SIGGY

Chapter 1

My blanched bare hands gripped the rough leather handle strap on my bow. The frigid wooden arrow rested on my pointer knuckle and was drawn back all the way to the right corner of my salmon lips. I kept my cerulean eyes straight ahead on the rabbit that sat perfectly still on the verdant grass. I let my pointer, middle, and ring finger slip off the string and carefully watched the white fletching stand out in midair and pierce through the rabbit. It's body remained in the same spot only with an arrow sticking out of it's throat.

I leaped off the tree branch and stealthily made my way to the deceased animal. I grabbed the knock of the arrow and pulled it out of the rabbit. I took a bag that wrapped around my belt and placed the rabbit in.

Once I tied a rope around the opening of the bag, I headed back to my village. As I trudged through the woods I carefully tried to avoid the thorn bushes. The sun's light followed me as I got closer to Kattegat.

Torches lit up the village as the sun gradually hid behind the mountains. My charcoal boots stomped on the dirt path to the home of King Ragnar Lothbrok. I pushed the door open and continued my way in. I handed the bag to a slave that was closest to me, reminding him what was inside and how I wanted it to be butchered and cooked. The slave bowed his head and hurried to the kitchen. "There you are!"

I turned my attention straight ahead to see my father, Björn. He pulled me in for a hug and squeezed my face against his chest. "I was worried you weren't going to make it back before dark. I don't want you out so late." I pushed myself away and gave my father a playful frown.

"I'm fine father. I'm old enough to take care of myself." Björn lifted my chin and smiled down at me.

"Catch anything?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"A rabbit. I didn't see anything bigger." Björn placed a hand on my shoulder and led me towards my grandparents and uncles.

They sat at a long dark wooden table. Ragnar was seated at the head; his bald head made his tattoo marks more visible, his long scruffy beard was starting to reveal little gray strands. Next to him was his wife, Aslaug, whose long sinuate cinnamon blonde hair was split in half and rested on both shoulders. On his other side was his ex-wife the famous shield maiden and my grandmother, Lagertha, whose blonde hair that matched mine was tied up in numerous braids. Going down on both sides of the table were my uncles, also my father's half-brothers; Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar.

"Sit Siggy," Aslaug suggested as she gestured her hand to the table. I lightly bowed my head and sat down next to my uncle Ubbe.

"Siggy" Ragnar spoke. I looked up and made eye contact with my grandfather. "Your grandmother has told me that you've been training, and how you've improved immensely." My eyes turned away from Ragnar and a little over to Lagertha. She stared at me, smiling with pride. "In a few months your grandmother, father, uncles, and I will be leaving Kattegat to return to Wessex and take back the land King Ecbert rightfully gave us."

"I understand. I will do my best to help Queen Aslaug and the people of Kattegat." A slave carefully placed a plate of meat in front of me and then hastened away. I took a bite and then swallowed before looking up at Ragnar. He slowly shook his head.

"No child. You will not be staying here. I want my granddaughter to fight alongside her family. You will be coming with us to England." My frolic eyes widened as my lips parted and spread from ear to ear with jubilance. I arose from my seat and rushed to my grandfather, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Thank you! I won't let you down!" I then turned to my grandmother and hugged her close to me as well. Unlike Ragnar, she returned the hug.

. . . .

Tomorrow was the day I would finally prove myself to my family that I was no longer a petite, fragile girl. I was going to become a Viking! I squeezed my knees closer to my chest as thoughts of me fighting alongside the eminent shieldmaiden, Lagertha, and the great King Ragnar clouded my mind. Ragnar gave my father the name Björn Ironside because not a single weapon marked my father when he fought in England. I sat still in the sand on the shores of Kattegat and gazed at the water. I kept trying to come up with names for myself for when I showed what I have prepared myself for, practically my whole life.

I never wanted to be a meager housewife. I wanted to be strong and ruthless. However, there were times I admired both Lagertha and Aslaug for their gracefulness. They showed the elegance that women possessed and true beauty.

The sound of footsteps pressing into the sand and kicking it up grew closer to me as I remained sitting on the alabaster sand with my knees pulled under my chin and my arms coiled around my legs. A light breeze lifted the ends of my three long braids a little. Out of the left corner of my eye I could see someone sit down next to me. Whoever it was placed their arm around my shoulder and pulled me in. I looked up and saw my father stare at the docks. We watched the boats sit on the water. I rested my head on his arm and watched the water make ripples from the wind.

"I will make you proud father. I promise."

"You don't need to promise. I'm already proud of you, I've always been." I smiled at my father's charitable words.

"Do you think . . . that mother would be proud of me too?" There was a minute or two of silence. My father rarely mentioned her and didn't like being reminded of my mother. It wasn't till a year or two ago I finally found out what happened and why I never had one.

"I think she would." I looked up at him when he finally spoke. "Your mother was a headstrong person like you and wanted nothing more than to prove herself. If she could see you now and how you've grown into a mature young woman, she would the happiest and luckiest mother in the world." He looked down at me and smiled then gave a light kiss on the top of my head.

"Father" he was quiet, "I'm hungry." Björn let out a small laugh and stood up. My father and I walked side by side back to the house for supper. Before I followed him inside I turned around and caught a glimpse of the empty boats that remained stable on the water and thought about the raid. Tomorrow was the day my life would change, hopefully for the better.