Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 320

Chapter 320: Failing court Chapter 320: Failing court Things could not have gone worse, Prince Lechlian thought grimly, as he scanned the latest report from yet another disgruntled lord whose holdings had been ravaged by raiders.

It was a familiar refrain-one that had been echoing relentlessly in recent months.

Each letter, each dispatch, brought with it a new wave of bad news, dragging his already precarious position further into the depths of despair.

The peasants, once pliant and subdued, had risen in rebellion, striking at the very lifeblood of his princedom.

Fields that should have yielded enough to stave off the impending famine now lay scorched or stripped bare.

What crops remained were pitiful remnants of what could have been a modest salvation.

The barley and oats-those early harvests that typically sprang forth in June and July-were gone, stolen or trampled by the marauding mobs.

They should have provided a crucial buffer, to placate the starving masses.

But now, even the grain fields that promised sustenance for the year ahead had been looted or destroyed.

Lechlian clenched his fist, the brittle parchment crumpling slightly in his grasp.

He knew the truth as plainly as if it were whispered by the gods themselves: this year’s income would be a shadow of what it should have been.

His coffers, already stretched thin, would dwindle to almost nothing.

The warehouse that contained weapons and armons were now empty , stripped of everything worth wielding or wearing.

Every last sword, spear, and chainmail had been pressed into service to equip the army led by his eldest son.

Even the ceremonial arms-once used only for pomp-had been conscripted to meet the desperate need.

The effort had borne a modest force: 650 footmen and 70 knights, hardly an overwhelming army, but enough to stake his hopes upon.

It had been a monumental strain on his already-depleted resources, yet at least in that venture, he had not been disappointed.

Lechlian allowed himself a rare flicker of pride as he thought of his son.

Reports came regularly from the young commander-missives detailing victory after victory.

Band after band of rebels had been broken and scattered, their poorly organized uprisings crushed beneath the disciplined boots of his army.

The prince read those dispatches not just with relief but with something closer to satisfaction.

The land there, though pillaged and scarred by the turmoil, was slowly returning to order.

At least, Lechlian mused, all the rebels in the west had been defeated, and the land that had not fallen to plunder could still be salvaged.

It was bitter solace, considering the devastation wrought by the lowborn cur of Yarzat’s prince, but solace nonetheless.

His eyes still went red at the thought of he had been defeated by the son of a common whore.

Lechlian drummed his fingers on the armrest of his throne, his mind lingering on the precarious balance his princedom teetered upon.

The army, his last hope, was all that stood between his rule and utter collapse.

If it fell-if his son failed-there would be no second chance, no reinforcements to muster.

His coffers were barren, their meager contents already scraped clean to fund this campaign.

He had taken desperate measures to keep the princedom afloat.

Court expenses had been slashed by half; opulent feasts and costly tournaments were but memories of a more prosperous time.

The courtiers, once adorned in silks and jewels, now wore more humble attire.

Yet even these harsh sacrifices would not solve the deeper problem.

Next year loomed like a specter, promising only more scarcity, more impossible decisions.

His brooding thoughts were interrupted as the heavy oak doors to the hall creaked open.

A servant, clad in a simple but tidy tunic, hurried in, dropping to one knee before the prince.

“Your Highness,” the man said, bowing his head low.

“A caravan has arrived at the gates of the city, bearing gifts from the Prince of Nabudai.” Lechlian’s fingers paused mid-drum.

He leaned forward slightly, his piercing gaze fixed on the kneeling servant.

The servant, still kneeling, raised his head slightly, a glimmer of excitement in his expression.

“Your Highness,” he began, his voice steady but charged with urgency, “the man leading the caravan claims to have brought food, weapons, and armor to aid you in your struggle against the treacherous peasant rebels.” Lechlian straightened in his chair, his heart pounding in his chest.   “The guards report that two carts are filled with food-grain, oats , barley and dried meats.

One is laden with weapons.

And the last holds armor” The prince’s hands gripped the armrests of his throne tightly, his knuckles whitening as the weight of the news settled over him.

His vision blurred momentarily as tears threatened to well in his eyes.

For the first time in weeks, something good happened to him.

The gods have not abandoned me, he thought, his lips trembling with the sheer force of his gratitude.

The servant, emboldened by the prince’s reaction, continued.

“The man leading the caravan requests an audience with Your Highness.

He wishes to meet with you personally.” Lechlian stood abruptly, his voice carrying a rare note of vitality.

“Yes!

Bring him here at once!” His gaze softened momentarily .

He was so happy that he could crawl all the way to the temple to thank the gods.

As the servant hurried to fulfill his orders, Lechlian allowed himself a rare, fleeting smile.

Perhaps, just perhaps, fortune had not entirely abandoned him.

Soon, the great doors of the court creaked open, and a man in gleaming armor stepped inside, the metal catching the dim light of the chamber.

His polished breastplate gleaming , and a flowing crimson cloak draped from his shoulders.

Beneath the plumed helm he carried tucked under one arm, his sharp, aquiline features and steely gray eyes exuded an air of quiet confidence.

He approached the throne and bowed deeply, one knee grazing the cold stone floor.

“Your Highness,” the man began, his voice resonant and composed, “I am Sir Thalas of Nabudai, emissary of His Grace, Prince Nibadur.

I bring with me gifts, tokens of goodwill and solidarity in your hour of need.” Lechlian rose from his seat, his hands clasped before him, his voice trembling slightly, though he strove for regal composure.

“Emissary of the illustrious Prince Nibadur, you honor us greatly with your presence, and more so with the generosity of your prince.

I bid you welcome to this hall and extend my deepest gratitude for the succor you have brought ” Thalas inclined his head respectfully.

“Your Highness is too kind.

It is the will of my liege that the curs of your rebels find justice, and he bids me assure you that his thoughts are with you as you face this rebellion.

” Lechlian inclined his head, a rare glimmer of a smile gracing his lips.

“Pray convey to your prince my eternal thanks, Sir Thalas.

Know that this act of generosity will not be forgotten, and the house of Nabudai will have a steadfast ally in the halls of my court.” Thalas straightened, his gray eyes gleaming with conviction as he spoke, his voice imbued with the gravity of a sermon.

“Your Highness, this rebellion is not merely a challenge to your rule , It is, in its essence, an affront to the very order ordained by the gods themselves.

The heavens have decreed the right of kings and lords to guide the masses, to rule with wisdom and strength over those who lack the clarity and will to govern themselves.” His gaze swept the chamber, commanding the silent attention of all present.

“The peasants who dare to rise against their sovereign are not only defying the laws of this realm, but the divine mandate that underpins your rule.

Such rebellion is not simply treachery against a liege-it is blasphemy against the gods who have set this sacred order in place.And my liege is more than happy to aid you in this holy war” Lechlian straightened his back ”Please sir Thalas, be assured that we are doing everything possible to let justice do his work and restore good order onto the land divined to me by the gods.Sir Thalas, your journey has no doubt been long and arduous.

As both an emissary of the esteemed Nibadur and a bearer of much-needed succor to my realm, it would be remiss of me not to offer you the full hospitality of my court.

Please, accept my invitation to rest and refresh yourself within these walls.” Thalas inclined his head, his polished demeanor unbroken.

“Your Highness, you honor me greatly.

I humbly accept your offer” Lechlian gestured to a steward standing at the edge of the hall.

“See to it that Sir Thalas is provided the finest accommodations we can muster.

Let him lack for nothing in his respite.” The steward stepped forward with a deep bow.

“At once, Your Highness.” Thalas rose from his respectful bow to Lechlian, his armor catching the light as he adjusted his sword at his side With that, the steward approached and motioned for Thalas to follow.

As they exited the hall, the emissary moved with the quiet confidence of one accustomed to noble courts.

He observed his surroundings keenly, his calm demeanor betraying no weariness from the road except distaste for the state of the princedom they were aiding.

What good my liege will have from helping that beggar is beyond me…

As the doors of the hall closed behind the steward and Sir Thalas, Prince Lechlian dismissed the court and was finally left alone, his hands clasped tightly as he stared at the stone floor beneath his throne.

His expression, once one of gratitude and relief, now shifted to one of contemplation and suspicion.

“Why?” The question burned in his mind.

Why would the Prince of Nabudai, a ruler from a distant land far to the south, send such bountiful gifts in a time of strife?

Certainly, the rebellion was an affront to the gods and a breach of divine law, but to cross such distance to intervene?

That smacked of ulterior motives.

Lechlian rose from his seat and began pacing the hall, he knew Nabudai’s reputation well.

Its lands were vast, its armies formidable, and its coffers deep, luckily his domains were far from Lechlain’s, with an appetite that matched his ambitions.  So why?

Could it be an effort to extend influence?Perhapse he is looking to expand eastward, but he knows better than to walk that path alone, hence mayhaps his need for allies.

A struggling ally could be molded, indebted, and ultimately brought into the fold.

The gifts were a an open hand to a drowning man.

And who could refuse such charity when it came so freely?

He stopped near one of the tall windows, looking out over the fading light of the day.

His reflection in the glass betrayed his weariness, the lines of stress etched deeply into his features.  More than an alliance it would be a one sided relationship, yet he knew very well that he could not be picky about anything extended to him, since he knew that his only enemy was not only Yarzat, but every prince that will bother his realm for as soon as the rebellion was put down , he was sure he would hear news armies coming from the south and his east,to pick bites out of his land.

And perhapse having an ally to deter such incursions is not such a bad deal.

He thought as he thought that he came to realize the true interest lying under the gift bore by the foreign prince, failing however to consider that he was just the pillow he would use to try and curb the growing strength of that Son of a common whore that wiped the floor with his armies and raided every land under his personal domain.