Chapter 9: The Last Sunset
"Oh, Pan. Come here, boy," Brunhilde said as she patted the space next to her on the bed. Brandon had just left the nymph with her and had told her to protect him.
Brunhilde could take out all the assassins she wanted to, but the boy needed protection from his own inner demons.
"Brunhilde, you should sleep," Pan said, but as Brunhilde patted the bed once more, he stood up and went to her.
Soon, he had a baby in his arms, and he was resting his head on her shoulders.
"I was too harsh to you," Brunhilde said as she ran a hand over his wet hair.
She could not blame him for being this unkept. It must be snowing outside once more.
"You're a good boy, Pan," Pan nodded as he hugged Brenda tighter.
"I just wanted to get a scale. Just one scale," Pan said as he covered his face with his hands. "And now I have the scale, but Brandon is out there risking his life and..."
Pan took in a deep breath. Brunhilde patted him on the hair once more.
"So, you're a healer," Brunhilde asked, as she tried to take his mind off it all.
"When did you learn to heal?" Pan nodded.
When had he learned to heal? He didn't remember anymore.
Was it back then, as his grandmother was dying? Or was it even before that, as his own apple tree had been created, and he had been tasked with trying to ease the passing of his grandfather?
"A long time ago," Pan said.
"You know, the ribbon, the one with which you cut the cord...I know of this enchantment," Brunhilde said, as she continued to pet Pan on the head. "But there's nothing that lasts forever. Not even that."
Pan knew. And yet, the ribbon had been the only chance they had for the little girl to survive. There was no sugar coating that.
It was something for Brandon, wasn't it?" Brunhilde asked.
"Yes, I just wanted him to be well," Pan said.
"Or to live forever?" Brunhilde asked as she took Pan's hand and then rolled his sleeve up so she could look at the bracelet there.
"Oh yes, I see. You could have lived forever if your apple sapling did not need this much mana," Brunhilde said, feeling a bit bitter.
She wondered then if this grandson of the famous apple nymph could work his magic. Could give her an enchantment. If he could make it so that Michel and Brenda could see the last sunset.
"But you know that is not all that you should think about," Brunhilde said, as she smiled. "You should think about your future, Pan. You should think about Brandon's future as well. And why you want to live forever."
Pan looked at the baby in his arms and then back at the baby's mother. He wanted so desperately to tell Brunhilde what happened when a ring with such an enchantment stopped working.
He wanted to tell her about how his grandfather had not managed to even remember his own name by the end. Or how his grandmother had given him the last of her mana.
Just so she could begin to age again and follow her husband in the next great adventure.
"I don't want to live forever," Pan protested. "I just want a couple of years. With Brandon.
He added it almost as an afterthought.
"Yes, well, Brandon can live for a very long time, even without the ribbon," Brunhilde said. "But, you know, if you can enchant such things, then maybe..."
Brunhilde did not like how desperate she sounded. How much she wanted for her children to live until the end of time.
And yet, as Pan nodded and took out two ribbons from his pocket, Brunhilde asked herself if she was not abusing the trust of the young nymph.
"This can help them live for the next 300 years. I am not very good at enchanting," Pan said, as he handed her the ribbons. "It's funny, don't you think? If the brigands knew what I had in my pocket, they wouldn't have tried to harvest my organs. No, the slave rune would have been enough for them."
Brunhilde nodded as she pocketed the ribbons. The hospital gown she was in had pockets, but they were shallow. She looked at her little baby, knowing that there would be time yet for her to place the ribbon in her hair.
The baby needed to grow up first.
And Brenda would never grow up if Brunhilde placed the ribbon on her right now.
"You truly are a good sort, Pan," Brunhilde said as she patted him on the shoulder once more.
"And I would very much like to," Brunhilde began, only for the door to swing open. As she created another fireball in her hand, a hand gripping Pan, she was ready to fight for her survival.
To fight for Brenda and Pan.
Only to see Brandon in the doorway.
"We need to leave," Brandon said, instead of greeting them. "As fast as we can. There were more brigands in the forest."
Brandon went to Pan.
He placed his arms around him, hugging him cause. Hugging the baby as well.
"And I found your sapling," Brandon said as he picked Pan up and gave Brenda back to Brunhilde.
"I can walk, you know," Pan said because he didn't want for Brandon to treat him so as if he were an invalid.
"Oh, I know, but please give me this closeness," Brandon said.
Soon Brandon was rushing out of the door as Arnold stepped inside of the room. Brunhilde looked at her husband, who was holding the hand of their son.
"You shouldn't be out in the snow right now. You're weak from the birth," Arnold said. Brunhilde chuckled.
"I'm a tough Viking woman. I can and have survived worse. Besides, look what we have here," Brunhilde said as she took out the two ribbons that Pan had just given her.
"Come now. Come so I can put one on you. The children will be fine," Brunhilde said. "Are the wagon and the horses ready?"
"Yes," Arnold said as he looked at the ribbons with dreading pooling inside his stomach.
If his wife decided that they needed immortality runes to protect them, he feared for their future.