60 defenders of The White Citadel remain. They were the survivors of their defiant defence of the inner sanctum and the white citadel. Old Arsalan had gathered them in the ruins of Our Lady's Cathedral.
Myrmidons, Men-at-Arms, Knights of now shattered Orders, even wayward remnants of Claudia's Valkyries remained.
Arsalan noticed no Paladins amongst their ranks. The valiant elite must be enacting their own last stand somewhere else, fighting to the bitter end.
Some may have escaped the slaughter or were escorting Celestine to safety. It is anyone's guess.
No one spoke a word. This is the end. They all knew and none voiced their dissent of it. There was little reason to.
Before, they were little more than nameless, disparate faces fighting in the stalwart armies of The Seven Shield Alliance. Today, they stand as comrades. Brothers and sisters in arms, warriors whom the Arsalan would gladly die with in honour.
Their names are known to him now and to each other. They will die here, with honour and pride.
Ken burned all around them. The fiendish flames and smouldering ash rose around them. The barbaric cries of the Black Dogs and their abominable allies were audible all around them. Sacking, raping, and desecrating as they ravaged the capital.
The mindless destruction would soon consume them. Their end would come.
They made their peace in whatever way they could. A Valkyrie comforted a dying Knight in her arms. A Men-at-Arm tinkered with a wooden horse carving. A Knight shared a piece of bread with a lone Myrmidon.
"Did we hurt them?" A Myrmidon warrior asked Arsalan. "Did this even mean anything?"
Arsalan thought for a moment.
"They will remember this," he answered. "They will never forget this."
The enemy surged forth from the broken door and shattered windows. They charged heedlessly but the defenders did not run. They stood and took the enemy head-on. Fighting bitterly to the end.
The battle for Ken…is over.
Some bonus worldbuilding for the world of The Seventh Overlord. I may do these short snippets of these sorts of stories during the waiting period for the main chapters, just to keep you all busy.
This is inspired by the ending of the Istvaan III Betrayal portrayed in the Horus Heresy book Galaxy in Flame.