The Throne I Left

“Johan!”

He woke up slowly- A muffled voice yelling at him- then all at once.

His eyes snapped open with a gasp that immediately turned into a coughing fit and he struggled over on his side to let it out.

“Oh, thank the Jotun…” A relieved voice breathed out, and a touch Johan hadn’t noticed, fell from him.

Johan hacked out the last cough, getting some air back into his lungs, before looking up to see Frey kneeling beside him.

“Why-” Johan was interrupted by another coughing fit.

“Yeah?” Frey sat up higher on his knees, hands hovering in worry. “What is it?”

“Why-” Johan rasped out then swallowed. “Are you sitting there when we have stuff to do? Where’s the sheep?”

Frey gave a long, annoyed groan, worry immediately gone. “Go back to being unconscious, will you.”

Johan looked around. He was on rock ground in the middle of the meadow. So not only did he manage to knock himself out, he did it on the only part of the meadow that wasn’t soft grass.

He took a deep breath, feeling for injuries.

“I already checked.” Frey said. “Nothing's broken but you’re bleeding from your head, front and back of it. Impressive.”

He didn't sound impressed.

“I got the sheep.” Frey said. “Let's get you to a healer.”

Johan wanted to argue that he didn't need one but at the same time…

Johan spat out blood and Frey made an alarmed noise. Johan groaned and pushed himself up but only got to his elbows before a wave of dizziness came over him.

Ok, yeah. Going to see Ulfhild wasn’t the worst idea Frey had ever had.

He watched as Frey hovered next to him.

“Are you worried about me?” Johan huffed out a laugh and Frey gaped at him, then turned away with a huff.

“As if.” He snapped, crossing his arms.

Johan snorted and reached out a hand. “Help me up?”

Frey did turn back at that but the worry was right back on his face.

“You ok?” He asked as he helped Johan to his feet.

“Yeah, just nauseous.” Johan muttered, needing to close his eyes for a second. He took a deep breath, one hand on his knee, the other still held tightly in Frey’s grasp. “Thanks.”

He slowly pulled free and took a careful step forward. Then another. All his attention went to staying upright.

“Can you walk?” Frey asked, even more worried.

“Sure.” Johan breathed, and immediately sank to his knees, the dizziness and nausea teaming up on him.

“...Yeah?” Frey raised an eyebrow and Johan glared at him.

“This is ridiculous.” He muttered, taking Frey’s outstretched hand and let himself be pulled up. He didn’t even feel that bad! Ok, no. That was a lie. But he should still be able to walk perfectly fine!

The sheep bleated happily from somewhere as they started walking, Johan’s arm around Frey’s shoulders and Frey’s arm around him, holding him steady.

Johan looked back to see the sheep following from a rope Frey held. He squinted at the gunk and blood covering the back half of it. It had been halfway inside that thing, yet luckily it didn’t seem hurt at all. Further back, the grassman laid still in the air, a sharp rock stabbing through it and holding it up. Johan turned back, not willing to think about the consequences of that.

He glanced at Frey who was staring straight ahead, a conflicted look on his face.

“I thought you died there.” Frey admitted quietly. “When you hit the ground. All I could hear was a crack while I was busy killing the grassmann. I couldn’t even look to see if you were ok. The next thing I know you’re limp on the ground and I’m kneeling beside you checking your pulse. Don’t do that again.”

Johan grimaced. He appreciated the sentiment…he supposed.

“I'll try.” Johan said shortly.

They walked in silence. The sheep bleating every now and then in discontent as Frey pulled on the rope and waved the shepherd’s staff at it. Frey didn’t seem to know how to use the staff, which was funny. Not that Johan knew either, though. Hilda had just given it to him.

They got all the way back to the woods in silence.

“So..” Frey started after a long pause, throwing glances at Johan. “What happened up there? Those were your powers… right?”

“I guess so.” Johan said simply, pushing down his own conflicting feelings.

“So…leveling the earth...huh?” Frey pushed.

“I guess so.” Johan repeated.

“...And the lightning too?”

Lighting?!

“...I guess so-”

“Don’t you know any other words?!” Frey yelled, finally breaking.

“What am I supposed to say? I don’t know anything more than you!” Johan yelled back.

“Well, maybe what happened?! You looked crazy up there! One second you were getting beat up and the next you’re walking around all- all mighty like Greed!”

“Don’t compare me to him!” Johan snapped. “I didn’t want you to die that’s what happened-”

Johan stopped. Damn it! Frey wasn’t supposed to know that.

“Me?! Dying to a grassmann?!” Johan sighed in relief. Thank the Jotun, Frey was stupid. Imagine his ego if he knew Johan cared about him.

“Wait a second.” Frey paused, cogs turning. “My copy died, didn’t it?” He asked, then fell silent again. It lasted for a long moment before he turned his head away. “Heh.”

“Shut up! I watched you die and you became dust in my hands!” Johan yelled, pushing at him hard and they both almost went down.

“Hey! Well, I heard your head crack open! It was the most terrible sound I have heard in my life! Like an egg but instead of an egg it was a rock!”

“That doesn’t make any sense! And you died in front of me! That’s so much worse!”

Johan was just about to add more when someone gasped.

He frowned, Frey mirroring his expression.

They turned to see Hilda staring at them in horror.

Oh. He didn’t notice they had reached the village.

He looked down at himself.

“I know this looks bad, but-” He started, watching as kind, lovely Hilda turned stone-cold in fury. “I have the sheep.”

“Healer. Now!” She screamed at him. Johan cowered under the sound.

“I was just taking him there.” Frey smiled at her and handed off the rope, sheep and the staff. “You should probably wash it before you eat it.”

What a suck-up, Johan grumbled.

They didn’t linger to see Hilda’s reaction to the gore-covered sheep.

Johan grabbed the hand around his waist and took a couple trying steps on his own.

“Let go. I’m fine now.” He said, moving his arm from Frey’s shoulders, halting their pace ever so slightly. Frey grabbed his upper arm and opened his mouth to complain-

“Johan!” A voice called after him. It wasn’t Frey.

Johan’s mood plummeted.

He walked faster. If he could get to the healer’s before Note could catch up, he could lock him outside.

However, it seemed the world was against him. After only a few steps of his brisk pace, he stumbled.

“Easy now, don’t pass out again.” Frey said and grabbed him again. Johan gritted his teeth. He could hear the footsteps getting closer even as he saw Ulfhild’s small building come into view. They were so close!

“Shut up and get me inside before Note catches up.” Johan hissed, keeping his voice down so Note wouldn’t hear. Frey gave him a disapproving look.

“What happened?!”

Too late. Johan grimaced.

He glared at Frey, if he didn’t help him right this instance, Johan was going to stand right there until he bled dry. That would show him.

Then suddenly Note’s hands were on him. Johan pulled away, hissing. “Go away!”

Note stared at him. An unreadable expression on his face but at least he didn’t try to grab for him again.

“Oh, you know,” Frey started, still supporting Johan. “Little Fate here got whacked to the ground, pretty hard too, he probably got a nice concussion from his head slamming against it.” Johan glared into the air as Frey kept going. “That on his chest isn’t his blood, its my copy’s so you don’t have to worry about that, though all the other blood is his, and you should probably, definitely, worry about the crack he got in his skull from going head first into-”

“Hands first.” Johan mumbled the correction, watching a group of villagers watch him worriedly. Head first sounded stupid.

“Sorry, hands first then head following, right into the rock of the mountain that he somehow controlled with his powers to throw an overgrown vegetable into the air like it was a feather.”

“You got your powers?!” Note sprang in front of them, blocking the way. Johan simply turned away from him, arms crossing.

“Hey, priorities!” Frey scolded. “Stitched first, powers later.”

“Oh, right.” Note mumbled as Frey pushed them past him, going the short distance to the healer’s house.

It was a small, plain house, and thought it wasn’t where Ulfhild lived, it was where you were most likely to find her during the day.

She only paused for a split second when she saw them come through the door.

“Get on the table.” She said calmly, face anything but, and disappeared into the adjourning room.

“Where’s the sheep?” Johan turned to Frey as he settled on the table. He didn’t bother getting comfortable, it was a table after all.

“Hilda tok it.” Frey answered. Johan nodded. Good. Mission accomplished. He relaxed for one whole second, then tensed right back up again as Note stalked in through the open door.

He hadn’t locked it.

Johan looked to Frey for help but he just met his eyes emotionlessly and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.

“You weren’t even gone for an hour and you come back with a cracked head?!” Note yelled, getting closer. “Let me see!”

“He’s right.” Frey only shrugged as Johan threw him the deepest, most vile glare he could muster, which, considering the situation, was probably the most impressive one he’d ever worn.

Johan broke, slapping Note’s reaching hands away. “Shut up, Frey! Note, get the fuck out!”

He jumped off the table. Or tried to, anyways. Ulfhild picked that time to reappear, and before he could move anywhere, she grabbed his head with both hands. He yelped at the sparks of pain it sent through him.

“Sit down!” Ulfhild yelled at him then turned her attention to the other two. “You! Stay quiet or leave, both of you!”

Frey just stared blankly at him but Note looked like it was he that needed stitches. Johan felt a bittersweet feeling at seeing him stare so sadly at the ground.

Ulfhild took one look at his head and tsk’ed. She left to the other room again and quickly came back with a small tray containing some thread and a needle. It was quickly and silently done, all while Johan glared at Frey but only got that same blank look in return, only this time with an amused, raised eyebrow.

In the end he needed stitches in two places. His temple and at the back of his head. Ulfhild wrapped a white bandage around his head a few times to finish it off.

“You’ve ruined my dress now. Get cleaned up and go rest.” Ulfhild sneered as she finished and Johan jerked as she gave his stitches a hard pat. She turned to Note and Frey. “You boys, don’t bother him until tomorrow, now help him get home.”

In that exact moment Johan knew two things for sure.

One; He would be ambushed the second he went through the door to their house. Note had that glint in his eyes, the stupid, determined one. And two; There was no way in Heaven- that Johan was going home just to get forced into a conversation he didn’t want to have.

Johan gritted his teeth, not moving as he met Note’s silent glare with his own.

Honestly. Getting a sheep was supposed to be easy! Now he could barely walk and Note got a chance to corner him!

Johan was the first to look away. He sighed, deep and involuntary. He wasn’t getting out of this one.

He got off the table carefully, still dizzy.

“Note,” Ulfhild suddenly said, stopping Note right as Johan lost his balance and staggered back against the edge of the table, and Note unnecessarily surged forward to try and catch him. “I have something to speak to you about, please stay here for a short moment.”

Johan lit up. Opportunity!

There was nowhere to hide in the village but if he got to the forest he could probably hide out until he felt well enough to take on some more chores.

“Frey, please bring Johan back home.” Ulfhild continued with a knowing look. Johan froze. He turned to glare at Frey. He wasn’t really going to listen to her, was he? “And don’t let him out of sight until tomorrow morning.”

Frey nodded seriously and Johan’s jaw dropped. No. He was actually listening to her?!

While Johan was cursing Frey out in his head, Frey went over and grabbed his arm, slinging it over his shoulder and quickly started dragging him out of the house, expertly evading Note where he stood between Johan and the door.

“You piece of-” Johan started the second they got outside.

“Calm down, I’m not taking you home.” Frey said, sounding exasperated.

“Why?” Johan was immediately suspicious.

“Stop that,” Frey snapped, then sighed when Johan raised an eyebrow. “I know Note can get too much sometimes. He has good intentions but he can’t force your forgiveness.”

That was surprising to hear, coming from Frey.

“So where are we going?” Johan asked, still suspicious.

Frey grinned. “I want to meet this Emil guy.”