"General! Enemies have reached the gates!" A soldier yelled, smashing into the room, his helmet askew and his sword held loosely in his left hand. "They have a battering ram! I don't know how much longer the gates can hold!"
"Back to your position, soldier," the general ordered. She had a very soft voice, very calm and soothing, yet somehow commanding and official-sounding. "Tell the archers to use their flame arrows - the battering ram is made of wood, I assume?" The soldier nodded, adjusted his helmet and marched out of the room.
She looked nothing like a general, except maybe for the breastplate and shoulder-pads she wore. Her hair was a dark brown colour, except for her fringe, which was blonde and fell over her left eye. She wore earrings, each with a miniature cross hanging from them. Her necklace was partially obscured by her breastplate, but it matched her earrings, only slightly larger. She wore a deep red shirt under her breastplate, one sleep tucked into the gauntlet she wore. Her gauntlet had two thin, curved blades extending from it, almost like a talon. Her other hand was bare. She wore very casual-looking trousers which fell over her leather boots, which in turn hid her metal shin-pads.
"General Vierra, you're needed at the gates!" The same soldier said, sticking his head through the door. "They are about to fall, and we don't have enough soldiers stationed nearby."
"Alright," Vierra said, standing up. "Hold the gates for as long as possible, if they get through, they must be worn out."
"Yes ma'am," the soldier said, saluting and running off. Vierra sighed, and looked over to her desk. Her weapons, a short sword with a sapphire fixed into the handle, and a shield that had been decorated very carefully. Patterns of flames were along the edges, fading into a snowflake design in the centre. She lifted them, and walked out of her room, locking the door as she went. Why had the Empire chosen Doma to attack? They were very out-of-the-way, and a neutral country. She had little time to ponder, however. A battle was to be fought.
"What's our status?" Vierra asked, tying her hair back as she marched through the soldiers.
"The gates are barely holding - just a few more minutes before they fall," a soldier replied.
"Hmm... It seems our only option is to fight. We must open the gate," Vierra ordered.
"What?!"
"Are you mad?!"
"Silence," Vierra said. Her voice was quiet, but its effect was immediate.
"If we open the gates now, we can save the gates and we still have a high chance of victory. If they break down the gates, more and more soldiers will come until we're completely overrun and forced to evacuate," Vierra said. "We will win this battle - we're better trained, we have the advantage. Now, open the gates."
A soldier ran to tell whoever operated the gates. Vierra turned and took a deep breath. Could they really win this battle? Well, no use worrying about it now. She'd just have to try her best.
*****
"Alright, Jason, here we are," Sarah said. Jason stood next to her, almost fully recovered from his fall. He was still limping, but at least he didn't need support when he moved. They were stood in front of a huge castle. To Jason it looked like more of a high-tech fort, clearly steam- or coal-powered. He couldn't tell. There were turbines on a number of the towers, which were connected by something that looked like something could move along it automatically.
"Figaro Castle?" Jason asked.
"Yep. There's a guy in here you need to meet," Sarah replied. "This is hush-hush, but Figaro is secretly working with the Returners. The Returners are a group of anti-Empire rebels. Victims of Empire assaults joined the Returners, and people who think that the Empire's headed the wrong way."
"And the Empire is... Gestahl?" Jason said, thinking for a moment.
"Nice to see you're not thick, or ignorant," Sarah said, winking and grinning. She stepped up to the castle steps.
"Hold on! You need... Oh, it's you. Go right ahead," a guard said, automatically moving to block their path. He stepped aside, and Sarah pushed open the front doors. The guard glanced at Jason shiftily, but he managed to cover it up by adjusting how he stood. Jason ignored this, and stepped inside.
"I need to go talk to someone," Sarah said. "Hang around here, I'll be back in a few."
"Yeah, 'cause I wouldn't get lost in this castle, would I?" Jason said, smirking. Sarah rolled her eyes, but she couldn't supress a grin. He certainly was witty, she thought as she stepped into the Royal Chamber. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.