Chapter 4

Freyja's POV

"What!" I exclaimed. Magni cringed at the loudness of my shocked exclamation.

"Why would you do such a thing Magni!"

"Freyja listen to me. An enemy of mine Hakon is trying to get the Jarl to marry his daughter and if he succeeds he will be the power behind the decisions of the Jarl. It would not bodewell for either your or I."

I sat down on the bed, shaking my head as if this was all a terrible nightmare and I would soon be awakened from my slumber.

"Freyja listen to me." Magni came and sat down beside me, the bed squeaking under our combined weight.

If you become his wife, you'd not only be saving us, but you have a chance to save your people as well." I glanced at him curiously.

"If you become his wife, you would have the power to influence where he raids. You might be able to divert him from your country at least, onto another land perhaps."

That got my attention. If I could stop them raiding my country I might not only be able to save my people, but a large part of Christendom. God only knows the terror the Northmen would unleash upon the people, the monasteries, and convents, where a wealth of knowledge and theology and funding remained. In that moment a vision came into my mind. A monastery on an island, the monks being slaughtered or thrown into the sea, their screams and pleas for mercy echoing loudly in my ears. The scrolls and codexes (bound books), years of learned knowledge, strewn everywhere, ripped up or ruined, the money stolen. Worst of all I saw the Northmen, their swords dripping with the blood of the innocent. God's words echoed in my mind "You have a chance to save them."

"Freyja" Magni's voice was distant.

He shook my shoulder and nearly shouted "Freyja!" I snapped out of my vision. Wait there was no monastery, only the wooden floor I had been staring at and Magni sitting beside me looking concerned.

"What's wrong? You look as if you just had the living daylights scared out of you."

"I think I saw...oh Magni it was terrible."

"What?"

"I saw them killing innocents. My people." Magni patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"If what you saw will come to pass, then perhaps it is best to heed the warning. However, I don't wish to force you into this Freyja. I would never do that. All I ask is you give it some thought."

"I will."

"Good."

"Magni, I need to pray alone if it is alright."

"Of course." Magni lifted himself up from the bed and closed the wooden door softly behind him. I sighed. Prostrating myself upon the floor I began to speak:

"Lord, you are the one and only God

You are my God

Lord I am stranded in a land of people who worship many gods

All of them I know are false Lord. You alone are the existing God.

None of them understand my relationship with you.

You created me, you saw me before the world ever began.

With your powerful hand save me Lord, tell me what you have me do.

If I should marry this man Lord, I should be risking my life, but my blood

Would be a small price to pay if it means saving your holy places and my people, God's people.

Help me Lord. Show me how much your in love with me. How much you care for your child wholly and completely.

For when everyone and everything leaves me Lord, you alone will remain.

You did not abandon me when I was orphaned or captured, and you won't now.

Amen." I made the sign of the cross and kissed my hand before going outside to find Magni.

XXX

Agnarr's POV

I sat by the small creek, my sword lying across my lap. The visit with Hakon's niece had been uneventful to say the least. On many occasions she had tried to impress me with her wit, and countless flattering of my character and reputation. She was beautiful, blonde hair and blue eyes, but there was a sharpness to it, as if she was striving too hard to impress. I preferred a lady comfortable with herself and letting her natural beauty shine forth rather than concealing it beneath worthless cosmetics. Asa seemed too uptight, unwilling or perhaps even afraid to express her true emotions of subjects that mattered, like that of helping to govern my people.

I tossed a stone into the creek.

"Woof!" came a bark. I stood up, not realizing that a dog had appeared not five feet from me. He skipped forward and stuck his head into my food pack.

"Hey get out of there!" I began to try to force the dog back with my sword. He growled, baring his teeth.

"Git!" He still refused to budge. He lunged and before I knew I had struck him the shoulder, the dogs blood coating my sword. He lay on the ground, injured, blood poring from his wound. I raised my sword to finish the final blow...

"Kai!" I looked up and there stood a young girl. She picked up her skirts and practically sprinted towards us.

Freyja's POV

"No, no, no!" I cried, knelting on the ground beside Kai. He was bleeding from a wound in his shoulderand it looked deep. No, he couldn't die, he was my only friend besides Magni. Tears streamed down my face and I looked up at the man who had wounded my friend.

"What have you done!"

"He attacked me!" the man exclaimed, finally coming out of his shock.

"He's a guard dog, he's trained to recognize anyone besides myself and a few others as a danger! He didn't know what he was doing! He's only a poor innocent animal and my friend!" I shouted, anger boiling within me at the man's lack of concern.

I saw surprise flare up in his eyes which was quickly replaced by anger and stalked away.

What an insolent...no I had to focus on Kai and not on such unchristian thoughts.

If I could get him back to Magni's in time...I slung his body over my shoulders, blood dripping onto my hair and apron, but I didn't care. My friend needed help.

"Wait." The man had come back.

Agnarr's POV

The sight before me both astonished and impressed me. Never before had I seen a woman carry an animal and not care about how is was affecting her appearance. Most of them were shy about getting their hands dirty, or even worse they would complain they were above such tasks and expect me to do it for them without bothering so much as to lend a hand. Now, seeing this girl, about seventeen she looked, bearing a bleeding dog intrigued me.

"You're going to carry him all the way back by yourself?"

"Thank you for your offer sir. But I'm afraid I must get Kai home immediately." I could tell she still bore animosity towards me, but she concealed it and instead chose to be kind. Another intriguing point. I watched her as she rounded the corner and was lost from sight, and for a long while after I remained there wondering about the intriguing maiden with hair blacker than I had ever seen.