Morning Walk (open)

She was always one of the first to sharpen her fighting skills and she hardly did it with somebody around. From the day she was born until now her life stood centered for leading and fighting, she only did it in a different village now. If there was a form of quality time between her and Rigas than it was that heat in a fight that really wasn’t a fight. She didn’t give in easily, just as Rigas didn’t. In that way they were both sharp and ready, loyal and close enough on each other skills to work together as a team. Today she didn’t train, but she was planning on looking how the others would do it. The safety of this village was built on the knowledge of their warriors, Vikings and shield maidens. Gunnvor cared a big deal about that. She grabbed her dagger and shoved it into his protection on the small of her back. Her black here followed the wind while she stepped down the stairs of the manor, walking over to one of the trainings fields.

When she arrived there a number of man and woman where training. Gunnvor leaned against the fence, squeezing her distinct green eyes a little while she looked from one to the other, analyzing their movements, skills. Who was ready and who wasn’t? There were all kind of fighters, the ones who wanted to fight and some who were forced. She could picked those right out. When her eyes fell on their Radningar she walked into the field, passing a few of the Vikings who bowed in respect for the wife of the earl in Skagerrak. Gunnvor had a talent for showing distant and stern while she truly cared, as much as Rigas did. ‘Brynjar.’ She greeted the master of these young souls. He was the one training them, they needed to set an example to him, or at least this side of him, she heard about last night of one of the slave. Never try to keep a secret in these times. ‘Still not processed the ale from last night.’ She followed, looking at his cup before she looked back to him. He served already a time, she knew him a little, causing to pull the corner of her mouth slightly up. She could bet he was to late today to. But it weren’t here affairs, Rigas handled fighting force, she was just here to look at the progress, maybe to set an example.

Amusement was something the fighters of Skagerrak held high, certainly when their job could be serious enough. She totally understood their amusement on late night, she and Rigas did it so much back when they weren’t in any position to keep a reputation. Not that they did nothing now, it just wasn’t easy to notice. So when she walked in to Brynar she saw he wasn’t completely himself. It looked like he could use some extra hours of sleep and still, here he stood, ready to teach the young people of Skagerrak the best there was to learn. That deserved respect, Gunnvor had respect for every member that fought, from the eldest to the young starting Vikings. The ones learned, they just needed to earn her respect first. And that wasn’t by standing still and looking at her. When Brynar defending his current mood … it was hardly defending, Gunnvor chuckled softly, standing still aside him and looking over the fighting men and woman. She remembered the day the was in that position all to well.

When her eyes fell on a smaller group, more uninterested group Brynar started to talk, like he already knew she was planning on asking about it. Slaves weren’t the easiest one to get into fighting, certainly because they lost already so much and just gave up. ‘My help?’ She asked with frowned eyebrows, giving him a short look before turning her gaze back. ‘You can only have a heart for battle if you have something to fight for.’ She began, walking slowly aside the fence over to the slave who tried to keep up but were to uninterested to even care. ‘Slave hardly have something to fight for.’ She said in her own thoughts. It was hard to crack a slave into fighting, surly if they were already cracked open before. ‘If they don’t have the spirit why trying. You can give him the situation plain handed, being a slave and living on the street or fighting and get some respect and honor. Or just challenge them into reserving something for their good work. But the question you have to ask yourself is hat is better.’ Gunnvor signed shortly, looking back aside to Brynar. ‘I could talk with them, if you thing that would help. Or give them an example to life up to.’ She pulled her shoulders up, looking to the young people and asking herself if slaves truly were the solution to a bigger force.

While walking over to the smaller inexperienced group her eyes fell over every girl and boy standing there. Some didn’t look that old, others did. She knew the younger they were the more fighting spirit they still had. But it wasn’t a easy road to take, they all had their story, stories they needed to set aside to win a battle. Gunnvor learned that from Rigas. Being his prisoner for a long time, falling in love with him showed her there was more than only that revenge that consumed her for weeks. Although she still felt it, this became more important, he became more important. And that was exactly what every one of those souls standing here needed to do, leave the past and grow to the future. It was the only way you could hold on to axe and shield.

The closer they got the more they stopped fighting. The more experienced warrior knew her status and recognized her face. But these slave, from were they maybe came were young and ignorant to any rule. They were to pulled back in their world to pay attention. When Brynjar spoke Gunnvor looked to the ground, listening before she looked aside to him. ‘Dead comes to us all.’ She said in her own thoughts. ‘Let’s hope they all are smart enough.’ She followed with a soft smile before pointing her attention to the small group. Brynjar give a load roar, getting the attention of everybody around back to him and so to her. The experienced fighters stood on the sideline while the new ones just stood there, looking at her like she was a total stranger. ‘I once stood there to, unexperienced, young. Not as much a slave but certainly lost a lot, my parents, my land, got captured to become a slave and strengthened myself in my believe of fighting. Now I’m standing here, Countess of Skagerrak, married and happy.’ She felt silent for a moment. Gunnvor hardly told anybody the details of her past. She believed the less they knew the better it was. ‘I am your leader!’ Her voice raise a little while she looked with that cold distant look over each one of them. ‘And if you are not willing to fight for what is yours than you must be willing to die. How much the past teared you down, you just get up and go on. It is that simple, being a warrior and fight for your rights or just go back to the streets and die in self-pity.’ She spitted that last word almost out. Some showed doubt while others were more eager to give in to her words. ‘We all die, but what do you want that your children tell, that their parents were nothing more than slaves in a secret romance or that they fought the battles with their earl. Standing among one of the greatest fighters.’ She pointed not to herself but to Brynjar, towards the town and his great hall were Rigas is. She pulled the dagger from her back and crouched down, piercing it through the grass before she stood up again. ‘If you are not willing to fight you easily can kill yourself now. There isn’t honor in being a slave, fight for us and you will be rewarded with a real family.’ She said, looking over to the experienced fighters. It was that simple, for Gunnvor it was that simple. And in some way she was glad that no one of them looked down to her dagger, what meant that something certainly changed something.

Gunnvor didn’t talked much openly, like she did now. She was often the one observing the crowd than she was willing on saying certain things. Rigas was the one ruling, his words were hers and hers were often his. It was his power to talk to the people and if he was here he would do more than only talk to them, he probably was willing on challenging them just to make a point. Gunnvor was a swords woman to but often her limits didn’t lied in challenging them, she pulled their strength up by showing what life could be. The bad versus the good, it was a mean trick, but it was as effective as giving them fear, or challenge them. She could easily place somebody here who would punish the ones not doing their bests, she could force them to become warriors, but would they be better than this encouragement? Would they be not better if they fought with fighting spirit? Gunnvor believed in loyalty, in love, in fighting spirit, in own choices … she made them all self some years ago. So these dreadful souls should have some spirit somewhere to.

When she pulled the dagger out, placing it there for them to take it and kill themselves with it nobody was moving. Her green eyes shouted every single soul who stood there, hesitating, looking to the shine blade. But nobody did and that brought a small smile on her lips before she looked aside to Brynjar. ‘Good.’ She said on the fact nobody took the dagger for several seconds. ‘Valhalla will welcome you with a feast when you part in life is over.’ She announced, turning around to the Radningar of these group, this village. When he spoke she nodded. ‘I do believe that to.’ She said, looking to the more experienced warriors. ‘We need to, there is a lot of danger outside these walls the gods are eager on testing us over.’ She followed. She looked aside to him, shortly laying her hand on his shoulder. ‘I believe you will get them there.’ She nodded respectfully. Brynjar was already so long in Rigas his loyalty that it became family. She trusted him a great deal, he would make those slaves, those fighters worth the fight in the future. When he said they were fighting harder she looked back to the slaves. ‘Occasionally remind them of the difference they can make, it’s all they need sometimes.’ She noticed slowly walking over to the experienced ones of the group. ‘How are the future Vikings and Shield maidens doing it?’ She asked, looking to the one to one combat they performed. It seemed like hardly days ago that she stood here to, fighting for her life, fighting for her love. She was eager on going raiding again, that was for sure.