Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 382: Sour end

Chapter 382: Sour end

The Herculeian army advanced across the open plains . The sun glinted off their polished armor, casting dazzling reflections as ranks of soldiers moved in unison. Banners bearing the royal crest fluttered in the breeze,more proudly than ever before . 

The soldiers marched with a relaxed ease, the satisfaction of loot gleaming in their eyes. It wasn't the lavish rewards that Yarzat's soldier had during the campaing of few months ago , but for the peasants-turned-soldiers, it was more than enough to make the journey worthwhile. Their pockets were fuller than when they left, and that made the harsh roads and long marches seem a little less grueling.

But their duty was far from over. Ahead lay the looming twin fortresses, their ancient stone walls standing as silent sentinels. The rebels had been driven from the fields, but the real prize still stood tall between them and the capital. With those fortresses in any enemy hands, the royal capital was as exposed as a child after a bath, left wide open to whatever came next.

Half-surrounded by Yarzat-held lands, the capital was ripe for a siege—a siege that would be as swift and inevitable as a rainbow after a storm.

Arnold rode at the head of the column, his horse's steady pace reflecting his outward calm. But within, his mind churned with uneasy thoughts. They dared to rise so close to our seat of power, he reflected, his jaw tightening at the audacity of the rebels, as much as it lacked any potential harm directly to the capital, it was still a heavy blow against the image of his father. 

His thoughts darkened further as he considered the stakes. If I had lost that battle... He dared not complete the thought, but the image was unavoidable—a princedom without any power to raise anymore soldiers, the capital isolated, ready for the taking of the Small Fox , and the rebels emboldened. The consequences of failure would have been catastrophic.