The Comte du Fromage sighed and looked up from his charts and maps, "What is it now?" he asked in an exasperated tone as he addressed the courier. The cavalryman bowed low and presented a sealed envelope to the Comte, "I would never have interrupted you but my General said this was most urgent". The Marshall took the message, broke the seal and glanced at the the text of the communique. "My good man you must see my cook for a quick meal, I want to see you back here within the hour". The courier bowed and withdrew.
The Count returned to his charts and maps, furiously concentrating on the dispositions of his troops and the map reflecting the progress of the mine below the walls of Gruyere. Unhappily satisfied that his worst suspicions were confirmed he sat down for a moment to gather his wits. After a couple of glasses of claret he called for his secretary, "It seems that our Frozonian friends have left us in the lurch, the Ferndalians are marching against us as we speak. We will have to cancel the assault and move troops to block the advance of the Ferndalains. Damn it! I should have insisted that we bring heavier guns! A battery of 18 pounders and these walls would have been dust weeks ago, instead we are forced to tunnel like rats beneath the ground. We will leave troops to cover the minehead but we will have to abandon the rest of the works. Two Squadrons and the Grenadier companies will stay; I will take the rest of our force and stop the Ferndalians. Leave word for the engineers to fire the mine as soon as is possible, we may need to have the fortress slighted if Fate treats us poorly".
Duke Ivan "The Bitter" drove his men hard trying to cover ground before the Freedonian invaders could react. "March, my sons! The faster we move the less we will bleed!" He marched next to his green troops setting an example with his relentless energy, dismounting and trudging along the muddy roads with his men. None dared to shirk their duty when a sixty year old Duke was marching next to them despite the soul-crushing pace. The miles from Cheddar were covered in just ten days at the cost of hundreds of stragglers but the Duke knew that time was more important than manpower. He needed to force a battle on the Freedonian invaders before Gruyere fell and provided them a base with access to the sea. The frantic messages from the city as they had followed the progress of the mine beneath their walls gave urgency to the Duke's normally impatient temperament; he drove his men not out of a sense of cruelty but out of cruel necessity, time was not their ally.
