Triumphs of a Monarch Ch . 6 Content . Ranser ' s War — Wayrest Besieged Ever since my accession to the throne of Wayrest in that momentous year of 2E 563 , the question of who should become my queen consort was ever on my — and my advisors ' — minds . King Ranser of Shornhelm had a goodly daughter , Princess Rayelle , and her hand was offered to me by my brother of Shornhelm both early and often . Indeed , my mind was almost made up to accept the Princess of Shornhelm when , on a visit to Sentinel , my eyes first beheld the Princess Maraya , daughter of King Fahara ' jad . From that moment , I swore that Wayrest would have no queen but Maraya . Of course , there was another unexpected benefit : as her dowry , she brought a trade agreement between our two states that resulted in great prosperity for all . King Ranser , alas , was wroth that I had not accepted the hand of his daughter , and he withdrew his ambassador from the court of Wayrest . Although Ranser was invited to my wedding to Maraya in the spring of 566 , like the other kings of the Covenant , he stayed , seething , in Shornhelm . I should perhaps have paid more attention to Ranser ' s choler , but I was so taken with my new bride and trade issues around the Iliac Bay that mountainous Shornhelm seemed distant and irrelevant . That mistake almost cost me my throne . For over a year , Ranser had been quietly mustering his troops and emptying his treasury to hire mercenaries . In Last Seed of 2E 566 , he led his army out of Shornhelm in a lightning strike to the south . Ranser had marched through Alcaire and Menevia almost before we were aware of his approach . The Shornhelm advance guard reached the gates of Wayrest while the local militias we had quickly mustered were still filing through them . This was a moment when history trembled upon a cusp : if the attacking Oldgate Lancers scattered our militia and took the gate , Wayrest could fall to her attackers within the hour . Fortunately , I was personally present at the gate , along with my Cumberland Guard . Recognizing the gravity of the situation , I had my bannerman sound the charge . I led the gate guards and my household troops out against the Oldgate Lancers . My men wore full armor , and I , though unarmored , bore at my side the mighty Orichalc Scalpel , an enchanted broadsword of many virtues . The Scalpel , drawn for the first time in anger , flashed and hummed like a blade in a sawmill as we hurled ourselves upon the Lancers . Our enemies , who suddenly found themselves opposed by armored veterans rather than panicky irregulars , were further confounded by the sudden onset of a thunderstorm . Lashed by hail , their horses terrified by lightning , faced with the Orichalc Scalpel scything through their necks and limbs , the vaunted Oldgate Lancers hesitated , then broke and ran , pell - mell , from the gate . By the time Ranser ' s main forces arrived on the scene , our troops were all within the walls . The gates were shut up tight , but the King of Shornhelm was undeterred . The city of Wayrest found itself once more under siege , and Ranser , with more craft and foresight than the Reachman Durcorach , had come with siege engines in his train .