In the Shadows of the Mountains - Chapter Fifteen: The Siege

The siege had stretched on for weeks, leaving both the Crusaders and the city of Antioch drained and weary. Beneath the blistering sun, the Crusader forces lay entrenched in makeshift camps, surrounded by the dust and desolation of a prolonged siege. Disease and starvation stalked the soldiers as relentlessly as the enemy, leaving the ranks thinned and their spirits waning.

The city of Antioch itself was no better. Within its towering walls, the people suffered in silence, the once-bustling streets now haunted by the specters of famine and disease. Supplies dwindled, and the smell of rot filled the air. For the soldiers inside, each day brought new horrors: the cries of the starving, the sight of comrades succumbing to illness, and the knowledge that their enemy waited, ever-patient, just beyond the walls.