Gft

Without boats filled with treasure, the sail back to Norland was relatively quick even with the much slower Abbasid ships. After a quick day of sailing, we arrived at the docks to cheering applause that didn't diminish even when they learned that we came back empty handed. That, I suspected, was because we had already brought back more wealth than most people had ever seen and we could barely store it all as it was.

There was also a collective air of relief that we were done with the war. It had been a time of stress because of the army of nearly twenty five thousand men prowling at our borders. The battle fatigue built up -- first with dozens of small battles, then a large one, and no sooner than we had won that, we assaulted several cities. The spoils were a fine reward, but that exhaustion still built up all the same.

I certainly felt it as I made my way up to the longhouse, content to leave Norland to rejoice while I got a handle on things. I had just decided to do it in comfort, which was how I found myself sinking into a brass tube that we had taken from the Abbasids, which was filled with steaming hot water. A low sigh escaped me as I sank up to my chin, dozens of wounds stinging from the heat, but my muscles relaxed for the first time in weeks.

"Has Thorkell returned?" I asked, closing my eyes before I felt hands weave into my hair, undoing the braid that I kept it in. Based on the softness of her fingers, I knew it was Jill.

"Not yet," Jill answered, combing her fingers through my hair, wetting it. "The scout ships you left us have seen some activity from the Abbasids -- they're guarding the coast. That could be why he hasn't come back yet," Jill offered and I opened my eyes to see the wooden bath house that was attached to the longhouse. The brass tub was a new addition, but there were several wooden ones.

I wasn't exactly concerned, but I was starting to move in that direction. I had thought that Thorkell would have arrived before me. It had been two weeks and he hadn't sailed back. Had it been a mistake to leave him in enemy territory? Would I even know if he had perished? "Prince Harun and Hadi anticipated an invasion from the sea. They must have sent a message to the towns south of Acre." I mused, considering a course of action.

I would give it a few more days before I would set sail to Acre to see if I could track down Thorkell. I wouldn't raid, and it wouldn't be an attack -- so, it wouldn't be a violation of my oath. It would expose me to attack however. I wouldn't expect the Abbasids to pass up an opportunity to kill me.

"Should we expect another attack?" Jill questioned and I shook my head, sinking deeper into the water.

"They're too out of position to attack Crete and they know it. If they use the ships they have left at all, I'd expect them to sail into Anatolia. Has there been any word?" I asked, curious how the broader war was shaping up.

"Tatzates and Michael are both marching on the Abbasid army with fifty thousand men, but if there has been a battle, word of it hasn't reached us yet." Jill answered and I sighed again. "Jealous?"

"It would be an experience to fight in such a large battle. A hundred thousand men on a single field. Every time I think I've witnessed the largest battle in history, I hear about a larger one," I mused, splashing water on my face. The final battle in Francia was only half as large. "But, we've gained enough. And we are spent."

I thought I heard Jill breathe a sigh of relief behind me. "You've certainly given me enough work," she replied, sounding amused. "I was dreading having to find more space for the loot, and doing another count," she teased with a smile in her voice. "The thralls could pose a problem, however. After everything, the Abbasid thralls match us in numbers."

That was a concern. With a thought, I brought up one of my standing quests from the gods.

Quest: Founding a city.

Objectives:

Population: 9,221/25,000

Wealth: 43,806/100,000

Military power: 3,674/10,000

Notable buildings: 1/5​

The wealth I had gained brought me nearly halfway to my target. It almost made me regret my oath, but I knew that it would be worth it in the end. My task was to turn the wealth that I had collected into what I needed to reach the goal. My military strength, however, had taken a harsh blow. I still had more men than I started with, but over the past month, I had lost over a thousand men. Most would recover from their injuries, but they may not be in a position to continue to fight.

"We'll extend an offer to the thralls -- all but the skilled ones," I corrected myself. "We will put them on a ship to sail back to their homeland. Or, they can remain and learn a trade from the craftsmen. That should split their numbers enough to make them manageable." I decided, already having given the idea some thought. The younger thralls, the ones that had little hope of inheritance or finding a trade, would choose to remain behind. And the craftsmen would be more inclined to share their secrets with their own countrymen.

"Some could become merchants," Jill ventured, following up on my idea. "It would be a shame to scrap the fleet that we gained. They're larger than our ships, so they have more space for goods. I've spoken to our merchants and there are markets beyond the Romans. There are the Umayyad Caliphate to the east, the Bulgars, a small kingdom in the region of Italy… and Francia." To that last one, I snorted.

"I imagine King Charlemagne would be less than pleased to find my ships in one of his harbors," I replied, chuckling. "But the idea is good. It would reduce our reliance on Michalis," I added, finding that I liked the idea. I'm sure many thralls would seek to return home, but I imagine quite a few of them would seek to bring over their families for a better life in Norland if they felt like they had a future here.

"We should make an announcement of it during the feast," Jill decided. "It would soothe some of the bad blood with our new arrivals and give them reason to celebrate instead of stewing in their resentment." To that, I nodded.

A celebration was needed. To honor the gods and thank them for our victories as much as the bounty that we had received. "One of many announcements, I should think," I said, reaching up to her hand as she continued to comb my hair. I gave it a small reassuring squeeze, the meaning behind my words clear.

I was pleased to see that Jill smiled in anticipation. Leaning down, she pressed her lips to my cheek before pulling back. "I shall await the announcement, then. Relax until then. You've more than earned it," she said, kissing me on the cheek again before stepping away to leave me soaking in the water. I smiled faintly, closing my eyes once more as I leaned against the lip of the brass tub.

Now was a time of opportunity, I knew. I had an influx of wealth, skilled craftsmen, ships, and my town was experiencing a population boom. The steps I took now would shape the rest of my stay in the Mediterranean. Now was the time to learn. To make mistakes. To test the ideas that I had when it came to developing a city.

So, as I closed my eyes, I started to envision what I wanted Norland to look like. I pictured marble streets and buildings with clay roofs. I saw a temple to the gods. I saw tall walls. I saw streets of craftsmen -- streets of blacksmiths, weavers, glassmakers, painters, and more. All of them flowing into large markets near the docks that were bustling with ships from all corners of the sea. I would be getting a shipment of foreign knowledge… a library, I thought. A replacement for the Library of Alexandria that would store copies of all that I learned from the Romans and the Abbasids.

And an arena, like the Hippodrome. Or the Colosseum I had read about in texts. I would build bathhouses. And hospices for my warriors that found themselves too injured to continue fighting.

I would need to start training a garrison force, I think. Constantinople had a city watch that patrolled the streets in search of crime -- I had heard they were helplessly corrupt, but I hadn't seen that firsthand. So, I would need to come up with something to stop corruption from taking root. Or, at the very least, make it difficult. It would also be left behind to help manage the city once I left with my army.

My head was full of ideas and I knew a great many of them were too ambitious. But, I needed to try. I needed to learn. I had to discover the best way to build roads. The best kind of houses to build in the much harsher weather in Denmark. Because, in the end, Norland was an experiment.

I must have dozed off in the tub because when one of the servants came to check on me, I awoke to tepid water. Waving off a refill to the tub, I dried myself off and got dressed, finding myself refreshed after the long soak. Jill was busying herself with preparing the feast, with help from Astrid. Choosing to leave them be, I decided to take care of some business before the feast.

Norland, despite the influx of people that were here by force, was in a festive mood. The Romans that had fought with us were celebrating, my warriors were indulging in the riches they'd earned. Odds were, there wouldn't be any work done for days, if not weeks. Which made me sincerely hope that Irene didn't send me a message to continue the fight. My men could use the rest.

Norland, even in the brief time I had been away, had undergone changes. Housing near the docks had been repurposed or rebuilt into warehouses. The second hill that Norland had expanded to was being settled with more organization now that we weren't in a mad rush with an enemy breathing down our necks. Market squares were laid out, and some buildings like taverns or inns were used as cornerstones while the areas around them were filled in as buildings were built.

The blacksmiths were hard at work, and they likely would be for some time. The Abbasid army's arms and armor were all collected and being melted down. There was so much of it that most would end up becoming nails or tools as my warriors provided more than what they needed for a shirt of riveted mail and weapons. The extra hands would help alleviate the strain on the dozen smiths that we brought with us.

My destination was a tavern, where I found who I was looking for. Pushing the door open, I immediately felt myself become the center of attention. Garald, however, raised a toast to me with reverence in his eyes. "The Wolf-Kissed! The Raven-Feeder!" He exclaimed, and I swallowed down my discomfort of how he looked at me.

From the very start, Garald looked at me as if I were a god. Now, he looked at me with even greater fervor… because in his eyes, his faith had been rewarded. There was no shadow of a doubt that he was right to come to me from across the known world. It was in everyone's gazes as I entered the tavern.

"Rest easy. You've all earned it," I said placatingly, but they celebrated it all the same as I made my way to Garald. The seat across from him was offered up and I took it, nodding in his direction.

I didn't feel great about this, I decided. "For now, our part in the war is done but we need to replenish our numbers-"

"I'll leave immediately," Garald said, getting up. In that moment, I knew that it wouldn't matter if I told him to swim to Denmark. He'd get there or die trying. However, I stopped him with a hand.

"Rest, and be easy, Garald. Let us celebrate our victories," I said and the man seemed almost sheepish that I wasn't immediately sending him. "When the feast and celebrations end, I'm sending you to Denmark and Norway with five ships heavy with treasure. There, I want you to do several things -- I want you to recruit men. As many as you can. And I want you to spread word that I have found Miklagard, and that it is a place of great riches."

That would draw more men. I wanted to weaken Horrik in particular, sapping his strength so he couldn't strike out at my allies. Already, I had taken two thousand men from him. Ideally, I would take more.

Garald nodded eagerly and I swallowed my discomfort once more. "I also want you to meet with King Hoffer to commission the construction of fifty longships. Use the treasures that I send with you to pay for it." I didn't want to build them here.

Our longships were much faster than any I had seen in the Mediterranean sea. That was an advantage that I was loath to give up. It was safer to build them with my people, and have them brought down to me.

"Lastly, I would have you deliver messages to my family in Norway. They will be with King Hoffer, and carry their responses back upon your return," I said. It was a tall mission that I was giving him. And a great deal of trust. Yet, as uncomfortable as it was, I knew I could trust him with it. He wouldn't steal the treasures or the gold. He wouldn't betray me to Horrik. The thoughts wouldn't even occur to him.

The man was a zealot and I was his deity.

"It would be my highest honor, Wolf-Kissed," Garald said, religious rapture in his gaze as if I had entrusted him with a divine mission. I… would need to pray to Odin for wisdom on how to deal with that, I decided, because I certainly had no clue how to handle it on my own.

"Take men that you trust. Weather permitting, you should be back before winter," I said, clapping him on the shoulder as I got up to leave. It would take a few months for the longships to be constructed, especially in such volume. It was even likely that it would take more than a year to build the fifty ships. Eventually, my band of mercenaries would be replenished, if not bolstered. My fleet would nearly double in size, and that was without counting the Abbasid ships.

In a year, my position would be stronger than ever.

Leaving Garald and his men behind, who were already fighting over who would join Garald back to Denmark, I found myself thinking of the steps I would need to take. I would need to continue raiding -- mostly to train my men. Raiding the Franks or the Abbasids risked provoking a war, so I would have to turn my gaze elsewhere in the Mediterranean. It would also be a good way to sniff out talent and refine my army for the battles in Denmark -- leaders, fighters, archers, scouts, and so on.

On another note, my studies at Constantinople could continue without interruption. I had learned lessons of war well enough, but it was past time that I turned my attention to the studies I struggled with more.

The hours went by in preparation for the feast while I made plans, setting our course in the coming months. I was feeling excited for it, I decided, finding myself seated in a throne at a high table in the heart of Norland. A marketplace that was set in such a way so that my words would be able to reach everyone. At the heart of the marketplace was a large pile of logs that would soon be ignited into a bonfire. And, for hours, the servants cooked a feast with the foodstuffs that we brought from the Abbasids.

The festive mood had intensified a hundred fold. There was music playing, people dancing, singing, and friendly competitions. The newly taken thralls were less happy, but that was to be expected, and I hoped that would soon change with the news I planned to deliver.

I found myself enjoying the festivities from my seat at the high table. A weight that had been on my shoulders since we arrived on Crete was lifted -- we had won. My family sat with me at the high table, though Morrigan had chosen to go missing rather than enjoy the celebration. Beneath us were my Commanders -- Olek, Authun, Alfic, and Hoffer. All except Thorkell.

It was as the sun was beginning to set that I found myself thumping a carved horn tankard on the table, knowing that it was time for a speech. Word quickly began to spread and I rose to my feet to the marketplace falling silent. Taking in a deep breath, I raised up my cup of mead.

"First, to you, my warriors! We came to a distant land and foreign shores, chasing tales of splendor!" I began in norse, hearing translators echo out my words to my army in various languages -- Germanic, Greek, and there was even someone translating the Greek to Persian for the Thralls. Norland was named for us Norsemen, but I ruled over a truly diverse people. There was cheering going up before I continued, "We have arrived and we have earned a place for ourselves. We have found enemies and brought them low. We have found friends, and with them, great wealth! Our voyage is worthy of a saga that the skalds shall sing of for a thousand years!"

There was a louder cheer and, to my annoyance, I realized whose speech pattern I was copying. Swallowing my annoyance, I continued on, "Let these lands remember our deeds, I say. A runestone shall be erected!" I called out, and my Norse companions cheered, and so did the Germanic men when they understood what I meant. Our peoples were not so different in culture.

The runestone would be the second notable building I constructed. It would be the greatest one my people had ever carved. And it would be how I hid a temple to the gods. The runestone would be carved on four sides, each telling the story of our arrival and deeds in a different language -- Norse, Greek, Frankish, and Arabic. There would be room left for more adventures while I remained in this land, but to start with would detail our war with the Abbasids and the victory in the valley.

The runestone would be located in a grove that I would construct. I would ask for a seedling from the great tree in Verdun to plant in the grove. I would not live to see it, but one day the descendant of Yggdrasil would stand proud in the grove. Amongst the flowers and herbs would be carved statues of the gods where the faithful could speak to them. To those uneducated in our ways, they would merely seem to be stone guardians.

"However, I did not accomplish these deeds worthy of a runestone alone. It was with your bravery, valor, and skill that we managed to defeat the Abbasids!" More cheering, and my gaze drifted amongst the crowd. There, I saw men and women, all looking up at me, hanging off of every word. My gaze lingered on a man, holding up a cup of ale, a long scar taking one of his eyes and he had bloody rags on a stump of a hand. "Nor shall I forget the sacrifice such victories cost. Some paid with their bodies. Others, their lives. They sup in Valhalla with the gods, yet their families remain."

I could tell people were uncertain where I was going with this, so I quickly arrived at the destination. "I will not allow the families of the brave warriors who sailed with me to go hungry. Nor will I allow warriors who paid for victory with their bodies and limbs to suffer destitution. A half share, coming from my share of any loot taken, will go to them and to you."

My men were already loyal. Half of them mistook me for a god. Yet, the thunderous cheering as my words sunk in rivaled that of what I heard in the Hippodrome. My men were already rich, they likely wouldn't need the extra wealth, but they took heart simply because I showed that I would not abandon them. Yet, the reaction I received was more pronounced than I expected. More… intense. I half worried I would be mobbed, not because they hated me, but because they loved me.

It took a full ten minutes for things to quiet down enough that even the shouts to settle down could be heard. It was partly a spur of the moment decision on my part -- With how wealth was distributed, I saw two shares of the whole lot taken. After sacking three cities back to back, I had truly mind-boggling amounts of wealth. Even with the diminishment of half a share, I don't think I would even notice the loss of wealth.

It was five minutes more before things settled enough for me to take Jill's hand and gently pull her to her feet. A smile curled at her lips, her hair and clothes immaculate, wanting to appear perfect for this moment and she was stunning. "A final announcement. On the final day of this celebration, there shall be a marriage. Long have I been betrothed to Gunjill Horrikdottir, and in the time since, she has served me faithfully and without reservation. Before the eyes of you and the eyes of the gods, I shall take her to be my second wife."

You'd think that they were the ones getting married, I thought. Or that I was marrying them. Jill smiled beautifully, basking in a moment I knew I made her wait too long for. I should have married her in Norway. She deserved it then. Though, maybe that wouldn't have been the wisest decision, I thought seeing a flicker of a scowl come from Hoffer, even as his sister cheered as loud as anyone else, even sweeping Jill into a hug.

And it was only then that I saw a familiar face standing above the crowd that cheered for my incoming union. My heart unclenched when I saw Thorkell striding through the crowd, which parted for him with puzzling ease. It was only when he arrived at the front of the crowd that I saw why. An orange striped cat the size of a small horse was pushing his way through the crowd, his lips pulled back to reveal large fangs. I had never seen such a beast before, but I think I knew what it was -- a tiger.

Next to the tiger, who clung to him like a life line, was a woman. She wore light green silks and gold, and even with a veil over her face couldn't hide her apprehension. They came to a stop, and I saw that Thorkell was joined by others -- the warriors I left with him, though fewer in number, and more prisoners than I expected.

The beast and the girl were interesting, but I was far more interested in Thorkell. He looked tired, was my first thought. And his skin had a paleness that I knew indicated some bloodloss, but he still seemed strong. He nodded at me, coming to a stop at the front of the crowd, whose cheers had died off out of curiosity.

"I'm glad to see you back in one piece, Thorkell. You had me worried," I admitted, earning a tired smile.

"Things got a little… complicated. But, I come bearing good news and a tale to tell. First, let me introduce my guest," Thorkell said, gesturing to the girl, and the tiger growled at him when a hand came a little too close to her. Thorkell took a large step to the side to put a little more distance between them. "Princess Jasmine, first daughter to the Caliph. Or so I'm told."

A princess? I hadn't expected that, I thought, turning to Jasmine. Her dark eyes met mine, fear and uncertainty shining in them as she pressed herself closer to the tiger who glowered up at me.

Quite a prize indeed.

"The tiger is tame so long as you don't go anywhere near her. But his idea of what counts as too close changes minute by minute. Made for a really awkward ride back," Thorkell said before tipping his head back, taking several large gulps from a horn of ale while one of our healers saw to a wound he had taken on his side. His ribs were purple and yellow, but over them was a long cut. His chainmail had saved his life. As he described it, a blade punched through the rings at an angle that cut him across the ribs rather than stabbing into them.

"Grabbing her was the easy part," Thorkell continued, letting out a heaving sigh as he drained the horn dry, holding it out for a servant to fill. "Just like you said, the nobles snuck out of Acre and were heading to a city called Damascus. We ambushed them on the road, and they gave up pretty easily on her command. Barely had to kill more than a few of them before the Princess gave herself up to save the lives of her bodyguards." Meaning that she had no taste for bloodshed.

I sat across from Thorkell, away from the celebrations, in the longhouse. "But, her surrender came with a few conditions. No more executing the prisoners. Which put us in a fucking bind because their guards were more than enough to be a pain in our asses. So, I made the call to take the nobility, ditch the guards, and run back to the ship." He raised the horn up to the servant that filled it in thanks before he took another large gulp from it. "Only to find out that the ship had been found and was under guard -- a hefty one. They didn't know about the Princess then, but they were expecting us to come back."

Thorkell winced when the stitching began. "Had to draw them out and of course the Princess saw it as a chance to escape. So, I used her as bait to pull them out of position and hammered them. But, by that time the original guards were back in the city with word that we had their Princess and they started hunting us. They cast a wide net, so for the past two weeks I've been dodging their patrols and looking for a gap in the net. Wasn't more than a couple of days ago that I found one to sail right through." With that, he finished his horn of ale and unleashed a belch that made my eyes water. "Sorry," he offered unapologetically.

My gaze turned to Princess Jasmine's quarters in the longhouse. As Thorkell said, the tiger would not part with her and as soon as she could, she meekly vanished into a room. The other noble prisoners were held in what amounted to prison cells. It was too early to tell how important they were, but when I looked them over, only Princess Jasmine shone gold. "You did well, Thorkell. We both knew it wasn't going to be an easy task, and you got the job done."

"That's what you pay me for," Thorkell replied, lowering his arm as the final stitch was made and tied off. He poked at the wound, only for his hand to get swatted away by an annoyed healer woman. "So, what happens now?"

That was the question. A princess was an unexpected hostage, but she also wasn't one I was prepared to use. If we had captured her a little earlier then I could have used her against Prince Harun. I could have ransomed her back to him, at the very least. And, annoyingly, I wouldn't have needed to make an oath. I should have given Thorkell more support to accomplish his goal faster, even if it meant it would weaken us further when raiding.

"We add her to the letter we send Empress Dowager Irene," I said, mulling it over for a moment. She was my prisoner, so her ransom would be mine, but I was not the one the Abbasids were at war with. I could probably get away with ransoming the lesser nobility, but a princess? I imagine Irene would be quite cross with me if I traded her away without consulting her. It would have been better to capture Prince Harun, or even both of them, as the Romans would have had a lot more leverage over the Abbasids during negotiations for a peace. "For now, she remains here as a prisoner. I suppose it really depends on how the Romans do in Anatolia."

Reaching out I clapped Thorkell on the shoulder, "Get some rest. You've earned it." To that, Thorkell raised up the refilled horn.

"Wake me up when the wedding happens," he said with mirth. "You made her wait long enough." That was too true for me to argue so I just chuckled and waved him off. The wedding itself would be in a week, on the final day of the celebration of our victory over the Abbasids. It felt like a good note to end on. Astrid and Jill were both making preparations for the wedding itself, as neither of our parents were here to shoulder the responsibility.

I scratched at my cheek, my attention drifting back to Princess Jasmine. She was a princess, so treating her as a normal prisoner wouldn't do. She would have to be treated as a… guest that couldn't leave. So, she would need to be included in the festivities. It might also give me the chance to gain some insight to Prince Harun and Hadi. I was uncertain if we would clash once more in the years I would remain here, but it would be prudent to prepare for that possibility.

With that thought in mind, I turned my attention to finding Jill and Astrid. The festivities were in full swing with all of the announcements made, so our constant presence wasn't required. Everyone was enjoying themselves, even the thralls that were welcomed at the feast when they learned that their freedom was in their grasp. Morrigan was still off doing her own self-appointed tasks, and all I knew of it was that she left a message with Jill saying that she would be gone for a few days. I was curious what exactly she was doing, but I knew to trust her.

I found my wife and my soon to be second wife together, overlooking the feast but not quite a part of it. They both looked up as I approached, "How would you two feel about being accompanied by a princess?" I asked and Astrid cocked an eyebrow. "I've never captured royalty before," I offered with a shrug.

"It would be a good idea to make a good impression. As much as we can after kidnapping her," Jill replied with a small nod. "When this war is over, we could find ports in the Caliphate open to us."

To that, Astrid snorted, "I imagine they'd be sore about us selling their stuff back to them."

"It expands our importance as a trading hub on the Mediterranean. I've checked the prices against Constantinople's markets -- the spices, silks, and more sell quite highly. More so now, with the war." Jill said, offering a ghost of a smile. "But it would be best to avoid overwhelming her. And the tiger. Mostly the tiger," Jill amended. I found the argument agreeable and the three of us retreated into a more private hall.

A servant went to fetch the princess, and I found myself quite curious about her. It was hardly my first time meeting royalty, but it was the first time under these circumstances. It didn't take long for me to hear the low creak of the floorboards before I saw the creature that made them. The tiger rounded the corner with Princess Jasmine's hand lightly resting between his two massive shoulder blades. Every time the tiger took a step, I saw flexing muscle underneath the orange striped hide while the cat-like pupil was trained on me.

Princess Jasmine wore a king's ransom in gold, silks, and gemstones with a thin light blue silk veil on her face. Her dark eyes flickered around nervously before also settling on me and she gripped down on the tiger reflexively, then the tiger growled at me for scaring the princess with my mere presence. However, the two weren't alone. They were joined by one other, and he was a familiar face.

"Please stop capturing me," Alim requested in a soft, almost gentle voice. My eyebrows climbed high, not at the request but because of the language he spoke it in.

Alim just spoke flawless Norse.

"Would it help if I said it wasn't on purpose?" I offered, crossing my arms, my thumb lightly brushing against the gold armband near my elbow.

Alim seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. He had cleaned up a good bit since I last saw him, before I used him to help Zafir escape so I could lure the Abbasid fleet into a trap. His hair was cut, he was cleaner, his close finer… I felt compelled to ask, "You've learned Norse?"

To that, Alim nodded. "I figured it out. I got the missing pieces after Thorkell captured us." That was… a little off? I wasn't one to throw stones -- I also had the ability to learn languages unnaturally fast, but I also had a give from the gods that helped me do it. "Can I go back to Zafir? He'll be worried…" And there was that odd relationship that Morrigan told me about. Zafir was loyal to Alim.

It was an odd puzzle but not the one I sought to figure out at the moment. "I have no reason to keep you separated from your vassal," I said, just to test the waters. I got a much stronger reaction than I expected. Alim's face froze with the kind of panic that I only saw when I drew steel on someone. Then he wiped it away. I pretended to not notice, "You can be returned to him when we return the thralls to the Abbasids. For now, could you serve as a translator?"

Despite my thoughts, I was curious about Alim. That was a strong reaction to the word vassal. Was he perhaps nobility? Disgraced nobility, given his living conditions.

Alim seemed eager to distract me, so he quickly nodded. With that, I turned my attention to Princess Jasmine, who seemed vaguely alarmed by Alim's alarm. "My apologies for not greeting you before, Princess Jasmine," I said in Arabic, making her eyes widen while Alim translated my words into Norse to Jill and Astrid. "I am Siegfried Erikson, ruler of this city. This is my wife, Astrid and my betrothed Jill." I said, introducing them both.

The introductions, or perhaps it was the fact that I was being polite, seemed to put her at ease. Well, ease was probably the wrong word. She was less likely to sic her tiger upon me at least.

Her gaze, interestingly, lingered on Astrid. "I am Princess Jasmine, daughter of Caliph Al-Mhadi," she introduced herself tersely. Her gaze flickered to me. "Your reputation precedes you, Lord Wolf-Kissed. Might I ask a question of you?" She asked, and I noticed that her tone was one of polite friendliness.

I nodded, "If I have an answer, I'll give it-"

"Does my brother still live?" Princess Jasmine interrupted me, her tone more urgent.

"He does," I answered quickly and I saw tension ease out of her. "He and that bastard Hadi beat me to Antioch, where we came to terms. I suspect that he is already marching to join your father in Anatolia," I offered. I had no proof of it, but it seemed the likely course.

There was a spark of amusement entering her dark eyes now that her immediate fear was addressed, "Sheikh Hadi speaks of you much in the same way." I could see that she was also filing away what I said about his movements.

"Good," I grunted. I was still sore about my burnt ships.

It was then that Astrid spoke up, "The tiger. Can I know how she got one? He's a beautiful animal," She questioned, appearing tempted to approach, but knew better than to try. The tiger was on high alert, and even if he was mostly glowering at me, I expected that he would lash out if anyone came too close.

I let Alim translated the words into Arabic and found that he translated the words perfectly. As well as I could have. Princess Jasmine seemed to be lowering her guard. As much as one could from high alert to simply alert. "Rajah was originally part of a circus that came to celebrate my birthday. He managed to sneak out of his cage, and into the palace, and I found him playing in the gardens," she answered and beneath the veil, I saw her smiling at the memory.

Interestingly, I saw Rajah relax as well. He was like a well trained hound -- when his master was afraid or angry, he would growl and bark. When she was relaxed, he struck me as a rather large house cat. "I was convinced that he was a gift from my mother at first, but when my parents tried to separate us, I locked myself in my room and refused to come out for a full week. They relented after that, but they've laid a few traps for us to argue that he's too dangerous to keep as a pet. Rajah has never fallen for them, though. He's my friend. My greatest friend in the world."

I was struck by how lonely she sounded as she uttered the words. And she only seemed to realize that she uttered them outloud a second later, making her dusky skin darken further with a flush.

"Could I pet him? His fur looks so soft," Astrid said, and Princess Jasmine blinked in surprise while I tensed.

"You may? He won't attack anyone. Unless I command it," she said, casting a less than subtle glance at me. Astrid got up and Jasmine looked down at her swelling belly, rubbing calming circles into Rajah's back. I kept myself still, trying to not alarm the tiger.

I imagine that Princess Jasmine would be far less forthcoming if I killed her tiger. But I would. If it so much as bared a tooth at my wife and child, I'd kill it without remorse or mercy. Astrid seemed to sense my unease and offered a playful wink at me, approaching the tiger without fear. She crouched down to eye level with the tiger, offering a hand for him to sniff. Rajah seemed almost human when he glanced up at Princess Jasmine for guidance. The princess smiled and nodded, and Astrid reached out to pet the tiger-

She gasped and I nearly flung myself across the room to tackle the animal and break its neck. "His fur is so soft! Jill! You have to pet him," Astrid urged, taking an inch and running a mile with Rajah's permission to pet him. She used both hands, giving the tiger chin scratches while Jill hesitantly got up to join.

And I watched with a faint sense of amusement that the fearsome tiger adopted the appearance of a large house cat, soaking up the attention with a royal expectation.

It was as good of a first impression as I could expect.

…

The festivities continued for days. Jill and Astrid pulled Princess Jasmine into their group, but I was firmly kept out of it. The Princess felt uneasy around me, which led to Rajah feeling uneasy. I kept a few guards around them just in case, but after a week, my opinion of Princess Jasmine was that she was quite soft-hearted. I didn't think she had it in her to order Rajah to attack anyone.

It was a week later that I found myself dressing in my wedding clothes -- a second pair. The first had been woven by my mother and sisters. The second pair was made by tailors. Silks and fine cloths that were embroidered around my sleeves, neck, and hem. My hair was braided, my beard trimmed in the style that Jill had suggested with my neck shaven. I was clean and wore the scent of an expensive perfume from Constantinople.

It was as I was dressing myself that some anticipated news was delivered to me. "The Romans and the Abbasids clashed in Anatolia. I've heard rumors that the Romans both won and lost, telling me that it was either a poor victory or a close defeat." Thorkell informed me, looking right as rain after healing from his injuries. "What I do know for certain is that Prince Harun, and Hadi, played a part in the battle."

I inspected my reflection in a piece of polished copper before adjusting my tunic. "Do we know how?" I asked, finding myself unsurprised with the news.

"Word is that the battle had been fought for a good three days. The Romans were getting the better of the Abbasids before Prince Harun showed up with ten to twenty thousand men. From there, he either attacked the Roman flank and drove them off or the Romans drove off the Abbasids at a bloody cost." Thorkell answered and I mulled that over. We would need to wait until more news reached us, but given what I knew about Prince Harun and Hadi, I was more inclined to believe that the Romans had been defeated.

"Another thing I heard -- the Abbasid Prince Hadi- not the bastard Hadi," Thorkell corrected when I sharply glanced at him. "The crown prince and Harun's older brother. He was killed in the fighting, making Harun the crowned prince." That was…

Annoying.

If things played out a little differently then I could have had the Abbasid crown prince as my prisoner. And I knew exactly who to blame for the fact that I didn't.

That bastard.

"... it would be best to hold that news until after the wedding," I decided, thinking of Jasmine. Jill told me that she was quite close with Harun and her mother, Al-Khayzuran, but she said nothing of Prince Hadi. But, he was still kin to her and it would be best to not taint the wedding with news of death.

"What happens now?" Thorkell questioned and I took a moment to think about it. If the Romans had been defeated, but not so totally that they could not regroup… we had royal hostages. I had killed twenty thousand soldiers. I had sacked a number of their coastal cities and stole a number of ships, leading them to believe a sea invasion was coming. If it had been a decisive defeat for the Romans, I could see the Abbasids feeling comfortable with continuing the invasion, but a close defeat?

"I suspect we'll see peace talks soon," I ventured with a small shrug. Likewise, the Romans, had they won the battle, would be willing to continue to counter invade the Abbasids. However, with a stinging defeat, they would understand how dangerous their position was and they would seek peace while they were still ahead. I might be expected to join the peace talks, but I didn't anticipate that I would receive such an invitation.

"And us?" Thorkell prompted and I turned around to face him, an easy smile on my face.

"For now? I get married again," I answered, earning a chuckle before Thorkell clapped me on the shoulder before ushering me forward. Leaving my room in the longhouse, I made my trek to where the wedding would be taking place and I chose where I would be placing the runestone.

The groundwork for it was already being laid out -- the gardens were planted, the layout planned, but most notably of all was the large slab of marble that I had brought over from Constantinople. It stood twice my height, and that was with a good portion of it buried in the dirt to make sure it didn't tip over in case of a storm. The carvings had yet to begin, but they would soon.

It was before the marble slab that I waited as the guests gathered up. The commanders of my army. Merchants of note that heard about the affair. I couldn't quite tell if it was a snub by Michalis when sent word that he could not attend, but I cared little. And, to my pleasure, Alexios, my teacher, had chosen to attend and he seemed quite excited for it.

Music played as Jill approached. She had no family to give her away, nor did I, so it wasn't quite a traditional wedding. She looked radiant, however -- she wore a white dress that was tailored for her, and a crown of flowers tucked into her dark brown hair. In her hands was an axe. One of fine make with a large bearded edge while on the other side, there was a pointed wedge. Beside her, Astrid walked with Jill in place of her family. A statement that Astrid welcomed Jill as my second wife.

Jill's gaze met mine as she approached, a slight smile on her face growing a fraction. She practically seemed to glow with a radiant joy. I found myself smiling back as she came to a stop across from me and I gently reached out, cupping her hands in mine.

"You're beautiful," I told her in a low whisper.

Her gaze softened and I was barely aware of the goði speaking, starting the wedding. "It's been a long time coming, hm?" Jill noted quietly, her hand in mine.

To that, I could only chuckle.

We said the words, becoming husband and wife… but the truth of the matter was that we had been together since that day in Denmark. The words just made it official.

...

...