A Marriage and a War.
She slowly walked down the aisle of the church, long dress flowing behind her, the end of it held by no less than four ladies in waiting. Mariam Bagratuni could not exactly be called the most beautiful woman in the kingdom but she was far from ugly. Her new husband was ugly however. He walked around with a scowl on his face that caused him to look like there was always a cloud of some very foul smell right in front of his face that only he could smell. Under her wedding veil she looked around at the church, like most Orthodox churches it was very ornate covered in art, most of it depicting St. George. St. George was the Patron Saint of Georgia and it was hoped that he approved of this marriage. It was hoped that a marriage between the spy master and the chancellor of the kingdom would produce children that excelled in one or both of the posts, and as their mother was the only princess of the kingdom it was hoped they would remain close and loyal to the throne.
***
Of course, Mariam thought bitterly when she heard the news. Her father used the money from the duty the many minor lords and his count brother gave him for the marriage of his oldest daughter. He didn’t use it on the wedding, no that had been her husband Gabriel’s job, he used it to give himself the titles of Prince of Kartli and Prince of Abghazia. Now with the new titles and the title of King of the Georgians her father had decided that it was God’s Will that he went to war with the Chiefdom of Kasogs. Forget the fact that Kasogs was a vassal of his ally who was a true Orthodox Prince, no Kasogs was full of heathens who did not follow God so they must be brought under the heel.
***
Giorgi was impatient, then again so was his father; it was the worst time to march from their mountain holdings to Kasogs. December was not known as a typical month to start a campaign. Although it was not seen as a problem this time around, Kasogs had at most 1,470 men that could be raised in time, or so his sister Mariam and her spy networks had said. King Bagrat had the host of the county of Abkhazia at his control, 1089 men, and Giorgi had the host of Imeretia at his command. Both hosts where the same size and same make up, they were the richest two counties in the rather small kingdom and were seen as pretty much equal in all respects. Finally it was time to march; they would get there in about a month’s time.
***
The harsh sun of late January had three things to glint off of this afternoon on this particular field; metal, snow and blood. The battle went perfectly almost; Giorgi and his men held their ground against a foe that outnumbered them almost three to two. Then when all hope seemed lost for the Georgians and the Kasogian forces would move in for the killing move Bagrat’s force came over the ridge and the King lead a charge that shattered the morale of the enemy. Almost four hundred Georgians never left the field but over one third of the enemy force were also left. This battle was decisive not because of the causalities but due to the huge morale difference there now existed between the two armies.
***
The war went on until June of 1067. The heathen chief had led his men in several attacks to try to take back his capital but heavy arrow storms and the prospect of facing the Georgian host, these times on the defensive, proved too much for the men and each time they routed before even getting to the army. Soon after his capital fell in June Chief Buuergur agreed to give his chiefdom to Bagrat and leave in exile for the rest of his life.
