The tide turns

Chapter 3 / Unwanted concerns

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It wasn't the other men's shouting, singing, and banging on pots in celebration that kept Thorfinn awake that night, he had gotten used to that years ago, no, what kept him awake was something much more unpleasant, and that said a lot...

He was angry with himself for having done nothing, and secondly, he was angry at himself for feeling like he should have done something. It wasn't supposed to be any of his concern whether that girl lived or died, just as he had told her.

"Thorfinn! Come on down and have a drink. Let loose. You're...what age are you? Anyway, you should learn to drink a little and let loose. You're so tense, it can't be healthy!" Askeladd looked up, and Thorfinn scowled. He had found a good branch in a tree overseeing the bonfire party, and now Askeladd was inviting him to join like he was actually one of them. Like he wasn't there solely to get a chance to kill him one day... Askeladd had been getting the wrong impression lately. "This beer is really good" he tried to tempt him further and Thorfinn had enough.

He grabbed onto his dagger for a moment, his father's dagger. He wished he could simply jump down, cut though Askeladd's throat and that would be the end, he would have fulfilled his purpose... then he let go again, no, it wouldn't be like that. He would win in an honorary warriors duel.

It was all making him more angry than he had the energy to be, sometimes he needed to get away, just for a little while, that had also been the case when he had stumbled upon the girl on the beach, he had tried to get some space. Maybe he should just go back the beach for a moment, maybe just to see if she was still there, at the very least it would be better than listening to Askeladd trying to act so sickeningly friendly.

"Shut up" Thorfinn jumped down from the tree and stood in front of Askeladd, he was taller than him, by a lot, but he had never felt small when he stood in front of him. "Like i would ever share a drink with you!" Thorfinn snarled, and Askeladd put his hands up defensively, but Thorfinn knew that it was just mockery. Askeladd didn't feel threatened.

"Easy now" Askeladd laughed. "Youre not even gonna thank me for offering to share?" He waved the mug of beer around over his head, spilling precious drops.

Thorfinn muttered curses at the man as he walked past him.

"Where are you going now?"

Thorfinn didn't answer and Askeladd finally lowered his drink with a small frown, more tired than annoyed. It was beginning to bore him, the constant threats and bad moods that surrounded that boy.

"Teenagers..." Askeladd muttered when he was out of earshot before he turned back to the party, not sparing another thought to wherever Thorfinn was going to spend the night.

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Thorfinn pushed through the trees and the foliage to get back to the beach. He could constantly hear the sound of the waves, growing louder as he pushed through the wild nature until his boots hit the first patch of fine sand.

There was a small slope down to the beach, clay dirt and sand molded together in the hillside. It was colder and the sand and dirt was firm under his boots as he took a step forward but didn't walk down yet.

It was cold and the waves roared against the shore, rougher and darker than they had been earlier, and the girl wasn't there. Thorfinn let himself wonder for a moment if she had gotten to and walked away, following the shore, or if she had laid back down again and let the waves drag her back out to sea. She would be an idiot to do that.