Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

A chorus of steel-on-steel echoed from the gates as the men roared, their voices blending with the eerie metallic sound. Slowly, the gate began to open, revealing Robert standing at the front of the march. His chest puffed out with pride, he resembled a triumphant Roman general marching through the city. No doubt his success in recruiting enough men to double the prince’s army was a great feat on his own.

As the gate fully opened, 60 riders emerged followed by 460 footmen marching in perfect formation behind them. The guards accompanying the procession pulled out their trumpets and blew into them with such force that it sounded like the roar of an elephant.

’This is no mere parade, this is a grand spectacle,’ Alpheo thought to himself as he watched the Yarzat banner fluttering in the wind.

He spurred his horse forward, his iron heel lightly striking its side to push it ahead. The horse trotted gracefully, its hooves rhythmically hitting the stony ground. He took in his surroundings, observing the state of the city. It was a complete mess - a clear indication that the war was not going well for their side. He had seen similar scenes during sieges before, where even those who did not defend the walls were left with eyes filled with terror.And the mood of the city was similar to that of a city on his way to be sacked

’Looks like our esteemed leader conveniently left out some crucial information about the state of the ongoing war,’ Alpheo thought bitterly as he caught sight of a small, mesmerized boy watching him pass by on his horse.

Alpheo, with his flowing mane of hair and proud stance, was the epitome of confidence as he led the march. His eyes scanned the scene before him, taking in every detail with a keen awareness. But it was the sight of the small boy, dirty and ragged, that caught his attention the most.

As their eyes met,there was something about the way he looked at him, with a mixture of awe and curiosity, that intrigued Alpheo. Despite his dirty appearance, the boy’s gaze remained still, and Alpheo couldn’t help but be amused by his boldness.

’He’s probably never seen anything like this before,’ He thought to himself, a small smile playing on his lips as he returned the boy’s gaze. It was clear that the sight of him and his well-equipped army had left a lasting impression on the young boy.

When he was a boy he dreamt of leading armies to victory, leading charges from the front and feel the blood his enemies splatter on his face. And now that he was leading army , he was dreaming of sitting on a golden throne .Who knew what he would desire when he accomplished that too?

Alpheo’s army, with their gleaming armor and disciplined formation, was a new sight to be sure for the people instead of to the ragtag bands of peasants that they were likely accustomed to seeing. Each man marched with pride, their heads held high and their spirits lifted by the knowledge that they were no longer slaves, but free men fighting for golds and lands. And that Alpheo would give them .

Alpheo couldn’t help but notice the admiring glances from some of the nearby maidens, their eyes lingering on his face before darting away as he returned their smiles. It amused him to see their bashfulness, and he chuckled softly to himself.

”Seems like the girls here took a liking to you,” Jarza remarked in his distinctive Arlanian accent, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Alpheo shrugged nonchalantly. ”Girls do not interest me, but princesses do. I crave to see one with my own eyes,” he confessed, his smile taking on a slightly mischievous edge.

Jarza’s expression turned more serious. ”You shall find yourself with your eyes plucked out then’’

Alpheo’s grin widened. ”It probably would be my cock to be plucked out next if that was to happen ” he quipped ”But don’t tell me you aren’t even a bit curious about seeing someone with blue blood?”

”I have no such interest,” Jarza replied firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Alpheo raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. ”Come on, when will you have the chance for that in your life again?” he pressed, a playful glint in his eyes.

”I shall weep about it on my deathbed, which I hope will be when my hair grow silver ,” Jarza retorted, unamused by Alpheo’s persistence. ”Yours shall instead be as luscious as they are now and with pieces of your body falling out ,” he added, eyeing Alpheo’s mane of hair, luscious as that of a woman . His instead were short and black as coal

Alpheo chuckled at the comment, tapping his chin thoughtfully. ”And what would cause me to have such a queer fate?”

”Your tongue will be your death’s sentece one day,” Jarza replied with a shake of his head.

Alpheo grinned, opening his mouth wide. ”It’s still here, isn’t it?” he teased, waggling his tongue playfully.

”Incredibly it is. I wonder for how long though if you keep your behaviour like this?” Jarza quipped back, a hint of exasperation in his tone.

’’Until the gods saw fit to leave my arrogance unpunished. ’’ He pointed up and spurred the horse forward.

Suddendly the big crowd, started shortening in numbers as they reached closer to the palace of the prince .It was stone structure, albeit it was more of a keep redecorated to seems like a palace. Alpheo did not dislike that, he was not someone for big decoration, it’s usefulness was much more important for the young man. The windows of the palace were narrow and fortified, even though they were made of colorful glasses . He wondered if the keep was ever sieged, as it appeared that it was built for that reason alone

As they approached the main entrance, Alpheo noted the lack of ostentatious embellishments. Instead, the focus was on the sturdy gates and the guards standing watch, their weapons gleaming in the sunlight. It was a palace built for defense, not pleasure, something that he could actually respect, though he wondered how comfortable it would be to live inside.

As Alpheo’s horse slowed to a stop alongside his army, he turned in the saddle to watch his men. They had been riding and marching from out of the city for at least an hour and now, with a momentary pause, they took the opportunity to stretch their tired muscles.

Some of the soldiers dismounted, their boots crunching on the gravel as they stretched their backs, arms reaching up towards the sky . Others remained mounted, rolling their shoulders and flexing their fingers around the reins. A few soldiers cracked their necks, the sound echoing faintly in the quiet courtyard. One man let out a long, exaggerated yawn, his jaw stretching wide before he shook himself awake. Robert noticed that and stared at Alpheo , who just shrugged, was his the fault that his men were tired?He was instead to be content, that they were yawning instead of looting , as Alpheo noticed that apparently the defence of the city were rather lacking. As the only army stopping them from looting the city were just few hundred men on the walls as garrison, and even those were lightly armed.

Quite the sight for the capital of the princedom.