brave in the heart. vikings

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Chapter twenty one

While the the thick ice sheet over the fjord had not yet budged, the sprinkling over the middle of the hills and mountains had begun to unsettle and more and more of the stark, brown branches of the miles of trees had begun to awaken from beneath their blankets. The sounds that winter had banished were also slowly returning: the squawking of the seabirds that settled by the beach, awaiting the melting, the rustle of the trees and the bare minimum of leaves. It was heaven to her ears.

The people of Kattegat were a lot less quiet too, Merida noticed as she walked through the city, Bjorn close at her side. Streets were bustling, trade beginning to grown again. The Winter has been tough and many had chosen to remain inside with their families, rather than venture into the thick snow that in some places could reach past knees.

"How do I go about this?" She asked, glancing toward Bjorn.

He had taken the lead, given that she had no idea in what direction they were going. He was taking her to the seer, a man gifted with sight by the gods in return for removing his own vision by cutting his eyes. She shivered at the thought of it. It was Ragnar's idea, suggesting that she seek out the seer to learn about her future. Merida supposed he was probably either sick of hearing about her want for freedom, or he wanted to know if she was compatible with Bjorn's own fate. Regardless, Merida was just eager to hear what the seer could say.

"Well you ask him what he sees," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

She scoffed. "Anything more specific?"

"Whatever you want. It really isn't that hard."

"Remind me why I wanted you here."

Bjorn barked out a laugh. "I can leave. There are a lot more things I'd rather be doing."

Merida raised her brows, watching as a smile broke out on his face. "You won't dare."

He didn't dare. Bjorn remained by her side. They neared the place where she presumed the seer resided. Athelstan already stood by the door, his fingers bitten between his lips.

"Athelstan too?"

"And Floki."

His eyes widened. "You have a death wish."

"Or a peace wish," she said, her shoulders shrugging. "You could really see it from both ways."

Since coming to Kattegat, both Athelstan and Floki were the ones that she spent the most time with, apart from Bjorn and Helga- she loved Helga. That meant she saw how hostile they were to each other, though it was mostly one sided.

"I think I liked it more when you couldn't speak my language." Merida laughed, seeing the teasing smirk that already slid it's way onto his chipped lips. "But really. You will be fine. Just ask what he sees."

"Thank you."

She smiled, shuffling slightly before she ducked under the doorway toward the seer. Since the day by the falls, she had been awkward with Bjorn, though he hadn't realised. Something had shifted, and it distracted her from everyday movements more than she liked to admit.

Merida kneeled in front of the hooded figure, her heart rate immediately rising. If it wasn't the mere decorations of the room, earthy and eclectic and piled to the roof of dried leaves and such, it was the sight of the shadows that lingered around his downturned face, that made her nervous.

The seer lifted, face gazing straight toward her, and though he had deadly crosses instead of eyes, Merida could feel the weight of his watch on her skin, as if he could truly see under her hair and into her brain, picking each of her thoughts apart. And the ominous scare of the jagged stitching across his sockets was jarring, just as crusted as his pale lips. She swallowed.

"What is it that you wish to ask the Gods?"

The seer's voice was deep and high at the same moment, like multiple voices speaking at once, merging into a single sound.

"Is my future the path that everyone wants me to take?" Merida asked, watching as the seer shifted his position, head rolling on top his greyish neck. "O wise one," she added, remembering what Lagertha had instructed her before she left.

"Your presence here is answer enough."

She blinked. His answer was vague, it could mean either way.

"What do you see?"

"I see..." He breathed out, air brushing across her face like a dusty wind. "A band of knots."

A pause left Merida sighing in thought. Another vague answer. And as she was about to open her mouth in question, the seer spoke again.

"A waterfall stained red."

A band of Knots. A waterfall stained red. They were simply words. Words that meant nothing to her.

"A bear's fur, matted blood."

The seer was nodding as if the meaning was obvious. Her jaw clenched.

"An orange city."

"I don't understand," she barked out, nails gripping into the skin of her knees.

"You will understand when the time is right," he answered, head moving back to be cast in shadows once again, staring at the floor. "When it cannot be changed."

Merida didn't wait another moment before she was marching from the room, pushing the door open and continuing her walk back toward the beach. Bjorn lifted himself quickly, not shocked at all as he hurried after her, Athelstan and Floki no where in sight.

"What did he say?"

"What a pointless waste of time!" She groaned through gritted teeth.

"Was it bad? What did he say?"

"Words that made no sense," she said. "What is the point of hearing the prophesies if they don't make sense until they have passed? It'll lead to pointless worrying."

Bjorn stopped her with a hand on her arm. "What did he say, Merida?"

Merida sighed, but answered obediently. She pulled her arm from his grip. She couldn't deal with his touch.

"That my path is not the one expected by my family," she breathed out. But she didn't know that was the truth in his answer. "But he said words: a- a band of knots, a waterfall stained red, a bear's fur, matted with blood and an orange city."

Bjorn didn't answer for a moment.

"I don't know what they mean," she said.

"But at least you know that your life will be how you want it, not your family. That is what you want, isn't it?"

Merida smiled, looking away. He was rather wise "Yes, it is."

What did that mean though? That she wouldn't marry well just to please her kingdom? Now she had just betrayed them all, left them with Kings rather than a hotheaded Queen. Perhaps it really was best. Now she wouldn't be forced upon Bjorn, or any of the other Lords for that matter. She could be her own person.