Kathryn VI
After standing in a discreet corner with a tray of food and refreshments, listening to King Arlyn's war council deliberations for hours and hours, Kate was beginning to nod off. She was leaning against the wall, trying and mostly failing to keep her eyes open. She was still exhausted from the previous night and it was all she could do to stay upright. Just when Kate had closed her eyes for a few moments, she was startled awake by the sound of wood slamming against stone.
"News from the north!" A messenger burst into the council room and knelt on the floor, out of breath. "Our spies report that the attack was a success. The Wolf's Den has fallen."
"What of the giganotosaurus?" King Arlyn pressed, unfazed by the news. His expression was still as stern as before the meeting had been interrupted.
"Dead as well," the messenger gasped between breaths. "The informer stated that every living creature in that castle perished during the attack."
Finally, Arlyn leaned back as an expression of relief washed over his face. It was just as quickly replaced by the serious mask from before. "And what of the strike team that Vincent sent? They should have returned by now."
"I fear they were all hunted down and slain as well, your grace. No survivors made it outside the Northern Coalition's borders."
The generals around the room murmured unhappily. King Arlyn grit his teeth but nodded. "We threw a small horde at that castle, with Ivy and Nightshade leading the hunt no less. Surprising that an untrained yearling managed to hold out against such a force. But. . . if their sacrifice removed that monster, then it was worthwhile. The Island is much safer with that thing dead."
"What now, your grace?" Lord Vincent inquired.
"We count our blessings, mourn the dead, and march on the morrow." The king turned to Keith. "Lord Keith. Now that Vincent's reinforcements have arrived at Cerulean Falls, we're ready to begin. You still have command of the army. Get everything in order and leave at the break of dawn."
King Arlyn stood. "You're all dismissed. We'll meet again in the compound before your departure tomorrow."
All the generals filed out of the room. When Arlyn saw his servants and guards lingering behind, he waved them out as well. "I'll have no more need of you tonight. Enjoy your time as you wish."
Kate bowed and followed the others out of the room. She was trying her best to keep a low profile within the court and it was working. By staying out of sight and out of mind, she was able to keep her life relatively calm and mundane. After all the initial trouble with King Arlyn rescuing her from Keith, she was now out of both their awarenesses. More or less. She still occasionally caught sight of Keith scowling at her, but for the most part he had better things to do with his time. Since he was commanding general of the gathered Protectorate army, he would soon be out of her life. Hopefully forever. Kate silently prayed that he would die in the upcoming war. Him and all the others that had made her life a living hell. Most of them were evil, twisted creatures. The Island would be much better off with them gone.
However, that wasn't to say that she wished death upon everyone in the Protectorate. There were some that had made her life tolerable. I should find Sir Melvin before he leaves, Kate realized. It might very well be the last chance I have to thank him for all he's done. Kate had subconsciously returned to her room without realizing. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she tried to ignore her fatigue. Instead, she went outside the castle and started searching around the courtyard for her knight.
All around her, Cerulean Falls was stirring with activity as soldiers scrambled around. The sun was almost down, casting a hazy orange glow on the castle. Some men were drinking or feasting at tables. Others were cleaning their weapons and organizing their gear. A few were sparring in the courtyard, more than Kate might see on a normal evening. There's suddenly so much activity, as if those soldiers are finally waking up out of a dream. The army had been encamped at Cerulean Falls for months, but for the most part it had been relatively calm. There had been nothing for them to do except wait until King Arlyn finally gave them the word to move out. And now that those orders had come, it was like an anthill had been kicked. There was chaos and excitement rippling throughout the army's ranks.
They're eager to fight. It's what they're good at. Kate frowned, knowing that every man she saw outside was one more enemy for the north. Despite everything she had experienced during her time under the Protectorate, or perhaps because of it, Kathryn's loyalties still lay with the north. She had tried to convince herself to let go of her foolish fantasies, to purge herself of the traitorous thoughts that might very well get herself executed, but she still clung to those dreams of someday returning north. Even though King Arlyn is an understanding and generous man, something tells me that if I keep this up. . . if I slip up and let my true loyalties be known, then it will be the end of me. So it's better if I just stop lying to myself. My dreams of returning to the north will never come true. . .
Kate had just about given up on trying to find Sir Melvin amidst the dozens of other knights in the courtyard until she had one last idea. He usually frequented the stables to take care of his parasaur, a calm maroon beast that enjoyed treats and getting brushed. After making her way around the courtyard one last time, Kate decided that was where she would check next. Sure enough, she found him in one of the dimly lit pens, brushing his mount's dusty scales with a wet rag.
"Kate?" A thin smile tugged at his lips as he recognized her. "I haven't seen you in a while. What brings you here?"
Kate smiled back. She kept to herself, never really interacting with the maids, servants, and guards unless it was absolutely necessary. As such, she didn't really have anybody that she would consider a friend, except perhaps the knight standing before her. "I'm sure you've heard that King Arlyn gave the order to leave tomorrow. Well, I figured I would stop by and thank you again. Your small acts of kindness helped me get through the worst days and nights of my life."
Melvin laughed gently. "This again? It's the least I could do. I should be thanking you for helping me realize I was doing far too little for all the poor souls I've seen."
"We can call it even then." Kate's grin slowly faded into a frown. "So this is it then. You're riding out tomorrow with all the others?"
"That's the plan. I'll be in Lord Keith's vanguard."
"The first to face danger," Kate pointed out.
"And the first to seek glory," Melvin returned. "How else am I supposed to honour my promise? I still mean to win land to shelter at least a few of those women. The only way I can do so is if I show valour on the front lines."
"I wish there was some other way," Kate murmured.
"Well, this is just the harsh truth of our world. The solution to most problems is violence. The only way I can climb the Protectorate's ranks is to prove my capabilities on the battlefield."
"You could desert to the north," Kate blurted out. She immediately put a hand over her mouth and looked around to see if anyone had overheard her.
Melvin also glanced around, fear glistening in his eyes. "Careful what you say," he hissed.
When Kate was sure nobody was eavesdropping, she continued. This time in a more subtle whisper. "I mean it."
"I can't. Fate put me here, and I'm already far too committed to the Protectorate to just leave now. Besides, there's no guarantee that the northerners would even accept me. If I turn my cloak, then I'll only make myself an enemy to both sides. And that would likely leave me dead." He raised an eyebrow. "You see more of King Arlyn than most. Do you doubt his capabilities to forge a better future for mankind?"
"Well, he does have lots of ambition and a clear vision," Kate admitted. "But I still can't shake the feeling that there might be a better way to do it."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. You must appreciate that at least."
Kate nodded glumly, realizing it was no hope. Stupid. It's one thing to keep these thoughts in my head. Like a fool, I actually blurted them out loud! Thank the Island Melvin didn't turn me in right then and there. And good thing nobody else was nearby to hear. I really need to be more careful. "I suppose you're right. Forget what I said."
Melvin shook his head. "After I leave you better remain careful. I'm afraid on your behalf, for the things you might say without anybody to keep you sensible."
"I'm always sensible," Kate muttered back. She sighed. "And you. Stay out of danger. Win those castles if you have to, but they'll be no use if you're dead. So stay alive."
"Got it," Melvin smiled. "I'll see you after the war's over."
Kate gave him a quick hug. "Until then," she agreed.
Kate returned back to her chambers. Before she went to sleep she picked up a broomstick and swiped it around for a few minutes, as she had seen knights in the courtyard doing. She could not quite remember when she had started training herself. All she knew was that she never wanted to be helpless and powerless again. If the time came, she vowed that she would be ready to defend herself. So she made a habit of practicing every night. Sometimes, when she had nightmares and couldn't sleep, she would drill for hours and hours. Otherwise, she would only practice for a few minutes before going to sleep. She went through several techniques, striking, blocking, and parrying. She kept her motions in the air and did not hit anything, otherwise the servants in neighbouring rooms might find it odd that if she periodically tapped their walls every night. After Kate was done with her set of exercises, she climbed into bed and fell asleep quickly.
The next morning, the Protectorate army left. It was a huge spectacle so most of Cerulean Fall's population had shown up to watch the soldiers depart. Even a bunch of slaves had been permitted a brief break from their work to watch the procession.
Kate spotted Melvin near the front of the column. She could tell him apart from the other similarly armoured knights by his maroon parasaur. She did not risk waving. Instead she held up her hand a small fraction. Kate hoped that he saw the gesture, but with all the other knights and animals nearby, it would be hard for the signal to reach him.
The vanguard was made of seventy knights on parasaurs, fifty on raptors, and perhaps a hundred other riders mounted on either equus or gallimimus, though most of them had left the castle hours ago to screen for danger. Next came the body of the army, where all the largest herbivores and carnivores travelled. Kate saw about sixty triceratops, forty stegosaurus, three therizinosaurus, four paraceratherium, and three huge diplodocus with platform saddles and archer crews. The sight of them reminded her of Berry, the poor creature. Following the diplodocus trio came two massive brontosaurus with heavier siege weaponry on their backs; ballistae, catapults, and the like. Every single one of their footsteps was like a miniature earthquake. Kate couldn't imagine what might possibly stand up against those behemoths in battle.
After the herbivores came the carnivores. Ten allosaurus travelled on the outskirts, clustered in small packs. Lord Keith himself was seated on his massive black tyrannosaurus, Inferno. Right beside him rode Lord Vincent on Tsunami, the sparkling cobalt spinosaurus. His other spinosauruses, Torrent and Typhoon, followed behind, each with its own rider. Afterward followed twenty carnotaurus, ten baryonyx, sixteen kaprosuchus, and eight sarcosuchus. Kate found the swamp creatures fascinating and terrifying at the same time. She certainly knew she wouldn't want to find herself in the jaws of such ambush predators. Neither did the other Protectors, it seemed. Six hundred foot soldiers followed after the procession of riders, albeit at a distance. A good four hundred were spearmen, the remaining two hundred archers.
After the main body followed the supply train; fifty wagons with all the food and provisions for the army, pulled by parasaurs, iguanodons, and triceratops. On the flanks and rearguard rode more knights and men at arms, who were charged with defending the valuable resources. Thirty rode raptors, six rode carnotaurus, twenty knights were mounted on parasaurs, and there were also twenty triceratops and ten stegosaurus, each beast burdened with baskets or platforms on their back to carry archers. Throughout the whole army, there were also dozens of dilophosaurus and troodons scurrying about, though there were far too many for Kate to count. The column finished off with a pack of four more allosaurus and their armored riders, then that was it.
The rumble of hundreds of footsteps slowly faded into the distance, along with the army itself. After they had disappeared over the horizon, the remaining garrison officers began barking at the slaves and servants to get back to work. Kate lingered for a moment longer, wondering just what was to come of the war ahead, then returned to the empty castle behind her.
Author's Note:
DinoNerd89, They definitely still have a worthy fighting force even without Argentum. Glad you enjoyed!
Girlbook, Yep I agree.
Nateman364, The Coalition definitely has smaller sized creatures but it will make room for some interesting and creative tactics. And yep, the rhinos will be devastating out in an open battlefield, so they have a pretty strong mounted force :)
Caleb Watson, Interesting to see that analysis! Out of curiosity, how do you get the numbers? Is it based off the ark wiki?
Maurits Joos, I can save you a little anxiety by telling you that uploads are normally on fridays. You won't need to check every day now lol.
Thunder, Well there we go. Hopefully that answers your questions about how Arlyn reacted to things :)
SaurianFan, Haha the bosses would probably be overkill, what with each of them being able to melt whole armies. Interesting thought though!
Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!
- DaRumpyBurr