CHAPTER 25: Compromise
Kurt felt his tribe's sovereignty slip gradually from his hands. He was in a dangerous predicament, in an intimidating environment. Alfa Yurlin, surrounded by his closest two vikings, deliberately stood there to scare Kurt into signing the demands, wasn't budging: Kurt would either sign these demands or face imminent invasion.
"Can we make a compromise?" Kurt gulped, as the glance of Yurlin fired through like a rocket.
"This is the compromise, Chieftan. There's nothing left to discuss!"
Kurt had to think, fast. The Northern Markets Chieftan was scrambling in his head to think of a compromise that'd satisfy the hunger of Yurlin to annex his island. He still hadn't signed the demands. He didn't want to sign the demands and he was trying to delay doing so, both for the hope of thinking of a compromise for Yurlin but also because they were extremely draconian, aggressive, and ruthless. No Chieftan would ever succumb their tribe to such demands.
"As I say, no tribe on this archipelago will help you. This is our way of ending the tensions. Hiccup Haddock will join me in the great alliance against the Warlords, there's no way he'll come to save you! and what is there to be saved from? we're your liberators, Chieftan, not invaders, these demands will go a long way!"
"I've got an idea..." Kurt said, his voice shaking and stuttering, "I know you feel strongly about this, Yurlin...I truly do. But this surely requires the consent of the vikings on my island?"
"We've already heard the consent, they want us to restore order and eradicate the possibility of the unvikings emerging!" Yurlin replied back.
"Okay, okay...just hear me out. Instead of these demands, how about this..."
Alfa Yurlin crossed his palms together on the table. He cleared his throat as he curiously looked at Kurt the Kourageous, wondering what he was about to propose. Yurlin knew he had him squirming like a prey, but he figured he'd allow him to propose whatever idea he had anyways.
"What if I was to go back to my island...and what if we held...a plebiscite?"
Krimm Hiss and Herrick Herald looked at each other with surprise. Yurlin subsequently looked at his top two vikings before returning his stare at Kurt.
"A what?" he asked Kurt.
"A plebiscite. We hold ourselves a vote across our island, and it wouldn't be on these demands...but I think to settle this question you desire to have answered...on whether our tribe should become absorbed into yours."
Kurt gulped the heaviest he'd ever gulped before. He was taking a huge risk with this, proposing such an idea to Yurlin, because he knew it'd give off the impression to Yurlin that what he was doing was within his rights and not a violent breach of the tribe's sovereignty, but he had a good idea of who he was dealing with.
It was yet again another act of appeasement, but the idea was so out there and out of the blue, Yurlin was actually stopped in his tracks. He hadn't ever considered a plebiscite before.
"Elaborate further."
"Me and my council," Kurt continued, "will schedule a day where all of our vikings vote on a yes/no type of question proposed under this plebiscite. The question that we'll propose will be something along the lines of 'Do you agree with the proposal that our tribe should be unified with the Ancient Tribe, whereby such a unification means we will become another part of that tribe under Alfa Yurlin's leadership?' and all of my vikings will have the chance to vote either yes or no on a small bit of paper. We will count all of those answers at the end of the day which will solve this question hopefully once and for all?"
Kurt hated having to talk in favourable terms about the Ancients, but he felt like he had no other choice at this point, if it meant protecting his tribe from invasion. And he was serious about holding the plebiscite on his island, because he knew the tribe would vote heavily against it. Such unity would deter Yurlin, and that's the gamble Kurt was relying on.
Yurlin looked like he was pondering the idea. He looked at the table and had a deep stare at the wooden material, not a single word was uttered. Herrick Herald and Krimm Hiss both remained where they were as the silence quickly overtook the atmosphere.
After a few minutes, Yurlin looked back up to Kurt.
"This is something that...I could consider."
Kurt was taken by surprise at Yurlin's words.
"I just think it'll solve this once and for all between us, Chief," Kurt replied, getting a slight boost of energy in his voice from the pleasant surprise of Yurlin being open to it, "it really does feel like the best of both worlds for ourselves."
Alfa Yurlin nodded. The Ancient Chieftan seemed on board with the idea. Not least because it'd actually allow the vikings of the Northern Market to have their say. A plebiscite to him was something that he could totally accept, and it seemed like it'd be the idea that'd make him back off from any further aggression against the tribe.
"I'll tell you something, Chieftan, you have surprised me with this. I think this'll be the thing that, as you say, answers the question of the problem once and for all. For what it's worth, please take those demands back with you as we sail you home."
"We're ending the meeting now?" Krimm Hiss said, surprised by the swift conclusion.
"Indeed," Yurlin replied, "this Chieftan has come up with a solution where my patience can be rested upon, I was losing it before now! My tribesmen will sail you back home, Chieftan. Undertake this plebiscite and I will be closely watching as your tribe has its say. Every action I've taken so far has been out of a sole desire to protect this archipelago from the unvikings and the Warlords, you do understand this?"
"Absolutely sir Yurlin, I completely get it."
"So when you come to hold this plebiscite, make sure that part of my goal is highlighted! Let us quickly wrap up and get you going home, come on up men!"
Everyone in the hall stood up from their chairs. Kurt was incredibly energetic internally as Yurlin's acceptance had given him relief and a sense of optimism. If this plebiscite goes well, it could very well put a halt to Yurlin's ambitions, territorial and such. He couldn't wait for the tribe to vote against it.
"Like I say," Yurlin said, gesturing for Kurt to follow him to the large wooden doors, "make sure this vote is held with fairness. And if it is truly the will of your vikings to remain as they are, we will respect their desire."
It felt a lot more assuring to hear that from Yurlin himself than some other Ancient viking, not least because Yurlin was head of the Ancient Tribe viking armada & troops and his word was their command. Kurt couldn't believe how easily Yurlin had come around to accepting this proposal he'd just come up with out of the blue, when only five minutes ago he was pressuring him to sign the demands.
"I just wanted to say," Kurt said, as five Ancient vikings emerged from the large wooden doors to escort Kurt out, "thank you so much, sir Yurlin, for your understanding."
Kurt raised his hand out to Yurlin and the two men shook hands. Yurlin nodded as Kurt couldn't help but maintain a big smile on his face.
"No no, thank you, Chieftan. You've made a good decision, it means I can carry on! my desire is not aggression or anything territorial, but merely to keep this archipelago free of the unviking virus that Drago and his men and all his enablers personify. The Northern Market question will be solved before we know it!"
The five Ancient vikings who came out of the large wooden door had surrounded Kurt the Kourageous from behind, as they were ready to escort him through the heavily guarded hallways of the hall of Ancient Island, and through to the outside. They were to take him to the docks where he'd be sailed back to the Northern Market islands.
"Take care, Chief!" Kurt said, his voice sounding higher pitched as relief and optimism echoed from his lungs.
"Likewise, it's been good to meet you!"
The Ancient guards escorted Kurt out, and the large wooden doors were shut once again. Instantly, Yurlin paced back over to the table and slammed his palms onto the top of it, the collision making a large thud in the process.
"How DARE he not only reject MY demands, but propose to hold what will be a RIGGED vote on the inevitable?!" Yurlin moaned outloud.
Herrick Herald and Krimm Hiss walked over to their leader as he glared at the table, fists laid flat on it.
"Sir...the audacity is shocking. He just doesn't get it, does he? that naive Chieftan just now?" Hiss said, to which Yurlin looked up at him.
"I am not dumb. Nor am I complacent. I know exactly what he's going to do. He's going to hold that plebiscite, it'll be rigged, but you know what? we will NEVER recognize the result as legitimate or fair. I CANNOT let him hold it."
"He's now under the impression that he can hold it with legitimacy," said Hiss, "but to do so would be undermining what we're trying to do here."
Yurlin was seriously angry. Not least because he knew deep down that if the tribe was to vote against a unification with the Ancients, it'd make him look undermined across the whole archipelago and it'd make him look weak in the eyes of his main ideological opponents - Drago Bludvist and the Warlords. But also Hiccup Haddock and the rest of the archipelago. It'd undermine whatever 'legitimate' claims he could make up about taking the Northern Market under his umbrella and absorbing it.
He wasn't just angry, he was furious. He didn't want to let Kurt have the chance to hold the plebiscite. The dictator Chieftan was even more angry that Kurt had flat out rejected his demands, leaving here without even signing them.
"Herrick?" Yurlin called, looking to his deputy Chieftan, the second most powerful viking in the whole tribe, "prepare our troops overnight and brief them."
Alfa Yurlin leaned up straight and looked directly at Herrick Herald as he gave off the order.
"We're going to send in the men to that island tomorrow, before he gets the chance to hold the plebiscite. I'm not holding back anymore, and I will not stand by whilst he and his tribe try to undermine me and their true will with a rigged vote. We must strike before they get the chance."
Herrick Herald nodded at Yurlin's order, and he set off to brief the army of Ancient vikings conscripted forcefully to undertake Yurlin's territorial ambitions.
The order was simple. The invasion of the Northern Market islands was set to take place tomorrow, before any vote could be held. Yurlin was desperate to send his vikings in to stop it, and he'd decided that upon the 'liberation' of the island, the plebiscite would take place whilst they occupied the island.
In other words, Yurlin was set to enact his second territorial grab. He straight up lied to Kurt just now, and was furious that he'd 'undermined' him and by proposing to hold what he thought, regardless, would be a rigged vote.