The Mercury Wars: The Clearing

Chapter 5 - Corohahn

The Corohahn is a beauty to the beholder. The rolling landscapes surrounding it of stone, fields and ocean, all carefully placed under the bright blue sky. The breeze blew over the hilltop in a calm and serene manner. The ground, sturdy beneath his feet, kept him high above the uncertainty of the forests below. The smell of pine and fresh cool air filled his senses with comfort and anticipation. The weight of Eindride is long forgotten as he marvels at the first glimpse of his new view and its surroundings.

Unsure of what is to come of his time here, he watches as Benny walks around the area, head down in quiet meditation. Never once raising it to the world around him. He wonders how someone can not see the beauty and be transfixed on it. Every time he turns his head, he sees something new. From the lake to the south to the derelict ruins of a stone building to the west of them. He watches as Benny wanders back to the weapons and removes a large blunt stick from the assortment. He carefully wanders into the centre of the large circle, facing Connor and points backwards to the smaller one on the outside of it.

"Corohahn is the name of a crown," he says, keeping his arm stretched straight. His hair blows in the breeze giving a gentle contrast to the stern fixture upon his face. "The crown has always been a symbol of those in power, those in the state. But when you strip away money and nobility, leaving just people without possessions, the crown becomes something else.

Usually, it is unachievable unless born into it, leaving those without the bloodline at a disadvantage. But when the bloodline is gone, it is anyone's for the taking. It becomes attainable. It becomes a goal instead of a status.

As you stand atop this landscape, you are fighting for the crown. You have been placed into this setting for a reason, Connor. You are meant to be here and your goal is to survive. If you survive, then you have won the crown. If you are the last one standing, then you have won the only crown that matters. In this instance, the crown is your life."

Benny starts to move around Connor, who is now standing in the centre of the stone circle. His stick always pointing directly at his listener. His eyes fixated and his lips rigid as he demands attention and will accept nothing less than full focus.

"People used to be fixated on going to work to earn money. Money that paid for food and possessions. Money that made them sit on a chart of who earned the most. But when you remove money, everything you do becomes necessary to claim food and whatever little possessions you need to survive.

I told you before that what links all creatures is the instinct to survive. That will always be true for as long as we are here. Because our time is limited Connor. Our time will end, the same way it did for the species before us. The world will keep on turning, as we keep evolving into something that will fade away.

The question is, what do you do to ensure you are here for as long as you can be?"

The speech is enticing to Connor. It gives him a glimpse into just how the older man thinks. How he uses his historical knowledge to form his beliefs instead of what he can see in front of him. How he talks of ancient words and Viking mythology and then uses them to form his mindset and approach to this world around him.

"What does this have to do with the camp though?" Connor asks.

"Everything!" Benny barks back. An order with underlying frustration at the young man before him not taking heed of the words he just spoke. "We are now defending ourselves, our lives. History has begun to repeat itself and we will only survive as a species if we explore and defend. We have to move forward, by learning from the past."

Rooted to the ground, mind working on overdrive, Connor realises the situation before him. They will need to restart civilisation. In his lifetime he may never turn on another light, may never make another phone call, may never take a shower after closing a glass door. His vision gets blurry as water runs down his cheeks.