Chapter 127 Victories
Isla Real.
Volker stood before the queen. His weight rested on his healthy leg. He was wearing his dagger and his vest.
The blond man: My queen, this rider is ready to serve tomorrow.
Danilo: Are you sure, Rider? You still look a little weak.
Volker: I have never felt so strong in my life.
Lupita smiled slightly. She had seen that look before, the look of a man who has lost his virginity. They always seemed capable of facing an army all by themselves. But this was something purer, deeper. This man could fly without the need of a Pegasus. He had not been transformed into a man by a whore, but in the arms of a woman he loved.
The Queen: Very well. I accept your service. I will think about your duties for tomorrow.
Wulfhelm: Your family will be proud of their son. Your duke is proud of you.
Volker was neither tall nor strong like a knight. But his heart was stronger than that of an entire company of warriors.
Deep in the forest.
The wild unicorn was the first to notice their presence. The scent alerted it that another animal were nearby. It tensed, ready to flee. Years of training told the captain that someone was approaching. The priest was surprised when Azure Death entered the same clearing.
Rodrigo whispered: Priest, do not move. The old man is dangerous when there is a new male around.
The two unicorns looked at each other and slowly walked in a circle, maintaining the same distance between them.
Emiliano in a low voice: The little one needs to escape immediately. How can I say it?
The man began to make small movements and mumbled a few words.
Rodrigo grabbed him by the arm: He will not look at you. If he looks at anything other than Azure Death, he will die.
The large unicorn struck the ground with its right hoof and moved its head to the left with a forceful movement.
The captain: May the Green God help him! That was a challenge.
The other man shook his head: No, it is an insult. His hoof was under his shoulder instead of out in front. Besides, the movement of his head is part of the communication.
Rodrigo glanced at him quickly: Do you know what he said?
Emiliano: I think he called him weak.
The little unicorn stopped and tapped twice with its left hind leg, then slowly drew a large circle with the tip of its horn.
The priest: God of the Forest. He called him slow. No, even worse, he called him slow and fat.
Rodrigo: Are you sure?
Emiliano: Yes. I am not good at many things, but I have studied the descriptions of High Priest Silvestre for years. The war Unicorns call you Long Mane.
The man shook his head until his hair flew from side to side and used his head to move his dagger from above down to the ground.
The priest: Cobalt Storm does that every time he sees you, does he not?
Rodrigo: Yes, but many of the unicorns do the same thing...when they see me...
Emiliano: Yes. Long Mane, look!
Azure Death struck the ground forcefully with two hooves and let out an angry sound.
Hoof Click struck the ground twice with his right hoof, slightly in front of his body.
Both men: That was a challenge.
The two animals circled the clearing again. The men could only watch. A confrontation between two males was a serious matter. If they intervened, they risked being killed.
There was no sign or warning before the attack. Azure Death quickly lunged at the young unicorn and attacked him with his horn as if it were a sword. Hoof Click leapt and dodged the attack with incredible speed. He landed and repeated the same insulting gesture.
Emiliano: Slow and fat.
Rodrigo: The old man is going to kill him.
The smaller male ran a few steps toward the larger one, who tried to strike him with his large hooves. The smaller one dodged the blows and then leaped over the giant unicorn, striking his horn against the shoulder below him. The old unicorn let out a sound of fury and frustration.
The captain: That is the cry he lets out before killing a man in battle.
Hoof Click was running through the trees with Azure Death a little behind. The men watched as they ran in short, curved lines, attacking each other every few seconds. Only a few attacks managed to connect, and none were decisive because they were countered with precise movements.
Finally, the young male turned among a group of trees, and the old one turned sharply and lunged at him with his horn pointed at his chest. The men were certain the unicorn was going to die. They watched as the horn was about to strike his body, when the male disappeared from their sight and reappeared a few steps to the right of the large Unicorn. The horn of Azure Death struck a young tree and easily split it in two. As he was pulling his horn free, the other Unicorn turned and stabbed him in the side, inflicting a wound that bled profusely.
The men watched with their mouths agape as the war unicorn approached the wild unicorn, lowered his horn, and gently tapped the ground with his left hoof.
Emiliano: Azure Death just yielded to him.
Rodrigo: The wild unicorn disappeared and reappeared in another place!
Near the west port.
The archers formed ranks and ran to a slightly elevated position overlooking the surrounding terrain, near the harbor. They began firing in groups of sixty at the soldiers who had their backs turned to them.
The warships used flags to signal when to fire their ballistae simultaneously. Each volley consisted of spears with vessels tied to the tips. Upon impact, these vessels exploded in flames, causing total chaos among the soldiers of Valero.
After a few minutes, hundreds of soldiers began running towards the city in search of shelter. Archers fired arrows that created large columns of smoke in the sky, and the ships stopped firing and approached the harbor. The Colinas Gemelas forces advanced and attacked the remaining soldiers. The western flank of the attackers was in full retreat.
While the other four ships were disembarking their soldiers, the Shark Fin fired flaming spears at the knights of Colina Alba who were on the main road. In two hours of battle, the armies of Puerto Blanco and Colinas Gemelas pushed the front line back until the castle and both ports were secured.
In the Colinas Gemelas castle.
Lady Marisela was standing with her maid Patricia and the knight Felipe at her sides. Her hands trembled slightly. Her servants had never seen her nervous before. Two large men entered through the large doors and approached the reception group.
Sigard knelt: My Lady, my ships are at your command.
Heinrich also knelt: The army of Blasser Hafen is at your service.
Marisela started to speak, but instead she ran towards her knight and hugged him with tears in her eyes.