Northward Bound (Closed to Freja)

[Cards of Fate]

Silence filled the House of Cards as Vincent sat in his office, pondering the previous events. Just two days ago he’d met two…Vikings for a lack of a better word. They seemed to be lost, and one was under extreme duress with poison, the scholar’s natural instinct was to help. Yet somehow everything had gone wrong. As they’d arrived in the Red Forest, a large flower monster had attacked them. Carrying an incapacitated woman, Vince had taken off like a bandit, leaving the other to die. Now, he had an unconscious woman in his infirmary who didn’t know the closest thing she had to family was dead.

It was moments like these that made Vince resent being the Emperor. He was the bearer of bad news, news that had been in his power to prevent. The weight hung on his very heart. He took a moment to attempt to sort out some miscellaneous paperwork before sighing. Growling, he set aside the paperwork and rose from his seat. He figured he might as well go make sure the woman was alright.

…

The Hierarchy’s infirmary was a large room filled with cots and miscellaneous medical supplies. Having been recently refurbished, it was still a mess. The large stone Ai’brone was standing over a cot at the far end, where the blonde woman was laying prone.

“How is she?” Vince asked. The stone monk turned and gave the scholar a shrug.

“Such a poison is simple work for a man of my talents…” the Ai’brone murmured. “She’s fine enough, but I sense that she will not take the news of her comrade well…” The scholar let out a loud sigh.

“I figured as much, I dread her waking up. I don’t want to be the one who bears this message, yet I must.” The monk nodded along.

“Such is the curse of leadership Vincent….” The scholar pulled up a chair and sat down, resting his head in his hands. The monk hummed some bizarre song and then strolled off. “I’d suggest figuring out what you’re gonna say quick though. She’s soon to wake up…”

[Freja]

The sun shone high in the sky it was a day of the Gods, the day of offerings. Freja tilted her head back slightly letting the sun rays warm her creamy white skin. "Mmmm, please Odin bless me with stealth and agility so that I can bless my family with these gifts." With that said she set off into the thick green forest, it was a long haul to the spot where all the deer would be grazing. Her footing was silent as she climbed up a large bolder to get a look over the valley where many of the animals gathered. A small fresh water stream supplied them with water and the pasture itself was an ocean of green grass. Taking her bow that hun around her shoulder along with an arrow as well. These two weapons were crafted by her own hands, well with the help of her father Ragnar. Knocking her arrow on the bow she took a deep breath before closing one eye to hone in on the target, a large buck.

A soft whistle sound came from the arrow as it hit its mark after traveling a short distance. Not wasting another moment she sent another arrow flying so now the buck went down. The two arrows sunk deep in it's chest cavity it let out a ghastly sounding causing a shiver down her spine. The other deer had already fled by now as Freja quickly hop scotched down the rocky ridge. Her feet landing on soft grass as she took off sprinting closing the distance from the now twitching animal. Unsheathing her dagger from her thigh holster she kneeled down looking in the deer's eyes. "I offer you the blood of this animal as a gift. Bless me and my family with love and strength as a union." Just as she drew the blade across it's neck a faint blood curdling scream broke the silence.

"Mom..."

She took off running, as if hell itself was on her heels, climbing and pushing herself to move faster. Running through the forest, branches pierced her skin as she pushed the pain off to the back of her mind. The screaming kept coming, louder and louder like the sound of her heart pounding. "Mom," Freja cried out, the woman that she shared many tries came stumbling over to her. "M-mom.." Her once fair complexion now ashened, fallin into her daughters arms with at least five arrows sticking out her back. "Run- run my sweet Freja.. Save your bro-ther." Falling limp Freja lowered her mother's body to the ground. "Bren, Brenan!!" Running into their house she was met with the scene of her brother being held by her father's friend Rollo.

"Rollo wh-what is going on? Why do you have Brenan by the throat?" A sinister grin shadowed the man's face she once knew. "I will be the king not your father! Why couldn't you bastards just die when I tried poisoning you?" His voice boomed as she glanced at her brother, his face a sickening blue. "Okay, put Bren down and he and I will leave..." He shook his head, taking out a small looking vile, thrusting it at her. "Drink this and your brother lives don't and." He pulled Brenan in front of him holding his sword to his chest, "and well he dies." Glancing at her brother he shook his head, fear held his tongue tears staining his dirty face. "Shhh, it's okay Brenan, you are gonna be okay close your eyes buddy." Taking the bottle from Rollo, tilting back the bitter liquid slide down her throat. Coughing and sputtering she opened her mouth to show she had drank it. "Good," in one fluid motion he craved into her brother's flesh.

A blood curdling scream erupted from her mouth as she caught her brother cradling him. Sinking to her knees she stroked his blonde hair, "oh Brenan..." Her body shook as she sobbed holding onto his body. "Better to just off you incase the poison doesn't work again." Accepting her fate she didn't fight as he gripped her hair tight revealing her neck. Closing her eyes she held onto her brother but the blow never came, opening her eyes she saw her father engaged in a fight with Rollo. Picking up her small brother she stumbled out the house, "Floki, get Freja out of here!" Her father's voice boomed as she tried fighting the large man but her vision blurred. Her brother coughed, large amounts of blood pouring from his mouth. "Come one Freja we have to go!" "No I can't leave!"

Freja stirred from her slumber as she sat up with a start, "Brenan..." Her chest rising and falling rapidly as she rubbed her eyes to get them to focus on her surroundings. "It was just a dream, a cruel, cruel dream.." Her bright forest green orbs landed on the scholar as she smiled at him softly, "Vincent.. Wha- what happened?"

[Cards of Fate]

The scholar let out a sigh and gave Freja a warm smile. He was so glad that this perfect stranger was still alive, a testament to the power of the first Ai’brone’s healing. His sapphire eyes ran over her facial features. She seemed so…peaceful. He was about to bring her entire world crashing down. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words got caught in his throat. He faked a cough, in some vain attempt to clear his throat. His tanned hand jumped to his mouth to cover it. His sapphire eyes watered a little bit. His hand trembled slightly, a soft sigh escaped his lips.

“Freja…” The world slipped from his lips. The woman shot him a funny look, as if she was attempting to interpret his actions. “When we entered the Forest…we were attacked.” He wasn’t sure when she had passed out, so he felt the need to explain everything. “It’s a pretty rare plant monster, they’re feared across the world…”

His hands trembled for a moment, “They’re reknowned for their ability to consume souls.” The scholar stopped, the statement sounded almost like a confession. “I’d been so worried about getting you out safely, getting you to a healer…” The scholar began to pick up pace, the words flooding out of his lips.

“I thought the Dur’Taigen would help him, I thought everything was under control…” The scholar paused. The words gone as he’d reached the conclusion. “Floki is dead…” The words trembled from his lips.

“I’m so sorry…”

[Freja]

Her smile slowly fell from her soft pink lips as she could see that the scholar was physically struggling with what he was trying to say. Slowly the words left his lips opening a flood gate of memories. Pursing her lips she tried to sort them out, yes that’s right I remember now.. Floki had picked me up and tossed me to Vincent. They walked for a while then all the sudden she had smelled something sweet. Run! The word echoed in her head as she tried shaking it out. “I- I don’t understand..” Her voice barely a whisper, the words soon spilling out of his mouth.


Dead, Floki is dead?


It was like the air was sucked right out of her, Freja tried to force air in and out of her lungs. “No- no..” Standing up she paced back and forth around the room. Tears collected in her forest green eyes as she looked at Vincent, “H- he can’t be dead.. You’re lying.. “ Her lower lip started to tremble as tears made their way down her cheeks. “You’re lying Vincent…” The look on his face was sincere. “I- I don’t have anything left I’m all alone.”


Her knees gave out, folding into herself. The sobs racked through her body as she cried, mourning for the loss of her beloved friend. Strong hands lifted her up into a warm embrace as the scholar tried soothing her. "It's all my fault, I should have told you to stay and help him." Her body shook like a small leaf in a windstorm as she sobbed quietly in Vincent's arms. The throbbing in her chest was nothing compared to the emptiness that she knew was to come. Floki was gone and she was left alone, it was all her fault for his demise and he would never know how sorry she was.

[Cards of Fate]

Vince let the woman release all of her tears, her words of anguish. While it wouldn’t heal her broken heart, bottling all of those emotions would do her no good. They sat in silence except for her silent sobs. As her tears lost steam, Vince’s embrace grew tighter. In the background, the first Ai’brone went about sorting several vials of mysterious liquids on a shelf, murmuring quietly to himself as he went about his work. Vince could barely stomach the sight of the proud warrior woman breaking down, it was if his words had brought an entirely new venom into her body.

“You’re not alone…” he mused aloud. “For what it’s worth, you have me. You have the Hierarchy if you need it…”

They sat in silence for a moment before the scholar let out a sigh. “You must be hungry; you were unconscious for a day or so. We should get something to eat…”

…
The Hierarchy’s mess hall was filled with an eerie silence as Vince went about cooking. He sat in the kitchen, a windowed wall between him and the Viking as he mused what to cook. He glanced over the enchanted ice box they had, checking his ingredients. Chewing his lips, he pulled out a small container filled with ground beef left over from a previous meal. He then went to a nearby pantry and pulled out a wooden jar filled with rice. He paused for a moment and grabbed a jar of flour as well.

He went to a nearby sink and washed his hands from the faucet, the Hierarchy bearing running water from some sort of ancient mechanism. Satisfied his hands were clean, the scholar removed a pan from an overhead cupboard and set it on a grill. He set the heart to high and left the pan to heat up. He then fetched a pot and filled it with water, setting it on the same grill but with no heat for the moment.

Satisfied with his prep, the scholar grabbed a fistful of ground beef and began to knead it together into a patty, using just a pinch of flour to hold it together. He started with a small ball, compacted it, and then gradually adding more meat to make a dense fist sized lump. He then flattened it out slightly and set it aside as he repeated the process to make another patty. At this point he turned the head on under the water and set each patty on the preheated pan, turning down the head as he did so. The meat sizzled loudly as he fetched a spatula and watched the meat brown. With a free hand, he removed a bowl from a compartment at his feet and set it aside.

As grease compiled, and the meat seemed to cook on the bottom side, Vince flipped each patty and pressed them against the pan, squeezing more juices from the meat. When everything seemed browned on the outside, the scholar removed the pan from the heat and went about his next step. Carefully holding the patties down to the pan, he tipped the pan and poured the grease into the bowl he had fetched. When the pan was empty of grease, he set it on the counter and let it rest for a moment. He took the metal bowl and set it over low heat, adding a pinch of flour to thicken the concoction. He sat and whisked the mixture and let it cook for a minute or so until it darkened.

He raised the heat and added a little more flour, and then went to the ice box to fetch a small portion of butter to throw in to thicken the soon to be gravy. While the mixture grew to a light boil, Vince gathered a small amount of salt and pepper to mix into his dressing. Whisking it, he paused and raised a little to his lips. While it was scalding hot, it was delicious. He waited until it reduced and then pulled it off the heat. With an oven mitt, he grabbed the pot and poured some of his freshly made gravy over the patties, smothering them completely. He then pulled the pan back to the head and let the hot gravy and the heat of the pan cook the meat through. He then dumped some rice into his now roaring boil of water and let that cook, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon. When both parts of the meal were done, Vince strained the rice from the water and spooned several lumps of rice into a pile on each plate. Then, with a spatula, he moved each patty over and set it on top of the rice, being careful not to let gravy drip onto the counter.

Once plated, he drizzled a little bit of the spare gravy over the rice and brought it out to the woman, plates steaming as he set it in front of her.

[Freja]

Freja simply sat there, staring at nothing really; her face blank with not a single emotion. As if a fresh reminder of her fallen comrade a few tears would wonder down her cheeks. She felt like an empty shell, if the wind were to blow it would take this body that was now just flesh and bone carrying it away. The warrior woman's appearance had changed after the news of loosing her last family member she had. Her long blonde, corn silk mane now fell lifeless. Her once beautifully glowing skin that had been caressed by the sun looked dull and ghostly white. The angelic face that had earned her named after a Goddess and was radiant with beauty now held the look of robot, no life shining on it. She hadn't remembered how she had gotten from the infirmary to here but here she sat in a chair as the scholar cooked her a meal that she felt no hunger for. The smells that wafted into the room made her stomach turn with discomfort. The plate sat in front of her steaming and held a mound of food, had this been different circumstances she would have devoured the plate.

"Thanks.."

Her voice hoarse and thick with tears as another wave of sorrow rushed over her. Her now dull plush pink lips pressed into a tight thin line as she closed her eyes tightly. Wishing away the sorrow and tears small whimpers came from her as she bit down on her lower lip that was now slightly trembling. Oh Gods, Floki.... Gasping for air slightly, gripping the arm rest of the chair a few more tears slipped down her splotchy cheeks. Holding her hand up towards Vincent he stopped from getting up before slowly sitting back down. "I'm fine... I am fine..." Softly chanting to herself she forced her body to move as if she was on auto-pilot. Pick up fork, scoop, put food in mouth, chew and swallow, repeat. After only several bites the food sat in her hollow stomach like rocks, pushing her plate away she sat there and looked at Vincent. Her face held a blank look before she looked away, he had saved her and it had costed Floki's life.

"Thank-you, for saving my life.."

The words were hard to come out, her tongue seemed to not want to work but finally she had pushed them out in a slightly jumbled mess.

[Cards of Fate]

It was funny how much this world had changed Vincent, in a tragic sort of way. Greif had never been a stranger back on earth, but it still had held some form of power over the young man. It would consume him, leaving him wracked to the very core of his being. The despair of others had once been just as contagious when he had first arrived. It was easy to succumb and sob when tragedy struck, but now was neither the time nor place for him to share tears with a stranger. This world had left him far too numb for that, he’d suffered far too much and seen far worse. Instead, the scholar found himself sitting next to the woman and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as she sobbed. He waited and waited, while the woman grieved in her own way.

His own plate sat untouched, gently steaming as it rested on the table. The smell was tantalizing, but the sound of empty sobs was not the proper backdrop for such a meal. He waited until the sound of sobs died down, until her body was still and her eyes dry, before he spoke.

“Floki was a powerful and caring man…” The words left his lips and hung in the air for a moment. He adjusted in his seat and continued. “The fact that I know this after only knowing him for such a short time is all the more testament to that fact.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring rub.

“But tears cannot bring him back to life.”

The scholar rose from his seat and picked up his plate, eyeing it hungrily. “I cannot help you with your grief, but when you are ready I might be able to help you move forward from this…”

[Freja]

His words though they rang true seemed to leave an unpleasant taste in Freja's mouth. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, it felt as if the universe was playing with her toying with all she loved and ripping it from her grasp. Floki was gone and she was not though his death still fresh and painful she was going to have to try and build a wall and become void. Her forest green orbs lifeless as she pushed away the hurt and suffering before looking at scholar. "Help me," her voice was hoarse from all the tears she had shed. "I need to put him to rest so that he may be greater by Thor at the gates to enter our sacred land." Clearing her throat she pushed her seat away from the table, her knees wobbled under the sudden weight she had thruster upon them. I am sorry Floki, I must move on from you if I want to live.. The thought bringing a stinging sensation on the bridge of her nose as she quickly rubbed at the spot before blinking a few times.

"Let's put Floki to rest.."

Moving towards the door she castes her gaze back towards the man. "I need time to prepare please we will meet back here in an hour, I just need to gather a few things for the ceremony." Before he could answer she was gone, like the wind moving swiftly up the stairs. "Forgive me Vincent for what I am about to do." She ripped some of the drapes down from a window, sunlight flooded into the room that appeared vacant. "I need to make a dress for myself and body paint..." Her voice carried in the large room and as if they Gods were done mocking her for a moment. Hurrying to the next room that looked like a supple closet she found the components to make paint.

Freja went to work straight away, mixing and crushing powered to turn it into paint. She had scrounged up a needle and thread and was almost finished with her ceremonial garments. Freja started to get ready. Usually it would be the village that would help her get ready but she was alone and so therefore it was going to take some skill to get it done.

---

Waiting in the dinning area for Vincent, Freja paced back and forth the length of the large room. It had taken her some time and she was now ready. A make shift cloak laid on the table for the body of the deceased the fabric matching her own garments. The top of the garment wrapped around her neck and than formed and x covering her breast and wrapping back around her back tying into a small bow. The skirt hung low on her hips and a large slit ran up her left side stopping just mid thigh. Her skin that was showing was painted many different symbols as pray and praise to her Gods. The door creaked open causing her to jump slightly whipping her head around which caused her corn silk locks to fan out and landing on her chest like a curtain, shielding her already broken heart.