THE VIKING KING'S BRIDE

⚔️ ROOSEVELT'S BETRAYAL

Another wolf slammed into a Viking warriors, knocking him to the ground with a brutal crunch. The battle became a chaotic blur of white fur, flashing steel, and desperate cries of wolf.

Alice stayed in her saddle, using her horse’s height to her advantage. A wolf lunged at her stirrup, its yellow teeth snapping inches from her boot. She leaned down and drove her knife deep into the creature's neck. The wolf yelped and collapsed into the drifts.

King Roosevelt fought with his sword cutting through the icy hides of the monsters. But for every wolf that fell, two more seemed to step out from the shadows of the peaks.

They were being overwhelmed.

"Alice!" Roosevelt managed to shouted. He blocked a heavy paw with his shield.

"The cave! We cannot win this in the open area!"

Alice looked toward the entrance of shattered doorway. The inside of the vault was dark, but it offered a narrow bottleneck where the wolves could not surround them.

"Into the vaults!" Alice yelled at the surviving men.

"Fall back!"

When all was safety and gathered inside the dark cave. The werewolves never attempt to follow and attack them, as if these animals were scared of the dark. But they are just waiting on that place for them, when they returned outside.

Just like what the plan is, the Viking warriors finished gathering the treasure. They packed the bright silver coins into heavy sacks. The rest of the treasure was powdered silver, which they poured into large, metal-plated barrels.

Inside the deep stone cave, the warriors finally rested. The freezing wind from outside could not reach them here. Two soldiers sat by a small fire, grilling strips of dried meat. Other guards walked around, handing out cups of strong drink to the tired men. The cavern was filled with the smell of roasting food and the sound of low murmurs.

King Roosevelt walked over to Queen Alice, his boots clicking on the stone floor. He looked at the massive pile of loaded silver and smiled.

"Once we return to the city, we will clean up whatever we missed," King Roosevelt said, looking at her.

"I will not interfere with your rule. You have already given me exactly what I wanted." he added.

Alice looked at him, her face was calm but her mind was racing. It is not right, she thought bitterly. They are stealing the wealth of my people. I cannot let them take everything.

She quietly looked around the shadows of the cave, trying to find a place where she could secretly grab and hide a few handfuls of silver coins before they marched.

Then she looked back up at the King Roosevelt when he suddenly talked to her. "I have a broad mind, King Roosevelt. I hope that one day, we can make new trade agreements. It could help restore normal life for both of our nations."

"I agree with that!" Roosevelt shouted with a loud laugh, clapping his hand against his armor.

Later on the cave was filled with the sound of eating, drinking, and loud laughter. The Vikings celebrated their victory, sharing stories of the battle with the wolves.

But the celebration was a lie, because of hours later, the fire burned down to cold ashes. Alice woke up in the pitch-dark cavern, shivering from a sudden, biting cold. When she tried to move, she felt thick, rough ropes biting into her skin. Her feet and hands were tightly bound to a heavy stone pillar.

"King Roosevelt!!"

She screamed for help, but only her own echo answered. The cave was completely empty.

The Vikings had betrayed her.

They had taken every single barrel of powdered silver and every sack of coins, leaving her behind in the dark to rot.

Miles away, King Roosevelt rode his horse through the snow, a massive smile across his face. Behind him, his wagons groaned under the weight of the stolen kingdom's wealth, heading straight for the city gates.

Back to the deep inside the pitch-black cave, Alice pulled violently against the thick ropes. The rough fibers cut deep into her wrists, but she ignored the pain.

Suddenly, the cold air grew heavy and a low, rumbling growl echoed from the shadows.

Alice froze.

Two pairs of glowing yellow eyes emerged from the darkness. They were not normal wolves, these were massive, wild werewolves. Their enormous bodies brushed against the stone walls as they crept closer, their long claws scraping the floor.

Alice gasped, twisting her body frantically against the stone pillar. One werewolf lunged forward, its massive jaws snapping just inches from her face.

She kicked out with her bound feet, striking the beast in the snout. It snarled in rage. The second werewolf raised its huge, clawed paw, ready to tear her apart. Alice strained against the ropes with all her might, praying for the wood or stone to give way before the claws reached her throat.

Back to the city, miles away from that cave.

King Roosevelt and his men finally arrived at the massive city gates. The heavy wagons of silver groaned under the morning sun. But the gates did not open. Instead, a royal army blocked the path.The King's General stood at the front, his armor gleaming, his face was cold and serious.

Roosevelt pulled back on his horse's reins, and his smile vanished upon seeing this man.

"How do you know that we are here?" Roosevelt asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.

"The King orders that you return to the kingdom immediately and hand over all the treasures you captured here," the General replied flatly.

Roosevelt’s face turned bright red with anger. He gripped the reins tightly.

"And you think it is that simple? I did all the hard work! I risked everything, and now my brother gets to enjoy the rewards? What, does he think he is the only smart one here?"

The General did not flinch. He placed a hand on his sword. "Your Grace, I am only following the King's orders."

Roosevelt’s angry expression suddenly softened into a fake, calm smile. He let out a loud laugh to hide his fury and lowered his hands from his weapons.

"Very well, General," Roosevelt said, waving his hand toward the heavy wagons behind him.

"My brother is the King, after all. I will obey his commands. Let us bring the silver inside."

The General nodded, visibly relaxing, and signaled his guards to open the heavy iron gates. The wagons began to roll forward into the city streets.

But Roosevelt was already executing a secret backup plan B. As the wagons passed through the crowded market, Roosevelt gave a quick, silent nod to his most trusted Viking captain, who was riding near the back of the line. The captain immediately understood the signal.

Roosevelt had no intention of giving the true wealth to his King brother. The top layers of the chests were filled with bright silver coins, but the deep bottoms of the largest barrels were packed with ordinary gray sand and heavy mountain stones.

While Roosevelt led the main, decoy convoy straight toward the royal palace to distract the General and the King, three of his stealthiest warriors quietly detached two smaller, hidden wagons from the back of the line. They quickly slipped down a dark, narrow alleyway, steering the real, pure powdered silver toward Roosevelt’s private underground vaults.

When the General’s men dug deep into the metal-plated barrels, scooping out handfuls of the pure silver, their fingers brushed against coarse white stones and grey mountain sand.

The General’s face hardened.

He immediately left the city streets and rode fast toward the docks, where the largest Viking warship sat floating in the dark water.

Inside the massive ship's cabin, the High King waited.