Chapter 15: March!
"I guess that worked out," Kevin stabbed the longsword deep into the snow after leaving the barracks. Loud cheering with the occasional bombardment of falling stones rustled behind him. He knew this would motivate them to take the initiative, but he didn't know to what extent.
Stretching with a deep breath, he donned his black hoodie and rushed off to circumvent the narrow areas of the river where the two armies are most likely to crash. To force both sides into a dead end, another thing must be accomplished.
As Kevin dashed away, Jean gave his distant figure a look from high above a tower in the barracks, tightly gripping the handle of her sword with a pair of moist eyes and thinned-out lips.
She gave the people below a look, young and promising; the future of the dominion per se. Yet, their fate ends here, now, tonight.
She sighed, feeling pained somewhat. At the same time, she wondered whether or not she would rest eternally in the snow just like them.
Who can guarantee to survive yet another day's battle? This is war, chaotic and unpredictable.
Would she see tomorrow's dawn as a war hero?
What hero? A war involving 10,000 when put on the scale of two kingdoms is no more than a joke. She knew that the real war has yet to erupt as the private armies of marquises are on their way here.
What was all of this bloodshed and sacrifice for? A pat on the back and a letter of referral? Was it worth exchanging 10,000 lives for?
She didn't think so, but some people ought to think 10,000 lives was too little of a price to pay for such an opportunity. She wondered; was Kevin of that mindset, too?
…
Dark eyes, unseen in the night.
Overcast sky. Under the cover of heavy clouds and sprinkling snow, a shadow ran.
Quickly.
There isn't much time, thought Kevin. A great harvest is upon me.
Jean was mistaken about this young man. To him, lives weren't expensive or cheap, high or low, too little or too much; lives were of no value to his past self and a commodity to his present self.
Those who are living have value. Now, the dead have value as well. No one would understand— he didn't need them to understand; they would seek him and rip him apart.
No thank you, I'd rather not.
He raced against time as dawn crept ever so closer to break the eastern horizon and launch the sun high into the sky. That was a signal.
Very quickly, he spotted the gushing river of ice and cold.
Water streams like thin, angry blades.
Panting while distressed, anticipation welling up in his heart while gazing downstream and across the river at a patch of black by the northern riverside.
The invaders, the oathbreakers, the treaty traitors. They can call them many names as long as they survived tonight. A stain of shame on their commander and reputation.
Without hesitation or moments of rest, Kevin plunged deep into the river and sank to the bottom.
…
"Did you hear or feel something?"
A military officer who stood next to a seasoned soldier in embroidered coats of arms spoke up, a frown on his face. The other man pondered silently, unease written all over his face. He didn't respond.
"You must be confusing things because of the ongoing construction," pointed out another officer to the side, pointing at the shirtless brawny men while at it. They pulled and hauled steel over steel in hard efforts to putting wooden planks into a long and wide bridge to cross the river. "We have been pushed back so deep into our borders, I never expected a day like this would come; it's about time we set foot in the Onyx Kingdom."
"That Baron Issac was a hassle to deal with, especially his troops. Sigh, it's a shame, a great man fell to the greater picture."
"A great man? More like an idiot who couldn't tell what was good for him! He was lucky that it ended up with just his private army, especially after offending those people's interest."
"It's not his fault that this was all staged—..."
"You two can shut up now," grunted the man in heavy coats of arms, the deep worry of a premonition in his eyes fading away, replaced by a stern warning.
Some things are better left unsaid, brought to the grave.
Everyone knew that these so-called wars were small skirmishes in the eyes of truly influential people. The situation in the capital is too volatile, the preordained empress must find a suitable partner to ascend the throne with her in these few years— who wouldn't want that position?
If it weren't for her personal strength, charisma, and backing, she might have already fallen into some silly plots. Since those kings and dukes can't plot against her directly, they might as well subtly threaten her with a display of might; she better chooses her candidate wisely lest it starts a rebellion.
The contest between the Onyx King and the Solace King was just that, another pebble in the ocean of this great dynasty, yet Baron Issac almost led his army into pedestrian territories with his march, threatening the common lives and wellbeing of the populace.
The territories and soldiers might belong to these kings, but the people belong to the dynasty! To Her Highness the Empress!
No one can touch them!
To avoid something similar from happening, the two kings decided to dispatch their capable subordinates to end it once and for all in a decisive battle.
It would all have been nice and dandy though if Kevin didn't catch the implicit, subtle meaning behind this war. He was really angry that his family was put in jeopardy to satisfy the vanity and ambition of a few unscrupulous fellows.
Thus, he came up with the idea to play by the rules of the game but in a way to make both parties bleed while benefiting himself.
"Yes Sir!" Saluted the two officers, cold sweat decorating their foreheads.
They almost got carried away with their words, not even death would suffice as punishment then. They were simply too relaxed because they knew, under the tables, the Onyx King offered the Badger Fiefdom as compensation.
They needed to go through the formalities of 'conquering' the land to appease the masses.
The whole thing about breaching the winter grace period was just another farce.
Everything was smooth sailing until last night's assassination, giving the commanding officer an uneasy feeling. Thus, he decided to act first and occupy the riverside on both the northern and the southern borders and wait for the armies to arrive.
Nothing can go wrong, the commander prayed inwardly.
He nodded to himself, fetched out a cigar, and lit it up.
It was very conspicuous in this deep darkness where the overcast sky tackled the light of dawn.
'Gods, hopefully, these stupid games are about over… Sigh, all for a damn woman,' he wouldn't ever dare mouth these words aloud, but muttering them in his heart from time to time was comforting.
A few hours later, one bridge after another rowed neatly over the narrow river was set.
The sturdiness was tested, wooden anchors bound the bridge on both ends to the ground.
When everything was set for motion, the light cavalry were the first troops to urge their war horses after hearing one loud command.
"March!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone