Age of Heroes

HARALD SIDE

The camp is full with knights and soldiers all doing their own business as the great men, King and great lord planned the next step that will determine their fate. 

Anxiety and nervousness fill the air around the camp….and many of the soldiers are weary and exhausted after their forced march.

Harald had completed his encampment and he must now find some information pertaining to the Duke position. 

Quickly he understands he needs some information if he is to be prepared. More than ever he needed it in this conflict between him and the Duke. 

He then summons his trusted cousin in laws. The messenger rushed from the King tent to deliver the summons.

'Earl Girth' Harald said, his face is clearly happy seeing that his cousin has come as he hugged Girth like a brother. 

'Yes, Your Highness.' Girth came and heed the King summon and at the same time pat the back of the King showing his fondness and brotherhood spirit between these two men.

Then releasing the hug, the King expression turned a little somber as the next words come out of his mouth.

'I have an order for you.' His tone is solemn and Girth recognize that the King has an important task for him.

'Yes, Your Highness. Order me as you saw fit.' Girth would sacrifice his life if the King so wanted. His loyalty to Harald is unshakeable. 

Considering their complementary personality and the relation of blood, it is no wonder Girth highly loyal to the King. 

But it is also because Harald is a good and just King, always worried about the welfare of his subject and his unboundless compassion towards his enemies.

'I want you to ride around with me to the Hill and take a view of Arial lines. This may pose some risk for you, me included. I need you to understand this point if you wish to join me. I trust no one to guard me better than you' Girth nodded in approval. 

'You do not need to worry about me Your Highness. I am willing.' Harald nodded in satisfaction. Girth is after all worried about Harald safety.

Harald on the other hand is not that worried about Earl Girth safety.

The only danger is of being pursued by a detachment of horsemen from the camp, or surrounded by an ambuscade. 

But how could his heart be free of worries? That is why he set a counter measure if such situation happened.

Harald did not let Girth scout unprotected. How could he explain to Emilia and to his conscience if Girth is to be slain in battle?

To guard against the danger that may happen to the Earl and the King, Harald and Girth took the most powerful and fleetest horses in the camp, and they called out a small but strong guard of well-selected men to escort them. 

Thus provided and attended, they rode over to the enemy's lines, and advanced so near that, from a small eminence to which they ascended, they could survey the whole scene of Arial's encampment.

'By light!' Harald said, his mouth is wide open. And there is nervousness in his heart. The same could be said for the Earl.

They could see the palisades and embankments with which it is guarded, which extended for miles; the long lines of tents within; the vast multitude of soldiers; the knights and officers riding to and fro, glittering with shining sharp steel; and the grand pavilion of the duke himself, with the consecrated banner of the Papnoticon floating above it and the wide and long banner of the dragon flowing even higher and more majestically than the Papnoticon symbol. 

'Arial the Dragon' Harald sighed. 

'Always full with dramatic entrance' he said smiling bitterly.

Harald is very much impressed with the grandeur of the spectacle but he will admit none of it.

From behind a thicket of gnarled trees, he peers through lush foliage; and with his hand raised over his eyes he can see that some of Arial's men are already dangerously close, and just on the other side of the wood he could see from a distance, Arial riding his famed red haired horse majestically surveying his army, barking orders while beside him, lords and nobles flank him right and left, and even his back.

Harald and Girth both gulped at the same time as they realize the enormous situation that is now upon them and the threat has never felt more real, than now, when Harald could see the might and the mighty spectacle of Arial army, his strong cavalry and his skilled archers all motivated, all have a glint of fire, threatening to burn.

Then Girth spoke as the moment pass.

'W.e..e have to return to camp and prepare Your Highness' Girth said, his voice is also full with trepidation and he in his fear stuttered.

Harald nodded. Harald would have wanted more time to prepare. 

His elite body­guard had not suffered many casualties at Venicia but they, like him, must have been utterly exhausted by the hard battle in the south and the long journey north - not to mention any other, on the whole rather unlikely, activities in the night. 

All in all, the decisive battle looked like it was going to come rather too quickly for King Harald of Vangua. 

He would have preferred a little more time.

After gazing on this scene for some time in silence and with great doubt and despondency slowly rising in his heart, Harald said to Girth 

'Perhaps Earl Girth, the policy of falling back would have been the wisest for me to adopt, rather than to risk a battle with so overwhelming a force as I saw before me. Before I did not know, but it is better to adopt that plan now before it is too late' Harald said. 

But this does not rise from the instinct of self-preservation but for the safety of his people and too much at stakes here. 

To the Duke, Harald knows that in the Duke eyes according to his custom, defeating him means gaining the crown. 

But how could he agree when the culture of Vanguan is fundamentally different? To Harald this is a personal battle not a national one. 

His throne has nothing to do with this war. It is a trusted honour not some scepter of power, granting authority for whoever defeated the last one that hold the scepter.

Earl Girth looks at his King and shakes his head.

'It is too late Your Highness. We have taken our stand, and now for us to break up our encampment and retire would be considered a retreat and not a maneuver, and it would discourage and dishearten the whole realm. The morale will plummet and the lord would see this as a sign of weakness and they will flock themselves under the banner of the dragon.'

Harald looked at this spectacle and he sighed as he too understands the complex implication to retreat back now, and they return back to the camp, listless and dispirited.

A few hours after he returns to his camp, a delegation from Arial came to his camp and he accepted the delegations, with a mixture of puzzlement on his part.

'Duke Arial send you?' Harald asked the delegations when they are presented before him.

'Yes the Duke did, Your Highness.' The delegation reply headed by a Bishop of the Office of the Church.

'Tell me of his proposition.' Harald said not wanting to waste time

'Then I will relay Lord Arial proposition, Your Highness. Lord Arial will avoid battle if Your Highness should surrender the kingdom to him, as lord Arial is the true heir of the throne and not only that but since Your Highness is Lord Arial vassal that Your Highness has to pay the respect appropriate to the Duke as his vassals.' 

He said and the Bishop looks at the King expression. The King shows no indication for him to stop so he continues.

'Second, if the first term is not to Your Highness liking, then Your Highness and Lord Arial should both agree to refer the whole subject of controversy between both of you to the Supreme Papnoticon, and abide by his decision.'

Looking again at the King, and seeing no sign to stop, the Bishop continue to relay Lord Arial words.

'And the last proposition if none of the other two proposition satisfied Your Highness heart then Lord Arial suggested you should settle the dispute by single combat, the two claimants to the crown to fight a duel on the plain, in presence of their respective armies, and let Heaven give their judgment to determine who is in the right and who is in the wrong.'

Harald is wearing a bitter smile, his hand is slowly shaking with anger and his face is flushed red after listening to all the proposition. 

Arial do not give him face whatsoever. It is obvious that Harald could not accept either of these propositions. 

The first was to give up the whole point at issue and put everything under the mercy of the dragon.

As for the second, the highest authority of the Church had already prejudged the case, and if it were to be referred to the Supreme Papnoticon in his Holy Office, there could be no doubt that he would simply reaffirm his former decision in helping and biasedly siding with Lord Arial which the church has already thrown their lot. 

And in respect to single combat, the disadvantage on Harald's part would be as great in such a contest as it would be in the proposed arbitration. 

He is himself a man of comparatively slender form and of little bodily strength compared to Arial. 

Arial, on the other hand, is distinguished for his might, and for his extraordinary feats of strength. 

Who does not know how he defeated the Immortals. 

Harald also wanted to recruit the Southern Healer to his forces knowing that only an Immortal would stand at least a chance but Harald know that these experts do not interfere in the matter of worldly affairs. 

Not to mention the Southern Healer is in seclusion and the monk of Linzi Temple is not a temple that allows killing and warring. 

No matter how he persuades them before it was futile. 

Harald knows the power of the immortals, their strength alone could defeat thousands of normal men and it is for this reason Harald desires their power. 

And hearing and knowing about Arial prowess in battle defeating three of the four immortals doesn't this shows that Arial alone could decimate thousands of his soldiers alone. 

And now he is asking for single combat. One slash and Harald may even die. How could he accept?

'Tell the Duke that I accept none of his propositions. Tell him, we will battle tomorrow and nothing that he said or offer would move me from this decision. How could I when he is this unreasonable? Negotiation should at least leave some room for compromise.'

Harald therefore declined all Arial propositions, and the delegation returned to Arial camp bringing the bad news. 

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