Alrik

My brother ran out of our cabin, slamming the door shut. Mammaz jumped up and tried to follow him, but my father stepped forward and stopped her. Magnerich came in shortly after, looking agitated.

"Your son got away from me, he’s too fast. Should I call someone to follow him?" the giant asked.

"No, let him go. I already know where he's going," my father replied, visibly suppressing the anger he had shown earlier.

"Isn't it dangerous for him to go alone in that state?" my mother asked, her voice worried.

"He'll be fine. Maybe the running will help him calm down," he consoled her, before turning back to Magnerich. "Thank you for taking the trouble to bring my son home. I know you have other things to do, and we won't bother you any further."

The big man nodded in thanks, but didn't leave right away. He stood at the door, looking at the dirt floor of the hut as if searching for something.

"Is there something you want to say?" my mother asked.

"See, we want to know what elder Walah told you," he said, speaking my grandmother's name with some fear.

"You?" my father asked.

"The whole lineage knows that your mother called you to speak to Alrik, and soon the whole valley will know."

It was not unheard of for news to spread quickly through the clan, yet my father seemed annoyed when he told him this. He scratched his black beard and glanced at the wall, as if he could see something in the distance through the trellis and mud.

"She just wanted to see us because we hadn't been to her in a while," my father said, barely looking at him.

"Come on, don't be like that! I know it's hard but we grew up together. If it's really something that's better left unsung, I'll keep it a secret," Magnerich said.

"You know a shared secret isn't a secret anymore. The problem is that she didn't want to talk to me."

"She didn't want to talk to you, her son?" he asked, incredulous.

"My mother only wanted to talk to Alrik and Berth," he replied.

"Wait, you mean they weren't the ones who took you to talk to your mother, but the other way around?" he asked, even more astonished. "And I understand Alrik, but why did she want Berth too?"

I huddled closer in my chair, feeling uncomfortable. Even more so when my movement drew Magnerich's attention to me, like an animal attracted by a noise in the forest.

Occasionally the adults would look at me like that, as if they expected me to do something extraordinary while I played mudballing with the other kids.

Mammaz and dadà had told me about what had happened at the clan meeting the day I was born, why they’d never taken me to them again, and why Grandma had to live up on the hill, far away from everyone. What I didn't understand, though, was what that stupid prophecy meant.

The adults watched me whenever they could, especially when dadà taught me a trade or how to fight, and every time I made some stupid mistake. My father had tried to keep me from being constantly watched, but he himself was the first to judge every last one of my actions.

In a way, it was almost better to look after the sheep, even though I had never been so bored.

"Listen, my mother wanted to talk to him in private, even if I don't know the reason for it. Please don't talk about it or breathe down my son's neck," my father said, this time looking him straight in the face.

Magnerich sighed regretfully, but didn't seem to want to insist.

"Alright, I respect your wishes," the giant said, before turning and walking away. Our house was the largest in the village, yet it seemed almost cramped once he left, leaving us alone.

My father went to the door and peeked out, making sure there was no one lurking to eavesdrop, then turned to me. There was anxiety and haste in his eyes, as if the conversation had made him aware of some threat that I didn’t understand.

“So my mother didn’t give you any clues? She didn’t say anything at all about the dangers that will come when she dies?” my father asked.

“No, she didn’t tell me anything,” I said.

My father began to pace, mulling over whatever Grandma’s words had made him think of. Meanwhile, mammaz came over and sat down next to me.

“Did Grandma tell you anything else?” she asked, her voice soft. The conversation from earlier had been abruptly interrupted by my brother’s arrival, so I hadn’t said everything.

“She told me… she told me that even in bad times there will always be people who love me.”

“Of course there will always be people who love you,” my mother said, moved, hugging me tightly. "I will always love you."

"Even when I do something wrong?" I asked.

"Always, always, always," she repeated.

The anxiety and fear I had felt up until that moment disappeared, as if Mom had taken them and destroyed them, making me feel so good that I almost wanted to cry again. She stroked my hair with her fingers and I smelled the wheat and acorn flour she had used to make the flatbreads we had eaten for lunch.

At one point mammaz gave me three kisses on the forehead and released the hug, but I continued to hold her. I didn't want it to end. She gently removed my arms and sat me back down in the chair.

"I'd better go to Walah, see if they're both okay," my mother said.

"I'll come with you," I said impulsively.

"But you just got back!" she protested.

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea if you go," dadàhummed, looking at us thoughtfully.

"Are you sure?" my mother asked, puzzled.

"I think it's best to keep Alrik away from the clan for a while. The situation right now is not easy, and it's best if he stays with my mother and Wallia for a while."

My mother fixed him with a serious expression, then nodded.

"Can you climb up?" she asked me.

"Sure!" I replied vehemently, even though my legs were sore from the first climb.

Mammaz didn't look entirely convinced, but she stood up and took my hand. We walked out of the house together and started walking up.

As we passed by the other houses, men and women busy feeding chickens, turning sickles, and splitting logs of firewood would sneakily look up and watch me. I moved even closer to my mother, who put a protective hand on my shoulder until we were finally in the middle of the pastures.

We walked for a long time, much longer than I had the first time I had gone up, but I tried to hold on as long as I could. Finally, when we came to the slope of the stairs, mammaz stopped.

"Let's rest for a minute," she said.

"But I'm not tired," I said quickly, even though my knees were shaking.

"Yes, but I am," she said, sitting down on a mossy rock.

I didn't really believe her, I thought she was doing it mostly for me, but I welcomed the chance to stop and sit down. We sat there for a while, doing nothing, until my mother looked up.

"What are you doing there?" she exclaimed suddenly.

I looked up to see Irmingart coming down. The youngest daughter of the clan leader looked scared when she suddenly heard her name and stumbled, but managed to grab onto the rope railing, and pull herself upright.

"Gods, are you okay?!" my mother asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Irmingart said, brushing her hands over her skirt.

The young woman went down the rest of the stairs, to where we were. My mother went to meet her, worried.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you fall," she said to the young woman.

"Don't worry, everything's fine," she said, even though her face was pale. Up close I could see her hair and clothes were in disarray, but I assumed it was either from the near fall or the strong wind at the top.

"What are you doing here?" my mother asked her again.

It was very strange that anyone would come down from there, besides Wallia or us. Everyone was afraid of Grandma, and even our own lineage avoided this place, fearing that she might do something to them with magic.

"I… was looking for some herbs, something for Aunt Bilihild," she said quickly.

"But you don't have anything with you."

"I know, I didn't find anything suitable. I tried to ask Wallia and he was kind enough to take me to his house to see if he had anything, but…" The girl stopped suddenly and a look of regret appeared on her graceful face that made me shiver. "When we were going to his hut, we found the door wide open. And … Berth was inside."

"Is he okay?" my mother asked, startled by the sudden mention of my brother. "He had a fight with his father and ran away."

"Berth seemed okay, but he was kneeling on the floor, in front of … Walah's bed."

There was a look of deep regret in her eyes that took my breath away and made my chest tighten. I had just been there, and talked to her. She couldn't be saying what I thought she was saying, could she?

"You... you saw her?" my mother whispered, her face pale now.

Irmingart didn't answer, she just looked down. Then my mother grabbed my arm and almost dragged me up the hill. When we got to the cabin, Wallia was standing at the door, tears in his eyes and streaming down his cheeks, so much so that only when we were close did he see and walk towards us.

"Wallia, what happened?" my mother pressed him.

"Grandma... Grandma is-"

He was interrupted by the commotion coming from the cabin.

We went inside, finding Berth on his knees in front of Grandma's bed, screaming with his face red and stained with tears.

"Why didn't you wait for me? I had to talk to you. I had to talk to you!"