[center][h1][b][u]Brundt[/u][/b][/h1][/center] [hr] Over four thousand men. Five hundred professional soldiers. Four hundred household guards from various nobles. A hundred acolytes from the House of Perfection. A hundred warriors from the House of Order. One thousand warriors from neighbouring villages. Two thousand hastily raised and trained volunteer militia. Several dozen mages provided by the House of Magic, and a handful of druids from the House of Druids. This was the host Brundt had been able to assemble. It was an impressive army, larger than any Ketrefa had ever fielded before. According to his scouts, Carnelian’s army had barely half that. And Brundt had the advantage of fortifications. By all accounts, there were no doubts as to who would win a war. In theory, at least. In practice, things were considerably more complicated. He still remembered the slaughter before winter, when a couple dozen men slew hundreds, and left the survivors so broken many of them deserted, or swore never to fight Carnelian again. Carnelian’s men had been outnumbered by more than twenty to one, and yet they had secured a decisive victory. So if they were outnumbered two to one, and somehow did the same thing… Well, it was unlikely that all of Carnelian’s men were that deadly. But if even a fraction of them were… if they truly did have divine aid, and if Cadien’s aid was not enough to counter it… then forcing open battle with them would be suicide. So, Brundt had stayed behind Ketrefa’s walls, and instead sent out parties to harry and harass Carnelian’s men. Destroy their supplies, take out their patrols and sentries. Slow their approach and diminish their morale. It seemed to be working, surprisingly enough, with many of these men returning triumphant. He began to wonder if that first victory was a fluke. But still, he held his men back, reluctant to give battle. If he could secure a victory, he would reduce their numbers and bolster the morale of his own men, but that was far from guaranteed, and a defeat would only make things worse. Especially when half his force hadn’t even seen battle before. Many nobles had seen this supposed inaction as cowardice, and a vocal few were already calling for his removal as Lord-Captain, but not as many as one would expect. This, he knew, was due to the influence of Mira and her cult. He had honoured his end of the deal, of course, and already they were exploiting their new stronghold to the best of their ability. The other Divine Houses fought tooth and nail to resist their influence, of course, and seemed to be mostly successful. The cult had been allowed their space of worship, and the deal called for nothing more. But now, it was time for matters of faith and politics to be set aside. Carnelian was coming. No matter what his detractors or supporters thought of him, the greatest threat Ketrefa had ever faced was nearing its gates. They would stand united, or die. [hr] “Are you nervous, my lord?” Brundt looked up in surprise. The one who had spoken was Gelos. Gelos, his personal guard, who had been with him since he was first found by Milos all those years ago. Unflinchingly loyal to House Karras. The guard had been nothing if not kind to him; he had taught him how to play dice, and had given him sparring advice. But he had never once spoken out of turn, and now, he had done exactly that. “Apologies, my lord,” Gelos bowed his head, understanding that despite their years of familiarity, he had still overstepped. “No,” Brundt interrupted. “It’s quite alright.” He looked the bodyguard in the eye. “Yes, I suppose I am. But I can’t say that to anyone else, can I?” “Leadership is always a burden,” Gelos nodded grimly. “I saw it in your father, when he took command of his first warband. And his father before him.” It was then that Brundt became acutely aware of just how old the guard was; he had aged well, but he had to be more than forty. Gelos continued speaking. “It’s a cruel thing, to be forced into this situation. No one had any right to think you were ready. But… you’ve done a good job, I think.” He had heard plenty of compliments and praise from his supporters. Those who genuinely believed he was chosen, and others who were simply sycophants hoping to benefit from his favour. Both had more or less been meaningless, as none of their praise had been earned, and therefore seemed dishonest. But to receive a compliment from a lowly guardsman, one who had known him for years but never issued such a compliment before? That was genuine. Brundt nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. He could do this. His thoughts once more drifted to Gelos’s advantaged age. The guard had served his family long enough. Perhaps, after all this was over, if Brundt did defend the city, and he did become King, he could arrange to have Gelos granted some sort of reward. A modest estate, perhaps, where Gelos could retire. Perhaps start a family, and his own noble house. Hopefully the humble guardsman would enjoy that. If not, he could find him something else. Perhaps… His thoughts were interrupted when a courier arrived with more business for him to take care of. [hr] Both Varsilis and Milos would stop by his office later that day, at different times, to offer their own words of reassurance. Milos had been his father, and Varsilis had been his mentor. Brundt loved them both for that, but he knew that right now they valued him more for his status than for whatever personal bond they had. It was a depressing thought. But Gelos’s words hung in the back of his mind. So he put on the mask of the dutiful champion and the undaunted leader. Perhaps one day there would come a time when such masks were not necessary. When he could converse with friends and family alike without worrying about danger or responsibility. Yes, he was still fighting for Cadien, for House Karras, for Ketrefa, and the innocent people who lived within. But most of all, he was fighting for [i]that.[/i] The end of duty. The end of struggle. Freedom. [hr] The next day, at some point in the afternoon, a horn sounded. Brundt knew his ultimate duty had arrived. Carnelian’s army was within sight. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] A description of Brundt’s forces - more than 4,000 men. A bonding scene between Brundt and Gelos. Then, an internal monologue where Brundt longs for a time when he no longer has to fight. Finally, Carn’s army arrives. [/hider] [hider=Prestige Summary] [u]Brundt[/u] [b]Beginning:[/b] 18 +3 for 5,000+ characters [b]Ending:[/b] 21 [/hider]