The Ice Queen by Patrick Stewart

Author:Patrick Stewart [Stewart, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The town of Strogg Gorth lay beyond the low hills. It wasn’t an impressive town.

The air was thick with the stench of unwashed bodies, rotting food, and animal waste, mixing with the faint odour of burning wood from the low, smoky chimneys.

The buildings were squat and dark, their timber frames warped with age, their stone walls weathered by neglect. The cobblestone streets were uneven, slick with grime and muddied from the constant drizzle of spilled refuse.

Haphazardly constructed homes leaned against one another, some barely standing, their windows dark and boarded up. The marketplace was crowded and filthy. Merchants shouted over the clamour of the crowd, selling spoiled meats, stale bread, and cheap trinkets. The air buzzed with the noise of clinking pots, grinding wheels, and the occasional shout of a quarrel.

The streets were home to a mix of struggling peasants, ragged beggars, and lowly craftsmen, all doing what they could to survive in a place that seems indifferent to their suffering. The sound of clanging metal from blacksmiths, the harsh cries of hawkers, and the distant toll of a bell marking the hours filled the air, but there is no sense of cheer or prosperity here. The people were tired. Their faces were gaunt and hollow from the grind of daily life, and every corner of the town felt like it was sinking deeper into the muck.

“This isn’t what I was expecting,” Kate said. “I thought it would be… nicer. The hilltop village seems like a paradise compared to this.”

It matched what Matthew was expecting. The journey to the town had shown this part of the Land of Chaos to be one of the poorer parts. The road that led to Strogg Gorth was shabby, to say the least.

“I’ve got enough money for a night at a tavern, I think. Or we could press on towards the Ice Queen’s castle?” Kate asked. “I don’t know where it is…”

It was gloomy overcast, but Matthew was pretty sure it was roughly midday. “Let's get some food,” he pointed at a tavern. “They can tell us where the Ice Queen’s castle is.”

Tying their horse to a post outside the tavern, Matthew and Kate entered the common room. It was full of people who spoke in low hushed tones, their heads down as they huddled together in their little groups.

Matthew made his way to an empty table in the far corner as Kate headed towards the bar to purchase food and drinks. As he passed the tables of people, he noticed they suddenly stopped talking.

Right.

As far as these folks knew, he was the Baron. Except, he didn’t have the visor on his helmet pulled down. They could see his face. It was possible they probably had never seen what the Baron looked like but just knew him by his infamous black armour.

Matthew sat at the corner table and was soon joined by Kate, who carried in her hands two large beers.

“They didn’t have water?” Matthew asked. As much as he liked a beer, he was desperately thirsty.

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