That was the first thing that struck me as I stepped out of the great hall. Snow in springtime was far from rare, but I couldnโt help but
feel that the gray sky and flat light were fitting for the day. Fat flakes of white spiraled down, the narrow paths leading between homes thick with mud and slush, forcing me to hold my skirts up lest I arrive at the ceremony looking like Iโd been wallowing with the pigs.
The people of Halsar came out of their homes to watch me pass, the expressions of those who met my gaze cold despite the fact all would be feasted tonight by their lord. โYour people do not seem to favor this marriage,โ I said softly to Ylva, who walked at my left, her mouth drawn in an unsmiling line.
โBecause they do not know the power you bring,โ she said. โThey see only an insult to their beloved lady of Halsar.โ
Iโd have rolled my eyes at her ego except that while the people scowled at me, they smiled at Ylva, touching her as she passed and offering her praise for her strength. I wanted to snarl at them that it was their jarl who had made this choice, therefore it was their jarl who deserved their ire, but it would be a waste of breath. They wanted to blame me.
โFreya!โ A familiar voice reached me, and I turned my head to find Ingrid standing between two buildings, a sword clutched in her hands. Her brown hair was sodden, her freckled face pink from the cold as she stepped toward me. For a heartbeat, I was certain that sheโd come to tell me not to do it. To tell me that she and Geir would accept the permanent loss of his place in Snorriโs war band if it meant sparing me this union. To tell meโ
The thought vanished as a pair of warriors drew their weapons and leapt between Ingrid and me.
โStop,โ I shouted, trying to intervene, but another warrior caught hold of my arm. โSheโs my friend!โ
โYou cannot know that for certain,โ Ylva snapped. โNow that your identity is known, friends may become enemies to achieve their own ends.โ
I was tempted to snap back that she needed to be more selective in her friendships, but one of the men had Ingrid by the arm, the other right up in her face. Twisting, I kicked the man holding me in the knee, ignoring his shouts as I stormed toward my friend, mud splattering the skirt Iโd tried so hard to keep clean. โLet her go! Now!โ
The men made no move to unhand Ingrid. I wasnโt certain if it was because they didnโt recognize my authority or if they believed that Ingrid, who was timid as a mouse and could barely wield a cooking knife without cutting herself, was truly a threat.
โLet the woman go.โ
I tensed at Bjornโs voice, for Iโd not realized heโd been part of the procession. Though I was glad he was when the warrior holding Ingrid immediately complied with his order.
โIt is not your place to involve yourself, Bjorn,โ Ylva snapped. โAlready Freya has been injured while in yourย care.โ
Leaning against a wall, Bjorn disregarded the comment and said, โIf Freya says this woman is a friend, then you should believe her, Ylva. Or do you not trust the woman youโre about to share your husband with?โ
Ylvaโs face purpled. โSheโs naive. Sheโโ
โIs a widowed woman, not a child, so you should not treat her as one.โ Bjorn lifted one shoulder. โThoughโฆsheย isย about to wed a man old enough to be her father, so perhaps it is fair.โ
โBjorn, you needโโ
Ignoring Ylva, he turned to Ingrid. โWhatโs your name?โ
โIngrid.โ My friend looked ready to piss herself from fear, and I hated that. Hated that sheโd come all this way to speak to me, only to be treated in such a manner.
โThe Ingrid that Geir is so desperate to wed that he threw his own sister to the wolves?โ Bjorn snorted in disgust. โYou could do better than that spineless piece of weasel shit.โ
It was my turn to snarl, โBjorn, donโt be an arse!โ but he paid me no more mind than he had Ylva as he said, โYou arenโt here to harm Freya, are you, Ingrid?โ
A tear ran down my friendโs face and she snuffled out a โNo. Iโd never hurt Freya.โ
โI didnโt think so.โ Hooking his thumbs in his belt, Bjorn looked to me. โSay what needs saying, Freya, but be quick about it.โ
Giving him a withering glare for his comment about my brother, I elbowed my way past the warriors, drawing Ingrid enough away to give a semblance of privacy. โWhat are you doing here?โ I asked, trying to ignore the lingering hope that Ingrid came bearing salvation.
โI came to thank you.โ She wiped the tears from her face. โGeir told me everything. What youโve agreed to and why. What you did. That you did it to spare us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Freya.โ
My stomach gave a slight twist of discomfort as my foolish hope turned to ash and I looked away from her. Nothing she could have said would have dissuaded me from this course of action. Yet it still stung that she hadnโt offered any protest. Still hurt that she wasnโt willing to suffer a blow to her
future to spare mine. The fact that I wouldnโt have accepted didnโt matter; what would have mattered was that she cared enough about me to offer.
She cares,ย I silently chided myself.ย Sheโs just afraid.ย โIs Geir all right?โ
Ingrid gave a tight nod. โHe wouldโve come if he could, only the pain is bad. But your mother says it was a clean break and will heal well with time and rest.โ She tentatively held out the sword. โGeir sent this. It was your fatherโs.โ
My chin quivered as a rush of emotion raced through me, for this was the weapon that Geir would have gifted Ingrid when they were wed, and she was giving it to me to wield. Not the sacrifice Iโd foolishly hoped for, but it still meant all the world to me that theyโd wanted me to have it. Unsheathing it, I smiled to see that it had been polished and sharpened. โThank you.โ
Ingrid whispered, โIโm sure the jarl will be honored to wield it.โ
My smile immediately fell away. Not a gift for me, but a gift for Snorri.
When Iโd wed Vragi, Iโd given him my grandfatherโs sword, polished to a high shine, whereas the one heโd given me was a rusted blade pilfered from the grave of a distant cousin, so poorly made that the hilt broke off in the middle of the ceremony.
Logically I knew that my family needed to provide a blade for me to gift Snorri, but did it have to be this one? This was the last piece of my father that existed. It was precious to me, which both Ingrid and Geir knew, yet they were giving it to Snorri to earn his favor. The urge to tell her to take it back filled my core. Instead I shoved it into its sheath.
โFreya,โ Ylva said loudly. โYou may speak to her afterward. The jarl should not be waiting on you.โ
The desire to twist around and scream at Ylva to shut her mouth nearly overwhelmed me, but I managed to keep my anger in check, instead leaning close to Ingrid. โDonโt stay. It isnโt safe. Get home and warn everyone to stay away unless the jarl summons them, understood? Out of sight, out of mind.โ
The snowflakes melting on her face mixed with her tears, but Ingrid nodded. โCongratulations, Freya. I know you didnโt ask for this match, but I
think you will find more happiness in it than you would have with Vragi. You will get to be a warrior, like you always dreamed. And youโll be able to use your magic.โ
I blinked, something about the way she said the last, without shock or hesitation, triggering a realization. โYou knew.โ
Ingrid bit her lip, then nodded. โGeir told me some years ago. I thinkโฆI think keeping the secret weighed upon him.โ Her expression grew earnest. โBut I didnโt tell anyone, Freya. I swear it.โ
Weighed uponย him? My chest hollowed and I looked at the mud between us. For most of my life, Iโd hidden my magic,ย my heritage,ย which meant keeping it from everyone Iโd ever known. Never once had I told, because Iโd understood intrinsically that it wouldnโt just be me who would be hurt if my secret got out, it would be my family. โIt doesnโt much matter now.โ
Ingrid hugged me tightly, my one hand trapped between us, the hilt of the sword digging into my breastbone painfully. โThis is a gift from the gods, Freya. You must look at it as such.โ
I didnโt trust myself to say anything, so instead I only nodded and turned back to those waiting. Ylva scowled at me, but Bjornโs gaze was on Ingrid, who was splashing away through the mud. โI take it back,โ he said. โShe does not deserve better than your brother.โ
โWhat do you know?โ I muttered, not bothering to hike up my skirts again, for the hems were already stained gray and dripping.
โVery little,โ he said. โBut Iโm neither deaf nor blind, so I saw how she spun your sacrifice into a gift from the gods so that she need not feel guilt over it. You are well rid of her.โ
He wasnโt entirely wrong, but Bjornโs words only made the hollowness in my core grow.
Alone, that was how I felt. As though I faced a great army, and all those Iโd been so certain would be at my back had vanished. My eyes stung and I blinked rapidly to keep tears from forming, but a few still escaped, mixing with the melting snow running down my face as I walked toward the beach.
Iโd not gone more than a handful of steps when Bjornโs hand closed on my arm. โIngridโs cowardice does not diminish the honor of what you did.โ
Swallowing, I met his emerald gaze as I said, โI regret nothing,โ then pulled from his grip and carried on.
A crowd had gathered, Snorri standing apart with an ancient woman who I supposed was the matriarch whoโd conduct the ceremony. My eyes drifted from them to the long stretch of dock, next to which sat several drakkar, the flags on their masts fluttering in the wind. They were huge, capable of holding at least a hundred warriors, and I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to stand in one, the drummer beating a thundering rhythm as the oarsmen drove the drakkar into battle. What it would be like to leap into the water, shield up against a rain of arrows, racing onto a beach where the sword in my hand would clash against that of my enemies as armies collided. My fingers clenched on the hilt of my fatherโs weapon, my heart driving away the sluggish weight of grief in my veins and filling them with fire. For Ingrid had not been wrong that there was much to this new path I faced that sang to my soul.
And that, at least, was something to live for.
โ
The ceremony was brief and lifeless, both Snorri and I saying what needed to be said, then exchanging blades, the one he gave to me newly forged and unsharpened, rendering it as devoid of sentiment as it was of edge. If he noticed or cared that the sword I gave him was my fatherโs, he didnโt show it. Yet the moment the ceremony was over, it was as though a bolt of Thorโs lightning struck, filling Snorri with an urgent energy as he turned me to face the crowd.
โTwenty years ago,โ he shouted, โthe seer spoke a prophecy of a shield maiden, a child of Hlin, born under the blood moon and destined to unite the people of Skaland beneath the rule of the one who controlled her fate. A prophecy that said her name would be born in the fire of the gods. For twenty years, I have searched for this maiden, hunted for the woman whoโd unite our people against our common enemy, King Harald of Nordeland.โ
The crowd shifted restlessly, several calling out curses at the king who ruled across the Northern Strait.
โMany of you have asked why I would wed this woman when I have a wife such as Ylva,โ he continued. โLet me assure you, it is not for love or lust, but for you, my people! For this woman is the shield maiden, the child of Hlin, her name revealed in the fire of Tyr!โ
He took the shield one of his warriors held out and offered it to me. My skin burned hot despite my dress being soaked with melted snow, and taking it in my grip, I whispered, โHlin.โ
Magic flared to life inside of me, rushing through my hand in a hot flood to cover the shield with silver light, glowing like a beacon. The crowd gasped and stepped back, their eyes wide at the sight of magic theyโd only heard of in stories. Magic they didnโt understand, which explained their apprehension.
โShe will bring us battle fame!โ Snorri roared. โShe will bring us wealth! She will bring us power! She will bring us victory and vengeance against the bastards of Nordeland! For with her in our shield wall, we will be favored by the gods themselves!โ
The people of Halsar roared along with him, hands in the air, the wariness in their eyes replaced with delight at the promises of their lord. Promises heโd made but which I was supposed to deliver, though the gods only knew how.
My gaze skipped over the people who not an hour ago seemed ready to spit at my feet and who now screamed my name, then it landed on Bjorn. Heโd stood with Ylva during the ceremony but had since moved to the rear of the crowd, his arms crossed and expression tight. As our eyes locked, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a half smile that appeared as forced as the one currently gracing my face, though I didnโt understand the source of his displeasure.
โShe was born in fire,โ Snorri shouted. โNow let her be marked by the blood of the god who made her.โ
Before I could react, Ylva stepped behind me and tore the dress down the back. Gasping, I clutched the fabric to my breasts even as she said,
โKneel.โ
โWhat are you doing?โ I hissed, equal parts horrified and afraid.
โYou have hidden your powers for too long,โ she said. โPast time that you were marked so that all might know your lineage.โ
The blood tattoo.
I shouldโve known it was coming. Vragiโs tattoo had been on his thigh, a fish with crimson scales rendered in such detail it had looked real. A living tattoo gifted by ritual after his magic appeared. I shouldโve been marked well over a decade ago, but that would have revealed what my father had been desperate to keep hidden.
Slowly, I lowered myself to my knees in the cold sand.
โBare your flesh so you might receive Hlinโs mark,โ Ylva demanded, and though I was loath to expose myself before a crowd, I pulled the dress down to my waist and removed my gloves, keeping one arm across my breasts. Forcing my eyes up from the sand revealed that no one was leering at me, every face solemn as they watched. I could feel Bjornโs scrutiny but instead of meeting his gaze, I looked back to the sand, my heart a riot in my chest.
A drum began a slow beat, and Ylva walked in a circle around me, drawing runes in the sand. My heart thundered faster at the revelation that Ylva was a volvaโa witch capable of using runic magic. Which made her far more powerful than Iโd believed.
She chanted as she moved, calling out to the gods to witness this moment. As she finished the circle, the runes flared and the drum ceased, the hairs on my arms standing on end. A knife appeared in Ylvaโs hand, and I tensed, for while she might need me, this woman held no warmth for me in her heart. โHlin,โ Ylva cried out, voice carrying on the wind as it swirled around us, creating a cyclone of snow. โI beseech you! If this child is worthy, claim her as your own, else still her heart so that she might wield your power no more!โ
My heart skipped. Iโd never seen this ritual performed. Vragi had undergone it as a young child long before I was born, so I didnโt know the words. Didnโt know that the ritual could end in death, for none of the stories
ever spoke of a god rejecting their child. But everyone else was nodding, so it must be the truth.
A thrill of fear turned my already chilled skin to ice as she approached, knife glinting in the muted light. โBare yourself, girl,โ she said in a low voice. โOr find yourself judged unworthy.โ
What if Iย wasย unworthy?
Iโd hidden my magic, my heritage, all my life, which had to have angered the goddess whoโd gifted her blood to me. Iโd treated it as though I were ashamed.
But I wasnโt.
Taking a deep breath, I dropped my arm and lifted my face at the same time.
Though prudence demanded that I look elsewhere, my eyes locked with Bjornโs. The snow billowed and swirled between us, and I clung to the strength in his gaze as the tip of Ylvaโs knife pressed into the divot at the center of my collarbone.
She sliced downward, leaving a trail of fire from my throat to between my breasts, but I didnโt flinch. Didnโt break Bjornโs stare as hot droplets of blood rolled down my skin. Didnโt so much as breathe as I waited to be judged.
And waited. And waited.
My chin quivered, panic seeping into my veins, because if I was found unworthy, all of Snorriโs plans would be destroyed. What were the chances that he wouldnโt punish me in every way he possibly could, seeing me as the one to blame?
Then a crackle of energy surged across my skin.
The first warning that all was not as it should be was Ylvaโs startled gasp. It tore my gaze from Bjornโs in time to watch her stumble backward across the circle of runes, her eyes fixed on my chest. I looked down, terror consuming me as my blood spidered outward from the wound, infinitely greater in volume than the shallow slice should have provided. โOh gods,โ I breathed. โWhat is happening?โ
โYou left her!โ Bjorn shouted. โYou left her in there alone!โ
His words barely registered as the wound gaped, invisible fingers digging into my flesh and stretching it wide. A shrill scream tore from my lips. Rivulets of blood snaked across my chest and down my arms, invisible hands wrenching me left and then right.
โFreya!โ
I howled in response, fighting to get away from the godโs grip, knowing that Iโd been judged unworthy and that Hlin herself was going to rip me apart. My knees left the ground, the goddess lifting me into the air like a doll, blood gushing in torrents from the wound that now reached down to the bone, the white of my sternum visible. What felt like claws dug into muscle and bone, pulling and pulling.
โYlva, break the circle!โ
The lady of Halsar only gaped in horror, for it was too late.
My rib cage sprung wide, revealing my pulsing heart.ย Thump thump.
Thump thump.
I screamed and screamed, and then with a sudden whoosh, I dropped to the ground. Gasping, I dug my fingers into the sand, certain I had only a few heartbeats of life left in me.
โFreya?โ Hands gripped my arms.
I looked up into Bjornโs panicked eyes even as I heard Ylva screech, โYou cursed fool! Do you have any idea of what you might have unleashed?โ
Bjorn ignored her, eyes raking over my body. โAre you all right?โ
How could he ask that? How could he ask if I was all right when my chest had been ripped open. Howโฆ
The thought vanished as I looked down at my naked body, my chest whole but for a thin white scar, not a drop of crimson marring my white skin.
Not possible.
โIโฆโ My mouth was as dry as sand. โSheโฆsheโโ
โIs she marked?โ Snorri was abruptly at my side, lifting my braids and pawing at me, searching. โDid Hlin claim her?โ
He grew silent as Bjorn held up my left hand. On the back of it, painted in crimson, was a shield. The detail was unlike anything a mortal artist could have rendered, and with each thud of my heart, the blood forming it pulsed.
โShe has been claimed!โ Snorri roared. Catching hold of my wrist, he dragged me out of Bjornโs grasp and to my feet, holding my tattoo up for all to see while I desperately pulled my bodice into place with my free hand. โHlin has claimed her daughter and we have our shield maiden!โ
The crowd, deathly silent until that moment, shouted their approval. โLet us feast!โ Snorri bellowed, finally letting go of me so that I could
pull on the sleeves of my dress. โTo the great hall!โ
As one, the people surged to the hall, ever eager to be fed. Snorri motioned for me to follow them, but Ylvaโs cold fingers latched on my right wrist, turning my palm skyward. โLook.โ
Unease twisted in my stomach at the sight. It was as though my palm had been tattooed prior to my burns, whatever image that had once been depicted twisted and stretched into an unrecognizable mess.
โA second tattoo,โ Snorri murmured. โIโve never heard of such a thing.โ โNor I,โ Ylva said, and both looked to Bjorn, who shook his head, his
gaze fixed on my palm.
โI canโt tell what it depicts.โ Snorri bent closer and I curbed the urge to withdraw my hand, disliking the scrutiny.
โLikely because Hlin didnโt have time to finish it before Bjorn went barging in and destroyed my circle,โ Ylva snapped.
โBecause you abandoned her in there!โ Bjorn glared at Ylva. โYouโre the volva. Youโre supposed to stay in the circle, but you left her in there to be torn apart.โ
Snorri stilled. โWhat precisely did you see, Bjorn? Ylva? For all I saw was Freya on her knees.โ
I was tired of being talked over as though I wasnโt even here. โHe saw me torn in half.โ
Bjorn gave a tight nod. โWas as if she were a prize being warred over, and both sides would rather see her destroyed than concede to the other.โ
โA portent.โ Snorri exhaled a long breath. โThe circle allowed Hlin to grant us a vision. A warning of what is to come and what will occur if we donโt take care: Freya will be destroyed.โ
Fear wormed its way down my spine.
โBut thatโs not all.โ Snorri tapped his chin thoughtfully. โShe also gave us an answer as to how we might avoid such a fate for Freya. Recall the story of the Binding of Fenrir, in which Tyr sacrifices his arm so that the gods might be protected from the wolf.โ He gestured to my scarred hand. โIt is clear that you, my son, must sacrifice to protect that which will save us all.โ
Bjorn blinked, then gave a sharp shake of his head. โYouโre grasping, Father. Seeing connections that donโt exist to explain that which cannot be explained.โ
โThe gods gifted us their stories so that we might understand our own lives.โ Snorri gripped Bjornโs shoulders. โThe gods brought you back to me so that I might find Freya. And it seems the gods desire you to be the one to keep her life safe so that I might achieve all that has been foreseen. It is your destiny.โ
A shiver ran over me as the wind swirled, snowflakes melting on my outstretched palm as I waited to see how Bjorn would respond. Only to have my stomach sink as he spat, โNo. Iโll have no part of this.โ He twisted on his heels and stormed away.
Silence stretched.
โHeโll come to see reason,โ Snorri finally said. โThe gods demand it.
Now let us feast.โ
I said nothing as I followed him and Ylva to the great hall, but in my mind was a truth that Snorri had forgotten: Bjorn was unfated, which meant that no matter what the Norns planned for him, his destiny was his own to weave.