Manfred spent the next fifteen days honing various skills, from combat to horse-riding to simple exercises for bolstering strength and flexibility. He had two more of his weekly pole-axe training sessions with Captain Sloan Troy, during which he grew increasingly proficient with the thrusting aspect of the weapon. His striking and defense were still somewhat deficient, but the captain seemed pleased with Manfred's progress.

This morning, Manfred and a large number of younger knights performed a series of exercises under Tom Holt's scrutiny. After having run five laps around the knights' hall, followed by repeatedly lifting progressively heavier hammers until they could raise them no more, the men performed pushups out in the field.

Manfred had nearly reached his breaking point, but he summoned the inner strength to keep going as Tom ordered. His chest burned and arms throbbed, as did his abdominals, but if Manfred had a virtue, it was perseverance.

Tom called the exercise to a halt, which Manfred thoroughly appreciated. He pushed himself to his feet and glanced up, only to raise an eyebrow at the sight of Captain Sloan struggling to catch his breath beside Tom. He hadn't been there a moment ago, so Manfred could only assume his exhaustion was from jogging over from the barracks.

"A messenger just came by..." Sloan huffed, "Said we have a problem."

Tom's eye widened in intrigue. "What would that be?"

"Innutukians...in Aroria. Four days ago...attacked the westernmost guard station. It's a full assault, Tom. Like it or not, we're at war."

"Oh dear...have you informed the king?"

"The messenger went off to do that." Sloan sighed. "I think we all had an idea this would happen, but not this soon."

Tom nodded vigorously. "I half expected they would send some sort of ultimatum first. But perhaps that was foolish of me. Innutuk prefers to fight first and talk later."

"Exactly. Well, I'm going to prepare my battalion to head out and reinforce the Arorian defenders. I'll wait for the king's go-ahead before departure, of course, but I'd prefer to be ready to gallop off once he gives the order."

"That's a good idea. I assume you'd like some knightly backup?"

"Certainly. I know you haven't been in this fight for a while, but—"

Tom held up a hand. "I know Aroria more than most. It's only right that I should serve again."

"Good point."

"I'll bring my niece along too, if she's willing. Are there any of my men you've sparred with that you would consider an asset?"

Manfred froze in place when Sloan pointed at him. "This one." the captain said, "He's got good reflexes, a near impenetrable defense. I'm not sure where the Innutukians are headed, but if we need to hold them off of a homestead or defend a town, something like that, Rickland would be my first pick."

Tom offered Manfred a brief smile. "You heard him, young man. Prepare for battle, and if you find Bella before I do, let her know."

"Yes, sir." Manfred said, "Thanks for the honor."

With that, he scurried off to retrieve his sword. Hopefully, he'd find Bella while inside the knights' hall, and then he could go from there to retrieve a horse.

****

Confirmation arrived swiftly from King Maxwell to send out Captain Sloan Troy's battalion, along with however many knights Tom saw fit. Upon hearing that news, Tom had evened out their numbers by adding a tall Kemarian knight named Tao who supposedly had developed a unique technique of dual-wielding swords that was incredibly effective in sparring sessions, though still untested in real battle.

Manfred had just finished cramming foodstuffs into a saddlebag and now scurried off to saddle a horse and fasten the bags onto that. Since he had no horse of his own, he'd have to borrow one and hope the owner didn't mind missing his animal for a few days.

When Manfred had run halfway to the pasture grounds just outside the stable, he glanced up to see a petite figure in a white dress standing against the fence, who he immediately recognized to be Princess Kate. She motioned for him to come her way, and so he did.

Manfred approached Kate with a forehead wrinkled in curiosity. "You...wanted me over here, your highness?"

Kate laughed and silently gestured into the pasture on the other side of the fence. Manfred swept his gaze over, and what he saw drew a breathy laugh to his nose. Fidelity stood nearby with a saddle over her back and a bridle fastened around her snout.

"I want you to take her, Manfred." Kate said, "And not just now, but for good. She clearly likes you more than me, after all."

Manfred smiled. "Well...thank you, your highness. I really appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure. And please, my name is Kate."

"If you insist, your—I mean, Kate."

Kate giggled. She reached out her hand, and Manfred shuddered at the sensation of her fingers brushing across the back of his own rough hand. He met her soft green eyes and couldn't help but return her grin.

"I pray you go forth in strength and return victoriously." Kate said in a gentle voice, "My birthday's in a mere thirteen days, and I would very much like to spend at least part of it with you."

Manfred's heart leapt in his chest at her words. During one of their lunchtime chats a few days ago, she had bashfully told him of her agreement with her father, that if she didn't find a suitable partner for courtship before her upcoming birthday, he would pick one for her and that would be the end of the matter. And naive as Manfred was, he found himself almost certain he was reading her subtext correctly. Kate considered him a suitable partner, and she feared the potential of death snatching him away shortly. He could see that much in her eyes.

"Thanks, Kate." Manfred finally replied, "I'll try my best to be back for you."

"You'd better. I don't know what I'll do if I lose you too."

Manfred blinked hard at that remark. "I'm praying you don't have to undergo that trial."

"Manfred!" Tom's voice called from behind, "If you're ready, get moving. We'll rendezvous outside the garrison."

Manfred glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "Yes, sir, I'll be there."

With that, he glanced down at Kate. Her arms were outstretched, so he took the cue and embraced her. He breathed in deeply and smiled at her subtle floral scent.

When Manfred straightened to his full height again, Kate beamed at him. "Go get them, Sir Rickland."

Manfred laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

That said, he entered the fold, fastened his saddlebag, and clambered atop Fidelity. With a jerk of the reins, he galloped off in the direction of the garrison. The last he saw of Kate before she disappeared from view was her waving goodbye. Manfred could only hope it wasn't a final farewell.

****

Two full days of hasty westward travel, followed by one more morning, and Captain Sloan's battalion waited at the bottom of a grass-carpeted hill a little ways south of Tom Holt's academy. Sloan, a pair of his officers, and the four knights trotted up the incline in search of a vantage point.

Manfred's heart raced as they ascended, just as it had all the other times the party had stopped to take a look about. Every time, he anticipated seeing the dreadful sight of an Innutukian horde gathered in battle array against them. The fact they'd never seen a thing did nothing to quell his fears.

The seven warriors crested the hill and promptly dismounted. Captain Sloan led the way in a slow creep to the edge of the mound's flat top. Manfred caught himself holding his breath for no reason at all.

"There they are." Sloan remarked calmly while pointing down.

Manfred stepped forward to see, and a sensation as if a hand had clutched his throat struck him at the sight. Thousands of Innutukian warriors marching toward the academy, slowly but steadily. The front several lines were comprised of cavalrymen in their nation's typical armor, thick but incomplete. They sat atop horses who also had bulky plates of metal strapped to their snouts and shoulder areas. Overall, with all the armored horses in the front, the Innutukians appeared as an unstoppable line of battering rams.

Behind the lines of horsemen followed a host of foot soldiers. Most wielded spears, but a variety of other weapons, from axes and hammers to war bows, were to be found there as well. A few even carried a strange implement comprised of a staff with a round stone fastened to the end. Manfred pitied any skull that weapon came into contact with.

"That's sure a lot of them." Sloan said, earning a vigorous nod from Tom.

"It certainly is." Tom replied, "They appear to be heading toward the academy, so what do you say is the best strategy?"

Sloan grumbled thoughtfully to himself for a moment. "See, they've done the smart thing. All those armored horses in the front will be hard for us to deal with. Yet we have to contend with that first."

"We could attempt flanking them and getting at the foot soldiers straightaway, perhaps follow that up with an attack on the horsemen from behind. After all, with our horses carrying less weight, we have a speed advantage."

"I doubt the effectiveness of that plan, Sir Holt. There is quite a bit of open field between our position and theirs, giving them plenty of time to see our advance and counter it."

Tom smoothed his beard. "That's a good point. What are you thinking instead?"

"I think our only choice is to split into three companies. A mobile strike force will serve us well in tossing some unpredictability into this war soup. Just a small team of horsemen who can pick off a soldier here and there, then run out of there before retaliation can arrive."

Tom nodded vigorously. "I am quite familiar with such hit and run tactics."

Sloan smirked slightly. "I'm sure you are. The second company should be much larger, a strong formation to engage in a more straightforward manner. And the third should fortify themselves in and around the academy, just in case they come that far."

"I pray they not advance to that point."

"As do I. Which companies will you place your knights in?"

Manfred watched with curious eyes as Tom glanced over his three knightly companions, clearly deep in thought as he considered.

"Bella, your horseback skills would be of great value to the strike force. If you'd accompany me on the attack runs, I should appreciate it greatly."

Bella's auburn hair bounced up and down as she nodded her assent. "Gladly."

Tom's one eye now glanced between Manfred and Tao. "You say your offense is as strong as your defense, Tao?"

"Yes, sir." the tall Kemarian replied with a slight bow.

"In that case, I should like you to lend your skills to the second company. And Manfred, defense is the name of your game. You know what that means."

Manfred smiled slightly and gave Tom a nod of acknowledgement. "Alright, thanks."

Sloan took in a deep breath and turned to make his way back to his horse. "Let's make this happen. May God give us victory." 

****

A/N: Well, here we are. It's all been building to this--the showdown. If you aren't biting your fingernails yet, you will be. (Or hooves, for a certain someone reading this. 👀)

But please, don't leave me biting my fingernails, gimme all the votes and comments, please and thank you. 😂

(That's probably my pushiest one yet. I'd say "cringiest" too, but we've been through some rough patches together, so there might be competition for that title.)

Anyway, I hope you have a great week, and make sure to come back next week to see how this battle turns out!