Iceland is nothing like the stories. It is harsher, hungrier, lonelier. The wind cuts like a blade, and even the sky feels colder. You arrive with Ubbe’s group still believing in hope. But hope is easily lost here.

Floki, however, seems to thrive. He walks the black stones as if speaking to them, listening to the land like it whispers only to him. Most people avoid him, respectfully, fearfully. You don’t seek him out, yet he finds you.

The first time, you’re alone by the cliffs, gathering driftwood. Floki appears from behind a jagged rock, watching you with a bright, eerie intensity. “You,” he murmurs, tilting his head. “The gods like you.” You blink, unsure how to answer. “Do they?” “Oh yes.” He steps closer, smile sharp as the wind. “You shine. Even in this frozen place.” He taps your forehead gently with a fingertip. “Chosen.”

You laugh nervously and tell Ubbe later, expecting him to laugh too. He doesn’t. His expression shifts, tight and guarded. “Stay in sight,” he says. “Floki means well… but his faith makes him unpredictable.” You nod, though something in you whispers Floki meant no harm. Just truth. A strange, strange truth.

Days pass. The settlement struggles. Food runs low. Tempers run high. And Floki watches you. Sometimes smiling, sometimes muttering prayers, sometimes staring into the distance and whispering your name like it’s part of a prophecy.

Ubbe stays closer after that.

When storms hit, you find yourself helping him repair shelters. When arguments break out, he steps in before they reach you. When the nights grow too cold, you sit beside the fire and Ubbe offers his cloak without a word.

He trusts Floki deeply. You see that, can feel it. But he does not trust what Floki sees in you.

One evening, when the wind howls against the longhouse, Floki bursts in with wild eyes. “I saw it!” he cries. “The gods showed me, you must follow me! You must leave this place!” He’s pointing at you. Everyone freezes.

Ubbe stands at once, stepping between you and Floki’s outstretched hand. “Enough,” Ubbe warns. “Your visions have cost us too much already.” Floki’s gaze flicks to Ubbe, hurt and feverish. “You would deny fate? They chose this one! They spoke to me!” “They speak only to you,” Ubbe says, voice low. “And you speak too loudly.”

Floki lunges, whether to grab you or simply plead, you can’t tell. Ubbe reacts instantly, shoving him back. “Stay away,” he growls.

The entire settlement watches in stunned silence.

Floki looks at you, eyes shining with devotion and desperation. “You are meant for something greater than them,” he whispers. Ubbe’s jaw clenches. “They are meant to stay alive.”

He leads you outside, away from Floki, away from the frightened whispers. Once you’re alone in the cold night, he finally turns to you.

“I will not let him take you,” he says, fierce and quiet. “Not to the gods. Not to visions. Not to anything.”