Rising Moon

~Chapter Eighteen~

A group of four men on horseback galloped over the top of the hill. Hector's head shot up as he heard the hooves beating against the ground. He quickly stood and ran forward to the front of the stationary Loyalist forces. King Edmund and General Ulysses were soon beside him.

"What news?" King Edmund demanded of the soldiers once they had ridden to a stop.

"Kirkjufjoror is five miles south of here, just as our maps said," one of the men said. "The people did not spot us, nor do they appear otherwise aware of our presence here."

"They will be soon," General Ulysses said, almost to himself before addressing the men on horseback. "You four go to gather the rest of Lord Hector's forces, bring them back here organized and armed, and find the prince.

"Yes, sir!"

The four men quickly rode off in separate directions, weaving through the Loyalist army. They announced that all fighters stationed under Lord Hector should gather at the front of the temporary camp, ready to march and fight.

The Loyalists had been stopped for several hours now, long enough to set up a few tents, rest their legs, and even sleep a little bit longer. They had come to a halt because their maps said that they were approaching the first village on their march, Kirkjufjoror. Kirkjufjoror was the farthest current settlement from the Capital. It was a very small village that raised finely bred horses. These beautiful mares and stallions were then shipped off to the Capital or to the homes of dukes and duchesses. And so, even though Kirkjufjoror was a very small settlement, it was wealthy and prosperous, a tiny but comfortable place to live and work for those who didn't like the loud and busy life of cities or towns.

The Loyalists had stopped their march so that Hector and his forces could separate from the main army and approach the village. Hector couldn't help but feel that his large unit of soldiers would scare the people of Kirkjufjoror, but he knew that he had to be there even if his fighters weren't.

This was his time to reveal himself to the people of the Dark Kingdom. It was time to show them that he was still alive and that he was fighting against Seniorra Zinegotzia Bjorn to put King Edmund back on the throne. The warrior had rehearsed his speech dozens of times, going over what in the nine realms he could say to convince these people to join their cause and house their injured.

General Ulysses and the rest of the War Council believed Kirkjufjoror to be the perfect place to put the very old, very young, and injured Loyalists to be kept safe. The village was small and discrete, but it was also rich with food and supplies because of its prosperous export of horses to the noble families of the Dark Kingdom. The Loyalist refugees would be kept safe and comfortable while the soldiers and generals won them back their home.

But Hector had to be the one to actually convince the people of Kirkjufjoror to side with the Loyalists. King Edmund would go with Hector to be shown to the people after the warrior hopefully had them showing their support and patriotism. Hector wasn't sure if this was a good idea. After all, the people believed that Edmund had murdered Hector to save himself. Of course, once they saw Hector was alive and were thoroughly convinced that it wasn't a trick, that anger would hopefully simmer down. Edmund still was, however, the person who had banished them all from their homes after nearly destroying the entire Dark Kingdom in an act of blind grief. They were bound to still hate him and want nothing to do with him.

However, King Edmund had said he needed to be presented to the people just as much as Hector did. After all, he was the one whom they would be fighting to put back on the throne. The entire movement against the Insurrectionists was about getting him back in power. He was the reason for the civil war. They needed to see him. And if they still hated him and would not support him and his followers, well...