Along the Vistula, late 452 AD
Demetrius had slaughtered many of the opposing troops. He was doing extraordinarily well in this battle. It was highly doubtful, in his mind, that he could keep this level of personal victory up. Indeed, he could not…
He had been extremely successful until that moment. It was an unwritten law of the universe that good luck never lasts, if you asked Demetrius. Although, arguably, it had lasted, given what had happened. Regardless, what was done was done. If he could change the past, perhaps he would not have been so consumed by revenge, but ifs were a pointless exercise.
Demetrius had slaughtered so many Huns that he had gained the attention, indeed, the personal attention, of Attila. They had fought a long duel, and Demetrius had done very well. It was a lost cause, of course, although Demetrius had made Attila the Hun fear him, or, perhaps more precisely, fear his rage, that day. Nonetheless, he had lost.
It had been a clear day, and there would be no weather to impede the battle. Demetrius’s personal army had nothing to impede their retreat, if they so wished. By contrast, the Huns could not retreat without having to cross the River Vistula itself. In hindsight, that had not been a very good battle plan. He probably should have positioned his troops so that they could not so easily retreat. After all, a cornered bear fought so much better than a bear that could escape.
Regardless of such things, his army had, all things considered, begun the battle in an extremely well position. Unfortunately, Demetrius had created an army that primarily wanted one thing, revenge. He had also neglected to inform his army of his own private plans. That probably cost a few lives, but these people had literally lived for revenge - what would they have done if the battle was won? Or, at least, that was how Demetrius justified his actions then to his present self. He was not certain that his present self agreed, but it was already finished.
Attila and Demetrius had crossed blades, and Demetrius was actually winning, or at least forcing a stalemate. He fought like a rabid lion, consumed by his need for revenge. There was the backup plan, of course, but, if he could kill this murderer now, he would not need to resort to such tactics. Even if he couldn’t, he could still make him pay for his pain.
In his fanatical rage during his personal duel, Demetrius had originally not even noticed that his forces were being pushed back. He had not noticed that his army was being defeated. The most horrifying thing was that, even if he had noticed, it was likely that he wouldn’t have cared.
He was engaged in a bitter sword fight to the death with Attila, and he was wounding his enemy in multiple spots. He had suffered some wounds himself, of course, but those were minor. As he went in for another attack, Attila finally, finally flinched. He attempted to get away from the duel. Well, Demetrius was not letting him get away that easily. He would have to pay for his escape in blood…
As he fought, and, more precisely, when Attila had flinched, Demetrius thought that he was on dangerous ground. “Hmm,” he thought. “Of course I am on dangerous ground, but verily, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil, for the Shadow of Death shies away from me in fear”. He meant every part of that thought.
Unfortunately, his army had all but completely retreated now. This meant that the Huns could attack him in defense of their king, and that is what they did. Demetrius knew he was good, but he could not fight off an entire army. It seemed as if he was going to use the backup plan after all…
As he retreated, he looked over the battlefield. He saw thousands of dead bodies, but that didn’t matter to him. However, he figured that some of his army had managed to escape. He would meet with them at their rendezvous point, and, from there, he could begin his new plan. The Hunnic Empire had killed his brother, and, for that, he would destroy it utterly.