South of Ousta River, The border of Ederath- Late Winter 15 years AR

“Gods, will you look at that!” Erin exclaimed for the tenth time. She finally understood why the Imperial Highway ended at the Vanheim. The border of Ederath, at least at this point, was a 50-foot high cliff! It stretched out of sight in either direction while the Ousta River ran along its base. At the same time, the Verdath River poured from the top of the cliffs from a half dozen waterfalls!

Even in the frigid weather the water poured and dripped through massive columns of ice, making it sparkle in the bright light of day. Every once in a while a large chunk of crystallized water would break off or come over the falls and crash into the Ousta below with a splash, the constant mist creating rainbows in the air.

“It’s pretty!” Tira said standing next to her with Jon wrapping his arms around her. It wasn’t just the three, the entire convoy stood on the bank of the wide Ousta taking in the sight. The group had stopped to rest as they wouldn’t be able to cross the river there. They had to go upstream another ten miles and then back to reach Vanheim, which could be seen spread along the cliff above. A short wood and cut stone wall could be seen, simply a battlement on top of the stone cliff, and behind it were large wooden buildings with steep roofs.

Humans, Lycans, and Elvanni were looking down at them, waving and cheering for their Prince’s return. Bells were ringing in a beautiful symphony throughout the city in celebration, even though they wouldn’t reach there till the following day. The mood of their convoy was equally elated, as the knights waved or yelled back and the slaves cheered or cried… They had finally laid eyes on Ederath, the Kingdom of Wolves!

Erin wiped the tears from her eyes when the convoy was called to move on. They’d set out months ago to see just that sight and although they found help sooner, finally getting there was an experience she would never forget. Not just the incredible view but Vanheim was where her parents were born. In a way, this was where Clan Halladson started and years later they were finally coming back. This was Erin and Jon’s homeland.

Jon must have felt the same as he let go of Tira and pulled Erin in for a hug, his eyes misty and a soft smile graced his face. She hugged him back tightly. She wished their mother was there, she’d talked about bringing them to Vanheim one day, to show them where their family started. Erin only hoped she was looking down at them. Watching as her children grew up as true northerners… loving their family, their friends, learning to fight to protect others, becoming stronger, but still living their life as they saw fit and paving a new destiny. Just how the gods wanted them to.

They crawled up onto the caravan and Erin went straight to the roof before it started moving. Aethred was already sitting up there, he looked like he was in a bad mood as he looked at the waterfalls. Erin didn’t’ ask what his problem was, she wasn’t going to spoil her own moment to start a pointless argument or listen to some stupid joke.

“I think the northern gods are right,” Aethred stated what was bothering him but it didn’t annoy her, it was just surprising.

“Why do you say that?”

“That place, the one where people go that didn’t die in battle and didn’t go to Hel?”

“Himmel? Where people who dedicate their lives to build a better world and make others stronger go? Artisans and healers?”

“Yeah… That… I mean look at that place up there, not the waterfalls, the fucking city!” Aethred pointed in the direction of Vanheim, not just at the city but a certain part. He was pointing at the outer walls and massive towers made of large pieces of carefully cut, light gray stone stacked on top of each other in a way that they didn’t even need cement to stay in place, “Everywhere we’ve been in the south, other than ancient monuments like in Sentia, have we ever seen anything like that? Even the fucking houses are massive…” Erin watched him take a few deep breaths and wipe tears off his face but even though he was crying, he looked determined as he continued, “The southern gods want us to follow fate without question and you northerners decided to tell fate to fuck itself and still built that! And that’s not even the capital! Then your gods go and have a system in place so even if you tell the gods to shove it up their collective asses, they will still take you into paradise as long as you do something that helps others! There’s no long scripture you need to study and follow every word of, there’s no kissing a priestesses ass! You just have to be willing to fight to protect the people you care about and you go to paradise! Try! At least try to build something bigger and stronger than before, you said don’t even have to succeed! You can fucking fail and still get into paradise! And you stupid fucking northerners didn’t just fucking try! You heathens did it!”

Aethred’s tone grew louder and louder as he went on. The northerners within earshot, even a few lycans on the cliff stared at him but they didn’t take offense, they either turned to move on or looked at him with a knowing smile. Of the southern slaves, some looked at the blasphemer with disdain, others just looked up at the outburst, but more than a few listened and looked up at the city as they walked along or up at the caravan where their soon to be former master was. They couldn’t say that the northern gods hadn’t changed their fate, they were slaves only a day away from freedom. Freedom given to them by a follower of the northern pantheon.

As for Erin and Aethred. She looked at him, she knew something that had bothered him for months. What really caused his crisis of faith. You don't burn down your own house and ask stupid questions about Valhal a week later for no reason. Erin scooted closer to him and pulled him into a hug and looked at the sky, “He’s there you know? Your da. He’s probably sitting right next to my ma and da, laughing at us… Back when we found you in the village on top of that roof, watching the fire? I prayed… they would have taken him anyways, I know he would have died fighting… but I prayed just to make sure they didn’t miss him. I’m not sure where your ma is but I know she’s not in Hel or the three hells. She followed the southern gods but she also worked hard and help make Terra better, she’s either in paradise or in Himmel…”

“There… there was a knife next t-to her body. Her good knife, she k-kept it in her chest… She, she had to have grabbed it… to protect herself…” Aethred buried his face into Erin’s shoulder and cried.

“Then she’s could be sitting right next to your da and my parents in Valhal…” Erin said, stroking his hair.

“But there wasn’t blood on the knife, I looked! She di-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Erin looked up as a solemn voice cut Aethred off. She was about to yell at someone for interrupting while her friend finally let out his feelings from the night he lost his family but it was Prince Erik walking alongside the caravan. The prince had heard the outburst. He nodded to her before continuing, “Not every knight dies in battle with blood on their blade, sometimes the enemies are too quick, too skilled, or too strong. Maybe it's just bad luck or one small mistake… but you’ve seen the monsters that killed your family, you fought them, you killed them, you know how deadly they are... the fact your mother stood up to them at all, shows that she faced her death, her fate and dared challenged it. She died with courage… That’s enough... because like you said, the gods- my gods don’t care if you fail. Not everyone can build a city like Vanheim, not everyone can kill a werewolf… but so long as you try… so long as she tried, the gods...”

“Will accept the worthy and bring them into Valhal, to feast in the place of a hundred hearths and a hundred doors with the gods themselves and fallen heroes all,” Erin finished when the prince's words faded away. Prince Erik gave her another nod as Aethred cried in her arms.

As Prince Erik departed, Erin looked around to see dozens of eyes set on them. Tearful stares came from all around her. Even the ones that had glared at Aethred for blaspheming looked at him with pity now. They were orphans and their families had been slaughtered by werewolves, it wasn't something any of them brought up often. She was feeling self-conscious with the spectators watching, “Come on, let's go down.”

They climbed down and went inside the caravan, her brother and their friends patting him on the shoulder. Tira followed them inside as she sat Aethred down.

“I just… I’m sorry for…” she said after looking at him for a moment, with her eyes watering. They'd already realized that it was her dad that led the attack.

“It wasn’t you… you don’t need to say that,” Aethred said, “When that werewolf bit your mom and dad, it killed them too. It just took longer, you’re just like us.”

“I… but…” Tira was at a loss for words.

“Let me squeeze your ass and we’ll call it even,” Aethred snorted air out of his nose and tried to smile. Erin rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand and slapped it against her cheek. He started rubbing the side of the wagon while he did the same to Erin’s backside, “Huh, both firm but flat.” He slapped the wall and slapped her but at the same time.

“God’s damn it Aethred!” she yelled and tackled him to the floor. It was a touching moment but now? She was annoyed that he wanted to touch Tira’s ass and mad at his joke, her ass was not flat! But as she pinned him to the ground and dug her fingers into a pressure point, she was happy that he had finally let it out, even if he went back to his old ways right after.

“Okay, okay, let’s try your tits- ow, agh! next- ow, I’m read-ow ready!” he laughed as he started rubbing the floor while she grabbed him and gave him a titty twister.

“Are you… shacking up?” Tira asked while she watched them with raised brows. Causing both of them to stop.

“Yep!” Aethred answered with a pained laugh.

“No!” Erin said and shoved a finger up his nose to dig in a nail while simultaneously using her other hand to fish hook his cheek.

**********

Erin and Aethred fought for a little while longer and eventually came out. Aethred with a bloody nose and Erin rubbing her boob, complaining how he’d managed to pull down her breastband from behind and gave her a bruise on her nipple from twisting so hard. Aethred pointed out that she gave him one through his tunic, so he returned the favor, they both hurt the same. Every woman on the caravan disagreed, even Karli who would chat and laugh but generally stayed out of the group's antics.

Jon couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh. Everyone that would be settling his lands had seen and heard that... Seeing his sign of stress, Tira pulled his hand away while tucking her hair behind her ear and gave him a hug, then licked his face. He smiled and licked her back, at least that was more discrete.

They continued on down the road and crossed the river before making camp. The following morning, everyone woke up before daybreak to pack camp, and as soon as there was enough light to avoid tripping they set out again. When they arrived, it was like being in a parade. People lined the streets and cheered. Colorful banners were strung between houses and across the street, just like the market in Everton. Musicians stood by, unable to play over the uproar of the masses. The people continued to celebrate.

Until they caught sight of more than 300 people wearing slave collars. Prince Erik himself had to salvage the situation by loudly announcing to the crowd that ‘These slaves were purchased by Thane Halladson in order to be freed! Not only does he change the fate of many, he returns Ederathans to the Ederath!’ The people began cheering loudly again.

“Well, can’t go back on it now,” Gertrude said behind him as they walked, having left the wagons and caravans back at the gate.

“I wasn’t going to,” Jon said as he pulled out a handful of keyrings, only fitting ten or so keys each with more than a handful still in the bag. He looked at the number stamped into her collar and found the right key to unlock it. It only took a moment for the collar to unlock and fall to the ground. A minute later the collars of both of her daughters lay on the street behind them. The people cheered as they watched three daughters of the north walk without collars. He handed Gertrude and her daughters each a couple of keyrings, her daughters hugged him and let him go after realizing they were hugging a Thane. They apologized before rushing off to unlock the rest. A burly blacksmith yelled over the crowd that he’d smelt the vile collars down to ingots for Jon and the crowd started collecting them and tossing them into a handcart.

As Jon passed out the other keyrings and the half-freed slaves cried, hugged each other, or the citizens of Vanheim. He realized he had no idea where they were going. He and his group were just following the knights and Rangers ahead.

It didn’t matter though as he looked at the trail of people behind him, Andrew was unlocking Sunada’s collar, while Erin was walking arm in arm with Karli and Roland, Willow was accepting a free drink, and Aethred was getting a hug from one of the dwarven women. Tira? she was in her lycan form with a female halfling on her shoulder and a flock of redheads following her.

Their destination was a massive square in the heart of the city where thousands began to congregate. Jon had to yell out to the slaves to remind them that he still needed to get their brands removed and paperwork to make it legal. They quickly spread the word and formed a tight cluster in the square.

Next came Prince Erik on a stage of sorts, he told the people everything that Jon already knew but he still listened. It was a mixture of a speech and drama detailing what happened. From the massacre of Terra to destroying the werewolf horde by the coast and everything in between. When he was done, he took out a book and held it in the air for everyone to see and the crowd went quiet and many bowed their heads.

“… But victory does not come without sacrifice. Heroes all…” He started reading off name after name. Jon recognized them, it was the names of everyone that died in the Dain. Not just Ederathans and Elvanni, the foreign knights and adventurers like Daren as well. As far as Jon could tell he didn’t miss a single one. When he called out the last name he ended with, “may their deeds never be forgotten.” Thousands of lycans raised their heads and howled at that, Jon knew howls were part of the lycan language but he wouldn’t be able to fully comprehend it until he was 16. Tira hesitated for a moment and began to howl too, he waited till she was done and looked at her.

“Thank you,” She said.

“For what?”

“No, the howl. It means ‘thank you’,” She said with a sad smile. Jon thought of the gesture of thousands thanking the dead for their sacrifice but he was more worried bout Tira's expression. Jon wasn’t sure what she was feeling but made a mental note to talk to her about it later if she wanted to. It likely had to do with her heritage, so it’d have to wait till they were far from lycan ears.

“Jon! There ya are lad. Bring your lot over here,” Afgheir came out of the crowd before turning around. Jon and his slaves followed behind until they were led to a gate in a stone wall around a great hall, Jon looked up at the towering stone and wood structure.

“The Young Prince’s hall, Prince Erik’s in Wolfheim is bigger... Eh, kinda. He doesn’t rule the city, just the citadel and the Order of Ederath but he spends just as much time in Jorvik, being the heir and all,” Afgheir explained as they started their way through the gate, a group of knights bringing up the rear, “Just thought you could use some privacy so you can get the tough part done?”

“Tough part?”

“Fucking paperwork! Ready to go back to being something other than a slave-owning pile of drake shit? I’m heading to Lindum after this, lets get this done so we can get going in the morning,” Afgheir said, “Where’s all the parchment for this lot? You didn't think to bring...”

After Afgheir pointed out his mistake, Jon ran back to the caravan to get the parchment and enough gold to pay the healers and fees. Afgheir informed him Prince Erik was going to cover the cost of the original ones from Nola because he viewed it as his mistake, the others were up to Jon.

Once he got back, things moved quickly, an administrator from the city sat down with Jon and started calling out names from the pile of papers. The person would step forward and Jon would verbally agree to free them, scribble his name on the deed of ownership and the administrator would sign to verify it before the person stepped to the side to have a healer to remove the brand and ink with magic.

The entire process took hours, mainly because of the healers. While they waited Prince Lief made his appearance and introduced himself. He spoke with Jon briefly and then wandered through the crowd to talk. Prince Erik may have been able to describe their expedition well enough and keep the crowd's attention but he was usually quiet and reserved.

The Young Prince, however, moved through the crowd to chat like he was meeting with old friends, he told amusing stories, jokes, asked about the journey, and lightly flirted with the women, young and old. When he announced his departure, Jon was pretty sure a few women in the group looked heartbroken as they watched the charming prince leave.

Not long after the group watched with bated breath as the last slave stood with a healer slowly dissolving her skin to remove the brand followed by mending her flesh. Sunada Takana sat still as she became the last slave freed. Mainly because they had to wait on a different healer that could ensure her fur would grow back.

Afterward, the group walked back to their wagons and set up camp in a city park, with permission from both princes of course. Jon gave all the slaves 20 coppers each to buy, well whatever they wanted to, partially to be nice but also they needed to restock their supplies in bulk.

After, they spread out to explore the city. They didn’t need to worry about their belongings in camp thanks to some slaves staying there to rest and take in the moment, that and in a city filled with people that could track a person by smell… theft wasn’t very common.

Jon walked down the street as a celebration continued in the central square. The air was crisp and the city was colorful, lively, and beautiful.

“Jon, a mapmaker,” Erin called out and pointed to a shop, “We should see if they have anything better than what Afgheir gave you.”

Thinking it was a good idea, they all walked inside and Jon told the man what he was looking for. As the man looked for a more detailed map the others looked at the ones on display on the wall. Most were stylized and they showed various kingdoms and cities. Interesting pieces to hang on the wall. Even the map of Stilyra they had was more useful.

“Sunada, what are you?” Andrew asked, getting everyone’s attention, she was looking at a map of the isles. The land's shape was accurate but everything on it was highly decorated with depictions of ships and monsters in the sea or over the top artwork for each city. The mapmaker even made Vanheim look like it was in the clouds... it was his own city.

“Inari,” she said. She held the back of a clawed finger to the canvas and tapped at the depiction of a ship, then started in the sea to the west and traced a line through the lesser isles over the Elvanni coast and stopped in northwestern Ederath. She then pointed at a depiction of a shipwreck and back at the location of Jon’s land, “Inari.”

“Did she just say her people were fucking shipwrecked on your land?” Aethred asked while looking between Sunada and the map. Jon could only agree, that's what it seemed.

“Sunada?” Jon got her attention and then pointed to himself and Tira while counting on his fingers, before doing the same with the others showing his fingers, “Lycans, two lycans. Humans, four humans. Inari, one Inari.” He then moved up to the map and pointed, “Inari?”

Sunada looked frustrated as she moved her fingers and then pulled out a piece of parchment and her charcoal pencil. She started drawing lines in groups of ten, multiple groups. Aethred said what Jon was thinking after it reached 200, “Shit… How many people were on that fucking ship?”

She stopped and Jon looked down at the lines and counted, not realizing it was actually three ships worth of people, including a ship intent on bringing new families to a colony… 243.

**********

Stilyran 2nd army, Salesari Road in the Kingdom of Stilyra- Late Winter 15 years AR

Leofrith walked back into his cage with the other slave soldiers as they made space for him. By now it wasn’t out of fear. For one they realized he was no threat to them and the second was he couldn’t fully shift. He wore a thick band of steel around his neck that was close to his skin. If he took his lycan form, all he’d manage to do would be to choke himself out. He could still use his claws but so far had refused to do so.

As he sat, Daoud, handed him a wet clump of fabric, an old tunic. He accepted it and started wiping the blood off his hands.

“Those fuckers put up a fight this time,” Vincent said, “If it weren’t for the pikewall being out of place, their flank would have worked and we would have been run through.”

“I’m taking the legion,” another man said, he was newer and Leo couldn’t remember his name.

“The fuck for? It ain’t gonna get you outta fighting.”

“No, but least there I can get my freedom from fighting, here we fight but even if we win. I’m still a fucking slave!” The man yelled back, “Not like I actually raped the bitch, she was willing before she passed out.”

“That’s still rape,” Leo said as he set down the rag. He was a ‘rebel’ so rather than being stuck with debt slaves, that mainly took care of the camp's needs, he was stuck with the murders, rapists, and other criminals.

“Pfft, like you would know a big oaf!” the man shot back. Leo sighed, he actually was bigger now. He was starting to hit his growth spurt. It was what made lycans so tall in their human form and even bigger in their lycan one. He'd grown to just over six foot two. That plus the added muscle from both being a lycan and the hard labor he had to do between battles mean he was bulkier, probably around Jon’s size. Thinking of his friend Leo nearly smiled, if he was as tall as Jon, he really was a big oaf

“He used to be a lord, rebelled against-” Mason started.

“I didn’t rebel against anything!” Leo snapped but didn’t explain, they all knew his story by now. If they didn’t, he didn’t care and with an exception of a few, they all claimed their innocence.

“and I didn’t stab someone from the black stone gang. Guards may have caught me over the corpse of that fuck with a bloody knife in me hand but that weren’t me! That were my twin brother than no one’s ever met! Hahaha.”

“Leave him be,” Daoud said. The foreigner who ended up in the isles was the only decent one of the lot from Leo’s perspective. He may have been convicted of piracy but he claimed he was a part of a crew hired by a nobleman to raid the ships of a rival. When he was caught the noble claimed he had never seen any of the crew before and he was convicted. The captain was hung and the crew enslaved.

Leofrith didn’t know if it was true but he wouldn’t put it past the nobility. Even when he was still one he was taught not to trust them. As for Daoud, the man of course claimed he’d never killed anyone before because he was just the carpenter. He’d killed people now, but that was a part of war.

“Why should I?”

“Because he’s a lycan and if he ever gets free he could tear your limbs off and beat you to death with them,” Mason spoke up again, trying to sound threatening.

Mason wasn’t that bad either, a bandit that tried to rob people by booking passage with a hauler and then riding away with the wagon the moment the driver stepped off the wagon to relieve himself. He probably would have gotten away with it but he’d done that on the way from Ebrus to Novaria on the coastal road.

It worked and he sold everything in the capital. His big mistake came when he booked another hauler to rob and he succeeded but he went to Ebrus to sell his ill-gotten goods. Where he was promptly arrested after he was recognized. Leo was sure he’d never hurt someone before the war but the guy was still an idiot.

A guard walked up with a few more slaves that had to go to the healers. They entered the cage and sat down, once the guards were away Vonus spoke up, “Heard were going back north, just us and some knights and bowmen. Gonna go after a bandit group. Shouldn’t be hard to slip aw-”

“Oh, will you fucking shut it! That’s why you’re in here you idiot.” the rapist barked. Vonus was a deserter. Unlike some countries, Stilyra didn’t execute deserters. If someone didn’t want to fight, they’d be enslaved and branded with an insignia that meant they were fair game to kill if they were caught away from the army, then forced to fight. Leo knew it well, he had the same brand.

“No I’m telling ya, we get free and make a run for the Elvan. Those pointy-eared fucks don’t keep slaves, neither do the hairy bastards up north.” Leo just looked at him, the man knew he was a lycan, “ah, no offense.”

“Why are there so many bandits here lately anyways? There’s multiple armies wandering about, seems like a bad spot for banditry,” Leo thought about what the man said, it didn’t take long and he rolled his eyes and set his head back. Something his father taught him, not a thing to worry about but one of the advantages of Terra's remoteness.

“Oh, looks like mister lord knows,” Vincent said, “Well come on, let’s hear it.”

Leo thought about ignoring him for a moment but he had been a part of a well-organized expedition, sure it was only a tenth the size of the army he found himself in, and they survived primarily on hunting and foraging. Yet they managed to survive in the Dain for months without the supply problems they had here with actual roads. He could see how this army was failing and why there were bandits, “It’s because of us.”

“Slaves?”

“Huf, no the armies… Ravenna goes through an area and pillages, we go through the adjacent area and commandeer… which means take stuff in the name of the crown. Put them together and the people that live here have nothing. Rather than starve, they steal. That’s why they're sticking around here as well, they’re bringing back what they take to feed their families,” Leo explained, “What makes it worse is we're burning Stilyran granaries if we can't carry it away. Just to make sure the Ravennans cant take them.”

“Oh…” one of the slaves said while looking down at his rye bread, "Gotta be a better way than wasting good food to fire."

"There is."

“Then how would you fix it? If you're so smart.”

Leo thought about it for a minute. The issue was supply lines. They didn't have the soldiers to guard the wagon trains that brought food and they had nowhere to store it where it couldn't easily be taken.

He couldn’t help but think of Willow’s point and the rumors that it was being built up still. He also couldn’t help but think about hearing the Count of Nola bragging about buying concrete from Jon by dumping a bunch of useless slaves on him. From what he knew of nobles, they didn’t give information freely so the Count was probably keeping the actual process close to his chest. Granted that wasn't his first suggestion.

“The legions are fighting on the mainland defensively but we still marched into the Dain to take the fight to the enemy,” Leo said, it wasn't entirely true. He did it to keep from turning into a monster, "Once we're there, the pressure is on Ravenna. They'll need to pull their armies back and it will be them with the bandit problem till this war ends. Either that or build a fortress with cement... liquid stone. and have the commoners move their stores there at least till the hostilities are over. We get food and they don't get desperate. Could even conscript them and form a militia to guard it. It'd be better than burning the food and people starving."

“Yeah, but where would we be getting liquid stone? How we suppose to make it, gotta be hard to get… whatever it is that makes it liquid rock. Plus you know, takes a long time to build a wall.”

“It’s not that complicated.”

“You know? How? How long would it take?”

“My father was building a stone wall with it in Terra. Took us four years to build half a wall but it was going to be the size of a small town and our village only had 700 people in it with only a hundred or so actually working on it at any given time. With thousands of soldiers and slaves? Dunno...” Leofrith said he didn’t really care if it was secret. Especially now that he knew for certain that at least one man in the camp had the-

“HEY! This guy in here knows how to make liquid stone! He says we could make fortresses to protect our food so we can stop coma… co… taking stuff in the name of the crown!” Vonus yelled while trying to keep the others from pulling him from the bars and shutting him up, “I’m Vonus, I get a reward for this, right?”

A guard came over to clarify what the deserter had just said. The others couldn’t stop him this time as the guard was armed. Leo wanted to put a dent in Vonus' kidney for blurting it out like that but he realized it was ultimately his fault for bringing it up.

The guard left and came back an hour later, “The Duke wants to hear about liquid stone, get up!”