AHHH! Next chap!
Thanks for the review everyone. I'm back from break so I hope to put many more chapters up. Hopefully this will hold you over till then.
~~~&~~&~~~
The game of intrigue is played in silence. Everything is as secretive as possible. So as Lord Gareth proudly smiles to himself; I know that it is a bluff and that he probably won't attack for another round or two. Suddenly his black robed mage utters something and before my eyes his terrain changes into open meadows, I was wrong. He's about to attack and he doesn't need his navy to do it anymore.
"Hmm" I ponder while Gareth's side of the board is cloaked in mist again. (The visibility spell has worn off) "Lord Gareth is obviously a knight used to commanding. Perhaps I can use this against him. Uncle has always said the weakness of Tortall's armies was against the Amazon and Bazhir. Perhaps it is because the Amazons are hard to see and move with silent grace to ambush and the Bazhir strike hard and efficiently from three sides." With this in mind I dismiss my navy, leaving a piece to split the Amazon/Bazhirian piece into two groups. I position them on both sides of the clearing; hiding them with the forest. This leaves one battalion in the clearing with Thor as the commander, one battalion hidden in the trees with George as the commander, Jen with one of the Amazon/Bazhirian pieces, and Renee with the other. With my one move left I cast a protection spell upon my 'bait' battalion in the clearing. Looking up I indicate end of turn. "Come on fishing, bite!" I silently pray.
By now he can clearly see my one battalion which is left so defenseless in the clearing. (A/N: hehehe) I see a slight sparkle in his eyes which looks to be triumph? Ha! He takes the bait. With his last move he engages my severely outnumbered battalion by striking first with his mages then with the King's Own. Quickly I retaliate, commanding my amazon archers to fire, my Bazhirian groups to attack, Jen and Renee open fire from both sides on his two other mages, the second battalion to move into position behind the attack force, and for I to engage the black mage. The battle doesn't last long as the crestfallen Lord Gareth admits defeat when his retreating troops are cut off and surrounded. Knowing how much a loss can hurt; I stand and curtsy, a show of respect for an opponent.
"Well played my Lord. You are truly unpredictable." I smile with deep respect.
"Amazing. I admit I underestimated you, something I won't do in the future." Gareth answers with a smile. A faint bell chime rings through the halls
"Oh dear, we have been at this for a long time. I must be hurry or else I'll face Renee's wrath. Something I have told myself to avoid at all costs." With that I curtsy and run out the door with my bag of pieces, leaving in my wake a grinning Lord.
~~$$~~$$~~~ "Truly you can't be serious." The king whispers in disbelief. "You, defeated by a thirteen year old noble girl?"
"Ah but I am serious your majesty. If I may advise, you may want to look into a marriage alliance with Leanness." Lord Gareth "From what I have seen, they could prove to be the very protector we need against Scanra.
"But, they have no decent princesses!" King Roald muses.
"Well, they have Katalina. And she has as a dowry the fortress of Rivenfort; along with two hundred well trained soldiers and over a hundred thunderbirds.
"The impenetrable fortress and a hundred thunderbirds?" gasps the king.
"Yes."
"Emperor Paltear will never agree to such an arrangement. He would get nothing in return."
"Well, not now, but I bring it up now so the prince can get his act together and court her, for if I'm not mistaken, the final decision of whom she marries lies within her power, not the Emperor's." With that Lord Gareth spots Lady Katalina staring off into space next to the large windows and walks towards her.
"The impenetrable fortress...squire, fetch my son immediately."
~~~~~@@~~~~
oh what will happen..muahahahahaha, I don't think I'll tell you. =P
Thanks for the review everyone. I'm back from break so I hope to put many more chapters up. Hopefully this will hold you over till then.
~~~&~~&~~~
The game of intrigue is played in silence. Everything is as secretive as possible. So as Lord Gareth proudly smiles to himself; I know that it is a bluff and that he probably won't attack for another round or two. Suddenly his black robed mage utters something and before my eyes his terrain changes into open meadows, I was wrong. He's about to attack and he doesn't need his navy to do it anymore.
"Hmm" I ponder while Gareth's side of the board is cloaked in mist again. (The visibility spell has worn off) "Lord Gareth is obviously a knight used to commanding. Perhaps I can use this against him. Uncle has always said the weakness of Tortall's armies was against the Amazon and Bazhir. Perhaps it is because the Amazons are hard to see and move with silent grace to ambush and the Bazhir strike hard and efficiently from three sides." With this in mind I dismiss my navy, leaving a piece to split the Amazon/Bazhirian piece into two groups. I position them on both sides of the clearing; hiding them with the forest. This leaves one battalion in the clearing with Thor as the commander, one battalion hidden in the trees with George as the commander, Jen with one of the Amazon/Bazhirian pieces, and Renee with the other. With my one move left I cast a protection spell upon my 'bait' battalion in the clearing. Looking up I indicate end of turn. "Come on fishing, bite!" I silently pray.
By now he can clearly see my one battalion which is left so defenseless in the clearing. (A/N: hehehe) I see a slight sparkle in his eyes which looks to be triumph? Ha! He takes the bait. With his last move he engages my severely outnumbered battalion by striking first with his mages then with the King's Own. Quickly I retaliate, commanding my amazon archers to fire, my Bazhirian groups to attack, Jen and Renee open fire from both sides on his two other mages, the second battalion to move into position behind the attack force, and for I to engage the black mage. The battle doesn't last long as the crestfallen Lord Gareth admits defeat when his retreating troops are cut off and surrounded. Knowing how much a loss can hurt; I stand and curtsy, a show of respect for an opponent.
"Well played my Lord. You are truly unpredictable." I smile with deep respect.
"Amazing. I admit I underestimated you, something I won't do in the future." Gareth answers with a smile. A faint bell chime rings through the halls
"Oh dear, we have been at this for a long time. I must be hurry or else I'll face Renee's wrath. Something I have told myself to avoid at all costs." With that I curtsy and run out the door with my bag of pieces, leaving in my wake a grinning Lord.
~~$$~~$$~~~ "Truly you can't be serious." The king whispers in disbelief. "You, defeated by a thirteen year old noble girl?"
"Ah but I am serious your majesty. If I may advise, you may want to look into a marriage alliance with Leanness." Lord Gareth "From what I have seen, they could prove to be the very protector we need against Scanra.
"But, they have no decent princesses!" King Roald muses.
"Well, they have Katalina. And she has as a dowry the fortress of Rivenfort; along with two hundred well trained soldiers and over a hundred thunderbirds.
"The impenetrable fortress and a hundred thunderbirds?" gasps the king.
"Yes."
"Emperor Paltear will never agree to such an arrangement. He would get nothing in return."
"Well, not now, but I bring it up now so the prince can get his act together and court her, for if I'm not mistaken, the final decision of whom she marries lies within her power, not the Emperor's." With that Lord Gareth spots Lady Katalina staring off into space next to the large windows and walks towards her.
"The impenetrable fortress...squire, fetch my son immediately."
~~~~~@@~~~~
oh what will happen..muahahahahaha, I don't think I'll tell you. =P