The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 46 - A City Fallen

Arthur rode beside Foster and Jeren as a small contingent of Ollerin lords and soldiers entered Rothwel's battered city gates. There were no cheers of liberation or glee to be found. Instead, the city was desolate and lifeless, as if it were some ancient ruin left to decay from an age unknown.

The only sound he could hear within the expansive cityscape was the clamor of a soldier's march as Arthur's column strode atop the devastated stone avenue.

For every building Arthur saw standing, three more lay toppled and collapsed in ruinous piles of charred rubble. And for every imperial soldier sending a gaunt-faced glance toward the newcomers, a dozen emaciated Bernish civilians lay lifelessly by the roadside.

Jeren urged his mount closer and reached over to Arthur with a handkerchief. "For the smell, lord."

"What do you mean? It doesn't smell any worse than the camp," Arthur joked, but he received the handkerchief and gave his thanks nonetheless.

Jeren pointed toward the columns of black smoke rising in the distance. "The siege ended days ago, according to the scouts. Those fires are for the dead, lord. As we get closer, it'll become more apparent."

Arthur nodded, brought the handkerchief to his face, and held it as if it were a mask. "I knew it'd be bad, but this is worse than I imagined. Are there really so few people left? Or did many flee after the siege broke?"

"We can't know for certain until we hear from the imperial troops, but if I had to guess, this is it. Rothwel suffered two sieges within a single year. The imperial army wouldn't have chosen it as the location for their last stand had they any other choice.

They were likely forced to horde what little food remained to feed the soldiers, leaving the city's already broken and starving citizens to fend for themselves. It's unlikely any could muster the strength to leave even after the siege concluded." Jeren solemnly replied as he scanned the rubble.

Arthur clicked his tongue as evidence of the city's devastation grew with each passing moment. "It's a shame..."

"Sieges are always rotten for those trapped within, young master. My uncle Kori was leading a caravan for our family when he found himself trapped in the city of Barre during the Sorian rebellions six or seven years ago. The siege lasted eight months, and he said that the only people roaming around the city in the final weeks were those who had already resorted to cannibalism.

"Uncle Kori said he only survived thanks to being able to hide from the cannibals in an old well hidden beneath the foundation of the Welt branch building. He was always a heavy-set man, and when he returned home, I couldn't even recognize him due to how much weight he had lost. He looked like an entirely different person." Foster added.

"Cannibalism often precedes a city's fall. A few more weeks of siege and Rothwel likely would've suffered the same fate as Barre and the other Sorian cities." Jeren said.

"What happened in Barre and the other cities? I don't recall learning about such a rebellion." Arthur asked.

"It was too recent, and you were probably too young to hear about it, lord. Sor was a small principality on the western shores of Ollerin that was annexed some ninety years ago. Like most cultures indigenous to these lands, the Sorians worshipped Minaan before the empire annexed them.

"Most Sorians converted, as all subjects of the empire must do, but a small sect of Minaan worshipers remained hidden, and with the help of Agelian instigators, they riled up the local populace with thoughts of reclaiming their culture and religion. The rebellion quickly spread to most cities of the principality, and the empire's response was as heavy as it was swift.