The One

EIGHT

"That thunderbird story was great!"
Said Teddy looking enthusiastic, stuffing himself with some kind of pulled meat.

"It's not exactly a story, it's just what happened." Morten shrugged.

"Still. Better than a horse chewing your nipple off." Teddy said.

Morten turned towards Agnus at that, "Yes, that's absolute horse shit, isn't it?"

Agnus looked up from his soup, "what was? Sorry, I was miles away."

"The nipple, what really happened?" Morten asked.

Agnus chewed thoughtfully for a moment,
"Well... " he swallowed, " I didn't think a violent story where a 13 year old me gets his nipple cut off by a robber was exactly suited for ladies ears. "

Teddy spluttered next to Morten," What? "

Agnus shrugged, "A man broke into our home,
thinking my mother must have valuables?
Decided to threaten her by putting a knife to me.
He eventually cut my nipple as a warning, tough luck for him. His knife in my flesh meant it wasn't a big risk anymore and I may have knocked us both out with my fat head."

Morten snorted at this, that sounded exactly as he had imagined boy Agnus. Hard headed.

Teddy's eyes were as big as saucers,
"then what!?"

Agnus looked at him surprised, "Well, my mother got help and I lost all the complete nipple. That's about it. " He wiggled his soup spoon at him, "don't try that at home!"
"It's not like battling a thunderbird over a few deer, you shouldn't try that either," He smiled at Morten.

" It was one deer, by the end of this it's going to be a few villagers instead of deer and a flock of birds? Isn't it? " Morten realized.

Agnus smiled, " That's usually how these stories go! "

Morten had realized two things today.
Agnus had put a spotlight on him by pushing him forward with his thunderbird story.
He had seen the scars and knew the story must be good, impressive.
And Roran had been passed over,
the elderly lady was there for the five to ask questions. A mouth piece. But she had immediately moved to Agnus's plateau, not even giving the five the option to ask Roran anything.

He was happy that Roran was being side swept, based on what he had done to Teddy's brother. But he also realized it was either Roran or him. One of them was going to have to end up with one of the five.
He wasn't sure if he actually wanted any of this, he had just scampered like an idiot accidentally finding himself in the front and unwilling to get trampled.

And now he was here.
He would truly give anything to switch places...

Maybe he could?

~

"No."
The elderly lady counselor was named Libby.
Morten guessed it suited her, in many ways.
Maybe not so much now but Libby sounded small and she certainly was.

He had asked for an audience with anyone and had sat outside of her office for a good 3 hours.
He wasn't sure why, she had had no visitors and had been in the room all that time.

She bustled around her office.
Going through papers, books and furniture hard to make out under them.

A white stone place, like his room, but the walls were all painted.
Impressively so, the walls depicted the regions and their history. He assumed the placement was roughly the direction of the regions in reality.

"But, I'm hardly suited.." he began.

She cut him off, "You're not the one who decides that!" She eyed him for a minute,
"boy who jumped."
She said it, as if to indicate that alone had proven he was suited.