The Siege of Kolding

A day before you arrived at Kolding, you ordered your closest advisors to gather in your tent and make preparations for the battle to come. Though the odds were greatly against you, you had a number of advantages on your side – least of which may be better council. The three companions you selected were an interesting lot, to say the last. Firstly there was Igor the Red, a childhood friend who had been raised alongside you in Arhus. He stood taller than most any man, with a patchy and curly black beard growing from his face. He kept his head bald, claiming hair only gave your foe something to grab onto in battle. Though he wasn't the brightest, he was a fierce warrior and nothing if not brave. Sitting next to him was your older sister, Ylva. She had been but 15 when she was named a shieldmaiden. Your father had wanted her to serve in the household and stay far away from the battlefield, but this only strengthened the young lass' resolve to fight She had short blonde hair and blue eyes that searched about the room with slow, deliberate movements like a wolf in the hunt. Lastly there was Radulfr. Your father was a coward, but the men who advised him scarcely were. Radulfr was but a boy when your grandfather turned against his former employers, but he had served his grand-pop's army all his life. His skill with a sword, axe, or throwing weapon was undeniable – rivaled only by his passion for leading men in battle. He was the commander who won the siege of Velje, taking the city in but a fortnight.

Your council sat to discuss tomorrow's battle.

Radulfr began, "M'lord, the scouts we sent out yesterday have reported back. They claim that the city was on the brink of surrender when they scaled the walls. They met with the local commander of the garrison and told him we'd be coming. Furthermore, they say that the local garrison numbers about 50 men, while the host outside of it is larger than we imagined, possibly as much as 500."

Igor was shocked by this account, "500? We have only a little over 300 at our disposal– 350 if we include the men behind the walls. What hope do we have of winning this encounter?"

Ylva gave a tut at this, "We have advantages Igor," she shook her head. "We have surprise on our side, plus our men are better equipped and are fighting for a cause, their homeland. Lovka's men fight only for their king's greed."

Radulfr added, "And we have some cavalry at our disposal. Our scouts report that Lovka's men are all afoot aside from Lovka's personal bodyguard."

Igor interjected, "Yes, but how much cavalry do we really have? Two dozen horsemen?"

Ylva corrected him, "40... But your point stands. We are limited in that regard."

You had yet to speak up. The situation was quite unfortunate and it seemed that was Dad refused to come out from behind his high walls in Arhus. Still, there were ways of achieving victory here.

Radulfr spoke again, "It seems our options are either to attack directly, something I would not recommend, or to sneak our cavalry around their lines and attack their flanks while our men hold the vanguard. The garrison will spring into action so long as we confront Lovka." The room fell silent and seemed to defer to you.

On the marrow, your men broke camp and began the march to Kolding. When you arrived, you saw all that your scouts had promised you would. Lovka's forces wrapped around the city like fingers around a goblet. Yet you could see immediately that a rough hill on the eastern portion of the city split his forces. You wasted little time. You commanded Radulfr and Igor to take the cavalry and loop around Lovka's lines, using the nearby forest as cover. Ylva took the right flank, while you led the center and left flanks. Approaching from the north, you immediately began the ****. War horns sounded from both your army and Lovka's; his men turned to face you in battle. The garrison sallied forth from the gates, meeting the token **** that Lovka had left behind.

Things progressed as expected. Your men smashed into his, but you were better equipped and, as Ylva predicted, fought with greater ferocity. Still, Lovka had numbers and would callously throw his men into the slaughter if needed. Your men boldly cut his down, but soon you began to give some ground. They fell back several feet, and you could begin to see the unease in your soldiers' eyes. It was at this moment that your cavalry arrived from behind the enemy. Lovka's men turned to face them as best they could, but they could not successfully form up a shield wall in time. They fell upon Lovka's left flank, causing your right flank to swell with bloodlust and glee. You could swear you heard Ylva screaming in joy at the turn of battle. The enemy's left flank rapidly disintegrated, and suddenly his entire army was in rout.

At this, your cavalry detached and went to the enemy king himself. Lovka fought on even as his men broke around him, desperately trying to patch together his forces. It was little use. Igor the Red caught Lovka himself and placed him in bondage. It appears his bodyguard wasn't half as brave as thought. About half of Lovka's army was outright killed. Another great portion was taken prisoner, and perhaps a third successfully fled.