Arthur: The legend and myth Chapter 14

14.

Arthur had gathered the men together to hear out the breaking news on the so named invaders. It was soon after a week when they had begun on the defenses.

“I had sailed here quickly on seeing the fleet.” The weary fisherman took to explain his flight of freedom. “They are about two day’s sail from mine.”

The fisherman had returned from the nearby coastal excursion to trade. He had seen the invader’s fleet and rushed back to warn the others.

“I counted not more than ten boats with the evil dragon head on the helm. They were heading for the Bismouth village there.” The fisherman tale drew gasps and concern among the villagers. Some had turned to leave for home to pack for their escape to inlands. Peter had stepped up and stopped them from leaving.

“I though you said the invaders was from the inlands.” Arthur asked the villagers. They all drew blank expression. It was Peter who explained.

“The invaders are many and some do come from inland. These are from the sea and they are fierce warriors.” Peter had then turned to Arthur for more guidance. He shared the concern of the villagers.

“You claimed to come here and protect us.” Peter looked at the assembled warriors. “Now our invaders are at the horizon and we await your replies.”

Arthur looked at the distraught villagers and fishermen who were all looking at him. He stepped up and declared his support once more. He asked for the strength of the fleet.

“It’s a smaller fleet than we expected. The last invasion was with the double the strength and they came in from both sides. Nevertheless a boat holds twenty of them.” Peter replied. “Their warriors are worth five of us with their barbaric strength and ferocity.”

It was then Arthur asked on the preparations for the defenses in the bay. The replies was mixed in expectations.

“Our pits are ready but we have yet to place the stakes in.” Lamorak spoke of the twenty pits that were dug.

“The twenty men I trained are adept at their nets and trident but the real weapon of using the gladius remains to be effective.” Sir Kay bellowed out. “It takes time to train them.”

“We got the front wall up and the stakes are in place.” Gawain was proud of his brothers and their assigned twenty men who had done the tedious task. “We can hold them on the frontal attack.”

“Aye, my pit is ready and I had them covered. The enemies may ride into them and be removed with punity.” Lancelot spoke of his own achievement.

“I have seen the new bows and arrows made by the ladies. It’s not many but we hold sufficient numbers to fight.” Arthur had brought with him ten bows with their quiver of arrows when he arrived here but the ladies made another dozen with more arrows. The work was crude on the bows but it will suffice for the men to shoot at close distance.

It was then Arthur turned to Merlin.

“I am ever ready to fight.” Merlin smiled. With the affirmation, Arthur then looked to Peter.

“Peter Bedyr, whom among you will stand with us?” Arthur asked on those who were still there. He had seen many had shied away during the talks. They are the ones that stood a distance from Arthur but they were a handful of men that stood before him. He looked to the ones that had shied away. He was to speak when their leader of the nearer group stepped forth. He was tall person with the tanned features and working muscles that were horned by the toils on the sea. He was wearing a simple tunic that reached his knees and his head was covered with the dark cloth to protect from the sun.

“I speak for them. I am Durant and my words are theirs too.” The tall man spoke. “We heeded Peter’s words earlier and were expecting more of your men to reinforce here but we counted seven then and still only seven remained.”

“We are not warriors and our killings to date have been the catch we gathered from our nets. We have not harmed any creatures of the two legged ones yet. We flee from the bears that wandered to the village. How can we do what was asked now when we are fisherman and farmers.”

“Cowards!” Sir Kay lashed out but he was restrained by Galahad and Gaheris. Arthur intervened to calm the raging gladiator.

“Durant, you may stay on and watch your friends get …bullied?” Arthur lashed back. “Well we won’t. We will fight them. All seven of us.”

“Eight.” Merlin voiced out from the rear. With that, a few more voices roared out but the number was less than ten.

“You may not have long to wait. I have sent out words to them. They will be here sooner.” Durant replied coldly. ”Leave us to our fate.”

Peter charged out with the fishing trident at Durant but the other was prepared. Durant drew the sword he hid behind his back and deflected the trident. He turned his arm to swing the blade at Peter but Percival had stepped in to block it with the gladius. In turn Percival used the block to deliver a swing towards Durant. He slapped the flat side of the gladius onto Durant’s face.

“Fight not us but the invaders.” Percival warned Durant. He then turned to ones he had trained. “Stay or leave but we are here to protect your village.”

With that Percival turned to walk back towards Arthur. Durant displeased with the attack then lunged at Percival with the sword in his hand. Percival from his year of battles on instinct turned his body to deflect the sword and then did an inward cut into Durant’s left ribs. The gladius cut in deep just below the under arm. Durant cried out in pain and then fell to his knees. Percival with his horned use of the gladius had withdrew it from the ribs and was poised to follow through with a slashing cut on the neck of the kneeling fisherman but he stopped just before it. Durant did not look up but fell to the ground holding his wound. Some of his friends rushed forth to assist him but he was dying from the cut. They looked at Percival but Arthur intervened once more.

“Durant was reckless. We are Legionnaires and fighting is our lifetime training.” Arthur covered for Percival. “We will do what is needed here. Do you yield or flee?”

Durant friends carried the dying man back to their huts while some choose to flee with their belongings. In the end, only twenty men stood there with Arthur and his knights. Arthur called on the knights with him to arm themselves with the bow and quiver of arrows while he brief the others.

“Peter, tell me of the highest spot which I can cover the village and also the bay.” Arthur looked to the other. “I need three volunteers to man it and tell me where the invaders are coming from.”

“There is the outcrop at the bay which we can see both the village and the bay.” Peter described the area. It was more than an outcrop for it was a jutted part of the cliffs with the stones belong it holding firm on the ground above it. The area was narrow but it was enough for a sentry post with the mound of dried branches. Once the invaders are sighted the sentries there will light up the branches

“There we have the view of the bay and the boats have to sail by there. The other side of the bay has a shallow bed and it was filled with boulders beneath the water surface.” Peter highlighted the nature of the area “The invaders will have to land there and made their way towards the village inland.”

“The path they will take will pass the fishing boats and the extended jetties.” Peter explained on. “They …”

“Why don’t they land at your jetty?” Lancelot asked.

“That place of ours held many corrals which the passage in is narrow. The invaders like to land en masse. They always go for there.”

“Tell me of the path towards inland.” Merlin asked then. Peter described that the path will pass the net drying area and then into the narrow pass out of the bay into the farming lands before the village. Arthur then looked at the bay once more. It escaped his observation on the layout until then. The bay was like a pincer of the hills on both sides although one side of the cliffs was lower. The one with the jutted end was with the higher cliff to the right on facing the sea. He studied the terrain there and noticed that it held the firm foundation made of stones. The hills there flatten out into a plateau before it reached the steep drop onto the farmlands and the forest.  He was told that on those cliffs was the nesting for the dragons when it used to roost there.  The hills on the left side were lower and it stretched out along the beach but it sloped on the inside towards the farmlands. The pass through the hills to the bay was in between the two stretches of hills.

“So the pass is the narrow passage to the inlands.” Arthur mumbled to himself. He had prepared his defenses on the farmlands where the terrain was flatter and difficult to defend. He sighed on his oversight or lack of focus on the details.

“The pass will be the first defense line.” Percival remarked. “We can barricade it and hold them back. If they are through, we will fight them on the farmlands among the pits.”

“They are not riders but infantries like us. The pits are no match to them.” Lancelot voiced out. “We were expecting riders there.”

“Then we will fight them here.” Lamorak pointed to the bay. “I am fine with either arrangement. My bitches are raring to smash.”

Lamorak was ever proud of his battle axes.