Book One: Worlds Apart (Loki)

Chapter Eight

Esther hurries through the village, a newborn swaddled in a blanket, it was a son, a boy, with Loki's bright green eyes which peer up with such intensity. Esther has wrapped a triskelion necklace around his neck and holds him close to her chest, he cries, screams for his mother. Esther coos trying to silence it as she moves to a hut at the end of the row, a baby-less couple, incapable of having their own, She'd offered them a baby in return they will leave the village and get as far away from Katri as they can get. The couple, Bori and Slyvie are waiting outside of their now empty home, everything they own in the world in a carriage waiting for them. Bori approaches Esther first and motions to the baby, Esther looks to her grandchild and adjusts the blankets slightly.

"His name is Arkin" Esther tells the couple and touches the necklace around his neck. "Never take this off, it is to protect him, never..." she looks to Bori who nods. Esther struggles to hand the baby over. But she has to. Esther slips Arkin into Bori's arms. "Are you ready to leave?" she asks them, Sylvie nods as she straps a chest to the carriage, the pony shifting slightly.

"We can leave now" Sylvie answers moving to Bori who hands over the baby to her. "Hello" she coos softly. "He is beautiful" Esther smiles slightly and nods.

"Yes" she agrees.

"Your young Kat isn't going to miss him?" Bori asks. "She seemed so happy to be expecting"

"This is the best for everyone" Esther states and takes step back. "Look after him" she adds before walking away. Arkin's cries following her back to her home. Sylvie looks down at Arkin and then looks to Bori.

"Do not look at me like that, my love, you wanted a child....and Esther offered" Bori tells her.

"But she is such a sweet girl, and she and Loki...."

"What's done is done" Bori argues. "He is our son now, and we will look after him" Sylvie sighs and looks to Arkin.

"I just feel terrible" Sylvie admits. Bori moves to her and touches Arkin's head.

"You heard her, Esther said this was the best thing for them, after the loss of little Henrik...." Sylvie sighs.

"Fine, but he will always know" she warns. "He will always know about his mother and father, we will not lie to him" She tells her husband. Bori nods and kisses her softly.

"Time to go" He tells her softly. "We have a new life to start" She smiles and nods holding Arkin closer to her chest.

...............

1 year later: In a small cabin in the middle of a small village in the North of the still undiscovered Americas: Sylvie hums softly to Arkin who starts to settle in her arms, Bori looks to them and smiles.

"I always knew you would be a magnificent mother" he comments warmly, Sylvie looks to him and then looks away to Arkin. "The silent treatment?" Bori asks. "Really? I thought we were passed all this" Sylvie adjusts Arkin's blanket and strokes his cheek.

"I just cannot get passed what we were part of" Sylvie offers. "Every time I look at him I am reminded of his mother"

"You heard the news" Bori points out. "The village was destroyed, wiped out, that would have been his little fate too" Sylvie sighs a little. "We saved his life" Sylvie sighs a little and shakes her head, she stands and moves to the crib in the corner, she sets Arkin into it and sets it rocking sitting next to it.

"Do you never wonder?" Slyvie asks looking to Bori. "If he had stayed with his mother..."

"He'd be dead, like the rest of them" Bori argues. "Now enough of this" he scolds. "He is our son now, Arkin is ours, no more talk of his mother"

"But we agreed" She argues.

"And then they all died...." he snaps. "Now it no longer matters" he stands and leaves the hut, Sylvie sighs and looks into the crib at Arkin who sleeps.

.....................

Sylvie sleeps whilst Bori rocks Arkin, he thinks of Arkin more of his son then Sylvie does, but he thinks of her too, of Katria, he knows something stunk about the whole deal with Esther but he was so desperate for a son he didn't care, so he ignored that feeling in his chest and his soul and took the boy. Bori touches the necklace around Arkin's neck and then sings a little.

"Helga, Helga. What'd I tell ya? By Thor, does your garden sure grow. With Silver Bells. And Cockle Shells. And enemy skulls in a row"

"Stop singing him those songs" Sylvie warns as she sits up. "You're not a Viking any more" she teases, Bori chuckles and kisses Arkin's head.

"But we still believe in the old gods" he argues softly, Sylvie smiles softly at him.

"I am sorry for before, my heart"

"As am I" Bori offers moving to join his wife on the bed with Arkin.

"You were right, his mother and father are long gone, we are all he has now" Sylvie states. "He needs to grow up believing that someone loves him, that someone wants him....that is us" Bori kisses her and pulls back to look at Arkin with a smile.