Chapter 19 The lower bridge

Two young men sparred in the court while sweating heavily but one was overpowering the other, making him retreat to the wall as his sword stopped next to his neck.

" You still have a long way to go, Arthur. But I can see your improvement. Maybe you can defeat most of the knights. However, the raw power isn't everything.

A good warrior must know his sword while a good leader must know his men. You aren't just a knight anymore."

Halfdan threw a towel at him while Arthur wiped his sweat, drinking water from the servant. His Adam's apple moved up and down as he felt refreshed after an extensive workout.

" I know, brother. But, I can't be good as you or my father or your parents. I just want to have a good life as a knight."

Halfdan clenched his fist, hitting his head while Arthur screamed out with pain, covering his head with a teary face. He felt his head was spinning after one head and he swore nobody hit worse than him.

" Wake up, fool. It is your destiny. Do you want to witness your men's death under your watch?"

Halfdan took the jar from him, chugging down the remaining water in a moment while wiping his mouth with a calm face. He then gestured for Arne and Harold to come to them as he drew a circle on the dirt.

" Look at this carefully. This is our life. A perfect circle that could run forever but what would happen if a crack appears or it gets angle? It wouldn't move forward."

Then he drew a crude map of the isles while drawing a big land next to it. His hand moved right and left as he tried to perfect it, but still, this was far from perfect.

" Now look at this. This is your home, a little territory in the little land. Do you think you can live like this? The world is a big place. Much bigger than you thought, you can't hide forever because stars can't hide their light.

You will either be devoured by a bigger light or you will become a big light."

Harold and Arne nodded at his words, agreeing with his statement because this was the truth. Once they were one of the biggest tribes in their people but now they were a cracked group that was attempting to mend their injury.

Fortunately, they still had a chance and they were moving toward it slowly.

" What about my people, then? If I die in an alien land, who will protect them?"

Halfdan laughed at his words, raising his hand to point toward themselves. He regarded this place as his home and there was no way he would abandon it again.

" We are family, aren't we?"

Arthur smiled at his remark, silently bowing his head to hide his expression but they could see it clearly as the four young men lay on the porch while gazing at the sky to calm their minds for they were a family.

Meanwhile in the castle.

" You were right, Magnus. The crown is sending their knights to the castle and so does the Duke. We don't have much time to prepare."

Uther glanced outside the window, looking at his people who were fixing the broken streets. His calm eyes lingered on the square, slowly moving toward the slum as he sighed to hide his emotions.

" We will change it, Uther. Don't worry. Before that, we have to trick the envoys. Both of them are likely here to ask for an alliance and I believe they are enemies since Welsh people don't like English people, so we must avoid letting them meet.

If they meet and things go south, we will become thorn on both sides."

Magnus explained his tactic while Uther listened carefully. He put his hands behind his back, knowing this wasn't simple it seemed and Magnus was right.

" I will act as your proxy with the Duke of Wales. Magnus and you have to meet up with royal knights to discuss the terms."

Freyja calmly spoke, expressing her intent to join in the discussion because she had the most experience in diplomacy in this territory, and talking with nobles was trickier than it looked.