Beyond the Rabbit Hole

In the Mire of Politics

Isaaik stepped down from the stand and began greeting the cheering crowd. As Benard, Alyss, and Morgyn approached, Isaaik held up one of his hands and called two Talonguards over.

"Escort my guests back to the palace."

The two Talonguards walked the companions back to the palace. Alyss and Morgyn made sure to watch what they said while the soldiers were close by.

"You mentioned another name, Benard?" Morgyn asked. "Sanele Sifos?"

"Yes." Benard nodded. "The renowned general of the Eerie Kingdom."

"What made him such a great general?"

"Well. . ." Benard took a moment to think it over. "That's hard to say. We were expecting to win the war in a few months, but it ended up lasting almost five years. For such a small kingdom to defend against the empire for that long is no small feat."

"And that was due to his strategic prowess?" Alyss raised an eyebrow.

"I'm certain that played a part of it, but there were many factors. Keeping our main army fed while marching it across the continent proved to be an insurmountable challenge. So Meliades had to call them back and send the dragoons instead. Then, Lord Commander Isaaik took charge of the war effort. He was still rather new as far as lords go, and he had virtually no military experience prior, but he refused to let a foreign general take command of his men. This conflict between Herongrand and Meliades caused supply shortages throughout the region. We felt it in Yellowood as well."

"Why is this Sanele Sifos renowned then if it wasn't his strategy that caused them to last as long in the war?" Morgyn muttered.

"Well, I did say it played a part. The first battle of the war took place at Umoyamile castle. We besieged those clay walls three times. And we were repelled three times. By the time we took it, we had lost almost ten thousand men to their two thousand." Benard said in a low tone. "Many of whom were my comrades under Commander Rendhal."

"You fought in the war as well?" Morgyn gave a pained expression.

Benard nodded. "The first siege was a failure from the beginning. Apparently, the Eerie soldiers set fire to our encampment in the middle of the night. In his rage, the general from Meliades, Lord Curren, commanded his cavalry to run the enemy soldiers down as they escaped into the plains. On that moonless night, the riders couldn't see their comrades crashing into the spiked moat that the enemy had covered up some time ago."

"Like a pitfall trap?" Alyss gasped.

"Exactly." Benard sighed. "So many men died that night. After that, the Lord Commander called in men across the region to join the war effort. That's when Rendhal got involved."

 "I'd hardly call that a grand strategy." Alyss shrugged.

"It was simple. And risky." Benard nodded. "But it worked, so I suppose I can't say much."

"Well, I'm glad you survived, Benard." Morgyn smiled.

"Yeah, I don't know what we would've done without your help." Alyss laughed.

"Thanks, I guess." Benard chuckled under his breath.

When the three companions made it back to the palace, they each headed up the stairs to the inner chambers. They gathered in Alyss and Morgyn's room.

"An Insurrection. . ." Morgyn furrowed his brow. "Do you really think that's his goal?"

Benard shook his head. "I can't tell. I can't tell what he's thinking at all." He covered his face with his hand and grit his teeth. He took a deep breath and lowered his hand. "It would be suicide. Nobody of sound mind would do something like that."