Kingdom's Fall

Chapter 21, Part 2

Kara was shocked by the change in the room at Aiden's announcement. As they had travelled through the Islander town to the earl's hall, she had felt a growing sense of hostility closing in around them, as though the goodwill of Jonas's crew was too little to have carried them all this far. It was only a matter of time before the Islanders found sufficient excuse to take offence, and then their fate would be sealed. Even though it wouldn't have made a difference, Kara wished she had been allowed to travel armed. None of the Kingdom group carried weapons, and even Jonas had opted to go without to show his peaceful tolerance of the foreigner's presence. 

None of that mattered by the time Aiden finished talking. The old man who'd challenged him and the earl stood dumbstruck as Aiden laid out his proposal to them. Even Aradan looked shocked, and Kara suddenly realised that Aiden hadn't told him what he was planning, even though they had risked his ship and crew to make it happen. Even after all they had been through, he still held back. The news that the sea-wall was gone caused a commotion around the table, and it took a minute for Aiden to get their attention back, one hand held aloft. As he outlined his offer, the Islanders fell silent, save for a few mumbled translations. Kara wasn't surprised. The scale of what he suggested they do was unbelievable. 

With the sea-wall gone, the northern towns were exposed. The patrol fleet - ships like the Sparrowhawk - were few in number and ran infrequently. This late in the year, the sea-wall was all the defence the North needed. The Kingdom's dependence on their unbreakable edifice was their weakness, and now that the wall was broken, the Islanders could move freely against them. 

But why settle for a raid? As the weather turned, sailing would get harder and less forgiving. If they set off soon, the earl might get one really good raid before ice and hard winds stopped them from making the journey south to the sea-wall entrance. By the time the year's end had passed and the winter had faded, the north would be ready to defend themselves. The raiding might still be good for a time, but it wouldn't last forever. The Kingdom would recover, and the Islanders would have lost their chance. 

Aiden had something bigger in mind. Round up every able man and woman willing to volunteer for it, he told them, and set off with the Sparrowhawk ready to settle in the north. With enough men and arms, and supplies, they could simply flood through the gap the sea-wall offered and overwhelm the nearest town. The northern lords had their own forces, yes, but nothing like a proper army. By the time word spread to the south, the Islanders would have their foothold on the mainland. With the right mix of diplomacy and arms, in two year's time the earl could be looking at a harvest of crops grown on rich Kingdom soil. 

By the time he wound up his speech, the room was almost full of people. One of the Islanders at the table had slipped out on the nodded instruction of the older man, and as word spread people had begun filtering in. The odd whisper sounded here and there, as people were brought quickly up to speed, but Aiden lifted his voice and made sure everyone could hear him. She had seen him fight, and thought him skilled at that, but Kara realised that his real talents lay in how powerful a hold he had over all these people. If he'd promised gold, or plunder, or even ships, they would have ignored him. He was reaching past that and offering them something completely new: the unknown. 

"So what do you want from us?" The old Islander was less hostile than he had been when he first stood up, but he was still cold towards Aiden. He was thinking ahead, trying to find the catch.