[SV AAR] The Wolf Among Dogs - The Latin Empire (Chapter 26, May 15)

[Radzeer]

Thank you both, and now it is really time to update this story - can't believe it took so long!
Also, the individual reader's feedback will return of course - this is the least I can do for all the support I am given.

[Radzeer]

1. Staying alive

The Duke of Montferrat, whose name was Guglielmo, was an unremarkable character. Despite the ample opportunities against the Bulgarians he never gained fame as a general. He did not seem as a good steward of his lands, and his loyalty to King Henri was questionable. I have to say that he showed his dislike towards us from the minute we have met. I have not known his father, but even if just half the stories were true about him, it is a mystery how his son turned out to be such an unworthy knight.



He apparently knew Arnulf from before, and most of his arrogance was directed at him. I remember our conversation with him shortly after the siege, as the Duke blamed the King for not sending help to counter the Bulgarians. Such open disrespect was very new for me, and I felt it was inexcusable even when the emotions ran high after the Lombards just hardly won a battle.

"My lord, you know as well as I do that King Henri is not in the position to come to your aid unless a major Bulgarian invasion is threatening Thessalonica," said Arnulf patiently. We were in the main hall of the castle. Arnulf was standing in the middle, while the Duke was angrily pacing back and forth. I was standing behind as I was not supposed to say anything.

"I had sent repeated requests for more men or at least some resources to hire men," said the Duke vehemently. "There are enough mercenaries around here, but maintaining the walls after these sieges takes up all the money we have."

That statement was unexpected as the Duke's life did not seem to be without luxuries. The building was a lavish castle compared to our keep in Picardy. The Duke took the palace of the former Byzantine governor, and likely kept most of his riches as well.

"King Henri faces attacks from Nicea. He cannot leave Constantinople undefended," said Arnulf patiently, but in a less courteous tone.

"Yes, that is the same answer I have been given every time, and I had enough of it! By the right of my father, I deserve more respect!"

"Nobody disrespect you, my lord," said Arnulf. I was amazed how patient he remained. Many other knights would have drawn their sword in such a discussion.

"I am sure Henri would respond differently if Adrianople and his vassals from Flanders were in danger."

"I hope you are not saying that the king deliberately withholds support from you. I can assure that losing Thessalonica would be just as fatal to the realm, and King Henri knows this well."

"Yet it was us alone who defended Thessalonica against the Bulgarians," said the Duke, but in a more conciliatory tone. "But I don't have time for this, as I do not suppose you came to stay here and fight." And with that ambiguous statement we were dismissed.

"Not very polite, isn't he?" I asked Arnulf as we were walking out.

"No, and he has never been. There is pressure on him, no doubt about that. But he believes that his father was betrayed when the Venetians opposed his election as the king, and that poisons his mind. If we had time to look around, you would see that most of the merchants here are from Genoa, for the Venetians are not welcome in the town. But while that is a defiant stance, he is losing a lot of money, as frankly the Venetian trade brings in more than what Genoa could offer."

"I thought the revenues are from the land, not from trade." I was puzzled.

"Not here. The Greek peasants are not too eager, and the constant Bulgarian raids make it difficult to rule and tax them."

"What a country..." I sighed.

"Lose no heart, brother. The lands around Constantinople are rich and they still kept a lot of their former beauty. I wish you had seen the city before..." He did not finish what he wanted to say. "I think we leave for Adrianople tomorrow. I have seen enough of this place." I was glad to hear that as I had no love for this city.

The road to Adrianople was mostly deserted. The villages we have traveled through were poor, and we have seen only a few merchants. I was the most surprised about the lack of Latin churches and priests. There were many monasteries and Greek monks in the countryside, so it was no wonder that the peasants were hard to rule. Arnulf explained that the shortage of Latin clergy is just as problematic as the shortage of soldiers, but the pope's priority is the Holy Land and he expects King Henri to solve this problem by himself.

When we arrived to Adrianople, I could immediately see the difference compared to Athens or Thessalonica. Those were large towns, centers of trade with busy ports, even if they have seen better days. But Adrianople was a huge inland fortress, with the role of keeping away any invasion towards Constantinople from the north. The city served the purposes of war, with barracks, training grounds skilled craftsmen and magnificent towers.

Arnulf knew his way around, and the knights greeted him warmly upon his return. After a few days, even if it was not home, it has become a hospitable place to stay, and following the poor impressions about the realm before, I finally felt that we are where we wanted to be. I was looking forward to learning more about the countryside, but soon we got news that a Bulgarian army is approaching.

This was my first battle in Frankish Greece, and I remember the mixed feelings I had before the fight. I felt we are fairly safe behind the walls, and when we found out that we outnumber the enemy, I have become quite confident. But some of the veteran soldiers warned us that the Bulgarians are tougher opponents than we may think. Yet, I could not comprehend how a handful of them could penetrate the castle and present any danger.





Our levied spearmen were deployed at the gate, and a bit behind them were our professional infantry soldiers. On the walls, we had our archers to support the fight in case the enemy breaks through. This looked reasonable, but Arnulf told me that if the archers had to shoot into the fighting crowd in the street, the casualties could quickly grow on both sides. He also told me to stay close to him, as he knew that I have not been in battle before. Still, I could not resist to run up the tower of the gatehouse to take a look at the enemy before the battle. I could hardly see anything except that they are led by horsemen, one of whom just signaled the attack.



It did not take long before they got to the northern gate. Some knights suggested to sally out and rout them on the open field, but the garrison captain warned everybody that we don't know if there is a second army hiding somewhere, and we should not risk such a battle. Soon one of our guards yelled that the enemy general got close enough and our archers opened fire. I could now see their riders, and was surprised how well armed they were, not what I expected from a largely barbaric kingdom.



Their levies, or I should say marauders, were eager to ram the gate, and did not fall back despite the heavy casualties they took. I was still looking out from the gatehouse when I realized that if they break through I would be trapped there. I hurried down and joined Arnulf and the others, just in time before the gate broke and the enemy stormed in.



Until that point I felt I am ready for my first battle. But as I saw how the Bulgarian general runs down our light infantry at the gate and heard the cries of men, my legs started to shake. I looked around and saw many of the veterans standing ready and confident. This was their home, and they were ready to defend it. Then I realized that now this is my home too. I felt a bit ashamed about my weakness, but it seemed that nobody else had noticed that. Everybody was keeping their eyes on the gate area where the Bulgarians quickly routed our levies.

Now it was our turn to fight.



As the enemy riders spurred their horses to charge our lines, I saw our archers on the wall turning and taking aim. I remember what Arnulf said, and hoped that it would not be me who takes an arrow from above. Fortunately, the space was not enough for the enemy to speed up to full gallop, and our first line was able to absorb their charge without being broken.



The Bulgarian general's bodyguards were veterans and fought well. Their horses had protective armor too, and it was not easy for our men to dismount them. I was in the back of the formation and had nothing to do but to observe the fight at the moment. By then the fear has left me and I was impatient to enter the melee.

I kept looking up the parapets to see when our archers fire into the melee, but I saw that they turned again, and targeted the Bulgarian infantry which came through the gate. A minute later the Bulgarians appeared on the walls too and attacked the archers. I thought that if I had stayed in the gatehouse I may have been dead by now. While I was worried about the melee on the walls, I was also relieved that the danger of arrows randomly killing men was over for now. Foolishly, I kept my eyes on the walls for too long.

"Watch out!" shouted somebody, and I felt that something ran into me. I lost my balance for a moment and almost dropped my sword. It was a horse, and I saw a rider raising his sword to strike. But he was not aiming at me, rather at another man on his other side. The next moment I heard a cry as the strike hit one of our soldiers, although I could not see who that was as the horse blocked my view. Then the rider turned his body at my direction, and I realized that I was going to be the next target. I quickly stroke at him with my sword, but missed the rider and hit the horse instead. I did not wound the animal, but it moved which made it impossible for the rider to reach me for the moment. While he tried to control his horse I was looking for the chance strike at him again, and felt that now I had the advantage in this fight.

Then something hit my back with brute force.

My back plate blocked the hit, but it was strong enough to push me on the ground. For a moment I felt that I am going to die by either the horse trampling me or this new enemy stabbing me. As I desperately rolled on my back, I saw a Bulgarian foot soldier raising his spear to finish me off. Not in my first battle, I thought, it cannot be.

Then I heard the sound of bones breaking and the enemy soldier's head was chopped off. As his body fell, I saw Arnulf behind him. He saved my life.

"I told you to stay around me," he said and helped me get up. "There is still plenty of fighting to do!"

I looked around and saw that several of the Bulgarian riders are still on their horses, and the ground is littered with dead and wounded soldiers from both sides. The rider I was fighting disappeared, but the Bulgarian infantry was now inside, fighting with our men. I grabbed my sword to fight again. But then I heard cheers, and somebody shouted "We killed him!"



A moment later the Bulgarian banner fell on the ground and the enemy routed. They had to run the gauntlet through the gate with our archers firing at them as they fled. I don't think many has escaped, especially that several of our men mounted their horses and went after them.



And that was my first battle. I have not done anything worthy to note, but stayed alive and lived to tell the tale. I have seen men dying for what they believed in or maybe just for the promise of some loot to make their miserable lives better.

The air in the area inside the gate was heavy with the stench of carnage. There was no wind, and I felt dizzy again. I stumbled outside the gate and took off my helmet to feel the breeze on my face. For a few minutes I forgot the battle and the fact that I almost died. But then one of our knights arrived back from the chase and yelled, "Close the gate, another army is coming!"

The fight was not yet over.
~

[Marvzilla]

Nice.Love how he is thrown into the battle,and it shows how much of a newb he is.
Is the next chapter coming soob ? As the end is a cliffhanger.´´

[Robin de Bodemloze]

If you read the last AAR you will know Radzeer is rather fond of such cliffhangers

Great update! I loved the transformation in young Robert as the battle came to him. He will need to shape up quickly if he doesn't want to become just another set of forgotten bones in a far away land

Can't wait for the next update

[Ichon]

Wow, Sicilian Vespers should use that 2nd shot from the top at the very least as a loading screen- If I only saw that I would want to play. That is Adrianople from vanilla as well? I don't ever remember seeing such a walls over the hill setup on a castle before but it looks very cool, more historical than many of the Norman looking castles that you normally see.

[Ganbarenippon]

I like how much like a desperate crusader state the Empire feels, even though it technically isn't one. I mean in the way the internal structure has been placed. A French monarchy supported by a patchwork of other nationalities; none of whom are best friends and all of whom have their own ends, Even as greedy Genoan and Venetian merchants play their games from the shadows, and all the while the enemies of the Empire lurk beyond its borders hungrily eyeing the grandest prize of all. Throw in a peasantry that is fractious, owing to the different religion and nationality of their overlords and you have the recipe for an epic! I haven't even gotten to the potential roles the Muslim powers or the papacy might yet play, let alone the other Christian monarchs! The possibilities are endless!

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

The start of a very long journey has begun... and it began with a battle

A great update Radzeer The battle pics were top-notch, what size are they? Looking forward to more although...*
*Leaving it as a cliff-hanger

[Scottish King]

Very good! This is going to be a interesting tale!

[Radzeer]

Nice.Love how he is thrown into the battle,and it shows how much of a newb he is.
Is the next chapter coming soob ? As the end is a cliffhanger.´´

Thanks, and yes, the next chapter is coming soon... well, sooner than this one for sure. The battle continues and we'll see if he'll get any better in fighting.

If you read the last AAR you will know Radzeer is rather fond of such cliffhangers

Great update! I loved the transformation in young Robert as the battle came to him. He will need to shape up quickly if he doesn't want to become just another set of forgotten bones in a far away land

Can't wait for the next update

Thank you! Yes, it must have been tough to get to a new place that young and thrown into the mess. I kind of liked the idea that people don't born as heroes.

Wow, Sicilian Vespers should use that 2nd shot from the top at the very least as a loading screen- If I only saw that I would want to play. That is Adrianople from vanilla as well? I don't ever remember seeing such a walls over the hill setup on a castle before but it looks very cool, more historical than many of the Norman looking castles that you normally see.

Yes, I loved that castle, especially with the mountains behind it. I have not played vanilla a lot, but the model is the same as Ragusa in SS. I fought there in my Hungarian AAR:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It's not entirely the same, but the basic layout is. Great place!

I like how much like a desperate crusader state the Empire feels, even though it technically isn't one. I mean in the way the internal structure has been placed. A French monarchy supported by a patchwork of other nationalities; none of whom are best friends and all of whom have their own ends, Even as greedy Genoan and Venetian merchants play their games from the shadows, and all the while the enemies of the Empire lurk beyond its borders hungrily eyeing the grandest prize of all. Throw in a peasantry that is fractious, owing to the different religion and nationality of their overlords and you have the recipe for an epic! I haven't even gotten to the potential roles the Muslim powers or the papacy might yet play, let alone the other Christian monarchs! The possibilities are endless!

Well, you captured a lot of the plot already! What will I do now?
But you are right, this period and faction just gives a lot to play with!

The start of a very long journey has begun... and it began with a battle

A great update Radzeer The battle pics were top-notch, what size are they? Looking forward to more although...*
*Leaving it as a cliff-hanger

Thanks, the pics are my standard 800 pixel width (resized by Imageshack). The texture is not as rich as in SS, but there are some really cool things.

Very good! This is going to be a interesting tale!

Thank you, and I'll try to live up these expectations.

[Marvzilla]

[QUOTE=Radzeer;11300877]Thanks, and yes, the next chapter is coming soon... well, sooner than this one for sure. The battle continues and we'll see if he'll get any better in fighting.



Party Time !!

[Thokran]

A very enjoyable start to what is surely going to be one hell of a damn good AAR! You already know I'll be keeping up with this one, so keep up the great work, because I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Schrödinger]

I sincerely hope this hotchpotch of Franks gets re-conquered by Roman valour. Good thing you beat the Bulgarians though, they are even more barbarian than your sort.

Nice to see another AAR in the area, excellent characterisation of the period, creating an excellent atmosphere already!

Also, Sicilian Vespers is my favourite mod, you're not doing much wrong, keep it up

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

That picture of the castle from below does look awesome, a bit of a bird's nest up the mountain.

You are now in more senses than one the master of cliffhangers.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[MT2W FKoC AAR] Times full of Distemper
Reviewed by robinzx at the Critic's Quill, Issue 31

[Radzeer]

[QUOTE=Marvzilla;11305690]

Thanks, and yes, the next chapter is coming soon... well, sooner than this one for sure. The battle continues and we'll see if he'll get any better in fighting.



Party Time !!

Ok, I'm sure Greece at that time was much less fun.

A very enjoyable start to what is surely going to be one hell of a damn good AAR! You already know I'll be keeping up with this one, so keep up the great work, because I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you for your eternal support. Your current story had a lot to do with me starting this in SV.

I sincerely hope this hotchpotch of Franks gets re-conquered by Roman valour. Good thing you beat the Bulgarians though, they are even more barbarian than your sort.

Nice to see another AAR in the area, excellent characterisation of the period, creating an excellent atmosphere already!

Also, Sicilian Vespers is my favourite mod, you're not doing much wrong, keep it up

Thanks! Yes, so far I only dared to pick on those lower in the barbarian chain...
I really got to love SV, it just throws the atmosphere at you.

That picture of the castle from below does look awesome, a bit of a bird's nest up the mountain.

You are now in more senses than one the master of cliffhangers.

Believe it or not, this cliffhanger was not entirely intentional. The chapter was so much delayed that I did not want to keep you guys waiting for more, and the second part was still not fully written. The past few weeks have been quite busy.

---

Thanks everybody for the patience! The update is coming in an hour or two.

[Radzeer]

2. Meeting with the king

The war council at Adrianople was deeply concerned about the appearance of the second Bulgarian army. This time we were outnumbered by a large margin. Fortunately, the enemy was not led by a noteworthy general and took too much time to set camp under the walls, so we were at least safe for the moment and could bury our fallen soldiers. Still, I could not escape the feeling that my adventures in Greece would be short lived.

Next morning what seemed to be a hopeless situation turned much brighter as a runner arrived with the news that no other, but King Henri is expected to come to our aid. The King's army was just a day's distance from Adrianople. This was excellent news, however I couldn't help but wonder that the Duke of Montferrat may have been right when he said that the King is more eager to help Adrianople than Thessalonica. The enemy commander must have received the news at the same time, as by noon we saw the Bulgarians leaving their camp and trying to run back to their homeland.

Not long before supper another runner arrived, and informed us that the King's army has blocked the way back to the north and we can expect a battle the next day. He also delivered his order that the garrison should attack the Bulgarians from the south when the battle starts. Our men were eager to fight, and the garrison commander selected some four hundred of us who were going to go to battle the next day.



Arnulf and I were among those that were selected too. I hoped to fight better than in my first battle about which I felt no pride. Also, my brother told me that after this coming battle - of which he had no doubt to end in victory - he will present me before the King, and that would determine my position in Greece. This obviously meant that I could not bring shame upon my head in the fight again.

The next day dark clouds gathered as we marched north in the shadow of the mountains. Although it was hardly midday yet, it seemed as if the night would fall upon us soon. The cold breeze made me shiver, no matter how hard I swore to myself that I would look confident and strong. Our small army was mostly archers and levied spearmen, and a few knights from those that Arnulf brought from Picardy. Timing was very important because if we reached the enemy before the main battle starts they could have easily crushed us.

Light rain started when we arrived at our battle positions. In the distance we saw the Bulgarian army deployed on the main road to the north, and King Henri in strong positions on a hillside. The skirmish was already under way, as the Bulgarian light cavalry tried to lure the King's men out of their battle formation. Their efforts were unsuccessful, in fact they were decimated by the archers who held the higher ground.



Seeing the failure of his plan, the enemy commander ordered a full scale attack. The Bulgarian heavy cavalry charged up the hill. The Frank archers fell back, and the charge hit the Slav light infantry fighting in the King's army. At that time it was shocking for me to see how many mercenaries were on our side, as I well underestimated the lack of Frank knights in Greece.



Just like at Adrianople, I was amazed how tough the enemy heavy cavalry was. The Slav mercenaries fell by the dozen, and when the enemy infantry arrived I feared that the pressure on our troops becomes too great to handle. Soon the entire battle line was in the melee, and from the distance it seemed that the Bulgarian army slowly but surely makes its way up the hill.

"Look at that," said Arnulf, pointing toward the top of the hill where the King's banner was held high. "This is the sign for us to engage."

Our men advanced toward the hill to attack the Bulgarian right flank. As we marched, I heard the sound of a horn, and in the next moment the King's personal company came charging down the hill, smashing into the Bulgarian heavy cavalry.



It was a glorious moment and I felt proud of the men from Flanders. Obviously, the King was not willing to stay behind and personally led his soldiers to battle. This reminded me that if he is in the middle of the fight, none of his knights could excuse himself. And that included myself. I looked at Arnulf who put on his helmet, and I followed his example. Now I only had a narrow opening to look at the battlefield. Much of the world around me has disappeared and the sounds of the battle on the hill were muffled.

Our archers were at the front, and met the enemy first. The Bulgarian commander saw us and sent his reserves against us. We saw the enemy spearmen approaching in a dense formation, making it easy for our archers to fire at them. It seemed as an easy massacre, but I drew my sword to be ready for whatever comes.



To my surprise, the Bulgarians continued their advance despite the losses. In a few minutes, they reached our archers who quickly scattered from them, and with that I found myself facing the enemy in a melee again. As much as I could see the Bulgarian infantrymen were poorly armed and most of them had no armor either. But they were fierce, almost animal-like as they charged our line. I was in the second row, just behind one of our levied soldiers, a man almost a head taller than myself. He raised his spear to stab the first attacker coming close enough to him.

But his movement was never finished, because suddenly he fell as an arrow pierced his eye.



I had no idea where that arrow came from. Our archers were behind our lines now and it was impossible for them to hit our soldiers from the front. My helmet did not allow me to see the entire battlefield, and I frantically looked left and right to find the new threat. Finally, I noticed some riders right behind the enemy infantry and realized that the Bulgarian horse archers that were useless in the battle on the slope arrived to support their reserves.

But I did not have much time to think about all these, as I was now in the front line. The enemy was just a few paces away, charging against us. I squeezed the hilt of my sword so hard that my fingers started to hurt. In front of me was the dead body of that tall soldier with the arrow still sticking out from his skull. I never learned who he was, but he saved my life. The enemy soldier running at me with a battle cry held his spear out to stab me. I swung my sword to block the spear, but I was too late. Yet, in the next moment he tripped in that dead body and his spear missed me entirely. As he was trying to regain his balance and turned his back to me, he was hopelessly defenseless. All I ever learned about fighting was in my reflex move as I stroke at his neck.

The only sound I heard was the crack of the bone before he fell. I killed a man for the first time in my life.

It is hard to say what I felt. It was not relief nor glory, but the fear was now gone and for I moment I was sure that I could defeat the enemy by myself.

"Come on, dogs!" I yelled and raised my sword to strike at the next enemy closest to me. He was a short man with a beard and a round shield. He just had enough time to block my strike with his shield, but could not turn his spear quick enough and my second strike hit his thigh. He cried and fell on the ground.



"That's two, little brother!" shouted Arnulf who just appeared next to me. "Looks like I don't need to save you anymore!" And with that he was gone again, charging into the mass of the enemy with a few other knights. They seemed unstoppable in their armor and the Bulgarians frantically tried to avoid their swords. I caught some movement from the corner of my eye and turned left. Another enemy soldier came attacking, but with little enthusiasm which then disappeared entirely. After a minute of exchanging strikes I saw that he is looking left and right, trying to find his way out of the battle. We clearly had the upper hand by now, and while I could not see the fight on the slope, I was sure that the King was very close to victory.

The next moment I heard the sound of the horn again, and our men cheered. As a reaction, my opponent looked up for a split second, inadvertently lowering his weapon. That was a fatal mistake, and I leaned forward and stabbed my sword into his chest. He looked at me with disbelief in his eyes before he fell. As I turned around to look for another enemy, I saw that the whole Bulgarian army was routing.

Suddenly I felt exhausted. It seemed as if my helmet was trying to suffocate me, so I took it off. Now I could see the entire battlefield again, with the enemy running in every direction. Then I heard hooves from my right. For a second I was afraid that these were Bulgarian horsemen who may trample me while they flee, but the riders that appeared on their mighty stallions wore blue and red colors.

Leading them I saw a knight in an ornate armor. While I could not see his face, as they rode by me chasing the enemy I noticed that he had a small golden cross on the top of his helmet. There was only one person allowed to wear the cross like that. It was King Henri himself.



"And that was the King, Robert," said Arnulf who appeared again by me. "I have not seen him for years, but he has changed nothing."

"I am exhausted," I said.

"Of course you are. You fought bravely, which Henri will like when you meet him. Come, there is nothing left for us to do here. The day is ours, and it is time to celebrate."

I put my sword back to the scabbard, and took a final glance at the battlefield. There was no shame on me that day, I concluded, and followed Arnulf. Hardly more than a hundred Bulgarians escaped, while hundreds were taken prisoners. The dungeons of Adrianople were full that night. Victory was ours, and I was anxious to meet the King who saved us all.





The main hall of the Adrianople castle was unimpressive and simple even compared to Thessalonica, let alone to Constantinople. Yet, Henri did not seem to be bothered by all this. He probably had enough opportunities for a luxurious life in the capital, and may have liked to live the life of a knight from time to time. Arnulf told me that he was the governor of Adrianople while his brother was the king, so he has long thought of this city as his home.

He warmly greeted Arnulf whom he had not seen for years.

"We are glad to see you back, Arnulf de Loup, as we have not forgotten your past deeds! Men like you are strong pillars of the Imperium."

"And I am glad to be of service, my lord," Arnulf bowed. "I have brought a few men from Picardy many of whom already distinguished themselves in battle in Greece."

"The strength of your men is not in numbers but in their skills." Henri looked at me. "I see you brought somebody with a great resemblance to yourself as well."

Arnulf nodded me to step forward. "This is my younger brother, Robert, my lord. He fought bravely in the battle for the glory of the realm."

"Is that so?" asked the King, and turned to me. "How many men did you kill?"

I saw that some of the knights stare at me, probably wondering what I am going to say. But I knew I cannot lie to the King.

"Only two my lord. And stroke down a third one, but I have not seen him die."

"You hear this, good men? Only two?" Henri laughed, and I felt it was not the answer he was looking for. Some of the knights smiled. But I was mistaken about him. "Well, young Robert, with two kills you have doubled the weight of your service today." Then he turned back to the others. "And if this young man will follow the footsteps of his brother, we will have nothing to fear!"

I was relieved, and felt that my introduction went well. The King turned to the next knight waiting to talk with him, and Arnulf and I joined the men at the common table for dinner.

"So what do you think of Henri?" asked my brother.

"He is certainly in a good mood. I think he knows his men well and is a popular king."

"That is all true. But he is also more of a politician rather than a general. He rules the realm with compromise and negotiations as much as with force. Some say he is too soft for an emperor."

"But we are at war with all our neighbors! What do they want from him?"

"Many here and in Italy and France as well would expect him to invade Asia Minor, and eliminate what's left of the Byzantine Empire. They want crusader states and the Latin Church all the way to the Holy Land."

"And isn't that what we fight for?" I was puzzled again.

Arnulf sighed. "Yes and no. We barely hold Greece and have no strength to expand to the east. Henri has to make this realm strong enough first. But that is not as glorious as fighting for Christ in the Holy Land."

"What about Rome? Could the pope encourage more people to come?"

"He could, but he does not like how tolerant Henri is with the Greek population here. We get very little help from Rome, and that is one of our big difficulties." He poured me some wine. "But let's not worry about this now! You made a good impression on him, and I see a bright future for you in Greece!"

I remember clearly that I had good feelings about my future there too, especially after those two battles we have won. I had no ideas how grave the situation would turn soon... Two weeks later a Bulgarian envoy arrived with the ransom.



I was a bit worried to let these men return to their ruler to fight against us in the future, but Henri needed all the money he could get. And as many of us said, these ransomed prisoners weren't skilled soldiers anyway, rather peasants, bandits and marauders who could not stand against our armies in battle.

Thinking back to that day though, we should have just executed them all.
~

[Robin de Bodemloze]

It's finally here good to see Robert finally getting his hands dirty. Loved the description of his feelings through the battle.

Thinking back to that day though, we should have just executed them all.

Dark days are ahead it would seem..

[Ganbarenippon]

Indeed.

[Shankbot de Bodemloze]

Great update, the battle description was good, and the pictures were excellent

Let's hope Robert continues his success, and with friends like the King - and the help of some 'divine intervention' I'm sure he will

An ominous ending, I wonder

Keep it up!

[Scottish King]

Thinking back to that day though, we should have just executed them all.

A great set up for the next chapter and the rest of the story. The Bulgarians must become a pain and nuisance sometime in the future!

[Radzeer]

It's finally here good to see Robert finally getting his hands dirty. Loved the description of his feelings through the battle.

Dark days are ahead it would seem..

Thank you, I'm trying to focus on how he matures into this new position. And yes, dark days are ahead...

Indeed.

Exactly.

Great update, the battle description was good, and the pictures were excellent

Let's hope Robert continues his success, and with friends like the King - and the help of some 'divine intervention' I'm sure he will

An ominous ending, I wonder

Keep it up!

Thank you! I have to tell you though that I am not fully satisfied with the pictures yet, and that is one reason why the updates come slower. Somehow the sky, the surroundings and the unit textures do not come together the way how I want them. There is still a lot of experimentation going on...

A great set up for the next chapter and the rest of the story. The Bulgarians must become a pain and nuisance sometime in the future!

The Bulgarians are indeed a pain, and they are much stronger than what I expected (I love that by the way). Their heavy cavalry seems particularly strong and they can bring down stack after stack.

Thank you guys for all the support, I try to get the next chapter uploaded by Sunday evening, but I won't promise anything.