Not so much a battle as a slaughter, this time.
Chapter 59 – The Battle of Arianrhod, Part 4 (Lone Moon)
Count Rowe awoke on the fourth day of the siege of Arianrhod to find little appeared to have changed. The Dukedom's army was still stationed in a perimeter around the fortress, with Cornelia sending small harassing attacks at the defenders to sap their spirit and keep them on edge. But Arianrhod still remained in Baron Dominic's hands.
The lack of progress frustrated the count. He had expected to have the fortress back by now, but the Duchess refused to attack, insisting that they wait until Baron Dominic came out to fight them. They had more than enough men to take the fortress, and with House Dominic's troops suffering from starvation, it would be an easy task.
Yet Elmore did not dare raise a complaint against Cornelia. He'd heard many a rumor of the punishments she meted out to those who crossed her. These rumors, and the way Valeska had threatened to cut out his tongue, kept him fearful of what was going to happen if this siege lasted much longer. But at the same time, he feared what would happen to him once it was over.
Elmore silently cursed Gwendel for failing him. He cursed Ashe and those of Castle Gaspard for failing him. And he cursed Baron Dominic for daring to take Arianrhod from him.
He cursed just about everyone except himself for his circumstances.
This string of silent blame ended when he heard a familiar rumbling in the distance. Elmore turned to see the massive main gates of Arianrhod opening, revealing Baron Dominic's army. Approximately two-thousand men and women poured out of the main gate and moved into a large battle line facing eastward, right at Cornelia's main position.
"Well, well, now…" said Cornelia, startling Count Rowe as she walked up beside him with Valeska and Rissa in tow. She looked out at the House Dominic army and said, "A frontal assault? Brave of him. Brave… yet so very foolish."
Valeska stepped forward and shouted, "The enemy approaches! Take positions!"
"Rissa, you know what to do," said Cornelia. "Wait for my signal."
Rissa smiled at this and then dashed off to the north.
Then, with a smile of her own, Cornelia said to Count Rowe, "Stay and watch, Elmore. I guarantee you will not be disappointed."
Elmore remained nervous as he looked out at Baron Dominic's approaching army. In his mind, Cornelia had spread her army far too thin surrounding the Arianrhod. There were only 1,200 soldiers in the main camp against 2,000. Baron Dominic had a real chance of beating her.
"Duchess Cornelia? Are you certain of this?" asked Count Rowe. "Our forces may not reach our position in time."
"Oh Elmore… you don't see it, do you?"
Cornelia stepped away from Count Rowe as she began to channel her Mana. Soldiers and attendants nearby immediately backed away from her as a ritual circle appeared beneath her feet.
Then, with a wider smile, Cornelia said, "I have him right where I want him."
…
Thirty minutes earlier…
Shez watched as Baron Dominic's soldiers, famished and in low spirits, prepared for battle. Their food stores were nearly empty, and it was clear they could not stay in the fortress any longer. They had to attack, or they would assuredly lose.
Even then, Shez knew they were about to march to their deaths. Cornelia had her army spread out, but it wouldn't take long for her to consolidate her forces once she realized Baron Dominic's intent. Once that happened, he would be facing enemies on all sides, outnumbered and with nowhere to run.
"You know this is suicide," Shez said to Averill.
"I hold no illusions of defeating Cornelia's army," said Baron Dominic. "However, if we can reach that witch and lop off her head, our sacrifice will not be in vain."
"Thought you told me it wouldn't be that easy."
"It won't. I'm sure Cornelia has something in store for us besides just her men. We march to our doom, but it is not a fate I will impose upon you and your band."
"Hey, I told you I wasn't gonna ditch you, Baron Dominic. I–"
"Shez," Baron Dominic said firmly, silencing the purple-haired mercenary. "I apologize that our contract must end in such a way. And I know you value your integrity enough to imperil your own life. However, there is something else I require of you that I cannot do myself."
Shez paused for a second before asking, "What is it?"
"I want you to take my son and flee this place. Get Simon to safety. He is my flesh and blood, ineffectual as he may be. I do not wish for him to follow me into the eternal flames. So, please, take him and leave. Bring him to my brother, Gustave. He is with the Loyalists by King Dimitri's side."
Shez hesitated to answer Baron Dominic's request. This wasn't at all what she had signed up for when she took this job. But as she looked into Averill's eyes, she knew she could only give him one answer.
"Alright. We'll do it," said Shez.
"Thank you, Shez. We will distract Cornelia's dogs for as long as we can while you flee to the south. Head for Magdred Way, then pass through Garreg Mach Monastery. The Knights of Seiros have no love for the Dukedom, so hopefully they will aid you."
"Got it." Then, after taking a deep breath, she added, "Good luck, Baron Dominic."
"To you as well, Shez. May the Goddess light your path."
…
Baron Dominic doubted he'd ever see Shez again. He knew this was to be his last battle, and that he would share the same fate as the men and women who marched with haste toward the Duchess's position. But he did not fear the end. He would rather burn in the eternal flames of Hell than serve under Cornelia's thumb.
"Soldiers of House Dominic, hear me!" Averill shouted atop his horse. "We march to ruin, both for ourselves and for those who serve the Duchess Cornelia! If it is our time to die, then so be it! All I ask of you is that we give these dogs HELL before we meet our end!"
The soldiers of House Dominic cheered for their leader, raising their weapons and rattling their shields as they marched forward. Ahead of them, they watched as the Dukedom's soldiers readied their defensive line, with ballistae and Onagers loaded.
Looking ahead at the defensive line, Baron Dominic was puzzled at seeing so few frontline infantrymen in Cornelia's formation. It was a wide-open field of dirt with only a few scattered bits of frost, meaning his men could charge unimpeded at the Dukedom's troops. Moreover, when he looked at the archers waiting for him, he saw they were all using longbows rather than crossbows.
Averill knew something was wrong. What they saw was too good to be true.
The soldiers almost stopped in confusion as they heard a woman's voice singing across the plain.
Stodai… ita…
Aiyama imaya
Adiya
Ah…
Averill immediately recognized the voice to be Cornelia's. He had heard her singing once and the melody had never left his memory. As much as he despised her, he could not deny she was a singer without parallel, with a voice that could enthrall an entire city.
But he did not know what lyrics she sang.
Maiya…
Kosta via
Aiya aiya
Ah…
Asta diya
Ah, miya…
Ah…
The wind picked up as the sun above suddenly dimmed overhead. Averill looked up to see clouds materializing overhead and quickly realized Cornelia was using a spell of some kind.
Expecting lightning to come crashing down any moment, Averill shouted, "Forward! Double time!"
Cornelia continued to sing.
Kosta lamiya yoso
Yadaei, yadaei
Arta miya
Sortioche
Amiya…
Saya…
As Cornelia's song continued, rain began to fall from the sky. There was no initial build-up of water that usually preceded a storm. Almost immediately, the soldiers of House Dominic were being soaked by a heavy deluge.
Baron Dominic raised a hand to shield his eyes as he looked toward Cornelia in confusion, unsure of what she thought to do by getting his men wet.
Amiyasa ameyi sameiya
Sama…
Kamayana ame isameiya
Ah…
From her spot in the camp, Cornelia's body glowed with azure runes across her body. Other mages were stationed nearby to protect her in case the enemy tried to shoot her from a distance. She was otherwise quite defenseless while singing the Hymn.
As she sang, Cornelia looked at Baron Dominic and smiled.
He had already lost the battle. He just didn't know it yet.
Stodai… ita…
Aiyama imaya
Adiya
Ah…
Maiya…
Kosta via
Aiya aiya
Ah…
Asta diya
Ah, miya…
Ah…
The rain came down in torrents as House Dominic's soldiers attempted to slog through it. They were still a good 300 meters away from the Dukedom's defensive line, which looked down at them from atop their hill. Yet the Dukedom soldiers held their position, safe from Cornelia's Hymn, known colloquially as the Litany of Rain. It wasn't one of the more outright destructive Hymns, but it was certainly one of the trickier ones to master. And it was just the one Cornelia needed.
She could've used a dozen other options to win against Baron Dominic at this point. She could've stalled him with a wall of fire, rained lightning on him, conjured a massive blizzard, or even let her well-trained soldiers stave off his attack with an unending barrage of arrows, bolts, and stones from their artillery. But Cornelia wanted to do more than just defeat him. She wanted to humiliate him. She wanted him to know he never stood a chance against her. And she wanted to use him to set an example to anyone else in the Dukedom who might think of betraying her in the future, and to show she was never to be underestimated.
She continued to sing.
Kosta lamiya yoso
Yadaei, yadaei
Arta miya
Sortioche
Amiya…
Saya…
Then, as the rain continued to pour down, soaking Baron Dominic's men to the bone, Averill looked at the ground and realized to his horror what Cornelia was doing.
Amiyasa ameyi sameiya
Sama…
Kamayana ame isameiya
Ah…
Cornelia finished her Hymn, causing the rainstorm to disperse. The rays of the sun pierced through the clouds as they faded away, revealing the battlefield to the soldiers of the Dukedom.
Baron Dominic's men were still a good 250 meters away from them.
To the surprise of the Dukedom soldiers, the men and women of House Dominic were now stuck in a thick, muddy bog.
Averill looked on in shock as his soldiers floundered in the mud, which easily went up to their knees. Combined with their armor and equipment, as well as their weakened state from a lack of food and rest, the soldiers could not break free of the swamp that Cornelia had created.
Watching as Baron Dominic's men struggled to take even a single step, Cornelia sighed, smiled, and then said loudly and calmly, "Advance."
The soldiers of House Dominic watched in horror as Cornelia's men and their artillery moved forward. The Dukedom archers stopped when they were about 200 meters away from them and began drawing their bows. Baron Dominic's men looked on helplessly as they did; their own crossbows could barely manage half that range, and any of them with longbows were either too tired or couldn't move into a stable firing position to return fire. Meanwhile, the Dukedom's men were still on solid ground, well outside the field of mud.
The ballistae and Onagers stopped behind the Dukedom archers and their crews took aim.
Then, after a brief chuckle, Cornelia ordered, "Fire."
The sky was filled with the cacophony of slaughter as the Dukedom began to pick off Baron Dominic's army with impunity.
…
Shez heard the screams from well over two kilometers away and turned to the source of the sound, yet she could not see what was happening. All she knew was men and women were dying, and she was leaving them to their fate.
Knowing she had no time to be sick to her stomach, Shez turned back toward the road, leading her company southward and away from the battle.
Behind her, Simon stayed as close as he could to the purple-haired mercenary. The bard wore a cloak to hide his features, not wanting to give any Dukedom soldiers that saw them a good reason to attack.
Within minutes, Shez's 200-strong company reached one of the bridges leading out of the area. There were no Dukedom soldiers in sight.
Shez knew something was wrong. There should have been at least a few sentries. The Dukedom would have to be foolish otherwise.
"Looks clear, boss," said one of Shez's mercenaries. "Let's get outta here."
While several of the mercenaries moved to cross the stone bridge, Shez stayed where she was, unconvinced that they were alone.
"What is it?" asked Simon.
"Something's not right here," said Shez as she brought her hands to her blades. "There should be at least some scouts or–"
Shez stopped as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a flame burning near one of the bushes on the other side of the bridge.
Her eyes went wide as she saw it was a burning arrow being drawn. And it was aiming at something underneath the bridge.
"GET OFF THE BRIDGE!" Shez shouted, but it was too late.
The Dukedom archer fired his arrow, striking a pile of barrels hidden beneath the arches of the bridge.
Almost immediately, the barrels of explosive powder detonated. The bridge, and everyone who had been standing on it, was obliterated.
The concussion of the blast knocked Simon off his feet, while several more of Shez's men became casualties as fragments of rock hit them. Within seconds, Shez had lost 16 men with another 13 wounded.
Shez drew her blades as she heard rattling swords and armor rapidly approaching them.
"AMBUSH!"
At that moment, 500 Dukedom soldiers, supported by 50 Cavaliers, sprung from the forest and struck.
A little water can't hurt you, but a lot can kill you. That's a line from Jumanji, right?
I could've had Cornelia beat Baron Dominic the old fashioned way (army versus army), but I wanted her to show some tactical genius coupled with her magic to show just how smart and deadly she is. Who would expect someone to create an instant mud bog under your army's feet? And when you think about it, with Baron Dominic's men being tired, hungry, and heavily weighed down by their weapons and armor, a muddy bog is actually a lot more dangerous than you'd expect.
Too bad for Averill, right? He gives that awesome speech to his men and then his army gets stuck, letting the Dukedom pick them off like sitting ducks. Like I've said before: War is hell.
The song I used this time is another Yuki Kajiura work called "I talk to the rain". It plays in the Tsubasa Chronicle anime at some point (I haven't watched that, so I don't know exactly where). A bit on the nose for a rain spell, but it works. I actually chose it a little hastily, and I don't know if I should've chosen something else from Kajiura. If you know any of her works that might fit better, give me a suggestion.
We've still got one or two more chapters before I switch away from Cornelia's perspective and go to another part of the war. Don't expect things to get much better for the heroes of this arc.