The next day, at dawn.
Ser Pell and his Recon Corps had already set out in silence. The nearby dozen wildling tribes had almost all gone out in force. What remained in the camps were mostly the old and the weak—exactly their targets.
The Recon Corps was made up of the best hunters in the Crabb lands. Taking down tribes guarded only by the weak was easy for them. The problem was distance. More than ten tribes were scattered across different areas, each with its own land, large and small.
Among them, three tribes were the largest, each with several hundred people.
Glyn's order to the Recon Corps was clear: target the three large tribes. By the end of the day, at least two had to fall.
Speed was the key to today's mission.
Ser Pell understood this well. The terrain was rough, making horses useless. To avoid slowing the march, he did not wear his bright silver plate armor, which he normally never left behind in battle. Instead, he wore chainmail with the simplified leather armor Glyn had "invented."
Pell felt the lord's words made perfect sense. If you always face your enemy, why bother protecting your back?
Thinking back, Pell realized he had always fought this way.
Though Glyn never said it outright, Pell felt the lord was praising his courage in his own way.
The lord understands me.
Pell was ambitious. This was the first battle after Glyn inherited House Crabb. It had to be won—and won cleanly. He meant to secure his place as Whispers Castle's most loyal and fearless knight.
With proper command and timing, all three major tribes—left with only the weak—could be dealt with today.
Once the three largest tribes fell, the smaller ones would be terrified. They would be easy to finish, perhaps too afraid to even resist.
–
The sky slowly brightened.
Glyn stood on high ground, wearing black leather armor embroidered with the marsh marigold. He watched the soldiers gather in silence.
The square was noisy, filled with overlapping voices.
Glyn quickly noticed something unexpected. The newly formed Thorn Corps was the fastest to assemble. Once formed, Emparo immediately began checking their equipment.
Glyn knew nothing could be perfected in one step. He gathered a few practical training points and pre-battle reminders and passed them briefly to Emparo.
She carried out every instruction with strict focus. It had to be admitted—this was a kind of talent Glyn most wanted in his commanders right now.
Glyn liked Emparo's character very much. She was someone he could rely on even more in the future.
–
Among the crowd, Lena stood out. Her silver hair, tied into a high braid, caught the eye at once.
After helping Emparo finish inspecting the Thorn Corps' gear, Lena glanced toward Glyn in the distance. She said a few words to Emparo, then jogged lightly toward Glyn.
Glyn noticed Lena running toward him.
As she ran, the lively girl even hopped a few times.
Glyn couldn't help but smile.
Glyn waved his hand and told the guards to step back. Lena stopped a few steps away, bent forward, and bowed. "Forgive my interruption. Greetings, my lord."
She had just learned this courtesy from Emparo.
It was her first time greeting the lord face to face, and Lena looked excited. Her voice was clear and bright.
Glyn smiled slightly. "You are Lena, right? deputy to Commander Emparo of the Thorn Corps."
"Ah! I didn't even introduce myself, and you already know my name?" Lena said happily. "My lord, you really know everything, just like the rumors say! And also—those leather gloves you prepared for us are amazing. I tried them. After continuous shooting, my fingers feel much better. The sisters are very confident now. We promise to finish the volleys!"
The storerooms had plenty of soft leather. Glyn knew that repeated longbow shots put great strain on the fingers, so after finishing the new leather armor, he had arranged soft leather gloves for the archers.
Lena kept talking, hopping lightly when she got excited.
It was still early. Glyn was patient with the soldiers who would fight under him today. He kept a gentle smile and did not interrupt, letting her finish.
"Yes," he said at last, "time was short. Some gloves may be too big or too small. Later, everyone will get gloves that fit properly."
"It's fine, really!" Lena said quickly. "Look!"
She raised her right hand, showing a glove that fit her perfectly. "I adjusted mine last night. It was easy. The sisters whose gloves didn't fit all followed me and fixed theirs too!"
"Well done," Glyn said. "Go back now. Support Emparo well. Remember—United We Stand."
"Yes, my lord! United We Stand!"
–
The agreed battlefield was about two miles east of Whispers Castle, on relatively flat ground.
By full daylight, Glyn led his forces to the meeting place.
Several hundred meters away, he saw the mountain wildling gathering—a dark, dense mass.
Ser Massen dismounted and shouted loudly, "Armor on!"
With a rough voice, he moved through the shifting crowd, kicking now and then.
"Shield bearers, form up! Form up!"
"You lazy dogs, get in line! Move, move!"
"What are you panicking for? Over there—get over there!"
"If you don't want your wife in someone else's bed tonight, check your gear again!"
"Damn it, shoulder to shoulder! Shoulder to shoulder!"
–
Glyn sat on his horse. Beside him stood the already formed Thorn Corps.
Once again, he reflected on this appointment-style way of fighting on Crackclaw Point. It was very different from the wars he remembered.
If his army were truly disciplined and well trained, he would have already ordered them to form up and crush the enemy while the wildling were still in chaos.
Just as Glyn's side finished forming ranks, strange shouts rose from the wildling. Their voices grew louder and more unified.
Though they looked completely unorganized to Glyn, the mass of wildling began pressing forward step by step toward his formation.
"Marking arrows!"
"Yes! Marking arrows!"
The wildling reached the clearly marked range.
"Fire!"
(End of chapter)