Sweet Waters Throne

159 Chapter 15Surrounded in all parts of his city, Cregan knew there was no way out for him and it’s best if he just faces Aryan. His wife Laisa was so scared and she hang on to their daughter Elizabeth and refused to let her go. The garrison at his castle readied themselves with weapons and raised the Lawsend sigils, twenty thousand of them and they were decorated knights.

Outside of Lord Cregan’s castle there were over fifty thousand soldiers all who had sworn loyalty to him. Most of these men were sell swords from Penrith, Arkala and Whitebridge. Cregan bought them a fortnight ago when he learned Aryan went missing, hence even though Aryan may have thought this was an ambush ─ technically it wasn’t since Cregan had prepared himself for it.

The same number of men Aryan took to face Cregan was the same number that lingered inside the gates of Lawsend City ─ seventy thousand men. Although the difference here is Aryan took only fifty thousand knights, the rest twenty thousands were farmers, washer men and blacksmiths who have never fought not a day in their lives while all of Cregan’s men were war heroes and good fighters. Aryan wasn’t aware of this.

The sun was setting when Aryan arrived at the gates of the city and she was leading the whole parade. Ten lions out of twelve were inside a huge cage just waiting for their rider’s orders so they may start killing men, they were roaring loudly and this even made Cregan shiver from inside his castle.

Laisa was way more scared “She brought the lions. This means war Cregan, we shall not win it” she said still hanging on to her daughter.

Cregan was rather distracted as he was giving orders to his generals and plans of how to fight the war which was on their gates already. He had no time to nurture his scared wife who seemed to have something to say in almost every situation. More and more men came inside the court chambers needing instructions on where to stand, how to organize the archers and more plans.

It was at this time Laisa felt as if she was ignored, hence she screamed “Listen to me Cregan!” and then everyone inside the court went silent. Laisa exhaled softly and then she started to cry “Don’t let her take my daughter… I can’t bear it Cregan, I just can’t…” Laisa wept hysterically.

Cregan dismissed the generals after they all agreed on the formation they shall use to win this ambush. When the chambers were clear, Cregan walked to his wife and then he cupped her face in his arms. “Laisa, I need you to calm down”

“How can I when you brought this war inside our walls? You started all this and because of you…” she grew speechless as she was overwhelmed with tears running down between her cheeks.

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“Nothing will happen to you or our daughter. I have arranged for thirty men to take you through the tunnels. I know you don’t like them but it’s our only way, go and never look back. A boat will be waiting for you ─” Cregan then paused and reached out for a suitcase made of steel which he had placed it on top of a table. “Take this, it’s all gold and coins. I will meet you when all this is done”

Laisa took the steel suitcase and it was too heavy for her to lift it, she dropped it on the floor. Cregan picked it out for her and opened it. Laisa’s eyes glittered because of the shiny treasures which were inside the suitcase. It was clear Cregan emptied his treasury vault and packed all the golds and sapphires and rubies in one suitcase which he entrusted his wife to keep it safe.

“Come with us, you will not make it alive” said Laisa then she reached out for her husband’s lips. Cregan wasn’t in the mood for pleasures such as kissing or trying to be intimate, his mind was too clustered at the moment.

“I can’t” He told her. “This is my ancestral home and I must defend it to the very last. If House Lawsend was meant to fall today, then I will be proud to have served this long. I will join you when I can, but for now… take our daughter to safety” Cregan brought his forehead very close to Laisa’s and he sighed of relief, he didn’t want his wife to leave but that was the only way.

They kissed and although it was short but it was passionate for two lovers who had hope of being together again when the right time comes. Then Cregan kissed his daughter Elizabeth and hugged her tight, he made a promise to come to her after all is said and done. Then a door was knocked, time had come for them to depart.

Thirty men who were to escort Laisa to the tunnels had arrived already, Cregan quickly closed the suitcase and handed it to Laisa. “Don’t open it to these men, we cannot trust them. Make sure you safely reach Lydia and find a manse to live in. The golds will last till Elizabeth comes of age, go…” he hurried his wife to leave.

The darkness in the tunnels helped to obscure Laisa and her daughter as they fled the ambush. Fifteen knights on the front and another fifteen on the back, they raced towards the ocean which laid on the other end of the city. The part where Aryan’s men surrounded was the main port, they neglected the other part of the ocean because they believed no one would escape through that way.

Hence their absence is what made the escape easy for Laisa and her daughter. A boat was waiting to take them to Lydia, a glamorous city across the Sunset Sea. Only ten knights loyal to Cregan Lawsend accompanied them on the boat while the rest twenty walked back to the city in order to defend it.

By that time Cregan was already outside of his city facing Aryan and her army. He mounted a white stallion and was fully armored with a helmet covering his face like a true warrior. Aryan had removed her helmet because he wanted Cregan to see her face before she kills him, her face would remind Cregan of Gandalf and it will be like Gandalf had come to life and killed him. Through the torch light Aryan resembled her twin brother so much especially with the short hairs.

They were just two meters apart and it was dark, the only way they could see one another was through moonlight and the torches their men carried. Cregan came out with just five hundred men, he knew wars weren’t fought in the dark and hence what he was seeking was just confrontation. Aryan’s men were exhausted after journeying the whole day and it was impossible for them to fight, besides they needed a proper battlefield to carry out the war.

On the left Aryan stood firmly on her mount looking at Cregan on the right. “This is a surprise Your Grace. Might I ask as to why am I being surrounded?” asked Cregan with a loud voice.

Aryan spoke no words. She reached out for the pike which had the baker’s head and showed it to Cregan, “Do you remember him? What a silly question, of course you do”

“The baker, I remember him because he poisoned your arrogant and proud brother. I think the question here should be do you remember how shocked your brother looked when he realized that he was dying? The way blood flowed out his nostrils and eyes…” Cregan finished with a laughter and this was done intentionally to enrage Aryan. “We can all agree it was a work of art Your Grace”

The words succeeded in fuming Aryan with rage, she dropped the pike and drew her sword. Tommy however stopped her “That’s what he wants Your Grace, you must remain calm” he whispered since he stood close to Aryan.

Cregan continued with his insults “I have one hundred thousand men, ten thousand are from Andreia and they are trained to kill lions. By the end of this war I may be dead but let me assure you, Your Grace that none of your lions will make it out alive… and let me guess, how many do you have?”

“My lions will survive Cregan, it’s you who will be moldering in your grave”

“You mean just like how your brother is moldering in his as we speak?” Cregan really knew how to get inside Aryan’s nerves. When he started laughing, so did his men and this made Aryan angrier and wanted to jump at him right then and there. “Oh, I forgot and your tiny nephew… just so you know I was the one who slit his throat. I found him with two wet nurses and I stabbed the two women and then I looked at him. Landan was a spit image of his father and somehow that bothered me, just like how it bothers me seeing you right now”

Aryan’s voice came out cracking when she asked “You slit Landan’s throat?” it was as if she wanted all of it to be a dream. Nothing hurt Aryan than her nephew’s death, she wanted him to live.