There Was No Brother With Only Brothers (1)
The council we held on the following day started off with questions about the Warlord. Was there really such a thing as a King of the Orcs? Had anyone ever sighted it, and wasn’t it merely a very cunning and fierce Orc rather than a monarch in its own right? Both the commanders of Winter Castle, as well as those of the reinforcing army, looked at me expectantly.
“A great spear tore through these walls, a spear hurled by a single being. This spear was hurled by the Warlord, right from where he was in the mountains.”
Almost at the same time when I had plunged my blade through the heart of the Orc noble, his master had thrust the thing at our defenses. That very spear was still within the castle courtyard, as a testament to the might of the foe that we now faced. “That is the power this King of the Orcs possesses,” I told all those gathered within the room. “A tattered letter had been attached to this spear, giving word to the Warlord’s challenge.”
The commander of the reinforcements, as well as the second prince, could not hide their doubts. “But the range for such a throw… impossible, all the way from the mountains!” the commander sputtered.
“Indeed, how do we know it did was not simply fired from a ballista?” Maximilian voiced his doubts in turn. “These monsters are known to operate siege weapons, so that seems the likelier origin of the breach.”
I stared at them intently. “You do not take my word for it? Believe what you will. Regardless of the truth you choose, the mere fact that they breached the defenses proves that these are no normal monsters.
Some of the commanders seemed to be convinced by my summation of things. “If you still don’t believe me, brother, return to the capital. We need able reinforcements here, not a bunch of inquisitors who only get in our way.”
The murmuring and general commotion in the room fell silent after I had uttered this challenge. One commander now stood up, bowing to me.
“I did not mean to doubt your word, First Prince Adrian. I merely wished to confirm the truth behind such an amazing tale. I apologize if my presumptions had been disrespectful,” he said, his tone sincere. I recognized this man, for his face had been burned into my memory.
Was he not Ehrim Kiringer, a Wire Knight? Despite the fact that he wore the uniform of a mercenary, I knew that it was indeed him.
No one spoke once he had sat down. “Very well, let us all take a break. We shall re-convene and discuss matters in an hour from now.”
The commanders of Winter Castle followed their Count as he made his departure. The commanders of the relief force also rose.
I was heading out myself, but someone took me by the arm. “Brother,” was all that Maximilian said as I sat back down beside him.
He stared intently at me.
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“What exactly is the nature of this Warlord?” He asked in all sincerity.
“His name is simply how I call him: The King of the Orcs, who has united all the Orc tribes into one large force. He is a vile, violent, and unbelievably mighty monster,” I summarized as he regarded me with a frown.
“Well, aren’t the Gori Knights also monsters that cannot be handled?” I shook my head at his predictable response. Those of Winter Castle believed me fully by now, for had they not heard the roar of the Warlord from the mouth of the Night Slayer? Obviously, these newest arrivals to the north would need some more convincing. I only hoped that they could be convinced before their ignorance led to their downfall. It was a moot point. These newcomers would find out soon enough.
Even feeling a sliver of the Warlord’s power would convince anyone of his reality, even if they hated the fact that they believed it. There were many wondrous and terrible things in this world, and one of them was to be found within the Blade’s Edge Mountains. Our day of meeting this fell beast would be soon at hand, this I knew.
“Well…” the Second Prince finally said, wishing to change the subject.”What was the Night Slayer then? Tell me more of the battles you have fought, and the current situation the fortress.”
These things had already been discussed in the prior meeting, yet I could still see my brother harboring some doubts. I summoned up every reserve of patience within me as I explained everything to him again. Somehow, after once more hearing the tales, the Second Prince was still confused. “It is said that you have been the first to notice the presence of this Warlord. How did you come to know of his nature, this monster that no man alive knows of?”
I gave a nonchalant shrug. “I have always been interested in ancient tales, brother.”
Maximilian nodded, seeming to believe me fully. Everyone in the kingdom knew about the fat little boy who had stolen the Founding King’s sword and then fell on it. The rumors of my use of a Mana Heart then also spread, and everyone decided that the fat little prince had gone a bit insane and lost himself in the legends of the Founding King, Gruhorn Leonberger. It was expected of me to know such archaic yarns, then.
“You must have read many old books,” the Second Prince said, clearly deep in thought about something. He finally got up, and I followed him outside.
Our Uncle was waiting for us. “Would you be able to keep this up?” He asked me.
“What are you talking about, Uncle?” I asked, yet he could see through my pretense. I knew that he referred to the manner in which I had become the de-facto leader of the meetings, even if I did not wish to admit it.
“You keep doing amazing deeds,” he replied with a laugh. “Thanks to all your accomplishments in our defense, everyone knows how important you have become to the people of Balahard. You also know the most of this… Warlord. It is only right that you head our meetings.”
There was something else, though. Vincent had been the one to deal with the large and small affairs of Winter Castle while dealing with our royal reinforcements had been left solely in my hands. It almost felt as if the Count was preparing himself to vacate the seat of power.
“I thought we had faced an impossible foe, and that we had become greedy and soft-bellied. Yet now, I see a road that can be taken through the chaos,” he stated, his voice gentle yet dripping with power. “As Knight Commander, I will take the fight to this Warlord. I do not wish to die in my bed, I am the protector of the north!” he continued, his body trembling. “Yet, I could not face the Night Slayer on my own, so my chances against the warlord… hah.” He once more gave a hearty laugh.
“Why laugh, Uncle? It seems that you are desperate in some way.”
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“No, Adrian, thank you for showing me the way. I know what I must do in these, the last years of my life. Vincent still lacks in many things, yet I am gladdened by the fact that you are here for him.”
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Why was this man saying all these things? I ran my hand through my hair, uncertain as to the thread the conversation. Suddenly my Uncle placed his hand on my shoulder and stared at something behind me. It was Maximilian, who quickly looked the other way.
“Your brother seems very interested in you,” came Count Balahard’s parting words.
* * *
The second session of the meeting had ended in a flash. Even if Maximilian doubted my word, those who had followed him from the capital clearly did not. My brother only countered me on one point the entire time.
“If you split the corps into so many different units, how can they be effective as a cohesive fighting force?” Ehrim echoed the Second Prince’s doubts after I had laid out the nature of our deployment.
“There is no doubt that your force is filled with veteran and elite warriors, yet it can’t be denied that they lack actual battle experience against the monsters we’ll be facing. This type of arrangement is the most effective strategy against their kind,” Vincent cut in.
I had another reason for this division of forces: I could not trust officers who had never faced Orcs to lead large groups of men. Splitting the reinforcements meant that any ineptitude and bad tactical decisions would not be that devastating, occurring on a squad level rather than that of an entire platoon.
“Still, the reason for our coming here yet remains unclear,” one of the commanders voiced his discontent openly.
I sighed. The amount of controversy and petty squabbling was only increasing in the meeting. I knew the leaders of Winter Castle to be stalwart and competent men. If they had not been, the kingdom would have long ago fallen to hordes of monsters. These men still had their flaws, though: They were not used to fighting alongside foreign forces, and they possessed little if any political savvy. They gave little consideration to their new allies; no, they could only think about how to more effectively cull monsters. I decided to make things clear to the newcomers.
“This will be your first battle against Orcs. The stench of these things is overwhelming, their rushing tides of warriors, relentless. On flat ground they will charge at you and hunt you down to a man. When a wall stands in their way, they will pile their corpses to its very top just to be able to close with their foe. Are you still willing to fight?”
Ehrim Kiringer was about to respond to my challenge, but my brother’s voice came first. “I will fight. We will fight.”
I admired his attitude. He and his men would understand soon enough, once they experienced their first battle against these beasts. It only harmed our cause if we squabbled among one another now. “However, I think it wise if only one corps is divided to bolster the forces on the walls. I suggest the second corps remains intact, acting as a reserve force. We should be prepared for every eventuality,” the Second Prince suggested, giving voice to his true opinion.
His suggestion was strategically sound. Most commanders in the royal capital fell to their knees to appease every whim of the King, so I was pleasantly surprised by Maximilian’s sound grasp of strategy. There was no place for unimaginative milksops in the harshness of winter.
“Let’s do as the Second Prince suggests,” Vincent stated in an embarrassed tone. Some of the royal commanders shifted awkwardly at this.
“Today’s meeting has come to an end,” the Count declared. Maximilian and a few of the royal commanders were surprised upon hearing this, for they had expected a long term plan, especially as to how to deal with the Warlord.
“Aren’t we going to discuss future strategies?” Ehrim asked.
“We can discuss such things after you have faced your first battle,” my Uncle stated with finality.
He knew that discussing such grand schemes with men who had never looked into the eyes of an Orc would bear no fruit. Despite being a little bit offended, the reinforcements did not voice any displeasure. In fact, they all seemed determined to prove themselves in the battles to come. Some of them even seemed impatient at the prospect. Their wish was fulfilled soon enough, for whilst the royal troops were still busy being organized into their new units, a trumpet sounded throughout the castle.
I had been observing the deployment of our new forces, yet immediately sprang into action when I heard the trumpet’s call. Maximilian was next to me. “It’s time for your practice round,” I told him, and his face hardened at this. I walked up the stairs at a leisurely pace as my brother, and the royal commanders followed me. “Aren’t you supposed to hurry?” the Second Prince asked me, aghast at the fact that I was strolling as if nothing was awry. I did not deign to answer him.
“It’s too quiet,” Ehrim Kiringer stated, for, after the call of the horn, silence had descended over Winter Castle. As we turned a corner, I simply said: “Not for long.” Hundreds of Rangers were already lined up on the walls, each standing ready with a bow or crossbow. Their commanders were also present. “They were just waiting,” I told Ehrim.
Only
Cheers erupted all along the battlements as the men saw me.
“Rangers! Today we listen to our bows as if they are our own mothers!”
“We walk the road of resistance, brothers!”
The Rangers stamped their boots and weapons upon the ground, the walls echoing as they moved as one man.
Then, a roar from afar was heard as the dark green invaders gave mouth to their own foul battle cries. I looked at Ehrim and my brother with a twinkle in my eyes.
“Welcome to the real face of Winter Castle.”
The feeling of excitement was palpable in the air around us.
I took a huge breath as my heart was set ablaze at the prospect of battle.