Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World C.132 The East and West - I

Henry sat at his desk, the ink pen tapping rhythmically against the wood, like a restless bird seeking for food.

"It's chaos" - Henry muttered, dropping the pen onto the table and covering his face with both hands, his thoughts drifting - "The flow of wood from the Frozen Forest has greatly reduced. With all the barbarians gathered here in the capital, only a few kilograms of wood is entering the walls. I have to keep it this way until we find out more about the appearance of the Orcs. And meat…that's another problem altogether."

Soft knocks on his office door shattered Henry's chain of thoughts. He lowered his hands and called out wearily - "Come in" - his gaze fixed on the door as a woman with a black eye-patch entered.

"Your Majesty! Generals Luther and Olaro require your presence on the walls" - Leier announced with a respectful bow, her long black robes blending into the shadows of the room.

As she bowed, Henry studied her in silence, a fleeting sense of guilt passing through his eyes before being replaced by a flicker of frustration. "Why do you persist in concealing it?" - he asked, fixing his gaze on her face.

At his words, Leier's fingers trembled slightly as she unconsciously touched her cheeks. The skin bore a roughness that wasn't present a few weeks ago. She attempted to hide the burn scar with some kind of powder, but the king had immediately caught her actions. Although she was a warrior and a shadow of the king, she was still a woman.

Henry sighed and shook his head, then rose from his seat and retrieved his black coat with gold trim from the chair. He walked slowly to Leier and reassuringly patted her shoulder - "I won't mention it again, but know that your wounds are proof of your loyalty and should never be concealed" - his tone was calm and assuring - "Let's not keep them waiting, Leier. Let's go."

Leier nodded silently, her eyes fixed on the ground as she followed Henry out of the room and into the corridor. The castle halls were quiet, their footsteps echoing against the stone floor. As they walked, Henry's voice echoed filled with concern - "Any progress from the scouts on finding the tracks of the Winter Orcs?"

Leier shook her head with a troubled expression - "Not yet, Your Majesty. The scouts have searched tirelessly, but we've found no clues so far."

Henry sighed, his brows furrowing in frustration. He was already expecting such an answer - "The food situation worsens by the day. We must find another solution until we uncover the Orcs's traces. The East might be the answer."

Leier nodded - "I will instruct the scouts to intensify their search."

"Good!" - Henry nodded, still thinking about the east of the kingdom.

-x-

The eastern side of Eisenburg's walls buzzled with noise and activity as workers and soldiers joined force to rebuild the damages done by the fire magic. The cold wind whipped through the air, carrying with it flecks of snow that dusted the big stones that were being piled one on top of the other.

Luther and Olaro were overseeing the reconstruction, their eyes veiling their concern as they talked with each other in a low voice so that nobody could hear them. They only stopped when they spotted the figure of Henry and Leier walking towards them.

"My liege," Olaro began, his voice heavy with worry. "We've encountered an issue with the reconstruction."

Henry's brow furrowed in concern - "What kind of issue?" - His gaze swept over the workers and soldiers bustling about, carrying heavy stones and stacking them on top of each other - "Everything seems in order." Luther stepped forward, his tone more controlled than Olaro's, trying to not show his emotions - "We are facing a shortage of stones to complete the repairs. The mage's flames destroyed a significant portion of the wall, and while we salvaged what we could, it's not enough to reconstruct the defenses."

Henry's heart sank at the news. The capital couldn't be open to attacks. The problems kept piling up, giving him no time to breath. He didn't even have time to rest and recover from his internal injuries. Scratching his forehead, the king asked himself - "A shortage of stones?" - His gaze lingered on the walls as he pondered about the problem at hand - "What are our options?"

"These stones were brought from Luak's territory, when it was still part of our kingdom"- Luther explained - "Our first option is going to war with Luak to reclaim their territory and transport the stones to the capital…But…"

"Luak still has manpower to defend themselves. They haven't sent their whole army here and there are still nobles defending their lands" - Henry finished the sentence for Luther - "We are already weakened by the last war and we don't have enough manpower to subjugate them at the moment. It's not a smart move. What is the next option?" - The king shook his head in denial before asking.

This time, Olaro responded - "The second option is more feasible, but it poses some risks. The masons suggested the use of wood and iron to temporarily reinforce the structure, until we can use the stones."

"Let me guess" - Henry interjected - "We can't use ordinary wood, can we?"

"Correct" - Olaro confirmed, and Luther nodded in agreement - "Ordinary wood won't withstand the weight of the stones and soldiers on top of the wall. We need the stronger wood from the Frozen Forest."

Silence reigned as the generals looked at their king, awaiting his decision to continue the reparation.

"Very well." - Henry said decisively, his eyes flickering with a weak purple light - "Proceed with the second option. Assign a hundred soldiers to accompany the barbarians and also use the lumberjacks inside the walls to also go there. Remember that everyone should be back before day's end. Don't stay there during nighttime. The Inner Layer was never safe, but it has been getting increasingly dangerous these last few days."

"Also, I wish to go to the East and West in order to put things in place." - Henry said - "We need to build this kingdom and strengthen our foundation in order to grow."