Ragnarok Unwound: The Awakening

Chapter 7

With a shaking breath Keir placed the blanket around Allison's shoulders. Her gloved hands shook as she did so, she couldn't bring herself to look at the girl. If she did she would break, she would slip more than what she already did. Keir bit her lip as she was cosumed by disgust. She swore to protect them, and then allowed this to happen.

You let this happen! This happened because you were too weak! She must hate you...

A hand gently covered hers which was holding the blanket in a tight shaking fist. She looked up to find Allison, who had been in an almost comatose state, save for a few sobs, with a bittersweet smile. The sight drove a dagger through Keir's chest.

"Thank you," the words were a tearful whisper. Before Keir could react the girl wrapped her arms around her neck in a constricting hug. Keir wanted to push her away, she wanted Allison to hate her, to blame her. But as the girl buried her face into her shoulder and sobbed, Keir found herself incapable. Instead she sat there stroking the girl's blonde hair, the same way Skadi would when Keir had a nightmare.

The medics rushed around them, collecting the dead and carrying away the injured. They only carried away two people. One was Rem, who was severly injured trying to protect the students. In morning she would give him his freedom. The other was the man that Val crippled. Keir felt her anger bubble inside of her.

The night had been won. They had forced back their enemy, roughly five hundred men, thirty giants, wolves, and a handful of draugr. Their shields were decorated with the Midgard Serpent, a wolf that she suspected was Fenrir, or a black skull. But these men were a part of the school. Now eight of them were dead, one was crippled, and one who Tyra knocked out that was stewing in the dungeons waiting for her and David to "question" him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Allison released her. Keir stood up and called over medics to attend to her. Keir could feel herself shaking. She only stopped when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to find Tyra standing there with a look of concern plastered across her features.

After Keir had finished off the men, Tyra's illusions disappeared and the girl began to puke in disgust, then break down into tears, and then tried to convince herself that it was all a dream. This was obviously her first time seeing a site as horrific as this one. Val on the other hand was rather calm, excluding the uncomfortable gaze that she would give Keir. She was obviously hiding something, but Keir found herself not caring about that, the girl had handled some of the traitors.

"Are you okay?" Tyra asked softly, pulling Keir away. Keir nodded silently, biting her lip to avoid from slipping.

"Keir," her voice had gained some stern tone to it, "you need to talk."

The young giantess felt herself tense in annoyance. Who did this girl think she was? She may have been capable of looking like Freya, but that did not mean Keir would treat her as such. Jerking away Keir glared, silently gesturing for Tyra to leave her alone. A flash of understanding appeared in her green eyes and she frowned deeply.

"You did the best that you could. None of us doubt that! Those men were from the school, weren't they? Val told me, and there was no way you could have known they would do this!"

"Those men were filthy pigs!" Keir spat bitterly before she could realize what she was saying. She had known the man who was leading them, his name was Oliver. He had gone with her on her first scouting mission, him and seven others, one being her original mentor, Kathryn. Only the two of them had made it back. He hid like a coward when they tried to fight off the serpent. Kathryn died so that he could escape. She managed to take down the serpent before she died. Then he had the nerve to go back to the Academy and gloat about his victory, and how he tried to save the others, and how Kathryn died trying to protect a cowering eleven year old giant. And as of lately him, and a few of his friends, had been sneaking off. How convenient was it that they knew to be near the recruit tower that night? She had seen them skulking about the halls near there but paid no mind.