Don't Forget

#42 Bigger War Council

"I really, really don't want to do this"
"Quit being a baby! Royalty doesn't act this way!".
"I haven't been royalty in the last nine years. I bet you or Lachlan would be a better King".
"I'm starting to think that you might be right".
Mitch pulls on Adam by his legs, trying to dislodge him from a tree. The prince clings to the branches like a lifeline. The Captain's mood is rapidly falling.
After hours of marching, setting up camp, and eating a cold supper, this is the last thing he wants to be doing. The captains of the four other camps, which are now abandoned, are finally here. All of them want to know if the rumors are true. Is Prince Adam still alive?
Well, he is. And he's a giant wuss who won't face his problems.
"All the captains and Lachlan are waiting for us in the command tent! What are you going to do now? Jump on a horse and run like a coward?", Mitch barks, yanking harder. Adam's grip finally gives way. He's torn away from the branches and eats a mouthful of dirt when Mitch leaves him to face plant. Mitch drops his legs in annoyance.
"They c-could wait a wh-while. Why don't you go, and I'll talk to everyone tomorrow?", Adam coughs on his bite of mud pie.
     "Like that'll go over well", Mitch sarcastically remarks, "You knew this was coming. What would your dad or mom think? Would they be proud? What about your-".
     "Shut up! I'm coming", Adam doesn't let him finish. Must have struck a nerve with that last one. Mitch makes a mental note for next time.
     The two walk back into the makeshift camp. Adam had ran a good hundred feet before Mitch got too close. There's no fires among the sea of tents. The light and smoke would give away the soldier's locations. The size of the camp has been steadily growing over the last few hours, but it's all quiet now. Mitch hasn't seen this many troops in one place in years.
The command tent sits in the middle, looming over the other tents. There's light from a few lit candles, though it hardly escapes from underneath the flaps. You can't exactly have a war meeting in the dark.
      Mitch can almost feel Adam tensing up as they get closer. He's like a corned animal at this point. It's hard for the Captain to see anything except his own view. Adam was born to fill this role; it's his duty to the kingdom. Running from it will only make things worse.
     Adam is quiet until they're literally at the tent's door. Low voices can be heard from inside. Adam digs his heals into the ground and stops dead. His face is as pale as a sheet.
     "What is it now?", Mitch barks, annoyance written plainly on his face. The voices from inside stop abruptly.
       "I-I just...... Can I have a minute?", Adam swallows nervously. Mitch almost snaps at him again, but the anger fades away a bit. Anyone can see that Adam's terrified.
     "I will chase you down again", the Captain threatens, "You've got five minutes". He turns away lets himself into the tent. Mitch knows exactly who to expect inside. That doesn't stop him from scanning the room from top to bottom.
All eyes are on him. Or, more accurately, watching behind him. Mitch catches Lachlan's eye and gives a slight nod. Adam is coming in a minute. The General stands over a table of maps with the other four captains around him. The candle light leaves dark shadows on all their faces.
     There's only one girl among the Captains, and she's not very ladylike. Her brown hair is pulled back in a braid across her broad shoulders. There's a pair of tomahawks at her sides. They both have narrow axe heads, with long handles for throwing. Her name is Lyssa Fenhight. Her dad was the General before Lachlan. He's dead now.
     Next to Lyssa is an even more familiar face. He watches the door the longest, anxious to see if Adam is really there. It makes sense because they're cousins. Jordan isn't tall, but he's muscular with dark hair. There's a sparkly emblem on his chest.
Many of the soldiers under his command argue that he should be General and crowned prince in Adam's place. Jordan refused. It would get really awkward in a few minutes if he had.
Mitch doesn't know the other two Captains as well. One of them is Max's replacement, Robin. He's a bit of skinny thing with blond hair, but his heart's the right place. Alister has brown hair and is just a little shorter then Lachlan. He just became a Captain last year.
"Hopefully you didn't start without me. I got a little caught up", Mitch says as way of greeting.
      "No, we were waiting for you", Jordan nods in acknowledgement. It goes unspoken that they were also waiting for someone else. Nobody wants bad news just when they find hope.
     "You were right about the spy. A small force got blown up back at base", Alister grins in satisfaction. The messenger had revealed the location of his camp, and Alister set the place to explode when he got word.
     "I was going to start by explaining the plan to split the continent", Lachlan explains. He's taking credit for Adam's crazy plan in his absence.
      "There's no going back if we do this", Lyssa looks at the other captains, "The Piscus will come at us full force if we can take the city".
      "There are suppose to be Zemrlt troops coming", Robin adds hopefully.
     "I wouldn't rely too much on Liblicen", Alister deadpans.
     The war leaders are all distracted by another commotion outside. A few different voices seem to be arguing before anyone pushes into the tent. Mitch has his hand on his sword hilt in seconds.
      Lord Dan doesn't seem too impressed to be without an invitation. He's the one worried about all the civilian lives, not to mention leader of the GoldenWings. The amount of spies he has under his control is quite startling. Dan's followers are fiercely loyal.
     Sub is a little more apprehensive walking behind him. The mute feels like he has to represent Liblicen, though he's no good at politics.
     All the Captains and the General stare when the next person is thrown into the tent. Prince Adam lands with a grunt, quickly scurrying to his feet in embarrassment. Red waltzes in with a feral grin. His eyes keep flicking over to Dan.
     "I guess these meetings are free for all?", Lachlan growls at the newcomers. This six person meeting now has nine guests.
      "There's a couple dozen bored assassins scattered around, ya know? I'd like to know what we're doing tomorrow", Red lazily leans against the table. His hands are never far from a hidden weapon.
     "You do realize that I have people in about every city, and the Capital, right?", Dan says as if stating obvious. Sub just shrugs. Lachlan would draw his sword if he really doesn't want them here.
      All eyes turn to Adam, waiting for his excuse. None of the four newly arrived captains know that he's actually suppose to be there. Although, Jordan seems to see something more. He stares until he can get eye contact with Adam. The prince is just as shocked.
     Jordan walks around the table to stand in front of Adam. They look nothing alike, but there's a certain way they both hold themselves that's the same. Blood calls to blood.
      "Jordan? I saw your name on the execution list", Adam can't quite believe his eyes. As an assassin, he broke into a few places and compiled a list of all the dead from nine years ago.
     "No. One of your soldiers pretended to be me", Jordan's voice falters a bit. It's hard for him to think about the man who died in his place. They probably had a family in the capital. But this isn't a sad time. Adam grins then, overjoyed and relieved all at once.
      "And since when did you become a Captain? I thought that you wanted to design carriages", Adam laughs with a wicked smirk.
     "Yep, Dad was never too proud of that phase", Jordan laughs and the two clasp forearms, "And when did you crawl out from your grave? I can't believe Mitch could have hid you for so long".
     Adam's smile falters. Jordan thinks that he's been with the army this entire time? What would he think if he knew the truth? Jordan gets confused with his cousin's abrupt mood swing.
     "So the rumors really are true?", Lyssa's eyes light up in awe.
"Prince Adam!", Robin drops to his knees, the table hiding him from view. He's not always the smartest, but he's a damn good Captain.
"What pit were you hiding in? I've heard about ten different stories by now", Alister inclines his head. Adam is a little on edge with all their reactions. It's still too soon to be answering all their questions.
"There's only a few hours until dawn", Lachlan draws away the attention, "Might as well figure out a plan with a few more opinions".
"I think you'll find my area of expertise quite useful", Red smiles, eye twitching. Robin grimaces at the assassin. He doesn't know who Red is, but there's definitely something wrong with him.
"I'd like to give one last order to my own people. Most of them are already hunkered down in the city. Anyone wearing a gold stripe on their shoulder is on our side", Dan explains.
Mitch can see Adam tense up before he speaks. He's really trying hard to look the part. The prince stands up straight now.
"I'll help wherever you need me, but I'd like to be on the front lines. This is my fight. I can take more punishment then a regular soldier", Adam insists.
"Nope. Not happening. If you died on us now, the resistance would go with you", Lyssa eyes up Adam's lithe frame. The old King had broad shoulders and a large build. The prince doesn't quite measure up to that.
"How about on one of the sides? Where the fighting will be a little thinner", Lachlan tries to negotiate.
"I can't promise I'll stay there", Adam shrugs.
"Your top priority should be staying alive", Mitch points put, "But keep Ty with you. We should also get you a bit more armor then just wearing nothing". Adam grimaces at the idea of stiff armor, but he gives in.
The meeting went on until it was just an hour before dawn. They spent the time setting up different groups and fazes of the attack.
There's no telling if the Zemrlt will arrive to help, but the GoldenEye troops have more numbers. The squids, on the other hand, have a more defendable position. Things could get ugly if they somehow call for backup.
Time will tell. Either way, this battle will change the entire war.