Chapter 28: The Prisoners

The tall tree canopy spread like a giant umbrella, blocking the sky, letting only slivers of sunlight filter through the branches, casting mottled light on the forest floor. The shifting spots of light, swaying with the branches, disrupted the vision of those traveling through the forest.

Luckily, they were all forest-born wildlings, well-accustomed to the play of light and shadow in the woods. They knew how to maintain keen senses and vigilance in such surroundings.

At the back of the group, Ucha shouldered a sack of dried meat, glancing over his shoulder from time to time to ensure that no prowling beasts were tracking them.

"We're almost there!"

The call from the front startled Ucha. He looked up, peering past the layers of leaves, and spotted the distant shadow of the valley.

Memories from a few days ago resurfaced, making him shiver. It had been the most terrifying night he'd ever experienced. Blood, screams, battle cries, and the bodies strewn across the ground often jolted him awake in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, he'd managed to escape quickly and hadn't become one of the dead or captured that night. And luckily, that noble lord had shown mercy—not only sparing the Tiger Fang Clan from punishment but also accepting them as his subjects.

Ucha wasn't entirely sure what it meant to be a subject instead of a wildling, but he wasn't against this change in status. At least they wouldn't have to fight those terrifying Riverlands men anymore. And he could eat the delicious white bread.

He still remembered that melt-in-the-mouth goodness, which was part of why he'd come here to Eagle's Rest today with dried meat. He hoped to trade it for some bread. But that was just a side mission.

His real purpose was to help his sister find a husband.

Several girls from the village had already married into Eagle's Rest since the valley battle, as the gender ratio in Tiger Fang Village had skewed dramatically after their defeat. Any girl in the village who didn't want to remain single forever would have to marry out.

Wildling women were traditionally drawn to strength, and with the Riverlands men having proven their power, the girls of Tiger Fang Village didn't resist the idea of marrying out. Especially with the promise of a dowry from the lord for each woman who married into Eagle's Rest.

So, quite a few girls had already made the trip, eager to choose a man for themselves. These mountain-born girls were certainly not shy. Ucha's sister Una, proud of her beauty, had been a bit more reserved, but now she was worried. The Riverlands warriors would soon be taken, and only craftsmen would be left.

After a while, they neared the valley entrance, where activity bustled. Hundreds of wildlings were busy chopping down trees, clearing a large area near the entrance where the once-dense forest had thinned out significantly.

Ucha recognized these woodcutters as former clansmen, captured during the valley battle and now kept at Eagle's Rest to help the lord build his castle.

He had initially feared that they would be living miserably here—barely fed, poorly rested, overworked, and maybe even beaten. But what he saw was completely different.

The woodcutters looked lively, working with surprising enthusiasm—not at all like prisoners.

"Uncle!"

Hearing his sister's call, Ucha looked ahead and spotted his uncle, wielding an axe at the base of a sturdy oak tree.

"Hey, Una, Ucha, what brings you here?" His uncle paused, chuckling. "Come to find a husband for Una, I bet?"

Una, unembarrassed, nodded calmly, though there was a hint of concern in her voice. "Uncle, the Riverlands men won't mistreat us wildlings, will they?"

"No. The lord himself has decreed that Riverlands men and wildlings are equals, and anyone who bullies another will be punished."

"That's good." Una nodded, looking reassured.

"Are you doing well, Uncle?" Ucha asked, somewhat guiltily.

He felt a bit ashamed, thinking his own cowardice that night had led to his uncle's capture.

"More than well. There's food, a place to sleep, and I even get paid."

"You get paid?" Ucha's eyes widened.

"Yes." His uncle picked up the axe again. "I'll explain more later. I need to finish today's work first, or I'll lose my work points."

Leaving the confused Ucha siblings behind, he resumed chopping with gusto.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

At the sound of creaking wood, the lead foreman motioned for his team to pull the thick rope tied around the treetop.

With a crash, the massive tree finally toppled, sending up a cloud of dust. After trimming the branches, the workers hoisted the log onto their shoulders and headed deeper into the valley.

Ucha and Una followed.

"Uncle, did you say you get paid?"

"That's right. The lord said we're prisoners, not slaves, so our labor is compensated. Although we're here to atone for our mistakes, so the pay isn't high, and we can't collect it until later."

"When can you collect it?"

"When the castle is finished, the lord will settle our wages in full. For now, they're keeping track with work points."

"Work points?"

"Each day's work earns one point, and the hardest-working team each day earns a bonus point. Each point is worth one copper coin. It doesn't sound like much, but the lord provides our meals, and we can eat our fill."

"That's actually not bad." Seeing that his uncle was doing well, Ucha relaxed.

"A truly generous lord!" Una added, looking even more hopeful about marrying into Eagle's Rest.

"Yes, the only downside is that every six days we're forced to take a rest day," his uncle sighed. "The lord calls it a 'day of rest.' But that's a day without work points. I don't even know what to do on those days. Rest seems pointless."

"You could come back to Tiger Fang Village for a visit… Oh, can you even leave Eagle's Rest?"

"Of course. The lord hasn't restricted our freedom. But why would I go back? The woman I loved has remarried, and my mother and son are living in the welfare center here. Tiger Fang Village isn't my home anymore."

"She only remarried because she thought you'd died in battle…"

"Enough, let's not make excuses. I've moved on. When the castle's done and I have my pay, it won't be hard to find another woman. There are plenty of widows around now."

Ucha scratched his head, falling silent.

They walked a while longer and eventually reached a narrow pass where a small group of wildlings appeared to be arguing.

Ucha recognized the men as members of the Longbeard Clan, who had joined the Tiger Fang Clan under Chika's leadership to attack the valley.

Passing close enough to hear fragments of conversation, he caught bits of their exchange:

"Tell the chief we're not going back."

"Why? If the Riverlands men aren't holding you, why stay?"

"Why leave? Here we're fed, rested, and paid. I'm not going back."

"But here you have to work all the time!"

"We'd have to hunt back home too, and that's more dangerous."

"But… the clan needs you!"

"Then let the chief pledge loyalty to Lord Caesar, like the Tiger Fang Clan."

"Yes, then we could all be the lord's subjects."

"Traitors! Have you no pride in the Longbeard Clan?"

"What pride? We got defeated…"

"Shut up, you ungrateful wretches! Selling out for a few coppers?"

"It's more than a few! There's still a long way to go before the castle's finished, so we'll earn plenty. Run now, and it's all for nothing. I'm staying."

"Yes, me too."

"Same here."

"Only fools would leave," Ucha's uncle remarked. "Not only has no one escaped, but more people have been joining our camp these days."

"Joining? You mean some are volunteering to be prisoners?" Ucha was taken aback.

"Yes, you heard them. With treatment this good, why wouldn't they?" His uncle gave him a sly glance. "Ucha, why don't you stay and work as a prisoner? With your sister marrying here, you two could look out for each other."

"What?" Ucha was dumbfounded.

But after some thought, it didn't seem like such a bad idea… But who would willingly make themselves a prisoner? Where was the honor of a wildling warrior?

For now, he was torn.

(End of Chapter)