› all or nothing

For just a second, he looked at the redhead walking in the direction of the great hall. Suddenly he realised he didn’t even know her name. This was such a weird day. In a way, he felt connected to her on a deeper level. After all that had happened, they shared a bond. He felt responsible for her and at the same time depended on her to keep him safe. They had cheated death, side by side. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever feel the same after he had gone on a raid. It was kind of the same situation, his people fighting for their own glory and to keep themselves but also each other alive. It was intense, but it sure gave him a feeling of euphoria. Freyr then focused on the task ahead. He decided to look at the training fields first, but the Hersir was not inspecting his troops at the moment. Someone pointed out that he might be at his house, planning a group training that would take place later that afternoon.

The warrior had been right, and he found the man at his house indeed. Freyr quickly explained the situation, after which he shared his thoughts on sending out a patrol. He didn’t even think twice about the difference in their ranks. A normal Herra would never even dare to suggest the Hersir on what to do. But then again, he was the son of the Earl. One day he would be the one calling shots like this, so this was good practice. The Hersir agreed and the both of them went back to the training fields. The man assembled a squad of four warriors, three of them vikings and one shield maiden. To his surprise, Yrsa was one of them. He greeted her with a warm smile. ”I’m glad you’re going with us”, He said to her. He knew all of them were fierce warriors, but he felt even more safe knowing that she would be watching his back. After that, he walked over to the shed where they kept spare weapons. They were mostly meant for training, but sharp and well maintained nonetheless. He figured a spear would be a good weapon to defend himself against a lynx. Attacking it from a slight distance seemed a bit safer than rush forward. After he was done, he went outside again, spear in hand. Now they would just have to wait for Gyda to join them, and they would be ready to go.

&Gyda + Yrsa

Even now, when he was out of the danger zone and he could think more clearly, he had no logical explanation for the lynx being so close to the village. Normally the wild animals avoided crowded places like the farms or the village. He tried to recap the encounter, but he had been too busy running away to know exactly what had happened. It was hard to admit, but he had been scared and it had clouded his brain too much. Luckily the Hersir still believed him, and agreed to taking some more experienced warriors out to the woods to see if the lynx was still around. Yrsa was one of those warriors, and he made a comment to her about how happy he was she would be joining them. “Whatever you need,” She replied, and he could feel like she really meant it. “Do we have a plan or are we just heading towards where it was last spotted?” She asked the Hersir, after which she turned to him. “Did you notice if it was bleeding, or limping, or injured in any way?” She asked. ”I don’t think it was injured, but my guess would be it was an older animal. We were out hunting, and after we caught our prey, it jumped out of the bushes. I think it didn’t chase us because it stopped to eat our prey”, He replied. That could be valuable information. Now the beast was fed, maybe it had just walked off into the forest again.

Freyr turned around when he heard someone clear their throat. It was the Frú again. ”The countess is warned.” She said, and he nodded. ”Thank you. Did she say anything about the matter?” He asked her. Probably nothing too special, as the redhead didn’t tell them they should stay inside. So the Hersir demanded her to weapon up as well. The boy checked his own sword, which was still strapped to his side. With his sword and the spear, he would be safe enough. At least, that was what he hoped. After the Frú returned, the group left the training fields. ”Make sure your pups don’t follow you now”, He said to Yrsa, with a half smile. The little balls of fluff would stand no chance to the larger predator, and he didn’t want them to get hurt.

“Gyda,” Yrsa said, greeting the redhead with her name. Apparently she knew who the young frú was. It was a name he would try to remember for sure. “Was it the pair of you who came across the lynx?” She then asked. It was his hunting companion who told they were out in the woods on a hunt together. He nodded, then asked the redhead if his mother had said anything else. Which she had not, she probably trusted his opinion on this and her hersir to handle the issue. They were all weaponed up, but he hoped they wouldn’t need them. If the lynx had just devoured their prey and left, it would be better for everyone involved, including the predator itself. He would be reluctant to kill it, so it had better run off into the forest again. Away from the village. Because if it showed its face again, they would only send out another patrol. He loved animals, and respected their life. But if they threatened the safety of his village, he knew he would have no choice. The lives of his people were more important.

But he could protect the little pups he had met the other day. “Well they wanted to come see you, but they’re a bit better behaved than the last time you saw them.” Yrsa said. He smiled warmly. ”Good, I’m glad the training is coming along”, He commented. Gyda asked about the pups as well, after which Yrsa told him to lead the way. ”Alright, this way”, He said, pointing at the exit of the village. The group started following him, weapons in hand, even though they would have to walk for a while before arriving at the spot. But they had to be prepared.

Eventually he started recognising the forest, and he could hear the river again as well. Freyr waved at the hersir, who made the group stop. ”We could check if the lynx ate from our prey. Maybe it left a trail as well”, He said on a soft tone. The hersir nodded and he pointed in the direction of the river. ”Over there”, He continued. The boy now followed the other man, but kept his eyes open for any movement in between the trees. He also checked upon the other group members, but especially on Yrsa and Gyda, making sure they were still safe as well.

In moments like this, he looked a lit like his father. He himself had no idea about that though. But if he was watching him right now, he would sure be proud. Freyr was developing himself like an earl, as it was his destiny to one day lead his people like his father before him. His birthright, the throne, would one day be his. Right now he was practising, getting more experience. But it felt all really natural. Of course he had the privilege of being the earl’s son. Ever since his father had killed the previous earl, people had to listen to him too. Even if he was just a Herra. But he had grown accustomed to it. He didn’t take it for granted, but in moments like this no one would question his authority. There was too much at stake. They were risking their lives out here, but it was all for the sake of the safety of the villagers.

When they were closing in on the spot where they had killed their prey, he warned the group. Everyone seemed to tense up a bit more, paying closer attention to the surroundings. “Can you smell that?” Yrsa suddenly asked, and some of the men grunted in agreement. Freyr breathed in deeply through his nose, and the scents of the forest flooded his senses. It was only when Gyda mentioned blood, that he made the connection in his brain. He looked at her and saw how nervous she looked. He tried to smile reassuring, but he felt his muscles tense up as well. ”We’re really close now”, He said softly.

The boy pushed himself through the brush, and there it was; the deer they had killed earlier that day. But it was almost unrecognisable. It was torn apart and blood had soaked the soil. There was no sing of the predator though. He pointed with the tip of his spear in the direction of where it had come. ”I think the lynx came from that way, and we ran in the opposite direction. It followed us for a while, that way”, He described, now pointing at the other side of the open spot. ”Should we split up or stick together?” He asked, not sure if the latter was a smart idea. He knew how to read tracks, but there were too many crossing each other here, so they would have to find other tracks some place else to make sure that it now was moving away from the village.