Chapter 261: Showing a miracle to the captives
Chapter 261: Showing a miracle to the captives
Einar, who was standing in front of Jorgen’s corpse, could only deny with his hands while in his hand he held the king’s crown and a document in which he specified the final balance of the war.
Of the 100 Drakkars, only 90 were captured, 10 managed to escape with 200 Vikings.
There are a total of 1040 people captured and 860 dead, 900 sets of armor in good condition, and 1890 weapons were seized, including bows, javelins, axes, and swords.
A loot of four boxes filled with coins and other crafts was also found, which according to evaluations should be worth almost 1,000 gold coins.
‘I suppose that when you are a king and you launch an invasion into a distant place, you must take your treasures to avoid being robbed.
If the words of the captives are correct, he armed an army of more than 4000 people; I think that due to the distance they had to travel; he lost too many troops.
I think it’s very interesting luck; it was the same thing that happened to us when we moved away from the continent, but this opens up a question.
I should send these Vikings to their families and anyone who wants to come, or I should just keep them in this place to rebuild their lives.
Whatever the question, I suppose as winners I could take the kingdom of Norway, but I really want a piece of snowy land. ‘
Einar frowned and looked at his father as he needed his help. “Father, it is possible that we can take the kingdom of Norway from Jorgen’s hands.”
Sven was surprised by his son’s proposal “It is possible but we would have to return to the ancestral lands that we abandoned many years ago.
Unlike this island, that place is even more difficult to grow and get food.
Not to mention that there are numerous enemies who will not stop in their conquests. In that place, only the strongest can survive. “
Einar took a deep breath and stroked his mustache “If we can’t take the throne, then I think we could sell the Norwegian crown to the highest bidder.
If they want to be kings, they will have to pay the cost with slaves, with the empire in civil war I think it will be a very juicy deal.
But for the moment I think it would be a good idea to bring all the Nordics living in Norway so they can live in the promised land.
This will increase our Nordic population and help slaves learn the Nordic customs so that they can be assimilated.
The last thing we want is for a new culture to be made. At least at this moment, it would not be a good idea, as we have a large population in the fjords and frozen lands of Scandinavia.
Which need to be brought into the nation so that they can enjoy all the privileges that we are offering.
I think the best option would be to be able to create the kingdom of Iceland father, that way we can talk with the other Nordic kingdoms on equal terms.
Although I was thinking of doing it when we were with the island completely conquered, I think we can speed up the process. “
Hearing this, Sven gave Einar a smile and put his hand on his shoulder “If that’s what you want, then I as a grandfather think I can spend time with your mothers and my grandchildren.
In a week we will start the process to become Konungar of Iceland. I will speak with Asgot to prepare everything.
After that ceremony, you will be officially in charge of the kingdom, and I will become just one more helper. “
Holding his shoulder proudly, Sven stared at his son “I’m proud of where you’ve come from, as I once told you, I don’t yearn for power.
That is why we can advance this process. You know if your grandfather lived, he would be proud of you.
The two of you are so similar that I’m sure you would have learned a lot from each other.
But I think you must be tired of listening to your old father speak. Either way, you have a week to prepare everything for your coronation.
Helmi should be able to help you as Nordic ceremonies are quite special and differ greatly from Christian ceremonies. “
Einar looked at his father with some doubt. “Is it a requirement like Jarl to know how to do the coronation ceremony?”
Sven laughed and patted his son on the shoulder. “In the ancestral land in that beautiful fjord, there were rules about the inheritance of Jarl’s title.
This comes from ancient times when your mother’s family started being Jarl of that place.
The ceremony will be similar, but according to the word-of-mouth traditions of our tribe, there are steps to follow when it comes to crowning as a Konungar.
You’ll find out when you ask Helmi, but I think you should make one of your books to record all the traditions that will help preserve our history.
Unlike the history book you are making with the Skald Per, what I will teach and Asgot will teach you are the pillars and rules of our tribe.
You can modify them if you find it pertinent because the rules and traditions were made to adapt to the times, but you must keep them so that your children and their grandchildren can see part of their history. “
Einar nodded “You can be sure that I will support all the traditions of the tribe as well as all history. It will even be a mandatory curriculum in schools.
A nation without history is doomed to failure, no matter how beautiful or horrible the story is.
We cannot change everything that happened, but we can learn from it to avoid making the same mistakes as our ancestors.
Either way, I think it’s time to burn these corpses. The last thing I wish is for a plague to be made for them. “
With a signal with his hand, the piles of corpses were lit, including the pile where the late King Jorgen was.
With the fire burning the corpses, the end of an era in the history of the Nordic kingdoms was marked, but no one of them knew it because of history.
It only becomes a reality after time passes and actions have already wreaked havoc on people’s lives.
In the courtyard of the old great hall building, all the captives who had refused to join the tribe were calmly awaiting their fate.
All of them, who were 357 Vikings, could only swallow saliva because what bothered them the most was not being certain about their future.
When they could see some smokestacks in the sky, they knew that the corpses of their companions were already being burned, so it would not be long to decide their fate.
After a while, Einar entered the courtyard of the old great hall that had been converted into a temporary prison. Seeing all the Vikings, he could only smile.
“You all refused to be included in the tribe, but I promised you that you would not be made slaves.
For what you will have to work in the lead mines for 5 years, you will be given a monthly income of 1 silver coin for their work.
You will also receive food and a place to sleep. Your main job will be to create a road, watchtowers, and other things to make the mine functional.
When you finish building everything in the mine, you will work 12 hours a day chopping lead ore.
At the end of the five years of forced labor, you will be able to go with your families who will be transported to the island as a means to prevent you from trying to escape.
As you were told, you will not be slaves so your families will be treated as a citizen of the nation.
Because at that time your families will already be settled on the island, you will only be able to choose your own destinations.
Any attempt to force their families to move will be punishable by slavery, but as Odin’s herald I am a magnanimous person.
So I offer you redemption, if when you finish building the mine you want to be free, you will be able to train in the army where you will receive professional training.
I know that all of you are warriors, but glory is only obtained as a team, not in individual actions. As a herald, I can assure you that when you enter the army.
You will have a place in the army of Valhalla against the beasts of Ragnarok, so you will fight side by side with all our ancestors and children to defend the known world. “
One of the captives looked at Einar with some doubt “How can I know that you are telling the truth and you are nothing more than a swindler who seeks to speak for the great god Odin.”
Einar smiled, and with a sign of his hand, a woman approached. She had in her hands two containers. The first had alcohol and copper, while the second was smaller but had a kind of gel.
Placing the Gel in one of his hands, he made another sign, so a slave approached carrying a torch with him.
Einar then ran his hand with alcohol gel and it caught fire in blue color. This surprised all the captives, as well as the curious warriors, who did not understand that it was the blue fire in Einar’s hand.
“Now, by the power of Odin, I will create a green fire.”
Placing one of his fingers that had a blue fire in the container of liquid alcohol, a large green flame was lit.
Seeing that everyone was paying attention to the green flame, Einar used a damp cloth to put out the fire in his hand.
After this Einar looked at the incredulous captive who kept looking at the green fire “If any of you have any doubt that I am Odin’s herald I hope you can make a green fire like the one I did or at least you can put blue fire in your hands without burning. “
Showing his hand that it was completely healthy, he looked at everyone seriously.
“Questions remain as to whether I am Odin’s herald.”
All the captives shook their heads and began to view Einar with respect.