Conquest of War

Chapter One

Chapter One
In the Shavendral battle camp
Crown Prince Tavrik stood before his men, wearing his black armor with his tattered black cloak clasped at his throat, and the crowd of men stared at him with awe. Prince Tavrik was a brilliant warrior who had led the Shavendral armies to incredible victories in the last five years and he had become quite a legend in that time that he had been in command.

The prince met every perimeter of being a legend; he towered over most men, he was devastatingly handsome, he was as ruthless as a demon, and he was a master of battle tactics. Over his years in battle he had earned the name the demon because his ruthless and his fire magic.

"We have crushed the Talvok at every front! We have decimated their forces! We have even killed their king's only heir! Now, we have laid siege to their last safe haven for over a year and it is time to crush them. Tomorrow we will finish them and our banners shall fly from their gates. We will slaughter their soldiers and capture their nobility. Leave their peasants alone unless they fight. Tomorrow Talvok blood shall run in rivers through the streets of Natar and our victory will be written for all time. I pledge my blade to this battle. Who will fight beside me?!" The warrior prince challenged as he grasped the sword with his left hand and raised it in the air as flames danced along its razor sharp edge. Then the soldiers roared in deafening agreement as they raised their own blades to their prince's.
Prince Tavrik sheathed his blade and sighed, looking out over his soldiers with pride. His men were ready for battle, but he and his generals needed to go over the plans one more time before the morning to ensure everything went smoothly and that everyone was on the same page. He needed this attack to be perfect; not only crush the Talvok, but also to demonstrate the power of the Shavendral to all other enemies.

The Prince walked away from the crowd in the direction of the command tent without a word and the generals scrambled to follow after him. He entered the large tent with all eight of his generals in tow and said nothing as they took their seats around the table. Several generals frowned as their prince refused to sit with them as he usually did. They watched the prince carefully as he stood at the head of the table, looking down at the plans with a scowl.

"Sire, is something wrong?" One general dared to ask and Prince Tavrik looked up at him, shaking his head.

"No. I have waited for this battle for years and it is finally here. The last of the Talvok resistance will be crushed by midday tomorrow and this damn war will finally end. Then I can focus on the war in the north with the Ice Trolls. I am simply anxious to be done with the Talvok" he answered calmly and the generals looked at each other with surprise. They had assumed their prince would return home after his victory, but instead, he planned to turn to the northern front, a much bloodier conflict.

"Sire, everything will go as planned. Our spies have told us everything we need to know," the generals reassured the prince and he sighed.

"I am counting on it. I hate surprises" Prince Tavrik muttered bitterly as he took his seat at the head of the table and looked around at his generals.

"Let's start with the northern battalion" the high general announced as he stood up and put his finger on the large map.

"I will be taking the northern battalion to the north side of the city to the northern gates. We will take care of the main gates and enter the city" one of the younger commanders announced as they watched the prince's face for signs of displeasure.

"Then Commander Vox will take the mounted calvary to the southern gate and start taking the city from the south" the high general continued as he looked at the calvary commander seated to his left.

"This is where I will split off with a group of soldiers and start taking the palace and begin securing assets" the prince interjected as he drummed his fingers on the table and they nodded in agreement.