Fire, Blood, Screams, people killing people!
His mother saw him and snap the shock out of him.
"Rhenal!" his mother shouted.
"You there, get inside the castle gate now run!!!!" a soldier tells us to.
His mother hurriedly drag him towards the gate which looks far from their house but it doesn't. And suddenly a man in a horse is coming towards their direction with a sword in his hand.
"Let's go here rhaenal" his mother said.
They turn to an alleyway to escape the man, but on the other end some guy with a sword again is waiting, we turn again to an alleyway and we hide in a room that looks like a storage room.
"We stay here for a while ok?" Instructed by his mother.
Rhaenal just nod in agreement and after quite some time, it got quiter.
"I'll check if it's safe outside, stay here i'll be back promise." Rhaenal's mother promised.
"Take this, it's from your grandmother, she says that it will keep the owner of this safe at all time" as she handed him a cross necklace and leaves.
It's been a while since his mother went outside to check, fear took over him, the screams, the crying of the people got stuck in Rhaenal's head, the agony, the pain.
It starts raining all of a sudden he can't move his legs and he also can't even feel anything.
"What is happening? Am i dreaming?" Rhaenal talking to himself.
He slap himself a couple of times, to wake up in case he is dreaming, but it's not.
"It's not a dream"
"It is happening, it is the reality" as Rhaenal realized.
Time passes, and his mother is still not back, he gather all the courage he have if there is some, and manage to stand up and take a peak outside the door
"No one is here, and it's so quiet, maybe it is safe now" as he walked out of the door.
But due to shock and exhaustion he can't walk properly, looks like his knee is giving up on him, with the help of the wall he manage to get out of the alleyway.
Looking out on the street he saw a body of a man lying in the ground cover in blood and in mud, it is Mr.Carn.
"Mr.carn! Mr.Carn!" Rhaenal shouted.
"Rhae .... Rhaenal *cough cough*"
blood spills from him as he try to talk.
"Mr.carn are you okay?"
"I'll take you to the inner gates, we'll get help there" Rhaenal said to the Old Man.
Mr.Carn takes his hand and shake his head lightly
"Wait, he's telling me not to?" Rhaenal thought to himself.
"No Mr.Carn i'll take you to the inner castle we'll get help there" as Rhaenal try to convince the Old Man.
Mr.Carn just holds his hand tightly and smile, then suddenly there's no force left in his hand.
"Mis .....mister Carn" Rhaenal ttrying to wake up the Old Man but to no response.
He can't do anything but cry and let the Old Man's body in ground and continue walking towards the inner castle where the soldier earlier tell them to go , and as walking in the streets many bodies lying, some he know personally, some he know by their faces.
"Are we being punish? Do God abandon us?" As he talks to himself.
It seems like his soul has left him while walking. He saw a man decapitated, and he can't do anything but just kneel down and vomit cause his stomach cannot take the brutality of scene he is seeing. He is cover in blood and mud as well like the bodies on the streets. While walking, he got tripped and was about to stand up when he saw a familiar hand that is under a pile of body.
"No, No, No" he can't believe what his mind is telling him.
He removed the bodies and in disbelief as he saw the body of his loving mother lying in the ground cover in blood and mud with no life.
"Impossible, no, no" he started pulling the body of his mother out of the pile of dead bodies.
Still in disbelief he grab the body and clean the face just to make sure and indeed it is his mother. His cry is heard around the town.
He cried! And cry and cry until he doesn't have the voice left to cry and tears to cry. The rain, the blood, the mud and his tears everything is pouring to his body. The lifeless state of his mind and body has been shattered again seeing his mother with no life.
And suddenly there's noises, he heard noises, people walking in the mud. As he turn, he saw men, 5 men with swords, one of them is in horseback and in full armour.
"Well, Well, look what we have here" said by one man with a short sword.
One of the men come near him and try to attack him, he quickly grab a sword from one of the body on the ground and pointed it to the incoming man. The man stop for a moment.
"Don't .... come .... near me, I can .... kill you" pointing the sword to the man but his hands is shaking.
"Really? You can kill me? Then try!!" Then try or die doing so.
"Just kill him Kjar, we don't want to waste our time here we need to report" said by the man in horseback while the other three are laughing and mocking me, imitating what i just said.
"But i would like to have fun a bit chief" as Kjar replied.
He draw his sword and hit Rhaenal's sword lightly and that was enough for him to drop it to the ground.
"It's no fun if u don't have a sword, come on stand up and pick up your sword" said bt Kjar mocking Rhaenal.
He quickly pick up his sword and try to stand up but his knees is not letting him. Rhaenal try pounding his knees a couple of times to wake up the muscles in ti.
"Come on!! Try to hit me, i'll give you the first strike" Kjar tempted Rhaenal.
Rhaenal manage to stand up and swing his sword but Kjar manage to dodge it easily. Kjar just laugh at him.
"Now my turn" Kjar said.
Kjar strikes and Rhaenal manage to dodge just in time, the two continue dueling but Rhaenal is losing, Kjar strike Rhaenal on his chest when he swing his sword when Kjar try to swing again his sword he missed because Rhaenal stumble and fell to the ground when he tries to strike him while Rhaenal is down, Rhaenal manage to lift his arm and just in time, point the sharp end of the sword upward and he manage to Kjar right on the throat.
"Kjar!!" shouted by one of the mam behind us.
Kjar drop his sword, and drop dead to the ground.
"I ... I .... I just kill him" Rhaenal still can't believe on what he did.
The other men immediately run towards him and try to attack Rhaenal but soldiers are coming from the other side and they started to run, especially the man in the horseback.
"Chase them, leave one alive and kill the rest" order by one of soldier dress in milton uniform.
"Yes sir" replied by one of them.
They are the local garrison of milton led by Captain Devon a friend of my father who comes in our house once in a while to have tea.
"C ... C .... Captain devon" Rhaenal just manage to speak.
"Rhaenal, are you okay? asked by Captain Devon
"My ... My mother" Rhaenal pointing to the dead body of a lady.
Captain devon, saw kjar with the sword in his throat and his mother as one of the dead.
"I .... I .... I can't do any ...." Rhaenal trying to say the word but having a hard time. Without finishing his sentence, he passed out.
At the camp of Duke of Brunswick forces with a total men of 10,000. The Duke called a meeting in the war tent with his officer and his Two counts, Count Jerald with Captain Hobard and Count Sigfred with Captain Sephulis.
Count Sigfred the Count of Dalton, just southward of milton, a rich town mainly for trade and mining.
Duke Barrington starts the meeting.
"We still don't know the movements of prince henry's forces" said by the Duke.
"The last report we got is they arrived at glodea yesterday and it has passed the sena valley, according to local scouts an estimate of 50 thousand men is on his side with the support of the King of Prusia" He added.
The Valley of Sena is the first terrain that any men will encounter if they're coming from Goldea, a small town in Brunswick by the sea and it will take them 2 days to reach the camp of Duke Barrington which is in the Hun's Plains.
"My lord, we can intercept them and delay their advance as we wait for reinforncement from the Duke of Burgenda and Briton and i will personally lead the vanguard" said by General Arkistan, one of the Duke's general who serve him since when he was a Count.
"But we cannot risk men just to slow them down, waiting for something we don't know when will arrive plus
we haven't received any response from them yet, so what we can do is wait for 1 day before we finalise things" responded by Count Jerald.
"If the report is accurate they numbered around 50,000 which is doubled our number" added by the Count of Milton.
The Duke looked at Father Olswin to confirm about the response of the Dukee of Burgenda and Briton but the priest shake his head.
"I agree with the Count Jerald, we don't have a choice, we will either act hastily and lose men, or act patiently and wait" said by Count Sigfred.
And Count Jerald just look at the other Count and nod in thanks. After a while, a foot soldier is running to the War tent.
"Report! Report! Report!" shouted by the soldier. With heavy breathing, the soldier start speaking.
"An urgent report my lords, Milton has been attack"
All of the people inside the tent is shocked but Count Jerald and Captain Hobard stands up, with Fendrel outside entering the tent with haste.
"What ... Did you say?" Count jerald asked.
"We received a report from a rider covered in blood, he says he is from milton, and he said that they've been attack by an unknown enemy" the soldier responded.
"Where is this rider?" The Count ask.
"He's being treated because of his wounds in the physician's tent my lord" replied by the soldier.
Count jerald together with Captain Hobard and Fendrel immediately leave the tent and went to the wounded rider. Duke Barrington tried to stop him but Count Jerald is already gone. Count Jerald arrives at the physician's tent.
"How is he?" Ask by the Count
"My lord" surprise respond by the physician
"Uhm ... the wounds are deep, and he lost so much blood on his way here, I did everything to stop the bleeding and treating the wounds ..." The Count just cut off the physician and start to speak with the rider.
"What happen?" The Count ask the rider.
"My lord, it's not best to speak with the patient" said by the physician.
Count jerald just look at captain hobard, and the captain lead the physician outside the tent to wait while the Count is talking with the rider.
"But he might die if he continue talking in his state" according to the physician.
"Tell me what happened?" curious question by the Count.
"M...my lord, they att....atta...ck us. The....y bu..rn th...the houses ki....kill ever...everyone *cough cough*" the rider try his hardest to compose a sentence but due to his wounds he can't barely breathe
"We..we..we manage to get so....some inside the...the castle" he continue.
"How about my family? Did you see them? Are they safe?" Fendrel, starts asking question.
Count Jerald stops fendrel and tell him to just wait outside, Fendrel doesn't have a choice but to obey his liege. After a while the Count comes out of the tent with anger being seen in his eyes, he goes back to the war tent with captain hobard and fendrel following him while the physician go inside the tent to continue treating the wounded rider.
"My lord .... Did he say about my family?" Fendrel asked.
"It is too chaotic out there Fendrel but i'm sure they'll be fine, they have Captain Devon there" The Count respond.
The Count assures Fendrel with those words but Fendrel still sickly worried that can be seen on his face.
At the war tent, as Count Jerald enters.
"What happen?" Count sigfred asks.
"It was a detachment from prince henry's army" Count Jerald replied.
"How sure are you?" ask by the Duke.
"Based on their numbers and description on their banner, they sent out detachment to raid near villages and town i guess to resupply" replied by the Count.
"If that's the case then Dalton and the villages near it will be next, i need to go back" worried by Count Sigfred.
"No, with the men i left in Milton they can atleast manage to reduce the number of that small detachment, meaning they can't afford raiding another defended town or village hence they will go back to their main force" Count Jerald assures the other Count.
"Then what shall we do now?" ask by Captain Sephulis
"We stick to the plan" said by Duke barrington
"We're already here, all we need to do is protect this land we're fighting not just for the King anymore but for our family and people" He added
Count jerald, couldn't do anything but slams the table in the war tent.