by Billy Wong
"Wait," Keith said, "did you put those insane notions into Leelee the Golden's head too? You must be the one behind most of the turmoil that's been plaguing the five nations lately."
"Oh, don't give me too much credit. Leelee had it in for your Saint Princess long before I ever became aware of her existence. I might've given her slight help after the fact, though."
Julianna spread her arms in exasperation. "This is the exact wrong time to be doing this! You're going to plunge the continent into a war when it might be about to fall, and we're trying to stop it? You might be killing yourself too."
"Why should I believe your unsubstantiated theory, and allow fear to stand in the way of my ambitions? Besides, even if the continent is in danger we, the glorious One Nation will solve the problem." He glanced towards Keith. "By the way, I see you've taken to carrying His Majesty's sword. Don't get too attached, I'll be taking it back soon. In any case, be seeing you." He followed the last of the monsters into the passage, dragging Gilbert along.
They waited long seconds, Jermain limping over to give Becca a shoulder to lean on now that there seemed no immediate threat. "He isn't going to keep his word!" Becca spat, features strained as she clutched her abdominal wound. "I should have just executed his ugly father like I wanted to in the first place." Then Gilbert flew out of the cave mouth, flopping down on his belly. Julianna saw that his eyes stared sightlessly and his throat had been cut, blood pooling under him. So he couldn't avoid meeting his fate in spite of their attempt to negotiate. But at least they'd tried.
"I guess they gave him back at least," Jermain said in a small voice while his queen's expression grew ever angrier.
Becca pointed at the opening. "Let's go after them! If they're not going to honor their promise properly-" There was a loud boom and the entrance collapsed, tons of stone crashing down to seal it. She stared. "They destroyed their own way out?"
"There must be another exit somewhere else," Keith said. "Julianna, can't you use magic to part the rock like before?"
She put her hands to the pile, then shook her head. "No, it seems the collapse goes too deep for me to reach all the way through it with the little magical energy I can scrounge up here. If we wanted to get through, we'd have to dig manually and there's no time for that with Aerilea facing invasion."
"I was going to suggest looking for the other exit," Becca grumbled, "but I suppose there isn't time for that either when those underground tunnels could lead anywhere."
"Will you help us?" Julianna asked. "We have a standing army, but I don't know if it'll be enough to hold off the One Army considering we'd thought we were at peace. The stout warriors of Severil's aid would be most welcome."
"Of course I'll help. I have unfinished business with these bastards too. But I can't leave my homeland inadequately defended in such times, so Jermain will take half the army back. I'll lead the rest north with you."
She gazed at Becca's worst wound. "You sure? That injury of yours..."
"This is nothing, like I told Father." She coughed, putting a hand to her mouth so that blood leaked out between her fingers, but grinned after. "Barely more than a scratch."
Julianna smiled back. "It looks pretty bad to me. I mean, I figure a brute like you won't die from that, but it could still become inconvenient."
"I'll be fine. Worry about someone who didn't just kick the Father of All Monsters' butt. Also, how is your body holding up? I take it the magical energy is pretty low around here, and you got knocked around some."
"I should feel better once we move further inland. I'm more concerned about you sickening, but I'll put my trust in you."
"What about Ostuh's soldiers?" Keith asked.
A short, rotund officer with a curly mustache came forth from among them. "I am General York, the highest ranking here and I suppose leader of our force now that the Premier... well. We will be heading back to Ostuh, to provide what meager protection we can for our people in case it's needed."
"I understand," Julianna said. "We don't need them anyway, right Becca?" Even they could convince him to lend them some of his men, Ostuh's less well trained, inexperienced troops would probably just slow them down. "Let us go, and bring the One Army low once more."
Becca divided her forces between herself and Jermain, taking most of the cavalry with her since she figured they might have use for mobile troops. It was a good thing they had already prepared for a potentially long campaign with food and supplies, though she made Julianna promise to help feed them should they run low. She tied an extra half dozen quivers of arrows to her saddle too, probably expecting that to be more convenient than requesting them from soldiers one at a time. They headed north, Becca often leaning forward to drape herself over the neck of her horse like she had no strength to straighten up. If only Jermain was still around, Julianna might have tried to ask him for a more sincere assessment of her condition.
One time when they stopped for a rest, she caught Becca drooling blood into a cup of whiskey she no doubt took for the pain while sitting hunched over with anguish. "Are you sure you should go with us?" she asked. "Maybe you really should leave it to your generals."
"Don't tell me what to do. You may think of me as a reckless kid, but I know my own body better than you." She downed another mouthful of liquor with a shiver. "What do you think of what he said, though? Father, I mean, about how humans started the feud."
"I don't know. Honestly that was so long ago, that I wouldn't put much trust into any of the histories regarding the matter. I can't discount the possibility, knowing how people can be. But even if humans wronged the monsters first, numerous generations have passed since. He can't hold us responsible for things our grandparents' grandparents wouldn't have remembered."
"I agree with you, but I'm wondering, would you be open to coexisting with them?"
It was something she had hardly thought about given how aggressive the monsters had seemed until now, but when she actually pondered it the answer came without difficulty. "If they actually wanted to make peace and wouldn't be so eager to attack us, I wouldn't be adamant about slaughtering them. They'd just be like any other animals then. As it stands though, with them being aligned with Nero and the One Army, it doesn't look like the bloodshed between us will stop."
"Maybe if we kill off Father for good, considering he seems to guide them, they'll lose their will to be so hostile. On the other hand, they might have enough mental faculties to hold a grudge if not act in an organized fashion. It would be better if we had a way to communicate with them, but I guess we'll deal with the fallout when we must."
When they neared Myrrhise, the scouts they sent ahead reported it didn't seem to be under attack yet. Good, they had beaten the enemy here; the marching speed of Severil's warriors was to be admired. Leaving the rest of the force outside the city, she, Keith and Becca went to ask Julian what was happening. "Thank goodness you're back!" her son said, leaping from the throne when he saw them. "A massive invasion force is on its way here. General Duncan and the standing army are performing a delaying action to hold them at bay while more troops are raised, but the situation looks grim. Wait, what's Queen Becca doing here?"
"I'm here to help," Becca replied with a flourish. She appeared mostly recovered by now, impressive when she hadn't rested much after suffering that grave wound. "I've brought ten thousand peerless warriors of Severil to aid your cause, so we should easily drive those white-wearing scum back where they came from."
"Ten thousand? I don't know if that will be enough, no offense of course."
"How many do they number exactly?" Keith asked.
"Reports from the front line say sixty thousand, maybe more. General Duncan's army is outnumbered by at least double."
Becca looked down. "So we'll still be outnumbered." Then she grinned. "So what? Tsk, one man of Severil is worth five from anywhere else. And that's just an average man, not one of my elites or an elite of elites like myself."
"She is extremely arrogant," Keith whisp
ered to Julianna.
"It's not as if it's that unjustified, so..."
"We still need a plan," Julian pointed out. "Duncan's force is barely holding on at Lyros Plain last I heard, and spirits are very low. Mom, what will we do?"
"I would've wanted to circle around and attack them from the rear, but if our allies are in such bad shape they might not last that long. We might have to join them in their current efforts to bolster their morale, but then we'll still be outmanned while being unable to attack from the rear like I'd hoped."
"Here's the strategy," Becca said. "I'll split my force again and have the four thousand cavalry get behind them, while the rest go with you to reinforce your general. Bringing the infantry along would slow down my riders anyway, and make it harder for them to withdraw if things go bad."
Keith gazed doubtfully at her. "I wouldn't call that a terrible plan, but since when do you get to say straight out, 'here's the strategy?'"
"Those are my warriors we're talking about. Moving on, my cavalry will stay out of the enemy's view until the fighting starts in earnest, then come in and wreak havoc on their backside. We're real hell-raisers as you know, so that should throw them into disarray enough for you to launch a devastating counteroffensive. We'll have most of the White Army dead or scattered in no time."
"It's the One Army..."
"Do you really respect those assholes to call them by their correct name?"
"No, but it can cause confusion." To Julianna, he said, "She's taking over our story."
"Oh well, we still have the magical decline to deal with later. Becca, are you going to go with the cavalry or stay with us?"
She scratched her chin. "I should probably go with them. Flanking the enemy will be the trickier action over maintaining the defense, and you have enough leaders on your side already. I'll entrust the rest of my men to you, take good care of them. Ahem, I mean, I'm sure they'll take good care of you." She walked out, presumably to inform her troops.
"She sure is something else," Julian marveled.
Julianna looked after her with a hand on her hip. "I don't know, I think maybe she overdoes it a little. She backs it up, though. Anyway, we should probably go too. We need to hurry after all."
"Good luck, Mom, Dad. Come back safe."
"We'll do our best," Keith said, and they followed Becca out.
After briefing her on the terrain around Lyros Plain, they parted ways with the queen of Severil and took the infantry to join up with General Duncan. Julianna made sure to keep lookouts well behind them, in order to be warned should Nero try something similar to what Becca planned. When they arrived at the Aerilean camp near one end of the plain, evening had fallen and the fighting stopped for the day. They entered to find conditions grim, the air filled with moans of the injured and more than a few recently deceased being carried past by their comrades.
"Princess Julianna, Sir Keith!" Duncan greeted them as he met them outside his tent, soldiers gathering around to watch. The husky older warrior's gray armor and beard were caked with dried blood, as he mustn't have had a chance to cleanse them. "Are those warriors outside..?"
"They're from Severil," Julianna said, "courtesy of Queen Becca. How goes the battle?"
"Not well, I'm afraid. We've lost a fifth of our force, and been forced to retreat again and again. We gave them their share of hurt to be sure, but we're at our wits' end. They're too strong and numerous; if this goes on any longer, I don't know that the men can stand fast."
A fifth of thirty thousand, with many wounded besides... a staggering thought, even if she'd been here before. They should be applauded for even fighting on this long. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've done a fine job. Everybody, I commend you for your valor in holding firm against dire odds! But your job is not done, though the end draws near. Now that help has arrived, the time comes to turn the tide and crush the White Army into irrelevance again!"
"The One Army," Keith corrected.
Her brow rose. "Did I say White? Darn it Becca, ruining my speech... but I guess they don't deserve respect like she said."
"Your Highness," a gangly senior captain asked, "we are all most grateful for your presence, but can we truly hope for the best as you suggest? The troops you have brought seem scarcely enough to make up for our losses, let alone even the odds. While you are extremely powerful, it does not appear you can bring to bear the forces you once did."
She might be able to draw upon power somewhat close to what she wielded before, but that would drain the land more than she dared. "I shouldn't need to. These six thousand, while not so many, are warriors of Severil—proudest and most fearsome on all the continent!" She shied away from making a judgment of comparative value like Becca had, not wanting to belittle her own people too much. "Furthermore, these are not the only allies we've brought. Queen Becca herself rides for the enemy's rear with four thousand cavalry . Tomorrow when the fighting resumes, she will sweep into them and we plan to smash them from both sides until they break. But we can't do it without you, so after a good night's rest, rally your strong hearts once more and let us snatch victory from defeat together!"
Voices all around broke into cheers, and she smiled. Their revitalized spirits didn't guarantee victory though, so she hoped that tomorrow, she would get the opportunity to make a statement against whoever led this incarnation of the One Army to further shift the momentum in their favor.
When horns blew the next morning to signal the enemy approached, Julianna and Keith rode on horseback to maximize their visibility as they made their way to the forefront. The enemy leader seemed to share the same idea, mounted atop a huge armored black charger surrounded by other horsemen she assumed to be his officers. A gargantuan fellow, he towered a head above the next tallest man even seated, looking four feet wide in his bulky spiked armor and high-crested helmet. In one hand he held a warhammer with a head the size of her torso, dangling towards the ground.
"Care to introduce yourself, you overgrown oaf?" she said, though Duncan had already told them about him.
His scarred lips pulled up in a smile, revealing crooked teeth. "I am Caius, Second Commander of the One Army. And to whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking? Have the legendary Saint Princess of Aerilea and her rather redundant High Knight finally come to grace my sight?"
"Keith isn't redundant, he does plenty of useful work for me." She shook her head, that not having been the type of strong line she wanted all to hear in their exchange. "Anyway, I don't suppose you're willing to turn back, but it'll be better for your men if you do. Otherwise, a great many of them will perish along with you."
He gave a deep, booming laugh. "Do you believe so? I see you've brought some reinforcements, but hardly enough to make up the difference in strength between us."
Not wanting to give away too much, she replied, "More troops are being raised. What we have will be more than enough to hold off your pathetic attempt at conquest, until our full strength can be brought to bear and you're driven into the dirt."
"You speak boldly, and I do respect what you've accomplished as a warrior—though your stubborn loyalty to old divisions, not so much. Then let us see whose ideals the gods favor."
Surprisingly less crass than she might've expected, but she wouldn't let him have the last word. "The gods' favor? We needn't rely on that, considering I've slain a god."
"It's good to see you still make a spirited opponent in your twilight. Attack!"
The One Army advanced, an imposing white mass which flowed across the field towards them. "He called me redundant," Keith said under his breath. "Do you think of me that way, did you only name me High Knight to make me feel important since you like me?"
Julianna recoiled. "You're asking this now? Of course not, like I told you you give me lots of help like with keeping order in the palace, negotiating with people and training troops. Just because I fight most of my own duels doesn't make you useless."
"I suppose, but the High Knight is traditionally supposed to be
the country's official champion hence Becca appointing herself."
"Ugh, we've had this discussion countless times before and it never goes anywhere. Just concentrate on the battle."
They met the enemy's charge on foot having sent back the horses to join the line, weapons mangling the armor and flesh of their foes alike. Severil's warriors who now occupied most of the front answered the attack with zeal, easily standing their ground while inflicting heavy damage. Caius sat back observing with most of his officers. For such an intimidating presence, he didn't seem in much of a rush to get into the action. His eyes narrowed as his soldiers began to falter.
"Lord Caius," one of his older compatriots said, "these men are strong! They appear much better than Aerilea's troops, should we pull back and form a new strategy?" Though that wasn't quite flattering to her countrymen, Julianna hoped it would inspire them to strive harder to match their allies. They couldn't be faulted much for softening in peacetime when their culture wasn't as obsessive about fighting as Severil, anyway.
"Don't say that out loud!" Caius replied. "And what kind of chicken backs down after a single setback anyway? Send in our best, then we'll see if these blustering fools of Severil are really as unshakable as their reputation claims."
The battle intensified as his heavier armed and armored elites came forward, and they struggled back and forth with Becca's infantry. The elite still couldn't stand up to Julianna and Keith though, despite putting up better fights. Then an uproar started among the One Army's ranks, and an officer said, "Lord Caius, a host of riders is assailing our rear!" He gazed over his shoulder to see Becca a ways back, making pincushions of his back line while she rode alongside it with her cavalry.
"So the mighty ruler of Severil is here too?" Caius hefted his great hammer and looked back and forth between her and the Aerilean couple. "Fine, whose arm shall I test first? The spear-wielding princess back from the dead or the young queen with the absurdly impractical fighting style?"
#
Hearing his exclusion from the commander's challenge, Keith grew irritated. "Why so eager to challenge girls?" he yelled. "Care to try me on instead?"