A Whisper to the North

Chapter XLVI ✠ For the Love of a Martyr

Gareth felt the ground beneath him become warm with his blood. A faint dusting of snow was coming, blinding the hillside where the final horde of the Pendragon troops was marching down. Gareth could feel the blade in his back, a numbing and cold pain that radiated through his body.

"Una, I can't lead my army. You must take my place."

"No, you are a fool!" Una cried.

"Take my armies and leave before they come."

"No! This is our last chance! We are so close to the castle we can't abandon this last stance!" Una said, trying to pick Gareth up.

"Ahh!" He cried out in pain.

His vision was blurred and his hearing muffled, but he could still make out the deafening cries that Una tried desperately to convince him to stay with.

"Please, try to sit up so I can take you out of here! We must go to the forest!" Una begged him.

"No!" He relied upon.

"Please!" Una cried as she used all her strength to try to pick him up.

"You must leave, leave me!"

"No, Gareth! No, I won't! I refuse!" Una wept.

"You must!"

"Please!" Una sobbed brokenly.

"Una," Gareth said breathlessly as he tried to grab her hand.

"Gareth?" Una cried.

"Run, there's too many. I'm down, and Ingrid." Gareth said softly.

Una pulled him up and let him lean on her shoulder.

"Laurel!" Una bellowed out for him.

He heard her and nodded. She watched Laurel cry out as he impaled the last soldier off of his horse. He grabbed the horse and jumped on, and rode fiercely over to Una and Gareth. His face was red. He was crying as much as Una was.

"Gareth is injured. Take him somewhere safe!" Una demanded.

"No!" Gareth insisted.

"I'll lead!" Una begged him, looking down, and finally pried Gareth up off of the ground.

Una forced him to stand balanced against her as she heard the sword slide out of his body and hit the ground.

"Ahh!" He howled as a gush of blood exploded out of his back.

"Gareth!" Una shouted, holding him.

He could barely hold himself up, and he was weak beyond return.

"My king!" Laurel cried out.

"You must hurry! Take him away!" Una said, leading him to the horse.

Laurel grabbed his arm, and Una pushed up on his leg. He cried out in pain as his back twisted being hoisted up. Laurel and Una were distraught, hearing his wails of misery. He heaved and cried out again as Laurel wrapped his arms around his waist to keep him balanced in the saddle.

"Go, I'll lead!" Una begged.

"No, Una. You will not. You are not reasoning right now. You want blood. I want brotherhood in our kingdoms. I understand how tired you are. I want this over too. We have been fighting for days, but now we cannot go on like this. They can't claim victory until we are all dead or surrender. We are doing neither."

"Gareth, I can lead!"

"No, you can't. You must know when to stop...look at us!? We must regather our army. Half of our men are dead or injured. Look at yourself, look at me? We are failing... you must understand this! You have never lost a battle, so you cannot see the signs that my father taught me. These were signs that he knew personally. To be a great leader, you must know defeat, for that is where true strength lies."