Name The Unnamed Part II [Mysa]

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Cold. Wet. Numb.

The black surrounded his mind, the only change was the swirling white patterns that had no reason to them, a perpetual motion that too on shapes he tried to fathom their purpose. He tried to move but couldn’t, a weight baring down on his chest pinned him to the ground, a cold stony ground that pushed up against his back, his torso and legs. He felt like he was being crushed..

Wake my boy ..

He knew the voice as well as his own, but a voice he had not heard in years.

It is not your time ..

A strong light pieced the lids of his eyes, vanishing the black and causing pain to his mind. Théo tried to speak, he couldn’t although the words formed in his mind. Grandpapa? It was like he was five again, calling for the man he loved so much and wanting nothing more than the safety of his strong arms. He began to feel the warmth touch his face, as if a hand lay there gently encouraging him to life, it was soothing and Théo wanted to give in to it.

His chest heaved, mouth forced open to spew out salt water from his stomach, his body convulsing repelling as much as it could, forcing him to roll to his side. He felt weak as a lamb, yet tried to pull himself up using his arms to push against the peddled beach and coming to all fours, the salt water continued to pour out of him, his stomach and lungs.

He drew in a breath, the sound of it raspy and the pain of it like the first pain a babe experiences when taking its first breath when born and then the coughing started. Every part of his body ached, the corruptive liquid forced out until he could cough no more. Then he heard it, the sound of water crashing against the rock, sea faring avian squawking overhead, and beside his hand a piece of flotsam lay lapping. It was a piece of their boat ..

Mysa! "Mysa?!". His voice horse barely audible.

Unsteadily he stood, almost falling backward he stumbled. Théo frantically looked around for any sign of her along the beach, there was more of the remains of the boat, the hull with a large gaping hole rested on its side and he made for it clutching at his side. Unable to run.

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"] ​

 

[Lief]

The sound of cawing gulls split through her mind, mixed with the rush of waves which brushed against a pebble surf. It didn't really sound like much at all to her, just a distinct whooshing noise that increased and decreased in pitch rapidly, it was almost as if she had stuck her head under water, and listened to the noise of a city. Busy, but incoherent.

She had no urge to move, not at first, yet the more she lay there the more she realized that something didn't quite add up. When had she fallen into a slumber? What had led her to this point?

Pressure on her chest, tension against her left rib cage, quickly roused her from her thoughts, and with a wince she tried to move. Tried, and failed. Something was weighing her down, yet when she opened her eyes all she could see what white, as though a veil had been pulled over her eyes. Lifting her hands she tried to push at the object against her chest, but it was heavy and she felt a few splinters dig into her palms for all her effort.

Then she remembered.

The boat, the storm, Théo... And then nothing.

Théo. She had to find Théo.

Again she pushed against the object, she realized by this point that it was likely the mast, the fabric over her face the sail, and huffed out a sigh. Just breathing hurt, but she could feel and wriggle her fingers and her toes, so that was a good sign, right? Even if her chest was a little weaker, she was in one piece.

A voice called out to her then, as familiar as the came, and she cried out in relief.

"I'm over here!" she yelled, before breaking into a fit of coughs which sounded particularly ragged. One hand dropped from the mast to clutch at her side which felt tender. Hopefully it was just superficial damage, bruising and the like.

Still she struggled with the heavy object, not once did the Force come to mind, so dazed was she, so surprised to be alive, and to hear his voice. Her sweet brother... Alive and well, or at least she hoped he was well.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

The run up the peddled beach seemed to take an eternity, his sodden boots digging into the peddles with each stride seemed to buckle is ankles and impede his progress. His head still swimming with weakness and fatigue but he pushed forever forward ignoring the pain in his side. Then he heard it, her yell which was faint and raspy as much as his voice, but a wave of relief washed over him, she was alive but in what condition was yet to be discovered. Théo fortitude strengthen which provided him with new found speed to this legs and as he approached the scattered boat, he could see her mop of blonde white hair laying strewn across the peddles. "Mysa", it was not a question more a statement of relief.

It did not take much effort for his knees to plow into the peddled surface, his body eager to get off his feet, the action ripped a hole in his trouser knees cutting his skin, which he did not feel nor care about. His eyes traveled over her finding her pinned by mast, and thank the gods it was not heavy one by any means but, enough to do physical harm under the circumstances. Théo could see movement in her legs as she tried to move.

"Stay still", he said reaching for the long beam of wood he threw back the canvas sail to reveal her more. She was bleeding from cuts but the amount of blood was not alarming he was more worried about the injuries one cannot see at least with the naked eye.

On any given day, Théo would not find it difficult to lift the mast, but this was not any given day and he was drained of energy although he tried and grew frustrated in his failed attempt. A sense of reality kicked in, his mind clearing more knowing she was okay and so was he, and so he drew in a deep breath closed his eyes to focus removing all the frustrations and fears setting him mind concentrate on the wood .. and it lifted, levitated slowly off her body high enough to clear the remains of the boat and through the force threw it to the side.

"Where are you hurt? where do you feel pain?", he asked her as his hand gently graced her cheek and leaned over to look into her eyes.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

Stay Still.

Mysa had no intentions of remaining still, perhaps between the two of them they would have better luck shifting the sail. When he began to push, now knelt by her side, she did the same, lifting both hands and huffing under the strain. Her tender chest ached, goading a wince from her, but she did not stop, not even when her brother grew frustrated.

He looked worse for wear. Now that the sail was away from her face, and the sunlight beat down on her sensitive eyes, she could see him, see what lay around them, the sorry state of their ship. So much for a simple adventure. She worried for a moment if this was her fault, for being so new to sailing, but the storm which had struck them had seemed almost unnatural, and she wondered how easily any other would have been able to avoid it.

"It's so good to see you" she breathed, between their struggles. Suddenly a dumbfounded expression came over him, and then all of that melted away to focus as he closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. A few moments later the mast was thrown from her body, and she looked equally as surprised for a moment.

Why hadn't she thought of that?

Had her life on Midvinter fuzzled her mind that much?

Once the burden was gone she tried to lift up. Pain rocked through her chest, but she managed it all the same and settled a hand over the tender ribs. "I'm fine," she said, with a simple smile, "Nothing I can't walk off." She frowned at him then, glancing him over, he looked a little beat up himself.

"Are you okay? What happened, where are we?"

She leaned into his touch when his hand settled against her cheek, and let out a tiny sigh. Their ship may have been in ruins, but at least they had survived the worst of it. Things could have gone a lot worse.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"It is good to see you too", he said and the mast hit the peddle beach with a thud. Théo sat back on his hunches hands resting on his thighs as Mysa struggled with her bruises and battered body, he was not much better himself, but there was no time for all that. "I think we had best find out where we are cause I don't know, and some shelter if we are stranded here for now".

He pushed off the ground with a grunt, the pain against his own ribs protesting with the sudden movement, but like Mysa things could have been much worse. He held out his hand for her to take and he would assist her up. All the while he looked around them along the beach to see a long stretch of it, that curved off in the distance. Behind them, a sloping plain of grass met the edge of the peddles and beyond that, the grey sky. The storm traveling over this place and outward to the Maw. They could still on the mainland for all he knew, in what direction .. that would be a guess.

As for shelter, nothing to be found by the eye, at least not in their immediate area. Maybe something over the slope and beyond. "I think we should try and make it to the top of that slope, see what we can see".

"At least the storm is gone, and it sure made a mess of our boat". He said finally taking a moment to look it over to see if they could salvage anything from it or repair it, but no there would be no chance. All it was good for now would be fire wood although the sail might come in handy for protection from the cold coming the evening if it came to that.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

He didn't know any more than she did.

That shouldn't have come as a surprise, in truth, they were likely both equally as disoriented in that moment. Scrambling to her feet she reached down for the sail and began to bundle up the fabric, who knew if it would come in handy, especially since Théo spoke of a need for shelter.

Rolling it up and placing it under her arm she let out a small sigh and took one step toward him. Every part of her body ached, and she felt like she was swaying, like the storm was still rocking them. Taking one moment to breathe she closed her eyes.

You're safe, alive, and so is Théo... But we have to find out where we are, so move...

Another step, before she followed Théo and glanced up the slope. Now that would be a pain, but she could grin and bear it. No doubt he was facing the same issue.

"Whatever you think is best, you know these lands better than I, Brother. The wood is too wet to make a fire, I know that much, but the sail could be useful."

She lifted her arm a little, as though referencing the fabric which now lay beneath it, before offering him a wry smile.

"It's cold, I hope we find somewhere soon..."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He cast a quick glance back to the shattered boat, "And not going to get dry any time soon", maybe they could find dry wood elsewhere. But in the mean time, "Did mother not teach you to use the force to warm your body?", he asked as be began to draw the force to himself and maintain what little warmth he had already. The walk up the slope was more arduous than anticipated, given their current situation with injury and lack of energy. Although that would re-establish it would take time for the both. But their position was one that needed to find shelter and sooner rather than later, another storm could arrive and they would be isolated in the open plain.

Eventually, the top of the slope was reached, Théo blew hard, his lung in pain from the exercise and he bent over placing his hands on his knees and stopped trying to regain breath. His head turned to see Mysa, he doubted she was fairing any better. "I will take the burden of the sail from here on". And once his breath returned to him somewhat, did he lift his head to see where they were.

For a moment, he just looked, eyes seeing something that his mind could not comprehend. A stunned expression on his face replaced the grimace of pain, and he doubted his mind. Before them both an impressive sight to behold, atop a Tor was three large swords, plunged into the soil and rock.

​

"Please tell me you can see that too?", if not he must be delusional. However, he recognised the hilts of the swords and maybe Mysa would too. Odiir's hilt on the left, Helm's on the right, and in the middle .. Velkar's. The swords stood high and proud as any Coruscant skyscraper.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

With an unplanned wave of her hand she pushed several pieces of the now useless ship further up the shore and onto the grass, away from the surf of the ocean. While it would not dry any time soon, if they ended up stranded here for some time then perhaps it would prove useful to them.

Then she turned to Théo with a dumbfounded look.

"I must be concussed or something, because my head is simply not working today. It's like I forgot about the Force entirely. Thank you for the reminder, brother."

No need to freeze, he was correct she had been taught Tapas by their mother and as such she focused through the Force and leveled out her body temperature. Not too warm, not too cold, just right. Perfect, even.

With all of that aside, she followed him up the slope; though she knew it was not a particularly long stretch which warranted a tonne of walking, it was still exhausting all the same and felt like an eternity went by before they reached the top. Once there she paused and hunched over, breathing heavily from the excursion even as her ribs ached to the gesture.

When he told her he was taking the sail her first urge was to deny the assistance, but she realized that she wouldn't be able to take much more carrying its burden. So she relinquished hold of it to him and gave him a grateful nod, not quite ready for words.

Her head lifted then, and she looked - truly looked - at their surroundings.

Then she gasped.

"Magnificent..." she whispered, truly in awe of the three prongs which jutted from the land. They were gigantic, larger than any non-natural structure Midvinter had to offer. "What... How is this even possible?"

She recognized the hilts of course, the symbolism carved into them.

The Gods truly were a marvel.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

It was good news, Mysa could see it too. Her questions he could not answer having the same himself. And on Midvinter anything is possible. "I don't know", is all he could say at this point, still trying to gather his breath. Yet the pull toward the monolithic swords was too great and he found his feet moving once more, pulling his body up the steep incline to look at them more closely. "Come on", he encouraged her, not that she would need it after all. Since when did these two 'partners in crime' ever shy away from something as intriguing as this? A smile broke on his face, and Théo had the sense of youth within his heart again, just like when they were kids.

All the worries of the world seemed to have vanished, at least for now and in this place, it was calming in it's isolation and his body seemed to have revived considerably, a new found energy as if coming from the stone itself. Strange ley lines? Was this the origin in which energy streams branch out across their fair Midvinter? Something was here, that much was certain.

He cast a look to Mysa, wondering if she felt it too.

The landscape was strange here, not a tree in sight, just the rolling slopes of grasses which seemed to be laden down heavy with a layer of ice around the base of the swords. Théo's feet crushed as his weight bared down on it, unsteady as it was slippery. But soon enough they would stand at the base of the swords, the symbols clearer although weather worn, and it was a language older. But some of the lettering could be deciphered.

Nágrindr, etched on Velkar's swords at the base. Gateway of the Dead.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

It felt like the good old days again, when the pair would find cause to sneak out and go on adventures in the dead of night, or before dawn, when everyone else was asleep and dangers lurked around every corner. Good old Fishbrain and Wriggles, she had missed their mischief. As they had upon seeing the Vhaniir, the pair were more than anxious to get a closer look, and as such she was up the hill just as fast as he was, approaching the swords which pierced the earth.

The Force felt strange here, warped almost, far more intense than she was used to. When they reached the plateau she turned to Théo and took the sail from him, casting the heavy material to the ground in hopes that it might dry out at this higher elevation. That, and truthfully she wanted them to be unburdened as they explored.

Each step she took toward the structures brought strength renewed to the girl, and she let out a sigh of relief. The aches and pains lessened, the limp she had suffered practically fled, and the haze which had overcome her mind lifted.

A sudden rush of wind caught her by surprise, and forced just one word from her lips.

"Odiir..."

Could it be, were they closer to the Gods here than they had been elsewhere? It seemed to be a trait of these two, to stumble upon deity-related creatures and artifacts... Blessed was their blood, but she wondered if there was more to it than even that. Why she and Théo, out of all of their kin'?

Their approach was hindered by the unpredictable ground, but soon enough they were close enough to make out the Runian engravings. A word deciphered that she had never expected to see in so natural and gargantuan a structure.

"Did we die?" she breathed, voice tense with worry, "Are we being led to the afterlife?"

She hoped not.

Gods, she hoped not.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

A soft whisper of the name Odiir was captured on the wind as Mysa spoke the name, along with the sail she had just placed to the ground to dry. Theo turned to watch it sailing through the air like a feather back toward the shore from which they had just left. He grinned before a chuckle, and turned to Mysa standing there all beautiful and reverend with the whole journey. But a look of concern and love stifled the chuckle, and he threw his arms around his sister and embraced her like it would be the last. "I love you Mysa always remember that", he placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead before letting her go. Yes, they had grown up but at the core of their hearts they were still Wriggles and Fishbrains, nothing would take that from them.

The same thought had crossed his mind upon deciphering the word on the sword of 'He who should not be named" .. "I don't think so but there is only one way to find out". He gave her a commanding look, "Now you stay put, if I vaporise or vanish or something .. run". Where she would run to, he had no idea. Theo pulled in a deep breath, trying to strength his resolve before the first step on this leap of faith. But before he did, he got the chuckles again imagining the words of their grandpapa if he was to enter Beornskald well before his time to join him. part of him was wanting it, to see him again and his heart ached at the thought regardless of the butt kicking he would receive.

Theo stepped between two of the towering swords, he held his breath but .. nothing happened. All that did happen was he passed through them to the other side of the Tor and he could see the far side of the Isle and the Maw stretching out as far as the eye could see. In the distance he could see the storm that had brought them here, still raging again the world. The stories of the Valkyri come to him now, they say that it is Helm fighting some foe between worlds and to prevent them from descending to Midvinter. It seemed Helm had a fight on his hands.

But just to be sure. "Can you still see me?", he popped his head around the sword of Velkar with a grin on his face. Yet again, his grin fell as there was an energy shift, it was like the force but not. It was something more powerful even than that. And almost like out of thin air, an old woman stood a few meters away from the both, she held a stick which seemed to with the purpose of support, her back slightly bend with age but it was her eyes that Theo could not take his off. A deep green with a full flush of youth and they did not appear to belong in that body. The old woman did not speak nor move, save for a slight turn of the corners of her lips.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

She had not meant for the sail to float away on the same breeze which had snatched her breath.

For a moment she watched it as it moved toward the shore, as it shrunk in size and found itself caught upon the tide. Only the sound of her brother's laughter proved enough to tear her focus away from it and back to the present, giving him a wry smile of apology. Luckily they did not need such to keep warm, but it would have been nice to use as almost a tarp to keep out the worst of the downfall.

The storm itself seemed to have eased, or perhaps distance had caused it to seem much less than it had felt within its eye. Rolling across the sea as it was, she could not help but wonder by what luck it had washed them up here of all places.

When the embrace came Mysa was quick to emulate it, settling her face into the crook of his neck and breathing in his scent. She despised how much they had splintered apart in more recent years, since the Heavens gained one extra God, and childhood innocence was replaced by steadfast duty.

"I love you, Théo, I'm glad you're here..."

Midvinter had not been the same to her in his absence.

Stepping back from his arms she looked up at him with a gentle pout. "Why do you get to do the fun things?" she asked, with a cheeky grin proving her incapable of keeping up the act for too long, how could she feign upset... "I'll stay put, Brother, mind you don't... I don't know... Anger one of the Gods or something. Then you really might be vaporized."

She bounced on the balls of her feet and watched in anticipation as he approached the monolithic swords. When he passed through she became incapable of seeing him due to the towering stones and anxiously waited as had been requested. Still nothing. By this point the young Snowstrider was barely breathing, holding her breath.

Could it be?

Were they truly dead?

And all at once he was there again, upon his face a grin which looked to her more like a smirk when she held one hand to her chest in genuine surprise.

"Don't... Do that! You gave me a fright!"

But all at once she too was grinning, up until the moment that his expression dropped. "Théo? What is it, what's wrong?" She turned to follow his gaze, and stared at the old woman who was barely a few feet away. "Please, tell me you see her too..."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

An opportunity had presented itself, a small white sail on the far horizon caught up in one of Helm's more delightful moods. No doubt his brother was raging against something in Beornskald and by the strength of the storm, it had been a fearsome battle. Well they could not place the blame on him this time, more the pity for it. But for now his focus was squarely placed on the two opportunities standing on the Tor, one burly Valkyri and a very pretty girl. He ignored the Valkyri, crept right passed him toward the young lady using his stick to support this rotting vessel of a body he loathed so much. How long had it been since he look upon a woman?, one that lived and breathed that is.

The end of his exile was close at hand, the motions were set in place and now here on this forsaken rock the last two pieces of the plan had come .. they are the bait.

The rolling golden grasses of Beornskald, he could see them, smell the aroma of godly power upon the wind seeping into his body and retribution for his exile .. oh how he would have that. His father should have been eternally grateful, if it was not for Velkar's great fire of Midvinter, and Odiir plunging the planet into a block of ice, would the dullards had evolved into something more beautiful. Oh how resilient they became, adapted to the conditions and grew in strength .. everything did. Green eyes looked over the one called Theo, there was the evidence of his master plan, as misguided as it might have been.

But this girl, this pretty girl, was not of Valkyri blood .. and this intrigued him greatly.




The old woman's stick scratched into the hard ground, only a meter from the one called Mysa, the old woman did not dare come closer for fear of spooking them both but watched out of the corner of her eye as this Theo moved to stand by her side. A protective brother? even better. For all the differences between he and Helm, Velkar loves his brother.

You are neither dead nor dying.

The old woman shuffled over to a rock on which she sat, watching them.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

To say that Mysa was wary of this old woman who had materialized out of nowhere would have been an understatement.

As quickly as [member='Théodred Heavenshield'] came to her side, Mysa had already inched toward him also and now stood staring at her with an almost dumbfounded expression. Though she was just an old lady, by now she had learned that looks could be deceiving, after all that had happened with the alchemical fiend, and Joon, she wasn't prepared to lower her defenses just because someone seemed harmless.

One hand reached out to take Théo's.

"I don't like this," she whispered, for his ears alone, not once taking her eyes off the woman. "Where did she come from?"

By this point the old woman was just a few tiny feet away from her. She could have laid down and her body would have easily touched Mysa's feet... That unnerved her.

The woman spoke then, answering the question they had asked prior to her appearance which made her all the more skeptical. But soon after she moved to sit upon a rock, putting just a little extra space between them.

"Who are you?" she could not help but ask, her hand still firmly grasping her brothers.

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

As if to protect Mysa further, Theo pulled her closer placing the hand that held her's behind his back, he was on edge and ready to move if something was to happen. He knew Mysa well enough to know she had a few tricks up her sleeve as well, if things turned pear shaped. But still, a Heavenshield will be a Heavenshield. "I did not see her on the other side of those", his eyes flicked to the gigantic swords piercing the earth. He could not answer her question.

"And where did you come from?", he added to Mysa's question. Maybe she will answer that herself.

Theo leaned toward Mysa, turned his head to the side for her to hear his words only. "I think we need to leave, sooner rather than later". Even if they had no means of getting off this Isle as yet, the beach was far more appealing a place to be than with this old woman. After all that was their main problem, their present situation in which they need to concentrate their focus.

He turned back to pay attention to the old woman, something told him they needed to tread carefully now. He saw her turning her gaze toward the far horizon toward the mainland as if looking for something, and this .. unnerved him.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Lygi​

​

Was the name the old woman scratched into the dirt at her feet, before raising it to point toward the mainland in order to tell them where she had come from. Well, in a sense that was true after all the Gods live in the minds and hearts of the Valkyri, even he to some of the more secretive of them. As much as he would have revealed his true nature, he could not, forbid to do so or death would be immediate. He was not prepared to die for these two. The old woman scratched in the dirt once more..

You are neither here nor there​

Trapped between worlds​

​

You denied death​

Death requires recompense​

​

Blood​

​

The old woman pushed her body off the rock on which she sat and hobbled over to the stone swords, turning to them beckoning them to approach, to see what others have sacrificed and if they were to look closely, they would see the markings of blood of old from those that had come this way and had denied death it's reward. Velkar knew they were still on edge and rightly so, he admired them both for it in fact, most would just not question him but these two were special, and just what he needed.

The blood line of the Dawncracker, bringer? [member="The Bringer of Dawn"] .. honestly. Some mortal Odiir saw fit to bestow such glory. Seems to Velkar, Beornskald needed it's most endearing God back, clearly it lacked for charm if this was all that Odiir could come up with. And Midvinter had grown dull without him, oh there had been the odd Usurper, the odd little war with them Vinterbound chaps, and some off worlders with puny powers that had come to wreak havoc. That was entertaining he had to admit.

In all cases, every single one of them .. fire was the answers to defend and defeat. And where would Midvinter be without the gift of fire so graciously given to the Valkyri from him? There God that loved them so much to provide them with this? Stuck here on a God forsaken rock, in a wretched broken body with two lumps of mortal clay. At least the girl was very pleasing to his eyes.

Note to self: When this bondage is broken, visit her.

​

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

Pulled partially behind him, she peeked out from around his shoulder and kept her eyes upon the woman.

She was grateful to have Théo by her side through this. That he had not seen the woman when he stepped between the swords had her further perplexed, had she appeared out of thin air? She did not seem strong or swift enough to have come upon them by any regular means.

The whispered words had her nodding her head in agreement, she did not want to be here any longer than they had to be, even if that meant seeking out another part of the island to wait on until they could find a way off it... Anything would be better than remaining in the presence of this strange anomaly.

A word was scratched into the dirt, swiftly followed by a whole host of others - yet it was the first which truly drew her attention. To begin with at least.

"Lygi..." she muttered, brows furrowing. It wasn't a name she knew of course, but it just seemed so ordinary given the circumstances.

Her hand tightened in Théo's when her gaze fell over those other words. Trapped? Death? Blood? Skin paled almost immediately, and she began to shook her head, "That doesn't make sense, how can this be so? Blood? What do you mean blood?"

At first Mysa did not move.

"What do we do, Brother?" she whispered, settling her head against his shoulder, "What if she's right?"

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Moving slowly toward the stone swords, Theo wanted to see for himself exactly what this crazy old woman was scratching in the earth about. He did not let go of Mysa's hand, taking her with him in the process, if they were going to get into some sort of trouble, they would do so together and it was the only way he knew that she was close, and that he had any chance of protecting her.

He could see the old blood caked to the stone, black with age but it was unmistakable. "That wind that took the sail .. that was no ordinary wind was it?", he turned to ask the woman. He did not answer Mysa's question for he did not know how to, "What you are telling us is that we are stuck here, can't go back can't go forward", all of this was so unreal, it was not even surreal just unnatural. Strange how memories are recalled in a time like this, he thought back to the war against the Vinterbound and the raging storm about the battle field that aided the fight against them, the Vhaanir which allowed Mysa and himself to ride them and save many people. All but one.

He too had thought about why it was always them two that seemed to favour the Gods. What was in their design for them, and was it this that they now faced?

"I want you to answer her question. What do you mean by blood and why is it on these swords?". Theo had a feeling he knew the answer to come, after all .. what are swords designed for but to spill blood .. and take lives. He face became dark, his body prepared for immediate action as his spare hand took hold of his saber hilt. The force gathered in his body, strengthening him and setting his resolve. Second nature to him now is the pull of the force, it always had been but now the strength he possesses that as powerful as his father's, and his fathers before him. There was more to strength of character than the ability to wield the force.

"The Sword of Helm, The Sword of Odiir and this one. The Sword of Velkar. Since when do the Gods of my people require blood sacrifice?", Theo demanded. The Gods had never wished for that of course, but in the past oh so many thousands of years ago, the Valkyri had offered blood of the living to their dead, to their Gods.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Oh these two asked too many questions, not only that they had started to place some of the pieces of the puzzle together and that he could not allow. The old woman pulled out a small knife, as her eyes shifted to the one called Theo and his hand upon some sort of weapon. Velkar had no fear of these two, any weapon or power they possess are useless against the likes of him.

Just one drop​

​

The words scratched at the base of Velkar's sword in answer to the question he so wanted a reply for. Using the tip of the knife, the old woman nicked the skin of her finger and squeezed the blood to the surface before placing her finger to The Sword of Velkar. Her face was turned from them at this point, yet a smile broke on her weather worn cracked lips, he had not heard his name spoke in centuries. However the mask was reinstated as the woman turned to face them once more holding out the knife toward the burly Valkyri and her other gnarly wrinkled hand tapped on the stone.

Do this, and return home​

​

By now, the skies to the east had cleared over the mainland, it would be the same here soon enough so they had to hurry if this venture was to have a happy conclusion. For him..

However they were not in danger, not from him but what was coming closer to the Isle, well that was another story that was not to be writ here. They are not part of the 'play'. He needed their blood and once that was done, he needed them to leave for their own good. Just one drop .. the words in his mind flicked against their minds.

There was a shift in the air around them, the breeze that had taken their sail to the shore had grown stronger and began to buffeted at her old body, and using the stick as support with one hand resting against the stone of Helm's sword, she nodded to beckon them forward. There was no threat from this old woman, nothing in her countenance to suggest any forthcoming attack. Unless, of course, one of them decided to take aggressive action and then .. they would have to die.

Now that would be a pity indeed.

​

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

[Apologies for the late reply, brother dearest]

As, together, they approached the great stone swords, Mysa kept her eyes back at the old woman while her brother inspected the monolithic structures. There was something all too discomforting about her presence here, the way she had appeared out of thin air, and it seemed as though her brother sensed it too. How could he not, he was many times the Force User she was, and even without the Force she felt certain they would have felt it regardless.

Theo's words left her trembling slightly. Was it true then that they were stuck here? In the realm between realms? Neither dead nor living... What kind of madness was this? What sort of trial had the Gods conjured up for the pair this time?

It did not feel like the Gods had a hand in this, no Gods she knew at least.

When he spoke the name of the Trickster God Mysa audibly gasped, and only then did she tear her eyes from the old woman to look at her brother. That was not a name she had ever heard uttered aloud, even the texts pertaining to his existence were few and far between. Almost as if a dark mystery surrounded him, as if by speaking his name he would appear.

She looked around, dubious yet concerned that such might be the case.

Nothing. For now.

That she could see.

Her eyes followed the woman as the words appeared at the base of Velkar's sword. The air seemed to stir, or perhaps that was just the nausea she was beginning to feel, and Mysa shook her head. She reached up to grasp Theo's arm, demanding that he look at her and not toward the swords or the woman for the moment.

"We can't," she hissed, desperation now held within her gaze, "I won't have anything to do with him. Helm, Odiir, they are different, but him? Please, brother, there must be another way..."

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"] [member="Velkar Odiirson"]