Chapter 61: Freezing Freezing Freezing Freezing Freezing Freezing Freezing

The next day, all the lords departed in high spirits, carrying a sense of pleasant satisfaction.

Before their departure, Margaret had her people distribute letters, each accompanied by a majestic warhorse and a sharp sword.

Lord Sigurd excitedly unwrapped his letter, his face radiating pride and joy. Like a man showcasing a precious treasure, he handed the letter to his eldest son, who had come to see them off, and said proudly, "Look how Her Majesty the Queen praises me!"

Young Sigurd respectfully took the letter and read its contents softly:

"Respected Lord Sigurd,

Greetings!

I am Margaret, Queen of the Kingdom of Gotland. Herein, I wish to express my deepest respect and unwavering trust in you. Your care and governance of your people have brought me profound comfort. I hope you will continue to rule your lands with benevolence and wisdom, ensuring that your people live happier and more prosperous lives.

To support you in better fulfilling your duties, I have specially prepared a sword and a warhorse for you. This is not only a recognition of your courageous spirit, but also an expression of my hope that you will train a formidable force of soldiers. I believe that under your leadership, these soldiers will become the pride of our kingdom and fight for our future.

Next year, we will invade the coastal regions of Rus, and I eagerly anticipate the outstanding performance of the soldiers you train. As a reward for your contributions, I will consider carving out a finer territory for you after the war. This is both an affirmation of your past work and an expectation of your continued service to the kingdom in the future.

Please accept my sincere blessings, and I look forward to meeting the challenges of the future together with you.

Sincerely,
Margaret
Queen of the Kingdom of Gotland"

A proud smile appeared on young Sigurd's face as well. He solemnly handed the letter back to Lord Sigurd.

Lord Sigurd carefully folded the letter and cherished it as he tucked it safely inside his garments.

Gently patting his son's shoulder, Lord Sigurd said with profound earnestness, "Well, my son, your mother, your sister, and I are about to leave. I hope you will keep the family's honor in mind, serve the Queen loyally, and win her heart!"

With a resolute gaze and full of confidence, young Sigurd replied, "Yes, Father! I will surely surpass all other contenders, become Her Majesty's husband, and bring glory to our family!"

Lord Sigurd's wife stepped forward, pressed a tender kiss upon her son's forehead, stroked his hair gently, and said, "We will always be proud of you, my son!"

Young Sigurd embraced his mother tightly, then turned to his father for another embrace. With unconcealed reluctance, he said, "I will miss you both. Mother, Father, please take good care of yourselves!"

His sister also stepped forward, her eyes brimming with tears, and gave him a deep, emotional embrace. Bending down, young Sigurd held his sister close and whispered softly, "I will miss you too, my sister. Please take care of Father and Mother in my stead!"

With a final farewell, Lord Sigurd, his wife, and his daughter turned and walked away.

Young Sigurd stood in place, smiling as he waved at the retreating backs of his family, watching until they vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, the other lords successively boarded their carriages, bidding farewell to the sons they were leaving behind.

The air was thick with the sorrow of parting, yet it was equally imbued with anticipation and hope for the future—the very fragrance emitted by Margaret's grand promises.

Those rebellious lords who had unfortunately lost their carriages also received Margaret's generous gifts, which allowed them to re-equip their carriages and restore their mobility.

Margaret summoned the incoming Ralph and meticulously instructed him on the various matters requiring his attention. She particularly emphasized the importance of inspecting structurally unsafe buildings, fearing that the heavy weight of accumulated snow might cause roofs to collapse.

With the changing of the seasons, winter descended rapidly, and this year's winter seemed even harsher than those of the past.

Clutching her lute by the seaside, Margaret sang while rubbing her hands together to keep warm. Her hair beneath her headscarf was encrusted with ice crystals as she stamped her feet against the cold.

Almost every day, snowflakes swirled wildly, and the biting wind assaulted her face head-on. The freezing weather made her want nothing more than to curl up indoors and cry.

The romantic imagery of playing music in the snow? That was all a deceitful illusion!

The bard had once told her how wonderful it was to play the lute amidst heavy snow, but now she felt like a complete fool who had been duped.

The hearth fires had died out, and the guards on the city walls were so frozen that they were forced to retreat into the arrow towers, shivering as they tried to fend off the bitter cold.

Margaret ordered the mess hall to prepare an extra ration of meat for the guards and permitted them to drink alcohol in moderation to warm themselves up.

Such severe cold served as a natural defensive barrier.

Unless one were utterly foolish, no one would launch a military campaign under these conditions, as doing so would likely result in widespread frostbite or even amputations.

The freemen in the streets were forcibly gathered indoors, for Margaret simply could not bear the thought of anyone freezing into an ice sculpture beneath the eaves.

Under the ruthless weight of the heavy snowfall, several houses tragically collapsed.

Upon receiving the news, Margaret immediately dispatched soldiers to the scene for rescue and excavation efforts.

However, the tragedy had already struck, and a family inside the house had lost their lives in the freezing cold.

Consumed by a mixture of anger and grief, Margaret severely punished the official responsible for inspecting the hazardous buildings.

With her own hands, she gave him thirty lashes and fiercely reprimanded him for his dereliction of duty. Only after venting the fury in her heart did she reluctantly let him go.

The lord's great hall was transformed into a relief center, where free charcoal and medicinal soups were distributed to the populace.

Margaret's heart was heavy with anxiety. Plagued by illness, she worried not only about her own health but even more so whether the people of other territories could survive this brutal winter.

Though her spirit bore an immense burden, she persevered in providing aid and support to the people.

"It's so freezing, I'm freezing to death!" Margaret's teeth chattered, her voice trembling slightly.

Watching Alexander darting about the room with boundless energy and joy, Margaret felt a surge of uncontainable frustration and burst into tears.

She finally understood why the North was referred to as the land of giants.

In such biting cold, a smaller body size meant rapid heat loss, making survival nearly impossible.

The heavy snow acted as a ruthless filter, eliminating the weak and leaving behind only those robust, large-bodied individuals.

"Pass quickly, let this winter pass quickly!" Margaret chanted silently to herself, feeling she could bear it no longer. "I never want to spend a winter here again. Next year, even if you beat me to death, I won't stay here a single day longer!"

She pulled the quilt over her head, curling her entire body into a tight ball in a desperate attempt to gather a shred of warmth.

Her nose was stuffed, every breath she took felt heavy, and only the warm air exhaled from her mouth offered her a trace of comfort.

She loathed the winter with a passion, wishing only for this agonizing season to end swiftly as possible.

The North was a place even the mighty Roman Empire was reluctant to set foot in; if not for the conviction that she would move away next summer sustaining her, she feared she would not have been able to endure it.