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Well that was an odd turn of events, one would of thought that a sovereign power would have argued for at least equal terms in the coalition, but if he was willing to surrender out right, who was one old emissary to tell a baron what he should do? This possibility had been forseen, and appropriate documents were at hand. The emissary presented a simple, yet  binding treaty that gave Viscount Douglas dominion over Nordale, while allowing things to continue as they had until Douglas said otherwise. The baron was assured that Douglas was not interested in burying himself under even more work, by trying to manage Nordale personally, and would only require that half of the available forces, by skill, would arrive on the field of battle when he called for them to. Once the papers were signed, the emissary suggested that heralds be sent to Neighborring kingdoms to announce this new alliance, to prevent any misunderstandings.
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Emir, gathered his troops and joined forces with Viscount Gerald's army and marched west into Ibartona. Ibartona's army moved to oppose them. The two armies met in a steep valley, which prevented flanking manoeuvres by either force. Emir suggested that the allied army set their militia in two rows, with the Miranti militia in the rear, since they were equipped with crossbows and could shoot over the Stewart militia. Gerald reluctantly agreed to this and was happy to see that Emir's warriors would be filling the first gap to appear  in the Stewart militia. WIth both armies  Cavalry on standby to ride the enemy down, when his forces broke.

Ibartona sent their cavalry forwad in a charge to try and smash through the militia lines, but two consecutive volleys of the crossbows robbed the cavalry of it's momentum, and forced it to walk to the line of stewarts, where the disorganized horsemen were easily brought down by the militia. The few who tried to retreat were all brought down by more bolts from eager archers. Seeing this, the Ibartonian General sent his militia forward to overwhelm the allied militia. Again, the crossbowmen sent volleys of bolts into the enemy formation. The mob that arrived at the stewart lines were weak, affected by the famines, and easily cut down, though these by their sheer numbers managed to take a few stewarts with them. The warriors of Ibartona saw the slaughter being wrought, and turned back towards their walled cities and fortresses, but General Emir and Viscount Gerald lead the allied cavalry side by side, through the channel opened for them by their militia, and across the field of corpses and into the retreating warriors. Chaos ensued, and the warriors of Ibartona were cut down, and the general captured. Viscount Gerald later had him executed and his head sent to the Viscount of Ibartona with the message that Gerald was coming for his head next, if he didn't surrender in ten days time. Emir didn't like the long wait, but Gerald knew his enemy, and accepted the surrender of Ibartona seven days later.
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The last raid before winter saw some 8,000 tribesmen moving through Swurion, and into Celynur and another 3,000 tribesmen into Russilene. These were not as successful as previous raids, since the guards were now all alert and suspicious of horsemen on the horizon, but the more organized groups still managed to sack several small forts and towns in Celynur. While most of the attacks in Russilene were repulsed by the heavy defences and determined defenders, it was only with heavy losses to both sides.

Meanwhile in Ormymnur, scouts reported that the combined army of Dalarctand and Granarctene is heading in their direction. There were no celebrations that night as they had to deal with the invasion. Servants were sent to inform key officials and generals to gather at the hall as Marquis Jeremy did his best to maintain his composure.

Marquis Jeremy started off by saying, “Firstly, I would like for all of you to know that Count Dalbert and Count Granberg have allied themselves in a futile attempt to resist our might. They have decided to dispatch their main forces to attack us. Their combined forces amount to at least 50,000 troops, which mean that this battle will either make or break us. How shall we handle this situation?”

Advisor Aiden walked to the middle, bowed and said, “My Lord, given Count Dalbert’s nature, he is sure to conduct a night raid. We should use this opportunity to beat them at their own game. Instead of increasing the guards doing the night shift, we shall allow our sentries to rest during duty. When the enemies see that we are unprepared for such an event, they will believe that our troops are too exhausted after the annexation of Ormymnur. We shall set up an ambush in advance so that when the enemies are entering our main camp, we will be able to annihilate a significant portion of the troops from Dalarctand.”

Advisor Antonidas walked to the middle, bowed and said, “My Lord, by your orders, I mobilized against Ormymnur and have successfully conquered it. We beheaded 10,000 Ormymnur troops, absorbed 10,000 Ormymnur troops and have obtained a considerable amount of horses and weapons. Although we lost 5000 of our men in this battle, we have managed to acquire Ormymnur’s 20,000 experienced naval troops and powerful warships. In addition, we have recruited 5000 men from Actianona. Thus, as of currently, we have a total of 100,000 troops but only 70,000 troops can be spared for this war. After the failure of the night raid, the enemy troops will be demoralized. We shall pretend to be pursuing the enemy by sending 5000 elite cavalry to chase after the retreating troops while the bulk of our forces march slowly behind. When the main forces of the enemy finally arrive to reinforce them, the 5000 elite cavalry shall act as if they are retreating but are in actual fact, luring them towards our main forces. When the enemies are in sight, we shall order our troops to remain calm and hold their positions so that the enemy will not be able to even get past our vanguard. After fighting for a while, the enemy commander will be pressured to issue the order to retreat so as to reduce the losses. We shall continue our slow march and when the troops of Dalarctand and Granarctene charge at us again, we shall use the same tactic of ordering our troops to remain calm and hold their positions. This will force them to retreat once again. However, when they charge at us for the third time, we will launch a counterattack and destroy them. This is because the enemy would have low morale by the time they experience two consecutive defeats.  When the enemy attempts to retreat after sustaining heavy losses, we will order our army to give chase. My Lord, Dalarctand and Granarctene shall be yours in no time.”

Under the leadership of Antonidas and Aiden, the troops from Dalarctand and Granarctene were defeated once and again. Seeing that it was too much humiliation to be captured, Count Dalbert and Count Granberg committed suicide as Dalarctand and Granarctene fell into the hands of Marquis Jeremy.

Baron Norbert laughed and said, "My decision is final. In case Eusebius was not clear enough, I shall reiterate. We will only be surrendering to Marquis Jeremy, not the entire Coalition. Bring this documents away and tell your liege that Nordale is not interested to become a vassal of Viscount Douglas."

As two Nordale guards escorted the Miranti emissary out of the castle, Advisor Eusebius thought My Lord is wise. He fully understands that the person ruling over him will have a direct impact on Nordale. Just to wait for a suitable master, he is even willing to risk offending a powerful warlord. In his opinion, Chancellor Devon and Viscount Douglas are too far away. Marquis Jeremy, however, is an immediate superior who can dictate his fate. Therefore, whoever ends up being his master is much more important than whoever currently possesses the most troops. Furthermore, in exchange of his loyalty, Marquis Jeremy will most likely allow him to keep his position.

After the Miranti emissary left Nordale, Baron Norbert would be arranging a meeting with Marquis Jeremy.
Viscount Gerald laughed heartily as he walked across the hall of a castle that now belonged to him. He had been engaging in skirmishes with the Governor of Ibartona for far too long, wasting precious resources in each of them. Now that he had finally defeated his longtime rival and obtained Ibartona, not only was he able to make up for the losses, he was one step closer to overthrowing Chancellor Devon.

Placing his hand on General Emir's shoulder, he declared, "You have my thanks. If you ever require my aid in the future, do not hesitate to inform me."

Back in New Leonum, Asopeos, Viscount Leo received a letter from his son announcing their victory and the returning of Blencathra to the lion's hands, to say he was happy was an understatement, he entered into his meeting room where all his advisor sat adorning a grin on his face, he was even humming in a low voice, his advisors were all shell-shocked, they knew about the victory but they never imagined seeing their calm, serious and dare say dull leader this happy before, he sat in his chair "I'm leaving to Blencathra in an hour" he announced in jovial tone. they all nodded in understanding, Viscount Leo haven't seen his homeland for 55 years so it was only normal for him to leave in such short notice, he looked at his advisor still grining while pointing a wiggly finger at them which finally sat on Ciuem, the Advisor of internal affairs "Ciuem, you take care of my cubs while I'm gone" he ordered while nodding at him multiple times as if he was satisfied with his choice.

Ciuem nodded "it will be a honor, my lord" he said in a restraint voice trying hard not to chuckle at the way Viscount Leo addressed his subjects.

He nodded one final time and stood up from his seat "I will be getting ready for the Journey, good day gentlemen" he said waving his hand awkwardly before turning around and leaving room.

Inteligence advisor Aurem shook his head "it seems that our honorable lord have drank a victory toast with himself and might have increased the dose a little" he suggested as the other advisors just shrugged it off.

It took 4 day for Viscount Leo to reach Leonum, Blencathra, the citizen who were used to be ruled by House Fortis but then forced by the usurping Barbarians to work the fields and the anvil, welcomed the Son of their old lord, the elderly were the happiest to see him as they still remembered him from 55 years ago as a teen and lord heir, he waved at the cheering crowd until he reached the centre of the town where the saw the majestic form of his father's castle, fortunatly, the barbarians didn't change the exterior a lot , he couldn't help but shed a tear as memories of his happy childhood came back to him, his eyes then settled on the gates half expecting his father to be waiting for him but then he saw his son instead, he smiled nevertheless and moved in to hug his son.

Raion returned his father's hug "Welcome home, father" he said softly, he noticed his father's wet eyes and couldn't help but have a sad smile 'even lions can cry' he thought.

Breaking the hug while keeping his hands on his son's shoulders "your grandfather will be proud of you just like I'm now" he said with a proud smile, he then turned to his generals greeting them one after the other "thank you for taking care of my son, Claw" he said to General Claw.

He nodded "ofcourse brother, he is my nephew after all" General Claw said giving out his identity of being Leo's brother and Raion's uncle.

Viscount Leo then greeted Sir Donovan who was going to leave with his troops at dawn the next day after being fully healed from his shoulder wound "Thank you very much Sir Donovan without you and your army's help we would have never got our homeland back" he said thankfully knowing from past experience and by how his son have praised Donovan in his letter, he decided to take a risk "you are one thousand time better than the one who sent you here" he whispered cryptically into his ear, he knew that Donovan understood what he said by the widening of his eyes, however, instead of being killed on the spot like any other loyal Imperial would have done, Sir Donovan merely smiled and nodded gratefully, Leo's smile widened his assumptions of Sir Donovan's alignment were correct after all.

At the night there was a huge celebration party held in the city, citizens were cheering as Lion riders paraded in the streets, followed by beautiful "dancing lionesses" who we're a group of beautiful ladies dancing with their lioness companions, Viscount Leo watched everything from a low lying balcony, sitting next to him was his son, his generals including his brother and Sir Donovan, he raised his chalice "for victory and future prosperity" he toasted, the others following suit as they drank their wine, Viscount Leo gestured for the gaurds at the top balcony to start the show and in seconds the skies of Leonum were filled with white and orange sparks.

The citizens were amazed by the sparks most of them thought it was magic, Raion was awestrucked "father, what in the name of the great lioness is that" he said in wonder, Donovan who sat next to him smiled already knowing what they were as they were invented in Ifeland recently.

Viscount Leo smirked "oh, these are just some special things I have bought from an Ifelandian merchant when you were fighting here, I think he called them 'fireworks' I thought it would be nice if we used them to celebrate our victory" he explained simply, Raion grinned at his father's prediction of their victory before it even happened.

The next day, Sir Donovan said his goodbyes and left with his army back to Ifeland.

Viscount Leo wanted to talk with his son privately, so they both entered one of the many rooms in the castle which was now cleaned of all it's previous filth left by the barbarians, as soon as he closed the door Viscount Leo turned around and looked directly at his son "I'm making you the governor of Blencathra" he said seriously while crossing his arm.

Raion frowned and shook his head "I refuse, it's your father's land and you're the next in line to govern it" he firmly said to his father.

Viscount Leo gritted his teeth in anger showing his slightly elongated canines which was a characteristic of House Fortis's members "I'm just a coward who never knew how to fight, I sent you my only son to fight this war on my behalf while I just hid inside my castle in Asopeos" he said angry with himself, it was true because the day when his father, Lord Asad promised him that he will teach him swordplay was the day that the barbarians had invaded, when he exiled to Asopeos with more than half of House Fortis members, he was immediately made governor at the age of 15 after the aged heir less governor who was a close friend of his father abdicated in his favor, and from that day he was always protected by his generals and soldiers.

Raion rubbed his father's back soothingly while snorting "it is not like all the other governors in the empire are great warriors either" he assured his father "it seems ridicules, but if you like, I can teach you how to fight, it's never to old to learn how to fight, well unless you are TOO old and can't even move properly" he joked trying to cheer up his father.

Which did work hearing a snort coming from his father "imagine what the other governors will say 'Viscount Leo, the Old Lion of the South is being taught by his cub on how to kill his prey' I would be the laughing stock of the whole empire" he said while shaking his head.

"Getting back on the subject" Raion said in a serious tone to catch his father's attention "I didn't liberate Blencathra to become its governor, not even for the sake of our house, I did it for you father, because growing up with you, I have always seen you looking at the west, you never stopped telling me how beautiful and green Blencathra is, I have seen it in your eyes when you space-out, it is when you remember some shards of your childhood so when I grew up I understood that you never got passed what happened 55 years ago and I promised myself that I will be the one to carry you on my shoulders and place you on your father's my grandfather's throne" he said with a sad smile.

To say that Leo was shocked was an understatement, he never guessed that his childish and naive son could say stuff like that or even know about his inner feelings, he hugged him tightly while tears streamed from his eyes "I...I..." he couldn't speak anymore, he thanked the Great Lioness that no one else was inside the room to see him broken like this.

Raion was shocked to see his father, who always seemed like the Alpha lion of the herd with his imposing personality and strong will, to be brocken like this, he tried to suppress the tears in his own eyes to stay strong for his father but failed "I wll go back to Asopeos and govern it in your place, and when the Great Lioness roars for you, I will govern Blencathra like you and my grandfather did before me" he said while rubbing his eyes and breaking from the hug.

Viscount Leo did the same, Raion noticed that the wrinkles on his father's face were more prominent "thank you, for being my son" he said in a soft voice that was filled with age.

Rain smiled fondly at his father "and thank you for being my father" he returned as he lead his father out of the room.

Meanwhile, General claw was in his quarters looking at the map of the empire, his eyes laid on Timarctus, he heard about the civil war in that province "this might come as an advantage for our house, I should inform my brother about this" he said to himself while smirking.

While Sir Donovan was busy fighting in Blencathra, an earth-shattering event had occured in Ifeland. Devon had died of unknown causes and his son, Devagus, had succeeded him as Chancellor. Unlike his father, Devagus knew how to manipulate Emperor Damian to secure his position. He understood that the Emperor could be used as a banner to command the lords of the Empire. Thus, the first thing he did upon becoming the Chancellor was to issue an edict in the name of Emperor Damian, declaring that all Governors are to come to Ifeland to pay homage to the Emperor at once. In addition, Emperor Damian hereby bestow the title of Duke of Aelinmiley to Jeremy, the title of Marquis of Swadlincote to Adrian, the title of Marquis of Narthwich to Douglas, the title of Count of Glarnyraefon to Gerald, the title of Count of Thralkeld to Theodore and the title of Count of Blencathra to Leo.

Chancellor Devagus laughed as he thought Once the lords accept the imperial decree, they will be obliged to submit a memorial of gratitude. This will symbolize that they acknowledge my controlling of Emperor Damian to command them to be legitimate. In addition, if they actually came to Ifeland, I will be able to lock them up in the prison cells. Without a leader, the followers will gradually disperse. On the other hand, if they decide to reject the decree, it will signify their defiance of the Imperial Court. The mere act of disobeying the Emperor is treasonous and thus, they will be labelled as traitors. In addition, this will serve as a valid reason for me to send Ifeland troops to attack them. Meanwhile, my power will only increase with each passing day.

Well, that brought things to an interesting point of contention, and counter-tension. Douglas had just finished reading the notice delivered to him on behalf of the Emperor. He was very careful to consider his options, and decided to let Emir weigh in on the subject, since He'd had such a successful plan in expanding the power base of the Miranti house. Emir had just returned from his campaign with Count Gerald, with no losses to his force surprisingly enough, and apparently the Count's personal favour to boot. And Swurion had now signed on to the coalition in it's own right, albeit still secretly a puppet state of Narthwich. Emir arrived and read the dispatch, when Douglas waved at it upon his arrival, and stood in quiet contemplation for a moment before asking what Doulgas planned to do. Douglas flipped the question and asked Emir what he would do in Douglas' place. Emir quickly responded that he would go, or at least send an envoy, though he would go expecting trouble and ready to leave quickly. Douglas nodded and thought some more on the matter himself. Emir's sister poked her head in the door, and Emir held the proclamation out  to her, sheepishly she slipped into the room and with a bow to Douglas, reads the document quickly. She whispers something to Emir, who indicates that he didn't hear her, and she blushes. Speaking quietly, she offers to go on behalf of house Miranti, which would allow for the coalition to continue the war if necessary without loosing all of it's leadership, while still offering a "significant" hostage since that was almost certainly what the new chancellor was looking for. Emir immediately rejected thee idea, saying the Emperor would be insulted if Miranti sent a woman to swear fealty. Douglas thought about it for a time as the two argued back and forth, neither giving any ground. Douglas came to a decision, and announced that he would go, and take her with him, along with Emir's contingent of mounted warriors, 600 strong. Emir would meet with the other generals of the coalition, and discuss how they should continue the campaign in their leader's absence, and how they should prepare for the final confrontation of the war, which was now only a few months away, unless of course the individual warlords wished to remain warlords and start a second civil war and so destroy the group's hopes of deposing the pretender exploiting the throne's weakness and inexperience.

Holding onto a scroll, Marquis Jeremy said, “The Imperial Court has issued a decree bestowing the title of Duke of Aelinmiley to me and has requested for me to head towards Ifeland immediately to pay homage to Emperor Damian. Tell me, should I accept this decree or should I not?”

General Calder walked to the middle, bowed and said, “My Lord, congratulations on your promotion. As I see it, you should accept this decree.”

Advisor Antonidas walked to the middle, bowed and said, “My Lord, it is clear that while this decree was issued in the name of Emperor Damian, every single word in the scroll was dictated by Chancellor Devagus himself. Once you accept this decree, you will have to submit a memorial of gratitude. By doing that, you will be admitting that Devagus’s manipulation of the Emperor to command us is legitimate. However, if you reject this decree, you will be openly defying the Imperial Court which by extension, going against Emperor Damian. We will be labelled as traitors to the Empire and have a high chance of losing the support from the people. It is evident by now that this decree lands us in a complex situation where both alternatives are not advantageous to us. Therefore, I present to you a third alternative. You will accept the promotion and submit a memorial of gratitude but you shall also state that you have fallen sick and thus, you are not physically capable of going to Ifeland.”

The newly promoted Duke Jeremy smiled and said, “Antonidas, you shall be in charge of writing the memorial of gratitude.”

Just then, a servant entered the room, kneeled and said “Your Highness, the emissary from Nordale has arrived.”

Duke Jeremy said, “Show the emissary in. Meanwhile, Antonidas and Aiden shall stay behind. The rest of you may leave now.”

When Advisor Eusebius entered, he kneeled before Duke Jeremy and said, “Your Highness, I thank you for granting me an audience.  My liege, Baron Norbert, is aware of your recent conquests and would like to congratulate Your Highness for annexing the Eastern Provinces, namely Hedgemont, Actianona, Ormymnur, Granarctene and Dalarctand. For the greater good, my liege has decided to surrender to Your Highness. He only requests that after becoming a vassal of House Champlin, Nordale will still be allowed to retain its autonomous status.”

Advisor Aiden chuckled and said, “My Lord, the terms of surrender suggested by Eusebius allows Baron Norbert to save his own skin while ensuring that Nordale will be fully capable of staging a revolt against us when the opportunity arises. It is unwise for us to agree to their terms. In fact, Nordale is in no position to negotiate for such terms and can only opt for an unconditional surrender should they truly wish to become our vassal.”

Advisor Eusebius immediately said, “Your Highness, Nordale will never dare to betray you. The only reason why we have decided to surrender is purely to avoid plunging Nordale into war and causing the peasants to suffer unnecessarily. While it is true that surrender ensures preservation, the other alternative, fighting, will only lead to destruction which is detrimental to both parties involved. My liege has foreseen that Your Highness may not accept the terms and asked that he be just left to rule semi-autonomously over Nordale as a vassal of House Champlin. Rest assured that with a single command, the army of Nordale will be compelled to march into battle alongside you.”

Duke Jeremy stroked his beard and said, “Now it sounds reasonable enough. Return to your liege and inform him that I have accepted his surrender. However, remind him that Nordale ultimately belongs to me. If there are any signs of rebellion, rest assured that the Champlin army will march into Nordale. By then, it will be too late.” In Swadlincote, Marquis Adrian had adopted a similar method as Duke Jeremy. He accepted the imperial decree, submitted a memorial of gratitude but refused to go to Ifeland, stating that he was too busy fending off the raiders in the north. In Glarnyraefon, Count Gerald had decided to accept the imperial decree as well as take the risk to go to Ifeland. After submitting a memorial of gratitude, he ordered General Gabriel to meet up with General Emir to discuss how they will be continuing the campaign without their respective leaders. In Thralkeld, Count Theodore had decided to accept the imperial decree as well as take the risk to go to Ifeland. However, out of spite, he had decided not to submit a memorial of gratitude. He had also ordered General Tobias to meet up with General Emir to discuss how they will be continuing the campaign without their respective leaders.
When Sir Donovan finally left Blencathra, he reclaimed the Ifeland soldiers that were previously stationed at the border of Manchannya as a precaution. This increased the troops under his command by 10,000, a rather significant amount. After a long march, he arrived at Ifeland, only to be shocked by the news of Devon's death and that his son Devagus, whose cruelty matched his father, had become the new Chancellor. It was now harder for Donovan to carry out the assassination as Chancellor Devagus had called off the military parade. Furthermore, Donovan's military tally would also be taken away tomorrow, meaning that he would be losing all the troops under his command by then.

Commander-in-Cheif Claw was on his way to meet Viscount Leo to tell him about his plans of taking Timarctus for house Fortis, Raion have just left to Asopeos to govern it in his father's place taking with him General Mane and 8,000 Men which was about half of the total forces House Fortis had since gaining recruits from the old barbarian army and other people around Blencathra who decided to join House Fortis Army.

Claw entered the Throne and saw Leo reading from a scroll, he was about to speak but was stopped by Viscount Leo's raised hand, it was then that Commander-in-Cheif Claw saw the imperial stamp on the scroll.

When finished reading Leo took a deep breath and eyed Claw seriously "Chancellor Devon is deed" he said simply.

Claw was surprised at first to hear the news but then smirked "well good riddance" he said cheerfully.

Viscount Leo shook his head "not good, not riddance, his son Chancellor Devagus have taken his place and it's same father same son as they say, however it seems that he is more cunning then his father" he said seeing his brother raise an eyebrow "he advised the emperor to issue a decree promoting the nobility ranks of the coalition's leaders and for some reason mine too so now I'm Count Leo" he said with mock celebration.

Commander-in-Cheif Claw digested the given inforation "well congratulations on your promotion, but there is one thing I don't understand why promote the governors that opposed his father and now most probably him" he said in wonder.

Count Leo stoke his white beard in contemplation "following the traditions of our empire, the promoted governors should submit a memorial of gratitude to the emperor and for that they will have to come to Ifeland, being inside his territory Chancellor Devagus can easily make up excuses to imprison them, without their leaders the coalition will most certainly crumble" he said as he rested his back on the throne that was cleaned 10 time before accepting to sit on it.

Claw frowned "that sly manipulative bastard" he said in disgust "so are you going to Ifeland?" he asked worried for his brother's well-being.

Count Leo shrugged "well, I don't see any harm, House Fortis was never against the Chancellorship, publicly that is" he added the last part with a smirk, in reality House Fortis secretly disliked the Chancellorship since they saw it as a tool of controlling the emperor and in House Fortis' perspective the Emporer is pictured as the Alpha Lion of the Empire, controlling the Alpha Lion is considered a very undignified move in House Fortis' traditions.

Seeing the smirk made Claw even more worried but he know that he can't change his brother's mind "atleast take some gaurds with you and be careful" he said worriedly.

Count Leo smilied kindly "Don't worry about me little brother" he said even though the other was in his fifties "so what brings you to my court, Commander-in-Cheif Claw" he countiued however more seriously as he noticed that the newly elected advisors and generals of Blencathra have entered the room and sat in their assigned seats

Commander-in-Chief Claw have noticed them entering and stood in a more formal stance “My Lord, you have certainly heard about the Civil war in Timarctus, As you also know it is governed by the obnoxious and cruel Viscount Edwin Montgomery of House Montgomery that is known around the empire for its great wealth that rivals even the Imperial House Heinrich, I suggest that we should help the Peasant rebels fighting against the governor forces for three reasons: The most important reason is the Just and Equality ideals that our House follows, it’s hard for us to see the injustice committed by the governor of Timarctus against the peasants without helping them while having the means to do so, secondly, House Montgomery have also committed injustice, albeit, economically against our House by overtaxing our trade caravans that passed their lands from other provinces, while we were still weak, governing only Asopeos, lastly, if we helped the peasants of Timarctus in their war, they will be more than happy to accept us as their governors, thus we gain more lands and recruits” he said finishing his statement as he waited for it to sink in with the other occupants of the room.

Count Leo thought about it for a moment but then shook his head “House Fortis was never an expansionist house, our House was always neutral only engaging in war to protect our territories, and moreover Timarctus is an ally of Ifeland since House Montgomery is one of the few houses that completely supports the chancellorship attacking it might lead to a conflict between us and the Imperials who, should I remind you, helped us greatly in gaining our lands back from the barbarians, furthermore don’t you think that annexing Timarctus by us is very similar to what the barbarians did to us 55 years ago” he said with disgust.

The Commander was about to retort but stopped himself when the newly elected General Snout stood and bowed to his brother, Snout was a House Fortis member that was born into the barbarian occupied Blencathra since his parents who were part of the 20% of House Fortis population in Blencathra (at that time) that failed to flee the province for certain reasons, when he grew up he was forcefully conscripted into the barbarian army who threatened to kill his parents if he refused “My lord, please do not take offence of what I’m about to say” he paused for confirmation, Count Leo nodded and motioned for him to continue “one of the main reasons why House Fortis was easily defeated by the invading barbarians 55 years ago was because of its anti-expansionist ideal, if we had controlled more than one province at that time we would have called for reinforcement from our army stationed in them to help us against the invading barbarians making our chances of withstanding the invasion much higher, and all these years of humiliation would have been avoided!” he said more loudly than intended, he gritted his teeth in anger as he sat heavily on his chair.

Count Leo didn’t feel offended at all by the general’s outburst, on the contrary, he was very sympathetic with him as he knew that those who were left behind after the invasion have endured the most, their lion companions were killed and anyone found with a lion was tortured they were forced to work the fields and make weapons for the barbarians, those like the young lad here, who were physically strong were forced to fight in their army, he could understand his frustration but at the same time he couldn’t find any words to refute what he said.

The newly elect War Advisor Ax was the next to stand up and bow to his lord “I agree with what General Snout have said and furthermore, the retribution of the Imperials against our house’s annexation of Timarctus can be reduced by claiming that the sizable House Fortis population in Timarctus were attacked by the governor’s forces and our house had no choice but to declare war at House Montgomery” he said with a cunning smirk as he took his seat again.

Count Leo thought about what his advisor have said, it’s true because out of the 80% of House Fortis population that fled Blencathra at the time of the invasion, three quarters of them had settled in Asopeos while the other quarter settled in Timarctus, so if House Fortis annexed Timarctus under the claim that its members living there were under constant attack by House Montgomery army, Ifeland will find it hard to issue a retribution against the House since it will risk its reputation to plummet even further with the other houses.

Commander-in-Chief Claw continued, dropping all formalities out of anger “Do not compare us to those filthy creatures the invaded our Homeland, killed our parents and made us refugees in Asopeos, if it’s not for the late Count Martin’s kindness of adopting us as the sons that he never had and ordering the building of houses to shelter our House members that fled with us, even abdicating his throne in your favor, or else we would had lived as nomads moving from one place to another while our House name faded into history, what we will do to the people of Timarctus is very different than what the barbarians did to us, insisted of being the oppressors, we will be the one that frees them from their oppressors!” he said in finality.

Count Leo looked down at his wrinkly hands as he rested them on his lap, he gritted his teeth while curling his hands into a fist in frustration, not at his brother’s show of disrespect in front of the other occupants of the room but more at himself for always finding himself in the wrong or the give in side, he started doubting all the ideals that his Father thought him about their house before the invasion.

As if reading his mind, General Snout spoke with a low voice “please do not blame Lord Asad’s Ideals for the invasion as they were all embedded in the traditions of our House, my parents always praised him, they said that after securing the escape route for most of the house members including his two sons, the barbarians were already at the gates of Leonum, he asked the men who had stayed behind if they were willing to fight, most of them raised their sword in the sky and willingly pledged their lives for him and the House, he commanded them towards the gates that were already breached by the barbarians and fought until the very last man, himself being the last to fall” he said speaking proudly of Count Leo’s father.

Count Leo raised his head and glanced at the young general, he only knew about his father through his parents and yet he spoke so greatly of him, he smiled a sad smile and nodded a thanks to the general, he then cleared his throat suppressing the tears for later, he will not look weak in front of his brother who was also doing the same having heard what the general said about their father too “in regards for my promotion, I will be heading to Ifeland to pay my homage and submit a memorial of gratitude for our Emporer so Claw I will assign you as the acting governor, you are free to plan and carry out the annexation of Timarctus in my absence” he said in a calm tone as he stood from his throne and walked towards the doors, but before leaving he turned towards the newly elected Inteligence Advisor Oculos "send our spies to Timarctus capital Goldbarn, I want a detailed description of House Montgomery's army when I come back" he ordered then turned to the a newly elected Advisors of Foreign affairs Foedus "send an envoy to the peasant rebel's proclaimed capital Hayfield, informing them that House Fortis have noticed their struggle against their governor, sharing our dislike of him with them and we'll soon assist them to overthrow him" he ordered again before leaving the room.
 
Commander-in-Chief Claw smiled kindly at his brother as he had finally found his resolve, he bid the Advisors and Generals goodbye as he left the room to oversee the training of his men, tomorrow they will start planing.

While Chancellor Devagus was observing the map of the Empire, his loyal advisor, Fabian, entered the room and bowed.

He said, "My Lord, Adrian, Douglas, Gerald, Jeremy, Leo and Theodore have all accepted their promotions. All of them except Theodore have submitted memorials of gratitude. However, Jeremy and Adrian have rejected the request to travel to Ifeland to pay homage to Emperor Damian, with the former stating that he has fallen sick and the latter stating that he is too busy fending off the raiders in the North."

Devagus responded, "Excellent, thanking the Imperial Court is the same as thanking me. However, I have not expected that some of the Governors actually decided to willingly walk into my trap. Fabian, tell me what do you think if I decide to usurp the throne."

Fabian replied, "My Lord, the time has not come for you to start a new dynasty. If you declare yourself Emperor now, you will incur the wrath of all the warlords. The Heinrich loyalists under you will also rebel against you. When that occurs, all the armies of the Empire will be directed at you."

Devagus laughed and said, "Of course, of course. Keeping an Emperor will always be more comfortable than being an Emperor. I am fully aware that at this very moment, I am already the enemy of powerful warlords. Sooner or later, I will have to engage in wars with them. However, right now, they have no time for me. Jeremy is busy annexing the Eastern Provinces, with his eyes set on Noriatica and Sparadius. Douglas should be busy annexing Swurion which would most take a very long time. Adrian is busy recruiting and training conscripts so that he would have sufficient troops to have a strong defense while being able to attack. Gerald and Theodore's troops are no match for us. Thus, we should seize this opportunity to expand into Luoyang."

Fabian replied, "My Lord, if you wish to obtain Luoyang, I have a plan which you could consider."

Devagus raised his eyebrow and said, "I am all ears."It was Donovan's first time attending court. He had long desired for the chance to meet Emperor Damian without needing to worry that his real identity will be exposed. He was fairly nervous as he walked up the steps leading to the court. Upon entering the court, he immediately knelt down and bowed, following court protocol to the letter.

Donovan said, "Your servant, Donovan, pays his respect to Your Majesty."

Emperor Damian responded, "Arise."

After which Donovan walked forward a few steps before kneeling down again, this time facing the Emperor. "By Your Majesty's mandate, I mobilized against Blencathra and have successfully driven the barbarians out of the Empire. I have captured 12,000 barbarians, beheaded 18,000 barbarians and have obtained a considerable amount of supplies for the Empire. Blencathra has also been reclaimed by House Fortis,  whose Patriarch, Count Leo, is a loyal supporter of the throne."

Emperor Damian smiled and said, "I am greatly delighted by your meritorious service. I hereby bestow upon you the rank of General of the Elite Cavalry. You shall take command of the Juggernaut Barracks and be in charge of the Ifeland's elite cavalry units."

Donovan bowed, saying "Your servant Donovan thanks Your Majesty for his benevolence."

Chancellor Devagus thought, Everything is going according to plan. He stood up and walked to the middle, placing himself in a position that blocked the Emperor before saying, "Congratulations on your investiture, Donovan. You are dismissed."

Although Emperor Damian was offended, he knew that he was just a mere figurehead with no actual power, which was why he had decided that he would not protest against Chancellor Devagus's disrespectful behaviour.  As Donovan left the court, Chancellor Devagus returned to his seat while a servant called out, "His Majesty summons Colonel Valin to court!"

The Ironclad Barracks were silent this morning. Not the usual business and noise that accompanied the training of the men, and preparations of arms. "So why do you think they summoned us?"

A man knelt next to a horse checking its shoeing could hardly be bothered to look up at his companion who was leaning against the horse trough chewing on a piece of hay. "We were not summoned anywhere, the Colonel is the one who was summoned to court. Speaking of which you really should straighten up your uniform a bit before we leave. You look like youve been sleeping in the stables again Jon"

The man named Jon leaned forward wantonly straightening his uniform and brushing some hay away. "Well my dear Captain Aldus that is probably because I have been sleeping in the stables again."  He gave a grin to the other man as he looked off towards the inner city where the palace lay. "I dont like any of this. There is something in the air, and why haven't we been sent off to battle yet? Why have we been left to rot in the city like some infantile city garrison."

"Enough Jon the Colonel is coming!" The two men stood at attention as their superior officer exited his quarters in the barracks. "Captain Aldus, Captain Jon.....lets be off to the Palace now." They mounted up and the trio rode off out of the barracks with a four additional guards accompanying them. When they arrived at the palace they stood silently outside of the court waiting to be admitted. "His Majesty summons Colonel Valin to court!" The call of the servant could be heard clearly outside in the main hall. As the doors opened Valin calmly and confidently walked in flanked by the two captains whom served under him. As they approached the throne they knelt before the Emperor.

"Majesty, I answer your summons. What is your bidding." Valin calmly kept his gaze at the foot of the throne as he knelt before his Emperor awaiting his response.

As Colonel Valin knelt before Emperor Damian, Imperial Secretary Fabian unrolled the imperial scroll on his hand.

After which he proclaimed loudly, "By the Grace of Heaven, the Emperor hereby decrees. Valin, since assuming command of the Ironclad Barracks, has shown his loyalty to the Empire by protecting our lands. This has pleased the Imperial Court greatly. Therefore, we hereby bestow upon Valin the rank of General who Conquers the West and shall be in charge of our western campaigns."

Unrolling the second scroll, he continued, "Lambert, Marquis of Luoyang, harbors seditious thoughts. He aims to go against Heaven's will and usurp the throne. General Valin is hereby ordered to launch an expedition against Marquis Lambert and reclaim Luoyang for the Emperor."

Emperor Damian was shocked for a moment. Lambert had always been a loyal subject. As the other warlords fought wars and expanded their territories, he was one of the last few who was contented with defending the Province that had been bestowed to him by former Emperor Daegan. It was clearly one of those edicts issued by Devagus in his name. However, a glare from Chancellor Devagus was all it took to keep him silent as he quickly regained his composure.

From his seat, Chancellor Devagus said, "Valin, as Marquis Lambert has 50,000 troops under his command, you shall be reinforced with 14,000 elite spearmen from the Dreadnought Barracks. You are dismissed."

With the decree marking him as an Imperial General Valin's heart soared. But the decree that followed it up made him boil with anger. Keeping his head down he raised his gaze to the Emperor awaiting some sort of response. When none came he turned his attention to the Chancellor. "My Lord, I will see to victory in Luoyang on my honor." Turning to the Emperor he followed it up almost immediately before the Chancellor could utter another word. "Your Majesty, I will carry out your will! He put a great deal of emphasis on it being the Emperor's will that he followed and not that of a power hungry politician. He took the decrees within hand, stood and bowed to the Emperor, and gave a final disapproving glare in the direction of Chancellor Devagus. He turned and promptly exited the Court.

"Captain Aldus rally the men and prepare the reinforcements. Take an inventory of the arsenal and prepare to embark at first light tomorrow. Captain Jon, see to it that logistics are properly prepared." Issuing his orders to the two captains he departed them and returned to his quarters in the barracks by alone.

"How dare he think that my loyalties can be bought. How dare he seek to pit the loyalists of the Imperial House against one another. On my honor I will see his downfall even with my last breath." Valin's thoughts were racing. His anger was boiling over but he knew he must maintain his composure and follow his orders; at least for the time being.

That evening Valin met with his officers. "Colonel. I mean General, we have 200 cavalry, 3,000 archers, and 2,800 infantry under your immediate command. With the reinforcements provided by the Chancellor our numbers are just at 20,000. Fighting the Marquis' 50,000 will be extremely difficult.

Valin nodded in agreement and pulled out a requisition that he had Jon file for the campaigns supply lines. "So long as our supply line is uninterrupted we will be secure in our victory in Luoyang. A large amount of oil is to be transported from the capital's stockpiles and sent with our supply chains west.

Valin looked down at the map on the table and began formulating various battle stratagems for engaging the Marquis' troops. "Captain Aldus you will take command of the Archers, Captain Jon you will have command of the Infantry. I have a special someone in mind to serve as our Front Line Officer in this campaign. But for now gentlemen remember one crucial thing. We are not intended to survive this campaign. I have little doubt the Chancellor is hoping the men of the Iron Barracks will perish, and the relationship between Marquis Lambert and the Throne will be greatly damaged.

At the completion of the meeting the Captains exited Valin's quarters. Left alone he continued to stare down at the map. He wouldnt allow himself to be a pawn in the political games of the court. But for now he had to formulate a strategy to conquer Luoyang.

The next morning the army rose before first light. Valin too had awoken early, and was now with a soldier who had prepared his armor and was helping him into it. His armor had been slightly modified and now contained a golden emblem on the chest piece denoting his new rank and role in the Western Campaign. He exited his quarters and mounted up on his charger which had been prepared and was awaiting his master's arrival. Valin moved to the head of the formation and with the pounding of the drums the column began to move forward out of the barracks and towards the western gates of the city.

Commander-in-Chief Claw sat in the War room, his brother Count Leo already left 4 days ago to Ifeland leaving him in charge of governing Blencathra and to plan their move on Timarctus, he turned to Advisor Oculos "any news from our spies in Timarctus?" he asked wondering.

The Advisor nodded "yes I just received the news this morning, according to our spies House Montgomery have a total of 45,000 soldier, divided into 15,000 Spearmen, 15,000 Swordsmen, 10,000 Cavalry and 5,000 Crossbowmen" he stated to everyone present.

Claw thought about these huge numbers compared to House Fortis total force of 14,000, he was starting to lose hope of ever annexing Timarctus, but then remembered the envoy that his brother commanded to be sent to the rebels "Any news from the envoy?" he asked the Foreign affairs Advisor Foedus.

He also nodded "yes the envoy have spoken to the leader of the Peasant rebels, Commander Berwick, he was very happy to hear that House Fortis will help them in their rebel since he have heard many stories about our justice, the envoy concluded that the rebels have 60,000 men, however only 10,000 were equipped with decent weapons stolen from conquered keeps, the rest are equipped with any farming equipment that could be used as a weapon like axes, pitchforks, scythes and sickles" he stated.

Commander-in-Chief Claw was in deep thought before stating "it seems our best choice is to supply the rebels with better weapons and train them on how to use it, did our spies drew a map of Timarctus?" he asked the intelligence advisor again.

Advisor Oculos took out a scroll from his robes and soon all eyes were on the bi-colored map of Timarctus "The areas colored in Yellow are under House Montgomery rule, and the ones colored in Green are under Rebel control, unfortunately nature is against us this time around since the border between Timarctus, Blencathra and Asopeos is hilly and it would be hard for our supply buffalos to cross it especially since they will be carrying heavy weapons, so the only way to cross the border is through merchant caravans' roads" he said pointing at the roads that crosses the borders between Timarctus and Blencathra and Between Timarctus and Asopeos respectively and then pointed at two keeps labeled Axedrop and Highsilos respectively "another unfortunate matter is that each road passes a keep controlled by the enemy" he said seriously.

War Advisor Ax requested to speak, Claw nodded for him to speak "Sir, there is a great chance that these keeps are greatly unguarded, as our enemies are using most of their armies to fight the rebels in other places, I suggest that we use 5,000 men from our army in Blencathra and another 5,000 from our army in Asopeos to attack the keeps at the same time, each army should carry weapons enough for 5,000 men, this may hit our own weapon supplies but annexing Timarctus can help us replenish them easily, controlling these keeps will give our troops a corridor to pass to the rebels' controlled areas" he said wisely.

The Commander-in-Chief stroked his beard in contemplation "So after we equip and train the peasant, what is the next step?" he asked the people present inside the room.

General Snout was the one to speak this time "Our first step is to conquer all the keeps that are still controlled by House Montgomery, this step is advantageous since the looted weapons from each keep can increase the power of the rebel army, increasing our chances in victory which comes in the next step: the conquest of Goldbarn!" he exclaimed as he pointed at it on the map.

Claw frowned as he remembered how the merchants spoke of Goldbarn's thick and high walls, he then decided to remind his housemates about it "I would like to remind you that conquering Goldbarn is not an easy task since House Montgomery, being filthy rich and cowardly, have built legendary defensive walls around their capital" he said with a sad sigh.

Intelligence Advisor Oculos smirked cunningly "It's true that these walls provides our enemies' capital with great defenses, however all walls have their weaknesses which is their other side" he said cryptically, the Commander raised an eyebrow at this "my spies informed me that food have became scarce in Goldbarn, to be expected since most peasants that works the infamously fertile lands of Timarctus have ceased the supplying of food to the capital after joining the rebels, the rich merchants and the Aristocratic class including the governor and members of his house uses most of the available food, while the working class like the blacksmiths, tanners, tailors and others are all left with morsels to eat, when the time comes, my spies can easily ignite a rebellion within the working class compelling them to open the gates from the inside for our joint troops to enter, once this happen you can consider Goldbarn conquered" he said positively.

Commander-in-Chief grinned happily at what he heard from the advisor, he resisted the urge to hug him for the satisfying news that he provided "very well, I will send a massager lion to Lord Heir Raion in Asopeos, informing him about the plan and to coordinate our troops' movement" he said as he concluded the planning stage.

Duke Jeremy rested on his seat, his confident posture symbolizing his power and influence. Two beautiful attendants were situated at his sides, waving long and large fans. His gray hair swayed gently as the wind carassed his face. His facial expression showed a rather indifferent one as his eyes glanced through the report that Antonidas had submitted to him.

After the formation of the Coalition in response to Devon's tyranny, we had a total of 25,000 troops, consisting of 12,000 Cavalry, 10,000 Infantry, 2,000 Archers and 1,000 in the Navy.
After the annexation of Hedgemont, our forces increased by 15,000, reaching a total of 40,000 troops, consisting of 20,000 Cavalry, 15,000 Infantry, 3,000 Archers and 2,000 in the Navy.
After the annexation of Actianona, our forces increased by 30,000, reaching a total of 70,000 troops, consisting of 40,000 Cavalry, 22,000 Infantry, 5000 Archers and 3,000 in the Navy
After the annexation of Ormymnur, our forces increased by 30,000, reaching a total of 100,000 troops, consisting of 45,000 Cavalry, 25,000 Infantry, 8000 Archers and 22,000 in the Navy.
After the annexation of Dalarctand, our forces increased by 30,000, reaching a total of 130,000 troops, consisting of 60,000 Cavalry, 30,000 Infantry, 10,000 Archers and 30,000 in the Navy.
After the annexation of Granarctene, our forces increased by 30,000, reaching a total of 160,000 troops, consisting of 80,000 Cavalry, 36,000 Infantry, 12,000 Archers and 32,000 in the Navy.
As of currently, 100,000 troops can be deployed for military campaigns without risking an invasion on any of the annexed provinces.

Antonidas bowed and said, "My Lord, you now reign over six major provinces, namely Aelinmiley, Hedgemont, Actianona, Ormymnur, Dalarctand and Granarctene. If I may be so bold to request that we continue and invade Noriatica."

Duke Jeremy stroked his beard and replied, "Our war with Count Dalbert and Count Granberg have just ended and our army have not been given enough time to rest."

Antonidas replied, "My Lord, please consider this. Winter will set in soon and by then, we will have to cease all military campaigns until the end of the season. Furthermore, our army’s morale is at a peak."

Duke Jeremy nodded and replied, "Very well then."

With his liege's permission, Antonidas and his army marched into Noriatica. As he scanned the battlefield, he thought I see, the enemy has decided to occupy Titanic Hill. They intend to use the high ground to their advantage. Furthermore, the hill is heavily forested, providing additional natural defense. If we decide to fight a battle uphill, they will simply shoot us with arrows and annihilate us within a second. However, what they do not realize is that Titanic Hill is a lone hill, far away from any rivers. If we decide to lay siege and not attack, we will be able to cut short of their water supplies. In a few days, their supplies will be depleted and their troops thrown into disarray. By then, we shall attack the hill and secure our victory."

As predicted, after days of thirst, the enemy troops were thrown into disarray and were no longer in the state to fight. Antonidas led his cavalry and charged up the hill but halfway through, an enemy messenger approached him and declared that they had decided to surrender. After this battle, Noriatica was left with 5,000 weak troops, allowing Antonidas to conquer it within a day.
Meanwhile in Luoyang, scouts reported that General Valin had led 20,000 Ifeland troops to invade them. Key officials and generals hurriedly gathered at the hall as Marquis Lambert struggled to remain calm.
 
Marquis Lambert said, “Although our army has the numerical advantage, General Valin is a renowned general and the troops under his command are all valiant warriors. Tell me, how shall we handle this situation?”
 
General Percival bowed and said, “My Lord, to gain access to the rest of the cities, the enemy will have pass through City Pegasus. As City Pegasus is a well fortified stronghold, if you will allow me to lead 15,000 troops to reinforce the existing city guards, I assure you that the enemy will be repelled."

Marquis Lambert responded, "Very well"

An hour later, drums were pounded as General Percival's army marched out of the city, heading towards City Pegasus.

Marquis Douglas, Counts Gerald and Theodore, and their respective entourages arrive at the capitol together, and make their way to the Imperial court to pay their respects to the Emperor.They stop briefly at thier lodgings in the imperial city, to begin the unloading of their gear and bathe and change into court appropriate attire. A local informant told them that Devagus was currently in a meeting with several high ranking generals to plan the conquest of the coalition. So the group, got into plain carriages and went quickly to the palace, and quietly sought a private audience with the Emperor. They hoped to avoid Devagus entirely, if possible. If not, most of the entourage was made up of the various houses elite warriors though none carried any weapons openly, and only the best carried small blades concealed, very carefully. They wanted no trouble, but they were ready for it it showed up of it's own accord.

Emir urged that the regions of Russilene and Sparardius be annexed by the allies. He set A great deal of urgency on the acquisition of these new provinces, as the coalition would need all the strength it could get come next spring. Russilene was a renowned fortress province, with heavy defences dotting the province. Emir suggested the use of light infantry and cavalry to harass the people surrounding these fortresses and to keep the heavy infantry and cavalry in reserve until the garrisons came out to fight off the light cavalry. Sparadius would be an easier capture, and he suggested a quick march to the enemy capitol with as many men as possible should secure it in short order, since most of the Sparadian soldiers would be expecting an attack from Duke Jeremy's forces. Emir himself would be seeking an audience with Duke Jeremy to establish a time and plan of attack against Ifeland next spring. He was offering each ally 30,000 of Miranti's conscripts fully equipped with a dagger-axe and crossbow, as well as 300 bolts per man. He wanted these to gain experience in combat and see the as well as show the other lords how they could make the most of of their conscripts, with only a slight dent to their coffers.

Troops began moving within the week and Emir left the day after them, heading for the court of Duke Jeremy. his commander's had been quite successful, so he had no doubt that there was in fact a plan to crush Ifeland, he only wondered how much of the empire Jeremy wanted personal control of, before he'd attack the devious chancellor.

The army camped on the borders of Luoyang and Valin was looking over a map of the province. Undoubtedly the city of Pegasus would prove to be the first major obstacle. "Captain Jon!"

Captain Jon silently entered the tent and bowed to Valin. "Send this dispatch by courier bird to Marquis Lambert immediately!"

Private Dispatch

Marquis Lambert,

These are dangerous times for those loyal to the throne. The Chancellor would pit ally against ally; but herein we have an opportunity. If your loyalties lie with the Emperor then vacate your office, gather your strength, and flee until enough support and power can be gathered to defend the Emperor from those whom would use him for their own gain.

This is the only offer I will extend. I can not directly defy my orders, and as I speak we advance upon Pegasus. Stay and the loyalists will be weakened.

General Valin

That evening a cloaked figure arrived in the camp by horseback. It was none other than the new front line officer that Valin had been awaiting. Aldus, Jon this is our newest addition. This is Amelia, she holds no military rank as she is not part o the army. She will command the right flank of the front line." Aldus and Jon looked slightly confused. They had never fought against a woman, let alone fought along side one. "Dont be too concerned men, she is after all one of the finest swords women in the world."

Jon was clearly thrilled with this arrangement and immediately went to work on Amelia. "The General sure knows how to pick 'em! With curves like that our enemy will fall jaws first. So tell me beautiful do you need a bunk for the night?"

"Enough!" The General suddenly looked very stern. "Amelia is here to serve the Empire and unseat the Marquis. Nothing more, understood Captain!?"

The night passed relatively uneventfully from here on out. The next morning the army set off towards Pegasus. They would arrive by sundown. As the march proceeded through the countryside the scouts reported a large contingent of troops headed for Pegasus to reinforce the city. Marquis Lambert's troops at that. Valin thought to himself as his troops marched onward;  "So be it, they will fall before us"