(A/N: This is Ladybug and Cat Noir if they had bin vikings if you like it great comment on it, if not keep it to yourself thanks! This was an author note left by my brother who is the official author of this fanfic as he didn't want to start up his own page on this sight so please don't hate me or get mad at the rude message please he just doesn't take crap from other people and doesn't tolerate trolls either so please don't troll his work or else I'll have to pay for it. Okay enjoy.)
Teaser chapter: The Fire Giant Surt was casting fire all over the village and the forest. Ladybug jumped throwing her flail to the top of the watch tower on the cliff. Cat Noir soon followed her landing at her side then asked. "What's the plan My Lady?"
Ladybug was about to speak when Surt slashed his sword at the tower. In that moment Cat Noir dropped his sword. Then the tower fell over the cliff. One single post was over the edge just enough that it was holding. Ladybug's flail had caught a hold just as her left hand caught Cat's. She tried to pull them both up but the timber started to crack as it burned and their added weight was too much for it to hold. Cat looked at the post flexing and then his Lady. Then he saw how hard she was trying to save them. In his heart he knew what had to be done so he spoke the most pain filled words he had ever had to say. "My Lady look at me." Ladybug looked down his voice was firm and his eyes were locked.
"Cat?" She said with confusion.
"You know it won't hold and you can't get us both up and Surt still needs to be stopped." Cat went on, "I once said I would do whatever it took to protect you," She began to hear a bit of pain in his voice. "And I meant every word of it." He then grabbed her wrist with his right hand.
"Cat what are you doing?" She asked with fear in her eyes.
Cat gave a half smile. "I want you to see the man under the helm. If this is to be our last goodbye." He said calmly. "Claws in."
Ladybug was in shock as she stared down upon the face of the man she loved. "Adrien?" She said as a mixture of shock and confusion washed over her.
He smiled back up at her as he replied. "Hello My Lady."
Tears started to form in her eyes, then Adrien started again. "You know what I have to do."
She cut him off. "Adrien NO!"
He came in again. "MY LADY IT HAS TO BE YOU! You can change him back, but only you can, not me!"
She tried again to sway him. "But I ?"
He stopped her. "My lady your stronger than you think that is what made me Love you from the very first time I saw you. Both sides of you." He pulled his left hand out of her grasp. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Adrien NO! Adrien please hold on." She pleaded as she gazed down at him.
His lips tried to hold a smile but his eyes showed how his heart was breaking not from fear, but the fact how much he was hurting her. His last words to her were. "Goodbye Marinette." He opened his hand and fell down hundreds of feet, toward the flames embrace.
Ladybug screamed as she bore witness to him falling to his death. "ADRIEN! ADRIEN! ADRIEN! ADRIEN!"
Chapter 1: The beginning
On a lonely shore far to the north a fair haired young man stares out into a calm sea, the cold wind blew through his long golden hair, Adrien Agreste was the Viking Chieftain son and next in line for the Throne on this day he would start his quest but in truth it was only an excuse to gain his freedom. "Sir…" One of his men said. "We will set sail as soon as you say."
Adrien replied as he kept his gaze locked on the horizon. "Very good I will be there soon." As the young man turn around behind him stood an elderly druid, he was draped in a brown cloak and hood with a long gray beard protruding out just under his hood.
"Greetings young lord…" The old man spoke with a mystic tone. "I hear you and your crew are to depart this day."
Adrien simply replied. "Yes, what of it?"
The old man simply smiled and said. "A journey such as the one you seek to take may hold many dangers, dangers that may prove to be your down fall."
"Then may I go to Valhalla where the brave may live free forever." Adrien replied as he began to walk away, only for the druid to halt him.
"Wait, just a moment." He said in the attempt to persuade him in suffering a few more words. "What if I told you that I had a gift for you that would make you as strong as a god?"
Adrien paused for a moment and said back uninterested. "I'd call you a fool old man. Such power only exists in legend."
The druid then chuckled and said. "It is always the young who are the real fools."
Adrien cocked an eye brow and asked. "What is that supposed to mean? Speak sense."
The druid then reached in to his pocket and pulled out a small box decorated with strange runes his eyes did not recognize. "Put this on and you will have the strength of Mjolnir, able to level mountains and destroy anything in your path with but a touch. With this relic you will become the very embodiment of destruction itself."
Adrien was about to simply turn and walk away but for some odd reason he felt drawn to the box, hesitating no longer he graciously took the box and opened it revealing inside a small black ring, on a flat round surface there rested a small print of a cat's paw shown by green gemstones. Adrien then picked up the ring and asked. "How will a simple trinket give me the power of the gods?" But as soon as he looked up the druid was gone, he'd simply vanished without so much as a trace. Adrien then looked toward the heavens wondering if this was a trick set upon him by Loki, or a gift from Odin. In the end curiosity got the better of him and he decided to risk it. He took the ring and placed it upon his finger, then out of nowhere a sphere of green light with black flecks emanating off of it emerged from the ring and startled Adrien slightly. "Thor's beard, what sorcery is this?!" He cried, as the sphere slowly turned into a small black cat looking creature which simply floated in the air, his head seemed far too large to be supported by his own body, he had two long whiskers on either side of his head and one on the very top of his head, he slowly began to open his eyes and only one word came out at the top of his lungs.
"CHEEEEEEEEESE!" To which Adrien replied with utter confusion.
"Pardon?" The small floating cat then narrowed his eyes and flew up to Adrien's face and just shouted.
"What? Are you that thick headed or has mankind reverted back to using your own crap to make artwork? I…NEED…CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE!" He then slowly began to pant as he'd used up all his breath just to utter that final phrase.
Adrien had no idea of what to make of this small creature which he assumed was some kind of imp. "And why would I give you cheese for screaming in my face? You…strange little creature?"
"You see that ring on your finger?" The small cat asked back. Adrien looked at his hand and nodded his head yes, then the cat continued. "Let me break it down for you…you want the power to destroy things correct? No cheese for me…equals no power for you, okay mutton brain?"
"Mutton brain? Why you little…" Just as Adrien was about to draw his sword and slice this small annoying creature into pieces he paused for a moment and asked. "Wait…are you saying that I need you in order for this ring to work?"
"Well look who's finally starting to get it, yes genius that's exactly what I'm saying." It replied with a lot of sass. "Now fork over the cheese or hit the road Jack and don't come back."
Adrien simply stared at the little cat creature and said with confusion. "My name is Adrien actually."
"Well good for you, you know your own name. Now are you gonna give me cheese or do I have to go and find a new master who will feed me when I ask him to?" It replied as it crossed it's arms and glared at him.
Adrien then glared right back and said with a stern voice. "If you keep talking to me like that I'll just chuck this ring into the ocean."
"Go ahead, because as soon as you do you'll be right back to where you started buddy, standing next in line to become the chieftain of your tribe, and it will only be after a few months too I guarantee it." The little cat replied just as firm.
It was in that moment that Adrien froze, he then asked with a sheepish tone. "A few months? Are you sure?"
"As sure as I'm fifty thousand years old. I happen to be friends with an oracle, a very powerful oracle too, and she says that if you don't accept me and my ring then you'll simply fall flat on your over privileged face and you'll have no choice but to come back to daddy and take your place as the new chief of the tribe." The cat replied firmly.
Adrien then began to shudder with fear, he'd heard stories about oracles and their gift of seeing the future, and if what this cat said was to be believed then he'd lose his freedom just as soon as he'd gotten it. He then looked at the cat and asked. "So if I take you with me, and provide you with cheese, you promise me that you'll give me all the power I need?"
"All the power you need and more if that's what it takes. Just make sure that you keep me fed and I'll make sure to keep you powered up. Oh…and make sure that it's camembert cheese thank you."
"You'll get whatever I have on the ship, this is a raiding ship not a feasting hall." Adrien replied aptly.
The cat just groaned and said. "Fine, but if you ever come across any camembert it's mine got it?"
"You've got a deal…whatever your name is." Adrien replied as he extended his index finger and thumb for a suitable hand shake for this creature.
Which he had accepted his friendly gesture and finally introduced himself. "Name's Plagg, the kwami of destruction."
"You're a what?" Adrien asked as he had never heard such a word before.
Plagg just sighed and said. "Long story short I'm a mystical creature that grants powers just roll with it."
Adrien saw no reason to question him further, or waste anymore time as it would seem that some how the sun had risen even higher than he'd anticipated it would, so he began to run as fast as he could back to his ship with Plagg hidden inside of his black fur tunic. As soon as he'd arrived to the dock he saw both his crew and his men were ready to go. "Are we ready to set sail Sven?" Adrien asked as he gave his ship a quick look over.
"Ay captain, the anchor is weighed and the crew is ripe and ready to go." His first mate Sven replied with a fist clenched and placed over his heart in a salute. "Just give the word and we'll be off sir."
Adrien then looked over to his crew and gave them a quick look, he simply walked by them as they all stood in a line and stared forward as he just walked by them, he wasn't entirely impressed by the look of his crew nor was he disappointed, he simply needed able bodied men to work his ship. "You're far from perfect, but at least you're not a complete mess of shit, you'll all do, but I want to make one thing clear, on this ship you do as I say when I say it and you won't ask any questions, if I say jump you jump, if I say fight you fight, if I tell you to do anything then you'd best do it the first time without complaint, any objections?"
His new crew all slammed their fists onto their chest and shouted in unison. "AY-AY!"
He and his crew began to load up the ship with the last of the rations for the long journey ahead of them. The sea was calm with the northern breeze at their backs Adrien looked out to see his next life where ever it could be. Then he saw something that froze him, an enemy ship on the horizon. Then at the top of his lungs he bellowed. "Enemy ship off the Port bow. All hands on deck, to arms, it's death or glory boys!"
Plagg then floated up to Adrien's shoulder and said with a very snarky tone. "Well it will either be death or glory for your men, you however will survive, according to the oracle. Oh and unless you want an arrow in your eye you might want to raise that shield of yours." Adrien quickly turned around and saw a volley of arrows flying toward him, he yelped as he quickly lifted up his shield and blocked the attack, some of the arrows flew in so fast that they had enough strength to punch right through to the other side. "See…I am useful to you."
Adrien then glared at Plagg and growled. "You know you'd be a lot more useful to me if you would grant me those powers you were talking about before."
"Well I was gonna do that before but a certain someone was being a bitch instead of feeding me cheese like he was supposed to do when I was released from the ring." Plagg fired back with sass. Adrien then narrowed his eyes, reached around for his lower back and pulled out a bag filled with cheese then held it over the side threatening to drop it into the brine. "No don't drop it!" Plagg cried in protest.
"Then tell me what I need to do you little monstrosity or I'll just dump it all out right in front of you." Adrien declared as he faked loosening his grip.
"Okay-okay, all you have to do to get the power to activate is say Plagg claws out, and to activate your secret weapon all you have to do is say cataclysm." Plagg announced as he feared for the worst that Adrien would drop the bag of cheese overboard.
"Good, your actually doing your job, now here's your smelly prize." Adrien then tossed the bag at Plagg, it collided with him sending him to the deck of the ship, Plagg then emerged from under the bag and opened it wide and gasped with delight as he saw the bag was filled with his very favorite cheese.
"Camembert!" He cried as he dove head first into the bag and began to gorge himself upon the decadent treats.
"FOCUS!" Adrien cried as he reached into the bag and pulled out the self proclaimed kwami and forced him to listen to him. "We have bigger problems then your tiny stomach right now so let's get to work."
"But I haven't finished eating yet and I haven't eaten in over fifty years?" Plagg wined just before Adrien shouted in his face with annoyance.
"YOU CAN EAT MORE LATER, PLAGG CLAWS OUT!" The kwami was sucked into the ring as a flash of green had covered his body with black armor, leather with chain mail stitched into cover his chest leather boots and pants to match a fur cape that came down to the middle of his back, with a metal helmet with green eyes that covered all but his mouth with metal pieces shaped like ears with a sword on his side. These weren't the only things that had changed, he felt stronger, faster, even more agile. "Amazing…" He voiced as he simply began to admire his new suit of armor. "The druid was right, but I'll need a name that suits this look, so from now on when I am in this armor I shall call myself…Cat Noir of the northern seas."
"This is a message to whom ever is the captain of this floating turd…" One of the pirates, the captain to be specific, began to declare his ultimatum. "You will surrender all your goods to us, you will serve us as members of my crew, you will thank me for my mercy after words and…"
Then out of nowhere a very confident voice interrupted him. "And you'll blow wind out of your ass and sail away with your tails tucked between your legs like the cowards you are because your all about to see what it's like to challenge someone who has more skill and power than you do."
Both the pirates and Adrien's crew all simply stared at the black armored figure simply standing on the railing of the ship walking with his sword over his shoulders. The pirate captain then shouted back to him. "Who are you supposed to be?"
Cat simply smiled and said as he turned his head toward his new enemy. "In a word…destruction, but you may refer to me as Cat Noir, the greatest warrior of the northern seas." What happened next Cat did not anticipate; both the pirates and his own crew began to laugh at him. That was not at all what I was going for, he thought to himself. "Very well then, let's try this then." He then leveled his sword at the mast of the enemy long ship, and with a single thought the blade magickly extended straight into the mast more than twenty feet away. In and instant the laughter stopped as the ship's mast began to buckle and crash to the deck below, Cat then turned to his crew and saw that his performance had cause all of them to go slack jawed. With a smirk he said. "What's wrong men? Don't recognize the greatness of your own captain when he stands before you?"
"Captain?" One of his crew uttered as they were dumbstruck with disbelief. "How is this even possible?"
"I thought I made it very clear not to ask any questions." He replied as he retracted his sword and pointed it to the deck of his own ship and propelled himself toward the enemy vessel, he landed on the deck of the ship and asked the captain jokingly. "Permission to come aboard?"
"Permission…DENIED YOU DAMN CAT!" He replied as he swung a morning star mace at his head. Cat simply ducked under his attack and delivered a swift kick to his abdomen then performed a backflip and kicking him in the chin.
"That's Cat Noir to you my friend." Cat replied just before he quickly turned to see another Viking rushing at him with a spear aimed right for his chest, Cat simply stepped to the side then sliced off the head of the spear and bashed the pommel of his sword into the Viking's face, then he turned back to the pirate captain just as he began to swing his morning star at him again, only this time Cat simply blocked his blow and engaged him in combat. Sparks flew as their steel clashed, the pirate barely had time to react as he quickly found that his opponent was much faster than he'd anticipated. The pirate began to worry for himself as he had never fought a foe quite like Cat Noir before.
"How are you this good?" The pirate asked as he and Cat found themselves in a deadlock.
Cat simply smiled and said. "Well it comes with the territory when your raised in the manner I was. Ever sense I was a child I trained for a moment like this." Cat then gripped onto his opponent's wrist then somersaulted backwards and tossed the pirate over his head and into some of his crewmen. "I don't know about you guys but I have a feline the odds of you guys winning this are purrrtty slim."
As the captain slowly rose from the deck of his ship he began to grit his teeth and shouted. "A thousand gold pieces to the man who brings me his head!" This usually would motivate his men into rushing and killing a foe that their captain found annoying, but for once his men were far too afraid to stand against the likes of Cat Noir, and both he and Cat could see that.
"Hmm…seems to me that your men are ' fur' too scared of me, but I can't say that I blame them. I've been given power from the gods themselves, making me the most powerful mortal alive." He quipped as he leaned on his sword like a cane with his chin resting on the pommel and one foot crossed behind the other.
"All of you KILL HIM! OR I'll kill you all myself!" The captain ordered as he shoved a couple of his crew towards Cat Noir, Cat smirked as he readied himself for battle again.
"Captain…" Sven called out to him from across the water. "Do you require assistance?"
Cat simply waved him off and said with a high level of confidence. "Nah, I got this." He then lifted up his sword and blocked an incoming battle axe, then he pushed his sword up into the hook of the axe head and with force he pulled the axe out of it's owner's hands then he spun around on one foot and kicked him off the deck of the ship itself into the briny deep below, he quickly ducked down just as another pirate swung a sword at him while his back was turned, then in an instant Cat quickly lunged his sword backwards delivering a well placed blow to the Viking's chest piercing his heart, killing him instantly. After he pulled out his sword he then hopped to the side and engaged in combat with two more pirates, he leapt and ducked as he dodged each attack one by one until he was forced into a corner, just before the two pirates lunged forward with a killing blow Cat quickly extended his sword into the deck propelling him upward just high enough to evade the blow, then with the momentum he'd picked up from projecting himself into the air he pulled his sword out of the deck and spun into a barrel roll while holding the sword at his side slicing through both the swords of the pirates, once he'd landed with grace he then swung his blade and decapitated both pirates in an instant.
"Fire the ballista!" The pirate captain ordered to his crew as they took aim at Cat with a rather large ballista with an equally large bolt loaded into the shaft. Cat then lowered the upper half of his body as he ran forward toward the ballista at top speed, and also discovering that he was much faster than he was before, just as the ballista fired Cat then leapt into the air and landed on the shaft of the bolt then continued to run forward as the bolt was in midflight, as he came to the end of the bolt he continued to run onto the ballista itself and ran straight toward the shooter of the ballista, once he'd gotten close enough he then spun on his heel into a crouched position and slashed the shooter's throat with one swift slash of his sword. He then leapt into an air born barrel role and slashed the handles of the ballista off as he landed with grace. "You're a tenacious one I'll give you that." The captain began to spout to his new foe who it would seem was untouchable by any of his men. "But not even you can overcome all of us at once." All the pirates then began to surround Cat and level their weapons at him.
Cat simply smiled and said. "I guess you're not fully convinced yet, let me show you. CATACLYSM!" Cat Noir then lifted up his hand and just like magic little black bubbles began to float around his hand. "Apparently I can destroy anything I touch…like…this entire ship for example."
Cat then hovered his hand over the railing of the ship as if he was actually going to touch the ship and destroy it, up until the pirates all started to cry out in a panic for him to stop, all except the captain who simply said. "Are you all this dense? So he's a skilled fighter that doesn't mean he's acquired any abilities from the gods. I'll bet anything that he's bluffing."
Cat simply grinned devilishly and said. "I'll take your bet sir, hope you know how to swim." Without another word Cat plopped his hand onto the rail of the ship and in an instant the chaos began to unfold as the wood of the ship began to rot and disintegrate into nothing but splinters.
The pirates barely had time to register the fact that their ship was disintegrating into nothing more than driftwood, before the ship was fully deteriorated into nothing Cat quickly gave a mocked salute and extended his sword propelling him back to his own ship. As soon as he did the hull of the ship began to collapse in on itself and water began to rush inside of what was left of the ship with the pirates sinking into the brine below. As the pirates began to struggle and splash about Cat Noir and his crew simply stood and laughed at their dilemma as they desperately tried to keep their heads above the water. A few of them even began to plead for their rivals to save them from what they'd feared were sharks in these waters.
Feeling merciful Cat ordered his men to help the pirates aboard but also cautioning them not to try anything funny otherwise they'd be thrown back into the drink. As they tied up the last of the pirates and put them down below in the brig the captain started ranting on about how their quarrel wasn't over and that he'd have his revenge upon Cat Noir for making him look like such a fool in front of all his men, until Adrien, who was now de-transformed back to his normal self gagged him just so he and his men, and of course the rest of their prisoners, could get some sleep through the long night. It wasn't until after Adrien had turned the pirates over to an allied village to have them properly sentenced for their crimes upon the high sea that Adrien and his crew discovered this particular pirate's nickname was Loud mouth Louie, not only was he famous for being a savage cut throat but he was also louder than a thunder clap when he wanted to be and had enough words to fill more than two barrels, which was another reason why they had to gag him, also that there was an outstanding bounty for him and his crew up to five hundred thousand gold pieces and fifty barrels of the finest mead in the region provided by the local Jarl himself. That night Adrien and his crew celebrated their victory and their first successful fight against a group of seasoned pirates, they spent a small sum of their loot on fresh meat which they had roasted and devoured like a pack of ravenous dogs, but while his crew all sat and made marry in the tavern Adrien was int the midst of learning more about his new trinket which clearly had more to it than it appeared to have, Plagg also revealed to Adrien that this harmless looking ring was actually a mystical piece of jewelry known as a miraculous which was said to be thousands upon thousands of years old. The more that Adrien learned about his power the more questions he found he had which he felt he needed answered. Of course Plagg was happy to answer every last question he had, or at least he would be after he was done stuffing his face.
Adrien was sat in the captain's quarters of his long ship with a plate of fresh cooked mutton, two slices of bread, camembert cheese for Plagg mostly, olives and a tankard of warm mead. He sat with his kwami simply watching him stuff an unreasonable amount of cheese down his throat as he waited for him to finish eating so he could have more of his questions answered. "I swear the only creature in the nine realms that could rival your appetite would have to be Jormungandr." He declared as he watched in amazement that such a small creature could eat so much but not be even close to sated.
Plagg then looked over to his owner, swallowed and said. "For your information when it comes to eating I've got every body beat, if you were to pit me up against all the honored fallen in the halls of Valhalla I bet you I could win hands down." He then turned back to eating his cheese, the sent of which was enough to make Adrien's nose turn up.
"Of all the things for you to want to eat why did it have to be this fowl smelling cheese?" He asked rhetorically.
"Well if you want to keep this power coming then stinky cheese is the deal my friend." Plagg replied as he popped another wedge in his mouth.
Adrien simply rolled his eyes as he returned to his dinner. "So…" He began to ask with his mouth full of mutton. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the old man who gave me your ring would you?"
Plagg swallowed again and replied. "I'm sorry my friend, but I am forbidden to speak of the master, sorry."
"The master? Is that what you call him?" Adrien asked with a raised brow as he took notice of that small but important detail.
Plagg then nodded his head and said. "Yes, but that's all I'm at liberty to say at the moment, if you want to learn more then you're on your own."
Adrien sighed as he came to realize that this was going to bother him for quite some time, he had hoped that Plagg would've been at least a little more helpful than this. But now that he had the power he needed to complete his self-given task successfully he wouldn't complain too much about it. Adrien's mind then traveled back to an argument that he'd had with his father just two weeks before leaving his village.
Two weeks ago…
Adrien began to make his way up the stairs to the shield hall of which the entire village would enjoy a warm meal when the need suited them, but Adrien was not in the mood for a hearty meal at this moment he was enraged to be told by his nursemaid Natalie that his father had made a critical decision regarding his son's future without his knowledge or consent involving the only daughter to the chieftain of a neighboring island. "Adrien please your father is only doing what's best for you." Natalie said trying to calm him down from his fit of rage as she stood in his way.
But Adrien had decided that he'd had enough and bellowed at her in the loudest voice he cold muster. "IF I'M OLD ENOUGH TO TAKE A WIFE THEN I'M OLD ENOUGH TO MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS!" He pushed past her and kicked open the doors to the hall and marched toward his father who sat on his throne kicking over chairs in a blind rage, eighteen years of obedience had finally taken it's tole, he had decided that he'd had enough. "FATHER!" He bellowed rattle the very timbers of the hall as if he were Thor himself.
Gabriel simply sighed resting his head on his fist as he seemed uninterested in what ever fit his son was in. "Can this wait Adrien…" He said hardly paying attention.
But rather than the usual submissive performance from him Adrien responded with a very aggressive, vicious… "NOW!" As he grabbed a near by table and flipped it over spilling all it's contents onto the floor.
Gabriel then stood with an angry scowl on his face and began to address his son. "Really, was that necessary?" He asked bluntly.
"You tell me old man!" Adrien roared back with a fiery rage in his eyes and venom in his voice.
Gabriel then lifted his hand as if to tell everyone else to leave the hall, his subjects did so without hesitation as they all knew that this would turn ugly fairly quickly if it hadn't already. "Adrien, why are you acting like a child?" He asked his son with clear disapproval of his behavior.
Quick as a whip Adrien snapped. "Why are you treating me like one?!"
"What ever this is about just spit it out I'm not interested in playing games with you." Gabriel stated his annoyance.
Adrien then shouted as he picked up a spilt tankard and threw it at his father just missing his head. "This isn't A GAME! You're trying to tie me down to some southern whore who I don't even know!"
"That's what this is about? Your marriage into the Rossi clan?" Gabriel asked twice still sounding annoyed with his son for disturbing him.
"It's more than just that!" Adrien added with rage. "From the day I could hold a sword you've forced me to train day in and day out and I've never even been on a field of combat! How am I supposed to lead when I've never even tested my steal?! Let alone lead a family!"
"We've been over this Adrien…" Gabriel began to shout only for his son to cut him off.
"NO…" He shouted. "I'm a man now, I can make my own decisions and I've decided that I'm taking a man's quest, and I'm not coming back until I've decided I've had my fill." Adrien then turned away from his father and stormed back towards the door.
"Adrien I forbid it!" His father spat.
Adrien stopped for a brief moment only to shout back. "Blow it out your horn!" Then he continued onward back to his room where he began to pack his garments and a few weapons.