All of Kingsborough was festively decorated to celebrate the triumph of the heroes fighting in the recently won war against the invaders from Mérovie and the grand duchy. Pennants in fake royal purple adorned the buildings lining the route the victory parade would take. This parade got organized to honor all who risked their lives on the battlefield for Yteland, both the returning fighters and the fallen ones. Those who contributed to the Yteish win outside of the battlefield would be rewarded afterwards in the royal palace, as would those who had shown outstanding merit on the battlefield.

Both Violant and Wynkin were part of the parade consisting of soldiers and knights both human and nonhuman as well as the chained war captives. The ducal pair of Ealdon was in the center of the parade and got the most attention from the cheering crowd. They walked side by side in their brightly polished armors to show off their marital harmony and closeness. Both came equipped like they had participated in the final battle, the berserk wearing his huge broadsword on his back and the red-haired girl with her spear in hand, riding on Huwcyn’s back.

“That’s something I could get used to.” murmured Violant who enjoyed the cheers of the crowd even more than she had in her last lifetime during the victory parade celebrating the quelling of the great troll uprising.

“You’d better not.” responded her husband with a serious expression “You getting used to this would mean that Yteland is going to be caught up in wars for time to come. Although I must admit that standing at the focus of the people’s gratitude is doubtlessly addictive I’d rather live in peace than making permanent use of this body the berserk syndrome has given me.”

“Yes, you’re right.” the wife admitted “Peace really is the best after all, and we still can spar to avoid our fighting skills getting rusty, can’t we?”

Wynkin agreed with a short nod. Then they continued in silence like before, smiling and waving at the cheerful subjects of King Baldwin.

The throne room had a similarly festive atmosphere, only that commoner’s couldn’t enter it and the mood was mood was not as euphoric but had a certain solemn grace. Everybody who is anybody in Yteish nobility had appeared to witness the reward ceremony. The amount and specifics of the rewards King Balwin would give was still unknown for most, although Jocelyn in his position as chief minister likely already knew. When asked he kept silent though. The ceremony was of utmost interest for the aristocracy because whatever would happen here today would surely impact the balance of power at court and in high society.

Violant and Wynkin joined the ranks of those who were going to be rewarded. The girl felt someone’s eyes on her and soon met with Gervase’s glowering gaze. The third prince had no achievements worth mentioning and thus stood at the sidelines, much to his dismay. His sour face was the best gratification Violant could wish for. Had the third prince known what the much lauded Valkyrie was thinking, he likely would have been even more boiling mad than he already was. Gervase wasn’t the only prince without noteworthy contributions though. Both Humphrey and Fulk were the same but they had calmly accepted the outcome, already looking out for new opportunities to succeed the throne as they continued plotting for the future. By the way, Gervase was accompanied by Felicity who now was his official fiancée since the Midwinter festival and who appeared to be happy enough. Violant didn’t begrudge the current happiness of her rival from the prior lifetime. Gervase’s downfall would come sooner or later after all, and then Felicity would also get what she was due. The berserk’s wife would make sure of that.

After the murmur had quieted down, King Baldwin stood up from his throne, cleared his throat, and then he spoke: “Today we have gathered here to celebrate the meritorious deeds of all the brave souls who allowed our nation to emerge victorious from this war that was forced upon us. No matter if they contributed with the sword, the quill, or maybe even both, those whose actions were indispensable for laudable outcome today shall be rewarded appropriately. The rewards going to the bereaved of those who gave their lives for the just cause of Yteland are a matter that will be treated at a latter point of time but their sacrifice is not forgotten and their noble courage will forever remain in our hearts. Now We will award those fine men and women standing here according to their contributions. Nobody will be forgotten.”

After this short speech, the monarch started rewarding those who had contributed to the victory of Yteland. In doing so he was assisted both by his chief minister Jocelyn and his queen Berengaria. The awarding progressed according to the degree the individual’s actions had contributed to Yteland winning the war. They started with those who had accomplished distinguished but still minor feats and slowly progressed from there on. The higher the contribution, the later the person was to be awarded and the more prominently they would stand out.

Prince Edric got his reward somewhere halfway through the ceremony. His contributions consisted mainly of organizational and administrative work in the royal palace. He ensured that the populace didn’t have to starve or freeze and he dealt with the problem of the refugees to avoid a humanitarian crisis.

The representatives of the house of Avallach, Orderic and Mortimer, got awarded for their efforts dealing with the threat coming with the other march. Parcie got awarded for his fights on the battlefield instead, although his face clearly showed that he believed the fight itself to be already the best reward.

Hubert of Wuldington got reconfirmed as captain of the royal knight order.

Arinnefja too was among those standing before the king. It was the first time ever in the history of Yteland that a denizen of the other march got acknowledged for helping the humans in their time of crisis but it was no stretch to say that without the troll’s genius in both inventions and strategy the outcome of this war likely would have been very different. Her reward was a budget for her workshop. The leaders of the kingdom were in agreement about the fact that this genius was worthy of lifelong sponsorship, regardless of her identity as a troll.

“Now, finally, Duke and Duchess Ealdon.” King Baldwin spoke.

“Your Majesty.” Violant and Wynkin replied, reverently kneeling down before the throne.

“The feats you two have accomplished leave Us speechless.” the monarch declared “Without you, Yteland likely would have had a much harder time. It is no stretch to say that it is for the most part your merit that Yteland is able to live in peace again. Thus I declare that a third of the new territories taken from Mérovie will be given to the house of Ealdon for eternity. At the same time the house of Ealdon will be recognized as the second authority in regard to the other march. The house of Avallach still remains as the sole feudal lord of the other march but the denizens of the other march staying in the human realm will be jointly supervised by the margraviate and the duchy. Furthermore, in appreciation of your meritorious deeds, the house of Ealdon will henceforth be awarded the title of Grand Duke with the corresponding style of Royal Highness.”

The reward the Ealdon couple was given left everyone present speechless. The current house of Ealdon would never again be like its predecessors. Although the official approval of Ealdon’s involvement regarding denizens of the other march was nothing more than a consolidation of its current state as a second Avallach, the generous gain in territory was a definite surprise. A third of the new Western territories definitely weren’t little, as a tenth of Mérovie had fallen to Yteland. It wasn’t too much either, for the territory Yteland had taken from the grand duchy by exploiting the current succession conflict amounted to a third of the losing country’s territory. Needless to say that all newly won territory bordered Yteland directly and was going to be used as buffer zones against their hostile neighbors in the future.

Unprecedented, however, was the rise of the ducal house to a grand ducal house, a title that didn’t yet exist in Yteland. International practice regarded the grand dukedom as a rank second only to the king, ranking even above a “common” duke. The accompanying style of Royal Highness signified that the privileges a grand duke enjoyed were comparable with those of a royal prince. The rise of Ealdon to grand duchy signified a heavy shift in the balance between the princely factions, as the current duke openly supported Prince Edric as candidate for the position as crown prince. Following his rise to grand duke, his word now weighed even more.

Both Violant and Wynkin didn’t expect to be rewarded so generously but were happy nonetheless. Especially the girl, who expected the outbreak of civil war if the throne succession still remained unsolved at the time of King Baldwin’s death in the future, thought that it wasn’t bad to have more influence and power allowing her to ensure the safety of everyone she cared about.