Chapter 27: Strangers Upon the Tides

Oliefsborg

"You have failed me, father!" Bard yelled aggressively, beating his fist on the arm of the chair.

Erick stared at him with a blank expression on his face, answering with only a slight nod. Bard stood from the throne and stepped down facing Knute.

"I would have been sure of you to find her." Bard spoke smugly, moistening his lips. "I just want you to know that she does not love you, nor will she ever."

Knute hung his head in silence, refraining from an argument.

"Knute and I will continue the search in a few days." Erick sternly spoke, stepping closer to the throne. "Our men are tired. I am tired." He shook his head. "Why can you not just leave us alone? Astrid cannot be found. She is not even worth the search."

Bard's eyes grew wide. "I want Astrid, and only Astrid." He paused. "She is worth the search to me and if you cannot find her then I will simply unleash madness upon your beloved village."

Jezebel watched quietly from behind the curtain of their bedchamber. She held their newborn son tightly in her arms, rocking him back and forth with tears in her eyes. Her heart broke at the thought of Astrid, wondering where she had went.

"Ich liebe dich." Jezebel whispered, placing a kiss upon the sleeping child's head . "Ich werde dich mit meinem Körper und Seele zu schützen." She paused, stroking his tender cheeks. "Egal was."

Jezebel sat down easily onto the edge of the bed and began weeping irrationally while she listened to the argument between Erick and Bard. There was nothing she could do, and knowing that ripped her heart out.

"I suggest you settle yourself down before a war breaks out between us." Erick threatened, spinning around on his heel. He paced steadily back and forth.

"I wonder what measures you would go if I was a threat to your beloved wife and newborn son?" Bard asked, stepping down from the throne. "Father? What do you say to that?"

Anger boiled in Erick's eyes as he bit his lip. "I swear if you lay a hand on them I will kill you myself. I do not care if you are my son or not."

"You would not kill me, for you are to weak-hearted." Bard sat back down smugly. He watched Knute in the corner pounding his clinched fist against the wood table. "Then do us both good and find my Astrid.

Erick stamped his foot aggressively before storming out of the longhouse. He rushed through the village, passing by villagers hastily down the beat down dirt path towards the Seer's shack at the end of the road. He entered the small, filthy place and sat down across from the grungy man.

"Erick." The Seer's husky voice grumbled, while her ran his fingers along the top of a smooth stone. "I felt you would be coming soon. What is it that you need from me?"

"Where is Astrid?" Erick quickly asked, leaning forward in hopes an exact answer would come.

The seer laughed coarsely, dropping the smooth stone into a wooden bowl. "Why do you care about her now? She has been gone for so long."

"Tell me where she is at!" Erick yelled, dropping to his knees. "Please oh gracious Seer. Oliefsborg is in danger if I cannot find her."

"You will never believe me when I say what she is doing." The seer whispered, spinning the rock around in the palm of his dirt-caked hand. "She is a powerful ruler now." He shook his head. "You will never get her back here. You are only wasting your time in trying to find her."

"Where is she?" Erick asked.

"I cannot see that far." He mumbled, placing a pointer finger on his smiling lips.

"Can you see what is to become of Oliefsborg?"

"Do not worry about Oliefsborg." The seer insisted, patting Erick's head. "Worry about what is to become of your wife and newborn child." He turned his head away from Erick. "That is all I can tell you. The rest will come when the time is right."

"No!" Erick shouted, violently shaking his head. "It cannot be this way. You have promised me great things and now you are taking them from me! What kind of lying prophesy are you telling us!?"

A dry cough came from the Seer. "The gods are not pleased with your wife." He laughed broadly. "Or your son for that matter."

"How will it end?" Erick asked, twirling his nervous thumbs. "How many of us will die before it is all over?"

"War will break out." The seer mumbled, laying his hand on Erick's shoulder. "There will be many casualties, some will be harder to accept than others. An unexpected ally will come to your rescue." He coughed and cleared his throat. "And you will be ever gracious. The gods will allow you to prosper only when your son is dead."

"I cannot kill my own son." Erick countered. "I do not want the gods' help if I have to murder him. It is not worth it."

The seer laughed hoarsely. "You will not be the one that kills him, but you will help." He paused, pointing to the door. "Leave me. You have a mission to go on."

¤§¤

Astrid hugged her body tightly as she glanced down at Deman sleeping soundly. A smile came to her face as she watched him sleep. He was hers, and she was his...and that made her happy.

The dark, cold room was silent. Astrid slid carefully from the bed and made her way over to the fire, where she poked the glowing red embers creating a blaze to arise in the fireplace. Her eyes went around the room and she sat down on the floor. Her mind danced wild with thoughts while her eyes focused on the orange flames. Suddenly, a cold air hit her barely covered body.

Confused by the wind, Astrid arose, making her way toward the the opened door that led to the balcony. Her feet glided across the cool stone ground, humming a tune to herself. The starlit sky twinkled brightly, bringing a smile to Astrid as she sat down on the stone bench and overlooked the dark ground below. The moon cast a glow around her, casting a dim glow on Lorna,who stood on the opposite side of the balcony. Lorna was silently sitting on the rail, swinging her bare-feet on the outside, studying the night sky.

Astrid closed her eyes, while the chilly night air brushed her exposed skin.

"It is a beautiful sky!" Astrid spoke, breaking the stillness of the night.

Lorna glanced over Astrid, startled. "What are you doing out here?" She asked, stepping closer. "I thought you were asleep."

"I noticed the door was opened." Astrid responded calmly, looking at Lorna, who wore only a night dress. "What are you doing out here? You will freeze."

Lorna huffed, spinning around on her heel. "It does not matter."

Astrid let out a long sigh before making her way to Lorna's side. "It does matter." She took Lorna's cold, trembling hand. "It has always mattered." Astrid squeezed her hand tightly. "We need to have a serious talk. Now is the perfect time, it is only me and you with nothing standing in our way."

Lorna shook her head in denial without a response, while Astrid sat down beside her on the railing.

"There is nothing to talk about..." Lorna's voice trailed off, as she looked around hesitantly.

"You know good and well that we have never gotten along." Astrid began, rising from where she sat. "It has been a few weeks since I have married and since then you have not spoke a single word to me. I do not know what I done to you that made you hate me so much. Please tell me."

Lorna stared blankly at the dark ground below with tears of anger pricking her eyes.

"I want to be your friend." Astrid pleaded, laying her hand on Lorna's back. "Forgive me for whatever I have done. I-"

"You were perfect." Lorna blurted, looking at Astrid. "I wished I could be like you. You were what the men liked. You were pretty and strong and nice." She shook her head slightly. "I was jealous and wished so much I had a mother I could look at like I had done with you." She paused and let out a breath. "I wanted you gone because I felt that you were a threat to my life. I feared my uncle would like you more and forget about me. I know it was a selfish act but at the time I hated you."

"I am not perfect though. No one is perfect." Astrid whispered, pushing back a strand of her own hair. "I have my scars that no one can see. I hide behind fake smiles."

"I never wanted you to stay and I sure did not want you to marry my uncle." Lorna snapped, crossing her arms aggressively.

"I did not want to stay, but I felt something here I had not felt before." Astrid replied with a sincere smile.

"What was that?" Lorna asked confused.

Astrid leaned forward. "Love."

"How could you see in a world of hate?" Lorna turned away from Astrid. "I did everything I could to make you hate this life, but it turns out that I liked you more than I originally planned. I regret my behaviors now," She paused, glancing over her shoulder. "I just wish we could start over."

Astrid swallowed hard and without responding. "I would like that." She nodded, pressing her lips tightly together.

Lorna inched closer to her until they were eye to eye. "My name is Lorna. I would like to be your friend, Astrid, if you will accept my offer." She mumbled with tears welling in her eyes.

Astrid nodded with a smile, pulling her into a hug. The hugged in silence for several seconds until Lorna noticed an unusual light floating in the distance.

"Wait a minute, Astrid." Lorna hastily spoke, breaking the hug. "What is the floating lights upon the tides?"

Astrid stared at her confused before turning to focus upon the small floating lights that were traveling close the shores. "I do not know. Perhaps some fishermen who were caught at see."

Lorna shook her head. "I know it is not fishermen. All of the boats were docked before evening." She paused, glancing up at Astrid concerned. "Deman made sure of it."

"Maybe it is traders coming in to see what we can offer them." Astrid suggested, looking at the light once again. An uneasy feeling came to her stomach as she watched them move closer and closer to their land. "Go inside. I will inform Deman."

Astrid slipped on her soft soled shoes along with her thick black cloak. She frantically looked around, before shaking Deman awake.

"There are strangers coming upon the tides."

Deman rolled onto his side. "We will worry about that tomorrow. Come back to bed."

Astrid glared at him for several seconds before ripping the sheets away from his body. "Get up now." She spoke sternly, jerking him awake. "I have a bad feeling about these strangers."

¤§¤

"If she is not here," Erick paused, looking up at the moon. "I will not return to Oliefsborg. Knute, I want you to look after Jezebel and Ivar."

Knute nodded silently as he watched the shore become closer and closer. "Let us pray to the Gods that she is here. I am tired of searching with a false hope."

The three longboats moved steadily with each stroke against the water until they docked upon the shores. One by one the men jumped from the edge into the cold water, disembarking upon the new world.

From the castle Astrid stood beside Deman upon the balcony, watching the lanterns coming upon their land.

"They are here." Deman whispered boldly, walking back inside. "I will have them alert the villagers."

Astrid pulled her cloak up over her chilled, shaking body. Her nervous stomach turned with fears in what was to come from these strangers...

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Translations from German:

"Ich liebe dich." - I love you.

"Ich werde dich mit meinem Körper und Seele zu schützen. Egal was." - I'll protect you with my body and soul. No matter what.