Gadolor

Prologue- Valor

When King Austin had reigned over Esthena twenty years, Sombron his neighbor came against him in war. Sombron’s army stood like a plague of locusts that covered the field, his cavalry rode like a thunder-storm, and his war machines struck fear into men’s hearts. Esthena’s men were valiant, but Sombron invaded the land.

Seeing he could not repel his enemy, Austin sent word to King Lorind of Astor, saying, “Come help me fight Sombron, for he is stronger than I, but together we may defeat him.” The two northern kingdoms had always been friendly to one another, for they shared a common lineage. So Lorind with his son Andel came down and fought alongside Austin. The men of Astor had strength and Andel had wisdom as a commander, and though their enemy still had more swords, the fighting was fierce.

Together, the northern armies pushed Sombron back to his own territory, at a fortified town where two rivers met. They rejoiced at having repelled the invasion, but Andel the prince said to Austin and to his father, “Do not think, O kings, that we are safe because Sombron has crossed the Oris. For as long as he holds the bridges that span the rivers, he may enter this country whenever he wishes. Let us take the town now, while our enemy is on his heels. In one bold stroke, we shall put him on the defense.” They answered him, “This is well said, but how can we take this fortified town?”

Andel smiled. At night, he took a few hardy followers, swam across the Oris River, and climbed the fortress wall. He opened its gate from the inside, while the kings stormed the bridge, and by dawn the fortress was theirs. Sombron retreated, and in the confusion, Andel took two more cities along the river.

So, the end of the war was better for King Austin than its beginning. He gained three principal cities, which Andel won him, and control of all the trade that passed through them. It was a blow of shame to Sombron, as he could not finish the war he began. Songs of valor were sung from the southern tip of Esthena to the northern waste of Astor, and upon every tongue was the name Andel.