Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Unable to Move Yet Unable to Stay

“We’ve been holding our position for over a day now. News will get out eventually. What are we supposed to do?” A knight with a dark expression asked his peer. They had left with great hopes of victory and within a few days of crossing the Fiverian border the worst kind of tragedy struck.

“Duke Tetland is getting closer too. We might not have to face the Fiverians at all, but…” He did not need to say any more. They both knew about the conflicts that their lord and Duke Tetland had been having behind the scenes. The common soldiers might not but they definitely did.

“I would rather face the Fiverians than that man.” The first knight commented with a shudder. They knew full well that Duke Tetland would not let them off scot free. When he arrived, if he didn’t know already, he would soon find out that Duke Rotleach was now a cold corpse. And it was not a peaceful death.

“He would definitely use us as scapegoats, would he not?” There was no need for a response. They both knew that they would not live a day beyond Duke Tetland’s arrival. Even if they found the culprit, they would likely still be executed for failing to protect their liege. The Duke would make sure of that.

“Then do we move out?” It was not an easy question. If they moved, it would be much easier for outsiders to find out that something had happened to Duke Rotleach. It would be doubtful that Duke Burn would treat them with the same respect that he gave to the late Duke. In fact, it was more likely that he would try to permanently take control of the army that they now found themselves leading.

“And risk getting attacked?” They both knew that Duke Ryder would be more than happy to take advantage of any weakness. If they tried to meet up with Duke Burn, then Ryder would just turn around and attack them. And he had the bigger army. The only thing protecting them from that was that Duke Tetland was heading towards them. But he was the last man that they wanted to see.

“...”

“...”

“Do we try and surrender?” After several minutes of silence the second knight asked. Any move that they made was a bad move, if they surrendered then they might have a chance at coming out of their situation with their head still attached. 

“But who to?” They could never go to Duke Tetland, he would ensure that they die. Duke Ryder was renowned for being distrusting, and they had heard stories of how readily he threw away pawns. Duke Burn was a complete wild card, he could do anything and it would somehow not be surprising. Not reassuring for them.

“Their King?” Both men reached the same conclusion at the same time. He was at least the most predictable of the men who would leave them alive. But there were a few issues with that plan.

“How would we even reach him?” The pair might have been focused on making sure that news of Duke Rotleach’s death did not get out but that did not mean that they did not pay attention to their surroundings. They were well aware that Duke Ryder was in between themselves and the King of Fiveria.

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“If we both travelled south?” It was possible that it might work but it would depend on Duke Ryder and Duke Tetland being slow to respond. Not a likely scenario but not impossible.

“It might work.” It was not a great plan to pin all of their hopes on. But they did not have many options that could be called somewhat okay. Almost any move that they could make would likely end up with their death.

“Never mind that, why would he trust us?” It was true, Duke Rotleach had an agreement to help Duke Burn. Even if he had died, why would the King of Fiveria trust the knights of a man who had sided with rebels? At least it did not make sense to them.

“Would he even believe us if we told him that our liege is dead?” That was another problem. They had been hiding the fact that Duke Rotleach had died, even if they sent word to him asking to meet up, they had no way to prove that their liege was truly dead. It was not like they would be trustworthy sources for a man who was ostensibly their main enemy.

“Sire.” A voice from outside the tent called.

“Come in.” The second knight commanded. Both men knew that only the scouts would come to report to them, they had ordered as much since they found that the Duke had been poisoned to death.

“Duke Ryder is no longer headed towards our location, he has turned his focus back to Duke Burn.” The scout reported something that would solidify their decision. Any hope that meeting up with Duke Burn might help them was gone. Having stayed in the same place for over a day meant that even if they marched as fast as they could, Duke Ryder would get to Duke Burn first. And they were already uncertain about meeting with the Duke now that their liege was dead. This was the icing on the cake, there was not a chance that they were going to meet with Duke Burn.

“You may leave.” The first knight addressed the scout, who nodded and turned to leave. 

“King Aled?”. The second knight asked. It looked like that would be their only option if they wanted to survive.

“King Aled.” The first knight nodded in agreement. Regardless of what happened to their army, keeping their heads was their first priority. This was not a good bet by any means but it was definitely their best one.