CHAPTER TWO: Welcome to Kattegat
Italics = Norse
Regular = Common Tongue (Language spoken in Westeros)
Daena cleared her throat once again, "Hello Ser, I am Princess Daena of House Targaryen from Westeros. And you are?"
The bearded man looked confused. Then he smiled, it was a terrifying smile, wide and full of teeth, one that would scare away children. He muttered something indiscernible under her breath and laughed to himself, though it was more like a high pitched giggle. Rhaenys squeaked, frightened by the man and hid behind Daena's skirts.
The man smirked, "I am Floki, boat builder of Kattegat. Though I'm sure you didn't understand a word I said."
"It doesn't look like you're Saxons," Floki said to himself, looking at Daena's intricate deep purple gown. "And those eyes…very peculiar..." He drifted off.
Floki walked closer to Daena and the children. Daena stood still, fearing that he would strike her suddenly, she did not know what he would do next. He is speaking in an unknown tongue, Daena thought. She recognized many foreign languages spoken in Westeros and across the Free Cities, but she never heard of this one. It sounded harsh, a language consisting of drawled out vowels and constants.
I fear I have landed in a far away country, one undocumented by Maesters, Daena presumed. It would take her moons and even years to get back to her country. With no gold, supplies and supporters, it was going to be a difficult journey.
The man stood inches away from her face, gazing into her eyes with wonder. He then peered down at Rhaenys, Daena shuffled to the side to hide her, although he managed to get a glimpse of her scared purple eyes.
Floki spun around and started walking, gesturing to Daena in a follow me motion.
Daena hesitated for a few seconds. She decided it would be best to follow the man, the children needed food, water, and rest. Besides she had her dagger hidden in the folds of her skirt. She just hoped it wouldn't be a trap.
Rhaenys grabbed onto her hand, jostling her out of her thoughts. Floki stopped ahead, he was already atop an incline, as if waiting for Daena to make her decision. She took in a deep breath, steeled herself and followed after him.
The walk had been intense for the trio, crossing over several small streams of water and walking through the dense foliage. The land was fertile enough, allowing vegetation to flourish without the need of constant tending. Daena's arm became numb with the weight of Aegon and with Rhaenys clutching her hand, it required more concentration to avoid tripping over roots and loose rocks.
Thankfully, the man, Floki, as he introduced himself, gave her his waterskin. It was filled with ale, one with a sour aftertaste. Daena passed the skin to Rhaenys, but after smelling the sourness she shook her head. Daena forced her to drink knowing she was thirsty. She also gave Aegon a few smaller sips.
"Welcome to Kattegat." Floki stated, gesturing toward the village with spread arms.
Finally, we have reached our destination, Daena thought. "Katt-grat," Daena repeated after Floki, though her pronunciation was incorrect, if Floki's laughter was anything to go by.
A gust of wind provided relief to her sweaty face, arms, and body. Silvery strands of hair stuck to her forehead. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air of the village.
Daena opened her lilac eyes and smiled. It reminded her of Dragonstone, where she would swim and fish, while her brother locked himself into the library, reading his books. Her smile faded at the thought of her brother. If only he had provided protection to Elia and the children, we would not have to run away from our ancestral home, she thought angrily.
The village was a sea of greys and black clothing, it was equally as colourful as the North. Villagers were going about their day, men carrying long axes with strange curves at the end. There were a few women dressed in leather armour carrying strange circular shields and swords.
A few people stopped to glance towards their group. Daena just smiled politely and conversations around them erupted. Daena knew she looked like a mess with mud and dirt covering her arms and tears on the skirts of her dress. She still maintained an air of regality, never one to slouch and cower beneath the gazes of the public.
"Come along now, we are almost there." Floki said. He walked through the crowd, uncaring of the people speaking around them or throwing questions his way.
Daena hurried after him, unsure who they were going to meet. Though she knew it must be an important person, one who would decide if she was worthy to stay in the village or not.
As Floki and Daena walked down the stone pathway, a group of children ran past them, smiling and yelling in a playful manner. Rhaenys stopped to look back at the children, her eyes yearned to go play with them, it had been so long since she last saw anyone her age. She stopped talking after the death of her mother and her beloved cat, Balerion. Rhaenys ignored her feelings and clenched Daena's hand. She never wanted to be apart from her aunt ever again.
They arrived in front of a medium sized house. It was a simple home without any sort of grand furnishings, quite unlikely for a person of high status. The house had a steep brown roof and was made entirely of wood, like the rest of the homes she saw as they walked down the path.
The courtyard was cordoned off by a wooden fence, a young blonde boy was playing an unknown game with a curly black haired male. He was wearing a long, dirty black robe, reminiscent of Septons from the Faith of Seven. There was a rope tied around his neck, dangling midway to his chest. He must be a slave, Daena realized.
There was a young blonde girl drying clothes along a clothesline. All activity stopped as they reached the courtyard, the curly haired male gaped at Daena. It seemed like he recognized the distinctive features of the trio.
The young boy moved closer to the entryway, "Who are they, Floki?" Rhaenys hid behind Daena's legs, still unused to kids her age.
Floki clapped his hands and crouched in front of the boy, "They are our guests, you can even consider them a gift from the gods..."
"Now where is your father?" He asked, getting up, hands at his hips, looking around expectedly for Ragnar.
"He is inside with mother, they are cooking dinner." the boy replied, wrinkling his nose at the thought of his parents, alone. They were most likely making eyes at each other.
"Stay here." said Floki to Daena, gesturing her to stay in the courtyard. He quickly turned around and walked into the house.
Daena sighed, it was beginning to get cold as evening settled in. Goosebumps raised along her arms and Aegon let out a loud cry, his little fists flailing. He had thankfully been asleep the entire duration of their walk. He is hungry, I will need to feed him soon, Daena thought, worried. She rocked the baby, humming an old lullaby under breath.
The young blonde girl walked over to where Daena was standing, a friendly smile on her face. She pointed to herself, "Gyda."
Daena understood she was trying to communicate and responded by gesturing towards herself, "Daena."
"This is Aegon," said Daena, gesturing toward the crying budle in her arms. "And this is Rhaenys." She encouraged Rhaenys to stop hiding behind her dress and to interact with the other children.
Rhaenys shuffled her feet, her purple eyes lowered to the ground. It was overwhelming for her. She looked up and saw Gyda smiling at her and Rhaenys felt the tightness in her chest loosen. She smiled in return.
Daena smiled, it was going to be a slow process, but surely living here will help heal Rhaenys' broken heart. As well as herself, the pain of losing her sister-in-law, her mother, and her brother was all too consuming. But she carried forward because if she got lost in her own emotions, then who would take care of the children.
Gyda held out her hand for Rhaenys to grab. She glanced at her aunt as if to ask for permission, Daena just gave a cheerful smile in return. Rhaeyns clutched it and despite the language barriers, both girls ran off to play.
The young boy was disinterested in the situation and turned back to his game, playing by himself as his partner's attention drifted to their latest visitors. Daena felt a piercing stare at the back of her head, she turned around and saw it was the curly haired man. She walked towards him, wanting to know more about the village and its leaders from the perspective of a slave.
Before she could even say another word, Floki came out from the house, a large smile on his face. Beside him was a tall blonde haired woman, the mother of the two children. She was wearing a plain cotton dress and had numerous braids in her hair.
"Come, Earl Ragnar wants to talk to you," Floki gestured his hand into the house. Daena looked back at Rhaenys, she was happily playing with Gyda.
"Do not worry, I will watch them." the woman said. She pointed two fingers from her eyes to the girls. Daena realized the woman was telling her that she will look after Rhaenys. The woman smiled at Daena as she passed and walked towards the girls.
Daena entered the house, with Floki following behind. The first thing she noticed was how tall the man was, almost as tall as Floki and his eyes were piercingly blue. His hair was cut in a similar fashion as the male villagers, sides of head shaved, with the top section of hair braided.
Then she noticed the interior of the house. It contrasted the rich and decorative rooms of King's Landing, the home had dark wooden floors and walls. Circular shields and longswords hung from the sides of the wall. It was warm and cozy and warm, fit for a family of four.
The imposing man was about to speak when the wooden floor creaked, it was the curly haired man, "I apologize for interrupting, Ragnar, but I know who she is and where she is from."
"I am Athelstan, a Christian monk from the north of England." He said, in Common Tongue, the official language spoken Westeros.
Daena gasped, "Praise the seven, do you know where we are?" She asked. Daena clutched onto Aegon for support. I have finally found someone who understands me, she thought, happily.
Aegon let out pitiful whimpers, Daena glanced at Athelstan, "Before anything, I need food for the child."
Athelstan nodded and walked towards the back of the house. He came back with a bowl of lukewarm broth and placed it on the dining table. "Come sit," Daena walked over and started feeding small spoonfuls of broth to Aegon.
"We can sit and talk as she feeds the child." He said to Ragnar and Floki in the foreign language.
"She is Princess Daena Targaryen from Westeros. The girl playing outside and babe are Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen, her brother's children," Athelstan explained. Daena looked up from feeding Aegon and glanced at the men.
"But what is this foreign princess doing so far from home?" Ragnar asked, contemplative. He crossed his arms against his chest and looked at Daena. Despite the dirt and disheveledness covering her, she was an otherworldly beauty amongst the dreariness of Kattegat. Her long silver hair and light lilac eyes, it was an unexpected colouring. She is a beauty that could lead us to great treasures, Ragnar presumed.
"Before you raided the monastery, we received a letter from the Septon of Westeros. Their King was backstabbed by his own soldier and his heir, the Prince was killed in battle."
Floki's eyes widened in excitement, "How far is this Westeros?" he asked. He was intrigued by thought of an unknown place, Floki had never been much of an explorer, always sticking to his carpentry and boat making. But the thought of a entirely new continent, one where he could gain knowledge for his skills and spread knowledge about Norse gods. He was excited to learn more.
Athelstan looked at him, "It is quite far from England, they say it is on the other side of the world."
"Has anyone from England explored Westeros?" Ragnar asked.
"As far as I recall, a group of priests from Northumbria were sent to spread knowledge about Christianity. They returned with stories of heretics and people practicing pagan religions." Athelstan replied, thinking back to his time at the monastery. They received a letter from the high priest at Northumbria who spoke about a King and the Seven Gods they followed.
Athelstan turned to Daena, "Do you remember Christian priests arriving in your homeland?" he asked.
Daena looked up from feeding Aegon who was full and yawning in content. She wiped his mouth with a small cloth and held Aegon to her chest, rubbing his back.
"Yes I do. They tried to convert our subjects in King's Landing, but my father captured them, threatening to burn them if they continued," Daena replied, as she continued to lightly thump Aegon's back. A small burp came from the child and he fell asleep, "We had our guards ship them back to wherever they came from."
Athelstan relayed her answer back to Floki and Ragnar. "What does she mean by burning?" Ragnar asked, his piercing blue eyes bored into Daena's lilac ones. Daena turned away first, her gaze steadied on the wooden table.
Athelstan once again translated Ragnar's question for Daena. "My father was mad, they called him the Mad King. He would burn anyone who dared to oppose him."
Ragnar sat back in his chair after listening to Athelstan's translation of the woman's response. The more he heard about this place, the more fascinated he became.
A King who burns his own subjects is never truly a King, Ragnar thought.
Ragnar turned toward Floki, "We will plan a raid after England. I presume the infighting for the throne would leave the palace susceptible to our army." Floki nodded his head in agreement.
"I will begin to work on creating a ship fit to travel to Westeros." Floki said, his hands folded in front of him. His thoughts were already on creating the perfect ship for travelling and carrying back goods.
"Athelstan, you will teach her our language. She will help us on the raid. We need more information." Ragnar ordered.
"I agree, I will teach her." Athelstan replied,
"I will set up a place for her to live with her children."
Ragnar and Floki walked out of the home, continuing their conversation on preparing for their next raid. Daena watched them leave with a confused stare, "Does that mean I am allowed to stay in the village?" she asked Athelstan.
"Yes. Come, let's get you and Princess Rhaenys something to eat."
Note: Thank you so much for the reviews, favourites, and follows! Hope you guys like this chapter! As for pairings, I am thinking about OC/Athelstan, let me know what you guys think. I usually post in about 3-4 days. I know the ending seems a bit choppy but this chapter was getting too long.