532 DXXXII. Never Fear War

"Me? Nothing, what should I have listened to? I only heard the last sentence... I have good hearing, I didn't do it on purpose. Do you want to become a Shieldmaiden too?" he asked, leaving the heavy bucket filled with water next to the front door.

"Uhm... Yes. I'd like Freydis to teach me how to do it." 

"Well! I agree! It is always better to be able to defend ourselves with your own strength on this planet, where everyone tries to achieve their goals through arrogance and deceit! Now let's eat this hot bread, I'm starving!" Dag continued, who, from his words, made the two girls guess that he had not heard anything from the first part of their speech.

Claire, after being medicated, rose from the ground with the help of Dag, who hugged her from behind, resting his arms under the girl's armpits and lifting her slowly, helping her sit on the stool.

"Freydis explained to me what's going to happen tomorrow... how can you be so quiet knowing that this could be your last dinner?" Claire asked, who without a modicum of delicacy, said exactly what she had in mind at the time, noting that Dag and Freydis ate smiling and careless that the next day, at the same time, their lives would be hung by a thread.

"Can you answer, Freydis?" Dag said, laughing under his mustache, sure his woman would find the right words to express their shared thoughts.

"Before we became true warriors, we all took an oath. We swore before the Gods that we wouldn't be afraid of war, ever. Of course, that's not really the case, because actually, we're afraid, we're just human beings after all, but... if we die in battle, it will be because the Gods have allowed this to happen and when the Valkyries come to pick up our lifeless bodies, our spirits will be happy to reach the Aesir in Valhalla, our final destination. If you fight for fear of dying, then there's no reason to fight" Freydis stated, who, leaving the piece of bread on the table, explained to Claire how she felt, leaving her speechless.

Dag meanwhile smiled, listening enthusiastically to the wise words of his woman, who despite having never fought such a great battle by his side, seemed to have reacted well, without fear of dying.

"But... dying also means no longer being able to continue to live in this world, to love dear ones... no longer be able to touch someone, no longer be able to talk to your friends and breathe the fresh air of the woods. I'm not ready to die, I feel like my real life hasn't started yet! What about you? I don't think your time has come!" Claire exclaimed, who, conscious that she could not leave with them the next day, was greeting them in that way, trying to convey to them some courage, clumsy.

"Dag, c'mon... how can you really think such a thing? You were born on Earth like me, they taught us a lot about the Gods of this and the other planets..."

"Yet the teachings that I believed were the truth, turned out to be great lies. I was like you at first. For me, the whole question of Gods, powers, ancient legends... they were just fairy tales that people told each other to believe in something... you know, the human being is so fragile that he cannot live without believing in higher entities that direct the laws of the cosmos... but everything changed when my adoptive mother, Asa, first used one of her powers against an enemy soldier" Dag continued, who remembered that day as being incredibly recent.

"Which means?" Claire asked again, who for the second time had heard Asa's name and wanted to take advantage of the moment to learn more about Dag's past, who had never opened up to her so much.

"Bright wings came out of her and her sword was wrapped in a magical and shining aura. Some time later I also saw other warriors using these magical techniques and then my sister, my friends, my Clan Masters. Magic, which was a concept that we were taught to deny when we were little, is actually part of reality. The powers of the Gods and the Gods themselves... they're real, Claire. I also met one of them and got a weapon that is capable of turning the fate of the human race upside down forever. How could I not believe all this if I'm experiencing it right now?" Dag explained, who spoke with heavy hearts, sure that, with a little initial effort, Claire would understand that his speech was sincere.

"What? What weapon are you talking about? How can a weapon turn the fate of the human race upside down? I don't understand, why do you tell me these things without explaining them to me?!" the girl asked again, trying to understand more.

Dag put a hand on her cheek, stroking her softly and she closed her eyes, enjoying every moment of that caress.

"If all this is the truth, I will tell you in detail everything as soon as we return to you. I've learned to believe in fate, Claire, and if I die, it means that everything I've lived for so far is a lie. And I don't want to tell you lies" Dag whispered, who with those words moved her friend, who began to lose tears from her only eye, while Freydis also watched the scene smiling, thinking back to her boyfriend's wise words.

"And I? What am I going to do? Do I have to stay locked in this house forever? What happens if you never come back? What about me?!"