My heart is gold but my hands are cold [Visna]

It was early afternoon and Freyja was on her way back into the village. She’d decided to take a break to bring lunch to her mother and sister. Rúna & Sofie were home, looking after Tóra, while Visna was at the dressmaker’s shop, where she was perfecting her skills as their mother’s apprentice. She’d considered bringing lunch to the house for her other sisters as well, but their house, normally full with anywhere from two to six women at one time, was usually a loud and often argument-filled house, and Freyja knew lunch with Visna and her mother would a bit less stressful.

Freyja’s skin was slightly sunburnt, and she smelled of salt water and freshly cut oak but that was all an unfortunate side effect of building boats on the beach all day. She hoped no one at the shop would mind too much. The blonde was never too certain how her sister felt when she turned up looking less than immaculate. It wasn’t always easy to keep tidy with the wind blowing her hair about, and the ocean spraying and wood chips flying everywhere. These weren’t things Freyja really paid any mind to normally, but everything was so clean and tidy in the dress shop.

Entering the colorful shop, Freyja looked around quickly, smiling to the young woman who appeared to be admiring one of the dresses along the wall before turning her attention to her mother. The older woman was chatting away happily with one of the villagers, and Freyja waved to her silently before slipping behind the curtain to the back of the shop, where Visna was seated, sewing some embellishments onto the bodice of a gown.

The blonde was always in awe of her mother and sister’s abilities. Give her a hammer and chisel and she could carve some pretty intricate designs into the side of a ship but the few times Kara had attempted to teach her eldest daughter her craft, Freyja stabbed herself with the needle a handful of times and had given up, exasperated. Her hands weren’t made to create such delicate work, it seemed.

“That’s lovely,” she commented while taking a seat away from where Visna was working. She wouldn’t want to risk accidentally spilling anything on the dress. Her sister certainly wouldn’t thank her for that. “Busy in here today? I brought some bread and fish and fruit with honey, if you’re hungry.”

The blonde watched the way her sister carefully handled the dress, admiring her own work with pride, and realized it was probably nearly identical to the way Freyja looked at the ships she built, and the details she carved into them. She was quite proud of the younger woman, even if she didn’t say it very often. Visna clearly had quite a bit of talent, and she was putting it to good use, working towards making a living doing something she loved.

For that reason Freyja envied her a bit as well, but that wasn’t something she was likely to share with her sisters. She didn’t want any of them feeling guilty for the decisions she had made on her own after their father died, so she kept all of that to herself.  She didn't normally keep secrets of any kind, but she’d suppressed those feelings for years now, and that’s how she intended to keep it.

When Visna extended a hand out towards her, Freyja quirked an eyebrow in surprise but nevertheless reached out to take it. Clearly the brunette was in a good mood, and Freyja didn’t want to do anything to ruin that. She and Visna were both a bit too stubborn for their own good, and had the bad habit of butting heads on more than one occasion. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen today.

“That would be tragic,” she replied with a smile. Honestly, her mother would probably smack her upside the head if she spilt fruit juice or honey on anything in the shop. Honey especially would be near impossible to fix. Freyja left some of the bread on the table for Kara before scooping up the rest of the food in the bundle she had it tied in and bringing it with them.

“Do you have any plans for this evening?” She inquired once the pair of them were in the streets, on their way to the back room of the shop. Freyja was often too tired to spend more than an hour or so chatting with her sisters after she got home at night before passing out in her room, but she’d just finished up what she was working on, having added all the final touches and details this morning, and was hoping to spend the evening catching up with her family. But Rúna, Sofie and Visna were all young women now, coming and going on their own. She wasn’t sure if they’d all be free tonight.

Looking out the window at the blue sky, Freyja smiled, feeling the sun on her skin. It had been sunny out all morning, which was clear by the faint pink tint that Freyja’s skin had taken on, but she didn’t mind too much. She loved being outdoors, and it would likely fade to tan by morning anyway.

“What have you been up to lately? How's, um… your friends?” Freyja knew almost everyone in the village. It was a small village, it was hard not to know everyone. And she’d definitely met her sisters’ friends before. But there was such an age difference between them that she wasn’t overly familiar with the people her sisters were befriending. There was twelve years between Freyja and Visna, after all.

Freyja continued to follow her sister, letting the younger woman lead the way. She smiled when Visna said she didn’t think she had any plans for the evening. Maybe they could all do something together, if the others were free as well? The blonde didn’t have anything particular in mind but it had been a while since they’d all done anything together besides sit and talk and eat a meal.

Once inside again, Freyja heard Visna’s sigh of relief and assumed it was due to the lack of sunlight in the room. How two people with the same parents could be so different, she’d never know, thinking she’d go mad if she was stuck inside all day long the way her mother and sister were.

Finally answering the brunette’s question, Freyja shook her head. “Not exactly? But I should finish up very early today, and was thinking if all of us are free it might be fun to do something? I’m not really sure what, though.” She wasn’t great at making plans, it seemed. “Maybe … a picnic or something? Or take the boat out for a bit?” They had a small boat their father had built that could fit them all, if they wanted to sail at all.

You’d think Freyja would be sick of boats and the ocean with a job like hers, but the truth was she loved the ocean. Swimming, sitting on the beach, sailing, anything to do with the ocean and Freyja was happy.

Laughing at Visna’s comment that her life was all about sewing, Freyja couldn’t really contradict her. “Well I guess it’s a good thing you’re so good at it then,” she answered with a smile. Also, having two dressmakers in the family meant they were all very well dressed, even if Freyja rarely had occasion to wear any of the pretty dresses her mother had made for her. Not to mention she felt more than a little awkward wearing a gown. She was far more comfortable in trousers.

“Good, that's good,” she answered absently, taking a seat and ripping a piece of bread away from the larger loaf and popping it into her mouth while Visna said her friends were all doing well. She’d heard from Hakon, the blacksmith, that a young girl in the village had been assaulted and had immediately grown curious about the whole thing. Who had been attacked? Who had attacked her? If Freyja knew who it was and ever ran into the man, there was a good chance she’d try to break his nose. People shouldn’t be allowed to just go around attacking people and get away with it.

“What would you want to do tonight? If we’re all free?” she asked. Visna was a lot more creative when it came to that sort of thing. Perhaps she’d have some better ideas than Freyja.

Glancing towards her sister, she finally blurted out, “No one’s been given you any trouble at all, have they? Or the others? No one’s bothering any of you?” She tried very hard not to get involved and be the overprotective big sister that most of her sisters seemed to dislike, but after learning what she had, it was impossible to not at least ask and make sure that everything was fine. “I mean men obviously. No men have been bothering you?”

Nodding at Visna’s suggestion to ask the rest of their sisters if they had anything fun or special they’d want to do together, Freyja then scooped up a couple pieces of fruit and bit into one, chewing thoughtfully. “You shouldn’t have anything to worry about? The hem might get a bit sandy? But that should be the worst of it.” She glanced towards the younger woman with a smile, “As long as you don’t fall off the boat.”

That wasn’t something Freyja had ever worried about, as she’d been swimming since the time she could walk, and wasn’t particularly attached to her clothing. But for someone like Visna, who didn’t like the smell of salt water clinging to her, or ruining the clothing she’d spent a good amount of time and effort making for herself, it wasn’t something she wanted to risk.

“That’s a good idea, though. We should ask everyone, and see if we can come to some sort of compromise.” It seemed highly unlikely to Freyja that such a compromise existed, given the vastly differing personalities the five of them had, but she wouldn’t know until she tried.

She only nodded slightly when Visna thanked her for the compliment, but when Freyja noticed the slight tint in her sister’s cheeks, she didn’t understand what had caused it. Was Visna not used to receiving compliments? Was she surprised Freyja noticed that sort of thing? It was true they didn’t have deep and meaningful, one on one conversations as often as they probably should, and she certainly hadn’t meant for today to turn into such a conversation, but she found herself in an very sisterly mood at the moment.

“Is something wrong? Your cheeks have gone pink.” At 16, Visna was probably used to her oldest sister’s habit of asking questions and making statements most people would keep to themselves. Or at least, word in a more delicate manner. But Freyja was most definitely not one of those people.

“Oh, music and dancing sounds fun actually.” Freyja loved a good time, and laughing and dancing and spending time with her family sounded like one to her. “Maybe not too much ale,” she added, thinking she didn’t need to wake up with a headache in the morning. Nor did she like the idea of keeping tabs on her siblings because they were having too good a time.

When Visna only answered her questions with more questions, Freyja visibly relaxed. She was certain if anything had happened, the brunette’s reaction would have been different. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. Someone mentioned a girl in the village had been… bothered. And I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t any of you.” Though she was determined to stay out of it, the idea of some of the young men in the village sniffing around her sisters was concerning enough. If she discovered anyone ‘bothering’ them, she’d need to start breaking bones.

And she didn’t want to name names, and risk any of her sisters pestering Hakon for details he didn’t want to share. It hadn’t escaped her that he hadn’t told her who it was, and respected both his and the nameless young woman’s privacy.

“But anyway, music and dancing! I’m sure Mother would enjoy that as well, she doesn’t get out very often. Are the others still at home, do you know? I could run by on my way back to the docks and ask them.” They hadn’t even finished making plans yet, but Freyja was already looking forward to tonight.

Even assuming what her sister’s reaction would be to her statements hadn’t fully prepared Freyja for the face Visna made when she’d mentioned falling off the boat. She was outright laughing in the younger woman’s face, and felt bad after a few moments. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But don’t worry, I’m a strong swimmer, I would fish you out if that ever happened.”

And she laughed again at the brunette’s response to her compromise suggestion. “You’re probably right,” she answered with a nod. It was difficult at times to find something they all had in common outside of being sisters. Sometimes that was enough, other times it wasn’t.

Visna choked on the piece of bread she was eating and Freyja quickly passed her a cup of water. Her sister’s cheeks became redder and the blonde woman realized she may have embarrassed Visna a bit. Not wanting to ruin the pleasant conversation they were having, she simply shook her head. “Nevermind,” she replied with a smile, and moved on.

“Not that you can’t drink at all,” she amended when she saw the disappointed look on her sister’s face. There she went, being bossy and overprotective again. It was difficult not to slip back into that role now that her sisters were all well on their way to adulthood. Honestly, even Tóra, their youngest sister, was the same age their mother had been when she’d had Freyja. The thought was sobering. Freyja was nearly twice as old as Tóra, with no plans whatsoever to settle down in the near future. When their mother had been Freyja’s age, she’d already had five children. It was a bit of a rude awakening for the blonde.

Fortunately, she wasn’t able to linger on those thoughts because Visna was asking questions. She nodded her head, frowning. “Yes, she’s okay. I happened to hear from someone in the village and they helped her but I just wanted to be sure nothing strange had happened to you.”

Nodding towards the dress Visna had been working on, she asked, “Are you able to get away for a bit? I wouldn’t mind the company, but who knows how long it could take.” If the other three had all gone in different directions, who knew where they might be.” Freyja stood up and stretched before quickly tidying up the area she’d been eating at. “Maybe we can look for a bit, and if we’re unsuccessful, try to corral them all on the way home for dinner? I don’t want to take up too much of your time.” Their mother wouldn’t be too happy with her for it. And she did need to get back to the docks eventually.

Freyja worried she’d made Visna feel awkward again, but decided not to comment. She didn’t understand how the younger woman’s mind worked sometimes, but didn’t want to ruin their morning. She nodded in agreement at her sister’s comment about someone being there to help. Freyja, too, was glad that Hakon had been able to help the girl. She did wish he’d been able to help a bit more, and ensure the bothersome individual wasn’t able to bother anyone else again, but she’d take what she could get.

When Visna said their mother wouldn’t miss her from the shop if she left with Freyja for a bit, the blonde smiled. She was glad, because she was enjoying spending this time with Visna. Typically they only saw each other in the morning, surrounded by sisters, all equally as tired and cranky as the next. Or in the evenings, after they’d all spent the day working or training, and were once again tired and cranky. This was entirely different. Freyja decided she really needed to work less, and spend more time with her family in the future.

“Good idea,” she replied when Visna said to leave the basket so they wouldn’t have to drag it around with them. It would be no real hardship to bring it along, but it would certainly be easier to leave it. And she could always come by and get it on her way home if she wasn’t too tired later that evening.

She hadn’t been expecting Visna to move quite so fast, and was left catching up to the brunette as they went in search of their sisters. “Rúna is probably training? Maybe?” Freyja suggested, knowing how seriously the thegn took her training. “Sofie could be there too,” she added, though she knew Sofie preferred to get up early for her training, so odds were they wouldn’t both be training together. It was very like their family, to make things more difficult than they needed to be. “Tóra… uh… they could all be anywhere,” she finally relented, knowing each of them had places that they liked to go to get away from each other. Freyja’s ‘place’ had always been the docks, the beach, the ocean.

“Any ideas?” Visna probably knew them better than she did, after all. "Should we start at home?" It was as good a place as any, she reasoned.