The Union 240 In Flames

Questions arrived like jabs in Cald's mind. He had recovered from seeing the heads of his comrades. But part of him was still puzzled. Three hundred fully armed Castonians inside a fort shouldn't have fallen in just a single day. Even if the enemies numbered to a few thousand or tens of thousands, mere peasants cannot win against Castonians. And even if they could, it would take a long time. The fort should have held for at least a few days.

After doing the terrible job of burying the heads and the bodies of their comrades, Cald and the rest entered the fort to find clues as to what may have happened. The fire had been extinguished now and the mayhem inside presented. There were signs of fighting- fierce and bloody. Although the bodies of the enemies were nowhere to be found.

"Search everywhere" Cald told the rest and they began rummaging through the bloody and burnt fort.

He sighed, deep and with exhaustion. It was difficult to swallow the reality that hundreds of their comrades were butchered- treated lower than animals. Those villagers must pay. This was a crime. They must be punished. He gritted his teeth.

"Cald" One of his mates called. Not a 'sir'. He wasn't an officer, just the oldest among the group. But decisions were his to make now. They must have a leader.

"What?" He asked but was on the process of walking towards the spot his mate was kneeling.

"Look at this"

Cald leaned closer. It was a piece of metal, he could see. It was curved and thin.

It was armor- a piece of lamellar. Cald gasped upon realizing.

"We must..." He struggled to continue but forced his tongue "We must hurry back to Mythrille and warn them"

*********

Ash was still staring at air. Harold was the same.

News of the organized rebellion reached them from the mouth of the scouts. The villages around Mythrille and Couldcliff had all risen in rebellion against Harold. The Cantonese at Fort Bern were also butchered. Fort Cret was devoid of life as the scout reported. Fort Fedri, the farthest fort and was housing Castonians, was yet to report. Ash feared that the men at Fort Fedri also suffered the same fates.

General Brent was fuming in front of them, looking at the map like a predator. In just a single day not less than five hundred of the Castonians died, all from the Goldentooth Legion. Worst of all, they were butchered like animals. The scouts they spoke to earlier were still shaking from what they saw.

"I don't want to say this but we need to punish them" General Brent's voice was hoarse "What they did was barbaric. It wasn't even war. It was pure barbarism! They deserve to be executed, all of them"

Ash agreed, though it was painful. Even wars and rebellions had rules and the rebels broke the rules. There must be a punitive action for them. Harold, however, didn't look convinced.

"M-maybe we should c-converse with them? ask what they want and settle an agreement?"

"And what about my men!? What justice will they have? Nothing. I just lost hundreds of good men! Their families in Castonia would never hear from them again. They have died like swines!"

"I do agree with you General" Ash said "But we should be lenient to some at least. And before we start talking about punitive actions, we should first focus on the main problem"

Ash said.

"Which is?"

"We have a rebellion, a large one that could engulf us all. The King and the Queen are still in Hadea. It would probably take them at least a week to get here"

"More than a week, a few at least" General Brent's voice turned tamer "There has been some complications"

Ash frowned. "They have secured Inkit, haven't they? Won the election. Last we've heard they are marching back."

"Yes but the Hadeans are giving them trouble. Those drunkards have been harassing their lines. Not to worry though, they would overcome this difficulty somehow"

"But it would take them long" Ash said the obvious part. As impressive as the Union's actions in Inkish were, Hadea proved to be a harder nut to crack. She believed that the monarchs would just request a peace agreement with Hadea rather than entice them into becoming a vassal. But before a peace agreement could be made, they first needed to break Hadea into submission. It wouldn't be easy.

"Yes" The General said.

"any news about Marquis Erik?" Harold asked all of a sudden. Ash eyed General Brent for answer. It would be nice to have some competent mind in this harrowing times.

"Last I've heard he was in Ledega with some reinforcements. Since then I haven't heard about him. We don't need him though. This is a minor rebellion. The rest of Goldentooth would crush the rebels and seek justice for our dead. I require your assistance in this matter" General Brent said.

"You will go out there and crush the rebellion?" Ash couldn't believe her ears "General, pardon me for saying but the monarchs tasked us to hold this city. That is our job. Yes, the rebellion is a terrible thing. We are sorry for your loss. But I think we should stick to what the monarchs told us to do. As long as we have Mythrille, any rebellion no matter how severe, will not be able to topple us. We should remain here. Increase the patrols and implement a curfew."

"Pardon me also for saying this but you are not in a position of power to decide" The General looked at Harold "King Harold has the final say in this"

Ash of course knew that Harold would side with her. It was not just because of their bond but because she made sense. A city defended by a legion of Castonians cannot be taken. They could just crush the rebels once the monarchs returned. Also, going out there would be dangerous. Ash had heard that all of the villages have rallied against them.

"T-there are nearly a h-hundred villages and small t-towns around Mythrille. The number of c-combatants these villages could raise would be quite a n-number. We don't know where the enemies are. W-we don't have good leadership" Harold said.

"You don't view me a competent?" General Brent was not visibly flustered. "You think lowly of of me, don't you?"

"It's not that. Believe us General. It's just, this situation is prone to us making mistakes. We three are competent in our own ways but none of us are at the caliber of the King. I say we wait for them. Or if they would be huddled in Hadea for long, then we should at least wait for Marquis Erik to arrive"

"And what about my men? What about those brave Castonians who were beheaded and had their heads put on spikes in Fort Cret!? What about Fort Fedri? What if the three Centuries are still defending the fort and awaiting our help? Should we just abandon them?"

His men again, Ash thought. It made sense. Those Castonians at Fort Fedri could still be alive despite the lack of news about them. It would be beyond cruel to leave them. But it would be foolish to leave Mythrille undefended. Mythrille must hold at all cost.

"This is final, General. My decision is also King Harold's" Ash was supported by Harold's nods "We will stay here and wait. We will not go out there and risk our strength against enemies we know nothing about. Mythrille will be at risk if we rush."

General Brent's frown was heavy. Clenching his hand and gritting his teeth he said, "We are allies, yes?"

"We are"

"We are bound to help each other but not control each other"

Ash sensed where this was going. "General, we will report you to the monarchs if you take your legion without our consent"

"Consent!?" General Brent spit the word harshly. Ash and Harold flinched "We are allies dammit! I answer to the monarchs of the Union. Only to them. And they have given me the right to make decisions for my legion. Beheaded! The scouts said that both the Cantonese at Fort Bern and the Castonians at Fort Cret were beheaded. Their corpses were mangled. Their dignity trampled! There are three hundred of my men at Fort Fedri. They are alive. I can feel it. They are still out there and waiting for us. I cannot just stay idle."

It was hopeless, Ash saw. She began to question her own opinions. Maybe General Brent was right?

In the end, Ash thought of caution. General Brent wasn't the sharpest of minds. The rebels could attack Mythrille once the Castonians were gone. Worse, the rebels could be setting a trap. But she cannot do anything. She, or even Harold, didn't have the authority to command Brent.

"The Cantonese will remain here" Ash said, firm in her decision. Harold again supported her.

"Then you are welcome to stay. But forgive me in advance for killing your citizens by the thousands. The lion has been roused by blood and only death can make it calm. The rebels knew that and yet they still did horrible acts against my men"

"Your choice General. But please, for the Omniscient's grace, leave us a few of your Castonians enough to defend the city"

There was hesitation in the General's eyes. Ash could see the bloodlust, the fury. She could see his desire to rally Goldentooth, reinforce Fort Fedri and decimate the rebels. But she also saw some fleeting logic.

"Very well" He said.

Chapter end