17 Birth of a legend

Sasha looked around the room leisurely, meeting the eyes of each and every lord and lordess.

None of them turned away from her, none of them hid disappointment in their eyes.

The silence stretched out between them, thickening between them like an unknown force of tension.

The men and women in the room, who were slouched, slowly straightened their spines, goosebumps raising on their skin.

An unbelievable foreboding and ominous feeling pervaded the room.

Their firm belief that Sasha will not accept being a Countess slowly eroded from their minds, as their expressions became more and more wary.

Having a Countess Winter is not good for their own families.

Having come as far as the Barrier, they could not refrain from swearing their loyalty to Countess Winter. However, Sasha doesn't look like she is readying for war immediately. That leaves them and their people at Flayer's mercy.

At the same time, betraying their lord after braving these many challenges and coming this far left a bad aftertaste in their mouths.

Sasha gave a look to her brothers beside her.

Both of them looked solemn, and their faces were inscrutable.

The entire congregation's attention was focused on her.

Sasha spoke only after making sure of the fact.

" I accept King Raul's will. " She said.

Bran and Dan's faces became more expressionless.

" I accept King Raul's will under inquest, and in perpetuity. " Sasha said, ever so slowly, so they won't miss even a single word. .

The expressions on the faces of lords changed from wary to disbelief.

In normal language, what Sasha said just now means she does not accept king Raul's death as a fact, at the same time, she will accept the 'countess winter' position forever, as she believes in the will's validity.

Now, the only person who could revert her authority is King Raul. I.e. Unless her dead brother walks out of the grave, there is no person in the entire winterland who could shake her regency till she dies.

In one single moment, she screwed over all the plans any and all ambitious lords could have over their daughters ever becoming queen, or their sons ever becoming kings. After all, her sister Xena only went missing, she was not found to be dead.

Then, the lords all came to from their shock at the same time, and started speaking all at once.

"Blasphemy!"

"What Rubbish! "

" Bullshit ! "

"Moose's stinky balls! "

The exclamations, expletives and the promises of their honesty all arrived at the same time.

Sasha just let it be, watching over the commotion as she was not the cause of it.

The few attending dignitaries, namely the Captain of frontier guard, The runaway prime minister of the summer kingdom and his ward, all watched in utter shock.

Just from the way the ward leaned forward and explained why what Sasha said is such a big deal, it could be seen the ward is the one who holds the power.

The prime minister's eyes first widened in enlightenment, after a moment, in utter delight, as he understood the true implications of what Sasha did.

Then the three fell into a sharp discussion, as the prime minister and ward explained the obscure title and its function to the Frontier guard.

The Captain guard only looked wary of her before. Now, after listening to what she did, he looked at her in awe.

"Damn! They say it right. When you kill all the wolves, the vixen will bite off your c*ck ! " the guard captain said in utter amazement. He probably thought he was whispering, but a strange lull fell in the hall coinciding with his words.

So, they echoed in the hall.

The lords collectively glared towards the guard captain.

He changed his expression to the same sleepy sombre as before, as if the person who spoke the words was not him.

The lords turned to Sasha.

" What are your plans for the winterland, My lady ? " The bearish looking lady Icemount asked her.

Sasha gave an appropriate pause after the question, as if they should know the answer.

Just as the silence was thickening, she answered.

" I believe it would be to accept any oaths of loyalty, my lady! The old way." Sasha added.

They looked at her in surprise.

They have not known these teachings are still taught to Winterchild children.

The old way stopped about five hundred years ago, among the religious wars.

Since then, The oaths of loyalty in the winterland were also done in courthall, like they do in summerland.

"Fine! You have guts. I, John Borland, am willing to repeat oaths of lore." he said in his booming voice.

"Aye. I, Moiree Icemount, am willing to repeat oaths of lore." Lady Icemount agreed.

Following them, all the rest agreed.

" I, Dan Frost, am willing to repeat oaths of lore." Dan recounted.

Everyone's eyes turned to Bran.

Bran stayed silent.

After waiting for ten minutes, Sasha announced they will reconvene in three days time to discuss the venue of oaths.

Oaths of lore is old style swearing to the lord, promising loyalty and willingness to fight over bronze, earth and sun. They are sworn in the presence of an elder tree.

Sasha had to find an virgin elder tree, which is any elder tree, not worshipped till now, yet has more than five sproutling trees.

Eldertrees usually grow as a grove. They are similar to bamboo, only, their roots are connected underneath the ground and they grow to be far taller and sturdier than an average tree.

She flew over the wall, for she is sure, a virgin heart tree could only exist on the wall.

Any other trees are carved over some time or other.

As she searched for the trees, she came across a most beautiful elder tree grove in a courtyard.

Without even going down, she knew it's the cursed thirteenth stop.

She landed in the grove.

As they explained to her, the thirteenth stop is truly huge.

It could house more than forty thousand people at once, and it has its own facilities to grow food and more.

The entire place is filled with overgrown shrubs and animals.

All the animals there were small, all the plants looked extremely luscious.

It's said the thirteenth stop is built over the bones, and looking at the white sand that crunches underneath her, Sasha had to agree.

She moved to the elder tree in the very center.

There's a blackened ring of death all around the courtyard, full of dead eldertrees.

It's as if lightning burned off the entire garden, and this is the only elder tree sapling to grow back.

It's base is twisted and gnarled in a gravity defying manner, and full of blackened lighting marks.

The lighting struck more than once, it seems. However, the elder tree here survived.

Sasha decided.

This is going to be her elder tree, under which she will stand her vigil and declare herself.

She was sure by now Dan and Bran both should have cooled off.

What she said must have come across as such betrayal for both of them.

Dan swore his loyalty, yet Bran remained silent.

It struck Sasha as extremely odd. No matter how Bran changed, his ambition was to be a knight. He is a young man who should be rearing to stand up for saving the world or a cool sounding cause.

Yet, he did not swear loyalty, nor did he get moved by the implication to go home.

However, now that she has decided on her elder tree, it's good she goes back to inform her vassals, who must be waiting eagerly for herself.

Dan was waiting for her over the wall.

" Can we talk ? " He asked her, as pulled her aside towards an uninhabited area. Or more like outwards the boundary of the first stop on the barrier.

Everything here is hard to pry into.

" What were you thinking Sasha ?!!! You will forever be mired in a war if you continue this way! " he scolded her first.

Sasha just enjoyed being held by him, and being treated as a little girl, for it has been too long since anyone has done that to her.

"I wasn't thinking." Sasha answered.

She really wasn't .

Their motives for accepting and rejecting the crown are all too easy to see. Bran and Dan left her with no choice but to accept the title of 'Countess Winter'.

In this situation, if Sasha rejects the elder throne, the lords and ladies will search for the nearest person related to the winter child family among their own family. Ehe war will continue, till all of the Winterland is filled with dead bodies.

Is it an exaggeration ?

No.

Even if they abandon winter child family this way, there will be no one holding them to account. After all, it is the Winterchild family who rejected the opportunity to sit on elder throne. They would be but doing their due duty to the Winterland by taking over throne, and providing stability.

Now, she foiled all such plans, not just for now, but till her death.

They could not kill her, for she is the warden of the kingdom of mountains in her own right. They can not afford a retaliation from her loyal staff.

More importantly, these lords came this far because they cared about their honor. There is nothing more dishonorable than not swearing a oath to the monarch who was willing to rule.

Even if they wanted to go the soft conquest route, they could not marry their daughters to The only eligible man of Winterchild blood easily, given he did not accept legitimization.

'Countess Winter' indeed ! with a single move, she defeated all of us, Lady Mormont thought, as she ate her dinner in silence.