A Sword Will Always Recognize It's Wielder

Danny O’Neill was bored. He was once again being forced, by the zoo that some liked to call school, to go to an assembly. An incredibly boring assembly, no doubt. An assembly in which half the ninth grade would be asleep and the other half would be talking. An assembly in which the teachers would take cruel pleasure in awakening those who fell asleep. 1

Not that Danny hated school, or anything. He did well enough, making the honor roll most of the time, pleasing his teachers and parents. Danny was also fairly content with his social life, he had friends, but wasn’t incredibly popular. 2

Honestly, he hadn’t been paying too much attention to his teacher when she had announced the topic they were about to be lectured on, but he assured himself it was a guaranteed nap time.3

As he and his classmates entered the auditorium, his friend Nick elbowed him and nodded up at the stage. Vaguely interested, Danny glanced up, still lost in thought. He saw an old, graying man seated in a single, black chair on the stage. When Danny noticed his eyes, he was surprised. In what seemed to be a healthy man, there were two dull, lifeless eyes, a mixture of grey, brown and yellow.4

Danny raised an eyebrow at his friend and sat down. In the broken seat. He fell through the chair and immediately felt his face start to flush. Nick and a couple of other kids pointed and laughed, enjoying his clumsiness. Bridget, his best friend, helped him up with a grin on her face. 5

“My, my, aren’t we graceful today?” she teased.6

Danny rolled his eyes in reply and sat down next to her. She sank into the seat and told Danny she had seen him doze off in class. Danny sheepishly smiled and she laughed. Bridget told him that the speaker was invited by the history department. She then immediately fell into a deep discussion with Nick about some movie, and Danny’s attention drifted. He again found himself looking at the stage, where the man with the lifeless eyes sat. The old man caught his gaze, and Danny shivered a bit, but held the look. Suddenly, the man stood up swiftly and reached into a case behind his black chair.  7

“Please, may I have your attention!” he called. 8

Bridget’s eyes sparkled with interest when she saw what he held in his hand. 9

“Danny! Yo…Danny, you with us man? Hey…Oh Good. Isn’t that a broadsword?” she asked eagerly. 10

“Yeah, yeah, calm yourself. I think it is, but I’m not positive,” Danny answered slowly. He had been trying to place the speaker’s accent, but he couldn’t remember at the moment. 11

Now that the room was quieting down, however slowly, the man had begun to pace near the front of the stage. Bridget followed his progress across the stage, interested, but then wrinkled her nose. 12

“Hey, I think I’ve seen this guy before,” she whispered. Danny smiled at his friend’s reaction, and shrugged. He was intrigued by this visitor as well, perhaps even more so than Bridget. Danny was really into history, but he wasn’t too open about it; his friends had teased him about it since they found out. Until Bridget had come along. She was also captivated by the past, but mostly read about the wars and military stuff. Danny really didn’t have the stomach for it. He preferred the myths and legends of ancient peoples, and their customs. The Celtic, Norse, and early Japanese mythologies had always been his favorites. Because of their shared interests, all of his friends, led by Nick, teased him endlessly about how he hung out with Bridget more than with them. 13

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Dr. Lobos. I know that in your history classes you are currently studying India, but I am here to give a presentation on a Northern European culture, the Norsemen. I happen to live in Scandinavia at the moment so I can study the Norsemen more closely, but I was born in Massachusetts. I went to college in New England, then traveled after majoring in European history-“ he began, but Danny zoned out. 14

Scandinavia! He knew he recognized the accent. Dr Lobos talked for a few minutes, introducing himself and talking a bit about Scandinavia’s geography. He then lazily shifted the sword from his right hand to his left and faked a lunge and a parry with it. 15

He grinned wolfishly, and said, “Now, I’m sure most of you are interested in my choice of weaponry. Can anyone tell me anything about it?” Dr. Lobos’ voice had a gruff, unfriendly sound, and seemed better suited for a guy twice his size. But it did match his hard, cold eyes. Or at least Danny thought so. Bridget, whose eyes had been carefully following the sword’s progress, had her hand up in a blur.16

“I think it’s a broadsword, sir. Probably used by the Vikings,” she answered tentatively.17

“You would be correct. Very good,” he complimented, in what seemed to be a strained voice. 18

She smiled at the man, but leaned over and whispered to Danny, “This guy is creeping me out.” 19

Dr. Lobos abruptly stopped and stared at a point somewhere on the back wall of the auditorium. He shook his head, as if he were trying to get something off, and started his lecture again. 20

“Now, the Vikings were a race of warriors and plunderers. They pillaged and raided nearby towns, taking anything of value, including brides. They were a warlike and a bloodthirsty people, even the women, most of whom were pretty handy in defending their towns.” 21

At this point, Dr. Lobos paused again. Most girls looked horrified at the fact that at one point women actually had to be involved in battle and ruin their dresses, but not Bridget. Her eyes were glowing and her back had straightened. Danny shook his head in amusement and turned his attention back to the doctor.22

“I would like to have an assistant or two to demonstrate a few things. Please raise your hands if you would like to come up,” Dr. Lobos said slowly. Bridget’s hand again shot up and, to Danny’s surprise, so did his own, Dr. Lobos called on two of the football players near the front. Bridget lowered her hand in disappointment and Danny patted her shoulder in mock sympathy. 23

“Go screw yourself,” she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, grinning.24

Up on stage, Dr. Lobos produced another sword from the case for his second volunteer. 25

“Now please pick up the swords. They might be a little heavy for you,” he warned. Some of the teachers frowned at the idea of deadly weapons in the hands of two idiots, but the principal motioned for them to relax. 26

Danny raised an eyebrow at Bridget, and she leaned over and murmured, “Wouldn’t it be nice if they killed each other?”27

Danny snorted and replied, “Wouldn’t it be nice if you weren’t so violent?” They locked eyes for a second and Danny felt a memory tug at the back of his mind. Then, at the same time, they started laughing. 28

Nick looked over, hoping to be amused. Unfortunately, they weren’t quiet enough to go unnoticed by others. Dr. Lobos looked directly at him, face devoid of any emotion. Danny and Bridget attempted to sober up, but were still giggling slightly.29

Then, he turned back to his volunteers and said gruffly, “Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation? Pick them up!” 30

But this, it seemed, was easier said then done. Neither of the boys could raise the broadswords more than a few inches off the ground. The audience began to laugh at the futile attempts of the jocks. They were amused by the fact that this old, wiry man was swinging the sword around like a toothpick, yet two guys much bigger couldn’t. Dr. Lobos shook his head impatiently, and told the boys to go back to their seats. 31

Danny, who had been moving to tell Bridget a joke he had thought of, heard the doctor’s voice say, “You, in the grey shirt!” 32

Danny looked up, startled, and asked, “Me, sir?” 33

“Yes you boy. Come up here, and bring the girl with you,” he directed. Danny and Bridget stood up and walked up to the stage apprehensively. Danny climbed the stairs first, and, instinctively, turned around to offer Bridget a hand up. She looked and him and said, “What? Did you just learn your manners or something?” 34

He blushed a little and strode over to Dr. Lobos. When Bridget arrived at his side, Dr. Lobos said, “Now, pick up those swords.” 35

At this, the entire audience burst into giggles and some outright laughter. Danny was offended. He may have been skinny, but he wasn’t weak. Bridget, though, was spitting mad. She cast a scathing look at a bunch of jocks and their girlfriends and, with a determined expression, wrapped her hands around the hilt of her sword. She pulled, and the sword leapt into the air with ease. Bridget was staring at the sword with a faraway look, her eyes widening slowly. Then, she seemed to come back to her senses and draw the sword into a more comfortable position. 36

“Good, very good,” Dr. Lobos growled, nodding, “You next, boy.” Danny shrugged and gave an almighty heave. As the sword came off the ground, he was suddenly staring at a bright, newly forged blade, splattered with blood. He blinked, and was looking again at the ancient weapon. Danny noticed his hands were shaking and his breathing had quickened. Bridget was staring at him with a knowing kind of look. 37

Dr. Lobos, who seemed not to notice Danny’s reaction, then directed the two to inspect their weapons. Danny studied the sword meticulously. The blade itself was dull and fairly blunt, which comforted him because he wasn’t too keen on Bridget having a sharp object in her hand in a room full of people she disliked. 38

The sword seemed to be a mix of steel and some other metal he could not identify. The hilt was made of gold, and must have been beautiful before time had its way with it. 39

There were some symbols carved onto the hilt, and as Danny moved it closer to his face, he was suddenly looking at the blood covered blade again. When he looked up, he noticed he had left the stage. He was now standing on a large field, browned from lack of rain. There was a forest behind him, composed of mainly evergreens, but they were green no more. He could smell smoke, and pushed his hair out of his eyes to get a better view. 40

Wait a minute, Danny thought in disbelief, I don’t have long hair. He ran his hand back and followed the hair from the strands in his eyes all the way down to the base of his neck. What the hell? 41

As soon as Danny began to panic, he heard a tremendous crunch behind him. He jumped, and swung around to face the forest. Crashing through the woods and knocking aside trees as though they were sticks, were two monstrous creatures. They had somewhat human features, and they looked angry. 42

Danny backed up, shook his head, and fled. He ran until he heard the loud clang of metal on metal, and noticed that he was not alone. Bodies were everywhere, belonging to humans and giants. Danny looked up as if to pray for some kind of help, when he saw a white figure on a white horse descend from the black clouds. Though the person was still far away, he could distinguish one feature, a pair of bright, blue eyes. 43

As he raised his sword to prepare for an attack, he found himself back at school. And he was looking into the same blue eyes that had been, only moments ago, in midair. 44

“Bridget? What the fuck?” he said under his breath. 45

“Danny,” she whispered urgently, “Danny I just saw-“. 46

But what she saw would have to wait, because Dr. Lobos had just stepped between the two friends and said, “Excellent. Beautiful craftsmanship, eh? Shall we progress?” The teens stared at the weapons in their hands. Danny felt the slow burning sensation in the back of his throat that heralded the return of his lunch and made to put down his sword. 47

“Not yet, boy,” Dr. Lobos said as he placed a hand on Danny’s arm. Then, Danny was again standing on the battlefield, watching in helpless fascination as the beings around him were slaughtered. Dust rose in large, red clouds, and whirled around the combatants, limiting Danny’s sight. 48

He heard a familiar crash behind him, and whirled around to see the two giants that had surprised him earlier on the edge of the woods. Before the thought could pass through his mind, Danny was off and running. Toward the giants. His mind screamed at him, insulting him in any way it could think of. But he kept moving forward. Gathering his strength, he sprung up into the air, launching himself at the nearest giant. 49

Temporarily distracted by the fact that he was now at least twenty feet in midair, his body took over and he brought the sword down with all of his might. It created a clean slice from the crown of his foe’s head to its nose. And then Danny was heading back to the ground. He was dreading the landing, and fought for control of his limbs. Danny gained it, but then realized he didn’t know how to land. He hit the ground hard on his knee, which buckled and he rolled over and over, the breath completely knocked out of him. 50

Luckily, he had been out of the way of the giant’s fall. Unluckily, the giant’s companion was now running at him. Danny knew that he couldn’t recover in time to fight, and made a feeble attempt to crawl away. Then, to his shock and gratitude, a white figure came out of the dust and sliced the giant’s knees. The beast stumbled and collapsed next to its comrade, and Danny’s savior drove his blade into its skull. The stranger wrenched his blade out of the giant’s head and sheathed it. He then gracefully ran towards Danny, leaping over the dead bodies strewn haphazardly on the field. 51

When the stranger was only a few yards away, Danny realized that he, in fact, was a she. In fact, to his complete bewilderment, it was Bridget. Bridget in a white dress-dress? - and long blonde hair. She, on the other hand, did not seem surprised to see him and offered a hand to help him up. When he grabbed her wrist, he returned to the stage. 52

Bridget pulled him up and stepped back. The audience was laughing. There came a few catcalls, like “Nice trip, loser!” and “Well, at least your girlfriend looks good with a sword”. The guy that made the last comment received an icy glare from Bridget. To Danny’s embarrassment, the nurse came on stage and offered him an ice pack. He shook his head and tried to gather all of his thoughts and make sense out of them. Danny glanced at Bridget to see if she looked and felt as confused and lost as he was. She didn’t.53

While the teachers quieted the grade down, Danny realized that she must have seen something he hadn’t that made her so relaxed. When he looked at his sword, he recalled that he had been trying to figure out the symbols. His head ached, but he studied the marks.54

He recognized them to be runes, and called upon his minute knowledge of them. There were four runes in total on the hilt, but he could only distinguish two of them. Fortunately, they were three of the eight that he knew. One was tiwaz, which was inscribed on a weapon to ensure victory in battle. Another clear rune was othila, which Danny thought was inheritance, but wasn’t entirely sure. The third, to Danny’s confusion, was ansuz, which represented the god Odin. As he tried to discern the other rune, he noticed that the room was quiet. 55

Blushing, he looked up at Dr. Lobos, who was looking at Bridget. They seemed to be in the middle of an intense staring contest, until her eyes widened and she backed away from him. 56

“You bastard,” she said calmly. There was a collective intake of breath in the room, and one of the teachers made an indignant noise and moved to go on stage. Danny crossed the stage to Bridget and asked eagerly, “Bridget, what’s going on?” 57

As she opened her mouth to speak, their global teacher, Ms. Goldenburg, grabbed Bridget’s upper arm and started to drag her offstage, apologizing profusely to the doctor. But Bridget would have none of it. She planted her feet firmly and looked at Danny. 58

Then, she asked a simple question. “Danny, what does his last name mean?”59

“Huh?” he said stupidly. There were a few chuckles from the audience. 60

“It means wolves, boy,” Dr. Lobos said loudly. Bridget snapped her head, and said “Shut up you.” 61

Ms. Goldenburg snorted. “You’re heading for out of school suspension, young lady,” she told Bridget smugly. Growling, Bridget swung her sword at the teacher. 62

“Back away, woman,” she hissed angrily. 63

Ms. Goldenburg squeaked and made a quick retreat to the other teachers. The entire ninth grade was now dead silent and watching Bridget in amazement and fear. Dr. Lobos, who was grinning in his canine-like way, was sizing up Bridget as one would size up a worthy opponent. She slowly approached him and, because of a whisper on the edge of his mind, Danny circled around the man’s back. 64

“Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you, you dirty wolf? Your eyes are still the same Fenrir,” she said scathingly. 65

Fenrir? Danny thought. He’s the legendary wolf from Norse Mythology. Norse… With that thought, Danny felt like hitting himself with a two by four. Of course! Unless he was under some kind of hallucinatory drug, then he had seen part of a battle. Then, complete understanding graced him, and he said out loud, “Ragnarok!” 66

Bridget removed her gaze from the doctor and nodded at Danny. But then, human rationale took over and he thought of the complete lunacy of the idea. They’ll send me off to the Happy Hotel soon, he thought, laughing at himself. He was merely under the influence of an overactive imagination and a fierce headache. 67

Before either of them could react, Dr. Lobos-Fenrir?- grabbed their wrists and Danny was again on the dusty battlefield, on his back, trying to regain his breath. Hild was above him, with her long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, which were glistening with tears. 68

“Vidar, your father, Odin, is dead! Fenrir has slain him!” she wailed. Vidar nodded grimly and used his sword to push himself up to his feet. His father’s death had been foretold and prophesied, and therefore must occur in the last battle. But he also was fated to avenge Odin’s death. With that, he ran off into the flying dust, leaving the Valkyrie kneeling on the battleground. It did not take long until he came upon the monster that had slaughtered his father. 69

The creature looked up at him with a blood-soaked muzzle, and Vidar’s rage ignited. As he raised his sword, the enormous wolf transformed into an old, graying man, with the same deadened eyes.70

“Caught up in a memory, Danny?” the wolf-man taunted. Danny? That name was familiar to him. “Going to save Bridget and kill me?” it continued. Bridget? Blue eyes flashed in his memory. Hild? Bridget? Vidar was confused and furious. “Can’t remember can you, Danny?” the creature asked in a cruel tone. Vidar snarled and swung his sword. 71

He heard screaming and looked up. Danny was in school again, staring at a horrified group of teenagers and teachers. He glanced over at Bridget, who ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. 72

“You did it!” she said sadly. He looked over his friend’s shoulder at the headless corpse of Doctor Lobos.  Glancing down at his sword, he noticed it was coated in fresh blood. He wrinkled his nose and gazed down at Bridget, who was now backing away and wiping her eyes. 73

“Bridget?” he asked. 74

“Danny?”75

But when the echo came back off the auditorium walls, the audience heard “Hild?” “Vidar?” Everyone’s eyes were on the lifeless body of the doctor. Slowly, the corpse grew grey fur and a wolf’s snout appeared on the head, a few feet away from the body. 76

With this, the room exploded into activity. Teens were screaming and running, and teachers were trying to calm them down, even though they had no idea how to handle what had just occurred. Amidst the chaos, Danny put his arm around Bridget’s shoulder, and they both watched the coming of the end of the world.77