Our Knights, Tristian, Morah, and Jayden, travel with the
Earl’s retinue to rendezvous with King Uther’s army just outside of Silchester.
The King’s army is massive and the knights begin to feel anxious. This will be
their first battle as knights and they struggle against a tide of anxiety and
fear as they march closer to the site of the battle against the Saxon force led
by King AElle.
The King’s forces finally confront the Saxons at a narrow
valley, bordered on the south by dense woods and rolling hills to the north.
The Saxons make camp in the woods while King Uther’s men strike their tents in
the hills. The battle will take place in the valley, over a shallow stream
called the Mearcred Creek.
With the moon high, the knights look over the field of battle,
perhaps trying to envision the carnage to come or to screw up their courage for
the inevitable slaughter. Sir Jayden’s keen tactical mind spots what he
considers a fault in the battlefield which would put the King’s knights at a
disadvantage. The ground north of the creek, over which they would be charging,
is mired in deep, thick mud, while the ground to the south, upon which the
Saxons would be assembling, was more rocky and solid. Jayden immediately seeks
counsel with the King, but is turned aside by his house knights. Instead,
Jayden and his companions seek out Sir Elad, their trusted trainer and friend.
He surveys the battlefield and finds Jayden’s observations both insightful and
valuable, so he takes the information to Earl Roderick, who takes it to the
King. The King is grateful for the insight and thanks Sir Jayden for bringing
the information to his attention. He asks Jayden how he would conduct the
battle and is satisfied with his response. Jayden returns to his fellow knights
with a bit more glory and the King’s respect, but whispers of him being
disrespectful to the king filter throughout the camp.
As the sun rises, the knights find themselves assembling in
the command of Sir Elad, who would lead their eschille. Earl Roderick himself
addresses the group before the battle, offering words of encouragement and
inspiration.
Across the creek, the Saxon forces scream and chant in their
gutteral language, sending new waves of anxiety through the young knights. Sir
Elad’s strong presence and forceful command set their minds at ease, however,
and when the call comes to charge they set spurs to flanks and thunder across
the valley, the tips of their lances shining brightly in the morning light.
The knights meet Saxon footmen, armed with longspears on
their initial charge. Their lances strick true and Sir Elad’s forces smash
through the Saxon lines, dealing death to their lightly armored foes.
As the knights recover from their charge, deep in enemy
territory, their luck turns. Closely engaged, Sir Elad calls for his unit to
fall back so as to allow for another charge. The order proves to be a disaster
as they are attacked by well-trained but older Saxon warriors, clad in
chainmail and wearing blue cloaks. Armed with long spears, these Saxons attack
with ferocity and strike the knights hard, unseating Sir Jayden and wounding
Sir Morah. Sir Tristian rallies his squire, Terric, and has him give his horse
to Sir Jayden. Terric is more than happy to retire from the battle and scurries
off toward friendly forces. The unit as a whole, however, is in disarray and
threatening to unravel completely. Sir Elad attempts to rally his forces and
calls to stand fast as axe-bearing warriors smash into his knights. Tristian,
Morah, and Jayden fight with savage desperation and overwhelm the lightly
armored axe-men by force of will and the might of their arms, driving back the
attacking forces.
Sir Elad, finding the field around him clear, thanks in no
small part to the heroics of Jayden, Morah, and Tristian, orders a charge
against a group of shield warriors setting up for an attack.
Again, the knights smash into the smaller Saxon forces and
rout them, sending them fleeing from the field of battle. Things are looking up
for Sir Elad, until he makes another horrible error in judgement and allows his
forces to be surrounded by another force of shield-bearers and axe-men. The
knights fight with desperation and ferocity and manage to drive both groups
off. As they recover from the fight, they hear the general retreat and fall
back as both armies leave the field. King Uther’s forces prevail, but the
victory is minor and come at great loss of life.
Sir Elad’s force was the most effective unit on the field
and glory and praise is heaped upon him. Sir Jayden and Morah, however,
confront the man about his tactical blunders during the battle and point out to
all those within earshot that if not for their prowess, the entire unit would
have been destroyed. Sir Elad is shamed in front of the Earl. With a face ruddy
with embarrassment, he retires to his tent to await the return to Sarum.
At the Christmas Court later that year, Sir Jayden is
confronted by an obviously drunk Sir Jaradan, who demands satisfaction for his
loss to the Jayden earlier in the year, a duel to the death! Sir Jayden is able
to talk his way out of the fight, much to the relief of the court, but feels
that Jaradan’s hatred and envy of the young knight will lead to an inevitable
confrontation.
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