Author's Note: 'Ello there and welcome to my first ever God of War fanfic!
I've kind of become obsessed with this franchise for the last two weeks or so, thoroughly enjoying jacksepticeye's playthrough of Ragnarök.
Something to keep in mind: I've yet to play any God of War game, so certain areas might not add up.
Tether
Atreus thought that after Jötunheim, everything would be all right. That the truth about his heritage would bring solace. But all it caused was greater confusion and questions with no answers.
At first, he tried to not think about it. He focused on more important matters like survival. If he let himself relax too much, then his skills would dull and he'd be more susceptible to the dangers of the world.
But eventually, his patience had run thin. He wanted answers. Unfortunately, there existed nobody that could provide him with any. At least, none that seemed satisfactory.
Father hadn't appeared interested in an explanation. Though Brok and Sindri had helped his mother, neither knew more than she had revealed. His best bet became Mimir and though he couldn't provide him with what he wanted, his stories about the giants brought him comfort.
Several months passed as Fimbulwinter grew worse with each day. The cold that had once bothered him so much slowly turned into an old friend. More often than not, he wandered the lands of Midgard – his thoughts filled with the prophecy that remained a haunting memory. It also didn't help the dream he'd had.
The sound of soft footsteps from behind brought him back to reality. Fenrir nudged his hand as a smile formed on his lips. They walked along the stave where draugr wandered on the other side. He took a deep breath and readied his bow. The closest ones turned to him when he stepped outside the shield.
"Þruma!"
Before they had a chance to stabilise, the undead had fallen to his bow. The rest turned to him with a roar and their weapons raised. He plunged his knife into one of them while Fenrir quickly took down the rest.
Once only they remained in the field, his attention turned elsewhere. Their journey continued further into the forest even as snow continuously fell from the sky. Eventually, they came upon some fresh tracks that looked to be wild boar. A lucky find.
The footprints led them to another clearing where they found the animal a few feet away. He readied his bow, took a deep breath, and let go of the arrow. It hit its mark.
The wild boar let out a cry and ran away. It didn't get far though as they chased after their prey. They found the animal on its side some distance away from the glade. As he approached, he sensed the fear of the creature. He stopped and recalled father's words:
"Close your heart to it."
It did the trick as he drew his knife and stabbed it into its neck. As he felt the life being drained away, he took out some rope to wrap around the wild boar's body. He grabbed one end of it while Fenrir grabbed the other. Together, they dragged the animal.
As they approached the stave, something prickled at the back of his mind. It felt like he was being watched. At first, he boiled it down to being tired and imagining things. However, it didn't last as Fenrir reacted too. The wolf's body stiffened as his yellow eyes trained on something hidden behind the trees. He stopped and turned around with his bow drawn.
"Who's there?"
There was a moment of silence. Then, two humans stepped out from behind a large boulder. They didn't look much older than him.
"Hey there, no need to get hostile," said the boy. "We're just passin' through."
"Who're you?"
"The name's Dagny, this be my brother Hakon," said the girl. "What about ye?"
Despite the voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like father, telling him to not engage in conversation, the words tumbled out anyway.
"I'm Atreus."
"Well then, Atreus, would ya mind sharin' yer game with us? Ya see, we're not very good at huntin' ourselves."
He couldn't tell whether that was a lie or not. To him, they seemed sincere. Not a danger. Still, he couldn't shake this strange feeling. Perhaps it was just paranoia thanks to father's teachings?
"It's all right if ye cannot," said Hakon. "We know that we're askin' a lot of ye right now. After all, ya don't know us."
"No, it's not that. I'm sorry, I can't give you this one... but I can help you track another if you want?"
"That sounds great!" Dagny smiled. "Yer kindness won't be forgotten, promise!"
Atreus returned the smile and then turned towards Fenrir. "Fen, you go on ahead home. Come find me once you're done, okay?"
The wolf seemed hesitant but after some reassurance, he eventually left. He sucked in a breath and turned towards the siblings.
"Shall we go?"
They went through the woods in search of another animal. It soon became apparent to him why they weren't so successful in hunting anything. They let their hunger control them. The sight of a creature – large or small – made them restless. It reminded him a lot of himself. Against all odds, they managed to hunt down a deer.
Now that he'd held up his end of the bargain, it was time to return home. However, the siblings managed to convince him to stay. But only for dinner. After that, they'd go their separate ways.
Their camp turned out to be a cave that was part of a mountain. The entrance was covered by a large red blanket to keep out the cold while the inside had a fireplace and some furs on the floor. Dagny prepared a fire as Hakon and himself skinned the animal. Soon enough, they had delicious meat and warmth.
After food, he couldn't help but wonder about the two of them. Where were they from? Not from around these parts as he'd never seen them before. What about their parents? Did they even have them, to begin with?
"Somethin' on yer mind?"
"Maybe? I was just thinking... I've never seen either of you before, where are you from? What are you doing out here?"
"It's not a happy story," said Hakon.
"If it's too painful for you, then forget I said anything."
"It's not that," said Dagny and sighed. "A couple of years back, me and brother were out explorin' the area. When we came home, everythin' was on fire. A man's walkin' away from the destruction who we know to be responsible for killin' our tribe. Ever since then, we've sworn to get revenge for our people."
"That's…" He was at a loss for words.
"But we're unable to get passed the barrier that surrounds the rest of the forest. Somethin' tells us that the man's there. I can feel it. And ye didn't seem that bothered by it."
"What do you mean?"
"We saw ya. Ye and that wolf stepped through the shield without much of a problem. Why's it that ye can do that and we cannot?"
"I…" He hesitated but eventually said, "My mother placed the protection stave there and now that she's gone, I maintain it."
The siblings seemed surprised. It quickly faded away though as their brown eyes filled with glee. The look alone brought back the sensation that he'd felt earlier, this time much stronger. And now he could identify it: dread.
"Yer the answer to our prayers then!"
"Please Atreus, tell us that ye can help us get through it. The man must be on the other side. There's no doubt."
Even as they pleaded, something didn't feel right. They kept going on about a man but not who or what he looked like. Before a decision could be made, he needed an answer.
"Could you… could you describe this man to me?"
"There's not much to tell… Memories are all foggy, the most we can recall is that he was broad and tall."
That answer was more than enough.
"No." He shook his head. "I'm– I'm sorry, but I can't help you any more than I already have."
The two seemed shocked at his words. Then their faces darkened. Time to leave. But before he could do that, his path was blocked by Dagny.
"Where do ye think yer goin'?"
"Please, let me go. I don't want to hurt either of you."
"Too bad. Because we're not goin' to give ya the same courtesy," said Hakon with a devilish smile. "I wonder… would yer death remove the barrier?"
"You don't want this fight."
The warning went unheard as Dagny approached him. He withdrew his dagger and stabbed her before she had a chance to do anything. Her scream echoed as he stepped out of the cave. Though he should probably run away and tell father, something stopped him in his tracks. Maybe it was bravery or stupidity but he wanted to try to convince them otherwise. After all, they were just kids like him. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least try.
So with his mind made up, he turned around and waited for them to get out. Neither looked to be in the mood for talking. The expressions on their faces sent a chill down his spine as each raised their weapons towards him.
"Please stop this! It's not too late for either of you to change your ways."
"Ye don't get it. Our family, our home, our livelihood's gone because of that man." His eyes burned with hatred. "We'll not stop until our hands are stained with his blood. There's no turnin' back now. Not for either of us."
"It doesn't have to end this way and you know it. You can choose to be better."
"Better? Ya mean like what yer doin' right now? That what ye mean? How noble. But ye see, we made up our minds years ago."
"Please."
"Why are ya so stubborn?! What's it to ye–?" The expression on her face faltered. "Wait, ye know this man? Ya do, don't ye?"
The secret was out and he saw no reason to hide it anymore. "He's my father. So I say this again: You don't want this fight."
The siblings didn't seem that deterred by his admission. Instead, it evoked a different reaction.
"Oh, this be perfect! Yer in luck, instead of killin' your father we'll settle for ye. He took away our family, so we'll take away his. Kinda poetic, don't ye think?"
Atreus remained silent. It didn't matter though as they charged at him. At first, he hesitated using his full strength as they were human. But it soon became clear that he didn't have a choice. Thankfully, the two proved no worse than draugr except that they bled and were loud. Every time he landed a hit on them – whether through his feet, fists, or weapons – they'd get angry. And every time that happened, they somehow became faster and stronger.
The whole situation was a conundrum. Anyone else would lose momentum the further a fight went but they didn't. Did their rage fuel them somehow? But the only ones that– oh. Oh. Now it all made sense. It also meant that he couldn't let things continue for much longer. So with that in mind, he put some distance between them and then readied his bow.
"Nista!"
The arrow embedded itself into Dagny's throat.
"No!" Hakon fell to his knees as he clutched her body. "Sister… Please, don't."
She reached for him and opened her mouth to speak. No words came out though, only blood. She smiled as her eyes rolled to the back of her skull. Hakon let out a cry that quickly turned into a roar that sounded inhuman. Then he turned his gaze to him.
"Ye… Yer a monster!"
That stung and though he shouldn't, he hesitated. Hakon didn't. He had no time to avoid or block the attack, all he could do was redirect it. Instead of his heart, the sword went through his stomach. The intense pain was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Hakon growled as he pushed him backwards until his feet were at the edge of the cliff. He held onto the blade's handle to not fall, but his strength was waning fast.
"Why won't ya die?!"
"It's difficult to kill a god, isn't it?"
His words turned out to be the greatest diversion as he reached for his knife. Hakon's eyes widened when he plunged it into his throat. He didn't have time to say another word as blood gushed from his wound. In the next moment, both of them fell backwards.
The air whooshed past him before he hit the ground with a thud. Atreus sucked in a breath and looked at the sky. Had it always been that beautiful? Okay, maybe it wasn't the time for a distraction. He attempted to get up but with the sword still through him, that turned out to be the worst idea in the world. So, what now? Then he remembered.
"Fen–" All right, that hurt. "Fen!"
A moment of silence. Then soft footsteps approached him followed by a whine.
"Hey, good boy," he said and scratched the wolf's jaw. "I'll be okay, but I need you to do something for me." He looked around and found his bow several paces away from them. "Get my bow and take it to father."
Fenrir licked his hand but eventually did as asked. When he had gone, Atreus turned his attention elsewhere. What now? He had to keep awake until father arrived. This might be a good time to assess all the injuries he sustained.
There were bruises all over his arms and legs, a cut ran across his cheek that he'd not noticed until now, and he also realised there were some scratches on his hands. Apart from that, everything seemed intact.
His eyes drooped and he had to jostle the blade to keep himself from falling asleep. Not a pleasant experience but it was effective. He let his thoughts wander to the events that just took place. If he had just a little more time, maybe he could have convinced them otherwise. Or perhaps he should have worded things differently. Would that have helped? He sighed. None of it mattered now. As far as he was concerned, he'd failed.
"Atreus!"
He looked up in time to see father and Fenrir run towards him. The obvious concern in his gaze eased his nerves more than he cared to admit.
"What happened?"
"I'll tell you later," he said. "Right now, I need help pulling this out before I can heal myself."
It seemed like father wanted to argue but relented. He grasped the handle and promised to pull it out at the count of three. He did it at one. The scream that came from Atreus echoed all around. He didn't have time to think about it as his father's hand pressed against the wound. His eyes shut as he concentrated on closing it. Eventually, he felt the warmth of magic flow through his body as the pain lessened. And with it, his energy drained.
…
Atreus woke up to a wooden ceiling and the hearth ablaze. At first, confusion filled his mind. What happened? Why was he lying in bed? He attempted to sit up but hissed as pain shot through his entire body. The fur that covered him slid down as he saw the bandages around his abdomen. Oh. Now he remembered.
"Ah, finally up now, little brother?" said Mimir. "You gave us quite a scare if I do say so myself."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." He made another attempt to sit up, this time slowly. "Where's father?"
"Your da' went to gather some more wood. Should be here in a moment. Now tell me, what happened to ya?"
"I think it's better if I tell both of you once he's back."
"Fair enough."
As if on cue, the door swung open and father stepped through. Their eyes met as he placed the logs on the floor, right by the fireplace.
"You are awake."
"Yeah."
"How are your wounds?"
"I'm okay." He paused. "How long was I out for?"
"Two days."
"Two?! You must be joking."
"I do not joke."
"Right. Of course not."
"Atreus…" His father approached and knelt in front of him. "What happened to you?"
He sighed but eventually told them everything. By the time he was done, his father looked at him with an emotion that he couldn't decipher. It made him uncomfortable though.
"You let your guard down."
"I know."
"But you also survived. You did what you had to do and I am proud of you."
Though he still had some mixed feelings about the matter, that brought him some comfort.
"Thanks."
"But who would've thought that berserkers were still around? I've not seen or heard of them in a while. What's the history between them and you, brother?
"I killed their tribe. They threatened our livelihood, so I killed them all. Or at least, I thought that I did."
"Aye, that makes sense."
The conversation dropped as he offered him some food. He gratefully accepted. Mimir filled the silence once it became too awkward. The distraction was good but not enough ease his mind from something else. After dinner, he hesitated only a moment before he cleared his throat.
"Father? Am I– am I a monster?"
"Where did you hear that?"
"Hakon said it right after– right after I killed his sister." He paused and sighed. "It's just– it feels like no matter what I do, I'm going to mess up. I didn't want to kill either of them. But I also couldn't let them be and become a problem in the future. I wanted to change their minds. But I…"
Father sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Vengeance can make a person blind. You may try to convince them to let it go but they will not listen to reason easily." He paused and placed a hand on the side of his head. "You are not a monster. You tried your best even with the odds against you. That is very admirable."
The ugly emotions that swirled inside him finally diminished. They weren't all gone but made bearable.
"Thank you, father."