[center][h3]Gulf of Baltia[/h3] [b]Theodonus’ Gymship[/b][/center] [i]“You can’t come in!”[/i] An Amalian sentryman shouted from the tower to which the harbour obstructing chain is attached. The fleet of Doux Theodonus had returned to Tautom, but had been sadly barred from portage by the men occupying the harbour, and their damnable chain. [i]“FOOL!”[/i] Answered the god-like form of a muscular Theodonus. [i]“Know you not who you are dealing with?! I am Grand Domestics of the Royal Stool, DOUX THEODONUS. And you can’t come out of your post unless I allow it! Now, let it be known that I’ll sink my ships and block the harbor if I, Theodonus the Powerful, am not allowed entrance! For I must deliver the head of that snake Belisar to our king!”[/i] For a moment the guard was perplexed at this outburst of a response, which was infamous and widely known to befit Theodonus’ ‘’eccentric’’ character. Finding the words, he slowly gave response. [i]‘’You make a convincing case. Hold on, Doux.’’[/i] There was some shuffling on the walls as the guards murmured something to one another while casting glances into Theodonus’ direction, when finally their captain is brought forward to parley with the Doux. The captain leaned over the rampart, observing Theodonus’ intensely athletic frame. [i]‘’And you really are a Doux of Tautom, the son of Valaris?’’[/i] [i]“YES!”[/i] Theodonus briskely answered to the captain of the guard while burning with impatience. Yet more murmuring is heard among the guards atop the wall. And some on the ship could swear to be able to make out a faint snickering. At last the captain appears again, and he raises his hand towards the opposite tower to which attached the chain, signalling to raise it. [i]‘’Come in.’’[/i] And so the fleet of Theodonus the magnificent entered the harbour, for his rhetoric and arguments were flawless enough to win over the sentry. All the while men from the sea walls could be seen following their movement. [i]“Hey, Theo…”[/i] Prince Nonnonso says to Theodonus with a disconcerted brow. [i]“Not now, my prodigee.”[/i] the Doux replied confidently as he held onto a rope hanging from the mast, and as theirs flagship hit the pier, he used the rope to sling himself onto the docks, disembarking in fashion. The Doux would have been wise to listen to the princeling, however. Because as his sandalled feet graced dry ground, he saw too late how on edge the guards all were. [i]“Where are the Chlotars?”[/i] He called towards an ensemble of Amalian soldiers that had gathered near him looking at him blankly. All of a sudden, a seeming thousand of archers accompanied by Chlotaringen’s Lion heraldry popped up on the roofs around them, all of their arrowheads glinstering deathly in the light of a false sun! A laugh was heard as the selfsame Amalian captain of before walked up to him, accompanied by an escort armed to the teeth.. [i]“It is in your best interest to come with me, Doux. Lay down your arms.”[/i] [i]“What is the meaning of this travesty?”[/i] proclaims Theodonus in disbelief. [i]“Meaning? Why, you have been trapped, you foolish fool! How foolish. I knew all about your errand to Syrome, and you’ve returned in vain! The city belongs to us! Now, you will give me the Prince you went to collect, Icaeas, heir to the King, and I will place you into my custody unmolested. Refuse, and die.”[/i] Theodonus’ lips curved into a smile, not least because Icaeas was never even among them. As soon the quarrel with Belisar began and particularly after the news of the Chlotar attack had hit him, he forgot all about the Prince! The Amalian man continued to laugh in triumph in celebration of his own cunning. He thought he was in control, but he had made a fatal mistake; that to gloat within arms length of Theodonus. The sound of a snapping neck as Theodonus’ powerful hands clasped around his pitiful Amalian throat. In response to this the tense strings of a thousand bows were set to release, and a thousand arrows whizzed straight for Theodonus, blotting out the sun! Theodonus merely smiled, he is the image of confidence and male vitality, and he hid in the shade of his mighty bronze shield, narrowly avoiding a treacherous death. [i]‘’Men! To battle!’’[/i] Theodonus cried out towards the ships behind him, the warriors of his gymnasium now following their commander’s example and flinging themselves onto the pier. A voice was heard from the Chlotars on the roofs: [i]‘’Second volley! Aim true!’’[/i] [i]‘’Heavy infantry! Move in with the secret weapon!’’[/i] As the first skirmishing and hand-to-hand combat commenced, men in Amalian armor carried in a large metal cylinder connected to a keg on wheels. It looked rather impractical, and none paid heed to it. The warriors of the gymnasium merely laughed while holding up their own shields to resist the Chlotar’s suppressing fire. This incapacitated them from engaging in combat. None of them paid attention to the silly looking metal cylinder, but perhaps they should have. For when its lid was lowered, forth it breathed an intense fire engulfing the men, and the flagship, in an inferno of flame. The devastation was so sudden and immense that none could truly process the full impact of it. Theodonus looked up incredulously, surrounded by two dead Amalians and another dead Chlotar which he had felled, when the soldiers he engaged suddenly backed away fearfully, and taking in a whiff of air, he smelled burned flesh. [i]‘’Who’s roasting chicken?’’[/i] Theodonus thought, before his thoughts were interrupted by a man’s sudden cry. ‘’Fire!’’ The Doux inclined his head to his direction, and understood the reason his opponents had disengaged from battle. For now the cylinder of death was pointed his direction, and he stood central before a gaping, burning hole. When then the dragon breathed; the son of Valaris returned to dust.