“Will there be a day, where we can eat real food again?”, Cornus asked his fellow legionary.

“It has been what? 6 months maybe since the last real meal. The soup tastes like water for two weeks now”, answered one legionary next to him. A badly bandaged arm with a festering wound will be his death sentence. "Most of us awaits a similar fate."

“You should see a doctor”, Cornus advised him.

“And then? Medical supplies are exhausted, the mages who can heal prioritize people with status. It is the end, we are all going to die”, he said and stared over the wall. The enemy palisade less impressive than their massive wall of stone, but nonetheless their prison for over a year now.

The land between both walls became a place of despair for both armies, but especially for local soldiers. Crows feasting on the corpses. The stench making the armies throw up anything they had eaten. The wind was an enemy for both armies in this case.

“Do you think it was worth it? Any of this?”, Cornus asked.

“What do you mean exactly? The decision to kick out every non-combatant into the no man’s land? Or the fact we starved five weeks for reinforcements, which never arrived?”, the bandaged soldier said. Cornus couldn’t see any will in the soldiers’ gaze to continue. Nearly everybody on their sides, and some on the other side, have lost their will to fight this siege, this war.

Valens decided one month into the siege to remove all civilians from Roma. He had held a speech saying it would be the only way to secure victory, the only way to survive the blockade long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The only way to preserve our culture and country.

Many soldiers and Valens himself, had hoped Jagu would open the gates for the civilians, maybe even share a few of his supplies with them. They were wrong. They were all so wrong. No gate opened for them. No mercy from the enemy. Only slow death by starvation.

The first deaths claimed the elderly and sick. The stench of rotten flesh started to spread from on those days. On both sides, soldiers stood with their back to the battlefield. Nobody wanted to see those scenes, but they all heard and smelled it nonetheless.

They cried and shouted for help, begged for clean water and bread, begged for a quick painless death, for salvation in this living hell. After two weeks those demands disappeared. The people simple lost the will and energy or were already dead.

The stronger willed ones killed each other, some others resorted to cannibalism, just to throw up immediately and break up in tears for breaking the biggest taboo on Octanian. Others watched as people transformed into former husks of themselves.

Mothers seeing their children succumb to starvation, children waking up being embraced by a corpse. It was the only time a ceasefire was implemented between both sides. When the battlefield became a graveyard for the dead, the defender of Roma dug mass graves for the civilians.

Most corpses were buried, but a few remain, infected and infested, as the meals for scavengers. The stench also remained. Morale hit rock bottom on both sides and no engagements were made for the next month.

The legions from Neapoli never tried to take the city, but Valens had tried several times to breach the palisade. Every attempt failed in the end, some complete failures, while others nearly succeeded.

Rumours were going around, that Valens started those attacks to thin out our own ranks, to survive the siege longer. That wouldn't surprise nobody.

Everybody waited for the news about the reinforcements.

“Did you have family in the city”, Cornus asked the man.

“A wife and two sons”, he said and looked into the direction of the mass graves. The man looking like a husk himself. He won’t survive the war, no matter who wins. He has already lost everything.

“My condolences. I feel your pain”, Cornus said. He was a soldier from Graecia, but the death of the civilians had touched him as well. The man turned to look at Cornus. A mad expression suddenly masked his face. The bandaged legionary dropped his weapon and jumped on Cornus.

Cornus, totally unprepared and exhausted, didn’t react in time. The rough hands closing around his neck and choking his neck. He looked at the man with fear and confusion.

“You don’t get to apologize. None of you eastern bastards have the right. None of those fucked up southerners. You will die and burn in Tartarus for the eternity of your afterlife”, the man didn’t notice the movements behind him or didn’t seem to care.

“You are all bastards. Promising so much to us only to deliver more demands and bringing the war to our doorstep. You have killed my children, my wife, burned ...”, the man stopped as a sword impaled him from behind. A grin forming on his face as he realizes that it was the end for him. The corpse dropped on Cornus.

He shoved the corpse to his left and tried to get his breathing under control again. The legionary who rescued him outstretched a hand. A female elf with the insignia of Thracia. Cornus took her hand and stood up.

“You didn’t have to kill him”, Cornus said still shaking from the fact, that an allied force tried to kill him. For a matter, he hadn’t even control over.

“You are right. Normally they would be put in a prison for a trial, but do you call this situation normal?”, the woman gestured at the battlefield.

“No”, I said without looking up. Nothing was normal about this fucked up siege. The simple fact, that we are even losing is fucked up.

“The dungeon is empty anyway. The only punishment is execution. We have long-lost the supplies to care for traitors”, she said while cleaning her sword of the man’s blood. Cornus flinched at the grin on the woman’s face.

“I just want the war to end”, Cornus finally managed to spit the words out.

“It will. I am here to inform all soldiers. Get ready for battle, reinforcements are attacking the eastern palisade in three hours”, the elf said and moved to the next watch post.

Cornus looked at the corpse again and then at the battlefields eastern side. Finally, the end was in sight. Only the final outcome was still unpredictable.

Jagu looked at the reports Duran and Titania sent him. An enemy legion managed to bypass the sea blockade unnoticed.

The panic about the news has long been quelled. It didn’t take a genius to figure out how they managed it. The real question was, what to do with the new situation.

A human legion crossed through Illyricum, which was bad news itself. The province of Illyricum became independent after the fall of the eastern empire. It was now controlled by a few elven tribes and many human city-states. They had been neutral in the war so far.

A simple diplomatic mission to the province resulted in answers. Local nobles had supported the march of the legion and supplied them with ships. Their prince had noticed the conspiracy and punished the traitors, but couldn’t stop the legion from crossing in time.

Jagu had many doubts about the explanation, but the lack of information in the province didn’t allow him to verify the truth. He only hoped the prince would take the warning seriously. He couldn’t imagine Illyricum joining the war, they had their own plans with parts of northern Italia.

There was no reason to take action as long as it remained as a one-time incident. The ruler of Neapoli suspected, that part of the province, or the prince himself, were bribed by the easterner. Probably the elven queen, but that would only show itself after a proper investigation.

Duran took the cavalry and skirmishers with him to delay the legion. He managed to delay them for a week until they somehow gained a line of communication with Valens. Since then, the legion headed straight for Roma and thwarted all of Duran’s attempts at stopping them.

Just as he finished the associated report the brother in question entered the tent.

“Let me guess. Your presence here means the enemy is near as well?”, Jagu looked at his brother, who had looked better. Some bandages showing, that he would expand the collection of his scars.

“We defeated them completely, and they ran back to the east”, Duran said and smiled at his brother. Jagu in turn rubbed his head and grumbled.

“Duran take this more serious!”, he finally said, just to see his brother roll his eyes.

“Fine, the eastern side of our palisade. They will arrive in a few hours. A trained legion of humans, but without real battle experience. Now at 75 percent of their fighting strength”, he said with a proud smile.

“You could have managed more. Getting old aren’t we?”, Jagu attempted his own joke but didn’t receive a laugh.

“Jagu take this more serious”, he said with the best imitation of his brother. A burst of short laughter escaped both brothers before the severity of the situation quelled it. “Ah, and a message from Titania. She has punished the Illyrian fleet on their way back. Captured a few ships and sunk most of the rest.”

“More ships are always nice and it will prevent the Illyrians from interfering again. Write to her to patrol the coast of Illyricum with a few ships. That will show the prince we are watching his actions”, Jagu said and removed the wooden symbols of the Illyrians from the war map. Adding a few to his own fleet.

“For the battle ahead. I would like to take the fast units and some ranged fighters outside the city”, Duran said and Jagu looked up from the map.

“For what exactly? A diversion, harassment, a raid?”, he asked.

“The new legion is inexperienced in real warfare. They won’t commit to a full assault on our palisade if they have our troops behind them. They will guard their rear and camp against me. I will use the chance to attack their less defended positions”, Duran explained and Jagu nodded at his brother’s plan.

“The legions trapped in Roma, do you think they can still fight?”, Jagu asked the only thing they couldn’t answer. They had no idea how bad or good the situation for Valens was inside the city.

“I expect them to do so. They may have fewer legionaries than before and at weaker strength, but they will try their best to breach the wall. Those legionaries are desperate and desperate men can achieve more than you might imagine”, Duran concluded.

They continued their discussion for the upcoming battle. The plan was to use the remaining ammunition on the relief force. The inexperienced legionaries would have a hard time fighting under fire.

The heavy infantry held the eastern palisade and would stop the enemy if he breached the wall. Everything would be fine as long as the two enemy forces don’t combine. Keeping them from doing that was the key to victory and their strategy for the battle.

Duran’s presence outside the wall would force the enemy to put down some troops for protection and stop them from committing and concentrating 100 percent on their assault. Duran also planned to charge the enemies rear, if the opportunity presents itself.

Both sides knew this engagement would decide the end of the war.

“Commander, we have sighted enemy troops on our left. A fast unit consisting of cavalry and skirmishers”, a scout reported to the commander of the relief force.

“Yes, Valens mentioned the possibility of such a manoeuvrer. Sent some troops to guard the camp and baggage train. Also, have our cavalry mirror their movements, the rest of the troops is to breach the wall”, answered commander Libus, they had received the instructions from Valens to relieve the siege as fast as possible.

“Make the men prepare themselves. Valens will give us soon the signal to start the assault”, Libus commanded. The situation in the city was dire and his delay may cost him his position, if not his life.

All four sides prepared for the coming confrontation. The silence before the storm installed tension into the legions' soldiers.

The horn of Roma rang out and the eastern gate opened to reveal the enemies troops. The legions lacked cavalry, which had been slaughtered for provisions. The mix of heavy and light infantry stormed with ladders to the palisade.

The moats and death traps were bypassed and dismantled. Still, quite a bit of weak soldiers or careless ones died or injured themselves in the process. The marching through the moats also sapped at their strength and stamina. Two things which had deteriorated through the long siege.

Their archers fired volleys at the wooden towers and beyond, but stopped shooting when the infantry reached the walls. The battle for the palisade itself was short. Two towers were climbed by the ladders and forced the garrison to retreat down to the rest of the troops. While the infantry on ground hacked a breach into the wall with axes. The enemy fired only sporadically on their troops.

Shortly after a breach was created, the legionaries stormed through and were met with a line of heavy infantry, which had encircled the breach with a crescent formation. The first wave of eastern legionaries was greeted with the thrown pilums of Jagu’s infantry. Most of them being taken out of combat.

Jagu’s troops switched to sword and shield when the second wave moved through the breach and collided with their line. The fighting was balanced. The well-fed and rested troops of Jagu put against a force of who fought in blind desperation for their freedom and lives. Especially the local troops fought with valour, driven by the death of their loved ones.

The situation turned into a stalemate, neither side gaining nor losing ground. Roma’s troops waiting to see the relief forces, while Jagu’s tried to stand ground until the malnourished enemy lost his fighting strength and will.

Outside the siege ring, Libus' troops were in the process of breaching the wall as well. The attacks of Duran slowing the action. Libus sent his own cavalry, again and again, to stop Duran’s skirmishers from firing on his troops, but was stopped every time.

Duran’s own small unit of cavalry would attack their mounted troops with a hit-and-run tactic while the skirmishers concentrated their fire on the new threat. The fast actions of the enemy didn’t allow Libus to remove Duran as a threat but gave him the time to take down a part of the palisade.

The eastern troops were met again with the pilums of heavy infantry in a crescent formation. They charged Jagu’s troops and were able to push them back and threatened to breach the lines. Only the light infantry held in reserve managing to stabilize the lines of Jagu's legion.

Both legions of the east could now see and hear each other and encouraged the other side with war cries to break the enemy formation. Jagu’s troops slowly lost ground and morale went down while fighting on two sides simultaneously.

The silver-tongued devil himself road from cohort to cohort and kept his legionaries from breaking out in panic or losing their formation. The lines held, while the backs of each crescent formation slowly neared each other.

Libus cavalry finally managed to pin down the skirmishers of Duran. But their quick retreat into an area with obstacles against cavalry exposed them to their volleys again. A hasty retreat from their predicament and a timely flanking manoeuvre from Duran’s small unit of cavalry sent the cavalry of Libus in panic and ended in a retreat to the camp.

Libus and his legion looked in shock as their cavalry fled. Although damaged they should have still been able to continue fighting and keeping Duran at bay. The charge at Jagu’s troops slowed down and when Libus saw Duran threatening their rear, a retreat was ordered while Valens' shouts for another charge were left unanswered.

When Valens saw the retreat of Libus, a retreat to Roma was ordered as well.

Jagu and Duran took up the chase after Libus troops and harassed them with their cavalry and ranged troops. The inexperienced troops broke formation again and again during the retreat resulting in otherwise avoidable losses.

When the camp was reached and Libus reorganized cavalry shielded the rest of the retreat. The legions of Neapoli pulled back as well. Returning back into the siege ring. While some small units stayed near the camp to observe and harass the enemy troops.

The breached points were repaired and further fortification build towards the direction of the eastern camp, to stop them from repeating the manoeuvre they used last time. An attack on the enemy baggage train, albeit successfully at first, was repelled as well as was the attempt at laying fire to the enemy camp.

A night raid also failed but kept most of the enemies legionaries from resting properly.

On the following days, several new attempts were made at breaching the palisade, but they never managed again to breach the wall on both sides. The fighting spirit and strength of Roma’s troops dwindled further with every assault and Libus’ troops' morale dropped further under permanent volleys from skirmishers and the loss of more cavalry units.

When the last attack on the outer palisade was repelled, a quick counter charge of Jagu and Duran managed to break the enemy relief legion for good. A lucky shot from one of the skirmishers even managed to kill Libus’ mount, resulting in his capture and total breakdown of the legion.

The enemy camp was raided and the baggage train captured. Improving the supply issues Jagu had and allowing them for the first time in a long while to take massive amounts of prisoners.

Some troops fled to the countryside, but Libus second in command choose to surrender if the lives of the normal soldiers were guaranteed. The request was granted after a short, but intense, discussion between Jagu and Duran.

Titania was commanded to organize a transportation line for the prisoners and wounded down the river Tiber. The legions of Jagu reorganized themselves and prepared to march back to the south with the captured troops and supplies.

The only thing to wait for was Valens request for a surrender which was sent three days after the last battle. Valens' head had been sent in addition from Roma’s troops. With that, the fighting was over and the peace talks would have to commence.

The first war between Neapoli and the eastern confederacy had reached its conclusion.