"This job's so boring, argh--" Yawned a Northman. He guarded the only bridge that led to Edïm's dungeon, where the Northmen's slaves were kept. "I wish something would happen. Anything!" Ranted the man as he picked his nose and threw the wax into the artificial lake that surrounded the building.

"I got nothing to complain," remarked his companion, "as boring as this may be, I'll take guard duty to fighting the Firebenders any day--"

"Hey, over there!" His partner pointed towards the calm waters. "D-Did you see that?"

"See what now?"

"A monster! Dark as the night!"

"Really?" Faltered the man's companion, skeptical. He frowned upon the Moon's reflection on the water's surface. "I'm not seeing anything, bror (Brother)..."

"I swear I saw something! It had the neck of a serpent!"

"A cloud must have covered the Moon for a couple seconds..."

"I swear I saw something, man! It was not my imagination..."

"Is it mead that I smell in your breath--"

 An axe's hilt dove against one of the Northman's head. He fell onto the bridge, unconscious. His partner recoiled:

"Intruder--"

A fist of water rose from the lake and knocked the second guard against the floor.

Ness rose its head over the bridge and yanked both men by the leg.

"Good girl," remarked Verano as he faced the dungeon at the end of the birdge. He was the figure who had knocked a Northman out with an axe. “They are out. I’ll continue now, Thyra--”

"Don't be dumm!" Remarked Thyra standing on Ness's backs. "Wear their uniforms," she frowned upon the unconscious Northmen. "I always kept at least two dozen eyes surrounding this place. If you draw anyone's attention, I might no help you. I don't save stupid--"

Verano undressed himself.

"W-W-What you doing?" She recoiled, blushing.

"What you just told me to!"

"A-At least wait until I turn around, dumb fire scum!" She looked away and crossed her arms.

"You sort of remind of court damsels sometimes..." Remarked Verano as he wore a Northman's helmet. "You know those that never leave the castle and they become scared of everything? You remind of them. Except you'd wear someone's neck instead of a necklace."

"Are you donating yours?" She rested her hand on her axe's hilt.

"No time for this, I gotta save my brother." Said Verano in full Northman armor as he climbed the bridge. "Don't let anyone follow me."

Thyra growled like a mad dog. Verano's innocent ways maddened her.

"I hate him so much," she glanced at a confused Ness, "I really do."

The boy reached the dungeon. He crossed the dark corridors and reached a locked gate that led to the hallway of cells where his friends were.

"Okay," sighed Verano as he frowned upon the lock. He poured a flask of water into the keyhole. "How Thyra taught me: the Waterbender way to open doors..."

He moved his arms in an attempt to shrink the water and form an ice key to fit the lock.

"Porca miseria! (Damn it!)" He failed to bend. The water poured out of the keyhole. "I must try again--"

Familiar voices fueled his will to succeed:

"Verano must be dead by now! Estamos muertos (we are dead)!" Said Juan, Verano's Spaniard Fire Knight friend from the Kingdom of Badajoz.

"Snap out of it!" Said Áine, a female Fire Knight from Alba. "He'll be back soon. Any minute now!"

"You've been saying that for months! Your optimism drives me mad! Didn't you hear that they will sell us to a Kamaritan Emir? How can you be so positive?"

She only repeated herself:

"Any minute now!"

"¿No puedes callarte? (Can't you shut up)" Snapped Juan as he held the girl's neck with both hands. "I'm trying to feel hopeless here!"

"Guys, it's no use fighting, okay?" Interrupted Gavrila, the short warrior from the Duchy of Ungarn, as he separated them both. "You only make things worse--"

"Any minute now!" Insisted Áine.

"Now she's doing on purpose!" Protested Juan.

A fourth voice crawled from another cell:

 "Damn it, you guys are annoying!" Said Arnaud Jr, Verano's brother, as he covered his ears. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"Didn't you hear? They are gonna sell us to Emir Al Portucal! You never lived in his vicinity, did you? That hombre (man) hates Fire Knights more than anyone!

Áine still repeated herself:

"Any minute now..."

"Okay, listen..." Began Arnaud Jr with his eyes narrowed at Juan. "I try to look at the bright side and you should do it too: as bad as this Emir dude is, he's still better than spending an hour with you guys."

'H-How dare you?"

"You, Juan," Arnaud sat on the ground and pointed at him, "As a Fire Knight, you are an extraordinary poet!”

Juan groaned:

"Oh, you..."

"Gavrila," continued Arnaud with his eyes pointed at "stop trying to keep order, man. It did not work once and it will never work! You're talking to walls here! Trying to keep people's anger down just make them angry with you too."

"I-I do not agree..."

"And you," Arnaud looked at Áine, "please stop. I know my big brother."

"Any minute now! You will look really stupid, Arnaud!"

"Whatever..." He rolled his eyes. "My point is you are all worthless.  It's my father and my sister who are coming to rescue us. My brother is the Avatar. It was I who risked my life kissing Hagen's shoe hoping that he'd set us free. It was me who tolerated the Queen Mother for months…" He referred to Thyra's mother, the chief priestess of the tribe, "All so that you guys would not be treated like animals! So can you guys be considerate for the first time in your lives and let me take a 5 minutes nap without buzzing in my ears with your repetitive cazzata (crap)?"

"I'm going to break you in half if they put us next to each other, Prince." Replied Juan.

"I knew you'd not stop." Arnaud Jr rolled his eyes. "So at least bark a little bit less loud, okay? My only relief is that we'll never have to share the same air ever again--"

Verano opened the boy's cell, and the boy recoiled:

"Hür ar de fatt-- (What is going on)"

Verano took his helmet off. Arnaud rose his voice:

"B-B-B-Big bro?"

The sight robbed him of tears. Arnaud could not believe that his brother had come.

Verano smiled:

"I-It's me, Arnaud. I've come--"

"Big bro, big bro! You're alive!" Sobbed Arnaud as he embraced Verano "I'm so happy!”

"It's Verano, guys! Look!" Giggled Áine with both hands clapped together. "I knew he'd come! I told you guys that he'd come!"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"You did?" Smirked Gavrila. "I could not notice..."

"Hope he frees us fast..." Remarked Juan as he snapped his fingers. He had his sights laid on Arnaud's neck.

Verano rose his voice:

"Listen, guys. I'll give you the keys, but I need you to free as many as you can from this dungeon." Remarked Verano as he opened the cell from Juan, Gavrila and Áine. "There'll be a Sea Serpent waiting outside. It’ll take us out of here.”

"No, brother, uh..." Hesitated Arnaud as he glanced at Juan, who had blood in his eyes. "It might be too risky, you know? We can rescue these three later..."

"Today is our best bet, Arnaud,” explained Verano, “Edïm is strangely empty today. You people get everyone off the dungeon while I'll go to the chief's hall, giusto? (Alright?)"

Áine rose her voice:

 "You won't come with us?" 

"I made a promise. I must help Thyra reconquer her tribe. She's alive..."

"Hagen's not here, Verano," said Áine Áine, "he took most of the tribe's warriors to go fight your father, the Duke. I heard Duke Arnaud came with Marzia to save you and your brother. They must be engaging the Northmen in battle now. He left Svän, his fat immediate, in charge--"

"Wait, Marzia?" Verano recoiled. His heart tightened. "She's in Alba?"

 "You thought that sis' would just sit down and wait for us?" Smirked Arnaud. “She likes us too much to make the smart choice!”

"So she did not forget me." Verano sighed in relief. A large smile sprouted on his face and lightened the dark. "I'll save her, no matter what.”

"You wanna know what?" Asked Arnaud Jr. "I'll come with you, Verano," he glanced at Juan, who had not taken his eyes off the boy for a single second. "W-We'll have more chances if we work together, yes!"

"Wow, Arnaud," recoiled Verano, impressed. “You’re so brave!"

Juan commented sarcastically:

"You wouldn't imagine..."

"Now let's go!” Said Verano. “The earlier we get outta here, the earlier we can help Marzia--"

The boy swung his head left and right. He could not see Flavius, his priest friend, anywhere. "Wait, where is Flavius?"

The group sealed their lips. They exchanged morose sights.

"Verano, he..." Gavrila swallowed dry. "H-He was ill. He did not live much longer after you were sent to the mines."

 "H-H-He is dead?"

"He had that disease from even before he was imprisoned. He lived long with it and died with a smile on his face. He met the Avatar before he died. I’m sorry," Gavrila delivered the priest's rosary to Verano, "he told us to give you this."

"Thank you for everything, Flavius." Said Verano as shoved the tears off his cheek. "Let's go now, Arnaud..."

"You sure you are alright, bro?"

"Yes, I am..." He wrapped the rosary around his right arm like a bracelet. "Let's not make it all in vain."

Both brothers ran out of the dungeon. Yet a question brewed in Arnaud's throat as they left the building:

"So, you mentioned Thyra survived and that you're working with her..."

"Yeah?"

"Care to explain?" 

"She's a bit rude. She turns sweet when she is not paying attention, though..."

"Not that, Verano. I mean, how did you get her to not wanna kill you?"

"It was hard."

"Really?" Inquired Arnaud with raised eyebrows. "Is that it?"

"I'm sorry, argh--" Verano coughed. His right hand rested upon his chest. "It's a bit hard to talk and run at the same time."

They reached the dungeon's exit. Ness swum by the side of the bridge, yet Thyra was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, where is she?' Faltered Verano while he massaged the Sea Serpent's head. Ness lowered its head upon the Queen's muddy footsteps to catch the boy's attention. "Oh, footsteps," he crouched to see them from close, "thank you, girl. I'll look for her," remarked Verano as he turned around. "Follow me, Arnaud--"

"Tell me when the monster leaves the way." Whispered his brother while hiding beneath the dungeon's gate.

"What're you doing? She's harmless!"

"And I'm smart!" He did not move an inch.

"I told you there'd be a Sea Serpent..."

A man's scream echoed from the tribal chief's mansion. Verano recoiled:

"Must be her! Let's go!"

"Oh, damn it!" 

They ran across the empty streets of Edïm. Fallen bodies dotted their path. 

"Must be Thyra." Said Verano. The blade marks on their armor reminded him of her axe. “Come, I think she’s inside the building!” Said Verano as they followed her footsteps into the chief’s manor. "She must be close now--"

Thyra's arm rose from within the building's shadows. She yanked Verano's body and bashed him against a wall. Her axe kissed the tip of his chin.

"Let him go!" Warned Arnaud with his hand near her face. A blaze burned on the tip of his fingers.

"Argh, it's you--" Snorted Thyra as the fire revealed Verano's face in the Northman helmet.  "Can’t you take this armor off? I was about to kill you."

"But it was you who told me to wear it--"

"Quiet!" 

"She's sweet when you are not paying attention, right..." Chuckled Arnaud while he repeated Verano's description of the woman. "She's a--"

Thyra silenced him with the sight of her axe.

"Want to die?" She asked.

"I-I'm so--"

Svän's words trickled through the ceiling's cracks:

"You're finally here, Yngrid. Did Black Teeth find the Queeny?" He referred to Thyra.

"He did, but--" The woman faltered. She was the Waterbending bow woman who injured Ridda with her ice arrow. "The White Wolf was there. He used his blood to lure a hungry Sea Serpent out of a lake. We got attacked and everyone was swallowed."

"Oh no," Svän snorted, "boss's gonna be really mad when he comes back from the battle."

"Battle?"

"The boss rallied the whole tribe to go fight the Fire Knights near the River Tummel. He left me to prepare our ships to escape in case things went bad.”

"Will he take long to return?"

"No idea, argh..." Remarked Svän as he lifted his heavy body off the table. The man opened the doors to his balcony and observed the ships that he had prepared. "Depends on the Fire Knights."

"So maybe we can just hunt somebody and say that it is Thyra? We could divide the bounty."

"That's a good idea." Remarked Svän as he sipped his bottle of mead. "Screw this place, really. I don't understand what the boss wants from Alba. We signed up to get some treasure, not to go on a campaign. My only relief is that it's Thyra's people who are being used as fodder, not our guys. I think that if he hadn’t one of those Rings of Nibel, we’d have already done a mutiny--"

He felt cold steel touching the back of his head. Svän turned around and saw Thyra on the other side of the weapon.

"Stand down," she ordered. He looked over her left shoulder and saw that Yngrid was unconscious on the floor. Verano and Arnaud stared at him where the woman once stood.

"W-Where did you came from?"

"You talked too much." Replied Thyra. Her axe sliced the tip of his skin.

"Alright. Easy there, Queeny..." Bargained Svän. "There's no beef between us. I just follow orders, okay?"

"Where is Joël?" She referred to her master and second-in-command.

"Joël? He’s in Val-Hella, Queeny..."

"I'm being serious!" She tightened her grasp of the axe.

"Me too, Queeny..." Svän sighed.

"You want to die, don’t you?” She swung her head. "He can't be..."

"He is, Queeny. I have no reasons to lie. The guy was loyal to you and he paid the price. That sums up what happened.”

Tears sprung out of her eyelids. Her grasp of the blade weakened.

Svän smirked. He moved his fingers.

"Thyra, watch out!" Yelled Verano.

The mead sprung out of the bottle and flew at Thyra's sights. 

"Help!" Screamed Svän for all Edïm to hear. "Help--"

The tip of the Queen's axe touched him once again.

"You seriously thought that would work?" She asked with her blade on the man’s neck.

"Cursed be Edïm's cheap mead, argh..." He rose his arms, surrendered. "Okay, you got this, Queeny. But just one warning," he smirked as he glanced towards the city, "you gonna have to do something about them."

The man's scream agitated Edïm. Lanterns lightened across the dark city. Northmen ran towards the Chief's Mansion.

"You are wrong. I won't do anything about them," said Thyra, "you will.”

“I’m open-minded, but--”

You don't want to die over a place that has no meaning to you, Svän. You were planning to betray Hagen's trust for a little bit of gold. Your life is surely worth much more..."

"That's a fair statement…" He smirked.

"You can have all his fleet if you want, I don't care. All I need is for you to open your big mouth one more time and share a couple of Hagen's secrets with them." She glanced at the people.

"They'll think that I'm talking because you're threatening me..."

"Then what those ships are if not obvious proof?" She referred to the fleet that Svän has supplied for Hagen. They planned to abandon Edïm to the Fire Knights if the battle turned against them. "Spill it." She kicked the man's back. Svän stood on the balcony under the sights of the entire tribe. The whole community amassed outside the Chief's Manor.

A Northman pointed at the scene, outspoken.

"I-Is that Queen Thyra?" He asked. A crowd grew outside the chief's manor.

“She’s back!” Yelled a man. “Our Queen is back!”

Agitation in favor of the Thyra scared Hagen’s warriors away from the manor. They blended in the crowd and held themselves from attacking in fear that the people would raise against them. Most of Hagen’s loyal warriors were still fighting on the Black Hills.

Yet Svän held himself from speaking to the crowd. He stuttered and stalled as he searched for the correct words to address the masses.

Verano waited impatient for Svän to speak.

"Thyra, you think you can get these people's support again?" Asked the boy.

"I think yes,” she explained, “the Northmen will forget their allegiance in order to survive. If I can get at least the majority back to my side, the rest will just accept me. And even if that does not happen, I'll go south and crush that lizard Hagen by myself."

"My sister is in danger right now." Asserted Verano. "I need to go. Where did Svän say that she was?"

"Black Hills. River Tummel valley..." She glanced at Hagen's strategic map that stamped a wall. "Take the map."

"I-I can't read these runes..." Remarked Verano. He frowned upon the Northmen's writings.

"I can!" Said Arnaud. "Having been the Old Mother's assistant has its perks.”

"That's great, Arnaud! So," he narrowed his eyes at Thyra. "We'll take Ness and go through the sea. It might be faster," he explained. "I'll meet you there?"

She nodded.

“Let’s go, Arnaud!” Said Verano as he turned his backs towards her.

Yet Thyra’s heart tightened as she saw the boy leaving the room. Her emotions spoke louder than her pride for once:

"Verano!" She rose her voice. "P-Please…” A blush reddened her pale face. “Please be careful."

Verano stared at her. Her tears from hearing of Joël's death had not dried yet. He wondered how few people whom she held dear were still alive. A smile sprouted on his face as he realized that she cared for him, and that he cared for her just the same. Verano felt the need to protect the little happiness that remained in her life.

"I will," he replied, "I will take care of myself. I-I'll be your dumb fire scum for as long as it takes!”

She beamed at him. Yet her smile disturbed Arnaud as he heard their conversation. A thought struck him.

"Wait, are you guys--"

"Absolutely not!" Replied Thyra, blushing. "Now get outta here!"

“I wonder what I do that angers people so much.” Remarked as he left the manor alongside his brother. They returned to Ness to gather the Fire Knights and sailed to the Black Hills without drawing the attention of the locals.

The Sun rose from the East and brought light to Alba.

The Northmen standing on the Black Hills rose their heads and saw that Marzia and the warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame formed a defensive circle around a hill. 

The girl looked at their ranks through a telescope. They were so many that she could not even see the grass between their lines. Her arms trembled as they marched towards her position. Her warriors looked at her hoping for orientations. Yet she felt as if their expectations crushed her.

 "Verano..." Rustled Marzia to herself. "Please don’t leave me alone here.”

The Song of the Wind carried her whisper to Verano's ears as Ness approached the shores of the Black Hills. He rode the Sea Serpent along with Arnaud, Áine, Juan and Gavrila.

"There must be where she is..." Said Verano as he saw a hill covered under red mantles. He knew that was the color of the Kingdom of Aachen. Yet his stomach wrapped not in fear of the enemies whose feet shook the earth, but of not knowing what to say to Marzia when he saw her again. "Don't give up, Marzia, please," he stared at the shore of the Black Hills, "I'm finally here for you."