Chapter 195: Vanir

"Give us the outlander girl."

Those were the words that came from Firsetti's mouth before he proceeded to argue with Vidar. It seems that the pale Aesir did not consider the trade as fair.

As for Callan, he was quite surprised that the Aesir were looking for the blood elf's sister, not the blood elf himself.

"Which girl?" The king asked, pretending not to know in order to dig out more information. 

There was something he didn't know, and in war, information is power. Knowing as much detail about the girl will be crucial

Firsetti looked towards Vidar in contempt, before he pointed at Raika who stood right next to the king. As the captain of the Kingsguard, she immediately put her hand on the handle of her weapon and glared at the Aesir.

"She knows which girl. She was there last month, in the chaotic plains!"

"Ah, I see, so you want that girl." The king nodded but said nothing about giving her up.

Layla, Tristan's sister, was currently under his supervision. Indeed, she possesses a very high aptitude for magic, and her Light element proficiency was something rarely found in this world. That was the reason why the king took interest in her and made sure she could have the best mentor. 

He did find her unique, but for an Aesir to ask for her? He found it very unusual. He must have missed something during his check.

"What is your reason to be interested in her?"

Vidar, the pale Aesir, answered.

"We have suspected her to be a Vanir-"

Before he could say anything more, a young Aesir interrupted him.

"Shut up! Just give us the girl, and I guarantee that we will hold out the invasion!"

The two started arguing back and forth, ignoring everyone else in the room.

In the midst of them arguing and the Aesir's warriors each taking sides, Tyr, the god of war, once more spoke to Callan with a serious tone.

"Listen… Whether you give us the girl or not, I don't care! There will be no peace between us! If what you have said is true, and the mist really will clear up, that is even more reason for us to destroy the elves and their allies as soon as possible." He snarled and narrowed his eyes at the king.

The god of war gripped his weapon and floated in the air, before pointing said weapon at King Callan. "I will see you on the battlefield, Callan!"

He flew away, leaving all of the other gods behind.

Firsetti glanced at the god, who flew further and further by the second, and shook his head.

"Callan, this is your last chance. Give the girl to me, and I might be able to stop the invasion."

"No, I am afraid I cannot fulfill that request." The king said in a stern voice. "If you want the girl, you must tell me everything you know, then I might consider it."

"Huh!" Firsetti huffed and turned away. "You have the elf's arrogance as well, don't you, Callan? Mark my words; your pride will be your downfall."

Firsetti turned to look at the other Aesir and said. "The conclave is done! Let us depart!" He stormed out, while the Jarl and the warriors sneered at the Arcadian kingdom representatives before they followed suit.  Within minutes, most of the Aesir was gone, leaving only Vidar, who stared at the king with a mocking smile.

"I told you already, this conclave is nothing but a farce. Prepare your army, Callan! For I will bring war upon everything you hold dear!"

Vidar quickly left to join the others, leaving Callan and the Arcadians there. They gave their respects to the monk before they headed out to the open field.  The elves' ship was parked on soft grass, and right as they walked out, the pilot gave them a quick bow of respect before climbing up onto the huge ship.

The King entered the ship first, followed by the Kingsguard, and finally the rest followed suit. The ship slowly took off to the sky before flying at breakneck speeds.

When they were in the sky, the king looked out from his window and said to the magician who stood next to him.

"Did you hear the name they gave for the girl, Tobias?"

"A Vanir." The magician nodded.

"That is correct. Have you heard of that name before? Perhaps in a text you read, or during your travels?"

The wizard shook his head and apologized. "I am sorry, my King, I cannot say that I have."

King Callan nodded, and recalled how the history of bad blood between the Asgardians and the Arcadians was recorded in a memory crystal hidden in the Vanyar Kingdom. Only trusted royal family members are allowed to access it under normal circumstances, and for others, they will need to get permission.

According to legend, the gods of the old Asgard all used to belong in one faction, before they separated into two due to an unknown conflict, and they became the Aesir and the Vanir. Their relationship was similar to two brothers from a different tribe.

When Ragnarok came, the Vanir used the ruins to find a new home. 4000 years ago, hundreds of Vanir dispersed and went to a dozen different worlds.

Now, the Aesir believed that the outlander he is currently protecting came from one such world, and thus, the girl is a descendant of a Vanir.

Something Callan couldn't help but notice was how much Firsentti insisted for her to be given to the Aesir. The girl must have something that interested them, and it was grounds to check the girl one more time thoroughly.

Thinking about that outlander girl made the king think about her brother as well. Once more, he looked at Tobias and asked.

"Tobias, have you heard any news from Caerleon town?"

"Yes, My King." The magician's expression turned glum and serious. 

"It's really that bad, isn't it?"