[Music Recommendation:Castle of Glass ~ GnuS Cello]
"No!"
Adric shouted, raising his hand before the dagger could reach Rowan’s throat.
The Crown Prince of Eridor, who was about to slit Rowan’s throat, looked up when he heard Adric’s voice.
"Bring me the King of Avon!" the young prince commanded loudly.
Rowan rolled his eyes. "You don’t even know the King, and you’re going to war. He is the King of Avon!"
Angered by Rowan’s words, the prince tried to push him forward. "I see you’re not afraid of death!"
"Don’t ... don’t kill him... please," Adric pleaded, turning his stern gaze, he glared at Rowan. "Don’t provoke him."
The Crown Prince of Eridor chuckled. "Don’t kill him? How do I appease the souls of my men whom he killed?"
Adric noticed the soldiers lying dead on the ground. He closed his eyes and sighed. Rowan was more of a beast than a man when it came to fighting, and it was no surprise that they had to attack him all at once to capture him. If left alone, he would have brought down every last one of them, even if he was dying.
"I am the King of Avon... Adric... and I’m sure he meant no harm ..." Adric was really trying to defend Rowan, but the lifeless bodies of soldiers in front of him weren’t helping.
Rowan raised his eyebrows when Adric said he meant no harm. His face was covered in blood, and there were soldiers dead because of him. It was a serious situation that threatened his life, but he tried hard to stifle his laugh.
The sarcasm flew right over the head of the Crown Prince, who was still waiting for Adric to finish speaking.
"Can we talk?" Adric sighed. There was no hope in begging for Rowan. "As young men who bear the weight of their kingdoms, let’s have a conversation. We don’t have to lose any more men. You see..." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
As Adric was speaking, one of the soldiers of Eridor took a step closer and whispered something to the prince. The Crown Prince nodded and said to Adric,
"I have nothing to say until Avon surrenders. If not, there will be more bloodshed. I don’t care about the men I lose in battle because I will bring them victory by winning this war."
Adric sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. It was clear as day that the war was one of ego and nothing else. The truth was, winning the war was easy, but losing his men over something this frivolous wasn’t worth it. Besides, he didn’t have time to waste on the battlefield. He needed to go home.
"I understand..." Adric started, "No kingdom wants to lose a war... but you have conquered Valonia. Isn’t that enough?"
The Crown Prince shook his head. "It’s never enough until Avon bows to Eridor..." When Malcolm and other soldiers arrived, the Crown Prince moved back, dragging Rowan with him.
"Tell your men to stand back, or I will kill this young soldier... It seems he is someone important to you..."
Adric raised his hand, signaling for Malcolm to stand back.
"We can talk; there’s no need to fight."
"If you want to talk, you shall come to our camp tomorrow night, unarmed and without a guard... Then I will listen to what you have to say. But if you don’t... I will return this man’s head to you in a bag, and the war will continue."
Rowan widened his eyes and shook his head at Adric. "Don’t! Don’t do it... kill me now!" he pleaded with the Crown Prince.
"You can die tomorrow when your king doesn’t show up," the Crown Prince muttered. "Tie him up; let’s leave."
The soldiers of Eridor quickly dragged Rowan with them as they turned away with their horses.
"Let’s chase after them; we can fight them now and still win," Malcolm said, running towards Adric and pointing at the departing figures of the enemy kingdom.
Adric closed his eyes, deep in thought. Winning wasn’t the problem, but they wouldn’t hesitate to kill Rowan once Avon attacked. And he knew Rowan—he was ready to give his life just to protect the crown. He didn’t mind dying as long as he died fighting, but Adric knew better than to give his friend’s life away just because of his pride.
"Rowan..."
"What?" Malcolm asked, not following what Adric was saying.
Adric pointed. "They have Rowan. If we attack, they will kill him first!" He cursed under his breath, already tired though the day was just starting.
Louis, who was standing by the corner, bowed his head sadly. "I’m sorry... It was all my fault. If Sir Rowan hadn’t tried to save me... he wouldn’t be..."
Adric touched the man’s shoulder, patting it gently. "This is a sign that we shouldn’t continue this war. It’s not your fault."
"Then what are we going to do?" Malcolm asked, as they now stood in silence, the only noise being the soft rippling sound of water.
"Asking for our king to come to their camp unarmed and without a guard is... death... They’re trying to kill us, knowing they now have our weakness. I say we go ahead with our plan; enter their camp, save Rowan, and attack," Malcolm continued, his voice firm with confidence, as he was never one to back down during a war. Neither was he going to put the life of the king in danger.
Adric thought over the plan. It wasn’t a bad idea, going to save Rowan first, but the war would still continue.
"W-what if they find us... before we get to Sir Rowan?" Louis asked in a low voice.
Malcolm turned to look at Adric, who now had a look on his face that showed his mind was made up, and it was on something dangerous.
"No..." The general shook his head.
Adric exhaled. He didn’t know if he was doing the right thing or if he would make it out alive, but if the plan worked, the war would end, and he would be on his way back home with Rowan still alive.
"No." Malcolm closed his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval.
"That’s it... I’m going to Eridor unarmed and without a guard... We have to save Rowan and end this fight for good." Adric’s words had a note of finality, telling Malcolm there was no room for argument.
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