Loftyr Vetrsonn

UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE TEXT BELOW IS RAMBLY AND UNEDITED WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT CHUNKS OF WRITING.

Loftyr was the second, or perhaps third, depending on which twin you asked, son of a decently well off family of noble birth. Besides him, there was the eldest child,  Valdimárr, an arrogant son and born leader, and after his birth came Loftyr and his twin, Sindri. The twins were inseparable from birth, sharing a special bond greater than brotherhood. They considered one another their other half, meaning one spirit shared between two bodies, and not only were there no secrets between the two, but they shared an almost telepathic bond. The next child and first daughter was Hildr, an absolute wild child who refused to listen to anyone. Valdimárr usually managed to corral her, and the twins kept to themselves for the most part, and they did so up until puberty, when they started noticing other people, beautiful men and women. It was also around this time that the fourth son, Finnr was born. Finnr was unlike his siblings in that he was an absolute softie and all he wanted to do is follow his elder brothers around adoringly, but he never had much strength or aptitude for magic, and was always seen as weak. The final child and second daughter was Rúna, a sickly child who, against all odds, survived to grow up into a graceful and petite woman with a clever wit and sharp tongue who could overcome any obstacle thrown her way. 

The large family presided over a small township, providing protection and leadership over the years.  They also spurred the economy by not only spending what they could on the wares and goods the townsfolk provided, but also by hiring on several townsfolk for various services. They took a meager tax that changed depending on the season to account for scarcity and not over-tax the people, and they used the money to help improve life within the town.  It was a delicate ecosystem, and the family was well-loved for maintaining it. Valdimárr, as the eldest, was next in line to take on the duties of his father. Loftyr and Sindri were expected to act as aid to their brother and offer advice or assistance when needed. They were content as long as they never had to worry about being apart. Despite their experimentation with others during puberty and further relationships, the pair still retained an almost unhealthy attachment to one another. Eventually, Valdimárr was intended to find a wife and create more heirs to the family name. The rest of the children did not hold such high expectations from their parents, and were free to do as they pleased. At most, his sisters would be married off to other noble families to strengthen bonds and forge ties, but him, his twin, and Finnr were more free to pursue their own romances, or ignore them altogether if they so chose. 

One harsh winter, Loftyr and Sindri were now young men, and Finnr was old enough now to show interest in his elder brothers duties, the town was struck with the start of a famine. While the crops were growing as well as they could in such a cold climate, the livestock owned by the townsfolk were slowly going missing. Meat started to become scarce, and rumor was starting to spread that a snow white beast was prowling around at night, larger than even a bear. Soon after the livestock grew thin, the occasional person would go missing as well, if they strayed too deep into the woods.  The townsfolk grew afraid, and after some research, it was theorized that it was a single creature coming down from the caves in the mountain at night to steal livestock and anyone within the forest.  The three eldest brothers were far more adept at fighting, with Valdimárr being a strong warrior skilled in the use of all sorts of weapons, Loftyr a skilled magic user who could handle both fire and ice magics, and even a combination of the two with a cold flame, and Sindri, Loftyr's equal in terms of magic, but a perfect companion in that he specialized in defensive spells and healing. The pair could work in perfect tandem to protect and defend one another seamlessly.  They formed a hunting group to go out and kill the beast, given that they were the most equipped, and it was their duties as lords.  They took with them each a powerful steed and a few large hunting dogs, and were followed by two brave townsfolk.  Their youngest brother, Finnr, of course, wanted to come along and help. He had been learning how to use a sword, and while he was learning quickly, he was inexperienced, but through determination and an absolute refusal to stay home, he went with the group. 

The hunting group was able to find a tuft of white fur that seemed to be from the creature, caught on the bark of a tree with large gashes in its trunk. The party knew the beast was going to be large and dangerous, and now they were entering its territory. The dogs were able to pick up the scent using the fur, though, and lead them straight to the den of the beast that had been terrorizing the town for so long.  As they approached, they saw a creature the size of a large dog outside a large cave, and they paused, wondering if this was the creature that had given them so much trouble. It was so small in comparison to what they had thought...
It was pure white, and much the same shape as a polar bear, with small bits of ice and snow in its fur as it dug in the snow, oblivious to the hunting party. 

Valdimárr was the first to act, drawing and loading a crossbow, firing it at the beast for an element of surprise, and it rang true, hitting the thing square in the shoulder. It gave out a cry and turned to look around for its attacker, but before the party could go in to finish the kill, an echoing, much larger cry came from within the cave, and soon an absolutely massive beast emerged from the cave, and the party immediately knew this was not just one lone creature stealing livestock, but a mother Ursa Polaris and her cub. And now the two had spotted the party and were chasing after the intruders.  They quickly overtook the horses, felling them and spilling their riders out into the snow.  Sindri and Loftyr sprung up first, launching into a series of offensive and defensive spells, and Valdimárr was up soon after, going after the mother ursa, going in for a hit, then dodging back. The townsfolk came in to help, and so did the dogs, but they were felled as well, leaving only the brothers in the snow, fighting off an angry Ursa Polaris, with the cub some distance away. The Ursa landed a blow to Loftyr, leaving a gash in his side, and Sindri immediately dropped his shielding spell to tend to his twin's wounds, using healing magic to stitch the flesh back together. Meanwhile, Finnr decided this was his opportunity to run up to the cub and deliver a swift stab to its neck as it was running off, frightened of the commotion.  Its dying cries reached the mother Ursa and she immediately charged towards Finnr. Valdimárr saw this happened and knew his younger brother couldn't survive an attack by the beast, so he jumped upon her back and stabbed between her shoulderblades, distracting her long enough for Finnr to escape, but Valdimárr was now the target, and she easilly flung him off her back and tore into him. Sindri was too focused on his twin to see how bad his injuries were, but the thought of losing his twin was too painful, and he continued healing Loftyr. When he was healed, unaware of his elder brother bleeding out, he sprung up and attacked with his magic, providing an opportunity for his twin to rush to Valdimárr's aid. But Sindri's focus was torn between healing the eldest brother and protecting his twin, and as the light faded from Valdimárr's eyes, Sindri knew his healing had not come quick enough, and it was no use. He stood by his twin's side, and together they vanquished the Ursa Polaris. 

In the end, the townsfolk were both overjoyed to have the monsters killed and plenty of meat to eat, but saddened by the loss of two of their people and the eldest Vetersonn child. Their family was wracked with grief, and all Loftyr and Sindri wanted to do was retreat back into their own world, with just the two of them, as it had been when they were children. In their grief, all they could think about was "what if it had been him and not our eldest brother?". They would have bouts of anxiety if they could not see one another for any length of time, they would huddle close in the same bed, unable to shake off the icy chill from that fateful night, no matter how many blankets they slung over themselves or how closely they clung to one another. Their parents let them stay like this. "They're grieving. Let them mourn in their own way" and never once sought to separate the two. Over time, the misery of the incident faded and life moved on, but the twins were still never apart. They acted more as one entity, and seemed almost the same person, twice. They were never apart and spoke to each other in sentences half aloud and half through some twin bond. They grew cold to anyone but themselves and their brother, with whom they would always be in arms reach, seeking comfort and warmth from only their twin. Loftyr and Sindri were the only two who mattered in their world, and both the townsfolk and their aging parents were starting to get worried. Instead of admitting they let things get too far over the years, their parents sent the twins away to distant relatives, a stern lord who could surely whip them into shape. 

Once again, the twins did not mind, as long as they were together. There at this distant relative's home, they were put into separate rooms, but they would find new ways to sneak into one another's rooms at night. They were introduced to countless attractive men and women, hoping someone would spark at least one of their interests. They were punished, locked up, anything and everything was done to try and drive a wedge between the two. They were starved, or only given enough food for one of them in hopes a fight would break out, but instead they rationed the food, even took to sneaking into the kitchen to steal and hoard food.