Chapter Three Freya 875AD
1211 Words
By the time the sun was rising the next day, the last few standing had finally drunk their fill and gone to bed. Or collapsed in various places around the camp.
I held my drink well, I had to growing up and competing with men, some more than twice the size of my small frame.
I may be short in stature, but I was strong and able. I had to work far harder than the boys growing up, to get half the recognition. I had to fight, to even be allowed to train with the boys. Shield maidens were practically unheard off. I was the only one in our clan.
I earned my reputation as one of the top fighters in our clan. I beat everyone I trained with. Not always the first time and sometimes it took me countless times, but I never gave up.
I always felt I needed to prove myself, so when the call came for more fighters to join the war in England, I jumped at the opportunity.
I made my way to my bed, checking my knife was in place and got myself comfy, keeping one hand on my axe and the other on my knife.
I may have earned my comrades respect, but they were still men and I a woman and it wouldn't be the first time, that I had an unwanted visitor trying to get in my bed.
I slept until the sun was high in the sky, sitting up, I could see nobody else was awake. Yet again, I was the last to bed and the first up.
I got up and splashed my face with water from a barrel, I built the fire back up and grabbed some salted meat and headed out of camp and down the hill for a walk. I had seen a river on our way into camp and fancied a swim why nobody was around.
I found the river easy enough, I stripped my clothes off and rested my axe on top of them, on the river bank. I kept my knife strapped to my calf and walked down into the icy cold water.
The current was not strong and I was a strong swimmer, so had little trouble with the rivers current.I unbraided my long dark hair and let the water wash the blood and filth from it. I floated on my back, enjoying the feel of the sun's heat on my skin.
The sound of a braying donkey broke me from my revery. my head snapped round to the direction of the sound. Atop the nearest hill stood a man frozen to the spot, staring down at me. he held the reins of a donkey, that was pulling a small wooden cart. He wore the strangest clothes, some strange brown robes.
I c****d my head at the man, he appeared, he neither approached me or continued on his journey. I swam to the river bank and climbed out. The man quickly looked away, he seemed embarrassed to look at my naked body.
I found him fascinating, I'd never met a man that would look away from a woman's body. I had scars and had a strong muscular build, but I was still feminine and rather good looking.
It was so odd for a man to not find me attractive, even if it was just for my body. I wondered if all the native people of this land where the same. Maybe I was only considered attractive to my own people.
I pulled on my clothes and sheathed my axe across my back. While I dressed and wrung my wet hair out, the man remained frozen to the spot, he kept glancing in my direction and looking away. As soon as I picked my axe up though, he took off running, dragging his unwilling donkey along behind him.
Laughing, I trotted up the hill after him and soon caught up with him a little way up the road. His donkey, severely slowing his progress. The strange man yelped when he saw me coming and abandoning his donkey he took off running up the road.
I chuckled, pulling my axe from my back. I let my axe fly and watched as the back of my axe hit the man in the back and sent him sprawling on the floor. He screamed and tried to scramble to his feet, his foot slipped on his strange clothes and he fell again. The more he tried to get to his feet the more tangled he became.
I jogged over to him, the strange little man gave up his attempt to flee and instead curled into a ball. retrieving my axe, I sheathed it and crouched down next to the man. He had a strange bold patch on the middle of his head, that didn't seem like natural hair loss.
I tapped the man on the shoulder, he glanced up at me and I smiled at him. "Hello, strange little man." I chuckled as his face drained of colour at my words.
I knew the natives didn't speak my language, but I found this man fascinating, I'd never seen anyone like him. I wasn't sure really what I planned on doing with him. I just found him so fascinating and when he ran, I couldn't help but give chase.
"He.. He..llo" he stammered, my laugh died on my lips, shocked completely. The man spoke my tongue, only a word and with a heavy and strange accent, but still. I had not come across anyone in this land that could speak our tongue.
Granted we didn't give them much chance to speak before killing them, but what when I did hear them speak, I couldn't understand a word they said.
"You can understand my words?" The man glanced up at me and nodded quickly before hiding his face once again.
"You don't have to cower in the dirt, I won't harm you." I couldn't kill such a fascinating man as this. I was far to curious about him and this strange land. He could answer so many of my questions.
I loved going on raids to strange lands and exploring and learning as much as I can about the places we visited. I had been going on raids for five summers now and never met anyone that could speak our tongue.
The man straightened himself and dusted off his strange robes. keeping a watchful eye on me, he looked back up the road. his donkey, cart still attached had wondered a few steps off the dirt road and was currently happily grazing on the lush green grass.
I continued to study the strange man, his eyes continually darting from me, to the donkey and then the floor. "How can you speak my tongue?" my curiosity was burning and I wanted, no needed my questions answering.
I sighed at his continued silence, rolling my eyes as I looked up at the cloudless sky. "I did tell you I wouldn't harm you. I give you my word, as little as that probably means to you, that I shall not harm you."
to make my point even clearer, I dropped my weapons and sat on the grass, at the side of the road.
- Writer
