War For The Kingdom (Part 18) ~ The Finale

[dupuy 318]

Sir Gavin pulled viciously on the reins of his horse, turning the animal in the direction of the Dark Lord's entourage. Bartholomew, who had also seen what was happening, did the same. The two of them galloped towards the rear of their lines and Sir Gavin gesticulated to a portion of his force to follow him, leaving an officer in command of the rest. The royal army had nearly brought to surrender what was left of the dark forces on the main battlefield, but if The Dark Lord reached Lothington, the results would be disastrous. Major Wilkins and his tiny defense force would be slaughtered if the enemy cavalry were to break through the gates.

Sir Gavin flicked the reins harder, begging his horse to gain speed. The snow in the field that separated him and his force from the city was as thick as mud, and the animals struggled to lift their legs through it. Finally, Sir Gavin and his cavalry crested the hill above Lothington, and the main part of the city came into view. Between it and them was the Dark Lord's force, his contemptible banner fluttering in the cold, north wind. Sir Gavin continued his advance towards the enemy, gradually gaining on them. He could barely make out the tiny frames of the guards posted on the city wall as they gaped with horror at the opposing force that approached them. A handful of arrows streaked into the Dark Lord's cavalry, bringing down several riders, but their effect was minimal. The enemy thundered closer to the city gates and Sir Gavin's heart beat faster, hoping that he could stop them before they were running loose through the streets. A distant metallic clanking caught his ear: the clanking of a metal gate.

"They must be trying to break through!" thought Sir Gavin with horror. He was only strides from the rear of the enemy column, and he covered this short distance in a mere second. The closest enemy horseman did not even get the chance to turn around before Sir Gavin's blade hit him from behind. He fell over the front of his horse and the animal spooked, rearing into the dark warrior ahead of it. The royal cavalry smashed into the Dark Lord's force like a battering ram, and the effect was similar. The enemy force buckled upon itself from the unexpected impact, and many of their soldiers were scattered against the city walls. The part of the force closest to the walls, however, was not affected by the initial attack. They continued to pound against the gate as the city guards did all that they could to stop the intrusion.

Sir Gavin continued to push farther into the midst of the enemy host, intent on reaching the Dark Lord before the evil ruler destroyed his precious city. He was so focused, as a matter of fact, that he did not notice Bartholomew riding alongside him. The former spy was also intent on reaching the tyrant that he was ashamed to at one time have called his commander. If anyone had reason to hate his evil deeds, Bartholomew did, for the Dark Lord had brainwashed his mind to do such deeds for most of his life. Bartholomew's anger burned even more hotly than Sir Gavin's: it would be a sorry moment for the Dark Lord if his former subordinate were to reach him.

Sir Gavin finally heard the thundering of Bartholomew's horse to his right and glanced over.

"I see you have a score to settle with his dark excellency!" he yelled over the pounding hooves. Bartholomew did not even break his piercing gaze from the black banner under which the Dark Lord undoubtedly stood.

"Indeed I do," he replied resolutely. The waving black flag was but a stone's throw away now. The next moment, the two unlikely brothers in arms burst into the ring of the Dark Lord's bodyguards, swords flashing like fire. Sir Gavin and Bartholomew wasted no time, for two of the enemy entourage were immediately eliminated and three more soon followed. A rider in the center, startled by the sudden sound of sword combat, turned around, and the Dark Lord's evil face was revealed once again. Bartholomew had just finished a fight with one of the bodyguards and was moving to engage the next one when his eyes caught the wicked ruler's visage in their center. The former spy slowly began to shake and turned red in the face, the righteous anger of many years boiling over inside him. With a furious roar, he bolted towards his former commander with a strength in his sword arm that Sir Gavin had never seen in all his years of military experience. The evil commander shielded his head with his own sword, but even his battle-hardened arm could not stop the fury of Bartholomew's blade. The Dark Lord's guard was broken, and the tip of the blade sliced across his face. No longer was his previously unscarred visage clear of battle wounds, for a bloody gash ran down its full length. The Dark Lord screamed and dropped his sword as his hands went to cover his damaged countenance. Bartholomew was still not done, however.

"Fer all the years o' torment ye gave me and count'less others, I give ye a just reward!" With one triumphant move, Bartholomew's unstoppable blade hurtled forward in a punch-like thrust, and the Dark Lord's power over both men and land was ended. Bartholomew and Sir Gavin both turned to the other dark soldiers, expecting to be attacked from all sides, but their enemies were motionless with shock. Gradually, the fighting everywhere else stopped as word of what happened spread throughout the field. The dark warriors stood stone-faced, almost as if their very energy was drawn from the commander that now lie bleeding on the ground. Their leader was dead, and so was their cause. They surrendered quietly, offering little resistance to their captors. The invasion of Leaaartrieya was over, and victory for the side of good had come to pass.

*  *  *

Every Lothington resident was out of their homes and lining the streets in a jubilant crowd. They cheered loudly when the city gates swung open and the cavalry of the great Sir Gavin cantered through, followed by scores of enemy prisoners. Some of the crowd could also see the rest of the Leaartrieyan army returning in victory. The triumphant force paraded through the main street, followed by the gallant infantry that had stood against the lashing of the Dark Lord's army for such a long time. At the head of his force was the brave field officer, who had held off an entire squad of enemy soldiers with only one other man, and leading the entire procession was the now-famous Sir Gavin of Lothington, whose name which was on the lips of every citizen. Next to him rode Bartholomew, the enemy spy that had seen the error of his ways and turned to fight against the evil he had once worked for.

At the city square was the Crimson Knight Himself, waiting for the victorious men. His arm was still in a sling, but he had gathered the strength to mount his horse and ride to the square in order to congratulate the soldiers. As the column neared him, Sir Gavin reached out his hand to Sir William, who took it and shook it vigorously. After a few words, the Crimson knight fell in beside Sir Gavin as their parade continued. Before long, the two knights' attention was distracted by an angry muttering from the steps of the headquarters building. Sir Rodney stood there, pacing back and forth while he mumbled in frustration that he was not at the head of the parade. Even now, he had a large mug of ale which he raised to his lips every couple seconds. After several more minutes of angry pacing, the obese officer began to puff tiredly and finally went to sit down on a chair that he had brought out. He had clearly underestimated the chair's ability, however, for no sooner had he put his weight into it that it folded like wet bread. With a crunch and a yelp, Sir Rodney thumped to the ground and rolled down the steps of the building, finally landing at the bottom like a beached whale. Sir Gavin let out a peal of laughter at this sight, as did others in the crowd. Sir Rodney might not be much of a soldier, but the man would pack theaters with his comedy.

The military procession was nearing the end of their parade, and Sir Gavin finally stopped the column while turning his horse to face them and the cheering crowd.

"May I have everyone's attention for just one moment?" he shouted. The crowd quickly stopped cheering, expectant for what the famed Sir Gavin would say.

"Friends and countrymen," he began. "I fear that my occupation with fighting the enemy has left but little time for a formal speech, so I will be brief. I want everyone to know how grateful I am to the men you see before you; men who were willing to give their all to preserve our kingdom. I would also like us to take a moment of silence to honor those that did just that, including the late Sergeant Jeremy Watts, a fine man who died in the ultimate act of valor. The sergeant was truly a man who laid down his life for his friends, and one whose character we should all seek to emulate." Sir Gavin bowed his head out of reverence, as did everyone else present. The sergeant's wife, who was present near the front of the crowd, sobbed several quiet tears.

After another moment, Sir Gavin raised his head and continued.

"But though we mourn the loss of many brave soldiers, we must never forget the victory that they have won, and the honor that they have preserved. Their success in battle has saved our land from the scourge of evil, and we will ever be grateful to them for their sacrifice." Sir Gavin stopped and raised his outstretched hands to the soldiers before him and the crowd cheered more loudly than ever before. The victory was sealed, and the Dark Lord was defeated once and for all. The kingdom would never forget this day: the day that the good men of Leaartrieya at long last prevailed.

 

Thanks to all the readers of this series for your words and encouragements, and thanks to the irreplaceable helpers that have taken the time out of their day to approve the series. For anyone who may not have caught up with all the parts, I am linking them all here:

Spoiler

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by dupuy

[Person_Random 4,991]

Approved.

Wow. Two years of an amazing plot line, and we have finally reached the glorious conclusion. As always, the plot and battle description was excellent, and I was completely hooked to the action scene. I'm also glad to see the well-written imagery, which painted a complete picture of the final speech, as well as the lovely bit of humor slipped in with Sir Rodney at the parade, which brought back the early-chapter memories. Overall, I've really enjoyed reading this series from beginning to end, watching the storywriting grow along the way. I cannot wait to see what stories you'll be writing in the future - success awaits!

Edits: minor grammar changes, hyperlinked the links and placed them in a spoiler.

[Lose 881]

An amazing ending to an amazing series; I applaud you.

[Venerable 2,967]

The Finale...

What a story you've woven! The complete series was epic...

Looking forward to your future creations!

[dupuy 318]

Thanks to all of you that have read this series and given me such humbling complements. @Lose, @Venerable, @Ironmantonystark, and any others that I may have forgotten, your comments are what have pushed me to continue more than once. To @Person_Random and other helpers that have worked on the editing and approval process, as I've said many times, the forum wouldn't be the same without you. As a matter of fact, it couldn't function without you and I am tremendously grateful that you have worked to make this forum a better place. Thanks to you all!

Spoiler

I'm thinking about delving into some historical fiction next. I have started a story about the Napoleonic era and may start posting parts here. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts!

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by dupuy

[Venerable 2,967]

@dupuy

The link to Part 3 of your series is broken, I think...

Could you replace it with the correct link?

[dupuy 318]

3 hours ago, Venerable said:

@dupuy

The link to Part 3 of your series is broken, I think...

Could you replace it with the correct link?

Done. Looks like it's working now ;)

[Iron_Man 2,376]

On 1/10/2021 at 7:38 PM, dupuy said:

Thanks to all of you that have read this series and given me such humbling complements. @Lose, @Venerable, @Ironmantonystark, and any others that I may have forgotten, your comments are what have pushed me to continue more than once. To @Person_Random and other helpers that have worked on the editing and approval process, as I've said many times, the forum wouldn't be the same without you. As a matter of fact, it couldn't function without you and I am tremendously grateful that you have worked to make this forum a better place. Thanks to you all!

  Hide contents

I'm thinking about delving into some historical fiction next. I have started a story about the Napoleonic era and may start posting parts here. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts!

 

I welcome anything from you. Anything is fine pal. Thanks and it was awesome again! Great ending!

[Sabry 1,072]

Nice article