He narrows those piercing blue eyes. “Halfdan.”
“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Halfdan. My name is Emeline.”
His surprise only grows. “Emeline? You once were considered more Dane than Saxon.”
Nice to see my legacy still looms. However, hearing it spoken about in the past tense saddens me because the Danes now only know me as the Queen of Northumbria.
“I am pleased you know my name. Your family is in Daneland?”
He nods.
“Take me to them.”
Lord Louis clears his throat. “Milady, may I speak with thee?”
Halfdan snorts when he hears Lord Louis speak, for he is accustomed to gruffer than manners.
I walk to where Lord Louis stands, concern etched on his face. “Emeline, we cannot just enter Daneland. We don’t know who this boy is. What if it is a trap? May I suggest we go quietly, undetected, instead of following a wee lad who may be leading us into dire circumstances?”
I ponder over his suggestion for a mere second, but smile. “Of course you may suggest such a thing, but that does not mean I shall listen.”
“Of course you shall not,” he replies with a sigh.
“Lead the way, Halfdan.”
He eyes me, still suspicious, so I reach under the collar of my dress and show him the Mjolnir pendant.
“It is true,” he whispers in awe. “You are the Viking Princess.”
“Is that what they call me?” I ask, unable to hold back my happiness at the term.
He nods, his mouth still parted in shock.
“Do you know of the man who was my prince?”
Soon, everything quietens as it seems like the universe is also listening.
“Yes,” he finally replies. “He is a god amongst men. Some even fear to speak his name for they believe his wrath will punish those who do not obey his law.”
“Will you say his name?”
Halfdan shakes his head quickly.
“If I say it, will you confirm it is the same man we speak of?”
His apprehension is clear, but he eventually concedes.
“The man you speak of, this god amongst men, his name is Skarth the Godless, is it not?”
Halfdan inhales sharply. “Yes.”
My heart begins to beat faster and faster. “Do you know where he is?”
“No one knows,” he says, confirming my worst fears. “He travels from place to place, ensuring all is well with our people. If not, he rights the wrongs, punishing those who dare to disobey the peace he fought so hard for.
“Then, it is said, he vanishes into the night, as if not really there at all.”
Halfdan’s description may sound like folklore to get little children to behave, telling them that if they don’t, the big bad Skarth will come for them in the night, but I know this tale is based on truth.
