"And let me the canakin clink, clink;
And let me the canakin clink
A soldier's a man;
A life's but a span;
Why, then, let a soldier drink.
Some wine, boys!"
Iago in Othello (Act II, Scene III)
❆
"Dave!" Freddie calls out, watching him as Dave takes a detour and walks into the room, grabbing hold of Freddie's hand and helping him sit up.
"What's up?" Dave asks, watching Freddie stretch and wince.
"Are you free right now?" Freddie asks, taking a sip of tea and wishing he hadn't drank last night.
"Nah, man, I'm sorry. I've got double shift. I can find Kohl though." Dave suggests, taking his beanie off and putting it in his back pocket, the room too warm for one.
"No, no, it's alright. I just wanted to-" Freddie cuts himself short, watching as two Valkyries walk into the room.
Freddie immediately jumps off the table, his body screaming in agony, and bowing with Dave.
"My ladies." They chorus and Freddie immediately reaches for his turtleneck, pulling it over his head, his face screwing in pain.
"Princess Snow of Valhalla." They announce and Snow appears from behind them, looking worried and distraught.
"You may leave." She says to the Valkyries and they look at each other before walking out of the room.
"Dave!" She shrieks the second they leave the room, giving him a big hug, making Freddie look away with a small smile. Dave hugs back, gently rubbing her back reassuringly.
"I'm so sorry, but I'm actually here for Freddie." She says and Freddie almost gasps, not because she's here for him but because she apologized. To a Vike.
She steps out of Dave's arms and walks over to Freddie, trying hard not to show how much the smell of blood bothers her.
"Freddie," she starts, taking both his hands in hers, "I heard you got a fever. I'm so so so very sorry-"
"Princess, no!" Freddie's eyes go wide, his hand flying to her mouth, looking around to make sure nobody heard her. Snow gently pries his hand off, shaking her head.
"Freddie, yes. I shouldn't have broken the rule. The Valkyries are truly cruel."
Freddie looks horrified at her words, his brain unable to process how two sisters could be so different. He remembers how much his brother, although deaf, was like him before he got killed from hypothermia after they left him in the dungeons during a storm.
"I brought you something. And I know I can't make up for what I put you through but I hope you like it." She continues, reaching into the pocket of her long white-fur coat, pulling out a picture.
"Is that a photograph?" Freddie asks, curiosity getting the best of him. Dave bows his head, not wanting to get in the way of their personal moment.
"It is, actually." Snow says, holding it flat on her palm.
Freddie picks his glasses up and puts them on, pushing them further up his nose. He reaches out for the photograph before realizing what's on it and pulling his hand away immediately.
Freddie looks up at Snow with an unreadable expression on his face and Snow takes it to be disbelief so she simply nods, confirming the little girl's identity. Freddie, an expert in talking without words, takes in a sharp breath before finally reaching out and taking the picture out of her hand and holding it up.
YOU ARE READING
Ragnarök
Science Fiction"Women stay above the ground. Men stay below the ground. That's the rule. That's the way of life in Valhalla." Three generations after an apocalypse, set in Chicago in a modern ice age, communist monarchy is the way of living in Valhalla. And below...
