Chapter 4: Oath to Protect

Screams rang out through the camp, waking Amy and alerting her to the mayhem outside. As she left her tent, she realised she was in trouble. She could already see the bodies of her comrades lying motionless on the ground, covered in blood. Others were only just reacting, but they had been taken completely by surprise, and never stood a chance.

An ambush at the dead of night, thought the tactician. I should have seen this coming. What in the name of the gods have I let happen?

As she counted up the bodies and realised that she was the only one left, Amy knew she had to get away from this place. Fortunately for her, her tent was located at the outskirts of the camp, so she turned her back to the massacre and began to run. As she did so, however, a huge, muscular man appeared in front of her from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Going somewhere, little girl?" he asked menacingly.

Amy stopped cold. There was no way to run from this one. Her only avenue of escape was through him. However, that was easier said than done, as the bandit jabbed his axe into her stomach, causing her to keel over in pain. She tried to roll out of the way as the man plunged the axe downwards, but was struck hard in the arm, tearing open a huge wound. She resisted the urge to scream despite the pain, knowing that making noise now would alert everyone else, and she'd be dead for sure.

As the axe came down a second time, she kicked out, hitting the bandit's legs and causing him to lose his balance, in turn allowing her to escape the blow. She got to her feet and drew her sword. Although the bandit was much stronger than her, his axe was poorly suited to parrying sword strikes, and the tactician eventually gained the upper hand, knocking the man's axe out of his hand. As she thrust her sword into his chest, the bandit let out a scream louder than anything she'd ever heard.

This had the rather unfortunate side effect of alerting the other bandits to the fight, or rather, the aftermath. Amy turned and ran, knowing that escaping was far more important than healing her wounds right now. Behind her she heard cries of "She's getting away!" and "After her!" It would take all of her stamina, smarts and skills to escape with her life.


Amy awoke with a start. She glanced around the tent, her eyes fixing on Talla, who was still asleep. Realising what had happened, but unable to go back to sleep, she got up and exited the tent.

The nightmares would stop. How long it would take, she had no idea, but she knew that they would. Until then, she would have to cope with the constant denial of peaceful sleep.

As she exited the tent, she noticed a source of light outside. She walked over to it, where Loren sat, having reignited the fire from the night before.

"You couldn't sleep either, then?" asked the prince. The previous day had been hard on everyone – he wasn't surprised that someone else was having difficulty sleeping.

"Nightmares," she replied, solemnly.

A look of sympathy crossed Loren's face as he remembered what Amy had told him when they met. That's right, he thought, I was so overwhelmed by everything that happened yesterday, I forgot what she'd been through even before we found her. Wanting to console her, he said, "Don't worry. It looks like first light will break soon."

"You have some way of keeping track of time?"

"Just call it a hunch." In truth, Loren had no idea, but he thought that if Amy believed she had managed to sleep peacefully for at least part of the night, it might ease her despite the nightmares.

Fortunately, it seemed he was right – neither of them felt like much time had passed before light started to seep through the cracks in the trees. Agreeing that it was best to get moving sooner rather than later, Loren and Amy woke their companions, and it wasn't long before they were on the move again.


Either the forest provided sufficient cover or none of the Reonian troops had been sent there, because the group remained unimpeded as they passed through it. As the tree line faded and they were exposed to more light, everyone's spirits were raised.

"It shouldn't be long now until we reach the Ilanian border," said Xand. "I'd estimate that we could make it there by the end of the day."

Whether or not he was right, no one would ever find out. After a mark or two's worth of travelling, Loren and his army reached a small village. Their original intention was to skirt around the outside – their supplies would be sufficient for the time being, and they didn't want to linger any more than they had to, lest their presence put the townspeople in danger. That changed when they heard a huge commotion coming from the centre of the village, accompanied by the shrieks of the townspeople.

"What's going on!?" shouted Loren, as a crowd of people seemingly appeared out of nowhere, running past the confused prince and his army.

"I would imagine the village is under attack." Loren would never understand how his tactician kept so calm – he himself could already feel the adrenaline starting to rush through this veins.

"Then what are we waiting for? We need to help them!"

"With all due respect, milord," came Xand's voice, "we're in enough danger as it is. Rushing headlong into battle now would present not only its own risks, but also the danger of us being caught before we make it to the border."

"We can't just leave innocent people in danger!" replied Loren. "I won't allow it. Do I have to make that an order?" he added, noticing the hesitation still present on the paladin's face.

"N-no milord. I am sworn to fight by your side. If you wish to help these people, I will do what I can to assist."

Loren turned and ran in the direction the townspeople were coming from, his army close behind. When he reached the source of the commotion, he was horrified. He had arrived just in time to see a trembling civilian skewered by a lance, belonging to a soldier wearing the same armour they had seen yesterday. Around him, market stalls had been knocked over, the merchandise crushed underfoot by the fleeing villagers. Some were still there – likely paralysed with fear and unable to escape. There weren't a lot of soldiers, but Loren realised it wouldn't take much to bring this place to its knees.

The picture before him had but a single glimmer of hope – one of the townspeople, guarding a door Loren could only assume was the entrance to his house, had taken up a weapon – an old and rather worn-looking axe – to fend off the soldiers. Loren watched as the man parried a lance strike, before countering with a hefty swing from his axe, ending the life of the soldier attacking him instantly.

Loren's gaze was drawn back to the group of soldiers in front of him. They hadn't seen him yet, and he saw some of them approaching a group of cowering civilians – a woman and two children. He knew he couldn't just stand there and watch – he had to act immediately.

"Hey!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the soldiers. "Why don't you attack someone who can actually fight back?" As he spoke, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the Reonians, who began to advance. The remainder of his army had reached him by this point, and were preparing their weapons.

"Sorry," said Loren, turning briefly to Amy. "I realise this doesn't give you much time to strategize."

"No, you did the right thing," she replied. Strategies and tactics rushing through her mind as fast as they could, she turned to Ronal and Eld. "This is going to be a rather intense close-quarters battle," she said. "Would you mind staying back with the convoy and the princesses?"

The archer and mage nodded, and retreated. "Try and stay together," Amy told the others. "If we do, it lowers the chances of any of us being singled out."

"Amy," began Loren, signalling in the direction of the civilian who had been fighting, "I saw that man engaging the Reonians. We might be able to get his help."

The tactician nodded. "I would suggest you speak with him. There may not be many of them, but there are still fewer of us. We could use any help we can get."

"Why me?"

"You have the most passion," came the surprisingly blunt reply. "You were the one who wanted desperately to help these people. If anyone can convince him to help us, it's you. Sir."

"Alright. I'll go."

No sooner had Loren slipped away than the advancing soldiers had reached them, though Amy noticed that some of them had stayed where they were – likely one of them was the commanding general. Doran was the first to engage with one of them, though it was hardly a fair fight – the soldier's lance couldn't dent Doran's thick armour, and he was dispatched swiftly when the knight parried with his own lance. Seeing this, one of the other Reonian soldiers, clearly a mage, had pulled out a tome and began to chant. As he did so, he was struck in the hand by a throwing knife, causing him to drop the tome in pain. The last thing he saw was Talla's short figure rushing up to him and implanting a dagger in his chest.

The three horse-riders were having similar success. Hammond swiftly dodged out of the way of a lance thrust from one of the opposing soldiers, retaliating with a strike from his own lance that sent the man crashing to the ground. Karr was fighting with an axe, the enormous weight of which allowed him to knock his enemies' lances right out of their hands before he struck. Xand was fighting several soldiers at once, sweeping his lance along the ground to strike their legs. Their yelps of pain as he did so were the last sounds they ever made.

Amy had decided to stay back, judging that she would only end up getting in the way of the more experienced fighters. One of the enemy soldiers appeared to notice that too, and when he could see a gap in the fighting to get to her, he took it. His lance offered him much greater range than her sword, and he took it, staying away from her futile swings. Eventually, as he parried one of her attacks, he saw an opening, plunging his lance into her side.

The resulting scream alerted everyone as the tactician sank to the ground. Hammond was the first to react, breaking away from the fight he was engaged in to rush back and help her. He took the Reonian soldier completely by surprise, impaling him with his lance.

"Amy!" he shouted. "Are you alright? Please, say something!"

The tactician tried, but at first, all she could manage was a groan. Eventually, words escaped her. "I… I'm still alive…" she said weakly.

"You have to retreat!" urged the cavalier. "If you go back to the convoy, you can at the very least get that wound bandaged. If you stay here, you could die before the fight is over!"

As much as she didn't want to leave the others without her support, Amy knew that Hammond was right. With his help, she got to her feet, and began limping away from the battle. Seeing her in her current state, Hammond offered to ride her back to the convoy, but she declined, telling him he needed to concentrate on the battle, and assuring him that she would be alright.

After sparing a pitiful glance in her direction, Hammond turned back to the fight just in time to parry a strike from yet another soldier. He now knew how his lord felt about fighting to protect people, quickly dispatching his adversary with a blow from his lance.

Loren had heard the initial scream, and his focus was broken as he feared for his tactician's life. He was relieved when she retreated, and turned back to the task at hand, approaching the house he was now only a very short distance from.

As he approached, however, he did not get the response he expected. "Don't come any closer!" shouted the axe-wielder, brandishing his weapon. "If you do, I'll kill you!"

"Woah! Hold on!" Loren's reaction was one of total surprise. It suddenly hit him that this man must have thought that he was part of the attacking group of soldiers. Realising that, he knew what he had to do. Glancing around to ensure there was no one to attack him as he did so, he placed his sword on the ground. "See? I'm lowering my weapon," he said.

The fighter looked visibly relieved, but still suspicious. Able to get a good look at him for the first time, Loren guessed the man to be in his forties, so in all likelihood, he was a father attempting to protect his family. "What do you want?" he asked harshly.

"My name is Loren," replied the prince, "and I noticed that you were fighting against the Reonian soldiers attacking your village. My men and I are here to help – I wanted to see if you would lend us your strength."

"Loren… as in… Prince Loren?" The man was initially incredulous to the fact that the one stood in front of him was the prince of his country, but, upon noticing his blue hair, began to realise the truth. It suddenly dawned on him that he had just threatened one of the most powerful people in the country. "I... must apologise, sir. I had assumed you were…"

"There's no need to apologise," replied Loren. "You're trying to defend against an army squadron – it's no surprise that you would assume me to be an enemy." He paused, giving both himself and the townsman the opportunity to hear the fighting going on nearby. "My men are fighting off the invaders, but we could use your help," he said. "Would you be willing to give it?"

"If it'll help protect the village, of course I will," was the reply. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

"First thing's first – tell me your name."

"Brandon, sir."

"Well met. We should go and help my men straight away!"

The fighter nodded, and the two men rushed back to the scene of the battle. Loren was glad that they had – they got back just in time for him to intercept a strike that would have hit Karr, and Brandon's axe parried a lance thrust aimed at Talla. Taking a moment to watch his new ally in combat (after dealing with the soldier that posed an immediate threat to him), Loren was impressed by the fighter's pure strength as his foe's lance was knocked right out of their hand. The follow-up strike was equally impressive, the sheer weight of the axe combining with the power of the swing and causing the soldier to crumple instantly.

With the addition of Loren and Brandon, the Parolteans were soon able to clear the immediate area of soldiers. The battle was not over, however. They could see the Reonian commander some distance away, planning his next move. He still had several soldiers with him, so Loren knew that they would be in for another intense fight.

"Sire, if I may make a suggestion." The one speaking was Xand. "If Karr, Hammond and I head towards our enemies, we may be able to lure them back here. Failing that, we could engage them until those with less mobility arrive to help."

Loren thought for a moment. Ordinarily, he would have agreed to Xand's plan without hesitation, but something was amiss this time. He eventually shook his head. "We will advance," he said, "but we will do so as a single unit."

"Milord?"

"Amy told us we should stay together. She may no longer be here, but I'd trust her words with my life." He looked up at the paladin. "As I'm sure you would."

Xand nodded. "Very well, sire. We will all move together."

And move together they did. The battlefield was small – it was only a market, after all – so it wasn't long before everyone found themselves once again in combat. Without Amy to direct them, everyone simply stuck with fighting the foe in front of them, but that didn't appear to cause any problems, and eventually the only Reonian soldier left was a heavily-armoured man, the one Amy (and by this point, everyone else), had assume to be the commander.

"Why did you attack this place?" shouted Loren. He was determined to get answers, even if it meant leaving himself open on the battlefield.

"Why?" repeated the general. "That much should be obvious. We're here to find you, little prince."

"To find… me?" The realisation was alarming. If he hadn't been there, this village wouldn't have been attacked. Who knows how many people had been forced to give up their lives so that he might continue his.

"That's right," replied the enemy general. "And it seems you saved me the trouble of searching for you."

The man looked confident – as though he believed he could defeat every one of the army opposing him by himself. And perhaps individually, he could have. He certainly fended off Talla's initial lunge with a parry from his lance as though it took no effort at all. But his overconfidence soon became clear. Barely recovering as Doran's lance struck him, he wasn't able to raise a defence to Brandon's axe in time, and crumpled to the ground. Loren stood over him, waiting for him to say something else, but no more words reached his lips, and his life left him just moments later.

As he turned back to his men, the words "Is everyone alright?" began to make their way to Loren's lips without him even really thinking about it. Suddenly realising that the answer was obvious, Loren wasted no time before heading back in the direction they had originally come from. As a jog turned into a sprint, only one thought was going through his mind. I hope Amy is okay.

Malorn's supply wagon was only a short distance from where the battle had taken place, and as Loren approached, he could see Ronal, Eld and his sisters beside it, standing in a circle. Amy was laid in the middle, eyes closed and unmoving. Her over-tunic had been lifted, and the wound on her right side was covered with a bandage, stained with blood.

"Is she…"

"She's alive, sir." Eld had replied to the question even before it had been asked. "However, this is not the best place for her to heal – I would suggest we look for…"

He was cut off by the voice of the newest member of the group. "If you'd like, sir, you can bring her to my house. She'll heal much better indoors, and I have some vulneraries lying around somewhere – I might be able to help out."

Loren had forgotten that Brandon was even there, so it took him a moment to respond. "You would do that?"

"You helped protect my village – it's the least I can do for you."

"You have my thanks." With that, Loren picked up the tactician's unconscious body, and began to carry her back to Brandon's house. When they got there, Lily and Marne followed him in, as did Xand, but the others remained outside with the convoy.

Once inside, Loren placed Amy down, leaving Brandon to examine her wound. "Now let's see here…" started the axe-fighter. He noticed that the bandage had stained even more since she had been brought to his house – not a good sign. He briefly went into another room, rummaging around and eventually finding a vulnerary, as well as some additional bandages. As he came back, he looked at Loren. "I need to remove the bandage," he said, "but I'll need you to apply some pressure to the wound so she doesn't bleed out. Can you do that for me?"

Loren's concern for Amy overruled his unfamiliarity with being given orders. He nodded, and did as he was told. Brandon peeled away the bandage, wiping away the residual blood as he looked at the wound. "It's deep," Loren heard him mutter to himself. He worked quickly, applying the salve before rebandaging. Loren noticed how easily he did it – he guessed Brandon had some experience.

"It's a miracle she's still alive," said the fighter, "but it looks like she'll be okay. She'll need to rest for a while, though."

The relief on Loren's face was immediate. "Thank the gods," he said. He turned to Brandon. "Thank you for your efforts, both now and during the battle."

"No, sir, I must thank you. Were it not for you, I fear my village would have been completely destroyed."

"Nevertheless, we are grateful for your help."

"Father!" came a cry. Everyone turned as two children, a boy and a girl, both young teenagers, ran into the room. "Are you hurt?" continued the boy, before noticing the others. He gasped as he saw the dark blue shine from the hair of the prince and his sisters, before kneeling. "Your Highnesses," he began. "I had no idea we were being visited by royalty."

"Shut up and stand up, you idiot," scolded the girl. She turned to Brandon. "Everything went quiet, Father. Is it over?"

"It is. We are safe now. But we were lucky that Prince Loren happened to be here – I don't think I could have fended all of them off by myself." Brandon turned to Loren and the princesses. "This is my son Kane and daughter Courtney," he explained.

"It's an honour to meet you, my lord and ladies," said Kane, who was still kneeling towards his guests.

"Yeah, you'll have to forgive me for not acting like my idiot brother here," said Courtney, her tone noticeably hostile towards Loren and his sisters. "Although if you helped Father," she continued in a much softer voice, "then I suppose I must thank you."

"I don't know if I can accept those thanks," replied the prince, barely looking up. "After all, if I weren't here, you wouldn't have been attacked."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Loren recoiled at the voice, turning around swiftly. "Amy? You're awake!"

The tactician smiled, knowing that Loren would be at least a little more at ease knowing that she was alright. "Yes. It'll take a lot more than that to keep me down, you know that." Loren smiled at the reassuring words. "More importantly," continued Amy, "I don't think this village was attacked because the Reonians knew you were here. There weren't enough soldiers for that. I think the attack was planned from the beginning, as a safety net in case you had managed to get this far."

"Are you sure, Amy?" asked Xand.

"That is what I would do were I to launch an assault of this magnitude," was the reply. Deciding that a change of subject was in order before she was questioned as to exactly why she would have to plan such an attack, she said, "I doubt we'll be able to get to the border before sundown after that battle."

"The border?" questioned Brandon. "Are you heading for Ilan?"

Loren nodded. "The castle was attacked just yesterday. We need to get somewhere safe as soon as possible."

"Well, you can't go with your strategist injured like that, can you?" replied the fighter. "Why don't you rest here for the night?"

"I would hesitate to impose…" began Loren.

"Nonsense! Let it be my way of thanking you for your help."

"What about the others?"

"There's plenty of space, although I'm afraid I lack beds," was the reply. "If you'd like, there's an inn nearby that I can take you to." Brandon saw his son's face fall as he said that – the idea that the prince and princesses might be staying in the same house as him obviously brought him great joy.

"We're currently on the road. If you have the space, sleeping arrangements will not be too difficult to satisfy."

"So it's settled then! Come, allow your men in, sir! I look forward to providing you with hospitality for the evening!"


The rest of the day seemed to go by remarkably quickly, and before long, it was evening. Despite Loren's protests, Brandon had agreed on cooking for everyone, and, besides Amy, who was resting in a separate room, they were all assembled in the largest room in the house. It was bare, but subsequently spacious, somehow managing to fit the entire army. As they waited, Brandon went in and out several times, giving out bowls and spoons, before returning one final time with a large pot of stew.

As the last of the food was dished out and everyone was preparing to eat, Kane turned to where Marne was sat. "Would you like to say grace, milady?" he asked, ignoring the scoff that came from his sister as he did so. "It would be an honour to have this meal blessed by the words of a princess."

Marne happily accepted the task, and when she was finished they began to eat. As they did, Lily looked over at Courtney, who looked more uncomfortable than she had ever seen anyone in her life.

"Is everything okay?" asked the princess.

At first, all she got in response was a hostile "Humph!", but Courtney did eventually elaborate. "I don't see what's so special about a birthright, that's all."

"Courtney! Don't say things like that! You'll offend our wonderful guests!" Clearly, her brother had overheard her.

Lily, however, was much more willing to listen. "Go on," she said. She was happy for the moment that Marne appeared to not be listening – she'd probably throw a tantrum.

"Well, I don't see why being born into the royal family makes you special. You didn't choose it, just like I didn't choose to be born here!" She looked briefly at her father, knowing he wouldn't take any offense from that statement – he knew all too well what she thought of her country's monarchical system. "Why should you be treated better just because of the circumstances of your birth?"

"If that is what you believe," began Lily, "then hold on to that belief." Courtney was stunned – of everything the princess could have said, that wasn't what she had been expecting. "I mean it," she continued. "If your belief is strong enough, and you are willing to fight for it, you cannot fail."

A moment of eerie silence fell. Hammond was the one to break it. "Hear, hear! Well said, milady!" he held up his cup, which, although containing only water, prompted others, specifically Karr, Doran, Malorn and Xand, to do the same.

Willing to encourage someone even those they oppose her, thought Talla. It looks like Lady Lily is quite the diplomat.

The remainder of the meal continued peacefully. Kane's tone hadn't changed; he was still trying to impress the royalty he was sat with. Courtney had notably warmed up to everyone – she didn't say much, but she had a smile on her face that had not been present originally.

After the meal, everyone retired for the evening. Brandon had a single spare bedroom in his house, which was claimed by Marne and Lily. Talla had taken a sleeping bag from the convoy, and slept in the same room as Amy – Loren had wanted someone to be around should the injured tactician need assistance. Loren himself had chosen to stay with his army. They were all either on the floor or sat in chairs, although they made the floor more comfortable by lining it with sleeping gear from Malorn's wagon. Loren was the last to fall asleep, nervous about the day ahead, but eventually he was overtaken by fatigue and he, too, was sound asleep.


Loren was the first to wake as sunlight began to pour in through the window, and he decided it would be a good idea to speak to Brandon and thank him for his hospitality the previous night before they got moving. Leaving the room as he noticed one or two of his comrades waking up, he was startled as he heard the front door of the house close. He looked over, seeing that Brandon had clearly just come in.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"With a friend," was the reply. "I wanted to be sure my children would be in good care while I'm gone."

"While you're gone?"

"Yes, my lord." His posture stiffened. "I would like to join you on your journey."

Loren wasn't given the time to be surprised. "After your actions yesterday, I could see that you have a kind heart. Heh, even my daughter could see that. I would like to help you in any way possible."

"Won't the village be in danger if you leave?"

"The village wouldn't have survived yesterday's attack even with me if you hadn't arrived. No, I reckon I'll be more help with you. Plus, I'll get stronger too. Someday, I really will be able to protect this place on my own."

Seeing the determination in the man's eyes, Loren had no way of turning him down. "Then I welcome you aboard," he said. "You'll have to excuse me – I need to prepare to head out."

A mark or so later, everyone (including Amy, who had just risen and was busy reassuring everyone that she would be okay) was ready, and Loren and his legion set out once again for the Ilanian border. It's not far now, thought the prince. Once we're safe, we can start making plans to take back my country.


Next time:

Loren and his men finally reach Ilan, where they are able to find safety along with the country's own royal family. As they recount their tale, Loren and Amy are shocked to learn the true motive behind the attack.

"Safe, but not Sound" is coming soon.

And there'll be supports, too. You didn't think I would write this fic without supports, did you?