The traitor vs the bear part 1

Rufus and Edward got down from the mountain and into the tent where all the commanders were. They all were anxious and didn't know what to do.

"What is going on?" Rufus said.

"We have been betrayed," Maxim said.

"By whom?"

"Raymond Guiscard.....!

King of the Guiscards had betrayed the alliance to the emperor. He had gotten in contact with emperor Ala and agreed to evaporate the mist hiding the fleet and reveal it so the imperial gravity ships could quickly destroy them.

"The entire fleet had been destroyed," Doreen said.

"What of Amala and Pema?!" Rufus said in a worried tone.

"We don't have details, but we believe they survived the attack, and the twins they captured haven't been retrieved by the empire either. Most likely, they were able to escape on time, but they are now retreating on the coast of Cypriot," Doreen said.

"What had caused that old man to betray us?" Edward acquired.

"We don't know yet," Doreen explained.

~~

During that time, Amala, Pema, and Aethelred were leading their small contingent through the rocky coast of Cypriot. Their ship had been wrecked and forced to retreat, hoping they would reach the main army inland.

They hid inside a cave as a gravity ship was flying over them. They had large searchlights, lit with torches, to try and find them. Powerful nobles were on the helm, and cannons peeked from its sides.

"No one makes a sound," Amala whispered.

The gravity ship passed them, and they dared to leave the cave.

"I will kill that old goat when I get my hands on him. Rip his head from his shoulders. My ships, my fortune...my men. My men who fought for me to become a high king," Athelred said in a sad tone.

"You will get your revenge. Let's move out now," Amala said.

"It is not wise for you to head south from here," Wulftrude said.

"And why is that? Asciador and the imperial armies are in the north. South is our best bet."

"There is an imperial naval castle just ten kilometers from here. I would go north. There are fewer soldiers that way and outposts," Wulfila explained.

"Why would we go to an imperial naval castle? That sounds as useful as trying to light a fire in the rain," Athelred said.

"It's our naval castle," Wulftrude said.

"It would be better for you if you were captured by us. Our soldiers wouldn't harm or execute you. You need to hope you won't get captured by anyone else," Wulfila said.

All of them looked confused.

"We are not getting ourselves caught! That idea is dumber then a box of hair," Athelred retorted.

"Why are you willing to go to such lengths to ensure we survive," Amala asked the twins.

"Our father took our siblings early on to be trained and to become his tools. On the other hand, we were spared, thanks to our mother. She raised us, and we got to experience the love of a person, unlike our siblings who were raised in the barracks, on battlefields, and in court intrigue. We were the only ones present on our mother's deathbed, and our mother never got to know her other children. We promised our mother to respect the sanctity of life the same way she respected our lives," Wulftrude explained.

"Your mother died before her time?" Amala asked.

"No, she died of old age at seventy-six," Wulfila said.

"Wait, so how old are you brats?" Athelred asked them.

"We are sixty-six," the twins said at the same time.

Divinity grants great gifts if the person is powerful enough. Just like the emperor and queen Satifa, the divine also blessed them.

"Fine, I trust you, but not enough that I am willing to become your prisoner in exchange. You said you had your forces north of here. We want horses and supplies to reach our main army in exchange for your freedom. Are we in agreement?" Amala asked them.

The twins looked at each other and then said simultaneously, "Fine."

~~

They headed north, hoping they wouldn't encounter any patrols. Through the cold night, they walked through the rocky shores of Cypriot. They dodged patrols that could alert an gravity ship to their location. They finally saw an lights encampment fourty kilometers away.

"We are getting closer. It won't take long," Wulfila said.

As they walked toward the camp, they saw a significant fog falling over them. Soon the air had the smell of fire and gunpowder. Pema felt something was wrong and jumped up in the air. He summoned carbon armor to surround his forearm as a cannon shell came right at him.

Pema was flown back hard, hitting the rocks. They turned around and saw a flying gravity ship hovering over them. On the helm stood Raymond with a smug smile.