The whether is nice and bird are chirping. The sound of the horses galloping echoes in the deep forest. A hill is passed and in the distance the forest is thinning out discovering stones that are marking graves.
Sigurd is the first to get out of the forest. Karlen whistles more and the gallop quickens. Now he is next to Sigurd.
"Can you stop the horse? "Karlen asks Sigurd who looks tense.
"I CAN!" Sigurd clenches his jaw as he shouts determined at Karlen.
He concentrates and gathers all his power in his hands. He breaths and pulls back the rains. The horse should have stopped by now. What he expected? Arvak still runs towards the graves. His power is not enough to stop the horse who is enjoying the run.
Karlen looks at Sigurd and tries to reach him. The wild mustang is quick and Karlen's horse starts lo lose energy. One think remains to be done.
He gets a little closer and with a jump Karlen is in Sigurd's back. He grabs Arvak's reins and Sigurd's hands.
Sigurd is shocked by the unexpected situation. Karlen pulls and Arvak slows down.
The red-head has his back glue to Karlen's chest who feels like a pillow.
Sigurd is embarrassed.
"Thank you …"
"….." Karlen jump off and catches his horse.
Both wait for Nissa and Waylin to appear.
'I could have stopped Arvak if I would have tried harder ….'
Sigurd glances at Karlen and frowns. He has enough to depend on Karlen all the time. It makes him sick. He feels the urge to go and beat Karlen. The pathetic feeling that flows inside him stops him to make himself a bigger fool. From this point, he will avoid depending on Karen. If it will mean avoiding him, then that's what he will do.
Karlen pats his horse. The jump was a little trick that was easy for an assassin like him. He keeps his back at Sigurd. He buries his face in the mane of the Frisian. Killing Didrik …. knowing that Sigurd is a wolf …... knowing that the madam wants spy on him. Sigurd will have to be killed too if madam knows he is a wolf. The thought of having to make a decision against the madam, reminds him that his family is at stake.
He is at peace killing people and being apart from his family. Being assertive and making decisions …... it is like a poison to him. And for a good reason he wants to keep this balance in his life that makes him feel at ease. Why would he want to change when he is sure no one will accept his dark side?
It is better to keep his heart under control and to not hope for anything more. He will keep his distance from Sigurd. The nights he slept with the boy are just his memory, anyways. Suppressing his desire will make him able to live the way he lived till know.
Nissa and Waylin are coming too. They dismount. The girl notices that the boys are silent and sighs subtle. She approaches Sigurd and slaps his head.
"Why the fuck are you hitting me?!Don't remind me of the way you slapped Arvak. Because of you …"
Sigurd stops and glances at Karlen. Nissa realizes that the two wanted to put a wall between each other. If that's what they wanted … she will respect their decision.
She gives a hug to Sigurd and goes to cling on Waylin.
The sound of the carriage is heard coming from the forest.
. . .
The grandpa is placing a lily flower on the stone that has written on its Lily Dalgaard. His posture crumbles and he kneels down touching the stone with his forehead. The family watches him. The way he greets his wife is a sign that he always used when Lily was alive. He drops his head down and leans on the stone.
For Sigurd, seeing the massive man crumbled like that is something that he will never forget. He must have loved his wife a lot. The thought of his mother being dead too, makes him relate to the pain Didrik is feeling right now. Sigurd thinks that the old man really missed his wife. He misses his mother too.
Didrik stand up and with a shuddering breath he straightens his posture. He is upright as he always was.
Didrik look at Sigurd and comes next to him.
Nissa places a flower too after she kisses it. Yrsa, Kai and the Lukas also kiss their flower after putting it on the stone. Waylin and Karlen put their flower too. Sigurd is the last. Being in front of the stone, gives him a shiver. He looks at the name ... than at the flower. No memory. In this moment he wished to a memory of the women. He kisses the flower and puts it on the stone. His face is as fierce as ever, not a single emotion is shown.
The clouds gather and a drop of rain falls on Sigurd's cheek.
"Yrsa ... Lukas ...Kai… we need to go."
Didrik frowns at them. Yrsa looks at Nissa and Waylin. Karlen seems to be be already at his horse.
Nissa and Waylin come closer to Yrsa and she talks to them.
"Kids, why not clean the stone a little ?…..."
Yrsa winks at Nissa.
"You guys go ahead! We will help mom!"Nissa waves at Sigurd.
Didrik grabs Sigurd.
"Why don't you sit with me on in the carriage? I would like to talk to you about something."
"I will come." Thinking of Arvak and the rain that pours more, he decides to take the carriage.
He jumps in the carriage with Didrik. The rain is pouring when the carriage starts moving. The speed increases and the forest are making the rain sound more. Didrik looks on the window.
Sigurd looks too and sees some small figures coming after them. The dark clouds make it hard to distinguish the figures that got closer and closer to them.
"They are wolves! " Sigurd frowns and looks at the man who seems calm.
Four big wolves circle the carriage and one jumps on the carriage smashing the window.
Sigurd takes his shirt off and throws it on the face of the wolf. With a front dropkick he propels the wolf in a tree. Didrik grabs Sigurd and puts him on the bench in the carriage.
"This doesn't look good. Don't get out of the carriage! Here me!"
"What the fuck! Am I suppose to watch how these wolves eat us?"
"Look at me! I know that they are after me… I must tell you something." Didrik glances on his left and punches the wolf that jumped on the window. The man who leads the horses is killed.
"The man is dead. The carriage is lead by the horse that are scared…"
Didrik breaths and looks at Sigurd.
"I think you are the legend. The boy who is human on inside and a wolf. Confirm me this!"
"Why would I tell you? Let's just concentrate on getting alive out of this!"
"I will die…Just tell me! Please!"
The look on the old man' s face is saddening and his eyes look straight into Sigurd's. The boy looks behind them, another three wolves are coming.
"You are right! I come from a different world."
"I knew it! Now I want you to know a secret since you are the hero in the legend."
"Old man, you don't need to tell me anything. I refuse to sacrifice my life for people that will sacrifice mine."
Didrik gathers his thoughts and looks serious at Sigurd.
"Do you want to be happy?"
"I just want to live …. Is scary to be happy."
"I have just one advise and the secret. I will tell you both quick. You better remember them!"
Didrik gets the wolf's leg and throws it in the forest.
"You need to forget your past and be willing to change your believes. This will be the only way you can be happy and alive. If you will not be the hero, the kingdom will be destroyed along with you. The secret is in the mountains, in a cave. A ball of Aura that can destroy Artara or fortify it. This is the secret passe down by leaders to leaders. You are going to be a hero so you need to know it. Please, save the family and Artara! "Didrik jumps out of the carriage and the wolfs gather around him. Hie transforms in a wolf and runs in the forest. The wolves follow him.
"The wolves were after him…." Sigurd loses site of Didrik as the carriage moves fast in the mud that started to form on the road.
Didrik breaths hard and runs as fast as he can. The wolves don't seem to want to fight him, but rather guide him too somewhere. The rain wets his fur and mud sticks to his paws that move agile through the woods.
He is sure that this isn't Yrsa 's plan or Kai's. The wolves are here to kill him.
. . .
Waylin, Nissa and Kai are on horse.
"Should we go at the cabin. Let's let them talk more. " Yrsa transforms in a wolf and leads the way.
Kai wants to stop her but she is already gone.
"Do you think Sigurd is fine?" Nissa asks Waylin who throws his jacket on her shoulders. He remains in his shirt.
"Don't worry … Let's go to the cabin quickly!"
"Wait! You have only a shirt on! " Nissa yells at Waylin who is galloping in the rain. She had Sigurd's jacket on her but that didn't had a hood.
Kai looks at Nissa and smiles. He has a hooded coat.
"You better thank him later."
"Yea…" She is having a bad feeling about this. Still Didrik is with Sigurd.
. . . .
The wolves gather around Didrik. He growls and jumps on one of the wolves. The wolf is biting his paw and Didrik gets back with his leg limp. The other wolves howl and a rustle is heard in the bushes.
The rain is subsiding and a rainbow covers the sky.
A man dressed in black approaches with a women dressed in red having a mask on her face. The man is wearing a hood so his face is hard to see.
"Would you look at this…." The women look down on the old man that transformed back in his human form. His leg was limp and his clothes are torn. Didrik looks at the women.
"So, you are the mastermind behind the leader's deaths…."
"How are you so sure?" She turned her back and sits on a log with her leg crossed. "Are you curious to see the criminal's face?"
The man pulls off his hood. His long hair falls on his shoulders. A calm expression is on the man's face.
"I never though that it was you, Karlen. And when I think, you were suppose to protect Sigurd. Today I will kill you with my hands!" Didrik throws himself and catches Karlen's shirt and crushes the man's nose with his head. He jumps back. Karlen puts his hand at his nose and wipes it off. The blood is spread on his beard and cheeks giving him the look of a criminal.
"Karlen, make my enjoy my trip here." The women is ready for action.
"Yes, madam."
He releases Aura from his hands and surrounds Didrik with it. He lifts the old man above the ground.
"Karlen! Don't do it! Sigurd will never forgive you!"
His voice is muted by the Aura that enters his body. He coughs.
"I am thankful that your wife is dead. Now Karlen can kill you without a problem since your pair is dead. I am happy to tell you that she was my first victim. It was an honor for me to watch her being killed by Karlen. He was more bloody back than. Sorry for the blood spread around your house."
"You killed… her…." He is perplexed by the truth she just told him.
He never suspected that it was the same killer. I mean, recently there was no blood on the victims and back then the victims were killed in a savage way, blood being everywhere…He can't believe that since five years ago this boy and women were killing leaders and other people also.
Self satisfaction?
"Why … are you … doing this?" His breath is being cut shorter by the Aura that suffocates him.
"Why? Mmmm…. I want to make people regret their words. I want to show that I have the truth. They all will die by my hand soon."
Karlen doesn't care of her words and focuses on doing his job when a rustle makes him turn his head.
Nothing…
"Shall I start?" Karlen turns his head to the women. She nods.
He rotates his right palm and Didrik's right legs spins getting out of his joint. He screams in agony. Tears are falling down his muddy face. Another rotation from Karlen and the left leg is dislocated to. That's what he hoes whit the old man's hands. Didrik cries frenetically while his limbs are all limp.
Karlen controls the Aura inside Didrik's body and crushes the liver and intestines. In the corner of Didrik's mouth oozes blood while he tenses his body arching his back.
The women grins and takes out the Knife she had at her ankle. She throws it in Didrik's forehead.
With his fingers moving careful Karlen cuts out from inside the heart of the old man that is now dead.
He lets the body fall on the ground and takes the heart. He puts the heard in The women's hands. She admires it for a moment and puts it in a special container.
"The show was good but I want to play a little too. "She moves while taking her sword out of the sheath.
Whit elegant movements that are incredible strong for her thin frame she chops his limbs and with a final blow the head.
She writes a note and puts it under the head after wrapping it ... 'I had fun.'
"Now I am feeling better. Karlen you can go. "She passes him to take her backpack.
"Yes, madam. "He puts his hood on.
"Wait …" She turns and looks at Karlen with a big smile.
"…." He is feeling a shiver go down his spine.
"Is Sigurd into you?"
"No, madam. He hates me." He looks at the women nonchalant was half truth.
"You spoke truth. Be good to him. We will need him later…if he will not transform in a wolf. Next time be sure to come faster."
He was late. When the bird with the note came at him that's when Waylin was coming to tell him to don't go to the 'castle'. He needed to find a way to escape the situation. He whistled at his horse and he run away. That was the excuse he gave Yrsa and Kai when he left.
"Yes, madam "He nods and waits till the wolves and the women to leave.
He sighs and sits on the log. It is fine. Madam was satisfied.
A rustling is heard few meters away in a bush. Some ears … black fur and a pair of fierce eyes are watching Karlen. When he realizes that Karlen saw him, he reins in full speed whit Karlen on his trail.
Karlen runs and jump the fallen trees whit his eyes on the black wolf. He isn't big but his speed suppresses Karlen. He looks around but the wolf is gone. He looks on the ground and some drops of blood are on bushes, sign that his knife hit the wolf when he threw after passing the big log.
He leaves moving towards the road they came earlier to the graveyard. It takes him half an hour to reach it. He finds a river and washes his face. And his arms. He changes his clothes and tosses them. He gets his backpack and continues his walk in the forest. His horse is waiting for him and he mounts on it.
Karlen breaths deeply. The road is few steps away from him. A sob is heard.
Sigurd is in the middle of the road. His clothes are torn and wet. His jacket and shirt are missing. He trembles and a wound is on his right side. A knife is near his leg that has bruises.
'Is not my knife…. How did this to him? 'Karlen dismounts in a hurry.
"What happened?" He asks Sigurd who is whining while he presses on his wound a strip ripped from his pants.
"Nothing..." Sigurd is gritting his teeth in pain. Karlen squats and puts his coat on Sigurd.
"I don't need your help! "Sigurd yells and throws the coat in Karlen's face. He moans; the wound hurts when he moves.
"Stay still." Karlen gets closer and puts his hand on Sigurd's on the wound.
Aura is floating around his hand, stopping the bleeding. At the sight of the Aura, Sigurd crawls back and glares at Karlen. Indeed, the bleeding stopped and he feels a little better.
"Don't touch me! NEVER! "He shoots arrows with his eyes.
"That was Aura. It heals …" Karlen stands up and his eyes sadden.
".... Just don't touch me. You make me sick! "Sigurd coughs and tears fall from his eyes. It was the first time he was crying for real. He wipes his tears, but nothing can stop the tears that fall nonstop. His face is cut and the blood mixes with the tears and his muddy hands.
Karlen takes his coat and wipes the mud of and puts it on Sigurd's head.
"Take the coat. It's cold."
Sigurd cries, and dried out by his tears leaves the coat rest on his head.
"Leave me alone…I will go home alone. "He almost whispers these words.
"Take Moon. " Karlen gives him the reins of the horse and leaves so that Sigurd wouldn't be able to refuse him.
Sigurd is catching his breath and looks at the sky above. It was noon. The sun was still covered by clouds and the rainbow disappeared.
'Change…change your believes….'The words of Didrik echoes in his head the whole road till home.
He sees vultures gather above the forest.' Didrik is dead….'The cold air makes him shiver and he wraps himself with the coat more. The scent is disguising …... He wants to throw up and an acute pain passes his lower belly making him curl.
"Ahhhh…!"
Moon stops and looks at Sigurd. He is in pain…
"Good girl… let's go …" He pats the attentive mare and she starts walks. It was good that his fear of horses was getting better.
The road is silent and Moon walks without hurrying. Sigurd leans on her neck for support and his hand is griping the rein and mane while his other hand hold his lower belly.
. . . . . .
In the cabin, every one is sitting on the couches after they cleaned themselves.
"I can't stand here anymore. " Nissa stands up and looks at her mother.
"You can go, we will come afterwards."
Waylin announces his leave too and Lukas closes the door following the youngsters.
"We can be finally alone …. "Yrsa is sitting on Kai's lap and starts to kiss him.
Little did she know of the tragedy that will ruin their moment.
Waylin and Nissa are on the road.
"I think Sigurd will be mad …. He dislikes Didrik a little."
"He needs to get his shit together and stop act like a rebellious teenager." Waylin frowns.
"If you say so …. Then you too need to stop being an ice-hearted person ." She smiles while serving Waylin the critic that makes him detest Sigurd more than he already does.
"Why are you always defending Sigurd? It makes me sick. "He keeps his frown intact.
"Because I love him ... more than you. "She tilts her head grinning.
"…..." He already knows that.
. . .
Sigurd dismounts and enters the 'castle'. Jan runs to him and helps him walk to the kitchen. He sits on a chair.
"Wait here! I will go take Karlen!"
"No! Just bring me a cloth soaked in hot water. I deed to disinfect the wounds."
Jan looks at him and nods.
"If someone asks you about Karlen just tell them he came with his horse after me. Do you understand me?"
He nods again and goes to take something to clean Sigurd. When Jan gets out of the kitchen Karlen is leaned on the wall of the kitchen. He puts his fingers on his lips and Jan disappears understanding what Karlen meant. He will keep their secret.
Karlen goes in his room.
Jan comes and cleans Sigurd.
"Sigurd, I prepared a worm bath. Can you move?"
He follows Jan. They pass the hall and go upstairs. They pass his room, Karlen's and Nissa's and at the end of the corridor the door is opened by Jan.
Through the steam a wooden tub is filled with hot water.
"This is use in the winter. In the summer is better to go to pools."
Jan helps Sigurd takes his pants off.
"Can you tell me what happened? Please…"
"A was in the carriage with Didrik. Wolves come and to save me Didrik transformed in a wolf and they followed him. I felt bad for him and jumped out of the carriage. When I jumped, I scraped myself."
"What about Didrik?" Jan washes him careful.
"I think he is dead… vultures were above the forest. " Jan stops and Sigurd feels his hand tremble.
"Where is Yrsa and Kai … and Lukas? Waylin and Nissa?"
"They left us alone … probably planning to let me talk to Didrik alone …"
Jan gets out of the room and closes the door.
He needs to announces Yrsa. They need to confirm this.