As soon as the statue appeared. Einar and Ragnar put their hands in their armor pulling out the food rations they took with them just in case and put it down at the statue before taking a knee ""O mighty God of Nature, hear our plea, We come before you with hearts heavy. In our folly, we unleashed a force untamed, And now we stand, our actions shamed. We ask for forgiveness for the damage done, For the trees felled and the battles won. In our pursuit, we lost sight of your grace, And now we seek to mend this place"
"We ask not just for ourselves but for all life, For the creatures, great and small, in strife. May your hand heal what we’ve torn asunder, And may we learn from this blunder" Einar said the prayer.
Inside Ikenga realm who felt his twin extending her power to the mortal world, he started paying attention to the forest and that was when he was met with the sight of the two humans praying to him.
He could feel the prayer and if he willed it, the forest can be restored but since this has been a tradition that took place in his sleep, Ikenga didn’t answer the prayer instead his divinity for nature responded with a hum, sending out the message to those of the cult of Ikenga specifically Aqua and Brix, who will take it upon themselves to answer the prayer.
Einar watched their rations disappear into dots of green lights that gathered before blooming into a huge green portal, where a huge treant walked out from. Nothing was said by the treant, only that it extended its hand as the forest around began healing itself soon everything was back to normal.
Einar and Ragnar watched as the treant walked back into the portal again as it closed and disappeared. "I guess that one is done," Ragnar said to his father.
"Indeed" Einar said as he watched the soldiers gather the bodies of Olaf minions, tapping his son’s shoulder, Einar said "Let’s go"
Olaf meanwhile has already left the silver kingdom territory as he reverted back to his human form but steam can be seen leaving his mouth as he growled like a caged beast, his body was jerking back to the forest and go wild and kill but his human side is fighting back that urge as he knew that he was outnumbered.
It took a while before he calmed down as he weakly but steadily walked back to their settlement, he had to report back to Björn on his failure.
It took a while before Olaf got back to their kingdom by this time he was already replenished and no longer looked famished like before. Looking at the huge colosseum Olaf felt his brother’s overwhelming presence and the other generals around him.
Sighing Olaf walked into the colosseum while heading for the palace, The door to the palace opened to show the sight of Björn and other generals turning their sight immediately to Olaf who felt ashamed but his animalistic side bite back as he growled at them.
Walking forward and kneeling, Olaf spoke "Your majesty, I have failed in my mission. It was like the enemy knew about our attack and was already prepared for us"
Björn red eyes flashed as he thought to himself "So the gods really have interfered" looking at Olaf he gestured and said "Go,on"
Olaf nodded "We couldn’t destroy the supply lines and food storage but we were able to take care of a few drunk noble children we found on our way back"
Finn spoke up "That is good, better than your earlier goal. A noble being dead for the humans is always something great and hard blow to its people"
Olaf nodded to show his agreement "I thought so too, but like i said earlier they were prepared for us so we were immediately noticed. The dozen men i took with me on the mission are dead after the leader and maybe his son immediately came after us"
Björn spoke up this time "So your worry is that, the chaos you hope to seed in the hearts of the humans will be diminished once they saw their kings was able to retaliate just as fast"
Olaf nodded his head in agreement with Björns word but instead all he got in return was Björn laughing "You still don’t understand humans then Olaf, you did great no matter what the king does after will diminish the effort of what you did"
"We give them two days to enjoy their small victory, then we respond back with a full on attack at their land with me leading you all this time" Björn said as a red wave spread out from him in the center causing their eyes of his generals to glow red and madness appeared in their eyes but they were able to tame it with a twisted smile on their face.
Einar and Rganar get back to the kingdom, with their enhanced senses they could hear the loud arguing voice coming from the palace "Helga, mother" They both said at the same time as they quickly headed for the palace.
"Where is the king and prince your highness, did they escape and leave us to die. Are you also planning on escaping with them too" Jan, the father of the dead Lars said, not even giving Helga the opportunity to answer.
"Enough!" The sound was heard as the palace door swung open to show Einar who had his huge sword now stained with blood in his hand, Ragnar beside him was carrying the bodies of Olaf minions with a cold look on his face.
Nothing was said as Einar walked by looking deeply at Jan who looked away in shame, sitting down in his throne Einar siad "What are you all doing at my home this late at night"
The nobles fell silent as Einar’s commanding presence filled the room. Greta the mother of Astrid stepped forward, her expression a mix of deceit and concern. "Your Majesty, we were worried when we heard reports of skirmishes near the border. We feared for your safety."
Einar nodded, acknowledging their concern. "I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, we have returned safely. There is no need for alarm."
Jan, still seething with anger, spoke up again. "But what about my son Lars? He’s dead because of those savages from the forest!"
Einar’s gaze hardened as he addressed Jan directly. "Lars situation is unfortunate and so is the other kids but this is the result of war and for that I am truly sorry"
"I went out with my son to retaliate against those who killed your children, I hope their dead bodies can at least calm your anger" Einar calmly said as Ragnar threw the dead bodies down at the feet of Jan, Greta and the quiet Magnus who also lost a son.
The palace was quiet with that as Magnus then spoke up unlike Greta and jars who’s emotion could be easily seen, Magnus was calm and expressionless.
"Your majesty, we indeed are very happy that you were able to avenge our dead children but that isn’t enough as it was because of your instructions that enabled us not having enough resources to spare for our children safety and assign a guard to them" Magnus said causing the other nobles to rally behind him as they nodded.
Einar hands clenched around his sword "So what is it that you are asking for Magnus and i hope you still remember that we are under war" Einar said pointing at the dead bodies.
Magnus remained composed as he responded to Einar’s question. "Your Majesty, we understand the circumstances of war, but we cannot overlook the safety of our children. We request better protection for our families, perhaps more capable guards assigned specifically for theirs and our security."
Einar’s eyes narrowed slightly, his grip on his sword tightening. "More guards mean less manpower for the frontlines. Do you truly believe that’s the best course of action in our current situation?"
Magnus didn’t waver. "Yes, Your Majesty. Our families are the future of this kingdom. Without them, there is no future. We cannot afford to lose any more lives due to lack of protection."
Einar let out a sigh, weighing the options in his mind. "Very well, I will consider your request. But know this, sacrifices must be made for the greater good of our kingdom. We cannot afford to weaken our defenses too much."
Greta stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion. "Your Majesty, we understand the necessity of sacrifice, but please, do not let our children be the casualties of this war. We beg of you."
Einar’s expression softened slightly at the plea of the grieving mother. "I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of our families. But you must also understand that we are facing a formidable enemy, i need you all by me if we are to have a chance in winning this war"