Paradise Within…Happier Far
Chapter 13
The mist of blue frost
Falls the proud valleys of the north
An ice age of terror
As silent as snow hides the hills
In this frozen land I ride
As the northern light guides my way
A black wind I am
A shadow of war and lust.
This path, whom for me is the chosen,
Forbidden for mortals to see.
The night is filled
With diabolical summoning winds
The moon is burning
Like an eye gleaming of demonic hate
Watch me as I choose my trail
This journey is forever.
The spirit of gods and goddess I am
Forgotten at the birth of new times
A reflection of an ancient past
Waiting in a lost realm of ice
For the rising of a forever pagan age.
The Spirit of An Ancient Age, Hades
Sookie snuggled closer into Eric's arms, while Eric's mind drifted back to a different time, a time he was alive, a time when his heart beat for the spoils of war and of love, a time when his children played at his feet, a time of an ancient past of a forever pagan age.
Eric started to speak, quietly, hypnotically as he remembered. He hadn't tried to remember in many centuries, but right now, with Sookie, it all came back to him, as though it were yesterday. He knew she knew almost nothing about history, especially not that far back. Not many did, so part of what he needed to tell her was about the Age of the Viking and where his life fit into the centuries that were covered during that age.
"As I am not quite sure where to begin, I will tell you that Vikings were considered from three major Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The countries we conquered often called us Vikings, Norseman, or Danes. What is considered the 'Viking Age' lasted a mere three centuries, but altered the course of history, language, and cultures. I was born in the last century of the Age of the Viking, in the year 989 as one Leif Ragnar. I was born to a Jarl Ragnar whose wife was Beoca. Many, many Anglo-Saxon words came from the Vikings. For example, Jarl is now Earl in English."
"My father, Jarl Ragner and eventually me were really aristocratic chieftains who owed loyalty to the King. The people who were part of our domain were primarily farmers and merchants of one kind or another. As Jarl, or Earl, I had an entire economy working under my reign. There were also slaves called thralls, men, women, and children captured through raids that were for the most part treated little better than animals." Sookie looked up Eric in horror. "No, my love, my family did not treat them so poorly. They had housing, food, and medical care. We kept families together as best we could. They performed the work others would not. They were definitely at the bottom of the pyramid. The pyramid of power in the Viking world went from King, which under such a spread out territory and as it became even more spread out as we conquered other countries, there might be several of. Most of the time, there was no single King to unite all the Vikings. Perhaps if there had been we would have truly conquered all of Europe and Great Britain and stayed in power for many more centuries. Then were the Earls, which on their own might strike out and conquer lands. But if their king had need of them, they and their people were sent into battle. Their people included the farmers and merchants, and then the thralls. Every man, woman, and child from every class were taught the skills of warfare, whether they would be expected to go into war or not."
Eric continued his voice still haunted. "I picked up my first 'sword' at the age of four, fighting with sticks with others in the courtyard. By the age of six, I was handling a light weight broad sword and learning the skills of handling a spear as well. Juggling a spear and a shield, while also carrying a broad sword somewhere on my body was challenging, but a skill and a strength that would eventually save my life. By the time I actually went into battle, we used axes instead of spears and wore a sort of chainmail, along with heavy leather to protect our bodies."
"By the age of 12 or so, I fought in my first battle. That was young to go into battle, but as the son of an Earl, and already showing signs of being a great warrior and hence a tremendous asset to the battle, I joined the ranks of others heading off to war. Now mind you we were not always riding off to war and battle. We did after all have to produce food, ships, crafts, etc. Some chieftains would spend winter at home and set out in the spring, after the crops were sown. Returning home just after midsummer where we oversaw the reaping of corn and that all grain was safely stored. Then we would set out again for a fall raiding trip and coming back after the first month of winter. This was generally my father's, and hence my, cycle of time spent."
"You will like this part, Sookie. The wives had full power over the household, and the men were not to interfere in any way. When the men left for battle, all the keys (mostly symbolic) to all the lands they owned were handed over to the wife in a kind of ceremony, demonstrating that the wife now had all responsibility for not just the household, but also all the lands and the people in them. We were a very egalitarian society. If for some reason, a warrior fell in battle and did not return, everything fell to his wife. She could choose to remarry or not, and she retained full ownership for all lands under her dead husband. That is why I was so struck by your mention of the rumor of raping and ultimate strangulation of a wife after the husband had died. That would NEVER have happened in our society."
"Women were responsible for seeing to spinning, weaving, stitching, brewing drink, and preparing food. She generally had free servants or thralls who would help her with the tasks. Her most important job was making clothing for the family. As Earls, we had ships that needed masts. Making these huge pieces of cloths were also part of her responsibility."
"Our women were beautiful, considered so by both Northmen and others we conquered. They were allowed to marry as young as twelve, although these marriages tended to be arranged. I did not marry until I was one and twenty. Her name was Gytha, and she was without a doubt the most beautiful and sought after woman in our domain. She was but only 16, but had managed to maintain her freedom and her virginity, despite many offers, until I discovered her. Once I expressed interest in her, of course all other suitors disappeared. We were married in a large ceremony as befit an Earl a mere six months after I met her the first time. Our first son was born 9 months later. We named him Soren, which is the Danish form of Thor. A year later another son was born to us we named Balduin. Maybe 15 months later we had a daughter who died within weeks of childbirth. But a year later, we were blessed with another daughter we name Annelise. I still remember choosing that name because it meant graceful light. We had two more sons we named Bodil and Erik. Our friends, the few we had, teased us about our ability to produce so many healthy children in such a short time. It was no secret why that was between Gytha and me. We were very in love. We were very sexually active and enjoyed it to a great extent. It was always difficult for both of us when she would go into her 'lying in' as the birth of the baby approached, as we could not be together for some time. Every time she would be in childbirth, I would be terrified of losing her. Childbirth, was, and still is, one of the major killers of women. I would pray to Freyja for her safety through the ordeal, and my prayers were answered every time. I loved my children deeply, even if I was not always there when they were born or to see them make many of their 'firsts'…first steps, first words, etc. By the time I was turned, Soren was old enough to take over the domain and become Earl."
Eric was silent for a while. Sookie could feel through the bond his melancholy of not seeing his children grow up, not being a continuing part of their lives, giving up Gytha and their love. Then he started speaking again. "We were a pagan race with many gods and goddesses. Christianity, while sweeping the world for the most part, did not become a part of Viking life until well after I was turned. Odin was the All-Father of our race, the God of War. We all sacrificed to him before leaving for war, crops, animals, and even humans at times. The son of Odin was Thor, god of thunder and lightning. He carried a great hammer, often called Thor's hammer, and where many today might wear a cross to symbolize Christianity, back then we wore Thor's hammer. Loki often accompanied Thor. Loki was the god of mischief and chaos. Ultimately, legend had it that Loki would cause the downfall of our gods and our world as we knew it. Frey and his sister Freyja were a god and goddess of fertility, birth, pleasure, and prosperity. There were so many other gods and goddesses of lesser standing I cannot even begin to remember them all, but these were the important ones. Perhaps, on one of our longer journeys I will tell you of how Loki supposedly brought the end to our world as we knew it. It was simply a myth, and of course never came true."
Sookie looked up at Eric from his bent arm. "Whatever happened to Gytha and your children?"
Eric paused briefly and then answered Sookie's question. "Once I was turned and did not return from the battle, Gytha ran our lands and our people in a way that made me proud. We became fantastically rich under her guidance and her iron hand. My children learned to go to battle, fight, and win. They learned strategy and fighting skills that carried them through the battles they would fight, until ultimately the battles, instead of seeming endless, came to mostly an end. All of them lived long lives, producing many heirs. Gytha never remarried. At one point, she told me that she would never again marry because our love was so perfect no one else would ever be able to compete."
Sookie looked at him questioningly. "Did she tell you this before or after you were turned?"
Eric laughed slightly. "Don't jump ahead my lover. I shall get there soon." Eric sighed knowing he was getting to the main part of his story. "One thing about Viking men that was a constant was the desire to die on the battlefield which was every Norseman's greatest wish. If they were truly brave and worthy, they would be carried by the Valkeries, a sort of angel, to Valhalla. In 1030, at the battle of Striklestad led by King Olaf Haraldsson I was seriously wounded. As an Earl and one of the major leaders of this battle, I was carried off the battlefield to the tents where I could receive medical care, such as it was, and blessings to carry me to Valhalla. I knew the wound was fatal. All I could think of was leaving my family behind, for a battle that was occurring too late in the Viking Age to make any difference at all. There were priests of the various gods around and a few of my seconds surrounding me on a bed of fine linens that would eventually become my burial shroud. My body would be brought home and I would be buried in my finest fighting clothes, all my weapons, jewelry, food, and drink among other things that might serve me in the afterlife. My sons might even decide to bury me with my long ship. I did not think long on that, I did not care what happened to my body or my possessions. Only that my family carried on and that Gytha did not suffer too much pain at my loss."
"During the night, while everyone slept and I lay dying, a woman came to me, dressed in a gossamer white dress in the freezing cold weather. In my fevered and dying state, I imagined her being one of the Valkeries coming to take me to Valhalla. She carefully lifted my body from the linen covers and carried me far into the woods, miles from where the battle had taken place. There, in my fevered mind, still believing I was going to Valhalla, I said my prayers to Odin and Thor commending my soul to them as I would see them in Valhalla and eat and drink with them at their table."
"She let me finish my prayers and looked into my eyes. Her eyes were black against her very white skin. She told me that I, above all others, was chosen by her to receive the gift of eternity. In my confused and feverish mind I kept thinking that Valhalla was the gift of eternity." Eric paused, genuine sadness pouring through the bond towards Sookie. Sookie had never considered that Eric never wanted to become a vampire, he so clearly thrived as one. But he had not. That choice had been taken from him. Single tears, one after the other, slid from her eyes onto his cool chest. He was so far away in his memories he did not even notice.
"Her name was Finella. She was so beautiful with her black as night hair and her white shoulders. Her gossamer white clothing was like something one might sleep in and dropped off her shoulder which was snow white. I later learned that Finella meant 'white shouldered.' She was my maker. She licked my wounds, taking the blood from there, and then at my neck gently, oh so gently, I don't even think I felt a thing, she took the rest of my blood. Then she slit a cut above her breast and forced my now almost completely unconscious body to drink from her. She was not terribly old, maybe 400 or 500 years. Her blood was aged, but not like mine has aged. She carefully buried both of us under the ground. When we awoke the next night, I was vampire. She taught me to feed, to hunt, to kill. With battles being fought all around us, food sources were plenty and I learned all my lessons well. In turn, she expected me to become her lover, and I did. I still felt the human emotions of love and guilt when I thought of Gytha."
"Finella and I traveled together for almost a year. We traveled far and wide. My death had become the stuff of legends, and the bards and story tellers of the day spread the story to all lands. I had died and my body had disappeared the same night, actually carried off to Valhalla. Not just my soul, but my actual body. Some people that night had not been asleep and had seen Finella carrying me through the woods. Given this tale, I wanted to return to my homeland as a god, a myth, something that would allow me to check on my family and be with my wife again, if only for a short time. Finella fell into a jealous rage that I would even consider returning, for any length of time. What if I was found out as a vampire? How could I lay with my wife again after being with her? The rages went on. Finally I set out for Norway and my homelands, Finella followed me, intent on either killing me or keeping me with her without returning home. Ultimately, we fought. She underestimated me. I had been very strong in life. Turning into a vampire had only made me stronger and faster. Regardless of her age over me, I killed her quickly breaking her neck and using my axe to cut off her head. I buried her where she had fallen and continued my journey. In this I had no guilt or love emotions at all."
Sookie asked in a whisper. "And did you return? Were you found to be a vampire?"
"I did return, as I have every year for 1000 years, for two weeks only. I am received by the townspeople and those in my castle as a god, as someone or something immortal. There are few questions asked, and none answered. When I returned the first time, I was seen only in my home by my wife and my children. I made love to Gytha every night, almost all night long, and then would disappear during the day. She provided my feedings while I was there, and we talked about what had happened to me. She helped to perpetuate the myth of my legend. Ultimately, over time my children grew to know of what I was, and their children, and their children. It is a widely held secret in the town that the Earl, now called Eric of Northman, comes back from Valhalla bearing gifts and monitoring his properties and wealth one time a year. Blood sacrifice is required, although no one is killed, and I never drink from anyone directly anymore. The town is very insular and very private. There is but one phone line in the entire place. The townspeople revere me and have for centuries. I have never told anyone my story. I have never told anyone about this place we are going. I have never brought anyone here with me. No one ever knows where I go for my two week sojourn every year. This I want to share with you, Sookie. It is my life. I want you to share it with me."
Sookie's tears continued to slide down her cheeks wetting Eric's shirtless chest. He turned to her on his side, concern all over his face. "What is it that I have said that makes you cry, lover?"
"Your whole story saddens me. The history was interesting and clearly made you the man you are today. But your love of wife and family, something you can no longer have, saddens me; your belief that you died and were going to Valhalla, where every brave warrior deserves to go, but instead were led into the life of vampire; that you had to kill your maker because her jealousy kept you from your home and family; the idea that your wife helped you to keep your secret long enough for your people to accept you and your yearly visits as something to welcome and live in peace with; that you share this secret that you have kept for 1000 years with me. I am awed by the man you were and the vampire you have become. While most vampires brag about their inhumanity, you have clearly kept yours as much as it possible. For 1000 years you have kept your people safe, for 1000 years you still hold a place in your heart for your wife and children, and in a few months you have loved me enough to last me 1000 years. Thank you Eric of Northman, thank you for your story and thank you for your love. I truly treasure you."
Eric slowly licked the tears from Sookie's cheeks while she closed her eyes to the erotic sensation. He licked her eyelashes thick with still unshed tears. His tongue followed the path of a single tear left that trickled to her lips, tasting the saltiness of her tears on her mouth. Her mouth opened to him hungrily, but instead of hungry sex, Eric was going to take all of the time they had left before their arrival to make love to his lifemate, bringing her over and over again until they were both sated and slept the long cold journey to his home. He was coming home. This journey is forever.
TBC
A/N: I got almost all my information about Vikings, their history, their gods, and their way of life from a book called The Vikings: Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder, by R. Chartrand, K. Durham, M. Harrison, and I. Heath. Websites proved to be highly unreliable, so I chose real published archeologists to use instead of would-be net ones. If I have made any errors in the history, I own those errors. For those who will care about how I arrived at the dates for Eric's birth, death, etc. I started with the year 2009, subtracted 1030 (1000 yo vampire+estimated age at turning of 30 (he looks about 30)), leaving his birthdate in 989. The battle of Striklestad took place in 1030 so I used that as the place where he died and was turned. You can nitpick the dates, but I hope you won't. It doesn't really matter to the whole story. I tried to make it as real as possible and use actual history, without overkilling the subject. If there is more you want to learn about Vikings, two books I can recommend include the one above and one called The Cultural Atlas of the Viking World. Next, we meet the townspeople and the place Eric considers home. Renee