《The Shieldmaiden's Song》


 The White Raven King

    ¡°Tha-dum! Tha-dum! Tha-dum!¡±


    The thunderous drumbeats echoed through the valley, echoing off the stony grey peaks of the Norden Mountains. In their shadow, a great army stood, clad in sturdy mail an armed with spear and sword and axe. Bright blue banners emblazoned with the white raven of Eirsmet fluttered proudly in the air.


    ¡°THA-DUM! THA-DUM! THA-DUM!¡±


    The drums quickened as a party clad in fine blue silk made its way through the ranks. At the forefront stood Uther, the King of Eirsmet, the last great lord of the Northern Realms. He who would slay the Upstart and bring freedom to all Karland. In one hand he held a long spear, which he thrust into the air. The drums fell silent.


    ¡°My people!¡± Uther roared ¡°My people! Long have we awaited this day, when the shadow hanging over our country shall be cast out! As we speak, the Southern whelp leads an army down the Grey Road, his heart burning with wicked lust and greed. Should we allow it, he will defile our lands and make slaves of our people!¡±


    Cries of fevered rage went up among the army. Murderers! Slavers! Demons!


    Uther raised his spear once more, and spoke again.


    ¡°However, when they pass through the mountains, they will not find feeble lords and frightened peasants, as they did in their own lands! They will find the greatest army the North has ever seen! Free men and women, with hearts full of courage! A people who would rather die than kneel! Today we shall strike the head off the vile green serpent, born of Sulheim. Tomorrow, we shall march south and free their people! We shall not stop until-¡°


    Whatever the valiant king meant to say next was to be forgotten by history, for in that moment, horns came roaring through the mountain.


    ¡°Haaroooom! Haaroooom!¡±


    The earth shook as Eadric¡¯s cavalry poured through the mountain pass, a wave of green capes, emblazoned with golden bears, spilling out into the valley. It was as though spring had come again to the grasslands painted white with winter¡¯s first snowfall. The drums rose up once more to meet the horns. A cacophony of noise could be heard across the land.


    ¡°With me, my warriors!¡± Uther howled ¡°Form up! Form up! They will be broken here, against our shields! No more Kingdoms shall fall to this scoundrel!¡±


    Marching in lockstep, with shields pressed firmly together, Uther¡¯s army took to the field. The oncoming cavalry split into three. One party rode left, another right, and the final force, led by Eadric himself, charged down the center. Uther barked out orders, urging his men forward. He fell to a horseman¡¯s spear early on in the fighting. He was followed into death soon after by many of his kinsmen and retainers. The Northern army was surrounded and whittled away, until what little remained surrendered.


    ~


    With the fall of Uther, last of The Raven Kings of Eirsmet, Eadric ruled unchallenged. Sovereign King of all Karland. He placed one of his retainers, a man called Wulfred, in Eirsmet. A governor to collect his taxes and uphold his laws. Wulfred had with him a force of Eadric¡¯s own Greencloaks to guard against rebellion. A wise choice, he was assured. Many of Uther¡¯s distant kin still lived in the north. Bold figures around whom the rowdy northerners could be convinced to rally. While Eadric¡¯s great victory had won him the north, he had no desire to spend the rest of his years fighting to control it. So the Greencloaks were to stay indefinitely.


    Now one such kinswoman of Uther was called Sigrid. A young woman of sixteen. The daughter of his cousin, a man who had died hunting wolves many years ago. She was too young to have fought in the great battle and be cut down alongside the patriarch of her house. Yet she was also too old, and too infatuated with stories of the old heroes of the north, to live under Eadric¡¯s new laws. They were said to be intended as a tool of civilization. The northerners would be brought into the cultural and economic mainstream of Karlund. In time, they were to be sophisticated urbanites, such as their peers in Vatnborg, or the now royal city of Sulheim.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Treachery, Sigrid called it. The southern whelps had become infatuated with foreign ways and were now endeavoring to impose that corruption upon their northern brethren. Coastal raids had been forbidden, for fear of offending wealthy kingdoms with whom Eadric meant to trade. Wandering heroes were declared vagabonds, to be treated as such by his armed men. The only choice for a brave Karlunder was to join the Greencloaks and act as the boot which would stamp out the old ways.


    This was no life for Sigrid. She assured her friends there was another choice. They would purchase a ship and sail far across the sea. Beyond the reach of Eadric¡¯s tendrils. There they would live as their ancestors had. Raiding and warring, serving no master but their captain. They would return laden with treasure and live as kings. With chests of gold and silver locked away in their vaults, they would be ready to endure Eadric¡¯s new world.


    They set out in the summer, when the harsh Northern sea was at its calmest, promisingtheir families they would return within a year or so, with many tales of adventure. They were dressed in thick furs, linen, and chainmail. They were heavily armed, carrying large round shields, spears and axes. There were two dozen warriors who set out with Sigrid. She was the only one to return. She slipped back into Eirsmet a full twelve years after she had departed.


    ~


    Sigrid sailed into Vatnborg in mid-autumn, a passenger on a foreign merchant''s ship. A slender, delicate rosewood vessel with beautifully painted sails. She did not dally in the south, however. Rather, she all but immediately joined a caravan travelling north to Eirsmet, her home.


    When Sigrid passed through the northern city''s great gates, few among her kin recognized her. Her once pale skin was tanned, her wild hair had been tied into a neat braid, and her bright green eyes had lost their fire. She wore a strange foreign garb of red silk, embroidered with gold sunbursts. She wore sturdy brass plate armor and a scimitar at her hip. Her manner of speaking had changed just as much as her appearance had. Gone was the burning passion which inspired men to go abroad with her. Now she spoke slowly and coldly. She put great thought into anything she said. It seemed to some that her mind was always working on some scheme or another. Perhaps that she saw enemies all around her.


    Stranger than the change to their kinswoman was the treasures she had returned with. As anticipated, she had brought back great wealth. Not only in silks and spices, which she promptly sold in Eirsmet, but in two heavy chests of foreign silver. Odd white coins stamped with a crescent moon on one face and a thrusting spear upon the other. However, the treasure she guarded most fiercely was not a material thing to be sold or bargained with.


    It was a young girl of six years. Her daughter.


    The child was a swarthy girl, quite gangly in figure. Her eyes were light brown, flecked with green and gold. Her thick, curly brown hair was long and worn in a neat braid, much like her mothers. She wore similar foreign silks to Sigrid, though both quickly cast those aside in exchange for attire more fit to a northern winter. She spoke the blunt, crude northern language well enough. She also knew strange, beautiful words from a southern tongue no Karlunder had heard before. They flowed and wilted gracefully from the girl¡¯s tongue, and even the Skalds said it was a poet¡¯s language. Only Sigrid knew what she said when she spoke that language.


    Of the events of her adventure, Sigrid spoke little. Once they were beyond the lands in which Eadric had an interest, they had raided their way down unfamiliar coasts. Eventually, they found themselves in a great southern republic called Asa. A land far too powerful to be raided by so few warriors. Instead, they entered its service, acting as mercenary soldiers. They were very well paid and the others had elected to remain in that beautiful place, where they would live far better lives than those which awaited them in Karlund.


    When questions turned to her daughter, the man who had sired her, and the circumstances surrounding it, Sigrid fell silent. Those closest to her claimed that there seemed to be a great sadness upon her, but she hid it well. Of these matters, she would not speak, beyond insisting that the girl was her trueborn daughter, and that she would be her heiress. In time, none would bother to press the matter, for Sigrid had broken the nose of a man who had implied the girl was illegitimate and Sigrid had fled this "Asa" in shame.


    The girl''s name was Nal.

 The Girl from Across the Sea

    ¡°Auntie Sigrid! Auntie Sigrid!¡± Ulfr cried as he ran into the great hall of Sigrid¡¯s homestead ¡°Nal¡¯s hurt! She fell from a tree!¡±


    ¡°Hrmn? What¡¯s all of this then, boy?¡± Sigrid muttered, rising from her papers ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°I think her arm¡¯s broken!¡± He yelped ¡°It hurts whenever she tries to move it! It¡¯s real sore too! We were just playing and I guess she lost her grip and she fell! I tried to catch her, auntie! I promise! But-¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s enough of that, Ulfr.¡± Sigrid muttered ¡°I¡¯ll come take a look at her.


    Ulric, Ulfr¡¯s father and Sigrid¡¯s brother, had told her that she hadn¡¯t been spending enough time with her daughter. She was too focused on her investments and the harvest and that southern merchant, Asger. The girl was going half-wild, he said. It was half the reason he¡¯d sent her nephew over to foster for a year.


    He wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. A part of Sigrid yearned for those sweet days in Asa. Days when it seemed like life might have gone in a different direction. When she thought she might never return to Karlund¡­ Even their time together at the sea had been quite lovely. Laughing together as Dolphins leapt around their ship and they spotted great whales in the distance.


    The past six years had been trying. Purchasing land. Building a farm. Reconnecting with her kin, the last scattered descendants of the Kings of Eirsmet. Establishing connections among the merchants who now ruled Karlund. It was hard work, and it drew her attention from her daughter, but it would be worth it. One day she would be old and Nal would be a woman in her own right, and she would have a greater legacy to bequeath upon her daughter than some tattered banner and a legendary past.


    Still. It wasn¡¯t all so bad. Nal had made friends with children in the nearby villages, and she and Ulfr were practically attached at the hip these days. With every passing much, she seemed to be as much a Karlunder as an Asani. She spent less and less time with the books of Asani Poetry they had brought north with them. Instead, she had taken to the old legends some of the servants told at dinner. She¡¯d outgrown all her silks, embroidered with beautiful flowers and sunbursts, adoring her new linens lined with furs and decorated with foxes and falcons and bears. It was hardly a surprise when her daughter approached her one morning and proclaimed she wished to learn how to fight!


    She found the girl out under the oak tree. One of the servant girls was tending to her, a lass barely older than her daughter, honestly. Nal wasn¡¯t in nearly as sorry a state as her cousin had suggested. If anything, she seemed to be putting on a brave face as the servant wrapped her arm in a splint, only wincing slightly as her arm was jostled about. Well. No mercy, then.


    ¡°Alright, girl.¡± Sigrid said firmly, putting her hands on her hips ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Hashana!¡± She grumbled in the Asani tongue. She still used it to curse.


    ¡°Watch your language, young lady!¡± Sigrid shot back. ¡°Speak up, now. How did you hurt yourself?¡±


    ¡°It was nothing, ma.¡± She said dourly ¡°Ulfy overreacted! He¡¯s just being a crybaby!¡±


    Ulfr shot her a vile glance as Nal used the pet-name she pulled out whenever they were having an unspoken disagreement.


    ¡°You were the one crying when you feel!¡± He hissed.


    ¡°Was not!¡± Nal growled.


    ¡°Were too! You¡¯re just showing off, now that the adults are here!¡± Ulfr said, puffing up his chest ¡°Ahh! Ahh! Ulf! It hurts! It hurts! The sparrow! It pecked me!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Nal snapped.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Sigrid groaned ¡°Any more of that and I¡¯ll tan your hides!¡±


    That silenced the children. She spoke again, more calmly this time.


    "What sparrow? What were you two doing out here? Speak quickly, now, or you¡¯ll go to bed without supper!¡±


    There was a brief silence. Nal spoke up first.


    ¡°I was just climbing the tree.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was going to follow her. We wanted to watch the sunset before dinner.¡± Ulfr added.


    ¡°And what happened then? Don¡¯t try to pull the wool over my eyes, girl.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­. There was a sparrow¡¯s nest in the branches. I thought it would be empty, this late in the season. Uhm. The dumb bird attacked me. I tried to swat it away and I fell.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Is that all?¡± Sigrid laughed. She turned to the servant girl and asked ¡°How bad is she?¡±


    ¡°Not bad at all, ma¡¯am.¡± The girl said, trying to hide her amusement at the whole affair ¡°Just a little sprain, I¡¯d wager.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Sigrid said. ¡°Both of you, go help the servants prepare for dinner, and try not to pick any fights with the chickens!¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ~


    Sigrid had spent much of the evening pondering. She was quiet and moody, or at least that¡¯s what she heard the servants whisper. Bah. Let them have their gossip. She had greater concerns. She had realized today, quite starkly, that her daughter was not the little girl who had come across the sea with her. She was taller now, stronger as well. Far more adventurous too, as the day¡¯s events proved. The next few years were vital. Her childhood had ensured she had a good head on her shoulders, even if she was a bit crude, but the next years would decide the sort of woman her daughter was to become. It was with that in mind that she beckoned for Nal and her cousin to approach her at dinner. They¡¯d taken to eating at the servants table, enjoying their stories and their songs.


    ¡°You had quite the battle today, didn¡¯t you lass?¡± She teased.


    ¡°Ma¡­.¡± Nal whined ¡°Don¡¯t make fun!¡±


    Sigrid ruffled her girl¡¯s braided hair.


    ¡°Hah. Fear not, daughter. You¡¯ll be ready for the next beast to cross your pass.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her daughter looked at her, confused.


    ¡°Well, lass. I think you¡¯re ready to learn how to use a sword. You too, nephew. I¡¯m sure your father won¡¯t mind. Hah. He¡¯d chew me out for letting his son¡¯s twelfth birthday pass without having him in the training fields!¡±


    The children¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°You mean it?! Really?!¡± They cried in unison ¡°Thank you Ma!¡± ¡°Thank you, Auntie Sigrid!¡±


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s about time for it, and you¡¯ve got noble blood in you, even if it doesn¡¯t mean so much these days. You ought to learn, even if you¡¯re unlikely to use it much. We¡¯ll start as soon as Nal¡¯s arm has healed. Now run along, finish your dinner.¡±


    She smiled as the children ran off, whispering giddily to one another. The days of heroes were gone, Sigrid knew that as well as anyone. If they had brains worth a damn, Nal and Ulfr, and the other youngsters in their clan, would learn far more important skills. How to handle money. How to negotiate with the southern merchants. How to avoid offending Eadric¡­


    But the progeny of The White Raven Kings ought to know how to hold a sword, at the very least. She owed her ancestors that much.


    ~


    ¡°Shield up, girl! Don¡¯t let your guard down! You need to learn these things if you¡¯re to stand in a shield wall¡±


    Nal hissed as her mother scolded her on the training field. She didn¡¯t understand. Ulfr couldn¡¯t be fought flat footed. They¡¯d both been growing recently, and he was growing in strength. A natural sort of strength she couldn¡¯t compete with. He wasn¡¯t as fast as her, though, she had to outmaneuver him.


    WHACK!


    Ulfr¡¯s wooden sword collided with her side.


    ¡°Careful, Sparrow! Don¡¯t get lost with your heads in the clouds, or you¡¯ll get hit!¡±


    Sparrow. She hated that name. He¡¯d been tossing it around for a whole season now, never letting her forget that stupid afternoon. She took in a deep breath. She couldn¡¯t let her anger control her. Not in a fight. She¡¯d been reading some of her mother¡¯s Asani combat manuals. Clearly she could not win a fight if she tried to fight like her mother or cousin. She wasn¡¯t built for that sort of thing. If she fought her own way, on the other hand¡­


    Ulfr swung again. Nal sidestepped the blow, lifting her sword and striking his back. He yelped about treachery as he fell to the ground. She struck again and again, not giving him a chance to rise, until he cried out.


    ¡°I yield! I yield!¡±


    She thrust her sword into the dirt and helped him to his feet. Ulfr scowled at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.


    ¡°Hah! That¡¯s my girl!¡± Sigrid cheered ¡°As strong as your cousin! Good! Very good!¡±


    It seemed that Nal¡¯s mother didn¡¯t care so much about how she fought. She was more concerned as to whether her daughter was winning or losing. Perhaps, in the end, that was all that mattered. They had a grand feast that night, and Sigrid insisted that her daughter take a place of honor beside her. A reward for her first victory in the sparring field.


    ~


    In time, Nal was sent off to Ulfr¡¯s family home, a smaller farm than her mothers, though it was near to the sea, so they could go out in boats, on occasion. There, Ulric went on teaching them how to fight, as well as how to sail and fish. In time, Nal became stronger. She could properly lift up a shield and throw off blows with it. Her strength balanced out with her cousin and soon they were fighting each other ¡°properly¡±, like Karlunders, is how his father put it. Though Ulfr could still throw his weight around more and Nal still appreciated the value of fighting dirty.


    By the time they came into the fullness of their youth, both were fierce fighters. Nal had built up some proper muscle and was no longer the spindly, lanky girl Sigridhad brought across the sea with her. Ulfr himself had grown too, into a stocky lad. Not quite as large as his father would like. Ulric often bemoaned the fact that the blood of the White Raven Kings was weakening, and had been ever since they lost Eirsmet. These words stung Ulfr deeply.


    Still. In those days, the cousins had far greater concerns than the approval or disapproval of their parents. They were old enough to chart their own courses, and the future lay before them. As Sigrid had so many years ago, they faced a challenging choice. Adventuring was still frowned upon, there hadn¡¯t been a proper raid in years¡­ However, both Nal and Ulfr had been raised with a sword in hand. Fortunately, the world was still changing.


    Eadric had, only a year or so prior, issued a decree. The time of Governors was ending. His old allies were now Earls, hereditary vassals who would rule over vast swaths of land drawn up from the former petty kingdoms. Furthermore, to reduce the strain upon the Greencloaks and allow Eadric to consolidate his forces, the Earls were to be granted permission to raise their own militias. They would tend to local concerns and were answerable to their Earls. The Greencloaks, however, were to be garrisoned in regional strongholds and answer to Eadric alone.


    Hungry for adventure, Nal and Ulfr were among the first to answer Wulfred¡¯s call for fighters. There was little in the way of formal testing. Simply a bout or two in the new Earl¡¯s own training yard. Once that was over, they were handed silver bear badges, the Earl mimicked Eadric¡¯s own heraldry, as many had. The cousins were then sent off to the newly constructed militia barracks, enjoining the Earl¡¯s castle.


    ~


    Nal and Ulfr sat now at long wooden tables, flanked by scores of their new companions. They drank heavily of the ale Wulfred had provided to satiate the thirst of his new soldiers. Fine, dark red stuff with a hint of spice to it. Ulfr lifted a stein into the air and cheered as he slapped his cousin on the back.


    ¡°To us, sweet Sparrow! To our future victories!¡±


    Nal clinked her own stein against his, then both drank. Then Nal herself made a proclamation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show your pa just how much strength is left in the blood of the white raven kings!¡±


    A few of the others glanced at them. They didn¡¯t keep their bloodline a secret, though they often avoided boasting about it, except when drinking. It would be unwise, they had agreed, to antagonize their new liege lord.


    It was a long night full of many such toasts.

 The Crossroads

    The party crept quietly through the forests, relying upon the moonlight to see, for they carried no torches. Rather, they held their swords and axes tightly, ready to strike and kill. They were clad mostly in boiled leather and light chainmail. Among these warriors walked Nal, daughter of Sigrid, and her cousin and companion Ulfr.


    ¡°Are you excited?¡± Ulfr whispered ¡°Our first battle! Mark me, we¡¯re done guarding gates, sparrow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one group of bandits.¡± Nal muttered to her cousin ¡°We¡¯re hardly marching into war.¡±


    ¡°Have some sense of poetic occasion, cousin.¡± Ulfr replied ¡°We¡¯ll both have bloodied our swords, come dawn. Do you think it will be a red dawn, to mark the occasion?¡±


    ¡°It hardly seems to matter. You ought to get your head out of the clouds, Ulf.¡±


    ¡°You two! Quiet down!¡± The captain hissed ¡°They¡¯re just up ahead! Look!¡±


    The orange light of a campfire filled the forest, cast out from a nearby grove.


    ¡°Weapons ready.¡± The captain said softly, the militiamen raised their arms ¡°Forward!¡±


    It was not the glorious battle Ulfr had hungered for. It was a slaughter. Morning was still far off when the bandits lay dead or captive. The survivors¡¯ wrists were bound and they were marched off to Eirsmet where the dungeons awaited them. A small party. There had only been a dozen raider.


    The cousins were among those left behind to loot their camp and recover any stolen treasure. No such wealth was to be found. They had no gold or silver, nor goods taken from traders. The carcass of a stag hanging from a tree, some rabbits... furs. While Nal poured water over their fire and kicked out the last embers Ulfr spoke his voice heavy with disappointment.


    ¡°These weren¡¯t bandits. They were poachers.¡±


    ¡°That, or very poor bandits, I should say.¡± Nal laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny, Sparrow. Why would the Earl send the militia out to slaughter mere poachers?¡±


    ¡°They broke the law.¡± Nal shrugged ¡°It¡¯s his sworn duty to uphold the law.¡±


    ¡°This is all wrong, Nal.¡± He said sadly ¡°This is butchers work! It¡¯s unbecoming of a soldier!¡±


    ¡°More of this?¡± Nal groaned ¡°Someday, the damned Basilians will try to invade. You¡¯ll have your war then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not war I want, it¡¯s honorable work!¡± Ulfr snapped ¡°Patrolling the city! Slaughtering peasants for hunting a stag they shouldn¡¯t! Is this what you dreamed of, Nal?¡±


    Nal planted her feet in the ground and crossed her arms.


    ¡°I dreamed of a way to use my blade without having to leave as my mother did. I¡¯ve found that well enough.¡±


    ¡°In the training yards.¡± Ulfr grunted ¡°This was our first real fight and it was hardly a fight.¡±


    ¡°What about the brawl we put down last week?¡± Nal asked.


    ¡°Pfa!¡± Ulfr grumbled ¡°Hitting drunks with clubs isn¡¯t an honorable fight.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t know the future, Ulfr.¡± Nal said, clapping her cousin¡¯s shoulder ¡°They¡¯ll be expecting our return before long. Not much to bring with us¡­ I suppose we could bring the stag. It¡¯ll make for a good dinner.¡±


    ¡°Is it not the Earl¡¯s stag?¡± Ulfr snorted.


    ¡°Aye.¡± Nal chuckled ¡°And we¡¯re the Earl¡¯s men, so let¡¯s enjoy it, eh?¡±


    He grinned at this, though as they walked back to Eirsmet together, there seemed to be a distance between the cousins. It was a strange feeling. Since their first meeting, Ulfr had been Nal¡¯s closest companion. This separation was wholly unfamiliar to her. It felt wrong.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ~


    ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking to one of the poachers.¡± Ulfr said over a stein of ale a few nights later. ¡°Very interesting story, she has, Nal.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still in the dungeons?¡± Nal asked, chewing some beef ¡°I thought the Earl meant to take a hand from each and send them on their way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to be a public spectacle. That¡¯s not what matters. Do you know why they turned to poaching?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Nal said bluntly, before taking a gulp of ale. ¡°Why did they then, cousin? I know that look on your face. Just say what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Taxes.¡± Ulfr laughed ¡°They were petty farmers. Not so different than our own families, though lacking our status, and perhaps your mother¡¯s mind for business. They couldn¡¯t find their way in the new world. They lost their farms. They were just trying to feed themselves, Nal.¡±


    ¡°Well. What of it, Ulfr? I¡¯m sure many bandits and criminals have sad stories behind them. Why are you concerned over this one¡­? You said it was a woman you were talking to?¡±


    He glared at her.


    ¡°What are you saying, cousin? I haven¡¯t been seduced, if that¡¯s your suggestion. I¡¯ll admit, she¡¯s fair enough to look at but¡­ Have you truly gone so cold, Sparrow?¡±


    Nal sliced off another piece of meat.


    ¡°Cold, am I?¡± She laughed ¡°No, Ulf. I¡¯m just not ready to weep over a single story. All those warriors you dreamed of slaying had their own too, you know.¡±


    Those words hit him hard. Ulfr was silent for some time. They¡¯d gone through a keg of ale and the mess hall had practically emptied by the time he rose up and spoke two words.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Nal said, swaying in her seat ¡°Ready for bed? Can¡¯t handle any more drink?¡±


    Ulfr looked at her. He frowned. Was that pity in his eyes? Disgust? Nal glared right back.


    ¡°Come on, Ulf.¡± She said firmly ¡°Speak up, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving the militia, Nal.¡± He said ¡°The pay isn¡¯t worth¡­ all of this.¡±


    ¡°Hah. You¡¯ll regret it, when something exciting happens.¡± She grinned ¡°What will you do, then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Go back to pa¡¯s farm, for a while, I suppose. Take up fishing again. Maybe go abroad myself. Who can say the way fate will go? I just know I can¡¯t spend another day here.¡±


    He plucked the silver bear badge from the breast of his tunic. He looked at it in much the same fashion he had at Nal.


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll spend the night, at least, and do it properly tomorrow morning. Return this to the captain. Let the Earl have his silver. I wouldn¡¯t want them to hunt me down for desertion.¡±


    He let out a sad laugh and passed through the doors, walking out into the night. Nal finished another stein, then another, before stumbling off to the barracks. She was too drunk to check if Ulfr had followed through on his words, or he had chosen the more romantic path. She feel into her bed and sank into a deep sleep.


    ~


    One by one they were led up to the stump which had been placed in the town square. The Earl and his own household guard oversaw the proceedings. Once they were there, their arms were stretched out over the stump. A sharp axe lifted up into the air, and then came swinging down. The hands fell into a large basket which had been placed beneath. The poachers were led off to have their wounds treated and bound before being sent out from the city. Banished, of course.


    The Earl made some speech about the price of treachery, taking a hand from the basket and waving it about. Damned fool. He couldn¡¯t see the hatred in the eyes of the crowd. It was one thing to rule through fear, as Eadric had. It was another thing entirely to tempt fate. Perhaps Ulfr had some worthwhile ideas. Serving such a worm of a man. Still. Her badge brought stability and a reputation among¡­. The sort of people who mattered. The Southern Merchants who did business with her mother, who she would have to deal with when Sigrid was too old, or when she passed. Nal left to return to her post at the gates half way through the bloody procedure.


    Sunset came, painting the horizon red. She was waiting eagerly on her relief when saw her cousin approaching. He was clad in common clothes. So he had left the militia. Hah. She hadn¡¯t been sure the captain would let him. Though they weren¡¯t as desperate as they had been. After the first wave of recruits, they¡¯d seen all sorts of newcomers. Adventurous youths such as herself. Ambitious ladder climbers looking for authority. Hungry urchins looking for a bed and a meal. What loss was one young man?


    The woman with him, on the other hand, she took Nal by surprise. She had a thick tangle of black hair, emerald green eyes, and olive skin. She looked almost Basilian, but she carried herself like a Karlunder. Not that her heritage drew Nal¡¯s gaze. It was the bloody stump at the end of her left arm, wrapped in bandages. It was the way Ulfr comforted her.


    ¡°Oh. Hello, Sparrow.¡± He said sadly ¡°I thought I might find you here.¡±


    Nal frowned.


    ¡°I thought to find you there.¡± She gestured to the empty post on the other side of the wall. No guardsman and yet been assigned to replace her cousin there. ¡°I see you are going through with this¡­ whatever it is.¡±


    Ulfr nodded.


    ¡°This is Astrid.¡± He said, as though introducing the poacher at a family gathering ¡°The one I was talking to.¡±


    The woman averted her gaze. Nal couldn¡¯t blame her. She was, no doubt, still in shock.


    ¡°Ulf.¡± She whispered ¡°Please¡­ Let¡¯s just go. I don¡¯t want to be here any longer.¡±


    He gave her an encouraging squeeze, then the pair started through the gate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, cousin.¡± Nal said sadly ¡°I¡¯m... Well I didn¡¯t imagine it would end up like this, when we set out together.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry, Nal.¡± He said, before passing through the gate.


    Her relief came soon. She made her way up to the wall and watched as Ulfr and his new companion made their way across the plain. She watched until the sun passed over the horizon, filling the red sky with black, then stars came.


    They were beautiful.