Though it was only five in the evening, the sun had already set in the mountainous region, and the villagers gathered in the square at the covered tables. The feast was laid out for everyone regardless of their status, and this unusual camaraderie between vastly different people was a novelty for the residents of Verania. Despite the divisions among the Nords based on class, creating an incredible gap between a warrior and a simple peasant, during such feasts, they were simply neighbors.
The food here wasn't particularly fancy; it mostly consisted of recently caught game from the surrounding woods, roasted whole with plenty of spices. However, there were enthusiasts among us who appreciated such fare.
Ragni had already fenced off an area around a decent-sized boar and was vigorously devouring it, systematically tearing off chunks of meat.
One of the warriors who Hilda had knocked out a few hours ago tried to sit next to the boar, but as soon as he reached for a piece of meat, a sharp slap pushed him away. Ragni wasn't going to share her spoils with anyone.
"Greed isn't good," he truly sounded like a big child at times.
"There's still plenty of food here; take another one," the dragoness continued to enjoy the boar.
"But this one is the best! I caught it myself, and I wanted to eat it!" The warrior furrowed his brow in displeasure.
"Thank you very much for the treat; it really is the best of what's here. I can tell by the smell, hehe," Ragni playfully tapped her nose.
"It's my food! If you want to take it, then let's fight!" The warrior placed his hand on the table, offering to arm wrestle.
"Ha-ha, as you wish," Ragni grabbed his hand. Her eyes turned yellow, and her hand transformed into a scaly paw.
The warrior was taken aback for a second, but with a stern face, he decided to compete. To my surprise, even the dragoness had to exert considerable effort to defeat the hulking man, but in the end, victory was hers. The guy sat there, disheartened by his first loss in arm wrestling, hanging his head. But Ragni's heart wasn't made of stone, and as a token of gratitude for the good fight, she broke off one of the boar's legs and handed it to him.
For others, such food was unfamiliar, so they timidly took a couple of pieces of some stew that also lacked a vegetarian taste.
"Hehe, it seems that in the Academy, you managed to find yourself some friends," the chieftain sipped grog from a beautiful cup while talking to his niece.
"Well, not that we are friends..." Hilda glanced at us. "It's just that I had no choice but to join their guild, and now we have become comrades."
"Oh yes, I heard that you lost to some foreign warrior, is that big guy over there?" Brynjolf pointed at Grain.
"No," the princess blushed and pointed at me. "It was him."
"Hmm, doesn't look like much of a fighter," the seasoned warrior assessed me with a look. "But if he really managed to defeat you, he must have some decent skills."
"Oh yes, and as per the duel's terms, he demanded that I become their armiger in their guild."
"Haha! Well done, smart lad," Brynjolf's laughter made Hilda blush even more. "Maybe that will knock some arrogance out of you."
"What are you talking about! I'm perfectly fine."
"Well, yes, that's probably why you couldn't make friends in the capital," the warrior's words clearly struck a chord with the girl.
"I had many friends; don't slander me!"
"Ah, yes, servants, father's retinue, young valkyries who praised you more than tried to get close to you... I wonder what they would say if you asked them if they consider themselves your friends."
Hilda didn't feel confident in her words, but she didn't want to admit her uncle's right either. Instead, she just nodded and left the table. I secretly followed her.
On the northern outskirts of the village, I found the princess peacefully lying on a roof, gazing at the icy peaks of the north.
"Well, what do you want from me?" There was no one around, so hiding my presence was problematic.
"Just wanted to know, is what Brynjolf said true?"
"About that? Well, it's hard to say; I don't even know myself."
I lay down on the grassy roof next to the girl.
"So, were there any friends?" I asked.
"Well," she thoughtfully closed her eyes, "there were comrades, servants, training partners, and 'friends' of my father. My duties and position were the only things that bound me to them. If being a friend means talking to someone not only about business matters, then they couldn't be called that."
"Nobody at all?"
"Even the valkyries who were closest to me in spirit tried to interact with me only during training battles and were afraid to communicate with me outside the ring. At first, I thought that if I showed my abilities, I could impress them, but it only pushed us further apart."
"It's sad to be in your position."
"Maybe," the girl shrugged, "the only person I could share my thoughts with was my servant, but she was in the palace for a very short time. When she got married, she had to leave. After that, I had no close people."
"I sympathize."
"It's just challenging for me to be with someone weaker than me. If you or Asura lived in the palace, maybe something would change."
"Sorry, but I don't have any plans to move to the north for now."
"It's a pity. With your strength, you could achieve a lot in my country. You could become a thane or even a great jarl! Though, of course, a faster way to become a great jarl would be to marry the daughter of the current jarl."
"Heh, you say titles aren't inherited."
"But if the previous jarl is on your side, you will immediately get several votes in the council. And the others will eventually acknowledge your strength."
"Is that considered a declaration of love?" I glanced at the princess briefly, but she didn't seem embarrassed.
"No... Just if you became my husband, I wouldn't mind. You're strong, not as rough as many Nords, but most importantly, you're clever. And our country could use an intelligent ruler right now."
"Do you have such serious problems?"
"Well, you could say that. The system that has been in place for centuries is starting to wear out, and not everyone agrees with this rigid hierarchy. A wise ruler could change the country in a way that would please the people and not provoke strong ambitions from the council."
"Sorry, but that's not my concern right now. I have my own problems to deal with, so I can't think about the problems of a whole country for now."
"Too bad... Well, tomorrow we'll be back in the capital."
"And you don't really want to go back there?"
"No... I had a big argument with my mother before leaving, and I didn't think I'd have to return so soon."
"Did she want to marry you off?"
The princess fell silent for a moment.
"Well, almost," Hilda sighed and continued, "I wanted to change some laws that have long outlived themselves, but to do that, I had to become a jarl."
"But isn't that allowed for a girl?"
"It is for us! But to do that, I had to defeat all the contenders, and I couldn't manage that," the girl shrugged, "my mother said it was time for me to temper my pride and find a worthy husband who would become the next jarl. Well, I got angry and said that if I couldn't find allies in Nordrune, I would look for them in other countries."
"Hmm, so you came to the Academy to find allies?"
"Yes, if I found strong warriors, they could defeat the current thanes and become them themselves, then I would already have support in the council. But who knew that I would lose in my second battle."
"Well, sorry, but I probably wouldn't have been a worthy ally for you."
"In my opinion, it's better not to find one, but now I'll have to come up with something new."
"At least now you finally have friends."
"Don't talk nonsense. Just because we are in the same guild doesn't mean we are friends. The valkyries never became my friends, even though we fought together many times."
"But when you fought for power, none of your allies in Nordrune came to help, and when we found out that your father was calling you for an important matter, Katrina immediately offered to help. She also had a difficult fate, and she cherishes all her comrades, so maybe if you open your heart to her, you might become her friend."
I went back, but I noticed a fleeting smile on the stern princess's face.
By morning, our equipment was ready. Thick fur-lined cloaks were neatly put on over our uniforms, effectively keeping us warm. We were also provided with a couple of wagons pulled by sturdy horses with shaggy manes, famous northern heavyweights.
The voivode and his warriors escorted us to the top of the cliff and bid farewell at the borders of the icy wastelands.
Before us stretched the vast expanses of the cold north. For many kilometers, one could not encounter a single soul. Nords mostly settled in large cities and villages and rarely ventured out in small groups.
The harsh conditions of Nordrune could annihilate any caravan.
"We'd better not linger," Hilda looked at the sky, "there will be a blizzard at night. If we hurry, we'll reach the capital by evening."
The horses trotted smoothly and quickly, despite the thick layer of snow. Hilda skillfully handled them, and we were making good progress towards our destination. Along the way, we passed only one large village, but its inhabitants suspiciously hurried to finish their tasks and sought refuge in their homes.
As the sun disappeared behind the mountain peaks, the temperatures dropped significantly on the vast plains of Nordrune, but we finally reached our destination. The plateau came to an end, and the road sharply descended towards the distant sea to the north. In the center of the valley rose a tall log castle surrounded by fortress walls, and from it, two roads led northwards to the port cities.
As soon as we started descending, the icy wind of the plateau gave way, and we were greeted by a more tolerable climate. We could clearly see the capital of the Northern Kingdom.
The enormous city was larger than Varengard, not due to the number of people, but because each house had a decent plot of land around it, making the lands of the outer circle divided into large estates owned by a single family. Externally, the city was encircled by a high palisade with three massive gates, guarded by simple guards. After the commoners' dwellings were the richer houses belonging to artisans and merchants. They were also within the outer circle but closer to the fortress so that their owners could take shelter there first in case of an attack.
Behind the wealthy houses stood a stone wall. Considering that the nearest quarries were quite far away, the construction of this wall must have been quite expensive. Three entrances led to the inner part, guarded by warriors from the Jarl's army. Inside were the houses of the warrior clans and army barracks, as well as training grounds.
And the last wall separated the castle and its surrounding houses. It was the thickest and strongest of all, and behind it were only homes for the Jarl, his family, servants, and personal guards. The gates were, of course, guarded by the best warriors.
The castle itself was a majestic structure, according to Hilda's words, built without a single nail, solely with the talent of the northern carpenters. It slightly towered over the rest of the city and served as a fortress of protection where all the inhabitants could take shelter.
But there was something that didn't fit into the overall picture.
"When I was here a month ago, this wasn't here," Hilda said, pointing to a hole in the fortress wall surrounding the palace compound, as if something enormous had crashed into it at full speed.