Lord Marksman and Vanadis: Maiden of the East
Chapter 2: Crusader (Saxon) (The Battle of Acre: Part 1)
Mounted on my stallion, I inspected the soldiers. They are young like me, and they are men and women fighting alongside each other. I formed the soldiers in a bow formation to prevent a pincer attack from the forces of the fellow War Maiden. I did not need to say a speech for my soldiers. They know their sacred duty: for the city and for the people.
I looked off in the distance to see a first detachment of knights charging the desert plains. I would say their numbers are at least three hundred strong. We are outnumbered, but not outclassed. I had a few plans for this little cornflower. I looked to Lady Claramond, and made a light grin to her. My fellow knight grinned back. Our bond is sister strong.
"Are you with me on this?" I asked,
"Of course," she replied with a forearm shake.
Lady Claramond raised her fist to signal the soldiers. With the light wooden clattering of spears, our troops made way for our cavalry, "Hyah!" I belted to my stallion with a whip of the reigns. The knight wears a 'German Gothic Sallet and Bevor' as their helmet of choice and wear plate armor with heater shields and weapons. Such brave men and women
We had one hundred and fifty knights to serve as our first detachment. Their weapons were various from the lance to the sword, the battle-axe, the mace, the flail, and the war hammer. The hooves of our stallions pounded the desert sand as we charged the line, "Form up!" I bellowed, raising my fist to signal the knights to form into two single file lines
I gave the order once in range, "Divide!"
Lady Claramond would take the left flank, and I would take the right. I unsheathed my longsword, and the knights cried out their call to battle as I pointed the tip to the enemy. I moved the side to evade an enemy's lance, and struck him down unhorsed him with a slash of the blade, and the spilling of blood. The battle to defend our city has now begun.
Knights clashed with knights, and steel clashed with steel as enemy knights were thrown from their saddles, and lay dead on the sands. One should not simply charge aimlessly into the enemy ranks. You must know where to go, and find faults in the formation. Such knowledge can save your life. I saw Lady Claramond cleave a knight from crown to chin
"Fall back!" Lady Claramond called out
We had lost twenty knights to the first engagement. I want the enemy to charge us as we retreated back behind our ranks, "Chase down and cut down that filthy harlot, such a disgrace does not deserve to be a War Maiden!" Ludmilla called out in anger to her first detachment, little does that little cornflower know that her knights are heading for a trap.
I trust them to shoot straight, and avoid hitting our knights. For within the ranks of the infantry are archers with longbows. The arrows flew through the ranks, and cut down the enemy knights like a scythe in a field full of briars. The cries filled the dusty, windswept air. Ludmilla's first detachment had been annihilated with a few horses walking the plains
"I believe I struck a nerve," I teased,
"I would say more than that," replied Claramond
I could see her look of disapproval and disappointment from here. It seems our knights have dealt a blow to her pride. With her spear Lavias at the ready, she gave the order with a yell filled with rage, "ATTACK!" I had a plan to use the remaining knights seeing that Ludmilla is going to attack the main infantry force which will be under my command.
"Lady Claramond, take our remaining knights and exit the city through the back gate, at my signal, ride around our position, and flank them," I ordered to her. Lady Claramond grinned seeing the idea behind the plan. She touched her axe to her chest, and nodded a bow. I want Ludmilla to think that Lady Claramond doesn't have the stomach for battle.
"Archers! Draw!" I called out to them,
With a downward slash, I gave the order, "Loose!" the arrows from the longbows flew through the air and came down like rain. The longbow men and crossbowmen attack in a two-pronged barrage. The ranks of archers on the walls rain their arrows down on the back ranks while the archers in the infantry ranks shoot forward, and into the forward lines
The arrows filled the ranks with chaos, and the dead began to fall. We advanced under the cover of the arrows. After five salvos of arrows, the arrows on the ground unsheathed their swords, and joined the ranks of the infantry. Meanwhile as we advanced, the crossbowmen had their weapons ready and the long spears of the forward infantry went down.
"Crossbows, stay close in the ranks," I ordered,
The spears looked like the spines on the back of a hedgehog, pointed in defiance of Ludmilla. The banners of the many noble houses flew proudly in the breeze on the heads of lances and the fronts of shields and armor. All of the soldiers had families behind the city walls. I unsheathed my sword, and readied my shield as the enemy infantry drew near.
"Loose!" I commanded, but I did not have archers which confused the enemy. Instead, crossbowmen fired their weapons from between the ranks of the infantry. The first line of infantry fell to the crossbow bolts. The crossbowmen pulled back, and the spears came forward. The soldiers held their ground, and pushed on into the charging Olmutz soldiers.
"Frontline, PUSH!" I called out with my ready sword
Ludmilla was not phased, "We'll see who takes Acre,"
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