A Beginning and an Ending

Fahmeen's POV:

“I was walking, with Max. He wanted to meet Bo, talk about axes and question him on his craft. It was then we saw it.”

Our eyes meet, Rolf’s confusion and anxiety bare to me.

“So Maxwell saw it too?” This is worse. What is more of a confirmation than a third set of eyes? After confiding in him about the strange sighting I witnessed earlier, dread caught me as Rolf had seen it too.

“I shared my worry with your mother. She was more concerned for her unborn grandchild.” I tell him and he appears even more confused.

“That is strange.” He remarks.

“I know, and since she lives in the woods you would think she’d have come across it by now.”

Suddenly, a group of men burst into the hall pushing past anyone near the doors dressed in winter furs and scowls. We both stare expectantly.

“Oko.” Loki grunts from our side. He shares a look of understanding with Rolf.

“How did they get on our shores?” I ask, disapproval on my face.

One of the men replies and we are all disappointed in the answer. Rolf dismisses them and his entourage follows out to meet our unwelcomed guest. Suddenly I remember Daisy, will he know where she is? I run after them, in hopes to find out from the man I’ve been hearing so much about.

…

I can’t help but say,

“A welcome sight!” Rolf stops me from hugging her, and I have to restrain myself from showing him my disapproval as I understand his guarded approach to our guests. By guarded I meant circling Oko, and those with him as they all but sneer at each other. I observe the closeness between Daisy and Oko, Rolf has noticed too but his face is of bitter anger. His lack of words leave us all wandering what he thought as the man tied to the death of his brother stood before him, unwelcomed and never anticipated. The fact he stands there, head still on shoulders left Anarvhall understandably confused.

“What are we waiting for?” Loki asks Rolf concerned, his eyes glancing at me for a quick second. I look down and hold onto my husband’s arm.

“We have him here, so easily could the sorrow that haunts you be ended.” He says a lot more quietly. The longer Rolf keeps his silence, Loki’s weapon falls lower to his side. This seems to gesture to our side, there will be no fight and I almost smiled when they grumbled and whined.

“Come with me.” Rolf says, leaving us without another word. Oko immediately follows, a grim expression but quick feet. His men stay glaring at the burly bearded Northerners, and I stare back at Daisy. Her guarded expression finally breaks away, and like a cliché scene from a story I once read, we run towards each other in tears, glee and relief.

The men kept together and behind closed doors we wished not to open.

“Let them talk. This is good.” Freydis says over the steaming cup of broth. I now understood the relaxed approach she had about my fear. She knew who they were.

“How long had you been waiting?” I ask Daisy from beside her, her hand in mine. Her skin had aged a little since the last we had seen each other, yet she radiated with something magic. It was as if I dined with the queen.

She shrugs her shoulder nonchalantly,

“A week or so.”

The silence as I stay baffled at her revelation causes her to break down in laughter, Freydis joining in and leaving us alone.

“How did we not-

“Oko is very good at this kind of thing.” She says with a secret smile.

“Even so, what was the need?” I couldn’t believe anything malicious behind hiding their arrival and staging this dramatic entrance, yet it still required answers.

She took a deep sigh, and her dark eyes swirled with darker memories.

“We’re no threat, just to clarify Fahmeen. I’d never hurt you, and neither will Oko.”

“I trust you Daisy and I know you trust him, but how do we? Nobody can ignore what happened in the past, even if Oko had no real part in it but still Daisy, is he really innocent of it all?” I only wanted the reassurance, I hadn’t been convinced of Oko’s villainous reputation either but what was he doing here?

“He has a plan to take Covas.” She reveals, both worried and curious to my reaction.

Another shock.

“And why have you come to us, Daisy?” If anything, I did owe it to Oko. Knowing what I know of the fate of his parents at the hands of my father, I wasn’t reluctant towards my reckoning.

“You know why.”

“What?! You know?” My heart is so fast and hard as she nods her heads. Both shame and guilt redden my cheeks.

“He told me everything. Except he can’t figure out why. He hoped you’d have some answers and he’d have some for you and together Covas could finally be relented to its rightful heir.” It was perhaps the wrong time to say Covas had no heir. She was as free as we had been before Oko’s father enslaved us. Instead I say.

“We should go see them now.”

…

The talk was hushed but passionate, from Oko’s side. I was yet to hear my husband speak. I open the doors and Daisy and I walk, side by side, towards the two rulers. Rolf sits up, his eyes welcoming my appearance as tiredness suddenly overcomes his eyes.

“I will agree to your plans Oko.” I step forward, ignoring my husband’s annoyance.

“If only you reveal to me the entire truth.”

Oko stands too, stepping down from our thrones and as he approached me I waved off my guard. Loki stepped back.

“I could say the same thing. He is your father, you are bound to know a lot more than me.” He remarks mockingly. Past the hard expression, I see the young boy whose world must have blackened when he found out the news of his parents.

“Micah kept her in the dark…” Rolf began defending me, hardly keeping seated. His eyes were glaring into the back of Oko’s head.

I couldn’t deny what I knew.

“You’re right. My father did tell me something.” I began to reveal the part my father played in his misery, but Oko was not surprised.

“You knew.” I realise, then all the pieces fell together. The anger, the ruin he brought to my home. He knew what we did.

“Now I must find out why.” His voice is quiet, but menacing.

“Some things don’t have an explanation…” Some people are evil, just as some are good. I think of Ivar.

He stops me with a look of disbelief and anger.

“This does. And I will get it. And you will help me.”

Rolf is quick as he pushes Oko hard to the floor, standing over him with one of the angriest looks I’d ever seen on him.

“I’d be more careful when ordering my wife like you do.” Rolf bit out. His axe remains at his waist, but the clenched fists look enough. Oko waves off his men who were stopped from jumping into action. I walk in between the two of them, Rolf watching me irritated as I help Oko up.

“I will help you. We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

I never imagined myself sinking the blade into my father’s chest, yet here we are. The anger on his face slips away slightly as Oko just looks at me, intrigued. I say nothing as I take Rolf and go to bed.