In the middle of the night, just outside the border of the Logress kingdom on a road path surrounded by trees.
A group of knights and squires were traveling, riding their horses in formation with a carriage in the middle.
The front line was filled with knights in full armor, while the back was mostly filled with squires and new knights who just received their title.
"Aaaa… Why don't we stop and camp for now?" one of the young knights said.
"They said the King sent a letter to the princess and we have to return as soon as possible. Why? Are you tired already, Marc?"
"Huh, what did you say? Tired? Of course not! Lucas, come on, we are no longer squires, we are real knights of Lion-"
Right when the new knights were busy chatting, a shout could be heard from nearby.
"It's an ambush! Defend the princess!!" a knight with long golden hair said.
Even in the dark of midnight, as a golden knight, Yvain had the ability to feel his surroundings, enough to sense the people hiding behind the bushes and trees along the narrow forest path. Before the enemy even started to attack, he shouted and commanded all the knights to prepare themselves.
"What happened, Yvain?"
Princess Gwenneth asked from inside the carriage.
"We are surrounded, my lady!"
"Who… Why?"
"I don't know, Princess, but please, stay inside and close the door."
The knight closed the carriage door tight, leaving the princess alone with the terrified maid inside the carriage. Undaunted by the situation, she grabbed her sword and peeked outside from the windows, ready for the worst.
Yvain looked at the cluster of trees on both sides of the road. On the right side, there was a cluster right next to a massive hill, while on the left side there was a slippery incline leading to a lower ground. It was obvious where the attackers came from.
"Knights, on the left side! Get ready and make a defense line!"
Their training paid off and, within seconds, about three dozen knights and squires in red and golden cape were all on their horses. All of them formed a tight line while facing the left side of the forest.
Not long after, the sounds of rustling leaves could be heard, followed by a dozen different voices shouting and a barrage of lit torches.
"Aaaaarrrrgh! Kill them!"
Yvain was quite shocked. Though he was able to feel their presence, he did not expect to have more than one hundred attackers coming at them. But, his facial expression still showed the calm, unnerved gaze he displayed throughout most of his missions.
"Hold!! Hold!"
Yvain gave the order and every single horse rider stayed still. In a cavalry line, timing was crucial and knowing when to charge determined whether they could go home victorious or face their death.
When the attackers coming out of the trees were only a few steps away from them, Yvain shouted.
"Now! Attack!"
The 40 knights and squires all marched forward at the same time, using the power of their horses and the slashes of their blades to keep the attackers at bay.
Spllaaat! Splllaaat!
Blood and guts spilled on the ground, to be immediately trampled beneath the hooves of their horses. The smell of iron started to fill the chilly night air, while the sounds of terrified screams took over the quiet forest.
Fortunately, the marauders were no match against the Lioness knights.
It only took less than ten minutes for half of the marauders to fall to the ground, while the rest who could still move all ran back towards the forest.
Just like in training, half of the knights were assigned to charge towards the running marauders, while the other half would stay on guard near the carriage.
But, barely half a minute after half of their forces charged downhill, another shout was heard from the front and back of the road.
This time, dozens of marauders were charging atop horses from both sides.
"Dammit! Knights, return!"
Yvain couldn't hide his panic. He ordered the knights who were left around the carriage to recreate the lines. But, there weren't enough knights there and half of them were newbie squires, causing the new line to become uneven and disorganized.
"Protect the princess!" Yvain shouted. "Don't let even a single one of them push through!"
Again, they clashed. This time, the relentless attack from both sides caused a few of the knights and squires to fall off their horses.
The first marauder group had turned back along with the knights, overwhelming them from behind while they tried to reach the carriage.
Abe, Marcus and Lucas, along with a few others, were stuck close to the carriage. Marcus climbed up the carriage and used his bow and arrows to defend the princess, while the others tried to stop the remaining marauders from getting close to the carriage.
All went well, until a scream could be heard from behind them.
"Aaaaargh!"
Marcus, who was standing on top of the carriage, was stabbed by a black clothed fighter who managed to join in by jumping from atop the hill. Now, they were surrounded and a few of them had already been killed. Worse of all, there were still surrounded by hundreds of marauders ready to fight.
"They are on the top of the carriage, stop them!" The golden knight shouted while swinging his blade, taking down half a dozen marauders in one swing in an attempt to go back to the carriage.
The situation was chaotic and the carriage was left almost unguarded. The balck cloth fighters in the carriage drove and tossed the corpse to the ground, before using the lashes to force the horses to run.
"They took the princess!"
Seeing the carriage push through, Yvain quickly gave it a chase leaving the other knights defending for themself.
More knights and squires fell from the attacks. They were surrounded 3 to 1.
It was at this moment they saw a figure running toward them with two swords.
"Lanzo!!"