Legends Never Die: Days Gone By (ch. 140)

Another year came and went, marked by the birth of my third daughter, Zahra. Her siblings welcomed her into the world, proving very protective of their newest sibling, as did the realm. It was the second year of my reign over all of Scandinavia, and things had begun to settle, to a degree. Though some things, not so much. 

The Khazar threat was nullified with a timely death, splintering the horde as they fought for supremacy over their rivals. I imagined that the Romans were quite frustrated with the turn of events, but our borders remained unmolested beyond the expected seasonal raids. Raids that were settled swiftly, with the remains left marking the border of my empire as a stern reminder to all who dared. 

There was no telling when the Khazar succession crisis would fix itself, but others were quick to take advantage. The Magyars expanded, snatching up a few tributaries and grasslands for grazing. The Bulgarians, however, fared much better and secured their holdings around Kiev in their ongoing war to retake Krum’s lost kingdom from Rome. An effort that they were having some success with, largely due to the increase in raids into Anatolia by the Abbasids, forcing the Romans to split their focus. Naturally the Abbasids took the lion’s share, as they were by far the greater threat. 

I still doubted that Krum would fully reclaim his ancestral lands, but I was hoping to be proven wrong. In any case, the warriors that traveled with him did their jobs well, and after securing a foothold in the Caucasus Mountains for the Abbasids, they either returned to Bulgaria for further mercenary work or drifted to Hoffer’s kingdom, which I learned had taken the bottom half of Italia. 

The world around me seemed to be shifting dangerously, but my own footing seemed steady. My construction efforts were well underway -- particularly in Sweden and the Geatlands. At this point, the construction had been ongoing for about five years, and the results were beginning to manifest. The forts-turned-cities were growing, the areas where I had settled the thralls were beginning to flourish as they extracted the resources there, and that in turn led to a sharp increase in trade. 

Likewise, the more recently integrated territories, such as Saxony and Pomerania, had their own projects underway. Road networks, new villages, and, of course, fortresses to safeguard the border I now shared with Francia. 

With it all came a sense of unity that was slowly beginning to foster in the hearts of my people. My Codex of Laws was implemented after the debate, and for the most part, it was accepted. Naturally there were some holdouts, but as time passed I intended to erode them into nothing. The various kings going back to their respective kingdoms was also something of a relief, even if some of them were my brothers. 

My other projects were also progressing smoothly. My capital was expanding, the great works continuing their construction, and were expected to be completed within a few years' time. More importantly, my universities had finally opened their doors in earnest -- the first in my capital, with a second being built in Gotland. Just to ensure that should my capital ever fall, a loss of knowledge like that which came with the downfall of Alexandria would not be repeated. 

Masters of crafts were recruited to teach, as were learned men, and the incentives to entice families to send their extra sons there rather than out of the empire seemed to be working. The university would start with practical trades, but it would expand beyond them as the foundations of the empire solidified. There would be teachers for Law-Speakers and orators, the arts, mathematics, and more. It would take more time to tell, and longer still to truly see the effects on my people, but I was feeling hopeful. 

Things, simply put, were moving in the right direction. 

Which made me feel uneasy. 

There were, of course, problems on the horizons. Another batch of young men were readying themselves for a trip down to the Mediterranean, though thankfully in much smaller numbers. They I intended to direct towards Britannia to do a few probing raids and to gain more detailed information on the island beyond the rumors passing through Holland. 

The kings that I’d elevated had assumed their responsibilities, and now after a few years the greed for more started to shine in their eyes, but their options were limited. Norway, Sweden, Sami, and even Denmark could only hope to expand into each other -- something that hadn’t dawned upon many until the raiding season came and the lands they usually raided were part of the same people as them now. Leaving many to look to the eastern kingdoms of Novograd, Estonia, Lithuania, and Pomerania with envy, as they had means to expand. 

In addition, now that the trade deal with the Abbasids was in effect? Those kingdoms benefited from it the most. In particular Lithuania and Estonia via the Dnieper River, and Norway and Denmark through the western sea around Francia. Sweden, one of the more material rich of my kingdoms, had yet to fully leverage its resources, and Haldur was gnashing his teeth at the thought of being poorly positioned. With patience, he would learn that he, Sami, and Finland were excellently positioned to grow rich but… patience had never exactly been a virtue of his. 

Sooner or later, one of those kingdoms would attempt to expand into the other -- claiming a village or a resource to empower themselves, and I fully intended to come down on the culprit like the hammer of Thor. Something that they suspected, I think, and that kept them honest. For now. 

Meaning that all of it was a problem I would certainly have to deal with in a few years time, but today? 

Today was calm. There were no immediate issues. At long last, after two years of my attention being divided to the point of being paper thin all hours of the day, I found myself gazing out towards the sea with the startling realization that there was nothing that needed my attention. Astrid, Jill, Morrigan, and Jasmine -- all of them had developed their own courts filled with competent and able people, leaving fewer things that needed their direct involvement. And fewer slipped by them that would require my involvement. 

It felt strange. I felt like Sisyphus, who had at long last pushed the stone to the top of the hill, but now that the deed was done it felt like I should be bracing myself for it to roll all the way back down. 

It wouldn't. Probably. It was merely the payoff of years of intense labor to ensure that this moment would eventually come. 

I just hadn't expected to be clueless on what to do with myself when the moment finally arrived. So, I looked inward and… 

“I want to go fishing,” I decided, thinking back to the last time I had gone. It had been in Crete one afternoon, one not dissimilar to today, when Norland had finally reached a point it no longer needed my constant attention and there were no immediate political concerns. Ragnar had been just a baby then. 

A thought struck me, “Ulf,” I summoned him and he stepped forward. “Have one of the new longships prepared. I'll be taking my children to my ancestral home,” I decided. 

“At once, Allvaldr,” Ulf said, dipping his head and leaving the room. My gaze lingered on the sea for a moment more before I took left to gather my children. 

I was always aware of where they were within the palace -- Ragnar, Magnus, Scáthach and Aífe were in the training yard, as usual. Especially the latter two, who rarely seemed to leave it these days now that they were formally accepted as apprentices to Lagatha. Meanwhile, Radahn and Bjorn were with their tutors. Zahra, however, would still be with Jasmine but was far too young to go on the trip. 

Gathering them up was simple enough, and with a short conversation with their respective mothers I gained their permission to take them on the trip. Their excitement for it differed between them, but I think all of them would enjoy it in the end as we walked down a dock in Miklagard. 

“What happened to that longship?” Magnus questioned, spying the vessel we would take. 

“It is a newer design for them,” I answered, easily able to see the influences of the ‘caravel’ ship design. It was a blend of designs rather than a true caravel to make use of the natural advantages of the longship -- namely that longships could easily navigate rivers with their shallow hulls. 

The result was that the longship was wider than either design with a second deck, which would be reserved for cargo and quarters for the crew. The sails were different as well with two masts, each carrying a triangle shaped sail that could be adjusted to always have the wind behind them. Additionally, on each deck there were oars for additional speed. 

It was a perfect blend between the two ships, gaining the advantages of both with little sacrifice. These new longships were a touch slower than their smaller counterparts, but they allowed for two or three times as much cargo. It made them ideal for sailing the Baltic Sea, which my empire was based around. For further trade outside of the Baltic however, the caravel would be more favored, but that was something I was saving for later. 

“They are being crafted all across the Baltic, but this is the first,” I said, the warriors clapping their fists over their hearts as they saw us come aboard. My children were quick and eager to take stock of it, but Ragnar stayed nearby. 

“Where are we going?” He asked as the final preparations were made to set sail before the ship pushed off the dock. 

“My old home,” I answered, testing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair. “It has the best fishing spots,” I added, recalling fondly how I never laid a fish trap that wasn't filled by the end of the day. 

Ragnar perked up at the idea of seeing the home of our ancestors for at least three generations. As did the others. 

It was quite amusing to see their interest immediately evaporate the moment they caught sight of my home. The ship was pushed ashore, and I walked up to the house, idly wondering if my old fishing poles had survived the change of hands. 

“It's tiny,” Magnus observed, looking at me, then at the house, then back at me -- I could see the disbelief in his eyes. 

I laughed, “I wasn't always this big, Magnus. When I was your age, I was even smaller than you,” I added and laughed again at his outright disbelief. That was fair, I think. I couldn't imagine my father as a child either. He was always so big in my memories, but the truth of it was that if he were still alive, I would tower over him. 

“Who lives here now?” Radahn asked, running around the house, eyeing it like it contained an adventure. 

“No one,” I answered. The family that had inherited the land after the death of my family had been relocated and granted the lands that I’d once cultivated for Horrik. He had kept them for himself after his betrayal, taking everything that he had learned from the farm there to apply across Denmark. Which now was applied across Scandinavia. It was good land, but as much blood and sweat I had spent on improving it, it simply didn't have the depth of memories that this old farmhouse did. Both good and bad. “I have a few servants to maintain it and collect the harvest, but the land still belongs to our family.” 

I couldn’t quite let the old farmhouse go, even if I wasn't sure why I kept it. A reminder of simpler times, perhaps? 

It mattered little in the end. We still had it, and more importantly, I found the fishing poles that had belonged to my family. I grabbed my father's, while Ragnar ended up with my old one. There was a quick fight about who would get which one, but it was settled. It left me with a feeling of nostalgia, and it was a strange feeling to have such sentimental feelings and watch my children squabble over them, completely ignorant of the memories attached to the fishing poles. 

The feeling never quite passed as we walked down to a familiar bank and tossed the lines into a steadily moving stream. Scáthach and Aífe immediately made a contest of it, with Bjorn and Radahn finagling an agreement that they could team up. A mistake both girls soon regretted as the fish were practically jumping out of the water and into our baskets. Magnus and Ragnar, however, stuck closer to my sides. 

“What are we learning, father?” Ragnar asked me suddenly, and I looked down at him, not sure what he meant. “The lesson?” He asked, gesturing to everything around him, and I felt my heart clench a little at that. 

“No lessons today, son,” I assured him. “Beyond, perhaps, that I'm no longer young enough to not feel old.” I added with a snort, making his brow furrow. So, I clarified, “I just wanted to spend a day with my boys. And the twins.” 

“Which twins?” Radahn asked, and that was another question I couldn't make sense of. So, I prompted him with a raising of my eyebrow, and Radahn patted Bjorn. “Me and Bjorn are twins. We have the same birthday, like Scath and Aífe.” Bjorn was in complete agreement and gave a deep nod, even as he gave a fish nipping at his hook his absolute focus. 

Not at all how that worked, but I found that I didn't have it in me to argue. “I see. Both sets of twins then,” I replied, making Radahn smile and resume fishing without a care in the world. Meanwhile, I saw Ragnar and Magnus trade a look and a shrug from the corners of my expanded vision before they did the same, both wearing small smiles. 

It was a peaceful moment. I could almost forget how our guards arranged themselves around the bank, securing us from harm. Or, rather, securing my children. Something I was endlessly grateful for. Grateful enough that once the baskets were full, I waved off an attempt to cook our supper and found myself sitting on a familiar log. 

“Ewwwww!” Bjorn remarked, watching with fascination as I scaled and gutted a fish with practiced ease. It only occurred to me then that it was probably the first time that he had seen it done in person. 

“What's so gross about it? You eat it every time you have fish,” I pointed out -- a mistake, I think, because his face twisted into outright horror. 

“I eat that?” He uttered, desperate to not believe it. 

It was a reminder that my children and I had had very different upbringings. Ragnar and Magnus had been born after I became an important warlord in the Mediterranean, and then nobility. Radahn and Bjorn were born after I had become king. They had only ever been princes. 

“Hm. Want to try?” I asked, handing him a fish and a carving knife. 

He snatched both out of my hands fast enough that I thought he was going to hurt himself before having a go of it. He made noises of disgust and fascination in equal measure as he copied my movements to the best of his ability. It was a bit roughly done, but Bjorn had managed to gut the fish well enough. Though I would be eating it rather than giving it to the men. Just in case. 

What I hadn't expected, though I really should have, was for Bjorn to immediately round on Aífe, who had been gutting her own fish tentatively, and shove it towards her threateningly. 

“Ew- don't- don't!” Aífe yelped, hopping off the log while Bjorn laughed maniacally, chasing after her with a handful of fish guts. Which lasted right up until she yanked out the guts of her own fish, and waved them back in his face. 

Bjorn, confronted with the consequences of his actions, turned on a heel and started running as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Aífe gave chase without an ounce of mercy in her heart and a great big smile on her face. 

I just shook my head at it, turning to Magnus and Radahn, and showing them how to skewer the fish and to season it with salt before roasting them over the fire. Before long, the rich scent of cooking fish brought everyone over, and though it was a simple meal, it was filling. The guards and my soldiers did seem a bit put out at having royalty cook for them, but they swiftly got used to it and helped themselves. 

“It's nice,” Magnus decided, nibbling at his third fish, looking out at the fields and forest. 

“It's quiet,” Scáthach agreed, sounding like she wasn't sure how to feel about it. “I never noticed how much noise there was in Miklagard.” Though, it wasn't exactly quiet. Bjorn and Radahn were done with their meals and were sparring with sticks. 

“Can we come here again?” Ragnar asked, trying to not look hopeful and that twisted my guts. 

All my children were too clever for their own good. Ragnar most of all, I think. He understood exactly how busy I generally was, and though he never complained, I think that wore on him more heavily than I suspected. 

“I hope so,” I admitted, and as much as it did twist in my guts, I also knew better than to make it a promise. What I was trying to do would take all of my strength, focus, and dedication. Creating an empire from nothing, of a people who never even imagined the possibility, was demanding. All the more so as there was no end to the list of enemies who would see me falter and everything I built crumble to ash. 

Ragnar seemed to accept that, and he was pleased with the answer. Which was enough for us both, at least for the moment. 

But no good thing could last forever. 

“Allvaldr, a ship approaches,” one of the guards informed and I turned to the rover sharply. Within a few minutes, I saw an older model of longship approach, though I was quite puzzled by who was on it when it pulled to shore. 

“Grandmother!” My children were quick to greet her as she stepped foot on the lands that had once been her home. She hid it well, but I caught traces of the same sense of being overwhelmed that I and my brothers had felt when we visited during our chase of Horrik's army. The children flocking to her was a welcome distraction, a smile tugging at her lips that reached her eyes as she embraced them. 

My mother was growing older. 

It felt like it should be obvious. It was the way of things. Children became adults and adults became elders. One day, I too would become an old man and Ragnar, Magnus, and all of my children would become adults, have children of their own, and so on for as long as my bloodline persisted. Still, it caught me off guard to see the traces of age start to claim her. The graying of her hair, wrinkles gathering in the corners of her eyes… 

She still carried herself with strength. Purpose. She was dressed in a bright blue and gold dress with stitched damask patterns embroidered into it with a wolfpelt placed over her shoulders, smiling and laughing as my children told her what they had done today. A novelty for them that had been commonplace for us. 

“Siegfried,” Mother greeted me, her eyes shining with a kind pride but there was a weight to them. “It's good that you brought them here. It's important for them to understand their roots.” 

“And get a reminder of how the other side lives,” I agreed, embracing her for a long moment before pulling back. “But, your eyes tell me you didn't come just to see how our expedition fared. What has happened?” I asked, bracing myself for the news, whatever it might be. 

“Your wives wanted to keep it secret until you returned, as not to taint your day with bad news, but I know you would want to know as soon as possible,” Mother answered, her lips pressing into a thin line. “It is Charlemagne and the Romans.” 

Ah. 

“Charlemagne and Irene have announced their engagement and their intent to marry during the summer,” she continued as I gazed out to the river. “It will be alongside many other such marriages that will happen in Rome. With them, the unification of their empires will be formalized and our enemies will be stronger than ever.” 

The news wasn't entirely a surprise -- this was always going to happen, but what caught me off guard was how soon it was. I thought there would be a few years longer before Francia and Rome joined together to become a restored Roman Empire. 

“A reaction to the rise of my empire,” I reasoned thoughtfully, asking myself what this changed. “I thought they would solidify the union with an invasion into the Abbasids, but I suppose that became unnecessary with a pagan empire appearing on their northern doorstep.” Fear was an incredible motivator, and I knew my reputation had reached far across both Francia and Rome. I would be entirely unsurprised if Charlemagne himself hadn't fanned the flames to make people more afraid so they would bend to his demands. As it would be better to lose a little with obedience than risk all with disobedience. 

“What does this mean for your plans?” Mother asked me, grabbing my hand to reassure me. Just as she had when I was a boy angry and fearful of my brothers’ teasing. 

A great many things, but also… nothing. This was always going to happen. It has merely happened sooner than I expected, and under different circumstances. 

“It means… I need to give them a wedding gift.”