The Viking Maiden Box Set

by Kelly N. Jane

  Tears spilled down her temples, into her ears and she didn’t bother to stop them. A voice penetrated through her subconscious as whoever stood outside her doorway continued to argue. Recognizing, Malfrid’s nasally whine, she repressed her sniffles as best she could to listen. Another voice growled at her cousin to keep her voice low, a male that Agnethe didn’t recognize. Sitting up, she saw her muddy shift, the bulk of the mud gone and now just a dirty, stained undergarment. As silently as she could, she crept out of bed, pulled a woolen dress from her trunk and slipped it over her head. Unworried about the rest of her appearance, she flung the door curtain open to the immediate hush of the crowd that faced her.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you from your room,” Agnethe said to Malfrid, although Heidrun and Solaug stood behind her as well.

  Pushing passed the stranger that blocked their entrance she left without another word. Inside the large hall a fire burned in the hearth and meat sizzled on the flat iron while the smell of stew floated in the air. Agnethe’s stomach clenched, the thought of food made her nauseas even though she hadn’t eaten since the previous day.

  There were too many bodies in the room, too many faces of the strangers who had crumpled her world looked at her as she stood silent. Swallowing the lump in her throat and willing her eyes to stay dry, she marched through the room and out the front doors.

  Vaguely, she heard footsteps behind her as she walked down the road, but didn’t care to turn around and see who followed her. There was a chill to the air as the last violet wisps of daylight faded into the dark. Agnethe folded her arms around her middle and hunched her shoulders as she walked, not having a plan of where she was headed.

  Rounding a corner she stopped in the middle of the lane and hung her head. On instinct or from some place within she didn’t want to acknowledge, she stood gazing at her own abandoned home.

  Behind her someone cleared their throat, and she looked over her shoulder to see a man several feet behind her standing in the street. Agnethe turned to face him, too tired to fight off an intruder, she looked at him without a word.

  The man approached her with slow, cautious steps as if she were a startled deer that would bound away at any second. “I brought a fur if you’re tired of being cold,” the stranger said in a soft voice.

  Agnethe stared at him as he got closer to her. He was tall, broad shouldered with tawny colored hair pulled away from his face. There wasn’t a cloak on his shoulders, but a baldric crossed his chest showing several small knives and a sword hung at his hip. Standing in front of her, she tilted her neck to look into his face as he wrapped the fur around her shoulders.

  “Why did you follow me?”

  “You are distraught and I didn’t think it a good idea for you to wander unprotected,” he said.

  Agnethe looked to the ground. Why would a stranger be so kind to me? Freya help me, I don’t have the strength or care to fight him. “Thank you for your kindness, but I’m fine.”

  She wanted to turn and go the twenty paces it would take to reach her front door, but she didn’t want him to see where she went. It was one thing to stand in the street where someone might pass, but quite another to go into an empty house where he could follow her.

  “You don’t need to fear me. If you wish to be alone, I understand, but my conscious will not allow me to leave you until I know you are somewhere safe.”

  “Who are you?” Agnethe asked, peering up at him again and pulling the fur tighter around her shoulders.

  “My name is Klaus. I sailed with your father and brother,” he said.

  “Oh.” Agnethe didn’t know what to say to that. Biting at her bottom lip she fidgeted with her fingers as she held the fur. Would he really leave me alone if I went inside? He seems sincere enough.

  “Your name is Agnethe, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you heading anywhere specific?” He asked.

  “No, not really.” It was a true statement, she hadn’t planned on being at her home. Still unsure if she should trust him she kept her eyes focused on the ground, but sneaked a peak to look at him a couple times.

  “There is an inn not far from here where I’m staying. They have good ale and stew if you would like to join me for something to eat. Do you know of the place?”

  Staring at him, he smiled at her with a gentleness in his eyes that she was unfamiliar with. Despite the ache in her heart she felt a warmth toward the man that she didn’t understand. Even more, she trusted him for reasons she couldn’t find.

  You are being foolish, Agnethe. What will everyone say if I show up at Keller’s place with a strange man? She smiled at Klaus, “I do know that place. I’m not fond of ale, but I could eat.” What am I doing?

  Klaus’ smile spread wider across his face. “Shall we then?” He motioned toward the road and she fell in step beside him as they continued toward the Inn, passing her home without an acknowledgement.

  5

  Hope Returns

  Keller’s place was bustling with activity. Men that traveled to town with Klaus were there as well as several others from Saxebi. Sconces lit the wooden walls giving a good amount of light to the crowded place. The smell of ale, bread, and warm bodies hung in the air as Klaus took hold of Agnethe’s elbow and pushed through the crowd to a small table along the wall. It was the only unoccupied space in the room. Large bodies filled every table, bench and free floor space, all talking over each other.

  The building was different from the open style of most homes, with an upper floor built over the eating area where there were several rooms for travelers to rent. With the lower ceiling and the amount of people, it was a bit claustrophobic for Agnethe’s nerves, but she had accepted the invitation and would stay for a short time. Mrs. Keller and her two young daughters were rushing in and out between the people filling mugs, bringing trenchers of food or clearing away finished ones.

  “It is a busy place, I’ll go and get some food if you want to wait here. Since you don’t want ale, would you like something else?” Klaus asked her, having to lean down to keep from shouting over the din of other voices.

  “Some cider would be wonderful,” she said before she sat down in one of the chairs. Fascinated by his thoughtfulness, she watched as he worked his way over to the bar where Mr. Keller was manning the taps between rushing in and out of the kitchen to help his wife. A flutter in her stomach quickened her pulse as she gazed at him. Before she was caught staring, she forced herself to focus on the rest of the room.

  Agnethe lowered the fur from her shoulders to let it rest against the chair. The amount of bodies in the space made it plenty warm. As she observed the other patrons, she started to pick up on some of the conversation and noticed with a start that Trond was on the other side of the room in a heated debate with several others.

  Ugh, can’t I get away from him. How did he beat us here, anyway? Agnethe sunk into her chair and leaned as close to the wall as she could, hoping to avoid his notice.

  Much of what she could hear centered on whether or not to retaliate for the attack on the lost ships. Some argued for sticking to the peace treaty signed a couple years before between King Guthrun and King Alfred, yet others pointed out that it was Alfred who attacked the ships and therefore already broke the treaty.

  Agnethe had no desire to hear of such things. Shifting in her seat, she began to think coming there was a worse decision than she’d thought before. Not to mention, she could feel her hair sticking out all over from sleeping and was about to leave when Klaus returned with their stew.

  “I’m afraid I’m not very good at carrying too many things without spilling them everywhere,” he said with a smile. “The younger girl said she would bring the mugs as soon as she is able.”

  “Thank you, this is fine.” I can’t be rude and leave now. As soon as the meal is over though, I’ll go. Using her fingers, she tried, casually, to smooth out her hair.

  Klaus settled himself in the chair opposite of Agnethe and set about eatin
g his stew with a hearty slab of bread. Agnethe picked at hers and dared glances toward Klaus while she did, trying to figure out if he really was as kind as he seemed. In the light of the room, although dimmer where they sat, she could see the deep blue color of his eyes and his neat, tidy beard, cut close to his chin with hints of copper that sparkled in the light. A large tattoo showed on the side of his neck and disappeared under his tunic so she couldn’t tell what it was exactly. While she tried to decipher it she didn’t realize that her glance had become a stare until she noticed that Klaus wasn’t eating anymore, but staring back at her. Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks she smiled and quickly lowered her eyes to her bowl.

  “It is the rune symbols for Odin’s bravery during battle, if you were wondering.” She could hear the smile in his voice as he said it, which only made the heat on her face that much stronger.

  “I’m sorry for staring,” she said and dared a quick glimpse at his face.

  He leaned forward and said in as low of a voice as possible with all the other noise, “I don’t mind, you have beautiful eyes that can stare at me anytime.”

  Agnethe pursed her lips tight together and dug into her stew with more interest than before. Her stomach no longer felt queasy and in fact was intent on reminding her of how long it had been between meals. Faster than she realized her trencher was empty and when her cider finally made it to the table she gulped down half of it at once.

  “Can you please bring us each another mug when you get a chance to pass this way again?” Klaus asked the young girl before she left. Slipping his coins into the pouch hanging from her belt, she grinned at him and hurried off with a nod. His voice was so kind to the girl and Agnethe felt her heart jolt as he turned his attention back toward her.

  “Where are you from?” Agnethe blurted after they gazed at each other in silence for a few seconds.

  “A small farming settlement in the north. Only my family and a few others live there,” he said.

  “Do you not like it?”

  “I like it very much. I enjoy working the land and making my own way.”

  “Then why go off raiding? Why not stay there?” Agnethe had often thought of the raids as adventurous and wondered if she would want to join the others one day. But, losing her family changed all that.

  “I didn’t want to go on this voyage to be honest. The farm is just starting to produce good crops, and the settlement is growing, I would have rather stayed and saw to all that. But, my father felt the need to go. He was not able to accept the farming way of life and needed the thrill. I felt it was my duty to go with him,” Klaus said. His eyes went blank as if he were seeing a different view than the crowded room around them.

  “I’m sorry,” Agnethe said. It was obvious that his father was also among the lost men.

  “I’m sorry too, for your loss. Is your mother gone as well?”

  Agnethe nodded and took another sip of her cider. “My father didn’t know. She became ill after he left and died only recently.”

  Klaus reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. When she looked up at him, his eyes were full of genuine sympathy and even with the pain in her chest, she felt something warm tingle through her insides.

  6

  Fight At The Inn

  Across the room, chairs clattered against the floor as two men stood shouting and ready to fight. Agnethe jerked her hand away with a shudder and let out a quick squeal. Klaus stood and moved in front of Agnethe. She looked up at his back, at first annoyed by his blocking her view, then realized what he was doing.

  He is shielding me.

  The shouts grew louder and Agnethe pulled her feet up under her in the chair and rose to stand, peering over Klaus. He looked over his shoulder at her with a smile. “You seem determined to put yourself in danger this evening.”

  Unable to keep a smile from spreading across her face in answer to the one he gave to her, she placed her hands against his back, and leaned down to his ear, “but I have you here to protect me.”

  Klaus snorted and turned to the crowd. Agnethe let her hands settle next to his neck feeling his tense muscles as he watched the other men, bringing his hand to rest on the head of his axe. The air pressed in around her, a tingling sensation spread through her fingers, and her stomach churned. A shudder rattled her body, and she clutched Klaus’ tunic between her fingers.

  Something bad is going to come of this. We need to get away from here.

  “We should leave,” she whispered into Klaus’ ear.

  “It will be alright, you’re safe.” He reached up and rubbed his hand over hers and her nerves settled somewhat, letting her loosen her grip. The air lightened and the pressing feeling of doom eased, but she still felt shaky.

  What was that?

  Agnethe held her breath as more men stood and joined the arguing. “The treaty has been broken already, we need to avenge our brothers,” one man roared.

  “We will only do ourselves harm with that kind of thinking. We need to stay and protect our lands,” another yelled back.

  More voices added to the shouting. The rising tension and small space made Agnethe’s ears ache and wish to be outside. Then someone’s piercing whistle rang out above them all, quieting the crowd.

  Trond’s voice boomed through the space. “We need to strike now. The longer we wait, the more we look like cowards.”

  Peering over the sea of bulky bodies, she watched Trond as he spoke. Why does he speak as if he has any authority?

  Agnethe cringed yet, her eyes snapped open when she felt Klaus’ arm snake around behind her legs, holding her close to his back. Agnethe stared at the top of his head, his wide back and the pony tail hanging down between his shoulders like golden honey. If not for the shouting voices that broke her out of her trance she might have slipped her fingers through the thick hair.

  “How do we know that the ships were not attacking King Alfred first, and he was defending himself? This entire story could be a ruse to cover up the failure of those ships in the first place.” Agnethe recognized the man who spoke, but couldn’t remember his name, he’d been by to speak to her cousin Heidrun before.

  “That is an example of a coward for you,” Trond said. “He says whatever he can to keep from fighting. My father died in that attack and he was no coward I assure you.”

  Klaus reached up and placed his hand over Agnethe’s, speaking to her without taking his eyes off the crowd, “Stay here, I will be right back. Can you do that?”

  Tipping to the side, she saw his eyebrow quirked up with his question. “Yes, I’ll wait here.” Turning his head further, he seemed unsure of her sincerity. “I promise,” she said.

  Sucking in a deep breath and releasing it, he strode forward without another word. Agnethe watched as he pushed his way to the center of the room.

  “This is not a decision that should be made while tempers flare in the middle of a crowded inn. There is a remedy for this. We hold a wapentake, scheduled in a fortnight to give enough time for those farther away to hear of it and join the vote. We can decide the meeting place and whatever the results, we abide by them. It is the way of our fathers, not this squabbling like a bunch of Saxons.”

  Everyone in the room looked around at each other and began to nod their heads in agreement. Impressed, Agnethe stared, mesmerized by his ability to calm the crowd, especially since most of the men were much older than him. He’s a natural leader.

  Trond clenched his hands into fists and curled his lip, glaring at Klaus as if he could kill him through his eyes alone, but he did not move. Klaus stared at him, and then the other men in turn. One by one they agreed. A meeting place was determined, two days’ walk north at a familiar crossroads and messengers immediately left to spread the word.

  With everything settled, the men returned to their chairs and began talking among themselves again to prepare, the mood in the building much more subdued. Some grumbled and cast sidelong looks toward Klaus and the men most in agreement with him, but his soluti
on satisfied the majority. Trond, however, continued to stare at him with a look of disgust. As he swept his eyes away from Klaus to speak to a man near him, he caught sight of Agnethe, still standing on her chair. His movement caught her attention, and she watched Trond march toward her with anger billowing all around him.

  I should run, or maybe call out to Klaus, or stand up to him.

  He was within two strides from her when she realized that all her options had narrowed to one. So that she could keep the advantage of height, she continued standing on the chair, set her jaw and stared him in the eye.

  “What are you doing here? Get down from there,” he said and reached out to grab her arm. She pulled away from him and nearly lost her balance doing so. Before she could answer, Klaus slid himself between them, cutting Trond off from reaching for her again and giving her an arm to hold as she righted herself.

  “Don’t put your hands on her again,” Klaus said with a growl in his voice that made Agnethe shiver.

  “She is not your concern. You have interfered in our business enough tonight. Step aside.”

  “I will not. She is here with me and that makes her my concern. Back away and leave us be.”

  “Agnethe, get down from there and go home at once,” Trond snarled as he looked around Klaus at her.

  “No. I will leave when I am ready, and not because you tell me.” She jutted out her chin and tightened her lips in a display that belied her racing heart or the wobble in her knees at taking such a harsh tone with him. Holding his stare brought bile to her throat, and she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible, but held herself steady.