Somehow, someone found out about me leaving my Kingdom. We had barely left our borders when we were attacked. Riding through the plains I noticed Jounas looking around, as if he sensed that something wasn't quite right. As I watched his eyes grew wide and he pulled on his reins stopping his horse and causing the escort to stop abruptly. The head of the royal guards, Dittroth, shouted for the guards to form a ring around me. I dismounted, as did Dittroth and Faye. I had never fought on horseback and felt more comfortable on my own feet.
Jounas kept chanting and suddenly a clear blue shield formed as a dome around my group. Mere moments later three balls of fire struck the dome at different points causing it to shatter into a magical mist. Warriors dressed in the green and yellow of the Kingdom of Grangic sprung from hidden positions amongst the tall grass and attacked us from both sides. My guards lept into action, charging on both sides to meet the enemy head on while Jounas, my healer Faye, and Dittroth stayed by my side. My guards eagerness played right into the enemies hands as ten soldiers and two battle mages revealed themselves on the front and back of us. Jounas quickly cast a spell, launching a massive fireball at one of the groups and incinerating them in a fleeting moment. With only one group to worry about Dittroth charged and quickly slew two of his opponents.
Faye chanted a prayer again and again until a blue light encompassed us all and we felt stronger and faster. I needed every bit of speed as the battle mage sent a bolt of light towards my chest that I was barely able to deflect with my shield. I have never been in battle, but I have fought many matches with Dittroth and Jounas to prepare myself for times such as these. My sword drawn I charged the mage and the warrior standing next to him.
I quickly learned that a match against Dittroth no matter how fierce could never truly prepare me for actual combat. My own inexperience became clear as my opponent deflected my predictable attack. My skill was good enough that I could also block his attack, but I had two opponents while he had one. Remembering a trick Dittroth had shown me I circled to the right and then quickly charging, getting my opponent to stumble a little and that's when I struck, taking a human life for the first time. My battle inexperience showed again as I let the battle mage sneak around behind me. I turned just in to time to see him raise his dagger, which would have been a mortal blow had Faye not cast a spell to put him to sleep. Jounas and Dittroth helped my guards route the rest of the force before they approached me and checked to make sure I was ok.
"Are you alright my liege?" Dittroth spoke as he bound the the battle mage. We were going to ask him some questions, and you don't refuse to answer Dittroth. He is no larger than the average warrior, but his skill and power were undeniable. As were his interrogation 'techniques'.
"I'm fine," I was still excited from my first battle. I did not enjoy taking life, but there is honor in defending yourself. "Were there any casualties?"
"I did get some dirt on my favorite cloak," Jounas spoke with such sincerity that only he and I got his sarcasm. We laughed and then everyone else did too.
"I can't believe the Kingdom of Grangic attacked us," Faye brought the mood back to reality. "I thought they were our allies."
"These men weren't from the Grangic army," I looked over Faye as I spoke. She knows better but seems to be a little upset. This was her first battle as well but she handled herself very well during the fight.
"If they had been a part of the Grangic army we'd all be dead," Dittroth said as he picked up the mage and laid him over his horse before remounting. "Their battle mages rival our own and if they wanted us dead, they would've used their best mages and we wouldn't have been able to stop such a dishonorable attack."
"They're mercenaries," Jounas said as he looked over the corpses of some of the fallen. "They barely even look the part of a Grangian."
"My liege, we must return to Nah to properly question this mage." Dittroth was once a spy, he knew what every king needed to know and protected me and my father by always using his information network to intercept any threats against the Royal Family.
"No, we need to move faster to make sure we reach Grangic by nightfall or the following morning." I mounted my horse and looked over my escort, there was an underlining fear in the way they shifted about, waiting for me to give them to order to move out. "We go to Grangic to avert a war and protect not just Nah but all of Rybia. Someone wants this war to happen, but we can't allow the peace to end."
The guards cheered and Dittroth saluted me. Jounas nodded and with that we rode off towards the East. We made good time, but the trip took longer than I expected and we had to make camp at the base of the mountains that house the Three Mountains Shrine. I approached the battle mage, but all he knew was that he was a hired mercenary who was paid to ambush a Royal courier. He did not know I was a King. Neither Dittroth nor I believed him, but our questions would wait until I met with my fathers old friend. Grangic was now a part of this plot, whether they wanted to be or not.
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