God of War:Berenice's Adventure

Chapter One - The Funeral and the hunting

Cold is a bone-crushing weather event. A proof of the frozen times in the high peaks and northern regions. It usually brings pain, cold and monotonous misery. But for Berenice, it is her daily reality. Every day she spends in the snow and the cold, the icy winds but it doesn't bother her. She has been living in these conditions for 17 whole years. But now things are different. Her mother is no longer with her. She is not there to guide her, she is not here to stand by her, to talk to her, she is no longer with them. And even though it hurts, she knows she has to get used to it. She must learn to hold back her tears, to stifle her pain in order to stay strong for the boy, Atreus. Now that her mother is gone she will teach and guide her brother. She will be his guide. She swore it to her mother when she placed her last favorite pink flowers on her body wrapped in a shroud. It is remained on the table for a few days with the flowers laid there. She also made her a beautiful flower crown which she put on her head around the shroud. She promised her many things while she was lying on the table, to her to take care of Atreus, listen to her father, and never forget everything she had taught her while she was alive.

Today is the day of her funeral. She is waiting at home, for her father and Atreus to return, to bring the last wood pieces for the fire. While she is waiting inside the house, she finishes the work she started early in the morning. With some special materials and blue paint she paints and shapes on her face the tattoos her mother had while she was alive. Those tattoos shaped around her face and cheeks. She wondered as many times she thought about doing them if they would fit her face. But now that she had finished the last touch and saw in the reflection of the lake water she realises that they perfectly match her blue eyes, the same eyes as her mother's, even though her hair was brown like her father's. This is the moment she felt that she had indeed, finally honored her mother's memory. She knew she would have been happy to see her with her tattoos and even though never in her life she thought to get those, when her mother died she definitely would do them.

Just as she leaves the house she finally sees her father and brother arrive, with woods for the fire. While her father, Kratos, goes to light up the fire he notices the tattoos on his daughter's cheeks and his usual fierce expression fades into an expression of admiration. He approaches her and notices her tattoos in combination with her blue eyes. Yes, his daughter honored Faye with her tattoos.

Kratos:You did them.
Berenice:Of course I did.

Atreus sees her tattoos and is surprised, they are indeed same as his mother's.

Atreus:Nice tattoos! Will you make more of these?
Berenice:I don't think so. Come on, boy. The time has come.

She takes the boy by the shoulder and leads him inside the house, to the wrapped body of their mother in order to mourn her for the last time, both of them with the familiar words at the moment when all the candles on the table will be lit. It is the last moment he will cry for her, she and the boy.
And indeed that's what they are both doing. They light up the candles together one by one and Atreus throws on her some leaves he has collected. In the same time and with their voices aligned they say what they have to say together holding the body with one hand and let their head lie in front of their hand. The voices is followed by some tears from both of them. All the pain, mourning and sorrow they have been carrying all this time is here and they will express it now.

Berenice + Atreus:Lo there, do I see my mother. Lo there, do I see my father. Lo there do they call to me. Lo there do they call to me. Lo there do they call to me. Lo there do they call to me.

The words stop now while the tears still fall. When they turn the other way they both see their father at the door. Of course they would recognize their father even as a shadow. He is large, muscular and extremely strong with red tattoos all over his body. Her mother always said that father could kill 5 draugr in just a few moments. She had seen him fight a few times when she was younger and went hunting with him. He was indeed very strong. Now he even inherited his mother's Leviathan axe, just as Berenice inherited all her clothes and all of her armours. But even though he was strong, she could never understand his feelings. She believed that he could not recognise pain, sorrow, so she never bonded with him. When her mother died he told her that now all three of them will take care of each other. And that's how it should be.
Kratos approaches Faye, and faces his children who are crying in front of her.