An Unforeseen Strategy

They ride closer to the fortress. When they reach a certain distance, soldiers emerge from the ramparts and points arrows at them.

"Identify yourselves," a soldier wearing a different set of armor from the rest of the knights shout from the top of the rampart. "This is a fortress of the kingdom of Gallia, directly serving the Crown."

"We are physicians from the royal Capital. We're here to assist you," Manfred shouts at the man. He grabs something from his pack, "we have a royal decree proving our business."

The soldier who asked the question opens the gates and exits the fortress. He reads the decree and stops the archers from shooting Gianni and Manfred. He welcomes them inside the fortress which is more of a walled dungeon. The ambiance that Gianni feels feeds off from his positive energy. The structure appears to keep them locked inside. Everything is in complete disarray, the training grounds are unmaintained, the stables are unsanitary and most of the horses are sick, the soldiers have at least a cold, with a handful having severe symptoms of pneumonia.

"We're glad that you came," the soldier who welcomes them turns out to be the captain of the fortress. "Most of the knights here have fallen ill, we only have a handful of capable soldiers left, most of them are archers. Since this is the fortress closest to the border, any incoming force from Essenia will attack here first, the graveness of the situation, we feared for the worst. But now you two are here."

Gianni and Manfred takes a look at the sick soldiers. They all show symptoms of loss of muscle coordination and loss of appetite. Some are truly malnourished that they contracted other diseases like influenza. They come close to one sick soldier, but he suddenly stands up disoriented and runs away from them. He crashes against a wall. The soldiers falls unconscious. They all help him get back to the infirmary. They bind his feet with chains to make sure he never runs away when he wakes up. With what they saw, they have a probable diagnosis of the illness that the soldiers have.

"It's kuru," Manfred says. "This mindlessness and discoordination, it is a disease that affects the mind."

"I think so, too," Gianni concurs, "the disorientation, the uncoordination, and the malnutrition, the signs, and results of cannibalism."

They share their diagnosis with the captain, and asks him the history of the soldiers infected.

"They are all natives of the southwestern provinces," the captain answers. "So, this is linked to their tradition of eating the remains of their dead?"

"Yes, it is linked to that," Manfred answers. "Kuru is a disease only known to this region. There have been no cases outside the provinces nor in the Capital."

"Is there any cure or treatment for this disease?"

"There are no known treatments nor cures for kuru," Gianni sadly answers. "As physicians, we can only slow down the process of the disease's severity."

"Is there really no hope left for my men, doctors?"

"We will try everything we can. We shall apply every treatment that we know, maybe some will work," Manfred answers. "This shall be the first time that we are looking at cases of kuru. So, it is something new to us."

"Make it work," the captain exclaims. "We don't have time to spare, the Essenian forces could arrive at any moment."

Without speaking another word, Gianni and Manfred rushes back to the infirmary. They wear their physician scrubs under an extra layer of clothing. It is a precaution to prevent the spread of any disease. They ban the healthy soldiers from interacting with the sick, and implement every treatment that they know of.

The next medical moments are completely dumbfounding as the two sees them. They know the treatment for the diseases caused by malnutrition, but kuru is different. They are fighting an opponent that they have no effective weapon against.

A day completely passes by, two soldiers finally succumb to their demise. They were as thin as a wilted tree in winter. Their skin are completely dry and their bones are very distinguishable. Their remains are burnt to keep the spread of disease. The chaplain of the fortress is against the burning of the bodies, saying that it is unholy and goes against the will of God. But Gianni and Manfred have no other options remaining. They also have to think of the sake of the other healthy soldiers.

One by one, they witness the death of the sick. The number of soldiers in the fortress continues to plummet until the last sick soldier finally meets his demise. There are twelve people left in the fortress, including Gianni and Manfred. With those numbers, they could not possibly mount a defense that can last an assault. They have no chance of defending the fortress.

Meanwhile, the Essenian army finally crosses the border. As the sun finally sets to end the day, they camp at the exact border only a distance away from the fortress.

The silhouette of the Essenian soldiers can be seen from the ramparts of the fortress. Their movements around their encampments portray serious motions. Some are having normal conversations, with their hands portraying nonverbal cues. Some are cleaning their armor and weapons. The silhouette that beam on the walls of the red wigwams and tents had more diverse movements.

The remaining knights in the fortress argue about their next course of action. Though no matter how much their suggestions differ, they all end up with a great escape. Some suggest that they light all of the torches on the ramparts to fool the Essenian army so that they can escape. Another group thinks that they should burn the entire fortress to the ground and make a grand escape towards the nearby fortresses. The rest just wants to run away as soon as possible. As much as they want to escape, the probability of a sudden night raid can happen, if they try to act harshly. Their only hope is to wait for the morning to make their great escape.

Most of the soldiers that want to get out and avoid the fate of the blade, firmly disagrees with their captain. Seeing no other way to calm his men, the captain lets them go. Three soldiers are about to desert their posts that night, and decide to leave as soon as they could. But before they could leave, the captain knew of their intentions.

"If you must flee, then be messengers so that you will not be considered traitors," he says to them. "If you go without accepting this mission, then you will face the horrors of the blade." So, the soldiers are to inform the other fortresses of the army within their borders. It is last attempt of saving his men to atone for those he could not save.

The three make their escape under the cover of darkness. The fortress gates open quietly. Only nine people are now in the fortress, including Gianni and Manfred. The two are reluctant and anxious with the situation. They help in the night watch, rotating with the soldiers to prevent any surprise attacks from happening.

The entire night passes with not a single attempt of taking the fortress. When the sun climbs from the horizon, their faces paint incomprehension when the Essenian army never marches any further from where they were. Instead, they dug up for defense creating fences and obstacles, securing their front and rear, fortifying their encampments.

It is a strange move from them, but a lucky move for Gianni and the remaining knights. As soon as the sun completely shows itself, they ride away from the fortress completely abandoning it. They coat the remaining provisions with poison, and destroyed everything that may place Gallia at a disadvantage. However, they keep all the torches lit. They even place sets of armor at specific locations to fool the enemy, a cunning and clever move. As soon as their position is in plain sight, they expected pursuit but to their surprise not a single Essenian rider galloped in pursuit.

They ride their way to safety and arrive at the nearest fortress where they added themselves ot the ranks of the soldiers. Interrogations proceeded their arrival. Gianni and Manfred reports their findings with kuru. They include the fate of the knights in the fortress with the said disease. The captain, meanwhile, informs them of strange behavior from the enemy army.

Five days pass, the entire Essenian army stands at the border. Their encampments completely fortified, their defenses stand strong in the midst of winter, and their forces completely filled with vigor. Their recent actions are both strange and advantageous to the Gallians and Inglaterans. Word has been already sent to the Capital and now the alliance army arrives closer to the southwestern border.

It is General Deane de La Falaise who marches the combined army from the Capital. Donned in her full silver armor, equipped with a sword and a lance, she rides on her white stallion, carrying a pole bearing the flag of the two kingdoms. She arrives at the fortress where Gianni and Manfred are.

The two distributes warm lavender and chamomile tea to the knights upon the main force's arrival. The cold harshness of the southwest can greatly hamper their morale. They give each one, helping in the distribution of blankets and extra clothes afterwards.

"The Essenian forces are getting ready for battle," a scout returns shouting the report to the entire army. "When I left, they were already in full battle armor. They should be in complete battle formation as we speak."

"We cannot risk a frontal assault," General La Falaise contemplates. "The army is fatigued from the march and we are greatly outnumbered. We shall employ tactics in this battle. Let's split up the army evenly according to the number of fortresses in the region. Each part must occupy the nearby fortresses. We must fight a defensive battle. The best defense is a good offense. This is our homeland. Our supplies are stable. The winter must be getting to theirs. It shall be a battle of patience."

Gianni gets separated from Manfred when commands are given. Manfred is to be stationed at another fortress, while Gianni has to stay. He enters the infirmary of the fortress, where he finds a knight tampering with the ampoules inside a drawer.

"Can I help you with something?" Gianni asks. "Those ampoules are for treating colds."

"Yes, I'm administering them to some of the patients," the knight replies. "I should be finished with this soon."

"Excuse me, who are you?" Gianni begins to wonder. "Only doctors are allowed to administer medicine."

"My name is Franz," the knight answers carrying a tray of ampoules and syringes. "I studied medicine, but I finished halfway. When the doctors in this fortress left, I took over." The knight moves to a patient and begins filling the syringe with the medicine from one of the ampoules. He administers it. Gianni moves closer to check if he is doing things properly, and his face draws amazement, when he realizes that he is telling the truth.

"My apologies," he says, "forgive my earlier rudeness."

"No apologies necessary."

"You need some help with that?" Gianni offers, and Franz gives him some of the syringes and ampoules to administer to the patients. With the two of them working together, they swiftly finish the work. When they arrange the ampoules back into the cabinets, a thought comes into Gianni's mind. "Why did you become a knight? I mean you could be a successful doctor with your skills."

"My parents did not have the money. There is only one school in this country, and the cost is astronomical. My dad was a captain in the army. When he died in battle, I wanted to avenge him, and so I decided to follow in his footsteps. It was actually in this room, in this fortress. He died defending the nation from the Essenians."

In the middle of their conversation, drum roll vibrations permeate the solid stone floor, walls, and ceiling. The ground silently rumbles as the footsteps of thousands of soldiers march towards the fortresses. They burn the deserted fortress near border, proceeding to the ones remaining standing.

The Essenian army moves as one large unit. Most of their soldiers are on foot, carrying long swords. Their armor varies. The knights on the front lines wear steel armor, while the archers in the back wear leather armor. Their cavaliers have extravagant decorations, equipped with swords, and bows and arrows.

Slowly approaching the fortresses, the Essenian army lets out a great shout to intimidate their foes. Gianni can only watch on top of the ramparts as the raging howl of their blood lust cripples his hair to stand. The general sounds a horn, which prompts him to return to the infirmary.

"This is going to be a long siege," Franz says. "We must prepare to take care of the injured."

Meanwhile, arrows and boulders fly across the sky, dealing casualties to their enemies. When the horn blares once more, a messenger from the Capital arrives in the scene. He falls into unconsciousness as soon as he arrives. Gianni and Franz takes him to the infirmary where they nurse him back to health. He has signs of fatigue all over his body. His muscles are completely stiff.

The Gallians expect sieges and assaults, but the Essenians just pass their fortresses. They head deeper into Gallia, completely ignoring the forces within the fortresses. Before the Gallians could act, the Essenians fortify their position. They make encampments that separate the entire allied army from the rest of Gallia.

The general now sees it as completely bizarre. In her eyes, it is both advantageous and disadvantageous. The Essenians army dug up for defense, while they are in the comforts of their fortresses. But their supply lines are in danger.

Meanwhile, the messenger from the royal Capital finally regains consciousness. In great fear, he reports to the captains and the general. "The southern city of Magnolia has been taken by the Essenians."

"WHAT," everyone in the room exclaims, "how can that be? Did they sail and take our cities behind us? Impossible," chatter and chit chat resonates throughout the entire room.

"The force that took Magnolia are capturing cities throughout the Grandiflora domain. The other domains to the north and west are in danger, as we speak. The two kings order the return of the alliance army immediately."

"I see," General de la Falaise laughs, "now everything is becoming clear. They dug up for defense to keep us from getting to the south. They had no intention in fighting us head on in the first place. They lured us here to trap us."

With their route to the capital blocked by the Essenians, Gallia hands by a thread.