Arjeormas Black'd Bone

IX

"P-please, be my liege, just let me free," she sobbed, "Your people have done enough damage already. Let me hurt no more. Kill no more. Rest your arm and axe. Why must I suffer?"

"Why must I suffer?" he howled back to her, his spittle reaching her sweating brow.

"I understand, I understand you must be in pain as well to do such unhonorable deeds as this, but please, I beg of you, drag it on no further. There must be some love in you, agape, for a sister in Christ. Save me, so that I may save my young brother. His life means more to me than my own." She tried to rise from the ground, but her quaking would not lessen enough for her to do so.

"Agape?" He breathed. "A-agape. I kept agape in my heart for someone for a moment only, and it repaid me with regret and mistakes. You have the face of the flames. You are nothing more than a ghost sent from his lord to haunt me. Leave me, foul spirit. Leave me, and take your painful words with you. Return to your home. Return to Hel-"

"My face is not one of a ghost, for I am not yet dead. If you knew agape once, you can surely know it again. Look onto this ghost and take your axe to my neck if you believe I lie." She did not sound certain, but there was no fear.

"You say you not the ghost of the boy, Aiken?"

"Aiken! My young brother, young man. Is he safe? Tell me, is he safe? I must know. Why will you not speak? Speak!" She shrieked this, but she already knew.

"...I told him to fly. I warned him. I-I had little choice. I worked my entire life for this, and I could not let it away because a boy from another land would not heed my words. I had no other choice," Abjorn the Later sobbed, "I have my people, and I have my duty. I have my storm to chase and fight. I cannot change that. Please understand this, woman."

"Why would you let him fly? Why would you then let him die? Why?" she gasped.

"The boy, he said he saw my love. He was mistaken, for I must have none. I could not. Fly."

"I can see your love too. In your eyes is your soul, and the love is there. You must be mistaken."

"Let me then have the agape for you. I can hide my mistake as I hid my father's, and I shall take you home, take you to be my wife." Abjorn the Later rose. You could see the mission in his mind on his face.

"You savage! You barbarian! How, I will ask you, do you have heart enough for my only family's life and death? And yet that was not fill for you, and so you try to steal me away as well? Now let me die here in the fires. I shall die for Christ, and soon enough see my Aiken in heaven above." The sister scratched at Abjorn the Later, but he stood firm.

"I may not be the fiercest in battle, or strongest, but where my arms lack, my heart and mind make up. Ja, ja, choosing respect over the boy has made my own Helheim, but glory and honor saves all. My heart was afraid when I saw him last as he was, but I am strong in this way, so I shall guard my heart as I would guard my home. My heart is strong enough to hold all pains and joys. It is strong enough to hold you." And with that, he lifted the sister, singed habit and all.

"I do not understand you still; why are you different?" She begged for a simple answer, and that is what she got.

"It is too long a tale." He replied, and he and his men left for the ship.