The boat floated closer, and when it came within the shallows, I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. I rushed out into the water.
Raucous laughter erupted from the shore, and even Bjørn and Freyja didn’t hide their amusement. Astrid smiled widely at me and I tucked my arms around her, hauling her and baby Randi off the throne.
Astrid laughed, holding tightly to her niece as Randi giggled away. “Someone was impatient.”
I leaned in and kissed her passionately. “For you, always.”
I carried her and Randi to the shore. Astrid squirmed in my arms so she could hand Randi off to Frida, but I wasn’t letting her go. Astrid rolled her eyes and the others around us laughed. Frida came up and took her daughter, allowing me to carry Astrid down the decorated path to the gothi waiting at the end.
It was only when I reached him that I allowed Astrid to stand on her own two feet.
Everyone gathered round, Freyja taking up a position near Astrid, acting in place of where her mother would have stood. Fenrir and Baldr took my side, the two barely able to keep themselves controlled.
The gothi began, though I hardly listened, unable to keep my eyes off Astrid. She smiled up at me with those soul-searing eyes, seeing everything I was.
The holy man finished his first ritual speech and went to the blót. An animal each was sacrificed for Freyja, Freyr, and then me, in place of Thor. Power welled up inside me when the blood was spilled in my name. Even Freyja and Freyr were visibly affected.
Fenrir shifted his weight, as if hungry for a sacrifice as well. Baldr nudged him. “Get married and you can have one, too.”
Laughter rumbled through everyone, and Fenrir shoved our friend.
The holy man collected the blood into a decorative bowl from each animal and dipped a sprig into the bowl. He sprinkled blood on both of us, reciting more ritual verse.
And then it was time for the exchange of vows.
I drew my sword and held it with the dark blade facing the earth. Freyja handed Astrid a blade that had been crafted for me for this very moment. Instead of exchanging weapons for symbolic means, which would then be stored for our children, these blades would be exchanged for each other to wield and use as a symbol of our fierce love and devotion. Our children would earn their own blades for battle.
The gothi gestured to Astrid, and she spoke, beaming that irresistible smile. “There shall be one end for us both; one bond after our vows; nor shall our first love aimlessly perish.”
He then gestured to me, and I said my vow, my pulse quickening. “Happy am I to have won the joy of such a consort; I shall not go down basely in loneliness to Hel. So let the encircling bonds grip my throat in the midst; the final anguish shall bring with it pleasure only, since the certain hope remains of renewed love, and death shall prove to have its own delights.”
The two of us exchanged swords and spoke in unison. “Each world holds joy, and in the roots of Yggdrasil shall the repose of our united souls win fame, our equal faithfulness in love.”
“The rings,” the holy man said.
I removed the gold ring attached to a bracelet on my wrist, and placed it upon the pommel of my new sword. Astrid also procured a ring, but it was attached to the vambraces on her arms. The piece of armor would have seemed out of place for a wedding, but they had once belonged to her mother. A gift from her father to ensure she remained a little safer when she journeyed to the battlefield with me.
The gothi placed a hand on my shoulder. “Týr, by the honor as a god, and these fellow gods as witness, do you swear you want to marry this woman?”
I held Astrid’s gaze, my heart hammering. “I swear.”
The gothi placed his other hand on Astrid’s shoulder. “Astrid, by the honor as a völva, and these gods as witness, do you swear you want to marry this man?”
She could hardly contain her smile. “I swear.”
We tipped the pommels of our swords toward each other and took the ring the other offered. Then we took the rings and slipped them on each other’s hands.
The gothi pulled out two nine-fot-long ropes and a single nine-fot-long silk ribbon. “Týr, Astrid, please grasp hands.”
We shifted our swords to one hand and grasped each other with our freed right hands. The gothi held up the first rope and Bjørn stepped up to take it. He murmured a well-wish in Astrid’s ear, making her smile and her eyes sparkle, before he draped the rope over our hands.
Leif was next; he too gave Astrid a well-wish before doing the same as his father with the second rope handed to him by the gothi. The remaining silk ribbon went to Freyja. She stood between us, in the place of Randi as acting völva for this ceremony.
Freyja didn’t offer a well-wish, but instead, entangled magic with the ribbon she wound around us with the other two ropes.
When the loose knot rested on top of our hands, she stepped back and the gothi spoke. “As your hands are now bound together, so your lives are joined in a union of love and trust. The eternity knot of this binding symbolizes the vows you have made. Like the stars, your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a fine foundation from which to grow. May this knot of love remain forever tied, and may these hands be blessed. May they always be held by one another. May they have the strength to hold on tightly during the storms of life. May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other.”
I sucked in a deep, anticipating breath. Astrid smiled at me, and we spoke our final vow in unison once more. “By destiny we are aligned, our love eternal and true. We will face challenges together, and find strength in our union. By the sun, moon, and stars, our love is blessed. May we always be as happy as we are today.”
