6 - The Momentum Must Not Stop

It was too easy.

The fortress town lay in waste, the formerly active military community reduced to blood and ashes. Buildings were emptied of their contents, everything piled up in the centre to await redistribution. The naked corpses of Trelvenese soldiers were tossed into a pit outside the walls, covered only with the flags and banners of Trelven torn down from the walls and roofs of towers. In exchange for the deaths of hundreds of their enemy, the Foresters only lost a few blunted weapons.

To add to the fruits of their victory, there happened to be several granaries and storage depots, enough to last the Foresters months if they just stayed inside and rested, claiming the town as their own. For the first time in weeks, they enjoyed a proper meal together, sitting on the ground where moments earlier their enemies fell to the spear and sword.

It felt surreal. A fortress of several hundred soldiers, rich in supplies, fell to their hands before the day was even halfway through. Not a single Forester died in the attack. If they were fighting on behalf of Trelven or Rhinn, they would’ve all perished in a single mad charge. They had no shields and barely any armour. All they had were their magic and physical weapons. It was expected that they died on the battlefield from wounds or simply extinguishing their life force from using magic, pouring out all they had from the core of their bodies.

Instead, Elethien’s wings had protected them from any harm, a barrier of invincibility from all enemy attacks. It expended energy equivalent to the entire lives of multiple Foresters, its scale and power impossible to reach with an individual’s core. However, there was not even a sign of exhaustion from her as if she had simply marched upon the aftermath of a complete victory. The only sign of her magic was her exposed back, the edges of her clothes scorched from the wings earlier.

Instead of feeling her body ageing from the battle, she felt rejuvenated, her heart pounding in elation. Her sword was still sharp as ever, the blood stains all drained from the blade. Fate was by her side.

She looked up to the bright sky, her arms widespread as she bathed herself in the light. She had protected her people. The Foresters had successfully fought back for the first time before her eyes. All around her, Foresters cheered her name, bearing witness to the first step into greatness.

The Kingdom of Foresters had their first victory.

‘Liking the weather?’ Teion appeared beside her, carrying a basket of food and items he had taken from the town.

‘What do you think?’ Elethien replied.

‘Clearly enjoying it, that’s for sure,’ he said as he took a piece of bread from the basket. ‘Do you want to eat something? Everyone’s already digging in.’

‘Give me a bit to bask in this moment.’ She took a deep breath, inhaling the air around her. It smelled of bread and blood mixed with a faint scent of vegetation, but it was a pleasant smell.

And her stomach began to rumble.

‘Eat up,’ Teion said, handing her the piece of bread. ‘As our leader, you deserve at least a bit of bread for your efforts. Oh, there’s also some stew being prepared.’

‘... If you insist.’ The bread was cold and hard, its texture more like a coarse cracker, but for Elethien and the Foresters, this was already many times better than the rations they usually received from Trelven and Rhinn.

‘Your magic really is super,’ Teion complimented. ‘It’s like the gods blessed you with an impossibly strong magical core… as if they designed for you to save us all.’

‘That is my purpose as one blessed by Fate,’ Elethien answered. ‘I’m simply doing what it wants.’

‘But isn’t it also what you want?’

‘... Of course.’ Looking at Teion, she gave a slight smile. ‘But this kingdom is not just for me; it’s for every Forester here.’

If only her sisters were also here for this moment. Maybe they’d be standing alongside her, marching forward to build a better future where the three of them could live in peace together. And her companions from her village. And her only friend who had left for the capital of Trelven—

She had nearly forgotten about him. Despite lacking the physicality or even the health needed to become a warrior, his bright mind had caught the eye of the Trelvenese high command, or so she was told. She only knew about his departure after returning from a campaign.

Her rebellion would cause great threat to his life in Trelven. Assuming he was still alive at this point. She had no idea of knowing.

Well, given his intellect and wit, he should be fine. She reassured herself.

‘S-Speech!’ a Forester’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The entire crowd was now gathered around her, some still munching on their food. It felt a little like a big family of young men and women with Elethien as the head. At least this was her impression based on what she saw from other families.

‘Deliver a speech, Elethien,’ Teion nudged. ‘Your people are waiting for you to say something.’

The Foresters looked at her in anticipation.

‘... Sure.’ Her only speech was that declaration of rebellion, and frankly, it was born out of adrenaline and the inspiration of Fate. Her faith back then had led to this.

Without any other choice, she would have to rely on it once again.

With many cheers behind her, she marched up the stairs of a watchtower, the steps still stained with patches of blood. The interior was quite dark with only slits of light being able to guide her upwards. The air felt a little suffocating and damp, made even more so from the hot weather. But that only made the breath of fresh air as she stepped out far more relieving, the brightness and height revealing nearly everything before her eyes.

As she looked down, she saw the faces of her people gazing at her in jubilation and awe. These were the ones that believed in her when she went on her journey, following her on her path to freedom. After a week of hardship, they were here, gathered at their first milestone, the first of many to come.

‘Foresters!’ she called out, and the crowd answered with their passionate shouts. As she opened her mouth, she silently prayed for Fate to bless her speech.

‘We have won a great battle today! For years and years we were used as tools, sacrificing our lives for a war that wasn’t ours. So many of us lost our parents, our brothers, our sisters to senseless conflict… But now we have changed! This town, guarded with hundreds of soldiers, was taken without a single one of us dying in battle! Our magic is no longer held back, and for once, we can show our oppressors who us Foresters truly are! With the blessing of Fate, this will only be the first of many victories. From here, we march to the next fortress, and the next, and the next, until we reach the capital and truly establish ourselves as a great kingdom! Soon, there will be no more ‘mercenaries’ fighting for the benefit of other kingdoms, but Foresters who fight for ourselves! Today, we celebrate, but tomorrow, we march! So eat up, everyone, as we have a kingdom to build!’

As she spread her arms, sword in hand, her wings also stretched out, forming a majestic display of power and energy. This would be her symbol, a beacon of protection and might for the Foresters to follow.

‘RAAAAA!!!’ The crowd roared in unison, stretching their arms towards Elethien in a show of support.

This was only the beginning. There was a long way to go.

The next day came fast. After ransacking the town completely until the night before, they were now ready for their next target. Elethien sat awkwardly on horseback, shuffling her body occasionally to adjust her position on the saddle. Strangely enough, she was not terrified by the unfamiliarity of riding a war horse. Well, it was probably because she had cut down many with her own blade in previous battles.

‘Are you feeling comfortable?’ Teion asked. He was also seated on horseback.

‘To be honest, no. But I’ll get used to it somehow.’

From the personal diaries of soldiers added with a general map of the region, Elethien now finally had a clearer grasp of the area. There were several towns nearby to the southwest, but all were small civilian settlements only good for one sacking. They would be able to replenish their supplies, but not as much as they had from the fortress.

Instead, Elethien looked to the southeast towards the frontlines. There, they were all more familiar with the terrain after years of battle, but more importantly… The forests were near. And a bit further after that, as they all knew, was the Mercenaries’ Guild headquarters, the place where they, as young teenagers, were forced to enlist as mercenaries, serving the Guild and their employers’ interests until they died.

There was one problem: returning to the forests meant hiding from their enemy, and to establish her kingdom, Elethien couldn’t simply run away after scoring such a victory. It just didn’t make sense to her.

‘We should try recruiting more people in the forests and use the region as our base,’ Teion suggested. ‘We know our homes well, so it should be easier to find food and supplies there other than the wastelands at the frontlines.’

He had effortlessly slotted himself as the second-in-command since the battle. Despite having only two years of experience in battle, aged just eighteen compared to Elethien’s twenty, there was something in him that Elethien needed: the courage to be the first to step up. In just the short span of the rebellion so far, they were already close enough to be considered companions, aiding each other side-by-side.

That did not mean they were always on the same page, however.

‘We need to maintain our momentum,’ Elethien replied. ‘If we cause a stir now then disappear, then the victory will be wasted.’

‘Are you thinking of doing another similar attack on a fortress like what we did yesterday?’

‘No, not really.’

‘Well then, what do you suggest?’

‘We cause an even bigger stir to attract attention. Something that attracts both Trelvenese and Forester attention.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘... Follow my lead and you’ll see.’ This was something Elethien had only a vague idea in her head about. But if she could continue to ensure her people’s safety with her wings, it would be more than easy to pull it off.

A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand… As long as her people were protected and could still kill the enemy, then it would be no problem.

‘... I’ll trust you then,’ Teion responded firmly.

Elethien turned to the Foresters behind, now all equipped and well-fed. ‘We march towards the southeast!’

For the sake of her kingdom, some things were better to be kept hidden until the right moment.