Apollyon walked the camp of her Blackstone legion, looking around the tents and groups of soldiers for her son. Soon enough she was able to locate Jürgen. We was standing next to his horse, talking to Mercy. Jürgen shook his head at something she said, resulting in Mercy nodding and then walking away. Apollyon passed Mercy as she walked away from her son.
Jürgen noticed his mother approaching him. He turned to her with an annoyed expression.
Apollyon: "What is wrong?"
Jürgen: "You're chasing after those who chose to leave your cause?"
Apollyon nodded.
Apollyon: "I'm sending small party's of soldiers after them. They have proven to me that they cannot handle our mission. They are weak. And the weak do not deserve to live"
Jürgen let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head, holding the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.
Jürgen: "That is madness! What you're doing to those who leave is wrong"
Apollyon: "I do not understand why you are like this so suddenly. Do not become so emotional to the point where you forget why we are doing this"
Jürgen lowered his head and shook it once again, letting himself calm down.
Jürgen: "Sorry I'm... just conflicted and tired. Tired of the fighting, death and misery. I just want to go home and forget all of this"
Apollyon stood next to her son and gently put a hand on his back.
Apollyon: "You cannot forget what you have done here Jürgen. Do not be ashamed of the things you've been apart of. Embrace who you really are. I know it will take time, but when you do you will come to realize how strong you can be"
Jürgen looked up and to his mothers eyes.
Apollyon: "You are a wolf. You are my son. Do not be ashamed of those things. Try to embrace who you are just a little more"
Apollyon turned Jürgen so he was facing her.
Apollyon: "When our mission is finished, we can rest. But for now we will return home and plan for the Myre"
Jürgen nodded.
Apollyon: "And do not worry about the people who leave. They are traitors to you and I, nothing more"
[Two]
[Months]
[Later]
Jürgen removed his helmet and took in a breath of fresh air. The belt that held his cape to his back became undone, allowing the piece of cloth to float freely in the steady breeze. The world around Jürgen was completely unfamiliar. It was hot and dangerous at every turn.
One wrong step and you'll be bitten by a venomous snake or eaten whole by an alligator. One wrong breath and you inhale poison from the ancient poison trees. One wrong move and you die. And Jürgen hated every moment of being here.
He heard the water behind him slosh and turned his head. There Apollyon rode her horse, the animals legs near fully submerged in the warm swamp water.
Apollyon: "It is time to go. The Vikings have begun their final push into the capital"
Jürgen nodded and slipped his helmet on. He turned to Apollyon and walked to his horse which was tied to a tree next to where she came from. Jürgen untied his horse and mounted. He followed his mother who led the Blackstone army through the swamps of the Myre.
Hours passed as the knights of Ashfeld rode through burned village after burned village. From what Jürgen could see, there were no survivors in any of the villages. Apollyon never spoke to anyone. She only hummed as her soldiers walked through the villages in disbelief and disgust. Yes they had destroyed the Viking villages with ferocity and without mercy. But this was an entirely new level of barbarism.
Bodies were hung from trees and tops of arches. Nordic names were written in blood on the cobblestone walls. Heads were stuck on spikes and placed outside of the entrances of the villages and throughout the streets. When the Blackstones rode through the final village, something in particular caught Jürgen's attention. In the front doorway of the village were two bodies.
Jürgen looked at the bodies with a blank face. But on the inside he was shocked and disgusted. In the doorway was the burning corpse of a woman on her knees holding a child close. Their bodies were charred and almost unrecognizable.
???: "The Vikings are insane..."
Jürgen glanced down from the burning building and saw a handful of soldiers walking next to him. They were also looking at the corpses Jürgen had seen.
???: "I know we set their lands on fire. But this is truly worse than what we ever did to them"
Jürgen turned his head upward and and faced forward. His mother had glanced back and looked at the soldiers who spoke. She too turned her head forward and kept her thoughts to herself.
[One Hour Later]
The Blackstone Legion finally came upon what was remaining of the Dawn Empire capital. Dead Samurai and Viking warriors laid dead on the ground as the bridge that led into the capital was left wide open. Apollyon noticed that at the end of the bridge was a small force of Samurai who managed to push back the Vikings. They were trying to push the doors to the bridge closed.
Apollyon looked to her troops and raised her sword to the burning city.
Apollyon: "Hurry! To the gates before they close the entrance!"
Jürgen unsheathed his sword and followed his mother who raced across the bridge of fire and bodies. The Blackstone knights followed their leaders, readying their weapons and preparing themselves mentally for battle.
Just as the Samurai were about to close the heavy gate doors, the Blackstones managed to make it and push the doors open. The Samurai fell back or stood back in shock. First the Vikings, now the Knights!
Apollyon rode passed an Orochi who wore quality Samurai armor and looked to the palace that stood at the other end of the capital.
Apollyon: "To the palace!"
Jürgen watched the Blackstones push through the Samurai defenses and tear through their ranks. Jürgen stuck close behind his mother and galloped through the stone streets, eventually coming up upon the front gates of the Emperor's palace. Outside the front gates was a small force of Vikings who were trying to break down the messy wood and iron doors.
A Berserker saw the knights and yelled to his comrades.
???: "The knights are here! Forget the door!"
The Vikings turned to the newly invading Blackstones, running towards them with their weapons raised. Jürgen held onto the hilt of his sword with a tight grip and focused his mind. As the two sides were only meters away from one another, Jürgen turned his horse to the side and jumped off. He took the kite shield that hung on the side of his horse and swept the legs of one of the first Vikings who swung at him.
He took his sword and drove it into the mans stomach, ripping it out and moving onto the next warrior who dared to attack him. The fighting was fierce but short. The knights were able to overpower the small force of Vikings and stood outside of the Emperor's palace.
A Conqueror stood next to Jürgen as he wiped the crimson blood off of his blade. She looked to a Lawbringer who stood next to her and spoke.
???: "How do you think we'll get in there?"
The Lawbringer took a look at the gates for moment and then shook his head.
???: "I have no idea. We can't force our way through with our strength. We need something more powerful"
Jürgen walked to the gate with his shield and sword in hand. Apollyon stood front and center as she placed a hand onto the tall wood and iron doors. Jürgen stood next to his mother and spoke.
"Any ideas on how we'll get in?"
Apollyon: "I have it covered. You should stand away from the doors"
Jürgen looked at his mother with confusion before walking to the side of the gateway. Suddenly an explosion echoed through the open air. The doors creaked and began to fall forward. The knights who still stood in front of the doors quickly ran away from the falling gates.
The heavy doors hit the ground with an echoing thud as two Peacekeepers walked out from the open doorway. One of them looked to Apollyon and spoke.
???: "The daimyo are in the courtyard"
Apollyon nodded and motioned Jürgen to follow her inside. Jürgen did as requested and followed his mother inside, walking into a large courtyard with a line of six Samurai on their knees.
Apollyon: "Jürgen, you take care of the Emperor and his family. I will stay here with the daimyo and wait"
Jürgen nodded and walked to the open entrance to the palace. After a few minutes of wandering the halls, Jürgen found a doorway with ornate engravings in the wood and doors made of gold. Jürgen pushed open the door with shield and stepped forward.
The room was quiet. The only sources of light were the half open windows. Suddenly Jürgen heard quick shuffling to his left. Jürgen turned his head and raised his shield in defense. A woman wearing dark red clothing held a dagger in her right hand. The dagger hit Jürgen's shield and bounced off of it.
Jürgen knocked the woman away and hit her hand which had the dagger. The small weapon flew across the room as Jürgen walked closer to her. Then a child came into view. The child appeared to be a young girl. Behind the girl came a man who picked up the lost dagger.
The man yelled and charged at Jürgen. Jürgen raised his sword and turned to the man, swinging at his hand with the dagger. The man yelled in pain as his hand flew into the air, blood poured from the open wound as he fell to the ground. The young girl watched in horror as her father rolled onto his back, holding his exposed wrist.
Jürgen let out a beastly growl as he looked back to the woman who crawled to her husband.
???: "Please! Stop!"
The woman held out a hand in defense, looking at the towering knight with tears in her eyes. For a moment Jürgen felt a light flicker inside his heart. But it was quickly erased as he raised his sword.
"Your rein ends now!"
•
A large pool of blood expanded across the dark wood and stone floor. The Emperor and his wife lay on the ground dead. Their daughter stood behind a wooden beam, looking at her parents's corpses. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Jürgen wiped the blood off of his blade using his black cape. He could hear soft sobbing to his right. Jürgen turned his head to where the noise was coming from. The knight saw the smallest sliver of the young girls head and walked towards her.
The girl saw the tall knight approaching and looked around for anything to defend herself with. She quickly found a sharp piece of bamboo from a floral pot next to her and grabbed it. Jürgen walked around the wooden beam the girl had been hiding behind. There he saw the girl holding the sharp piece of bamboo. He chuckled and lowered his sword, but keeping his shield at the ready.
"I expected you to be cowering on the wall behind you and begging for mercy. But you choose to defend yourself instead. Very brave of you young one"
The girl wiped her nose and kept the piece of bamboo pointed towards Jürgen.
???: "Y-You killed my family! You're a monster!"
Jürgen took a step closer and nodded.
"I did. But your family would have died anyways. Your people despised your family's rule over the Myre. It was only a matter of time until they perished"
Jürgen took another step forward, his shield touched the sharp tip of the bamboo.
"I am no monster. I am just a man who is completing his orders. If you want to place the blame on someone, blame your parents for their mistakes"
The girl looked to her dead parents, then back to Jürgen.
???: "A-Are you going to hurt me?"
The knight shook his head. He lowered his shield and grabbed the pointed end of the stick of bamboo.
"No"
The knight heard clanking of armor and turned his head around. A Lawbringer and a shorter Warden stood in the ornately engraved wooden doorway.
"But they will"
Jürgen ripped the bamboo stick away from the girl and crushed it with his hand. He turned around and watched the two knights pass by him, making their way towards the girl.
•
Apollyon stood in front of the daimyo who stood on their knees. Guards stood behind the six Samurai as Apollyon waited for her son to return. As she waited, Apollyon heard the screams of a man and woman. Immediately after hearing the screams Apollyon turned to the daimyo, raising her long sword so it was at their head level.
Apollyon: "Daimyo, your emperor is dead"
Apollyon moved towards a Shugoki. The large warrior looked to Apollyon who placed the tip of her sword against his throat.
Apollyon: "Will you replace him?"
The Shugoki looked at Apollyon, hate filling his heart.
???: "NEVER!"
Without any hesitation, Apollyon drove the blade of her sword through the daimyo's neck. The Shugoki fell to the ground lifeless and Apollyon took a step aside, observing a green, black and gold armored Orochi.
Apollyon: "What about you? Will you become Emperor?"
Apollyon did the same to the Orochi as she had done to the Shugoki. She placed the tip of her sword against the man's neck and waited for an answer.
???: "When I'm done killing them"
The Orochi turned his head over to the other daimyo and then looked to Apollyon.
???: "I'm going to kill you"
Apollyon chuckled as she pulled her weapon away.
Apollyon: "A wolf"
Apollyon turned her attention to the rest of her knights and spoke.
Apollyon: "Leave the palace to Seijuro. The rest can fight over what remains"
The Orochi quickly stood up but was restrained by the rope that bound his hands. One of the Blackstone guards grabbed the strong Orochi by the shoulder and placed the blade of their weapon against his throat.
Seijuro: "Who do you think you are?!"
Apollyon looked into Seijuro's eyes and spoke.
Apollyon: "War. I, am, war"
The guard who restrained Seijuro looked to Apollyon. Apollyon pointed towards the palace, telling the guard to take the new Emperor to the throne room.
As Apollyon watched Seijuro get escorted to the palace she saw Jürgen. He was just leaving the palace as Seijuro and the guard were entering.
Jürgen: "Job is done. Now can we go?"
Apollyon shook her head.
Apollyon: "Not yet. One more thing must be done"
Jürgen's mother turned away and began to walk to her horse. The remaining daimyo were surrounded by knights on horse back, ready to escort them out of the capital and to the wilderness of the Myre.
Apollyon mounted her horse and looked to Jürgen, yelling out to him.
Apollyon: "I will not be long!"
And with that, the group left. Jürgen stood alone in the courtyard as knights began to clean up the area and ready their horses for the journey back to Ashfeld.
The sudden screech of a hawk caught Jürgen's attention as he began to walk away from the middle of the courtyard. He looked up to the sky and saw a familiar feathered creature. Jürgen grinned as he held out his arm for the hawk. The bird landed on his clothed arm and looked to Jürgen with friendly eyes.
Jürgen looked down to the bird's right leg and saw a piece of paper had been wrapped and tied around it. Jürgen reached for the paper and removed it from the hawk. The hawk let out a single screech before letting go of Jürgen's arm and lifting itself into the air. Jürgen unraveled the piece of paper and read the words that were written on it. The paper was from Erzebet.
'Jürgen, I have something urgent to tell you. It's something that I believe should be told in person. When you're done in the Myre I'd like for you to visit me at the Black Prior fortress. I hope this message got to you in time. I miss you. —Erzebet.'
Jürgen tilted his head in question as he folded the piece of paper and stuck it in one of the pouches on his belt.
•
Jürgen spoke to a Blackstone commander and pointed in the direction where he wanted a scouting team to head out. The commander nodded after hearing the orders and ran to his small scouting group.
The moon finally shined onto the knights and their camp as Apollyon and her group of guards from the palace courtyard arrived. Apollyon's guards dismounted and headed straight for the kitchen line. For them it had been a long day of travel.
The soldiers in the camp ate and drank, talked and sang songs they learned from home. They laughed and enjoyed their time, happy that now they could all return home. But Jürgen did not celebrate. Not the way the others were celebrating at least. He sat himself onto a fallen log and stuck his shield into the ground. He placed his sword against it. Apollyon walked to a group of officers and commanders who were setting up final plans for the march back to Ashfeld.
The one of the head commanders saw Apollyon approaching and told the others. The group of men turned to Apollyon and greeted her respectfully. Apollyon turned her head to the head commander and spoke.
Apollyon: "Any new report on the Samurai?"
???: "Yes. One of the more honorable daimyo managed to make it back to the capital city with some help. It's only a matter of time before the new Emperor officially takes the throne"
Apollyon nodded.
Apollyon: "Good. I want you to keep your scouts here for a little longer while we march back to Ashfeld. And keep me updated, I want to know the moves the Samurai make"
The commander quickly bowed his head and spoke.
???: "Yes, master"
The small group of officers and commanders broke away, going to their respective crowds of men who were eating, drinking and conversing.
Apollyon looked passed the crowd of partying soldiers and spotted Jürgen sitting by himself. He was leaned against a mossy rock that stood behind the log he was sitting on. His eyes were closed. Apollyon walked to her son, trying not to make much noise as she got closer to him.
Apollyon placed a hand on Jürgen's shoulder, looking down at her son who's as sleeping. Jürgen stirred in his sleep before cracking open his eyes, allowing the world to come into view. He looked up to his mother and slightly waved his right hand which was by his side.
Apollyon: "Sleeping on the job I see"
Jürgen grinned and sat up, stretching his neck to the side.
"Working on your humor I see"
Apollyon grinned behind her helmet and held out a hand. Jürgen took his mothers hand and pulled himself up, standing on his feet and stretching his arms.
"What did you need?"
Apollyon: "Am I not allowed to see my own son when I want to?"
Jürgen shook his head.
"Your are, but usually you have something to say to me. About where we're going next and stuff"
Apollyon: "Well I can definitely tell you that we're leaving for Ashfeld. Finally we will be home after months of being away"
Jürgen pulled his shield from the dirt and picked up his sword.
"No more fighting?"
Apollyon: "For a period of time no, but we may have to fight again. Maybe even against our own people"
"Good enough I guess"
Apollyon chuckled and removed her helmet, allowing the majority of her pale blonde braids to fall down to her neck. She took in a deep breath of fresh air and turned her head towards her son.
Apollyon: "Time to go home. Rally the troops and let's get a move on"
Jürgen nodded quickly.
"I'll get them ready"
Jürgen fit on his helmet and jogged towards the groups of soldiers and began to rally them together. Apollyon watched her son, remember how Hans used to have similar energy whenever they were in a situation like this. Being away from home for extended periods of time would make him not be the same. Whenever they were set on returning home, Hans was always the first to leave.
Apollyon slipped her helmet back on and walked to her horse. She mounted the saddle and guided her horse towards the exit of the camp. The soldiers within the camp tossed their food and drink to the ground, quickly stomping out their fires and packing their supplies. As the troops rallied behind Apollyon and Jürgen, Jürgen turned his head back and yelled.
Jürgen: "Remember what you're marching for lads! Real food and beds that aren't made of rocks and sticks!"
The soldiers raised their swords in agreement. A soldier in the back of the crowd cupped his hands around his mouth and spoke out loud.
???: "And for women too! Drink and women!"
The men within the crowd laughed and raised their weapons. The women on the other hand rolled their eyes and prepared themselves for the long trip ahead.
Apollyon: "Alright, enough chatter. Let's move!"
Apollyon pointed into the direction of Ashfeld, leading the large army of knights to their homeland.
•
•
Erzebet sat on a dark throne and looked at the open window to her right. The dark grey blinds were parted away, allowing her hawk to slip into the room. The bird landed onto the left the armrest, just next to her hand. Erzebet smiled as she saw that the note she had sent had been removed from the animals leg.
The hawk tilted its head as Erzebet placed her hand into her stomach. She could feel a slight bump. Suddenly the doors to the throne room opened. A guard walked in, looking nervous.
???: "General, Vortiger's body has been sent to the sacred burial site. Would you like to see the ceremony that has been prepared for him?"
Erzebet shook her head, looking to the window that her hawk had flown in through. The world outside was dark as the only light was casted by the moon and the fortresses torches on the outer walls. The guard nodded and turned away, walking to the open door.
Erzebet: "Actually, there is something that needs to be sent"
Erzebet pointed to a dark red wood box. Holding the box closed was a lock that could be opened by a key. The solder turned around and looked to the box, nodding and walking towards it. He picked up the box and was surprised by its weight as he held it in his arms. What was so heavy that could fit in such a small space?
Erzebet grinned when she saw the tall guard struggle.
Erzebet: "Do not attempt to open it. Inside of it is something private that I would like to be sent to Vortiger's ceremony"
The guard nodded and shuffled out, closing the throne room door behind him. A few minutes passed as a doctor slipped into the room with a smile, greeting Erzebet.
Erzebet: "Has the test been finished?"
The doctor nodded with a smile and spoke, her joy was apparent.
???: "Yes, and it has come back as positive once again. If everything goes right you could be expecting an heir"
Erzebet smiled as he placed her hand into her stomach once more.
Erzebet: "This is truly wonderful news"
The doctor nodded.
???: "I do not mean to intrude on your business. But does Lord Jürgen know?"
Erzebet shook her head and spoke.
Erzebet: "He does not know, but I sent him a message to meet me in person so I could tell him myself"
The doctor nodded and bowed.
???: "Well I believe he would be excited to know. Have a good night ma'am"
Erzebet nodded in respect, watching the doctor slip out of the room. Erzebet leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The smell of sweet spring air filled her nose, relaxing her mind and body.
Erzebet: "I wish you could be here now, Jürgen"
-To be continued-
I know right? It's been awhile since I actually added a new part to this story. About time am I right? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed.
Anyways, see ya! ✌🏼