The constant fighting throughout the day had been utterly exhausting. Now blessed with a rare chance to rest while he awaited word of General Alaric’s arrival, Kaewyn eagerly searched for somewhere nice to get off of his feet. It didn’t take long for him to stumble across a cluster of tree stumps, neatly cut and perfectly serviceable as a makeshift seat. He suspected that before Marcus and his builders had arrived here to construct the fort they now sheltered in, this entire hill was covered with trees. While not nearly as beautiful as Veneti Hill back in Greystone Province, Kaewyn felt a touch of remorse that a location such as this had been reduced to nothing more than an eyesore due to the war against the barbarians. With a shrug of his shoulders, he pushed the thought from his mind and started to remove pieces of his armour.
A feeling of utter relief washed over Kaewyn as he took off his helmet and pulled his boots from his feet. They were swollen and pulsing with pain, but he suspected the cool, afternoon air would do them good. After he had removed his gauntlets, he massaged his sensitive heels and toes slowly and carefully with his bare hands, squeezing gently where the pain was worst. The only other time his feet had ached so badly was after the Battle of the Rau. Marching all day and then stomping around in the dark had been difficult, but he’d had a horse for the majority of the hardest slog then. Since losing his horse earlier in the fighting, he had been forced to walk or run everywhere. Normally he’d have sourced a replacement in no time, but all of the horses were needed for General Falke’s flanking attempt and thus there were none readily available.
A fresh pang of guilt began to creep into his mind at the thought of the cavalry. If it were true that the old knight had leaked their plans to their enemy then General Falke and the cavalry were most likely dead. Perhaps they might still live if he had been more cautious with Sir Darius, he thought to himself. No point in thinking that’s true just yet. Sir Darius wanted to stop the conflict, not incite it. I suppose we will find out the cost of my trust, one way or another.
He sighed.
Kaewyn didn’t want to dwell on the possibilities and chances. His mother had often told him not to fret about something until it was known to be true, and thus he resolved himself to instead worry about the immediate, pain in his feet. He could worry about the rest later.
He continued to massage his feet and thanked the fact that they were beginning to feel better after the massage and exposure to fresh air. He was still utterly exhausted and with the barbarians no doubt planning to attack again soon, he could ill afford the time to rest completely. Instead, he decided to enjoy what little time he had to simply sit and recover some of his strength.
Kaewyn noticed several passing soldiers eye him curiously. After watching more of them pass and emulate the behaviour of the others, he realised that they were looking at his armour. It was caked in mud, dirt and in some places, blood. His fingers found several dents as he examined his helmet and even more on his pauldrons and chest plate. Despite the damage, he suspected it was still fit for use in battle. Though he did not envy the smith whose responsibility it would become to repair it after today.
“Kaewyn? There you are.”
Kaewyn looked to where the voice had come from and was pleased to see Camilla striding toward him with Yohren following dutifully behind her. He tried to stand but then remembered he currently had nothing but his bare feet to stand on, so instead, he hurriedly tried to pull on his boots. Camilla stopped him with a touch of her hand and took a seat on a cut stump of her own. He saw her tilt her head as she eyed him with her curious blue eyes. Yohren, apparently preferring to stand despite looking as tired as he was, explained that he would return when the meeting was ready to take place. After Yohren left them alone, Camilla got up and stood next to him, gesturing for him to move over. He did as he was asked despite the fatigue his exertions during the battle had inflicted upon his body and found himself chuckling when she sat down beside him. Now sharing the same wooden stump for a seat, she leaned against his side and smiled at him.
“I saw Rhys being ushered away by his advisors after you met with him,” Camilla said, still smiling. “I could not see him clearly, but Edgren swears he saw my brother’s swollen lip. You would have had anything to do with that, I presume?”
“Who, me? I abhor violence.”
Camilla shook her head and giggled. “Did you not tell me once that you would become a legendary blade master one day? That does not sound like one who abhors violence.”
Kaewyn chuckled. “You remembered that, did you?”
“How could I ever forget?”
“I cannot believe I ever said that. And to you as well!” He laughed. “Well, that is truly embarrassing.”
“It is not that bad, Kaewyn. Besides, I always liked that about you. You were never too worried about embarrassing yourself if it lightened the mood. Unlike Rhys…”
Kaewyn let his head drop and sighed. “About your brother. Has Rhys ever…”
“Struck me? No, never.” She replied sourly. “I… didn’t expect it.”
“He told me once that your father… disciplined you sometimes. When you were being stubborn.”
“You mean determined.” She said with a half-smile. “That’s what you call it, right?”
He allowed himself to smile reluctantly before nodding his head. “I do not know how you manage to make me smile now of all times. You are something special, Camilla. Still, you didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes. Father did. Sometimes.” She said with a sigh. “Though it was not often. It was usually when he ran out of words. He would get so angry and just, well, lash out.”
“I’m sorry, Camilla. For making you remember such things.”
“Do not worry about it. That all happened so long ago. What Rhys did, however…”
Kaewyn sighed and withdrew his hands from her gentle grip.
“What’s wrong? Why do you seem so dejected all of a sudden.”
“Because Camilla, I should never have hit him. Despite how much I wanted to. But after you told me what he did I just couldn’t control myself.”
“But he got what he deserved!” She said loudly, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I wish I had been the one to do it. I wish I could have experienced how it felt when you struck him!”
“I won’t deny that it felt good. But I still regret doing it. Not because of how it would look or even because it hurt him. But because of the consequences. Camilla,” He said, turning to face her and holding her hands in his. “By letting my anger get the best of me, I have put our best chance of being together in jeopardy. You remember our plan, don’t you? We decided in your tent together to ask him after the battle if you could return with me to Xu Castle in a more permanent arrangement. To take advantage of his good mood after resolving… all of this.” He said, gesturing all around them. “But that is not likely to happen now. Not now. I’m… sorry.
“Oh, Kaewyn.” She said softly, giving his hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “You stood up for me when Rhys was being completely unreasonable. How could I be upset with you for that?” Look, I do not know how, or even when, but I do know we will find a way to be together, okay?”
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Even with a swollen lip, in the middle of a battlefield where we face a very real possibility of death, you somehow manage to focus on the positive side of things.”
“Because of you.” She replied without a moment of hesitation. “You give me hope for the future.” Camilla smiled, the look in her eye was warm and mischievous. It was the look that sparked his love for her. The one he thought of when they were apart. “Maybe we won’t even have to worry about how to make things work.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe fate will be so kind as to have us all be wiped out by the barbarians.”
Kaewyn let himself chuckle and smile, but the jovial mood passed by him as quickly as it had come. He couldn’t understand how Camilla could remain cheerful after all that had happened. She was smiling at him, her swollen lip a grim reminder despite her happy façade. He hesitated, but eventually, he forced himself to speak.
“Having you here, with me.” He began. “Well, it makes me happy. But also concerned.”
“What do you mean?”
“…The battlefield is a dangerous place, Camilla. To ride around one on a packhorse with two guards is asking for trouble. Especially when no one knew you were out there. By Ohnix, my horse was killed and I almost died. And that was when I was surrounded by hundreds of my men.”
Her pained expression told him that she understood his words, but there was something else there too. Defiance. A subtle change in how she carried herself also told him that she still believed she had done the right thing.
“In my place, I know you would have done the same thing Kaewyn. Whatever the risk. The knight fleeing to the barbarian camp was something you needed to know. Tell me I am wrong in this.”
Kaewyn chuckled and squeezed her hand gently. She looked at him expectantly, perhaps expecting him to challenge her words. The warmth in her blue eyes was still there, but behind that warmth, he saw a burning passion, a light that refused to be extinguished. It was the part of her that drew him to her. The part of her that he believed prevented her from being satisfied by playing a silent role in the background. The part of her that he had grown to love. Despite wanting to tell her that she could have sent others in her place, that she should have stayed in camp where it was safe, he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her that she was wrong. In his heart, he knew that in her place he would have done the same thing, just as she had said. She was right.
***
“He is not coming,” Kaewyn said for the fourth time since they had assembled for the meeting.
“You must have really given him a beating!” General Alaric laughed and shook his head. “I only regret that I wasn’t here to see it!”
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“We can wait no longer,” Marcus explained. “It is time to discuss our options.”
General Alaric and Arlan had arrived at the fort barely more than ten minutes before being summoned to the emergency meeting. Their forces, tired and mostly beaten, still trickled into the safety the fort offered them against the pursuing barbarian threat. Kaewyn could see the worry on their faces. They had expected the fort to be their salvation, a beacon of flame in the night against the darkness that was the barbarian hordes. Instead, they learned that the fort was barely holding the enemy back and even worse, their expected reinforcements, General Falke and some five-hundred cavalry were nowhere to be seen. Kaewyn grit his teeth. He knew it was a dire situation to be in, and the longer they took to come up with a new plan, the more barbarians began to outflank and encircle the fort. It had to be now.
“Are we absolutely certain that General Falke is not coming?” Arlan asked.
“We have been over this, Arlan.” Marcus sighed and rubbed his temples. “With Sir Darius’s escape, we can no longer be certain of anything other than what we see before us. If we sit here and wait when our plans have fallen into enemy hands, we only delay the inevitable. Therefore, we must decide upon a new plan, with haste.”
“We have been here a whole ten minutes, so I have not had a chance to inspect our defences.” General Alaric with a wide gesture. “Are we able to hold the fort if they launch another attack?”
“Certainly, we can hold the fort for a time,” Marcus explained. “Though for how long is up for debate. Most of the outer defences, the palisade walls, the pit traps as well as the wooden stakes, have all been torn down, destroyed or burnt.”
Yohren, Camilla and Edgren stood together and grimaced during Marcus’s explanation of their situation, but none of them spoke up. Kaewyn saw the nervousness in their postures, the way they looked about uncomfortably, hoping someone could come up with an answer to their problems. But when Marcus broached the subject of sallying out to repair their defences, Yohren stepped forth.
“I hate to even suggest it, but maybe we could retreat?”
General Alaric immediately scoffed and began shooing Yohren away, calling his suggestion a coward’s idea unworthy of their consideration. Kaewyn silenced the general with a motion of his hand and then asked Marcus if it were possible. Marcus tilted his head, scratched his chin and then shook his head slowly. He explained that the barbarians had all but surrounded them already and the only direction to flee was to the South. However, Marcus explained that he had labourers dig hundreds of deep pits in the fields there, concealed by earth and greenery to deter the barbarian cavalry from flanking them. He further explained that without cavalry support, they would be blind to the enemy’s movements and have no way to counter the numerous enemy cavalry that would no doubt cut off their retreat once they had caught wind of the withdrawal. Furthermore, even if they were successful, Varde Castle was guaranteed to fall.
“It is simple then,” Arlan announced. “We cannot hold the fort but nor can we retreat. The only option is for us to defeat the barbarians in open battle.”
“Arlan, have you taken a blow to the head?” General Alaric said in bewilderment. “We only just arrived out there. You saw how many of them there are. You know as well as I that in a straight-up battle, we have no chance of achieving a victory.”
“I recall your father saying something similar before the Battle of the Rau, General,” Kaewyn said with a half smirk. “And yet, we defeated Lord Severus.”
“That was different. We took him by surprise.” The General retorted. “You came up with your Six Advantages and Three Disadvantages strategy.”
“Seven,” Marcus interjected.
“What?”
“Seven Advantages. I remember it clearly.”
“All the same.” The General said. “Lord Severus’s army was drunk, exhausted and overconfident.”
“And yet… we still couldn’t have defeated him without a certain suggestion by Sir Marcus Linforde,” Kaewyn said, wagging his finger as an idea began to form in his mind.
“Normally I would be all for flattery and praise, especially when I am the recipient, but I fail to see—”
“Marcus, you only had one criticism of my Seven Advantages and Three Disadvantages strategy. Can you remember what it was?”
“Of course, I remember. I advised you to split your forces. If you hadn’t, you would not have defeated Lord Severus’s army.”
“Exactly!” Kaewyn said excitedly. “And why did we win that night?”
“Because you killed Lord Severus… which…” The look of realised dawned upon Marcus and he smiled and lowered his head. The bushy-eyed advisor began to chuckle and then nodded his head. “Sometimes I forget why I chose to serve you, but now is certainly not one of those moments.”
“I’m lost,” Yohren said.
“You aren’t alone.” General Alaric added. “I hate it when they get like this.”
“Kaewyn?” Camilla said. “Care to inform us what’s going on in that head of yours?”
“It’s simple. Well, maybe not that simple.”
“What!?” Everyone other than Marcus groaned.
“We have to kill or capture their leader. Prince Odabek.” Kaewyn said firmly, holding up a clenched fist to emphasise his point.
“Without him… their massive army will fall into disarray,” Marcus added. “The only issue is being able to find him amongst their horde. They fly no banners as any civilised army would do, so it will not be as simple as it was with Lord Severus.”
“Nor can we rely on a storm or the cover of night to hide us. Once we know where he is, we will have to fight our way to him.” Kaewyn explained pensively. “I have little doubt that it will be a bloody affair, but I think it is our best chance for victory. First though, we have to find him somehow.”
“That’s easy!” General Alaric chuckled. “The bastard himself personally led every attack on us when we were withdrawing to the fort. At least once he saw Arlan that is.”
“Arlan?” Kaewyn asked. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“He is obsessed with getting at Arlan.” General Alaric explained. “Crazy bastard almost charged through our lines by himself to get at him and more than just the one time too.”
All eyes in the meeting turned to the quiet warrior who confirmed the General’s words with a slight nod of the head. Kaewyn wasn’t certain, but he thought Arlan looked uncomfortable somehow. He couldn’t place his finger on why exactly, but the man in front of him didn’t seem to be his usual, confident self. Arlan had always stood proudly and never shied away from eye contact, now though, his head hung low and his eyes seem to only focus on distant objects. It was entirely unlike what he had come to expect of the man.
“I remember you were up in arms when we told you that you were to feign defeat to this Odabek,” Marcus recalled. “Therefore, I suggest we propose a second duel! This time you will not retreat, but cut him down. Killing him in front of their entire army will ruin their morale, allowing us to charge out from the fort and scatter them all over the Vinum countryside.”
“I… I cannot.” Arlan said softly.
“What do you mean cannot?” Marcus questioned. “You already fought him once.”
“And that is why I know that I cannot defeat him,” Arlan confessed. “The prince is beyond my skill to defeat. The way he moves is so… perfect. He reminds me of my grandfather, Arlan the Swift, when he taught me.”
“You are among the finest warriors I have ever known, Arlan,” Kaewyn said earnestly. “Are you certain you cannot best him?”
Arlan shook his head.
“I was lucky to have survived our duel. The way he anticipated every move I made, the way he effortlessly parried my blows… It was all I could do to simply survive long enough to safely withdraw. I’m…. sorry, my lord.”
“There is no need to apologise, Arlan,”
Kaewyn took a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly through his nose. If Arlan could not defeat Prince Odabek, then who could? He went over in his mind all of the best warriors they had available to them in the fort and compared them with Arlan. General Alaric, or perhaps Rhys? No… he fought Arlan to a standstill during the Battle of the Rau. Kaewyn sighed. If only Rahim was here.
Kaewyn knew that if his brother Rahim was with them, he would have volunteered in an instant to battle Odabek. Rahim’s confidence in his martial ability was not borne entirely of arrogance. Kaewyn had watched his brother practice and spar near every day during their youth and even more regularly as a young man. His father doted on him and searched far and wide for able challengers to spar with Rahim, but more often than not they were humiliated by his skill. When his father led the Greystone Army into the heartlands to battle the Great Traitor, he remembered receiving word that Rahim had distinguished himself against the tyrant’s forces several times in battle. Pondering whether or not his skill would be enough to defeat Odabek however, was irrelevant. Kaewyn shook his head and recalled that the last he had heard of his brother, Rahim had raised an army without permission and crossed the fjord into Edheren Province, the home of their new allies, the Elentide. Even if they were successful in repelling the barbarians, Kaewyn suspected his brother had already caused another war for them to deal with afterwards, all in the name of a misdirected need for vengeance.
“I have no intention to send you to your death, Arlan. But if this Odabek is truly as determined to get to you as the General claims, then perhaps we can still use that to our advantage. After all, whether he dies by your hand or another is irrelevant. Only that he dies.”
“That is true, my lord,” Marcus said. “Arlan is quite recognisable atop his white horse, so even without proposing a duel, it is likely Odabek will make an appearance if you are spotted on the front line. I say we continue to hold the fort and make a show of Arlan to the enemy. No doubt word will reach this prince and if he is as obsessed as you say, he will come for you.”
“Right. And the moment he shows himself, we launch an all-out attack to take him down.” Yohren added and he put a fist to his palm. “We just have to hope he really does want Arlan so badly.”
“He will come,” Arlan said as he nodded his head. “The General was right. The vigour and ruthlessness in which he pursued us was no coincidence.”
“It is decided then,” Kaewyn announced. “We must prepare our soldiers for the attack and make sure they are ready when the time comes to sally out.”
“The only question that remains is just how many soldiers we are willing to commit to this gambit,” Marcus said ponderously, scratching his chin.
“As many as we can.”
Kaewyn and the others turned their heads to see the newcomer, but he already knew who it was. The Lord of Vinum Province strode toward them, alone and showing clearly his swollen lip and bruised cheek. Without thinking, Kaewyn instinctively moved closer to Camilla as her brother came closer. Rhys eyed him only briefly, quickly suppressing only the faintest hint of malice as he took a place in the circle Kaewyn and the others had formed to discuss their plan. Rhys hid his emotions well, but Kaewyn suspected underneath his calm exterior that he was livid. He had expected Rhys to be angry, upset or even outright hostile considering their last interaction, but instead, Camilla’s brother bore a look of apathy. He seemed entirely reserved and unfeeling, a contradiction of what he had come to expect of the often heated and abrasive Lord of Vinum Province.
“My personal guards and I will join you in this attack against the barbarian prince,” Rhys explained, his voice lacking any indication as to how he truly felt about the idea. “The rest of my soldiers can hold the fort and move to support us if the enemy tries to surround us after we launch the attack.”
“…Very well,” Kaewyn replied. “Is there anything else you wish—”
“That is all,” Rhys said abruptly, before turning and walking off to wherever he had come from.
“At least we did not have to argue to convince him to go along with our plan,” Marcus said.
“You did that, my lord?” General Alaric said wide-eyed as he pointed toward where Rhys had disappeared. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”
“You all know what to do. See to your preparations.”
Marcus, Arlan and General Alaric bowed their heads and left soon after. With their plan decided upon, there was only one more thing that bothered him. He turned to face the only one who had not spoken a single word during the meeting, the burly, bearded man who had stopped him when he took Camilla away from Rhys’s men.
“Lady Camilla seems to trust you.” He said, standing eye to eye with the muscled man.
“I could say the same about you, milord,” Edgren said with a smirk.
Kaewyn hesitated before speaking again. Though the man in front of him was of a great size and brutish appearance, he suspected Edgren was brighter than he first seemed. If Camilla trusted him, he wanted to make sure that he had her best interests at heart.
“You serve Lord Rhys.”
Edgren tilted his head to consider the words, then smiled. “I serve Vinum, milord.”
Good answer.
“Can Lady Camilla count on you to shield her from harm?”
“No barbarian will get within ten feet of her while I still live,” Edgren said as he beat his chest with his off-hand.
“…I was not referring to only the barbarians, Edgren.” He said slowly. “I ask again, can she count on you?”
Edgren paused and seemed to truly consider his words. Kaewyn saw his mind work, attempting to see the meaning in his statement. It only took him a moment for his expression to change to one of understanding. Edgren turned away from him and focused his attention on Camilla.
“Milady, if you will have me, I will do whatever it takes to keep you from harm. No matter where, or who, it comes from.”
“Edgren…” Camilla said, her voice full of surprise. “I’m… honoured. Are you certain?”
The black-bearded man nodded his head in confirmation.
“It would seem you have your very own retainer,” Kaewyn said with a smile as he gestured for Yohren to stand beside him. He then stretched out with his arm and brought it around his retainer’s shoulder. “Picking one can be difficult, but if you get the right one, they’re great!”
Yohren shook his head in embarrassment, prompting the others to laugh. It was a jovial moment and one that Kaewyn felt pleased to have had a part in. He couldn’t always be there for Camilla but knowing that she had someone to rely on who could stay close to her at all times comforted him. Now that he could be relatively sure of her safety in his absence, his thoughts began to drift back to the plan they had come up with. Ensuring Camilla was safe was one thing, but if they failed to capture or kill Odabek, he knew that the chances were high that none of them would survive for long.