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Chapter 10: The Fruits One Sows

While morning and evening were relative in Scathsolas, Völundr was stepping out of his room just when out of the hill the sun was rising. He went to the door opposite of his, where he knew his prince was resting behind. With a chuckle he took the knob and opened the door swiftly. "Good morning my Prince!"

Vidar groaned as he heard the boar shouting into his room. Next to him Leofwine was still sleeping like a stone, seemingly untroubled by the noise. "Shut up, Völundr. I had a nice dream about," the wolverine now stopped as he looked down next to him. "Well, nevermind. What is the matter?" he asked as he took Leofwine in his arms and let the otter's head rest on his chest.

"In three hours we were already supposed to travel further to Kärmave, Vidar," the boar said with a glance over the wolverine and his lover. "Let's say you two can enjoy the next two hours, while I and Aldric prepare the rest."

Being still somewhat sleepy Vidar gave him a nod before he put his head back on his pillow and caressed the back of Leofwine.

Leaving behind that scene, Völundr stepped into the large entrance of the palace and looked around himself. "How in the name of Odin did I end up here? A week ago I was sleeping in a cave, and now I am guest in a palace."

"Perhaps it is the randomness of luck," a voice said from behind the boar, who turned around to see that Fionnbharr had sneaked up on him. The albino badger smiled innocently as he walked around Völundr. "Generally, the outcomes were in favor for you this time. There is no reasoning behind it, just probabilities."

"Prince Fionnbharr, I took notice that your brother has been rather busy," the boar said a bit distantly. "Tighearnach, your father, is he well?"

Fionnbharr shook his head. "Ever since mother died he has become sicker with every year. Magic keeps him alive, but he can't be cured no matter what we try. Ninniaw and I do our best and keep things going, but soon my brother will be king himself."

"You don't sound sad about it. I do wonder, Vidar hates his father, but what about you?" Völundr asked as he sat down on the staircase to listen to the prince.

"Every case is special. Our father is a good man, who used to be jolly and even took time to raise us with our mother instead of just using maids." Now Fionnbharr sighed as he sat down next to the boar. "I started seeing visions when my mother died. Of the past, of the present, and to some extend of the possible future. This is how I met Aldric. He was assigned to help me with my ability. But, at some point I was able to tell that my father would be dying, if he was unable to regain his will to live."

Völundr let those words sink in and tried to concentrate on their meaning. "In the end you have long since accepted this. You have overcome it even before it happened. A luxury we others don't have."

"Still, in terms of Vidar you have a different family. King Bjartr had a distant relationship to his sons. I remember Kjeld, a kind man, who was a few years older than Vidar, but with a similar tendency to being a lovable idiot. And Vidar back then, well, he was by far not as angry," the badger told as he rested his muzzle on his hands. "Their mother died at child-birth with Vidar, and it was making the relationship between him and his father even worse. And then when Kjeld died, Bjartr was not even caring about it in Vidar's point of view," he said and put a hand over Völundr's shoulder. "Unlike Aldric, who directly looked into your mind, I see the past, present, and future of those I touch. This is not entirely about Vidar, is it?"

The boar sighed weakly as he leaned his head against the wall. "I grew up without ever knowing my real father. And by what I know, I only want to kill him. So, what is your opinion?"

"Do you want the 'it is your choice' explanation, or my actual opinion? I have a father that I love, Vidar has a father, who needs to learn how to love his son, and you have a father that shouldn't be loved," Fionnbharr said in a soft tone. "Also, punches in the groin are fair game, if they outnumber you."

"The elders said otherwise," Völundr replied with a jesting tone and put the young badger in a hug. "Thanks, I needed to get that off my mind."

Fionnbharr now pushed off the boar from him and smiled as well. "It would be nice, if you returned here with Aldric. He could certainly teach you in magic and help you fulfil your dreams. Speaking of which, I think he wanted to go to the Great Shaman today."

Just as Fionnbharr told, Aldric was waiting at the altar located under the center of Scathsolas, looking at a figure that was covered completely in clothes, which obscured their entire face and body. "Great Shaman. I may have to apologize for leaving this city so soon and neglect my duties as a shaman. However, as things stand we have to fear consequences, if we don't act."

"Aldric, my child," the Great Shaman replied with her old and heartful voice as she stood up from the ground and walked over to the young badger. "We serve this world for the Great Mother. If it means to journey to distant lands, even at the other side of this world, then you should go there."

With a relieved sigh Aldric bowed down before her and walked closer to her. "Then I have to ask, what do you know about Yishai? A fox by that name appeared to me and to Fionnbharr, when he looked into the distant past."

"I only know what can be told in our tongue. Yishai is the Guide of Fate and one of the Celestial Sovereigns, who exist alongside reality, beyond all the worlds," the Great Shaman explained as she went to the altar and pressed her hand on it. "Calling them gods is not false, but they are still different to the entities we worship."

"In what way?" Aldric asked as he now pressed his own hand on the altar and waited for something to happen.

A moment later an image appeared above the altar and showcased a round object with several different colors on it. The Great Shaman now pulled back the clothing around her face to reveal her lupine muzzle. "Eons ago, the Sovereigns came to Domhan. Asbjörn is the one who granted life to it, and formed what we refer to as the Old Ones. At least, so the legend goes."

"However, Fionnbharr's visions went further back than the Old Ones. He saw Yishai before a time when the Old Ones even existed, but another form of culture was in their place," Aldric intervened as the shape of Domhan shifted and the continents aligned into new shapes. "So, does it mean there was something before?"

"It would, considering that we may only know little about it all. Whatever may happen though, be sure to return in one piece. Unlike me you still got a few decades," the Great Shaman joked as she returned to the spot she was sitting upon and continued with her meditation.

Having done that which he came for Aldric wonder back up and towards the exit of the city, where he was so far still for himself. "Well, I guess the others are still coming later," he said to himself as he made an upwards motion with his left arm and formed a seat out of the rock to sit on. After an hour he was already dozing off and closed his eyes. He soon jerked up he felt a gush off water hitting him right in the face. "Vidar, you arse!"

The wolverine laughed at the image of his companion drenched in the water he carried with a bucket from the lake all the way to the city gate. "Oh, I thought you would love some refreshing water."

Deciding that he would have none of this, Aldric got up from his seat and grabbed his staff. With a force that was still moderated he hit Vidar right on his foot.

Vidar jumped up and held on to his hurt foot as he felt that the badger was certainly not amused anymore. "Okay, I get it, no more water pranks."

"Keep it in mind," Aldric said as he casted a wind spell to dry his soaked robe as fast as possible. "You had to get the cold lake water, didn't you? Great, now I am totally cold."

"Um, sorry? Didn't really thought you would be easily getting cold with your winter fur setting in," Vidar said as he came closer to Aldric and formed a small fireball in his hands. "I can handle it at this size, so don't worry."

"Cute, are you going to ask me for a date and then kiss me? Mind the atmosphere you are creating," the badger joked as he shook his body and massaged his throat. "I will be fine, but seriously, never do that again."

Vidar now dissolved the fireball and stretched his limbs while he looked behind himself. "Okay, there are the others."

Leofwine, Völundr, and Fionnbharr were now coming at the city gate and the boar and otter went right to them, while the young albino remained a step apart from the group and held his hands together. "I wish you good fortune on your journey. Please be careful on your way to the harbor."

"Are you talking to us all or to Vidar?" Aldric replied as gave his friend one last hug and pat on the head. "Take good care of yourself, Fionn."

"Get a room, you two!" Vidar yelled audible enough for several bystanders to turn their heads towards the two badgers.

Now Aldric ceased the hug and went back to Vidar in order to punch him right across the jaw, but he then stopped in the middle of it and just laughed. "You are a funny guy, aren't you? Well, so am I," he said and made a dancing movement around Vidar.

"What is this going to be? A courting dance?" Vidar jested before he noticed that something on his body felt oddly fresh. He looked down at himself just to notice that his entire clothing had disappeared. "Aldric, you piss drinking son of an ugly hag!" he yelled while he tried to cover himself.

The shaman only chuckled at the display. "Well, you called the wine of Bijulac piss, so I guess I drank from that. It is a good piss. How is the piss in Kärmave?" he said and stretched out his tongue to the wolverine. "Revenge is best served ice-cold. Especially, if I should get a cold later on."

"Alright, I am sorry. Can I get back my clothing, please?" Vidar asked hastily as several spectators were already laughing at him.

Aldric only clapped his hands and the clothing around Vidar reshaped again. "I thought you had a certain tendency for exhibitionism anyway, considering our first day here."

Vidar blushed at that remark and he looked towards Leofwine, who was smiling a bit sheepishly at him. "I guess at least it is a sight for some."

"Anyway, your carriage is waiting outside," Fionnbharr now intervened as everyone was getting distracted. "It will most likely take a few weeks, so we also gave you a second hornflincher and a bigger carriage to travel with."

"The old boy needs some company, so it probably is not a bad idea," Aldric said as he now gave his friend one last hug and stepped outside the hill under which the city was built, his companions soon following.

Outside, the new carriage was already waiting for them, and unlike the previous simple carriage, this one was a tripled carruca[1] with enough space for all of their items included, and reinforced by a layer of steel.

"It seems we are traveling with comfort. Who is driving first?" Völundr asked as he opened the door to the carriage and looked at the inside of the vehicle. "We got so much space in there, we could easily sleep in it as well. And the benches are covered in pillows."

Vidar now looked at Leofwine and chuckled into himself. "Let's get in there and see for ourselves," he told his lover and went inside with his tail wagging in anticipation below his robe.

Noticing Vidar's excitement, Leofwine went right inside and quickly jumped on the pile of pillows next to Vidar.

"Well, I am taking over then. I am not going to watch them cuddle and kiss all day," Aldric said as he jumped on the driver seat and took the reins in his hands. "Plus I actually slept out, so I can go for a bit longer than usual."

The boar shrugged at the badger's respond and stepped inside the carriage to sit down opposite to the two mustelids inside. "Alright, we are able to get comfortable now, your shaman friend is now serving as a driver, while we sit on our butts on some pillows."

"Kind of hoped you would give him some company," Vidar said with a hint of disappointment. "I mean, he may be lonely and such."

Völundr laughed at that reply and dug himself into the pile of pillows he was lying on. "He actually seems to be quite happy to have some time for himself. Too bad, you would like to have some private time as well, and I am not letting you, because I am a little pervert."

Suddenly a knock was heard from the wall behind Völundr, and Aldric was calling from the other side, "We are on our way now, you lovebirds and pervert."

"Hum, he can be humorous without being sarcastic, who knew?" Vidar said as he and Leofwine snuggled closer together and sank down further into the pile of pillows till they were completely buried under it.

Having a feeling where this would be going, Völundr now stood up and opened the door of the carriage to climb out. Holding himself on the vehicle, he managed to get to Aldric after a bit, and sat down next to him. "So, something I am curious about, what do you think about Vidar's relationship with his father?"

"After what I could see, Vidar has developed a complex because of his father, which causes him to be extremely impulsive," the badger replied as he leaned back and let the hornflinchers do the work for him. "I had an insight into your head, so I do know that it is about you, isn't it?"

Völundr sighed as the badger looked past his approaches and stared towards the sky. "Should really have thought that one over. Alright, I am at a bit of a loss when it comes to all this, since I respect Bjartr, but at the same time also hate my own father a lot. You meanwhile have no father figure, so you would be at a neutral standing point."

Aldric just laughed at that remark, before he snapped his fingers to cast a spell that changed the atmosphere in their back. "I did have a father figure in the shaman that raised me. It is not much different to the man and woman that took you in. Maybe me biological father is nice, but I don't know him and by now I am too old to care."

"Um, alright, I guess that makes sense. So, basically I should just let go," the boar concluded with snort. "I am, well, just very angry at him. Because of who he is and who I am."

"You are worried about that? Considering you have been not showing any signs of bad behavior, apart from being a pervert, I think you are okay," the badger told Völundr and gave the hornflinchers the command to go faster. "But, I wonder still, are you coming with us because you feel like you have a duty for Vidar as your prince? Or for Leofwine, because his mother died through your biological father? Either way, you would not be taking your own interest into account, would you?" As he said this, Aldric put the reins to his side and looked right into the green eyes of Völundr in expectation of an answer.

Sighing about the situation at hand, Völundr crossed his legs and scratched his left ear. "You already know it. If I can manage to fall in good favor with Bjartr, or can get in good favor with Vidar should Bjartr remain missing, then I can join the warriors like I always wanted."

Aldric chuckled a bit and patted the boar on the shoulder. "See, honesty is nice, isn't it?" And then his face got more serious. "Still, you seem okay with being a wanderer. What does draw you to become a warrior? Honor? Money?"

"Honor, I guess," Völundr replied with a gruff undertone. "What is it to you? You are a shaman, who sits around all day praying and smoking herbs."

The badger now huffed as he was suppressing a laughter. "I think you only know about a shaman's daily works from hearsay. Also, we inhale the steam of the herbs we cook. We found out that smoking causes a burning pain in the lungs."

"You would still not understand how much all this means to me," the boar said as stood up and was about to climb back, as the carriage hit something and he almost feel to the ground.

Much to Völundr's luck, Aldric caught him on a leather strap and pulled him back before he could break something. "No, I don't. I also was never very fond of philosophy, since it always seems that people are trying to find truths were there are none. I may serve divine forces, but I can think for myself."

"So, I don't?" Völundr now said with more aggression in his voice as he clenched his fists. "Do you call me a mindless brute?!"

The badger shrugged and took out an apple from his pocket to hand it over to the boar. "No, I just think you should give it some thought. Maybe there are other options to compliment your life."

That response surprised the boar somewhat and he took the apple from the shaman with some shock still being present in his face. "Perhaps I am a bit sensitive. Sorry about that," he mumbled as he began eating the fruit.

"Vidar is the same. Even worse, once he gets angry only someone with a lot of strength can cool him down. I had to use my Aether Focus when he attacked Leofwine," the badger told as he took out a peach and started nibbling on it.

Völundr was widening his eyes however. "Wait, he did what? I thought he meant they had a verbal fight, not a physical. And, well, I do know they have, you know, a few times."

"Yeah, they have fornicated," the badger said casually as he glanced ahead and pulled at the reins to make the hornflinchers move to the right. "Vidar almost killed himself to make a sufficient apology. It did work out better than anticipated, or so you could say."

Blinking two times, Völundr kept his jaw open for a few seconds. "Yeah, I guess that I have no idea how exactly all that happened, so whatever."

"In any case, this is going to take a while, so we will run out of things to talk about way before we can take a break," Aldric commented as he yawned a little bit and rubbed his left eye. "I am already out of stuff to say."

"Well, you could tell me about something about yourself," Völundr suggested as he finished his apple and threw it carelessly into the forest. "Like, what do you like, have you a crush, or something like that."

Aldric arched an eyebrow and chuckled a little bit. "Fionnbharr sees through a lot of possible worlds. It is thanks to our advanced understanding of magic that we can tell what his visions are, so he knows that I had the pleasure with several people through the myriads of possibilities."

"Oh, wanna tell about some of the hearts you conquered in some other lives?" the boar asked with a cocky grin as he leaned curiously to the badger.

In response Aldric blew out some air and slapped the boar across his face with hardly any power behind it. "You really are a dirty pervert."

Völundr rubbed his cheek and shrugged a little. "It is not like I am asking about the juicy details. Just about the people."

"So you can fantasize about it," the badger concluded with amusement. "But so you know, I am not looking at people in those terms. I either want to slap them in the face, ignore them, or see that we share things in common. If things go well, I may start befriending them, and if things get really well, then there might be a romance, maybe."

"Sounds rather systematic," the boar said as he started yawning as well. "Vidar and Leofwine seem to have gone through all that much faster. It is much better that way considering that Vidar certainly got into a lot of situations as I heard."

"Hardly surprising," was the badger's reply as they were driving further through the woods. "Okay, another thing about me. I like to cook and perform alchemy, play games with Fionn, and drink no alcohol ever since I had my first incident. The headache was unbearable."

"Well, can't say I hadn't that experience," the boar said as he was yawning again. "Ended up with a pretty good company for the night a few times, though. But, I guess before we drift of again, what do you cook most of the time?"

Aldric looked a bit to the side as he was mentally forming a list of meals that he was able to create. "Roasted chestnut with poultry breast and mushrooms with cream sauce, Scathsolian stew, dough pockets filled with an assortment of things, baked stomach with fillings, and that is the more common stuff."

"Good, so you are going to make us something very nice once we take a rest," the boar said while rubbing his stomach. "Well, I am going back to the others and take a rest. See you later."

Five hours passed since the badger and boar had their short conversation. The next settlement was still in the distance, and Aldric was growing ever tired from the monotony of the journey. Eventually he decided to drive towards a clearing and take a rest for the time being, as he stopped and jumped off to get into the carriage. "Alright, I think I am going to rest a little now. Who wants to take over?"

Vidar got himself up from the pile of pillows and stretched his limbs out with a noisy yawn. "I was just sleeping so well. Alright, I am taking over," he mumbled and went past the badger to continue the trip as the driver.

Leofwine and Völundr were still asleep, and thus Aldric took some pillows for himself and laid down on them to rest his eyes for the day. Sleep came soon and he didn't even mind that Vidar was absolutely horrible at driving the carriage. Dreams soon set in for him. The first had him sitting on a giant mushroom and looking down into a valley full of people dancing with each other to music, which reminded him of the festivities that were celebrated every season in Scathsolas. It soon turned to him jumping off the mushroom into a lake full of a liquid he could identify as juniper juice from the taste of it, and he was diving up again to see the scenery having changed to that of a cave, which was filled with shining crystals, illuminating the way towards some sort of altar on which an idol was placed. It was looking strange to him, with its round shape resembling nothing he has ever seen. As he touched it, an outburst of light came from all the crystals and soon he found himself lying in a mossy field within the same cave, drops of water falling down on him from the ceiling.

"Hey, you alright?" a voice said from somewhere and Aldric could feel how he was helped up by someone, whom he had met a while ago. Haidon was looking at him with a grin, his clothing looking somewhat outlandish, yet still similar to what the badger remembered. "What did you see?"

"Haidon, this world, its layers, it all spread across so many realities," Aldric said, not knowing why he said it. "It would not be wrong to call it enigmatic. My very spirit touches through so many realities, that it has affected a body in this world as well, giving it the image of the original soul."

The wolf looked at him with a puzzled expression, but eventually took his hand. "Maybe, but it gives you something unique. Something that I may have to admit, makes you special to me."

Then the scene blurred away and instead of the cave and Haidon it was only a void left for him. "Dreaming of someone?" a voice called and as Aldric opened his eyes he saw Völundr looking at him with a smug expression. "Seems like you called someone Haidon."

"Yeah, maybe meeting him and getting strange visits lately got to my mind," the badger replied as he looked out of the carriage window to see that it was already night time and only the magic crystals of the carriage were illuminating the forest. "We should be soon at some settlement, I hope."

"About that. Vidar skipped it and just went further to safe a day. It is already past midnight," the boar replied as he got back down on his pile of pillows. "Well, I guess we will reach the harbor in four days, if he keeps that up. Well, or even two to three days, if I take over after he is tired."

The badger gave him a nod and looked at his side where Leofwine was still sleeping peacefully. "Well, I guess I can take over as well after you are tired. We may actually save a lot of time that way."

"Yeah, there is a point," the boar said as the carriage came to a hold and a short time after Vidar slumped back into the carriage, completely empty of energy from the hours of driving he went through. Völundr and Aldric dragged him next to Leofwine, and the boar went out to take over for the next few hours.

The same process repeated several times over, with everyone taking the reins over time, and then going to sleep, drink, and eat. Soon enough the carriage reached the destination of the harbor settlement of Creeport.

As Aldric and the others exited the carriage and walked over to the docks, they were already greeted by several sailors and servants that were leading them on board. The captain, an old, already somewhat graying otter, waited for them already. "Master Aldric. It is a pleasure to see you and your companions with us today. We volunteered to send you over to Kärmave as we were to set off in a few days. However, it appears you made it here faster than planned."

"We constantly drove, so it only took three days," Aldric explained as he looked at the exhausted hornflinchers getting carried to the stalls to be nourished after their long journey, while two new ones were brought to take over the carriage which was now taken on board. "We are ready to come with you."

"In that case we can already get settled than. We should reach Kärmave within a day, so be sure to enjoy the trip," the captain said as he gestured his men to prepare to set off the vessel.

Several hours later Aldric was standing around the deck with Völundr occasionally passing by to throw up into the sea due to the swinging motion of the ship, while Leofwine wanted nothing more than just strip bare and jump into it, naturally where it was the cleanest, of course.

Vidar meanwhile just laid on the wooden surface and stared at the sky. "So, it is back to home after all those weeks," he said to himself as he got up and went under deck.

Leofwine, noticing the weird behavior of his lover, followed him slowly to avoid the glances of the ship's crew members. As he entered the cabin, that was prepared for them to rest in, he saw the wolverine slouching against the wall. "Is everything alright, Vidar?"

The young prince glanced up and smiled weakly at the otter before he stared back at his feet again. "It just feels so odd to return now, and to say that I am alive after they all thought I was killed. Then it all goes back to me being constantly reminded that I need to have an heir. You would have to disappear, because we two could never have a child together."

"Just don't think about it too much. Once we are back and clear things up, it will all work out, if we do our best," Leofwine said and put his arms around Vidar. "And as long as I am alive, I will be there for you."

Finding strength in the otter's words, Vidar embraced Leofwine and nudged him with his head. "Thanks you. Thank you, Leofwine," he whispered gently into his lover's ears and the two would just be sitting there and embracing each other for a while.

Then Völundr came in and arched an eyebrow at the sight of the two. "Well, at least you stick to your word and got a room, but I need to find some sleep, else I puking out my organs from all this swinging. Of the ship I mean," he said as he let himself into a hammock and tried to keep his stomach from spilling out.

Being somewhat taken out of the romantic atmosphere, Vidar and Leofwine got up from the ground and went to their own hammocks to get some sleep as well.

It wouldn't last long enough however, as a few hours later they were shaken out of their sleep and Aldric entered the cabin, completely out of breath. "Everyone, you need to come on deck!"

Being completely caught off guard, Vidar fumbled to get out of his hammock, but fell on his nose as his feet got stuck, while the others were already out of the cabin and running upstairs. With some effort he was able to finally stand up and follow them, but what hit him when he entered the deck was terrifying him deeply.

The night sky was illuminated by fire and flames, as on the horizon a settlement was set ablaze, the screams of its people piercing even through the waves and wind between them and the ship.

"We need to save them!" Vidar exclaimed as he looked at the old captain in hope he would respond by setting course on the shores ahead.

"Lad, we can't do anything. The shores are too far to arrive safely in this chaos," the old otter stated as he glanced towards the flaming horizon.

The wolverine however was not going to accept that answer and rushed over to the captain with his fists clenched. "You will set the sails to that settlement, that is an order!"

"You have no authority on my ship," the captain bluntly stated at the shaking prince in front of him. "If you want, jump into the sea and swim, but this vessel is not moving till it is safe."

"Fine," Vidar replied as he tore off his robe and run towards the railing of the ship, jumping right into the water of the sea. At first he was able to swim a few meters ahead, but then a strong wave pushed him back, and he tried to get back on course. While he was determined, he was unable to hold himself against the powerful sea and remained unable to keep his head up.

Eventually however, somebody pulled on him and soon he was lying in a small boat close to the ship. Leofwine was sitting with him, wearing only his loincloth, and breathing heavily. "Please Vidar, you are going to get killed!"

"Like them? They need our help, or else they all will die!" the wolverine cried out in tears as he was about jump back into the water, till the otter pulled him back and slapped him right across the face.

"Stop being such a stubborn idiot!" the otter yelled at the wolverine and hit him another time, this time in the chest. "I don't want to lose anyone anymore. Not as long as I can prevent it!"

"Leofwine," the wolverine was slowly regaining his senses and collapsed in tears as he was no longer able to hold back.

The next morning the ship hit the shores, and Aldric was the first to leave as Vidar and the others were still shaken by the view of last night. He however was not very troubled as he chanted and performed a ritualistic dance as he passed through the burnt down village.

Several people were outside, cleaning up the debris, and burying the dead as best as they could. The scents of blood, ashes, and urine were still fresh in the air and no building was left intact.

Amongst the few survivors, a female reindeer dressed in rather decent linen clothing was standing and dictating the people. She looked at the approaching shaman and sadly stared onto her own appearance. Her clothing was torn at many places, and a strong scent was still lingering around her and proving of her ordeals the night before. "We were send a message that a ship from Scathsolas would arrive in a few days. I just fear that this all here happened so suddenly."

"I am sorry for your and your people's loses, Jarldottir Dagný. My name is Aldric, and in the name of his majesty Prince Fionnbharr I greet you," the shaman replied and looked around the destroyed village. "Who did this?"

Dagný closed her hands together and took a deep breath. "Jarl Eirik and his men demanded my father to hold back on the claim for the crown. But, he was not going to and paid the price," she said and pointed towards the entrance of the village, where the head of a male reindeer was put on a spear and presented to everyone entering and leaving the place. "Eirik had him quartered and then," she paused and her body was shaking a little. "I wish him to suffer in Náströnd for what he did to me and my people."

"What he did, to you and the innocent people of this settlement, it will find its punishment one day," Aldric said as his grasp on his staff grew firmer and he walked towards the entrance of the village. He closed his eyes, and then looked up to the sky. "Great Mother, hear the cries of your children. Send us your warm light and grant us your eternal protection, so that we will prosper and grow."

A moment later massive walls of stone rose up from the ground, forming a protective circle all around the village. Only the former dock area and entrance had openings to exit and enter the city.

"If you wish I can help to create provisory homes for you and your people till you manage to rebuild this place," the badger said to the reindeer as went back to her. "But then we have to move on towards Jokulldal, I am afraid."

The reindeer nodded as she pointed over to a spot of land that was covered in ruined buildings, which all have been burnt down already. "I wish we had some gold left to pay you, but be sure that you will have our gratitude."

Aldric gave her a nod and then began to rise up his arms and concentrate. His magic energies soon flew over to the earth and wood around him, reforming it to the best of his abilities to a number of cubic buildings, which provided all a bare minimum of shelter. "So far so good. You should send a letter to a fortress and ask for reinforcements. And one to the other jarls so that they may stop Eirik."

Dagný smiled as she was the magic works of the badger and put her arms around him to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Aldric. I think that will be enough to survive. But, the land is in turmoil. A week after the king disappeared, only Jokulldal's huscarl has kept the army intact, while the jarls and their own men have assembled to fight for the throne."

"Drawn to power like moths to light it seems," the badger said as he peered over the village. "I can only pray that this is not how things look elsewhere. A dreadful journey lies ahead," he said as a carriage was approaching, driven by Völundr. Aldric gave the reindeer a last bow and then entered the carriage and sat down on his own pile of pillows.

Opposite of him Vidar and Leofwine sat together on their own pile, the wolverine being at the verge of tears yet again. "This is all my fault. If I would have send my father a letter, he would not have left. And everything would still be okay."

"I am guessing that your father is mostly at fault here, but you are not innocent either," the badger replied with a stern expression. "But it can't be helped, we have to see what we can do from here on."

Vidar didn't reply nor react to Aldric and just sunk down on the pillows. He was breathing heavily and constantly leaking tears.

"If it makes you happier, I am going to kill Jarl Eirik personally, if we should cross his path," Aldric said as he looked out of the carriage window towards the settlement that once was a harbor for Kärmave. "I am going to take my time with the process. He shall suffer as long as possible."

Vidar chuckled a little and then put his arms around Leofwine. "Eirik, huh? Always a brutal and warmongering man. And also someone, who would shatter the peace of the Northern Clans, so that he could have an enemy to fight."

"You have no idea how much I hate people that want war for the pleasure of it," Aldric said as he went through the fur under his robe. "There is no honor in slaughtering the weak and innocent. Only sin and judgment."

"I may be wrong, but this is the first time I saw you planning to kill someone," Vidar said weakly as he tried to remain calm, but eventually he was still sobbing a little. "But once I am back, I will have him not just quartered, I will have him shaved bare, then I am going to cut open his sac to deep fry his balls in a pan before I tear them off, then I am going to cut little pieces off his limbs, until he only got his torso that I can throw into the kettle to cook the whole thing for the crows to feast on. And then I am going to take his skull and use it as a night pan," now the wolverine took a breather and laid back again. "Letting that out certainly helps. We should do it in public in this place, so the inhabitants will have their retribution."

"Sounds good to me," Aldric said as he took out two pears from the barrels in the storage area behind him and threw them to Vidar and Leofwine. "And don't worry, with some effort we will be fixing everyth," midword the carriage came suddenly to a hold and Völundr opened the door to the carriage. "Sorry guys, but I think we have to stop here. A few assholes are blocking the road."

Now Aldric's eyes started to burn with an immense hatred as he stepped outside and next to the boar. As he glanced to the men the boar was talking about, he coldly stepped towards them, identifying their scents and intentions directly.

One of them, gray wolf with some teeth missing grinned at the approaching badger, his hand already on his sword. "Sorry man, but the road is under protection of Jarl Eirik. If you want to pass, you will have to pay a fee."

"Your Jarl violated the peace treaties, which were forged by the first of Kärmave's kings, with his actions. Murdering a fellow jarl and laying waste to his jarldom. You have no authority in this place," Aldric sternly replied as he remained standing before the soldiers.

The wolf only chuckled as he drew his blade and held it towards the mustelid. "How cute, someone who things treaties like that have any value. It is those with power that make the rules, not those with paper and feather."

Now the other two men, a wolverine and a young badger, were drawing their swords and ready to face the shaman.

"Those with power you say," now Aldric closed his eyes and broke out in a short laughter. "Do you really believe you belong to them?" he said as he reopened his eyes, which now were glowing in a powerful green. "If it is the powerful that make the rules, then I will call judgment upon you, should you not drop your weapons."

"Ain't scared of your sissy magic," the wolf taunted Aldric as he drew his blade back and was about to hit the badger with the blunt side of his weapon.

The shaman only smiled wickedly as a rock hit the wolf right in the face, shattering teeth, the nose, and the jaw in the process, causing the canine to scream in pain, while blood was streaming from his muzzle and nose. "You needed to shut up," the badger said as took aim with his staff and hit the wounded wolf in his face.

The soldier tumbled over and lost consciousness, while he his two comrades remained frozen in fear. Eventually however they tightened the grab around their weapons and rushed towards Aldric.

Völundr, who by now had his own blade drawn, took aim and blocked the sword of the badger, while Aldric evaded the wolverine with a surprising agility. The boar used both of his hands as he held to his sword, but kicked his enemy violently in the crotch area, causing the young badger to drop his weapon and take a hit from the boar's fist to his face.

Aldric meanwhile summoned several pieces of rock around him, which blocked every single swing of the wolverine soldier, eventually resulting in the blade to shatter. The shaman used the new defenseless state of his opponent to hit his hands with two sizable rocks, before he then proceeded to step closer to his now disarmed enemy. "How pathetic. You were praising the worth of power, and yet you have proven neither strength nor finesse in your fighting style. You are but simpletons that got swords put into their hands, rather than trained warriors, am I right?"

The wolverine gulped as he saw to the unconscious forms of the other two and tried to crawl backwards. "We. We are farmer's boys from a small village further north. Eirik was promising every man of his army sufficient payment, and we needed it urgently."

"You fight certainly like farmer's boys," Aldric said as he held his staff against the left side of the young wolverine's face. "And would have thrown your lives away, if either I or Völundr decided to kill you. Now, stand up and help your two friends to some resting place, so we can fix them up."

The soldier obliged immediately as he grabbed the two friends of his and dragged them to a thick oak, where he could lean them against the stem.

Now Völundr went over to the wolf, due to his rather badly injured face. He put his two massive hands on the muzzle and focused his energies to have the muzzle entirely restored, including all the missing teeth. "I feel bad for beating your asses like that. I knew you were such pushovers, I only have made you piss yourselves. Well, I guess that you almost did."

The wolverine backed off nervously after that reply, and fell down on his behind as he didn't see the root behind him. "Why are you helping us now anyway? We were attacking you."

"Because you are dumb children," was Aldric's reply as he took off the armor of both the wolf and the other badger to smash it into pieces with his rocks. "You are not evil, but just plain stupid. And also cocky, if you think you could take on a magic user without proper tactics."

"It, it is just that we were following orders. And well, Tollak thought that acting tough makes people back off," the wolverine explained as he was getting shakier by the minute.

While the wolf Tollak remained unconscious, the badger soldier soon made a groaning noise and rubbed his head a little before he shrieked up at the sight of massive boar in front of him. "Okay, sorry, I am giving up!"

"Already lost, lad," was the boars reply as he chuckled and helped the farmer's boy up from the ground. "And destroyed your stuff, in case you wonder about the fresh air."

Blushing the younger badger realized that he was only dressed in his already rather badly shaped pants. "I feel not so well about this. So, what is happening next?" he said in a melancholic tone.

"Once your friend is patched up, I want you to go to the village that you set on fire and help rebuilding it," Aldric said as he leaned on his staff and sternly looked at his brethren. "You can do something better than plundering and fighting. Not that you are able to do that anyhow at this point."

"Birgir, maybe we should do that," the wolverine said reassuringly as he hugged the young badger, while also fearfully glancing to the older one as well. "But, if we go. What will they do to us?"

Aldric sighed as he took his staff and pointed at the wolf. "Carry your friend, I am going to talk to Dagný and see, if we can arrange something."

Birgir nodded silently as he got of the wolverine and grabbed the shoulders of the wolf, while the wolverine took the legs and carried Tollak with them while they followed Aldric back to the village.

An hour later Aldric got back to the carriage, where Völundr, Vidar, and Leofwine already set up a sleeping place for the night and were waiting for him. "It went somewhat okay, I guess." He told his companions and took place around the fireplace that they had prepared. "Dagný is surprisingly rational. She allowed them to help, but forbade them to wear any clothing except their undergarments for a week as their punishment. Not sure what the reason behind that was, since they all got thick fur, but she seemed happy about the idea. That wolverine Fólki was the most nervous about it."

Vidar chuckled as he heard the badger's story and looked into the fire in front of him. "Dagný is a gracious and gentle soul, but she is not an innocent girl anymore. What happened today however. Well, it really pains me to see that Fartygköping has been destroyed like this. But, I am honestly surprised. I thought after you said you would kill Eirik that you would do the same to those three kids."

"It is not necessary to do so," Aldric replied as he scratched the back of his head and smiled victoriously. "Sometimes people may need an eye opener to do the right decisions. And I think they will be helpful for Dagný. If not as builders, at least as company."

"But how do you determine whether or not a person deserves mercy or not?" Völundr asked as he looked to the tree where he treated the wolf in the aftermath of their short skirmish.

Aldric gave him a wink and laid down on the ground. "The way people act can be important to decide their way of thinking and their morality. You could see that Birgir and Fólki were hesitating when I hit their friend, who was just pretty dumb. But, you could have just cut off a head, if you wanted to."

"I am not feeling like killing someone," the boar replied as he put another stick into the fire. "Life is precious, isn't it? Enough people already died last night, so we should not add to the pile of corpses with the same thoughtlessness."

Now Vidar looked grim again, and then towards Leofwine, who was dozing against his belly. The images of the day when he casted that dreadful spell, which was repelled against his comrades, the corpses of the two men he killed not even an hour later, and the frightened face of Leofwine when he lost control appeared before his inner eye, and he got up from the ground, leaving the otter on him to sit straight up again. "I need to take a piss."

Sensing something wrong, with the wolverine, Leofwine waited a little and then got up to follow Vidar. Much to his embarrassment he soon heard and smelled that Vidar was not just making an excuse and stood still to wait.

When the wolverine finished, and took some of the alchemy solution from the carriage to clean his hands, he just went inside and laid down on the pillows again.

Leofwine carefully entered as well and got next to his lover and put a hand on the back of the wolverine's head. "How are you feeling?"

"Leofwine. I should ask you that very same question more often," Vidar replied as he sat up and looked sadly into the face of the otter. "I only caused bloodshed, and more bloodshed. How can you love me with all the suffering and violence I caused? And the way I treated you back in Súil Cascade?"

The otter now saw that Vidar was crying, and feeling obliged to do so, he slapped him another time across the face. "My nightmares have driven me close to madness, even going so far that at points I could not continue anymore. That has been long before I met you. And, you have no idea how often I just wanted to have it all disappear. It got worse after what happened with Durandt and our fight later on, but ever since we found our way together, I learned that life is something wonderful. Something to hold on to and embrace." now Leofwine laughed out loud and hugged Vidar with a lot of strength in his arms. "I still hate violence, but I am no longer afraid. Thanks to you, I can finally live my life. Even if I nearly died a few times, but hey, things like that happen."

Vidar was still sobbing, but he put his arms around Leofwine and licked him over the forehead. "It all just comes back to me at once, now that we are in Kärmave," he said and pulled them down into a lying position. "I need to clean up this mess. And after we finished everything, we can just live a peaceful live. Together."

"Sounds lovely," the otter said as he nudged his head against the wolverine's chest and closed his eyes. "How about we just rest for now, and let our worries be for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we should do that," the prince told his loved one and closed his own eyes to just feel Leofwine in his arms and on his body. Before eventually they both fell asleep.

In the pocket of Vidar's robe, a glimmering light shone brightly. Still remaining in the possession of a distracted man, rather than on the ground of the seas.

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[1] A form of carriage with a roof, capable to hold two people at once.