Red knights

Marcus was perched amongst the trees, his red cloak dropping just below the branch he stood on, the black leather underneath wrapped tight around his body. It was late at night, and he knew that despite the contrasting colors, he would not be spied from his location. On the other hand, his night vision was well trained, and he could see the advancing army in the distance, even though they had doused their torches and were marching blind. They were attempting to infiltrate Marcus's home under the dark of night, so as to catch the sleeping kingdom off guard.

But Marcus and his team had known of this plan for some time, and were well prepared to stop them. A dozen knights in red cloaks and black leather, hiding amongst the trees, waiting for the invaders to get into their range. Each trained by experts in their individual styles of combat, and worth ten men on their owns. Between them and the mask of night, the invaders wouldn't stand a chance.

They waited until they completely surrounded the army, spread out amongst the trees, before silently dropping to the ground around them. Only Marcus was visible, dropping directly in front of the leading forces of the army. Even in the dead of night and with their lesser vision, it would have been impossible to miss him. They came to a halt, calling out to those behind them to do the same, and their knuckles tightened around their swords and shields. But Marcus said nothing, only staring them down, waiting for the inevitable approach of one of their commanders.

It took just over a minute for a commander to push his way to the front of the army. "Who the hell are you?" his voice boomed in the night. Marcus could see the man trying to see him more clearly in the darkness, and elected to aid him. He held out a hand, fist wrapped around an empty handle, knowing that the commander had no idea what it was he was looking at. And then, like a flash of flame, he was holding onto a bright and glowing orange battleaxe, the butt sticking into the ground, the dirt around it just barely burning. Around the army, a dozen other weapons burned to life as the rest of his knights prepared their weapons.

The commander recognized them immediately. He knew who they were. This was the reason they had attempted to invade quietly and in the dead of night. There was fear in his eyes, but he called his men to action. Weapons and shields were raised, prepared for battle. But Marcus couldn't help but smile.

This night, he would once more keep his kingdom safe. That was a good feeling.