General McGreagor was pus.h.i.+ng his horse to gain speed. He had a bad feeling when he saw thick smoke come up from the direction of the camp.
Not long his horse came into the clearing. There he saw the camp that his west army set up. He saw smoke coming up from burned tents. There was no one on sight.
"Hiyah!" He let his horse gallop towards the camp.
General McGregor"s heart was pounding like drums inside his chest. He remembered his wife who had come to the camp prior to him.
"Is she alright, is she safe?" These thoughts were swirling inside his head.
"Anyone here?" General McGregor shouted. "Anyone, please answer me!"
The general got of his horse. He pulled out his sword and treaded slowly. The camp seems to be deserted. He looked at the tents that have been burned, they were still some embers left burning.
While walking slowly, he a.s.sessed what had happened. He deduced that the fire broke out at dawn, and because the tents were made of flamable materials, it burned instantly. The fire ate at least all of the things inside the camp.
"But where are my soldiers?" He asked himself. He hasn"t seen any bodies yet.
It was so quiet in the burned out camp, it was like a ghost town. That was when the general heard foot steps. He put his guard up at in instant.
In some meters from him, a man wearing black clothing with his face covered with a mask emerged behind some debris. He then saw this man holding his wife hostage.
"Dear!" The general"s wife was crying in fright. Her face was stained with tears. "Help me, husband." She pleaded.
"Who are you?!" The general asked the masked man. "Let go of my wife!" He howled while pointing his sword towards them.
"Easy there, general McGregor." The masked man said. It was Dimitri who was holding general McGregor"s wife hostage. "You wouldn"t want your wife to get hurt now, would you?"
Dimitri pulled a knife from his waist and held it againts the wife"s throat.
General McGregor gritted his teeth in anger. "What do you want?" He asked.
"What I want is simple, I need you to surrender peacefully." Dimitri said calmly.
"May I ask first, where are my men?" General McGregor looked around the empty camp. He can"t feel any presence in the vicinity.
"More than half of your men was killed before sun rise." Dimitri replied with a flat tone.
"What?!" The general can"t believe that his west army"s men that he had trained and nurtured for years was defeated just within a few hours.
"Do not worry general, we have left alive the ones that surrendered. Well there are some which are still loyal to you. I am sure they would like to see their general before they die." Dimitri said with a frightening tone.
With a wave of Dimitri"s hand, a handful of soldiers with their hands tied at their backs, were escorted by men with the same black clothing. The men in black let the soldiers kneel on the ground.
"General, I am so sorry." The soldier in charge said. He was covered with blood that was flowing out if his wounds. "I wasn"t able to protect the camp. Our men died in such a pitiful state."
"I do not blame you." General McGregor said to his subordinate. "I will surrender, if you let my remaining soldiers live." The general tod Dimitri.
The general knew that the men in black were not normal people. He can see the ruthlessness in these men eyes. He knows that the safety of his men that surrendered are now tied with his surrender.
General McGregor may have committed treasons against his country, but he still has honor as a general. He still has compasion towards his subordinates that was with him all these years thru thick and thin.
"No, general!" The soldier in charge shouted. "We would rather wish to die than you surrendering to these monsters!"
"Yes, yes!" The other soldiers shouted in unison.
"You..." The general felt his soldiers loyalty. He felt a p.r.i.c.k on his heart.
"General, please escape and fight another day." The soldier in charge said. He pried himself out of the man that was holding him down and charged towards Dimitri.
"Hyaaahhh..." The soldier in charge shouted.
"Nooo!" General McGregor shouted. He knew that the soldier in charge made a suicide move for him to have a chance on escape with his wife.
"How foolish." Dimitri said with low breath. He held the knife in a defensive position.
When the soldier in charge was just a few feet away, Dimitri stepped forward and swing his knife in front. The soldier stopped in his tracks and fell down on the ground. Blood pooled under his body in an instant.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!" The wife scremed in fear.
"Nooo!"
"Siiirr!"
"Monsters!"
The soldiers were screaming in hate.
Dimitri resumed in holding the wife who was looking at him in fear.
"General, I suggest you surrender peacefully. If not, this people here will be killed one by one. Starting with your wife." Dimitri said in a cold tone. His blade resumed it"s place on the wife"s throat.
"Dear, please save me." The wife pleaded.
"Alright, I understand." General McGregor said with gritted teeth. He let go of the sword he was holding. "I surrender. Just, let them live."
"Clang" the sound of the sword hitting the ground was heard.
"No general!" The soldiers shouted. They followed the soldier in charge"s example and made their own suicidal attacks.
"General, escape from here."
"We would gladly risk our lives to you, our commander!"
"No, don"t do this." General McGregor tried to stop his men. He was ready to surrender to ensure the safety of his men and his wife. He was not such a selfish man to escape when he knew that he was at a dead end.
The men in black were prepared to kill the soldiers that were charging towards them.
"STOP!!!" A man"s voice was heard. It was so authoritive that both sides stopped in their tracks.
They see thay the man who shouted to stop was none other than general Robert himself.
"I order you all to stop this instant." General Robert said with anger. "So much blood has been spilled today. Now that your general has surrendered, so should you his subordinates. You lost this fight, so give it up."
The soldiers was shocked with general Robert"s words. Then they started to cry. Some fell on their knees in defeat while some were still standing while crying.
"Take this men into custody." General Robert ordered the captain of the royal knights.
"Yes sir." The captain saluted and proceeded to take the soldiers into custody.
General Robert walked towards Dimtiri who was still holding the wife.
"It is over, we will take it from here." General Robert looked at the cold eyes of Dimitri.
"I understand." Dimitri"s cold demenor changed into a submissive one. He bowed down and let go of general McGregor"s wife. A royal knight took the wife into custody.
"The other soldiers which surrendered are taken custody by my men at the other side of the camp." Dimitri informed. "Then my work here is done. I will take my leave." Dimitri bowed and walked away. The other men on black followed him.
General Robert heaved a sigh of relief. He was glad that he made in just in time or there might not be any soldier that is still loyal to general McGregor left alive.
"Prince Regaleon"s men are really frightening." General Robert whispered to himself. He turned around and walked towards general McGregor who was being tied up by the royal knights.
"General McGregor." General Robert said.
General McGregor looked up at him with discontent in his eyes.
"Under his majesty, king Edward"s orders. You are hereby under arrest with the charges of treason and rebelliom against his majesty and the country of Alvannia." General Robert said with an authoritive voice.