The Present:
Doctor Amelia Northman was a professor at the University Of Pennsylvania. She teaches Norse Mythology and Viking Lore. One Friday afternoon Amelia was sitting in her office just eating lunch when her secretary Liz walked in. "Doctor Northman the package from Uppsala University has arrived." Liz said. "Thank you Elizabeth. Please, bring it in" Amelia said. She looked at the package and had an ominous feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach. Amelia's former name was Aud Bjur Nordholm. She was once the Queen of the Vikings in Sweden. Yes it is the 21st Century and the Vikings have been long gone that is because Amelia is not human. Amelia is a fairy.
Liz brought the package in. Amelia told her to take the rest of the day off which Liz did obligingly. Amelia sighed looking at the package but she was resolved to open it. There were two crowns in the package. She pulled out the smaller of the two crowns wrapped in bubble wrap. "Oh Christ" Amelia sighed with discomfort. Her discomfort did not get any better when Amelia unwrapped the crown. The crown was heavy gold and still very shiny, surprisingly, for something that has been buried in a mountain side for over 1000 years. The tears welled up in Amelia's eyes. She recognized the crown. The crown was hers.
The Past-
Aud Bjur was 16 years-old when she arrived back home. She was sent to Avalon at the age of 6 years-old to begin her priestess training. The Lady of The Lake in Avalon was Aud's grandmother Vivian. Vivian was also a fairy. The women in Aud's family were very magical fairies.
In the 1950's the religion of Wicca was recognized and these people believe in all the teachings of Avalon. However, the "people" that practice this magic or religion in Aud's time were not human they were supes. Aud herself was half Fae from birth. The last task Aud had to complete to receive the blue crescent mark on her head was to lift the mists from Avalon. Her sacrifice for the mark of the priestess was to give up a quarter of her humanity. Naturally, she wasn't sure what part. However, it wasn't the part for reproducing because her mother Ēostre who is known as the Norse Goddess of Spring was obviously able to have a baby.
Aud was an only child. The only other person who ever came close to a sibling was the Prince Eric. Aud's father Kjell was a boyhood friend of the King and Prince Eric's father. Kjell was a chieftain which is the Viking equivalent of a Lord. Right before Aud was sent to Avalon her mother magically marked her with the last name of who her daughter was to betrothed too. Aud had the name "Nordholm" tattooed to her back. The surname of the Royal family. Aud remembers how painful the process was the ink was laced with some of Prince Eric's blood. Naturally, Aud's grandmother Vivian was livid with her daughter Ēostre. Who Vivian called Eve which was her Celtic name. "Eve, I cannot believe you marked Aud. She is going be a priestess not some mongrel's wife!" Vivian protested. "Mother I want her to have normal life with a husband and children" Eve stated back to her mother. In a huff Vivian grabbed Aud and left.
When Aud returned she was a highly respected priestess. She was helped off the ship to the sounds of the Sea and a deep booming voice screaming her name. "Eric" Aud exclaimed with excitement. Eric picked her up and swung Aud around. When she left Eric was a little boy. Now he was a man.. A beautiful man. Eric was always a lovely child. He had ice blonde hair and blue green eyes that shined with mischief. Eric was also a very affectionate child he was always hugging and kissing Aud. To which his mother the Queen Sonje would giggle at the children.
Eric put Aud back on her feet and she just looked at him in amazement. Eric was a very tall slender but a strong man. "Oh my look how large your hands are now" Aud said with absolute amazement touching his hands. Eric was so beautiful. Aud was speechless by his beauty. "By Odin. Aud you are a full fledge woman now" Eric said while examining Aud's body. Clearing his throat Eric said "Are you back for the festival?"
The festival was in celebration of Walpurgis Night which in Celtic mythology is Beltane or May Day. It was the fertility Sabbath. Most people celebrated by lighting bonfires and asking the Gods and Goddess for crop blessings. However, another part of this holiday was people would be having sex all night long. This fertility holiday and sex was just part of the festivities.
"Yes" Aud said. "Are you going to be the virgin priestess?" Eric asked. "Eric you know I can't tell you that especially if you are participating in the stag hunt" Aud said correcting him. "Damn I was hoping you would tell me" Eric said with a big laugh.
One of the most important rituals was the stag hunt. Young men from the village no matter of what class were masked and put into the woods to hunt a deer that bears the King's mark on it. Whoever wins the hunt gets a night of pleasure from the virgin priestess. The couple is anonymous the hunter and the priestess have no idea who they are bedding for the night they must keep their masks on.
Aud was not the only virgin priestess in the village and she was hoping that she wasn't the girl to be sacrificed. "I know Vivian would have a cow if my mother made me the virgin priestess" Aud quipped. Eric laughed at that remark Vivian was not one of his favorite people. Vivian doesn't like Eric or his people. Vivian wasn't all too happy to send her only daughter Eve to the Vikings for spiritual guidance but like most things Vivian cannot control who the Goddess picks for such a task. Either way there was no love lost between Eric and his family for Vivian. The Royal family thought Vivian was an evil witch and Vivian thought that they were a pack of wild dogs. Aud was almost certain that she would not be the priestess sacrificed on the Sabbath.