An identical mark glowed above her left breast. “I bear it as well.”
She turned to face him, her blue green eyes glistening like the starlit fjord. “This is afjórún,”she whispered with wonder, her fingertip tracing the glowing mark on his chest. Beneath her touch, it pulsed with the rhythm of his pounding heart. “Asoulbindingrune… seared into flesh byseiðr.”
She caught his hand and lifted it to her trembling lips, pressing a fervent kiss upon his scarred fingers. “‘When the falcon cries and the wolf howls… the dragon shall leave its mark.’ Those were Yrsa’s words when she cast the runes tonight.”
Guiding his hand, Brynhildr placed his fingers upon the golden ring above her heart. Warmth answered his touch, alive beneath her skin.
“When you and I made love, and our bodies merged as one…” Awe laced her hushed voice as awakening dawned in her emerald eyes. “So did our souls. We are now bound byseiðr…andmarked by the dragon.”
Her fingertip traced the endless circle as it pulsed and glowed above his heart. “Theouroboros,”she murmured.“The sigil of eternal return.”She smiled softly and leaned down to kiss the radiant mark. “No wonderseiðrsizzled through me each time our eyes met. The Norns have interwoven the threads of our fates. Our destines are forever entwined.”
Sigurd inhaled her scent, breathing her into his bones.
“Then let the Norns bear witness,” he said softly. “Whatever paths they set before us, my heart knows its way back to you.”
With a reverent thumb, he brushed the glowing golden ring above her left breast. Theouroborosmark on his own chest burned with the same pulsing rhythm.
“I shall triumph as champion of theSólhjartaTournament.” He lifted her hand to his bearded lips. “To prove myself worthy ofyou.” He kissed her pale fingers, eyes fiercely locked upon hers. “And accept whatever outcome the Norns have planned.”
Beneath the balcony where moonlight shimmered on the starlit fjord, laughter and music floated in on the salty breeze, mingling with the scent of wild roses from the thorny vines. Sigurd smiled sadly, reluctant to leave her warm embrace. “Come,” he murmured, rising from the fur-covered bed. “Let us return before they wonder where the wolf and the falcon have flown.”
She stood before him, tracing thefjórúnand the dark blond hair across his chest. In the depths of her blue green eyes, he glimpsed the eternal return of his Sea Wolf soul.
Forever bound with hers.
“From this night forward, you are bound to me, and I to you.” Brynhildr kissed the glowingouroboroswhich burned above his thundering heart. “We are marked by the dragon, our fates forever entwined.”
Rising onto her toes, she kissed his bristled lips. “Soulboundin starlight andseiðr.”
Sigurd crushed her in his arms, the roar of the sea surging through him as he sealed the vow with his mouth. “I swear by all the gods,” he breathed into her parted lips, “that my life is yours, and yours is mine—now, and forevermore.”
They dressed in solemn silence.
He laced the back of her bodice.
She fastened hisBlárúlfrcloak with the snarling wolf head brooch. While he strappedÚlfblóðrat his waist, she secured the silver circlet upon her braided blonde head.
And taking his calloused hand in hers, led him down the vine-covered stairs.
Chapter 8
Saga of Bear and Sea Wolf
The taste of grilled salmon and fresh herbs lingered on Sigurd’s tongue as he swallowed a mouthful of mead and gazed up at Brynhildr, glorious in a deep garnet gown that shimmered like the blood red gems of her crown. When her gaze met his, theouroborosring seared the skin above his heart, as it did each time she was near.
And every night, as they sharedseiðrin starlight upon her fur-covered bed, the mark of the dragon deepened, thefjórúnentwining their souls ever more tightly. In truth, he could no longer sense where her spirit ended and his began. Their souls were now bound as one.
While musicians played in the background, and Sigurd feasted hungry eyes on Brynhildr, Agnar’s deep voice interrupted his ravenous reverie. “You have won her already. She only has eyes for you. Everyone here knows you are lovers, that you shall triumph on the morrow…and win the hand of the Sun Falcon Shieldmaiden in the final duel on the summer solstice.”
Sigurd turned toward the formidable warrior seated beside him at the table of champions—the man he would face in the final challenge at midmorning. Both of them had triumphed in the second round of the tournament, and now they sat together as the two finalists before the Raven King’s high table in the jubilant Great Hall of Hrafnfjall.
Before Sigurd could respond, Agnar continued, his words rising above the raucous din. “You are the son of the slain king Sigmund, son of Völsung, blessed with the wolf blood of Odin. I shall fight with honor tomorrow, Sigurd Sea Wolf. And accept whatever fate the Norns have decreed.”
With his thick brown hair and bristled beard, a bearskin cloak draped over his broad shoulders, Agnar resembled a massive bear. Sigurd had seen him fight in the various trials. He would prove a formidable opponent. He gazed into the warrior’s fierce dark eyes. “You carry the blood of the bear, Agnar. Bjarkhölm has long bred warriors who do not break.” He raised his horn. “I know the bear that sleeps beneath your skin. You will not fall easily.”
A sudden silence swept the hall as King Budli arose from the high table, clad in a crimson cloak that mirrored Brynhildr’s garnet gown. Radiant sunbursts embroidered in golden thread embellished the hem and sleeves, while raven feathers graced the wide collar, and silver fox fur lined the elegant royal mantle. Golden crown atop his russet hair, garnets and amber gems braided into his coppery beard, Budli was indeed the fierce Viking redbeard Raven King.
The crimson-clad monarch raised his ornate elkhorn, the golden light of the setting sun gilding the etched ravens and runes. Before the expectant crowd, Budli’s deep bellow echoed through the silent hall. “Honored guests of Hrafnfjall, raise your cups and drink with me in honor of the two finalists who shall face each other in tomorrow’s championship of theSólhjartaTournament. To Sigurd, the Sea Wolf of Sjóborg, and Agnar, the Bear of Bjarkhölm!”
