Astoria

f i f t y - e i g h t

"Antony," called Kade. Antony took a deep breath, checked that his sword was in position and made his way across the deck and into the boat that waited for him. Kade also boarded and they were off.

He felt strange, as if he were standing on the edge of a precipice, about to leap off.

He shook his head, clearing it of those thoughts as they reached land.

***

"Hold!" yelled Sawyer, as his men reached the crest of the small hill. they remained hidden in the woods, watching the royal army's boats reach shore, the men disembarking.

He smirked, gesturing foward with his hand and taking a few steps towards the edge of the woods. The men behind him did the same. He could feel the men becoming restless.

"Hold!" he hissed, turning and facing them, glaring. They immediately stopped, but he could still feel how anxious they were to attack.

He scanned the shore, looking for an acceptable signal to attack. Back and forth, a few times.

Not yet.

He frowned as another boat arrived on shore. As the soldiers dismounted one by one, he grinned wickedly.

On shore, King Antony turned and spoke to a few of his soldiers.

"Now!" he shouted, raising his sword. As he ran forward, he checked that his bow was still secure against his back. He smirked and let out a battle cry as he emerged from the trees.

***

Kade immediately threw himself forward, his sword already in a downward arc to cut off the man who had just attempted to slash at him. His dispatched two more enemies, surveying his surroundings as he did so.

The rebels had been hiding in the trees. He had prepared for this eventuality, expected it even. It was what he would do if he were in their position: watch the approaching ships and mobilize near their landing point. He felt confident that they could win the battle. The king's army, he could already tell, was better trained then these rebels. Not only that, but the rebels were outnumbered.

However, one thing worried him. He had yet to see Jonathan.

Antony's brother was, when he had last been seen, the leader of the rebels. Antony was, of course, king of Astoria, and therefore the highest commander of the soldiers of Astoria.

Kade worried that a confrontation between the two of them was inevitable. He feared that Antony would not react well if faced by his brother. And Jonathan? The former king of Astoria remained a wild card. Kade didn't know enough about the man to accurately predict his response.

He pushed the issue to the back of his mind and continued fighting.

He had already briefed the men before they departed for the island. Their goal was to push the enemy back towards their camp, forcing them into a smaller and smaller space, and eventually surrounding them.

***

Jonathan sat at the back of his cell, beneath the barred window, clenching his fists. He knew that, by now, if they had made good time, the king's army would have arrived on the island.

Several times, he thought, he heard the sound of shouts, or the clash of swords, but he eventually wrote it off as his imagination.

The guard visited his cell a few times, presumably to ensure that he was still there. After all, if a princess had managed to escape, they had to keep an eye on the former leader of the rebels. The most recent time, he had brought food: a thick, murky stew that seemed hardly palatable.