Ragnar sat in his chair in the Great Hall with his first wife Lagertha by his side. Lagertha was a skilled and seasoned shield maiden and he intended for her to help Freja prepare for her training. He hoped that they could be friends.
"Freja, I hope you are rested," Ragnar said as the young brunette approached his throne, "I would like you to meet my wife, Lagertha. She will help you prepare for the day."
Freja smiled at Ragnar and then at Lagertha— she was beautiful. Her hair was like spun gold and her skin was the fairest. She looked like a kind woman, Freja could see it in her deep blue eyes.
"Lagertha. I am happy to meet you," she said, "I slept well, thank you, Earl Ragnar."
Lagertha rose from her chair beside Ragnar, "Come, Freja, let us prepare you for your day of training," the older woman placed a gentle hand on Freja's arm and began to lead her away from the Great Hall. Ragnar looked on as his wife glanced back at him with a smile.
"Are you who will be training me?" Freja asked as Lagertha led her into a large room, it appeared to be Lagertha's chambers, "I would be so honored to even be half the shield maiden that you are...I have heard so much."
"I will not," she replied, "Ragnar has asked his brother Rollo to train you. He is the best warrior that I know."
Freja wondered what this Rollo was like. She would find out soon enough. She sat down on a wooden stool and Lagertha stood at her side, putting braids into the side of her head in the traditional shield maiden style. The Earl's wife was acting as handmaiden to her, an orphan. How kind they were to her. When Lagertha was finished with Freja's hair, she walked over to a large wooden armoire and began searching through.
"Take off your dress," Lagertha said as she returned to where Freja sat, hold on what looked like mostly leather garments, "Luckily, we appear to be of similar size."
Freja nodded and began to undo the laces on the front of her wool dress. She let it pool at her feet and stood naked before Lagertha. She began dressing in the garments she was handed. Breeches, a tunic, a leather jerkin and leather boots that went almost up to her knee.
"Thank you..." Freja said, touching the braids in her hair as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, "You are so kind to me, Lagertha. I am truly grateful. I hope I will make you and Earl Ragnar proud."
"The world could use more women like us, young Freja," she replied as she looked deep into the younger girl's eyes, her voice taking on a serious tone, "Women who do more than sew, cook, and bear children. Women who are not afraid to fight alongside the men and defend our families—and ourselves."
"Why did you become a shield maiden?" Freja asked.
"When my mother became pregnant, my father went to a seer one night. The seer told him that he would one day be the father of a great warrior but that my my mother would only bear him one child," Lagertha explained, "My father was excited at the thought of having a son—a great warrior, he woke my mother up when he returned and told her of the seer's prophecy. When it was time for my mother to give birth, my father insisted on being in the birthing room. He wanted to be the first to see his little warrior come forth into the world. When the midwife delivered a girl, he was disappointed. He did not believe that he got the warrior that was in the prophecy."
"That is why you became a shield maiden. To prove the prophecy was indeed true," Freja observed.
"I did not need to prove the prophecy—it became as it was supposed to. Even as a girl I enjoyed doing things that were for boys," Lagertha smiled, "But yes, I suppose I did want to prove to my father that as a girl, I could still be just as good a warrior."
Freja followed Ragnar from the Great Hall out into the courtyard. Lagertha had helped her to prepare, from lending her the appropriate garments to doing her hair. She felt a bit of nervousness as they approached the sparring grounds. This Rollo, she hoped, would be as kind as his brother, the Earl.
"Brother?" Ragnar called out as he opened a wooden gate and entered, Freja following closely behind.
They could hear the sound of metal scraping together as they turned a corner which led them behind a small shed, the armory, it must have been. There sat Rollo, sharpening his battle axe. He looked up and his eyes quickly met Freja's before locking his gaze on his brother.
"Who is she?" Rollo asked Ragnar, once again glancing at the petite girl who stood behind him.
"Her name is Freja," Ragnar said, "She is the girl I told you about. You will teach her how to use weapons and teach her how to fight."
Rollo looked Freja up and down, eyes lingering on her womanly figure. She was a beauty. He hadn't expected as much. Her long chestnut brown hair had three braids woven in at each side of her head, similar to the style Lagertha wore when she went to battle. Her eyes, large and hazel colored, gave the appearance of childlike innocence. Her lips were full and a dark pink color. He looked at Ragnar once more and nodded, his facial expression still hard to read.
Ragnar smirked at his older brother. He could tell that Rollo was impressed with the appearance of the girl. He knew his brother, and he was always once to appreciate the beauty of a woman.
"Well, I shall leave you two to it," Ragnar said as he turned to leave. He flashed Freja a reassuring smile before turning the corner, leaving them alone behind the armory.
"Come closer, girl" Rollo said gruffly.
Freja nervously took a few steps forward. Rollo stood up, and she noticed how much bigger than her he was. He was a tall and burly man— his chest was broad and muscular and his arms were big. His long brown hair was tied behind his head and he had a thick beard. He appeared a hard man, a seasoned warrior, but his eyes had a softness to them.
"So, you wish to learn how to wield weapons, do you?" Rollo asked.
"I do," she replied, meeting his gaze.
"Have you ever held a weapon before? A sword or an axe?" He inquired, looking down at her.
"I have not held either," she replied, "I am good with a bow and arrow..."
Rollo raised a brow at her response. He hadn't expected this young girl to have any knowledge of weaponry whatsoever. She did not say as much to Ragnar. He pondered for a moment. A bow and arrow was a good weapon but having that one skill was not valuable on the battlefield. He would teach her to swing a sword.