The Frenzy of Love & War

Sweat was beading on Hedda’s brow and catching on her eyelashes as she slowly circled her opponent. The sounds of the crowd yelling and cheering around them were drowned out by her loud heartbeat. She kept her eyes on Bodil, watching her hips to see which way she would leap.  Bodil was a shieldmaiden in their village she was strong, wise, and fierce. Hedda began beating her ax against her shield, antagonizing her opponent. Hedda’s offense wasn’t strong, but her defense was almost unbeatable. The crowd became energized with her gesture, egging Bodil on.  Bodil leaped forward, left foot leading right hand with ax overhead. Hedda jumped to her left avoiding the ax and the shoved Bodil with her own shield knocking her off-kilter and surprising her. Hedda gritted her teeth in a fiendish smile, she took advantage of the stumble by circling, and shoving Bodil from behind with her shield once again. Bodil landed on her side and rolled onto her back, abandoning her shield to block with her ax as Hedda jumped on top of her also dropping her shield. Bodil had her leg raised and kicked Hedda in her stomach, Hedda faltered backward as the wind was almost knocked out of her and Bodil jumped up, grabbing Hedda’s ax in her left hand, kicking her again making Hedda fall on her back. Before Hedda could react Bodil’s ax blade was centered in between her eyes inches from her face. Hedda peered at Bodil’s face behind the ax and grunted shoving the ax away from her face.  Bodil stepped back turning in a circle yelling, as the crowd answered cheering her on.  Hedda rolled her eyes, and spit on the ground as she stood up. As she regained her breath, the crowd began to dissipate, going back to training or their chores.  Hedda swept her brown hair out of her face and picked up her ax and shield, and Bodil turned back to her.  “Nice try Erling, but not quite.” Bodil laughed.  Hedda rolled her eyes and stalked off frustrated. If her father would let her go on the raids in the summer, she knows it would help her. Real experience, the real rush of battle, her life really on the line. Sparring at home wasn’t going to cut it, she huffed as she entered a structure where shields and axes were stored throwing them down once she entered. She closed her eyes and muttered a prayer to Thor. Her prayer was interrupted by an outcry from outside, she looked out and saw several longships entered the fjord. A smile escaped her lips, and her heart lept with excitement. She took off running toward the Jarl’s longhouse, her home.  She rushed inside, and the slaves were bustling doing their chores. “Where is Turid?” Hedda exclaimed walking through the large room, past long tables and benches. No one answered or acknowledged her, frustrated she grabbed a young girl by the arm that walked by her, “Where is the Jarl?” She asked menacingly.  The young girl averted her eyes and pointed to the back rooms. Hedda dropped her arm, “They are back. All of you need to assist our warriors.” she said making everyone stop, and run out of the mead hall. Then she made her way to her family’s rooms. She ran into Unn, her younger sister after she entered the back rooms. “Hedda!” Unn exclaimed hugging her. Hedda’s arms were pinned down. Unn was the picture-perfect noble daughter. She had fair skin, nearly untouched by the sun, long blonde hair that fell well past her shoulders, and looked like she never did a day’s work in her life. Which just so happened to be true.   “Where is...mother?” Hedda asked distastefully. Unn released her hug, realizing she had dust on her new dress “Were you fighting again? Mother is going to be so disappointed” Unn said scrunching her face. Hedda pushed Unn to walk past and sighed “Father is back. Go meet him.” Hedda heard her squeal in excitement and run into the mead hall. Hedda entered the biggest room near the end of the short hallway “Mother Turid?” She called out.  Turid turned to look at her, tearing her eyes away from the window she was looking through. She eyed Hedda up and down and started walking toward her. “Father is ba…” Hedda began, but before she could finish Turid and slapped her across the face. The impact made Hedda’s head turn to the side, but it wasn’t enough to cause her any damage.  “Look at you!” Turid shouted. “A Jarl’s daughter...sparring with the farmers and warriors.” She spit at Hedda’s feet “You are disgraceful. Wait till your father returns…”  Hedda snapped her head up, meeting Turid’s green eyes “It just so happens that he has returned. I was coming to get you so we could meet him...as a family” scrunching her nose at the last part. Turid’s eyes widened, and she pushed Hedda to the side, rushing outside.  Hedda rubbed her throbbing cheek and began following Turid.  As she arrived the longboats were just pulling up to the dock. Hedda walked through the gathering of people to stand on the dock with her stepmother and sister. She looked around at the men standing in the water to help bring the boats in and unload the treasures from the raid, and the women yelling out to their husbands, brothers, and fathers who had been gone for weeks. She looked at the first longboat to dock, and her father jumped onto the dock with his arms spread wide. Turid ran into his arms, and they immediately locked lips in a lustful kiss. When he released her he looked at his people and yelled his warcry which was echoed back tenfold by everyone onshore and onboard. Unn ran to him next, and he hugged her and kissed her cheeks.  Hedda admired her father greatly. Showing affection wasn’t considered manly, but he didn’t want a moment to go by that his family didn’t know he cared about them. He made up for his ‘unmanliness on the battlefield and leading their settlement. He changed a lot after Hedda’s mother died years ago. He was intensely in love with Hedda’s mother, Sigrid. Sigrid was a slave brought back from a raid, and Hedda’s father, Leif, a farmer at the time fell in love with her. By marrying her, he made her a free woman which made her parents bond even stronger. Eventually, Leif challenged the Jarl at the time and won the duel by killing him and raising his family’s status even further. After some time, Sigrid became ill and passed away. Many people in the village said it was the Gods punishing Leif for elevating a slave and having offspring.  Hedda remembering the village’s disdain for her and her mother made her shudder. It didn’t take her father long to find a new wife, marrying a noble’s daughter from a neighboring settlement.  Her father’s arms enclosing around her brought Hedda back to reality. She clutched onto him, sinking into his familiarity. He released taking her chin in his hands and staring at her. “You look more and more like Siggy every day” He smiled tousled her hair, and turned back to the boats yelling orders. Hedda smirked and assisted in lightening the boats to her stepmother’s disdain.