"Now remember, Athelstan, you can't just rush into battle without knowing first that the odds are in your favor," Lagertha Lothbroke told me. I had a sword and shield, and both held awkwardly. I never used these odd weapons before; the only thing I had to worry about back in England was dripping hot wax on my fingers while attempting to seal a letter.
"Of course, Miss Lagertha. So should I put away the weapons now?"
She cocked her head to the side, confused. "What on earth do you mean?"
"I cannot beat you in a fight. So I won't fight, knowing I'll lose."
She laughed. "I'll go easy on you. Unless you'd prefer to fight Björn?" The little boy looked up from his task of chopping firewood and raced over with a grin.
"Oh, can I mother? I want to fight the priest!"
"I am not a priest," I heard myself mutter. I was tired of that label hanging around me. If Ragnar and Lagertha could treat me like everyone else, why can't others do the same? I could join the Norse religion if I wanted.
Oh God, what am I doing? I cannot renounce Christ just like that. I grabbed at my crucifix without really thinking.
"You say you are no priest, yet you have your dead god on a necklace! It is stupid!" Björn approached me and grabbed at the cross.
"HEY! Björn, you stay away from his personal property!" Lagertha's warnings were in vain. His hands wrapped around the necklace and tore it from my neck. The force of the leather snapping was enough to bring me to the floor.
"See! Your God has made you weak. You should follow Odin. And idol like him will not desert you like that." He dropped the crucifix in front of me then went back to his task.
I couldn't help it. Tears grew in my eyes. I didn't want to accept the brutal fact that the Lord wasn't looking after me. He probably had more important matters to care for. I picked up the cross and left the Great Hall.
I moved down the path swiftly, and I soon got to the ocean. Without giving it a second thought, I pitched the necklace into the sea.
"I'm done! You win!" I shouted to the water as my crucifix sank. I sat on the deck and leaned back on one of the posts.
"Mr. Priest! It's you." I looked up to see Floki. He was fiddling with something and he was twitchy and spastic as usual.
"I am not a priest!" I retorted defensively. Floki put his hands up, backing down.
"Then what could I call you? Mr. Not Priest?" He laughed gleefully, and I shook my head.
"If you must talk to me at all, I'd like you to address me as Athelstan."
"Athelstan... I'll stick to Not Priest." And with that, he strolled back into town.
He is one odd man. His name suits him perfectly. Loki, the god of mischief, certainly showed within him.
"Athelstan, eh?" I heard a voice say behind me. Leaning over, I saw a young woman standing on a boat that was anchoring.
"I-Er-yes. Why do you ask, miss..."
"Kathryn. Call me Kathryn, and I won't call you a priest." She laughed, and she reminded me of a bird. She had very sharp features- dark hair, prominent cheekbones, piercing eyes- but her smile was soft. She was quite pretty.
"I...I thought only men were allowed on the boats except for funerals," I stated obliviously.
"You obviously don't know the rules about fishermen's daughters. I can board the boats and work if I want. You're the Earl Ragnar's friend, yes?" She stepped onto the dock and tied up the little boat.
"Uh...more or less..." I felt nervous. Then again, speaking to ANYONE in this village made me nervous.
"Must be nice. Why do you live with them? And why did you call yourself priest?" I squirmed at her questions. I asked myself those very questions almost every day.
"I just...stay with them, because I'm indebted to Ragnar. I used to call myself a priest because I was an Anglo-Saxon monk that lived in England. Ragnar took me here." I bit my lip in the hopes that she would recognize my discomfort.
"And you just quit? Jesus Christ must be mad."
My eyes widened. "Y-You actually know who He is?"
"I used to live in England as well. My father and I left and settled here because we like the Norse way better. I'm still trying to get all the gods and customs straight!" I felt a smile grow on my lips.
"Well, I'm glad to know there's someone else dealing in the same situation."
She smiled back and held out her hand to shake. I kissed her knuckles; it is a popular custom in England. Her grin grew larger.
"I missed experiencing that. Now, Athelstan, would you be willing to help me? I got a good catch, and I can't carry three baskets by myself." Nodding, I swiftly took two of the heavy baskets and waited for her.
Grabbing the last basket, she took the lead and started into town. Keeping up with her, we continued our conversation.
"What was the voyage here like?" She inquired as we dodged a couple of children playing.
"Very cold and rainy. I cannot stand boats because of it."
She laughed again, and ran a free hand through her hair. "Unfortunately, that'll be an issue. What if I wanted to take you fishing? You would not have fun!"
Confused, I asked her," You go out to freezing water and stormy areas to fish? By yourself?"
"No, that takes too long. But you said you disliked boats, so that is out of the question." All of a sudden, she put her arm out to stop me. I almost walked into a group of horses that were heading toward the Great Hall. The men on them were not from around here. It was silent.
"Thank you," I whispered to Kathryn as she set her arm back at her side. Once all of the horses had passed, she nodded, grabbed my shoulder and pulled me along. "Is everything alright?"
She did not reply, and she certainly didn't let go to my shoulder. We passed the blacksmith shop and finally arrived at her home.
I tried to ask her, "Why won't you explain why you're-"
"Kathryn! We've been waiting- who is this?" A man emerged from the home and stopped when his eyes fell upon me.
"Just Athelstan. He's an Englishman that helped me with the baskets." She indicated to the heavy containers, and the man nodded. "Just set them by the door," Kathryn said.
Smiling, I set them down. Her eyes were still wide with fear from that parade of men, but she thanked me softly.
"I'll see you later, then?" I asked her. She nodded and put the baskets inside, but she didn't meet my eyes. I left awkwardly, and I could feel the glare of that man's upon my back.
Back in the Great Hall, Lagertha rushed to me.
"Athelstan, you must forgive my son. He didn't mean to be such a little...pain."
I chuckled. "It's alright, Miss Lagertha. I forgive him. It's not such a big deal. And I'm sure Björn will be happy to know I've given up being a priest. Happy now?" I raised an eyebrow at the boy hiding behind his mother's back.
"Really? Are you going to be a Norse?" He asked quietly.
"Perhaps. I do not know enough of the religion to convert just yet. Think you can help me?"
With a grin, Björn raced out of the room and returned with a large book. He went through it and explained the gods and the stories. His mother watched and added points that he forgot or screwed up as she made dinner. Gyda sat next to me at the table and piped in every once and a while. It made me happy to know their family dynamics. Everyone loved and helped each other.
To be honest, it scared me to dive into this world of several gods and creatures. I was so used to monotheistic life. I felt like I was treading in forbidden territory, but at the end of the day, it wouldn't matter. Christ was not pulling me to him, and the gods were not exactly pushing me away from them.
When I could list all the god's names, Björn decided that was enough study for today.
"Tomorrow, we can talk about the places! Like Valhalla!"
I nodded happily; I was proud for getting a small part of this vast religion.
I suddenly remembered Kathryn and the men. "Miss Lagertha, who were those men that came on horses?"
Lagertha, Björn, and Gyda were silenced and shocked.
Gyda was the first to speak. "They are not kind people." Her tiny frame shivered, and I bit my lip. I felt guilty for asking.
"They are murderers worse than us!" Björn added.
"Children, go play." Lagertha's firm tone received immediate obedience. The kids went off into another room, and Lagertha sat on the bench across from me.
"They are Collectors. They take money from the villages at random. They kill the men and rape the women as they wish. But we cannot do a thing. We tried to fight back once, and we failed. They cannot be beat."
I was appalled. Sure, I had seen the same acts carried out by others in this very village, but this was disgusting. "They are entitled… bastards! Have you considered fighting them again?"
She shrugged. "Perhaps. That's why Ragnar is speaking with them in the Hall. He is analyzing them; figuring out a way to beat them."
I now understood Kathryn's terror. "Lagertha? Do you know Kathryn? The fisherman's daughter?"
She thought for a moment then nodded. "She is a smart young lady. Why do you ask?"
"Her and I spent some time together today. I helped her carry a couple baskets of fish to her home. She was very sweet," I replied sheepishly.
"Oh! My, have our Athelstan found love in the fisherman's daughter?" She had a smirk on her face and I knew she was joking, but I wasn't.
"I do not know. I have not seen anyone like her." I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks, and Lagertha noticed. Grinning, she stood up and poured me a drink.
"Just relax, friend. It's not as scary as it seems. Love is a good thing."
"I know," I mumbled, staring at the cup in front of me. "But I have never loved anything but the Lord! Now that I've given up, how do I just...love a woman?"
She laughed. "You listen to her! Every woman has an opinion that isn't heard. You gain love by listening and expanding her ideas."
I was amazed. "That's it?"
"Of course, not hurting her and being faithful helps," she winked. "You'll survive. Just give it time." She left to her children and I just sat there, confused.
Was I in love? I wasn't really sure at all. I cannot fall in love with a woman I have known for all of maybe two hours. Perhaps Kathryn and I will just be good friends. I don't think I can be in love. It doesn't work like that.
Ragnar entered the house and sat down with a groan. "Those men are pains."
I looked over at him. "What are they asking of you?"
"They wish to fight ten of their strongest against ten of ours. That would be fine, if we had about six able-bodied men. All of our skilled fighters are either dead or injured. I, of course, will fight, but my leg will not be helpful against these."
"Maybe I could fight?" I wondered aloud.
He laughed. "You? You wish to fight? You can barely hold up a shield, much less use it to protect you."
Blushing, I spoke up, "Lagertha has been teaching me…if I can train fast enough, then could I fight?"
Björn piped up from the corner of the room. "If Father doesn't let ME fight, then you certainly wouldn't be given permission to!"
Ragnar's gaze carried to the boy. "Athelstan is a grown man. He is a free one as well. If he wants to fight, then so be it. But he must be strong to do so."
Björn just nodded and looked away.
"Ragnar, if you don't mind my asking, why do they want to fight us? We are nothing special."
"They demand that I fight. Whomever kills the Earl will take the throne. They want to take over the village."
"It seems…too easy. They are playing us as fools."
Ragnar nodded his agreement when Lagertha decided to cut in.
"Did you know our very Athelstan has a liking to Kathryn, the fisherman's girl?" She came over and ruffled my hair, and I lightly swatted it away. Ragnar's eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that so?" He asked as he scratched his beard.
Lagertha nodded. "He helped her carry fish today." She said this slyly, as if it were a double-entendre.
"DID he now?" Ragnar sat up straighter and leaned toward me, now very interested.
I just shrugged and looked away.
"What is bothering you, priest?" He asked.
"I am not a priest!" I snapped, finally getting annoyed with having to repeat it a thousand times over. He narrowed his eyes, and I knew I had really messed up. "I-I apologize, Ragnar. It was rude of me to yell-"
"No. Do not ask for forgiveness; you did nothing wrong. Tell me what is bothering you."
Breaking down my barrier, I sighed and started to tell him everything that was happening with me and my spiritual endeavors, and Lagertha quickly shooed her children out of the room so him and I could speak alone. The thing I liked the most about Ragnar was the fact that he never interrupted when I was talking. He would always listen thoroughly, ask questions, and then give his opinion. He made me feel like my input mattered.
"So? What do you think I should do?" I finally asked him.
"Well, you've already renounced your God, so why not try our gods? See how you like it."
I nodded. "And one last thing- What should I do about Kathryn?"
Ragnar chuckled. "Perhaps," he suggested, "It is time for you to give up your vow of chastity?" He stood and retired to his bedroom, and I bit my lip.
I couldn't possibly do…THAT! I barely know this woman. I barely know what two would do in…that situation! Fully disgusted, I retired to my own bed.
I couldn't sleep; my thoughts were churning like the waters that took me to Scandinavia. Figuring that only time would tell what happened to the village and to me, I stared at the roof until dawn, trying to sort my thoughts.
Author's Note: Ok, so...I know. I know I have 24,601 other fanfics that I desperately need to update, but I was on a Vikings kick when I started this. I'm just really in love with George Blagden. I just really, really love him.