It was Autumn, very near to Winter when everything we ever knew ended, and another life began.

The sound of a dog in the village was what woke me up that morning, and I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. It shut up now, and I got out of bed to get dressed and start on a few things I needed to do. Fix that hole in my dress was one of them.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I chuckled, then turned and stood in the doorway to face the other figure in the bed. "And why is that?" I inquired as he stood up and walked over to me, so very much taller than myself as usual.

Many things had changed in about eight years, but we weren't married. The arguments that we had were enough to put off anyone marrying us. Plus I'd found him with the new maid we had around the hall.

He'd never done so much apologizing in his life.

"It's too early." he protested now, going to pull me back into bed, but I just turned and walked back out, leaving him to sulk.

Thirty years old... and he still acted like fifteen when I first met him.


Later that day when I was out picking wildflowers, I got a visitor.

Daren had grown up considrably since our younger days when he made advances at nineteen. Much more mature with a wife and young child of six.

"Ah, Freyr." he said now as he pulled himself to the top of the hill, and I glanced up and said. "Yes Daren?"

"Do you know where Eric is? His father needs to speak to him."

I shook my head, thinking. "Did you try the training fields?"

"Of course."

"The bed?"

"Obviously."

"... maids bed."

Daren laughed at that, then said in an amused voice. "Eric has his faults, but I doubt he'll do that one to you again." He looked thoughtful. "Well, let you find out."

I threw a stone at him for that, and he chuckled before saying. "I'll go through the town again."

I nodded absentmindedly, then watched him go. There was one place he hadn't looked, and if I knew Eric...

The flowers I had been picking were in my basket as I went down the sloping hill towards the beach. Sure enough, there was a figure stood at the waters edge, looking out over the wide North sea.

"Father's looking for you." I called now, stopping next to him, then frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Thinking." was his short reply and I waited for him to explain what, but he didn't. I sighed and went to turn away, but he finally said. "The future. Father's stepping down soon enough."

I understood now what he was thinking about, then sighed, putting my arms around his waist and cheek against his back. "You'll be a great leader. The people will follow you, you know that."

"Maybe." he just said, still looking out over the ocean, and I said quietly. "Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm not worried." he said defiantly, and I knew he was lying. I knew him too well.

"You fool Eric." Was all I could chuckle, and he said. "I need to go to Father." then he walked forwards and didn't look back. He was getting rather conflicted lately, not that Eric I knew and loved.


It was later that night when I was laid out in bed alone, for Eric was still speaking to his father about the future as leader of the village, our community.

It was past midnight when there were footsteps as he returned, but I didn't open my eyes and let him know that I was awake. I heard a sigh escape him now as he saw me asleep, then he got in next to me and put an arm around my waist and I sighed.

"How did it go?"

He was silent, then said quietly. "Very well."

"Good." Was all I could say and he said. "Can we talk?"

"We are already." I retorted, and he sat up, leaving me to turn over onto my back. "Freyr." he sighed, then I rolled my eyes. "Talk about what?"

"Father has been asking me things."

"Let me guess- children and marriage?"

He sighed in defeat and nodded. "Yes."

I laughed at that and sat up too. "Eric... I am as much a warrior as you. Do you really think I could be a mother?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"You would." I said bitterly- he only liked the act that made one. Like all typical men.

He shifted now and swung a leg over me so he was straddling my legs, pushing me back down, then he leaned down and kissed me for a moment. I knew what he was trying to do, and I chuckled. "Nice try."

Eric chuckled a little, then his lips touched mine once more and they got more and more deeper. But then a bang in the distance made him jolt away and go. "What was that-?"

I frowned and knew what he meant now- there were yells and shouts from the village. They were loud to reach our house that was on the outskirts.

Eric was up in a second, yanking his shirt on and grabbed his blade, and I yelled after him as I got up and yanked my own clothes on, grabbing my own blade.

Something was very, very wrong.


He had always been faster than me on foot, and I hared after him, but then I heard the snarls... and recognized them very well.

I froze in horror- the wolves... that turned into men.

They had struck hard and fast, the village was a massacre, and I couldn't find Eric.

"Eric-!" I yelled now, then froze as a wolf, too big to be real. It advanced on me now, snarling as it did. Oh god... was this the way I was going to die-? Torn apart by a wolf.

Suddenly, a spear shot out of nowhere and hit the wolf in the side of the head, killing it instantly.

Daren ran up now, yanking it back out and grabbed my arm. "We have to get out of here now!"

"Where's Eric-! Where's everyone!"

"Everyone's dead!" He yelled as I went to pull away, but then hastily added. "Eric ordered me to get you out of here. Come on!"

"Don't you fucking dare-!" I snarled, and I felt a thump on my head, knocking me out.

When I woke up, it was dawn and the sky was red and blue shot with gold. Eric wasn't back...

I saw Daren stood with his back to me, blade out as if he was guarding me. "What the fuck did you do-!"

Daren turned as I hit him, and he grabbed my wrists and said. "Eric ordered me!"

"Fuck orders! That's the man I love you just dragged me away from-! You-!"

Daren let me ran on and on until I sat down sobbing- the same demons that had killed my village had destroyed this one too. More people I loved were dead...

It was like that womans words were true- everything I loved was dead.


We stayed there for a while before moving on, my heart almost destroyed.

There was a rustle now from the trees, and we both raised our blades, and as we stared, alert, a figure stumbled out that made me gasp and run forwards, throwing my arms around him.

Eric winced as I hugged him tightly, but then said. "We have to keep moving, come on."

I nodded, then we were off again.

When we stopped for the night, so far away from home that it hurt.

I was sat with Eric now, dozing against his shoulder as he spoke to Daren. Eric was hurt by the death of his family, and I was all he had left, and quite literally

Daren had hunted down a deer for us to eat, and it was now cooking in parts over a fire. Once more, I was on the run. But not alone this time.

But where were we all going to go to now-? We were homeless...

There was a snap of twigs now, and we all jolted up, weapons poised.

"Lower your weapons fools. You're outnumbered."

My heart was crashing against my chest as the figures appeared out the shadows, about twenty- twenty five and all heavily armed.

The bigger one moved forwards now and said. "Give us the deer, or-" I screamed as someone grabbed me from behind, a knife now at my throat.

"Let her go now!"Eric truly snarled, raising his blade instead of lowering it. Daren was the same, and the leader of the bandits chuckled at me. "Special, aren't you?"

I spat in his direction, and in a flash he hit me, sparking Eric off as he rammed his blade in the nearest bandit, and I managed to pull away by stamping on his foot... and the blade went in my side as he jolted, making me scream in pain as it pierced me.

The bandits grabbed the food now and took off soon after, laughing as they went. I felt the blood seeping from the place where the blade had pierced me.

"Freyr-!" I heard Eric yell now, grabbing me before my legs went. "Freyr..." he said now, more softly and I opened my eyes to see his blood streaked face. My eyes flickered to behind him now, and I saw a good few of the bandits dead, almost half.

We had to shift now, and it hurt like hell. I noticed Eric was getting more and more white in the face, and then I noticed a dark red stain on his chest that was like my own.


"Eric, are you hurt?" I asked him now and he scowled. "No." then winced a little and sighed. "Yes. The leader managed to get past my guard..."

I shoved away the fur now and looked at it- it was deeper than my own, and even though it wasn't bleeding so much now, it was fatal.

"Oh my god..." I breathed now, and he just said, sitting down next to me against the tree, looking more than exhausted.

Daren bent down now and looked to my own wound and I saw him give Eric a look I knew well- I was in trouble too.

"Oh..." I groaned, closing my eyes and coughed- it felt like a lung had been punctured or something.

"Frey.." Eric muttered now, and I turned my head back to him as he said. "I'm sorry."

A frown escaped me now, and I asked. "What for?"

"For not making you my wife." he said, taking my hand in his and bringing it up to his lips. "My little Freyr." but now he looked up to Daren and said "You should leave."

Daren shook his head and crouched down before us both, a hand on each of ours. "Eric, Freyr... I've known you both for as long as I can remember. I'll stay."

"Thank you." I muttered, closing my eyes against Erics shoulder.

I didn't actually mind death, because I wasn't alone in facing it. At least I wouldn't be alone in this... that shaman in my village had been wrong.

I hoped.

We didn't move from our spot sat together, and I don't think I was the only one losing more and more energy as the night went on.


An owl hooted now, and I didn't have enough energy to even jump up in shock.

Daren was stood next to the fire, staring into its depths. I had forgiven him a while ago for trying to rape me when we were younger, but I think that was still the reason why he was so protective of me. That he still loved me, but knew I belonged to Eric.

Daren was a good man who had grown up now.

And that same Daren stood up straighter now, and I frowned, just managing to say. "Wh- what is it?"

He shook his head and raised his blade. "Something's out there."

I heard rustling now, and swore I saw a pair of eyes in the darkness, staring at me intently for a moment, but then they were gone.

Human eyes.

Daren started forwards, but before I could try and make him stop, something flashed before my eyes that made me blink in shock- what was that-?

There was a crack now, and it rent the air cleanly. At first I thought it was a stone or something, but then Daren collapsed onto the floor, neck broken... the snapping noise.

Eric shifted now, going for the spear that was next to him, but then froze as I let out a scream of shock and fear. A figure had dropped from the trees directly above before us, stood there like a ghost in the darkness.

But the thing was, he was a boy. Maybe sixteen years old, but he seemed older beyond his years. His eyes that seemed so dark in the light were staring at us, but I was staring at the bright and bold black tattoos on his bare top half. One long one on his chest, another at the top of his left arm that looked like waves. His hair looked black in the shadows too.

I suppose it was the shock that made me stare at him so much, my heart that was already working overtime beating all the faster.

And he was talking in a low voice to Eric too. As the boy leaned a little towards Eric as if he was intrigued, I hissed. "Don't touch him-!"

The boy turned his attention to me now, and he tilted his head a little, surveying me through those eyes of his that looked like a demons.

"Such loyalty." he raised a hand to my cheek now, then lowered it before he touched me. Why did he look so interested in my words? "Why are you so loyal?" he asked me now, eyes bright in the darkness.

"I'm only human." Was my answer, and he looked back to Eric for a second, then asked me. "Would you like to be more? Both of you?"

I was silent, and Eric said quietly. "Why us?"

The boy was still staring at me as he said. "Loyalty, determination and skill on the field of battle is a rare combination to come across. Say the word, and the world is yours."

"What does... t-that entitle?" I coughed, and he smiled a little. "Immortality. Companionship."

I thought about it, then glanced at Eric- from his glance, he was going to say yes, so I said to the boy.

"Yes."

The boy smiled more now, then as he leaned forwards, I asked. "What is your name?"

There was silence, but then he said in such a quiet voice I almost missed it. "Death." then made me gasp in shock and pain as he clamped down into my neck.

A moment later, everything went dark.

As one door closed... another one opened...


Next up later. Hope you like and drop a review.