King Baudwin of Breoch is a broken man. Crushed in the height of war, crowned in the face of treason and turmoil, he fights to save his kingdom. Hoping to stave off rebellion, he reluctantly agrees to marry the daughter of his main opposition. But t...
The next few weeks passed by in a flurry of preparations for the oncoming battle, while Baudwin received continuous updates on the progress of the western lords and their armies. With Lord Delen having begun preparations long before the vassals coming to the kingdom's aid, it was a race to see who would reach the capital first. A race it was quickly becoming clear that Lord Delen would win, as he had planned his attack longer than anyone had realised.
It was a crisp autumn's morning with the fog lying heavy over the fields and forests outside Ossol when the alarm bells rang through the city, signalling the arrival of the opposition's forces. Baudwin stood in the window of the war room, having been up most of the night preparing after a scout had returned last night to warn them of the imminent arrival. The approaching army was nothing more than dark shadows moving in the distance, largely obscured by the fog. Had their torches not been lit, no one would have been able to see them.
His city lay quiet beneath him, blanketed in a fine mist, too early for most to be awake yet. The western lords were sneaky travelling during the night, but they would soon find that Ossol was ready and waiting for them. While reinforcements were still a few days away, he wasn't too worried. Ossol was built to withstand a siege, and they could easily wait them out. Lord Delen knew this. The lords must know that they had no chance to take the city. Were they grandstanding? Was it only for show?
Hearing the door open, he turned around to see Sir Ioan entering after inspecting their fortifications.
"Your Majesty." The knight bowed. "Our soldiers are stationed throughout the city and on the outer wall, with most archers on the walls. The drawbridge is closed and a blockade set up on the bridge across the moat."
Baudwin nodded. Their walls were strong, and they had both an outer and an inner wall should the first one fall. He didn't think that would be an issue, as their moat made it difficult for most siege weapons to get close, leaving their attackers with only the bridge to reach the wall for attacks with a battering ram. And a single bridge was easily defended.
Sir Ioan walked up to the table and moved some figures around on the large map spread out over its surface. "The western lords and their armies are setting up camp over here, and will probably set up their siege weapons along here."
"Are the siege engines of any worry?" The memory of the tower toppling during the Battle for Messina washed over him. He'd not seen what caused it to crumble, but he could only assume a load from one of their trebuchets had hit it. "Let's evacuate the citizens closest to the outer wall to keep them safe. We don't want anyone injured unnecessarily. Actually, bring everyone not fighting behind the inner wall."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And make sure the evacuees have somewhere to sleep and are fed. If they don't have family or friends beyond the inner wall, have the guild halls made available to them."
When Sir Ioan nodded, he added, "Finally, have a message delivered to Lord Delen. See if he will discuss terms. He must know that they cannot win this. Let's see if he's only here hoping to open the discussions again, but in his favour."
If that was the case, it was a bold move on Lord Delen's part, and not one likely to earn him any favours. However, if Baudwin refused to negotiate and opted for all-out war, he would come out looking like the unreasonable party. Perhaps that was the lord's plan all along. Have Baudwin lose support from the other lords and citizens. Kings who sacrificed their people in unnecessary wars were not always long-lived.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Sir Ioan left to follow the instructions.
He rubbed his forehead, wishing his headache would go away. It had been a busy few weeks preparing for what was to come. Not only for the battle with the western lords, but also making sure they thought of everything regarding a potential battle with the Son of Deva. All he wanted was some time alone with his wife, but there had been little of that lately. At least they had spent the nights together, and for that he was grateful.
He looked over to the large armchair where Rhiannon was currently dozing. Having found out that the armies were arriving, she had refused to go to bed without him, and had stayed up most of the night with him, keeping him company. Even when he'd sent his advisers off to get a few hours of sleep before dawn, she'd refused to leave him. She was as beautiful as ever as she snoozed in the chair, her golden-red hair falling down her back like a waterfall of molten copper. He loved her hair, the look of it, the softness against his fingers.
Walking over to her, he placed a kiss on the top of her head, and she stirred, tilting her head to look up at him with a sleepy smile. He loved that smile too. When he first met her, he probably wouldn't have been able to imagine her smiling. Definitely hadn't expected to fall head over heels for the prickly Swamp Witch. And yet he had. The threats facing their kingdom were concerning, but with Rhiannon by his side, he felt like he could overcome anything.
It didn't matter that she'd not returned the sentiment when he told her he loved her. He knew she cared, in her own way. And with her past, he understood if it took her longer to fall in love. She'd been through a lot, things he couldn't even imagine, and had come out the other side stronger. And maybe a little warier. But he had confidence that his love was enough for both of them for now. And eventually he would tear down those last walls, and he would get his wife to love him. It was just a matter of time.
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Author's note: I'm sorry about this quite short chapter with only boring setup, really. I promise that we will be approaching the finale in Monday's chapter!
While I'm typing here; let me just say a heartfelt thank you to anyone reading this little story of mine. Thank you!
