Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons 320 CCCXX. The Fanbase

"All right, sir! As you wish!" the older guard gasped as the boy next to him, still with his head bowed down, laughed beneath his mustaches, pleased with the kind words of his Master.

Before they could say anything else, Dag and Reidar were stopped by a group of three Shieldmaidens, who surrounded their horses.

"Master Dag? Reidar? Is that you? Hahaha! Welcome! How was the mission? Are you hurt?" the girls asked in chorus.

"Yeah, it's... all right, thank you! Could you please let us through? We should leave the horses in the stable..." Dag answered, embarrassed and afraid to turn his gaze to Freydis, who despite not being too jealous, was already thinking that she would gladly kill each of those women.

When Dag and Reidar wriggled out of the fan group, they headed along with Freydis to the horse stable.

"I see you're very well known here, Dag... you also have your own supporters..." Freydis mumbled, furious after that deplorable scene in her eyes.

"But no! What are you saying, Freydis! I haven't been back here in a long time, I've never even seen those girls! Reidar can confirm!" Dag replied, beginning to sweat cold and knowing that he had always been faithful to her, while her gaze terrified him.

The archer, also a little embarrassed by the situation, looked at Freydis and swallowed empty.

"Yes, Freydis, it's as he says! Your boyfriend is a real hero here, it's normal for him to reserve this welcome! Nobody knows you, they don't know you're his woman! I'm sure things will change from today, but you should get used to this kind of thing... the Captain is a very discreet person, it's certainly not his fault!" Reidar confirmed, also helping Dag in matters of love, as a good friend.

She did not answer, merely tying Light to the fence in the stable, while Dag and Reidar did the same with their horses, asking the groom to call Egill and Dargeon, to inform them of their arrival.

"Anyway... meet the legendary Temple Of Orn, home of the Hammers Of Thor! Do you like it?" Dag asked for the second time, to dampen the tension.

Once again, Freydis said nothing and walked alone to the center of the courtyard, where the Clan warriors used to train during daylight hours, looking at the dormitory and the peculiar architecture of the library, whose doors opened after a few minutes.

Dag looked in that direction and instinctively began to walk toward the door.

A long green linen dress was slightly lifted by the wind and a hand full of wrinkles and scars continued to open the heavy doors of the library, while a long white beard fluttered near it.

"Here he is... welcome home, Master Dag!" Egill stated while an expression of joy lit up his face after seeing his talented pupil.

Dag could not hold back his emotions and when he came near him, without saying a word, he hugged him tightly. 

Under the astonished gaze of some of the warriors who witnessed the scene from afar and Dag's companions, who did not know how to behave, Egill briefly forgot about the official rules and reciprocated the embrace, clutching Dag as if he was his son, happy that he was safe and sound after the long time he spent away from Temple.

"Thank you..." Dag said, letting go and stepping back, with a smile printed on his face.

"Come, let's sit in the library... I'm sure you have a few things to tell!" Egill exclaimed, inviting Dag to do what had become a routine, happening every time he returned after a mission. 

"Of course, I'm coming right away, but first... I'd like to introduce you to someone" Dag said enthusiastically, taking Freydis's hand and bringing her closer to the wise Master Of Healing, who leaned slightly towards her, out of respect and education.

Freydis did the same, embarrassed by that gesture so cordial, to which she was not accustomed.

"She is Freydis, Master Egill" Dag said, in a smug and satisfied tone, believing that that day could never come.

"It's a real pleasure to meet you, Freydis of Jernhest. There's no need to tell you how much Dag told me about you, I think you can imagine... seeing you together again and happy, warms my old cold heart" Egill said, capturing Freydis's attention with his usual refined and intellectual ways.

"The pleasure is mine, Master Egill! Sander, my Clan's Master of Defense, told me a lot about you, telling me you're one of the greatest healers Okstorm has ever seen. He also told me that you fought together in the Jernhest arena when you were very young!" Freydis answered, bowing slightly toward him, then looking up.

"Sander! Of course I remember him, even if you're talking about centuries ago! Hahaha! What a great warrior, you must be honored to have the possibility to train with a fighter of his caliber" he continued, gently inviting the girl to get up and smiling at Reidar, greeting him.

"Come, all three of you. Follow me" he replied, turning and walking back to the imposing library.

The three companions entered and closed the door behind them, imagining that Master Dargeon, though more slowly, would soon join them. 

"Dag, when you left here, your idea had just begun to take shape... but now... look at you! Reading your name written on official scrolls makes me even prouder of you! You've become Masters and now Warchief too, retaining the title by fighting other powerful Masters! I have no words to express how I feel" Egill said, sitting next to one of the library's large tables, with a pile of ancient books and scrolls open on it, part of his usual night study session.

Chapter end