Verano's voice echoed through the forest's thick bushes:

"Teach me Waterbending."

"No." Replied Thyra as she squeezed herself to pass between tree trunks.

He insisted:

"T-Teach me Waterbending?" He followed her.

"No."

"Teach me Waterbending..." Verano faltered. "Please?"

"No!"

A fish dove into the water of a huge lake that laid nearby like a desert of water. The sound caught Thyra's attention:

"What was that?”

"The sound of you not teaching me Waterbending." Verano crossed his arms.

"Wait, it's a lake!" Thyra sighed in relief as she ran to the shore. "Finally some bloody food!"

"I picked you berries--"

"Only cattle eats grass, you stupid fire argh--" She dove her fist into the water and snatched a fish. Her left arm still had no movement.

"It's odd..." Verano frowned upon the water and noticed that the fish swam too close to the lakeshore. "They seem agitated."

"Can't you ever shut up?" Grunted Thyra.

"I wasn't even talking to you," remarked Verano as he grabbed a desperate fish, "sorry, little guy. I'll make this fast."

Verano turned his head away and pummeled a cloud of fire that cooked that animal. The breeze carried the odor of fried fish through the forest.

"Delicious," he took a bite, "the Duchy had no lake fish. So this is my first time eating something like this."

"Did I ask?" Snorted Thyra.

Verano sighed and rustled to himself:

"She's rude, but I understand her..." he recalled the sight of Erik's blood tainting his hands. "I'd not be doing different if someone had killed Arnaud. I can't expect to convince her like I did to Marzia.” He frowned. “What a great Avatar that I am…”

He stood up and shoved the dirt off his vests.

"I'm going now," resigned Verano while he glared at Thyra, "I wish you good winds with--" He noticed that she had not eaten anything yet. "Are you feeling sick?"

"I--" She blushed. "I can't eat it raw."

"You have a weak stomach?" He recoiled. "I thought the Northmen ate baby seals for breakfast--"

"Shut up."

"You want me to..." He faltered. "Cook it for you?"

She nodded without staring at him.

"Really?" Asked Verano, excited. “You’ll let me help you?”

"No, I-I--" She blushed. "I got distracted!”

“So you let me help you or not?”

“Of course not!” She turned her chin away. “I would not humiliate myself and beg for your help!"

“I was so close." Verano shuddered.

They roamed the lakeside as the grey clouds on the sky covered the Sun. A cold breeze roamed the lake. All that Verano heard were the water's tide and Thyra's thunderous stomach. He insisted:

"You sure you don't want me to cook that fish for you?"

Thyra kicked a puddle of cold water at his face.

"You're welcome." Grunted Verano.

The night fell and they slept under two separate tree trunks. Verano lightened a fireplace to keep him warm through the night while Thyra slept between the bushes. She observed the in order stars to find where in the world they were. Yet the clouds littered the heavens and clouded her navigation.

"The Spirits around here seem so mild," remarked Verano as he cooked a second fish. He glanced at the lights dotting the darkness around him, "if we were back home, they'd have expelled us away by now." 

"I-I-I'm concentrate!" Protested Thyra with her eyes on the stars. She shivered.

"Don't you want me to sleep closer to--" He blushed. "To the fire?"

She did not bother to answer.

"So sleep in your bushes, then.” Said Verano as he rested his back against a tree.

"It's not possible--"

"You found out where we are?" Verano rose his head.

"I have absolutely no idea where this place is." She ranted as she laid her head sideways on the grass. "I'm a failure..."

Verano covered his mouth as he coughed so he'd not interrupt her. Thyra continued:

"I lost my tribe, my men and I can't even find out where the south is so I can avenge them." "Maybe it's better if, argh--" She spitted so the sour taste of the words left her mouth. "Hagen takes over," she confessed as tears crawled from her eyelids, "he has long term plans, powerful warriors, a Ring of Nibel…" She referred to the Three Rings that the Spirits of the Deep hid in the North Sea in order to spark the desire of navigation in the Northmen, "All I have are expectations that I can never live up to. They called me a Queen when I was thirteen and expected me to avenge my father like he died trying to avenge his. But I'm just one girl." She confessed. "Deep inside I'm still waiting for his ship to return so that he tells me that this whole Queen thing was just a bad dream. And then he can have his Axe of Edïm back," she frowned upon her weapon, "and everything can be the way that it was before."

Verano grinned. Those words were familiar to his throat and ears.

"You're laughing at me?" She protested.

"No, it's that--" He smiled. "Flavius was right. We do have something in common."

"Really?"

"We both had responsibility thrust upon us--" He chuckled. "And we are failing hard at it."

Thyra smiled unconsciously as she heard his words.

"You have a pretty smile, you know?" Remarked Verano. "You look nice when you're not angry."

"M-Me?"

"Your smile reminds me of—”

Thyra turned her head away. Her grin turned upside down as she recalled who Verano was. Her anger returned. She felt ashamed for having sympathized with him, even if just for a couple moments.

"Good night, Thyra," he said with a grin as if he expected that she would react that way. "Just so you know," he faltered, "you're just one girl and that's not a problem. We are never enough by ourselves. The world is vast. That is why we need more eyes to help us find the way. Marzia always said that the Wild Lands were made for two."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Only the crickets answered him. Verano grinned and laid down. Thyra's pride rose like the tide and separated them whenever he tried to approach her.

As the Sun returned to the sky and its rays awakened Thyra, she rolled her eyes as she saw that Verano had left a plate of berries and fish for her.

“Where is he?” She noticed that he sat down far away from her, as if he knew that she would not dare touching the food if he knew that she did.

“Clever.” She resigned as she swallowed the berries and the fish with one bite. Hunger was the best sauce that she had ever tasted.

She rose from the ground after her meal and walked towards Verano. The absence of a scowl upon her face caught his attention even more than her steps.

“Let’s continue?” She asked him.

Verano blinked at her, confused. He did not know that she did not have the capacity to feel anything for him besides rage.

“Let’s go or not?” Insisted Thyra.

“O-Oh, yes, of course, of course—“ Verano stood up and followed her.

They crossed through a cave where Verano’s fire lightened the path for them. When a stream blocked their path, Thyra took down a tree’s trunk to use it as a bridge.

They walked through a dense section of the forests and Verano strolled around as if he picked seashells. A pallet of mushrooms and herbs occupied his hands.

“Tea,” he explained as he used a stream’s water to turn the herbs into a tea for them to drink. “Here’s for...” Hesitated Verano as he cupped the drink with a fruit’s shell.

“The illness and misery of my enemies.”

“I was going to say a safe trip back home, but I guess that works as well.” Said Verano as he looked away and drank his tea.

They continued the voyage. Thyra was surprised that she felt at ease with his presence and that she did not feel any urge to crush his skull with her axe. She had a joyful expression on her face that distracted her from the many tragedies that had fallen upon her in just a couple days. Yet her joy was brief:

"This lake again, argh--" Grunted Thyra throwing herself as the rocky lakeside. Her feet were battered and exhausted. "We walked all the way to end up here again? We're stuck in this stupid forest!”

"At least we learned where not to go the next time.”

"You're asking for a punch in the face, aren't you?"

"Look at the bright side for a change," Verano took his sights away from her, "your scowl is not taking us outta here, is it--" He coughed. He narrowed his nose towards a strong stench of blood that left the lake. “W-What is this?”

Verano frowned and realized that the bones of a fish as large as a man were stranded on the lakeside. The tides of the lake were low and he could see that bones surrounded the water like the mold of a painting.

Thyra touched her immobilized arm and took a step back. She glanced towards the boy and rose her voice:

"Whatever killed all these has to be even bigger. Whatever you do, don't do anything stu--"

Verano fried a basket of fish with his fire. Thyra recoiled:

"What in the bloody name of Bewulf are you doing?" She inquired as she grasped his shirt. "Är du dum (Are you dumb) or just act like it?"

"I-I'm making a trap!"

"Then at least wait until I get away from here so you can kill yourself on your own, you bloody idiot--"

A shadow engulfed them. Cold water fell like a waterfall from the long neck of a sea creature that stared into their souls.

“Dodge!” Shouted Verano as the animal’s jaw dove against the rocky shore. Verano pushed Thyra against the ground and threw himself on the opposite direction.

The sea creature devoured the bag of fish.

"I-It's a baby Sea Serpent!" Yelled Thyra pulling her axe out of her waist. Verano stood on the other flank of the creature. She narrowed her eyes at him and shouted: "These beings sank entire ships and killed thousands in the past--"

"I'll call her Ness!" Said Verano pulling his shirt out.

"W-What do you think you're doing?"

"Easy there, ragazza (girl)," Verano rose a fish towards the creature, "I'm not here to hurt you!"

"What are you doing, Verano?" Thyra screamed at his ears.

"I'm trying to form a Verbünd--" He struggled to pronounce the word. "A bond with her. That’s when Fire Knights submit and befriend a creature,” he hovered the fish before Ness, “we gotta think out of the box if we want to get outta here--"

The creature sprung off the lake and snatched the fish off his hand.

[https://i.imgur.com/0EeD2pw.jpg]

"Close," chuckled Verano with his backs laid on the beach, "good news is that she's really hungry!"

“Is that good news?”

“Of course! If we get enough food, we can lure her away from the water! It’s strategy!”

"Okay, let's suppose I agree with this strategy and do not hack this bloody thing to death right now," she gritted her teeth, "how does this bond thing work?"

"I must overwhelm her with my power without hurting her."

"That's not happening. Next stupid idea."

"You have to trust me at least once, for Heaven's sake!" Shouted Verano as he picked another stranded fish to feed the Sea Serpent.

The animal dove its jaw against him and pulled his arm along with the food.

"Argh--" Screamed Verano as he grasped the creature's head. He rose his free fist to pummel a cloud of fire to intimidate the creature yet he felt as if a flame burned inside his chest. The pain stunned him.

"Verano, do something!" Shouted Thyra as the creature rose its jaw to swallow his arm. She frowned upon the axe in her right hand as if her arm itched to save his life. "What am I feeling tempted to help him?” She asked herself. “He's my enemy, why must I—”

She swallowed dry and threw her weapon at the Ness's neck.

The creature roared in pain and returned scared back into the river. Verano fell of its mouth and collapsed with his back against the stones.

"My chest..." Bemoaned Verano with a hand on his heart.

"My axe..." Thyra fell on her knees. Tears slid off her eyes and drizzled upon the rocky lakeside. "That was the last thing I had of him. Now it's all gone. Just like the tribe--" She punched the ground while she cursed herself in her language. Her hand bled. "Varför måste jag vara så svag? (Why do I have to be so weak?) Why do I have to keep mess--"

Verano cast a shadow upon her. She lifted her head to face him.

"M-Mess up?” He recoiled. “B-But you saved me.”

“What is your point?”

“Never mind,” he rolled his eyes, “I just wanted to say ‘thank you’.” He smiled. "I remember what that axe meant to you." Verano struggled not to cough.

“You’d never understand, you’re not me—”

He frowned upon the necklace that his mother had left him.

“Someone left this for me - maybe my real parents.” Explained Verano. “I don’t know what it means but I’d only give this for the sake of a person who I truly cared for.”

He stretched his hand towards Thyra.

“W-What is this?”

"I want you to give me a chance.” He blushed. "A chance to prove that saving my life was not a mistake. And that you were not a mistake."

She frowned upon her right hand and resisted Verano's deal. Yet she knew that she would be truly alone if he died.

"Argh--" She held his hand. A blush reddened her pale cheeks. "Just don't you dare make me regret this.”

“It may take my whole life, but I’ll find a way not to.”

The Northern Lights did not cover the skies of Alba during that night. Grey smoke escaped from Edïm, the Western Tribe of the North Sea, and tainted the heavens.

Hagen stood ahead of the bonfire as a row of Northmen that were loyal to Thyra were cuffed before him.

"You guys did put up a fight," remarked the raider as he shoved the blood off his face, "but a nameless orphan bunch never had a chance against true Northmen.”

"Just wait," groaned Jöel, the oldest male Northman in the tribe and Thyra's teacher. “The Queen will return and you will regret what you've done. You think the Eastern Tribe will accept a traitor back to Skandinavia? You'll go straight to Val-Hella after we're done with you, child!"

"What an attitude!" Said Hagen with a smile larger than his face.

"You'll pay for this. We'll squeeze you so much that the red paint will go out of your hair."

Hagen's men laughs echoed across all corners of Edïm. 

"You're such a character, Joël. I just can't hate you," smirked Hagen, "so listen to my offer: if you resign your loyalty to Thyra and join my crew, you can keep your li--"

Joël spitted on the man's face.

"Screw you and your offer!” Mocked Joël. “I know your secret, Hagen. You’re not a true Northman—“

Hagen pierced through Joël's chest with his axe and claimed the man's life.

“You've made a poor choice, old man." Remarked Hagen as he shoved the blood off his skin. “And let this be a lesson to the rest of you!”

Hagen walked towards the chief’s hall. Yet the sound of clapping hands in the silence caught his attention. A man wearing a bear’s mask cheered all his actions.

“That was beautiful, almighty Kung Hagen (King Hagen)! You showed that guy!”

Hagen pulled his mask off and revealed Arnaud’s face. The raider grunted:

“Vem är den här killen och varför han bär våra västar? (Who the hell is this guy and why is he wearing our vests?)”

“He’s the Greatmother’s assistant.” Explained a Northman.

“Then listen carefully,” Hagen glanced at his men, “Ta den här killen ur min åsyn innan jag gör den här killen huvud avundas hans inälvor. (Take this guy out of my sight before I make his face envy his intestines.)”

“What a beautiful language.” Remarked Arnaud. He complimented Hagen in the hopes that the man would set his people free.

“I’m gonna enjoy it way more than I should.” Chuckled Black Teeth, the Northman who cared for the slaves, as he pulled Arnaud like an object.

“Wait, no! No, please!” Cried Arnaud. “I’ll do whatever you want! But you can’t just take me this, I’m the voice of the—”

Black Teeth covered the boy’s mouth with fabric.

Hagen swung his head and walked away from Arnaud.

Svån, Hagen's immediate, waited by the chief’s hall.

"We are done, boss.” Said Svån. “The folks won't give you trouble anymore."

"And the slaves? I bumped into a chubby one early on.”

"Thyra had a lot of them. What are we supposed to with these people?"

"Nothing. Having to keep slaves mean that we must always keep some troops at home to maintain order. It is a drain," he explained, "we must get rid of them as soon as possible. I know a man who will pay unbelievable fortunes for them. Especially those that Thyra captured in her last raid of Alba. He promised more gold if I did not ask why."

"I like gold.”

“Yes, you do, Svån.”

“May I ask who is this contact of yours?”

"Emir Abbas Al-Portucal, a son of the Caliph from the Caliphate of Camarilla." Smirked Hagen. "You can get two thousand gold coins if you set sail with them in a week or so. I want Prince Arnaud De Sforza to be the absolute priority."

“He's got so much meat. We should chop him and sell him for the price of two.”

“Use your creativity, Svån.” Smirked Hagen. “I just have one demand for now.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Send as many men as you can after Thyra and the poor souls that remained by her side. Make sure they are all dead. A ghost shall not haunt my reign.”