The Union

He looked behind. They were right to be afraid, he thought. Behind him were the Castonians. Mail cover their arms, sides and legs. Solid iron breastplates were on their chests, etched with crests of their respective legions. Coifs sheltered their heads and necks- save for the ear, nose and eyes.

The Castonians stood still. In neat lines ten men deep they dispensed discipline and grit. Only their banners moved amidst the cool spring wind. Even Henry, who had been in Castonia for the better part of the year, was still being awed by them.

The front gate of the city opened. Came riding were two knights in their usual white armor and helms. One of the Knights bore a white flag of peace. They stopped in front of Henry, Princess Emily and Marquis Erik. The Tulosan guards to their back rode forward to their side in case the two men had dark motives. A knight, after all, is still a man with a sharp sword.

"Ave, Brothers" Henry greeted the two Knights.

They just sneered towards Henry. They eyed the Marquis for a bit and then back at Henry "We"ve heard distressing rumors that you"ve sided with the enemies. At first n.o.body would believe it. The First Spear joining the Castonians? What a terrible joke. But it seems the rumors are true. We are disappointed in you First Spear" He angled a look at the Princess "And Your Highness Emily. While your father ran with the royal treasury, you brought the brutish Castonians here at the Capital. We are also disappointed in you"

"Chatty guy this one" Erik pointed at the Knight. The Marquis" annoyance was apparent as day "We are not meeting under the white banner just to discuss who you are disappointed with. Whether you"re disappointed with your cobbler, baker, or favorite harlot, we simply don"t care. You are messengers. Your job is to deliver messages, not tell us your feelings. Now deliver the message. What did your commander say?"

One of the knights clicked his tongue. The other shook his head to the Marquis" sharp words "Grand Master Balian wants to meet with Henry. Regarding your request, he will decide after talking with the First Spear"

"Alone?" Asked the Marquis

"Alone" The messenger confirmed with a single curt nod.

"Then you must be fools for thinking we would agree to send Prefect Henry inside alone. Or are you blind to not see twenty thousand fully armed Castonians outside your gates? We hold the negotiating upper hand and we say we set up a tent and do a parley" said Marquis Erik.

"Grand Master Balian is a busy man. He is preparing the defenses of the city for the eventual attack of the pretender Master Tobias. He cannot spare time for a parley" The Knight produced a half smile towards Henry "But for an old friend he can spare a short chat. For old times sake, he said"

"Then I shall go" Henry said

"Henry" Marquis Erik called as protest "You will be defenseless. If you die, Freya would never talk to me again"

"He will not dare do such a thing Marquis. He is on the losing end of this war. He"s not very popular. Killing me would further erode his popularity"

The Marquis nodded. He looked to the Knights "If he"s not back within an hour my lads behind will storm the city"

"Give us two hours Castonian. The headquarters of Knights is far" shouted the Knight.

"You have three" Marquis Erik put a hand on Henry"s shoulder "May the Omniscient save you still Prefect"

"He will Marquis Erik. He will" replied Henry.

He clucked his steed forward and followed the knights into the city. The city gate was pulled open. Henry entered. He was back in Bivon.

But the scene he saw was not the Bivon that he knew. Bivon was supposed to be a holy city. He remembered Bivon to sport travelers from around the world- pilgrims and merchants. The wide streets and two-story marble houses were supposed to be teeming with activities.

It wasn"t. The city had turned dull. The wide streets had become narrow because of garbage and broken pottery. The pretty marble houses near the gate were fortified with ugly spikes and barricades. The merchants were gone. The pilgrims were too. Only citizens forced to wear mismatched armor and weapons walked the street. The helms they wore were dangling. Their gambeson had huge holes and were poorly repaired. Their spears were rusty and the ones wielding were untrained. It was as if the citizens had all been turned into mindless warriors forced into a war they didn"t even want. The once bustling holy city had now turned into a nest of warfare.

It was a sacrilege. Henry was pained seeing the state of the holy city. The Omniscient must be too. He just tugged the reins of his mount and adjusted his bottom in the saddle. He followed the knights to the headquarters.

A few moments and they reached it. The building occupied four whole blocks. It was larger than the palace and more beautiful with its ornate designs and marble walls. Henry entered and the familiar sight of the great dome struck him with nostalgia. Colorful paintings depicting famous battles were hung on the walls- each the size of a steed. The floor was tiled again with white marbles.

On courtyard were more than a hundred knights. They were training with swords and lances. Henry stared at them for a while, drowned in reminiscing his days as one of them. He was once the best rider and the best swordsman among his peers.

"We have three hours First Spear" The messenger earlier voiced, unfriendly and impatient "The Grand Master is waiting"

"Of course" Henry replied as he followed them.

After shifting through the long corridors they arrived at the High Tower in the middle of the headquarters. It was the highest building in all of Bivon. A long ascend met him after that. At the top of the tower was a large room. It was once the room of Grand Master Nelson. In the past Henry would spend hours each day inside this room with the Grand Master. He was the Grand Master"s squire after all.

He could still hear their shared laughter inside his head. The Grand Master"s smiling face would always bring him calmness. Grand Master Nelson was a good man. Henry treated him as his second father.

Now as he looked at the room, he felt saddened. The Grand Master is dead. Henry didn"t even get to say goodbye. The room belonged to a different person now.

"Grand Master Balian" the knight called outside "Prefect Henry has agreed to meet you"

"Bring him inside" said a voice from the other side of the room.

The knight opened the door. Henry stepped inside. Just like the city, the room had changed. The shiny brick walls were the same. The ornaments were barely changed. The desk was still where he last saw it. But the feeling was different without Grand Master Nelson.

"First Spear" Balian greeted from his seat beside the desk. Heaps of paper were on top of the desk. The quills were scattered.

"Master Balian" Henry bowed

"It"s Grand Master Balian now Prefect" Balian gestured towards the seat on the other side of the desk "Rest your knees Henry"

"I apologize but without the vote I will not hail you as the Grand Master" Henry said as he took a seat.

"Still a stricter for rules eh? You"re still the same First Spear. But I cannot hold a vote. I will lose and that fanatic will sit on this chair"

"The book of knights puts heavy emphasis on the vote Master Balian. Rules are rules. You need a majority vote to become the Grand Master"

"Rules can be bent. For the good of Tulosa we must"

"For the good of Tulosa? I"ve seen the state of the city"

"Which is only temporary until all the knights support me. I"ll hear none of this Henry. I have the city. The King has fled. As for your request, I deny it"

"Our request is simple Master Balian. We just want you to let go of the civilians. You and Master Tobias could brawl it all you want but you must let the civilians come under the Union"s banner"

"I will lose if I do that. The civilians are my levies. They are the bulk of my forces. I cannot let them go"

"The Castonians will storm the city if you don"t. They will force you"

"And will you join them?"

Henry opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked down. "My allegiance is to the people. I will join the a.s.sault if you don"t let them go"

Master Balian puffed a sigh. He fiddled with the quill "I must admit, I am afraid of the twenty thousand Castonians outside. They could take the city if they want to. Even my knights are afraid. So how about a deal?"