Private Tales Farewell

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Early in the morning, before the signs of sunset, she had asked him whether he had wanted to come along with her or sleep until she would return. In all honesty she had only went as far as waking him up to make sure that he felt comfortable being left alone for a while. This was because her home was empty as her father wasn’t there. Hadn’t been there for a while, judging by the dust on the shelves and the cold that’s settled into the house. That last bit had cost them quite some time to get rid off through the making of a fire. Eventually the night had been a bit short, but Mika felt well rested and wanted to do what she had planned ever since her meeting with Sigrith.

Now Talus was helping her with the carrying of things she needed to get to the shrine. The fact of him by her side made her realize how far apart she had grown from her father. He had held his own ceremony, she presumed. Meanwhile she had refused to say goodbye, until there was no denying her mother’s death any longer. An offering at one of Eogorath’s shrines, the guardian one, the one which spoke of protection, seemed appropriate now. She could already see the shield. The sight brought determination. Right now she had a goal. The little goat walking between her and Talus must have smelled blood -- other offerings surrounded the shrine as they always did -- it tugged at the rope, but Mika was determined to give her mother this personal gift as a sign of respect and love.

“If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you don’t have to, you can look around, Talus.” she let the man know. The bag with some spices, a small, wooden boar, a fang, and a book was in his hands. She could easily carry that too. He didn’t have to bother himself with helping her out, but perhaps it was his curiosity that drove him. Should she have been in his place, then she would have surely went along simply because she would want to know what the other culture was about. However, she was an odd one.

They came closer to the shrine. Stony stairs, worn out by the visitors. The goat tugged at its rope again, Mika carefully but decisively dragged it back before looking up at Talus. The word ‘Dreadlord’ came to mind, but she hadn’t asked him about it. Not yet. Same went for the magic he had used during the fight. Mika hoped to have that conversation later on, after this matter that was so close to her heart, was resolved.

* * *
Talus & Maude​

 

[Talus]

Talus shook his head. "It's alright."

A part of him was still somewhat unclear about what was going to happen, but at this point he had already decided to take the plunge. After having been nearly killed thrice within the Tundra, he already figured that he might as well hop right into whatever else the place had in store for him.

He had no doubt that Nordenfiir culture was a unique one, and experiencing all the new parts of him would grant him some valuable knowledge.

By now he had guessed that was why Fenrith had sent him here. Spend most of your life in Vel Anir and all you knew how to do were Anirian things. Go somewhere else? Well then you learn how to do things their way.

A crash course in other realities.

 

[Maude]

Maude had spent the evening dozing along the banks of the lake below Nordengaard after a heart to heart with Hugi and a need to get away from the social scene. She'd arrived back into the city proper well before sunrise, taking the southern trail pass to climb the mountain with the intent of getting in a full, proper, peaceful meal before getting to the day's tasks. The team would be leaving in the early afternoon to head south and there was much to do beforehand, but before she could get far she caught the scent of Mikaela on the wind.

The Queen paused on her path, looking right towards where she was headed, and left towards where the scent had come from. It took only a moment to decide, feet carrying her to the left. The human scent was on the air as well, which meant the man had survived his night in Nordengaard without further trouble. A good omen, if nothing else. Boots carried her across stone and gravel and ice, treading a path in fresh snow as she followed the route to the Guardian Shrine. It was perhaps a sign that she'd not been as devout as she needed to be as of late, but Maude's travels afar had caused a great deal of distance not only between herself and her home, but herself and her heritage.

Now that her life was bound to Eogorath's legacy, she'd not felt the need nor the desire to pay respects at the shrine. Maybe she should.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Picking up the goat to carry it toward one of the empty stones that were designed for placing the gifts and the sacrifices on, she put it onto the worn out plateau. There were lines carved into the stone which led crisscross to one ending of the table where a large bowl eagerly waited to serve its purpose. Carefully, but firmly pressing onto the little goat, she forced it to lay down. It remained there, unaware of its fate. Perhaps it had gotten used to the various scents around them, or maybe it was aware that it’s life wasn’t just about to come to a meaningless end.

“Could you hand me the bag?” she asked, briefly looking at Talus. Her dagger remained in its sheath for now, she didn’t want to scare the goat too much in case it would try to run. Hopefully it wouldn’t, it accepting this would mean a lot to Mika, because she didn’t want to make a mess while honoring her mother.

“If you don’t mind to hold the rope for now?” the young Nordenfiir asked, then started to take out the things that had been connected to her mother. Gently placing them on the side were the carvings left little cup-like indents for good, she silently spoke to the spirit out there.

For forgiveness, she asked, because she hadn’t managed to accept her death and come to the shrine earlier on.

For strength, she asked, because even while she had gotten her svalen she still felt like a child at times.

For bravery, as not to fail her people and her queen.

For wisdom, for she was still young and her mother had been wise.

She had been all of those things and more. Able to forgive, strong, brave, wise.

Tears suddenly came to her eyes. She pulled the dagger from its sheath and carefully cut the rope holding the little goat. Blinking away the salty liquid as to make sure that her vision was clear she took the goat by the scruff. A brief moment of silence and with the dagger still in her hand she froze.

Maude

The young female blinked again trying to find where the scent had come from. Startled she remained still, but the goat didn’t.

Behhhhh

“Can you hold him, a bit?” not that the little animal struggled too much, if Talus would press his hands on its side then surely it would be enough for it to remain where it was. Mika, however, was sinking back into the memory where there still had been hope for her to find her mother. Where Maude had told her about the witch. Where she had been but a cub in the presence of the queen, feeling safe and sleepy.

* * *​

 

[Talus]

Talus said nothing, only doing as she was asked and holding the goat with gentle arms.

Given the knife, and the almost ritualistic scenery around them, Talus had already guessed what was likely to happen here.

Animal sacrifice was a common enough cultural happening in many parts of the world. In Vel Anir such things were outlawed. The state did not look kindly upon idolatry and religion. Yet the ritual did not bother Talus any.

What was the execution of a goat compared to what he'd done?

The Proctors had ensured that he and the others had killed their first man at the age of eighteen, and in an odd way, the situation wasn't all that different from this one. There had been no mourning then, but just like this goat, the man he'd killed hadn't had much of a choice in the matter.

 

[Maude]

Maude paused in the entry archway between the massive stone pillars, quietly watching the pair. It was early and it had been quite some time since her last conversation with Mikaela, but things were settling within her memory, piece by piece. The girl's mother had been lost to the Red Mist Crisis at the Hearthstone. Maude had sent her to find the witch named Sigrith for answers and, so it seemed, she had found them both. It was as Maude suspected.

"Mikaela," she greeted the young woman, gaze briefly fixing on Talus before turning back to her. The Queen pushed off from where she stood to slowly join them, a hand lifting to settle on Mika's shoulder with a squeeze, one that expressed her understanding without words. She had conducted funerary ceremonies for many in Faarin after the crisis. Many for those who had not returned. The pyres had burned brightly and the snows had shown red from sacrifices for days.

"Do not carry this burden alone," Maude offered, a grateful gaze shifting to Talus for his aid, "I will help you."

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

“Thank you,” she let Talus know and in a second Maude was by their side.

For a brief moment Mika wasn’t sure if the presence of the queen was a good thing or not, but considering she had allowed Talus to stay and hadn’t really reprimanded the younger Nordenfiir for bringing him to Nordengaard, Mika figured everything was alright. Still, Maude approaching them left her with quite some questions. That was until the redhead made contact. All confusion melted when the squeeze on her shoulder showed support. It allowed Mika to exhale the breath she had been unconsciously holding.In fact, it almost caused her to collapse, but she managed to regain her posture and nod with a little smile that touched her eyes and expressed a great amount of gratitude.

Placing her hand onto the goat’s scruff again she held it firmly. A flash of silver caused crimson red to splash across the stony table. A couple more jerks from the goats paws. Mika held it firmly to make sure that the blood seeped into the carvings designed for this very purpose. Slowly the offerings she had brought were drenched in blood, too. As more blood leaked from the wound it finally reached the bowl on the ground, dripping into while Mika let go of the lifeless creature. Its essence was now transmitted into the bowl, together with the memory of the little gifts it had washed over on its journey.

Carefully picking up the bowl, she waited for Maude to take the brush made from various types of twigs and sprinkle her with it. This to make sure her memory would always be committed to this moment. Afterwards, if the queen wished so, they could switch. Mika didn’t expect Maude, who had never known her mother, to actually form this type of connection with the spirit, but it would certainly be an honor for a warrior so famous to acknowledge Erin Eniisa’s sacrifice for the Nordenfiir.

Talus, too, was welcome to participate, though she wasn’t sure if he wanted to or understood what would the gesture entail.

* * *​

 

[Talus]

Talus decided not to participate.

He thought it better that someone who didn't believe in this sort of ritual not to taint it with his touch. Despite his rejection of many of the ways of Vel Anir, the lack of religion and superstition was one that he had kept close.

The young Dreadlord did not believe in any god, nor any ancestor.

Perhaps that made him weaker than these northmen...women, but he couldn't bring himself to try. The idea of doing something like this seemed almost ludicrous to him. Yet he remained silent, respectful, deciding it was good enough to simply watch.

This was clearly some sort of remembrance, perhaps even a funeral.

Such things were important, though Talus knew that his own body would likely be taken simply off a battlefield and thrown into a mass grave when the time came.

 

[Maude]

Maude was no Priestess - a role she now fulfilled for Mikaela's sake so as to keep the ceremony private and close. Despite this, she'd attended enough ceremonies for the dead to understand the process and the prayers. The Queen took up the bowl of blood and the whisk of twigs, beginning to utter the opening prayer in Fiirevik.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice, she sprinkled the young Norden with the sacrificial blood before setting the bowl aside. Dipping in pointer and middle fingers, Maude drew a line of blood across her own brow, then another across the bridge of her cheeks and nose. Her prayer continued then as she turned to the young goat and lifted its lifeless body from the stone table, bringing it next to the chosen stone alcove where the gifts Mika had brought were laid out. She set the body down at the middle between them all and stood again to recite the closing prayer while pouring burning oil down upon the offerings.

It was up to Mika to light the fire.