But in the meantime, the news had already spread among the guests, the kind of capable of shocking even the person least interested in the fate of the war.

"The armies of Barons Melk and Ortis have been intercepted on the road to Falken." said the messenger after the General and his sons had secluded themselves in a small library next to the ballroom. "The enemy surprised them in marching order and routed them. Baron Melk fell into enemy hands, while Baron Ortis died in battle."

In one fell swoop the rebellion had lost two of its most authoritarian and symbolic leaders.

But the truly shocking thing was the way in which that defeat had developed.

It was already not normal for an army to proceed separately, but in a thousand and more years of history military campaigns had always been decided by a single battle, with two generals facing each other at the head of their respective armies.

Since when did an Imperial General have so much faith in his officers that he trusted them not only to march separately, but to actually attack on their own?

"What about Virilus? Is there any news about him?"

Baron Virilus was the lord of the lands in which the Falken Valley was located, and was also the General's closest friend and collaborator, one of the initiators together with him of the revolt to which others had subsequently joined.

"He should have reached the valley by now." Ophelia said

"Send him a messenger immediately to inform him of what has happened. Tell him that he must fortify the valley with everything he has. And tell him we'll reach him in five days."

"Yes sir."

"Send messengers to every province. I want all the Barons here in Glasnet tomorrow evening for a general council."



Once the guests were sent away, Severus then went to sleep, leaving peremptory orders to wake him up if other important news arrived.

But important news arrived only the next morning, while the General and his sons were having breakfast; and it was news they never wanted to receive.

"Baron Virilus is dead, General! The enemy surprised him in Falken during the night, while they were still preparing the defenses!"

"But how was it possible!?" Primus yelled, now convinced like his sister that he was in a bad dream. "Latest reports said the enemy was at least thirty miles away from the valley! How did they get there so quickly?"

"They must have marched at night too." Severus said darkly. "And being only two legions, their advance was much more agile."

Their worst nightmares were coming true.

In ten years, the imperial legions had never gone beyond the Falken Valley, nor had they managed to kill any of the leaders of the revolt. This new commander, whoever he was, had achieved in three days what his predecessors had not achieved in a decade.

And it wasn't over yet.

As Severus feared the loyalty of many Barons was anything but certain; so it was that even before midday many other explorers arrived with the news that almost all the Barons of the westernmost regions were surrendering one after the other without even fighting, leaving the imperial army free to advance without obstacles along three different fronts.

That evening, at the general council among all the rebel commanders, in addition to the host, there were just five Barons sitting at the table; Lady Octavia, Lord Dias, and Generals Vorenus, Brenicus, and Abelard.

"There's no point in lying, my friends. The situation is quite dramatic. Nearly all the provinces further west have fallen or surrendered, and the enemy is now advancing with virtually no resistance."

"They're just a bunch of idiots if they think the Emperor will take pity on them." Vorenus said. "When we took up the sword we knew well that this path could only lead us to victory or to the gallows."

"I would like to know why they waited so long to turn this General against us." said Abelard "Do we even know who he is?"

"I heard rumors that there is a woman leading the army." said Brenicus. "The daughter of the Grand Duke of Eirinn, they say."

"What do we do, Severus? By now the imperial army has almost reached the borders of my province."

"Don't worry Octavia, we won't abandon you. I promise you that they will not proceed further in their advance."

"What are you thinking about?" Dias asked

"The enemy is currently advancing along three directions. But all the roads they are traveling on converge here. And this is an obligatory passage, given that from here you can control the bridge that passes over the Asmar. Without this bridge the enemy would have to push much further north to cross the river, wasting time. This plain will be ideal for the clash. The forest will prevent encirclement, and from this hill we will dominate the battlefield."

"If they keep up this pace they will be there in less than a week." said Abelard «Will we be able to settle up our defenses in such a short time?»

"We already have thirty-five thousand men available. We are outnumbered, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time. Vorenus, how long would it take you to gather your forces?"

"As you know, my fifteen thousand soldiers are almost all volunteers and conscripts. Since the harvest will be coming soon, I sent them home to take care of the fields. To recall them, rearm them and take them west..."

"Can you make it there within a week?"

"I definitely can."

"Then it's all in your hands, my friend. We will go there, take possession of the plain and prepare for battle. It is vital that you reach us in time."

"Count on me, I won't let you down."

"Everyone, get ready. I want every last available soldier. If necessary, also arm the slaves and promise them freedom in case of victory. I've already done it with mine. We only have to win this last battle. If we manage to survive this too, then it will mean that Gaia is truly at our side, and at that point not even the Emperor will be able to deny it anymore."



The Asmar valley was the point where the Galath mountain range that marked the north-eastern border between the Empire and the Grand Duchy of Eirinn thinned out in a succession of vast plains, interspersed along the river with cultivated fields and dense forests.

It was a raging river, difficult to cross, so any large crossing was a treasure to be defended at all costs.

From the hill overlooking the battlefield Severus could see behind him the large stone bridge they had passed over and to the left the small village of Hoselveck.

As the scouts had predicted, the three armies had converged on the plain from the east, north, and south, arriving in shocking coordination around noon on the seventh day and establishing their camp about two miles away.

The soldiers were certainly exhausted from the long march, which must have been interrupted only for fighting or for brief moments of rest, and the outbreak of a storm had been a more than valid reason for the enemy to postpone the battle until the following day.

All the better, Severus had said to himself, since Vorenus would certainly have had plenty of time to arrive with reinforcements.

At sunrise, at the end of a night in which the General spent the most pleasant sleep of his life, the two sides positioned themselves on the battlefield.

Severus had arranged the troops in two lines, with the veterans in front of the center under the command of his son and the younger soldiers lined up immediately behind him, led by his daughter. General Abelard commanded the left wing, while on the right Brenicus' cavalry was deployed, including two thousand of the infamous Nordic knights, in whom Severus placed great hopes. The conscripted reserves of Barons Octavia and Dias completed the formation.

The imperial army responded with a formation that was atypical to say the least, in which what immediately caught the eye was that the enemy commander had only deployed four legions, making the numerical difference much smaller than expected.



Aria had deployed the ninth legion on the left, the fifth and sixth in the center, the cavalry between the center and the flank and the ninth on the left. A large group of auxiliaries and mercenaries acting as reserves completed the deployment.

"Why did her deploy the veterans of the fourth on one side and the recruits of the ninth on the opposite side?" Severus rightly wondered. "If our cavalry were to break through, that flank would be exposed."

There was certainly something going on, so much so that the General immediately gave up the idea of starting the battle with a first light cavalry charge, as was his habit.

Narrating the clash between armies that faced each other according to the military doctrine of Saedonia was certainly not a novelist's dream; no assaults of barbarians who launched themselves like a herd of buffaloes against the ordered imperial lines, greeted by arrows and decimated by siege weapons, no heroic charges that dealt the final blow.

It was an exhausting and tiring battle, with two lines of infantrymen facing each other in tight formation until one of the two gave in to the pressure and retreated, giving way to the one immediately behind. The first commander to run out of lines, or whose cavalry routed allowing the opposing cavalry to attack the flank, or whose wings gave way leaving the center undefended had lost.

That's all. At most, you could use a little strategy to try to maximize your efforts, but in the end it was essentially experience that determined the winner.

However, Severus thought, Miss Montgomery must have missed that lesson at the academy, otherwise she would have lined up the veterans of the fourth legion in the center instead of on the flank.

The battle began at nine in the morning.

And contrary to what was customary for the old commanders - with the exception of Severus obviously - it was the cavalry that opened the dance, trotting forward followed by the ninth and sixth and thus forming a sort of arrowhead aimed at the flank of the enemy formation.

The rest of the imperial army also moved shortly thereafter, in a sort of oblique line with the right flank more advanced than the left, a large portion of auxiliaries supporting the latter and the remaining part, certainly veterans, closing the gap in the center.



Not even a madman would have brought forward his entire army without keeping at least some reserves; Aria, Severus thought, must have been very enterprising or very reckless to commit such imprudence.

Ableard ordered his men to remain still and await the impact, firing volleys of arrows as soon as the enemies were close enough.

At the moment in which the trot became a charge the soldiers raised their lances, and even if much more was needed to worry the imperial horses and knights, that sharp wall managed to remain compact, absorbing the impact of the cavalry and subsequently the infantry without falling apart and engaging the enemy in close combat.



The maneuver, although not successful in the attempt to take the enemy on the flank, however had the desired effect, and little by little the imperial line seemed to lose cohesion, first stopping and then even starting to give way, retreating a few meters.

To prevent the veteran auxiliaries from being able to provide support and in the meantime close the gap that had opened in the centre, the old General also ordered Primus to advance. The young man, who was waiting for nothing else, immediately obeyed, throwing himself together with his men against the enemy like an enraged bull and proving once again his courage and his talent as a warrior.

"We have stopped the advance for now. Let's keep pushing."

"What do we do on the right side?"

On that side, the imperial troops had gradually slowed down their advance, perhaps because they were frightened by the fact that both in the center and on the right their comrades were struggling.

"They are not a threat yet, and they are marching in close formation with the pikemen in the front. Attacking them now would only damage our cavalry. Furthermore, from where they are located they can easily block an attack on the centre's flanks. Tell Brenicus to stay put."

Too bad that Brenicus was just as impetuous and fiery as his knights, who didn't even think about giving up his share of glory in that epic clash.

So, at the sight of the legions that after having lost all momentum seemed to even begin to retreat, he didn't think twice about doing another of his famous crazy things.

"Sound the charge!"

"But General, we have received no orders."

"To hell with the orders, all it takes is one last shot and that mass of wimps will run away like rabbits! Attack, my braves! The enemy is in front of us!"

Naturally, Severus was not at all happy to see all the knights of his army attack without authorization, leaving the right flank completely undefended.

"Damn dumbass!"

The arrival of such a charge would have made anyone run away, but despite being mostly young recruits with little experience, incredibly, the imperial troops remained steadfast.

The pikemen planted their weapons firmly in the ground, forming a forest of spikes against which many horses and their riders ended up impaled. Then, once the shock had been adequately absorbed, the three lines that proceeded one behind the other opened like a fan, creating a pocket in which Brenicus and his men, despite managing not to be surrounded, found themselves attacked on three sides.

But the Nordic knights had not earned their reputation as devils on horseback for no reason; their experience, as well as apparent absence of fear, allowed them, despite the situation, not only to resist, but even at a certain point to prevail, starting to forcefully push the enemy further and further back almost to its starting positions.



It would have been enough for just one of the three units engaged in combat to be routed to leave Aria and her staff dangerously exposed. But despite this, the young Montgomery did not seem willing to move to safer positions, motionlessly observing the battle surrounded by her men.

"She has guts. I'll give her that."

The situation was then reversed, with the rebels pushing and the imperial legions trying to maintain their position.

And just at this moment some more than welcome news arrived.

"General, some villagers say they saw troops coming from the northeast!"

"Vorenus has finally arrived. Send him a messenger. As soon as he arrives he must immediately attack the enemy right flank."

"Yes, General!"

"It's a perfect opportunity, Severus. Let's move the reserves forward."

"Not at all, Dias."

"But..."

"There is still a legion out there that we know nothing about. For all we know it could pop up anywhere at any time."

"Our scouts haven't told us anything." Octavia said. "They might even be miles from here."

"I don't intend to run out of men until I have a clear idea of what I can expect. It's just a matter of being patient for a few more hours until Vorenus arrives."

Thus the situation remained essentially at a standstill, with the rebel forces unable to deal the final blow and the legions too exhausted by the advance and the prolonged clash to regain ground.

Severus for his part didn't know how to behave; logic suggested taking advantage of the moment and sending forward reserves to push further, but instinct on the other hand told him to wait, fearing that the crazy head he had heard so much about had something else in store for them.

Unfortunately, not even in his worst nightmares could he have predicted what Aria had in mind.

Even if Volkova generously financed the rebels' activities, and the Barons themselves were certainly not poor people, arming and equipping tens of thousands of men certainly didn't cost little.

It thus happened very often that the rebel armies were equipped in a very non-homogeneous way, sometimes reusing the same imperial uniforms from which the insignia was simply removed.

Therefore, especially for farmers who were not used to seeing soldiers passing by, it was easy to mistake a real imperial legion for allied soldiers, especially if it did not carry insignia.

The truth was that Vorenus and his men, already the day before, had been surprised, attacked and swept away in the middle of the march; the Seventh Legion had moved with speed never seen before, fording the river further north and moving through the woods to fall on the enemies when they least expected it.

That the farmers and locals had confused them for rebel troops heading towards battle was only a very fortuitous and very welcome coincidence, which had the only effect of revealing what was happening when it was already too late.

"It's not Vorenus!" Severus exclaimed at the sight of the newcomers appearing from over the hill and moving to cross the bridge. "It's the enemy!"

Before anyone could even think about doing anything, the Seventh Legion had already crossed the river and was preparing to enter battle.

All Severus could do was order half his reserves to immediately rush to the aid of the left flank before it could be attacked from behind. Indeed, the maneuver was successful and the situation remained under control, but the truly dramatic thing was that now the main escape route in case of defeat had been severed.



And unfortunately it didn't take long before the soldiers in battle also realized it, with all the inevitable consequences; fear gave way to boldness, confidence in victory became fear of defeat.

Thus the situation was reversed again, and with the sole exception of Brenicus' cavalry all the rest of the rebel front began to retreat again, while the imperial troops became increasingly bolder.

At least almost all of the rebel soldiers were veterans, who knew the stakes and who were willing to fight to the death if necessary, knowing full well what could happen to those captured if the enemy commander was in a bad mood that day.

The battle risked freezing, returning to being a clash of attrition in which will prevailed.

A decisive blow was needed.

Which arrived promptly.

It came in the form of two large units of cavalry, appearing almost out of nowhere on the battlefield to Severus' right under the command of Oreste himself.

The General could not have known it, but those units had already detached themselves from the army several days ago, and following the orders to the letter they had completed a long tour, moving east of the battlefield and reaching the battlefield even before the arrival of the two armies. Once here they had waited, well hidden behind a wooded hill, for the order to attack.

With a blast of trumpets, the over a thousand knights rushed forcefully both against Brenicus' cavalry, hitting them from behind, and at the few reserves left at Severus' disposal, overwhelming them before they could try to react.

At that point, the consequences were swift and inevitable.

More and more frightened and confused, all sectors of the imperial deployment lost cohesion, desperately fighting no longer to win but only to try to save their lives until they found themselves isolated from each other.

On the left, the reserves were outflanked by the Seventh Legion, ending up fighting back to back with their comrades until they found themselves surrounded.

On the right, the cavalry continued to fight strenuously, but pressed from all directions they suffered a trickle that turned into a desperate flight when the soldiers saw Brenicus pulled from his horse and finished off with spears.

Only the center resisted, inspired by Primus, and it seemed that despite everything that part of the front could resist a little longer, perhaps inspiring everyone else with its example.

Too bad that at that point, as if she wanted to close the issue once and for all, Aria did something that no other general before her had done in the last two hundred years; she unsheathed her saber, and waving the imperial flag and the family banner at the same time, she personally launched the charge.

Primus and his men were overwhelmed and cut like weeds by the scythe, and it was Aria herself who decapitated the opposing commander with a precise blow and then headed straight towards the heart of the enemy formation.

Isolated, with his army dispersed or routed, with the image of his son who died in combat in his eyes, the old General had no other choice. At the same time as Dias stuck the dagger in his chest and Octavia ingested the contents of her ring, the rebel flag was lowered, and before Aria's charge could even reach them Severus and his guard had already laid down their weapons.



And so, the Battle of Hoselveck was over.

An operation lasting ten days had put an end to a civil war that had been going on for ten years.

The symbol of the Montgomery family was a two-faced eagle. For this reason, within a few days, in every corner of the empire everyone would be talking only about her: the Eagle of Eirinn.