Chapter 272: The Mer-folk protect the sheep tribe

With great power comes great authority. Or was it responsibilities? Anyway, I’ll use authority for now.

With great power comes great authority, and there are always those who will try to steal that authority for themselves.

No matter how good a king is, there will always be that one dissatisfied faction. It’s even worse if the king is a tyrant because then they have a justification.

“So, why did you attack your king?” I asked, my hands on my waist as I looked at the remaining beastmen that managed to survive Damar’s rampage.

They looked frightened and dissatisfied at the same time. Sure, they were frightened by Damar and dissatisfied that their plans did not work.

“From what I hear, he’s a good king. So what’s the reason for this revolt?”

Damar held the basket of cubs, Noah stood in silence, his eyes cold and a bit hurt, while Fenric just stood by my side, ready to help me teach whoever refused to open their mouth a lesson.

The tallest of the survivors, a hyena beastman with a jagged scar across his jaw, spat blood to the floor. He didn’t look at Noah; he looked at me with a sneer that made my skin crawl.

“A good king?” he rasped, coughing as Damar’s tail tightened slightly around his throat. “A king who lets our bellies go empty while the Fluff-Skins grow fat on the border? That’s not a king. That’s a shepherd’s dog.”

Noah stepped forward, looking at the hyena with profound disappointment.

“The sheep tribes have lived in harmony with the West-Way for generations,” Noah said, his voice terrifyingly calm.

Wait, did he say sheep?

“They provide the wool that keeps your pups warm and the grain that fills your stores. You call them ’Fluff-Skins’ to lower their value, but you’re really just greedy for their land.”

“Harmony doesn’t fill the coffers of the Great Houses!” the hyena barked back, emboldened by his own desperation. “We are predators! We are the teeth of the West-Way! Why should we trade when we can simply take? But no… You fear the Mer-folk’s wrath. You fear the ’stability’ of the river more than you value the strength of your own kind.”

I felt a cold realization settle in my gut. This wasn’t just a random group of thugs. They were the voice of a faction that wanted war—a faction that saw Noah’s mercy as weakness.

And a faction that would use that weakness against him.

So far, I’ve heard of sheep and met folks, and this somehow reminds me of that time Taruna spoke about where she learned her sewing skills from.

She said they were a tribe with soft fluffy hair on their head and back, and curly horns on their head. Those were definitely sheep. And she said they lived in Unison with the mer folks. So I guess I’ve found the spot I wished to visit.

And unfortunately, I came at a time raw was brewing. Great.

“The Mer-folk protect the sheep tribes because the balance of the river depends on it,” Noah countered, his shadow looming large over the fallen men. “If we enslave the border, the Mer-folk will flood our trade routes, the land, and our homes. We would starve in a year and need to move. Can you handle that cost while you flaunt your ’strength’ all you want?”

“It’s what Elder Garrow wants,” another captive muttered, his voice trembling as he looked at Fenric’s bared teeth.

Noah’s jaw tightened. “Garrow. I should have known that senile old vulture was still picking at the bones of the council.”

I stepped up beside Noah, my hand resting on his back to calm him down. I could feel the tension vibrating through him. He wasn’t just angry; he was disappointed.

He had spent his life trying to build a kingdom of ’harmony,’ and his own people were trying to stab him in the back for the sake of some easy loot and a few slaves.

I didn’t think I’d come out of the wilderness and be slapped with politics. I hate politics. But for the sake of my husband, maybe I’ll put up with one or two.

“So,” I said, looking the hyena in the eye. “You’d rather turn your neighbors into slaves and risk a war with the Mer-folk just because an old man told you it was your ’right’ as a predator?”

The hyena glared at me. “What do you know, little cat? You’re just a pretty thing he picked up in the woods to take the fall for him. I bet that old man won’t even set foot on the battlefield once the war starts.”

“What do you know?” The hyena growled at me. “You’re ’just’ a female.” He said and my eyes darkened.

“Oh really?”

CRACK.

Fenric’s fist connected with the hyena’s jaw in that instant.

“Watch your tongue,” Fenric growled, his ruby eyes glowing. “Don’t be rude to Arinya.”

The hyena groaned in pain. He didn’t even see the punch coming.

“Well, you’re right.” I flipped my hair back. “I’m ’just’ a female, but I’ve got more power than you’d ever dream of. Wanna know how?” I grabbed Noah’s arm, pressing my body onto his and then flaunting the mark on my wrist, grinning sheepishly. “I’m Noah’s mate. Which means I’m your queen.” I glared at him, no longer playing the nice girl. “Now bow!”

They were all baffled and didn’t bow, but Damar made them bow, whipping their backs with his massive tail and forcing their faces into the silt-covered ground.

Okay, I did say I wasn’t going to play queen, but I changed my mind. I’ve gotta help Noah somehow, so I’ll be the queen for a while and then… Retire with a smile.

Noah looked at me, his face warm with a smile.

He didn’t think I’d make such a decision for him, but I did. He couldn’t ask for more.

He looked toward the horizon, toward the distant West-Way, and then sighed.

“Garrow thinks that because I was gone, the path is clear for him to incite the Houses,” Noah whispered, more to himself than us. “But he seems to have gotten a big misunderstanding. I’m returning and I’m bringing trouble with me.”

I flinched.

“Wait a minute, did you just call me trouble?”

“Hey, don’t ruin the moment,” he said, darting his eyes aside guilty.

“You…”

“Besides, you’re trouble for them but a lucky charm for us. They won’t know what hit em.”

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