Chapter 75

Year 163 – Fall – Sextus Mensis – 37th day

Skovengard, town of House Edeltraud, land of the Skov

While being way up north, the territory of Skovengard was furrowing the sea, warmed by the southern wind. The landscape seemed like an early spring in the Vale. A large amount of snow was stuck between the trees of the dense Skovira Forest, but the road and the open field were filled with the sludge of melting ice. A smell of salted moisture was coming from the sea. At the edge of the snow-covered landscape was a never-ending sight where hundreds of small fishing ships were roaming near the coast.

At the town entrances, a large dragon head had been sculpted in the wood. A small group of travellers had arrived in town and had requested an audience with Lord Delwyn Edeltraud, ruler of Skovengard.

Lord Edeltraud – “Who are they?”

Servant – “The leader calls himself Bjarne.”

Lord Edeltraud – “Bjarne? Fine, let them in.”

Bjarne and his six companions walked in and stopped as they reached one-third of the way through the hall.

Lord Edeltraud – “Bjarne . . . You’re the elder brother of Lord Egmond Der Stolze of House Kalator, if I recall correctly.”

Bjarne – “His younger brother. Bjorn was the elder.”

Lord Edeltraud – “Well, with names like that, you two sure seek confusion.”

Bjarne – “Bjorn died in the East.”

Lord Edeltraud – “Is that so? You find me sorry to hear it, but enough small talk. Why have you come here?”

Bjarne – “You must have heard of my king’s doing by now.”

Lord Edeltraud – “King, you say? I did hear some rumours about a rebellious lord, but none about a king.”

Bjarne – “King Egmond has taken back both the Frey and the Vale, and next year, we will march on the Union.”

Lord Edeltraud – “I must say, you Kalator are funny. King Egmond instead of king Der Stolze. You may be acting as though you are from the common folks, but we both know that no Der Stolze was ever at risk of starvation.”

Bjarne – “I’ve taken enough lives to know that nobles such as you share the same blood as common folks.”

Lord Edeltraud – “So, you came here to have me acknowledge the kingship of your brother?”

Bjarne – “I came here to propose an alliance.”

Lord Edeltraud – “Which alliance with a rebellion could be more profitable than the one I currently share with the Union?”

Bjarne – “The Union is weaker than it pretends. Their current army is filled with recruits who have never been to a battlefield.”

Lord Edeltraud – “What about the Ponterona and their heavy cavalry? You sure aren’t going to pretend they are weak.”

Bjarne – “Five thousand spears of which two-thirds have fought in the East. They are veterans of war. How many men will the Union mobilise?”

Lord Edeltraud – “Really? Then why do you need my help?”

Bjarne – “We want you to attack the Ponterona while they are attacking us.”

Lord Edeltraud – “Is that so? Then, surely, you know this task isn’t possible.”

Bjarne – “It absolutely is.”

Lord Edeltraud – “The Sierra of Ebri-Altum covers their southern flank, and the Chiusa River flows around their land from the east to the northwest in a large arc, only to pour itself into the largest marsh in the Union. No sea current leads to the Chiusa River. We’d need to carry our boat for days and bring our army to the other side while being neither noticed nor tired. And in the event that we succeed, what would we do? Burn their land and plantation? Wetland aside, vegetables aren’t that easy to set ablaze. We could attack their citizens and their many small villages, but with our army in their lands, it wouldn’t be long before the Union gets a word of it. I cannot deal with the combined armies of House Ravtemir, Soares, and Jurnieki. During the first era of the Union, when the Ponterona were still independent, many tried to steal their land, and many failed. I don’t intend to join them.”

Bjarne – “You are wrong there. War isn’t only about raiding.”

Lord Edeltraud – “Then why don’t you enlighten me with that tremendous expertise of yours?”

Bjarne – “You could send a letter to the Ponterona and tell them you will send a part of your army to help them while the other part raids our territory. You’ll only need a few hundred men. As the Ponterona will be attacking us, your army would come from the river and set dock at Fort Wind-River. Undocking your army, you would enter the fort to deposit food supplies and outnumber them. Kill them to the last man and wait a few days. As their cavalry would retreat to their fort, we would chase them. By the time the Union would become aware of your doing, your army would be back at your town with half a thousand of our men to secure your defences.”

Lord Edeltraud – “You’d deploy an army of half a thousand to defend my land? Won’t you need it to fight the Union?”

Bjarne – “We will fight the Union on many fronts; your land will be one of them.”

Lord Edeltraud - “And what would I gain from it?”

Bjarne – “We have set our first trade route with a trader from the East. By the end of next year, we’ll set more. You won’t gain much from this alliance the first few years, but your territory could take a huge expansion within the Ponterona’s land. These plantations could be yours. These lands could be yours. And with our help, you could reopen the talk with the Celestial Trader to get a better deal for your fish. In our alliance, you won’t be left behind in a trade agreement.”

Lord Edeltraud – “In the event where I would agree, you are but his brother. How could I be sure Egmond would respect your words?”

Bjarne – “A royal wedding!”

Lord Edeltraud – “A wedding, you say? I wasn’t aware Egmond had an heir.”

Bjarne – “He doesn’t, but I recall you have a daughter. How is Gwyn doing?”

Lord Edeltraud – “How dare you propose such a disgraceful offer! She’s barely 13! Egmond could be her father!”

Bjarne – “What we seek is a way to ensure peace and to be sure you won’t betray your words when you give them. If you have a better way to ensure loyalty, then by all means, inform us of it. We’ll give you the night to think about it. We’ll be at the inn.”

As Bjarne and his men were about to cross the door of the hall, Bjarne turned around and looked at Lord Edeltraud.

Bjarne – “You can do what you wish, but keep in mind that the Union like you know it is about to change and you cannot stay impartial. You’ll have to take a side, and I think it would be a shame to see all these beautiful ships burn. “

As the door closed, Lord Edeltraud threw his goblet to the ground.

Lord Edeltraud – “THESE BASTARDS!”

He then looked at his henchman with anger.

Lord Eldeltraud – “Evrawg . . .”

Evrawg – “Do you want me to kill them in their sleep?”

Lord Edeltraud – “No. The winter always ends sooner here. They’d mobilise their army.”

Evrawg – “If we side with them, the Union will crush us.”

Lord Edeltraud – “He said 5,000 spears.”

Evrawg – “He must have been lying.”

Lord Edeltraud – “The Kalator women are known to often partake in war. These numbers, although frightening, might very well be true. The Union has 800 men in Fort Kwerih, and Bona-Fide is facing large civil unrest. They can’t conscript more. Rock Eden will stay in their fortress and wait to see what happens. We don’t have that luxury.”

Evrawg – “What about House Merantis?”

Lord Edeltraud – “They are already at war with a southern king over the control of three of their mines. They won’t provide any resources to help fight the Kalator. House Valmai has fallen. If the Ponterona falls, what will be left of the Union? Seven small houses whose army might sum in the high 2000s? Even with the Union conscripts, they’ll be less than 4,000. The new generation is still too young to partake in the war. If we fight against the Kalator, we’ll meet the same fate as the Frey and the Vale.”

Evrawg – “What will you do?”

Lord Edeltraud – “Bring me Gwyn. We need to talk.”

Evrawg – “Should I bring Lady Edeltraud, too?”

Lord Edeltraud – “No, it’s better if Glenda’s not here for now. Evrawg, one last thing.”

Evrawg – “Yes, milord?”

Lord Edeltraud – “I want you to stay by her side and to protect her with your own life. I want you to serve her the way you served me. She’ll need it more than ever.”

Evrawg – “If that is your wish.”