scintilla: latin
"a tiny trace or spark of a feeling"
Chapter One:
The last clear memory Runa could recall from that day was giving her father a heartfelt goodbye. She was only to be gone for a weeks time, but that was not the reason why worry consumed her when her departure came upon them. It had been months since the warrior king received what frightened him so, and yet she remembered his shaken stature still lingering. She still felt the cold touch of his hands on her shoulders, trying to be still and encouraging to his daughter yet failing to do so. He looked almost sickly, just like he did on the day the seer spoke the possible fate that chilled him to the bone. This was why she was so reluctant to leave their home. King Einar Wolf-Fang was no coward, that she knew for certain. Anything that would frighten him was to be taken with the utmost seriousness. He would not tell her what the seer had told him, for it truly set fear into his heart. The seer… the gods little puppet. She respected the old man, as did many, however she felt he was often used to set fear into peoples hearts for the gods amusement. She had heard his blood-curdling laugh many times before, believing the sound did not come purely from his own throat. There was a time when she had nearly traveled to Kattegat on her own to force the seer to tell her what he had done to her father. However the king insisted that all would be well, that she should not worry over him. It was supposed to be the other way around, he would say. He had relayed these same words to her for weeks, so many times that neither of them could recall the number. Even as she was about to depart, he spoke them again.
Runa remembered her fathers tight embrace and the quick push to her horse that followed, missing the comforting touch of her parent. Neither of them knew it would be their last goodbye, or their last memory of each other.
The events that followed her departure from her mountainous home nearly blurred out what came before. All she could think of over and over was a berserker springing from the cover of the forests, just barely missing the back legs of her horse. He had aimed to strike her steed down and then run a single cut along the princess's throat. However her horse was smart, jerking forward to put more distance between themselves and him. Runa, thankfully, held a dagger hidden under her dress which easily slipped into her grasp and plunged deep into the man's collarbone. However the weapon she threw did not kill him, and she didn't have the option to dismount and fight. If she had not been caught off guard and did not need a horse to travel by, she would have been able to do so. Once she regained her focus, and a hold onto her horse, she immediately pushed it into a gallop in no particular direction. Just as far away from her attacker as she could go. Where the man had come from, she had no idea, however she knew he wasn't a wanderer. They were very unlikely to attack someone just as he had done. He must have been hired. From what she could see, his attire was clean cut and neat despite being under furs and disheveled hair, which made her question… where could she possibly go to for refuge?
Hedeby was the first place that came to her mind. She hadn't initially planned to go there, and yet that was where her horse had taken them. Once Runa was spotted from the gates, the first to come to her was Lagertha. The last time she had seen the shield-maiden before that moment was her departure from Kattegat, after the death of King Horik. She left to go back to her husband, and her husband was who the younger woman expected to see. However he was not there, only Lagertha.
Runa was more than grateful to be sheltered by her on that day, and in truth, glad to learn that the older woman killed her abusive husband and took his earldom. She remembered requesting that they find her attacker immediately, but Lagertha refused to allow the girl to do such a thing. Runa's life was suddenly threatened, and to let her search for someone who tried to kill her was the exact opposite of what the shield-maiden thought they should do.
After consenting to compromise, the women agreed to have others sent. To discover that the berserker was hired by a man she grew up around, a man who she thought to be one of her father's dearest friends… it set a fury inside of her. She wanted to go back to her father, tell him of the traitorous act his friend had done, but only a few days after they received the original news did they receive new information. The king was gone. Her home was usurped and locked away with an unexpectedly strong defense. She couldn't go home alone even though the anger inside of her tempted her so. Runa had intended to go search for her father, hoping he would have escaped with some of his trusted warriors to a place where they could plan their revenge and wait for her to join them. However as the days went on, she realized Lagertha was right. Her life was in danger, more than it was when her father held reign over a strong kingdom. She was now a usurped princess, looking to be killed by those she once trusted. She could not be sure of how many were allied with her new enemies, therefore they came to the only solution that made any sense. The platinum-haired earl made the decision to escort her to Kattegat; the home of her ex-husband.
Lagertha was not the only one who had known Runa since she was small, for she and Ragnar had met the princess on the same day. A bundle of messy, bright red hair and dirty clothes had darted from the woods near their farm on one bone-chilling morning. Ragnar was alone, distracted by the ache of his muscles after yet another uneasy sleep, until a flash of red caught his eye. A little girl had nearly fallen into one of his crops.
Runa could recall this day almost as well as the ex-husband and wife. She remembered looking up into a pair of icy blue eyes after taking quite the fall, not crying in pain but shivering from the cold instead. He had come over to her immediately, concerned yet smiling as if he was looking down at his own clumsy child. Her father appeared soon after she had been wrapped up in a blanket that nearly swallowed her whole, thanking him for being so kind to his daughter. Since then, Runa came to see the Lothbrok family every time she and her father journeyed to Kattegat. And when news spread of Ragnar's sudden rise to power, nothing about their relationship changed. If anything, it gave King Einar a reason to come that did not involve his daughter's pleas to return. So when Runa and Lagertha came riding through the streets of his home, Ragnar welcomed her without a second thought. He himself had wanted to discover more of what happened to her father, for the fellow king had become his friend over the years. However Ragnar saw more sense in staying where they were, for his return to England was arriving all too soon.
...
"Runa!" A soft voice had startled her out of the memories she was reliving, causing the blanket wrapped around her shoulders to fall. The small form of Helga peaked through one of the great hall's large doors, also revealing the heavy rain that began to fall outside. "The boats have returned and are arriving at the docks! Come!" After delivering her news, she immediately went back into the wet weather that left her hair soaked, not bothering to wait for the younger woman. Runa was quick to grab a cloak before waving over a little Ragnarson to hurry and put on his own. When Helga spoke of boats, Hvitserk had appeared suddenly, begging to come with the two women to see his father. She had consented to his pleas with a slight ruffle of his hair.
As they left the longhouse their walk quickly turned into a run, seeing how far they could make it without slipping on the muddy ground. Runa held his little hand tightly as they made their way through the streets of Kattegat, both carrying excited smiles across their faces. She was glad that the men and women had finally returned from England once more, hopefully having many new stories to tell. She always relished in the tales the warriors would bring home with them. Hearing of the Saxons, their treasures, and their God from her own people intrigued her so, making the thought of traveling there herself all the more exciting. Runa hoped that she would be allowed to come on a raid someday soon, as she had insisted many times before. Her father had promised her such a thing for longer than she could remember, however now that he had disappeared, she relied on Ragnar to fulfill her hopes. Knowing her for as long as he did, the king was aware of her ability to fight and protect herself, and that she was well past old enough to travel; she was the same age as his son Björn. However, she feared he would hesitate because of his tendency to worry. If her father did return someday, and something was to happen to her on a raid, she knew he would feel responsible for it whether or not his reasons made sense.
By the time the docks came into her view, she had resorted to carrying the toddler instead. She spotted Aslaug and Helga, both already soaked yet seemingly un-phased, walking near the end of the wooden platform in search of their husbands. Upon seeing the back of the queen, Runa was reminded of what had happened only days ago; the reason for her slightly darkened under eyes and a now tight grip on Hvitserk's small form.
Despite the sudden snowfall that day, she had taken it upon herself to travel to Floki's home, wondering if he might have anything she could use to fashion a better, stronger bow. Seeing as the boatbuilder was miles away, she figured he wouldn't mind if she took a couple things. After all, it wasn't like she didn't do that when he was there, and Helga would often sneak her objects she could use to better her arrows. When she had stepped back out into the snow was when she saw it. Runa had been the one to find the wanderer, Harbard, carrying a passed out Ubbe and Hvitserk in his arms, and the first to learn of what happened to Siggy. Even as he told her that he helped lift the boys to safety, she felt uneasy leaving them in the wanderer's grasp, therefore stuck to his side until they reached the hall. Where Aslaug had been during all of this, she could not put to mind, however she knew the queen would have to bare the burden of telling Ragnar what happened to his sons.
When people finally began to dismount the ships, Runa did not expect what she saw before her. So many men and women were being carried out by others, either wrapped in bandages or close to what she concluded would be an uneasy death. Many were spread about, lying along the sand and being treated as well as they could be by whoever could heal them amidst the rain. She assumed this journey west was intended to be more of a negotiation between king's, and yet people came from the boats as if they had just returned from battle. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a tired Lagertha amidst the pile of bodies, trying her best to wrap as many wounds as she could. Runa felt compelled to trudge through the sand and help, but the cloaked child in her arms reminded her she could not. She paid no mind to the hood that fell from her head, only worrying about keeping Hvitserk dry as his eyes darted from person to person in hopes that one would be his father.
She was unable to catch sight of the king until she heard the sound of his voice. "I said where are my sons?" His tone had become serious towards his wife, prompting Runa to walk towards the pair once she found them. "Father!" The little voice of Hvitserk managed to reach him through the rainfall, causing his once tense posture to relax almost instantly. Runa smiled up at the king as his eyes landed on both her and his son, dragging him away from Aslaug to greet them both. Ragnar was quick to stroke the little boys head and plant a kiss on his forehead, then turned up to Runa with a tired smile, resting a hand on the side of her face. His way of greeting her but also showing gratitude. "Well… I can see that I can rely on at least one woman to watch my sons."
"But where is… Ubbe?" Ragnar's gaze had turned cold once landing back on his wife, and seemingly prepared for the worst. "Sigurd? Ivar?" He wondered aloud. Rollo's voice had immediately interrupted his questioning of his sons whereabouts, as the older brother was yelling for Siggy. Aslaug and Runa shared saddened, nervous expressions, knowing he would have to be told sooner or later. "Rollo… Rollo!" Runa continued to call out his name until he turned to them, resulting in her having to shout. "Siggy is gone... she died."
The frown that had formed on his face nearly made her believe he would strike her down then and there, even with his brother's son in her arms. "How?" His response was exactly what she feared. Runa hesitated, turning to Aslaug in hopes that she would take the burden. With a silent push from Runa, the queen answered for her. "Ubbe and Hvitserk fell through the ice into a frozen lake. Siggy saved their lives… but she drowned."
"We could never find her body."
"The gods are mistaken." He protested against their claims in disbelief. "No, the gods are never mistaken." Floki had quickly chimed in to defend the gods, something she expected him to do, but it only added to the grief already forming on Rollo's face. Ragnar tried to console his brother silently, to keep him from saying things that were not true, but it did nothing. "This is my fault… I did not treat her well."
"Rollo it is not your fault—" Runa attempted to console him herself but she also failed.
"No! It's true... you know it... you all know it." Before anyone could say another word he was gone, but Ragnar was aimed to follow his brother. "Runa take Hvitserk back to the longhouse." With an understanding nod in response, she moved to do as he requested. However before she could even take a step, Björn walked by with Þórunn, whose face was covered by her hood and a blood-stained cloth. "Björn?" The scar on her friends face struck worry into her heart, as it was displayed in her voice. "She will be alright." Despite the seriousness of his tone, she could sense doubt behind his words. "I will come later."
...
Once she returned to the longhouse, it took her a little while to pry Hvitserk from her arms and persuade the boys to stay put inside. The brother she had taken with her was telling his siblings of their fathers return the minute Runa stepped back into the longhouse, prompting Ubbe to come to her side and beg to go see him too. After successfully quieting them down, she had somehow convinced them that Ragnar would come through the large doors very soon and scoop them up into his arms. Helga had already appeared through the doors herself, becoming Runa's saving grace and freeing her from the boys so she would be able to leave. She was insistent on seeing Þórunn as soon as she could, because what she saw at the docks worried her greatly. However, by the time she reached the house she was informed her friend had been brought to, there was anything but a welcoming feel. When pushing to open the door, Runa was meet with a blunt force on the other side. Þórunn had attempted to block it shut. And no matter how many times she pleaded, her friend would not let her in.
"Runa!" Another voice had caught her attention through the pounding of the rain. Knowing that she would most likely not be welcomed inside, Runa turned away from the house with an annoyed huff. Björn had been the one to shout her name, waiting under a canopy where he stood instead of appearing right alongside her. "My mother is looking for you." Another sigh left her mouth before she made her way over to him. She figured her time would serve better with Lagertha rather than continuing to push something that would not happen.
"You should leave Þórunn be, let her rest."
"What happened to her?" She snapped, disregarding his words. The question seemed to stir something in him. A memory, Runa assumed, he did not want to relive. "She was injured in a fight against the Saxons, that is all I can say…" He hesitated for a moment, "The rest you will have to hear from her… if she ever comes out." The only gesture of goodbye he gave was a brush of their shoulders as he went in the opposite direction. He didn't want to speak of it any longer, and she knew she wouldn't be able to make him. "Where are you going?" She called out.
"To have a drink."
…
She had heard the deep shouts from the men outside when she strode into the longhouse hours ago, and heard them faintly continue until Floki came through the doors. Her gaze never left the fire, even as the older man appeared across from her where his wife already sat. Lagertha had asked that she return with her to Hedeby once the injured were taken care of and Kattegat was in a somewhat normal phase again. She wanted the younger woman at her side for a handful of reasons; one being that Runa was one of the few the shieldmaiden could fully trust nowadays. Although Runa felt torn for many reasons as well. "What troubles you little fire girl?" The unusually calming voice of Floki's brought her out of the thoughts that held her attention. Hearing him call her by the nickname she had let only him use brought a smile to her face, despite the conflicted mood she was in. "It would seem I've been given yet another difficult decision to make."
"I think it is only difficult for you because you make it so." Lagertha responded, appearing from the other side of the longhouse with a cup of ale in hand. Floki chuckled at his friend's response. However the gleeful expression dropped from his face as soon as Athelstan came to sit beside her; something Runa noticed all too easily. "Although I can understand why you find it to be. There are many here who want you to stay in Kattegat." She continued, offering Runa a cup which she absentmindedly took. "Yes, they have already clung to my arms and begged me not to go." She said with her arms outstretched. The four laughed lightly at her dramatic tone, knowing Runa spoke of the little Ragnarsons. Hvitserk and Ubbe had quite literally done what she had described only moments ago. Being present when Lagertha asked her to leave with her to Hedeby, they almost immediately ran to her side, tugging at her sleeves and wondering if she was really going to leave them so soon. "But while you decide you can help with the plans for the settlement. Perhaps more of our people will want to go and join."
"Oh yes. We can go work for a Christian king, in a Christian country!" If the laugh in between his words wasn't enough giveaway, what came out of Floki's mouth dripped of sarcasm. The boatbuilder would take every chance to ridicule another faith, especially Christians. "Perhaps we can also become Christians. Why not?" At this, Runa rolled her eyes, knowing he would never cease his mockery, and yet hoping he would someday give it up. She found it overused. "Whatever they choose to do will be up to them." All eyes had landed on Athelstan as he suddenly spoke up against Floki. Runa, in particular, was taken aback by his words. She knew he was Christian, but he was so silent and reserved about his faith that she assumed he would say nothing.
"Who asked you priest?"
"Floki!"
"What? He's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. I don't know why Ragnar listens to him."
"Not when he could listen to an old fool like you hmm, Floki?"
"Exactly!" Floki took Runa's words as lighthearted and in agreement with his own, as she had hoped he would. She knew that Athelstan's faith had nothing to do with Ragnar's trust in him, and felt the need to say so. But she chose to hold her tongue. Runa intended to erase any tension she sensed between the two and defending him would only make it worse. It was then that Athelstan stood to his feet and bid them goodnight. She figured he would rather escape the situation instead of staying any longer, which was what she would have done.
Runa turned back to Lagertha after he disappeared through the doors, hoping to ask her more about why she wanted her to come back to Hedeby. Although a sudden trudge into the hall interrupted their conversation. "Björn?" Lagertha looked up at her son with a shocked expression; an expression that soon formed on Runa's face as well. Her friend came into the hall with a reddened, beat up face and cuts along his cheek. "What?" The one word he said dragged along. He seemed anything but interested in his mothers worry and the conversation that would follow, which led to a short-lived bickering between them. Björn had gotten himself into a fight with his uncle, which explained the unusually loud shouts she heard earlier. Runa grazed her fingers over the defined bruise under his eye once she approached him, but was met with a hiss and his own hand pushing hers away. At this response, she smacked his arm lightly. "Stop it." She scolded under her breath. "You need something to ease it unless you want to feel worse." She told him, snatching the wet rag from his hand, "Come."
...
After arguing with Björn over the bruises along his face, Runa spent much of the night tossing and turning due to her mind being restless. Her thoughts taunted her. Of Hedeby, of Kattegat, of how one place could be different if she stayed in the other. She told her self repeatedly that it was not as big of an importance as she made it out to be, and yet somehow she was convinced it was. When Lagertha left Kattegat, Björn told her that everything seemed to shift. She feared if she left then the same thing would happen. Runa did not like change, it was one of her worse traits. It caused her to blow things out of proportion, overthink, worry. All in all, she wished she could be rid of it.
Although despite her lack of sleep, once morning came she felt rested. Most likely because of the little hands that dragged her from her bed and forced her to wake up, but nonetheless, rested. And once meals were finished, the great hall filled with chatter once again. After raids, people would crowd around the longhouse for many weeks, even at an early hour such as this. Life started very early in the day for them all, therefore the number of people she saw wasn't an abnormal thing. Time passing by like a breeze was not abnormal either, especially when she was distracted by all the stories she heard throughout the day.
By afternoon she noticed many of Lagertha's shieldmaidens had encircled the earl's seat, beginning to talk about journeying west again. Runa would be lying if she said she did not feel envious of them. Becoming a shield maiden was not something she desired, although the freedom they had to travel tempted her to do just that. "What has you in such a trance, hm?" It seemed someone had noticed her far-off stare, but thankfully the voice belonged to a face she recognized. "Ragnhild? I thought you would be in your own home at this hour." Runa's gaze landed on the baby in her friend's arms. The little girl bent forward, trying to reach for the woman sitting in front of her. The sight made Runa grin, prompting her to stretch out her own arm so the baby could grab at her hand. "Kattegat is so lively today that I could hardly refuse. I also wanted to pay a friend a visit." The mother smiled, wrapping her one free arm around Runa's shoulders in an attempt to hug her while holding a squirmy child. The small family eventually sat face to face with her, although Runa became distracted once more before she could notice. "You wanted to go with them I imagine?" Ragnhild questioned after their short-lived silence. Runa smiled knowingly, nodding at her words. "Then why didn't you?"
"Ragnar felt it wasn't right for me to go at the time." The older woman sighed at her response with a disagreeing shake of her head. "I understand why he wanted you to then. You had just experienced something terrible but… that man has always been cautious when it came to you."
"I can't remember a time when he wasn't."
"But that was your father's responsibility was it not? You're a woman know, and you can fight well. He shouldn't be so worrisome."
"That isn't something I can keep him from doing, Ragnhild."
"Well, it wouldn't hurt for you to ask now. Now that some time has passed."
"Ask what?" Both women turned to face a curious Lagertha. By then she had taken notice of the two, growing tired of the same talk from her shieldmaidens and deciding to go elsewhere. Runa hesitated, knowing that Lagertha had agreed with Ragnar when the subject of England came up many weeks ago. "Runa, has told me that she wants to go with us the next time we head west." Runa glared at her friend's quickness to answer for her but was only met with a smirk. She turned back to Lagertha, expecting a disapproving look, but to her surprise she saw a smile. "I don't see why she shouldn't." Runa was bemused. "Really?" She asked in disbelief. Only weeks ago had the earl urged her to stay in Kattegat, and now here she stood encouraging Runa's wish to come. "What is this sudden change of heart?"
"Earl Ingstad!" Before Lagertha could provide her with an answer, they were interrupted by another voice. A man, a messenger Runa assumed, strode over to them covered in sweat and nearly out of breath from what she could see. "We have just heard of your return. There is some news. Your properties, your lands, your earldom… all have been usurped." All three of the women stared up at him with widened eyes and slightly open mouths. "Say again?" Lagertha stood slowly, as to not trip over the sudden shock. Runa recognized the look that began to form across the older woman's face, and to some degree worried for the man in front of them. "It's the truth.. you have been removed from power." She had thought that Lagertha would end the man in front of her right then and there, and it seemed he believed it would happen as well. "Forgive me I am only the messenger—"
"Who has done this, who has usurped me?"
"Kalf."