Derick watched the fog roll over the valley. They had taken this valley three days ago, but already it seemed like the Orcs were about to reclaim it. The wooden fortress that was now quickly arising in the center of one of the fields wouldn't be ready for at least another week. The campaign had been going on for over half a year. There had been glorious victories, but also terrible losses. And all of the blood spent was in favor of the emperor.
One day a few years ago the emperor had suddenly decided to expand his kingdom beyond it's current borders. This decision had cost many men their lives, and turned many a woman into a widow. Young men who had never seen battle perished in the first seconds. But not only the inexperienced were killed. Veterans from the Twilight Wars, woodland scouts, hill watchers and siege specialists. All had died under Derick's command.
If only they had died for a noble purpose. Then Derick could have dealt with their sacrifices. But to have died for the expansion of an already large empire was beyond Derick's grasp. The population of the Empire wasn't very dense and it had grown thinner with every act of war thrown upon them by their new Emperor. Derick smiled, he still looked upon him as the new Emperor, while in fact he had been the Emperor for twelve years now.
Perhaps it was the fact that the Emperor had accepted his crown at the mere age of sixteen. When the Emperor turned eighteen he was given full control over the armies and cities that once belonged to his father. But while his father was a battle hardened veteran and sought peace where he could find it, the young Emperor had never stood amongst thousands of men fighting for their lives and knew little of the hard life in a military camp. And unknowing of these things he looked upon men like pieces on a chessboard. Sacrificing them by the thousands to gain small advantages.
In Derick's mind the Emperor wasn't fit to occupy the thrown of such a powerful nation and he sweared as he threw his new orders into the fire. For a moment he thought about ignoring them. Simply telling the Emperor he did not receive them. Perhaps capturing the messenger and placing him in the front lines on the south of the valley, where the fighting was still going on. 'But' thought Derick 'if the messenger had any idea of what was in the documents, he probably was halfway back by now'. So there was no option, although the thought had comforted him a little while, he walked downstairs to pass the orders.
They were going to advance again.