Beyond the Ragnarök

As the pyres ignite and flames began to lick vigorously upwards, Leif maneuvered to where his friends were gathered.

To Halp, “Well done, I’m sure your words have brought solace to many this eve.”

To Sólmyrkvi and Kora, “I imagine that was rather gruesome. Glad I didn’t have to witness that.”

To all, “The proceedings here were watched, in part, by our Ratatoskr neighbors. They skittered off just before the fires were lit.”

As he speaks, he is not concentrating on the faces of those he’s addressing. Instead, he continues to crane his neck to watch the crowd. He also does not indicate the location of where he saw the squirrel folk, just in case inquisitive eyes were upon their little group.

Having made his way to Sólmyrkvi and Kora, Halp says to them, "She did not suffer."  It is statement, not a question.

Yet he finds himself awaiting confirmation, looking to each of them. And back again.

He will wait to get that confirmation. 

Halp finds that he needs that confirmation. Any other answer would, he feels, be... unsatisfactory. 

Quote from Dreamhobbit>>

With Merros... 

Once they get their answers, Sólmyrkvi nods and wishes Glimgriss well.  He offers to help bear the stretcher with the body back to the pyres. 

At the funeral service, Sólmyrkvi just feels numb: he has already lost so much.  The smell of the burning bodies is awful, though not entirely unfamiliar to him -- there was more than one funeral pyre during the years of Ragnorök and more than one village set aflame.  Once the fire is lit and the headless corpse is added to the pyre, he makes his way back to Leif and Halp.  If possible, he walks around the downwind side of the fire so that he can walk through the smoke.  The smoke stings his eyes until tears run down his cheeks.  

Quote from PlotArmored >>

To Sólmyrkvi and Kora, “I imagine that was rather gruesome. Glad I didn’t have to witness that.” 

Quote from Godster1 >>

Having made his way to Sólmyrkvi and Kora, Halp says to them, "She did not suffer." 

Sólmyrkvi rubs away the tears and then tries to adopt an impassive expression.  He figures that it's the safest option here, and anyone observing him would just think that he's holding his emotions inside.  He's not sure whether anyone else is close enough to hear them speaking, and he doesn't think that they need to know the truth right away.  He gives them honest but vague answers. 

To Leif: "I'm glad that we went to bear witness.  I didn't know what to expect, but it wouldn't have mattered.  I couldn't have imagined...um...what we saw.  Give me a little time: I will be able to say more.  Later."

To Halp: "No. You are right, Halp: she did not suffer.  That is a comfort."

Quote from PlotArmored >>

To all, “The proceedings here were watched, in part, by our Ratatoskr neighbors. They skittered off just before the fires were lit.”

"Oh?!"  Sólmyrkvi is definitely interested in that news.  "We should definitely talk.  After the ceremony is over?"  He figures that once the funeral is done, their group can gather together away from the crowds, possibly by his tent.  Or maybe they should first slip away to wherever Leif saw the red squirrels to see whether they're still there. 

Once the funeral is over and he's sure that no one is nearby, Sólmyrkvi is happy to tell Leif and Halp what actually happened with Glimgriss, getting Kora to corroborate the unexpected outcome.  He tries to relate everything that happened, but he doesn't really know any details beyond what Merros and Glimgriss said.  He makes them both promise not to tell anyone else: "Merros swore us to secrecy, only permitting us to share her fate with the two of you." 

Quote from Dreamhobbit >>

As the pyres are lit and the bodies burn you all have a few moments to catch up before the kings closes the ceremony.  

If nothing else demands their attention at the end of the ceremony, Sólmyrkvi proposes that they swing by the spot where Leif saw the red squirrelfolk before heading back to their tents.