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“We must go to the throne room," Erik said as he strode towards the door, Andrew and Travis on his heels.
They hurried back down the long hallway, anticipation growing in Andrew's chest. He couldn’t wait to see Tessa again, he'd worried about her ever since her separation from them in the dark.
The three entered the throne room to find King Karvir sitting on the throne and his queen next to him. They approached the throne and bowed. “You look much more appropriate to your surroundings Midgardian," the King said. “let me introduce to you mine wife, Queen Lillian of Clan Blackfall. You may address her as ‘mine queen’," he added at the end, assuming correctly that they wouldn’t know what to call the queen.
“I am pleased to meet you, my queen," Andrew said with a polite bow.
"Me too," Travis added, bowing as well.
“And I, you, Midgardians," Queen Lillian kindly.
“Midgardians," King Karvir said, “come stand here, next to me, the envoys should be entering soon,"
As soon as the two of them had taken their place next to the King, the throne rooms doors opened. Karvir's bannermen entered followed by seven armored dwarves, but Tessa wasn't with them. “Where is Tessa?" Andrew thought to himself, standing on tiptoes to see if he could see his sister.
His heart sunk when the procession finally came to a halt, she definitely wasn't there.
“Mine King," the bannermen said in unison, each taking a knee in respect to Karvir. The remaining seven in the group stood with their backs stiff and proud.
One of the armored procession spoke, “I am Jarl Arvid, Son of King Thornud, of the Stronghammer Clan."
“Jarl Arvid," Karvir responded, “welcome to Steinhardt, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?.”
"I'm here on behalf of mine father, King of Svartalheim," Arvid continued, "and rightful king of the five clans.”
“Rightful King?" Karvir responded with disgust in his voice, “he is not mine king, nor the King of mine people, mine kin, or mine nation.”
“I digress," Arvid spoke again, “I'm not here to argue the politics that have plagued our clans for the last century. I am here to discuss the custody of Andrew, elder brother of Tessa as. well as their companion, Travis.”
Arvid concluded by speaking directly to Andrew and Travis. “Hello, Midgardians, Andrew, your sister is most anxious to see you.”
“Is she safe?" Andrew replied, “Where is she?”
“Aye, she is safe and sound in the Great City of Nul Darahl being treated as the most honored of guests, by mine father." he paused and looked back to Karvir before adding, “As you all deserve.”
“Excuse me?" Karvir broke in, “You come into mine hall uninvited and presume to lecture me on mine hospitality? Do you not see the Midgardians standing here of their own free will? They are not prisoners here. They are standing before you, at mine side, in a place of honor, and you dare to imply otherwise?”
“When mine men first encountered the Midgardians, they were bound, gagged, and wounded. Soldiers bearing your crest were the ones dragging them behind their moles as they would a herd of goats." Arvid said, temper rising, “oath breaking is not easily forgiven by the gods nor mine father the king.”
“A grievous mistake not sanctioned by me," Karvir admitted, “but one made by a few… misguided soldiers. They have all been punished and have since returned to their duties."
“While you may not have sanctioned their actions, they did them under your banner. And then, you send your emissaries to mine father and demand the deaths of mine men? The death of those who rescued young Tessa from your men’s brutality? The only way to free yourself of the dishonor your men brought upon you by breaking their oaths is death."
“You expect him to put our son to death? Our own stone and blood? Our families only male heir?" Queen Lillian blurted out, Karvir scowled at her for having revealed the information.
“One of those guys who captured us was your son?" Andrew asked, looking at Karvir in surprise.
“Hush boy," the King dismissed Andrew's comments with a wave of his hand.
“No, I will not be quiet," Andrew said, his temper flaring, “Which one was your son?”
“His fool of a son led the group that captured you," Arvid answered for Karvir.
“He was the one that ordered them to tie us up, and then knocked me out because I couldn’t understand him! He was the worst of them all." Andrew said feeling dumb for having trusted Karvir's kindness.
“Silence, we will not discuss the matter further." Karvir said hotly, “have I not treated you well since you arrived? Have I not had your wounds healed, fed you, and honored you?”
“It is little recompense to the gods, for the way your people treated them," Arvid said. “I would hope that you would be honorable enough to uphold the same standard that you demanded of mine kin. As I said, you demanded the lives of those who slew your men while rescuing what should have been guests. Don’t you have any sense of honor?”
“HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MINE HONOR IN MINE OWN KEEP." Karvir bellowed stand up as he shouted, “I WILL NOT ALLOW IT." As he shouted, a large group of his guards flooded into the room and surrounded Arvid and his men.
“You don’t have to allow it," Arvid continued, “you do not have to like it, nor do you have to accept it. It is the gods whom your son and his men have broken their ancient oaths to, and the gods that your men have dishonored. As their king, their dishonor passed onto you as soon as you withheld the proper punishments.”
“BEGONE WITH YOU AT ONCE AND SAY NO MORE!," Karvir screamed, spit flying from his mouth. “OTHERWISE I WILL ORDER MINE MEN TO KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND.”
Arvid looked at Andrew and reached out, “Midgardians, come with me, I will take you to your sister."
Andrew and Travis both hesitated. Karvir had treated them kindly and taken care of them, but Arvid who could take them to Tessa. After a split second they both stepped towards Arvid.
“NO," Karvir yelled, and grabbing each of them by an arm, “you do not get the midgardians, they are staying with me.”
All Arvids men threateningly lowered their spears, “this isn’t over," Arvid said. “If it is a war you want, then it is a war you’ll get."
Arvid and his men began backing out of the room keeping their eyes on Karvir's men. Andrew attempted to pull away. “Let go," he said trying to pry loose the King’s grip, “We have to get back to Tessa so we can find a way home.”
"Even if they had brought your sister, you would have never be going home. You're to be mine permanent guests, and your presence will bring the other clans under mine banner." Karvir spat, “Guards, take them to their chamber and keep them there." Karvir’s guards rushed forward and grabbed hold of Andrew and Travis.
“NO," Arvid shouted and taking a threatening step forward. The sound of swords coming from sheaths echoed around the room, and stopped him in his tracks.
“That would be unwise, Jarl Arvid," Karvir taunted. “I think its best that you leave now before you test mine patience any further."
The guards dragged with Andrew and Travis from the room as they kicked and screamed the whole way. Trying to fight the guards was futile, and while they landed a few blows they were unable to get away. As they were forced from the throneroom, one last shout from Arvid rang out. “We’ll be back for you midgardians, on mine honor."
The guards forced them through the door into their room, and locked the door. Andrew slammed his fists against wood, “LET US OUT!," he shouted, but nobody answered.
Travis sat on the bed, in shock with tears welling up in his eyes. "We're never going home?" he asked out loud.
Andrew ignored him as he pounded on the door and screamed until his hands had bruised and his voice was hoarse. Running out of energy and voice he walked over to his bed and sat down, “Why did Karvir turn so quick?”
“I don't know, but the real question is, how are we going to get away from the crazy dwarf king that is holding us hostage." Travis responded.
"That has got to be the weirdest sentence anyone's ever said," Andrew said, pausing with a worried smile. h
“Yeah, I've got to be the first human in history to have a reason to say it," Travis chuckled, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I hope Jarl Arvid has an idea to get us out of here
"because otherwise we're going to be stuck in this room forever," Andrew said .
Sometime later to a bizarre slurping sound filling the room. He sat up and looked around the room, he was all alone, and yet the sound persisted. He stood and walked over to the door and listened intently. He was surprised to find the sound wasn’t coming from the corridor, but from inside his room. He followed the noise curiously and it led him to the bath chamber. He peeked around the corner and saw a whirlpool had formed inside of the jacuzzi pool that he had bathed in earlier in the day.
“Is this normal?" he thought to himself, “maybe this is how it cleans itself.”
As he watched the water level sank deeper and deeper until the pool was completely drained except for the deep hole that he had dove into earlier in the day when he had burned himself.
“I’m never going to get used to all of this magic and strange technology," he thought to himself as the water level continued to drop. He walked back into his room and laid on the bed, and after another couple minutes, the gurgling of the draining water came to a halt. “Finally, I can go back to sleep," he thought, “and tomorrow I’ll try to convince them to let me out of this room so I can apologize to King Karvir."
Then a dull thud cut through the silence like a knife, followed by a hushed whisper, “shh, do you want the guards to catch us?"
A couple of seconds later Erik’s head popped around the corner, scanning the room. Andrew sat up with a smile on his face. “Where did you come from?" he asked.
Erik put his finger to his lips and hissed, “follow me quickly, and be quiet about it."
Andrew crossed the room into the bath chamber, the pool had now been completely drained and there was a glow coming from the deep hole at the end. Erik moved forward and descended a ladder that was now sticking out of the hole, “that’s what made that sound," Andrew realized.
Andrew followed and realized that the hole was much deeper than he ever would’ve guessed. The hole descended at least 20 feet below and standing at the bottom carrying firelit torches were the twins, Vidar and Vikar, with cheery smiles on their faces.
“Hello," they said in unison, their voices smooth and dreamlike.
“King Karvir had said that you had taken vows of silence?" Andrew said, surprised.
“Not now," came Erik’s hushed whisper, “we have to move, otherwise we’ll all need rescuing.”
The tunnel around them was hot and humid, steam hung in the air around them. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, the tunnel around them had heat emanating from the walls. “Careful," Erik warned in a little louder tone than before, “we have pushed back the water, but the walls are still superheated, they will still burn you, much worse than you received earlier if you touch them.”
“Come on," Erik said, leading Andrew torch first down the dark dripping tunnel behind him, the twins silently retrieved the ladder. Ten paces ahead the tunnel came to a crossroads. To his left, the tunnel stretched off into the darkness, and to his right was a solid wall of water that reflected the light of the torch in Erik's hand. Andrew reached out to touch the shimmering water and Erik slapped his hand down. “Don’t be a fool," he said, “what did I just say? You felt what that water did to you earlier, do you want it to happen again?”
Andrew came to his senses and vowed to keep his curiosity in check, “sorry," he murmured, “it won’t happen again.”
They turned to their left and a couple of paces ahead, glowing blue symbols pulsated on the walls.
“What are those?" Andrew asked.
“They’re runes of aquamancy," Erik responded, it’s what allowed us to push the water out of the way and get to you."
Ahead Andrew could see the blue pulsating runes, strategically placed every 15 to 20 feet. They continued past the runes down the dark tunnel, and then behind Andrew came a scratching sound followed by the gurgle and a hiss of steam. Andrew looked over his shoulder and saw the twins using knives to break the solid lines of the blue pulsating runes. As they broke a line on the runes, the blue pulsing light stopped, the water behind them released and filled the tunnel behind them advancing the shimmering wall of water, concealing their escape route.
After a few minutes of the only sounds in the tunnel being their echoing footsteps, the twins breaking runes, and the water gurgling forward, hissing into steam as it splashed across the hot stone floor, Erik started talking normally, “those brutes didn’t hurt you while dragging you the way they were earlier did they?" he asked with a worried look on his face.
“No, but I think I broke one of their noses, I felt my foot connect with his face.”
“Good on you, m’boy," Erik said with a chuckle, “I saw that you weren’t going quietly.”
“What happened after I was taken away? Did Jarl Arvid and his men escape?”
“Jarl Arvid and his men were forced to leave without you, much to their displeasure.”
“So they got away safely?”
“Aye, even Karvir fears the wrath of the gods if he struck them down under a banner of peace," Erik explained. “Even with all of his posturing, threats, and his men waving their spears around menacingly, until one of them drew first blood, they were protected.”
“Why are you helping me?" Andrew asked, changing the subject, “don’t you work for King Karvir?”
“No, Karvir is not mine king," Erik responded, “I am loyal to the one true king of the five clans, King Thornud of the Stronghammer Clan."
“I’m confused," Andrew responded, “why were you working for Karvir then?"
Scratch, gurgle, hiss.
“When I was but a lad, not much older than yourself, the sundering of our nation happened. Jarl Karvir and mine father Jarl Rolf rebelled after our last king, King Orn of the Ironblood clan, returned to the stone. As tradition mandated, a clan-meet was held and three of the five Jarls voted for Thornud to be our new king, which is what the majority meant that he won. Mine father had voted for Karvir as well as Karvir himself, and they were not willing to relent and pledge fealty to Thornud and name him their king. So, our nation split and Karvir named himself King of both the Blackfall Clan as well as mine clan, the Deeprock Clan.”
Scratch, gurgle, hiss
“Our nations went to war after that, which cost the lives of many good people across all five clans. The last battle was just over twenty years ago, and after a tentative peace had been obtained, Karvir betrayed us and subjugated mine clan. He has made mine father nothing more than a figurehead, a puppet, and a shadow of the man he used to be.
Not long after Karvir's betrayal, at his demand, mine father gave me to him as a servant. Such a betrayal cut me deep to mine soul, and with the gods as mine witness, I vowed to get back at them both. For years, I waited for the time to act, until one day I saw an opportunity arise, which I seized upon. Since then, I have been secretly passing information on to the Stronghammer clan, and have been aiding them in keeping Karvir from being able to establish strongholds around our realm. About ten years ago, quite by accident, I discovered that Vidar and Vikar were plotting and aiding Karvir's enemies as well so in secret we united our efforts.”
Scratch, gurgle, hiss
“I thought they had taken vows of silence," Andrew said, his mind spinning.
From behind him came Vidar's smooth voice, “publicly yes, we did not want our deep knowledge of the runes to be deployed against the Kingdom of Svartalheim.”
There was a slight pause, and Vikar broke in where Vidar had left off, “We chose instead to conduct our work in silence, and kept our methods and knowledge secret.”
Vidar continued, “we are sorry we did not respond either time while we were healing you before. We thought you were becoming a friend of Karvir, and could not risk our secret to be revealed.”
“I thought we were becoming friends too," Andrew said ruefully, “the way he acted towards me trying to leave with Arvid in the throne room shocked me.”
“I know, m’boy," Erik broke in, “while Karvir has always sought power and status at all costs, we have never seen him become so ‘unhinged’. As soon as he ordered you imprisoned, the twins and I knew our time to act had come at last.”
They came to split in the tunnel, this time straight ahead there was another shimmering wall of water. They turned sharply towards the left at the water wall and with another scratch, a gurgle, and a hiss the path behind them was sealed as water rushed forward filling the tunnel behind them. The new tunnel slanted upwards and after only needing to break a few more glowing runes they had risen above the level of the water and the twins set down the ladder on dry land.
“How did you guys come up with all this," Andrew waved his hands around, “as an escape plan?"
“We’ve been using these tunnels for years to visit each other, and to sneak information out from under Karvir's nose."
“Really?" Andrew asked, “I understand using them to get information out of the city, but why use them to visit each other?”
“The twins to everyone’s knowledge had taken vows of silence," Erik explained. “It would have raised suspicion if we had been seen sneaking off and spending time together, people with vows of silence would seemingly make poor company. So we were forced to get creative to be able to successfully communicate and conspire."
“That makes sense," Andrew replied, “So, what’s the plan now?”
“That’s going to be the hard part," he paused, “the plan is we’re going to try to get you to safety and back to your sister," Erik replied with a smile.
The tunnel continued climbing, and the temperature quickly cooled off as they moved upwards.
They walked for close to an hour passing the time with idle conversations mixed with long bouts of silence. Finally, the tunnel ahead of them came to a dead end.
“Now what?" Andrew asked, confused.
Erik pressed his finger to his lips again and put his ear against the solid stone wall. “I don’t hear anything," he whispered, “I don’t think they’ve found out that you are missing yet.”
Erik extinguished the torch he had been carrying to light their way, and Vidar stepped forward and pulled a green stone out of the pouch at his waist and traced a large circle on the will which lit up with green energy. Then he drew a symbol in the center of the circle and the stone melted away leaving a hole within the perimeter of the circle.
