As Allen's formidable reputation spread through the Swadian army, and with Harlaus's sudden death, everything that remained became much simpler.
The cavalry who had followed Harlaus soon calmed down after both their king and prince died. After all, the line they had sworn allegiance to had been extinguished. There was no point fighting to the death for revenge when it would bring them nothing.
Dilinard, meanwhile, had never intended to wipe out those cavalry units. Although they had joined Harlaus's camp and prepared to attack his family, Harlaus's death had swept away the main source of conflict between the two sides. Preserving their strength for whatever might come next was the best choice.
Both sides also knew they were on enemy soil. No one could tell when Ragnar might appear behind them with his Nord barbarians.
With that unspoken understanding, the two sides peacefully chose different routes and left Nord territory.
When Sulton Jarl, who defended Rud Castle, saw the great mass of enemy troops return, he finally gave in to his opportunistic instincts and sent an envoy to negotiate with Dilinard. He knew that if he kept holding out, capture was the only possible outcome. Taking the initiative now would at least save him a substantial ransom.
As for explaining himself to King Ragnar, he had held off several thousand enemies for three months with only a few hundred men. That was explanation enough. What could he do when reinforcements were so slow to arrive? Was he supposed to die in Rud Castle?
In the end, Sulton Jarl left with his soldiers, over a thousand peasants, and a great quantity of supplies, leaving Dilinard nothing but a battered castle.
On the Calradia Continent, however, a castle was an immensely valuable asset. Building one required vast amounts of labor and