Rayne Fiorenzo

February 1st, Imperial Year 880
Ekuna Duchy

"Move all infantry to the front!" Daphne declared. "Knights, remain in the center to..." She trailed off, looking at me with a look of apprehension and contempt.

"You can take command of the detachment." I said to her. "I don't think I'd get much commanding done anyways."

"Thank you." Daphne muttered. "Uh, who's the second in command?"

"I am." Anya said, standing upright. She seemed unfazed by her own words.

"Name, soldier?" Daphne asked, calmly and solemnly. That's the Daphne I knew. Hardly one to get caught up on the minutia.

"Anya."

"Well Anya, for your sake, I suggest that the preceding conversation did not happen. You know how it is with talking back to a noble. From a beastkin, no less."

"Understood." Anya nodded, then turned around looking back to me, a worried look on her face. "What's Jason going to..."

Daphne looked at me, no doubt wondering that herself. No one would trust me in a shield wall anymore. But I couldn't charge alongside the knights either.

"I'll draw their attention." I pointed to the local stableboy, who froze in fear as I did. His eyes were filled with confusion, surprise, and even a little hate, but I ignored it. "Boy, bring me my horse."

The boy reluctantly brought Goldie over as Anya brought forward a set of armor for the two of us.

"Here, I'll help you suit up." Anya whispered.

"Thanks." Anya's ears twitched as she helped me suit up. "You hear something?" I asked.

"They're getting closer." Anya grabbed her glaive, and looked up at me. "I'll be right next to you, so you don't need to worry, okay?"

I put on my helmet and lowered the visor, covering my face.

"Yeah. I know."

***

The Blue Iris Banner flew high in the air, alongside Daphne's personal banner and the banner of the Green Fox Company as we advanced out of the town. An entire enemy battalion awaited us. The beat of thousands of their boots pounded the dirt road.

A closer look though, showed tired faces. Regular levies, presumably drafted.

A warrior on a black horse rode to the forefront of the Red Rose Legion. Just based on the heraldry, I knew who it was even before he lifted his visor.

Rayne.

Dozens of our archers and crossbowmen immediately aimed right at Rayne as he rode up, only to be met by hundreds of their archers. Daphne shook her head. Our archers lowered their bows, and they followed suit with a hand gesture from Rayne.

"Daphne." Rayne called. "You know me. Let's avoid pointless bloodshed. Surrender."

"I am a warrior of the rightful king of Galeria." Daphne shouted. "By my honor, I would never go down without a fight."

"A shame. You'll drive your men to their deaths over your so-called honor?"

"I would never bow to someone who backs a usurper such as yourself!" Daphne declared, drawing her lance.

"I don't want to kill you, Daphne. But if that is the price for victory, so be it. Such unneeded, wasted bravado." Rayne drew his sword.

"Hold fast!" Anya shouted, as she leapt past the safety of the shield wall to lead from the front. "Not one step backwards!"

Rayne confidently rode out closer to our side, surveying our forces. He looked at Anya quizzically.

"A beastkin on the Blue Iris side?" Rayne asked. "Color me surprised. How much did they pay you?"

"More than yours did." Anya said, confidently.

"Tch. And I told Calli she was being naive. Something else that's...unneeded, I suppose." Rayne muttered underneath his breath. He rode back to his formation, disappearing into his shield wall, a thick mass of spears, halberds, and billhooks bristling outwards like a hedgehog.

"Should we have attacked?" One of the knights asked Daphne. She shook her head.

"If Rayne chooses to attack full force we're all dead anyway." Daphne watched what I could only presume to be Rayne deliberating to his officers from horseback.

I scanned Rayne's lines. Goldie munched on a twig, for some reason, as I counted the weak points I could target.

"Ok Jason, you got this..." A single cloud floated across the sky, covering the sun. Then, a large horn sounded.

"Attack!" A captain shouted, and then, Rayne's army was upon us.

A horde crashed upon ours like a wave. As soon as one was repelled, they retreated, and sent forth another wave, throwing spears, axes, and knives at our men rather than engaging in close quarters. Arrows rained down on our shield wall during the interludes. 

"Fight on!" Daphne rode forwards, goring a soldier on her lance, but for every man that fell, two more took his place.

Five minutes in, we had already lost a third of our force. Even Anya had taken an arrow through the arm.

I looked to the flanks. Rayne's knights seemed to be running away.

No, they were fanning out to the side.

Shit.

I immediately hopped on Goldie, and pulled out my sword. With a yell, I galloped through the battlefield, scattering several of Rayne's infantrymen. I pointed my sword at the knights, trying to challenge them to a duel. They ignored me, and continued riding out to the side.

Well, they're certainly disciplined.

Taking my chances, I galloped full speed at the knights, who looked at me as if I was a madman. Several spearmen ran forwards, trying to cover the knights. But if there's one thing I'd learned about Goldie, it's that he was one of the swiftest horses I'd known, and if he felt like listening that day, he could outrun anyone.

I slipped past their polearms and hurled a javelin at one knight, knocking him from his horse. Another leveled a lance at me. I ducked under it and slammed him with my sword. He fell from his horse. 

I looped back toward the center. Rayne rode forward, as the infantry pulled back.

"Your name, warrior?" Rayne asked. I didn't respond. He shrugged, and smiled. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. A shame a fine fighter such as yourself isn't on our side. You'd be so much more than a servant to your superiors. You have potential."

Rayne galloped at me full speed, and I met him, blade for blade.

"Hnng..." I caught my breath after the first exchange. Rayne was as good as I remembered. 

"Are you a noble, by any chance? Maybe a disgraced one. Or maybe just taught by one!" Mana flooded into his crest as he prepared for another charge.

Shit.

I barely blocked his rapid thrust, his sword swooshing through the air.

If this keeps up I won't win.

Rayne wheeled around and charged once more. Changing tactics, I aimed a spear at his horse. The javelin connected with its unarmored hoof, and the horse fell, now with one less leg.

"Whoa!" Rayne yelled, as he jumped away from his mutilated horse. I took a second to smile, but having seen my trick, he picked up a knife, and aimed it right at my leg. It jammed itself at the edge of my knee, where the chainmail and plate greaves met.

I fell off of my horse. Goldie reared.

"Hey, Goldie! Goldie! Shit!" I watched as a frightened Goldie ran off, fleeing from the battlefield.

"Man to man." Rayne smiled, a grin on his face. I looked around, seeing hundreds of men on either side.

I ran at Rayne, trying to brutally maul my way to victory. Rayne blocked a few swings, then countered with a close in punch, my visor sliding upwards as I staggered back. His eyes widened.

"Jason?" Rayne stared at me, his sword still raised mid-swing. "That...you?"

"No hiding it anymore, huh?" I stood up and disengaged from him, my sword in a defensive position.

"...I suppose I owe Marco an apology." Rayne said, his eyes narrowing. "You are alive."

"Indeed I am." I lunged at Rayne again, but my wounded leg prevented me from moving too fast. Still, I managed to get a hit on his arm before he kicked me away.

"Gah..." Rayne dropped his sword as I fell backwards from the kick. I staggered up.

"Jason!" Anya ran over, holding a shield in her other arm as several of Rayne's archers aimed their bows at her. Presumably picked up from one of the dead. She offered me a hand up.

"You're a different kind of unneeded." Rayne growled. "The Blue Iris, for all their backwards obsolescence, has honor." Rayne glared at me. "You're just murderous scum. You have no place, in a meritocratic world or a feudal one."

I swatted Anya's hand away and stood up, looking at him right in the eyes.

"I can't believe I used to tease you for your lack of ambition, Rayne." I raised my sword up and pointed it at him. "You're no different from me."

"We are not!" Rayne roared. "Grow the fuck up, Jason! What's that Phoebe used to say to you all the time? 'Oh, you're such a kid?'" Rayne snorted. "You like hearing that from an underclassman? From your girl?"

I think I want to kill this guy.

"Jason..." Anya grabbed my shoulder, snapping me back into reality. I tightened my grip on my sword regardless.

"Don't you dare bring her into this."

"Big dream this, big dream that. I've reanalyzed all the time I wasted with you back in the day. You're all talk. You want to change the world, but you're too busy reading garbage and attending parties to do anything about it."

"Rayne." Daphne shouted from across the field. "Don't taunt the enemy when they're down."

"I'll defeat you down next!" Rayne shouted, pointing his sword at her, before shifting his attention back to me. "You're a traitor. Your dreams have led to nothing but bloodshed. And what do you have to show for it?"

Oh, so it's always my fault. No matter what I do, the kingslayer title always comes back to haunt me.

"Jason..." Anya looked at me as I shook my head.

"I didn't do it, Rayne." I shouted. "I didn't kill the king." I looked back at Daphne. "I didn't start this damn war! I was framed!"

A few of Rayne's men exchanged glances. I looked back. Daphne shrugged, and a few of our men looked away from me.

And for a slight moment, I believe I saw Rayne's expression waver.

"I believe Jason." Anya said confidently, from behind me. "He's not the type of weakling to do something so underhanded. I don't know who you are, but how about looking in the mirror?" Anya pointed her glaive at Rayne. "You're a loser who can't even beat a hundred men with a thousand."

"Tch." Rayne brushed a flick of sweat off of his brow, as he looked over at Daphne, who shrugged. 

"He says he didn't do it, Rayne." Daphne smugly shouted from the other end of the field, wiping blood from her lance. "What do you say?"

"I say you're lying. Viola saw you do it. You murdered the king. You are the reason we're in this mess." He huffed. "Well, thank you, I suppose. Princess Calli will create an even better kingdom thanks to your villainy."

Soldiers from both sides tensed up once more, now their attention on me. Daphne shrugged, cruelly neutral.

"It's okay Jason." Anya said. "I know you would never do that."

I remained silent and kept my sword pointed at Rayne. I limped up to him, leaving Anya behind.

An arrow, from our own lines, landed in between us. Whether it was meant for me or for Rayne, I am not entirely sure.

Several soldiers, on both sides, gasped. Then another arrow. And another.

"Cease fire, cease fire!" Daphne yelled, but it was too late. A hailfire of arrows from our own side rained upon the two of us. Another arrow landed on my neck. The world went red.

"Jason!" Anya screamed, as she began sprinting over with her shield. She grew fuzzy. The world grew fuzzy.

A pair of soft arms held me, and started dragging me from the field. 

"Forget the kingslayer." Rayne shouted as arrows landed around him, his voice fading as Anya carried me away. "Our goal is to eliminate the Blue Banner forces and capture Daphne Castelli..."