Sweet Waters Throne

162 Chapter 16Fate and destiny was on Aryan’s side that dawn. Those who attended what would later be known as the “Wrath of Artodo” explained in their journals and notes that Cregan Lawsend had already lost the war. First, he was surrounded by twenty thousand men in front of his castle while most of his men were waiting for him at the green battlefield and some were fighting Aryan’s men to take control of the harbor.

Secondly, he thought the war would take place in the grass field, that’s what he agreed with Aryan when they faced one another during the golden hour. He never expected Aryan to ambush him during the dawn with all sixty thousand men a mixture of untrained good folks and trained knights while ten thousand hid between the mountains holding their arrows.

The distance between the Lawsend’s City and the green battlefield was almost four hours away, Cregan’s men would never have heard the slashes and fighting from where they were ─ six miles away. Only twenty thousand men were available guarding Cregan’s castle, and with that they were outnumbered thrice their size, but they still fought hard to defend the castle.

The local citizens who lived in Lawsend’s City started running aimlessly while abandoning their houses, mothers reached out for their toddlers and took a run, however some never made it out of the city when Aryan’s men crushed them down. It was total chaos and indeed wars were meant to fill out graves even of those innocent ones.

Aryan and Tommy excused themselves from the fight as they had only one task in hand, and that was to seek out Cregan and take his head. Sir Thomas was aware that if somehow those men in the green battlefield made a turn and decided to come and defend their Lord, then they didn’t stand a chance. “Push forward! Push…” he gave out orders to his men to keep fighting.

The fight took place all over the city not only in front of the castle. Cregan’s men were outnumbered indeed but they knew their small city more than Aryan’s men did. They knew the secret hideouts and alleys, the hidden holes and traps, secret pathways and tunnels more than Aryan’s men did. And also the darkness of the early dawn helped them to hide and make a counter attack on Aryan’s men, especially those untrained good folks who volunteered to fight but knew nothing about wars.

Aryan thought Cregan Lawsend would be inside his chambers, hiding and shivering with fear but she was wrong. Five hundred men accompanied her and she had Tommy with her too, they put down few guards inside the castle and rushed to all chambers but to see nothing. Then onto the court chamber which was also empty, the corridors and pillars were abandoned. The kitchen which could have been surrounded by scullions turned out to be empty too.

Even the dungeon was cleared out and there were no prisoners, and it made Aryan worry about Cregan’s plans. “He’s not here” she said looking around. “He’s not anywhere, we missed him” then she sighed softly.

“He couldn’t have gone far we have blocked all pathways. We must keep looking Your Grace”

.....

“It’s better if we spilt up, I will rush to the temple with one hundred men, you’ll take the rest and search every alley and street. When the sun rises I want to hold his head on my hand”

Tommy slightly bowed and then rushed to the outside with four hundred men, Aryan led the rest towards the temple which was situated almost two miles away from the Cregan’s castle but it was still inside Lawsend’s City.

Well, Aryan’s plan was going to be fruitful because Cregan was hiding inside the temple and he only had twenty knights who he fully trusted. When the fighting intensified his men whisked him away on a wagon towards the temple, and from there they were trying to send a message to the men who were waiting on the green battlefield using a raven.

Cregan thought if only his men were to make a turn back to the city, then the war would completely take a whole new perspective and he would even win it. The skies were still dark and they would stay dark for the next half an hour before the sun rises from the East, Sir Thomas and clearly everyone on Aryan’s side wanted the war to be over before the sun rises.

That’s because if Cregan’s men who Aryan didn’t know the exact number were to turn back to Lawsend’s City as soon as the sun rises, then it was clear they will be surrounded and the war will be lost. Aryan came out of the castle sprinting and panting hard while her men followed behind, she suddenly bumped on Sir Thomas who just slit two of their enemies.

Sir Thomas apologized for knocking Aryan, but Aryan told him this was no place for apologizing and feeling sorry. “I have to make it to the temple before the sun rises I have a feeling he’s hiding over there” said Aryan.

“He’s not inside the castle?”

Aryan shook her head “He must passed right through us and we didn’t see him. I sent Tommy to look for the alleys and tunnels, if I he isn’t in the temple then he must be hiding in the alleys”

“Alright, you go now and I’ll handle the rest of the men” said Sir Thomas, Aryan nodded and just when she was about to depart and mount her horse ─ something strange happened.

From a far all of the men including Aryan heard a growl of a high tone which came out like a screech, then more of a hiss and the wind changed its direction. Aryan thought it was her lions, but when she turned to look at them, the three adult lions were tearing out Cregan’s men in halves even though two of them seemed to be badly wounded.

Sir Thomas was the first one to notice “It’s coming from the sky” he said and turned to look up. Then everyone looked up but it was Aryan whose eyes popped up and she was struck with wonderment. “Could it be? No it can’t be?” these words were on her lips but she couldn’t say them out loud.

“Is it a dragon?” One of Cregan’s men asked.

Then the word “dragon” made every man scared especially when the growl heightened and then it was accompanied with the sounds of wings battling the wind. The sounds grew and then finally Artodo appeared in the dark skies of Raven for the very first time, he growled and roared loudly this time as the whole city of Lawsend turned to complete chaos.

Neither Aryan’s men nor Cregan’s men held it together when Artodo appeared, they all ran aimlessly to escape the wrath of the dragon. Artodo looked like a shadow because he was all black and it was still dark, only Artemi’s silver hairs brought the exception and showed him as the rider of the dragon. Aryan and Sir Thomas were pushed by three of their own men in their attempt to escape.

It was Aryan who quickly pulled herself up, still she never took her eyes off the dragon. “What does he want?” asked Sir Thomas when he pulled himself up.

“He came to help his friend. I knew it, Artemis and his dragon wife were responsible for my brother’s death” Aryan raised her sword while still looking at the dragon.

The dragon was still roaring above the sky and Sir Thomas thought this wasn’t a very suitable time for Aryan to complain, rather it was a time for them to come up with a solution. “We need to fall back” he whispered while unsure of how Aryan will react.

Aryan’s gaze turned to Sir Thomas and she had that judging look on her eyes. “Turn back, like fucking cowards?” she asked.

“There is a dragon on top of us Your Grace. If he came to support Cregan then we will all turn into barbecued meat in the next minutes. We need to act now and we need to act fast” Aryan wasn’t having it, she shook her head as a sign of disagreeing with Sir Thomas. But Thomas as a veteran that he was, pulled Aryan’s hand and made sure he locked eyes with her, “We’ve lost! A good soldier knows when he’s lost the war” he screamed at Aryan.

“No” Aryan screamed back and pushed Thomas “I don’t lose, I win” Aryan had completely lost herself. She had blood all over her face and on her armor and helmet too, this fight took a toll on her but she refused to admit it that the whole thing was lost.

While still on top of the castle looking down on the fight, Artemis screamed the most dangerous word one could ever say to a dragon “Incendio” and from there, Artodo’s flames were like the sun which had risen although it hadn’t yet come up. The whole place lit up like a carnival, or one of those festivals in Whitrbridge where they burn dolls in huge open flames the whole night ─ the flames were hot enough to even burn horses and pillars of the castle.