Moving Pieces
Lansius
The dense forest canopy sheltered everything beneath it, allowing only small rays of sunlight to filter through. The scent of the earth was robust, arising from layers of dry leaves on the ground. Flanked by his command staff, Lansius sat upon a tree root with a large tree at his back.
They were already partially armored and eagerly waiting for developnts from the battlefield outside the forest. The place was humid, but the lingering chill from the previous night kept them cool.
The knights with their custom-made armor had good weight distribution over their bodies and limbs, minimizing discomfort.
For the past four nights, nearly two-hundred had hidden in borrowed yurts on the far side of the forest. To ensure secrecy, they restricted movent and even only allowed bonfires inside the yurts for cooking and night heating.
Speaking of cooking, Lansius realized that Audrey was eyeing his bowl.
“Umm, you’re not going to finish that?” Audrey, clad in avant-garde black plate armor, finally asked.
“No, I’m feeling full. You can have it,” Lansius offered the bowl.
Audrey accepted it readily, pulling out the half-eaten bread that had sunk into the soup, and took a bite.
They heard soone approaching, and then a figure clad in a brown cloak appeared. They recognized the man as the scout, who quickly knelt. “My Lord, one Coalition column is marching toward Marshall Hugo’s position.”
The staff burst into lively discussions, while Sir Callahan calmly updated the earthen map on the ground.
Audrey shot Lansius a sharp glance, but Lansius rely noticed crumbs around her mouth and carefully wiped them away with his hand.
Afterward, Lansius spoke with unusual calmness, “It’s ti. The diversion won’t hold for long. Return to Korelia and ride south.”
Audrey placed the unfinished bowl on the ground and stood up. Her movent drew the attention of the staff.
“Sir Callahan,” Audrey addressed the older knight, who stood in response.
“Captain,” the blond knight replied.
“I entrust my Lord to you. Keep him safe.”
“I shall put my life on the line,” Sir Callahan pledged.
Their exchange was brief. Next, Lansius rose, and all eyes were on him. “Ready the n,” he gave a short command.
The staff, in turn, relayed the order to the entire camp.
Stealing a mont for himself, Lansius called Audrey in a softer tone, “Co, let walk you to your horse.”
Preparations for battle were well underway as they walked through their forest hideout.
Finally, they reached a quiet spot. “Audrey,” he called.
She slowed down. “I figured you wanted to talk.”
“Yes, I still have great doubts about this,” he admitted.
Her expression hardened. Other people would be deterred by this, but Lansius knew that this was just her natural deanor. Confirming his thoughts, she let out a sigh.
“I sort of understand your feelings. Sending n into harm’s way is never easy. But it’s your duty as Lord. I have mine, they have theirs, you have yours.”
"n are going to die…. for what reason?" he calmly argued. "Half our n aren't even Korelians, they have little reason to fight. If we just retreat to Midlandia, then even the townsfolk wouldn’t need to take up arms.”
Audrey clicked her tongue. “Retreat...? My oath is to protect you, but I’ll strike you if you utter such nonsense again.”
Lansius wasn’t surprised by her reaction. He knew he shouldn’t utter nonsense like that on the eve of battle, but his conscience begged him to. “Sorry, I’ve got so many things on my mind--”
“You’re overthinking this, Lans,” she cut in. “The n under you, , and even the people in town are fighting, not because you told us to. It’s because we want to.”
Lansius was perplexed. “But why? I may have done so small good deeds here and there, so small help, but nothing worthy-”
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“To us, you are worthy,” Audrey declared, exhaling deeply. “Look, I can’t put this into words. How can I explain this? You’re the smart one, ugh, why give a headache...” she complained, scratching her head in frustration.
Her expression triggered sothing within him. His worries and doubts swirled together, and sothing snapped. He let out a chuckle, his first in a few days.
Despite Audrey giving him a funny look, Lansius couldn’t suppress it. The laughter felt too good, too freeing. He was gasping for air afterward.
“You feel better now?” she asked.
“No, I’m not okay. I’m sending my n and my loved ones into battle,” he replied, but sothing within felt lighter. The brooding was gone.
Audrey ca closer until their breastplates clashed with a dull thud.
“Wha-?”
“Just be still.” Her hands were on the sides of his head and their lips t in a brief, heated kiss, just like their first beside the stream. Not wanting to let go, Lansius wrapped his arms around her cuirass and pulled her close. This ti, he kissed her.
All that lance training paid off, as she couldn’t resist as easily. Her breath, her lips, and her tongue overwheld his senses.
She finally pushed him off and wiped her lips with her palm. “That should do it,” she said with a mischievous gleam in her eye.
“Do what?” he asked with a reddened face.
“Grow you a pair,” she smirked.
“You rascal,” he retorted, but that didn’t erase the grin on her face.
“Don’t die,” Lansius said as she turned away from him.
“You too, Lans. I’ll see you after the battle.” Audrey waved her hand casually and headed alone to where they had left the horses.
Later, Lansius caught a glimpse of three riders through the forest. They must have been her and her escorts. They detoured eastward before returning to the town of Korelia via the east side. In town, twenty cavalryn were waiting for her.
***
The vivid recollections still rang in Lansius’ mind as he walked back. He instinctively licked his lips as if savoring the aftertaste.
I should propose when this is over.
Lansius made a ntal note, clearing his head as he returned to the command site. There, he noticed the scout who had remained behind. He addressed them, “Good report. Get sothing to drink or eat.”
He then handed a silver coin to the scout. Informants were paid well in his troops.
The scout bowed and then walked proudly to his post. The stump on his left arm dangled freely.
They employed many who had lost their limbs as scouts. They joked that losing a limb made them faster and stealthier. It was good that they took pride in their work. As for Lansius, he was just glad that he could provide inco for his veterans.
As Lansius sat back, the map they drew on the ground was getting updated. Now, one of the rectangle drawings which represented the Coalition column was moving closer toward Korelian’s only rectangle.
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