Kingdom of Iron: Tyrant's Fall

The march from Mornal to the Onyx Holdings took only a day and a half. After all, the Dwarves had long been allies of the Order of Lion's Roar; their territories had been close for longer than anyone could remember.

There were no ambushes waiting for them as the army reached the mountains and began to climb. Matt saw abandoned watchtowers on nearby peaks, ones with beacons that remained unlit. Either the losses of the previous battles had been severe enough to force the Dwarves to fall back already, or they already knew the invasion was coming. Either way, he knew their good fortune wouldn't last forever.

Unlike when he had crossed the High Peaks the previous fall, the weather was pleasant and warm. The Wargs of the Royal First did not have to slip and slide around boulders on an unused path, isolated from the rest of the Kingdom as they raided into enemy territory. This time, they marched in the warm sunshine, enjoying the cool breezes that blew through the mountain range and treading a well-worn path, complete with grooves for their carts.

Another difference was also their goal. During his raids against the Noble Races, Matt had only been looking for a pass through the mountains. This time, they were looking for a path that led into the mountains—specifically the high valleys and secluded mountain forts where the Dwarves had made their home.

If the Dwarves had bothered with concealment or deception, it might have been an incredibly painful process. The mountains were not a broad field with room to maneuver, and as cheerful as the soldiers were now, Matt knew that none of them really wanted to spend the rest of the summer marching around the Onyx Holdings searching for doors.

Fortunately, the Dwarves hadn't bothered to hide. Instead, the road led them straight to their first target, the city of Lowgarten.

Lowgarten was built unlike the other cities that Matt had seen so far. It was settled on the northern edge of a valley in the mountains. A patchwork of farms stretched across the length of the place, including terraces that had been built up and over the slopes of the peaks surrounding the place. Lowgarten itself was a walled settlement that the Dwarves had carved directly into the mountain. It almost reminded Matt of the kind of construction he'd seen at Ashpeak, though there weren't any waterfalls or mysterious bits of machinery here.

The farms lay deserted as Matt's army marched towards the gates of the city. He didn't like the look of the fortifications, to say the least. First, they would need to get past a wall built from solid, dark stone that stretched three times higher than any Orc. Then, they'd need to breach the massive stone gates of the keep inside if they wanted to be able to dig the Dwarves out of their fortifications.

He glanced at Lucy, who was once again walking beside him. "There's no way we can just skip this place, right?"

She shook her head. "They'd be able to cut our supply lines if we get held up at Thronepeak. Bypassing this place is not an option."

Matt grimaced and turned his attention back to the walls. There was a delegation of some kind on the wall above the gate. Evidently, the enemy wished to talk. He sighed. Hopefully, it wouldn't be some kind of trap. They were getting old, honestly.

Matt, Lucy, and his lifeguards rode forward as his arm came to a halt outside of bowshot of the walls. The flags they carried were the traditional grey of parley; even the Alliance hadn't broken that taboo so far.

When they'd reached a spot about halfway to the gates, Matt called for a halt. Balred, who had been carrying the bannerpole with the grey flag, set it firmly into the soil beside the path. Then they watched the walls and waited.

A short time later, the gates of the town creaked open, and a delegation of Dwarves rode out. Matt blinked, taken aback; he'd never seen Dwarves ride anything, but here they were, stacked two to each bicorn. They also carried a grey flag, a duplicate of the one on the walls. The three pairs of Dwarves rode at a resigned, unhappy pace. It seemed to take them forever to reach the spot.

When they did, Matt waited until they had dismounted. Then he swung himself out of the saddle and onto the dust of the path. He spent a moment soothing Nelson and then turned to face the Dwarven emissaries.

They seemed like they had seen better days. Each of them showed signs of fatigue and desperation; the fine clothing they wore seemed insufficient beside their despairing expressions. As he approached, their eyes grew wide with fear. Four of them stepped back as he drew close. Their leader swallowed quietly as Matt stopped in front of him and waited.

After the silence had continued for a moment, Matt spoke. He didn't bother shouting; a calm, even voice was probably good enough. "You know who I am."

The Dwarf in front of him nodded. He swallowed again. "You're the Tyrant of Iron."

"That's one name, I guess." He glanced at the other Dwarves. None of them seemed ready to attack him. It was a promising sign, at least, though he didn't know what it said that he was taking the absence of assassins as a positive at a parley. "You know what I'm here for?"

Again, the Dwarf nodded. "You're here to conquer us."

Matt studied him a moment. "If that is necessary, yes." He shook his head. "The Alliance was the one that pushed this war. I never wanted it. Yet your leaders have refused to surrender, no matter how badly they are losing."

He paused for another moment and stared deep in the Dwarf's eyes. "So I'm here to finish it. One way or the other, your people will stop attacking mine."

The Dwarf stared back at him in horror. Then he nodded. "We are prepared to surrender."

Matt blinked. He hadn't expected that result. An exchange of threats, maybe, but not an immediate surrender. Why…

He glanced at the other Dwarfs, who were all staring at him. Not at the army behind him, or the guards who were nearby with weapons ready, or even at Lucy, standing in her uniform. At him.

Understanding dawned. They'd heard of Greyhenge. Armies they probably understood. Magic was something they saw every day. The kind of power that could wipe an entire city from existence, however, was something new. Something terrifying. Especially if they didn't know he couldn't repeat it.

After all, what could an earthquake do to a town built under a mountain?

Matt returned his gaze to the Dwarven leader. "I am happy to hear it. You will save your people much suffering."

The Dwarf gulped again. "We ask only that you spare us. Please. Don't destroy us, and we will not fight you at all."

He nodded. "Your people will be safe unless they try to harass us. Any resistance means that there will be consequences."

"We understand, my lord." The Dwarf was shaking now. Matt couldn't tell if it was fear, relief, or some combination of both. His companions were little better.

Matt gestured. "Then go. Open the gates and gather your warriors to hand over your weapons and armor." He paused. "You have one hour."

The Dwarves nodded. Moments later, they were scrambling back onto their bicorns and urging the beasts back to the city. Matt watched them go and sighed.

Lucy stepped up next to him. Her lips were pursed. "Well, that was different."

He glanced at her. "Not exactly what you saw during the revolution?"

"Not at all." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Maybe it does pay to have a certain kind of reputation."

Matt snorted. He turned and walked back to Nelson. Apparently, he was going to be riding into Lowgarten in triumph today, not after a week or month-long siege. If only the entire rest of the campaign would be so easy.

Three hours later, Matt stood in the personal throne room of the former lord of Lowgarten, debating his next course of action.

He looked over at Lucy and smiled. "Do you want to sit on the fancy throne, or should I?"

She tilted her head as if considering it for a moment. "Thrones aren't really my thing, to be honest. They don't exactly come across as a good look for a leader of the Revolution."

"Huh. Good point." Matt looked back at the throne. It looked comfortable enough, for someone about two-thirds his height. Unlike his own throne in Redspire, the Dwarves had sculpted it out of the stone from the mountain, but at least they had provided cushions. "Still, I feel like I already have one. Besides, it might be booby-trapped somehow."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "Yet you were offering it to me?"

He chuckled. "Well, you are quicker than I am. Maybe you'd be able to—"

Matt cut off as the door to the throne room opened. He turned to see a trio of Dwarves being escorted in, none of whom looked very happy. One was the leader of the group that had 'negotiated' the surrender with him, but he was trailing behind two other, slightly less cowed Dwarves. The one out in front was a Dwarf woman with sideburns that nearly reached her chin and hair that trailed down her back. It was the first time he'd seen a female Dwarf, that he could recall. Her other companion was clearly a disarmed warrior of some kind; he surveyed the lifeguards stationed around the room, and his scarred face tightened with both dismay and anger.

He stepped down from the terrace the throne had been placed on. "I assume that you are the other chieftains of Lowgarten?"

The woman in front nodded. "I am Chief Mo'kun. This is Chief Tep'kash. Chief Sol'fet you've already met."

She spat the last name like a curse, and Sol'fet cringed as if she'd struck him. Matt felt his lips twitch, but he kept the smile from fully forming on his face. "Chief Mo'kun, I assume that you've already accepted the surrender of your city."

The Dwarf's jaw clenched so tight that he could see the muscles bulge. She nodded, however. "I do, my lord. I would have wanted to discuss things with my fellow Chiefs first, but I recognize as well as anyone that we could not stand against you for long."

Sol'fet cringed again, but he glared at her back this time. At least, he did until Tep'kash gave him a sidelong look; then he just averted his eyes and stared at a nearby wall.

Mo'kun ignored both of them as she continued. "Now that you have occupied the city, can I trust that you'll keep your promise not to slaughter us all?"

Matt raised an eyebrow. "My troops are neither looting nor burning anything in the city, correct?" She nodded, and he continued in an even voice. "So long as you keep to your promises, then that state of affairs will continue as well."

Mo'kun's eyes went to Lucy, who was still standing to one side of the throne. "So there will be no executions? No purges? No riots?"

Lucy's response was cool. "While I do not want to prolong the oppression of your people, King Matthew promised that you would all remain unharmed—even the parasitic, corrupt nobles who caused this entire war."

Mo'kun opened her mouth to retort, but Tep'kash snorted. She looked back at him, and he shook his head. "She's giving you what you want, Mo'kun. Don't argue your way into something worse."

Matt focused on him. "I'd assume that you were the one in charge of the garrison here?"

"What's left of it, sure." The Dwarf shook his head. "We had maybe half a banner of Crossguards and three of militia, and nothing more than that. Even if it weren't you at the gates, we wouldn't have lasted long."

Mo'kun glared back at him. "We would have done our best."

Tep'kash snorted. "I didn't see you buckling on any armor, woman. Don't count yourself among the warriors 'til you do."

His fellow Chief recoiled and hissed, but Matt spoke again before she could. "Are there more forces in the area, Chief Tep'kash?"

The Dwarf shook his head. "No. Every banner the Onyx Lord could lay hands on is already back at Thronepeak." Mo'kun hissed again, and even Sol'fet stared at him in shock, but Tep'kash just shrugged. "He'd find out just by having his troops talk to the serfs. Half of them would tell them the names of every single soldier who abandoned him here, just out of spite. You know that as well as I."

Tep'kash looked back at Matt, the Dwarf's eyes weighing him. "This way there's less pain involved for everyone."

Matt nodded. He glanced at Lucy. "So, the Dwarves are waiting for us at Thronepeak."

"Elves too, the snooty bastards." Tep'kash spat on the floor. "A bunch of them marched through here with their noses in the air, talking about how they were going to settle the score that we couldn't. As if they knew anything at all. At least you sent them packing well enough."

Sol'fet raised a hand. "There are Knights, too. From the Order of Ravens. Not many, but some."

Lucy grimaced, stepping down from beside the throne. "Sounds like they are digging in for a last stand."

Matt sighed. "Yeah. They must know as well as we do that if Thronepeak falls, so does most of the rest of the Alliance. The war would be well on its way to being done."

"It should have been over already!" Sol'fet's voice was shaking, but he glared at Mo'kun when she whirled to face him. "You know what I mean. They're mad, all of them. How many of us have died fighting so far? How many are going to? We should have backed Tel'fed when—"

Mo'kun interrupted him, striding towards him with fists clenched. "Tel'fed was a traitor! You dare speak his name and champion his cause? I'll have you thrown in the lowest hole to—"

Matt cleared his throat, and the Dwarf stopped. She turned back to him, and he gave her a smile that few would have described as kind. "I'll remind you that while you are occupied, you will be under the laws of my Kingdom, not your own. That means there will be no trials for treason or executions without my approval."

Lucy snorted. "I still say we should have used the Revolution's laws."

He looked at her with amusement. "Your laws call for the immediate execution of all nobles in your territory."

Mo'kun blanched, and Tep'kash grunted. "I think we'll accept the current situation, King Matthew."

Matt gave the man a nod of approval. "Good. You didn't really have a choice, but acceptance is nice." Tep'kash let out a huff of annoyance, but he returned Matt's nod. "Please do your best to inform the people here that our occupation is meant to be peaceful, but there will be consequences for any disturbances. Murder, rioting, and theft are all still illegal in my Kingdom—and remind them that many of our soldiers are unhappy at not being able to kill any of them today."

He paused. "You're dismissed."

The Chiefs hesitated, obviously unused to that kind of treatment. Then Mo'kun turned and stomped out of the room, followed by the other two. Sol'fet turned at the doorway to look back at Matt, and then slumped outside, leaving Matt and Lucy alone with their guards again.

Matt waited until the doors closed and then turned back to Lucy. "So. How long before they start causing trouble?"

She snorted. "Maybe a day or two at most. Mo'kun sounds like she's a death-before-dishonor type—for everyone else, at least."

He grimaced. "The serfs here mostly just seem afraid that we're going to burn everything down. I'm betting she could use that to her advantage."

Lucy paused. "Well, not if she's not around."

Matt gave her a wary look. "We promised that they'd live."

"True. Not that they'd live here, though." Lucy grinned. "What do you think about sending her on a little field trip back to your Kingdom?"

He blinked. Then he smiled. "Not just her, I think. We'll round up all the nobles, let them get packed, and then ship them out to Redspire. They might get there just in time to get shipped back, but at least they can't cause any trouble here in the meantime."

Lucy rubbed her hands together. "It might give the serfs a chance to get used to not having them around, too." He gave her another look, and she shrugged. "Just because I can't start the revolution here too doesn't mean I won't give it a nudge or two. Can you really blame me?"

Matt shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Fair enough. I'll have Captain Snolt and the Royal First escort the nobles back. They wouldn't be much use in a siege, anyway. For the garrison…"

"The Fourth and Nineteenth Hawks from my side. They're the greenest I have, but they should be a decent rearguard." She nodded in satisfaction.

He nodded. "I'll have one of the Red Guard banners stay, too. Just to make sure they can stand up to anything that happens." Also, to make sure some overeager revolutionary didn't start show trials or something. She gave him a look as if she'd read his mind and then rolled her eyes.

Matt looked around the vacant throne room and nodded again, this time to himself. "We'll stay here long enough to see it all worked out, and then we march to Thronepeak. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can end this."

Dawn the next day found Matt's army on the move yet again.

It had been an eventful night. The nobility of Lowgarten hadn't taken their eviction well; he was fairly certain that Mo'kun had tried to inspire some kind of riot before the soldiers had escorted her from her home. The serfs had been curiously uninterested in fighting the army currently already inside their walls, however, and none of the other nobles had backed her. After a tense few hours, the lot of them were packed and on their way west, escorted by a glum Captain Snolt and his Warg Riders.

The captain and commanders being left behind were then informed of their duties and instructed to keep the population peaceful. Matt was careful to explain that the less they mistreated the serfs, the better the garrison would have it. It took a few repetitions, but he was fairly certain that they'd left the city in good hands. Some of the Dwarves had even cheered his army on as they left for Thronepeak.

Of course, not everyone was happy. Matt was entirely unsurprised to overhear Captain Rordine griping about the lack of looting and butchery to anyone who drifted close enough to listen. He also seemed to feel that kidnapping a ton of Dwarven serfs would have made up for the cost of the campaign—of course, ignoring how the army was going to feed and carry said serfs around when they were on a road in the mountains. A saddening number of the Red Moon troops seemed to listen to him, but Matt merely made a few comments about the need to take the capital rather than spend all summer in some border city. It seemed to answer some of the grumbling at least. Hopefully, he would find the chance to deal with the Orc soon.

It took only a day's march to reach the Dwarven capital. They passed by numerous little villages, most of them with a handful of farming terraces and a cluster of holes carved into the rock nearby for their homes. Most of the places were either empty or filled with only the young or the elderly. Matt ordered his troops to ignore them and continue on. The real prize still lay ahead.

When they reached the city, Matt realized he hadn't entirely been exaggerating.

At some point in the distant past, a massive blast had torn a rift in a mountaintop. The once-noble peak had been ripped in two, leaving fragments to cascade into the valleys on either side. Within that shattered mountain, the Dwarves had built their city. Massive blocks of stone had been quarried and dragged into place, constructing massive edifices within the fissure. Grand towers lined with shining metal that couldn't be gold rose in the middle of the city, with other buildings dug into the sides of the broken mountain. Terraced farmland filled the valley, all of which was being abandoned as Dwarves fled into the city itself for safety.

It looked like the mountain had been some kind of egg that had partially hatched, and a Dwarven city was bursting into the world from its fractured shell. It was hard to tell if it was intentional or not. Buildings spilled out from the crack like yolk, while the inner buildings seemed to shelter within the safety of the ravine, like a spiked monster still yet to emerge. On either side of the city, the sides of the mountain had been carved into sharp cliffs to prevent anyone from scaling them.

He shook his head to clear it. Right now, it was the fortifications and not the architecture that mattered.

Thronepeak had been built with two sets of walls, aside from the fortifications of the palace itself. The outermost ones looked like the most recent; they were built from the same black stone that had been used at Lowgarten, only they had been built a little higher. It did surround the majority of the city, which filled the space between walls with what looked like densely packed serf housing. Inside of the second wall, the more well-constructed noble manors and other buildings took shelter within the fissure. Built from the same black stone, it was nearly twice as tall as the first wall, and it stretched from one side of the fissure to the other.

Unsurprisingly, there were no flags of truce flying on the walls. Matt stared at where the heraldry of dozens of enemy banners was waving in the summer wind. He nodded. "All right. Let's get dug in. The siege of Thronepeak starts today."