Aratheon - The Damaged Soul Pt. 01

Svala glares at him. "I will have Ruffles shit on your pillow if you utter one word about it to mother!"

We all laugh. Thorkel's face grows still. "Did you really teach him to do that?"

Svala only smirks. "You won't want to find out for sure. Besides, I want to be just like Aunty Ingithora. She goes out to sea with uncle Koll and fights beside him. I heard she cut a man's head off who tried to attack uncle Koll. She's a true warrior!" Svala puffs out her chest and pretends to be just like her.

"What about me? Don't you want to be like me? Aren't I a true warrior?" Thorkel asks, sticking out his bottom lip.

"Yes, but you're a man. I don't want to be a man. I want to be a woman. A shield maiden. And a sea navigator like Aunty Ingithora. I heard she can see the land from the other side of the sea!" She claims.

"I don't know about that, but I'm sure if you work hard enough you can become a warrior just like her," I say, scuffing up her hair. She smacks my hand away. "Maybe you should ask her to teach you how to navigate the sea."

"I have and she is." Her eyes go wide as her hands clamp against her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that. It was supposed to be a secret."

We all laugh. This time, Thorkel messes her hair up. "Don't worry little sister, your secret is safe with us."

"I want to be like father, uncle Koll, great uncle Alvi, and Aldam. Aldam's so strong he can shatter a boulder with a swing of his hammer. I saw him do it," Bodvar says as he imitates him. "That's why I collect hammers, because I want to be as strong as him."

Thorkel just smirks. "Is that so? You really think you can be as strong as him?"

He flexes his muscles to show us. "I'll be so strong; you bloody goat turds won't be able to beat me."

We all laugh as Bodvar crosses his hands against his chest. "You are a bunch of arselickers with cowpies for brains."

That only makes us laugh even harder.

"You know, in two summers, I will be old enough to go with you both on sea raids," Thormar declares.

"Is that so?" Thorkel asks as he brings his hand up to his beard to stroke it and his eyes narrow to consider Thormar.

"It is so. I'll become a man and I'll get married too," he says in all surety.

"Well, age isn't the only thing that determines if you're able to raid or not. You have to be brave, capable, and competent. Are you those things?" Thorkel asks.

"Well... Yeah. I think so," Thormar says as he runs a hand through his blonde hair. The back is completely shaved while Thorkel and I have our sides shaved and the tops long with the hair braided in typical Viking fashion.

"What does it mean to be competent?" Bodvar asks.

Thorkel and I chuckle.

"I'm competent. Does that mean I can raid?" Svala asks.

"You don't even know what that means either," Bodvar says as he kicks the back of her knee, making it buckle.

She turns to him and gives him a good kick in the shin, which earns a loud cry from him as he hobbles on one foot, holding his leg. "What in the name of Hel did you do that for?"

"Because you deserved it," she says, folding her arms against her chest and sticking her tongue out at him.

Bodvar goes to kick her right back, but she dodges out of the way and sticks her tongue at him again.

"Who are you going to marry, Thormar?" Thorkel asks with a devious grin.

"I don't know yet, but whoever she will be, she'll be a shield maiden," Thormar declares, beating his chest. "A smart one at that, like Aunty Ingithora."

"I want to marry Greiland Kollsdottir. She's a shield maiden, and she's got a big butt," Bodvar says. Thorkel and I nearly keel over with laughter. Bodvar tilts his head at us. "What? What is so funny?"

"Nothing, little brother, nothing at all," Thorkel says, patting his shoulder.

Our great uncle Alvi pops in with Gudrod behind him. Gudrod is all smiles as he walks up to us. "Hey, Thorkel! Hey, Bothvar! I can't believe you are both going to get married, although I'm not surprised it's to Asfrid and Arngunn. Are you guys nervous?"

"Of course not," Thorkel says with a smile, puffing out his chest.

"Speak for yourself," I mumble under my breath.

"I would be. Do you guys need any help with anything?" the boy asks with so much enthusiasm.

"I think we're all good, Gudrod. But thank you for asking," I say.

"Well, you boys have grown up right before my very eyes. I could not be prouder," great uncle Alvi says. "I swear to the gods, I blink and you go from a couple of knuckleheads who constantly get in trouble to full-grown men. Time stops for no one."

"You can say that again," Thorkel says, scratching his beard.

"Well, we just came to congratulate you two. It couldn't have been a more perfect pairing," Uncle Alvi says with a smile. "Just remember, a happy wife makes a happy life. Cherish the time you spend with them; you never know what moment will be your last. Trust me, I'm an old man who's lived it all."

"We will take your word for it, uncle," Thorkel says, patting him on the shoulder. But uncle pulls us both into a great big hug.

Then Thormar pesters him with more questions about his journeys. Especially west. Great Uncle Alvi, along with my father, are some of the few Vikings who journeyed west and lived to tell about the tale. Of course, this was long before they were betrayed by my uncle Borgar.

Just then, my father's long-time friend, Koll Alriksson, the husband of my mother's sister, Ingithora Alvisdottir, walks in with her by his side. His other two wives must be with our betrothed. With him is their eldest, Veleif, who is much older than Thorkel by several cycles, along with the second eldest son, Svafar, who is just a few cycles older than Thorkel, and Saxi, who's also older than Thorkel. Gilli and Tyrkir bring up the rear. Gilli is Thorkel's age, while Tyrkir is my age. The five daughters and the wives of the sons must be with Koll's other wives. I just noticed Starolf Saxison, Gudrik Svafarson, and Hunbogi Veleifson walk in behind. All three are Thormar's age. Their family is enormous enough to man Koll's ship without the aid of outsiders. That in itself makes Koll's family one of the wealthiest aside from our own. It helps when you don't have to cut your profits to your crew when they are all your children or your children's children. I couldn't imagine having three wives, especially seeing what my own father has to deal with. Koll is a patient man.

"It is good to see you all on this fine day, my nephews and my little niece," Aunt Ingithora says with a smile as she bends down and pulls my little brother Bodvar and Svala into a hug. She has her silky brown hair braided immaculately. Her eyes seem to shimmer blue. "You two are getting bigger every time I see you."

"We saw each other yesterday," Svala says. She tosses her blonde hair back.

"And yet it seems like you've grown at least a finger taller. You'll be a shield maiden yet," Aunty says. Svala's eyes go wide with a smile, but she quickly puts a finger to her lips. Ingithora smiles and winks at her. "Don't worry, it is still our secret."

Koll steps up to Thorkel and me and pats us both on the shoulders. His black beard has grown a little gray. "I cannot say I'm surprised to see you both tying yourselves to Hrut's daughters. May he feast in Valholl. You've been tied to them since the day any of you could walk. Hrut was a dear friend of mine and your father, and I know the man would be proud to give you his daughters' hands in marriage. He always knew only the strongest of Krakens would marry his daughters, and he was not wrong. You two will grow to give your father a run for his coin."

"Thank you. It means a lot to us," Thorkel says with a nod. "Living up to our father will certainly be a large shield to pick up."

"And there's no one better to do that than the two of you. Fighters from the day you fell out of the womb. Can't say I'm surprised with the womb you came out of. That woman makes a bear seem tame," he says with a chuckle. Ingithora punches him on the shoulder. He feigns being hurt. "What was that for?"

"That is my sister you're talking about," she says with eyes full of fire. And I can definitely see the resemblance when she has that look. The same flame my mother burns in her own eyes when she's mad. But Ingithora is a bit younger and far less temperamental. She turns to us and covers her mouth from Koll. "She does have a bit of a nasty temper, though. I've been at the wrong end of it far too many times."

"You're telling us. She nearly hung us up by our ankles on our own wedding day," Thorkel says with a laugh as he scratches the back of his neck. I laugh reluctantly. I swear the woman knows when you're talking about her. "Can she really turn us into pigs?"

"Ahh, there you are, sister," my mother says as she walks in. Ingithora gives us a silent nod, making us all go as stiff as a trunk. "I'm sure you aren't talking about me now, are you?"

See? It must be some kind of magic. Even Koll's eyes are as large as a gold coin. Ingithora just smiles. "Of course not. You always think everything is about you. We were just giving your sons some tips on how to maintain a good marriage. That is all."

"Okay. Well, come. Sigvor needs your help," she says as she grabs Ingithora's arm and practically drags her out of the hall.

"Your mother must have hearing like a hare," Koll says. The man has always been a hero to me. He's a tall man with broad shoulders. He keeps his hair cut short with a neatly trimmed beard that's showing specks of gray. But even he shows fear of my mother and her sisters.

"I think it's just when her name is spoken. Some kind of magic or something," Thorkel says, pulling at the collar of his tunic.

"Yeah, that could be it." He strokes his beard in consideration.

"So, are you two nervous? I was certainly nervous when I married Halldora and Thorballa. But I really didn't have a choice. The Cnut Daughters were going to marry me whether I liked it or not. Thankfully, I liked it," Veleif says. He has Koll's black hair with a short goatee and a mustache. He's just as tall as Koll and has the same build. Basically, a miniature Koll. Just one wife shy.

"I sure am. Especially after seeing how my mother is always bossing my father around. Is that what we have to look forward to?" I ask.

"I'm afraid so," Koll says with a laugh. "It gets worse when you marry more than one. They seem to gang up on you and you have nowhere to run. I can't even raid anymore without one of them coming with me. I swear they always have an eye on me."

"Speaking of raiding, Koll. I've wanted to talk to you about something. Why has no one ever sailed beyond the Dead Sea? Beyond the Elven Woods. Thormar has a bunch of maps of islands farther west with Southern Pirates. Could there be more plunder there?" Thorkel asks.

"That's what I have been saying!" Thormar says, flinging his hands in the air.

"Your father and I discussed this many times. South may be our familiar hunting grounds, but we both agree west might hold more opportunity. However, there are far more dangers to the west. You know why we call ourselves the Kraken clan?" Koll asks as Thorkel shrugs and I shake my head no. "Because it is real. A monster unlike any you've ever seen. It stalks the waters out to the northwest. I've seen it myself take down a ship. Long tentacles that can reach taller than our masts. I've seen it drag ships down under. That's not the only danger out there, nor the only monster. There's a monster that can suck the water into what looks like a whirlpool, but don't be deceived. If you get close enough, you'll see its teeth rise out of the water like shark fins. It has long tentacles that snare you and drag you into its gaping maw that leads into the abyss. They call it the Charybdis. The only problem is that it's between a pass, and the only way around it is to sail near a different monster with multiple heads. Some call it a Scylla. If you get past them, you'll have to fight off the Merrow."

"The Merrow?" Thormar asks, narrowing his eyes. "I've never heard of them."

"It's good you haven't, boy. They're people of the sea, like mermaids but far more vicious. They'll attack anything that comes into their waters. I've heard they eat the flesh of their victims. No one knows for sure because no one has fought them and lived to tell the tale," he says.

"Then how do we know about them?" I ask.

"That is a good question, isn't it? Well, my father was sailing out to raid when he saw the Merrow attack a ship in front of him. They killed everyone on board. Fortunately, my father's ship turned tail and ran. Everyone on the ship will give you the same story. These Merrow... uh... fish people swarmed the ship and attacked like rabid dogs. And those aren't the only things you have to worry about. There are lots of those Southern Pirates you have to fight. And then there're the elves. They call themselves the Golden High Elf Trading Company and have a fleet of ships dedicated to capturing and killing pirates. They link us in with them for good reason. I've heard other tales of even more things under the sea. Like sea wizards that are also like mermaids. And mermaids themselves. Plus, the Cirein-croin among others we haven't even discovered yet. I've even heard tales of a creature called the Leviathan and a turtle as big as an island named Mackinaw."

"What if we stay closer to the shoreline? Surely the Merrow won't come that close," Thorkel asks.

"Perhaps. Then what about the elves?" he asks.

"We'll take them as slaves," Thorkel says.

"That is easier said than done. Trust me. But I think it's possible to go west and avoid these dangers. I certainly wanted to try in my youth. Still do. Perhaps you could be right. Maybe if we sail with the shoreline in sight, we might be able to avoid the dangers of the sea monsters and the Merrow. Perhaps," he says as he runs his fingers through his beard. "I'll have to talk to your aunt and your father about such things."

Thorkel nods. Koll puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. "We will see. Anyhow, we just came to wish you good fortune before the ceremony. We'll talk about this later. Okay?"

Thorkel nods. Koll clasps our arms one after another before he leaves. Veleif gives us both a pat on the shoulder. Saxi and Svafar do the same. Gili and Tyrkir each pull us into bear hugs. Starolf, Gudrik, and Hunbogi all give nods. Then Starolf and Gudrik clasp Thormar's hand before they leave.

Aldam Bronzehammer comes in with two boxes. He's no taller than half a man, but stronger than five at the very least. Our people have a great deal of respect for dwarves. There are no finer craftsmen, and they are fierce warriors. "Well, kiss a ram's ass and call me an elf. I never thought you two arsefaces would finally find enough sense to settle down, even though you and those girls are practically attached to the hip."

The old dwarf always had a way with words, and he pulls laughs out of us. Especially our little siblings. Svala most of all. "They are definitely arsefaces."

Aldam laughs. "You've always been my favorite, Svala. These idiots have brains made out of pig shit, but yours is pure gold."

"Hey, are we not your best apprentices?" Thorkel asks, acting offended.

"Ehh, you're not my worst. I'll admit, you all have proven to be not total troll shit with a hammer, and your work isn't complete garbage. Not like some people I've seen banging on an anvil. Let me tell ya, and I've seen some goblin piss excuses for blacksmiths. Especially with you humans. Even some dwarves need to take the hammer out of their arses. You should see some of those Southern goat humpers. They couldn't tell the head of the hammer from the grip. Bloody bunch of slags, the lot of 'em. Although I heard from my mother and father that the little princeling might have some potential. He's training with them and my cousin Prince Borlann Ironhammer. Apparently, he's not a total royal snob."

"You speak highly of a Southern prince? Surely, he's nothing but a swine fucker,' Thorkel says with clear disdain.

"You listen here, boy. I'll give you a lesson that you should never forget. Never underestimate your enemy, or anyone, for that matter. Just because he's your enemy and you hate him doesn't mean he's weak or stupid. Hell, it doesn't even mean he's wrong or even evil. But don't mistake them for fools or you'll see your mistake at the cost of your life. As much as I hate those tree-hugging, deer-humping, pointy-eared, bastard Wood Elves, I won't underestimate their military might and I know they're not lacking for brains. They are one of the fiercest enemies I have ever faced on the battlefield, and I have much respect for them as warriors even though I would love to bash their skulls in with my hammer. You should do well to keep that in mind if you ever do find yourselves on the opposite side of the battlefield from this Prince Arald. He's the son of the same man who proved my point. King Teowulf was a great man and a fierce warrior, but he made the same mistake of underestimating King Vandil and it earned him his death. Learn from his mistake and don't make it with the little princeling even though he's most likely a stuck-up little prissy boy."

"You always speak the truth, as hard as it is to hear, my friend," Thorkel admits as he puts his hand on Aldam's shoulder. "I'm grateful we had the opportunity to learn from you. I won't underestimate this prince, but one day we will face him and take back what is rightfully ours. That I promise you."

"Aye. I don't doubt it. You two have grown to become men I respect. That's rare. Just don't let your hate for these Southerners lead you to a war that would leave many of your people dead. Trust me, my people have learned the hard way about the cost of war. We've fought the Wood Elves ever since our two races discovered each other many centuries ago. Many great dwarves died in our wars with the elves, and what for? Neither side has gained an inch. The only thing we've accomplished with our fighting is death and destruction. We've lost a lot of our great creations and some of the most honored heroes in these battles, and I've lost some of my closest friends and family during the many wars we've had. It's made me a bitter old dwarf. That's why I'm here. My siblings and I have come to the north to find what was lost. To find our way once more. The way of the hammer and forge. Before our wars, we sought to create and build, but we've become destroyers instead. Don't make our mistakes. Carve your own path."

Skardi, Solmund, and Griotgard walk in looking a bit more groomed than earlier. Aldam gives us both a nod. "Well, I'll be off. There are a few more things I need to be doing before the wedding. I just came to wish you good luck and give you these. You've both earned them."

He hands us the two boxes and we open them to find a hammer for both of us. Not just any hammer, they're beautifully crafted hammers that are really lightweight and well-balanced. It looks smoother and brighter than iron.

"Is that steel?" Thormar asks.

"No. It's better. Lighter than steel and just as hard. Not as strong as Nedraetium, but far lighter. You can't find the metal around here. It's only found in lands far south of here," the dwarf says.

"I don't know what to say, my friend. This gift is much appreciated," Thorkel says.

"Yes, this is far better than we deserve," I say with a smile.

"Aye, for once, I'm proud to disagree with you. You boys have earned those. Just promise me, you'll only use them to create and not destroy. That is what it means to be a Bronzehammer and a blacksmith. We use our hammers to build and not break," he says with pride.

Both Thorkel and I nod. "We will."

"Good, now I'll be off. Much to do and little time to do it," the dwarf says as he walks out, grumbling about all the things that need to be done.