That delay between chapters was longer than I expected. Things happened, including me having to rewrite thing thing thrice because I couldn't get Ur's topography right, finding out things about the story, trying and failing to include a scene in Feoh, and adding random bodies of water in Kuroinu's otherwise flat and mostly featureless map because I want naval battles some time in the future.
I also managed to find a Kuroinu playthrough on YouTube (some content cut, of course).To my surprise, it had plate armour (for the guys). And only in one piece of artwork recycled in those invasion scenes. And it's still not full plate, with the breastplate leaving the lower part of the abdomen exposed. Kind of like those heart protectors Roman Hastati are often depicted wearing. I also added some details from there that I could, including Prim's unnamed parents and handmaiden, who actually had no character sprites because they were only really important in once scene.
Chapter VIII
Onwards to Ur
The city was ablaze. The flames, a glowing, angry orange beneath ugly pillars of black smoke, could be seen from her windows if she dared to look. It was quiet where she was, but she knew that out in the streets, the rebels – elements of the city watch, local criminal gangs, disaffected citizens, and mercenaries in league with the Black Dogs – fought fierce battles with the city's defenders and toyed with those unfortunate enough to be captured.
'Mother… Father…' Prim whispered as she sat on her bed, staring anxiously at her door. As her city burned outside, the Shield-Princess of Ur was safe and secure within the Second Fortress, guarded by the finest knights in the realm. She knew she ought to do more, but she trembled at the sound and fury of battle. She wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering in the cold despite the warmth of the fire burning in the hearth some distance from her bed. Her chest felt like a deep, empty pit of despair, and she felt her eyes tearing up.
If only I was stronger, she thought. If only I was more like Alicia.
The princess's thoughts then drifted to her beloved cousin Alicia. If the Goddess's vision was correct – and she was certain that it was – then Feoh would be the first city the Black Dogs would attack. Alicia was likely fighting at the moment, holding back the enemies assaulting her walls. Prim envisioned her cousin at the head of the Holy Iris Order, sword in hand, standing fearlessly against the foe: strong, confident, and fearless.
Everything I am not.
A pang of worry wormed its way into Prim's chest. These rebels in her city, her father told her earlier, were a rather small and motley band of marauders, not a match for the combined might of the defenders of the realm. On the other hand, Alicia faced the Black Dogs, the greatest mercenary army in all of Eostia, and the demons that threw in their lot with them. True, the Holy Iris Order was one of the most famed fighting forces in the Alliance, but they barely numbered over a thousand. Who knew how many the Black Dogs could throw at them?
She could feel the tears start to flow, not for herself, but for Feoh and for Alicia.
No, Prim thought, shutting her eyes tight and trying her hardest not to cry. Alicia will not lose. Not to the Black Dogs, not to anyone. She rubbed her eyes as she struggled not to start sobbing. And she wouldn't cry at a time like this.
In the end, it was a knock on the door at the far end of her room that ultimately helped Prim overcome her tears. The princess hurriedly wiped her tears with her blanket as her door opened very slightly, no more than a small crack.
'Your Highness,' a woman's voice called out. Prim immediately recognised Triss, her handmaiden and chief bodyguard, who was at her customary place at the princess's door.
'W-what is it?' Prim called out.
'His majesty the king and her majesty the queen are here to see you,' Triss answered.
'I see,' Prim said, again wiping her tears and silently hoping here eyes weren't too red. She sat up straight and tried not to fidget too much as Triss opened her door even further and ushered her father and mother in with a bow.
Into the room, arm in arm, entered King Alois and Queen Ava Fiorire, with the door clicking shut behind them. The queen was, as usual, magnificently attired in her royal regalia, carrying herself with a level of poise and dignity Prim hoped to emulate when she reached her age. Meanwhile, the king was clad in the full panoply of war, with the Lily of Ur imprinted upon his steel heart protector.
Keeping her opinion on her father wearing armour to herself, the princess smiled, stood up and approached her parents. They both received her in a warm joint embrace. As Prim returned the hug, her earlier worries fled back into the darkest depth of her mind.
'Is everything alright, dear?' her mother asked as Prim disengaged from the embrace and stood before her parents. She smiled and shook her head in response.
'It's nothing, Mother,' she said, a small smile on her face. 'I am just… worried.'
'There is nothing to be worried about, my dear,' her father said with a smile. 'Our forces have successfully pushed the rebels back to their last stronghold in the Sarka district. I will lead our finest knights in an assault to flush them out and bring them to justice.'
Prim faced King Alois upon hearing his words, considering him with a worried frown. She already knew her father was old – she and her mother celebrated him turning sixty-two earlier in the year – but when she saw him armed and armoured in what was perhaps the first time in years, the realisation of how old he truly was dawned upon her. She observed the deep crow's feet at the sides of his eyes, the wrinkled brow, the sunken, wrinkled cheeks, the snow-white hair under his crowned helm, and the similarly white beard and moustache. As she looked at her father, Prim did not see a man who had any business being girded up for war: she simply saw a dear old man, one she did not wish to lose.
'Do you really have to go?' the princess asked, her voice almost a faint whisper.
Her father's smile widened, and his kind blue eyes seemed to sparkle.
'Don't you worry, dear,' he said. 'Your father still has enough strength left in him to deal with a few rebels.' He flexed one armoured arm in jest, which caused the queen to quietly smile beside him. 'And for your sake, I will allow our younger knights to do the fighting this time.'
'I am certain your father will be alright, dear,' her mother added with a smile, softly patting Prim's head. 'After all, he will not do anything foolish since he knows his wife and his lovely daughter are worried about him at home.' The king gave a formal bow to the queen in jest, eliciting yet another quiet chuckle. The princess gave a small smile at her father's antics, but a tap on her shoulder turned her attention to her mother once more. As she looked at the queen's dignified face, especially her brilliant purple eyes, she thought she saw in her the heritage of the House of Arcturus.
'Please understand that your father is king, dear,' Queen Ava said, her expression graver than before. Prim remembered her next words well. She said them often enough, both from her mother and her cousin. 'It is his duty – our duty – to defend our people, especially at a time like this. We owe the commoners that much.'
'I- I understand, mother,' Prim said, and her mother smiled at her as she withdrew her hand from her shoulder. The princess then faced her father, hugging him tightly once more. 'Just… please come back safe, alright?' she said, again trying her hardest not to cry.
'I will, my dear,' her father replied before kissing her forehead. 'I will.'
Prim still held onto her father, with her mother smiling beside them as she watched, when Triss knocked upon the door again. The princess and the king reluctantly separated from their hug as the handmaiden cracked the door slightly open once more.
'I beg your pardon, Your Majesties, but the Lords Mortadella are here leading a group of attendants,' she reported. 'They say you have called them for an important task. Shall I allow them in?'
'Allow them in,' Ava ordered. Triss again opened the door and stood aside, allowing the pig-man brothers Ponti and Conti Mortadella to waddle in one at a time. Unlike before, Triss left the door open to keep an eye on the two pig-men.
Prim slowly backed away and tried to make herself less noticeable as the two beast-men approached. In truth, the princess bore no ill will against the Mortadella twins, whom her father ennobled as royal purveyors of the court. They have proven to be of true value to the realm, plying their varied wares throughout the seven kingdoms and helping place Ur at the heart of the Alliance's trade and commerce. For their many services and their generosity towards the kingdom, they had the complete trust of her father and mother. However, Prim could not help but feel distressed at the presence of the two; the way they sometimes looked at her at times when they thought she did not know made her very uncomfortable in a way she could not clearly put into words.
The Mortadellas stopped walking at a respectful distance from the king and queen, stood side-by-side, and knelt on one knee in one smooth, well-practised motion.
'We have arrived by your command, Your Majesties,' the one dressed in purple – possibly Ponti, Prim thought – said.
'We are glad to be of service,' the one in green, most likely Conti, added.
'And we are glad to have you in our service, my lords,' Alois replied. 'Rise.'
The Mortadellas stood to their full height, but again bowed once before the king and queen in obeisance. Their gaze them moved towards Prim, who hid behind her mother and nervously looked at them. The princess flinched slightly at this unwanted attention but kept her composure as the king and queen stood further apart, both to give her space and allow the two to bow their heads before her.
It is unfair to be afraid of these two, Prim reminded herself as she stood between her father and mother. Give them a chance. They've been nothing but polite to you.
'And of course, we also pay respects to our fair Princess Prim,' Conti said with a wide, squint-eyed grin.
'We are blessed to be in her highness's presence,' Ponti added.
'T-thank you, my lords,' Prim replied with a nervous curtsy of her own.
The two bowed again, still as smooth and synchronised as any time Prim observed them, before turning their attention back to the king and queen, keeping their heads bowed.
'My lords Mortadella, you know of our struggles against the rebel elements that have sprang up these past few days, of course,' the king said, his tone and words turning more distant and formal, and his expression grave. It was as if he was holding court at his audience hall, not standing in his daughter's bedroom with his family.
'Of course, Your Majesty,' Ponti replied. 'My brother and I have watched with anxiety as our city's defenders fought the lawless scum.' Conti nodded – a bit too enthusiastically in Prim's eyes – at his brother's words. 'We congratulate you on your ongoing victory.'
'And we accept your congratulations,' the king continued. 'The city is now largely secured, and we are prepared to deal the final blow against the rebellion. As such, we have decided, my lords, to approve of your request to leave the city to head to Ken.'
'We thank you for your graciousness, Your Majesty,' Conti replied. 'Your wisdom is matched only by your generosity.'
'Our assent comes with a most solemn charge,' the queen said, similarly adopting the formal tone of court. She briefly turned back towards Prim before reaching out to hold her hand in her own. She gently pulled the princess forward, putting her at her side, before continuing to speak.
'Whilst the king heads off to lead our soldiery and our own person goes to meet with the officials of the city to discuss reconstruction, we entrust you with the jewel of the realm, the Princess of Ur,' she said.
Prim's eyes widened at those words. She looked to her mother, and then the Mortadellas one at a time, and then to her father, and back to the two pig-man lords, her head flitting to and fro like that of an alarmed bird. The two were smiling in what Prim could describe as an attempt to put her at ease, but their squinted eyes and wide smiles only seemed ominous to her. Is Mother serious? She thought. I will be left alone with these…
Prim quickly chided herself as she settled her eyes on the floor. She again reminded herself that the Mortadella brothers were of good repute and had the complete trust of her parents. She again told herself that the two had shown her nothing but utmost politeness ever since they met. But their eyes…
'Prim?' her father called out.
The princess awkwardly winced, quickly raising her head to look at her father. She saw her father with a questioning frown, with one curious eyebrow raised.
'I- I'm sorry, father,' Prim mumbled as she looked away, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. 'My mind was elsewhere.'
The king shook his head, though the small smile on his face showed that he was not too offended. Before him, the Mortadella brothers simply smiled between themselves, as if in understanding.
'The fair princess is distressed,' Conti mused. 'She commiserates with the sufferings of her people.'
'Indeed, brother,' Ponti added. 'It is understandable for such a gentle soul to feel overwhelmed at this time.'
'That is true,' the king said, 'and we are grateful that you understand, my lords.' He again looked at Prim, placing one hand on her shoulder. The princess turned to face her father.
'As I said earlier,' he said with all solemnity, 'we charge Princess Prim Fiorire, in her dignity as Shield-Princess of Ur, to head to Ken to tell the Alliance of this rebellion that they too may rid their own kingdoms of traitors within their midst as we fight the larger war against the Black Dogs.'
Prim's gaze again wandered from her father to the Mortadella brothers. She saw the two wide-eyed with anticipation for some reason, with one of them smiling at her and nodding slightly, as if urging the princess to accept this charge. Why would they want that? She thought. Her eyes again turned to her father's face, and she saw the silently pleading look in his eyes.
Prim was not certain why her father looked so desperate for her to accept this task, but she was sure of one thing: her father and mother needed her. That thought was enough for her to agree, but another thought assailed her: her father needed her to act in her office of Shield-Princess of Ur. He could have simply ordered her to head to Ken to deliver news if he sent her simply as his daughter, but he specifically chose to ask her to use a rank technically equivalent to his own. We need help from the Alliance, she thought. Her eyes shifted towards the Mortadellas once more.
Now is not the time to for childish fears, she thought, clenching her hands to try to steel herself. I have to be strong. I have to be like Alicia.
Prim cleared her throat before speaking and looked her father straight in the eye.
'The Shield-Princess of Ur accepts this charge,' she declared in what she hoped was a clear, decisive tone. 'The Goddess will know of what happened here.'
The king smiled at her daughter as he withdrew his hand.
'Excellent,' he said. He then turned to face the Mortadella brothers, taking out a rolled-up piece of parchment from the pouch hanging from his belt. 'We grant you this royal warrant, which informs the city guards that you go with our blessing,' he proclaimed. 'The Shield-Princess of Ur will travel alongside you, and you shall ensure that she reaches the Goddess safe and unmolested. As your sovereign and as the father of Her Highness, we implore you, my lords, to treat her with utmost care and respect, not unlike how you would treat our own royal person.'
The two pig-men knelt once more and kept their heads bowed, even as the king placed the royal warrant onto Ponti's cupped hands.
'We most solemnly accept your charge, Your Majesty,' Ponti said.
'It will be an honour to escort her highness,' Conti added.
'Excellent indeed,' the queen said, stepping forward and facing Prim before giving her one final hug. 'Don't worry, dear,' she whispered. 'Your father and I know how you feel about being alone with the Mortadellas. Triss will accompany you for your peace of mind.'
Prim looked at her father, who smiled at her again. As she returned her mother's embrace, she also saw Triss standing at the doorway, armed and armoured, looking as stalwart as ever. She smiled a little, feeling a bit better about the coming journey.
'Thank you, mother,' she whispered back.
'Now then,' the king said as the queen and Prim stood separate and the pig-man merchants stepped back to offer them space. 'We all have our duties to fulfil. Let us be on our way.'
He and the queen then walked arm in arm, and Prim watched as her mother and father walked arm in arm out of her room, leaving her alone with the Mortadella brothers.
Ponti looked at his brother with narrowed eyes. Conti nodded back in an unspoken message, which Prim could only confusedly watch. She glanced at both pig-men, looking for some way to understand what they meant, but whatever meaning their actions had eluded her. Her heart began to beat more quickly with worry, though she again tried to calm herself down.
'We should also be off, Your Highness,' Ponti said. 'My brother tells me the carriage should be prepared by now. It awaits us outside the stables.'
Oh, of course, Prim thought. That was what they meant.
'Y-yes, of course,' she said, trying her best to sound calm. 'Please lead the way.'
The Mortadella brothers bowed once in assent before turning and walking away. Prim quickly willed herself to follow them, staying a reluctant four steps behind. She felt much more comfortable when they left her room, especially after Triss walked by her side after closing the door behind her.
The group hurriedly walked along the fortress's upper hallway as quickly as they could, the Mortadellas leading with their waddling gait. Prim and Triss walked side by side behind them, with the handmaiden at the side of the hallway closer to the windows while the princess stood closer to the decorative tapestries on the walls. Behind them were the attendants Ponti and Conti went with – two servants dressed as porters and two liveried bodyguards. Prim wondered about the presence of the guards, her mind again starting to race with the worst possible thoughts. They arrived from outside the fortress, Prim thought, as if desperately trying to convince herself of the Mortadella brothers' good intentions. Of course they would bring armed guards. If I were in their place, I would have brought more.
As they reached a set of double-doors flanked by armoured guards, Prim realised that the Mortadella brothers had led them along the path opposite the one her mother and father had taken. She knew that the staircase behind the doors led to one of the fortress's storerooms. While this was indeed closer to the commoners' stables than the other possible paths in the fortress, it was still strange for Prim that the Mortadellas would use such a path, especially since they were accompanied by one of the royal family.
'Do it now,' one of the Mortadella brothers said as the knights opened the doors.
Prim had no time to think about what the pig-man meant. She suddenly felt a pair of rough hands restrain her arms and another hold a moist, strange-smelling cloth to her nose and mouth. A great enervation suddenly hit her, but she still tried to struggle and to push the men holding her away. Her struggles were futile; the men were too strong for her even if she was not inhaling whatever the cloth was soaked in. She cried out, but the cloth and the hand holding it stifled her cries.
As Prim spent her last few moments of consciousness uselessly trying to fight off the men restraining her, her eyes caught the sight of Triss managing to free her hands from the grip of the mercenary, only for the porter to get behind her while still holding the cloth to her mouth and nose. She continued to struggle violently, even as her movements turned sluggish, and the two men holding her still seemed to only barely manage to restrain her. To Prim's horror, one of the men guarding the door stepped forward, not to help Triss, but to aid the men in restraining her. The princess's eyes then turned to the other guard at the doorway, only to see him smile as he received a small pouch – undoubtedly filled with gold – from one of the Mortadellas.
Tears started freely flowing down Prim's eyes as her eyelids turned heavy. She used the last of her strength to turn her neck in an attempt to see Triss, but a man – she was not sure which one – entered her field of vision and held her face, preventing her from moving. Her vision started to blur as her consciousness quickly fled. A burlap sack covering her face from above was the last thing she saw before everything went dark.
The clattering of hooves upon firm earth filled the perpetual twilight of forest between the realms of Feoh and Ur. Kamateros's allagion made their way along the secret path that connected the capitals of the two realms, following a vanguard of a dozen Iris Knights led by Princess Alicia.
It well into the sixth day of what was meant to be a four-day ride. The past autumn rains were heavier than the locals expected, which turned a good part of the path into a muddy, barely-navigable quagmire the Romans and their Eostian guides could only slog through with great difficulty during the third and fourth days of the ride. They rode at a constant trot, taking advantage of what little daylight they had, and the only ample amount of rest they had was during the end of the third day, when they reached where a stone marker bearing the royal crest of Ur.
Despite its dignified title, the royal road was little more than a rudimentary trail in the middle of the woods, just wide enough for three koursores to comfortably ride through at a time. The forest's ancient trees stood proud and tall on both sides of the path, and precious few of the setting sun's rays filtered through their thick canopy. Despite the sounds of men and horses gaining primacy over the path, other, more native sounds of the forest – the warbling cry of native birds, the calls of beasts, the buzzing of insects, the babbling of a nearby brook – remained in the background, as ever-present as the many and varied scents of the woodland.
Initially, this expedition was but a simple scouting mission, one aimed at finding possible threats in the immediate vicinity of the Romans' new position in Feoh. However, just as the Kamateros's and Aionios's allagia were about to leave, Olafsson sought an audience with Stephanos and said he had regarding the prisoners.
Olafsson reported that a former captain of the Black Dogs had broken under the tender mercies of his Varangian captors and revealed everything he knew. His revelation was dire: a conspiracy not unlike the one that laid Feoh low, one involving some of the highest nobles of the kingdom. The prisoner said that the treacherous nobles already had their men in place and prepared for a massive uprising, and they would begin once they heard word that the Black Dogs' victorious armies in Feoh were on the march. He also spoke of the ringleaders of the conspiracy – two nobles called Mortadella – and of their plan to spirit the Princess of Ur away to the Black Dogs once the uprising was well underway.
With this new knowledge in mind, Stephanos changed the allagia's mission: they were to assist Princess Alicia in securing the safety of the royal family of Ur through any means, up to and including the arrest of the Mortadella brothers and their co-conspirators. Kamateros was to accompany Princess Alicia through the royal road, so they may reach the fortress-city of Ur at the shortest possible time. On the other hand, Aionios and his swifter hippo-toxotai were to take the Arcturus Road, the main route between the two fortress-cities.
By any means, Markos thought as he rode at the head of his bandon. This will be no simple arrest.
'Five days in, and the forest still shows no sign of clearing,' Lazar, one of the bandon's Dekarchoi, said from the Komes's right.
'Not to us, at least,' Markos replied. 'But the princess and her knights were adamant this morning that it is possible for us to reach this fortress-city of Ur before the day is done.'
'I will be glad once leave this path behind,' Teodor, the bandon's standard-bearer, said from Markos's left. 'Hard to imagine the royal families of two kingdoms regularly slog through this mud.'
'Trust me, boy, you will miss the slog through the mud once we reach the city,' Lazar replied.
Markos took the time to turn his attention from the path to the Dekarchos. Unlike most of the young men that made up his bandon, Lazar was an older man in his 30s, his severe features made more stern by dark eyes under a prominent brow and dark-coloured facial hair trimmed into an austere military style. A soldier in the Roman Army for almost two decades and one of the veterans assigned to the bandon to balance out the youthful passions of its rank and file, Markos held Lazar's advice in high regard.
He may think the same as I, the Komes thought.
'You sound as if you think a battle is waiting for us, Dekarchos,' Teodor said. 'Do you think our arrival will lead to outright rebellion that quickly?'
'That depends on how well-prepared the traitors are, for one,' the Dekarchos replied with a shrug. 'And from what I understand, their preparations are quite considerable. Isn't that right, Komes?'
'The Strategos said as much during the briefing,' Markos confirmed before facing forward again. 'He said that our enemies have everything in place and are only awaiting word of the Black Dogs' advance to begin their rebellion.'
'And were we told exactly what we are dealing with?' Lazar asked.
'The prisoner claimed he did not know exactly how large the rebellion will be, unfortunately,' Markos answered. 'But he did tell us that this King Alois of Ur has had…' he paused and glanced at the Iris Knights in front of him, who were definitely able to hear their conversation. 'He has gained plenty of men who would wish to do him harm, including those granted more honours than they ought to have.'
'A poor judge of men's character, then,' Lazar said in Serbian, also casting a cautious glance at the Iris Knights. Markos, who understood the language well enough thanks to his interest in his heritage, silently nodded in agreement.
'And a rather unpopular one at that,' he replied. The thought of keeping such talk secret from his Iris Knight allies stung at his conscience, but he tried to assuage himself with the reminder that the tagma's alliance with Feoh is young and untested, and it might be strained by the utterance of the wrong words at the wrong time. 'The prisoner said he has a reputation as a man who could not act without the agreement of his queen and his high nobility. Whether that is true or not, I do not know.'
'That language does not seem to be the one your people usually speak, Lord Markos,' Lady Cassandra, the sergeant of the Iris Knights the princess brought with her, said from in front of Markos. 'I did not know you spoke another tongue.' Markos could not see the knight's face, but her tone of voice seemed to signify that she was more curious than suspicious.
'That language is spoken only by my men,' the Komes answered. 'My bandon is composed of another nation of people who pledged allegiance to our Emperor.' He then gazed at Lazar, who nodded in understanding.
'You might be able to address my concerns better, my lady,' the Dekarchos said, calmly and smoothly, with no trace of deception in his voice. 'How much power do the nobility of Ur hold?'
'Much,' Cassandra replied, briefly turning her head towards the Romans. 'Especially since they command a great part of the kingdom's men-at-arms. King Alois is a peaceful man and has relatively few knights, including Queen Ava's own sisterhood. Instead of going to war and commanding troops, his majesty instead provides patronage to an order of mages and other learned men devoted to healing the sick and wounded.'
'How many men does he directly command?' Lazar asked.
'Three hundred sisters sent to Ur by the Iris Order, formed into their own Order of the Lily,' Cassandra said, 'and the Second Fortress holds a thousand men organised into the city watch.'
'I see,' Lazar answered. Markos saw the Dekarchos face him and form some words with his mouth without saying them outright. He was not completely certain what the unspoken words were, but it seemed to him like not enough in Serbian.
The sounding of a trumpet from the Komes's front, which was repeated by the bandon's trumpeter Jovan behind him, prompted him to join the entire formation in an abrupt stop. Markos then asked Teodor to signal Gavrilo, who stayed at the rear of their bandon, so that he may assume command before urging his horse forward. The Iris Knights formed two lines on either side of the path to try and give way, but the ride was still uncomfortably tight.
Markos found Princess Alicia waiting a few feet in front of the formation. She cut a majestic figure on horseback, even in the perpetual twilight of their surroundings. He noted that she had taken to wearing a koursor's steel helm, and she had also imitated her knights in wearing a kavadion over that scandalous non-clothing the natives believed to be armour. He heard that the knights were offered more substantial suits of armour, lorikia and klivania both, but they were unused to such levels of self-preservation.
'Princess,' Markos said, raising a hand in greeting as he stopped his horse a few feet from her own.
'Captain,' the princess replied with a curt nod after a short, awkward pause.
Markos noted with some relief that she did not seem to despise him outright as he previously thought, but he knew she was still not completely comfortable with his presence. Given the less-than-ideal conditions that happened shortly after they first met, he found that understandable. Still, since his father ordered him to be involved in bringing her knights up to Roman standards, he knew he needed to earn her respect, at the very least.
The Komes heard the clattering sounds of a pair of horses moving at slow trot from behind him, and he did not need to look back to know that he was about to be joined by Allagator Kamateros, with his fellow Komes Eirenikos alongside him.
'I hope there is no trouble, Your Highness,' Kamateros said as he halted his horse beside Markos's own. Eirenikos stopped opposite the Allagator, and the two Komites silently greeted each other.
'None at all,' Princess Alicia replied. 'I simply wish to tell you that the road is almost at an end. The path here will lead to a clearing. Another path leads from there, stretching a few feet to the end of the forest. From there, it will be less than half an hour's ride to Ur at the latest.'
'Is this clearing large enough for us to take a brief respite in?' Kamateros asked.
Markos saw the princess's lips purse in disapproval before she managed to compose herself.
'It should…' she stared at the direction of the forest, her next words slow and hesitant. 'It should be large enough for our entire force to comfortably rest in,' she said. She then focussed all of her attention on the Allagator, a look of steely determination in her amethyst-hued eyes. 'But as I previously said, it should not take us half an hour to reach Ur after we leave the forest. Is it not best if we push on to the city and simply rest when we reach the Second Fortress? King Alois is both an honourable man and a generous host to his friends. I am certain he will prepare a feast for us all when we meet him, men and beasts both.'
'I do not think that wise, Your Highness,' Kamateros replied. 'Our soldiers and horses are weary and have not yet eaten. We should rest up and recover at least some of our strength before pushing on, so we are prepared for anything to happen to us. After all, starving men make for poor fighters.'
The princess again raised her eyebrows questioningly, her expression turning quizzical.
'You expect to see battle as soon as we reach the city?' she asked. Markos, who simply observed the conversation of two people who were technically his superior in rank, noted some hint of puzzlement in the princess's tone.
'We do, Your Highness,' the Allagator replied, turning to both of his subordinates in turn. Both Eirenikos and Markos nodded in acknowledgement of their commander's words. 'Your presence alone is enough to alert the traitors within the city that something has gone wrong with the Black Dogs' invasion of Feoh. That you are accompanied by a group of unknown horsemen may lead to alarm amongst their number.'
'And alarm often drives men to act without much forethought,' Princess Alicia continued, speaking slowly and deliberately. She then turned away from the Romans and looked to the side, toward the rest of the soldiers, her eyes squinted in thought, before looking to the opposite direction, possibly towards the city.
She must truly love her kinsmen if she is so conflicted over such simple matters as a meal and rest, the Komes thought. My father was wise to order the phlegmatic Allagator Kamateros to accompany her in this mission.
The princess then sighed before turning her full attention to the Romans once more.
'What should our plan be, then?' she asked, the beginnings of a frown playing on her face.
Kamateros, on the other hand, sounded calm and collected, as he almost always did.
'With the king and his family in so precarious a situation, the safest course of action for us is the second one I suggested during our briefing with the Strategos,' the Allagator explained.
Markos, who was present during the briefing, immediately understood what his commander meant: they would have to smuggle themselves into the city.
'You spoke of a secret escape passage that leads directly from the castle,' Kamateros continued. 'We will have to make use of it.'
'I understand,' Princess Alicia replied, dismounting from her horse almost immediately. Kamateros did the same, signalling for Markos and Eirenikos to follow, which the two Komites promptly obeyed. The princess then rummaged through one of her saddle-bags, took out a large piece of parchment, and knelt down to unroll it upon the ground. It was a map of the city of Ur and its surrounds. The three Roman commanders approached the princess and also knelt down before her to study the map, and Princess Alicia turned it so that the Romans could see it in its proper orientation.
Markos considered the area depicted by the map. He still could not read Feoh's alien script, but the images depicted told him enough. The city, which was at the centre of the map, was depicted as being surrounded by a single curtain wall, with a walled castle at the south-western end. There was a large, roughly crescent-shaped lake – coloured a bright blue and decorated near the middle with a depiction of some serpentine creature – that flanked the city to the west and part of the south. Streams of water extended from both points of the crescent, one winding its way to the south and the other heading east before turning north-east, and grey bridges – likely of stone – were drawn across both streams at some points. Three roads led away from the city: one to the north-east, another to the east, and the third to the south-east. The southern and south-eastern portion of the map was filled with rectangular patches of differing sizes coloured in differing shades of green, which the Komes thought was farmland. The forest they were in stretched as a solid deep green block that stretched north and west of the city, up to about the middle of the lake's western shore. There appeared to be a depiction of some large house or fort at the shores of that part of the lake as well.
'The passage is located somewhere around here,' the princess said, tracing an unmarked portion of the south-west part of the city with a finger. It is located at a hidden alcove at the base of the hill the Second Fortress is built upon.' She then moved her finger to another unmarked point within the forest. 'We are located somewhere around here, close to where the forest meets the north-eastern road. A ride from here to the passage requires us to circle around a large portion of the city and may take more than an hour and a half at full gallop.'
'This extension of the lake around the city,' Eirenikos commented, running a finger once through the blue circle around the city. 'It is a moat, is it not?'
'It is,' the princess replied.
'And this passage is also behind the moat?' Kamateros asked.
'The moat has some shallower portions a rider on a horse should be able to get through,' Princess Alicia answered. 'But those portions are secret, and only the royal family or their closest relations know of them.'
Kamateros and Eirenikos both nodded but said nothing more, content to study the map with squinted eyes.
'I see the necessity of rest, given the state of our force and the distance we must still cover at this time,' the princess said as she cast her glance on the three Roman commanders in turn, perhaps trying to decide see whether or not they are done studying her map. 'However, I cannot consent to more than an hour's rest.'
Kamateros looked up from his consideration of the map and looked the princess straight in the eye.
'I believe an hour's rest is not enough for our purposes,' he said. Princess Alicia's eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth to speak, but the Allagator continued before she can say a word. 'This ground,' he said, running a finger from the spot the princess previously pointed towards to the southernmost corner of the map. 'It is an open field, is it not?'
'It is,' the princess replied, and Markos noted the hesitation in her tone.
'And the city's sentries have a commanding view of the field, of course,' Kamateros said.
'They do,' the princess confirmed. She again grimaced, as if she was beginning to understand the logic of the Allagator's words. She kept silent, but Markos could see her slightly biting her lower lip in agitation.
'Then it is best if we wait until the dark of night, or at least twilight,' Kamateros explained. 'With the darkness to mask most of our traces, we can move with more speed and freedom that if we have the eyes of possible traitor sentries upon us.'
The princess sounded out a wordless indication of her understanding, but her frown clearly showed her agitation.
'Those shallows in the moat,' Eirenikos said. 'The princess said they are difficult to cross through. Perhaps it may be better if we reach the moat while there is still light for us to use, or we risk losing at least some horsemen to drowning.'
'There ought to be some way of knowing where the shallows are even in the darkness,' Kamateros replied. 'After all, it is also possible for the need to escape by night to arise. Is this not so, princess?'
'It… it is,' the princess replied with a sigh, possibly one of surrender.
While his commander and fellow Komes were seemingly unaffected, the sorrow in Princess Alicia's eyes gnawed at Markos's chest. He kept looking at the map, both to try to get a clear image of the terrain in his mind and to avoid looking the princess in the eye and feeling guilty over his inability to assist her.
There must be something I can do to help, the Komes thought, idly running a finger through the map. As Kamateros, Eirenikos and the princess curiously looked on, Markos traced a curved line from their location to the settlement at the western shore of the lake, covering the entirety of the forest. Perhaps there is…
He was about to speak his thoughts, but he was interrupted when the princess spoke again.
'The king and his family are in grave danger,' she said, her voice soft and uncertain, almost as if she was attempting to assuage herself. 'I… I believe we must reach them, and quickly.'
'They will be in greater danger if we are to be discovered,' Kamateros replied, ever the exemplar of Roman stoicism. Markos knew the princess may see his commander as overly cold and uncaring, but he knew he was right.
To propose a different course of action based solely on the distress felt by a beautiful woman, he thought to himself. Neither the wisest nor the most prudent of acts. I will not endanger all of our men for the sake of the feelings of one, he told himself, as an attempt to rein in his growing feelings of guilt and helplessness at the princess's sorrow. Think on the mission. Think only on… of course.
He traced his finger at that same part of the map once more. He looked upwards, towards that small speck of sky visible to him amidst the thick canopy of trees, as he tried to imagine what the plain outside may look like at night and how their movements may play out. Perhaps there is a way…
'There might be another way of securing entrance to the city without waiting for nightfall, Allagator,' he said, still looking at the map.
'Circling around through the west?' Kamateros asked, aware of Markos's earlier tracing of the map. 'Are there possible paths in that portion of the forest, Your Highness?'
Princess Alicia's face, then darkened with worry, seems to have brightened just a little bit at the question. Markos was gladdened, but he kept his own relief to himself.
'The king permits the use of that portion of the forest as hunting ground during the correct seasons,' the princess answered. 'There ought to be paths there, but they will be narrow. They should be wide enough for one horseman at a time.'
'But will we be able to leave the forest sooner if we take those paths?' Markos asked.
'If we split our force into more manageable squadrons and move as quickly as possible, it should not take an hour,' Princess Alicia said, sounding more animated as her mood markedly improved. 'And from there, another hour's ride to the city.'
'What of this settlement?' Kamateros asked, pointing at a cluster of houses drawn in the map immediately south of the forest.
'Of little concern,' the princess explained. 'A small fishing village, nothing more. They know of me, so our presence should not alarm them.'
'What of the house marked here?' Eirenikos asked.
'That is a manor owned by the royal family,' the princess said. 'It should be mostly barred and occupied only by a few servants and men-at-arms. The king and his family only stay there during the summer months.'
'I see,' Kamateros said, still studying the map. He then took his eyes off the map and looked to Markos. 'I would like to know, though, what advantage does circling this way have over getting more rest for our horses and moving by night?'
Markos nodded to acknowledge the question and turned towards the princess.
'As the princess said earlier, sir, the King of Ur and his family need to know of the treachery within their ranks as quickly as possible,' he explained. 'We are, after all, dealing with a long-running conspiracy with a considerable number of members. And the more members there are in a conspiracy and the longer it is left to fester, the greater the likelihood of someone doing something incredibly… foolish.'
'And I guess any Roman with any knowledge of his history ought to know about conspiracies,' Kamateros said with a shrug.
He then stood up, followed by the princess and his two subordinates, as he began issuing orders. 'We will stop at the clearing for a meal and a short respite, lasting for no more than an hour. Kalomeros, you will only rest for half that time. Instead, you will take volunteers from amongst your bandon to survey the south-western portion of the forest in search for those paths. You will mark where those paths are and report on how to best navigate them.'
'Yes, sir,' Markos replied. His eyes then involuntarily went to the princess, who was looked away at the direction he suggested they cross, slightly biting her lower lip.
Is she anxious? the Komes thought. Perhaps those paths are difficult to find, even for her?
'Good,' Kamateros firmly said. 'You will report back to me in an hour and a half. If you cannot find any suitable paths within the allotted time, we will be forced to take the main route.' Markos nodded once to show his assent, and the Allagator then turned to Princess Alicia. Her gaze was still quite settled on the trees, and she was seemingly deep in thought. 'I would also request that you provide some of your knights to assist my subordinate in his mission, Your Highness.'
Princess Alicia snapped her attention back to Kamateros. A moment of awkward silence then ensured, but the princess managed to regain command of herself. 'I understand,' she said with a nod. 'I and three of my knights will accompany the Captain's men.' She then looked straight at Markos.
'Unless the Lord Kalomeros has some reservations?' she continued.
'No, none at all,' Markos said, a bit too quickly for his liking.
'It is agreed upon, then,' Kamateros said. 'You will move in half an hour after we reach the clearing. Take what rest you can.'
'Sir.'
'Now then, if the princess has nothing else to say, you are dismissed.'
The three Roman commanders and the princess then rode back to their subordinates in good order. The ride continued on uneventfully, and the allagion and their Eostian allies managed to reach the clearing without delay.
After the men had dismounted their horses and unpacked their rations, Kamateros gathered all the officers and soldiers of the allagion. He informed them of their hour's respite, of the change in the mission, and what they expect upon reaching the city. Markos noted that other commanders, his father included, would have added some remarks about the righteousness of their cause and how they were rescuing upright men from the clutches of darkness. The Komes knew his commander as a man with little patience for great speeches or flowery sentiments, and he was proven right once more.
'Failure is the province of the heathen and the barbarian,' Kamateros simply said. 'Do not insult the name of God and the Roman Empire by falling short now.'
Kamateros then assigned a large square within the clearing, which would be guarded by men from each bandon in two watches, as the grounds upon which they would rest. After separating into their banda and drawing lots to see who would stand guard, all of the soldiers worked to set up a rudimentary palisade consisting of makeshift tripods made from lances and shields at the perimeter of the square. The hour's respite only truly began in earnest after Eirenikos reported the time after measuring it using his geared sundial-calendar.
The rest was a mostly quiet affair. The Romans and Eostians, weary from their ride, were more concerned with eating their rations and speaking with their closest brethren-at-arms. The sounds of the forest, which once more filled the air, were broken only by the snorting of bored horses resting at the centre of the formation or the calls of officers reporting of the time every quarter-hour.
As per the Allagator's commands, Markos, Gavrilo, and three more pairs of spear companions from their bandon were exempt from the patrols. As the rest of the bandon rested, the Komes explained the mission assigned to them. Gavrilo and the six other koursores stepped up and volunteered to join their commander. Markos gave Lazar command of the rest of the bandon in his absence.
The scouting party, which consisted of Markos, his seven volunteers, Princess Alicia, and three of her knights, left immediately after the officers made their rounds to announce that a half-hour had passed.
Markos and Princess Alicia agreed to split the group to cover more ground, with each group consisting of a pair of spear companions and an Iris Knight. Markos noted to himself that the princess took all but one of her knights who knew Greek at some level. The groups rode together until they reached what almost seemed like a wall of trees, at which point they fanned out in search for gaps wide enough for horses to pass through.
The search did not take long. The trio of horsemen that consisted of Markos, Gavrilo, and an Iris Knight whose name the Komes did not catch took the path closest to the lake. As soon as the pristine blue waters came into view, Markos saw something he knew the Allagator needed to know about.
There seemed to be smoke rising from the far end of the lake, where the fortress-city of Ur was supposed to be in.
Markos and his companions disregarded the path and instead dismounted and walked closer to the lake's shore to get a clearer view of the city. As he crouched down and peered from behind the bushes closest to the shote, the Komes felt a sinking feeling in his gut. He saw great columns of smoke rising from within the walls of the city, soot-black against a clouded sky, blown eastward by the wind. No smoke arose from city's castle, perched as it was atop a hill that terminated in a steep cliff that faced the lake, but it was a small comfort at best.
The rebellion is little more than a distraction, Markos thought. The conspirators' true plan is to take the princess by stealth. Of course the castle will be unharmed.
'I don't think that's a simple fire,' Gavrilo whispered from beside Markos.
'I know,' Markos growled. 'Either there was some manner of catastrophic accident, or the conspirators have decided to act out of turn.'
'M-my lords,' the Iris Knight said from behind the two Romans. 'The city… what do we do, sirs?'
Markos stood up and faced the knight, the glint of steely determination upon his face. 'Sound the retreat,' he ordered.
'Y-yes, my lord,' the knight answered, immediately heading to the spot where they tied their horses as quickly as she could.
'No time to circle around the forest now,' Gavrilo said as he and Markos also made their way to their horses.
'Indeed,' Markos agreed. 'And no time to wait for evening either. We have to move, and we have to move quickly.'
The Komes clenched his teeth in agitation before speaking again. 'And we ought to pray we are not too late.'
Unbeknownst to the Romans in the forest north of Ur, a larger force was similarly travelling towards the city from the south-east. This force was made up of three hundred riders, men and women both, knights and yeomen dressed in the Eostian fashion. Though muddied and haggard from several days of forced march, they remained an impressive sight, riding at speed in four columns seventy-five riders deep in the middle of one of the many paved cobblestone roads that cut through the wide, grassy plain of Ur. At the head of this formation flew the standard of Geofu, the sunburst banner of the Knights of the Temple of Dawn.
And beside the standard bearer, riding on a mighty grey warhorse, Shield-Princess Claudia Levantine of Geofu looked directly ahead, her steely blue eyes not once straying from the smoke rising from the direction of Ur.
'A plan well-executed, brother,' Ponti said, grinning widely at the burlap sack on the seat across him.
'Most excellently done indeed, brother,' Conti, who sat at his right, replied, looking at the sack with similar glee.
The Mortadella brothers were sat comfortably on the plush, velvet-covered seats one one end of their carriage, which sped along away from Ur with all due haste. They left the city less than an hour before, with the watchmen at the gates allowing them out with little issue thanks to the royal warrant they possessed. They were accompanied by four dozen liveried horsemen from their household: twelve riding ahead of them, twelve behind, and twelve riding in single file to their left and right.
The Mortadellas' carriage trod its way across the road that stretched eastward from Ur. Their intended destination was the town of Larsa, a day and a night's ride away on a good horse. There, they intended to stop in one of their wineries to switch to a more nondescript wagon. Afterwards, they would head back west, avoiding Ur through a more circuitous route, towards their property in the west to gather up foodstuffs and other supplies for a long journey. From there, they would head north to join with the Black Dogs in Feoh. It was a simple, elegant plan, made foolproof by their extensive wealth and connections.
At the two brothers' feet was a burlap sack that contained the handmaiden Lady Triss. The two knew she was a true beauty, one of the finest in the Order of the Lily. While a truly lordly prize, the Mortadellas would not touch her. She was to be a prize, given to the brothers' servants as a reward.
The Mortadellas' true treasure lay on the seats opposite them, tied up and wrapped within another nondescript burlap sack.
The two pig-men snickered between themselves for the umpteenth time in the journey, filling the relative silence of the carriage with the sounds of their snorting. At long last, after years of longingly gazing at her from afar, they finally had their hands on that which they desired the most: Princess Prim of Feoh.
'A flower is at its freshest right after picking,' Conti said moments after they quietened down. 'Though it may remain beautiful after passing through several hands, by then, it is no longer it its most pristine.'
Ponti hesitantly moved his eyes away from their shared prize and turned towards his brother, the beginning of a displeased grimace upon his features.
'I do not think I like what you are implying, brother,' he said, his tone slow and measured.
Conti remained calm in the face of his brother's growing agitation. He looked his brother in the eye, a knowing smile on his face.
'I am merely thinking of our rights,' the pig-man said. 'Do recall what General Vault told us during our conference with him: that while he rescinds his previous promise of granting us Princess Prim exclusively for our services, we may still regain such a privilege for the right price. And yes, we have paid such a price already.'
'I do not recall paying the good general anything,' Ponti replied as he narrowed his eyes. 'Did you reach some manner of accord with him behind my back?'
Conti shook his head in response. 'Of course not, brother,' he said. 'We make our dealings together, or we do not make them at all. However, I am not lying in that we have already purchased Princess Prim. For the price of a fortress-city, even.'
'You underestimate King Alois far too much, my brother,' Ponti answered with a slight grin and shake of his head.
'Perhaps,' Conti mused, rubbing his chin in thought. 'But what victory he might be able to scrape matters little. The Black Dogs should be arriving in force in the next few days, and they will find the city open and ripe for the taking,' he explained, with a wide grin and a conspiratorial glint in his eye. 'All thanks to the blood and labours of our hired hands, which are the greatest of our treasures.'
Ponti shook his head again, chuckling as he did. 'Your logic is most sound, brother, but I do not think General Vault will agree,' he said. 'While the general is a grand visionary and a warrior without peer, his conception of a good business transaction is quite… unimaginative.'
The conversation was cut short, by two loud taps on one of the carriage's side windows. Ponti opened it and saw one of the two footmen riding behind the carriage peer in.
'Begging your pardon, Masters, but I have something urgent to report,' the footman said.
'Speak, then,' Conti replied.
'We have spotted a group of riders some distance away in the north,' the footman replied. He then stood upright and peered out once more before looking into the window again. 'They appear to be getting closer. What do we do?'
'Pursuers?' Ponti asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. 'Our men have been defeated that quickly?'
'Impossible,' Conti said. 'This is King Alois we are talking about. And even if he did manage to conjure some miracle and win, we left nothing to connect us with the insurgents. Perhaps those are the Black Dogs' vanguard… Maybe another mercenary band?'
'Or remnants from Feoh,' Ponti pointed out. He then turned to the footman. 'How many are these riders? Do you see any banners they are flying?'
'They are far too distant to fully discern, my lord,' the footman answered, 'but it is a significant number.' He again stood upright to look at the direction of the riders, eyes squinted, straining to get some clue as to who they were. The only thing they saw was some shape in the distance, too far away to be clearly distinctive, but he knew from long experience that the shape indeed consisted of a group of men on horseback. He peered back into the carriage after a few minutes to see both Mortadella brothers also looking out the windows facing north.
'I- I can see some banners, but I cannot tell the what the patterns mean,' the footman reported. 'I can assure you those patterns do not resemble the Iris of Feoh.'
The two brothers nodded at each other, the worries starting to form in their heads starting to dissipate.
'Another mercenary band, then,' Ponti decided, dismissing the footman with a nod of his head. 'But in whose service and why they are here, I do not know.' He then stuck his head out the window and called out with a loud voice.
'The captains of the van and the rear will ride out to meet these newcomers,' he ordered. 'Treat with them or kill them, depending on whom they serve. The captains of the left and right will continue travelling with the carriage.'
'We do not know how many those riders are,' Conti remarked. 'For all we know, there could be hundreds. And they might be enemies after all.'
'The sword-arms of our men are among the finest in the kingdom,' Ponti said. 'They will not be bested by mere mercenary lowlifes.' He shrugged and looked at the approaching shapes for one last time. As they grew closer, they changed from being a somewhat singular amorphous form to a distinct individuals on horses, many of whom seemingly carrying spears. 'And if they serve the Black Dogs, all the better.' He then tapped the sack at his feet with one of his boots.
'Lady Triss here will have more work cut out for her, though.'
'Is this wise, Commander?'
Claudia tore her eyes away from the smoke and looked towards Captain Astrid. The knight, who had been her stolid and dependable second since she joined the ranks of the Dawn Templars, had a concerned frown upon her face.
'No,' Claudia admitted. 'But do we have any other choice besides haste?'
Astrid shook her head before turning her gaze towards the direction of Ur and the smoke coming from it.
'I guess we do not,' she said.
Claudia had reluctantly ordered her band to a halt, both to help them catch their breath and to allow the other contingents of Claudia's gathered army – including those who were yet to muster – time to catch up.
The Alliance force under Claudia's command had grown from the six thousand she hurriedly mustered at Geofu to eight thousand shortly after they reached the Rock of Kish, thanks to some contingents from Geofu catching up to Claudia and a few of the border lords of Ur having mustered quickly enough to join in. This force initially left the castle in good order, well-organised and marching in ideal conditions. Such a state of affairs did not last long, however, thanks to the unexpected autumn rains Feoh and Ur were known for. Claudia and the rest of the lords agreed to push ahead, unwilling as they were to delay their march to rescue Feoh, and the army braved rains of varying degrees of strength and almost uniformly difficult, muddy roads for five days. The army came out of the rains cold and exhausted in both body and spirit, but it remained intact.
And then black smoke appeared across the horizon, rising from the direction of Ur. That was when all semblance of organisation broke. Claudia ordered the entire army to march at speed towards Ur, with the riders to go on full gallop and those on foot to leave the baggage train to fend for itself and march at the double.
And so it was that Claudia had ended up with her three hundred, eighty-two of them Dawn Templars and the rest squires or yeomen. As the commander led her soldiers to a slight elevation on the side of the road, thoughts of what may have happened in Ur raced across her mind.
This is surely some kind of unfortunate accident, she thought, even as she dismounted from her horse and again gazed at the smoke rising from Ur. There is no way the Black Dogs could have taken Feoh so quickly… Or perhaps they bypassed it?
As she stood at the foot of the elevation and observed the smoke, Claudia heard armoured feet trudging through grass from behind her. She did not need to turn to know that it was Astrid.
'What do you think happened to Ur, Commander?' the captain asked as she stopped at Claudia's right.
Claudia shook her head. 'I don't know,' she admitted. 'But whatever it is, it looks like Ur will need our help in dealing with it.'
'Do you think it is the Black Dogs?' Astrid asked. 'Could they have breached the defences of Feoh?'
'I am not discounting that possibility,' Claudia said, her face set in a thoughtful frown. 'It could be the Black Dogs. It could be traitors from within the city. It could be some kitchen fire getting out of hand. It could even be…'
Claudia's mind was drawn back to that quiet meeting in Ken shortly after they received the Black Dogs' declaration of war, when the Goddess privately confided to her of yet another worry.
Iron knights on iron-clad steeds, Claudia thought. An army of steel and fire. Could they be…
'Commander?' Astrid asked, some hint of concern in her voice.
Claudia shook her head but did not take her eyes off from the smoke. 'Whatever happened there, I want our knights – no, the entire army – fully prepared to fight if need be.'
'Commander! Captain!' a voice rang out from atop the mound, followed by the sounds of someone running coming from behind the two women.
'Report,' Claudia said as she and Astrid turned to see the Sir Cal of the Dawn Templars stop to catch his breath behind her.
'I have spotted two signs of activity near the city, Commander,' Cal replied. 'A carriage moving away from it with a bodyguard of riders, and a group of riders approaching from the north-eastern road.'
'Do you know whose carriage that is?' Astrid asked while Claudia briefly gazed out at the distance.
'The riders bear the livery of the Lords Mortadella, Captain,' Cal replied.
Loyal servants of King Alois, even if they have the ire of quite a number of Ur's nobility, Claudia thought. His majesty clearly gave them leave.
'Likely not a threat to us. What of those riders?' Claudia asked.
'That… That I am not sure of,' Cal answered. 'They seem to number at least a hundred, and are apparently riding while holding onto spears and shields. They carry several flags and banners, with the leading one bearing a most peculiar design.'
'How peculiar, exactly?'
In response to his commander's question, Cal unstrapped his sword and sheath from his baldric, knelt down, and drew the shape on the ground with his sheath.
Claudia felt her heart sink as the knight drew. She felt her jaw clench, unclench, and clench again in agitation as she kept staring at the runic symbol on the ground, even after Cal stood back up and took a step back. The words of the Goddess from that private audience in Ken reverberated in her mind.
By this sign, they will conquer.
'I don't recognise that pattern,' Astrid said with a frown, her arms crossed in thought. 'Do you, Commander?'
'Yes,' Claudia hissed, still staring at the symbol. 'All too well.' She then turned to Astrid. 'Have our men and women mount up and prepare to ride out immediately,' she ordered. 'We will meet with these newcomers.'
And I end this chapter at that cliffhanger-y note. Still no stabbing here, but there will certainly be action in the next one, whenever it comes out. Oh, and did you know that the scenes with Prim and her parents were inspired by something that also happened in the game?
Janny092: The Byzantines will have to train the natives to fight like them if they want reinforcements, yes. And we'll be seeing the reaction of the rest of Eostia to their arrival after this.
Perseus12: Beasley's punishment will sadly have to wait until the situation in Feoh is sorted out. For the moment, he and his friends can stay in their dungeons. The punishment will probably be merciful. As for the dark elves, I think we'll see them again soon. Oh yes.
Ekurman: The original plan was Prim like those little details alongside the summary show, but yes, the plot seems to be pushing for Alicia. That said, I'm absolutely horrible at writing romance, so don't expect too much from that front.
Mad God 42: That 'instil' issue is caused by my keyboard being British after I accidentally spilled Marmite on it that one time. I'm sure there are other errors there, and I may correct them as I find them (or just let my shame remain un-corrected for the world to see). And if you're wondering, this chapter is brought to you by 'Ai Oboete Imasu ka' from the first Macross movie.
Muda: That damned virus, and its other virus friends.
wingofpain: The Eastern Roman Empire did rely too much on mercenaries, especially during the time of the incompetent emperors that followed Basil II's long and glorious reign. The manpower issues caused by the defeat in Manzikert and subsequent civil wars didn't help their case as well. And yes, that explanation for Eostian armour makes sense, but it turns out that there seems to be actual armour for men in the story. I'm probably going to go with some kind of cultural explanation for this one.
Blaze1992: The Romans had slaves during their Byzantine period, yes, like all the other cultures in the world. Their slavery is quite different from what the Black Dogs practise, though. For instance, the influence of Christianity meant that the Byzantine's slaves were (ideally) treated as people, not as property, and there were laws that protected their rights (though the presence of laws prohibiting oppression implies that oppression did happen). Roman slaves also had a chance to be free with enough skill and luck, like how John Axouch went from captive Turkish slave to something like the Prime Minister of the Empire during the reign of John II (there will be some allusions to him in this story).
James317: That's true. Rape is not a good basis for the founding of a country. The original authors of Kuroinu didn't seem to bother themselves with that problem much, though, since there's a sequel set 150 years after this one. How that happened and what brought it about, we may never know.
Schniedragon88: To be honest, I also don't know how I stumbled into writing this story.
KodokSangar: The Byzantines are a very under-appreciated part of Roman history. I find that historians have not done them much justice until recently. I mean, they invented the fork. If that isn't a reason for a civilisation to be exulted throughout history, I don't know what is. As for the magic protection as an excuse for armour, that is an excellent idea I should have thought of. I wonder if I can still steal it without no one noticing. And as for pollaxes, I had to remove one scene from this chapter about new weapons to preserve the cliffhanger.
That is it for now. Next time, the situation gets messy or something. But before that, I will try to update the Settra story, which has been languishing there for some time now. Or maybe I'll get this story first. Who knows? I sure don't.