Holaf seeing no other way and not wanting to offend the Lord of Kitan looked at him and as rough as the rocks of Trondheim, replied:
"Your son raped the princess. He prevented her from revealing these terrible events to you with threats and beatings. She forced her to attend court against her will.
The good Armillus again felt his heart tightened as if in a vice and his soul snatched away. His mouth hung open in dismay. He sat heavily on the first seat he could find and looked vacantly in front of him saying:
"My Gentlemen, you are free to take whoever you want. If you need supplies, do not hesitate to ask for them from the page waiting in the corridor," the elderly King spoke no more. He sat silent, disturbed and weeping.
The three gentlemen bid farewell with heartfelt deep bows and closed the green doors behind them, now aware of new dangers. The Sovereigns, with their hearts full of fear, called to the men of the escort, who were well refreshed and very keen to depart. The third War Master approached Holaf and asked:
"What news do you bring, my King?"
Holaf looked at him, put his hand on his shoulder and said:
"Be always vigilant, my Master, for the journey will be harder than expected!"
"Majesty, I beg you to tell me what enemies we may have to face so that we can be ready for the challenge," insisted the third Master.
Holaf hesitated and answered with worried air:
"It would seem, that some hellish creatures roam free and breathing in the lands of Men, "
The Dragon's Head, thinking he was being ridiculed, smiled mockingly and questioned:
"The giant dogs of fairy tales! You're joking, aren't you?"
But the smile turned into a grimace of horror as he saw the fixed eyes and dark expression of Holaf.
"How could we ever be ready to face such enemies?" the number three commented bitterly.
Holaf answered as a true Sovereign of the North:
"We can never be ready for such beasts, but we will engage them anyway, if they attack us, and we will kill as many as possible!"
The warrior of the third rune beat his fist on his chest. The clattering metal and attracted everyone's attention and lead to a lot of laughter. When the room became quiet again he exclaimed:
"I would follow you through the flames of hell, Long Sword!"
The other War Masters did the same immediately, their shouts echoing proudly in the long corridor of the hunting lodge.
"I, too, would follow you everywhere, my King!" exclaimed the beautiful Tyra with a softly feminine voice, who arrived as agreed, ready to leave.
The young princess was not alone, but accompanied by luggage, trunks, bags and five servants. When the King turned around, he stared, astonished at the sight of what some ladies thought of as ‘essential luggage only’.
"We will need a wagon, my King!" the young princess from the South Winter said, concerned.
"Just a moment, little princess! We have to travel lightly and speedily through inhospitable lands, all this would slow us down and make us a wonderful target for robbers and cutthroats," Holaf explained gently.
"But, my King, what can I bring?" Tyra asked, no longer too convinced of the wisdom of her decision to leave with the Lord of the North.
"Only what you are wearing!" was the crystalline and unarguable royal response.
"My King, I appeal to your indulgence, a single dress for so many days of travel would reduce me to a sorry state!" she replied.
"My dear, let's see what we can do to lighten the load!" The old Lady intervened. She had brought just one a sack with her.
High approached Holaf and took him aside asking him:
"Are you sure, my brother, that you want to take the princess with us?"
"I have no second thoughts of any kind. She is the daughter of one of my Lords, I cannot abandon her to her fate, it would cost me my honour and the unquestionable loyalty of her father!" Holaf proudly affirmed with a decisive look.
"You know how much it will slow us down. And think of the continuous complaining during the whole journey!" he said with a smile.
"You are right, my brother, that's an eventuality, but in that case you certainly know how to distract the Lady with your cultured and regal language!" Holaf answered turning to the princess.
The older Lady unpacked the young woman's many pieces of luggage, selecting only comfortable and warm garments. The few clothes chosen were thrown into a red hessian bag, while the young woman protested strongly. She would have liked at least to fold the clothes, so that they were not completely crushed.
High approached Tyra and attracted her attention with a light cough. He then bowed and asked for her hand by extending his own:
"Your Grace, it is a pleasure and an honour to be able to make your acquaintance!" High carried her hand to his lips, but without contact between them, exactly as etiquette dictated. He looked at the young woman with his magnetic eyes and introduced himself.
"I am High Marshal, Lord of the East, we will have the good fortune to travel together."
The young princess held her dress out and lightly gave an elegant bow. Speaking to the Lord of the East Tyra showed a grace and finesse worthy of the most gifted Queen:
"The pleasure will be mine, great King of the East, your deeds have always enriched the stories of my father! I hope I am worthy of your care and attention." She said this with a beautiful smile, disengaging her hand: "With your permission, my King, I should go back and attend to my luggage or at least to complain about it!"
"Please, Princess, do not linger any longer," said High surprised by such fine manners. He said to his dear friend: "But then, in the north, you're not all as rude and gruff as you are!
Holaf shook his head smiling and answered:
"But of course not! Only the most rude and despicable can aspire to become King of the North, and I, above all, excel in both qualities!"
These were the first light-hearted words heard since the duel ended. At last Holaf managed to joke happily with High. It was not childish irresponsible behaviour, as both of them were perfectly well aware of their worsening situation. Nothing was going right, and for either of them. The very ugly chain of adverse news darkened their faces for many hours. Despite the fact that they were under dark skies and gloomy clouds, with strong winds threatening storms, their valiant Nordic hearts were looking everywhere for the joy and comfort that a joke or good-natured banter could bring. Seeing all the horrors of war and sensing the stench of falsehood, escaping at least with their hearts intact was a priority for Holaf and High. Both relieved that they were able to travel in a harmony.
With her brutally reduced baggage, the unhappy South Winter princess was ready for the adventure with a minimum of grumbling and uncertainty. Everything was new to the young Lady, she had, yes, seen the knights in armour, galloping off intrepidly for who knows what fairy-tale adventures, but never had followed them unless she was in a comfortable carriage, with a cart for her luggage and a host of young ladies for company.
Nothing was more pressing in the heart of Tyra than the idea of leaving behind the splendid and worldly city of Kitan, a place that was the stuff of dreams for all the princesses and young offspring of the entire Kingdom. But as far as she was concerned, it was associated with pain and senseless absurdity. With her long and precious cloak protecting her from the rain promised by the black clouds, she looked at both Kings and spoke:
"My welcome protectors, I apologize for causing some delay in our departure!" Adjusting a small little lock of blond hair lying on her forehead. She added, "When you wish, my Kings, I am ready to follow you!"
High looked at Holaf and with his astute eyes and commented:
"My brother, this subject of yours is, to say the least, adorable! I offer you an exchange! For the young woman I will give you King Sveslav with all his Kingdom and his royal descendants!"
"My brother, what have you taken me for? You are suggesting a very unequal exchange to me. You ask for a beauty such as
the Lady with us, adorned with grace and good manners and in return you offer an old King with problems of anger, dead lands, in which nothing grows, and a cursed collection of retainers. You may be certain that I will never accept!" Holaf answered with difficulty through his laughter, dragging High into his amusement. The girl laughed as well, who, rather than laugh coarsely, like the two Lords, smiled complacently at such compliments.
There was a distant thunder echoing on the horizon. From the windows they could only see dark and threatening storm clouds. Godwin wondered:
"What oddity is this? It is winter and usually thunderstorms do not favour us with their presence in this season!"
"You're right, my friend! Even the sky seems worried and sad, as if it knew something we are unaware of," Holaf replied thoughtfully.
Once they had finished their preparations, they organised the bags for the new members of their party. Once food and the water supply was completed, the group walked along the rooms and corridors of the Tartaros accompanied by a page. They walked back along the long covered path and reached the parade ground again. Blood, mixed with the dust on the gravel, remained as the only silent witness, reminding them of the duel that morning.
"What a lot of blood!" Tyra exclaimed to the noblewoman marching dismayed at her side, both being unaware of the events that led to the bloodshed. No one, not even the men in the escort, gave an answer. Not even a hint was given in reply to the young woman's curiosity.
"My King, can you tell me what happened here?" the young princess insisted, looking at Holaf, who answered her sweetly:
"Princess, you ask me information about something that you wouldn’t want to know!"
"You answer me, without telling me anything!" Tyra protested energetically, but Holaf did not answer, hoping her curiosity would fade.
"Lord of the East, at least you could tell me something even if you do not give me a complete explanation?" the young woman asked in a delicate manner with a big smile.
"My dear, what a joy to be able to see the flame of curiosity in your blue eyes. But with great regret I must disappoint your expectations. Not out of rudeness, but out of respect for today's events, I am forced to refuse to answer your question."
High's response disheartened the young woman, making her come back again to the side of her Lady, who caressed her in the face and said lovingly:
"Tyra, don't be worried, such behaviour doesn't suit your position."
"You're right, but I was just curious!" she replied with a slight pout.
"Curious?" the Healer Delia asked with a nervous and annoyed voice. She arrived on the parade ground from the stables of Tartaros, accompanied by two beautiful horses in perfect form, one light brown, while the other with a smooth reddish coat. She looked at the Princess of South Winter and repeated the question: "What are you curious about? Longing for stories of pain and death to give you the shivers?"
Tyra did not answer and crept close to the elderly Lady with a frightened look. Delia turned to High, showing a change of mood worthy of a madman:
"My King, these two splendid beasts are given to you by my uncle, so that your new companions may ride their own horses, not weighing down your steeds."
The God-Slayer approached Delia and asked in a low voice:
"Is Horos alive?"
"For now, yes, my King," his cousin answered while her eyes filled with tears. "We do not believe that he will last the night, and in any case he will never be the same man again," Delia concluded by weeping abundantly.
High embraced her carefully so as not to hurt her with his plated of the armour. Often the armour transformed a sincere embrace into a series of painful pinches. The Lord of the East whispered to her in her attempt to console her:
"Be strong, you have a great man as your Uncle and King! Moreover, you are an excellent Healer. We are all very grateful for your efforts to mend the wounds of Sire Godwin.
The girl continued to enjoy the consolatory embrace for short time, before wiping her tears and putting the reins in Tyra's hands saying:
"Princess, I have a heavy heart for the misfortunes you have been subjected to at court, and I am sorry I have not been close to you. Maybe in the future we can meet again and be friends."
The princess gave a strained a smile and a bow, but no reply.
Holaf noticed the behaviour of the young daughter from the North and suspected something unusual, but did not want to investigate irrelevant facts. It was time for farewells. The young Healer could barely look Godwin in the face, but he was untouched by her attitude. Godwin did not repent in his heart, nor even was he sorry for the events of the morning. He did not feel responsible at all except for having done justice.
.
Chapter 9
At the start
They expected the journey to be very damp. Small isolated drops of freezing rain began to fall, while the out of season thunder seemed less and less distant. From the tower the green gold flags flapped crazily in strong gusts of wind, putting the flagpoles to the test.
"It looks like a proper drowning is waiting for us, my brother!" High exclaimed not very satisfied with the view of the horizon.
"All that is missing is salt in the air. Then you could close your eyes and delude yourself that you were in the port of Trondheim!" was Holaf's almost melancholic response.
Princess Tyra covered her blond hair with the hood of her beautiful blue and green mantle, and mounted her horse safely, as if she had always been accustomed to riding this way. Her elderly duenna also mounted her horse, helped by Godwin, who had put on his helmet so as not to get his bandage wet.
Once out of Tartaros no one except for High turned back to look at the place and all its delusions. Thoughtful Holaf led the caravan, followed by his guards. Then High and Godwin rode side by side in front of the ladies. The cavalcade was closed the by the escorts from the south and east. The road, connecting the plain of Beneathathrone to the plateau, was a wide, steep, quite uneven road. Access was impassable for horses at a furious gallop and tiring for merchants with their large heavy carts. They, of course, preferred the strength of mighty oxen to the grace of horses.
It was late in the afternoon, when they reached the Plain of Beneathathrone at the crossroads. There, just like the roads, their destinies would separate. The rain began to be beat down heavily, breaking up the surface of the road, softening it and making it a slimy bog.
"My dear friends, I have to leave you! Many questions require answers, available only in the place where I am now headed!" Godwin exclaimed with his usual flat, metallic voice.
Holaf approached on his horse. He rose up took the forearm of Righteous, saying:
"Travel well, and may all the Gods be with you, my dear friend!"
High greeted him, as a General saying goodbye by bringing his hand to his forehead and emphasizing the gesture with words:
"My King, my General, it will not be a long separation! We will soon find ourselves side by side on a battlefield. These almost prophetic words sounded exaggeratedly true and possible in the heads of all three Kings.
Godwin said farewell to the princess and her duenna and ordered the escorts to protect his friends. After this, with his white armour and his badly washed jacket still red with blood, he headed west with his two escort armigers.
Only when Godwin vanished round the bend of the road did his two crowned friends resume their march to that flat, seemingly abandoned land. They were completely surrounded by uncultivated fields, as it was winter. The travellers advanced step by step, holding their breath on the narrow and poorly maintained roads, which were lined by deep ditches and rows of mulberry trees. The dark skies poured rain on them for a long time, and only when the rain became heavier still, Tyra approaching Holaf and pleaded:
"My King, please, I am frozen and soaked to the skin. May we stop at an inn in the next village and wait for the end of this flood in some comfort there!"
The great Nordic warrior waited a moment before responding:
&n
bsp; "Your Grace, we must follow the course of events!"
"Forgive me, my King, but I do not understand your words. Could you be so kind as to explain them to me?" the blonde princess replied calmly.
Holaf looked around with worried air and did not answer. High with his usual kindness, explained:
"For the moment we can't stop! He came closer as if to kiss her and whispered: "My dear Tyra, don't look, don't turn around and when I have finished speaking don't talk, but laugh, as if I had told you a wonderful joke. We have been followed since we left the fortress of Tartaros. We do not know how many they are, but if they are, spies they are rather too rough and noisy!"
The princess broke into a raucous laugh, but it was suspiciously strained, then she whispered:
"Will you be able to defend us if they attack?"
The response was loud:
"Certainly, my Lady!"
The tension was also palpable among the men in the escort. They loaded their crossbows without making any sudden movements, while the Dragon, the Wolf, the Bear and the Leopard had returned to adorn the heads of the War Masters. A clap of thunder surprised them all. The sky cleared, becoming almost luminous, and a powerful roar bounced through the air, spooking two horses of the escort and making them shy. The pouring rain played its nefarious role, making it difficult to see anything, helped by flashes of lightening, which connected the sky and earth, as if it were a divine staircase.
Holaf, looking at High, who was without a helmet or shield, warned him:
"My brother, be careful, for if I were the rabble behind us, I would attack now. So you should be ready!"
High answered nothing, just making a grimace and staying close to his horse, as if for protection. A slight hiss was covered by the roaring thunder. It was followed by another roar, ending in a metallic rattling of a ricochet.
"Arrows!" exclaimed the number three of the War Masters and covered himself with his shield.
"Where are they coming from?" Holaf asked immediately.
TRONDHEIM SAGEN: Earth Shattering Page 16