Casus Belli Ch. 02: Fortunes of War

"I know the Drak stated that nothing is ever certain in war, but realistically speaking the orcs don't have a ghost of a chance. If they attack they will be decimated. Now I gather this Bashuk isn't dumb, so before committing his entire army he'll stage some probing attacks first. From these he'll learn that he can't win a straight up assault, so he will continue these probing attacks, looking for a weak point in our defenses that isn't there. Summer will pass like that, and then the oncoming winter will force him to either retreat across the Leviathans or give diplomacy another chance."

Cassandra felt dread, "Will I be able to wed Brando at the solstice if we're still at war at the time?"

Her father gave her another hug, "Don't worry, if the circumstances won't allow for the usual big affair we'll just organize something a bit less opulent." He winked, "I'm not going to let these orcs keep me from becoming a grandfather for a year more."

She giggled. Until the time came to succeed her father, producing a successor would be her prime responsibility. It was a responsibility she didn't mind having at all, not the least bit.

First Blows

That night, with the orcish ultimatum freshly expired, Cassandra couldn't find sleep. The main reason was these bad feelings she was having about this war that was about to start, and it wasn't just about the moral issues involved. She knew she shouldn't worry about its outcome, because everything her father told her was true, but still she did. And it took her a while to understand why she was so worried; it was their leader, this Bashuk that worried her. It always had. She couldn't believe he had no idea what he was up against. If he hadn't, he would never have acted like he did, or would he?

You're judging him like he were a human, but he isn't, he's an orc, she thought, yes, that must be it. It was an understandable mistake; she had never interacted with anything but humans before, so logically she had projected that on this Bashuk, and come to the wrong conclusion. These orcs might possess some cunning, but his behavior towards her had proven they were still driven by their animalistic instincts. So their confidence wasn't based on knowledge of their enemy; it was the fearlessness of the Striped Sabre for the well-armed hunter, who would then kill the mighty yet ignorant predator with but a single well-placed arrow. With her mind eased she slipped into sleep.

The next day was marked by Burgon Declos and his family leaving for Arasham, their shire, which was located a good day's travel to the south west of Iriskan. Her father pretended to be too busy, but she herself waved the family goodbye from atop the steps of the keep, if only for Driara, whom she had come to really like. And then this surreal quietness descended, this feeling of normality while she knew that many leagues to the north war had probably ignited, and soldiers were dying violently. But news only spread with the speed of a horse, so she would learn about what was currently happening in the Weeping Valley tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, and in the meantime she could only wait anxiously, and hope for the best.

As it happened it took until dusk the following day for a courier from the Drak to arrive at Bromodin. She was at her father's chambers, and they were just leaving for his quarters' dining room, when the guards led the man inside. What he told them was largely what they had already expected; the orcish army had started deploying into the Weeping Valley proper at dawn, and then it had advanced towards the Nigawan line of defense under the cover of the forest. The only unexpected information was that the orcs were utilizing strange beasts of war apparently.

The courier told them that ponderous lizard like animals had been observed in the orc encampment before, and that Bashuk and his party had ridden in on animals like those for the parley. Cassandra remembered Polly mentioning them at the time, but she hadn't seen these creatures herself. The man next explained how slow and docile they had looked, and that the general assessment had been that horses probably weren't capable of carrying the massive orcs, forcing them to use these clearly much slower animals as a substitute. Which had also meant any orcish cavalry would be at a serious disadvantage of course.

But now these ponderous animals were nowhere to be seen, and the orcs had been observed mounted on much more ferocious and agile looking beasts. They had even seen glimpses of even larger beasts, powerful enough to topple small trees as they advanced through the forest out of sight. After the courier delivered his news her father told him to take a good rest and return north to the Drak in the morning, before dismissing him. As soon as the man was gone she addressed her father, "So Bashuk and his warriors rode into Bragstone on what's probably their equivalent of oxen. They made an effort to hide the existence of these clearly more dangerous beasts from us."

Her father nodded, "Yes, it's an unpleasant surprise, but even large beasts capable of toppling small trees shouldn't be able to breach Bragstone's massive walls, if they can even reach those walls to start with. What's more worrying though is the fact that they managed to hide the existence of these large beasts, maybe even for weeks, begging the question what else they managed to hide..." He stroked his hair, "It also hints at more tactical cunning than I gave them credit for."

His words caused anxiety, "I'm so worried father, for our people, and for Brando."

He smiled at her reassuringly, "The Drak will keep him safe sweetheart, and our army should still possesses a huge superiority in numbers, and excellent defensive positions. The latter acts as a huge force multiplier for the former, providing us a truly massive advantage. So whatever beasts these orcs might deploy against us, I'm quite convinced our army will still be able to hold them off indefinitely."

She had been studying tactics as part of her general military strategy training, and was familiar with the principles he was referring to as a result. A two to one numerical superiority while on the defensive was as good as unbeatable, even without counting in Bragstone and the other defense works, and the attacker having some powerful beasts wasn't going to change that. The orcs still wouldn't have a, as Brando put it, snowball's chance in hell indeed. She hugged her father, "I'm sorry for being so apprehensive, I don't want to hurt moral."

He simply hugged her back, and she pulled confidence from his physical strength. After a minute or so he addressed her, "The cooks are going to be upset if we show up late for dinner..." She looked up at him apologizing, and he smiled softly, "I ordered rabbit stew, with Meridan prunes, in dark Boganon ale..."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth started watering, it was her favorite dish. She swallowed, "With..."

"Yes, with crispy Lorasian potatoes and roasted carrots," he added with a wink.

She pushed herself away from him, grabbing his hand in the process, and started dragging him towards the dining room. He followed her, chuckling.

***

The next morning Cassandra woke to the sound of rain ticking against her bedchamber's windows. It did nothing to brighten her already dim mood, which was the result of a night disturbed by bad dreams, dreams of war and violence. A dreary morning then turned into a dreary afternoon. She attended the daily council meeting at two o'clock this time, and which turned out to be mainly about fixing the deployed army's supply problems. The army's supply depots were located with its normal deployment in mind, which meant they were everywhere but in the north, where they were now desperately needed.

A short term solution was found using barges to transport the needed supplies up the Rodian to Windagon, and then moor them there to function as temporary depots while a more permanent solution was being realized closer to the Weeping Valley. The council meeting had barely concluded when another courier from the Drak of Valdon arrived. The message he brought told them that the orcs had started probing the Nigawan defenses as expected, and that their probes were being checked as expected. The fact that the orcs, up to now, behaved exactly as had been predicted eased her worries considerably.

That night Cassandra slept a whole lot better, and she woke well rested to a sunny morning. She had lunch with her father, who informed her that he had instructed the heads of house-holding about the abuse issue, and that they would schedule a meeting with her soon to discuss the way in which she would like to handle any victims coming forward. After lunch it was time for the now daily council meeting, which revolved around rather mundane topics for a change. The remainder of the afternoon she spend at the public library on the first floor, looking for information on orcs, which proved scarce.

At dusk she met up with her father again for dinner, in the dining room at her quarters for a change. They had a simple three course meal, with honey and chili roasted duck as the main dish. While eating he told her no courier had shown that afternoon. "No news is good news," he grinned. They had just finished dinner when a courier arrived after all. The first thing she noticed when the guards led him into the dinning room was the bloody bandage around his head, the next was that she knew him. It was the lieutenant that had arranged the parley with the orcs when she was at Bragstone.

The man was unsteady on his feet, and looked exhausted. She stood and pulled out a chair for him, "Please, sit yourself down lieutenant."

The lieutenant threw her father an uncertain look, but he responded by gesturing for him to sit himself down. "You're clearly in no state to report to me standing," he said.

She wondered if something had happened to the man on the long journey to Iriskan, then realized she actually hoped for something to have happened to the man on his trip from Bragstone to the capital, because the alternative was too frightening.

The lieutenant locked eyes with her father, swallowed, "I bring bad news my Kang," he said, his voice wavering, "Bragstone has fallen."

The silence was deafening, and then her father cleared his throat, "What happened?"

The lieutenant looked scared for a moment, and so sounded his voice, "They came before dawn, in the twilight. We wondered why their cavalry was charging the castle, and then... and then a bunch of those big lizards they were riding took to the air, on huge wings, like bats. They arrived before the rest of them, and landed on the gatehouse. They were small in number, but the defenders were too surprised and confused to keep them from opening the main gate. Before a counter attack could be mounted the rest of their cavalry arrived... Those flying lizards were like huge birds, with large tooth filled maws, powerful enough to snap a man in half, but the ones arriving now moved on four legs."

His voice sounded hoarse, and Cassandra, her hands trembling, handed him a glass of water. He took a big gulp from it, then put it down on the table and continued. "Those four legged beasts looked to be at least twice as heavy as a horse, and they had armored skin. On the front of their beaked heads they had a massive horn, which they used to ram and impale. They cleared the courtyard in a flash, and then their riders dismounted and engaged our men coming down from the walls to oppose them. The orcs were outnumbered, but not for long, as their infantry started pouring in through the main gate too by that point. It was clear then that the castle was lost, and that's when the captain sent me off, to warn the Drak, who had set up his headquarters in the woods next to the road just a couple of leagues to the south."

Cassandra shook with relief. She had assumed the Drak had set up his headquarters at Bragstone itself, and had feared the worst as a result. "So the Drak and his staff are safe?" she asked.

The lieutenant produced a small smile, "They were when I left them. It was your betrothed who ordered me to Iriskan, milady."

The tears came out of nowhere, and Cassandra sniffled softly as she wrestled with her emotions. It took her a minute to regain control, then she addressed the lieutenant, "Please, continue with your report."

The man nodded understandingly, and then continued, "Bragstone was the lynchpin of our defensive line, and with the castle lost it would only be a matter of time for the orcs to roll up the rest of it. So the Drak decided to fall back, while we still could... When I left his headquarters he and his staff were planning a fighting retreat to Windagon, and the bridges across the Rodian."

Her father looked a bit pale, but his voice didn't waver, "What happened to the defenders of Bragstone?"

The lieutenant looked down at the floor for a moment, then his face came up again, "The orc commander, Bashuk, he led the cavalry charge through the main gate. I saw him kill Captain Agnious, who was covering my escape. He cleaved the captain in two with one blow of his huge sword. As far as I know no one but I and my two subordinates escaped from the castle. The orcs might have taken prisoners, but they might have not as well, I simply don't know. The orcs fought like berserkers though, they were in a real frenzy, so I wouldn't put my pay on the latter outcome."

She watched her father swallow, "With the reinforcements, there must have been close to a thousand men defending that castle..." he stated, and then, "They won't be forgotten..."

Battle for the Bridges

The next three days saw the frequent arrival of couriers reporting on the army's retreat towards Windagon. Soon the picture emerged of a successful disengagement, and an orderly retreat to the south. With it, confidence returned; it had been these unknown capabilities of the orcs that caused the loss of Bragstone and its valiant defenders, and the orcs wouldn't be able to surprise them like that a second time. While the army retreated the defenses at Windagon were being prepared by the logistical units that had already deployed there shortly before. So when the army arrived the city's defenses were ready for them.

The orcs had been close on the retreating Nigawan army's trail though, so after they got to Windagon it took just a few hours for a siege of the city to develop. Her father and his councilors had absorbed that news with confidence when the courier delivered it late that evening. With Windagon being considerably closer to Iriskan than Bragstone the delay in the news had shrunk from one and a half days to just one. The courier had left Windagon at around ten in the morning, and it was rather unlikely that they had started their assault of the walled city after that hour, so everyone expected for the orcish attack on the city to begin at dawn the next morning.

Cassandra sat up in her large bed, holding the note from Brando the courier had handed her. It hadn't been his first note to her, and as with the previous ones it contained a short description of what had transpired that day. This one told her he was currently at the headquarters the army had set up in Windagon's city hall, which was located on the south side of the river. And that he expected for the orcs to attack at dawn the next morning. It ended with, 'Miss you, love, Brando.' She read that last sentence for the umpteenth time, her fingers tracing the writing while she did. Please be careful my love, she thought, please be careful...

Sleep didn't come easy that night, and she wished for Moiga and Polly to be in bed with her, comforting her, like they had on the trip to Bragstone, just a few weeks ago. And while their rooms were just a short distance away, just a short walk down the private hallway, they were a world away at the same time. She was at Bromodin, at the epicenter of Nigawan power, and not at some inn in the middle of nowhere. So etiquette had to be observed, and social distances had to be kept, no matter the closeness she felt to her maidens. She forced her mind to more pleasurable thoughts, like her wedding at the summer solstice, less than two months from now.

It will be summer then, there will be flowers everywhere, and the sun will shine. An open carriage will take them from Bromodin to the temple of the Seven Gods, located on the opposite bank of the Amunda. The roads and boulevards leading there will be lined with Iriskan's population, all cheering and waving. Once at the temple Brando will lead her up the steps, to the shrine of Freydan, the goddess of love. And there she will be wed, like her mother and grandmother, and all the other future Nigawan Kangess' before her.

After the ceremony there will be this huge festival, with all the nobles and notables attaining. Thousands of guests will fill Bromodin castle and its gardens to capacity. They will eat and drink and dance until midnight, and then Brando will pick her up and carry her to her private chambers. He will carry her into her bedchamber, and then... Her hand had found its way beneath her nightgown, and her fingers were exploring her pussy. She was wet, in terrible need, and in her thoughts Brando was mounting her. Her fingers slid up between her slick labia and she started to gently rub her little nub while she tried to imagine how it was going to be to feel Brando's cock stretch her open for the first time.

Cassandra bit her lip as pleasure surged up her spine. She had felt his fingers on her hymen before, and while Brando had always been very careful, there had always been this premonition of pain. She had never been able to determine if it was actual physical pain she felt, or just a psychological effect, but no matter which of the two it had actually been, it hadn't deterred her. It was a pain she actually longed for: the pain of her deflowering. Of Brando 'popping her cherry', as her maidens use to call it. She imagined feeling his cock rupturing her hymen, then stretching her open as she accepted him inside all the way.

They would fuck, and then she would feel him pump his seed inside her fertile belly, possibly getting her with child. Her fingers danced around her hardened clit, and she mewled softly as pleasure surged through her body. She came, moaning loudly, her back arching and her legs trembling as her orgasm ran its course. Her body relaxed, and she felt the familiar post orgasmic drowsiness descend. She closed her eyes and let it wash over her, let it take her away to the land of dreams - finally.

***

The following morning Cassandra had an unplanned sleep-in. When she finally woke it was close to eleven, and a look at the wall mounted chronometer startled her. She pulled the summoning chord on the left side of the headboard of her huge four poster bed which, through a complex system of cables and pulleys, rang a small bell in the maidens' dayroom some eighty feet away. Denora came in almost immediately, "Did you sleep well, milady?"

The speed of her senior maiden's arrival surprised her, and she reacted accordingly. "Why didn't you wake me at eight?" she asked, sounding a bit angry.

Denora threw her a concerned look, "You were exhausted, you needed the sleep, and there was nothing on your agenda, milady."

Cassandra swallowed as she realized her girls didn't forsake their responsibilities but just acted in her best interest. Her expression softened, "I'm sorry Denora, it was just..., I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright milady," the girl smiled at her, "we know how troubled you are." She moved next to the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder, her voice softened, "And I know how you feel about your maidens, we all do, that's why we are so determined to take good care of you."