"Remember us,"

Agnetha always heard this line. A soft, old voice that only brought fear to her mind. The noises of horses clambering and the swords clashing made her skin crawl. Her eyes were shut, and yet her mind was wide open. The voice seeps into her mind, a vision from long ago constantly reminded her. The cold ground did not even bother her mind, and neither did the presence of her escorts even bother her.

"Remember us Agnetha..." the voice cried out again. Agnetha breathed heavily, a few tears pouring out from her eye, as her face has guilt in it. Clutching her cloth, she grimaces as her tears continued to pour out.

Just then, a dagger dangled at her neck. Harold had always thought about ending this 'problem' of his, but it was only now that he realized he must do it now. He had looked around already, as no one was there to stop him. He did not even think of what his uncle would say. He only wanted this nightmare to end immediately.

Harold slowly laid his dagger next to Agnetha, who was still stuck in her dreams. His short panting indicates that he still has doubts. What doubt is there, Harold thought, as he bring himself to finish the job.

"Harold!" Edwin said, which startled Harold as his dagger slipped out of his hand. Agnetha's eyes opened as she got up all of a sudden. Harold saw Edwin with disdain as he also saw the Nordic lady get up in surprise. A sudden impulse to slap his cousin had to be tempered.

"Stupid bastard," Harold whispered angrily. Edwin looked rather confused, as it looked as if he did nothing wrong. "What were you doing?" Edwin asked his cousin, his tone suggesting that the latter was up to something.

"What do you think? Blades don't sharpen themselves!" Harold said as he took up his dagger. "My lady," he mockingly greets Agnetha as he walked away. Harold could not bring himself to look at her further. Agnetha looked at him, not sure how to react to him. After all, she was the one who brought him this predicament.

"Don't bother him, he can be a real bitch sometimes," Edwin said, soft enough so that Harold could not hear him. Agnetha gave a slight smirk at him, which prompted Edwin to do the same, only for him to snap back to his senses.

"Do you two always fight with each other?" Agnetha asked Edwin.

"Training and banter, yes, very much so," Edwin replied. "He always acts so great of himself; it's easy to pick a fight with a man like that,"

"I can see that," Agnetha said, as Edwin put on his shield for the day. Only thirty-nine more days ahead for the journey, Edwin thought.

"Of course... at the end of the day, we do not kill each other despite our quarrels. It is only natural for us,"

After the brief skirmish yesterday, they knew very well that they could not take the open road. The woods were then their only choice, as well as a means of escape. But John and his children knew very little of the local terrain, straying from it as far as possible as they were more familiar with the road.

"North... North," John said under his breath, as the rest followed him blindly. Sure enough, John stopped, as if a deer taking a peek outside. Harold at the back looked at him, confused as he saw his uncle taking deep breaths. As if north was an enigma for them.

"You happen to know much about the woods, don't you Agnetha?" John asked as the Lady was right behind her. Agnetha looked at him weirdly, as she did not know what to say. "You said that you have stayed in Nordlund for seasons?" Agnetha replied.

"The road, we always use the road," John replied back, mostly in anger to hide his flawed navigation. " It only made sense for her to guide them since they were escorting her. "Normally, it would be the others who would guide me," Agnetha replied.

"But you do know where Klarelva is?" John asked.

Agnetha nodded her head. "I should know, very big river in my nation," Agnetha said. "It is the bedrock of my people. How could a nation be founded without a river?" Edwin did understand what she said. Westhaven too was founded with rivers as foundations. Water brings life to all.

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John saw her and accepted her answer. After all, she needed them. "It may be hard to find where it is without the signs on the road, but I can read the stars," Agnetha added.

"Well, they aren't here now," Harold thankfully provided them with the news. Agnetha chuckled as she does understand.

"Of course not, I read them during the night. We should go... forward," Agnetha replied. "Hopefully, we would reach a town on the way,"

"You know what that town is?" Edwin asked, who looked rather disappointed that she did not elaborate on her history. Harold could clearly see that Edwin had mutual feelings for her. That, and wondering if Agnetha would feel the same towards him.

"Unfortunately, no, but there should be," Agnetha said as she strutted forward. As John stood there, Harold was all the more confused.

"You're not going?" Harold asked.

"She looks like she knows where she's going, might as well be right behind her," John smiled as he walked right behind her. Harold could only look at his cousin, who shrugged and went along. At least she looked as if she had a plan.

...

It had been two days, and the sky looked as if it was already dark. In Agnetha's defence, daytime in Nordlund was short, with only seven hours on average per day. Not that Nords saw that as a problem, as they would work for ten to twelve hours if they could. Their eyes adapted to the fact that they could still function well even a few hours into the night.

The same couldn't be said for Westerners, though. Harold and Edwin had to squint their eyes, even when John held a torchlight for the group. They were barely used to the darkness.

"I assure you, we are almost there," Agnetha said as her escort sluggishly went along. They do not know how long it takes to reach the Klarelva. As a matter of fact, their estimation was based on the road. In the woods, there was no telling whether they were delayed or not. John, despite living in these lands for a long time, always knew that the weather could be unpredictable.

The one time when his footsteps were covered by snow due to the blizzard, they were forced to wander for weeks until they found civilization. His mind shudders at the thought of it.

"It shouldn't be that far," Agnetha said as Harold saw Edwin panting behind.

"It's only been a while since we rest," Harold said, disapproving of his cousin.

"You try, carrying a shield behind your back... in this body," Edwin panted. Harold could barely comprehend what he was saying. But he did understand that the shield was killing him. Perhaps it was that he was walking and he was on a horse. Harold couldn't even take turns walking and riding the horse.

"Who knows, if you weren't so weak, the shield wouldn't be so heavy for you," Harold replied truthfully.

"What are you talking about? I am not the one on the horse..."

Edwin then saw the lights from there, what seemed to be civilization for them. Agnetha looked joyful as she was right all along.

"What did I tell you?" Agnetha said with delight, her voice high enough to make Harold cringe for a while. Nevertheless, they were more than happy to get proper rest. Harold couldn't help but feel running toward the nearest townsfolk and hug them.

But their joy was cut short as soon as they saw guards right in front of them. John remembered back then that they never needed to worry and that they were a sight for sore eyes. But they were now a group of wanted men, and they could only hope that word of a Nordic woman fleeing with three Western escorts hadn't reached them.

"State your business," the guard in front of him spoke. John gulped as he cleared his throat. "I will handle this, guard the horses," John commanded as he went up to them, shaking off any fears.

"We're travellers, going to Klarelva just in time before the winter," John said in a humble tone. Not wanting to aggravate him, John was particularly nice towards them, which was rather hard as he wasn't nice in general. Of course, courtesy was an effective mask for deception.

"Travelers, from where?" the guard asked. John's heart skipped a beat. He knew he could not mention Skoravik, as that's where they left. As he and Alfred's men ventured mostly in the woods, he did not know much about the names of each town.

"From the south of Nordlund, we're merely heading there for some decent work," John smiled as the guard did not return his politeness. "You're not settlers, aren't you?" the guard asked.

"Well, we do settle here for a while, then you know, return back to the homeland after our work," John said, trying to appeal to him. He was more comfortable talking to his brethren as he knew them better.

"And who's she, the Nord?" the guard asked again as he pointed at Agnetha. No doubt, she stood out from the group. John looked worried, as he had yet to give a proper excuse for her presence. It didn't help much that she could very well match their description.

"She's our maid," Harold said, as he smiled to show his sincerity. Agnetha looked at him, annoyed, before realizing what he meant. She could only smile alongside him as she bowed down, begrudgingly calming her temper.

"Well, welcome to Jernby," the guard said as he signalled the gate to open. All of them breathed a collective sigh as they entered the city. One wrong word, and they could all end up killed. Perhaps Harold should do the talking instead, rather than let his uncle fumble over his words.

"Just to be clear, don't use the 'maid' excuse next time," Agnetha whispered to Harold. She does not liken herself to a maid, given her status.

"Of course, your Majesty," Harold said sarcastically. Somehow, he does enjoy his wit. "Jernby... I never thought I would see it again," Agnetha thought as memories again seeped into her mind.