Jessica Zhou, Period 6, 5/26/23

 Unferth x Grendel : A love story

Unferth was drunk again. He had too much mead after one of the few joyous nights left in Hrothgar’s mead hall. The air in the town was thick with tension and whispers about the strange killings of guards that were in the front of the mead hall. Rumors were whirling during the day about a fearsome man-eating monster, but that night (or any night for that matter), Unferth did not care about his safety. In fact, he wished the monster would come out from the shadows and kill him right then and there. At least he would then be honored with a hero’s death. Unferth clanks his sword angrily against the shield strapped to his side. He used to be a praised and honored warrior, all up till the moment he killed his brothers. Now… now he was just bound to Hrothgar because of the king’s pity. He shook his head and took another swig of mead. What use was it thinking of them now? All they wanted was a piece of his former fame and glory. They were dead now anyway. 

Unferth stumbles into the forest and continues to make his way to the top of a steep hill. As he’s walking, he trips on a branch and falls onto the ground. Fantastic. He lingers on the ground for a moment before letting out a yell of frustration and anger. Misfortune chased  him everywhere. Defeated by a tree, Unferth begins to throw something like a temper tantrum. 

Oh if only Unferth really knew how deep his misfortune was. It just so happened that the cave entrance that Unferth decided to rest at was also Grendel’s dwelling. 

Grendel had awoken to the most infernal noises happening nearby. He had heard a yell and then a clanging and more yelling. He sighed and got up from his makeshift bed. “I guess it’s never too early in the morning to kill another human” he thought. The sky was still pitch black and after Grendel crept from shadow to shadow to the entrance, he could make out the pitiful silhouette of Unferth throwing his sword and shield against a tree.

“Ah it’s the brother killer”, he thought to himself in amusement. He giggled a little bit in his head about how childish it was to throw a temper tantrum (hee hee).

“My life has no purpose anymore”, Unferth spoke suddenly to himself. Grendel stopped in his tracks. 

“Oh?” Grendel inquired out loud unintentionally. He gasped and quickly covered his mouth, hoping that Unferth wouldn’t hear. Fortunately, Unferth was too far gone and simply dismissed the voice as a conversation between himself and his consciousness. 

“Yes. There’s no meaning for me anymore. The only thing left that I’m holding on to is a hero’s honor. A hero’s death. I used to be a warrior once. A respected one too. Now all I am is a kin killer”. Unferth winced at his own words. “I should’ve never killed my brothers.”

“How do you go on?” Grendel genuinely asked. He was sitting now in a corner of the cave, barely hidden. Any thought of killing had fully left his mind. Here he was, talking to someone. How long had it been since he had any real conversation with another being like him? The rest of the humans couldn’t understand him, the dragon wanted nothing to do with him, and he and his mother didn’t even understand each other on a linguistic level.

Grendel stared at a wall, waiting patiently for Unferth to answer his question. He waited and waited until he heard a soft snore. Unferth was asleep. Sighing, Grendel stepped out into the moonlight and hesitantly gathered Unferth’s things. He gingerly picked up Unferth’s sleeping body and carried him back home. Grendel told himself it was because he wanted Unferth to suffer more and helplessly watch his town burn as he slaughtered everyone. He wasn’t showing Unferth mercy because he was the only person that could have a chance of understanding what he felt. With that thought following him, Grendel made his way back to his cave, secretly hoping that Unferth would come back soon. 

The next morning, Unferth woke up in his own bed. Surprised at first, he quickly dismisses not remembering returning home as a consequence of his drunken stupor the night before. He also couldn’t find his sword. This was the last straw for an already confusing morning. Unferth stood there, retracing his steps the night before. “Oh! It must be near that forest cave from yesterday….”. As Unferth trekked up the mountain, he had ample time to think about yesterday’s events. “Was… WAS I TALKING TO SOMEONE IN THE CAVE?”. Unferth was now at the entrance of the cave again and picked up his sword. He whirled to face the cave. 

“HELLO?”, he yelled into the darkness.

“HELLO HELLO hello hello” , the cave echoed back

“IS ANYONE THERE?”

“IS ANYONE THERE ERE ere”

There was a giggle from the cave.

“Who’s there?”, Unferth cautiously asked as he brandished his sword.

Grendel stepped out of the cave and smirked at Unferth as he wondered what kind of reaction Unferth would have to a vile creature like him. Almost like clockwork, Unferth’s shield was up and his sword out threateningly. 

“Woah… what’s with the hostilities? I took care of you last night you know. I was the one speaking to you”, Grendel taunted. 

“You’ll never know what I really feel like, you monster. Just shut up and face me”, Unferth said through gritted teeth. In that moment, it was like he finally felt like his blood was pumping for once. Whether or not he beat Grendel in battle, he would be celebrated in the Shaper’s songs forever as a hero. 

“Oh? Feeling misunderstood and wandering around with no purpose doesn’t sound like too much of a foreign thought to me. Isn’t that what you feel? We’re more alike than you think”, Grendel sneered. With that, Unferth lunged at Grendel. Grendel easily stepped aside and evaded the attack. Unferth’s sword was not as lucky and instead got lodged in a tree. 

“Stop evading me and fight me like a man”, Unferth howled as he yanked at his sword.

“You said it yourself. I’m not a man, I’m a monster”. With a roar, Unferth pulled his sword free and charged at Grendel again. He was swinging and hacking and yet Grendel remained untouched. 

“If you were a real monster, you would fight me and help me be a hero that the world will remember”.

“If you were a real hero you would’ve been dead by now”, Grendel growled. He grabs Unferth’s wrists and swings him into his arms. 

Unferth’s eyes widened. There was a fire in Grendel’s eyes. Was it bloodlust or…? Both of their hearts were pounding. Grendel could feel the beats of Unferth’s heart through his fur. Was his own heart beating as fast? He couldn’t tell. It was like their hearts were intertwined in this moment. 

Badump Badump Badump.

“Why be a hero and help them anyway? I understand you. I think you would understand me.” Grendel said.

Unferth hesitated. “What do you want from me?”

“Join me, become my companion. I’m searching for a purpose in my long dreary life and I’ve been lonely for too long. Come travel around with me. Maybe we can find our peace together”. Grendel could not believe the words coming out of his mouth right now. At the same time he couldn’t take the words back. It was true. Maybe he could escape the dragon’s grasp and his fate as Cain’s descendant. And he was lonely. No one to talk to, no one to laugh with, no one to confide in.  

Unferth looked at Grendel. “I-I uh. I-”, he managed to stammer out. His face was a bright bright red and it felt like his body was on fire. 

Grendel moved to brush Unferth’s hair out of his face. “I won’t ask again”. 

Grendel put Unferth down and started walking away back into the cave. 

“Hey! Wait for me. I’ll-I’ll go.” Unferth ran after Grendel. “Where do we go first?”

Grendel laughed and picked the human up again and kissed his forehead. “We have all the time in the world to decide.”