Happy Sunday everybody! I've been battling with one gnarly cold this past week, but thankfully, I'm doing better now. So here we are with a new chapter.

This one covers a little bit of time, and I had to do a lot of reading and research for this one, at least to find some new stories for Floki to tell.

We're back in Lilith's perspective, and it's a bit of a longer chapter. From here on in, the chapters will be longer.

So read on!


Ragnar

When the sun rose on the sixth or seventh day of Ragnar's sleep, Lilith had cut every vegetable that had been placed before her for them all to eat. She had watched Helga season the food and listened as the petite woman instructed her how to do it just so. Lilith had never cooked before, but it was an intriguing exercise that not even Athelstan had thought of teaching her. He cut vegetables as well, but he also chopped wood and tended the fire. He and Bjorn collected food to be cut, and they slaughtered the animals when they needed to. For six or seven days they had waited, staying inside close to Ragnar and keeping an eye on him if he woke.

At night, they lay around the hearth, and Lilith told Gyda the stories she could remember that Athelstan had told her. They ate together and slept together, and Lagertha had them wash the bandages in the springs nearby. Floki showed them how to hang the bandages so they could dry, and he made them extra food when it looked like they were hungry.

Lilith liked Floki. He reminded her of Brother Cuthren when the older man would let her have as many eggs in the mornings as she wanted. And Floki always asked her about her God, nearly as much as he asked Athelstan. She couldn't tell if he was truly intrigued, but she told him all the same.

Then on the seventh day, Ragnar woke up.

Bjorn was sitting next to him, watching him as he tended to do after supper. "Mother!" he yelled. "He's awake!"

Lagertha left the table where they were cutting up vegetables for the next day, taking Bjorn's place in front of Ragnar and whispering to him. Lilith looked up at Athelstan, seeing the obvious smile on his face, and then he looked at her, laughing softly as he wrapped his arm around her. He squeezed her gently and kissed her head, and it was clear that he was relieved.

"Girls," Lagertha called. "Come."

Lilith looked at Gyda before she glanced at Athelstan and then reached for her sister's hand so they could follow Lagertha's request. When Lilith saw Ragnar, she smiled and looked at Gyda again. They laughed together as Lagertha stood up for them to take her spot in front of him.

"My daughters," he said so softly they barely heard him. He reached for their hands, waiting until he had them in his to speak again. "I am sure that your mother will tell you this many times over the next several days, as she more than likely already has, but I will say it all the same. You both must be strong now, for your mother and me and yourselves. And Lilith, my love, you must be strong for Athelstan. I know this is still a strange place to you both, and I know it will be an uncertain time. But we are in a safe place. I swear that to you."

Gyda looked at Lilith, still holding her hand and nodding before she looked at her father. "We will all be strong for you, Father," she promised. "No matter what."

He smiled weakly, huffing loudly. "Good. Now let me speak to Athelstan."

Gyda stood up, and then Lilith did, looking behind her to see Athelstan already there. He sighed and then smiled, cupping her shoulder and then sitting down in front of Ragnar.

"So you're still here?" the older man teased even in his weakened state.

Athelstan laughed softly. "Of course I'm still here. I told you I wasn't going anywhere without Lili," he reminded Ragnar, glancing at Lilith as she watched him, "and she seems to have gotten attached to you and your family. Unexpectedly, I suppose."

The smile on Ragnar's face widened just a little as he looked up at Lilith, and he reached for Athelstan's hand the same way he had Gyda and Lilith's. Once he had Athelstan's hand in his, he squeezed it tightly.

"My wife says you saved my life," he exhaled. "So I owe you a debt, my friend. You did not have to risk your life to save me, but I am grateful all the same. Now I will have to think of a way to repay you."

Athelstan laughed again, looking up at Lilith and reaching for her as Lagertha came back to where they were.

"Right now, you need to rest," she commanded. "Athelstan is not going anywhere. None of us are."

Athelstan stood up with Lilith, guiding her back to where Gyda was standing next to Helga with the food.

Immediately, Lilith thought back to the conversation she'd had with Ragnar so many days ago. Maybe he would find a way to make Athelstan free the way she was.

Another week passed, and even though Ragnar couldn't move very much, he still began to eat a little every day. Lilith and Gyda took turns helping him eat, and Lagertha began to gently clean his wounds that needed tending. Athelstan helped Helga with the food, and Bjorn tried to take over the hunting responsibilities from his father so they would have enough to eat. It wasn't easy, since Bjorn could not go far, but he still tried.

Floki did most of the cooking, providing for his guests, and he harvested the vegetables they would cut up for food and for Ragnar's wounds. Lilith wanted to learn how to do that, and though Lagertha was reluctant to allow either of her daughters outside for very long, she agreed when Helga went with them. Lilith had gotten so used to the farm that being around Floki's hut was a new place for her to learn about, and Athelstan always said he wanted her to learn as much as she could. So that's what she did.

"Every plant we grow has a purpose, Little One," Floki said as he pointed out the different herbs in his garden. "Many of them can be used for cooking, but thanks to the gods, they can also be used to heal wounds and relieve pain."

"Like with Ragnar?" she clarified.

He nodded. "That's right. You and Gyda must learn these plants and know when to use them and what to use them for. And always remember that the wrong plant can be fatal."

The next day, while Helga was showing them the different herbs she was mixing for Ragnar's wounds, they got an unexpected visitor in the form of Torstein. Lilith remembered him from when they had all celebrated after Ragnar had almost been imprisoned. She hadn't seen him since, and after he told them what had been happening in town with Earl Haraldson, and after they all sat down with their food, he pointed her and Athelstan out of everyone.

"I remember you from Leif's house," he said to Athelstan, also nodding at Lilith. "I remember you both. You are from England, yes?"

Athelstan glanced at Lilith, smiling and nodding. "We are," he confirmed.

"Athelstan saved my life, Torstein," Ragnar told his friend. "No matter what else you hear about him, always remember that."

Torstein nodded then and clapped his hand over Athelstan's shoulder, smiling at him and then Lilith. "Normally, I would say the gods have blessed you both to be here, but knowing this, perhaps we are all the ones the gods have blessed with your presence. When all of this is over, we should celebrate and rejoice together."

Lilith laughed just once, looking up at Athelstan and seeing him blushing. She scooted closer to him, and he held her closer, clearly happy about this turn of events as much as he had been when Ragnar had awoken.

That night after everyone finished eating, Lagertha bid them all to lay around the hearth as they had been doing for the last two weeks. Bjorn stayed close to his father despite Lagertha's best efforts, and Gyda lay next to her brother to keep an eye on Ragnar well. And though she was worried as much as they were, Lilith found her usual spot next to Athelstan as she usually did. Lagertha was asleep before any time passed, and once it was quiet, Lilith turned to face Athelstan to see him still awake as well.

"Lili, you need to sleep," he whispered.

"I can't sleep," she confessed. "Why aren't you asleep?"

With a heavy sigh, he pulled her closer, cradling her head as he spoke. "I'm worried. About you, and about Gyda and Bjorn. About Lagertha and Ragnar. So much has happened since we arrived here, and I thought we were safe. And now that we're not, I can't stop thinking about what will happen tomorrow or the next day." He exhaled and leaned back, looking at her. "Surely, that isn't why you're not asleep?"

She heard his teasing tone and smiled slightly. "No," she said. "I don't think so."

"Then what is it?"

Lilith hesitated, looking around almost to make sure no one else would hear her when she spoke. "It's just — Is this our home now?"

By the way his brow knit together and his jaw fell slack, Lilith knew he hadn't expected her to ask that. For almost a minute, he didn't say anything, looking around the way she had for the same reason. "I don't know how to answer that," he admitted. "It's not like I ever considered the monastery a home until you came along. And even though it seems like Ragnar and Lagertha have welcomed us at least, not many of the others have. Do you want this to be home, Lili?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. After being in the monastery, I know it's different here. The things people believe and the way they regard things. You've always been my home, Athelstan. I don't want that to change."

He pulled her close to him then, kissing her head and whispering. "That will never change," he swore. "I'll always be here for you, and if you feel like I'm your home, then that's what I will be. And if you wish, then you can be my home as well."

Lilith didn't say anything back, resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes even if she still couldn't sleep. She knew he was still adjusting like she was, and she knew she would always have him even if she didn't have anyone else. She decided that would have to be enough.

A third week passed as they all went about their assigned duties around Floki's hut. Ragnar finally got out of the makeshift bed that had been made for him, even if he couldn't go far. Lagertha tried to dissuade him from it, but he declared that he had been in a bed long enough and needed space to move around if he was going to heal. She relented when he allowed Gyda and Lilith to walk around with him, leaning on them despite them being so small.

The weather began to turn as they remained with Floki and Helga, and even if they couldn't go very far from the hut, Lagertha still took them to bathe in a nearby spring at least once so they wouldn't miss their schedule. Of course, this meant that Bjorn and Athelstan went to the spring on their own when the girls came back, and Lagertha took to cleaning Ragnar's wounds by the fire after she had wiped his face clean.

At night, before they all went to bed, Floki and Helga took over the story telling. Lagertha sometimes joined in, and so did Ragnar when he was sitting up with them. But for the most part, it was Floki and Helga at story time. Because Lilith had never heard any of the stories of her new home, those interested her the most, the same way the older stories that Athelstan always told her intrigued her best.

They talked to her about Freyr and his twin sister Freyja, who their people sacrificed to during planting season, and they spoke about Baldr and Loki, who was a bit of a namesake for Floki who invoked his name many times. Floki told them all about Thor, and Helga told the girls around a rarely known goddess Iðunn, whom Lilith latched onto very quickly.

"Oh, she is a beautiful goddess," Helga gushed. "And she is very important though not normally spoken of because of her high position. You see, she doesn't usually consort with us here on Midgard."

"What does she do that is so important?" Lilith asked.

"She has the most important responsibility of all the gods, for it is Iðunn who guards the food of the gods. She is also the granter of eternal life to the gods. The very fruit she guards is so important that she is the only one who guards it. It is so important that one day, she was stolen by a Jötunn who wanted to keep her for himself. He transformed into a great eagle to snatch her away. The god Loki was responsible for taking her, and when Odin found out, he ordered Loki to retrieve her since it was her fruit that gave the gods their eternal existence. Freyja fashioned him a coat that transformed him into a falcon to bring Iðunn back to Asgard, the land of the gods.

"It is to her that we owe thanks for the gods. It is her fruit that keeps them beautiful and young, and without it they began to age. We must always give her our devotion just as much as Freyja and Frigg who bless us as women. It is not uncommon to find sacrifices at her altar by those who wish for her to live as along as the gods do. Any time you fear for the gods, pray to Iðunn so that she might keep the fruit of the gods protected for their eternal life."

Lilith felt herself smiling wider the further into Helga's story she got, silently thinking of all the saints and messengers Athelstan had told her about in the monastery. Father Cuthbert had forbid her from learning those things, but of course, Athelstan had insisted. It was comforting to know that there were gods everywhere who believed the same things she did. She especially loved Freyja and her twin brother Freyr. They reminded her of the twins Diana and Apollo that Athelstan had taught her about.

But there was still so much to learn.

"Tell me about Odin," Lilith pleaded, having heard this name more times than she could count at both Ragnar's farm and in Floki's hut.

Helga grinned and looked at her companion.

The smile that spread across Floki's face wasn't only one of pride and knowledge, but also a playful smile, like he had been asked to speak about the one thing he loved to tell people. "Odin is the Father of us all," he began. "He is wise and strong and cunning, and he knows us all in our hearts and minds. He tests us and rewards us, and gives and takes as only the gods do, and when he is happy, our lives our blessed and plentiful. Every day the sun rises and the tide comes in, we have the Allfather to thank, and we must always give thanks to him. For if we do not, we all experience his wrath. And he already knows how our lives will go, and we are all fated to die a certain way and on a certain day, so we must all live our lives as fully as we possibly can."

He leaned in closer to Lilith, touching her forehead and then pointing to her heart. "Even you, Little One. You were fated to come here, to be here with us now. Odin has laid a great path before you, your destiny, and it is your duty to follow it the only way you know how. Just as he gave the mighty Thor the skies and the thunder, he has given you a great gift that you will soon discover. And one day, you will join Odin in his great hall. One day, you will go to Valhalla and eat and drink with him at the high table. Wouldn't you like that?"

Lilith found herself caught up in his story, smiling as she sat between Bjorn and Gyda and glancing up at Athelstan to see him listening as well. He looked at her, smiling a strange smile and nodding just once. When she looked back at Floki, he was looking up at Athelstan too.

"Floki," she said, and he looked at her. "What does Odin look like?"

The corner of Floki's smile curled up. "Oh, dear child, I would not want to spoil anything for you, but what I can tell you of Odin is the one thing you should always remember of him. He is not like any of the other gods and therefore does not appear as any of them do. He is grand and humble at the same time. He is generous and possessive. Once you have seen him, you never forget him, and he never forgets you. But you will know him when you see him. You will see his one eye and know that he gave the other to gain the knowledge of everything. You will see his broad hat and know that he is a traveler who accompanies us all in the walk of life. And you will see his long beard and know that he commands the respect of everyone he meets in his travels. And when you meet him, you will tell him that Floki was the one who told you about him. Hmm?"

Lilith nodded, the smile on her face never changing.

The stories went on well into the night, and when Ragnar was done with being awake, everyone else decided to lay down to sleep as well. Lilith still stayed close to Athelstan, but her head was filled with Helga and Floki's words. It made her think of all the stories Athelstan told her and all the books she had read that never seemed to satiate her need for more. Now she had found two people who appeared to have an endless supply of stories to tell her, and she couldn't fathom her luck. Now she had two more people in her life that she could love like a family.

A fourth week passed, and it got colder. Ragnar continued to heal, even if his mood did not improve, and Lagertha gave Lilith and Gyda things to do that prevented them from seeing him when he was being difficult. On the days when that was difficult, Athelstan helped, but Lilith still saw. It was something she had never seen, since she had never been around very many of the monks in the monastery who were either sick or injured for one reason or another. She didn't mean to be so interested in Ragnar while he was like this, but she couldn't help it.

Some days, it snowed in the mornings when it was cold enough, and that limited the amount of time they could go outside to bring in food from the stores next to Floki's hut. It was so different from the last winter on the island, and Lilith couldn't help but sense that this new home of hers would continue to have many differences from her previous one.

On the days when it was just warm enough outside to rain, the inside of Floki's hut was a welcome refuge. It wasn't like the spring rains and storms she was accustomed to. Lagertha tried to keep her and Gyda from being out in the rain when it was like that, sending Athelstan to get wood and food, and when he returned, he was always soaked to the bone. Helga would make him strip out of his clothes so they could dry, but it was always morning before he was warm again.

It seemed to rained for days, and that meant Athelstan had to go out in it many times, so it seemed like he was perpetually cold until Lagertha decided he had done enough. Then she began to send Bjorn for wood.

"We don't want you to become ill," Lagertha insisted as she sat by the fire with him. "Not when so many of us need you to be strong for us."

She had already draped a blanket around him after taking his clothes, and Lilith waited until Lagertha stepped back to Ragnar's side to sit beside Athelstan.

"Now it will be up to us to take care of you," she teased even as he clutched the blanket tighter around him. "I will find a towel for your hair."

It took probably an hour for him to stop shaking, and Lilith sat close to him so she could help him stay warm. He couldn't stop her even if he protested profusely.

"You shouldn't worry about me, Lili," he pleaded. "It's still my responsibility to protect you, and you're not making it easy. There was a reason I never wanted you to be alone with the others in the monastery."

She leaned back to look up at him. "And what reason was that?" she asked, adding, "other than them being cruel and obstinate."

He smirked when she used that word, shivering again as he took a deep breath and unfolded his arm from under the blank so he could drape it over her shoulders. "Because you are a little girl," he said to which she immediately made a face at him. He amended it to say, "You were a little girl. And they were grown men. It was wrong for them to be near you that way. I remember that from when I lived with my mother and father, even if it is one of the few things I can remember now. I was trying to protect you not only from them, but from me as well. And I know we're not in the monastery anymore, but I still need to try for as long as I can."

Lilith sighed, pursing her lips slightly. "But you saw me without my clothes when I would bathe," she reminded him. "And it wasn't wrong then. Why is it wrong now?"

That seemed to make him pause as he sat there naked, wrapped in a blanket. "Well," he began but then stopped. "I was . . ." He sighed softly, unable to find the words.

Lilith watched him as he searched his mind for what he wanted to say, and just when he was about to speak, she stopped him. "It's okay," she said. "I know we're not in the monastery anymore. And I know everything is different here. But I don't want everything to change. Can't some of the things we used to do still be the same?"

Athelstan smiled just a little, holding her closer and kissing her head. "Of course," he whispered. "We're adjusting the best we can, I suppose. I just worry about you growing up too fast sometimes. You are sometimes too smart for your own good, even if that is something I appreciate about you now more than before. We're both in a strange place, Lili. I want you to be able to trust me, but I need to be able to trust you as well. Do you understand?"

She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. Her fingertips just barely met on the other side of his chest, and he squeezed her gently. "I understand," she promised.

That night, she still slept close to him, but Lagertha gave her a blanket of her own so she wouldn't have to share with Athelstan like she had been doing.

It was still raining when they woke the next morning, and their routine began again. Athelstan's clothes were dry, so after he was dressed, he sat Lilith and Gyda down with Helga so they could sort through the herbs and vegetables that would serve them breakfast. While they did that, Lagertha got Ragnar out of bed so she could tend to his wounds.

"When will Father be better?" Gyda asked even as she helped Lilith.

Lagertha sighed as she spread ointment over one of Ragnar's wounds. She glanced back at them. "In a few weeks time, my child, your father's wounds will be healed. He only needs to be careful not to make them worse by being impatient."

Ragnar huffed, grimacing when she pressed a little too hard. "It's taking too long already," he complained, not looking at any of them.

"You must have patience, Father," Bjorn interjected, even as Ragnar glared at him.

"You must have patience, Father," Ragnar repeated mockingly. "Shut up!"

Bjorn only glanced back at Gyda and Lilith, not saying anything back.

It was only quiet for a minute when the door to the hut burst open, allowing Floki inside from gathering wood with a soaked Torstein leaned against him.

"I found him wandering around the marshes," Floki said, hurrying to the fire and sitting Torstein down in front of it.

Athelstan rose before Lilith did, and they all gathered around the fire to hear what Torstein said. He was shaking worse than any of them had after being in the rain, his furs practically glued to his skin as he shivered.

"I was lost," Torstein said through chattering teeth. He took a deep breath and looked at Ragnar. "I was visited, in great secrecy by Earl Haralson's wife Siggy," he explained.

He shivered again, pausing to take another breath, and when he looked up at them all, he waited for Ragnar to nod before he continued.

"She told me that her husband had played a trick on Rollo," he said, adding, "and then he imprisoned him, trying to find where you were. Then he tortured him."

Ragnar face changed immediately from curiosity to fury when he heard those words, leaning in as though he had not heard Torstein correctly. "He tortured my brother?" he demanded.

Torstein bowed his head, nodding. "Yes."

With one breath, Ragnar's anger from before the whole ordeal returned. Lilith had not seen this face in many weeks, and she knew it was not a good sign that it had come back.

"Siggy is sure her husband means to kill Rollo," Torstein huffed, "because he will not in any way admit to where you are."

"It's a trap for you, Ragnar," Floki said without missing a beat.

The look on Ragnar's face was difficult to read, but to Lilith, this much was obvious. Earl Haraldson had already attacked them and left them with nothing but the clothes on their backs. That he had attacked Ragnar's brother Rollo only made more sense to Lilith, even if she had not seen Rollo in weeks. Clearly, Earl Haraldson felt threatened by Ragnar, and he would stop at nothing to prove it. Lilith couldn't help thinking of the monks and how they had acted toward her, even if she knew it wasn't the same. Those men had feared her because they believed she was evil. Earl Haraldson feared Ragnar because he had defied him and humiliated him. And now he was doing whatever he could to rid himself of Ragnar and make himself strong again.

This was the kind of behavior Lilith never wanted to understand about men.

Ragnar only sat still a minute, glancing at Lagertha and then Bjorn before he stood up from the fire. He didn't speak, limping away from them across the hut until he came to the door. A whoosh of cool air filled the hut when he pulled the door open, and for another minute, he just stood there, watching it rain. That was when he called Floki to him.

Lilith didn't hear what they said, but she knew it wasn't good. Ragnar had been so angry before he had been hurt, and she knew he was just as angry now, if not more. Whatever he planned to do, it would be even bigger than anything that had happened so far.

When the rain stopped the next morning, and Floki left, the only thing Lilith could get out of Lagertha as they carried clothes to be washed at the spring was that she would explain when the time was right.

"It is something only the men should worry over for now," Lagertha said. "For now, I need you and Gyda to help me with these, and I am going to show you how to make a new piece of clothing for Ragnar."

Lilith didn't have to ask as they walked. Ragnar was a fighter. She knew this. So it didn't take her much thinking to know what Ragnar was about to do. If it was Athelstan, she knew she would fight if it was the last thing she did. So Ragnar would fight. And it was possible he would die.

And Lilith knew without asking anyone that her world was about to change again.


Since we're passed the midpoint of the story (pretty much), the next chapters will have the most changes in them, but I'll still try to keep with the show as much as I can.

I hope it's all coming together nicely for everyone. I'm finishing up the last several chapters, so I know I'm enjoying myself.

Until next time!