starter for @baptizedbyfires
He’d been watching the young lad for the better half of the last few days. Fighting to grapple with the idea of what had happened much too soon. If death had a heart to feel anything, he may have felt pity. War was an ugly affair -- and so it had been for the god of death as well. In constant battle with the Keres, the goddesses of violent death, over who would be taking who when they fell on the battlefield. In the Norse culture, the Keres were viewed as honorable -- Valkyrie, they were called. Though, in his opinion they were no more than cheating, blood thirsty whores.
He nudged his horse toward the young man, who had not yet accepted what had happened to his mortal self. Pulling the beast to a halt and dismounting slowly and silently.
“Revelation chapter six. Verse eight. I looked, and behold, an ashen horse and he who sat on it had the name death and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beats of earth.” He said when he’d reached even ground with James.
“I believe that is how you would know me. You are Christian, yes?” Though he gave the young soldier no time to respond, taking his helmet off and setting his rifle across his horse’s saddle. He often disguised himself with the surroundings, and it was easy to blend in with the crowd around as a simple, dirty, exhausted, British soldier. “That hardly matters, and shows that the word is wrong sometimes. Because man, and god is fallible. As you can see, my horse is not ashen or pale, but black. And I like to call him Dandy. Hades is not here, only me. And Death isn’t my favorite name to go by. A long time ago I picked up Finn. It means fair in some cultures. I like that. Or there are some who call me Thanatos. The choice is yours.”
He held his hand out. “The only choice I cannot give you is what happens next. I need you to come with me, mate. Your time here is up. And the longer you stay stuck here, the more it hurts. They cannot save your body. The sooner you let go, the sooner word can reach your family and they can mourn properly and the nurses give that bed to someone else with a chance.”
