Chapter 2  When our troops unite

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Wind and thunder filled the sky over the grey mountains behind Parce, as Meriad stood at the highest floor of the old watchtower. He looked down into the park of Parce castle. It was raining and all the grass was nearly gone because of the horses trampling over it in fury.

The old golden alarm bell was ringing. All the soldiers and riders of Riandra were assembled as Lord Gregory spoke some words to his troops. Meriad leaned out of the window to hear, what that great riandrian  leader  had to say.

�I salute you troopers of Riandra!� the lord spoke with his raw deep voice. The warriors raised their hands and hailed their leader. Gregory pointed at the mountains behind him and said.
�All the rumours you heard are true. Kerodet, the unholy demon awakened. He is the enemy of all free men  and he wants to destroy everything pure and holy in this world. His dirty armies are standing in front of our gates and the time has come to win this war or die with pride!�
Lord Gregory raised his sword in the sky and shouted: �Will you fight a holy battle?� All riders, legionnaires and ordinary soldiers took their weapons and held them high. The ground was shaking as they all answered the question: �YES WE WILL!� 

Meriad felt such high amount of pride in his heart as he heard Gregory speak to his troops. He was still young, only fifteen years old, but he wanted to be a part of the upcoming battle against the evil hordes of Kerodet. Meriad jumped down the stairs of the tower  to see the troops of Riandra marching out of Parce castle. As he arrived downstairs he saw hundreds of warriors leaving the place heading towards the mountains. Lord Gregory rode right in front of them. He felt the desire in his heart to be a part of this mighty army.
He saw his best friend Jossorian right in front of him, who waved at the passing soldiers. �Hey Joss,� he said: �What a glorious sight, isn�t it?� Joss turned around to his friend and said: �Yea! We are going to kick Kerodet and his evil hordes out of our lands!�
Meriad smiled and saw how the mighty gate was closed after the last trooper passed through it. �LetŽs get up to the tower again. We can see the whole battlefield there.�

It took nearly two hours until all Riandrian troops and their war machinery was assembled on the fields of war. The distance between them and Parce  was not more than four or five miles because of the time it took to move a huge army like the one of Riandra. The enemy forces were standing a mile away all over the Grimon hills. It was not a real army but a big horde of the most evil creatures you could imagine. Lord Gregory held high his sword and shoutet the word they all were  waiting for:�Attack!�

 �What are you two guys doing up here. ItŽs way to dangerous� an old man said to Meriad and Joss. It was Kormem, the old Keeper of the Watchtower. He once was a mighty Riandrian warrior but he turned old and with 84 years of age, he was not able to fight with the troops any more, though he was highly respected by most of the Riandrian leaders. �But Kormem,� Joss  said: �We just want to watch the battle� KormemŽs head turned red as he said with a strict voice: �You two fools. This is not a theatre play. A lot of  honorable men will lose their lifes today. So, you better go to your homes and pray to the gods, that KerodetŽs hordes will not run over Parce tonight. The enemy is strong and high in number and their souls are filled with pure hate!�