In the dead of night, we stole away from our burning village. My mother, Hildi's, oars sliced through the cold waters of the nearly frozen fjord as I shivered in my too large cloak across from her.
My mother risked life and limb to get us out of the village as soon as she saw my father's corpse lying in a lake of blood. She knew that if the soon to be new Jarl learned of my gifts, being blessed by Freya, I would be forced into a miserable and dangerous existence of servitude or marriage.
Mother was making for a large settlement further up river that was known to be lenient towards outsiders joining them. She hoped that her own healing talents and my gift would be enough to get us into a settlement blessed by Odin.
"Mommy!" I cried, "Where is papa?"
She bit back her own tears, "He is with Oden in Valhalla now."
"Can we visit him?" I didn't understand, I thought he was still laying where we left him.
"No Zafira." her tears slid down her cheeks, "We will not be able to."
I cried myself to sleep while mother continued to row well into the morning.
A shout of warning woke me and we bumped against a dock, mothers arms hung limply by her sides, her hands bleeding from the constant rowing in the cold. I stared at them with fear, why were mommy's hands all bloody?
"What business do you have in Fareach?" an imposing looking man stomped towards us, sword drawn.
"Rumney has been sacked and burned to the ground," My mother answered tiredly, "My daughter and I are the only remaining survivors. We are seeking refuge and wish to speak with your Jarl."
"Rumney has been sacked?" He asked in shock, "Truly?"
Mother shook her head numbly, "Raised to the ground."
The man shouted instructions to someone else further down the dock and the word traveled fast through the settlement.
"Come!" The man sheathed his sword and reached towards me, lifting me from the boat "Lets get food in your bellies and warmth in your bones, then you may speak with our Jarl about this tragedy."
The man was warm, he smelled like leather and animals…my father smelled like leather and animals. I buried my face in his shoulder to hide from the villagers that were staring at us.
"You look comfortable around children." I heard mother say.
The man broke into a grin, "I have five of my own."
As we entered the long house, I dared a peek around me. A large man with grizzled hair, and one vivid blue eye was waiting for us. His other eye was hidden by a patch. He looked at us silently for a moment, it felt as if he was trying to determine the truth by staring.
"I hear you come seeking refuge here." His voice was like a low gravelly growl, "What skills have you to aid my village?"
"I am a master healer." My mother answered, "My skills were very coveted in our village."
His scary eye swiveled to me, I hid my face in the strangers shirt again.
"You are fortunate as my healer has just left us for Valhalla and we have need of one." The Jarl rumbled, "Who is this you bring with you?"
The stranger set me down on the ground, I shrank back to hide behind mommy's skirt and pulled my hood down over my face as the big man crouched, holding out a calloused and rough looking hand.
"You should know better than to frighten little children." A plump, friendly looking woman emerged with a steaming bowl of stew and a blanket.
"Bah!" the Jarl stood, I breathed a sigh of relief "I have a soft spot for children, they love me!"
"Nei they do not you big oaf!" the woman answered waving a spoon at him, "She looks scared to death and nearly drown."
My mother smiled at their exchange, "This is Zafira."
I took a brave step away from my mother and dared to peek up at the woman holding the bowl of food, my stomach rumbled horribly.
"She has suffered through a terrible ordeal." My mother admitted, "We fled because…she is gifted and it put her in danger."
"What do you mean gifted?" the Jarl stiffened.
My mother gave me a firm push so I was completely out from behind her and pulled my hood down. The cold air in the room rushed over my head. The woman that was just scolding the Jarl let out a gasp as a my silver hair spilled out and nearly covered the violet eyes that I had been told to hide from the world.
"She is gifted by the gods." My mother answered quietly.
"Dear Odin." The plump woman set down the bowl and the blanket and crouched before me, her eyes wide, "Freya's gift. She is a rare one indeed."
Mommy managed a tight smile, "My husband was killed and she was nearly kidnapped and drown, I did not agree to give her to our new Jarl…So I ran with her…"
"Who did this to Rumney?" The Jarl seemed angry now.
His voice boomed like thunder through my head, I fled behind Mommy's skirts again. I didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but I knew it had to be what happened to my village.
"It was Gir and his war band." She answered, "They left nothing of our village…"
"Olga feed this woman and her child." The Jarl said, "I will see that a hut be found for you to live in."
Mommy's relief poured out of every pore, I could sense it, "Thank you my Jarl."
He grunted as he left the long house and slammed the door behind him. It caused me to jump and my heart to race quickly.
"Draulf's sister was wed to the Jarl of Rumney." Olga informed Mommy quietly.
"I am sorry to hear it." She answered.
"Well that is for us to mourn." Olga answered smiling down at me, "Let's get you some food shall we?"
My stomach let out another angry and painful growl and I nodded quickly. She set me on a bench, wrapped a warm blanket around me and put the bowl of food in front of me with a spoon. I looked at her questioningly, when she nodded to me, I picked up the spoon and began to eat hungrily. I hadn't eaten since the raid began two days earlier.
"Leave the child with me for a while." Olga encouraged Mommy, "I will have a thrall find you some warm clothes and show you where the bath house is."
She looked from me to the woman for a moment as if she was unsure.
"Will you be ok if mommy leaves you for just a few moments?" She asked me, I could feel the worry behind her eyes.
I didn't want her to leave, but she looked so tired and sad, like the weight of the world rested on her, Rain, mud and blood covered her, plastered her normally shiny hair to her head and her clothes hung like rags. Her hands must have pained her, but if they did, she wasn't going to let me know. I looked to the woman named Olga, she smiled at me warmly and was buttering a warm piece of bread for me.
I nodded to her, signaling it would be alright for her to go. She paused for a moment before kissing my forehead and following the Thrall out of the longhouse. She must be tired, she didn't even remind me to behave like she always does.
Olga sat at her loom and began to work, she watched me the whole time. Between the noise of the loom and the song she was humming, I was beginning to feel less and less scared. I just hoped we wouldn't have to leave this place too.
A blast of cold threw the door open, and it stopped as abruptly as it started when it slammed shut. An ax was set down loudly on the table in front of me, I flinched, my heart racing once more as my eyes darted about for the culprit. When I looked up, I saw a boy, a shock of blond hair flopped over his blue eyes. He was much taller than any of the other village boys I had seen in my hometown. He was larger than life, and even though he hadn't even said anything, he commanded my attention.
"I am hungry." He complained, "Is the stew ready?"
"Ax off the table." Olga commanded standing to go get him a bowl.
He groaned, but removed his ax and set it by the door, when he returned, he flopped down on the bench opposite me and stared at me with surprise as if seeing me for the first time. I stared back at him, his kind blue eyes swallowing up mine. He had a good soul, I could feel it.
"Who is this?" He asked Olga when she returned.
"Zafira." She answered, "Your father took her and her mother in, Rumney has been burned to the ground."
His kind eyes turned sad, "Didn't aunty Hrefna live there?"
"She did." Olga answered sadly.
I didn't like the sadness that now flooded his eyes, I wanted to help him, take his sadness from him. The more I thought about it, the sadder I felt, tears threatened to spill as I took his sadness into me and away from him.
The boy looked at me with growing confusion as his sadness bled away from him and I tried to hide my snuffle by stuffing another bite of food into my mouth.
"Don't worry, you are safe now" He said kindly, misinterpreting my snuffle "What pretty eyes you have."
I shrank back into my blanket, fear filling my heart, never had so many people been allowed to see me like this. Usually my mother hid me under layers of cloaks and hoods. Why was she allowing people to see me now?
"Don't be afraid." He said softly, his voice calming me "I am Frey. Is your name Zafira?"
I nodded my head, my throat felt tight, like all the words had been squeezed out of it.
Mommy returned, clean and wearing fresh clothing. Her hands were bandaged and she no longer reeked of blood and sweat. She still looked tired, grief stricken.
"She hasn't spoken since we got here." My mother sat next to Frey, "If you can get her to speak it would be a miracle."
Olga handed a bowl of stew to Mommy and rifled through a trunk, looking for clothes that might fit me.
"Welcome to my father's halls." Frey greeted her, "I hope you can make a home here for yourself."
He finished his stew and stood to leave, he winked at me and left, grabbing his ax on the way out. My heart suddenly felt lighter.
"Here is a dress that may fit." Olga handed a dress and a warm cloak to Mommy, "When you are finished eating take her to the bath house and get her cleaned up. I am sure by the time you return the Jarl will have found somewhere for you to stay."
Mommy finished her meal quickly and picked me up off the bench as she stood. I felt her flinch in pain as her sore muscles protested at my weight. As we exited the long house, the boy, Frey, was outside chopping wood. I watched as he gracefully swung the axe down and the wood would split. The blade gleamed and he had an easy rhythm, place the wood on the stump, raise the axe, swing down, thunk, the wood split. I watched him over Mommy's shoulder until we entered into a steamy building and I couldn't see him anymore.
Mommy placed me into a warm bath and scrubbed me clean, she sang my bath time song too. She dressed me in the clothes the nice woman, Olga, gave her and wrapped the dry, warm cloak around my shoulders.
When we were done, she took my hand and led me out of the bath house and back to the longhouse. I noticed the boy was gone, but the house was filled with women who were weaving, sewing and making clothing.
Mommy squeezed my hand, her eyes filling with tears of relief as she took in the sight. I squeezed her hand back, looking up at her with worry.
"I am not sad Zafira." She said, her voice cracked "I am feeling grateful…these people are helping us."
"Do you want to play?" A tiny voice caught my attention, a girl with wild blond ringlets was holding out a doll "This one is my favorite, but you can have her since you don't have one."
I looked at the doll and then at the girl. She had blue eyes just like the scary Jarl. She continued to hold out the doll to me, I couldn't possibly take her favorite doll. Her kindness overwhelmed me and I took her hands in mine and smiled. She smiled back and tugged on my hand, pulling me out of the way of the working women to play in a corner.
"My name is Sacha." She said, "My mother, Olga, she already told me about you. Your Zafira and you just moved here from far away. Its ok if you don't want to talk, we don't need to talk to play!"