Redemption and Ragnarok (TouketsuSafaia & Caspian)

Kjeld had been preparing for this journey for two years. Two years of training his apprentice to take over the blacksmith trade in his village. Two years of preparing everyone he knew for his departure. Two years to come to terms that he would likely never make it back. It had been two years since his wife and child died at the hands of a neighbouring tribe and sent them before him to Valhalla.

The village sent people every year over the Bilröst bridge to pray for the safety of the village and to prove their loyalty to the gods. The gods were fickle and untrustworthy and only those who honoured their ancestors and traditions had any hope of surviving the winters. Winters could be cold and harsh and unforgiving. Many died during the cold winter months and few lived to old age. By keeping ties with Valhalla the village was protected from the worst of the winter and from the wolves.

There were only two types of people who went on the journey, those who were not welcome to live in the village and those who had no reason to live. By entering Valhalla you were facing death for simply looking on the gate. The village had been sending people for nearly ten generations. There were the occasional survivors, but only one or two a generation. There were always a couple who claimed they went, but when the harsh winter blew in and froze people in their houses or children were attacked by wolves they had been proven false.

The last one to survive was unbalanced when he departed - he came back insane. He would talk to specters in the woods that none could see and he would know secrets of other people without being told. They said he had been touched by the gods, but he was altogether crazy.

None of these things would divert Kjeld from his path. He was going to see his boy. If he could serve the village at the same time, all the better. His boy had been strong and beautiful, a boy of 10 summers. He had just begun his journey into manhood. He would have become a blacksmith like his father and he would have been a great leader of the village, perhaps even the chieftan. Alas, the raider slew him when he had been defending his mother from the rapist. The boy was split from stomach to sternum and there was nothing that could be done. Kjeld slew the raider, but it was too late. His boy was dead and his wife was dying. He got to say goodbye to his wife, but never to his son. He was going to remedy this, or die trying.

Kjeld packed his sleeping furs into his pack. Dried meats and fruits were wrapped in a soft hide and waterskins were placed at the top of the pack as well as a wool blanket and a flint and steel. The Norwegian winters were cold, but there was always firewood and shelter to be found.

He wondered who it was he was going to meet in the center of the village. Who it was that was going to accompany on this voyage of last hope. There was always the departure ceremony at the center of the village and then the departure. It was here he'd discover who he'd be traveling with.

Aasta had her bag packed up already, she had been looking forward to this day for a long time, she had no family, having been found in the snow one winter while she was a babe, wailing loudly just like the wind. She stared outside watching as the people started to gather, she knew not who she would be traveling with just yet.

She pulled the bag onto her shoulder's, she opened her door, making her way out into the village, where she then made her way to the center of the village. When she got there she stood waiting, she stayed quiet looking before her, no one approached her, once she had come of age she knew it would be better to do this then she would be to stay here. Close minded, fearful people, she sighed softly scanning around the people gathered, she seen no one with a bag on, they weren't here yet.

Kjeld walked the perimeter of the crowd. They all knew Kjeld was going. After the loss of Vidar, his son, everyone in the village knew he would be preparing to leave. His son was everything to Kjeld, to have lost him so young was a tragedy felt across the village. They all knew he was preparing. He sped up his apprentice's lessons. Kjeld was a good master, patient with high expectations. His affairs were already settled well before the departure. Had his wife or child survived, things would have been different. If one had stayed, he would have someone to live for. He couldn't live for the village.

Kjeld saw the girl with the pack on her back. So it was to be the foundling, that makes a certain amount of sense. She was lucky to have been found at all. Orphans in the cold North rarely survived. She was shunned by many. Especially after the loss of several children over the years. How did the foundling still live and the other children die? It was unfair. People never understood, the world was a cruel place.

Kjeld walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. He had hoped he would be traveling with another man. She would, no doubt, have difficulties with her smaller frame. She would slow him down, making it even longer to see his son. It was not his choice though, and he bore the girl no ill will. He would help her and they would come together to the halls of Valhalla. Perhaps she could find answers as to why she was abandoned. Maybe her parents would be there, waiting to see their girl.

Aasta looked up as a hand was placed on her shoulder, she found Kjeld standing their, her should have known he would be going of course. His wife and son had been lost, she knew most people shunned her because she had lived out in the cold, no frostbite had claimed her when so many of the children in the village had died in the warmth of their own homes. She lowered her head before him, showing her respect to him, she did respect the man, he had lived two years after his love and son had left the living world. "Kjeld, I am sorry to be the one you travel with this year, I will cause you no problems."

While she was a woman, small and petite she had strong legs, and muscled arms, she had built her own house many years ago, she got her own food, she got her own water, she had too with no one else to help her. With no one else to care for her, she had learned early. Her long dark hair was plated back behind her head, her eyes were light, she was odd, not looking her heritage, it was not something she could help, she wore her fur skirt long, her legs not hidden by the slits on each side. It was easier to walk this way, her furred boots to her knees, her top covered her stomach and chest, leaving her upper back bare, she had a furred cape on her arm, her bag covered her upper back.

"Don't apologize Aasta, you've had a rough life here and I am sure you're capable of as much as most of the men in this village." He knew she was capable of surviving, if nothing else. She had to be. She wouldn't be as fast or hardy as some of the hunting men, but that was alright. Many of those men were about as smart as a sack of hammers. Instead he would learn a little about the foundling and her past. Perhaps he could learn something about her.

A bell rang, signifying the beginning of the ceremony. They made their way to the front of the crowd, people moved aside to let them by. Villagers would write down the names of loved ones to look for on the backs of spare strips of leather. They slipped these into the hands or bags of the two travelers. Everyone wanted to commune with their loved ones who had gone on to Valhalla before them. Kjeld reminded himself that he was not going just for his own children, but for the children and loved ones of the whole village. Kjeld received most of the names, only because many in the village were still unsure of Aasta. Nothing could be done about that, almost everyone in the village was highly suspicious.

The Chieftan called the two to the front of the crowd and asked the people to step back. The Chieftan stood in front of the elders of the village and spoke the names of Kjeld and Aasta. "Do you two take the responsibility of caring for the village? Do you accept the responsibility of taking the names to the gods. Will you represent your village, even in death should it take you?" Kjeld nodded and assumed that Aasta did likewise. The Chieftan looked to the war mage who stepped forwards. A blessing of travel he placed upon them. He spoke their names and had them step into a large basin. The hot liquid seeped into the cracks of their soles, filling them. Their boots became waterproof and oiled and the warmth never left their boots. "That was to get you on your way and to keep you on the path" the mage said, "and now to guide you to the dead." A small bowl of wolverine's blood was produced and they were anointed on the upper ridges of their ears and underneath their eyelids. "So that you may hear and see the paths the dead take."

They were each given a bottle of spirits, distilled from Lingonberries. It would warm the soul and keep a traveler on his or her feet a little longer when the spirits were down. The war mage then turned his back on the two travelers. The Elders, too, turned their back. The Chieftan was the only one allowed to watch them depart the village. The people in the crowd did not look to see which way they took, and not even the people in their doorways looked upon the path they struck out on when they departed the village. To see the path was to know the path of the dead, and only those appointed may travel the path.

Aasta had nodded, she was warm all over, she swung her hooded cape over her shoulders and pulled the hood over her hair, not for any real reason then enjoying the hood. She trekked with Kjeld out of the village, seeing the path of the dead and hearing it, the red blood shown brightly on her pale skin. She walked, keeping her eyes forward, she had no reason to come back and would be happy in Valhalla, or at least that was what she hoped for. At times she wondered why she had been left by her parents, who they were, why she lived, but now it didn't matter, now she hoped to find something out about her birth.

As she walked, her back was straight her steps were quiet, she was slim making no noise, if she had been a boy, she would have been a great hunter, she was never accepted as a hunter seeing as she was who she was, and a woman on top of that. Her bag was filled to the brim with food and drink that she had made or caught on her own, she had two blankets on her bag as well, for when they would sleep, if they would. "Kjeld." She said quietly. "You will be happy to see your child and wife again, won't you?" She asks softly.

Kjeld nodded and said "Yes. I miss them both. I want to see the boy though. He was only in his 6th winter, he would have grown strong. He was a smart boy, he had a future." Kjeld lowered his head. "As for my wife, I miss her dreadfully, especially during the cold nights. She was strong and beautiful. I slew her killer, but that will never be enough. I would have traded my place with them if I could have."

Kjeld stopped for a moment on the rocky ground. He could see the village from where he stood. No-one in the village was watching them except the Chieftan. The Chieftan's main job was to keep death out of the village. If Aasta and Kjeld were to try and re-enter now, he would have to kill them. He had seen it 10 years ago. A thief was sent to seek the halls of the dead, but did not want to go. He turned back into the village at nightfall. The Chieftan was forced to kill him for the protection of the village. The Wolverine's blood invited death, they did not want death invited into the village.

He looked around, listening for the crackling noises of the path of the dead. It was like thousands of tiny pine-cones being stepped on. It was easy to see the path, when the wind was still there was a division in the grass where no plants would grow, only a fine lichen covered the rock or ground. If a tree was near to the path it would be mossier than it's neighbours and only on the side of the path. It was amazing that people had not picked up on the clues before. Perhaps it was the blood, or perhaps it was now they were seeking Hel, ruler of the dead.

"Tell me, is there anyone you wish to see in Valhalla? Or perhaps is it just an escape from the village? I know many treated you horribly, even though it was not your fault that you were a foundling."

Aasta flinched lightly as he asked his question, she did not enjoy being called a foundling, she scanned the paths before seeing what they were looking for, she seen the lichen on the ground. "I found the path, this way." She said pointing to it. "I wished to get away from them, I'm hoping to find something out about why I was left, who I would have been.." She said softly keeping her eyes on the ground.

"I'll never know what you did, the love of another person, the touch of another's skin against mine, the joy of having a child." She said her voice angry, before she let out a sigh. "I was dead to that village no matter what. I would be better in Valhalla."

Kjeld nodded, but said nothing. He understood. The villagers had been cruel to her, but if she had only known the rumors that floated around the village about her when she wasn't there. Maybe she did know the rumors, prompting her to leave. There were rumors that she was a witch, which was quite common. There were also rumors that she was sent by another tribe to spy on the town. There was also one more horrible rumor, the most shameful and dishonourable rumor.

When Aasta was dropped off at the village it was between the times of the sending. Prior to that, two villagers had been sent from the village for adultery. A man had slept with the wife of another. As punishment they were both sent on the next pilgrimage to Valhalla. It was rumoured that they had a baby in the wilderness and that she was dropped off at the house farthest from the center of town. If that were true, Aasta would have been considered one of the dead-still-living and would have been left to die had the Chieftan seen either of the two return to the village.

He hoped that the rumours never reached Aasta's ears and that she would never have had to have lived with the shame of such an accusation. Aasta's adoptive parents loved her and raised her as their own. Surely they will be happy to see Aasta soon.

"I hope that Valhalla is kind to you, but I also hope you return to life and perhaps experience the things in life you would like to experience. I have experienced many of them, all but seeing my boy grow to be a man." Kjeld sighed and meandered on the path of the dead just behind Aasta.

Aasta said nothing but she took hoped she would be born again to let her experience happiness when she could not this time around. She kept walking forward, she didn't dare look back, she knew of all the rumors, including the one about her being the daughter of the two sent out to Valhalla for Adultery. Her adoptive parents had done much to love her and show her the care and kindness that people could bring, but when they were not around and when she was alone all she say was hatred and fear.

She clenched her hand in anger, a sadness welling up into her heart that the thought of her adoptive parents who were now dead, having been old they had died not long before she had turned 15 summers. She was of course near 20 summers and should have been married and with child by now, it brought tears to her eyes which she let fall down her pale face while she walked in front knowing he would never know she was crying.

The two plodded down the path, Aasta in front and Kjeld in the rear. Their passing was mostly, if not completely silent. Twice they came upon deer on the path, only to watch them dash into the thick brush and through the trees. While they were calm about the deer,Kjeld knew that where there were deer - there were wolves. Kjeld knew that wolf attacks were rare. If it were winter instead of early fall he would be far slower and more cautious on the path. Death was a sure-fire method of getting to Valhalla, but he did not want to go that way - enduring the great pain of being torn apart by wolves.

They came to a creek along the path with a wide expanse coming up off the river. There were the remains of an old lean-to shelter made of old pine-branches and boughs. This had obviously been used by travelers on their way to the same halls that Aasta and Kjeld sought. "We should camp here, perhaps make use of this shelter. I can fix it up and perhaps it will be there for those who follow in our steps. If you would please gather some deadwood for a fire and I will fix up this shelter."

Aasta nodded to his words. "Yes, we should, we'll have time here and its not yet dark, we'll have more then a couple of hours before that hits. I'll gather some deadwood for the fire. Should we heat up some food to eat as well?" She asks while stopping in front of the shelter right off the side of the path. She made her way over to pull open the door, she sneezed as it was all dust and a couple of dead bones. "If their had been more time.. I would have enjoyed making a new place to rest in..."

She ventured away from the path seeking out large and small pieces of wood for the fire that they surely would need to keep warm all night. After she filled up her arms she made her way back to the feeble shelter to set the wood down by the door, she walked off again making a make shift broom out of some sticks. She brushed out the dust from the floor and piled the bone sin a corner out of the way while she began the fire.

Kjeld gathered up some boughs from the nearby cedar tree. The wide fronds helped to make a good cover that held in heat and protected from rain and dew. He laced the fronds into the frame using the already existing branches and twine holding it together. Soon it was ready for use. It was barely big enough for the two of them. Kjeld realized that perhaps Aasta might find it uncomfortable to share such a small accommodation with a stranger. Kjeld hadn't shared this close a space with a woman in a long time and was certainly unsure as to whether or not he would be able to do so. He set his pack down in the shallowest portion of the shelter to ensure it didn't get wet. Even though the contents would stay dry, the pack would become heavier, something he hoped to avoid.

Kjeld sat down next to Aasta as she tended the fire. She was skilled with firecraft, something that he had spent a lot of time teaching his apprentices about. A good fire was important to his trade and a good fire could be what sets a good blacksmith apart from a great one. He took some of the dried jerky he brought and offered half to Aasta. She likely had her own food, but Kjeld was used to hunting and wanted to make sure they both had lots of energy. It would keep them on their feet.

Kjeld tried to find something to say, he wanted to hear what Aasta had to say, but knew she was used to being alone with her thoughts.

"I'll take the first watch, if you don't mind. I'm not worried about wolves or bears, but I would hate to be surprised. We have lots of jerky, but we will need water, so I am going to fill some skins. We'll probably start hunting along the way as well, I don't know how long we'll be gone. No-one has ever measured the distance."

Aasta nodded having took the jerky to nibble on and chew slowly while she tended the fire, she brought out her own water skin. "Would you be willing to fill mine up for me when you go?" She asked setting it down on the floor by him, and if he said no she would find a water source herself before they left. "I can handle hunting, though I left my spear at the house.. I should have brought it along with me." She sighed lightly.

She nibbled on the jerky some more while feeding to the fire, as it got warmer inside she took off her hooded cape and laid it down under her where she then laid still nibbling slowly on the jerky she had received from Kjeld. "If you have a small knife might I be able to use it to sharpen the end of a stick so I can hunt?"

Kjeld passed over a crude knife, the steel was grey and mottled, it didn't have the luster of a fancier knife, but it was sharp and well oiled. It was sharp enough to split a hair in fact, with a leather-wrapped handle and a small round pommel at the bottom. "I'd tell you to be careful, but that knife is so sharp you won't have to worry much. It's the dull ones that are dangerous."

Kjeld took a length of twine from his pack and went is search of some Yew branches. He came across one that was long and stiff and cut it down with his larger hunting knife. Though it wasn't as sharp as the smaller knife, it was still more than sharp enough to get the job done. It also had the extra weight he needed to hack through the bough.

Once he got the bough down he sat down beside the fire and began carving it, always going with the grain and shaping it with it's own natural form. "I'll take the first watch Aasta. You can crawl into the shelter and get some sleep. Come get me when you wake up." Kjeld had no intention of getting into the shelter with Aasta until they were both more comfortable, which may never happen. Until then, however, Kjeld did not want to make Aasta's travel any more difficult or uncomfortable.

Kjeld stayed up late into the night carving the Yew branch into a fine bow. He tested the length with his twine and found it just right. Cedar would provide the arrows, but that was to come later. Until they needed to hunt there was no sense in carrying around planks of wood to make arrows.

Aasta had started on her own spear, she followed along the grain until it got dark, she then handed him back the knife and crawled int the shelter saying nothing, she grabbed her blanket and made a small nest for her to sleep in. She laid awake deep into the night she finally sighed and crawled out of the shelter to look at Kjeld. "Kjeld.. don't feel like you have to stay out here, you can come inside to sleep. It won't bother me.. we won't be touching, there is enough space inside." She says while staying their and staring at him.

"We both know nothing will attack us while we're on the path of the dead. So please just relax a bit and do not worry about me. I know nothing will happen. I am a Foundling and you were married with a son." She states before making her way back to her nest inside to curl up.

Kjeld smiled at the offer. Soon he may take her up on that offer. The days were getting shorter and the nights were getting colder. Soon they would need to share their heat. For the time being, however, he was still uncomfortable with sharing a bed with an unfamiliar woman. Even if the bed was made out of cedar fronds.

The night came and went. Through the night they heard the occasional yelp from the odd coyote. There had been no signs of wolves or bears, thankfully. The bears would be going to sleep soon, in their caves and recesses. The wolves would start moving down from the hills into the valley's though.

Kjeld carved his and Aasta's rune-names into the pine tree that the lean-to was up against. There were no other names, but Kjeld thought it important to leave a record behind. At least that he and Aasta were there. He filled up his and Aasta's water skins and slung them to the side of his pack. "You said you can hunt, what game do you think we could find around here?"

Aasta came out of the shelter pulling on her cape, she looked around them. " I have no idea, we should find something though. Should we leave today?" She asks while huddling in front of the fire, she pulled out her bag and blankets, she pulled out some of her jerky and started to chew on it slowly. She started to pack up her blanket and put it away.

She looked up at the sky before glancing around the forest. "We should be able to find some kind of small game, if there are bears and coyote's then they have a food source."

"Good thinking. I think there'd be plenty of deer. Perhaps elk or reindeer. Perhaps we should be on our way. I have no idea how long this journey is going to be, but I am certain that there will be plenty of opportunities to hunt along the way. If the path follows a straight line we are going right through the center of the forest."

Kjeld thought about this. The forest was known for it's dangers. It was said that the three Norns wove threads around the trees. Those who wandered into the heart of the forest would get wound up in the threads and thus be woven a new fate. Kjeld did not know if this was true. What he did know was that everyone avoided the heart of the forest. Everyone, especially those who had been there.

Kjeld checked the path again, but he did this to satisfy his mind. His heart already knew they were headed to the heart of the forest.

"Perhaps it would be best if we stop early today to do some hunting. If we are going to be in the center of the forest, we are going to want to be well fed before we enter."

Aasta nodded to what he was saying. "I think that would be a smart idea, those Norn's are crafty." She said while hefting her bag on her back higher. "Let's head out, we'll have a while before we get to the middle of the forest and we should get going, staying in one place for so long will just delay you in seeing your son and wife." She says with a nod while looking to him, she grabbed ahold of the stick she had carved, she noticed her name carved into it.

"Thank you." She said glancing up at him through her eyelashes.

Kjeld nodded and smiled. He liked Aasta, when it came down to it. Any woman who survived on her own without the protection of family or a man was worthy of praise in Kjeld's books. The rune in the stick was strangely curved and circular, so unlike runes of other people in the village. Her name looked as nice as it sounded when carved. His own was so jutted and angular, a sign of his craft more than denoting anything about his personality. Such was they way for mens runes.

They wandered down the path for a few hours. The occasional sign of deer became apparent as they moved towards the forest. The chewed ends of plants, scat and deer hair littered the path in places. Fresh prints in the softer, wet patches became visible; partially aided by the wolverine's blood underneath their eyes. Though the actual blood wore off in their sleep, visible lines sat underneath their lower eyelids on their cheekbones. The flesh looked raw and agitated, but they could not feel the lines.

They sat in wait as a doe walked onto the path within striking distance. Kjeld and Aasta waited in the tall grass, waiting for the deer to walk closer to them. Kjeld pointed to the stick and nodded to Aasta. He pressed a finger to his lips and held his hand out allowing Aasta to choose to take the Doe or to let him do it.

Aasta nodded to him and lifted her stick up high, she threw it swiftly to the Doe, it was hunt or they died well before they got to the halls of Valhalla. The stick flew through to air and punctured through one of the lungs, it wasn't the best throw but it would kill the Doe. She stood up, stealing his knife from his sheathe before walking over and slitting its throat, mercy, she started to pick it up turning to him.

"Where did you want to cook this?" She asks softly wiping a bloodied hand across her face, the blood smeared across her pale skin while she stared at him , she grabbed her stick out of it's side since she couldn't pick it up after all.

Kjeld grinned broadly. "I've never watched a woman hunt before. It was very impressive. My wife never could have thrown a spear that well." He half expected Aasta to hand him the spear and was surprised when she lifted it and threw it perfectly. "We'll dress it and hang it in this tree and make a camp. Can you please go find some water? Then we can choose a place to make some shelter and cook this beautiful doe."

Kjeld stripped the skin off of the deer and removed the entrails with his long knife. He bundled up everything into the skin and carried it a long way from the hanging meat to prevent wolves or coyotes becoming interested in their camp. He started a fire quickly underneath the hanging deer and used a mix of dry and green wood. The green wood smoked beautifully, while the dry wood caught easily from the kindling he had split off of the broken stump of a cedar.

The wooded area was a little thicker, making natural shelter and materials easier to find. He meandered about 300 paces from the hanging deer over the fire. While the fire cooked the deer he began fashioning a lean-to much like the previous one. He leaned the frame up against two large cedar trunks with a decent flat spot between the massive roots that came out of the ground. He built a second fire-pit near the lean-to for when they had taken as much of the deer as they could. He did not like the roasted meat being so close to the camp. If anything came along that was interested in the meat he did not want it turning to them. He swept out the majority of the flat spot with some cedar fronds and laid out some of his skins. They would sleep comfortably tonight, on flat and dry ground.

Aasta was happy at the light praise, no man had seen her hunt before but she could do it, she took the water skins and made her way to refill them up while washing off her spear. She sat at the edge of the river while looking up to the sky, she looked back down and grabbed the full water skins and made her way back to the camp. She set them down while also getting out her skins laying them down next to Kjeld's. "Your water skin is full of fresh water now."

She says with a nod, softly before going back to look at the meat hanging above the fire. "Should we grab some extra to take a long with us in case?" She wondered aloud before turning back to Kjeld.

Kjeld thought about it.

"That's a good idea, but we'll take it a little later when the smoke has dried some of the meat. If it's too wet it will only rot and attract animals. Who knows what is up in that forest? In the meantime, let's get enough to eat now and then clean up."

Kjeld cut long, slender strips off the carcas. Anything even remotely pink was thrown into the fire. There was no guarantee that anything that wasn't cooked through was safe. He gathered the long strips up in a sheepskin bag and brought it back to the other fire. It was placed on the hot rocks and cooked for a couple more minutes to ensure it was hot and cooked through.

He offered the first batch to Aasta, having made the kill she should be the first to eat.