Sorry for the short chapter, but I felt it necessary to add this into the story. Next chapter will be standard length, I promise. Read and review please.

He hurried through the seemingly endless corridors, his footsteps echoing off of the aged stone. Bryce had great need to rush. His king had summoned him to check on all forces in the capitol and then report back. Any men who weren't on active duty were prepared to be at a moment's notice, which was good for them. Bryce was an extremely punctual man, if nothing else, especially when an order came from his king. In this case, it was Ashnard.

King Ashnard was relatively new to the throne, having only been crowned a couple years ago at the untimely passing of his father, the previous king. On top of that, all the other heirs to the throne died as well, leaving only Ashnard to be crowned. This fact alone caused many rumors to start flying about his ascension. Already he was widely known as Mad King Ashnard…

…and since Bryce was a dutiful knight, above such things as rumors, he ignored them. His duty was to the throne of Daein, regardless of who held the position. He had served the last king faithfully, and he would serve Ashnard faithfully. He reached a set of stairs and sped up them as fast as he could in full armor.

Another turn and he found himself on the floor just before the throne room. The place was unusually quiet, despite the large number of servants hired to keep the place tidy. Bryce wasn't one for superstition, but if any place could give him the creeps, it was here in the Daein capitol of Nevassa. Or more specifically, the Daein palace.

He stored these thoughts away as he opened the doors to the throne room. The king stood in the center, staring at nothing in particular. He was a rather tall person even compared to Bryce, which was not an easy feat, with a muscular build to match.

"Your majesty, all men are at the ready." Bryce said tentatively as he kneeled. When he said all men, it was not much of an exaggeration. The king had ordered just about the whole of the Daein army to be mobilized, minus the forces at the capitol. Bryce was still unsure of the king's reason, but he knew as a knight it wasn't his place to question his king.

"Good, good." Ashnard said, his voice surprisingly calm despite his moniker. He turned to face Bryce.

"Tell all the men to mobilize and move out. We will march onto Crimea first thing tomorrow."

"Your majesty?!" To say Bryce was shocked would be an understatement. The king's calm demeanor had almost given Bryce the impression that he was joking, but Ashnard didn't joke. He never did.

"I said to mobilize all the men and begin a march on Crimea tomorrow." The king repeated.

"Yes sir, but if I may, why?" Following a superior was one thing, but Bryce could see absolutely no reason why they would want to march on Crimea. The only one he could think of was because Crimea allied itself with Gallia, a nation just to Crimea's south. 'A nation of sub-humans.'

The king, however, ignored the question. Instead he turned around and began to walk out of the room.

"First thing tomorrow, Bryce. Don't disappoint me." A heavy sigh escaped Bryce's lips. He had already taken an oath to protect the king with all his power. If that meant cutting down a hundred people, then so be it. 'To war it is, then.' He thought. He grimaced and sighed internally.