Conqueror of the Vikings

Suspicions

          Hey guys, I combined the last chapter with this one, just to make it longer. Please vote and keep reading. Bye all (:

Pic of Catherine over there >>>>>>

   I excitedly sat down at the small, oak dining table like I had done every night since I was capable of walking. I was starving after a long day of tedious work with Daddy and Clark. We went searching for firewood, collecting water from the nearby river and picking berries that were close by on bushes. Clark was in a daze the whole day so I ended up doing most of his work. I hated when he slacked off. Daddy would constantly survey our surroundings since we were close to Viking territory. My brother and I were always told to, under no circumstances cross the river that led into the forest near the Viking camps. Of course that was when we were little, things were changing. The river and the forest were the only things that separated us civilized folk from those cutthroat barbarians. 

    Mother served mutton, honey on loaf bread and we all drank mead. Sure we ate the same thing almost every night, but it filled the empty space in my stomach. The dining room was dark except for the lanterns illuminating it. The kitchen was opposite to us. Pans and spoons hung from the makeshift ceiling by hooks that Daddy had nailed in. To the far left of the kitchen were our beds. They were wooden frames with bundles of blankets for padding. Our home was small and quaint, like the many other homes in the Village of Alrik. The boys all went to the village's community school while the girls would stay home and help their mothers. Daddy did not want his little girl home cooking and cleaning all day so he took me with him to do his daily chores. It was by adventuring with him that I gained all my knowledge of hunting and survival.

    I was 16 and I was trained to hunt and kill. My brother, now 14 was an excellent archer. He could hit a target from many yards away. Our father had taught us well, very well. Mother never really liked this hunting business, she would say, "Young ladies should not partake in such sports, leave it all to the men." I never understood why men got to do all the exciting things and women got stuck cleaning and cooking.

    "Catherine!" I heard my mother yell, pulling me out of my reverie.

    "Oh, huh?" Was my confused reply.

    "We're about to say grace, show some respect young lady."

    I mentally groaned. If I knew we were about to say grace then I would've bowed my head, so sorry I'm not perfect, mother. If these words had ever left my mouth I would've gotten a severe punishment. I hated having to be so docile and compliant. I had a mind and I wanted to speak it. But no, young ladies had to be seen not heard.

    I closed my eyes and listened to my mother as she ever so eloquently prayed.

   "Gracious God, who has provided us with the meal before us, we thank you. I pray that the food will be blessed and will provide our able bodies with the warmth they need to survive another long and cold night." 

    "Amen," we all said in unison. 

    My father began dinner by taking a large bite out of the mutton drumstick. 

    "So," he said with a mouthful of food, "Are my two hunters ready for tomorrow? It's going to be quite an interesting day." 

    I awkwardly laughed at my father's lack of table manners and nodded my head. I had been waiting so long to prove that I could be the first female warrior. I would show all those Vikings who they should really fear. A smirk spread across my face thinking of how they would all soon cower in fear of Catherine the Great. I liked that title it seemed so majestic.