Germania circa 436 A.D.
The last of the winter snow had finally started to melt away, leaving the forest floor icy cold under my bare feet as I ran and leapt over fallen trees and moss covered rocks. My long blonde hair whipped in the wind as I laughed with joy. The Black Forest was my secret home away from the village, a place where I could explore and discover by myself. Even though my mother would scold me frequently, it didn’t stop me from playing between the ancient trees and valley’s.
“Helena, a forest is no place for the daughter of a village chief to run around in. What if you got hurt or eaten by the wild animals that roam there? It would break our hearts to lose you.” She often told me but I was not afraid, even though I was only nine years old. The forest was my world and I ruled as queen there.
I always wanted to be brave like my father and his warriors. I would often sit in the rafters of our house where they couldn’t see me and listen to their tales of faraway places and the wars they fought. My father, the clan leader Aldegar would often speak of the Roman army and how they were marching through Germania. My eyes grew wide as he described their terrible weapons of war and how many they were, more than any little girl could count. But he never gave up, not for even a second and I could see the fire raging in his eyes as he lifted the spirits of his men again.
“No Roman will hold this country, not while the blood of our ancestors still flow in our veins. The very forest itself protects us and we will rain fire on anyone who dares invade our sacred land.” His powerful body stood tall with pride and his long brown beard shimmered by the light of the torches as he raised a tankard of beer into the air. No nasty Romans could ever hurt us, as long as Papa was still standing.
I never stopped believing that.
When they were finished, I would often sneak out into the night and practice sword fighting by myself. The clanking of a wooden sword would sound out as I hit the nearby tries over and over again till I collapsed in exhaustion. Once, I tried to borrow a shield from the village but it was way too heavy for me to drag all the way to the clearing in the forest. So I had to make do with my little sword.
Nobody in the village suspected what I was doing by myself in the dark recesses of the woods, all except one. My father had caught me one day as I was sneaking out a sword from the blacksmith. He didn’t say much, just staring at me with his big blue eyes but I refused to give him and never averted my gaze. He calmly took the Great sword I was lugging behind me in his huge hands and held it in front of him.
“What couldn’t you be more like the other girls in the village?” He grumbled in a deep tone.
I just kept looking up at him, blinking a few times. The silence reached breaking point between us, neither one of us taking a step back but I could see the lines of a smile forming on his face and soon he was roaring with laughter.
“You have a strong heart Helena but I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.” He sighed and looked at the blade again. “Fine, seeing as nothing can convince you otherwise; I might as well give you a decent sword. This one is way too heavy for you.” He placed the Great sword against the wall and reached into a pile of swords the blacksmith had made up early, carefully selecting the right weight for me. Finally he found the right one. “Here, it’s only a light metal sword we use to train the village boys with but it should be perfect for you. But if your mother finds out, you are on your own young lady.”
He looked at me suddenly sternly for a moment. “A sword is not just for killing, it’s for saving lives as well. I pray to the Gods that you will never have to make that decision and carry that terrible burden one day. Do you understand what I’m saying Helena?”
