Orc Dominion: Zentara Ch. 10

At night, Jeanette served Chief Turogg as a slave wife, even wearing the vest and loin cloth of the orc female. This was hard to hide from her own retinue of servants, who had to be dismissed under the pretext of needing to discuss secret war plans with Chief Turogg. Jeanette was always surprised at how easily she fell into the role of serving him at night. After two months of laying with him every night, she had become comfortable, and even used to, the feeling of him inside her, and feeling herself wrapped in his arms.

It took two weeks for their retinue to meet with the human army. Frederick had kept the army mobile to prevent the Hestan raiders from being able to pin down their location. The Zentaran forces had been skirmishing with the Hestans, protecting villages and fending off the Hestan raids. Casualties had been light so far, with less than a hundred dead on either side. This had maintained the status quo between the forces, keeping them somewhat restrained to leave the diplomatic option open. Too large a battle could goad them into invading outright.

Within a day of their arrival, Bodak arrived with the orc army. At the war council, it was agreed that the next raid would be enveloped and destroyed to prevent any word of their arrival from getting back to Heste. The human army would then move to occupy the pass to prevent any further incursions. Coming to this agreement wasn't easy, because it was unclear who the overall commander of the army was. By treaty, Chief Turogg was commander of the orcs, but the treaty did not place him in command of the human forces, or the overall campaign. Frederick wanted to play things safe and remain on the defensive, while Chief Turogg wanted to aggressively attack. It fell to Jeanette, as usual, to find a middle ground. This led, in effect, to Jeanette being the de facto commander of the army, with Frederick and Chief Turogg yielding to her compromises.

Jeanette wanted to ride into battle with her men, but was persuaded that this would be unwise and dangerous. Jeanette, of course, hadn't any weapons training and had only the leather breastplate to protect her. Instead, she would take a position atop a hill with detachment of bodyguards and would watch the battle unfold from there.

Two hundred Hestan horsemen came through the pass a few days later. Jeanette had arranged for twenty Zentaran horsemen to be found, and to turn and ride off to lure them into the trap. When the Hestan forces rode between two hills, the trap was sprung.

Jeanette watched as one hundred and fifty human soldiers on horse met the first twenty and engaged the Hestans. The clash of swords filled the air, and from her vantage point Jeanette saw the grim reality of war. Men from both sides were being cut down, and their blood stained the grass beneath their feet. Cries of pain and the sounds of screaming horses mixed as the two sides battled.

Frederick was positioned to the rear of the Zentaran forces, and Jeanette could see him riding up and down behind the lines, giving encouragement, shouting orders, and viewing the battle from different angles to keep his information accurate. "He will be alright, Your Highness. He is safe where he is now, and the battle is going well." Daniels stood beside her, looking up and waiting to attend to her if she needed it. Always faithful, Daniels had left the city and his family without complaint to accompany Jeanette on the campaign.

"I'm sure he will be Daniels. It's the...campaign as a whole I am worried about. There is a lot riding on this. This is the most momentous thing I've ever done. Kingdoms literally hang in the balance, and I'm worried. On top of that, I see those people down there dying for me. This war is really about me not wanting to marry the Duke of Braden. Sure, it got enflamed by them raiding across the border and burning villages. But the root of it all is my happiness. Those men down there are dying for that. It weighs on me." Jeanette looked back to the battle with a heavy heart.

"It might have started that way, Your Highness, but that isn't what these men are dying for. I've been among them, and talked to them during the march. Many eagerly volunteered. Zentara has long been at peace, and they wanted excitement. With the attacks on the villages, they see themselves as doing something noble, while getting their adventure." Daniels smiled slightly. "And if I may say, Your Highness, they see themselves as defending their princess from the hands of the invaders. It's like a noble quest from a song, their protecting you."

A great cry rose from the skirmish as the Hestan right flank wavered, and their forces retreated deeper into the valley. "Except it's not a song, Daniels. There are people dying down there, fathers, sons, brothers. This war might bring great peace and prosperity to Zentara. But we could have had peace by itself if I had given in. It weighs heavy."

"It's supposed to, Your Highness. What kind of person would you be if it didn't?"

Jeanette looked back to the battle and saw what she assumed was the commander of the Hestan forces send five of his men away. She guessed they were going to ride for reinforcements, as this was the largest battle they had fought to date. If everything went according to plan, they would never get their chance. From the other end of the valley two hundred orc riders poured in to intercept the riders, cutting them down before they even realize what happened.

Jeanette's heart leapt, and began to race as she spotted Chief Turogg charging ahead of his men. Sitting atop the saddle she gave him, and wielding the spear she gave him, he slammed into the Hestans from behind. Caught between the two sides, the Hestan forces began to collapse. Chief Turogg's spear unhorsed Hestan after Hestan. The orcs began to cut a swath through the Hestan ranks, crushing them against the Zentaran line.

"The orcs are fighting well, aren't they? Chief Turogg is living up to his promise." Daniels watched the orcs devastating the Hestans with delight, seeming very impressed at their ability. "Indeed, but is it because they are great fighters, or because they have the benefit of attacking from behind? Let's not get cocky yet, Daniels"

Daniels smiled up at Jeanette. She thought that his gaze lingered on the cups of the breastplate that molded around her breasts, but she couldn't be sure. She was getting so used to be looked at that she didn't pick up on it like she used to.

When a knot of resistance formed centered around the commander, Chief Turogg was the first one there. Using a large axe to sweep aside shield, sword, and spear, his own spear darted in and out, stabbing the commander again and again until he was too weak to hold his arms. Chief Turogg's axe then cleaved through the air, taking off the commander's head and sending it flying.

With the death of the commander, the Hestan forces broke and tried to flee into the hills, but Zentaran foot soldiers were waiting. With pikes and spears they blocked the enemy horsemen, preventing any from escape, or at least, preventing any from making it back through the pass. While some may have been able to dismount and slip away from the carnage, without a horse they would never be able to make it back to the main Hestan army in time to warn them.

After the Hestan forces were destroyed, the survivors of the battle gathered up arms and surviving horses. The orc horsemen and some of the humans collected trophies from the battle, and picked clean the valuables of the dead Hestans. Jeanette decided that these would be personal spoils, and that the crown would not take a percentage. Instead, the crown would take the weapons and horses to be redistributed to the rest of the army.

While the battlefield was being cleaned up, Jeanette rode down into the valley to see the results first hand. The Zentaran survivors cheered for her, reaching out to touch her horse or leg as they swarmed around. Jeanette thanked them and congratulated them on their victory, and then dismounted from her horse. She walked to the fallen commander of the Hesten forces. Daniels removed his helm from the severed head so she could see his face. She recognized him, it was the Count of Suzden, one of the Duke of Braden's retainers. She had met him as part of a Hesten embassy to Zentara. Even the enemy in this war had a face to death. It saddened her, but she remembered the villagers who had been killed. The dead children could have been Agmar. It would be Agmar, if Heste won the war.

Jeanette then moved to the medical tent to help in tending to the wounded. She gave them water, and bandaged their wounds as best she could. Jeanette thought it was hard to watch the battle from the hilltop, but this was even worse. Seeing the damage the battle had wrought first hand made the carnage that much more real. The smell of death and blood was pervasive, filling the air and made her think that she would never escape it for the rest of her life.

After the battlefield was being picked clean, the rest of the plan was put into motion. The sixty thousand Zentaran soldiers moved up to the pass, occupying it. Two main wings occupied the mountains on either side, while the pass itself was closed, sealed, and fortified. This was easier to defend, as any force attempting to attack it would be caught from three sides.

Each mountain had fifteen thousand soldiers occupying it including about five thousand archers, while a further ten thousand protected the gate in the middle. Fifteen thousand more foot soldiers were held in reserve, with five human horsemen to exploit any openings. Heste was already aware of the Zentaran occupation of the Lyskean Pass. A few hours after they arrived, five hundred Hesten soldiers arrived to search for their missing raiding party. When they approached the gates closing the pass, the Zentaran soldiers threw down stones while archers from the two mountains rained arrows on them. They quickly turned around and rode back to the Hesten camp, leaving several dozen of their comrades behind.

The orc army was behind the lines, held in secret until the final plan for the main battle could occur. The plan was not settled during the first war council, and Jeanette, Chief Turogg, Frederick, and Bodak were to meet after occupying the pass in order to settle things.

Before the council, Frederick took Jeanette aside. "Your Highness, I just wanted to convey to you how deeply the soldiers appreciated seeing you join them after the battle and tend to their wounds. It meant a lot to them that you cared enough to do so."

"They are sacrificing much for Zentara, and for me personally Your Grace. It was the least I could do. They won a victory, but the greater ordeal is still ahead of them. They need to know that their efforts are not unnoticed by their Queen, and that I appreciate and respect them for what they are doing." Jeanette smiled at Frederick. "It is good to see you again, Your Grace. I've missed your council for the past two months."

"It must have been difficult spending all your time with Chief Turogg, Your Highness. There weren't any men of rank for you to talk to on the march up here."

"Oh, that was not a hardship at all Your Grace. I rather like the Chief. We had much to talk about anyway, especially in regards to implementing the treaty we signed."

Frederick nodded. "I can see that. The treaty doesn't cover implementation much, so there are many details that need to be worked out. Sir Drake gave the orcs too good a deal though. He should have been tougher with them."

Jeanette blushed slightly and thought if only he knew how generous the terms actually were. "We need their help. It might be we're giving them too much for their short term service, Your Grace, but I think it is a fairer deal when you consider the long term benefits we will reap from having them as vassals in Zentara. It gives us both great trade wealth and a military comparable to Heste, Thesta, and Sandora."

"That might be so, Your Highness. You might be right. We shall have to see. Come, let us go meet with Chief Turogg and Bodak and see if we can talk some sense into them." Jeanette and Frederick continued on to the command tent, where the orcs were already waiting for them. "Congratulations on your victory, Chief Turogg. I saw you strike down their commander, well done." Jeanette smiled at him as she gave him the praise.

"Thank you Queen Jeanette. It was a great victory, the best we have seen in a long time." Jeanette gave Frederick a look at that. The orcs were used to small skirmishes and raids, not large pitched battles like the one they were aiming for.

"That was a small battle, Chief Turogg," Frederick explained, "the large battle still awaits us, and we need a strategy for it."

Bodak grunted at that. "What strategy? We outnumber them, and we're the stronger, better warriors. Let us attack them and be done with it already."

"We could do that, Bodak, and we might very well win. But, we would not achieve the decisive victory we need. We would also squander the opportunity we have to make full use of our advantages." Jeanette spoke slowly and patiently, hoping he would understand.

"Those are human terms for cowardice, so they do not have to fight orcs in battle." Bodak sneered dismissively at Jeanette.

Chief Turogg snapped at Bodak in the orc language, going on for several moments. "Queen Jeanette is right. This is a new type of war that we are fighting. There are going to be many, many deaths. They can replace their losses, and we cannot. We should fight in a way that will lead to the most of their deaths and the least of ours. What do you propose?"

Frederick considered a moment, then leaned in and gestured toward the map. "We have our forces occupying the Lyskean Pass. They think they have enough soldiers to take it from us, so they will attempt a frontal assault. Let them attack us, and grind themselves into nothing waiting for a breakthrough that will never come. We have the numbers to hold them indefinitely."

"So just sit here and wait for them to attack? Do nothing else until they destroy themselves? That is weakness." Bodak scoffed again.

"Bodak is right. I'm sorry Your Grace, but your plan will also squander our advantage of surprise. They will know something is up when the orc reinforcements take the field. They might pull back with their army intact, and wait to see what will happen. We need to be more aggressive. What do you think, Chief Turogg?"

Chief Turogg looked at the map for a long while. "We should do a combination of plans. Let them attack, and once they are committed, we open the gate and ride through to raid their supply lines from behind."

Bodak nodded in agreement with his brother, while Frederick looked dubious. "It will not be that easy. We cannot assume that they are fools, they will have their own horse to intercept you."

"Even still, I think Chief Turogg is on to something. We should certainly wait until they attack. Then we will be able to see how their forces are arrayed. They will not expect a major attack from us. When we see how they are deployed, we will know how to send our forces through to attack."

"Our scouts have already begun bringing back word of their movements. They appear to be concentrating their forces on the left flank. They will attempt to dislodge us on this side and move behind our lines. They are sending a much smaller screening force against the right flank to tie us down there. They've also begun constructing fortifications to keep us riding through the pass. They also have a large force of cavalry being kept in reserve, to support the breakthrough when they take control of the pass." Frederick pointed out on the map where the Hesten forces were, and moved blocks representing those forces into place.

"If they are building their defenses, we should attack now before they are complete!" Bodak jumped in again.

"Perhaps we should move onto the mountain, and let Chief Turogg and Bodak see the Hesten army for themselves. That might make matters a little clearer for us." Jeanette looked at Frederick, then Chief Turogg and Bodak, who nodded in agreement. They rode to the top of the mountain on the left side of the pass, which gave them an overview of the Hesten forces.

"They are like the sea...how did they get so many soldiers?" Bodak asked in wonder. Frederick answered Bodak while looking out at the people. "You are used to small raids against undefended targets, Bodak. Thesta and Sandora didn't have the numbers to be everywhere at once, and you exploited that. If you ever tried to fight a pitched battle, to deploy all of your people against all of theirs, you would see that their numbers are also like the stars in the sky."

"A frontal attack against them is like kicking the ocean. We might move them back for a little bit, but they will return. We need to trap them and devour them all at once so they cannot retreat and regroup." Jeanette added.

Chief Turogg watched their numbers and their deployments. "They are weak on the right side. That is where we should put our strength. When they attack, we push back, and breakthrough on the right to attack from behind."

Frederick turned toward Chief Turogg. "The problem with that is their cavalry. We would not be able to use our horses in the mountains, and when we broke through to the other side, they would ride through us."

"He is right, Chief Turogg. We need to get our horse through the pass. Once they have begun their attack, we should send the orcs through the pass to attack their center, and overwhelm the fortifications they are building. Then the horse can come through and engage their cavalry. We are equal to them with horses, but have the advantage in infantry. Let us neutralize their cavalry and win the battle with our foot soldiers." Jeanette looked at the others to see what they thought of her plan.

"That is a good plan, Queen Jeanette. But I can make it better. We should not send all our horse to go fight their cavalry in melee. That is a waste. Send the orc horsemen through. We will use bows to shoot them from horseback. When they attack, we retreat. We will let them chase us while we dwindle their strength with arrows. While that happens, send through your own horsemen, and have them ride down their archers and take their food and supplies. Then the battle will be ours."

Frederick nodded along with that. "It is a solid plan, Your Highness." Even Bodak agreed with it, which was a better consensus then anything they had so far. "Excellent. Your Grace, you will be in command of the human cavalry. I shall lead the defensive army. Chief Turogg, how will you organize your men?"

Chief Turogg considered a moment. "I will take twenty thousand orcs with bows on horse to go through the pass. Bodak, you take command of the rest and lead the attack on their army. Crush their forces, and then attack their army wherever you can."

Bodak nodded with a grin, pleased at the task assigned to him. "Gentlemen, I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming battle. If all goes well, we will soon be on the move again, this time invading their territory. Then, Bodak, your men will get the kind of fight you are used to."

The council broke up, with the generals going to meet with their respective troops to organize for the coming battle. Jeanette set up her headquarters on the left flank, where the bulk of the Hesten attack was going to be. She rode down to the front, inspecting the fortifications and checking on the readiness of the troops. Jeanette was not going to have to do much commanding on this front. The main responsibility her forces had was to hold position and defend against the attacks. The only decisions she was going to have to make would be to decide when and where to place reinforcements from the reserve troops.