Bölüm 11: Chapter 11: Claiming the Village
The bandits were on the ground, stripped of weapons, arms bound behind them with ropes taken from the dock. The raptors stood in a loose perimeter around them. Every time one of the bandits shifted too much, a raptor lowered its head, and the movement stopped.
The villagers had gathered in a wide circle, still keeping distance from the pack. Their voices were low, some talking to each other in hurried whispers, others just staring at the bodies on the road.
I stepped closer to the prisoners. "You're not dying here," I said, voice steady. "You're going to work."
One of the bandits spat on the ground, looking up at me. "Work? For you?"
"Yes," I said. "You'll carry, haul, dig—whatever I tell you. You do it, you live. You don't, you stop breathing. Simple."
He didn't say anything after that.
I turned to face the villagers. Their eyes shifted between me and the raptors. "I'm not here to hurt anyone from this village. But I am going to take over."
A few murmurs went through the crowd. One man in the back spoke up. "Take over? Just like that?"
"Yes," I said. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you what's going to happen."
An older man stepped forward from the center of the group. His hair was white, his back slightly bent, but his eyes were alert. I recognized him as the one the dockmaster had once referred to as the village head.
"And what would you do with it if it's yours?" he asked.
I met his eyes. "Build something better than this. A kingdom. Not one for lords and taxes—a place where kids can study instead of working nets, where no one starves in winter, where the weak don't get pushed around."
The villagers stayed quiet, listening.
"You've got nothing to protect you now," I continued. "You saw what happened today. If I wasn't here, those bandits would've taken everything. Next time, they'd kill whoever fought back. I've got something they can't fight. And I'm willing to use it to protect this place."
A woman in the front row crossed her arms. "And what's the cost?"
"You work. You listen. We build together. Food stored for winter, guards trained from the people here, a school for the kids. No one gets turned away in the cold. That's the deal."
The old man didn't answer right away. He looked at the villagers behind him, then back at me. "You want to be king?"
"Yes," I said.
He studied me for a long moment. "Then say it plainly."
I stepped forward, my voice clear. "From today, I'm taking this village under my control. I'll be the one making decisions. Anyone who works with me will be protected. Anyone who threatens the people here will answer to me."
The old man nodded once. "Then you'll need my word to make it official. You have it. From this day, you're the leader of this village."
Some of the villagers nodded slowly. Others just watched.
I turned to the bandits again. "First job—you start building. Storage sheds for food, stronger walls for the dock, and whatever else I decide. You try to run, you die. You fight me, you die. But if you work, you'll eat and stay alive."
One of the younger villagers raised his voice. "And what about them?" He pointed at the raptors.
"They're mine," I said. "They follow me. They won't hurt anyone unless I tell them to. You leave them alone, they leave you alone."
The old man stepped closer. "You'll need help organizing the work. I'll send word to the dockmaster and the fishing crews. We can have people cutting wood and hauling stone by tomorrow."
"Do it," I said.
A few villagers stepped forward to take the bandits toward the docks. The raptors followed for a short distance before I gave the signal to pull back. They settled near the road, still watching until the prisoners were out of sight.
The old man stayed near me. "You'll need a place to work from—somewhere people can find you if they need to."
"I'll take one of the bigger houses near the center," I said. "Close to the docks. I'll be there when I'm not in the forest."
He nodded. "It's yours."
The crowd began to thin, people heading back toward their homes or the docks. A few still glanced at the raptors as they passed, but the fear in their eyes was mixed with something else now—curiosity, maybe even relief.
When the street was mostly clear, the old man spoke again. "If you can do what you say—keep the people safe, feed them in winter—you'll have their loyalty."
"I can do it," I said.
"Then we'll see how far this kingdom of yours can go."
I looked toward the horizon. The village was mine now. The first step was done.
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