Entry 14 of The Frankland Diaries Below is an excerpt from the personal diary of Leon Barclay
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I had never engaged the Franks before that day. I, nor my father, Grand Prince Ferdinand, expected a fight. I was told stories, but I had always dismissed them as exaggeration. Quickly, I learned that I was mistaken. We were supposed to meet with an “informant” in a secluded thicket in the Franklands near the keep of Velen. We were urged to dispose of our weapons before the rendezvous and, trusting our would-be allies, we obliged.
During the meeting, I admit, my mind wandered. I regret that. We should've known that diplomacy, peace, and decency are all alien to these savage peoples. As my father spoke with this "informant", he was offered a drink and assured it was safe. I watched as he drank from the same wineskin, though they did not share a glass. I don't know if it ultimately caused his death, but his drink was poisoned.
After my father drank of the poisoned wine, and we had all been lulled into a sense of safety by the Franks' deceit, the "informant" tore off his disguise, and revealed his plot. He declared that he, the Roach, had poisoned the Prince. I knew almost nothing of the Roach, but I can say now that he is a coward and a traitor, and that I will make him pay.
The Roach quickly dropped a smoke bomb, which then filled the small meeting area as he made his escape. The heathens then lit the underbrush on fire, trapping us within a hell of their own making. The two Franks that were still within the thicket assailed my father, who was unfortunate enough to be within their reach. They gouged his eye, but he fought them off as long as he could. My grandfather, The Cardinal Albarosa, came to his aid with the brave Johanna von Minitz. Had it not been for her and my grandfather, I fear my father's demise would have come much sooner.
The rest of us, in a frenzy, desperately struggled to claw our way out of the burning thicket. My first thought was to flee the way we came in, before realizing it had been blocked off by the traitorous Franks. I watched my father’s Knight, Sir Varik Sturmweber, and our Warchief, Roland von Sturmweber, break down the barricade, and I did what I could to aid them.
Once we managed to free ourselves from the blazing grove, we were met with Franks, blocking our escape. The Cardinal Albarosa and Johanna, thankfully, managed to secure my father. I stood alongside Sir Varik and Roland as we endeavored to fight the heathens back. My grandfather, having returned from ensuring The Grand Prince’s safety, handed me a dagger and buckler that he concealed during the meeting. I held the shield high as the Franks stabbed at me. They surrounded us, and we found ourselves forced into a fight for our survival. There was hell at our backs and Frankish spears were aiming to drive us toward it.
As the situation grew increasingly desperate, hope was nearly lost. I heard Roland pleading for GOD to save us. It was then that my friend and champion, Yvon Galken, arrived with a small rally of allied Franks, led by The Hawk, Olaf von Reinmar, and Ser Alfred Barclay. As they approached, we saw more of the traitorous Franks rushing from the forest. We were surrounded, but now, so was our enemy.
As the ambush morphed into a skirmish, myself, Roland, Sir Varik and The Cardinal Albarosa found ourselves forced back, closer and closer to the flames which licked at our heels. The melee became dire as the burning flora of the thicket began to bake us in our armor. Outnumbered as we were, we barely held our ground before our reinforcements could turn the tide. I personally witnessed my grandfather’s valiant heroics; he saved both me and our Warchief from Frank spears that day.
As our saviors, Alfred, Yvon and Olaf crushed what remained of the Frank ambush, we thought we had won, but we quickly realized it was at a great cost. My father, the Grand Prince, lay dying just outside the thicket. Prince Alfred made many attempts to save him, and I stayed by my dear father’s side in his last moments. I held onto him as he spoke his final words to me before his demise. I pray he did not suffer in the end, and that he went to the Skies.
We attempted to take my father’s body, along with our wounded, to Velen, but the Roach harassed us with bombs. He threw Godsflame onto me as I tried to escape, carrying my fallen father. I collapsed, writhing in pain as the Roach sent another down at me; the coward was hidden in the treetops. I was saved by the heroic Olaf von Reinmar, who risked his life to mitigate the blast by leaping atop the bomb. By the grace of GOD, Olaf’s shield protected him from harm, and we were able to escape without further casualties.
It was after we had escaped the Roach’s final assault that I took a long look at the burning grove, and wondered how this could have happened. Under flag of truce, my father, Grand Prince Ferdinand, was slain by Frankish savages; poisoned and brutalized. I will never forgive this heinous crime. The Roach will pay-- By blood, by fire, he will pay.