“Quickly, but I have to pray to Odinn and all the other gods to make sure I’ll see our destination, let alone get back to my family,” another man said.
Laughter rolled through the boat. I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t join in. My mother wasn’t known for her restraint with her magic.
“You’ll miss my way of sailing when I’m gone,” my mother said.
My stomach churned. She’d been talking like this a lot the past few months. It made me uneasy, as if she expected to die soon.
“We’re here!” someone shouted.
On the horizon, the sprawling city of Bergthorshöfn came into view. The port was full of ships and people. I stood to get a better view. It’s amazing!
I knew our village was small, but my parents had told me it was an average size compared to most other villages in the area. So this place was something unique with its size.
We docked and disembarked. Our tradesmen went about their jobs while I followed my parents, Jarl Rune, and several other warriors into the city.
There were so many people, I held hands with my mother so I wouldn’t get separated.
“We’ll part here,” my father said, turning to us when we’d made it hallway through the town. “Enjoy your time in the market, just don’t go overboard.”
His eyes flicked to my mother briefly. She liked to shop when they voyaged. “We’ll call for you when the king is ready to speak with you.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. This was all new to me.
We strolled through the market. My mother wanted to look at everything, from textiles and jewelry, to tools and a few thralls for sale. Even things she wouldn’t be caught dead with, she looked at for the sake of looking. I had a feeling she did it on purpose, because it would get back to my father in some way or another.
My mother smiled the whole time, enjoying herself. I did as well. This was fun. And we did find a few things we needed. There were several items I wanted, but were too expensive. We were a well-off family, but I knew better than to spend everything we had.
We stopped when someone caught my mother’s eyes. It was a woman, maybe a winter or two younger than me, with flowing rust-colored hair. She noticed us watching her.
“A völva…” she said in breathy awe. “Two völvur. The two everyone is talking about visiting the king today.”
How did this woman know we were völvur? We weren’t wearing battle gear or makeup. The two of us looked no different than other wealthy individuals walking these streets.
“You, I’ve seen you before.” My mother squinted at the woman. “A great destiny awaits you.”
The woman blinked and pointed at herself. “Me?”
“A destiny like none have ever seen.”
A Valkyrie made not like any have ever seen
Not one to a single god she prays
Not to Odinn like those this day
My mother’s face grew grave and her eyes unfocused.
But behold, a great tragedy will befall you first
A curse of the gods, to wander and live but to forget and live anew
Half an eternity the sun shall rise and fall before they free that which binds you
My mother’s eyes refocused. Then her head slumped. I grabbed her by the arm, afraid she’d fall, but she remained motionless.
I stared at my mother, in awe and terrified. I’d never witnessed my mother having a vision, or reciting one after receiving it, but my father had warned me what it was like. However, no matter what he told me, I doubted he would have been able to prepare me for this.
And the poor woman. She remained rooted in place, petrified, and those around her gazed in either sympathy for the woman’s poor future or reverence of being in the presence of a völva.
