In a way Ragnar understood why Charon had done it — why he had dashed away, hoping to be Kevlyn's hero, and while it came as some kind of surprise to think that the other Ostrega boy may still be alive, Ragnar did not think that there was such a thing as “saving Kevlyn”. He had been gone too long, corrupted by whatever malicious creature had stolen him from the shores of the Bay. Would he even want to come home? Was the Bay even home to him anymore? Ragnar did not voice these aloud to Charon, for the child's own sake. Ragnar did not believe in hiding things from his children but at the same time Charon was still just a boy and Ragnar found that he was not so willing to steal away what innocence he had left of the world by marring his belief that Kevlyn could be saved with Ragnar's pessimistic own. “You are growing fine and strong, Charon,” Ragnar complimented the boy but paused for a second before he added, “but you are still a boy. You could have been killed, or taken from us like Kevlyn and Liyani. I know you do not realize how worried you had Thistle and I but we were. Yet again, I felt helpless. I did not know where you were and therefor would not have been able to help you.” He hated lecturing his children, but at the same time he wished to communicate to Charon that it was okay to take the time to get an adult, if not Thistle or Ragnar himself then someone.
Ragnar did not know what to say when Charon confessed to wanting to “fix” Levi. It would have been easy for Ragnar to say that eventually their memories of their brother would fade and that the ache would dull to something that hit them only once in a while. Or, like in Ragnar's case, it would go away, though he had came face to face with Bjorn's death if only because he'd dealt it himself. The Northman hesitated here, wanting to confess what he thought might have happened with Kevlyn but was not, at this point, willing too. “It is admirable how you love your brother, Charon, but the Gods take with one hand and give with the other,” Ragnar paused here, taking a deep breath before letting it out in a soft exhale. “Sometimes we must not focus so much on what they have taken from us, but what they have given us in return.” It was a hard thing to do, even for Ragnar. Yet, he wanted Charon (and essentially Levi) to be able to focus upon what they had, as opposed to “what could be”. If they kept living in the mind set of “well this could be if this and this hadn't happened or if I did this” would only serve to drive them insane.
“Maybe,” The Viking conceded dryly, though he did not believe it. If Stavanger Bay was being targeted and had become some witches' scapegoat then they were in danger just as much as the Glacier wolves. Still, he was not as optimistic as his young son in concerns to the Glacier wolves listening to him or the Bay wolves if their case was pleaded. Ragnar enjoyed war as much as the next heathen but not when his stubborn queen was pregnant and would want to be in the thick of the battle, akin to a true shield-maiden. He would not lose her, nor the children growing within her womb.
Ragnar's singular eye, trained upon Charon as it was, caught the boy's wince of pain, reminding Ragnar that the boy did not come back to them unscathed. “I'm calling for @Thistle Cloud so she can look at your wound,” He informed the boy, wanting him to be prepared lest Thistle made him explain himself, as well.
