Castela the kingdom
The days in the castle of Castile ran slowly. Each day was a new adventure for our characters.
Lion and Prince were living what would be the best time of their lives, carefree, learning and exploring the world around them.
Wherever the two were, Moli was together, and once in a while she even participated in the games.
The days went by and as soon as he realized Prince was six years old and Lion had reached the age of serving in the army.
Then, as if, things were too calm, to stay that way any longer.
In a dawn like any other, a city burned.
It was completely engulfed by the flames.
What was left were ruins, the ashes of the dead and a flag that fluttered black and dark blue.
At sunrise the citizens of different social classes and from different corners of the country, were heading in a single direction, making it seem as if all the big roads and even small paths were moving to the capital.
They were afraid, they were in a panic, and the only one who could solve their problems and take the countermeasure, was Your Majesty.
After a few hours, the city had already exceeded 3 times the number of people it could hold.
Whether it was squares, taverns or private residences, everything was packed with people who barely knew each other, but who now treated themselves as a single, colossal family.
Naturally, the occasion was extremely rare, something that only happened in a few decades, a royal decree would be announced.
In the early afternoon the flow of people was already much smaller, everyone tried to settle in the best possible places, squeezed, trying to get closer to the castle.
A few minutes later the main event started, the sudden trumpets by the drums silenced the crowd.
Slowly from inside the gates, a man dressed in red and gold colors came into view of the crowd, followed by armed soldiers dressed in their armor.
When I reached the wall I couldn't even sigh from the crowd.
He takes a deep breath and with this to speak:
- To all citizens, landlords and traders, today I bring you my word, I know that no one here wants this, I am aware of the consequences and the pain that my words will bring to everyone, but I believe that if we do not take action, our destiny will be sealed.
Do not think of it as a hasty action, but as a means of defending and protecting what we love.
I Arthur III the king of these lands, I officially declare a state of war against the Kreg empire!
Lamentations and cries began and spread to the public as the news spread by word of mouth, some people were already on their way out to meet their loved ones, yet the speech continued.
- But my words alone will not change anything, because the true power of a king is in his people, we must fight United, to protect and not destroy!
By this time most people were already retiring to their respective homes, those who stayed were those with an important social position or those who already lived there.
The speech continued for about 5 minutes and soon after completing all the formalities, the king also went in silence to the castle, to carry out his own tasks.
Even at sunset that day, all cities were still vivid and busy.
Supplies were distributed and those who lived on the country's borders fled to the homes of relatives closest to the capital.
The next day the commotion started again with the delivery of recruitment lists.
Wherever you looked, you could see people crying or trying to escape reality.
As night fell the air felt heavy, and the lights dimmed.
Most families were having their last dinner together.
Although all novice recruits were offered the opportunity to defect without consequence, as stated in the speech, everyone had something they wanted to protect with their own hands.
Castile was a young patriotic nation, built on the blood sweat of its ancestors. Even if the country was in a panic, its citizens would come together and fight to the death if necessary. In fact, being a purely military country, the art of war was embedded in the blood and self-defense was something that was learned together to speak and tell.
They would not fall so easily.
For the second time since the war decree the day was beginning, but the weather was clearly colder than the previous morning, as dark clouds took the place of the sun.
Future soldiers tried to leave the house before their families woke up, jumping over windows and fences while carrying extremely heavy luggage.
But soon one or another woman, even children would wake up and start to cry, forming a chain effect that gave the late ones a painful last goodbye.
In the royal castle the situation was not very different, children of nobles of all classes were taken from home to command the battlefields.
In particular, at the castle gate, a carriage was stopped.
The coachman had long been waiting for his passenger, who had been hijacked for the moment, of his own free will.
Some time later the so-called boy finally arrived, he was crying and with his head down, like many others that the coachman had already taken, interesting were, the two men who accompanied him.
They were trained knights, elite royal guards, dressed in heavy armor, and yet they had a worried look, as if at any moment something was going to attack them.
To the coachman's surprise, it really happened.
A blond boy in simple clothes, maybe 6 to 8 years old, jumped from the gate wall, over the head of one of the guards knocking him over.
He was like a wild animal, biting, kicking and tearing off the guard's armor.
Like a hare, in an instant he was on top of the other, he turned the second guard's helm in reverse, looped his sword away and finally dropped it too.
The exasperated coachman pulled the boy, still in tears, into the carriage, at that very moment, the wild boy was about to jump on the poor man, when one of the soldiers grabs his heel by a close call.
While the guards held the little prince, the carriage left.
That was the last time that Prince saw Lion.
On the battlefield, the situation couldn't be worse.
Kreg's army was already positioned at the borders even before the official declaration of war.
Thus, they were the ones who started with the advantage.
The troops arriving from Castile tried to cover as much area as possible, but with Kreg's watchmen always on the alert, this was an extremely difficult task.
The soldiers spent the day on alert, praying that they would not be noticed, before reinforcements arrived.
Six hours before the last squad of Castile arrived at the borders, there was a bloodbath. A unilateral massacre, a surprise attack from the unsupervised coasts to one of Castile's borders.
With that single attack, Kreg had taken three (percent) of the battlefield territory for himself, just on the first day.
In the midst of this tragedy, no squires or helpers were spared.
In that same squad, there was Lion.
The news would not reach the king's ears until the next day, and Prince would not find out until the war was over.
The following day, the onslaught of Castile would begin.
The event that all soldiers were waiting for.
It was the king's arrival on the battlefield.
It happened more or less at sunset that day.
When the watchmen were drowsy, the soldiers tired of putting on heavy armor all day and the atmosphere seemed as dark as the sky.
It arrived like the new sun that night.
Dressed in armor three times heavier than that of soldiers, carrying a spear-sized sword and mounted on the strongest horse in the kingdom.
He was the knight king.
His presence brought courage and respect.
Her blond hair shone with the last rays of sunlight.
He showed no weakness, so he empathized with those who were afraid.
Castile was a dreamland for any politician with good intentions.
They strictly followed the laws, the maximum penalty being exile, but they used to be flexible.
Honor was synonymous with ignorance. Honesty was worth more than any treasure and those who disagreed or showed signs of arrogance did not belong to that country.
They were all descendants of a people who knew what it was like to suffer at the hands of someone, and of warriors who fought for their freedom and who would die if it were for their ideals.
The first king, Arthur had sworn that he would educate his children, grandchildren and all future generations so that they were more able to rule than any other, that was the meaning of nobility.
He had sacrificed his own family for his people and they would be forever grateful.
To show their gratitude, specialized teaching houses were created.
They aimed to train only the best, to serve and support the royal family, were the Houses of Councils.
Castile followed a democracy, any citizen could take the throne if he were able to do so, even so the royal line was already in the fourth generation.
They might have been an extremely small people, but that didn't mean they were weak.
That day, no sentry fell asleep. No soldier complained about his duties.
They were ready to follow his majesty wherever he went.
In fact, the most anticipated event was being discussed that night, they could not neglect.
In a circle, the three strongest men in Castile were discussing their next move.
The king's onslaught on the battlefield.