Bálburunn was found in a forest as a baby, taken in by the local madman, Floki. Her life is changed she is introduced to Ragnar Lothbrok and his son Björn. She is a fierce warrior, even at the age of ten - deadly with any blade. Björn takes notice...
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"Are you going to stop sighing any time soon?"
Bálburunn decided it was beautiful day for fishing early in the morning. Unfortunately, when she made it down the private dock Floki had, she found the Earl, laying in the rowboat, deep in thought. She rowed out anyway, figuring he could use some water therapy. She was wrong. All he did was stare at the sky, huffing and puffing and feeling sorry for himself.
"You saw him. You saw how he...is different. What am I to do?"
"I'm not here to give you life advice, Ragnar. I'm here to fish." The girl said, leaning over, elbows meeting her knees as she held a rod in her hand. She designed it to be able to retract its string, adding a hook on the end to catch a fish's mouth. "But I can't do it with you making so much noise. You're scaring them with your constant sighing." She nudged his shoulder with her knee, causing him to let out a soft chuckle. His face slowly dropped back into a pensive stare.
"Aslaug wants to keep him."
"Then keep him." The girl said idly, chewing at a fingernail.
"What life could he possibly live?"
The girl shrugged. "My parents did not want to keep me either. Sometimes I wonder if they would have been proud of the person I've become. Would they have regretted leaving me in the forest to die if they knew? Would they want to know me? There is no way to tell."
"Anyone would be proud to be the parent of Bálburunn the Bearslayer." He looked down, scratching his beard. "Your body is healthy, though. Not crippled."
"That is not completely true." The girl said. Ragnar didn't look at her, but she could tell he was still listening. "Elesif told me I will never be able to bear children. I wonder if my parents knew that when they abandoned me."
"That is saddening to hear." The Earl mumbled.
"Don't tell Floki, Ragnar. Please." She whispered, biting at her nail.
Ragnar looked up at the girl with his twinkling blue eyes. "Such a thing would not make him love you any less, child. You are the light in his life."
She stared down, giving a small smile. "Then I think you have your answer, Ragnar."
His face fell flat, head rolling back to look at the sky once more. Bálburunn felt a tug on her rod, and she wound the string up, pulling against the force. Ragnar eyed her with an inquisitive frown. She gave one last tug, swinging the caught fish straight onto Ragnar's lap. He jumped a little, confused at her device. Bálburunn smiled, happy that it worked.
"What is that?" He asked, pulling at the string while she unhooked the slippery fish. It wriggled around in an attempt to get back to water. She smacked its head over the side of the boat and threw it onto a small satchel.
"I made it last year. You wind it up and down and wait, so you don't have to focus like you do when you're spearing." She explained.
"You should make more." He said, letting go of the string.
