earned it

The talk of the gods was about all that could sober him so dramatically. Even if Hypnos did not believe in the gods that he and Katja shared, he would have to listen and learn about them. They could teach him things, even if he did not worship them as he did. He was pleased at the boy's attention, and even more pleased at his question.  "A good question," he acknowledged with a curt nod.  "Odin does not decide what we do. He only gives us the courage and the will to act." His pace would slow, his body reeling around as he slowly turned to stop at the river's edge. Though they could talk as they walked, the question presented by Hypnos was a complex one, but one he was beyond happy to address.

"I can answer your question by telling you a story that my mother told me once," he began, his voice serious as he glanced sideways at him.  "Legends say there is a tree, called Yggdrasil, that stands at the center of all the worlds. It grows from the Well of Urðr, and in its branches and roots hold everything that has ever existed. The tree is nourished from he water in the well, which is filled again as the dew drips from the leaves of the tree in the morning," he'd explain carefully, trying to lead up to the point he was trying to make.  "Life is much like the tree. A cycle. Without the nourishment from the water, the tree will not survive, and the well cannot continue to nourish the tree without receiving water back from the tree. Another story, too, tells of three women who carve the fate of children into Yggdrasil," he'd add pointedly.  "All beings are subject to these carvings, but this is merely the first glimpse into a being's life. It can be changed, depending on your actions and the course you choose to take."

Wondering if Hypnos had taken anything from his musings, he eyed him curiously, head tilting. His expression was softer now -- the boy was a student to him, though he was as close to a friend as he'd had in a long while, and the warm expression he offered him was a rarity from the viking.  "I suppose I would say that your mother's demise was not necessarily fated," Kapra would offer finally.  "You can only become what you were meant to be if you chose it. I don't believe your life is fully fated, but the concept of complete freedom is just as foolish. You do not have to be anything at all, though the gods give you a push in the right direction. Your life -- it is in your paws. The same goes for Katja, when she took Yfir. There is nothing wrong with straying from the course you were meant. Do you think you were supposed to be here?" A soft laugh left his lips, though he was serious too -- was their reunion fated, or had it merely been a coincidence? It didn't matter much to Kapra either way, for he figured a bit of both was what life consisted of.