Shadows & Lace (Spellbound Prequel)

Chapter 18: Fighting With My Family

The morning arrived much too soon, though Braithe suspected no one had slept much. They had worked late in the night with preparations, only going to bed in the early hours of the morning for a few hours of restless sleep before dawn approached. As she was walking through camp with Aurelian and Baudwin on either side, she was anxious, but determined. Feelings she saw reflected in the faces of the people of Nowhere as they were getting ready to defend their themselves.

Making it up on the platforms on the top of the boulders protecting the shallow valley, they waited. As the sun's beams hit the dewy moss of the forest floor, they could hear the sounds of horses' hooves and marching feet of soldiers approaching. Dark shadows coming closer between the pine trees, until they came into full view and halted a slight distance away, far enough that arrows wouldn't reach them.

Braithe grabbed Aurelian's hand. It was solid and warm as he gently squeezed hers. Looking at the army before them, she thought she could make out her father on top of a black horse, her mother on a white one next to him. They were wearing battle regalia. Their armour had been polished until it shone like gold, and their doublets underneath were a deep red. The royal colours of Breoch. It definitely made them stand out from the greens of the surrounding forest. Her father was easily distinguishable from the captains of his guard, as he wore a large, red-plumed, golden battle helmet.

The Sheriff and his officers stood off to one side. Whether they were there to join the fight, or to take any prisoners straight to jail after, she didn't know. And she didn't really care. If they lost, it hardly mattered anymore. Hopefully, their defences would hold, and they could withstand a siege. But for how long?

Silence spread over the forest as the two forces stared at each other. The soldiers spread out amongst the trees, and the denizens of Nowhere on the makeshift platforms on top of the wall of boulders.

Baudwin put his hand on Braithe's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly before taking a few steps forward to where he was fully visible from the forest. His cane echoed loudly against the wooden platform in the quiet morning. As the soldiers recognised him a hushed whisper rose from their ranks. It would seem the King and Queen had not bothered telling their men who exactly they would be fighting.

Standing at the edge of the platform, Baudwin seemed to steel himself, standing up straighter, leaning a little less heavily on his cane. It was as if he grew several inches in a mere moment.

"Soldiers of Breoch!" he called out, his voice loud and clear. "You know me. A lot of you fought with me during the siege on the City of Messina, when we successfully wrestled it back from the clutches of the Dark Avatar!"

There was a sound of feet shuffling as armour-clad men glanced at each other uneasily. Baudwin was well-liked by the Breoch army, and this was what they were banking on. Hoping to turn the numbers a little more in their favour.

"I do not wish to fight you," Baudwin continued. "But I stand here today on behalf of the men and women of Breoch who have suffered far too long under the unfair rule of my parents. They have been taxed to their breaking point, starved, and thrown in prison when unable to pay."

He faltered a moment as his leg buckled and he nearly dropped to his knees. Braithe was taking a step forward to help him when he caught himself on his cane and stood back up again, a look of grim resolution on his face.

"This ends now!" he called out. "Too long have I watched the citizens of Breoch suffer at the hands of my parents. No matter the outcome today, I will either die for the rights of our citizens - or I will overthrow my parents and take the crown!"

A shocked murmur spread between the soldiers, causing a few of the horses to whinny.

"How dare you!" their father cried out, his horse scratching the ground with one of its hooves as he pulled back on it too hard. "Silence! Don't listen to him, soldiers. This is treason!"