Roaring crowds, roaring applause, roaring king, roaring man.

Geir was standing in the middle of flat brown and rough soil, armored and armed to the teeth.

He was surrounded by weirdos in weird dresses. There’s one who dressed like a lion, one like a bull, and there’s just one naked guy with a stick… it was confusing.

But it makes sense as they were all being spectated, by crowds of people, man, woman, children even, also nobles and royalty.

They were to see champions, slave or not, to battle to the death for their entertainment.

Geir’s mind has only one thought and concern, besides the weirdness of the arena, was to protect Eirikr.

Now, to know the answer why Geir is in this mess, we should go a couple of hours ago.

It was a cool afternoon, not out of the ordinary for Høyde.

Geir and the others were, like the cities from before, trading and networking. It was standard merchant activities for Marco and Estryd, for Geir also it was familiar as well. back in his merc days, he used to protect merchants.

One thing he also noted about that line of work, was it was a slow process, as a good speech is the way to get what you want for being merchant.

And because of that experience, Geir picked up a trick or two about merchants and their way, one of them is to know if it’s going to get confrontational like Estryd and Benoit before in Vin Côte.

But again, nothing was out of the ordinary, it was standard business for all, except for one coming of age boy, Eirikr.

He was silent, unfocused even after arriving at Høyde. Geir and Karl thought at first that it was because of the future foretelling by Ciara, the Seeress of the North, but no, it was something else.

Something struck Eirikr so deeply it mesmerized him, bothers him. All of his thoughts are clouded with this one thing and thing only.

It was a girl.

In the market before, Eirikr spotted a girl, head covered with a thin cloth, wearing a very long cloak that covered her body and generally acting quite suspiciously. Eirikr noticed her snooping around the market, seeing things, touching things, and just being weird in general.

Curious at the sight, Eirikr went to her, asking if she was looking for something or even someone. The girl didn’t answer, only looking at him with fascination, awe, and a general deep curiosity.

She thought to herself, of why this blonde, green eyed boy came to her. Her eyes were locked at Eirikr, looking at him like it was the most intriguing and precious thing in the world.

“I am sorry, that’s rude of me! My name is Frida! And… well, I am just looking around.” Frida answered, while giving a smile.

“Okay then…” Eirikr said with suspicion.

“Hey, are you by chance new here?”

“Actually yes! I came with my brothers from the west.”

“You came from Albion?”

“Albion?”

“That’s the west.”

“No, the west, west of this land, wester more from the land you just mentioned. it’s called Eyklandi!”

“YOU CAME WEST OF THE OUVERTUS OCEAN?!” Frida was beyond astonished.

“Ouver wha?”

“Wait, wait, wait… you’re playing with me, right? You’re not a Mer and there are no lands to the west, it’s just the cold ocean there.”

“Except there is, me, my two brothers, came from that cold ocean you mentioned.”

There was a brief lull of doubt inside Frida’s head, skepticism and suspicion. But all of that were cast away because of how Eirikr said it. No malice was felt, no swindling was caught, but only genuine and honest tone that came from Eirikr’s mouth.

Frida slowly turned her wariness to being astonished again, she felt excited, felt like she hit the once in a lifetime opportunity.

“TELL ME! How is the land? How is the people? How is… EVERYTHING THERE!”

Eirikr was quite overwhelmed actually, this bubbly and sparkling nature was something new yet… familiar also. He saw a bit of himself in her, saw the always excited and daring him. He was feeling something, something that he has felt before with the pretty girls back in his home, but this was more stronger than those dairy girls.

* * *

“Ahh… young love.” Marco commented.

“So where is she? Why didn’t you introduce her to us all!” Geir, a tad bit excited, asked Eirikr.

“I wanted to, but… there’s a problem, she’s actually the princess of this kingdom.”

As Eirikr said who Frida really was, everyone stared at him with bewilderment.

“Huh… no wonder her name feels familiar.” Estryd said.

“You know her?” Eirikr excitedly asked.

“Sorta of, I did a couple of delivery request for the Høyde Royal Family, where I got to meet the Princess, but… it was just business.”

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“Ohh…” Eirikr said defeatedly.

“Hey cheer up kid! There’s still plenty of fishes in the ocean!” Marco tried to rally Eirikr.

“And besides, no sophisticated princess wants a muscle head like you!” Karl on the other hand jokingly mocked his little brother.

“Karl!”

So… as Karl and Eirikr roughed each other out for a minute there, they went back to business again, learning more about the place, the situation of the land, and just exploring.

But Eirikr’s mind was still clouded, Frida was that cloud and it didn’t go away hour after hour they were in Høyde. Eirikr was really star strucked of the conversation, the jokes, and her as a whole.

There are a lot of fishes in the ocean, but you’ll only going to find one that will lock your eyes forever.

if you avert it, ignore it, and outright pass the opportunity, you will regret it.

Which is what Eirikr was staring at, a poster nailed to a notice board, calling for able fighters to fight in an arena. Where the price, is the opportunity to court the Princess of Høyde.

“I need to join this!” He saw the opportunity, he saw the ones a lifetime chance.

“Are you crazy? Do you even know how to handle a sword?” Karl was against the idea.

“I do! Big brother has taught me a couple of things!”

“Okay then, let me ask you again, can you really kill someone? Slaughtering sheeps doesn’t count.”

“That… uhh…” Eirikr faltered for a moment, it was a serious and an important question, as he knew very well, he is not Geir.

“See… anyways, it’s just a girl.”

But when Eirikr heard this, ‘just a girl’, a surge of motivation suddenly appeared, a feeling of courage and determination. It flourishes him as, he knew that this wasn’t ‘just a girl’

“Yes, you’re right I am not like big brother Geir, but I need to do this!” Eirikr then walked alone to the arena by himself, leaving Karl, leaving the others.

“Eirikr where are you going?! Eirikr! EIRIKR!!”

* * *

“Which one do you want kid?” A burly man stood in front of Eirikr, offering weapons to be use in the arena for him.

“I’ll go with this one!” Eirikr chose the arming sword, it was compact and light, perfect for his hand to handle.

“Good luck kid! You’ll need it out there.” And as Eirikr picked up the sword, he went outside to the arena itself.

The crowds were roaring, the highborns were enjoying their wine and view, the champions were on alert, and Eirikr was focused. In this game of hack and slash, there were two goals he kept in mind, surviving and winning, as defeat means his death.

So, as the horn was blown out, signalling the start of the game, Eirikr in the midst of this put to use every single thing he has learn from Geir.

The first thing was distance, many people where there from every side, Eirikr knew that he could be attacked from any direction. Because of this he kept his distance, always checked his back and focused on the defensive.

It was more or less how he fought, Geir taught him to always keep a clear mind, to not succumb to the rush. Though it may make one feel invincible, in reality it’s but an illusion.

Eirikr kept that in mind, he kept that as he was standing toe to toe with his first foe. He was tall man, armed with a small spear and a buckler, which made Eirikr knew right away he’s not a foe to be rushed at. But what he wore was an opportunity in the right moment, his legs were wide open, no greaves, not even any kinds of shoes.

With this Eirikr bided his time, waited for him to strike first. Eirikr was confident in his speed to dodge and even counter him, and when he attacked, Eirikr exploited it as he went for one of his feet.

Eirikr stabbed it, quite hard even as he could here the scream of his foe. It was exhilarating, thrilling, and rushing, which was one of Eirikr first fault.

He forgotten his situation, he was too enamoured with the blood and rush. Because of this he was taken advantage as the man he just stabbed in the feet, smacked him to the ground.

Eirikr fell hard to the dusty soil, he was dazed for a moment. But reality came back as he saw his foe again, spear already in hand and was ready to thrust it straight to Eirikr’s face.

Thankfully he dodge it and with the sword in hand also, Eirikr thrust it with all his will, right to his throat.

Blood showered Eirikr, recolouring his skin, his hands, his clothes. He more or less arose as something new, he felt something different in himself, it wasn’t the rush like before, it wasn’t the focus feeling he had at first.

This was different, he tasted blood, and he… awoken something much, much more exhilarating than slaughtering sheeps.

Eirikr forgot everything, he went in to the crowd and slashed his way to victory. He stabbed, mangle, maul, maim, and became a beast in the battle. He was young, but he was strong, strong enough to defeat the opponents that stood against his way.

It was fun, Eirikr was intoxicated in every move he made with his arm, every blood he splattered, every man he defeated.

But this didn’t last long as he made the eventual wrong move, he was countered and even got a cut in his cheek.

Eirikr fell again, back to the dusty soil, back to the vulnerable state he was at first, but this time, his sword wasn’t in hand. It was far away, to far to be reached.

Reality came back again and this time it was the cruel harsh fact he was about to feel, death.

Eirikr realized his fault, his naivety, but nothing would change this. Yet… life was not done with him, as he was saved by none other than his reliable big brother, Geir.

Geir came in a nick of time as he blocked Eirikr’s supposed killer attack, with his axe and countered it with a swift slash to the throat with his sword.

“What have I taught you?” Geir said, with a disappointed tone.

“To keep focus…” Eirikr said in an embarrassed tone.

“To keep focus!”

Geir after that brought his brother back to his feet, smacked his head for second, then reminded him why he was there in the first place.

Eirikr remembered, it wasn’t the rush, it wasn’t the opponents, it was Frida, the girl that enamoured him.

And so… here we are. Two brothers, armed to fight, surrounded by weirdos in weird clothes.

They stood their ground there, focusing on the enemy in front of them, and kept each-others back safe. Like what Geir has taught, they waited for one to be the fool, and one did become the fool as he, the naked one, charged headstrong against Geir.

Geir countered him with a simple kick and a firm thrust of his axe to his chest.

It was a gruesome sight that Geir has not done for a while, but it didn’t bother him, this was nothing for him, he has done and seen much more worse.

But for Eirikr, this was a new part he is seeing from his brother. The way he attacked them, how brutal he countered, it was a whole image of his brother, something scary, yet… comforting.

“Remember, don’t, lose, focus!” Geir reminded Eirikr again, before their foes attack again.

“Yes, sir!” Eirikr responded enthusiastically, gritting his teeth and ready to win.

* * *

The crowd was in awe, the nobles were intrigued, and Frida, was surprised that the boy he spend for a moment in the market, came and won.

It was exhausting, tiring, and nostalgic for Geir, it has been a long time since he fought. For Eirikr on the other hand, he was ecstatic, felt very accomplished as he won the competition.

But that was a momentary bliss, as the King of Høyde, reminded them again.

This was a free for all and only one can come out alive.

“Welp… no point in standing here!” Geir went into battle mode again, pointing his sword at Eirikr.

“Wha… brother, what are you doing?” Eirikr was scared.

“To finish this of course!”

“You’re going to kill me?!”

“No! get your head straight Eirikr, You’re going to kill me!”

“NO!”

“Hey what did I told you!”

“Keep… focus…”

“Yes! And now what is the reason you enter this arena in the first place?”

“To… meet her again.”

“Right! Keep that in mind, always focused on that Eirikr! Now follow my lead!”

It was still baffling, the request was something really out of the ordinary. Eirikr can’t kill his brother of course, but in the end he did.

He followed Geir’s lead, seeing his movement that seems like an attack, and used it against him.

Eirikr stabbed his brother in one motion, it was awful, it was saddening, and…. It was confusing.

There were no blood gushing out of Geir’s stomach, no pain was being let out, Eirikr even felt that it’s like stabbing air itself.

Something was up and he realized it was a mirage, an illusion, as Eirikr spotted someone, waving in the crowds.

It was Geir, the real Geir with Karl and the others, as all along they were watching him from a far.

“Damn you brother… always bamboozling me, haha…” He chuckled, chuckled out of relieved and gratefulness.

* * *

“I think I’ll stay here!” Eirikr surprised everyone.

“Are you sure? I know you really like that Frida girl, but…” Karl tried to reason with his younger brother.

“Sure!” Geir on the other hand was fine with it.

“Brother!”

“Hey, the sooner he’s loose from me, the sooner he learns more about being a man!”

“But…”

“Karl, he’s growing up and he already knows how to handle a sword, and! He already wooed a woman! Him coming with us would break her heart.”

“Yeah…” Karl folded. “Fine, stay safe Eirikr!”

“You too brother!”

It was a somewhat heartfelt goodbye, they were leaving their brother after all. But this is a new chapter for Eirikr.

The clock that is fate has ticked for him, as from here, he would forge his own crown from the impure metals he will accumulate. It is not a pretty crown, it is a deplorable, for foes and friends a like, but it is a crown forged by his own hand.

It will be loved and hated, but it still the first symbol of us Arnesens.