Signy was an orphan raised by the renowned boat builder Floki and his wife Helga. Growing up, she was best friends with the sons of the great Ragnar Lothbrok. However, when her half sister is to be sent to get married and Signy steps in to swap plac...
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"And there was this huge army of soldiers and he didn't even care. He pulled out his bow and aimed carefully. He must've knocked about fifty of them dead! What a warrior." Floki continued his story about my father, as per my request. I smiled, listening to the story of the man that I'd never met but owed my entire life to. "I wish I'd known him." I frowned solemnly. "Signy, dear, I know that your birthday is always difficult because you think of your parents but you must understand that they'd both be so proud of you and, one day, when you meet them again in Valhalla, you will be telling them all the stories that they wanted to see you make." Helga smiled, gently tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "Thank you, Helga." I smiled, shoving the doors to the great hall open. The three of us walked inside and instantly I yelped as I was enveloped in a hug. It was my sister, drunk again. "Hello, sister." I greeted awkwardly as she finally let me go.
"Signy! Cheer up. It's our birthday!" She beamed, far too cheerfully for my liking. Kari had a habit of being loud and happy all the time. This, many would see as a good thing. However, this also meant she had a tendency to blurt things out all the time. My sister and I were almost opposites. I was quite and reserved. I'd silently sit and observe every inch of the room, listening into every word that had been spoken, before finally forming an unbreakable argument. Kari, on the other hand, would say whatever came into her head if she was wrong then she was wrong. She oozed confidence and that's why people were so attracted to her warm personality. I was still quote a kind and cheerful person but I had always distanced myself from people in a way that Kari had not. I knew that I had a tendency to get hot headed and angry but I refused to relinquish control. If Kari got angry, she'd shout a little and calm down. I knew that if I ever lost control and got angry, there would be blood on my hands. That is why I found it so important to distance myself. I did not want to do something that would make me slip up. This is why I enjoyed spending time with Ivar. He understood my anger like no one else. We were both enraged human beings. The difference between us, however, was that Ivar had nowhere near the amount of control as I. I knew that this meant that someday, he would snap. And it would be bad.
"I'm glad to see that you're enjoying yourself, Kari." I smiled to my sister, walking further into the great hall. My eyes wandered around the huge room, taking in every face and conversation that I could. I watched silently, my eyes darting around the room, until I felt someone gently tugging at my leg. I looked down to see Ivar sat on the floor and a genuine smile spread across my plump pink lips. "You're staring again." He commented, amused.
"And you're crawling." I stated plainly. The point of my statement - to explain that staring was just what I do.
"Will you sit and eat or are you just going to stare at people all night?" Ivar questioned.
I gave a small chuckle before following him back to where his brothers sat.
"Signy!" Hvitserk gestured for me to sit between him and Ubbe. I did, and I could instantly see Ivar's glare burning into his brothers.
"So, you're really sixteen already?" I heard Bjorn's familiar voice echo from behind me. I jumped up from my seat and hugged him tightly. Bjorn was in England when my father died. He had always looked out for me over the years and I had appreciated it greatly. Bjorn was the one who taught me to fight, insisting that I had to know how to defend myself. He'd always said I would have made a fine shieldmaiden but I had never seen Helga so angry in all my life when I told her! "Bjorn!" I smiled and he smiled back as we pulled apart.
After a while of eating and talking with the brothers, Queen Aslaug finally decided to speak up. "So, Signy, now that you're sixteen, have you thought about getting a husband?"
I nearly choked on my mead as I looked up at her, this making the brothers all laugh. "Honestly, marriage terrifies me." I answered genuinely. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, your sister seems like she's ready to marry. I just wondered. " Aslaug smiled in return.
I nodded, before falling silent again. The truth was, I hadn't even thought of marriage at this point. I knew that, just like all the women I knew, my destiny was to marry and bare children. However, I'd always wanted more from my life. It was in that moment that I decided to do something that I'd never done. Ragnar had once told me not to try and take fate into my own hands by visiting the seer. I'd always obeyed these rules. However, Aslaug's question had sparked a curiosity in me. I had to know my fate, or at least understand some of it.
"I should be going anyway, I'll see you all later." I smiled before taking my leave. I walked slowly out of the great hall. The moon shone over Kattegat, looking down at us like we were ants beneath its glowing boots. The stars danced around it but not one dared to get in its way. They were only there to accentuate the moon as the star of the show. I made my way through the muddy streets of Kattegat, my long white cloak blowing in the wind. The moonlight shone upon me making my white attire almost glow. I stopped outside the seers hut. It was dark and bones hung from his door making an ominous entrance. I pushed aside my discomfort and stepped inside.
"Who is here?" The seer spoke in a raspy voice, his breathing unsteady. It sounded as though he was barely living. He sat in a dark cloak, no eyes on his face and his lips black as wrinkles covered his withered features.
"I-I'm Signy." I answered shyly.
"I know who you are, shieldmaiden, daughter of Torstein." The seer croaked back, sounding like every word was agony.
I took a seat at the end of the room, unsure of what else to do. "I was wondering if the Gods have allowed you to see my future. What will happen to me? Will I ever be as great as my father?"
The seer chuckled at my response, "The Gods have shown me nothing but your future for a long time. You will gain much... But lose far more. You will be greater than your father but only in title. I see a bloody and violent future for you, young shieldmaiden."
"And what of my sister? What of Kari?" I questioned.
"Your fates are intertwined, I see that. Your fate lies with her and hers with you. You will be far greater, yet never will you be as great as her. She will live in your shadow but so will you."
I sighed, "So the Gods have forsaken me? What use is power and glory if all it brings is pain?"
"The Gods will always look kindly upon strong women. Now go. I have told you all I can." The Seer gestured towards the door and I walked out, annoyed by his response.
What did any of it even mean? I will gain much but lose far more? It was so vague that it could be interpreted as anything! I sighed. If The Seer was correct, however, my future did not sound promising. I had always been a hopeful soul. The life The Seer had foretold sounded nothing like a life I could live.
