Cold Salvation

HILDRINN, LORDSHIP OF HILDRINN, KINGDOM OF SOUTHSWARD

Becker was not welcome in Hildrinn.

Of course, his son forcing his way into the city and almost massacring the whole population was a major factor, but Becker did nothing of note to the city himself. It's probably about the whole Thordan thing.

Now that there was an independent Dravania, Thordan Swalestrom, or more accurately, Gustav Strandsor, would very much like to have more and more troops be available to them. Lorcan Stalwart's Trielian reinforcements were certainly welcomed, but Becker would not want them to leech troops off of Southard Dravania.

After Somerled would be taken care of, Becker had made plans to head back to Gystra for supplies, but the situation called for an immediate march to Kaldos. At least Erlend had the mind to improve the roads of Dravania.

That was the only positive thought of his brother in months. Each of them had lost a son to the other's forces, but both of them had been focused on the other's total destruction more than ever before. Becker was sure that Erlend would attempt to break through Garrion's defences and open the way to Floret, while Becker was forced to resort to the most dishonourable tactics in order to pacify Dravania.

In the meantime, Godred was recalled by King Gideon, to open a new front in Parma. Godred would make for a good wartime king, but in peacetime his abilities would have to be questioned. However, just as Thordan has Strandsor, Godred has the almost legendary Guido Aldabreschi at his side. The mouse was one of the few beasts to oppose Thordan Skyward of Parma openly and live to tell the tale - unscathed, even.

The last three generations of Swalestroms had fathered at least two sons, and the way was always clear. The elder would inherit the Southard possessions, and the younger would serve as an unofficial viceroy of Dravania. It only took a century until the whole system goes awry, with a Swalestrom cadet branch rebelling against King Gideon, and even an otter who nearly called himself King of Dravania. It is but an empty title at best, but it is beasts that honour titles, and not titles that honour beasts. As long as the otterpup does not call himself king, the situation in Dravania can still be settled peacefully. With the Stalwarts and Strandsors guiding Thordan's paws though, there was little hope. Godred, being able to outrank his brother, will cause few problems at home.

Loud footpaws entered Becker's tent, carrying an otter just as large as his pride. Lord Lorents Rueford has not drink much wine in particular (as opposed to Becker), so Becker felt safe to bring him along on campaign.

"Have you heard? Your nephew had made Alfyn Stalwart Lord of Meraholmer." Lord Rueford said with a smile.

"Really? Alfyn Stalwart? I thought that he would appoint some Dravanian native. I suppose Trielians do enjoy the pomp and ceremony."

"Well, Lord Becker, there was no such thing. The Regent made Stalwart Lord under a tree, or at least that is what the Kaldosians say."

"A tree? Really?" Becker nearly laughed aloud. "Well, for a Trielian, Thordan's humble enough."

"Too bad Somered doesn't share this trait. I'm afraid the only thing that would teach him who's King of Southsward will be with cold steel."

Becker laughed. "Mayhaps we should allow him three guesses? With that small brain of his, the Deilart just cannot remember names that clearly."

The laughter soon faded as the two otters' conversation turned to more serious matters. "How's Joar?"

"He'll be fine. I had assigned some new guards for him, and he responded to his mission with quite a bit of enthusiasm."

"He will succeed. I can assure you of that. At least, that's what my mind is telling me."

The two sat in tense silence for a while - a silence which Becker soon broke.

"How about more wine?"

"Great Seasons, Becker, you know I can't handle the bottle well." From Lord Rueford's silence emerged a smile.

"You know I don't need to."

TARALIS, BALSAMU, HIGH KINGDOM OF PARMA

Godred was welcomed by the lords of the Valeran League, but seemingly nobeast else.

Well, at least the League's 'lords' were welcoming him to their greatest abilities. Guido Aldabreschi was considered a living legend, with him being able to withstand the full might of Parma and all that.

The Valeran League's very purpose is to stop Parman expansion in its tracks, and its job seemed to be done with their victory over King Thordan, himself a figure of legends. Conceived in the reign of King Thordan the First, the League stalled Parman (or more accurately, Otharnese) influences from leaking into Ilsadia. After getting his army crushed in Valda almost a century prior, Thordan the First planned a compromise that the League would obey Parman will while being virtually independent, having possession of local jurisdiction and 'the right of kings themselves', whatever that meant. Of course, Lord Guido's ancestors intentionally let the phrase be worded very vaguely to make their rights seem as great as kings, but Guido took them in a vastly different direction.

Previous Kings of Parma are always Kings of Otharn who recieved a second coronation in the ruins of Old Parma, which empire reached from Mossflower to Vysparn. However, Guido used the League's 'rights' to elect their own King of Ilsadia, which in this case was Godred Swalestrom. After all, if Godred goes to Old Parma before anyone else, it would be Otharn's time to kneel before Ilsadia for the first time in six centuries.

However, Guido had his enemies, whether if they wanted to actually be his enemies or not. Niels Crestworth had declared himself King of Otharn but days ago, and Lorelei Skyward would have her own candidate - most likely one of her sons.

Ah, Lorelei. One single mention of the otter's name was able to send Lord Guido into the deepest of rages. Hatred for the Skywards ran deep in the League's veins, and this hatred extends towards all of that bloodline, even if they did not carry the name.

Corrado Truetide could be pinpointed as the one single beast Guido wants to drop dead the most. Him being heir to his paternal half-brother's property meant that the League was now isolated geographically by a single beast that had (incredibly good) reasons to hate them. As for Thordan Swalestrom, all that Godred could say was that he was in for a terrible fate if their fates ever crossed again. If Godred had no sword on him, he would simply use his knife, and if even that was not available, then he would crush Thordan with his teeth. Though Sigurd should not have died at Godred's paws back at Hildrinn in what had seemed like decades ago, Thordan would not be able to run from his fate like his sister did. He would die a quick death as seen in the likes of his brother - a traitor's luxury.

Guido's attendents bore with him a specific crown. The crown of King Istvan had been worn for generations of Jaysian kings, and Godred was never one to break tradition. The coronation had to be held in Ingolpart Shrine and be performed by the Palatine of Jayso, but Godred would be in Ingolpart in no time, with somebeast (like Raimon of Aldernan) could put the crown atop his head.

To be honest, Aldernan was a hard ally, with his whole realm being overrun with Parmans and all that. Raimon's sister is currently the best match for almost all eligible noble otters, with the exception of Godred's own sister. Rumour has it that Lady Beatritz was close to marrying two other lords aside from Godred himself, one of them being his half-crowned cousin, the other being Sverker Crestworth - the same beast who worked himself out of his prior betrothal to Bellamy.

Perhaps Lord Valdemar had a desire to play it safe, with him trying to rule Parma through his uncle and all that. After all, neutrality is an easy bet for the Kings of Parma, with them smiling and grinning, watching the action unfold across Obring Strait and The Sound.

But then, a decisively anti-Parman army had assembled on the island of Balsamu, where the rulers are more like chiefs than lords. The island itself used to be split into five parts, but of the five only two were left, the peace between them being kept by the League, and hence, Godred.

Of course, being crowned King of Balsamu was a contingency plan, but this chance of using Guido's little backup plan is rising day by day. The wind refuses to change, leaving the Valeran host trapped on a weird, mountainous island where water supplies were lacking.

In effect, they were basically a beached whale, yet on a much, much larger scale.

VARGO, LORDSHIP OF VARGO, KINGDOM OF OTHARN, HIGH KINGDOM OF PARMA

"Let me get this straight," Palatine Corrado stared straight at his mother. "While you were off into the mountains enjoying yourself, Niels, of all otters, just got a crown on top of his head, and the Hellgates League just pops up in Balsamu?"

Queen Lorelei had raised both of her sons to be strong. While Thordan's had failed, Corrado's had backfired in a manner most spectacular. He was one of three individuals who could stand up to her, the other being Old King Thordan and the mysterious Isangrim who cannot seem to afford himself some attention.

Ah, Isangrim. From the moment he bonded Lorelei, the otterwife had started to make him suffer, unintentionally or otherwise. It helped with managing him, though it was some sort of (admittedly, very) petty revenge for doing that to her without permission. Besides, it was good to see the fox be out of commission after her wedding night with Erlend. He managed to get himself (and by extension, her as well) all too drunk two days later, as some sort of retribution.

Aside from the circumstances from when they first met, and all the misadventures that they had since then, they managed to build up some sort of professional relationship. They were not friends, of course, but Lorelei had begun to see Isangrim as a part of herself, if only a bit more on the ignorant side. It also helped that Lorelei was not the first 'insane dragon queen' that Isangrim had served - at least that was what he claimed. He and Matoya had always had a superb relationship, though she passed when he was all too young.

"Mother?" Corrado's strong voice shook her back to reality.

"Ah, yes. Niels was a mistake, but while Valdemar has Niels by his side, I have you." Lorelei smiled at her son. Corrado Truetide may have been a thorn in her side at some times, but here he was useful.

At least, that was what Lorelei had convinced herself.

"I do not think so, Mother." The otterlord spat out the last word as if it was some phlegm stuck in his throat. "I have no intention of being king."

"But why?"

"I have no intention of being a puppet. As you might know by experience, I am not Thordan, and I have no wish at all to be made into him."

"And give up a crown?" Lorelei realised her mistake too late. 'Never be smug' was never in the rules of diplomacy, but Lorelei keeps falling into the holes she had dug herself.

"Yes. Let Crestworth beggar himself bribing electors. Once we worm our way back into Niels' favour, we shall surely have the upper paw. On the other paw, we have Godred Swalestrom on Balsamu, waiting for the wind to change while we do nothing."

Lorelei was quite aware that her own son was trying to change the subject from right under her snout, but the young Swalestrom was a problem."Godred is nothing but a spoiled pissant who is better suited to wear a cap than a crown. His allies will surely tire of him sooner or later."

"Corrado, he has your son's crown! Gates, you have no sense of timing, do you not? He wants to usurp your son's place, and probably yours and mine as well, not to mention Aldabreschi whispering orders into Swalestrom's ear every two seconds!"

The young otterlord walked towards a door. "I am aware that Godred poses a danger, and I have formulated a strategy well enough to defeat him once and for all. In the meantime, there is someone I want you to meet."

With a mighty pull the door opened, revealing a young vermin. Lorelei expected Eduard, the spoony bard that he was, but the figure proved otherwise. His armour had no place for a bard, and his sword was too expensive for one anyway.

The weasel knelt in front of the otterqueen while Corrado continued to speak. "Mother, this is Arn Skulason, leader of the Southpaws Band of mercenary vermin. I assume you had met his brother Egil in Ravesvakt, had you?"

ORIENCE, DUCHY OF DEILART, KINGDOM OF TRIEL

With her two brothers both going to war, Vega had enough to worry about.

Admittedly, Orience was a beautiful city with wonderful beasts living in it, not like the dour and dank swamp castles of Burelas. With the city becoming more and more mercantile, different sorts of beasts began to crowd in, even without the Southards. Dark-furred Ilsadian appear in a street, and across a block you can see Valnainers with their cheerful gazes. Borellers with their stone-stoic faces and native Trielians lived side by side, often advertising their wares in the loudest of ways possible.

But no beast was as strange as Lady Morag. With an overabundance of brothers (two is actually a lot), Vega never realised how much she needed company of a more familiar sort. Morag served as a surrogate sister to Vega in her time in Orience. Where Vega was quiet and preferred the attention of her kin and friends (and nobeast else), Morag was boisterous and reaped attention like farmers did with wheat. Her father and uncle were both fed up with her antics, especially those involving the vermin that she owned.

Despite not understanding each other, the pair got along like they were born from the same mother (which, of course they were not). The Boreller maiden was the only squirrel able to keep Morag down for more than a second, and the Deilarn gave Vega some sort of vitality she was not born with.

"So your younger brother just went to get a Captain and drag him back to justice? How heroic of him! It's just like the knightly tales of old!"

Vega shook her head. "Denebas had read too much of them back in Burelas, I fear. This is just foolish and nonsensical! Leaving everything behind to go after one person? That's just silly!"

"Ah well, your other brother's a bit more sensible, I hope. He's one of King Garmund's most trusted creatures. You know, Randyll of Limse being shady as usual and my father being, you know."

"Well, just a teeny little bit, I think. Let's hope he actually does something important."

SORLANN, LORDSHIP OF SVARTEMYRR, KINGDOM OF SOUTHSWARD

"Wait. They are actually real." King Somerled's brows furrowed at the thought. "They are real, and not tales used to frighten little children."

"Cor-rect!" Amalrik laughed with his ever-present cheerfulness and liveliness - traits that Somerled never possessed, though his daughter did. "And you're one of them! Lucky you!"

Somerled's eyes widened almost to the size of grapefruits, earning a surprised stare from Amalrik and his stoat bodyguard. The stoat never spoke to him, and somehow carried himself like a noble did, with the two-pawed longsword and all. Pathetic. All vermin were not good enough for titles and riches, but Parmans just loved to mess with the existing state of affairs, did they not?

"Tell me, healer, gambler, or whatever. What can I do with such 'outlandish abilities' that I possess somehow?"

'Well, you can sense the weather, for starters." The otter rubbed his cards.

"Or you can just look up." The stoat remarked, saying his first sentence in what seemed like eternities. "Saves the time and energy."

Before Somerled could slay the vermin for his insolence, the otter continued to speak. "Or you can just create rainstorms, or make trees and crops grow faster."

"Enough! Anything useful?"

"Well, you can create winds as big as a few hundred spans. Care for a demonstration?"

"Well yes-" The red squirrel barely finished his order before the entire tent the three was in was suddenly flung into the air, all while the otter grinned diabolically, while the squirrel and the stoat just stood there with mouths agape.

"I know now." The stoat simply said. "I know why the tales are told."

Somerled wanted to say something, but failed as the tent collapsed on him. When he awoke, Amalrik was there, with a faint glow in his paw.

'Ah, I see that you're awake. Mostly - whatever," the otter smiled gently - or at least he attempted to. "Healing is also an ability us Conjurers have as well, if you did not know. As you may know, vermin can destroy stuff better than woodlanders, but us Conjurers are always there to restore the damage they do."

"So we cannot just breath out fire? Or just explode Southards into little bits?"

"Apparently not. But our healing abilities surpass theirs by about tenfold." The otter smiled like a fish seeing bait on a hook, but with no fisherbeast reeling it in.

"What can healing do?" Somerled raged as he threw a chair at the stoat, which he dodged. "I mean, vermin get the powers that are needed in a war, while we get the agricultural ones? It's just not how things work!"

"Anything short of death can be healed," the otter said. His smile soon faded away, leaving only an almost morose look - a first for the otter. 'But death is nothing to fear, for salvation is at paw."

A/N: Finally! Another chapter done, and the last I have done before the opening of a new school year. Now, we see these responses…

Sebias: Finally you get that reference! How long I have waited... Rathor is from The Chains that Bind Us, and I am glad you like Jade's character! (He's one of the best badgerlords to ever appear in fanfiction, and I don't think I am worthy to write him...) I am not proud of that parley scene, but Lorcan needs his moments in the limelight. As for the battle, you have one week to wait - it's the darkest chapter I have written for a reason.

Grey: Egil and Alfyn not killing each other? Yeah, cause for celebration enough. As for Rathor, won't you be surprised when someone wants to get your most precious possession, an ancestral weapon, and asks to sleep with it? You'll be shocked as well. The Wheel of Time books inspired me a lot when creating this system, and you'll see what they can do all too soon. Pressuring is a really good ability to have when you dabble in politics, and Lorelei isn't exactly ethical with her use of magic... And you'll get more seer gatherings. That's a promise.

We get to see a chapter without Thordan and company - the first in a very long time. Just some random piece of useless trivia! Don't worry though! They'll be back soon - alongside another missing presence!

Chapter 25 (Steel Reason) will be up on 25/26 September!