977 Winter – Norway

A blizzard had picked up seemingly overnight, however, Esther hardly noticed. She knew the storm was not one of nature, but rather one of magic. One her sister created to prevent her from following. From chasing after the daughter Dahlia had stolen from her.

Not that Esther could follow her through the snowy forest that surrounded their home. She wrapped her arms around her large stomach. In normal circumstances, she may have been able to track her sister, but she was more and more exhausted these days and in her condition, couldn't brave the storm, not even to save her daughter.

She let out another cry, the babe within her stirring as the sobs racked through her body.

"Mamma." A small hand reached for her, trying to wipe the tears that tracked down her face. "Mamma, where's Freya?"

This caused Esther to break down into fresh tears. This wasn't the first time her son had asked and she doubted it would be the last. This was only his fourth winter. He was too young to understand such loss.

"She's gone." Esther held the little boy's hand against her cheek. "She's gone and she's not coming back."

XXXX

She had told people of her village that her daughter had succumbed to the plague, but she knew better. She had wanted to confide in her husband, to feel his support, for him to tell her it would be alright. But when he returned home from his raid and she told him she had buried their eldest child while he was away, he flew into a rage, the likes of which she had never seen before. He had always been a stern and serious man, but she had never been so terrified. He went into a blind rage, destroying most of their home in his anger. All Esther could do was huddle in the corner, holding her son as close as she could with her pregnant stomach.

He stormed out of the home in his anger, but even long after he was gone, Esther stayed on the floor, her son shaking in her arms. When Mikael returned days later, he had already arranged passage to the New World. A place where they would no longer have to fear for their children's lives.

977 Winter – Vinland (present-day America)

When the healer placed her newborn child in her arms, she felt nothing. She stared into her son's dark brown eyes but couldn't bring herself to snuggle him to her chest as she had after her first two children had been born. Instead, she asked the healer to take the babe from her so she could sleep. She felt as if she could sleep for days.

The healer could only stay for the delivery and then had to leave to for another home call. Esther begged her not to leave. Someone had to watch the child. Her husband was gone on a raid once again, proving his worth to the local villagers. She was utterly alone with her two children.

Her eldest son climbed up onto her cot and curled into her side. She welcomed the warmth and pulled him closer. Esther buried her head into her son's hair as the newborn cried quietly in the basket on the floor.

XXXX

Esther looked down at the makeshift baby cradle on the floor of her new home. The small babe lay quietly, his dark eyes staring up at her. She was relieved he had stopped crying. She couldn't bare to hold him.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and reached for her baby. She had always considered herself to be a maternal woman. She had been so desperate for children that she had unwittingly bargained away the first child from each generation of her family line. And yet as she looked down at her newborn son, the familiar feelings of love and adoration did not rush into her. She knew she loved her son. She knew she would do anything for him. After all, she had labored for nearly two days to bring him into this world. But every time she looked at him, all she felt was regret.

Mikael was gone most of the time. She couldn't help the sadness that seemed to live in her day in and day out. She had no friends or family around her besides her husband and her sons. Her youngest of whom had not endured the Ausa Vatni ritual and therefore still did not have a name. He had survived enough days to be given a name but he needed his father to return before the ritual could take place.

Another week passed by and the men of the village still had not returned. The healer who helped deliver her son, Ayana, encouraged her to break tradition and give the small boy a name. She believed it would help Esther bond with her babe. However, Esther feared the misfortune she would curse her son with by disobeying the Gods. Mikael was a believer in the Norse Gods, however, Esther had grown up in the Christian ways. While many Viking communities had begun to adopt these beliefs, it wasn't widespread. Where the Vikings believed the father must name the child after he survives through the first days, Esther wasn't aware of the Christian beliefs adhering to the same practices.

"Elijah." She whispered, stroking the small boy's face. Perhaps that God would offer her child the protection her daughter was denied.

980 – Spring – Vinland (present-day America)

The small house was quiet, even in the even height of the day. The wind blew through the window pains, ruffling Finn's light hair as he waited diligently for his mother to return. He kept his eyes trained on the forest line just behind their hut.

He did not like their new home or their new family member. He missed his big sister and his friends from his old home. Everything was different in these new lands. His father was angrier than he had ever seen him and his mother was gone most of the time. She would leave early in the morning, telling Finn to watch over his younger brother and not return until dusk. He hated to be alone with his brother. Elijah would often cry and he never knew how to make him stop.

The healer, Ayana, would come by frequently to check on the boys, oftentimes bringing snacks for them to eat. But Finn refused to acknowledge her, instead, he would wait for his mother's return.

Finn preferred when his father was back from his journies as his mother would stay home all day with him. Mikael also seemed to intimidate his little brother which granted Finn a break from his brother's incessant attention. Since he had learned how to talk, it seemed like Elijah would never stop. He would often want to show Finn the objects he found in the garden surrounding their home or babble about what he saw outside. But Finn had no interest in his brother or playing outside with him. The only person he wanted to play with was his sister.

Finn continued to stare out the window when he saw his brother digging in the dirt by their home. As Elijah got older, he would wander further and further from their property. Part of Finn wished he would just wander into the woods and not come back. Then their family could go back to the way it was before. They could go back to their old home and find Freya and everything would be better.

He sighed at the state his brother was in. He was covered in dirt, likely ruining his new clothes their mother had painstakingly made. He watched as something caught his little brother's eyes and Elijah followed it further and further into the forest.

XXXX~

Esther was on her way back to her house. She couldn't help the wide smile that was on her face thinking about the day she had just spent. It had been three years since they had moved to this new world and Esther was still struggling to find her place. Her husband seemed to want nothing to do with her when he even bothered to come home from his raid. And while she loved her children dearly, she missed the young carefree woman she had been before. The carefree woman Ansel made her feel like she still was.

As she got close to her home, her smile slowly faded. Her husband would be home in a matter of days and she would have to go back to being the dutiful wife and mother. She would have to push the wonderful days she spent with Ansel out of her mind. She could only imagine what Mikael would do if he suspected anything.

She was almost out of the woods when she stopped in her tracks. She spotted her son's small frame almost completely hidden in the brush he was kneeling in. Even from that distance, she could see the thorns of the bush, ready to bury themselves into her son's arms. She dropped the basket she was carrying and ran towards him.

"Elijah." She gasped, as she dropped to her knees, gripping his arms tightly and pulling him out of the weeds. He looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes, not having heard her approach. "What are you doing out here? You could have been hurt. I told you to stay in the house and now look at you."

Esther tried to use the ends of her dress to wipe his face clean to check for any scratches, but he was completely covered.

"Why can't you do as your brother does and stay safe in the house," Esther said harshly. She had just wanted a little time to herself. The sharp tone she used caused Elijah to burst into tears, fear overtaking the excitement he had just been feeling in the garden. Seeing her son's tears, Esther realized her mistake and pulled him to her. "Now look at you. You're a mess. I just need you to stay safe, Elijah."

Elijah nodded his head into her chest, smearing dirt and tears on the rough texture of his mother's dress, the flower he had picked for her crushed in his hand.