Hvitserk was out hunting, well.........as well as he could hunt in the snow with a thick fog surrounding him; a fog so thick that he was sure that he could barely see his hand in front of his face. In truth, he had planned to meet someone in the hunting cabin; a rather comely daughter of one of the local farmers. Her..........er..........sweet nature, the things...........thing, that had attracted him to her, of course. Hvitserk having to make all kinds of excuses as to why he didn't want his brothers to join him when he made his way up to the hunting cabin. Ubbe and Ivar laughing when he had had to confess all. Both of them well aware why their brother's eye had fallen on her. But then, Hvitserk had received word that his plans had been ruined; that the girl had been sent away. Yet not wanting to lose face, nor having the time to really get another woman to enjoy his little hunting trip with, other than the usual thralls, he had decided to still trudge up to the cabin. The prince making his way out into the woods, when the night had been clear. The thought of fresh rabbit or even a deer making his stomach grumble; pushing him to pull back on his furs and make his way out into the night. But now, here he was, without food and not even sure that he could find his way back to the cabin. His stomach grumbling all the louder.
Then suddenly he saw something; a little movement in the undergrowth not too far away from where he was. Hvitserk slowly pulling an arrow from his quiver and notching it, as a lone rabbit bounced out and looked up at him; the son of Ragnar just about to fire, when another arrow whizzed past him, hitting the little creature in the perfect spot; the prince quickly turning around, looking for the archer; not sure whether to give them a piece of his mind for what he would claim was nearly hitting him, or to congratulate them for an excellent shot. Hvitserk calling out, his brows furrowing as no answer came.
Turning back, he looked at the little animal; its blood staining the snow. The bright red in complete contrast to the stark white. Hvitserk making his way over to the rabbit and using the arrow to pick it up; the prince determining that if the hunter was not coming to claim their prize, then he wouldn't turn it down.
"I think that you will find that that is mine............" A husky voice called out. Hvitserk turning on his heel as he heard it. His hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword, as a figure loomed towards him through the fog. A smile coming to his lips, as he saw the face that lay beneath a large fur hood. A face that made him forget all about the young woman that he had planned on meeting. A face that made him forget nearly everything; most importantly, his empty belly.
She looked strong, with broad shoulders; the prince presuming that she must be a shieldmaiden. Her stride long, yet elegant. The woman standing before him in a matter of moments, looking at him, eye to eye.
"Don't you have enough.............?" Hvitserk asked, as he looked at the animals that were already attached to her belt and bag. It obvious that she had been having a much better evening than he had.
"Could you not spare just this one, for a starving soul...............?"
"Starving............you? You wouldn't know what starving was. Tell me.........prince. When was the last time that you had an empty belly, a real empty belly. One that had not been stuffed the night before, with the best of meats and the finest of meads. Tell me, when was the last time that you had to go without, so that your children could eat; could survive? No, I could not spare this creature. I killed it, it is mine; and if you are not good enough to find something to eat after being out here all this time, then I would suggest that you make your way back to town and get a little more practice with that bow. Perhaps you and your brothers concentrate too much on the sword." The woman told him. Hvitserk's mouth agog as she took the rabbit and her arrow from his hand, before she turned and disappeared back into the fog. The prince calling out after her, asking how she knew all that; how she knew who he was. Asking her to at least give him her name. His heart dropping, as no reply came.
>>-----------------------------------<<
Hvitserk hide behind a dense clump of bushes, watching.........waiting. It had been some time since he had first met the huntress. Some time since she had sort of insulted him. Despite the lateness of the hour and the fog, Hvitserk had somehow found his way back to the cabin, taken everything that he needed and made his way back into Kattegat. Once there, he had asked about the woman, described her; no one seeming to know who she might be, but all saying that they wished they did. The prince unable to get her out of his mind; unable to figure out how she could know so much about him. How she could possibly have seen the rabbit from where she was, in the thick fog. So, he had taken it upon himself to find out the answers to his questions. Hvitserk making his way up to the hunting cabin whenever he had the chance. Making his way out into the woods to see if he could find her.
After a while, he had grown disillusioned when he had seen neither sight nor sound of her; coming to believe that perhaps she travelled. That perhaps she had just been camped in the woods for a short while. But then..........then he had seen her; it had been late, the world asleep. But she, she was very much awake, making her way through the houses of a small village that was some distance from Kattegat; it appearing that the inhabitants, the cabins had seen better days. The prince taken aback, as on each doorstep he watched the huntress place an animal that she had killed, pulling some other sundries from her bag and having them join the animal, before she moved to the next. And here he was again, admittedly it was a different village even further from Kattegat, but she was doing the same thing. This time though........this time he was going to do more than just watch; he was going to ask her why she did what she did, and who she was.