- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
- TNP Nation
- Prydania
- Discord
- lordgigaice
November 2020
"We are beginning our descent to Býkonsviði" a pleasant feminine voice said over the PA.
"Please raise your tray tables and return your seats to an upright position."
Markthór Öxndal pulled his side bag out from under the chair in front of him and stuffed the two customs forms- one for himself and his wife Nicole and one for his sister Addý- into the same pocket as his passport.
"You two have your passports ready?" he asked his wife and sister.
"Yes honey please, relax" Nicole laughed.
"You've been checking your bag every hour since we got to the airport back in Saintes. This is a vacation, remember. Try and take it easy."
"Better safe than sorry" Markthór replied, chuckling at his own OCD tendencies. Though they had been more pronounced since this trip began. He was excited to see his cousin Rúrik and their old farm again, but there was a certain nervousness that came with returning to Prydania after so long.
"What about you Addý?" he asked.
"Huh?" Addý replied. She'd been looking out the window- Markthór had insisted on the aisle seat, and that was fine with her. It meant she got the window seat- and a nice view of Prydania as they descended. It was the first time she'd seen the country in person since she and her family had fled to Saintes back in 2006. She shared some of her brother's nervousness but was far more smitten with the notion of returning "home." If even for a brief stay.
"I was asking if you had your passport, Addý?"
"Yes Mark" she smiled, "all set."
"Ok good, hopefully we can get through customs quickly" Markthór said as he gripped his side bag to his chest.
"You really need to calm down mon amour" Nicole said as she kissed her husband on the cheek. She was Santonian, and unlike her husband and sister-in-law? She had never been to Prydania. Her own nerves came from lingering fears that Prydania maybe wasn't entirely stable?
It had been nearly a year since the Messianist League uprising had been put down with relatively little violence. And the stabbing of Thorbjörn Höjsleth had finally begun to fade from the news as his recovery continued. There hadn't been a whisper of unrest in Prydania since but still...
She remained positive though. This was a new experience. A chance to see the edge of the world.
"Monsieur, your bag needs to be under the seat until we land and the captain turns off the fasten seatbelt sign" a flight attendant remarked.
"Oh" Markthór replied.
"Sorry." He pat the picked on the bag once more to feel his passport and the customs forms before sliding the bag under the seat in front of him.
Addý looked down, the airport and the green fields getting closer, with the city of Býkonsviði itself near by.
It was all rather mundane looking, but this was her home. Violently ripped from her so many years ago. She smiled seeing it so peaceful, and at the chance to make some new, happier, memories.
The plane landed, coming to a slow crawl, and eventually a soft stop.
"Welcome to Býkonsviði, Prydania. We hope you enjoy your stay, and thank you for choosing to travel with Air Saintonge!"
Rúrik Öxndal hummed the tune to Íshokkíkvöld á RÚV as he and Víf waited for Markthór, Addý, and Nicole to arrive.
"I just checked the board, they should be landing soon" Víf said with a nod.
"This is exciting isn't it?" she asked.
"Já" Rúrik replied.
"It's been so long. I never even got to say goodbye the first time. They had to leave so suddenly..."
Víf similes and held her husband's arm. Everyone had stories from the Syndicalist years and the Civil War, but Rúrik's was among the worst. His father had been shipped off to mine for coal, died in a cave-in, and he'd been forced to live as essentially a prisoner from the age of ten onwards on the collectivized farm compound the Syndicalists had set up. He'd been beaten, starved, and worked hard for eleven years before their compound was liberated.
He'd been recovering rather well- being able to rebuild the family farm helped a great deal- but he still found himself sullen at times. Reconnecting with his cousins had lifted his spirits though. It was true he'd never gotten a proper chance to part with them as children. Víf hoped this visit would help.
"I hope they're not held up too long at customs" she remarked.
"I don't want Júlíetta to be put out with Týr for too long" she said, regarding her and Rúrik's four month old baby boy.
"Oh you mustn't worry" Rúrik replied happily.
"Mother doesn't mind at all. It gives her a positive to focus on. So she doesn't think about father so much."
"Oh aren't you a treat" Víf teased her husband.
"I'm sure your mother in her later years wants to look after babies again."
"Trust me" Rúrik replied.
"The less idle she is the better."
"Bonjour and welcome to Prydania" a border control agent remarked in accented but otherwise fluent Santonian.
"Oh" he said with a bit of a smile.
"Welcome back to two of you."
"Thank you" Addý replied softly. They'd gotten their bags and they just had to clear customs. The line had been...average? Not crazy busy but not empty either. It had moved at a reasonable pace.
"How long will you be in Prydania?" the agent asked.
"One week" Markthór replied.
"And the purpose of your trip?"
"Visiting family."
"You should have seen this place last month" the agent remarked as he checked off some boxes on their forms.
"Oktoberfest. This place was a zoo."
"Yeah we couldn't get that off, but at least now we can have a quieter visit I think."
"And where will you be staying?"
"My cousin's. It's a farm, just outside of Kiojaleit. Here's the address..."
The agent nodded.
"Any gifts or food items to declare?"
Markthór smiled. They had half a suitcase full of Santonian candy. And it wasn't that this was a problem per se but depending on the agent? It could be a whole thing to go over the receipts and paperwork to declare them. Markthór was not taking that chance. He hated airports and air travel in general and he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Just some gifts for our cousin's newborn son. Baby clothes mostly."
"Eh that's fine" the agent remarked, stamping all three Santonian passports with a design that mixed a barbed cross and oak leaves.
"Enjoy your visit."
"Thank you" Nicole smiled as they walked past the agent down a hallway that would lead them to the pickup area.
"Now listen you two" she said in a mock serious tone.
"It's bad enough that you talk about me in Prydanian. You won't pull Rúrik and Víf into your games!" she chuckled.
"Oh that's cute sis she thinks we talk about her in Prydansk" Markthór said to Addý in Prydanian with a teasing grin.
"Such an ego on this one" Addý replied in Prydanian, winking to her sister-in-law, earning a look of mock angry look from Nicole.
"But it's ok. Víf and Rúrik both speak Mercanti."
Rúrik checked his watch and held his wife as she leaned against him as he looked around. The new Býkonsviði airport was quite nice. Very modern and sleek.
"There they are!" Víf said, noticing their three guests emerging from a small crowd of people. Rúrik looked up and smiled wide.
"Look who it is!" he said in Prydanian. Víf was right. Seeing them in person seemed to raise her husband's spirits.
"It's been too long cousins" he said in Mercanti he hugged Markthór and then Addý before hugging Nicole too.
"And you must be the poor soul this one tricked into marriage!"
"Yes, but I make it work" Nicole replied as more hugs were exchanged. "So happy to meet you both."
"Look at you!" Addý remarked.
"Uncle Tjörvi would be so proud. I know Pabbi is."
"Yes he is" Markthór replied.
"He and mother want all of the pictures we can possibly get so be prepared."
"Ha" Rúrik chuckled.
"Well let's get going. Before I forget where I parked in that damn maze of a parking garage."
He took both Nicole and Addý's bag, laughing as Markthór tried to hand him his.
"No Markþór, you can handle your own bags."
"Ha!" Markthór replied.
"Fair enough. I admit I'm not as pretty as these two or Víf."
"No but you make up for it by being oh so strong" Nicole teased.
"So Rúrik is right. Carry your own bag."
Nicole happened to glance down as Rúrik grabbed her bag. He was wearing a light jacket for the November air, and the sleeve pulled up ever so slightly. She saw a scar on his wrist, and sighed softly.
It was a reminder from the stiff and thick plastic ID bracelets the workers on the Syndicalist collective farms had to wear. Rúrik would have had to wear one from the age of 10 to 22. Between the thick and sharp plastic and metal bolts to keep them tight? Well of course there would be scaring.
She smiled softly, offering Rúrik a soft "thank you" and making an effort not to look at his wrist.
"Congratulations on Týr" Addý said as they made their way to the car.
"The pictures on Twitcher look so adorable!"
"He knows it too" Rúrik laughed.
"I'm sure of it. The little bugger uses his cuteness to get his way."
"Yes imagine when he's old enough to talk" Víf replied.
"This one" she said pointing to her husband, "won't be able to avoid spoiling him rotten."
"What can I say? He's got me around his finger. Want to do right by him and all."
Rúrik and Markthór loaded the bags into the back of the Midland SUV.
"It's still a bit of a drive from Býkonsviði, but the new highway speeds it up" Rúrik said after they'd finished loading the bags.
"Yes but we were thinking we could stop in Erkiengill and grab some lunch" Víf added.
"Oh I don't think that's a problem" Addý replied.
"I didn't eat anything on the plane."
"I didn't either" Nicole said. "And Markthór, don't even get him started."
"All airplane food is poison" he chuckled.
"Well it's a plan. Let's head out!"
Vor í Vaglaskógi by KALEO, 4:38
"We are beginning our descent to Býkonsviði" a pleasant feminine voice said over the PA.
"Please raise your tray tables and return your seats to an upright position."
Markthór Öxndal pulled his side bag out from under the chair in front of him and stuffed the two customs forms- one for himself and his wife Nicole and one for his sister Addý- into the same pocket as his passport.
"You two have your passports ready?" he asked his wife and sister.
"Yes honey please, relax" Nicole laughed.
"You've been checking your bag every hour since we got to the airport back in Saintes. This is a vacation, remember. Try and take it easy."
"Better safe than sorry" Markthór replied, chuckling at his own OCD tendencies. Though they had been more pronounced since this trip began. He was excited to see his cousin Rúrik and their old farm again, but there was a certain nervousness that came with returning to Prydania after so long.
"What about you Addý?" he asked.
"Huh?" Addý replied. She'd been looking out the window- Markthór had insisted on the aisle seat, and that was fine with her. It meant she got the window seat- and a nice view of Prydania as they descended. It was the first time she'd seen the country in person since she and her family had fled to Saintes back in 2006. She shared some of her brother's nervousness but was far more smitten with the notion of returning "home." If even for a brief stay.
"I was asking if you had your passport, Addý?"
"Yes Mark" she smiled, "all set."
"Ok good, hopefully we can get through customs quickly" Markthór said as he gripped his side bag to his chest.
"You really need to calm down mon amour" Nicole said as she kissed her husband on the cheek. She was Santonian, and unlike her husband and sister-in-law? She had never been to Prydania. Her own nerves came from lingering fears that Prydania maybe wasn't entirely stable?
It had been nearly a year since the Messianist League uprising had been put down with relatively little violence. And the stabbing of Thorbjörn Höjsleth had finally begun to fade from the news as his recovery continued. There hadn't been a whisper of unrest in Prydania since but still...
She remained positive though. This was a new experience. A chance to see the edge of the world.
"Monsieur, your bag needs to be under the seat until we land and the captain turns off the fasten seatbelt sign" a flight attendant remarked.
"Oh" Markthór replied.
"Sorry." He pat the picked on the bag once more to feel his passport and the customs forms before sliding the bag under the seat in front of him.
Addý looked down, the airport and the green fields getting closer, with the city of Býkonsviði itself near by.
It was all rather mundane looking, but this was her home. Violently ripped from her so many years ago. She smiled seeing it so peaceful, and at the chance to make some new, happier, memories.
The plane landed, coming to a slow crawl, and eventually a soft stop.
"Welcome to Býkonsviði, Prydania. We hope you enjoy your stay, and thank you for choosing to travel with Air Saintonge!"
Rúrik Öxndal hummed the tune to Íshokkíkvöld á RÚV as he and Víf waited for Markthór, Addý, and Nicole to arrive.
"I just checked the board, they should be landing soon" Víf said with a nod.
"This is exciting isn't it?" she asked.
"Já" Rúrik replied.
"It's been so long. I never even got to say goodbye the first time. They had to leave so suddenly..."
Víf similes and held her husband's arm. Everyone had stories from the Syndicalist years and the Civil War, but Rúrik's was among the worst. His father had been shipped off to mine for coal, died in a cave-in, and he'd been forced to live as essentially a prisoner from the age of ten onwards on the collectivized farm compound the Syndicalists had set up. He'd been beaten, starved, and worked hard for eleven years before their compound was liberated.
He'd been recovering rather well- being able to rebuild the family farm helped a great deal- but he still found himself sullen at times. Reconnecting with his cousins had lifted his spirits though. It was true he'd never gotten a proper chance to part with them as children. Víf hoped this visit would help.
"I hope they're not held up too long at customs" she remarked.
"I don't want Júlíetta to be put out with Týr for too long" she said, regarding her and Rúrik's four month old baby boy.
"Oh you mustn't worry" Rúrik replied happily.
"Mother doesn't mind at all. It gives her a positive to focus on. So she doesn't think about father so much."
"Oh aren't you a treat" Víf teased her husband.
"I'm sure your mother in her later years wants to look after babies again."
"Trust me" Rúrik replied.
"The less idle she is the better."
"Bonjour and welcome to Prydania" a border control agent remarked in accented but otherwise fluent Santonian.
"Oh" he said with a bit of a smile.
"Welcome back to two of you."
"Thank you" Addý replied softly. They'd gotten their bags and they just had to clear customs. The line had been...average? Not crazy busy but not empty either. It had moved at a reasonable pace.
"How long will you be in Prydania?" the agent asked.
"One week" Markthór replied.
"And the purpose of your trip?"
"Visiting family."
"You should have seen this place last month" the agent remarked as he checked off some boxes on their forms.
"Oktoberfest. This place was a zoo."
"Yeah we couldn't get that off, but at least now we can have a quieter visit I think."
"And where will you be staying?"
"My cousin's. It's a farm, just outside of Kiojaleit. Here's the address..."
The agent nodded.
"Any gifts or food items to declare?"
Markthór smiled. They had half a suitcase full of Santonian candy. And it wasn't that this was a problem per se but depending on the agent? It could be a whole thing to go over the receipts and paperwork to declare them. Markthór was not taking that chance. He hated airports and air travel in general and he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Just some gifts for our cousin's newborn son. Baby clothes mostly."
"Eh that's fine" the agent remarked, stamping all three Santonian passports with a design that mixed a barbed cross and oak leaves.
"Enjoy your visit."
"Thank you" Nicole smiled as they walked past the agent down a hallway that would lead them to the pickup area.
"Now listen you two" she said in a mock serious tone.
"It's bad enough that you talk about me in Prydanian. You won't pull Rúrik and Víf into your games!" she chuckled.
"Oh that's cute sis she thinks we talk about her in Prydansk" Markthór said to Addý in Prydanian with a teasing grin.
"Such an ego on this one" Addý replied in Prydanian, winking to her sister-in-law, earning a look of mock angry look from Nicole.
"But it's ok. Víf and Rúrik both speak Mercanti."
Rúrik checked his watch and held his wife as she leaned against him as he looked around. The new Býkonsviði airport was quite nice. Very modern and sleek.
"There they are!" Víf said, noticing their three guests emerging from a small crowd of people. Rúrik looked up and smiled wide.
"Look who it is!" he said in Prydanian. Víf was right. Seeing them in person seemed to raise her husband's spirits.
"It's been too long cousins" he said in Mercanti he hugged Markthór and then Addý before hugging Nicole too.
"And you must be the poor soul this one tricked into marriage!"
"Yes, but I make it work" Nicole replied as more hugs were exchanged. "So happy to meet you both."
"Look at you!" Addý remarked.
"Uncle Tjörvi would be so proud. I know Pabbi is."
"Yes he is" Markthór replied.
"He and mother want all of the pictures we can possibly get so be prepared."
"Ha" Rúrik chuckled.
"Well let's get going. Before I forget where I parked in that damn maze of a parking garage."
He took both Nicole and Addý's bag, laughing as Markthór tried to hand him his.
"No Markþór, you can handle your own bags."
"Ha!" Markthór replied.
"Fair enough. I admit I'm not as pretty as these two or Víf."
"No but you make up for it by being oh so strong" Nicole teased.
"So Rúrik is right. Carry your own bag."
Nicole happened to glance down as Rúrik grabbed her bag. He was wearing a light jacket for the November air, and the sleeve pulled up ever so slightly. She saw a scar on his wrist, and sighed softly.
It was a reminder from the stiff and thick plastic ID bracelets the workers on the Syndicalist collective farms had to wear. Rúrik would have had to wear one from the age of 10 to 22. Between the thick and sharp plastic and metal bolts to keep them tight? Well of course there would be scaring.
She smiled softly, offering Rúrik a soft "thank you" and making an effort not to look at his wrist.
"Congratulations on Týr" Addý said as they made their way to the car.
"The pictures on Twitcher look so adorable!"
"He knows it too" Rúrik laughed.
"I'm sure of it. The little bugger uses his cuteness to get his way."
"Yes imagine when he's old enough to talk" Víf replied.
"This one" she said pointing to her husband, "won't be able to avoid spoiling him rotten."
"What can I say? He's got me around his finger. Want to do right by him and all."
Rúrik and Markthór loaded the bags into the back of the Midland SUV.
"It's still a bit of a drive from Býkonsviði, but the new highway speeds it up" Rúrik said after they'd finished loading the bags.
"Yes but we were thinking we could stop in Erkiengill and grab some lunch" Víf added.
"Oh I don't think that's a problem" Addý replied.
"I didn't eat anything on the plane."
"I didn't either" Nicole said. "And Markthór, don't even get him started."
"All airplane food is poison" he chuckled.
"Well it's a plan. Let's head out!"
Vor í Vaglaskógi by KALEO, 4:38
Last edited: