“So, what is your plan of action?” the king asked his general coolly.
“I will take our army north like we had planned previously. I will depart from the western most part of Aran before heading north so that I do not come across the orcs and give away our position. Hopefully they will be bent on pursuing the elves and giants into Landen,” replied the general.
“My guess is that they will go to Nodin to garner the support of the rock trolls. I do not believe that all of the rock trolls would have left their homes to fight against our friend King Jarvis.” The king had a thoughtful look in his eyes as he said this.
“You are probably right. I will take our army up to the city of Tarisdell and leave a small detachment there to defend the city. Then I will head east toward the middle of the western cliffs. I plan on using ladders to scale those sheer rock walls. I will send word to Landen beforehand to allow us entry into their country. I recommend having our archers remain behind in the forest until we have routed these fiends.” The general’s shaven head reflected the sun as it broke through the tops of the trees. He was stroking his long white goatee as he stood there conversing with his king.
The king nodded in agreement and said nothing more. General Sanjay knew Derek well enough to know that he was dismissed. He bowed low before his king and then left. He went directly to where the army was being assembled. He wanted to move out by nightfall. The king stood stalk still while he watched his general walk off. He was consumed with so many thoughts that he believed that his head was going to split in two. Finally he turned around and entered the jet-black gates that allowed entry into the capital city Agaroth. The entire city was surrounded by these thick black walls that were as smooth as glass. They had some strange magical properties to them that effectively dissuaded anyone from attempting to climb them or even touch them. No army had ever successfully compromised these stout bulwarks, and those that tried never made it home to tell the tale. Those who actually touched the enchanted barriers went mad and ended up killing themselves. Only the outward facing part of the wall was deadly, so the people of Aran felt very secure within their capital.
King Derek Udrugi was a stout man whose blues eyes could calm anyone who looked into them. He was a peace-loving person who was not afraid to use any means necessary to defend his people and his beloved forest. He was one of those rare monarchs that truly loved his people and served them rather than having them attending to his needs. As a result of this form of rule, there was not one person without a place to live or anyone who did not have something warm to eat. He had the uncanny ability to encourage people to be their best selves. King Derek was as good of a person as could be hoped for, but even he had moments where his faith in other people wavered.
As he walked the path that led to the people’s castle where he lived, his heart was full of foreboding. He felt like a black cloud was gathering around him as his thoughts became darker with each step he took. The king stopped after the darkness became too much to bear any longer. He shook his head violently to try and rid himself of the evil thoughts that were plaguing his mind. As he struggled to regain control, he felt a hand on his shoulder. The king whirled around to see a short, slight figure looking up at him. It was the renowned druid Zaide Ikofi who had brought the king back to his senses through his soft touch. King Derek smiled warmly, and all traces of the darkness left his body.
“What are you doing here, my old friend? Has King Leroy sent you?” the king asked urgently.
“I was asked by the good king to come and request your aid,” replied Zaide with a smooth edge to his warm voice. “I see that you are already planning on assisting us from the looks of it.” He gestured toward the army that had gathered outside the western gate of the city.
“You are correct. I am sending General Showia to Tarisdell to fortify that city, and then they will meet up with your troops who are guarding the western cliffs. We plan on sending in the entire army except the archers. We have asked Commander Fletcher to hide them in the Black Forest along the eastern edge to cut off any retreat into the woodlands,” explained the king.
“Yes, that sounds like an excellent plan. Your general will not need to worry about ladders or siege towers to climb the cliff. There is a secret passage that I will take them to that will allow them access to the High Plains,” replied the wistful druid.
“I thank you kindly for your offer to help us. Do you know if the elven capital has been deserted?” King Derek asked.
“I visited the city within the past few days, and I can assure you that it was empty at that time. The elves apparently did a full retreat to Landen and left their capital completely devoid of life. I believe that you are right to send some troops to the city so that it does not fall into enemy hands. Shall I join your general then?”
“Yes, please go with them right now. I feel at peace knowing that you will be helping General Showia. I am confident that nothing will go wrong with you two in charge. Thank you for your diligence, my old friend. Tell King Leroy that we will do our best to help defend Landen.”
The slight druid bowed low and then left to join the Aran army. The king watched his good friend go and felt a sense of purpose in his heart. He also had a calm come over him as he knew that his troops would arrive safely with the able druid directing them through safe paths. His thoughts then turned to the tasks that lay ahead. We must get supply routes established so that we can get foodstuffs to our archers who will remain behind in the Black Forest. I must also address the people and let them know exactly what is going on. The king never held back any facts or truths from the people. He believed that they would be more loyal to him if he were upfront with them. He believed that in a situation of war that honesty was the best policy. However, he was not foolish enough to believe that there would not be those who would try to spy on him during difficult times. So, he would share everything except tactical information about the armies’ movements.
The king stopped his musing and went into action. He called for a general assembly of the people the following day. He then called the council of the elders together to discuss the details of what the army would be doing. They would also determine whether or not recruiting would be necessary to add to their army’s strength. They would also need to send out spies and messengers so that they could know exactly what was going on around them. He knew that the dwarves in the south might need their assistance as well. His little mountain friends would not be able to break free from a siege, so aid would have to go to them. Kings Jarvis and Kasim were mighty rulers and would be able to fend off their foes, but they should not have to do it alone. What they needed at this point was an all-encompassing plan that would provide the needed support to the alliance of men and also provide assistance for the mountain dwellers. This will require careful planning and even more delicate implementation.
***
Commander Fletcher and his regiment of archers remained behind while the main body of the army pressed on to Tarisdell. They heard sounds of war machines being built in the distant forest toward the Blaine River. The men of Aran were very agile and light on their feet like their elven brethren. Their hearing was also exceptionally acute from living in the woods. The commander knew that the sounds they were hearing were from a group of filthy orcs. The plan was simple: send in scouts to find out where the main body of the army was and see if this group was different from the one they knew to be working on a siege works. The captains approached their commander, who had requested their presence so that they could discuss what they were about to do.
“Gentlemen, let’s get down to business,” welcomed Commander Fletcher. “We need to gather intelligence on our target before we do anything. Captain Jordan, do you have any soldiers that could retrieve the information that we seek?”