Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

54  Olaro, The General Of the North Wall

Six weeks had passed since the audience with Henry. Luak's army of five thousand was already marching in front of Mirante, filling the White Merchant Road while making their way towards the West of Stahl, towards the Cold Iron Mines. Despite their tattered clothes and dull weapons, their eyes were filled with arrogance and confidence, enough to ward off the bitter cold and hunger striking their malnourished bodies.

The sight Luak's army on the horizon filled the soldiers on Mirante's walls with a mixture of both anger and dread. The clanging of their weapons was like a sword piercing through their chests, testing their faith in Stahl's strength and their own self esteem. They tightened their grips on their weapons, fighting the urge to shoot down those smug invaders and tear down the fluttering banner of Luak.

Olaro, the General of the North Wall, stood tall atop the battlements, his eyes fixed on the army of foreign soldiers marching through his homeland. He stroked his long red beard, struggling to contain his raging emotions as he watched those invaders trampling on his people's sacred ground with their filthy boots. Each step was a complete disrespect of Stahl's great history and some sort of contempt towards his soldiers.

Olaro's heart pounded with fury. He strongly wished to raise his axe and carve a bloody path through their rank. He wanted to calm down the people's dreading hearts and reclaim Stahl's dignity and supremacy over this small part of the North. However, he knew he had to restrain himself and follow Henry's orders to not attack them right now.

After spending long months in the Commanders Training Center, receiving personal guidance from Luther and Henry, Olaro had the ability to see the bigger picture of the situation and somehow understand Henry's plan. It had the potential to swallow both kingdoms in a single strike. The General had to wait for his king's signal.

"He said it's going to be an explosion. I don't know what that means."- Olaro mused as he rapidly stroked his beard, his eyes landing on the young woman with blue hair who was leading Luak's army. - "I think her name was Zuna. Luke was right, she is quite stunning, but the attempt to lay a trap for out king makes me question her intelligence."

Olaro stopped stroking his beard as he felt the weight of the axe in his hand – "They won't try to breach through the gates right now. The King said that they will probably settle in a village to the west and use the time to build up their forces while scouting the surroundings. They might only move in the next month. My priority is to keep the city safe and trust the process."

"Ha, just you wait..." - Olaro grinned widely as the crimson fur cloak draped over his broad shoulders rippled in the wind. The fur was from an Alpha Sanguine Wolf, a gift presented to him by the Barbarians during his first visit to their new town. It was an attempt to smooth down the relationships and win his favor.

Luak had entered the tiger's den.

-x-

For the past two weeks, a wide smile has been etched on Zuna's face, ever since she left Stahl's palace with the negotiation that marked the beginning of her rise to power. She was even closer to her dream of becoming a Duchess and proof of that were the troops behind her, all of whom were under her direct commands.

After spending a week traveling back to Luak and three weeks preparing the army, Zuna finally set out towards Stahl. Under a slow march, the army reached Mirante within two weeks, one of the most important cities in all of Stahl, the place where all Cold Iron Mines had to pass through before reaching the rest of the kingdom.

Zuna's fingers trailed over the bow slung across her back as her eyes met those of a bald middle-aged man standing atop the battlements. She could sense the boiling fury emanating from him.

"Soon" – She muttered to herself, a determined gleam in her eyes – "The General of the North Wall. I will bring you down."

-x-

Henry was sitting loosely on top of a great barren tree, using the stark branches to hide their silhouettes. From his place, Henry's grey eyes could see Luak's army dragging their tired feet through the freezing landscape. Their breaths puffing out like a smoke in the icy air.

"They are moving again, my King." – A rigid and respectful female voice drifted over to Henry's ears as Leier's figure appeared before him, wearing full black clothes, which only showed her mesmerizing black eyes.

After Mirante's fall, Henry had ordered Leier to take a well-deserved break. But it seemed that rest was not in her nature. Barely two months later, she had approached him, asking to be sent on a mission. Henry advised her to go back and rest a little more, since she had accomplished a great work. However, the unbending will in her eyes left him with no options. So, he had sent her to the West, with the task of gathering as much intelligence about the region as she could.

Henry wanted to know about all the influential families that had occupied the place after the disband of the nobles. He wanted to know which people held the most influence on this unfamiliar side of his kingdom. Leier had masterfully accomplished her mission and was able to write a whole dossier of the situation.

She would be an important asset to get rid of these invaders and finally discover the one behind everything.

"Yes…looks like they're on the move again"- Henry responded, his grey eyes betraying none of his thoughts or emotions, much like the bleak winter skies above him.

Rising to his feet, Henry shook off the snow that had accumulated on his cloak. The cold air bit at his exposed face, but he paid it no mind. – "Let's go." – He commanded.

With a nimble jump, Henry precisely landed on a near tree branch while Leier following him closely. They moved with purpose, using the trees as their allies to conceal their presence and to swiftly follow behind the invaders of Luak.

Their movements were fast and precise, not even a great expert as Luther would have been able to spot them.