Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

He came up to her ear and whispered: "I know you've already figured it out, but I can't go back to Okstorm. The prophecy needs me... the human race needs me..." 

Freydis's eyes opened wide: although she had already imagined her man's decision, hearing him saying it explicitly destabilized her, leaving her a few seconds out of breath.

While the two lovers were close in a hug, a dozen of the men of the chromed army entered the building, to take possession of the structure, while the Hunters Of Ullr, feeling outnumbered and regretting their neutrality before meeting Dag, looked at the scene reluctantly, feeling like they were driven from their home, in the hope that Okstorm would offer them something better.

"Hey, you! You're really making me lose my temper! Don't try to make fun of us, kid! It's time to go!" the King's second guard exclaimed with malice, grabbing Dag's shoulder without warning and pulling him away from his woman.

Dag, feeling unbalanced backward, put his foot firmly on the ground and raised his knee to stop the movement.

Soon after, he grabbed the man's hand and tore it off his shoulder, turning toward him and looking at him with an incredibly menacing air.

The man, who wanted to respond with a violent gesture, was so intimidated by the young Master's purple and angry eye that he slowly retreated, turning his gaze towards his King, as if he was asking for his help in managing that irascible boy.

"Come with me, Freydis. Help me get my stuff" Dag said aloud, for everyone to hear.

Under the consenting gaze of King Einar, determined to leave a few more minutes to the young Master, Dag walked towards the entrance of the palace.

He put his hand on the side of the wooden door and turned back, looking at Egill and Gridd, who along with Reidar were watching his every move.

Then he said nothing, smiling at his companions, who barely understood his intentions.

Reidar, looking closely at the melancholy gaze of his captain, approached the Master Of Healing and whispered something in his ear.

By the time Dag and Freydis entered the palace, dozens of warriors in the King's army were already moving furniture and reorganizing the interior spaces to meet their needs, having been assigned as guardians of the Fort by the King himself.

Meanwhile, Dag and Freydis, trying to keep a low profile, went upstairs and entered their room, where only Dag's bag remained, containing some scrolls and the map he had found in the Claws Of Fenrir cave, along with other items of little value.

"What are you planning to do, Dag? Why did you ask me to come back here with you?" the red-haired Shieldmaiden asked, who despite her intuition pretended not to understand.

"The hour when I should have met Kranus has almost arrived. If I'll be fast, I'll be able to intercept him while he's on the road and prevent him and King Einar from crossing their path" he said, who hastily closed his bag and put it on his back, making sure his two weapons and the most important pieces of his equipment were in the right place.

"You won't leave with us? I thought you were just joking! It's crazy, Dag! Are you going to leave me again?! I won't let you go! We met again after a very long time, I wouldn't stand the idea of living again without you, don't do this to me!" she exclaimed, looking over her back and making sure none of the warriors were eavesdropping on their conversation.

"And then don't do it." 

"What?!" 

"Don't let me go alone." 

"Are you asking me to follow you on your suicide mission?!" 

Dag took a long deep breath, closing his eyes and remaining silent for a few seconds.

"Yes, that's just what I'm asking you." 

Freydis let go of her boyfriend's hand and began to walk compulsively inside the room, trampling on the straw that during those nights had been their bed. 

The fear she felt about Dag's proposal was evident and he was able to notice it by the way she moved. 

He knew that his woman had always been incredibly faithful to the Crown, starting from the experience of her father, who had worked for the King himself.

Freydis had spent her entire adolescence dreaming of continuing his work and honoring the name of her father Paul, who if he had not fallen ill a few years earlier, would have been in the place of one of King Einar's two bodyguards outside waiting for them.

"The whole of humanity, Freydis. That's what I'm talking about. All my life I've been waiting to know my true purpose, the true reason behind my obscure powers... and now I finally have a chance to find it out. You know my decision is irrevocable, and I can't force you to follow me... but risking my life again knowing I didn't even try to convince you would kill my soul forever. This world doesn't make sense without you by my side." 

Freydis got back closer to him, stopping less than a meter away and looking him intently in the eye.

Dag's eyes, unlike her own, which were filled with tears, were calm and serene, as if that decision were essential and as if it was part of his being and could not be questioned.

"I know nothing would change your mind, Dag. I never thought I'd fall in love with an earthling who, when he was a kid, could barely hold a sword in his hands. And yet here I am, still living only thanks to him" she said, weeping with joy.

"Life puts us in front of difficult choices. Only those who dare can achieve true happiness" Dag said, who unknowingly was much wiser than usual, seeing the King's arrival as a kind of divine signal that forced him to remain in that frozen land.

"I'll come with you. I'll follow you everywhere, till..."

"Till the edge of the world" he interrupted, anticipating her words, resting his hand behind her neck and passionately kissing her, wiping away the tears running down her face.