Møyfrid finished scraping the ashes from the fire pit into the old cloth she'd placed beside it. She gathered the corners and carefully carried it outside and to another building on the property. She put them into a ceramic pot, checking to see full it was, when it was full she and her mother and grandmother would make soap. She hated making soap. She took the fabric and left closing the door behind her. Once she was out shaking the dust from it. The wind blowing it away from her. Her mother was milking goats in their pen on the other side of the house and her grandmother had been weaving inside. Her brother was gone with her father into town. All the farm hands were out in the fields. Her family's farm was the northernmost in the area. Around its north, east, and west there was only mountains and forest .
A gust of wind blew up from the south and the clouds parted sunlight falling down. Møyfrid smiled at its warmth and decided, that before her mother found her she would take the chance and run. She was not suppose to go up the mountain by herself because her mother said she was too young so she was careful to avoid her mother and the fields with the skill all children seem to possess. She ran until she was hidden beneath the canopy of trees happy to be free from any chores. She started down a well worn game path deeper into the forest.
Squirrels barked warning each other and birds sang back and forth. They all seemed to be enjoying the rare warm day just as much as Møyfrid. She didn't bother lifting her too-short skirt as she started up a small incline. She grabbed a fallen stick as she walked dragging it along the ground for a little while before dropping it. Ahead she could see the light of a clearing she, her brother, and her father occasionally sparred in but she hadn't seen it since before last winter. As she approached she heard a horse knicker and she slowed. No one else should have been around there was no real path this way and nothing north of them.
She crept toward the clearing curious and was able to hide behind some bushes at the edge of the clearing. It was a little hard to see however and she tried to move into a better spot the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. Wild grasses were being gently blown back and forth and in the sent of the clearing a group of people stood.
They were talking amongst themselves, too quietly for Møyfrid to hear so instead she tried to discover clues about them through their appearance. There were four of them and three men and a woman. The woman was dressed the most splendidly like a queen from a poem. Her dress was dark blue and she had a cloak of feathers over her shoulder. The men were much more plainly dressed. Two were much larger men on with dark brown hair and the other with red hair. The man with reddish hair, however, had a fabulous belt and something strapped to his waist. The last man was harder to see, he was wearing a hat and leaned on a walking stick. Behind him stood a large horse without a bridle or saddle.
Møyfrid watched as they talked, and eventually must have reached some decision as the man with the walking stick broke away. The horse kneeled and he climbed easily on its back before turning and leaving the remaining three. One of them said something and the red-haired man laughed loudly making Møyfrid jump. He placed a hand on the other man's shoulder and Møyfrid noticed he was missing his right hand. She looked more closely when she heard a twig break behind her. She froze and turned slowly a huge boar stood behind her and she felt all the color drain from her face.
The animal snorted and grunted scratching the earth and bobbing its head up and down. Møyfrid didn't move trying to to provoke it. It's tusks were long , sharp and only inches away from her face. It squealed once and then ran past Møyfrid into the clearing. She turned not sure if she should try and warn the stranger's but the animal slowed to a trot and stopped beside the woman. It took its head and nestled it under her palm. As she spoke she absent mindedly stroked the animal and Møyfrid watched in awe having never seen a wild boar so friendly. She could hear the boar making more strange noises. She woman looked down at it silencing the other two. And after a moment she turned to were Møyfrid was hiding.
"Come on out" she called her accent strange to Møyfrid. Møyfrid debated just turning and running but knew the boar could catch her in a moment so hesitantly she stood not taking her eyes of the boar.
"Come here" The woman said again her two companions turning to look at Mø walked towards them trying to control the weakness in her legs. As she got closer to the trio the air felt heavier and heavier. She realized was not quite scared but something about the trio humbled her and told her not to get any closer. Now she could see the red haired man was armed. A large hammer hung from his belt. Møyfrid gawked thinking of the strength it would take to effectively use it. The other man who was missing a hand had a sword at his side. She looked at their faces and saw that her curiosity was mirrored in their eyes.
"Now what are you doing out here, all by yourself." The woman asked
"This is near my home." Møyfrid said slowly, " My father teaches us to fight here, I was going for a walk" The woman's eyes twinkled
"Really," She said her eyes twinkling, " You seem a little young to be learning to fight."
"I don't care" Møyfrid said the frankness in her voice surprisingly all of them. " I won't be a child forever." The two men chuckled and Møyfrid found herself smiling.
"Why do you want to learn to fight," The woman asked
" Why not, I want to be strong, and I want to learn as much as I can."
The trio's smiles widened and Møyfrid felt herself relaxing.
"Do you like to fight?" The red haired man asked. Møyfrid nodded.
"What is your father teaching you?"
"Well right now we are getting strong and fighting with staffs like swords."
"Do you want to fight with a sword?"
"I guess."
" Who do you fight with?"
"My brother,"
"When you practice who usually wins?"
"I do but I'm older,"
"Then," the red haired man said, "Would you like to see how you do against me?"
Møyfrid opened her mouth to answer but before she could the other man spoke up. He rested his forearm on the first man's shoulder.
"Friend," He said getting the other man's attention, " I know your intentions are good but let me. That hammer is more than dangerous to grown men and she is very young you might accidentally crush her." He chuckled.
The first man huffed but relented, " Fine, I wasn't going to use my hammer though,"
"In your hands everything is hammer."
"Have you finished deciding,"The woman said "We do not have an unlimited amount of time." Møyfrid looked and saw she now stood holding two sword sized staves. She handed the shorter one to Møyfrid and the longer to her companion.
"Do not hurt her. I don't want to have to explain anything." She man chuckled and Møyfrid tensed. Her opponent held the staff in his left hand this other arm placed beneath it to help balance it since he could not grip it. She stood watching him. He raised the staff to strike and Møyfrid moved under his arm and knocking him in the side as she stepped around and behind him. The red haired man gave a shout of surprise.
"Careful, losing to a child would be difficult to live down."
"You're pretty fast." her opponent said to Møyfrid. She wanted to smile but didn't to appear smug. She knew there was no way she could honestly beat him. This was just practice and even though she wasn't very experienced she could tell he was. If he hadn't expected her to strike him she knew it wasn't going to happen again.
He moved more quickly striking her lightly on the shoulder before she could even process his movement. She didn't focus on it because she struck again this time she saw it and countered stepping to the side. All his atacks were pulled and even though she was grateful for it at the same time it frustrated her. She looked for an opening. She wanted to take advantage of his kindness and prove that she was more capable than he believed she was. A breeze drifted from behind her and she felt a push on her back. She moved forward so quickly the fell into the space before she saw it. She lunged forward again getting too close and moving too fast for him to back away and she again hit him in the side as she passed. He turned. And Møyfrid braced not sure if he was going to attack again. But he lowered the stave and leaned against it slightly looking to his companions.
"I think she's pretty good," He said smiling then adding looking at his companions, "even without you're cheating"
"There you all are," A new voice carried over the clearing
Møyfrid turned to see another woman heading towards them. She was smaller than the other woman seemed younger. She was wearing a pale green dress with soil stains on the apron.
"What are you all doing? Who's this?" She said going the edge of the circle.
"This is Møyfrid," the first woman said gesturing to Møyfrid. "Someone wanted decided they wanted to make a fool of themselves and test her claims that she was learning to fight." She looked at the two men.
"She's good too, if she keeps it up I think she will be able to beat Thor."
"Oh," the younger woman said her eyes sparkling.
" Are you ready?" The first woman said.
"Almost, just one more thing." The smaller woman said then looked at Møyfrid, "come here dear." The two drifted away from the group.
"I've been out gathering some things and planting some seeds and I want to give you something." She reached into a small pouch hanging on her belt and offered it to Møyfrid. She held out her hand and the woman placed three seeds in Møyfrid's hands.
"Would you like to plant one them with me?" The woman asked. Møyfrid nodded.
The two of them walked a little further from the group and crouched down digging a shallow hole in the ground.
"These seeds are very special," She said as Møyfrid placed the seed in the hole. "I don't know if they will grow but will you come and check on it for me?"
Møyfrid nodded "Can I help it?"
"No, you focus on becoming all you want to be. If it is meant to grow it will grow. And if it does it will be the most beautiful thing you've ever seen" The two stood and Møyfrid offered her the unplanted seeds, "you keep them" she said. "But do not plant them until this tree has bore fruit." the woman directed before rejoining her friends.
"Ready to go?" the woman with the feathered cloak asked.
"Yes, I'm sorry for making you wait." They all turned to Møyfrid.
"You must go home now," the feather cloaked woman said. "Maybe will will meet again someday but until then learn all you can. Until next time."
"Until next time," Møyfrid repeated then looking at the group. "Thank you, Goodbye."
She turned and headed into the forest back towards her turned just as she reached the edge of the forest and looked back. The clearing was empty.
When she got home her mother was cooking dinner. "Where have you been?"
"In the clearing" she said breathless. Her mother frowned slightly, "You shouldn't wander that far."
"I'm sorry but it was so pretty."
"Then would you go see if your father's coming up the road?" Her mother asked
"Okay," Møyfrid turned to go.
"Wait, what's that" her mother said crossing the space. She reached for something stuck to her back. Møyfrid saw it was a feather. She recognized it as the same kind of feather the woman's cloak had been made of.
"Its pretty," her mother said, "keep it, it may bring you luck." She handed it to Møyfrid and Møyfrid tucked it into the pouch she had placed the seeds in. She decided to find a better way to keep it that night but for now she went back outside.
This took a lot longer than I meant it to. But I kept rewriting this and the next chapter. And I still can't shake the feeling it sounds cheesy but oh well. Hope every one has had a wonderful summer, and I guarantee the gap between this and the next chapter will be much shorter.