The Union

Leopold raised his hand and swiped it towards the face of the Baron. A painful smacking sound made everybody in the tent grimace.

"I am not your King. My son is your King and to disrespect him in front of me is unforgivable" he yanked the hair of the Baron "And be thankful that I am not boy. Because if I was, then your head would have already been rolling on the ground!"

The Baron cried. His ugly plump face reddened. "It won"t happen again! The King. Yes. King Timothy. I will remain loyal to him until the day I die. Don"t hurt me please!"

Leopold studied the face of the Baron. The lack of remorse was apparent as day. The Baron"s act was driven only by fear.

Just this morning his forces had caught the Baron h.o.a.rding grains in his manor. The worrying thing is that the Baron was not included in the list Timothy had given him. It seemed the number of rebellious n.o.bles had risen. To make matters worse, Straso and Ront had closed their gates.

"I won"t hurt you" Leopold said, calmly as he himself was exhausted. "But tell me everything you know"

The Baron hesitated a bit. He looked down and shut his mouth.

"Braun" Leopold called behind "Tell me. What are their chances of winning? These fine n.o.blemen. It seems they are underestimating the power my son commands"

"Laughable" Braun answered. "They think they could distrupt the east because King Timothy"s army is in the west. They cannot sire. Not in a million eons. Half of the Rooster legion alone could turn the east upside down"

Leopold lifted the chin of the Baron "You heard of the rooster legion before?"

The Baron nodded slowly.

"Then you should have known that every single one of them is worth twenty armed serfs. I have seen them in action and your serfs will eat steel when faced with them. I have five hundred of them with me. What"s more, Anthapis stands with the King"

The last sentence drew a frown from the Baron.

"That fat pi.."

Another slap landed on the Baron"s face.

"Say it" Leopold gripped the Baron"s expensive coat. "Say it boy. Say it and lose all your teeth. Fat pig right? Remember this. Chisel this in your puny little mind. Earl Vernice is a true n.o.ble. Loyal to his King and compa.s.sionate to his subjects. His serfs are the best-treated in Castonia. While you and your lot, those rebellious friends of yours. You don"t deserve to have the power. And soon... Oh it will be soon. You will crumble under the weight of the King"s force. Do you understand? King Timothy has a huge army in the west just waiting for the snow to thaw. I am just just a bandage to stop the bleeding. The real storm will soon come for you. When the last snow melts into puddle, when the spring wind finally comes, blood will flow. Your blood"

Leopold waited for his words to sink into the deep skull of the Baron. He enjoyed watching the Baron"s face contort several times.

The Baron was lowering his head.

"We... just want what you took from us all those years ago. We want our serfs back. We want our lands. Those lands were given to us by our forefathers and you distributed them to the serfs like free bread. We really don"t care who wears the crown. As long as we get back what is ours then we will cease hostilities with the King"

"The what about a deal?" Leopold said, smiling as he found an opening.

"What deal sire?"

"You know that it is futile to fight against my son. And I also can"t give all of you back your serfs. But if it"s just for you then I think we could arrange it. How about that? Tell me everything you know and I will double your lands. I could even make you and Earl. You can choose between Ront and Straso"

"I accept!" The Baron blurted. A hesitant expression then showed on his face "I mean why should I believe you?"

"I"ll say an oath to the Omniscient" he looked towards Henry who was silently watching their exchange "In front of a Knight. You know Knights- they are a stricter when it comes to oaths. Ain"t that right Henry?"

Henry walked towards them. His armor was clinking loud.

"Oaths to the Omniscient are sacred sire. They are the highest oaths. Are you sure about this?"

"I am" He swayed his look towards the Baron.

"So?"

"I accept. I will tell you everything that I know" The Baron said with fast nods.

Leopold breathed deeply and closed his eyes. "I, Leopold Castonia, makes this oath to the Omniscient. I vow that I will make this Baron and Earl if he reveals useful information. May the Omniscient curse me if I break my promise. May the people curse my name if I don"t abide by my words"

Leopold opened his eyes and directed a glare towards the Baron. The Baron"s face now emits a hint of smile. Braun also joined them.

"Five new Barons joined us. I"ll write you their names later. They are gathering their serfs a few leagues west of Anthapis. About here. They are going to lay siege on Anthapis"

The Baron pointed at a location near Anthapis. Leopold smiled after tracing the Baron"s finger with his eyes. It was a good location.

"Numbers?"

"Sixteen thousand serfs and nearly five thousand mercenaries"

"And I suppose Straso and Ront are supplying their grains?" It was Braun who asked.

"Yes" The Baron confirmed "If you are thinking about cutting their supply lines then just forget it. You need to take Straso and Ront first before you could reinforce the city"

Leopold frowned. The Baron was right. They have to take Ront and Straso first before they could reach Anthapis.

"There is a way. There will always be a way" Braun said with a grin.

"What way? We can"t reach Anthapis without going through Straso and Ront and the two Earls of those cities are against us"

Braun traced his finger from their location to the northeast where the Meander Plains lies.

"We could save ourselves the trouble of going through those cities if we go north to the Meander Plains and then south to cut their supply lines" Braun said

"No!" Henry was breathing deeply "I am not an expert when it comes to Castonian geography but the Meander Plains is a deathtrap during the snow season. I"ve heard that the plains extends for almost a hundred leagues. It will be nearly a hunderd leagues of nothingness. We will be exposed to the elements. We will trudge in snow so deep our feet will sink. Even horses will have a hard time. We will lose half of our men before we reach their supply lines. I don"t think..."

"Let"s do it!" Leopold declared with enthusiasm. He patted Braun on the back. "You really are a beast Braun. Those n.o.bles wouldn"t expect us coming!"

"Sire" Henry uttered in opposition "I"m really sorry for saying this but you yourself might not survive our journey"

"Bah! It"s just cold. I"m not weak" he pointed towards the Baron and laughed "Have you seen how I thrashed his face earlier?"

"Sire be serious about this. King Timothy has instructed me to protect you"

"But we need to help Anthapis. There will be no more discussions. We march at once. Let"s give those n.o.bles a taste of the Rooster. Braun! Preapare the men"

Leopold turned around with a smile on his face. He flapped the tent and the cold breeze greeted him. He walked outside, enjoying the cold despite the biting pain on his knees. He then heard footsteps from behind.

"I told you Henry, I will be alright" he said

"Henry is still inside the tent" Braun"s voice sounded "Praying. For your good health I think"

Leopold shook his head.

"How nice of him. So why are you here Braun?"

Braun"s strides became faster. He eventually caught up to Leopold.

"You swore an oath, a promise"

"To the Omniscient. Yes"

"And are you planning on keeping that promise?"

Leopold just remained silent.

"That Baron would ruin your name if you don"t keep your promise. You can"t silence him either because of Henry. People will call you oathbreaker and your reputation would further fall. I think you should keep your promise to that Baron" Braun said

"That Baron is infamous for his cruelty towards his serfs. Dozens of his serfs die every year from overwork. There are also rumors of other disgusting crimes he committed. And you expect me to make him an Earl? No. I will strip his family of their n.o.ble status"

"This is serious. I am not a pious man but it is to the Omniscient you made your promise"

Leopold sighed. "I do believe that oaths and promises are important Braun. And despite how I look and act, I am still afraid of divine smite. I also still view honor and keeping one"s word as important. But there are things more important than keeping one"s promise Braun. Oathbreaker. Blasphemous Fool. They may call me that. They may mock me. They may curse my name beyond my grave. But I will wear their insults with pride because my oathbreaking just saved thousands from the cruelty of that Baron. One of the reasons why Timothy sent me here is because he knew that I have what it takes to do the job. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty. Marquis Erik will not break an oath. Neither will General Marvin or that General Bourgis. I am the only one who can do that"

Braun lowered his head. He smiled "I see. You never change Leopold"

"That"s the first time you called me by my name" Leopold chuckled. He put one hand on Braun"s shoulder "Let"s go. We have some frostbites to earn"