Prince Aksak remained silent, and was as still as the mountain as he listened to Adam’s tale. Whereas Adam skipped a few beats when he spoke with the others, he made sure to speak in depth about everything.

Some food was brought to Adam, as well as some warm water. They hadn’t brought any alcohol, though Adam couldn’t blame them. The Prince allowed Adam a few minutes to eat as he pondered a few thoughts, before listening intently again.

Once Adam was done, Aksak closed his eyes. “You may leave,” he said, too busy falling into his thoughts. “We will speak in the morning. I will leave the matter of your payment between yourself and Chief Joti.”

“Thank you, Prince,” Adam said, nodding his head before retreating back to the friendhearth, a giant escorting him back. It was late evening by the time he had returned, with the various people settling down.

“You had quite the talk with the Prince,” Lady Elowen said.

“He is quite a wonderful listener,” Adam replied, smiling.

“When we met, you assisted us in slaying a white dragon, and now you’re able to handle a white dragon by yourself. Your growth is terrifyingly quick.”

Adam was surprised to see how earnest Elowen was being. He reached up to scratch his chin, glancing aside. “Yeah, well…” Should he reveal part of his secrets to her? He had already mentioned his connection to Arya, Belle, and Sozain.

“I hope you won’t forget us when you’re slaying titans in the future.”

“I definitely won’t.” He chuckled.

They retired for the night, Adam feeling the exhaustion quickly taking his entire body. He had been too busy for too long, and going from one fright to the next had been too much for him.

In the morning, a giant had come to see him. “Chief Joti would like to invite you to have breakfast with him.”

Adam nodded, following the giant. They led him towards a building which was three stories tall, though was built more similar to that of a castle. The ground floor was massive, and each floor above became slightly smaller, with half walls.

As he entered inside, Adam noted how many people were around. There was Chief Joti, as well as four others. The giants seemed so familiar to Adam, until a moment later he realised they were his Runeguard. He hadn’t seen most of them since he had left, only Gant had come along.

“Forgive me for calling you so early,” Joti said.

“It’s alright. I assume this is about splitting the dragon?”

Joti nodded. He invited Adam to take a seat. There wasn’t much furniture, and it seemed that Joti preferred to sit down on lush carpets and pillows rather than on chairs. There was ample food all across the sheet between everyone. Adam sat opposite Joti, who poured them both a drink.

“The original deal was that we would share the carcass of the icewyrms, half for us, half for our people. However, you had fought the dragon for some time, and even when we came to aid you, Dark Harvest had also dealt with the icewyrms, and we have offered them a decent reward for their contribution.”

“It’s quite a messy ordeal, but I don’t think it requires much thought. I am part of your party, I just did what was expected of me.”

“Though you were a part of our party at the time, you were split from us. We did very little in the entirety of the combat.”

“You did more than enough,” Adam said. “If it weren’t for you, we would have had a hard time to deal with the rest of the icewyrms, and the white dragon would have eventually caught up to me. I also had to protect Freya, and it seems that she’s being welcomed quite well from what I see.”

“She is a guest of mine, and so no harm will come to her.”

“Thank you, Joti. I truly appreciate it.”

“There is no need to speak of it,” the giant Chief replied. “If you are willing, we would like to increase your portion of the dragon share. I believe a double portion of the dragon would be more than fair, and it would ease my conscience.”

Adam raised his brows. A double portion of the dragon? It was meant to be ten percent for each of them, considering half of it would go to the giant people, but if that was doubled, he would have one fifth of the entire carcass. ‘That’s a lot of dragon,’ he thought to himself. What was he meant to do with so much?

“Instead of double, could I instead have the dragon core?”

Joti remained silent for a long moment. “What need have you of the dragon core?”

“Is there a better core than a dragon core to create a weapon?” Adam asked.

“It would create a wonderful weapon, though your weapon isn’t so bad either.”

“It’s not a weapon for me. A dragon core would help create a great weapon which I can gift.”

Joti remained silent for a long moment. He pondered his thought for a long while, and the others remained quiet, waiting for their Chief. Eventually, Joti nodded. “The original share as well as the core.”

“Then with my share of the dragon and the icewyrm, is there a way I could have a giant make a weapon with their remains?”

“That wouldn’t be difficult. Karasmith would be willing to help you, as well as Igarsmith.”

Adam nodded. “If that’s settled, why don’t we eat?”

The food before them was mostly meat, as well as the fruit and vegetables which Adam had become familiar with. The giants knew how to eat well, and they made sure the half-elf received giant portions as well.

Once they were done, Adam returned to the friendheart, only to have a giant stop him. “Prince Aksak wishes to speak with you.”

Adam raised his brows in surprise. He had expected the Prince to think for a little longer. He had been walking from one place to the next since he had returned, but it was best not to keep the Prince waiting.

“I have thought on your tale for some time. It seems that much needs to be done, and I wish to call a Gathering of Frost.”

“Gathering of Frost?” Adam furrowed his brows. It sounded vaguely familiar. “Is that why Entalia had come?”

“No,” Aksak replied. “She had come for the Gathering of Snow. The Gathering of Frost asks for all the giant clans to come. One has not been called for centuries, whereas the Gathering of Snow typically occurs once a decade.”

“That sounds…” Adam tried to think of a polite way to word it. “Important.”

“It is the most important meeting, and may only be called by a Prince.”

“I guess it is that important,” Adam said, thinking on what happened. “Though the tale is quite far-fetched.”

“I believe in your words, but you will need to make the case before the other Princes.”

Adam stared up at Aksak. “Excuse me?”

“I ask that you accompany me on this gathering in order to speak of what you know. They will doubt you, but I believe you will be able to convince them with your strength and conviction. I will ask the Silvarakken for her presence as well.” Aksak shut his eyes, as though it hurt for him to invite Entalia.

“Will it cause an issue?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” Aksak stated.

“…”

“Her presence will be required. She will be able to assist you in speaking of the threat, and though we may not get along, we trust her wisdom and strength. You will need to earn the respect of all the clans, and I will leave that task to your discretion.”

“This sounds very difficult,” Adam said, furrowing his own brows as he fell into thought. This gathering sounded anxiety inducing, but he supposed it was a matter which threatened the giants.

“I have faith in you,” Aksak said.

“Do you really believe everything I’ve said?” Adam asked.

“I am a fool to believe your words,” the Prince admitted, “but I would be a greater fool to deny my eyes and ears. Chief Joti has already vouched for your words, and what would I be if I did not believe in my own son?”

“Thank you for your faith,” he said.

“There is no need for such thanks. I ask that you remain here until the Gathering occurs.”

“How long will it take?”

“At least half a year,” Aksak replied. “There are many preparations to be made, runes to be drawn, rites to be completed. The Gathering of Snow will take place on neutral ground. The other clans will be there, including those which are not giant. However, the official language of the gathering is giant.”

“I’m able to cast a spell which allows me to speak giant, though if we have half a year, could I learn giant instead? It seems like it would be quite useful, and it’ll help give me some credibility.”

“It will be arranged. I will assign a Runesmith to assist you in your language learning. I apologise for roping you in such a task, and I thank you for your patience.”

“As long as you treat Freya well,” Adam said, smiling innocently.

“No one will harm her, you have my word.”

With Freya’s safety confirmed, Adam sighed. It had been a while since he had a peace of mind, and though he enjoyed having freedom, having a clear goal was always a good idea.

 

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