The Kingdom

"I would have had it no other way."

I went to Phalon and mounted up and trotted forward of the main battle line, followed by Thanuel and Jarken. I looked to Thanuel only to see that he had the banner from the battle of Poretani tied off to the lance I had used. Where he had gotten it from I do not know as I had lost track of it.

Noticing my gaze he grinned and said, "Until the end."

I smiled, "The end is just the beginning for us old friend."

I turned back to the West and waited as the army formed a solid line off to either side of me. They filtered to the side and blended around the Tricans, but none stepped in front of them. The Tricans stood solid in their face-off against the threat from the West with all three great horns held high in alertness.

Time passed and the army at my back was silent, except for the jingle of harness and the metallic chink of metal on metal, as we watched the mixed multitude of the enemy draw close. I saw banners from several Kingdomer Nations and many from Nicationer Nations, although none from Crona.

There were also the usual enforcement henchmen of darkness as well. How else would the masses of the enemy's usurped army be held together if not for the fear of the creatures that evil had spawned.

I glanced behind me at the army that was in readiness to do battle. They were more impressive to behold than the force before us.

We were outnumbered by probably a hundred to one or more, but today it did not matter. I broke my stance of stillness and rode down the column to the left with my sword raised to them and then I rode back to the right side of the column in a silent salute to all those gathered upon this battlefield today that transcended more than just the physical plain of our existence as mortals upon this world.

Reaching the center of the line once more I called out as loudly as I could, "It is written in the Holy Scrolls that the role of a shepherd is to watch over the sheep and if called upon to even give up his life for the sheep. Today you and I are those shepherds! Today, though we sacrifice ourselves out of love for our families, we are by no means separated from them! Today we enter the Kingdom!!! Victory is already ours!!!" I wheeled Phalon around and he jumped forward with a will even as the whole battle line roared out behind me in echo to my own cry of war.