Tyranny of Steel

It had been days since Berengar visited Wolfgang, and Berengar finally received word from the King of the Kalmar Union that he would be happy to accept the Kaiser's request for a visit. Not only that, but the man gave permission to Berengar, allowing him to ride through Jutland with a small host of armed bodyguards in order to explore the landscape of the region.

Winter had arrived, and Berengar had made many preparations for his journey north. Food, clothing, transportation, weapons, and munitions. These were all things that needed to be carefully planned, as he was unlikely to hunt anything in such dreadful weather. Thus, he spared no expense to ensure that he and his soldiers had the supplies needed to survive the harsh winters of Scandinavia.

Naturally, his army had winter uniforms designed for them in order to stave off the cold. He himself had one that was loosely based upon those used by German Field Marshalls in the Second World War of his past life. 

Aside from gathering these things together, Berengar needed to coordinate with Honoria about her own provisions. Thus, he had approached his wife in her room while she was in the middle of packing. Berengar gazed upon the thick fur coat and woolen clothes that the woman was wearing and teased her.

"Any more clothing and you are going to make it extremely difficult for me to undress you..."

Honoria turned around and gazed upon her husband with a seductive smirk on her face as she responded to his advances positively.

"Oh, I am sure you will have all the time you need to undress me while the two of us are alone together in a tent."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this. He had to agree with the woman. After all, he and his Imperial Guard would travel across the winter wonderland of Jutland in military issued wagons which were similar in size and shape to those used by the American Army in the 19th century. Until he could develop combustion engines, transportation outside of the reich was still entirely operated by animal power. 

It was because of these wagons that the party could transport a variety of supplies, such as tents and wooden stoves, to keep them warm and out of the snow. Due to the recent advancements in the field of synthetic materials, Germany's industry could now make waterproof tents that were capable of enduring the cold winters of Scandinavia. 

Berengar actually looked forward to spending a camping trip with Honoria by his side. She was the only one of his wives who would not bitch about being in the wilds, and would actually enjoy it. He figured the two of them could enjoy the beautiful winter landscape of Jutland while making their way to the sacred grove where their true target lie in wait. Berengar quickly noticed the woman had everything she needed packed and helped lift some of her bags. 

"Well then, shall we depart?"

Honoria lifted a few bags as well before nodding with a pretty smile on her face. 

"I've got everything that I need. So let's go!"

After saying this, Berengar descended the staircase along with his wife. The two of them had already said their proper goodbyes to the family and were quick to enter the courtyard, where they piled their belongings into the wagon. 

The wagon took the couple to the nearest train station, where they boarded the Royal Train and departed towards the border province of Schleswig-Holstein, where a company of elite imperial guardsman lie in wait for them. 

Berengar could not help but chuckle as he gazed upon the outfit Honoria was wearing. As a privateer, she had a penchant for military fashion, and one of her girls designed the uniforms that her crew wore. For whatever reason, the winter outfit that Honoria was wearing closely resembled that of Soviet officers from the second world war of Berengar's past life.

Or at the very least, the outerwear did. Beneath it she had far more fashionable clothing, for example over her merino wool long underwear she wore a beige turtleneck commando style sweater which clung to her natural curves nicely. Atop her head was both a knitted skullcap and a brown fur ushanka. 

Honoria had washed out the dye in her hair and gone back to a natural color. Berengar noticed this and smiled. He nodded his head in approval before complimenting the woman's beauty. 

"I must say Honoria, you look very pretty in your winter attire..."

Honoria smiled when she heard this. It was not every day that Berengar complimented her appearance. Lately, he had been busy with his other wives and had not shown her the attention she needed. She was just happy that the two of them could finally spend some time together. Thus, she voiced her enthusiasm for the trip. 

"I'm looking forward to this trip. It will be good to finally be alone together without interference from the others."

In response to this, Berengar merely chuckled before nodding his head. The journey via train continued to the border for several hours before the duo arrived at their destination. Afterward, Berengar climbed out of the train and led Honoria into the area where they rendezvoused with the soldiers who would be their escort. 

Unlike Berengar, who was in a WWII style winter uniform, his soldiers were in late WWI style uniforms. The Captain in charge of the unit immediately saluted the Kaiser and responded with the information that Berengar wanted to hear.

"Sir, we are prepared for the journey. We can depart whenever you are ready!"

Berengar smiled when he heard this and returned the man's salute.

"Very well, then. We shall depart at once. I have no time to waste here at the border."

With this said, Berengar and Honoria climbed into one of the wagons, and rode off past the Northern border and into Denmark. The couple watched from the interior of the wagon as they gazed upon the German border they had left behind. 

Unlike most of the borders of the German Empire. Berengar had prepared little in terms of defences with the neighboring Kalmar union. Rather than a robust trench system that was protected by barbed wire, reinforced concrete bunkers, machine guns, and landmines. The border with the Kalmar union was a simple chain-link fence that was topped with razor wire. 

There were a series of small immigration checkpoints, which allowed more people to pass through into the reich than anywhere else in the world. The reasoning for this was simple. Not only was there a military alliance with the Kalmar Union, but its people were considered cousins to the Germans. Because of these two factors, the Kalmar Union had special immigration laws compared to the rest of the world. 

Not only could entire families cross into the Reich with little difficulty, but they could earn German citizenship through service to the state. Naturally, these immigrants had to learn the German language, assimilate to its culture, and pass a written exam about the nation's history. However, that was the extent that the Nordic people had to go through to immigrate to the Reich. 

Unlike the rest of the world, that could only gain citizenship through multiple generations of interbreeding. The Nordic countries had a much easier time gaining citizenship, which had many benefits. Honoria gazed upon the hundreds of Nordic immigrants who were lined up at the border outpost as their wagon drifted further into the distance. She noticed the difference in treatment that these people received compared to the rest of the world and quickly voiced her curiosity. 

"Say, Berengar, why do the immigrants from the Kalmar Union get treated so much better than the people from everywhere else?"

It surprised Berengar to see that Honoria was not aware of why this was the case. He thought it was obvious. However, since she had asked, he would not hide his reasoning. 

"That's simple. Unlike the rest of the world, the Nordic and German peoples share a common ancestry. Though there are some differences in language and culture, I consider them cousins to the German people, and because of that, I gave them an easier path to citizenship. The same can't be said for the rest of the world. Though at one point the Germans spread throughout Europe, those regions have long since been influenced by other parts of the world, and are no longer Germanic in nature."

Honoria nodded her head in silence as she reflected on this reasoning. From her understanding of the Reich's immigration polices, and citizenship requirements, it seemed to be based upon heritage more so than qualification. She did not understand why this was the case, but for the time being, she did not question it. Perhaps at a later date she would ask her husband why he felt this was necessary. 

For now, she was more concerned with the journey ahead, and thus she rested her head on Berengar's shoulder as the two of them sat within the canvas-covered wagon, unaffected by the snow that was falling from the sky above. The journey to the Sacred Grove would be a long one, and she was prepared to endure whatever the gods could throw at them.