Astoria

t w e n t y - s i x

Antony rode in the midst of the other soldiers that made up his guard. There were twelve men in all, including him and Kade.

As they rode, he talked with a few of the men. One, in particular, caught his attention: a soft-spoken man named Ben.

"Where are you from, Ben?" he asked the soldier, as they rode down a hill leading away from the last town they had passed by.

"Concord, near the border with the sea," answered Ben. "My family has lived there for several generations."

"Do you miss your family, when you're away with the army?"

"All the time, Sir," said Ben, looking a bit hesitant about admitting this. "I haven't been home to see my children and my wife in months and..." He forced a short laugh. "I'm afraid my children will have grown so I can't recognize them."

Antony suddenly felt immensely guilty, as if Ben's sadness were his own fault. He turned to face the brown-haired soldier.

"After this is through, Ben, I promise you a long leave of absense. You surely deserve it."

"Thank you, Sire," said Ben, trying his best to remain professional, even though Antony could clearly see that he was happier than he had been throughout the entire journey so far.

As they crested the next ridge, they looked down over a small farming village. Drawing nearer, they became aware of the commotion that seemed to be taking place at the village's center.

"What's going on?" he asked Ben.

"I'm not sure, Sire," answered Ben, craning his neck in an attempt to see better.

At that moment, Kade rode back from his place at the head of the line, making his way through the other guards until he was at Antony's side.

"Looters, Sire," he said. "A relatively small band, attacking the villagers for their food."

"Bullies..." muttered Ben.

Antony, Ben, and Kade, rode back to the front of the line to look down at the village.

"We're almost evenly numbered, and we have better men and weapons," Antony said, grimly, moments after seeing the looters beat a man who wouldn't give up his family's food. "We have to help them."

"Sire..." began another of the guards who had just rode up behind them.

Antony whipped Emery around to face the man.

"We will help them!" he shouted, challenging the man.

"Yes, Sir," muttered the guard, returning to his place at the end of the line.

"One condition, Antony," said Kade, sternly.

"What, Kade?" he demanded, impatiently, itching to gallop down the hill and protect the villagers.

"You ride between Ben and I at all times. You're king; they might want to harm you. We won't let that happen."

"Yes, alright! Let's go!"

Kade took his place to Antony's right while Ben rode on his left, and they charged down the hill.

For a few moments, the only sounds were the shouts of the villagers and the looters' cries of surprise.

Then, swords clashed, and the fight began.

Antony swiftly dispatched one looter, who was threatening a women attempting to protect her children after her husband had been struck down by the looters.

A large, muscular man who seemed to be in charge of the group of looters, rallied his men for a renewed charge against the knights of the royal army.