Ivar the Boneless Oneshots

How You Meet (NBTB 2/3)

You're a Volva (like Asleug) who has been living alone for many years. Your family discovered your powers, and how they tormented you, so they decided it would be best to move away from highly populated areas, at least you lose your mind in the process of receiving visions of wars you, a child, were not part of.

Your mother and father passed away, having gone to the market, ignoring your plead for them to not go, as you had received your first vision in years. They ignored you, and on the journey to the market were slaughtered by bandits.

The idea is that on your very first journey to Kattegat, you stumble across Ivar in the marketplace after he has returned from England. This is where you meet your future husband.

~~~Begin~~~

You frowned, opening up the box that had once held the last stores of your barley and wheat. Your hands began to tremble when you realized you would have to leave the safety of your home for the first time since your 7th summer. Being 18, you realize that the idea of leaving is frightening, and it would be likely for you to get lost, or turned around. You shut the box, and stood up, attempting to calm your breathing. You knew that this was destined to happen. You knew that when you arrived in Kattegat, you would be met with a person who will bring the world great suffering.

Your mouth tasted sour. If you did not go into Kattegat, you would die, as it was the only town within a 2 day's journey, on foot. The others took up to a week, on horseback. A horse, that you did not own.

You furrowed your brow in deep contemplation. It would happen eventually, you knew, but you'd rather you not be sickly, and malnourished on your journey to Kattegat, so you set about preparing yourself. You did not know how, exactly, this person would treat you, or if they would even care for you at all. You decided it would be best to prepare for the worst.

You put on your favorite dress, an olive green dress, a dress with a cloak.

You packed two more, this one, which consisted of an orange overcoat, and a blue dress.

and then your finest dress, which was nothing to scoff at, since your parents had been rather wealthy traders before they moved your family to the countryside. Darkly dyed clothing was, after all, a rare and expensive commodity.

You then began to prepare your food for the journey, which was bread, and cheese wrapped in wax cloth, a wineskin full of mead, as well as a bottle of it. You also packed some dried goods, which were dried fish, dried beef, as well as dried moose.

After the food was packed for your journey, you then gathered what you would need for sleeping. It was a few furs, one of a black bear, one of a reindeer, and a woven wool blanket.

You paused in thought, realizing that you didn't have the strength to carry all this for yourself. You walk out of the house, and down the path that leads to the cattle pasture. You pick two of the strongest cattle, and tie them to a post next to the house, leaving the gate open for the rest of the cattle to get out of and continue their lives once you're gone. You also release the chickens and the goats from their pens and leave their feed out for them to have access to once you're gone.

Once all this is done, you head to bed, laying your head down for the last time in your childhood home. You fall asleep, and dream of a man with piercing blue eyes, and the voice of a giant.

~~~Time Skip~~~

The next morning, you awoke early, and hooked up the cattle to a wagon, loading the wagon up with your items. The very last thing you did, was pulled aside the floorboards in front of the fireplace hearth. Underneath them were chests of gold and precious items which would do you well in trading and such once you got into Kattegat. You loaded those up and made sure you had everything you needed, lastly, grabbing your father's sword and ax and your mother's shield.