The Reformation Wars: A Hero's Peace

Chapter 13

By the time the next morning rolled around, the battle was over. Innutuk had retreated during the night, leaving behind scores of dead troops and much abandoned equipment. Manfred, Kate, and Nathan walked carefully through the deserted battlefield with somber faces, and on Kate's part, many tears.

Bodies Monteraynian and Innutukian alike littered the field, the shafts of arrows and spears protruding from the flesh of many, while others lay splayed open with gashing wounds that exposed their innards to the world. Scarcely a spot of green grass peeked through, most covered by a body, some shield or weapon, or a sickening blood stain. Cleaning up so many bodies would take weeks; embalmers and gravediggers would be taxed by the sudden demand.

But worst of all, Kate couldn't shake the feeling that the blood of all these dead men was on her hands. If it hadn't been for her excursion to the Innutukian capital a few years ago for peace talks that sounded honorable in concept but were truly selfish in nature, tensions would likely not have been ignited between Monterayne and Innutuk again. And if she had conducted the war better, perhaps took a more offensive role and struck the Empire first instead of waiting for this attack, the bloodbath would have been lessened.

Manfred's comforting touch drew Kate's gaze up to him. She sighed and acknowledged him with a nod, but her mind was far from him.

Her heart stung upon beholding a man with seven arrows riveted in his flesh. His hand still clung to his spear, even in death. The soldier appeared to be barely beyond adolescence, his death like a flower cut short just before it could fully bloom.

"Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better for us to have surrendered Aroria all those years ago." Kate moaned, "Instead of bringing about terrors like this."

"Innutuk is a beast that's never satisfied." Manfred replied, "I think that would have only delayed things."

"We could have used that delay to negotiate. We could have leveraged that generosity to convince them to make a peace agreement petrified in writing. That would have been better than losing all these souls."

Manfred patted Kate's shoulder. "These men gave their lives willingly to defend the honor of the crown and the freedom of their homeland. I think they'd have us celebrate their victory, not mourn their deaths."

"Terrible as it is to lose all these men, Manfred's right." Nathan said, "They went out in strength, defending the land they loved."

Kate glanced between the two knights and nodded. "Thank you both."

After both men acknowledged, the three continued on their stroll. Grief still lodged itself in Kate's heart, but Manfred and Nathan's more balanced perspective softened the blow somewhat. A small glimmer of hope did remain in her heart that this battle would indeed be the end of the war. Perhaps losing their champion swordsman, not to mention so many soldiers besides, would be incentive to cease hostilities.

A princess could only hope.

****

Three busy days came and went. Crews of laborers toiled to clean up the innumerable fallen soldiers sprawled across the battlefield, while others gathered up all the weapons, projectiles, and other equipment. The dead horses were another burden to be dealt with.

Manfred had arranged for Andre's body to be embalmed and then held a private funeral for him on the Feliz manor, the attendees primarily Andre's relatives still living in Monterayne. That done, Kate sent out a party to bear the coffin to Innutuk.

Bella Holt returned from Deltagne just in time to attend a meeting of the knightly advisory council with her right leg tightly bound in cloth and no life in her eyes. She reported the death of Sir Tao and defeat of Voy Morus, news that caused all in attendance to clutch their chests and dip their heads in grief.