I
"Commander Lotte, King Ingvar has been captured!", reported an excited, dark-haired young messenger, covered in mud and soot, as he suddenly entered the tent.
All around the table fell silent and looked at Lotte Thorkenson, the Maervegr Army Commander with anticipation. In the flickering light of the campfire, Lotte was even more impressive. Her golden-red hair and white skin were a continuation of the flames in the fireplace and her iron armor, filled with battle marks danced fluidly through the play of light and shadow.
The war had been going on for almost two years now. Ingvar had invaded Maervegr in his quest for more land. The king claimed he had no choice. His nine children are his life, and they demanded more fields, more crops, more steel, more gold. And each of them would have his kingdom, no matter what the cost.
Lotte showed no emotion. She reflected for a moment, oblivious to the looks she was attracting. The expectation was that Ingvar would be beheaded, as a sign of strength from Queen Anniken and, of course, from her war commander, Lotte. Invaders would receive no mercy from the Queendom of Balstad.
"Take me to the prisoner."
Lotte put on her heavy bearskin cloak and left the warm airs of the military tent to feel the cold, damp night air of the camp on the walk to the makeshift prison. She liked the cold. She was born in the mountains. Everywhere, people were rushing around carrying weapons, torches, supplies, tools, and all sorts of battle gear. Over the murmur of soldiers' voices could be heard now and then the rumble of explosions in the distance. War does not sleep.
King Ingvar had been taken to a tent, surrounded by six guards, who saluted Lotte when they recognized her. Inside, the commander saw a large, bearded fellow with thick, dirty, unkempt dark hair. He looked at her fiercely and roared.
"Bitch! How do you think you can arrest me? My children will take everything that is yours! And damned if you touch a single one of them! This land will be my inheritance. The Vaernes Dynasty will set down roots in Maervegr!", and spat.
Lotte paid no attention to the bravado, and turning to one of the guards asked:
"How is he? Any major wounds?"
"No, Commander. A few scratches and light cuts, only."
"Then he should stay that way. Take him to the castle. I want him put in a room with bars, but not in prison. Give him food, wine, and let him wash. Then give him clean clothes."
The sub-commanders and the others in the room looked at each other in surprise, but no one would stand up to Lotte.
"I don't think you understand, bitch! I don't matter. All that matters is my children. It's my seed! Kill me. Torture me. Fuck you. I don't care. I know they will win the war in the end and not a hair on their head will ever be touched."
Ingvar's concern for his sons was perhaps the most notorious fact in his kingdom. He was said to have had a prophetic dream in which the Gods told him to protect his children at all costs. From what the Gods revealed to him, the death of any of his sons would trigger events that would lead to the entire Vaernes Dynasty's end.
Thus, the king had lived for his family and his sons since that night. Each of his sons was worth everything. For each of them it would be worth killing hundreds or thousands, pillaging lands and walking entire armies to conquer foreign countries. For his children, Ingvar would not only kill and die. He would live. Each of the children was a precious divine gift to be loved and protected. Of the nine children, six were male, and each of these had his own castle with a garrison of loyal soldiers at disposal. The girls would be given in marriage when they reached the appropriate age and would ensure the expansion of the family's power. For the time being, they were in Castle Haulgland, under the care of Queen Vijje -- who was the mother of three of the nine children. Ingvar considered his children a godsend, no matter if they were his with the queen, with lovers, or with prostitutes. All were blood of his blood and of equal importance. However, as they grew older, the king realized that there would be a dispute among them for the wealth of the kingdom and decided it was time to expand the holdings of the Vaernes Dynasty. The sons, however, were kept off the battlefield, even if against their own will. The three eldest chose a general to represent them on the battlefield, and for the others, Ingvar himself chose loyal soldiers to stand in for them. Isolated and protected in their fortresses, the king's sons only awaited the outcome of the war to divide up the spoils.
So far, Ingvar had been successful.
Four kingdoms had already been incorporated into Skaknottr, the volcanic country ruled by the Vaernes Dynasty for centuries. With his coffers full and five more sons in need of land, Ingvar turned his troops to Maervegr, the prosperous Queendom ruled by Anniken Balstad. Everything seemed to indicate that the country of modest proportions, nestled between the mountains and the Sea of Takke, would be an easy prey for Ingvar's phalanxes, but so far Lotte had managed to prevent the invasion, in a remarkable resistance.
The Queen's Commander gazed at the prisoner. Beneath the armor adorned with bronze flame detailing was certainly a strong fellow in his early forties. The angry look in his eyes radiated power. He was someone who was not used to losing, to giving in. Above all, he knew that sooner or later his generals would make it over the mountains. No matter what that whore dressed as a soldier would do.
If Lotte noticed what was going on in Ingvar's mind, it was of no concern to her.
"Tanja, come with me. I need you to help me with the next steps", Lotte said to her orderly. "I'll be in the castle if you need me. Stick to the plan and let me know if any of the generals try anything crazy to save King Ingvar."
Lotte mounted her white mare and quickly made her way along the muddy road flanked by black forest to the castle. She had a bold plan in mind, but it would need the Queen's approval.
When they arrived, Tanja, the orderly, refused to hold back and asked:
"Is this really what you are planning, Commander? Pardon me, but it seems to me a rather peculiar strategy... and perhaps a bit complicated to accomplish... a long shot... at least..."
Lotte was quite sympathetic to her assistant's little insurrection. After all, it was indeed an unusual task that she had imposed on her. And probably something that had never been done in a war period. But every battle required a different strategy. Each challenge required its own approach. And she knew that she had a few months, at most, before Skaknottr's forces would break through her walls. It simply would not be possible to win that battle with swords, shields, and horses.
"That's exactly what I need, Tanja. I trust that your contacts will achieve what I have asked of you. Use well the resources I gave you. Offer them parsimoniously and fairly. But, also, try to be as persuasive as you can. I know you can be very persuasive. You're a smart, eloquent, woman and usually gets what you want. I would never trust this task to anyone else. But be quick. I need everything ready as fast as possible."
With these words, she dispatched Tanja with detailed orders of what she was to do and return as soon as possible. Then she went to Queen Anniken. She would not linger there.
The guards outside the door could only hear the Queen shouting in displeasure. A few moments later, however, she changed her tone of voice to a calmer one, probably listening to her Commander's reasoning. In the end, she seems to have given in to Lotte's plan, who left the room with her characteristic determined look, leaving Anniken with a distressed expression behind.
