Legends Never Die: Moments of Peace (ch. 100)

The alliance was made and it was a colossal weight off of my shoulders, I thought to myself as my ship sailed back into Norland’s harbor. My departure and arrival disguised as visiting one of the outposts on Sicily, ensuring that my meeting with the Caliph would be known by only those that were there. There was some part of me that worried that the information would somehow reach Irene's ears all the same, but… it was simply a risk I had to take.

With the alliance made, the budding island kingdom I would leave in my wake had the potential to endure. To entrench itself. What I gained from completing a additional objective for the Quest Lord of Tides was almost secondary, despite being something I had long sought after.

The third riddle that led to the final piece of what the gods deemed a legendary item.

As the ship drifted towards the docks, I looked down at the blade that rested across my lap. The rudimentary repairs stood in a stark contrast to the dark gary steel as I tried to force the two broken pieces of the blade together. I had used the blade in battle, but it was a rare thing -- the repairs couldn't survive my strongest blows, especially now that I had grown into myself. I wasn't a strong boy any longer. I was a powerful man and the difference in strength was notable.

Any attempt to further reforge the blade hadn't worked, no matter how hot the fire pit. The metal would glow, but it would resist any sharpening done to it. The blade had a strange magic to it, and it was as if it was waiting for that final piece to become whole once more.

Given the nature of the Quest, a Grand Quest as I had taken to calling it, I received the additional reward despite the main objective not being completed as of yet.

Legendary Item Clue #3: An eternal blooming rose once gifted to a princess, grown from the corpse of a mighty dragon. The lesser most treasure in a sea of treasures, both overlooked and repurposed.

The hint was a strange one. So far, all of the hints had been strange, but they at least gave me a direction to go in, even if it wasn't clear at the time. This was pointing me to a specific treasure in a ‘sea of treasures’ but there were several places that the sea of treasures could mean. Did it mean the treasury of Constantinople? The Umayyads? The Abbasids? Or was the ‘sea of treasures’ more metaphorical, as I would consider the Imperial Library filled with treasures and it certainly contained enough texts to be described as a sea.

To that end, the rose grown from the corpse of a dragon and given to a princess felt something like a direction to go in. It sounded like quite the tale, though I had not heard of it. Both overlooked and repurposed… I don't think that the treasure was hiding, per say. That made it sound as if those that possessed it forgotten it's value and history, even as they used it.

I doubt that they were using a rose as a weapon. A symbol, perhaps? A banner. Or it could be part of a statue. There were a number of possibilities. Almost too many, which made me worried about actually finding this rose. Not to mention I had no idea how a rose could repair my sword.

A thump of the longship hitting the dock awoke me from my thoughts, and looking up I saw Jasmine watching, seated across from me. When our eyes met, she spoke, “So far, all of your marriages are rather non traditional. The only normal betrothal you've had is to Astrid, and you made her a princess. Jill, you frollicked across Francia and Saxony after her father tried to kill you before marrying her. Morrigan… are you even married to Morrigan?”

I couldn't stop the snort that escaped me, “She'd tear out my throat with her teeth before I could finish bringing it up.”

“That wouldn't surprise me. I can't imagine her accepting the role of a formal concubine either,” Jasmine replied. “And now there is myself -- an Abbasid princess that you captured, held hostage, and then married for an alliance that will only take effect after you leave the Mediterranean sea.” That made it sound worse than it really was… mostly.

“Your point?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow as Jasmine's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, giving a slight smile behind her veil.

“You have a very complicated love life, Siegfried. I expect that it'll feature quite heavily in any story told about you -- two princesses, the daughter of your most hated enemy, and a witch.” Jasmine oversized, sounding more amused than anything. To that, I didn't really have a rebuttal. Not when I already knew some stories were being sung. I had heard them myself.

Instead, I swallowed a sigh, “If it is any consolation, I suspect you will be the last wife that I shall take.”

“What if you should need to make further alliances in your homeland?” Jasmine questioned, not revealing what she thought of the statement.

“Our children can be the bridge between our peoples, then. I would prefer it if they could marry for love, but they shall be princess and princesses of Denmark first and foremost.” I would take what burden I could off their shoulders, but to take more wives would just be fool hardy on my behalf. In truth, even my official betrothal to Jasmine was questionable, but Harun wanted a direct tie to me rather than ties to my brother in law.

Jasmine held my gaze for a moment before she nodded, her smile growing a fraction. I took that as a sign that she approved before I stood up and helped her get off the ship. Men and women gave way as Rajah stalked down the dock, and she chuckled, “I suppose Rajah shall act as my attendant, then. To ensure you don't try anything… improper.”

With that, she walked away with Rajah giving me one last lingering look, as if the tiger was deciding which part would taste the best. I just shook my head, watching them go. She was teasing me, but her concerns were valid. Irene hadn't been kind to her reputation in a deliberate attempt to provoke the Abbasids. Something that worked against her now that she had switched paths, focusing on securing the northernmost border and tying the far reaching islands back to the throne.

In any case, I had no plans to act on any perceived freedoms. I was far too busy, even if I did have the desire.

Walking the streets of Norland, I was welcomed to familiar sights. After more than two years, Norland had come a very long way. The rushed construction that had happened prior to the Great Debate had tapered off and settled in the months afterwards as the projects completed themselves. In the aftermath, with the outposts that we were commanded to make, my company of engineers proved their worth by beginning the construction outside of their masters' watchful eye.

The feel of the budding city had changed since then. The Abbasid architects had left their mark on the city, and they possessed a style that my engineers, and myself, found appealing. The result was an odd blending of Norse, Roman, and Arabic styles. I think it also helped soothe some things in the people as well -- it made the foreigners to Crete, my people included, feel more at home.

That wasn't to say the issues were settled between the Christians, Muslims, Jews, and my people but it would seem that they learned to… honestly, even using the word tolerate felt like something of an exaggeration, but it was the closest I could think of. The simmering anger cooled as there wasn't any obvious reason for agitation. I didn't think for a moment that it would last, but for now, it was nice.

I think I was going to miss Norland, I thought, deciding on taking the long route to the Longhouse. It was a test bed for many projects I had planned in the future -- how I was going to remake Denmark after I assumed the throne. There were plenty of mistakes I made along the way. Some out of ignorance, others because the construction of the city was rushed. Roads and houses that were made when the city possessed no more than five thousand people were large bottlenecks when the population swelled to four times that number.

It wasn't the perfect city by any means. Nor was it perfectly governed. But, in that, Norland was serving its purpose quite well.

“One more year,” I mused quietly to myself. It wasn't as long as I had originally planned to stay in the Mediterranean. I had hoped for four or five years. But, at the rate things were going… three years was enough to accomplish my goals. The money from the Umayyads would be enough to push the wealth threshold past the goal for the quest Found a City. Completing the military power aspect would be accomplished as a by product of Lord of the Tides.

The only real issue were the notable buildings. I had one in mind, but I was still uncertain how I would go about completing it, and that still left over another notable building that I would have to start and complete in a year's time.

Perhaps it was that thought that led me to my prized possession. The Library that I had constructed -- it was up and running, the spire standing tall with a path leading to the debate hall that had seen more usage than I expected after the Grand Debate. The large double doors swung open for me thanks to a thrall, allowing me inside where I was greeted with the scent of parchment and ink.

The scribes were working nonstop, some translating texts while others made copies. Many a time, I had gotten a few remarks from Jill and Jasmine when they saw how much I spent on parchment, ink, and paying a small army of scribes but it was well worth it. I possessed a copy of nearly every text in the Imperial library twice over, and over the next year, I would possess copies of the texts Harun had paid to me in a danegeld.

“Master Wolf-Kissed,” a head scribe greeted me, bowing his head. “What topic can we interest you with today?” He asked as I walked past him, looking at the many shelves that were filled with books and scrolls.

“Fetch me anything that deals with the topic of dragons. The source doesn't matter,” I answered, making him bow his head once more before a fleet of servants that maintained my library rushed to fulfill the order. Meanwhile, I climbed the stairs to my favored reading room, which granted me a good view of the city and harbor.

There were other things I could be doing, but I wanted to deal with this hint first and foremost. Though, that was much easier said than done as dragons…

Dragons ruled supreme over whatever chosen territory they chose. The result made them the greatest foe to be found in many stories to the point that it was impossible to tell the true dragonsslayers, such as my namesake Siegfried who slew Fafnir, and those like myself, who had never seen a dragon but I'm sure I could hear a story about myself slaying one if I waited long enough at a tavern. It was a feat worthy of legend, and as such, many used that feat to legitimize themselves or boost their renown.

As such, there were many supposed dragonslayers in the pile of scrolls that steadily grew on a table before me. Most of the texts dealt with Romans throughout the empire's history who had either claimed that they slew a dragon, or were credited to have. Dozens. Hundreds, even. It was simply messy. Some… I could see a legendary figure such as Julius Caesar slaying a dragon, but I very much doubt that the Gaelic tribes in Gaul would have been able to tame one, like the scroll I read was implying.

Likewise, I also doubt that Darius the Third would have fled from Alexander the Great if he too had a dragon he could command.

Many were fanciful tales. Others felt like they could be true, but were just as likely not true. Then there were the very few that I could readily belive to have happened. The hours started to stretch on as I read, the sun shifting from the early morning to the late afternoon before I found something… of interest.

“A roman warrior of little renown slew a dragon, and from its corpse grew a single red rose. Gifting it to a noble woman, they fell in love and… hm,” I muttered, looking at the rather short tale. It was less of a legend, and more of a snippet of a report. There were other texts that had supported the alleged dragonslaying, but more interestingly, the report was attached to a Christian tale of the Roman legionary slaying the dragon due to a blessing of God.

To me, it reeked of the Christian recontextualism that they were so fond of -- statues belonging to Hera or Aphrodite were instead of the Virgin Mary. This one felt much the same. A Roman legionary killing a dragon that had been terrorizing a village, gifting a rose to a woman he held dear in his heart, then making the whole story about God.

“I'm lucky,” I realized, feeling like I had a more solid direction now. “If I hadn't decided to make a library…” If I hadn't made the decision to just copy everything, relevance or importance be damned, then I likely wouldn't have been able to get my hands on an ancient half forgotten Roman report that could show me the way. My decisions had paid off with this alone.

“What makes you so lucky?” I heard Jill announce herself, climbing up the stairs. My mood immediately brightened when I saw her. As well as the baby that she carried in her arms. “Your daughter and I have both missed you.”

Much like Ragnar, my daughter possessed my fiery red hair, though she possessed her mother's striking green eyes. She was swaddled in a cloth, having entered the world six months ago. With a slight smile, Jill handed me my daughter as she took a seat at the table.

“Hello, Alys,” I muttered quietly to the baby, cradling her to my chest. Alys made a small noise at being handed around, her eyes cracking open for just a moment before going right back to sleep. “To answer your question, I found what I was looking for precisely because I horded these texts.”

That got a small laugh from Jill, “I see. Well, if it was useful once, then I'm sure that justifies you out spending a small kingdom on this library.”

“I'm going to ignore your tone, and just accept the words,” I warned her, softly stroking Alys’ back. I knew men who had been disappointed when they learned that their children were girls instead of boys, but it wasn't a mentality I found that I could understand. The moment I had first held little Alys in my hands…

Jill just gave me a patient smile, “I'm sure. I've already spoken to Jasmine. The details of the alliance still need to be settled, but the hard part is over.” She noted, watching us with a fond expression. More so when Alys decided she wanted to get more comfortable and crawled up my shoulder before babbling in the direction of the window.

“All there is left is to focus on the war with the Umayyads. After that…” I trailed off, patting my daughter's back and making sure she didn't make it over my shoulder. “Then we return home.”

Jill's reaction was telling. There was an immediate relief as a tension bled out of her posture. “I'm glad to hear it,” she admitted quietly. “Our stay here has been… trying. So many doors are closed to us because of our beliefs. It will be nice to be amongst our own people once again.”

“Even with what comes with our return?” I asked her, giving her a gentle look.

“I have made my peace with it,” Jill replied. “I thought I had before, back when we were in Saxony, but… in the time since, it's settled in. We are married. We have a beautiful daughter together. My father and brothers… I will weep for them once they pass, but I understand that this conflict is inevitable.” She said, and I reached out to give one of her hands a reassuring squeeze.

In the end, I had to prepare myself as well. The discussion I had with Otto still lingered in the back of my mind, and a year later, I was no closer to a solid answer. And I knew I would be no closer even if I held off on my return for a decade. I would only find my answers when I was before them.

Jill seemed thankful for the reassurance, squeezing my hand in return. “As nice as it is to have a moment to ourselves, the rest of your family has been waiting for your return.” She noted, and that fit a small smile out of me. “We held them off with a promise you would be back for supper, but if you aren't there, I suspect Ragnar will go looking.”

“He has an adventurer's spirit,” I agreed with a grin.

“The cooks have prepared a picnic. He wants to eat down by the beach,” Jill noted as we both got up, though I made no move to hand Alys back. Our time apart had been short, but it was still too long by my account.

“Then let us indulge the future prince,” I said, heading down the stairs after grabbing the promising scroll. I was determined to make the most of these early years. It was as I said to Jasmine, as princess and princesses of a kingdom, they would one day have duties that they couldn't shirk. They would have to marry for alliances and to secure the future of the family. Just as I did, just as my brothers did, just as my sisters did.

So, let them experience as much carefree joy as they could before they had to undertake such burdens.

…

Jasmine wasn't wrong. I did have a rather unusual love life, and family. That much was proven as I sat under the shade of a tree, one of the few that could be found, as I gazed out into the ocean with a princess of Norway, a princess of the Abbasids, the daughter of my enemy, along with a witch of the wilds, daughter of Flemeth. Together, with all of our children and a tiger.

In my lap was my second daughter, Aife. Like all of her siblings, she had inherited my red hair but she had inherited her mother's golden eyes. Both her and her twin brother, Lugh, who was currently fearlessly crawling to Rajah, treating the tiger as an overgrown house cat. The twins were named for figures of Morrigan's homeland.

Aife was the sister of a legendary figure known as Scathach, who had bestowed peerless talent, beauty, and a great destiny. Aife, however, had been born to be a beautiful wife but she threw away such a destiny. Through grit and determination, she matched her sister's talent and became a warrior that could only be compared to her sister. Yet, she was most famously remembered for being tricked by another figure known as Cú Chulainn and siring him a son.

That had been a rather sour point for me, but as Morrigan made it clear-- we were not married, thus I had a say in my child's name, but not the final one.

Lugh had a much more agreeable name -- named for one of her people's great heroes. A warrior, poet, craftsman, musician, leader, and a god. An ambitious name that he would have to live up to. Something he seemed to be getting a head start on as he grabbed a handful of fur of the tiger, making Rajah look at him and Lugh just laughed in the face of the tiger's fangs.

“Foolish child -- you risk your own death,” Morrigan chidded. It spoke volumes at how we all lost the fear of Rajah, knowing he wouldn't dare attack. I was uncertain what exactly Jasmine did, but she had turned the tiger into a domesticated house cat.

“Oh, Rajah wouldn't. He's well used to this by now,” Jasmine said, scratching between the ears of her tiger while Lugh roughly petted his flank. Rajah let out what suspiciously sounded like a groan before resting his head in her lap. “Between me and all the children in Norland, I'd say this is as much of a day for relaxation for him as it is for us.”

“Is that what this is?” Astrid wondered, watching Ragnar play in the water with Alim. “It feels like it's been a long while since we had one of those. There's always something going on.”

“Such is the nature of power,” Morrigan remarked with a huff. I think she was a little annoyed at being brought out here, but hadn't been able to refuse Jill's invitation. “Once you have it, others shall seek it. Should you fail to use it, you'll find that it dissipates like fog in the morning.”

“Yeah, yeah -- but it's still been a lot, you know?” Astrid groused, leaning against the tree. “Reforming the army and training recruits is a huge pain in the arse. You've been busy with the whole spy thing. Jill's been doing nothing but meetings day in and day out…” She trailed off, glancing at Jasmine.

She smiled, “I have been busy being a captive.”

Astrid snorted, “Sounds exhausting.” She replied dryly. “Point is… this is nice.”

I understood what she meant. We had been making preparations for the great raid for a year now. That meant smoothing out the command structure and the kinks that we had found with the signal system. It meant training new recruits to replenish not only our numbers, but for future recruitment as well. To that end, the untrained boys that had come to us were better than expressed warriors. Lastly was training our tactics and discipline, overseen by Olek personally.

Morrigan had built up an information network, piggybacking off the network that Michalis had revealed to us. All of it feeding us information through a web of merchants.

As more myself -- I planned an invasion, built up Norland, and learned what I could from the teachers of the past. None of us had been idle.

I hummed in agreement, watching as Ragnar found something of interest and carried it back to us with all haste. “Father! Father! Look what I found!” He said, holding up another seashell.

“A fine treasure, Ragnar. It shall go into the pile,” I declared, taking the seashell from him. There was a sizable pile building up next to me as it was the tenth he had found that met his inconsistent but particular standards. His face lit up in a boyish grin before he scampered off, rushing back to the shore to find more treasures.

Astrid dropped her head onto my shoulder, and I didn't need my expanded vision to know that she was smiling at the sight. I brushed a thumb over the groves of the seashell as I watched my first born son, the waves threatening to topple him every time but he remained standing with sheer determination.

I-

I paused, freezing in thought for just a moment. The waves moved in a constant ceaseless motion, advancing and retreating. The grooves on the seashell…

All the pieces were already there, I realized as a small crooked grin tugged at my lips. It didn't go unnoticed by the others as Jill cast me a glance, “I know that look, Siegfried. What is it?”

Steam was too costly and inefficient. So, why not use water instead? An aqueduct to carry the water, some kind of lever… or wheel to catch the water, using its weight to turn a room that was on a number of balls that were within a set groove. The water wheel would turn, it would be connected to the axel that would turn the dining room. It was simple. And, with it, I would have my fourth notable building.

I just chuckled, dropping the seashell into the pile.

“Something to do tomorrow.”

…

At long last, we have hit chapter 100 and this chapter feels like the perfect chapter to hit this milestone with. Sieg’s family has grown a little larger, and he gets to kick his feet up to relax a little. It also feels like the perfect time to make the announcement that we’re almost done with the Byzantine arc -- it went on longer than I expected, but we have around 5-7 chapters left before we head back to Scandinavia.

I’ve gotten a couple of questions about the length of the story and how much we have left -- and to that, I say we still have a ways to go. I didn’t know how long of a story Legends Never Die was going to be when I first started it, but I knew it was going to be a long one. So, to that end, know that LND won’t end when we go back to Denmark. I have plans beyond it. As by the time Sieg returns, the Viking Age shall begin.