When Angels Sin

37. A Valuable Life

Tristan

The Western Kingdom – Castle of Vausterland

Red tapestries embroidered in gold hung down the walls of the large council chamber. Sunlight reached in through the high glass windows, providing light and warmth against the gloomy faces surrounding the long table in the middle of the room.

"We have no option but to negotiate with the Northmen," Tristan said with narrowed eyes.

"But is he even awake yet?" one of the council members asked, only to flinch as he received a dark glare from Tristan.

"It has been a whole silver moon already Tristan," King William turned gently to Tristan who was sitting right next to him.

"Give me one more week," Tristan frowned with determination before he got up to his feet, "and I promise you we will have Grytia back without a single drop of bloodshed."

It had been indeed a whole silver moon since their outrageous defeat at Grytia. Tristan clenched his fists as he walked away from the council chamber, still unable to believe how this had happened, how they had been utterly defeated by some weak Northmen...

One month earlier

They had been so close to victory.

Tristan was leading his men forward, chasing the Northmen who were already fleeing the battlefield. But beyond the sound of his Pegasus's flapping wings he heard a distant low grumble. He would have brushed it off as thunder, but the sound was rising constantly, and next, sudden howls and cries followed from behind. Tristan quickly turned back towards the sound. His heart sank as he saw thousands of black clad forces appearing out of the Western forests that lined the battlefield, charging behind his army.

They did not look like Northmen, neither did their armor nor weapons. Before Tristan could think, he found his army attacked by the foreign savages who mercilessly swung their brutal axes and spiked clubs, severing heads and crushing skulls as they closed in at the Vausterians from the rear. And just as he commanded his men to turn and fight them, the Northmen who were fleeing the battlefield, had come back to attack them from the other side. Tristan's mind froze for a moment, before it started to dawn on him. It was a trap!

The Vausterian forces were trapped by the Northmen at the front and the foreign savages at the rear, cut off from the castle completely. The savages were rapidly penetrating through their lines, and before he knew it, Tristan found himself facing the black clad demons. He quickly raised his sword, struggling to stay alive beneath the brutal assault, hardly managing to keep off the fatal blows that poured upon him from all directions. But one strike meant for his chest that he miraculously dodged had hit his ride.

His Pegasus cried and writhed in midair, before it started diving to the ground. Tristan held on tight to its reins as the large heavy beast sunk below. He closed his eyes as the beast collided with the ground, knocking him off. Tristan went rolling onto the ground, choking on dust and blood before his large body decided to make a stop. It took him a few moments to recover the deadly fall and get back to his feet, gasping for air. He was still staggering, and horrible pain shot through his left leg. It was apparently broken. But he still held his sword, and he growled as he fought off the demons charging at him.

His men were falling rapidly before the massive army of Northmen and savages which outnumbered them by thousands. Tristan realized that if they continued to fight, they would be annihilated. And indeed, his men could not hold against the savages, and they fell one after another beneath the vicious blades and spikes and arrows, their dying cries ringing within the battlefield.

Tristan looked around him, searching for any members of his army, and he realized with horror that within these past few minutes most of the Western army had already been destroyed. Despite being completely circled and isolated from his men, Tristan continued to fight fervently, but his progress did not last for long. The enemy lines pushed further and further.