#tim leach

Was Gunnar in love with Kjaran??? I CAN’T TELL. It was either one epic bromance or else a one sided romance and honestly I don’t know which one. I’m leaning towards the one sided romance. Otherwise why didn’t Gunnar swear the blood brother oath with Kjaran? What was he afraid of? And then when he died his last words were Kjaran’s name over and over again. Bjorn literally tells Kjaran, “He called your name. As if... as if you were some woman that he loved. That was all he said as he died. Your name, over and over again.” And then Kjaran is all, “I thought of what I knew, of the words that a dying man must speak. I knew my friend then, for the first and last time.” (322) WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??? HE WAS TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH HIM, RIGHT? 

And at the very end of the story Kjaran says that the last words a dying man must speak is the name of the one he loves most. It could be platonic. But I don’t think so. I mean, “as if you were some woman that he loved,” pretty clearly implies that it was romantic. Yup, I’ve convinced myself. Gunnar loved Kjaran. 

But like...I didn’t get that sense when I was reading their interactions? Before this part, which is pretty close to the end, they did just seem like best friends. So am I reading too much into this bit? I just want someone else’s opinion.