Being under attack didn’t give Adric and his men much time to prepare. Half of their camp had already been set on fire before Adric could come out.
"Malcolm, get the men. We need to retreat before we lose even more men," Adric ordered as he watched his men fall from arrows shot at them from different angles.
Louis, who had just arrived, was so terrified. He didn’t expect the first day of his arrival to be graced with war as he had never been to the battlefield before. Out of fear, he took a step back, causing him to almost lose his balance, but someone caught him.
"Careful," Rowan held the man. When he noticed his body trembling, he sighed. "I see where she takes her fear from," he muttered.
Louis turned to look at the guard and bowed. His hands were trembling; all he wanted was to help the King and Queen but not enter the battlefield. He had never shed human blood in his entire life. All he knew how to do was slice meat and fish in the kitchen.
"Don’t worry. The battlefield is not that scary. Think of it as..." Rowan hummed, "your kitchen? I mean, this time your pots keep moving."
Malcolm turned to look at Rowan with his brows raised. "What? That’s not anywhere near what the battlefield looks like."
Louis blinked, looking at the two men. "It’s not?"
Rowan shrugged. "Now you made his anxiety rise. I tried to help." He sucked his teeth, unsheathing his sword, and ran after Adric.
Louis looked around, weighing his options for where his safety would be accounted for. The man nodded to himself and ran after Rowan.
Adric, despite his injury, walked in front while leading the soldiers to retreat away from the attack. The healthy ones helped the wounded ones out of the camp as they walked through the forest.
Getting to a safer place where they could hide, Adric turned to Rowan and Malcolm.
"We can’t hide here forever. We need to divert their attention, or else we’ll be found." He said, looking at the wounded soldiers. "We’ll take a few strong men and go back."
Malcolm nodded. "I’ll get the men ready and have others hide here." He turned to get the soldiers.
"Louis, you’ll stay behind with the soldiers. I know it’s too much, but the injured ones would recover quicker with good food." Adric said, looking at the man who was still trembling in fear.
Louis bowed. "Yes, your Majesty. I will look around for what to gather and make something for the soldiers." Before he turned to leave, Rowan said to him,
"Scream out for help if something happens, and take this." He took out a small knife and gave it to Louis. "Use this if you’re faced with any danger. Don’t think, just use it."
Louis nodded, grateful for the kindness Rowan had always shown him. "Why are you doing this?"
Rowan cleared his throat. "I know someone who would bawl her eyes out if anything should happen to you," he patted Louis on his shoulder.
"Thank you," Louis smiled before leaving the place.
Adric folded his arms across his chest, looking at Rowan with his eyes narrowed.
"What?" Rowan asked, raising his hands to show his innocence.
Adric shook his head. "Really? ’I know someone who would bawl her eyes out’? Is that how you confess to a father that you intend to court his daughter?"
"Will you then have me say it any other way? The daughter in question hates me even," Rowan replied with a small chuckle when he remembered the hateful glare Freya sent his way every time they spoke.
Adric looked around the forest as they waited for Malcolm to arrive with the other soldiers. "You might try saying something like, ’Sir, I am going to slay the head of the enemies and return victorious. Shall you then let me marry your daughter?’"
"You must be proud of your ideas," Rowan said, watching as Adric laughed at his own jokes. "That man and his daughter would faint if I bring back a head for them. Maybe something else."
Adric pointed at Rowan. "You didn’t deny it? You are really attracted to his daughter? What happened to ’love is something...’ what was that you said to me," Adric said with a mocking tone set to annoy Rowan.
"Oh look, your wound is open," Rowan pointed, and Adric stopped laughing, looking down at his stomach. "I thought I saw something."
Both of them started laughing, and soon Malcolm joined them with the other soldiers.
Adric turned to the men that had just arrived and said, "Let’s survive this night together and come out victorious. I have a wife I need to go back to, and I will give anything to see just her smile."
"And I have a daughter waiting for me to bring her father safely. Let’s not back down tonight," Rowan added with confidence.
Malcolm smiled. "And I made a promise to someone to return alive. Let’s unalive our opponents before they get to us!"
Everyone turned to look at Malcolm. Adric, who was listening, chuckled. "I see my palace has been playing cupid lately." He joked, and everyone laughed like they were not on their way to fight, putting their lives on the line, unsure of who would make it out alive.
"If we make it out tonight! We will survive anything else and go back home. Any soldier that dies tonight will be punished first by me before they get to the underworld." Adric’s words had the soldiers laughing as they became even more confident, ready to fight with the last strength in them.
"For our loved ones waiting for us! Let’s stay alive!" Adric raised his sword, and the soldiers did the same. Soon, they all ran back to the path where the enemies were still attacking. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
The enemies that had attacked them were surprised to see the few men who had returned to fight them. So they lurched forward to attack.
As Adric fought, he felt the wound that was covered open up again, but he didn’t stop fighting. Though he tried to put his mind at ease, all he wanted at the moment was to see Oriana again. Even if he had to die in her arms, he wanted to return to her.
When an attacker tried to cut him from behind, Adric used his hand to hold the sword, pushing it down as it pierced deep inside his palm. But he didn’t let go.
"I can’t die tonight. My wife will kill me if I do," Adric said to the attacker, who now had fear written all over his face. With one push, he cut the attacker down.
And it wasn’t only Adric who fought with so much determination. Every other man on the battlefield fought like it was their last, risking everything they had just to make sure they made it out for that one night, just to return to their loved ones who were waiting for them back at home.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
