Ylva is missing?!-Henrik & Hankon

Sofie had gotten up earlier than normal today for a few reasons. The beginning of last week, Ylva, the village blind girl had come up to her and asked if Sofie had a free day this week to show her a few skills when defending herself. Sofie had been a little surprised and shocked at first, but quickly agreed to help the other girl out. Sofie hated Ylva’s father Halvor and wanted nothing more than to do what her sister had done to him for years. She had been so proud of Freyja when she heard that she had beaten the drunken asshole up, she just wished Freyja would have killed him. It had been something Sofie had wanted to do herself from a small age. Well from the first time she saw the blind girl walking around with bruises all over her anyways. She just could not understand what was wrong with the man, and why he would ever hurt his child. Sofie’s father had been wonderful,and kind, and so loving. She wondered how different her life would have been if she had to grow up in the life that Ylva clearly had been forced to live in. So that was why she agreed to help the younger girl so quickly. For she would hope someone would help her if she was in Ylva’s shoes.

Having showed up in their meeting place earl, Sofie made sure to get all stretched out and ready for a good workout. She would not go easy on Ylva, a real attacker wouldn’t so she wouldn’t as well. Ylva would never learn if people always babied her when it came to these types of things. She knew the other girls goal was to become a healer, and Sofie knew she would be good at it, but Sofie was going to make sure she was a strong healer at that. No one would hurt her again just because she was blind, that was for sure. However as she waited to for Ylva to get there she was realizing she was waiting longer and longer. Ylva was never late to anything, and that was the first thing that alerted her.  After over an hour of waiting for Ylva to show up, Sofie decided that it would be best to go and look for her. The first place she had gone was to her home. Sofie knocked a few times, but no one came to the door. Maybe they were out, but Sofie was pretty sure Halvor kept to himself and stayed home most days.

After leaving her house she went on a walk and looked in all the normal places Ylva would be. First she checked the shoreline, then she checked the docks where people built their boats. She wasn’t in any of those places. The more she thought about it, Sofie actually couldn’t remember seeing Ylva out for a few days now. That was a worrying thought she thought to herself as she started to head towards the middle of the village, hoping that she would find the other teenageer there. Of course she didn’t however, who she did find was Hankon and Henrik in Hankon's shop. Although she was not close with Henrik like she was with Hakon, she knew that Henrik lived next door to Ylva. So maybe he would have some kind of idea of what was going on.”Hey, sorry to interrupt you, but have you seen Ylva?” she asked them first after she walked over to them.”She was meant to meet me but never came, I knocked on her door and got no answer. Plus I looked all over for her too.” she said next biting her lip for a moment.”Henrik, you live next door, when was the last time you heard from her or seen her..because now that I am thinking about it, I don’t know if i’ve seen her all week. she said looking at Henrik. The brother of the boy she was crushing on hard, this might be the first time she had actually talked to him in years. Which was kind of weird. She just hoped he could give some insight, if not maybe Hakon could.

Hakon certainly didn’t mind that Henrik was spending more time around his shop since his brother Aleinn had begun apprenticing to Freyja. Truth be told, Hakon had very few friends, and since they were all very busy, it was sometimes hard to keep in touch. Not that it mattered for him and Henrik. They were both pretty quiet people, capable of spending long stretches together in a comfortable silence, and he rather liked the peace and quiet that spending time with Henrik usually involved. That was why he didn’t feel bad for continuing to work whenever Henrik came into his shop.

He paused in his hammering when Henrik asked him if he would come on the next raid with them, and after a moment he nodded before resuming his hammering. He stops again, considers the shape of the blade, and decides that he’s satisfied. He’s been working on this short sword all morning, because things like this take time, but it’s finally done. He sticks it back in the forge, keeping an absentminded eye on the color of the steel, and leans against the counter while he waits for the metal to glow cherry-red. He raises his eyebrows at Henrik. “He’s doing fine, I guess? When Sofie locked us in the closet, she said having an apprentice was fun.” He shrugs. “So I’d guess he’s in no danger of being chased away with a hammer.”

He doesn’t want to talk about Freyja anymore, because it confuses him and makes his chest feel tight and nearly painful, but he’s saved by the metal glowing the right color, and he grabs it from the forge with his tongs and plunges it into the barrel of seawater he keeps for quenching. The blade smokes and hisses, but he doesn’t hear the small, sharp ting of cracking metal, and he slowly exhales the tense breath he’d been holding. If the blade cracks, a whole morning’s work and all this steel is wasted. He pulls the blade from the barrel and holds it up to inspect it when the door to his shop opens and in walks Sofie.

More out of habit than anything else, he points the still-smoking blade at her and is about to immediately argue with whatever comes out of her mouth, but at her words he throws the smoking blade onto his worktable with a clatter and pulls his thick leather gloves off his hands. Henrik’s words have him pulling his leather apron off over his head, too, and his face is dark and unreadable. Something about this feels wrong in the pit of his stomach, and he isn’t sure why. He hasn’t seen Ylva since Freyja brought her to him and he gave her a new blade. He’s already striding toward the door by the time Henrik suggests they go check on her.

Ha stops by the rack of weapons near the door and shoves an axe into his belt. He snorts at Henrik’s question, even going so far as to roll his eyes. “Of course we’re going to check on her. What if Halvor took out his anger over Freyja breaking his nose on Ylva?” That reminds him he has dried herbs in his cabinet. He strides over to the cabinet and grabs a packet of them, which he slips into his pocket just in case she needs some type of medical help. Hakon is nothing, if not extremely pessimistic.

Sofie saw the way Hankon pointed his balde at her, but ignored him. This was not the time for all of their fun and games. She needed to know what was going on, and if Ylva was okay. They would have more then enough time to pick at one another later. She was too worried about the sweet blind girl at the moment.Sofie got right to the point and spoke to them. Henrik was quick to talk back to her. “It’s been a few days since I’ve heard Halvor yelling, or seen her around,” he said and Sofie get even more worried then she had been before. Hankon at the same time starts moving around the room very quickly. He is throwing things down and taking things off. She knew he also knows Ylva, but clearly by the way he is moving around he more then knows her. If Henrik hadn't heard anything or seen her as well, then something bad could have happened to that sweet girl. “You think we should go check on them?” She heard Henrik ask and Sofie is watching Hankon as he grabs an axe off his wall and rolls his eyes and Henrik. “Of course we’re going to check on her. What if Halvor took out his anger over Freyja breaking his nose on Ylva?” she hears him say, and that just worries her more. If that was the case she would beat her father into the ground and then tell everyone he tired to touch her. "We kill him if that is the case." Sofie tells them both.

Sofie watched as Hankon grabbed some healing herbs and just headed out the door. The walk over wasn't long. Ylva lived close to the shops, and close to Hankon. "I knocked earlier, and there was no answer, so I'm just going to open the door." she said to them both just before they get to the door. Going up and to it Sofie just pushed it open a bit and said "Ylva? before pushing the door open all the way. The first thing that greeted her was a weird and horrible smell. This didn't stop her from walking inside the house however, the two men in tow behind her. The next thing she sees however makes her gasp and gap in reacting. On the ground, there is blood everywhere, or at least she is pretty sure it is blood. Thats not important, what is important is the fact that Ylva's father is dead and on the ground. From the looks of it he has been dead for a few days now at that. Taking a deep breath Sofie quickly turned around and grabbed at Hankon.

Smashing her face into his body as she tried not to freak out all over the place."OH MY GODS" she says into his chest as she is panicking. She hadn't seen Ylva, but she saw her father. Sofie realized she had never seen a dead body before this moment as well. She had never smelled a dead body as well. That was what that smell was, death."Please tell me Ylva isn't dead...please don't let her be dead.." she said to him and looked up at his face with wide eyes. Sofie wanted to leave, she wanted to puke, and at the same time she wanted answers.

Anxiety is tight in the pit of Hakon's stomach as they walk over in silence, and he's glad it's a short walk. He follows Sofie up and watches as she pushes the door open, and as soon as that smell hits his nose he's already reaching for Sofie. He knows that smell. He's been on raids before--that smell is death and old blood and rotting flesh. It's a smell you never forget. He follows Sofie into the house and is quick to wrap an arm around her shaking shoulders as she buries her face into his chest. His hand moves quickly to the back of her head, keeping her from turning her eyes back to the gruesome scene. He shoots Henrik a helpless look, and watches as his friend goes to check out the rest of the scene. He hates not knowing what's going on, but he can't very well leave Sofie in this state. She may be troublesome, he may have been annoyed at her when she walked into his shop, but none of that matters no, not in the face of so much death and so much blood.

He pulls Sofie outside into the fresh air, murmuring soothing shushing noises down at her, and keeps his arm locked around her so she can't run back into the house. The last thing she needs is to see Ylva actually dead, if she's in there. The thought makes him want to vomit. He raises his eyebrows in an immediate, silent question as soon as Henrik is outside. "Ylva?" His voice is tight and hard, his arm resting around Sofie's shoulders. He's moved his hand from her head as soon as they stepped outside, so she could breathe in some fresh air. He nods immediately at Henrik's question, squinting up at the sky to judge the time. "It's early, but he'll probably be at the training field. Should someone stay here, to make sure no one else comes by and disturbs things?" He jerks his chin down toward the top of Sofie's head in a silent what-do-we-do-about-her question. He's still so worried about Ylva his stomach feels sick, but having someone to focus on outside of his own self makes it a little easier.

Sofie was so glad when she feels his arm wrap around her back and hold her in place after she smashed her face into his chest. The site of the body had been something intense for her. To see someone dead that was was scary. It looked like he had been stabbed a few times and then left for dead like he was nothing but trash. Which sure, Sofie thought that he was a garbage person, but this was still horrible to even her. Had Ylva killed her father, had she finally had enough of his beatings and decided to hurt him back? Or was her body on the ground somewhere as well? Sofie hoped that the sweet girl was not among the dead on the ground. That someone would never hurt someone as sweet and kind as her. Ylva was an innocent person, she knew that from the few times she had met her. So if someone came into that poor girls house and killed her along with her father, she would find that person and kill them. For even thinking about hurting someone as kind and lovely ad Ylva.

She was aware that no one had answered her on the fact if Ylva was dead or not. All she could focus on was the sound of Hankon's heart beat and the sound of Henrik moving around the house before she was pulled outside. Sofie was grateful for Hankon and the sweet nothings he was whispering to her he rubbed her head and kept her from looking at the death and even smelling it. She was also aware of the tears that were falling down her face at the moment as well. Sofie was made the she was crying in front of people, but this was something she could cried about. Someone she cared about could be dead, and by the small glimpse she had got, she could have been killed horribly. Before she knows it she is being pulled outside and away from he death. She is glad that Hankon is helming her even though they left one another on such bad terms. "Ylva?" she hears Hankon ask as he removes his hand from her head, but keeps his arm around her. Henrik doesn't say anything out loud and that makes her more worried. “Now what? We tell Haskell?” Sofie hears Henrik say next.

Taking a deep breath she pulls her head away and looks up a Hankon when he speaks "It's early, but he'll probably be at the training field. Should someone stay here, to make sure no one else comes by and disturbs things?" she hears him say, and she is getting more worried. They haven't said if Ylva was okay. Sofie was also not sure she wanted to be alone at the moment. "Is Ylva....in there?" she asks, speaking for the first time after smashing her face into his chest. "Did someone kill her too?" she says next looking to Hankon and then Henrik. She didn't want to have to look for herself. "I need to know, if someone...if shes dead." she says next. "Then we can handle Haskell..I can stay here...but please don't leave me...alone..only one of us needs to get him..." she says the last thing directing it at the both of them. She doesn't care which man stays with her, just that she isn't aline with the dead people.

The one thing Hakon is certain about, besides the need to find Haskell, is that Sofie needs to get away from this carnage. She's handled it well, but she shouldn't need to be around it any longer, and he can stay and keep an eye on things himself. Besides, although he's said Haskell is probably at the training ground, he really could be anywhere. He hears Sofie ask if Ylva is in there, and when Henrik finally says she isn't, and that it looks like someone took some of her stuff, Hakon is no less anxious than he was when there was the possibility she was dead. Because honestly, she might still be dead, but just dead somewhere else. And why would someone take her, if not to for something terrible? He nearly shudders at the thought, but somehow manages not to.

"It's possible someone took her." He agrees, rubbing a tired hand over his face. "Both of you go look for Haskell, I can wait here. It will be faster if you split up, because really he could be anywhere.". "Sofie, go to Haskell's parents' farm. You know where it is?" He can always tell her if she doesn't know, but he's pretty sure she does. "Henrik can check the great hall and the training field, they're close enough together anyway, but the farm is the farthest away." Something else dawns on him then, though, and he turns to consider Sofie, his eyes hard and critical on her. He's surprised she's holding up so well, but he doesn't want her to be overwhelmed by this. He knows that's stupid and she probably is overwhelmed, but he does his best to give her a smile even though it's probably more terrifying than reassuring. "Or go to the shipyard. Find Freyja and send her to Haskell's parents farm, and then go home and make sure Tora is safe?" His mind is going in all sorts of directions. What if this isn't an isolated incident? What if this person is still in Skagen, just waiting for the opportunity to kill and kidnap again?

The thought makes his stomach feel even queasier. He can't stand the thought of Freyja possibly being in danger from someone like this, and he can't even imagine how devastated she would be if something were to happen to one of her sisters. Hakon is completely clueless about what's going on, and it makes him feel helpless. Hakon hasn't felt helpless in a very long time, and he hates it.

Sofie was still waiting for one of them to answer her. To tell her if that wonderful girl was dead or not when Henrik finally spoke. “No, she wasn’t there. Honestly, it looks like someone grabbed some of her stuff? Clothing, plants or something?” he says to them both and Sofie feels a lot better, at least she wasn't dead. “If Ylva had gotten the courage to end Halvor, she wouldn’t have hurt the thrall or the dog. I think…” he said next, and that just confirms that there were in fact more people dead even though she had only seen the father. Her good feeling was completely gone again when she heard what Henrik had to say next. “Do you think someone took her?” to them. Who would take her and kill her whole family? What if they were still here? What if she was already dead? Sofie felt like her breathing was picking up as she thought about her own sisters. What if this person was still here in Skagen, and that they were going to kill more people. Or if more girls would be taken. "It's possible someone took her." Hankon says to them after a few moments and Sofie was sure her face looked frightened. "But who, and why?" she says to them both before looking back toward the house. "She is such a sweet girl...who would do this to Ylva?" she says more to herself.

However could have done this, was a real monster. To kill an entire family, and then kidnap a blind girl. She prayed that Ylva was still okay, and alive where her she was. However she was not dumb enough to think that she was taken for pure reasons. "Both of you go look for Haskell, I can wait here. It will be faster if you split up, because really he could be anywhere." Hakon said to herself and Henrik after Henrik said he would go on his own. "Sofie, go to Haskell's parents' farm. You know where it is?" Hankon said to her next and she nodded her head yes at him. She did know where the farm was. She had been there not even three weeks ago. "Henrik can check the great hall and the training field, they're close enough together anyway, but the farm is the farthest away." Hankon said to them next and Sofie nodded her head once more at him. She didn't really want to be here by the house anymore anyways. The smell was horrible and now that they had opened the door, she could even smell it from outside.

Sofie was just about to walk away and go toward where Hankon had told her to go whens she sees his look change. "Or go to the shipyard. Find Freyja and send her to Haskell's parents farm, and then go home and make sure Tora is safe?" he says to her next and Sofie feels like her heart might explode out of her chest. What if someone was near Tora, she would ripe that person to shreds with her bare hands if they even thought of touching her baby sister in any way like that. "Yes, that, the second one. If that bastard is still here, if he tired to touch Tora too..or Visna...I would stab him to death...I'll go tell Freyja right away." she say to him before she takes off toward the shipyard. She still felt like she was going to puke, but the idea of Tora, or Visna being hurt made that feeling go away. She needed to focus on getting to her eldest sister, and then check on her younger sisters.