the ocean's embrace [Sassa]

Thora misses the ocean, the thrill of the cold salt-spray on her face and the wind whipping through her long blond hair. She misses raiding, the anticipation of spotting land, of waiting until the right time to strike. Of rolling in with the morning fog, bringing death and fire like some ancient goddess of slaughter. She misses clambering back into the ship, reeking of blood and covered in it, the thrill of life thrumming through her body. There is nothing like delivering death to make you feel more alive. On days when this mood takes her, sometimes she walks along the shoreline. She hungers for the feel of a swift longship riding the waves, of taking her turn at the oars. Even the strenuous, mindless task of rowing is one she misses. Thora simply loves every part of the raid, every aspect of being a shieldmaiden. She knows someday the Valkyries will call her home, but for now the gods have sent her to Kattegat.

She likes it here but she misses the open ocean and the thrill of raids. She trains every day, cleans her weapons each evening. Thora isn't building a life of glory for herself here, but she's building a satisfying life. She's happy in Kattegat, far from the demons that haunt her footsteps in her native Uddevalla. She's even made a few friends. She has plans, too--when she's more established, she's going to buy herself a small farm on the outskirts of town. Her brother has already promised her some of their father's prized horses so she can start a small herd of her own, following in her father's footsteps. But she isn't ready for that responsibility yet. Now is a time for training and fighting, for riding a swift ship to far-off lands.

It's a chilly day but Thora loves the sea anyway, misses the feel of it on her skin. She kicks off her boots and rolls her trousers above her knee. She's just come from training, and despite the cool weather she's sweating anyway. She drops her shield on the rocky shore, places her sword and ax on it, and steps into the sea. She hisses at the coldness, the way it curls her toes and cramps her calves. Bending, she scoops a handful of water and rubs it down her forearms, easing the familiar, comforting ache of tired muscles. She hears footsteps on the shore behind her and turns swiftly. Her weapons are only a few feet away from her, and she's fast. She could easily catch most people who tried to steal them. Her bright green eyes are challenging as she turns to face whoever was behind her.

@Sassa Odinsdóttir

Sassa had just finished a long day of helping her mother with things around their hut and the village. From running to buy supplies, to just picking things up around and making things more clean. She wanted nothing more than to go and sit by the water for a while to relax. Maybe if she was lucky she would be able to find some pretty shells as well to make a new neckless or something. Grabbing her sword Sassa slowly made her way down to the shoreline. She always loved watching the coming and going of boats and people. Oh how she longed to get on one of the boats and go traveling, but every time she was given the opportunity her mother thought of a million reasons why she couldn't go. That she just wasn't ready to go out on her own, or she needed to be stronger. It was really always something with her. Most of the time it made Sassa mad, but in the end she always listened to her mother. The outcome of her listening was that Sassa has never seen anything but the same old Kattegat.

While almost all her friends had been off and to see new and exciting things Sassa had been trapped here, training for a battle that she would most likely never get to see. Oh how she longed to feel the wind in her hair as she and many other sailed away to go on a raid or just to visit new places. Sassa knew she was old enough to just disobey her mother and go on her adventure all on her own, but she also didn't want to hurt her in that way. Sassa was all her mother had left in the world, or at least that was always what her mother had said to her. She knew it wasn't true, her mother had many friends that she still saw.Plus people still gave her some respect for being an ex shield maiden. Still something held Sassa back from just leaving other than her mother. She was scared deep down that maybe she really wasn't ready to leave, and maybe she really wasn't strong enough. Sassa had always been that way, overcritical of everything she did. Nothing was ever good enough. She was never strong enough,it was just the way she was.

As she got closer she could see her friend Thora down by the water. Oh how she respected her and all her travels. Thora was a very strong shield maiden and had been on many raids in her lifetime. She has seen the things that Sassa only dreams of. Thora has taken lives and watched the life leave someones eyes. However Sassa also knew from their friendship that not all of it had been as wonderful and amazing as she would have thought. That not everywhere in the world can be that new and exciting if Thora wanted to make a life here in Kattegat. Slowly walking toward her friend Sassa was stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Thora turn around quickly and look at her like she is ready to attack at any second. " It's just me!" she said as she put her hands up in surrender. She hadn't meant to surprise her friend, but she should have known better than to not announce herself sooner. " I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you" she said as she kicked off her shoes and joined Thora in the water. she smiled at her before saying." I want to go with you next time you travel from here. I think it would be fun to go together ." she then kicked at little water at her before taking a deep breath and looked at the water. " what is it like? Out on the ocean?" she asked with a sign.

Thora relaxed as soon as she recognized Sassa. The other girl was a far cry from the people she usually spent her time with, but Thora enjoyed her company. Maybe it was that she didn't have to pretend to be tough all the time, didn't have to be mocking or sarcastic. It was nice sometimes to not have to think of witty comebacks. She'd been learning recently that her sharp tongue sometimes got her into more trouble than she anticipated. Not that she ever anticipated anything when that mood took her. It was second nature, the automatic reaction of the youngest child that always has to stick up for themselves. It was just part of her, but it was a part of her that could be exhausting nonetheless.

She laughed as Sassa held her hands out in mock surrender, folding her arms sternly over her chest. She still isn't able to keep the merry grin from her face, though. "Haven't I told you yet? If you surprise someone, use that moment to your advantage. The only unfair fight is the one you lose." She knows Sassa strives to be a shieldmaiden someday and that her mother was one, so sometimes she likes to take on the role of teacher. Not that Sassa truly needs it--Thora may be new to Kattegat but she's heard that Sassa's mother was a fierce warrior before her daughter was born. Giving up a life of raiding to raise a child is an honorable choice, but it is one Thora is glad she hasn't had to face. She likes her freedom, and besides she's been married before. That's part of the reason she left Uddevalla. Maybe she would like a life like Sassa's mother, though--just her and a child to raise, no man around to complicate things. Thora knows nothing of children, except that they cry.

She watches as Sassa splashes into the chilly water, not even seeming to notice how cold it is. Thora wonders if it just feels colder to her because she's still sweating. She returns Sassa's small splash with a laugh and a playful one of her own. The cool spray of water feels good soaking through her shirt, reminds her of the way the waves break over the side of a ship and cool her as she rows. Despite the splash, Sassa is serious when she speaks. Thora grins. "It will be. Tell your mother I can keep you safe, you should come. I do not know when the next voyage is, though." She can hear the longing in the girl's voice when she asks what it's like on the sea.

Thora tilts her head thoughtfully, following Sassa's gaze toward the horizon. She wants to lie, say it is nothing special, that Kattegat is better than the freedom of the sea. She knows Sassa's mother may not want her to go, and she knows that Sassa is a sweet, kind girl. She would not hurt her mother by leaving against her wishes. Sometimes, Sassa makes Thora sad--she was never so kind to her parents. Always challenging, always headstrong, a fighter through and through. Sometimes she wishes she could go back in time, be kinder to her mother and father. She can't though, and so she wants to lie, wants to keep Sassa as sweet and gentle as she is. But Sassa is her friend and she can't lie to her. "I love the sea, it's peaceful when it isn't storming. I love its mystery, how it changes so quickly, and how it bends to no man's will. But nothing is sweeter than returning home after being on the sea." She shrugs one shoulder. Thora isn't used to being this serious.

Sassa Was always so glad to have met Thora and become her friend. She was always honest with her and kind with her words. If Sassa would ask anyone else these things,or say anything like this to others, she would mostly be met with sarcasm or rude replies. That she is a women, and to find out for herself. So she had stopped asking until she met her new friend. She smiled as Thora splashed her with the cool water before she said that she would take her with next time, and that Sassa could tell her mother that she would keep her safe. Sassa smiled at that, but inside she wished people knew that she could take care of herself if she had to. she knew that Thora was saying it to be kind and because she was her friend though so she didn't comment on it. " Thank you Thora. I understand that it may be sometime from now, but I look forward to it anyways" she said before she kept her eyes on the water.

The way Thora described being on the sea warmed Sassa's heart. She longed to feel something like that herself. To see the way the waves hit the boats as they rowed their way to new lands in search of gold and jewels. However Thora also said that nothing was better than coming home from being on the sea, and Sassa wondered if that was truly so. It must be if everyone is always so happy to be home when they would come back from raiding. The viking men and shield maiden women always celebrate when they are finally back in the village. Sassa nonetheless couldn't understand why this was so. All her life she has wanted to leave this place, but her mother and her fears have kept her back. As well as the fact that none of the older viking had invited her even though some of them knew she could fight pretty well. Something she was sure her mother was responsible for. A woman who use to be so crazy in her youth was now so strict and protective in her older years. The only real way she was going to leave would be to not tell her mother, but could she really do that?

Looking over to Thora she smiled before saying "That sounds so wonderful." to her before taking a deep breath. "And about my mother, its best we don't tell her I plan to leave with you. I'm a grown women, and she will just have to realize that" Looking back at the open water for a moment before speaking again " Besides she would never let me leave if I told her. She's part of the reason I haven't yet. I want to be seen as strong like you. Not a silly little girl who can't defend herself and who always listens to her mother." Sassa took a deep breath again before taking a few steps to sit on the sand. The idea of just leaving her mother was scary and she worried about what her mother would do when she got home or if she found out about this conversation at all. However Sassa couldn't think that away anymore, she needed to be a women and not a girl.

Keeping her feet in the water she patted the spot next to her. " Now enough about me, how are you doing? I have not seen you for a few days" she said to her friend before leaning back on her hands and waiting for her to join her on the ground.

Thora listens as Sassa speaks, slowly swishing her bare feet through the cold water. She understood Sassa's desire to prove herself, to get out into the world. It was similar to the one that always drove Thora, the two women just had very different circumstances and personalities that allowed that drive to manifest itself differently. It was part of why they understood each other, although it would be a challenge to find friends so different. One bold and impulsive, always picking fights and getting into trouble, acting before thinking. The other calm and sweet, thoughtful, but no less fierce or strong for all her sweetness. And Thora knew she was lucky--she'd had older brothers to teach her to fight. Sassa had no one, but she learned to fight anyway. It was admirable, her determination. Even if she never went on a raid, at least she would always know how to defend herself, and would always have the pride of learning to fight even through adversity.

"The sea is wonderful, and I miss it. Why do you think I'm standing in it when it's so damn cold?" She laughs, still swishing her feet slowly through the water, feeling it slide against her skin. "If you don't want her to know you plan on leaving, I probably shouldn't visit your house as much. I won't lie to her if she asks me, I'm a terrible liar. She would know."

Thora follows Sassa to sit on the shore, dragging her feet along the sea floor and feeling the thick wet sand between her toes. Everything about the sea is cold and magical to her, even the muck beneath her feet. She sighs, rolling her neck as she sits in the spot Sassa patted on the sand. She stretched her legs out straight before her, stretching her sore calves. She grins over at Sassa. "Ah, that's because my brother Audun came to visit for the feast. I'm going to Uddevalla soon, my sister Jorunn just had a baby, and Audun promised me some of our father's horses so I can start my own herd. You should come with me." She dipped her toes into the frigid water as she continued. "It's not a raid, so even if your mother finds out, it's not a dangerous place we're going to. Plus you could meet my brothers. They're very handsome." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively at Sassa, and it's obvious from the gleam in her green eyes that she's teasing. She knows Sassa's mother wants her to find a husband, but she also knows her mother would probably never let her marry a farmer.

Sassa smiled at her friend jab about the sea being cold. It was a bit chilly today, but Sassa had always loved it when it was a bit more cold. It was more sharp, and it gave you more of a shock then normal. She was sure that the water would be cold when you were out in a boat, but then again maybe not. Some areas could have constant warm water around it. Sassa frowned at the what Thora said next, that she shouldn't go around her mother until they left. She didn't want to put Thora in a hard place where she had to lie to her mother, but she didn't want her mother finding out. They would just have to meet other places than her home and hope that her mother didn't start to get curious. " I understand I wouldn't want you to have to lie for me. My mom can be scary when she wants to be too." she said to her before she sat down on the shore.

Sassa listened to Thora explain why she hadn't seen her in a few days. That her bother had came to see her for the feast and that she planed to leave to see her family soon. Sassa was so excited for Thora, being able to get the horses sooner would help her start her farm and make things easier for her as well. She always loved hearing about Thora's family as well. She had a few brothers and sisters from what she understood. It must be so nice to have many siblings that she could have played with growing up. People to help protect her and teach her things. She also felt badly, that she hadn't tried to come and find her so she could meet her brother before he went home. She had been so busy with the feast she must not have noticed him, and that made her a bad friend. However there were so many new people here it was a easy mistake, but not one she would let happen again.

She smiled at her when she said that Sassa should go with her, no it wasn't a raid. However it really would be a way to get out of here. To see something different and feel the sea in a boat for the fist time. " I'm so glad you got to see your brother, and I'm so happy for you. I know the horses are something you really want. Oh and a baby! Thats so exciting. I'm sorry I didn't meet him before he left" she said before taking a breath " I would love to come with you, your right. Its not a raid, but at least I'll get out there." she said next before her face got red. Thora had commented that her brothers were handsome. Which she was true she was sure, Thora being as beautiful as she was. She wondered if they would like her, a stranger from a different village coming to there home. " I am sure your whole family is good looking, with how beautiful you are." she said with a smile.

Sassa kicked the water a bit with her feet while looking at the water again. She really would go with Thora, and she wouldn't tell her mother what was going on until she was back. " I mean it though, I'll go with you, just tell me when we leave." she said before reaching out to her friend and taking her hand "Thank you, for inviting me, and for being a good friend" she said before giving a gentle squees and letting go.

Thora suddenly flopped back onto the pebbly shore, not caring that there would be sand in her sweaty hair when she sat back up. She needed a bath tonight anyway, with how much she'd sweated today. She loved training though, and realized with a pang that she hadn't asked Sassa about how her training was going yet. Usually that was one of the first things she asked, but it had been a few days since they'd seen each other and they had a lot to catch up on. She pushed back the guilt, she would ask her in a few minutes. They were probably getting near to the end of their talk of traveling anyway, since Thora hadn't quite worked out the details of her visit yet. That would make it easier though, now she knew to consult with Sassa before she picked a time to go. She sat up again and grinned over at Sassa, shaking her sandy blond hair. "I'm not scared of your mother, I simply respect her. Everyone does." She tilted her head for a moment, her bright green eyes traveling over Sassa. "You get your strength from her, I think."

Thora felt bad sometimes, she knew there were times she herself had underestimated Sassa. Certainly when they met, she'd had a hard time seeing past such a beautiful face to the steel within. She knew it was something Sassa was fighting to overcome, and Thora had no doubt she would. Sassa had certainly proven herself strong in Thora's eyes. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for the horses yet actually. I would love them, but they make raiding harder. I have no one in Kattegat to take care of them, and I still want to go raiding." She grinned when Sassa said she was sorry she missed Audun. "He left yesterday, you didn't miss him by much. It's my fault, I should have found you. But you'll get to meet him when we go to Uddevalla." Thora was looking forward to the trip much more knowing Sassa was going, too.

She giggled when Sassa's face turned red, then it was her turn to go slightly pink when Sassa said she was beautiful, and she snorted. "You calling someone beautiful is like.... I don't know, pick something funny." She laughed a little. "You've got to be the prettiest girl in the village and you've got the strength to match it. My family will love you, people of Uddevalla prize strength above all else." She nodded when Sassa asked her to just let her know when they're leaving. "I haven't quite hammered out the details yet, I'm thinking in a month or two. Is there any time that works best for you?" She's a little startled when Sassa grabs her hand, since Thora herself isn't much for small, affectionate gestures like that. She's seldom serious enough for them, but she squeezes Sassa's hand gently. "Don't thank me quite yet, I haven't been a good friend. I haven't asked yet about your training the past few days."

Sassa Had to surpress her eye roll when she heard Thora say she got her strength from her mother. She knew it was true, that she most likely got it all from her mother. Her mother was a strong women, had been her entire life, and would be until she died. However Sassa could have gotten some of it from whoever the hell was her father. She knew he had been a viking, and strong too. Her mother told her she only laid with the strong ones, which had been a very awkward conversation when it happened. However who ever her father was he was a coward and she hated him. To leave her mother alone to raise a child all on her that way, but maybe whoever her father was thought she had to belong to someone else. Sassa's mother slept around a lot right before she fell pregnant. " I'm know you aren't scared of her, but I am most of the time. she said with a small laugh as she answered Thora's first statement about not fearing her mother.

She also listened to her friend talk about how she wasn't ready for the horses yet, and that she wanted to wait until she was ready to stop raiding or had a person to help her with them. She knew that Thora would find someone soon. She was a strong and she was beautiful, plus she didn't have a parent trying to make a match for her. She could pick who her heart wanted. Sassa knew she spoke with Bjorn a lot, maybe something would come of that. Thora then told her that she just missed her brother, but she would meet him when she went to the village. " I understand what you mean about wanting to wait for the horses, I'm sure you will meet someone who could help you soon. Then we can go on raids and they can help, maybe even my mother would help a bit. she said before pausing " It was both of our faults. So don't beat yourself up, plus you are right I will meet him soon! she said.

Thora just rolled her eyes when Thora said that her calling someone beautiful was like a joke. That Sassa was the prettiest girl in the village, but she was also strong. That her family and village would love her."I mean it, you are a beauty in your own right. I'm glad you think your family will like me, I look forward to meeting them " she said before she heard Thora say she wasn't sure when, maybe in a month or two. "Whenever would work, maybe two months. So I can figure out a good plan to seek out without my mother finding out." she said with a small laugh. She would have to make the plan a good one if she was going to do this. To leave the village without her mother finding out.

Sassa looked at her friend with love when she told her not to call her a good friend because she hadn't asked about her training. Her training had been different lately, some of it had been in secret. Away from watchful eyes who would try yo interfere. Maybe because of her new training partner, one she wasn't sure if she should tell Thora about yet. What if her mother found out before she was able to find the guts to tell her, but she trusted Thora as well. She was her friend before anything else and she knew she wouldn't tell anyone. Looking around she made sure they were alone. Don't beat yourself up about it, you have had a lot on your mind and you have been busy. Training has been really good. she said with a smile, before her cheeks got a little pink. "I have been training on and off with a new partner, one that makes me feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger. However you can't say anything to anyone, my mother can't find out yet! she told her. Sassa didn't say her partners name, but knew her vagueness was going to have Thora asking a million questions. " How has your training been going? she asked next of her friend.

Thora grinned when Sassa said she was afraid of her mother most of the time. Thora had been scared not of her mother, but of disappointing her father. She remembered how deep-rooted the fear was, and yet there were days when she would give anything to feel that fear again. Thora missed her parents, but at least she had her siblings and her friends in Kattegat if she ever felt lonely. She knew she was lucky. She looked thoughtfully at Sassa for a moment. "I was always afraid of my father's disappointment, too. It will get easier when you don't live with her anymore and she has less control of your life." Her brows knit together as she continued. "It must be hard to be the only child. Whenever I did wrong, I always at least knew that soon one of my siblings would do something, and my parents would forget my wrongdoing." She smiled fondly. "If your mother is upset when we go to Uddevalla, I will take the blame. I sort of miss being in trouble with my parents."

She shrugged as Sassa offered suggestions for the horses. They were good ideas, but Thora knew she simply didn't have the time to devote to them right now. Her father had only started breeding horses after he lost the use of his arm, when raiding was no longer an option for him. Her brother Audun, who took over the farm in Uddevalla, had help if he decided to go raiding. Jorunn and her husband lived nearby, and their other brother Eirik, if he wasn't raiding, would help. Thora would never ask someone that wasn't family to help care for horses, a breeding herd was quite some work--keeping all the stallions separated from each other and the mares until she had decided who to breed them with, monitoring the pregnant mares, working with their foals to gentle them from an early age. "I could pay another farmer to care for them if I had the horses and decided to go on a raid, but I would feel bad leaving them. My father never left his horses."

"Two months it is then, I can help you come up with a plan. Come by my house anytime you want, it'll be easier to plan there with no one to bug us." Talking about training definitely perks her interest, but what makes her curious is the way Sassa's cheeks darken in a pretty pink flush when she talks about her new training partner, the way she looks around to make sure nobody else is close enough to hear them. Thora looks around too, noticing that nobody is even close enough to even really notice them. She still keeps her voice just above a whisper, maintaining the feel of secrecy. She raises her eyebrows. "Who's your new training partner? Do I know him?" She's guessed it's a man from the blush. "It's good for you to train with someone bigger and stronger. They'll make you stronger, too."

She waves her hand impatiently when Sassa asks how her own training is going. "It's going fine, I think I finally reached an understanding with Ironside--did I ever tell you he hated me? But I think now things will be fine. But first tell me about your training partner." Thora is new enough to Kattegat that she still knows only very few people, but if Sassa is training with one of the Vikings, Thora might have met him on the training field. The list of other warriors she knows is pretty small, though. She's only been here for a few months, and most of that time has been spent exploring and settling in. For a while she didn't go to the training grounds as often as she should have, sick of feeling Bjorn's hateful glare upon her. She's finally started to go more often though, his dislike of her seems to have eased ever since the feast. It's a relief to be training as seriously as she wants to again.

Sassa smiled at her friend as she told her that she was more afraid of her fathers disappointment, but things would get easier when she was no longer living in her mother home. Which she was sure was true, but until she got married or went on a raid to earn her own money she was trapped with her mother. Thora then went on to say that it must be hard to be an only child, because she got to get a break when one of her siblings would get in trouble next. That would have been nice, plus it would have been an extra person for her mother to try and control so she would have been given more slack. Thora then said she would take the blame before she missed get into trouble. " I couldn't let you do that!" she said to her with a small laugh. She wouldn't want her mothers wrath on anyone but herself. " But yes another sibling would have been nice. Someone else for her to control! she laughed a little harder at that. She loved that she had a friend like Thora she could be open with.

She nodded at when Thora said she could pay another farmer to watch her horses, but she just didn't want to leave them. That he father never left his horses so she didn't want to do that as well. Thora then said that she would help her come up with a plan, but that they should plan at her house so no one could bug them. " Thats a great idea. Two heads are always better than one when it comes to trying to pull one over on my mother anyways." she said with a smile. They would be able to come up with something great and then maybe her mother would be less mad at her. Or maybe Sassa could get married in less then two months and she would have nothing to worry about. However that was bit unrealistic. Sure she had someone in her life that she cared about a lot, but that was a little bit of a stretch to try and do that. Planning with Thora was the better bet.

Thora then asked about her training partner like she knew she would. Her blush must have given it away because Thora also knew it was a man when she had made sure not to say a gender. She also said it was good to train with someone bigger and stronger too. She smiled at that. He was going to help her get stronger she was sure, he would help her with a lot of her dreams too she hoped. She waited to tell her about him until she was done telling her about her training and Bjorn, or as she called him Ironside. She was very much aware the two of them had problems, but she never commented on it. They were both her friend and she was sure that when Bjorn was ready he would tell her the real reason he was so mean to her at first That she looked just like his ex wife who had left him. Sassa had wanted to Thora many times, but she feared what Bjorn would do if he found out she had. Being friends wouldn't stop his wrath if he was mad enough.

Smiling at her she said " I"m glad the two of you were able to work on things a bit. I hope things keep getting better between you, but I also don't think he ever really hated you. Not really anyways." she said before getting ready to tell her about Arngeir His name is Arngeir, and I'm not sure if you know him. He has his own farm, but is also a viking. she said with a warm smile. " I like him Thora, more then for just a training partner" she said before turning red and speaking again " I like him so much, more than I have ever liked a man ever." [/b] she bit her lip before looking to the ocean. "We have kissed too, and I wanted to do more. Not that I'm sure what more would really entail too. she said before looking at Thora "But you mustn't say anything, please! I haven't told my mother yet. I don't want her or the Ragnarsson brothers to find out until I tell them. You know how protective some of them can be" she said taking her friends hands and looking at her face intently. She trusted Thora, but she needed her friend to understand too.

Thora had been the youngest of her siblings--first Jorunn, then the twins Audun and Eirik, and next her. Being the baby of the family definitely had its advantages. Her brothers taught her to fight and ride, her sister taught her to weave and sew and cook. As far as Thora was concerned, being the youngest sibling was ideal most of the time. There were times the twins ganged up on her and of course times she fought with her sister, but all in all she had mostly fond memories of her childhood. She certainly doesn't envy Sassa; Thora wouldn't trade her siblings for anything. It was rare to be an only child, then again, Sassa and her mother seemed to be a fairly unique arrangement anyway. It was rare--though not uncommon--to find an unmarried woman of Sassa's mother's age, and more uncommon still to find an unmarried woman raising a child on her own. Thora wondered if it fostered an even stronger bond between mother and daughter.

"Your mother won't be suspicious if you come to my house, either." She grinned, tilting her head to listen again as Sassa told her Bjorn didn't really hate her. She rolled her bright green eyes. She was sick of hearing that excuse, Ubbe had said something similar. She didn't care about the reason for his hatred, she only wanted him to stop looking at her like he was imagining sinking his sword into her belly. "Hopefully he still likes me a little better when he's sober. Time will tell."

She leans in closer to Sassa so she can keep her voice down while she's speaking. Thora's bright eyes are checking their surroundings every few seconds, making sure no one is wandering close enough to hear them. Arngeir. Arngeir. She runs the name through her mind and comes up empty, although the fact that he's a Viking sticks out in her mind. She'll probably meet him eventually, and she'll have to spar with him because now she's curious. Thora is curious by nature, and anyone who caught Sassa's attention must be someone special. She was certainly the most beautiful girl Thora had seen since coming to Kattegat, and she was sure Sassa got all kinds of attention--both wanted and unwanted--from men. She snorts. "Of course I'm not going to tell anyone. It is your secret to tell." She hesitates for a moment, looking out over the ocean before turning back to Sassa. "I have a trick for you, when you do decide to do more than kiss him. If you hold a coin between your knees, he cannot get you with child." She winks, suppressing a laugh and hoping Sassa doesn't actually think that's good advice. It actually is, in a way. If she holds the coin between her knees, she can't open her legs. Without opening her legs, she can't get with child. But of course Thora is joking.

She scans their surroundings again, and finding no one nearby, starts talking again. "So the kiss was good, then?" Thora had been told that a sweet kiss with a man you loved could be better than anything else in the world. Although she had been married once, and although Sassa is a few years younger than her, it seems Sassa has experienced this wonder before her. She's definitely curious, but she doesn't want to ask too much. It's a private thing between two people, after all, and she can restrain her curiosity long enough to find out for herself.

Sassa smile at Thoras words, It was true her mother wouldn't ask questions if she said she was going to Thora's him to just spend time with her. She might have to use that to her advantage in other ways. She could tell her mother she was going there, and see Arngeir, something she would make sure to run by her before she did it. She didn't want to upset Thora, and plus if Thora wasn't in on it then she was sure it would end up bitting her in the end. "Hopefully he still likes me a little better when he's sober. Time will tell." was what Thora had said next. She surely hoped Bjorn would get be over his troubles now, and be able to see Thora as a separate person. As her own amazing, wonderful person that Sassa had grown to love and care about " If he has a good head on his shoulder, he should still like you. There is nothing not to like. I thought the whole thing was stupid in the first place. Your one of my best friends though, so I'm biased" she told her friend with a large smile. She meant it too, Bjorn was smart, and she respected him. However he couldn't keep treating Thora wrongly for someone else's actions.

Thora then tells her "Of course I'm not going to tell anyone. It is your secret to tell." Which she was glad for, she trusted Thora before she said it.It was nice to just hear it still anyways. However what Thora said next has her confused. "I have a trick for you, when you do decide to do more than kiss him. If you hold a coin between your knees, he cannot get you with child." " What..how.." was all she said to her as she thought about it. How in the world would that keep you from having a child. She had heard some pretty crazy things before, but a coin between your legs keeping her from getting pregnant was pretty far out there, that was until she realized that her dear friend was pulling one over on her. If she kept the coin between her legs then she wouldn't be able to open them. Meaning she wouldn't be able to lay with Arngeir ether. How could she be so stupid sometimes.

Pushing Thora's shoulder she rolled her eyes "I can't believe I almost fell for that, gods I'm so stupid sometimes" she said with a huff. Sassa knew she was a little un educated when it came to sex, and things like that. So she also knew she needed to figure some of that out and quick so she wouldn't embarrass herself any more then she already did with people. It wasn't that her mother had never told her anything, its just she had been very vague with it. That the first time hurt, but once you got past that it did't hurt anymore. That if you find the right man then things would be great, but that was all she had really said about it. Sassa had been too nervous to ask anything else. Maybe she could ask Thora about some things, but then again that would be a very awkward conversation to have with her best friend. She would just figure it out on her own.

Thora talking had brought her out of her thoughts"So the kiss was good, then?" Thora had asked next. This made her face turn red again. " All of the kisses were great, amazing even!" she said with a smile " You know that he was my first real kiss, so it was all so new and exciting." she said next before looking up to the sky. " I hope that things work out with him Thora. I really do. I could see myself marring him, doing everything with him. Is that crazy to say?" she added before looking back at her friend. She hoped she would understand.

Thora only shrugs at Sassa's words about Bjorn, how she thought it was stupid in the first place. Thora thought so, too. Ubbe had told her she reminded Bjorn of someone, but Thora hadn't asked for further details. It wasn't her place, and besides, she simply didn't want to know. It was easy for her to meet his hatred with defiance when it wasn't justified, when he was nothing more than a surly prince with a silly grudge against her. She didn't want to soften against him, didn't want to know the reason for his pain. Judging by the intense reaction her face was able to draw from him, the pain of it must run very deep. She didn't want to know the pain in his past, didn't want to understand his hatred. She only wanted to use it to fuel herself to grow even stronger, to prove to him she did belong in the shield wall. "It doesn't really matter to me if he continues to like me. Ubbe likes me well enough, he told me not to worry about Bjorn." She shrugs again. "As long as I have a place in the shield wall, I will be happy."

Thora has to work hard to contain her grin as she watches Sassa working out how impractical her advice is. When Sassa finally smacks her shoulder and rolls her eyes, Thora bursts out laughing. "It's not that you're stupid, only inexperienced. You can ask me questions, if you want. My older sister did that for me." Not that Thora had really needed her advice, and not that she was really the best person to come to. Her marriage hadn't exactly been harmonious, and sex with a violent man was far from the way her sister described it. There had been one other time, on a raid, drinking ale to celebrate a victory, way before her marriage. And that, well, that had been sweet, what she could remember of it. All in all, Thora knows she isn't the best person to come to for advice on this subject, but at least it would be less awkward than asking her mother.

She grins when Sassa tells her the kisses were amazing, listening as she continues on. She's happy to see her friend so happy, and she hopes things do work out for them and that her mother doesn't find out and ruin things. Thora isn't exactly sure what Sassa's mother is capable of, but she does know that she wants her daughter to marry someone of a higher rank. It's a good impulse, one that's most likely seated in her desire to see her daughter taken care of and to have a better life. From the way Sassa talks about it though, it seems to Thora that maybe the impulse is getting a little twisted, turning into the only thing that matters. Sassa is old enough to be married, hopefully her mother isn't planning some type of match behind her back that would ruin her chances with this Arngeir. Still, Thora is a little wary of him. She doesn't trust men very easily--not after her husband, and not after the drunk man at the feast that Bjorn defended her against. She chooses her next words carefully, not wanting to spoil Sassa's good mood, but not wanting to see her get hurt, either. "I don't think it's crazy, but I do think you should be careful. Marriage is not something to be done lightly." Thora may not know much about successful marriages, but she does know that much, at least. She smiles at Sassa when she continues. "I hope my advice to be careful isn't needed, though. I hope it works as you want it to, and I hope he's a good man who will love and care for you."

Sassa Turned her head to stair at Thora when she heard her say that Ubbe liked her well enough, and that he told her not to worry about Bjorn. " Ubbe likes you, you say?, well I'm glad. You are a strong warrior, he would be dumb to remove you from the shield wall." she said before smiling at her friend, she wondered if there was more to this then Ubbe simply telling her not to worry about Bjorn. Maybe there was something going on between them? She would have to wait and see if Thora said any more about it. She didn't want to read to much into it, and Thora to laugh at her. It would be interesting to see if something did happen between her two friends, even more so when she was fairly certain Bjorn might not be to pleased if something did happen. " But as you said before, time will tell how Bjorn is going to act now." she said to her.

She tired to smile when she heard Thora speak next."It's not that you're stupid, only inexperienced. You can ask me questions, if you want. My older sister did that for me." It was true se was very inexperienced to say the least. She knew so little, and her mother wan't going to tell her.However it still felt awkward to even think to ask Thora something like that, but information would be helpful as well. She stopped thinking about that for a moment when Thora spoke again."I don't think it's crazy, but I do think you should be careful. Marriage is not something to be done lightly." Sassa smiled at that advice. It has much truth behind it, and she knew she should be careful, but she also trusted Arngeir more than she trusted most people. He had many opportunities to take advantage of her, and he hadn't yet. She had even drunkly offered her body to him, and he still didn't do anything wrong toward her.

Thora spoke again saying I hope my advice to be careful isn't needed, though. I hope it works as you want it to, and I hope he's a good man who will love and care for you." " Thank you dear, I think it will work out. Arngeir has had many chances to take advantage of me and he hasn't. I'm sure more time together will tell me more, but I really think I am on the right path with him" she said to her before moving closer to Thora to hug her. " I know you are just trying to protect me, and for that I thank you! When you find someone you care about I'm sure I'll want to protect you too." she said to her after pulling away from the hug. " You're my best friend after all" she made sure to add as well.

Sassa had battled with herself for a few moments before deciding to ask " Does it really hurt as much as my mother made it out too? The first time that is?" she asked with her face bright red. " And do men mind when you have no idea what to do? That I will be a inexperienced " she asked next. She felt so embarrassed to ask, but she also needed to ask before things got to that point with Arngeir. So she would have a better understanding, and would not disappoint him.