Warmagic

1. Vegvísir

The waves crashed against the wood of the ship and fell down upon me like heavy rain. I did not mind it, I was used to the cold after the long winter we had lived through. This was nothing compared to it.

And even though the winter had been colder and darker than most winters before it, I had tried to enjoy every moment of it, despite dreading this journey that had been decided for me against my will.

Even my marriage with Noora had been a pleasant distraction. The ceremony and the feast had been lovely, gathering folk from many villages and reuniting families and loved ones.

My parents were proud. My younger sister, Tofa, was happy to gain a new friend and sister, and Noora seemed to accept her new fate with grace and dignity.
That was four months ago, and it seemed like the Gods favoured us, because she was already carrying my child.

Surprisingly, Noora had cried by the shore as I was about to leave. Her pale skin was red from tears and her white hair tousled by the harsh winds. As a good husband I had tried to comfort her and promised to be back before our child was born. But that was for the Gods to decide, not me, and we both knew it.
Noora was my mother's choice, and since I hadn't said either yes or no, my mother had accepted Noora's father's offer, and I had eventually met the young woman and asked for her hand in marriage.

It was a good arrangement for both families. Noora knew this, and I knew it too.

She had glanced a few times at Freke during her first visit, and she had asked me of our relationship. There was no need for me to lie, everyone knew how close we were and I had told her from the start that I loved the Vitki.
I wouldn't really mind if she had a lover as well. I was happy to see her relieved by those words, and apparently there was a young man, a servant, who she wanted to bring with her to our house but I didn't bother to ask more of it.

I had shared my bed with her the first three nights and after that I had gone back to Freke. Lying in their embrace I knew I was lucky to have such loving family and friends, with the lone exception of my uncle.

And here I was, trapped at sea with the man whose lust for bloodshed was notorious. Luckily the one person that would keep me sane and that mattered the most to me was here with me. Freke was a safe harbour I could count on, whatever path I stepped into.

My wolf had even promised my wife that they would keep an eye on me for her. It was a nice gesture, but something tasted bitter about his acceptance towards my wife. Was it selfish of me if I wanted him to be jealous?

When I had first told them about my parents' wishes for me to marry they had instantly accepted it. And I had yelled at them for it, annoyed that they would accept the fate to share me with someone else.

They had calmed me back then, as so many times after, telling me that they knew that they carried my heart in their hands, and that they always would. No one could take that from us.

I peered down at Freke who was curled up by my side, their almost black fur warming most parts of my legs and my fingers kept combing through it to soothe both them and me.

Still, my heart was heavy and once again I reminisced about the time when I was a young boy. A time when I had discovered new feelings for my best friend and went to ask advice from the Oracle. She had listened carefully and finally she had given me a warning. She disguised it as the tale of the God Týr and how he had lost his hand to the Giant- Wolf Fenrir.

"Have you heard of Týr, the son of Odin?" She asked, and I instantly nodded my head. He was the God of war, law and honour, and I was named after him. "Your nemesis's most notable tale is how he lost his hand to the Wolf-Giant Fenrir, son of Loki," she continued as she gazed at me through the flames of the fire, centred in her home. "The Gods decided to raise the wolf pup in Asgard. But they knew the future of young Fenrir and let him stay as a way to try and control their fate, but no one other than Týr dared to go near the wolf out of terror. As such, Týr was the only one who dared approach the wolf to feed him." She smiled at me and shivers spread through my body to this day, as the tale was very similar to my relationship to Freke.