Otto XIV


It had only been a week since Kevan left, and the uncertainty was already gnawing away at him. Otto's mind was cluttered, disorganized, and frantic. He kept conjuring up undesirable scenarios, possibilities where negotiations went wrong immediately and his nation was plunged into war. Otto did not consider himself a devout believer in fate and the will of the Island, but recent circumstances had greatly changed his view. Everything to do with the Mountain Hermit and her uncanny ability to peer into the future, not to mention his own divine gift of communicating with the creatures of the Island, had convinced him of some greater power watching over the affairs of the Island. Otto prayed to that power now, hoping that all would turn out well in the end.

After Joseph's visit, along with the grave news he brought with him, Otto and his advisors had devised a plan. They hoped it would delay the inevitable advance of the Protectors of Man, perhaps even dissuade them completely, but once again, nothing was certain. Otto had been filled with relief to see his old friend safe and whole; less so, when he learned of the massive threat looming down south. Otto had listened to both the good and bad; the peace and prosperity that the Protectors of Man brought to their dominion, but also the bloodshed and conquest that were the price of said peace. At first he toyed with the idea of joining the Protectors of Man willingly, but quickly dismissed that notion. Otto realized that if he submitted to them, he would only enslave his people to a harsh and ruthless ruler. The north would benefit from the extra protection, but trade their own freedom and autonomy for it. Underneath the Protectors' strict laws, if his people misbehaved they would be sent to labour camps as slaves. Even if they behaved perfectly, they would still get taxed and forcibly conscripted to join the Protectors' army in their endless pursuit of unification.

So in the end, his advisors agreed that the best course of action was to deflect the Protectors away from the north by any means necessary. Otto had no desire to see the safe haven he had built become a war zone, nor did he want to see his people enslaved underneath the enemy. Hence, the Northern Coalition would negotiate with the Protectors of Man and strive to accomplish peace. An alliance would not be unwelcome, so long as the north remained free and independent. As much as Otto despised the Protectors' policy of conquering and enslaving new subjects for their war machine, there was little he could do about the matter. The enemy's tactics worked for a reason, propelling them into a massive powerhouse that the Northern Coalition could not outright defeat. Although Otto would have liked nothing more than to overthrow the Great Uniter and restore autonomy to his slaves, he knew it was next to impossible. Even all of the Northern Coalition's forces pooled together would struggle against a single one of the Protectors' five armies. Fighting their way to the capital city and overthrowing the king would mean fighting against the tide of all five armies. Otto knew for a fact that his people would lose that battle.

So unfortunately, there was nothing Otto could do for the current slaves of the Protectorate. He could, however, safeguard the future of his own people by forming an alliance with the Protectors of Man. It would mean turning a blind eye to the injustices and ruthless nature of the larger nation, but if it meant peace it was worth a shot. Otto's utmost priority was the safety and happiness of his own people. He felt a special obligation to protect those that he had rescued off the beaches, and he vowed he would do all in his power to give them the lives they deserved. If that meant breaking bread with a power thirsty tyrant, then so be it.

After learning all they could from Joseph's investigations, Otto and his advisors had come up with a plan to increase the likelihood of a successful peace treaty. They had brainstormed what potential use they could offer to a tribe with superior strength and technology. Certainly not offers of protection or material goods like Maron's metalwork. Alexander's brief encounter with an enemy patrol had already proven the enemy's higher quality tools and military prowess. The Protectors possessed great material wealth and nearly a quarter of the Island itself. What they did not have, however, was convenient access to the north. Many unique and useful creatures thrived in the north and were only local to this section of the Island. In exchange for peace, the Northern Coalition could offer some of its finest domesticated creatures to the Protectorate.

So they had sent Kevan, the astute and well-mannered Head Steward, to bring an offer of peace to the Protector's of Man. From Joseph's stolen map, they knew how to reach the enemy's closest castle, Cerulean Falls. Kevan would meet with the local lord and present his gifts; a fine megaloceros buck and a swift doe, two strong wooly rhinoceros, and a chalicotherium. Kevan had ridden out a week ago, escorted by a light group of rangers, flying a white banner of peace. If all went well, he would be able to arrange a peace treaty with the Protectors of Man. Assuming Kevan's party made good haste, the journey would take them three weeks to get there, and three weeks to ride back. Of course, any number of things might delay them. The wilderness in between the two tribes might prove hazardous and slow-going, or perhaps Kevan would be forced to ride all the way to the capital city of Prosperity to treat with the king himself. In either case, Otto fully expected the response to be delayed. He just had to put faith in Kevan, who was by all accounts a very honest and hard-working man, as well as one of Jeyne's closest friends. Otto was confident that they had chosen the right ambassador for the task. Whether Kevan was successful or not remained to be seen.

Although Otto hoped for peace, he knew negotiations could just as likely lead to war. In that case, Otto knew his tribe was the weaker of the two. However, he took inspiration from the mountain clans. As small and sparse as the mountain tribes were, they had time and time again defended themselves against southern incursions. They were a fierce and proud people, one that Otto admired greatly. He hoped their fighting spirit was universal among the people of the north, and that they would be free from incursion.

After a constant torrent of bad news, at least a few positive developments helped offset the negativity. Among the good news was that Jeyne's careful political negotiations had yielded strong results. In the three weeks since her mutual defense pact had been circulated around to friendly tribes, most of them had signed and joined the Northern Coalition. Of course, the core five castles Otto had helped establish were among the first to sign on; the Wolf's Den, Lookout Keep, Ice Harbour, Open Hearth, and Hotspring Hold. Many of their allies to the south also joined the Northern Coalition, including Heart Hill, Keswick, Brandy, Oldstones, Honeysuckle, Chard, and Eastmore. More unexpectedly, four of the mountain tribes had also joined them, which was very reassuring considering diplomatic relations were just beginning to bud with them. In total, there were currently sixteen signatories to the Northern Coalition. A quick tally of their numbers brought the Northern Coalition's combined population up to about three thousand. . . only a thousand of which were experienced soldiers. Then again, it brought them up to par with one of the Protectors' five armies.

In the meantime, they would use the time Kevan's negotiations bought to aggressively militarize, while hopefully bringing more tribes into the Northern Coalition. Otto knew the enemies were better trained and disciplined than his own tribe. The Protectors of Man had a professional army, whereas his own military was a motley assembly of hunters, rangers, and castle guards. If they were to have any chance of repelling the enemy army, they would need a numerical advantage. The task of swelling their numbers would fall on the rangers, who would need to double their efforts of rescuing castaways off the coast, and the ambassadors, who would need to convince other tribes to join their cause.

In the meantime, there were other jobs that could ensure the war preparations went smoothly. Otto had tasked the hunters with capturing more creatures, to strengthen the backbone of the army with more power. They had a good abundance of herbivores, but sorely lacked carnivores. Otto had heard pleasant developments from Open Hearth, but the rest of his castles barely had any predators under their command. The only sizable force of carnivores were Otto's own direwolves, as well as various packs of hyenadons. There were other misfits here and there, like Ryker the sabertooth tiger, Argentum the giganotosaurus, and the three direbears in the caves of the Hotspring Hold, but Otto desperately wanted a larger and more organized force of carnivores. So he sent out his hunters with special orders to try and capture as many of the beasts as possible. Hopefully they would be able to boost the number of domesticated predators amidst their ranks within the few months they had before the results of Kevan's negotiations returned.

Until then Otto could only wait. And the stress was already threatening to kill him. He sighed and stopped pacing around the council room. I should try to be more productive with my time. Some combat training would be very welcome. It might even take my mind off these troubles for a little while. Otto returned to his personal room to buckle Frostbite to his hip, then went outside and down the mountain trail. A large section of the main plateau had been set aside for combat drills. Already, a few dozen warriors were practicing spear formations. Otto decided it would be good for him to have some more practice with a spear first, then move onto sword training later on. After all, they had recently adopted the spear as the nation-wide standard. By having a uniform primary weapon, the army would hopefully be a bit more organized and disciplined.

Otto first strapped a heavy leather-swaddled wooden shield to his left arm, then picked up a steel tipped spear with his right hand. The weapon was plain and simple, as required of something that had to be mass-produced on a scale large enough to meet the demands of hundreds of soldiers. But there was still elegance to the weapon's simplicity. The wooden haft was made of strong oak wood, resistant to being bent by the elements. The steel spearhead gleamed to a vicious point, sharp enough to pierce through flesh and even light armour if thrust with enough force. Otto took a moment jabbing and thrusting with the weapon to accommodate himself with the length and weight. The spear was much taller than himself, standing at about eight feet in height. It was a little uncomfortable wielding the ungainly weapon at first but Otto would manage.

He waited until the current set of exercises were finished, then joined in at the edge of the line. Leo was the active drill instructor on duty. The Captain of the Guards was a little puzzled to see Otto among the rank of common soldiers, but did not let the Wolf Lord's high title get in the way of training. Otto got shouted at just the same as everyone else, and berated for every mistake he made. They practiced for hours, standing shoulder to shoulder and facing down an opposing line of spearmen. They locked shields and made mock feints and jabs, getting into the mindset of fighting as one huge unit rather than a group of individuals. On the battlefield when huge armies clashed, it was essential to stick with your unit rather than striking off on your own. Otto found the training hard work, but rewarding. It was good to develop teamwork and coordination with his comrades.

Once the spear training was done, the soldiers were free to leave. Most of them took that opportunity to finally relax for the evening, while a few others stayed behind. Now they were able to practice with any weapon they could find in the armory. The spear training was mandatory for every member of the military, but soldiers were free to practice using sidearms if they wished. Of course, there were not enough of these weapons to go around for everyone. Instead, if it ever came to war, the limited supply of special weapons would be distributed out based on skill. In order to qualify for receiving such a weapon, a warrior would need to demonstrate proficiency with it. These soldiers who stayed behind were those who wanted to give themselves an edge over the rest of the army and obtain such a weapon for themselves.

Otto saw a wide variety of weapons being brought out from the armory. Swords and axes, flails and morningstars, halberds and pikes, and just about every other weapon you could think of. It quickly became apparent that some of the soldiers were using the weapons for the first time. Their movements were clumsy and awkward, clearly indicating that they were only testing the weapons to see if they should commit further time and effort to learning how to use them. In other cases, Otto could see soldiers who were already experts at using their respective weapons. These were likely rangers or guards who had already spent months and months using their specific tool before Otto's new military policy had forced them to start using spears.

Otto unsheathed Frostbite and spent a few minutes hacking away at training dummies, then got bored over enemies that did not fight back. It would be nothing like that in a real battle, where the opponent would be trying their absolute hardest to kill him. Otto had learned that lesson the hard way during his duel with Bertholdt. No amount of sparring could prepare you for the real thing, let alone slicing away at an inanimate straw scarecrow.

So instead, Otto found a dueling partner in Leo. The Captain of the Guards was quite possibly the most talented swordsman in the whole north, hence why he held his title. Leo had no trouble using two swords at once, hacking and slashing away at Otto's weary shield. Frostbite slashed and jabbed back, but Leo was no slouch when it came to defense either. He easily parried away all of Otto's blows like a cat swatting a mouse. They went back and forth for an hour. By the time they were done, Otto was completely winded and covered in sweat. But he felt a bit more confident in using Frostbite, and that was what mattered. Little by little, he would become a master of his weapon.

It was already dark when Otto sheathed Frostbite and wiped his sweat away with a cloth. While walking back up to the castle, he stopped by Maron's forge to pick up a special request. The blacksmith was extremely busy forging spearheads these days, but Otto had put in his commission weeks beforehand, before the attack on Alexander's patrol even occurred. It had been sitting dormant in one of Maron's drawers for weeks, swaddled in a soft grey cloth. Otto retrieved the package and carefully tucked it into his pocket. Now, he figured, was the right time to use it. A little joy and festivity would do wonders to boost the morale of his people during the uneasy period of waiting for dire news.

Otto returned to his personal chambers, slung Frostbite against a sword rack, and changed into fresh clothes. He was just getting ready to head off for dinner when Jeyne stopped by to drop off a few items. Otto nearly stumbled into her on his way out. "It's a welcome surprise seeing you here," Otto teased. "I was just heading out to find you."

"Well look no further, here I am." She grinned. "Just give me a moment I need to put some things away."

Otto courteously waited for her outside in the hallway. He kept patting his pocket to make sure the special item was there, pacing back and forth all the while. After a few minutes, Jeyne emerged outside and linked arms with Otto as they went toward the dining hall, basking in each others' company.

Halfway there, Otto clutched at his pocket. "Damn it!"

"What is it?" Jeyne frowned.

"I lost something. It was just here a moment ago."

"Well it couldn't have gone far. I'll help you look for it." Jeyen glanced over her shoulder at the stretch of hallway they had just passed. "Where do you last remember seeing it?"

"Probably the hot spring after I finished sword training." Otto tugged her along. "It should still be there."

When they got to the hot springs, it was empty just as Otto had hoped. Occasionally some castle staff used it to wash and clean clothes, not to mention it was a place of leisure and relaxation for others. Jeyne went to the other side of the pool to cover more ground. Otto milled around, pretending to search through pebbles and gravel. The castle had been built up around this hot spring, which provided warmth during cold days. It was open to the air, and Otto gazed up to see a brilliant constellation of gleaming white stars. He chose this place because it held special significance to the two of them; after all, it was where they had first confessed their love for one another. Otto smiled and retrieved the item from his pocket.

"I don't see anything over here," Jeyne muttered. "We should try looking somewhere—" Jeyne turned around and suddenly stopped with a gasp when she saw Otto kneeling beside her, a golden ring outstretched.


Author's Note:

Bladerunner24k, Lol having multiple POV characters paid off if you forgot Joseph

DinoNerd89, Definitely lots more tames getting added to the tribe! And RIP to the lost soldiers

Caleb R. Watson, I feel bad everytime someone says the battle will come soon because looking at it now the first big skirmish is like 10 chapters off buuut keep waiting :)

Nateman364, Same thing I feel bad since its kinda far off but we will get to see lots more preparation from both sides! And don't forget Argentum, he was raised from an egg. Unfortunately they don't have the time to raise anything else before war though. And water tames - yes. Semiaquatic ones.

Thunder, Glad you liked it and good luck with the tribe!

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