Ghost Of You ~ An Athelnar One Shot

Ghost Of You

His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

He thought he kind of knew the answer to his question already, deep down in his heart, yet he fought the gnawing hope down because he wouldn't be able to live through the disappointment if the shadowy person didn't turn out to be the person he so longed for.

If it didn't turn out to be Athelstan.

His beloved Christian Priest.

The person he had trusted the most.

Feeling a little bit hazed, like everything was kind of far away, almost like being wrapped into cotton facing off and dulling every noise and visual stimulus from the outside around him - an annoying yet also welcoming after effect the shock of Athelstan's sudden death had left behind in him - Ragnar stepped into the sparsely lit center of the Great Hall.

The shadowy person had stopped near the center of it a little bit more to the right side, facing the big double door that marked the entrance or exit to the Great Hall of Kattegat depending on whatever point of view you were looking at it.

Ragnar couldn't help but hold his breath as he slowly stepped forward, passing one meter after the other, closing in on the mysterious figure.

When he was only an arms reach away, he stopped, in fear of the mysterious visitor suddenly vanishing like Athelstan had done in the first dream, once Ragnar had tried and reached for him because he had wanted to get close.

The eerie, otherworldly, mysterious, yet familiar feeling hit him full force again and Ragnar shivered.

'Athelstan.'

He didn't understand how he was sure, but it was like a part of him simply knew.

The height of the person still engulfed in the shadows definitely fit as did the figure.

Ragnar could hear his own heart beating loudly but steady as the shadowy figure slowly turned around to look at him, bringing its face into the sparse light in the process.

Ragnar's feelings were an emotional thunderstorm as the shadowy person was indeed revealed as none other than Athelstan, wearing the same dark brown robe he did in the first dream, hair also being the same, softly framing Athelstan's face and coming towards his shoulders in its natural fall.

Ragnar was breathless, taken back just like the first time by the sheer beauty.

Not that he didn't know what Athelstan looked - had looked like - but there was just something about the sparse light that hit differently.

Athelstan had always looked the most exceptionally beautiful in candlelight.

He had noticed that early, a lifetime before when Athelstan had still been more monk than anything else, hair short and curly, way back as Athelstan still had been his slave.

It felt so long ago now.

Those times. Where everything had felt simpler. Easier.

Where had just all that time gone?

It was a riddle, Ragnar couldn't hope to ever find the answer to.

'Is this real?'

Ragnar almost didn't dare to ask this question, too afraid he was of the answer.

He wanted this to be real.

To be meaningful.

Not one of those dreams you quickly forgot after waking up, wondering what it was you had been dreaming about.