Unlike the village he had been instructed to govern before, Hafr wasn't so easily defeated. Its men quickly got to their feet and armed themselves before too many of their kind were slaughtered. With Egil joining the fight, he was able to shoot down the remaining cavalry with frightening accuracy.
Meanwhile, Artos Pendragon had dressed into his new armour which Egil had lent him and descended onto the village before the infantry could get to him.
"The mounted soldiers are dead already?" Artos Pendragon observed that none of the cavalry were visible and all the horses he saw were without a rider once he returned.
"And not a single of their horses were wasted." Egil smiled, grabbing Artos Pendragon's shoulders and turning him to the approaching Eternian soldiers. "Right there... it's your first true opportunity to prove yourself."
"They still outnumber us..." Artos remarked.
"Hahaha, would you hear the boy? He doesn't think we're warriors!" One of the Vikings behind them stepped forward.
More and more Vikings had gathered, although they were still outnumbered one to two which was rather concerning. However, Egil seemed as calm as usual as he held onto his bow.
"All we need to do is hold our ground and the Jarl's reinforcements will deal with the rest."
Egil drew an arrow and placed it against his bow. Then he stretched the string backwards, preparing to fire.
In response, the infantrymen raised their shields... forming a shield wall similar to the Vikings.
SHEW.
One of the soldiers fell to their knees, collapsing onto the ground as yet another neck had been pierced by Egil's bow. The arrow, as if it were imbued with death itself, had seemingly slipped through soldier's shield and went straight through the chainmail armour protecting the soldier's neck like paper.
Artos Pendragon glanced at Egil in disbelief. 'That's an ordinary bow and yet...'
"Enough staring. Those Eternian's won't die on their own!" One of the Vikings pushed Artos Pendragon forward, moving towards them himself. The Viking raised his sword and gave a thunderous command;
"Shield... wall! Let's give those Eternians a taste of OUR fury!"
"WOO! WOO! OOH! OOH!"
Artos Pendragon didn't join the shield wall... instead, he watched over its left flank and patiently looked for an opportunity to be useful. He noticed that if the Viking shield wall went too far, it would be in an open field and that would only spell death. The large main entrance of the village should be defended... but what if the Eternians went around and surrounded the vikings?
'The Eternian's would be able to flank around given their superior numbers...' Artos Pendragon turned to the side and spoke to Egil in Eternian. "Tell them to stand their ground and protect the main entrance!"
"Hmm... you're already giving me orders?" Egil smiled slightly. "Very well. Stand your ground, Vikings, and watch the boy lead us to a heroic victory!"
'I'll be a pest and break their formation little by little... giving Egil space to shoot them down.'
"Only because you are giving the command, old wolf."
The Viking leading them chuckled, stopping at the entrance as the Eternian infantrymen kept marching forwards confidently. One man in the Eternian formation left and walked in Artos Pendragon's direction with ill intentions. He seemed confused by his appearance at first... but did as he was ordered.
'It's working.'
Artos Pendragon grasped his round shield tightly, guarding most of his body while the other hand held a Nordic sword.
"HAAA!" The Eternian charged Artos Pendragon who was rather composed this time, blocking the soldier's blow and shoving it to the side. His blade danced forwards, slashing through the soldier's gut.
His eyes widened in shock as Artos Pendragon followed his slash with a finishing blow to the neck.
'It was all so fast...'
He looked down at the fallen soldier and then towards his wet sword...
For the very first time, he, the thirteenth prince of Eternia, had killed someone. An Eternian soldier at that.
Yet... strangely enough, he didn't feel much pity nor remorse. Not for the people who only came here to kill and burn.
When he looked back up, two men were approaching him now. Steadying his sword and shield, Artos Pendragon didn't feel much fear anymore... he welcomed the challenge. Compared to the Viking's he had lived beside, these infantrymen were clearly peasant boys in armour with little to no experience.
Shew.
One of Artos Pendragon's pursuers were shot down by Egil's arrow, collapsing onto the ground.
'Many thanks...'
Artos Pendragon commenced combat with the infantryman in front of him by blocking his sword strike.
"HOORAH!"
Artos Pendragon roared, imitating a vicious Viking which led to the infantryman losing the grip on his sword for but a moment... leaving him open to an attack.
He did not wait, taking advantage before its window would close and drove his sword right through the soldier. After withdrawing his bloodied blade from the soldier's chest, he moved forward and around the Eternian formation.
This time, he was taken more seriously as five men left the formation to chase after him.
Suddenly, Artos Pendragon smirked as he watched Egil's arrow knock them down one by one. Once they got close enough to him, he simply ran until they too were killed.
'Hit and run tactics...'
It was the Viking's speciality.
Just by the efforts of the prince, the Eternian formation had lessened from thirty men to twenty-two. And their chances against the Vikings started to lessen greatly...
"Egil, come around and shoot at their flank! As for the Vikings, they should confront the infantrymen directly now!" Artos shouted, running from his chasers.
"Oh... I see." Egil smiled as he ran to join Artos Pendragon's side and started to fire from the left flank. Meanwhile, the infantrymen themselves were preoccupied with the more skilled and bloodthirsty Viking warriors. "Charge now, Vikingr! Give them a taste of nordic steel!"
"KILL THEM ALL AND SHOW THEM THE MIGHT OF US NORDS!"
"HOORAH!"
"Divide and conquer, eh? I see you have a mind for strategy." After completing his translation to the Vikings, Egil praised Artos Pendragon in Eternian.
Artos Pendragon frowned slightly as he watched the Eternian formation collapse completely. It was a victory and yet it felt like a loss.
"Reading all those books helped, I suppose..."
"They sure did, boy. I'll have the Jarl well aware of your merit by the end of today's battle."
'The Jarl... a Nordic lord.'
~
"How did it feel to wet your sword with blood for the first time, boy?" Egil asked once they returned back to his house.
"I don't... quite know." Artos Pendragon replied, not too sure if it was a good thing. "I feel good that I'm not afraid, that I'm more capable of fighting and protecting those who can't protect themselves. And yet, I've killed two Eternians with my own hand. I can't go back from that, can I?"
"No, there's no going back." Egil smiled slightly. "However, it's not a terrible thing. You did what was right, honourable and took courage. Rather than blindly believing what it is that you were raised to believe, you've been a witness to the truth and acted on what you, Artos Pendragon, truly believe in. An open mind is a thing that few have... and the courage to act upon it? Even less so. You may very well earn the God of War's blessing."
"... You think so?" Artos Pendragon's eyes lit up slightly. Even if he was disillusioned with the thought of holy knights, being one had always been his dream. It was the one true path to changing the world... to having the power to defeat those who would abuse theirs.
"In battle, you should never waver against any opponent, it is undeniable. You've shown that you can stand your ground. It is only the brave who earn the War God's favour. On the other side of the coin, you must not be foolish either and pick a battle you could never win. He favours boldness and courage but not idiocy. It's a hard balance to find for most... but I believe that you will find it."
"In truth... you showed that you may have already found it."
"Oh...?" Artos Pendragon's eyes widened slightly when the praise hit him.
"You contributed greatly and walked out alive... that more than qualifies for such praise." Egil put down his bow in its rightful place along with the quiver. "Then again, the foolish Eternians didn't think to bring any archers. Quite arrogant of them but that's to be expected of the 'mightiest' nation."
"Could you teach me how to use the bow as you do? Without your assistance, I'm afraid that my contributions in that battle would've been seen as more so foolish than brave."
'His skill... is certainly something.'
"Haha... I'll teach you if that's what you wish."
"Of course, I'd love to learn."
"An eager learner... I'm glad that I bought you on that day." Egil took a deep breath and sat down on his comfortable fur-covered seat. "These battles do take out more from me than they used to, heh..."
After that was settled, Artos Pendragon still had a lingering thought on his mind.
"So tell me, Artos Pendragon, do you still intend to return to your homeland in the future? After this battle and whatever else you do on the way, you might very well be recognised as an enemy of the Kingdom of Eternia. With that, your privilege as the thirteenth prince... I doubt it would remain."
"I... don't care." Artos Pendragon stated, shaking his head as he saw flashes of the Eternian raiders. "If what I did earns me the title of a traitor, then I will embrace it and disregard my birth right. I will walk my own path if that's what it means to hold onto my beliefs."
"So, tell me, what do you think of your royal family? You don't seem to like your relatives given that you're willing to cut ties just like that." Egil stroked his beard. "Or are you pretending not to care?"
"My father almost abandoned me after my mother died while my oldest brother is the person I hate most. Among the royals, there are very few people I can actually speak to. The second prince and my full-blooded younger sister, namely."
"It sounds like you're the outcast among them." Egil laughed, enjoying some of his leftover ale. "Us Nords tend to enjoy ourselves in most aspects of life. We smile, we sing, we laugh, we dance... we hump women!"
"... Eternians do that too." Artos raised an eyebrow.
"Hahaha... yes, but we do it plenty more! The point is that the majority of Eternians tend to be depressed people who have little to look forward to. Decide, Artos Pendragon... on who you want to be. Will you be your father's meaningless son who governs little villages or will you join me and learn to become your own man who is praised for his own merits? When you are your own man, you do as you like. You don't have to kill all Vikings, nor all Eternians, nor all Taians nor the people of Anzai. You can do as you like, free from the chains of your title and blood!"
"Protect the people you care about, love who you want to love, live wherever your heart desires, fight for the cause that you believe in... that is the meaning of being a free man!"
It was all he ever wanted.
Maybe this was the life... maybe he was a travelling knight, a true knight, born as a prince of a corrupted nation.
"Are you offering to let me go?" Artos Pendragon's emerald eyes widened. "I can't be a 'free man' as a slave, can I?"
"Sure... why not? I'll ransom you off if you don't want to be here anymore." Egil laughed, shaking his head. "I'd be severely disappointed if you left, however. I might even shoot you on your way back, hahaha!"
"Of course, you would..." Artos Pendragon chuckled, knowing that it was another one of his poor jokes.
"As much as you seem to love your homeland, I wonder how much love does it have for you..."
After a long moment of silence, Egil decided to be the one to break it.
"Well?"
In the end, it was his father and the crown prince who had ordered the death of innocents across the Kingdom of Nords. And so, instead of being disowned by them... he decided he'd rather disown them.
"Fuck the royals."
Artos Pendragon closed his eyes, smiling as he felt a giant weight fall off his shoulders.
"I want to be my own man and make my own path. If I came back now, I'd only be met with the same looks of disapproval, probably even worse than before. I might even be killed, if not sent to another pointless station that would waste my life away as the same tragedies keep happening... that is the fate of every prince that is not the heir. I, for one, don't wish to be a part of that anymore. I want to be free."
"I want to be a knight... and not by the skewed standard of Eternia, no. I want to be a knight by its very definition. A true knight who wards the weak from those who would abuse their strength and upholds all the principles of knighthood."
"... Good man." Egil smiled, encouragingly scrubbing his messy golden hair. "I have a feeling that someday you might truly receive the War God's blessing and enter the ranks of generals."
"... You think so?"
"Of course. I can see the fire in those green eyes of yours... now, drink some ale to celebrate your victory. We will need to greet the Jarl later this evening with joyful smiles!"
"Uhh... I don't drink."
"You will drink, boy!"
"Fine..."
Artos Pendragon sighed, accepting his silver cup of ale.
'What happens when neither side is right?' Egil thought, drinking his ale. 'Will you sit by and watch all the armies fight each other where you can bring change? Can you truly bring peace without filling oceans with blood?'
'That is how all the great conquerors brought peace. King Arthur... Toki Thorsson... Zhi 'Tai' Wu... Ryūjin Anzai. All four united their people through sheer power, crushing all who would stand in their path. How else could the plague of war be eradicated but by a greater sword?'
'Will you ever find the answer to that, Arthur Pendragon? Or will you act on the smaller scale, doing what you can alone and where you can. I suppose conquering the world is a grand ambition few have...'
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, wincing slightly. "This... is strong."
"There's no weak ale in this house, boy!" Egil laughed. "Go on, finish it! A hard working young man deserves a good drink."
"... Sure."
~
"Jarl Agnar, I present to you... the golden champion of this day's battle!" Egil, half-drunk, stumbled inside of the Jarl's hall with his cheeks bright pink from ale. Behind him was Artos Pendragon, along a few more Vikings. "Because of him, reinforcements were... very... necessary!"
"You meant to say that they were not needed?" Jarl Agnar, sitting at his pseudo throne frowned a little.
"Did I say necessary? Oh, the embarrassment, hahaha!" Egil laughed it away, waving his hand. "Forgive me, Jarl."
"I told you not to drink yourself to death..." Artos Pendragon spoke in Eternian, sighing as he helped the old man walk.
"I can attest to that, my Jarl. Egil's... slave-"
"My son!" Egil interrupted one of the Vikings, chuckling loudly as he did so. "He is my son and nothing less!"
'Son...?' Artos raised an eyebrow. 'I'll play along.'
"Egil's son did defeat two men in single combat, distracted six others and almost singlehandedly broke their formation." One of the Vikings present announced to the Jarl.
"Ah, is that so?" Jarl Agnar's eyes narrowed onto Artos Pendragon who was silently observing everything. "What is your name? Do you even speak our tongue?"
"My name is... Artos, Son of Egil." He replied simply in Nordic, deciding to accept the title of 'Egil's son'.
"Ah, Egil has been teaching you." Jarl Agnar's eyes narrowed, his gaze focused on Artos Pendragon. "Did you have a surname before all of this?"
"He may be pretty, my dear Jarl... but he was a peasant boy, through and through." Egil chuckled, wrapping his arm around Artos' neck. "If he was a little lord? Hah! I would have sold him for a pretty ransom and bought a stronger slave."
"Quite the rarity, such radiant golden hair and emerald eyes. He must have been expensive regardless." Jarl Agnar sat back, smiling slightly. "What use is appearance to you, old wolf?"
"Maybe... an alliance between our families!" Egil laughed. "Your daughter likes them pretty, no?"
'An alliance?' Artos frowned slightly. 'When did I say I was free to marry!?'
"Ah... we do lack pretty men around here. They're all ugly brutes." Jarl Agnar chuckled, nodding. The men in the hall laughed. "Regardless, you have my gratitude for contributing to the defence of Hafr. I will ensure that you are well compensated afterwards, both you and your father."
Jarl Agnar stood up and scanned across the looks of his subjects. The hall grew silent, awaiting his word.
"There are rumours of an Eternian army ten thousand strong marching towards the borders of our Kingdom and this small skirmish confirms these rumours. We must all be prepared to fend off these attackers until our neighbours and the great King Ragnar send reinforcements."
"Then, once that happens..." He took a deep breath, grinning slightly. "WE WILL DRIVE THEM BACK TO THEIR SHITHOLES LIKE TRUE VIKINGS!"
"HOORAH!"
"WHO ARE WE?"
"VIKINGR! VIKINGR!"
Every man in the room roared fiercely.
Artos Pendragon smiled as he watched Jarl Agnar finish his speech. 'Vikings sure do know how to keep their spirits high...'
"Join the chant." Egil nudged Artos, raising his fist high. "VIKINGR!"
Artos Pendragon hesitated slightly... but the adrenaline, the ale he had drank and attitude of the room drew him to raise his fist as well.
"... VIKINGR!"
"... VIKINGR!"
Once everyone in the room was chanting it, Jarl Agnar raised his hand and everyone was silent once again. He commanded quite the presence.
"As for today, we will drink and feast to celebrate this great victory! Egil and his son Artos will be the guests of honour for this night so make them feel welcome, haha!"
For once, Artos Pendragon did not feel as if he was just tolerated... he felt celebrated instead.
'Perhaps, this is my true home.'