CHAPTER 12 - II -

 

And so, we all agreed that rather than let ourselves be captured without a fight, our group would try to break through the enemy lines, to the western direction.  The decision came after we determined that the eastern and northern approaches to the borders would probably be secured by enemy armies, for that was our likely route to escape.  Running to the south would only exhaust us since Amaranth’s southern borders were the sea itself.

 

Only to the west we can find the allies we need to escape to our freedom.

 

The royal knights and the paladin guards never aired a protest.  In fact, I could feel their enthusiasm now that they’d be in ‘the charge of their lives’.  These young men and ladies were just too excited for something like this to happen, and they wouldn’t want to miss a second of it.  I only hoped this would go well.

 

“Don’t worry Kuro, as you’ve told me before, it’s either we stop, or die trying.” Maddie tapped my shoulder to reassure me, once she noticed the anxiety on my face, “Besides, I won’t die easily; and so is Lily.  Back in the old war, we’re a force to reckon with.”

 

“And now we also got the Marquise to join our forces.” Lily reiterated, “Besides, we’re only breaking through, we will not stay long in the battlefield to fight.”

 

I noted our two ‘non-fighting’ passengers, “Well, how about the Amaranthine princess and the Duchess of Braunhauer?”

 

“Princess Jessica would ride with Lily, while Eris comes with me.” Maddie elaborated their plan, “We’ll leave the carriages behind, along with most of our equipment and clothes.”

 

Lily further explained, “The royal knights would form the outer ring, with the paladin guards in the inner formation.  The Marquise of Monfort—since she’s a seasoned cavalry commander—will lead our forces.  Maddie and I would ride behind her.  As for you, go with the Marquise, just be careful not to fall off the horse again.”

 

“Ask the paladin guards to be wary of arrows and other magical projectiles to be hurled at us,” I suggested.

 

“They knew about that already, don’t worry.” Maddie winked at me.

 

 

With our plans fully ironed-out and the responsibilities distributed to everyone, Maddie and the rest rode our horses and prepared for the charge to break through the enemy lines.  From the copse of trees where we hid earlier, we could make out the enemy lines besieging the city of Amaranth, as well as the secondary armies coming in from the distance to reinforce their forces.

 

The kitchen princess was uttering a prayer.  I wondered where could’ve she praying to, since the Saint beside her, currently powerless.  In contrast, Eris tried to keep a brave front; clinging to the book her father gave to her.

 

“Alright, here we go!” the Marquise prodded her steed to gallop forward.  Soon, our entire force was following her lead, charging to the enemy at full speed.

 

“Enemy attack!”  We heard the thunderous shout from the opposing army once we came into their full view.  As if on cue, the paladin guards chanted the barrier magic to shield us from the incoming arrows and magic spells.  The explosions reverberated inside our formation; but it didn’t faze us.

 

“It’s the army of the Count of Nejar!” the Marquise shouted, to notify Maddie and Lily, “It’s not the imperial legions; we can do this!  For the Saint, and Chersea’s glory!”

 

“Yaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”  As if their spirits were buoyed by the information, the knights and the paladins shouted, and I could feel their fury as we charged to the first lines.

 

Although they gave me a pole weapon to fight, soon it became apparent that it’s better if I did nothing.  The Marquise of Monfort was an unstoppable force on the battlefield.  With her sword, she skillfully rode down the enemy infantry, all were armed with spears.  Her war steed used its momentum to throw-off the opponents, inadvertently causing a dent to the shield-walls put up to counter us.

 

However, the Iron Princess and Maddie won’t be left behind with their share of the kill.

 

Lily, using a lance while holding the horse’s reins with her other free hand, cut a vast swath of death and destruction through the enemy line, leaving a few to the following paladins and knights.  What’s even unbelievable was that she hadn’t activated the ‘Bloodbath’ skill just yet.

 

What more can happen if she did just that?

 

Maddie, on my left side, carved a path of casualties for the enemy forces.  She was using a paladin sword, and with it, she felled many of the opposing infantry.

 

“…”

 

Watching her do that gave me a mixed feeling of awe and terror.  Her beautiful silver hair danced as she skillfully hacked and slashed through the defensive lines.  Her silvery-blue eyes remained emotionless, as scores of men were mowed down like grass under her blade.

 

So this is the Flower of Dawson Valley, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth.

 

The rest of our forces followed-up with their own kills, usually the stragglers of the broken shield wall formations.  The knights and the paladins never gave the enemy quarter; for those who could stand, they decapitated, and those who fell yet still alive were trampled under the hooves of their horses.

 

Such a gory, sick sight.  But it’s part of war…and it’s either kill or you’ll be killed.

 

 

The initial shock of our cavalry charge, however, was soon lost.  Though we broke through the first and second lines of the defense, the Marquise of Monfort had to slow her pace, since her horse was visibly exhausted, the resistance was getting stiff, and the paladins maintaining the barriers were tired as well.

 

“…”

 

A moment later, it became apparent to us it’s not over just yet.  The third line of enemy soldiers barred our way to freedom, and from the Marquise’s ‘Sharp Eyes’ ability, she determined that two more rebel armies lay between us, and safety.

 

Well, fuck.  We’re dead.

 

“Let’s head to that place!” she cried out to us.  What the Marquise meant was the Red Diamond Palace, the chateau a few distances outside the city’s northwestern limits.  We could see that it was occupied by enemy soldiers, but with no other choice other than to stop and rest, we immediately took the chance.

 

“Get out of our way!” the Marquise ran the enemy sentries through her sword, and using her quick reflexes on the horse, held the gates open for us to storm the palace.  The next thing that happened was that the cavalry battle turned into a horseman-versus-infantry melee between our forces and the rebels.

 

Lily then activated her ‘Bloodbath’ skill and killed every soldier on her path.  Good thing Maddie was quick to pull away from our own men to safety, just as the head maid unleashed her ‘berserker mode’.  Cutting through a hail of magic spells and arrows, Lily pushed through the opposing forces as if they’re made of paper.

 

It was a terrible display of power.  Blood and gore were scattered everywhere, with some splattering on the palace’s blue walls.  A few moments later, the entire premise of the Red Diamond palace was cleared of the enemy army.

 

“Quick!  Man the walls!” Maddie immediately ordered.

 

However, I cried out, “Maddie!  Don’t do it; let’s retreat inside the building!  It’s more defensible, and it’s not exposed.”

 

Maddie nodded and asked everyone to follow my suggestion, just as the reinforcing enemy soldiers appeared outside the perimeter of the Red Diamond palace.  A paladin was quick to fortify and lock the main gate, and, aided by two knights, safely retreated to the interior.  By then, a few of our number had already fallen on the garden, with some being dragged by their comrades to safety.

 

“Eris, come back!” I suddenly heard Maddie cried out.  Eris was running after the history book her father gave her, which she may have dropped when we fought in the melee earlier.  My mind was racing; the enemy archers had already positioned themselves on the other side of the palace’s walls and were aiming to rain down their lethal arrows on us.

 

“Fuck!”  Adrenaline took over me, and I rushed to intercept Eris.  

 

“Noooooo!!!  Mister Kuro, the book!”

 

“Just go back!  I’ll try to get it for you!”  I quickly pulled her away as she screamed and kicked, pushing her over to Maddie, who was waiting at the palace’s doors.

 

“Kuro, the arrows!” she tried to stop me, but I didn’t hear her in time.

 

“Fire!” was the thunderous order from the leader of the enemy archers.  

 

The deadly rain of arrows that fell on the Red Diamond palace gardens not only killed our horses—whom we were forced to leave on open ground, it also told me that my efforts to retrieve Eris’ history book was as futile as our current situation.

 

Luckily, I was not hit by those deadly projectiles.  I dashed back to the palace.

 

 

Once inside, the able-bodied paladins and knights quickly fortified the windows, as well as the big oak doors of the palace.  They also barred the hallways and the doors of the rooms on the second floor with all the furniture and wardrobes, so as not to allow the attacking army inside.

 

We stayed on the first floor as we caught our breaths, while the wounded were taken to the basement where the kitchen was located.

 

At least, we’re given rest before we die…

 

Lily, because of the exhaustion brought about by using her ‘Bloodbath’ skill to the full, was soundly sleeping in the kitchen.  Joining her were a dozen injured knights and paladins, with Maddie manually attending to their wounds.  Eris was also with them, but she was awfully silent, possibly depressed over losing the only memento she had of her parents.

 

The Marquise of Monfort quickly came to comfort her sister.  She was busy consoling the young duchess that the knights, and the paladins, were left to their own devices.  I couldn’t blame her, it was a low moment.  With everything in chaos, the burden of command inevitably fell on me.  I quickly worked to organize the defenses.

 

Good thing the royal knights are cooperative.  It’d be a problem if they acted arrogantly in this situation.

 

Meanwhile, we could hear the enemy soldiers pounding their way in on the first floor.  They’ve been ramming the doors of the palace, as well as attempting to tear down the barricades we put over the windows.  The dread of what was to come was clear on our faces.

 

Man…I wonder what would God say when we meet each other once again…

 

“Kyaaaa!!!”

 

I quickly rushed back to the first floor when I heard someone shout, followed by a commotion.  I thought the enemy had broken through, but thank goodness, it’s just a false alarm.

 

“…”

 

But still…do we even need additional people with us?

 

In one cupboard we used as a barricade, the knights found a hiding lady.  Much to our surprise, it’s one maidservant of the royal family…

 

“Err…what are you doing here, Miss Tatiana?” I asked her.

 

The maid was visibly shaken, but she tried to answer me, “Th-The prince l-l-let me escape the c-city.  I wanted t-t-to go back to m-my mother!  She’s sick!  I-I don’t want to die here!”

 

“Then if so, why are you here?” I felt pity for her.  She must’ve been way too scared to think that she’s basically trapped here, with us.

 

“S-S-S-S-Sir K-K-Kuro…th-th-there’s a w-way, at the k-kitchen.”  She was offered a glass of water to drink, which she gladly accepted.  And then, when she calmed down, she told us, “There’s an underground passage here that led to the village of Nebat to the west.  In the kitchen, there should be a false wall.  If I could find it, we could escape from there.”

 

“Ha?” a knight asked, “How d’you know?”

 

“I’m a former maid of the La Vebrunes family, good Sir.  I worked in this estate long ago, so my memory is muddled.  But I could say that the escape route should still be here.”

 

The knights, paladins, and I exchanged hopeful looks.  At least, we’re not totally trapped like we thought we were.  However…

 

“The enemy’s about to break in!” someone shouted.

 

The knights quickly threw their bodies to keep the barricades on the door.  Indeed, at any moment now, those wooden doors could fall, and the enemy outside would pour into either capture or murder us all.

 

“Hey, guys!” I sent the paladins with an order, “Help Miss Tatiana find that false wall.  Evacuate Her Holiness, along with the wounded.”

 

At once the paladins and the royal maid went to work.  Time was of the essence, and soon Maddie and the rest of the wounded who could still move were looking for the elusive secret passageway.