Reinforcements

Claude, Alicia the volunteer force and the rangers found themselves caught between two forces so they were forced to retreat to the keep with Count Rouvroy. As they looked out off the keep's walls they saw a massive force of at least five of the battalions that they faced on the trail, around three thousand soldiers with at least a hundred knights. The idea of charging out of the keep seemed impossible. Count Rouvroy looked at his son and Alicia and said, "I'm sorry, Claude, we may not make it."

Alicia smiled and said, "If we can hold out, there is still hope. That's what everyone here needs to hear, your Excellency."

Count Rouvroy turned to Claude and said, "If you don't marry this woman, you aren't my son." He turned to Alicia and said, "You're quite right my dear." He turned to the inner courtyard and yelled out, "We'll hold them here until reinforcements arrive. Women and children will run the hospital and kitchen, the rest of you take shifts on the wall or make arrows. Start cooking the oil and prepare water for fires. Ballistas are to be kept under cover until they bring out siege engines. We're fighting for our lives, so don't you dare hold anything back!" he raised his sword in the air and called out, "Rouvroy!"

The entire keep cheered out, "Rouvroy!" in return.

*****

Once Olivier returned from seeing his father, they started to talk about the gate spell. Guy smiled and said, "It might be fun to pop in on Claude and Alicia."

Madeline looked confused, "Pop in?"

"I mean, come through a gate right into the keep to say hello." Guy shook his head.

Olivier thought for a moment, "I have never been to that county."

Madeline shook her head. "I haven't been there either."

Diggory's bushy eyebrows wiggled, "I have been to Count Rouvroy's keep many times."

"Let's not go then..." Madeline said

Diggory made a derisive noise and then looked at the gate spell in the book for a minute before flamboyantly saying, "Gate!" A doorway sized rippling silver watery surface appeared in the room. Guy shrugged and walked through it. Madeline, Olivier, and Diggory followed close behind.

On the other side, they were surprised to find the keep busy at work, the sound of people running around and screaming for arrows was all around. Up above on the keep's rampart, they saw Claude and Alicia directing men with bow and arrow. Guy, Olivier, and Madeline walked over to see what the situation was like as Diggory followed a well-endowed woman into the hospital.

Guy walked up next to Claude and asked, "How bad are things looking?"

Claude said, "We are under siege by five battalions of El Pais De Lotharios regulars. They have a hundred... How the hell are you here??" He spun around and saw Madeline and Olivier next to him as well. Alicia bounced happily and gave Madeline a big hug. "Seriously, how was it possible for you to get in the keep? It shouldn't be possible."

Guy chuckled and said, "You want to see something impressive?"

Claude nodded. Guy grinned and said, "I can't believe I am really going to do this, I wish I could put this on YouTube." He wiggled his fingers and asked, "Which part of their forces do you hate the most? Just point them out." Claude blinked a few times and then pointed at a random group of soldiers. Guy winked and then said, "Lightning bolt, Lightning bolt, Lightning bolt!" Three giant streaks of Lightning came crashing down on the enemy soldiers killing at least a hundred men and injuring dozens more that were near enough to those men.

Claude and Alicia were struck dumb. Madeline smiled and asked Count Rouvroy, "Your Excellency, how many reinforcements will you need to annihilate their forces?"

Count Rouvroy was still in shock looking at the dead enemy soldiers, he mumbled out, "I supposed five thousand should be enough."

Olivier laughed, "Is that all? My personal force is enough then."

Madeline smiled and said, "My father would love to bring his men as well. I'll be back in hmm, say one hour?"

"If I don't let father come, he'll put me in another strange Academy if he finds out Duke Aumont was here instead of him." Guy sighed, "Alright let's meet back here in an hour. This will be a victory for the ages." He laughed and the called for a gate. Madeline and Olivier did the same.

"Son, your friends..." Count Rouvroy was still completely frozen to the spot, looking at the devastation one of them had caused before the three of them just walked into thin air and disappeared.

Claude shook his head and said, "With Lord Montfort, sometimes it's just better to not ask. That man can not be measured by mortal means."

*****

One hour later three gates appeared one after another Olivier stepped out of one with a knight commander, Duke Aumont and Madeline stepped out of another, and then Duke Montfort and Guy stepped out. The men walked up to the top of the rampart and did a survey of the land around the keep. The two Dukes conferred with Count Rouvroy and Olivier before walking over. Olivier smiled and said, "We'll drop our forces over to the right flank. Duke Aumont will bring his soldiers to the left flank and Duke Montfort's knights will exit from the keep. Today we will make the history for the Kingdom!"

All of the men smiled. The people in the keep roared out, "Rouvroy! Pays Des Abrutis!"

To the El Pais de Lotharios troops, it seemed as if soldiers just suddenly appeared like ghosts all around them. When the keep doors opened and a seemingly endless tide of knights came pouring out it was the stuff of nightmares. All around, in every direction they heard calls for reinforcements, the soldiers were all crushed inward. The charging knights to the front, soldiers to the rear at each flank. It was as if this small county was actually a death trap that was waiting for their soldiers. When a column of flame dropped down into their center killing their leaders, the men desperately tried to surrender only to find the kill-crazy enemy surrounding them only had an interest in killing them all to the last man.