Krigsgaldr - "War Magic"
Tyr was the son of the leader in a small village of Southern Svealand. A faith that came with obligations he did not want.
Freke was a wolf shapeshifter, a descendant of Fenrir some would say, and they were both loved and h...
Today the sun was shining and the world around me seemed a bit brighter as the warmth of it's rays hit my bare skin.
The tool in my hand moved with ease as I hewed a tree trunk to fit with the other timber I'd cut. We were repairing the house of a family I hadn't had the chance to talk to yet, but I didn't care who they were. I enjoyed the physical work. It took my mind off other things, like the whispers Freke got when we walked past the villagers.
No one really dared to talk to him or get to know him yet, except for the men we had fought beside. Ivar was helping us a lot, telling the tale of how Brokk had fooled us and how I had killed him for it. But I guessed that it was his magic they feared, and it made my heart ache as we both had to relive old childhood memories.
"Working hard my lord," a voice reached out to me from behind.
"How are you holding up friend?" I asked Faste, who slowly walked up to me. "I have barely seen you since we arrived," I told him and eyed him over. His legs walked slow from age, but his spirit was high.
"I am good, my Lord. The air hurts my joints," he sniggered, "but the villagers are good people. They gave us all a warm welcome."
I sat myself down on one of the trunks and placed the tools by my feet. "That's good news indeed, after Brokk's rule I'm surprised. I thought it would take some time for them to trust us," I said with a hint of bitterness in my voice.
Faste nodded and sank down beside me with a huff. "The men see your worth—that is most important right now. Their women will follow soon, but you know women, they hold grudges," he said and chuckled.
I shook my head and smiled, giving him a wink from the corner of my eye, "That's why I prefer Freke's company."
"How are they doing by the way?" he asked with a more concerned tone. "Our Seer spends a lot of their time in the forest, don't they?"
"They left," I whispered with obvious sadness in my voice. "Our Vitki needed some time alone." The older man nodded thoughtfully and I continued to speak my mind. Even though I rarely talked about my private life. But now I felt the need to defend them. "In our village they ignored them mostly, but here they fear them."
"Well, you two have given the wolf a reputation. And now they have to live with the consequences of it," he said while nodding his head and reaching down to pick up a few leaves off the ground. "I was searching for them. Would you please tell Freke I need more of those herbs for my bones?"
"Of course, Faste," I said and patted his back. "I'm sure they'll be back shortly, but sometimes the spirits talk in riddles and they have to sit there and listen until they are done."
We both chuckled at that. "I'm happy to be a plain warrior then," he added, standing on his feet again and holding out a pouch of water towards me, "It seems like an easier fate."
I accepted the water with a grateful smile. "I'll send them straight to you when I see them."
And then I watched the old man leave with a smile lingering on my lips.
He had trouble walking on the pieces of wood we had laid out in the mud, an attempt to create a stable path between the houses. The climate here was so different from home, but I was certain that the weather would be more pleasant when summer arrived.
Just in case, we had made an offering asking for the gods' blessings. But it wasn't enough according to Freke, so a few days later we had made a circle of standing logs, with the faces of the Allfather Odin, his wife Frigg, their sons, Thor and Balder, and lastly the goddess Freya. Their faces, which were carved out in the tree trunks, were always watching us from the outskirts of Skal now.
It was there that I found my lover on most days. They would sit in the grass in the centre and pray, or throw bones to read or sleep in their wolf form.
But not lately. They had cut me out since we got here, but I calmed my heart by telling myself that it wasn't uncommon of them. What worried me was the fact that they had left me without a word or a message. It was as if the gods wanted them for themselves and Freke was too busy following their will to care about me or any other living being. But hopefully the spirits would eventually let them pull back into reality. I was certain my first love would come back to me, but I lacked the patience to wait.
Some days I would wander into the woods and look for them. I missed their arms around me and their comforting words. But the spirits had their claws grasped into them and they were running wild out there. Sometimes I would find traces of them, evidence of their existence that would give me comfort and I told myself that they would come back when they were ready.
With a sigh I rose to my feet, grabbed my tools and continued to work to get my mind off him, which was easier said than done.
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A/N - Sorry for the late update, I've been super busy with another story that I'm also writing.
Have you seen the new cover yet? Isn't it beautiful? It's the talented Lotur Norn who's drawn it for me ❤️ You can find her on Instagram lotur_norn
