The Frenzy of Love & War

The Forest

All Hedda felt when she woke up was pain. Every move of her body shot soreness and sharp pains making her freeze up “Ugh” she moaned blinking her eyes open and getting her bearings. She was propped up against a tree, and there were bushes and trees all around her. A small smoking fire in front of her. As much as she could she arched her neck around but didn’t see anyone else around. How did she get here?  Then the events of the night before started to sink in. 

“No, no...this can’t be happening” She whispered to herself, her eyes filling with tears. Her chest felt like it was splitting into, she began sobbing loudly. It was intensified by the still unmoving greenery around her. Hedda steady her breath and began realizing that she needed to get help, there were family friends in the neighboring village. She didn’t know where she was, but she needed to get out of the trees to an open area. 

Her hand pressed into the cool soft earth, and a pain shot through her shoulder and into her head. 

“F***!” She was breathing heavily and peeled her shirt away from her arrow wound. It was inflamed and bleeding, tears fell from her eyes and she cried softly. Thankfully the arrow shot straight through, and Ivar had removed it cleanly. Now clutching her hurt arm close to her body she got to her feet using the tree for stability. She had no sense of direction in this forest and she didn’t recognize any of it. She decided it was best to pick one direction and walk, she stumbled from one tree to another. She did this for a couple of minutes before stopping to rest, this was going to take her forever. Then she heard a stick break and she looked up. The berserker was standing 20 feet from her, carrying a couple of rabbits over his shoulder.

“Where are you going?” He asked, his voice low and carried through the forest. He started walking toward her.

Hedda gulped now remembering how he had carried her out of the village. She also couldn’t unsee his crazed face out of her mind. At the same time, she was oddly relieved to see someone “Don’t come any closer.” She ordered. 

The berserker stopped “Are you ordering me?” He approached her slower this time. 

“Stop!” Hedda held her hand up, she began to tremble “Where did you take me? What is this place?”

“How about you try thanking me first? You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me.”

Hedda dropped her hand and looked at the ground. He was right, her behavior in a real battle was shameful. She allowed herself to become disoriented and taken advantage of. She should be grateful the gods spared her for another battle for a chance to get to Valhalla.

The berserker was now standing in front of her, as she looked up at him. He was tall, her head reached the top of his shoulders. 

“Thank you” She mumbled looking at her feet again. 

He reached up and moved her shirt to look at her wound “We need to clean that up.” He walked past her, from where she just came.

At a complete loss, Hedda followed not seeing any other options. When she made it back to the camp, the berserker was skinning the rabbits and shoving them on sticks to cook. He built up the fire until a small flame appeared. He pulled out a small knife and laid it in the fire. 

“Sit down” He pointed at the tree she was propped up against when she woke up.

Defeated she sat down, and she watched the berserker saying nothing.

He approached her and had a wet cloth in his hand, he gently moved her tunic to look at the wound, and he moved her to see where the arrow entered through the back of her shoulder. He roughly cleaned it, removing debris and dirt from her skin. Once he was satisfied he went back to the fire and removed the knife.

Hedda’s eyes widen, now realizing what was about to happen. She shouldn’t have been surprised, many of the men in their village had performed this healing technique in the mead hall. She stayed unmoving as he examined her wounds again. 

Hedda was surprised about how gentle he was, as soon as the thought formed he placed the hot knife on the wound. She smelled her skin burning before she comprehended what was happening, she grabbed his wrist holding the knife. He brushed her hand away, focusing on the job.

“Aaaaargh!” Hedda yelped out, the pain was excruciating. He was moving the knife around, which made the pain worse, but she knew he was trying to close the wound and stop the bleeding. After what seemed like an eternity he removed the knife and placed it back in the fire. 

Hedda’s heart was racing, every muscle in her body tense from the pain, but also knowing he would come back and do the other side. 

Eventually, he picked up the knife and approached her again, he seemed hesitant like he was waiting for her to protest. 

She turned so he could see the wound, and braced for him to place the searing hot knife on her skin “Do it” she said in between gritted teeth.

He placed his free hand on her shoulder to steady her, and Hedda felt the burning sensation again. She arched her back, and the berserker’s hand tightened around her shoulder. 

When he was finished, Hedda was shaking in pain and collapsed against the tree exhausted again. She watched the man stick the knife in the ground, and lay on the ground opposite from her. Hedda, breathing heavily, tried to relax but her head and shoulder were pounding. 

“You should try to get some rest. We set off to Forsvollr in the morning.” The Berserker said. 

“What’s your name?” Hedda asked. 

He stiffened surprised by the question “Einar. Einar Halvorson.” 

“Thank you, Einar”

He grunted in response. Hedda watched his chest rise and fall, and when she saw he drifted to sleep she did as well.