(English!) The Rose and The Bleeding Stag

The Rose in The Rain

                                                            The Rose in the Rain
LOUIS' POV

How does it feel like to hold power in your hands? How does it feel to be the master of the world? It feels good, very good. I know for sure, because that's how I felt after capturing him. I had that young man in my hand, I was about to take that land. It would have been mine, I would have conquered and dominated the air, the people, the Earth, its waters and its fires. Everything.
Still, something was missing. At night, I would stay awake thinking. About what? I don't know. I don't know, because I didn't know what I was missing at the time. It was like a latent emptiness in the depths of my soul, like something that keeps on touching you without exposing itself, like a flaw in a perfect plan. Yes, because that plan had a flaw, a hole, something unexpected. Something that, at that moment, I didn't know. And I would stay up thinking about that something that was missing, that made all my ideal perfection a pitcher of gold with a crack in the middle. And what I didn't understand was that I had everything right in front of me.

I had been out all day, hunting with the others, trying to get the necessary food, and I took advantage of it for a round of patrol in those lands. The King's men knew, by now, about our presence, so even if they had seen us, it would not have been such a big surprise. I needed to know that place, to know what possibilities it could offer us, to understand what I could build there, far away who knows how much from my place of birth. The climate was similar, so nothing so new to me and my companions. Going up a hill, we were hidden between the tall grass and the dense woods, and then reached a very high point, which had given us a panoramic view of that place. The green fields and forests stretched around that town, perfectly surrounded by defensive walls, which, I must admit, had not been so much effective. However, those walls enclosed a series of dwellings, farms, fences, which stretched close to a precise point, beyond which no one seemed authorized to advance, not without an authorization, at least. I sank on my knees, discovering the branches of the vegetation that surrounded us in order to be able to look better, as much as possible. Beyond a further boundary of walls, made up of stone vault, stretched a large structure, also made of stone, much higher than any other in that city: No doubt, it was the abode of the king, the one we had attacked a few evenings before.

I could clearly distinguish the stone stairs that preceded the large entrance doors that we had opened wide, which, by now I knew, they opened on a large room: probably used only for celebrations or special occasions. And of course, that room was only one of the many rooms in that fortress, adorned with walls and towers, on which some guards were of lookout. I wondered how many people could live in there, I asked myself how much gold and riches could hold that majestic Palace. And Zygvarr almost made me believe that he had read my mind when, giving me an elbow shot, he asked "How much do you think all the gold they're hiding in there is worth?"

"I have no idea, but surely a lot. However, it is not the gold that I want. I want everything you see in front of you. I want that town at our feet, Zygvarr. I want a new life, I want to be Master of my desires, for once. "
" Let's take it then, Louis. Let's take that damn city. If we sent a message to your father, he could send reinforcements, the power would be ours in a snap of our fingers! "
" But I don't want my father's help. I don't need it. Don't you understand? We came here to prove something, to prove that we're capable of doing this alone! I'm not going to hide behind my father's armies. We will use the boy. "
"What are you going to do then?" Njall slicked into the conversation, looking at me with a confused and sceptical air.

"I've already told you. I'm going to use wit. We'll hold the boy hostage. Zygvarr will go to the fortress, he will be received from the king and put our conditions. "
" Why am I the one who has to go? Not that I'm pulling back- justified Zygvarr-but explain to me why you don't want to be the one who goes there personally. "
"Because, Zyg--I murmured looking up at him, letting my eyes slide on his face, till I meet his--I have extreme confidence in your oratory skills. You are a master at manipulating, convincing and shaping situations in your own way. Or did you forget? "

I knew those compliments would be pleasing to him: he was a rather vain fellow, and he appreciated when his best qualities were praised. And I had thrown an arrow right in the darkest part of his heart and his character: he gave me a cunning, accomplice smile, which I promptly reciprocated.

"I haven't forgotten it, Louis. Not at all. I don't forget. " He murmured, continuing to smile at me with his tongue between his teeth and his eyes lighted by a light... something particular, which I had a few times seen in him. Desire, lust: That's what it was. He wanted and knew to live up to that task and would prove it. Njall, on the other hand, was still very sceptical.

"And how will he talk to those men? They do not know our language and Zygvarr does not... "

"You heard the boy in the tent, didn't you? He spoke like us, he understood us. Which means that they are aware of the existence of our people. They must have interpreters, otherwise where would the boy have learnt the language?" interrupted him abruptly Zygvarr, to whom no details escaped.

"Oh... right... well, what do we do now?" inquired Njall with a low head.

"Hush!"

Meanwhile, my eye was laid on a large animal that, a short distance from us, wandered undisturbed: a deer. Slender, swift and proud, one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. The Auburn horns stretched towards the sky, which above us began to dusk, and the mantle sparkled under the light of the last rays that the sun gave to those lands. I wondered why was he in a place like that: the forest was not so dense, and I raised an eyebrow instinctively, slightly surprised by that situation, finding it rather unusual. But the flow of all my thoughts and reflections was blocked by the twinkle of a blade that, thrown at great speed, struck the animal, going to stick in a very precise point: its heart.

"Got you." A hiss at my side did not delay enlightening my doubts about who was the maker of that action that I found abominable.

"Zygvarr! What are you doing?! "

"Um... I get dinner, Louis," he said, rising to his feet and shrug, as if nothing were, walking towards the beast that still moved against the cold ground.

"But have you gone mad?!" I said loudly, rising abruptly and following him, until we reached the body of the poor agonizing beast. For some reason, that gesture had annoyed me, troubled me. It was like a cold-blooded murder and... not that I wasn't used to it, but something had hit me deep inside, as if the blade had my heart's point.

"Oh, relax, Louis, it's just a deer!" minimized Zygvarr, giving the animal a stroke of grace, cutting it right in front of my eyes, leaving the blood flowing on the grass, wetting it and giving it a dark and obscure shade.

"Yes, in fact Louis, it's not the first animal we kill, what's the matter with you?" asked Njall, confused, and then slapped me on the shoulder.

I stood still for a few seconds, staring at that deer, now devoid of life. Njall was right, it wasn't the first time, and yet... there was something different. The sky now, above us was made dark, and a series of black clouds and laden with rain covered it. I felt the first drops fall into my hair, and I turned the palms of my hands and my face upwards, letting it get wet as if I wanted to wash away the sense of guilt and the turmoil I felt in that moment. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, estranged myself from anything that surrounded me. I sighed, and I silently asked Odin to give me a sign, something that could make me understand why I felt that unpleasant feeling inside.

"Louis. Louis, we must go... " Njall's voice was a distant whisper, while I was lost in my inner dimension.

It kept raining, and my mates called me back to attention... So, I decided to turn around, watching them as the drops kept soaking our clothes and hair.

"Bring the deer. I'll go to the boy. "

I started down that hill, now slippery and soaked with rain. As I walked, a small tear decided to add to the raindrops on my face, then falling on the ground. I looked down, and again I was surprised at the magnificence of that place: a flower, a single flower in the midst of that huge expanse, was there, in front of my feet. It had the colour of the blood, dark and scarlet, and its petals were drenched by the droplets of water that unstoppably permeated the ground. I leaned over and watched that wonder for a handful of seconds. That was the flower I saw in my dreams when I was home.

I picked it up in my hands, tearing it to that ground and turning it between my fingers for a few moments, then starting again for my path, directed to the tent.