Summary: Anwyn is the sixteen year old moranrch of the small country of Hadran. With her mothers assassination she is forced to protect her country against the invading Calscuri army.
Disclaimer: Are you kidding? I totally own this!
Authors Note: A story i wrote for school. I wanted to post it and so placed it under a Tamir Triad and Cry of The Icemark crossover as they were the two books that gave me the inspiration for thsi story. I am not rewritting this and there will not be more. Sorry. And i want reviews before i finish this story. please? Cake for reviewers.
CHAPTER TWO
Queen Lalita's death hung fresh in the minds of the people, from the smallest child to Muna's oldest priest. The smoke from the funeral pyres still scented the air and covered the capital with a thick layer of smoke, the still glowing embers, the only light to be seen besides the candles. The smoke had fallen to the ground, swallowing everything, a constant reminder of what they had lost.
The four assassins responsible for the death of Lalita hung on the walls of the castle, their corpses bloated, black and stinking. The crows had gotten to the bodies, leaving only black holes where the eyes had once been.
The moon still hung in the sky and the sun struggled in vain against the bonds that held it from breaking through the dense layers of cloud and smoke. The villagers were covered in dampness and sweat as they made their way through the smoke that clung to them like disease, chilling them to the bone and adding to their despair.
"Our only hope is to break it down."
The average sized sixteen year old girl at the table pointed out. The glow from the single candle clung to the map face as if too scared to venture elsewhere. The three men surrounding the table looked at her, almost curiously, the light reflected off the royal crest on her tunic.
"Breaking them down into kindling?" the elderly man to her left asked, his face breaking into a grin. "Perfect your highness" he said, stroking his beard and re adjusting his glasses.
Anwyn pointed to the largest pass through the mountains.
"The Calscuri number far more than us, our army is tiny compared to theirs," she explained while tracing the main path and a few of the smaller passes as well. "Their large numbers is their main advantage. They won't want to give that up. So they'll stay together, using the larger pass even though many of these smaller passes are quicker." She pointed out many of the smaller passes, many only a single man wide, stopping at the places where they joined onto the main pass.
The man to her right spoke up now, greying beard clashing with his thick black hair. "By placing archers here, with a light infantry squad, we can work down their numbers." Seeing the picture Anwyn was painting, the youth opposite her joined in eagerly.
"The archers have the protection of close quarters, and if anyone tries to come after them they can be taken out with our squads." He proclaimed almost eagerly, his face lighting up in the process. The battle plan seemed to be solid, all individual weaknesses covered by the strength of others.
The elderly man looked back over the map his shoulders rubbing with the squires. His grey hair hung over his shoulder as he poked at a place on the map. "May I suggest something?" he paused, looking at the princess through his glasses.
"Of course Dantes." Anwyn agreed, her heart beating furiously. Had she forgotten something?
He pointed at the map again. "By placing your army here, your majesty, at the passes narrowest point, we may be able to hold our own against them. The terrain itself would be against them and they would have to break ranks in order to attack in the smaller space. They are not used to having to fight outside of formation and would thus be at a disadvantage." The group looked at the point again, looking at the width of the pass before it narrowed almost instantly into a point only 10 men wide.
The youth spoke up again, his light brown hair bouncing with enthusiasm. "Perfect! With their advantage taken away from them, our smaller force blocking the pass combined with the restriction of the pass itself, we should be able to defeat them!" he exclaimed.
Anwyn pursed her lips. "If we had a supply train behind us we wouldn't have to worry about being outflanked."
The two men beside her grimaced and the man with the salt and pepper beard chuckled. "Your majesty, you have a good strategy. With these fresh ideas, we may just win after all."
Her squire clasped her shoulder as they walked out of the council room. "Good luck, Anwyn." He said, his eyes briefly meeting with hers.
"Thanks Verni," she replied, her face white with anticipation. "We're going to need it."