Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘒𝘢𝘦𝘭

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅ ◈ ⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Kael rode his horse to the frontline, like he had during the Battle of Bloodfield Bay two years ago, and breathed in the air of the newly arrived summer. An army of thousands of Northern soldiers were behind him, their faces stoic and their arms close to their sides, staring ahead. They were being paid to fight, and it secretly pleased Kael that they had agreed to do so. A few lords had downright refused to give him men, but a few threats from Ethelind had made some of them change their minds.

The Northern army had marched straight through the Southern border and raised their shields against the rocks and arrows fired from the Southern walls. A few well-aimed arrows from some of the Northern archers had made them stop.

This time, Kael wouldn't fail. He couldn't. Not when there was so much to lose. He had to prove to the Northerners that he was a worthy leader. He had to prove to the South that he was a genuine threat.

Kael turned away from the soldiers to the other people by him. Jax was to his right, his purple eyes emotionless, and Aldric was to his left, fidgeting. The vast field in front of them was empty, the birds calling to each other over the neighing of the horses, unaware that the field would soon be littered with corpses and the grass would weep red at witnessing such a destruction of human life. He had an unobstructed view of it from the hill giving them a height advantage, but the woods ahead gave Ulysses good cover.

"Ulysses has come, Your Grace," a scout confirmed, riding over and saluting. "He's in the woods and planning to launch a surprise attack from the east."

Kael nodded, turning to his son. "Aldric, what do you say we do?"

Kael noticed the way Aldric sat stiffly and the way he bit his lip. He looked to Kael as if seeking reassurance, and he nodded back encouragingly.

"Two can play at that game," he said slowly. "If we take half our army and attack them from behind while they are attacking our other half, we could take them by surprise and cage them in, making them keep up a battle on two fronts."

The scout blinked.

"You heard what he said. Go tell the commanders to do as he bid you," Kael said.

The scout nodded and hurried off.

"Was... that a bad idea?" Aldric asked, looking to his father for approval.

Kael shrugged. "I guess we will have to see."

They sat in silence, waiting. Kael could feel his heart pounding in anticipation. His legs ached to push forwards and charge, sick of waiting, but he made himself stay still.

"I've never fought on a battlefield before," Aldric muttered after some time.

"Don't be afraid," he replied, watching the army split in half. Slowly, not at an alarming rate. If Ulysses had any spies out, they would probably suspect that they were just rearranging their position.

"What happens when you die?" Aldric blurted.

Kael frowned, turning to look at his son. It was a question children asked, not nineteen-year-old soldiers. "No one knows. Who cares? If you're dead, you are too far away to care much about what happens next."

"What do you think?" His grey eyes were filled with fear.

"I don't know. Blackness. A feeling of nothingness," Kael said bluntly.

"Don't you believe in Heaven?"

"If Heaven exists, I won't be allowed in. There is no good in hoping."