King Bradevere, King Gullrock, and Prince Nathan rested for the night in the Kingdom of the Flag. They were going to need some rest after all the drinking and eating they had done the night before.
King John greeted them in the Grand Hall early that morning one by one as they rose at different times and prepared to depart.93Please respect copyright.PENANAfeoqpcOYqg
The ultimate goal was to increase defensive capabilities for each castle from oil and fire to moats with a drawbridge. Defenses that were never necessary the first time around. The High Realm was a peaceful place to not only survive but to enjoy the life and security it provided.93Please respect copyright.PENANAx3uUtLcZPx
But ever since Varamont became a clear and present danger, life in the realm had taken a turn. A turn that should not even be possible but Varamont refused to stay away. He would have them under his heel.93Please respect copyright.PENANAmvH2n9GDQr
Each king would defend their own and if the keep were to be breached then the entire castle, or what would be left of it, would be evacuated to the nearest kingdom. Hopefully, it would never come to that but it was wise to have a contingency plan.93Please respect copyright.PENANACT2TaC8Zqg
After King Bradevere, King Gullrock and Prince Nathan had left, King John began with his preparations. First task, collect as much wood as possible to create barricades to defend the ground along the walls.93Please respect copyright.PENANAyIpm5raVFJ
"Commander Alexander," King John said as he approached his Knight's Commander on the battlements. "It is time we go on the defensive. Gather your men and any man who is capable of swinging an ax to the courtyard in one hour. I shall give further instructions then."93Please respect copyright.PENANAgQPw7dwWby
"Right away, my King," Alexander said sharply as he proceeded down the battlements steps, leaving King John with his thoughts.93Please respect copyright.PENANAbCFJOPUhj3
King John gazed out over the frozen plains, it had gotten colder over the last few days, it would snow soon. He mulled over tactics in his mind, trying as he might he failed to find a way they would make it out of this alive. They narrowly escaped death during the Great War. It would not come close this time. He had to hold on to hope. Not for him, for his men and his people.
An hour later, Commander Alexander had assembled a large chunk of his men and a number of strong capable citizens in the courtyard. He patiently awaited King John's orders who stood on the battlements so everyone could hear what he had to say.93Please respect copyright.PENANAz9GupQYjp1
"We must take a stand," King John spoke loudly without yelling, "We know not when they will attack again but we must be ready." He scanned the crowd, "We need wood. Wood will be used to build fortifications for the frontline. And we need mud and stone to strengthen the walls."93Please respect copyright.PENANANlIuOTBece
Evander and Alrid sat off to the side of the congregation of men at a small table with ale in hand as they listened.93Please respect copyright.PENANAPomsy6vyL0
"Now I do not know how long this endeavor will take but I know I do not need to explain why this is important," he exhaled to himself. "Godspeed to us all."93Please respect copyright.PENANAIvcc4085GC
Commander Alexander dismissed his men, some went to get axes, some went to the stables to fetch horses and wagons to deliver the wood and some went to get a drink before the long grueling work began.93Please respect copyright.PENANAaR2zIpmdrt
The first few hours were a mess, most did not know which forest to go to for wood and what to do with the trees after they were cut down.93Please respect copyright.PENANAMjwMZ0hv1V
But eventually, a rhythm began to form as civilians and knights chopped down trees, cut the branches off and loaded them onto the waiting wagons.93Please respect copyright.PENANAc8sfncmYbK
The wagons would then haul the wood up the hill to the castle. Once there, it was brought to carpenters that would then cut it to size and debark the trunks. Once the bark was removed, the ends were sharpened into points.93Please respect copyright.PENANA4NxkL0VJL5
From there, another set of wagons took the sharpened logs to different parts of the castle walls. They were then set up against pre-buried logs to point outward and we're tied in place with rope.93Please respect copyright.PENANAf0dogiZNkd
Construction of the wooden barriers had taken a few days to complete but with the effort of the knights, civilians, Evander, Alrid, and even King John himself, it was successful.93Please respect copyright.PENANA9Tuc9LL7IK
Even though time was short and the threat of an attack loomed over his head, King John addressed his men at the end of the last day, once again from the battlements, "Over these past few days, we have increased our chances of survival. Now I know these barriers may not look very intimidating but they will help in keeping our enemies in range of our archers from the walls. Our best chance of survival is to keep them out while we thin their numbers. Now our enemies are in our home, they do not know these lands as we do. Let us use it against them in any way we can, this is why I propose we dig out a trench between the castle walls and the barriers."93Please respect copyright.PENANAvIyn66Ggt7
Grunts could be heard across the audience like a soft wave. King John raised a hand to show he wanted them to relax, "Now I do not intend to make you all begin right away. After all of the grueling labor we put in, I believe we could all use a break. Take tomorrow to rest and get some well deserved food in you. Enjoy tomorrow because the next day we increase our odds even further." He paused to gauge their reactions.93Please respect copyright.PENANAPqkcx2OloD
The crowd seemed to be pleased at the idea of having a day to recover and they were more willing to work hard again the following day. Satisfied, King John ended with a simple, "Good night, everyone."93Please respect copyright.PENANAoXxpnNx3SA
Commander Alexander dismissed his men once again and the civilians had already begun to wander off, exhaustion clearly displayed in their steps. Evander approached the King, "A day off will help with morale for sure. They are already tired from fear as it is. I sure do hope they can weather the storm that is fast approaching."93Please respect copyright.PENANAZaS0En8VWD
"I fear the worst Evander," the king spoke softly. "We hardly have enough men now since his first attack. My men are growing weary and afraid. Most of all, I fear the outcome. Can we even stop him? Is it even at all possible at this point? Will we make it out alive?" King John looked to Evander for his thoughts.93Please respect copyright.PENANAa06kkW0Kf8
"I wish I had the answers, John. I am just as terrified. But nonetheless, we will fight the good fight." Evander didn't even believe his own words. He hoped beyond all hope, but he didn't believe it.
The following day was calm and serene. Polar opposite to the day before. No one was in a hurry to do anything or get anywhere. They all just wanted to recover and prepare for tomorrow.93Please respect copyright.PENANAT19qcuvfPP
Because tomorrow will be a grueling day to be sure. The mountain of a task to dig out an entire moat by hand. Even with horses it was going to take days to get it done. And not to mention the drawbridge that would inevitably have to be built over it.93Please respect copyright.PENANAf3l0OEsdKM
But once it was done it would be paramount in the defense against any ground forces that would attempt to climb the walls.93Please respect copyright.PENANAiKZla4TPmJ
Alrid spent his day of recovery with one of the basics of his archery skills, target practice. He was out in the frozen fields between the south end of the castle and the northern tree line of Fortune's Woods.93Please respect copyright.PENANA0bFHZTehPV
There was nothing like some time alone with his bow and the basics to clear his mind. Release. An arrow left his bowstring and hit its mark, a bag of sand placed upon a tree stump.93Please respect copyright.PENANAsUl0O7wIs7
Alrid thought of the days to come. He wondered if he was going to be strong enough to survive those days. Release. Another arrow. Inhale, pull, mark, release.93Please respect copyright.PENANA6zTowTcDlZ
He did not want to let his father and King John down. But most importantly he did not want to let himself down.
Alrid spent the majority of the day with his bow and his thoughts. The thought at the forefront of his mind was if he would be able to return to the life he had. The life before all of this. The life he knew. His peaceful life of hunting and training.93Please respect copyright.PENANAcQ7wS05OEw
Whatever happened in the days to come, he just wished that at the end of it all he could return to that life93Please respect copyright.PENANAlBUlMRmfHU