Yngvild and the Forest of Dreams

Leaving Straven

We went up to the houses, and into the main hall. It was as I'd always remembered it, familiar carvings and paintings, with the marks I remembered from helping decorate it. Yet it was now also alien and strange. No longer home. Now that I knew Lady Helga Trollslayer was my real mother, and Old Bjorn and Helga the Red were not. It didn't seem to matter that Bjorn and Helga the Red had loved me as their own. My whole world had been turned upside down.
Every step dragged me closer and further away at the same time. I needed Noren more than ever. At least he had always known that he was a foundling.
'I'll get Noren.' I heard myself say as we approached the alley.
I went left, into the old hall. For a moment I just stood. The old hall was more ornate, yet plainer. There were more winters of carving wood, but less pigment and no gilding.
Noren sat talking to the sailors. They were all drinking beer. Food was on the table, cheese that I'd made from the sheep's milk. Bread, fish, some sliced lamb. A lamb I'd slaughtered after the feast because it was too skinny to make it through the winter.

The reminders were everywhere here. I needed to go.

Silently I slid up behind Noren and hugged him. Sitting down the top of his head touched my chin. I waited until he turned, and then lead him without speaking out into the alley.
'I love you Noren, and I need you to come with me to Kronstadt.' I said when we got into the alley.
Noren blinked and looked at me.
'Something's changed. What happened?'
'Come into the main hall and I will tell you.' I lead him by the hand in the main hall.

'Noren. You won't remember me, but I brought you here as a baby.' Lady Helga was waiting for us to come in.
'Sorry. I don't remember that far back.' he said. 'Pleased to meet you again though.' Noren said.
'Noren, this is Lady Helga Trollslayer, she's my mother.' I said. 'She wants us to go to Kronstadt with her.'
'Why Kronstadt?' he asked.
'To find out about our family history.' I said. 'I need to go. I need you to come with me.'
'Can I think about it?'
'Take as long as you like, lad. Don't let the women bounce you into a decision.' said Old Bjorn.
'I've thought about it. Captain Olaf asked me to go to Kronstadt a few weeks ago. I said no, because I wanted to be a boat captain, and also I didn't want to leave Straven before it was ready for the winter.' Noren looked at me in the eyes. 'But I can see how important it is to you that we go. We've done well in the last three weeks with our preparations. If I'm good enough, then I'll have a boat to Captain.'
'Get your gear together lad, and you lass. Be on the jetty as soon as you can.' Noren and I went to our rooms, to gather what we needed. Old Bjorn went to gather the crew to launch the boat.
I took all my battle gear, and my spare shift. I picked out my two best ribbons and left the rest, along with my apron and smock for Birgitta to do with as she would. I made sure not to leave the shirt I'd been making for Noren, nor my winter gear. I laid it all out on the shield and then wrapped it in a spare piece of linen canvas that had been destined to be a smock for Noren.
Out on the jetty the boat was ready. The whole crew were present, along with the sailors from the Seagull and Lady Helga.

~

The boat from Straven caught up with the Seagull and the Chantara off Portree. Noren, Old Bjorn and I transferred onto the Seagull, along with Arald, who was in chains, and we set sail for Kronstadt. Old Bjorn passed his captaincy on to Arne for the time being and the fishing boat returned to Straven. The Chantara was ordered to return home, the Seagull escorted her South.

It was a four day trip to Kronstadt. I was put in a tiny cabin in the stern with Lady Helga. Noren was with the crew and Old Bjorn shared with the officers. Arald was kept in chains in a rope locker in the bows. The Seagull had two decks above the hold. Our cabin was in the upper deck. We had windows and a couple of gratings overhead let the air circulate when the weather wasn't heavy.
Noren and I continued our evening routine of sitting together and watching the sunset after the evening meal. We sat out of the way of the crew on the grating above the cabin that I shared with Lady Helga.
After we'd been there a while I heard Old Bjorn speaking to Lady Helga below. At first they spoke too softly to make out the words, but then they got louder.
'... just isn't ready for this.' Old Bjorn said.
'you said the same about me when I was their age.' Lady Helga said.
'and look how that ended.'
'that's not what I meant, and I'd had a few years to learn before I chose to do it.'
'It isn't the same. You were brought up for it, I haven't trained them for it.'
'Why in Malfin's name not?'
'I was maintaining our cover. They got brought up to be boat captains and deal with raiders.'
'What, exactly, did you teach them?'
'Boat handling, people handling, weapons and small group tactics.'
'What about the mysteries?'
'Only what everyone knows, I didn't give them any special instruction.'
'Right. The first thing we'll need to do when we get to Kronstadt is to initiate them.'
'Ah! Maybe not.'
'They need to understand the mysteries to have a chance of survival.'
'I agree. But I've already bound Yngvild to Malfin.'
'Oh. Really?'
'She got involved in some interrogation, so--'
'--you thought it would be a good idea to shut her up to keep your secrets?'
'Helga, you always make me sound so awful.'
'That's because you are awful Old Bjorn.'
'That's not why I did it. I think she's ready to learn, and I was about to start when the Chantara turned up with your friend Arald on board.'
'That's good. What about the boy?'
'Noren is strong and very capable. But I think he will need a different approach given his lineage.'
'Right, you two! Time you cleared off the deck.' said Leif nine fingers, Olaf's steersman. He'd just come up onto the rear deck where the rudder control was. The King's Ship ran three watches and was crewed day and night.

~