The sky was amassed with dark clouds. Sounds of roaring thunder filled the air and lightning was dancing on the horizon. Such heavy rain was accompanied by heavy wind and thick fog and mist.

The rain was falling heavily upon a small city. The city was protected by thirty feet long and strong granite walls surrounding the city with fifteen feet tall gates at the north side of the city. The gates were made with fortified timber and its width could fit ten men standing side by side.

The city was lit with torches along its walls, with other lights coming from inside the white stone houses of the city. The streets of the city were dirty and unkempt. In the middle of the city was a small tower-like castle made of black granite with a round golden roof at the top of it. The Castle rested atop a mound.

Along the streets of the city were soldiers armed with silver metal armor along with round silver helms decorated with long yellow and red feathers, standing ready holding eight feet long pikes with steel tips. They also were equipped with long curved single edged swords with long hilts so it could also be wielded with two hands for fighting close-quarter combat. Along the walls were men armed with bows and armor like the men on the streets, but their faces were covered with golden masks. There two thousand men on the streets, and another three hundred on the walls at the side of the gates of the city. The soldiers were standing still like statues.

However, it was visible that they were weary and tired. Most of the soldiers' armor were battered. Their eyes had very heavy bags, evidence of countless sleepless nights. It was also visible from their thin, almost skeletal appearance that they have spent weeks without food or water. From the expression on their faces, it could be said that they didn't even know if they could stand any longer especially when their bodies were being beaten constantly by the heavy rain.

The Streets of the city were filled with skeletal-like corpses of children, dogs, men, and women who had died of starvation which had been put to the sides.

The wooden gates of the castle in the middle of the city were then opened from the inside by two soldiers. Out from the gates came a middle-aged man in silver armor with red and yellow sashes crossing over each other on top of the silver armor. The armor also had a red and yellow cape on the back of it.

The man had a rough exterior. Like the soldiers and people in the city, the man was extremely thin and his skin was filled with scars blisters of disease. He came out of the castle while reading a horse that looked so thin, people could wonder how it even got the strength to carry the man.

As the man rode his horse to the main city gates, the soldiers who were lining up in the middle of the streets parted two ways to make way for the man. When the man finally reached the main gates, his horse finally gave into the starvation and dropped dead on the site. As the horse dropped sideways, the man on it fell down with the horse. The initial fall hurt the man badly, however, he forced himself to stand. He knew this would be the end of his life, but he would rather die fighting then surrender to the forces that were besieging the city.

From the walls of the city on the side of the gates, a wide open field could be seen. On the field was a giant army. About ten thousand soldiers could be seen. The armor of the soldiers outside of the city were the same as those inside the city. The army outside of the city had men carrying banners unlike those inside.

The banners were red and yellow in color. In the middle of the banner was a picture of a shield and a winged tower with a cross on top of it. Most of the army's infantry were armed with round metal medium sized shields with the same symbol of a winged tower that the banners had and the swords the soldiers inside of the city had. The round shield was strapped on their left arm while both of their hands were used to hold their one sword. Eighteen-thousand of the army were infantry while the rest were cavalry.

The horsemen were armed with silver armor, red and yellow capes, and round silver helmets with yellow and red feathers and golden masks. The horsemen had metal shields strapped on their left arm and they were equipped with long swords.

All the soldiers were battered by the rain, but unlike the men inside the city, they looked much stronger, healthier, and disciplined.

At the helm of this army were two men on horseback. They wore silver armor and round silver helms with golden masks that were opened. They also wore long red and yellow capes behind them. The two men looked young. Their skin was fair like what the people inside of the city looked like. They also looked similar to each other. One of the men had light brown hair that extended to his neck. His face was young like that of a boy in his late teens. His face was clean-shaven; his eyes brown in color. His lips were also a bit curved. Judging from his armor, the man was also quite slim, yet also has a light muscular build and he was quite tall as well.

The other man looked a bit younger than him though still having similarities. However the younger man's hair was short, not as long as the other one. His body was fairly slim, but also had signs of a light muscular build. Unlike the other man, his eyes were a bit more round.

The older man was holding a two-foot long bronze telescope, looking at the city. He had a smirk on his wet face at what he saw.

"We finally cornered these damned rebels." The older of the two said as he lowered the telescope, shortened it and put it in his belt next to his sheathed sword "I expect us to take this city without a fuss. Those soldiers in there can't stand up to a child with a wooden sword let alone a disciplined army of twenty thousand heavily armed soldiers. We'll be back in Rumasil in no time."

"Well, I hope you're right, Valamar." The younger man said "It's already been four months since we marched from Rumasil to this wet shithole. We've already lost two hundred men on the way here, including our artillery pieces... Damn...( Valamar looked at him with a confused look ) Oh, don't mind my attitude, brother. This rain is really getting to me."

The younger man then looked towards the older man, Valamar, and said, "I just want to end this petty rebellion quickly. We've already been besieging this city for three months. I can't wait any longer to come back to my wife after four months in this campaign."

"I can already picture you running into her arms, Vald. You lucky bastard." Valamar said to his younger brother Vald

"Our marriage turned out really well."

"Ignoring the fact that it was arranged between two teens to secure the bond between two great nations, but who cares anyway?" Valamar said with a slight giggle and a laid back expression.

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Vald just glared at his older brother whose laughing face was covered with water from the rain with a serious face.

"Well then..." Valamar started to break the cold atmosphere, then he pulled down his helmet's golden mask and tightened it on his face then pulled out his sword from its sheath and raised it towards the city "No time to waste if we want to get back home quickly. Sound the horn. We march!"

Vald then took out a horn from his belt then blew on it. As soon as he blew his horn, a loud noise came from it that could be heard from even inside the city. As the soldiers heard the horn blow, in unison, the twenty thousand men began to march closer to the city. Some of the soldiers were blowing horns and beating drums as well as chanting as they marched.

The soldiers chanted, "Zul Vala dohot paranganna! Zul parangan ibana! Zul paranganna Ruma ma! Mate! Mate! Mate ma musu Rajanami! Mate ma musu harajaonmu! Zul Vala!"

Valamar understood the chant. The soldiers were saying, 'Hail Vala and his soldiers! Hail Vala and his soldiers! Hail the army of Ruma! Death! Death! Death to the enemies of our king! Death to the enemies of our kingdom! Hail Vala!'

As the soldiers that were carrying siege ladders and the soldiers carrying a battering ram were ready to scale the walls and batter down the gates, a large white flag was raised from the city that could be seen by Valamar and Vald. The men on the walls were carrying a dead body. They then tied a rope around its neck and proceeded to throw it out of the city, leaving it hanging on the walls. The body was of the man who was in control of the city. The man's throat was slit open, dripping out blood which was mixed with water from the rain."

"And thus ends the Rebellion of Aerthil." Vald said while motioning a cross from his forehead to his chest "May he rest in peace."

"What are we waiting for then?" Valamar said to his men as he pulled his mask back up "We take the city!"

The army then marched inside the city of Aerthil, a city that had rebelled half a year ago under Yan Lasarus Silor, Duke of Aerthil. The rebellion was caused by disputes between Lasarus and his better, King Valasaire XIX Valamen of Rumasil, Valamar and Vald's father. Lasarus had openly rebelled against Valasaire a year ago due to blaming King Valasaire for the death of his only son, Rikar Silor, two years ago.

Rikaran was a great soldier in the Rumasilian army, having entered the army when he was seventeen, and quickly rose through the ranks to become a general within eight years, having won many battles for the Rumasilian Crown in the war against the Kingdom of Provaria over control of Destairos, a continent located on the southernmost part of Terra which was fiercely fought over by the Valamen of Rumasil and Provaria for over three centuries.

During the war, King Valasaire had kept Rikar in Destairos for four years. This angered Lasarus who demanded his son be allowed to return to Aerthil, his homeland. King Valasaire declined the request to return Rikar because of the lack of able generals in the south. Finally, when Rikar was on trail to take an important Provarian port in Destairos through thick forest trails, he was killed in a Provarian ambush. That day, Rumasil mourned the death of a great hero.

Upon hearing the death of his only son, Lasarus grew a hatred towards King Valasaire inside of him. Finally, this hatred sparked into open rebellion a year ago. The duchy of Aerthil raised it's banners against the Kingdom of Rumasil. King Valasaire had sent his two sons, Prince Valamar and Prince Vald to retake Aerthil.

Now Aerthil had turned against Lasarus and killed him. Valamar and Vald entered Aerthil along with the rest of their army. As they entered Aerthil, the sky began to clear of clouds. The heavy wet rain stopped, and the clouds faded to show an even darker night sky. Valamar and Vald then rode to the middle of the city where there was an open space. Valamar then called for the people of the city and the soldiers to gather in the middle of the city.

Vald had a look of sympathy at the people of the city who looked more like walking corpses than actual people. As the people and soldiers all gathered in the middle of the city, Valamar opened his helm which was then thrown to Vald who caught it and held it for him. Valamar then began to talk to the people.

With a loud voice, Valamar said,

"My brothers! My people! Long have you suffered inside these walls! Witnessing the deaths of your loved ones! For that, I apologize. But it was necessary to root out the rebel. Because of that, I, Valamar Theodoros si Valamen, humbly offer you people compensation for turning against the rebel and returning to your nation."

As soon as Valamar said that, soldiers came in carrying crates and wagons filled with food and water. As the people saw that, they immediately ran towards the food and ate. Weeks of starvation had caused them to go mad for food. After that, Valamar climbed back on his horse and rode to the city castle along with Vald.

As they reached the castle, they were greeted by soldiers kneeling. They gave the motion to return the city soldiers to their tasks. Valamar told the soldiers to get some food as they looked starved. They then climbed off their horses and entered the small castle.

Valamar immediately took off his armor and gave it to some servants to be cleaned. Valamar wore modest clothes which could be considered unfitting for a prince. Although, Valamar's tendency of wearing modest clothing was a trait in the noble Valamen family as when Vald took of his armour, he was wearing the same type of clothing as Valamar, although when it comes to formal events, Valamar and Vald would wear more noble clothing.

"God, my back is killing me." Valamar said as he stretched his body forward "I envy you, Vald. You have a wife that can give you a good relaxing massage after long lengths of war."

"Actually, It's mostly the other way around." He replied

"Nevertheless, I still think that would feel good. Angelina's skin is so soft. I noticed it when I shook her hand. And her figure is quite nice too."

"Valamar, I would like to remind you that Angelina is my wife. Get your own."

"I would if I didn't have to go on campaigns every single damn time. All able generals are busy fighting in Tanodao enjoying their loot of Provarian women. It isn't fair that we Valamen are obligated to marry the woman we make love to by the constitution itself. And if we don't abide by the rules, we get exiled."

"I'm lucky Angelina turned out to be very beautiful."

"As if the title 'The most beautiful woman in Auros' wasn't a dead giveaway... besides we knew her since we were three! She is our pariban..."

"Yes, yes. Anyways, we should send a message back to Rumasil of the crushing of the rebellion. After that, we could return home after everything's calm."

"You do it. I'm exhausted so I'll be finding a nice bedroom for myself."

"You go do that."

Vald then gave Valamar a cold smile and then left him. Valamar then asked a servant if there was a room available for him in the small castle. The servant then answered Valamar that the royal bed chambers of the duke were empty.

After that, Valamar entered the Duke's chambers which was guarded by two soldiers in front of the chamber doors, both of whom looked very tired and weak. He then told them both to rest and get some food. Valamar himself was understandably very tired.

In the chambers, Valamar took off his boots and laid down on the large soft and comfortable bed. As he laid there, Valamar's eyes began to feel very heavy, eventually, he fell asleep.

In his sleep, Valamar dreamt of lying on a large and open field. He saw the skies were showing the beautiful light of the moon and the stars. It was such a magnificent sight to behold. Valamar was surprised to find a beautiful young girl sitting next to him.

"Alea..." he said softly as he saw the young girl

The girl then turned to Valamar with a smile.

The Girl then laid down next to Valamar and embraced him. Valamar began to cry as they embraced. Slowly, the girl faded away and Valamar found himself embracing thin air.

"Alea!" Valamar shouted with a loud voice "Don't leave me!"