The sounds of the boastful cheers and mugs of ales clashing against one another echoed throughout the massive yellow camps like hundreds of bats shrieking in a hollow cave -- unbelievably loud and freer than water.
The battle ended in a massive victory, the baron's army defeated and his castle sacked to the ground, along with his entire treasury taken as promised by his rivals in House Iron-Quiver. The Siege of Everfor was by far the most challenging this year, ending with a high casualty on both sides. But that doesn't changed the fact that battle was marvellous, frabjous and overall glorious for the victors.
That being for the Mercenaries of the Gold Oath.
Founded a decade ago -- The Gold Oath is a mercenary band of well trained soldiers and wild marauders who all shared a lust for combat, glory and the most of all: Fortune. As their motto says: More Coins, More Loyal. The Gold Oath were hired by some aristocratic house, in the homeland of the founder and much of the Oath's freelance, to join their feudal war against their rival of House Iron-Quiver. Their reward was eight thousands coins along with whatever's in the treasury or in the castle that wasn't burning or dead. The winnings were too sizeable to let another unworthy company of sellswords claim -- to allow a possible rival to their band. So their founder agreed and unlike those worthless sellswords or other mercenaries that weren't Gold Oath: When the founder wants something, he'll get it through any means, legal and fair to illegal and unjust. The bloody Siege of Everfor was one of these unjust acts -- slaughtering the House's peasants, burning down their villages to draw their honourable baron and his army out only to have them ambushed and picked off one by one, without giving them anytime to adjust and prepare. With their leader and his men dead, the castle was easy pickings and how their pathetic garrison fell to might of the Gold Oath. The rival house were disgusted by the Gold Oath Founder, saying what he and his mercenaries did was awful and honourless. To which the founder laughed, stating that it did the job and he wanted his money as promised. Grudgingly, the house paid up and the employment of the Gold Oath was over, leaving the mercenaries happy and rich.
Thus the Gold Oath drank and cheered, singing battle-songs and enjoying the more tasty entertainments that weren't just food in the middle of a full moon night. Yet as the mercenaries cheered victoriously, drunk uncontrollably and made brawls over simple bets. Their founder sat in his behemoth of a tent and drank his fill with his lieutenants.
The Founder of the Gold Oath was a man his men names: The Warden. A veteran of hundreds of battles and dozens of wars, a man with more gold than his men can count, if they could even count that is. His golden-coated armour was the inspiration of the band's name and his sigil of the Golden-Tower was more real than one care to believe. For if he wants to settle down and live off his life with all the coins he earned: He would have enough money to make a tower out of pure gold and yet still be richer than his former employer's entire house. He sat on his chair with one hand holding the edge of his war-mace and the other holding a wooden mug filled with ale, as his horned-helmet rested on his lap with a hint of crimson painted on its left side.
His name was Warden Thruk and he was now enjoying his new prize of coins.
"Nothing beats a fucking battle like ours" Thruk chuckled as he gulped down his mug of ale, some of the liquid spilling down himself, as if he would care about wasting from his fourth mug of the night. "The scream of dumb fucks, the smell of burning wood and the gurgling cries of honourable twats that wanted a fair fight. Hah!"
Thruk's chuckle was joined with another, this one more deeper and more older yet it weaker or quieter than his own. That warrior chuckle came from another man, the same race as Thruk's and one with a massive beard that had the remains of dozens of food, from pieces of bread to roasted chickens. This bearded man rested his chest against his chair's wooden rails, with both of his hands resting on his double-handed axe with dripping crimsons continuing to fall into a small puddle of the same fluid. His armour was more older than Thruk's, mainly because it was forged in the mountain like the bearded man, unlike Thruk's farmland armour and skin.
"Ya' are damn fuckin' right, lad!" The warrior chuckled. "That baron wus no' expectin' my fuckin' Mark to be buried in his weak piece of shit he named his armour!"
"I still don't understand why you named your axe Mark, Orest" Thruk answered his lieutenant with half a smile. "It's kinda stupid for an Axe"
"Wot? Ya' want sumfin' more on the line of 'Blood-Singer' or 'Widow's Fear' like the rest of my brethren?" Orest chuckled some more. "Them greasy fuckers ain't good with names that ain't simple and on the point. I named my axe Mark because, as that whore form Goldhill would say: 'That'll leave a Mark'. She didn't know wot a mark wus before I brought out me massive sword!"
Thruk laughed some more from Orest's response, coughing up some ale that went down the wrong pipe. "Ah! Orest Fatherbane! The Women Bedder of the Ages and Master of Titles... Yet has the smallest cock in all of the Gold Oath!"
"Ah fuck ya'!"
The two raised their mugs to each other and drank as someone entered their tent as if they owned it. The person that entered was a tall woman in dark-gold heavy armour, said armour was once covered head-to-toe in blood with only the shoulder-plates covered in the crimson fluid. Her longsword was more regal and stronger than the two drinking men's own weapons, made of the strongest solid steel that many knights back in their homeland would carry. Unlike the other two, the red-haired woman didn't have a helmet, believing it wouldn't help her enemies' fear if they can't see her warring eyes and savage grin. She shook her head at the sight of Thruk and Orest, still drinking their ales as if they hadn't drank in weeks.
"Why is it that every time I enter this tent, I feel shame and disappointment?" The woman asked with a deep sigh, rolling her violet eyes as Thruk looked at her.
"Come on, Isolda!" Thruk called to the disappointed woman with open arms. "We just managed to sack our tenth castle without losing five hundred men! That's wroth a drink or two?"
"Or several from how many barrels I see in this tent" Isolda smiled, pointing at each of the six barrels of ale. "And just because we lost about four hundreds, does not mean we want more dead from Orest's annual drunken rampage."
"And I didn't even say anythin'!" Orest cried out, trying to defend his pride even though he burped his words out.
Isolda simply waved an arm at him as she looked at Thruk. "And he didn't even deny it!"
Thruk grinned as he swigged his ale, Orest grumbling to himself as he finished with his mug and started to pour another for himself. Isolda took some steps towards the warden, coming close to his right ear. "I didn't just come in here to shout at Orest, Thruk" She murmured sternly to which Thruk listened tensely. "One of the lads had spotted some outsiders heading to our campsites, with a flag of truce"
Thruk took a move serious mood as he places his mug down next to his meal below his chair. "And what did you do with these outsiders?"
"I told one of them to come here to explain their present" Isolda answered, still keeping her murmured voice. "And they are not our kinsmen"
This brought Thruk's full attention to a more higher level than before. "Minotaurs?"
"No, Gryphons"
"....Bring him in."
A small, shivering gryphon wearing imperial armour and wing-blades stood in front of Warden Thruk and his lieutenants -- Orest to his right and Isolda to his left. The gryphon was barely an adult as he read aloud a scroll he was holding in his talons.
"To the Mighty Warden Thruk Stygian of the Gold Oath." The gryphon spoke with enough nerves to not shake his words as the warden rolled his eyes. "Earl of Iron, The Goldheart, The Undefeated, Victor of Castle Stroud, Conqueror of the Orb Sons, Raider of Prince's Hold, Destroyer of Foes..." The Gryphon continued with the titles half of which weren't even Thruk's as the warden covered his face in annoyance. As the gryphon spoke, the warden lowered down to grab a roast leg of a chicken, making the gryphon looking worried for his life. Thruk snorted as he threw the leg at the feet of the messenger.
Before anyone could react, the massive grey wolf that was resting next to Thruk's chair this whole time leaped from where he was resting and devoured the leg right in front of the messenger, making him yelp in fear as he backed off and fell on his rear. In seconds, the meat was gone, leaving only the bone behind, to which the wolf picked up and took it back to where his master sat to continue with chewing on the bone.
"I think Oddtail has heard enough of the titles" Thruk sternly spoke as Isolda and Orest smirked. Thruk looked at the gryphon with boredom written all over. "Get to the fucking point of why you bird pricks are here"
The gryphon gulped as he stood up, read through the scroll to the part he was looking for and cleared his throat. "It is with high honour that King Eurus the Second, High King of Griffinstone, son of former King Dysaw the First, Rightful Ruler of the Griffism Isles, ask for the Gold Oath employment in matters of wars and honours to join in their fight against the Cowardice Kingdom of Equestira to claim the Griffism Isles for his Majesty as is his birthright"
"So in a Nutshell: Your bird king wants to hire us?"
"I-Indeed, Sir"
"Why the fuck didn't you just say that instead of reading that scroll?" Thruk growled as he leaned back on his chair. The gryphon was about to answer before Thruk raised a hand. "Don't answer that, I don't care" He looked at the gryphon. "Why should we waste time and effort to gather up my Gold Oath, climb over the Crystal Mountains to fight on some island in the middle of the shitty sea? What's in it for us?"
The messenger looked to his scroll and tried to find the sentence of what the Gold Oath's reward would be. This made the warden groaned as he covered his face with his left hand. Orest leaned down to get closer to Thruk. "Do ya' want me to stop this bird from gabbin'? The lads still needs their meat"
Thruk gave disapprove wave of his hand as the messenger cleared his throat. "Uh, if you accepted this honourable deal, the High King will reward the Gold Oath four thousand bits and an addition five thousand more once the Griffism Isles is rightfully owned to Griffinstone"
This made Thruk's head risen from his hand, Orest coughing from his ale and Isolda laughing, even Oddtail stopped chewing on the bone after hearing the rewards. Isolda continued with her laughter. "That's very funny. Nine thousand coins? Not even our last employers would go that high for mercenaries!"
"My king is no liar, milady" The messenger weakly timid voice spoke with half courage and half loyalty in his throat. "When my king makes a deal, he keeps to it"
"And why would he pay that much for us?" Isolda pressed on in her cynicism. "Although the Gold Oath has made many great achievements, this seems to be nothing more than a lie."
The Gold Oath leaders watched as the messenger gave a shriek and two Royal Gryphon Knights entered the yellow tent with a wooden chest in between them. They brought it to the Warden as they knelt down and opened it for him. The warden, along with his lieutenants, were blinded by the golden light that reflexed out of the chest, Orest had to use his mug to cover his eyes. After their eyes adjusted to the light, said eyes opened wide to what's inside the chest.
From the top to no doubt the bottom, shining, pretty, golden coins rested within the chest, almost calling Thruk to touch them and hold them in his hands. Of which he did as he leaned down and grabbed a handful to get a better look at it. The cold metallic cooled his hand but not his desire as he chuckled lustful and crudely, with Isolda following with her own chuckle, more lighter yet equally the same crudity. Orest was the first to say something that isn't a chuckle. "Fuck that's a lot of coins"
Thruk, still chuckling, looked dead in the eyes of the messenger. "And you are saying this is for just agreeing to help your bird king in fighting for this island?"
The messenger gave a quick nod, feeling very unease with how the warden was chuckling. Thruk stood up and looked at Orest. "Gather the lads and make sure they're fucking ready to move at sunrise -- We've got a job!"
Orest bellowed a mighty burp and headed to the gryphons in the tent. "Alright, ya' heard the warden! He accepted yer fuckin' Bird Kin' request, now out of the fuckin' tent before I roast one of ya' for me supper!"
The gryphons did as they were ordered, with the messenger being the first one out, most likely to pass out with some dignity. As soon as Orest left the tent, there was only Thruk and Isolda in the tent. Oddtail joined with Orest Fatherbane as the warrior mainly gives him some red meat when he's gathering up the other Gold Oath mercenaries.
Thruk leaned back on his chair as he looked at the handful of coins. "So, what now?"
Thruk's answer was simply the sound of Isolda's boot making contact with the chest that was left behind, pushing it over so that all the coins could fall off onto the floor like a river being freed from a dam. She turned to face the warden with her ironic smirk only Thruk knows and started to remove her shoulder-plates. "I think you know all too well"
Thruk rolled his eyes as he threw the coins in his hand onto the fallen coins chuckling to himself. "Every time we get a new job..."
The journey to the contested lands that leads to this Griffism Isles was a pain for the Warden and his Gold Oath. Not only did they have to marched through eighty-thousand kilometres of unpopulated mountains on the narrow Crystal Path, but also losing a lot of men to the frozen temperature and fatal avalanches for four whole weeks. Orest had to put down a couple of double-thinking mercenaries who were playing on a coup to make the mercenary band turn back around. So when arriving at the staging grounds, Thruk and his mercenaries were not in a good mood nor wishing to hear anymore words coming out of the gryphons that accompanied them to the lands.
They arrived at what looked like a flatland of muddy fields and grassless meadows with the coastal waters at the east, which the gryphon messenger said the isles are located just twenty-nine thousand miles away. The Crystal Mountains, of which the Gold Oath traveled through, was on the far western side of the contested lands, where a small hill that leads to a cave can be seen. In front of the mercenary band, they can see thousands of grey-bronzeish tents scattered about in what could only be guessed as key locations of military importance. And that's where the Gold Oath were heading, with the golden tower flags flying over their heads and their leaders marching alongside their gryphon escorts to meet up with the rest of their employers.
"So this is the army we're gonna fight alongside with?" The Warden asked, grunting as he swung his mace around in boredom.
"It is indeed, sir" The Messenger answered truthfully, hearing another grunt from another mercenary next to him, this time being Orest Fatherbane.
"Looks like a shitty army, if ya' ask me. Why are they scattered like they all have the shits and wer is this Bird Kin' of yers? No' doin' his talons or sumfin'?"
"He's most likely working with his generals on a offensive military plan to kick the Equestrians out of this land"
"Well let's 'urry up then! My sword is bustin' for a piss and I don't want to be pissin' in me armour in the middle of the battlefield!"
"Agreed" Thruk nodded his head as he pointed his mace at where the cave was. "Me and my Gold Oath will camp over there, I want that cave for my tent and it'll show these Equestrians that the Gold Oath is ready to fuck them right in their equine asses!"
"Equestrian asses: Another thin' that get me sword harden for! Bahah!"
"T-The cave?" The messenger spoke up, looking at Thruk with unsure eyes. "Shouldn't you camp your forces with ours, showing the enemies our superior numbers and strengths?"
Thruk simply placed a hand on the messenger's peck to shut him up and looked into his purple shocked eyes. "Let's put it this way: The Gold Oath will camp up there next to that cave while you go off to your king and tell him we're here. Or, we'll camp up there still, but with roast chicken as the main course. Understood?"
Not wanting to hear the messenger's answer, the warden pushed him aside as he raised his mace up so his men can see and pointed it at the cave as they marched onwards.
That cloudy night, after the Gold Oath set up their camps, equipped themselves with their gears and weapons and trained until the sunset. Dozens of massive barrels was opened and poured into thousands of mugs, to which the mercenaries cheered, drank and glugged as if it was their last. This has always been the oath's custom, as after the sun rises in the coming morning, the mercenaries will fight twice as savaged against their enemies and twice as loyal to their brethren for the coming battle. The sounds of laughter, drunken chuckles and clashes of mugs rang throughout the yellow campsites as the cave, now a base for the leaders of the mercenaries, had their own clashes of mugs.
Thruk Stygian gulped down his fourth mug of ale, throwing the mug over his head as he chuckled with Orest. Orest was already drunk as he petted Oddtail like the wolf was some puppy, making puppy voices and kissing Oddtail on the head. The grey wolf didn't mind this, it allowed him to use the drunken warrior as a bridge to get to the table and eat much of the food on it. Isolda watched this scenery with Thruk, rolling her eyes as he leaned on the warden's chair with her mug of clean water, much to the others's surprise, in her hands. She wasn't as loud as the two, she mainly drinks with Thruk and Orest, laughs at their jokes and keeps a clear mind incase something quick happens. Yet this night, she seemed more quiet and only kept her eyes on her mug or at the warden, who was laughing at Orest and Oddtail.
"Who'z a good boy, eh?" Orest drunken voice could be heard muffling through Oddtail's thick grey fur. "Who'z iz it? Ya' are! Oh yez yer are!" Oddtail didn't answer Orest, too busy with eating the massive steak on the table after finishing with the chicken.
This only made Thruk's laughter bellowed throughout the cave-tent. "Baha! Orest is all talk, isn't he Isolda? He always says he can handle his drinks, but as you can see: A massive fib!"
"Mhm, he sure is" Isolda said mainly to herself as she took another sip from her mug, looking a bit angry at the drink.
Thruk noticed this as he turned to face her. "Hey, what's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"Isolda Brightspear doesn't say 'nothing' and looks like she's about to cut that mug in half."
"Tonight she does."
Thruk won't have that as an answer as he nudged her to make her look at him. "Isolda."
Isolda looked angry at first, but then she lost it and sighed with Orest now giving Oddtail a belly rub. She sighed once more. "Thruk. There's-"
"Warden!!" A loud call came outside of the tent as a Gold Oath mercenary came in all of a sudden and kneeled before Thruk.
Thruk growled at the interruption. "Someone better be dead, fucker."
"Actually, six are dead, warden!" The mercenary sternly answered, grabbing the attention of everyone in the tent, including Oddtail. "Captain Phariron spotted an equestrian approaching our camps and was about to give the scum a volley of arrows. But those arrows just stopped midair and attacked him and his archers. The Equestrian was surrounded by me and Garror's men before she asked to meet you all."
As the mercenary was telling his leaders this, Thruk was already up on his feet and was looking down at the kneeling man. "Where is this Equestrian?"
"Awaiting at the outskirts of our camps, warden. What are your orders? Do we kill her or...?"
"No!" Thruk snarled, despising the image of this equestrian daring to ask for an audience with him after killing his men. "You'll bring her here with two men holding crossbows aiming at this bitch! Once she's in the tent, surround it with your men as well as Garror's, if she plans on doing anything funny, we'll make sure that she'll be our first kill!"
"As you command, warden!" The mercenary saluted and rushed off to fulfil his orders. Growling again, Thruk headed by to his chair and sat down like a true warlord, not showing any weakness, mercy or pity.
"Orest, fucking clean yourself up and stop cuddling my wolf!"
Silence. It was more foreign to the Gold Oath than the Equestrian in Thruk's tent. When words spread that an Equestrian managed to kill six men with their own arrows, many mercenaries began to hide their drinks and watch the foreigner walk through their camps with two men aiming crossbows at her. Even when she was inside, the crossbowmen were still aiming at the Equestrian as armed mercenaries surrounded the tent's entrance.
Thruk, his lieutenants, his grey wolf and the crossbowmen watched this equine from the kingdom of Equestria. She stood her ground wearing silvery light armour, accompanied with a long onyx-hilted sword under her flowing starry mane. Unlike the messenger of the Griffinstone, this unicorn with wings had no scroll to read nor any fear or fright in her stern and firm stance as if the stars and moon would obey her. She didn't say anything when she entered the tent nor anything afterward, only merely glaring at each of the members in the tent, including Oddtail.
Orest groaned irritatedly as Isolda watched the equine with narrow eyes. "Are ya' only here to stand like a fuckin' stature or get to the point of why we ain't killin' ya' yet?"
The Equestrian didn't looked at Orest as she looked at the tent's colour. But she did speak strongly and holding no tremor of dread in her regal voice. "I doubt you would understand the idea of analysing your surroundings, or how to spell analysing correctly. Beside, I'm not interested in what a sellsword whose beard has more food than a chef's kitchen wants, you're not the one that I came for" She looked at the three leaders, with Orest almost having the need to make a Mark on the equine. "Who is the leader of your mercenary band? I would say the one that is sitting down, but from many diplomacies I had to deal with, I know some who sit aren't really the leader."
"That would be him" Isolda pointed at Thruk, who was now tapping his fingers on the chair. "This is-"
"Warden Thruk Stygian of the Gold Oath." The equine interrupted. "The Raider of of Prince's Hold, Victor of Castle Stroud, The Goldheart and other titles I have no doubt were either earned or sung about in songs. I did hear from a gryphon scout you were titled the Earl of Iron, though even I must admit I wouldn't want that as a title: Too over-the-top and not a birthright title"
"If you already knew my name than why the fuck did you need to ask which one is me?" Thruk asked annoyingly.
The equine shrugged. "I said my reason as to why, but other reason is that I haven't seen your kind that often beyond the Crystal Mountains, especially not in the thousands like your band of murderers. So what you looked like wasn't as common knowledge as to what you've committed and fought in."
Isolda took a step forward. "Watch your tongue, hoe! You're in no positions to make witty remarks on the warden!"
The Equestrian simply looked at Isolda, not changing her facial expression this whole time. "I've alway killed six of your men who thought I was an easy target, do I have to make you the seventh? Or more correctly -- The Eighth?"
Before anyone could react, Isolda's sword was drawn out and aimed at the Equestrian's neck in such speed that even Oddtail looked amazed. "I'll have your head if you threaten-"
"Isolda!" Thruk slammed his fist on his chair as the two females looked at him. "Put away that blade and shut it 'til spoken!" Isolda gave one final death-glare at the Equestrian before sheathing his sword away and retaking her original place by Thruk's side. The warden snapped his head toward the Equestrian. "As for you, bitch! You better watch it, for you may have killed six of my men, but I doubt you can take on a whole army attacking you in all directions with swords, axes, arrows and spears"
The equine shrugged again. "You're right, I cannot take on a whole army, the idea alone is impossible. But that doesn't mean I can't take out more than a few hundreds before I'm struck down."
"A few hundreds won't change the outcome of our battle tomorrow. Now tell me who you are and why I should just have your fucking head?"
The Equestrian for the first time, showed some respect to Thruk as she bowed her head to him. "I am Princess Luna. Co-ruler of Equestria, Princess of the Moon and Guardian of the Stars and Dreams. I have come to you to negotiate a possible deal between my kingdom and your mercenaries, for the outcome of working together will be far greater than what the gryphons are offering."
The warden thought this was a joke and laughed as such. "You've come all this way to make a deal with us?" His laughter deafened the tent, making even the men outside wondering what he was laughing about. He stopped laughing sharply and waved a disapprove gesture at Luna. "Well you're too late, we're paid by the birds and will be fighting with them in their war. So begone, and tell your army to double their forces."
The princess scoffed. "We have magic on our side"
Thruk joined the scoff with his own. "And we have hands."
"Magic blows off heads."
"Hands tears them off."
This made Luna chuckle briefly. "I do not know if it's pride, stubbornness or stupidity that makes you think you can win." Before anyone could say anything, Luna went on. "How much are they paying you? Around three thousand? Each coin for each soldier?"
"We were paid four thousands coins just to come here!" Orest finally said something after his long pause. "And when we win this battle, we'll be havin' five thousand more to end our pact."
This surprised Luna as she raised an eyebrow to the news. "Nine thousand? The Imperial Army must be getting desperate after their defeat at Trottingham."
"It doesn't matter if their princess got ass-fucked by two dragons!" Orest went on. "With the Gold Oath, ya' won't be findin' any mercy from us. Unless ya' female, then maybe, just maybe. Bahah!"
Luna turned her gaze to the warden, seeing him standing up and approaching her. His height was far greater than her own, but that didn't made her move an inch nor changed her expression. Thruk snarled. "You heard it from Orest: We're getting nine thousand coins from the birds and their bird-shit if we join them in this war. How can you afford that and more to us to change sides, princess?"
Luna looked straight into the warden's eyes and answered. "If you agreed to change allegiance to Equestria and fight for our cause in the Griffism Isles: me and my sister are willing to pay you and your Gold Oath two thousand and seven Equestrian Bits for your service."
"Heh....Hehe....Hehahaha!"
That was all Luna heard from the warden. A wide grinning, booming laughter as Thruk placed his hands on his knees and laughed. His laughter was followed up by Isolda, Orest and the two crossbowmen. Their laughters was so contagious, it even made Oddtail snicker with them.
"Hahaha! You're, hahah! You're offering us two-fucking-thousand coins?" Thruk laughed on, his hands still on his knees.
"And seven." Luna simply corrected him, which only made him laugh harder and louder.
"So you are basically offering only half, hahaha! Half of what we already got from the gryphons just by accepting their offer?!" Thruk regained himself as his laughter died down. "Alright, princess. For that laughter, I'm willing to spare your hide from my crossbowmen and allow you to leave this tent with your wings still attached. By tomorrow's battle, I'll even give you a quick death."
"You think that's all we're willing to offer you?" Luna smirked. "There is also another thing we're offering if you joined us."
"Oh?" Thruk leaned down to get somewhat eye level with the princess. "And what's that then? A pat on the back or a free drink?"
"I will tell you this...Alone" Luna answered sternly, still keeping her smirk over his snout. "This offer is to leader-to-leader and no pony else."
This was something, as everyone except the warden looked at each other after Luna's sentence. This has never happened to the Gold Oath since their founding, no one who wanted to hire the Gold Oath would ever say that. Yet this Princess of the Night did just that.
Thruk raised his head away from Luna and gave a short chuckle. "You got balls, princess. I respect that." He looks at his men. "You heard her: Out."
"Thruk wait!" Isolda rushed next to the warden, even grabbing one of his arm in her concern-state. "You don't know what she'll do. She could be laying a trap on you and the thought of having to-"
"I have dealt with worser things that a fucking horse, Isolda." Thruk answered strongly, not breaking eye contact with the foreigner. "I had to kill of that mongrel bandit-lord in single combat with only a spork. Now go and don't come in unless I call you."
Isolda halted for a moment, like she wanted to say something. But she did as she was told and motioned the others to do the same. One by one, they left the tent, with Isolda being the last as she gave one final look of concern before leaving Thruk alone with the equestrian princess. Thruk headed back to his chair and sat on it as Luna looked at him.
"She seemed worried about you." Luna said with less stern in her voice and more understanding.
"Bah, she has been like that since our battle at Ûskburg." Thruk snorted, tapping his fingers on his chair, looking at Luna, whose face had a bit of confusion written on it. "Burg means Castle or City in our ton-"
"I know what the meaning of Burg is." Luna again interrupted as she rolled her eyes. "I have done several diplomacy meetings with your people and learnt a few things from your language. I was merely wondering if I ever been to Ûskburg before, it does ring a bell."
"It also had a more common name: Prince's Hold. I think you know what happened to it."
"Yes -- Raided by the Gold Oath."
"With only seven hundred men while Ûskburg had a garrison twice the size and was throwing fucking rocks at us from their iron catapults."
Luna nodded her head. "A very impressive achievement. No wonder why the Gold Oath were hired by the gryphons to help in their war."
"Now." The warden growled, wishing for Luna to stop the idle talks. "Get to the point. What's the other thing you're offering that's so important that you wanted to tell me in privacy?"
"How long did it take you to reach here, Thruk?" Luna answered with a question. Thruk was about to slam his fist onto his chair, but Luna stopped him. "This is important to get to point."
The warden rolled his eyes. "Four whole weeks. The Crystal Path had more avalanches than diseases from a person of Goldhill." This made both Thruk and Luna shake their heads in disgust. "It would of taken us two weeks and a half to get here otherwise."
"And did you noticed anything different from your men, most importantly those closed to you?"
"Only that Orest had more drunken brawls and Isolda puking here and there while we were moving."
"And why was this Isolda puking you wonder?"
"I don't care! Get to the blasted point!"
Luna watched the angered mercenary-warden and took three brave steps towards him, stopping with grace and her eyes staring deep into Thruk's very soul.
"... Isolda is with child, Warden."
Those words burnt deep into Thruk's mind. Four simple words that broke his stern expression to that of pure surprise, as he got up so fast, that Luna thought he was about to attack her and used her magic to grip her sword's hilt. "W-what? How do you know that?"
"She had several nightmares within those weeks." Luna calmly explained to Thruk, seeing now he wasn't going to strike her. "At first, I just calmed her nightmares and left her alone. But every night, she would have the same nightmares" She walked next to the warden as said warden slumped down onto his chair at a loss for words. "So I disguised myself as one of your fable deities your people still worship and asked her why she was getting these dreams. She confessed that on the night the Gold Oath were hired, you embraced each other for celebration. But within the first week, she felt nausea and fatigued and knew what it meant. She didn't wish to tell you this until after the war with us, but she feared of the outcome of you dying in battle. So she asked me, still believing me to be one of your gods, to give you visions or dreams of her and this child. But I knew you would throw it out as nothing more than idle dreams, so I waited until your army arrived and to tell you the news in person."
Thruk didn't look at Luna, never minding the princess standing next to him. "Isolda's pregnant..." He muttered softly, almost as if he didn't even listened to what Luna was saying.
"Which is why I wanted to tell you this in private." Luna continued. "So you would hear the other truth of why I am here. I knew your mercenaries wouldn't care for Isolda's condition and would more likely try and take her place as right hand. So I told your men about the offer of the two thousand bits, to make them think it was just a way to bribe you. Whereas you and only Isolda can learn the other half."
Luna then placed one of her wings onto the warden's shoulder. "This is my other offer to you. If you promise to switch sides: not only will me and my sister pay you for your service -- But I'll make sure that when your child is born, he or she will never fear the dark and will always have a place here in Equestria if life grows sour and harsh for your family. I'm asking you this, for we Equestrians don't want to take a life that hasn't taken its first steps on this world or felt the love of its parents. Please, don't think about the coming battle: Think of your coming child."
Thruk Stygian The Goldheart. Warden of the Gold Oath, Raider of Prince's Hold and Conqueror of the Orb Sons, was simply siting on his chair with no words to utter, no stern face to put on. Only the cold, calculated face behind his horned-helmet was visible to the world and there was only one that was looking at it. But that expression and the shocked feeling of surprise was soon replaced with his fearless glare and his tenacity as he rose from his chair like a god from his throne and looked down at the Starry-Mane Princess as if she insulted his entire race without a thought to what she said.
And spoke his mind to her.
The flatlands was littered with destruction, bodies and suits. Red, gray and blue were the new colours of what was once a muddy, stone land which became the aftermath of a ruthless battle. The air which would normally be soft and carry a gentle breeze was now thick with the stench of magic, blood, gore and death, a sight of pure nightmares. Two trained armies attacked the invading army without mercy nor pity. The dead and wounded of the losing side laid in heaps across the flatlands and the faces of the fighters were grim with pain and agony, the invading army tried to continue to fight, but their fight was a hopeless one. With victory becoming more and more likely, the two trained armies fought with new found strength. Some had succumbed to bloodlust and were killing any enemy they see in a fury of blood and gore, while others fought merely for the sake of home and what they left behind. But the ones that were enjoying this battle the most was the mercenary band -- The Gold Oath.
From the moment they entered the battlefield and began slaughtering their employers' enemies, they were having a blast of a time. They fought through rage, through carnage, through glory and through profits. Their enemies begged for mercy, cried out against their honourless ways and spat at their feet. Regardless of what their enemy did, they ended up like the rest -- dead in the flatlands and in a pool of their own fluid. The Gold Oath's leaders were at the heart of this gory battle, each taking as many as they could. Thruk led the vanguards and cut through their enemies' shield-walls as if it was made of sand. His mace cracking hundreds of skulls whilst his wolf ripped out the throats of anyone that tried to sneak up on him in the middle of battle. Orest Fatherbane's battle cries were more louder than the clashes of steels or the wails of the fallen, leaving his Mark into the very chests of his foes, counting each one he marked as he fought on. Isolda Brightspear fought beside Thruk throughout the battle, fighting by his side with her sword slashing her opponents down like cutting through paper. Even in her condition, she surpassed most of the mercenaries with ease, taking on twelve foes on her own when the second wave came in to aid invading army's vanguards. The Gold Oath were a brutal sight for their employers and a terrifying one for their frighten foes. The battle lasted for a whole hour, but it was over when Thruk slammed his mace into the one his mercenaries were hired to destroy and making the invading army flee from the battlefield.
In the aftermath, when all the sounds of battle came to an end and the remnants of that battle was heard only in the injured and the dying. The Gold Oath went around the battlefield, searching for their injured foes to either finish off their mercy cries or to torment them with blunt weapons and salting their bleeding wounds. This act was watched with digested by their employers' soldiers, who rounded up the defeated forces that could still walk and marched them off to most likely be used as prisoners of war.
The Warden watched his men doing these horrid performances as he cleaned his mace on the dead-leader of the defeated army. By his side was Oddtail, who was cleaning his fur from all the blood on his grey fur. And Isolda, who stood next to the warden in silence, unsure as to what to say.
"I'm sorry that I kept this from you." She spoke softly as she placed a hand over where her belly is as Orest kicked a dying private in his privates, doing this right in front of Isolda and the warden. It was less shocking to Isolda that it was when Thruk suddenly placed his hand onto Isolda's as they both rubbed her belly together.
"Don't be." He answered sternly, yet it wasn't the same kind of sternness he normally used. This one had a bit more soul in it, more caring and understanding. "It was a fucking good surprise for me"
Isolda giggled at Thruk's words as they heard the sounds of some employers coming behind them in a marching rhythm. As they turned to face them, leaving Orest to continue with his fun, they saw the leader of their employers as two knights placed a chest in front of them. "Here is your reward, as promise" one of the knights said as he saluted to Thruk.
Thruk chuckled to himself as he looked at the chest, not bothering to open it as he looks at the knight's leader. "It'll do for the life we took. Most likely it'll empty within the day."
"Life is like a coin." The leader of the knights answered with victorious smile hidden behind a starry-mane.
"You spend it on whatever you want."
