Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥

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They rode swiftly with the sounds of the marching army behind them. Jax never spoke unless to give directions, and neither did Ethelind. They passed a few villages and sometimes even faced attacks by civilians and local militias, but they were easy to defeat, especially since most of them were just groups of farmers running at them and hefting large spades above their heads. If it weren't for their stupidity, Ethelind would have almost felt sorry for them.

They only stopped four times on their way to Valkitia to rest and eat, taking watches and sending out scouts to make sure they wouldn't be ambushed, and, soon enough, Ethelind spotted the towering spires and pillars of Valkitia gleaming ahead. Bracing herself, she turned to the soldiers, taking a deep breath. For all she knew, it would be one of her last, but she wanted to encourage morale in these tired soldiers.

"We are not cowards," she shouted, projecting her voice so it would reach as many people as possible. "We are never cowards! We will ride in there, and we will sweep through. We do not surrender, and we do not quit. For the North, we fight, and if we die, then that is how the gods have willed it. May they bless and aid us in this battle, and we may vanquish our enemies. We will be indomitable!" She raised her sword in the air and roared: "Until the morrow!"

"Until the morrow!" The soldiers called back.

As the soldiers turned to offer their own valedictories to one another, Ethelind turned to Jax. Their horses were so close that she could have reached over and pushed him.

"Jax..." Ethelind stopped, contemplating what to say next, before going for the simplest option. "Until the morrow, then."

Jax looked at her with something resembling sorrow. They both knew it could be their last battle but knew better for proper goodbyes. "Until the morrow, then."

And he leaned over his horse, still gripping his reins, and kissed her gently on the lips, once. After he pulled away, she smiled knowingly, hiding the blush creeping across her cheeks, and pulled down the visor of her helmet before pushing her horse ahead of his.

As soon as they emerged in sight of Lynne's palace and Valkitia, arrows rained down at them, flying through the air. The Eastern soldiers had already moved into formation, but the Northerners waited for a command.

"Positions!" Jax yelled.

In synchronisation, the soldiers snapped to attention and raised their shields to create a wall against the arrows, then marched forward.

Ethelind and Jax moved off their horses and joined in with the steady march. Even though their catapults and battering rams had been destroyed when their ships crashed, they had cut trees in the woods to hastily make rams and ladders of vines and logs. The strongest men surged forward with the ladders and threw them into place, at a dangerous angle across the moat, letting the front lines advance and begin to climb.

They were answered with burning oil from the battlements or the ladders being flung off. The screams of the men rang through their ears and they watched some soldiers jump into the moat just to escape the oil.

"Now!" Ethelind called and the arrows of their soldiers shot up, aiming for the men on the battlements.

The rest charged as a battering ram was lifted by a strong group of Adebiyi's elite guard. They all moved with carefully measured movements, their faces set even as their comrades died around them.

THUD! The ram smashed forwards. The arrows and oil continued to come down, but every time a Northerner or Southerner fell, they were replaced.

The wooden entrance was easily destroyed.