Chereads / Delphine of Moria / Chapter 55 - The Village of Bebbanburg

Chapter 55 - The Village of Bebbanburg

Their next destination was not as far as they thought it was going to be, and they did not see anyone who could take them out for a ride. There were no people out there who would be keen on allowing Delphine and Simon to ride along with them. Delphine saw that the next village just so happens to be a few miles away from the towering mountains. Both of them could see everything at about a hundred yards away from where they stand; they had stability and strength as they were able to see many things from a considerable distance. Then, Simon walked beside Delphine and noticed that what she is seeing is no ordinary village or city; it is a home of nordic people and brave warriors.

It was a town built with wood and copper, and its walls were made out of iron and metal to keep themselves from being invaded. Delphine and Simon decided to walk towards the village of Bebbanburg and await whatever friends to have and enemies to make. The road was still heading north, and there was still time to be had to come up with a decision on how to get inside. There is a massive bridge that leads to the city's entrance, and the vast mountains were in plain sight. The only problem is that it was not as possible for Delphine to go inside the mountain as she thought it would be.

She would have to do more than just walk her way inside and kill whatever stands in her way; she needed to find someone who has secret knowledge about the mountain and put her trust in that person.

"Well, we found the mountains. Now what?" Simon asked.

"First, we need to go to that city over there and find someone we can trust. Without the knowledge of those mountains, we might never know if we escape that place or not," Delphine answered.

"Delphine, those people are Vikings. Heathens, Danes, pagans, and sorcerers," he said.

"I know you dislike my plan, but it's all I can do. It's been a while since I've met these people, and I have not forgotten them ever since."

"But, you don't get it. They say if you make a deal with them, they'll take your head and use it as a trophy. You can't bargain with them, either. They seriously cannot be trusted!"

She did agree with Simon that they were savage warriors and would do anything horrible to their foes. But, only they had the answers and the information they will need if they desire to enter the mountains.

"You may have a point there. We will have to search far and wide for the earl of this city to grant us entrance to that place," Delphine said.

"It's not that I don't agree, but just think about what you're doing. What you're about to do is insane and nearly impossible," Simon said.

"You had your trust in me before. I want you to continue trusting me, alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"If you're right about anything, the nordic people and their guards always check in on strangers. They look all over our faces to see if we are to be trusted. There is a limit to what they can do. Of all the things we do, the news might have already spread about us. Their leader might already know who we are, but even if it ever comes to that, we still need to be focused. Is that something you can do?"

Simon looked at her for about ten seconds before answering her, and he began to see a pattern take place. He may have visited a nordic city before, but it still took him some time to figure out how to handle being welcomed in. The earl of Bebbanburg welcomed all of those who wish to live by the sword and die by it; he was a demon hunter by heart and fought the demons by himself. The brilliance of this earl is that his wife also fought along with him and swore to compete in the name of the Norse gods. Like all Vikings and Danes, they all wished to be welcomed home in Valhalla and feast with the Aesir.

"Of course. I won't let you down," Simon said. Then, Delphine walked ahead of him and followed the road, which led to Bebbanburg, and Simon tagged along with her.

He had nothing else to say about what they will do once they make it to the city. He will already have plenty of questions once they find a place to stay in Bebbanburg; it did not matter to him if he annoys Delphine with all of these questions. He has always been that type of person who needs to know everything about certain things. Sadly, he had nobody else to talk to and nobody to tell stories to because he followed only the Ebony Knight. Delphine was more than glad to answer his questions, but not in a way that would make him ask twice as much than what is necessary.

Delphine and Simon walked for another ten minutes until they made it to the large bridge of Bebbanburg. The bridge ran for what seemed like an entire mile of endless walking and falling meant instant death. They already had to deal with falling from an edge of a cliff, and they were very close to not living to see another day. And so, they began walking on the bridge to make it to the entrance; they refused to look down and see how far down a person can go. They felt the wind breezing through them, and the snowy ground is visible for them to see.

As they walked, a few nordic men came walking out of a building and stood above the front doors. They all had spears and shields to defend themselves just in case Delphine attacks them with her sword. She has the power to wipe out an entire legion of demons, but she refused to kill humans. She never desired to raise her sword against humanity, and she would not lose her temper amongst those who call her a friend. She and Simon stand in front of the large door and wait for their leader to come and show himself.

"People of Bebbanburg. I come in peace. I wish you no harm," Delphine said.

"And who might you be? How do we know if what you say is true? Do you side with the demons?" One of them asked.

"I serve no demon, and I do no evil," she said.

"I can tell by the armor you wear, that you are a thing of evil and sent by the devil himself. All who serve the darkness are banished to Niflheim. Indeed, you will know better than to just barge in here along with that friend of yours. Is he a friend?"

"Of course. We've known each other... since we... were kids."

"Aye. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. And here you are not telling us who you are and what your business is in being here. As you can see, the city is closed and not welcoming anybody because of the demonic invasions. Very well, we'll start with my name. I am Osbert of Bebbanburg. Now, you're going to tell us your name and your friend's name."

"I am Delphine. Delphine of Moria. And his name is Simon."

Then, Osbert's eyes were widely opened, and he began to know where these names came from and how he came to know them. It has only been a full day since Delphine lifted the curse of the holy city, yet it appears that this news has spread through all the towns and villages of the earth. Osbert knew he had things to say to Delphine and Simon, but he needed to go down there himself and tell them everything. He looked down for a second and turned to the ones who were controlling the doors on opening it and closing it.

"Get the doors open!" He shouted. And so, his men used robes and some machinery to open the two large doors; it took quite some time to fully open the doors and have the city itself give a clear viewing to the two demon hunters.

A few seconds later, Osbert came down from the balcony and walked before Delphine and Simon as the day is hastening on. His expression seemed to change from acute to surprised by having the chance to meet mighty hunters.

"I have heard many things about you. They call you the hero of Gisbourne and tell many stories about you at the taverns," Osbert said.

"Well, it's an honor to meet you and your people. I will do what I must to protect this city from danger," Delphine said.

"We are all honored to have you by our side. Ebony Knight. Demon hunter. Welcome to Bebbanburg," he said.