“Perhaps you are with child?” Mist asked. Her other sisters surrounded her as they waited for Freya and Odin to arrive. Herja clapped and there was a squeal from Skeggjold.
“Imagine that, Svafa with child!”
“No, I am not pregnant,” Svafa said, although she had no way to be sure.
However, she knew the sensation that she just had was not a pregnancy symptom. It brought with it the same chilling dread that had hit her like a wave when Helgi had told her about his dream. He had dismissed it lightly, laughing once he was properly awake. But, Svafa knew. She knew it in the way that goddesses—or near goddesses—knew things.
“Is everything all right?” Freya asked as she approached the group with Loki
Odin stood off to one side, looking down below them at the armies forming on Midgard. He didn’t appear to be interested in what the Valkyries had to say.
“Svafa is ill,” Skeggjold said. “Mist thinks she might be with child.”
Freya looked over at Svafa and stared at her curiously. “Is that so?”
“What a marvellous thing,” Loki said. He giggled as he spoke and leaned in close to Svafa, his fingers trailing in her hair.
Giving Loki a stern frown and slapping him away, Freya moved in and Svafa waited as the goddess reached out and gently touched her flat belly. The Valkyrie bit her lower lip and drew in her breath. It froze in her throat while she waited for Freya to speak once more.
“You are not with child, Svafa,” Freya eventually said and pulled her hand away as she glanced back at Loki. The god shrugged his shoulders and seemed to lose interest in them as he made his way over to Odin. Svafa expelled her breath in one long whistling gasp, not realising how nervous she had actually been. “Now, gather. It is time!”
And with that, the goddess walked away to engage in a conversation with Loki. As the group followed, Svafa tried to listen in but Freya and Loki spoke in such hushed tones that she couldn’t hear a single distinct word.
Mist gave Svafa a single side glance as she passed her, eager to catch up to the front of the group and be the first Valkyrie to be released on the battleground today. Skeggjold reached out to gently squeeze her hand in sympathy as she passed by as well. But nothing more was said about Svafa’s little episode.
Yet, it was all that Svafa thought about as they entered the frenzied conflict. With her steed thundering down, her gaze was set stonily on the men below. They didn’t see her. She wouldn’t allow that just yet. Only the dying got to see her face.
And Helgi.
As soon as her horse landed on the earth of Midgard, Svafa was running, ready to summon anyone she could to Valhalla rather than think about Helgi and his dream.
For, she knew it had been a prophecy. As soon as she woke to his thrashing, she knew something was wrong. Svafa could feel it in the atmosphere thickening around them as they lay in bed. She could see it in the dark shadows silently drifting in to envelop them.
Svafa had watched Helgi for a moment, trying to work out what he might be dreaming about before she woke him but it had been a thankless task. He hardly muttered a word, only flailed his arms around and twisted himself up in their sleeping furs.
Focusing back onto the battle, Svafa screamed into the fray and grabbed a man who was fighting ferociously. He had that glint in his eye, one she had seen many times on the battlefield. It was the very crazed look she searched for.
This man would be coming home with her to Valhalla tonight.
His eyes widened briefly as she allowed herself to become visible to him. He smiled with recognition. It didn’t matter that he had never seen her before, every man who saw a Valkyrie knew who they were and why they were there. As his body dropped, Svafa was already moving on.
Still, the vision of Helgi haunted her.
She wondered where her husband was now. Svafa had left him in bed, still asleep when she crept from the room, summoned by the gods to war.
She wished Helgi was in this war now. Not because she wanted to claim him in death, but because she could protect him here on the battleground and nowhere else. Closing her eyes, she fought back a wave of debilitating emotion. Tears pricked and she swiped them away angrily.
In order to distract herself from her fears about her husband, Svafa continued to growl at those on the battleground, calling men home.
Chapter 15: ALFR
The road angled upwards, as though eternally so. Alfr had been travelling for days and he still didn’t know where exactly he was.
After his father died at the hands of Helgi, Alfr had turned away from his army. His grief was so immense that he felt the need to travel alone, to search for the hidden meaning in the brutal slaying of his father. Helgi’s face flashed before his eyes, the smug look that was present the last time he had seen the man. It was the moment when the life had drained from his father, oozing out from between his ribcage and sinking down into the muck of the battlefield, right before Alfr’s very eyes. Helgi turned once Hrodmarr had died, lifting his sword high and roaring into the crowd.
Alfr slunk away then, determined to escape Helgi and retain his own life. There was no point to his father’s demise if there was no one to rule in his place, no one to seek revenge for his death.
Thanks to the skalds, Alfr had heard that Helgi sacked Hrodmarr’s kingdom after that battle. There was talk too of Helgi taking back everything that originally belonged to his own father, riches from an earlier time in which Helgi’s father had lost the battle but won the woman, Sigrlinn, who would have been his own mother had the war ended differently.
Alfr stumbled, his body lurching forward and he put out his hands to break his fall. But his feet managed to steady himself before the earth came up to greet him. It was enough to pull him out of his ruminations and he looked up, trying to work out where he was.
The blue sky filled his vision. The top of the mountain had been reached. He stood tall as he gazed out across the landscape.
Down below, he could see a village and he suddenly knew where he was and why he had been aimlessly travelling since his father’s death.
He looked down on King Eylimi’s kingdom and he could see a gathering of people as a man on a horse approached.
Helgi.
Alfr didn’t need to be close to know it was Helgi far below him. The way the man stood, the fact that he was approaching Eylimi’s township was enough to alert him to who it was.
Even in his travels, Alfr had heard that Helgi was married now. The skalds told a story that saw Helgi marrying a Valkyrie not long after Alfr’s father had died. As a result of this, Helgi now fought under Eylimi’s rule. While Alfr didn’t truly believe the part about Svafa being a Valkyrie, he knew she was the daughter of King Eylimi.
And so, here was the man who had killed his father. He was happily married and Alfr was about to change all of that.
“I demand a holmgang!” Alfr roared it out in an attempt to hide his anxious anticipation. Now that he stood nose to nose with Helgi he was second-guessing his decision. After all, he was one man surrounded by Helgi’s supporters. He would be lucky to leave alive if Helgi decided his words were an offense.
Alfr starred at Helgi, his jaw clenched. His only hope now lay in the fact that honour would prevail and Helgi would consider the duel between them rather than skulk away. To do so would be a dishonour on his person and Alfr believed that Helgi was better than that.
He could see the man’s jaw working in response to his challenge. A vein ran down his neck and it pulsed quickly under the skin as Helgi’s face turned red. Yet, the man never dropped his gaze.
“You killed my father and that demands retribution,” Alfr stated in an effort to elicit an answer. Helgi laughed. It was a bitter sound.
“I killed Hrodmarr because he burned my father’s lands to the ground. If anything, our score is now settled.” Helgi’s eye twitched but Alfr was not going to step down.
“You killed my father,” he repeated. “He was only retaliating in response to Hjo
rvadr’s actions.”
Helgi laughed at him. “My father’s actions?”
“Your father stole Sigrlinn away from him. And, in doing so, took her lands along with it.”
“My mother loves Hjorvadr, she always has,” Helgi replied. His face was darkening and spit flecked out of his mouth as he spoke. “Hrodmarr tried to take her by force. My father protected her and won her love fairly. It was your father who tried to take her against her will.”
“You know nothing of my father’s love for Sigrlinn.” Alfr stood tall. Hrodmarr had told him all of the skald’s stories about Sigrlinn were false, concocted and spread by Helgi’s father, Hjorvadr. Alfr’s father always spoke of how Sigrlinn had loved only him, that they were destined to be together, even after all these years had passed them by. Hrodmarr had even talked of how his recent razing of Hjorvadr’s lands were at the secret behest of Sigrlinn herself.
Helgi was watching him, his jaw worked and Alfr suspected he was trying to control himself. “Then a holmgang we shall have.” Helgi finally replied.
Chapter 16: SVAFA
“Svafa, I need your help today.”
“My help?” Svafa asked. Normally Loki was too busy wrapped up in his own little world to pay attention to the Valkyries.
“Yes, dear, don’t act so surprised.” Loki stood talk, his blonde hair a mass of messy braids. “I need some help in the ways of appealing to a woman. And, since you are a woman who has attracted a man, you seem the only one qualified up here to help me.”
Svafa was hesitant and frowned at Loki, trying to work out how truthful he was being. Everyone knew that Loki was filled with trickery. His words were a tangled mess of truth and misguidance. Because of this, Svafa preferred to stay clear of the god who caused such drama in the world of the gods.
“I don’t think I can help you today, Loki,” Svafa eventually replied. “I have to meet with Helgi. He has been at war and I haven’t seen him for quite some time. Perhaps, I can help on the morrow.”
“Oh, but I need your help today, sweet Svafa,” Loki said. He reached out and clasped at her arm, his eyes imploring her and Svafa felt herself sway towards the man. Besides his knack for trickery, he could also be very good at persuasion, she’d been told. Now, as his eyes danced with excitement, she could understand how people fell under his spell. “The woman I am interested in will be gone by tomorrow, headed back to Jotunheim.”
“She is a jotunn?” Svafa queried, wondering what Loki wanted with a giantess.
“Aye, she is. Angrboda is as fine as any of her kind.”
Without even realising it, Svafa had started walking with Loki, coaxed along as she queried him. “Where are we going?”
“To Ironwood, where she has been staying.”
Svafa had heard of Ironwood. The strange forest was said to house many mythical creatures and it piqued Svafa’s attention. In addition, Ironwood was in Midgard, so it seemed like maybe she could help Loki before meeting with Helgi.
It was a long journey to reach Ironwood from Asgard. But Loki had entertained Svafa by telling her stories of the gods, ones she had heard before and ones that were new to her. Coming from Loki’s mouth, though, they all appeared to have a fresh breath of life and Svafa found herself captivated by his words. So much so, in fact, that she didn’t even realise when they had crossed over from Asgard into Midgard.
The forest was dark and shadowed as they entered. The pitchy smell of pine greeted her and Svafa waited for her eyes to adjust.
While she waited, she listened intently, allowing her other senses to take over. She could hear the normal sounds of a forest, the chirp of birds, disturbed by them as they passed through, the sudden clash and fleeting movement of a creature determined to flee the scent of them. But, behind that, Svafa could hear other sounds, the haunting moan of some creature deep in the woods, the chitter of something close by that she couldn’t identify.
“What creatures live here beside the jotunn?” Svafa asked nervously.
“Mainly just troll-women and wolves,” Loki replied over his shoulder. His reply didn’t settle Svafa’s unease.
To distract herself, she concentrated on the task at hand, wondering why Loki needed help attracting a woman. He had a wife after all.
A wife. Loki had a wife.
“Why are you pursuing a jotunn when you already have Sigyn?”
Loki smiled at her, showing too many of his teeth and setting Svafa on edge with the display. “My wife is in agreeance with this tryst.”
Svafa frowned deeper. “I don’t understand. I could never imagine Helgi allowing me to pursue anyone else.”
“The gods are different to the likes of mortals. We live so long that we sometimes tire of our mates and want to test out greener fields. Surely, you understand that? Imagine being with Helgi when he is old and ready to die. Surely you would like to try someone new then?
The words prompted a surge of red of rage which danced before Svafa’s eyes and she turned to leave. “I am not interested in helping you, Loki. Find your own way around your wife.”
Loki’s fingers closed tightly around Svafa’s arm and she tugged at him as hot tears of anger began to swell.
“Let me go!” Svafa insisted.
She kicked at Loki, aiming for his shins in an effort to be free of the man. Loki jumped about and avoided her angry outburst, which made her more determined. With her free hand, she pummelled at Loki, her tightly clenched fist landing blows on the god’s shoulders. She was aiming for his face but Loki was tall, so much taller than her, so she went back to kicking out at him.
Finally, her foot connected with Loki’s shin and she felt his fingers loosen around her arm. Yanking as hard as she could, she pulled herself free.
Not giving Loki another chance, Svafa ran away as fast as she could.
Chapter 17: HELGI
“Brother!”
Helgi turned in surprise at the sound of Hedinn’s voice. His brother’s call sounded urgent like he was about to tell him some bad news. A chill washed into the room along with Hedinn and caused the hairs on Helgi’s arms to stand up.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I fear I have done something terrible.” Hedinn sat down next to him, his body slumping as he looked over to him with a dismal gaze. Helgi reached out and put his hand on Hedinn’s shoulder.
“I am sure it cannot be as bad as it seems.”
“Alas, it is.” Hedinn sighed deeply before sitting up taller, as though he were readying himself for what was to come.
“I have done an evil deed, dear Brother,” Hedinn started. When Helgi started to interrupt, Hedinn put up a hand to silence him. “It is a grievous deed, one that can never be mended. For I have chosen the daughter of your king, your very bride, as my own during the king’s toast.”
Hedinn sunk down again, turning his eyes away from Helgi’s. Wisps of the dream that Svafa woke him from danced around the edges of his mind and Helgi tried to ignore them, unsure why the memory had surfaced just now.
“Oh, Hedinn,” Helgi sighed, leaning in towards his brother, speaking merely to distract himself. “You know I do not believe such nonsense as making wishes at Yuletide.”
“But there was a woman there, she rode up to me on a wolf with—”
Ice-cold sweat pricked at Helgi’s top lip. Raising a shaky hand, he wiped his moustache quickly before dropping his hand to his side, hoping his brother hadn’t noticed.
“A wolf, you say?” Helgi asked, his voice cracked as he spoke and he avoided eye contact with his brother rather than have to admit he was scared. “A wolf with snakes for its bridle?”
“Why, yes,” Hedinn replied as Helgi ran his fingers through his beard. “How did you know?”
“I dreamt of such a thing,” Helgi said, finally admitting the dream meant more than he wanted to believe at first. “She came to me one night, riding through a dark forest and telling me that my days were coming to a close. I thought nothing of it since I had just killed King Hrodmarr a
nd married Svafa. At the time I thought it was just a stupid dream one has when their life is filled with happiness and guilt starts to sneak in.”
Hedinn shook his head. “It was no ordinary dream, and now I have cursed you to death.”
A deep sigh rattled Helgi as he resisted the urge to punch his brother. How could he have done such a thing? Helgi knew Hedinn was aggressive in pursuit and conquests, he had always been that way. Even from the beginning, Helgi knew as soon as Hedinn laid eyes on Svafa that he was interested in her.
Yet, even Hedinn wouldn’t stoop so low as to curse his own brother for the sake of winning a woman away from him, would he? He may steal a woman legitimately from him, calling it a fair win. And, Helgi could agree with that logic. It would make him mad and he would be compelled to punch Hedinn outright and yell at him. But, no one could argue that it wasn’t a fair win.
This curse, though. This wasn’t fair and he hoped Hedinn really had been mistaken, that he was tricked into it somehow. Helgi couldn’t comprehend the notion that his brother would turn from him in such a deceitful way.
Helgi observed Hedinn openly, taunting him to admit his dishonesty. Hedinn watched him back, his eyes hooded. His lips curved downwards and his hands twisted in his lap, leading Helgi to believe Hedinn was sad rather than hiding something by not making eye contact with him.
Helgi put his hand back on Hedinn’s shoulder. “Please, brother, don’t despair. Our lives will unfold as the gods see fit. If the gods want me dead, they will achieve it one way or another. Unfortunately, they decided to drag you into this mess as well. At least, with your wish to have Svafa, I know she will be in good hands after I die, and that is all that matters to me.”
Each word felt like dust in his mouth.
He may have sounded confident when he consoled his brother about his curse. But now, as he approached Alfr at Sigarsvoll, he could feel cold dread wrapping itself around him. It dulled his senses and settled on him like a weight he could no longer bear.
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