The Union

Bernie"s hands were as fast as the wind in a stormy night. The squire"s face was squinched. Looking at Bernie"s perturbed expression made him remember the face of a certain merchant whose merchandise he confiscated many years ago.

"Does you face normally look like that or are you distorting your figure on purpose?" he asked.

"Sire?"

"Your face Bernie, your face. You look so grim that you"re sucking the light from this room." He pulled both of Bernie"s cheeks. "Smile a little would ya? It"s not the end of the world."

He released his hold and Bernie"s fat cheeks bounced back to its normal shape.

"May I remind you that we are under attack sire?" Bernie said as he went back to work. The squire adjusted the mail doublet on Benedicts shoulder and pulled the dangling end near his waist.

The mail doublet fitted perfectly to his body. He tried to move his joints to test the mobility of the armor and found it to be pa.s.sable.

"We are. Thirty thousand Tulosans are currently trying to seize the castle from our hands. They are attacking form the north, the south and the west. They are utilizing siege towers, ladders, battering rams, tunnels and I think they have catapults. But there"s no point in worrying. Worry only makes people act dumb." he paused and pointed at the breastplate. He then gestured for the thing to be next. "Besides, I don"t think the castle will fall today. It might fall tomorrow or the next day, but not today Bernie. I"m certain."

Bernie took the breastplate and fastened it on Benedict"s chest. "If I remember correctly, you are panicking the other day because of the tunnels. But now that they are finally a.s.saulting us, you are acting like it doesn"t matter anymore. I really don"t get it sire."

"You heard the man right? The Tulosan who gave us the useless warning? Even though his warning came too late, I am delighted by it. It just shows that General Rickard"s men are not completely loyal"

"And that gives you courage?"

"Yes Bernie. At first I thought that our enemies are united, they have a good General after all. That"s why I was so afraid of the tunnels. But now I just discovered that some of them are not completely loyal to General Rickard. If we hit them hard enough, they"ll rout."

"I hope you"re right sire" Bernie said and pulled the last strap of Benedict"s armor.

"What are you talking about?" Benedict smiled. "We will repel them today"

The two then hurried outside. Bernie was carrying the flag while Benedict was clad in armor.

The castle was now alive and bustling with activities. The crossbowmen on top of the walls were firing bolts without rest. The Tulosans were scaling the walls with ladders and siege towers. Big flaming stones would sometimes come out of nowhere, confirming the existence of catapults. The gates were also being pounded by battering rams. It was truly a castle a.s.sault.

But Benedict was certain the walls and the gates would hold. Even though Knightsend"s defenses were not impressive, it would probably take a miracle for the Tulosans to make a breach with one try.

So he turned his attention to the part of the fighting that he believes needed his attention– the northern part of the castle where the Tulosans tunneled underneath.

When they arrived, the fighting was fierce. Hundreds of Tulosans were already inside the castle and many more were coming out of the holes in the ground.

The Castonians were surrounding the Tulosans with a weak cordon, trying to keep the enemies from the gates. Although the Castonians were fighting bitterly, it was obvious that the Tulosans were winning. The Castonian circle was crumbling.

"They are being pushed back sire!" Bernie said with a worried tone.

Benedict on the other hand was not worried at all. He was already expecting that his men will be put into a disadvantage with this surprise attack.

He grabbed the flag from Bernie"s hands and went closer to the fighting. When his soldiers noticed him carrying the flag, their hopeless faces lit up.

"The Marquis! The Marquis is here!"

"Sire! Thank you sire!"

"Marquis Benedict has come!"

The soldiers rejoiced with his arrival. Those who were losing hope and courage were pulled back by his presence. Upon hearing his name, the Tulosans flinched. It was obvious that even after all these years, his name was still a legend.

Benedict planted the flag on the ground. The fabric on top fluttered in the wind. Normally he would carry the flag of his family in battle. But this time, he carried the flag of Castonia. He knew that Timothy was popular with the soldiers. He borrowed that popularity in order to strengthen the will of his men. The white lion of the royal family shone amidst the battlefield.

The soldiers looked at the flag. In their eyes, Benedict saw determination. He couldn"t help but feel awed and be jealous of the variant of loyalty Timothy commands.

"Give no quarter! Destroy them all and send them back to Tulosa. Long live the Kingdom of Castonia! Long live King Timothy!" his voice boomed like thunder and his order was met with equally booming cheers.

The thin line of the Castonians pushed against the Tulosans. Swords crossed, spears met and shields collided. The situation was reversed. The Castonians were now the ones winning the scuffle.

The Tulosans noticed the renewed vigor of the Castonians and they themselves attempted one last charge. But it was ineffective. They were met with a flurry of Castonian blows. They were impaled by the Castonian spears and halberds. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn"t break the Castonian line. It was a hopeless and b.l.o.o.d.y endeavor to defeat the Castonians at this point.

In just a matter of minutes, there was already a clear victor. Many of the Tulosans had retreated back to their tunnels. Those who stubbornly refused to give up and acknowledge their failure were being surrounded.

Benedict smiled, knowing that his leadership was effective today. He was right, the integrity of the enemy camp was weak. A lot of this was probably because of their earlier defeats from the hands of Timothy and Marvin.

"You"re right sire, we are winning" Bernie said.

"See? I told you. There is a phrase known by all, Bernie. "If something is as stubborn as a Castonian, then it probably doesn"t exists"" Benedict said with a laugh.

He patted Bernie"s shoulder. "We Castonians are renowned for the prowess of our heavy infantry. So unless the enemies were fanatically loyal to their commanders, there"s nothing to worry about."

The cheers from the walls were then heard. Benedict looked at the men on top of the walls and saw them cheering while raising their swords in the air. It seemed that the Tulosans who were attacking the walls had retreated.

Except for the few strong-willed Tulosans being finished off by his soldiers, all of the Tulosans had retreated. Knightsend had survived another day.

Benedict turned his eyes to the flag he planted. It was strange. A fabric painted with a certain designs could evoke powerful thoughts such as hope and loyalty. It was just a cloth but its effects were dangerously powerful.

The morale of his soldiers will surely be increased with the victory they achieved. But he wasn"t contented with that. He must strike the iron while it"s still hot. When the Tulosans a.s.sault again, they will be met with men of high morale.

"What do you say we celebrate tonight? We just won and this calls for a celebration." he said to his squire.

"Celebrate? I don"t understand sire. Do you want to drink or something?"

"Exactly" Benedict smiled. "Tell Prefect Kristof to collapse the Tulosan tunnels. It should be easier and safer now. Also, tell the other prefects to clean the castle and repair damaged defenses. After that, we celebrate our victory with all of the men. Roast the pigs and bring out rations good for one day. Also, take some wine, beer and ale but not too much alright? I don"t want the garrison to be filled with drunk men."

Bernie nodded and did as he ordered. After cleaning the castle, collapsing the tunnels and repairing the damaged defenses like he ordered, the garrison gathered on the castle grounds in the western part of Knightsend. Food and some beverages were served.

The feast had started. It was a feast to celebrate their victory of keeping Knightsend standing for another day.