Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Dag felt a strange sensation when he entered the room where he and Freydis had made love. 

The bed was still in disarray, as was every other object in the room, out of its position due to the passionate impetus of the two lovers, who made that room their love nest.

He undressed and went to bed, managing to smell Freydis on the pillow, under which there was still some red hair. 

After a deep breath, Dag closed his eyes, ready to leave for a new mission.

He fell asleep.

...

"Yeah, I can smell the sweets, we're almost there!" Hiro said in a low voice as he and Dag walked silently through a dimly lit hallway in the middle of the night.

"I still don't understand why we're doing this nonsense... Hiro, if Lady Ysabel catches us, we're doomed! She's will ground us for years!" the little Dag answered, who as usual was reluctant to do mischiefs.

"What could it be to borrow some pastries? Why can we eat only one each? Those delights are so tiny! You'll see, no one will notice! Now shut up and follow me, our door must be that one" the black-haired, slanted eyed boy continued.

Dag snorted and continued to follow his friend, decidedly more skilled in these kinds of things.

The two friends arrived in front of an ajar door, from which a ray of light came out, generated by a large LED lamp that illuminated the room.

The smell of sugar and chocolate became even stronger and Hiro put his hand on the door, beginning to open it without making a sound.

A grown man was cooking something in a large pot, which gave off a white smoke and a delicious smell.

Just behind him, not far from the door, there was a metal table, typical of the pastry shops.

On it, dozens of trays containing the sweets that were served at breakfast to all the children of the dormitory: small sweet sandwiches of circular shape filled with cream and chocolate.

"There's our treasure! Wow, look, they still look warm, Daggy!" Hiro said, moving by the door so as not to be heard and starting to lick his lips.

After making sure no one walked through the hallway, he grabbed the bottom of his cloth dress, with which the children used to sleep, and, being careful not to tear it, removed a button from it. 

"Hiro, do you think it's time to do this nonsense?! The cook can catch us at any moment!" Dag whispered, who was already breaking in a cold sweat. 

"Watch and learn!" his friend exclaimed, lowering himself and peeping through the door, trying to take aim.

Under Dag's curious and terrified gaze, Hiro deftly threw the button of his dress, which ended up on the floor across the room and caught the attention of the cook, who after hearing the noise, placed his chocolate dirty ladle next to the pot.

"Now! Come!" Hiro continued, grabbing Dag by the arm and dragging him into the room.

In a hurry, the two little pests took advantage of the few seconds that the man took to find the button to scratch as many sweets as possible.

After stealing about four sweets each and putting them in a dress fold, Dag and Hiro came out of the kitchen on tiptoe, undetected. 

"Hahaha! Run away, Daggy!" Hiro chuckled, running in front of him, quickly heading across the corridor to the dorm bedrooms.

Without waking up their companions, they entered the room and climbed onto their bunk bed, Dag below and Hiro above. 

While all the other children slept blissfully, the two friends began to greedily eat the stolen treats, giggling at each other, while their cheeks got dirty with chocolate.

"Hey! Can you tell me what are you doing?!" someone exclaimed softly.

Dag abruptly stopped eating and hid the two left sweets under the bed covers, while Hiro leaned out of the upper bed to see what was going on.

"Rami, you scared the hell out of me!" he exclaimed when he recognized their friend's face.

"But... but those are the chocolate sandwiches! Where did you get them?! I want one too!" Rami said, climbing on Dag's bed, who after calming down, shared the loot.

"Daggy and I are a surefire couple! Our strong point is teamwork, isn't it?" Hiro asked, looking out of his bed upside down, watching Dag, waiting for his confirmation.

Dag nodded his head, wiping his chocolate-covered mouth with his dress sleeve while enjoying the sweet victory, glad that once again, he and Hiro had completed one of their late-night missions.

...

The song of a rooster entered through the window of the room, and Dag slowly opened his eyes, returning to the present.

He turned belly up, looking at the ceiling for a few minutes.

"Hiro... lately I've been dreaming a lot about you, my friend... I wonder if you're okay. I miss our adventures in the middle of the night, together we felt invincible!" he thought, caught with a strong sense of melancholy.

Slightly numbed by the particularly immersive dream, Dag got up, cleaned up, and got dressed, walking out of the door of his room.

After a few seconds, Reidar joined him, on time as always.

Then it was Gridd's turn, who made them wait a few minutes longer.

"Well, let's go! I think Kjell and Ellen are waiting for us out there somewhere..." she exclaimed, who seemed particularly in shape.

After leaving the dormitory, they glimpsed the two Crows Masters Of Odin standing near the wooden platforms.

"I hope you feel quite refreshed, a long ride is waiting for us!" Ellen said, while Kjell had the same expression as always, serious and inexpressive.

"The Captain and I have traveled almost all of Okstorm on horseback, we're not afraid!" Reidar exclaimed cheerfully, making Dag smile too. 

The five warriors descended on the city, heading to the stable, where the horses began to toddle enthusiastically when they saw their masters again.