Back To Kaisergrad

As the two scouts guided the bergross horses in front, Jaeger sat in the carriage with me, even though he barely fit, as we passed through rough mountainous terrain.

“I know you said not to worry about it, but I do think that Fredreich wants to harm or kill you,” Jaeger scoffed, picking between his teeth. “He’s moving troops in the North, which clearly means he’s going to attack soon.”

“One word, Jaeger,” I replied, as I stared out of the window at the beautiful yet eerie mountaintops of Blutklamm, “one word, or one misstep by Fredreich, and Faelar and Lucius will be ready to attack from the North and Lianne and Remus from the south.”

Jaeger chuckled as he finally got a piece of food out of his teeth and proceeded to flick it away. “So, you’re saying we have them in a pinch?”

“Yes, we do.”

After days of exhaustive traveling, we finally reached the plains that led to Kaisergrad. As we traversed the vast wheat plains, our carriage came to an immediate halt as the scouts knocked for us to come outside.

I walked out and saw armed men blocking the path, demanding they speak to me, arguing with one of the scouts in the front.

“What seems to be the holdup, gentlemen?” I walked up to the armed guards, some of them standing as tall as Jaeger did.

A dark-skinned, red-haired orc clad in royal armor spoke up, his voice hoarse and rough. “Any envoy of the King must have a letter with His Majesty’s seal,” he bellowed. “We just wish to verify the documents before we let you continue further.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out Fredreich’s letter, flashing it at their faces. “I suppose this is what you’re looking for.”

“You come from the land of Ur?” he inspected the text and then looked back at me.

“I do,” I replied as I placed the letter back inside my newly made coat.

“We have been instructed to bring you to the king, so please, accompany us back to the capital,” his tone shifted from derogatory to diplomatic in an instant.

“Very well,” I made my way back to the carriage, instructing the scouts to follow them and report anything suspicious to me as soon as possible.

The armed guards led us on our trail and soon enough, we reached the gates of Kaisergrad, through which we made our way to Fredreich’s castle.

“This really does look miserable in comparison,” Jaeger whispered to me as he watched the looming stone towers cast long shadows over us.

The scouts and Jaeger accompanied me as this new Orc, Rafael, led me to the inside of the castle, where for once, the rush of aristocrats and nobility was replaced by armed men lining every corridor, every section.

“I see preparations are in place,” I said to Rafael, who chose to dismiss my statement altogether, leading me to the familiar entrance of the throne room that I had grown accustomed to during my stay in the castle.

“You may enter but your men are not allowed to step foot into His Highness’ chambers,” Rafael spoke as we stood in the corridor that led to the throne room.

Jaeger took me to the side, away from the guards and Rafael’s presence and lowered his voice as much as he could, presenting a dagger that he handed to me. “Faelar told me to give you this; it has the strongest poison known to man, and just a simple cut will render one’s senses useless,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder to see if Rafael could hear or not.

I took the dagger and placed it inside my coat, patting it as I spoke to Jaeger. “Hopefully, I’ll never have to use this.”

Visions from my last encounter with the All-Mother started to flood my mind as she handed me the dagger back then. Both that and this dagger looked and felt similar enough to send a chill down my spine.

“Very well,” I spoke to Rafael, “my men will wait for me outside; please, lead the way.”

Leaving Jaeger and the scouts behind, I walked alongside Rafael into the throne room. The familiar sight of Fredreich atop his throne greeted me.

“Aizawa!” his voice echoed throughout the dimly lit room. “What a surprise! After your last escape, I didn’t think we’d ever meet again.”

I bowed slightly, clenching my teeth. The memory of being kicked down the stairs caused me to stay standing exactly where I was.

“Rafael,” Fredreich called out, “please leave us alone for the time being.”

The orc complied, leaving the room to the both of us as he stared at me from atop his throne, his blue eyes gleaming under the fire.

“So,” he walked down the stairs, his footsteps echoing, “you got one of my most distinguished commanders to go against me, helped you escape, and eventually took over Ur. I must say, luck has been on your side quite a lot, don’t you think?”

“It would appear so, Your Majesty,” I replied, my words as concise and as curt as they could be.

“Please, skip the formalities, Aizawa,” he placed a hand on my shoulder, asking me to sit beside him. “I believe we know each other well enough not to hide behind this facade of royalty.”

“Fredreich,” I said, “Alaric is dead. The man that took away the crown from your mother and caused her to flee is dead. You have no reason to continue fighting.”

“Please, let’s skip the politics for today. I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Fredreich patted my back as he let out a rather dry laugh. “I’m sure we can discuss this after you’ve rested.”

“Fredreich, please. You said you wanted revenge and now you have it. Tell your soldiers to withdraw, and I promise, we can create something actually meaningful.”

“Aizawa, don’t test my patience,” he stood up and walked back to his throne. “You need not be reminded of what I’m capable of.”

I stood up, walking back to Fredreich, pulling him by the shoulder and forcing him to face me. The rage of having almost lost everyone I held dear to me, the rage of being humiliated, the rage of being helpless, all burned within me as I spoke.

“Fredreich, we could have built a kingdom where your people didn’t have to suffer, where your subjects didn’t die of starvation or from cruel laws your insane father passed,” my voice loud as Fredreich continued to stare at me, his eyes wide, unmoving. “But you—you’re just a child, a child who got hurt and is taking it out on the world.”

Fredreich continued to watch, not moving a muscle, as a smile spread across his face, enraging me even further. “Have you ever stepped out of this room? Out of this city? Have you seen how your people live? The effect the war had on them?” I practically screamed at his face. “You need to grow up, Fredreich, and it’s a shame Faelar could never tell you to, but I am!”

“Are you done, Aizawa?” Fredreich moved my hand from his shoulder, continuing to look at me as if my words made no difference to him whatsoever. “Like I said, we can discuss what is to be done later. Join me for dinner with the nobles.”

“You can’t just—”

“Please, you’re a diplomat representing a queen, trying to negotiate peace. Do not make me call my guards on you.” Fredreich’s words echoed as he ascended his throne once more.