Yesteryear

The Immortal

Only once the Vikings had heaved even the last barrel from the storage area in the guts of their ship, the boat emptied. The woman was the last one who stood at the wooden plank that connected the dock to the dragon ship. She eyed Wooyoung suspiciously from time to time, as if not trusting that he wouldn't run off.

Sǫndúlfr returned to the ship after the rest of the burly Vikings had taken off with their families. Their boisterous voices carried to their huts, where they retreated to the warmth of fireplaces and rested their chilly bones after their long journey. The only two left standing at the shore were a woman and a dog at her side. The grey fur of the animal contrasted and blended into the snowy field at the same time.

When Sǫndúlfr knelt in front of Wooyoung, the historian nervously looked between him and the captain. He was unsure of his fate, unsure how many days they would leave him before they would dawn the horrible fate of being sacrificed to their god on him. And yet, the mysterious stranger who had appeared through the centuries in front of Wooyoung offered an unexpected safety. With both of them defying time, Wooyoung would put all of his trust in this man and his explanation on how they could meet again.

Sǫndúlfr's body language was tense and guarded, but in the privacy of their gaze, his eyes conveyed curiosity. Wooyoung doubted Sǫndúlfr himself would do anything to him. Not when the man stretched out his arms in an offering gesture.

"May I?"

Wooyoung was about to refuse when he remembered the role he played. The sickly, youthful stranger who also had no boots to walk in the snow with.

When Wooyoung got on wobbly knees to lean towards the man, his muscular arms caught Wooyoung before he could fall over. He scooped up the blanket together with the smaller male inside and lingered for a moment until Wooyoung had tucked most of his body away. The icy wind tugged on his curls and had his teeth chatter once more when it cooled his frozen hair in his nape. Some whirling white snowflakes had found their nests in Sǫndúlfr's hair and stood out like stars in the night sky.

Sǫndúlfr carried Wooyoung without trouble. After they had passed the lingering gaze of the captain, Sǫndúlfr slowly descended the unsteady plank. The crunch of the snow under his soft boots reminded Wooyoung once more of how real this was. His mind had detached from his body in his fright after landing in the frosty sea. It wanted to fixate on solving the riddle surrounding Sǫndúlfr, Sandalius, and Suusaandar, but the reality had him fear for his life.

When Wooyoung wrapped his trembling body tighter into his blanket, his teeth still chattered. Sǫndúlfr still took it as his incentive to quicken his brisk pace. Once they had reached the woman waiting for him at the coast, she joined their group. Wooyoung eyed her curiously as she walked alongside Sǫndúlfr. Her long hair was bright and thin like spun gold and cascaded over her green dress. The fur wrapped around her hips and shoulders was well-groomed and shone in different shades of brown. Ferret fur, maybe.

She had a scar on the corner of her lips that contorted her mouth into a constant grimace, but it didn't take from her beauty. Awed, Wooyoung regarded her as she marched alongside Sǫndúlfr through the snow.

"Where did you find the boy?"

Her bright eyes scrutinised Wooyoung. He had huddled tightly against the chest of who he could only assume was her husband. The familiarity he should have with this man's body felt tampered with. As if Sandalius and he were not the same, even if they were.

"Swimming with the fishes. We hauled him on board but he hasn't told us his story so far." With a questioning gaze, Sǫndúlfr looked down at Wooyoung. His sharp cut jaw and cheekbones seemed sharp as a knife from this angle.