To ponder what is next, to ponder what has passed, to ponder what all the trials means, and to ponder what the man has become.

“I’ve been wondering… why did the Seeress called you Stålder?” Nearing the middle of the night, Karl asked, as the winds were carrying the ship.

“…you should sleep Karl.” Geir, controlling the steer, keeping an eye in the night while everyone, except for Karl, was sleeping, avoided the question.

“Why are yo-”

“Go to sleep Karl.” The tone was not familiar, the stares were out of character. Karl didn’t who this was, as this wasn’t Geir the family man, big brother he knew, this was Geir Stålder who answered.

When hearing that nickname again, something aches in Geir. An old wound, wounds even, accumulated over the five years he gained from the mucking in the blood and mud he went through. He recollects of the past, thinking if what he has done really made him rightfully deserve, what he truly deserves.

He remembers his friends, brothers in arms, lovers… all of them.

He doesn’t hate what he has become, nor does he loathe what he had gone through. Geir already accepts from the start to the end, that the trial was something that made him who he is. He cannot change the past, as the ink is dry.

But from that dried ink, there’s one definitive thing that Geir has learned, as it is something he has carried for all of his life, something that he will never forget.

It is what comes after the dried ink, for it will be another ink you will make for yourself, filled with the lessons of the past, lessons of the pain, of the lost, of everything.

Geir Stålder is no more, he is dead man through and through. But the corpse is still there, haunting Geir, reminding him of the things he had done, just for a piece of land, a piece of something.

To sate his ambition.

* * *

It was the crack of dawn, the ports of Syacus, the next city they are docking at, were spotted by them. It was a busy port like the others they have come of across, men on the docks carrying crates of goods and some guards patrolling the area.

Though saying it’s going to be another normal day of their journey, is naïve by all means, problems and excitement is always on the horizon. The difference is this time, the one who broke that normalcy is not from an outside force.

It came from inside.

The two Arnesens were awkward with each other, didn’t speak, didn’t glance, didn’t even try to hide its awkwardness, there’s spite between them.

It was Estryd who noticed it first, as the travels they have gone through, has taught her that the Arnesens are as thick as thieves. But this sudden distance, sudden tear they had was really concerning and curious.

“What’s going with your brother?” Estryd asked Karl.

“He’s… keeping secrets, he usually never keeps secrets from me, but… when I asked him why he was called Stålder, he not only ignored me, he actually was mad at me…” Karl said frustratingly.

“Ohh come now! People has secrets that they don’t want to divulge.”

“Except he always tells me, tells everyone in the family about everything! He never shies away on the matter of everything, it’s even to the point of being annoying how truthful he can get!”

“Well… that just means he kept somethings because he was never asked, did you ever asked why he was called Stålder before?”

“No… but!”

“People has secrets Karl, just wait a bit, he is still your brother, he will come around eventually.”

“That is true…”

But it never came, as time passes in this port city, as they did everything they were supposed to here, resting too here, Karl’s patient waiting was never awarded.

It bugged Karl, this wasn’t right, this wasn’t the brother he knew for his life.

As secrets for the Arnesen is taboo for them, they were taught and raised to be truthful with each other. After all, a strong bond can only be founded with a firm knowledge of each other.

That is why, from every fight, every mocks, every sort of disagreements they have. The Arnesens always came through, they knew each other so deeply that it’s a laughable notion for them to break so easily.

Now the fact that Geir is keeping secrets, is putting that firm solidarity they have into question, questions that is tearing Karl and him apart.

“Karl, after this, prepare the sails as usual okay!” Geir commanded.

“Do it yourself…” Karl had enough.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard what I said, do it yourself, I am going to explore the city.” Karl left.

“…what is going on with him?” Geir was confused.

“Rebellious phase?” Siasêr, floating on the table that they were eating at, said.

“That’s not a rebellious phase, hon, that’s a livid young boy that had enough! Did you say something cruel to him?” Marco said.

“…” Geir was silent, he knew exactly where that lividness came, but… he ignored it, thinking that Karl will let it go. “No, of course not.”

While Geir was keeping the problem, only in the family, Karl was blowing off some steam.

It was a go to solution for him, as walking has helped many times to clear his head. This time in a new city, new faces, new everything, he could subside his anger by indulging in the pass activity Karl always love to do, exploring.

Since a kid, Karl has always been curious. Questions always popped into his head, simple and complex, because finding answers, understanding those answers, has always been a fascination for him.

It is the very reason why he didn’t back down on coming here to the west, his curiosity, his unsatiable thirst to find and understand new things, is very appealing to him.

And in the streets of Syacus, he looks very forward to unravelling everything here.

Like why there’s brown skin people here, why there’s woman in less clothing, why there’s people with funny cloth hats, and many more.

He was keen to understand and explore the answers of his questions and it would more or less answered when he came across, like his brother, Eirikr, too, a princess.

This time was different, she wasn’t cloaked and in an incognito presence, she was actually on full display being shown like the princess she is. Wearing fine colorful silks, covered with various gems and ornaments, her hair even was braided very beautifully, befitting of a princess.

Of course, Karl was enamoured by her beauty, he is a young boy after all.

Karl would get to know more of this Princess as suddenly, an ambush appeared. Guards that’s been guarding her suddenly fell as arrows perfectly hit them in the neck.

The crowd went wild, the Princess was panicking, and Karl was confused. It became clear in the end when a couple of man, dressed very much suspiciously with head covered like an assassin, came from the princess.

Karl was still in a bit of a daze, the sudden screams, trampling, and hysteria, was numbing his senses. But he saw this ambush very clearly and… he saw an opportunity. He knew very well his prophecy of being a king and he rationalized from what his brother did, that this must be the moment for his prophecy to kick off.

Resolved and senses are back together, Karl rushed in, grabbed the sword from the fallen guards and like Eirikr too, stabbed their first opponent in the foot.

After that Karl took the Princess’ hands and ran away together, dodging the ambushers, dodging the messy street the crowd’s made, and just running for their live and this princess’ safety.

* * *

“I’ve been wondering about… the west, not your land, but west of your land, the place where you spent five years of your live as merc!” Estryd, while walking on the street with Geir to find Karl, asked him.

“You were wondering about…?” Geir awaited her question.

“How bad was it?”

“The mercenary job?”

“The mercenary job!”

“It was… hard of course, I was gambling my life after all, but… the friends I made their, the brother in arms I forge, and the west itself, was… soothing the say the least.”

“Ohh! While there also, did you pick up, like… I don’t know… a couple of nicknames?”

“…” Geir stopped in silence, he knew what she meant from that. “Karl told you didn’t he?”

“Yeah…” Estryd said awkwardly.

“…” Still silent, but… he couldn’t keep it for long.

“So, what does Stålder means?”

“…” again, Geir kept silent, even ignoring the question.

“Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment? Look, I’ll admit first, this is beyond my boundary, but… what you have with your brothers, is something that not every siblings have, and to see it fall apart is just… a shame really.”

“…” Still silent, but Geir was heading her words. “It means Steel-Hands.”

“Steel-Hands? So… why are you so hung up with it? It’s just a cool sounding nickname.”

“For you it may be, but… it’s a reminder of my hands, a reminder of what I did, what I become there in the west…”

“Oh…” Estryd didn’t expect this.

“But I am fine with it, even if it’s a somewhat half-truth… But what I am not fine is, for them, for Karl to know what I have become, I don’t want to face their reaction.”

“…Geir, whatever you have become, whatever it is that you are afraid of in yourself, I know this from our journey. You are a good man!” Estryd said the same thing, the same words that the Seeress said to Geir.

Geir stared at Estryd, looking into her eyes, confirming that words were not only genuine and sincere, but also came from the heart.

It flustered him, it flustered Estryd too as how deep their stare was at each other. Geir felt something, something he thought he would never felt again towards a woman.

But this sweet moment between them was cut short as massive hysteric crowd came rushing into them. Geir seeing they might get trampled, grabbed Estryd and jumped to the sides, avoiding the stampeding crowds.

It was a curious sight, as they didn’t exactly knew what was going on, but on further investigation, as they trace back this origin of hysteria, they saw the ambushers that attacked the Princess of this Kingdom.

Geir also saw Karl grabbing that said princess hands, running away from the ambushers. Geir by instinct ran to Karl and the Princess, gaining on them to save them.

The ambushers saw this somewhat big man and prepared to attack them. The first strike was cast by a far away bowman that killed the guards that were protecting the princess.

Geir dodge it, quite easily even, which baffles the ambushers. Because of this another arrow went loose towards him and again he dodges it. It continued with this one bowman, until the other bowman that killed the guards also, loose another arrow.

He couldn’t dodge this one, as dodging the other would meant getting hit. But he has an ace up his sleave or… hands actually.

Geir raises his hand and took the full brunt of the force with his hands. The clash more or less explains everything he was called Stålder, as his hands wasn’t impaled, no blood was gushing out of it, but only shattered arrow heads and wooden shafts were bursting out of there.

The bowmen stopped, they were stunned, scared slightly even as they weren’t prepare to fight against someone who can use magic.

But the ambushers that were on the field were, they rush at Geir with their weapon in hand and swung it towards him. Geir at first dodges them, but like the bowmen, he could only dodge one.

He was forced to block another one with his steel-hands, shattering the weapon to a million pieces, and use the opportunity to incapacitate the weaponless ambusher.

Geir continued with this pattern, shattering weapons and incapacitating the ambushers with one swift jab, either at their head, their chest, or their liver.

It was a sight of wonders, for everyone, for Karl even. As he, while holding the Princess, was seeing the other side of his brother he has never seen before.

* * *

It was a joyful ceremony filled with many people, highborns and lowborns alike, in the court of the King of Syacus.

The deeds and greatness that Karl and Geir has done for this kingdom is being rewarded, where the King of Syacus announced it to them, as he stood wearing a regal clothing, showing off his magnificence in this generous ceremony.

Karl would be kept close in the King’s court, as a steward, as a commander, and as a son in law. He would wed the Princess he rescued and father the next Kings of Syacus.

Geir on the other hand was given the very thing that he has been seeking, land. The King gave a fiefdom to him, a large coastal land for himself to do whatever he wants.

It was a big moment for them, a fulfilling of prophecies for Karl and a fulfilling of a life long dream Geir has wanted. But the gap is still there, the tore they created between each other was still unmended.

Geir knew this through and through, he can’t call himself a family man if he still keeps this tore alive, he knew what he must do, he knew what he must explain.

But the courage was weak, the fear was strong. It still clouds him, the possibility of his brother not seeing him as the man he has been seen. He is afraid, afraid of being reviled, of being left, for the fact he wasn’t the man they thought he was.

But then he remembers what Estryd said, what the Seeress said. He is a good man, even if he is a monster, something reviled by the many, he is still a good man.

It is for the fact that he became that very monster, for his family.

It encourages him, it revitalizes his resolve to be the family man he is.

“It means steel hands, Karl.” Geir said to Karl.

“What?” Karl was confused at what Geir said.

“They call me Geir Stålder, Geir Steel-Hands, because these hands… are hands that has took many lives.” He paused for a moment to unleash everything. “There were fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, lovers… these steel hands are a curse for me, a reminder of the bad things I have done, but it is also a blessing, given by the one I use to loved, her thank you and goodbye gift, her memory.”

“…” Karl smiled in silence, as he could finally see his brother back, the big brother that has always care and love his family. “Why didn’t you just tell me that earlier?”

“I’m afraid more or less, it’s only a half-truth that I can face the man who I have become, and I certainly can’t fathom of whatever you, Eirikr, mother, father… what four of you might think of me, of the man I have become…”

Geir will always be afraid of what he has become, scared of the road that has turned him to what he truly is, a monster.

But for Karl, he doesn’t care, Geir is his brother, Geir is the one who did everything for him, for their family. Nothing will change Karl’s perspective of who his brother is, for his brother is Geir Arnesen, the man who loves his family.

“Why do I always have to be the sensitive one…” Karl said as he went to Geir, hugging him.

“Haha… well, you’re the smartest among us.”

The two brothers smiled as they hugged each other, smiled at this reconnection, smiled as Geir could finally.

Start a new, upon that dried ink.