Conquering Planets: Rise of the Cosmic Tyrant-Chapter 12: The Prisoners

It happened at dawn.

Cedric’s forces were marching through a narrow valley when the first arrows rained down.

Men screamed. Horses reared.

Aldric and his fighters charged from the cliffs, swords flashing.

Chaos.

Valerian split a man in two with a single swing.

Elya moved like a shadow, her daggers finding weak points in enemy armor.

Aldric fought his way toward the center, searching for Cedric.

But Cedric wasn’t there.

A trap.

The horns blew, and suddenly the valley wasn’t theirs anymore.

From the ridges above, Cedric’s men emerged. Arrows flew down at them. Soldiers closed in from both sides.

Aldric cursed.

They had walked right into it.

"Fall back!" he shouted.

But there was nowhere to go.

The Duel

Then, amidst the chaos—

Cedric himself rode forward.

He was clad in black armor, his sword gleaming in the early light. His eyes locked onto Aldric, and he smirked.

"I should’ve killed you when I had the chance," Cedric said.

Aldric tightened his grip on his sword.

"No more running," he growled.

Cedric dismounted.

The battlefield faded away.

It was just the two of them now.

The fight they had both been waiting for.

Cedric struck first, his blade moving fast.

Aldric blocked, countered—his muscles burning with exhaustion.

Cedric pressed the attack, driving Aldric back step by step.

But Aldric had fought too many battles to lose now.

He found an opening.

A slip in Cedric’s stance.

Aldric lunged.

His sword pierced through Cedric’s side.

Blood spilled.

Cedric staggered.

Aldric ripped the blade free, spun, and drove it through Cedric’s heart.

For a moment, Cedric just stood there.

Then—

He collapsed.

Dead.

The battlefield went silent.

Then, Cedric’s soldiers broke.

Without their leader, they had no reason to fight.

The war was over.

The End of the War

The rebels stood over the battlefield, barely believing it was real.

Cedric was dead.

The war was won.

Aldric exhaled, wiping blood from his sword.

It was over.

But war leaves scars.

And peace?

Peace was a battle of its own.

----

The battlefield was still smoking when Aldric finally allowed himself to breathe.

Cedric was dead.

His soldiers had either fled or surrendered.

The war was won.

And yet, as Aldric stood there, sword still dripping with blood, he felt no joy.

Just exhaustion.

The weight of everything—the battles, the losses, the sheer cost of it all—settled onto his shoulders like an iron cloak.

He looked around at the faces of his people. Some were cheering. Some were weeping.

Most were simply too tired to feel anything at all.

The Aftermath

It took the rest of the day to secure the battlefield.

The dead were gathered. The wounded were tended to. The survivors took what weapons and supplies they could carry.

Cedric’s banner, once a symbol of his rule, was torn down and burned.

Aldric walked among the bodies, searching for familiar faces.

He found too many.

Valerian approached, his face streaked with sweat and blood.

"It’s over," Valerian said.

Aldric nodded. "Yes."

But war never truly ends.

Not for the ones who survive it.

A small group of Cedric’s remaining soldiers had been captured. They knelt in the dirt, hands bound, waiting for their fate.

The rebels surrounded them, weapons drawn. There was anger in their eyes.

These men had burned their homes, killed their friends, slaughtered their families.

They wanted vengeance.

One of the prisoners, a grizzled man with a scar running down his cheek, lifted his head.

"We fought because we had to," he said. "Just like you."

A murmur ran through the crowd.

Elya stepped forward, her blade at her side.

"They deserve to die," someone muttered.

Aldric clenched his jaw.

If he gave the order, they would be executed on the spot.

But what would that make them?

He took a deep breath.

"Let them go."

Silence.

Valerian’s eyes narrowed. "You’re just going to let them walk away?"

Aldric turned to the prisoners. "Swear you will never take up arms against us again. If you do, I won’t be so merciful."

One by one, they nodded.

Then, without another word, they left.

Not all the rebels agreed with his decision.

But Aldric had seen enough bloodshed.

The war was over.

It was time to start building something new.

The Road Home

For the first time in years, Aldric walked a road not towards battle, but towards home.

Or at least, what was left of it.

The kingdom was in ruins. Villages had been burned, fields razed.

They had won the war.

Now they had to rebuild.

The march back was slow.

There were no songs of victory, no celebrations.

Only silence.

Aldric walked at the front, his mind heavy with thoughts.

What came next?

He had spent so long fighting.

Did he even know how to rule?

A City in Ashes 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

When they finally reached the capital, the sight made Aldric’s heart sink.

The walls were blackened with fire.

The streets were littered with debris.

What was once a city of thousands now felt empty.

Those who remained watched from the shadows as the rebels entered.

They had been under Cedric’s rule for so long.

Now, they saw strangers in their streets.

Would they see liberators?

Or just another army?

Aldric stopped in the main square.

"This city belongs to its people," he called out.

His voice echoed in the silence.

"We did not fight just to take Cedric’s place. We fought so we could all be free."

For a long moment, there was no response.

Then, an old man stepped forward.

He studied Aldric.

Then he knelt.

One by one, others followed.

Not out of fear.

But because they believed.

A Throne of Steel

The castle still stood, though it bore the scars of war.

Inside, the remnants of Cedric’s court had either fled or surrendered.

The throne room was empty.

Aldric stepped forward, staring at the great stone seat.

This had been Cedric’s throne.

And before him, his father’s.

Now, it was his.

Aldric didn’t sit.

Not yet.

He turned to the people who had fought beside him.

Valerian. Elya. The survivors of the rebellion.

"We have won," Aldric said.

"But the real fight begins now."

The war was over.

But peace?

Peace was a battle of its own.