Heimat

CHAPTER 34

"Make me proud and the Kingdom shall be yours" his father had said on the day of his departure. It was a test of course. Test of his ability as a warrior, credibility as a leader and power of his command on the army. Regardless of what he thought, the soldiers of the kingdom needed to feel that their new ruler thought about them. 

"Dear soldiers that shall be fighting by my side, it has been an honor to be with you. I may not have known any of you for long, but the fact that you have dedicated your lives to the protection of our Kingdom and the Royal family makes you a celebrated life. We all knew this day was going to come, one day or the other where we face death in person. I want you to know that your contribution shall always be remember in the books and by your family. Today, as I fight alongside all of you, the only thing that comes to my head is the protections of my Kingdom and my subjects and I hope that this is what is in your mind too. By the grace of God, Victory shall be ours!"

The crowd thundered at his speech, renewed enthusiasm running amongst the soldiers at they roared in response. The prince smiled triumphantly at their cheer, gesturing the generals to bring his horse. Once mounted, he ordered the soldiers to enter into full battle formation and alongside them, rode out to the battle field, determined to end the war for once and for all. 

The armies of both kingdoms stood face to face on the battlefield. "I think the war will end within two weeks" Namjoon said, Hoseok smirking as they stood side to side. "How can you be so sure?". 

"The crown prince has brought renewed motivation in our army. Theirs, however, is exhausted and short of resources too. At the same time, I am sure that they are aware of what position they are in. Everyday, Jeons lose more than two times are men. They will not be able to keep up Hobi. I know it" Namjoon answered as his eyes wavered across the soldiers in front of him. 

"I think you should send a final warning to the Jeons you highness" he said, turning towards the crown prince. "Very well. I assume you already have that prepared chief?" Prince Hanuel asked, smiling when Hoseok pulled a scroll tucked in his belt. He handed it over to him, passing the stamp as well, waiting till the prince had sealed it with his trademark before asking a messenger to take it to the General of the Jeon army. 

They waited in silence as the horse galloped away, meeting the messenger of the rival mid field. Namjoon sighed as their messenger held it high for them to see before ripping it to sheds. "Well. Now that we have received their response, there is nothing left to hold back" Minho muttered. 

"Soldiers!" Hanuel yelled, "Those idiots have rejected our last call for peace. It was a chance for us to prevent more bloodshed but alas! There is no choice for us but to teach the enemy a lesson that they do not forget for generations! Kill any man that is not among us and victory shall be ours". 

The soldiers bellowed the war cry as they raced into the battle, swords clashing and arrows flying around. Namjoon's sword slashed through any head that dared to come in his way, furiously swinging in precise movements, careful enough to not hurt one of his own. 

He cried out as sudden pain erupted in his shoulder, reaching out to find a dagger lodged deep into it. The pain seared through after a moment and he stumbled, dizzy in the agony, vaguely noting the smirking enemy standing in front of him. As if it couldn't get any worse, he lost balance, falling face first into the blood soaked mud, his sword clattering away, out of reach. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw the man race towards him, brandishing his javelin as he pounced on Namjoon. In the nick of time, Namjoon found enough grip on his mind to roll away, the tip of the weapon embedded into the ground. The man struggled to pull it out, giving Namjoon time to stand up and get hold of the shield.