with his battle-axe to bring it down. Serai then went over to the top of the tree and just by grabbing onto to a couple of thick branches was able to haul the fallen tree out of the marsh and into the open. All along the opening it was the same story, the Trolls were incredibly strong, able to chop down and haul out trees many times faster than the strongest Humans could. Sometime had passed and Allan and his men were watching Serai and the Trolls constantly chopping and hauling whereas every Human had to take a short break after completing a tree.
The Trolls were not only stronger; they were just far more determined. These Trolls were now hopeful that they would soon have homes and places for constant food and rest as well as time away from warfare. Hours went by and Allan was bringing down his final tree, he badly needed a break and by that time, many trees had been taken down and the marsh had clearly receded to a smaller size. At last the tree fell and Allan and three other Hetheilian soldiers lifted it of the ground and tiringly brought it to where collected logs would be piled up. Tired, Allan sat down on one of the logs and after wiping the sweat of his forehead, he stared past the numerous tree stumps to see the Trolls continuing to chop and haul. One of the Hetheilian soldiers sat next to him and asked “sire, I do not mean to question your decision but are you absolutely sure that these Trolls can be trusted not just now but in the future?” Fed up with constant objection Allan saw no point apprehending a soldier from his own kingdom and calmly said “yes, absolutely sure. Just look them, they don’t do not want war, they just need a new home, providing one for them would help forge a nearly impossible to achieve friendship, this could actually be the first step towards solving the problem with the beasts entirely” said Allan. The soldier then asked “indeed sire but wouldn’t we lose potential land for our own future settlements by giving the land to the Trolls?” “Humans have not dared to settle beyond the Unodite borders since the first Human settlement out there was destroyed by the beasts many hundreds of years ago, do you think being at constant state of war would allow us another chance to settle? In any case most of the north and Livonia is largely undeveloped and uncultivated, we still have a lot more to do in our kingdoms before claiming the lands beyond and before Doomenheim” said Allan. “I thought that was the reason for the wall to be built?” asked the puzzled soldier.
Then it was suddenly clear to Allan that the wall was built to contain the beasts where they were and prevent them from coming in by crossing into the Human lands. Doomenheim is much larger than Livonia thus allowing the beasts to hold out for some time even though the lands had been struck by mass droughts and a drastic change in the climate. The wall was Allan’s idea in the first place to contain them but looking back on it now, it was unclear to Allan weather it was the right decision to make. Allan then said “the wall is to contain the beasts, keeping them from invading Livonia like they did in the past. As well as adhere to my father’s own criteria where rite of passage would be exchanged for peace rather than conquest decided by war”. “Sire so what will happen after we build them a settlement, where are we headed after?” asked the persistent soldier of Hetheil. Allan chuckled and said “it’s a bit early to ask that” but then he said “we shall continue moving north and along the western coast and reach the wall, from there we will move west, stationing soldiers and guarding the construction workers until the wall is built. Moving towards the centre, we will eventually link up with my brother’s army, all the while the king of Unodos leading his royal army would finish mopping up the rest of the Trolls that are still lingering behind the wall. After we link up with Elis we can start heading south again and back home to Hetheil”. “Sire I will leave you in peace but I must ask, will our king accept this, will our people accept this?” “I can’t really say but this is correct and the way forward. If this is not accepted I will continue the fight for peace and convince everyone that this, this is the way forward” said Allan. “My apologies, sire” said the Hetheilian soldier as he got up and got back to working. Allan was now fearing reprisal even more than he had done previous, it soon became known to him that what he was doing was completely illegal. Allan then got up and viewed the pile of logs and sticks that had been collected. He figured it would be enough to build hundreds of houses and a small port if utilised correctly. Pressing his body wait against the log he was just sitting on, rolling it out into the open. For now, it is decided that most of the houses were to be simple thatched houses and huts made of planks, dried leaves which would be needed to pad out the spaces between them to prevent water from coming into the houses. Allan did not mean for this to be permanent, he hoped that one day in the future there would not be a need to have it and all would live harmoniously but at the moment, advancement in such a direction was hardly in existence.
Allan began shaving the bark off the log to smoothen the surface, making it easier to fashion it into planks. His time under Wilmot as his mentor, there isn’t much that Allan has not been exposed to in any art or skill. Not just skills for war or diplomacy but also the skills of an outdoorsmen, Allan is quite skilled in it but has never applied it to any actual situation, he has grappled with scrolls and tests but this is completely new to him. Once the logs were accounted for ready for shaping, the Trolls and Humans got together once again, now to reshape and carve out wooden planks from these logs. Allan observed everyone else working as he worked and it was obvious who had the most skill. The Trolls were the most efficient, being semi-nomadic the Trolls have had a long history of building temporary settlements, they would have known from young, the skills of carpentry and construction, mastering it upon adulthood. It was also apparent that some of the Hetheilian and Unodite soldiers were far more skilled than Allan was in this case, having grown up in rural villages and farms, they would have had more practical experience than Allan, even though he has had superior training.
The Trolls were shaving off wood and carving about five times faster than the fastest Human, they were just so much stronger and quick with their weapons and tools when came to this. The Trolls were not just a factor but a valuable asset. Allan was incredibly happy with this, it really was warming to see men and Trolls working on something side by side. Allan then turned to look behind him and off in the distance he one and a quarter of a dozen of men just sitting and strolling around. All of them appeared to be Unodite from their shoulder emblems. They appeared to be talking about something, but Allan could not hear anything they were saying. Until he recognised the dominant member of the group, the one who was talking the most and constantly pointing at Allan and the Trolls. After cringing for a short moment, Allan managed to identify who it was, it was Valek, the Unodite soldier who had challenged Allan and later fought with him. It now seems the man has acquired a group of followers who have gathered in hatred for Allan, the Trolls, and this idea of peace. Many thoughts began to visit Allan’s mind again, he now feared that they were firmly plotting against him but he could not be sure. Allan could have executed them by ordering his Hetheilian soldier to storm the ranks of the Unodites and kill all who oppose him. But Allan just was not that kind of person, he did not view death and destruction as being something that had to be done to achieve peace neither did he have the will to kill. His view was just like his father’s, Henriet where both saw that peace can only be achieved by means of peace itself and not of war but with diplomacy. Allan also did not dare commit an execution or a decimation due to the outcome. That would surely cripple and more probably eradicate any former ties between Hetheil and Unodos. There will be many dire consequences to a Hetheilian commander to order the deaths of Unodites.
These reasons held Allan back from doing anything to the Unodites who were plotting against him. All Allan could do was to hope that nothing bad would come of this and carry on. So he continued working, with thoughts still plaguing his mind and you could tell just by looking at him that even though he was hardily working, he was about to break on the inside. Serai then brought his log over to where Allan was, to continue the conversation they were having earl
ier about the future of these Trolls. Serai immediately noticed the tension in Allan and he asked “what’s the matter prince of Hetheil? Something troubles you, yes?” “It’s nothing Serai. It’s just so many of the men do not agree with what I am doing. I might face some serious reprisals when I return to Hetheil with the news I am going to bring there. Will they accept this? Will they accept this? I just keep asking myself that. Yet I still feel this is the way to go” said Allan. “Prince of Hetheil I share the same beliefs you do and I am prepared to fight for them whatever the cost. You helped me, help me see peace again. I was taught to hate your kind when I was young just as you were taught to hate my kind but now both of us see it and want to bring about change for all” said Serai. “Thanks, Serai for sticking by me. Never thought I would ever be in this situation when I was young” said Allan as he began to cheer up. “That is definitely for sure. Anyway, why are you so fearful your father and your people will reject you, us