“That is all, we meant no harm in it. My slaying the Orc warlord is a service to Wolf Rein. And Siv is not promised to any other man. She can still refuse if she chooses. What is so treasonous about these things?”
“I will determine that… once I thoroughly question him.”
“What of One Eye then? What in Fenris’ name do you accuse him of?”
“Oh this one… this one is not my prisoner at all, but that of the Empire.”
“The Empire?”
“Yes, you see he is wanted for the destruction of much of the inner city of Kenessos. In fact, it will take months, to repair its coliseum. The Empire wants to get to the bottom of what happened, as they have even heard tales that some northern beastman took part in the burning and wanton murder of its citizens.”
“We… we were betrayed. You can’t just hand him over to the Imperials! They’ll kill him! They’ll torture him!”
“I don’t know if you are aware of this, great hero Rothan, but Skald lost the war to the Empire. Part of our treaty is that all wanted imperial criminals be handed over. Or would you rather have the Empire send ten legions to our shores once more and take One Eye themselves?”
“I would! I would have them try! All I long for is Imperial blood! What better way to get it!”
“With that subtle strategy, I can only imagine how glorious of a Jarl you would make, if you had your way.”
“Father, you can’t let him do this. Stand up for yourself! Stand up for One Eye. He saved my life!”
“All we can do must be within the laws of the land,” my father said, hidden anger in his voice.
“Do not worry yourself over me,” One Eye said, hands chained behind his back. “Listen to your father. Don’t throw your life away and make all that work in Kenessos worth nothing.”
The Jarl waved his hand. Guards took One Eye, each by an arm, and took him from the chamber.
“One Eye!” I yelled out, helpless as a child.
“Enough of this.” The jarl coughed into his handkerchief, a violent coughing fit coming on. “You make my disease worse. Be gone from my presence, before I tell Twin Blades to throw you out, piece by piece.”
I looked to my father, but he only stared back at me and gave me a grim nod.
I stepped out, and tried to look back, but only saw a glimpse of my father’s back before the massive wooden doors shut in my face.
As I approached a tall stone arch, two guards spotted me. “What business have you?” one of them said. They straightened in front of the doors.
“I must see lady Siv.”
“She is not receiving any visitors,” the guard said. Peering into my cloak and taking in my size, he recognized me. “And shouldn’t you be out slaying dragons or fucking wolves or whatever you do?” He snorted and his fellow guard shook with laughter.
I clenched my fist and they both silenced.
“For your lives’ sake, I won’t force myself in unless I have to. Siv!” I yelled out, my voice booming, echoing throughout the castle. “Siv!”
“Enough!” The guard said, seemingly at a loss for how to deal with the situation, “We’ll—we’ll arrest you! Just watch!” The guard trembled as he forced himself to point his spear at me. I snatched the spear haft with both hands, and snapped it. He stepped back, stared at his pointless spear.
“Think carefully on what you do next,” I said, but then the door opened.
It was not Siv but another woman, a small blonde woman with a dimpled nose, in a brown embroidered dress. “Who disturbs my lady with such noise!” She spotted me, towering above the guards. “Oh!”
“I need to see my future wife.”
“Lady Siv, he was very persistent that he wanted to speak to you,” the tiny blonde woman said apologetically as I stood next to her in a chamber with luxurious tapestries, a harp, and long chests of jewelry.
Siv looked me up and down. She was seated at a table, reading some tome that looked like it weighed more than the small blonde next to me. “It’s alright, Margaret. He may enter.”
“Siv, we need to talk alone,” I said, and glanced at the blonde woman, who looked taken aback. “I know you just saw me… agitated, but my father has been arrested. Please, you must know I mean you no harm.”
Siv nodded to the Blonde woman. “Have an early meal Margaret, I will meet you in the dining room. We should not be long. My visitor will soon run out of words—he knows only a handful of them, I believe.”
I held my tongue, but felt my jaw stiffen as Margaret giggled some pleasantry and left the room.
“You need to talk sense into your mad father!” I roared as soon as the door closed.
“I think all you, my father, your father, you especially need to be given some sense. My father is not the only one acting a fool.”
“He imprisoned my father, Siv. You know he is no traitor.”
“See it from my father’s point of view. There is a Hammer of the Jarldom who grows in favor with the Jarldom’s soldiers, gains more loyalty from them, is a strong warrior and a cunning general. Now it seems that even your own court wizard allies with him. Perhaps the court wizard has been plotting with the Hammer all along. Perhaps he even cursed him with this disease. Before his disease, it was my father who led his men into battle, but ever since he came down with his sickness, it was the Hammer who they followed. Perhaps you becoming Jarl has been something plotted for years now. And men from both Wolf Rein and other Jarldoms all seek your daughter, because it is their way to power. And once they have her, why would they not help quicken his slide into oblivion?”
“There may be others who think this way, but neither I nor my father do!”
“Oh? So you want to marry me because of the deep love you have for me? Because we have the most fascinating conversations and love all the same pleasures of life, have the same plans and dreams—oh the grandest of loves we two have!”
“I… this is the way of things, Siv. It… wasn’t my idea to do things this way, but it’s for the good of Wolf Rein.”
“It wasn’t your idea, what a grand defense of your actions. The greater good, this is why you act?”
“It is! You cannot rule alone. Why not rule with me?”
“I can rule alone, if only you all would let me. The queen of the Moon Isle has no consort, and neither did many women Jarls of the past.”
“The Moon Isle is no longer part of Skald. And the woman Jarls are as you said, of the past.”
“Only by choices that were made, and not by infallible men.”
“Siv… I would treat you well. You must believe this.”
“And you would start by dictating to me who I must marry and share a bed with.”
“You would not be forced to. Even if I succeeded in my oath, you could still refuse.”
“And break a tradition a thousand years old? And be the cold, resentful Jarl’s daughter who refused the great hero who saved all of Skald from a murderous Orc horde unlike anything seen for hundreds of years?”
“People would forget after some time.”
“You don’t know how much people hold onto gossip, the more spiteful the longer life it has. But let me ask you, Rothan, if you have such noble intentions, why ask for my hand before an audience, as a reward?”
“I… this is the way of things.”
“You asked for it because you knew it would compel me to agree, that I might agree lest I be disgraced before my own people, the very people I would seek to rule.”
The madness of noble people. All I wanted was to slay evil things and be given great glory and women in return, was that too much to ask! “Forget all this! I don’t give a damn who you marry. Just at least have the honor to release my father. You may disagree with his actions, but he never did any of this thinking to hurt you or Bardawulf. I know you have sway over the Jarl, however you may feign not to. Will you at least grant me this, from one person to another?”
She only looked at me in steely silence as if she were trying to solve so
me deep puzzle in her mind. “I do not have the power to free him. He is in the Jarl’s hands now.”
“I have wasted my time.” I said, and gave her my back. “Perhaps I should not blame you. You nobles do not kill with swords, you kill with words, and with chains.” I walked away, swearing to myself that if any harm came to my father, there would be no place to hide from me, for anyone.
“Rothan,” she called as I was about to leave. “I cannot release your father… but I will do all I can to see that he is not harmed while he is prisoner. I give you my word. I will delay his trial for as long as I can, that he may not be sentenced. But I will not be able to do this for long. A moon perhaps. That is all I can give you.”
I was startled for a moment, as I looked back at her. It was strange, I felt my eyes moisten. “Thank you, I will not forget that you granted me this, at least,.” I left, before any more storms of misfortune befell me.
“We must leave at once!” I bellowed as I stormed into our family’s home on Red Hill. There was only one way to free my father without bloodshed in Wolf Rein, and that was that I be victorious in my quest, for if I was then the clamor of people to spare the father of a Fenrir horde slayer and to give him Siv’s hand would be too great. Bardawulf would have to grant both. “Come, ready your things, Quistainn.” Quistainn stood, immediately at attention.
Yorbrand walked into the room then, surrounded by a dozen men who stood beside him now in our main hall. I recognized Riggis among them, as well as several other warriors from Wolf Rein. They were draped in armor ranging from boiled leather to chainmail to half plate. Weapons were slung on their hips or shoulders, and their faces were hard, weathered warriors’ faces.
“Father, how is he?” Yorbrand asked.
“He’s safe, for now. I did all I could, but my best hope is that the Jarl is sane enough to realize his people would despise him should father be harmed.” I did not mention Siv as a possible ally, as in truth I did not know how much to trust her.
“Surely, the Jarl has too much honor to ever murder his own Hammer,” Quistainn said.
“I can’t tell anymore, Quistainn, can’t tell who has honor or not.” I scrubbed my face with my hand. “But what he hopes is that I die out there, take some Orc ax in my gut. My entrails spill out. That would solve his problems.”
“That will not happen, not as long as I live. I’ll defend you with my life,” Quistainn said.
“So can we all!” Riggis said, “I know every man here is willing to fight for you. And there are many more all throughout the Jarldom. Give us the word and we will bring down the Jarl with swords! We’ll raise you up instead! A great warrior over some lunatic, frail old man! That’s a good trade for our people, is it not lads?”
“Aye!” the men yelled. “We’ll fight!” one of them said.
“I thank you for your loyalty, brother, and Riggis, all of you, but I will not be the first to spill the blood of my own people.”
“Gah!” Riggis balked, Then command us and we’ll fight the Orcs alongside you! We’ll make sure you succeed. Then what the hell can the Jarl say? He’ll have to hand his fine daughter to you and spread her legs himself, like he was serving you a damn fish platter!”
The men laughed.
I stepped closer to the group of men gathered in the room. “Yorbrand, Riggis, all you loyal to my father, I know you are all true warriors we can depend on. Our family will not forget this loyalty. But I have learned…that the gods are real. And if they are, then perhaps so is virtue and honor. So I must keep my word that men of Wolf Rein would not help me to slay the Orc warlord. Besides, it is not in open warfare that I will face him, and we will need men here to make sure the Jarl does not feel he can become even more of a tyrant without anyone to stand in his way. So please, all of you, I am grateful to you always, but you must wait in Wolf Rein while I seek the Orc warlord. Look after one another, as well as my father and family. Wait for my return. Bardawulf will not live long with that terrible disease. Perhaps then things will change in the Jarldom.”
“Why do we have to wait?” Yorbrand said, tightening the sword belt on his hips. “Why give the Jarl time to plot how to destroy us? We can take the city now. There are a lot more of us all over the city. More than enough men are loyal to father before they are loyal to the Jarl, and we have you, a court wizard, a Thrawn priest. The Jarl is just an old man. Other than Twin Blades, he has cowards serving him. We can take them!”
“Yorbrand,” I walked to him and put a hand on his soldier. For a second I saw Gannon’s face where his was, who had been only a few years older when he perished at the hands of Imperials. “We’re truly brothers. You think like me. As I once thought. But father, and Dorgramu are right: we can’t have open revolt, can’t have bloodshed. We’ve had that enough, with the Empire, now the Orcs.”
“But what are we supposed to do, just let father rot, be killed in prison?”
“No, I want you to visit father as often as possible while I’m gone. Always take at least two loyal men with you when you do. Gather men loyal to father around you as you have, but do not do so openly or the Jarl will see it as a growing revolt. You know Wolf Rein better than I do now, so try to have our men be assigned as guards as near to father’s cell as possible. Be ready for conflict, but fight only if the Jarl moves to kill father.”
The men rumbled their frustration.
“You all would have me become your Jarl some day! Then follow my command now.”
“I’ll follow your command, brother,” Yorbrand said.
“Aye, so will I,” Riggis said. The men looked to one another, then all nodded in assent.
I looked to all of them, and realized more than ever, that we were walking a razor's edge, on one side glory, on the other disaster.
Bellabel, Quistainn and I rode to Kyra’s home at the edge of the woods. We had packed some provisions, a tent, food, water, weapons. I also carried the items Dorgramu had given me, as well as the vial from One Eye. We had two riderless mounts with us, one a horse for Kyra, another a pack mule to carry supplies. The mules here in Skald were massive compared to those in Dumos, their long shag made for the cold, their backs strong enough to carry three barrels worth of supplies.
I dismounted, and made for her front door. I took only a step or two before Kyra came bursting out of her father’s hovel with her bow, quiver, and a green bag slung over her shoulder.
“You all took a lifetime!” She said as she ran to me, and past me to the waiting horses. I strode beside her.
“There were… problems. And we needed to pack supplies, food, equipment.”
“Why pack such things? We’re hunters. We can live off the land!” There was a grimace that always seemed to hover over her face, but now setting off in this journey it eased just enough that for a moment she seemed as happy as I remembered her from our youth. Though I had been burdened with many things the last day, to see her like this lifted them some.
The fire crackled as we made camp in a rocky grove near the bottom of a hill.
“Enjoy this meal,” I said to the group as Bellabel pulled the pheasant meat off the skewer over the fire, “as we tread further into dangerous lands, we will need to travel hidden and eat cold.”
I passed the skin of mead to Quistainn, who held up a hand to it. I motioned to pass it to Kyra, and he did, as if he held a dying rat. As we ate, I reached for my bag, and drew out a scroll.
“Dorgramu gave me this map.” I unfurled it and lay it on a stone before the group. They all gathered round.
“It’s well drawn,” Kyra said as she chewed, “some places I have never seen on maps. Others I have only spotted on travels. Whoever drew it was knowledgeable.”
“I’ve seen finer maps,” Quistainn said, “but I will grant it is done with skill.”
“Well aren’t you a brilliant—what’d that one call you—oh right, cleric.”
“See this,” I pointed to a dotted line through a forest on the map. “This is the path we’ll follow, though w
e will try to be as unnoticed as possible. Once we reach the town of East Clove, we can gather more information about the Orc raids. The town was said to have been raided, but the Orcs were fought off.”
“There were also some battles in the Lantern Forest, further north.” Kyra said, pointing to the spot on the map. “Lukas said if he had to guess, that’s where my brothers were lost.”
“We’ll make sure to make our way there if we find safe passage. But we still have days of riding.” I rolled up the map. “Kyra, I want you to carry it as we travel.” I handed it to her. “I have not been in these lands for five years, but you have.”
She took it and nodded to me.
“Dorgramu also gave me these two flasks,” I took them from my bag. They were small about the size of a large man’s thumb, one white and one red. “He said when we drink them the red one will heal the wounds of one person so long as they are not mortal or maiming ones. The blue one will grant vitality for three days and three nights, with no need of sleep, food or drink. Quistainn, they are your father’s, would you like to carry them?”
“Forgive me, Rothan, I can only rely on Thrawn for my strength and protection.”
“Very well. Bellabel,” I said and held them out to her, “it makes most sense for you to carry them. The rest of use are skilled in arms, so will be at the forefront of any danger. You will be behind us, and might need to use these should one of us be wounded or in need.”
“Thank you, Rothan, I will be careful with them.”
“If she is not skilled with weapons, why did you bring her?” Kyra asked as she tore into some meat. “She’ll only slow us down.”
“She is skilled—” I almost said ‘with fire,’ but caught myself, “with other things.”
“Like what? Belly dancing for you?”
“Enough! We’re not a day out and already I wished I traveled alone.”
“It’s alright, Rothan,” Bellabel said, touching my arm, “don’t be angry.”
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