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Old Alliances: Chapter 3

A King's Duty

2 weeks earlier

"My liege, the demons and their forces are breaking and retreating north." The captain, whose face was unknown to Tal, stood by the young king who was leaning over a table that had several maps strewn about it. Tal's lords, who acted as advisors were also gathered around the table, constantly talking among themselves as they decided the best course of action. They resided in a large white tent that sat among hundreds of other tents that made up their encampment. The sound of battle could be heard close by and the walls of Naxwell were visible just half a mile away. Soldiers, squires and all kinds of people were moving about with a sense of urgency. It was snowing which caused the ground to turn into a thick mud that grabbed onto everything.

"Very good, continue your assault. Don't go more than a few miles to chase them down though." Tal knew the lands well and the woods north of Naxwell were thick and would prevent him from comfortably giving chase. "I want to move our forces into the city to help move civilians out and down south where they will be safe."

Lord Unok, who commanded the mounted knights frowned. "My liege, I think that it would be wise to abandon the city after pulling everyone out. We are already deep within enemy territory." Unok pointed at the maps to help reinforce his point.

"That's exactly why we should remain where we are." Tal, was young for a king, only 23, which made him stubborn. "We've already made it this far and the city would provide a perfect stronghold to gather the rest of the crusade before pushing even farther north.

"What if the enemy returns? Even with the garrison in Naxwell, we could not resist a large force of demons for very long. We were lucky that the forces attacking the city were just imps and the undead." Lord Unok no longer leaned over the table, he was now standing up at his full height which was easily a half a foot taller than Tal. The other lords had stopped their chatter, their interest now on their king and Lord Unok.

"Naxwell's walls will keep us safe. It has lasted this long for a reason and we merely have to wait a bit before the rest of the crusade comes along."

It was obvious that Lord Unok disagreed with Tal's judgment as he said, "Sire, when I first came to you and told you of the people trapped in Naxwell, I was hoping to simply boost your forces and to return to your cousin."

This upset Tal and his face turned into a scowl, looking at the group of Lords, but mostly at Lord Unok. "Our country lies in ruins, we are all that's left of what was the most powerful kingdom in the world. We will remain here and wait for Haedric before moving on."

"Why do you think King Haedric refused to go with you?" Lord Unok showed no sign of anger in his face, only that of concern. "Our forces are split into three groups now. We are vulnerable like this out in enemy territory. I sugges..."

"I will hear no more of this," yelled Tal. His face had turned a shade of red and spittle flew from his lips. The other lords stepped back in shock as they had never seen Tal react in such a way. "Captain," Tal waited a second to regain his composure and turned to the captain that was attempting to keep a straight face now that his king was speking to him, "you will begin to move your forces into the city and move out the civilians. They are to make their way to Ishmil. King Haedric will take good care of them."

The captain bowed with a "yes my lord" and turned and quickly left.

---

Present day.

"How was I so ignorant?" King Tal stood upon the walls of Naxwell. By many standards, they were impenetrable. They were 100 feet tall and 40 feet thick and had survived countless sieges by men. But, they were not under siege by men. Beyond the wall laid tens of thousands of demons and undead. Not just imps anymore, there were balrogs and vampires and a whole assortment of hell spawn that were thought to have existed only in lore.

The same captain that had delivered the news of victory only two weeks ago once again approached his king and bowed. "My liege, the few scouts that made it back have reported that Haedric moves against the demons, but he is entirely outnumbered. Though they say he has many dragons with him."

A small woeful smile appeared on Tal's face. "Good, all we can do is wait for King Thane to arrive with his forces. He was put in command of the largest force and hopefully he has dragons as well."

"Sir? Your orders?" The captain had shown himself to be a restrained man who did not question Tal and made no comment unless asked for an opinion. Tal like him because he could simple talk and talk and the man would simply listen. It was soothing to just pour out feelings even if he suspected that it annoyed the captain.

"Oh... Yes." Tal looked at the captain for a second and then turned his gaze back to beyond the wall. "I suspect that King Haedric will wait for Thane before launching his attack. I want the men vigilant. As soon as Haedric makes his move, we are to sally forth and break the enemy once more. Lord Un... Unok is to lead the assault." Tal stopped looked up at the sky in a moment of contemplation and then turned back to the captain who hadn't moved, waiting to be dismissed. "Send Lord Unok to me. I wish to speak with him. That is all."

"The captain bowed with a "yes my lord" and turned around to go relay the orders.

While waiting for the lord, Tal thought of how wrong he was and how arrogant he must have seemed. "I should have listened. I've been king for a few months and of those months, I've been king in my own country for a few weeks." He looked once more at the hordes of enemies as they settled down for the day. The heaviest assaults came at night since the sun seemed to slow and weaken them. When this was first noticed, 1000 riders were sent out one day when the sun was at its highest in order to send for help. Only 15 made it through, who knows how many actually got out of the kingdom and made it to Haedric. It could have just been one. As far as he was concerned, he was responsible for more deaths that probably amounted to nothing.

Tal turned around when he heard footsteps. At first he thought it was Unok, but that would have been too fast. A sense of panic erupted in Tal when he saw that it was some sort of harpy that had flown up the wall and landed behind him. It looked filthy, some kind of woman with feathers coming out of her in patches and a beak sprouting out of her where a mouth should have been.

Instinctively, Tal drew his sword and shakily pointed it at the harpy which was now slowly approaching him as he tried to walk backwards. He was terrified for he had never had to draw his sword to kill. He had sparred plenty of times with his father as a child and then with instructors and different lords who found it amusing, but he had never fought for his life.

The harpy suddenly lunged at him with its horrid elongated fingers which each sported some sort of talon that were capable of disemboweling a man.

Tal shrieked and did what you should never do. He closed his eyes and wildly swung his sword at the air. When Tal realized that he hit nothing and nothing hit him, he cautiously stopped and opened his eyes. The harpy laid sprawled on the ground at his feet with a javelin sticking out of its back.

"Sire!" Tal looked up and saw one of the Royal Guard, the kings personal body guard, running towards him. He recognized the man as Sir Harrion Bray, a man who was like a brother to him. They were the same age and Bray come from a family that had served his for centuries. Bray was assigned to watch over Tal at a young age and they were rarely found apart from each other. Naturally, Bray joined the Royal Guard as it would allow him to better protect Tal and when Tal became King, he was promoted to the Captain of the Guard.

Bray came to a halt in front of Tal with a look of fire in his eyes. "The hell is wrong with you. You told me that you were going to be on a manned portion of the wall. Next thing I know, some captain tells me that he saw you up here."

Tal instantly felt guilty. Here was a man he trusted with his life and yet he nearly lost it because he himself betrayed that trust. "I'm sorry, I... I just needed time to reflect," Stammered Tal who was now reduced from a king to some child being scolded.

"I don't care. You can't go running of like that!" The anger turned into a look of genuine worry. "I made a vow to protect you, a vow to your father when I joined the Royal Guard. A vow to you when our fathers introduced us to each other when we were just 7 years old." It looked like he was about to cry which shocked Tal because he had never seen his friend cry for any reason. He didn't cry when Gree fell or the old king died, nor did he cry when he learned that his own family died. Now he was ready to cry when he almost broke a vow. This man had put duty above family and now that was all he had left.

"Bray..." It was all Tal could muster up at the moment. He was heartbroken to see such emotions that at one point he thought impossible to appear in Bray.

Bray instantly regained his composure and now had a hardened face on. "Sire, it isn't safe up here. I'll escort you down to your quarters. Allow me to clear your path." He stepped aside and picked up the harpy before dumping it off the wall and stepping off to the side so Tal could pass.

This was a sight that Tal was all too familiar with, Bray liked to remain professional and wanted to be the perfect guard since a perfect guard would never lose their charge. Tal knew that Bray wouldn't want to talk when he was in his professional mood, so he sheathed his sword and made his way back to his quarters. Lord Unok would eventually find him anyways.

Lord Unok did find Tal when Bray sent out a Royal Guard to fetch him. Tal was sitting at a desk with a single candle to light the small room with Lord Unok seated across from him. It wasn't too small that it was cramped and it allowed Bray to stand off in the corner while also allowing one other person to meet with him. The room was located next to his bedchambers in the now mostly abandoned manor of the Duke that once governed Naxwell and the surrounding lands.

"Sir, you wished to speak with me?" Lord Unok had stopped using the word lord or sire shortly after they were trapped in the city. At first it enraged Tal, but he quickly realized that he no longer deserved the respect of any of his lords.

"Yes, you've probably heard that King Haedric has engaged the enemy in an attempt to lift the siege." It looked like Lord Unok was about to speak, but Tal continued. "Haedric will most likely keep the conflict down to a minimum until King Thane arrives with the rest of the forces. I want you to prepare to sally out as soon as the real fight begins." Tal looked at the man in front of him and only saw a man without emotion, completely professional, like Bray. "Have you any thoughts on this, any counsel?"

This got Lord Unok to raise his eye brow slightly. "You want my help? I thought you knew exactly what you were doing." So much for being completely professional. "Why don't we all just throw ourselves onto our swords so that Haedric won't have to worry about saving any one? That seems to be along your line of thinking."

Tal looked down and twiddled with his thumbs, appearing genuinely hurt. "I know I was arrogant, caught up in my moment of glory. I've paid dearly for it."

Lord Unok's brows furrowed deeply and he looked very intently at the king. "You paid dearly?" Unok spoke as if he was speaking to a child who was caught sneaking out. "You haven't paid anything! You aren't one of the many thousands that lay dead because of your actions. They paid because of you."

"I..." It was all he could sputter before Lord Unok interrupted him.

"Not you, them. You owe them." Lord Unok was now extremely angered and had now stood up, but not before he shoved the table between Tal and himself. Tal, caught by surprise, was nearly knocked over which prompted a flinch from Bray who had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Lord Unok saw Bray and then slowly lowered himself back into his chair. The room was a mess now. Lord Unok sat where he was previously, but the table had been shoved several feet away, knocking over the candle which laid extinguished on the ground spilling its white wax. Tal was nearly pinned against the wall and was at an awkward angle, his eyes wide at Lord Unok's sudden outburst. Bray still had his hand on his blade, but otherwise remained motionless.

"I apologize for my behavior, it was hardly appropriate for my rank." Lord Unok had regained much of his composure and his face once again returned to a more neutral look.

"Uhh... well... ah... ah..." Tal had never been in a situation like this. He had always had supervisors and people of that such to handle any negotiations for him. He wasn't used to people yelling at him and expecting some kind of response.

"The king is distraught," Bray interjected. "Perhaps you should return on the marrow when he is feeling better, my lord."

"Yes, I have tarried too long." With that, Lord Unok rose, promptly bowed without another word and left.

Once the door was closed, Bray knelt beside his king and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry my liege, even the best of men have their moments." Tal was still wide eyed and his skin had taken on a hue that reminded Bray of buttermilk. It was not a healthy color. "You should retire for the night, I will have your chambers readied."

It was only when Tal was left alone, to loathe in the memory of his past actions, did he weep. He did not weep because he felt insulted, but because Lord Unok was right. Breaking the siege had cost 1000 lives, the chaos that quickly followed when tens of thousands of people tried to force their way through the gates with demons at their back cost 7000 and then the 1000 riders. Tal knew he was responsible for the death of nearly 9000 lives, 8000 of which were directly because of his stupidity and ineptitude.

Tal managed to wipe away the last of his tears before Bray returned and escorted him to his bedchambers. The room was large and lavish. It had a massive stone fireplace on the left which had a roaring fire going in it. Paintings from many lands were hung around the room, they ranged from the familiar heavy styles of Ishmin to the black and white inks of the Eastern Lands, all appeared to be worth a fortune. Tal knew the floor was some kind of pine due to the aroma that hung heavily in the air. A simple table of stone stood of to the left and was were Tal took his meals. Windows were even spaced the back wall and faced North, which allowed Tal to see the glow of the fires that the demons had made every night before he slept. At the back wall was the bed, it was too large for even 4 people, let alone just Tal, and had the furs of what Tal estimated to be a dozen different animals.

Tal allowed Bray to help him out of his clothes and into his night gown. Tal decided that he would bathe in the morning even though he knew that he was filthy from the events of the day. He crawled into the bed and dismissed Bray.

He laid there for several more troubling hours as he tried to sort through his thoughts. 'I'm responsible for so much death.' He trembled when he thought of how many more people were going to die. 'So many more will die even if we escape the city in one piece. Why did father have to die, he was a natural leader. I'm just his cowardly son who screwed everything up.' The thought of his father made Tal cry again and he fell asleep with his dirty face streaked and smeared by the salty water and his pillow damp.

Tal didn't dream remember what he dreamt of that night, all he knew was that he was glad he didn't because he woke up in a cold sweat and felt as horrid. On top of that, he still had a heavy conscience from yesterday.

The morning went by like every other morning. Aides came in and undressed him and then washed him. After he put on a clean set of modest silk clothing, he ate a breakfast of eggs, sausage and rye bread with a cup of mead. The various captains who watched the walls reported that demons had once again attacked the main gates during the night, but were promptly repelled without any casualties except for a soldier whose bow had snapped mid draw and had taken out a bit of flesh on his lower jaw. Tal paid little attention to any of this, he was too preoccupied to care.

"My liege?" The sound of Bray's voice startled Tal who had been sitting at his table for some time, sulking. "Lord Unok has requested an audience with you, shall I send him in." Bray stood just a few feet behind Tal waiting for a response.

Tal looked outside and noticed that it was starting to get dark. 'I've spent all day here doing nothing, I wonder how many more people died.' The dark thought instantly enraptured his mind until Bray once again broke him out his loathing with a loud cough.

"Bring him in." Tal sent Bray off with a flick of his hand. He then mentally prepared himself for what he knew was going to be another unpleasant conversation.

A few minutes later Bray came back, closly followed by Lord Unok who promptly took up a seat opposite of Tal. "Sire." The use of a formality got Tal's attention and he looked up at the Lord who appeared worse off than him. Lord Unok had large dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. His skin hung loosely on his bones and his auburn hair was greasy. The sight was not expected in the slightest, Tal expected Lord Unok to come in to scold him more and to assert his dominance in battlefield tactics.

"Sire," Lord Unok repeated with a sigh, "I ask for forgiveness." Tal's eyes widened a bit, but he didn't say anything, allowing the man to continue. "I was more arrogant than you yesterday. Although, my intention was to ensure that you knew the price of war in the hope that you would take more time to consider the consequences of your actions before acting, it seems I've cowed you into hiding in your room." Gaining momentum, Lord Tal sat up a bit straighter and the man no longer looked weak, instead there sat a man who had an aura of command. "What I've failed to tell you is that you have to honor those who died by ensuring that those who are still alive continue to survive. If a leader gave up at the first sign of death, then everyone else will quickly fall as well."

Tal didn't know what to think, he was trying to grasp his mind around the new concept. He had completely forgot his duty to save his people, the same duty that drove him to come here in the first place.

Noticing that once again, a person was waiting for a response, Tal tried to copy Lord Unok by sitting up straight and to assume a more appropriate demeanor. Though he couldn't quite exude the same air of confidence as Lord Unok, Tal felt a bit better. "You are forgiven. I needed to here that, not just what was said today, but what was said last night as well. I have been a poor ruler." Tal raised his hand when Lord Unok was about to protest. "I have, people have died because of me, but you are correct, I owe the dead to keep the others alive."

The mood of the room was slowly beginning to get lighter as Tal continued. "I have neglected the counsel of those around me, the counsel of experienced men who have served their kingdom for years. Lord Unok." The lord stood up at attention. "You have served both me and my father for many years and have proven yourself reliable in nearly any situation. Gree is now faced with absolute destruction and her need is great. Will you come to my aid? Will you lend me your guidance? Will you help me save the people and in turn save our kingdom?"

Lord Unok looked down at his king and a wide grin appeared on his face. 'It would be my honor, my king."