was the final vows. Marc was staring at me for a while before I realized I was supposed to be repeating his words. My face turned red with embarrassment as he started again, this time I repeated them perfectly. In the end all I could recall were the final “I do’s.”
I found myself staring into Penelope’s blue eyes. She hadn’t had a wedding dress so she wore a beautiful yellow dress that Rose had helped choose for her long ago. Someone had helped to braid her hair into a delicately coiffed design, but all I could see were her lovely eyes and lips. Marc said something, but I failed to understand him.
“I said… you may kiss the bride,” he repeated more firmly. I could hear some quiet chuckles from the guests.
“Oh!” I said stupidly, and then I did. Cheers and clapping broke out, but I hardly noticed. I guess weddings aren’t so bad after all, I thought to myself.
A short while later we were enjoying food and what ale Joe could find. He could be quite resourceful when he chose to be. I guess it came from running a tavern. Dorian was well into his cups before the party had even begun. Marc was not far behind him, and both were trying to convince me to match them, mug for mug.
“C’mon Mort! Drink up! It’s not every day you get married!” Dorian admonished me.
“You don’t want to be the only sober one here do you?” Marc added.
“Well, who knows what we’ll be facing tomorrow…” I vacillated. I was truly torn by my desire to drink and my responsibilities.
“Ahem!” said Penelope loudly. “In case you’ve forgotten this is his wedding night,” she told them.
“Well why don’t we go upstairs now my love,” I told her gamely. “We can get that out of the way and then return to enjoy the evening.”
Penny wasn’t having any of it. “I don’t think you understand. Remember that night in Albamarl, after our fight?” she reminded me.
“Yes,” I said uncertainly.
“That was nothing. You’ll be begging for mercy long before morning,” she replied, arching her brow. “Save your strength soldier.”
I looked at my friends gravely, “Perhaps I should excuse myself gentlemen. I believe duty calls.”
They gave each other serious looks before raising their mugs once again. “To the dearly departed!” Marc announced.
I laughed and followed Penny to the stairs. My ordeal had just begun, but as a poet once said, ‘when a woman has made up her mind all any man can do is go along.’ I went along, and quite willingly I might add. In the days to come I would never have such a night again, nor do I think I could have survived one, but I never regretted it. All the joy and excitement of our youth was in it, and when the night was done I grieved for the loss. I would never have such a night again.
Dawn came, with her usual penchant for prematurity. The morning sun stabbed into my eyes, reminding me of the urgencies of the day. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face. A knock came at the door, and my hopes of a late morning shattered. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and Penny grabbed my arm. “Ignore it,” she told me.
That sounded just fine to me and I fell back into the bed. Unfortunately the knock continued, with increasing insistence. Whoever it was really, really, wanted my attention. With a loud sigh I rose from the bed.
A young man stood in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. “The scouts report that the enemy is entering the valley, your excellency,” he informed me hurriedly. I didn’t recognize him, but I was sorely tempted to tell him to come back a few hours later.
As our plan stood currently, there would be nothing to do for several hours anyway. Watch and wait, that was the heart of it. We wouldn’t act until the enemy was where we wanted them. I knew there was no hope for it though. I looked back at the bed longingly. “I’ll be down in a few minutes,” I told him.
Once he had gone I returned to sit down at the bedside. Penny was sitting up looking disheveled and absolutely gorgeous. Despite the rigors of the previous night I was strongly drawn to try for an encore. Penny looked at me petulantly. “This is the worst honeymoon ever,” she pronounced.
I was inclined to agree. “I know darling,” I said instead. “But war waits for no man.” I hoped that sounded appropriately important and wise. I had forgotten who I was addressing.
“You are not half so clever as you imagine. I hope you realize this,” she told me as she began dressing.
“I know sweetheart, but as long as you don’t tell anyone maybe they won’t catch on,” I replied. Despite her words I was feeling pretty damned clever anyway. Marriage seemed to agree with me.
We went downstairs. I knew with each step we got closer to the end of my good mood. As I entered the great hall I could see men crowding the room in every direction. A small crowd had gathered around the high table where Dorian stood. I admired his calm as he calmly gave instructions to those clustered around him. More than ever it was apparent he had been born for this sort of thing. I didn’t want to think about what I had been born for. Wholesale slaughter most probably, I thought to myself.
A hush came over the room as Penny and I made our way through the clustered men. Faces that I had seen a dozen times before looked at me in a new light. I could feel the weight of their desperation and hope bearing down on me, an almost tangible burden. I straightened my shoulders, holding my head high. One thing I had learned from watching Dorian was the importance of giving the impression of confidence. To do otherwise would only sow doubt and confusion.
Dorian seemed relieved to see me. A certain aura hung about him and I could tell that despite his apparent calm he was nervous. “It looks like today will be the start of it,” he told me.
“How many are there?” I asked.
His face grew uncertain, “We’re not sure yet. The scout just returned, but he said the column stretched back for over three miles that he could see. The head is still a few miles shy of reaching Arundel and the end of it is still emerging from where the road passes through the mountains.”
That sounded like an awful lot of men, but I had no idea how to estimate their number. “And that means?” I let my question trail off, inviting him to elaborate.
“The column is marching five men abreast. Using a rough estimate of three feet per man that would be roughly ten thousand men for every mile and a half the column stretches, not considering the gaps between the various regiments of course.” Dorian looked extremely uncomfortable.
I did some quick math in my head. “So if the column head is already three miles along the valley road that would be twenty thousand men… at least.”
“We’re still not sure how much further their line stretches Mordecai. It could be twice that,” he added.
A chill ran up my spine. “If it did their column could stretch almost the entirety of the road from Cameron Castle to Arundel, over a third of the entire length of the valley. How could they even hope to feed so many? The logistics of it is boggling.”
Joe McDaniel spoke up from beside Dorian, “That’s their problem though; we just got to worry about killin’ ‘em.”
Dorian coughed, “Actually no. It is something we should consider. If our plan fails and we wind up in a protracted campaign the nature of their supply line will be vitally important. An army lives and dies on its stomach.”
“If this becomes a protracted campaign we’re more likely to starve than they are. Our supplies are getting thin after the winter. The spring planting needs to be done soon. If we’re besieged we’ll starve long before they do,” I said.
“Facing that many we wouldn’t hold out long enough to starve,” Cyhan observed.
I could see men shifting uncertainly at the dark tone our conversation had taken. I raised my voice, “Attend me!” Using a bench as a step I got onto the table. An unfortunate loaf of bread was spoiled but I ignored it. “Today our fight starts! You may be asking yourselves if we can win. You’re probably wondering if a bit of land and a new start is worth the risk of your life. Am I right?” I paused to see if anyone would answer. I could see my words had struck a chord with many of them but none spoke.
“Many of you were with me in Albamarl. Others among you were there when we fought the cultists in the duke’s castle. Some of you don’t have a goddamn clue what I’m capable of, though you may have heard some wild
