Exile's End: Day 34

Word Count: 204,016

Summary of Events:
Chapter 67:
Thårijn was shown Sålömen's cartography skills and then had a much more civil conversation with Sålömen, much to his surprise. While riding ahead, Æliyäu discovered a military outpost guarded by a palisade and rode back to warn Thårijn that they may well have reached the border.
Chapter 68:
After hearing the news from Æliyäu, Thårijn thought about how they should go and decided that they should all go in one force, and so they did, but the Förstenräl noticed them and started to fight. Thårijn led the men in battle until he fell out of his saddle.

Excerpt of the Day:
"The stallion screamed and rose up onto his hind legs, flailing his forelegs in the air, screaming again, and then he came down. The Förstenräl swung at Thårijn who lost his balance as he evaded the blow.
Thårijn was hanging sideways and could straighten up. What was worse, both his feet were caught in their stirrups. A blow struck Thårijn's leg at the knee — one of the lesser armoured places.
He could do nothing to defend himself. Thårijn worked to kick his left foot free of the stirrup. He could feel the saddle shifting underneath him — not that it could go far because of Græshädå's armour.
Another blow landed on his leg. Thårijn turned Helännäri around and drove her into the ground. Pushing on her, Thårijn got the height he needed to get his left foot out of the stirrup.
Græshädå moved forward and Thårijn lost his balance again, falling to the ground — freeing Helännäri — but his right foot was still caught in the stirrup. Thårijn could only see a swirling mass of hooves all around him, his stallion sidestepped, and then something spooked his stallions who lunged forward.
Thårijn was going to be dragged to death — and if not that he was going to be stomped to death by the hooves swirling all around him. His shilled was sliding over the snow like a toboggan, but the strain on his ankle was still excruciating.
Swinging Helännäri, Thårijn struck his stirrup leather, he had to get it off, and losing his stirrup wouldn't be so bad, they could skin and tan a deer hide and make a new one. Again and again Thårijn swung, his arm getting tired, his ankle screaming in pain. Hooves swirling all around him.
Something glanced off of his shoulder, a falling body nearly hit him, a flurry of hooves almost struck him. Thårijn swung fiercely, giving no thought to the melee around him, but only to severing his stirrup leather from his saddle that he might be saved.
Græshädå stopped and reared. Thårijn hacked some more as Græshädå screamed and thrashed his forelegs. He could tell that it was almost free. He just needed a little bit more and then he'd be good.
His stallion started off again and Thårijn swung. He cried out when he realized he'd hit his shin — thankfully armoured — and tried again, trying to aim better, fiercely swinging, trying to cut the final but of leather off.
Finally Thårijn stopped moving, Græshädå disappeared among the tangle of legs, hooves, and goodness knew what else lay on the battlefield. Thårijn gasped for breath, working to recover himself before he dared get to his feet and try to find his way out of this place. Hooves danced all around his head, then a horse rose up in a rear, its hooves flailing above his head."