by Brian Smith
Throwing rotten fruit and eggs at Tancred
When the army of Suddene reached the town gates the portcullis was raised, the drawbridge lowered and King Murry led his forces out. He concealed his cavalry beyond a nearby hill and his foot soldiers were hidden in a wood. The gates to the town were left wide open.
By the time Lord Rochefort’s scouts reached the open plain outside Suddene, everything was quiet. They reported back to Lord Rochefort who took the open gates as a sign of his success.
Ahead of them were the open gates leading into the wealthy town of Suddene, key to a kingdom and many riches! Already considering himself to be the King of Suddene, Lord Rochefort rode at the head of his forces towards the town. They neglected to take any precautions and simply rode onwards as if they were riding back into their own hometown. Speed was the key to success Lord Rochefort had decided and he wanted to enter Suddene before anyone there could even think of closing the town gates. His army left the cover of the forest and began to cross the open plain outside the town. Casting aside all doubts and precautions the army broke into a headlong rush towards the open gate, towards power and riches for everyone!
The portcullis came down
King Murry watched them from his hiding place. When Lord Rochefort’s forces were halfway across the plain, he gave the signal to attack. An archer shot a burning arrow high up into the sky that was visible to everyone.
Seeing the signal soldiers at the town gate let the portcullis fall crashing down and then raised the drawbridge. At the same time King Murry’s army attacked from two different directions.
King Murry leads the charge
His cavalry rode against Lord Rochefort and his leading force, while the infantry attacked the main body of the army. The element of surprise that King Murry enjoyed threw the forces of Lord Rochefort into confusion, but not for long. The soldiers of Lord Rochefort were used to war and the many setbacks and unexpected things that could happen and it did not take them long to adjust to the new situation. Seeing their hopes of an easy victory dashed they now prepared to defend their lives. They rallied around Lord Rochefort and for several hours there was a hard fought and bitter battle in which many, all too many men on both sides died. The ground was strewn with dead soldiers and the green grass was turned red with the blood of many an unfortunate soldier.
Queen Godhild prays for victory
Back in the castle Queen Godhild was in the chapel where she prayed for victory and the safe return of King Murry and Prince Horn. The battle raged for many hours and all the while she was kneeling at the altar imploring God for help.
The three children had wanted to help King Murry in the battle, yet the king had strictly forbidden them from coming along.
“A battlefield is no place for children,” he had said.
And so Edward, Anthony and Geetu found themselves sitting in the same chapel with Queen Godhild. The queen had particularly requested their presence.
For our three heroes, who were used to be at the forefront of danger, it was an unusual situation. While others did the fighting they were forced to sit on a hard bench or kneel on the stone floor and pray to God.
The hours went by and thus the children learnt a new skill, they learnt to be patient.
The forenoon came and went, noon gave way to the afternoon and the shadows were already beginning to get longer when the forces of Lord Rochefort finally broke. Seeing that all was lost Lord Rochefort gave the order to attempt a breakout and when King Murry realized his intentions he quickly ordered his own troops to pull back.
“But father!” Prince Horn complained. “What are you doing? We have them now, we can destroy them all. Why are you letting them escape?”
King Murry shook is head in reproval.
“We’ve lost too many good men already. Look at them, they’re exhausted from fighting all day. If we tried to destroy Rochefort’s men completely we’d be destroying our own army too. Let them go. They’ve learnt their lesson and they won’t be coming back.”
King Murry dispatched a messenger to Suddene to report their victory while they watched Lord Rochefort and his vanquished army withdraw.
