The wolves were howling over the chilling night in Skagerat. It had been long and exhausting talks at the council of elders, which had finally been conveyed after weeks of waiting. Caro and Sven had been standing in the centre of the spectators, trying to avoid any attention from the elders. Caro was so weak, he could barely stand on his own. The knife wound had been worse than they initially had expected. It took Caro three days to even raise himself from the bed. Sven had barely left his side, praying to his savage gods for Caro's full recovery. As Caro did, Sven claimed they had answered his prayers, but it was more likely that it was seers medicine that had made wonders. Now, it had only been three days since Caro could stand up on his own feet. Although, as the pain quickly came back to him, he needed Sven as support.
Their initial plan of avoiding attention from elders quickly proved to have failed. "Sven and his thrall are present." One elder had announced, pointing at them.
Quickly the surrounding folk dispersed to make them visible for the council. They threw judgmental looks at them from every direction.
"I have no right to participate here. Other than to serve you, which I can't." Caro said to Sven, feeling embarrassed that his master had to take care of him. He was supposed to serve his master, not the other way around. "I will just be a burden to you here, I will leave to rest."
Sven did not look at him, instead, his eyes were fixed on the elders. "You are not leaving my side!" He said, more serious than ever.
"The people are looking. You should avoid--"
"I said no!" Sven snapped at Caro.
Caro held his tongue. He knew this situation had agitated Sven. It was clearly understandable. Sven had told him of the events taking place after their brawl, with the Black Mane tribe, during the spring feast. It was worse than Caro could imagine. The morning after the feast, there had been minor skirmishes between the Sons of Sigurd and the Black Mane tribe, costing the lives of ten men from each side. Ivar the bull had called for peace and reached out to chief Anvar who must have given him the cold shoulder. He blamed Ivar for the entire situation, claiming it had escalated since he had denied the Black Mane tribe their rightful revenge. It turned out that the men from the Black Mane tribe that had died during the feast were the sons of his general, Thord. As an act of revenge, his other two sons had burned down a house, believing Runar and Soeren were inside. It turns out that they weren't, instead, it was a cousin and his wife that had paid the price. Accomplices to Thord's sons had been caught close to the site afterwards. As they had refused to surrender, another skirmish broke out where they had been killed, taking some Skagerat warriors along with them. The sons themselves had gotten away. Shortly after, Runar and Soeren's family tried to bring Thord's sons to the ting for justice. It was to no avail. The Black Mane tribe had not approved of the ting's authority, thus they had just ignored it. They did not believe in any forms of law, except for the ones made by their gods. Their philosophy was simple, do not impose actions which you did not wish to be imposed upon. What others do to you, you can do to them. All other matters were just practicalities. In addition, by firmly holding on to traditions, they believed men living long lives, in other words, elders, possessed valuable wisdom. This they used for guidance to solve practical issues, such as these.
After the event of the arson of Runar and Soeren's cousin, the pressure on Ivar had been immense. He had attempted to arrest them, but it was once again met with harsh resistance. The Black Mane tribe had denied their involvement and responded with threats if he persisted with what they called provocations. It had further led to another skirmish, where Runar and Soeren's family had ambushed relatives to Thord, out in the forests, causing additional deaths. After that, locals of Skagerat and men of the Black Mane tribe had brawled whenever they spotted each other, merchants from both sides had been plundered and murdered. It ultimately led to the tribe refusing to set their foot in Skagerat and they had broken all their trade agreements. This was a devastating development for Ivar. He desperately needed the Black Mane tribes' fur and their horses.
It couldn't have come at a worse time for Ivar. King Harald of Ruhrgatt had called for all the Norsemen to unite for the coming raids, the largest the world had seen since the destruction of Loria. History had shown that cavalry was of mighty importance in war. This the Norsemen had learned the hard way, again and again as they battled more sophisticated armies of the southern parts of the world. The Black Mane tribe was renowned for their horsemen and they had plenty in supply. It would be a valuable asset Ivar could ill afford to lose.
On the other hand, there was pressure on chieftain Anvar as well. As the nomadic tribe had increasingly settled down, they had gotten used to the luxury of living in a settlement. Even though their tent camp was originally more of a neighbouring village, they had integrated into the Skagerat society. These facts had divided the Black Mane tribe. Chief Anvar had proposed moving the tribe away from Skagerat, but it was met with fierce protests. Many refused to go back to their own way of living. Although, if they continued on the path which Anvar set for them, this would anyway soon be a certainty.
All in all, the current development was a scenario which either Ivar or Anvar would be content with. It could only lead to the destruction of one or the other. As they increasingly had lost control of the situation, Ivar and Anvar agreed upon leaving the entire judgement up to the elders and the seers.
The council of elders were composed of seers and elders from various cities and villages in the province. They were supposed to possess wisdom and impose justice and the words of the gods when the common mortal man failed to do so. They were to be impartial, neither caring for which clan or village you belong to, or at least so they claimed. Reality had more often than not proved that they were just as corrupt and fallible as the next man.
The council had gathered outside at the chieftain's hall, by the town centre in the heart of Skagerat. They were seated around giant fires, next to statues of the one-eyed god, Nido, and his fellow godchildren. Hundreds, from various clans, had come to witness the council. All the men of importance in the province were present, along with numerous none-council seers and elders. At the council itself, Skagerat had their high seer, Haldir, and Ivar's great uncle Knut the lean. The Black Mane tribe had in return two seers, Galvur and Helme.
As the night proceeded, it was clear that even within the council of elders; they had hard to reach any agreement. But as tradition states, if it can't be settled before dawn, it can't be settled at all. Thus, they had rushed to a conclusion.
Knut had made the announcement himself. It was true that the fight during the Spring Welcoming feast was Runar and Soeren's fault, as it was strictly forbidden to have fights inside, Northmen were required to go outside, to settle matters of violence. Although, they were not entirely responsible for the Thord's sons' deaths, as it was just unfortunate accidents. There was no proof of any intention of killing them. This claim had been met with hard protests from the Black Mane tribe. Furthermore, the revenge killings of Runar and Soeren's relatives was an immense crime. It should have been settled by the local ting, which the Black Mane tribe had ignored. This was, however, a highly disputed matter, since the council also thought that Ivar's response of taking no action to the brawl, at the Spring Welcoming feast, wasn't right. In addition, since Soeren and Runar's family had taken revenge by themselves, by attacking Thord's relatives in the forest, they had gotten their revenge. However, it was also forbidden. Such action was only justified if the Chieftain or the King sanctioned it. The conclusion was, they did in fact have crimes committed against them, but they had responded inappropriately, thus their claim for justice had been forfeited.
The same went for the Black Mane tribe. They had no further claim for justice after they had burned Soeren and Runar's relatives alive. The conclusion was that both sides had been wronged, but they had also gotten their revenge. The warring parties were now to swear in blood to the gods, that they would no longer seek vengeance for the events that had taken place.
Ivar the bull had stepped forth, dressed in his wolf's coat with the wolf's head on his right shoulder. He was handed an ancient ceremonial dagger by the royal high seer Flahmer.
Flahmer an old man judging by his dark but soft voice. He hid his face in a long black hood. His cloak scratched the ground as he trudged. The dagger he handed Ivar was said to have belonged to the king of gods, Nido himself. It had been left in his temple in Ruhrgatt, as he once again would return to the world of the living, defending them in the final battle against the abyssal giants.
The dagger was older than men themselves; it was said. So old it was parts of legends, it even appeared to have been darkened by age. There were rumours that Nido had left other weapons to the mortal world, spread around across the world, now lost by time.
Ivar bowed down as he accepted the dagger with great respect, holding it with two hands. Flahmer called upon Soeren and Runar and their father, Joergen Stormcloud.
Sharing the looks as his younger son, Joergen was a well-grown man, but with spots missing from his magnificent beard, a testament of a life filled with war.
On the other side, chief Anvar, General Thord and his two sons lined up. Ivar sliced his palm open, his thick red blood dripped to the ground. Shortly after, Joergen followed. He cut his hand more carefully and elegantly than Ivar did.
Ivar looked at Soeren and Runar with tired eyes. "Get over with it!"
Caro had silently been watching the elders talking all night without saying a word. He saw the disappointment in Sven's eyes, as he had hoped for a worse outcome for the Black Mane tribe. He looked with despise as Ivar handed over the ancient dagger to Anvar.
Without taking his eyes away from Ivar, Anvar cut the palm of his hand before handing it over to Thord.
Caro got baffled by the sight of Thord. He looked out of this world. He had a flaming orange mohawk haircut; it was the only hair he had on his shaven head.
With eyes blistering of fury, Thord raised his hand above his head, slicing it with a rapid movement. It was a deep cut; the blood splashed over his pale face. He didn't even blink as drops of blood hit his pale blue eyes.
Before handing over the dagger to his two sons, Thord licked the blood off the knife. He had promised that he would have Runar's blood one day. However, this was probably not the way he imagined it would be.
"Curse him to hell!" Sven snarled loudly, the surrounding crowd silently agreed.
"Silence!" An older man, from the Black Mane tribe, said to Sven.
Sven tried to meet his eyes, but the old man turned away before he could meet them.
"Please don't make a scene!" Caro whispered to Sven. "This is not the time or place..."
Caro never understood it, but the northern people seem to hate almost everyone besides their own. He had experienced nothing else by himself, but other thralls, mostly originating from Loria, had told him stories about life in other parts of the world. Cities where ordinary citizens bear no arms. Children were playing safely out in the streets and not taken to raid far away from home. Men did not openly slay one another for the slightest insults. In fact, throughout the world, slaves were forbidden in most parts. Never seeing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe that such places existed.
"Now rejoice, for the blood peace between the Sons of Sigurd, Ivar, High Chieftain and head of all clans of Skagerat... And chieftain Anvar and Thord of the Black Mane tribe!" Flahmer cheerfully shouted out.
Anvar and Ivar shook their bloodied hands. So did the rest.
The northerners believed that when blood was mixed in each other, fate bound them together.
Sven looked like he had been betrayed, but Caro knew Runar and Soeren's family didn't give a rat's ass about old traditions. They only did what favoured themselves at the moment. If anything else happened, they wouldn't shy away from slaying more tribesmen.
The rest of the summit seemed to share Sven's feelings. No one seemed to be thrilled about this pact. Although, they understood this was the better of the two options.
"As a token of good faith!" Ivar roared out over the silent crowd. "We will offer gifts to your tribe for reconciliation. Anvar! Choose whatever you want from me. If it is within my power, I shall grant it! What do you offer in return?"
The Black Mane tribesmen roared approvingly. There were hundreds of them at the council summit. But Anvar didn't. This was an old Northmen tradition, not a nomad one.
Anvar seemed hesitant, he did not respond, one of his generals quickly approached him and whispered into his ears.
A nervous chatter broke out at the summit, speculating what to make out of it.
"Anvar!" Ivar demanded.
Not a pleasant start of their reconciliation. Caro thought. Showing Ivar disrespect in front of the council.
Flahmer slowly approached the circle of Aldar, Thord and his other general. "As tradition demands." He said out loud. "When warring parties offer peace, they exchange gifts. It is meant to be in good faith. Perhaps your people are not accustomed to the northern traditions?"
Anvar responded to his last remark. He broke away from the circle and approached the old man Flahmer; He patted him on the shoulder before addressing Ivar. "As the seer says, we are not entirely familiar with your traditions." He said with a respectful tone. "We do our best to blend in and live by your side. That has always been our attention." He turned towards the Skagerat portion of the spectators. "We will offer you what I believe you desire most. Two hundred war horses of our best breed. It allows you to create an army of your own horsed warriors!"
That's extremely valuable! Caro got shocked. Their most protected assets. Are they serious about this peace?
Sven gave Caro an angry eye, as he could read his mind.
"In addition, we will provide you with trainers to teach you how to master the art of cavalry war!" Anvar roared out cheerfully.
His words were met with responding cheers from both the Black Mane tribe and Skagerat.
Good war horses were rare amongst the northerners. Just a handful of warlords had them in their arsenal. The Black Mane tribe, of course, they had more than thousands. Not even King Harald himself could match the number.
Ivar looked content, he was laughing while firmly embracing Anvar.
The council of seers at each other on the shoulders, believing themselves to have solved this dispute.
Even Sven looked somehow satisfied. Caro poked his arm, forcing a smile towards him. "Finally, we can put this business aside." He said to Sven. "No matter what they have done in the past, they are trying to make up for it now. We will thrive with them at the side, there is no denying it."
Sven's large eyes were fixed at the fires behind the godlike statues. He once again turned into his stone-cold self. "Nothing goes this easy." He said, appearing to be talking to himself rather than to Caro. "What people say and what they do are entirely different things. This is the true face of the demons we are dealing with. Luring us with promises, then stabbing us in the back when we leave our guard down!"
A thrall emerged behind the elders. He passed through them and handed Anvar and Ivar one large goblet each. Anvar accepted it with a smile, raising it towards the elders and then towards the crowd.
"We have long admired your culture, your expertise when it comes to building houses, smiting and writing words." Anvar said out loud. He took a large sip from his goblet. "And of course, this mead of yours. Nobody within our tribe could ever brew anything close to this excellence!"
Ivar laughed loudly at Anvar's words. He finished the goblet in one swoop, handing it back to the thrall for a refill.
"We have much to learn from each other!" Anvar continued. "And we are curious about these arts and wish to master them ourselves. Thus, we only ask for fifty thralls of our own choosing, twice the number of barrels of mead and iron armours!"
There was a deafening silence in response to Anvar's claim. Ivar himself looked uncertain whether he should accept, or if he even couldn't.
Caro panicked. What does this mean? Would thralls just be handed over like a cheap to these nomads?
"So, it is decided! Two hundred war horses of your best breed, for fifty thralls of your choosing, fifty barrels of mead and armours and ten stone houses. This is fair! The gods approve of this deal!" Flahmer shouted out before Ivar responded. He also seemed to be unaware of the problem it caused.
Thord smiled sadistically once he spotted Caro hiding amongst the masses. It sent a chilling sense through his spine.
Sven stepped forwards, his face became red, as he was boiling with anger. He made his way towards Flahmer and Anvar.
Caro followed shortly after, with the best of his ability. Hesitant if he should stop Sven.
Behind Flahmer another seer with worn-out grey robes emerged. It was Haldir, one of Skagerat's very own. "Perhaps, we have to change this deal a bit." He hastily said with a stout voice. "The commoners are very attached to their thralls. Just as Anvar said, they have been teachers and servants. Some have even raised their children, as the men of the houses have been out on raids. The deal would be unjust for the individuals that would have those thralls taken away from them. For some, they are family members rather than slaves."
Sven stopped his approach. He calmed down to further listen to how Haldir's words played out.
"But well of course." Flahmer snapped at the lesser seer. "I am sure Ivar can pay fair compensation for those affected."
They all looked towards Ivar for his comment. Being given two hundred of the best war horses was in fact a mighty gift. He could not turn down such a proposal. On the other hand, it might cause further division within Skagerat, the citizens might see it as a betrayal if he gave away their thralls.
"It can be accepted, although I will not give you any thralls without their master's consent." Ivar declared to Anvar.
General Thord stepped closer to Anvar and whispered something.
Anvar shook his head towards Ivar afterwards. "We are giving you an invaluable gift, you know its worth!" He barked. "We have never even considered trading our best breed. I expect nothing less in return!"
Flahmer grabbed his seer staff and slammed it into the ground. "We are facing hard times!" He yelled out in anger. "Too much you have deviated from the path which the gods have determined for us. Instead of uniting as one person, we rather fight over some heretic slaves as you now call family. This must stop! Or we will face the wrath of the gods!"
Ivar seemed to cave into the pressure. "I guess... We can come to an agreement." His words were filled with regret.
Sven took a leap forward towards Anvar and Ivar, Caro instinctively grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back. "Let it go!" Caro begged him.
Sven turned, his eyes were now filled with even greater fury. "You fucking idiot! Don't you realise they will take you? They are partly blaming you for the death of Thord's sons. This is just foul play for revenge!"
Caro's felt his heart-stopping as he entertained the thought. Sven could be right. They do all this just to get me? He thought.
"Do you really believe--" Caro stuttered before being interrupted by Sven.
"The Black Mane tribe never let things go! They will take you!" Sven snapped. He further pushed through the crowd.
Caro followed Sven, close at heels. Once he reached the front of the line, Flahmer was preaching about the gods' will of unity.
"You spoke of the god's wrath, didn't you!" Sven shouted out to the council, interrupting Flahmer.
Ivar's eyes were blistering once he saw Sven interrupt Flahmer.
"What about my wrath!" Sven continued. "The wrath of my family! The injustice was done to my family by the Black Mane tribe. That revenge was denied!"
The elders and seers started twittering, the rest of the spectators held their breath at his words.
"Your insolent shit!" Ivar shouted back. "You shut the hell up! There is nothing for you here! I will have you exiled for speaking at this council without permission!"
"Let him speak! Let him speak!" The people of Skagerat demanded.
Haldir emerged between Ivar and Flahmer. "The man speaks of injustices." He said, putting an evil eye towards Ivar. "Here in the front of the council, no words are to be silenced. If this is related, he may make his claim."
Stop this! Caro felt his heart rushing. You will just make everything worse!
Flahmer glanced and nodded at Ivar and Haldir. "So are the laws of the gods!" He proclaimed.
Sven took a scene of where the elder's and Ivar were standing. Anvar looked confused, not sure how to react to this.
"As you all know, my father left when I was a mere infant." Sven started his speech for the council. "Ruling over the southern colonies, I and my mother and my two sisters were left behind. While I was... And still is being kept hostage by Ivar, on King Harald's orders. My mother and sisters were ignored. They were left unprotected out in the woods, fending for themselves."
Most of the summit already knew the story, yet they still seemed to be moved by Sven's words.
"The man responsible for their safety..." Sven pointed at Ivar. "Due to incompetence or perhaps even malice, there were no men around...." Sven took an interminable pause, feeling the reactions of the summit. "Nobody was there when the Black Mane tribe ravaged their farm, raped my sister's and then finally murdered them all!"
Anvar and the rest of his tribe screamed out in protest.
Ivar buried his face in his palm while the rest of Skagerat roared to support Sven.
"And what did our great chieftain do in response!" Sven continued shouting in rage. "He did nothing!"
"Not another word from you." Ivar said, trying to keep his cool. "As you said, they were out by themselves. There were no witnesses and you have no evidence of whom was responsible. The farm was up in flames, we could not even distinguish who the dead were."
Caro reached out to Sven in despair. This was news for Caro. He had never heard this story before. Of course, he knew his family was murdered, but never how. Sven was not that kind of person that talked about his past. "No point in looking back. Regret is a useless concept." He always told Caro when the subject came up.
Now Caro understood Sven's deep hatred towards the Black Mane tribe. They have taken everything from him, his family, his roots, his home. Sven and he were very similar after all, yet worlds apart. He had been robbed of the same thing as Sven has. But being raised as a thrall, mere cattle, he did not possess the same hatred and rage of being wronged, as a warrior like Sven did.
Anvar seemed to react the same way as Ivar did. He was boiling inside but did his best not to show it. "So once again, if any misfortune happens in Skagerat. The first one to blame is my tribe." He said in despise. "What proof do you have that my tribe carried out the murders of your family?"
"Enough of this!" Ivar yelled in anger to Sven. "Your claim is not subject to this council!" His words appeared as whispers as the Skagerat people cried out for answers. The crowd was in chaos, the elders tried to reach out to establish order. More and more protests came to the support of Sven. They kept roaring. "Revenge has been denied!"
As Caro understood it, Sven's father, Torleif, was a beloved leader of Skagerat, before he ventured south to raid Loria. Under his rule, the people had prospered. He gave the people the only thing they truly desired, the greatest raids the Norsemen had ever seen. Ivar in return had done nothing of that. Most of the people saw him as incompetent, only caring for his own house. The town of Skagerat had declined from being one of the most recognised war band to nothing.
Sven calmed down as he felt the support. "Absence of evidence does not prove that crime has not been committed." He said, filled with confidence. He took additional steps, standing face to face with Anvar. "Your tribe hated my father." He said to Anvar. "He rightfully treated you like the animals you are!"
The tribesmen became more and more aggressive as Sven spoke. Some tried to break out to attack Sven but were held back by their own warriors.
The sight only seemed to amuse Sven. He broadened the smile on his face. "What a coincidence it is. Wherever your tribe travels, burned down farms and raped women are left in your trail. As it was the night my family was murdered... You were in the vicinity of Skagerat. This was, of course, before this peace agreement you have with Ivar."
"Silence!" Ivar roared out to no avail.
"Even stranger is..." Sven continued, he turned his attention towards Ivar. "The mighty bull himself, notorious for his intolerance. Had intel of the tribe's whereabouts that night. They were close to my mother's farm. Yet he put in no effort to protect his own brother's family. Nor afterwards, he intended to investigate their murders." Sven now positioned himself just a few steps in front of Ivar, challenged him with his eyes.
"Don't you! Damn you!" Ivar snarled to Sven's face. "You will regret this!"
"The only rational conclusion is..." Sven took an interminable pause. "Ivar was in on it. If not, he welcomed it as he heard the news. Surely all those years of standing in my father's shadow. All those years of jealousy, surely you must have hated him. This was your revenge."
Ivar shook his head, standing firm to the roaring protests. "Even if it was true, I would not have denied it. Your father is a blasphemous traitor and you know it! He deserves so much more!"
Sven stood silent, listening to the roaring crowd.
"That man can't get away with such malevolent allegations!" Thord shouted out behind Anvar. "He is only trying to undermine the treaty. Can't you all see that?"
Ivar brought out his mighty war axe and slammed it to the ground with rage. He roared out in anger, but no one seemed to care.
Flahmer that had been listening in the back, slowly walked out from the fire pits, clapping his old staff into the ground.
Ivar slammed his axe once more. "Silence you sons of whores! Let the seer speak!"
"Be that as it may Sven." Flahmer said as the summit quieted down. "You have claims, the tribesmen have claims, many people here have claims of injustices. But I fail to see the relevance. We are here to settle the dispute between Thord's sons and Runar and Soeren, Sons of Sigurd. Ivar is merely a representative of the clans of Skagerat, so is Anvar for the tribesmen. Your case is another one! One I have heard was settled a decade ago."
Sven raised his eyebrows towards the old seer. "Oh, so you fail to see the relevance?" He said with a demeaning tone. "Perhaps I was not clear. What I say is that Ivar is not fit as a representative for the clans. And the Black Mane tribe is surely lacking any honour or trust to make treaties with. They will never fulfil their part!"
After a moment of calm, the shouts of protests started once more. Quickly after, they turned into violence as warriors of the Black Mane tribe tried to make their way to Sven. But they were yet again held back by their own tribesmen.
Runar and Soeren had initially been passive, now they seemed to beg Sven to stop his verbal assault.
Caro got pushed back and forth among the crowd, struggling to not fall into the mud. But he barely paid it any mind, he feared for Sven. He had gone all in, trying to somehow go to war with everybody at the same time.
However, judging by the support Sven had gained, he might have weakened Ivar's position. That was a theme that reflected his every action. Now he had dealt a heavy blow.
"Also..." Sven continued, trying to make his voice heard in the mess. After a brief moment, the people toned it down, eager to follow Sven's words. "Also..." He continued. "I hereby call the Black Mane tribe, in front of the gods, they are honourless cowards, liars and murderers. They will only betray us in the end. Having any dealings with the Black Mane tribe is to forfeit your own honour, it is like devaluing yourself to a prostitute."
Ivar seemed to lose it. His face blazing red, he stepped towards Sven with his axe in his hand but were held back by Soeren and two of his own guards.
Flahmer slowly clapped his staff on the ground once more. "You know what this means!" He told Sven. "Insulting someone's honour in the eyes of the gods. They have to fight you to the death to defend it or they forfeit it!"
Anvar looked disappointedly at Ivar and then Sven. He raised his right arm towards the sky. "If this weak and clanless son of a whore dares to challenge our honour in front of the gods. We have no choice but to accept!" He roared out the support of his tribe. "And as you will fall, may the gods deny you passage to the halls of Varhall!"
"Good!" Sven responded with a content smile. "At least in this instance, you don't disappoint me!"