sjel, vær trofast (inactive)

So a while back (I can’t remember exactly when but I think it was some time around the 40s/50s), a bunch of penguins escaped. A keeper left the gate open so a bunch of penguins just… followed them. And the people loved it. Look at these adorable birds outside their cage just following that guy around! So they get all the penguins back inside and realise that none of them really ran off, they just followed the keeper and went back inside and crowd thought it was amazing, so why not make it a regular thing? Get enough people there that if one of them goes to make a run for it (which at least one has in the past), they can’t get past the people, and let the ones who want outside have a little wander. So every day, they get a crowd, they open the gate, and whatever penguins want to get out can go, waddle about, squawk at people, and then hop back inside.

in 1913 norway gave the edinburgh zoo its first king penguin

in 1972 the norwegian kings guard visited edinburgh for a drill display, and adopted a king penguin. the penguin had not done anything special, penguins were not meaningful to this regiment, they just wanted a penguin. so they got a penguin. they named him after the man who had this idea, nils egelien, and the at-the-time king of norway, olav v

the penguin pictured is nils olav iii, as the original penguin adopted in 1972 is no longer with us

each time the kings guard visit the zoo he gets promoted. he started as a lance corporal and is now a brigadier

when he was knighted a citation from the king described him as a penguin “in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood”

Sterke drømme, fagre drømme, kom i flokk som ville svaner, løftet meg på brede vinger.

His eyes – glassy and foreboding – trail from her shoulder back down to her lowered face against his will. Eirik’s throat is dry. Anxious, he rubs the back of his neck, but still can’t seem to look away.

“It’s over now. All of that.” It’s barely a whisper. His face betrays no emotion, even though his eyes look close to tears. Of course, he won’t be crying. No matter how close those eyes may seem to it.

“You shouldn’t worry about what you ‘deserved’……..” Eirik sighs almost dejectedly, “No one deserved any of that. No one………..”  

Johanne lifted her head a little to look up to him. Even if he looked so distant and reserved - almost cold, she did notice how his eyes… Her heart clenched in her chest when she realized how close to tears he was. It hurt to think how lonely and lost he must have been feeling when he was going through the war.

Without thinking at all about it, she lifted her hand and gently touched his face, her fingers moving slowly over the high points of his cheekbone. She wanted to wipe away his tears and make sure he was alright - like she did when they were little, like when they were together. But she shouldn’t.

But when the first spike of fear is gone -- when the shock and tears subside, and finally give him space to breathe -- his eyes adjust and he sees Johanne’s face. He sees the softness in her expression. The sad, fragile smile on her lips, and the freckles dancing across her skin. 

Eirik’s insides twist, but it’s a feeling that shouldn’t be mistaken for discomfort. It’s a strange and wonderful burn. A curling sensation of heat from his stomach to his chest, and he feels so, so tired. 

How ironic, he thinks to himself, that even in the wake of tragedy, she remains so beautiful. Her palm pressed lightly against his cheek. Her fingers stroking his face, and the way it causes his shoulders to lose all tensity and slump forward in defeat. 

When Johanne finally pulls away, he understands. He’s grateful -- even. Eirik bites down on his tongue and swallows his pride. All these years.........all these centuries........and still, he is a fool. 

A fool who has always given in far too easily than he should.

Johanne agrees with his statement -- one that he had almost forgotten about; even though made only seconds ago, the act of her touch having spread out the time in-between from scarcely half a minute to what felt like an eternity.