me vikings

warnings-- like all my stories this one is not finished

CHARACTER LIST
Safi- the Wyrd girl on the beach
Jalo- son of lord Hegjungd (Gerard Butler)
Hegjungd- lord of the Rathyar
Rawlwar- Jalo’s best friend (Tony Curran)
Garthlock- Heg’s best friend and cousin, has Vagna’s humor
Vagna- Garth’s wife, no concept of humor, sarcasm, or subtlety
Thondlar- Garth’s and Vagna’s son and youngest member of Jalo’s crew
Turek- sort of healer under Vagna, her nephew-in-law
Gunther- Turek’s father, Garth’s bro
Ladka/ Pumska- the twins, orphaned: ma died at der birth pa died 8 yrs later
adopted by Heg
Kriegan: Gawain from King Arthur
Larson- Tommy Flanigan
Beomer-Jalo’s dead bro
She was wet. And cold. Long ago she had lost the feeling in her thighs. She looked down to check for missing fingers. Her foot plopped into the rocky sand. The time was passing and the sun moving but night was day to her and all time was one and none. She had been in the expanse for some time. How long was beyond her. Sometime during the third day she had become lost. Her soul seemed to have taken flight from her body for she only noticed the world in snatched breaths. She had been swimming and running and plodding along so long that it seemed her body knew no other action. Although she had not eaten in what was likely days her body took no notice. Her feet just kept moving.
She had to keep walking. It was her only thought. If she thought. Of a sudden she was on the ground. Looking back she saw the remains of a fire. Her feet moved and her body rose again. Once more her feet slapped upon the sand.
Somewhere there was noise. It wasn’t the tree-voice or sea-song either. It was loud and sharp and shrill. Her hands rose up to her ears and tried to scrub the sound off. Men. There were men in every direction. They were screaming and flailing about like wild men. Noise, pain, color, pain, her body once again coming upon the ground. Something stopped her. Something strong, stout. Perhaps a tree limb attached to one of the creatures.
The ice of black came in a comforting wave. The noise was over the men gone.
The girl had collapsed. He wasn’t surprised. She seemed to be the walking dead. The many layers of cloth and leather were tied about her with dozens of lengths of rope, and all was wet enough to still have been in the sea. Her skin was the ghastly white sheen that belongs only to those recently drowned. The sharp pain that came upon touching ice was shooting all through his arms.
Grunting he thrust her over his shoulder. She was heavy. Judging by her face and hands most of that was likely to be the wet wool.
"Thond, run ahead and have Vagna prepare for her. Rawl- with me. The rest of you backtrack and find where she came from." Slowly- at first- then more quickly as he got his balance he made his way up the beach to his home. After the beach and up the hill little huts became visible. Hard people swathed in layers of rough but colorful wool watched as he and Rawl hauled the girl up the slope. The girl had not moved unless it was inspired by the jostling of his shoulder. No noise issued forth either and considering her uncomfortable position that was rather odd.
At the end of the huts was the Hall. Large and lovely in his mind. In her deep brown dress with her hair braided down her back was Vagna guarding the entrance.
"Is she a wyrdling?"
"She’s human. Damn near dead, but human." Her feet planted she barely blinked. She might be small but dragons could not move her if she did not wish it.
"Bring her inside. Set her in the healing room." His shoulder ached but he made it. Laying her down on the center table he stretched his neck and arm and waited for the Hall’s Lady. He did not wait long as she soon stormed through the cloth-draped entry followed by the twins and Turek.
"Where did you find her?" As usual Vagna wasted no time or effort to find out what she wished to know. Direct was always how Vagna ran.
"Out on the edge just after the beach turns rocky. She was heading in to the village."
"Where did she come from?" With great effort he muffled a groan.
"The other direction most like. The men are looking to see if they can find out anything else." They were working methodically to strip the cold, wet, and rough wool from her body. Their knives flashed in the light of the torches. Finally they cut the last of the material away dumping it in a crusty, wet, stinking pile. The twins labored to remove it as quickly as possible while trying not to touch it. They then carried it outside to dry so it would burn.
After removing the cloth all that was left were two small leather garments. One was an abbreviated vest laced tautly over what he noticed was a full bosom. The other was pants. His mind failed to understand the purpose as they were cut so short as to provide no protection for even the highest stretch of her thigh.
The deathly paleness of her skin denied the fact that she was yet alive. The pink sores and crusted blood all over only seemed to emphasize the wrongness of the shade of her skin. Her feet were swollen even in their frigid state and each seemed to be composed of one large wound.
"Ka’s is the bathing tub ready?"
"Yes Hall Matron." Ladka responded quietly. Pumska, as always, stood just behind her.
"Turek. Move the supplies into the chamber. We will dress her injuries there. Ka’s I want boiling water in there now." Everyone had begun to obey her commands almost as soon as she uttered them. Those who did not follow Vagna’s will did not fair well. "Jalo- you will carry her."
He hauled her into his arms. This time she was not so difficult to carry as she weighed as little as his arms and armor. Though Vagna proceeded he did not follow her to the bathing chamber.
"Who is she?" The girl, Ladka asked.
"Get out." The command was uttered from the other room with no concern for Ladka’s curiosity. The twins having respect for the safety of their limbs left without comment. He crossed the threshold and entered the bathing chamber. Vagna walked to the water and tested its heat and nodded to him. As gently as he could he lowered her inert form into the water. She slid in with the skill of newly killed fish. Immediately she began to twitch and thrash and moan. Finally signs of life. Sweat to oozed from all unsubmerged pores on her skin.
"Hold her down." Turek was young but he knew much about healing. More than Vagna Jalo knew. She was thrashing so hard now that Jalo could not keep a hold of her.
"Get in and hold her." Vagna did not like redundancy. That she had repeated her nephew meant something. His eyes left the girl to look at her. She was staring at him. So was Turek he noticed. Oh... me. He plunged in trying not to step on her or fall on her. Somehow after a great deal of effort he managed to get behind her and restrain her limbs. It was made all the more difficult that while she was quite definitely naked and slippery, he was encumbered by his wet clothing. Fortunately this tub was larger than most. Vagna began to replace the water that the girl had forcibly removed as Turek started to dump herbs and fluids in. Oddly as soon as he had his arms around her she calmed.
Together the three of them cleaned her. Jalo piece by piece removing his simple garments, making him more mobile and better able to hold her. They even managed to wash her long brown hair. Vagna took extra care to make sure it was clean and combed. Lifting her from the water he placed her on the table and once again noticed her fine healthy form– despite its current condition.
Turek and Vagna began to methodically salve, sew, and bandage her body. Feeling extraneous he moved back to allow them the ability to move freely and began to dress in the tunic and hose that the Ka’s had kindly brought in for him.
"Jalo?"
"Yes Vagna."
"Prepare the empty room." Her voice had softened subtly but his mind only registered shock and rejection.
"No. No! That room is not empty."
"Your brother is dead Jalo. He has been for over a year. He won’t be coming back. The Hall of the Grandfathers is feasting him even now. He will not notice the room being used by another. It is time it was. She will need it. She cannot sleep in our Hall in this state and the other rooms are all occupied." The words were uttered not unkindly but with an uncompromising practicality.
Still unwanting but not unwilling, though it seemed his heart rebelled, he left to do the chore. Slipping through the rug door he found his friend waiting in the Hall for him.
"Rawl."
"How is she?" The words were said with the voice of curiosity.
"Good. She has a few scrapes but there doesn’t seem to be any infection."
"She’s lucky."
"Wyrd luck. Any news on how she got here?"
"There might have been a trail but the tide wiped it out. For all we know she sprang from the sand that way."
"Keep it quiet. Let people think we’re still looking."
"Wyrdling." The good thing about having a friend like Rawlwar was that he didn’t have to have his mind coddled.
"No. She’s human. Unidentified but human. That’s what you say Rawl. To everyone. Keep your other thoughts confined to us."
"I can do that."
"The others might not understand. I want to hear what she has to say before the villagers try to purge her from the Hall and burn her."
"I know." Rawl was giving him a slightly affronted look that he supposed he deserved. "I’ll see you at the meal boy."
"Boy! Rawl. Do I need to beat you again to remind you just who the boy is?"
"Yup." Rawl walked out the door just then leaving him no room for rebuttal.
"Brat." Muttering under his breath he turned to the back of the Hall and the private rooms. It was time to kill his brother.
***
"Wake up lazy girl! Maybe we should slap her."
"Vagna! Try to be gentle."
"It would be a waste of energy. Girl!" The voices were muffled but understandable. Her body hurt and her stomach tried escaping through her eyes.
"See she’s waking." A hand, too heavy to belong to the woman, set upon her shoulder. Safe. She knew she was safe.
"It’s all right. You are safe now. Join us." She wished to she realized. She wanted to meet him. The warm deep voice was scented with mint, she noted, as it feathered across her skin. Laboriously she worked to raise the shields of her eyes. Green. His eyes were green.
"She likes you. Watch her."
"How do you get that woman?"
"She responded to your command." Something like a grin split his face. No, his eyes weren’t green. They were a yellow, brown, green mix. Not the most lovely but to her they were art.
"Hello. Welcome to the world. It’s been a while since you were last here." With his hand resting lightly on her shoulder her mind was content to rest. She hurt but her muscles had that looseness that can only be achieved through deep sleep. Her eyes happily drifted closed.
"No lass. You must wake. You’ve been in the abyss to long. You need to eat and move or you’ll not return." Strong arms came around her back and lifted her. She was propped against the headboard and allowed to rest against some cushions. Her body loosed a reluctant groan as she opened her eyes again.
It wasn’t so difficult to wake this time. He was sitting beside her. Her eyes drifted to his face. It was not ugly. His long, curly, unkempt, hair was a dark brown stroked by the sun to show red. His beard was full but well trimmed. It shaded his strong jaw lovingly but was groomed to allow his face to still be seen. A hairy beast he was not.
"So who are you?" The stern question was barked out in a manner demanding response. Her head tilted in the dragon woman’s direction though her eyes stayed on the man. He was smiling broadly now.
"She just woke, Vagna. Let her eat then I’ll ask her what we wish to know."
"We have cared for her for over a week with nothing to show for it. She owes us her name at the least."
"We have cared for her for over a week which is why we can wait a few moments more I think."
"Gor! She’s beautiful. I never saw a lady so lovely ‘fore." Without her will her eyes snapped to the space behind him from where the statement had come. A girl, young, slender, red haired, with the promise of great beauty to come, stood with a deep bowl in her hands. "Hello. I’m Ladka. What’s your name great Lady?" Her heart grinned with the girls words. The child’s voice was sweet and gentle.
The man gently removed the bowl from Ladka’s hands and put it in her lap.
"Ka’s did you not hear Jalo. We will ask her after she eats. Do not pester her."
"I wasn’t meanin’ ta pester. I’m sorry."
"Ignore them. They do this all the time. Eat." The command was issued kindly from the man’s mouth. With less effort than she expected she lifted the bowl to her mouth and let it slide into her belly. The warm saltiness of meat combined with the sturdy flavor of barley settled contentedly in her stomach.
"Slow down you’ll choke!" It was the girl again. She was standing at the foot of the bed. The bowl was lowered and he took it. Her eyes were pleased to see him again.
"Safi." The word feathered from her lips as her lids fluttered shut. His face painted into her memory the world receded.
"What did she say?" Was all she heard before the abyss took her again. The dragon woman was not soft in her ways.
***
It was a very comfortable room. The heavy furs that enshrouded her were quite warm. She was alone for now though she still felt Jalo’s presence. It was the second day of being awake. Her mind was in that happy land of waking slumber. She was free of the abyss’s fog and her mind was liberated from its shell.
A subtle and undecipherable change in the atmosphere signaled the presence of another. Hopefully expectant yet wary was the feel she got from the newcomer. Whoever was there wanted to be there but did not want to disturb her. She opened her eyes only to have them light upon the girl, Ladka.
"Hello." Her voice was soft but inviting. Ladka’s eyes humorously enlarged in response. A tiny movement brought her attention to the other side of the bed. A boy, no older than Ladka was shyly waving. Taller than Ladka he was obviously related with identical red hair and showed the promise of becoming a handsome adult.
"I remember your sister. But you are absent from my memory."
"He’s my brother, Pumska. I’m Ladka. We are Ka’s. We didn’t mean to wake you. Did we wake you we’re sorry. I know you need your rest. Vagna would be real mad if we did. We aren’t even supposed to be in here. We just wanted to see you. We’re sorry." The words were spewed forth with an urgency that only the young can imbue to the unimportant.
"You did not disturb me at all. I was merely resting." Ladka’s shoulders lowered a good two or three inches and Pumska’s mildly concerned look turned to a broad grin.
"That’s good cause we were hoping you’d be awake. And nice. Are you nice. You sure are pretty. You look like our older sister. Well, what she’d look like if we had one anyway. We always wanted one but our parents died when we were little and so they didn’t make any and since they’re dead they can’t make any new ones obviously."
"Hush!" Her head was already spinning from the rush of information the girl was delivering. The poor child had obviously been yelled at before because she immediately scrunched her symmetrical face and bit her lip. She also tossed a panicked look at her brother. "Don’t worry little one. I am not angry." At this both youths gave her a look of stunned confusion. "I just want you to slow down. I am new hear and since I am still healing it is hard to take in too much at once. Come here. Both of you." They reluctantly moved up toward the head of the bed.
"Would you two tell me about the people here? And your home? I am eager to know." The boy had a look of sheer shock. No one had ever asked them to talk before, his eyes spoke. The girl on the other hand had the look of a wolf being told it had the pick of any sheep it wanted from the world’s best flock. Safi was forced to control her flinch.
The girl proceeded to leap upon the bed next to Safi. It was fortunately a large bed as the boy crawled up at her feet.
"You’re in Beomer’s room. He died last year. Well we don’t know that for certain. We’re fairly certain because he and Jalo were out in one of the little boats and he stood up, which was dumb cause you never stand up in a little boat everyone knows that- and he fell off. Jalo was kinda drunk, which was also dumb, and he didn’t notice right away. He wasn’t worried for a while cause Beo was the best swimmer of all those goats feets and he was really hard to drown but he did this time or we think he did cause they didn’t find him again. Vagna, she’s the lady of the Hall, and don’t make her mad ‘cause she’s scary, anyway, she says that it happened ‘cause they were both drunk and being stupid."
The girl was now taking Safi’s hair down. It had apparently been braided into a tight cap on her head. Pumska just sat at the end of the bed by her feet with a contented smile on his face. The girl spilled the information on everything and everyone in the village in short order. Despite having lived with children in her own village she was still stunned at Ladka’s ability to speak. Rapid, with frequent interjections of personal insights, she unraveled the life story of the people. They were the Rathyar. The Hall had been built by Hegjungd’s great-grandfather, which was good because no one who was living there now had the brains to put a decent mead hall together. Garthlock had kidnaped Vagna to make her his wife. Jalo’s mother, the lord’s wife, had come to believe that she needed to worship the gods by dancing naked around a bonfire on the edge of a cliff. Since drinking was also involved she ended up simply falling off. Vagna had taken over because she was "just like that you know". Heg was a "big sweety" and he loved to listen to the twins talk to him for hours; he would even have large quantities of mead brought to him so he could listen without becoming thirsty. He would allow the twins to braid his beard but his hair didn’t like being braided so it always fell out just after the Ka’s had left. Rawl and Jalo were the "bestest" friends and were so close that Pumska thought they could have been twins like the Ka’s, but they weren’t.
She had just launched a deep explanation of the men and who held their liquor the best when the rug door was swept to the side and Vagna stomped in.
"I told you not to disturb the woman. Why are you here. Go clean something." The Ka’s immediately scrambled off the bed.
"Wait. Get back here. I am not disturbed by you." The Ka’s had ceased to move and were looking at each other with a look of terror.
"I think that is for me to decide girl. You have no idea what you need. We were the ones who found you on the beach after all.
"Yes. But I was the one who got myself there. I know what I went through not you."
"Nonsense. I always know what everyone needs. They often don’t know what they need so I tell them. Now I am telling you because you are too foolish to know what is best for you. Ka’s leave immediately."
"Stay. I was getting bored to tell the truth and I enjoy their company."
"Pash. They irritate everyone."
"Not me." Pumska turned to stare at Vagna as if she would change into a wyrdling that would eat them all. No one argued with Vagna. She didn’t react well when people didn’t do what she wanted and now was no different. Her eyes were flared her nostrils smoking and her hair seemed to be writhing. At least to Pumska. He looked around desperately for his sister. She had vanished. A light touch on his ankle revealed her tiny hand. Ducking beside the bed he saw that she had crawled underneath. Sensing the violence that was imminent from Vagna he decided it was a great place to wait for a while.
"It isn’t as if they are doing anyone else any good. They are fine here. I say they stay." Just as Vagna opened her mouth to retort Jalo, Garthlock, and Rawl entered the chamber. Seeing the fire in both women’s eyes the men stepped back.
"You dare to tell me how to best run my hall."
"I am not telling you anything. I am making a logical suggestion which you as a reasonable woman should follow." Safi’s tone was firm and quiet though it carried to the far corners of the room.
"As a reasonable woman I already know to the best logical idea and that is that the Ka’s leave so that you, can-get, your, rest." Vagna too was firm in her speech though she spoke with enough volume to wake the birds roosting on the roof.
"By the gods woman calm yourself." Garth was the only one who could withstand Vagna’s ire. Only he had enough hide on his torso and bone in his skull to resist her. "You look like a sow who’s young are being threatened."
"I am not a pig, dear husband. Nor are my young being threatened. Be accurate!" Vagna was no longer quite so loud but the staccato rhythm of her words spoke far louder. So did her stiff walk and refusal to look at anyone as she left the room.
"Gee Garth. I have a question for you." Rawl had thrown his arm over the older man’s shoulder.
"Ask it then. Don’t waste my time telling me there is one."
"How did you woo your delicate and dainty wife? We must know. How else will we get women as fair to fall for us?" Jalo finished the question as Rawl continued to drape his arm over the large man’s neck.
"Woo her? Fair? I didn’t woo anybody. She was sturdy so I hit her over the head and dumped her in the boat."
"That answers that doesn’t it Rawl."
"Oh yes. So to make certain that we have this clear; you would suggest that we club our women while we are a-Viking as the best way to get a good woman." Garth had stuck out his lower jaw and was making grunting noises. By the look on the others faces Safi decided this meant that he was thinking.
"Only if she’s sturdy."
"Sturdy?" He was looking at her for the first time now.
"You could hit Vagna with a plow horse and she’d come out the better of the two."
"Garth." Jalo, who’d had to sit on the edge of the bed beside her seemed to struggle with his words. "You are a good man who has great skill determining a persons worth. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us."
"Of course. Anytime I can help."
"Thank you." Rawl was slumped against the wall and was speaking to Garth with his head tucked so low as to be touching his chest. His shoulders were shaking in rapid-fire. "Why don’t you go and not talk to your wife now."
"Pardon." Garth was standing at the foot of the bed beside Rawl’s leaning form and he was looking at him confusedly.
"Go kill something. For dinner." Her head turned to Jalo as he spoke.
"Of course. Dinner. I’ll go ask Vagna what I should hunt. Lads. Wyrdling." Looking at her as he said the last she almost felt disgruntled until she realized he was just being himself. The red-headed man slumped against the wall as he opened his mouth to issue forth a belly laugh. Jalo simply held his stomach and shuddered until he slid off the bed and onto the floor.
"Was he serious?" The boys were still laughing hard, and she lamented getting a response until she saw the twins slowly crawl out from under the bed.
"You’re not dead!" The girl truly seemed stunned.