Hounds of War [Yandere Generals x Female General Reader]

55. Burn it to the Ground.

After the battle came to an end, dawn followed shortly after. The debris was cleared from the entrance of the pass and any of the few remaining living Vascinian soldiers were taken as prisoners. The pass now clear the Luccian army with all its wagons and supplies could march in its entirety on the virtually undefeated Vascini.

Even though they had been up all night the soldiers were still full of vigor from the achievement of their great victory. Once the whole army reached the far side of the pass they continued marching due west, following the well-maintained rode that would lead to the only city in Vascini. Vascini was a minuscule country in comparison to Luccia. It was so tiny that you could ride from the western-most point to the eastern-most point in just over a day.

Only its inaccessibility enabled it to keep up a fight with a nation at least five times its size, but now that the barricade had fallen the rest of the country was bound to follow not long after. With that in mind, general Denlleonis was more lenient on the pace that she expected the army to move at. As such, they took a more leisurely speed enjoying the picturesque scenery, brisk mountain air, and the occasional small band of soldiers that attempted to stop their advance.

The remnants of the Vascinian army were so small that it was as meaningless a single pebble on the beach trying to stop the incoming tide. The remnants were so insignificant that Y/N and Eslinn actually made a game of hunting them down.

"I wager that I can kill more than you," Eslinn said, jabbing Y/N playfully in the ribs, pointing out another small band of Vascinian soldiers charging towards them, as they rode side by side at the front of the army caravan.

"Never," Y/N shot back, punching him in the shoulder with a wide grin. "I can kill more than you any day, and I'll even use my left hand!" She added proudly as she drew her sword only to switch hands so that she was using her nondominant hand.  

"Ha, child's play!" Eslinn scoffed back at her as he fished a long stip of cloth from one of his saddlebags. "I'll blind myself and ride facing backward in the saddle!" He tied the blindfold over his eyes and proceeded to swing his leg around so that he was facing backward.

"You're on!" Y/N with a joyful burst of laughter, her face full of an almost child-like joy that caused the hearts of the four watching generals to skip a beat.

"They're not actually gonna do this, right?" Meccio asked in concern, both Vanbinicci, and Baccoso looked equally worried but chose to remain silent.

"Oh, they are," Esclave and Rae sighed in unison, watching on with a combination of disdain and fatigue as the two Esedict Generals made a muck with no regard for their safety or the safety of the rest of the army.

Rae squealed in delight as she realized that she and Esclave had said the same thing at the same time, while Esclave only looked like he was seriously contemplating shoving his dagger down his throat.

The generals along with some of the soldiers watched the two generals galavant around as they continued their march on Vascini.

. . .

Near late afternoon the army arrived on the outskirts of the city that was the capital of the country. Intoxicated on the ego hit from their victory, many of the men wanted to charge the picturesque little city at once, but much to everyone's surprise Y/N commanded the army to stay put and not to march on the city until she had orders from the Luccian king how he wanted Vascini to be dealt with.

Y/N dispatched the swiftest messenger carrying a letter describing the current military situation along with the question of how she was expected to handle the invasion of the city. The army camped a small distance away from the city and awaited the king's response impatiently.

Several days and nights passed in that way, the farmers that worked the land near where the army set up camp had all fled. Those in the capital had definitely heard of the Luccian army's presence, but their own army had been almost entirely whipped out or captured meaning all they could do was pray for the mercy of their enemy.

Finally, after nine long days, a small cloud of dust was spotted near the horizon by one of the sentries. He quickly alerted the generals who joined him in his watch as the small plume slowly drew nearer. After several hours a rider came into sight riding a white Luccian horse and bearing the crest of the royal family.

The rider slowed and came to a halt as he spotted the fearsome assembly of warriors waiting for him. "State your business," Vanbinicci ordered, drawing his sword and pointing it at the rider. It was better to tread on the side of caution.

"I-I bring a message from the king," he stammered, reaching into his saddlebag and withdrawing a letter with the royal seal. "Addressed to General Denlleonis."

Y/N reached out to take it from him, but he jerked it away. "No!" He protested, holding his ground despite his fear. "I was entrusted with protecting this letter, and it's meant only for the eyes of General Denlleonis!"

"How convenient," Y/N said with a laugh as she snatched the envelope from him and opened it carelessly."I am she, Esedict General Y/N Denlleonis."

The Luccian generals snickered at the look of confusion on the poor messenger's face as he struggled to comprehend that the rumors of a woman-general leading the Luccian army were true.

"What's it say?" Meccio asked hesitantly after Y/N had several minutes of silence to inspect the letter.

"Vanbinicci," she called, seemingly ignoring the redhead's question entirely. "I know that you detest your uncle, the king, for stealing the throne from you but it's hard for me to hold contempt for the man when he gives such pleasing orders."

"What are his orders?" Vanbincci asked, feeling both curiosity and dread mingle in his stomach.

Y/N smirked as she cast her eyes down to re-read the very short and direct letter that had been penned by the king of Luccia. All it said was:

Burn Vascini to the ground.

A/N

Looks like the war will be coming to a very brutal end.

For those of you who have already read The Butterfly Bracelet, I would suggest going back and reading chapter 52 again, you might find some easter eggs relating to this book that you missed before.

Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.~