The first five years of Edric's new life were an exercise in calculated patience.
His physical limitations were the most frustrating obstacle. The mind of a seasoned military strategist trapped in the undeveloped body of an infant created a special kind of hell. Unable to speak, barely able to control his limbs, he was forced to endure the indignities of infancy while fully conscious of every moment.
Yet these years weren't wasted. Edric observed, listened, and built his understanding of the world of Westemach piece by piece.
He learned that he had been born into House Valverian, a cadet branch of the royal family of Westemach, a harsh kingdom nestled between snow-capped mountains and a frigid sea. His father, Jarl Sigurd Valverian, ruled the northern province of Ravensholm, a strategic territory that controlled the mountain passes into neighboring kingdoms.
His mother, Lady Helga, came from the powerful House Frostborn, known for producing warriors with affinity for ice-element swords. The marriage had been arranged to strengthen both bloodlines, with the hope of producing children capable of wielding powerful magical swords.
By the time Edric reached his third nameday, he had mapped the family dynamics with clinical precision:
Thorvald (eldest, 15): Quiet, thoughtful, constantly reading historical texts and studying sword forms. Showed kindness to Edric but was often dismissed by their father as "too scholarly.
Ragnar (second son, 13): Father's favorite, aggressive and skilled with weapons, but quick to anger and slow to think. Already being groomed as the future jarl.
Leif (third son, 10): Cunning, manipulative, always watching others with calculating eyes. Had already attempted to curry favor with their father by sabotaging Thorvald's training exercises
Astrid (eldest daughter, 17): Beautiful, politically shrewd, engaged to the heir of a neighboring province. Treated her younger siblings with benign neglect.
Sigrid (second daughter, 12): Fiercely independent, regularly escaping her sewing lessons to practice archery in secret.
Edric (fourth son, 3): Himself—the anomaly. The reincarnated strategist observing it all.
Eirik would be born when Edric was four, completing the family circle.
His father's hall became Edric's first battleground for information. During feasts, while other children played or slept, he remained attentive, listening to the warriors and visiting nobles discuss border skirmishes, resource disputes, and political marriages. He learned of the six major kingdoms that surrounded Westemach, each coveting the rich deposits of orichalcum—the rare metal required to forge magical swords.
By age four, Edric had begun testing the limits of what a "precocious child" could accomplish without arousing suspicion. He deliberately developed his reading skills in secret, listening to Thorvald's lessons with his tutor and practicing letters in the ashes of the hearth when alone, only to wipe them away afterward.
During his fifth winter, opportunity presented itself when a severe blizzard trapped the household for nearly a month. Food stores dwindled dangerously low, and tension mounted among the warriors and servants.
While the adults argued about rationing, Edric approached his father's steward, tugging at the man's cloak. When he had the steward's attention, he pointed toward the eastern wall of the greathouse and said simply, "Grandfather's secret."
The steward, humoring what he thought was a child's game, followed Edric to a section of the wall where decorative shields hung. Edric pointed insistently at a specific stone behind one shield. The steward, growing curious, removed the shield to reveal an aged crack in the stonework.
"What is this, young lord?" he asked.
"Push," Edric said, keeping his vocabulary limited as befitted his age.
When the steward pressed against the stone, a section of the wall pivoted, revealing a narrow passage leading to a storage chamber that had been sealed and forgotten for decades. Inside were preserved barrels of salted fish and sealed jars of preserved fruits—enough to sustain the household until the blizzard subsided.
When questioned how he knew of the chamber, Edric simply said, "Dreams of grandfather," and refused to elaborate further.
The incident earned him the watchful eye of his father, who could not decide if his young son was blessed with visions or simply lucky. It also earned him the beginnings of respect from Thorvald, who recognized that his youngest brother was far more observant than anyone suspected.
In truth, Edric had discovered the chamber months earlier during his systematic exploration of the greathouse, noting the subtle draft that leaked from behind the shields during autumn winds. But the timing of the revelation had been calculated for maximum impact while maintaining plausible deniability.
By his fifth nameday, celebrated with the traditional ceremony before the sacred ash tree, Edric had established his role in the household: the quiet, strangely perceptive child who watched more than he spoke. He had begun planting the seeds for future influence while carefully avoiding any display of knowledge or ability that would be impossible for a child.
As his small hand was cut and his blood dripped onto the roots of the ash tree during the ceremony, Edric swore a silent oath to himself: he would learn from the mistakes of his past life. This time, betrayal would not find him unprepared.