The Union

It was over. As he looked at the swarm of Tulosans pouring into the castle, Kristof knew that there was no saving Knightsend now.

"I"ve warned him. Many times I have warned him." he said as wind blew past them. "I told him that the mercenaries can"t be trusted. I told him!"

He paused to catch his breath. "He did not listen. He did not even believe that such a betrayal is possible. He and that outdated warrior spirit of his. War is fair my a.s.s. War is not fair!"

A hand patted his shoulder. "Let"s go Prefect. We can"t help "em now. Knightsend is fallen. I am sure that most of our brothers will live. The Sire will protect them."

Kristof nodded. More than anything, he wanted to dip his hands into some Tulosan blood. But he had to remember his position as Prefect. The lives of his men were his load to bear. Furthermore, he was confident that the Marquis will be alright. Even if Knightsend fell, the Tulosans wouldn"t waste a valuable hostage like Marquis Benedict.

He tugged the leather reins of his mount and angled the horse towards the east. His men followed.

**********

The Castonians presented a solid wall of defense against the Tulosans and the mercenaries. They were Benedict"s remaining men - a force heavily trimmed by the earlier onslaught.

He held the flag of Castonia on his left hand. On his right was his sword, a steel broadsword that had been with him for the longest time.

Meanwhile, the enemies were trying to nip away the defenders. Rocks, arrows and other deadly projectiles were being flung towards them.

A man on horseback then arrived and the hostilities ceased. The white feather crest on top of the man"s helm put emphasis into his rank. If Benedict was to guess, the person was General Rickard.

"The great warrior, Marquis Benedict Connel!" General Rickard shouted. "I"ve watched the play many times. Such a wonderful tale. Moving. I must admit. I love the part when you told Captain Cooke, "Leave her alone! Sword to sword face me. Love shall be my strength.""

"If you watched the play then you must have already known what I did to that pirate." he said as a warning.

"Of course! You are a legend Marquis Benedict. Your skills in bleeding men is a legend. Many of my people are afraid that you will hack them to death. Unfortunately Benedict, you have lost."

Benedict"s anger surged. "Lost!? You tricked us. Dishonorable! Where is your warrior spirit Rikcard? Using underhanded methods to open the gate. That wasn"t a battle. That was a trick!"

"And that"s why you lost. You are too consumed by this idea of a fair battle. Fairness doesn"t exist, Benedict. Not anymore. Men with outdated views. You and that weakling Sigurd both. Also that"s hypocritical coming from you. What about Timothy Castonia? Didn"t he use underhanded tricks to defeat Sigurd? Is he dishonorable too?"

The question gathered grunts from the Castonians.

"Shut your mouth!"

"King Timothy ain"t dishonorable!"

They shouted. It took a while for the angry murmurs to subside.

"Leave our King alone Rickard. King Timothy has more honor that all of your Knights combined" Benedict said.

"Perhaps" Rickard smiled. "I don"t care anyway. Your foolish King will soon die- trampled beneath the hooves of our mounts"

The remark again stirred the Castonians. Benedict saw that some of his men were grasping their swords.

Benedict decided that it was time to face the truth. He lost. Fairly or not, he lost.

"We surrender Rickard. There"s no point in fighting. You were right. We lost. Just take me as hostage and imprison my men."

He then addressed the Castonians. "Drop your weapons. I a.s.sure you, King Timothy will come for us."

He could see their reluctance. Some of them struggled to let go of their weapons. It"s not that he doesn"t understand how they feel. He does. A warrior"s surrender was a sacred, given only to those who deserves it. The Tulosans don"t deserve their surrender.

But they must. There was no way out of this. It seemed that they have to sit on the sidelines for the rest of the war.

Some of his men were still holding their weapons tight. Benedict led the surrender himself. He dropped his broadsword from his right and reached the cloth of the flag with his left. He personally folded the flag, neatly and with care. He then gave the flag to one of the soldiers for safe keeping.

Seeing that the flag was no more, the Castonians disarmed themselves. The Tulosans started to tie the hands of his men.

Benedict himself approached Rickard"s horse. Two Tulosans grabbed his arms and forced his knees to the ground in front of Rickard. The Tulosan General dismounted his mount with the distinctive crest of his helm swaying in the air. He stood in front of Benedict.

"Wise choice Marquis Benedict. I was worried that a proud warrior like you would resist until the end."

"I would have if not for my family."

"Ah, family. Yes. Lady Maria and your son. Erik if I"m not mistaken."

"Yes, Erik." Benedict confirmed. "His name is Erik Connel, the future of Greenwater. He is wiser than me. The next time I see him, he will be a greater man than me."

Rickard showed a thin smile. "Unfortunately Marquis Benedict, you will not see your family again. I hate to lose a valuable hostage but you are dangerous. You may be foolish but your men are loyal to you."

Benedict"s face started to pale. He immediately understood what"s going to happen.

"Don"t!" he pleaded. He struggled from the grasp of the Tulosans but he was powerless. "I have surrendered haven"t I? We have surrendered! There are rules in war. A surrender is a surrender. Captives mustn"t be harmed!"

"No Marquis. In war, rules die and morality fade. I am changing the face of the Tulosan Knights. Chivalry is dead. Mercy is for the weak. This is the brand of Knights I"m trying to promote- efficient, unemotional and strong. You need to die or else you will be a banner of future rebellions."

Behind him, his men were also struggling to free themselves.

"Sire!" he heard Bernie"s voice.

He turned his head and saw that Bernie was able escape. The Squire sprinted towards him.

But Bernie didn"t reach them. A couple of Tulosans speared him. He saw the iron tips of the spears enter Bernie"s body. His squire fell to the ground but was still alive. He crawled towards Benedict, dragging his body with his b.l.o.o.d.y hands. Blood was coming out of Bernie"s mouth. A couple of meters from Benedict, Bernie ceased on moving. With eyes still open and looking at him, Bernie died.

"Aaahhhhhh!" he cried. He screamed.

Bernie was dead. Bernie who served him with loyalty all these years. Bernie who was good in cooking smoked tuna. He was not just a squire, he was his friend.

"A friend of yours?" Rickard asked from behind.

With eyes still wet with tears, he turned his head around. "Monster!"

"For you probably. But for my supporters, I am the Omniscient"s voice. I am their savior. I am the light which guides them away from the darkness of outdated doctrines." Rickard said.

Rickard unsheathed his sword and pointed the tip towards Benedict"s back. "You will die Benedict. Your story ends here. Accept that and be free."

Benedict was enraged. He wanted to choke the monster behind him. He cannot forgive Bernie"s murderer.

But he was also sad. With the way things are going, he will be executed. He must accept that his death is imminent.

"Killing me will be your greatest mistake Rickard. Killing me will be the beginning of your end. My death will open the cages of the two lions. They will maul you to death until nothing remains. I may have failed, but the two lions will not. Unlike me, you can"t trick King Timothy. And unlike me, you can"t break King Leopold. They will come for you. Castonia will come for your head!"

"And I will come for them. I will defeat both of your Kings." Rickard declared. "Say your last words Marquis Benedict"

Benedict smiled and a peaceful vibe enveloped his soul. Life is not perfect and he still wanted to see his family one last time. But at least he will die firm on his beliefs and with untarnished honor.

"Kill me Rickard. Kill me and be doomed"

The blade stabbed from his back and through his heart. He fell face-down. Strength left his body and he felt a certain coldness.

His last thoughts were that of Maria and Erik. He reminisced those precious times they were happily eating together. Erik was grinning from ear to ear while Maria was wiping the grease from Erik"s mouth. His wish was to eat with them again.

He can"t. He will die in this small castle at the border.

"I"m sorry" he mumbled a silent apology to Erik and Maria.

He"s not coming home.