In Pursuit of Hope (English)

ลำดับตอนที่ #1 : Introduction: The Fall of the Castle of Red Hills

Introduction: The Fall of The Castle of Red Hills

            After the age of magic and superstitions had ended, the scent of blood and the scream of war had never stopped for almost a hundred years, nor would be ending sooner than another two lifetimes. In fact, things had been in tension since the days that the city of five gods still stood under the Rock of Gwataeirn, but when it turned into the heart of Forever Winter, the surrounding countries arose as so the scholars predicted.

            Most of the young witches died in battles in the first fifty years of war, and with unknown cause, their powers had declined until they could no longer turn the war’s tide. Furthermore, The Council of Magic in the central continent was frozen along with Cordelia. Therefore, Muntonians that tended to fight in wars had to turn back to their weapons and war machines once again.

            “Sir Thomas, Sir James, Sir Jon. You three will remain here for two days and raise the banner of house Cordell high. Our dying hope in this war is with you,” King Aldebert in his forty-eighth year gave his order to the knights of same age and close friends. His rugged voice uttered the words in urgent as they sounded so confusing, while outside… Outside uttered only the voice of chaos and that ‘war technology’, “The age of magic is bad, but this… Catapult? This is far worse. The Castle of Red Hills never fell in the times of Cordelia. I can’t believe I have to go farther south.”

            Only by the end of The King of Cordell’s saying, the hall area, which was decorated by beautiful stained glasses and built up of strong stone wall, suddenly was torn down to dust, left only a big-as-a-hut breach on its wall.

            “Damn it!” King Aldebert swore loudly as he walked from the war table to the breach at the keep’s wall. He looked through the big breach and saw an army beyond the castle’s defense wall, on the distance hill. The new ‘war machine’ those Farrargans had invented recently stood proudly amidst the bannermen of the blue banners with tiger on the rock. “They don’t even get close…”

            “Your majesty should not stand near their aiming spot,” Sir Rickard, the king’s guard, warned his king while hastily walked up to him, “it could be dangerous if they were to shoot it again.”

            “They have only one damned machine. It will take time to shoot it again. This one takes a big while from the last one, and to aim at the same spot is nearly impossible. I just don’t want to imagine if one day, one army could afford to have ten or twenty of this fucking machine at a time, the pace of war would not be the same.”

            “Just now, the pace of war is not the same anymore,” Sir Rickard commented while pulled his king back into safety, “Farrarge had never been in lead of this war until Louis De Cerbeau succeeded making new weapon like he had long claimed. Verdun has fallen, now the time for Cordeni is neigh.”

            Aldebert nodded, “Three sirs, you may have less than two days, but remember, your goal is not to save The Castle of Red Hills, but to buy as much time for Cordeni and the one true king of Cordelia.”

            “Yes, your majesty.” Three sirs promised in harmony before Aldebert and Sir Rickard turned and went out of the keep’s hall.

            The King and his best guard had to walk down the high and steady tower which was falling, and reminding Aldebert of his inevitable defeat at the same time. Soon after they exited the keep’s hall, other three king’s guard, Sir Richard, Sir Robert, and Sir Arthur, join them to guard the king while being in the staircase walkdown.

            During the walkdown, many soldiers in yellow-white Waffenrock, which sewed the picture of lion with red heart, run up and down the stairs with many faces. Some had terror, some worried, but the worst were the faces with desperation. Aldebert wanted to give them hope, but these seven months gave him none, too. He could only run after the people of Aerdin rose up and successfully took their city back from house Cordell with the secret support from Farrarge. The other houses, after that event, revoked their bannermen until, now, house Cordell had to stand alone on its own feet.

            Aldebert was losing. That fact could not be changed.

            “Do you think The South will aid us? I can’t recall what kingdom it is now” Aldebert started the conversation with Sir Rickard during the long and as-if infinite stairway.

            Sir Rickard cleared his throat and answered with manners, “Baveross, your majesty.”

            “Cahir na Cindeuq fell, and the people of the central continent divided, while the southerners who lived in divided isles united.” Sir Arthur added with snicker.

            “Aye, the Cordells had been ruling the central continent for millenniums, but in the sudden of King Albert’s death, the member kingdoms could not wait to raise their armies and name their own kings, then shamelessly marched towards and laid a siege on Pronter. My father was a cousin to prince Eric, and he did not even claim his right in the throne. The funniest part is that I, his youngest son, now have to claim I am a king because all my brothers were executed even before I could handle a sword.”

            “If Borius had not been dead as it did back in the day, the world might have been better now. Back then, Farys Shield most likely united the chaotic central continent into one to fight that beast sentinel.” Sir Richard also spoke. Actually, his house Danes originated from The North, so he tended to admire house Shield more than others.

            “House Shield… Those were the times of heroes,” even Aldebert gave a compliment, because house Shield of the North had saved the continent of Munthon several times. Now the Shields are all gone. After that, he could only sigh with eyes of great sorrow, “for now… Now is the time of Chaos.”

            “Back to the question, your majesty, I think the nature of The South is quite different than ours, while we play with politics and strive towards power, they only sue living, and trade, and sightseeing. I’d say the southerners have no interest in war, they just want their peace.” Sir Rickard finally brought the conversation back to where it began only a second before one Sir Robert could drive it a little bit more out of topic.

            Sir Robert tended to speak something to Sir Rickard, but then again, was interrupted by the King himself, “Peace? They sue for peace in this chaotic time, and if they really sue for peace, why do they need to unite several islands into one strong nation which means one strong army? I am sorry, I guess I did not pay much attention to politics twenty years ago.”

            King Alderbert made his point; however, the king’s doubt was cleared by, finally, Sir Robert, “Two decades ago, The South was aware of Cerbeau’s and Verdun’s thirst for power, your majesty. They knew if either one of the nations won the war, it would then seek to conquer The South, so Lord Elgar of Vaytare started the propaganda”

            “Sir Robert does give a very good answer, your majesty. The people of Paradayni loved Lord Elgar, so Vaytare was a good start, then it spreaded to Matu, and across Mefyafya, to Gosynia and the Island of Joy. In five years, Lord Elgar could unite all of the islands in Lagi Atumui, and even Lofuatua. Cerbeau saw it as a threat so he sent someone to kill Lord Elgar, and that was a trigger, after the death of Lord Elgar, Atumui a Moaga, Island of Stone, Seilemea Atumui, and even Terolo Nilo of Isle of Skull were united into one nation of Baveross.”

            After a long explanation given by Sir Rickard, the king nodded in silence. The coming of the ‘catapult’ meant many things. It meant victory, and it meant that The South was not safe from being conquered anymore. “Hm, So the rising of Farrarge is our chance…”

            “Yes, your majesty. I don’t know to say we are lucky or somewhat for Farrarge to become this powerful. If Farrarge has not become as fearsome as it is now, I am sure that The South will refuse to help you win this war.”

            “And now they will help?” King Aldebert asked Sir Rickard back doubtfully. “I winning this war makes no difference, the central continent will become powerful again and be a big threat to the south.”

            “They will, if your majesty agrees to leave them alone after the war finds its conclusion” Sir Rickard spoke with confidence, and the king believes him. He had always been a good friend, good guard, good general, and a good teacher. It was amazing to realise that Sir Rickard was only a few years older than the king, “Oh, and on one note, my king. They will, only if you can assure them your army are strong enough to lead them into the war and not lose”

            “Shit… That’s the problem”

            The king and his four guards finally reached the exit of the tower, and in the backyard of the castle stood the bannermen of house Cordell. One hundred light infantries, twenty of heavy, and thirty of cavalries. Others were another forty women, children, and elders. All were losing hope. Aldebert had lost too many men during the run from Aerdin to Ufsach.

            Too many.

            “Listen, my uh… bannermen. This castle is falling, and we are leaving Ufsach while it stands to endure this ridiculous siege, all credits go to Sir Thomas, Sir James, and Sir Jon. While they buy some time for us, we are going further south to seek support from the southerners,” Aldebert gave a speech to his people, not to give them hope, but to let them know what course are they taking, “I know we have seen a better day, and I know this is not the worst to come. I won’t sell shit dreams to you, we are losing this war. I also know everyone here is loyal to house Cordell, and to the rightful king of the four kingdoms, unless you would long run away. I won’t cheer your heart up, too, because I can’t even cheer mine. Only thing I’d do is to ask you all to stay strong. Worse days will come but better will too.”

            People did not react much too the king’s speech, and he did not expect them to feel better, because he spoke only truths, and truths are cruel. They needed to endure, for him, for the better days to come.

            “That was one horrible speech,” one bald man walked straight to the king after he walked pass the people to his horse.

            “General James Dorin, and that speech, I intended it to be that way,” the king stopped walking, the guards did too. He claimed his point while looking into General Dorin’s brown eyes. It looked like the tension was building until the king burst his laugh out with tear in his eyes, “Damn, it’s good to see you again, my old friend”

            The general then pulled the king into his hug, “That comes from the person who sent me to die in the battle of Berna Baveross,” even though he spoke like he was angry with Aldebert but he spoke it with laughter and pleasure of seeing his old friend again, and of being alive and well.

            “I sent you to that bay batlle because I trusted you the most, after Sir Rickard, of course,” the king told his reason behind sending his friend and a small troop to the battle where their chances were slim, “And you won that fucking battle, how came it was possible?”

            “I just screwed my honor. The First day I encountered the army of Cerbeau, I challenged Sir John of Tamrine into one on one battle on the next day, then stabbed him in the back in the middle of the night. Burned down their camp, and destroyed his army while they were sleeping,” General Dorin told his fascinating story of winning the battle with his dirty way with laughter, “I and my men stole all their horses, and burned down all their ships, so they lost their cavalry, stood no chance to face us on the ground, and the battle which first was suppose to be a naval battle then became a massacre that they could not even fight back.”

            “That’s a lot of screwing honor,” the king laughed as he enjoyed the story of General Dorin, though the king’s guards did not seem to enjoy it at one bit, “and that is why I trusted you to do this.”

            Sir Rickard, the former general, raised his eyebrow, and questioned the general right away, “and how many men did you lose?”

            General Dorin suddenly got a stutter. He then turned his face towards Sir Rickard and other king’s guards and said it slowly, and hesitantly, “f-fifty three men.”

            “What!? You brought one hundred good men into battle and lost fucking fifty three men? That’s half of them!” Sir Richard raised his voice after he had heard the number of loss.

            “It’s a solid hundred against several!”

            “You flanked them in sleep, it was not a hundred against several, you ripped them off the force of cavalry, and the force of sea. You also attacked them when they are not prepared and not in arms, and you also killed their leader away before it the flank even started. Still, you lose fucking half of your men, and those men were fifty of his majesty’s best men.”

            “Enough! Sir Rickard, I respect you, and all of you, my king’s guards, but standing here debating helps nothing. General Dorin went there in my regard with my best men to stop the Cerbeau forces that tried to flank us from the east, and he succeeded. That means we only have one matter to attend to now, and that matter stood out there gearing their ‘Catapult’. We have to move now, or we will be buried here.”

            Sir Rickard and the king’s guards fell into silence at once.

            “Good. General Dorin, gather your men,” said the king while he mounted up his white horse, and the king’s guards mounted theirs, “Sir Arthur, go tell Sir Junquist to get our men in array. My bannermen, we are moving out!”

Introduction ends