A Tale of Blades & Blood-Chapter 6: Be Prepared

[Forien's Point of View]

Only one week remains before the wedding, but the ships had already arrived. I wake up an hour, maybe less, before the first sunlight—I could not tell. My father looms over my body, eyes glimmering with sinister joy.

"Follow me, Forien." he whispers, and without telling me why, walks outside to the hallway.

I knew I would regret following him, but I follow his orders anyway. I would love following him on another one of his plot discussions rather than fight with an enraged madman. Little did I know, I was in for a real treat tonight, and it was something I hoped would not come true.

I got myself dressed, and went outside to the hallway. After walking for a while, I find the stairs, and I hurriedly go down them, my feet shuffling, and my mind racing on what my father might say—and what to respond to them. As I reach the large doors that lead outside the palace, I see my father waiting for me.

He stands menacingly near two strong stallions. He wore his armor, with the sigil of House Strix, the forest owlet, shining at the center of his breast plate. His helmet is nestled nicely under his arm, and his thin lips are curled into a smile. "Come, my son. We head for the docks..." my father begins. Don't say it, please don't say it, I pray to the gods, but my true fears are confirmed by the next words, "...the mercenaries have arrived just now. The ships await at Iron Port, we must hurry on over."

I could not believe it... have the ships really arrived? Why so soon? I hesitantly ride my stallion, Dasher. I secure the straps on my saddle, and prepare to ride off to the docks. Before I could finish securing the straps, however, my father already rode off on his stallion, a while horse with grey hair—and bigger than Dasher.

I hurriedly follow him, carefully staying behind his faint lantern, which was the only light I could see besides the occasional post, although, there are very few. We ride on horseback for around half an hour before we reach the docks.

The Iron Port was no different than it was when I saw it as a small child. The 50 docks that extended far into the sea were stone, and stood on foundations built deep into the sea floor. The port looked like a city from afar, having tall and crowded buildings—The Iron Market –made of stone, and their roofs made of red tiles. The crowds there chatter on about gossip and business, while others are amazed at the arrival of men at arms. Speaking of men at arms...

My father was not kidding when he said there would be plenty of men. They arrived just at the right time as well, as the rose-pink light of dawn had approached, with the sun starting to shine upon the city, with the Spire casting a large shadow over the sea. As I look onward towards the docks, the fog resides, revealing 25 galleons, and a trail of ships arriving at the docks slowly. With father's estimation of 50,000 men, that would mean there would be around a thousand men per ship. The nearest ship's men are escorted off by soldiers. I never realized, but my father's bannermen had already arrived with us.

The sight was like no other. Around 156 bannermen arrive from the city. Five of them, were from House Abberan, a family that has served House Strix for centuries, aiding us in terms of military might. Those 5 bannermen were seen as the most loyal and wise, each having earned the ranks of "Bannermen Elites" by my father. They are also known as The Abberan Brothers, legendary warriors feared by all.

The first was Ser Mareste Abberan, wearing Strix armor. He was no older than 40, and was still in great shape.

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Next was Ser Maerys Abberan, the eldest of the Abberan brothers. He rode on his brown stallion, wielding a steel sword. He is no older than 50, but is considered the strongest of them all, having borne the name "The Abberan Hound" by most.

Another bannerman approaches us. "Your majesties..." he greets with a bow, "...when will the soldiers be divided amongst us bannermen? I suppose we should prepare sooner, since the battle awaits only a week from now." he says, his arms crossed.

"Indeed, we must prepare." my father begins, turning his mount towards the bannerman, "I will have these men divided by the Bannermen Masters, so that we may plan our approach to the battle later in the evening." my father replied.

"What role do I play in the battle, father?" I ask, so that I may get a grasp on what I could do during battle, no matter how much my stomach churns at the thought of war.

"You wish to bring your heir to battle, my lord?" the bannerman asked, his hand extended towards me, as if presenting me, "Why take such a risk? Leave him here, your grace, where he is to be kept safe by The Spire." he says.

"I have no choice but to bring my heir..." my father answers, "...it is a wedding and all will attend. He will assist me in leading the ambush when I am unavailable, such as during meetings with the other kings." he replies.

The bannerman pauses, then looks at me, with a worried look. "That is logical, your grace." he replies.

He was Ser Maserr Abberan, who rode on another brown stallion, having been said to be the twin of his older brother's mount. He is around 46, nearing their eldest brother's age of 50. Unlike his older brother, he is not strong, but he is considered to be the wisest of the five brothers, having earned the name "The Abberan Owl". He nods, and moves towards the ships.

I spot two other bannermen in the distance. They were unique, since Bannermen Elites wore a different kind of armor than the Bannermen Masters. I could make out the look of the first one, but the second bannerman wore a helmet.

The first was the youngest was Ser Madester Abberan. He is no older than 30 but no younger than 40. He stands as the second tallest and strongest among them all, second to Ser Maerys.

The masked bannerman should be the middle child out of all of them, Ser Magrae Abberan, who rides on a black horse. Unlike his brothers, he wore his helmet, shielding his face.

"Lord Strix." calls a voice that approaches us.

As me and my father turned around, we see Ser Maerys Abberan, atop his strong mount, looking grander than ever before as the sun rises behind him, casting a menacing shadow towards us. "Yes, Ser Maerys?" my father asks.

"When shall we travel to Northrest Keep?" the bannerman asks, "I suppose we should travel along the coast, and have some of the men disguise themselves as guests so they may infiltrate the keep?" he suggests, awaiting the confirmation from my father.

"We shall plan our approach this evening, I shall see you and your brothers at the long table when the Spire Bell rings, announcing evening's arrival." my father replies, giving Ser Maerys a gentle tap on the shoulder.

"May the gods aid us in this risky approach." I say, an awkward, obviously faked smile plastered on my face.

Ser Maerys merely gives me a nod, and moves along.

Soon, my father aids the Bannermen Masters in dividing the men by groups of 400. As of then, House Strix had 125 Bannermen Masters at their disposal, and 5 Bannermen Elites commanding the 125. House Strix might lack in terms of military might, but it compensates with its wealthy status, having been renowned as the richest house in all of the Northern Island.

When our family was given the eastern lands to govern by King Orevion Ballister, our ancestors built The Iron Port, the largest trading center in the entirety of the Northern Island, with some houses from beyond the north even coming here, such as those in the Eastern and the Southern Islands. That is why we had become the richest house in the north.

Sooner or later, I would have to come with my father to the meeting at the long table. As much as I resent war, my father's grip forces me to go, or else. I always wondered what father and his bannermen would do at the long table when I was a child, spying on them when I could. This is my chance, but for the most wrong reason ever...

Later that night...

The bells of The Spire ring out, signaling the arrival of evening, and the meeting I am forced to attend. I stand up from my chair, putting away a book I was reading, and head out the door. As I complete each step, my heart seems to beat faster, and faster. When I reached the stairs, each step was heavier than the last, as if fate was dragging me down, to where I should be—not in my father's presence.

When I reach the end of the staircase, I am met with a long, ominous hallway, filled with portraits of our ancestors at war, which only made my nerves more tense. This was once a place I often went to when I was a child, to spy on father and brother's business... Oh, brother, if only you were here...

Once more, I take a step, and then another, until I reach the door, which was bigger than the others. As my hand shakes, I raise it to open the door, but a voice disturbs me.

"Lord Forien." the voice calls...

That's familiar. I turn around to see a man, walking towards me. His armor was unique, which meant he was a Bannerman Elite, but who? "Who are you, Ser?" I ask.

"Ser Magrae Abberan, your grace." he replies with a gentle bow.

"I see." I reply to him. We pause for an awkward moment, until Ser Magrae broke the silence... thank the gods.

"Let me open the door, Lord Forien." he offers, and all I could do was move aside, and let him reveal the room I spied on all those years ago.

Now I know why I couldn't recognize him; he had his face covered with his helmet during our time at the port! Now that I have a look at him, I now know why. His face bore a long scar which stretched across his left cheek. His left eye is gone, leaving only a socket, which I wish he would cover up using a patch. Overall, his face was destroyed, morphed, and abnormal.

The room itself was impressive on its own. The smooth stone walls were decorated with banners of lesser houses (including House Abberan, with their sword sigil in their green and silver banner) and a large banner for House Strix at the very end, behind a large seat, decorated with golden designs.

The table in itself was simply a regular oval long table, made of wood, and stretching 2 and a half meters in length. A map of The Northern Island was present in the middle of the table, displayed for all to see. The room was lit well with candles and lanterns, and the faint smell of incense was pleasant enough.

No one else was there, so me and Ser Magrae sat down on our own chairs. I already knew which chair was mine, the only seat opposite of the designed chair, where my brother would sit in all those years before.

As more and more people arrived, the room was complete with The Abberan Brothers, my father, and me, along with the hand of the king, Lord Loreys Tiberrun, who had served my grandfather, King Fosdan Strix.

The meeting would soon begin, and my heart could not help but beat faster and faster. Perhaps it's better to remain silent and let the experienced argue and plot over the destruction they would bestow.