number 1

Wulfric

It was almost two months since Wulfric traveled with fifty warriors to the border of Herthumaar. The Skalbren, a tribe from the dark depths of Rithuen ravaged the surrounding villages and enslaved everyone in their path. At the ravine of Rithuul, Wulfric and his men defeated almost all the Skalbren,but unfortunately, there were only twenty warriors left. There was Aldir,a heavily built and strong warrior. And there was Jormund, a grumpy man but a loyal and good friend. Jormund was like a brother to him and also the cousin of the king of Weldar. They grew up together near the border of Weldar and their families knew each other well. Irdin, the young prince of Mondryne, also shared their journey. Irdin was a spoiled young man, arrogant and without honor. Wulfric would prefer not to speak with him unless he had no other choice. Although, as the leader, he felt he had to make sure the young prince remained in safety. Most other warriors came from poor families from Mondryne, forced to join this war to keep their beloved families safe. They mostly lived in the fields near the Mondrag mountains.   

Wulfric removed his long hair from his face. He was sure he heard something in the distance. Carefully he stepped farther forward. Standing at the foot of a mountain he had a good view of the landscape. It was dark, though, the moonlight gave him a good sight on the valley. Not far away, he saw a small settlement of the Skalbren tribe. The wooden platforms were made over a small river that ran through the valley. A small group of Skalbren stood guard and here and there stood a tent. Small fires surrounded the settlement. Suddenly, hoarse cries filled the air. He saw a group of prisoners on one of the platforms. They appeared to be common folk, dressed in daily clothing and without weapons. A few of the Skalbren swung his sword towards the group. The screams of the dying prisoners echoed in the mountain valley and the lifeless bodies of men, women, and even children fell to the ground. Wulfric felt the blood rush through his veins. The skalbren had taken over the entire south of Herthumaar with great violence. Looting and killing they tried to get more and more northwards, which resulted in many villagers fleeing and chaotic situations.  Now that they had traveled to defeated the large groups, he hoped that there would be more space and time to reconquer the south. He did not expect to find the skalbren during his journey home. 

“B******s!” Aldir said while he drew his sword from its sheath and rushed downhill towards the settlement. The rest of the warriors followed the excited Aldir who already had a strong lead. But Wulfric would have preferred to stay, Unseen, so they could continue their journey peacefully. Despite his honorable duty as a warrior, he felt a weakness deep within. The innocent blood that was spilled in the many battles he had witnessed this journey made him furious and upset, and he was tired, so tired. He knew that he, as leader of the warriors, was never allowed to express these emotions. His face was therefore expressionless, no smile or joy was seen. Not in years. Many people considered him as fierce and merciless. His hair was unkempt and his clothes covered with blood. Many people feared him, even his warriors. He would never give in to his weakness, though. 

He took a deep breath and took his sword from its sheath. He tried to keep up his friends and thought of the many innocent lives that were ended last months.  Lives that had been ended not only by the hands of the Skalbren, but also by him. “no more..” he whispered. 

The group of Skalbren looked surprised when the warriors arrived. They had not expected an attack and were unprepared. Surprised they searched for their weapons, but for most, it was too late. After a while, most platforms were blood red. The skalbren were outnumbered and easily defeated. Wulfric focused his eyes on the dead prisoners. They stared with frightened eyes up to the spot where the man had attacked them. Their bodies looked tortured and exhausted. Wulfric shuddered. This was not the view he wanted during his journey home. Aldir came up beside him and inspected the bodies.  

 “Great gods ...” he whispered, as he crouched beside one of the bodies. Wulfric moved closer to Aldir. “What’s wrong?” He said confusingly. Aldir sighed deeply. “I can hardly believe it, but these people wear the sign of the Ylaesir.” He pushed the torn tunic of the dead man aside so Wulfric could see the scar. The scar was in a form of a symbol. It looked like a small flame that was carved below the left shoulder. “Are you sure Aldir? We defeated most Ylaesir years ago. These people do not look like their warriors.Why would they leave the mountains?” Aldir mumbled something unintelligible and came back walking towards Wulfric and the others. 

Suddenly they heard a moan. It came from a wooden platform that was located next to the prisoners. Wulfric ran towards the sound. It came from a severely injured Skalbren. The man gasped heavily for breath while a stream of blood came from his mouth and fell on his chin. Wulfric crouched down at the man and stared into his eyes.  

 “What happened here? Who were your prisoners?” Wulfric asked with a strong voice. The wounded man tried to answer. His voice was hoarse and his body shook softly.     “The Ylaesir, the magicians ... We got them by accident. We wanted to take them to our leader. He wanted to use their magic in the war. The Ylaesir refused to cooperate. So we took them by force ... “The man stopped talking and coughed heavily the blood from his throat.

“Why did you kill them?” Wulfric asked with frowning brows. The man wiped the blood from his mouth with his trembling hand and continued his story.    “Listen now. ... they use nature as a force. One of them murdered three of our strongest and best-armed men. They are not like you and me... no, it’s like the old stories, warrior... “ The man was coughing again and a while later almost choking in his blood.   

  “Kill them when they are at their weakest ... because, with their strengths, they are almost unbeatable ... not even by you, young warrior ..”  The man laughed but because of the blood he immediately coughed. 

This time his throat was filled with too much blood and the man stopped breathing rapidly. His head fell sideways and stared at a world that only the dead could see. 

 “This is not what I expected,” Aldir said to Wulfric.   “We’ve heard rumors just a few weeks ago, I doubt if there are many of them.” Wulfric rubbed his beard. 

Seven years ago, people of the ylaesir were spotted around the foot of the Yleasir mountains. It seemed that they wanted to take the land around the mountains. It was unclear what exactly their purpose was. With their magical powers, they had caused much destruction around the surrounding villages and many innocent people had been killed. Jormund's wife, while carrying his child, had also been gruesomely murdered in an attack by the Ylaesir. Jormund had a residual scar on his face, a scratch that started just above his left eyebrow to his cheek. The wound had caused to almost lose his sight with that eye and a white haze was formed over it. His attitude had been bitter and cold ever since. He usually had a somewhat distant demeanor, deeply saddened and a fit of anger that he seemed unable to get rid of. There is a legend, that the Ylaesir carry the fire of an ancient god named Kjeldrir, the high god of winter within them. Kjeldrir lived in the mountains of the north for a while. There he sighed his last breath of life over his own created mountain kin, the Ylaesir. His soul was as powerful as a firestorm of dragons. He gave his power to the Ylaesir so they could protect his favorite place forever. He also made sure they could protect themselves, now that he was gone.  

The sun already emerged. It was a chilly morning though. Morning dew slid over the tops of the mountains and the first rays of sunshine glided through the clouds over the small settlement. The wind made him shiver and quickly he pulled his cloak closer to his body.  “We have to continue our travels as soon as possible, who knows what the situation is at home. We have to inform them.”  The warriors agreed and tried to clean their wounds with the low river water. Jormund's face had a bitter expression. Wulfric knew he probably felt satisfied to see the Ylaesir defeated. But at the same time, every person must have mixed feelings to see families, children dead on the ground. 

“Try to find food and useful items for our journey”. Wulfric said to the others while he stepped into a nearby tent.

 Inside the tent stood a table with some old papers and junk. He saw a piece of bread and grabbed it. Quickly he bit a piece off but it was tough and old. He chewed it for a few seconds and then spat the bread out of his mouth. He noticed a chest located in one of the corners of the tent."This is an odd place for a chest that big. There must be something precious in it."  He purposefully walked towards the chest but before he arrived, he heard a soft thump. He was certain the sound came from inside the chest. Jormund walked into the tent. “We have to ..” 

Wulfric signaled to Jormund that he had to keep quiet. He pointed his finger towards the chest. Silently he drew his sword from its sheath. Jormund took his dagger out. Wulfric slowly walked closer to the chest. With his left hand, he gently lifted the lid of the chest, holding up his sword with his other hand. When the contents of the box were visible, he found something he had not expected. 

“Please ..” he heard a soft voice say. In the chest, he saw a young woman. Her body was very wounded. Here and there were bruises visible. For as far he could see, her side was red from blood. Old tears on her face were still visible because they had formed a track in the dirt. Her almost black hair stuck in the blood of her wounds. Her skin was very white and made the bruises look even more gruesome. He saw a scar in the shape of a flame just above her left breast. He froze both from fear and surprise. This was the symbol of the Ylaesir and she was one of them. He did not know what to do next, murder her as soon as possible or questioning her? 

Wulfric and his warriors took their task to protect people very seriously. An innocent will never be killed in their name. Of course, it did happen sometimes. Especially last month’s and always when there were people around like Irdin. But warriors in Mondryne have also been taught that weapons are defenseless against magic. And it was exactly people like her they needed to protect their people from. It is better to kill an evil magician as quickly as possible, especially if that person is weak . For a few seconds, Wulfric and the girl remained to stare at each other. She had something in her face that begged him for mercy, and he could not go against it. There was something special about her. Would it be her magic that makes me feel like this? Wulfric asked himself. Jormund walked closer to Wulfric. He looked at the girl and saw the symbol of the Ylaesir almost immediately and grabbed the girl by her tunic, holding his dagger against her neck, ready to cut her throat. “She’s a Ylaesir, What shall we do with her?” Jormund asked while holding the girl tightly. Wulfric looked at her. Her frightened eyes were watching him. She knew her life was now in his hands. He took a little while to think but could not find the right decision.  

He heard Irdin enter the tent. “Oh come on! If she is a Ylaesir you must kill her, Wulfric.” He said to him contemptuously. Irdin was known for his ruthless and disrespectful behavior. The warriors were also terribly annoyed by him during their long journey. It were man like Irdin that gave the warriors a bad name. He dishounored many woman. Despite the good intentions of the warriors to help their country, they had a bad reputation. He knew that he was also was guilty. He should have done more to protect them. He was willing to pay any price to become a better man. Honorable, valiant and kind. Someone people could be proud of. Nobody, not even Irdin would be able to stop him becoming a better person, a man like his father. 

 “I am the one who makes the decisions here!  We have to travel further and the Skalbren are never less than a full patrol. Why are you still here babbling?” Wulfric clenched his fists and his eyes sparkled with undisguised anger.  “Check the environment and place guards, and fast!”. Irdin already walked away muttering but Jormund stayed in the same position, with his sword still on her throat.      ' We take her with us. There must be a reason why she is kept alive. If the Skalbren thought of her to be of use, she might be useful for us as well. We might be able to bargain if she is special. Maybe we can find out what her kin is planning and how we will be able to defeat them. ' Wulfirc said. Jormund let out a grawl. “No! We must kill her, there is no other possible decision!” Jormund said to him. Wulfric felt the blood rush through his veins, afraid to make the wrong decisions but his face remained calm and controlled.  “Your anger has taken over, we might need her.. remove your dagger, Jormund.” 

Plagued by indecision and longing the heavy-built warrior lowered his sword arm. With dejected eyes,Jormund mumbled an apology. Wulfric placed his hand on Jormunds shoulder.    “We are not murderers, we are warriors. Warriors with a code of honor. Never forget that.” Jormund poured himself a sigh of discouragement and he sincerely regretted that he has put his leader and friend before him. After one last look at the girl, he also rushed to the rest of the men to be aware of the situation. 

Left alone with the girl, Wulfric decided to find out why she was in this chest and left alive. At first glance she seemed upset and hurt but her eyes were cold from pride. He moved a little more towards her and gently touched the scar.  

 “Can you understand me?” Wulfric asked. With a short nod the girl notified that she understood the language he spoke. He saw her body and hands were tied with rope. Slowly he pointed his sword girl's scar. The girl widened her eyes and her pride was replaced by fear again.   “You’re coming with us” was all he said. Quickly he cut the rope, but left her hands tied. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her out of the chest.  

   “Run and I will kill you.”  

Wulfric placed his sword back and grabbed the rope her hands were tied with. He walked her out of the tent towards the warriors who had gathered not far away. Irdin was the first to notice Wulfric. His face was fierce and he watched the girl intently. 

“Why did you bring her, Wulfric?” he said as he pointed his finger towards the young woman. Wulfric watched Aldir, who also knew that Irdin would make a problem out of this, For it was a rule not to enslave. 

  “She comes with us, we might need her.” Wulfric said calmly. Irdin's face split into a grin. Irdin cleared his troat and walked towards wulfric.   “Oh, I might certainly need her..” he said as he slowly turned his body closer towards the girl.  “But tell me, Wulfric, why we would risk our lives by taking this young woman with us? She will delay our journey and when she has her strength back she might be.. dangerous.”  

Irdin grabbed the girl’s chin and pointed it up to watch his face. He looked at her extensively. Wulfric pulled the girl closer to him. Making her loose out of Irdins grip.  

“Look at her.” Wulfric said to the warriors. “She’s hurt and exhausted. I don’t think she will be dangerous. What will happened to her eventually we will decide later. For now, we need to find out why the Ylaesir are here. If she is special and we take her with us to Mondryne, they might not attack us.”  The warriors looked at the girl, and so did Wulfric. He saw that her thick dark hair reached till over her waist, like almost all the women from the north. Her black eyes revealed the magic deep within her. Her body was trembling from the pain she had from her wounds. She had pressed her hand on the left side of her waist where a red spot was visible on her  green tunic. Her brown linen trousers was coverd with dirt and leaves. Wulfric knew it was not a smart move to take the girl on such a long journey. The warriors were exhausted and grumpy. He could not afford to take care for this girl. The sight of this young girl might become a problem and he doubted if most warriors would stand on his side. But Eventually the majority  agreed that this girl had to join their journey home. Even Jormund nodded.  

That evening the warriors had set up camp. The dense forest gave protection against the wind and enemies. Jormund and Hennar tried to make a fire on the marshy ground. Aldir and Irdin had a loud discussion whether or not this was the right place to camp. Wulfric felt tired, and he could hardly keep his eyes open. For him, it did not matter where they needed to sleep. He rubbed his face. He saw a mossy spot next to a tree near the fire. It was welcoming him like a warm, soft bed. He hurried to the spot, dragging the captive girl with him. When he arrived at his sleeping place, he threw the girl on the ground nearby the tree. The girl landed hard on the muddy ground. She tried to get up using her hands. She burrowed her fingers into the black mud and with all her strength she tried to stand up.

 Wulfric grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back onto the ground, positioning her back against the tree. He grabbed the rope and tied it firmly to the tree. It surprised Wulfric how calm she remained. He crouched down before her and watched her helpless situation. She had bowed her head, facing the ground. A few moments he stayed in that position, listening to her soft breathing. He grabbed her chin gently and tilted her head upward so the girl had to look at him.  In proportion he was much taller and muscled than she was, so he tried to treat her cautiously. When the girl felt his touch, she turned her head the opposite direction. She refused to look at him. This time Wulfric grabbed her chin more firmly, and he hustled her head in his direction. Eventually, the girl looked into his eyes. Her eyes were full of pride, as when he found her.     

 

  “What is your name?” he asked. His voice sounded fierce and bitter. It shocked him himself. The eyes of the girl widened with fear, but she did not answer. Wulfric sighed deeply. “No name then?” he said as he slowly got up and walked a little further away from her. “Well, if you have no name, we shall just call you girl then, or woman? Captive?.” 

Just when he wanted to lie down, he heard the girl speak.  “Mayrin” she said. The girl spoke so softly that he was almost not able to hear her. 

  “Mayrin?”  The girl nodded and turned her eyes back to the ground. Wulfric’s face split into a grin.         “I already feared that you could not speak!” he said laughing. He then lay down on the thick moss and looked at the dark sky.        

 “I will do no harm. These ropes are unnecessary. Please, it’s hurting me.” the girl pleaded.  Wulfric looked up and exhaled. It took a while before he said anything. He understood her uncomfortable situation but did not dare to loosen her. He decided to end the conversation by going to sleep. He tightened his cloak to protect him of the cold persistent wind and fell asleep. 

It was still dusk when they prepared to leave the next morning. He saw Aldir had put a cloak over the girl to protect her from the chilly night. Wulfric had tried to feed the girl some food, but she refused to eat. After a while, he gave up and made her loose from the forceful grip of the ropes. Bruises were visible on her arm. Maybe he had tied the ropes too tight.  

No one said much while walking. The paths they had to take were arduous, and he hoped his men were in good enough shape to handle this return journey. It was still a few weeks before they would arrive. Perhaps it would take more time now that some warriors became hurt and, of course, also the girl had to travel with them. Wulfric made sure the girl walked alongside him at all times. He didn’t want Irdin to interfere, and he wasn’t sure it was a wise idea to keep her close among the others. Jormund followed behind him along with Aldir and Hennar. 

He wondered who this girl was. She must be special, otherwise the Skalbren had already killed her and why hide her in a chest? Occasionally, he started asking her questions while walking. He tried simple things at first, by asking why she was here. She refused to speak. It frustrated him, but he tried to keep his manners. After half a day of walking, they made camp for the evening. Some warriors were slightly wounded from battle and had trouble walking long distances. The girl also troubled to keep up. This was going to take longer than he expected. Irdin, the young prince, walked towards Wulfric. His face was arrogant. Irdin was much smaller and younger than Wulfric. The forced courageous attitude Irdin fielded did not leave much impression on Wulfric. 

With much reluctance, he greeted the young prince. 

                “My prince ..” He said, sighing. 

Irdin cleared his throat. He clenched his fists and pointed towards the girl. 

                “This girl causes problems.” he said strictly. 

Wulfric frowned. “Oh, is she?” he said as he looked at the girl. 

                “Do not fool me Wulfric. You know she delays our journey. The enemy had plans to attack Mondryne. It is still a few days walking to Mondryne because you wanted to take a woman on our journey!” Wulfric sighed deeply. He looked Irdin a few seconds and then replied hastily. “She is not just a woman and the men are tired. They need rest. We can’t go any faster, Irdin. If you don’t want to wait, take a few men and leave for Mondryne yourself.” That said, he turned his back to the prince and walked a few steps further. 

Irdins face flushed with arrogance. “How dare you turn your back at me, I am your prince!” he shouted wildly to Wulfric.  Jormund grasped Irdin by his shoulders. “You’re a prince, but not where we are today. Here you listen to Wulfric.” Jormund spoke in a soft but strict tone. Despite Jormunds stubbornness, he was always loyal to his leader. Wulfric nodded gratefully. “Who do you think you are, Jormund? You can only get a w***e if you pay double with that face of yours! The face that her people have caused and now you want to be protective of this girl?” With this comment, he had struck Jormund in a sensitive spot. He lowered his eyes and walked away.   

“We stay here for the evening, tomorrow morning we leave.” Irdin commanded. 

As always Jormund and Hennar began making a fire while the others set up camp. Wulfric decided to interrogate the girl. He wanted answers. He pitied the girl, but he also knew that his feelings should not deceive him. She should be thankful she is still alive.  “You can loosen her hands now, Wulfric.” Aldir said without looking up from his work. 

Wulfric frowned. “I find it too dangerous.” 

Aldir let loose a small giggle. “You will not tell me you are afraid of a woman? It is her alone and we are twenty. Make sure she knows that if she tries anything, we kill her.” Wulfric thought for a moment, then nodded and walked her a few steps away from the camp. He grabbed his dagger and cut the ropes around her hands. The girl looked surprised at him. 

‘‘Don’t escape or use magic because I’m not always graciously." he said, looking at her sternly. He brought her back and sent her to the campfire where Jormund and Hennar were sitting. First he had to speak with Irdin. Wulfric didn’t like his behavior, and became terribly irritated at him since they’d left Mondryne months ago. 

Reviews

[Austin H.]

Fascinating read. As a first chapter, it serves really well to immediately let us in on the action, plus establishes character conflicts, their moral struggles, and a possible hint at the overall plot line. Plus, I love the mythology of my ancestors (my family is Swedish at its roots), and seeing new takes on old themes is exciting when people do them well, such as you just might.

[Larry Dyson]

just posted a pic for Mother earth tree..

[Chris]

Laury recommended you...and it read well!

[Larry Dyson]

wonderful beginning to the story ,all the flavour of a Norse battle scene...well played distrust in setting up the characters..I like it the "english grammer" mistakes will come out in "spell check"...enjoyable read...Laury

[SkepticState]

I love Nordic myth and culture! I love it! You have a fan in me

[Jaslin K]

A very good write. It certainly sets the mood of older times.. I don't know why, but I kept of thinking of skyrim while reading this..
It's a very strong story

[Coyote Poetry]

A powerful story. A very good beginning to this story. I like the names and the old myths being rebirth in this tale. I'm a fan of myths and old story. I enjoyed the situation and interaction of characters in the story. I hope to read more. A excellent opening chapter.
Coyote