- The Prouds 156
paper. He considered Genos family and was, therefore,
loyal to it. Genos was even more loyal than humans were.
It was true that King Matthew wanted the entire world to
submit to him, hoping that it alleviated his great sorrow for
losing his beloved Heather. Yet, he did not directly launch
war against the Prouds, but rather sent them a messenger
asking them to surrender without war. He grew too old, and
it had been a long time since Heather’s murder. He became
more experienced in politics, started to believe that
peaceful solutions were better than war, and preferred mind
to sword. He realized that the goal was more important than
the means, and that was why he sent his messenger to the
Prouds asking them to surrender without fight.
It was also true that he had delayed fighting the
Prouds after they defeated him a long time ago. But he
never forgot about them and was determined to get back to
them at the end of his conquests, so that his victory over
them would be the jewel in his crown as the king of that
vast kingdom.
Led by Jarvis, the Prouds marched to meet King Matthew’s
mighty huge army. Their army included senior knights,
including all of Addison’s sons, Reynold, Milton, and the
Small One. There were fourteen thousand or less of the
Prouds, whereas Widea’s soldiers were about sixty
thousand equipped with more steel and arms than the
Prouds. They wore helmets and armors and carried shields,
while the Prouds had only their swords. Widea’s soldiers
were led by Hector, a strong man, who had led the army for
many years despite his young age. He had black hair and
trimmed thick black facial hair. He was assisted by his