The sun beamed across the beautiful green landscape filled with many small cottages, an icy chill present in the wind beckoning the harsh winter to return. The sounds of children laughing and playing trailing across each gust followed by the sounds of wood violently clashing against each other. A fair skinned girl known as Alva, young in age barely in her teens had lush and long orange hair that was tied neatly into a ponytail, Her eyes glimmered a bright shade of emerald green displaying nothing but anger.
"Alva, you're letting your emotions get the better of you" her mentor says, conviction heard deep within her tone as she spoke "Shut up! i wont let you get the better of me!" Alva yelled while waving her fist in protest.Even though she was young she was fierce, she hated losing more than anything and was determined to defeat her mentor with all the strength she could muster, oblivious to the fact that for the mentor this was little more than a routinely training session but for Alva? this was a matter of life or death! she lunged at her beloved mentor with rage in her bright green eyes, her prop weapon fully retracted into position, ready to unleash the full swing of her might. She struck down in pure fury only for her mentor to easily disarm her in one swift motion. "Oh Alva the look in your eye makes my heart skip!" she says, grabbing the angry little beast and pulling her into a tight embrace. Alva who was panicking for air and wailing her arms like a baby, was being harassed by a bombardment of kisses."Ahhh nooo! stop!! get away!!" Alva cried The woman training her and now smothering her with unquestionable motherly love was indeed her mother. She had lush ash blonde hair but its length was indescribable reaching the lower parts of her butt. Her hair braided in such a skillful fashion that only a master of weaving could be capable of such patterns. She was proud of Alva's ferocity and willingness to never falter in a fight, in their Nordic Kingdom such an attribute is worthy of the title "shield maiden" but she still had awhile to go before she is to succeed in the trials to come. Alva's mother moved with quickness and grace, demonstrating each move with precision and power, her every step a lesson for her daughter to learn. Alva who was too young to grasp the concept of a level minded fighter lunged at her mother with a fire to win, only for her movements to be predictable and sloppy. The pair danced away until the early hours of the evening had fallen upon them, now covered in sweat and dirt, Alva and her mother withdrew into their homestead to wash up and prepare for dinner. As nightfall came, Alva who was sitting upright in her bed, her belly filled with good food and the glow of the fireplace warming her soft skin, was busy preparing herself for her nightly bed time stories whilst still pouty about her tragic defeat earlier that day. In the Kingdom of þrift it was tradition for mothers and fathers to tell the stories of the gods.As Alva sat in her bed the commotion of thumping loud footsteps could be heard entering their home. It was her father known as Bjron Wilden, His hardened face was rough and dirty from a long day of work, he took off his woolly fur coat and hung it above the fireplace. Alva was excited to see her father because during the day her father was always occupied fulfilling his responsibility as jarl of their village, protector and adjudicator for the people, while Alva herself was busy spending her time with her mother training in the art of the spear and shield. Being home-schooled was her parents choice to do so, they didn't seem to fond of sending their beautiful daughter away to a formal school in the capital like some of the other villagers as they weren't ready to see her leave home yet. "Alvie I hope you aren't sulking again like a little baby!, come to papa!" he sayshis tone highlighting his proud and kind nature as expected from a Jarl who cares and protects his people. He picked up Alva from her small bed and began spinning her around with his giant hands, he pulled her in close and started rubbing her face with his prickly big orange beard tickling his daughters cheek sending a wave of playfulness through Alva. "haha ow! stop papa your beard is tickling me!" Alva said whilst giggling in a childish manner.Her fathers tight embrace and playful love was enough for Alva to forget her loss that day momentarily and began laughing, improving her mood as a result. Alva is definitely a daddy's girl through and through and admires her fathers strength and status, inspired by his tales of journeys to distant lands when he was a young man, his many victories in battle and meeting the love of his life. Her mother, the wife of Bjorn Wilden was given the name Yrsa, before her role as a mother and house wife had begun, she was a fierce shield-maiden for a band of strong female warriors known as the Valkyries who served to protect the king."don't you think its time we should begin my love" Yrsa says as she emerges from the kitchen, Alva's mouth pouting at the sole reminder of her tragic defeat earlier. Yrsa had in her hand a sacred book that was customary for all the residents in the Kingdom of þrift to have as it contained the stories of each and every god in their world. Her parents both sat on the small bed right beside Alva squishing her in the middle. Her mother started telling the story of the god that Alva is to learn next known as "Myrkr" which is the god responsible for the end of life, death incarnated and as murky and terribly dark as it sounds, it was still necessary for the children to learn. The story of the god of death according to the scriptures goes as followed, Myrkr was responsible for the timing of when and where a living conscious being would die. The gods role was to weave the destiny of those in the world of the living towards their inevitable end and guide their souls to the goddess of life for judgement. In this gods story, it is told that Myrkr had prophesised the end of all life by delivering onto it a terrible evil that would punish the fate of mankind for taking their short lives for granted, for failing to truly appreciate the beauty and gifts bestowed upon them by the goddess of life called "Ljós" . "Papa! I don't want to die!" Alva screeched as she quickly buried her face in her fathers firm chest seeking his protection from the story's frightful aura, his hand gently patting her head as he let out a soft chuckle. The parents continued to comfort Alva, her mother reassuring her that death was a natural part of life and that the gods were responsible for balancing good and evil in the world. she explained that Myrkr, the god of death, could be appeased by praying for his favor, but that the moral of the story was to live your life fully so the death god wouldn't have any reason to spite you, to Bjorn however he saw these stories as nothing more than fairy-tails. As the night went on, Alva who had fallen peacefully into sleep was being admired by her parents quietly adoring every little move and sound she made, their eyes filled with unconditional love for her. The pair gently placed a kiss on her forehead bidding their precious daughter goodnight and retired to their room."Yrsa i have a terrible feeling" Bjorn said as he laid in his bed, Yrsa's gaze met with her husbands and could see that the love that was in them previously had been replaced with signs of genuine concern, Yrsa wrapped her arms around Bjorn, her hands gently stroking his head. "what is it my love?" she asks in consideration "I cannot ignore the feeling that something terrible is falling upon us, perhaps the gods have decided to truly punish me for ignoring them" Bjron said"Your instincts have saved me many times before my love, i trust you with all my heart" Yrsa replied before unexpectedly placing a deeply heated kiss aimed for her husbands lips who returned the feeling with just as much passion, His burly and firm hands began trailing her soft and tender skin sending a wave of insatiable desire throughout her entire body, the scent of lust slowly surrounding the couple as they delve into their insatiable desires ."B.. Bjorn.. ive... been thinking about what you said earlier...." his beautiful wife moaned as he placed her beneath him, she spoke one more time before fulfilling every need her mind contained. "I... I'm ready for another child...."her husbands eyes softened as his beautiful and precious wife affirmed their shared wish, ensuring that the evening be filled with the strong aroma of passionate love making.... Alva awoke that morning to the voice of her mother yelling for her to wake up, the sound of steel clashing against steel could be heard just outside their home. She quickly jumped out of bed to go see what all the commotion was but before she could reach the exit, a loud thundering roar was heard, its powerful grumble vibrating and shaking the earth beneath their feet, Her heart was thumping erratically, fear began to build itself within every cell of her body. Despite how she felt it was not in her nature to ever truly run away. Whether it be childish ignorance or bravery nothing was going to prepare her for the impending doom that was fast approaching. Her mother thrashed the door open as hard as she could dragging her daughter with her, Alva's eyes widening at the sight of terror before her. There were men in dragon-scaled armor engaged in a fiery battle against their fellow villagers, the bodies of women and children scattered across the road in bloody piles. As the pair watched on in horror Alva could see her father further ahead fighting against the raiders with precision and fury. Her father quickly turned to her and then to the multiple enemies approaching his wife and daughter, "they haven't noticed!" The thought alone instantly forcing his body towards their direction with ferocious speed. "Alvie, Yrsa look out!" he yelled in desperation, Alva quickly spun around to face the coming danger and swiftly dodged the blade of a sword aimed towards her. The man wielding the weapon gasped in shock at the little girls quick reaction which then turned into frustration as he swung his weapon back to try again but before he could, Alva's mother Yrsa had quickly impaled him in the gut with her trusty spear. Bjorn with the force a protective father and husband should have, executed the remaining perpetrators, unleashing a fury of slashes with his giant axe. As Alva's father began taking the time to catch his breath and regain his composure, something in the corner of his eye quickly caught his attention, his face expressing the anger and determination to protect his family at all cost, his lip curled in disgust as he gazed into the distance.On the mountain above sat atop it a dragon, the fearsome beast colossal in size, its gargantuan body covering the entire peak of the mountain. Even from afar, its scales glistened in the sunlight, their deep violet hue seemed to change with each passing moment. Though the distance was great, the intricacy and detail of each individual plate was still visible, the dragon's immense form casting a shadow over the surrounding land.. It began unfolding its massive wings, the force alone of such a simple action created shockwaves throughout the valley and began to fly towards their village. With zero hesitation Bjorn quickly threw both Alva and Yrsa into a nearby carriage whipping the horse to take immediate action. Alva struggled against Yrsa's grasp, her small arms flailing and her young voice screaming in protest against the thought of leaving her beloved father behind. Yrsa held her thrashing daughter close to her, desperately trying to calm her wailing child. "Please, Alva, you have to be strong," Yrsa whispered through her own tears.Bjorn had entrusted Yrsa with their daughters life, Alva's mother and father understood exactly what needed to be done, their parental intuition had known no limit. As the mother and daughter raced towards the outskirts of their village, their hearts racing with fear and uncertainty, they caught sight of a group of heavily-armored men approaching the carriage up ahead. Yrsa's eyes widened with horror as she spun Alva around to face her. Her expression was clouded with guilt and sadness, her voice trembling as she spoke.."Alva i need you to promise me to stay put no matter what" her mother said "M-mama! Y..y..you're not going to leave me too!" Alva replied"Alva, promise me.... please i promise i will catch up to you in a bit..." little Alva could hear the pain in her mothers voice as she spoke those words which made her her heart ache from within"I... I promise" Alva felt her mothers warm embrace begin to slowly slip away, the sensation of her mothers familiar lips gently placing a kiss against her forehead, her mothers tears gracefully falling onto her daughter's cheek. Alva watched as her mother equipped her spear and shield and leaped from the carriage to face the foes attempting to prevent their escape. Their were no signs of hesitation found in her mothers movement. Alva lifted her head above the wooden beam of the carriage, her fingers practically clawing into the timber as she could only watch on in frustration in her inability to do something. Her mother had successfully intercepted the oncoming danger and provided Alva an opportunity to escape leaving Yrsa behind and locked in combat.In the far off distance the colossal dragon had landed in the center of the village, its wings blowing away entire houses as it folded them back into place, Bjorn averted his gaze towards the neck of the dragon and could see a mysterious warrior mounted atop. he was covered in a long occultist style cloak, underneath he wore black armor that was engraved with strange markings that seemed to glow blue, his battle helmet resembling the dragon he steered. Bjorn Wilden gripped the handle of his giant axe with both hands tightly, demonstrating his will and readiness to face the powerful and mighty foe. "I'd never imagine that the dragon cult would send one of their priests to a tiny village such as ours, why have you come!" Bjron said, the armored dragon priest slightly turned to Bjorn, his helmet hiding all expressions."We have come to destroy Alva Bjornsdottir and we will eliminate all who oppose us, to secure the continuation of this world requires her sacrifice" the dragon priest proclaimed.Upon hearing this Bjorn was immediately sent into a spiral of rage highlighted by the dark red aura now surrounding his tall, large and intimidating figure, his eyes turning completely blank before finally releasing a mighty roar. Bjorn Wilden had unleashed his bezerker form and was no longer conscious, he was ready to kill this dragon priest even if it costed him his own life, for the sake of Alvie and for the sake of Yrsa. Alva's heart was beginning to shatter slowly into fragments at the thought of losing her mother and father, they were outnumbered and the odds of survival were dangerously low, Alva couldn't bear the emotional turmoil she was experiencing. As her carriage travelled further and further into the distance a blinding blue hue enveloped the entire valley, it's light flickering as if a star had just been born. Alva began slowly opening her eyes only to be met with despair as she observed the remains of her peaceful life. ash.....