An Ending of Oaths - Chapter 25

Drayford, Dunwic’s Reach, Kingsheart

The week following the victory in Twyver had been hectic, to say the least. The routed crown forces had scattered, but it was not the last crown army to deal with.

Thankfully, the dueling defeats in Iron Keep and on the Thunderhorn were enough to give the men his father had put in charge of their armies pause. Or at least the ones in Kingsheart. They had pulled back into Ambleton and Langmere for the time being while they reinforced from the large numbers of losses they’d taken in the previous month and to figure out how many of the eastern baronies had defected.

The Icelanders were not nearly as cautious, but the first time, they’d managed to catch the keep unprepared, its forces scattered and easily isolated. Now Garris had enough men to hold the line at the base of the peninsula, and start his push inland.

It was not a done deal and they had gotten wise, bringing in smaller ships to protect their transports, but it was not nearly as hopeless as it could have been.

As they rode into Drayford, the baronial capital of Dunwic’s Reach, William was happy to finally see a part of home not ravaged by conflict and war. Sitting on merchants bay where the blackwater river emptied into it, the city was far enough out of the way to avoid the tribulations of both this rebellion and the peasants rebellion, and be all but overlooked by Serwyn’s tax collectors in the intervening period.

William liked the city the moment he set eyes on it. Much simpler and more down to earth than other capitals he’d been in, he found the place almost quaint.

He’d never been here before. He’d traveled with his father to a lot of his liegemen’s capitals, but this was one of the few Edmund had never cared to visit. He mostly stayed in the central and western baronies, since those were the wealthiest and most influential, but even when he’d come to the east, he’d avoided Dunwic. It was too rural, too far, and too poor for Edmund to care about.

Which made it exactly the kind of place William liked.

The central keep was a bustle of activity. Servants rushing about, horses being tended, and soldiers everywhere. He saw the livery of multiple other eastern baronies mixed among them, which meant he and Aldric were some of the last to arrive.

They were led into the keep to a room with most of the other lords already gathered around a table.

“Your Grace. And Prince William. Your timing is excellent,” Garris Sinclair said, looking up. “We were just discussing our next moves.”

“Langmere?” William asked, guessing.

“Yes,” Newberry answered. “Edmund’s new puppet in Langmere has been pressuring Merrick and Penshaw hard. And Ambleton’s forces have joined them. It’s why Loxon and Farrow aren’t with us today. They needed to stay behind and deal with those efforts.”

“Word is, your father is ramping up recruitment across the duchy,” Garris added.

“Which is why we’ve done the same,” Aldric said, pulling out a seat and gesturing for William to do the same. “We’ve entered a new phase of the rebellion. Edmund’s strategy has shifted. He’ll grow more aggressive now that he feels his grip slipping.”

“That much is clear,” Halbrok said. “What matters is our own response to it.”

“I’ve given that much thought on the ride up. I also received a Wyvern from Baron Pembroke in Rendallia, which I think holds the answer to your question.

“Really?” William asked.

“Yes. He apologizes for not responding to you, but with you here, it was unclear who he answered to now, so he thought it best to contact me directly.”

“Of course,” William said. “I’m not complaining. I was just surprised he chanced a wyvern.”

“He didn’t. I sent one to him the day Twyver fell. The messenger that found us this morning carried the reply.”

“What did he say?” Garris said, a little impatiently.

“That he’s pulled the entire army back into the bounds of our new province, and anyone not needed to hold it is assembled in Rendallia city and ready to board ships as soon as he’s assembled them.”

“Can we trust all of those men? I know Pembroke is solid, but not everyone in the army is from Iron Keep or River Mark,” Halbrok asked.

“He’s weeded out those who are from the most baronies most loyal to the crown, and will hold them behind to govern Rendallia. But … more are with us than you’d expect. You all heard from your men. They are loyal to you, but they still argued on behalf of William. You saw yourself how loyal the men who served under him are.”

William was uncomfortable with this talk, since it was ridiculous to think that men who’d served their baron for their adult lives would suddenly put their fate with the man they’d spent only a year with. The eastern barons, however, were clearly taking it seriously, looking to each other with serious expressions.

“If that’s going to work, we can’t just rely on them following Pembroke in William’s name,” Halbrok said. “He needs to go back and lead them himself. It’s the only way we’ll guarantee their support.”

“Wait…” William started to say, but Aldric was already speaking.

“Agreed. Although not through the straits this time. Better to go the long way with as many boats as we can send.”

“What? That’ll take at least two months.”

“About that, but we need as many of those men as you can bring. Besides, the return trip will be faster. You can land in Kingsheart itself. Your army will open a new front. Edmund can only fight on so many fronts.”

“That could work,” Halbrok said. “We can hold the east until then. It will take time for Edmund to pull all of the men he’ll need to try and break through. By the time you get back, he’ll have transferred those here, leaving the west open.”

“But you’ll be outnumbered and caught between those men and the Icelanders coming down the peninsula,” William said. “You’ll be badly outnumbered.”

“We’ll have help,” Aldric said. “Duke Blackwood has finally declared for us. He’s already sending forces north to join us.”

“We need to use our time well, while Edmund is focused on building his forces back,” Garris said. “We need to clear Iron Keep.”

He had a point, although William was certain that was not his only, or even primary, reason. Garris liked to present himself as the strong, pragmatic type, but even he couldn’t resist the urge to free his home from invaders.

“Agreed,” Aldric nodded. “We can’t fight Edmund effectively while they threaten our rear.”

They spent the next hour discussing deployments and strategies. William stayed silent for most of it, letting Garris, Aldric, and Halbrok do the bulk of the work. William had learned a lot the last year and a half, but he knew he still had more to learn. These three were some of the best commanders in all of Sidor, minus perhaps Pembroke.

There was a long war left to come, and William wanted to prepare for it as best he could.

To Be Continued…