“Is this some kind of joke?” A’el asked.
“Nice to see you too, Queen A’el. I take it the coronation went well.” I said. “Why do you seem confused?”
“I’m not in the mood for political mind games, General Gunther.” She clenched her fists as she slowly approached us. “Why is Valark wearing the crown and where is Deven?”
“Deven isn’t here. He’s been banished from the kingdom for his treason.” said Valark.
“Treason?” A’el asked. “How could the heir commit treason?”
“He-”
“It’s a delicate matter your highness,” I said, cutting Valark off. “We will notify the nations of Kelor in due time. If I may be so bold, why did her majesty travel so far away from home?”
“I came to talk about my wedding with my fiancé.”
“Ah yes, the wedding. Seeing as it was not only meant to be a wedding but a strong tie between two nations, why don’t we go ahead with the wedding?”
“I was planning on going ahead even after seeing Valark with the crown. All I need is the information of Deven’s whereabouts.”
“No, your majesty, you miss understand me. I was suggesting that you marry our King, Valark.”
“You must be out of your-”
“Deven is an outcast and an enemy of this nation. Marrying him would severe all ties with the Werewolf kind and,” I made sure to look her straight in the eyes as I said, “might lead to unpleasant outcomes.”
“Is that a threat, General?”
“Oh no. I’m merely giving my opinion as the King’s advisor.”
“I agree with your proposal, General,” said Valark. “I see no reason for the fairies and werewolves to sever their ties.”
“I will not be marrying you Valark!”
“I think it's best we head home, my queen,” said Naisha who hadn’t spoken a word since the meeting had begun. “You shouldn’t make decisions in anger or stress. I’m sure your mother would say the same. Besides, King Valark is right, there is a bigger matter at stake here, and that is the relationship between our kinds.”
A’el looked thoughtful for a while before turning to the King and I. “Will any of you tell me where Deven is?”
“We are unaware of his location at this very moment,” I answered.
“I see. Thank you for informing me of the current situation. I’ll return home and await your letter, explaining recent events in your kingdom.” She turned to leave but aat the doorway she faced us one last time and said, “I have one more question. If you’ll indulge me?”
King Valark nodded.
“Where is the Queen-mother?”
***********
Tumak started gaining support among our people by using their superstition and fear. He convinced most of them that the troubles that Deven was experiencing would fall on us.
Superstitious coward!
He wasn’t entirely wrong. We were able to save him from the shriekers and tend to his wounds but with him no longer having the influence of the crown, his people could easily chase us from their lands. Perhaps Queen A’el would be able to give us a piece of her land but I doubt that most of me people would be willing to start rebuilding the village in a new location. I know a few who would rather stay than brave the stormy seas again and maybe its for the best.
Maybe me kind would be better off splitting up or perhaps its finally time for me to let another take the crown. These thoughts plagued my mind as I walked over to Deven’s hut and I was glad to see him outside, playing with some of the children.
“I thought you were told to get some rest.”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“You call playing with little Vikings resting? Ha! I wish their mothers and fathers could hear ya right now.” I signalled for the children to leave us and once they were far enough I asked, “How’re ya feeling?”
“Not too bad. A few more days and I should be able to take off these bandages.”
“Days?! I saw your wounds Deven. You're goin’ to need many suns and moons to pass before you're back to your normal self.”
“I think you’re forgetting that I’m part werewolf. We heal easily. Granted the pure breeds heal a lot faster than I do but I heal faster than any human.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” I said as a sat down by the steps at his door. “What are you goin’ to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your crown. How are you goin’ to get it back?”
“Who says I want it back?”
“Are you serious right now?”
“Sif! My own brother kicked me out. He chose to side with those who would love to see me dead.”
“What about those who don’t want to see you dead? What about of those who want to be led by the Ancient One’s chosen?”
“It’s interesting that you of all people should say those words to me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you. Aren’t you the one who wants to give your crown away even though you were chosen by the Great Chief?”
“That’s different!” I said as I rose to my feet. “The Vikings would be better off with another Chief and not a failure like me.”
“How have you failed....”
“HOW? You’re asking me how?” I could feel me eyes tearing up. “There has never been a Chief who has lost as much as I have.”
“And what exactly have you lost?”
“I lost everything!”
“If you lost everything then how is your brother still with you? How are your kind still with you? Yes, you’ve lost a lot, my friend, but you didn’t lose everything. Mourn your loss but don’t lose focus on what you have left no matter how small it may seem.”
He’s right! “What about you?”
“It’s like you said, it's different.”
“Ay, different reason but same thing. What’s your reason for leaving the crown?”

Latest Chapter
Chapter 28
As the sun rose, Sif and the coalition army prepared to descend on the city. We sent a few scouts ahead but it didn’t take long for them to return.“We have a problem.”“What is it?” I asked.“A large group of shriekers are attacking the city.”“From which side?”“The eastern side.”“Well, there goes our element of surprise.” Sif said.“True. But we can still use this to our advantage. Sif, I want you to attack the shriekers from behind and support the werewolves.”“Wasn’t I supposed to be attacking the wolves’ army? Why am I helping them now?”
Chapter 27
As we travelled from the human capital back to my home, I noticed that Monica wasn’t well. I had asked her about it, but she simply waved it off as nothing, but as we went on, her health deteriorated. Two days away from the castle, we made camp by an oak tree.At noon I walked into her tent. Her breathing was heavy, and her skin was pale. The wound on her side had grown and dark veins spread from it to the rest of her body. She was slowly turning into the monsters we had fought against. I couldn’t help but question if it was all worth it or if there was something I could have done differently to make sure that Monica would remain human.“Hey, lets go for a walk,” she said, stretching out her hand towards me.“I don’t think you should be moving in your condition.”
Chapter 26
“They don’t want me.”“And what about those who do?”“They’ll be fine without me.”“I don’t believe that and I know you don’t either.”“What makes you think I don’t?”“Because you’re a kind man, Deven. If you’re King, you’ll find a way to live in peace with those who don’t want you as their King, but I don’t think we can say the same thing about your brother or that General of his.”“Valark and Gunther wouldn’t hurt one of their kind.”“I may not know much about your rules and cultu
Chapter 25
“Is this some kind of joke?” A’el asked.“Nice to see you too, Queen A’el. I take it the coronation went well.” I said. “Why do you seem confused?”“I’m not in the mood for political mind games, General Gunther.” She clenched her fists as she slowly approached us. “Why is Valark wearing the crown and where is Deven?”“Deven isn’t here. He’s been banished from the kingdom for his treason.” said Valark.“Treason?” A’el asked. “How could the heir commit treason?”“He-”“It’s a delicate matter your highness,” I said, cutting Valark off. “We will notify the nations of Kelor in due time. If I may be so bold, why did her majesty travel so far away from home?”“I came to talk about my wedding with my fiancé.”“Ah yes, the wedding. Seeing as it was not only meant to be a wedding but a strong tie between two nations, why don’t we go ahead with the wedding?”“I was planning on going ahead even after seeing Valark with the crown. All I need is the information of Deven’s whereabouts.”“No, your maj
Chapter 24
At the top of the wall, I met with the Captain of the City Guards. “How far are they.”“Out of our archers’ range, my lord.”“What of the Trebuchets’ range?”“They’ll soon be within their firing range.”“Good. Tell your men to light-up the boulders moments before they fire.”“Yes, my lord.” Before he could turn away, I placed a hand on his shoulder. “One more thing. Have you seen Madam Flaughan?”“No, my lord, but I sent for her.”“What? Why would you tell her to come here?”“Isn’t she your escort my lord? I assumed she should always be with you. Was I wrong to call for her?”“No, it’s fine. Go and instruct your men.”I stayed on top of the wall for a while trying to survey the land outside the city’s southern wall. It was barren land for about a thousand paces making it difficult for any army to mount a siege without suffering heavy loses. This strategy was put into effect all across the major cities in Kelor during the Great Orc war. I couldn’t help but feel as if the Orcs were prep
Chapter 23
As the sun rose over the mountains, I emerged from my hut, feeling the cool morning breeze and warm sunlight. The quiet and beautiful moment tempted me to take a stroll around the village, but before I could indulge me-self, Ragnar came running towards me."What’s wrong?" I asked.“I got word from the Nightwatch before the sun came up. They’ve been hearing strange sounds all night. They say it sounded like shriekers but every now and then, they would hear a howl. I was going to come and get ya after I finished setting up the defences, but Tumak insisted I call you now.”“Where’s he now?”“At the gate.”We quickly walked to the gate and found Tumak with a few Vikings. “I don’t remember ya being an early bird Tumak,” I said once I got close to him.“I couldn’t go back to sleep once the howling and shrieking started. So, I came to help with the defenses.”“And what were you planning to do after that?”“Create a scouting party.”“Scouting Party!?”“Ay. It could be one of your kelorian fri
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