We were out on patrol near the siege pits when we encountered an enemy raiding force in the worst way possible - by not being aware of them in the first place.

Immediately a man to my left screamed out as a black-fletched arrow sprouted from his stomach and I quickly dived into the dirt and stone covered ground as a small volley peppered our column. I scrambled to get my sword out and crawled towards a rock that three men-at-arms had hidden behind. When I got close to their position two of them sprinted out, grabbed me by my wrists, and dragged me like a sack of potatoes back to their cover.

"What do we do sir," one of them said frantically as another volley of arrows crashed down on top of us. These grown men were looking to me, a fourteen year old noble in his second instance of combat, to direct them so that they could prevail in this fight. I turned to look around and noticed many of us were hunkered down behind the rare tree or numerous rocks. I was sure the enemy would run out of arrows eventually, but then they would either charge in do some slaughtering or withdraw and be happy with the harvest they had reaped already. There was a cut in the land not very far away that curved out and around. I couldn't tell if it looped back onto the enemy forces or not but it was likely better than staying here.

"Gentlemen," I began softly, "I haven't the faintest fucking clue. This is my third engagement, four if you count a duel I fought," they looked bewildered that I would so readily admit my inexperience, and a little curious. "But to my eyes, that cut in the land there is much better protection for us than this rock, and it might circle back on the enemy, allowing us to get in close," they turned to look and consider it for a moment before turning back to me.

"Up to you two," I said, "I'll go either way and you can choose to follow me all the way to the enemy forces, or just hide there and wait for my suicidal charge," and I was being completely honest. It was not like I could accuse them of cowardice if I was dead, and it was a losing proposition to just hide here. They two looked at each other again, bewildered.

"Sir, lets just get to the cut and figure it out from there," one of the two men said and without responding I took off sprinting for the cut. No arrows scythed out to cut me down and from the pounding behind me I knew that the two had followed. I made it ahead of them by a good ten seconds and when they arrived they were huffing and puffing as if they had just run a marathon. I was as fresh as a daisy, as a short sprint like that wasn't anything new to me.

"Okay, lets do this sir," they said, probably gaining confidence in my toughness. We jogged up the cut and I was soon proven right, as we gained elevation and curved around to just behind where the enemy forces had been peppering us from. I poked my head up and over the cut slightly and spotted a group of roughly twenty men holding bows and peering at our position, trying to snipe us from theirs. It had taken us roughly five minutes to circle around and get into this position.

"Okay gentlemen," I whispered quietly, "Lets try and get as close as possible and kill as many as possible before they notice. Pull back to the high ground as fast as possible when they figure it out," and together we suited actions to words, creeping silently across the stony soil. The men were rather undisciplined, and seemed like a militia force lead by a single proper soldier. Their perimeter was easily breached and their laughter at our plight hid our footsteps very well.

I crept up behind the one furthest away from the group and slit his throat while pushing the back of his head forward. The man died silently and I lowered him to the ground before stalking forward to the next target. It was a pair of men who were standing together at the same tree and I figured I would be able to kill them both. A man gasped to my right as he died and both of my targets looked over.

Too bad for them, I whipped my sword out and cut cleanly through the neck of one of my targets before jabbing my dagger into the back of the head of my next target. Both died instantly before they could alert anyone, but I couldn't stop the sound of their bodies dropping. Hiding behind the tree that they had previously been using I waited for it...

"To Arms! We're under attack!" Came the call from the one I assumed was the professional soldier. Two arrows thudded into my cover and I took the opportunity to turn the tree and throw my dagger, ducking back before it finished it's path. I heard a scream and saw my two compatriots begin their sprint up the hill back to the cut. There was a short war cry and the enemy charged up the hill after them, probably intent on murdering us and withdrawing.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Two people ran right by me without noticing and I stepped out to shoulder check the third. He hit the ground and I heard the breath leave his lungs. I stomped on his face and turned my heel, catching a blow meant for the back of my head with my sword and parrying it downward before following it up with a rotating wrist strike that brought my sword across the side of this mans neck. Arterial blood spurted out the moment my sword parted his flesh but I was already turning away.

Someone hit me from the side with a full body tackle and brought us both to the ground. Immediately I let go of my sword and punched out with my mailed fist, hitting him in the shoulder. He rolled off of me with a cry of pain but another man took his place, standing over my head and swinging a mace down. Grabbing his left ankle with both hands I rolled over and as his mace impacted the ground I got up to my knees and yanked while standing, upending him and sending him crashing down into the dirt. A third man joined the fray and my nerves frayed.

I don't remember much, just punching, kicking, headbutting and eventually I had another of my daggers in my hand and I was hammering the blade into a dead mans chest over and over again while screaming. I started at the ruined man blankly for a few more seconds before opening my helmet and throwing up on his dead face. I stood shakily to my feet and looked around, only to find myself surrounded by the remainder of my living patrol. They looked at me with a mixture of awe and trepidation. It took me a moment to understand why, as I had apparently beaten two men to death and spent the rest of the time stabbing another man to death and beyond.

"Good of you gentlemen to join us," I said, my voice hoarse from the screaming. My casual tone brought laughter to the men as the stress bled off and we went about collecting weapons and piling the dead. While they did that I learned from one of the surviving sergeants that after we had crashed into the enemy from behind they had charged into the woods and caught the enemy by surprise, quickly butchering them. Twenty four of them had died and we had four dead and seven wounded in various ways.

"Gather up our dead, make some litters or something, and let's be on our way," I ordered, remembering that one of our casualties was the patrol captain. It turned out he wasn't dead, but he was in a a bad way, with an arrow puncturing his leg. Someone had wrapped a belt tightly around his leg and staunched the bleeding, but he would likely die without mage intervention. "Make it fast, we have to get the wounded back to our medical corps," I said with urgency and everyone hastened to obey.

Pervalian Fortress, Aurelian Front

We made it back relatively quickly to the fortress, which grew by the day. Our wounded had been collected from us at the first picket and their litters were attached to horses and rapidly escorted to the medical wing of the fortress. After I reported the presence of an enemy raiding party in the area the major who was on duty for the front pickets rapidly organized several squads of infantry, bowmen, and a few mages and sent them out in the same direction.

Exhausted, we made our way up the rough dirt road that lead to the main fortress gatehouse, which had grown a sturdy mage-reinforced wooden door with iron bindings and a portcullis that the army smith's had spent three days straight forging. Overhead there was a loud sucking sound followed by what I can only describe as an implosion, and as I looked up I watched an artillery spell speed off faster than an arrow, impacting against the enemies wards and walls seconds later.

I watched for half a second before turning and heading through the open gate, following my men in and ensuring they all went back to the barracks. "Take the rest of the day, and tomorrow," I told them and they looked at me blankly for a second. "It's going to be a long war, we need you all at your best. Today was rough, and you all need to rest. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, tell me and I will speak to them. Just ask for Zerial at the Marshal's quarters," and with that, ignoring their dumbfounded looks, I went on my way. I wager none of them were aware that they were patrolling with the dukes son. Oh well, that'll be a story they tell, I am sure.

I eventually made it to my quarters, the Marshal's Keep as it was collectively called since Gerald stayed there. I continued inside where I was met by Roderick who took one look at my blood splattered, dented, and scratched armor. "Rough one, eh Zerial?" he asked me as I was tromping past him.

"Rougher for them than me, I would say," I remarked tiredly and Roderick cracked a small smile.

"Leave any survivors?"

"No, they caught us by surprise and then we caught them by surprise. I almost got overwhelmed when one of them tackled me and two more piled on, and I lost my composure. I don't know exactly what happened but I came back to my senses with a man under me that I had stabbed more than twenty times," I told him quietly and Roderick nodded.

"Aye, a rough day. I am glad your training took over, you never know how people are going to respond in situations like that. Any fight you walk away from is a good fight, Zerial. Doing what you have to do to survive is the duty of every soldier when in a fight for their lives," Roderick pounded me on the back. "Go take care of your arms and armor, wash up, eat, and rest." he ordered me, and I was too tired to even try to disagree.