111 Prelude to the Battle of the Plains

The developments for the past days had confirmed the imminence of a battle. General Rickard's host marched straight to them without stop. The two armies were now positioned in such a way that bloodbath is inevitable.

Just this morning, the Tulosans had formed in front of them. The sea of horses that composed about half of their enemies was a sight even the boldest men were afraid of. In the center of the Tulosans were the mercenaries. Their banners, now forever marked with the smudge of treachery, drew sharp stares from the Castonians. If not for their loyalty to the King some of the Castonians would have already dived towards the mercenaries- with swords and spears in their hands and vengeance in their hearts

Flanking the mercenaries were two large groups of cavalry of mixed composition. These two groups of cavalry were the real danger. They could swoop in, fold Timothy's ranks, and retreat like nothing happened. Or if the ways of the Knights were to be followed, they could just charge and crumple Timothy's soldiers in one go.

Although he couldn't see it, Timothy believed that a reserve force of Tulosan infantry was stationed behind. This reserve force could reinforce the Tulosan cavalry or the Tulosan mercenaries anytime, allowing General Rickard to deal with any change of situations.

After seeing the enemy formation, Timothy immediately rallied his own forces in a battle formation they had decided just the other night. He put Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese soldiers on the left flank. The center was populated by the three legions of Castonians with Erik as its commander. The right flank was filled with the Vanadian mercenaries under Bisham. All of the cavalry were put in a single group under the leadership of Henry. The cavalry will be his reserve force.

Since the battle had not started yet, Timothy and Lucia visited the commanders. They first went to the Inkish, Hadean and Cantonese forces on the left flank and told them of the plan.

"That would be too dangerous!" Marquis Sachi of Canton said while forming a frown.

"Marquis Sachi is right, your plan is hinged on the premise that the Castonian soldiers will hold" Marquis Qilo of Hadea added.

Magistrate Chen of Inkit cleared his throat and stared at Timothy "The biggest question is, why are you telling us of the plan just now? Don't you trust us? We are allies. We need to trust each other."

Magistrate Chen's gaze could melt candle wax. Among the three, it was this man Timothy was wary of the most. Magistrate Chen was a farsighted man. If things go complicated, Timothy predicts that it would be the Inkish who will first turn their backs to them.

If it was in the past, Timothy would have already crumbled under the Magistrate's gaze. But he was a King now. His boldness had grown in such a degree that deflecting intimidation like this was child's play. Furthermore, Lucia was beside him and he somehow doesn't want to look weak whenever she was around.

"Let's discuss this after the battle Magistrate Chen. The day is still young and we have an army to defeat." Timothy said.

"Pardon us if we didn't tell you." Lucia added. She met eyes with Timothy and he understood her meaning. Magistrate Chen was a threat. Compared to the other two, he was smart. It wouldn't have been a problem if Magistrate Chen was their friend, but the two of them knew better.

Magistrate Chen's gaze remained. But Timothy maintained a sweet smile. It was true though, they were afraid that these fine noblemen would betray them. With the way they acted in the past – the delayed reinforcements, their reluctance in fighting the Tulosans, and all sorts of information Lucia had gathered about them – these people couldn't be trusted. He had already discussed this with Lucia. Both of them had the same opinion. Accepting the alliance with Inkit, Hadea and Canton was a mistake. Nevertheless, they were allies now.

"Alright" Magistrate Chen said after a long time of gazing at Timothy. "It's a good plan anyway"

"Then we shall excuse ourselves oh good allies. Unleash your soldiers upon our enemies. And remember…"

Timothy paused and looked specifically at Magistrate Chen. Their eyes met. He wanted him to know that it was too late to back out now. They promised to join him in this war and they shall fight with him in victory and defeat.

"Princess Lucia and I will win this war. You chose the right side"

**********

Their next destination was the center where the Castonian infantry was positioned. Seeing the banners of the three legions brought a warm feeling to his heart. The soldiers under these legions were all loyal to him. They were his crack force whose strength and courage were superior compared to the Vanadian mercenaries, the Inkish, the Hadean, or the Cantonese.

"I trust that you already know what to do?" He asked the four. Unlike their unreliable allies, he had informed them of the plan a day prior.

"Yes. The men of Dawn will hold their swords high like that of their honor. The Tulosans shall not prevail." General Bourgis answered in his usual stern voice.

General Hoover hooked his arm around Bourgis' neck and laughed. "Pardon this man Your Highness and Your Majesty. Too serious eh? Don't worry, the Steelsword legion already knows what to do."

Timothy turned his eyes to General Marvin next. The General shrugged. "As for us, you don't have to worry. Even if I mess up, the men of Rooster legion will not. You know how they are."

Timothy truly believed that. The job of the Castonians today was to accept the blunt of the attack. He was confident that the Rooster legion, his men from Knightsend, will never rout.

"And what about you Marquis Erik?" Timothy asked his friend. Erik will be the overall leader of the Castonians.

Erik raised his brows. "You're seriously asking a grieving son if he's prepared to face his father's killer?" He then smiled. "Of course I am. Don't worry, the Tulosans will hit a wall of spears"

He glanced at Lucia and after seeing her satisfied expression, he looked towards the four.

"Then" Timothy paused and examined their faces once more. They all looked determined. "May the Omniscient be with you"

*********

After reaching the right flank, they immediately spotted Bisham. The old man was meticulous as he carefully positioned the Vanadian mercenaries.

They rode towards Bisham. Timothy greeted with a smile and Lucia also did the same.

"Should I call you General Bisham now?" Lucia asked Bisham who was, a few months ago, the Captain of her guards. Because of the lack of good leadership in the Vanadian ranks Bisham was made the commander of the Vanadian mercenaries. This was not really a surprise since Bisham had military experience.

The old man bowed to them. "Call me what the two of you used to. General Bisham doesn't really sound nice."

"Then Captain Bisham, are your men prepared?" It was Timothy who asked.

"Of course." Captain Bisham confirmed. He gave a small proud smile as he turned his eyes towards the mercenaries "We already know what to do. We will hit them as hard as we could. The Vanadian mercenaries will fight as ferociously as the Castonians"

Timothy grinned while shaking his head. The mercenaries will never equal the valor of the Castonians in his eyes. "Pardon me but I doubt that"

"Oh?" Captain Bisham also grinned "Want me to prove you wrong?"

"You are very much welcome to do so Captain. Prove me wrong and change my opinion about the mercenaries"

**********

When they arrived where the cavalry were positioned, Henry and his Knights were not there. The soldiers pointed them to a nearby small hill where, as what the men told them, Henry was praying with his Knights.

"I think we should wait" Timothy said to Lucia after spotting Henry. All of the Knights were bowing their heads and listening to Henry lead the prayer to the Omniscient.

"Yes. Even if we're royals, interrupting a Knight's prayer would be too rude" Lucia said.

They waited for several minutes until the prayer was completed. When Henry opened his eyes and saw them, he bowed his head in apology.

"I'm sorry. Have you waited long?"

"A few minutes. Not that long right?" Lucia asked for Timothy's concordance.

"Yeah. It wouldn't be right to disturb you." Timothy agreed although he did felt a little impatient "So, is the cavalry ready?"

"Yes" Henry pounded his fist on his chest. The rest of the Knights followed. "This will be the largest contingent of cavalry to be placed under my direct command. But I shall make satisfactory results."

"Good" Timothy smiled at Lucia. "Then let's begin"

**********

Rickard was looking at King Timothy's forces from afar. The enemies were laughably divided. Although the center which was composed of Castonians will be a hard nut to crack, the flanks would be an easy target. Furthermore they were currently on a wide plain- the specialty of cavalry. He had the advantage even before the battle had started. He could already smell victory.

But he instilled in his mind that the one he was facing was King Timothy. According to Luther, King Timothy was a man to be feared. Surely the young King had some trick up his sleeve.

A horn then sounded at the distance. It was followed by movements from the enemies. The center of King Timothy's forces advanced.

Rickard scratched his head. King Timothy just ordered an attack. He was the one with the offensive capabilities with his superior cavalry but it was Timothy who advanced first.

He was further confused after he saw the fast pace of Timothy's center.

"Are they… sprinting?" he asked.