The Nøkken and the Huntress.

6.) Days Gone.

Eføy was frantic and hyperventilating as she held on to me. Her weight leaned into me and I did a slow fall with her. I held her close to me as she tightly gripped onto my arms and would most likely leave bruises.

"He's gone he's gone! I heard him making a terrible sound and I ran to his side but he was already dead!" She started gasping more and moved her arms around my neck and I pressed herself closer to me. I wanted to tell her I'm sorry but I knew that would just make it worse. I held onto her until she calmed down after what seemed like hours. She unwinds her arms from me and put them against my chest.

"I'm sorry, you must think I'm pathetic. I am supposed to be strong and here I am sobbing like an old widow. It's just that I care so much about him and I came to late to help him." She leaned into my chest.

"Don't say that Eføy, please don't say that. You didn't know this was going to happen."

I gently moved her away from me and I cupped her face in my hands.

"You are not weak for crying. In fact, you are stronger than you think. You put his needs before your own and kept a brave face the whole time. Never apologize for breaking down. It shows you're a human."

She looked at me and fell against my chest again. I laid her down with me and I rubbed her back and head as she cried silently. She was still crying and asked me: "Can you help me with him. Please?"

"Of course."

I helped the poor trembling thing up and we walked together to the house. She choked slightly at the sight of her passed uncle illuminated in the moonlight. His mouth was open and his neck veins bulged out from his tilted back head. He looked like a druagr before it swelled and rose from the burial mound.

I could feel Eføy rest her forehead against my left bicep. I looked down at her and held one of her hands. She looked up at me with swollen eyes. "What do you want me to help you with?" I asked her.

"Can you lay his blanket on the floor, please Nøkken?"

"Yes."

She pulled away from me and went to fetch something. I stood and watched her search around for something. I turned towards Askr and looked at the ground as a walked to him and pulled his woolen blanket off his body and laid it on the ground. I felt like what I did was wrong and the feeling made me uncomfortable. I was still looking at the ground as a heard Eføy return to my side. She rested her hand on my shoulder. "Can you help me lift him." I looked at her and nodded. I lifted him from under his shoulders while she got his ankles. We lifted him and placed him on the cover.

She knelt at his feet and I stepped back and watched her with concern. She wrapped the blanket around him and she picked up a crude needle and thread and began to sew up the fabric. Soon enough he was sewn inside and Eføy stood up. We didn't need to speak to know what was next. We lifted him up and made our way outside and set him down at the edge of the forest. Eføy left towards the garden and came back with a shovel and a bingr full of rocks from the small field. She started to dig a hole and after a few hours with my assistance, there was a deep body-sized hole in the ground. Late at night, we lowered him to the ground. Eføy left back to the house and when she came out she was holding some of his assumed belongings. A fishing net, a fishing pole, and a worn down lyre. She placed them down surrounding her uncle and raised herself back up.

We then started to place the stones on his body and after that the soil. We placed larger stones on his fresh grave and we both settled on our knees and leaned into each other's shoulders. Once she began to weep once more I wrapped an arm around her as we both looked at the newly finished grave.

Twilight started from the early morning sun. Eføy looked over our shoulders and sighed. "Can I take a tent and stay with you for a while, please? I can't stay at this place right now."

"You didn't have to ask, I was going to bring it up to you."

"Thank you. Nøkken."