You failed didn''t you?" "More like I didn''t try." He looked down. "Fine, I failed. I lost." "Did you use all the techniques I taught you?" "All the clothes, the expensive silks, the perfumes too. I didn''t like her anyway." People were nodding to them as they passed. The residents of Holm were different now. There was something off about them as if they had become humbler. Gone were the raised chins and strutted walks of these wealthy people. It was already a month into the snow season but the snow didn''t come. It was the first time in decades that this happened. But this strange phenomenon served them well. The repairs were not bogged by the snow. A few corners and they reached the harbor. His father stopped in one of the buildings and stared at the blackened brick wall. It was the same wall where Leopold Castonia died. "A shame Arthur" He said. "A shame Leo didn''t live long enough to know that we would be having a grandchild." "Yes. And his statue by the gate is weird. The face is a bit off." "I ordered for the features to be more... heroic. Leopold has this natural antagonistic look on his face. That way future residents wouldn''t question his heroic tale." He beckoned. "Come on, this place sours my mood." They walked again heading to one of the docks. A ship was being built. It wasn''t finished yet but it already dwarfed the other galleys. The hull was made of some polished hardwood. His father once said that this one would be twice as large as a normal galley. The sails would also be twice as wide and high. Fifteen large catapults would be mounted on its deck and it would require a crew of half a thousand. "The Leopold." His father said. "In honor of the savior of Holm, your sister plans to name it after Leo. It would become the new flagship of the Union''s navy." 289 A New Threa Spring, Year Five Hundred Eighty-one Snow didn''t come this year. It was cold and yet flakes of white didn''t fall from the sky. Timothy used the opportunity of a tamed snow season to lick the wounds of the Union. Since Lucia''s belly was growing bigger, the responsibilities all fell on him. Holm needed repair. The laws of the Union needed to be amended to incorporate the laws of Vanadis and Castonia. He never knew that ruling could be boring and tiresome at the same time. But not today. William had returned yesterday from guarding Wismar in case the Wismarines break their promise. The five of them went to the oak tree where his mother and father were buried beneath. Well six of them, Timothy thought as he looked at Lucia''s belly. Ivan as the eldest put the flowers on both the tombstones. The Gardenias were fresh and white as snow. Ivan knelt and lay a bouquet on each of the graves. Her rose after and walked to them. "Can''t we go back now? I''m tired." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Timothy disregarded Ivan''s ramblings. Ivan had always been cold to their father and being in the dungeon for so long didn''t make him a better son. Well it did, Timothy thought. Ivan was still the fool and hateful but at least his arrogance was now a little tamer. "I didn''t get to meet him but I think I would have liked your father." Layfare said beside William. "Well he would have pestered you for some good wine." William said. "That''s how father is. He also had a foul mouth, a trait you dislike. His actions were dishonorable and dishonest sometimes, or most of the times. And he stinks. He''s not very fond of appearing majestic. But behind it all, he was Leopold Castonia. His words were sharp but his heart was soft. His actions were not the most moral but he did those things for family and for Castonia. Yes, I think you would have liked him." "He loved our mother will all his being. He is a sweet man behind a craggy crust. May the two of them rest in peace. May the Omniscient allow their reunion. As for us, we must make it certain that he will be remembered." Timothy said. "He will be remembered." Lucia said, huddling closer to his side. "If our child is a son, we will name him Leo." "Leo?" Timothy smiled. He put his hand on her belly. "Yes, yes. That''s a good name. Leo. The lion of the Union. His roar shall never be silenced." "I think Leo is a dumb name." Ivan said. "You want your child to end up like father?" "Shut it Ivan or you''re going back to your cell tonight." "I..." Ivan''s eyes were bulging. "So you were planning on getting me out of the dungeon?" "Yes. I''m planning on letting you stay at the palace. Guarded tightly of course but I think you would prefer that over the stinky and damp dungeon. It would look bad on us if my brother is still imprisoned." "So it''s not because of mercy after all? It''s all about reputation." "Shut it Ivan. You are yet to gain my favor. And you will not have it with that attitude. Not until your arrogance is snuffed. Not until you mold yourself into a proper prince of the Union. And if you ever insult father again and back to that cell you would go." "No, that is not needed. I love father. I... well I''ll just shut my mouth." "Good. Now we need to go back soon." Timothy said. He stepped toward the tombstones and knelt. He put both hands on both of the marble graves. He didn''t know his mother well. She died when he was still a toddler and he heard how she betrayed his father. But to that he didn''t feel hate. He just felt it a shame he didn''t get to know her. He looked at the grave of his father and closed his eyes. He whispered, "I don''t know if there''s an afterlife but if there is I hope you are happy. Thank you. If we ever meet again, I will treat you with a good Hadean. I miss you father. You will have a grandchild soon. It is sad you never got to know that. I think you would have been overjoyed." He glanced behind. "Our family is complete now. I promise to keep my temper regarding Ivan. He is a fool but he can probably better himself. William lost his arms but he is still the William that we know. I will visit you always like how you visited mother. But for now I must say farewell. Goodbye father." He rose and went to the rest. "Let''s go." Two carriages awaited them. It was a long ride to Nirvana after all. All of a sudden a third carriage arrived. This one was riding fast. It halted in their front and Braun stepped down from it. The Baron looked worried. "We...we have a problem. A large one. Omniscience. I think the cull has began." *** Dilram, Levan The cobbler stood on top of the humble walls of Dilram. The city was burning below him. Men and women alike were being butchered by those things. They were dark like shadows and shaped like large wolves with long gnarly teeth. Their claws were sharp and one swipe could kill. They vary in sizes with the smallest being the size of the cat and the largest the size of an elephant. There were also men in shiny armor. He guessed they were officers. Some were riding the shadow beasts. Others were on foot. The cobbler fell back. His butt hit the wall and his eyes quivered. He was just repairing some shoes when it all happened. The shadow beasts appeared out of nowhere and ripped the city watch into pieces. Beatrice was dead. He saw her swiped in half by one of the beasts. He ran of course. He ran to the wall and now he was probably the only one in the city left alive. "We are sorry for this" A voice said, one of an old man. He looked and saw a young man instead. He was one of those armored officers. The officer sat beside him. He didn''t run. There was nowhere to run to. "This is necessary. We are sorry." "You killed my wife." "What was her name?" "Beatrice" "And yours?" "Rugh" "Rugh and Beatrice. I will remember your names. Mine''s Ice." Ice turned to him and put a palm on his chest. "Rest Rugh. I''m truly sorry." The palm glowed blue and then white. Ice crystals formed on it. A pain pricked his chest. He was soon bleeding as the ice stabbed his heart. "This is a necessity Rugh. Rest and be at peace." 290 The Union "Shadow beasts huh?" Timothy asked, leaning forward on the table with the map of the surrounding lands on top. Lucia, Shadow, Braun, William and Layfare were also in the room. "I have never heard of this Your Majesty" Shadow said. "Believe me. I am also shocked. I never thought his gift would be about making these shadow beasts." "The largest are truly large" Lucia said. "And the smallest is still dangerous. And here we are, thinking that we could sit back and enjoy the peace. I don''t think we can do something to help Levan. It is just too far." "Not just Levan, Your Majesty" Braun said. "There are also reports of the Shadow Beasts in Wismar. Hadea, Avelon and Hanome are are to respond though." "I will write to my father" Layfare said, fiddling with her fingers. "I hope they are alright." "Yes but the question remains, sires." Braun said. "What are we to do?" Timothy looked at the map again. Levan was directly beside the Ninev mountains. Wismar and Hadea were the only vassals currently at risk. "We need information." Lucia said. "Everything we needed to know, we must know. Weaknesses, speed, organization, intelligence, numbers, everything. We need spies and scouts by the thousand. And..." She shook her head. "We need to cooperate with Wismar." "Dawn and Steelsword legions in Kotara could help with that." Timothy said. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "But that''s not all" Lucia said. "There would be refugees Tim. A lot of them. Millions. Should we accept them?" "I..." Timothy paused, thinking. The decision would decide the fate of millions. "I don''t know. Even if our treasury piles up, food feeds and not coin. And the food we produce each year might not be enough if there was a mass migration south. We might need to invest in the long term. Increase food production and better the logistics." "We also need to end the war with Calgari and focus on defending against this new threat." Braun traced his wrinkled fingers on the map. "This is truly a crisis." Timothy paced to the window. It was peaceful outside. But it would all change. A new war looms on the horizon, one which wouldn''t be fought in conventional ways. Everything everyone knew about warfare would need to be overhauled to match the new threat. "We need to unite" Lucia said. "Yes." Timothy agreed. She and him were of one mind. "We must unite. Not just Castonia and Vanadis but also everyone else. Tulosa, Canton, Inkit, Hadea, Wismar and everyone else. We must unite or else we would perish. Send letters Braun. Send letters to all the nations. To everyone who can contribute to our survival. Warlords, mercenary captains, pirates, small lords and nobles, Dukes, tribal leaders, everyone you can reach. Tell them that we desire cooperation." "No. That wouldn''t be enough." Lucia said. "We need to make it formal. Braun get some papers and a quill." The Baron went to the bookshelf and grabbed the items without question. He fastened his monocles and dipped the quill in the ink. Lucia went to the Baron''s side. "Fifteenth day of Early Spring, Year Five Hundred and Eighty-one." Braun scribbled what Lucia dictated. "Treaty of Nirvana. Let all men know that beginning today, The League of Kingdoms is forged into being by Castonia and Vanadis in hope to unite all humans against the threat of the cull. All with power is invited to pledge their support. The League shall be spearheaded by both Castonia and Vanadis and all members could benefit from equal protection. All resources shall be shared to better defend the realm of man. May God bless us with a strong union. May we triumph in the end. Long live us all." Lucia took the quill after Braun was done. She signed Vanadis'' support. Timothy was the next one to sign. "You have the authority?" Timothy asked Layfare. "I believe so." She took the quill and promised Hadea''s inclusion. The next one was Shadow who pledge the Resistance''s cooperation. When all was done, four signatures were on the paper. "This will grow." Lucia said. "Yes this will. New rules will be added. New allies will join." Timothy said. "But for now it is enough." *** A few weeks later. Lucia found that the stairs had become troublesome to her. Their child was growing fast . She went up the stairs of the palace wall anyway, each step was carefully placed. She was winded after reaching the top. The wind blew her hair back. The setting sun was cast near the horizon. Nirvana was to her front. She walked a few more paces and reached Timothy who was leaning forward against the merlon. "You should have stayed in bed." His tone was stiff. A sigh sounded after. "Must you make me worry?" "I have missed you." "I wasn''t away for too long." "Even a heartbeat without you is too long." He chuckled. "Come to my side then." Lucia went to Timothy side. On Timothy''s hand was Ashkara''s journal. "We will translate it in time." She said. "I know. But the lack of progress is disappointing. I thought we could discover secrets from this but nothing." Lucia leaned her head on Timothy''s shoulder. His tunic felt warm. And his smell was lulling her to sleep. "We have received Avelon''s response. They will join." "And Hanome?" "Nothing yet." "That is good news nonetheless. Our little consortium grows larger by the day." Timothy wrapped his arm around her waist. "What do you think? About us leading all the nations against whatever is inside the Ninev Mountains?" "Honestly I don''t know what to think anymore. Our strange dreams, the glowing stone, the vision I saw during our wedding. And yet I got pregnant. Who are we, really?" "Does it matter?" She smiled. "No. It doesn''t. I am Lucia Vanadis and you are Timothy Castonia. That is all we are. The Eternal Pair or not. I don''t care about magic. I don''t care about fate. I met you and I loved you." He nodded and then kissed her. It was their gentlest kiss, full of emotions. They parted and Lucia''s cheeks flushed. "We have tons of things to do. The next years will be filled with both heartaches and headaches. A lot of trials will batter our way." Timothy said. "A lot couldn''t even describe the burden. But we will triumph in the end Tim. We will work together like how we always have." Timothy smiled to that. He held out his palm. "Together?" "Yes" Lucia put her palm on Timothy''s. "Together" 291 Epilogue Retchid, Calgari Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Wilson''s robe dragged against the earth as he ascended to the top of the hill. The vegetation had grown since the last time he was here. The fledgling grass was now a blanket. The small trees now had towering canopies. He stepped the final step. He was winded but the scenery took his tiredness. He could see the entire city from here. The wide streets and bustling alleys of Retchid was an alluring sight. The tall houses, the old towers, the lofty walls- he had grown fond of this city despite being here for a mere three days. "Is the city more beautiful than me for you to stare at it like that in my presence?" A woman''s voice said. She was leaning against the trunk of an oak overlooking the city. Her legs were hanging on the cliff where a steep drop awaited below. A crown was on her side, the diamonds on top glinting under the sunlight. "Should I address you as Your Majesty now?" Wilson asked. He went to her side and sat near the crown. She was still looking at the city below. "Well that is how you should address monarchs. Your Majesty, Your Grace, My Queen. It gets tiring you know. By the way, condolences and congratulations. I heard your brother died but your nephew now has a son. Strange luck." "Timothy named the boy after Leopold. Strange indeed." "Must be hard for you." She turned her head to him. "Hearing about your brother''s death." "I was devastated. Leopold and I shared memories." "And yet you are here, talking with me. Tell me, why are you not in Nirvana with your nephews?" Wilson sighed. The breeze was cool. The leaves were rustling. The sun was beautiful. "Ever since I was a child, I had a memory of this place. It confused me for years. I have never been here and yet the scene of a hill overlooking a small town was so vivid. I always felt that something was missing, that I wasn''t really a prince of Castonia. I searched for this place. Years, I spent. I traveled everywhere. I even abandoned my wedded wife. I finally found it after all those years of searching. Now that small town had grown into the capital of Calgari. I want to go back to Nirvana but I am not one of them. We are not one of them." "So you now remember?" "Every terrifying thing." "Good for you then. The self-righteous man inside the mountain has started a cull. He thinks it would be the solution" She looked up, childlike mannerisms showing. "That is so dumb and boring." "So," Wilson said, bending close to her, feeling the jarring loss of intimacy. He looked directly into her eyes. "What now?" "What indeed." She pushed his face away and sighed. "We need to find the others." "The others are gone. Dead or missing." "Not all. And what choice do we have but to find them? It is coming again. No, not this stupid cull. I can feel it. All those tragedies are going to happen again. The cycle will repeat and it will be soon. Oh it will be soon." "Do we have time? It would take us long to find them." "It will take us longer if we slack around." She rose, teetering in the cliff before finding her balance. "Well come on. We better get started." 292 Announcemen The sequel is already in Royal Road. I''m just waiting for a contest here in Webnovel. The title is "Stone of Discord". 293 Another Announcemen Sequel is out here in Webnovel. The title is "The Eternal Guardians". Please vote for the novel for the contest as the first prize will be featured. Also there seems to be another story with similar title. Just remember my pen name. CreamAndCookies. Thank you. 294 Last Announcemen @@As of writing, the sequel is leading in WPC 86. Please gift your powerstones on the sequel instead of giving it here to maintain the ranking. First place in WPC will be featured in the front page for a week and would result to an increase of readers. I desire sharing the story to a wider audience. Thank you.