47 Chapter 47: Eunice the Impaler.
Eunice the Impaler.
They say she was born in the darkest hours of the winter, on a slave trader ship sailing on the Shallow Sea. From the day she was born, the slave masters treat her like an animal, for her father is the one leading the slave rebellions in the Rosesyth Empire. Her mother was raped and then beheaded, she was forced to watch her mother's body eaten by the dogs. When she was 5, she had to see the masters burn her father alive for rebellion.
- You are trash, and trashes must know their place.
Beaten, starved, you can say that her life is miserable. Until one day, the slave trader ship she lives on was attacked by a force with the yellow unicorn banners. 2 Lyrion broke into her cell, and noticed her lying lifelessly on the ground. One kneeled to check her state while the other so other spoke unwillingly:
- Bronzehand, leave her, we don't have enough food to feed her. The captain won't need a slave child, she can' work.
- Shut up, Batar. I made a promise with her father, and I'm going to fulfill it, no matter what.
- So be it, but you'll be in charge of her.
From that day, Eunice swore to follow that man, fight for him, destroy his enemies, and one day, she wants to help him to become the ruler of the world and stay by his side. Thousands of his enemies have been put on spikes by him, which bring her the name the Impaler, the name that brings the most fear to the foes of the Great Lyrion Army.
------------
Rose Harbour
The city walls have been damaged, the Lyrion fleet led by Eunice the Impaler has attacked this city frequently. If not for Lord Alfred Rosewood's leadership, the Lyrion raiders would have swamped across the city gates already.
Tonight's sky is very dark, we can rarely see any moon or star lights. The Fortunian soldiers are patrolling on simple fortifications built by the shore, which are just built recently to protect the city walls from the Lyrion fleet. The torches of the Fortunian light the area surrounding it, although they are exhausted from fighting in the morning, their manpower is running low so most of the Fortunians haven't taken proper rest for several months.
But their morale is still high, for they've won several significant battles recently, watching the Lyrion ships burned by a strange powder named Flame Powder brings them joy. The watchers chat and laugh every time they cross each other, sometimes mocking the Lyrion prisoners being crucified on the seashore.
But this neglect is a blunder, under the coldness of the water, Eunice leads 10000 Lyrion marauders with scuba diving gears to swim stealthily to the shore. While from 5 miles away, 50000 Lyrion raiders embark on small ships with no torches lighted, waiting for their commander.
Eunice is the first one who reaches the shore, she stands up, takes off her gear, and draws her greatsword. The marauders quietly get won't the shore too and take out their giant axes. Eunice looks around and then roar:
- KILL THEM ALL.
With Eunice leading the charge, the marauders attack. The Fortunian watchers are caught off guard, the archers can not get into the watchtowers in time. The wooden gates of the camp are burst open by the marauders. The slaughter starts, these soldiers here mostly are levies of house Rosewood, the captains or the Blue Ordermen manage to assemble them and repel the attackers but the strength of the marauders overwhelms them.
The Fortunian army is quickly defeated and has to rout to the city. Luckily, Lord Alfred has noticed the attack and commands his soldiers to be on walls. Archers from the walls pour arrows on the marauders when they try to pursue the routing Fortunian men.
Lord Rosewood is anxious while commanding the archers trying to push back the Lyrions, how could these raiders get on the shore without being noticed? They must have at least 10000 men, so hundreds of ships are needed to carry them.
- Are the Lyrions able to fly? " he wonders himself.
But there is not enough time for him to think, 50000 raiders with their ships get on the shore, he has used all of the Flame Powder so everything he can fire at them now is rocks and oil barrels.
Eunice looks at the gate in front of her, her soldiers have to drop their armors since their weights will only drag them into the deep sea. As a result, many of them are killed or wounded by the enemies' archers on the wall. The reinforcements of the Lyrion have gotten on the shore, bringing with them a battering ram and several sieges towers. Eunice wields her sword:
- ADVANCE.
The siege equipment slowly but steadily moves forward. Hide under the roof of the battering ram to cover herself from the fire arrows fly toward them. The Lyrions push the ram harder when they see her appearance. Not more than 10 minutes, the ram from the seashore has reached the gate of Rose Harbour without much resistance.
And with several pushes, the gate collapses. Eunice has reached this gate many times before but she hasn't opened it yet. She smiles, takes a shield from her bodyguard:
- FOLLOW ME.
The Fortunian soldiers have created a shield wall formation behind the gate, and two armies charge against each other, and fire and brutal sightings erupt everywhere, walls, gates, houses, or the shore. The historians describe that it seems like Rose Harbour is visited by the Fire and the War Gods at the same time.
After 6 hours, the Sun rises and lights up the water of Rose Harbour. The Lyrion fleet under the command of Hadrian comes back from the raid of Varnasiga appears in the bay. The battle of Rose Harbour has over, a small ship from the command ship carries Hadrian Bronzehand to the shore, where he is greeted by Eunice.
Hadrian and his bodyguards get off the ships, when they see thousands of bodies being impaled on the shore, they smile immediately. Eunice kneels to Hadrian and throws the head of Lord Alfred Rosewood and a shattered flag of house Rosewood to Hadrian's feet:
- The city is yours, my master.
