Chapter 8: The Völva

Astrid stared at Bard greatly puzzled by his offer, not knowing whether or not she should trust this unknown man. As she pondered on her response, she looked around the room fixating her eyes upon all of the settings around her. First at the square fire pit in the middle then the large, dirt-floored room, then at the many white waxed candles, which were scattered all along the room but were not lit. Her eyes wondered onto the dirt floor where she caught a glimpse of a tiny gray mouse scampering along ground until it found safety behind a bench. Finally, she drifted her eyes back to the blue, peering gaze of Bard, awaiting an answer. Many thoughts and questions filled her mind as she stared deeply at Bard.

"Well," Bard piped in, shattering the silence in Astrid's racked brain. "What is your answer?"

Astrid closed her eyes, causing her brows to furrow and her forehead to scrunch. She placed her hands over her face, hiding any expression that could escape onto her stiff profile. Shortly after she ran her hands down from her eyes, down her cheeks where she folded them just below her chin, resting her face down upon her created support, pressing her lips lightly against her folded fingers.

"If I agree, I will be free?" Astrid mumbled, behind her hands moving her eyes upward towards him.

Bard's face went long as he stared at Astrid intently. "You will be free as long as you complete your task to my satisfaction." He said. "Have you decided yet on what you will choose?"

"I accept your offer and if you lie to me, I will cut your throat while you sleep. Do you understand?"

Bard looked at Astrid once again with raised brows. "Will you now? I would not be too sure on that right now, for you still are a slave at the moment."

Astrid pursed her lips with anger as Bard smugly smiled, placing his index, middle finger and thumb onto Astrid's hot cheek.

"Father was right, you are a difficult one to have as a slave." Bard said, leaning forward and placing a kiss onto her lips, kissing her softly for several seconds before pulling away. "You will be trained on how to fight, my beauty."

Bard arose from the bench, leaving Astrid's side, and looked down at Astrid. "I have business with my father. I shall speak with you later." Bard said, before exiting the room to enter Erick's bedchamber.

Astrid sat still, leaning against the thick edge of the carved wooden table, contemplating on how things would go down. Death could come to her she thought, freeing her permanently from all of the pains that the world had to offer. Soon her silent thoughts were disturbed when the large door creaked open and in came Knut. Sweat was beaded around his forehead and dripping from the tip of his round nose. He stepped to the corner of the room where the water bucket hung from a rope that was attached to the wooden mud caked ceiling, dipping his dirt and calloused covered hands into the cool, clear water, rinsing the layer of grime from them before taking the dipper, carved from a piece of light colored wood, and filling it up, sipping the cool water between his dry and cracked lips. Once he gulped the water down, he plunged his hands once again into the bucket, drawing out water into the palms of his hands and bringing it to his face, cleaning off the dirt that had settled into his pores. Astrid sat off in the distance watching and studying each move that he made, longing for him to notice her just once before she left him for good.

Knut glanced over her shoulder at Astrid, who quickly looked away once she realized that she had been caught in the act of watching him. As she continued to watch him from the corner of her eye she saw a slight smile come to the corner of his closed, straight lips as he turned sharply around to face her, causing a slight giggle to slip from her mouth.

"Why are you just sitting there?" Knut asked, shuffling himself to her side as he leaped onto the table top where he sat calmly and poised.

Astrid tilted her head to look at him. "I am thinking about what shall become of me in the mere future." She stated plainly, wringing her hands in her lap.

"Bard has offered me freedom if I fight with him on this raid."

"Freedom?" Knut asked confused. "You never did learn how to fight properly."

Astrid shrugged her shoulders. "I know enough, I suppose." She spoke unsurely.

"I told you all those years ago that you would need to know one day, and you did not believe me." Knut joked. Astrid stared at him blankly, not wanting to admit that he was right.

"Come with me, I will show you how to stay on your feet." Knut said, jumping down from where he sat. He quickly took Astrid by the hand. Se resentfully followed behind him as he led her hurriedly out of the house.

The bright morning sun was shining from the cloudless gray sky, which caused Astrid to squint her eyes. A slight breeze blew through the air, blowing around the loose strands of her dark hair. The sounds of children laughing, peoples chatter, and iron clashing together was heard over nature's sounds of birds chirping and trees rustling. In the village center, a group of people were being trained on how to fight with swords, axes and throwing spears. Tree stump targets were lined up in rows for those practicing how to shoot arrows and throw axes. Astrid noticed many of Erick's warriors were the trainers.

Knut gathered up two long steel swords and a green and black painted round shield, which he gave to Astrid. She held the heavy shield tightly in her hand by its brass handle. Her sweaty palm grasped around the leather wrapped sword handle. Knut stood directly in front of her, holding his weapon to his side, as a smile ran along his face.

"Show me what you know." Knut insisted, raising his sword upward.

Astrid let out a sigh before drawing the long steel weapon outward and running towards him. The lengthy swords met with a forceful clang, making a vibration ring throughout the entire object down into Astrid's wrist. Knut struck her shield as she brought her sword upward from below the protective covering hitting his sword once again. She released the metal handle of her shield, letting it fall to the ground at her feet and taking the leather handle of the sword with both of her hands, swinging back and forth, iron meeting iron. Knut pulled Astrid closely to him with his sword and pushed her onto the ground, where he straddled her waist.

"That is how you die." Knut said, pushing himself up from her. Astrid looked up at him as she sat up, dusting herself off.

"I cannot do this!" Astrid shouted, stamping her foot on the ground aggressively. "I could not do it with my father and I cannot do it with you."

Astrid picked up her shield and sword once again, preparing herself to fight once again.

"You can do this, you just have to believe that you can" Knut assured her, offering her a kind smile. "Soon enough you will be a free woman. That she be enough motivation to make you want to do this." He struck their swords once again.

"Strike, draw back, thrust." Astrid mumbled to herself repeatedly until she made Knut unarmed. "And that is how you kill."

Knut's eyes popped wide as he watched Astrid drop her fighting objects.

"The thought of innocence is all I can think about." She spoke softly. "I do not wish to kill."

Knut went to her side and pulled her into a tender embrace. The closeness of his warm body brought comfort to Astrid.

"It will be alright Astrid." Knut spoke softly in her ear. "The gods will take care of you, you just have to believe strongly in them."

Astrid shook her head as she pulled away from Knut's embrace."I cannot bear to kill innocent lives. I know what it is like to have everything taken from me. I do not wish to bring that hurt into anyone's life, no matter how much wealth can be obtained from it."

"I understand what you are saying but you have no other options left, Astrid." Knut explained, brushing away a strand of dark hair from her face. "Visit the volva. She will tell you what your fate holds."

Astrid stared at Knut. "The volva?" She asked, looking around at the people around her who were still attempting to learn how to fight. "She will not see a slave."

"It does not hurt to try."

Astrid looked first at Knut then back at the god's temple before taking off in a sprint towards it, dodging people as she ran. Approaching it slowly, she pushed open the heavy door. The putrid smell of death lingered around in the air outside. All around the home hung bones that rattled when the wind blew. Astrid took a deep breath before walking inside. Inside, a woman draped in all black sat in the corner with cold eyes peering at her. The woman rarely blinked as she watched Astrid approach her. The hood on her cloak was hiding most of her face as she shifted his position. The smell of body odor and smoke flooded the house, causing Astrid's eyes to water from the rancid smell. Bones hung from the ceiling, as did many small wooden figurines of their gods. The only light came from small white candles lined around her. A tall chair sat directly in front of him, along with a table which had candle burning in the center with bowls of bones, herbs, and stones surrounding it. A fireplace was on the other side of the small room but appeared to have not been lit in a long time since a thin layer of dust covered it.

Astrid realized she had made a mistake in visiting the seer. Fear shook her mind and her body as she slowly backed herself back towards the door, where she would run the wind to get away from the God-forsaken place.

"Astrid Egger, I have been expecting you here." The woman spoke, catching her right before she could make her exit. "Come. Sit and talk with me. Shall we see what your fate holds?"

Astrid stopped cold in her tracks at the sound of her voice. She thought to herself, striking even more fear into her than what was there before. Something in her drew her to go sit down with the woman, taking a seat in the wooden chair across from her.

"I have heard about you, I have seen you in my visions." She hoarsely mumbled.

Astrid tilted her head confused. "What do you see in your visions?" She asked, leaning forward in her chair so she could hear her faint voice better.

The woman pushed the hood of her cloak away from her face, exposing her face, which was entirely painted with black and white streaks. Her white hair tousled freely and was woven with beads, feathers, and leaves. At the temples of her head were thick red dots, which she occasionally rested her fingers upon.

She gathered the herbs into a bowl, then began adding small round pebble stones into the mixture. The lady finally took a candle at lit the herbs with the flame.

She began to chant words that Astrid could not understand, rattling the burning objects inside of the bowl. "I see a man on a sea, who will cherish thee. I see a crown resting upon a golden throne." The lady stopped, taking Astrid by the hand. "You will fight hard and once the bloodshed is over you will become a powerful force to reckon with. But before you reach your power, your greatest fight will be the battles inside of your mind. I see much pain and death in the souls of many people who are around you. You are cursed by the gods, for bad luck follows you."

"What is this!?" Astrid demanded, jerking her hand away from the lady.

The volva chuckle at her remark. "The gods give me my visions. They only tell me things which are to come, not why the things happen." She paused. "I do not know the answers for certain, for I am only a crazy woman."

"Is death coming for me?" Astrid asked sharply.

"Be patient my dear, death will show itself soon enough." She replied, blowing out the fire in the bowl. "Just like this fire, we will all burn out eventually."