by Donald Davis
Joshua did his best in the battle. He had been in small battles before, including anywhere between five men and a hundred men. This however, was now two forces of roughly two thousand soldiers each clashing in the courtyard of a small town. He had always favored the sword more than anything, which was pretty common. His father would sometimes use a warhammer instead. It was a harder weapon to manage, but Tedric had the strength for it.
Joshua ran forward with the men, spotting three soldiers heading his way. One of them immediately got distracted by a nearby Bracken soldier taking a swing at him. The other two proceeded towards Joshua. One swung his sword as Joshua dodged backwards away from the blade. The other soldier almost immediately following up with his own attack, took a swing at Joshua from the side. Joshua managed to move his blade and parry the blow. By doing so, he knocked the blade back from the soldier. This created a quick opening that he took advantage of. After parrying, Joshua brought his sword around and stabbed the soldier right under his arm, where his armor failed to protect him. The soldier fell down, shouting in pain as blood rain down his side. Once Joshua had stabbed him, the other soldier was ready to attack again. He took a swing as Joshua barely pulled the blade back to block the blow. The soldier kept relentlessly attacking him as Joshua could barely keep up with blocking. He kept stepping back until he eventually tripped over a rock. He fell to the ground, and quickly raised his blade to block another attack. Worry started setting in, but was quickly erased, as an arrow struck the soldier in the neck. He struggled for a few seconds, then fell down on the ground dead. It was none other than Ken the Swift, coming to save the day. Joshua quickly got up and nodded to Ken, thanking him. He then ran off to find more soldiers.
After thirty minutes of ruthless fighting, Joshua was exhausted, but still standing. Many of the soldiers on both sides had already died. But thankfully there still seemed to be more Brackens than Sulvaines. Joshua took a second, then caught his breath. He walked a short ways, walking over bodies when he looked up and saw Blaire Sulvaine across the courtyard. The stories were true. Blaire probably stood at six feet, seven inches tall and was a giant. He wore heavy armor and used a long spear for most battles he fought in. Joshua watched as three soldiers attacked Blaire at once. Before they even reached him, he twirled around the spear and sliced one of the soldier’s throats with it. The other two approached him. He kicked one back and blocked a blow from another, then immediately used the blunt end of the spear to bash the soldiers face, knocking him down to the ground. He brought the spear around and stabbed the other soldier in the stomach, watching him bleed and fall down. The remaining soldier got on his feet, terrified. He was a young man, around the age of sixteen. Blaire almost looked at him with pity, “I’m sorry that you’re on the wrong side of the war.” He then used the spear to slit his throat.
Joshua stood and wondered how they would ever defeat such a man. Taking him down wouldn’t be easy. That’s when his father Tedric stepped up and spotted Blaire. They met glances, and started towards each other. As this happened, almost every man there stopped fighting and stared at the two. They met in the middle of the courtyard, staring at each other briefly. Blaire lifted up his spear as Tedric lifted his warhammer.
Blaire swung the spear as Tedric managed to block it with the handle of the hammer. Tedric tried kicking Blaire back, but did little good. Blaire punched him across the face. Joshua started to worry as the blood shot out of his father’s face when the blow landed. Luckily, he recovered quickly and blocked another one of Blaire’s attacks. This time, Tedric managed to swing the hammer around and land a blow on Blaire’s side. He grunted and stumbled back. Any normal sized man would’ve been devastated with such a blow, but Blaire recovered. The two giants fought for another minute, each landing a blow every few moments.
Things went south when Blaire swirled his spear and faked an attack. Tedric went to block it, but realized the trick too late. Blaire brought the spear down and stabbed Tedric’s foot, pinning it to the ground. Tedric shouted in pain as he knelt down. Joshua looked in horror, about to charge into the battle to help his father. Blaire struck Tedric across the face once again with his fist. Then another time. At this point, Tedric’s face was bloody and swollen. Blaire got up and looked down at his opponent. “Bend the knee. Yield now and your men will live. Refuse, and you’ll all die.” Tedric looked up at his opponent, one eye swollen shut. “We will not yield.” Blaire stood in silence, then ripped the spear out of Tedric’s foot. Blood shot out as he let out a cry of pain. Blaire then raised his spear to finish him off. Before he brought the blade down however, Joshua stepped up and blocked the blow. Tedric shouted, “Son, this isn’t your fight, don’t get involved!” But by the time he had said it, Blaire had already taken a swing at Joshua. He ducked and dodged the attack, brought his sword up and stabbed Blaire. The brunt of the force was absorbed by his heavy armor. Blaire grunted and backhanded Joshua, staggering him back. “Should’ve listened to your father, boy.” Blaire started to swing his spear once again, but before he finished swinging, Tedric’s warhammer came around and collided with the back of his head.
Blaire immediately fell down to the ground, the back of his head bleeding. Still alive, he turned over and started to get up. Tedric quickly limped over to him and landed another blow with his warhammer on Blaire’s back, knocking him back down. Then another. Then another swing, this time on Blaire’s head. Then another. Then another. Exhausted at this point, Tedric fell backwards onto the ground and released his weapon. Joshua looked on as Blaire Sulvaine’s head was completely smashed in. Joshua got up and walked to his father. “Father, are you alright? You were injured pretty bad.” His father looked up, “I’ve been better, but I’m still breathing.” The both of them looked around at the other soldiers. There was a small moment of pause and silence. Then at that moment, the Sulvaine forces looked at each other and threw down their weapons. Without their leader, their cause seemed pointless. Even though both sides lost around a thousand men that night, Tedric and Joshua were thankful that the fight was finally over. Tedric lay on the ground, looking up at Joshua. “Well son...We did it.”
Chapter 2: The Calm Before The…
Joshua surprisingly woke up the next morning feeling amazing, as if a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He leaned up in his bedroll to get a good stretch and yawned. He noticed it was already very bright outside. He stayed in his bedroll a moment longer, thinking about what had happened the day before. What a day that had been. Thinking about it now, he was sort of surprised that they had managed to survive that day. The Sulvaine’s put up a huge fight. Joshua’s father had decided to be merciful to those who had conceded defeat the previous night. Once the men had laid down their weapons, he decided to let them live and serve house Bracken once more, if they bent the knee and accepted the initial tax that he had proposed before the war. No soldiers opposed, they all swore fealty to house Bracken once more and accepted the terms.
Joshua was thankful that they hadn’t fought on after Blaire had fallen. There was no need for further bloodshed. He was just glad that it was all over and that he and his father could return to Roseshire and that things could go back to being normal. The past year had really drained them.
Joshua started wondering what his mother and his sister Emilia were up to, wondering what they had been doing the past few days and if they had received the pigeon that bore the news of victory. Things could finally go back to the way they should be. Joshua expected there would only be a few more days of unrest until things truly settled back down. It was just going to be a long couple of days getting affairs back in order for the kingdom to return to normal operations.
Tired of sitting in bed, Joshua finally got up and stretched his legs. He dressed up in light chainmail for the ride back home and exited his tent. He looked around at the camp that they had set up. Several tents were set up, as well as some bedrolls spread out across the camp for those who didn’t have the luxury of owning a tent. Several of the m
en without tents just set up their bedrolls underneath nearby trees to fend off any more rain to come. Most of the rain had stopped after the battle had ended though.
Joshua looked down the hill back at Keridion. Several Bracken men, as well as Sulvaine men, were going in and out of the town collecting all the dead bodies. There were a little over two thousand in total. Joshua started walking towards the town. He reached the gates and entered the courtyard when he spotted his father talking to some of the soldiers. Joshua started towards him.
He heard his father speak up. “I don’t care how long it takes. There’s a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. We will be burying all the men just outside of town to honor their sacrifices and to remember the events that transpired here. Now, best get to work. The sooner we’re finished, the sooner we can pack up camp and head for Roseshire.” He dismissed them as he noticed Joshua approaching him. “So, did you get enough sleep, son?” Joshua looked up at him, “Yeah, I guess so. Why’d you let me rest so long?” Tedric stood, watching the men moving bodies. “Figured you could use it. After all, we’ve had a long couple of days. Especially yesterday though, that was a hard-fought battle.”
Joshua looked down at his father’s foot, all bandaged up. “How’s your foot?” His father also looked down at his foot. “Not great, but I’ll live. Once we managed to settle everything down last night, I had a healer come by and patch me up. Once we get back to Roseshire, I’m going to have to rest for a few days before I can return to my normal duties.” Joshua nodded. “Well, it could’ve been worse.” Tedric nodded. “That’s true enough.”
“So what’s the plan after we finish up here?” Joshua asked. He didn’t want to linger here any longer than they had to. “Well hopefully, the men won’t take too long moving and burying the soldiers. Once they’re done with that, I figure we will pack up camp and set off back to Roseshire.”
“Great! When do you think we’ll get to set out?”
“Hopefully this evening. If the men take too long, however, we’ll leave at first light tomorrow.”
Either way, this made Joshua extremely happy. No more wandering around preparing to attack, or in some cases being attacked, and this time they would return for good. They had returned to Roseshire a few times over the past year, but normally not for long. Normally they would stay a few days trying to keep affairs in order and then set out again. His father liked to travel during war. From city to city, town to town, making sure that every house that was pledged to house Bracken was provided for and trying to help the cause in any way they could. Some may have seen this as stupidity, but his father thought it wise. “It’s important to keep up appearances with those pledged to you. If you don’t, they may lose faith and forget the reason why they’re fighting for you.” This made enough sense to Joshua. He had always tried to take in any advice that his father had given him.
Tedric stood up and looked at Joshua. “Well, you want to take a walk? I might be a little slow with this foot, but I’ll make it.”
“Where are we headed?”
“It’ll do the townsfolk good to see us walking around. It’ll raise morale to see their king and prince walking about once again. Sort of an assurance that the rebellion is over and that things can go back to the way they were. Besides, we can pick up food at the local tavern. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty hungry.”
Joshua laughed, “Alright, sounds good.”
And that’s exactly what they did. They both walked for a while and greeted the townsfolk. Making sure that most of their property was still in good condition after the battle from the night before. Mostly everything was still all right, considering that the battle took place in the courtyard, which was away from most of the homes. Keridion was a small town compared to most. It consisted of one long dirt road that extended from the courtyard all the way to the bottom of the stairs for the leadership hall of the town. All of the houses in the town were made of wood, as well as the wall that surrounded the town. The only bit of stone lied within the courtyard and part of the leadership hall. Houses lined both sides of the long dirt road all the way down to the end of the road at the leadership house. Some houses were just civilian houses, while some of them had merchant stands set up outside their homes. After walking around for a while, Tedric’s foot started hurting and they decided to go ahead and walk to the tavern, which was in the middle of the town. The food wasn’t the best. They had roasted pork, but the meat was tough. The ale wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t very strong, yet it wasn’t too light either. Both Joshua and his father had a pint before taking their leave. They offered to pay for their meal, but the tavern owner wouldn’t accept payment.
After eating at the tavern, they decided to check with the town leader. Grayton “The Wise” as some people called him. He was an elderly man in his late seventies, yet he still managed himself well. The way he talked, it sounded as if his townspeople were his top priority. He and Tedric had gone way back. Grayton used to be somewhat of a mentor to him, alongside Tedric’s father. The two of them sat down and talked for a good while.
Joshua sat and waited patiently. “You remember the time on your sixteenth name day when you decided that you were grown enough to try to ride that bull in Sulgar’s Valley?” Grayton asked Tedric as they both burst with laughter. “I warned you that there was no way that bull was actually gonna let someone ride him. Especially some half-scared kid that had something to prove.” Tedric looked at him, “I just wanted to feel like a man! You and father were still treating me like a child!” They just laughed more. They eventually calmed down and Grayton spoke up. “Seventeen years, eh? Can’t believe it’s been that long since he passed.” Tedric looked back at him, “Yeah. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago.” Grayton nodded. After visiting a little longer, Tedric decided that it was time to check on the progress of the men. They all said farewell. “Until next time, old friend.” Grayton looked at him as he was leaving, “Yeah, if I’m still alive that is.” They all chuckled. “Grayton turned his eyes to Joshua. “Take care young prince! You’re going to make a fine king someday.” Joshua shook his hand. With that, Tedric and Joshua departed back towards the courtyard to check on the men.
When they reached the courtyard, almost all the bodies had been moved. The forces had split into two groups. One group that moved the bodies from the courtyard to the burial site, while the other group dug the graves and started burying the men. The men were moving the last bodies as Joshua and his father reached them. They walked out of the gate and around the wall to the site and saw that most of the men had been buried. With everyone working together, they would be finished soon. “Perfect,” said Tedric. “At this rate, we can still leave within the next couple of hours and be halfway back to Roseshire by tonight.” He decided to take a quarter of the men with him and Joshua as they started tearing down tents and preparing horses and wagons. Within an hour or two, all the men were buried and almost everything was prepared for departure.
After everything had been prepared, Tedric decided to gather around all of the soldiers at the burial site. Once everyone was there, he started his speech. “Now everyone, I know you’re ready to leave so I’ll try to keep this brief.” He turned and looked at the graves. “These men, despite what side they were on, fought bravely for what they thought was right. The way that the battle was going, it could have gone either way.” He turned back towards the soldiers. “Men, don’t let this be for nothing. Do not let these sacrifices be in vain. I know that things may seem troublesome at times but I promise you, as your king, I will look after everyone. We are a united kingdom. And Asedith is strongest when we all fight together, remember that!” He looked over at the remaining Sulvaine forces. “Since Blaire Sulvaine had no children, no heirs, I have decided to name Garron Trent as the leader of your people. He has proven himself a strong and loyal man to the crown and the city of Treadrock will be better off with him. Just remember the oaths that you all swore and remain loyal to your new leader and me,
and everything will work out nicely. I’m glad that we could work out everything. Many men paid the price, but everything will be fine from here on out. We can all return home to our families and return to peace, I promise you. United together, Asedith will become even stronger in the years to come.” He then motioned toward the wagons and the caravan. “Now come. Let’s go and make a new Asedith. One that’s even better than the one before.” The men shouted and applauded him as they all walked towards the caravan.
Joshua couldn’t stop thinking about Roseshire. He loved the city. Not just because it was home, but because of how lively and vibrant it was. The walls were tall and made of thick white stone, as was the castle. The city was full of life. There were varieties of merchants and traders as well as men and women of many different trades and skills. The people almost always seemed to be in a good mood as well, most of them. Roseshire was truly a city worthy of being the capital of Asedith. Thinking more and more about the city and seeing his mother and sister again, Joshua couldn’t wait to get back home.
About two hours after leaving Keridion, it was time for the former Sulvaine (now Trent) soldiers to split off on a separate road and depart for Treadrock. Garron approach Tedric and shook his hand, thanking him for giving them the opportunity of a new start, and departed ways from the Brackens.
The Brackens continued on the road to Roseshire for another few hours after departing from the Treadrock soldiers. Tedric had grown tired of riding due to his foot continuously cramping up. He eventually grew tired of it all. He commanded the men to stop. “All right, that’s enough. We’re going to set up camp here for the night and depart first thing in the morning. It’s almost dark anyway.” So it was. Tedric and Joshua both got their squires to stable their horses for them. Tedric kept walking up and down the road, trying to work out the cramp in his foot. After a short while of walking, he went back to sit by Joshua next to the campfire that had been set up.