Chapter 4: Lances Ready Ahead!

A week north of Jule was where the scout Tico found his first visual of rowdiness upon the horizon. A small village with no more than 40 residents, a place where no family would have any listed presence in the free lands as the resources would be too few with the exception being possibly times of war. "Now why would they have the red jackal sigil of Valtrex hanging from the houses and structures?" Tico thought aloud as he leaned forward in his saddle. He quickly kept low and moved along toward a nearby group of trees where he dismounted and tied up his steed to try and limit his exposure in the off chance that anyone nearby was keeping tabs on the possibility of visitors. "Stay horsey." He petted the forehead of his horse and then went full prone as he moved closer for a better chance to see what the scenery ahead was. He kept his eyes closely watching as he knew from prior experience that one could never predict when valuable information would present itself in these situations.

Tico's position was nearly 200 meters from the edge of the closest building but he could see all he needed to see. Before too long he could see three men practicing sword craft outside the inn. Tico looked further and noticed that not once in the entire time he was around did anyone come or go from the town. Granted this was a tiny village, so small his maps did not even list it. Yet, most places would at least have some level of travel and commerce. It became clearly visible that the occupation forces were not a short-term force but were ultimately a long-term stay. "So the house of Valtrex is trying to become a kingdom and not simply a Regent lordship, this very act violates everything of the free lands." Then Tico thought longer and wondered how that could endure, especially since Shenis was marching north anyway. "Tico, Tico, Tico….Politics are not my place. Leave that bologna to the priests and highborn who have soft hands and endless free time."

Tico stood watch for a day longer and gathered what he believed was a reliable tally of their strengths as a force before he returned to his nag and under cover of nightfall rode back to the retinue a day or so ride behind him.

As he returned to the side of his lord he was warmly greeted by all. "Tico!" Shenis called forth to the scout. "What news do you have from the forefront?"

"Master I have quite a lot of news." Tico rode to the side of the wagon where Shenis sat next to Bryan the priest. "About a day forward there is a small village unmarked by my map."

"Yes there can be quite many of these small places." Shenis retorted. "Usually they are only known of if the nearest ruling family has a tie to the people settled there." The young lord was all too familiar with the commonness of these things. He nodded to Bryan to pull over the cart. "Calle, we'll set up camp and plan the attack here!" he called to the cavalier in the lead. She signaled to the others and all dismounted and set up a perimeter. Many were thrilled to have a rest.

Tico quickly setup a war table and drew up a map of the local town ahead. "Here, this is the main place where I believe that they have most of their military stationed." Tico pointed to the inn as all around kept their eyes glued to the table. Calle was most curious as she knew that she had the most combat experience of the lot.

"What is their standing size?" the young lord asked.

"Roughly 10 or so." Tico replied confidently, "maybe a few more, but the village would not be able to hold such numbers for the long term as it seemed to be designed."

"Is this a tyrannical oppression? Or does it seem that Valtrex has annexed the land?" Bryan asked the scout. This question struck hard to the group as prior to that statement really none had thought about that possibility, even the young master Shenis really had not pondered that possibility. Even though the idea really was more possible than he could have imagined, as not everyone lived in a perfect, safe, and civil city like he did.

"Master Shenis. Are we trying to conquer lands too?" Highlight asked of his lord. He trusted the young Savoy fully and would blindly support him regardless but he truly was curious as to what he would say in response.

"To be honest, I have not planned on annexing lands as if we were going to turn our House into a Country." Two nations did exist on Wiera, far more massive and with long settled borders unlike the free lands, which were all a collective of self-governed city-states. The two nations were on opposite ends of the continent, Yannis, and Archana. The free lands had been as such for as long as anyone could remember and honestly nobody really had plans to change it. Simply because of just how much it would cost to maintain and all the extra men needed to keep safe al because of a pledged allegiance to some banner that based itself nowhere nearby.

"I have an idea what you're thinking my patron." The mercenary spouted as he rested an arm on Shenis' shoulder. "Look, these small towns in Countries are actually safer if done so in earnest versus when in free lands."

"What do you mean Dalton?" The young lord was puzzled by the words of his paid hand.

"The villages when absent a house or outside a country are basically endless targets for oppression due to them not having a nearby military presence or a patrolled border guarding the lands of the kingdom." As Dalton continued to speak Shenis and Highlight as well as Bryan were all pondering the words he spoke and what they meant. Perhaps conquest and annexing of lands would be in their future. However, now they had a simple task at hand, the liberation of these people.

"Let's get back to business gents." Calle spoke as she broke everyone from their thoughts and philosophical ponderings. "What is the plan?"

All stood over the map for a good minute or two before Bryan spoke. "I have an idea." He said, "It will require bravery on our unmounted fighters, but should allow us to draw the enemy from the town, which will limit any potential harm to the townsfolk and allow us to not get pulled into a shoot where our cavalry would be unable to maneuver."

"Well Lets here it!" the young master spoke up.

"All right! We will position the wagon here out of sight in case something forces us to retreat. Our forces will separate into two squadrons, cavalry and infantry. Calle you will ride west of the town and stay fully out of view of the town at all times so as to make it seem as though you do not exist. Meanwhile, Shenis will lead the rest of us forward with banners waving into the field area towards the town. I hope that this will stir them and seeing that we only have four of us on foot they should be eager to fully move to slay us." Dalton giggled at the thought but understood that his purpose with the lord, knight, and priest was to be a good bait.

Calle seemed very supportive of the plan. "How will I know when to ride forward with the cavalry?"

"I shall cast a healing spell but target it to the sky so that its light will refract and be a signal to you." Bryan replied. All understood the task at hand for each of them.

"Good plan Bryan!" the lord said. "Let us move to position and sleep with a roof over our head tonight!" all shouted in support of the plan. Calle and the riders quickly mounted their horses and moved to their positon to the west of the village ready to ride lances out upon them. Meanwhile the infantry parked the wagon and tied the horses pulling it to a tree. The group moved forward all four of them towards the view of the town.

Before too long they were in view of the village. "Hey boss, Hey Zim! HEY Zim!"

"What you miserable oaf?" the leader of the group hollered back. He was chowing on a chop of mutton sitting at the long table in the inn as the yelling reached his ear.

"Boss, there looks to be a group of would be heroes headed our way!" the grunt replied as he leaned inside the inn to tell the news. The words excited the boss as well as the others who really hadn't had a fight since they took hold of the town and slaughtered most all of the menfolk.

"Well let us go and slay these righteous do-gooders!" all shouted in agreement and quickly grabbed their axes and spears. Zim himself grabbed his sword and they all quickly moved out of the inn and onto the field. Zim rallied everyone together in excitement and the soldiers of Valtrex moved onward.

"There is only four of them boss, this won't be too much fun."

"Then make sure and make it count."Zim replied. The men approached the field way quicker than were expected as they were truly eager to fight.

"Tico was right." Bryan spouted as he clutched his staff. "There is only 12 of them in all." Shenis already had his rapier unsheathed. Meanwhile Dalton was stretching before drawing his sword. He did have a small shield but ultimately it was little more than an armguard. Highlight stood next to his lordship.

"Bryan perhaps you should stand behind us three." The priest nodded as the enemy closed in close. Within a few more steps the opposing force halted. Which was quite unexpected by all.

"So I suspect you wish to die you motley lot!" Zim called to the group. "The only reason I am giving you an opportunity to flee is because I can tell by your man's armor and your dress and weapon that you are nobility, and I do not lightly wish to deal with your family getting all angry because they have a fool prancing about playing hero!" the Valtrex men laughed as they heard their captain's words. Shenis was not impressed and thus pointed the tip of his blade at Zim.

"You have no right to these people and no manners, and soon you shall have no manhood." The young lord proclaimed boldly. The words gave Dalton a sharp giggle as he cracked his neck.

"Hey Bryan." The mercenary spoke to the quivering priest standing behind the front three. "I'm not strategist but perhaps now would be a wise time to send your signal." The priest paused for a second and then as Zim signaled the charge He muttered a short prayer and sent a healing ball into the sky.

"HHAHHA!" Zim laughed, "EVEN BETTER they have a priest absent damaging magic!" Zim and his men thought the light was a failed spell and not a signal.

To the west, Calle and the riders saw the signal. "Tico stay behind the front as you carry no lance." She called to her scouting cavalier. The scout moved to position. "Cavaliers of house Savoy! Lances READY!" All the cavalry hoisted their lances high then nocked them in into positon to mitigate as much blowback as possible from contact. "RIDE!" Calle recognized that all were ready she turned around and kicked her steed into a gallop. The others followed suit. Tico unsheathed his blade as well and followed along at the rear of the riders but nonetheless in the fold.

"I hope they can move fast." Dalton spoke as the Valtrex men closed in. They were maybe thirty paces away and closing ground quickly as he spoke. Shenis, emboldened by youth and a privileged life was absent fear; however, Highlight carried enough caution for both of them.

As the first man reached striking range Shenis readied his sword to parry the blow. However, Highlight sunk his spear deep into the chest of the enemy. "Highlight I can handle myself." The lord jokingly hollered as the enemy fell to the ground and Highlight removed his lance.

"Pardon My liege!" the knight immediately hoisted his shield to block a strike from a man to his right. The fight was on. Dalton dodged a quick blow and then in flashy bliss front flipped and shoved his blade deep into his shoulder of the man. He then swung his legs forward and pushed off to release the sword from the man and shove him into several others knocking them backward several steps.

Shenis surged strongly with poise. He plunged his blade tip into the neck of one and immediately pulled the blade to parry the blow of another. Yet, his actions left him blind to his side. Highlight quickly recognized this as another soldier moved a spear toward his lord's back. Highlight bluntly wacked the soldier he was fight back to create space and pushed himself in front of the spear thrust. "SHUNK!" the tip sunk through his armor, though he was able to position himself as best as possible to limit the damage He did however drop to his knee from the initial shock of pain before he grit his teeth and slung his lance around once more catching the side of the soldier who pierced him. Bryan seeing the pain Highlight was in immediately began incanting a healing spell for his companion.

Zim could see that these four were not ordinary country nobility, but Highlight's injury showed the opportunity available to beat them. He moved toward the Knight. Shenis was fully unaware of his guardian's pain and continued flamboyantly waving and prancing his blade about cutting with precision but nonetheless absent ideals of defense. Dalton meanwhile ducked under a sharp spear thrust and summersaulted forward and slashed in a circle robbing the soldier of his legs before he ended the man's misery.

Highlight regained his form quickly as the priest's healing arts helped steady him to continue. He parried two more thrusts before a kick knocked him over. Zim used his boot to injured side of the young knight to knock him off balance and provide an opportunity to gain advantage. The Knight toppled over unexpectedly and had quickly regain his sense so the he used his shield to block a downward thrust from the enemy leader. Highlight quickly parried three more swats from the leader as he tried to return to his feet.

"BRHHHHH!" "NEIGHHH!" The sounds of horses thundered swiftly in from the west, distracting the entirety of the field. Dalton used this confusion to remove the head of the combatant directly in front of him. Zim scowled as he looked back to see the riders coming in the remaining men of his troop all turned tail and ran quickly but their pace was nothing compared to the horses and each was rundown with spear and lance. Calle and the cavalry quickly slew all that remained and now only Zim stood tall among the enemy. Though he was bewildered at the turn of events. In seeing his men all fall to the rush of horses into the fray the fight left his eyes, as he knew victory was gone from him. His hands lost their strength and his sword now became a heavy weight for him to carry. He still held the tip but the blade itself now rested its head in the dirt. Shenis noticed this and moved in front of the beaten captain. He held he point of his rapier at his throat. And used it to hoist his eyes to meet his.

"Any last words?" the young lord asked the man in respect.

"Burn you brigands!" the man spat into the face of the lord. Shenis temporarily ignored the spit upon his face and shoved the slender tip of the rapier through Zim's neck. He coughed and spewed blood before falling over on his back to death. The battle was won!

"MEN WE HAVE WON!"

"HAZZAH!" the all cried at the proclamation of victory. The small band's plan had worked without flaw. Not a single soldier on the Savoy side had fallen. While the entire Valtrex force lay dead in the field.

"Cavaliers let us gather up the bodies over there and burn them quickly. Check them first for anything of use or worth." Calle called to her men as she dismounted her horse.

"Highlight are you hurt?" Shenis now realized as he looked over at his trusted friend and guard.

"Only a little my liege." The knight played the wound off, as the pain was now manageable due to the healing spell from Bryan. Shenis ordered Bryan to take Highlight into the inn to fully treat and wrap his wound. Shenis and Dalton went back and fetched the supply wagon from where they stashed it.

Bryan and Highlight entered the inn and were somewhat warmly welcomed by the keeper, as they were thrilled to be rid of the freeloaders but were cautious as to what a new lord would bring. They showed them to bed and Bryan cleaned and dressed the wound as the cavaliers finished their task and took the horses to the makeshift stable the tavern offered. Just then the wagon rode in and Shenis and Dalton parked the wagon outside the inn. "Men go to every household and invite every homestead to a meeting outside of here I want to speak to the village as a collective and reduce their concern of us."

The men did as told and soon most all of the villagers were amassed in front of the inn. Shenis looked them over and could tell that there were hardly any men in the cluster, mostly women and some small children. "Hello all, I am Shenis Savoy, ruler of the City of Jule to the South. I have come to liberate the villages and towns under the rule of house Valtrex." He could tell they were still nervous and not fully aware of his intentions. "May I ask you if we may stay here as we figure out our next move? Does anyone have knowledge of anything about the Valtrex' army throughout the region?"

After a few moments of awkward silence the innkeeper spoke up. "Good sir, I believe I can be of help."

"Thank you! Can we talk inside and rest at your inn?" He asked of the innkeeper. Calle then pulled a pouch of gold from the wagon and handed it to the innkeeper. To which she was overwhelmed with joy. Seeing the money handed over warmed the people up to Shenis and his troops as before too long all were cheering and thanking the soldiers for their relief. They could tell from the payment of use of the inn that this was not the same type of military experience they were previously host to under Valtrex.

Through the conversation with the innkeeper and her family they discovered that Valtrex had taken control of a host of other villages all around the North with the exception of Winter's edge which was a large township without proper rule, host to trappers, traders, and people who spend their years mostly beyond the mountain pass.

"By the way what is this village called?" Shenis asked the innkeeper. "It was not on our maps."

"Why welcome to Riserstead." She answer. "Please may I ask, feel free to use our town as a base camp for your northern expedition if you like." The young master and Calle liked that response. "However, may I ask, do you plan on claiming our village as part of your lands as House Valtrex did?" the question carried weight with it. Shenis really had not yet thought of that, but ultimately he did need to decide eventually as what would happen after he sacked these towns and removed the red jackal from the buildings? What would happen then?

He looked to Callie and Dalton who was pounding down a strong flagon of ale as he smooth talked a woman serving him drink. He thought for a brief second of Highlight in the other room being tended to by Bryan. "To be honest kind lady, I do not know. But as this day has progressed it has come to my awareness that villages like yours are exposed to trouble absent proper protection. We may have to figure something out later on, but for now I am only seeking to right the wrongs brought upon your people over the last several years."

The answer was met with earnest enthusiasm as she could tell the lord was sincere in his words. Shenis was young, but she could see he had loyal followers and an earnest heart to do right, even if he was somewhat overzealous and arrogant in his actions.

_AUTHOR"S NOTE_

Hazzah for Shenis, sure he is blinded by his privileged life in combat but he does have some skill. However Dalton is a straight up beast! I really like the tone of this chapter. The Battle wasn't too drug out for such a small inconsequential skirmish. and Most importantly we see that really the Valtrex occupation was planned as permanent but was not thought of as needing serious military housing.

Dalton or Highlight? which is your favorite?

do you want me to bring back the orphaned trio of Til soon?