Chapter 293: Welcome to Ashen Heights.
“I believed there was still a part of the Twilight Sovereigns left in you, but I can now say that is not the case. You are no different than a small tribe trying to survive.
We have no intention of making things difficult for such hardworking, honest people.”
The Matriarch’s mouth twitched at those words.
Lavinia, on the other hand, continued her act and turned around. Kael glanced at Morvain one last time and then turned around as well.
The two seemed like they were prepared to leave, and unable to take the insult anymore, Morvain called out.
“You are quite arrogant.”
“Hmm?”
Lavinia turned around and tilted her head innocently.
“I wasn’t the one who was trembling and about to cry in front of so many people.”
She snapped.
Lavinia stared at her for a moment, then,
“I apologize if my words have offended you in some way, Matriarch. I did not mean any disrespect.”
She apologized respectfully.
An act that made Morvain snicker,
“It is funny how you called us cowards yet do not even dare to admit it. Who is the real coward here?”
She questioned.
“I never called you or your people cowards, Matriarch. I have no intent—”
“You called us tribesmen.”
“I still stand by my words. I did not call you cowar—”
“You came here—knowing about the treaty and the state we were in—expecting us to take you in, you talked about what our ancestors would think about our current state and then called us tribesmen before deciding to leave.
If you wanted to leave, why come here in the first place?
Are you trying to insult us? Or was I correct and you are truly here to laugh at us?”
“We came here because we needed help. Our enemy is powerful, and we need time and allies to stand against them.
We considered our allies, and the descendants of the Twilight Sovereigns—who didn’t hesitate to risk their lives for greatness—sounded like a strong, dependable ally.
We thought that in this fight, you would take us in and join the playground to reclaim your lost glory, but after talking to you, I realized that you do not wish to play the bigger game any longer and only wish to survive in silence like the rest of the ordinary people.
It is a choice with low risk and a high chance of survival, so I genuinely respect it. I do not think you are a coward at all.”
Lavinia explained herself.
“I was right.”
Again, Morvain laughed.
“You are quite arrogant.”
Lavinia waited for the woman to explain herself.
“You think we will be able to ‘join the playground’ just because we took you in? Aren’t you giving too much importance to yourself?”
At those words, however, Lavinia simply stared at Kael and then Igni, and in an instant, Morvain turned silent.
Lavinia’s answer couldn’t be clearer.
‘I have a Hero and a Dragon on my side.’
It was not arrogance, it was pure fact.
It didn’t matter how weak or strong the side Kael and Lavinia joined was, the moment they became a part of it, that side was no longer mere pawns in this game, but a player instead, and while it did come with huge risks, especially for weak forces, the rewards of victory were unimaginable.
Morvain realized it as well.
The Matriarch stayed silent. She looked around, watching all her elders, reading their expressions.
Morvain knew her people’s situation better than anyone. She knew the state they were in, and she knew that if what was happening continued, then this generation, or a few generations after this one,
The Velmourn name would be lost.
The two younglings standing in front of her were a chance—possibly the only chance—for the Velmourn name to become relevant again.
As for whether she wanted to take this chance or not…
Morvain stared at Lavinia and Kael and—
“Things will be difficult.”
She stated.
The two frowned, and the Matriarch continued,
“Winter is coming.
You may feel cold right now, but when the winter falls, this entire area will be covered in snow. We do not even know if we can secure enough rations for everyone here. There will be days when you will need to sleep with empty stomachs.
There will be no comfort that you were once used to, you will have to do hard labour if required, and Hero or not, you will have to prove yourself to our people on your own.
And I promise you,
It will not be easy.”
Morvain shook her head lightly.
“And these are all our problems. I haven’t even begun considering the problems that come with us accepting you—that will be far worse than what we already face.
Are you prepared for it?”
“We wouldn’t have come here if we weren’t.”
Lavinia answered confidently, but once again, Morvain just laughed at her words.
“You came here because you thought the Treaty would protect you.”
The Matriarch’s smile then turned almost sinister and,
“You have no clue how low people can fall. Treaty or not, they will find a way to come at you.”
“My answer is still the same.
We are prepared.”
The Matriarch glanced at the Hero, who just shrugged,
“I never liked places that were a little too comfortable anyway.”
“I’ll help you appreciate those places more.”
Morvain laughed, and Kael laughed back.
“Welcome to Ashen Heights.”
Just like that, Kael and Lavinia were formally accepted.
“It is already late. We will distribute your part of the work to you tomorrow. It gets even colder at night, so it is better for you to rest. I will prepare the accommodation.
Do you two need two separate rooms or would one be enough?”
Morvain questioned, and before Kael could answer,
“One.”
Lavinia jumped in.
“Other things do not matter. The room just needs to be big enough for Lord Igni and Kael’s other Bonds to stay with us. If such rooms aren’t available, we can set camp outside, it won’t be a problem.”
Lavinia answered.
“How much space do you need?”
Lavinia looked around and,
“As big as this hall would do.”
She answered.
The Matriarch nodded. Fortunately, providing a bigger room wasn’t a problem. There were only about five thousand people on this island. Space was never a problem. The only problem was the quality of furniture, something both Kael and Lavinia couldn’t care less about.
After all, they slept on the most luxurious bed in the entire world, Igni. Even the beds at the Royal Castle couldn’t be compared.
The Hero and the Princess were then taken to their room. The moment he got there, Kael instantly jumped on his bed and heaved a big sigh of relief.
“That was much more intense than expected, wasn’t it?”
“…It was.”
Lavinia answered in a low voice, making Kael frown.
Both he and Igni, who was currently enjoying belly rubs, turned towards the Princess in worry.
“What happened?”
Kael questioned.
“Nothing…
I just…”
Lavinia stayed silent for a moment, then, she glanced at Igni. Seeing how the Dragon acted in front of Kael…
It reminded her of her own Bonds.
“I just… miss my Bonds…”
She lowered her head.