Lagertha and Brant sat down in the banquet hall, and a little feast was getting ready to be held. Usually, a short feast for honored guests would be held frequently because Raphael was the earl with a pure soul. He understood the agony of his people and knew what kind of danger the people were hiding from in a time like this. The Wolf Queen and the young hunter had sympathy for everyone who provided anything to those who protect the earth. They both sat down and waited for their food to be served, yet they did not know what they were in for.
They both looked around the banquet hall and saw the palace was still in good shape and had excellent protection. Thankfully, Mundis did not tear the palace to shreds and make his stomach full of the ones who tried to fight back against him. The palace of any city or kingdom was a place for peace and harmony, yet it made most of the demons run and flee at the mention of God. There were still some people out there who insisted that God abandoned his own people and made the night creatures inflict terror on the earth. Lagertha and Brant suspected whom to trust, despite being welcomed with open arms into the palace.
Sitting near the earl was a man named Hectan, and like Howlett and Eric, he was also born and raised in Clegane. He stood up and walked towards the Wolf Queen to uncover some truths about her before the night came. He was one of the earl's advisors, but he was one of the lesser people in the earl's palace. He had that ghastly look on his face and the expression that convinced others to take him seriously. Hectan stands in front of Lagertha to make her talk and make sure everything she says is true.
Hectan spoke with her, saying, "Are you truly the one they call the Wolf Queen? The same Wolf Queen whose vanity led her to fight a werewolf with only her bare hands? They say in the end, you spilled the guts of that werewolf all over the forest road, and the only thing those people could see with you is your sword and the decapitated head of a werewolf. Is that right? Were you the same one who once fought a vampire and lost horribly? You may be brave, but it won't matter now! No one has lasted even one night against Mundis!"
Brant became offended by everything Hectan said to Lagertha, and there was nothing he could do to stop such blasphemy. He loved the Wolf Queen, but even he did not have the strength to punch the earl's advisor in his gullet. Lagertha did not fear the insults and doubts she was given from Hectan, yet she kept her distance from him. Then, she got up from her seat as she was ready to correct the earl's advisor about everything he said. She walks closer to him as everyone in the banquet hall turns their gaze to the Wolf Queen.
"You've heard about me, haven't you? Have you been given word about my actions or did you assume it was me doing those things? Surely a man of your talent and skill would know to keep your distance from what most people do," Lagertha said.
"I'll not be afraid to say more about you to the earl. The people will wonder if such a lady like you is fit to fight Mundis. You'll be sliced and diced in a split second," Hectan said.
"Your fellow knights said that about others who wanted a swing at this monster. I've had my fill of hunting demons and beasts who serve the night. None of them ever gave me a scar that I shall have for the rest of my days," she said.
"Take word, everyone! Make no mistake… you are not human! You come from a faraway land to bring death wherever you go! You may appear as a human, but inside that body's a wolf who is begging to be released from its master. The fates of all who serve the night are judged and found wanting. Earl Argon, is she really the one you're counting on? This lowlife who knows nothing about what she'll truly bring?"
"How dare you!" Brant shouted.
"Brant, no!" Lagertha said. She held him back from trying to attack Hectan; she was holding his arm to keep him away.
Lagertha understood Brant's reasons to defend her from the nonbelievers, but this was not the reason she came to Clegane. She made Brant sit back down and waited for anything else the earl's advisor had in mind. The afternoon was shortly leaving the kingdom, and the evening was coming at a time most of them did not expect. None of them expected the day to come when the Wolf Queen herself would come out of nowhere and save them from the servants of darkness. Hectan started walking around Lagertha in a circle to see what he can truly make of her instead of making assumptions.
"You really want to know everything about me, don't you? Do you want to make me spread my secrets to everyone? For your sole benefit?" Lagertha asked.
"Not for my benefit. For reasons that should benefit Earl Argon and all who serve the higher ones in power. There was once a time when you fought a beast… and lost horribly, as I recall," Hectan answered.
"You're drunk. I can tell by how much ale I can smell from your breath. Your breath rots from that ale, it makes false statements, and spreads deceit to all who need the truth," she said.
"You will choke on your hubris, Wolf Queen. Before the morning comes, your ego will die along with your flesh. Your friend here won't have much to bury."
Lagertha would not allow him to stand in her way, and she would not allow herself to succumb to Hectan's falsehoods. Lagertha looked down at herself and thought about how much Brant might know if she said too much. The most important thing for her to keep her friend safe is if her darkest secret is never known to him. Lagertha looked up at the earl's advisor and looked back on the day when she fought a powerful vampire and his frost wolf. The Wolf Queen had plenty of understanding on that day, but the earl's advisor had no patience with his feeble mind.
Lagertha spoke to him, saying, "That's quite a tale you told about me. But the truth is… I fought that vampire and became victorious against him. It was when I was looking for food and shelter and I came across a lonely castle. I fought the frost wolves who reeked of blood and human flesh. I fought back until I found myself in the vampire's castle. He invited me into his home and allowed me to eat and drink as often as I needed to. That wasn't until I learned the truth about him… I couldn't sleep in the morning because of how terrifying he can be to the human eye. He tried to seduce me and make me his slave, but as someone who walks the night and hunts demons for a living, I know when one lurks in the darkness and lusts for blood. I fought back against the vampire. I was the clear victor and I could never make the vampire's fangs rip my throat out.
"Advisor of the earl, being a fearless one against the night can make you quite victorious against all your enemies. I don't fear death, nor the day when my death hour takes a hold of my life. My sword has made its way into more demons than you could ever count. I fought because there was no other way and no alternative to seeing the morning sun. However, I would like to know your name so that I may… have a clearer knowledge of what you are."
"My name is Hectan, the advisor of Earl Argon and a defender of a once lively kingdom before the demons took over," he said.
"Ah, I think I understand you now. They say you lost to a jousting match one day, and because of it, you chopped your horse's head off and tried to kill the victor in cold blood," Lagertha said.
"A myth from another life," Hectan said.
"You may be right. But know this, the devil himself would not be afraid to take you now. Mundis would not hesitate to rip your heart out and feast on your soul. It's not bragging on my part that you can never match up to me with a sword. If you were really so brave and fierce, Hectan, Mundis wouldn't still be killing everyone in Clegane. He knows he has nothing to fear from your sword, that you aren't brave enough to fight him. Tonight will be different… you will know and fear the power I wield inside of me!"