Part FOUR - Shades Of The Crebain - Battle Of The Camp #2
Posted May 26th, 2012 by Moradar
in
(The story continues directly from the previous part)
Sador can barely believe his eyes as he watches the vast force swiftly moving towards them.
This cannot be happening! How is this possible??
Had their Haradrim brethren fallen??
Impossible... they outnumbered the Gondors southern armed forces by great numbers...
Defeat would seem impossible!!
THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!
His whole world starts to disintegrate piece by piece before him...
All that they have worked so hard for in generations... All that his forefathers fought and died for...
NO! He will NOT accept this...
His eyes falls back on the charging forces...
He follows his hands to his head, and screams out in anger as his fingers runs hard through his hair and over his scalp...
The aggravated cry in frustration is followed by determination...
He turns to find the camp in complete disarray and chaos...
The singing and dancing soldiers - who were so united earlier - has changed to a bunch of unorganized half-wits who yell and scram out orders to each other with no plan or leadership established...
Sador knows they are doomed...
He runs towards the mess tent where he last saw his father and son singing merrily.
He almost has to fight his way through his panicked brethren - who seem to be running around like headless chicken...
Just as he is about to enter the tent, a hand grabs him hard from behind.
Sador turns swiftly on his heel as he readies his dagger - ready to kill incase it is a panicked soldier.
It is his father, Hardor... and behind him his son, Harthad...
They both seem to be with their minds intact, and ready to fight.
Sador looks to his father.
"Methinks yer night watch just got cancelled..."
Hardor manages to give a slight smirk in answer before he has a quick look at the camp... looking for options.
Just as Hardor is about to utter something, the sound of a battle horn fills the air - and charging horses with their riders swarm the southern part of the camp.
The guards and other Wainriders there are slain one by one... not offering much of a fight.
Most of them die while still in shock...
Sador looks to the horizon...
They will soon be over swarmed by the rest of the Gondorian army.
"I fear there are no options for us this time, lads..."
Hardor gives the two men a stern look before he continues;
"We can try to escape this slaughter... or we stand to fight..."
Sador looks to Harthad... his son... who has just turned 17... He has his whole life ahead of him... The hope of the family...
Harthad tries to hide his fear, but it still shows... His first campaign...
Sador looks to his father, and it seems like Hardor understands what Sador is about to say...
He sends Sador a firm nod.
"We must head towards the marshes... We can rid ourselves of them there, and make our way towards the mountains of Emyn Muil by dark... I fear it is our only chance..."
Hardor looks towards Harthad, then to Sador.
Sador nods slowly
"We must make haste... This camp will be run over very soon"
Sador takes lead and runs towards a rack with bows and arrows.
They all grab a bow each and take as many arrows they can carry.
Hardor points towards the makeshift stables of the camp.
"We need horses!"
Again they almost have to fight their way through, as more and more soldiers are running clueless towards the charging Gondors. Sador thinks to himself: No structure... just utter chaos... No army will win like this... We need to get away...
The Gondorian infantry has now reached the camp, and the fight has moved almost halfway into the small village of tents...
Sador sends a glance back, and he has to fight the urge to burst into tears.
He curses the attacking Gondors...
This was supposed to be their glorious moment... How could they have failed so utterly...
He then curses his Haradrim brethren. How could they have lost in the south... HOW?!
As they are about to reach the provisional stables, they learn that there are only a few horses left in the camp. Many other soldiers have fled by horse already it seems.
Sador takes charge and leads them towards three horses still present.
But just as they are to reach them three other soldiers cut them off and grabs them right before their eyes...
Harthad strings his bow and aims at one of the soldiers in panic.
Hardor quickly reaches out and grabs the bow before Harthad can let the arrow fly.
"NO!!.. This is not the day we fire on our own brethren... Not even on this day... Let them ride. We will find another way..."
They all take a quick look around to review their options.
Harthad suddenly points into the distant.
A little further away there is a chariot with horse.
They all start to run towards it.
Behind them Sador notices that the Gondorian Cavalry are about to catch up with them, and a few mounted soldiers are heading their way.
He grabs his bow and lets one arrow fly...
It hits the shield of one of the soldiers.
Harthad then readies his bow as Sador grabs a new arrow.
Harthad's arrow hits its target in the shoulder and the soldier falls off his horse.
Sador aims at the grounded soldier as he stumbles to his feet again.
The soldier barely has time to recognize what is about to happen before the arrow plants itself into his head - through the soldiers eye.
A cry in pain marks the last sound the soldier will ever make as he falls to the ground yet again.
"Get yer soggy bottoms moving, lads - or ye get left behind!"
Hardor has readied the chariot and beckons the two to get on board hastily.
Sador motions for Harthad to take lead and get on board, as Sador readies another arrow for the charging mounted soldier heading towards them.
Sador fills his lunges with air and breathes heavily a few times to calm down before aiming...
As he lets the arrow fly he turns immediately and starts running towards the awaiting chariot - not checking to see if the arrow found its target.
Just as he jumps onto the chariot he hears a beastly cry from behind... He smirks as he turns to see the horse fall to the ground... and the mounted soldier with it.
He will at least not catch them now...
Hardor whips the horse, and yells out to it to set the chariot in motion.
Sador gazes at the razed camp before him... The Gondors have almost completely overrun it now. And the few surviving Wainriders are desperately trying to flee the battle - running towards the marshes to save their lives.
Just as Sador starts to feel safe about their getaway - he suddenly catches a glimpse of something at the corner of his eye...
He turns his gaze towards the south...
He narrows his eyes to get a better look.
Sador looks to Hardor and Harthad.
"How many arrows do ye have left, lads?"
Both men turns their head towards him, and Sador nods in the direction he just peered to in the south.
A band of mounted soldiers have clearly broken out of the main Gondorian force, and are racing ahead straight towards them - probably to cut off the fleeing Wainriaders.
But Sador can see they are not from the Gondors southern forces.
At least he cannot recall to have seen this battle banner before - four triangles, making one greater, the middle one upside down and black, the other three are outlined in gold, all on a red background.
Hardor utters as he lets out a sigh:
"These are not yer regular mounted muts, Sador... those are knights..."
((To be continued very soon))
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