It was a sea in rage.
Violent tides pulled at him, threatening to tear him apart while whirlpools attempted to drag him under. No land was in sight, there was nothing but red and the smell and taste of copper for he was adrift in a sea of blood.
Despite this he was calm for he somehow knew nothing threatened him as he floated cross, the currents doing little more than push him on. One could hazard it was even enjoyable.
Something disagreed.
Hands gripped him, dragged him under.
-'Why do you resist?'
The words rattled his bones as his lunges threatened to burst as, despite his struggle, he was pulled further in.
-'You will learn.'
-'What is it?'
-'Dear Pheros, is that the tone one should take when speaking with the emperors right hand?'
Pheros scowled and did not bother hiding it, why Walhart allowed this abomination to cling to him was beyond her. Excellus did not seem to care as it giggled.
-'Do watch the frown dear, it will ruin your complexion.'
-'Why are you here?'
Pheros repeated instead, the eunuch giggled again.
-'To make sure the defense is going well. Though we have no doubts as to your talents you did manage to mess up despite my warning you of the enemies approach before hand.'
The priestess clenched and unclenched her hands as she fought the urge to comment how nobody would be capable of avoiding any damage when the Ylissian vanguard hit her forces as they were moving into the fortress. Besides the fact that the barbican had fallen was a tremendous blow, of that there was no discussion. Excellus giggled.
-'The emperor was not impressed but he believes you will hold till relief comes.'
-'Steiger will not fall.'
She stated. The eunoch looked at her and though the smile did not leave his mouth the humour did not reach his eyes.
-'Make sure it does not, the emperor will not be pleased should he find it in enemy hands.'
Silence fell at the implication, broken when Excellus grinned broadly and clapped his perfumed hands.
-'But I have every confidence it will not, after all I am already working to lift the siege and all you have to do is hold the walls which in all honesty anyone could do with you numbers.'
Just as Pheros was wondering whether she could get away with smiting the creature the door opened and a serjant stuck his head in.
-'Pardon lord, lady but the barbarians have approached the main gate under a white flag and wish to speak with the commander.'
Without looking to the eunuch she stood and was halfway out when Excellus spoke up.
-'Well and proper! Hold the fort dear and let the rest of us win the war.'
She stopped and turned and without any attempt at civility spoke.
-'So you are not staying.'
Excellus looked up from the runes of power he was writing into the floor with a giggle.
-'I wish I could but Walhart has me running so many errands I wonder when I'll be able to get it all done. It is so hard being trusted.'
Still giggling he vanished in a puff of foul smelling smoke. Pheros spat before following the serjant to the gate.
It was an impressive yawn, one that seemed to threaten to dislocate the yawners jaw.
-'Tired?'
Chrom asked, not taking his eyes of the battlements in front of them. With a shrug Robin answered.
-'I've had an early start.'
The exalt grunted at that as the movement on the walls seemed to intensify.
-'What did you want?'
A voice called down from the gate house.
-'Are you the commander of Steiger?'
Chrom answered.
-'That is I.'
-'I am giving you one last chance to surrender! You are besieged, we hold part of your defenses and outnumber you greatly!'
The response to Chroms voice surprised most everyone under the flag of truce, it was laughter.
-'By a generous estimate you outnumber us four to one, you would need ten times that to take the walls by storm!'
-'How did she get that accurate a number?'
Robin mused silently as the voice on the wall continued.
-'While we have more than enough supplies to wait for the Emperor to march here and crush you! The wiser course would be for you to surrender now and beg clemency for raising your fist at the empire!'
-'You had your chance! Do not expect mercy when the walls fall!'
Chrom barked before turning round and, followed by the others under the white flag he returned to the barbican. Once past the gate he turned.
-'So we have that out of the way, how long till we can launch the assault?'
-'Two, three days I'd say.'
Themis answered with a shrug. Chrom turned to Robin.
-'And how certain are you the plan will succeed?'
-'As certain as I can be about anything in war.'
The constable shrugged. The Exalt nodded with a sigh.
-'Right. Make the necessary preparations than.'
A thick mist rose from the marshland adding further difficulty to any who would try to see further than their arm in the dark before dawn. Shapes moved from the palisade surrounding the fortress, seemingly gliding their way to the moat. The first made their way cautiously through the moat, some hissing curses at the cold water, to the line of stakes and began to remove them as others struggling under the weight of the ladders they carried. Once the stakes were cleared they continued through the moat, the water coming up to their neck at places till the lead found what he was looking for, at the base of the walls dry earth poked up from the water, enough of it to give a ladder anchor and here the first sigh of relief was given as they saw it was long enough to scale the wall. The first seemed to glide up the ladder before pausing near the top and waited.
It became apparent for what when the sentry walked past, briefly visible from between the crenelations. The shadow on the ladder waited till the sentry walked past before sliding over the wall. The sentry must have noticed something as he began to turn just as a hand clapped around his mouth and a dagger sank into his neck, releasing a crimson stream. He kicked ever more feebly as he still struggled as he died while his killer held him down as more shades cleared the wall and began moving towards the tower from which the sentry had come, light and the sound of silent conversation showing the other sentries had not noticed anything. When enough had cleared the wall they moved to the doorway and the guardroom beyond. One of the Valmese looked up with a grin, a question on his lips that he never got to ask.
The bolt took him through the throat. Even as the other sentry jumped to his feet, a curse on his tongue another bolt was sent forward and the sentry fell on the brazier they had been huddling round.
Hands gripped the corpse and dragged it off the low fire before the shadows stood still, breath held, as they listened to hear whether the noise of the struggle had been heard.
Nothing. With a few signals the group moved down the tower to the door that was the only way to the courtyard. They stood in the shadow for a moment to make sure no one was moving in the early gloom before moving to their targets.
Despite herself her heart was pounding, her mouth was dry and her palms sweaty. Lucina followed the groups leader up the flight of stairs, trying hard not to think about what would happen if the three thousand men in Steiger were to realize a small force had infiltrated the castle.
Gaius raised his hand and immediately everyone stopped and clung to the wall. Gradually she heard the sound of voices speaking a language she did not understand but knew to be one of the tongues of Valm and the rattle of metal on metal as two soldiers walked past the stairwell they were on.
She released the breath she had not been aware she had been holding, the Valmese had walked by without noticing the dark shapes clinging to the shadows. It was still a moment before Gaius felt it safe enough to move on.
Further corridors cast in gloom before they reached what, according to their Valmese allies, was their target. The guard might have been dozing, he might have been thinking about any number of matters that were irrelevant, he did not notice the shadow glide up to him until a hand clapped around his mouth and a dagger sank into his neck.
Even as Gaius was easing the body down Vaike had slipped past and glanced into the room beyond before turning with a nod and holding up three fingers.
Everybody formed up near the door as Gaius counted down with his fingers.
Three... two... one...
The burst into the room, the men inside leaping to their feet even as crossbows snapped forward, propelling their bolts into the sentries who fell down with cries. Lucina swore, everything had seemed loud enough to bring the entire garrison on them.
-'Secure the doors! Get the signal going!'
Gaius seemed to agree with her silent assessment as he barked out orders and men moved to obey.
- 'Here.'
Vaike said as he thrust the lantern into her hand with a wink as he moved past to shut the door as soon as the dead sentry had been dragged through. As others moved to secure all entrances she moved to the hoarding and, making sure the lamp was lit, showed it towards the direction of the besieging army. Once... twice...
She saw it. An answer from the camp even as she saw movement behind the palisade.
-'They've started.'
She stated.
-'Let's hope they get through before the locals figure out where we are.'
Gaius said, face grim.
Men moved out from behind the palisade, many carrying baskets filled with earth, others bundles of wood or ladders. The gate of the barbican opened and a strong column moved out towards the main gate.
Resting his hands on the pommel of the saddle Robin observed the movement with some unease. Assualting a fortress was amongst the most complicated operations and he could not recall whether he had ever had a chance to try his hand on such an operation.
A hundred yards till the first of his men reached the moat and still no sign that the Imperial Valmese had noticed the army moving.
Fifty yards and he heard it, the distant sound of a horn soon echoed by others. He could almost see the Imperials as they sprung from their beds, looking round in blurred eyed confusion at the sudden call to arms as officers and nco's bellowed their throats sore.
The roar he did hear came from the Ylissians and their allies as they realized they had been seen and sprinted the remaining distance to the moat where many placed down pavises behind which archers formed up as others threw the baskets and bundles into the moat under the eye of engineers who were tasked with making sure the moat was filled.
Arrows began to fall amongst the attackers, so anemically that Robin did not see any of his fall though that would soon change once the closest imperials made it to the wall.
He took his eyes off the wall and looked to the gate and was pleased to see it was open and the first of his allies were moving through.
He allowed himself a sigh of relief at that, the first part of the plan proved successful, now to see to the rest of it.
Turning in the saddle he indicated a pegasus rider to approach him, when the girl did he spoke.
-'My regards to his majesty and I request he moves his banner through the gate to reinforce the force inside.'
-'Yes my lord!'
She barked, a note of eagerness in her voice as she pulled at the reins and took off, looking for Chroms royal banner in the throng waiting to be deployed. With that done Robin turned his attention back to the wall and saw that in the brief moment he had not been looking the first of the ladders was at the wall and his archers were hard at work trying to keep the enemy down, despite their efforts the number of casualties amongst the attackers had risen.
-'Whats going on!?'
Pheros barked as she buckled on her belt even as she stormed down the stairs, the officers present snapped hasty salutes before the senior one answered.
-'The barbarians have taken the outer gate and there is fighting in the courtyard. I've ordered to mobilize for the counter attack before too many of them make it through.'
She stood in silence as the news sunk in. the enemy was in the fortress! How? Pheros shook her head to clear her thoughts of such a waste of time, what was important was throwing them out.
-'Well done. Fortune with us we'll manage to keep them...'
She was interrupted as the door opened with a bang and a breathless serjant ran in.
-'Enem...Enemy in the gate!'
-'We know fool!'
One of the officers snarled. The serjant winced but stood his ground and shook his head.
-'The inner gate! The enemy is in and holding it open for the enemy!'
All the officers started talking over each other at the news, some expressing their disbelief, others looking for a solution. Pheros stood, glaring at the serjant as if he were somehow responsible for the disaster before turning to her officers.
-'Silence! Rally the men and retake the inner gate! Veren! You are in charge. Signal the men in the outer courtyard, they are to retake the outer gate!'
Shouted confirmation and the clatter of armoured forms followed her words as the men left. Once the last was out she felt herself go weak and she leaned on the table. Both gates taken in a single night and her none the wiser? If the emperor found out...
She shook her head and called out for her squire.
-'My armour!'
She barked. As the youth was scurrying away she looked down again, she could not let the fortress the emperor had entrusted to her fall.
Over her dead body.
There was a massive crash followed by a roar as the wood splintered and fell away.
-'Hold them! Stand firm!'
-'Walhart! Walhart!'
Even as the axe was pulled free, as men shouted and cursed crossbows barked and men fell back with cries of pain even as others rushed forward. The first that tried to push through the opening fell once Vaike's hammer struck him in his helmeted head, the Valmese falling but still tried to pull himself up as the second blow fell. Spears and halberds were thrust through the ruined door, one that would have plunged into Vaikes unprotected face had it not been for Lucina grabbing the man and pulling him back. Gregor cursed loudly in a language nobody understood as a spear hit him with enough force to punch through his armour, the older mercenary stumbling back and the opening used by the Valmese to push into the room again.
A crossbow barked and another Ylissian stumbled, fell to his knees and tried to stand only to fall again. The man looked down confused to see the blood pouring from the wound in his groin and he began to scream.
-'Hold them! Hold!'
Lucina gritted her teeth and pushed forward, moving her sword with none of the elegance she had been taught and all the brutality she had been forced to learn as she hacked, punched and stabbed at the red and gold wearing men pushing into the room.
A spear glanced off her breastplate, another off her cuisse while someone struck her helmeted head with the pommel of his sword as he tried to push past her.
-'Ylisse!'
She called out.
-'Ylisse!'
Someone answered and the press of bodies around her diminished for half a heartbeat before she found herself pushed forward by the press of bodies as Ylissians pushed forward to deny the Valmese entry to the gate.
-'They're in! We're in! Keep holding!'
Someone shouted, it made little difference as men continued to push and hack and stab and punch as some fell, tried to rise only to pushed down by the press of bodies above them and Lucina stabbed and shoved till every muscle ached and than it was over.
A small number of bodies, almost ridiculously so considered how ferocious the fight had been, lingered with some moving weekly with faint calls for help heard in both Ylissian and some language unknown to her.
-'No quarter!'
Someone shouted and she turned away. She had learned to kill people when necessary but the thought of cold murder still made her stomach churn. It seemed so foolish when you knew what she did about what was coming.
-'You okay?'
She heard Vaike ask so she forced herself to nod. The sound of shouting and fighting from beyond the ruined door made heads turn in that direction, fingers gripping weapons tight as archers reloaded their crossbows.
The sounds of fighting died away and they heard the sound of armoured men moving, coming closer.
-'Emmeryn!'
Someone called from outside causing a collective sigh of relief.
-'Gloria!'
Gaius called back and an armoured head looked in, the nobles crest unrecognizable from under the blood spattered over his surcoat.
-'Fighting is in the courtyard, leave your wounded and join the fray.'
He said before disappearing, Gaius sighed.
-'Well, there we are. Let's get to it.'
The man fell back with a cry, both hands going up to cover the wound that had appeared on his face as another fell and disappeared under the hooves of his destrier.
Chrom clearly picked out these details even as he led his court banner on a mad dash through the outer gate and into the bailey beyond, an officer had desperately tried to rally men to stop them but the thin line of serjants hardly even slowed the charge.
-'Ylisse!'
He called as he swung down at another face that seemed to appear from nowhere.
-'Ylisse!'
The men following him bellowed as they scythed through the few Valmese in their way. Chrom turned left, heading toward where he knew the next gate was. It was a race as undoubtedly the enemy already knew the Ylissians had infiltrated the castle and he meant to reach the force that was meant to hold the inner gate complex before the enemy overwhelmed them.
Robin, true to his form, had stated the chance of taking and holding both gates until relieved was highly unlikely but so long as the outer Bailey was secured the assault would be a success. Objectively speaking that may have been true but for the Exalt the thought of those men holding the inner gates against overwhelming numbers and never being relieved was unacceptable.
-'Forward Ylisse! Forward!'
-'Milord!'
The noble turned from the fighting at the door leading to the gate controls as a serjant rushed to him.
-'Milord! Enemy cavalry in the bailey, they're heading here!'
He swore, loudly and vulgarly as he looked around. The Ylissians were holding but given enough time he'd be able to force his way in and slaughter them but if the gate was taken while doing so...
-'You! Keep the pressure here, get into that room! The rest with me!'
He barked even as he started to walk, the men he called on following him down the stairs.
-'My lord? What are we doing?'
A knight he did not recognize asked.
-'We need to shut the gate before the enemy get here and if we can't use the tools up there we'll need to put our backs into it.'
The knight looked at him in silence as they walked before shaking his head.
-'But the murder holes! They'll be shooting down on us from above while we struggle to move the damn things!'
That made him snap.
-'They might. They might kill us all but if that cavalry gets through we will certainly die.'
There was no more talk as the men moved through the gateway, many casting nervous look up even as the lord put his shoulder to the gate.
-'Push!'
He bellowed as he did just that, the serjants and men at arms around him following his example. Even as the heavy oak and iron doors swung shut the sound of cavalry thundering over the causeway sounded.
He thrust hard and low, probably aiming to stab through the groin. Basilio had seen many such attacks and shifted his weight, gripping the Valmese arm in an iron grip, twisted it drawing a pained yelp from the man before delivering a blow from his axe that shattered the mans face.
-'Basilio!'
He turned at that, Robin looking towards the knot of men under the West Khans banner. Pushing aside his retainers the Feroxi stomped to the Lord Constable.
-'Here!'
He answered, lifting his visor. Robin rode up to him.
-'How are things?'
-'We have them by the bollocks!'
Basilio laughed waving a hand at the fighting.
-'A few of them managed to get in formation and need to be whittled down, some are holed up in buildings and a few are on the walls but the bailey is ours!'
The other man nodded and looked around before turning back to the Khan.
-'What of the inner bailey? Where is Chrom?'
-'He went for the gate. Don't know how he is doing.'
Robin cursed at that and pulled at the reins when shouting made him look up again.
-'They're attacking!'
Basilio looked to the sound and saw a large face leave one of the larger towers and charge at the scattered Ylissians around. Though he couldn't see what they had planned such a large force could not be left uncontested.
-'You go to Chrom! I'll hold them.'
-'There are too many for you.'
Robin answered as he slammed his visor shut. Basilio turned on the Constable.
-'You've got the battle to worry about! Send some men to help if you think it necessary but keep your eye on the battle!'
-'Father?'
Both men turned to Morgan who sat nearby with Marc next to her.
-'Leave your men with us and we can hold them while you oversee the battle.'
Robin lifted his visor and spat, growled something under his breath before pointing to his squires.
-'You two with me, the rest follow their lead.'
There was a chorus of "milord" as they formed up. As Robin turned away and kicked his spurs back the war cries were bellowed.
-'Ferox! With me! Ferox!'
-'Blood and souls! A Robin!'
Scowling Robin rode away from the fight to the greater battle.
-'Report!'
-'There are still some of them in the gate tower but we managed to bar the gate in front of the force riding to us.'
Pheros looked form the noble to the men around her, some pale faces but most were set in grim expressions, the fatalism of a veteran.
-'They can't have more than a thousand in the walls so quickly, we have near three times that, if we strike them now we'll be able to reclaim the outer bailey!'
She had no way of knowing how many the enemy had within the fortress already nor how many of her garrison was still fit to fight but it seemed appropriate to say. As she gathered her breath to say more a serjant ran up.
-'Report from the gate! The Ylissian exalt is outside with only two hundred men!'
This caused a ripple of excitement to pass through the soldiers and Pheros realized she had only one course of action.
-'Form up! We hit the exalt!'
They formed up and marched. As soon as they entered the gateway the serjants, hiding behind pavises jumped to open the gate.
-'For Valm and the Emperor!'
She bellowed, the war cry picked up by those around her as they charged out.
-'Your majesty we have to pull back!'
Chrom barely glanced to Frederick as another arrow rang off his helm.
-'Dismount! If we hit the gate we can push through!'
-'We'll need a ram for that! We have to pull back!'
He was right of course but Chrom could not help cast another look the the gatehouse where he knew some of his men were desperately fighting hoping for relief.
-'Chrom!'
He turned again and for a moment could not recognize who had ridden up as he had no banner, only recognizing him when he starting pulling on the reins to stop his mount.
-'Robin! Where are your men?'
The lord constable pulled on the reins so hard that his horse almost sat but the man seemed to pay it no mind as he pointed to the fighting in the bailey and shouted.
-'They've launched a counter attack! We need to pull back and regroup!'
Chrom swore and that was when he saw the gate swing open and more Valmese charge out, bellowing a warcry.
-'Back!'
He bellowed waving Falchion above his head.
-'Back!'
-After him! Take the Exalt and the rest of the army will crumble!'
Pheros shouted as she saw the Exalt's banner move away. For a brief moment she wondered at how her Emperor had so completely destroyed the loyalty she had once felt to the royal family of her homeland. The thought was soon dismissed as a noble approached her.
-'We need to take the gate! At the very least hinder their ability to bring in reinforcements.'
-'Take three banners and do so, the rest with me!'
The force split and Pheros led her group after the Exalt, looking for his silver on blue banner.
-'There!'
A serjant shouted, she looked in the direction and saw it briefly, the characteristic sigil fluttered briefly amidst a force of dismounted men at arms, it seemed the Exalt had chosen to dismount and fight them on foot. Good, she thought, she'd hate it if he were to run again.
-'For the emperor!'
She shouted and the cry was picked up by those around her as they surged forward, the Ylissians called their own war cry and met her soldiers in a crash of metal and flesh. The urge to throw herself into the fray was strong but she forced herself to linger back, she would not aid her Emperor so as being a cleric, especially one from the Exalt Emmeryn's pacifistic time, had left her underskilled in such she strode along the back, calling out encouragement, hurling curses on the enemy and looking for the exalt's banner to throw in her reserves.
-'There! Push for that banner!'
She called out the the men at arms around her and they moved, pushing into the melee where their close ranks and good armour allowed them to sweep aside resistance as they carved their way through the Ylissians. It seemed as if nothing would stop them from reaching the silver on blue banner when slowly their advance halted as the men of the Exalts court banner moved against them.
With a curse Pheros looked round for more reserves to throw into the fight.
-'Milady!'
Instead she found a runner gasping as he pointed to the inner bailey.
-'Enemy units inside! Request reinforcements!'
-'How?'
She found herself asking, glancing to the outer gate which seemed to be still contested.
-'Flyers, milady.'
Before she could respond another cry sounded.
-'Cavalry! Cavalry on our flank!'
Horsemen, without lances but without a doubt those were men at arms in the front rank, under a black on silver banner were now barreling down on the Valmese pushing into Ylissians protecting the exalt.
-'Regroup! Face the cavalry!'
Some moved to do as told, others hesitated while some dropped their arms and ran as it was the horsemen charged into a disorganized mob as a single mass, punching through. Men were knocked off their feet by the destriers chests as weapons rose and fell. As this was happening the Ylissians on foot used the hesitation to push forward, more men began running.
-'Stop! Hold your ground! Fight!'
She shouted. Someone knocked into her, nearly knocking her to the ground as another nearly ran over her only to fall as a horsemen rode by, splitting his un-helmeted head. The body still staggered into her with force, knocking her back and she founded herself hitting something hard and unyielding. Pheros looked up in time to see a mace come down on her head.
-'The men are out of control!'
Chrom stated angrily as he looked to Steiger, thick black smoke billowing from behind it's walls.
-'They just took a fortress by storm, of course they are. Cities taken like that become the property of the attacking soldiers.'
Flavia interjected from where she sat, a medic bandaging the wound she had received.
-'We didn't come here to rape and pillage.'
Chrom stated turning back and reentering the tent, a serjant letting the flap fall cutting the officers off from the outside.
-'You didn't but those men did. If we try to stop them we may very well face mutiny.'
Themis stated. Chrom did not answer but the look on his face said everything. His father in law placed a hand on his shoulder.
-'Come the morning we take the men that maintained discipline and restore order but they would not listen now.'
Chrom sighed and nodded. As if he had been waiting for that Robin looked up from the maps on the table.
-'Walhart or Yenfay? Which army do we strike?'
Eyes turned to the map. Basilio scratched his chin as he spoke.
-'We'll need to leave a garrison behind to hold Steiger, several hundred at the least. Even if we cheat and consider the wounded we leave behind as part of the garrison we are still weakening our force, especially after we consider the casualties we've suffered so far.'
-'Perhaps we should hold for the reinforcements coming from Ylisse?'
Themis suggested.
-'From what we know both Walhart and Yenfay are busy pacifying resisting cities, it would take them some time to redeploy to meet us.'
-'Yenfay. We should march on Yenfay.'
Sayri said, steel in her voice.
-'Why so eager to meet your brother?'
Robin glanced in her direction.
-'I no longer consider that man my brother.'
She nearly spat.
-'But I do wish to ask why he so eagerly serves a man that murdered our parents before I remove his head.'
-'Sayri may have a point.'
Flavia said as she moved her hand across the map.
-'From what we know he is the weaker of the two, plus the south is still rife with armies that resist Walhart. Fortune with us we remove a third of this Walharts strength while reinforcing our own.'
-'That does sound good.'
Chrom said as rubbed the stubble on his chin. Basilio turned to Robin.
-'Maybe the future children might offer some insight into what plans worked originally?'
-'They're memories are full of holes regarding important affairs. Plus I think the more we change the more unreliable what knowledge they have becomes.'
Robin stated without looking up.
-'The war with Plegia was meant to last nearly five years, it lasted barely one. Valm was meant to invade Ferox before we moved on them but we struck first while Steiger was meant to resist a month before we noticed the walls facing the lake were scalable.'
The man looked up.
-'For what it is worth we do seem to be moving a completely different path than what those children knew.'
Silence fell at this as each thought on what was known about the that apparently lay ahead. In this silence they heard raised voices from outside and turned to the tents entrance as the it was pulled away.
-'Majesty! My lords.'
The noble greeted them as others filed in after, including Lucina and Robins twins who moved to their respective parents. The scout, as the gathered lords recognized him indicated the stranger as he spoke.
-'We found this man, lord Vanr, heading towards the camp. He brings grave tidings.'
The Valmese noble nodded. He was covered in a thick layer of dust and old blood, Basilio passed him a cup which he eagerly drained before speaking.
-'Walhart is marching on Steiger!'
I have discovered that writing a siege from the view of the attackers is more difficult than from the defenders.