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"My Queen, I will follow you anywhere and protect you always, but..." Sigtryggr trailed off, moving from side to side as his horse marched over the hills alongside me. "Am I permitted to ask?"
I kept my face staring straight ahead, the winter's wind biting at my face as we rode against it, onwards to the Saxon camp. "You are permitted."
"Why does your husband not ride with us to battle?" He asked the question everyone wished to ask of me the second I stepped out of Dunholm that evening, alone.
I had slept at Saga's house that night after her, Stiorra, and I had gotten royally drunk and sung songs until the dawn. I had only gone back into the castle to change before noon, and when I had entered my room, only Hrafen and his nanny greeted me. I had left without saying goodbye because I doubted Sihtric wanted to see me.
"My husband," I began flatly, "does not think battle is the right answer. He advocates for peace."
"But the peace... has been broken by the Saxons," Sigtryggr frowned, "does he not realise this?"
"He is stubborn," I muttered, reaching out to stroke Helios's head, "and he is angry with me."
"Surely, he should still be here," Stiorra called out, riding closely behind us, her ears and eyes keen.
I shrugged calmly, "I will fight him on this once peace is restored."
A brown horse rode up beside mine, strong and young, named Skadi meaning shadow.
"Mother," Emil greeted me with a tight smile, trying to hide his own anger that he had felt since the evening when we left Dunholm. He resented his father for not appearing.
"We will leave you," Sigtryggr urged his horse backwards beside Stiorra while Emil and I went slightly ahead of the group.
Emil reached out to pat Helios's back, eyeing the old war horse's braided mane and painted runes, "I will fight beside you tonight, Mother, in place of Father."
"You will stay in the hill and wat—"
"I will fight beside you," Emil cut me off with a sternness that he did not often hold, his eyes meeting mine, "Tyr wills it."
I could not stop the bark of a laugh that left my mouth suddenly.
Emil relaxed as I laughed, his own smile becoming more genuine, "Does it not sound right from me yet?"
I shook my head slowly, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder, "It works fine, I just did not expect it."
"I was trying to sound like you," Emil mumbled, suddenly shy, "you command hundreds of men by simply telling them Freyja demands something."
"But I do not lie when I say it," I mumbled, pinching his cheek lightly before returning my hand to my bridle. "Do you have a gift from your God?"
Emil nodded curtly, "It came to me when Brida went to cut down my sister."
As usual, anger filled my chest at the mention of the woman, but I tried to push it down, "Oh?"
"It is my skin," Emil revealed, holding up his arm, "it goes hard like stone so that blades can not cut it."
Pride replaced the anger I felt, and I reached out to stroke his hair, "I am so proud of you. That is a wonderful gift."
Emil lowered his hand back to his bridle, "So I will fight beside you, Mother, as Tyr has willed me to fight. I am a man now. I wish to stand beside you in a shield wall."
I watched his determined face and knew that it would not matter what I said; Emil would be there. Instead, I glanced back at Sigtryggr, "You will stand beside Sigtryggr and me and not a step away from us."
"Of course," Emil rushed out, his heart soaring elatedly.
Sigtryggr accepted my order with a nod, offering Emil a slight smile.
"My Queen!"
I turned back to the front as Wolland's horse raced towards me, "What is it?"
"The camp," Wolland rushed out, "we have reached it. We must leave the horses and continue on foot into the trees."
I pulled Helios to a stop, swiftly dismounting from him, "What did you see?"
"No more than a hundred men," Wolland revealed, "they will be dead before Edward can save them."
"And our way into the camp?" Sigtryggr called out, helping Stiorra from her horse.
"Their are two routes, Jarl," Wolland revealed, "through the forest and around or over the frozen lake."
"The lake is too risky," Stiorra spluttered, "it will not hold, and if the sun is any hotter, it will melt it."
I hummed under my breath, turning to Emil, "What does Tyr say?"
Emil startled, his cheeks flushing, "I— I do not quite know how to speak to him yet."
"That is to be expected," I nodded curtly, offering my hand out to him, "come. I will show you." I glanced back at Sigtryggr, "Take the warriors to the forest, prepare them, and wait. I will return as soon as we have spoken to the Gods."
"Of course," Sigtryggr bowed his head before raising his voice and speaking to the warriors around us.
Emil followed me into the side of the forest where no warriors walked, and we sat together between the trees.
"Now, usually," I mumbled, "I would suggest one of us stay awake, but I wish to guide you through to Tyr myself."
"You can do that?" Emil blinked as I pulled a few vials from the inside of my armour.
"Freyja can," I grinned, passing the smallest bottle to him. "It is poison, so you will feel strange and drowsy. Do not fight it. Just close your eyes."
"Why do I have to drink poison?" Emil wrinkled his nose, eyeing the vial in his hand.
"Because to speak to the Gods, you have to cross onto the line between life and death," I revealed, selecting a vial for myself as well. "Do not worry, the Gods will not let you die."
Emil nodded slowly, taking the cork out of the vial, "Skol?"
I snorted, doing the same to my vial and toasting it, "Skol." Then, we both tossed the poison to the back of our throats.
Freyja's creek was dark and dull, as it often was in the winter season, and it was far too cold. I did not come here as often as I used to.
I wrapped my arms around myself, looking around slowly, "Good evening, Great Goddess."
Freyja responded with wind.
"Will you let him in?" I mused, "He is new to this. I know you wish to meet him too."
"He is older than you were," Freyja replied, her voice quiet, "stronger too."
"He is bonded to Tyr," I told her, searching through the mist of the creek with my eyes, "and my daughter to Loki."
"Powerful children," Freyja hummed, "Fine, I will let him in."
A gasp sounded at my back, and I whipped around.
Emil breathed heavily, his eyes looking all over, frightened and confused.
"You are okay," I stepped forward, taking his hands, "you are in Freyja's creek. You are safe."
Emil swallowed a few times, looking around as his heart continued to race, "It is cold."
I snorted softly, "Greet the Goddess before you complain."
He looked around slowly, at the water and the trees, "I do not see her?"
I squeezed his hands, "She is all around you. Speak to her."
Emil swallowed one last time, settling on looking up at the sky, "It is nice... to meet you, Goddess Freyja."
"Greetings, Emil of Northumbria," Freyja spoke gently, her voice almost teasing, "welcome to the other world."
I turned, keeping Emil's hands in mind, "He needs passage to Tyr. Can you get him there?"
"Tyr has a cave," Freyja mused, "a bland place of little colour. Would you not rather stay here, boy?"
I could tell Emil wished to point out that Freyja's creek did not look its finest in the winter as well, but one squeeze of his hand had him reconsidering.
"I wish to meet the God I am blood tied to... Great Goddess," Emil mumbled.
Freyja sent a small gust of wind at his face, "You are no fun." And with a soft pop, she made Emil disappear.
I dropped my hands to the side, looking back up to the skies, "Thank you."
"Do you wish for my guidance before you go?" Freyja spoke like a mother to her child, amused and aware that her children had outgrown her, but they were still not yet clever.
"Any wisdom is appreciated before battle," I smiled, moving my limbs a little to fight against the cold.
"My advice is as such," Freyja whispered, "do not fear and do not run. The ravens will fly over you. The Gods are pleased by your entertainments."
I forced down my growing smile, "Thank you, Goddess." When I blinked, I found myself back in the forest.
Emil slept still, his body tilted, and I did not dare to move it.
I stood slowly, dusting off my armour and looking towards the now empty field, aside from stray horses, where my warriors had been. I had the blessing of the Gods. This was now a sacred battle.
"Ah!"
I turned, raising my brow as Emil scrambled to pick himself up from the forest floor, mud painting his face. "You will get used to that."
He spat out a twig from his mouth, sitting up hastily, "I spoke to him, Mother!"
I crouched, using my sleeve to wipe his face, "And what did he say?"
Emil rushed to stand, swaying slightly as the effects of the poison wore off, "He said to take the lake. He said,'Glory is on the path most cold', and I am sure he meant the lake."
I nodded curtly, rising with him, "I agree. We must go and tell the warriors."
"Can we sacrifice something?" Emil wondered as I began to walk, "I have only seen Olav do it, and I know it is important for the Gods."
I closed my eyes for a moment as I walked through the trees, listening for heartbeats, "There is a frog nearby if you would like to gift it."
"What do I do with it?" Emil jumped over some branches, grabbing my arm.
I hummed, leading him up to the path of the frog, "You say, 'Great Gods of Asgard, I offer you this blessing of blood and spirit' and then, you kill the sacrifice."
Emil let the frog go three times before he managed to catch, speak the words, and kill it, and by the end, he was more concerned with the slime on his hands than the sacrifice. But, he would learn.
Heart beats echoed nearby as we crossed over a hill, and I sped up a little.
"Come, the warriors wait for us," I urged Emil forward, "we do not have long. Once the night is over, so is our chance at stealth."
"Yes, Mother," Emil scurried after me, holding onto the axe that Ingemar had gifted him.
Ingemar was now manning the border of Northumbria, making sure no one could get in and out of it.
"The Queen is here!" A bark shouted, and warriors rushed to part as I walked past them, Emil on my heels.
"You have spoken to the Gods?" Sigtryggr met me halfway, leading me the rest of the way to the front of the forest, between the trees.
"Freyja says we are in the Gods favour," I told him calmly, and a few heartbeats in the area calmed.
"And Tyr?" Sigtryggr urged.
I looked to Emil, and Sigtryggr did the same.
Emil flushed under our gazed but straightened his back anyway, "The Great God of war has deemed our path to be the one over the lake. The ice will hold us."
Some relief crossed Sigtryggr's face, and he looked back to the Saxon camp below us, "That is good." He looked to me then, "When do we strike, My Queen?"
I looked at the dark skies, slowly lightening by the minute and between the clouds, I could make out the figures of two black birds. I turned back to the warriors, offering them a narrow smile that I was sure looked more sinister than kind. "The Gods are with us. Do not let them down."
Thumps echoed around us.
I looked to the camp again, letting my anger fuel me and drive me, "We march."
"Onwards!" Sigtryggr called back, "For Northumbria!"
My heart beat with Freyja's, and I smirked, "For Northumbria."
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