13 A Collection of Tales

The fates of their parents weighed heavily on their souls and kept them locked in their hearts. Their minds were set on killing the night creatures, defeating their greatest foes, and freeing their people from tyranny. They were both exhausted, but nobody said they could not enjoy a few thrills. Nothing prevented them from wanting to know each other a lot more than usual. Even if they feel some sort of weakness inside of them, they remain strong in their spirits.

Lagertha was exhausted from walking for so many days without a moment to rest herself from the long nights. Brant had plenty of time to himself, and there was never a moment where he forgot he needed to sleep. Instead of thinking about his mother, Brant thought about the Wolf Queen and had the perfect solution for her. He believed she was very thirsty from so much walking; he thought she might pass out at any minute. He thought she might doze off and fall asleep without knowing what else she can do while visiting the village.

"Hey, Lagertha. I'm going to get us something to drink," Brant said.

"Oh, thanks. But I'm not thirsty," Lagertha said.

"Are you sure? Because I don't think you can go anywhere else with an empty stomach. It doesn't hurt to have something to eat or drink," he said.

"Well, you're not wrong about that. But if you want to get yourself something to drink, by all means."

"Please, it looks to me you haven't got a good place to sleep in days. And during that time, there may have not been a lake or even any animals out there to eat. Perhaps some guard or other people looked at you with another eye and forbid you from entering their village. Don't worry, it's happened to me, too. I guess some people don't prefer others from distant places to stay in their villages. I've been kicked out of villages before, but not for some unspecified crime. So yeah, you're not the only one who feels unwelcome."

Despite it being way too long ever since they last met, Brant still thought she was a human and had no other type of blood streaming inside her veins. Brant did not understand the power she wields, yet he believed she was still the same person he once met. Lagertha knew it would be impossible to make Brant satisfied with her words, but they both understood the truth always hurt. It would not be long until the son of King Harald knows who she truly is, and all will eventually go astray. Lagertha thought about it for a few seconds, and she looked up to Brant and could not relent from such an offer.

"Alright, you can get me something. Just give me something that you like," Lagertha said.

"Great. I'll be right back," Brant said. And so, Brant left her alone and started walking out of the room to get some wine.

As he leaves, Lagertha gets up from the bed and looks at his collection of random items he received for himself. Like his old bedroom, Brant had a library of books, but this collection was not as big as before. The rest of his books and poems were burnt at Loftain or were lost and never found. Lagertha was astounded that her friend could have so many books fit inside his small room. She looked at his little library and saw what books he read while staying at the village of Gregor.

The Wolf Queen could tell that Brant was very interested in the Viking setting and many ancient regions. Judging by the way his collection appeared, she assumed Brant enjoyed going on adventures and finding things for his amusement. To her surprise, she could see many books that centered on the knights who were around since the Middle Ages. In that collection, she saw an enormous book that was bigger than any of Brant's books. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table was the name of the book, and it was bound by leather and fine print.

To her amusement, she found a chair and read it while waiting for Brant to come back with some wine. Since it took the young hunter a long time to come back with the wine, Lagertha had no reason to leave the bedroom. She only read the first ten pages of the book, to find out that Brant did not return to his apartment. Lagertha assumed he was probably talking to people who had many stories to tell. Most of them were talking about their adventures, while the rest were drinking every bit of ale in the tavern.

Even if the tales some knights told were adventurous and exciting, Lagertha had nothing to tell to anyone who wanted to know. Like her father, she did not let anybody know of her true nature and the power inside her soul. Lagertha only told Brant what happened in the kingdom of Midland after Mephiles killed King Harald. She knew deep in her heart that her father died the day he made a deal with the Demon Wolf. She tried to forget all of that trauma while reading the enormous book she borrowed from Brant's collection.

Then, Lagertha looked out of the window for a few seconds and thought of something she might do with Brant. She believed she might either do what she did before she slept with Brant or possibly get drunk with him. Being drunk on wine sounded dangerous, but so long as she stays in the room, she should be fine. Lagertha had no other problems going on that she should be concerned about as she read the giant book of King Arthur and his knights. A few minutes later, she hears a door being opened and someone walking into the house.

She immediately guessed that Brant returned from the tavern and the morning sun was still in the sky. Lagertha quickly got up from the chair and placed the book back where she found it. She usually did this if someone important was coming to her old house and imagined what that person had in mind. Then, she finds a place to sit down, and she waits for Brant to open the door and hand her the drink. She wanted to know why it took him so long, but she knew she could not be as curious as she used to be.

"I'm back, Lagertha," Brant said.

"Oh, about time you'd show up. I was about to go to sleep," she said.

"Well, you'd be proud you weren't with me. You would've been harassed by all the drunkards standing in your way. Luckily for me, none of them tried to bother me," he said.

"What were they trying to lure you in about?"

"Oh, nothing serious. I think some of them were trying to drag me into their sick stories about their twisted youths. Obviously, they are the worst things about this village. The rest of the village is pretty good. It just took me a long time to get used to it."

Lagertha sat on his bed and noticed the wine had a kind of flavor she never tasted before. The wine was cherry mixed with pomegranates, and she was surprised to taste a new flavor. But she did not know how far she would go down into drinking it; she did not know how drunk she might get if she drinks too much. It should not be that much for her, since her skills and strength are stronger than a human's. Brant decides to not waste any more time and hands her one of the wine bottles before she gets even more exhausted.

Brant lifts his wine bottle as the Wolf Queen stared at it for what seemed like an eternity. For a few seconds, she was puzzled and tried to figure out if she should be able to drink it or not. Then Brant walks over to Lagertha, and he wants to see if he can help her out on the right way of drinking the wine.

"It's cherry-flavored wine. And it's mixed with pomegranates. Trust me, it tastes fantastic," Brant said.

"Oh, my mistake. It's been a long time ever since I've tried anything from a tavern. For the last couple of weeks, I got used to eating deer and drinking from a lake," Lagertha said.

"Well, if you want to take your time, fine by me. I can drink yours if you don't want any," he said.

"Don't worry, it's fine. I can figure it out, myself."

Without hesitation, Brant prepares himself to drink at the same time when Lagertha drinks the wine. After opening the top of the wine bottle, she and Brant lifted their bottles, and they drank and became merry.