"Valor,is what they call it." Jarl said as we sat across from each other.
The room now dim, a stick with dancing li— ..…fire hanging from the wall that gave the room a glow as it crackled. The animal heads hanging from the walls looked almost alive as the fire made a glimmer in their eye.
"It's what is given when you are acknowledged by a ₲ØĐ." He went on to explain
"Is that what happened to them?" I looked over to the now sleeping Helga and elders who were still laying on the floor, a blanket made of thick wool covering each one of them… I didn't want them to get cold so I got them one.
"Yes…. When you are acknowledged by a ₲ØĐ, your very [Prescence] changes. It allows you to overload or even completely destroy the senses of those without Valor."
What he was telling me sounded fascinating but there was only on thing I couldn't understand. What is a ₲ØĐ?
"Though there is one thing that concerns me, boy."
"…what might that be?" I asked
"How in the hell do you have Valor?!"
He asked a question I didn't know the answer to, I still don't even know what Valor really is.
"I-I don't know sir." I responded
"Is it because you're Odins chosen?" Jarl started talking to himself
"Maybe….. maybe your birth in itself was an achievement." A long silence followed after his words
"That's quite lucky of you kid, for some just them being alive is a sin." After finishing his sentence, jarl made this face…though his expression barely changed a bit, it seemed so distant.
"Are you okay?" I asked, not sure of what jarl was feeling.
"I'm always okay." He responded
"Ohh… I see." I started looking around the vast room and it's dark wooden interior, trying to ignore the awkward silence
"Uh, so when are they gonna wake up?" I tried to switch the topic
"Whenever I let them, though right now I don't think any of them are in their right minds…. It's best to let them sleep." He answered
"Oh okay…. Could you teach me how to do that?" I made a request, if I can do that then the things that happened back in the camp can be prevented….. it can all be prevented.
"I can….but I won't."
"What? Why?!" I yelled
"The greatest part about Valor is the fact that no matter how much stronger your opponent is, it will still work as long as they themselves don't have Valor but it's also the worst….. do you understand what that means?
I understood what he was getting at, a person with it can use it on a person without it…. Even if there's no good reason
"But I won't use it like tha—
"I don't think you would either however do you know what happens when two people with Valor compete with it?"
"No….. I don't."
"It strains the environment, the air around you becomes poisonous, an enourmous pressure weighs down on the ones beside you and maybe even the ones so far away where you can't even see them….. it's not you I'm worried about, it's if you meet another person like you which concerns me. You may end up killing the same people which you are trying to protect."
"Then what if I run into somebody like me but I don't know how to use it? Am I supposed to just let the people beside me die while I stand there idly?!" I screamed at him, I didn't mean to but it all just came out
"Those are heavy words, are you sure you can handle the burden of such words?"
"I…. Believe—
"Going solely off of belief is the actions of a fool….. but you are right. I'd rather give you a double edged sword than leave you with a stick in the midst of war. Come."
He stood up and walked over to where everyone was sleeping, he then signaled me over with his hand
"Have you checked!" A voice yelled from outside the tent, not a familiar one at that.
"Damn it! We don't have enough time child."
Jarl quickly grabbed the sack lying on the table and started stuffing it with items of all sorts
"Get uupppppp! All of you!"
All of those unconscious shot up to their feet, adapting to everything they could see and hear… like they've been through this before. Even Helga.
While my attention was faced at them I felt and enormous pressure slam into my chest, it was the bag that jarl was filling up
"Here! Take this and always remember from now on you are no longer a person. You are a weapon and it's sheathe! There is no more friends, there is no more trust, there is no more easy paths, only hard ones, there is no more good days, only bad nights to come.
Jarl readied his axe as the murmuring from outside came closer
"I….. want you to take care of her."
he looked over at his daughter and then back to me
"Fiiiireeeee!"
"So take Helga and RUN!!"
I grabbed Helgas hand and bolted towards the exit, my steps getting lighter and lighter as I approached, I reached my hand towards the handle of the door, we were almost there
[BOOM!]
What was that?
Just like the entire roof of the hut, I blew away like the wind in autumn, the bricks and mud holding it together crumbled upon my face while the straw sparkled in the flames like fireflies and my…. My arm…. W-where is my arm?
"R-røkir! Where are you!?" Helga yelled panicked, her voice echoing from the other side of the debris, the sound of fighting roaring even louder from outside.
"I'm over here!" I wanted to respond but the words wouldn't come out. Each time I tried blood would leak from corners of my mouth
"Røkirrrr!" She kept calling
I have to get to her, jarl said he entrusted her to me….. even though i know I can't, I must. I put all my focus into making the words have sound, I felt exactly what wasn't working, the fact i haven't been breathing since the hut collapsed
"I-I'm alright…" I managed to barely get the words out
"W-where are you?! I don't see you!"
Ahh…. I can her crying from the other side, even the sound of her tears hitting the ground, the sound of her nails scratching at the rubble trying to dig a path to reunite us…. I think I don't like when she cries…. It hurts
"D-don't w-worry I'm gonna d-dig you outta there alright?!" I heard the sadness mixed in with her words
I reached to try to help dig but one arm was crushed and the other missing, cut off by the stone separating me and her
"Im alright Helga… I'm holding your hand aren't I?"
"Y-you're right! Are you really okay?"
She seemed to have calmed down but we can't rest. Not here, not now. Everything in my body has almost repaired itself and my arm is already back to normal
"Check the remains!"
Fear spread through me, I hadn't thought they'd search through all this rubble
"Helga i'm going to pull you through and we have to run!"
"What do you mean pull me thro— ahhhhhhh!"
I struck my right hand through the wall of rock pushing all the til my shoulder collided with the the debris making everything that was once in a stable pile, fall. I hurriedly grabbed her and wrapped her in my arms, turned around and jumped as hard as I could, my back facing whatever rubble I'd have to push out the way so she doesn't get hurt
[CRASHHHH!]
Sunlight beamed on both of our faces as we looked up at the sky. Then we descended
"Røkir look out!"
[THUD]
I hit ground, still holding her head, tumbling down through all the snow and the hills they covered.
[CRACK! Pshhhh!]
I wasn't sure if the sound came from my my bones or the branches I was falling upon, it felt like I was falling endlessly as the rocks protruding out the snow cut my skin. I closed my eyes, waiting for it all to be over….. and then it was
We were at the bottom near a frozen lake
"H-Helga, we made I— what?"
Helga was there and uninjured as well, nothing but a few scrapes and bruises but…. Why is she not moving? Why is… everything frozen?
"Child we do not have much time" a hand gripped my shoulder
I turned around quickly to see
"Saga?!"
"I will not be able to be with you any longer, none of us will."
"W-wait! S-saga h-he was… j-jarl he's I-is—
I couldn't quite get the words out, my head was pounding, where was she? Does she know what's going on? Why weren't you with jarl? I had too many questions swirling my mind. My words wouldn't formulate
"W-why are you here?" Was the only question I could get out my mouth
She looked at me with her same old gentle smile she always kept on her face and reached for something in her satchel… I've never seen that satchel before
"You must take this and go"
She put her hand on hand on top of mine, I looked down to see what she had placed in my palm
"Huh? Saga what is thi—
"You fucker!"
Helga lunged at me, wrapping me in her arms
"I thought you were dead!" She held me tight
the sound of weapons clanging together resumed in the distance, the sound of the birds and even the wind, it's all back
"We have to hurry we don't know when—
"Y-your mother…. Where did she go?"
Helga looked at me for a moment
"What are you talking about?"
"