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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 10 : The Future Known

5/31/2015

 

Forbidden Love


Chapter 10


The Future Known

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Frigga and Her Handmaidens
Frigga was angry !  How could Freyja act that way toward her husband ?! And while she was sitting right beside him no less !! Frigga never liked to see Freyja in her hall because of the affect she had on her husband. And now.... now she was threatening to come back time and time again until Odin changed his mind about allowing the human and the Valkyrie to be together ! As Frigga sat upon her high - seat in Hlidskjalf she decided that she needed to find a way to unite Kolskegg and Skogul. Then Freyja would no longer have any reason to come to their hall.   


Frigga searched Midgard until she found the Midgardian Kolskegg deep in the forests of Norway. All- Mother sat and watched this human for most of the morning as he positioned his men for battle. Later in the day she observed Kolskegg as he led an attack on the left flank of King Brynjolf's army. Frigga was impressed not only by the size of the warrior, but also by his prowess as a great warrior. Opponents seemed to fall before him like wheat before a scythe. 


Then Frigga decided to cheat. All- Mother peered down the great roots of Yggdrasil until she found Skuld hard at work on the massive tapestry that was the future of the universe. As Frigga looked closer she noticed that the Norn was not hiding the tapestry against her as she often did, but instead had the great cloth spread out in front of her. Frigga quickly noticed something very odd. Kolskegg had been woven two possible futures ! 


The first possible future showed Kolskegg without Skogul. At the end of the thread he appeared as an old forgotten man dying alone of illness in bed. The other, much brighter, and longer future, showed him as king of Southern Norway, with Skogul, his queen, at his side. And together, along with their son, they were fighting the army of the north in a pitched battle for control of all of Norway.


" I will keep coming back until the All- Father changes his mind and allows this union ! " Freyja's words resounded in her mind like an echo through a canyon. Then Frigga smiled. " But if they were allowed to marry then Freyja will have no reason to come calling at our hall. " All - Mother whispered to herself. 


Suddenly the quiet of Hlidskjalf was broken ! Odin had thrown open the door to Hlidskjalf, and stomped angrily around to his high - seat. " Those Vanir can be so impractical with all this nonsense about love ! " he shouted loudly. Odin shook his head from side to side as he fell onto his high - seat . " Why should I have to listen to anyone tell me what I have to do !? " he added as he slammed his fist down hard on the arm of the chair.


Frigga did not answer his question, but instead began a new discussion. " Does my husband still want the Midgardian lands of Norway to be united under one king ? " she asked as she placed her hand over the hand he had slammed onto the chair arm.    


Odin gave his wife a surprised look. " Why does my wife change the subject so abruptly. " he asked suspiciously. 


Frigga turned, lifted Odin' s hand, and kissed it. " Because, my husband, together Kolskegg and Skogul are the key that unlocks that unification. " she told her husband with a pleasant smile. 


Odin drew her hand toward him and gripped it tightly. " Explain yourself my dear ?! " Odin asked in a tone of impatience.


Frigga looked down at their hands and then gave her husband a stern look until he loosened his grip. Then she continued. " The Norn named Skuld has weaved an unusual tapestry for the future of Norway my husband. On one length of the great cloth Kolskegg and Skogul are united in marriage, and he becomes king of More, and eventually all of Southern Norway. Their son, as of yet unnamed, will eventually help lead the southern army against the north, and in a great battle will defeat the northern king, thereby uniting both halves of Norway. " she explained calmly.


Odin looked at his wife in disbelief. " And if I do not allow this union of Valkyrie and Midgardian ?  What then ? " he asked fearing the answer.


Frigga withdrew her hand from her husband's grasp. " Then Kolskegg will die unheralded in battle, and Norway, the land that you so love, will be plunged into a millennium of chaos and war ! " she told her husband sadly.

Odin paused and stroked his beard for a moment in contemplation. " Leave me now my love, for I have much to think upon ! " he told her while already deep in thought. 


Frigga did not like being dismissed in such a manner. Frustrated, All- Mother walked to the exit of Hlidskjalf, and opened the door of the chamber to leave. As she was about to step out she heard Odin say : " And thank you my love ! " Frigga' s frown turned into a smile as she left the great viewing room. 


Odin sat for a very long time upon Hlidskjalf. As he gazed down upon Midgard he realized he was caught in between what he wanted most of all, and what he had decreed must never happen. If he allowed the Valkyrie Skogul to marry Kolskegg he would lose the trust and possibly the respect of his battle maidens. And he knew that Geirahod was right to ask for justice, based on his own laws ! On the other hand if he were to forbid the union, then the Midgardian lands of Norway might never unite, and even worse it could be plunged into a thousand years of chaos. 


As darkness began to fall over the Asgardian realm Odin still found himself sitting on his high - seat unable to decide the wisest course of action. The problem was how to satisfy the honor of all those involved. It seemed as though his mind were in a maze and there was no way out !


Suddenly Odin had an epiphany ! " Yes ! That is the answer ! " he shouted to the dark empty hall .


- End Chapter 10




- Next Chapter 11 : Risking It All !




- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.                     
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 9 : The Favor

5/30/2015

 

Forbidden Love



Chapter 9




The Favor

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The Norns Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld under the world oak Yggdrasil (1882) by Ludwig Burger.
Skuld did not turn, or even look up from her weaving as the Goddess approached. '" You think that I do not know why you are here magical one, but we Norns are the creators of time and circumstance. Your arrival has already been woven as has the answer to your question. " she told her without any emotional inflection in her voice.


Freyja came up behind the Norn, and gently placed her hands upon the maiden's shoulders. " Then you will help me to change Odin' s mind about the union of the human Kolskegg, and the Valkyrie Skogul ? " Freyja whispered in her ear.   


Skuld held up the tapestry of future time that she had been weaving and began to pull out the leading thread that ran through the cloth. The Norn wound the thread around her hand again and again, until it became a small ball. As she did so the tapestry became smaller and smaller. When she reached the point that would change history forever, in fact that very moment, she stopped and held up the piece for Freyja to examine. 


" I promised the Vanir many millennium ago that if your kind defeated the Aesir I would grant you one favor. I now consider that pledge to be paid in full . " she told Freyja in a monotone voice. 


Freyja never understood the conversations she had with the Norns. It was nearly impossible to speak to beings who already knew everything that you were about to say long before you said it. The Vanir Goddess had spoken only a few words, and yet Skuld had apparently granted her what she wanted. Freyja tried not to look perplexed as she asked : " And how will you change the mind of the wisest of Gods ? " she asked.


For the first time Skuld turned around and looked directly into Freyja' s eyes. The Norn's eyes seemed to be as empty as the future that had not yet been woven, and the sight of such a void unsettled Freyja. Skuld's eyes looked through Freyja as if she were not there as she spoke. " By giving back to Odin the one thing he has always hoped for . " she told the Goddess.


Freyja turned away from the empty sockets that stared at her, before asking. " And what may I ask is that ? " 


Skuld picked up the tapestry, and as one corner of her mouth curled ever so slightly into a smile, she replied : " How can I tell you when I have not yet begun to weave that future ? " she answered as a question. Skuld slowly turned away from Freyja, and without speaking again, began to weave the new future into the fabric of time. 

Freyja shook her head, went back to her cart, and left the Well of Urd. Freyja laughed as her cats pulled her cart into the heavens. Although she had no idea what Skuld was talking about, the Goddess had the Norn' s word, and that was, in and of itself, enough for her to put the second part of her plan into effect. 




____________________________________________________________________________________________________




Freyja could not help but smile as she walked up the golden steps to Odin's great hall. The Goddess of Seidr stopped at the landing in front of the doors and chanted a spell several times. Suddenly, instead of wearing battle armor, she had changed into a very seductive see - through gown, with a slit that traveled up the entire length of her long legs.  With a mere wave of her hand the heavy doors opened before her. She used the same simple magic to close the doors behind her . Although the golden hall gleamed with light, it still took Freyja a moment for her eyes to adjust from the bright glow of Sunna's rays. When she was once again able to focus properly, she saw exactly what she had hoped to see . There, sitting beside Odin, was his loving wife Frigga. Freyja grinned from ear to ear as she approached the two Aesir Gods.      


Frigga was both surprised and dismayed to see Freyja here in their great hall. The All- Mother looked down at her very conservative gown, and then raised her eyebrows at the provocative attire that the Queen of the Vanir was wearing. Frigga turned to her husband and whispered sarcastically : " My it must be warm in Asgard today ! "  Odin smiled. " Yes indeed ! " he replied without taking his eye off of the beautiful Goddess who stood before him. 


Freyja took long strides as she approached the high -seats. Her ample breasts heaved up and down with every carefully placed step. " I hear that the great Odin has no use for love ! " she told him with a sexy pout.


Frigga' s eyes narrowed as she watched the Vanir Goddess approach in such a seductive manner. " And what exactly do you mean by that ! ? " All - Mother asked angrily. 


Freyja gave Frigga a condescending look before replying : " I had to console a Valkyrie named Skogul today, at my hall in Folkvang. She was deeply hurt because your husband disapproves of the love between his maidens and the humans who live on Midgard. " she answered slyly.


Odin stood up and pounded on the arm of his high - seat .  " Did Skogul come crying to you looking for help ? ! " Odin demanded to know.


Freyja walked closer and placed one of her long legs on the first step leading to the high - seats. This allowed the slit in her dress to open up from her feet to the creamy whiteness of her thigh. " She did not come to me for assistance. She was merely delivering a warrior to my hall. It was just " fate " that I saw her crying on the steps of Sessrumnir. " she told Odin with a flirtatious smile. " In matters of wisdom and war you are the lord and master, but when it comes to love... well, that great Odin, is my domain . And I intend to persuade you that in this matter I am right ! " she explained to Odin. Freyja then licked her lips, and gazed deeply into Valfather's eye.


Odin looked nervously at Frigga, who had an angry look on her face, and then shook his finger at Freyja. " Skogul has broken her oath to me. She has been with a human.....she has attacked one of her sister Valkyries, and.... and.... I think I have been very fair with my punishment toward her ! " Odin told the Vanir Goddess loudly as he tried to hide his nervous tone behind his anger.


Freyja walked up the steps, and placed her leg up on the arm of Odin's high seat,  exposing her thigh to Valfather. " I see ! The Lord of Asgard can take on as many lovers as he so desires, but a maiden in your service can have none ! " she shot back with a pleasant grin.


Frigga leaped up from her seat ! " How dare you come here and speak to my husband in such a rude manner ! I will not stand here and listen to such nonsense ! " Frigga shouted, her voice trembling with anger. Frigga pushed Freyja' s leg off of her husband's high - seat before walking out of the chamber, and heading for Hlidskjalf. 


Freyja smiled from ear to ear as All - Mother stomped off. Before Frigga disappeared the Vanir Goddess shouted : " I will keep coming here as many times as is necessary to change your husband's mind, and gain his blessing for this union ! " 


Freyja continued to speak to Odin about the relationship between the human Kolskegg, and Skogul the Valkyrie, for quite some time after Frigga left. Now, however, she was not as adamant as before. The Vanir Goddess did not need to change Odin's mind any longer. Frigga would change her husband' s mind for her ! 


- End of Chapter 9




- Next : Chapter 10 : The Future Known





- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.               

          
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 8 : Freyja Becomes Involved

5/29/2015

 

Forbidden Love 


Chapter 8




Freyja Becomes Involved

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Freyja riding a cat-driven chariot in a painting by Nils Blommér.

Skogul needed to get as far away from Valhalla as she could. As the Valkyrie mounted Harbinger she was barely able to maintain her conflicted emotions. One moment she was burning with anger, then a moment later she felt that she could die of shame. Underlying these fluctuating emotions of course was her deep love for Kolskegg, and the intense loneliness she felt without him.    

Skogul' s horse, floated gently down upon the shore of the lake. The day was humid and without a breeze. The cool water seemed very inviting to the Valkyrie as it gently lapped against the shore. Skogul donned her swan skin, and waddled into the lake until she was in far enough to paddle her way into deeper water. For most of the morning, Skogul, in her emotionally distressed state, bobbed up and down in the gentle ripples of the lake trying desperately to decide what she should do next. She had many options, but none of them looked very promising. 


Just as Sunna passed directly overhead, Skogul felt something tug at her inner being. Every Valkyrie was well aware of this urge, and could not resist it. For ir was Odin himself who was calling all of his maidens to go and collect the honored dead from a battlefield somewhere on Midgard. Skogul did not need to know exactly where she was going as she swam back to shore. Harbinger, who was becoming impatient on the lake bank, felt the same urge, and he knew instinctively how to find the battlefield where the dead lay waiting to be escorted to Valhalla. 


Skogul did not want to go and retrieve the dead. She no longer wanted to serve Odin at all ! Her only thoughts were of Kolskegg, and of that wonderful night they spent together. As she slowly removed her swan skin she was suddenly filled with a great sadness. Naked and alone she sat on the shore of the lake and cried. 


Harbinger would have none of Skogul's  nonsense ! The great white winged horse began to stomp his hooves, and make guttural sounds from deep within his throat. When this did not get the maiden' s attention he began to nudge the Valkyrie with his nose. Finally, and after much prodding, Skogul rose up and began to dress in her armor and coat of mail. Harbinger did not wait to be kicked into action after she mounted him. The winged steed took off at once nearly throwing his rider as he flew off at great speed to Midgard.  Skogul' s mood turned sour once again. " I am not to be allowed a lover, or a moments peace ! " she said out loud as she hung on for dear life. 


It had been a very long time since Skogul had traveled to this part of Midgard. The battlefield appeared to be at the edge of the land named Zealand, in Denmark. The Valkyrie smiled as she remembered the stories that were told about this land. " How exactly did that story go ? " she thought to herself. " Oh, Yes ! A woman named Gefjon made an agreement with the ancient king of Sweden named Gylfi. She would please the king, and in return he would give her all the land she could plow in a day and a night using four oxen. Gefjon deceived the king and used her four Jotun sons as the oxen. The Aesir Goddess, with her sons harnessed to a mighty plow, dug up a large tract of land, and deposited it in the sound. She called this place Selund, and it became a part of Denmark. But now the place was known as Zealand. " she whispered to herself.


As she looked below at all the broken bodies that lay upon the battlefield, the story quickly lost its importance. Once again Skogul fell into a deep depression, and was lost in her own sadness. Skogul barely took notice of the warrior as she lifted him up onto her horse. She felt almost as though she were one of the walking dead that she had heard so much about. Draugr were what the Midgardians called them, and they mindlessly roamed the blue realm forever caught in between death and the afterlife. 


This warrior was for Freyja, and the ride to Folkvang was a long one. Skogul began to become very tired as they left the blue world, and headed for Freyja's great hall Sessrumnir. The sleepy Valkyrie laid her head upon the neck of Harbinger and closed her eyes. She soon became lost in her dreams.


Harbinger once again became impatient ! He had landed at the steps to Sessrumnir, where he expected his rider to dismount. When she did not move at all the great steed bobbed his head up and down violently to shake her awake. " Yes ! Yes ! We are here ! " she shouted at her steed as she dismounted.


Skogul carefully removed the warrior from her saddle, and gently placed him on the steps of Freyja's great hall. When she lay him down, Skogul noticed his face for the first time. The warrior had a handsome face with pleasant features. He also had bright blue eyes which reminded her immediately of Kolskegg. Skogul gazed into his eyes for only a moment before she broke down in tears. " And you will never see him again ! " Odin's words rang through her mind over and over again, as the tears fell faster and faster.

Skogul was sobbing so hard that she did not notice when the doors of the hall opened. Nor did she become aware that Freyja hovered above her until the shadow of the Goddess appeared before her on the lower steps. Skogul expected to find and angry Goddess when she finally turned around. What she saw, however, was the most beautiful female she had ever seen smiling down on her. 


" I thought I was the only one who cried here in Folkvang. " she explained to the distraught Valkyrie. Freyja reached out and gently wiped away her tears. " Why don' t you tell me Skogul what is troubling you child ! " she told Skogul as she sat down beside her on the marble steps. Before she could utter a single word Skogul threw her arms around Freyja and cried out : " I hurt so badly ! I think my heart will explode ! " 


Freyja was startled by the Valkyrie's bold behavior, but she was well aware of the pain that love can cause, and so the Goddess placed her arms around Skogul to comfort her. While she was consoling the maiden Freyja chanted an ancient spell, blinked her right eye, and the warrior came back to life. " Wait inside for me ! " she commanded. The warrior nodded and went into the hall leaving the women alone. Freyja then gently pushed Skogul away, and looked into her red puffy eyes. " Now, please tell me what is troubling you child ? " Freyja asked in a whisper.


Sunna had almost crossed the sky by the time Skogul finished her sad story. She left nothing out, and told her everything, including the fight with Geirahod, and her meeting with Odin. As she explained what had happened Skogul could not help but notice that Freyja' s expression turned from sympathy to anger. When the Valkyrie finished she once again expected to be scolded by a God. 


Freyja put on a false smile as she patted Skogul's cheek. " What a wonderful love story ! " she said quietly. Then the Goddess narrowed her eyes. " Odin sometimes allows his anger to get the best of him. " she explained to the Valkyrie. " I remember the time Gullveig was brought before him. He feared her magic and grew angry at what he saw as her insolence. The war that resulted from that meeting almost destroyed both of our realms ! " she exclaimed as she shook her head in disgust. 


Skogul looked up at the beautiful Goddess of Seidr and raised her eyebrows in surprise. " You are not angry with me ? " she asked in a tone that reflected her confusion.


Freyja stood up and clapped her hands together. " Why would I be mad at you child ? " she asked without waiting for an answer. " Love is a beautiful experience,.... and anger has no place when it comes to love. " she told the Valkyrie with a pleasant smile. 


Just as Freyja finished her sentence her golden cart, pulled by two magnificent mountain cats, arrived at the front of her hall. " I will go and speak to Odin on your behalf child. " Freyja told her as she stepped into her cart. " But you my dear are being derelict in your duties ! You must go at once, and gather up the honored souls for us ! " she commanded. 


" Do not worry my dear I will sway Odin ! " Freyja shouted as her cats carried her away. As her golden cart rose high into the heavens Freyja smiled.  " But first I must go and see the Norn Skuld ! " the Goddess said under her breath. 




- End Chapter 8




- Next : Chapter 9 : The Favor




- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015. 
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 7 :  Odin' s Judgement

5/28/2015

 

Forbidden Love


Chapter 7




Odin's Judgement 

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Although Odin thought that Geirahod probably deserved what she got, he was concerned that the Valkyrie Skogul had attacked her sister, defying his laws. If it went unpunished it would set a dangerous precedent, and might lead to more attacks in the future. Valfather was less troubled with Skogul taking a human lover. Valkyries had toyed with humans before, and he had almost always passed a mild punishment on them, and the matter was ended. Odin, however, in his own decree, had likened an attack on a Valkyrie to an attack upon himself. And no Valkyrie had ever disobeyed this law. Until now ! Only once before had a Valkyrie disobeyed the Valfather as severely, and Brynhild had paid dearly for her poor judgement ! 


Odin mulled over in his mind the charges brought against Skogul by Geirahod again and again. Valfather did not like to punish his Valkyries, but he could not see any way out of the situation that Skogul had backed him into. He could not afford to look weak, or indecisive, in front of his Valkyries. Odin pounded the arm of his high seat . " This can not stand ! This will not stand  ! " he shouted. Valfather then stood up and called for his serving maidens. " Hrist ! Mist ! Come here at once ! " Valfather bellowed.    


Skogul was grooming her great steed Harbinger when she noticed the Valkyries exiting the great hall. Her sisters seemed to be in a hurry as they left Valhalla ...... and they were heading across the courtyard straight toward her ! Skogul stopped brushing her mount, and turned nervously to face them as they came closer. 


" Skogul ! Odin wishes to speak to you at once ! " Hrist told her without a greeting. Mist then added : "  The Valfather is very angry with you ! " Hrist and Mist walked on either side of Skogul as they walked back to the great hall. When they had reached a point halfway to the hall Skogul stopped. " I do not need to be escorted to the great hall ! " Skogul told her sisters angrily. Hrist turned to Skogul and looked her directly in the eyes as she replied : " Odin has ordered us to personally bring you to him. " she told Skogul sternly. Mist with a little grin added : " And unlike one of Odin' s maidens we do as the Valfather commands ! " 


Hrist and Mist scooted quickly up the stairs ahead of Skogul . Each grabbed hold of one of the handles on the massive golden doors and opened it for their sister. As she passed them Skogul gave each Valkyrie a nervous look. Once inside she saw, in the reflected golden light, Odin sitting on his high seat at the other end of the great hall. Skogul took only a few steps before she heard the great echoing sound of the doors being slammed shut behind her. She was now alone with Odin, and the thought terrified her !


Skogul had not gone very far when she heard the Valfather speak : " Come her child ! " he commanded. The tone of his voice surprised her somewhat. It was authoritative, but it did not seem to reflect anger. Although the distance from the entrance to Odin' s high - seat was not that great it seemed that it would take forever to reach him in Skogul' s mind. " Yes my lord ! " She replied dutifully.


When Skogul finally reached the great throne of Odin she lowered her head and folded her hands in front of her. " You have requested to see me my Lord . " she replied, not as a question, but as a simple statement of fact. 


Odin took a deep breath before beginning. " I am very displeased with what I am being told about you Skogul ! " he told her. " You have not only broken your solemn oath to me, but also your vows to your sister Valkyries ! " he explained to her with his voice rising in volume with every word.


Skogul sniffled as tears welled up in her eyes. " I am sorry great one . " It was not my intention to fall in love with the human Kolskegg. " she told him regretfully. 


Odin jumped up out of his high - seat ! " Your love for the human is by far the lesser of your crimes Skogul ! You have attacked one of your sisters..... one of my maidens.... and injured her in battle ! " he told her angrily. " Why !? I demand to know why !? " Valfather asked . 


Valfather's eye glared down upon her as brightly as Sunna' s rays on a clear day . Fearing his wrath Skogul decided she would tell her story, and accept whatever punishment Odin gave to her. " Geirahod was taunting me, and threatening me. She became physical and pushed me several times, and when I could not take it anymore I drew my sword, and fought with her. The contest quickly got out of hand, and in the heat of battle, I injured one of my sisters. " she told him. Skogul then bent down on her knees and pleaded with Odin. " I ask for your forgiveness great one ! " 


Odin could be as hard as a hammer at times, but he also had a great fondness for his Valkyries, and did not enjoy having to reprimand them. " I do not like punishing my battlefield maidens, especially in this time of great wars on Midgard, but in this instance I have no choice. You will apologize to Geirahod in front of all of your sister Valkyries, and ask for her forgiveness. You will, in addition to your regular duties, help the serving maidens in my hall for four seasons. And you will NEVER see that human again ! " he commanded .


Skogul looked up at Odin with red tear- filled eyes. " I will be more than happy to apologize to my sister Geirahod for what I have done, and I will serve the einherjar for as long as you command, but I cannot stop seeing the man that I love ! " she cried out.


Odin stepped down from his high - seat, grabbed Skogul by the shoulders and lifted her off of the ground. " That was not a request Skogul ! " he shouted in her face. " You are banned from ever seeing that human again ! " he added angrily as he gazed deeply into her eyes. 


Skogul felt the vise - like grip of Odin's powerful hands release her as she fell to the floor. The Valkyrie lay there for a moment on her side crying like a child before replying. " Please ! I love him ! " she blurted out through her trembling lips. 


Odin hovered over her like an eagle about to pounce on a snow hare. " You should be grateful child. When Brynhild disobeyed me I pricked her with a sleep thorn. From that moment on her life was cursed by tragedy ! " he told her in a firm but calmer tone. 


Odin turned and walked back to his high - seat and sat down. " I have said all there is to say on this matter ! Leave me, and never let me hear of anything like this again ! " he told her as he pointed the way out of his hall. 


If the walk into Odin' s hall had seemed great in length, the exit out of Valhalla seemed to take forever. As Skogul slowly moved footstep by footstep toward the golden doors, under his piercing gaze, she trembled as if she were naked in the land of the Frost Giants. Skogul did not look at Hrist and Mist as she left the hall. Such was her shame ! 




- End Chapter 7



Next : Chapter 8 : Freyja Becomes Involved





- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.       
    

' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 6 : Geirahod Tells All !

5/27/2015

 

Forbidden Love


Chapter 6


Geirahod Tells All

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Geirahod was not seeking justice as she slowly walked up the golden stairs that lead to the great hall at Valhalla. She was seeking nothing less than revenge ! As she reached out for the handle to push open the massive doors, she felt a twinge of pain from the wound that she had received from Skogul in their fight. The Goddess Eir had been most kind to heal her wound, but the Goddess had warned her that the area would be tender for some time. As Geirahod threw open the doors to Valhalla she muttered under her breath : " And now you will pay dearly for what you have done Skogul ! " 


Odin was feeding his great wolves, Geri and Freki, when he heard the doors open to his great hall. Although he had his back to the doors of the hall  Odin continued to serve meat to his loyal pets as he counted his visitor's footsteps. His sharp mind was able to judge the exact distance of the guest from him, and the weight of that individual's steps told him that it was a female, and not one of his warriors. When the woman had reached the halfway point between the entrance and the high - seat, Odin petted his wolves on the head, turned and sat upon his royal throne.        


Geirahod was a bold woman, and a fierce Valkyrie, but the sight of great Odin perched upon his high - seat slightly unnerved her. " May I have a word with you my Lord ? " she asked respectfully with a little school girl' s voice. Geirahod bowed and awaited his answer. 


Odin nodded, and motioned for her to rise, and come closer. " Do not be afraid my dear !  Come here and tell me what it is that you have to say. "Odin told her in a tone that a father would use toward their child. 


Geirahod nodded respectfully to Odin, and then began. " Valfather, I, Geirahod one of your loyal Valkyries, have come here today to seek justice, and to warn you of treachery that is taking place behind your back. " she told Odin. 


Odin raised his eyebrows in surprise at what one of his maidens had just told him. " Treachery is a very strong charge my dear ! " Valfather told her. " Have you brought me proof to back up such a charge ? " he asked the Valkyrie with a long stare. 


Geirahod suddenly regained her nerve. " Not only do I have proof, my Lord, but I have many witnesses who can testify to these heinous crimes ! " she told Valfather boldly. 


Odin stroked his beard and nodded before replying : " Then I will hear what you have to say ! " he told her in the form of a command.


Geirahod lowered her head in mock shame as she began. " My Lord, I was attacked by my sister Valkyrie, Skogul, and was wounded by her sword. " she told Odin in a voice that hinted of tears. So severely injured was I, in fact, that my sister Hlokk had to take me on fast wings to see the Goddess Eir to heal my injury. " she added as she rubbed her shoulder to show where the injury had occurred. 


Odin jumped up from his high - seat, and pointed his finger at Geirahod. " And why did Skogul attack one of her sisters ?!" Odin demanded to know in a booming voice. 


Geirahod was startled by Odin' s sudden loud outburst ! " Be.... be.... because I confronted her in front of the other Valkyries about the affair she is having with a human named Kolskegg, my Lord. " she told Valfather nervously.


Odin' s eye widened . " Have you witnessed this affair yourself ?! " he demanded to know. 


Geirahod could not help but grin as she answered . " Yes, my Lord ! I traveled to the Kingdom of More with my sister Radgrid, and we  both  witnessed her breaking the blood oath that she took to you great Odin. " she replied. 


Odin sat back down, and reached down to pet Geri and Freki, who sat faithfully by his side. He then stroked his beard  several times before continuing. " Why did you not come to me sooner ? " he asked suspiciously.


Geirahod lowered her head again. This time she truly was embarrassed. " For that I apologize to you my Lord ! " she told him. " Forgive me ! I simply could not believe that one of my own sisters, and an honored Valkyrie, could betray us all as she has ! " she added in her defense. 


Then Geirahod, in a very bold move, stepped forward and placed her hands on the arms of the Valfather's high - seat. The Valkyrie leaned forward and looked Odin directly in the eye as she spoke. " And that is why I have come before you this day great Odin. I seek justice ! " she told Valfather without lowering her stare. 


Odin did not appreciate the Valkyries boldness ! He stood up quickly, startling the maiden, and forcing her, with his very presence, to retreat from the high - seat. In a cold tone Valfather addressed the Valkyrie. " Thank you for bringing this situation to my attention ! " he told her. Then he pointed to the golden doors of the great hall. " You may leave now, for this matter is now in my hands ! " he said with a twinge of anger.


Realizing that she had been too forward in her actions, Geirahod decided not to press the issue any further for now. Geirahod nodded to Odin. " I thank you for allowing me to have an audience with your greatness. " she told Valfather. Then Geirahod slowly walked to the entrance of the great hall. As she opened the doors she peered over her shoulder, and saw that Odin was still angrily staring at her. Geirahod nodded a final farewell, and then left the great hall.     


Odin reached down and stroked the thick fur around Geri' s neck. " Does she think me a fool ?! " he asked his pets. " She seeks revenge, not justice from me Freki ! " he told his other wolf as he patted it on the head. Odin then stroked his beard again, and nodded. " I will speak to Skogul before I make any judgement on such an important matter. " he told himself. As Odin thought back on Geirahod's testimony he laughed. " She is lucky Skogul did not kill her ! "  




____________________________________________________________________________________________________






Gondul had been searching for Skogul for most of the day. She had first traveled to Midgard to see if her friend was with her lover Kolskegg, but she was not there. Gondul then decided to go back to Valhalla to wait for her friend to return. It was there as she circled high above that she saw Skogul sitting up against a tall tree at the edge of the courtyard near the great hall. Gondul dismounted before her steed had a chance to land all four of its hooves. " Where have you been ! "  She shouted at Skogul angrily.


Skogul looked up at her friend who hovered above her with indifference. " I have been very lonely all day, and have been sitting here deciding what it is that I should do. " she told Gondul sadly.


Gondul shook her head back and forth in disgust. " Are you aware of the fact that Geirahod has gone to see Odin because of what you have done ! ? " she asked. Before Skogul had a chance to answer Gondul added : " You should go and see Odin as soon as possible to counter any lies that Geirahod has told the Valfather ! " 


Skogul put her head down and began to cry. " I am afraid that most of what Geirahod has told Odin is true. I did attack and injure my sister Valkyrie. I am in love with the human warrior named Kolskegg. And I am willing to risk everything for the man that I love ! " she told Gondul as she broke down sobbing.






- End Chapter 6




- Next : Chapter 7 : Odin' s Judgement





- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.  

' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 5 : The Confrontation

5/26/2015

 

Forbidden Love 




Chapter 5



The Confrontation

Picture
Rackham, Arthur (illus) (1910)
Skogul gave herself to Kolskegg under the dim beams of Mani' s glowing face, and the stars that dotted the night sky. She had never felt such delights before, nor could she have ever imagined that they ever existed. With their energy spent the two lovers lay in each others arms by the pond looking up at the beauty that was the heavens.  Skogul buried her face in her lover's massive chest. " I am in love with a human who I know nothing about. " she explained to Kolskegg. " Will you tell me something,......, everything about yourself ? " she asked. Kolskegg kissed Skogul on her forehead and laughed. " Everything ! Everything is a lot to tell ! " he told her. Skogul did not reply to his comment, but instead made a humming sound as she held him closer.


" Well ! Where to begin.? " he asked himself out loud. " I joined King Hallkell's army, along with my good friend Thord, about ten years ago. My friend and I have fought in many battles together, and we have both risen through the ranks to lead our own men in the More army. " he told her. " More recently I was attacked by three warriors at once while we were fighting by the Harbard Fjord, and was stabbed through the chest by a spear. That is where you found me ! I was dying, and if not for you I would not have survived. " he added.


Skogul laughed. " Spoken like a true warrior ! " she told him as she lifted her head off of his chest. " Have you no mother or father ? " she asked. " No brothers or sisters to speak of ? " she added before he could answer. 


Kolskegg smiled and rubbed her shoulder. " My father, Egil, was a blacksmith. And a very good one at that I might add ! My mother was Gersemi..... her parents named her after Freyja's daughter. Like the Goddess she was a beautiful woman. Even after her hair turned gray, and her face wrinkled, you could still see how pretty she was. " he told her, and then paused. " They are both gone now, taken by old age and disease. I have no brothers and sisters. " he explained sadly.


Kolskegg cleared his throat. " And now it is your turn my pretty little maiden ! I wish to know absolutely everything that there is to know about Skogul the Valkyrie. " he told her in a somewhat demanding tone.       


Skogul took a deep breath and placed her head back on Kolskegg's chest . " I am not sure where it is that I came from. I was " born " by the side of a lake, and my first memories are of swimming in its clear water in my swan skin. I was raised by Brynhild who too me under her wings, and when I was old enough I was brought before Odin, swore a blood oath to him, and was honored to be accepted as one of his maidens. I have served Valfather faithfully for many years now !  " she explained. Skogul then lifted her head and smiled at Kolskegg. " Oh, and by the way, I have met both Freyja and Gersemi ! " she told him with a giggle.


Kolskegg and Skogul became very quiet as they gazed upon the heavens. Only the crickets, and the pond frogs, broke the silence. First Skogul, and then Kolskegg, succumbed to their desire to sleep. 


Kolskegg awoke to the early morning sounds of an army camp.  In the cold morning air he could hear what was known as the " camp cough " being expelled from the throats of hundreds of warrriors. A woodpecker kept time off in the distance, as a multitude of chirping birds completed the early morning symphony. The warrior was debating whether to lay his head back down, or get up, when Sunna' s first rays came streaming over a distant mountain, and made up his mind for him. 


" Wake my love ! It is time for us to leave this place. " Kolskegg told Skogul as he gently shook her. The Valkyrie placed her arms around her lover' s neck and kissed him on the cheek. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw the dawn breaking over Midgard. " Oh, my ! " she shouted in a hoarse whisper. " I must be going ! " she told Kolskegg as she jumped quickly to her feet. 


" Do I not even get a last kiss before you leave ? " he asked with a cute pout. Skogul smiled and knelt down bedside Kolskegg. " A quick one my love, or I will be in trouble with my sisters ! " she told him before she kissed him on the lips. As Skogul ran to her horse Kolskegg picked up his bearskin coat and shook it in the morning breeze to clean it of debris. Then the great warrior placed it on his shoulders and headed back to camp smiling from ear to ear.


Kolskegg had barely reached his tent when he heard footsteps behind him. " Where in the nine worlds have you been my old friend ? " Thord asked suspiciously. Kolskegg grinned. " I spent the night making love to a Valkyrie down by the pond ! " he told his friend. Thord did not appreciate the humor as he replied : " Very funny ! The king will have both of our asses if we do not have our men ready to move out by sunup ! " he shouted as he stormed off to see to his own men.


Skogul did not bother to use the stirrups to mount her winged horse, but instead leaped onto the saddle from behind. As she settled in her saddle she kicked Harbinger into the air  : " Ride like the wind my friend, or I will be in for a world of trouble ! " she shouted to her winged friend.


 Skogul continued to kick her mount all the way back to Valhalla. As Harbinger landed by the lake she noticed that the horse had become quite lathered, and was panting profusely. She also became aware of something much more alarming as she dismounted. Coming toward her from the lake shore were two of her sister Valkyries..... and they did not look happy !    


" What is this ? " Skogul asked nervously as her sisters approached. Geirahod, who was leading the way, spoke first. " You lying bitch ! " she shouted at Skogul. You disloyal lying bitch !! " Geirahod repeated as she stood only feet away from Skogul's face.


Skogul tried to remain calm. " What do you mean Geirahod ? " she asked innocently. Geirahod shook her head back and forth violently. " Save your lies for Gondul ! " the angry Valkyrie screamed at Skogul. Radgrid, although much calmer, stepped forward and spoke sternly to her sister. " Your lies no longer hold any weight sister. I was with Geirahod in Midgard, and I saw you with your human lover ! " she explained loudly to her sister Valkyrie. Skogul lowered her head, for she no longer had any answers for their accusations. 


The shouting reverberated around the lake, and its surrounding forest. Slowly, one by one, all of the other Valkyries gathered around Skogul and her accusers. Although they did not hear the whole story, they had heard enough to want an explanation from Skogul about her recent actions. 


Geirahod spun around and addressed her sister Valkyries as if she were in Forseti' s court preferring charges against a defendant. " Sisters ! Please gather round, and let me tell you of our dear sister Skogul's deceit and lies ! " she told them. She then paused dramatically to allow them to gather. " Our sister, who we trusted, and who like all Valkyries took a blood oath to abide by Odin's laws, has broken her sacred pledge to Valfather, and in turn to us, my loyal sisters ! " she told them with an angry stare.


Geirahod turned and pointed at Skogul. " I, along with my sister Radgrid, have seen with our own eyes why Skogul has been inefficient in her work ethic, and at times derelict in her duties. Our sister has shifted her loyalties to a lover ! " she shouted. " And the worst part of all this is that he is not an Elf, or a God, but a human being ! " she screamed shaking her fist at Skogul.


Geirahod placed her hand on Radgrid' s shoulder. " Please, sister, tell them what you have witnessed ! " Geirahod instructed her. Radgrid stepped forward, and in a calm voice spoke to the gathering :  " Sisters, yesterday I traveled with Geirahod to Midgard where I witnessed a vile act of betrayal on Skogul's part. I saw Skogul being intimate with a human who is named Kolskegg. They embraced and kissed..... and obviously we can assume that her tardiness this morning was caused because she spent the night with her lover ! " she told them.


A gasp rose up from the gathering. " Is it true ? ", " Has Skogul betrayed us ? " , " How could she do such a thing ? ! " were just a few of the discussions that were taking place between the Valkyries. Geirahod stepped forward and pushed Skogul. " You no longer belong here in Asgard ! Odin has no need of the likes of a lying bitch like you ! " she screamed as she pushed Skogul a second time. Then from the crowd one of the Valkyries shouted : " Is this true Skogul ? " Geirahod pushed Skogul again. " Tell them !  Tell them the truth !! " she screamed only inches away from Skogul's face. 


Skogul was confused by all of her conflicting emotions. She felt love, pain, humiliation, betrayal, and now she was becoming angry ! When Geirahod pushed her once again Skogul screamed : " Yes ! Yes ! I love the human Kolskegg !"  Geirahod smiled in triumph. " Then you must leave Valhalla forever ! " she shouted as she pushed Skogul yet again. 


This time Skogul could not contain her anger any longer, and she rushed forward and pushed Geirahod with all of her might. Geirahod flew through the air for several feet before landing hard upon the ground. The Valkyries gasped as Skogul in her fury drew her sword and screamed back at her sister : " Yes, I love him, and I am not going anywhere ! " 


Geirahod immediately jumped up and drew her sword as well ! " You dare to threaten one of Odin' s maidens with harm ! " she screamed at Skogul in disbelief. Skogul stepped forward menacingly and shouted : " I will kill for the man that I love ! " Hearing Skogul' s hateful words Radgrid ran away from Geirahod, and all of the other Valkyries stepped away from the two combatants.


Skogul was furious and attacked at once. She slashed and stabbed with her sword like a shield maiden possessed by a berserker !  At first Geirahod was able to block all of her sister's wild blows, and was even able to counter with a few strikes of her own. But Geirahod had not anticipated the strength of Skogul' s anger, and she was slow in responding to a particularly vicious sword stroke which cut her hand. Skogul followed this up with a lunging stab with her sword that caught Geirahod in the right shoulder. The injured Vakyrie fell to her knees, and dropped her sword. When the realization hit her that she had actually been stabbed she placed her hand over the wound. Her hand quickly became covered in blood which she showed to the other Valkyries with a stunned look upon her face. Then she turned her gaze back to her opponent. 


Skogul stood above Geirahod with an angry look upon her face ready to strike down her sister Valkyrie. Skogul raised her sword as her sisters let out a chorus of, "No ! " As the sword began to descend upon her Geirahod instinctively raised her arm to block the blow, as she awaited her death, suddenly, and unexpectedly, there was a loud clang as hardened steel met hardened steel !    
               
Gondul had been swimming in the lake when the shouting began.  It took her a little time to swim to shore and remove her swan skin. Then she quickly drew her sword from its scabbard and ran to help her friend Skogul. When she arrived, however, it was not Skogul who was in trouble, but instead it was Geirahod who was in danger of losing her life. Gondul pushed her way through the ring of Valkyries that surrounded the two combatants, and swung her sword just in time to save Geirahod from Skogul' s death blow !


" Have you lost your mind ! " Gondul screamed at Skogul. " The penalty for killing one of Odin's maidens is death ! " she reminded her friend. Skogul looked at the friend she had known since childhood and screamed as she began to cry. " For the first time in my life I am happy, and I will not allow anyone to take that away from me ! " Gondul' s eyes watered as well as she lowered her sword. " Please Skogul ! I am begging you to let this go ! " she pleaded. Skogul screamed in frustration, and placed her sword back in its sheath. Skogul did not say another word. She walked back to Harbinger, mounted her steed, and flew away. 


Geirahod, who now felt the full throbbing of pain from her wound, yelled after her : " This is not over ! Odin shall hear of this ! " The other Valkyries quickly gathered around their wounded sister to aid her. Hrist suggested that she be brought at once to the Goddess Eir, and all agreed this to be a good idea.  Hlokk agreed to take her wounded sister, and quickly ran to fetch her horse. She then carefully helped Geirahod onto her mount and flew away.


Gondul stood not knowing what to say as she watched Hlokk fly off with their wounded sister. She was startled when she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned Herfjotur stood before her with a worried look upon her face. " Sister, what shall we do about Skogul ? " she asked nervously. Gondul shook her head from side to side. " I am afraid that this matter is now out of our hands ! " she replied sadly.       






- End Chapter 5




- Next : Chapter 6 : Geirahod Tells All !




- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015. 
                  
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 4 : A Temptation Too Great !

5/25/2015

 

Forbidden Love


Chapter 4


A Temptation Too Great

Picture
Rackham, Arthur (illus) (1910)
Each day that passed was a challenge for Skogul. On every battlefield she visited she looked for Kolskegg. And every warrior that she brought to Odin or Freyja made her heart break, as they reminded her of the man she loved. With her preoccupation with Kolskegg, Skogul became prone to lapses in judgement, and often did not pay attention when performing her duties. Several times she had removed the essence of a warrior only to discover that he was not the one chosen by Odin. Skogul could not concentrate. All she could think about was Kolskegg's beautiful eyes, and his wonderful kisses. In the meantime her logical mind was being torn apart by her aching heart.   


Most of the Valkyries had noticed that Skogul had gone from bad to worse. Odin's maidens began to gossip behind Skogul's back. They commented on how she often seemed lost in her daydreams as she scoured the battlefield for the dead, and how she would linger among their bodies for long periods of time for no apparent reason. Geirahod especially had been making mental notes about every wrong move that Skogul made. Geirahod no longer trusted her sister, and she was beginning to come to the conclusion that she was becoming a burden to the other Valkyries. Geirahod tried several times to talk the other Valkyries into asking for an audience with Odin to apprise their Lord of the situation. Gondul, however, always seemed to be there to talk her sisters from going to see the Valfather. 


One evening Odin called his maidens to a battlefield in Norway that lay on the borders of Lade and More. As they flew overhead the Valkyries saw below them the remains of what was once two proud armies. It had obviously been a hard fought battle ! In several places the bodies had fallen one on top of the other which clearly showed just how compact and ferocious the fighting had been. 


As Skogul picked up one of the honored dead her eyes scoured the field of battle for her beloved Kolskegg. She had not seen him for several phases of the moon, and did not no whether he was dead or alive. She feared finding the man she loved dead on the battlefield even more than she feared never seeing him again. Odin never let his einherjar fraternize with the Valkyries. Such activities were strictly forbidden ! And yet Skogul still wasted her precious time checking the dead to see if Kolskegg was counted among their number. 


Gondul shook her head from side to side in disgust. " What in the nine worlds is wrong with you Skogul ! " she whispered to herself. The Valkyrie had been flying overhead when she spotted her friend holding a dead warrior in her arms as she looked around as if she were lost. " Skogul ! We must hurry sister ! There are many to be gathered from this battlefield ! " she reminded her friend as she kicked her horse into full flight.    


" Yes, of course ! " Skogul shouted back. As she was turning to head back to her winged horse with one of the chosen, Skogul saw movement at the edge of the north woods. There were five warriors walking together, as far as she could tell from where she was standing. Two warriors stood on either side of a huge man as they walked. When the large man turned his head to speak to his comrades Skogul caught a glimpse of his light blonde hair and a beard that was braided on both sides. She did not have to see his blue eyes to know that this was the man that she loved. Skogul' s heart melted once again as she softly whispered : " Kolskegg ! " as if she were telling the dead warrior who he was.  


Once again, however, the watcher was being watched ! Flying on her steed high above the battlefield, and with the keen eyes of an eagle, Geirahod was observing Skogul' s every move. And she did not like what she was seeing !


Skogul heeded Gondul' s warning, and continued to gather up the honored dead until they were all brought to either Valhalla or Folkvang. That night, however, while her sister Valkyries were sleeping  Skogul silently left their bed chamber and went out to the field to get her horse Harbinger. As she mounted her winged steed, and flew into the night sky, Skogul thought that she had been discreet, and left unnoticed, but Geirahod, suspecting treachery, remained awake and saw her leave. Geirahod was not about to take any chances this time. She went over and woke up Radgrid to act as a witness to what was about to transpire.   


Skogul' s heart pounded in her chest with the force of a blacksmith' s hammer striking an anvil ! The closer she came to the battlefield, on the border of More and Lade, the more intense the ache grew within her. The Valkyrie, who long ago had pledged her undying loyalty to Odin, the einherjar, and her sisters, had forsaken those sacred oaths for the love of a single man. There was nothing she could do to stop herself any longer. Her desire for Kolskegg was stronger than the fear she had for any retribution from Odin, or the lost respect of her sister Valkyries. Skogul was hopelessly in love, and now she was willing to risk everything for the man that she cared so much for !


Skogul set her great steed down on the edge of the forest near where she had seen Kolskegg, and walked the short distance to the More warriors camp. She stood hidden just beyond the outskirts of their camp, and watched intently every movement as Mani slowly crossed the night sky. Just as Mani reached his apex she saw a large man emerge from a tent near the center of the encampment. From his muscular build, and his flowing blonde hair, she knew in her heart that this was Kolskegg.


Kolskegg had had a little bit too much to drink before he bedded down for the night . When he awoke with the urge to urinate he cursed his great thirst, for the night air had a twinge of coolness to it, and his bed was quite warm. Kolskegg resisted for as long as he could, but when he could not wait any longer he threw off his bearskin blanket, and reluctantly left his tent to relieve himself. The great warrior walked to the edge of the camp and found himself a large pine tree to aim at. As Kolskegg stood before the massive tree trunk peeing he caught sight of something bright fluttering in the forest. Being in no position to do anything about what he was seeing out of the corner of his eye, Kolskegg finished his business, and went back to his tent. Instead of lying back down, he grabbed his sword and crawled out of the back of the tent. The warrior stayed low until he reached the forest, and then silently circled around the object that he had seen until he was directly behind it. 


Skogul had her full attention directed at the tent that Kolskegg had gone into. She could not decide if she should wait a few moments before entering the camp, or if she should just run through the encampment to his tent. " No one would see her !"  she thought to herself. But then she added : " But if Kolskegg could see her there was a possibility that someone else could too ! " Skogul never had a chance to decide ! Behind her she heard a twig snap, and before she could turn she felt a presence behind her. In one, much practiced spinning move, she turned completely around as she drew her sword.      

" Do not move or I will kill you ! " Kolskegg commanded. In the blink of an eye, and before he could react, the intruder spun around, and with sword in hand threatened him. As Mani's glow settled over the intruder's face, Kolskegg began to laugh. " Why is it every time I meet you we have our swords drawn for battle ? " he asked the fair maiden who stood before him. Skogul gave Kolskegg a little grin. " I am a Valkyrie ! I am born and bred for battle ! " she told him in a teasing voice.


Kolskegg looked deeply into Skogul' s eyes. " Is there no love in your heart as well ? " he asked putting his sword away. The Valkyrie felt her cheeks become flushed as she blushed for the very first time. " There was none..... until I met you. " she told him shyly. 


Kolskegg stepped forward until his chest almost touched her sword. " I have sheathed my sword. Will you not do the same ? " he asked. Skogul looked at his massive chest, and then at the tip of her sword. As her hand began to shake she placed her sword back in its scabbard. 


The huge warrior reached out and gently stroked her cheek. His eyes never left her's as he spoke : " Even if the faint glow of the moon I can see how very beautiful you are ! " he told her with a little smile. Skogul leaned forward and collapsed against Kolskegg' s chest. As they held each other tightly, Skogul, for the first time in her life, knew what it was like to surrender herself to someone else. " I do not understand what it is that I am feeling ! " Skogul whispered in his ear. 


Before he could answer they heard several warriors talking as they walked through the camp. " Let us go down to the pond. " he told her. " We can be alone there. " he added as he stroked her long blonde hair. 


They were not alone, however. Hidden behind a large oak tree, not far away, and within earshot, stood Geirahod and Radgrid. After hearing their conversation Geirahod turned to Radgrid and whispered in her ear : " Let us follow them at a safe distance, and see where this encounter leads ! " she told her sister. Radgrid did not answer. She simply nodded her acknowledgement.                

Kolskegg took Skogul's hand and led her down to the pond. When they reached the edge of the shimmering water, the gallant warrior placed his fur coat on the ground, and then motioned for the Valkyrie to sit . As she sat down she took her eyes off of Kolskegg for a moment to take in the beauty of her surroundings. Mani, in all his glory, was reflected almost exactly as he appeared in the sky in the calm water, as were the bright stars. Only an occasional mild ripple distorted the picturesque scene. Skogul felt as though she were in a dream ! 


Skogul lay down upon the bearskin, put her hands behind her neck, and looked up at the night sky. " How is it that you can see one of Odin' s maidens, and others cannot ? " she asked.


 Kolskegg lay down next to her on his side. " I do not have an answer for your question Skogul, and I do not think that I care either. For as long as I can gaze upon your beauty I am happy, and that is all that matters to me ! " he told her with a little smile. 


Skogul turned onto her side, and peered deeply into his eyes. Slowly and tenderly their lips met. Their lips parted for only a moment before Kolskegg kissed her more forcefully, and passionately . Kolskegg then let his lips caress her neck, and her ears. " I think that I fell in love with you the moment I first laid eyes on you ! " he blurted out as he nibbled on one of her earlobes. Skogul held Kolskegg tightly in her arms as a tear fell slowly down the Valkyrie's cheek. She had never known such joy as she was feeling at that very moment !


Geirahod had seen enough ! She tapped Radgrid on the shoulder and motioned for them to return to their horses. As Geirahod mounted her winged steed she turned to Radgrid. " Now I have all the proof I need ! " she told her sister. Radgrid nodded. " If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it ! " she replied as she kicked her horse into flight.


- End Chapter 4




- Next : Chapter 5 : The Confrontation




- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.            
    
  
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 3 : Geirahod's Reluctant Promise

5/24/2015

 

Forbidden Love


Chapter 3


Geirahod's Reluctant Promise

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Skogul returned her sword to its scabbard, and rushed over to her friend, who was lying on the ground, stunned by the blow she had delivered. Gondul' s horse, which stood beside its master, had its neck stretched down to the ground. Over and over again it was trying to revive the maiden by gently nudging the fallen Valkyrie with its nose.       


Suddenly, as if startled out of a deep sleep, Gondul jumped up out of her stupor and reached down for her sword. " Where is he ! I will kill that stupid human ! " she shouted angrily. As she looked around trying to find the warrior she wobbled slightly on unsteady legs. " Where is he ! " she screamed again in frustration.


Skogul slowly came up from behind her friend and grabbed her sword hand gently. She then placed her other arm around Gondul' s waist and hugged her. " Forgive me my good friend, but it was I who struck you down ! " she whispered softly in her ear. 


Gondul quickly wriggled out of Skogul' s grasp, and spun around to face her sister Valkyrie. " You ! ? It was you !! " she shouted while pointing her sword menacingly at her friend. " What ? ....How ?.... Why ? " she screamed angrily at her long time friend. 


Skogul lowered her head in shame. " I am sorry ! I am so very sorry !! " she told Gondul. " I do not know what compelled me...., but I could not allow you to harm Kolskegg. " she explained to her sister. " Kolskegg was not hurting me....., he was....well.... he was hugging me ! " she added with a stutter.    

Gondul' s expression turned from anger to surprise. " Kolskegg ! " she shouted as she returned her sword to its holder. " Now this human has a name ? " she added . Gondul began to pace back and forth. " This is dangerous ! Very dangerous ! We Valkyries are blood oathed to Odin, and Odin alone. If Valfather finds out about this he will not be pleased ! " she exclaimed scolding her friend for her irresponsible actions .

The angry Valkyrie began to calm down when she suddenly realized that the warrior she had been bringing to Valhalla had also been thrown off of her horse, and was now lying on the ground beside them. Gondul took a long deep breath. " Let us first gather up the honored dead for Odin and Freyja. We can speak of this later back in Valhalla when we are finished with our duties. " she told Skogul in a much calmer voice.


Gondul and Skogul did not speak as they rode back to Valhalla side by side with the last of the honored dead for Odin' s ever growing legion. After Skogul had set her warrior upon the steps of the great hall, Gondul grabbed her by the arm, and led her away to the fields just outside of the Odin's hall. As the golden doors opened to allow the dead warrior to enter Geirahod emerged from the hall, and carefully, and quietly, followed her sister Valkyries to see what they were up to. When Gondul and Skogul stopped, Geirahod remained at a safe distance. Far enough not to be seen, but close enough to hear what was being said.


Gondul let go of Skogul' s arm and pointed her finger at her sister. " Explain your actions Skogul, for I do not understand ! " Gondul demanded. Skogul turned her eyes away from Gondul before replying. " How can I tell you of something that makes so little sense to me ! " Skogul shouted back at her friend. Gondul took a deep breath and let it out hard in frustration. " Then tell me what you can ! " she insisted. 


" I was retrieving a soul from the battlefield when our eyes met for a second time. Then he came toward me ! I knew that he meant me no harm, but I still drew my sword to protect myself. And then.... then.... he dried my tears and kissed me.... " she told her friend with a huge smile. " I believe it was at that very moment that you attacked him. " she added.    

" Kissed ! Kissed !! " Gondul screamed. " I thought he was trying to hurt you ! " she told her friend while shaking her fist at her . Gondul' s expression suddenly changed from anger to confusion. " Why did he kiss you ? " she asked. Skogul turned to Gondul, and grinned from ear to ear.  " He thinks I am beautiful ! " she told her friend excitedly. Gondul gave her sister a mean look that wiped the smile off of her face. " Great ! Isn' t that just wonderful ! " she yelled at Skogul. Then Gondul stroked her chin thoughtfully. " I do not understand why it is that this human can see you ! " she told Skogul in an confused tone.  Skogul shrugged her shoulders. " Nor do I .  And it seems that he can see me, but not you. " she explained to her sister .


Gondul nodded her head in the direction of the great hall. " I think that we should inform Odin about this human. To hide this from Valfather would be wrong ! " she told her sister. Skogul' s expression turned to fear and surprise. " No ! No ! I do not believe that this small matter deserves the attention of great Odin ! " she quickly replied.


Geirahod rose up from her hiding place among the tall grass when she heard what Skogul had just said. " Who are you to decide what is, or what is not, important enough for Odin to be made aware of ! " Geirahod shouted as she approached her sisters. Gondul and Skogul both looked at each other, and gasped in horror when they saw Geirahod coming toward them.


Geirahod completely ignored Skogul and spoke directly to Gondul. " She spoke to a human ?... who should not have been able to see her.... and then she struck you down when you tried to protect her ? ! The punishment for a Valkyrie attacking one of her sisters is at the very least banishment.... and possibly even if death if Odin so decrees ! " she explained to Gondul angrily. 

Gondul grabbed Geirahod by the arm and led her a short distance away from Skogul. " Please sister ! I know this looks bad, but I believe that all of this was simply a series of unfortunate misunderstandings. " Gondul told her sister Valkyrie. " And we all know that some humans can see us ! " Gondul reminded her. " Do you remember the story that our sister Skeggjold told us about the one called Volund and his brothers ? " she asked. Geirahod nodded, but did not reply. " Those Valkyries lived with their human hosts for seven years, before they were recalled to duty by Odin himself ! " she explained just in case Geirahod did not actually remember. 


" Gondul put her arm around Geirahod's neck and pulled her close. " Now I have decided to put Skogul' s actions behind me, and forgive her for her indiscretions. And I ask that you do the same ! " Gondul told her sister with authority as she increased the pressure on her neck. 


Geirahod understood the meaning of what she was being told by Gondul, but she was not intimidated. She placed her hand on Gondul' s chin and raised it up so that their noses almost touched. " For your sake, and because you have asked so nicely, I will let this matter rest..... for now. " she told Gondul through clenched teeth. 


Then Geirahod released Gondul' s chin and spun around to face Skogul. The angry Valkyrie pointed her finger menacingly at Skogul. " But I will be watching you very closely my dear, and if I catch you breaking any of Odin' s laws I promise you I will bring you down ! " she shouted to Skogul. Geirahod glanced angrily at Gondul one more time before storming off back to the golden hall.          

Gondul shook her head back and forth in disgust. She then walked back over to her friend and rubbed her arm. " Let us not speak of this again Skogul. " she told her. " As far as I am concerned this matter is ended ! " Gondul added. Skogul managed a weak smile, and thanked her, but in her heart she knew that this was not over. It was just beginning !



- End Chapter 3




- Next : Chapter 4 : A Temptation Too Great !




- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015. 
  
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 2 : Second Meeting

5/23/2015

 

Forbidden Love



Chapter 2


Second Meeting

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The Valkyrie's Vigil, by Edward Robert Hughes ( 1906 )
Gunn, the eldest and most respected of the Valkyries, and many of Odin's other maidens, were becoming concerned about their sister Skogul. For several cycles of the moon she had seemed distant, unhappy, and at times rather belligerent  toward her sisters. And all of the Valkyries were talking among themselves about the time Skogul brought, by accident, one of the honored dead to Freyja' s hall instead of Valhalla, where he was supposed to become one of the einherjar. Luckily for Skogul it was not the other way around, because Freyja was much more forgiving than Odin would have been about such a mistake. 


Then one day, after Odin' s maidens had gathered up all the honored dead from a battlefield in the Midgardian kingdom of Sweden, the Valkyries Geirahod and Herfjotur came to Gunn to lodge a formal complaint against their sister. Herfjotur had counted the amount of dead each of the Valkyries had carried to Valhalla and Folkvang, and the lowest total by far was Skogul' s count. Geirahod and Herfjotur respectfully asked the elder Valkyrie to punish Skogul for being slack in her duties. Gunn, however, decided against disciplinary action, and instead asked Skogul' s good friend Gondul to speak to her first to try and ascertain what the problem was. Gondul, wanting to keep the peace, and help her friend, agreed to talk to Skogul at once. 


Gondul found Skogul sitting alone on the shore of the lake that lay a short distance from the great hall in Valhalla. As she approached she noticed that Skogul was staring off into the distance as though she were daydreaming. " A horn of mead for your thoughts ! " Gondul said cheerily as she sat down beside her friend. At first Skogul did not answer. In fact, she barely seemed to notice that her friend had joined her. Finally, Skogul tossed a pebble into the lake and said : " Oh, hello Gondul. " in a sad tone. 


Gondul shook her head. " What is the matter with you Skogul ?! " she asked sternly. Skogul threw another pebble into the lake before responding. " I am fine. Why do you ask ? " Skogul replied. Gondul stood up and looked down upon her friend. " Are you serious ! You are not fine ! You are a mess, and all the other Valkyries have taken notice of the changes in you ! " she shouted at her friend. Skogul looked up at Gondul and began to do something that Valkyries seldom if ever did. She began to cry. 


Gondul shook her head again. " Oh, my ! You my friend are truly a mess ! " Gondul exclaimed. " Tell me what is wrong !? " she demanded. Skogul wiped away her tears with her hand , and then patted the ground beside her. " Please sit down my friend. " she told her sister Valkyrie. Gondul sat down next to her friend, and reached out and held her hands. " Now tell me what vexes you so, my friend ? " she asked in a gentler tone.


Skogul looked into Gondul' s eyes for just a moment before lowering her gaze in shame to the ground. " A while back, on a battlefield in Norway, I was retrieving one of the honored dead when a living warrior begged me to help him. At first I thought he was simply pleading for assistance from anyone, but he could see me, and he was begging me to save his life. I didn't know what to do ! His face was so handsome, and his eyes so blue, that I felt pity for him, and saved his life ! " Skogul told her friend before she once again broke down in tears.     


Gondul shook her head from side to side angrily . " You have broken Odin's laws ! " Gondul shouted.  " How could you have done such a thing ? ! " she asked her friend. Skogul put her hands over her face and wept as she answered. " I am in love with him ! " she managed through trembling lips. Gondul pulled Skogul' s hands away from her face. " How did you manage to fall in love with a human ? " she asked. With eyes red with tears Skogul looked up at her friend. " He kissed me ! I have never felt anything so wonderful in all my life. It was as though everything inside of me melted, and all of my emotions awakened at once ! " she explained to her friend.    


Gondul put her arms around Skogul and held her as she began to cry harder. " It is alright. Everything is going to be alright ! " she told her weeping friend. Skogul raised her head and gave her friend a sad look. " Are you going to tell Gunn what I have done ? " she asked. Gondul pushed Skogul away to arms length, and wiped away her tears. " No, not for the time being. " she answered. " But you must not become lazy with your duties to Odin and Freyja. All of our sisters are watching you Skogul. You must forget this unfortunate incident and move on ! " she told her sister in no uncertain terms. Just then both Valkyries felt a coldness run up their spine. Gondul took a deep breath. " The dead are calling to us sister. We must leave at once ! " she yelled as they both jumped up off of the ground.


As the friends rode through the air side by side, Skogul looked down and recognized the area they were heading toward. Her heart began to beat faster as she flew over the battlefield where she had seen " Blue Eyes " on that fateful day. It raced faster yet when the Valkyries landed only a short distance from that battlefield to collect the newly fallen warriors. Skogul was extremely nervous as she escorted the first of the honored dead to Valhalla. She felt the eyes of the other Valkyries watching her every move. By the time she had retrieved and delivered her third warrior, however, she had calmed down and became immersed in her duties. The next of the fallen to be escorted was to go to Folkvang. As she thrust her hands into the warriors mutilated body she caught a glimpse of a warrior walking a short distance away. At first Skogul thought nothing of it, but when the warrior turned and their eyes met, she realized it was " Blue Eyes " ! 


Skogul withdrew her hands from the body of the honored dead, stood up, and stared at the human. When the warrior stopped in mid - stride and returned her gaze Skogul' s heart began to flutter, and her breasts began to heave up and down 
as her breathing became much more rapid. The human was very tall, with broad shoulders, and a muscular chest. His face, although rugged, was handsome in appearance, and it was surrounded by sun bleached blonde hair, and a beard of similar color, that was carefully braided on both sides. The man' s massive muscular arms, and thin waist, completed what to her was the perfect male, human or otherwise !  The longer she stared at him the more the ache of love embedded itself into her very being. And when the human began to walk toward her Skogul felt herself shiver deep inside. It was a powerful feeling, and one that she had never experienced before !


As the warrior came nearer his stride changed from a walk into a run. Skogul, not knowing exactly what she should do, instinctively drew her sword and held it out in front of her. Seeing this, the human stopped and drew his sword as well. For a moment the Valkyrie and the Midgardian stood only yards apart feeling out each others intentions. Finally, the human smiled and lowered his sword . " I mean you no harm ! " he told her with a slight nod. Skogul kept her sword at the ready as she replied. " What do you want human ? " she asked nervously. The human gave a short chuckle before answering. " To thank you of course...... for saving my life ! " he told her. 

Skogul lowered her sword for a moment before raising it again . " You should not be able to see me ! " she shouted
at the human. This time the warrior laughed heartily. " It would be a shame if I could not gaze upon a beauty such as yours ! " he replied . Skogul felt her eyes begin to water, and as a tear coursed down her cheek she finally lowered her sword. The human returned his sword to its scabbard, and walked over to the fair maiden who stood before him. " My name is Kolskegg ! " he told her as he gently wiped the tear from her face. " Are you really a Valkyrie ? " he asked as he allowed his fingers to linger on her soft cheek. 


Skogul trembled inside at the warrior's touch. As she slowly raised her head to reply she caught sight of his blue eyes. They were as blue as the noon sky, and as big as the heavens, she thought to herself. Skogul lost herself in them as she nervously answered him. " I am Skogul..... and yes, I am one of Odin' s maidens. " she told him. Kolskegg smiled as he kissed her on both cheeks. Then as if it were merely a natural progression he kissed her gently on the lips. Skogul felt herself go limp in his arms, and she dropped her sword on the ground. She knew it was wrong, but she returned his kiss anyway, and placed her arms eagerly around him .


Gondul had been keeping  a close eye on her sister when she noticed the warrior walking towards Skogul. At first, because Valkyries can not be seen by most humans, she paid little attention to him. As she kicked her steed into flight and began her return to Valhalla, however, she caught, out of the corner of her eye, Skogul drawing her sword as the human approached. Gondul reined her horse around, and quickly swooped down on the human, who now appeared to be restraining Skogul ! When she felt she was close enough Gondul drew her sword and waved it over her head ready to strike at the attacker.


Skogul could sense the danger coming and pushed the human away. In one fluid motion she bent down, picked up her sword, and swung it as hard as she could at the approaching danger. The two swords met only a few feet from Kolskegg's head, as the sharp clanging sound reverberated throughout the surrounding hills. The force of the blow was such that Gondul was thrown clear off of her mount . The Valkyrie landed with a dull thud next to the warrior that Skogul was charged with bringing to Folkvang. From an emotion that she neither understood, nor could control, Skogul screamed at Kolskegg. " You must go ! NOW !! "


Kolskegg did not understand Skogul' s actions because he could not see the second Valkyrie as she swooped down to kill him, but he recognized oh too well the urgency in Skogul' s voice when she told him to leave. Kolskegg turned and ran back in the direction of his camp almost immediately. " We shall meet again fair maiden ! " he yelled just before he disappeared in the distance. 


Hidden behind a large pine tree not far away, Geirahod stood in stunned silence as she watched the events that unfolded before her. " Odin shall hear of your treachery ! " she whispered to herself. Having seen enough the Valkyrie mounted her horse, and swiftly made her way back to Valhalla with the warrior she was charged with retrieving. This time, however, Geirahod was returning with more than just a warrior. Now she had a sordid tale to tell her sister Valkyries ! 



- End Chapter 2



- Next : Chapter 3 : Geirahod' s Promise



- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravenheart ), © Copyright, 2015.   
              
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' Forbidden Love ' : Chapter 1 : The Blue - Eyed Warrior

5/22/2015

 

Forbidden Love




Chapter 1


The Blue - Eyed Warrior

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For most the scene below would have been horrifying. Hundreds of shattered bodies lay motionless on the hallowed ground of the battlefield. All were covered in thick congealing blood. Some were missing arms and legs, while others had their internal organs hanging outside of their ripped open flesh. Thousands of flies had converged on the corpses to lay their eggs in the open wounds, and the air above was filled with scavenger birds ready for a feast. Yes, for almost anyone else this would have been too much to take in. To a Valkyrie, however, this horrific scene meant something much, much, more. As Odin' s Maidens circled overhead what they saw was pride, honor and glory !


Skogul, like all of her sister Valkyries, was greatly honored by her sacred duty to Valfather Odin. As she circled overhead, on her great white winged steed named Harbinger, she could not remember a time before she was chosen to serve Asgard's Lord, and at a moment such as this, what had come before did not matter. For she, along with her sisters, had been handpicked to serve the Gods, and there could be no greater honor. She needed nothing else to fulfill her needs. Skogul was happy, and very content to be a Valkyrie in Odin' s service.   


As she pulled on Harbinger' s reins the great winged horse slowly descended down to the battlefield, which lay on Midgard,   in Southern Norway. Each Valkyrie knew instinctively which of the honored dead had been chosen by Odin to join the einherjar in Valhalla. It was almost as though their souls radiated the glory they had achieved in their last moments of battle. This " glory " attracted the Valkyries much the way moths are drawn to fire light.  With the skill of a great horse handler Skogul gently landed her steed next to the honored warrior, who she was charged with bringing back to Valhalla.  


Skogul lifted her leg over the saddle and slid off of her magnificent white horse. She landed softly on the ground next to the warrior, and knelt down beside him. Several birds were ripping at the man' s flesh as she hovered over him, but this did not bother the Valkyrie, for what she came for resided within the man. With experienced ease Odin' s valiant maiden reached her arms through the birds, and into the warrior's body. The birds did not take notice of her presence as she pulled the essence of the great warrior from his body, and threw it over her shoulder. For the living could rarely, if ever, see a Valkyrie. 


Lying next to the chosen warrior lay a man barely alive. He was pleading for someone, or anyone, to help him. Skogul knew that warriors who still remained in the land of the living could not see her so she payed little attention to his pleas. That is until their eyes met !   


At first Skogul assumed that the dying human was looking through her, and into the distance, but as she moved the injured warrior's eyes followed her every move. As she carried the chosen warrior back to her steed, Skogul kept looking over her shoulder at the human who stared back at her with pleading blue eyes. The Valkyrie watched closely as the warrior managed to sit up and point at her. " Help me ! " she heard the human say in a hoarse voice. Skogul continued on to her steed, and draped the honored warrior over Harbinger's back. She was about to mount her horse and fly to Valhalla when she heard the warrior speak again. " Please, help me ! Please ! " the dying man exclaimed in a pitiful voice. 


Skogul became curious and walked over to the severely injured Midgardian. For a moment she and the human stared at each other without saying a word. Then the warrior reached out his hand to her, and repeated his plea "Help me ! Please ! " Skogul, not quite knowing what to do, bent down on one knee, and looked directly into the blue - eyed human's eyes. " How can you see me ? " she asked . The warrior reached out and grabbed her hand. " Help me ! " he told her as he squeezed her hand tightly. 


Skogul was shocked by his touch ! Not only could this warrior see her, but she had both form and substance in his presence. This was not supposed to be possible, although she knew it was not totally unheard of. She should have ripped her hand away from the warrior, or drawn her sword and ended the dying Midgardian' s life, but she did neither. As Skogul looked deeply into the warrior's big blue eyes she began to have a warm feeling deep inside of her that she had never experienced before. And what she did next surprised even her ! 


The Valkyrie noticed that the warrior's other hand was pressed hard against his chest to stem the flow of blood from what appeared to be a deep wound. With her free hand Skogul reached into a pouch she wore around her waist, and pulled out a cloth that had been given to her by the Goddess Eir many years before. The Goddess, known as " The Best of Physicians ", had told Skogul that the cloth could " heal any wound no matter how severe. "  While still holding the warrior's hand, she used her free hand to raise his other hand off of the wound, and as the blood began to trickle out, she placed the cloth over the gaping hole in his chest. 


The warrior instantly arched his back in pain as she placed the cloth over the wound. He squeezed her hand even tighter as she pressed the cloth harder against the bleeding hole that had been ripped through his flesh. When the human could not take the pain any longer his face turned bright red, and he screamed in agony. As the Valkyrie calmly held the magical cloth in place the human shook violently for a few moments before slumping back down spent from his ordeal. 


Slowly the pain subsided, and the human released his grip on her hand. Skogul could barely stop looking into the eye's of the warrior, as she lifted the cloth and checked the wound. She smiled at the warrior when she saw that the bleeding had stopped, and the wound was healing. Skogul slowly leaned over and whispered into his ear. " You will be fine now. " she told him softly. As she pulled her head away from his the warrior leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Skogul knew it was wrong, but she had never felt anything as wonderful, and so she allowed herself to kiss him as well. It all seemed like a dream, a wonderful, beautiful dream ! 


" Skogul ! We must be going ! " Gondul shouted from the clouds up above. " Gather his soul, and let us fly back to Valhalla ! " the Valkyrie added as she circled overhead. Suddenly Skogul was shocked back to reality ! " What am I doing ! " she said to herself as she gently pushed the human away. The Valkyrie quickly jumped up and ran back to her horse. Skogul mounted her steed in a single jump, and rose into the air to catch up to her friend Gondul. 


" What were you doing down there ? " Gondul asked her sister Valkyrie as she pulled up along side her.  " Nothing ! " Skogul answered nervously. " I thought the warrior would die, and I was waiting to see if his soul was chosen as well......, but he lived ! " she added. Gondul nodded that she understood, but she was suspicious of her friend' s nervous mannerisms. " We have many to collect for both Odin and Freyja . We must be quick with our work this day my friend. " Gondul reminded her. Skogul laughed as she kicked Harbinger into a fast gallop. " Then why are we wasting time talking ! " she told her friend. Gondul kicked her steed as well as the Valkyries sped back to Valhalla with the honored dead. 


From behind a tree Geirahod had witnessed every shocking moment of what Skogul had done. The Valkyrie was appalled that one of Odin' s maidens would have used her powers to save a Midgardian. And when they had kissed she was sickened by the sight ! Skogul had broken her oath to Odin, and the pledge she had made to her sister Valkyries. There was a price to pay for such disloyalty, and Geirahod decided at that moment that she would seek justice. 


Before Geirahod brought her warrior back to Valhalla she walked over to the human and stood over him. The Valkyrie waved her arms back and forth in front of him, but she received no response. Then Geirahod looked around before clearing her throat. " Human !  Human can you see me ! " she screamed at him. The warrior did not react to her shouting. The Valkyrie shook her head back and forth. " Maybe I am mistaken. " she told herself. Could it be that I did not see what I thought I saw ? " she asked.  Geirahod looked up at the sky. " But I will keep my eye on you Skogul.  One more treacherous act like this, and I will go and see Odin ! " she cried out as she shook her hand at the clouds.         


Skogul returned to the battlefield later that day to bring a warrior to Freyja' s great hall Sessrumnir in Folkvang. Although this warrior was slain on a different section of the battlefield, she first went back to where she had left her blue - eyed warrior to recover. He was gone ! Skogul, for the first time in her life, felt an emptiness inside of her as vast as Ginnunga Gap itself. As she rode back to Folkvang Skogul began to cry..... and she did not know why ! 


- End Chapter 1



- Next : Chapter 2 : Second Meeting       





- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2015.                          
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