Hearken in Hall of Kings

Mephiles became interested in knowing more about Godbrand, despite the Viking acting like a troublemaker in front of his generals. The Demon Wolf was keen on showing a bit of mercy to those who serve him, yet strive to do things their way. Mephiles had nothing more going on as he looked at his books and paintings; everyone else was already confused and shocked at this new creature. Then, the king was finally relaxed from his fiery temper, and he was ready to move on from such a moment. It would not be long until one of Mephiles's servants plotted against him, and he would need to hasten.

"Very well. You prove yourself to be a talkative one, yet a brave warrior. Rejoin the others," Mephiles said. Godbrand bowed his head to the king of Midland, and he turned around and went back to the war council.

Before he exited the library, Mephiles had one more thing to tell Godbrand; this was a mere warning to the demon.

"Godbrand, I have a piece of advice. If you bring up my wife again, I will cut off your head and bathe in your blood. Is that clear?" Mephiles asked.

"Yes," Godbrand answered. He hurried away from the darkened king and left him to be by himself, and he thought about everything else the demons had in their minds.

While walking down the stairs, Godbrand had an idea he thought he should share with Lenora. The only problem is he believed he should share this idea in private; he did not want the same mistake to happen again. It would not end pretty for the Viking if, for a second time, he brings up someone's dead wife in front of everyone else. Godbrand walks down the stairs and hears the conversations the demon generals had with each other. Only this time, they concerned Godbrand, and he knew he was in for a quick lesson of respect.

"He and that flappy mouth of his will get us all killed. Godbrand may be more powerful than the rest, but all should serve the one true king. We should not trust him," Vector said.

"Only a fool lets a snake bite twice. Only a coward flees from his enemies. Godbrand may be a powerful entity, but his words may have had all our servants rise against us," Naberius said.

The demon general, Wagner, stood up and said, "Then, we should dispose of him before he betrays us. All traitors deserve a fate worse than death. Anyone who goes against the laws of our king shall be put in chains and made an example of."

Lenora looked at every single demon general and knew their words were held to an understanding. Every night, she was prepared to conjure the souls of the dead and force them to fight for Mephiles. She then turns around to the stairs to see if Godbrand will ever come down with Mephiles. But Mephiles needed more time to prepare. At that moment, Godbrand slowly walked down the stairs and entered the throne room, only to be greeted with shocked expressions. He walked to the demon generals who were eyeing him, and he gazed upon them all and changed his expression.

"Ah, have no fear, comrades in arms! I'm merely a raiding captain and a powerful mortal! Even Lenora herself knows of the tales I've told to many of our adversaries!" Godbrand said.

"You are not our subject, Dane. You're a troublemaker. Bedsore. A fool who brings awful tidings to his kin," Vector said.

"You fret too much over things that might never happen. But tell me, how do you become a demon general when nobody wants to give you the keys? It's simple, you must have a reputation that will make everyone follow you to the end of your days!"

"How long will you believe yourself to be higher than us? You're drunk, you're a social parasite, you're an outcast that nobody cares for."

"I have proof you are all misled from many affections. Lenora, tell us! How long has it been since you've known me? You and I used to get high together!"

"I'd rather not be involved, Godbrand."

"No? Come on, don't be that way. I'm the one who told you what you never really knew. On that night, you looked at me, offered me a bottle of wine, and took me someplace where nobody would spot us."

Then, Godbrand walked closer to Lenora, and everyone else started crept up behind the Viking. All of them held the handle of their blades again, and they did not care if Mephiles gave them the order to kill him. Before Lenora could do anything to harm the demon, Godbrand slowly lifts Lenora's hand. Her hand was still smooth as the first time he met her, but she did not find enjoyment in him. She knew he was the same drunk and bitter Viking as before, but she understood Mephiles needed him to be alive.

"Hey, Lenora. Scream your lovely voice. I paid good money to be in this kingdom, so scream for me. Like Nimue screamed for her lover, Palleas from the Knights of the Round Table. Pure ecstasy," Godbrand said.

"I'm never singing for you, Godbrand," Lenora said.

"I said scream your beautiful song!" Godbrand said. None of them were prepared to hear Godbrand sing, and Lenora was not expecting herself to cover her ears from the Viking.

He only sang a few words before he sees they do not want to hear any more of it:

Hearken well, in hall of kings

On ocean-steed my words gain wings

Odin's mead, I forth will bring

For noble deeds, thine honor sing

The brave men slain, Valkyrjur wakes

Reward for strain, to Valhöll, takes

Then horns resound the mighty hall

For those who fight, for those who fall.

He only sang for a few seconds until he opened his eyes, and he noticed everyone covering their ears and squinting their eyes. Godbrand turns around and looks at Lenora; he saw her acting like she was getting ready to claw his face off. He lets go of her hand, but she snatches her hand away from him to make him not touch her again. Then, Godbrand slowly backs away from her and holds his arms in the air until he is about four feet away from her. He could tell everyone in the throne room was not in the mood to sing anything, yet he still acted like his younger self.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you, too, Lenora. It's nice to meet all of you, as well. And if Mephiles ever comes down here, it'll also be a pleasure to meet him," Godbrand said. Before anyone could say anything else, Mephiles opened the door that led downstairs to be with the war council.

Despite not being able to be trusted, Godbrand still had obedience in himself to the king of Midland. Everyone held Mephiles to high esteem, and they all bowed to him at his request. Then, the Demon Wolf entered the throne room and strolled to his throne so he could have a seat. He gazed upon all of his servants, including Godbrand, as he had even more things to tell him.

Then Mephiles looked at Godbrand and said, "'Hearken well, in the hall of kings. For noble deeds, thine honor sing. For those who fight, for those who fall.' How long have you been practicing that one, Godbrand? I have no intention to run or hide from those who sing to their gods. The Danes and Saxons can continue worshipping their gods if that's the only thing they're good at."

Then, he looked at the rest of his generals and wondered if something was happening when he was in the library. He believed they had all seen a wraith wander around in the throne room, yet he could feel something. He could still feel the cold air breezing by as he sat on his throne; nothing horrible was happening at the moment.

"Well, do you all know what to do? I trust everything has been ready for tonight? I trust you and Godbrand understand each other now?" Mephiles asked.

"Yes, your majesty," everyone said.

Then Mephiles spoke with them all, saying, "It will take some time for you all to get used to it. But Godbrand is on our side, and as my conquest for world domination continues, so does humanity's war with the creatures of terror. However, I've heard the news that the demon king, Malcolm, has been slaughtered and the village of Gregor is freed from his grasp. I may not know who has done this deed, but eventually, that mortal might not live to see the end of all this."

All the demon generals became speechless at the death of the powerful ruler, and it would cost a lot of power to fight this human alone.