Broughton

" This is a tale from our distant past. It takes place in a long-forgotten land, at a time when the history of our struggles was lost to time. The struggle of a people who fought for the right to exis

Broughton

 

 

Preface:

 

Far off in Western Tyree, deep in the Green Mountains, in the valley of Olivet along the banks of Alba River where the water runs deep and slow before it flows into Lake Arendt, sits the village of Broughton.  The village can be reached by road most of the year.  If you travel by the road leading along with Mount Adder from the west, the road can be treacherous in places.  Most trade is made by barge from the north. 

The docks in Broughton are always busy with markets and trade. The boardwalk serves as Main Street and stretches the entire length of the town from north to south.  The town sits on the west side of the river. The only street winds its way past houses making its way north then south up the mountainside.  As the road weaves back then forth, it takes you west up the steep mountainside.  The farthest west edge of town only reaches a quarter of the way to the top, so the road is poorly maintained beyond the town’s edge. 

West, above the town on the top of the peak and overlooking Broughton, stands a stone fortress with a watchtower and a small stone armory deep in its recesses.  It was built long before the town below was established, and even before the Dark War.

 Across the river on the east shore is a small dock with a few buildings and houses and beyond that is a large vineyard stretching away up the side of Bowl Mountain.   The grapevines stand in one row after another. The light green grape leaves stand out in contrast with the darker green of the trees that grow beyond them.

The people of Broughton are hardy folk. They are short in stature with fine delicate futures.  Most of the people have light blond or brown hair.  The women wear their hair long, and most tie it in a scarf.  

All men dress similarly in their white broadcloth shirts and black trousers, and a matching black jacket during the cold season.  The women wear more colorful clothing, though it is nearly the same style as the men’s. Still, the women wear a full-length skirt instead of trousers.  A woman's' broadcloth blouse is always decorated with a needlepoint flower pattern on the edge of the collar.

The barges travel river bringing needed supplies for the town but more importantly, it gives the townspeople a chance to sell their goods. Broughton is known throughout the kingdom for its wine.  Plumb wine is made from the east shore of the Alba and, of course, grape wine from the west shore.

The far west end of the village of Broughton on the highest street is a row of houses that were built deep into the mountain.  They are called the cave houses by the towns’ folk. These houses were built for storing the wine as it ferments.

The last house on the street is one of the oldest.  It is known as the Stonecrop house.   It may be as old as the tower at the top of the mountain, but no one knows for sure.  It is rumored that the Stonecrop family has lived there for as long as the house has stood.  They say it was this family who brought the plumb trees to the valley.

Mr. Stonecrop is one of the oldest gentlemen living in town.  He has cared for his family’s orchard for nearly his entire life.  His family’s orchard is the largest in the valley, stretching high up the mountainside.

Up at the top of the old man’s orchard is the boundary stone.  It was put in place long before the Dark War.  The stone was carved by skilled hands, which must have labored many weeks to create such an ornate work.  The stone stands as tall as a man.  It has four sides, and each side has lettered in the ancient script.  On the side facing the Stonecrop property is the family name with the family emblem at the top.

The forest above and to the south had reclaimed the adjoining property.  The only evidence that it once occupied some ancient house or an occasional fruit or nut tree.  This is where Grandfather Stonecrop was sitting when his youngest Grandson made his morning stroll into the orchard. 

 

Most mornings, you can find Mr. Stonecrop sitting in his front yard, sipping on hot tea, and eating his breakfast. His Son and oldest Grandson and their family live in the house with him.  His youngest grandson lives with his young wife in a house they built above the river and past the north end of the boardwalk along the old path that leads out of town to the sandbar.

The Stonecrop house is built in the style of all of the houses in town.  It is made of hardwood with massive beams supporting the eves.  The large oak door is twice as tall as a man.  Its arching top closes tight against the oak door frame.

Just inside the front door is a porch with a stone floor.  The table to the right of the front door is where the family eats most of their meals.  Left of the front door is a row of pegs holding the families' winter coats.  Below each coat is a pair of winter boots.  The heavy oak shelf above the row of pegs holds the family’s winter hats.

From the porch, you enter the main house through a delectably carved door with blue glass etched with swans wearing crowns.  The main room extends from the front door to the back wall of the house.  Along the walls on either side are several doors.  The first three doors to the left are bedrooms, and the door after that is the lavatory.  The next door on the right opens to the pantry, and it is connected to the kitchen, and it is the second-largest room in the house. 

The kitchen is set up to process the large plum harvests.  There they were processing plums into wine. At the back of the kitchen is a small wooden door that opens to the large cave where the wine is stored and aged.

In the center of the kitchen is a large table that can seat twenty family members.  It is seldom used except for processing wine and the occasional gatherings. 

Standing at the front door and looking into the house, to the left are doors leading into more bed-chambers. In the front of the living room are comfortable seats surrounding a low round table, and then at the far end up against the stone wall is a large oak desk where Mrs. Stonecrop keeps her books and conducts the family business.

 

Broughton      

On this spring morning, Mr. Stonecrop is preparing to do some maintenance in the orchard.  He and his oldest son and the oldest grandson will inspect each tree and prune branches for the next few weeks.  His youngest grandson married young Miss Fetta Appleby.  The couple has worked all winter, clearing out a plot behind their house for a new orchard.  He will plant plum trees that the family had started the year before in the tree nursery. 

 “Good Morning Colby. How goes the work on the new orchard?” The young man hurried to the old man’s side and smiled.  “Once those trees establish themselves, we’ll be set to rival even this orchard.”  They sat for a while, watching the morning spread across the valley. 

Colby pointed to Bowl Mountain and said, “Granddad, I’ve noticed a lot of smoke coming from the bowl.”  His grandfather didn’t answer right away but sipped his tea instead.  Finally, he said, “John Appleby left yesterday to traveling up the bowl.  He should be returning by late tomorrow with the news.” 

The old man sat quietly and watched the distant smoke.  He reached out his wrinkled calloused had and said, “It worries me, the smoke.  It reminds me of the Dark War.  When the cities were burned the smoke would rise just like that.”  Colby said, I remember, you told us that the fighting made it all the way here, and most of this town burned.”

“Yes, I told you.  Did I tell you that my father and his brother were soldiers in that war?”  “Yes, Granddad, You told me. You said that this was once a great city on a trade route through these mountains.”  Grandfather sat quietly once again and sipped on his tea.  Finally, he said, “In my bed-chamber, I have a trunk.  I need you and your brother to come by, and we will open it together.”

Colby’s father came strolling up and sat with them.  “I see you’ve told him.”  Not everything, it is your job to tell them.” The old man looked worried.  His father looked at him; Colby had never seen this look on his father’s face before.  “A soldier came to town just this morning.”  Colby looked concerned and said, “A soldier.”  “Yes, a soldier from Endicott Castle.  He asked that all young men be present; there will be a gathering at the docks at sunrise tomorrow.” 

Colby looked at his Grandfather and then at his father.  Both had worried looks on their faces.  He remembered the stories of his Great Uncle.  He was a great soldier in battles during the Dark War.  He had fought in the battle of Broughton and took the town back from the enemy. He and Great Grandpa also fought in the final battle on the plains Kidman where they defeated the last of the enemy in a bloody battle.  They pursued the last of them to Endicott bay. 

His grandpa always ended the story the same; he said they set them to drift on the bay and watched them burn in their dark ships.  They took sport in shooting arrows at anyone who jumped ship to save his skin.

Colby and his father began working in the orchard.  He kept thinking about the coming war.  He never pictured himself as a soldier.  He was ok at archery, but he was never the best at it.  He was better with his hatchet.  He wondered if he could take a hatchet to war.  Did they have war rules that you had to follow?

Colby worked until lunch, and then he stopped at his home to meet up with Feta, his wife.  As they walked through town, he explained everything to her.  Feta looked worried, but she didn’t say anything.  They finally made it to the Stonecrop house.  The family was already seated on the porch.

They took their seats, and Feta poured them each a cup of tea, and then they filled their plates with sliced meat and dried fruit.  They talked about the coming war and what that meant for their country.  Colby wanted to know if the Capital City had fallen, but no one had any news.

After lunch, Colby and his older brother joined their granddad and their father in his bed-chamber.  He stood and watched as his granddad opened the lid to the old trunk.  On the very top, just under the lid to the trunk, was a large black flag with some strange white symbols on it.  Granddad explained that his father had captured this flag during a battle with the dark soldiers.

He set the flag aside and then pulled out a large round metal pin made of gold.  He held it out for his grandsons to see, and it covered the palm of his hand. He said, “My Uncle was a Captain of the Army.  He was in charge of one hundred soldiers.  He is still a great legend in the Capital City.     

He took other items out one by one and handed them to his grandsons.  One of the items was a long sword, and he handed it to Bran, his oldest grandson.  Then he pulled out a shorter sword and handed it to Colby.  Next, he pulled out chain mail and that he handed it to Bran.  Bran held it up to looked at it. Granddad looked at Colby and said, “There is only one hauberk chain mail armor; I fear that I don’t have the armor for you.  There is this sturdy leather garment.”   He pulled out the dry stiff leather bundle and held it up.  The four men looked at it for a moment, and then Granddad dropped it back in the large wooden box.  Feta squeezed between them and leaned into the box and pulled the old stiff bundle out.  Glaring at them, she said, “With a little grease, these will be like new.”  She pushed back between them with her arms wrapped tight around the bundle.  

She walked into the main room and dropped it on the floor.  She untied the twine that held it and then began unfolding it. The other women joined in to help her spared the garments out on the floor.  Before long, they were rubbing in goose grease and working it until the leather softened.

The men continued looking at the items in the chest and dividing the equipment between the two young men.  Each of them carried a sword and a dagger.  The oldest son was given the hauberk chain mail.  When they left their grandfathers' room to sit on the porch, the women were nearly finished with the heavy leather garment.

Colby sat and admired his sword.  The blade was nearly the length of his arm and half as wide as his hand.  The hilt was comfortable in his hand. It was leather-wrapped with thin braided wire. The guard was made of a metal he had never seen before.  It was hard as iron, but it had a yellow color to it.  It was carved with an animal head on opposite ends. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like a boars head but maybe a wolf with tusks. 

His brother Bran was looking at the two identical knives.  The matching knives were nearly long enough to be short swords.  The blade was long and had a slight curve, and ended in a sharp point like a saber.  They both had bone handles, and each had the family emblem carved into them. 

Bran had laid the long sword on the table.  The design matched the short sword except for the hilt.  The sword hilt had a pommel that was decorated with the seal of Tyree. Granddad explained that these were the swords of Tyree’s royal guard.  Only the men of renowned were awarded such swords.

The family visited late into the evening before turning in to bed.  Colby and Feta stayed in a guest room in the Stonecrop house. In the morning, Feta was up early; she tied a leather pouch to each of their belts.  The pouch contained a small skin of honey mixed with nuts and roasted grain; there was also some jerky. Then she handed each of them a skin of water.  She hugged them and ordered them both to return safe and unharmed. 

Early the next morning, Colby and Bran joined the other men for the gathering.  Colby had never seen a real soldier before.   The soldier was wearing a dark blue uniform of the Foot Guard.  He had a deep yellow sash, which identified him as a Royal Soldier of Tyree.  Bran and Colby were standing shoulder to shoulder, watching him mounted on his large coach horse.  They listened intently to his speech.  Colby felt as though the man was looking right at him as he was speaking. 

He sat tall in his saddle as he addressed the group of men.  “Gentlemen, there comes a time in every man’s life when it is required of him to test himself beyond his natural abilities.  That time has come to us today.  Our great capital has been attacked once again by the forces of Rudan.  The dark soldiers have once more landed on our shore and slaughtered our men and killed and captured women and children. We are required to fight for our very existence as one people, proud, strong people who will not be slaughtered like sheep.  We will fight.”

He paused for a moment and looked at the group of men as though he was gauging their abilities and then said.  In the morning at first light, you will gather here armed for battle.  You will march South at first light.  You will travel the pass over Bowl Mountain toward our great capital city. You will join our Captains and our soldiers in the fight: pack light and travel fast men. 

Once again, he studied the crowd.  He looked at the men one by one, and then his gaze stopped.  He looked at Colby and Bran.  He stepped off of his mount and hurried to face them.  He took Bran’s sword and studied it.  He said, “This is the sword of a great Captain.” He handed the sword back, and then he took Colby short Sword and studied it.  He gave it back.  “Your Sir name, it’s Stonecrop?”  They answered, “Yes, sir.”  He reached into his belt pouch and fastened an iron pin to each of their shirts.

He walked back to his horse and took the reins.  He said in a loud voice; I have given the charge to these two gentlemen.  They will lead all of you toward the capital city.”  He looked at the brothers and said, “One of you will lead, and the other will be the rear guard. It is your responsibility to get these men to their destination.  You will assure that each man has the food and the equipment he will need to be successful.  Is that understood?”   The brothers nodded in agreement.  He asked a second time, even louder than the first, “Is that understood?”  Both brothers answered in a loud voice, “Yes, sir.” 

Colby looked at the metal pin, it had the seal of the King’s Guard, and then he watched as the soldier as he mounted his horse and rode north on the old trail.  Everyone stood on the dock and watched as he rode out of sight.  Finally, Bran said, “Well, you heard him, go to your homes and prepare for the march.  We will see one another at the rising of the sun.  He heard a loud voice behind him say, “Men of Broughton.”

He turned to see his father standing on the platform above them.  He continued, “You must follow me to the armory.”  His father paused and then said, “We must hurry.”  They followed him up through town, then through the vineyard to the path that leads to the old watchtower.

The old path at a quick pace as it meandered back and forth up the side of the mountain.  It was nearly an hour’s hike to reach the fortress.  The walls were much taller than they looked from a distance.  They towered tall above the trees.  The fortress was made of the yellow-gray stone from the mountain.  The great doors were made of thick hardwood rainforest with steel straps and large, heavy steel hinges.  

Mister Stonecrop walked up to the heavy wooden door and placed a key in the keyhole.  Colby was surprised that the key turned easily to unlock it.  The door swung out with little effort.  Once inside, it dark; in the center of the room stood a long wooden table with large candles in the center. Bran lit one of the candles, and a dim light illuminated the room.  They were standing in a great hall with a high vaulted ceiling.  There were tapestries hung along each wall.  The tapestries told the history of Broughton.

Mister Stonecrop led the way to a set of winding stairs and descended to the armory. Bran lit a torch to revile the equipment of war being stored along every wall. 

Colby walked over to a rack of swords and pulled one out to inspect it.  He was surprised at the condition.  The lather grip had been oiled and cared for. The blade was clean and sharp when he pulled the sword from its scabbard.  He turned to his father, and before he could ask, his father answered, “It has been the responsibility of the elders to care for this armory.”  Colby asked, “Why weren’t we told about any of this?”  His father said, “It was none of your concern until now.” He told the young men to pick out a light, sturdy shield, and then he said, “Strap it securely across your back.”

He took one of the swords from a rack and then said.  I want each of you to choose a sturdy blade.  Then he strapped a scabbard to himself.  After each of them had chosen their equipment, Colby extinguished the candles, and they gathered outside of the building and waited for Mister Stonecrop to lock the heavy door.

They were visiting as they were made their way down the mountain.  Mister Stonecrop explained that the watchtower used to be the Stonecrop home; this was long before the caves were dug and wineries were built.  But the fortress was here before that.     Colby interrupted, “I wish I would have known the armory was here; I would have explored it.”  His dad answered, “That is the reason we have kept it locked up all this time. You boys would have run a sword through each other.”

Finally, when they were back in town Colby’s father said, “Each of you returns to your homes.  Prepare yourselves for your coming task, pack food, water, and equipment.  Boys, you better get used to charring the load.  Your task is a heavy one.”

Feta was waiting for Colby.  She had a smile on her face as she took his hand and led him into the house.  Bran’s wife, Sully, and his mom were waiting for him as he walked in.  They had oiled and rubbed the leather garment until it was soft and pliable.  He took it and went into his brother’s room to put it on.  When he returned, everyone was waiting for him.  His mother stood with her arms crossed and looked at him for a moment, and said, “Make no mistake, your Granddads father and his Uncle was well-trained as soldiers.  These clothes may serve to protect you, but nothing can protect you more than training and skill.  Learn what you can where you can.  Learn from the old soldiers.

Bran and Colby strapped on their swords and shields.  They adjusted their equipment until they felt comfortable.  When they were finished, their mother fastened their metal pin to their shoulder.  She stood back and looked at them, then smiled. 

Bran looked clumsy in his chain mail.  He stood with his arms out from his side and looked at everyone for a moment, then asked, “How do they fight in this stuff?” Feta stood next to Colby and, with a smile, said, “Well, I think you two look dashing.  I wish I were better with a sketch so that I could capture this moment.” 

Bran’s wife, Sully, was a little more reserve, and she had a worried look on her face.  She was a tiny woman compared to most of the women of Broughton.  Her light red hair was thin as a child.   When she stood next to Feta, she looked delicate and tiny.  Feta was more than a head taller than her, and she had a sturdy build like most of the people of Broughton.

Mother Stonecrop reached over and tied a leather pouch to each of her son’s waist belt. She looked serious at her sons and said, “I wouldn’t have you go off without coin.”  The two brothers took their new belongings and neatly placed them in Bran’s room.  They were planning to spend the rest of the day visiting around the table.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door.  Mother Stonecrop rushed to the door to find a tall, dark man standing in the doorway.  He was dressed in the manner of Tyree’s military.  In a deep gruff voice, He said Mrs. Stonecrop?  She answered, “Yes.”  “I need to speak to your husband.”  Mister Stonecrop came to the door, and when he saw the soldier, he hurried through the door and pulled it closed behind him. 

Mister Stonecrop said, “We fitted the young men with sword and shield.  We still have enough in the armory for most of the town people.  The soldiers’ expression didn’t change as he asked, “And a lookout?  You are keeping a lookout, aren’t you?”  He answered, “We haven’t yet.  I didn’t realize it was that serious.  I’ll send one today.”  Then he asked. “Should we distribute the arms to the citizens?”  The soldier said, “Some of the enemies slipped past the lines at Port Derby.  I tracked a small squad to Point Duncan, but I lost their track in the mountainside's loose shale.  I found the body of one of your towns’ people on the pass.  I gave his body to your people across the river.  I need this town ready if they make it this far.”  Then he said, “I understand your two youngest boys are to lead this bunch to the capital.  I need to speak to them.”

Bran and Colby joined their soldier on the porch.  He looked at them as though he was buying a horse.  Finally, he asked, “Do you feel that you are ready, Rear Guard?”  Both young men said proudly said, “I am, sir.” The soldier put his hand on Colby’s shoulder and said, “Your job is critical.  You and your men are needed to boost the numbers of the main army. If you and your fellow townsmen are to survive, you will have to be alert at all times.  How many of you own a hunting bow?”  He answered, “Most all of us do.”  “Be sure that those men are armed with a bow and a sword.”

The soldier looked at Bran and asked, “Do either of you know what to do if you are attacked?”  The brothers looked as though they had never considered the possibility.  The soldier took them into the road and taught them military tactics.  They worked until the sun sank out of sight.           

Bran and his wife spent the night once again at the Stonecrop house.  He and his brother would have to be at the docks before the sun was up.  They would have to secure passage across the river for themselves as well as all of the other young men.  No one slept well during the night.  Before sunrise, Mrs. Stonecrop was preparing breakfast.  Colby and his brother were dressing and preparing their belongings with their wives' help.  When they were finished, they sat at the table and had a quick breakfast. Feta was never at a loss for words, but this morning she was quiet; everyone was quiet. 

Finally, they said their goodbyes and headed toward the docks.  While they were walking, other young men joined them.  By the time they reached the boardwalk, nearly all of the young men and many other towns’ people were there. 

Bran jumped up on the platform and hollered, “Men of Broughton.”  He waited till everyone was quiet. “If you have brought with you a hunting bow, I need you to gather with Colby at the far end of the dock.  The rest of you will join me here.

Colby and bran organized each group into a formation of three rows of seven men.  After checking their equipment, he began teaching and training them the way he had been the evening before. 

By sunrise, all of the young men were gathered in a formation.  Father Stonecrop had arranged passage across the river.  The sun was peaking over the horizon when the two soldiers came to see them off.  They were each riding on great carriage horses. Each wore the blue uniform of the Royal City, and each had a sash, one deep yellow. 

They dismounted their horses and looked over the group of men.  The older soldier smiled, but with a frown on his face.  He said in a loud voice, “Gentlemen, this soldier was riding over the pass yesterday.  He found one of your townsmen slaughtered near the top of the pass.  We know that the enemy is headed this way.  No doubt, you will meet them in battle.  You will fight them, and you will defeat them.  Be alert; see them before they see you.  Kill them before they attack you.  You have a two days hike from here to the valley on the other side of the bowl. Now, I fear that you must make it more hastily.  Some of you may fall in battle.  I want each of you to prove me wrong.  I demand that every one of you prevail against our enemy.  I’ll meet you back here when the threat is wiped from our land.  We shall have a great victory feast.”

Colby felt flushed; his face felt hot.  John Appleby is his father-in-law.  Then he noticed his brother-in-law standing nearby.  He was standing stiff, not moving.  Colby walked over and stood in front of him. He asked in a soft voice, “you going to be all right?”  He answered, “Let’s do this for my Father.”

He could hear the soldier giving an arousing speech, but his mind was on the task at hand.  He knew that the only hope they had in defeating a trained army was dumb luck and catching their enemy off guard.  But what was the alternative?  They could stay and be burned alive in their homes.  Or die fighting on the docks for the entire town to witness.   

Suddenly the chapel bell began to ring, and the towns’ people gathered in a long line along the docks.  He hadn’t noticed before, but as he looked up at his village, nearly every building had the Nation’s flag on display.  He looked back at the young men, each face was red, and each eye was filled with tears. 

He heard a loud voice order, “On the boats.”  He and his men climbed onto the barge, and at once, it headed for the eastern shore. As the boat progressed across the river, he leaned against the railing, watching the dock with all of the family members waving their blue and yellow banners.

Nearly halfway across the river, he could feel the wind coming from the north.  It gave him a chill.  He turned and looked at the east dock to find people waving blue and yellow banners.

As the barge made landing at the dock, all of the young men hurried and headed up the road toward the vineyards, where they gathered waiting for the other boat.  Once more, Colby instructed his men in the tactics that the soldier had taught him. He had them in the formation by the time Bran and the rest of the men caught up with them. 

Bran hurried up to Colby and said, “They had some young men here waiting to join us.  I told them to go across the river and be fitted with swords and shields.  When they are equipped, they are going to be our towns’ first line of defense.  I also told the boat master to keep all of the boats on the western docks. That should slow any attack coming from this shore.

The Bowl

Once everyone was information, they began walking up the road.  Bran had the men practice keeping an even space between each man.  Once he was sure that the men were practiced, two men were chosen as scouts and were sent ahead.  Bran and Colby kept the formation moving at a steady pace up the side of the mountain.

The trail up the mountain meandered back and forth, and at times it was so steep that the men nearly had to crawl up the path.  Bran watched to make sure the men were keeping the set distance behind the man in front of him.  By late afternoon they were nearing the false summit when the two men returned.

Bran signaled to the formation to stop.  He talked with the two men and then signaled for his brother to join him.  When Colby joined them, the scouts were telling about a group of dark soldiers encamped to the east halfway up the summit from their position. They discussed sneaking past but immediately decided against it.  They all knew that if the enemy soldiers weren’t stopped here, they would attack Broughton or one of the other towns on the lake. They all agreed to ambush them. Colby and Bran gathered the men around them and told them of their plan.  All agreed.  

They quietly made their way north into the cover of the trees and then moved east.  Walking abreast in the tree line, they moved as quiet as they could.  They kept a little distance between one another as they traveled.  Finally, they could hear their enemy in the distance, and they could smell the smoke from their campfires. 

Once they could see the enemy, Bran had the archers take aim in the concealment of the trees and wait for his signal before taking a shot.  Meanwhile, Colby had the rest of the men conceal in the brush.  All at once, Bran gave his signal.  Arrow after arrow flew, striking the unprepared enemy soldiers.  Suddenly the enemy began charged toward the archers.  Bran and his archers stayed on task, firing cutting down the soldiers as they charged.  Colby and his men charged into the fight fighting hand to hand as Bran, and the rest of the soldiers joined the fight. 

When it was all over, Colby turned his head, and he saw an arrow embedded in the tree next to him; it had nearly hit him.  In all of the excitement of his first battle, he hadn’t even seen it.  He looked and saw Bran and several men walking toward him out of the tree line.  Bran and one of the other men were wounded, but not serious.  Bran looked at Colby and said, “Several of them tried to flank us, just like that soldier said they would.  We better check to make sure they are all dead.”  

Colby was bothered by the look of the enemy soldiers.  Most of them were young men.  Some looked to be as young as fourteen or maybe thirteen. They weren’t the monsters that he had expected.  He wondered why a young man would want to travel to this country to wage war on a land that wasn’t his.

  They went to work piling the dead enemy soldiers in the clearing where they had been camped.  They weren’t sure what to do with the bodies.  They discussed burring them, but they lacked the time.  Finally, they stacked a pile of dry wood on the bodies.  Then they doused them with oil they found in the enemy camp and set them ablaze. 

Bran sent his two scouts ahead of the main group to be sure that the way was safe.  He told the archers to search the enemy’s equipment and replenish their arrows as much as they could.  Some of the recruits took souvenirs, and others took their enemies bows because they were much better quality than the hunting bows they owned.  Before they had a chance to relax, Bran formed them up and led them on their way.

They were headed back to the trail, but Colby had the feeling that something was wrong.  He wondered why a group of nineteen Dark soldiers would have been camped out during the day.  He hurried ahead and caught up with his brother.  The formation stopped and knelt in the brush.  The brothers talked for several minutes before deciding to go on.  Bran told the men to be on the lookout for an ambush as he took his place in the formation. 

They were nearing the road that would lead them over the pass when Bran signaled for them to stop and get down.  Ahead on the road was a large group of enemy soldiers.  They were moving slow and deliberately along the road.  Bran waited for them to pass before gathering the men together. 

Colby said, “We are going to pick those dogs off one by one from their rear.  We’ll sneak up on them from both sides, well strike fast and hard, then disappear into the trees.  We’ll do this until we have killed each one of them.”   Colby said, “I’ll attack from the left and you from their right.”  Then he looked at the men and said, “Let’s go.” Bran grabbed his arm and said, “Attack toward their rear.” 

Both groups took off into the trees and then made their way parallel with their enemy.  They attached the rear of their enemy formation, killing or wounding five or six of them.  They broke and headed back into the trees with their enemy pursuing them.

Colby was behind his men as they headed back into the trees when he was blindsided and knocked off his feet. He tumbled down the side of the mountain.  He landed hard against a tree.

Before he could think, he was back on his feet and somehow had his hatchet in his hand.  He chopped hard and sunk the blade of his hatchet through his enemy’s leather armor as it sliced through his collarbone, cutting through flesh and arteries.  He saw the look of horror on the young man’s face as he took several more swings with his hatchet ending the young man’s life.

He headed on down the side of the mountain in pursuit of his men and his enemy.  Ahead he saw one of his young men lying and bleeding.  He ran to him and cut a chunk of the young man’s shirt.  He pulled the leather pouch from his belt and pulled out a small skin of honey.  He emptied some of the honey into the wound and then packed the wound with the chunk of cloth.  He asked the young man, “Can you travel?  Make your way up the mountain when it is safe.  Meet us in the clearing.”

Colby continued on his chase.  Before long, he caught up to his men fighting for their lives.  He jumped in, slamming his hatchet into the back of one of his enemies. He and his countrymen fought one after another to the last of their enemy. When it was all over, he and only six of his men were uninjured.  They charged off to find Bran and his men.  When they caught up with Bran he and his men were fighting the last of the dark soldiers.  One of the men gave out a loud yell as they charged into the fight. 

At the end of the battle, only fourteen of the original thirty men fit to travel on.  They gathered their wounded and treated them, and then they gathered their dead into a clearing.  After carefully placing them on a large stack of dried wood, they lit it on fire.  They stood somberly watching it burn.     

Bran was wounded, and Colby felt that his brother should stay with the wounded, but he refused.  They treated their wounded and then took time for a meal. That night they slept out under the stars and they took turns standing guard.

The next morning Bran and Colby looked over the wounded.  The men who were fit to travel joined the rest of the men.  They said their goodbye’s to the men who couldn’t continue.   Bran left one of the wounded men to care for those who were unable to travel.  He instructed them to make their way down the mountain to the docks as soon as they could.    

As Colby and his group started heading up the mountain, they told one another of their experiences in their first real battle.  Young Mr. Appleby had the best story of them all.  He said, “Their Captain charged right toward me with his saber drawn ready to cut me down. I panicked but somehow pulled my sword and thrust it out.  Their Captain charged right into the blade.  As it sunk deep into his chest and he had this look of shock and horror on his face.  I accidentally stabbed him through a small gap in his armor.  I accidentally killed him; I can’t believe it yet.”

This time they left the enemy soldiers where they lay.  They searched their bodies for anything useful, taking as many arrows as they could carry.  Most of the men were out of water and food, so they took their enemy’s rations and waterskins as well.

The small group hurried as they went and hoped they didn’t encounter another group of enemy soldiers.  They made good time as they went, and even though they had lost nearly a third of their fellow countrymen, but they felt that they hadn’t lost the battle. 

Colby wasn’t as exuberant about their victory over the enemy.  He had fifteen of his friends and countrymen with him when they attacked the enemy. Four of those young men had died, and others were wounded.  Five of the men who were with Bran fell, and others were wounded. 

They were finally near the summit of the pass, where the east road connects with the north.  As they began their descent down the south side of the mountain, they met up with another group of young men who were sitting among the trees visiting and sipping from their water skins.

One young man walked purposefully toward Bran.  He introduced himself as Lech, and then he explained, “We started our march from Sandpoint, me and ten of my towns’ men.  We made a good time traveling to the town of Landhill, where our numbers increased to twenty-three.  From there, we were headed to the Lake Town Terrace.  When we arrived, the town was embroiled in full battle with the dark soldiers.  We attacked them from the rear even though we were in-experienced and ill-prepared for battle.”

He paused and then said, “Suddenly, the riders came to our rescue.”  Colby looked confused and asked, what riders?  “The young man looked serious, the herdsman, they charged their horses into the battle.  They were firing their bows from horseback as they charged.  They cut down the enemy where they stood.

Five of my men were wounded, so we left them behind.  We added some young men from that town.  The towns’ people gave us food and water before we left.  We made our way to Kidman Harbor before heading up to the bowl.  There is where the rest of these men joined us. 

Bran welcomed him and offered to join their groups together.  The young man looked confused and asked, “Sir, aren’t you a regular?  You bear the rank of an officer.”  Then he pointed at Colby, “You both bear the rank of a rear guard.”  Bran motioned to his men and said, “These countrymen are all like you.  They all left their homes to answer the call.  They are all new to battle.  They left Broughton to march here.  You are welcome to join up with us.  But, your men will be expected to follow my lead and the orders of the Rear Guard.  The man stood straight and tall and answered, “Yes, Sir.” 

The young men greeted one another and then formed up in the manner that Bran and Colby had instructed them.  They checked each man’s equipment before they continued. Before Colby had inspected the last man, Bran gave the order to move out.

As they made their way down the east face of the mountain, they could see dark smoke on the horizon.  The valley below was open to the sea, but the black smoke hid the port city below; at the base of the mountain was a sight that none of the men had ever witnessed.  Fires were dotting the valley floor.  Colby thought that every farm and every town must be on fire.

It would take them more than a day to reach the base of the mountain.  They began their descent with their new companions.  No one spoke as they traveled; each one had lost friends and relatives.  After nearly three hours, Colby signaled for them to stop. 

He said, “Take a break, but stay alert.” Then he caught up with Bran and asked, “Why didn’t we send scouts ahead to make sure the way was safe?”  Bran looked angry and said, “Because I sent the last two to their death.”  He motioned to the men and said, “look at them, Colby, they are simple farmers.  What are we doing here?”  Colby grabbed his brother’s upper arm and squeezed it hard.  He quietly said, “You don’t have the luxury of having a breakdown.  Gather yourself together and lead us down this mountain.  Can you do that?”  Bran looked shocked at his little brother.  He finally said, “Yes, I can do that.” 

Colby looked at the men resting in the trees.  They looked weary as they visited with one another.  He noticed one young man sitting by himself.  He walked over and sat next to him.  He asked, “Where are you from?”  The young man said, “Lake Town Terrace.” He didn’t look up when he answered.  Colby asked, “Are you all right?”  The young man answered in a quiet voice, “Me, yes, I’m all right.  But my brother wasn’t so lucky.  I watched him die, and I couldn’t help him.” 

Bran walked over and joined them, and seeing that the young man was troubled, he asked, “What’s your name?” “It’s Ambert, Sir.”  “Well, Ambert, I have a job for you if you are up to it.  I need a scout to go ahead of us and make sure the road is safe for our company.”  The young man looked up with surprise.  “I would be honored to, Sir.”  Then Bran asked, “Do you have a partner here who could join you?”  He pointed to a couple of young men, “Ely, the big guy sitting there.”

Colby stood, and they called to Ely.  Bran told the two young men that he needed them to scout ahead.  He warned them to be alert and watchful.  He didn’t expect them to fight the enemy; he only wanted them to report back if they saw any signs of the enemy.

After he sent them on their way, Colby and Bran visited with some of the other young men before they continued down the mountain.  Finally, they gathered in their formation and headed toward the valley below.

The weather began to change, and the sky turned dark as they traveled.  When the rain came, it was a slow drizzle that soaked everyone and everything.  The group made their way, slowly walking in the tree line along each side of the trail. Their travel slowed as the rain fell harder.  Bran sent the message, Stay Alert, through the formation.  After an hour, the rain had nearly stopped, and the sun began to peek through the clouds.

            Suddenly a man appeared on the trail ahead of them.  He was tall and slender shouldered.   He was suited in the colors of the royal guard.  He ordered Bran to halt his soldiers, and then he motioned for him to step forward.

         He stood in front of Prince Clyde.  He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to greet the Prince. Finally, he saluted him in the way the people of Tyree.  The Prince looked indignant but returned the salute. His two Generals stepped out of the tree line to join him.  The younger of the two looked at Bran and Colby as though he was amused and said, “We could hear you and your men stomping through the tree line.  What sort of soldiers are you?”  Colby stood as tall as he could and said, “Sir, we answer the call. 

The Prince looked at the metal pin on the young men’s shoulder and then at their swords, then asked, “Did you encounter any resistance?”  Bran gave his full report as the Prince and his Generals.  The Prince listened and then asked, “How many of the enemy escaped?”  Bran answered, “None escaped.  We didn’t leave any alive, and the herdsman executed all that they encountered.”

The Prince asked, “You are sure they are all dead?”  He answered, “Yes, sir, all are dead.”  He turned to his Generals and said, “We have to be missing something.  I don’t think we have seen their main attack. 

He looked at Bran and asked, “How well trained are your men?”  “None of them have had formal training, sir; my brother and I have only had one day’s training.  The General leaned toward the Prince and whispered something to the prince. 

The Prince ordered Bran and Colby, “Gather your men before me. Bran called to them, “Form up in the road.”  He stood as his men formed a formation of four columns of men.  Colby and Bran stood next to one another in front.  The Prince said in a loud voice, “I thank each one for answering the call.”  Then he paused, “Gentlemen, do you agree to maintain and preserve the laws of this land?” They all answered, “Yes, Sir.”   “Will you defend the people and honor God and this land to your death if need be?”  They all answered, “Yes, Sir.”  “Do you agree to follow the orders of those Captains appointed over you, without question or hesitation?”  “Yes, Sir.”  “I declare each of you from this day forward to be Honorable soldiers of our great Kingdom.”

            Then he stood in front of Colby and Bran and said, “I grant you the rank of Commander.”  His General stepped forward and removed the Rear Guard pins from each of their right shoulders and replaced them with the Commanders Seal of Tyree. Then he saluted them.

The Prince said, “You will take your soldiers to our camp and join the main army; there you will receive further orders.  Are your scouts equipped with horses?”  Colby answered, “No, sir.”  He turned to his General and said, Supply them with two fast horses, and get these soldiers out of those rags.  My soldiers will represent this kingdom properly. 

Then he turned back to Bran and said, “Send two of your scouts to Green Mountain pass. They must ride out soon. I need a full report and soon.”  They turned and hurried away; one of the Generals called to a soldier who was standing nearby.  He gave the soldier instructions and then followed after the Prince.  The soldier hurried over to Colby and said, “I need you to take these men to the supply wagon; there you will be suited with proper uniforms.”  Colby asked, “Where is the wagon?”  He said, “Follow me; the encampment is at a clearing near the glade.”

They followed the soldier down the mountain to the encampment.  Colby and Bran were in awe.  They had never seen so many soldiers in his life.  There were rows of tents, and behind them were rows of wagons.  Now he understood the smoke.  There were campfires at this camp, and farther down the mountain, there were more. 

When they reached the supply wagon, the soldier asked, “Where are your scouts?  One of my soldiers will train them properly.”  “I will send them to you as soon as they return,” Colby said. 

Colby walked up to the wagon and spoke with the soldier who was sitting nearby. The soldier instructed the men to line up.  He pointed to one of Colby’s young men and said, “Come here.  You will make a great supply officer.”

While the two men passed out uniforms, Colby and Bran stood looking at all of the sights.  There was an entire heard of horses tied up to a long rope line.  Neither of the brothers had seen so many wagons or tents, or people in their life.

They looked back at their men, and Bran noticed Lech in line with the rest of the men.  He turned to Colby and said, “Look at him; what was his name again?”  Colby answered, “I think he said his name is Lech.”  Bran said, “He led his men well.”  Colby agreed.  Bran called to Lech.  The young man hurried to join the brothers.  Bran looked at the young man and said.  We are in need of a Sergeant. Are you up to the task?” Lech grinned and answered, “Yes, sir.” Bran said, when you draw your uniform, I want you to draw the uniform of a Sergeant.  The young man hurried back and took his place in line.   

Ambert and Ely were training with a regular when Bran walked over to speak with them.  The regular soldier said in a gruff voice, “Never interrupt my training.” And then he noticed the Royal badge on his shoulder and said, “Oh, my apologies, sir.  You aren’t in your uniform; I didn’t know.”  Bran wasn’t sure how to respond, so he looked at Eli and said, “When you gentlemen are through with your training, I would like you to come and find me.  I have a new task for you.”

When their men were finished changing into their new uniforms, Bran and Colby were fitted with the proper officer uniforms. The Supply Officer pointed to Bran’s sheathed sword and said, “Sir, A man would give all of his positions to own the sword that you are carrying.” I can give you a soldier’s sword and keep your dress sword safe until you return.”  He answered, “No, but thank you.”  He protested, “I would give you a proper receipt.”   

Colby changed the subject and asked the supply officer, “Where can we resupply our food and other provisions?  The Supply officer pointed out the smithy and the chuck wagon.   By evening the small company was completely supplied with the things they would need for the days ahead.

 

Bran took Ambert and Ely to the stables, and they were each given a horse to ride. Then he and the two scouts visited at the Chuck Wagons.  The two young men gathered as many provisions as they could carry and then headed back up the bowl.  They were both a little uneasy with the new task ahead of them.  It was a four days ride.  Bran and Colby gathered their men and instructed them to get a good night’s rest. 

Before they could set up camp, a young soldier on horseback caught up with them.  He introduced himself as squire to the Prince.  He said, “I have been instructed to fetch Commander Colby Stonecrop.  You, sir, are to join with the main Army.  You are to report to the Captain immediately.”  Colby started to object, but the Squire interrupted, “You took your oath, sir.  You must obey.”

 As Colby was walking away, the Squire turned to Bran, handing him orders he said.  “I was told to join up with you and your men.  We are to retake and hold the Green Mountain pass. My instructions are as follows; if we encounter a large force, I am to ride hard and inform the main Army.”  Bran answered, “My scouts have ridden ahead, up the Bowl.  You are welcome to catch them up if you like.  Or you can accompany us though we will move too slowly for that fine horse, I am afraid.”

Before the sun came up, Bran led his company back up the bowl the way they had come. He traveled at a fast pace because he knew they had a lot of ground to cover. They had marched steadily for a day and a half.  It didn’t seem to take as long to reach the summit of the bowl this time.  This is where he stopped and had the men rest.  He felt alone without Colby. 

Tyree

Colby hurried down the mountainside to the main camp.  He found the Captain's tent and poked his head in, but no one was inside.  Just then, he felt a strong hand grab his shoulder.  “Can I help you, sir?” Colby spun around to face a large man, the Captain.  He said,’ “I was told to find you, sir.  I am to join you for the battle tomorrow.”  The captain looked at Colby for a few moments and then said, “You are from one of the lake towns.  You don’t speak like one from Capital City.  Do you have any military experience at all?”  “Only the fighting we did yesterday, sir.” 

He looked over at an old soldier who was cleaning his equipment.  “You, Soldier, come here.”  The soldier hurried over and stood in front of the Captain. “Yours is the company that lost your Commander in battle yesterday?”  “Yes, Sir.”  He pointed at Colby and said, “This is your new Commander; try not to get him killed off.”  Then he looked at Colby and said, “I want you to stay with this soldier.  You do as he says and learn from him. Together you two are going to hold the flank tomorrow.  If you do as he says, you might live through it.  The Captain reached and pulled Colby’s sword out of its sheath and looked at it.  “This is the sword of a great warrior.” He handed it back and said, “Never let anyone touch your sword again.  You are dismissed.”

The old soldier led Colby away, and while they were walking, he said, “I’ll show you to your tent, sir,” then he told Colby, “Sir, most of these men have trained for years for battle.  Any one of them is better prepared than you to lead us into this fight.  It is only because of your birthright that they are following you.

Colby stopped walking and said, “I didn’t ask to be here.  I was clearing a patch to plant trees when I was called to this task.  It is true that I lack any training that would help me to ensure we survive in the days to come.  But as I understand our situation, I have all of your knowledge at my disposal.  You must advise me, and together we will lead these men to the best of our ability.”  The old soldier almost grinned and said, “You, sir are wise; I think we’ll do just fine.”

They began walking again.  The old soldier leads Colby past rows of large tents that looked to be nearly as large as a house. Finally, it stopped in front of a smaller tent; it was still large enough.  It was bigger than his bedroom back in Broughton.

   “This is your new home, sir.  I’ll have your Steward come and introduce himself.”  Colby asked, “Where will I find you?  And when will I meet the rest of the men?”  The old soldier looked irritated and then said, “If I take you to meet them now, they will assume you are a Royal like our last commander.”  Colby said, “Yes, that would be a bad thing.”  The soldier grinned and said, “I like you.”  Colby asked, “What am I to call you?”  The old soldier frowned and pointed to the iron pin on his shoulder and said, “Sergeant.”  Colby said, “Ok, for now, but it is my firm belief that at one time or another, you had a name, Sergeant.  My name is Colby Stonecrop.  You can call me Commander or Sir, but I shall always be Colby.”

            The old Sergeant stood and frowned. “Do you mean Stonecrop as in General Stonecrop?”  Colby answered by showing the old soldier the crest on his sword handle.  “Now, this is an honor, sir.  “May you live up to the legacy your Great Uncle left to you.”  Then he turned and walked away.

            Colby opened the flap on the tent.  It was dark inside, so he flung the flap opened to let light in.  Just then, a young man rushed in and lit a candle for him.  On the table was a map of the valley with blue and black markers situated on it.  Colby looked at the young man and asked, “Who are you?”  He stood tall and said proudly, “I am your Steward, Sir.  Well, what do I call you?  The young man looked confused, “Steward.”

               Colby looked back at the map, then he said, “Steward, looking at this map, we are sitting here, right?  The Steward leaned over and looked, then said, “This map was set up yesterday, Sir.”  He pointed to a black marker and said, “We took this back this morning; if I may be so bold.”  He moved some markers on the map.

We lost some good men, sir.  And to our shame and dishonor, we allowed our commander to fall.” Colby looked at the young man and saw the pain in his eyes, and asked, “You cared for him deeply?”  The young man looked up and said, “Oh, no, sir.  He was a royal.  He treated all with disdain.”  “So why would you be distraught at his passing?  The young man looked at Colby as though he couldn’t believe he was asking such a question.  He answered, “We allowed our Commander to fall.”

Colby leaned back over the map and said, “I need to understand this completely.”  The Steward started explaining the symbols on each blue marker.  Next, he explained what the black marker meant.  He moved some of the markers and explained that this is what we are planning to do at sunrise.  Colby stood and thanked him.  The Steward almost looked shocked and then stammered, “Your welcome, sir.” 

Colby asked, “In the morning, we are expected to fight before sunrise?”  The steward reached for a paper that was sitting on the table and handed it to Colby.  He opened it and began reading.  Then he looked at the Steward and asked, “Has the Sergeant read this?”  The Steward looked shocked, “No, Sir, it has remained sealed till now.”  Colby said, “Go and get him at once.”

The Steward left, and in a few moments, the Sergeant and Steward returned.  Colby handed the Sergeant the orders, and he held the paper as though he was afraid of it.  Colby frowned and asked, “What is wrong with you?”  The Sergeant looked at Colby and then back at the paper in his hand, then said, “These are our orders, sir.  It isn’t proper that I see our orders.  I am only a Sergeant.”  Colby asked, “If every man in our unit doesn’t fully understand what our objective is, then how are we supposed to complete that objective?”

The Sergeant was clearly frustrated.  “You lead us, sir. That is how we know the task at hand.”  Colby asked, “And what if I fall early in battle?”  The Sergeant looked at Colby with disgust and said, “Then we have failed our mission.”  Colby asked the Sergeant, “What if you knew our mission, and if I fall, you and the men complete it? And if you fall, another craggy old soldier takes up the call and leads the men?  What about that?”

He looked at Colby with amusement and began to read.  After he had finished reading the orders, he looked at the map.  He pointed to a black marker on the map and said, “We need to take him out sir, I don’t care what this paper says; we need to get him first.  We need to bring back honor to this unit.”

Colby saw the determination on the old man’s face and asked.  “Who is he?”  The Steward answered, “That is the leader of the Dark Army.  If we can take him out…..”  Colby understood.  Then looked at the Sergeant and asked, “So, Sergeant, what’s the plan?”  The Sergeant frowned at Colby and then said, “Our orders are to head out before sunrise and hold the flank here.

Colby was listening as he explained the orders.  He looked at him for a moment then asked, “Is this the way it is always done?”  The Sergeant didn’t understand what he was asking.  “Well, what is going to happen when we march in there?  Won’t they see us marching?”  The Sergeant looked puzzled but answered, “Well, yes, that’s how wars are fought.”   “So,” Colby asked, “What if we were to surround their camp with archers well before sun up, and as they crawled out of their tents, we let loose on them.”  The Sergeant looked at the young man with amusement.  “Do you know how many enemy soldiers we are facing?”

Then he said, “Sir, You are going to lead us down into the valley to meet our enemy.  We want to meet them here.”  He pointed to a spot on the map.  “Once they are in the range, we’ll let loose with volleys of arrows.  We’ll cut a bunch of them down.  Then you’ll signal us, and I will lead the charge into their ranks.  I don’t want you to go and get yourself killed.  You hang back far enough to stay out of the mix of things.”

Colby was irritated and said.  “You said that you want to take out their leader.  Do you have a plan?

The Sergeant and Colby worked on scenarios that would allow them to defeat the army they were facing and then attack the Dark Commander. Once Colby was content that he understood all that was expected of him, he ended their meeting. 

His Steward promised to wake him early before breakfast.  Colby looked at the Sergeant and said, “I would like to join the soldiers for breakfast.  Both the Steward and the Sergeant looked shocked and troubled.  Then the Sergeant said, “You can join me, Sir, it will be my honor.

That night Colby had trouble sleeping.  He felt as though he was in a stranger’s house. It seemed as though he had just fallen asleep when his Steward lit the candle in his tent.  “There is a pan of hot water on the end table, you can wash up, and then I’ll help you dressed so we can join the Sergeant.  Colby asked, Help me get dressed?  Why would I need your help getting dressed?  How about you do what you need to do? I can get dressed by myself.”

After he washed up and got dressed, he walked out of his tent. The Steward rushed into his tent to ‘tidy it up.’  Colby walked over to the soldier’s tent and found the Sergeant barking orders at his men.  Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Colby.  So he looked at them, and with as much authority he could, he said, “You heard the Sergeant.  Get moving!” The soldiers went back to what they were doing.  The Sergeant gave him a quick approving glance.

The soldiers began leaving the tent, and after using the straddle trench, they made their way to chow.  Breakfast was a big scoop of gruel poured into the large tin cup that the soldiers carried. The Sergeant and the Steward waited with Colby until the last of their soldiers was in line for breakfast. When Colby held his bowl out to be filled, the server looked confused and asked, “Sir, you are an officer; there is an officers’ mess?”  The Sergeant grumbled, “Just serve the food cook.”

They took their bowls of gruel and joined the soldiers who were scattered around on the forest floor. The two men sat with a small group of young soldiers who had been joking and laughing.  All of them were silent as they sat down.  Colby greeted them, but no one looked up.  He wasn’t accustomed to this sort of treatment, and it made him uncomfortable.  He sat on the ground near the other soldiers and began to eat the thick paste. 

Finally, an older rugged-looking soldier said, “So, you are going to lead us into battle?”  Colby looked up from his bowl and looked the man in the face, and said, “We go into battle together.”  Then he asked Colby, “What are your qualifications?”  Colby motioned at the soldiers sitting nearby and said, “These are my qualifications.”  The soldier looked satisfied with his answer and sat quietly for a moment.  Finally, he asked, “Sir, may I inquire where you are from?”  Colby answered, “I come from Broughton.  I live high on the west shore.”

The Sergeant looked amused at the interaction between Colby and the soldiers.  He leaned toward Colby and quietly said, “I think you’ll be all right. He hates the Nobles.”  Colby looked at the Sergeant and said, “I am a simple farmer.  I work in the orchards and fields.  No one in my town ever treated me with any more favor than anyone else.  The Sergeant looked amused, then asked, “Who runs your town, and who owns the valley where you live?  Before he could answer, they were interrupted by the Steward.  He handed Colby a folded paper.  Colby read the message then handed it to his Sergeant.  He looked at the paper for a moment, then at Colby. I told you that I want all of our men to understand our orders; you need to read them, you need to share them with our men. 

All of the soldiers sitting nearby were silent and listening to the conversation.  They looked at the Sergeant waiting for his reply.  Finally, he asked, “You are serious; you intend for me to command as a royal if you fall. And should I fall as well, how do they decide who would be the next leader?”  Colby answered, “Who is the most experienced and skilled in battle?  That person should know to take over if we both fall. And if needed, the next one after him.” 

Finally, Colby said, “Get them formed up.  We’re moving out.”  The Sergeant looked at Colby and frowned, “It's not twilight, Sir?”  Colby was irritated and looked at the Sergeant. “Yes, we're moving out now.  Where are our scouts?”  The Sergeant hollered, “Trice” Suddenly, three men rushed up.  Colby took out the orders and explained their objective.  He told the men that he wanted to attack their enemy in their camp before they crawled out of their tents.  One of the Scouts started to object, but the Sergeant said, “You have your orders, move out.”

The scouts were leaving just as Colby led his men onto the trail that led to the valley below.  The soldiers marched in four columns of twenty-five men.  The Sergeant led from the first column, and then the squad leaders led from each of the other columns.  Colby was out in front of his men, leading the way.  One of the Squad leaders said to the Sergeant, “We have the Captain leading from the front?  The Sergeant answered, “He’s like that.” 

Behind the formation riding the Captains’ horse was the Steward, looking out of place and rather uncomfortable. He wasn’t accustomed to following the soldiers into battle by himself.  He wasn’t accustomed to a noble behaving like common folk. And he wasn't comfortable riding in place of a noble.

They were at the foot of the mountain when the scouts returned.  They had ridden hard to cover the distance.  Colby had his men rest while he listened to the report.  The scouts reported that the enemy soldiers were camped near the flank.  They don't seem to be expecting an attack.  “They are camped over the ridge just three minutes ride from their rendezvous”  Colby looked at the men and said, “We attack now.”

When they reached the ridge above the camp, the Sergeant ordered his archers upfront.  While they were forming up, the scouts were pointing out good vantage points for the attack.  One of the scouts said, “This is the high ground, and the enemy soldiers are camped just beyond the trees.”  Colby asked, “Are any of them in the open?”  No, they are camped among the trees.  We’ll have to draw them out if our archers are going to be effective.  The Sergeant looked at the scout and said, “Flame should do the trick.”

The Sergeant told the archers to put the flame on them.  They lined the ridge and let the first volley fly.  His plan worked too well.  The enemy was scrambling around.  Some were trapped in burning tents.  Finally, some charged the ridge while their archers loosed their own volley at the ridge.  But the archers continued with a storm of arrows while the enemy foot soldiers were cut down charging up the hill. 

Some of Colby’s archers fell, while the rest continued firing.  The Sergeant ordered the archers to fall back while he led the soldiers in a charge over the ridge. They clashed with their enemy; Colby followed the Sergeant in the charge.  The fighting was more intense than Colby expected, and his lack of experience was nearly his downfall.  He charged at an enemy soldier, and almost instantly, he was losing his fight. When the soldier was about to deal a fatal blow, one of his soldiers struck his foe down.  They continued to fight long and hard. Their enemy was seasoned and experienced.

When it was over, he was so exhausted that his sword felt heavy, and his hand trembled as he sheathed it. Colby and his men had defeated a large group of soldiers.  He heard the Sergeant praising his men.  Colby ordered them to gather the bodies in one place and then stack their equipment and burn it.

One of the soldiers brought Colby a leather pouch with maps and documents written in strange writing.  He called his steward over and showed the papers to him.  His steward looked at the documents and maps.  It was clear that he knew what the papers were.  He had been with the former Captain when they had studied other captured documents.

Colby and the Steward looked at some of the papers, and the steward pointed out where they were on the enemy’s map and where the enemy battalions were camped.  He pointed to where the other companies were planning to attach and where the main battle was intended to take place.  He explained to Colby that they had already defeated an elite unit.  Then the Steward smiled and said, “We weren’t expected to fight this enemy.  We should be here. We were meant to cut the enemy off right here if they shifted to the north.

Colby called the Sergeant over and asked him and the Steward for advice; he wasn’t sure of what their next move should be.  The Sergeant pointed to the papers and said, “I would send those papers to the Generals right away with the message of our victory here.”  Colby looked at the Steward and asked, “Do you know where to take them?”  He answered, “Yes, sir.”  Colby took the map and drew an x across the symbol that marked their location.  He put everything back in the leather pouch and told his Steward, “Ride hard.  We’ll meet you at the assignation.”  

The three scouts were waiting nearby, so Colby called them to him.  He drew a map in the dirt, showing where the enemy camps were compared to their location.  He said, “I want to know what these ones are doing.  I need to know soon.   Then he said, “We are heading northwest to the location we are expected to be. Go now.” The scouts hurried away.  Meanwhile, the Sergeant had set up a perimeter around the ridge in case the fire got the enemy’s attention.  He gathered them and prepared to move out.

They marched to the assignation point, just at twilight, which put them to the north of the ridge and on top of the knoll.  It was a perfect position to see across the valley floor.  The soldiers set about preparing for another fight while they waited. 

Nearly an hour later, the Steward came riding back along with one of the Prince's servants.  The Steward hurried to Colby’s side and said in an excited voice, “They didn’t believe me until they saw the papers we captured.  The Prince sent his adviser along to see firsthand.  Oh, they sent you new orders, sir.       

As they looked across the valley to the south, Colby caught a glimpse of one of the scouts riding hard toward them.  Farther south, he could see a large group of soldiers marching toward them as well.  Just then, the other two scouts came riding hard.  The first one to reach him said in an excited voice, “They are coming.  They will be at the ridge soon. 

The Prince's servant stood watching, and then he said, “You missed the morning briefing Commander.”  He was dressed in fine leather armor that was dyed the blue and yellow of the National colors, and over that, he had shiny chain mail.  He looked to be too frail to wear such weight, but he moved without effort. He looked at Colby almost with contempt and asked, “How are you planning to hold that ridge now?”  After all, it must be healed if our battle plans are to succeed.

Colby didn’t answer but instead called the Sergeant to him.  He told the Sergeant, “We have to hold this ground from that ridge to here.” The Sergeant looked across the valley at the enemy soldiers who were headed their way, then to the west where two other large formations of soldiers were marching.  He smiled and said, “You better get some food in that gut, sir; you’ll need it.”  Colby turned to his steward and said, “I want you and the scouts to hold up here and keep me updated on everyone’s movement.” 

His Steward handed him a square package wrapped in oil paper.  Colby took it and opened the paper.  Inside he found a thick block of cooked grains and dried fruit held together with beef suit. As he was eating, his steward handed him a skin of thick juice to wash down the cake. 

The archers were marching back toward the ridge while Colby, the Prince's servant, and the Steward talked.  Far to the west, the prince had situated a large force that should be marching toward them now.  The plan was to completely surround the enemy and crush them here in the final battle.  The Prince's servant criticized Colby for his foolhardy attack that changed the entire dynamics of the battle.

Colby’s foot soldiers were leaving when he turned and walked away from the Prince's servant and his Steward.  He figured that the battle would have to be on his terms; after all, he struck the first blow.  He hurried to catch up with his Sergeant.  While they were heading toward the ridge, the Sergeant said, if we live to tell the tale, you may be a legend just as your Great Uncle. 

Colby smiled and said, “For Broughton, and for Tyree.” Then he said, “My Uncle knew that the enemy had taken Broughton and held it.  They had cut off the road access to the west of town.  My Great Uncle led a small group of men and women.  They struck the enemy from the tree line and from the rocks and boulders from above.  They would attack fast and hard; then they would retreat as quickly; this is the way they took back the town of Broughton.

The Sergeant rubbed his beard and looked toward the tree line, then said, “We could thin out our enemy and put fear in them before they reach this ridge.  My men aren’t accustomed to fighting that way.  But they learn fast.”  Colby answered, “Then we’ll have them to hunt the enemy like they were a pack of wolves.”         

Once they arrived at the ridge, the Sergeant gathered his men and began explaining the battle plan.  He sent archers to harass the enemy while leading them toward the south edge of the ridge.  He had the rest of the archers and foot soldiers stand ready.

Colby could the enemy marching up the trail toward the ridge from his vantage point.  The archers that had headed out earlier and begin harassing the enemy. The enemy in the lead of the formation and several other soldiers fell.  Colby watched as the commotion started.  He could see the confusion and disorganization taking place within the enemy’s ranks.  They were still far beyond the reach of the archers on the ridge.  Suddenly the enemy broke ranks and disappeared into the trees on either side of the trail.  Colby worried that his soldiers would be killed.

After ten long minutes, the archers cleared the tree line and sprinted toward the ridge.  The sergeant ordered the archers to lose a volley as soon as his men were clear.

Colby joined the archers and waited, though he didn’t have to wait long before the first of the first volley was loosed. Colby loosed his first arrow, though he didn’t get the range that the archers had.

Just below the crest of the ridge, out in the open, the other archers formed a line and attacked the enemy at will.  The dark soldiers returned a volley of arrows as well.   Colby’s Steward appeared at his side and, in a desperate voice, said, they are flanking us to the right.  Colby turned to the foot soldiers and ordered them to strengthen their right flank.

They had just shifted to the right when enemy soldiers came rushing out of the trees.  Now Colby and his men were fully engaged, and Colby was fighting for his life. The archers just below the ridge were now fighting hand to hand with a small band of enemy soldiers.  The archers on top of the ridge were falling back as the foot soldiers moved into a position to join the fight.  Colby looked down the hill at the group of archers, outnumbered, and fighting for their lives.  He dove over the edge of the ridge and bounded into the battle. 

He couldn’t have made a worse choice.  The soldier who he attached was skilled.  He was fast and robust, much stronger than Colby.  Suddenly Colby saw a flash of light and tumbled out of control down the steep hill.  The large enemy soldier was over him with his sword. Colby was desperately fighting back; just then, as though, by magic, a sword struck the large man and nearly severed his head from his body.  Colby was stumbling backward when the dirt from horses’ hooves struck his face. He stood and watched as several other horses charged over the ridge and into the fight.

It was the shepherds from the Plains, and one of them had just saved his life.  He stood exhausted, but he was able to continue the fight.  As they cleared the trees at the bottom of the ridge, they charged into the main battle.  All Colby could see was an unorganized mass of men fighting.  He fought his way back to the Sergeants' side. He caught a glimpse of one of the horsemen, a girl who had two swords, one in each hand.  He couldn’t tell how she guided the horse; they worked as one, attaching enemy soldiers at full gallop. 

When the battle was finally over, Colby’s men searched out their fallen soldiers.  The Prince’s servant and the Steward helped tend to the wounded while the dead and their equipment were gathered.  The enemy soldiers were piled in a clearing.  The Wounded enemy soldiers were executed and tossed onto the pile. 

Colby watched as the horsemen formed up.  He walked over and thanked them for coming to their aid.  The leader was a hard-looking man with gray hair.  He wore a frown that made him look more unfriendly than he was.  He smiled and gestured toward his men. “We are honored to fight alongside you, Commander Stonecrop.  Colby thanked them again, then he looked at the horse commander and said, “One of your soldiers saved my life. They nearly took the head off of that dark devil that had nearly killed me.” 

As they rode off, Colby returned to his soldiers.  Over half of them were wounded, but only a few had severe wounds. The Prince’s servant walked up and put his hand on Colby’s shoulder.  “You are unpolished as a commoner.  But you fought well today. My report to the Prince will be a positive one to be sure.”  Then he said, “Get your wounded soldiers up the hill, and the rest of your men regain your assignation.”  Colby and his men tended the wounded and then formed back up on the knoll.  When the soldiers from the west arrived, Coby and his men joined with them to cut off any hope that the dark army held of a victory.  Colby’s men and the horse soldiers clashed with another enemy unit before the fighting was over.

After the battle was over, the Prince and his two Generals were waiting for their Captains.  The Prince’s servant insisted that Colby join him at the briefing.  The Prince warmly welcomed Colby and then told him, “The main Army will head north as soon as we get things cleaned up here.

I don’t have written orders for you; however, I need you and your soldiers to march over the bowl and then south to Green Mountain pass at Mount Adder. Join your brother.  I need you to regain Port City.  Your brother will stop them at the pass and hold them there till help arrives; they will be desperate for help.  I am sending some reserve soldiers with you; they are green and unproven in battle.  They will replace your wounded; I need you to head out now ‘Captain.’”  Colby saluted, and started to turn, then paused.  He looked at the Prince and asked, ‘Captain,’ and then hurried over to his men. 

He told the Sergeant that their orders had changed.  When he explained what their mission was, the Sergeant looked angry and kicked the dirt beneath his feet.  “Yes, Sir, I’ll have the men grab what provisions they can, and we’ll move out within the hour.

In less than an hour, they were heading up the trail toward the Bowl, near evening. Colby and the Sergeant pushed on late into the night before stopping to rest.  The men only had time to eat a quick meal and then rest.  Colby was surprised to find that none of the men complained.  It seemed that each one of them was determined to come to his brother’s aid.

They were halfway up the Bowl before the sun’s twilight.  They stopped to rest before the hard push toward the pass.  Colby choked down a cake and washed it down, still leaving a greasy taste in his mouth.

They followed the old trail that would take them through the small village of Oaktown on the way to the pass.  By the next morning, the formation crested the bowl and started down the north face.  The trail that they chose would lead them close enough to see the high mountain lake and a view of the entire valley.

They followed the trail below the mountain's crest and then down the northwest valley toward Mount Adder.  When they marched past the Oaktown, the villagers stopped what they were doing and stood watching the procession.  The village elder stepped in front of them to meet Colby face to face.

Are you the one I give my report to? Or do I continue waiting until someone of more importance comes along?  Colby said I could take your report, sir.

The old man cleared his throat and then said, “A small group of the enemy soldiers arrived a day before last.  We welcomed them warmly so that none of our towns’ people were harmed.  The leader was the only one who would speak our tongue. He demanded food for his men.  I honored his request.  I took him to our great hall.  I instructed my people to bring bread and wine.”

The old man paused.  Colby looked him in the eye and asked, what happened next?  “As I said, we brought wine and bread.  Then I told my townspeople to go to their homes and bring back meat.  After the last towns’ person had left the hall, I closed the doors and barred them.  We set the hall to blaze.  He gestured toward the burned-out remains of an old longhouse.  Colby didn’t know what to say.  The sergeant stepped forward and said, “Aye, a fitting meal and great hospitality.  They did ask for roasted meat, did they not?”

Beyond the town, the trail becomes torturous in places. The streams disappear into the rocks farther west as they reach the glaciers that feed them.  They could see the pass in the distance by late the next afternoon.  The sight of it seemed to energize the men.  They were moving at a much faster pace as they followed the narrowing trail. 

By the time they made the east end of the pass, they could see the carnage ahead of them.  Dead enemy soldiers lay all along the road. Some had been there for at least a couple of days.  Bran stepped out from behind great bolder. He appeared haggard and tired.  The sergeant ordered his men to take a break. Bran told Colby and the sergeant of the situation they were facing.

Port City

          Bran smiled at his brother and then gave him a bear hug.  Colby didn’t realize it until that moment; he was sore and hurting in places on his body that he didn’t remember being struck.  Bran stepped back and looked at his hand and said, “Brother, you’re bleeding.  Let me take a look.”  He helped Colby take off his chain mail and then his leather armor.  His undershirt was soaked with blood from a deep wound on his left shoulder. 

The Sergeant turned to his men and called one of them over.  He told Colby to sit on the ground. Then the young man reached into his pouch, pulled out some items, and began to treat the wound. 

Bran stood next to him and continued telling him of all that had taken place.  “It took us four days to get here.  When we arrived at the pass, it was already occupied. The enemy soldiers were making their way up the west trail.  We hid in the rocks in an ambush.  We fought them in the rocks and on the trail until we pushed them back here on the north end.”

Colby winched and pulled away from the soldier treating his wound.  “Hold still, sir, I’m almost done.” Bran continued, “We fought them to a standstill in the past.  They retreated down the valley.  We stayed in place and waited; we clashed several more times.  Then this morning, just at daylight, the attacked again, wave after wave.  My archers were nearly out of ammunition when it was over.  They searched the dead to restock their quivers.   They came again, marching over their dead to attack us. 

Colby looked up at the Sergeant and said, Get the men into position and boost their numbers for now.  I would like to bring the fight to them.  He hurried off, shouting orders as he went.  The young soldier who had treated him was washing the blood out of his undershirt. 

Bran watched the young soldier for a moment then asked, “What happened to you?”  Colby looked a little embarrassed and said, “I got my butt handed to me by an enemy soldier.  What made it worst was that a horse girl saved my life.”  Bran looked amused and asked, “A horse girl?”  Colby said, “A rider from the planes.  They are almost magical on those horses.  They hold a sword in each hand and guide the horses with their voice, I guess.”  Bran smiled and said.  “It’s their legs Colby; they guide them with their legs.”  Then he grinned said, “I’m glad she saved you, brother; it would have been a shame to have to do all of your work on top of mine when I get back home.”

Bran headed back up the pass to where the soldiers were waiting.  He found the sergeant looking over the terrain and planning the next battle.  The sergeant turned to Bran and said, “We can win this in one battle if we can get them, devils, to cooperate.  If we can draw all of them into this pass, we can crush them.”  Bran answered, “We caught them by surprise one time.  My scouts rode out and nearly ran head-on into them.  We barely had a moment to prepare for battle.  We thought we had crushed them, but then the scouts went back out.  When they came riding back, they brought us dreary news.  They reported that the enemy probably had a thousand or more soldiers. 

The Sergeant looked at the cliff face on his left and the steep incline on his right.  Then he turned to Bran and asked, “What does it look like farther South?  Bran said, “The pass runs nearly a mile, and it widens into the valley.  There are huge jagged rocks On either side of the opening, and they stretch all along the pass on both sides of the trail.  The west face of this mountain is as rugged as any place I have ever seen. The pass is the only access enemy has to come north.”  

The Sergeant thought for a while.  He seemed to be arguing with himself.  Finally, he said, “We’ll have to take them at the narrowest spot in this pass.  I hope your crazy brother doesn’t want to attack them head-on in the valley.”

While they began moving the men into position, Bran sent a rider to Broughton with a report of their situation and request supplies of food and other necessities. Suddenly the scouts, Ambert and Eli rode up to them at full gallop.  “They’re moving this way!” He shouted.  He jumped off of his horse and said again, “They are headed this way, and they’ll be here within the hour.” 

Bran had the archers stationed along both sides of the narrow part of the pass.  At the beginning of the pass on the south end, the trail was at least four wagons wide.  But at mid-way, it narrows to just a little wider than a single wagon.  This narrow gap continues north nearly till it widens ant the north end.

Colby was finally bandaged up and had dressed.  He and the young soldier stood visiting for a moment.  He was from a family of soldiers, though he had never traveled out of the valley until now.  He was taught to treat wounds with his basic soldier skills. 

     Colby and the young soldier walked to the camp.  There he found several soldiers busy making arrows from the material they found around the area. Two of them were from Broughton. One of them stood and greeted him.  “Hey, Colby, I’m glad you could make it.  We’ve sure got ourselves in a mess here, don’t we?”  Colby smiled and asked, “Would you like me to take that bunch of arrows to the men?”  The young man tied a large bundle with twine.  Before Colby could grab it, the young soldier lifted the bundle on his shoulder and headed toward the pass with Colby following.

Once he reached the pass, several of his soldiers rushed up to them and took the arrows, and then hurried off. They would be dispersed among the archers.  He walked south into the pass till he caught up with his brother and the two Sergeants. 

The scout says that the entire enemy army is headed this way.  They have sent three of their soldiers ahead; I am assuming they want to meet with us.  The four men began walking toward the enemy soldiers.  They were near to the end of the narrow passage when three enemy riders met them.

The enemy dismounted and stood in front of Colby and his brother.  One of them began talking.  His accent and grammar were so bad that Colby only understood a few words that he was saying. Colby raised his hand, signaling the man to stop.  Then he said, “The only way we will accept your surrender is for all of you to lay down your weapons, and then march back to your boats and leave.  Otherwise, we will kill each one of you.”  The spokesman looked shocked as he turned to the men who had accompanied him. He began speaking and gesturing, and then the other two men began speaking.  Finally, the spokesman turned to Colby and said, “I don’t think you understand.” But Colby interrupted him and said, “Leave now on foot with the message I gave you, I am taking your horses.  Walk back and deliver my message.

The three men began to climb back on their horses. The sergeant sprang forward and slammed one of the men to the ground.  He and Lech took the reins of the horses and led them away. 

Colby and Bran headed back to their position.  Then Bran climbed up the steep rock cliff to a spot that gave him a good view of the pass.  Colby caught up with the sergeants as they led the horses to camp.  He asked, “Could you understand what that man was saying?”  The sergeant looked angry at Colby and asked, “You couldn’t understand him?  He said that they are holding the town’s people hostage, and unless we surrender, they will kill all of them.

Bran could see the enemy soldiers marching up toward the narrow pass.  When they were still out of range of his arrow, the closest soldiers began to fall.  Some of his soldiers had situated themselves farther south in the past.  The enemy archers began firing volleys into the mountainside.  Other enemy soldiers were attempting to scale the cliffs.  His archers cut them down as well.

The enemy kept pushing farther into the past, and before long, they were within range; Bran joined in the fight. He was wondering why the enemy would so willingly march to their death.  Looking over the entire west side of the pass, he saw that they were attempting to scale the side of the mountain.  They were planning a surprise attack.  Bran signaled to the archers.  He had anticipated such an attack.         

  The enemy kept coming; they seemed determined to die. Bran had ordered his men to make every shout count, and so far, they were carrying out his orders with brutal resolve.  Enemy soldiers kept dropping, yet they pressed on into the pass. Bran admired the enemy’s persistence though he didn’t understand it.  He continued watching, afraid that he was missing something. 

Suddenly he saw a ball of fire flying through the air and then slamming into the mountainside to his south and below him.  They have a machine that launches balls of fire!  He remembered his granddad talking about such a machine. Several more balls of fire flew through the air. He watched as they arced and smashed into the rock. 

He aimed and fired at the lead soldier just as another volley of fire was launched.  He and his men continued shooting into the mass of soldiers.  Suddenly an arrow slammed into the rock next to him.  He scrambled back and took cover.  He peaked out, looking for the enemy who had shot at him.

He peaked out again just in time to see the enemy soldier move closer.  He ducked back and then popped back up with an arrow readied and searched for his enemy.  He fired as soon as he saw him.  His enemy went down, but Colby wasn’t sure he was dead.  He rushed to his enemy’s position to find him only wounded.  

Colby jumped down onto his enemy and finished him.  He climbed back into position and looked; some of the enemies on the ground had made their way past him.  His archers were busy fighting the enemy archers who had scaled the south face of the mountain. 

He climbed down to where the enemy archer had fallen and took his arrows.  He searched for the soldier and took his weapons.  Hurrying back to his position, he began firing at the enemy in the Pass once again. 

They moved the fire machines closer up the pass, and now the fireballs were landing closer to him.  He looked to see where his soldiers were. He spotted an enemy archer aiming.  He raised his arrow and fired, too late to save his soldier, but the enemy fell. 

Meanwhile, farther to the north Colby and the Sergeant could see the enemy leaving the narrow.  The Sergeant hollered, “Make Ready.”  Then he turned and looked at Colby and said, “Keep at my side this time.  We don’t have a girl on a horse to save you.”  Then he grinned.

The foot soldiers attacked and stopped their enemy’s’ advance.  The pass was too small for more than three or four men to battle, and the enemy didn’t have the high ground.  The archers continued to pound the enemy with their arrows.  Finally, the enemy soldiers in the front of their formation began to attempt a retreat, but the soldiers behind them kept pressing forward. 

After long hard fighting, the soldiers began to retreat.  Colby and the foot soldiers continued pursuing and attacking them.  By the time they made it to the mouth of the pass, only a small group of enemy soldiers had remained. There they attempted to make a stand.  They fought hard and put up a desperate fight.  When the battle was finally over, one of the scouts was sent to give the Prince the news. 

Colby and the foot soldiers marched south into the valley and followed the main road to Port City.  They arrived to find a ruined city; the enemy soldiers had set every building ablaze.  It seemed that they had killed every man, woman, and child. 

Colby sent soldiers to search the area for survivors.  Then he sent others to explore the farms and small communities that were scattered throughout the valley. The sergeant took a squad of soldiers to secure the enemy ships.

At the end of the day, the last of the Sergeant had reported back. “ The ships had to be taken by force.  Each ship had a small garrison aboard, and the fighting hard and fierce.  After taking the first ship, they found townspeople, women, and girls locked up.  We freed them and kept them secluded for now until they are supplied with proper clothing.”  His voice cracked as he said, “Those women were subjected to unspeakable horrors, sir.” 

At the rising of the sun, the women from the boats began burying the dead.  Many of the farmers and others from the outlying areas came together to help. Colby and his soldiers helped as well, before heading the southern opening of the pass. They worked for several days pulling the enemy dead from the pass, and they piled their bodies, and they burned them along with the war machines.  When the work was finished, they headed north toward Broughton.  They left while the smoldering heap of their enemy was still burning.  For Colby, it was a solemn journey.  He had never witnessed the horrors he had seen at the port city.

They traveled all day and into the night before the Sergeant called for a rest. The soldiers made a hasty camp in the trees.  Colby and Bran sat quietly, visiting when the sergeant joined them.  Colby was staring off into the distance when the sergeant grabbed his shoulder with an iron grip.  “Sir, you need to come back to us.  A leader isn’t worth nothing if he succumbs to the horrors of war.”  Then he looked at Bran and said in a stern voice, “You too, turn your fears to anger, boys.”     

 That night Colby slept under the stars next to his brother.  He awoke to the sounds of his soldiers moving around.  When he opened his eyes, and his sleep finally left him, he realized that it was morning. Everyone was up and preparing to move out. 

He stood and stretched his stiff muscles and then began gathering himself and preparing for another day.  Bran walked up and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.  “You ok?”  Colby nodded his head, yes.  “We'll be in Broughton today, brother.  We'll get to see our families...for a little while anyway.”  He smiled and said, “Well, we better get going then.”

They picked up their packs and headed over to join the rest of the men. The old sergeant was shouting orders and getting the men moving and preparing for the march. Once they were in formation, they began their march to Broughton.

They traveled along the trade road that followed the river. The road had been used for as long as anyone knew.  There were wagon ruts worn into the rock along the way.  In other places, the road had been washed out.  

After a hard day of travel, they were finally approaching the edge of town.  The townspeople had filled the streets and the boardwalk celebrating their soldiers' return.  The formation soon fell apart and joined the mob on the road to the boardwalk and the docks.  All along the boardwalk, the town’s people had set out tables. And in front of all the storefronts were more tables set with plum or grape wine.

Finally, Mister Stonecrop stood on the balcony above the street and gathered everyone’s attention.   He said in a loud voice, “I need everyone to give your attention to the master of this great gathering.”  He gestured to his father and then stepped aside.   Granddad Stonecrop gave an arousing speech and then ordered that the celebrating begin.  The celebration went on late into the night, singing and dancing as well as food and drink.

The two brothers joined the Stonecrop family, sitting with their wives at the families’ Regular Table.  Of course, they invited both sergeants to join them, but the older one awkwardly attempted to decline the invitation.  Grandfather Stonecrop placed his hand on the man's shoulder and guided him to a seat.  He said, “Young man, you are our guest.” 

After hours of celebrating, the older folk began leaving the festivities, leaving the younger folks to their celebrations.  Colby and Feta made their way to the Stonecrop home.  She walked as close to his side as she possibly could.  Once they were at home, Colby dropped heavily into his chair. When Feta tried rubbing his tired shoulders, he jerked away and winced in pain,

Feta helped him out of his armor and then helped him pull off his shirt.  She removed the bandage on his shoulder and cleaned the stab wound.  She dabbed her cloth in the bowl of mint water and patted the other smaller injuries that were in various stages of healing.  

Early in the morning, Colby was awakened by a hard nudge to his ribs and a stern voice.  He opened his eyes to see the old Sergeant staring down at him. The man glanced at Feta and said, “I'm sorry to wake you, Lady Stonecrop.”  Then his gaze turned back to Colby.  “Captain, we have to get moving.  The war waits for no man.”  Then he turned and left the room.  He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hands up and down on his face.  Feta bounced out of bed and then checked the wound on Colby's shoddier.  “We knew the morning would come early.”  Colby looked at her and smiled, but he didn't answer.

Feta helped him out of his armor and then helped him pull off his shirt.  She removed the bandage on his shoulder and cleaned the stab wound.  She dabbed

 

 

Hillshrine

Colby hurried down to the docks to find the rest of the men already assembled for their march to Feta, helped him out of his armor, and then helped him pull off his shirt.  She removed the bandage on his shoulder and cleaned the stab wound.  She dabbed Hillshrine.  It sits in the rolling hills of Anton on the north shore of Lake Arendt.  The town is named for the Hillshrine River that flows out of the lake toward a large delta as it empties into the sea.  The oldest part of the city is built on a hilltop overlooking the lake and river.  On the crest of the hill is one of the oldest buildings in all of Anton.  It is a palace-fortress, the second largest in all of the country. It is a tall building with long walls and towers on every corner. This Town sits far from the other towns and cities. Traveling by horse takes nearly a half-day to reach the nearest town. 

Colby led the Army north out of Broughton and followed the river road past the river's mouth and then along the north shore of the lake.  They soon left the mountains for the foothills that belonged to the herdsmen.  They are a proud nomadic people; some call them the horse people from the Plains. They are expert horseman and skilled hunters. They claim to be the first people of Tyree.

It wasn't long before the scouts were intercepted by a horsemen patrol.  One of the scouts hurried to Colby with the news.  “The town of Hillshrine is under siege and may have fallen.  Horsemen soldiers have been harassing the enemy day and night, not allowing them to rest.” 

Colby sent word through the formation that they are needed in Hillshrine immediately.  The small army moved on without stopping.  He sent a horseman ahead to the town with news that he and his soldiers are two days away.  Just as he sent word, another rider came with an urgent message.

The messenger rushed up to Colby and Bran, and explained, “I come to you from the docks at Delta Town.  The enemy ships came with many soldiers.  They have taken the town.  They took the women and children onto the boats at the docks.  They have killed many of the men.

Bran looked at Colby and said, “I can take my men and head to the Delta.  You continue to Hillshrine.”  Colby agreed, and the order was given.  The two companies separated and continued to their locations.

Colby pushed his soldiers, only taking a short time for rest.  When they did rest, he was surprised as the herdsman came with food and water.  They fed his entire company and replenished all of their water skins.  The fresh food was a welcome change from their rations.

The company was nearing Hillshrine when they first sighted their enemy.  They had sent out a captain to negotiate with Colby.  Colby and his Sergeant met him in the open field. He began talking, but Colby couldn’t understand what he was saying.   He looked at the sergeant and then at the enemy.  Colby said in a loud voice, “Yes, we accept your surrender.”  The enemy soldier looked frustrated and began talking faster and louder.  Colby interrupted him and said, “Tell your soldiers to lay down their weapons and march out here to be taken into my custody. 

As the enemy captain road away, Colby asked the Sergeant, “Do you think they’ll surrender to us?”  The sergeant looked at him for a moment and said, “Not a chance.”      

Colby called for his archers.  He pointed to the enemy positions and explained, “I want that blight set ablaze.” He was pointing at their war machines.

 Just as the archers were moving forward and preparing their arrows, the horsemen commander rode up.  He leaned in his saddle and asked, “You the leader of this rabble?”  Colby answered, “I am.”  He continued, “Our army has taken back the old lake port and the other towns along the lake. We are preparing to regain Hillshrine.  My soldiers are waiting for my command to launch our attack.”

Colby explained that they were making ready to launch their attack just now.  The horses' Commander said, “Then join us in taking back our great city from their siege.”

The fighting was fierce from the start, and the enemy had dug in for the fight.  They had fortified their positions so that they were able to withstand Colby’s first attack.  Colby was relieved to see that though they had laid siege to Hillshrine, they had not breached the massive gates. The city of Hillshrine was built inside a heavy wall that circled the entire city.  There was only one gate, a large, massive gate situated to the south.  The houses were built circling the hilltop fortress that sat high on the hill.  It was visible from afar. It was created so that it was overlooking the lake.  A single broad road ran in front of the houses in circling the hill till it ended at the front gate of the fortress.  The entire city was built of the sturdy stone from the quarries of Broughton.

The townspeople were never trained in military tactics.  They practiced their trades; fishing and farming, herdsman and merchants, there wasn’t the need for skills in battle.  Now finding themselves surrounded by the enemy and ill-prepared for such a time, all able body men were armed with hunting bows and a quiver of arrows.  They knew that the high walls only afforded protection as long as they were defended.

When Colby first arrived, they had signaled him with their flag showing that they knew of his arrival, but that was the only communication that they were able to give.  His scouts had searched out the enemy locations and had an estaminet of their numbers.

 Before his thoughts turned back to the task at hand, he heard the Sergeant gave the order, and the arrows were released. The first volley had struck with deadly accuracy.  The enemy answered with their volley.  Suddenly there was a great commotion within the enemy ranks. Balls of flame flew toward Colby and his soldiers. He saw his soldiers scatter as they tried to avoid the horror of the flams that crashed to the ground and exploded around them.

The sergeant was barking out orders as he took control of the men. Without question, Colby followed his Sergeant’s lead.  They charged the machines before they could send another volley.  Their enemy was prepared for their attack as they met the charge head-on.  They fought with bow, pike, and sword.  The only advantage Colby and his men had been the townspeople stationed archers on the wall.  Colby and his men held their formation as they fought farther into the enemy lines.

Wave after wave of enemy soldiers fought to break their formation.  When it seemed they were beating their enemy, the dark soldiers broke their line.  The battle became an unorganized brawl that seemed never to end. 

As they fought their enemy, more enemy soldiers would replace them.  Colby was sure he and his men were fighting their last fight.  Suddenly Colby was struck hard; he felt himself fly through the air and land hard on the ground.  He was fighting to regain his breath.  He searched his body for wounds before jumping to his feet. 

He could see his soldiers bloodied and fighting hard to defeat him.  Colby suddenly got angry and, with a furry, charged the nearest enemy soldier and struck him down.  He struck the man a second time before setting on the next.  The smoke from the burning machines mixed with the burning prairie grass made it hard to see, hard to breathe. 

He fought his way back to the sergeant’s side. The old man reached over and grabbed Colby’s arm, and pulled him close.  He looked into his eyes and said, “We fought well today, didn’t we?”  He grinned for a moment, then fell to the ground.  Colby worked as fast as he could to find the wounds on his friend’s body.  He quickly stopped the bleeding, but his sergeant was pale and looked dead. 

Colby left his side and then continued to fight.  Some of the dark soldiers had broken free and tried to run toward the port only to find that the horse soldiers would make a sport of chasing them down. The horse soldiers fought bravely.   They came charging through, cutting down any unfortunate enemy in their way. 

The battle was finally over, and Colby set about finding his wounded and making a note of his dead. He eventually made his way back to where his sergeant lay.  He was still clinging to life.  Some of the town’s people had begun caring for the wounded. Others were gathering the dead.  One of Colby’s soldiers came to his side.  It was Ambert, the scout.  “Were not finished here, Sir; we have to head north to meet up with your brother.”  Colby answered, “Yes, of course.” Colby hollered, “Form up.”  His soldiers hurried into formation. 

Delta Town

Before Bran could reach Delta town, he was attacked.  A group of dark soldiers lay in ambush and sprung on them before they had time to react.  They fought them off with just a few injuries before continuing.

By the time they had Delta Town insight, they had fought off six attacks.  Each time a few more of his men had fallen or was injured.  Finally, the attacks had stopped, and he could tend to his injured.   

After treating their wounded, they continued to join the horse soldiers attack on Delta Town.  They fought house to house and building to building.  They fought them to the docks where their dark ships were anchored.  The fighting was fierce.  Bran had never seen such a person as these.  They seemed to have no fear as they attacked.  They screamed in an unnatural way and in a language he couldn’t understand.

The dark soldiers had taken Delta Town.  So the fighting was house to house.  They busted in each door, not knowing what to expect.  Was it an enemy, or was it a family?  Do you attack or no?  The soldiers had to search each house completely.  Sometimes the dark soldiers were hidden waiting in ambush, while others attacked as soon as the house was breached.  Some held the women and children as a shield in a most cowardly way.  Bran lost nearly half of his men taking back the town.  It was late evening before the last building was cleared.  He was grateful when his brother brought more men.

Early in the morning, Bran and Colby met the guards at the dock.  Because of the ebbing tides, the enemy ships were aground in the harbor.  The harbor was suitable for the small boats used by the merchants of Tyree.  The great warships that the dark soldiers sailed in on were huge and bulky.

Bran ordered his men to board the first ship; it was a longship with a great curved bow.  The bow had eyes painted on either side.  Down the side of the vessel were portholes for oars.  The deck has covered the length of the ship, like a porch.  There were seats along the deck for rowers.  The oars were long, very long.  As they boarded the ship, they began searching. 

They first searched the main deck but met little resistance.  As they started their way down to the second deck, The fierce fighting began.  The enemy had laid in ambush.  They fought their way to clear the entire deck.  When they finally reached hold, they found women and girls frightened and traumatized.  They each had been abused and beaten before being locked in the belly of the ship. 

After liberating their people from the first ship, they made their way to the second ship.  Something in the distance caught Bran's attention.  The main army was riding up the road into town.  He asked Colby to ride out and meet the Prince.  He and the soldiers would continue the task of securing the ships.

The Prince brought the needed strength to take the remaining ships and the required medical supplies for the great number of wounded.  Late in the evening, Colby and Bran were still tending to injured soldiers and townspeople when the Steward to the Prince came for them.

The Steward led them to the great tent that served as the Army’s temporary headquarters.  The prince and his Generals were sitting around a large table. When the brothers entered, the Prince and the Generals rose to their feet.  The Prince asked them to come in and join him at the table.  Colby felt awkward as he took his place at the table.

The Generals and the prince were discussing how they were going to rebuild their cities and towns.  One of the Generals turned to Colby and asked, “Port Town, you said that it was in ruin?  Is there anything left worth rebuilding?”  Colby was shocked that he would consider abandoning the people of Port Town.  He paused for a moment before answering.  He cleared his throat and said, “The townspeople and the people of the valley had begun to clear the way to rebuild their town.  I believe it would be our folly to abandon them, sir.”

The Prince looked pleased with hearing Colby’s answer.  Bran and Colby spent the entire evening listening to the discussions and giving their input where they could.  Finally, the Prince turned to the brothers and smiled and said, “Once again, your family has answered our call.  I am pleased that our old alliances have held through the generations.  It would please my father if your family would once again occupy the Stonecrop Fortress.”

Colby and Bran looked at one another, then at the Prince.  He looked puzzled at the brothers then asked, “Do you not know your family history?  You two are from the royal bloodline.   Your history is written in the annals and chronicles in the royal library.” 

Colby politely answered, “I will speak to my father, as he is the head of our family and the final authority where our estate is concerned.”   The men all rose once more as Colby and Bran left the tent.  They headed back to the docks to join their men. 

Early the next morning, Colby called the men to form up.  The entire army fell into formation next to his men.  Once the army was formed up, the prince rode his horse out in front and center.  He saluted them in the custom of Tyree.  Then he shouted in a loud, clear voice.  “I thank each of you for your brave sacrifice.  I want each of you to return to your homes with your heads held high, knowing that in this war, Freeman and Soldier fought side by side as one, as brothers.  You have all won this day.  You have all earned the right to be called the hero of Tyree.”

After the prince had finished, each General, in turn, gave a speech.  Finally, the Steward to the prince addressed the army just long enough to dismiss the Freemen back to their homes.  The Horsemen of the plains mounted their horses and were gone long before anyone else. 

Colby and Bran rode side by side toward Hillshrine. As they traveled up the road, the Steward to the prince caught up with them.  He reminded Colby that he took the oath.  “You are required to lead your soldiers back to the Capital City, sir.  Bran spoke up, “Colby, I’ll escort Feta over the bowl so that she can meet you there.  The Steward agreed that it would be proper that she join him at the King's stronghold.

Colby hurried back and caught up with his men. A craggy old soldier was in the lead and greeted him, “We thought you had gotten lost, sir.”  “Lost, no, just saying so long to my brother.  He hopped off his horse and led it while he marched next to the old soldier. 

After marching for an hour, his Steward caught up with him, saying, “Sir, I can lead your horse.”  He took the reins and continued.  As they were nearing Hillshrine, Colby’s thoughts turned to his Sergeant.  He regretted having to leave the man on the battlefield. 

As they neared the town, the road passed the great wall of the city.  Colby looked up to see the towns’ people on the wall, cheering and waving.  When they neared the gates, Colby saw the celebration taking place.  As they marched by, it became more of a carnival atmosphere.  Finally, the Army halted their march and took the rest of the day to celebrate.

Colby searched out his wounded soldiers.  He visited with each one, encouraging them.  At the far end of the infirmary, he found his old friend.  The sergeant was sleeping as Colby walked up next to him.  He opened his eyes and said in a gruff voice, “I see we won the war or did you get your fool self-killed and come here as a ghost?” 

The army formed up early in the morning, at first light.  It took nearly a week to reach the Capital City.  Each town wanted to celebrate with the soldiers.  Finally, across the farms and fields, Colby could see the Capital City in the distance.  The road led through the great gates of the capital.  Each of the royal banners waved brightly in the sun.  Colby was surprised to see his family emblem next to the King's royal crest.

By now, the soldiers were weary of the celebrating.  They went through the motions of the war heroes as the people of the city welcomed the army home.  Colby led his soldiers to the Garrison and released them.  Before he could turn, his Steward was standing next to him.   He leaned close and said, “I am to lead you to the Kings receiving room, sir.”

As they entered the great hall, Colby felt small and inadequate.  It didn’t seem right that a simple orchard hand would be treated with such importance.  Finally, they reached a door where the Steward instructed Colby to wait.

Before long, a tall, slender man opened the door and said, “The king will see you now.”  Colby followed him into a large room.  In the center of the room was a long table with tall back chairs along either side.  At the head of the table sat a distinguished-looking man dressed in the colors of Tyree.  He motioned for Colby to sit in the chair next to him.

As he was taking his seat, the King said, “My son tells me that you know little of the arrangement that was made between our families.”  Colby looked puzzled and asked “Arrangement?”  The King continued, “Because of the accord that united Tyree, you are obliged to serve here at the palace as a Prince General.  It is written in the history of Tyree.  I am sure that you learned of it in your training as a child?”  “No,” Colby said.

The King looked troubled.  “You will train here, with my scholars, and you will train with my soldiers.  Your training will be hard at first.  Our people will make you a proper Prince General.”  He leaned over a placed his hand on Colby’s shoulder.  “Now let’s focus on a more pleasant discussion.”

 “I met a young lady today named Fetta Stonecrop.” Colby sat up in his chair. “I had my servant show her to your quarters.  She is a pleasant young lady; you chose a commoner for your bride.  It is well as far as I am concerned.  Your older brother will be the inheritor, of course, so it is his bloodline that I am concerned with.  Colby tried not to show any emotions, even though he was disgusted and angry at the King's remarks.

Finally, the King rose, and of course, Colby raised from his chair as well.  He reached over and removed Captain Rank from Colby’s uniform.  He replaced it with the pendant that identified him as Prince General.  Then he said, your training starts tomorrow. You are dismissed.

One of the servants was at his side, leading him out of the receiving room and then out of a side door.  He led Colby past well-kept lawns and gardens to a small Manor near the docks.  This is your home, sir.  If you need anything, you need only ask your house servant.

Colby turned to the servant and asked, Can I take my wife back home?  I don’t want any of this.  The servant looked a little puzzled and said, “You were born for this, sir.  We have been waiting for your arrival for some time now.  Your father was the only male child.  This is maybe why he didn’t prepare you for this.  Look at it this way; I was born here in the servants’ quarters.  My parents were servants. I have never known anything other than this life.  You, too, were born for this.  How can you be anything else?

Colby walked up to the door, and the door opened wide.  Feta sprang forward and threw her arms around his neck.  After a long moment, Feta said, “They are treating me as though I am someone of importance.  You must have done some great deed to have them treating us in such away. Colby led her to a seat and, holding her hand, said, “I have a few things I have to explain to you.”  

 

 

Reviews

[Just Kim]

What wonderful imagery and detail in this write. I don't usually read stories cause I lack focus.
This is really good and well written