Vilfred

Nordenvania

It was the peak of winter. Vilfred put on his black fur coat before he headed out to the council chamber, a frown of discontent on his face. He could not understand why Bernard had called for council now. A whole moon had passed since Alina was banished from Nordenland, and there hadn't been much to be done afterwards. There wasn't much to be done anyway at that time of year, when the whole North was plagued with frost and blizzards.

Everyone was already present as Vilfred entered the grim council chamber. The terrace doors were shut against the blowing winds outside, and the fire burning in the hearth offered enough light yet little warmth against the freezing cold.

Sir Sigurd sat shivering, his teeth literally clattering. Sir Maarten seemed more composed as he held his hands up before his warm breath. Lady Greta sat completely still, that Vilfred wondered if she had already frozen from the cold. Bernard however, did not seem bothered by the cold, for he sat staring ahead blankly, a look of horror on his pale face. Vilfred frowned slightly as he walked to his seat, wondering what terrible news could have unsettled Bernard like that.

"I just received a message," Bernard said as he held up a piece of paper in his hand and turned to stare at Vilfred in particular, his eyes wide in shock.

"What message, my Lord?" Vilfred asked, confused.

"It's... from the West," Bernard said and Sir Sigurd gasped.

"The West! Is it a message from Frederik?" Sir Maarten asked in concern.

"No." Bernard's eyes were still wide with shock. "It's from King William."

A long moment of silence followed as Sir Maarten and Sir Sigurd exchanged troubled looks. Vilfred's frown of confusion only deepened, while Lady Greta still sat as solid as an ice statue.

"But... what would King William... possibly want?" Sir Sigurd broke the silence in his usual slow and hesitant voice. "I hope he is not trying to... threaten us by any means! Well he can't..."

"Mikal is alive, Bernard said breathlessly, cutting Sigurd off, while he held out a long thin strand of silver hair that had apparently been enclosed with the message. "And the Vausterians have him."

Dead silence filled the chamber, and all eyes turned to Vilfred who now sat dumfounded in his place.

He could feel all the blood draining from his face, leaving it as white as the falling snow outside. And the next moment all the blood rushed back, setting his face ablaze as his mind registered what was just said. Mikal was alive?

A disarray of emotions flooded him. Shock, dread, rage... He sat for a long moment, having no clue how to react. He should at least show some surprise that his brother was still alive. But all he could do was stare blankly at the message and the silver strand in Bernard's hand.

"What kind of joke is that?!" Vilfred's lip curled upwards as he finally found his voice, and he stood up at once, slamming his fists against the table and scowling at Bernard.

"Joke!" Sigurd gasped.

Vilfred looked around at the eyes that gaped at him, and he dropped back into his chair again, holding unto the table to calm himself. Shit, I was not supposed to react like that! Then he got an idea. He burst out sobbing.

"Mikal is alive!" Vilfred cried. "Is it true? Is it not a trap? I won't be able to stand the pain all over again if this turned out to be a lie!"

Everyone now turned to look at Vilfred with sympathy as he buried his face against his hands. His trick worked. While his tears were those of frustration and fury, he managed to make them look like tears of overwhelming emotion at learning that his dear brother was still alive.

"Well, you can confirm," Bernard said as he handed out the hair strand to Vilfred. Vilfred stretched out his shaking hand, and the moment he touched the hair, he knew that this was definitely not a lie. He smoothed his finger over the very familiar silver hair before he drew it close to his heart, and his body shook with more sobs.

"My dear brother!" Vilfred cried. "What do the Vausterians want with him? Bernard! What does the message say?" Vilfred looked up at Bernard with anguished eyes. "Did they hurt him?"

"I believe he's fine," Bernard said, and Vilfred noticed that Bernard seemed quite troubled. "They would not harm him, as long as we answer to their request."

"And what is their request?" Vilfred stood up once more, clenching his fists and frowning with determination.

"They... they are requesting to negotiate, his life for Grytia," Bernard said hesitantly, avoiding Vilfred's eyes.

Vilfred tried to keep up his anguished façade, fighting back the smirk of glee that threatened to break on his face. Of course this was a lost cause. No matter what, Bernard would never agree to give up Grytia in return for Mikal, or anyone in the world. No matter how valuable Mikal was, he was still not as valuable as Grytia's gold.

Vilfred only sank back in his chair and covered his face, pretending to cry. He must show how devastated he was, realizing that his brother was going to be killed just a few moments after learning that he was still alive.

"Are you going to agree?" Sir Maarten asked hesitantly as he turned to look at Bernard, but apparently he already knew the answer. Everyone did. Bernard only sighed and closed his eyes in sorrow.

"But... surely there must be a way," Sir Sigurd said, "we wouldn't really... give up on Sir Mikal that easily."

"We might be able to reach some middle ground," Lady Greta said, and everyone turned to her in attention. Even Vilfred. Greta didn't speak often in councils, but the rare times when she did everyone listened. "If it's a negotiation they seek, then what's the harm? Let us hear their terms and then we can decide whether to agree or not."

Bernard looked up at Greta for a long moment of contemplation, and a weak smile found its way to his troubled face. He nodded, apparently convinced by her words.

"Well thought, aunt." Bernard's smile grew more confident. It seemed that Bernard still valued Mikal to some extent, and he would not waste the opportunity to save him if he can. Vilfred still covered his face, hiding his deep scowl.

"Vilfred," Bernard called, and Vilfred looked up at him while wiping away his fake tears. "Don't worry," Bernard continued, "we are going to find a way to save your brother. He is my dear cousin too, and my most valuable advisor! I'll let you go to Vausterland yourself to negotiate the terms for his return."

"My Lord!" Vilfred gasped in feigned disbelief and Bernard nodded in confirmation. Vilfred gave out a long sigh of relief as he buried his face in his hands again, feigning tears of gratitude.

***

"Brad, come with me." Vilfred ordered coldly as he left the council room. Brad who had been waiting outside until council finished, followed him in silence. The moment they were alone in Vilfred's room he grabbed Brad by the neck and shoved him against the wall, glowering at him.

"You said he was dead!" Vilfred hissed.

"My Lord?" Brad was apparently stunned, yet he did nothing to resist Vilfred. Brad was much larger and stronger anyway, and he would easily snap Vilfred in two if he fought back.

"Why is my brother still alive?"

Brad's eyes widened in shock at Vilfred's question.

"My Lord, I swear I killed him. You saw me do it, and you saw him fall! You told me yourself!"

"Well it seems that he needed more than a blade to his head and fall from the sky to get him killed!" Vilfred said as he released Brad, and he sighed. It wasn't Brad's fault though. Vilfred had indeed seen Mikal fall and deemed him dead. Perhaps it was Vilfred's own fault for not confirming it. It was his own fault for not finding his body and burning it for good!

"What happened, my Lord?" Brad asked. "How is he still alive?"

"I have no fucking idea!" Vilfred passed his hand through his dark blonde hair in frustration. "But apparently he was taken by the Vausterians, and he's now being held prisoner for some kind of ransom."

Brad remained silent for a long while as Vilfred walked up and down the room restlessly.

"And what are we going to do now, my Lord?" Brad finally asked, breaking the tension, and Vilfred stopped in the middle of the room, turning to him with a dark glare.

"We are going to fly to Vausterland, to save his fucking ass!"

***

White blanketed the courtyard and shielded the trees as everything was buried beneath deep snow. Cold was an understatement. If there was something colder than frozen ice then it would be the evil winter winds that blew against his face as he made his way to the gargoyles graveyard. Thankfully, the tall large trees sheltered him from the howling winds as he entered the Northern woods, but the cold still crept through his thick coats and right into his bones.

Vilfred knelt before the large gargoyle that guarded his mother's ashes, and his shoulders shook as he bent low over the ground.

"How does it feel mother? Dying for nothing!" Vilfred cried, torrents of tears streaming down his face, but this time the tears were real. "You couldn't bear the grief of losing your precious boy, so you took your own life. But guess what mother, he's still alive! Can you hear that? He's alive!" Vilfred stopped to catch his breath between his sobs.

"You probably realized that before any of us did anyway, since you probably couldn't find him, wherever you are now. And I bet you're crying your soul out in remorse. Well, keep crying mother, because I don't think he will be joining you there, wherever you are, anytime soon. Because, your precious Mikal is alive, and you are the one who left him!" He cried out bitterly, his voice hoarse with resent.

"Do you hear that? You left him! And you left me too, mother." He added, his voice breaking, and his cries suddenly turned into bitter chuckles. "Oh wait, I forgot! Right, I'm not important anyway. I never was!"

***

It was time for packing. Vilfred cursed silently as he tossed out several coats unto his bed. If only that fucking letter had fallen into my own hands!  Vilfred would have burnt it at once and no one would have ever known that Mikal was still alive. He would have never needed to travel through the freezing storms to save the one person he most wanted dead. He would have left him to rot in Vausterland's prison cells, or get killed by the Vausterians' own hands, whichever they preferred! 

But now after the whole council, no, the whole North, had learnt that Mikal was still alive, Vilfred had no choice but to set out to the West. To save the fucking asshole!

***************

So, are you excited about Vilfred's journey to the West?  :D

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