After weeks of wandering, when hope had nearly faded, they reached Novgorod the Great. The city’s golden domes gleamed in the sun, its mighty walls radiated strength, and its bustling streets spoke of prosperity. News of Kolvan’s fall and Danish treachery had already spread.
When Sophia stood before Prince Alexander Nevsky—a wise and just ruler famed for his victories—she was received with royal honors.
*"Tell me what happened,"* he said, his voice steady.
Tears streamed down Sophia’s cheeks as she recounted the betrayal, the slaughter, and her desperate escape—but her voice never wavered.
Alexander offered his aid. *"Kolvan’s fall is not just your tragedy—it is a threat to us all. The Danes will not stop until they dominate these lands. We must strike back."*
Hope filled Sophia’s heart. In Alexander’s eyes, she saw not only compassion but the same resolve burning within her. In distant Novgorod, she found the strength and allies to reclaim what was lost.
**Meanwhile, in Kolvan…**
Nils, drunk on apparent victory, feasted in the captured palace. Wine flowed, but beneath the revelry festered rage. The kingdom’s treasures were missing. Sophia had vanished. His fury grew into obsession.
*"Find her! Turn over every stone!"* he roared. But the search was futile.
Declaring a forced conversion of the local tribes, Nils sparked rebellion. The people, devoted to their ancient gods, saw this as sacrilege.
The final outrage came when Danes desecrated a sacred oak grove during the summer solstice. Blood stained holy ground; screams mixed with the crack of breaking branches. This blasphemy united Kolvan’s scattered tribes—once envious of its wealth—against their common enemy.
While Sophia sought refuge in Novgorod, Nils plotted in Denmark. His position was precarious. Without Sophia or the treasures, his ambitions teetered on collapse.
*"Harold must be overthrown,"* he mused. *"Only then will my victory be complete."*
Using spies and bribes, he revived old rumors of Harold’s incest and sodomy. The people, remembering past scandals, grew restless. Nils painted Harold as a weak, sinful ruler unworthy of the throne.
Discontent erupted into open rebellion. Nobles, manipulated by Nils, staged a coup. Harold barely escaped Elsinore.