Atonement's Path

Chapter_9: Change

The harsh weather slowed down, and the strong flow of the wind also slowed down. Ragnar took one last step, and both of them arrived at the village. Frostbite covered his fingers, and he was covered by cold snow. Bane and the other bandits rushed to Ragnar. “I’ll get the baby, and all you do is assist him to the bar!” Bane rushed to get the baby in Ragnar’s hands. He looked at the baby carefully. “How is this kid safe?” Bane continued to rush to the bar. 

“Go away! Fast!” A bandit said to the villagers eating on the huge table, then they carefully placed Ragnar on it. “Call Drake!” Bane proceeded to look at Ragnar’s body; he was extremely injured and could die any moment now. Ragnar opened his eyes and said, “How is my son?” He’s more worried about his son than him; he really changed; he was really committed. “He’s safe, don’t worry. Just lie down.” Half of the Bandits rushed to get Drake, while the other half took care of him. A lady looked down at Ragnar; her eyes were only gazing at him. Sweat fell from her face in the cold weather. She has coal-colored hair and dazzling blue eyes. Ragnar noticed this, but he really didn’t care at all until a thought popped into his head; it was a different thought, a wicked thought. He tried to sit down, but he failed. He tried again, and he finally sat down. The bandits were confused. “Just lie down,” one said. “What are you doing?” One said. He glared at the lady with a sinister smile; his deep, dark eyes were even darker. The lady felt uncomfortable; she panicked, and even more moisture covered her temples. She tried not to look at Ragnar, despite feeling scared. Ragnar stood up; his legs were about to fall down. He used the chairs to assist him. His size was so immense that some of the chairs couldn’t hold him. He has a bulky body, yet he acted cowardly back then. He finally showed how his immense size should act; he overcame himself, and he finally showed the epitome of a feared man with his immense size. 

The lady rushed outside; she was more confident that she would not get caught by the huge man. “Catch that lady!” Ragnar screamed, and the lady finally noticed what her situation was. She screamed, “What did I do?” She was crying; she was shedding tears, yet Ragnar didn’t feel a single thing about it. The bandits cornered her; she surrendered herself; she was like an empty person. “What did I do?” She whispered to herself. “I want you to be the mother of my child; take care of him.” Ragnar sat in a chair; his hands were lifeless, and he was breathing deeply. “I will never do that! Not in a million years! the lady screamed to the top of her lungs. “I’ll murder your entire family if you don’t do what I tell you.” Ragnar said quietly. The lady froze; her eyes had turned a darker shade of blue. She shook and fell down to the floor lifelessly. “I’ll do it, just don’t kill them, please.” She whispered, covering her head with her arms. “What’s your name? ” Ragnar asked with an aggressive tone. “Lisa, Lisa Brown,” She whispered again.

Ragnar changed. In the span of a day, he changed. He would do anything to make his son achieve the dreams he wanted to achieve, even if he were to lose all his dignity and honor. Even if he would commit a thousand sins, even if he would do the impossible. His son was the most important of all to him. What was the reason for acting like the worst father? He knows, but he is simply hiding the truth.

Drake and Bane rushed to the bar. “What happened to his son?” Drake asked as he rushed. “He’s alright, but the problem is Ragnar.” The men rushed. They entered, and they were shocked. “Ragnar, why are you sitting in a chair? Lie down fast!” Drake panicked, while the others assisted him to the table to lie down. The other bandits carried the medical supplies and placed them on a chair. A question popped into Bane’s mind: “What happened there?” The bandits left the room, and the only people remaining are Bane, Drake, and Ragnar. The doors have been closed, and the windows are covered by curtains. 

Ragnar was placed near the indoor fire; his body was warming up, but his body was about to fail him; he was out of energy, and he could barely move. “How did he walk for minutes out of the forest?” Drake thought while treating Ragnar’s body. Ragnar’s wet clothes were removed. “Here’s a warm blanket,” Drake said as Ragnar covered himself with the blanket. “Here’s some warm water,” offered Bane. Ragnar drank the warm water slowly; even with what they'd done, he was still freezing. But he didn’t speak about the entire situation, even though he was freezing. His dark-colored eyes were now cold and filled with anger, with eyebags under his eyes and a frustrated look. Both Drake and Bane were sure that Ragnar had changed in the span of an hour, but they just couldn’t talk about it out loud. They weren’t shy; they were scared. This entire time, they were feeling scared; they felt fear for Ragnar. And it wasn’t those eyes; it wasn’t the look; it was the aura that Ragnar has been displaying. A deep-dark aura.

Changing has been an important aspect of identity. Change has two goals: to change into a good person and to change into a bad person. There were many historical figures who wanted to be stoic, and that’s why it’s important. It has affected the world, but not only to strive harder but for revenge too. But what exactly is the process of change? How does one actually change? And how do you know that one person has changed and is not acting cooler? It is not physically but mentally; with Ragnar, his eyes and look were different, but is he really acting? No. For this entire situation, Ragnar has been giving off a different aura or vibe. How do you feel the aura? It is because of the emotion you have been feeling when you are close to the person. Drake, who felt fear, was already aware that something was different.

Finally, Drake has the guts to ask despite feeling fear. “What happened there, Ragnar? Did something make you feel disappointed? Was your wife leaving like that making you disappointed?” Drake asked a pile of questions that were in his head. “I changed my son’s name to ‘Zagorzaly,” Ragnar said with no context; he brought more questions to both of them. “I believe that name means committed, right?” Bane said. “But why would you change your son’s name to ‘Zagorzaly? It doesn’t make sense at all,” Drake said while being pressured by the number of questions he has. “That name doesn’t have a meaning at all. ‘Thors’ was a useless name to begin with,” Ragnar said while he wasn't at Drake. “He has changed. But why? Back then he was acting more foofoolish, but he still didn’t change, but why now? Did a thought pop out of his head? I know it’s sad to lose your wife, but he didn’t cry at all. Looking at his eyes, there’s no evidence of him crying except the eyebugs, but that’s probably from the tiredness, or did the blizzard destroy the evid-” Drake stopped thinking after being interrupted by Ragnar that said, “I didn’t cry.” Drake was shocked; he was as hard as a stone for a second. “How did he know what I was thinking?” He thought about it with even more questions. “I guessed what you were thinking, right?” Ragnar was not only feared but mysterious as well. “Yes,” Drake whispered, leaving Bane shocked as well. “It’s called intuition; don’t be surprised,” Ragnar said with a cold tone. “He really did change, but why?” Both of the men thought. The fear they felt disappeared. And they were confused, leaving them to solve this moment on their own. Another thing they noticed was that Ragnar was neither freezing nor hurting; the swelling and the frostbite were gone, and they didn’t even notice it. “Did God really protected him?” Another question popped into Drake’s head, his last question.