Chapter 477: Let Them Run

"SHIP APPROACHING!" William bounced off his seat and ran to the port, hearing the cry. Bells tolled as soldiers all moved, readying their positions. A single cannon rolled forward, men clearing the way for it, as the crew carefully prepared the ammo for it. Grabbing a telescope, William watched the ship and sighed, seeing the sail.

"FRIENDLY!" Despite his words, none of the men moved, instead tightening the grips on their weapons. They all knew how many enemy ships were coming, and even with the new weapon, they didn’t believe it would be a perfect victory. They wondered if it was Alfred fleeing or a messenger to bring terrible news.

William walked forward, seeing which dock the ship was heading to, and waited alone. The ships towered over him, covered in black dust, and had hastily put together repairs. On top, he saw Alfred staring down with cold, lifeless eyes. Placing his hand on his chest, he waited for Alfred to descend the wooden board and finally lowered his head when he stepped down.

"Your Majesty." William didn’t let his nerves show as he rose. "Did it work?" Alfred didn’t answer, looking out into the water. The sound of him swallowing his saliva cut into the silence, and Alfred finally sighed.

"It worked." His voice was quiet, with no joy to be found, "And now there are only two."

William froze, the smile that was forming freezing in place. Looking up at the ship, he saw the surviving Unyeilding, carefully carrying their fallen off the boat. They moved silently, without feeling, as if it were another part of their duty. Twelve were carried off before a man wearing slightly different coloured armour was brought down. William took a breath, seeing Charles brought to the dock, his arms crossed over his chest, a peaceful smile resting over his white face.

"Two..." William’s voice trailed as he walked over, stopping the Unyielding from moving. Looking at his friend, he bitterly chuckled, tapping his fist on his chest. "Rest, my friend." Closing his eyes, he stayed still for a second before walking back to Alfred’s side, letting Charles’ body be carried off. Standing by Alfred’s side, William laughed and shook his head, "That idiot managed to get away without marrying."

Alfred chuckled and grabbed his eyes, "Yeah. He must be the only man who ignored one of my orders and got away with it." William laughed a little louder, shaking his head.

The two fell silent again, and William looked at the rising sun. "Did he die a good death at least?"

"He died with a smile, thinking of his brother and the Empire." Looking into the old Duke’s eyes, he smiled, "You think it’s good?"

"Yeah." William smiled, glancing back, unable to see Charles’ body, it having been lost behind the lines of soldiers. Sighing, he reached for his breast pocket to pull out his pipe just to find it missing. "Only two of us left." William clicked his tongue. "It’s a sad thought."

"Yeah." Alfred smacked his lips together, "Send word to Issac. Tell him the Raven house is gone."

"He’s going to be busy. They had a lot of land." William looked out, "Any thoughts on a replacement?"

"I... I haven’t thought about that yet, William." Alfred crouched down, "Why did he go and die?" William looked down at Alfred and turned away to hide his smile at the sulking, almost childish tone he was using, "He could have at least left a kid." Sighing a final time, he slapped his cheeks and jumped up. "Prepare to mobilise, William. When the rest of the fleet returns, they will rearm, and we will put an end to this war."

William smiled and lowered his head, placing his hand on his chest in one graceful movement, "Of course, your Majesty. But I must ask, will you force me to come along? I would like to remind you I am retired."

Alfred scoffed and chuckled, "I am tempted to keep you by my side to make Amelia mad at you." Alfred smiled and tapped William’s shoulder, "But I think I will do that another time. Stay in Nakhla for the time being. Make sure nothing happens."

"Of course. And thank you."

"I just can’t bear losing another old friend so soon." Alfred lazily lifted his hand as he walked off. Looking at the young man’s back for a while, William smiled.’He is taking it better than I expected.’Recalling the day Chris died, he remembered the fury that accompanied it. Remembering Raven, he thought of the sadness Alfred felt. He couldn’t tell if it was a sign of growth or if Alfred was just too burnt out to experience such strong emotions, but it made him happy to see that the war wouldn’t be led by emotion more than it already was.

Looking back at the rising sun, William lifted his right hand to his chest and formed a symbol of Sol. "Rest, old friend. I’m sure your brother will chew you out for dying so early up there." Looking into the distance, he laughed, imagining Raven’s murky appearance in his mind as Charles meekishly tried to escape his fury.

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Marcus stood atop the hilltop and watched as the thousand-strong Severian host approached the hilltop. "They’re here," Marcus muttered to himself, realising the scouts’ reports were right about a forward contingency. Looking down behind the hill, he signalled Adam to prepare to charge the cavalry. Turning behind him, he saw the cannons he had brought waiting. "Begin loading them."

The soldiers moved slowly, pushing the weapons forward, before carefully laying them, not wishing to make a mistake. Adam moved forward, around the hill, and stalked the enemy, waiting for them to get closer. In the distance, thousands of Ammary troops waited out of sight, anticipating the signal to begin their march.

The soldiers manning the cannons carefully prepared them, not wishing to make a mistake and aimed, waiting for the signal. Marcus stood, flicking his fingers and counting down the minutes. The Severian troops noticed his position and continued their march, not noticing the large number of Ammary forces stationed in the distance.

Adam watched and, seeing them within range, signalled for the cavalry to follow behind him. Leading the charge, he grabbed his lance and lowered his body, leading the assault. "Wait for my order to fire," Marcus said, watching Adam charge into the Severian lines.

The Severian convoy stopped and quickly prepared a defensive line, but couldn’t in time as Adam and his few hundred soldiers slammed into their lines. Blood flew into the air as the screams and cries took a few seconds to reach Marcus’s ears. "Come on. Not too long." Quietly muttering to himself, he watched a few men get stuck in the middle of the Severian forces, desperately trying to fight their way out.

Men were dragged down off their horses and butchered as the rest, knowing the plan, ignored them, getting themselves free. Marcus clenched his fist, seeing a few of his soldiers unable to escape, stuck, madly swinging their weapons before they fell.

Closing his eyes, Marcus took a deep breath, "Fire." His tone was cold as his eyes hardened. The soldiers manning the cannons didn’t hesitate to follow the order, even when they saw some of their comrades stuck in enemy lines. Telling themselves it would give a chance for them to escape, they lit the fuse. Marcus hadn’t seen the weapon used in practice and, hearing the rope burn, held his breath, as he covered his ears, remembering Alfred’s warning.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The four weapons fired, erupting with a fury, as the large iron balls flew out, slamming directly into the Severian lines. The explosion only reached their ears after the shots landed, blowing men back and kicking dust and dirt into the air. The line quickly crumbled under the attack they couldn’t see or understand. Marcus flinched at the sudden attack, but looking behind him in the far distance, he saw his soldiers begin their march.

Adam and his men circled around, throwing themselves back into the Severian lines. Charging through, they acted unimposed, the forces still in disarray by the attack they had never seen. Marcus heard the cannons load once more and took a deep breath, not realising when he began to smile. It was better than he expected, something that he could instantly tell would change how battles were fought.

Adam’s forces slipped through like a gust of wind, delivering a devastating blow. "READY!" A soldier shouted to let Marcus know, and seeing the last of the cavalry rush through, covered his ears again.

"Fire." Giving the order once more, the fuse burnt. The Severian troops recognised the attack and rushed from their positions, and the areas still with a semblance of order began to prepare to charge the hill. Marcus looked back and saw his own forces nearing. Looking back, he waited.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The barrage fired once more, decimating all those in its way. The already panicked Severian troops, in the face of an attack that could be continuously thrown at them, broke, charging back to retreat. The few that remained continued their push for the hilltop, being met by Adam and his forces to delay the attack.

Marcus looked back once again and saw his troops within less than a minute of distance and sighed in relief. "Load once more and fire instantly. Aim for those retreating." The men carried out the order without hesitation and quickly loaded the weapon, lifting the barrel to aim in the distance.

The battle cry from behind signalled the arrival of his troops. Covering his ears, the cannons fired a final time, as if cheering their arrival. Many of the shots missed the scattering forces, but the intended effect was achieved, causing them to turn around and notice the arriving army.

Marcus smiled and sat down, realising his work was complete. The few hundred soldiers still in formation trembled at the sight of a fresh force charging them, and despite their efforts to hold their ground, they were quickly overwhelmed.

Looking at the cavalry circle, the hill, he saw Adam jump off his horse and slowly climb up. Brushing clean his armour, he looked at the cannon and smiled, "It was better than I expected."

"Yeah. His Majesty gave us something." Playing with the hilt of his sword, he laughed, "I just wonder when blades and armour will become obsolete. From what William told me, there is something else in the works."

"We will need to change how we fight soon." Adam said softly, "That being said. Are you sure it’s fine to let those Severian troops run and tell what they saw here?"

"Yes. This war won’t be won by how many we can kill, Adam, but how much of their resolve we can break. Let them tell everyone how we command thunder and destroy groups of men with it." Marcus looked up at Adam, "I learnt a little from the Prime Minister. I believe he called it propaganda. Just as good a weapon as my sword or the cannon."