Life's Too Short

Part 1
Seasick: (August 1094, the day of Eydis’s funeral)
Today was the funeral of her older sister. Somehow Saeros, now almost 41, still couldn’t believe Eydis was dead. It just didn’t seem real to her at all. For the past week, various family members had arrived and all took turns caring for their parents, especially Seasick, who had taken her daughter’s death extremely hard.
Guests from afar were slowly arriving, and their sad eyes and words of condolences soon became too much for Saeros, and she excused herself from the house. Out in one of the fields Saeros sat down on a hill, trying to keep herself from crying. She could hear someone approach from behind, but didn’t bother looking up at them.
Grey: Forty-one-year-old Chief Sven Felman of Haligan Island, successor to his mother Grey Bergman-Felman, flew on his Monstrous Nightmare as fast as he could to get to Peaceable Country. At this point, he didn’t care about what happened 22 years old. All that mattered was getting to Peaceable in time for the funeral. His mother, sister, and brother-in-law already arrived, which allowed him to get some work in the village done. His youngest sister and father were staying behind to take care of his wife and two sons, which made him feel more at ease. 
Soon enough, Pyro reached the island he was traveling to and landed. As soon as he dismounted, he saw the one person he was looking for…Saeros. He sighed sadly knowing that this was going to be hard on her. 
“S-Saeros?” he finally said. 
S: At his voice, Saeros looked up in surprise. Looking up at Sven, she could see how much he had changed since the last time she had seen him. It had been at Havelock and Dagny’s wedding… 15 years ago… 
“Sven… I…” Saeros stuttered, staring up at him as if he were a ghost. “W-what are you… w-why are you here?”
G: Sven slowly walked up to her holding his hands up to calm her. “D-Dagny and my mother filled me in,” he said. He sighed sadly. “I had to come and make sure you were doing okay. Saeros, I’m…very sorry…for your loss.”
S: Saeros blinked away tears and looked away from Sven. “T-thank you. I… I’m fine, really I am. I’m just… today is just going to be really hard, that’s all…You don’t need to be here… you never really knew…”
G: “I know,” Sven said before she could say her late sister’s name. He sighed. “But I knew you. I knew how much she meant to you, and I want to be there for you…help you and your family.”
S: “That’s.. truly kind of you, Sven.” Saeros said, looking up at him. “Or rather, Chief Sven. You didn’t have to leave your island for this… Eydis wasn’t important to you… and I’m not important to you anymore either. It’s a waste of your time.”
G: Chief Sven couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Saeros was clearly trying to get him to leave, but he wasn’t having any of that. He needed to be there for his…ex-girlfriend…to let her know that he cared enough to support her and her family. “Hey, come on, Saeros,” he said. “She was your sister, and my sister’s sister-in-law. She’s an important member of the family, and so are you. Besides, I got a second-in-command running things while I’m gone. Haligan Island is taking care of.” He paused. “Look, just because I was angry at you doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you anymore.”
S: Saeros looked away from Sven again, suddenly feeling very guilty. “I see. That… that reminds me… Ah, um… sorry for… not writing to you like we agreed.”
G: Sven chuckled under his breath. “Ah, it’s okay,” he said. “I…I’m sorry too for not writing as much as I should’ve either. Not too long after Dagny and Havelock got married, Mom decided it was time to step down and let me take over, and…sure enough, life got pretty busy as soon as it happened.”
S: “Yeah, life got busy for me too,” Saeros replied, gesturing to Sven to sit down beside her. “I had 5 more kids since the wedding. Had my hands full… maybe too full…”
G: Sven smiled as he sat down beside Saeros. “I could imagine.” he said. “I can’t believe your parents managed 10 kids. Phelma and I just stuck with our two boys. We figured enough was enough especially with the whole Chief-thing. How’s Innis doing?”
S: “Innis is doing well,” Saeros said, smiling slightly at the thought of him. “He’s struggling to balance both fatherhood and his job as a fisherman, but he’s doing pretty well overall. How about you and Phelma? You’ve been prepping for chiefdom since you were born… were you ready?”
G: Sven thought for a moment base responding. “Well, at the time, I didn’t think I was but…Mom said she thought I was. And to be honest, I think I was ready for the challanges and just didn’t really know it. I mean it was a pretty intense scene. Mom did it, so…” he shrugged, “the rest is history.”
S: “Well, I’m glad everything worked out for you in the end.” Saeros said. Suddenly, Saeros moved over away from Sven and then smirked slightly. “Remember the deal? You can’t be anywhere near me. Do you think we’re sitting far enough apart? Or will Uncle Furious fly over here in a rage?”
G: “Saeros, we’re both adults,” Sven said placing a hand on her shoulder. “We can handle this our selves. Besides, this situation called for us to be around each other. We don’t need Uncle Furious breathing dow our necks.”
S: “Sven I was…” Saeros sighed and looked away. “It was only a little joke…” Saeros was silent for a moment as she looked out to the sea. Near sundown Eydis’s pyre would be lit. Tears came to Saeros’ eyes once again.
“I don’t think I can do this…” She said simply.
G: Sven widened his eyes slightly and blushed, embarrassed that he wasn’t able to catch onto Saeros’ joke, but that was quickly forgotten when the Chief of Haligan Island noticed the tears in Saeros’ eyes. He wrapped an arm around her. 
“I know it’s hard, Saeros,” he said, “but you’re not alone. You have a lot of people who support you, especially me.”
S: Saeros was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say to Sven. “I have… you. The one I hurt… tell me… do you still have…” Saeros hesitated before slowly reaching towards Sven arm. “Do you still have a scar from when…”
G: Sven knew exactly what Saeros was talking about. His hand even automatically went to the shoulder where the spine once was. He sighed as the memories came back yet again. “Y-Yes, I do,” he said simply, “but it’s alright. It doesn’t hurt as much as it did anymore.”
S: Saeros pulled her hand away again, and looked away. “I never did apologize for that. I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong… and I let my anger cloud my judgment.”
G: The Chief of Haligan Island smiled and wrapped an arm around Saeros again. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said smiling. “I was the idiot who couldn’t keep my mouth shut. You were just reacting. True, it wasn’t a great reaction, but it was understandable in hindsight.” He sighed remembering the way he grabbed her and kissed her before she attacked him. “And…I never really apologized for kissing you in…that way. So, I’m sorry, Saeros. I was just desperate to stop you from leaving, but I wasn’t thinking.”
Part 2
S: Saeros let out a small laugh as she wiped away her tears. “Is… is this us finally admitting that we were both wrong? Are we… seriously both agreeing on something?”
G: Sven thought for a moment and laughed. “I think so,” he said in the middle of his laughing fit, “and it only took us 22 years.” He stopped when he realized what he just said. “Wow…22 years since we broke up…”
S: “You mean, you’ve been counting?” Saeros smirked at Sven. “To be honest, Sven. I don’t think we would’ve been happy with each other… I think it was for the best when we broke up… I mean, look at us now. We’ve both have families and someone who loves us for who we are… perhaps we were just too young…”
G: He nodded letting Saeros’ words sink in. As much as he hated to admit, she was right. If they never broke up, there was no telling what would’ve happened to their relationship. If anything it would’ve ended a lot worse than it did. He had been a lot happier with Phelma than he was with Saeros, and now they were married with two boys. 
“You may be right,” he said. “I guess we did rush into the relationship too when you think about it. Not only that, but I guess we didn’t know how to handle the fact that I was learning how to become chief at the time. I guess we saw what Dagny and Havelock had at that time and wanted the same thing.”
S: Saeros nodded. “We both wanted different things… and we couldn’t give it to each other,” She said. “We couldn’t see it at the time, but we just weren’t right for each other. So in a way, it was a good thing we broke up.”
G: “I agree,” he said. “As much as I hate to admit it…I agree, but just because we weren’t meant for each other doesn’t mean that we should look down on the good times of our relationship.”
S: Saeros was silent as she thought back to their short relationship all those years ago. She supposed that they did have good times, but they were grossly overshadowed by all the bad stuff.
“I don’t really recall many of the good times, to be honest.” Saeros said. “I know we had them but… I just think about our fight…”
G: “I do, too,” Sven said, “a lot.” He sighed. “But…if there’s something I learned from the death of my grandmother and the death of your sister, Saeros, it’s that life is…far too short to worry about the dark moments of our past. We can only move forward and cherish what was good about our relationship. We really cared about each other. We wanted to be together forever, but…the gods had other plans unfortunately.”
S: “If I may just… speak honestly about our fight…” Saeros began, thinking carefully about what words to use. “When we fought, I… I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t happy about how our relationship was going. I felt that you didn’t realize or care.”
G: Sven nodded as he listened to Saeros’ words about their fight from so long ago. “I appreciate you telling me that,” the Chief replied. “It’s not that I didn’t care. It’s just…I know I shouldn’t use my family’s rough times as an excuse, but…it played a huge role in that. And I truly regret not being fully there for you.”
S: “And I wish you told me your grandmother was sick, ” Saeros said. “And I should have told you that I had family problems too. We just… lacked communication. We dove head first into a relationship without thinking.”
G: “I guess you could say that…we wanted what Dags and Havelock have and didn’t think about the timing,” Sven said shrugging. 
S: Saeros nodded in agreement. “While we couldn’t be each other’s happy ending, we managed to find someone who could. I’m glad that you found happiness with Phelma.I should apologize for treating her like the enemy.”
G: Sven smiled. “I accept your apology, thank you,” he said, “and I’m sorry for not understanding why you were uncomfortable with her.”
S: “It was juvenile jealously, you could say.” Saeros said simply. “I mean, you and I spent so much time apart, so it was easy to get the thought of you falling for her into my head. But she’s the one who truly makes you happy, and I can’t be mad about that.”
G: The Chief nodded. “And the same goes for Innis,” he said. “That day I came to the island to talk to you, I…I saw how happy you were with Innis, and I…I mean I know you weren’t dating at the time. But…you looked so happier with him more than…with…me.”
S: Slowly Saeros placed her hand on Sven’s arm. “We sound so sad when we’re talking about our loved ones, when we really should be happy.” Saeros said. “Look on the bright side, we’re no longer mad at each other. Perhaps we can meet with each other… if that ban is lifted…”
G: “Well, as the Chief of the Haligan Tribe,” Sven said confidently wrapping an arm around Saeros, “consider the ban lifted. I would very much love it if we can be friends. My boys would love to have you, Innis, and your kids visit every once and a while especially when you need to visit your nieces.”
S: “I haven’t been to Haligan Island since the fight… I assume you haven’t burned it down since becoming chief.” Saeros joked. “Yeah, I only saw your boys briefly at Havie’s wedding, and I only had one child at the time, not six.”
G: “Yes, Havie was telling me,” Sven replied raising his eyebrows at the idea of his ex-girlfriend having six children. “How has that been going?” He then remembered her comment regarding him being Chief. “By the way, I have been doing a fine job being Chief. You can ask anybody.”
S: “I don’t doubt that.” Saeros said. “Six kids is a bit of a challenge, but I still have mom and dad to help out from time to time, so that always helps.”
G: “That’s good,” Sven said nodded. “I know for me and Phelma, my parents helped out a lot when Erik was born.” Suddenly, he had a thought. “Speaking of which, how are….how are Eydis’ kids handing this?”
Part 3
S: Saeros sighed and looked away. 
“Well, as you must know, Eydis… Eydis didn’t really raise her kids. She passed them off to mom and dad, and let them deal with the kids.” She explained. “I mean she did love them and visited every so often but she just didn’t… didn’t want to raise them. They’re upset obviously, but… not as upset as you’d expect. To them, it’s like they’ve lost a distance aunt rather than a mother.”
G: “Wow…” Sven replied trying to figure out what to say regarding a heavy topic. “You know…don’t get me wrong, I believe she really did love those kids, but…being a parent myself now…I can’t imagine just giving up my boys…and not having that bond with them you know?”
S: “That’s just who she was,” Saeros sighed. “I mean, when they were just born she looked after them, but once they started walking and talking, she took off again. Being a mother just wasn’t her. She needed the freedom to explore and… get into fights…”
G: The Chief of Haligan Island nodded as he listened. “Still though, those kids actually believed that your parents were their parests,” he finally said. “That parent/child bond is pretty much gone, especially now when they’re older.”
S: “In a way yes, but they aren’t too upset about that,” Saeros explained. “To them, mom and dad were their parents, and we were their siblings. It doesn’t matter to them who their parents really are. They were loved regardless, and are truly thankful. ”
G: “Well, when you put it that way,” he said, “they were happy at least.”
S: “Yeah… I’m just not sure what is going to happen now… with their father.” Saeros said, frowning. “He was the one who….brought Eydis’s body home… Havelock and Oyarr made it clear that he’s not welcomed here. Since… he is partly the reason she’s dead, and the reason she was so rebellious. They won’t let him anywhere near the kids, and mom and dad agree with that.” 
G: “Huh, Dags didn’t tell me that,” Sven said to himself before turning to Saeros. “I’m sure he and your parents can work something out so that he can still be there for them, and if not, then forget him. He might be their father by blood, but if he can’t take responsibility for those kids, then he doesn’t deserve it. Still, though…your brothersr won’t even let him say goodbye to her?”
S: “Well, look at it this way: we don’t know who killed Eydis…” Eydis said slowly. “All we have to go on is her boyfriend’s word… what if she wasn’t in a big fight with a neighboring island? Maybe he turned on her and…”
Saeros stopped and looked away, tears coming to her eyes again.
G: Sven’s heart broke when he saw the tears forming in Saeros’ eyes again, so he gently took his ex-girlfriend into his arms hugging her close. He didn’t care if anyone of her siblings saw. All he knew that she needed was a shoulder to cry on.
“Hey, it’s okay, Saeros,” he said. “It’s okay. If he loved her as much as he said he did, I doubt that he would turn on her.”
S: Saeros swallowed hard and wiped away her tears. “It’s horrible that we have to take his word on it.” She choked out “But maybe you’re right… the few times I’ve seem him, he didn’t seem like such a bad guy…but maybe it was all a cover…”
G: Sven sighed. He really hated the idea of Eydis’s boyfriend suddenly turning on her after pretending to love her all this time. This reminded him of when his parents revealed to him and his sisters that their own father killed their grandfather and his namesake. 
“You know, this reminds me of something I learned a long time ago,” Sven said as he hugged Saeros. “Unfortunately, there might not be a direct answer as to what happened, but I think he does deserve some benefit of a doubt.”
S: “I suppose you’re right.” Saeros sniffed, pulling away from Sven. “Thanks again for being here… I didn’t think I needed the support but it’s clear that I did…”
G: “Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” the Chief said giving Saeros a quick reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. 
S: “You’re welcome to stay at my place while you’re here,” Saeros said, glancing at Sven. “It’ll be a bit crowded, but I think we can make it work.” 
G: “Thank you,” Sven said. “I really appreciate it. I’m sure my mother will be staying with your parents, and Dagny and Havelock will take up more space with their girls.”
S: “It’ll be crowded, but I think we’ll all appreciate the company.” Saeros said. “ hope you’ll never have to experience something like this.”
G: Sven exhaled as he ran a hand through his brown hair. Hearing the news about Eydis’ death made the Chief of Haligan Island very uneasy. While he had experienced the death of one of his mother’s best friends, King Haddock, and his own grandmother, the mere thought of outliving his two little sisters…Dagny and/or Kari…that was enough to make him pale in the face. 
“I don’t know what I would do if I lost Dagny or Kari,” he finally said looking out over the ocean. 
S: “It’s a terrifying thought.” Saeros said simply. “I just hope that Eydis is at peace now, wherever she is…” 
G: Sven smiled. “I’m sure she’s smiling down on all you guys right now,” he said. “Maybe my grandmother is giving her a lecture for rushing into battle the way she did and is taking care of her.” 
S: Tears came to Saeros’s eyes once again. “Yeah, you’re probably right. While she never could stay in one place, she really did love us.” 
G: “Of course, she did,” Sven said smiling at Saeros. “You were her family! I mean, she kept coming back, didn’t she? She entrusted her own children to the care of your parents. I mean, I know that wasn’t the smart thing to do, but…the fact she thought you guys could take care of them…to me that speaks in volumes.” 
Part 4 
S: “You’re right…” Saeros said, nodding her head. “It’s unfortunate that she and mom never really mended their relationship though… and the rest of us really… she drifted apart… I hope she knew we loved her too.” 
G: “I wouldn’t be surprised if she did,” he said. He chuckled as the few memories he had of Eydis when they were children. “I remember when we had that huge playdate when we were kids, she and Havelock were like partners in crime wanting to get into mischief and all that.” He sighed contently. “I think that was the day Shadow and Furious had that huge race around Haligan Island.” 
S: “Oh yeah! I remember that!” Saeros said, thinking back to that day long ago. “Havelock looked up to Eydis when he was younger and wanted to be just like her… I’m not sure when or why he changed, but I think it was after Eydis began running away from home. Ever since then, the two of them didn’t get along very well…” 
G: “Hm,” Sven said simply. “Yeah, I had a feeling, especially when Havelock flew to Haligan Island himself to tell us that Eydis was pregnant. I never fully realized how much pressure you guys were under when she started running away. I wish I could’ve helped more. Maybe I would’ve snapped her out of it.” 
S: “No offense Sven, but if you couldn’t talk sense into me during our relationship, then I doubt you could talk sense into Eydis.” Saeros laughed. “Eydis was too much of a free spirit.” 
G: Sven let out a hearty laugh remembering how stubborn Saeros came across as when they started dating. “That’s true,” he said. “You could say she just went where the wind took her.” 
S: “Yeah, I guess so.” Saeros said with a sigh. “Hopefully she’s happy.” 
G: “I’m sure she is,” Sven said looking up at the sky. Then he had an idea. “Did your mom ever talk much about the rebellion they fought in?” 
S: “Ah, no not really,” Saeros replied, a little surprised by the sudden topic. “Why do you ask?” 
G: “Well, when my grandmother died,” Sven said thinking back on the memory, “my mom told us that Uncle Greg was sent to Helheim before Ragnorak began. He started working with Loki briefly to get the entire Rebellion out of Ragnorak, and the goddess of Helheim got wind of it and punished him by sending him to Helheim to complete certain tasks.” 
S: “Wha…What??” Saeros asked in complete disbelief. “What are you even talking about?” 
G: “Just…just stay with me, okay?” Sven said holding up his hands to calm her down. Perhaps that wasn’t the greatest way to introduce the topic, but hopefully, he could get her to understand. “Anyway, when Uncle Greg was sent to Helheim, the goddess explained to him that she was planning to win Ragnorak so that she can create a new afterlife…where there’s no more pain, no more suffering, and people are actually happy after they die.” 
S: “Oh, now I see where you’re going with this,” Saeros replied. “So… are you saying that this really happened? That this new afterlife exists?” 
G: Sven nodded. “The goddess, Hel won Ragnorak,” he said. “Now, because of her, the new Valhalla exists. So, what I’m trying to say is that I really think that what my mother said was true. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about your sister. She’s safe in Valhalla. No one can ever hurt her again, and she’ll never suffer again.” 
S: “Thank you, Sven.” Saeros said as she gave him a sad smile. “I’ll keep that n mind. Perhaps that will help me get through this.” 
G: “It helped me a little when my grandmother passed,” Sven said. “Even when King Haddock’s son Jonas passed. Knowing that they have some peace in Valhalla, and that they’re safe and one day…we’ll see them all again.” 
S: “Yes that’s true.” Saeros answered. Looking out to the sea, Saeros sighed. Eydis’ss funeral would start soon and final goodbyes would be said. “I suppose we should head back. There’s still more prepping to do.” 
G: “Yeah, that would probably be best,” Sven said as he stood up and held out his hand to Saeros. “Our mothers are probably wondering where we are.” 
S: Taking Sven’s hand, Saeros got up and turned towards the house. She’d have to face her family and friends once again, and try to comfort them as best she could. “No, I think they’d understand that we needed some alone time, but you’re right.” Saeros said. “This won’t be easy, but you being here will make it a bit easier. Thanks again.” 
G: “Miss Saeros, the Chief of Haligan Island is always at your service,” Sven said. With that, the Chief led his ex-girlfriend…his friend back toward the house, where they saw their mothers, Dagny and Havelock with their two daughters, and the rest of Seasick’s family. The Chief took a deep breath and continued to walk over to them with Saeros. This wasn’t going to be easy, but he was going to do whatever he could to help her and his Aunt Seasick get through this in anyway possible.   
Category:EU
Category:Sven Felman
Category:Seasick