"Welcome to Mosseberg, my lords and ladies."
Anna stepped off onto the dock, taking Kristoff taking her hand to help her step down.
"Thank you… I don't believe I caught your name?" She said as politely as she could. She'd been sick nearly the entire trip, and though Rapunzel's gift of a special tea that actually had worked for a bit of her nausea, she mainly remembered looking down the side of the ship.
"Prince Claudius, brother of King Julius."
Anna's eyes lit up, Don had told her enough about his family that she at least remembered a few names.
"So you're Don's… uncle?"
The man nodded curtly.
"That I am." He looked to the side, as if searching for someone, "If you're looking for him, he is over there, by the statue."
Anna turned, looking in the direction he indicated with a wave of his hand. A great statue of a man holding a torch aloft, held out over the waters of the bay. She could see a flame flickering from its end. As she took that in, her eyes swept downwards, catching sight of a crowd gathered around someone…
She could see Don's head swiveling back and forth, as if he were looking for a way to escape from the people surrounding him. Her feet seemed to have a life of their own as she pulled her hand from Kristoff's, striding towards the enveloping crowd.
Almost immediately she noticed that the crowd was made up mainly of girls, girls around her age. They seemed to squeal and delight as Don spoke to them. But she could see that he was getting frustrated, as his brows furrowed and his jaws clenched.
"Please ladies, I have business to attend too." He pleaded. "Please!"
"Oh, but your Queen is so far away!" One girl yelled, her blonde hair and curvy figure appearing in front of Anna, blocking her path. "And we are right here! Do we not deserve love from a handsome man such as yourself? Can your heart not share?"
Don flushed red, and his lips formed thin white line. Anna noticed that he still hadn't noticed her, and remained silent.
"Madam," He began, "I am very sorry, but my heart has only one desire."
He bowed, and she heard the girl sniff in disdain. Anna turned, seeing Finlay striding towards her.
"I am sure that there are many men who are disembarking who would be even more desirable then me," Don noticed Finlay, and Anna watched a wide smile crack across his face, "Like my good friend Ensign Finlay here!"
He reached out and grabbed the younger, smaller man, pulling him into the crowd.
"My man Finlay here helped me to save the royal family of Corona from hundreds of assassins just a few weeks ago."
The girls looked at each other, before they nearly tackled the young officer. She giggled as Don sidestepped out of the crowd, and his eyes lifted at the sound.
"Anna!"
He beamed at her, as he hugged her quickly, before stepping back.
"Why are you here?" He said, suddenly serious. "I thought we all agreed that you would stay in Corona until-"
"That would be my fault," Prince Eugene said, interjecting as he strode up, "Sorry. I just thought that it would be bad to make them wait to see the Queen. So they'll be staying with me for the duration of the campaign."
"At the rear of the formation, correct?" Don said, as Eugene gave Anna knowing look, before nodding.
Okay, so we probably shouldn't tell Don that we were brought along to make sure he didn't go oogidiboogidity evil on us. She thought, as the crowd behind her made a strange noise halfway between a gasp and applause.
"Yes, they'll ride with the baggage train," Eugene began, looking towards the crowd, "I do need to talk to… Well, Olaf doesn't listen very well, does he?"
Olaf had come down the gangplank, not wearing any kind of covering. People flinched back when they saw him, not sure what to do with the little snowman. Don brushed past her, going to the little snowman.
"Olaf, my friend," He said loudly, "How are you?"
"Pretty good." He said, his head turning on its side. "But don't these people know it's rude to stare."
Don laughed, and the crowd seemed to take that as a cue to laugh as well. Squatting down, he put a hand on the snowman's shoulder.
"They've never seen a walking, talking, honest to god, alive snowman before." He said. Anna saw his eyes dart over to where Finlay was still trying to free himself from the clutches of the woman. "I think Finlay could use some of your help."
Olaf turned, looking to Finlay.
"I'll get him out!" He said, trying to make his voice sound deep and officious. Saluting, he began to walk towards them, before throwing all pretense to the wind and skipping towards the group.
Don sighed, before turning back to Anna, Eugene and Kristoff.
"I can't tell you how nice it is to see you all." He said, a touch of emotion coloring his face, "It feels like it has been a much longer time than it actually has been."
They all nodded with him.
"Where's Rapunzel, anyways?" He asked.
Eugene explained the situation to him, and he cracked a wide smile.
"A child? That's excellent news, Eugene!" He laughed. "I'm guessing the King and Queen are quite pleased?"
Eugene belly laughed.
"You have no idea." He said. "They'd already had artists painting her room, and commissioned the best wood shop in the land to build her crib. I have a feeling their going to be the epitome of 'doting grandparents'." He turned, and Don followed his eyes to the pair of men carrying a heavy crate towards them. "And while we're on that subject… I'd like you to take this gift as a token of appreciation from all of us, myself and Rapunzel and the King and Queen."
The two stevedores pulled the top off, and Don stepped forward, looking in. His eyes widened, and he reached in, pulling something out.
Even Anna was surprised when he pulled a heavy armored helmet, complete with a visor and a long feathered plume sprouting from its crest. It was painted a stunning, pure white. Anna approached and looked into the crate, seeing that there was a matching set of armor that went with it, as well as a shield with a golden crocus on its thick steel.
"You… you shouldn't have," Don began, before catching himself, "But thank you. I will get good use from it."
Eugene waved his thanks away.
"It's nothing, really," He said, "They had to do a little work to fit the armor to your frame, but it shouldn't be too uncomfortable. You'll need it if you're going to lead the cavalry."
Don shot him a questioning glance.
"What do you mean?"
Eugene smiled knowingly.
"I'm the 'commander' of this here little expedition," He said, "So I get to choose who commands what. I want you," He poked Don in the chest, "To lead our cavalry. It's the smallest of our contingents, only a thousand men."
"I can't do that," Don sputtered, "I've never commanded that many men before!"
"Don, I used to be a thief," Eugene replied, "I haven't commanded this many people ever before. But I think you'll do just fine. I want someone I can trust up there in the vanguard."
Anna laughed, putting a hand on Don's shoulder, as he looked down at the helmet in shock.
"You can do it, Don, I know you can."
He looked at her, his blue eyes full of… not fear, but apprehension.
"I'll… try my best." Was all he said as they all began to make their way towards the castle.
"Captain, I thought I told you to take that position!"
General Thaddeus had been right about one thing. His 'weeklong trip' had devolved into something that was already lasting much longer than he had planned, and costing him many more lives than he had planned on spending.
Already three hundred of his men lay dead at the foot of the wall the surrounded Arskall. It wasn't truly a defensive wall, being nothing more than an earthen berm with a palisade at the top, but it protected the archers, crossbowmen and artillery that sheltered behind from his own, steadily dwindling number of crossbowmen.
Damn Helmut! Damn him to hell! He thought viciously as he swung towards the dirty, tired looking Captain.
"General, I have only twenty men left," He said, gesturing to the bloody, broken men who leaned on swords and spears behind him, "How can I storm that redoubt? They have two ballista! I lost half of my men to their first shots!"
Thaddeus did his best not to round on the man and curse him. He knew where the blame for this debacle should be laid.
"I know, Captain," He said, throttling his own rage down as another runner entered his command tent, standing to the side, "Take the Seventh and Ninth Companies. That should give you two hundred men. But I want that redoubt destroyed soonest!"
As the Captain saluted and strode away, Thaddeus turned to the newly arrived runner.
"What is it?" He said anxiously. The runner turned to the table, with a crudely drawn map of the walls and surrounding areas spread across it, four bricks holding down its corners. He pointed to a point on the western wall.
"Captain Edwin regrets to report that his assault on the western wall has been repulsed." The young man, really nothing more than a boy, said, "Fifty heavy and a hundred light cavalry sallied from the gate and routed the Third and Twentieth Companies. He is pulling back southward towards us."
Thaddeus turned on the young boy, regardless of his other subordinates standing about, putting his hands roughly on his shoulders and shaking him.
"You tell Captain Edwin that he is to hold. Hold, I say!" He screamed into the young man's face, spittle flying. "He cannot expect any reinforcements. Now go!"
As the young man turned and darted, Thaddeus grabbed his blade and helm, turning to the other men in the tent.
"Call up the reserve, I'll lead the next assault myself." He said gruffly, pushing out into the noon time sun. His subordinates grabbed their aides and runners, giving them orders to call up the five hundred men he had held in reserve.
He found himself a few moments later crouching behind a short palisade that he had had constructed mainly to ward off his own fears of a counterattack.
Two days we've been at this… He thought. And no sign of any Arendellian's. Maybe they moved along.
But the hairs of his neck stood up at the thought. If he was able to break into Arskall, and a large enough force of Arendellian's fell upon him from the rear or the flank, or worse yet assaulted his camp, he'd be a goner.
I have to finish this quickly, or else it will finish me.
He turned to the massed phalanx of men behind him, all wearing armor, some more mismatched then others, but all looking eager to finally join the fight.
"We end this charade today!" He yelled. "We will storm the walls and capture the damned Prince of Arskall, and string him up by his balls!"
He turned back towards the earthworks, watching the barely visible heads of his enemies darting across behind.
"Crossbowmen," He bellowed, "Cover our flanks, keep these rosy cheeked bastards heads down!" The hundred men wielding the deadly weapons took up their positions on either side of the mass of men. "Everyone else, on me! No quarter!"
The men behind him took up his final call, chanting 'No quarter', over and over. He used the edge of his shield to knock his visor down, and turned, brandishing his sword towards the earthworks.
"Forward!"
His yell sent men streaming forward, a mass that charged behind him. Their own voices joining into a thunderous noise.
Only a hundred and fifty yards separated the edge of his encampment from the berm, and his long legs carried him forward. His world had narrowed to only the dozen slits on the visor of his helmet, and he felt himself nearly choking as dust began to accumulate. He suddenly found himself needing to spit, but taking off his helmet would be suicide.
This is what the young ones will never understand. War is a major discomfort, not matter what way you look at it.
He was thankful a moment later, as something struck his helmet hard enough that stars began to dance across his field of vision. He violently shook his head, trying to clear the stars away, even as he heard screams.
Looking at the berm, he saw dozens of men exposing their heads and chests so that they could fire at the onrushing horde. They fired and fired, and he suspected that other men were sheltering behind, winding and loading the crossbows for those brave souls to fire.
"Crossbows, take them!" He called out. His order was unneeded, as the men who lined either side let loose with a harrowing fusillade of bolts.
The first group of men reached the berm, and let out a cheer. Thaddeus and his retinue, slightly depleted by the crossbows, were right behind him. He slammed himself into the berm, thanking god that he had made it. Looking back onto the field, he quickly counted at least eight to a hundred dead.
His jaw clenched at that, he only had four or so hundred men left to break through, though he could see more men streaming in from the flanks, preparing for another rush behind him.
"Up and over boys!" He yelled, grabbing on to the packed earth wall and kicking footholds into it. It was only three meters tall, and it took him barely three quick movements to roll onto the opposite side.
He stayed low as his eyes caught sight of the men waiting for them. A crossbow bolt meant for his throat skipped off his steel clad shoulder. He waited to die, waited for another bolt to slam through his none too thick armor, even as he tried to roll to his feet. But no bolt came for him, as the men on the other side suddenly found themselves facing a wall of steel and shields, growing larger as more men dropped from the berm.
"Form shield wall!" He yelled, coughing as he inhaled a thick gust of dust. "Form shield wall!"
His men brought their shields up, pressing together. They crouched slightly, bringing the edge of theirs shields up so that it covered them from mid-thigh to just under their eyes.
The suddenly outnumbered defenders retreated down a street, periodically firing a crossbow bolt that clanged off the raised shields.
Thaddeus smiled grimly at those retreating men. He gestured to a man on top of the berm who held a long lance with a small flag hanging from its tip.
"Signal the main body!" He yelled.
As the man turned, frantically waving the long lance, he turned to see a group of armed men appear at the end of the street to reinforce the berms defenders.
I'll make them pay thrice for every man killed. He thought darkly, as he raised his sword once again.
"Advance!"
Well, we've finally gotten to the parts that I love to write. Battles! Hopefully they entertain you as much as they do me!
Don't forget to review, I can always use feedback!