by Donald Davis
Chapter 23: The Battle of Treadrock
Grayton, Terra, and Garron all followed Joshua as he walked into the city and up to the leadership hall. They all discussed the rising situation as they climbed the stairs. “Garron,” Joshua started. “Please ensure that a third of the army remains within the city walls in case of a breach. The remainder will be positioned outside of the walls to face Braden’s army head-on.” Garron walked off. “Yes lord.” They reached the top of the stairs and proceeded into the hall. “Grayton, make sure that all of the food, supplies, and wagons gathered are all brought within the city walls. I don’t care where you store them, just make sure that they do not fall back into enemy hands.” Grayton replied, “I will make the preparations.” He walked away. “Mother, I need you to send word to any scouts and any available men that may not be here. Tell them to return to Treadrock at once.” Terra nodded. “Yes… Joshua, is everything going to be okay?” Joshua realized that this would be the first time that his mother would be present for a battle such as this. He took his hands and placed them on her shoulders. “Mother, everything is going to be alright. I won’t lie to you though, this will most likely be the largest and most defining battle in the war. If the scouts are correct, Braden will be sending the bulk of his forces here within the coming days. We will need every man that we can get, and perhaps even more.”
Joshua continued walking until he reached the chambers he had been staying in for the past few months. He went in and found a set of medium-heavy armor that he hadn’t used in a long time. He would normally use light chainmail, but this way he would have greater protection against more enemies. “Mother,” he called out. He looked at her. “From here on out, I want every man prepared for battle. Even if the scouts say that the king’s army is two days out, I want everyone to be prepared as if they were about to march on us tonight.” Terra nodded. “Yes, it shall be done.” With that, Terra left to take care of her duties. Joshua stood in his room alone, staring at his set of armor. This is the deciding moment. If we win the battle, we just might win this war. He then called in a servant to help him strap on his armor.
Joshua always tried to be prepared. He tried his best to plan ahead whenever possible to prevent any unexpected surprises. It had now been two days since the warning arrived, yet no sign of an army. To stay prepared, however, Joshua made sure to keep the men in formation at all times. Some of the men remained in the city walls just in case of a breach by enemy forces. Others were stationed with bows and arrows atop the city walls overlooking the gates and the outskirts. Several of the men were positioned outside of the walls outside of the gates and all around the city wall.
“It’s been two days,” Grayton said. Grayton, Joshua, Terra, and Garron were all standing on the city wall, looking out over the main gate. “Perhaps the king used deceit and the army isn’t coming after all.” No, it can’t be. Could Braden have tricked us? “If the scouts were accurate, we cannot drop our guard even for a moment,” Joshua replied. Even at our best, it’s going to be a difficult fight. We can’t allow Braden any advantages.”
“Indeed,” said Garron. “Not only are the men ready, but we’ve made sure to prepare any extra weapons that we may need for battle. Just as you requested, we tried thinking of everything.”
“Very good. Mother, how do the citizens fare?”
“They’re good,” Terra answered. “As good as can be expected. It is war, after all. Everyone should have received instructions on what to do if fighting breaks out. And each individual home should have prepared their own defenses just in case.”
“Great,” said Joshua. After a few more hours of standing in the blistering heat, everyone was growing impatient. “Joshua,” said Grayton. “I hate to think negatively, but perhaps we should start thinking about what we should do if the king just did this to buy time. Come, let’s go to the leadership hall.”
Joshua took another look around, then reluctantly started to follow Grayton towards the stairs. As he turned around, someone shouted. “There! Someone is there my lord!” Joshua turned and looked into the distance to see a lone man standing atop a hill that was far off. He was soon accompanied by two others. The three of them sat on their horses for a moment. “Who is it? Can you see?” Joshua shouted to the guards. “No,” one of them replied. “I cannot tell from here.” They all stood in anticipation. “It must be the king’s men,” Joshua muttered. “It has to be.” Grayton then approached Joshua. “Lord, they could be riders or scouts returning. We can’t know anything yet.”
At that moment, the three riders became twenty. The twenty soon became a hundred, then a thousand. They soon became two thousand. They then neared three thousand. Everyone was shocked. It’s here, Joshua knew. This is it. The king’s army started sprinting and galloping towards Treadrock, shouting. Joshua started shouting to everyone around him. “To your positions! They’re approaching the main gate!” Every soldier started scrambling to their designated positions. Grayton and Garron both made sure that their armor was fastened properly and that all of their weapons were with them. Joshua turned to look at Terra. “Mother, go up to the leadership hall and stay there until the fighting is over with.” She shook her head. “Joshua, there has to be something that I can do to help.” He grabbed her shoulders. “Look, I can’t fight out there at full strength when I’m constantly worrying about you. Go to the hall and wait there until it is over, please.” She reluctantly agreed and hurried off to the hall. As she ran, she shouted to Grayton and Garron, “You two look after him! If anything happens, I’m coming after you two once the fighting is over!” Both looked at each other with concern.
Joshua dropped down to the ground to speak to the men still inside the walls. “Alright everyone, listen up. You all have your instructions for the battle. But as you all know, battles can change at any moment so adjust accordingly. It won’t be long until those men are down here, so take the next few moments to mentally and physically prepare yourselves. I won’t lie to you; this is a dangerous battle. We will lose some people today, good people and good soldiers alike. But need I remind you if we’re victorious, the only thing that stands between us and taking the crown is Braden himself. Braden, and the few men that he’s left at Roseshire. If we saw their numbers accurately, they may outnumber us, but we can do this, men! This battle will be remembered throughout history and talked about for generations. Will we be the heroes that they speak of?” The soldiers shouted, “Yeah!” Joshua felt like he wasn’t as encouraging as his father had been, but he was giving it his best effort. “Let’s fight for honor, glory, and for Treadrock. But above all, we are the sons of Asedith!” The crowd gave another shout. “Fight with me, everyone! For the kingdom! For Asedith!” The crowd shouted, “For Asedith!” Joshua’s speech seemed to have worked. Every soldier in sight seemed to be eager and ready for battle.
Joshua turned and walked back up the stairs to join Grayton and Garron. The army was getting close to the city. Won’t be long now. “I heard what you said, Joshua. You really think they outnumber us?” Grayton asked. “I’m unsure,” he responded. “Maybe. I think we’re fairly close in number at this point. But be ready you two. There are a lot of them. At any moment they could need us down there.” The two agreed and turned their attention back to the approaching army.
The army was getting closer, not very far now. Joshua had taken the liberty of setting up small catapults behind the city walls. They were small enough so that they couldn’t be seen from the outside of the walls. Just a little more, Joshua thought. The men got even closer to the gate. Now! “Launch!” Joshua shouted. His men let loose four catapults and launched large boulders in the direction of the army. They all flew into the air, sailing. The enemy had not noticed them until it was too late. The four boulders came crashing down in different locations in their ranks. When they landed, a couple of soldiers flew up in the air while some were plainly crushed by them. They had managed to take out roughly twenty-five soldiers. It’s not much, Joshua knew. But every ma
n counts. He looked back to the men. “Reload as soon as possible.”
Even after the boulders came crashing, the soldiers did not slow down. They continued sprinting towards the city gate, shouting. They got closer and closer until they weren’t far in front of Joshua’s men in front of the gate. By now, two-thirds of Joshua’s men were gathered in front of the gate. Joshua walked atop the wall until he was standing over the men. “This is the time, men. For the glory of Asedith!” His men then joined in the shouting. “Now, charge!!!” A few men held back to guard the front of the gate, but most of them charged forward to meet the king’s army. The two forces ran towards each other until they made a great impact.
At that moment, steel met steel in a great clash. Warriors fought amongst each other, each for a purpose and something greater than themselves. Each time, Joshua would watch a soldier. He watched a middle-aged man in his army lock eyes with an enemy soldier. The two approached one another with their weapons raised. The man raised his battleaxe while the enemy used a shorthand sword. The enemy blocked his attack and made one of his own, the middle-aged man dodging it. The enemy took several swings, each one managing to be blocked by the man’s battleaxe. This went on for a few moments until the man bashed at just the right time to knock back the enemy. Just a second was all it took. The enemy stumbled backward, trying to regain his footing while the man reached forward and brought down his battleaxe on him, digging deep in his shoulder. While Joshua couldn’t hear him specifically, he could imagine the yell that the enemy let out when struck with such a blow. The man then reached back and struck the enemy with his axe once again, this time splitting his head and killing him. He then pulled the axe out and started searching for another opponent.
The battle seemed to be going as well as could be expected at this point, but Braden’s army still outnumbered their own. They all fought equally for a time when the enemy started to push forward. Their numbers were indeed larger than theirs. Joshua looked into the battle and found the middle-aged man once again. This time he found himself against three men. The man backed up, feeling cornered. He waited for them to make the move. One of the enemy soldiers ran at him with a spear. The man took his axe and brought it down on the spear, breaking its handle. While he did this, another enemy rushed him with a sword and shield. He ran forth and tried bashing the man. While he did, the man with the spear from before took out a dagger and stabbed the man. He let out a cry of pain before bringing his battleaxe around and landing a blow on the side of the enemy. It cut deep into him. The man pulled the axe out and the enemy fell over dead. The third soldier rushed the man with a mace, which was barely blocked by the sturdy handle of the battleaxe. He pushed the man back with it, feeling the pain in his side where he had been stabbed before. He gave the enemy a shove and brought the axe down in time to split his head open. Just as he did though, the second enemy from before had gotten behind the man and stabbed his straight through with his sword. The man coughed out blood, then fell over lifeless when the enemy pulled his sword free. The enemy pushed forward again. Then again. They were almost to the gate now. This isn’t good, Joshua thought. They shouldn’t be pushing this far already. He turned to Grayton and Garron. Both of you, take a group of men and leave through the other gate. Approach the army from the side.” They nodded, “Yes,” and ran out to do so.
Joshua stood on top of the wall feeling anxious. He watched the battle proceed when he saw Garron and Grayton making their way around with more men. They flanked the enemy and started pushing them back. Garron and Grayton rode on their horses, leading men to victory as they themselves slaughtered nearby opponents. One moment Joshua would see Grayton bend down and kill an enemy and the next he would see Garron trample one of his own. The armies were now about the same size, which Joshua was happy to see. The majority of his army was now out in the field of battle. Even most of the men who had stayed inside the city walls were gone, having joined the group that Garron and Grayton led. Everything was going according to plan.
Joshua watched Garron and Grayton lead the army below to victory. He eventually lost them in the crowd but knew they were doing a great job. The two of them were a marvel to watch as they cut down their enemies. It would have been an amazing thing to see until an enemy grabbed Grayton and threw him off his horse. Grayton landed on the ground in the midst of battle.
The old man slowly got up in time to draw his sword and parry the incoming attack that the enemy attempted. He then lunged for his own attack, which was deflected. The enemy then kicked Grayton back. He managed to recover his balance. The enemy that attacked Grayton was a younger man no older than thirty, with short red hair and a full beard. He smirked as Grayton struggled to maintain good posture. “Come on old man, let’s see what you can do.”
Grayton tried not to take the taunt, but he was going to prove that he wasn’t just some old man. He ran forward and tried taking a swing, which didn’t happen because the young man grabbed him by the wrist and headbutted him. Grayton fell backward onto the ground, losing his sword. The young man started laughing. “Come on, you’ve lost. Just let me end it. I’ll make it as quick as possible.” The man started walking towards Grayton.
Still laying on his back, Grayton struggled and reached for his sword. When the man got close, Grayton took it swung at the man. The blade was stopped by the man’s sword. The man then swung his own sword and cut off Grayton’s forearm. Grayton screamed in agony, rolling over in pain. “I tried to tell you to let me end it,” the man said. He kicked Grayton over so that he was facing up again. He took his sword and stabbed Grayton in the chest, blood immediately flowed out.
The young man leaned in close to Grayton. “It’s over,” the man said smugly. With his last bit of energy, Grayton managed to pull out his dagger and stabbed the man in the throat. Blood shot out over Grayton. The man gasped for breath, then fell on top of Grayton, dead. That’s when Joshua managed to spot Grayton’s horse with no rider. He looked around it and spotted Grayton laying down with the body laying on top of him. “No,” Joshua mumbled. “No!”
Grayton laid on the ground. With no right arm and him bleeding fast, he accepted his fate. He knew that he had lived a long life and that his time had simply come. He thought about Tedric and the years that he had known him when he was alive. It made Grayton happy to think that in his final moments he was able to serve his old friend’s son in life. Maybe I’ll see you again, old friend. Grayton thought. He closed his eyes, hearing the screams and the clash of steel around him. Strangely enough, the sounds got quieter. Then quieter. They were now silent. It was almost… peaceful.
It was hard to see from how far away they were, but Joshua could tell what had happened. He could feel emotions building inside him. Grayton was almost part of a memory of his own father. They had met after the battle of Keridion when Tedric was still around. Even though it hadn’t even been a year yet, Joshua considered Grayton to be a really close friend. If not for him and his help early on, the rebellion may not have been as successful as it had been so far.
As Joshua tried to take this in, he was subject to another terrifying sight. He looked back to the distant hill and saw a few hundred more men running towards the battle. Horror struck Joshua. The king’s men were already overtaking them, and now they were getting reinforcements. This may have been their plan all along, he thought. Meeting with most of the force and drawing out our backup, then sending in their own reinforcements.
Everything seemed lost. The men who had remained on top of the wall realized Joshua was losing confidence as well. “Lord, what do we do?” one of them asked. Joshua remained silent, looking at the battlefield with anger rising. “Lord?” he asked again. Joshua looked at the men, “Archers, fire when it is appropriate. Take out as many of them as you can!” One of them asked, “Lord, what will you do?” Joshua turned back to the army and unsheathed his sword. A last-ditch effort.
He jumped off the wall and landed in front of the gate. He ran towards the battlefield as fast as he coul
d, screaming. “Men, with me!” Other than the archers, the last of the few remaining men ran out behind him and joined the battle.
By the time Joshua and his men arrived at the battle, the reinforcements from the enemy arrived as well. “Men, fall back to the gate!” Joshua shouted. He meant for them to get closer so that the archers could fire on the enemy from the wall. Slowly, the army did start falling back. Step by step the Bracken army inched back towards the gate. As they went, Joshua took out as many men as he could.
A young man ran at Joshua with his sword, which was deflected. Joshua stabbed the man through, then pulled his sword free. Two men ran at Joshua, one had a sword and shield while the other carried a morningstar. The morningstar came spinning at Joshua as he tried his best to keep away from it. At the same time, the other soldier ran at him with his sword. Joshua waited for an opportune time to strike, but there was little opening between the relentless attacks.
He kept dodging and deflecting when he could, then the perfect moment presented itself. Joshua deflected the sword coming at him and managed to shove the man into the other soldier’s morningstar. The weapon collided with the soldier’s face, bashing it in, the spikes dug deep. Joshua moved in to stab the man who wielded the morningstar, then cut the throat of the one suffering with the weapon stuck in him. Joshua took a moment to take a deep breath, then proceeded.