Realm of Monsters - Chapter 598: House of Goldelm Part 2
Chapter 598: House of Goldelm Part 2
Cedric walked over and knelt down on one knee in front of her. “I had given up, I didn’t think anything would change. But when I saw you charge at hundreds of barbarians all alone with only Oginum at your side for the sake of protecting those who could not protect themselves, I saw hope. You could help us find our way once more. You could lead us.”
“And what if I don’t…?”
Cedric looked her straight in the eyes. “Then Aric might kill you.”
Freya laughed, breaking the tense silence. “Aric would never kill me. How much have you already drunk today? I can smell it on you.”
“I didn’t drink, but one of our sisters did toss her glass on my shirt, courtesy of being on opposing sides of this succession.”
“Which one was it? Ooh, let me guess, it was Grelda, wasn’t it?” Frey smirked, “Seeing as she is Aric’s full-blooded sister, I bet she hates you for nominating me as heir, I certainly do.”
Cedric stood to his feet and dusted off his pants. “I’m glad you are amused by such blatant disrespect of our honor, I wouldn’t have taken it so well.”
“Our honor? She threw her drink at you, not me.”
“I am your Second, as she is Aric’s. She threw that wine as an insult to you, probably on the command of Aric.”
“Aric isn’t so childish as to do something like that.” Freya would, of course, if the mood suited her, just one more reason she added to her mental list of why she shouldn’t be heir.
“I wouldn’t put it past him. Aric’s changed. His injury, the inheritance. Things like that will make any man change.”
“What? Like wanting to murder me?” Freya rolled her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Pfft, as if.”
She got up to leave, but Cedric stepped in her way.
“I know you’re deflecting with the casual remarks, but you need to look at this for what it is,” he said.
Freya stepped closer with a snarl, their faces inches apart. “And what’s that? Huh?”
“War.”
“War? With what army?”
He smiled, “I’m glad you asked. I have been speaking with the captains of the Goldelm army, or rather what remains of it.”
She furrowed her brow. “Cedric, what are you saying…?”
Aric may have been Father’s chosen heir, but you are the one who fought by our soldiers’ side, you are the one who rallied them together when the siege was darkest.”
“Oginum did that.”
“Oginum reacted to your will. The soldiers saw it. They saw you wade into battle like the heroes of old; Alone, but never outmatched. The soldiers respect you. If you call, many of them will rise to answer.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to war against my own brother.”
“And why not?”
“Gods, do you even hear yourself? Where do you think this all leads? What is the end goal? If we go to war, if we win, what happens to Aric then?”
“The Goldelms wouldn’t be the first House to fall into bloodshed because of brother and sister trying to inherit their family’s throne.”
“I won’t kill my brother.”
“Aric may not give you that same courtesy.”
“Just stop. Stop making him out to be some kind of monster, he’s our brother! Why is everyone trying to fight!? Our Father is dead and all anyone can think about is who gets to stand over his grave!” Freya’s eyes burned with angry tears. She looked away and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
“I’m just trying to keep you safe,” Cedric admitted. “If Ingrid votes against you then—”
“Then what?” Ingrid walked into the garden, her long dress trailing over the grass. The black silk contrasted well with her pale blonde hair and startling golden eyes.
“Aunt Ingrid,” Cedric inclined his head in a polite, albeit small, bow. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“I was looking for your sister.” Ingrid’s gaze shifted over to Freya. “Your mother told me she saw you heading into the gardens. It seems she was right.”
Freya wrung her hands nervously and curtsied. “Aunt Ingrid, pleasure to see you. How was your trip from Frost Rim?”
“Slower than I would have liked. The trek down the mountains was crowded with merchants fleeing your city’s war. Thankfully, once we reached my ship it was an easy journey down the Dire River.”
“I’m glad you arrived safely,” said Freya.
“As am I.” She glanced at Cedric, “I’d like to speak with Freya alone.”
Cedric sent Freya a worried look, but bowed nonetheless and left. There were few people in the world who could ever get Cedric to do anything he didn’t want to, but even he didn’t want to anger the woman who would cast the last vote.
Freya forced herself to smile. “You wanted to speak with me?”
Ingrid didn’t respond and simply looked her over, silently judging the measure of her. Freya didn’t know what to say or do really. So she just stood there, feeling like an idiot.
She had never been particularly close to her aunt. Ingrid had moved to their ancestral home in Frost Rim before Freya was born and she had rarely visited Hollow Shade ever since. Aric was the only one old enough to remember when she still lived at the Hollow Shade manor. She was really hoping right now that the latter wouldn’t affect her aunt’s decision.
Finally, after a long minute of silence, Ingrid walked over and past Freya. Her eyes lingered on Oginum resting on the stone bench, before she sat down next to it. “Sit.”
Freya nodded hesitantly and sat down, Oginum’s golden haft lying between them. Ingrid traced her fingers over the hammer. “The dwarven great hammer of House Goldelm,” she said in quiet admiration.
“It was forged by the legendary Lord Koval himself,” Ingrid recited. “I grew up hearing the stories of the ones who carried the hammer before you. The most renowned lords and ladies of our family, battling against all sorts of monsters, facing off against entire armies by themselves, and somehow coming out victorious, the hammer shining like the sun… Until it didn’t. Ever since Sylas Goldelm. That was over 200 years ago.
“But my mother told me that we hadn’t seen the last of Oginum’s light. Oginum was simply waiting for the right wielder, a chosen one. I believed her.” She scoffed, “I believed her so much that I started to think that I might just be that one. The Goldelm who would awaken Oginum’s light once more. I trained harder than anyone. I was the first to wake up and the last to go to sleep. From dusk till dawn. I trained my body, my mind, my magic. There was no hit I couldn’t take, no challenge I couldn’t handle. I could do it, no, I would do it. I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way. I was Oginum’s chosen.
“I studied the Arcana language and read every book in our family library regarding ancient magical histories and Oginum. I excelled in all my studies, magical and mercantile. My mother was so proud. She chose me to be her heir even though I was the second born.”
“You were grandmother’s heir?” Freya muttered in surprise.
“I was. And then the day came, the day I had dreamed about ever since I was a little girl sitting on my mother’s lap listening to the stories of our ancestors. My mother gave me Oginum.” Ingrid’s lips curled into a small bittersweet smile. “For all the expectations and legends that surrounded that hammer I thought it would be heavier. It was easy to wield. …It was only when I carried it into a battle that I understood the truth. The hammer never glowed for me, it never showed me its light.”
Ingrid drew her hand back and made a fist over her chest. “I thought I could handle anything, take any hit, any challenge, but the realization that I wasn’t who I always thought I could be, that disappointment… that hit harder than any blow. That day I learned a lesson I would never forget. I learned that we all have limits and I now knew mine. I gave up Oginum and the position of heir and I refocused my energy and time to more important pursuits.”
“Like what?” Freya whispered, uncertain if she wanted to know the answer.
“I focused on the success of our family. I moved to Frost Rim to oversee our House’s mines and broker trade agreements between the merchants of Frost Rim and Hollow Shade. I devoted my life to our House because I believed it was the best way I could be of service to the legacy I was born to. My destiny didn’t lie with Oginum, nor did my brother’s. Not that he believed it. Zorn thought he was worthy of the surname he carried. He wasn’t.”
Freya clenched her fists at her sides. “Don’t talk about him like that.”
“Your father didn’t understand. He thought because I gave up the position of heir, that he had somehow earned it. Were in fact, I simply could do more for this family while not being tied down in this city. I let your father play as lord, while I managed the wealth and power of this family. Your father just did not understand.”
“Understand what?” she snapped.
“His limits. He thought he was a legend, a hero like those of old. That’s why he fought at the front lines, atop the walls during the siege, instead of commanding his troops from the back as any smart general would have. How can one command an entire army when all your focus is on the man rushing at you with a sword? My brother didn’t understand his limits. And that’s why he died.”
“He died defending this city,” Freya’s voice cracked. She swallowed the lump in her throat, “Do not mock him.”
“And then there’s you.” Ingrid stared into her golden eyes, a peculiar trait amongst their family. “I heard of what you did. I heard of you charged in alone against a horde of enemies. A selfless sacrifice born from love and loyalty…” Ingrid lifted her hand and reached towards the sun, unseen amongst the grey clouds. “I heard of how Oginum’s light blazed as you held the hammer aloft. You are different from your father and me, different from your siblings.”
Ingrid turned and caressed Freya’s cheek, “You are different from any of us, child. You are chosen, whether by the gods or fate I do not know, but your limits stretch far further than this place. And that is why, I will vote in Aric’s favor.”
Freya blinked, confused. “What?”
Ingrid folded her hands on her lap. “I must put an end to this succession conflict before it is too late. By claiming Oginum you have opened the doors to civil war amidst our House.”
“I don’t want any war, I didn’t ask for any of this. I don’t even want to be the heir,” she quickly answered.
“Yet you attended council meetings as the Lady of House Goldelm.”
“What was I supposed to do? Aric was bedridden. House Goldelm needed a voice on the council, especially at a crucial time like now. If not me, then who would have gone?”
“Your reasons do not matter, even if they are valid. The most powerful lords and ladies of the city have seen you on your father’s seat. They will make assumptions. There is no taking back your claim now.”
“Okay, but you said you’re voting to have Aric take the throne. So what does it matter? I won’t fight your decision, he can be lord, I don’t care.”
“It’s not so simple,” Ingrid sighed. “You must understand, I do not side with your brother because I believe you would make a poor leader, but because I understand that supplanting your brother, who is the chosen heir of your father, will set a very dangerous precedent for the future of our family.
“If you take the Goldelm throne then future generations will believe that they can take the throne from their siblings, even if they were never meant to. People will die. Brothers and sisters will kill each other until there is only one left standing. Look at what happened to House Veres. Their family is dead, save for a hybrid and a woman who is descended from a far-distant branch. I would not have such a fate for our family. Would you?”
“No, of course not—”
“Then listen closely. Your brother has been groomed his entire life for the mantle of leadership. Even if his body is broken, he will make a good lord, in fact, he may even do better. That sort of crippling injury humbles even the most arrogant of lords. Aric will be more tempered for it. He will be focused on what he can do. It will push him to be a better noble.”
“That’s—good, I guess…?”
“But he will only be able to become that lord if you are not here.”
Freya frowned, “I don’t understand.”
“Oginum will never be his. So long as you stay in this city, people will see you as the true power of House Goldelm, they will never respect Aric as the head of the House. Your brother will resent you for stealing his inheritance. That sort of resentment will eventually devolve into war. At that point, it doesn’t matter who wins, our House will lose.”
Freya’s expression fell and she felt a rising panic in the pit of her stomach. “So what do I do?”
“You’ll do what I did for your father. You’ll leave Hollow Shade.”
