8 years later... It's now the year 848...
"Thorvald!"
"Yes father!"
"Help me with the sheep boy!"
Thorvald then ran to his father's sheep pen and threw the one sheep over his shoulder and walked with his dad to the local butcher in the town...
"Father."
"Yes boy?"
"Don't you think it's weird that I can carry a sheep around my shoulders at 8 years old?"
"Nope, by your age I could carry two sheep over my shoulders."
"Can not."
Thorvald and his father Erik laughed and chuckled together as they arrived at the butcher's table... They both threw the sheep down on the table...
"What will it be this time Erik?"
"Skin and meat, keep 20% of the proceeds for yourself as payment." Erik explained to Tror the Butcher.
"Understood." Tror confirmed with Erik.
As he confirmed with Erik, Thorvald and his father started walking back home...
"Father, why do you always tell that man to keep 20% of our meat and stuff?" Thorvald asks.
"Simple boy, it's a trade, a payment, a reward for his work, that's the way the world works boy, you can't leave someone empty handed after they provided you with a service, it's the law of trade, and it's one of the best laws there is... Even though sometimes I completely hate it..." Erik explained.
Erik and Thorvald arrived home, Thorvald took off his boots and placed them at the front door and headed straight for bed...
"Well, what did you do dad?" Ymir, Thorvald's older sister asks her dad Erik.
"Took the boy sheep training..."
"Oh, well that's nice, mother should be returning shortly, she's visiting Truid."
"Alright, thank you Ymir, I'll go and fetch her, make sure the boy isn't hungry and sleeps well..."
Ymir walks over to her brother and taps on his shoulder...
"Psst, Thorvald-"
"Hmm?" Thorvald asks in a drowsy manner.
"Are you hungry and do you feel warm enough? It's cold tonight..." Ymir says as she tucks his blanket under his legs to keep him warm.
"No-no, I'm not hungry, I just want to get some sleep..." Thorvald says and falls asleep...
Ymir then left the room and caught her father sitting alone in his chair at the fireplace, but Ymir noticed a tattoo on his right shoulder...
"Dad?"
"Yes Ymir?"
"What's the tattoo on your right shoulder?"
"What tattoo?"
"The one that has a valkyrie with a cross behind her?" Ymir questions.
"It's a long story."
"Well, I have all night..."
"I. Do. Not. Care. Ymir, go to bed..."
"No."
"Do not talk back to me, go to bed..."
"Fine."
Ymir then left the fireplace feeling frustrated and went to sleep next to her brother...
The next morning...
"Wake up boy." Erik demands Thorvald
"Yes-yes, I'm awake father."
"Good, we are going hunting, put on your coat and boots, make sure to bring your knife..."
Thorvald ran to the front door, put on his boots, buttoned up his coat and put his knife in the coat's pocket and followed his father through the thick snow...
"Father?"
"Yes boy?"
"Is it safe to be hunting in such conditions?"
"Yes boy, it's the best in such conditions, all animals are sleeping, we will catch them whilst they are sleeping and off guard..."
"Isn't that an unfair fight though father..."
Erik chuckled a little...
"Boy, these are merely animals, not humans, they do not deserve fair fights, they are the key to our survival, we are better than them for a reason boy, now do not stray far from me..." Erik explains to Thorvald.
They then caught a male buck resting in a trench that used the trees as coverage from the falling snow...
"Alright Thorvald, do you see the animal lying there?" Erik asks.
"Yes father, I see him."
"Alright, watch closely how I use this bow and kill the buck..."
Thorvald then watched and learnt from his father how to pull, aim and shoot a bow... The arrow hit straight in the buck's heart...
"Why didn't you go for the head father?"
"Skull's hard boy, you take a heavy chance by shooting a buck in the skull with an arrow, but the soft skin protecting the heart makes it an easy target to kill, do you understand?"
"Yes father."
"Good then, let us fetch the buck and take him out of the snow..."
Erik and Thorvald then walked over to the buck, Erik threw the buck on his shoulder and started walking towards the village market to Tror...
"Will Tror teach me to butcher father?" Thorvald asks.
"Yes boy, we are also collecting our payment..."
They arrived at Tror's butcher shop...
"How can I help you boys?" Tror asks
"The boy needs training and I want my payment." Erik asks Tror
"Alright." Tror says and hands the skin and meat all bagged up and gives it to Erik.
"Right Thorvald, I'll be leaving you with Tror, he will teach you how to butcher a carcass, learn and follow his steps closely, understood?" Erik asks
"Understood father."
Tror then took Thorvald to the back of the shoppe and spent the whole afternoon learning how to butcher an animal correctly...
As Thorvald was being teached on how to butcher an animal correctly, his dad started walking back home... Just as he reached the front door he saw Ymir standing directly across him...
"Huh? What do you want?" Erik asks Ymir.
"Show. Me. Your. Arm." Ymir demands.
"Ask nicely." Erik demands Ymir.
"Alright-alright, please let me see your right shoulder..."
"Here." Erik then lifted up his sleeve covering his right shoulder...
It was a valkyrie holding a spear in her left hand and a cross in her right hand, with a massive cross behind her...
"What is the tattoo dad?" Ymir asks, concerned.
Erik then covered his right shoulder up again...
"It's nothing, like I said." Erik replied irritated.
"Oh, you're back honey! How was it with Thorvald?" His wife Gudrid asks.
"Oh, it went absolutely great..."
"Oh, well where is he then?" Gudrid asks.
"He's learning to butcher at Tror's shoppe..."
"Oh- Well, that's... Fine? I guess..."
"Ya, I thought I should learn the kid's survival tactics and how to prepare him for the horrors of the world..." Erik explains.
"Alright, just don't push the kid Erik..." Gudrid replies.
"Yes of course Gudrid, don't worry."
3 hours later...
"Welcome back boy, how did it go?" Erik asks as he's stoking the fireplace.
"Father, I've never seen that much blood and guts in my whole life..."
"Ag, it's alright boy, you'll get used to it..."
"Really?" Thorvald asks.
"Absolutely, I still remember when I was your age, blood and guts disgusted me, I was horrified of what lies inside the carcass, but after every single day of hunting with my father, I became desensitized to blood and guts all together." Erik explains.
"Father, how do I become as tall and strong as you?"
Erik chuckled...
"Ai boy, it's already easy for you, since you've got my genes, you'll be just fine, but don't forget to eat a lot and play outside a lot hey, make sure you climb the mountains, train with your blade after eating big meals, that way, you're turning those heavy amounts of food and meals into muscle, hence you become taller and stronger... Like me..." Erik explains.
"Ag, don't listen to dad, he's just trying to give you false hope-" Ymir chips in.
"Excuse me?" Erik asks disturbed.
"How dare you, my boy, be more than capable of becoming stronger than you or me, never should you ever interrupt me again Ymir, you are on thin ice." Erik follows up.
Ymir then just smirked and left the house...
"What's wrong with my sister, father?"
"Nothing boy, don't worry, just remember, you must be stronger than me one day, you must work hard, life is an ongoing battle that will never end, and you must push through it every which way, no matter the battle, just keep on fighting, understood?" Erik asks Thorvald.
"Understood father."
They hear a man running to the door and knock on it profusely... Erik rushes to open the door.
"Captain, there's people at the dock and they wish to see you!" A soldier from our village explains.
Father quickly ran down to the docks, me and mom were right behind him...
When we arrived, I saw ten men, all wearing purple cloaks with purple valkyrie helmets...
"State your business." My father said in an intimidating tone.
"We are the CSG aka the "Cymry Sea Guard." We have reports that a slave escapee is currently in Iceland..."
"There's no slave here-"
"I'm afraid that won't do sir, it is in our policy to search, and I beg you to stand down and not fight, because you will lose, understood?"
"Fine-"
"Alright lads, search their village and report everything back to me..."
"Sir yes sir!" All the men shouted.
2 hours later...
"Nothing was found sir, it appears our target is not here."
"Alright, thanks for your time, fellow Icelanders, we will not disturb you again!" Their leader shouted and set sail away from our docks...
"Father, why were those people dressed in purple armor?" Thorvald asks.
"They're from Wales Thorvald..."
"Wait, what does that mean though?" Thorvald asks again...
"Basically boy, every country or land has a certain color associated with it..."
"So, Wales is purple, what are we then?" Thorvald asks...
"We are red boy, we symbolize war and courage, while purple symbolizes royalty and honor..."
"Hmm, interesting..." Thorvald replies.
"Indeed Thorvald, now get back to the house, I'm starving for dinner..."
Erik says as they both walk back home...
"Mother?"
"Yes Thorvald?"
"Where is Ymir?" Thorvald asks.
"She's visiting her friend Triss..."
"May I go and see their mother?"
"Yes of course..."
Thorvald laced up his boots once again and put on his coat and walked to Triss' house...
5 minutes after walking, Thorvald knocks on the door...
"It's open!" Triss shouts...
Thorvald walks over to Triss' room and see's Ymir and Triss reading a book together...
"Hey Thor, what are you doing here?" Ymir asks...
"Nothing, I was just curious about what you're up to..."
"Yeah, we're just reading, that's all..."
"What book?" Thorvald asks...
"The Conquest For Wessex..." Triss replies
"Huh, what's Wessex?"
"Excuse me?" Ymir questions Thorvald...
"What, I've never heard of this place?"
"Basically, it's where the bad guys live, Thorvald..." Triss follows up...
"Alright, well... Dinner's ready Ymir if you want some..."
Thorvald then closed Triss' room door and walked back home...
As Thorvald opened his front door he saw his father and mother frothing out of the mouth with their eyes rolled to the back of their head...
Thorvald then just stood there, as still as a statue...
"PAPA, MAMA!!!" He shouted whilst crying in agony and complete disbelief...
He could hear neighbors running over to his house and swinging the front door open...
"Oh. My. God..." One of the neighbors said as he saw Thorvald holding his father's head...