CHAPTER 22: Replacement
Back on the Northern Market islands, the assassination had stopped everything on the island. The nature of how it occurred, the clear orchestrated style behind it, and the brutality, caused a sense of unification.
The Ancient Tribe supporting vikings on the island who shot Erick the Everlasting with a crossbow had been swiftly dispatched of, shot in their heads, by leading Northern Market vikings who were closely associated to Erick the Everlasting. Shortly after that, the entire island had guarded off the hut in which Erick was killed.
But there was a new problem afoot - there was no Chieftan. The assassination brought all of the tribe together in unity, but there was a sense of anxiety in the air. Nobody knew for sure what the Yurlin regime was going to do next. Their hope was that the overseas reaction and condemnation of the assassination was enough to stop them. But this was the same tribe that had boldly marched onto Old Berk and nothing happened.
So appointing a new Chieftan to the tribe, as paramount as it was, was also going to involve having to pick the 'right' Chieftan in light of the threat faced in the form of the Ancients. And that was the discussion the council was having in their hall right now.
All of the former associates of Erick the Everlasting, all the wide bearded vikings of the tribe in the council, had gathered around a rectangle wooden table in the hall, closely guarded by numbers of fellow vikings. There seemed to be no sort of action or rioting following the assassination from the Northern Market Ancients, which had provided hope that the condemnation from the other tribes had been enough to take the gears off Alfa Yurlin's drive towards annexation of their island.
"Right gentlemen, this choice will matter to us. We need a new Chieftan," the top council viking said, "and as vikings, we must be pragmatic about this - the Ancient Tribe is still falsely claiming that they're facing persecution from us...we need someone to stand up to them."
A lot of the vikings in the hall took off their steel helmets and placed them on the table. Many of them on paper thought that was a good idea, to appoint a Chieftan who'd stand up to the Ancients.
The only problem was that they knew full well that was exactly what Erick was - he stood up to the Ancients and promised to defend their sovereignty and right to exist as a tribe in the face of an aggressive dictatorial viking in Yurlin, and he paid the price for it in the end. And a lot of these vikings in the meeting had kids and wives who they wanted to bring up as independent compassionate vikings for the future.
Which was primarily why they were so concerned about just plucking a random Chieftan from the air who'd claim to stand up to the Ancients. The assassination shook everyone up in the hall, not least Erick's wife and family who were being secretly protected in an unknown area on the island, hidden away, at their request. Being shook up like that made them fearful and unable to comprehend putting forward another Chieftan who'd fall victim to Yurlin's threats.
"It is such a regretful situation on this Barbaric Archipelago," said one of the vikings, "that we're having to pick a Chieftan who we can trust to hold back a man in Alfa Yurlin who wants to absorb us into his criminal tribe. Even in our past we'd never treated fellow vikings with that contempt."
There was broad agreement this time on that particular statement.
"We should be picking the Chieftan based on the family blood...but we can't even do that now, we're becoming a bloody mess!" another viking said.
One name that was emerging was Kurt the Kourageous, he was a pragmatic Northern Market viking that had been loyal to Erick. The pragmatic side of him was resonating with the council because they felt like their Chieftan had to give in to some of the Ancient Tribe's demands in order to make them back off.
Which was again another sad state of affairs. A tribe selecting a Chieftan on the basis of them giving in to the demands of an outside tribe hungry to take them over, in the hopes they'd back off and leave them alone. The question was whether such an appointment would actually deter Alfa Yurlin's ambitions.
"I think..." Kurt said, sitting at the very end of the hall, "I'd be willing to put myself forward. But with the understanding that we do our best not to antagonize the Ancients and to work with them to solve our issues at hand."
There was one audible objection in the form of an angry groan from one of the council vikings, about the only one who objected to Kurt's appointment.
"Our issues? it's THEIR issues, they're the ones who started all of this, we didn't cause anything. We're being bullied unprovoked and we've just had our Chieftan killed on OUR island. Why should we work and appease a criminal group like the Ancients?"
"If you just let me FINISH," Kurt said, briefly developing a stern tone in his voice, "I'll justify my reasoning. It's not that we've caused any problems, it's the contrary. We're being targeted unprovoked under false reasoning given by the Ancients, that we're somehow persecuting their own vikings, which is a made up lie and entirely fake in itself. And I HATE that we'd have to succumb to some of their demands, but what's the alternative?"
"The alternative is that we don't appease? That's quite obvious right?"
Kurt had no viable answer to that. The reality was, he was about to be appointed Chieftan under the banner of precisely that - appeasement. They knew, despite the outcry over the assassination, that they weren't out of the woods just yet when it came to the Ancients. But nobody was truly prepared to admit that was the case here.
Because they feared for their independence as a tribe. They wanted anyone, just ANYONE, from the other tribes, to step in and take action against Yurlin for what was a vile attempt at destroying the existence of a sovereign tribe.
"Gentlemen, is it settled then that this council appoints Kurt the Kourageous as our new Chieftan?" one of the top leading council vikings of the Northern Markets said.
There was an unanimous agreement bar a couple of vikings in the hall. The matter was settled. Kurt the Kourageous was the new Chieftan of the Northern Market island. He instantly wanted to give a speech to everyone on the island in regards to his plans for the future of the tribe in light of the assassination. He wanted to calm their fears, and prevent any possible explanation coming up from the Ancients to justify a possible annexation of their island.
Alfa Yurlin was closed off inside his hall on Ancient Island with his two top vikings in Krimm Hiss and Herrick Herald. The hall was heavily guarded by members of the Ancient Tribe fighting vikings. They were discussing what to do after the assassination had failed to bring down the Northern Market tribe. Yurlin was advised to hold back after the widespread condemnation from the Hooligans in particular.
"As far as I'm aware," Yurlin proclaimed, "the other tribe's reactions have been words and not actually action against us, correct?"
"That's correct, my leader. From what we've gathered, there's going to be another summit of sorts on New Berk between Hiccup and our rather cowardly fellow vikings from the Berserkers and Outcasts and Wingmaidens."
The Ancient Tribe Chieftan was surprised at the rate at which Hiccup was having these meetings.
"This boy is surrounding himself with cowards of the worst caliber. What does he expect to achieve? the Wingmaidens are also not a legitimate tribe, they have no right to exist as a tribe given their status as women! totally susceptible to the unvikings, and we must deal with that question another day!"
Alfa Yurlin's words resonated with his top two vikings in the hall. The Wingmaidens were going to be another 'question' dealt with at another time. For now, the Northern Markets were the priority.
"Clearly, my leader," said Krimm Hiss, "he must have some doubts about our goal of protecting this archipelago from the poison of unvikingism and Warlordism."
"This is why on countless occasions I have proposed a treaty between ourselves and the Hooligans...so we can build up a great big alliance against the Warlords! he must come around one day, because he knows war would be a terrible mistake. Nonetheless, what of the new Chieftan?" Yurlin asked, in regards to Kurt the Kourageous.
"He seems to be a bit smarter than his predecessor, my leader," said Herrick Herald, the deputy Chieftan of the Ancient Tribe, "but the question of the Northern Market problem remains."
Alfa Yurlin started wandering around the hall pondering what to do. He was angered at the fact the Northern Markets had shot the supporters who assassinated Erick. With them appointing a new Chieftan, he had to think out of the box to achieve what he wanted.
"Let me be absolutely clear gentlemen," said Yurlin, "this question is not going away. This new Chieftan will never be able to justify what is clearly a persecution and hostile propaganda towards our tribe, and for what? because we want to protect this archipelago from the Warlords?!"
"Indeed my leader, dear Chieftan, the persecution is disgusting and rotten. Their tribe is going to face levels of disorder and disunity until the will of their vikings, which is us coming to their rescue, is fulfilled!"
Rather than taking immediate action i.e an invasion, Yurlin decided to twist things around a bit, especially in light of the reaction from the Hooligans in regards to the assassination. Yurlin wasn't even bothered on a human level about the fact he'd basically ordered the assassination of a viking who had a family. He was just absolutely determined to solve this 'question'.
"We must keep our eye on this tribe. And I must meet up with this new Chieftan, the tension is building up and I have to say, I will not be standing by any longer whilst the wrongful persecution of our vikings on their island is ongoing. Send a delegation to their island on my behalf, I want to meet up with this so called Chieftan and talk of a way forwards to ensure the tension drops. This question will not be resolved any other way."
"I'm on it, my leader. I'll send a couple of our men from the barges to sail to their island, and we will extend the invitation."
"How goes Berk? has there been any reports of any hidden unvikings or vile Warlords on that island?" Yurlin asked.
"That appears to be going well as well sir," said Herrick Herald, "we have fully liberated Berk and it is now a militarized island to ensure the safety of our archipelago."
"Our efforts must not halt, gentlemen. The great war is coming and nobody can stand in my way of preparing for it, as we face the ultimate devil in the Warlords themselves!" Yurlin said.
The reality was, Alfa Yurlin was justifying all of his actions on 'liberating' or 'protecting' the tribe from the Warlords and the 'unvikings'. But the more he agitates tribes, the more he takes land, the more it becomes obvious to everyone outside the Ancient Tribe what Yurlin is truly doing here - the creation of a unified Barbaric Archipelago under his draconian dictatorship, to combat the Warlords, at the expense of sovereign and innocent vikings.
The question was whether anyone would have the spine to realize the true horrors of the extent Yurlin had in mind of achieving this.