Dropped

Woke

I learned once from my dad, that people should not be held to the sins of their relatives. That they should be judged by who they are as individuals. Sadly, this was not my case.

I fell, not from stairs, but from my bed and it took my body forever to touch the ground. I blacked out on my way down, and where I woke up was not where I thought I would.

I woke up, my vision blurred and my entire body ached, "Where did you find her?" I heard a woman question shrilly. "I do not know! I was out finding trees for the boat, and she dropped, from the sky!" a man responded, his voice sounded stressed and giddy at once. "Do you think she is a God?" the woman asked after a long pause, "Her clothing is unusual, and if you say she fell from the sky, she could be a Goddess!" she continued to explain. Slowly, I moved my eyes around, not bothering to move my body or head, for it hurt too much. I was in a hut of some sort, the air smelled thick and like the sea, but it was cold. Drowning out the sounds of the couple, bickering over me. I felt myself wrapped in furs, warm. "We must take her to Ragnar!" the man exclaimed, Ragnar? Attempting to move myself up, I must have caused some noise because they stopped what they were doing, and looked at me. "Where am I?" I groaned, not bothering to be more concerned about who they were. Getting a good look at them, the woman was blonde and pale, her hair was braided and she went little to heavy on the eyeliner, her I'm assuming husband was a lanky looking man, who went too heavy on the eyeliner, balding, with a slight beard.

"You are in Kattegat," the man replied wide-eyed, "I am Floki, this is Helga!" he gestured to both of himself and her. I raised my eyebrows and smiled slightly at Helga, she smiled wildly back, "It is an honor to host a Goddess in our home." I gave her a puzzled look. "Come! We must take you to Ragnar at once!" Floki said almost dancing in place with excitement, helping me out of the bed. Looking down I was still in my Nike shorts and my dads favorite Grateful Dead shirt, "Shouldn't we give her a change of clothes?" Helga asked Floki. Floki dismissed her question with a wave of his hand, "No we must keep her as she is."

Figuring out how to walk again was hard, however, after falling once or maybe five times before getting out the door was both puzzling and entertaining, "Help," I mewled looking up at both of them. "I will get Ivars old cart! You are about his old size, so you shall fit!" Floki decided. I decided to not ask questions and just figure things out as everything progressed. I laid there Helga looked down at me and smiled, "What is your name?"

"Balli," I responded, propping my head up on my hand and rolling over from my back to my side.

She giggled, "That is a boys name!"

"It is?" I said back in shock, "My parents told me it was unisex!"

"What does that mean?" she asked tilting her head to the side, "Unisex?"

Before I could respond, Floki arrived with a cute little wagon, moving it as closely as he could to me without running me over, he and Helga both placed me in the wagon. "Oh, it is too cold outside for such clothes!" Helga exclaimed grabbing two furs and placing them on me. They made sure I was comfortable, and then we began the journey to find Ragnar. 

After what felt about a twenty-minute walk we arrived at what I'm assuming was the center of Kattegat. People stopped what they were doing and stared at me, not even in a discrete way, but full on stared at me. We headed towards the inside of a giant wooden building, with men gathered around a fire, eating and drinking. 

"Where is Ragnar?" Floki asked a man, who was brutally destroying some leg of meat, the man gestured at a man with his head shaved on both sides, blonde hair, and a scraggly beard sitting at the very back of the room, "Ragnar!" Floki shouted, dragging my cart towards him. 

"Floki!" he exclaimed warmly looking at the man, and then looking down at me, "Who is this girl? Why is she in Ivars old cart?" 

"She is a Goddess!" Floki exclaimed, "She fell from the sky!" I tuned out the rest of his explanation about me and looked around at the people who stared at me, I noticed four boys, all sitting together at one part at a long table, they all continued with their food not even noticing my existence like everyone else was currently doing. Except for one, his eyes were piercing blue, he stared at me, as he took a drink from his cup, licking his lips remaining eye contact with me. 

"Who are you? Why did you fall from the sky?" I was snapped out of my daze and face with looking into the eyes of the man they called Ragnar. 

"My name is Balli, and I don't know why I fell from the sky, I really don't," I explained as calmly as I could. Ragnar let out a great laugh, "Balli is a boys name!" I felt myself turn red, "But do not worry, we shall rename you," he assured me. 

Clearing his throat in the loudest way I have ever heard someone do, everyone suddenly stopped, "Tonight we have a guest from Odin's table!" he announced, all the men's jaws dropped slightly, "Found by Floki! Who shall be known as Siri!" he said raising his glass. 

"Siri!" they all repeated raising their glasses as well and then continued eating. 

"Would you please do me the honor of eating with my family and I. I have many things to ask you," Ragnar asked me politely, offering his hand. Looking over at Floki and Helga, they both gave me encouraging looks, so I took his hand as he helped me out of the cart. 

I immediately felt the cold hit me as I tried to stable myself on my own two feet. Holding on to Ragnar, as slowly step by step I walked over to the table, "These are my sons, they would be honored to have you dine with them," he looked at them in a way in which parents do that says 'you better behave or so help me god'. I smiled warmly, looking at them, "This is Ubbe, Hvitserk, Bjorn, Sigurd, and Ivar." he pointed to each one of them, as he said their names they all smiled and stood to acknowledge me, except for Ivar. 

"Do not think our brother is being rude, he is just a cripple," Hvitserk said snide almost sort of way, "You rode in on his childhood wagon in fact," he snickered as I was sat down next to Ivar. I was wrapped in the furs I arrived in. Looking over at Hvitserk, and then at the man next to me, I said, "You don't need to humiliate your brother, you're only making an ass of yourself." I then looked in front of me to see a lady placing a plate infront of me, as I reached for my glass I felt something touch my thigh, "You did not need to do that." I heard his voice as it set every nerve in my body on fire, "You are not a goddess, and I will find out where you come from." 

I choked on whatever was in my glass. Damn