Without fear to hold one back

Uncle Arnric leaned forward on his chair as he looked down at the floor. “A couple of moons prior, an envoy from the Turacetae demanded an audience with chieftain Sigvald and myself, asking us to submit to the rule of their Goblin King. I believe it will be wise if we move onwards to Coidunum at once, lest chieftain Sigvald had already been coerced into the opposing side.”

We hardly stayed the night at Brigadunum, instead moving out at once, making haste towards the town of the two subtribes. Even if we stayed, I doubt my paternal uncle and I could catch a wink of sleep. Him, because he could not believe that someone else had acquired the dragon blood that was required to ascend. Me, because I was both conflicted and excited to meet the man in question. After all, I can’t unite all the goblin tribes into a single kingdom if someone else has already formed a goblin kingdom himself. But I was also excited to see how the dynamic of our two nations could develop.

I mean, yes—the Turacetae are known to be a centralized, somewhat tyrannical country. Talks could go badly. Relations could become sour. God forbid, even war could break out; that makes me feel conflicted. However, there’s also a chance that things could work out. Peace, trade, and cooperation could be established. Perhaps this Goblin King is a good man who holds similar aspirations to mine, which indeed could hamper my own ambitions, but it’s also exciting to meet someone who is like yourself. It’s just a mystery, I suppose; conflict and excitement.

Uncle Arnric took a short while to assemble his entourage, and we were back on the road four hours after initially stepping foot in town. Wergnarinth and the men had barely set up their encampment and they had to break it all apart again. Poor guys. But duty calls!

Coidunum was half a day’s march removed, so it wouldn’t compare to our journey so far. They should know that the Chinese Red Army marched some six thousand miles a whole year long, constantly evading the Nationalist forces that sought to root them out. In contrast, our march was like going to the room next door; a cakewalk. It wasn’t even a march—we were on horseback, for God’s sake!

So, stop crying about “needing sleep” and stop moaning about “being tired.” Did the Mao’s reds do the same? Probably yes, but they got shot for it. So unless you want me to follow in Mao’s footsteps, you better mount your steed, and let’s go!

***

There, in the assembly hall of Coidunum, sat the two co-rulers on their elevated seats next to one another. Behind them, a group of Crawgoblins lingered on their feet, ready to shield their rulers if the situation called for it. Apart from us and the couple of guards standing by the closed entrances, there was no one else to witness today’s discussion. If there were any more people in the room, my nerves would overmaster me, but thankfully, it was a manageable amount.

My rival and I both lingered on our feet in the hall facing the diarchs. The man had similarly onyx black tinted skin as I did, but more than that, his hair was colored such a dark black that it seemed to devour any and all light that were to even get close in its vicinity. It was the opposite of my hair which shone bright in the rays of the sun, and could even be seen in the dark. Meanwhile, he blended in with the night, and as such, carried himself with confidence and acted like the hall was already his for the taking.

“Today,” chieftain Sigvald began, “the Laiesyces dual-tribe welcomes two esteemed guests. Lord Thodbargild of the Turacetae, and high chief Albaric of the Ausmulii. Honored guests, speak your minds.”

Thodbargild strode towards the two seated chieftains, but remained a distance so as to put the spectating guards at ease. “We, Thodbargild, are the sole descendant, the great-great-grandson, of Olfrik the dragon-slayer, the first Goblin King of our kind, and the hero who could best all except the unmoving force of age. We have followed in his footsteps and become a Goblin King ourself, and here we stand before you with nothing but resolve to exceed him in his greatness,” his voiced boomed through the hall, a pompous smile on his face. He seemed entirely sure. Not only of himself, but of the very situation. As if everything was already under his thumb. As if he was reciting law already set in stone.

“Olfrik bent tribes to his will, and his name lives on. We will do the same,” he continued. “That is why we are here. The Laiesyces are strong, but alone, you are but another name in the dust. Sigvald and Arnric, you two can be forgotten like so many chieftains before you. Join our service, and your strength becomes part of a greater tale that will outlive us all. Stand with us, and when goblinkind speaks of kings, they will speak of Olfrik and of Thodbargild…and of the Laiesyces who paced behind him.

We shall not waste any more words on you. We do not offer sermons. We offer order, protection, and a place in a history that remembers those who take actions. Doers, such as ourself. Accept us like the Turacetae did, submit, and pay tribute. Or reject us like the hard-headed Toretanii, and be subjugated, and extorted of all your wealth.”

He ended his monologue and left behind a grim feeling in the hall. The chieftains curled their fingers around the rails of their seats, sweating and wincing profusely at the threats spoken out loud. He faced away from both myself and the diarchs, turned his back towards us, walked a few steps away from the seated rulers, and kept silent awaiting a response.

“BAH-Hahaha!”

A laugh bellowed through the hall, diffusing the tense atmosphere in a mere second.

To think I had some good faith expectations of this joker, it was too funny not to burst into laughter. Well, perhaps I’m laughing more at my own naivete than this guy’s forceful speech, but either way, I disrupted the discussion with a rude gesture. Everyone’s gaze was now affixed on me, but there was a particular one that I could feel piercing my skin—Thodbargild’s glare. His face calm, but within his eyes lingered nothing but indignation. His glowering shot a blade-size hole through my chest.

“Pardon my rudeness,” with a curt apology, my hand on my heart, I shifted my attention to the co-rulers. Unlike my rival, I have an educational background in politics. I shot him a glance so as to say, class is starting.

“I have come to Coidunum at a time where my lands, both Ausmulian and Bugretanian, are experiencing peace. A peace that Illgrum has been missing ever since the feline menace invaded our lands. A peace that all goblins have been seeking for decades.

Despite this, we are all in a stage where both the lynxes roam wild, and the humans maraud our lands. I’m sure, chieftains Sigvald and Arnric, and Lord Thodbargild, that you have experienced raids on your coasts similar to us on land. They kill our fathers, enslave our sons, assault our women, burn our houses, and steal our coin.

You ask, what then can we do but struggle? Indeed, I say. We can do nothing but struggle and ward off these scum until the end of times, for they will never cease their incessant dissent so long we remain a scattered peoples. I offer you a solution in uniformity. In solidarity. Under a ruler to unite us, in a kingdom undivided, we can thwart these yokes once and for all.

Do I do this out of ambition—greed? Nay, most certainly not. Surely the news of the Bugretanians must have reached you. How I helped them for months without asking for anything in return. And when I requested their allegiance, and allowed them to reject with no repercussions, the first one to bow to me was their high chief, who said: ‘None else but you can bring us victory over the humans.’

I offer a solution to your fears. I offer one to your land disputes as well, for a common law to bind the kingdom will no longer result in such misalignments of customs.

Imagine a Gobland free of terror, free of tribal rivalries threatening to tear up the peninsula. A Gobland where all goblins, dark or silver-haired, green of skin or grey, can live in tranquility with their brothers.

Let us begin not with oaths, but with action: a six-month pact of mutual defense. Your spears with mine against lynx and man alike. Let our people see the worth of our bond before greater promises are sworn.

So ask you all. Lord Thodbargild, my uncle Arnric, and my father-in-law Sigvald. Will you not join hands, stand beside me, and build a better future for our kind? One that can live in security and fraternity?”