034. Broken Swords And Shattered Spears

Broken swords and shattered spears litter the courtyards inside the castle the once pretty gardens ruined all the flowers crushed by war here and there lie the corpses of peasants interspersed between the dead knights crossbowmen and archers The thatched roofs in the bailey are burning the well is tainted with blood the moat is full of spear men pierced by many arrows The foul smell of death and smoke fills the air as the survivors go about claming their dead to stop the enemy mutilating the corpses no words are spoken between friend and foe they don’t need to show their feelings their grief is all too clear The silence is only broken by the screams of the wounded being treated by the surgeons the chance of survival is limited but they feel they have to try Outside the walls the dead are stacked on a huge funeral pyre like branches cut from a tree before being burnt The castle walls still stand firm over all the destruction the damage caused by the trebuchets highlight the strength of the fortress and as the sun sets behind the towers the surviving peasants begin their work to rebuild the town outside