A Slaves Freedom

Lessons and The Plan

I woke to the sun as it rose into the ever lightening sky and the smell of cooking fish coming from the main room. Sliding out of bed I made my way towards the alluring scent to find Sigurd preparing a small traveling pack when the smell drew my attention towards the fire in the hearth. There above the flames sat two fair sized pieces of meat, one fish, the other some kind of game. "Hungry are we?" he asked. "What is this?" I said refering to the unknown meat. "It's deer. There are plenty in these woods. It will be ready soon then we will eat and be on our way." he seemed to be done with the pack and now waited on the cooking meat. "On our way where?" I asked. "You'll see. Could you pass me that sack?" he asked pointing towards a small leather bag. I held it open as he slid the deer meet into it. He then tied it saying "This will be for later. We have a long day ahead." He then placed the fish on the table and began cutting.

After eating we started out through the woods and away from the house behind us. I couldn't help but wonder what plans he had for me. What kind of lessons could he have for a slave? Maybe I didn't want to know. We continued walking for about an hour before we came to a small clearing with a beautiful pond in the center. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the most amazing place I had ever seen and it was hidden away like a secret treasure. "It's beautiful isn't it? I used to come here to escape the rest of the world. I thought it would be a good place to teach you." "It's a sanctuary. I had one once too. It was where the forest met the ocean back home. No one ever went there because it was said that a beast lived there between the water and trees. Yet it was only ever myself who found peace in it." I began to miss my home once again as I described it. "It sounds amazing. Perhaps one day we could go back." he said, but no matter how much I wanted it I didn't believe it would ever happen.

After a few hours of learning what a viking's slave is meant to do, how they are meant to act, and a many other unpleasent things we decided to take a break. "I don't know how I'm going to survive this. Even when I belonged to him I never had to do these things. I was his entertainment more than anything." I said more to myself than Sigurd. "It'll be difficult, but it's only temporary. I will not mark you unless I have no other choice." he said. "How is this temporary? What if I let you mark me? Then no one can touch me and I don't have to worry about doing something wrong." "Astrid, we both know you don't want that...and my plan wasn't just to train you as a slave. If we can get them to see you as my slave just for a while then it gives us enough time to make them see you as a shield maiden." he explained. "What!? How's that supposed to work?" I asked. "As my slave you will do what I want you to which means if I want you to fight for me you will. I know you're stronger than even some of our men. I still remember the way you fought and I know others do too. I know that if you go through with this you will come out no longer fearing any man. They will fear you."

I thought over his plan and it was better than becoming a slave for the rest of my life, so our training plans changed. I would act a slave in the eyes of the village, do as he asks and should things go wrong I'd let him mark me. We'll practice combat and soon enough he'll put me into a fight for everyone to see. Sigurd plans to tell Bjorn of our plan and hopefully he supports it. Then with his help I will be set against some shield maidens and work my way up from there. Maby this will work after all.

We ate in silence as we walked back home, both thinking over everything that could go wrong. "You know...I'm actually happy that you took me that day. It's strange but you're just so different and where else am I going to get to take part in some insane plan. It's an adventure." I said breaking the silence. "You are the strangest woman I've ever met." Sigurd says as he stops to look at me. "but after everything I've seen I'm glad I took you." He continued. We began to laugh, from joy or fear I don't know. 'I never thought a viking would be the one to save me from royalty. It's backwards to any story you'd hear as a child, but here I am making my own. I just wonder how it's going to end'