A year had passed since the Templars first fought the Haverdash. Since then they had completely stopped helping the common folk, and only devoted themselves to resisting the Haverdash.
They'd actively scouted the whole region and attacked small groups whenever they could. They avoided groups larger than twenty, which outnumbered the groups they traveled in more than two to one. Andal had yet to kill a Haverdash himself, but he felt that he had been helpful nonetheless. Nobody was asking more of him than that; he was still only thirteen years old.
The king had gathered his army together as fast as he could, and they had spent last night in the City of Grace. They had sent scouts to the area they wanted the fight to occur at, and messengers to Andal's hometown to get the Haverdash to meet them there.
The king was confident in the army he raised. According to the Templars the Haverdash population was between one and two million, so it would stand to reason that they couldn't raise an army larger than ten thousand. Equipping men with weapons and armor takes time and resources that the Haverdash couldn't possibly have since they'd been ferrying their whole population over the sea.
The King's army, on the other hand, had a monstrous force of 80,000 men. 50,000 of those were well-equipped, 8000 of them being cavalry, and the other 30,000 were the inexperienced sort who they weren't going to waste good equipment on.
One of the commanders of the army met with the Templars the other day and had asked them to work as an active scouting force during the battle. In the case that the Haverdash were getting reinforcements from an unexpected direction, or were sending small groups to mess up the king’s line from the back, the Templars were to try and either warn the king's army or stop them themselves.
Andal was with Izac and Smaru in the chapel. They were already armed and ready, they just wanted to mentally prepare themselves and pray before this important battle. Andal asked both of them, "So this is it? This is where we beat the Haverdash?"
"It's just one battle." Izac told him. "It's a big one, but the Haverdash aren't just going to drop dead if they lose this one. They still control the whole coastline."
Smaru agreed, "And taking cities is tough. In a proper siege you'd want to fully cut someone off, but without control of the sea that's not fully effective. If we really want to get rid of the Haverdash then the navy has to be a lot bigger than it is, which will take time. No way around it, the Haverdash will be here for a while."
Andal looked sullen after that answer, "Then we don't get anything for winning?"
"We do!" Izac said. "If we win this one, the Haverdash are on the defensive. Their expansion will stop where it's at, and they will be scrambling to protect their borders since they'd spent most of this last year just immigrating."
Smaru looked up at a window where the sunlight had just started to stream in. "We shouldn't tarry any more. Let's say a prayer and head out. Izac, will you lead?"
Izac stepped up to the altar, knelt, bowed his head, and placed his hands on his thighs. Andal and Smaru did likewise. "Glorious Nishir, god who protects those in need, and gives light in dark times, this day carries serious consequences for the lives of all in our kingdom and even neighboring kingdoms. The Haverdash want to prey upon every helpless soul, and put all they leave alive in bondage under them. We know such things are detestable to you, and you protect the weak.
"Protect all of us now as we face a strong and violent people, zealous in their pride and in their debased rituals. Give us strength and awareness as we fight against them, and may you be pleased with all that transpires this day. Nishir, we praise you." Izac stood again. He let out a heavy sigh, "Okay, let's go."
They set off in three groups of three with two Templars staying behind to watch the abbey. The place they were riding to was the largest plain in the region, a lowland country called Nalye'ed which had many plains dotting the hills.
According to the King's commander, the Haverdash are said to be a "people of the hills", so they were trying to avoid the Haverdash having a terrain advantage as much as possible. Unfortunately, there wasn't anywhere in this area that was a big enough plain for the full battle.
The Templars were several miles ahead of the army, making it to the battlefield multiple hours before them. The Haverdash were already situated on the other side of the valley. Not only had they agreed to this location for the combat, which showed (as the king knew) how willing they were to fight, but they had been there so long that they were sitting and lying where they were impatiently waiting for the King's army to arrive.
The Templars went to various high places where they would have good vantage points, trying to be inconspicuous to not tempt the Haverdash's impatient violence.
Smaru was looking over at them and told Izac and Andal, "Something is making me feel uneasy over there. How many of them do you think there are?"
Andal answered, "There's way more than 10,000. That group is probably two, then there are six of those groups, then the lines behind them seem to be just as big."
"So more than 20,000?" Izac muttered. "They sure put that together fast."
"I'm pretty sure some of them are naked." Andal added.
Smaru laughed, "Yep, that would be why I feel uneasy!"
"That's interesting," Izac whispered. "How many have armor?"
"Less than a third for sure."
"So that's how they put so many out so quickly, they didn't bother making equipment for them. What about their weapons? Can you see those from here?"
"I can see that they're mostly wooden, so like clubs, spears, I'm pretty sure I see shovels and hoes?"
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"Farming equipment? That's bizarre. Why not wait in a city if they were so unprepared?"
"If they're here," said Smaru, "They think they can win."
They got closer to where they could easily see if a skirmisher group broke off, and waited. When the King's army finally arrived, it sprawled out over a mile. The cavalry stood out as a clear difference maker, as the Haverdash had none.
The Haverdash jumped to their feet and started yelping and screaming when they saw the King's army arrive. They pulled bottles from their waists and shared them with each other, each one making sure he got a drink. The groups they were in started filling out into lines, and then they started jogging forward.
The King's men arrayed themselves for battle, and their archers notched their arrows. The cavalry split into two main groups. They were waiting until the Haverdash were drawn in against the infantry, then they were going to encircle and tear them apart from the sides.
The Haverdash line was falling apart, and it was all their leaders could do to stop their forces from breaking into full sprints and leaving any semblance of a line entirely.
Both sides loosed their arrows when the Haverdash got in range. The Haverdash released their's mid-run, but due to the size of the king's army it was more than good enough to land in the appropriate area. The king's men raised their shields and bundled together, but very few of the Haverdash had shields.
The Templars watching were actually discouraged when the arrows landed, however, because the Haverdash hardly reacted to the arrows hitting them. Arrows don't cause that much destruction in the moment if they don't hit a vital area, even if they will lead to death. Since the Haverdash had nothing against pain, the ones that didn't die weren't slowed down at all.
When the Haverdash had closed the distance to less than 200 feet they pulled out their wine once again. Instead of drinking they hucked the liquid as far into the king's lines as they could, shattering the bottles on shields and helmets. The liquid splashed onto the skin of many, causing them to lash out at those around them in fear. Some got splashed more than others, and died on contact.
Those who weren't even touched by the wine became dizzy and started vomiting from the intense stench of so much Haverdash wine. In just a moment the solid lines of the king's army, ready to face an undisciplined wave of foes, collapsed into the far less organized of the two groups.
The cavalry rode out to draw the Haverdash away from the crumbled front line, but they weren't numerous enough to stop the slaughter. Pyok, Nombur, and Savador rode down from the other side of the valley. Izac yelled in frustration when he saw them, "The Haverdash are getting reinforcements now?"
Andal tapped his shoulder, "Behind us…"
Izac looked back and saw another wave of Haverdash, thousands of them, running over the hills toward the valley. Smaru jumped on his horse and started riding to warn the king's commander. Andal jumped on his horse as well, but Izac stopped him from riding down, "Get out of here Andal, get back to the abbey."
"But we have a job to do! We have to help them win this fight!"
"No, Andal. I'm going to encourage the commander to retreat. Look at the losses, this is a disaster. We weren't prepared at all to fight them." He looked back at the two sides fighting. "The left flank is already getting routed…" he jumped on his horse and yelled behind himself as he dashed down the hill, "Go back to the abbey!"
Andal sat silently. He was tempted to rush down there and help the fighting, but what good could he possibly do alone? The king's army was starting to fracture, despite the commanders doing everything they could to maintain order.
Then the force of Haverdash that Pyok and his group had rushed down to warn about reached the valley. A minute later the group that Smaru had gone down to warn about reached the valley. Between the Haverdash reinforcements and their casualties the king's army barely had a numerical advantage.
Tears welled up in his eyes. "Dangit" he yelled with a choked up voice. He swung his fist down to hit the saddle and direct some frustration, but he wasn't looking so he actually hit the horse. It turned its head and looked at him with one of its large eyes, not hurt but confused. Andal mouthed "Sorry" and looked at his fist.
He was glad the horse didn't react in pain, but it did illustrate that he really was that weak. He looked back at the battle. It had been under an hour since the fight started. He'd thought battles lasted longer than that. They probably did, just not this one. He turned the horse and sheepishly directed it to head back to the abbey, knowing he had nothing better to do.
*
Andal sat at the dinner table with Riafel across from him. Andal had just finished telling him everything that transpired. Riafel was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "Their next main target will be the City of Grace. We weren't ready for this fight, we have to be ready for that one. Surrounding towns will fall, but that may be unpreventable."
Izac and Smaru came through the door and plopped down at the table. Smaru gestured outside, "The others aren't too far behind."
"Welcome back. Andal told me what happened. I don't mean to push you so soon, but how do you think the Haverdash were able to put together such a large army?"
“Send them out without armor, weapons, and don’t worry about clothes. That’s how. It’s like someone went from town to town shouting, ‘Everybody up! Go fight a battle!’”
Riafel pondered that for a moment, “Well that shouldn’t help them with attacking cities, should it? They can empty their towns when we approach, but they’d be empty for too long if they all went on campaign. So then they can’t advance quickly, meaning we have time.”
“Maybe.” Izac was staring into the distance, “Another thing, I didn’t notice it until I went down into the valley, but half of them were women.”
Smaru barked, “There’s no fairer sex for the Haverdash, that’s for sure!”
Riafel asked, “They sent their women out to fight? So they were desperate for soldiers?”
Izac shook his head, “No, half of them were women. As in, as many as you’d expect if you took everyone in a town with no regard to gender. If you’re a Haverdash, you fight. They’re all in on the war, life is secondary.”
Andal asked him, “So what can we do? Just the 11 of us, how do we make a difference?”
Smaru leaned in, “We know the name of one of their leaders, that’s Trots. We should target him. From keepers of the peace to assassins.”
“That I disagree with,” Riafel answered, “as Templars we are supposed to encourage others with our presence. We can’t do that hiding in the shadows hunting down specific Haverdash."
At that moment the other Templars ran in through the door, then Nombur ran down from upstairs. Nombur spoke first, "There's an army headed towards the City of Grace!"
Everyone was in shock. Smaru stood up, "How big?"
"Tens of thousands, a serious force!"
Riafel looked at Izac, "How could they have raised another army so quickly?"
Andal got up and headed towards the stables, "We have to go help!"
"We can't go!" Pyok interrupted.
Savador explained, "There's a band of Haverdash, maybe 100 of them, heading towards the abbey now."
"We're under attack too?" asked Riafel.
He nodded,"We've got twenty minutes tops. You'd better put your armor on now."
Riafel started directing people, "After you arm yourselves everyone grab the horses and bring them inside the chapel! We'll hold them off there."
The Templars who didn't have their armor and weapons equipped themselves, then everyone brought the horses into the chapel and barred the doors. Andal and Izac went up to the belltower to look outside, and they saw the Haverdash no more than a mile away.
Izac left Andal to watch them for several minutes, then he came back. "Where are they now?"
"They've reached the wall, and a couple of them have climbed over it to unlatch the gate!"
The gate opened, and Andal was stunned by the sight of the Haverdash who walked through first. It was the one who'd killed his family, metal rod in hand.