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The days that Ailbe had spent in Kattegat were days that she would never forget. For all the awful things that had happened in previous years, she could finally find light in this world again. She could find peace. It was odd to her that someone so confrontational had granted her so much peace, and yet somehow it just made sense.
Ailbe had met Ivar's mother too, Aslaug, who seemed to care rather deeply about her youngest son specifically. For all intents and purposes, Ailbe liked her. Though, she liked everybody.
But there had been something on her mind the whole time that she had been there, and Aslaug could tell. She could see it. And when they talked, it was as if the older woman knew exactly what was running through the young girl's mind. Like she'd seen it too.
It wasn't long, of course, until Ivar brought up Ailbe's odd behaviour. It was impossible to hide anything from him. It's odd, isn't it, the people we meet and the way that they change us and our lives forever. Before Ailbe met Ivar she was a lonely Irish girl with many dreams but little hope. She saw the light in everything. She saw the light in him even when he saw only darkness. And just as he had changed her world forever, she had changed his. Her smile, her sweet voice and gentle words, these were the things that would be engrained in his mind for the rest of eternity. He never wanted to let her go.
"I used to sit here," He told her, breaking the silence that had fallen over them as they sat atop a cliff overlooking the small harbour town. "I'm not sure why but I used to look out into the water every single day." He continued. "I think I was searching for something. For a reason to smile like brothers always told me to, a reason to be happy. But I never found it. Not in the water, not in the to town, not anywhere. Not until I met you."
"Ivar," She whispered gently, smiling sympathetically. "I'm so glad that I met you. And I will be with you. Always."
"Did you know that a woman died on this cliff when my mom was young." He changed the subject suddenly, making Ailbe furrow her brows in confusion. "She jumped into the Fjord." Ailbe's heart sunk a little as she listened, she knew where this was going without even being told. All the dots were connecting, and it was infuriating. "An Irish woman with red hair."
"And what exactly are you suggesting here, Ivar?" She answered flatly. "Should I do a flip on my way down?"
"My mother thinks that you want to go back, back to wherever your grandmother was trying to go." He told her. "And I want you to be safe. I can't lose you, not now, not ever. But," his words left her on edge, a fear coursing through her that made her chest feel heavy. "Whatever you decide to do, I'll be doing with you."
Her eyes widened in shock as she spoke again, "Don't be an idiot."
"I'm serious. If you want to do this, we do it together. Maybe that's something the other guy you keep seeing should've figured out." He shrugged casually, a small grin on his face. "But I guess I'm just better."
Despite his former comment, Ailbe didn't laugh as she usually would. She just stared at him in shock before finally gathering her words oncemore. "You're insane!" She exclaimed. "You want to jump off a cliff into the ocean?!"
"Into the fjord." He corrected. "And, in all honesty, I'd rather you choose the option where we get to walk off this cliff rather than jump but I know that even if you do this won't be over. I'd rather know what's going on and be there with you, than having you run off to do something insane alone."
The red haired girl stood up, staring at him and the water below back and forth. Her heart pounded in her chest.
In the distance, the hooting of an owl caught her ear and she looked up to see the creature saw over them. With another hoot, an object drifted down gracefully from the large bird's beak, all the way down until it landed on the grass between Ailbe and Ivar.
It was an old tattered green ribbon.
Ailbe looked back towards the owl, the only noise she could hear being the beat of her heart and the bellowing wind. To be or not to be, that was the question.
"I can't lose you." She told him gently, heart pounding so hard in her chest that it may have exploded then and there.
But, before Ivar could respond, the bird flew between them and gave a loud squawk. Both startled back suddenly. And, when he looked back to the girl, she had vanished. Gone. She was gone.
Quickly, he scrambled to the edge of the cliff to determine whether she'd fallen. But she hadn't. She wasn't there. She was simply gone, vanished without a trace.
Tears welled in his eyes, an agony coursing through him that he simply couldn't control. The only person that he had ever truly loved was gone. And, deep down, he knew that she was never coming back. A loud scream echoed throughout him, tearing through the peaceful surroundings with sorrow. And slowly, when his head hung low, he caught sight of that old green ribbon oncemore.
