A Prophecy Speaks
a/n: I do not own labyrinth. This chapter marks the end of the next to last batch. I will be uploading chapters 41-45 tomorrow/later today since it is 314am.
Chapter 40 –or- Journey
They stood at the gates of Crimsonfire City, waiting for their horses. Carys was trying hard not to cry. Jareth admired her strength. She was just as capable as Sarah. The Underground was lucky to have such strong queens to keep the land intact.
"I hope to be back in a couple of months. Let's try to have Jareth back before his children are born. It will take a fortnight to reach the border. The dwarves will be outmatched on the plains below the mountains, especially with us having cavalry. I expect they will retreat to Belegrat. By then their numbers should be so dwindled that they will not be able to hold the city. After that it is all a matter of reorganizing the dwarfs and finding them a new leader," Danol explained to his wife. She nodded in understanding.
A stable boy brought Drago and a black stallion named Saetan that belonged to Danol. They said their goodbyes, and took off at a canter to catch up with the army.
The goblin infantry rode up the middle of the formation, with calvary on the flanks. The rear guard was comprised of centaurs, satyrs, and other creatures from The Woods. When they reached the border they would be joined by the elves in both infantry and calvary. They elves were good archers and would be taking care of that area.
The army stretched out pretty far. Jareth did not feel bad for Nogrod, but he did feel bad for Nogrod's subjects. They were going to lose husbands and fathers because their mad king brought them to war. He could only hope most would surrender instead of fighting to the death.
The sun was already beating down on them, making the troops sweat and pant. It would be like this until they reached the border. Then, the cool air coming off the mountains would do them a world of good. Jareth sighed and rode on, trying to keep his wife out of his mind and concentrate on the matter at hand.
The calvary scouts reported to them once they had been on the road about ten days. Corporal Wyndam pulled up beside them and gave a salute.
"Your Majesties, there is a party of about two hundred dwarves scouting about four miles from here. What would you have us do?" he asked in a gravelly voice.
"If we exercise the soldiers and eliminate the patrol then Nogrod will know by late tomorrow that we are near. Any indication they have spotted us?" Danol asked.
"Your Majesty, we do not believe they have seen us," the corporal assured them.
"Keep an eye on them and report back if the situation changes," Danol dismissed the corporal.
"Sound strategy Danol," Jareth complimented the monarch.
"We will have plenty of scouting parties to deal with in the next four days. No need to waste our time on them. We will send the rear guard to capture them once the battle is over," Danol shrugged.
Jareth nodded and continued to ride. They would be stopping for the day in a few hours.
King Danol was right. Not two days after the incident with the remote scouting party, they were attacked by a contingent of about two hundred dwarves that were hiding in an outcropping of rocks. They swarmed out as the Kings passed, wielding axes and short swords. They were attacking from the west, and the calvary was dispatched to take care of them.
They were given several opportunities to surrender. The dwarves ignored the offers and fought on until they were all killed. The soldiers who had fought went about cleansing the blood from their weapons and their bodies. The dwarf weapons were confiscated, and their clothing searched. After the grim business of searching the dead was over the dwarves were piled together and burned. They moved on to avoid the distinctive smell of burning flesh.
They rode on for two more days until Nogrod's crude encampment showed up in their line of sight. They had arrived. And Jareth said a quick prayer for all of them.