Well, this has dragged on for a while now. But The Fuzz says, "Trust me, things are finally coming to a head here.
And so we give you...
"Defending the Gate"
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20 Defending the Gate
"Take the King alive, and kill the rest!" Rathard shouted.
He had a dozen horsemen with him. They rushed toward Fredrik and his few. But now Fredrik's strategy became apparent. There was only room on the narrow road for two at a time to approach Fredrik.
Fredrik and Rolf met them with drawn swords. The two Guardsmen waited behind as The King and his companion held their places. Rathard and the rest of his men held back in frustration. It was impossible to get into the fight.
Fredrik and Rolf were both well trained and had little difficulty holding their own. When one of their opponents made a mistake, he fell.
When four of the Morlanians were down, Fredrik's Guardsmen took his and Rolf's place, and they had a chance to rest briefly. These men had been handpicked by the King from the elite of the Royal Guard. Rathard's men were no match for them either.
Rathard watched in frustration. It would take all day to wear Fredrik and his men down like this. By this time half of his men were either dead or severely wounded. And now, Fredrik and Rolf had relieved the Guardsmen again.
Garth, Anna, and Elise watched from atop the cart. When Fredrik and Rolf fell back, Elise ran to them with a flask of water. They drank gratefully.
"We only need to hold until help arrives from my Sister," Fredrik told them.
"I hope that is soon!" answered Rolf, as he rushed forward to take the place of one of the Guardsmen. The man fell back bleeding profusely. He had been badly slashed. Anna and Garth helped him from his horse and tried to stop the flow of blood.
Just then, Elise stood up on the cart, and pointed down the road. It was the second group of Rathard's troops approaching. And they carried lances. At the sight of the reinforcements, the first group of Morlanians fell back to where Rathard was waiting.
Fredrik knew they couldn't hold the road against such a force, armed as they were.
"Bring the cart! Block the road!" Rolf shouted.
Fredrik nodded in approval. He hoped to prevent a charge by the Lancers. If they were forced back into a more open space, they could be surrounded, and the battle would be lost.
While Rathard was instructing his men, Rolf was able to position the cart. Garth cut the horse free, and mounted the cart with his ax.
The Cart did break the momentum of the charge. There was simply no room for more than one horseman to pass at a time. The first ones through, were cut down by Rolf, and Garth's broadax. The rest stopped in confusion.
Now Lord Rathard rode forward.
"Dismount! Get that dammed thing out of the way!" he shouted, pointing at the peasant's cart.
The men advanced, using their lances as spears to hold Rolf and Garth at bay. As they were pushed back, more of Rathard's men rushed forward. They pushed the cart to the edge of the road, and over into the gorge. It crashed onto the rocks below.
Fredrik and his men were forced back to the side of the gorge. It was too steep to climb. Garth and the two women scrambled onto a low ledge, holding the King's standard. Fredrik and the others were backed up at the point of the spears below them.
Lord Rathard rode forward with a look of triumph. All that could be heard was the roar of the Great Falls, far below.
"Yield, or die! Fredrik!"
But before The King could answer, they heard the sound of a trumpet, and the thunder of hooves as Princess Lillian led her troop around a bend and into the hollow.
"To the King!" she cried waving the men forward with her sword. She reined in with Karl beside her, holding her standard. Her place was to inspire, not to fight. She stood in the sunlight with her sword raised.
Her troop fell upon the flank of the Rathard's Morlanians, who forgot all about Fredrik now. As they turned to meet this new challenge. Fredrik and Rolf cut their way into them from the rear.
Lord Rathard was momentarily at a loss at this turn of events. But then he saw an opportunity. Calling two men to him, he pointed toward the Lillian.
"Seize the Princess!" he shouted, spurring his horse toward her.
If he could capture Lillian as a hostage, she would be his trump card. Fredrik would have to yield.
In the confusion, no one noticed Rathard rushing toward the Princess, except Rolf. He and Fredrik were engaged with two of the Morlanians.
"Lily!" he shouted and rushed toward her.
Fredrik suddenly realizing he now had two opponents, was only vaguely aware of Rolf cutting his way though the fray.
Karl, seeing their approach, stepped between Lillian and Rathard's men. There was no one else nearby. He braced himself to meet them. Just as he met the first rider, Rolf fell on the others from behind. While his men held off the Midmontians, Rathard approached Lillian, who raised her sword to defend herself.
"You are my prisoner, your Highness!" he said with a smile.
"Not yet," she cried, brandishing her sword.
But the Princess was not a warrior, and Rathard knew it. He closed in on her now, being careful not to hurt her. She would be no good to him dead.
Lillian fought him as well as she could, but it was an uneven fight. Rathard pushed her back until she was disarmed and pinned against the cliff. Now he held her at sword point.
She looked him in the face defiantly.
But then suddenly, her eyes looked beyond him. Rathard turned just in time to see Rolf bearing down on him, with a look of rage. In that instant, Lillian slipped from her horse, leaving Rathard's sword pointed at nothing. He had no time to react as he turned to meet the enraged Rolf.
Rathard was still fresh- his men had done most of the fighting. But Rolf fought as if possessed, filled with new strength. Rathard was hard pressed, falling back as he desperately parried Rolf's strokes.
Lillian's horse had bolted. She stood watching them, holding her own sword again. Rathard could see that the tide had turned against him now. His thoughts turned toward escape.
Seeing Lillian, he saw his last opportunity for revenge. He whirled away from Rolf and rode straight for Lillian, his sword raised.
Rolf was right behind him. He saw the stroke. And he saw Lillian fall. But in that split second, he had caught up to Rathard.
If Rathard knew that Rolf was behind him, he never turned. He put spur to his mount. But it was too late, and with a mighty slash, Rolf took his head off.
Ignoring Rathard, Rolf leaped from his horse and ran to where the Princess lay. Her tunic soaked now with blood. She looked up at him and smiled weakly.
"Lily," he choked.
"You've won me fairly, Rolf," she said softly; and then, closed her eyes.
Is this the end for Lilian?
To be continued...
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