A Grant of Arms

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Thor stood there, sword in hand, facing Gwendolyn, who knelt before him, eyes swollen with tears. He tried to remember. He saw her face, and in some dim part of himself, it meant something to him. But he could not remember what. Did he know her?

All about them, in the broad clearing, soldiers on both sides stopped their fighting, all staring, the war at a standstill as Thor faced Gwen, the Queen of the MacGils. Thor looked into her eyes, beautiful eyes, examined her face, and he tried to summon it.

Something came back to him…..flashes…he was not sure what. He could not piece it together.

“Thorgrin, it’s me,” Gwen said, crying. “Come back to me. It’s Gwendolyn. I love you. I’m so sorry for everything I said. You are nothing like your father. I love you. I love you.”

Thor stood there, sweat rolling into his eyes, and his hands shook as he held the sword over her. A part of him understood her; but another part of him had no recognition.

“THORNICUS, MY SON!” Andronicus boomed. “Do not believe her! She is the enemy. The enemy of your father. She is filled with lies. She has come to betray you. If you are my one and only son, you must answer me now. Kill this woman. Kill her for me. Kill her, and prove your loyalty to me once and for all time.”

Thor heard his father’s words, and they resonated through him, like a command that controlled his limbs, that he could not shake. It was as if he had spoken the words himself. They were more than a command. They were like his own will, spoken aloud.

Thor stood there, arms shaking, and finally, he knew what he had to do. His father had spoken. And that was all that mattered now.

Suddenly, Krohn snarled and leapt for Thor.

Thor spun and reacted with his battle skills; he backhanded Krohn with his gauntlet. Krohn yelped and went flying sideways through the air. Gwendolyn cried out as Krohn landed on his side, several feet away, whining.

Thor raised his sword again, this time to strike the final blow. For his father. It was time to be his one and only true son forever. Whatever it took. Gwen wept, but it no longer mattered. Thor had to do what he had to do.

“THORGRIN!”

A voice cut through the air, forcing Thor to stop. It was a female voice, one he did not recognize. One he had never heard, yet which seemed so deeply familiar.

Thor turned and saw a woman emerge from the crowd. She approached him slowly, her wide blue eyes locked on his, as she walked all the way through the clearing without flinching, staring at him.

She stood beside Gwendolyn. She lay a soft palm on Gwendolyn’s shoulder, and continued staring at Thor with intensity, her eyes shining right through him.

“You cannot harm her,” the woman said, calm, confident, authoritative. “You cannot harm her because I command you. I, Alistair, command you.”

Thor looked into her eyes, and the sound of her voice resonated through Thor’s body, fighting inside him, counteracting Andronicus’s voice. It was the most intense sound he’d ever heard in his life, and the vibration did something to him he could not understand. Somehow, it was breaking the hold on him, breaking his father’s spell. For the first time, he was beginning to gain clarity. He felt as if a fog was lifting, as if many layers were slowly being peeled back.

Thor wanted her to speak more—he craved for her to speak more.

“Alistair,” he repeated.

Somehow, the name rang through his head. He did not know why.

“Thorgrin,” Alistair said, “you will not harm her, because that is not who you are. That is who Andronicus wants you to be. But you are not your father. You are Thorgrin, of the Western Kingdom. You are not your father and you are not your mother. You are your own man. I know this, because I know you.”

Thor blinked, sweat stinging his eyes, as a battle raged within him. The more she spoke, the more he felt Andronicus’ influence waning. Thor stood there, wavering with the sword, his hands shaking violently.

“Thorgrin,” she said, stepping forward, laying a gentle palm on his wrist. As she did, Thor could not resist. Slowly, he felt himself lowering his sword, relaxing in her grasp.

Somehow, she was the only one. The only one who could get through to him. She held some energy, something he could not understand. With every word she spoke, it made him come back more to himself, to see the real situation before him.

Thor looked around, and for the first time, he was overwhelmed with clarity. He saw Gwendolyn, the one and only true love of his life, kneeling before him, crying. He saw himself, with utter horror, holding a sword, pointing it at her. He saw Krohn, whining, lying on his side. He saw himself facing off against his own people.

It was more than he could take. Thor despised himself. He wanted to run the sword through his own heart; he would rather kill himself than ever point a sword at Gwendolyn. He felt a tear run down his cheek, felt an awful guilt begin to well up inside of him. He felt as if he’d betrayed them all, all of his people, all the ones who loved him most.

Most of all, Gwendolyn. The woman he’d loved more than he could possibly say. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness, to beg everyone’s forgiveness.

Thor turned and looked at Alistair, and as his eyes locked with hers, he felt himself awash with new layers of clarity. Finally, the veil was lifted. Finally, Thor was returning to himself. Who was this woman?

“Thorgrin, you will not harm anyone,” she said, “because you are not of them. You are one of us. I know this, because I know you. I know this, because you and I, we share the same father. And the same mother.”

She looked deep into his eyes, and he felt entranced. He felt he was on the verge of a great revelation, one that would change his entire life forever. As he stared, the earth, the entire Ring, suddenly quaked, the ground shaking violently, inexplicably, as if some cosmic event had just taken place, as if the Ring were about to split in two.

But not before Alistair could say one last thing:

“I know this, Thorgrin, because I am your sister.”