Valiant (*On Hold*)

17 Attack - Tyne

It took only three days to come upon the first Rirdantan stronghold. Sarazin was the name of the town, named for the fortress standing tall within it, and it was the primary reason that the king had sent us riding in this direction. Sarazin was the furthest into Etzeran territory that the Rirdans had managed to gain a foothold. It was the fortress closest to the central kingdom of the country currently occupied by Rirdanta. So naturally, King Acton wanted to wrest control of it back into Etzeran hands.

I understood the mission the moment I'd been given it. There was a lot about King Acton that I did not understand, a lot of actions he took which I could not abide by or support, but we were the same in this. That the men who conquered within our lands, who killed our people and took our fortresses, should pay for their crimes in the same way innocent civilians had sacrificed. So the king had made no demands concerning how he wanted me to regain control of the fortress, just that he wanted me to do it. And when his eyes had met mine after giving the order, I'd seen the darkness in them that I knew was reflected in my own. I'd given him a grim nod of understanding, hating myself for finally beginning to understand this fledging king.

I had spent the better part of the journey plotting our course of action. The princess had been near silent, speaking only to Captain Ridley and retiring to her tent the moment it was erected. I'd never seen her so ill at ease among her own men. And they seemed to notice as well, glancing toward her closed tent as they sat around the fires whenever we stopped to make camp. But on that third choice, she had no choice but to allow some company as all of the commanders and her captain filed into her tent to begin planning the assault on the mountain fortress of Sarazin. I had been summoned but, as Wells was off on a scouting mission, it had taken Calder some time to find me. Therefore, I was the last to enter the princess' tent and I did so to the sound of loud arguments already taking place.

"You cannot just lay siege to a fortress like Sarazin," one of the commanders was shouting at another, leaning over the large table on which the map of Etzera and surrounding territories was on display. "The fortress was built to use the mountains to its defensive advantage. It cannot be surrounded."

"Nor can it be fled via the mountains. We don't have to surround them on all sides, only the ones accessible for entry and exit," the other commander bit back.

"That isn't a true siege."

They continued on like that for a time. I took my position by Hawk who had come in my stead while Calder had searched for me. As my second in command, he was welcome in these meetings as well. But I could tell he was quickly growing tired of this old, lazy Etzeran commanders by the way he furrowed his brow when he frowned at me. I turned away, searching for the princess, the one whom would make any final decision in King Acton's stead, the one who would hear all of these men's plans and decide upon the best course of action. No matter how much they might argue, they would all fall in line behind her in the end. So when I strode forward to lay my plan in front of the gathered group, I looked only at her.

She met my eyes at the first step I took forward. I held her gaze as I approached the table.

"There's a moat," I said simply.

The argument between commanders ceased at once and they both turned, blinking, to me.

"What?" the first one asked, stunned.

"The fortress has a moat," I told them. "It's ancient and unguarded. No one would see us coming."

"How do you know that?" the second commander snapped.

"I sent Wells scouting. He saw it."

"None of our other scouts have seen a moat."

"None of your other scouts are Wells."