My very smol entry for @vikingsevents prompt picture of day 6. Hrefna visits Freydis in Kattegat. (593 words under the cut)
Hrefna smiled when her eyes locked with Freydis’ from afar. Her mother had allowed her to travel back to Kattegat and seek out the keeper of the faith. The path her life had taken was so unusual from what she thought it would be, that eventually it split in two, leaving Hrefna with a hard decision to make. She’d known the moment she saw Freydis, how strong and knowledgeable she was, that Hrefna wanted to be a woman just like her. In order to become that, she thought her only chance was to ask for advice.
As she got closer, she could see little Harald in a sling strapped to Freydis chest, her sword at her hip where it belonged. “I am glad to see you, Hrefna,” Freydis greeted her, the warmth Hrefna felt radiating from her, engulfing her like a loving embrace. “What made you come to Kattegat though?” she asked, smiling with the edge of confusion to the corner of her mouth when Hrefna handed her a bouquet of flowers.
A moment of silence passed in which Freydis accepted the flowers. They moved away from the crowd and Hrefna cleared her throat before she answered, “I am in need of advice,” she said, stopping when Freydis touched her arm. “I want to help you to keep our faith and become a priestess,” Hrefna told her, biting her lip nervously, “But I also want to be a shieldmaid to protect my mother and people.” Once more, dread settled in her stomach as she thought of the way Harekr had slain the refugees he pledged to protect or Olaf and his troops killing her father so easily. She did not want to be defenseless, but she could see the people’s faith dwindling– due to fear and false promises.
Freydis suggested they should retreat to her hut to talk about it, leading her through the many little nooks and alleys that seemed to have grown since the day Hrefna had fled. She watched Freydis carefully place the flowers she’d gotten her in a vase meant for them on the table before sitting down, inviting Hrefna to do the same.
“The way I see it, you can do everything you want,” Freydis said, her gaze heavy on Hrefna. “You can be strong and still guide our people as a priestess.” She added, her hand reaching for Hrefna’s face and softly touching her cheek in comfort. “It won’t be easy,” Freydis warned, “But I am certain you will manage.”
Hrefna was taken aback by Freydis faith in her and blinked back the tears. “I am not you, Freydis, I am not as important.”
There was no pity in Freydis' gaze, only understanding. “You do not have to be like me, only like you.” she insisted and wiped the tear off Hrefna’s cheek that dared to escape. “You are so much more than you know and you are important,” Freydis said with a soft smile. “Train hard, learn everything you can about the Gods and let them guide you,” she put her hand over Hrefna’s heart. “Do not settle for just one path.”
She stayed with Freydis for the next few days before she went back to Jomsborg, determined to make the keeper of the faith proud once more. The heaviness around her heart was gone and she closed her eyes, inhaling the salty air on the ship back to her new home, back to her mother. Hrefna could feel the presence of the Gods already and knew Freydis had been right, she had to trust them.
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We hope everyone is enjoying the season 2 of Vikings: Valhalla as much as we are and soaking up all the new content that has come along with it!
While we've got you here, we wanted to bring your attention to two fandom events that are coming up. With such a talented fandom, we thought you all might want to share in the fun and create some beautiful things!
The first is the Vikings Big Bang.
If you've never participated in a Big Bang or are curious about what one is, a big bang is an event where writers and artists are matched up with each other. Fic writers well... write and the artists claim certain fics based on the summaries provided and they create artwork to go with it!
This Big Bang has a small minimum word count which makes it very easy for all different levels of writers to get involved and both the Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla shows are included so there are lots of options for artists to create something wonderful!
To get the full summery and sign up information, head on over to @vikingsbigbang and see what the lovely folks over their have in store!
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The second is a Valentine's Week Event hosted by @vikingsevents.
The event will be hosted from February 8th through the 14th and has a prompt a day for you to create whatever you would like to meet the prompt, whether it is art, fic or something else! Both Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla are included in this event as well!
If this is something that may draw your interest, head on over there and checked out their prompt list and get thinking about what you can create!
And remember folks, if you participate in these events or create other works for the Vikings: Valhalla fandom, be sure to tag us using #valhallacentral so we can reblog it and celebrate what you've created!
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