Three weeks later...

Within the command tent outside the walls of the Bernish city of Rothwel, a young man who hadn't yet stepped out of his teenage years sat at the head of a long table with an intricately painted map of Bern placed atop it. He sported short blonde hair and rested his chin upon his palm with an apparent disinterest evident in his listless blue eyes.

His name was Damian Verac, a young duke of the Agelian Kingdom tasked with aiding the Bernish army in battle against Ollerin. Three Bernish lords and one lady shared the table with him and appeared just as bored as he.

"...Earl Bakken's levy, twenty-two men lost to illness—nine to desertion. Earl Koz, fifteen..." An officer clad in chainmail read an attrition report from a long sheet of parchment. The reading continued for ten more excruciating minutes before it was finally complete.

"We've been losing a lot of men to sickness lately, no?" Marquis Kallik asked once the officer had finished.

Damian glanced toward the Marquis. He was the eldest in the room and bore a gentle yet authoritative countenance that Damian felt ill-suited for war.

"It's not abnormal. Sieges are always rife with plague. The best we can do is separate the ones who show symptoms." Earl Gabon turned to Damian and released a crooked smile from his leathery face. "When might Agelia's king bless us with more men so we can end this damned siege and prepare for Ollerin's counter-offensive?"

Damian lazily matched Earl Gabon's penetrative gaze. "I've told you many times now, King Ryttin has no intention of sending more men..."

"Is there any word on the evacuations?" Earl Terris asked the officer who had read the attrition report.

"Evacuations..." Earl Gabon mumbled as he tightened his fist in anger.

"Don't cause trouble." Marquis Kallik wagged his finger toward Earl Gabon. "King Goetian and King Ryttin have already come to an agreement. You don't have to like it, but keep your frustration to yourself. All your huffing and puffing does is sow discord."

The officer glanced around the tent and waited until it was quiet. "...The evacuations are proceeding as planned, lord. Only the northeastern territories lag behind, but I'm told that was to be expected."

"Remind me again, Duke Verac, how exactly is King Ryttin planning on feeding them all? Last I checked, Agelia's grain stock wasn't so abundant as to feed a third of Bern's population on top of its own." Earl Gabon mocked.

Damian sighed and spoke as if repeating some statement he had read prior. "Minaan will provide for his sons and daughters. Through his supreme grace, Agelia has been preparing for this day for over a century. As such, no one who evacuates will go without food or shelter."

"I wouldn't dare doubt Minaan's grace." Earl Gabon shook his head before shooting a glare toward Damian. "What I do take issue with is being told to abandon my lands to those Ollerinian dogs without explanation.

"If we can't defeat Ollerin on Bernish land, what difference does fleeing to Agelia make? It just postpones the inevitable, and I'd rather die fighting on Bernish plains than die on some nameless hill in Agelia."

"Yes, yes, Earl Gabon, your bravery is as boundless as the sky." Countess Puck mocked in a flowery voice. "However, despite Earl Gabon's bluster, I'm of the same mind. So please enlighten us, Duke Verac. How might we achieve this victory you've spoken of?"

"All I can tell you now is that our defenses are nearly prepared and a timeline set. You will see Ollerin's fall with your own eyes if you practice patience." Damian replied listlessly, yet his frustration with the line of questions became increasingly evident.

Countess Puck rolled her eyes. "And how exactly does evacuating a third of Bern's population to Agelia buy you time to prepare? With fewer defenders and our armies fleeing battle, Bernish cities will fall with little resistance. Where do you think Ollerin will turn its sword next once that happens?"

Damian's frustration grew once more. The Bernish lords were like an ever-constant yapping dog that had followed him home. Every time they sat down together, they'd yap questions at him in an attempt to get him to reveal more of Agelia's plans.

It wouldn't be so bad if the questions were genuine, but Damian had already told them all he could, and they were well aware he could say no more. So, instead of asking new questions, they repeat themselves like yapping dogs night after night as if to frustrate him into speaking.

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Damian rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Minaan will grant eternal glory to those left behind fighting against their occupiers. Their sacrifice will buy us time, and even after Bern falls, the Ollerinian nobility will be too busy fighting amongst themselves over the new land to join the imperial troops in their invasion of Agelia.

"Ollerin's imperial army has already taken severe damage, and the imperial family has weakened due to our attacks on their lands. Unlike the Bernish plains, Agelia is mountainous with strategic choke points that have been heavily fortified over the last century with this battle in mind.

"It will allow us to defend against an overwhelming force for decades if required. But... You all already know as much because I have stated those exact words at least a dozen times now."

Countess Puck laughed. "Dear Duke Verac, there's no reason to get worked up over such a thing. It was only a simple question. If it bothers you so, then think nothing of it.

"We merely want to ensure our abandoned lands are to be reclaimed in the future. Even if the priests all claim it's a direct order from Minaan, asking a noble to forsake their land in the name of some unknown larger picture is no small thing. Surely, you of all people, can understand that, no?"

"Alright, alright." Marquis Kellik raised his hands to calm the atmosphere. "It's getting late into the night. Is there anything of importance we need to discuss, or can we call it a night?"

Damian and the Bernish lords exchanged glances, but no one spoke. Then, as they stood up and prepared to leave, a shout resounded from outside the tent flap. "I bring word from Ollerin for Lord Verac."

"Bring it here," Damian called out, and the Bernish lords froze in place and watched on curiously.

The messenger entered and handed Damian a letter before being waved off.

"I hope your letter bears good fortune, Duke Verac." Countess Puck said, her voice full of provocation.

After reading the letter, Damian looked up and burned it with a nearby candle. "There's no need to pry for information. The letter came from my father's source in Ollerin's capital. Ollerin's armies will arrive here in six days."

Gasps filled the tent, followed by silence as the Bernish lords fell deep into thought.

"I-isn't that too quick?" Marquis Kellik asked, breaking the silence.

Earl Gabon nodded as the color seemed to drain from his face. "It is. They're two months early. How in Minaan's name did they levy their troops so quickly?"

"Even if they began levying the day Agelia attacked, it's still too quick..." Countess Puck added.

Earl Terris glanced toward Damian with a sullen expression. "What are we to do now?"

"Much too quick..." Damian hummed as he tapped on the table and organized his thoughts. "We'll abandon the siege."

"Abandon the siege?!?" Earl Gabon's pale face turned red with rage. "While your men sat around camp, good Bernish men gave their lives on Rothwel's walls, and now you say abandon the siege?!? Were all their lives meaningless?!?"

"Calm down, dear friend." Marquis Kellik placed his hand on Earl Gabon's shoulder. "Their lives were given for Minaan's great plan. Theirs was not a meaningless death, and they will bask in his eternal glory for their sacrifice."

"That doesn't change the fact that we've achieved nothing if we're forced to abandon the siege. Isn't this ever-secret plan hinged upon dealing severe damage to the imperial forces before Bern falls?" Countess Puck asked.

"We'll have ample opportunity to hit the imperial army during the war. However, killing the imperial troops inside Rothwel is not worth a direct confrontation with the armies of Ollerin's nobility.

"We could attack en masse tomorrow and take the city, but our casualties would be too high, which is counterproductive to our inherent goal of dealing damage to the imperial army while conserving our forces. Especially since we have no intention or ability to hold Rothwel. This should all be self-evident to each of you." Damian replied in a harsh tone.

"How many men do they have?" Earl Terris asked.

Damian held up four fingers in response. "Forty thousand at the time of writing, but they've been picking up more men as they march south. By the time they reach Rothwel, my father's source in Ollerin claims they'll have met up with another army, bringing their total number to a hundred and twenty thousand.

"Another force comprised of imperial and noble troops will arrive at Mitford in three days. Their number is more than double the force marching toward Rothwel, so if we don't leave soon, we'll find ourselves in a rather precarious position."

"So that's it then? We flee at first light?" Earl Terris asked, appearing defeated.

"We break the siege, but we won't flee..." Damian leaned over the table and studied Bern's map for a moment. "My father's source claims the army marching on Rothwel will split, and half will travel south to take the city of Harran. We'll set up camp in the forest south of Rothwel and ambush them before joining up with our allies in their attack against the imperial army at Kington."

"We only have twenty thousand men. Even if they split up, that's still a three-to-one fight." Earl Gabon stated as he leaned over the map and studied it.

"We don't need to rout them. We'll first hit them with an ambush, then continue to harass them as they march south before breaking away after a few days and heading west toward Kington to intercept Ollerin's imperial troops." Damian said as he traced his finger across the map.

"I thought the great plan required us to conserve our forces? Why are we wasting our time fighting the armies of Ollerin's nobility instead of marching west to Kington immediately?" Countess Puck mocked.

"It will take time for the imperial army to take Mitford and march south to Kington. Besides, dealing a blow to the army marching on Harran will slow Ollerin's progress in capturing southern Bern. That means the city of Nosin will have more time to aid the capital, resulting in a longer siege and more casualties for Ollerin's imperial troops."

The four Bernish lords stared at the map, tracking Damian's proposed plan with their eyes before looking toward him and nodding their heads in agreement.

"Good, prepare well. We leave at first light." Damian declared.