A Smash of Kings

Chapter 14: The Battle of Birabuto

At the King's behest, the catapults were set loose, hurling a volley of large stones towards Fort Birabuto. The orange, stone walls of the fortress were softened by the catapults for several hours. Another storm of arrows were fired towards the front, and the King sought cover behind one of the catapults. For five seconds, arrows rained down on their advance. However, Marth did not see a single one of his soldiers take any damage; those who could not find cover used their shields. The King cracked his neck, staring at the fortress' grand entrance; it opened slowly, and the King immediately knew what was going to happen next. Ike appeared next to him, taking Marth by surprise, and presented his King with his hand, helping him rise.

"It seems that they have had enough of your volleys, Your Grace," Ike said.

"That was the plan; soften their defences until they've had enough. Now, let's see what the Ylissi Army is truly made of," the King replied, "The only true stronghold that remains is Sarasaville itself after Birabuto."

"Let's go kill some Flower Soldiers," Ike nodded. The foot soldiers began forming in front of the catapults, an essence of urgency in the air.

"Wait," his King said quickly. When Ike turned around once more to face his King, Marth asked, "You've returned from a long journey... I know you didn't go through the same as Lucina, but you need to save your strength, like her. Robin and Roy have done wonders in your absence. Let them lead us into battle."

"But, I am your Sword, Your Grace," Ike muttered, shocked and confused, "Forgive me, but I refuse to sit back and have tea while you lot go out and risk your lives for a fort."

"Take command of our archers, then. And the catapults. If you really want to contribute, use your brain to help us win the day," the King responded. He sighed and saw Roy shouting at the troops to organize them. On the opposite side of the field, Sarasa Knights began organizing their own soldiers for a charge. "I can't lose you again."

"If the King commands... I'll take control of our archers," Ike said, gracefully. He bowed his head, making Marth smile, and then, as quickly as Ike approached him, they separated; Ike ran to the archers and Marth ran to the front.

The troops stepped out of his way, forming a path to Roy, Robin, and Lucario. Without even a greeting, Marth drew his blade and looked forward. The field of battle was sandy, though it was relatively flat. Directly in front of them was their objective, blocked by an ever-growing force of Flower Soldiers. "Here goes, Your Grace," Roy said, "We all fight in your name. You should sit back with Lucario and Robin. I'll lead the first charge."

"Like Hell you will," the King said. Surprised, Lucario looked at Robin, who was equally as shocked, "Why would any of my men fight for somebody who wouldn't fight for them as well? You lot can stay back, wait with some of our soldiers like we planned. I'm going to fight."

"Your Grace, I—"

With no more words, Marth turned around and raised his blade, causing his soldiers to scream and yell wildly. Somehow, he managed to raise his voice above the frantic battle cries and screamed, "FORWARD!"

The Small Council found themselves caught in their hectic rush towards Birabuto's main entrance. While Roy ran quickly, in an attempt to catch up to his King while Robin and Lucario ran back towards the reserves. It was not long until the two sides clashed; the orange Flower Soldiers took the brunt of the initial assault from the navy-clad Ylissi troops. The bloodthirsty charge of the Ylissi army was thwarted temporarily by the Flower soldiers, but at an immense cost....

In the back, Ike stood in front of five rows of archers. Ike noticed Ness preparing an arrow and looked at him for a second, thinking about what Fox had told him. He stared at Ness, but Ness returning his gaze broke Ike's trance. He cleared his throat and made his voice boom,"Archers! On my count! Nock!" With his orders, the archers nocked the arrows on the bows, which were still resting on their hips. "Draw!" On his words, the archers lifted their bows and took aim at the fighting a few hundred feet in front of them. Ike paused for a second, then, just as it looked like another batch of Sarasa soldiers were pouring out of the gate, he screamed,"LOOSE!"