After two days of marching south our scouts came back. King Olaf have reach the entrance of the river just behind king Hugo just a two days after him.
As the river on our left side our ships sailed right beside us. 17 ships to be exact. Jarl tyr is leading the ships while Leif is on my right leading the men with me. Jarl tyr job will be difficult as he will have to take on king Hugo ships, while we deal with king Hugo and his men. Men from towns also joined the army just over 1640 men we have now.
King Hugo is a day away marching slowly towards us. Jarl tyr came from the river beside us, as people help pull the boat to the land.
We gathered with another jarl joining, jarl Sigurd. Discussing on what to do and how to handle two armies.
Jarl tyr spoke "they are moving slowly picking ground to face us on. We need to strike first."
Leif "no we need to make ground here. We got the hill and the river is long will be able to see them coming."
"King Hugo is moving slowly towards us. He may be waiting for king Olaf to join him. To make two armies into one and then they will outnumbered us. My king, what will we do."
Sigurd ask with and uneven voice.
"You are all right, if we stay we risked the chance on them grouping up. If we go will need to pick the ground will fight on, if we let them choose that's when we lost." They all nodded.
I pulled out a crude map of our kingdoms. The sea to the south and the two kings land and a dozens of villages between our lands. And the rivers going north and east connecting the lakes and rivers.
"My king.. what's this." Ask tyr as this was the first time seeing this.
"This is a map from my grand father. King Ulf Stark, the crow, from his father before King Artos Stark, the raider. Here" as he pointed on a bend in the river. "This bend here can hide our ships from being seeing but close enough to strike any ships near. And here." Moving his hand to the land near the bend. "Their a hill here and trees covering the corner. On the road it's a blind side." While he tap once on the map. "Here will attack.
"It's close enough to force king Hugo to fight us and it's not far from here. We can hide ourselves there."
"What if the don't take the bait."
"They will. King Hugo is a prideful man, he will think we're tired forced march to deal with him and they outnumber us.
"We're not tired" said tyr.
"They don't know that. They'll think they caught us by surprise but we already knew. Moons before they made their pack. it's just my wife labour gave them a perfect opportunity."
After finishing up the plan we marched forth just a half day walk. Our scouts delt with there's and visversa yet ours came out on top, mostly.
-sometime later-
Tyr stayed behind the bend and waited. We had a couple hours to set up but we made sure not to disturb the land. As we hidden ourselves in the trees and bushes.
Some of our archers climbed the trees and nock their arrows. One of our archers whistled down to signal that someone coming down from the road. A rider by the looks from it, one of ours and riding fast. I signal our men to stand down as it was on of ours.
As the rider passed the bend he came upon a surprise, us. He quickly drop off his horse and ran towards me.
I moved my hand and the guards let him pass. He dropped to his knee and spoke.
"My king. It's king Hugo. He's almost here." As the sun began to slowly descending from the sky above.
"Is everyone is position." As he look to jarl Leif and Sigurd.
"Yes my king."
"Good. Be ready they're are almost here."
After waiting for hours we started to hear them. The stomping of men in formation. Yelling of men getting everyone in line and marching towards us.
The archers seen the ships first and gave a low whistle. Our men closest to the archer relayed the message to jarl tyr to be ready. Our cavalry are on the right side with Sigurd leading them. We watched them come into the clearing.
Marching in formation not knowing we were waiting for them. As the got closer half of the army was out in the open and closing in on us. Our archers began to draw their bows back. The men grip their spears tightly as the battle was about to begin. I signal to the person beside me to get ready to blow the horn.
He inhaled deeply and brought it to his lips ready to release. I moved my hand downwards to signal the attack.
Horn blasts throught the land. Then arrows were lose from there bows. King Hugo's men were caught off guard by the blast and the arrows raining down. The first three columns were hit hard, the second volley came then the third.
The men in the front were screaming before being silenced by the arrows coming down.
As they began to form up into lines. We have kingdom of winter we descended upon them with a wolf fury.
Both armies clashed in the centre of the field. The ships of king Hugo began to move and help aid their fellow man. But they too were also caught of guard, they were to focus on the fighting on land they completely forgot about the river.
Only at the last moment they noticed the ships coming at there sides and rammed them. As stark men boarded the ships they began to slaughter them slowly and steadily as they are out shipped.
As the fighting intensified on land as the right flank of Hugo army started to fall. Stark cavalry striked the enemies cavalry was deep in fighting trying to pull back.
The center started to fold on Hugo men, the men in the back started to run.
Hugo seen this and took his personal guard and charged in the center to rally his men. It worked as the men started to rally.
They pushed they stark men back into a stalemate as the right flank started to gather and hold.
Cregan seen this as he grip his sword handle, he charged forth with his men following quickly behind.
King Hugo was on a small hill taking a good look around the battle field seeing the carnage. Men killing each other, stepping over each other. Slipping or getting pushed together unable to move. But he sees it house stark is pushing them back slowly and steadily.
Hugo was about to charged and change the battle till he seen him. King stark charging towards him, leaving a bloody trail behind him.
Hugo smirk thinking how easy it will be and he meet stark and the bass of the small hill clearing his own path to king stark.
Both meet each other and began to attack each other. Both men clashed and steel song between them. No one gaining the advantage on each other. Till king Hugo over extended his reach in his swing and became unbalanced.
Cregan seen this and starting attacking Hugo relentlessly not letting get his footing. Stark pushed Hugo back but one of Hugo guards came up and relieve Hugo from the fight.
Cregan quickly killed the man in three attacks which gave Hugo time to get his footing but was heavily breathing. Trying to catch his breath but cregan didn't let him as he pressed the attack.
Hugo duck under cregan sword and jump back a little but his sword nicked his shoulder. He grab his shoulder on instinct and brought up his sword to deflect cregan swing. Both blades locked against each other.
Hugo stepped back and brought cregan in to strike when he least expected but cregan saw right through it. He ducked under Hugo vertical swing. He tucked his sword close to his chest and drove his sword into king Hugo armpit. His hole body jerked and his breath hitched.
Hugo looked down and sees cregan sword in his body. He wanted to say something but not came out.
All the men around watched what happened. Hugo men began to run and shout that the king is dead. Hugo army lost their morale and ran away but the stark cavalry didn't let them get far. The men closest to the river and part of the center dropped their weapons and surrendered.
Cregan walked up the hill and seen the battlefield. Bodies everywhere, men begging to be saved or screamed for their mothers. Cregan brought his sword up and screamed in victory, as did every stark men roared.
The sun started to fall behind the land and night was approaching. He ordered his men to gather up our dead burned the bodies and take the bones back to the families of our fallen.
Night descendant on the camp. Patching our wounded and counting our loses and the prisoners we captured.
Cregan was in the tent with his jarls, tyr and Sigurd are nursing their wounds as was lief and cregan which had minor injuries.
"How many did we lose." Ask cregan.
"200 men died, including 200 wounded that will need a moons turn to recover." Said Leif.
"1300 men that can still fight."
"Yes my king."
"Will rest tonight and tomorrow till the sun at its highest. What about the prisoners?"
"About 980 men left of Hugo army the rest were killed, We also took 10 more ships from king Hugo fleet."
"What about the people that left after seeing Hugo die?" Cregan asked.
"I drove them into the river and some swam across while other drowned."
"Tomorrow we finish this." Everyone nodded and began to disperse into camp and rest. Cregan stays and thinks about what will happen tomorrow.
He left the tent and went back to his own to rest after the fight today.