Eir rolled over in her bedroll inside the carriage, unable to give herself over to sleep just yet. She listened to the nighttime quiet outside; the sounds of crickets and the gentle breeze blowing through the trees. She felt warm in the fleece blanket that wrapped tightly around her body like an unyielding embrace.
And yet with all of these comforts, the valkyrie could not bring herself to sleep.
She rose from the bedroll and looked out of one of the carriage windows, admiring the dark sky filled with the contrasting lights of the white and red moons. She felt the need to get up and stretch her legs, slowly and quietly leaving the carriage so as to not wake the others.
She slowly walked through their camp, Keratos sitting by the smoking remains of their campfire with his hat low and a hand on his sword; sleeping peacefully and yet at the ready. Eir admired his determination as she moved forwards towards the clear road. She took in the beauty of the night cast across the landscape, the peace of the quiet night, the serenity of nature, and the beauty of the green trees reflecting the moonlight.
Eir continued her walk down the road, continuing to take in the sights and smells around her. She lost herself in the peace as she ran her fingers against a nearby tree trunk. She appreciated this feeling of freedom. This fleeting peace that Arylos, Iris, and Bellona were sharing with her. She began to wonder if this feeling was why Arylos chose to stay here.
She secretly wondered if she could stay as well. To get away from all of the fighting and instead live a life of peace. Could she do it? Was it even an option for her? Maybe if someone like Arylos could do it, then maybe so could she.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned this past year, it’s that girls should not be walking through the woods alone,” a familiar dark voice growled. Eir’s heart skipped as she turned and locked eyes with a pair of glowing red eyes in the shadows of the trees. “The last time that happened, a little girl woke up a monster.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Eir replied nervously. “And what did this monster do once awake?”
Arylos laughed under his breath as he came out from the shadows of the trees. “Went back to sleep so he could enjoy the dream a while longer.”
“And what about now?” Eir asked cautiously while slowly reaching down and hoping she brought a knife with her.
“The monster is still dreaming,” Arylos answered while handing a dark glass bottle to Eir. “And that monster is dreaming of being a man.”
Eir stared at Arylos and the bottle for a moment, wondering exactly what she should do. She was hesitant to accept the bottle from the Titan, wondering what he was willing to do now that the two of them were alone.
“It’s not poisoned you know,” Arylos cut Eir’s thoughts with a laugh.
“And why wouldn’t you do that?” Eir asked accusingly.
“Because I have no reason to kill you; Iris might actually kill me in return,” Arylos said while continuing to laugh. “And even if I wanted to poison you, I wouldn’t waste a bottle of wine to do it.”
Eir slowly shook away her fears as she reached for the bottle, trying to banish her anxiety. “But what if she told you to?”
“She wouldn’t want you dead,” Arylos said while leaning back against a tree.
Eir shook her head, rejecting the possibility. “But I–”
“Holy fuck, I swear if you keep going on about that I might actually hit you myself,” Arylos growled sarcastically while rolling his eyes. “It’s been, what, three weeks? How long is it going to take before you accept that Iris doesn’t have a grudge against you?”
“She said it herself; she can’t forgive me,” Eir said while gripping the bottle tight.
“You’re right; she can’t forgive you,” Arylos said with a heavy sigh. “But that’s not what matters. She understands your side of the story. If anything, her killing you would just make her no better than what you think you are.”
“But I killed her family,” Eir whispered softly.
“And I caused the Dragon Wars,” Arylos confessed in a stern voice. “Was she mad about that? Yes. Did she hate me? Absolutely. Did she see past that and try to understand that I wanted to help? Yes. She may not forgive you, but she understands that you were forced; her vengeance isn’t with you, it’s with Odin.”
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“But I was the sword that killed her people,” Eir continued while looking down at the ground.
“You were the tool that was manipulated into killing 112 people,” Arylos corrected, keeping his voice steady and firm.
Eir kept herself silent, unable to find any words for Arylos. She loosened her grip on the bottle and slowly took a drink, letting the burn of the alcohol take the pain away. “You really think all that?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Few know Iris better than I,” Arylos answered while laughing softly. “I know how she thinks; how she would react. To be honest, I was surprised to know she spared you but I also knew she had it in her; it was just up to her to find that strength in her.”
“If you know her so well, then what does she think about all of this?” Eir asked while taking another drink from the bottle.
Arylos chuckled as he looked towards the camp, thinking about everyone that was on this trip. “She sees her family,” Arylos said while deep in thought. “She has attachment problems so she latches onto anyone she can, even if it hurts her in the end as she learned with me. She has no one else left except for people like us; immortal monsters each and every one of us.”
Eir took in Arylos’s words as she watched him take a deep breath and push himself away from the tree and walk to the side to admire the nighttime sky. “She doesn’t have any family or friends left now. So she’s rebuilding a family of her own. And like it or not, but she’s now invited you into that family.”
“Me? Why would she do that?” Eir asked as if shocked.
“Because you’re just like her,” Arylos explained while eyeing Eir intensely. “Now that you’re mortal, you have no home, no family, no friends. You’re adrift in an indifferent universe just like her.”
Arylos thought about his words carefully as he turned away, to watch the sky. “Just like me,” he continued in a sad voice. “And when all you have is nothing, there’s a lot to go around even if that is truthfully little. You have no family and you’re stranded away from home and so she empathises with that and invites you to her small family to ease that pain.”
“Even if I was the one to take it away,” Eir whispered softly, slowly starting to understand.
“Because that ended with you in the same situation,” Arylos explained with a smile.
Eir thought about Arylos’s words before she let out a soft laugh. “She would be too soft to survive on Asgard. Thor’s sons would eat her alive.”
“You won’t get any argument from me, but she’s the most compassionate person I know,” Arylos said while laughing to himself.
Eir laughed with Arylos for a time before taking another drink from the bottle, realising that it was nearly empty. “Do you really have that much faith in her?” she asked softly.
Arylos’s laughter slowly faded but he maintained a happy smile. “Of course I do; who would if I don’t?”
“But she’s a mortal,” Eir reminded Arylos in a concerned voice.
“What about it?” Arylos asked nonchalantly.
“What about it? She won’t be around forever,” Eir scoffed in frustration but her words warranted an annoyed groan from the Titan as he turned away. “You’re putting a lot of faith into a girl who won’t be around in fifty years or so.”
“And is there something wrong with living for the present?” Arylos asked rhetorically in an annoyed voice.
“I’m just concerned; that’s all,” Eir said softly, wondering just how much of Arylos’s anger she could face. “You’re attached to her, but she’s mortal. I’ve seen other Templarians go insane when the same thing happens to them; when the mortal they care about dies.”
Arylos scoffed as the thought came to him. “And you Templarians live for thousands of years while I am eternal. This is nothing but a brief respite from the cold.”
“Exactly,” Eir said in a soft voice. “Is that kind of faith and attachment healthy for you?”
Arylos growled softly as he turned back to face Eir, shocking her with a warm smile on his face rather than bared fangs of anger. “Does it really matter anymore?” he asked as his smile widened. “I’ve learned not to care about tomorrow; only enjoy the today I have.”
Eir let out a sigh as she contemplated the Titan’s thoughts. “That’s a very mortal thought, Arylos. I would think you were insane for thinking that.”
“That’s the difference between us,” Arylos said while stifling a laugh. “Those who are afraid to die will never truly live. To live is to suffer, and to love is to live.”
Eir thought about the metaphor, not quite understanding it. “But doesn’t that mean you’re willingly growing close to her knowing it will hurt? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Arylos laughed and turned his gaze to the horizon as he embraced his thoughts. “It will hurt, yes. But it’s nothing new to me. The pain I’ll feel when she’s gone will be a reminder that I cared and that I was happy. A reminder of these times when I could live as a man and not a monster. And that means more to me than you think.”
“But for an immortal to love a mortal,” Eir whispered under her breath, trying to understand the Titan’s point of view. “That will hurt no matter how optimistic you are.”
Arylos let out a laugh as he turned back towards Eir and gave her another smile. “It’s a good thing I’m an eternal being then and not an immortal.”
“There’s a difference?” Eir asked.
“There is, and yet we’re all the same,” Arylos answered with a firm nod. “There is no such thing as ‘gods’ Eir; only people.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Eir commented while rubbing her forehead.
“You’re mortal now; give it some time and it will make sense,” Arylos replied with a smile while making his way back towards the camp. “Come now, morning is almost here so let’s get ready.”
“Wait! How do you know that?” Eir asked while in shock.
Arylos laughed and turned back towards Eir, letting his glowing red eyes do the talking. “I’m a Titan; it’s what I do. I drink and I know things.”