"They Come"Trigger Warning: Sexual assault and violence. It was a cool afternoon in Ulvhjelm, but Kari didn’t mind the slight chill to the air. She missed the winter months if only for the reason that her services weren’t called upon as much because no one wanted to make the trek up the hill to her cottage. Now the warmer seasons were coming and she knew she’d have to interact with the village and perform for them whenever they bade her to. Her freedom would soon be similar to her former life when the King came back with his warriors and the coming spring was to be officially celebrated. Until then, Kari waited atop her hill where she could see out to the ocean and warn the village of impending invasions if there were any; tension was high between rival kingdoms. She knew what boats to look for in regards to the King and his fleet, but any others she was to alert the Queen so that she could gather her warriors to defend the shore and keep anyone from getting into Ulvhjelm. They had started out as a small community of no more than three or four families, but quickly made a name for themselves, the founding family appointing themselves royalty to establish order. Kari wasn’t part of the original colony, but had instead been brought in later by merchants and had been sold to the King’s family at a young age. He had since died, and so had his son, but now the grandson was King and working on his second wife. He had granted Kari her freedom some years prior, but she still remained in the village with other duties as she had no place to go other than Ulvhjelm. “Only a few more days left before it is warm enough to declare spring.” Kari spoke to herself as she hung clothes out on the line to dry. She had been pruning the garden and cleaning the cottage all day and had just gotten to getting the laundry out on the line. “And of course it looks like rain.” Kari paused in her work to stare up at the sky. It was as grey as slate and moving rapidly across a stagnant sky. The wind hadn’t started yet, but it would soon. She was so wrapped up in her linens that she almost didn’t catch the movement out of the corner of her eye. She paused in what she was doing to give her full attention to the bay, only to see a sizable ship, lone on the darkened water as it cut through the waves that now began to churn up to shore. “I don’t recognize that ship.” Kari squinted her eyes before running to get her spy glass. She held it up to her eye and peered out to sea, only to be met with an Old Norse looking ship that was clearly not one of theirs. She couldn’t make out any passengers, but she feared they might be scouts for a bigger fleet, so she had to warn the others. Kari raced over to the horn mounted on a stang near the face of the cliff and blew into it long and hard before giving a few clear blows to get everyone’s attention. She sounded a few more before she dropped what she was doing and tore down the hillside to the village below. “There’s a ship in the bay! It isn’t one of ours. Everyone get to the Hall where it’s safe.” Kari called out as she knocked on doors for those who weren’t already out in the streets. People began to flood from their cottages and stalls, gathering children and elderly to lead them to safety while Kari continued to call out to the others and get the attention of the Queen’s guard that were milling about town. “Kari, Kari! Have you seen Phillip? I can’t find him anywhere.” A woman named Ana came flying up to Kari, fear in her eyes. “I haven’t but I just came down from the mountain. Where did you last see him?” Kari took Ana’s hands to try and calm her. “He and the other boys were playing at the forest edge near the mounds. I saw Heinrich and Erik, but they said that he hadn’t come back with them.” Ana was starting to become frantic as she looked around herself absentmindedly. “I’ll go look for him. You make sure that you gather as many others and get them into the Hall.” Kari assured her as she turned to head towards the tree line on the other side of the beach. Ana reluctantly agreed and kissed Kari on the cheek before obeying her orders. Kari was concerned about Phillip since he hadn’t come back with the others. He was only seven and desperately wanted to be like the older boys, but he had a few physical disabilities that kept him from keeping up and was generally regarded as a nuisance by the other boys. If he hadn’t come back, there was the likelihood that he was lost. “Phillip! Phillip! Your mum is looking for you. Phillip! Where are you, sweetheart?” Kari called out, walking over freshly green hills in search of the little boy. But there was no response. No return call from the boy and absolutely no sight of him. Despite that, Kari continued to search for him, calling out his name every so often, yet she still couldn’t find him. “Where are you, Phillip?” Kari whispered to herself as the wind whipped up around her. She could barely hear the people in the town as they hurried to safety and she knew that the boat would be at port in no time. She was just starting to give up hope when she spotted a grey shirt peeking out from behind one of the moss covered boulders that dotted the land. “There you are, Tiny. You were starting to worry me.” Kari rushed over to the boy, assuming that he had been hiding from her this whole time, unknowing of the possible danger they were in. She finally reached him to find him with his back towards her, lying on his side in a strange position. “Tiny?” Kari reached her hand out hesitantly to get the boy’s attention, wondering if maybe he had gotten tired out and fallen asleep. But what she saw as she turned him over caused a stifled scream to catch in her throat as she clamped her hand over her mouth. Poor, sweet Phillip was dead. Where his left eye should have been was now an arrow, while the boy’s other glassy grey eye was wide open, staring at her. Kari took a second to breathe, letting the rush of adrenaline slow before she decided what to do. Regardless, she was taking the little boy home to his mother, but she didn’t want to do it with the arrow still in place. Against her better judgment, she snapped the off the end of the arrow and scooped the boy up, wrapping him up in her cloak as she held back tears and tried to quickly make her way back into the village. “Kari! Have you found my boy?” Ana came running up to her as she entered the Hall, the small bundle wrapped tightly in her arms. “Ana—” She started, her brow wrinkled with the bad news. “No.” Ana knew, her eyes glistening with tears as she held her arms out for her baby. “I’m so sorry.” Kari gently passed him over, tears in her own eyes as she had much love for the young boy and his mother. “How? How did this happen?” Ana asked between sobs, peeling back the cloak before Kari could stop her. Ana caught sight of her son’s left eye and began to wail. “Who did this? WHO DID THIS TO MY BABY?” Despite the low hum of voices talking all around them, Ana’s voice was heard, and they all stopped to face her. “What are you hollering about?” Someone called from the crowd. “Who killed my son? Who did this?” Ana clumsily held her son aloft, the broken arrow evident in his face. The murmur started up again as adults talked amongst each other and children hid behind their parents at the grisly sight. Before Ana could get another word out, the giant wooden doors to the hall burst open and a group of men stepped in, so tall that their silhouettes blocked the graying sun outside. People began to pull back, men shielding their wives as children clambered to be in the back of the group, far away from the intruders. Kari had frozen in place, staring at the group of warriors that had rudely entered their hall, wondering if they were there to kill them or not. There were at least five of them, but she couldn’t make out any distinguishable features in the dimly lit hall. A hushed silence fell over the room before the warrior in front stepped forward, a spear in his right hand as he extended his left towards the middle of the room. “Give me the boy.” People began to talk all at once, wondering who he was referring to, but nobody made a move. “I said, give me the boy.” He demanded again, pointing at Ana. “No! He’s dead—why would you try to take him from me now?” Ana swung him away from the warrior, angry tears streaming down her face. The warrior took a few steps closer, and then a few more. His face was finally illuminated by the sconces in the wall and Kari could get a good look at him. He was tall, bearded with reddish curls and thick hair that was braided back from his face. One cold blue eye shone with intensity at Ana while the other was covered with a leather patch. “Give me your son. Trust me.” The words that came out of his mouth were smooth yet somehow cold like the first chill of winter. Kari couldn’t decide what his intentions were, but she watched as Ana held Phillip out, still draped in her cloak. The man gently took the child from her arms and dropped down to his knees, one of the other warriors taking his spear so he had two hands to hold the boy. He bowed his head over Phillip’s, mumbling words so low that no one could hear as he pulled the rest of the arrow from the child’s eye. An audible gasp cascaded along the room as the man lifted Phillip’s face to his and kissed the boy on the forehead. “Mommy.” A faint voice called out and Ana yelped. Phillip sat up in the man’s arms and threw his hands out towards his mother. Ana wasted no time in scooping him up, planting kisses all along his face as she held him close. Kari could now see that the boy had both eyes; no blood or wound evident anywhere on his face. “How? How have you done this?” Ana’s face shone as she looked up at the stranger. “I am a healer, a sorcerer of sorts. His hugr had not yet traveled to the world of the dead and I was able to retrieve and heal him.” The man explained, stepping back towards the other warriors. “Thank you, stranger. Thank you from the depths of my very soul.” Ana continued to cry, holding Phillip close. The stranger nodded only, waiting patiently to be officially invited in. “And who might you be?” A feminine voice asked as the crowd parted and Queen Eerika stepped forth. “Who is asking?” The man brazenly returned. Eerika scoffed, “I am the Queen of Ulvhjelm. I am acting King while my husband is absent.” “Well, my queen, I am Harbard, my sons Donar and Tiwaz, Rig, and my brother Loptr.” Harbard introduced the warriors in turn. “And why have you come to our kingdom, hm? To raid? To kill and rape? I won’t allow such things here.” The queen held her head aloft as she spoke. “Considering that we just leveled all your guards and presumably half your warriors—” Donar began to speak before his brother elbowed him in the gut. “We have not come here to do such things, only to seek shelter from the storm that is coming. We are on a journey and your village was not an intended stop on our course.” Harbard explained simply. “Good. Well, since you have somehow miraculously saved the boy, I will invite you for dinner and let you stay until the storm blows over. My husband is to return tonight, and hopefully before the rains come. Please, make yourselves comfortable while I ready the feast.” Eerika clapped her hands in front of her as servants came to her call. “What are we celebrating?” Kari heard Donar whisper to Rig. “She just said her husband was coming home; don’t you pay attention anymore?” Rig hissed. “I have salt water in my ears and can’t hear a thing.” Donar spoke a little louder, wiggling his finger inside his ear. Kari tried to hide her smile at the exchange, but she could feel someone watching her and quickly changed her expression, turning her head towards the pair of eyes that were focused on her. The one called Loptr was staring in her direction, an unreadable expression on his face. He had his leather wrapped hands crossed in front of him, his mouth pursed as he studied her. Kari quickly turned her face from him and calmly walked over to Ana. She wanted to occupy herself with the single mother and her last and only son to get her mind off the strange warriors that had just arrived. Even across the room, she could still feel eyes trained on the back of her head. (*) The feast had begun, music was being played, and most were several horns into the mead before Kari finally got a chance to settle. She had volunteered to serve the people so she didn’t have to hide from prying eyes, but had finally gotten to a tiring point where she wanted to sit when Eerika caught her by the elbow and pulled her towards the thrones. “I need to ask a favor of you.” She whispered to Kari, looking around her to see if anyone was listening. “What sort of favor?” Kari was wary because Eerika hardly spoke to her at all and when she did, it was never nice. “I need—” “Excuse me? Could we possibly get some more mead?” A sing-songy tenor voice interrupted the conversation and Kari turned only to be met face to face with Loptr. He was at least two heads taller than she was, thin, but strong with a tightly shaved undercut and a long mess of braids and matted hair that was wrapped in leather with copper cuffs. “Excuse you?” Eerika blurted, but Kari took the opportunity. “Let me get some. My queen, I will find you once I assist the travelers.” Kari apologized, going for another bottle of mead to distract herself from the suspicious favor. When she returned, Loptr was already back at the table with the others, a horn of mead in his hand. “What happened to you needing mead?” Kari slammed the bottle of mead down on the table. “Oh, we just thought you looked uncomfortable over there with the Queen and thought you needed a distraction.” Harbard responded, knocking back his own mead before going to pour another. “Insightful, but I was fine. If you don’t mind, I have to go speak with her. There’s plenty of mead here, so have at it.” Kari scooted the bottle to the middle of the table. “Can’t pause for a second and have a drink? You’ve been bustling around all night.” Harbard poured her a cup and slid it over to her. “I really shouldn’t.” Kari ran her finger over the lip of the cup. She technically wasn’t supposed to drink, but the thought of it sounded good. “Are you a slave? If not, what’s keeping you?” It was Donar’s turn to convince her. “I’m no longer a slave and can do as I please.” Kari defended her freedom. “Then sit. Drink.” Rig pointed at the bench to a vacant spot between Harbard and Loptr. Kari carefully took a seat before taking a sip of her mead. “Tell us about yourself. What do they call you?” Harbard questioned. “Kari.” She responded, not sure how to make conversation with these men. “That can’t be your real name.” Loptr spoke, his eyes darting down at her. “It is. Or at least it was the name given to me when I was brought into Ulvhjelm. I know no other name.” Kari felt ashamed that she never knew a mother or father that had given her a proper name and went with the one gifted to her by King Rolf. “It doesn’t suit you.” Loptr whispered as he bit into a thick piece of meat. Kari side-eyed him, ignoring his comment. “And you said you were once a slave? How did you earn your freedom?” Tiwaz curiously asked. “It was thanks to King Ulfar. I was appointed to him when I arrived here and became his personal servant even though I was younger than him. He saw a gift in me and when he became king, he granted me my freedom.” Kari gave them the short of it, not really wanting to go into the details. “Good man.” Harbard nodded, finishing another glass. Before the conversation went on, a woman came up behind Kari and whispered in her ear before scurrying off. “It was nice talking to you men, but the Queen beckons and I must return her call.” Kari politely excused herself and left to find the Queen sitting on her throne, an irritated expression plastered on her face. “Kari,” She snapped her fingers for the woman to hurry, “About that favor.” “How can I help you, my Queen?” Kari waited for the question. “As you know, Culver was injured in the last raid my husband made and had to stay behind for the most recent one. He’s been a miserable horse’s ass the whole time and I need something to cheer him up.” Eerika never once made eye contact with Kari as she spoke. “And how can I help with that?” Kari tried to remain respectful, but something didn’t feel right. “I want to give you to him as a gift. You both are similar in age and I think presenting him with a beautiful woman would cheer him up.” Eerika finally looked at her, a fake smile spread across her lips. “No. I mean, your husband wouldn’t like that. You know that I have to stay chaste.” Kari protested. “Stupid girl, that was just a lie his grandfather told everyone so they would keep their hands off of you. He wanted you to be pure when he gave you to his son in hopes that he would deflower you, but he believed in your power and that lie so much, he kept it up. You don’t need your virginity.” Eerika laughed at her. “That’s a lie. If I don’t stay chaste, I lose my sight.” Kari argued. “Maybe so, but I think it’s the biggest lie King Rolf ever told. Regardless, you are going to take yourself back to my handmaids and prepare yourself for my son. My husband doesn’t need to know and this can stay just between the two of us, especially if you want to continue living your life as a free woman. If your usefulness as a Seer wears off, so be it. But I am your queen and you will do as I say, understood?” Eerika stood up from her throne and looked down on Kari. She wanted to say no, but could she? The queen could have her banished from the village, or worse, killed if she refused. But if she complied, she could lose her gifts forever and they were all she had in the world that was truly her own. “Yes, my queen.” Kari gave in, nodding in defeat. She took herself back to the queen’s chambers immediately where she was met with a gaggle of handmaids, ready to prepare her for Prince Culver. Her clothes were stripped from her as women held up various white dresses while others pinched her cheeks and pinned her unruly hair back from her face. They rubbed fresh berries on her lips and sprayed her with a floral mist to wash away the sea-salty air from her skin. “Now, he can get a bit—rough—at times, so be prepared for that. Drink this; it may help take the edge off.” One of the maids handed her a bottle of something that was clearly much stronger than mead. “It’s ok if you bleed; that’s normal. Just try not to scream too much during because it makes him mad.” Another offered advice as they finished readying her. “Have—have you all been with him?” Kari asked nervously and all but one woman nodded. “The Queen calls in favors all the time.” One forced a smile, but she was clearly distraught over the thought. “You’ll be fine. We’ll keep an ear out for when he finishes and come to help clean you up.” The first handmaid patted Kari’s shoulder as she led her down the hall to another room with a large ornate wooden door. She rapped thrice before a male voice called out for her to open the door. “What have you brought me, woman?” Culver asked gruffly as he stood naked on the other side of the room, pissing into a pot at his feet. “See for yourself.” The handmaid scooted Kari forward as Culver turned around, his eyes widening in delight as his lips curled into a grotesque grin. “My step-father’s Völva? Won’t that render her useless?” Culver stepped closely to Kari; he smelled of body odor and rum. “Your mother believes that to be a rumor. She just wanted you to have a fresh gift since it has been so long and you have been bed-ridden.” The handmaid spoke without ever making eye contact with the hulking man. “What a thoughtful mother, she is. This one is definitely fresh and she smells so sweet. I wonder if she is fertile right now; I can almost smell it. How wonderful that would be if I filled his precious Völva with my seed so she was with my child? How wonderful, indeed.” Culver hobbled around Kari with his injured leg, pausing to sniff her hair as he came behind her. “Leave us, maid. I have a woman to make of this Seer. I’m going to show her the true Gods.” Culver grabbed Kari roughly around the waist and she could feel his rigid manhood pressing into the small of her back. She tried not to cry out in fear and instead bit her tongue hard to prepare herself for the inevitable pain. “Fight a little. I like it when they fight a little.” Culver had come to face her once more. But Kari didn’t move. She didn’t want to do this, she never wanted to do this. She wanted to be back home, even in the impending storm and to brave the rough winds while she prepared to escape into the forest. “No.” She spoke without thinking. Fire erupted in Culver’s eyes as he asked, “What did you say?” Kari took a deep breath, “I said no. I won’t pretend to fight for your pleasure. If I’m fighting, I’m fighting for my life.” Kari stepped back and prepared herself to fight the mountainous man in front of her. Culver laughed loudly before his face went grim, “Oh, this is going to be fun. I’m going to fuck you and I’m going to do it whether you let me or not and then I am going to kill you and leave your dead body on my step-father’s throne for him to find when he returns home.” (*) The group of warriors was several pitchers into the mead and full of good food, enjoying their night inside where it was dry, making new friends before they continued on their journey. Harbard had just cracked a joke about something they had seen a few weeks back when Loptr felt a twinge in his belly. It wasn’t vomit from the drinking and it definitely wasn’t hunger. All he knew is that that sensation told him that trouble was nearby and where there was trouble, there was generally Loptr. “Do you feel that, Harbard?” Loptr nudged his brother. “Feel what? The mead? Sure.” Harbard shrugged. “No, something is off. There’s trouble nearby, I can feel it in my gut.” Loptr whispered. “Of course you can, trouble might as well be your middle name. And I’m sure you’re going to venture off to figure out what it is.” Harbard sighed. “You know me well, brother.” Loptr cackled, getting up from his bench as he followed where his gut was leading him. (*) “No, NO!” Kari tried to scream, but Culver covered her mouth with his meaty hand before he tossed her harshly onto the bed. “Keep fighting me, Kari; you’re only going to make this harder on yourself. You might as well relax and enjoy this once before you die.” Culver came lumbering over to her. Kari was much smaller than the terrifyingly large man and was able to roll out of the way and bolt for the door, but not before he caught her. His hand found her ankle and she came crashing down, cracking her head on a table that sat close to the door. “Oh, Kari, I can’t wait for this.” Culver growled as he climbed up her leg. She tried to regain her senses, but the room had gone hazy and she felt herself losing consciousness. Culver had made his way up to the bottom of her dress and was pushing it up towards her buttocks as he straddled her from behind. His humongous hands gripped her by the waist and Kari tried to call out, but her mouth wouldn’t make the words. “Help me.” She meekly called out to her God as the room started to go completely dark. (*) Loptr easily snuck behind the throne platform and into the back hallway. There were several rooms and the first one he peeked into seemed to be that of the King and Queen. Another room held quite a few good looking women, but he bypassed this room and continued following the twinge in his gut. He was coming closer to the end of the hallway when he thought he heard someone call his name and realized exactly what was causing the trouble. It was behind the door there at the end of the hall. Loptr could hear a commotion, a man grunting, the whimpering of a female voice he had already committed to memory. Loptr threw open the door just as the owner of the female voice was triumphant, instantly ending the trouble. (*) Sounds came and went; grunting and heavy breathing. She felt motion here and there; sweaty thighs covered in hair, calloused hands on her cold skin. But there was no pain. There was no pain because he hadn’t started yet. Kari willed her mind to stay conscious, to stay aware and the room started to come back into focus. She had to act quickly before Culver finally figured out what he was doing, but she could now feel him pressed against her backside and her reflexes took over. She threw her head back and felt bone meet bone as Culver cried out and as he reeled back on top of her. It gave her just the pressure release she needed to pull out from beneath him to get closer to the door. “You fucking whore!” Culver cried out as Kari felt a wet hand slip around her ankle again. He yanked her straight up into the air; dangling her high above the table she had hit her head on. “I’m going to tear you in half.” Culver snarled. But Loki had answered her prayers. There on the table was Culver’s axe that his birth father had given him. It was sharp and within arm’s reach, one swift movement and she could have it. There was no second thought. Kari snatched the ax and swing down, embedding it in Culver’s injured leg. He reflexively let go of her ankle to grab his freshly injured leg as Kari crashed down onto the table, splintering it beneath her. Culver had come to the ground and was now yanking on the ax. He had finally pulled it free from his thigh and had gotten himself to his feet once more to swing the weapon at Kari when time slowed down. Kari felt helpless, with no weapon and an aching body. She was going to die at the hands of a psychopath whose mother would cover the whole thing up. Then a thought struck her. She remembered one of the handmaids putting a long, sharp hairpin in her messy hair. There was a possibility that it was just sharp enough to do a little more damage so she could escape out the door. Kari whipped the pin from her hair and thrust it upward into Culver’s thick gut as he swung down with the ax. She screamed in anger, twisting the pin hard as she growled, shoving it deeper within his stomach. The giant man started to gurgle as blood frothed at his lips and he began to fall, just as the door to the room was thrown open. “Kari?” Kari’s head snapped to the door. There stood Loptr having witnessed her murder Culver in what was probably a bizarre scene. She instantly erupted into tears, her face covered in blood as she sobbed on the floor. Loptr reacted by gripping her under the arms as he pulled her to her feet and hissed. “You need to get yourself straight. I know that you are traumatized right now, but we have to clean up this mess.” “What?” Kari blinked as she stopped crying long enough to question the strange man. “He’s the King’s son; you can’t leave him like this or they will blame you.” Loptr bent down and grabbed Culver’s ankles as he spoke. “He isn’t the King’s son, he’s the Queens’s and she will most definitely blame me for this and no one would ever believe it was in self-defense.” Kari came around the other side of Culver and grabbed one of his limp arms. “All the more reason to remove the evidence. Don’t bother with that arm; you won’t be able to carry him.” Loptr swatted at Kari’s hand that held Culver’s arm. “I’m stronger than I look.” Kari threw her knee under Culver’s shoulder and helped hoist him up. Loptr stopped what he was doing to stare strangely at the woman; the dark rings of makeup around his eyes made him look almost sinister as she stared back. “Regardless, you should let me handle this. I take it you have never hidden a body before?” Loptr finally hoisted Culver’s body over his shoulder. “No.” Kari just shook her head. “I have. Let me do this. You just lead me and make sure that no one sees us, hm?” Loptr pointed awkwardly at the door. Kari dropped the arm and quickly went over to a basin of water to clean herself up. “I’m sure no one is going to notice the giant of a man you are carrying while I slip in his blood as I follow behind.” Kari scoffed and it elicited a giggle from Loptr. “Just get me to the Hall without us being seen and I promise I will be able to slip by everyone undetected. You just go about your business and don’t draw attention to me.” Loptr gently pushed her forward as Kari picked her way down the hall and passed the King’s chambers; luckily they ran into no one. “Now go. Go sit with Harbard and tell him what happened. Stay close to them until I return.” Loptr nudged Kari again and she started to walk forward, but paused to turn over her shoulder to look at Loptr—he was gone. She hurriedly made her way over to Harbard and the others while trying to be in conspicuous. She calmly took a seat next to Rig and shakily took one of the tankards of mead and began drinking. “Kari, is everything alright?” Harbard and the others had been watching her intently this whole time. “Hm? Uh, no. I just killed the Queen’s son and Loptr is getting rid of the body.” She replied coolly, pouring another glass. “Oh, alright. Did he make it out without being seen?” Rig asked, scooting another full tankard towards Kari. “I guess so. When I turned around he was gone.” Kari finished her third cup and slumped down on the bench, laying her head flat on the tabletop. “Loptr’s good about making himself scarce when need be.” Harbard nodded, wiping off a smudge of blood that Kari had missed near her ear. “Kari, you’ve had too much mead.” Loptr’s voice roused Kari and she sat up straight on the bench. “Was it a dream?” Kari murmured, wiping spit from her jaw. “No. You did what you did because you had to and it has all been taken care of.” Loptr sat down and started to drink. “Oh! What about the blood? The mess I made in the room? I broke a table! The bloody water in the basin.” Kari stood straight up, but Loptr’s hand met her shoulder and pushed her back down. “It’s all taken care of. Relax and pretend like nothing happened.” Loptr continued to drink as he spoke. “I was going to question you, but I think it’s better if I don’t. I don’t know how to thank you and I feel almost wrong doing so, but—thank you, Loptr.” Kari turned her head slightly towards Loptr with a faint smile. She swore she saw him blush a little before he frowned and shook his head. “No thanks needed. I knew there was trouble and I put myself in the middle. But I’m glad I did.” Loptr returned the smile. Harbard cleared his throat loudly just as the doors to the hall opened and in walked King Ulfar with portion of his army to roaring cheers and applause. “My kingdom, I am home! We have returned triumphant with much spoils for spring. Where is my beautiful wife?” Ulfar called out as he came closer to the thrones and dropped his shield and sword by the foot of his. “I am here, my love. Welcome home.” Eerika came from behind the thrones and threw her arms around her husband, kissing him tenderly. Two younger men came out of the group of warriors to hug Eerika; her younger two sons had come home in one piece. “And where’s Kari? How is she?” Ulfar asked and Kari noted the immediate change in the Queen’s face. “She’s over there with the travelers.” Eerika pointed her out. “Travelers?” “Men that came on an old boat. Did you not see it by the shore? Their leader brought Ana’s boy back to life.” Eerika whispered, but Kari could read her lips. “I must meet these travelers.” Ulfar pointed at the table and had Eerika lead the way, breaking from the small battalion of his army. “Gentlemen, this is my husband, King Ulfar.” Eerika introduced them and all men, Kari included, stood to pay their respects. “My Lord, I am Harbard, my sons Donar and Tiwaz, my right hand Rig, and my brother Loptr.” Harbard made introductions once more. “I am happy to have you. I hear you brought Ana’s boy back from the dead?” Ulfar got right to it, taking a seat next to Harbard while leaving Eerika still standing. “I have. I am a sorcerer and healer amongst other things.” Harbard was polite as he spoke. “What happened to Phillip?” Ulfar was curious how the boy had died. “We don’t know. I found him out on the mounds with—with an arrow through his eye.” Kari recalled how she had found the poor boy and just the thought made her cringe. “And no one knows who did it?” Ulfar looked disappointed. “No. There was no call for it.” Kari didn’t want to rat on the Queen, but she couldn’t lie to her king either. Ulfar cast a wary look at his wife before he stood from the table and clapped his hands. The sound instantly got everyone’s attention in the room and they stopped what they were doing to listen. “I understand that one of our own, a young boy, was found on the mounds earlier today, dead from an arrow through the eye. Despite the fact that he has now been resurrected, I still want to know who would do such a thing to this child.” Ulfar roared. He could be fearsome when he really wanted to be and quite soft at other times. Now was definitely the former. People talked amongst themselves, but no one came forward to take responsibility for Phillip’s death. The murmuring snaked through the crowd of people finally lowering into a whisper. “I saw Phillip out on the mounds with Erik and Heinrich earlier today.” A woman called out from the crowd. “And where are the boys now?” Ulfar asked and the crowd parted to reveal the two boys sitting with a few men, both enjoying the evening like the young men they were, drink and all. “You two, come here.” Ulfar beckoned them as he got up from the table and the two boys met him at his throne, “Tell me what happened.” “We were just up on the mounds practicing our sword skills and Phillip followed us up there. We let him play with us for a bit, but decided to go back into the village because it looked like rain.” Heinrich spoke up. “But you didn’t think to bring the boy back with you?” Ulfar narrowed his eyes at the boys. “No. He wasn’t our responsibility.” Erik replied. “So, neither of you know how little Phillip ended up with an arrow in his eye?” Ulfar leaned in closer to the boys. “No sir. He was alive when we left him.” Heinrich shook his head and Erik followed suit. “They’re lying.” Kari spoke under her breath as she watched the questioning in front of her. “What?” Loptr had heard her and leaned down to make sure what he heard was right. “They’re lying. They know who killed Phillip.” Kari kept her eyes on the boys as she spoke. Ulfar looked over to Kari before flicking his fingers at her, beckoning for her to come up to the throne. Kari reluctantly got up from the bench; she knew what he was going to ask her. “Kari, I need you to tell me if these boys are telling the truth.” Ulfar pointed at Heinrich and Erik; they looked terrified. Kari didn’t want to perform, but she wanted to find out what happened to Phillip and bring the person to justice. She took a deep breath and held out her hands for the boys to place theirs in hers. They shakily extended their hands and Kari grasped them tightly, trying to tap into the feeling that she had been experiencing. It took no time for her to sink deeply into a trance to connect with the boys’ spirits and she soon saw a scene unfold behind her eyelids that made her sick to her stomach. Heinrich and Erik were climbing the mounds to the top where the small hills rolled over boulders. Heinrich held two blunt swords in his hands while Erik had a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows slung over his back. Several meters behind was little Phillip, happily walking along and pausing every so often to sniff the few flowers that had already bloomed. “I don’t want him following us. We can’t do what we want with that cripple tagging along.” Heinrich whispered to Erik. “But we can’t send him home; he won’t listen. Besides, he doesn’t really have any friends.” Erik hissed back as Phillip finally caught up. “Are we going to be Vikings today?” Phillip asked excitedly, clasping his hands. “No, Phillip. Me and Heinrich are going to practice sword fighting and maybe do a little hunting.” Erik patted the boy’s shoulder as he set his bow and quiver down in front of a rock. Heinrich tossed him a sword and immediately began to swing at him. “Hm, can I fight too?” Phillip looked disappointed at first, but then his face lit up. “No! You’re too young and you can’t even hold a sword with those hands.” Heinrich snapped, wagging his sword in Phillip’s face. Phillip looked down at his mangled fingers, fingers that could barely grip a flower to pull it from its roots, let alone hold a sword for any sort of battle. “Heinrich,” Erik cast his friend a scathing glance, “But here, you can practice with this on the rocks.” Erik bent down and grabbed a stick he figured Phillip could hold and handed it out to him. Phillip tried several times to grab it to no avail, all the while Heinrich sniggering in the background, but after a few tries, he finally got it. “Good, Phillip! Now hold tight, ok? Especially when you make contact with something like this,” Erik whacked the rock with his sword. A huge grin spread across Phillip’s face and he promptly set to whacking the boulder while hollering out Viking war cries. The other two boys went back to sparring as Phillip called out to Erik periodically so he could show him his sword fighting skills. This would cause Erik to pause in his fighting to take a look at the younger boy and praise his progress, which apparently irritated Heinrich to no end. About the tenth time Phillip had called out Erik’s name, Heinrich had finally had enough and snapped. While Erik was watching Phillip perform a very complicated set of moves according to him, Heinrich had picked up the bow and readied an arrow. His hands were shaking as he aimed it at Phillip and let the arrow go. It zoomed right past Erik’s right ear and struck Phillip in his left eye. He was dead instantly and dropped straight to the grass with no sound. “HEINRICH!” Erik spun around screaming, “What have you done? Why would you do that?” “I—I didn’t mean to hit him. I was just going to shoot it past his head and scare him a little.” Heinrich was visibly shaking now, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at Phillip’s lifeless body. “What are we going to say to his mother?” Erik continued to holler, gesturing down at the boy. “I—I don’t know? Why don’t we just tell her that he wandered off or tell her that he wasn’t even with us if she asks. I don’t want anyone to find out what we did.” Heinrich shook his head, sucking in his lips as his fear turned to malice. “What we did? I didn’t do anything, Heinrich, YOU did. If you don’t tell anyone, I will.” Erik stood in front of the dead boy defensively. “Oh, no you won’t.” Heinrich had already armed himself with another arrow and this time his hands were steady. “Are you going to kill me too now?” Erik held his arms out wide in anger. “If you don’t lie for me, yes.” Heinrich had the hair pulled back as tight as it would go; he was aiming to kill. “Seriously?” Erik couldn’t believe that his friend was doing this. Heinrich nodded, glaring at Erik with the arrow trained on his face. “Fine, fine. What should we do then?” Erik dropped his arms in defeat. He didn’t want there to be two deaths at Heinrich’s hands. Heinrich lowered his bow and let the arrow slack, but before he could reply, a horn started to blow in the distance. Both boys turned their attention towards it and began to gather their stuff. “Just leave him. Hide him behind some rocks and leave him. If there is an invasion, no one will know the difference.” Heinrich pushed past Erik and grabbed the boy by his ankles, dragging him over to a nearby rock that was big enough to hide him. But he hadn’t hid the boy well enough and you could see just the faintest amount of gray as the two boys ran off towards the village. Kari let go of both of the boys’ hands and took several steps back. “Kari, what did you see?” Ulfar asked, stretching his hand out to touch her face and bring her back fully. Kari blinked a few times, her eyes settling on the boys. Eric’s expression showed fear and shame, but Heinrich’s showed indifference and seemed to dare Kari to say something about what she saw. She was scared of this boy, this boy no older than fourteen, and she feared what he might try to do to her if she told the truth about what she saw. But she knew she couldn’t lie, not after she found the boy the way she did and not after what she saw when she touched the older boys’ hands. Heinrich deserved to be punished and stopped before his actions escalated further. There was this glint in his eye that told her that Heinrich would kill again and he would have absolutely no remorse next time. “I saw who shot the arrow. I saw the whole thing; all of it.” Kari finally spoke defiantly against Heinrich’s glare. “Who was it?” Ulfar stood from his throne and a hushed silence fell across the Hall. “Heinrich. He was irritated with Phillip for interrupting his fun with Erik. He didn’t mean to kill him, just scare him.” Kari paused. “So, it was an accident?” Ulfar raised a brow, waiting for an answer. “Yes, but his threat on Erik’s life if he told was not. He forced Erik to comply and they left Phillip behind when I sounded the horn. Ultimately, he didn’t care.” Kari finished, staring Heinrich right in the face as she spoke. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you for telling!” Heinrich roared, lunging at Kari’s throat with his bare hands. The room let out sounds of surprise and terror as Heinrich made contact with Kari and tackled her to the floor before anyone else had time to react. She screamed, shielding herself from the boy’s fists as he tried to punch her in the face. Ulfar and Eric were on the boy as quickly as they could, scrabbling to get him off of Kari, but he wouldn’t let go. He kept trying to hit her in the face and even though her hands were covering it, he was still getting in a few blows. “Let her go, Heinrich! Let her go!” Ulfar yanked at the boys arms, but he swung around and struck the king in the face. By now the king’s guards had stepped in as they tried to pry the boy off without hurting him, but he wasn’t letting up and his wild hits made it hard to restrain him. Kari tried to keep quiet as she kicked her feet and shielded her face, but the boy seemed to have supernatural strength as he kept everyone else at bay to continued mauling her. Then he did the unthinkable. He reached out and grabbed the king’s sword from in front of the throne and brought it dangerously close to Kari’s throat. “I’m going to slit your throat for telling on me, witch.” He grit his teeth as he spoke, but before he could slash the blade across her neck, he jerked, his eyes wide with disbelief before the sword clattered from his hand and he slumped forward on Kari. She immediately felt hands underneath her arms as she was pulled out from beneath the boy and held protectively by someone who was much taller than she. “Dammit, Heinrich.” There were tears in Erik’s eyes as he gazed down upon his lifeless friend. “What happened?” Ulfar looked bewildered as he looked down at Heinrich too. “I stopped the boy from killing your Volva.” Loptr spoke and Kari realized it was he that had saved her. “You killed him.” Erik finally broke is gaze to look at Loptr. “I did. In defense of the Volva.” Loptr repeated himself. “Our new friend is right, Erik. Heinrich was going to kill Kari and we couldn’t stop him any other way.” Ulfar draped his arm around the boy’s shoulders to comfort him. “I feel like he had been going down a dark path lately, a path of madness.” Erik hung his head, trying to hide his tears. “Heinrich was always troubled on some level and you know that. We tried to help him, but some people just can’t be helped.” Ulfar replied, steering Erik away from the sight as he signaled to his guards to remove the body. The whole scene triggered the end of the drinking and feasting as people filed out the doors to the Hall in small groups, leaving only Kari and the travelers behind. “Are you alright?” Loptr finally asked Kari as he loosened his grip on her and let her stand on her own two feet. “I’m fine.” Kari stepped away from him, covering the part of her face with her hand that had been hit by Heinrich. She knew that it must have been bruising already and she could feel the blood seeping through her fingers. “Let me take a look.” Loptr stepped forward with his hands out. “I’m fine.” Kari backed up a few steps before turning around completely to run from the Hall. “Just like you, Loptr. Always so good with the ladies.” Tiwaz jeered and the others started to laugh. “Always good with the ladies.” Loptr whispered to himself before he lumbered back to the table for a drink. He hadn’t meant to scare her, only to protect her. He had already done it once that evening and a second time was no inconvenience to him. Even if she didn’t want his direct help, he was still going to find a way to assist her. Kari ran home without even slowing as she climbed the hill to her cottage, crying the whole way. In only a few hours she had almost been killed twice and was now badly beaten due to a young boy who had now been killed because she chose to tell the truth. The internal conflict was killing her. She wasted no time in changing her dirty clothes and wiped herself down with river water from a basin before she put on a loose shift and curled up on her bed to continue crying. She felt helpless and violated, confused and scared all within a matter of hours since the strangers showed up. There was no blame on them, obviously, but their arrival heralded an evening of terror for Kari and she didn’t want to show her face in town till they left. Kari felt herself slipping into a tearful sleep when there was a gentle knock at the door. She was instantly frightened once more, not sure who had come calling at this hour, especially after what had unfolded. “I don’t want any visitors.” Kari choked out a response, covering herself in her fur blankets as the adrenaline wore off completely. “Miss, it’s Nora, one of Queen Eerika’s handmaids. I need to speak with you briefly.” A young voice reverberated through the door. Kari got out of her bed with the furs still wrapped around her and answered the door, only opening it enough to speak with the woman. “King Ulfar has allowed the travelers to set up camp here on the mountain. They won’t disturb you, but I wanted to make you aware that they were nearby.” The woman informed her. “Wonderful,” Kari replied sarcastically, “Thank you for letting me know.” The handmaid nodded once and bowed away from the door as Kari closed it and locked it tight. She hardly trusted anyone and she sure didn’t trust the strangers that were now camping only a short distance from her home. They hadn’t given her a reason not to trust them, quite the contrary, but Kari didn’t easily trust anyone with how fearful she had become of her own abilities and the things that were asked of her. She felt like she was performing a trick for the audience every time she was called forth by Ulfar, even though he fully believed in her powers. What if Eerika had been right and she actually had no powers, just a weak mind that easily fabricated visions and stories? But no. No. After what she saw tonight and after the attack by Heinrich for her revelation, she knew she at least had some sort of gift, whether it was true sorcery or something else. The question at this point was whether or not it was going to get her in trouble. All she could do at this point was try to fall asleep and forget about what happened for the time being. Kari spent the next few days in her cottage. When the handmaids came to call, she feigned sickness and said that it was because of her experience with Heinrich and that she had to recuperate. She just couldn’t face anyone yet and more than anything, she didn’t want to. She wished she could just pack a bag and leave, but she had nowhere to go and not enough survival skills to make it all on her own. Kari was stuck with no escape and she had settled on the notion that she would probably die there, playing the Völvic puppet for the rest of her miserable existence.
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E.M. MoonStories from the World Wide Weird Archives
December 2021
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