8 The Decision

"Kill him?" Freydis contemplated. "Send a message to the Eternian King…"

"I don't think that would do much." Leif chuckled, letting go. "He's already thought to be dead…"

'I can't go out like this…'

He snapped out of it, his emerald eyes turning into a darker tone of green.

"... You're right." Artos Pendragon admitted without even an inkling of a stutter. "I am Artos Pendragon, the thirteenth prince of Eternia. Son of Victoria and King Charles the first. What of it?"

"What of it?" Freydis raised an eyebrow. "You are a key piece of Eternia-"

"Am I?" Artos Pendragon raised his head. "Nothing about Eternia has changed in my absence. I contributed absolutely nothing to it. But-"

"Oh… a speech?" Leif stepped back.

"I ought to cut his tongue out-"

"Let the young man speak his mind." Erik the Red glanced at his daughter, stepping forward. "He has earned that right."

"Hmph… go on, golden prince. Save yourself."

"Four years ago, I was a disillusioned prince who had lost everything. My desire for battle, my purpose and even will to live. I had come to these shores but a lifeless boy." Artos Pendragon turned to the people. "It was Egil who took me in as a slave. He showed me kindness, taught me the ways of the world, made me a better man and stood up for me at every turn. I may have been Prince Artos Pendragon four years ago… but now, the man standing before you isn't him!"

Artos Pendragon shook his head.

"I am Artos Egilsson!"

Many nodded, some even smiling as Artos Pendragon expressed his pride. Freydis Erikdottir blinked in surprise, keeping her arms crossed. Leif grinned and even Erik the Red clapped.

"For well over four years, I've done nothing but give my heart to this land. I've fought the people of my homeland, helped in the defence of the village, worked myself to the bone to see Hafr rebuilt, treated everyone with kindness, dined and sang with my new brothers as if I was a Nord. For these years, I may as well have been one. I think of Hafr as my home, its people as my own." Artos Pendragon glanced at Harald who nodded. "Have I not earned the right to live as a Nord?"

"Aye, you have. I know not of an Artos Pendragon… but I do know an Artos Egillson!" Harald nodded, raising his fist as he shouted.

"Leave him be, the young man has done nothing but good for us.*

"He may be Eternian but at heart he is a Nord, the son and legacy of Egil the Old Wolf! To threaten him is no different to pointing your sword at Egil!" An older man spoke with an outraged tone.

"You're good with the tongue." Freydis remarked with a low tone, glancing at Artos with a slight smile, before turning to the villagers. "I merely wanted the truth… and now that it has come to light, it seems like nothing else needs to be done."

"The truth? You were talking about killing him…." Leif remarked, whispering.

"It brought out the truth, did it not?" Freydis shrugged.

"That is the voice of an Egilsson, truly!" Erik the Red smiled. "He taught you bloody well, that old wolf."

"Heh.." Artos Pendragon chuckled, scratching his hair as he felt a giant weight leave him. "I learned from the best."

"Now, we have matters to discuss!" Erik the Red approached, tapping him on the back. "Come."

~

"Ivar is the overlord of these lands and his father the King." Egil stated, taking a deep breath. "Ivar… is unpredictable. News will surely spread of the Eternian prince in Jarl Agnar's lands and place you in danger. Ivar is an ideal Vikingr… violent, ruthless and bloodthirsty to no end. He spares no enemies no matter who they may be."

"Let him try to hurt one of my men." Erik the Red chuckled. "I would break him in two."

"One of your men?" Artos Pendragon blinked, questioning his statement.

"I see…" Egil stroked his beard.

"You and Egil fight for me." Erik the Red nodded, raising a cup of ale and drinking it swiftly. He then smashed it down onto the table, breaking it. "And that boy is of no trouble! You then swear fealty to King Ragnar and the Kingdom of the Nords, becoming a free man under his rule. Sounds fair, no?"

"Erik…" Egil frowned, observing the broken table.

"My apologies… but my point stands, does it not? You said you were Artos Egilsson, making you a successor of one of Odin's Chosen. The Tai Empire, Anzai Shogunate and even your Eternia… you should be willing to raid, kill and burn them all if that is what must be done. That is what it means to be a true Vikingr."

"Artos is willing to defend innocents, but not fight them…" Egil shook his head. "He cannot fulfil those oaths."

"Then what have you been raising the boy to be? The guardian of villages?" Erik the Red laughed, causing the ground around him to tremble. "All it takes is for one or two of those holy knights to ride down and he will be a defender of nothing… true warriors are made from raids, battles… wars! Wars between thousands and thousands of men, where only the truest warriors emerge alive and victorious! That is where heroes are born!"

Artos Pendragon recalled how dominant the holy knight had been compared to everyone else… and how Erik the Red was powerful enough to make him flee on sight. That was the sort of power that could end wars and conflict.

"What was his name… Arthur Pendragon, your first king? The stories say he bloody well killed Eternians, Nords, Taians and Anzainese to achieve his ambition. He spilled oceans of blood with his golden flaming sword, killing every cunt who didn't follow his rule. That was YOUR great ancestor. He wasn't some ideal knight who did no wrong, hah! He killed so many thousands of people by his own sword and countless more by his command… how many of those were innocent boys forced to fight by their lords? Or do you think he just strolled around and everyone decided to be peaceful? Heh, by good virtue, one man was able to stand up to him."

"No…-" Artos Pendragon denied, shaking his head. "He was noble-"

"Is that what they taught you to recite, again and again? The noble King Arthur, King of Knights, who was a butcher with a fancy crown. There are hardly any true 'heroes' in this land… everyone lives for themselves and there's no issue with that." Erik the Red shook his head. "This world is ruled by warriors. If you are weak, you will be feasted upon. If you are strong, you will be the one to feast on the weak!"

"If you are strong, you can also protect the weak." Egil added, nodding his head. "War in our world is inevitable - it is in every corner. If not the kings of our lands, then independent men starving for glory, fame and wealth will fight for it themselves."

"Knock some sense into the boy, Egil." Erik the Red sighed, turning away. "I will stay for a few days… but I will not protect Artos Pendragon from whatever it is that King Ragnar would want from him if he remains so stupid. I refuse to shield an Eternian."

And so, he left.

"I am aware that it is a difficult decision, swearing your fealty and all that comes with it." Egil grabbed Artos Pendragon's shoulder, who simply frowned. "You do not need to wet your blood with the innocent, burn down villages or the like. Simply play your part for the Kingdom of the Nords. Fight the soldiers who want to kill your friends and burn down your home. You've already forsaken your royal heritage… so why do you hesitate so much? What do you truly want to accomplish?"

Artos Pendragon lowered his head, his eyes narrowing.

…

He saw his mother looking over him, her golden hair flowing like the clouds.

"I want you to be…"

…

"A great knight." Artos Pendragon replied, raising his head. "Not an Eternian nor a Viking knight. A knight for all."

"... Hahaha." Egil laughed, mocking his goal for the first time. "A knight for all, you say? The most you can protect is a single settlement at a time on your own, even if you were Arthur Pendragon come again. Then lies the matter of who do you protect? Who is righteous and good? I'll give you the truth… no one is! All four nations have spilled oceans of blood over millennia, from the great kings and emperors to their heroes to the common people."

"The way you are now… you can hardly protect yourself! Don't be a fool and accept who you are now, a Nord. The rest will come in time, I promise. You will grow stronger and wiser, you will see how these wars come to be and how to win them. Then, when you've earned your merit as a hero… you can do as you like. However, if you do not wish to take up the path of a warrior and wish to remain helpless, then I will have no choice but to return you to Eternia. That is the only way to assure your safety."

Egil looked genuinely concerned for his wellbeing… making Artos Pendragon feel rather guilty. Everyone here had done so much for him and so his reluctant struggle between allegiances makes it seem like he truly is ungrateful. A faker who pretends to be a Nord because it is more convenient.

"... I… need time to think on this."

"You have time." Egil took a deep breath, smiling slightly. "I have faith that you won't make the wrong decision."

~

Artos Pendragon sat by the hillside, watching the people of Hafr go about their day. It soon became night and the full moon was out. Between his homeland and where he had spent the previous four years, he was torn. His father, his half-brothers, his half-sisters… the great Knights of the Round Table and even his heroes seemed like shadows of the past.

'Who am I… who do I want to be?' He contemplated, frowning as no real answer came to him. 'Who the hell is Artos?'

He closed his eyes and the cold hill turned into a vibrant green field. The radiant sun shined over him and filled the field with beautiful flowers as far as the eye could see. He was a child once again, resting in his mother's embrace.

"Arthur Pendragon was born into poverty with a burning desire to change the war-torn world. He lost his father to a warring Taian warlord, his mother to a raiding Viking and his brother to the sword of a samurai. He trained relentlessly, day and night, seeking the power to bring peace so that no one would have to suffer as he had. Then, one day, the Sword of Promised Victory had descended onto the heart of Eternia and he heard the holy sword calling to him. In the midst of attaining divine power, the lords of the land gathered and tried to unsheathe the sword from the earth… but none could."

'Only He who was worthy could…' Artos thought, lowering his head.

"None but Arthur Pendragon, who had faced countless challenges in his quest to reach the sword that called out to him. In the midst of a great battle over the land on which Excalibur stood, Arthur Pendragon broke through walls of men and reached out… drawing out the blade. The dark sky broke apart, revealing the radiant sun and heavenly blue sky. The radiant rays of God focused on one man, his hair shining gold as he raised the sword."

"Golden fire engulfed the sword… and all Eternians bowed, acknowledging their one true King. He restored chivalry and knighthood, ended the wars between Eternians and strengthened the kingdom so that no man could ever conquer it. He built Eternia, fought off invasions, formed the Knights Crusader and began to bring peace to the people of the entire world. He succeeded and so began the golden era of peace, where the wise King Arthur no longer needed to draw his sword."

"That is the story of King Arthur Pendragon."

He opened his eyes, returning to the hill.

'And then the world knew chaos again… or did he even succeed to begin with?' He thought, frowning slightly. According to the Nords, it had been Toki Odinsson who defeated King Arthur at the Frozen Lake during a great battle which spanned days. 'Was he as righteous and noble as the stories say? Or was he no more than a tyrant who wanted to rule the world and had the means to do it?'

'Or… was he a man with good intentions that had to dirty his hands for his ambition?'

Artos Pendragon sighed, shaking his head.

"I'll never know…"

He looked up at the full moon, wondering how Eternia was looking on the far edge of the West. He saw the daggers in the dark led on by strings, the master of which being his oldest half-brother. He saw the holy knight attesting to the fact that he fought alongside Nords. He saw his disappointed and angered father disowning him for embracing Nordic ways. He saw all the people spitting on him… looking down on him… preferring that he were dead… calling him a traitor.

He saw the death trap that returning would lead him to.

Lastly… he saw his little sister, the last thing his mother left behind. Long curly golden hair, her greenish blue eyes, a sweet smile as radiant as the sun and her embrace just as warm. He recalled the last time he had embraced her, hugging tightly. He promised that he would visit the city of Eternia when he could, brushing the side of her cheek and kissing his sister on the forehead as he said his farewells.

He imagined her now, over four years later… alone.

A few tears streamed down his closed eyes.

He sniffled, wiping them away.

'I'll be there for you, I promise.' He stood up, taking a deep breath as he overlooked Hafr. 'When I return, I'll be so strong that nothing could separate us again. I'll be able to protect you like mother asked… I'll be King Arthur come again.'

While he was mistreated in the royal family, his half-sister was adored by most… her father most of all. As he walked away, Artos Pendragon found some confidence in the truth that King Charles wouldn't mistreat his sister and that she was safe in Eternia.

…

"Have you made your decision?" Egil stroked his beard, his lip slowly curling into a smile. "You look confident."

"I'll be a Viking." Artos took a deep breath, nodding. "However, I won't partake in the murder of innocents and only face soldiers. I won't loot, rape or do any of that. Nor do I promise that I will tolerate it."

"You need your own warband, it seems." Egil chuckled, grabbing his shoulder. "Fortunately for you, Erik the Red sees no use in killing weak men who do not fight back and frowns down on any man that must force himself on a woman. Looting, however… well, he leaves it for his wolves."

"Looting… it can't be helped, I suppose." Artos Pendragon admitted. "Also… I can't invade Eternian lands. I won't draw the blood of my people unless it is in self defence."

"Hmm… fair. Then you will perform valiantly against the Tai Empire and Anzai Shogunate, eh? After all, beating them profits Eternia indirectly." Egil grinned, tilting his head. "Imagine you gain your knighthood by fighting the other nations as a Viking."

"... That's not how it works." Artos chuckled, shaking his head. "There's never been a Viking Knight."

"Not yet." Egil smiled, nodding. "It's good, Erik the Red will be jumping for joy knowing that you'll be joining him."

"He's glad that you're coming." Artos Pendragon crossed his arms, shaking his head. "I'm just an extra sword, you're the old wolf. One of Odin's chosen."

"You'll be great too, in due time."