The wind was strong and sharp. My face red from its little cuts. The squeaking of wood and talk of men filled my ears. The sea span from one horizon to the other and you couldn't spot a bird had you tried. I loved the sea, loved the way that my body moved with the waves. Every muscle flexing in a chain reaction, just to keep you upright. You had to fight for everything on the sea, so everything was deserved.

I would have enjoyed the eternal beauty much more, had I not been chained.

The iron cuffs were cutting into my skin, the little cloth they threw over me protected nothing from the cold of the wind and the watchful eye of the guard didn't make me any more comfortable. In other words, things were going great.

I lasted about a week without getting spotted, eating leftovers of crackers that these sailors ate every day. I hid under the deck, slept next to barrels with goods. When they found me, they called me a thief and a spy and threw me to the small ship dungeon - a big cage in other words. That was four weeks ago. After a week, they pulled a hood over my head. Saying that they don't want me to see light, that thieves don't deserve such luxury. I suspect that they didn't like my glaring.

We were getting closer to land. The guards were nervous and agitated, almost forgetting their hostility and handing me the grub directly, instead of just throwing it to the floor. Sailors are superstitious folk, even more than raiders.

As soon as we arrived on land, I was taken to a different cage, an actual cell this time. I wasn't kept there long, as the head of the Ravenbeaks called for me at the news of my arrival.

Two brutes hoisted me by the shoulders and carried me to the longhouse. There were less people than what I have expected, which meant that this was no mere trial. My chest tightened. Only about a dozen men were in the room. Some sitting on massive wooden chairs, some standing. They all wore the jewelry of an esteemed position, the exquisite furs to keep them warm, they branded tattoos of family names, most I did not recognize. The hulking figure on the biggest of the chairs was their patriarch no doubt, positioned in the center of the room. His long tar black hair was braided and laden with rings of gold, silver and steel. He wore shiny iron cuffs, with something engraved, that I couldn't quite see. His dense eyebrows hid most of his eyes, though they seemed all black too.

"I know who you are." said the clan patriarch, his voice roaring across the longhouse. Powerful and raw, that of a bear. "I know of your goal, infesting one of the ships I use for trade, trying to sow seeds of discord to what you deem wrong." The other men in the room were just slowly nodding their heads, their gaze fixated on me. The patriarch's brows arched into his face, his angry expression hiding even more of his eyes.

"You try to stop us, us the enlightened, but you can't. We have made contact with the dry-men, we have established relations and we are closer to peace than we ever were".

"What?" I half-shouted, startled by what that meant. Could the Ravenbeaks be this cowardly? Establishing relations, that just means that they lost their ways.

The patriarch was taken aback by my sudden reaction. Though he steadied himself incredibly quick.

"Trying to act the ignorant? That's too easy a farce to look through. We know our enemies."

Ï dropped my hood. I was too winded to even think. Exposing my face to someone I thought were the murderers of my family a moment ago, that wasn't smart. I should have played the reveal better, used it to my advantage. I should have acted like the one the patriarch mistaken me for, but I couldn't. The emotions swelled and ate up all of my reasoning.

"You blind old man! You won't even recognize the golden man of this harvest?"

The patriarchs eyes bulged out of their hiding place, revealing their whites. The men around gasped. Silent surprise took hold of the room.

"Guards! Uncuff this man!" the patriarch broke silence. The men came from behind me and unlocked my arms, undid the chains on my legs. It wasn't appropriate for the situation, as I wanted to appear strong, but I really wanted to stretch.

"Bring him some clothes, this man has just become an esteemed guest and he needs to be treated like one!"

The guards sped up, following the orders to their patriarch quicker than they could even process it.

Suddenly, I was seated on a comfortable chair, clothed in warm pelts, served with a table of food and drink.

"As a patriarch of the clan of Ravenbeaks, I apologize for the mistreatment of you, only excuse being that we did not recognize our cousin." he dropped his head slightly, as a sign of respect. "We are incredibly sorry for what has happened during the harvest celebration, my representatives shamed our clan for leaving out of envy, though from what I've heard, it may have saved their lives. Let those who did such an act die a pigs death."

"Aye." I said holding my gaze firmly planted on the patriarch. "What was it about your enemies?"

"An internal matter." the patriarch shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing concerning you now."

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"Does my position as the golden man stand in your clan?"

"Aye, of course! My clan honors our tradition." he put a hand on his chest, as if holding his heart.

"Then you will tell me what I wish to know."

The patriarchs eyes and expression were true to what he felt. The conflict of tradition and his worldview clashed in his mind. The honor of our ways battled fiercely with the idea of his beloved new world. I could hear his teeth grind, his face reddened. He looked upon me with pained eyes, unhidden fear taking control of his tone.

"I will tell you, I respect our ways enough for that, but you have to swear to me to not get in my way, nor to share this information."

"If I decline, will you betray your honor?"

"Honor? Oh honor. Golden man, Logher of the Steelshields, what place does honor fulfill?"

"It shields a man's soul." I said confidently. This was ingrained into our minds from when we were little. A mans soul's value, is the honor with which he lived. If you be shameful in life, you be shameful in death.

"Maybe it does, maybe it does not. That we will see when we die. But what use does honor have for a man?"

Honor is our lifeblood, the in between of sky and earth. It is the spine man uses to walk, stand upright. Though that is all religious and I feel like that's not the point of his question. A quick look on the crowd of onlookers revealed no answer, they were as lost as I was.

"I will ask once more, differently. What use have you for honor at this very moment."

"Your honor prevents you from gutting me like a fish."

"I wouldn't go that far," the patriarch let out a laugh "But you have the right idea. Honor is an agreement between men, a vow not to act in ways that devalue one another. Be that what it may. But it is a fickle thing, what it tries to protect, it may usurp. Right now, I am using honor to force silence out of you, while you are using it to force information out of me. Honor is a tool, a weapon. Do you think that a weapon has more value than information for me?" he said while showing smug face. I hate smartasses.

This was a challenge, I could sense as such. For all his talk, he was still a northener by heart. But to completely win, I'd have to play this game of his.

"Is information not but a weapon? From the way you act, I can cut you, or at least your plans, down using this information. How different is that from a tree and an axe?"

His mouth widened into a smile. Cowardly he may be on the field of real battle, he seemed to enjoy this wording fight. Useless.

"A fair point." he said while playing with his beard. "I have to change the conditions a little. Need a bigger weapon you may say. I need you to swear an oath to your clan. Swear an oath, that you will not share nor discuss anything I tell you here, to the ignorant."

A power play. Yes. Northener to the core, has to feel his power.

"I swear." I don't let the anger seep into my words. Let him have this woeful victory.

His smile widened and steadily grew into a hearty laugh. Though I was sure the others had no idea of the game we were playing, they still joined their leader in laughter. I gave them a slow smile.

"Quicker than what I had expected. Brothers, leave us be, me and cousin have much to discuss."

The men gave each other irritated looks, but they listened, as the good sheep that they are. When the room was empty of them, the his smile widened.

"I made contact with dry-men, I am obligated not to say which. We have entered an agreement and will unite my son with their daughter, unite our land, our people. Make an empire of which in unheard of in these little parts of the world!" he said proudly.

"You are turning tail and running." I deadpanned.

"What use is there in staying frozen in old ways? The world turns my cousin, it turns without pause, yet we stay."

"You are just finding reasons for your cowardice." I replied coldly. His smile gave way to anger.

"Cowardice? No. I am a pioneer, I am the most courageous of all you lot." the patriarch spat at the ground at my feet. "And I am blessing you with the knowledge of tomorrow, not many can tell the tale." he smiled again, though this one felt sinister "Though I guess you will be no different in that regard." He erupted into laughter again.

I let him laugh, I let him play this game of his. It does nothing to me. I did learn something new here, but the important part was yet to come.

"What was your role in the Kriposhka killing?"

"I have nothing to do with that." His smile dropped. "I would never treat our brethren in this manner. I hope your question has been poorly worded."

"What do you know about it then?" Though his hard expression, the way he was fidgeting on the chair made me sure of the fact, that he must have at least heard some whispers of what happened. "Your brothers managed to escape, that means you knew they would come right?"

"I don't like your accusations. I would advice to talk more carefully. I didn't know that, at the time. They left on their own accord, it was blind luck."

"But you know now." I let the words hang in the air. This was my game now and he was the one that broke the silence.

"Aye, I know something. There were the Nomar, some fishing boats spotted their ships from a distance, but..." he gave the room a quick glance. When he assured himself we were alone, he continued. "they weren't alone. There were some northeners with them, not any of mine mind you, they bore a red skull on their shields."

"A red skull?" I have not heard of such a symbol. The phrase: drink wine from ones skull, was popular, but I have not heard of anyone using it on their standard.

"Aye, I see that I am not alone in my lack of knowledge there. I suspected you to be one of their agents, when you got caught in the ship."

I felt this was the height of what I can get out of this meeting, the patriarch seemed ready to theorize, but I have no use for such things. I stood up and bent slightly as a sign of respect, that I wasn't sure was really there. On the way out, I realized something. I almost forgot.

"Thank you patriarch, there is just one more thing I need."