Chapter X-
Floki turned over onto his side trying to shut out the lingering chatter of the night. His shoulder sunk ever so slightly into the soft soil as he crossed his arms over his chest and squeezed his eyes even more tightly. He was unsure when he drifted off but what met him was the horrendous hell he thought he left behind. "Floki," he heard his father's deep voice before he saw him. Blinking his eyes through the blinding smoke Floki could see his father gripping his hand through the rungs of the unmovable door. Young Floki futilely kicked and charged the door over and over only stirring more flames within the room. The deafening roar of the growing inferno around him choked the sound of his pleading screams, his tears made the ashes run in streaks over his young cheeks. "Do not cry." The king's grip tightened around his son's small hand. "Protect our people and know you are mine." the King managed to say before burning timbers above crashed down between them. The dream felt like a blink of an eye though when Floki awoke the sun had begun to rise as well, throwing its glow all around them. He turned onto his back, his eyes wet with sorrow only to see Frigga crouched down beside him.
"You are mine," she said startling him, "that is what he said to you, is it not?" Frigga was trembling and her eyes were red with welling tears. "I should have never forsaken you, you are my brother. I love you and I am truly sorry." He could see the make up was streaked down his sister's cheeks. "You are mine." Had she been there with him in his dream? Floki bit back the emotion in his eyes and laid his hand upon his sisters without a word.
The fifth day had arrived and with the Viking's movements back on course it felt as if the worse was behind them, the sleeping woman would show herself within the day. The ground was still soft from the night's rain but the shimmer the morning sun cast over its due was a splendor to behold. Frigga and Floki walked together side by side quietly for most of the day's journey, nevertheless there was a new sense of comradery between them. The crew noticed the uncanny family resemblance between the brother and sister, Frigga's makeup was still streaked down her cheeks and she now dawned the same grin as Floki. However Frigga's attention was set upon Rollo, she could not help but wonder if he would have embraced her the night before. She imagined it to be a hungry and greedy kiss, a thing he was simply able to take. Little did she know it was solely a passion he wanted to give.
"Are we close, Chieftess?" Ragnar asked jolting Frigga from her thoughts.
"Indeed."
"How will we find our way into the mountain?"
"This I do not know, I suppose we will discover that once we get there."
"If there is a way in." Athelstan instigated lightheartedly, prompting a kick from Ragnar from atop his horse.
"They call you priest, do they not? One of Christian faith?" she called back to him.
"I was once." Athelstan smiled.
"Trust that which you can not see. I believe this is what you call faith," he did not answer, "have faith priest."
"I think everyone knows I lost my faith a long time ago, Chieftess." He answered stirring laughter from the crew.
The Vikings drove further east through the woods with the sound of the river dissolving behind them; each man and woman had a sense their search was nearing its end. The noon sun had not reached the middle of the sky before the heat mixed with the stifling humidity all around them. Frigga had been concentrating on the tickle the bead of sweat made as it dripped down her chest when she heard a jingle beside her. Rollo walked next to her holding out his horse's reigns once again; Frigga's efforts to hold back the grateful smile were in vain by the time she took the leads from his hands.
As the Vikings approached a clearing in the distance they could tell they had climbed to some elevation and were now on top a mount. In the silent moment standing at the edge of this precipice their faces were swept with astonishment, there she was – just as Frigga had told them. Off in the distance, about half a day's walk laid the Sleeping Woman, the clear bright day made the white water glisten like a silken blanket around her. The Lothbroks looked to each other with beaming grins, was there a possibility Fragarach was somewhere within this hillside?
"You have done it," Ragnar said in awe.
"Oh," Frigga shifted uneasily in her saddle, "do not thank me yet." The Chieftess sighed hesitantly. Frigga forced a slight smile when Rollo turned his gaze to her; he returned the grin and stroked the coarse hairs of her horse's snout.
The mount stretched higher and higher above them as they journeyed closer through the open terrain speckled with late summer trees. The light sound of water lapping against the shore was just within earshot and with it came the smell of ripe plums. The fruit's aroma made the men dizzy with excitement; this rare purple charm was now smeared across hungry faces. They had finally reached the ribbon of crystal water encircling the Sleeping Woman.
"Can we?" Floki asked excitedly, the plum juice still dripping down his neck.
"I am sorry my friend," Ragnar answered, "there will be time for play when we finish this." Frigga breathed out a sigh of astonishment at the beautiful mount before she noticed Rollo appear beside her horse. Upon looking down at him it was the first time she noticed his handsome smile, without a word he held out a plum and gave it to her. "Well Chieftess?" Still slightly in awe, Frigga rolled the swollen plum around in her hand before looking to Ragnar on her other side.
"Follow the water," she replied.
The twist of water was slow and calm unlike the torrent they crossed the night before, as if it was untouched by the storm. The Vikings followed its current up and around to the "head" picking more fruit as they went. Each pleasant breeze brought with it the renewed sense of fortitude and poise to the small group of Scandinavian warriors. The cavern was there, right in front of them, neither Ragnar nor Frigga ever believed they would actually witness the beginning of the end.
"Will we find it in that labyrinth?" Athelstan asked with his hands on his hips. The shaft of the cavern was surprisingly easy to locate which made the company curious if they were not the first to pursue Fragarach.
"We will not know that until we try." Frigga answered. Rollo looked to his brother after hearing the familiar statement that Floki once made. The horses were tied outside while one by one each man and woman stepped into the embrace of the Sleeping Woman. The darkness quickly closed in only a few yards into the chute, with raised torches Ragnar held point at the head of the company with Rollo closely behind. The remaining Vikings were more than a few steps behind, following the twisting tunnel deeper into the darkness. It was a unified suspicion that the company must have reached the center of the mountain by this time. The space around them expanded like a funnel until they were stooped within a small alcove a few inches too low for most to stand upright, at the other side of the chamber two tunnels diverged in separate directions.
"Well?" Rollo looked to Frigga.
"Why do you presume I have all the answers," she sighed.
"Most women think they do." Athelstan quipped peering over Rollo's shoulder.
"You have been with my brother too long." Frigga said to the priest trying to hide her smile. The company separated into two parties, one led by Ragnar the other by Rollo. The low ceiling resulted in minor head collisions for most of the men whose frustrated groans could be heard through the blackness. Frigga watched Rollo's silhouette in front of her duck and squeeze through the mountain's rock formations with surprising ease for his size. Rollo wriggled through the small crag inhibiting their path while maneuvering the torch out of the way; on the other side he reached back for Frigga's hand. Frigga let her fingers wrap around Rollo's and watched as her hand disappeared within his. Once she was on the other side Rollo's grasp did not loosen as they continued to drive further into the mountain.
Alarmingly, a sharp whistle shot through the soundless tunnel, bouncing off every pitch and crevice until it echoed past Rollo's assembly and vanished down into the blackness before them. The company remained motionless until another shrill note weaved through from behind causing Frigga's hand to drop from Rollo's and confirmed their decision to journey back to the low, open chamber.
The Viking's cumulative silence was magnified by the darkness that hung around them; astonished expressions had swept over every face. The small cavern could barely occupy the entire group as the last remaining members, including Rollo and Frigga, joined the cluster. From the center of the company, Ragnar slowly pressed past his men toward Frigga at the outside of the circle, a funny little smile on his lips. For an odd reason Frigga's attention was on the way he was breathing out of the side of his mouth instead of what was laying in his hands.
"You have done it," Rollo sighed humbly, though it was unclear whether he was speaking to his brother or to the Chieftess. Ragnar lifted the unwrapped object toward Frigga and reverently lowered his gaze. Frigga's hand involuntarily rose to touch the cold steal for she thought her eyes were deceiving her. Hesitation over took Frigga before her fingers could fall upon the naked prize, she gently replaced the cloth wrappings that once concealed the magnificent sword and quietly accepted the offering from Ragnar. As hard as she tried she was unable to hold back the smile that stretched from ear to ear while she quietly cradled the sword in her arms like a newborn child.
"And your promised compensation?" Frigga asked.
"I hope the boats can manage the load." Athelstan laughed. "It looks like we will be feasting at Erik's new home when we return." This stirred the company into hollering revelries.
"Well Chieftess," Rollo sighed placing his hands on her arms, the shouting and cheering was deafening within the small cavern. "I believe it is time for a celebration!" Rollo shouted happily pulling Frigga under his arm as the noise grew around them.
The fresh evening at the base of the mountain swirled with laughter and joy, the Vikings would finally be able to return home with every man's pockets brimmed with treasures. All were up and about in good spirits; the terrifying hell they first encountered had turned into a lush, vibrant, magical wilderness. The music from Floki's bone whistle sweetened the purple night air while the tribal drumming was matched with bare feet the pounded the Earth sending clouds of dust into the sky.
Rollo lounged beside their ship builder and watched his friends dance and spin around the fire like wild men. He watched the women's elegant feet covered in the red Irlandian dirt; move in graceful, magnetic rhythms to the music. Until he finally noticed Frigga's eyes upon him as she spun and moved around the fire like a creature he had never seen before.
"Dance with her," Ragnar said. Before Rollo was given the opportunity to answer Ragnar rose from his position to join Lagertha and Athelstan in their merriments. Rollo scoffed with a smile when he entertained the arousing thought though before he knew it Frigga had approached him and knelt at his feet. Rollo sat up in attention and realized she was unfastening the ties of his boots; Frigga had not broken his stair when she removed his shoes. The cool ground under his bare feet was an unquestionable pleasure and the burning touch of her hand in his when he rose from his spot was almost euphoric when they joined the "dance floor" together. Rollo was unsure how he came to stand amongst the writhing, dizzying movements of his fellow Viking's, they stirred like wild men through the night. Frigga's petite hand gently squeezed Rollo's when she began to sway to a fro with the sounds of the drums, he watched as her pointed toes danced across the ground and her free arm floated through the air like a feather in the wind. Rollo was entranced by the way Frigga's body looked in the firelight and unaware his rhythms began matching hers. Rollo let his body move closer to Frigga's, the music growing louder in their ears, his hand loosed from hers and traced the skin up her arm and to the nape of her neck. The two danced together encircled by the glowing dust and pulse of the night, their hands trailing all over one another with every step and pace. Their hair stuck to their necks through the sweat and dirt covering their skin, the heat between them was undeniable. Suddenly Rollo caught the unfamiliar sound of his own laughter mixing with Frigga's as they spun faster and faster around the blazing fire. The sight of Frigga's glistening skin and the low neckline of her tunic were too much for Rollo to handle any longer. He pulled Frigga in and pushed the wet strands of hair from her face, tangling his fingers in the long locks he cupped her face with his large hands and let his lips find hers. The taste of salt and grit from the Earth vanished within the soft fullness of her mouth as they let their tongues dance on one another while sucking in the thick air of the night with every kiss.
Ok, before people say 'Finding Fragarach was too easy' let me remind you this FF is focused on the relationships between the characters throughout the journey not just the destination.