A Knick In Time

Vinking Life

On the next morning, Tatia wakes me up as soon as the sun starts to rise on the horizon. She determinedly puts a bucket into my hands and tells me to go and get water. When I ask her where I can find water, she simply says to follow the other women, since everyone gets their water from the nearby quarry at this time of the day. I rub my eyes, take the bucket and leave, seeing as there is no arguing with my viking lookalike. And besides, I do owe her for having me.

Feeling the after-effects of sleep still heavy in my bones, I walk in the direction where a few other women are walking too. Soon, I see another familiar face amongst them. Rebekah Mikaelson is walking to the water next to a few other girls of her age. She looks almost exactly like she does in my memory. Not much younger than I remember her; I guess that means she will be turned into a vampire in the very near future.

She notices me. "Tatia! What is wrong, you look strange!"

Apparently, Rebekah has always been frank with people, not just as a 1000-year-old vampire.

I brace myself and walk over to her and her group of friends. "Greetings, Rebekah. To answer your question, I am actually not Tatia. My name is Elena. I'm Tatia's sister."

Confused and suspicious glances are the reaction to my words.

"Tatia doesn't have a sister!" Rebekah says in a cold, silent voice, eyeing me up and down.

Mentally, I gulp under her gaze. "Well, not that she knew of. It's a long story."

"We've got time. After all, we still have to walk to the quarry and back." the bold blonde girl replies.

Nervously, I nod and follow them. On our way to the quarry, I tell them the story that Tatia and I knit together last night. It says that I came from the same place Tatia's parents came from. Her father had moved to the new lands after his wife died of fever. In my story, Tatia's mother never died. Instead, she recovered from her illness a few months after Tatia and her father had left. They had thought she was on the brink of death and there was only one ship setting sail for the new lands, so they went, thinking her dead. After they left, Tatia's mother had no chance to follow them and she knew they would never come back. So she stayed. She settled for becoming a midwife and helped women give birth to children. The healer, who had saved her and often helped her with her work, fell in love with her and, after long negotiations with the clan chief, he got the permission to marry her. They married and had me. For many years, we were content. But two years ago, my parents died in a fire and left me alone in the world. I heard of a ship setting sail to the new lands and decided to go here, trying to find my sister. A witch from home contacted Ayana. And so, with the help of a few friends, I arrived here yesterday.

Rebekah takes a few moments to consider, but eventually, she just shrugs and accepts my story. The other girls follow suit. I notice how they wait for Rebekah's judgement before saying anything. Obviously, she is their leader. It appears, Rebekah has always been a Queen B, even as a viking.

As I come back, Tatia is already waiting for me and has the next chore for me to do. She is demanding and strict in her ways, but I also see many other things in her. Strength, for example. She has a lot of that. Confidence, eloquence and intelligence. She seems realistic and yet, full of dreams. And, aside from the lies she tells about me being her sister, she is honest and genuine. I think I am going to like her a lot.

The day is filled with work. Cooking, making fabrics for clothes, sewing and taking care of little Haakon. He is a good kid. Looking after him is my favourite duty of them all. There are many things I have to learn from Tatia first. At some points, she shows some displeasure at my lack of useful skills, but she teaches me what I need to learn.