These old men and farm boys would fall before their superior numbers and experienced soldiers like flies. This was just the opportunity he had needed to redeem himself. He had barely escaped Kingdom Pass with his head after the great loss of troops his contingent had suffered. Within a half hour his force was gathered in readiness for battle.
Their battle line was more disorganized than he would have liked, but it would do and besides they had almost twice as many men as the enemy. They were almost within range and he raised his sword as he sat astride his mount in preparation to signal the first volley of arrows to be released into the fast approaching militia.
An aid pulled his horse up abruptly beside his, "Sir!"
"What?" The militia were within range. "Archers at the ready!" Commander Orlanthis bellowed out ignoring the aid.
The enemy militia suddenly stopped and issued forth a war cry before breaking into a run towards them wielding a wide assortment of weapons. The brave fools, what did they hope to gain by so impetuous a charge?
"Sir!"
"Confound it all man what is it?" Commander Orlanthis half screamed as he turned towards the aid prepared to cut him down in his anger with his sword.
The aid was shaking like a leaf and as pale as milk, as he pointed down the valley behind them. Before Commander Orlanthis could turn to look at what the aid was pointing at he heard it.
He froze up inside at the sounds of the horns that sounded out within the veiled morning mists, still hanging low in the valley behind them. Over the blare of the horns he could hear the roar of cavalry at full charge echoing up the valley towards them. Reluctantly he half turned in the saddle to witness his fate.
The gods were not with him, if there be any gods at all he thought abstractly to himself. Charging out of the morning mists like a monster from some forgotten fairytale came a solid line of cavalry, several rows deep and as wide as Commander Orlanthis's entire command.
Their lances were lowered as they thundered over the ground churning it up. The release of arrows that had been intended for the militia army from the city hadn't happened, because when the horns had sounded out from behind the army the army had turned almost as one, with dread filled eyes to behold what new torment the fateful horns had heralded in.
The army twisted about like a wounded animal between two predators not sure which would strike first and as a result it wasn't prepared when both opposing forces crashed into it. It was clear that Commander Orlanthis had underestimated the militia too.