Several thousand horsemen approached the city of Bernbute as the horns were blown to signify danger. Everyone entered panick mode as women and children ran out from their houses to 'safe' shelters. These shelters were built under the palace of King Scardion, which had been stripped off its significance as a palace some thirty seven years back by King Edmond the wisest.
The archers were paraded at the top of the walls that surrounded the city, some with fire arrows while others with natural arrows. Swordsmen were well paraded behind the gates of the city and others were exiting from the secret passage out of the city as a war strategy.
The city of Bernbute was impenetrable. They had all the necessities to win a war, so long as there was a certain mind to make incredible war strategies of which there was. It is like they had been waiting for the attack, even though the attackers were sure they were ambushing them.
Subtly, the archers lost their arrows as the attackers fell of their horses one by one while still miles away from the gate. Outside the gates, was a flat land, designed for war, they called it the battleground. No man was allowed to settle there or farm in that land. Camping was allowed though.
By the time the attackers were at the giant gate made of titanium, that granted passage into the most iconic city of that time, several hundreds had fallen by the arrows. They stood outside the gates their weapons held high as were their shields. The warriors on top of the fortress started dropping large stones that broke the shields and ended the enemies outside one by one until the rest were forced to retreat. Others fled but others were not so lucky.
The warriors of Bernbute who exited through the secret passage ambushed the attackers as they tried to escape and ensured each one of them was dead. The attackers had come in thousands but the ones lucky to escape were only hundreds, less than two hundred at most.
After the attackers were brutally dealt with and others escaped, the king stood on top of the fortress, his golden crown reflecting the rays of the morning sun as he smiled proudly. The king was a tall muscular figure. He had a pale round face and brown eyes with blond hair. He was a man of about twenty four or younger.
As they jubilated on the easy win they had, the people rejoiced in his name.
" Hail the king, may he live long!" A man randomly shouted.
" The greatest king in the land!" Another added.
" King Arvin, the only and true king of the land!" Another one added.
He smiled as his guards escorted him to his palace. His helmet in hand, the commander followed the king hurriedly to the palace as he sought insights of dealing with those that had been captured.
" We should hang them outside the walls to pass a message!" The commander suggested .
" We should but we won't. Keep the informants on their toes for Intel on further attacks. Bring those captives before me!" He spoke stamping his authority over the commander as he walked away into the palace, several guards surrounding him.
Bernbute had grown into a warzone over the years. Several houses had turned against the rule of King Arvin and had formed alliances against him. The civil war that had started a decade back had never seized. King Arvin though, was a military strategist, he had made Bernbute impervious immediately he took charge. People say he was the one who picked up Bernbute when it was on her knees.
A vigilant brutal king yet wise and composed. Everyone within the walls sang him praises. Some called him the mighty, others the protector, others god of war, others the true Beast and others thought his attributes were beyond some mere words. Within a year in power, Bernbute city had the best army in the land, men he had picked himself from their homesteads, farms, wives and even correctional facilities.
The once bitter boy was a golden man. His war strategies had saw the city prosper amidst several threats, both foreign and internal threats.
***
Josh and Silion were already settled in Merria. They had find a way to bring food to the table, their way around the small town and even had a couple of friends who would keep them occupied whenever they were not alone doing stuff couples do when alone.
The town was not too far from the main town of Merria, New Hawk. It was only two kilometers from the small town, Old Hawk. Before Merria had merged under a single king to form Bernbute Kingdom, it had its capital in the old Hawk. As King Scardion strived to merge Merria under his kingdom, he breached the Old Hawk, destroying the castle that served as residence to all leaders of Merria. After the merging, king Scardion himself built the New Hawk and it was crowned capital of Merria.
Their life there was amazing. They were no longer hiding and were at least living somewhat to normal. Even if they were not living lavishly in a palace, with high profile friends and several servants and guards to their service, they felt normal again. Their neighbors in the forest were not that friendly nor could they eat normal cooked meals like what they had in Merria's Old Hawk town.
It is like they had even forgotten about Nira, the one person who had kept them alive. For a decade, she had their lives in her hands yet they almost claimed hers once they had grown wings to fend for themselves. They had forgotten all about her, never once in the one week they were away from her and all of mid town did they care to talk about her or even act concerned about her welfare.
***
The king sat in his chambers eyes fixed on the statue of his late father, king Edmond. He stood motionless, his eyes fixed into the crafted eyes of his father's statue. He reminisced of all that happened inside the large fancy chamber, hidden away inside the enormous palace. He had been inside the chamber, more than once, as the king's son and as the king himself. Every night before he went to bed, he would stand at the statue for a while.
As he continued practicing his new found ritual, he heard several knocks. He hesitated for a while then picked up his sword from across the room. He took it out carefully from its sheath then tiptoed to the door. It was strange having knocks that time of the night. Also, he was paranoid, following all the things that had happened to his family.
The knocks proceeded as he approached the door cautiously. He opened it slowly then leaned into the wall with his sword ready to strike any threat down. A man walked in his hands raised into the air.
" It is just me my king!" The man defended himself as he walked into the room. Immediately he was through the door frame and deeper into the chamber, he locked the door and followed the man, lowering his sword such that the pointy end faced the ground.
" What brings you here, Caleb!"
" I saw Nira, again!" Caleb stated as he turned to Arvin. Arvin nodded silently as he walked past Arvin and to where the sheath of his sword was.
" She saw you?" He asked, returning the sword back into its sheath.
" I went to her, as a dream!"
" Smart move, she still thinks you died!"
" She saw me die!" Caleb said anger sounding louder in his voice. They stood silently looking at each other before Arvin walked to the table and poured some wine into a gold-coated glass. He took a sip then turned to Caleb.
" You want to tell her you are alive?"
" She would want to know , oh, that is if she would survive to see me!"
" She will survive! She must! I am sure you will kill to lie with her, I saw how you used to look at her!" He teased as he walked towards him.
Caleb stood firm onto the ground as Arvin walked to him.
" We will find her together, then you will have a lot of catching up to do"
" We can't trust her, not this Nira. That is not even her right now!" Caleb protested as he looked deep in Arvin's eyes.
" We will find her..."
" I want my brother but I know he is not the same twin I once had..."
" Are you forgetting you are talking to your king? The very one reason you are alive and privileged to sit in a palace with me! You should show gratitude!" He said as he walked past him brushing him with his shoulder.
Caleb stood fixed onto the ground for a while before walking out of the room. Dissatisfaction dialed all over his face.
***
Nira laid on the bed in Welter's castle in mid town. She had been in a deep slumber for more than a week. Every day, the prophetess would be freed to attend to her for a couple of hours. At times, they sought help from traditional doctors and witches.
As she laid on the bed, her torments haunted her creating an insidious war that left her sickly in the bed. Spirits of her dead members continued attacking her and persuading her to join them in the life of the dead. She too would have loved to die, the suffering her body was going through would have one wish for death.
That night, after everyone was gone and Nira was alone in her treatment chamber, she finally opened her eyes. She had grown thinner and weaker, and her body sore with several bruises. She struggled to sit upright then she stood on her feet. Slowly, she walked to the door and peeped outside it through a little hole. Several guards were outside her door. She then tiptoed to a single window at the corner and stared outside. Winter was already in the town. It was deep in the night but she felt it, it was here.
She heard footsteps approaching. She tried to look if she had any of her daggers with her but she had been disarmed immediately she was brought into the castle. She had to escape. Even though she felt weak, she knew she could still escape. Swiftly, she leaned against a wall beside the door frame. The door opened up and two guards stormed in.
" Where is the witch?" One asked the other as they stared at the bed in awe.
" I got in here with you, hey look under the bed, I will alert the others. Search through the room thoroughly we must find her!" He said as he walked towards the door. Before he was out of the room, the door closed and Nira stood in front of him. The other one turned and joined his fellow.
" You don't have to do this, you know you won't win!" She said to them with a cold grin in her face.