Frida

Chapter 29 - Snow

The day after their wedding had ended, Frida woke up covered in sweat and with a beating heart.

Her dreams had been filled with vivid images, scenarios in which she had to use all of her strength and courage to push herself through a cloud of pain. A female voice still sounded for her ears, as it had done during the night, that she should look past the pain and rejoice over what came after. That when she would pass over the bridge, she would finally have reached her designated destination.

It had been cold in her dream, colder than anything she had ever imagined, and for her eyes she still sensed a white brightness burning sharply. Frida blinked a couple of times, adjusting her sore eyes to the light of her bedroom, and she immediately swayed her arms over her big belly, sensing her child kicking lively beneath her skin.

A smile grew over her lips as she was trying to calm her breath. It could not be long before she would lay her eyes upon the love that grew inside of her. She could not wait.

"Frida, love, come and..." Ragnar's voice sounded in exhilaration, as the door to the bedroom was swung open violently, her husband's eyes shining at her with life and eager.

His voice died off when their eyes connected, and he quickly strode across the floor and reached his arm up to cup her face, a line already carving his forehead.

"What is it?" he asked, concern thick in his voice.

Frida shook her head and smiled up at him, reaching her hand up to cup his. "Nothing to worry about, I just had another dream."

Ragnar sat down on the bed and gazed at her for a while, and she knew that he would not let her go that easily. She sighed. "I was passing a bridge, a painful bridge. But a voice told me that I had to cross it, so that I would reach where I had to be."

She watched as Ragnar's eyes fell to the floor, and the line over his forehead grew deeper. Frida started to bite on the nail on her thumb, awaiting his response.

The laughter of children was heard from outside the longhouse.

"Bifrost," Ragnar suddenly breathed, "Is the bridge between our world and that of the gods. Did the bridge contain all the colors of the world?"

Frida furrowed her brows and shook her head lightly. "No, it was a bright white. Brighter than anything I have ever seen."

Ragnar widened his eyes before piercing her with them. She felt a chilling shiver run down her spine as she saw something unfamiliar travel over his eyes.

Ragnar stood up and reached his hand out for her to grab. There was something strange about his air, something that she could not easily put her finger on. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Come, I want to show you..." he started, but he was soon interrupted.

"The first snow has fallen!" a loud childish voice suddenly rang for their ears, "Hurry, Frida, come and see!"

Frida and Ragnar both turned their eyes to see Hvitserk standing in the door with big eyes and pink cheeks, a huge smile over his lips and a small shield in his hands. Ubbe too peeped his head in and looked at them with wild eyes, and Frida could not help but to chuckle when she saw the passion that was shining from both their faces.

She heard Ragnar sigh out heavily, and she turned her gaze to see him rolling his eyes at the boys, chuckling in a small breath too.

"That is what I wanted to show you. Out, both of you!" he laughed while waving his hand at the boys in the door, and it was not long before she and Ragnar joined Ubbe and Hvitserk outside.