Otto XV

There was a moment of stunned silence as guests swiveled to see what the sudden commotion was about. Then, as more people saw the severed head spill onto the floor, the entire hall erupted in outraged shouting. Even some of the inebriated diners were startled from their drunken stupors by their neighbours suddenly leaping to their feet. The music abruptly halted and it seemed like all eyes were on Kevan's butchered remains.

Jeyne was retching over the side of the chair, and a few squeamish guests had also lost their dinners. Otto stood up in a haze. He walked over to the bloody head. There was a scroll tucked into Kevan's mouth. Otto closed his eyes and retrieved the paper, but he could not erase the image of Kevan's glassy eyes or distorted features, frozen in a permanent show of fear. Otto unfurled the blood-stained paper in shock. By now lots of the guests were starting to crowd around the head of the table. Their angry shouts and curses died down, overtaken by a tense silence as they tried to peer at the message.

"What does it say?" One man shouted. Others echoed his demand,

Otto shook his head to snap back into reality. His eyes skimmed over the ink, but all he saw at first were words. Otto had to concentrate to understand the message, a hard enough feat with dozens of eyes focused on him. He cleared his throat and began to read.

"To the barbarians of the north.

You sent ambassadors to the Protectorate with offers of trade and friendship, thinking yourselves to be our equals. You fail to recognize the power imbalance between our nations. We have conquered more lands and people than you could possibly imagine. Your tiny corner of the Island is little more than a fraction of the Protectorate's territory, and soon it too will be ours.

The north will fall. It's not a matter of if, but when. Your army is small and weak, your soldiers are undisciplined, and your warbeasts are barely trained. Should our two nations meet on the battlefield, we both know the outcome well. Our first skirmish already proved that your military will not stand up to the test of war.

Surrender to our king, the Great Uniter, and the north will be annexed into the Protectorate without bloodshed. If you resist, we will crush your army, raze your settlements to the ground, and drag your people away in fetters. Make the wise decision and submit to the Protectorate, or the next time we meet will be the last."

Otto shakily furled the scroll. The crowd around him began to shout and squabble, each voice clamoring to be heard above the others. People were voicing their own opinions on what to do. Some terrified leaders wanted to comply and surrender immediately, others were infuriated and called for blood. As the voices swelled to a crescendo, Otto found a lot of them demanding answers from him. As if his words could somehow reassure them of the future. Unfortunately for them, Otto had no such words to offer.

"The letter did not lie," Otto muttered shakily. "I'll be the first to admit that our army is in poor condition. At our current rate, I doubt we have the strength or numbers to win in a war."

"So we just give up?"

"What have we been preparing all these months for?"

"How can we just sit back and let them invade our lands?"

The voices dug at him mercilessly. Otto shook his head, trying to set his thoughts out clearly. "I never said we should surrender. In fact, if we act carefully we might just be able to drive back an invasion. But if we choose to fight, it will cost many lives. The north will be soaked in blood."

He turned around and looked at all the people gathered around him. His close friends and allies. If it came to war, how many of the people in this very room would live to see its end? But as he looked upon their scared faces, imagining what terrible things they might endure if the north surrendered, Otto realized he could not just give up on his people. At least not without a fight.

He stood up straighter and addressed the crowd, meeting their eyes one by one. "I don't mean to lay down my life, and those of everyone else here. I will do whatever it takes to defend the north."

For the most part, that was met with a passionate cheer. A few guests still looked completely queasy, but many more shared Otto's determination in their eyes. Otto dropped the scroll on the floor and trampled it beneath his foot. "For months, we knew this day might come. We practiced in the fields, training and drilling our bodies until they were sore. Now the time has come to put your strength and skills to use. I mean to stop them from ever crossing onto our soil. I'll lead the Northern Coalition's army to our borders and stop the Protectorate from invading our land, or die trying."

"However, let me make this clear. We fight against a vastly stronger foe, and chances are likely that few of us will return from the bloodshed. I will not think less of any man or woman who does not wish to fight. But those of you who are willing to join me, now is the time to decide if you are willing to sacrifice everything for our freedom. Lend me your strength."

The hall was still for a moment as people looked at their neighbours, trying to decide whether they wanted to step forward or not. A few guests near the back of the crowd took that opportunity to step back, distancing themselves from any threat of being pulled into the war. Elsewhere, others stepped forward to heed Otto's call to action. Among the front of the volunteers was Joseph, the first human he had ever met and befriended.

The big man unsheathed his sword and studied it carefully, raising his voice to be heard over the murmuring of the crowd. "From the moment I washed ashore, until this moment right here and now, there's nobody I've trusted more than you, Otto. You've saved my life more times than I can possibly count. We've fought beside one another for long and bloody months, scratching out survival in this cruel world. Well now isn't any different, is it? There's nobody else I would rather follow into war." Joseph held the blade flat and laid it at Otto's feet. "You have my sword, from this day until my last."

Alys stepped forward next. "We've had our differences in the past, but now more than ever we need to stand united against our common enemy. I didn't put my trust in you before, and I learned the hard way that no matter how strong any single person is, they're nothing without the help of others. You have my sword as well."

"A man of honour is who I've always known as Otto Weiss," Bertholdt shouted. "You spared my life before, though the world called for blood. You've proven yourself as worthy of Stoneglen's support. All our blades are yours to command."

The trickle of volunteers became a stream, then a roaring tide. Dozens more were pouring forward, affirming their loyalty, pledging themselves to the north, and swearing to fight by his side. Otto smiled, never imagining that his rallying cry would be this effective. Many more people had come forward than he could possibly have anticipated, and the hall rang to the clattering sound of steel hitting the floor.

Joseph raised his voice to be heard over the storm. "We'll water the Island with the invaders' blood, should they try to cross into our territory. This fake king will never rule the north!"

That was met with a huge cheer from the other lords and ladies. Joseph continued on. "I say we govern ourselves from now on. Outsiders will never know the beauty of the arctic, nor the feel of a freezing mountain gust in the black of night. They know nothing of our people, our culture, our land." Joseph kneeled in front of Otto. "The north needs a true king!"

The idea spread like wildfire and soon everyone else took up the cry, shouting until their lungs were hoarse. Cries of "the Wolf King!" and "the King of the North!" echoed across the chamber, swelling louder and louder with every wave. Outside, Otto could hear his pack howling into the night sky, joining their raucous human neighbours in proclaiming freedom for all the north to hear. Otto's heart swelled with pride. They trust me. They want me to lead them. Never before had he felt so elated, so accepted, so loved. He could not contain his warm smile as the people cheered on his name long into the night.

Author's Note: A bit of a shorter chapter, I know. I'm saving my energy for something special :) Just you wait.

Girlbook, Haha thanks! Gotta mix in a bit of bad with the good.

Bladerunner24k, Yep!

Caleb R. Watson, Yep you've got it right, no breather chapters on my watch lol.

DinoNerd89, Thanks! I'm glad the descriptions were fun to read. And don't worry, you're not alone in wishing for Keith's demise.

Thunder, Thanks! And I know, what a memorable gift to receive on such a day. . .

SaurianFan, Good to know that you actually enjoy Arlyn's character! And yes I took inspiration from the New Legion on their conquest. There will be lots of differences though, as you soon might see.

Korskarn, Haha the guard tried his best :( And you'll soon find out that Arlyn has different plans. . .

UnknownAvacado, Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far!

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!