The sound of rhythmic steps echoed through the vast plains.
A small band of mounted troops, about 500 strong, snaked its way through the narrow dirt roads.
At the back of the convoy were several carriages, where the children sat.
"I can't wait to see the battle!"
"Yeah, I heard that it would be so cool! Imagine our soldiers defeating the enemy like in those tales!"
The excited youths chatted away as the troops trudged on, oblivious to the luxury in which the noble page boys travelled.
"Halt!" A piercing voice suddenly boomed, followed by a sudden stop that sent Alexius flying forwards.
"What's going on? Did something happen?"
"What's stopping us?"
low murmurs were heard among the column as robed men, who Alexius recognised as mages, dashed forward.
Curious, he peeked out the window of the carriage towards the front, which wasn't too far away considering the small size of the "army".
"What do you see?" Anthony asked from beside him.
"Hmm..." At the front, there was what looked to be an old lady in black, tattered robes, holding a child.
"P-please, good sir! Save us!"
Knight Rictor, clad in his distinctive full-body plate armour with a colourful tabard and great cape, walked towards the front with heavy steps.
"What is the problem?"
The officer who wore a helmet with a plume of feathers on it looked towards his lord in confusion. He had stepped forward to make sure that there was no danger, and couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.
"Sir... it seems that this lady wants us to do something for her?"
Knight Rictor sighed. "It better be important; we have to rendezvous with the rest of the army by afternoon!"
The old lady, shaking with fear, threw herself down to the ground, but made sure that the baby she held would not be hurt.
Now, Alexius could see her face more clearly. It was dirtied and black, with crooked and yellowing teeth, and it was obvious that she hadn't washed herself in days.
Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded with the Knight.
"Please, please! We- the village- it's- it's..."
"Hurry up and speak! The army cannot be delayed for this!"
Knight Rictor stomped his foot, making a loud sound that stunned everybody.
Now crying buckets, the old lady continued.
"My... my lord, the village I'm from, Azalea Village, it was destroyed by enemy troops!"
She broke down sobbing, with the children making gasping noises, and the rest of the men remaining dead silent.
The Knight frowned. "Azalea Village, Azalea Village..."
Then, his face lit up in realization. "Isn't that the village near the Ancliow forest? Has the Whitecastle Army already crossed the forest?"
"My lord... I... think so... can you please go and help my villagers? They... so many pitiful cries... please, I'm begging you!"
Knight Rictor turned away, saying: "Sorry, woman, but we must head to Littlesberg with all haste. We have no time to spare on your village."
Then, he turned around and hollered, "Men, mount your horses! We ride for Littlesberg at full-"
He was abruptly stopped by a tugging feeling coming from his cape.
Looking down, he saw the woman on her knees, with the baby crying and wailing.
"Please, please, please! My lord, we are the people of the Rici Archonate! You can't ignore us!"
"Get off! You're ruining my cape!" The Knight yelled in anger.
"No! I.. I mustn't, for my friends... my family!"
"You are holding back the army; this is treason!"
The old lady, who lost all reason, was filled with determination.
"My lord; you do not help the people who need you the most! What kind of knight are you? What will the great nobles of the past think?"
"They will scoff at your actions, and when you die a dog's death in battle, the people of this nation will spit on your grave!"
"For fuck's- enough!" The knight exploded.
In the next second, a gleam flashed across the woman's neck, and her head, still with a look of determination on it, fell to the ground, tumbling for a few moments.
...
Absolute silence was the only thing that filled the air, occasionally pierced by the wails of the baby. Alexius was stunned, but he couldn't look away, as if his eyes had been glued to the gruesome scene.
Then, Knight Rictor kicked the old lady's headless body to the side of the road, picking up the baby and throwing it next to her lifeless corpse.
*spit!"
He spit some saliva on the corpse, snarling. "Let's see who spits on whose grave now!"
Once more, he turned back to address the army. "Men, she was a traitor- a slanderous whore! We have done a service to out country by cutting the roots of another weed!"
"For our country!"
"For the nation!"
"For the nation!"
Cheers erupted along the entire 500-man column, creating a roar that echoed along the massive plains, and which also sent a sickening pang to Alexius' stomach.
'So this is how tyrants are born, eh?'
"Men, we make haste for Littlesberg!" The knight's voice once more rang in the air, urging many to immediately saddle their horses and move off.
As Alexius sat, lamenting the savage nature of this society, Anthony also stayed silent.
Behind them, the baby, who lay down next to its mother's cold body, wailed, with its pitiful screaming continuing for the next two days.
...
The column of horsemen soon got in sight of the main army's camp right outside Littlesberg, which wasn't hard to identify because of multiple colourful banners and flagpoles flying the colours of the realm.
The camp was bustling with activity, and no wonder, for twenty thousand men resided inside, making it sprawl in every direction. In fact, the army itself was as large as the city of Littlesberg!
Seeing the men approaching, several more mounted men were dispatched from the camp and rode up to Knight Rictor, who now rode at the head of the column. "Greetings, sir!"
The man said respectfully, evidently aware of the status of this knight.
Knight Rictor didn't spare the man a glance, instead saying in a grave tone, "Take me to the command tent. I have grave news to share with the commanders of this army."
As they watched their lord disappear, various lower-ranking officers in Knight Rictor's army began to instruct the army on where to go, with the carriages being left near the edge of the camp.
Alexius and the rest of the children were forced to disembark and pick a tent to share with three others, while the other 500 men were led to their quarters.
He had to say, the organisation of this army wasn't bad.
He could see several sentries standing on top of strategically-placed watchtowers, with soldiers keeping a lookout from the top of LIttlesberg's walls as well. Drills were being run, with what seemed to be officers directing cargo and supplies to designated storage areas.
Certainly, it was very impressive. However, from years of experience, he could find some flaws with the army at first glance.
For one, many soldiers seemed to slack off here and there, with discipline not being very high. It was clear that most of them were new recruits or levies, lightly-armoured and unable to stand a chance against their professional counterparts.
Although there was power in numbers, having a useless, huge mass of bodies could also prove detrimental to any fighting force.
These people's combat skill were undoubtedly far inferior to those whom they were going to face, and if the situation turned against them, these conscripted men would be the first to turn tail and flee, potentially causing a chain reaction through the entire army.
As such, Alexius was uncertain of the battle's outcome. However, it seemed like they would be fighting near the city, which would give this army, as the defenders, a logistical advantage as supplies could be easily sent.
In fact, right outside his tent, several men were sat around a fire, cooking some broth and heartily chatting away, demonstrating that morale was high and there was ample supply.
*Hong!*
A loud trumpet sounded in the air, and everybody suddenly started running in all directions.
*Fwip!* *Fwip!*
The sound of arrows flying through the air sounded, instantly quieting the lively and boisterous camp.
"Enemy attack!"
No one knew who shouted that at first, but the camp devolved into a frenzy. Several horsemen rode through the camp in full gear, heading for the exit, nearly trampling over Alexius and the rest of the kids.
However, no one even stopped to think about why kids would be inside a warzone.
Everyone started yelling and hollering at the top of their lungs, making their heads spin at the din, while a soldier nearly tripped on Alexius' shoe in his rush to get to who knows where.
"Why you little..." He turned around and growled menacingly, making Alexius feel his waistband for his concealed pistol in fright. 'Oh shit- if this guy picks a fight with me, I don't know how I'm going to get out of this mess!'
He dreaded having to use his pistol as it would certainly lead to him being investigated and his technology potentially falling into another person's hands.
However, he was saved by the timely intervention of a red-robed man with insignia on his robes, identifying him as an army mage.
"There you are Joseph- or should I call you Josephine, because you ran away like a woman!" The man's sharp voice sounded, instantly cracking Joseph's tough facade.
"I-I'm sorry sir, I just... I panicked, and..."
"Enough! Get back to your fucking station; we're still in a state of high alert!" He spat those words out and practically dragged Joseph, with tears in his eyes, back to where he was supposed to be.
'See? That's why you should properly train your soldiers.'
Alexius shook his head as the chaos gradually subsided, with several officers shouting and reprimanding their men for the debacle that had just occurred. Their yelling was audible from across the camp, but Alexius, having been used to it for years, didn't mind.
'I actually wonder how these people organise themselves- it seems similar to Earth in the middle ages, but with the addition of mages, army structure becomes much more complex.'
The camp now fell eerily silent, as everyone was gathered into a central gathering point to be counted and checked.
Alexius was shooed towards the area, and found himself reunited with Anthony, who asked him what was going on.
"I don't know," He answered. "Could be an enemy raid; those things happen all the time."
At that, Anthony looked at his friend curiously. "How do you know all that?"
Alexius avoided his gaze, pretending not to have heard the question until Anthony gave up.
Just then, a few men took the podium at the front of the field, walking up with an authoritative swagger.
One was dressed in regal attire, with a formal suit and a golden sash across his waist. An opulent golden crown adorned his head as he stood at the head of the other men.
Another was dressed in bright purple robes with golden symbols on them, which Alexius had never seen before. A hood was pulled over his face, obscuring his features.
'I've only seen mages wearing red and green before. Green is for normal mages, while red is for army mages. Then what is blue and purple for?'
He thought, watching the men arraying themselves behind who he presumed to be the Archon himself. From here, he could see that the man had stubble on his chin, with his hair looking slightly ruffled, probably because of the stressful nature of military campaigns.
His guess was validated as the formal, regal man opened his mouth and started speaking, with everyone falling silent as soon as he started.
"Greetings, fellow countrymen. I am Archon Otto Rici, the fourth independent ruler of these lands." His voice was heard loud and clear by all 20,000 soldiers throughout the entire gathering point, which was probably due to magic.
"As you all know, from the moment we gained independence from the Marlonian Empire, we have had poor relations with our neighbour, the Kingdom of Whitecastle."
"Two years ago, Whitecastle started skirmishes along the border, killing many of our brave men! Today, they have finally crossed the line by sending an army of 10,000 to destroy this nation which we have worked so hard to build!"
The man's voice rose. "As such, I have decided to not tolerate their injustice any further and assemble this army- the biggest these lands have seen in over five decades! The purpose is simple- crush the enemy, and protect our land!"
As the army started cheering and chanting, Archon Otto put a hand up, signalling for them to stop.
"However, a few minutes ago, the enemy conducted a small raid to test our defences; and, I'm afraid, our performance in responding to this threat was subpar. Men, when we meet the enemy on the field, we cannot fall into panic or hysteria! The army must work as a whole; any man who disrupts the whole must be punished."
"As such, I'm announcing that the following soldiers will be executed for treason: Hannes Julianus, Markus Theophanes, Joseph Domitius..."
Alexius looked towards the front, where several bound men were being dragged out, kicking and screaming, with tears in their eyes.
'Hold up... is that?' He spied the man who had bumped into him earlier; it was barely a few minutes ago that he was a proud soldier, but now he was stripped of his armour and gear, wearing nothing but a ragged tunic.
"Mmf! Mmf!" he struggled against his constraints, but couldn't break free, making his wrists turn red from the abrasion.
Then, the regally-dressed man's voice boomed once more. "These men will die for endangering the whole army!"
As the sword of his executioner loomed nearer, the sorry-looking man seemed to exhaust himself. In his last moments, his watery, bloodshot eyes suddenly locked onto Alexius', and his face seemed to contort into an ugly frown. Time seemed to slow down for a second as the hate-filled expression of the man filled Alexius' vision.
Then, a well-placed swing took the weight off of his shoulders.