15 Lucias Realization (1/2)

There were about 3000 city guards in Nirvana. This means that even if Timothy took 2000 with him, there would still be enough soldiers to defend the city in case of sudden 'incidents'.

Nevertheless Timothy insisted on putting up a recruitment notice. He preferred volunteers rather than people who were forced to follow him. That way, he can be sure of their courage and loyalty.

By afternoon, more than 5000 men answered his call. Since Nirvana could, at the moment, only support the logistics of 2000 people, Timothy was forced to screen the volunteers. More than half of the 2000 chosen volunteers were veteran soldiers.

Old men, Timothy though. But he knew that most of these old men had experienced battle before. So even though they're old, they would not break even with the charge of Tulosan Knights.

Furthermore, Timothy requested the assistance of Leons. The Leons were Castonia's answer to the Tulosan Knights. This heavy cavalry unit put emphasis on shock. All of them were loyal and would never break. At first the King was reluctant to send the Leons. But in the end he compromised and lent Timothy some of them.

By the end of the day, Timothy was done with his preparations. His army's composition was rather strange though, at least in the eyes of most people. Instead of relying on heavy infantry, he equipped a huge chunk of his army with crossbows. He also recruited a lot of cavalry.

Castonian tradition and culture put heavy emphasis on the use of heavy infantry. Since Castonia was blessed with rich mines, it could afford to equip its armies with armor. But Timothy knew that this reliance on heavy infantry was dangerous. The enemies have mobility on their side and mobile enemies will be difficult to deal with. The more mobile an army was, the more it could react to sudden changes. Castonian heavy infantry, although undefeated when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, were slow. Even if Timothy wins, we could not fully rout the enemies. A man on foot with heavy armor could never catch a man on horseback.

This was the reason why Timothy warned his father a long time ago of the vulnerability of Castonian heavy infantry. The victory against Tulosa 15 years ago was an exception. The Tulosans back then attacked Knightsend so their cavalry had no choice but to dismount. This time, the Castonians were on the offensive. Cavalry were dangerous. They were not invincible, but were difficult to deal with.

Furthermore, the involvement of the Tulosan Knights further complicated things. Timothy doesn't know how many of Tulosan Knights were there. 15 years ago, there were only a few hundred true Tulosan Knights out of their 5000 cavalry but that was because of the internal struggle Tulosa suffered that time. Now, the Tulosans seem to have solved their issues and united as one.

The Tulosan Knights were feared throughout the continent. Their charge alone could tip the balance of every battle. Their horses were all muscular and fast. The riders were all skilled. Like Leons, the Tulosan Knights carry heavy lances. Their charge must not be ignored.

The next morning was the schedule of Timothy's departure. Since they were in a hurry to defend the villages around Solon, they had no time to hold a ceremony. Timothy's close friends waited outside his door and bid him goodbye. It was just like what happened a year ago, but instead of him going to Knightsend, he was now going to an actual battle. Each one of his friends hugged him knowing that he was going to a dangerous place. But the person he wanted to see the most wasn't there. Where is Lucia?

He wanted to see Lucia one last time so he went to her room. To his surprise and disappointment, Lucia was not there. Defeated, he decided that he should just go.

But while walking towards the gate, Timothy saw Lucia standing on the hallway.

” Why are you here?” Timothy asked.

” I've been waiting for you.” She forced a smile but Timothy can see the sadness in her eyes.

”Is that why you were not in your room earlier?”

”You went to my room?” Lucia asked. She went closer to him

”Yes”

” Why?”

”Because you didn't say goodbye to me” Timothy admitted. He looked away and pouted.

What Lucia did next truly surprised him. She hugged him. Her hug was warm and good. He can feel her body so close to him. It felt so good that all his disappointments earlier vanished. It felt like seeing the first sunlight after a rainy day, like the first drop of rain after a drought. Timothy did not hold back. He doesn't want to be away from her. If it was a normal trip, he would have brought Lucia with him. He wrapped his arms around Lucia.

”I also went to your room earlier to say goodbye but your friends were there so I decided to wait for you here.” Lucia said.

” You don't want to say your goodbye to me in front of my friends?” Timothy caressed her smooth hair.

” If I did that then I would be treated as one of your friends.” She tiptoed and whispered into his ear ”I don't want to just be your friend”

Those words sparked something in Timothy's heart. He likes her. He really likes her. He's happy that his father arranged this marriage between them. He's so lucky to have met her. Lucia looked at him. Timothy cannot express how he felt with words so he used his actions instead. He lowered his head to kiss her. But before he could, Lucia pressed a finger to his lips and stopped him.

”I'll let you after you come back to me” she said ”I want to give you a reason to protect yourself” she grinned.

”So you want to be my reason for living?” he chuckled. Lucia really knew how to motivate him.

”Yes” she said ”So win. And even if you don't, at least return to me. I'll wait for you” she then tiptoed and put a kiss on his cheeks. ”This is a sample of what's to come”

Timothy's face flushed red. It was his first time being kissed on the cheek. ”After I return, I'll marry you” he declared. ”I will come back for you”

Lucia buried her face into Timothy's chest. They remained that way for a long time. Timothy wanted this moment to last forever. He didn't want to leave. But Lucia finally said the words both of them didn't want to hear the most.

” Goodbye Prince Timothy”

” I will come back for you as soon as possible” said Timothy

” Please do” Lucia put another kiss on his cheek.

”Are you trying to stop me from going with that?” he chuckled