“For too long, this war has raged. The Army of Boeruine has struck out time and again, but never has there been a decisive engagement. They have plundered our lands. They have burned our fields and villages, slaughtered our livestock, trampled our crops, and murdered our fellow citizens. And for what cause? So that one man’s ambition can be fulfilled! A man whose lust for power knows no bounds. oeruine would sit upon the Iron Throne and call himself your emperor. He denies my birthright and calls me a pretender to the throne.”
At this, a loud chorus of angry dissent rang out.
Michael raised his arms for silence.
“Hear me!” he shouted. -If I were to lead you into battle merely to secure my place, I would indeed be that pretender he accuses me of being. If my palace, throne, and crown were all I cared about, I would be unworthy to lead you into battle. And if I truly believed Arwyn of Boeruine would make a better emperor than I, that the people of the empire would thrive and prosper under his rule, I tell you here and now I would step down from the throne and give it to him.”
Almost as one, they shouted, -No!”
“We have faced much hardship together,” Michael went on when they had settled down. “We have suffered the extremes of weather. We have gone hungry, tired, and sleepless on the march. We have faced the dangers of the Shadow World together, and we have grieved over our fallen comrades.
Never before in the history of the empire has there been such a conflict.
And never before in the history of the empire has there been such a true and valiant army! You honor me, but even more than that, you honor yourselves!”
The troops raised a cheer.
-If the gods meant for us to fail, we would have failed long since, said Michael. “If the gods meant for me to fall, I would have long since fallen. But this I promise you: I shall not fall!”
They cheered once more.
“There shall be no more expeditions through the Shadow World! There shall be no more retreat! There
shall be no more burning of our fields or looting of our towns! And after this, there shall be no more Army of Boeruine!”
They all shouted themselves hoarse and raised their weapons, stamped their feet, and struck their shields with their swords. Words, thought Aedan.
Simple words. And yet, he gives them so much meaning. It was because every sentiment that he expressed he truly felt.
“I was once told by a man much wiser in these things than I that there is no meaning in fighting for a palace, or a throne, or crown, that those are merely things, and things are not worth fighting for or dying for. We do not fight for the Cairn, or for the crown, or for the Iron Throne. We fight for an idea.
The idea that in unity, there is strength that cannot be defeated. The idea that in law, there is order, so that men may live in peace and prosper. The idea that in courage, there is honor, so we may lift our heads high. And the idea that in resolve, there is purpose, so that we cannot be deterred.
“The empire has no true borders, because borders cannot encompass an idea. The empire is more than just our land, for land cannot an empire make. The Empire of Anuire is in the hands of the man who plows his field, of the woman who gives birth, of the child who dreams about the future. The empire is in all our hearts! And so long as there is breath within my body, I shall not allow those hearts to break! The war ends here and now! It ends today! It ends before we even see the enemy, for we shall win it with our courage, with our resolve, and with our purpose!”
He raised his sword high over his head. “For the empire! And for victory!”
The troops raised a roar that could be heard throughout the city, crying out, “Roele! Roele!” as Michael rode the length of their ranks, standing in his stirrups and waving his sword over his head.
He used my very words, thought Aedan, shaking his head in admiration.
Only he said them far better I ever could.
-A wiser man than I?- said Aedan, when the emperor returned to his side.
The troops continued cheering.
‘Indisputably,- said Michael with a perfectly straight face. “But because I’m such a self-indulgent bastard, I cannot for the life of me remember who he was.”
It was almost sunrise when the two armies came within sight of one another on the plains halfway between the cities of Anuire and the castle of Dalton, visible in the distance. Each army had marched all night in an attempt to outpace the other. Michael had known he needed to maintain as much distance as possible between Lord Arwyn’s forces and the capital. Arwyn had force-marched after rolling over the border garrisons in an attempt to gain the high ground on the hills around Anuire. It was a draw, and both met in the middle. Still, the first advantage had gone to the Army of Anuire. They had denied Arwyn the superior ground.
He did not expect us to mobilize so quickly, Aedan thought. Arwyn had counted on facing an army that would be , weakened, disorganized, unable to
