Lost

Difficult Decisions

Prologue:

  Hectic was the only word that could describe the Dansk port at that moment; men were yelling out orders, women desperately trying to sell the wares to the visiting sailors. The only calm came from the lapping ocean, and the strong scent of rain that came with it. If one were to watch the flurry of activity around the dock, the last thing they would notice was the two figures lingering in an alleyway.

  Two shadows, one small the other big, remained dim. A dark-haired man appeared by the entrance, his gaze roaming the port with certainty. Behind him, a small bedraggled girl appeared, curious as every child. The man abruptly ushered her back into the alley, despair darkening his features as he were about to make a decision that would change their lives.

 But the child? The child just sat there, watching him thoughtfully; her young gaze as intelligent as any scholar, even worse that her eyes shining bright with fear and identical to his. If only she wasn’t his daughter, unfortunate to be born to him and having to live with the danger of his family. His family would try to destroy her, kill her, merely to get back at him. They wanted revenge. Though he didn’t regret it in any way, she was beautiful and would grow up to be something special. He sighed, doubt filling his mind. He couldn’t do this, he just couldn’t leave her.

  But he had to. He had to keep her safe.

  There was no other option.

  Squatting in the dark alleyway with her, away from the hustle and bustle of the sea town, made him feel that maybe just maybe he could keep her safe, nobody could see them from here. Perhaps they could live in a cave somewhere or-

 But it wouldn’t work. He’d tried that before.

 The results he didn’t want to remember.

“I’m sorry, little one,” he murmured softly, his first two fingers gliding against her cheek. The child shook her head, crossing her thin arms over her scrawny chest.

“Nu-uh!”

 He smiled gently, and to his shame, his eyes began to prickle at her denial. Leaving her was going to tear his heart in two, but he would visit. The man refused to disappear and leave her completely unprotected after all she was his daughter; his beautiful gifted daughter, with the sapphire eyes and blonde hair. He had no doubt she’d grow up to be as stunning as her mother had been. 

“You stay safe, okay?” he told her, holding her small delicate hands in his rough ones. She tilted her head, gazing down at their intertwined hands. “You’ll remember daddy loves you, won’t you?”

 The child grinned. “But daddy remembers me love him too?”

 A tear escaped the man’s eyes as he laughed softly, barely holding back his sob for her sake. “Of course daddy will remember

 Reaching inside his ruffled shirt, he pulled over his head a crescent moon and lifted the cool iron to his lips. He blew softly and the metal glowed, sparking. Crystal blue eyes tracked his movements, a puzzled frown framing her face. The frown gave way to a wail of despair as he placed the necklace around her neck.

“No. Yours!” she cried, understanding swept across her features as she tried in vain to pull the thing from her neck. “You no leave me!”

 The man took a deep breath, his heart thudding in his chest. She was sad because of him, but she would forget him eventually.

“Now listen to me, little one. I-”

 She shook her head vehemently, childishly putting her hands over her ears and squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

 He sighed, running a hand through his unruly jet black hair. He had to do this. Gently pulling her wrists away from her ears, he blew gently on her face and like an animal her crystal eyes opened, staring accusingly.

“No,” she demanded, her brow furrowed.

“This is important, little one. Please listen to daddy,” he soothed, pressing a light kiss to her nose.

“Okay,” the child huffed.

“You see this necklace, little one?” he fingered the crescent moon that hung lightly around her neck. “That belonged to your mammy and I want you to look after that otherwise daddy won’t be happy. Do you understand?”

 She nodded and grasping deftly at the iron moon, it swallowed all sight of her palm as she rubbed her thumbs across its smooth weathered surface.

“Where’s mammy?”

 He exhaled, how did you tell your three year-old that her mother was dead and never coming back? “Mammy’s gone awa-”

 His breath caught, he couldn’t tell her his usual spiel, not when he wasn’t entirely sure he’d see her again.

“Mammy wasn’t very well, little one,” he murmured, shifting so that she sat in his lap. Stroking her hair when she cuddled into the crook of his neck. “And she went to visit Valhalla to get better, but mammy couldn’t come back you see, but now? Now she lives with her mammy and daddy because One-Eye in the sky made her better. She’s looking down on you every day, making sure that your daddy doesn’t make any mistakes.”

If only she could see us now.

“I love you, little one,” he murmured into her hair, singing softly as he rocked her slowly.

 Twenty minutes later, she was asleep and the dark-haired man slowly rose to his feet, gazing down at her peaceful face.

“I’m sorry,” he cried silently.

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 It was two hours before someone stopped to look down at the child curled up in a blanket on the sidewalk of the pier. Two hours before a person took pity on a youthful face, alone and scared. In those two hours, her father realised how he’d been too hopeful in believing that another person would offer to feed another mouth, to nurture his child.

 He’d nearly given up all hope and was about to step back towards his daughter when a man paused and crouched beside her.  Her father heard the man asking her were her parents were, she didn’t respond, only stared. A few more questions later and it was evident that the child wasn’t going to respond, the stranger thought her to be a mute.

 With a sigh, the new arrival heaved his daughter up from the pavement. “Well someone has to look after you,” the stranger murmured, his words carrying on the wind to where her father stood.

“I’m sorry, little one,” Loki murmured, as he watched the man carry his daughter towards his wooden ship.

 Moments later, an elderly lady jumped as the man beside her vanished instantly, leavingbehind his overwhelming sorrow.

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This may seem really random, but bear in mind this is the prologue it does link in with the rest of the story :)

Hope you like it and I'd love to know what you think! 

Thanks guys :)