Casburland was massing troops on the border. News like this was never going to stay quiet for long, and it didn’t. The northern lords sent pleas for help as soon as they found out, fearful for their livelihood. However Aled had received the news by this point, not from the nobles to the north but by carrier pigeon. The bird had arrived two days earlier with the information, stating Marek’s intention to bring marshal the troops on the border.

He might not have spies in the houses of his factional rivals in Fiveria, but the long time enemy of Fiveria was a whole other story. And of course, what was true of him was also true of Casburland’s king, Aled knew several servants in his court to be spies for Malek. They were kept around to feed Casburland the information that he wanted him to know. If he tried to kill them off, he was sure that Malek would find a way to plant more spies, but he would no longer know who they were.

“Send word to anyone of any worth or importance, Casburland is rallying the troops.” Aled told a nearby guard, who quickly bowed before going to carry out his duty. Aled decided that it was not worth waiting for the news to arrive from the border before sending out the letters to the lords of his realm. It was not really a secret that Fiveria and Casburland had spies in each other’s land, why would he waste a few more days pretending?

*sigh*

Aled let out an audible sigh, his face a complex mix of emotions. This war might help him reign in the nobles if he won, but that was not certain. And if he lost? The last time that a Fiverian king lost a war to Casburland, he managed to remain on the throne for all of three days. The difference was that back then there was someone to succeed the throne, the king’s brother and Aled’s grandfather. But this time, he had no sons and no brothers. And the intrigue of his subjects had left him unable to take a wife either. It was unlikely that he would be pushed off the throne if he lost in this circumstance but he would well and truly become a powerless figurehead.

“Sire, word has arrived from the capital.” Rhydian entered Braydon’s study carrying a letter. Braydon was somewhat surprised to see Rhydian, he had been in Mapjess over the past few days discussing with Corban about the establishment of a permanent garrison in Midbury. Apparently the person bearing the news from the capital sought him in Mapjess but came across Rhydian rather than himself.

“The King’s messenger allowed you to take a letter in my stead?” Usually only the person to whom the letter was addressed was allowed to receive it when it was from the King. Rules were more relaxed for the nobles for practical purposes, but keeping up ceremony and tradition was one of the largest obligations of a Fiverian King.

“Apparently it is news that is being spread around the kingdom anyway and he had several more nobles to visit.” He shrugged, after hearing what the messenger had said, Rhydian had an idea of what it was about. And Braydon came to the same conclusion.

“Something has happened in the north?” War was the best time to break the normal ceremonial customs, or at least the time when they were least likely to be remembered.

“Read it and find out.” Rhydian replied as he handed the letter over to Braydon, before returning to where he was standing. What followed was a mere ten seconds of silence before Braydon finished reading the letter.

“Indeed something has happened in the north, much sooner than we expected, too. Casburland has started making big moves.” Braydon said as he placed the letter on his desk, turned to face Rhydian. As Rhydian read the letter he nodded, it had been much earlier than they had expected. They had thought that it would at least take one or two months for such a large escalation, but it had merely been six days since Braydon had returned.

“It’s unlikely that fighting starts for another few weeks, nobody is that dumb.” Rhydian said as Braydon quickly caught onto what he meant. It was planting season right now, and unless they wanted to starve in the winter, both sides would wait for the crops to be planted before trading blows.

“Let’s just hope you are right. It only takes one person like Jett Blake with more power than he had for that logic to go out of the window.” Braydon did not have faith enough to believe that there were no rash people on either side. It would just come down to if they could be kept in check by their peers.

“Then I will start preparing the men, slowly” Rhydian put emphasis on slowly, appearing to be the most eager to fight would not do them any good. And if calmer heads prevailed there would be no fighting until at least crop planting was finished. They both discounted those calmer heads stopping a war altogether. As far as Fiveria and Casburland were concerned, those were cowards, not clear thinkers.

“If you see Father Odom around, I would advise him to speed up any sightseeing of Kirton. Even if it is unlikely for enemies to come this far south any time soon, I’d rather not take chances.” Braydon said as Rhydian was leaving.

“I would have done that anyway.” Came the response as Rhydian left to start preparing one of the units to participate in the war. After several months of training, Braydon’s army was at a standard that almost all lords would be happy with, all that the majority of them lacked now was putting their new training into practise.

With the reduction of patrols in Kirton, that job had been given to the garrison of Mapjess. That meant that his army was much freer to act than it had been before, stationing two units at all times in Cliforge, one on the border and one as back up. That left the other units free to train when they were not on duty in Cliforge, something that Rhydian had taken full advantage of. Now one of these units would be going north to participate.

Braydon was not going to put anymore men on the line for a conflict that didn't really affect him. Of course the incomplete archer unit was not going to be that one, it would be one of the three infantry units that were free at the moment.