I. The House of Jolisyeux: An Ambush
Thandruil pulled the reigns of his steed, forcing the small army of men that followed behind him to abruptly halt. Night had fallen faster than expected, and the snow that had began to fall around the militia earlier in the day had hastily built up the legs of their horses. Speed was becoming harder to maintain, and the brisk winds were colder than the night before. The sky above was overcast with thick clouds of winter, making it difficult to see even the mane of his horse that lay in front of him.
âWe must turn back, we risk being ambushed,â Thandruil commanded, his eyes straining against the dark vastness of the trees around him.
A voice came from the left of Thandruil, pointed and logical, stating, âSir, we must continue, if we do not reach the base before the next light, King Winchester will-â Â
âKing Winchester will understand. We cannot afford to lose anymore men, Sir Green. We turn back, now,â Thandruil ordered. No resistance followed as the men turned around. They rode for a few minutes before Green fell back to be beside Thandruil. He was silent, but the elvish lord knew his second in command well enough to know that he disagreed with his direction. He waited a moment more before speaking up, just loud enough for the comrade beside him to hear.
âI know you have complaints, Sir Green, but I must consider the will of the people before I consider the will of the aristocrats.â
âYou are an aristocrat, Thandruil,â Green sneered, âJust because Lord Winchester has you parading with us miscreants, does not make you any less of what you are. You turn back because you know he cannot lead us without you. You are the valuable one, not us.â
Thandruil turned his head to look at the man beside him, but the darkness that shrouded them only left a faint outline of him.
âYou know that I do not see you as a miscreant, Hank. You are so much more than that,â Thandruil said softly, reaching out to touch what he assumed was the other soldiers shoulder. He gave a small squeeze, then turned back to the blackness in front of him, knowing he would not be hearing much more from Green. The road ahead was only illuminated by the few lanterns that the militia had brought with them, and the flames were burning low as they traveled on. They knew the path well, and a feeling of ease began to fall over the group as they journeyed nearer and nearer to their home. When the clearing of the forest came into view, the first arrow plunged into the side of the soldier in the front of the party.
A scream of pain erupted from the innocents mouth, but was quickly silenced by the second arrow, which went directly into his head.
As the soldier fell, Thandruil shouted, âTheyâre attacking! Flee! Now!â
The men took of in separate directions: some forward, towards the gates of their realm; some into the forest beside them; and some stayed put, shocked into a paralyzed state. Thandruil and Green charged forward, racing to the gates. Thandruil shouted, calling out for the gates to be opened, hoping there was someone manning the post. It was unlikely, however, that anyone was there: the House of Jolisyeux had lost too many men in the war, and he understood how close they were to losing more.
Through the darkness, Thandruil was close enough to see the gates beginning to part, and he called for the men to return. There was no point in attempting to attack- the darkness was too thick, they were too few, and they stood no chance on the ground if their enemy was in the trees. He heard the sounds of men yelling, coming closer. He could only hope these were his men, and not the stampede of whoever ambushed them. There was no way to know- the gates were already opened, and the kingdom was already at risk. Thandruil, Green, and ten others made it past the threshold as the gates began to close. Once inside, they dismounted, using the light of the torches brought by the guards to asses who was still there.
âCall as many men as you can, search the perimeter for any intruders, and set up posts around the walls. We were ambushed, and from the looks of the arrows, it was the Raciste. I donât expect them to try and enter, but these gates shall not be opened unless under my order,â Thandruil announced, looking over the men in front of him.
They had started out with 30 men, and now only ten stood before him. The few left spread out and followed suit to the order placed. Thandruil mounted his horse, but before he could leave, a hand grabbed his leg.
âBefore you go, sir, know that I still donât agree with your order,â said Green, looking up at the official above him. Thandruil locked eyes with the man for a moment, before simply nodding, then turning and riding deeper into the castle.
Thandruil quietly entered the Cabinet of King Winchester, slipping into the warmth of the fire-heated room. The man found the head of the kingdom at his desk, straining himself over plans of attack, economic forms, and general worries of the people. Samuel Winchester had adopted the Kingdom of Jolisyeux from King John Jolisyeux at the age of 16, a day after the king, his grandfather, died from syphilis. He had ruled fairly for seven years- his house was neutral, war was never supposed to be at the forefront of his plans. But here it was, and the weight of the lives lost weighed on the young kingâs shoulders, as if he was carrying the bodies of the innocent souls every hour of every day.
Thandruil had been the right hand man to Winchester since the day he was born- he knew everything there was to know about the man since he could form thought. He was only a year older, but a year could mean so much more in the world they were forced into. They considered each other brothers, and it brought Thandruil great pain to deliver the news to his kin of the attack. Winchester noticed Thandruil within a few moments, and a small smile of comfort graced his face for a moment, before the sternness and stress fell back into place.
âWhy are you here, brother?â The king said. It was not a question, but an order to be answered to. Thandruil swallowed before answering.
âThe snowfall became too great for the militia, we could not see, and I knew we were heading into enemy territory completely blind. I ordered a retreat. We were ambushed right outside of the gates. We lost twenty men, including Cato and Caligula.â
âCaligula,â Winchester repeated quietly. Caligula was a well regarded man within the walls of Jolisyeux. He was the best strategist the kingdom had, and the only man the king trusted to look over any plans he made regarding the war. He had accompanied the militia that night to execute his plan to attack the camp set up by the House of Raciste. However, the Raciste had been two steps ahead of them. The king regained his composure after a moment, setting back his shoulders and pushing back his brown locks, looking up to meet his friends eyes. âThe blame of this loss does not fall on your shoulders, Thandruil. The House of Raciste knew we were coming. Not even Caligula had calculated that. You were lucky to come out with any men at all. We will recover from this. We must not alert the people of Caligulaâs death, not yet. Theyâve taken too much as it is, we need-â
âSam, our ranks are decreasing every time we leave the gates. Eventually, there will be nothing left of this kingdom. Men have stopped stepping up to go out, it is a death wish to even put on the armor. I believe if we tell the people of Caligulaâs passing⌠I believe they will be more inclined to rise up,â Thandruil interjected, his pale face developing a blush.
Winchester leveled his eyes with his friends, shooting up an eyebrow in question. âWhat makes you so certain the people will not revolt against us instead? Weâve taken their fathers, husbands, brothers- we have taken their families and ripped them apart. And now we have taken the only political figure they still respect in this time of desperation. You truly believe that they will not rise up and destroy us instead, Thandruil? After everything weâve done to these people?â
Thandruil took another deep breath, trying to calm the nerves in his body. He understood where the king was speaking from, he had thought of the consequences as well. But there only hope of one last working army lied in the hands of the surviving few, and this was the last hope.
âI believe the people will either rise against us, or fight back with the will they have left. Either way, we will most likely die in the end, my king. I would rather willing die at the hands of our people, than watch our people die willingly at the hands of the enemy.â
The king seemed to process the words for a few moments before he nodded, then turned away from his friend.
âWe will tell the people at daybreak. Let them slay us before breakfast, as to build up their appetite.â
Thandruil nodded, then as quietly as he entered, he left the Cabinet.
II.House of Pitre: Womanly Assets
Sophia rolled over in bed, coming face to face with her sleeping lover. His orange-tufted hair and white painted skin enamored her, and she spent a few passing seconds to admire him. Pennywise was not as great of a leader as his brother, Alexander, but he was nothing short of a fantastic lover. He was animalistic, almost to the point of murderous on some occasions. But she thrived off of it, and it was why she chose to reside within the House of Pitre. Â
While she roamed through many different castle walls and enjoyed the games of many different kings and lords, she found herself drawn the the chaos that followed the clown she called a lover. And on the nights that she simply couldnât handle the insanity that followed the man, she found herself in the arms of Alexander. Stoic, yet attractive and fit, he was the perfect kind of calm- he always looked as if he was on the verge of mass murder, but he was gentle, and the mix of the two traits never ceased to amaze her. Â
The two brothers made quite the pair during the war. Sophia had spent many days sitting in the Great Hall while the two hashed out plans with other diplomats and lords, and the way they worked together was demonic. Pennywise was the greatest fear of anyone who entered, and he made it so that their adversaries did not leave feeling unthreatened. Alex was the calmer of the two, but he had the stature of a man that was not to be played a fool. And anyone who tried to play him a fool would be paid a visit from his brother.
As Sophia looked upon the man beside her, she felt the other brother roll over on the other side of her, turning to face her. He reached out and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he slept. She slid her hand across the sheets of the bed and moved them into the scraggly mess that was Pennywiseâs hair. He woke at her touch, and smiled that sadistic smile she had come to love.
âHiya Sophie,â he said sleepily, and she smiled at him as he said, âwant to come play with me?â
Just as she started to move from Alexanderâs grasp, the doors to the bed chamber opened, and briskly walked in the man that the brothers referred to as, The Joker. He was the head of their military, and he always had some kind of news for her men.
âMy lords,â he said, âI hope not to interrupt anything too serious, but there has been an update.â
Alexander woke beside her, and sat up in bed at the same time as his brother. Sophia remained lying down, awaiting the announcement.
âOut with it, Joker,â Alexander said.
The Joker cleared his throat, unrolled the paper he had in his hand, and began to read aloud. âThe House of Jolisyeux has been ambushed. Theyâre almost entirely out of men to defend themselves. The House of Raciste plans to attack at dawn,â The Joker rolled the paper back up, then spoke directly. âIf we do not intervene and take over the House of Jolisyeux, Raciste will have the upperhand. Our army is not nearly as small as Jolisyeuxâs, but we have taken many hits, and we wonât be able to defend ourselves against Raciste if they grow any larger in power.â
âWho told ya this, Joker?â Pennywise chimed in.
âA spy within the House of Raciste delivered the news about an hour ago,â The Joker replied. Sophia looked between the two brothers as they looked at one another, and without saying a word, they seemed to have formed a plan. Alexander spoke first:
âGet the men together, Pennywise. We have a kingdom to invade.â
Pennywise laughed as he jumped out of bed, dressing quickly as he left the room. Sophia looked to Alexander, and he met her blue-eyed gaze.
âWhy, exactly, are we at war again?â she asked. âAre we not just fighting this war for ourselves? It feels like we are gaining nothing and losing everything.â
Alexander nodded, processing her statement, before carefully replying with, âWe fight this war for the power of the Throne of Siege. When King Siege died, the power should have gone to his eldest son. But Siege had no sons, so the next in line was his nephew, Hitler Raciste, the head of the House of Raciste. Many kingdoms didnât want him in power, ours included, because of his ideas. He was a tyrannical nightmare. So thatâs why the war began, and it will not end until the rest of these kingdoms have been destroyed, and only one remains.â
Sophia nodded, she then sat up and slid out of bed, searching for her clothing to put on. Alexander stood as well, asking her what she was planning on doing.
âWell,â she said, âif weâre going to be attempting to take this throne, I have a few men I need to visit in a few other kingdoms.â
âWhat do you mea-â Alexander started, puzzled at her response. Sophia cut him off, throwing a robe on over herself as she walked out of the door, saying, âA woman can finish a war much faster than any man, all she has to do is open her legs.â