Jeyne III


"Thank you for the warm food and lodgings, Lady Jeyne." The gaunt emissary bowed gracefully. "I shall return to my brother with your offer."

"I look forward to hearing his response," Jeyne curtsied back. "Take care on your journey home, the mountains are dangerous."

"My men and I will manage just fine," the mountain warrior laughed. He turned and made his way out the door. "Until our paths cross again."

A servant closed the door after their departure. As soon as the room was plunged back into its comfortable privacy, Jeyne sighed and sank back onto her chair with relief. She sat there with her eyes closed for a few minutes, relishing the temporary freedom of no longer having to entertain guests. For the past two days, Jeyne had been busy dealing with the antics of ambassadors from three nearby mountain tribes. None of the chieftains had seen fit to come themselves. Instead they had sent family or trusted advisors to run her patience thin. Day in and day out, Jeyne had been tied down by their constant endeavours. They were here to test her willpower and leadership, while also scouting out the newfound mountain stronghold and its people. None of the tribes were willing to commit to an alliance just yet, but over the course of their stay Jeyne had managed to bend the ambassadors to her will. Trade and defensive agreements certainly weren't off the table anymore.

Be it through warm gestures or promises, Jeyne had slowly managed to win the three hardy mountain men to her side. She was generous and open-handed when she needed to be, serious and threatening when the situation called for it. Jeyne used every tool at her disposal, whether through friendly jokes and dinner talks, or through subtle threats of power. When the mountain ambassadors were friendly and cooperative, she laughed with them and brainstormed mutual goals to work toward. When they tested her resolve with pointed remarks or scarcely disguised insults, Jeyne returned their arrogance with a thorough tour of the stables, showing off the rows of wooly mammoths and rhinoceros with their glistening tusks and horns, the roosts filled with perched argentavis, and of course the cave where the direwolves slept. That along with a quick parade through the barracks and armory, lined with alert soldiers and sharp steel weapons respectively, was enough to remind them of their place. Finally after two days of the nuanced back and forth exchanges, Jeyne had managed to make them respect her authority and her tribe's position.

The ambassadors would return to their chieftains with offers of trade and friendship, two valuable assets in the harsh northern mountains. Jeyne was hopeful that everything would work out in the end, and that they could expect three new allies in the near future.

"Is everything well, Jeyne?" Kevan spoke up from beside her seat. Jeyne opened her eyes to see the Head Steward frowning down at her with concern.

"Everything's going splendidly," she smiled wearily. Jeyne stood up and stretched. "With the last of the ambassadors gone I can finally help you with writing that document."

"No need. I finished the first draft. Would you care to see it?"

"You've surpassed my expectations, as always. Lead the way old friend."

Kevan brought her to one of the back rooms in the castle, close to the hidden hot spring where Jeyne and Otto had first confessed their love for one another. The mountain peak castle was far from complete, but at least a good portion of the first floor was finished. It was here that Jeyne lived and carried out diplomatic negotiations with important tribe leaders and ambassadors. The mountain castle was a nice and scenic area; the only downside was that it took a lengthy hike to get up here from the main plateau where all the other necessities resided.

Inside the unassuming room sat a desk with all sorts of important documents and legislation. Jeyne was pleased to find Lori inside as well, seated in the corner and finishing up her own project. Her friend looked up and beamed when they entered.

"How goes the banner?" Jeyne asked.

"Done!" Lori held the cloth up to her chest and stood up, unfurling the fabric for Jeyne to admire.

It was a rectangular sheet of cloth as tall as Lori herself, pointed into a sharp triangle at the bottom. The background had been dyed a deep midnight black, seemingly absorbing all the light in the room into an endless abyss. In contrast to the dark background was a bright white sigil in the very center of the banner, drawing all eyes to itself in a blaze of striking vanity. A ghostly white direwolf stood howling in the center of the inky darkness, throwing its head upward toward the heavens.

Jeyne clapped when she saw the mesmerizing design, a wide grin on her face. It had turned out much better than she expected. When she had commissioned Lori to create a banner for the tribe, she had given the other woman free reign over the design. Jeyne was impressed that her friend had managed to come up with such a pleasant and awe-inspiring banner.

"Great work Lori!" She beamed.

"Thank you, my most esteemed lady." Lori gave a playful mocking bow. The two of them burst into fits of laughter. It felt good to be with her friends again after two days of dealing with the ever-shifting power dynamics of intertribal diplomacy.

"You're stealing my moment," Kevan sighed. He trod over to the desk and unfurled a scroll. Jeyne laughed out of pity. The Head Steward's unenthusiastic gesture was nowhere near as grand of a spectacle as Lori unveiling the tribe's new banner.

Nonetheless, Jeyne was excited to see what Kevan had come up with. Both she and Lori peered over the steward's shoulder to read the document that he had drafted. In large bold letters at the top read: "The Northern Coalition." Below that in smaller letters followed: "Mutual trade and defense pact."

Jeyne skimmed through the contents of the document itself. In summary, the document outlined a formal agreement between tribes to work toward the continued prosperity and protection of the Coalition. The treaty dictated the establishment of secure trade routes between major castles and villages, the unhindered trade of goods, and the promise of material aid in times of strife. Furthermore, the document stated that should any one signatory come under attack from an outside power, all members of the Coalition would come to their defense with military support. The bottom half of the page was left blank for different leaders to sign. Jeyne nodded approvingly. From the new name of their group to the contents of the treaty, everything was exactly what she had discussed with Kevan and she was glad that he had been able to carry it out so elegantly.

"Well done, Kevan. There's no need for revision, the treaty is perfect as is."

The Head Steward nodded with a faint smile. "Thank you Jeyne. Now comes the difficult matter of distributing it."

Jeyne had already thought of that. As soon as Alys returned from visiting the Mountain Hermit, she would ask the argentavis rider to circulate the document around to all the friendly tribes and castles associated with the Hotspring Hold. There were of course already a few argentavis riders around the castle, but they were unfortunately the inexperienced students that Alys had left behind. It might have been possible to ask one of them to deliver the message, but it was also risky if there was an accident in the skies. Better to leave the task to Alys or one of her more experienced lieutenants.

"As soon as the Head Ranger returns I'll ask her to deliver the document to everyone else. Until then. . ." Jeyne grabbed a quill and dipped it in ink, leaning down to grace the paper with her signature. "I'll be the first to sign it on behalf of the Hotspring Hold."

She leaned back to admire the document. Her small signature was painfully lonely in the empty parchment, but she had no doubt that it would soon be joined by others. Even if no outside tribes joined the Northern Coalition, it would still be good to have a formal agreement binding together all the castles in their tribe. From Ice Harbour to Open Hearth, the Lookout Keep to the Wolf's Den, the Northern Coalition would have at least five dedicated members. But Jeyne had faith that some of their trading partners would sign their names to the document, especially the smaller tribes that already depended on their protection. She smiled at the paper, elated to be making such great strides toward the future of their people.

"Keep the document safe until Alysanne returns," Jeyne instructed Kevan. "And Lori, you can start creating more banners. Recruit help from any stewards gifted in the arts. As soon as we receive word that other tribes have joined the Northern Coalition, I want you and Kevan to ship them a few banners in the next trade caravan."

"As you say, Jeyne." Kevan agreed.

Lori must have seen from her body language that she was preparing to leave. "Won't you stay a bit longer Jeyne?"

She smiled at her two oldest friends. "I would love nothing more than that but unfortunately duty calls. How about we catch up over dinner tonight?"

"Fine," Lori sighed. She waved at Jeyne to leave begrudgingly. "Go along and attend your responsibilities."

Jeyne laughed and bid them farewell, then made her way outside the small storage room. She stopped by her personal chambers that she shared with Otto, which was located right next to the hot springs. The room was always warm and comfortable without the need of a fire, which was one of the things Jeyne loved most about the place. In fact, the entire mountain castle was always pleasantly warm. It was very convenient to wander around in just thin leather clothes, but Jeyne would need to dress in layers whenever she wanted to visit the plateau below. She grabbed her fur pants and shirt but didn't put them on until she reached the hallway. It would be far too unpleasant climbing into the thick layers inside the steamy room.

After dressing for the climate, Jeyne left the half-built castle and started down the winding path that lead back to the plateau. The ring of hammers and saws slowly faded into the background, replaced by the eerie howling of the wind. Jeyne always found it enjoyable to look at the magnificent wind-carved pillars and canyons that dotted the gravel path back down to the main camp. When she later emerged onto the open cliffside, it was also fun to get a nice view of the activities below. Jeyne made quick time and passed Maron's Forge, built into a cave on the side of the cliff, then walked a few more minutes and finally reached the bottom. She emerged onto the flat plain where most of the tribe had settled. Many of the buildings were finished but a few were still going up. It was mainly cabins and dwellings that were still being worked on, for all the necessities had been completed already. The most important buildings were clustered around the four hot springs in the center of the plateau, while the other structures hugged the cliffs and mountainside. The entire camp was a bustling center of activity, with people and animals going about their lives and jobs everywhere.

Jeyne made her way through the busy streets, passing builders enjoying temporary breaks from their work, shepherds leading flocks of goats, cooks and their assistants hauling in fresh vegetables on wagons, and armed spearmen on watch duty who straightened up and saluted when she passed. Little children frolicked through the streets chasing each other in games of tag, while megaloceros-drawn carriage drivers impatiently hollered at people to clear the way for their deliveries. A huge mammoth was trudging through the front gate and only entrance to the Hotspring Hold, dragging some fallen trees. After it had squeezed through the entrance, the elk-mounted rangers behind it were finally able to get inside and return to the stables. Jeyne frowned and was reminded of her next destination: the medical ward by the hot springs.

Just yesterday a lone rider had arrived at the front gates on the verge of death, collapsing from his saddle. Both him and his mount looked like they had been through hell. The megaloceros was lathered and shaking from exertion, ready to collapse itself. The ranger had been in worse condition, bleeding from half a dozen wounds, a spear buried in his stomach and another in the back of his leg. The medics had rushed out to bring him back to the medical ward, where Jeyne hoped he was making a swift recovery. The sight of a single grievously wounded ranger returning to the Hotspring Hold had set everyone on edge. Unfortunately injured rangers were a relatively common sight, but at the very least most returned in groups supported by their comrades. This man had returned alone. Not to mention that most injuries involved slash marks from the claws of wild predators, rather than spear wounds which only spoke of human conflict. . .

Jeyne needed answers to what had happened. She hoped the man had recovered from his injuries enough to talk and give a report of what had happened out there. The two spearmen guarding the door to the medical ward let her in without a hassle. It took a moment for Jeyne's eyes to adjust to the room, where the drapes were kept shut to help the patients rest. There were about twenty beds, ten on each side of the room. Three of them were occupied by sleeping patients. Judging from the two healers and daeodon sitting beside the far bed, Jeyne knew that was where she would find the unfortunate soul who arrived yesterday.

"Lady Jeyne," one of the healers said. He stood up and offered her his chair.

"No need for that, I'll stand." She frowned at the unconscious ranger. "What have you learned about him?"

"It's Alexander, one of the patrol leaders. We didn't recognize him until after we cleaned all the blood from his face. He's been drifting in and out of consciousness since we're keeping him under narcotics."

"Will he survive the wounds? They look bad."

"Aye, I'm surprised he made it back to us alive with all the blood loss. But we've cleaned and bandaged his wounds. As long as he survives the fever from infection, he should make a full recovery in a month."

Jeyne sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. What have you been doing to treat his injuries?"

"We used a special concoction of rare mushrooms and alcohol filtered through blue moss, mixed with a handful of wooly rhinoceros horn powder and crushed narcoberries. It should keep the worst of the infection at bay and help his wounds scab over. That along with Porkchop's healing pheromones will help speed along his recovery."

The adolescent daeodon snorted at the mention of its name. The boar was a lot rounder and softer than the adults of its species, with short undeveloped keratinous knobs instead of threatening horns and tusks. The medical ward's resident daedon was a strange sight to behold in such a plain sterile room, but he had helped many patients make a quick recovery. Both through the vital airborne chemicals secreted from glands on his tough hide, and through the joy of having a friendly companion to lift spirits up. Although the daedon's odour was not the most pleasant smell, Jeyne knew the pheromones were proven to boost the immune systems of injured creatures. Recovered patients of the infirmary only had good things to report about the moral support boar, so she was glad for Porkchop's presence.

"Jeyne. . ." a voice croaked.

Everyone looked down at Alex, who was squinting up at them in turn. The injured ranger tried to sit up but the healers quickly pushed him back down, telling him to rest.

"Alex. You're awake. Sorry if the noise disturbed you."

The ranger did not seem to care about being woken up. He tugged insistently at her sleeve. "You need to know. . . what happened."

"You still seem as if you're on death's doorstep. I can come back later when you're better."

"No," he shook his head and coughed. "Listen well. The tribe is in danger. My patrol. . . they're all dead. Slain by enemies. Another tribe. . ."

Fear gripped Jeyne's heart once more. "It's as I feared. I knew this was coming as soon as I received Joseph's letter." I didn't do enough to prepare, Jeyne fretted. I thought increasing the size of the patrols and expanding Open Hearth's garrison would be enough to deter an attack. . . I could have prevented this if I had taken further precautions. Jeyne shook her head and managed to derail her train of thought. It's in the past. Right now I just need to be here for Alex and listen to what he says. I can prevent future attacks from happening this way. "What happened out there?"

Alex winced as if the memory was stabbing fresh knives into his body. "We were attacked between Fort Pine and Fort Northgate. . . Twelve enemy soldiers. My rangers were no match."

"Why did they attack you?" Jeyne demanded frantically.

"Said it was their land. Didn't want us on it. . ."

"That's ridiculous," she fumed. "We've held the coast for a year now."

"Told them the same thing," Alex burst into a fit of coughing. One of the healers brought him a bowl of water, and that seemed to clear his throat. "They didn't care. Attacked us from the jungle. They were hostile and armed for combat. Better equipment and mounts. Steel-tipped spears and chainmail armour. Three knights in full steel plate armour rode parasaurs."

Jeyne frowned. "Most were on foot? Why didn't you just run? I might not be the best with animals, but I'm fairly certain parasaurs can't keep up with megaloceros."

Alex sighed. "I was reckless. Thought we had the advantage since we were all mounted. Wanted to take them captive and question where they came from. I was wrong." He shuddered as he recalled the memory. "They were disciplined. The spearmen held their ground against cavalry. The knights were nearly invincible. . . They trained their parasaurs well. I've only seen duckbills use their calls to warn each other of danger and run away. These ones were different."

He weakly waved a hand beside his left ear. "I still can't hear anything from this side. The parasaurs destroyed my hearing with a concentrated shriek. It was horrible. First came the pressure like someone was pressing their thumbs into my eyes. . . Then the pain like they were carving into my ear with a knife. I've never seen anything like it. The warcry broke our formation and the spearmen attacked."

Alex took a moment to catch his breath, his eyes still filled with fear. "We fled and regrouped but the knights rode after us. Their parasaurs barely flinched when we stabbed their thick hides. I thought they would panic and run. . . but they were trained to ignore pain and press on. I lost my mount and my rangers. When they were nearly through with us, they overturned our wagon and went after the castaways. I tried to stop them. . . I tried to fight but I was no match. . ."

Alex met Jeyne's eyes. "Please. Whatever you do, learn from my mistakes. Those were dangerous men. They know more about warfare and the creatures of this Island than us. They're advancing onto our land. . . do whatever it takes to kill them all."


Author's Note: Just a reminder to go vote on the poll for favorite side character! Along with your reviews, the feedback helps me out a lot.

Caleb R. Watson, I would imagine most tribes would have their own protocol for dealing with gigas, just like in the game. Personally, mine is staying the hell away from them lol. Anyway the entire story is set on a variation of the Island (not the actual map, mine's slightly different).

Death korps boi, We'll see Willam's solution eventually. As for ARK 2, yes I 100% would also like to see a return to the more primitive aspects of the game which are always my favorite. Also hopefully this one will be less intense on my computer.

DinoNerd89, Thanks for the review! Yeah the giga is a problem but I'm sure Willam will figure out a way to deal with it. Hopefully...

SF UberMan, I would definitely enjoy an anime style show as well but honestly the current style also fits pretty well in my opinion. Also sorry to disappoint everyone who wanted an immediate fight but there's still a bit more that needs to happen until then. Writing the next batch of chapters has been like playing a game of chess except I'm controlling both sides.

Nateman364, Very intuitive, there was definitely more dialogue than what I showed in the chapter but it's honestly not that much lol. I still haven't decided if it's going to come up again as a flashback. But the main three things were each of the characters' futures. Anyway, Willam's predicament is a lot more stressful now but I'm sure he'll handle it fine.

Special thanks to TheJaiganticBridge who's been helping with research behind the scenes this entire time. Many great ideas in the story like the mobile Argentavis platform saddle and the medical Daeodon have been thanks to him. Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!

- DaRumpyBurr