› hollow

For the millionth time this afternoon, his training partner managed to hit him on an exposed part of his body. "Freyr!" He could hear his mentor shout, impatiently and annoyed. "Yes?" He asked, as polite as he possibly could. "If you can't focus, I don't want you on my training field", The older Viking said with a very stern tone in his voice. With a feeling of guilt, he nodded, not really having the energy to discuss the subject. He sheathed his sword and wrapped his shield around his shoulder. Quickly he shot an apologetic smile at his training partner and hurried off the field. He already felt bad, and now it was worse. He used his training to keep his mind occupied, so he wouldn’t think about his father too much.. But it hadn’t really helped and now he wasn’t even allowed to go on with his practise. It had been ten days since his father left with two of his warriors. To go on a hunt. They would only stay away for three days, but they still hadn’t returned. It was bothering his mother as well, and obviously that affected him.

Of course he was worried. Some people were still not quite happy with the way Rigas overthrew the previous earl. It was typical for him to think the worst, and he couldn’t get his mind of thinking someone had set up an ambush. His father was a fierce warrior, but if someone could surprise or outnumber him.. The boy quickly shook his head, in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts. He wandered through the village, where most people were preparing for winter. The crops were harvested, and now some stuff had to be processed, so it would be preservable throughout the winter. Freyr stopped for a minute and watched the bustle. When he was done with that, he was ready to go back to the great hall. Maybe he could ask his mother if he could go to the stables, as he didn’t want to disappear suddenly. That would only scare her more.

When he walked past some carts filled with hay, an older lady shuffled from between them and grabbed his arm. A bit disturbed he looked down, as she was a lot shorter than he was. "If you keep waiting, life will happen, and bad things will come to Skagerrak!" She said, looking at him with intense green eyes. Freyr frowned. ”What? What are you trying to say?” He asked, but the lady only cackled and scuffed off. ”Wait! What do you mean with your words!” He shouted, but when he ran around the carts, the lady had disappeared.

Confused and a bit scared, he hurried back to the great hall. He had some feeling in his gut that this was about his father. He had to talk to Gunnvor about this. When he entered the hall, it was more crowded than usual. The rumours about his father’s disappearance were spreading like wildfire. He found his mother in conversation with two shield maidens and a viking warrior. Luckily his mentor was nowhere to be seen, as he kind of expected him to come over and complain about his behaviour. He waited impatiently for Gunnvor to finish her conversation. ”Mother”, He then greeted her, with a little smile. ”Can we talk in private?” He then asked, kind of gesturing to the dining room with his head.

&Gunnvor

While he was waiting for his mother to finish her business, he tried to recall the worrying encounter with the old lady again. It didn’t matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember her face. It was as if he had never seen her before, and wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a line if he had to. Which was weird, as his memory was quite powerful. It was something he was rather proud of. He loved to observe people, or events, and made it some kind of game to remember as much as possible. He was always impressed by his own brain, and liked to push it to its limit. But now, his memory was failing him. In such an important matter. Could it be that this woman put a spell on him? No, that was insane. Only the Gods could use magic, that was common knowledge. Maybe he was just too distracted by her words. The message was cryptic, and if it hadn’t been such a weird timing, he would’ve probably shaken it off right away. But now, the words echoed through his mind. Bad things will come to Skagerrak.

Of course they were waiting for Rigas to return though. He didn’t even want to think about the fact that he might not come back. He belonged in Skagerrak, on his throne. For now Gunnvor was taking care of business, but they both needed him. When she was done, she greeted him with a soft touch of her hand, and his smile broadened a bit. He followed her to the dining hall, where some thralls were already setting up the table for dinner. ‘Out.’ She commanded them, authoritarian as always. When she was in public, she maintained this perfectly crafted mask. When they were alone, she immediately softened her demeanour. She turned to him, her gaze concerned. ‘How are you doing?’ She asked. Freyr took a sharp breath. ”I don’t know, to be honest”, He admitted softly. He walked over to his chair and sat down, his arms crossed on the table in front of him.

”I got kicked out of training today”, He then said, looking up with his eyes full of shame and regret. It hadn’t been his smartest move. He might have insulted his mentor. ”I couldn’t focus, and suddenly everything I did was going wrong”, He continued. He decided not to mention the old lady right away. He inspected his mother’s face for a second. Now she was more relaxed, he could see she was tired. In front of the villagers, she managed to keep up her walls. She didn’t show any sign of weakness, like he had done today. Pretended like everything was fine and she wasn’t bothered. But he knew better. ”Did you get any sleep last night?” He asked, also a bit worried about her. He loved her dearly, and he didn’t want her to feel broken or alone. If there was anything he could do, he hoped she would tell him, because he would go to the end of the world if she needed him to.

Until his training earlier, he had been quite able to keep it together. Keeping up his daily schedule, as his father would expect from him if he was around. Of course he did it for his mother as well, and for himself. If they acted normal, it might feel like he was still around. There was still the chance that he would come home any time soon now. With a story of how they got trapped by a bear in a cave, or something like that. The thinking track where he got hurt or killed, was to be avoided. He didn’t want to make himself down by thinking about it. It would probably leave him not capable of leaving his bed in the morning. And that would be bad. His mother counted on him, to continue his training and to help her out whenever he could. That’s why he felt so bad about being kicked out of training. It was hard to admit, but he didn’t want to lie to her either. Her judgement was also important to him.

So when she gave her opinion on the matter, he felt relieved. ”Of course you are not a bad shield maiden. You’re the fiercest warrior in Scandinavia”, He said, and although he chuckled, he really meant it. He knew how over protective she could be over him and Rigas. He hadn’t been on a battlefield himself, he could imagine how she was a raging storm if someone came too close to her husband. He would bet she didn’t leave his side for a second, protecting him, even though that was probably not even necessary. Being separated from him had to be very hard for her. So naturally, he was worried about her as well, even though she was his mother. ‘Not really.’ She replied to his question. ‘It’s empty, cold. I’m sitting way more on that damn throne overthinking options then sleeping.’ She softly said. With a little squeeze in his arm she pulled her hand back.

‘The gods will give us something, if it isn’t today it will be some other day.’ She continued. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her about the old woman. ”Well, actually, I think they might have done that today?” He started, contemplating about how he had to share the information. ”When I was walking back, I made a stop at the market. There was some old lady I have never seen before who grabbed me by my wrist and told me something very vague. And she didn’t want to explain and when I ran after her, she was suddenly gone”, He continued. It was still an experience he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around. Who even was this woman and where had she gone? Nobody could literally go up in thin air.

It was hard to see his mother like this, but he couldn’t deny the fact that they both were suffering. Not knowing what happened was worse than having to deal with the knowledge that he was gone forever. Because now they both had hope, and it consumed them all day and night long. The uncertainty was becoming unbearable, but they could not lose focus. Not now. If people knew they were doubting themselves, then some might mistake it for weakness. It was not the time to worry about a possible mutiny. They had to find Rigas, and they had to do it fast. Not only for the sake of the village, but also for their sanity. If he didn’t come back soon, then they would have to accept he might not return. He knew he would have a hard time dealing with that. Sure, his mother would support him emotionally and she would always be there for him, but it would not be the same. He needed Rigas as much as he needed Gunnvor.

The message of the old lady had made him even more worried though. Bad things were about to happen and he honestly didn’t want to find out what those bad things were exactly. Maybe his mother would understand her words more, so he carefully brought up the subject. ‘A woman.’ She echoed his words. ‘What did she say?’ She then asked. Freyr took a deep breath and tried to repeat the words as accurate as possible. ”"If we keep waiting, then life will happen, and bad things will happen to Skagerrak”, He said. ”Maybe not in those exact words but it’s what I remember”, He then said with a little apologetic smile. It was quiet for a moment. ‘Did you see her face?’ Gunnvor then asked. ”I did, but I don’t think I have ever seen her before and I doubt I would recognise her if she was standing right in front of me. It all went by so fast and when I ran after her, she had disappeared”, He admitted. He had tried to get an explanation out of her, but he had failed, and he hoped it wouldn’t make everything worse.

As most people living in Scandinavia, Freyr was a firm believer in the Gods. Just like his mother, he had been waiting for a sign, praying for his father’s return and holding on to his faith to get him through these rough times. And now the Gods had sent them a message, but he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. The words had confused him and honestly frightened him as well. He was not sure what to think of them, and hoped that at least his mother would understand them better. He was realistic enough to know she was no seer, but she had more experience in these matters than he had. Unfortunately, she was also a bit in shock by the words he repeated. They were kind of dark, and he was worrying about both his father and the future of Skagerrak. The effort both his parents had made to make this village flourish, were too valuable to just throw overboard now. They had to do something, and they had to do it quickly.

‘Your father build this village, with more then only respect and strength, its up to us to keep it that way.’ Gunnvor said, as if she could read his mind. At least they agreed on that topic. But now they would have to find a solution for it, without risking a mutiny. ‘What do you think?’ She then asked for his opinion. Freyr went quiet for a moment. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been overthinking this whole matter late at night, when he couldn’t sleep. He had thought about a lot of options, but none of them seemed to fit. He’d much rather postpone taking a decision, but the words of the old lady had made an impression on the young boy. But it hadn’t make things more clear. ”I don’t think I have the right answers”, He started, sitting up straight in his chair again.

”The people respect Rigas, but now he is gone we are in a vulnerable position. So we need to stay strong, because I’m scared either someone from inside will try to take over or another village will hear about his disappearance and try to invade”, He replied, sharing his worries with her. He had no doubt that she must have had the same fears. ”But they also respect you. I think our best option is if you take over and rule in his name, because I still have to prove myself in battle. I don’t think I would have much support if I took over the throne now”, He looked up at her and smiled for a second. ”And I don’t think I’m ready for that either”, He confessed. He had been trained to follow up his father, but he didn’t feel like he was strong or smart or wise enough to even consider leading a small group of vikings, let alone a whole village.