Alfred sat in a destroyed castle. A table had been placed in the courtyard. Behind him stood Charles, Chris, Ash and Asmond. His army was outside the castle walls, looming around the entrance he came through. He looked behind him, although Chris, Charles and Asmond were a show of strength, Ash, the tall ghostly man was the biggest fear factor of his personal guard. The way he loomed in the background installed dread into anyone who observed him.
Watching the blond woman ride through the gate, he couldn't help but think she was good-looking. She had purposefully made herself stand out, with her clothes and jewels picked to complement her features. Despite this, there was an air of madness around her. It was contained but Alfred could see it was ready to burst out.
Helga rode at the head of her army. She saw the entrance that the two parties had decided upon. Lifting her fist for the main force that came along to wait, she rode through the gate, with Halfdan, Frode, and two other warriors alongside her. Looking at the table in the courtyard, she saw the handsome blonde man at the table. Lifting his head at the approaching hooves, his piercing blue eyes felt like he was looking through her soul.
Behind him, she saw the rest of the party. Chris and Charles entered eyes for a second. only to be brushed over. Asmond was a little better, but still nothing compared to Alfred. Finally, she saw Ash. He was creepy to her, something that looked like it didn't belong in the world. Feeling a gaze on him, he looked deep into her eyes, making her back go cold from the deep abyss which was his gaze.
Turning away she looked back down at Alfred. With a gentle smile, he pointed to the chair opposite him. Helga was intrigued. Unlike the other humans in her camp, Alfred was pleasant to look at, his eyes eerily similar to her own. She took the seat, putting a stern face on. Alfred flicked his finger, and a single guard walked out from a side room, placing two cups of wine on the table.
She looked at it with suspicion, getting a chuckle from Alfred. "If you think it's poisoned then allow me." Taking both cups, he drank a small amount of the contents from each. "I'm not so scared I poison my enemies." Speaking her language shocked her, but she quickly brushed it off, seeing that by his looks he was a slightly better human than the rest.
Helga looked at the wine again, taking a small sip, never touching it again. "What do you want King? If you wish to surrender to me, I may be willing to accept."
"You know my offer. Do you accept?" Alfred ignored her. Helga felt a bit offended by his blatant disregard but took a deep breath, understanding that he had no clue of her divinity.
"Where are your manners? We haven't even introduced ourselves yet. I am Queen Helga, 'The Bringer of the New Age', and the living God. What about yourself?" Her voice was full of pride.
Alfred chuckled lightly, making her annoyed. He's looking down on me. The thought enraged her but she knew to keep herself collected. "Of course, my apologies. I am King Alfred Lindonfall II, King of the Ammary Kingdom, a 'Blessed One' and 'Champion of Sol'." Alfred's voice was polite introducing himself, making sure to give his holy titles awarded by the Pope.
'Blessed One.' Champion of Sol'. She had no clue what they meant but could tell it had to do with religion, sounding eerily similar to being a GodBound. Once again she looked at his bright blue eyes. They looked like hers. "You carry the blood of old. Or are you a God Bound?" She was interested. She had her mother's eyes and no one in her homeland had similar unless they carried old blood.
Alfred was willing to play along. "I don't know what a God Bound is, but I have met the lord. Passed the tests and proved myself to carry his blessings. As for the blood of old, my family carries its name back hundreds of years." His voice was full of religious fervour, but Helga could see it. His eyes didn't truly believe it. Did he think himself better than a simple blessing or was it something else? Despite that, she also knew he was telling the truth. He had met God. He was like her, someone who had conversed with God.
Alfred thought about the black shadow figure after he died when he spoke. He didn't know what it was, but it was the only thing he could claim to be God, able to manipulate death, and he was willing to use that experience to trick the Queen in front.
Helga was interested but didn't press. She could see Alfred had no clue about the blood of old and they did not share the same gods. "This deal. I can't accept it. You wish for me a god to bend the knee to you." Going back to the original point of the meeting, Helga bluntly refused.
Alfred looked passed her at the guards behind, and the soldiers outside the gate. "Why did you come to these lands? Your home is no longer viable to live in without the support of this new world. I'm allowing you to be the queen your people need. We can avoid pointless bloodshed." His voice was gentle as he laid it out for Helga.
She thought about her home. The hard ground, frozen rivers and cold winds. She knew that this all started to feed her people, but she couldn't bring herself to bend the knee to a human. It was against her pride and nature. She was above him.
"Why can't we take the land? Your army is small. My warriors are all battle-hardened. Ready to die for me and this new world." With pride, she spoke about her forces.
"Do you know how big my kingdom is? How much land you have to conquer to control it? Do you wonder why my force is so small? It is because your army is an annoyance, not a threat. You have forced me to put my plans on hold and come down here to deal with you. I wish to solve this quickly so I brought my best. Me making this deal, is so I can return to work." His voice was flat. No arrogance or pride, just talking as if he is speaking facts.
Helga felt her blood boil at such blatant disrespect. "It matters not, All we have to do is kill you. Then your land is mine."
With a scoff he quickly countered, "I don't know how things work in your homeland, but that does not work here. Kill me, my son takes my place, kill my son and my most powerful vassal will seize the seat. Kill them and the next one follows. Do you think a few thousand men is enough to do this? I require 5,000 alone to watch one of my borders. I need 15,000 to effectively watch all my borders and keep the Kingdom safe. Your men are nothing to me, I simply just didn't waste my time bringing everything, so I could stop the damage you're causing."
Once more Alfred gave a list. Helga's head lowered, her fist clenched in fury. She took deep breaths in and out. Her followers never acted like this to her. She looked at Alfred still not wishing to back down. His eyes had a calming effect on her. It was like looking at her own. Slowly her mind became clear, and she could act rationally again.
"I can't bend the knee, but I can give you this." Her hand fell on herself. It was a final gamble she was willing to make. Alfred was good enough looking for her and had many similar features to herself. His eyes showed he may have the blood of old and he was also blessed by his God. No human would ever be good enough for her, but Alfred was the closest to it, being someone who looked close enough to her.
Alfred was shocked. Helga's entourage was shocked. Alfred gave a soft smile. "Forgive me, but I have a wife already. So I must turn down your offer."
"So what? You're king and can only have one wife? It is fine, I'll allow a second wife, she can have her place next to me and you." Alfred couldn't believe what he was hearing. Her tone was as if making a great offer, being considerate of him.
"I don't think you understand. I can't and don't want more than one wife." It was a flat refusal, and Helga couldn't believe what she heard. Shaking her head, she frowned.
"Then this will go nowhere." Standing up she turned her back to Alfred. "When we meet again, it will be on the battlefield. I hope you are true to your word and show the strength of your Kingdoms best." Her voice was mocking but inside she was disappointed in Alfred's narrow vision. Walking away she couldn't help but think it was awful to end this way.
Sadaling her horse she rode away with her group, taking one last look at him. The group realised not to ride close to her, but Halfdan ignored it, riding up next to her.
"It's not over yet my Queen." Halfdan's voice was drowned out by the marching of her men. She looked at him with annoyed eyes.
"What do you mean Jarl? And don't play word games with me I'm not in the mood."
He looked back at those behind him. "You wouldn't offer that to him if you didn't find him good enough for yourself. But that man is loyal to his wife, much like your father." At the mention of Erik, a hard glare was shot at him. "Make him unloyal. Force yourself to become his Queen."
"And how would I do that? I have already declared war on him officially. Should I now hang around and try to seduce him?" She mocked Halfdan, looking away thinking he was a fool. Halfdan laughed at this, also thinking the way he said it was dumb.
"No. That's not what I meant. A man like that sticks to his morals. Force him, and have his child. If you do, he will take you in as his wife. Once there all you must do is deal with his other wife and child. The Ancient Ones know of many herbs. I'm sure you can get one from them to complete this." Halfdan's voice was cold but piqued Helga's interest.
"I would never be able to get close enough now."
"Leave this to me, my Queen. Give me time to think of a strategy. I promise you we will be able to get everything you want soon enough." Halfdan said mischievously, getting a shake of the from Helga, brushing it off.
She thought about it and imagined what a child with Alfred would look like. An image of small children that looked like herself flooded her mind and she realised it wasn't a bad idea. He was the only person to even be acceptable to her and it was a waste to lose him. She could wait for someone new to come, but she didn't know how long it would take. "I will beat him in war. Once done, I will take him as my husband for reparations. A marriage with him will legitimise my rule over the Kingdom."
Halfdan smiled. In his mind, however, he felt different. He didn't think it would be possible to win. The figure thrown out by Alfred wasn't a bluff. The King was capable, easily figuring out Helga and playing with her emotions. He was a skilled diplomat and commanded a large host himself. He must have the capability to back it up. The offer then came to mind. If Helga was unable to achieve his plan, he didn't mind switching to Alfred.