One-Shot
Kattegat, Scandinavia
September, 801 AD.
"Ragnar, right?"
I froze.
The wind was calm, and spring was in full. Everything was green and beautiful, and my hunt for venison was interrupted by a voice in my head. I did not panic. I had not panicked even when my crippled son was born. I could not afford to. But, for just a moment, I thought I might have simply heard things, a trick of the mind, say. The gods must be playing a cruel trick on me, for I knew that this was as real as the soft flesh of my wife.
"No, you're hearing me right," The voice answered.
My lips twitched. Ah, and she has wit. Her voice drawled out, dry and slow, just as if she was amused by me. I did not expect a voice in my head to speak to me, let alone the voice of a woman. Ah, the gods are playing a joke on me. Am I cursed to be surrounded by such strong-minded women for all my life?
Though, as I am surprised this mysterious spirit does not sound as fluent in my people's language, but she spoke well.
"Are you... are you a Valkyrie?" I could feel my trembling voice as I asked her this question. Unsettled as I was, I was far more afraid of what this portends. I dared hope not, for I was not ready to die. Not yet, if Odin wills it. My sons need me far too much for me to go into the halls of Valhalla. Ivar, my crippled son, needs me.
Silence followed the question, making me dread for my answer.
"... No,"
"Why are you here, spirit?" I asked out loud, alone in the forest. "Have I displeased father?"
Silence, again. My irritation flared, but I did not react. Curse me for a stupid fool should I irritate a servant of Odin.
"I really don't like being inside your head," She said, quietly.
I was startled, then chortled. Chuckling loudly, I said, "Ah, then you share much in common with Lagertha. Tell me, if this is not a choice of your own, have you been cursed by the gods?"
Again, silence. Gods above, but this woman loves to try my patience. But, I can be patient, too. So I wait for her to answer, wondering just who this mysterious spirit in my head was.
"In a way, I suppose so," The spirit said, fueling me with great curiosity.
"What have you done to earn the wrath of the gods?" Her was silent for the longest time. I continued, "And why have they chosen you to accompany me? The gods will it for a reason,"
"I killed a god,"
I stiffened, surprised. That wasn't the answer I expected. And though I felt the minute trembling in my hands, I asked a dreaded question I wished not to know the answer to, "Who?," I asked.
"Not Odin, if you were wondering," She said.
"You would have failed even if you tried," I rebutted, then smiled. "You still haven't answered my question, spirit,"
"None that you would know," Again she evades my question.
A useless answer, but useful all the same. It was not the gods he worshipped, nor that of Jesus Christ of the Christians. This time, I was the one that remained silent. Then, I asked her another question, a most important, dreadful question. A question I was terrified to ask, yet I asked all the same. "Why are you here?"
A chuckle escaped her. "I... am deliberating with a choice."
I felt a cold tingle down the back of my skin. I dared not ask what, for whatever choice she makes, it would certainly involve me.
"You are a monster, Ragnar. Do you deny it?"
There was a danger to the tone of her words. Still, I did not falter. Not even if she was a goddess. Perhaps she was, and if she were a foreign goddess? The thought terrified me more than I could ever imagine, for I was afraid Odin would not accept me. I said, "I am many things, called many things, spirit; monster, warlord, king. There is nothing, no one I will not kill, for my family. That answers your question, spirit?"
"Do not lie to me, Ragnar," She snarled, "I know you as well as you know yourself. You do it not for your family, do not lie to yourself or I. You do it for yourself. You wish to claim fame, to spread the name of Ragnar Lothbrok to every corner of the world. You wish to become a legend, to be whispered on the lips of every son and daughter to ever live. I wonder, then, Ragnar, what would you do if your sons overcame your fame? What will you do, when you are nothing more than a mere footnote on the songs of history, than when your sons achieve the very glory you sought?
"What will you do, when Ivar the Boneless is even more famous than you, a cripple?"
I remained silent, furious, trembling.
"Will you kill them, out of jealousy?" She whispered in my ears.
Snarling, I threw the bow to the ground. I was furious, panting, but there was truth to her words even I could not deny in mine heart. Still, the thought of my son, Ivar, so fragile and delicate, would be more famous than I? The thought made me proud beyond words, and ashamed double more when a cripple could outstrip my own fame. Still, I was not about to let this seiðr influence my thoughts and my heart. "I will carve out your heart, spirit, if I ever find you. You bring words of treacherous and sedition upon my own family.
Now, tell me why you are here, spirit. Tell me!" By the end, my throat was raw from screaming.
There was the absence of her voice, now.
Then, she spoke. "I have made my decision."
"And what will it be?" I forced the beating of my heart to slow, to feel the cool calm settle within my mind.
"You will be my inheriter, my new Guardian," She said. "You wish for power? You shall have it. The Vex will not give me enough time before they find out where I am. They are... angry, with me,"
"Vex? I am unfamiliar with that word," There was nothing familiar about it. What kind of enemies does she face, that terrifies this spirit, this sorcerous goddess so? "Who are they?"
"They are... things you cannot comprehend. Not yet. You will learn," There was reluctance, there. It is okay, I will learn in time. "I will instruct you on where to go."
I nodded, and felt instantly foolish. She could not see me, I assumed. Only hear my thoughts. I followed her instructions and went East. Night fell, soon. I slept on the ground, below a great redwood tree. My family does not know where I am. They think I'm still out here, hunting for venisons and other items. My wife insists I do not need to do these things, since I am now king. I disagree. My father was a farmer, just as Lagertha's parents. Just as we were when we married. I will not be weakened by my own vanity. Or jealousy.
"You know so much of my sons' future. Tell me, what do you see in your prophecies?"
"I'm no prophet or seer. History's on my side, is all. We were lucky enough to save much of history to be preserved and secured. Still, now that I am here, things have changed. Whatever I tell you, will be irrevocably changed by my actions today."
"You... you are saying you're from the future," I was stunned. Certainly not what I expected. I demanded, "What came of my people?"
"I don't know. Not many know, anymore." She quietly replied.
"What are you saying?" My words were whispered, filled with horror.
"It means, you will find out the answer to my question soon enough," She said. "We are almost there. There is a cave, in the base of the mountain, you will enter it and you will find burnt remains of my ship,"
"A ship! I cannot imagine why a sea-faring vessel would be doing all the way up in the mountains?"
"Not the kind of ship that sails in the waters," She chuckled, amused.
Despite my ignorance, I did not feel that she was condescending. Still, I cared little for what she felt toward me. "What manner of ships do you possess that do not sail the sea?" Then a thought came, and this time, I gasped, "They sail the skies..."
"... So much more for you to learn."
As I followed, my footsteps gaining speed deeper into the area, my thoughts arrived at the idea of flying. Imagine it, to fly like the gods. It felt like stopping at the edge of the highest peak of a mountain, to feel the breath of the gods upon your very skin. There's just you, and freedom.
When I arrived at the foot of the cave, the darkness was all I could see. The deeper I went inside, the less the voice spoke her instructions. It was how I suspected we were close. Finally, as the space extended outward, and expanded into a truly cavernous dark depths hollowed out within the mountain, I finally witnessed this "ship" the voice mentioned.
I have watched my friend, Floki, built ships all my life. The perfect tree to make just the right wood to sail the oceans. It allowed my people to achieve much in the west, which was once thought impossible. Now, I stand before a ship, made completely of metal, of which would have been worthy of the gods themselves. The strength of the steel was... beyond my comprehension. It was not made of iron!
My hands shook as they brushed the surface of the ship. It was unbelievably strong and so smooth it felt like silk upon the palm of my hands. The ship was shaped strangely like a bird, with two wings by its side, pointed and angled with the tip of the nose. It was coloured with a smooth blue and black paint, with waves all too similar to the ocean. It was just a beautiful thing.
Of course, that did not mean I was blind to the damage that had been done to the ship. There were holes in this mysterious ship, as if gouged out by something with claws the size of my torso. Some were in the broadside of the ship, with seemingly slashed into slag.
I took my hands from the ship.
"Gods... why have you made an enemy of the gods?" I whispered out aloud, awed.
"Because I can," A simple answer, but an effective one.
I filed slowly inside through the opening of the ship. The interior of the ship was dark, dank and dusty. Fey lights blink like the sun, for just a brief moment, then snuffed out by magic. Over and over again. I steeled my will and my feet carried me farther inside.
When I saw my first body, I knew this was the owner of the voice. The armor was strange, intricate and carved. It was beautiful. By the body, there lay a steel battle axe. The shaft was as tall as I, thick and heavy. And the head of the axe was as broad and as wide as my chest, with carvings and fey runes faceted into the face of the sharp blade. Surely, the dwarves forged these weapons of war? I imagined myself within them, wading my way through my enemies.
My thoughts drifted to the voice in my head, then at the woman by my feet. She looked like a Goddess of the war and death. There was a certain kind of strength within her, even as she lay here with not a spark of life within her. I was.. saddened. What a waste.
"You... are her," I knew. I looked at the helmet, where her eyes were. All I saw was the black glass of her helmet. Stranger, and stranger. Who would wear such fragile glass as a helmet, on a battlefield? Magic, of course.
"I was one of the original Iron Lords, the first to stand against our lords so many centuries ago," She said. "I rose against the tyranny that sought to oppress my people. A great war ensured that finally brought victory against our enemies. We prevailed, in the end," The spirit chucked, deep and dark and filled with so much emotion, just as if the very wrath of Thor himself embodied her spirit. "War came. Always, it came like an endless tide as far as the horizon itself. We fight to protect my people, against all odds. Like your people that serve Odin in Valhalla, we rise after every fall. We rise and fight and rise and fight."
I could practically feel her soft, sad smile even in my mind. "It has been a long time since I donned my Iron Lord armour, as I waded through the Hive forces and against Crota himself."
The stilled silence followed her. "Why have you led me here, spirit? What is your goal?"
"I am tired, Ragnar. I am tired of war," I knew where this was going, yet as excited as I was, I could not help but feel dread at her parting words of death throes. "I have had children, and I have watched them grow and age and have children of their own. I helped bury my own firstborn child, and then my second. And my third. Yet here, I stand, and I find apathy and weary of my immortality. I am tired of it all.
"Do you see that strange box on the floor, next to my body?"
Trembling, I turned to look at the strangely beautiful black box. Truly, no carver or forger could work such a beautiful box made of steel.
"Yes," I said.
"That is a vex technology. My Ghost keyed it to the portal, to ensure that we made it back," There was a catch, I knew. "You must ensure you are by the box when it triggers,"
"I cannot leave my family," I softly replied.
"Do not worry. You will return at this point in time. The beauty of Vex technology is that they are focused mostly on the causality of space and time. Osiris has learned some of the secrets of the Vex, and adapted to his own. A beautiful work of art, if I must say so,"
While I did not know what she was speaking of, I trusted her. "What must I do?"
"Every nine years, you sacrifice something precious to your gods, yes? I think you know what you must do,"
I shuddered. My thoughts betrayed me to the night of the spread eagle of Earl Borg. I shuddered again, then steeled my heart and will. If the spirit fed deceit into my mind, it is okay, I think. I believe in the Odin, and should I be favored, I will enter the halls of Valhalla.
The took off my clothes. There was no armour to remove, and for that, I was gladdened. My skin felt chilled by the cold steel of the ship, and the breath of the Gods upon my heart. I unsheathed my sword from my side and held it pointed to my heart.
I did not scream, nor falter, as I thrust the sword into my heart. My feet buckled, and I fell. The contact with the hard surface did not bring the pain. For just a moment in time, the briefest moment, I thought I saw a spirit came to me, made of fire and steel, interconnected and changing like a thunderstorm. I saw the one eye, and I wondered, for a moment, if this was Odin himself welcoming me to his halls.
"Goodbye, Ragnar. And good luck," Said the spirit.
Then, no more.
--
Unknown me, place.
A bright light sparked to life, expanded as if a hundred oceans overlapped one another. Then, it connected, solidified. I stepped through, furred and collared with a cape. The cape was brown, warn and torn, with a single image woven upon it; two wolves, and a large great tree.
The helmet clear and white, enameled. There were great horns curved atop it, with black tips of pure shadow and blood. Two rings around a chain, connected to each of the two horns. They were soft and light as a feather, and they swayed with every step I took.
My gloved fists clenched around the great battle axe. So great was the weapon, that even the strongest man would have trouble lifting it. I had no trouble lifting it. When I spotted the body by the console, I knelt in respect. Then, I strapped the great weapon upon my back, and I lifted the body and carried it as if she were my bride.
It was still spring, the sun high in the sky. I smiled sadly. Then I walked. It took a long time to reach my home, but I was not in a hurry. I dared not hurry, for I did not want to disturb the body in my arms, still freshly dead. Then, I stood atop a steep cliff, overlooking my home. Kattegat. My home.
Tears sprang to my eyes.
"Well, look at you, Mr. Brave and Mighty, crying like a little girl. By the by, totally took a picture. Hah! Can't wait to share it with Cade. He's going to bust a nut laughing his ass off,"
The dry, amused voice reached my ears. I turned to look at my ghost, and as I smiled, I could not help but be grateful. She had saved my life countless times, and not a bad conversationalist either. Still, needs must.
"Very funny, Fade," I said. "I'll make sure I tell Cade you made a mistake hacking into a single, simple," I stressed, "Vex code that time we were involved in the Ishtar Sink region."
"NO!" He screamed. "You will not tell him of that, do you understand? Vengence follows me like the wake of a dragon, and I will let out that time you got taken down by the Hive, after you made a cocky speech."
I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes.
"Yeah, totally recorded that, too, arsehole," Fade smugly replied.
Scowling, I turned back to my former home. Then, I started my trek down, through the forest, and finally into Kattegat.
The first people to notice me was a blacksmith. Whatever he was hammering, he stopped as if Ivaldi himself stayed his hand. Thankfully, my Ghost had dissapated, ensuring that no one here could see her.
I nodded deeply at him, then continued my trek. Then, I stopped. She was at one of the stalls, looking over the fishes a fisherman was selling. I froze, carried by doubt and fear.
Aslaug. Beautiful, wonderful. Amazing as my idea of her as any women could be. More eyes followed me, now, I knew. Floki, I spotted. Tall and as crazy as any Titan, and just as brave. Rollo. Gods above, my brother. My wonderful brother. Then there was Siggy, keeping the company of my children. Even Björn, my eldest, stands by his brothers.
Watching Björn, standing tall and strong, so beautiful. I felt fresh tears fall down my cheeks. Then, my eyes fall wayside to the brothers standing by his side.
There was Ubbe, fare and beautiful. By his brother's side, I spotted Hvitserk and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, with hands held with one another. Then, there was Ivar the Boneless, held in the arms of Siggy. Gods above, what have I done, naming him such?
I choked, and cried, as I held onto the dead spirit in my arms. More eyes turned my way, and until even my family noticed my presence. Her eyes narrowed, confused and beautiful. Like a puppy. Hah! Oh, Traveller! What have I done, leaving them? What was I thinking?! I missed them so much. So much it hurt as if the great 'j?rmu?ganðr? himself wrapped around my heart.
A tide of silence followed my appearance. My cape bellowed behind me, as a great wind echoed my turbulent thoughts. Finally, my wife came to stand before me, with a horde of guards.
My family stood by her side, even Rollo. Floki was there, judging and thoughtful. He bit into a great green apple, spiteful of my appearance, perhaps he thought I was a great omen. Hah! I laughed inwardly. A great omen, indeed!
I shifted my eyes to the beautiful woman that was my wife. It had been a long time since I saw her. Years. Centuries. And I kept her in my heart. I missed her.
"Stranger, you stand here in our fair town with a body of a great warrior. Have you come seeking refuge, great warrior? Does... she require help?" She asked. So soft her voice, I could almost not recognize it for my wife. It has been a long time. And she has aged not a day.
"Stranger?" I said. "Have you forgotten me so, even after all these years?"
Startled, Aslaug turned to Siggy and Helga. They were equally confused. I supposed it was my fault for being cryptic and stupid. Mostly stupid. Time hadn't stopped for my original world, nor had it moved on. In a way, I was the only one who truly moved on. I left them, all of them. And I didn't know when I could not stop caring.
I could see my eldest clutching his axe, and Rollo and Floki and many others preparing their weapons of war, weary and cautious. They were not afraid, as alien as I looked. Why should they? They were a true warrior.
"I don't understand," She replied, frightened.
I turned my horned helmet toward Rollo, the rings danging without a sound. "I wish to ask you a favor. Will you grant me it?"
Rollo's eyes widened. He knew my voice, more than any other, despite defused and contained within my helmet. How could he not? He was my brother, my confidant.
"Brother?" He whispered. "How...?"
Aslaug nearly snapped up to face Rollo, then to me. "What?"
"It has been a long time, wife," I said, as I handed the dead body to him. I said to him, "Please take care of her," Then I turned to face Aslaug and my family. I unsealed my helmet and the latches unlocked automatically. The helmet released in a whizz of displaced air, and finally rested it on my hip.
I turned my shaved head and neatly kept beard to my family, and I saw their stunned faces. My eyes, which was once blue as the ocean, glowed with an inner light of optics and genetic enhancements.
"Impossible!" She gasped, "You have only gone hunting only a day before,"
I smiled, a bitter sad smile not so similar to the spirit. "Yes, I have gone hunting. And hunt, I did."
Floki giggled, jumped up and down as excited as any child. "Odin's blessings are upon you!" He came upon me, his arms stretched wide and I received his hug wholeheartedly. I gripped held him close, slapped the back side of his head and laughed like children. "You are truly changed!"
He let me go, and I turned to face many of my friends, and until I finally faced my family. Aslaug. I kissed her deeply, my tongue pressing themselves into hers.
I laughed as I hugged Björn. Though he was confused, he was just as excited. I slapped him lovingly, kissed his forehead and sniggered. Tall and strong, indeed, as I stepped back to instill his image into my head. Then I hugged Ubbe and Hvitserk and Sigurd, all cuddled up like a bundle in my arms.
Then, I held Ivar, of the Boneless. I kissed gently on his forehead and breathed the scent of his dark hair. Yes, I missed them all. It took only a few centuries to truly realize that fact, and my heart could barely contain my sheer joy of such a day.
"I have come home," I said, finally.
