Previously...

"So you're holding me here prison until you want me to leave? Is that how this works? You keep me prison while you let Max fend for himself? Hasn't he gone through enough! Isn't he worth saving? Or does he have to suffer every time that he gets into combat?" Charles shouts angrily at the gods.

•••

"A warrior doesn't learn how to fight when he's getting rescued. I am merci-..." Odin speaks before Charles cuts him off and glares at the god.

"That is not merciful! That's torture for a man that has never had it ever easy once in his life! You're his god so you have seen the things that they have done to Max! You know what torture I'm talking about, you know the pain he has suffered when no one came to safe him or comfort him! He was so many time in need of a god, but you were never there! But you know what's the most fucked up about that? Is that he doesn't even blame you for allowing the people of your culture suffer at the hands of Reykvikians like that!" Charles shouts at the god, fuming with anger.

Odin is about to speak up before Charles holds his finger up to the glowing celestial man that has all the powers in the world and yet elects to ignore the suffering of his people when Reykvikians do come for torture and pain.

"That my god watches on how my people get tortured and raped has been obvious since the day that he came to exist but you! You actually have merci for people that come to pray to you for small things! Why turn your back on people when they get tortured, imprisoned and raped by that folk that you could do something about! Isn't that a bit controversial? Because nothing could happen to you but i have to watch that man break in even more pieces each time someone tortures him or rapes him because he isn't invincible because an injury could leave him weak! I don't know if you have seen Max when he got back home but that was a man that was broken and tortured beyond humanly possible! He looked like he was only holding on because people needed him to protect them! He's only alive because people need him to otherwise Holland is doomed! He's alive because he has no option but to move on and take on whatever life seems to throw at him despite that when he has a beer too many he looks broken, it's a good thing he is good at hiding his emotions from his people otherwise they would know how broken their chief is and yet you sit here and do nothing but educate me on what i am! I don't need education, i had figured that shot out by myself but do something about those Reykvikians! Like you punished the Hollandians for cutting those trees with a blizzard!" Charles takes a breath to stop his chest from heaving more and him fainting from going on a tantrum speech.

He looks at the three gods sitting in the chairs, Odin doesn't seem to show any form of emotions while Loki seems to be smirking and grinning like a cat. While Thor looks amused and impressed at the boy.

"I'm not trying to have you hate me for my speech and tone of speaking! But i am so done watching my viking waking up in the middle of the night thinking he's in a Reykvikian cell getting tortured and raped! I'm done looking at the dull and broken eyes of the man i love the most! How many more people have to go through that before you wake up and realise that you might do a lot for us but not in the way that is the most important! You still allow is to get hurt! You care for us, that's obvious but you show it in moments we don't need it the most! When we need it you're not there and you might think otherwise because it's way of life but that's not how i see it! As a god i would think that you are the one that is responsible for us having a great time on earth! That you got this position to protect us when we don't deserve the hell that we get! I lost my home country, my godfather and good friend to people who found pleasure in hurting others! How is it fair that we have to go through so much pain for what? Don't we deserve the kindness and respect as vikings because we follow your rules and care for nature! For so long i had pitied myself for losing everyone i love but i needed to only hear Max's childhood story to realise that i have been lucky! That my isolation had been my saviour from things that could have happened but did happen to others. To Max for example, every story that i have heard about Max is nothing but torture or pain, rape or abuse. I don't think there has been a day that Max has had it easy! Don't we deserve that kind of protection?" Charles ends his rant to the god.

"I like him." Loki breaks the silence with a smirk on his face. "Besides, the child is right, we do nothing but sit here and say how unfortunate they are when that happens and then just swift to another viking to watch for a moment to learn what he goes through." Loki sides with the pathetic human that stands before him.

Odin sighs loudly as he knows that his son and the prince are on about. He bods his head and waves his hand while speaking to the prince that has to hold in the tears of agony that he had to relive the look that Max gives him late at night when he wakes up from a nightmare.

"Fine, i will protect my people more then i have already done. How about i start with throwing a bear in the mix?" Odin speaks as the image of Max tied with his hands come into view.

The look of paleness taking over the features of the viking, a big red stain on Max's shirt shows that the viking has been hurt once again. His body is slumped over a tree trunk while nothing is audible to Charles or then what he can see, what they are doing to Max yet again. The rape that is getting inflicted to the viking.

"Go, son. Tend to your viking when he wakes up, he will need you." Odin says before waving his hand. His eyes flutter shut and darkness seems to take over.

•••

Charles falls on his knees in the snow, trying to dress his viking back up to get him warmed up again. Why had Max not fought them off like he normally would? Was this really Max's way of trying to distract them from Charles and protect the two people that he loves the most?

"Max?" Charles whispers softly, trying to wake up the viking.

Max groans and stirs awake, he gets up to sit up before Charles throws himself in his arms and hug him tightly. Max holds onto his prince for dear life as Charles looks at his hands. His hands are covered in blood, the viking looking pale and somewhat like he is gonna collapse.

"Why didn't you fight them off?" Charles asks the viking.

Max starts to cough, a pained cough. To Charles he looks too pale and dull. The blood keeps sweeping through his shirt fast then Charles can tear off his sleeve from his shirt and press against the wound. There is nothing out here that he can use to stop the bleeding or stitch the wound up with.

"They used toxic arrows, it's snake venom." Max coughs before his breathing gets troubled.

"What does it do? Max? What does it do?!" Charles asks frantically.

Charles watches how the colour keeps draining from his face, his breathing slowing as he grabs the hand of Charles in his, squeezing it lovingly. His grip shows his weakening form, a cough erupts from Max as he slowly lays in the snow.

"It makes your heart go into cardio arrest." Max mumbles softly.

"No! No! this can't be happening! I just shouted at Odin about things like this!" Charles' voice breaks as he speaks, tears blur his vision.

He holds tightly onto Max's hand, he's not leaving him. How can this be happening again? Hadn't Odin promised to protect his people? Hadn't he just made a deal with Odin that Max would be left alone.

"I love you, you know that right? I will always love you even if I'm in Valhalla. I love you." Max mumbles before his eyes flutter shut.

His hand goes limb in Charles'. His body draining from every bit of colour that had been left in him. His body looking nothing more then a mere shell of what had been Max. All the signs of death showing to Charles, who can do nothing but cry.

Bended over his lover while crying on his chest. This was not how this was gonna end, this was not how Charles wanted their love story to end. Everything that he had hoped for the last couple of months was all going to waste.

The agonising pain in his chest, bleeds like hundreds of needles had been slowly pushed into his chest. The argument that he had held with Odin feels useless now, what was he thinking that a god would listen to him and actually believe that the god would do anything for him.

He doesn't know how long he has been sitting there in the snow, Percival sitting next to him and whining. He learned that wolves feel what their owner feels. This can't be happening again, how is this fair to Max.

He has no sense of time, he doesn't know how long he had been sitting crying over Max. How long he has been bended over and soak the cold shirt of the viking with his tears. He doesn't know where his wolf has gone to, he knows she's safe since he doesn't feel anything from her part that is out of place.

"Charles?!" The voice of Pierre shouts.

He looks up, turns around to look behind him. He watches how Jos, Pierre and Daniel come into view. Not seeming to notice that he is leaning over Max's dead body. Ange sees her owner before running over to him, he quickly wipes away his tears.

"I'm here." Charles says, his voice voided from emotions.

The three man see Charles sitting in the snow, by now the red colour of the blood soaking the snow around Max's body. Nothing indicating that he is coming back, that he is even alive.

Jos drops his sword in the snow, his face shocked and horrified. The sadness soon taking over his features as he drops on his knees too. Grabbing the stone cold hand of Max in his.

"We're gonna burn Reykvik to the ground." Jos says coldly before getting back onto his feet.

Charles doesn't move as Pierre pulls him into his arms as soon as he gets on his knees next to Charles to comfort the prince that just lost his lover and has to raise a baby all on his own.

The pain that paints Charles is face makes Pierre's heart break for the man. Pierre helps Charles back onto his feet before Daniel and Jos somehow made a stretcher and put Max's body on it.

He doesn't want Max to be gone, how will he raise a baby on his own if his lover is gone? For a moment Jos looks at Charles in a questioning way to ask with his eyes if he is okay, if he had been harmed in anyway.

"What happened?" Pierre asks Charles.

"Toxic arrows, he got shot while i was down in Odin's bloed kristal meer." Charles tells before they start the journey back to the village.

Pierre hoists Charles onto his horse while holding on to the horse to have Charles not get to tired nor worse then he is with how he had been sitting in the snow. Charles can't do but feel tears roll down his cheeks.

"A promise is a promise, son."