The late lord Severus’ military camp was a truly sombre place. The remains of tents lay torn and shredded, scattered all over the field in every direction. Burnt timber, splintered spear shafts, and broken banners of gold and black lay in the dirt and grass, partially obscured by the growth of flora since that stormy night. From a distance, these signs of battle were harder to see, but up close, only a blind man would struggle to realise what he had stumbled upon.
Kaewyn had never expected to return here so soon, much less in mere months after his first victory and first true test as Lord of Greystone Province. The Rau River was calmer now than it was that night during the storm, but the peace the subtle current implied was a farce. Up ahead and across the field, Kaewyn saw the banners of the Elentide waving in the air. Their long-renowned and feared longships were tied to shore by ropes and pins in the ground. The only thing he was thankful for was that the outrider’s earlier report seemed to be inaccurate. In his eye, there cannot have been more than a hundred Elentide warriors.
One hundred we can take if it comes to battle. He thought to himself. Even without the assurance of the Ralerai.
The Greystone army stopped their march and formed a defensive line. Kaewyn’s advisors eyed the enemy position, all that is, but General Alaric. The General seemed aloof, uninterested, or otherwise distracted.
“General, is everything all right?” He asked.
The General snapped out of his blank stare and sighed. “This is where my father died. Upon this very field. Coming here again has reminded me of the old goat.”
Images of the late General Alaric came to his mind then. The countless times he was scolded for avoiding his responsibility at the forefront, but also the times he saw his own father rely time and time again upon the old general. Kaewyn suspected that the old general did not hold him in high regard for most of his life, but he did hope that he was proud of the men both he and his son had become since his death.
“A true and loyal man your father was.” He finally said. “My father relied upon him greatly, as I have to come to rely on you.”
General Alaric smiled. “You flatter me my lord, but in truth, I was a terrible servant of your family. As Gate Captain, I was petulant and selfish, thinking the post was beneath me all the time I served in it.”
“And I was a terrible son and heir.” He chuckled. “I think we have both learned much since those days.”
“The sight of you sneaking back into Xu Castle used to infuriate me.” General Alaric laughed. “Watching you get away with everything that would have me punished severely. I often used your behaviour as an example of why I should be shown leniency, but my father would emphasise that an Alaric must never blame the failings of another as an excuse for his own misdeeds.”
“I did not get away with everything!” Kaewyn protested. “My father would not speak to me for days when he caught me sneaking out of the castle to go into Oakerton.”
“He wouldn’t speak with you?” The General laughed loudly. “Try being berated in front of all of the soldiers under your command as Gate Captain and then being made to clean out the stables while they watch.”
“Okay, okay!” Kaewyn admitted. “Perhaps I was somewhat fortunate.”
“Somewhat…” General Alaric said with a smile. “Anyway, when all of this is sorted and we have some damn peace around here. I’d like to visit the crypt and pay respect to him.”
In the Revaryn Empire, noble families worshipped their ancestors and erected statues and created tombs for them in death. While traditionally only the nobility observed this custom, in recent years the common folk have also adopted the custom as well. Honouring one’s ancestors was considered paramount, and it was customary for the relatives of the departed to visit these places at least once a year to pay respects and to seek advice. The idea was that one’s relatives observed the world from an afterlife and judged their descendants, therefore presenting yourself to your ancestors to seek the wisdom of those who came before was seen as the proper thing to do, especially in times of crisis.
Kaewyn felt guilty for not having visited his father’s statue in the crypt, but at the same time, he had since learned that his father believed in Ohnix, one of the old gods. If his father did not believe in it, then it seemed odd to him to visit his family crypt for the sake of honouring him. Still, he wanted to pay his respects all the same, just as General Alaric wanted to do with his own father.
“Perhaps we should go together when we can spare the time.” Kaewyn finally said.
“A good idea, my lord.” General Alaric replied. “I am sure our fathers eagerly await our visit.”
“You will be visiting them sooner than you would like if you do not concentrate on the here and now,” Marcus interjected. “Look, some of them are coming toward us.”
Kaewyn returned his attention back to the Elentide warriors at the longships and saw that Marcus was right. A small group, perhaps half a dozen or so, were coming towards them on foot at a casual, slow walk. He was surprised to see that the other Elentide warriors who remained with the boats were not only hanging back, but they also seemed unfussed about the presence of a potentially hostile army only just across the field from their position.
“Fewer than expected.” General Alaric said. “There cannot be more than a hundred of them.”
“That’s good,” Yohren added. “If they came here looking for a fight, they’ll have trouble!”
Marcus clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes. The bushy-eyed scholar eyed the approaching group with suspicion and curiosity.
“They come to parley, my lord.” He finally said. “Though I suggest caution. While it seems they only have a handful of warriors and are not concerned with our presence, it may be a trap. One does not require that many longships to transport what we see before us. I suspect there are more we cannot yet see, perhaps moving to outflank our position as the Ralerai move to outflank theirs.”
“The men are ready.” General Alaric said proudly. “If they try anything…”
“Act only if they do, General. Otherwise remain on alert.” Kaewyn ordered. “Yohren, Marcus and I will speak with them. You stay here with the men and be ready.”
Kaewyn spurred Kelphi forward at a trot with Marcus and Yohren riding on either side of him toward the small group of warriors. As they got closer, the warriors stopped walking toward them and waited. The Elentide warriors spread out and rested their hands upon their weapons. Some wielded immense two-handed axes while others had shorter axes attached to their hips and carried large wooden shields. Roughly half of them also wore bows over their shoulders. All were armoured in heavy mail from head to toe and wore helms adorned with horns, except one. This particular warrior walked forward and the helmet they wore was instantly familiar to Kaewyn. A helmet and mask both, sporting a disproportionate, angry expression. It was as unsettling as the first time he had seen it at the fjord between Greystone and Edheren.
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“Lord Kaewyn himself.” A feminine voice called out from behind the mask. The warrior then lifted up the helmet and revealed her face and long blond hair. “I did not expect to find you within Greystone Province.”
“Lady Eliya.” He replied curtly and plainly, doing his utmost to hide his surprise. “What brings you and your men to Greystone Province uninvited?”
“Uninvited? I thought you’d be pleased to see us here, with your barbarian problem and all.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Still, I suppose this is less hostile than the last time we met. Though I figured the Edderfields treated their allies with more respect.”
“The barbarian invasion is over,” Marcus said. “The Greystone and Vinum armies battled them not far from Varde Castle and captured their Prince. Now we march home to find Elentide warriors in our lands.”
“Over, you say?” Lady Eliya said as she cocked her head to the side. “Tell me then, why do my scouts report seeing a large force of what can only be described as barbarians riding north and deeper into your lands as we speak? Your brother is the reason we are here. Rahim wouldn’t rest until we sailed down the Rau to help you fight off this invasion.”
“Wait a moment, you sailed here to help us? With Rahim?” Kaewyn asked. “The last word I have on my brother is that he marched a force across the fjord into Edheren without my permission. We thought he…”
“Started another war?” Eliya chuckled and shook her head. “Rahim marched into Edheren at my request. He came to my aid when I was most desperate against a gathering of old fools who could not come to terms with being ruled by a woman. They’re dead now.”
“Then where is Rahim?” He asked.
“He went northwest with my best men perhaps an hour ago,” Eliya explained casually. “Rahim was completely beside himself thinking you had been killed in Vinum Province and that these barbarians were coming to raid and pillage Greystone Province. Imagine my surprise to see your army appear on the horizon soon after.”
Kaewyn cursed.
“Go quickly!” Marcus snapped. “Go, my lord!”
“What’s going on?” Eliya asked. “What’s happening?”
“Those barbarians are not our enemies. Not anymore.” Kaewyn said. “They call themselves the Ralerai and they are on our side.”
“They turned against the others and helped us win us the battle,” Yohren added much to Kaewyn’s surprise.
Eliya chuckled and shook her head. “And now Rahim is marching toward them to give battle, thinking they are invaders that killed his beloved brother.” She then let out a sigh and then clapped her hands. “All right then, one of you dismount and lend me your horse. We didn’t think to bring our own since we sailed here along the Rau.”
Yohren and Marcus looked at Kaewyn and waited for him to answer Lady Elentide. When he didn’t immediately respond, she exasperatedly held out her hands.
“I’ll need a horse if I’m to ride with you and call this whole thing off.” She said impatiently. “So… one of you better dismount. Unless any of you think you can stop two-hundred frenzied Elentide warriors in the heat of battle?”
Kaewyn eyed Marcus and gestured for him to dismount, and despite his protests, the scholar did as he was asked. He then handed the reins to Lady Eliya who gracefully climbed up onto his horse in a single bound. Marcus then said that he would remain behind and make sure there were no more misunderstandings between the Greystone and Edheren soldiers while they were gone. Satisfied, Kaewyn, Yohren and now Eliya, spurred their horses northwest toward Veneti Hill in the hopes of catching up before their allies came to blows, but with an hour’s headset, he knew it was going to be close.
***
Kaewyn slowed Kelphi to a slow trot as he came to the end of the hunting trail he had been following for the last ten minutes. The others were somewhere behind him further back along the trail and as he sat in the saddle pondering just how far ahead he had gotten, they then appeared through the greenery and joined him. Their horses panted heavily, an honest reflection upon the condition of their riders having ridden so hard, but Kaewyn noted that Kelphi had barely begun to struggle. His new horse fell behind when they first set out at full gallop to find either the Ralerai or the Edheren warriors before they found each other, but soon enough Kelphi caught up when the other horses began to tire from the fast pace they had set. Where the other horses slowed, Kelphi maintained his steady pace. Kaewyn was completely in awe that the animal was able to maintain such a pace for such a long ride. Even now as they paused and rested, he noticed that Kelphi was raring to go. Although he knew the others were tired, time was of the essence. He spurred Kelphi forward once more and rode out, soon coming to the end of the trail where the trees and forest gave way to open land and a proper road, one that he believed linked Oakerton to one of the outlying villages on the fringes of the province.
We’re on the other side of Veneti Hill now, thanks to that hunting trail. If we are to find any sign of the Ralerai, it should be around here.
Kaewyn was intimately familiar with this area of Greystone Province. He had hunted here in his youth with his father and brother many times. Oakerton and Xu Castle were only a couple hour’s ride north from here and the way west led into the thickest part of the great oaken forest that the region was renowned for. Rahim knew these lands as well as he, and knowing that his objective was to intercept the Ralerai, a mostly mounted force, Kaewyn believed both parties would avoid the dense forest and opt for the open space. He decided to gamble on his belief and led the others north, towards Oakerton.
Sometime later along the road north, a sudden, loud outburst of shouts and yelling disturbed the birds and sent the winged creatures to flight. Kaewyn directed Kelphi toward the noise that led off the road and down a gentle slope. Soon enough, he spotted Ralerai riders weaving in and out of the trees to the west. Out in the open a little more northwards he spotted a static, immobile formation of warriors with horned helmets. Rahim had chosen his position wisely. The Edheren warriors stood out in the open right where the ground sharply elevated several feet into a moderately sized small hill. There they formed a circle of shields, their spears protruding outwards in every direction like spikes. From this distance, they seemed a giant spherical shape of steel and wood, prickly to the touch.
Before Kaewyn could act, Eliya moved forward atop her horse at full gallop toward her warriors. The Lady of Edheren Province waved her arms and shouted as loudly as her voice would allow, but he doubted anyone other than he and Yohren could hear her. From within the trees, the Ralerai chanted their ferocious war cries and the thumping of beating drums reverberated through the ground beneath him, drowning out all else in the process. Just then, a large group of Ralerai riders burst out from the trees and headed for the circular mass of spears and shields. Kaewyn knew they had to act fast.
“Make haste Yohren!” Kaewyn called out, spurring Kelphi into a gallop. “The Edheren warriors may know the Lady Elentide, but the Ralerai certainly will not! It’s up to us to stop them!”
He rode as fast as Kelphi would allow and made straight for the ever-shrinking gap between both forces. If he could get just close enough to the Ralerai, maybe Sir Darius or Arlan would see him and call off the attack. Kaewyn’s head ached and his injured leg throbbed with pain, but he refused to slow his pace and kept pushing forward. To his frustration, he saw that the Ralerai riders had not slowed their pace, if anything, he suspected they were now riding even faster than before. He saw the gap between them and the Edheren warriors close and realised that he had no chance of beating them before they descended upon Eliya’s men. Distraught but undeterred, he began shouting as loud as he could in a final, desperate attempt to stop what would be a tragic and unnecessary battle. To his complete and utter surprise, at the very last second, before the Ralerai charge would crash into the shield wall of Edheren warriors, the riders turned and gave their enemy a wide berth.
A sigh of relief washed over him and now he realised that the riders were coming toward his position instead. As they closed in, he recognised Arlan, Sir Darius and Renlai riding at the head of the others. When they arrived, they expressed their surprise at seeing him and Yohren, but the confusion was quickly cleared up with his explanation of the circumstances. Sir Darius translated all that was said to Renlai, who then calmed the rest of the Ralerai who were still raring for battle and confused as to the reason they had been suddenly called off.
The Ralerai may have been pacified, but they were still on full alert. Several of them shouted a warning in their own tongue, getting everyone’s attention. Kaewyn and the others looked and saw the Ralerai pointing their spears toward a small group of Edheren warriors, perhaps a dozen, who walked toward them with their weapons sheathed and hands held out in peace. Leading them was Eliya who walked proudly and without the slightest sign of fear or trepidation despite the hundreds of Ralerai riders all around her. Walking beside her, however, was an even more familiar face. A face that Kaewyn had not seen for some time.
He dismounted Kelphi and handed the reins to Yohren and despite the throbbing pain in his leg punishing him for moving so swiftly, he jogged over to the Edheren warriors with a smile on his lips. All of the Ralerai and warriors of Edheren province looked on as the two young men stood eye to eye, watching and waiting to see what was going to happen. But as far as Kaewyn was concerned, it didn’t matter if anyone else was there or not. Without pausing to observe the rules of courtly etiquette, he embraced Rahim with a tight hug. He had his brother back.