The Son Of Ragnar



Tyr had grown, he was nine years old and he had experienced these years like any other. 

He fought battles and was sent out on assassination missions to kill army heads as they withstood so many invasion attempts due to their mastery of their environment and fighting prowess. 

Tyr saw the strength of the man that was his supposed father and he was far too strong for anyone to stop. 

He had never seen such brute strength before and dexterity, not even from Ragnar. 

But the day of the ceremony drew near, Tyr had no idea what it was about but he did not give it too much thought. 

He knew it would not be anything too extreme but everyone was surprisingly cagey about it which only elevated his suspicion, but his older brother had supposedly done his ceremony a year ago and he changed. 

He became a lot more reclusive and did not talk as much as he once did, he had lost that playfulness and became a lot more serious and focused. 

Tyr was curious as to what happened but the thing with repressed memories was that not every single detail would come rushing in, just enough for one to connect the dots and make that connection yourself or one risked their mind breaking. 

"Are you ready for the ceremony tonight?" A voice rang out behind Tyr, startling him. 

It was Azenzêr's voice and Tyr has never really had a one-on-one conversation with him so this was a surprise.

"Hahaha, of course I am!" Tyr responded; he could not explain it but he felt extremely comfortable with him all of a sudden but this had to do with his emotions aligning with how he felt then, he could recall his emotional connection to his older brother.

A connection that was previously lost.

"I want you to remember, everything you do is for the tribe not for yourself. Never put yourself first or you will lose a lot more…." Azenzêr said; he was cryptic and Tyr did not think to decipher it because he knew he would understand what he was referring to soon enough but he looked to his right and his older brother was no longer there. 

It was like he vanished into thin air, at this point Tyr had forgotten that this was just an experience that has already happened because he had spent a couple of years here so it had to be real but he found it strange that no one had called him by his name or anything to be exact, it was almost like he did not have an identity.

"Big brother…" Kahina called out and Tyr's face lit up, he loved his younger sister with all his heart.

She was the only thing that stood out for him.

"Hey, little warrior…" Tyr said to his younger sister, he was yet to witness any abuse from their father towards her and she was treated like a princess by everyone in the tribe, even the solemn Azenzêr had a soft spot for her. Everything she wanted, she got.

"I AM NOT A WARRIOR! I AM A GIRL!" Kahina fired back, crossing her arms and pouting in the process. 

Tyr could not contain his laughter and let it loose. 

"IT IS NOT FUNNY BIG BROTHER!" Kahina barked as she charged towards him but she tripped over herself and fell to the ground. 

Tyr soon stopped laughing the moment he saw her eyes, she took the longest deep breath known to man before letting out a thunderous cry. 

Tyr had to rush towards her to try and comfort her but to no avail.

It felt like he was fueling her tears because she was not responding to anything and he knew he would get a scolding if others heard her, that was the last thing he needed. 

"Stop crying! Come on! Girls do not cry like this…" Tyr said and the moment he said girl, she kept quiet and a smile creases her innocent face.

"That was not so hard," Kahina said as she picked herself up from the ground and Tyr realized he had just been played. 

"You little sh-!" Tyr stopped short of completing this because he could see his father standing over him from the corner of his eye. 

"Shit…" Tyr thought to himself because he could already anticipate the scolding that was to follow. 

"Follow me…" His father said and this surprised Tyr because his voice was calm but this only meant what he wanted to show or discuss with him was of utmost urgency and Tyr could make an educated guess. 

It was for this ceremony.

-

Tyr was taken into a room where his father sat, alongside his brother and three elderly people that he had never seen before.

They dressed like Shamans and had white markings all over their bodies but this was not a strange sight because Tyr has seen them around multiple times but never has he seen three of them in one place. 

"Son, we need to talk…" The father said but here it was once again, no one was calling him by his name.

Azenzêr was averting his gaze, looking away from Tyr, like he knew what their father was about to say. 

"Our clan has a tradition, it is a tradition where we sacrifice to gain favor from the gods… Not just any god, but the goddess Tannit. She blesses us with fertility and strength to fight our wars but we must give to her for our tribe to strive." His father said and Tyr was confused because if this was all, why were they so dramatic?

"I will do it!" Tyr shouted, eager to impress but the Shaman took over the conversation.

"It is not just anyone you can sacrifice. This is the responsibility that comes with being the tribe head," Shaman #1 said, pausing to allow the other to continue. 

"You must sacrifice someone you love, to show the gods that there is no one that stands above your love for them…" Shaman #2 said. 

"That is right, you must sacrifice your sister." Shaman #3 concluded and Tyr's heart dro

pped. 

"You want me to kill…. Kahina?"