Chapter Six - Back to the Sea
It had been one week since Ragnar and Rollo had returned. Winter had become stronger over the past few days, and now snow was falling almost daily. Ragnar was still in a bad state, and mostly remained in bed. Lagertha did not leave his side, but didn't want her children to see their father in such a state. So Björn and Gyda had looked for someone to stay and even play with, and that person had to be Gudrun.
She enjoyed the two children a lot, though Björn was beginning to grow fast. He was fourteen now, he was becoming very tall and his edges were becoming more sharp. At first, Gudrun had thought he looked like his father, but the more she looked at him the more she saw his mother in him. He had the same nose, the same mouth. Their expression was the same. The thing that surely came from Ragnar was his eyes. They were a little less bright, though.
Gudrun played with Björn and Gyda sometimes through the days, often chasing them or being chased in return. She found with frustration that Björn and Gyda were very fast, and almost caught her up every time. Herself could rarely catch them but she tried hard. Every night, her muscles ached. Ironically, despite not being a slave any more, she had twice as much work. There was not one person, but eight people to feed in the house, not including herself. Of course she didn't do anything, but since she was of Floki's blood, she had to help him. And poor Floki seemed overwhelmed by all that sudden activity. There was only he and Helga in this house before, and now there was Ragnar plus his whole family. Helga, Floki and Gudrun were the only ones doing housework. Additionally, Floki was the one who had to keep healing Ragnar since he had the most medical knowledge of them all. But Gudrun knew, he thought of himself a very bad host.
"I can't make it..." whined Floki.
"Of course, you do!" consoled him Helga. "You're doing well, Floki!"
Gudrun had been eavesdropping behind Floki's room once, since she was very concerned for his health. He had gotten thinner, and his eyes were more shallow. She was afraid he fell sick too. So she helped as much as she could, and she saw Helga did the same. Only she had noticed Helga had something she did not: a small bump at the base of her stomach, that seemed very unusual for a woman of her shape. She suspected a pregnancy, but didn't want to evoke any of it since Helga had not done it herself by now. So she waited.
Rollo was not around very much. He was never home and always seemed to go prowling around Kattegat. Gudrun didn't really know what he had in mind. It was dangerous to go around there, even if the Earl's house was probably recovering. They had obviously told everyone about the fire, and Gudrun kept thinking it was not clever at all to do that. It probably angered the Earl more, and when he would be healed, he would go after them. She was almost furious all they did was only hiding.
No one really knew where Floki's house was. It was far from the village and it was scary. But Gudrun liked it. She slept outside, with Floki and Hilda, under a tent with fire. They had given their own room to Ragnar and Lagertha, their children slept in the other one. But Rollo never came to sleep.
After having picked up the knife Rollo had planted into the wooden log, Gudrun had always kept it on her. She hadn't trained with it, but she felt safer with a weapon. She relished that feeling, so new and enjoyable to her. She wanted to have more of it. Once, she asked Floki if he happened to have a sword, casually. Since he was busy with preparing a brew for Ragnar, he hadn't really thought about his answer. He had mumbled he kept one under his bed, but Gudrun knew he never used it. She had carefully taken it, trying not to be seen. The context would have been hard to explain. She had then gotten a bit further into the woods, where the trees were higher and darker, and had begun to practice.
All Gudrun had were poor and heavy clothes, so she tore them off, keeping only breeches and an undershirt. The cold breeze was blowing on her skin, giving her goosebumps. She slightly smiled and put on gloves she had found, enjoying their warmth. She took the sword by the handle and weighed it in her hands; it was heavy. She remembered the sword she had held once, as a deal for her freedom. She had failed. Gudrun swore to herself she would never fail again at that task, she wanted to show she was strong. She looked around her and found a big looking tree, and thought it perfect for her first practice. She ran towards it, the sword pitifully falling down in her hands, and hit the bark strongly with the sharp of the blade. A white scar had been made on the old tree to her satisfaction. She assaulted it again, plunging her sword deeper. She tried again about ten times, feeling the muscles in her shoulders, back and arms work and clench. She stopped and looked closely at the wounds she had created: she suddenly felt very sorry for the poor tree, he who had asked nothing. She took one glove off and took a bit of sap on her finger. She looked at it, sadness filling her eyes. It reminded her the times she was beaten in that cellar, not seeing the light of day after her adoptive father had been killed.
A tear escaped Gudrun's eye, thinking of him. She wiped the sap on the dead grey grass and sat her back against the bark. She gently layed the sword at her side and put her head in her arms, stopping herself from crying again. She tried to comfort herself with happy thoughts: she had been reunited with Floki, her mother's cousin. She had stopped being a slave and was now free, even if it meant that Ragnar had to suffer for that. Thinking about him, her heart twisted in her chest and formed a knot in her lower belly. She stared at the dead dirt under her, and suddenly herd footsteps crunching the ill herbs.
Her shoulders clenched and she stayed still, listening. When a hand gripped her shoulder, too nicely for an attacker but still causing Gudrun a heart attack, she flipped and crawled away, facing the man too late. It was Rollo, obviously. Who else could it have been? She mentally thwacked herself and took the hand he offered her to get back on her feet. She felt her cheeks burn, and his gaze was tethered to her sword.
"Where did you find that?" he asked in a rough voice.
"Floki." she answered in less than a murmur.
He took it from her hand without asking, which she found very impolite. But at this time, she was not much surprised. Stuff was almost everyone's property, and no one really ever asked. But a sword was private. A sword was personal.
"It's a bad sword," he breathed. "Not been sharpened recently..."
"Why do you sharpen a blade?" her question felt stupid. She felt herself boil from the inside when he chuckled and looked at her in amusement.
"When a blade is not sharp, it does not cut. And when it does not cut, it doesn't harm." he dragged his palm alongside the 'sharp' side of it, and smirked when he reached the end. "See? Not cutting."
She reddened again and felt stupid. Floki never fought, and this sword would be of no big use in a fight. She could still defend herself, but her attacker would always be stronger than her. Always.
"Take mine." Rollo said.
He drew his own sword from its scabbard, and Gudrun noted the difference with amazement. Rollo's sword was long, flatter than Floki's, and it was shining. The steel seemed cold and Gudrun could imagine it biting her skin with a shiver. She took it by the handle, her hands burning. She ran her fingers over the blade, and as she was guessed, its coldness was hurting her fingers. It was also heavier, therefore it seemed harder to manipulate. She hardly lifted it to her level, and awkwardly stared at a Rollo examining her like a scientific experiment. He seemed amused by her lack of strength, where it made her want to whine. She felt weaker than a newborn kitten. Out of anger, she hit the tree again, then dug further into its bark than before, letting the sap run as free as blood. Her hair had ran wild and sweaty, freeing itself from the knot where she had originally tied them.
"What has this poor tree done to you?" Rollo teased.
"It's not against the tree I'm angry." she lowly breathed.
"Is it against me, then?"
"Maybe."
Rollo found her funny, after all. She tried her hardest to stay calm in front of him, maybe she was fearing him? He quit his leaning position, letting his height naturally dominate her. He heard her swallow hardly and hand him his sword back. He noted with amusement her hand was shaking, and when she saw he had seen that she urgently grabbed it with her other hand, hiding it from his sight. He teased her with his eyes, then held the sword by the handle. He placed himself facing the tree, looked at Gudrun with an air of saying: 'Look at that, kid.' He raised his sword above his head, then swiftly projected it against the bark. With a few rapid swirls, it planted itself in the tree. Rollo was not that proud, he had done this countless times before, with his brother or alone. But knowing that Gudrun was amazed about this made him feel something funny in his chest. He went to take it out, and wiped the 'tree blood' on his shirt.
"Showing off." Gudrun muttered, looking away.
Rollo slowly leaned against the tree and slipped to the floor, crossing his legs and looking at his sword. Gudrun's cheeks were red. It was something strange about her, she always seemed either angry or completely indecipherable. Sometimes she couldn't control herself, and Rollo had to admit he loved this moments. She was as unstable as the sea, which he had by the way crossed to get her.
"Maybe," Rollo said, "but it worked."
He looked at the sky for a moment, then noticed Gudrun had slipped to the ground too. She was looking at her fingers, her expression empty but her eyes wilder than a rainstorm.
"Do you miss it?" he suddenly asked.
"Miss what?"
"Your land."
He saw Gudrun look at the dead leaves on the soil, then pick one.
"This had always been my land. I missed it even before I came."
"And do you miss the land you lived in?"
"I don't know. I miss the memories I have made in that land, I miss my mother and father I left in that land, but the land itself... No." She seemed resigned and so harsh about it, Rollo didn't really think she didn't miss it. He had always loved his land, and even when he went to raid in England, he always felt a pain in his chest. It was his home, and he couldn't leave it behind him without feeling sad. He didn't care about servants' feelings, but since she wasn't one any longer he wondered how she could not regret the place she had always lived in.
"Why do you care about me now I'm not a slave anymore?" she emptily asked.
A strange feeling rushed in Rollo's chest. Was it guilt? No, he didn't feel guilt about that. Not an ounce of it. What was it...
"Do I look like I care?" he asked with raised eyebrows and a serious look.
Gudrun didn't dare continue on that way to his relief, the questions of his mind were too loud and messy for him to give a clear answer. He tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear then got up again, leaving Gudrun on the ground. Before leaving, he looked at her.
"If you need to practice, you ask me."
On those very simple words, he left into the woods, heading towards Floki's house. He had to speak with his brother.
Gudrun had made her way to the coast. Since Floki was a boat builder, his house was not very far. Hidden in the woods, there was yet a little creek that was linked with the salty body of water. She took her boots off, and despite the harshness of the cold, she slowly entered it. Her feet were burning with coldness, her muscles slowly paralysing themselves and her skin hurting. She quickly made her way to a large rock that was not so far away, and crawled on it. It was rather painful to sit on it at first, but she accustomed to that feeling of being stabbed through her butt cheeks. Mist was slowly beginning to surround the place, and she relished that event. As the air became white, she closed her eyes and breathed, getting herself lost in thin air.
Apparently, that day was a day of unexpected encounters. Not far from where she was sitting, where the bank began, a silhouette was standing. She realised its presence when it began to slowly move in her direction, but even if it walked, it seemed to be floating. Gudrun broke from her trance dazedly and panic began to rise in her throat. She jumped to her feet and tightened her knuckles around the grip of Floki's sword. She felt paralysed, and observed the strange apparition from a tense eye. It seemed to take its time, as if it knew she would not run. It felt supernatural and had a strange effect on her mind, as if the haze of white was moving inside of her.
All of the fog seemed to be moving with the visitor. It was thicker around him and tongues of pale smoke trailed behind him as he walked alongside the bank. Gudrun watched, unable to react, its way being made. It was about to pass before her and when it came in her axis, it then strode through the water heading towards her isolated rock. The muscles in her legs and arms seemed to melt as it got closer, strangely seeming more unreal than before. Maybe this was a nightmare. Like the one Gudrun had with the wolf, and with Rollo.
The figure slowed down and stopped right before her. Even though Gudrun was higher because she stood on the rock, the unexpected visitor was still taller than her. But not as tall as Rollo.
Gudrun didn't imagine the man at all to be like that. Because yes, it was, or at least looked like a man. A rather old man, with a dark beard streaked with white, a tanned and wrinkled skin, hair tied together in a knot at the back of his hair. Gudrun had learnt to fear men more, but this one spread an uncommon aura. In a way, she felt drawn to him. Something about that man felt natural and so familiar...
"Gudrun." he spoke of a soft voice, yet deep. His upper lip was incredibly thin compared to his lower. Just like a Norseman's.
"How do... How do you know my name?" Gudrun asked in an inaudible voice, so low she didn't even hear it herself.
"I have known you, for very long..." the man began. His brows furrowed as he seemed to look closer at her features. He seemed very serious.
"In fact, the Aesir have known you for a very long time... I believe you do know who they are, do you?" he eyed her.
"They're... They're the Gods, I think." she muttered, again inaudibly. She felt like dreaming.
"Well, they're some of the Gods. You forgot the Vanir. The Elves. The Dead. The Jötnar."
All these names whirled throughout Gudrun's head. She had heard them, of course, but learning was so hard. Those names felt familiar to her ears, but there were too many.
"I must warn you, girl, I am not malevolent. I can feel you fear me. Do not." the man stated more gently.
"It's just... How do you know me? You just appeared out of nowhere in all that fog and you speak of the gods as if you knew them... So this is my question. Who are you?"
The man looked at her with his utter kindness in his eyes. It felt like she knew him, like he was a part of her life... A warm feeling settled in her neck. His eyes were the exact colour of the sea, a greenish grey with sparkles of light grey and dark blue. Gudrun bet they were deep blue on sunny days.
"My name is Aegir. I am a Jötun."
Gudrun froze again. A Jötun. A giant. She had heard Floki speak about them, they were mainly evil and angry beings, possessors of exponential strength, forces of nature. They were also the enemies of the Aesir and the Vanir, the gods worshiped by the Viking people.
"I know what you may think of me." said Aegir softly. "But I am not evil. I am a Jötun, it is true. But I am not on the side of those of my kind, and I try to be as peaceful as possible. The Gods trust me."
"Why are you not on the Jötnar's side?" she asked, curious.
"I don't agree with their tendencies of... violence." he looked utterly sad at that mention. "I am a peaceful being. And the Gods are my friends. We are in good terms, and I would like to keep it so."
"And..." Gudrun felt uneasy. "... Do you have the same... abilities as those of your kind?"
Aegir didn't answer. He simply turned at the sea and rose his arm slowly. Gudrun couldn't see very well due to the mist, but she noticed a transparent shape rising in the air. She gasped when she found out it was a gigantic column of water, growing in height and width by Aegir's power. The column changed into a wave by a simple flick of his hands, and came at her level. Gudrun swallowed and felt her heart drop in chest, probably out of fear. The wave lowered itself slowly, still controlled by Aegir's movements. The water found its original stillness again, as if nothing had happened.
"The oceans are my kingdom. I command the tender waves that bring sailors safe at the shores, or the sea storms that can cause many deaths on my wrathful days. I am the sea lord of Midgard."
Gudrun didn't need proof. She just stared at him in disbelief and awe. He seemed much more powerful now, and couldn't be mistaken for a simple human now. Gudrun saw his real force in his eyes, and noticed how his hands were trembling slightly. It was probably hard for him to control his power right now, and she knew why.
"I have come on this land to deliver you a message from the Aesir." he began again with a lower voice. "They want you to make sure the unleashing of the fires of Muspelheim is avoided. They want you to find the traitor and end this life."
"Wait... What? The fires of Muspelheim? Isn't Muspelheim the kingdom of fire?" she babbled.
"I must go now, think of my words. I shall repeat your mission again. Find the traitor." His eyes lost what warmness was left in them. "Kill him."
On those words, he vanished in a puff of mist. Gudrun was left alone in this white kingdom, and felt struck in every way. The burden that Aegir had given to her suddenly fell on her shoulders, and she felt heavier than a whole ship. She slowly raised her eyes to the sky and saw small flakes of snow make their way down to Earth. She was doomed, and felt lost. She got in the sea again, returning to Floki's house like a wandering soul from Hel.
[A/N: Hey guys! I'm really sorry about the time between the two updates, but I've recently been under a lot of pressure from school x( and something horrible happened to me while writing this story... See, this is not the first version of it. A few days ago, I had just completed it when my computer fucking DIED. And I lost everything. T_T I find the saving system on FF very poor and unpractical, it always stresses me now when I write something there...
Anyway, about the chapter. For those of you who have little knowledge in Norse Mythology, Aegir is a Jötun of the sea, as he said it himself. The plural of Jötun is Jötnar. A Jötun is a giant, but not giant as "tall". A giant is the equivalent of titans in Greek Mythology, primitive and unbelievably strong beings with malevolent intentions towards the men and the Gods. Aegir is an exception, he is a peaceful Jötun. I hope this helped with eventual questions ^_^
I also would like to thank wabi-sabi1090 and Lagertha Lothbro for the reviews again, you guys are too nice :D (and to wabi-sabi1090, you totally guessed it right! I am happy to read your reviews ;) )
Any feedback is appreciated, as always! I have noticed that I've been getting a great number of views recently, I'm really happy! I decided that I was going to publish (I said publish, not write ^_^) new chapters every time the previous one gets a hundred views. It's only logical. I must make my time used correctly since this year is going to be busy...
Thank you again for the feedback, and don't forget to leave a review, to like, or to follow! Have a nice day/night, the next chapter will be up soon!]