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Twenty thousand crossbow men followed on the second line, they all mounted horses so that to give them leverage on their enemies and they were led by a slave from the Liberty Cities famously known as “Vulture” because of his experience with shooting arrows without missing and it was Vulture who trained the crossbow men ever since he arrived in Horriss.

Cardinal Topher led strong thirty thousand men at arms from Iron Falcon. These weren’t knights but mostly trained sells words who most won tourneys but had no experience with war, however Lord Aethelind accepted them from his friend Lord Finnian of House Iron Falcon. He is recorded to say “Every sword counts” and indeed wars needed men.

Lord Aethelind led his own men of House Horriss, forty thousand strong raising the sigil of House Mithandir up high. A long time ago these same men rose high above the air the sigil of House Arteides in support of the crown, but were then deemed traitors and sided with Lord Aethelind.

Prince Ambrose, a decorated knight who vowed to usurp the throne of his brother and bent a knee to Lucian Mithandir was given thirty thousand free riders who followed Lucian Mithandir to his course and some were swords men who fled Prophis to join Mithandir. Most of these free riders came from Doha, but most were from houses who remembered the Mithandirs and their generosity hence raised their banners in support of Lucian.

The ten thousand remaining slaves who King Vaith brought from the Liberty Cities were unhorsed and they aligned themselves with swords and helmets made of steel. They only followed one command and that’s from their master who was King Vaith.

And hence the war started, while King Castellan had three hundred thousand men fighting for him. Lucian Mithandir had just one hundred thousand and eighty thousand – not even close to two hundred thousand. The chronicles tell that Lord Aethelind believed that he had that much men, while in reality he didn’t.

Lucian Mithandir stood close to General Haul on the front, he didn’t intent on fighting in the vanguard nor would his men let him. But he wanted to have a conversation with King Castellan Taelin and to offer a word of wisdom before he kills him. Hence he waited anxiously for “The Ice” army to show up.

.....

Unlike what Lucian Mithandir thought the war would start, which is usually the leaders to meet up and talk but that wasn’t that case. The Red waited for over an hour in the heat, notes were exchanged between envoys last night and the war was to start early in the morning.

Yet, Lord Gandalf had plans of his own. He didn’t want to risk his men nor lose the war, he was alright with the formation of King Castellan where he placed fifty thousand of Prophisian knights in the vanguard and they were considered the best in the realm. After Castellan’s men, thirty thousand crossbow men from Old City aligned themselves on horsebacks.

One thing to learn here is that during a war, you may want to be unhorsed if you want to live for the ones on horses can easily be killed. As to why Lord Aubrel decided to place Gandalf’s men as crossbow men and on horses is something which made Lord Gandalf wroth and he even screamed at him “My men are knights. They are decorated soldiers not some cowards who throw arrows”

“Would you rather we place them in the vanguard then? At the front?” asked Lord Aubrel.

Lord Gandalf didn’t reply to him, there seemed to be some differences in the camp of “The Ice” just minutes away from the war. The men from Old City would follow Lord Gandalf in a heartbeat, some of them were loyal to Lady Aryan but they had direct instruction from Aryan herself to respect and do as her brother bade.

Gandalf walked away from Lord Aubrel, King Castellan and his kingsguard and fine knights. “Open the cages” ordered Lord Gandalf with a frown look on his face. He wore a Prophisian armor with Prophisian sigil attached to it, and a helmet made of steel. Although Gandalf never gained his knighthood, nor was he a good fighter but he was a lion rider.

Lions are very complicated creatures; the witnesses of the Battle of Stonedance later wrote in their journals. The same lions who would tear you apart when you encounter them in a jungle or a wild area, are the same ones who bowed and stood still beneath Gandalf’s feet. They didn’t even do much as a scratch – all ten of them.

They were huge lions black of color, standing at six foot and taller than Gandalf himself. “Easy... easy” the growling lions were made to stay calm around Gandalf’s feet. Neither King Castellan nor Lord Aubrel knew what was Lord Gandalf up to. They gave him a space to talk to his lions, and waited for him to decide.

Then just when everyone seemed lost in looking at Lord Gandalf and his lions, a man riding a horse was approaching their camp. The men readied themselves with swords and arrows, all pointed at this rider. Somehow, the rider turned out to be Lady Aryan when she opened the visor of her helm.

“Lady Aryan?” King Castellan’s eyes widened with amazement. Aryan was in full combat uniform ready for war, dressed in black trouser, an armor uniform and she was riding like a knight.

The one who was more shocked was Lord Gandalf whose jaw dropped. “I thought you could use help brother, ten lions are a handful to contain” she made a joke and even smiled walking past the men and onto her brother.

Gandalf pulled his sister into a tight hug, and he whispered softly in her ear “I’m glad you came sister” and indeed he was glad. Gandalf needed a strong kin by his side and Lady Aryan was no woman to be mistaken as weak. She has knocked down huge men all her life, the most marvelous fighter and rider the Squires has ever seen.

Hence they took control of the lions and aligned themselves in the third line after the crossbow men. While Lord Gandalf led five lions, Lady Aryan took the rest of the five. The two of them were on top of the lion’s back, while other men rode horses. They could have given advantage for other men to ride the lions but they weren’t lion riders, it took genetics make up and years of training for one to ride a lion.

The Squires were said to be the only lion riders in the realm and this particular talent was passed on from their ancestors. The march started and in twenty minutes, “The Ice” and “The Red” came face to face with one another in the heat of Stonedance.

Two hundred thousand men with lions, against an army of free riders and sell swords who have never been to war. Only fifty thousand knights under general Haul had war experiences, the rest they fought with their hearts and honor.

As usual, King Castellan greeted Lucian Mithandir his rival. “You will die here, I shall slit your throat just like how my father slit your brother’s” he said arrogantly. “Look around you Lucian, you are surrounded by traitors and losers. Lord Aethelind lost his nephew’s support, General Haul lost his honor as the commander of the city watch, my brother...” Castellan paused.

Then he shouted “Ambrose... where are you? Come out and face me traitor brother” and from there Ambrose rode his horse to face his brother. When he reached a place where Lucian Mithandir, Lord Aethelind and King Vaith stood, that’s where he stopped his horse and align himself with them.

A very angry Castellan shouted again “Is this what you want? To defy our father and our house?”

“You defied our father when you slit his throat and sent our sister away. I will not sit back while you rule as a tyrant, and I can assure you brother after this war, you will no longer sit the silver throne” said Prince Ambrose.

A moment of silence passed between the two siblings, then Castellan turned his horse back “Very well then, I gave you an escape and you spat it in my face. This is the day you will join your father...” and he raced back to his men.

From there the cold war of words, pacts and threats turned to blood. The desert of Stonedance bled, the noise of the swords could be heard a mile away and the roar of lions notified people the war had commenced.