Chapter 93: The Battle Of Carles
The imposing two-story structure of the town hall loomed over the town square, its foundation hewn from solid marble, its exterior walls crafted from stones quarried from the legendary Mount Roca. These ancient walls, weathered by time and battle, bore silent witness to the shifting tides of power.
Inside, the second floor housed ten rooms, while the ground level featured a vast central hall flanked by six chambers, were the towns people do their business. A hidden dungeon, accessible only through a narrow, dimly lit stairwell in the rear, had long been a place of whispered fear—a prison for the town’s secrets, betrayals, and sins.
Carles and the neighboring town of Aplaya stood among the wealthiest settlements in all of Estalis and Northem, their fortunes built upon the twin treasures of the land and sea. Mount Roca yielded veins of gleaming marble and precious stones, while the bountiful Orient Sea lured foreign merchants to its shores every dry season, their ships heavy with trade goods. These riches made Carles a coveted prize in the long war between Estalis and Northem.
It was for this reason that Mayor Roder Fuerte pledged his allegiance to Estalis, bargaining with the kingdom for power. The King of Estalis made an irresistible offer—if Carles joined Estalis, it would be granted autonomy, a self-governing region under Fuerte’s rule but still part of the kingdom. It was a taste of sovereignty too tempting to refuse.
The Mayor, who tasted power and autonomy, and blinded by ambition, agreed without hesitation and sealed his fate. Who did not want power?
But power is a fickle ally. The tides of war shifted once more, and the twenty-four towns that Estalis had claimed along the foot of the Alta-Sierra mountain range were wrenched back into Northem’s grasp over the past two years.
Fuerte’s private army, nurtured since the day he took office three years prior, was no match for the hardened warriors of Northem. Desperate, he turned to the shadows—secretly forging alliances with the bandits, the rebels and the mercenary forces of Zura.
Yesterday, as Estalis’ grip crumbled and their soldiers surrendered, the mayor emerged unscathed, striding into the town hall to welcome General Odin and the victorious Northem soldiers. After all, he was still the mayor of Carles—now under the rule of King Heimdal of Northem.
On the surface he showed allegiance to the King of Northem but in reality, he wanted to break free and declare himself as the autonomous ruler of Carles.