Reinforcements

Willow town,

Hertalese.

...

Timothy sat at his post on the wall overlooking the gate that was currently being repaired. The wooden gate was heavily damaged by cannons during the previous attack with one half precariously hanging off its hinges and the other blown clean away.

It would be impossible to repair it before the next attack but it was possible to narrow the entrance to reduce the passage that would need to be protected. Currently, a few two-pounder cannons were being brought down from where they were stationed on the wall to be entrenched a few dozen meters away from the gate.

The walls were less likely to be focused on during an attack so about half of the defensive cannons mounted on the cannon towers were brought down to defend the nonexistent gates.

But regardless of whether it was the gate that was currently being repaired or the cannons that were being lowered down by wooden cranes, Timothy's attention was on neither. He stood there at his post staring blankly at the gate as he reminisced what could be one of the most significant things that might have ever happened to him.

His thoughts went back to what happened half an hour ago in that little room in the bathhouse. He remembered the faint blush that coated May's face as she stuttered to come up with a coherent sentence, the torrent of emotions that flooded his heart when he saw her docile, naive expressions, and the ecstasy that filled his soul as he merged with her.

Before that blissful incident, he had never been graced with the opportunity to taste the sacred fruit of a maiden due to his previously introverted personality. Although he was no longer the weak-minded youth he once was the was still shaken by the emotional aftertaste of his encounter with miss May.

His mind was further muddled when he discovered he took the young lady's first time and heard the love confession she had been struggling to make previously. He wasn't ready for such emotional shackles especially when there seem to be no hopes of surviving the next couple of days.

Assuming he had heard her confusion before he committed himself to her bosom, he would have surely reined in his emotions and quietly leave, but he had already taken her and inadvertently made her his own.

While he could easily refuse her heartfelt confession, his conscience didn't permit him to do so. Although he tried to avoid it, he could feel that somewhere in his heart he had slight affection, probably just empathy towards miss May after their encounter.

Now he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew there might not be hope for any one of them to survive, but he no longer felt apathetic towards everything now that he might have something to live for.

Timothy stared on at his downcast colleagues as they bumbled around the town's walls, mending the fortifications and setting up fresh defences in anticipation of the next battle.

A few minutes later the was a little commotion at the gate that caused Timothy to snap out of his chaotic thoughts. He squinted and saw a horserider standing a few dozen meters away from the gate waving a large flag over his head as the archers manning the walls kept their bows aimed at him.

The flag was one that timothy was unfamiliar with, it wasn't the dragon variants used by Hertalean nobility, nor was it the Phoenix used by the Arien nobility or the Skull and crossbones used by the Blacksails. Instead, it was a black emblem shaped horned serpent-like creature.

Seeing the flag Timothy was a little confused as he had a faint impression of it but couldn't pinpoint where it was from. Unsurprisingly the duke, Duke Farger came out a few minutes to the wall and momentarily glanced at the horseman before turning particularly excited and ordering that the horseman should be let in immediately.

Baffled Timothy and a few other knights watched as the horseman was led past the broken gates and into town. After a few soldiers stripped the horseman of his weapons they led him into the duke's castle.

A few minutes later the duke returned to the wall no longer looking particularly solemn but instead had a hint of joy on his face as he coughed and announced loudly.

"Rejoice, my brave men, for reinforcements is on their way. A messenger just rushed in from the north with news that our kings' allies, Verum sent five thousand men to aid our glorious nation to remove these Arien scum from our sacred lands.' The duke announced causing the entire wall to light up in cheers.

'Verum, oh right their national emblem is the horned basilisk.' Timothy thought to himself as he remembered he once saw the emblem on a Verumitte merchant ship.

"Calm down men!" Duke Farger said to the soldiers and knights now wearing flushed, happy, and relieved expressions.

"A force of 1200 Verum soldiers would be crusading through this region in about half a dozen hours in the direction of Lathe Stronghold but we shouldn't get our hopes up yet. In a few hours, it is expected that the hideous scums that conquered Lathe would attempt to attack this town and a few more in this region which they have not conquered yet before they decide to flee.

Do not relax because that is what the enemy wants. They possibly no longer have any interest in holding Willow town and possibly just want to conquer us for our goods and to take our families and friends as slaves as they leave."

The duke announced. Hearing that the previously excited soldiers quickly calmed down, he could faintly sense that Duke Farger was insinuating that this attack might be heavier than the previous ones. Looking at the demolished gate and the hundred-odd weary soldiers, Timothy and a couple of other soldiers got worried again.

"But it's no longer hopeless, we just have to hold off the invaders one last time until reinforcements arrive to aid us." The duke finally added getting the hopes of the soldiers up again.

The revitalized soldiers quickly set up the fortifications and solemnly waited for their fated enemy to arrive.