Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 417: CDXVII. Faithful To The Crown

"Not only... In addition to this, the scum that was sent here by Okstorm found allies in the Clans that already populated our nation... there were wars and betrayals, events that led to the complete destruction of all forms of civilization and respect for the lives of others, plunging Krypstorm into total anarchy. I'm a grown man, but I'm still too young to remember. However, a King cannot define himself as such if he cares only about a slice of his kingdom" Orvar added, openly expressing his thoughts, noting to Dag and others that he had thought several times about these issues. 

Before Gridd could counter, Dag smiled and said: "You're right."

"What?!" Gridd asked, astonished by her brother's statement.

Orvar and Skaldr also marveled at that answer, believing that there was nothing more important to Okstorm's warriors than respect for their King. 

"I say, you're right to think so, I understand you. And I respect your choices. I, too, would not respect a King who disrespects his own people" Dag continued, backing up his thesis.

"Dag, that's enough! Stop talking like an idiot! Remember you're talking about our King! Show some respect!" Sander interrupted, who after the incident during which he had been injured, seemed to have become intolerant of Dag and was always against any of his statements.

"Respect?! Our King?! And where is he now?! Ah?! Tell me, Sander, where is the King now?! Please tell me, because I just can't see him!" Dag replied angrily, moving the chair backward and turning towards him.

At the table where they were all seated, silence suddenly fell.

Orvar and Skaldr realized that there were outstanding issues between the Masters and chose not toget involved in the conversation.

Just then the wine arrived at the table, immediately both Dag and Sander filled their mugs, without saying a word.

After drinking it in one breath and wiped his mouth, Sander cleaned his throat and answered to his Warchief's provocation.

"This was not part of our deal, Dag. Do not dare to speak in this disrespectful way of our King in my presence, or I..."

Before finishing the sentence, the Master of Defense looked around, noticing the faces of Gridd and Egill, who evidently supported Dag's thinking.

Then his gaze fell on Kjell, who, like him, was upset by that speech, but strangely had decided not to express his opinion.

"Just don't talk about him, okay? Among the Iron Alliance agreements, we all decided together that our decisions would not interfere with the King's" he continued, realizing that he had exaggerated his tones, avoiding getting nervous in front of strangers.

"Do you happen to know the will of our King, my friend?" Egill asked, anticipating everyone else.

In a surprised expression, Sander looked at his colleague, believing that he would not get into the discussion.

"Now you too, Egill?"

"Let's talk about it, Sander. No one's mad at you, we're just discussing objective facts. What I mean is... did you happen to hear about King Einar? Our mission is definitely a remarkable event, no one had ever gone so far... don't you think his presence would have made it more important?" the Master of Healing continued, sipping wine.

"No, I haven't heard about him. I don't think I've ever had direct contact with him. But the distance between our cities is considerable and the King is certainly too busy to worry about our minor affairs..."

"Minor affairs?" Dag asked, intruding softly, trying not to disrespect anyone, despite disagreeing with Sander's idea of their mission.

"Try to answer my question, my friend. Don't you think his presence at Runar and his blessing would have made our departure easier? Imagine if our soldiers had witnessed the King of all Vikings who thanked them and wished them good luck before leaving. That would certainly raise their morale, don't you think?" Egill replied, trying to reason with Sander.

He snorted and filled the second glass of wine.

"I don't know what you all have in mind, but whatever it is, I don't like it. If you're planning something against King Einar, don't count on me. I will always remain faithful to the crown" he said, trying to remain vague not to stir up the quarrel that had arisen.

"This has never been questioned, Master Sander. You should know for sure that neither I nor the others would ever do something on which we all disagree... but right now we're in a pretty difficult situation and I'm sure King Einar will never send any more soldiers to our aid, so we should focus on the present. Do you agree?" Dag asked, who, knowing that he had put him in trouble, wanted to close the speech, so as to give Sander time to think.

"Yes, I think it's the right thing to do. What do you propose, Dag?"

He stood up and began to walk around the table, touching his blonde beard with one hand and gathering his thoughts together, so he could explain his intentions to everyone.

"As I have already told you, we cannot walk blindly and risk unnecessarily losing other men, as every soldier can make the difference, being outnumbered by the enemy Clans. You, Hunters Of Ullr. How well do you know this area? We would need all the information at your disposal to formulate a plan of action. And above all, we need to be able to trust you" the Warchief said, looking into Orvar's eyes, who looked at him, out of respect.

"My men and I know this area very well. The territory we are currently in is the flattest part of the entire nation. The rest of Krypstorm is characterized by much more rugged places, with mountains, glaciers, sinkholes, and even volcanoes, many kilometers away from here. That said, what do you need to know exactly?" Orvar inquired, squinting and trying to respond in the most concise and brief way possible.

"The Giants Of Ymir... we need to know where their leader is, Kranus. Before facing them without a tactic, I would like to try to have a confrontation with them, asking for a formal meeting with him" Dag said, explaining to his teammates what he had in mind.