At the end of the day [Haskell]

Dusk was just falling in Skagen, and Freyja was on her way home, to the house she shared with her mother and younger sisters. It had been a long day, but all of her days were long. Luckily, after five years, she was more than used to it by now.

She’d left the docks, planning to head towards home so she could see how everyone was before passing out for the evening. However, she noticed two young women, likely thegns, training against each other and had stopped to watch.

Freyja still longed for the days she’d spent in the training yard like these girls; learning to fight, and then training every day to get better; wishing and praying that she’d impress the Earl enough to be called a Shield Maiden. But that life was behind her now. It had been five years, but she still hadn’t completely come to terms with her new life as a shipbuilder. Her father had prepared her well for this life, though the blonde had always held out hope that she wouldn’t be forced to follow in his footsteps.

She was older now, she knew there could be no turning back, no changing her mind. She’d done the right thing for her family, and luckily, she was good at it. Good enough that the money she earned took care of them. Her mother still worked as a dressmaker, but Freyja didn’t want her to have to do that forever. And the girls would be free to do as they pleased, without having to grow up too fast, or worry about how much money they’d be able to bring in. For Freyja, that made it all worth it.

Turning to leave when the pair of women finished their fight, a familiar face caught her eye. Her face split into a grin as she started towards the small group. She’d been so caught up watching the two fighters, and getting lost reminiscing in her own head, she hadn’t paid any mind to the other people observing and instructing the girls.

It had been a while since she’d last spoken to Haskell; She'd heard his name here and there, but she didn't exactly have loads of free time, and it was unlikely that he did either. But they’d both grown up in Skagen, and he was one of the vikings who’d trained her. Freyja had always thought he was exactly the sort of person a Viking should be.

“Haskell!” she called, trying to get his attention. With the sun beginning to set, they wouldn’t be training for much longer, she imagined, so she had no qualms about interrupting and approaching him. She knew she didn’t really have time to do this. She should be back home already, sleeping, because she’d be putting in another long day tomorrow. But Freyja pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She didn’t often make time to have fun, or reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. But this one time, what could it hurt?

“How are you?” she asked when she drew nearer, wondering if he had any exciting stories or grand adventures to share with her.

Grinning at his greeting, Freyja shook her head. “I don’t think it went quite like that,” she replied. She had to admit, she didn’t mind hearing ‘promising shield maiden’. She’d always had this fear that no one had been sad to see her go because she wasn’t very good at fighting. She knew this was ridiculous, she’d held her own against plenty of skilled fighters. But she couldn’t always help entertaining such thoughts from time to time.

As he nodded and said he was well, Freyja took a moment to study his face. He looked much the same as he did the last time she saw him. Was that a new scar above his eye? Or had that always been there? She wasn’t certain, but five years certainly hadn’t done anything to diminish his looks.

“I’m exhausted,” she answered immediately when he asked how she was. She wasn’t the type of person to hesitate or give half truths. She was ‘too honest for her own good’ as her mother often told her. “But I don’t mind the work. Keeps me strong, at least,” she added with a shrug. Then he asked about her family and Freyja’s face lit up with a genuine smile. “They’re well! The girls are getting older now and starting to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Visna is learning to be a dressmaker, like our mother.” You could hear the pride in her voice whenever she spoke of any of her sisters. Freyja could talk about her family for hours, but didn’t really think Haskell was actually interested in their day to day lives, or that funny thing Tóra did that one time, so she stopped herself there.

“And yours? How are your parents?” It was a small village, but Freyja kept fairly busy these days and didn’t interact with many people outside of her family. His parents were nice people though, she recalled.

His next words were not taken as the compliment she imagined they were intended to be. It was probably not very seemly to complain about your lot in life, especially when she was doing well for herself. But that part of her that was too honest to keep her mouth shut won, as it always did. “I miss being here. Gods, I miss it every day.” Her voice was neutral, resigned. She was too old for whining. She watched the younger fighters disperse after Haskell dismissed them for the day.

That could be her, right now, helping train new vikings and shieldmaidens, if she’d stuck with it. But being a thegn or a shield maiden couldn’t guarantee her enough money to support her family, so it hadn’t been an option.

“So,” she began, attempting to change the subject, “is this what you do every day? Training new warriors? No exciting adventures to tell me about? Anything I’ve missed over the last few years?” She looked in the direction of the Earl, who’d left before she reached Haskell. Freyja didn’t involve herself in politics. When Halfdan had taken over Skagen, she’d mostly stayed out of it, not wanting to risk anything happening to her family if she chose the wrong side to fight for. Luckily, she was good at her job and her job was important, so everyone left them all alone. “How are things with him?” she wondered, wanting to know what her new Earl was like.

Smiling as he laughed, Freyja nodded in agreement. “It’s good to see you too. I should really try spending time with people other than my sisters on occasion,” she commented with a laugh of her own. It was true. She rarely interacted with anyone other than her sisters and the few people around the village she needed to get supplies from for her work. She didn’t have the most social of lives at the moment.

Her eyes widened when he called her beautiful, but she brushed the compliment off quickly. “Such a charmer,” she replied, assuming he was trying to be funny. “I bet all the girls are completely taken with you,” she added with a grin, glancing quickly to where the thegns had just been training. He was a genuinely good person, so Freyja didn’t have any trouble assuming there were plenty of young women in the village who fancied him.

Swiping a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear quickly, Freyja nodded again. “That’s the plan, at least. She already spends most of her time at the shop. I think I’d go mad confined to such a small space, but she loves it.” Unlike Visna, Freyja loved being outdoors all the time. It was one of the few things she really loved about shipbuilding. Spending most of her days outside, and down by the beach made it all the more bearable.

Shaking her head, Freyja nodded just a bit. “Well, luckily I’m not home for most of that nonsense. But I’ve been dragged into more than a few of their arguments as soon as I walk through the front door. It’s hard to remember they’re not all 8 years old anymore.” She didn’t want to get in the middle of her sisters and their boy troubles. But having heard from Hakon recently that a young girl from the village had been assaulted by someone, Freyja knew the Gods wouldn’t be able to protect anyone from her that truly hurt one of her sisters.

Her dark thoughts evaporated when Haskell started talking about his parents. She couldn’t help the sharp laugh that escaped at the way he described them. “My mother would sew my lips together if I ever talked about her like that! But, they can’t expect you to come around all the time? You’ve got a lot of responsibilities here.” Nodding, Freyja sometimes wondered what a calm, peaceful farm life looked like. If she wasn’t a shipbuilder, she’d be a shield maiden, which was as far from calm and peaceful as it got.

When he answered her questions about Halfdan, Freyja’s brow furrowed in concern. “Tensing with Skagerrak?” she repeated, knowing that had to be because of the previous Earl’s daughter, who was the wife of the Earl in Skagerrak. The whole thing never really sat well with Freyja, but she wasn’t going to rock the boat with so many people counting on her. Nor did she like the idea of an Earl she needed to avoid, or caution her sisters about. Perhaps she needed to sit them down again and make sure they all remembered how to defend themselves.

“Home is probably a good idea. I’d like that,” she answered with a smile. However, Freyja was not the type to walk around in silence. “Are you looking forward to going to Paris? Or do you just want to travel the whole world? And the destination doesn’t matter all that much?”

Freyja couldn’t help but nod in understanding at Haskell’s reply. “It seems we both need to get out more often,” she told him with a laugh. It was something she was determined to fix in the near future. It was hard, when your life got into a certain pattern, to recognize when the pattern needed to be broken. But at least now she could make an effort to adjust her priorities a bit.

He nudged her shoulder and she laughed, rolling her eyes at his playful demeanor. But his next statement had her pausing for a moment. Leaning back to look up at him, she quirked an eyebrow. “Are you teasing me?” she wondered, not entirely sure how serious he was being. She quickly tried to go back over the length of their conversation to determine exactly how oblivious she might've been.

She was still mildly confused when he mentioned marriage. Freyja shrugged again. “As long as they’re happy. It’s not their fault I refuse to interact with other people,” she added with a grin. She didn’t want to put any pressure on her sisters to grow up too fast, or make life changing decisions about their future. She got the feeling Visna would like nothing more than to meet a man who’d sweep her off her feet and get her out of their crowded house. But she was only 16 and had led a relatively sheltered life.

Freyja couldn’t help but laugh at the things Haskell was saying about his parents. She’d always had an easy relationship with her parents, and knew she wouldn’t like not seeing her mother so often. “I think it’s understandable. And it’s no bad thing they love what they do. Believe me,” she added with more emphasis than she probably should have. She’d already made her feelings plain enough, she really shouldn’t continue complaining about it. It wasn’t very mature.

Her eyes widened at his revelation. “Spies? Here in Skagen?” Maybe she shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was. “No, I haven’t,” she answered honestly, but quickly added, “I don’t really know what I’d even be looking for, though. Sorry, I know that’s not very helpful.” She was still trying to wrap her mind around the whole thing, but couldn't imagine how stressful that information was for him.

As they started on their way towards her house, Freyja grinned at his question, assuming he meant it hypothetically. “Of course I would. That was one of the reasons I wanted to become a shield maiden in the first place.” Traveling had always been a dream. Plus, she’d always loved being out on the ocean. She listened as Haskell talked about the inevitable trip to Paris, but stopped in her tracks when she realized what he was saying. “I could go with you?” Her eyes lit up in excitement at the thought of it.

Almost immediately her mind was racing with a million different things. Rúna was a thegn now, if Freyja went with them when they raided, her sister wouldn’t be alone. Well, obviously she wouldn’t be alone, but without family. But, if she went with Rúna, there was no one at home with the rest of the family who really knew how to fight. What if something happened while they were gone? But did she really want to pass up such an opportunity? She’d already given up becoming a shield maiden in order to take care of her family, she deserved to do something for herself, didn’t she? Realizing Haskell was standing there while she dealt with this inner debate, Freyja sighed. “I’d need to think about it. I’d love to go with you, but… it’s more complicated than that.”

Freyja was relieved when Haskell admitted he was teasing her. That’s what she’d assumed at first, but didn’t want to risk discovering she’d been misunderstanding and make things awkward between them. Hopefully she hadn’t already done that. Laughing at his comment about never being serious, she nodded at him. “I should have known!” she admitted with a small shrug. She didn’t mind being teased, just as long as she knew they were teasing.

They continued on in the direction of the house Freyja shared with her mother and sisters. Freyja could probably walk these paths and streets blindfolded, if she needed to. When Haskell commented on the spies again, Freyja nodded in understanding. “No, you’re right. It makes sense. I just have a hard time picturing anyone I know as a spy.” Sure, she knew there were people who didn’t like Halfdan or his brother, because they weren’t exactly the nicest of people. And there were people who had been loyal to the old earl and his family, who probably were not too keen on the brothers. Freyja herself was not too keen on them, but had simply made it her mission to avoid them both at all costs, and keep her family away from them.

When Haskell mentioned ‘she’ is coming, Freyja thought back to the young woman she’d known years ago. Gunnvor had been the earl’s daughter, and was now a different earl’s wife. Freyja had rather admired her, but she’d only been fourteen at the time. “You really think so? That she’s not content with her life in Skagerrak?” Freyja had no idea, of course. But really, what did Gunnvor even have here? A handful of old vikings who were still loyal to her father? A friend or two she hadn’t seen in fourteen years? What did she really have to gain by coming back, but harming Skagen? “It just seems odd to me, I guess.”

When Haskell asked her to keep an eye out for anything, she nodded immediately. Again, she wasn’t sure what she’d begin to notice now that she hadn’t before, but there was nothing wrong with being alert.

He was teasing her again, she was certain, and this time she followed suit. “Why? Do you know anyone else I could follow?” she asked, flashing a grin his way. She’d have a much harder time avoiding the earl and his brother if she was on a raid with him, but at least they’d be far away from most of her family. Rúna was only a thegn, hopefully they wouldn’t pay her too much attention.

She nodded as the conversation turned a bit more serious. The idea of going to Paris, or anywhere really, with them was going to be on Freyja’s mind for days now. She’d have to discuss this with her mother and her sisters, and still she’d need to think about it for herself. All she knew was she wanted to go. “I will think on it, and try to give you an answer shortly,” she told him with a smile. She wasn’t really sure what to say to his comments about Halfdan simply commanding her to join them even if she didn’t want to go, but she’d deal with that when she came to it.

“Do you know when that will be? Are things progressing quickly, or is it still only being planned?” She wanted to know exactly how quickly she needed to get him an answer. Freyja had learned so much from this conversation with him. Plus, she was glad she was able to reconnect with her friend. She’d have to make more of an effort to keep in touch with him in the future.

While Freyja had been seriously thinking about all the people she knew in Skagen, which was most of the people in Skagen, Haskell was being his normal self, and teasing her again. She laughed outloud when he said she could be a spy. “Yes, you caught me. I spend all of my time at the docks though, so I guess I’m not a very good spy,” she told him with a grin. While they could tease, because she was fairly confident that he was not the spy he was looking for, and she knew he didn’t actually believe she could be a spy, she was still going to have this in the back of her mind whenever she interacted with anyone she wasn’t very close to in the near future.

Haskell pulled her out of the way when a rider came by quickly. She’d heard the rider, but hadn’t realized how quickly he was coming by until he was practically on top of them. “Thanks,” she told him, before smiling and nudging him with her shoulder. “I almost died!” she added, grinning at her own exaggeration.

Listening as Haskell told the story of what happened to the old earl and his family, she silently wondered how he could be so fiercely loyal to someone like that. One reason Freyja had been glad that two of her four sisters had decided to become shield maidens was so she didn’t have to worry as much about such a fate befalling them. Of course, it could still happen to anyone, but a woman who could defend herself and wasn’t afraid to kill was not as pleasant a target. Honestly, she’d been thinking about talking to Visna & Tóra about them learning to defend themselves, and this was just further proof that she needed to have that talk soon.

She nodded after he finished, saying that Gunnvor would return, even if only to try to kill Halfdan. Freyja really couldn’t blame her, though she didn’t share that opinion with Haskell. If someone had murdered her father and then raped and murdered her mother, Freyja would want her revenge as well. “Well, hopefully she’s preoccupied with Skagerrak for a while.”  It would be different if something happened to Sofie or Rúna while they were in England, or Frankia, or anywhere else they went to raid, but she didn’t want her sisters to get hurt defending someone like Halfdan.

She laughed again, thankful the discussion had changed once more. “Yes, that’s true, I’m sure I could find someone else to follow.” Honestly, Freyja rarely paid attention to that sort of thing. Finding a man was very low on her list of priorities at the moment, and other than Haskell, she could only think of two men in Skagen around her age anyway; Hakon and Sithric, both of whom were also friends of hers. She didn’t need to be thinking about any of her friends like that.

Nodding again, she knew this was something she’d need to seriously think about. She didn’t know when the next raid would be; Sofie and Rúna could already be shield maidens by then, which meant there would be no one home to protect their mother, Visna & Tóra if Freyja joined them. But, did she really want to miss such an opportunity? And like Haskell had said, there was always the chance that Halfdan wouldn’t even give her a choice. “I will think on it,” she repeated, wanting him to know she was serious about it.

“You’re going to Kattegat? With Hakon?” She thought about the pair of them getting up to trouble in the other village and smiled. “Have fun,” she told him with a grin. They both deserved to have a little more fun in their lives, even if they were going on official business. She’d never been to Kattegat, but was certain she’d make it there eventually. She was in no rush.

“Don't cause too much trouble. But don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on things while you’re gone,” she promised, winking at him when she was unable to keep a straight face. They were getting closer to her house, and Freyja was a bit sorry when she realized it. She’d been having fun talking and teasing Haskell, and decided she really needed to keep in touch with him better in the future.

“Another of my sisters has decided to begin fighting,” she mentioned, not sure if Sofie or even Rúna would have had much of a chance to interact with him yet. “I want to apologize right now for whatever trouble she gives you. She’s… quite a handful.” Looking back at him, she grinned when she added, “Not like me, of course.” Freyja could be a handful when she wanted to be, especially when she’d been younger, but not at all in the same way as her younger sister.