Ragon rode at the front, his black stallion stamping heavily on the dirt road as the chains behind rattled in rhythm. Grel'thak was bound and dragged like an animal as he stumbled after him. His wrists were bruised from the iron links.
Behind them stretched thousands of orc captives, shackled together in long lines. Their guttural growls rumbled like distant thunder, their massive frames filling the horizon as the villagers caught sight of them.
At first, the people rushed out to see their king's return. Faces broke into joy, some crying, some shouting his name. But as their eyes trailed past Ragon and his riders to the endless tide of chained orcs, the cheers faltered.
Gasps spread like wildfire. Mothers pulled children behind them. Old men stumbled back. The streets, once swelling with celebration, widened as villagers shifted away, creating space as though the orcs might lunge free at any moment.
"Gods preserve us…" someone whispered.
"There are so many…" another muttered, clutching at his wife's arm.
A boy hurled a stone at one of the captives. The orc snapped his jaws with a guttural snarl, chains clanking. The boy screamed and darted back, his mother dragging him away in terror.
The crowd pressed backward. Yet, amidst it, voices still rose for Ragon.
"Our King returns!"
"He brought the monsters to heel!"
Their cheers were real, but shaken. They looked at Ragon not just as their king, but as something beyond mortal a man who could bind thousands of orcs and lead them like cattle.
Ragon's gaze swept over them. His face was calm, unreadable, but his silver-tinged eyes caught the torchlight and made him look almost otherworldly.
From the throng, a red-haired figure stood out, Thera. She had pushed forward despite the fear that gripped the crowd. Her cheeks flushed as Ragon's eyes found hers. For a fleeting second, the noise of the street seemed to fade. She lowered her gaze quickly, almost embarrassed, but the joy in her expression could not be hidden.
Behind Ragon, Grel'thak staggered on, jeers and rotten vegetables pelting him from both sides.
"Dog of a warlord!"
"Bow before our king!"
He kept his head low, unable to meet their eyes. The once-feared chief of the orcs was nothing but a trophy now, dragged in chains.
The column finally reached the great gates of the city. By now, the crowd had thinned, leaving only fearful eyes peering from windows and balconies.
"My lord…" one captain stammered, stepping forward to bow low before Ragon. His voice cracked under the weight of the sight behind him. "There are… too many. The city was not built to hold this number of prisoners."
Ragon's gaze was cold, commanding. "Open the gates. They march under my will."
The captain obeyed, though his hands trembled as he raised the signal. The great iron doors groaned as they swung wide, and the tide of captives was dragged into the heart of the city.
The people parted in silence, some muttering prayers under their breath. The orcs' guttural growls echoed against stone walls, their chains dragging sparks across the cobbles.
The elders and previous nobles had already gathered. Their fine robes contrasted sharply with the mud and blood of the returning soldiers. Faces pale, voices low, they whispered among themselves.
"Thousands of them…"
"If even one chain breaks, it will be slaughter in the streets."
"He means to house them where? Feed them with what?"
The Patriarch, finally stepped forward, his tone sharp but measured. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing stiffly, "what you have achieved is… beyond imagining. But I must speak plainly: to march thousands of orcs into the city walls is to invite ruin. Our prisons cannot hold them. Our granaries cannot feed them. The people already tremble at the sight of them."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathered lords. Someone added "You return as a conqueror, yes, but even a conqueror must think of order. This…" she gestured at the chained masses, "is chaos waiting to break."
Ragon dismounted slowly, every motion deliberate. He let the silence stretch before he spoke, his voice steady, carrying the weight of iron.
"You see chaos," he said, his silver-lit eyes sweeping over the council. "But I see leverage. The orcs have sworn their strength to us, their fear of losing what matters most their cores. They will not rise against us. Not while we hold their chief broken at our feet."
The hall was silent. Some nobles looked swayed, others pale with fear. The patriarch, voice trembled as he said, "And if the people refuse to live alongside such monsters? What then, my king?"
Ragon's gaze turned to the crowd of villagers who had gathered outside,
"I see the fear in your eyes," he began, looking not at his council but at the people themselves. "And I do not fault you for it. These creatures once hunted us. They burned our homes, stole our kin. To look upon them now is to remember every wound they gave us."
The villagers lowered their gazes, his words striking close.
"But hear me," Ragon continued, his tone softening, "they stand here in chains, not because they chose peace. but because we forced it. They came as enemies, yet they kneel as proof that we are no longer prey. What was once your terror now bends to your will."
He gestured toward the bound orcs, then to the wolves that lingered at the edge of the column. "Even their beasts, once loosed upon us, now they answer to only to our command. They will never turn against you not while I live."
"But this victory is not about me alone. It is about us...all of us who stood when the world thought we would fall. The orcs came with war and we answered with courage. Farmers, soldiers, mothers, sons...you all carried this fight in some way. And today, that courage has brought us here."
"These chains do not mean endless war. They mean our enemies will never again treat us as weak. They mean your children can walk without fear, your harvests will not be stolen, your homes will not burn."
He lifted his hand, not in command, but in pledge.
"I give you my word: this kingdom will not be built on fear, but on strength, unity, and justice. What we have begun here will not end in chains.....it will end in a future where our children inherit safety and greatness. And I will not rest until that future stands before you."