The Demon Wolf (Book 1 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 7

She was hesitant for a few seconds and was trying to figure out a way how the blade would appear. As she was drawing, she thought about what to add to the fancy weapon and how it will appear. Lagertha was always the type of person to look at a certain item and think of a way to enhance it. It took her about a full hour to completely draw the sword while adding a bunch of other layers to it. Then, she adds a quarter of a rose into the sword which runs from the bottom to the middle of the blade.

"I think I should name this sword," Lagertha said. She thought of an interesting name that matches the weapon and concluded that would leave her satisfied.

Then she said to herself, "This sword shall be called Bloodbringer. A weapon that grows stronger with each monster that is fed to it. A formidable sword that shall deflect cannon fire and be stronger than nordic steel. I could be its bearer and take it wherever I go. Whoever holds this sword, if he is worthy, shall possess the power of its master. I think I've created a weapon that's worthy of being called an heirloom."

Of course, she knew quite a lot about swords and axes because her father used to tell stories about wielding a sword. Being a knight and a leader could be tragic to all of those who dare to lead. Julius was always a man of his word and never disappointed his kin nor his brother as he fought for them. Lagertha was never bored with drawing sketches and keeping them for lots of memories to share with her children. There will come a time when even she will have to stand up and fight against her enemies and stand in victory.

Suddenly, Lucy heard knocking on the door and looked at the front door because it came from that direction. Then, she gets up from her sofa and walks towards the door to see who it is. To her surprise, it was Julius who was knocking and waiting in front of the entrance; he was a bit tired and exhausted. Lucy opened the door and saw him standing before her as the sun was warming his back. Even though something bad was going to happen to him, she still missed him and still loved him.

"Hello Lucy," Julius said.

"Julius, you're home," she said. Then, she went over to him and hugged him before he could take a single step into the house.

"Lucy, I have missed you. There isn't a single day where I never think about you," he said.

"Julius, you must be tired. Here, let me prepare your bed and you get situated," Lucy said.

"By all means."

Then, she allowed him to walk into the house and get comfortable as the day went on, and he felt the cold air that breezed around him. The house always had the air conditioner on low and everyone always felt relaxed as they felt it cool their skin.

"Lagertha, your father is home!" Lucy said. Then, she lays down her sketchbook and walks out of her room to see Julius and be with him for a short while.

Lagertha saw that her father was very exhausted from all the things he did last night. She noticed that he needed to be shown some love before he could go outside again, but something seemed different as he was getting some rest. He wasn't practicing his sword arm; he wasn't swinging his sword around outside, and he wasn't drinking some wine like he usually does. Lagertha was the only person in the entire family who knew that something was seeming a bit odd, but nobody did anything about it. She knew that something was going on around here and it was not looking good for her or anyone else.

"Hello Lagertha," Julius said.

"Hey, father," Lagertha said.

"Is everything alright around here?" He asked.

"Yes, everything is okay. Nothing bad seemed to have happened when you were away."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Well then. I might be here to let you know of something after I tell your mother. It's a big surprise that I think will leave quite an impression on you. I don't know what your mother will say on the matter, but I think you're old enough."

Lagertha was already impressed with whatever he was trying to let out, but he had to keep it a secret. The way Julius talked to her was unexpected, even by his standards and by his motives as he was having a brief conversation with his daughter.

"So, what's this thing about?" Lagertha asked.

Then Julius answered and said to her, "I can't tell you, yet. I need to get your mother's permission. You know how she is, right? She's always the type of person who wants things done her way. I can't upset her by not telling her anything. Of course, she'll blame anything on me, and she wouldn't allow me to offer another request."

"Are you sure about what you're saying?" She asked.

"Of course, I am. Now, I'll just have a brief nap. Is that alright?" He asked.

"It is."

"Good."

Then, he gets up from the couch and slowly walks towards his bedroom as Lucy was waiting for him. Lagertha sat there and was trying to find out what her father was trying to tell her. She also kept noticing something off about her mother; she still could not come up with a solution to the problem. Lagertha then walked back to her room and continued where she left off on her sword drawing, and she tried to think of something else. But the feeling of her mother being worried and her father being secretive made her extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Julius was standing up beside his bed as he looked at Lucy staring at the mirror and fixing her face. For the total time, he was away. Lucy has been very silent and fearful about something that he did not know. Even though he loved his wife and daughter, he was confused about this feeling and this change of personality in her mind. He believed that he must have done something wrong or he must have forgotten to fix some minor problems in the house. Julius could not get a clue about what was happening with his wife as her eyes were filled with confusion and despair.

"Something weighs on you, Lucy. What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I've just been not getting enough sleep," she answered.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get some sleep," Julius said.

"If only it were that easy. I've been preparing so many things while you were away as your daughter keeps herself inside her room."

"Well, maybe it's about time that she comes up with her own decisions. She's already nineteen, and she has only one year left before we allow her to make it out there on her own."

He was not wrong about that statement because it was very traditional for men and women twenty years old. The age of twenty is when people are old enough to make their own decisions in life and find somewhere else to live. The celebration that would take place in Loftain could unite the whole lineage of their father's family. Then Julius walks over to Lucy and hugs her from behind, and he lays his chin on her shoulder. He then kisses her on her cheek and her throat as he wanted to be loved and show his love to her.

"Talk to me, Lucy. What's on your mind?" Julius asked.

"I already told you. It's nothing," Lucy whispered.

"Come on, I'm here to help you. What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it. All that matters right now is you need rest and I need rest."

"Lucy, you've been silent ever since I came here. This isn't you. The woman I know would always pour me a glass of wine, tell me what's so interesting about herself, and prepare dinner while our daughter talks about what she wants to do one day. I'm just here to let you know that our daughter won't be living here for much longer. Eventually, she must figure out a place where she wants to live. That's why I'm usually right here with you with any chance I got."

He then thought about tomorrow night when his brother has the feast prepared at the palace. Julius kept having the thought that he needed to tell his wife about that really important day.

"Well, Lucy? Have you thought about what you want to tell me?" He asked.

"Nope," she said.

"Fine. Well, I got some news for you. My brother is arranging a feast for his people to honor the name of our father. And I want Lagertha to come with me."