XII: An Army Marches
TO CLEAR UP ANY CONFUSION: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT WRITTEN IN NOLEE's POV. I HEMMED AND HAWED AT WRITING IT BUT IN THE END I DECIDED THAT IT WAS NEEDED IF I WAS GOING TO CONTINUE WITH THIS STORY THE WAY THAT I SAW FIT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, I AM SORRY.
The crisp morning air bit at his skin as he and his troops, thousands of men though he had lost quite a few in the war, made their way back to the small village that he shared with his men. Two soft blue eyes sat in a face that was hardened by the pure maleness of his features. His jaw was square set but with no cleft, instead covered by neatly trimmed facial hair. Though he was not as muscular as some of his other soldiers, his body was defined with harsh contours that were seeable even underneath his silver armor decorated with his family crest: a blue shield with a diagonal white stripe, three red x's decorating the stripe. His helm sat on top of his head, covering his dark brown hair that was neatly cropped to his head. His name was Carter and he was the true leader of the village Riverbrook.
He and his men had been far away from the village for far too long. On his left, atop his pure white steed, rode his second in command Jayson Reso. Jayson was everything Carter was not. Whereas Carter was a violent man in battle, Jayson stayed behind the lines of war to plan everything that his best friend would do. Whereas Carter had come from nobility and had every right to lead troops, Jayson had been born the son of a farmer. Whereas Carter still believed in the pagan gods, Jayson had accepted the new religion of Christianity into his heart which had earned him the nickname Christian from his cohorts. None-the-less, the two men were steadfast friends and always looked at each other everything. Amongst the troops there were whispered rumors of stolen kisses between the two men, only Carter and Christian however would ever know the truth.
"M'lord do you look forward to seeing our homelands?" Christian asked as the men rode on.
"Aye, I have missed my land. No doubt that my sister has taken good care of it. She will make a good queen one day," Carter smiled, "and you? Do you miss your brother Adam?"
"Of course I do. I am not use to being without him. Since he was wounded so badly when we protected ourselves from the French invasions he has been most bitter when we go off to war without him," Jayson softly smiled.
"I would bring him but with his arm it only risks his health, you know that," Carter replied as his eyes scanned the distance. There was something wrong. By now he should have been able to at least hear the sounds of village life going on around him. Truth of the matter was he couldn't hear anything. There were no sounds of children's laughter, no sounds of hoof beats other than theirs on the path, not even a bird chirped. It was as if time around them was standing still.
"Riley, Mizanin bring the men to rest. Jayson, you and I are going to investigate the village," Carter replied as he got off of his horse, his hand readily sitting on the shimmering gold hilt of his sword which was in its scabbard.
"Yes sir," all three men seemed to chorus at once. Jayson followed Carter closely, not wanting something to happen to his friend if indeed there was something wrong. He knew Carter's instinct. It was Carter's instinct that had brought them to war with the Roman's who were indeed about to invade their land. He had been the one who had saved his brother's life in the war against the French. Jayson would follow Carter to the ends of the Earth.
As they approached the village, Carter could indeed see that something was not right. First off it was not his crest on the banner that flew outside the mead hall. This crest was green and yellow, a giant lion sitting in the center of a green shield while a helmet was on top, green and yellow foliage blossoming forth from the helmet. Underneath the crest it said Farrelly. Men in green tunics stood guard to several places such as his grainary or his own home. Funeral pyres burned in the town square, tell tale signs of there having been lives lost. Carter was outraged. Someone had ambushed his home while he was away and…his sister! His mind suddenly flew to the little girl he had practically helped raise and he bolted towards the town. "Carter!" Jayson shouted before he took off after him. The last thing he needed was his best friend to die because these men who had taken over their village had killed them.
Carter snarled as he raised his sword, engaging in battle with one of the men who was guarding the mead hall. He twirled, the quickness of his blade having earned him the nickname of the phantom on the battlefield. It was true and almost as soon as the man who was combating him knew it, he was having a sword cleave through his chest and falling backwards to the ground dead. Carter threw the door open and felt as if he would be sick. His mead hall, the place where he had sheltered the sick and the impoverished, was being used to keep more of the dead. His eyes scanned the masses in front of him. Aksana, a French girl who he had saved during the French war, still clutched the arm of her lover Antonio Cesaro, an Italian merchant as they laid together. And then the other caught him. Clutching his sword as if his final moments had been lived in a glorious battle, laid Adam Copeland. Carter turned to see Jayson standing there looking at Adam. Sadly he pulled his friend in close, "Jayson I am so sorry…"
"No…no he can't be…" Jayson sobbed onto his shoulder. They didn't get much time to grieve however. Two more men entered, swords drawn. Carter and Jayson both launched themselves at a man. Carter knew that they had to find out where these men had come from. As Jayson dispatched of his opponent, Carter grabbed his opponent's throat.
"What is your name?"
"Theodore," he replies in pain, "Theodore."
"Theodore who did this? Who destroyed my kingdom and where is my sister!" Carter shouted angrily.
"King…King Sheamus of the Celts…he took her with him…" Theodore replied as he wealkly tried to push him away.
"You march to your King and tell him that my troops will be coming for his hide and the safe return of my sister," Carter growled as he let go of Theodore. The young man took off, terrified. Carter stood, a dark look in his eyes.
"What now?" Jayson asked softly.
"We rally the troops and ride to King Farrelly's castle," Carter replied coldly as he walked out of the meadhall, standing on the look out spot. "I'm going to kill him."
