Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 385: Marching (2)

The torches brought by the supply troops, are so many that they are like the stars that filled the night skies. 

Arial on the other hand want to take this opportunity to rush fast before Harald could turn back and realize his mistake.

The cold hard winter air is forgotten. 

It is rarely one dares to march during the winter. Arial intend to do the impossible and surprising Harald assumption of him. 

He wanted to attack in winter. If other man, try this people would have called him a reckless fool but Arial is the one doing this.

He is confident. He will conquer Vangua. He must conquer Vangua. There is no backing down or retreating. 

Arial would not have it any other way. 

Either he wins this year of it would take years of preparation to once again convince the other lord who have been reluctant in the initial stage to follow him once again once the New Year has passed.

By then Vangua would have stabilized their territory in Freya and Arrandy will face a grave threat.

So rushed the Duke, that at one point, the Duke horse which is known to be one of the fastest horse one have ever seen, Firebringer run so fast forward that the Duke is separated from the rest of his army.

Only a few manage to keep up from behind, the famous lord West and Kyle, Lonnes brothers and Sothern Ormont.

'My lord you are going too fast. Please wait for the army to catch up to you' as Arial is stopped by his lords.

Arial look behind and he no longer see his army.

The lords are panting and their horses are exhausted and advice the Duke to take camp as their horses is exhausted in chasing the Duke.

Arial nodded in agreement.

'Let us make camp here as we wait for the other to arrive.' 

'Yes, my lord' they replied. Lord Ormont takes guard in turns with Lord West, Lord Kyle and the Lonnes Brothers.

Dawn then appeared and Arial ordered his breakfast to hide his anxiety. 

Arial take a hearty breakfast and drinking Riella wine, cheerfully behaving as if he is in his hall at home until the flickering lights of the rest of the fleet gradually reappeared.

'My lord forgives us; we have come late.'

Arial just nodded and ordered

'Let us continue.' 

He jumped to the saddle on Firebringer and they once again march, the Duke can be seen rushing forward with unbelievable speed, like he has sprouted wings behind his back.

Until finally they arrived at Anglime Raxons, one of the regions in northern Vangua.

Under a grey-linen sky the large army now arrives in sight of the Anglime Raxons common folk as the villagers just opens their eyes and was about to do their daily chores in the morning.

Birds just flew out of the nest to seek worms to eat. The morning mist did not yet dissipate

In this region there are many villages and cities and this is the city of Suerry. 

What terror it must have struck in the hearts of anyone who saw it approach, first a few spangled dots on the dim hori­zon, then more and more until the dots numbered in their hundreds, gradually taking on the shape of a large gathering of unknown people, with marching beats like the thunder, a terrifying prospect drawing ever nearer, the metal of swords and shields glinting, here and there, in the angled light of morning. 

The army within was intent on the mission that the Vanguan had long feared, and they were arriving only three weeks after Harald had commanded his own northern force to disband inward to Arleans.

Arial seeing the village quickly order a foraging party to be formed.

'Lord Stewart will supervise the foraging party' he ordered. 

'And Stutworth from House Ormont, brother of Sothern Ormont.'

A foraging party now penetrates the villages.

Livestock is quickly found. First they found a cow from the villagers and quickly take it as their own.

It has been seized by the Arial soldiers and the cow was slaughtered, the first casualty in this war. 

Then they got sheep, pig, and the others help the slaughtering, skinning and cutting the meat.

The villagers have already made themselves scarce and has run away from their homes when they saw the large army made their way to their villages.

If anyone could see the village, it was like an empty village, a line of empty Vanguan homes; it is their land that is being pillaged. 

The pillaging of pro­visions, though unfortunate, is inevitable. It is what armies do. All of this activity is being supervised by lord Stewart mounted on his horse.

Yet, different from the Anjouian invaders Arial did not burn or sacked the village for Arial found no benefit in doing so. It is not like Arial won't do it but this village have no reason to be sacked.

And there is no opposition from the villagers. 

If they attack his people, then he will punish those that is responsible but since nothing of the sort happened then Arial found no reason to destroy the villages.

He also understood the idea of not doing things excessively. Food has been seized by the invaders and is taken back to the camp. 

The cook from the supply group is busy boiling meat in a great cauldron, which has been hung by poles over a flickering red fire of tongue-like woolen flames. 

In the background a rack of spitted fowl is ready to be eaten. some of the soldiers looked at it with longing as they are exhausted and hungry. 

An army baker removes hot bread from a field oven made by clay, using a pair of tongs, and then places it carefully on a tray. josei

The cooked birds and fowls, still on their spits, are served to the eager diners, one of whom blows a horn to announce the start of the meal. 

'DINNER!' he yelled. 

'EAT' he ordered

A party of knights eats at an improvised field table, a wooden structure on which kite-shaped shields have been laid as a makeshift surface, but the more important of the diners have gathered around their own semicircular table. 

Arial then is called from his war tent and dominates the table, all the lords waits for him before they sit down.

Arial recite the prayers and blesses the food and drink. There is bread and fish and other food arranged about the table, which the diners eat with hands and knives. 

Seated on his right is Lord West who is enjoying his loaf of bread. Like always he is strict with himself not touching the wine.

On his left, an enigmatic handsome man with a long black hair, he rather rudely stretches across him in order to take a piece of bread from the table. 

Arial then spoke as the dinner is almost ended.

'After this I would like to hold meeting on our next course of action.' The noble lords nodded in understanding.

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