Noridun

         The deep hide drums and high pipes of Noridun rang out their songs as the departing ships pulled out of the grey pebbled bay. The men of Noridun were leaving for raids on the shores of Kitaar far away. The remaining folk of the tribe wouldn't expect to see or hear from them for maybe another year. Svenja watched as her father and elder brothers sailed off in their dragon ships.

         The rain drizzle mucked up much of the rich green and grey hilly landscape. The tides were low today, marking the reclusion of Oedi the moon god. The wind whipped about flicking the tawny and white owl feathers that were snuggly tied in to her long braided white-blonde hair. "The wait shouldn't be so long this time, little flower." A soft wizened voice from behind her, announced the easy presence of her mother, Helgi. "I hope so." she responded to the Chieftess, a smile played at her pillowy red lips. She was nearly consumed with waves of curiosity of the islands of the far east. 'Maybe they would bring back prisoners this time and I could see what a Kitaarian actually looked like?' she thought briefly before she was immediately distracted by Helgi's notice of time for chores. Svenja nodded respectfully. As soon as she was done with the morning work she could then spar with her younger brother, Kinrik.


         The chores flew by quickly as she was eager for her free time. However, the slowest one was the task of gathering fresh herbs for her mother's tinctures and things. Helgi earned the right of Chieftess when her wisdom and gracefulness caught the attention of Chief Bieran the Ruthless. Their love was the stuff of epic ballads. He had selected her as his adviser and shieldmaiden. Helgi had been the daughter of the village witch, as a result, Svenja had been born with Seer's Eyes. The hereditary trait skipped over her mother. They were completely whited out though she could still see. Supposedly she would be able to see fates, though she wasn't able to do that yet. Her mother told her that the Sight may develop over time. Svenja readjusted her warm mossy green scarf over her nose to prevent it from getting too cold from the northern winds. Her grey knit gloves warmed her knuckles as her bare fingers brushed the ground as she collect the plants on her mother's list. The list was a bit longer than normal, yellow Yulily for bruising, Calendula to combine with blue Magewort for fevers, Lamb's ear for bandaging and so on. Spotting a bit of Bitterlichen, she grabbed a bit of that too, it was always good with throat ailments. 'Mother is going to need that for sure.' she thought as her mind went to the recent up rise in tonsil aches.


         With her basket of herbs and flowers filled, she set off home to help her mother with lunch. The walk back was relatively quick as she was eager to be free for the rest of the day. As she walked in the door, she set the basket on the wooden countertop. The scent of lunch pleasantly filled the air. Svenja's stomach rumbled in anticipation. Her mother was kneading a large ball of bread dough, the white dust of flour had settled on Helgi's forearms, cheeks and golden hair. Some of the flour even settled in the fine lines of wrinkles around her eyes. "Svenja, be a dear for me and stir the pot." Svenja heard her mother say. She nodded and promptly walked over to the fireplace and carefully removed the lid. Hot steam rushed out to escape, blasting her in the face and causing her to look a way a bit. Once it cleared, she stirred the pot. The fragrance of the grouse and dumpling stew seemed to make her feel famished even though she wasn't. With that done she began her work cooking and preparing the rest of the meal.


         When it was ready, Svenja was sent to call Kinrik for lunch. He seemed to appear from nowhere. She didn't really know what he did all day, but apparently it was intensive, he seemed to be packing on more bulk lately. 'Maybe he's just getting older?' she wondered. She was just glad he at least made time for their sparring matches. Her younger brother at thirteen was still a few years from adulthood, but he always so eager to go on the raids, rather than sitting around at home with the women, wounded and elderly. He was taller than her by a few inches, by the time he becomes a man, she rationalized that like the other males in her family, he would have to duck under the door frame just to get in the house. He looked like her father in every way. Kinrik had reddish brown hair and the same pensive, piercing blue eyes of a wise ruler. He gave her a light shove as he walked in to the house, pretending to otherwise ignore her. Svenja rolled her eyes and followed him in to the house, she was hungry and getting impatient.

         Helgi had just set the table when they walked in. The bowls of grouse and dumpling stew were accompanied with a mix of pan-cooked fiddleneck ferns, mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, barley and sage leaves. Hot fresh bread was served alongside it with sweet goat butter and lingonberry preserves. Peppery Winterbeer was warmed and waiting in tall brown clay mugs with the servings. Svenja could hardly wait to dig in. Her mouth watered as the scent carried the food's flavors over for her to taste before even eating.


         The meal was delicious and disappeared quickly. Afterwards, Svenja helped her mother clean up and then she was allotted her freedom. Her and her brother quickly left to meet up with their peers and mentors for practice. They met up in the hilly land just past the eastern crags outside of the village. They did this at least twice a week.


         Upon arriving most of the group was already there. Her friend Miri, waved her over. Evidently, Miri had been making flower jewelry again. Svenja made her way to the small maiden, who promptly affixed a chain of blue poppies about Svenja's throat. Miri never had any interest at all in sparring, she had explained once that it just wasn't for her. Svenja never thought it to not be an option. The least one could do was something to protect themselves. Unfortunately, Miri couldn't be swayed on the topic. Within the group was also Alric, Oden, Dana, Taerin, Lina, Odelle, Kathika, Margita and Sigrun. Oden was the oldest male at seventeen, but he had been injured on a raid when a woman had thrown an iron pot of stew at him and both burned and broke his leg in several places. Alric had about a week to go before he came of age and was bitter that his father didn't let him go this time. Dana was particularly aggressive and he often had temper issues, but due to being sickly, he also wasn't permitted to go. Taerin was allowed to stay behind, since he never behaved like a man. He often wore his sisters' clothing and had an eye for other men. Lina and Odelle were his elder sisters, while Kathika was his younger sister. Margita and Miri were twins, identical except for their hair color. Margita had red hair and Miri was blonde. Sigrun was the oldest female here at nineteen, she was a tall beautiful blonde with curly hair. Sigrun also happened to be married to Svenja's eldest brother, Thorin.


         Svenja sat with the girls and Taerin while the boys started their sparring matches. Most of the morning's drizzle had lifted, leaving behind a moderate fog. Sigrun didn't quite look herself, she was a bit paler and was vomiting often, showing signs of pregnancy. Svenja observed this for a few minutes before bringing up the topic. "Mother will be glad to know that you are with child already." she stated. Sigrun beamed with joy. The young woman's brown eyes lit up. Sigrun leaned forward and grasped her sister-in-law's hand firmly. "I was going to tell Thorin before he left, but I was still at my mother's for confirmation when they departed." Sigrun said quietly. "Do you think he'll take the news well when they return?" the older girl asked Svenja. Svenja smiled and returned the hand squeeze in reassurance. "I'm pretty sure he will." she said with confidence. Ever since they were little, Thorin always boasted about one day having a wife who would give him a village's worth of hardy offspring. They spoke of children and marriage for the next few minutes as the boys did their sparring. Miri continued to make her flower jewelry and Margita braided Kathika's thick curly red hair.


         As much as the younger boys sparred, their own lack of experience ultimately kept getting in their way. Sigrun called pointers from the sidelines. Collectively, Sigrun was far more experienced than most of the boys, well save for Oden. Svenja watched and listened carefully. She didn't want to miss a beat. As she watched on, Oden was giving Kinrik a hard time. Oden was the only male here with any real combat experience. That was a point she observed him make often. His large form albeit now lame, easily over powered the spry boy. Oden's lessons were often harsh, but necessary. For the girls, they got plenty of that from Sigrun and the other shieldmaidens. Svenja wanted to be one too someday, like her mother. Svenja idolized Helgi. A sense of honor and pride welled within her as she thought fondly of her mother. She smiled as she watched Kinrik get angry as he was easily tossed about in the mock battle. She was definitely going to tease him about it later. Oden's smile mirrored that of a great wolf as he trained the boys. Svenja wasn't deaf to the gossiping whispers of the other girls, as handsome as he was, it was no secret that Oden's affections have only been for Odelle and Taerin. It was obvious enough as he eased in to a sitting position after the primary lessons. He chose a spot between the two friends. Svenja flushed a bit as he leaned over and kissed both of them. She felt it was something she wasn't supposed to see. "Alright, your turn." Kinrik's pitchy words interrupted her thoughts and demanded her attention.

         Svenja rose and clutched her wooden sword, she felt ready to take on the world. The wooden sword has grown much lighter over time since she started this four years ago. The worn wooden hilt felt smooth in her iron grip. "Mine too." Dana's husky voice called out, causing her to look his way. Dana was normally tall and brawny, but now he looked paler and almost sallow. His cold sickness wasn't treating him well. Kinrik interjected, "You can't spar her!" he defended. Svenja wasn't so certain of the arrangement, it was obvious he was weaker than normal, but that put her at only a slight advantage. Dana sneered at Kinrik, "What? Afraid I'll hurt her?" he mocked. Svenja glanced at Oden. The young man caught her glance and nodded his approval. She felt a bit uneasy, normally she only sparred with Kinrik or some of the other girls. She trusted her mentor, though. He was careful when it came to the girls. It was decided, Dana and Svenja were to spar.


         Svenja readied as Dana took up his stance and whirled his practice sword loosely. He smiled at her coyly. It sent chills running down her spine. Everyone knew Dana was a bit of a sadist, and she didn't know why Oden allowed this. As she was gaining her bearing, Dana charged. Svenja only had but a moment to react as she dodged, rolling out of the way. His strike caught her on the back of her calf, inciting a bruise in the near future, she was certain of that. She grimaced in pain as she corrected herself and poised for the next attack. Svenja twisted herself as she launched herself forward, his reaction was somewhat slowed by his illness. Her wooden blade struck him quickly in the gut, causing Dana to release the wind out of himself with an audible 'oof'. He snarled in frustration. Already, he was angry at his father and at himself. This only fueled it. Svenja felt a sense of dread creep up her chest. She had to keep him away from her. It was then that Dana's fury surged and he quickly overpowered her by leaping on top of her, bringing his fist to her ribs and his sword pommel to the arch of her brow, stunning her. Her world turned hazy as she tried force him off of her, but her limbs felt like they were made of wet seaweed and blood ran into her eyes.

         The match was brief and it ended almost as quickly as it began, as she crumpled to the green damp grass. The young men had to pull him off of her as he barraged her with a severe beating. Svenja's body and head throbbed in pain as her mind went black.

         When she woke, she was already back in her bed at home. Her head ached and she couldn't see out of her left eye. As she reached up to touch where he hit her, she felt the soft gauzy cloth of the bandages that covered it. She needed to take a moment to ground her self before getting out of bed. Svenja moved the blankets and found her body bare. She realized the abuse that she had taken when she saw it. So much of her was bruised purple and sore. Large red welts rose up from where the edge hit her and his nails raked her white skin. 'What exactly did he do?' she wondered. She tried to sit up, but gasped and nearly doubled over on to the stone floor. She fought back the tears that sprang forth. The sudden pain of it knocked her out again.


         As her mind slipped in a dark void, a nightmare clutched her mind and wracked her with fear. Svenja saw herself overlooking the village from the hilly tree line, fog was so thick that she could barely make out anything. She heard something coming from the village, but couldn't understand it. It was as if mud clogged her ears. The muted sound of horse hooves shifting drew her attention. She saw just a silhouette of a creature on horseback. It was large and horned with antlers, a hide cloak billowed out behind the form. She thought it a man at first, but the nightmare came to climax as the dream version of her was suddenly within his grasp, his skin was painted black with strange white markings. His golden eyes glittered like a hawk's. His face was beardless and his snarl revealed the horrific fangs of some sort of legendary monster. She fought and struggled as his large hand was wrapped tightly around her throat. He laughed cruelly as he doused her with torch flame. Svenja jolted awake, her own hands fiercely gripping her own throat, attempting to steal the very life from her own breath. She struggled to yank her hands away as quickly as she could, using all of the strength she could muster. She choked and gasped for fresh air. Her head throbbed mercilessly as blood returned where it was supposed to be. Her hands trembled as a somber feeling that she should never mention this overwhelmed her, bringing her through waves of panic and violent tears. She was going to have a bruise ring around neck soon, that she was sure of.


         When she recovered, she heard a quick sharp knock at the door. It was her mother's knock. The door creaked open to reveal not her mother, but her grandmother, Tori. She smiled a snaggle toothed grin as she opened the door and let herself in. "Ah, finally awake, I see." the elder witch said as she sat on the edge of Svenja's bed. Svenja attempted to nod, but her wounds quickly reminded her not to, sending her reeling with fresh nauseating pain. "Don't try to move too quickly now. It'll take some time to adjust." Tori said calmly. Svenja cleared her throat a little, it was raw as though she had been screaming for hours. Tori grabbed a wooden cup from her night stand and helped her drink. The water tasted so sweet, she couldn't stop her body from trying to gulp down as much as possible, nearly choking in the process. "Shush, dear. Go easy on yourself." her grandmother cautioned. Svenja shakily set down the cup, suddenly hit with fresh fatigue. "Gramma?" she began, "What day is it?" Svenja didn't know why she felt an urgent need to find out. Tori tilted her head curiously, "Its been about a month, dear. Its a Moonday now. If you can, try standing up." Svenja obeyed. She moved impossibly slow and her body screamed in agony. But, she did it. Nausea overtook her once she rose up and acrid bile spewed from her mouth into her hands as she tried to stop it. Tori gently shushed her and cleaned it up, reassuring her that it was okay and that she was going to be fine. Svenja definitely didn't feel fine.

         The old woman helped her dress and walk to the main room. She passed her brother in the hallway. His eyes appeared darker than normal. Kinrik seemed older for some reason. Tori handed her off to Kinrik, informing him that Svenja needed fresh air. Svenja reluctantly allowed him to guide her. Together they walked for awhile without either saying anything.


         Finally, Kinrik shattered the weighty silence. "Oden was flogged and Dana was beaten for it." he said quietly. Svenja gave an acknowledging nod, it didn't hurt as much this time. Her brother took that as a go ahead. "It was fucked up...he went in a rage and it took all of us to bring him down." Svenja remained silent, letting him go on. Her thoughts kept returning to her nightmare. "Oden apologized and took full responsibility. He wanted to talk with you as soon as you woke up, but Gramma said no. He's been beating himself up about it and even suggested his own punishment..." Kinrik's words trailed off into oblivion. "I'll meet with him as soon as I can." Svenja responded, newly aware of the hunger that gnawed on her insides like a savage beast. "I should have protected you better." he said pointedly as he cast his eyes downward. "That's not true!" she defended, ignoring her headache. Svenja didn't want him taking any blame for that. She could feel his stern denial of that without even using his words. She knew no matter what she said, he firmly stood by this. "Besides, how can I become a shieldmaiden if I can't hold my own against a man, let alone a sick one?" Svenja didn't want to let this go. Kinrik only nodded. "How can I be a man if I can't protect my family?" he rebutted. Her stomach interrupted them with bear-like growl. She didn't know what she could say to him about that.


         Together they got lunch to eat, something easy on the stomach as fiercely advised by Tori. So, it was a light one of bone and onion broth with soft mashed parsnips and herbs, followed by plenty of water.


         Later, Helgi and Tori changed her bandages. Unfortunately, she lost all sight in her left eye. Helgi told her that it appeared her eye was open enough when he hit her, that it was scratched by something. It was possibly a splinter from the wooden sword. Tori lent her a mirror to see. She was going to have a nasty scar. The injury ran from her hairline downwards almost touching her jawline. Helgi gently stroked Svenja's hair. "Little flower, " her mother began, "you might never develop the Seer's Sight." Her words weighed heavily on her shoulders. It skipped her mother and now probably her too? It was a bad omen for sure. Svenja's heart ached. She let the witch bloodline down. 'What would father say?' she thought as fear of disappointing him caused panic to rise in her throat. She had no sisters and it only passed through female blood. Her weakness and carelessness robbed the village of it. Helgi could no longer bear children, even then, males ran strong in the Chief's family. There was no guarantee of another daughter. Svenja was swallowed by grief and failure. It was as if the world itself was devouring her with it. She drew her knees close to her chest, she couldn't cry but her body was wracked with sobs of bitterness. Her matriarchs left her to herself, determining that she needed to be left alone for awhile.


         After she composed herself well enough, she decided that she needed to speak with Oden as he requested. It was currently sometime in the early evening, so she figured he might be at the sparring spot.


         When she arrived there, she saw the group there, save for Dana. Which she felt was a relief at the moment. Oden was the first to approach. He settled his large hands on her shoulders. "I apologize," he said softly. "I made a shitty call." His eyes were filled with regret, but Svenja didn't place any blame on him. It was her fault for not being strong enough. Or so she felt. She gave him a half-hearted smile. "It's fine, Oden. Besides, at least I get a badass scar." she said with a teasing lilt in her voice. His brow furrowed as he glanced over to the others. Looking back at her, he returned her smile. "Alright. But, no sparring until you're all healed up." he ordered. "And don't hesitate to ask if you need anything." Oden finished. Svenja nodded as he patted her shoulder, before limping to his spot.

         Kathika waved her over, apparently she was braiding Taerin's hair at the moment. Svenja sat beside them as they watched Alric give Lina and Margita pointers on how to shoot a bow. They were still so clumsy with it. But, they'll be experts in it in no time if they kept up their practice. Currently, they were having trouble just keeping it knocked. Lina was mostly flirting with Alric and Margita was just getting annoyed.

         She watched as Kinrik threw himself in a spar with Oden. There seemed to be a different grit in him now. Like he lost something and wanted it back. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she felt maybe it had something to do with their previous conversation. She felt her mood begin to take a downturn as she reflected on the past events. She kept her face devoid of these feelings though, she didn't want anyone to worry and she certainly didn't want to mention her nightmare to anyone. Her mother and grandmother said that she wasn't going to develop the Seer's Sight, so it couldn't have been a premonition. The part that disturbed her the most was how her body attacked her. Certainly, that wasn't normal. Feeling insecure, she absentmindedly touched her neck. "I didn't realized he grabbed your throat like that." Kathika's voice interrupted her thoughts. Svenja subconsciously flinched at the suddenness of it. "Oh, uh yeah." she mustered out. "Leave her alone, about it." Taerin interjected. He gently placed his hand on her chin and lifted it to see. His odd grey eyes carefully inspected. She couldn't help but notice the small round bruise on his own neck. Svenja's cheeks reddened as she thought about the possible situations that may have placed it there. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was making you uncomfortable." he apologized as he let her go. "Oh. No, you're fine." she told him, "I was just lost in thought, is all." His eyes briefly met hers. "It looks like it'll be okay. Just looks stubborn and fresh." he muttered matter-of-factly as he moved to sit back down with the other girls.


         Svenja chose not to speak of it to anyone unless they asked. She just wanted to heal as quickly as possible and get stronger, so it didn't happen again. She made the commitment to carefully study their moves, how they twisted to avoid certain strikes. Oden seemed to bring it down heaviest on Kinrik. She didn't know if they had exchanged harsh words or not, but he definitely wasn't pulling any punches from her little brother. Kinrik seemed to develop some sort of resolve that appeared to come from nowhere.


         Days passed and blurred in weeks, and then months until she was fully healed. Svenja learned her left side was now her weakest, since she couldn't see on that side. Now, she wanted to make it her strongest. Fortunately, she had been able to avoid Dana. Now was her first day back for sparring and she hoped he wasn't there. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but she was damn well going to try. Her nightmare now long forgotten, she tried her best to readjust back to her normal life. But, it just wasn't right. She knew the raiding party was due back in about six months or so with fresh supplies and loot. Svenja hoped the Chief won't take the news of the incident too harshly.


         Svenja felt Oden's eyes watch her every move. She felt his cautious thoughts from the short distance that separated them. His stance reflected the painful limp he bore. His grip in the practice sword was like it was no different than an extension of his arm. Svenja swallowed the moisture that collected in her mouth, nervously. It wasn't that she didn't think that she couldn't spar with him. She knew she could, just like always. Right? Her knuckles were white as they gripped the wooden hilt. Oden was waiting for her first move. Like always, he was going easy on her. But now it seemed even more so, because she was partially blind. The yellow red sun bounced off of the bitter cold sea, the light caught in her eye as it burned, causing her to look away toward the forest. There she only saw shadows flickered under the eaves of the heavy branches. They looked like they might as well have been demons and monsters dancing and taunting. The creature from her nightmare, maybe?

         Limping footsteps closed in on her as she turned to give them her attention. She didn't see the hand that came close and wiped her face. Svenja let out a startled sound as she jumped away. She focused her attention to see that Oden was terribly close, his hand dropped to his side. Concern marked his face. She wondered if she delayed too long. "Not yet, Svenja. You're not ready." he said softly as he briefly glanced over to the group. "Of course I am." she argued. 'Why wouldn't I be?' her thoughts leapt to the forefront of her mind. It didn't make any sense as to why he would say something like that. She was fine...but her face was wet. She ignored it and gripped hilt with both hands, grounding herself. "So, what? Do you really think I'll go easy on me just because a little old eye?" she tried to keep her tone light with a playful smile, to brush it off. However, she couldn't keep all of the bitterness out of her words. Oden gave a quick nod. "Fine, no games then." he said abruptly as he lunged, quickly striking the left side of her face before she could react. "Since you can't see it, then feel it!" he said through gritted teeth. Her body reflexively reeled at the painful sting. She couldn't help but wonder if he was angry. Was he angry with her? She pushed her thoughts away. He was right, though. He was always right.

         The spar was a short hour of a one sided match. Svenja heard Oden call the match, as she came back to consciousness. He plopped down in his spot and called her over. She hesitantly obeyed. "As I said Svenja, you're not ready." His words settled into her soul with a heavy lead weight. She wanted to be obstinate, to disagree. She mentally tried to give reason to why he was wrong. She was ready. She knew she could do it. "Why?" was the only word that came out of her mouth. Her mentor ran his fingers through his hair. "Sit down." he ordered. Svenja decided it best to comply. He tried not to look at her for a few moments. "Close your eyes, okay." he told her. Svenja raised a brow in question. "Go on." he reaffirmed and she did. "Alright, when you're on the battlefield, sometimes you can feel things without seeing them. You know how you get gut feelings from time to time? Its just like that." After he said this he flicked her forehead, making her flinch and open her good eye. Oden smiled. 'Good. He's not angry anymore.' she thought. He continued on, "Until you're ready we'll need to do your dodge training over again. For the time being, rest up for a bit then head on a walk. Make sure its nice and quiet, you'll need to learn to depend more on hearing rather than seeing."


         Svenja did as he said. She rested for about forty-five minutes before deciding on a route to walk. She settled on following the northern river that led into the bay. As she walked she bumped in to Taerin as he was filling a basket with ripe red currants and black elderberries. He smiled fondly at her as she approached. "Hi, there." he said as she slowed her pace to and he fell in step with her. "Hey." she quietly responded. She wondered if she should seek his council on the thoughts that plagued her. A few moments of silence passed between them. Normally, they only spoke when others were around, now Svenja had no idea how to interact with him. "How have you been?" his voice cut through her muddled thoughts. She responded with a brief 'fine'. She didn't feel fine, though. She knew that she could never be fine anymore. Taerin saw the hesitation of her words in her demeanor. "No use in lying about it. I can read you as easily as your father reads the stars." the young man said matter-of-factly. He reached in to the pocket of the apron that rested over his dark red linen dress and pulled out a small carving. It was a moonstone idol of Oedi. Taerin handed it over to her. "Here. When I made the decision to live my life the way I chose, my father beat me to a bloody pulp. I was his only son and I failed him. My mother supported me and gave me this, so I could pray to him when I needed. I was disowned by my father. But, your father is very different. The Chief will love you no matter what. That's what real fathers do. They love you no matter how you live or how many eyes you can see with." he said as he placed the idol in her palm and wrapped her fist around it. Svenja smiled and placed the idol in her own pocket. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she felt safe taking his council.


         They walked and spoke of many things for a while. Svenja debated with herself if she should mention what happened or not. She felt the prickly tendrils of fear around her throat as she thought of it, and decided against it. After all, it wasn't like it was really important. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were. After a time, Taerin headed back to the village and she continued on alone.


         She wasn't due home for maybe another few hours and made up her mind to take a dip in the slow shallow river. She removed her canvas pants and other layers of clothing before wading in. She went in until the water covered her white breasts and she could easily swim at her leisure. She ducked under and swam, only coming up for air occasionally. The water was cold and refreshing. It gave her the most pleasant kind of goosebumps. The pebbles on the riverbed felt relaxing on her small bare feet. Svenja leaned back in to backstroke with her eyes closed, as she let herself drift for a bit. Well, until a pebble suddenly bounced and ricocheted off of her bare breast. The spot stung sharply and she immediately lowered herself under the water. She spotted Dana sitting on a log and rifling through her clothing. Fear gripped her yet again. She was completely alone with nothing to defend herself with. He bellowed out a chuckle. "I didn't realize how good you looked naked." he said with a sneer. Svenja felt cold, abnormally cold. She chose to remain silent. Dana went on regardless. "So, apparently you got a pretty little scar now? Oh and all of the pity of the whole village too." he said as he exaggerated the word, 'whole'. He picked up her undergarment and ran the soft cloth of the crotch between his fingers. She felt utterly repulsed and she tasted bile in the back of her throat. He chuckled just before he pocketed her undergarment and tossed her belongings in to the river. He then walked away laughing.

         She tried to swim after her clothes, but couldn't swim fast enough. Svenja hated him. She wanted him to hurt like he hurt her. Tears stung her eyes. Even though no one was around to see, she still felt humiliated. She was getting too cold now and had to climb out. Now she was just wet, cold and getting hungry. She curled up and cried. Her only warmth was the anger that burned in her. Because of him, she was going to have to wait for nightfall and sneak back home.

         She shivered as she waited patiently. Her eyes slowly began to droop for a moment. But, the soft sound of horse hooves woke her. Her nightmare materialized and became much worse than she imagined. Two of the figures on horseback dismounted in front of her. They both appeared male and wore mostly just hides and loincloths. The on the right was taller, reaching nearly seven foot tall. The other one was only a bit shorter and a little plumper. The short one hurried over to her announcing something loudly that she didn't recognize the language of, only to be punched on to his rump by the taller one. Svenja scrambled to her feet. She didn't have anything to defend herself with and not even any clothing to protect her or at least hinder them. The tall one eased his way towards her disappearing in the void that was on her left side. She was too slow to move and felt a sudden pain in the back of her head, knocking her out.


         When she woke up, she found herself next to a fire and covered in warm hides. The back of her head throbbed. She determined that this probably wasn't good for the health of her mind. The tall one knelt over her and produced a waterskin from a pile of hides and things. He moved slightly away from her and helped her drink from it. Svenja took a few hesitant sips from it, eyeing him carefully. He moved slowly around her and gave her plenty of space. She hugged the hides closer to herself. From what she could see of her surroundings, she determined that she was underground. Tree roots wove themselves in and out of the small dim cave-like room. The fireplace was snuggly built into the back wall and channeled the smoke out of the back. Some of the hides hung on the wall, while others made up some of the bedding that she laid on. The tall one watched her every move carefully. He dipped a small bundle of knotted straw in to a stone washbasin and began removing the white and black paint. As he washed, his bronze skin revealed itself from underneath. He removed the wolf hide and antlered hooded cloak that covered the upper portion of his head. His hair was long and black and his eyes were gold ringed with red. Svenja averted her eyes. He was terrifying.


         Neither of them exchanged any words for a long time. She watched as he placed some logs on the fire and sat across from her. His words finally broke the silence between them. He spoke with a questioning tone, though she didn't understand what he said. Svenja was quiet for a few moments. "I really have no idea what you just said." she said, causing him to instantly freeze to attention. It appeared that he didn't expect her to respond, or at least in a different tongue. He was quiet for a few moments as he watched her, before making a move to join her in the bedding. Svenja jumped away from him as soon as he came close and flopped down next to her. Confusion crossed his face. The man then wrapped his large arm around her and pulled her in to a close snuggle. Svenja struggled to relinquish his grasp, but he was much stronger than she anticipated. She only stopped when she heard the soft sound of snoring next to her. She tried to ease out of his embrace, but found him even stronger as he slept.


         Svenja slowly submitted to sleep as it over took her over the next hour. She had never slept next to anyone before and slept in fits.

         The next morning she found that he was already awake and the room was occupied with a hand full of people, mostly women. The tall one was currently being swatted at violently with an elderly woman's wooden ladle.