AN: The answer to how much time each chapter will cover: The first chapters before the Viking Era coverers centuries, they are meant to give the characters some background. The later chapters will most likely contain one historical event or battle.

Bronze Age (1800 B.C. – 500 B.C.)

Recognition

Many lifetimes of men passed by and the boy, Lukas still stayed with the people from the same village all that time. They all found it strange that the boy never seemed to grow any older, while all the others followed a natural lifespan. In the village, all the young children were told that this boy was special and that they just had to accept that he was different. And so they did, for generations.

The village had been changed over the years. The people had moved a couple of times, they had grown in numbers and their huts had been improved. The chieftain had control over much larger areas than had been normal before and they had started to have much more contact with people outside of their village.

Something had stayed surprisingly much like they had been the day Lukas had walked into the village. Ròðmundr who had been chieftain at that time had also gotten a family and it was one of his descendants named Rækia that held the title as current chieftain in the village. Urthr had gotten married to a man from the village and started a family of her own. The man had accepted that Lukas would live with them as a part of their family, and to this day he still lived with the descendants of Saga and Urthr.

Lukas always had people around him and they took good care of him. But he still couldn't help but feeling lonely at times. He had to keep living as a young child when people around him were born, grew up and then passed away. There were times when he would sneak out in the forest at night to visit his old friends, because they didn't die on him like the humans.

He would spend most of that time with Mose in a clearing just admiring the world around him without the human's presence. Mose was still the same old troll; he would sit quiet on his rock in the clearing just keeping the boy company. And that was fine with Lukas; he wasn't much for talking anyways.

His friendship with the fairies had been a tense after he had been sent to live with the humans. He had tried to tell them that he had been okay and that the humans had been good to him. But the fairies seemed to feel quite guilty for having kept him in the dark for so long. They had changed from being the happy folk that he had remembered them to be and so Lukas had chosen to spend most of his time away from the village with Mose instead, as the troll had remained the same over the years.

Lukas had developed a connection to his people over time and he could sense how well they were doing. He noticed that he had finally started to grow a bit taller. It happened really slowly and so the people living in his village almost couldn't notice as they got older so much faster than him.

He was finally considered to be one of the older children now. When he had first come to live in the village he had looked to be around five winters old, but now the humans said it looked like he had seen around ten instead. He had been given more responsibilities, like helping out in the fields and tending to the livestock. And he was pleased with the way his life was going, it was peaceful and simple.

Lukas was sitting on the beach, just breathing in the scent from the salty ocean that roared as its waves crushed against the rocks. He could see some fishing boats in the distance that was heading back from a day of work out on the blue waters.

By his side sat a young woman, about 20 winters of age. She was a descendant from Saga and had been given the name of 'Skuld' which means 'future' because she like so many from that same line before her held the gift of sight.

"Change is coming very soon now Lukas" she suddenly said after they had been sitting on the beach just watching the ocean for hours. "I saw it a couple of days ago." Lukas didn't answer, he had gotten used to being quiet over time and Skuld drew another breath to continue. "You told me of Urthr and Saga when I was younger. That I share their gift, and now I think I might have seen one of them in my dream. The woman in my dream told me a story about beings that look human, but are more than just that. She said that these creatures are the spirit of their land."

Lukas turned his head to look at the girl. "That would be Urthr. She thought a story had to exist so that the future leaders of different lands would have a chance to realize that it is the spirit of their country they are looking upon if they ever meet them." The boy was curious to what the girl knew. His life had been so routine for so long, and maybe just a little change could be a good thing.

"Your name isn't really Lukas? That is just a name you use so you can blend in among the rest of us because one day your other name will be the name of this country as well as your real name!" The girl was talking as fast as she could to say everything in one breath, and she had her big eyes completely focused on Lukas.

He let a rare smile linger a bit on his lips as he said "you remind me of how Urthr behaved when she realized who I am. Getting all that knowledge in an instant, she wasn't sure what to think of it."

Skuld had a gigantic smile on her face. She had been fascinated by her ancestors her entire life and she was proud of having inherited the gift of sight.

"Skuld" Lukas said "you told me that change was coming very soon. Can you tell me what it was you saw?"

Skuld's smile faded a little at the request. "There is not that much I can tell you. I saw a group of people arrive to our village and they demanded to meet the spirit of their country because his services was needed. I'm going to tell Rækia about it later"

It wasn't really much to go on, but the words from ones with the gift of sight had always had a great importance and were worth paying attention to. "What do you think Lukas? Are you exited?" Skuld asked her voice cheerful.

The small smile on Lukas' face disappeared and his face returned to his normal blank expression. "It doesn't really matter what I think" Lukas said. For a boy that looked like he had seen only ten winters he was very serious and a bit sad. "There is nothing I can do to avoid my fate."

Skuld had never thought about that, but now she realized that the boy must have felt trapped by his destiny. He had been told what he was supposed to do as long as he had been living in the village and he had been doing so for many lifetimes of men. "Why haven't you just run away?" She asked and Lukas gave a sigh.

"I can't" he said. "It would be easy just to run and live in the forest; I know how to take care of myself. But I am linked to the people of this land and I need to be with them. I was told that if I ignore my duties I might cease to exist because I will no longer be the spirit of the country."

"And you feel trapped?" Skuld asked.

Lukas nodded "The people of this land are doing well, which is why I have grown lately. But the land in itself without the people is wild and I am stuck in this village, I just feel really restless."

The two of them remained in silence after that, just staring out at the sea before them. White foam forming on each wave crest just before the wave crashed in over land and the water disappeared back out at sea to repeat its cycle over and over again. They sat like that until the sun had sunk lower in the horizon and dyed the lands in a deep orange color.

It had been a few days since Lukas had his conversation with Skuld when the predicted change came. At first it came like a great cloud of dust just visible in the distance. As it got closer it was visible that it was a group arriving to the village on horses. The village had never seen such a great gathering of visitors. They had kept more in contact with other people from outside the village and there was established some trading routes between the villages not lying too far away. But never had so many people arrived at once.

The man riding in the front was apparently the leader of the group as his clothing had more decoration than the rest of his group had, and he carried a bronze symbol on his chest. The entire company of people gathered in the small square between the buildings and dismounted their horses. Their leader was taller than any other men and broad around the chest. Rækia was chieftain of the village, so he stepped forward to greet the strangers and welcome them.

The leader for the visitors stepped forward to meet him. "I have heard stories of a boy that is more than a mere human. He is the spirit of the country and I, Jòrkell wish to speak with this boy. I have heard that there in this village lives a boy that doesn't age like normal men, so I believe that this is the village where this creature can be found." Jòrkell voice was clear and booming and every single person nearby had their attention turned to him in an instant. "The people of this country may not yet be under the rule of one man, but I have been told by a wise woman of my village, that I hold rule over most land and the boy should stay with me as I sail out of this country to seek others to trade with."

Rækia cleared his throat, ready to take the word "I accept that you are the ruler of more land than I. We do indeed have this spirit of the country living with us, and he has been living among the people of this village for a long time, waiting for the day when the people would need him to act as such. Our seer has told us that if the time is right and if you are the one man supposed to take care of him, then you will recognize him on your own without any aid from us. The leader of a land should be able to recognize his own country even if it appears in the shape of a human."

By now all the inhabitants of the village had gathered in the square between the homes build. Jòrkell had been told to search among the villagers, and to prove that he could recognize his own country. He would have to be able to point out the correct person in one try. So now the chieftain was walking around among the villages just assessing and analyzing every single one of them.

He stopped in front of a young boy with dark, dull blue eyes. There was just something about this child that he couldn't quite understand. He ended up with just staring at the boy who just looked back at him with a blank expression on his face revealing no hidden emotions.

"It's you isn't it?" the chieftain asked with a voice much more quiet than the one he had used earlier. "I have never met you, but still you feel so familiar."

Lukas could not deny that he felt some kind of connection to this man. He sensed that this man was indeed the strongest leader in all of the land that he was connected to.

Since Jòrkell had been able to point him out among all the others present in the square he was the one the prophecies had foretold of, so Lukas could not help but confirm who he was. "I am indeed your country in a human body. You are the strongest chieftain of this land and I am at your service" Lukas said and bowed slightly for the man in front of him.

The reaction from the chieftain was not what he had expected it to be. The Large man with the stern face cracked a slight smile. "At first I had not believed the stories to be true. It was just to amazing to think that something like that was possible. One entire people and its land represented by one single person. And yet here you are, just appearing like a young boy, but to me you still seem like so much more. The chieftain's face was still touched by amazement as he finished talking.

Jòrkell put a hand on Lukas' shoulder. "What name should I call you by my boy?" the chieftain asked.

"Among humans my name is Lukas" the boy replied. "But my name and the name of your country is Norðvegr."

The chieftain smiled more that he had done earlier. "Norðvegr, the way to the north, that sounds just right to me."

Rækia walked up to them "so I guess that you want to bring him with you back to your own village now?" he said with just a hint of sadness in his voice.

Jòrkell moved his hand from Lukas' shoulder and put it on Rækia's instead. "Yes I would" he said. "We were hoping to set sail as soon as possible. We would have gone by now, but our seer said that we should find the spirit of our country and bring him along, and the people of my village have heard that we could find him here, so we rode."

"Can I at least offer you and your people some food before you leave? And give the boy a chance to say his goodbyes" Rækia offered.

Jòrkell nodded slowly, "that would be greatly appreciated." "Then we will get you something to eat" Rækia said and his words were enough to send some of the people present running to find something to serve their guests.

Lukas took the chance to walk around the village one last time before he was to leave with Jòrkell and his men to their village instead. He didn't have a lot to people to say goodbye to. He had never gotten too close to any of the other villagers, because he knew they would all pass away before him and he had gotten tired of having friends growing old and dying before him.

But he did go to see to Skuld. He had always been closest to the entire lineage after Saga and Urthr since he had stayed with their family for as long as he had been living with the humans and she deserved a proper goodbye.

Skuld had given him a hug with tears staining her face but also a smile grazing her lips. "I have heard of the prediction Saga came with the day you first arrived to stay with our people. She said that something great was coming, and I believe that she was right. One day you will become great Lukas. The country of Norðvegr will have its place in history." When Skuld finally let him go of the embrace he had a hard time keeping his tears back.

When he got away from Skuld he made sure that nobody was looking and then ran to the outskirts of the forest close by. He used some of his inner energy to send a silent, magical call out in the forest.

It didn't take too long before a few fairies showed up between the branches. "You're moving away from this village" one of them said. Somehow the fairies seemed to know things before Lukas found out of them himself.

He nodded to confirm. "So I'm no longer just considered to be the boy that doesn't grow up. I can finally do what I'm supposed to. Earlier I felt trapped by having a fate, but now I'm looking forward to the task."

The fairies that had showed up, smiled secretly at him as usual hiding their knowledge for the world around him. "Your connection to your people has grown a lot stronger after you started living with some of them. If most of your people share the same emotional state, then you will be tapped in to their emotion. If they are doing well so are you" one of them chirped in a light voice.

Lukas nodded more "I think I know that already. The village has gotten more contacts around the land, and there are more people around than it used to be. And also, I've grown."

The fairies smiled and giggled some. They were acting more like they had used to before they had told Lukas about his fate, happier and livelier. "We wish you the best of luck Lukas. If you ever need help from any of us, you know how to get a hold of us. But I think you need to go back now before the humans think you have run off somewhere." One of the fairies giggled madly and flew a couple of rounds around Lukas' head.

"Yes, I'll go" Lukas said and turned around to walk back to the village where Jòrkell and his people should be done with their meal soon enough. Lukas didn't have any things he needed to pack, so he would be ready to leave as soon as the others told him they would leave.

It was perfect timing for Lukas to return when he did. Jòrkell and his people were just finishing their meal the moment he entered the village square. "I thank you Rækia, chieftain of this village for the good welcome and for the meal. I wish you a good life in years to come." Jòrkell clearly had his way with words; possessing a silver tongue capable of gaining him favors from pretty much anybody. The he noticed the boy walking towards them. "Bergfinnr!" Jòrkell said loudly. "Can you bring the horse for Lukas here? We should be leaving now"

It didn't take a long time before a young man, slighter built than his chieftain and with dark hair came walking to Lukas with a horse in tow.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before my boy?" Jòrkell asked. Lukas shook his head as he walked up to the big creature before him. They had horses in the village, but he had never really gone on a ride. The horses were mostly just used to plow the field or for trading journeys between the villages.

"Well, then it's time you learn" Jòrkell stated. He had no trouble lifting the boy up on the horse to place him in the saddle and offered him a smile. "Just hold on to the reigns and don't fall of. We will all ride together so the horse will just follow after the others, so you don't need to worry about steering."

The man named Bergfinnr was still holding on to the reigns but he gave them to Lukas after another man came with a different horse for Jòrkell and the chieftain swung himself easily into the saddle on his own horse. The rest of the men got on their own horses and soon enough they were on their way with Jòrkell riding in the front. Lukas was just sitting on his horse further back in the company, his horse trotting happily after the others.

The sun hung low in the horizon when they finally closed in on what had to be Jòrkell's village. They had spent hours riding through a dark forest of birch trees at the base of a high mountain leaving them in shadow, hidden from the sun. And now they had finally arrived at their destination for the day. It had been a long ride, Lukas felt sore all over after bouncing around on horseback large portions of the day without really having any control of the animal.

This village was much bigger that the one Lukas had lived in before. They had much larger areas of farmland and a bigger herd of livestock walking around in an enclosure. They had more longhouses instead of just smaller huts. This village was also built right next to the ocean just like the one they had left. One of the men in Lukas' old village had told him once that most villages were build by the sea because it gave easy access to plenty of fish.

Out on the dark blue waters, there were a couple of ships rocking in harmony with the waves. There was one ship much larger than all of the others and Lukas figured that had to be the ship they would sail to the south with.

The people of his lands had first arrived by sea when they first came to settle down. Living right next to the blue majesty for many generations, they had long ago mastered the technique of building great sturdy ships, capable of traveling over great distances as long as it was good people behind the oars and the winds were in their favor.

During their ride, Bergfinnr had told Lukas that the ship had been ready to sail for a long time already. But they had delayed their journey when the village seer had said that the spirit of the country should come along with them. They had then decided they would wait one lunar cycle to search for him, and if they didn't within that time they would sail without finding him. But after they started the search, it had only taken them a few days to hear the story of the Boy living in one of the villages to the north.

Jòrkell slowed down his horse just a little so that he could ride side by side with the young boy. "We will set sail on the day after tomorrow. There is a woman in the village that can take care of you until then. I hope that will be okay for you."

"Yes master" Lukas replied trying to act the way Rækia had done back in the other village, putting respect in his words.

Jòrkell chuckled. "There is no need for you to call me master. If anyone here should be called master it would be you. You have after all seen more winters than any man alive here at lands, and one should have respect for ones elder."

Lukas wrinkled his nose slightly at the term. He realized he didn't really like being referred to as an elder. His body was still looking like it belonged to a boy ten winters of age. He wondered if every leader of the country would refer to him in such a matter. He also wondered if it was perhaps better to be considered an elder than it was to be treated as the child he looked like.

When they rode in between the huts and longhouses people started gathering around the company of men. Young children ran alongside the horses yelling and laughing as they did so. The company halted as soon as they entered the village square and the men jumped of their horses. Jòrkell walked over to Lukas still on his horse to help him off and place him carefully on the ground.

A fairly young woman stepped up to Jòrkell. "Bring this boy to Arnfasta" he ordered. "Tell her to give him food, and a place to sleep." Jòrkell patted Lukas' shoulder and gave the reigns of his horse to a man in the crowd. He then walked off towards the largest longhouse in sight.

The woman didn't say anything; she just brushed her hand against his arm to catch his attention so he would follow her towards a different longhouse. As Lukas followed the woman he could feel curious looks from the villagers boring into his back, making him feel slightly uncomfortable with the entire situation. He wondered how much they knew about him,

They entered the longhouse and were greeted by an elderly woman with a friendly smile on her face. There were a few other people in there as well, some tending the fireplace, one stirring in a large pot and others sitting by the table eating. The woman that had brought Lukas to the longhouse started talking to the old woman, so he guessed that had to be Arnfasta.

"Jòrkell told me to bring the boy to you" the young woman said.

The elder one nodded and then turned to Lukas and bent her knees slightly so she was on an eyelevel with him. "Hi" she said with a slight creaking in her voice that was so normal with older people. "I'm Arnfasta, what's your name young one?"

Lukas figured it was best to use his human name. It was probably less confusing for everybody if he used that. "I'm Lukas" he said silently, voice barely louder than a whisper.

Arnfasta looked a bit curious at him as she started talking again. "Never have I heard a name like that before. But don't take me wrong, it's a nice name. If I know Jòrkell correctly then you didn't make any stops on your way here, you are probably hungry by now."

Lukas nodded quickly. He hadn't had any appetite to eat anything before he left and had been too busy talking to Skuld and the fairies. But now he could feel the hunger gnawing at his insides.

Arnfasta held out one of her arms toward a table placed close by the fireplace and gave him a small encouraging pat on the back. So Lukas walked over and took a seat by the table and waited for Arnfasta to return a short while later with a steaming bowl of stew, a piece of bread and a mug of water.

It wasn't until Lukas started eating that he realized how hungry he really was. So now he was almost desperately devouring his meal. He shuffled in on the dark moose meat from the stew and dipped the bread in the broth before he ate that too. Arnfasta sat down on the other side of the table just observing him and smiling slightly. The old woman thought to herself it was good to see that the slight built boy at least had a healthy appetite.

When every single trace of food had vanished, Arnfasta waved for another girl in the longhouse to come and take the bowl away before she turned back to Lukas again. "It's getting late" she said softly. "I will show you where you can sleep before you go with the men south. There is a lot we have to do before the boat can sail, so all of us should get a good night's rest and gather our strength."

Lukas only nodded to the old woman; he didn't know what to say to her anyways. He followed after as she led the way through a small doorway all the way in the back of the longhouse and led to a room. There were a couple of beds placed along the wall, all of them empty for some reason.

"Just pick a bed and I'll see you in the morning" Arnfasta said and almost immediately turned her back and left him behind alone.

Lukas felt tired after the long journey, so he decided it might be wise to do as the old woman had told him and gather strength for the day to come. So he pulled off his worn leather boots and set them down neatly by his bed. For some reason they were a nightmare to get off, but he didn't think anything of it. He also took of the west he had kept on outside of his tunic. He figured he could sleep in the shirt he was wearing; Arnfasta had not provided him with anything else.

The warm season was still upon the land, but that didn't stop the nights from having a cold bite in them, so Lukas had gotten used to sleep while wearing a fair amount of clothing even in late summer. The day had been long, and his body ached from the long ride. So sleep easily came upon him and sent him to the realms of dreams and mystery in mere seconds.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but when he woke up he could hear a great number of voices originating from the other room where the fireplace was. He tossed aside the furs he had slept under and stood up on the floor of hard stamped dirt.

That's when he realized something was not entirely right. He could have sworn that his shirt had been long enough to cover his knees when he went to bed, but now it reached only halfway down his thighs. He reached for his boots, but they were too small to even pull on and he had to give up.

There were no other clothes in the room, so he didn't have a choice but to wander in to the other room on bare feet and legs exposed to the cold morning air in the longhouse. At first nobody noticed him; everyone was too busy with eating their meals. But after a while one of the men finally noticed him.

"Aren't you feeling a little cold there boy?" one of them said loudly and some of the other people present finally noticed him standing there just a few steps away from the doorway.

Arnfasta seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Good morning there" she said and lifted an eyebrow when she saw his lack of proper clothing. "Is there a reason for you not wearing more than an undershirt?" she asked with a hint of humor toning her voice.

"My other clothes don't fit me anymore" Lukas whispered quietly and looked down at the floor in shame.

"It didn't look like your clothes were too small yesterday" all hit of humor was gone from Arnfasta's voice when she answered.

"My clothes did fit me yesterday, but now they don't" Lukas answered still whispering.

The old woman looked him over a second time scrutinizing his appearance. She knew it wasn't possible for a normal child to grow that fast, but this child did seem taller than he had the other day. "Then I guess we will have to find you something more suitable later" she muttered. "But first let's get you some breakfast." She led him to one of the tables and he took a seat.

Like the day before she went to get him something to eat. This time it was a bowl of porridge, sweetened with berries and he ate it with good appetite. None of the other people present really bothered talking to him. That was the side effect of having a young body; people automatically assumed that someone with the body of a child would have a mind to match and they would leave him out of conversations.

Arnfasta had yet again decided observe him as he ate and as soon as Lukas had emptied the bowl she stood up. "Let's find you some new clothes then" she said and started leading him outdoors.

The earth was cold beneath his bare feet and the morning breeze constantly threatened to take too good a hold on the too short shirt he was wearing. Luckily they only walked over to a nearby longhouse and the wind didn't have time to wreak havoc upon his clothing.

This other longhouse was furnished with a number of chests along the walls, and had a much smaller table than the last one, and instead of a large group of men eating, only two women was present. "The ship is set to leave tomorrow so we don't have time to make you any new clothes" Arnfasta said. "So we have to check and see if we can find something in here that fits you instead."

"Can you two help me find something for our guest to wear?" Arnfasta directed the request at the two women in the room. The both nodded, looked Lukas over and began searching through the chests at the wall. Moments later they dropped a pile of garments on the floor in front of him.

The women were merciless and took them mere seconds before they had him stripped of the old shirt. They started forcing him into new shirts and tunics until they found some that fit him a couple of attempts later. The next items on their list were trousers and some new boots and last they tied a rope belt around his waist.

"Now all that's missing is a cloak" one of the women said triumphantly.

"We should have one hidden in one of these chests here" the other one answered.

"I'll find it" Arnfasta said before she started rummage through one of the chests that had been left unopened until then. Out of it she pulled a thick woolen cloak with furs lining the neck for extra warmth. "Let's see if this one fits you." Arnfasta shook the cloak to rid it of all the dust adorning it and donned it over Lukas' shoulder.

Arnfasta and the other women smiled gently at him admiring their work when the cloak was securely fastened. "It fits you just perfectly." Arnfasta said proudly. "You will make a great impression on the people you will meet in the south. The ship won't leave until morning. You are free to explore the village as long as you return for dinner."

And with that Arnfasta sent him out to walk around on his own. Lukas immediately went down to the harbor to admire the ship he was going to travel with. The beach was flooded with men that were loading supplies on the ship, readying it for the long journey ahead.

He spent some time walking aimlessly around between the buildings, studying the people living in the village. How the women were tending to the fields and the elder boys were looking after the livestock. He was out all day and returned to the longhouse only when the smell of food spread through the air. He ate his dinner, had a talk with Jòrkell about the morning and then he went to sleep.

As morning came, he was woken by Arnfasta shaking him in the shoulder. "It's time for breakfast" she said sharply, "and then the ship is ready to leave."

Lukas decided for himself that the old lady did definitely not have a way with words. She would just say what she had to and then leave. He got up and dressed before he went to the next room to eat his breakfast.

And then it was finally time to board the ship and set sail. Lukas had to admit that he was beginning to be a little excited about going with Jòrkell and his men to the south. They had boats in his old village too, but he had never really been allowed to go with the men out on the sea, not even just for fishing.

He might be older than any of the men in all of his country. But they still said it was for the sake of his safety, because they couldn't risk any harm coming to him. His childish body made it no easier for him to convince them that he could take care of himself.

Lukas had been told by the fairies that he would be alive as long as he had a people and lands. But that wasn't exactly easy to explain to a bunch of villagers that he would actually survive it if he fell out of the boat. It was hard enough for them to believe that he could exist at all, so they were afraid of allowing him to do anything that could be considered dangerous at all.

So Lukas had finally given up being allowed out at sea in a boat, so being allowed to go with the villagers made his heart bit just a little bit faster in excitement.