Myths and Tales

Chapter 3: Left Alone

~Ylva's POV~

Troels raised a fist to the sky and lightning bolts rained down, causing the two guards to shatter to nothing but bits of ice. The leader, being the coward he is, ran off, his blue cape billowing out behind him. Troels grunted in satisfaction and turned to me, grabbing my shoulders the way Nadir did and looking me over, saying, "Are you unhurt Ylva?"

"I'm fine Troels. Thank for asking though." I say, hugging him gently. Out of the corner of my eye i saw Fritjof's face turn a gentle red as he turned away, walking towards the exit. I stepped away from the group, letting the others congratulate Troels in his victory as I ran up to Fritjof.

"Yo! Fritz. Come here."

"It's Fritjof. Say my name right or don't say it at all." He growled, then seeing it was me.

"H-Hey Yl, wh-what's up?"

"Nothing of importance. Why were you walking away?" I asked gently, my hand on his back as I guided him to the hallway. His green eyes that usually had a mischievous glint in them widened in shock and he shook his head.

"No reason, really."

"There is a reason behind it. Here's how I know. One, you're looking down and not at me. Two, you don't look ready to pull a prank like you usually do. And three, well, it's obvious now that I explain it. You feel left out."

"No. When did you figure that out?" He asked with a venomous sarcasm in his voice.

"Cut the act Fritjof! This isn't a joking situation. My friend is sad, may I add, my dearest friend is sad and he won't say why." I say, looking Fritjof in the eye.

"It's nothing Ylva. Shouldn't you be down there celebrating?"

"No. No I won't celebrate. You know why? I lost my brother to those monsters and I wanted to kill them. Or at least the leader. Troels seeks attention, that's all." Fritjof's face went slack when I said that, not one of my friends knew about my brother. Not. One. But now I just had to go and spill the truth to the most mischievous of the group.

"I-I'm sorry Ylva. I didn't know about that-"

"No one did. Until now. Oh, by Thor's hammer. What have i done? I vowed to myself I'd never tell anybody about that incident and no-" He cut me off with a hug.

"It's okay Yl, your secret's safe with me." He whispered, pulling away with a light pink tint to his cheeks. I smiled sadly, sitting down on the cold tiled floor. Fritjof sat down next to me, making a small green flame appear in the palm of his hand.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what was your brother's name?" He asked. I tensed, all the muscles in my body tightening.

"Nadir." I whispered, the word barely a puff of air.

"Nadir eh? Beloved and uncommon. He must've been a good brother."

"He was." I choked out, my throat feeling tight. Fritjof looked at me, his expression showing hints of shock.

"Hey, it's okay Ylva. Don't cry." I felt my cheeks and realized they were wet. Instead of wiping the tears away, I curled into Fritjof's chest, sobbing. He wrapped his long, slender arms around me, patting my back comfortingly.

"Shh, calm down Yl. The others might see-" That was all I needed to snap up and wipe my eyes, helping Fritjof up.

"Sorry about that." I said shakily, trying to erase and telltale signs that I had been crying when the group walked out of the gym, still celebrating Troels' victory.