Page 20 of Seven Princes: A Very Dirty Fairtytale

“Let’s hope it’s not too late” said George.

“It won’t be” I replied, but without any heart behind the words. No-one had spoken the words, but no-one expected to win this battle, and that meant none of us getting out alive. We just had to pray for a miracle. My happiness was waiting on the other side of a bloody and attritional battle. I wanted to make love to him right there and then, but preparations had to be made for battle.

For the first time in my life I would be dressed up in army uniform. I wouldn’t be on the front line of fighting, but I’d be helping inside the castle walls, and to give out instructions. I would be dressed in heavy leather instead of metal armour that the likes of Max, George and John would be fighting in. That night was one of the most uncomfortable of all time, I kept waking up in the night in a panic. There was a guard stationed outside of my door that would wake me up at the first sign of danger.

It felt as though I got no sleep, but I drifted away for a few minutes here and there. As soon as dawn broke I was up and wouldn’t be getting back to any form of sleep. I was ready for action and one of the servants was called up into my room to put me in my army uniform. As she put it on, I did wonder whether I’d ever be taking it off. The servant who dressed me was one of the older ladies who had helped raise me as a child. She was visibly upset as she helped me into my battle wear. It was a sweet moment, but I assured her I’ll do everything in my power for victory. There was no guarantee that the Sanyek’s would attack today, but surely it was coming.

Spirits in the castle were quite high, despite the odds being stacked against us. Everyone was prepared and ready to fight. I had earned the respect of the castle. I was a much different woman to the one who ran away last time, I wasn’t prepared then, I am now. I was dressed in my battle gear and everyone obeyed my command. That was all helped by John, who never hesitated in following one of my commands.

Bella – The attack

There was a lot of dark humour to be had at the castle as people awaited their fate. I admired all the men dressed in full battle uniform, ready to fight for the honour of the castle. The joking and posturing by the soldiers echoed around the stone walls for a few hours, before the hum of the castle was broken.

“Prepare for attack!” shouted the guard at the top of the tower. For a split second a silence descended down onto the castle. It was the briefest of moments, as everyone processed what the guard had said. That brief moment was broken by everyone getting prepared to do their job. We could have decided to send soldiers out to try and keep the attack away from the castle, or we could have defended from the castle and wait out the attack. We decided to do the latter. We had a drawbridge with a moat; it was going to be hard for them to get in.

I ran up to the castle walls to see what we were up against and the whole army was rolling down the valley. It was a ferocious sight and made my stomach sink. I had belief in John and George, and the strategy they had come up with. I also knew that the Sanyek’s were going to come up with ideas of their own. As they got closer, I could see what they were bringing. They had ladders, fire, planks, catapults and battering rams. They were well prepared.

I was going to keep myself stationed on the castle wall so I could see the attack and relay the information down to the belly of the castle. They were nearly at the castle and I could see a man I had not seen since I abandoned him on what was meant to be our wedding day. In that moment I wondered how differently thing would have happened If I had just married him. I was still happy that I didn’t.

Josh was dressed in full armour back on the biggest horse I had ever seen in my life, he must have been a formidable sight for any soldier facing him in the battlefield. He must have looked like a beast out there on the field, but he was no match for the actual beast that we had in the castle. The Sanyek’s were going to have the shock of their life when we unleashed Adam upon them. There was no way he wasn’t going to get hurt though. There was no armour to be made that could protect him. They tried to throw a few things together made out of heavy leather, but it wasn’t much. He had the look in his eyes of a man who wanted one last fight, but just wanted to go fighting for a great cause.

The Sanyek’s surrounded the castle on all sides with Josh and Ralph staying far enough from the action that they stayed out of range of the arrows. Both sides had their archers ready and the firing started when the enemy tried to reach the castle walls. The sound of the arrows whizzing by was terrifying as both sides took losses, but they were minimal. Our soldiers protected by the walls of the castle, the Sanyek’s by their shields. The castle was fully surrounded and I thought that there was no escaping now even if I wanted to. The escape route I had in my room led out of the back of the castle, but there was fighting everywhere now. I was here in my army clothes, sword at hand and I was ready to fight.

They knew that the drawbridge would have been up and they came prepared. They had carried huge planks to stretch across the moat and dropped them into place, creating a temporary bridge for them to reach the huge wooden door that was now in their way. They did it under the cover of shields, but our archers were still able to pick some of them off. The attack was carefully constructed as the thick wooden planks were pushed together. Getting through the drawbridge was going to be tough, it was made of think wood and was very heavy. It should buy us some time and exhaust their men.

All our swordsmen were behind the drawbridge, ready to fight. The arrow fighting had died down as supplies ran low. The Sanyek soldiers had now brought the battering ram onto the temporary bridge and were now repeatedly hammering against the makeshift door of the drawbridge. What we had remaining of our arrows were used to try and halt the attack on the entrance. The Sanyek’s had bought ladders too, and sets of soldiers had used the bridge to reach the castle walls. They surrounded the circumference of the castle and the soldiers were now surrounding the castle walls in their hundreds. I called for more men to the walls of the castle in anticipation of them climbing over the walls.

The wood from the drawbridge had started splintering and the enemy had positioned their ladders around the castle walls. The fighting that had been contained to outside the castle was just about to be brought to the inside. Everyone was prepared, but looked nervous. Arrows were collected and fired at the wall climbers and the men holding the battering ram, but it was only delaying the inevitable. I retreated back from the castle walls as it was too dangerous, and headed into the heart of the castle.

I walked through the great dining hall where I had such a great time with the three brothers; it was a great memory which made me feel very odd. One of the brothers had been killed trying to kill me, and the other two would either succeed where Isaac failed or meet the same fate. There was not going to be any in between. As I passed through I remembered the spot that I so enjoyed myself and recalled how I could have had the easy life without this violence. My quest for happiness had led to this great battle and I felt guilty for it. Happiness looked a million miles away from the blood that was being spilt in and around the castle walls.

As I exited out of the great dining hall, the horror of what happening was clear. The drawbridge was near breaking point and a few of the enemy soldiers had managed to get to the top of their ladders and climb into the castle, and the sword fighting had begun. I had to stay out of the fighting the best I could, but there was little doubt it’d come to me sooner or later. More men were pouring over the castle walls and we were bracing ourselves for the drawbridge being breached. The sheer numbers of the Sanyek’s made it seem like an impossible battle.

Adam got up from where he was sat and made his way through the soldiers to the front where they were waiting for the drawbridge to be breached. With one deep breath he took a moment as the transformation started before their eyes. The soldiers around him tried to keep their composure, but it was difficult. He grew taller, the beast widened, the claws grew and out of a quiet and handsome man arose a fantastic beast, our beast. The drawbridge looked weaker and weaker; every blow looked like the one that might finally make it through.

Bella - The desperate fight

Finally the drawbridge failed and the Sanyek soldiers burst through to battle with our men. Their charge halted slightly as they were faced with this magnificent beast which was now stood before them. The soldiers rushing from the back pushed the front forward and they had no option but to advance forward and tentatively as they could. Some of their soldiers tried to avoid the beast, the ones that tried to challenge him were met with his claws as he swept them out of his path, flinging them against the walls.

The entrance to the main part of the castle behind the drawbridge was small, so the fighting was contained to the entrance for now. Soldiers continued to pour over the walls though and more of them were in the castle. We had the advantage of defending from the castle, but I wasn’t sure how long it could last before we got overran. I kept looking out for my four men. Adam had become the beast and was battling at the front. George and John were at the back of the main fighting pack, directing orders.

I couldn’t see Max; he was in there with all the soldiers and all wearing the same armour. He could have been anyone of these men. He’d only received a few days training and surely wasn’t prepared for this kind of battle. My heart was jumping out of my chest as I looked all around. It looked as though the whole world was falling in on us as the space we had became smaller and smaller as our men at the drawbridge had been pushed back and the enemy soldiers getting over the castle walls became greater and greater.

The men at the entrance were being forced further and further back and the beast was trying to keep the enemy from advancing, but there was only so much they could do. I could see blood coming from him where a few swords strikes had hit, but he was still standing strong. The enemy came further and further forward with their relentless numbers before they gradually broke through and swarmed into the belly of the castle. I had retreated to the 1st floor of the castle, away from the fighting.

“Beast!” shouted John, “Go and protect the princess!” he said demandingly. The beast looked around and caught my eye; he climbed the castle walls to reach me before anyone could. I must have been a key tactic point as enemy soldiers came for me immediately. The beast was now by my side and there to protect me as the enemy approached with their swords. The beast swatted them away with ease. One tried to slip by, but I was able to get in a strike, I was now fully in the heat of the battle.

The battle had reached everyone in the castle and I could only look on as George and John started to become engaged in the fighting. He fighting had become a free-for-all with both sides taking losses in the bloody battle. There was no a lot I could do, I felt helpless. If I went down there to fight, I’d be dead on seconds. I had to try and wait it out in as safe a place as I could, trying to give the clearest instructions I could to the men below me.

I looked down in horror as the men closest too me were in more danger than they ever have been. John was fighting valiantly and must have already taken out a dozen of their men. He was surrounded though and took a few blows. I tried to shout down desperately to get him some help, but it was too late. He took one blow too many and fell to the floor, the Sanyek soldiers crowded around him and I knew he had gone. He had won many battles in this time, this was one too many. It only seemed like a matter of time that George, Max, Adam and me all fell to the same fate.

My whole world felt like it was falling apart. John was dead and I didn’t know what we were going to do without him. Surely the only way we were going to win this battle was with him on our side. There still looked as though there were hundreds of Sanyek soldiers outside the castle, waiting to get in. Including Josh and Ralph who were yet to make an appearance inside the castle walls. They weren’t going to risk their lives when they could get their men to do that for them.

I still had the beast by my side and was doing bits of fighting here and there, trying to keep out of trouble. I felt it was only a matter of time before I fell to the same fate as John. The attacks from the Sanyek soldiers seemed relentless. George was holding his own, fighting with his men by his side. I had no idea about Max, he could have been dead a while ago for all I knew. I looked at a few of the soldier’s faces, but never saw him. It felt futile anyway, if he wasn’t dead now, he surely would be.

Bella – The sweetest sound

For a moment I looked up at the sky, it was a clear blue day with a beautiful sun shining through the castle. There were some birds flying overhead and I contemplated the peace up above while this madness was happening all around me. In my search for inner peace I had been the spark to cause all this war, or at least that’s how it felt. I knew it wasn’t, the Gattzam saw an opportunity to kill my father and seize his castle. When they failed, the Sanyek’s thought they’d try and take advantage of ours and the Gattzam’s weaknesses.

---