rebirth of the old

chapter 4: a man in a foreign land

Ingrid wrapped her arms around the bracelet that her father had gave her on her 5th birthday. She could only regret, regret that if she had fought better her family would have been saved, regret that if she didn't continue seeking glory her whole village could have been saved. 

Her mind flashed back to yesterday when she packed her essentials and prepared to depart to England in hopes of meeting the SONS OF RAGNAR who had a militaristic foothold in the region and exasperated great influence in regard to the viking expansion in Europe.  Ingrid distinctly remembered catching a glimpse of an axe. She started thinking......" If i had just grabbed that axe and decapitated king Harald...maybe...just maybe.... I could have avenged my parents." She thought to herself.

The wind groaned and the waves moaned, and Ingrid could only feel her heart shrinking as the sight of her village became harder and harder to see and the only to view it from afar was by squinting her small icy blue eyes. 

The trip took a grueling ten weeks as they left with more hope and optimism without much food and water in their bellies preferring to physically suffer during the voyage.  

At some point during the voyage a few of the crew had developed sea-sickness and proceeded to vomit furiously into the ocean only to have a great big shark leap from the waters and viciously bite their heads. 

Ingrid was shaken to the core at the sight of this and demanded that the captain steer away from the site of the incident but the turbulence from the weather only seemed to hamper their efforts.

Eventually, the captain was able to do his best and the shark retreated back to the depths of its cold and unforgiving home in the oceans. 

Time passed and passed, until there was a sighting of land by one of the watchmen in the far distance. Ingrid firmly gripped a white dove, stroking it, and swiftly raised her arms and let it go to report its findings. She stared into the air and the sky and enjoyed a fleeting moment of peace and detachment while knowing that the sight of land would only sweeten her cauldron of misfortunes. 

Outside of the cloudy and gloomy sky rose the dove who held a single sunflower in its beak. Ingrid let out a large guffaw and jumped wildly in the air giving the impression that she had been having an adrenaline rush. 

She proceeded to direct the crew towards the shore and was astonished to find lush green hills that grew as tall as the tower of babel.  The harbor was filled of people who spoke in bawdy Anglo-Saxon English accents. Ingrid looked up and saw a cross that stood in the middle of the town which had a powering effect on the villagers.  the cold air added a layer of crispness and calmness that resonated with the long forgotten peace ingrid hadn't felt in months.

One of the crew spoke in the bawdy accents and politely asked the residents the name of the town.  " The town is called Sable Bridge" replied the villager. The crew member translated for Ingrid and her face painted a worried expression as she departed with her crew to the outskirts of the settlement to get in touch with other vikings who knew the RAGNARSSONS. 

She and the crew got on their horses and decently galloped to the outside of the town when they stopped due to hearing some commotion occurring at a nearby marketplace. 

" I ordered 6 chickens! Not 10 chickens?? And where is my armament delivery? The sons of Ragnar are not patient customers!!" Shouted the merchant. Ingrid's eyes lit up with beam and a shining white light, she got off her horse and stomped through the mood and placed her hand on the merchant as he turned around and revealed himself to be a fellow viking. 

Ingrid hugged the viking without starting the pleasantries first.  " This is weird. Hi, my name is Bjorn." exclaimed the viking.  " Hi, my name is Ingrid. I am a fellow viking. Sorry if I seemed weird by hugging you first without exchanging details." "No, that's alright. I would have done that myself if i met a fellow friend of mine" The both of them laughed simultaneously. 

" I heard during your argument with the shopkeeper that you serve the Sons of Ragnar. is that right??" " Yes, I do! Why do you ask?" " I actually would like to join their army as I want to seek valhalla and glory" Proclaimed Ingrid.  " Well, would you like me to take you to them?" asked Bjorn. 

Ingrid reached into her pocket for her family bracelet and felt the voices of her family telling her to go. She stood still for a moment and then tilted her head up and nodded with a large smile on her face....