Bothvar

Ragnar 1

Ragnar stared at the newly made grave set before him, it was no surprise to him and his siblings that Fenrer would die sooner rather than later. Ragnar looked at the carved runes on the grave that read Fenrer's name and his nickname. Snow was slowly drifting around him and collecting atop the headstone. The light crunching of footsteps in snow crept up behind him. He pulled his fur coat closer to him as a light gust of wind brought forth a spine chilling coolness that he was not expecting.

"So he's finally dead..." the familiar voice of Sylvi muttered behind him.

"I could not believe it at first either... but yes, Sylvi, he is dead." Ragnar did not look at her.

"When was it that he died?" Sylvi asked, desperate to know her fathers fate.

"I do not know. Ask Torvald, he was here." Ragnar had a bitter tone in his voice.

"Torvald is at Hvall with Ulf and Nanook, we all left before he died." Sylvi sounded annoyed at her brother.

Ragnar turned to face his sister. "What was I supposed to do? He was already buried when I got here."

"You had him buried?" Sylvi sounded more annoyed. "He should be sent out on a ship that is aflame, not buried where the Valkyries can't reach him."

Ragnar stood and went to walk away. "You want it done, you dig him up."

Before Sylvi could respond, Ragnar was already out of earshot.

Ragnar trudged through the thick layers of snow back to the fortress, he muttered to himself and kicked the snow angrily. When he got to the fortress he sat before the fireplace, resting his feet on a seat in front of the licking flames. He pulled up an unfinished book that Fenrer was writing and left to Ragnar when he died, among other things that Ragnar saw no use for. Ragnar read through the book but it was written in a language Ragnar did not know. He closed the book gently so as to not ruin the pages. He knew that any of his other siblings would have tossed the book into the fire before him, but Ragnar enjoyed reading, and sought to read and finish whatever Fenrer had started. Sylvi walked into the hall where, dragging in specks of snow with her. She made a saddened face at him when she walked in, then looked down to the book he was holding.

"That's all he left you?" She asked, shocked.

"No." Ragnar replied. "It's all I cared about."

Sylvi laughed. "You're a strange one, Ragnar, finding enjoyment in staring at small strokes on a page."

"And what do you enjoy, Sylvi? Fighting? Killing? Fucking? All of those can be read as a sort of lesser experience."

"Why would I read about other people fucking if I can do it myself and enjoy it?"

"That's not the point I wanted to get across."

"And if I don't kill and fight, how will I prove myself to the gods?"

"You know I don't believe in that... stuff." Ragnar stood up, instantly regretting the choice as his bare foot met the cold cobblestone.

"Fine, but I do believe in that 'stuff' and I want to continue believing in it."

"Why did you come in here? Why did you come back?"

"To see what father left me."

"And? What did he leave you?"

"His hammer... and a shield, decorated with a wolf."

"What did he leave the others?"

"He left Torvald his ship, he left Nanook this place and the right to rule it..."