"Your mother disapproves of our marriage," Freke said as the three of us stood and watched the waves hit our longboat.

"Does it matter?" I asked calmly, knowing I did not care what anyone thought as long as I could have both my partners beside me.

"No, but I always thought she accepted me as one of her children."

"She does," my father said as he walked up behind us and took his place at the railing, "she's just concerned about your future."

"She has our future in her arms. Ari, he is the future – not us," Vidar said with a smile on his lips. "He will unite my pack with your town, and good things will come of it, the spirits speak of it already."

"And what do the spirits say about the fight ahead?" my father muttered with his eyes studying the horizon, "I don't mind dying in battle, but I don't want to lose my mind to his magic and turn on my family and friends while I'm at it."

Freke sighed beside me and pulled my hand in a silent plea to follow them. As we were out of earshot the wolf started to fumble with my tunic and reached inside to grab the wolf's tooth. "I could make one of these for your father, but not for everyone on this boat."

I watched their lower lip tremble. My old friend was nervous and scared and it made my heart sink in my chest, "Freke, he would appreciate a gift like that. I know it. But right now I need you to reach out to the old you, to the confident vitki that travelled here with me all those months ago." I bent down to place my hands on their cheeks and raised their head up high and proud, "remember that time?" I asked and looked into their orange burning eyes. "After we killed Brokk you walked with confidence while I faltered. I need you to search for that feeling inside your heart. You are not the weakened person you were when you fled from him, you healed from that and we won't let him do anything like that to you ever again."

"But he managed to do it to the entire village Tyr," they whispered and I could see the struggle within them, Freke was fighting a battle inside their head, a battle the powerful vitki had to win over the frail victim Bjarke had created with his magic and abuse.

"Me and Tyr will stay by your side, love," Vidar assured them as he walked up to us and placed a gentle hand on Freke's shoulder. "We won't let you out of our sight. We will protect you like you have to protect us."

Those words seemed to work on them because the orange eyes widened. "I am your most powerful healer," they gasped.

"Yes you are," Vidar chuckled, "so you need to prepare, ground yourself and fill your body with energy. You are going to need it."

We left our maður to meditate and rest and as we walked up to the front of the ship my fingers were intertwined with Vidar's. "Freke will be fine," he assured me, "your talk affected them more than you think."

"In a good way I hope," I mumbled and leaned against the wooden railing, silently enjoying the salty air and stillness around us. It was about to change drastically and in my heart I knew that this was going to be the worst fight of my life. That man had ruined the ability for my son to move like a normal boy, and he had damaged my maðurs mind. "Bjarke deserves so much more than death, he needs to be tortured in the most terrible way," I hissed and got a surprised glance from Vidar.

"Of course he does, but we need to take his staff. Without it he will be less powerful."

"His staff?" I asked, "I haven't seen one with him."

I could clearly see the deep wrinkles forming in Vidar's forehead, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. Why?"

"He needs a vessel to contain all that power. As a human he would be too fragile to carry it all inside him."

I held Vidar's hand and stared out into the open sea, and felt the need to move my lips in a hushed prayer, asking the gods for guidance, "Hear me Tyr, before this fight that many foes, I shall in, your name, smite.

Skilled skirmisher of single-hand, and trustee for the Wolf of Fenrir.

Grant me the benefit of your past wars, so suffer I shall not, even scratches.

Unmatch-ed are your skills of war, that unto me, I beg you grant,

With your gift, unrivalled, I'll be through battle.

With wounds, nary; At most, scant.

Tyr, please hear my prayer 'fore war.

Arm me with fatal wisdom.

As all do cower 'fore your sword that cleaves both man and kingdom."

As my eyes closed, I was back on the dark cliff, with the völva who was standing beside me again. She took my hand and pointed towards the lake of fire. As I followed her guidance I noticed something was different from my first vision. Guarding the entrance to the underworld stood the two giant-wolves, but this time they weren't alone. Between them stood the one armed god, smiling up at me.

I gasped for air and stumbled backwards as the vision faded and I was met by Vidar's expecting eyes. "We will kill him, together – you, me and Freke," I told him with confidence in my voice. "But we need to kill Liv first. She is his vessel."

"What else did you see?" Vidar asked and placed his hands on my hips, "Tyr, tell me."

"How do you fight darkness?"

"With light?"

I nodded, "We need to kill him with fire."

"We're closing in!" My father yelled and both me and Vidar ran towards him to look out at the beach where a huge crowd of men were gathering. Men with burning eyes, warriors filled with an unnatural rage.

"I will go first," Vidar insisted and cracked his knuckles, "I want to be the one to meet this pitiful creature of a man and destroy him while everyone is watching."

"He's angry, isn't he," one of my father's warriors chuckled behind me.

"Wouldn't you be, if your family was threatened like his was?" another one snickered.

"I'd gladly let him take down the vitki, magic confuses me," the first one mumbled, but was silenced by my father.

"We have a plan, and we should follow it. My warriors will locate the enemy and then the Hamarr-Warriors will attack him."

While I was listening to my father, the shore was slowly closing in, and I noticed the high cliffs on the horizon. "We need a new plan," I muttered and nodded towards the cliff. "There's nowhere for us to hide, so prepare yourselves."

I peered back at Freke who was still sitting on the floor of the boat in silence and spoke to the spirits. "Ores in!" I shouted and the men stopped instantly. "We need a moment to think this through!" I watched my father draw a deep breath and take a step back, he looked around then gave me a nod.

"Very well Tyr, the men are yours. Now, tell us your plan."