We are all blind

Visions

Dread as she'd never experienced before came over her like a big wave, drowning her in utter fear and hopelessness. It weighed her down so much that she dropped her staff, and sank down on her knees beside it on the sand. She gasped for air for almost a minute, just as if she had forgotten how to breathe. When air finally filled her lungs once again she felt her whole body tremble as she started to cry. 

She was so consumed in her thoughts as the words appeared to her over and over, just making her tears stream down her face like a waterfall. It could just appear to be words to anyone, but the meaning behind them carried so much that she couldn't bear it at the moment.

She didn't notice Ivar crawling towards her over the sand, a look of worry and then anger flashing in his eyes. 

"Sidsel! Who hurt you? Was it Sigurd? I'm going to kill him if he touched you without permission!" He started to raise his voice at the end as anger started to boil within him seeing that Sidsel was suffering, but all she did was shake her head no and that made him cool down in relief. 

"No one did anything", Sidsel manage to get out of her as she was still crying. "The gods have spoken, and their words frightened me".

After almost a year of doing most things together, Ivar got to know about Sidsel's abilities. She was a völva, but since she was blind the gods gave her words instead of images. Only Helga, Floki, Ivar and Asta knew about this. She didn't want people to call her a witch or come to her and ask about their future as they always did around the seer in Kattegat. 

"What did they tell you?" Ivar shifted himself so that they sat side by side in the damp sand. 

"I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone because it's sealed. It will happen no matter what and no one can stop it from happening" she answered with a defeated voice. 

Then something strange happened. Ivar wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards him in an embrace. "Don't cry, Sidsel" he whispered gently. "You're strong and will get through this, I'm certain". It was strange to be this close to him and for him to be so gentle. She listened to the waves as they came rolling in, smoothing out the sand a little, and she could also hear Ivar's steady heartbeat. She was trying to drown out the voice still echoing in her mind. 

'Ragnar will soon return. Destruction will follow. Destruction of the world as we know it.'

The feelings that she felt when she heard the voice the first time must be the feelings she would've felt if she actually saw the images seers and völvor would usually see when they spoke to the gods. 

She didn't want to know. 

Don't die Ivar.