NOVEL NEXT The Siege of Galeford – End
Directly after the collapse of Galeford's walls and Rosanna's order, silence rings out across the slate roofing of the small houses. The dust kicked up from the collapse of the wall creates an eerie fog that stings the lungs. Soldiers hold their weapons close to their bodies, the sound of steel rubbing against steel cutting the silence as they tremble.
*THUMP THUMP THUMP*
The sound of hundreds of plated men slowly marching forward echoed out around the entire city, the sound of the gears of war churning in the ears of every man, woman, and child present. It felt as though time itself was stunned in awe at the sight of the mighty walls of Galeford crashing down. The guards of Galeford ran to the newly formed hole despite the pounding rush of blood flowing through their skulls filling their ears.
The gathering of twenty men quickly made their way before the collapsed section of wall, the majority of them veterans from the previous war. Even these hardened men couldn't help but feel fear as the sight of the shining armor of the soldiers of Pultovia broke their way through the fog. They marched forward in tight lines, barely flinching as the wooden arrows of the regular men and women bounced off their armor harmlessly.
The veterans before them start to bulge with power as their auras, anywhere from first to third circle, begin to flare up. One of the third circles swings the blade prematurely, sending a wave of green energy screeching towards the soldiers as it tears its way through the air. Suddenly, a fourth circle energy flares up from the line of soldiers, the soldier, grizzled and battered, simply pushes his shield forward, sending a massive blast of energy forwards. The blast rips through the relatively small blade aura, shattering it like a pane of glass, before continuing towards the line of veterans.
For their lack of intelligence, they make up in bravery. Not a single guard from their line budged, even as the energy slammed into the group. Even as the sickening sound of crunching bone and twisting metal filled the air, even as splashes of blood from their fellow brothers in arms painted their cloth armor, even as wails of pain filled their ears from those unlucky enough to survive, they did not budge.
As Rosanna cleared away the smoke with a blast of wind magic, she glanced over to the gathering of now twelve. She gave them a smile that sent shivers down the spines of every soldier present, despite it being genuine. Her words, while also genuine, seemed to be mocking as she spoke with an enchanting tone,
"My my, aren't you all some brave men and women? I'm impressed."
She then looked away from the gathering, a magic circle lighting up just an inch from her throat as her voice began to boom across the entire fortress city,
"Lay down your arms, and the rest of you shall live. We have come, not to destroy your city, but to liberate it from the hands of the empire. Do you not wish for your children to live their lives with the innocence of children, rather than the apathy of a miner? Do you not wish to taste delicious foods, feel the warmth of a nice bed, and to earn a fair wage for your toils?"
Her voice brought the noise of fighting to a standstill, as arrows, previously being fired at her only to be stopped midair, stop completely. She looks around at the destruction caused by their invasion, and is pleased to see no dead civilians, only those with minor injuries.
"We wish not to raise this city to the ground, but to include all of you within our ranks. To bring you prosperity, rather than the squalor you and your children live in. We wish to join hands, to feed, to care. We wish to see a day where the people of Galeford are celebrated across the kingdom for their valor and importance, rather than seen as filthy in the empire."
Several of the young soldiers who seemed on the fence began to lay down their arms, tired of fighting for an empire that did not appreciate them.
The veterans; however, kept their arms. A voice echoed out among the veterans,
"I am honor bound to protect this city from any would-be invaders!"
Rosanna looked down at the group of twelve once more, still with a fire burning in their eyes. She shook her head, cursing the stupidity of honor. She looks out at the guards, feeling dissatisfaction welling up from within.
"Very well," she says, "then you'll die for that honor."
As she finishes speaking, the soldiers lined up and ready for combat begin marching forwards again, their lines bracing for the clash of sword, axe, and mace. Rosanna herself chose to sit out from this battle. After all, while being viewed as an untouchable demi-god would certainly strike fear into the hearts of those present, that was not her goal. Her goal is to appear as a liberator. Very quickly, the conflict behind the newly cracked walls ends. The smell of copper filling the air, either from the mines or the blood running through the streets. Rosanna looks around, finding not a single soul standing against her for now. Her voice rings out across the battlefield,
"I hereby claim the city of Galeford in the name of Gaera! Soldiers begin the distributing of rations, and cleaning up the streets. Mages! I want you to start producing water for the people to drink!"
As Rosanna barks out orders, the men and women of Pultovia begin moving. Soldiers begin collecting the dead, while the chefs from outside start cooking meals for the people. Mages fill barrels up with water as people begin to slowly come out of their hiding places. Rosanna, herself, starts to help with the distributing of rations, trying to seem more friendly towards the people. As the soldiers move all their supplies inside the walls, Rosanna moves on from the rations, and heads back over to the wall. She stops before the crumbled section before holding her hands out. A wave of magical energy washes over her body as a magic circle appears in front of her hands. The ground beneath the wall begins to rumble as the collapsed pieces of wall raise back up, slowly reforming what used to be there. People watch on in awe as Rosanna single handedly accomplishes what would have required a team of mages, and a whole lot of money to fix.
Soon, the walls of Galeford stand tall and proud once more, betraying the chaos that had just recently occurred. As Rosanna looks on at her work, the people behind her stare in awe. A new legend was born in the city of Galeford that day, one that would last even longer than the legacy of the first wall. The story of the Cruel Saintess who burns down the rot to let life grow anew. Who, while sparing no sympathy for those who stand against her, will lend a helping hand to those in need.
The next few days following the successful occupation were filled with rationing, casting agricultural spells, and constructing better housing. The forges that once spewed smoke into the city were silenced while wind magic was cast to clean the air of soot. For the first time in centuries, the people living in the city of Galeford could taste fresh air once more. The entire populace felt their minds clearing, their lungs healing, and their bodies relaxing. A public bathhouse was built in the city center, with water enchanted to help alleviate joint pain and muscle soreness.
The populace, despite mourning their losses, felt genuinely relaxed for the first time in history. The people slowly started to change their tune on the kingdom of Gaera. Going from it being their occupiers, to their liberators. Even the old guard of the town found themselves indulging in a warm bath every now and then. People praised Rosanna's name to an almost religious degree.
While the person in question walked deep into the mountains, alone. A clone of herself lies asleep in the baron's mansion. She stands before an ancient stone structure, nearly completely overgrown by roots and bushes. Though one sentence stays, clear of any debris, and glowing slight:
"Tomb of King Ancalius."
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