Eleven Steps

"Aetri! Aetri you have to wake up!"

Something shook the limp lifelessness of his body, pushing his shoulders, slapping his face, until the unmoving form of the Nameless Outcast erupted with life.

Erupting up from the confines of sleep, sweating and shaking manically, Smells drowning in; burning flesh, Mud and smoke. Then sounds, Kara crying, begging him to speak "Aetri please, we have to go now!"

His vision cleared and as He looked around, He saw the battlefield where the Ignix had been. Getting up to his feet, Aetri spoke "Where is it?"

Kara was unnerved by the look in his eyes.

"THE IGNIX WHERE IS IT?" He roared

Kara jolted "T-They blew some kind of horn, it retreated back with them to the shore, after... after..."

"After what?" He asked, seeing the scorched earth where the fire had been unleashed from the jaws of that Rotten creature. Fire's still burned on the Uld Huts, why did he pass out? Where were the others!?

Kara shook her head "Aunt Crow and Aunt Ector are fine, Tyrgs a little singed. The others didn't want to cross the battlefield again so I came to get you, but... but..."

He sensed the terror in her voice, and it clicked "And Frigg? Kara Tell me she's okay. Kara where is Frigga?"

Her eyes became cloudy and she shook her head "Aetri..."

He didn't even look for his sword, He didn't even think, He only bolted as fast as he could, grasping Kara's hand and running through the burning Ruin of Uld.

His ears were ringing, He felt Ill again, something inside was writhing within begging to be let free "What's happening to me?"

They bolted past the smouldering wreck that was the Jarl's longhouse, pushing towards the Village gates, behind which he heard the sounds of the Uld, yelling, stomping around.

Rushing up to the gate, Aetri roared "Open the gate!"

Twin heads peaked out with fearful twin blue eyes, their bowstrings pulled tight "Stay back"

"You'll look like a Porcupineby the time we're done, Snow stranger!" Jalk and Rod cried.

Aetri looked at them with terrifying wrath "Open the goddess damn gates, NOW!" His voice boomed and the twins shimmered.

"Aetri? Y-You're supposed to be dead?" Rod muttered

"Open the gate, you idiot!" Jalk cried to his brother, the two quickly pulling on the winch that swept open the twin gates.

Storming through, He came upon the Village. Every man, woman and child were grouped together, healing the wounded Warriors, Praying to their gods in fear of the beast that was supposed to only exist in stories of old.

"Aetri?" Rushing over, his twin hatches in hand, warpaint on his face, Red-Knot Lok limped over, a bandage covering a wound on his leg. The Two of them collided, the Largeman patting his friends back as He nodded "By the Gallows, Boy, We thought you dead."

"Not yet." He muttered "Any casualties?"

"No, but a lot of wounded, that thing nearly rendered us all to ashes.... Aetri... those things aren't supposed to be real." He growled.

The Outsider smirked "Yeah, right. now take me to Frigga."

His face fell, eyes trailing to a tent over in the corner. Aetri pushed right past him, rushing towards the tent with all of his might. He begged, he prayed that when he rounded that corner, that she'd be there, grumbling over the battle, giving orders... But as he lent down, pushing into the Fur Tent... He froze.

She lay on a stretcher, her head of platinum hair burned and shrivelled, blacked by fire. part of her face was... most of her left side was burned, there was a hole in between her breasts, only one of her pale eyes was open, sweating and grunting in silent pain.

"Master." Crow stepped from the shadows beside him.

"Kid." Lee had been by the Jarl's bedside, applying her Eastern medicine the best she could. He said nothing, stepping forward, pushing past the others and kneeling down by the Jarl's side.

"Frigg." He spoke. She stirred, her one good eye looking blindly in his direction.

"A-Aetri?" She called in a hoarse tone "Y-You're alive.... uh..."

"Shhh, it's alright, just relax." He spoke softly.

"T-The f-fire... I-It consumed you... H-How did you survive?" She asked, her breaths laboured and pained.

"Just to spite you, you fool." He smiled weakly, touching the soft portion of her face.

A hoarse chuckle transformed into a painful cough "Don't make me laugh... fool" She spat back.

"Lee's got a shit attitude but she's the best healer I've ever seen, she can fix this, right Lee?" He peered up to his Mentor, whose face was Grimm as she shook her head.

"Half of her body is covered in Third-degree burns, Kid, and it looks like she's taken an arrow right in her sternum... it's pierced one of the chambers of her heart. I managed to remove the stem but, If I pull it out, touch it or even move her too much -- I can't fix that, Boy." She spoke in a forlorn tone.

He shook his head "No, No there has to be away. Crow, Your Shadowbending, I've seen it, it goes right through flesh-"

"I lack the strength to use my abilities to that degree, Master. Forgive me." Black-Crow spoke... a little less coldly than usual.

A tear fell down his cheek, he felt as if he'd been run down on horseback, his chest hurt and panic filled his being.

Somebody stepped from the crowd, there was another stretcher, now empty. "Tyrg, what the hel are you doing, You need to rest." One of the Warrior's said. Aetri turned and looked with wide eyes at Tyrg, the man's wounds were bandaged... with his entire left arm bound in cloth, stained with red and dull oranges, the burns stretching up to his neck where the fire had scorched part of his cheek.

"Friggi... Friggi." He repeated, stumbling as Aetri went to catch him.

He turned his blue eyes towards Aetri, his face softening "You're alive... Good." He muttered.

"T-Tyrg?" Frigga muttered.

Her brother collapsed to his knees at the sight of his sister, closing his eyes as He gasped like a stake had been driven through his heart.

"Don't be sad, little brother..." She whispered "...It's up to you now, Alright? You need to be strong for our p-proud people..."

"Friggi." He muttered, shaking his head in sorrow.

Her hand reached up, cupping his face as Aetri knelt beside him "I know you've had your differences... I know you fight because you both, Love me. But... I need you to come together now, to protect the Uld, to protect our home. Promise me?"

Tyrg nodded without hesitation "I swear it on the Gallows, Frigg, I promise." He nodded.

Frigga reached out for Aetri's hand, which he took promptly "I can't lose you, this can't be the end." He whispered.

Frigg did her best to smile "It's not the end. We'll see each other again... Valhalla awaits."

"Her Axe, now." Aetri called. The Warrior brandished her Axe, singed and covered in mud, Aetri took it and looked to Tyrg who nodded as He grasped the handle of the bearded axe alongside Aetri, the two speaking in unison.

"In the name of the all-father, the Watcher, Mother Frey and the Two ravens, Grimnir old, we beckon you, send the valkyries for this warrior and take her soul to the halls of Valhalla, where she may dine and drink and fuck with the gods forevermore."

Frigg's hand clutched the axe that she'd carried as soon as she'd trained all those years for the strength, She wasn't called Fierce-Uld Frigga for nothing.

The Jarl gasped, grunting as she sat up, her face creasing with a powerful conviction "Help me up." She growled.

"Jarl Frigga, If you take 5 steps and your dead," Lee warned.

But the Jarl smiled despite the pain of it "I'll make it ten, just to spite the Briton bastards."

"Do you not fear death?" Crow asked.

Frigga and her brother and the warriors of Uld around them, all smiled "Death, is just the beginning." Frigg whispered. Aetri and Tyrg gently ushered the Jarl to her feet, her body quaking with pain, screaming in protest. But the Jarl was strong, holding her axe, she limped free of aid, through her brothers and sisters who all followed behind Aetri and Tyrg out into the open air.

_"One, two, three, four, five." _Aetri couldn't stop his mind from counting, following Frigga as She stood among her people, calling out to the others who rushed to the sight of her.

"Jarl Frigga?"

"By the gods."

"What did it too to her?"

The Voice spoke, the crowd looking on as Jarl Frigga spoke "L-Listen to me...." She called as loud as she could "The Valkyries have been called... Valhalla awaits."

They looked on with grim eyes, sadness sweeping the Uld.

"Before my end, I want to say... That Tyrg and Aetri will take my place, he... may have come to us a stranger, but he will leave as one of us. I know my brother will lead you on the right path as I have tried to after my father's death. B-But... most importantly... Thank you, all of you... after the Skjal and the Britons are crushed, Raise a glass for me hmm?" She smiled, her people knelt to their knees and spoke their prayers to the gods for their Jarls save passage into paradise.

"I don't want you to go," Aetri muttered, his eyes wide with shock. Frigga smiled at him, her body ruined by flame, but her soul intact.

"I'll be with you, Aetri, here." She touched his chest with her scorched hand.

He stepped forward, his lips whispering into her ear "In the name of the Saints, I anoint you, pure. may your afterlife lead you to warm sands, Aurora skies, in the name of the Grim, I bless you with the right to know my true name in the beyond..." Aetri whispered the name that had evaded his lips for 8 long years, and Frigga's eyes opened wide in astonishment.

"By the gods... You really are him, aren't you?" She muttered.

He smiled and nodded.

Jarl Frigga beamed in return and bowed her head "It is an honour. It has been an honour, all of you, good luck, and goodbye."

The wind howled, the rainfall drizzled through the Jarl's hair as she took, one, two, three, four, five, six steps.... and then, she was gone.

There was quiet for a while as the Britons and the Skjal rallied, tending to their wounded according to Jalk and Rod who had reported to Tyrg of them scouring the battlefield for the dead and damaged.

Aetri did not join the others however, he had instead procured a pair of callipers and had removed the Arrowhead from Frigga's chest as a few of the Warriors gathered the mighty logs of Ice-pine for the Pyre ship that they would build after they took back the shore.

He observed the arrow carefully, a barbed broadhead well crafted... made of... pale steel.

His chest shimmered as He realised that this brand of Steel was made by only one man. Lee walked over, sitting next to her apprentice. "You don't look well." She whispered.

He did not speak, the whirlwind of wrath inside choaked his words.

Shuffling in, she muttered so that nobody else could hear "We need to push back, we've done a lot of damage and drove the enemy back, but that will mean nothing if we do not deal with that Dragon. if it's wrath comes upon us-"

His dark eyes turned to her, pushing back the braids in his Mahogany hair "The only Wrath you need be concerned about, is mine." There was murder in his voice, death in his eyes, these were not the orbs of Aetri, they were someone else, someone buried for far too long.

Lee nodded grimly, her gauntleted hand touching the inside of his thigh "I've not seen that look in a man's eyes for a very long time." She had desire in her voice.

"Master."

Lee's hand retreated as Crow appeared before them. The Vatan looking on with her emotionless eyes "I have scouted the enemy camp, there is a clear divide among our foes, and the Beast is proving difficult to control. We have time." She explained cleanly.

Aetri nodded, standing tall in his darkness "Good, I have a plan." He went to call the Uld, but Crow stopped him with a soft hand.

"You had that same look in your eyes that day, I swore to protect you." She muttered ominously.

"This time we will not flee, this time we will fight." He growled, moving to the centre of the gathered crowd. "Uld hear me!" He roared, beckoning everybody's attention. "We are wounded, we are hurt, but we are not defeated. We must rally now and snuff out the enemy."

One of New generation emerged from the crowd "Snuff them out? are you crazy, they have a fucking dragon!?" The crowds murmured in grim agreement.

"That 'Dragon' is an Ignix, I've seen their claws cut through armoured men, their beaks stamp through helms of reinforced steel, and it is a firebreather. But its hide is scales and its bones are hollow, it lacks the intelligence of higher dragons, and while it is the most dangerous thing that Uld have ever encountered, I know the method of its demise."

Another much older Uld laughed "Are you bloody mad, we've all heard the stories, the Briton Dragonslayers are a distant memory, nobody has killed a Dragon since they invaded 8 years ago, and you actually think you can fight it?"

Aetri smiled maliciously "I don't think I can fight it. I know I can kill it. but we need a solid plan to beat them which I have already conducted. Your Jarl welcomed me as one of you, and as true Uld, I ask that You trust me."

They would all have to work as one to protect their survival. There was silence, all were demoralized of course, but that changed as a man with Ash-blonde hair and fierce blue eyes stepped forward, meeting Aetri's eyes with a deep conviction. Tyrg gripped a muddy blade in his hand, kneeling low and offering Grimstorm back to its master "I was wrong about you, I always wrong about you. I've never seen warriors of your power before, we will follow your word to the letter. Please, Help us." He spoke loudly so all could hear.

Aetri took his sword proudly and helped Tyrg to his feet "Don't kneel at my feet, Tyrg, It's embarrassing." He smiled.

Tyrg grinned "Never again, you pitiful outcast." He whispered, before taking Aetri's arm and Holding it high. "WE FIGHT FOR FRIGGA, FOR VALHAL, FOR AETRI!!!"

"VALHAL, FRIGGA, AETRI!!!" The Uld called, their voices echoing amongst the tall trees on Uld's high hill, where the Demise of their enemy began.