Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 197: Kin's blood(1)

Marthio's army stood in formation, a determined line braced against the chill air and the weight of the battle soon to come. On the left flank, Orwan Kantazoukenes, the current Pater Autoritas of the same house responsible for the events that led to the civil war that saw the battle of the shifting sand happen , led his division. At his left was the lake, which made it much easier to create a deep-rank formation without the fear of being flanked.

In the center stood the forces led by Thyris Veritita, the proud son of Lisidor Veritita, which was one amongst the great houses of the south that helped in raising this army. Thyris, a man of youthful but fierce resolve, held his soldiers in tightly packed ranks, their formation designed for defence. Clad in reinforced mail and helms that glinted under the sparse sunlight, his soldiers gripped their spears and shields , ready to face whatever Mavius' forces would bring.

On the right flank, Marthio himself commanded the lines, his presence like a steadfast oak in a storm. Marthio's men, veterans with faces hardened by years of campaigns, seemed to absorb his unwavering strength. The left flank's banner—a deep crimson, marked by a white hawk—was held high along side that of the Emperor's . 

Marthio sat tall in the saddle, his weathered hands steady on the reins as he surveyed the lines stretching before him. At sixty-two, he had thought his days of warfare were long behind him; he should have been at home by a warm hearth, recounting tales of battles past to younger generations especially his grandson, not riding into another campaign. Yet here he was, called back to the field by duty and bound by honor to defend his house's legacy. His bones ached,the remnants of a life filled with countless battles and campaigns that should have been enough for two lifetimes.

He raised his head, looking at the horizon

This war... it's different. This isn't some mere clash over land or titles. No, this is the battle that will seal the fate of my house. It's my family's future that today I bet , whether my blood will still sit on that throne, or be forced to bend the knee to Mavius, branded as traitors." He clenched his fist around his sword's hilt. I've served my house with every drop of my strength, with every breath I have left, and to think we could be made to kneel before that usurper...

He shook his head, bitterness gnawing at him like a poison. "Not while I draw breath.