whonovel Chapter 374: Guests of the Royal Castle
Chapter 374: Guests of the Royal Castle
The autumn rain was pouring heavily over the harbor of City Titan... the night sky was illuminated by the glowing orange light of the blast furnaces and the towering gas lamps that lined the docks.
Despite the terrible weather, the harbor was entirely alive with activity... however, tonight, the usual rhythm of the harbor work was disrupted by a highly unusual sight.
Standing still at the very edge of the primary royal pier, ignoring the freezing rain soaking his expensive dark coat, was Lord Eirik.
He was Lord Commander Leofric’s right-hand man, the Chief Port Manager, and one of the highest-ranking bureaucratic officials in the entire Iron Kingdom.
A few dozen yards away, a group of soot-covered dockworkers stopped pulling their ropes, whispering and chattering anxiously among themselves.
"Is that Lord Eirik?" a burly dockworker muttered, wiping the rain from his eyes.
"...what the fucking hell is he doing out here in the mud?"
"I have no idea," his companion whispered back, his eyes wide with confusion. "The Port Manager never leaves his heated office to welcome a guest. Usually, he just sends a lowly guard captain to check the cargo manifests... whoever is on that approaching ship... they must be important."
Through the gray fog and the rain, a small fleet of ships slowly sailed into the glowing harbor.
But they weren’t massive ironclads... they were three traditional Norse longships, their sails entirely soaked from the long journey across the ocean.
As the lead ship slowly bumped against the pylons of the royal pier, the dockworkers finally got a clear look at the passengers.
There were about forty people standing on the deck, entirely wrapped in bear and wolf furs to survive the northern sea.
Standing at the front of the ship, gripping the rails with wide eyes, were five young youths.
There was Helga, seventeen years old, her long blonde hair blowing wildly in the wind.
Standing beside her was Astrid, fifteen, speechless as she stared at the iron cranes.
Then came young Ivar, thirteen, who was pointing excitedly at a docked ship.
Beside him stood Sigurd, eleven, and little Arne, just ten years old, shivering but buzzing with wonder.
Two people stood behind the young men... first was Ulf, Ragnar’s father, a seasoned Norse man with a thick beard.
Beside him stood Sigrid, Ragnar’s mother, her hand resting on his arm; she had sharp blue eyes and hair streaked with silver.
For the people on the ship, they were finally reuniting with their son and brother... the man who had left their small village and somehow conquered a kingdom.
But for Ragnar, sitting unaware in the Great Hall, this arrival meant something much deeper... five years ago, his soul had mysteriously reincarnated into the battered body of a young Norse warrior.
During those first few disorienting months of his new life, the reincarnated Ragnar had relied entirely on Ulf and Bjorn to understand this world.
He had lived with them, eaten with them, and accepted them as his true blood.
But then he left... with his father and his brother Bjorn, and sailed to England, and spent the last five years preoccupied with war and industry.
But then, he had left... with his father and his brother Bjorn, sailed to England, and spent the last five years preoccupied with war and industry.
He had briefly returned to Norway once to see his mother, but he had not seen his father or his younger siblings in five long years... he had missed Helga growing into a woman and little Arne learning to walk.
Since his reincarnation, he had only spent a few fleeting months with them... this reunion was a significant event that would tether his modern soul back to the family that grounded him in this era.
The gangplank was lowered, bridging the gap between the longship and the pier.
Lord Eirik ignored the mud on his boots, he stepped forward into the rain, removed his hat, and offered the Norse family a respectful bow.
"Lord Ulf. Lady Sigrid, welcome to City Titan... the King has no idea you have arrived early." Eirik spoke clearly over the wind.
Ulf stepped onto the pier, looking up at the sky of the city.
"Hmm, who are these people?" one dockworker muttered, pulling his hood down to get a better look.
"Haaah, did you hear what I heard?" another worker whispered loudly, his eyes wide. "It’s King Ragnar’s family!"
"Huh? Are you hallucinating?" the first worker scoffed, shaking his head.
"I heard it with my own ears!" the second worker insisted, pointing a finger toward the pier. "Lord Eirik just called them Lord Ulf and Lady Sigrid."
The dockworkers chatted amongst themselves as the family began to disembark and speak with the dockmaster.
Eirik stood to the side, signaling for his guards to bring forward the covered carriages.
The younger siblings finally stepped onto the ground, looking around in amazement.
Arne laughed. "Hehehe, I loved this place at first sight!"
Ulf chuckled warmly, resting a hand on his youngest son’s shoulder. "Stay close, Arne. It is very easy to get lost in a city this big."
"You will not get lost, Lord Ulf," Eirik said with a polite smile, gesturing toward three large carriages that were pulled up to the pier by sturdy horses. "I have arranged for transport. The inner keep is a short ride from the docks, and the rain is no welcome for the King’s blood."
"Thank you, Eirik," Sigrid nodded, pulling her bear fur tightly around her shoulders. "It has been a long month at sea... a warm fire sounds wonderful."
The family quickly climbed into the carriages. Eirik rode in the lead carriage with Ulf, Sigrid, and young Arne, while the older siblings piled into the others.
As the horses began to trot forward, the wheels rolled smoothly over the road.
The carriages rode through the lower industrial districts and soon began the climb up the winding road toward the royal keep.
When the guards saw Eirik’s carriage, they opened the gates without question.
"We are here," Eirik announced, stepping out and holding the door for Sigrid.
The siblings stepped out of their carriages, stretching their legs and looking up at the towers of the keep.
Helga and Astrid linked their arms together, shivering slightly from the cold but too excited to complain.
Ivar and Sigurd were busy pointing at the armored guards, impressed by the uniform gray coats and weapons.
Eirik led the group up the stone steps and through the double doors of the keep.
"The King is currently in the Great Hall, he is having dinner with Lady Gyda, and the exiled royal family of Francia."" Eirik explained.
They reached the end of the corridor. Two heavily armored royal guards stood in front of the velvet curtains that covered the entrance to the Great Hall.
Seeing the port manager and the large group, the guards moved to announce them.
Ulf raised a hand. "No need to shout, guardsman... let us just walk in."