Tyr's brief spar with Kolbeinn made him realize he was nowhere near where he should be if he was going to stand on his own as a renowned warrior.
A warrior that could challenge even the top fighters but Tyr had killed two commanders despite being significantly weaker and he also had a King on his list of slain enemies.
Kolbeinn was stronger, there was no doubt but Tyr grew to understand that superior strength was only a fraction of the needed skill needed to outdo an enemy.
Kolbeinn had also shown his hand, Tyr now knew what to expect should they cross swords with intent to kill one another, he would not be as stupid to take such a bait twice.
Kolbeinn was not surprised when he told him he had killed Erik, this was a very impressive feat because Erik was a monster whose atrocities had reached even his ears and beyond.
Tyr conceded defeat honorably, bowing slightly to show Kolbeinn that he accepted his defeat in good faith.
"We should head back," Kolbeinn said and Tyr agreed but the smile plastered across his face left the moment Kolbeinn turned his back. Once again, he was full of openings but Tyr had no interest in trying to exploit them because it was hard to know if it was intentional or not.
They returned to the house and Tyr realized it was almost empty, except for Nora and a still injured Finn. Of course, a warrior or two remained but it looked like everyone was getting along better than he could have hoped.
"Welcome Chieftains," Nora greeted, bowing her head.
"Hahaha! Nora, what are you doing here? Why did you not go out with the rest?" Tyr asked, he spoke to her like she was his daughter, something Kolbeinn noticed, it was a drastic change from his initial dialogue with her when he first came to her. He often ignored her altogether.
"N-No, I wanted to stay here with Finn…" Nora said with a nervous smile.
"What is your relationship with Finn if I may ask?" Tyr questioned, he began to take a personal interest in Nora's life.
"Finn is my brother," Nora responded, and that explained why he was the only one other than her to understand and speak Old Norse but Tyr could feel something was coming.
He did not know what or when but he knew some sort of calamity could be coming.
Tyr was exhausted, he wanted to sleep briefly as he has had trouble sleeping as of late due to his recurring nightmares, and they granted him that silence out of respect for him.
-
"Brother! Father is injured!" A voice called out to Tyr, but Tyr looked down only to his hands drenched in blood standing over a faceless dark-skinned man; there was a detail that went unnoticed until now and that was his body covered in scars.
"Why did you kill father!?" But this was not the voice of a girl but a boy, a voice he had never heard before.
"Father?" Tyr managed to utter these words, as he trembled in fear but what he saw next was him standing over his supposed brother's dead body, and a girl crying.
"Monster!" She yelled, she was scared out of her mind and Tyr did not know but a new scene appeared in this dream.
There was a mass grave, a mass grave where Bjorn, Ragnar, and Lagertha laid, the only people he had ever loved in his life.
"You did it! You monster!" A voice said behind him and the moment he looked back, he found himself back on the ship but this time he was not a spectator as he reprised his role as the defenseless kid that was tossed overboard.
He saw the man reaching for him and Tyr jammed a knife in his neck but blacked out, only to come to it and see everyone on the boat dead, including the other slaves.
"I did it, for everyone is reborn in death. This is the way of the warrior, the blade must stain only then will you take," A voice echoed and Tyr's eyes were devoid of emotions this time.
"You are not Tyr…. You are…." Before the voice could conclude, Tyr was jolted awake by a scream, he was pissed off because he was about to reach an epiphany, and at the climax, reality pulled him back
But what Tyr saw was someone mounted on top of Nora, trying to forcefully have his way with her, Tyr was confused as he looked around for the Chieftain but he was nowhere to be seen and Finn was beaten to a pulp.
"What do you think you are doing?" Tyr questioned and the man on top of Nora immediately got up. Tyr hated this, the disgusting notion that men could treat women as they pleased.
This man, whoever he was, had no right and all Tyr could see was another Erik.
That triggered him, Tyr dragged the man to the floor and he was certain that the man was not aware of his presence or he would not have proceeded with his act but that was because of the blanket placed above Tyr.
"I-I can explain," He pleaded but his words were useless as the light already left Tyr's eyes.
A punch shattered his teeth and another ruptured his nose but what Tyr wanted to do was completely bash his face in. He tried to call for help but Tyr quickly wrapped his hand around his neck with one hand to strangle and kept punching him with his other hand.
Nora was glad Tyr was there and knew what might happen if someone saw him but she could not help but remain frozen in fear.
Tyr had never portrayed himself as someone ruled by emotions, until now.
"C-Chieftain…" Nora hesitantly called out but it was too late, Tyr had beaten him to death.
A mistake, he would soon face the consequences of.
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