i. it's a dead body (oneshot)

Virhan knew his death was approaching as soon the dagger pierced through him. The golden hilt was the only thing visible as the blade penetrated his abdomen. The pain was spreading like a wildfire and he found he couldn’t even think straight, let alone attempt to formulate a plan to defend himself from his attacker.

His opponent whipped another dagger at him, but Virhan could barely move at this point. He was fairly sure the dagger was going to pierce his throat, so he did the only logical thought that came to his mind at the moment.

He fell.

He dropped to the ground and let the dagger fly over his head. Heroic? Not so much, but one must do what needs to be done when one’s life is on the line.

The attacker drew closer, but Virhan couldn’t make out their face. He found that his vision was beginning to get blurry and there were black spots dancing in front of his eyes. At the moment, the only thing Virhan wanted was to shoot an arrow at his approaching assailant. His desire was so strong that he actually saw an arrow embed itself in the person’s throat. He knew that it was only his imagination acting up, but that didn’t make his desire any less intense. Suddenly, he was brought back to reality when he noticed a pair of black boots stop beside him.

Deciphering who it was that was standing beside him proved to be harder than he thought. For one, his attacker was moving, bolting around like a cheetah of Earth, and for another, his eyes were getting blurrier by the second. He could tell he was on the verge of losing consciousness.

It wasn’t until his attacker bent over him that he discovered she was a girl. He couldn’t make out anything except for her caramel-coloured skin and silky black hair. Finally, he gave into his body’s desires and closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to engulf him.

Virhan found himself repeatedly drifting in and out of consciousness. He kept hearing voices, but he couldn’t make out any words in particular. He felt the glare of bright lights and at times felt a calloused hand caress his cheek. Despite the roughness, it was kind. He didn’t know who the hand belonged to, but he found himself leaning into the touch. It had been a long time since Virhan had felt such gentleness. He longed for the days when he was ignorant and happy. Now, life seemed to hate him.

When he finally came around, he heard voices again. This time, he could make out the words.

“So, you’re telling me there was poison on the blade?” a woman with a sweet, melodic voice inquired.

“Obviously. If it hadn’t been poison-tipped, why do you think he passed out with only one hit?” This voice sounded smoother and not as high pitched. Like melting chocolate against the heat of the sun.

“True, but that still leaves my question unanswered. Why are you dropping him off at the palace?” questioned the first voice.

“I don’t know myself, to be honest. I have a feeling he’s gonna be important. He’s not like the rest.”

“Honestly, you and your intuition are going to give me more gray hairs than I already have. Now I’m going to have to figure out how to explain this to Vidarr. You know how he hates random dead people being dropped on our doorstep,” the first woman said, a thick layer of annoyance lacing her tone.

“Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out, as you always do, but I have to go. I’m stuck with kitchen duty this week at home. I have to whip up some sort of dish to feed the pigs...I mean my friends.”

At this, both girls erupted into laughter before a door shut and Virhan could only assume that one of the young women had exited the room, leaving him alone with one of them, neither of which he knew.

Sigyn Eiriksdottir sighed to herself, staring at the unconscious man that her best friend, Alena Edvinsdottir, had just left with her. He was lying on the floor, his eyes still closed and a wound that had bled through the few rags that Alena had attempted to wrap it with. For Frey’s sake, what am I supposed to do now? she thought to herself. Sigyn scanned the room, then quickly thought of a place to go. Okay. To Nicole’s room.

Walking over to the unconscious man’s body, Sigyn grabbed him by the ankles and started to drag him towards her younger sister’s room, which was off of the main courtyard of the palace...and then down the hall quite a ways. All Sigyn could do now was drag the man and hope that no guards rounded the corner to see her dragging a seemingly dead man through the palace.

Or even worse.

Vidarr.

“So, let me get this straight. Your best friend, Alena, showed up in the courtyard, dumped a dead man at your feet...and then left,” Nicole Eiriksdottir said as she stood with her arms crossed in front of her sister and the man that was on the floor.

“Well, he isn’t dead. He’s breathing...I believe,” Sigyn replied. “My only problem is how to tell Vidarr that this man is our problem now.”

“And why is he “our problem”, exactly?”

“Because Alena claims he’s not like the other people she’s rescued. She thinks he’s going to be important.”

“There it is! She thinks! For Frey’s sake, Sigyn, this man could be some random person she picked up off of the street and just didn’t feel like dealing with, so she dumped him on you!” Nicole cried.

“Come on Nicole, you and I both know Alena isn’t like that. She is crazy, most definitely, but she has intuition, for sure. If she says this man is important, then I believe her.”

Nicole stared at her sister for a moment, then rubbed her face with a groan. “That’s true. Fine, I will help you drag this guy to the throne room to show Vidarr and ask him what to do.”

“Thank you, Nicole. At least we will get in trouble together if we do end up getting in trouble.”

Virhan had regained his sense, almost entirely at this point, but he kept his eyes closed. All he knew was he was being dragged somewhere by his ankles by two women, and his abdomen hurt like nothing he had ever felt before.

Even still, he lay still, waiting to see where these two women, who he was presently trusting with his life, would take him.

“Good morning, Vidarr,” Sigyn said, walking into the throne room and curtsying slightly to her older brother, Vidarr Eiriksson, who sat on the throne at the front of the room.

“Sigyn, my dear sister. What brings you here so early?” Vidarr queried, standing up and walking over to his sister, giving her a hug.

“I have something to...to show you.”

Vidarr frowned. “Alright. You hesitated, so I’m nervous, but show me anyways.”

Sigyn took a deep breath, nodded and walked out of the breath, soon returning with Nicole...and a body.

Vidarr’s eyes went wide and he took a small step back. “What is that?”

“It’s a dead body,” Nicole replied with a smirk.

“Thank you, Nicole, for that insight, because in my twenty-nine years of life and six years as king, I have never seen a dead body before,” Vidarr stated, his voice laced with sarcasm. “My question is what is he doing here?”

“He was at the doorstep of the palace. I saw him and knew I couldn’t let him just lay there and die. He’s suffered a stab wound with a poison-tipped blade,” Sigyn explained.

“And there is the fatal mistake,” Vidarr remarked, causing Sigyn to frown. “Alena brought him here, didn’t she? Sigyn-”

“Vidarr, Alena is fine. She means well, which is why she brought him here. She saw him on the side of the road and managed to tell that the blade he was stabbed with was poisoned from the injury site. She knew she wouldn’t be able to care for him in her humble abode, so she brought him to us.”

“Can I ask a question?” Nicole queried, interrupting her siblings’ conversation. “How do we know he’s even still alive? His breathing has been so shallow that I don’t even know when I last saw him take a breath.”

At that, Vidarr looked down at the body and gently tapped it with his foot.

And the man shot up.

Sigyn screamed and jumped back, while Vidarr and Nicole drew their swords. The man on the ground took quick, shallow breaths as he frantically looked around. “W...Where am I?” he managed to say.

“You are in the royal palace of Alfheim. I am Lord Vidarr, and these are the Princesses Sigyn and Nicole,” Vidarr explained, bending next to the man but keeping a tight grip on his sword. “Who are you?”

“M...My name is Virhan. I don’t know how I got here, but my stomach hurts like hell,” the man said.

Vidarr shot Nicole a glance, implying that she keeps her sword brandished while he sheathed his own. He reached towards Virhan and gently pushed aside his tunic, wincing slightly at the bloodied rags barely hanging on to his abdomen. “Alright. Virhan, we are going to take you to the palace infirmary to allow the nurses to stitch that up and get you some further attention. We will allow you to reside there until we determine what to do next,” the king said.

Virhan nodded. “Thank you. Thank you, milord.”

Virhan limped through the magnificent corridors of the palace with Sigyn and a palace servant at his side, his arm wrapped around the servant’s shoulders for support. Virhan felt guilty putting her through all the trouble of coming with him to the med-bay, but Sigyn had insisted, stating that she had nothing better to do. Somehow, Virhan doubted that slightly. She was a princess, after all.

As they walked, Virhan looked around and took in his surroundings. Having never been inside the palace before, he realized it was just as magnificent as everyone thought it was. Quartz pillars emerged from the floor, extending to the ceiling. Potted plants sat on top of smaller pillars. Gold leaves ran through each and every pillar and across the walls. Murals of famous battles painted the ceilings. Statues of The Rescuer of Alfheim, Lord Frey, as well as Lord Eirik stood proudly just outside what he could only assume was the king and queen’s private quarters. The scenery was beautiful, but Virhan could only assume he would be receiving medical assistance soon. The pain was starting to intensify if that was even possible.

When they got to the med bay, Virhan was lead to a bed and instructed to wait for the doctor.

“You know, it’s really okay. You don’t have to wait with me,” Virhan awkwardly stated.

Sigyn laughed. “Oh, it’s alright. Besides, I’m curious as to why Alena thought you were so special that she felt she had to drop you off at the castle.”

Alena? That sounds so familiar. Could it be...no. That Alena and this Alena couldn’t be the same person, Virhan thought to himself.

“Who is this Alena you are talking about?” he inquired.

“Oh! Pardon my ignorance. It’s the young woman who saved your life. You know she is one of the best doctors in all of Alfheim.”

The Alena I knew had always wanted to become a doctor. But there was no way that they could both be the same person. The one I know is from Earth. This Alena is from Alfheim.

Despite this thought process, Virhan decided to ask one question. “So, what’s she like?”

At this, Sigyn looked at him with confusion and suspicion written all over her face, not even making an attempt to hide it. “What do you mean by that? Are you asking me about her appearance?”

“Yeah, sure, that works.”

“Well, she has tan skin, green eyes. Dark hair.”

“What’s her father’s name?” Virhan inquired.

Sigyn hesitated. Immediately, she could tell something was going on. This man was asking too many questions to have absolutely no clue who Alena was as he claimed. Everything inside her was telling her not to reply.

“Edvin,” she responded in the end.

Virhan’s eyes went wide. He knew exactly who this Alena was, and he knew for a fact that their next meeting was not going to end well.