A/N: Thank you to the couple people who have reviewed this story already! I apologize if the uploads are slower than ideal, I have nothing written ahead of time. I am going to school full time on top of working, so I do not have much free time to spare. However, I am super excited to continue this story!

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Torunn set the next row of the piece she was working on; a rose colored baby blanket for one of the servant women she lived with. It was coming along nicely, and she hoped that the gift would ease the woman's anxieties about birthing her first child. All of the women supported each other through such events, and although the child's father (a man who had forced himself upon the woman) would never be named, the child would have many mothers.

Torunn, as well as most of her sisters around her, had also had to endure the horrors of rape in her life. After her parents had died fighting for Earl Haraldson – a warrior's death that surely took them to Valhalla – she had been left to fend for herself for a short time. An only child of 13 years old, she relied on the people of the village to feed her and keep her warm through the winter. Most were kind and generous. A few men were not, and expected specific 'payment' that only a woman could give them. Even now, the memory of those dark nights caused a cold chill to creep up her spine.

Fortunately, after the lonely and miserable winter was over, Eydis's parents had decided to take care of her as their own, and the horrors ceased. Since those times, Torunn had not desired a man's touch, and had been able to avoid any situation that would make her the object of a man's desire. As she got older and her body matured, she felt the longing and lust just much as the next young woman, but she was just not ready for such intimacy. The thought of being intimate with someone again never failed to frighten her far more than it intrigued. That was… until she saw Floki. He was the exception to her rule; always floating around somewhere in her mind.

Footsteps crunching on straw behind her drew her eyes, and she stilled her hands on the loom as Lagertha approached. Turning quickly, she bowed her head in respect.

"Lady Lagertha." She greeted.

The blond viking smiled softly.

"Hello Torunn. What are you working on?"

Torunn glanced behind her to the blanket, wringing her hands; a nervous habit.

"Ah, it is a baby blanket. One of the women, my friend Astrid, is with child. I had hoped to give it to her as a gift." Torunn watched for Lagertha's reaction with tense eyes. She had not been ordered to the loom today. She had hoped that her activities would go unnoticed as there wasn't much work to be done at the moment, the rain that had started the day before had yet to cease.

Lagertha strolled closer to the loom, examining her work with bright eyes. Her fingers reached forward to skim lightly along the soft cloth. She looked reverent.

"It is beautiful. You are quite a skilled weaver. How did you learn such a craft?"

Torunn wrapped her arms around herself. Being the subject of such attention and questions made her a bit uncomfortable, even when they were coming from a kind woman such as Lagertha.

"My mother had a loom when I was young. She showed me how to weave and I… found peace in it."

Lagertha nodded at her, an understanding look on her face. She took a step toward Torunn, her clear blue eyes searching the green orbs of the younger woman.

"We all need to be alone sometimes. I must confess, I already knew of your talents. It is why I sought you out today."

Surprise crossed Torunn's features.

"You did?" Fear sparked through her once again; was the Earl's wife angry with her for wasting her time with menial tasks?

Lagertha nodded, the small smile returning to her face.

"Yes. And I had hoped that you would help me with something. Help all of us, actually."

Torunn tilted her head in curiosity. She couldn't fathom what a woman as great and powerful as Lagertha, the shield maiden, could need from someone as meek as her.

"Lady Lagertha… I don't know what you could possibly need of a servant like myself, but I will always be happy to serve you." She stated, dipping her head.

Lagertha stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. She bent slightly so as to catch Torunn's eyes.

"You have more worth than you see, Torunn. And I am not the only one who has seen this. You are not like the rest of the servants. Not even like the rest of the women." Her tone was light, and Torunn blushed at her compliments. "You are smart person, and talented in your craft, which is why we need your help."

"Forgive me Lady, but who is 'we'?"

Lagertha smiled.

"Earl Ragnar and myself of course. But not only us. All of the raiding party. All of Kattegat." Torunn's eyes were wide now. "It is our plan to return to England, to continue exploring and raiding that new world. But for that, we need ships."

Her brow creasing, Torunn thought immediately of Floki. She imagined his long, thin fingers working the wood to his will; forming the great crafts that her viking brothers and sisters used to sail the sea. Even now, at this moment he was probably in the woods near his hut, a look of concentration on his face as his lean, strong limbs made beauty from the mundane. A blush began to creep up her chest, and she spoke quickly to cover her thoughts.

"Surely your shipwright is building more boats for us, even as we speak?"

Lagertha chuckled softly, nodding.

"It is true. Floki works tirelessly, even though we do not plan to return to England for some time yet. But it is not the ships themselves that require your aid; it is their sails."

Torunn's brows rose near her hairline. Lagertha's intentions finally clear, she took a moment to think carefully. She imagined their great ships returning to England, the goddess Rán, goddess of the sea, tossing waves at the ships. Odin guiding them as strong winds blew against the sails, sails that she had woven. As clear as day the vision was before her eyes, and she knew in that moment that this was her purpose. The Gods were as good as handing her destiny to her on a silver platter, and she would be a fool not to take it.

Steel resolve took over her features.

"Yes. Yes, I would like nothing more than to serve the Gods, to serve you." She glanced beside her once more toward her loom, her face falling slightly. "But… I'm afraid I do not have the tools large enough to complete this task."

Lagertha took her hands, holding them firmly in her own. Excitement sparked behind her eyes and it was infectious, Torunn couldn't remember ever feeling so thrilled about anything in her life. Lagertha leaned forward and spoke animatedly, as though they were sharing a great secret.

"Do not worry, I have thought of this already. On the beach, a ways down from the village, you will find a great loom. Some time ago we traded with a neighboring land, and I gave many riches to acquire it. I knew we would need it, but I did not know them whom it would be for. The Gods had yet to introduce me to you."

Torunn smiled along with her. It was as though her life suddenly meant much more than herself. For a moment, she could think of nothing else but the future, nothing else but the vision of dozens of awe-some ships cutting through the waves and being led by her sails. Not for a moment did she think of the other ways her life might change.

Floki sat beside the fire in his friend Ragnar's home, one leg tucked underneath him. His hands hovered near the fire, letting the warmth bring a tingle of feeling back into his cold hands. He had spent the day setting a frame for a new ship. A difficult task in the rain, but not impossible. A more patient man would have bided his time waiting for the skies to quiet, but Floki was not a patient man. The Gods had work for him to do, and he would be damned before he sat around the Great Hall drinking himself to death with the rest of the raid-happy fools.

Although he could tolerate the rain, there was nothing he could do against the dark of night, and so he had eaten a hurried dinner with Helga before returned to town to spend the evening strategizing with Ragnar and Lagertha. They were currently sat across the fire from him, reminding him (as they had several times already) that their return to England would not be a rushed one. They would be prepared, analytical, leaving no possibility unaccounted for. Floki daydreamed of battlefields soaked in Christian blood as they talked.

"… I assure you she is up to the task. I can see it in her eyes, she is determined. And intelligent, as Floki is about such things."

The sound of his name from Lagertha's mouth drew his thoughts back to the present.

"Ah yes, I heard that you finally found the girl who is worthy of weaving the sails of my ships."

Lagertha eyed him carefully.

"I did not have to look far. She is one of our servants. She weaves most all of the clothing and blankets for the people, she is quite talented."

Floki giggled loudly, his hands waving in disbelief.

"A tailor?! You think a simple waif who has spent her life stitching together tunics could weave sails for my ships?!" He scoffed, offended, and sat back roughly in his chair.

Lagertha glared at him. Ragnar chuckled lowly from the chair beside her, and her head snapped to him. He held up his hands quickly in surrender, shaking his head.

"Floki has a point. How are we to know this girl is able to do this for us? I am willing to let her try, but it is unwise to put all of one's faith in a stranger."

Lagertha huffed, but Floki pointed to Ragnar as a way of echoing his point.

"You may not know her, but she has served Kattegat her entire life. She promised to serve me before I had even given her the task. Once I told her what she is to do, her face lit up, and she accepted as though the Gods had already decided her answer."

Ragnar leaned toward her, his intense blue eyes alight with amusement.

"I believe you, dear wife. And I am eager to see the talents of our new weaver."

Lagertha smiled ruefully.

"Good, because she should arrive any moment."

Floki was watching the exchange, still bristling slightly, but stilled when he heard the door to the home creak open slowly. A woman edged around the door hesitantly, a hood covering most of her face to keep out the rain. Lagertha held a hand out to the slight girl, beckoning.

"Come Torunn. The hearth will warm you."

The woman lowered her hood slowly, and Floki's breath caught in his throat. He recognized this girl, the one who the day before had met his eyes from across the courtyard, whose rose-colored blush had been as clear as day even through a downpour. It had made him curious; he rarely noticed women for their beauty. His mind was always turning, always thinking of the next task, and women were often a distraction not worthy of his time. But this girl made him stop. Made him notice.

The raven-haired woman smiled softly as she closed the door behind her, making her way slowly toward the hearth. Floki watched as she moved; her steps deliberate, it seemed as though she floated toward them rather than walked. She veered toward Lagertha slightly, and his heart fell for he had already hoped that she would sit near to him. She thanked Lagertha, taking a seat next to her, and her voice invaded his ears and soothed his thoughts.

Torunn's eyes scanned the room quickly, finding Ragnar first. Her head inclined as though on reflex.

"Earl Ragnar, thank you so much for inviting me into your home."

Ragnar looked bemused, glancing at Floki. His eyes quickly narrowed as he noticed that the shipwright's gaze was still completely focused on the pretty girl, but he did not let his expression linger.

"Do not thank me, but thank Lagertha. It is she who has told us all about the Gods' plans for you. You and Floki will work together to bring great fortune to Kattegat."

She smiled more genuinely then, her eyes hesitantly shifting to Floki. The blush he had yet to forget returned to her cheeks, her high cheekbones catching the firelight as she smiled at him.

"It is nice to meet you, Floki."

For the first time that he could remember, his body and mind were completely still.