Page 47 of Alien Viking's Passion

“Youshall, I have no doubt, Valtyrr,” Craxon sighed. “There is currently some doubts aboutme.”

The big warrior came into the forge, for a change not bumping into the door frame. “Working early? The sun hasn’t risen yet. Your hammering has been heard throughout the land for hours, ruining sleep for everyone.”

“I didn’t want to forge this blade by the light of a Big Shine,” Craxon said. “It’s a night blade.”

“Like your own,” Valtyrr grunted and nodded at the sword in Craxon’s belt.

“As its legend tells us, Krakhogg was forged at night. It has served me well. How is the ship coming?”

Valtyrr took a noisy bite of a big piece of food in his hand. “Almost finished now. The mast found by Eira and the alien was perfect, they say. Soon we will set sail for home.”

“Someof us will,” Craxon said. “Valtyrr, I have a mind to stay in Hjalmarheim and be one of Bragr’s herjere.”

The warrior stiffened, the hand held halfway up to his mouth. “You’re joking!”

“None of this is a joke. I love Aretha, Valtyrr. I don’t want to live without her for another day, much less the rest of my life.”

“But you can’t! The Prince of Ragnhildros is forbidden from loving anyone! Kofraks’s curse is very clear — oh!” His eyes narrowed when he understood.

“Exactly,” Craxon said. “I have to choose between Aretha and Ragnhildros. I will not claim it is an easy choice. But it is a clear one.”

The forge was quiet for a good while as Valtyrr thought.

“Only one prince has ever abdicated from the Ragnhildros throne,” he finally said. “And you know who that was and what we say about him.”

“Hugar the Worm,” Craxon seethed, coldness going down his back. “Sweet Zhor, I forgot about him!”

“He is forever cursed as a coward and a weakling,” Valtyrr went on, spitting on the dirt floor. “His sword was taken from him and hung from a pole to rust apart. Every farm and village raised anidstangover him. He wasn’t welcome anywhere and had to live in the wilderness with the krakens and the trolls. When finally he killed himself from shame, he didn’t have a pyre, but was given to the vettir to eat as carrion. His name is forever cursed. I don’t wish that for you, Crax.”

“Nor do I,” Craxon rasped, filled with horror at the thought. “Bragr would never have accepted Hugar the Worm as one of his warriors.”

“Nor will he acceptyou, if you try to shirk your duty like this. You would bring shame and disgrace on our entire clan! We would be reviled and cursed and spat at wherever we went. And certainly none from our clan would ever be prince again.”

Craxon stroked his brow with both hands. “Helviti.”

“Most certainly,” Valtyrr agreed. “There would be no Valhalla for you. Nor forher. And the rest of our clan would, in the best possible case,ifwe died in battle in the most heroic fashion possible,perhapsbe allowed into Valhalla. But there we would be doomed to serve food and drink to the less disgraced warriors until Ragnarok, the end of time.”

Craxon felt cold all over. His hands trembled, and they were like the limbs of someone else when he grabbed the forged blade. “I have to finish this.”

“Finish it and sharpen that toy sword,” Valtyrr said as he threw the remainder of his snack into the hot coals, making them hiss. It was the bones of a fish, still with the head attached. Before it was fried and burned by the coals, it had a bloody, raw look to it.

“I will,” Craxon said faintly.

“Then give it to one of Bragr’s Marks-less boys and never think about it again.” Valtyrr sauntered out.

Craxon stared emptily at the coals while strange images flashed in front of his eyes.

He could grab her and run into the mountains with her and live with her on that island the rest of their days.

He could steal the ship, and they could sail to some foreign land where nobody knew them. Everyone would think he was dead.

He could repair a longship and escape to Earth with her.

Wham!He slammed the hammer down on the anvil in frustration. But what if the cursewasreal? Then his escape would condemn every Ragnhildrose to death.

“There has to be another way!”

15

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