10 The Tulosan Invasion (1/2)

Castonia-Tulosa border

The moon was beautiful. Tomorrow it should be more so, Rickard thought. Behind him, soldiers marched in a line that stretched as far as the horizon. The line moved like a snake, hunting for its prey. The heavy hooves of warhorses shook the earth, the clinking of their armor disturbed the peace of the night. Rickard filled his lungs, and savored the aroma of the wind. The smell of steel… forebodes the coming harvest of blood and vengeance. They are the knights of Tulosa, harbingers of death.

This was the same road General Kingston took 15 years ago. The general tried his luck, but failed. He brought 20,000 Tulosans with him, but only a few returned. His failure was mocked by those damn Castonians. Little did they know, they only got lucky. If those damn nobles 15 years ago hadn't schemed against the King, the expedition would have succeeded. The Castonians act like their strength and valor made them win, whereas it was actually the Tulosan nobles who made them victorious.

Rickard doesn't care who started the war. He doesn't care who was right or wrong. He felt wronged. Tulosa's pride was dragged to the mud. The Castonians have mocked them for so long, even naming one of their castles Knightsend! Well what did they expect? General Kingston back then was forced to assault the castle, that's why he lost. They think that they destroyed the Knights, but it was the walls of the castle that defeated the Knights. Now, 40,000 soldiers marched behind him, half of which were on horseback. He also brought thousands of Knights with him. Every single one of them felt the same, their eyes glowing with hatred. Castonia would face a united and stronger Tulosa. They would tremble and cower upon hearing the thunderous charge of their horses. Their bodies will line the field, for a Tulosan's charge was a force of nature, unstoppable and merciless. And Tulosa was not alone this time. Vengeance was long overdue- 15 years to be exact.

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Castle Knightsend

The moon was beautiful. Marvin looked at the moon. He once knew a song about the moon, but now he already forgot most of its lyrics.

The moon da da da give me peace

Make me da da da da da da the sky

Da da da da da in your loving care

Maybe he was getting old? Marvin thought. He doesn't feel old. Strength still hasn't left his body. But he was tired. He will probably retire next year. It was time to put his sword down and relax at home, he was still a noble after all. That fief of his needs maintenance though. His son was too lazy. Marvin smiled, he missed his wife and son. He hadn't seen them for 2 years. Mark should be 20 now, the same age as his highness Timothy. Speaking of which, his highness should have arrived at the capital by now. Marvin hoped that Timothy would stay at the capital. Knightsend was a dangerous place. Castonia can afford to lose Knightsend, it can be recaptured in the future anyway. But losing a prince as talented as Timothy would be a hard blow for Castonia. The lad had already helped Knightsend a lot. Before Timothy arrived at Knightsend, the garrison had no discipline. But Timothy reformed the garrison into the best soldiers of Castonia.

Well, the decadence of the garrison was partly due to Marvin. He had no courage and strength to discipline the soldiers in the past. When Timothy disciplined the garrison, he also disciplined Marvin. Honestly, being reprimanded by a lad less than half his age was painful. It hurt his pride so much that he wanted to write to the King to complain. But in the end, his respect towards Timothy only grew. The Prince had talent. Marvin couldn't forget what Timothy said after discovering Knightsend's state about a year ago. He addressed everyone including the officers, especially the officers.

” Castonia doesn't need weak men”

It was a single phrase, but it pierced every soldier's heart. Timothy questioned their purpose. What was their purpose? Why were they at Knigtsend? If a man doesn't have a purpose, then what is he? He was like evil, no, worse than evil. At least evil had a purpose. Castonia really doesn't need weak men. If you can't defend Castonia, then get out of the way of those who could.

Marvin smiled. If only Timothy was the heir. The two older sons of the King were not bad, but Timothy was something else. Castonia needs the leadership of Timothy. These are tough years for the Kingdom.

Just then, Marvin saw two riders coming towards the Castle. The hooves of their mounts scattered the dust like rain. They were in a hurry. After arriving at the front gate, one of the guards asked for the password. Every day, the password was changed.

” Password” The guard demanded. It was a common security check.

” Ninev.” One of the riders answered ”Open the gates faster, brother. We need to report to General Marvin at once” he said anxiously

The guards wasted no time and opened the gates. The two riders went inside and dismounted. After they saw Marvin, they quickly approached him. They knelt and pounded their chests with their fists as salutation.

” Fifth Scouting Squad reporting sire!” One of the scouts reported

” Report” Marvin said. He had a bad feeling about this. The faces of the scouts were pale. Their voice trembled. Why are they so anxious?