"Imagine what might happen to Skjold if the knowledge of the Northern Clans joined those of the Okstorm Clans! If instead of continuing wars caused by past mistakes, all the Clans would cooperate and strengthen! Don't get me wrong, my dear citizens of Skjegg, I'm sure it will be impossible to avoid spilling blood, but... I wanted to share this thought with you! A warrior can not live only of iron and blood, he needs to constantly nourish his brain, to guarantee his children the best possible life! Do you agree with me or do you think I'm just saying a sea of bulls.h.i.+t?! Come on, I want to hear what you think!" Dag yelled, waving and dropping some mead from the mug in his hand.

Those words surprised not only the citizens but also his companions, who had never seen him so determined to gain the trust of the people.

Shyly, a man rose from his seat, turning his gaze to Dag and the other Masters, still in disbelief that someone could really care what their opinion might be.

"I have two sons, a boy, and a girl. I wish they could leave the house without any danger, that they could play freely outside the city center!" the middle-aged man exclaimed, in a trembling voice, trying to be as clear as possible.

The people around him appreciated those words, as did Dag, who immediately replied: "That's right! I agree with you! Thank you for your words!" 

After that response, the man sat next to a woman, probably his wife, and smiled at her, that hugged him, happy for what had just happened. 

"Anyone else? Come on, don't be afraid! If you don't agree, tell me why! I'll be happy to argue with you!" Dag continued, as his companions looked at him with a chuckle, thinking that they would never be able to have his nerve.

"But what is he doing? Letting people speak... what kind of Master would do such a thing?" Ellen asked, speaking in the ear of Sander, who continued to look at Dag with admiration.

"He is a just man, who loves equality and confrontation. Remember, Ellen... in addition to being a Master, Dag is also a Warchief. Let him prove it, no one has ever tried to establish such an approach with the citizens of Skjegg, who are used to listening to our orders and obeying, without ever being able to express their opinion. Our decisions are not foolproof, because we are mere people, just like them. Dag is creating a new form of confrontation, something that this city perhaps needed" Sander said, trying to see beyond his words, putting a lot of faith in that young warrior, who had arrived like a bolt from the blue, turning the tables a few days after his arrival.

Another man got up, followed by a woman, a few feet away from him.

"I have children too, but I believe that this mission can start a war and cannot bring peace, indeed... I fear it will have the opposite effect!" he said, standing with his arms folded, waiting for an answer.

Dag nodded at the woman, inviting her to speak.

She bowed her head slightly and said: "I had friends in the fis.h.i.+ng villages on the south coast... some of the survivors told me in detail what happened. Women, children, elders... none of them were spared, during enemy a.s.saults. Master Dag, I ask you and the other Masters to avenge those poor innocent souls who died for no reason!" 

The crowd began to mumble again, shaken by the woman's words, raw and severe, while thin tears ran down her face, making her speech even sadder.

"That's exactly what I was talking about: the confrontation. So, I answer to you first... there's a risk that what you just talked about will happen, it's true. We Masters can make mistakes sometimes, but... during the mission we will always avoid the face-off when possible, keeping in mind that our feet will be on hostile territory and therefore it will surely be necessary to defend ourselves. Having said that, we Masters consider this to be a risk worth taking, otherwise, we will never know the motives that drove those we now call enemies to attack us and then understand if such attacks will be repeated!" Dag replied, looking at the man still standing, who after his answer, sat down.

"I have seen with my own eyes the victims of that ma.s.sacre... and for this very reason, I could no longer control myself, killing dozens of Jotunns, before they could escape into the open sea. Revenge is a strong feeling, but... if you are not careful, you risk being trapped inside of it, with no possibility of escape... and the Iron Alliance was born to pursue the opposite goal: the peace. As I have already said, more enemy blood will be shed, but with the promise of not killing innocent people, not lowering to the level of enemy warriors, who when they struck to death with their giant weapons, made no distinction of age and gender" Dag continued, responding exhaustively to the woman's request, which after wiping tears from her face, sat down, slipping into the arms of a man, who embraced and comforted her.

At that point, Dag got off the raised wooden platform on which the Masters's table was resting, giving a seat also to his companions and began to walk toward the people, with a mug full of mead in his hand.

His vision of things was profoundly different from that of Ellen and Kjell, much more related to the traditions and differences that were between ordinary citizens and the figure of the Master, at the top of the social ladder.

Despite this, they couldn't help but admire Dag interacting with ordinary people, really interested in their opinion, learning new things, and personally answering to their curiosity.