Half a day went by as we see cregan shirtless sitting down, someone nursing his wounds. He hissed in pain because the healer put on the final dressing on his wound.
He looked out into the makeshift camp where Olaf was setting up. The war is over, cregan thought.
Now they just need the old two kings kingdom and make it there own. Bring them into the Stark kingdom. They've been fighting for generations.
King Olaf, and king Hugo were prominent figures in the north and we Starks were right behind them. Not by far but enough and yet they still held dominance in the north. Now it's over. King Olaf line gone by a swing of a sword by his hands. Hugo has a daughter that's one winters old, cregan thought.
Cregan heard the footsteps behind him. He turned a little to see it was jarl tyr. "My king. The men across the river agreed to surrender. King Olaf and Hugo are gone what now."
"How many men did we lose." Cregan ask which surprise tyr.
"We lost 289 men and 195 are wounded, my king."
"Burn the bodies and take the bones. Let the families lay them to rest." Tyr nodded and spoke again. "Now what my king."
"Now we bring Hugo and Olaf kingdoms into the fold."
"The stark kingdom will be bigger."
"Aye it will, and so will others. When the found out that both kings are dead. They'll scramble to take the lands or their kingdoms. Many kings and queens will look towards us now."
"To fight or watch."
"Both. Tomorrow when the sun rises again will leave on the ships and split up. Take the king Hugo body home and show them. They can surrender or die. And I'll go to Olafs lands and do the same."
Tyr nodded and began to walk away. Cregan looked around and sees his men cheering and laughing about their victory. Cregan smiled a little and decided to go celebrate a little with his men.
The soilders stiffened up when their king came toward thems but quickly loosened their shoulders. Cregan came to drink and laugh with them.
Well into the night cregan retired to his tent and layed down to rest after today battle.
As he woke up he can hear birds singing and light passing through the trees creating beams of light. Looks amazing with the frost and the grass and the trees bass.
Cregan slowly wakes up sore from yesterday battle. As he got dressed he can hear people moving outside. The camp started to wake.
He pushes the 'tent' door open and two guards are standing guard. As cregan moved they moved with him.
He made his way past camp nodding to his men they looked his way. When he neared the river bed he sees the ships loading up supplies and men slowly.
45 ships all line up against the bank, when we left only had 17. Only 27 are leaving while the rest stay with the men to farry them back to the main camp. Half will go tyr and the rest will go with me to Olaf lands. After some time the men started to board the ships while some stayed and regroup with the other camp a day away.
As they left south on the river, his shop leading the fleet. Banner flapping against the wind.
A full day has gone by, the sound of oars hitting the river and the wind hitting the sail. The end of the river started to get wider and they passed every abandoned village.
As the river started to widen and finally came to the open sea. We seen the coast going left and right with scattered islands along the coast. Cregan looked to tyr on his own ship that's four boats away.
Both caught each other sights and nodded. Tyr signaled to his horn blower. He brought his horn to his lips and blew it.
Tyr started to lead his half of the ships away to luleå lands. Cregan watched for a bit and did the same to his crew. After awhile we lost sight of Tyr fleet and began our way south to Olafs lands.
The day went by as cregan can see they only have a couple hours before the sun falls and night comes. His fleet moved along the coast keeping the land on his left and sea to the right. Passing islands and villages.
Coastal villages seen the ships amd quickly abandoned their home while some gathered at the coast. Old and young standing with weapons in their hands waiting. Looking at cregan ships thinking they'll raid them as they follow king Olaf.
But they didn't attack just went south to the capital. The men looked between each other before the main man that rallied the men came front.
"Go warn jarl Edda about stark king heading. And a warning to our kings home.
One of the young men nodded and ran back to the village, to the stables and ride to Edda hold.
Cregan seen the rider heading deeper into the woods. Thinking he's heading to warn the people at Olafs capital.
As they passed one of the bigger islands theysee it, where Kings Olaf made his capital. It's on an island close to the land. Smoke clouds can be seen in the distance, dozens of them.
As our fleet entered the bay a horn blast can be heard in the distance. Everyone started to two steadily towards to the kings home.
No ships stopped cregan fleet as they close in. Bells and horns blast can be heard clearly now.
Olafs men on the walls and towers watched as king stark and his men arelanding on their bay. The docks help unload the men while some landed on the bank.
They noticed the stark men didn't have siege weapons or ladders with them. The gained hope and with such a small fleet do they think they would capture our home. They thought.
Stark men slowly made their way towards the 15ft wooden wall. Archers began to nock their arrows but someone shouted to halt their fire.
They see it. A group of two with four men each useing their shields to carry two bodies. White cloth draped over a dead body, two bodies. Their heart dropped when they seen them. A crown planted on one of the two bodies brought up.
Cregan stark walks forward and stops beside both of the bodies. "Surrender! Your king is dead, as is king Hugo. I ask you to lay down your arms and open the gates."
Nothing happened on the wall nor the towers, no arrows flew. No horn blast nothing. The banners on the wall were heard flapping in the wind.
Then the gates opened up after waiting for some time. The queen herself walkout first fully armed, then her guards behind her. Twenty to be exact.
Only 10ft away as both faces each other. The queen looked at king Stark and then the bodies behind him. Her face's crumbled in grief and sadness. Tears began to drop from her eyes.
Cregan didn't react he waited till she gather herself. She took in a couple deep breaths and spoke with conviction. "I will not yield. I will meet my husband and child again. And yet I will not condemn any child, woman nor man to die, as they are innocent."
She unsheath both of her blades and as did her guards. Cregan nodded and drew his blade and twenty men stepped forward. Her face showed no emotion as one single tear fell from her face.
Both groups charged at each other. Cregan met the queen and they started their duel. Blade clash with blade. Men cried out.
The fight lasted for ten minutes as cregan men cut most of them down. Only two remained standing beside their queen as she is nursing her own wounds. Cregan lost seven men in that fight while four are in the back wounded.
Cregan looked at the queen before charging forward. The first guard went to attack cregan while the other joined in. Stark men were about to charge in till cregan motion them to stop.
Cregan ducked under the first swing and brought his sword in close. His blade snake across the man's chest and down to his armpit. Blood flooded out his body, he wanted to scream but couldn't. The man drop to the ground.
The last man reach cregan and the queen joined after seeing the second man drop. Both attach the king simultaneously, cregan block and deflected their attacks. Fighting them at a standstill.
Cregan pushed the guard while putting her queen while making the injured queen go on the offensive. The man trip and the queen tried to help but it was hopeless. As he died by the swing of a sword, his head was gone from its body.
The queen knew she was gonna die but she is not going to make it easy. The clashes again but cregan pushed more aggressive with his attacks.
She blocks and deflects his attack but that's all she can do. She made one last attempt to kill cregan as it almost works but only scratched cregan on the cheek. His blade found its way into her stomach and out the other end.
She looked down in shocked, her breath hitch. Her arm grab cregan shoulder for support. She felt the blade slide out of her as Her legs weakened and she drop to her knees. She looked up at cregan.
"You… Starks wer…were always troublesome. Th… three generations… we…" as she coughed up blood.
"I know." Cregan brought his blade up and swung in a clean motion removeing her head. Her headless body hits the floor and her head too. No one moved nor made a sound. The men on the walls didn't know what to do.
Their king and queen are dead. The line of holm is gone. Cregan order his men to cover up the queen.
He walked to the gates and looked up. Blood on his face.
The gates opened slowly. Cregan watch it open and gave a small smirk.