CHAPTER 12: Aftermath
Eret and Gobber had long been sailed off Ancient Island following their meeting with Alfa Yurlin, who was pretty upbeat about the way the meeting went. So much so, that he had commissioned his council to produce a new set of 'laws' for the Ancient vikings to obey.
Specifically, addressing the unvikings within the tribe. In Yurlin's opinion, some of his own vikings were unvikings. With as much power and authority as Yurlin had, nothing could stop him at this point. Justification didn't matter - he was the leader and the Chieftan - any supposed unvikings within the tribe were now under danger, and nothing could be done about it.
The costs of allowing a nationalist and rabble-rouser of Yurlin's type to become Chieftan weren't clear to the Ancient vikings just yet - not the vast majority anyways, but sooner rather than later it'd surely become more than clear, beginning with these laws the council was about to agree on unanimously.
The reason why the Ancient council was now starting to bring these tribe laws forwards regarding the unvikings was precisely because of the meeting Yurlin just had with Eret and Gobber - good relations between the tribes, in Yurlin's point of view, meant dealing with the very vikings who caused the world to be modernized and those who created the alienation that fueled the rise of the hated Grimmel and Drago.
And the very vikings who ultimately contributed to Stoick the Vast's death due to Drago's rise.
Yurlin knew Hiccup hated Drago and his irk, so he considered these laws to not only be a bridge further towards an Ancient-Hooligan treaty, but a pushing of his own genuine ideological hatred of Drago - after all, one part of Yurlin's agenda as he wrote in his book some years back was to gather living space at the expense of the unvikings - especially including Drago and the Warlords.
"It is agreed then, gentlemen and fellow councilors," said Herrick Herald, as he concluded the meeting regarding the new laws, "for the wellbeing and protection of the Ancient viking blood, for the sake of ensuring Drago's irk as well as Grimmel's never breeds again due to causing the hostility and suffering they did, as well as anyone infected with their beliefs, subconsciously or not, and enabling them, these laws will come into force starting from tomorrow."
The entire council room thundered the wooden tables with thumping hands - there was cheering among the Ancient council as they hit the palm of their hands up and down on the wooden table almost like a giant drum roll - celebrating the creation of the new laws in a big escalation of the Yurlin regime's handling of 'unvikings'.
The actual law was titled 'The Law for the Prevention of Unviking breeding and beliefs'. Below was the full treaty of the law that was to be pinned onto most huts across the village, wooden poles, wells, hall doors, everywhere for the tribe to see so they could be in no doubt.
It was a law that, once you read it, was nothing like anyone or any Chieftan in the archipelago had seen before. Nothing of its scale came from even Drago or Grimmel.
The Law for the Prevention of Unviking breeding and Beliefs
1. Partnerships, marriages between unvikings and vikings of the Ancient Tribe are strictly forbidden. This addition to the tribe law also states that any marriages, any husbands and wives who happen to be connected with an unviking, are void and will not be recognised. Should anyone try marrying an unviking across the seas, this law still recognises the illegitimate status. No viking and unviking can be husband and wife, wherever they are.
2. Any such defiance is to be reported. Left ignored, many others will be seen as complicit in enabling these illegitimate marriages.
3. Ancient-born vikings and unvikings, as friends, outside-relationship bonds or links, are forbidden in the tribe.
4. Any viking caught defying the #1 paragraph of this law will be punished. Hard labour in a working camp will suffice and will be ordered.
5. Any viking caught defying #1 and #3, repeatedly after multiple offences of the law, will face more than labour and will be locked up in these camps for re-education. Isolation from family and friends for their own safety will be served for any given time by the council based on the individual case(s).
6. Herrick Herald, Deputy Chieftan of the Ancient Tribe, will arrange new measures for the implementation of this law. Numerous council vikings will be on patrol across our island and such patrols will be limitless. No huts will be left unchecked.
The Leader and Chieftan of the Ancient tribe, Alfa Yurlin, has emphatically approved the motion for this law and it will come into force instantly. The safety of the tribe from the unvikings is paramount for our Chieftan. Our Yurlin!
On the docks of Ancient Island, old looking vikings with brown cigars in their mouths were throwing rods out to the seas, catching fish. The docks consisted of many wooden platforms which led out to the seas, and the smell of cigars were rife in the air. Heavy, chuckling voices from wide and big older vikings could be heard.
These vikings were having the time of their lives - they were obligated under Yurlin's new council to do stuff like hunting, catching fish, and so on. It gave them a renewed sense of purpose, and as a result, not only were they well fed unlike in the past where little incentives were there to do this stuff, but so were their wives, children, and the tribe as a whole.
These older vikings absolutely adored Yurlin as a result - they were more than happy to use 'Our Yurlin' as a morning and evening greeting, and do all the robotic praising and admirations of Yurlin as long as they continued to live the lives they now had within their tribe.
Baskets of cod, salmon and trouts were being carried by tens of thick width Ancient vikings to and from the docks. At land, hundreds of Ancient vikings were carrying weapons, rods, and supplies to their respective huts. All the while, hundreds of chatting voices were heard across the environment.
Life was just normal for the tribe - despite the Yurlin council's new laws - it felt like nothing had phased them. The life of prosperity and feeling like true vikings had evidently been more than enough for them.
Rumours had spread among the vikings about the meeting between their Chieftan and two representatives of the Hairy Hooligan tribe in Eret and Gobber. The fishermen had somehow got onto that topic and started talking about it as they continued swaying their baits into the roaring seas.
"Careful lad, put that cod in the basket before we lose em!" said one of the fishers.
The cod was swiftly picked up and thrown into the wooden barrel where all the caught fish were to be kept.
"What do you all think about the meeting?" one of the fishermen asked his fellow vikings.
It was at this point that all the vikings had to be extremely careful about what they were saying - the council had sent out undercover vikings to monitor conversations in case any of them breached the decree.
"I think it's fantastic, you know?" one of the other fishermen replied, as he started rolling his fishing line back in from the ice cold seas, "we're on a quest to rid the world of the same people who caused the battles and conflicts enabled by Drago. I trust our Chieftan to make the right decision in regards to them!"
"Aye, fella, aye indeed. The Chief is a well wised up man, I've never known myself to worship someone so much!"
All of the fishermen continued talking about Yurlin and how much they admired their Chieftan.
"We're making our voices known to these other tribes. I do feel sympathy for the Hooligans as does our Chieftan, maybe there's a route for us both to come together to cancel Drago the unviking enemy!" another fisherman said.
"That'll be our second coming!"
As the roaring winds of the docks passed through all the vikings like a giant wave, the scent of seaweed from the oceans could be smelled in the air. They continued talking as they set out to achieve their quota of caught fish for the tribe as set out by the council.
The fishermen were incredibly in awe of Yurlin, feeling as though he had put a stomp on the archipelago in eventually trying to curb the unvikings and end Drago's whole ideology for the sake of everlasting world peace. Life was great on Ancient Island, as long as you followed the rules.
However, for some vikings, they were utterly terrified to put one word wrong.
It was night time on Ancient Island, and it had been a day where the council's vikings had conducted their patrols, marching into the huts of all their vikings, trying to pick out anything that might've come under an unviking item, weapon, or overall characteristic. Inside one of the medium sized wooden huts was a family of four - a wife, husband, and their two young viking boys.
The husband's name was Krugg Kalvicious, the wife was Olvich Kalvicious - both were relatively middle aged vikings.
The two boys, their sons, aged 11 and 12 respectively, were forcefully taking part in the mandatory camping sessions laid out by the council which had called for all the young men and boys of the tribe to be trained to fight, camp, survive for themselves, and to use weapons and smith them - all for the sake of, in the word of the council, being able to fight for the survival of the Ancient Tribe if it had ever come to that.
The two parents were completely horrified at what their tribe had turned into over the past five years since Alfa Yurlin came to power and became Chieftan. They couldn't comprehend why all their friends, all their fellow vikings that they knew, had fallen for the deadly appeal of Yurlin, enabling him to take away their rights and their freedoms for the sake of a fallacy of peace - peace which, to this family's perspective, wasn't going to last precisely because of Yurlin himself.
But they dared not speak out about any of that, because they'd be punished for it. And now the new law imposed upon the tribe, the one dealing with unvikings and Ancient Viking marriages, only made them more apprehensive and terrified.
"Mark my words," Krugg said, as he lit up a few wooden candles around the hut, "we're all going to be dead before we know it. This chap who's now our Chieftan is a tyrant, and the fact our two sons have to get physically tired every day because of him makes me want to go up to the council and give him a piece of my mind!"
His wife was incredibly apprehensive. The new law imposed upon the tribe by the council, 'The Law for the Prevention of unviking Breeding and Beliefs' was not only archaic, but incredibly dangerous. The whole definition of unviking was loosely defined. So much so that they feared their marriage could easily be questioned and potentially become a threat to their lives.
"Please babe, just keep quiet...none of us want to end up in those horrible camps. For the sake of the boys, please..." Olvich pleaded, fearful for her husband's life as all viking young men were conscripted into the viking army.
"I'm dead serious, what, they want us to end any marriages that they deem to be inappropriate because of the unvikings? unvikings isn't even a word, but if it was a word, let me tell you - YURLIN would be the unviking, not Drago Bludvist."
"Babe, please..." his wife pleaded, looking at the front door of the hut as she feared anyone outside listening and hearing what was being said.
Because if any of the council had heard this, the whole family in the hut would probably be taken in and questioned, at the mercy of the council. With Yurlin being a dictator rather than an accountable Chieftan and given the camps were more or less an open secret, being taken in to be questioned was basically a sentence to near death.
And the council had ordered under the decree for any friends, family, or nearby vikings to report on any breaching of the decree, whether it be making jokes about Yurlin, talking against him, mocking him, anything like that was severely punishable. None of the two boys, their mum and dad, were going to do that.
"Come on," he said to his wife, "you're forced to stay in the hut all day...you're not allowed to be outside watching the boys, you have to be making food all day and they want us to have more kids. I have to go out there and potentially fight in an army I never asked to be apart of. What kind of tribe submits itself to this sort of treatment?! first, they'll come for those 'unvikings', and before we all know it, they'll come for us!"
"I just hope and pray...Drago Bludvist can save us. Or Hiccup Haddock. This tyranny is going to destroy our lives and I..." the mother of the two boys started tearing up, "I fear for them..." she pointed at her two sons.
Krugg walked up to her and gently hugged her and their sons.
"I promise you three..." he said, "I am going to do whatever it takes to destroy this man. We'll have to play his game...but he's the unviking in this world for treating his own tribe this way...not Drago Bludvist, not Hiccup Haddock, Alfa is the unviking here."
The family embraced inside the warm comforts of their hut as night time struck on Ancient Island with its pitch black environment. Krugg deliberately called Yurlin by his first name to undermine his whole authority not only in front of his two sons, but his wife, Olvich, who was absolutely terrified to the point she was bawling in his arms right now.
That was how dire some of the Ancient vikings felt about Yurlin - that they preferred Drago Bludvist over him. Time would only tell as to whether anything of the sort could be proven right. They felt trapped, isolated, and fearful of their lives as more and more draconian acts came into their lives under Yurlin.