The sun was high in the sky already when Eivor woke up, her eyes opening slowly at first, then more widely as she realized she was in an unfamiliar place. They had slept soundly in Kassandra's camp in the woods outside Tohbta. It was still an odd feeling to not realize just where they were at first.
She shifted and felt comfortable weight on her chest, but realized that Randvi was still snoozing very soundly on her chest as they lay sprawled out on the floor-bed of hay, furs, cushions and those imported luxurious blankets Eivor loved so much.
She smiled and tightened her tattooed arms around her lover as she slept and craned her neck to try and find Kassandra, but it was to no avail. The Eagle-Bearer was not in the tent but Eivor could smell blood and the campfire on the wind. Her heart raced slightly, feeling vulnerable inside the tent in nothing but minimal clothing at the moment.
As carefully as she could, she slowly slipped out from under Randvi's sleeping body and stood up, only in her trousers and tunic, and crept outside, her axe in her hand, as a precaution. As she stepped out, her axe fell to hang at her side as she noticed Kassandra gutting cleaning a couple of large rabbits.
She was in light clothing—a black, one-piece tunic with nothing but her strapped sandals, a rope around her waist to hold her blade and water skin, a singular, leather palindrome on her shoulder, and accompanied by her huntress bow, which had a gorgeous ornate and unique design as it lay on her back.
"You've been busy!" Eivor spoke, causing Kassandra to jump in surprise and slice the wrong direction on the rabbit, which she had been carefully slicing into to remove the organs.
"Malaka!" Kassandra cursed and looked grumpily over her shoulder at the blonde, who wore an entertained grin now. "You have the worst timing."
Eivor laughed quietly and strode over to the campfire to warm her hands, her bare feet loving the feeling of soft earth beneath them. Kassandra restarted her incision and was able to successfully finish gutting the small mammal, adding its insides to the bucket at her feet.
"I'm sure your catch will still taste just as well!" She teased, leaning down to plant her axe in the soil as she sat down next to it, watching her friend work.
"Sorry I didn't wake you, I was famished and you both looked peaceful," Kassandra said somberly. She never slept too deeply, but after centuries, she was very used to her predicament. She finished cleaning both of the hares and put them on a spit roast across from Eivor over the fire. Once they were in place, the tall woman strode over to a barrel of water she'd filled for rinsing off, and dunked her hands in all the way to her elbows, ridding them of the animal blood that stained them.
She wiped her hands dry on her tunic and made her way over to sit next to Eivor with a sigh, staring thoughtfully at the flames as Eivor watched silently. Eivor was still so fascinated by the mysterious woman, who always seemed to have a deeper, bigger thought swimming in her head. It was like staring into the darkest, most untamed part of the sea. Nothing below but the unknown.
Kassandra glanced with her golden eyes at her comrade before looking up to the sky "It's still so strange, having company…Company I may actually trust…" She breathed, her forearms coming up to rest on her knees and her fingers interweaving between them.
Eivor hesitated and then asked, "When was the last time you did? Have company, I mean."
Kassandra shrugged, unsure and amused, "The spirits know better than I do." She looked back to Eivor, at peace with her feelings. They shared in a moment of silence, and Synin flew down and landed in front of them, something in her mouth. She hopped over on her bird feet and dropped a piece of what Eivor recognized as opal, in front of Kassandra, cawing in a friendly gesture.
Eivor smirked and raised her brows, "Synin must like you. That is a very fine gift!" She watched as Kassandra picked up the stone and held it in her long palm, admiring it with a long gaze.
"An offering, for me?" She reached out to stroke Synin's chest with the backs of her index and middle fingers as Synin soaked up the attention. "Thank you, I will always keep it." She smiled earnestly at Eivor, "She is reminding me of my eagle companion. He has been gone for some time, but I swear sometimes I still see his shadow from above me."
Eivor nodded in understanding, "A bond I am sure was ironclad. You must miss him dearly. I remember you telling me of him when we were searching for your artifact."
"I never felt alone with Ikaros overhead. Now I just wish he were here to fly these new skies." Kassandra stood suddenly and moved to rotate the hares on the spit in front of them. Fat sizzled onto the flames and the aroma of fresh meat filled their noses.
Seeming right as the food became aromatic, there was a rustling inside the tent, and both women by the fire looked over their shoulders as Randvi came out from inside. Her cheeks were rosy from sleep and she looked sheepishly at the two in front of her as she straightened her blue-green tunic, now almost fully dressed, and her hair returned to its usual braid, in an almost identical fashion to Kassandra's.
"Do I smell meat roasting?" She eyed the hares on the spit and smiled happily as she came around to sit beside Eivor, her hands wrapping around Eivor's upper arm and her head leaning onto a strong shoulder.
"You would be correct, but none is for you! I am sorry!" Eivor joked in her deep tone, eyeing the fox haired maiden attached to her. Her joke earned her a firm punch on her upper arm.
"Arse." Randvi glared, a smile playing at the corner of her lips as she looked through her defined low brow line. Kassandra watched in amusement as she rotated their food again.
Eivor shook her head and played on, "I suppose you may have some, for a price."
"And what price is that?" Randvi seemed decidedly unamused, hunger gnawing at her gut.
Cocky and wanting to get a reaction from Randvi, Eivor responded quickly, "You have to be my thrall for an entire day of my choosing!" She was half-joking but waited for a response, regardless.
"You must be joking!" Randvi scoffed and shook her head. "No way am I being your thrall where I will no doubt be subjected to pure humiliation!"
"Would you not pay any price your Jalrskona, better known as your partner in love, asked you to?" Eivor cocked her head with a coy expression, inviting Randvi to play back.
Randvi pressed her lips together in a tight form, refusing to give in to the request. "I respectfully decline and accept punishment," she started, proudly turning her head away and crossing her arms. "Kassandra, as the Lady of Ravensthorpe, I ask you, will you give me some of the bountiful food you have prepared?" She asked in her most diplomatic voice.
Kassandra smiled , glancing at Eivor with a shrug and replying, "Of course you can have some, who am I to refuse the Lady of Ravesthorpe? It would be an act of war, surely!"
Eivor gave a displeased, slow shake of her head while playfully scoffing, "Betrayal! How dare you!"
They laughed wildly and took the time waiting for their meal to fill their cups with more wine from inside the tent. Kassandra finally pulled the hares off of the spit over the fire and carried to a table she had set up by the meat and pelt rack that stood opposite from the horses, under a canopy of the same material used for the tent. Carefully she cut off some of the meat and brought it over on a large sharing platter, along with some bread and a couple of apples she had sliced up. Randvi leaned forwards happily as the food was placed before her, giving Eivor a smug smile as she reached out and quickly snatched some apple slices before the jarlskona could stop her.
She took a rather big bite of the fruit, maintaining eye contact with Eivor, and a failed to notice a bit of apple juice running down her chin. Eivor smirked to herself and reached out to wipe it from the red-head's face.
"You're always a messy eater," Eivor laughed, reaching out to take a pice of rabbit as Kassandra plopped down on the other side of Eivor with her wine chalice.
With mouthful of meat now, Randvi paused to glare at Eivor, swallowing her bite before snapping back, "I am a Vikingir, am I not?Are you not? We eat as we please, ja?" She batted her eyelashes to taunt Eivor, making the blonde's cheeks flush with heat as her partner mocked her.
"Yes," Eivor said through her teeth as Randvi took a big bite of the meat that Eivor had forgotten she was holding. She even gave Eivor the wonderful sight of her chewing it with her mouth open as a flaunt.
"My what a heathen you have for a partner, My Lord!" Kassandra added to the fanfare of the moment.
"A heathen indeed! And particularly disobedient one, no less," Eivor winked and laughed deeply between bites. They all laughed together, reveling in the food and good company for a while longer. The feeling of carefree times was keeping them from returning to reality.
Finally, with their meal finished and their heads flaming with fine wine, Kassandra and Eivor were starting to get into a debate about their preferred weapons in combat.
"No, you see, with my spear not only can I counter you at a distance, but I also have the advantage of striking offensively at a distance!" Kassandra blurted as she stood and strode to her weapon rack near the horse hitches. She picked up a mighty looking spear and easily spun it in her hands into a feaux battle stance.
Eivor stood and finished her wine as she drew her father's axe from the ground where it was still planted by the fire, raising it arrogantly above her head, laughing maniacally, "Oh, dear drengr, you've not met the ferocity of a bearded axe being hurled towards you from afar! There is none a sound so fearsome as it flies towards your skull with precision!"
"That axe didn't do much when I was beating you to dust!" Kassandra fired back confidently.
"Do you require a rematch?" Eivor growled in the spirit of a challenge. "A rematch of the fists! Just you and me, no weapons. I think we both know the art of throwing steel around."
"Alright!" Kassandra straightened up and smiled coyly, "Don't go crying to your Gods when I beat you."
Eivor laughed again and looked about for a good place to spar. They moved to a clearing outside of the tree and rock covered surface of the hills they were currently camped in.
"You two are really going to fight? Eivor we just washed yesterday!"Randvi complained, although her tone did not show as much protest to the duel she was about to witness. Eivor and Kassandra left their weapons discarded and moved to face each other, both stretching their limbs and warming up for a battle.
"Win for me, Eivor!" Randvi called from a boulder she had chosen to observe from.
The jarlskona met calm golden eyes with a readied gaze, and nodded, "Let us fight!"
There was only a brief moment of calculating the first move before Eivor lunged forward in an offensive strike with her right fist. Kassandra anticipated the move and ducked to the side and swung wide with a counter, moving at incredible speed, and swung her right arm under to hook Eivor in the ribcage with force. Eivor was able to partially block but Kassandra's fist still landed, and harder than the blonde wanted to admit to herself. Taking the punch and using the counter as a distraction, Eivor used their weight and momentum to maneuver in for another strike, this time with her non-dominant hand, and landed a fast and light hit to Kassandra.
Kassandra kept her hands up and reared back to position for a strategic flurry of punches that Eivor found herself fighting hard to counter, but she countered, nonetheless. A cry of fury left her lungs as she danced around her sparing partner, blood now leaking from her lip where Kassandra had struck her.
Eivor now found Kassandra's movements to be more predictable as the boxing match proceeded, and when she was met with another of Kassandra's strong punches, she ducked beneath the rock-solid arm flying towards her and finally landed a huge blow to Kassandra's gut. She didn't think as her knee came up to follow the gut punch, throwing the brunette backwards with a groan. She glared back at Eivor as she regained her breath and stood upright again, hands still balled up and ready for another wallop. Eivor smiled in a taunting spirit, lilting her chin up at the proud Greek woman.
With a growl, Kassandra darted at Eivor with a single jolt of her powerful leg and skillfully landed a ferocious, firm left hook and followed just as quickly with a wide and well-formed kick. Eivor was surprisingly knocked back and into her backside in the dirt and she scowled up at her opponent, now wearing a cocky smile.
"Give up yet?" Kassandra mocked, hands on her hips.
Randvi strode over to where Eivor sat and yanked her up onto her feet with ease and pushed her back towards Kassandra. She raised her brows and crossed her arms playfully at the drenger.
"My Lord, if you defeat this great warrior, I shall willfully be your thrall for a whole day, with Kassandra as my witness to this oath!" Randvi stated loudly, her sly expression flashing toward Eivor, who bowed up and rose to the challenge almost immediately.
She squared up again and without warning, ran at Kassandra with a wild scream, causing Kassandra to yell out in a chain reaction as the young Jarlskona tackled her to the dirt in a grapple, trying to pin her down. Kassandra cursed and brought her elbow down on Eivor's back, to no avail. Dirt rose in the air as she wiggled and pushed, trying to get off of the ground.
The tousle went on with more grunts and sharp breaths and insults as they went back and forth, but Eivor was determined and finally she had Kassandra in a leg lock, holding her with an iron grip. They were both covered in sweat and small amounts of blood stained their faces, knuckles and every other joint on their bodies. Kassandra strained and fought, but finally decided to yield under the force of Eivor's grip. She did not wish to shame the proud woman in the presence of her partner.
"Haha!!! I prove the victor!" Eivor breathed, winded and bruised as she released her friend, rising to turn and offer a hand to the downed brunette. She took Eivor's hand and stood, keeping their hands locked across one another in a firm clasp as she caught her breath, smiling with her mouth hanging open. Their chests were heaving and glistening in the sun, Randvi was just smiling widely and staring at the both of them.
"Well, your woman was counting on you losing.. and you needed a way to get her submission so…you're welcome!" Kassandra teased, brushing herself off and laughing under her breath. She teasingly patted Eivor's shoulder before reaching up to her disheveled braid, undoing it quickly to re-braid it into better form.
"I am going to pretend as if I did not hear you say that! So I am not tempted to beat you yet again," Eivor cocked her brow and smirked with her scarred cheek. Randvi came over to them and rested her hand on Eivor's sweaty, dirty arm.
"My champion! That was more than entertaining to watch, I have to say!" Randvi smiled, feeling blush creep onto her face. She had more than enjoyed seeing Eivor fight Kassandra with their bare hands. Now they were both so sweaty and winded and their veins were showing more. She had to admit how arousing it all was.
Eivor grinned, ignoring the (very real) possibility that Kassandra had, in fact, let her win. She did another victory pose, flexing her tattooed arms and laughing heartily.
"You are in for a long day, my lady!" Eivor boasted to Randvi, who pretended to look grumpy at the fact she 'lost' her wager.
"Ja, Ja, Ja," Randvi shook her head, "We shall start with giving you another bath!"
"Oh, come on, love! You like my smell!" Eivor wrapped her arms around Randvi, forcing her sweatiness onto her partner. Randvi surprised Eivor by hugging her back, not minding the musk that was coming off of the blonde.
The three of them laughed and savored the moment with their friend. However, their time with Kassandra was coming to an end. They fought a somber wave as they walked back to the camp to gather the horses and their things.
Kassandra could not deny that she had a wonderful time with the pair, and she knew she had friends if she were ever nearby again; she was quick to remember to keep her purpose as her priority. So much depended on the Eagle-Bearer, and keeping close friends always resulted in more death and tragedy than Kassandra could allow.
"I'm sorry that we can't spend more time together," Kassandra was standing with Eivor and Randvi as they made sure all of their belongings were together on their horses. Deep in thought, Eivor pressed her mouth together, dying to ask Kassandra why it was she seemed to destined to travel alone. She didn't want to pry, though, and decided to keep her curiosity to herself.
"You would make a great addition to our settlement, but your heart seems set, and I cannot come between a warrior and her destiny within herself." Eivor extended her arm for Kassandra to take in a bonded grasp. Both of their hands holding the other's forearm as they made lasting eye contact. At long last, they released their hold on each other.
Kassandra bowed her head and her eyes cast to the side as she hid a tear in the corner, much like Eivor had witnessed in the cave where they had tracked the artifact. "In the end we have to see our fate through, even if we do not want to." Kassandra looked up after a deep breath. "I'll never forget you both, please take these to remember me by."
Eivor and Randvi looked somberly at one another as Kassandra revealed herself to be holding two arm bands, one for each woman. They were made of shining bright gold and were accented by a clean, sophisticated linear design. Its value seeming priceless to the two Vikings before her. They each took their own arm band and examined them closely with admiration.
"These are gorgeous, and you have humbled us with this token of your memory," Eivor stated poetically, putting the band away for safekeeping; Randvi did the same. She quietly nodded in agreement with Eivor's words.
"Those have been with me since I was last in the land I was born in. They are a part of me that I want to leave here. I have needed this friendship more than I can say," the Eagle-Bearer smiled earnestly. "I am glad our paths have crossed one last time."
The Wolf-Kissed bowed her head again as Randvi stepped forward to lean up and place a chaste kiss on Kassandra's cheek, squeezing her forearm in a handshake following the small affection. The tall brunette blushed a bit, not expecting the gesture and met her gaze as the fox maiden bid her goodbye.
"Please take care of yourself and don't forget to relax every once in a while," Randvi said as their arms dropped from the handshake.
"Thank you, both. Safe travels back to Kiltarglen," Kassandra bid them goodbye again, as Eivor and Randvi mounted their horses.
"Wherever the wind calls you, you have friends, here." Randvi nodded, leading her mare behind Eivor's away from the small encampment where they had just spent the last 24 hours being completely selfish and carefree. With one final wave and melancholy smile in their direction, the Raven Clan leaders disappeared from sight and left Kassandra on her own once more, destined to carry out her godly duty and vanish unto the world again.