In the 'castle' some voices are heard near Sigurd's room. He can't even react cause the door is blast away and a bigger version of Kai is in the room. Just that nothing except for his genetics is like Kai. His shirt is wrinkled his pants are large and a belt is keeping them from not falling and a pair of flip flops are revealing his toes. His hair is tied in a messy bun and his beard is unkept.
"Where is Nissa?"
"Who the fuck are you! Can't you open the damn door like a normal being?"
"Nissa is not in the house. Did you see her? I am worried."
Sigurd rises his eyebrow and takes his boots.
Both are going down in a hurry and in the hall Thyra and Jan are talking.
"The food had the right amount of salt. It is a blessing to have you as a chef. Our chef is not very talented."
"You mean Lukas?"
"Yea, dad doesn't want to hire a chef. He still thinks he is the one who knows what's the best for us. It is bullshit."
Sigurd is looking at Thyra and is wondering what is she doing here.
"We are here for the camp. I guess dad was to busy finding Nissa and didn't even introduce himself. Dad?"
"Sorry Sigurd I forgot for a moment you have memory loss. I am Lukas, your uncle."
The big man hugs Sigurd and smiles bright.
"Nice … to meet you … too."
Sigurd's breath regulates after the tight hug. The man was strong. But he looked like a wife who just lose his kid.
"Nissa is somewhere around here. Don't worry!"
Sigurd assures him because Lukas seems lost in worry. He reminded Sigurd of his mom.
"How do you know? I searched everywhere! What if she …."
"Dad, calm down! Breath!"
Thyra is instructing him how to breath and he calms down a little.
Sigurd is wondering where was Nissa too at this point. Did she run away?
The entrance door is open and Nissa is stepping inside followed by Waylin.
"Nissa, my darling! I almost died worrying! Don't go away without leaving a note again! Never!"
"I missed you too uncle! You gained more muscles! Wonderful!"
"I know you like muscles. See? Recently I worked my biceps. Especially for my favorite niece!"
"WOW! It is so big! You got to tell me what you did!"
"NO! A girl should never have big muscles. Period. I will do them for you. You can enjoy my muscles. Deal?"
"How you say, uncle…."
Sigurd sighs. Their relationship had some screw losses but probably what matter was that he cares a lot about her.
Waylin is silent and watches unbothered what was happening. No need to say useless thinks. He looks at Sigurd and glares.
'What is wrong with him too?!'
Sigurd is thinking of going upstairs when Lukas is grabbing him by the hand.
"I have some gifts for both of you! Let's go and take them from the carriage!"
Lukas is dragging Sigurd and Nissa is running in front of them excited.
The carriage is open and one by one the gifts inside are given to the new possessor.
"Here… this is a bow I made it myself. This is perfect for you, Sigurd."
One fine gift would say Sigurd. The bow was splendid. It was light and when it stretches is easy to pull. Sigurd smiles excited.
"It is indeed perfect! Thanks uncle Lukas."
Lukas urges him to shoot. Lukas takes an arrow and starches the boy in a perfect form. Poor think the arrow is flying right in the window of his balcony.
"Well, you will have to practice more. Don't be discouraged!"
Sigurd looks and the thought of the cold night air getting in his room at night makes him shiver. He will probably move rooms.
"Yrsa is going to kill me."
"NO! I will talk to her. She will need to pass over me!"
Sigurd is starting to like the foolish attitude of Lukas.
"No need. I will take responsibility for what I did."
"You should let another stand for you sometimes. There will be times when your parent and I will not be around anymore a kid till you can. Let us be there for you. Are you ready? I will spoil you lots!"
Lukas jumps on him and tickles him. Sigurd start to laugh and for a moment he losses his rigidity. Nissa joins and they are having a thickly battle. Nissa and Sigurd lose and Lukas wins.
"You are right. But is hard to be a kid again. Letting others spoil me … I don't really deserve that .... Forget what I said."
Sigurd is taking the bow from the ground and asks Lukas to show him more gifts.
A vase is the second gift.
"This is what I needed. I couldn't put flowers in the room. Now that is from you is perfect."
"I knew that Yrsa didn't have this kind of stuff. She is way to masculine to have vases."
"You are right."
Nissa is smiling. She is glad that Sigurd is opening to Lukas. Her gift was a pair of new reins and a small necklace.
The gifts continue. A new scarf for Sigurd, A pair of flip flops for Nissa, a fur vest for Sigurd, a dress for Nissa and the gifts continue.
"Is this the last gift?"
Sigurd is asking Lukas tired of probing the new gifts.
"Well, a have something special for some of you at the end."
"What?"
Both Nissa and Sigurd were curious.
"For Nissa I have new sword."
"WOW! This is beautiful."
The sword has on the handle painted wolves and the blade was red.
"For Sigurd I have a blanket that is with double fur. You wanted this last time I saw you. Sorry if it doesn't suit your taste now."
"NO! GIVE IT TO ME! I WILL USE IT EVERY NIGHT!"
"Then I am glad!"
They are supposing to move all the thinks in the 'castle '.
It took them few hours to move all the things.
After all the work, now they are eating together.
"Where is Karlen? Jan said he is here too?"Lukas is looking at the siblings.
"….."
"…."
Nissa and Sigurd are gulping on food pretending to not here what Lukas is saying. The tension between them was also evident.
"Sigurd, please go and take Karlen! The food is getting cold."
Sigurd is silent and rises without saying anything. He doesn't want Lukas to know they fought. And, he doesn't want to argue with him after he asked him in such a calm tone.
The stairs seem to not end. He stares in front of Karlen's door. With an expressionless face he knocks at the door.
"Yes…"
The door opens.
"Let's eat!"
"I will eat later."
Karlen is about to close the door when Sigurd stops him.
"Shut up and come to eat! Lukas said to call you out."
"Still…"
"I am mad at you but that doesn't mean I am so heartless to put you to eat alone! Let's get along for the sake of my uncle! Come!"
"If you say so …"
Karlen closes the door and goes to the kitchen with Sigurd.
"Karlen! Sit here!"
Lukas invites Karlen next to him. They start to talk a little about the camp coming.
"So Yrsa agreed? That's good. You are a man and without knowing how to swing a sword your pride will have to suffer. You did good convincing that women."
"I am glad my uncles support me."
Sigurd and Lukas are vibing well while Snow is talking to Waylin and Karlen eats in silence.
"Are you again a leader?"
Waylin is feeding Snow some cucumber slices.
"Yea. Mom put me again. But I am super excited to fight everyone. Especially you."
"This year you will lose if you will keep flirting with me in the fight. Dad trained with me a little."
"Then I will just be even more excited. Except from Sigurd no one who fought me won. Not even you."
"Sigurd?"
Waylin glares at Sigurd and eats the cucumber for Nissa.
"Yea that was my cucumber! Give it back!"
"Why would I give you? Take it yourself!"
"Are you jealous?"
"Me jealous?!I am just tired of feeding you. You are already nineteen. Shouldn't you act more like a lady?"
"I will act how I want! I am myself. Lady or not. I don't even want you to feed me anymore."
They are fighting over food on the table as a nonverbal fight.
"Karlen, I heard you fight with Nissa. Are you ready for the camp?"
"I must learn more. But I am ready."
"A calm attitude is essential in a fight. This will be your skill in winning along with a ready to learn spirit. As a fellow hunter I think your overall personality is perfect as a hunter. Keep it up."
"Thank you, sir."
Sigurd is looking at Karlen with a different perspective.
'So, Lukas can be serious too. He sounds like he knows what he is saying'
'Is my attitude no good?'
"Well for Sigurd …. I will just say that you are too fiery. Your short temper will drag you down in no time. Also, you are not very attentive a willing to let others teach you. Just because you beat Nissa once doesn't mean you can fight. It makes you more prideful. That's not good for you."
Sigurd feels stabbed by Lukas's words. He acknowledges that the uncle is very good at pointing the flaws and good points of people.
"Maybe if you stay more with Karlen you will learn to be calmer at least. When it comes to your pride …. You will have to deal with it yourself."
"You are so cruel, uncle."
Sigurd lost his appetite.
"You know your window is shattered. I was thinking that you should sleep in Karlen's room till I change the window. Think of it as a training. I know what you are thinking. I got the feel that you two are not on good terms but this way is it even better for you. Try surpass your anger. I know you can. After all you are my nephew."
"How you say, sir."
Sigurd and Karlen looks at each other. Sigurd is in denial of what he agreed to do and Karlen is just a little shock of the way Sigurd agreed with Lukas without screaming or opposing.
"I am glad that you are willing to change."
Nissa and Waylin seems to finish the food on the table.
'WHAT HAVE I DONE?!DID I GONE MAD!?'
"Now that we ate, how about we move a little?"
Lukas is up and is scratching his beard. He is leaving the kitchen. They step in his footsteps having different attitudes. Sigurd was going for the sake of Lukas. Nissa was excited, perhaps she knows what he wants to do. Waylin is just walking and Karlen sighs while he looks for a way to escape.
Lukas was in the back of the 'castle'.
"First let's play 'Country, we want hunters 'first!"
"I don't know how to play this."
Sigurd is confused.
"First, we need to create two teams. We are one, two …... five in total. Nissa go call Jan. We need an even number."
Nissa runs to take Jan.
"I will explain the rules now. The teams will stay in in front of each other and the teammates will hold hands. One team will say 'Country, country, we need hunters. We want… 'a name from the opposing team. The person that you want will run towards you and try to break the handhold between two people from your team. If she breaks it than she can take one of your teammates with her in the opposing team. If she doesn't …. She will remain in your team. The loser is the team that has no members left. Isn't this fun?"
"Not really if you came like a bull towards us."
Sigurd hears Karlen mumble so that Lukas doesn't hear him. He starts to laugh thinking that for the first time he sees Karlen so afraid of something that he mumbles about it.
"Why did you laugh?"
"Who was laughing? I just felt something was in my throat."
"Sure…"
"Are you mad?"
"Of course, not…"
Karlen is turning his head to Lukas avoiding Sigurd.
Jan and Nissa are coming.
"Good! Close your eyes and spin. Catch the people are next to you. If you are three people, you can open your eyes. Start!"
With their eyes closed they start to spin. How much should they spin was an information that Lukas omitted. They continue spinning.
"Catch!"
Lukas screams and they stop spinning. Sigurd feels his blood boiling from al that spinning. They digestive system was not fine either.
Nissa is walking and falls. Waylin is almost tripping because of her and he rises her up.
Sigurd is stepping careful and he bumps into someone who smells like cake. It was Jan. They handhold and are in search for the thirst person.
Karlen is not making any step but the bull that he was talking about is running toward him and takes him in a bear hug.
"Who is it?"
"It's Karlen, sir."
"Ahh…"
Lukas sounds a little disappointed but Nissa will sure be in his team. He drags Karlen after him in a mad run. They bump in Nissa.
"Waylin, Lukas caught me!" She screams.
"Wait, are you hand holding Waylin?"
"Yes."
"Everyone can open their eyes!"
The stable is moving and the sky is shaking. The grass under their feet is spinning. Looking at each other their vision stabilizes.
They are in three teams with two people. One of the teams need to split to have two teams of three people.
"I don't want to! I want to be paired with Waylin."
"OK then, me and Karlen will split."
Karlen chooses to go to Sigurd and Jan and Lukas in Nissa & Waylin team.
"Our team will be named 'Rose'." Announces Lukas the other team.
"Our name will be 'Cherry '." Announces Sigurd.
The two teams are in front of each other and a menacing look is on Lukas' face. The 'Rose' team lost the meaning their name. They look like some hungry wolves.
'So that's why Karlen was afraid….'
Sigurd understand Karlen and grips his hand. He glares at Lukas in turn. Karlen looks at Sigurd and smiles.
"Country, country we want hunters! We want Sigurd!"
The Rose team yells on melody.
The Cherry team consults and they decide that Sigurd should break the like between Nissa and Waylin.
"I will break them! AHHHHH!"
Jan and Karlen murmur after he are running towards the Rose team.
"He can't break none of the handholds." Karlen is the first to foresee the outcome.
"We lost time deciding which handhold." Jan sighs.
"We are bond to lose…" Karlen sincerely doesn't care about the game anymore.
"Let's keep them in a bind a little."
Jan smiles and turns to look at the outcome.
Sigurd runs fast and wants to jump with all his body. When his body almost reached their hands, they let go and Sigurd is crushing his nose in the grass.
"You win!"
Nissa is applauding him. Sigurd, know he didn't win but decides to take the prize at least for his nose.
"Who do you want to take?"
"Lukas!"
Sigurd is wiping the blood on his nose and drags Lukas after him.
"NO! why did you let him win? Nissa !?"
"This way is just me and Waylin! Don't be mad!"
Lukas is fake crying. Jan and Karlen look at each other and sight. Fer holding hand they are ready to play.
"Country, country we want hunters! We want Nissa!"
Nissa is looking at Waylin. She smiles and touches his shoulder looking at the team Cherry with predatory eyes.
"Who do you want in the team?"
"Hmm… Karlen." Waylin nonchalantly replays.
Nissa is disappearing leaving behind imaginary dust and breaks the handhold between Sigurd and Karlen.
"I want Karlen. She demands and looks sly at Sigurd.
"So that's how you are going to play?" Sigurd is starting to take things personally.
The Rose team has Waylin, Karlen and Nissa. They sing the phrase and decide that they want Sigurd.
"No more playing." Nissa whispers as Sigurd is approaching.
He fails and remain in team Rose.
"Did you lost on purpose, brother?"
"Do you want to fight? "Sigurd is calm but somewhat irritated.
"I was just kidding." Nissa is smiling sly. She will take her revenge on Sigurd.
The Cherry team sing and decide that they want Nissa.
She runs to crush them but fails. She falls on the ground touching her belly.
"Are you playing another game?" Lukas is suspicious.
"No uncle." She smiles as she occupies her position without having belly pain anymore.
The Rose team asks for Jan and his cross hands were not powerful enough to break the handhold between Sigurd and Karlen.
The game will last longer this way.
Now in the Cherry team is only Lukas and Nissa.
"Country, country we want hunters! We want Karlen!"
Sigurd is griping Karlen's hand. He confirmed that Nissa was playing her own game. It was pissing him off somehow.
"Go and bring Lukas!"
Karlen runs and tries to break but the handhold between Lukas and Nissa is strong as a chain. So now Nissa can grip her hand? Sigurd is wiping his nose and glares when Nissa jumps on Karlen to congratulate him for getting in the team.
The clouds on the sky gather and drop of rain fall on Sigurd's face remaining him that it was just a game. The thinks will not end like this.
"You are a cheater! Karlen is stronger than me and he couldn't break your handhold and I could break your handhold?!Why the fuck do you cheat?!"
Sigurd lost his patience and strides towards Nissa to get explications.
"You are right. I cheated. But it was funnier this way!"
"You! Don't cheat the next time!"
Lukas was looking suspicious at them and wanted to understand the situation.
Nissa is smiling and clings to Sigurd's arm.
"It was payback for telling me to get out of the room."
She whispers to Sigurd. She covers his mouth and tells him to talk quietly so that uncle wouldn't know.
"He is against us getting revenge on each other. Arguing is fine."
Lukas is not saying anything thinking that the siblings made up with each other.
"Got it! You will pay for trying to get revenge on me for nothing!"
He whispers back with a glare.
They go to eat ending the game.
It's also raining and the weather is getting worse. Lighting and thunders are heard and see on the window from the kitchen. Inside is warm but even if it is summer the night is colder.
"I wonder how is in winter at night?"
"You will cover with two fur blankets and the fire will be set so that you will not freeze."
"For real?"
"The winter is on her way."
Sigurd is listening to Nissa telling stories about how is in the winter.