Age of Heroes

ARLEANS

80 LIGHTMONTH 1023

Harald is in war tent near the Arleans open space waiting for report from his scout on whether the Duke has come to meet him in battle.

He is currently looking at the map of the region, thinking of the most defensible position if he is attacked.

He has been waiting since he heard that the Duke of Arrandy has begun waiting at the border and has engaged in some battle near the border with the lords near there.

But now he is withdrawing his army from the northern frontier, under the idea that the Arrandian invasion, probably be postponed until spring, since the winter has come.

A large defensive force was placed at strategic points along the northern region and the Vanguan knights and their soldiers is stationed on the Borveaux area, former Darc which is now Arleans, the frontier against the Arrandians if they wish to attack the capital city

His forces stood ready and waiting, eyes scoured the horizon on a constant watch for any sign of Arial army, but as the long days of sum­mer grew shorter the anticipated invasion did not materialize. 

There is still no sign of the Arrandians, and with provisions running danger­ously low, and the season of autumnal storms now arriving, the king dropped his guard and decided to disband his northern forces. 

It seemed that the danger of invasion had at last subsided.

Then as Harald is preparing to leave the north to secure his other weak spot before the New Year return, concentrating on the map in his table, a messenger comes into his tent and informed him of a news. 

'My lord there is urgent news from the south. The Corian King has sent this to our messenger and it is stressed that we need to send this to Your Highness as fast as possible.' The messenger said, panting as he has been riding for days to send this important news to his King.

'Bring me the message.'

Harald read the intelligence. And then Harald feel like he wants to rip the message to shred because of the burning fire in his heart.

The descent of a threat in the most southernmost point of his territory made Harald feel distraught.

'Just as I was about to withdraw my forces' he complained.

'Now, instead of sending my troops into their winter quarters, I had to concentrate them again with all dispatch, and march at the head of them to the south, to avert this new and unexpected danger!' He smashed his palm on the table because of his frustration.

Then Harald call a meeting between his officers and order them to march to meet this threat in the south.

As soon as Harald learnt of the danger, he hastily assembled his mounted cavalry army and raised more men from the shires. 

He sped south from Arleans, hoping to reach Cori by the old Empire road before the invaders could take the city. 

He learnt en route that Lord Diego army had annihilated a city, with all of its inhabitants is send to the steel, and had probably already passed many cities in Freya and maybe reaching Venicia, the old capital and ancestral household of Botticelli.

This is certainly bad news, but Harald pressed on, undaunted, and the speed of his advance took the invaders by surprise.

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RIVER UMBER

'When will we reach it, Freyan?' Barael growled. 

They march by foot not by horse since the Anjouian believes that horse could not traverse the sea which would incur the wrath of the Horse God.

'It is near. Venicia is just near here.' Diego said

Diego is in a rush to reach Venicia his former capital, his ancestral home. Diego father has died during the voyage from Harald invasion. 

And Diego determination to reach his ancestral home to fulfill his promise to his father soars again.

'It just branch around this River. To reach Venicia we have to reach Stinanza River, a branch of the Umber.'

'So what is your plan, Freyan?'

Diego stare hard at the Anjouian King but Barael do not sense anything, even oblivious to Diego feeling. 

He doesn't like to be called Freyan.

'We must go up the Umber to the mouth of Stinanza, and then up there we can see better. And it is a suitable place for the warriors to rest.' 

'Fine,' Barael said as he ordered his tarrying warrior to march.

They then formed a great encampment near the Stinanza River. 

'Can we attack now Freyan?' 

'Yes, we can siege the city.' Hearing this confirmation, the warrior marches on.

The inhabitants made some resistance at first; but, finding that their cause was hopeless, they offered to surrender and nearly the massacre of Orbough happen again. 

But this time Diego said to the Anjouian King that such things will only made them slower and Harald may have heard the news from the ravens and are coming with his royal army.

It took great persuasion in Diego part to make the Anjouian King to surrender his will to not sack the city to the ground.

And thus a treaty of surrender was finally concluded. 

This negotiation was closed toward the evening of the day, and Diego and his confederate forces were to be admitted on the morrow. 

Diego watch as the house of his ancestor finally in his grasp. He did not join the feast of the Anjouian. 

They usually turn raucous and violent. There have been cases where people get axed during their drunken feast.

He instead went into the city most glorious manor, the manor of Botticelli as it is once called.

He looks at the gardens, black from the fire of the slave's rebellion that have migrated to Vangua after they managed to topple the Four families.

Diego has always opposed the slave trade not because of its moral implication but because of the threat resulted in continuing that business in Human Continent.

It is no secret that many Kingdoms hated the guts of the Principality of Freya engaging in slave trade when one of the major religions of the Human continent expressly forbade it.

They are surrounded by enemies from Cori to Vern and even other Kingdoms where most of the influential people, is Lucellian.

And now they have paid for it. 

But Diego has made a resolution when they were forced to leave Freya because of the rebellion and the subsequent invasion by Harald the Vanquisher.

He will come back and take what is his. He will reclaim the honor and pay back Harald a thousand fold. 

That is why he supported the Duke. Diego is not that naive not to know that the Duke is using him but let see who will have the last laugh.

'From here' he said

'From here I will reclaim back the honor of my father. From here the Botticelli will rise again' He promised silently, only the moon and the stars hear his plea.

Then Diego calmed and happy walked to the mansion bedroom, feeling that his prize is secure, withdraw to the chambers of his family for the night, and left the city to its repose.

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