The Norse Of the North

Where wolf's ears are, wolf's teeth are near.

"King Harald the messenger is here," says Arne breathlessly as his sweat was running down from his forehead to his chin. It was clear he was running to transfer some really important news, and by the look of worry in his face, the context of the message couldn't be something good.

"What's new? Don't tell me somebody got married again because I want to clear it out now -"

Arne interrupts him with a solemn look on his face: "Harald, it's about some invasions; let's just go."

The king slid down the stairs, hastily searching the door frame for the messenger while he felt his breath at the back of his neck. He quickly turned around, looking at him with curiosity. A thousand thoughts went through his brain, each worse than the other. "Why isn't he speaking? How bad can that news be? Is someone from my family hurt? Did they hit our castle?"

"My king, I bring really bad news. What a tragedy we all are to face," the man said, condensed and anxious. He reached the king while his hands were shaking, transmitting the whole shiver all over his body. He grabbed the king's arm and started weeping, which made Harald seriously concerned.

"Speak already, you fool, what is happening? What did you travel so hard for? Stand up and talk to me, man to man!" Harald burst out, bothered by the messenger's behavior.

"The Anglo-Saxons hit the eastern settlement in Normania as of last night. But that's not even the worst. There have been a few rumors that are true or very well manufactured. They say that Halfdan has united with them, and most people believe he will make more alliances by the end of the week. You see, my king, you are ruling a place considered to have the lion's share, and many are unhappy about that. Finding your enemies on such occasions won't be difficult."

"Not the same with my allies, I suppose, right messenger?"

The messenger lowered his gaze in agreement.

"The Gorm brothers will join them. There's no one on earth who hates us more. Not only could we not protect our people the last time they were in this castle, Now they are even coming against us with help, my cousins. How compassionate." Arne said while clenching his fist.

Harald touched Arne's shoulder while he looked out of the window, collecting his thoughts as he lifted his hand and made a gesture so the messenger went away. The messenger bowed his respects and left the room in silence.

The king sat in the chair that was on the side of the room and got some paper that was sitting on the small desk above. He leaned in and shrugged his shoulders before he wrote a letter. He copied that same letter multiple times and ordered Arne to give those handouts to their messengers. Those letters must be delivered to the different owners as fast as possible since danger was lurking. Arne took the letters and walked down the stairs, fulfilling the order.

The context of the letter was small, sharp, and urgent.

We are going to be under attack soon. If you are still my ally, meet me at the Hall of Midgard, where we will come up with a defensive plan. Your support is vital to me, and I hope you don't abandon me.

~ King Harald of Norheim

All the lords received the letter at the same time, since King Harald had many people willing to do the deed for him. They owned him and his wife a lot, and they knew they had to repay the debt. Those who were not convinced by respect were convinced by benefit; they knew if they fought alongside him, he had the means to reward them, while others were willing to join because they hated the Anglo-Saxons. According to them, they disrespected their gods and had turned some Viking men and women into Catholic Christians, and that, to them, was the ultimate blasphemy.

The lords, whose castles were nearby, got united, and along with their servants and family, they started traveling to meet King Harald. The weather was calm, so there was not much to carry. They packed a few things for their journey since they knew Harald was always a generous host and would provide them with whatever their hearts desired.

After a very long time, the hall of Midgard was filled with talks and laughs. Some of the lords had arrived the same day to pledge their loyalty and were uniting with old friends. Once the king entered, the atmosphere was very cheerful, unlike the current circumstances. Harald hit his boots on the floor while looking up at them with a very dorky smile, perhaps a smile that hid much concern and fear. He stood in the corner on a high-rise platform as he coughed.

"My lords, I'm so delighted to see you there, and by a quick scan, I can see that all of you have answered my call. That makes me very relieved. I will not lie and admit that the recent events have me very worried. Not only will our kingdoms soon be invaded by the Saxons, but some of our Vikings have decided to disgrace their people and their gods and sit at the same table with those Christians and ally with them. I do not know whether revenge money or the change of their gods have turned them against us, but I refuse to forgive."

He clenched his teeth while grabbing the edge of the wooden table that was behind him as he scratched the surface with his nails, calming his anger before he continued.

"Those vikings are known to us; it's the man that I myself, as king, blessed and let my own wife do a celebration that will bring prosperity to his kingdom. Yes, you heard well, Halfdan agreed to join them against us, against his own cousin! And as for the others, I'm not surprised; the sons of Gorm may have acted unfairly, but they have their reasons to hate us. They would never understand what a coward and a pig their dad was, and therefore they will turn like him sooner or later."

"How could they renounce our gods?" Treators!" some of the lords shouted as the others joined them in agreement.

"Harald, according to the map you handed us out, it seems like they would attack your kingdom first. So what exactly is the plan? We reinforce your kingdom, or we draw the defenses back?" a Lord suggested.

"I know you would expect me not to say it, but sadly, Norheim would have to fall; it is the only way to put them off track and disorganize them. I will keep a few men and women there to defend the walls for as long as possible, but the main battle will happen deeper in the forests and on the sea borders. Arne is certain his cousin will hit the borders, and the Gorm brothers don't own ships and have never fought with one. So it is more than certain they will attack us by land."

"Very well, then so be it. If they decide to go against their own brothers and sisters, they will face the consequences, and the gods will punish them for their sins. Let's not forget that Odin can be both merciful and cruel. It depends on which side you really get on," said the Lord, as the rest agreed with him.

They all spent a long time discussing their offensive and defensive strategies with King Harald and his commander Arne. Because there were few disagreements, the king's task was relatively simple. Arne made several suggestions and urged the Lord to try various tactics, and the king was relieved to have so many people on his side. Following the conclusion of the conversation, the Lords paid their respects and exited the hall to return to their bases and prepare their armies.