A Time for Revenge

All the rest of the afternoon he went over what he was going to say. More importantly how he was going to say. His friends had been right about one thing, he did not want to frighten those men and women who would be marching to war. He did not doubt that they would continue to stay by his side, there was no question about their loyalty. Their loyalty to him was as strong as his close friends was to him. No, the thing that he needed to worry about was their moral. If he frightened them before the battle began, they may lose hope and that was when Rubious would win the war before it even began.

The words he chose to use would be the most important thing in the coming days. He needed to inspire them, to give them hope that they would win this war and their families would have a future. And that they would be able to enjoy that future with their families.

Memories of the past invaded his thoughts as he stared out of his window at the grassy plains that went on for as far as he could see. He had sworn an oath during his coronation, promising that he would protect all those that needed his strength. He would not back away from the oath, no matter the circumstances. But in order to accomplish what he needed to do, to cut the head off of the beast of war that was rearing its ugly head in this world, he needed each and every man and woman to stand up and fight. He needed their strength behind him in order for him to protect them.

A soft know on his door brought him out of his thoughts. “Enter.” He did not bother to turn around as he heard the door creak open.

The voice of a young man came from the doorway, quiet as though he was unsure of how loud he should speak but a determination in that voice that announced that he was not sorry for the interruption despite his words. “I apologize for interrupting you, Sire. But I was told you had not been down to the hall to eat since this morning.”

He took a closer look at the fields outside and saw what he had not noticed, the suns were already setting behind the palace. He shook his head in embarrassment. “Your right, I haven’t. I can’t believe it is already this late. Thank you.” He said, turning around to find that the young man had brought a tray loaded with a full meal.

The server took one look at the writer’s desk, his eyes widening slightly in surprise for a moment before deciding to move over to the bedside table instead, depositing his load and moving away. “Just send word when you are finished. I will return to retrieve what is left, Sire.” Without another word the server left the room with a bow of his head, leaving Mach alone with the meal beside his bed.

The smell of the stewed vegetables, broiled meat and fresh bread excited his palate. He dug into the meal as if he had not eaten in days. He would need his strength in a few days and there was a lot that he needed to do between now and then. The moment he was finished he did just as was requested and called to have the bowls removed.

Once again he stood at the window of his room looking out onto the darkened fields beyond the walls of the city. Lights lit the outskirts of the wall, a gentle glow could be seen coming just out of sight from where he stood. That was where the Hermans had taken up camp. They were the first defenders of the city and it had been their idea to take up that position. Not to keep the fear of the population of Gehnith down but to prove to the people that they were truly here to fight for them, to protect them as they had promised. If Rubious attacked, they would be the first to rise to the challenge.

The night deepened as the last of the sun’s rays left the sky. The stars blossomed beautifully in the velvet sky above. Here they were on the brink of war and everything seemed so peaceful. He could almost forget everything that he had just seen if he were to try. Not now.

He turned to his bed, blew out the candle that burned at his bedside and crawled under the covers. Morning would be here quickly and he needed to be ready for it.

He woke to a knock on his door, a wakeup call that he greeted with sleep filled eyes. The same young man who had brought him his mean the last night had returned with a tray laden with cooked oats, fresh bread and freshly squeezed juice. Once again he ate his meal while sitting on his bed and thought about what he was going to say to the men and women who would be gathering in a few hours to hear his speech.

As he finished off bits of the bread he began equipping his armor. He wanted to show them just how serious he was. He thought that if he looked as if he were ready to take on an army at this very moment, it would encourage them and raise their hope. Any little bit would help.

His armor had been gifted to him by one of the blacksmiths in Juiint, a pair of Mage Smiths, to be exact. The two smiths had crafted his gear with fire and steel and forged in it spells that outclassed the mythical strengths of the Elven skills. Over the last six months he had requested that his armor be died by any means to match his sword. The Kings Blade, a red steeled blade with black engravings was the defining piece of his equipment. He had asked that his armor be made to resemble it so long as it did not affect the spells that were forged into it. Now instead of the silver and dark grey that had been its original look, it had been altered in a way that defined him and his ancestry. The boots and greaves were black, the gauntlets had been colored black with red fingers. Both the plate mail and the helmet had been colored in black, red and green. The black and red to resemble the Blade of Kings, but the green had been added for his personal ancestry. The outline of a tree had been designed on the chest of his mail, signifying the Derune lineage in earth magic. Altogether the effect was magnificent and not overdone.

It was an honor to wear such armor to begin with, to have it designed by individuals who wanted to express his family’s heritage was more so. Even if he did not like how it looked, he would still wear it proudly into battle. He was not only fighting to protect the people, not anymore. In many ways, he was fighting for his ancestors and the future itself.

The only heavy piece of equipment was the only item that had not come with the set, the chainmail had been sent to him a few weeks ago. But its weight was nothing considering how heavy everything else should weigh. He tied the sheath of the King’s Blade to his side, sheathed the blade and picked up his helmet. It should be near enough time.

He left his room and marched down the hallways, his armor clanging as he went. The people he passed nodded to him proudly, as if they thought he was their true King. Whether or not they thought that, they had respect for him and his men, Mages and all, and he would not change that fact for anything. If they wanted him to be their King, for the time being, that is what he would be. He had to give up on his childish dreams and foolhardy ideals of leaving other people in charge. His trip to Selane had shown him the truth behind that. His father would never have skirted around the responsibility and neither would he. Nedmere had faced his responsibilities without hesitation.

The few people on the streets waved to him happily, though there was an air of worry. That is to be expected. We are at the dawn of war. He marched his way to the outer west gates, entered the wall corridors and climbed the stairs that would take him to the top. Standing beside the edge of the battlement, waiting for him, were the few that he thought of as his close friends. The individuals that he had named his Generals.

“Well, everyone that could be called are here.” Mendoll said, glancing out over the walls edge.

Sehto, Bastra and Panamy all smiled at him, attempting to boost his bravery with their own. There was no need for that this time. He smiled back at them and walked to the edge, looking out at who and what had gathered. Stretching out before him was the whole of the army that had gathered here at Gehnith. Hermans, Dragons, Mages, Humans from various regions, each one discernible by their equipment. There were thousands of them here, each and every one of them ready to fight Rubious to the bitter end to protect the ones that they care about. To protect this world against his madness. We may just have a chance.

He could see a line of men, separated down the line of fighters and he recognized what they were there for. They would be relaying what he was saying as he said it. “I stand here today as one man.” He could hear those words echoed down below. “Like many of you, my life had been altered by the man we know as Rubious. Like many of you, I have made an oath to the ones that I have lost, that I would not stop until I have ended the life of the one responsible.” The yells that came was enough to drive up his own adrenaline. “We have lost friends, neighbors, family, lovers, complete strangers, comrades. Too many have been lost to the wills of one man seeking Power. By all the Power that I hold within me, I will end this reign of terror!”

More yells came, fueling him further. “I have come to here today to tell you, we know where Rubious is! Now is our time! Now we will strike at him! To the west of here is an island, long forgotten to us over the centuries. He has raised an army of warriors that are unlike us. They are more dangerous than anything any of you may have faced before, for our enemy has used forbidden magic to fuel his army! They are strong and will fight with without mercy. But what their lack of mercy will be their downfall, for they also lack heart. They do not fight for their loved ones, they do not fight for the future of the next generation, for our children. We fight to end Rubious’ use of magic, his creation of soldiers. This will not be allowed, we will not succumb to an army of creations made by a madman willing to use magic forbidden by nature and Man! We will eliminate him and anything that stands in our way of accomplishing that goal!”

He placed his helmet on the wall of the battlement. “We have here, today, standing amongst us now, is the hope of these lands. Numerous Kingdoms, several races, all of us have come together for one reason. To protect those that we care about. We are willing to put aside our differences and fight beside those that are different, so that we can assure that there will be a future for our children and their children. A future for the lands of the old Five Empires. Only together will we win, only together will we succeed in ending this mayhem. The creations that Rubious has in his army may be stronger, they may be faster, but we have the heart and soul that makes up everything that is important. The do not fight for loved ones, they do not honor their ancestors. They fight because they have been ordered to do so, you fight because you care.” Screams of challenge rose up, a rallying call that told him they were ready to march out this very moment to challenge Rubious and his creations.

“I swore to the Goddess Kriasta Herself,” he continued “a Goddess that, at the time, I did not believe in, that I would protect those who where defenseless. I swore to aide those that could not meet the challenges they faced. I swore that I would protect my people with everything that I had.” He paused for a moment, looking out over the wall at the men and women, the Dragons and Hermans that stared up at him. “What I see before me, standing down on the field below, I see the people of the Empire Seas. A unified people, people who I am honored to call myself one of. It matters not whether I am a King of Mages, or a King or Noble or Lord. I am exactly as you are, I am of the Empire Seas and I will protect the people I care for with everything that I have until my dying breath!” he screamed the last words and with them rose the cheers from down below. “I promise you, I will do everything in my power to end Rubious’ life. But I cannot do it by myself. I need all of your strength by my side. Citizens of the Empire Seas, will you follow me into battle? Will you swear an oath to protect those that need your strength, as I have? To give aide where it is needed? Do you swear it!” screams of ‘Aye’ and ‘Yes’ came from down below and he could not help but swell with pride. “Then prepare your swords, ready your armor. The time is fast approaching. We will triumph over this nightmare, we will end this darkness and there will be a future for the ones that we defend.”

Down below him, a woman stepped forward from the ranks of fighters. He remembered her face as if the event had just happened the other day. She had been one of the many that he had rescued after Rubious had attack Kehlimph. He had been able to help some of the victims of that nightmarish attack and she was one of the many that had joined his ranks ever since the alliance with Gehnith had been made official. He looked down at her, raised his hand to his chest and bowed to her.

Everything that Rubious had done, he would pay for it. The woman placed her hand over her chest for a moment, bowing her head quickly before reaching for the sword at her side. With one swift moment she drew her sword and raised it in the air. “For it all, we gladly sacrifice. With it all, we proudly defend.” He could barely hear her voice, but it carried up to him easily enough. A moment later the ranks of men and women mimicked her like a ripple spreading through water. Those twelve words echoed over the field repeated by ever voice as far down as the Dragons and Hermans.

In that moment he could not have felt more pride in what he was seeing. Mage and non Mage, Human and non Human, those that were once enemies standing together, all of them were standing beside each other and in the simplest of ways, they were all vowing to defend each other like family. He unsheathed his own blade and lifted it. “For it all, we gladly sacrifice. With it all, we proudly defend.” He repeated those words, screaming them so that it would carry as far as possible.

The vows were made and the soul of his army was as strong as it had ever been. They were ready to face the beast of war. Together they would face this threat and together they would succeed.