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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I danced along the shore, my white dress flowing through the wind like I'd become one with the sky. The ocean air filled my lungs as I took a deep breath, a smile on my face at the sight of the beautiful ocean that surrounded the small harbour town. My glistening blue eyes shone, glowing with an iridescent beauty. I'd always thought that eyes were the most telling part of a person's body. A person can smile widely and laugh all the time... But one cannot hide the hatred or the sorrow within their eyes. Ivar had many times scolded me for staring into his eyes, trying to see what he was thinking. His eyes held so much pain... And so much frustration. Ivar was angry, everyone knew this. But anger always comes from somewhere and his, it was clear, came from the way the world had treated him and cast him aside for his disabilities.
I hummed a tune to myself, not taking any notice to anyone who could've been listening in, and continued to dance along the white sands, "Drøymde mik ein draum i nótt um silki ok ærlig pell, um hægindi svá djupt ok mjott, um rosemd með engan skell.
Ok i drauminom ek leit sem gegnom ein groman glugg þá helo feigo mennsko sveit, hver sjon ol sin eiginn ugg."
I was dragged out of my absentminded singing when I heard someone clear their throat from behind me. I jumped, spinning around quickly to see Bjorn and Hvitserk.
"Have you seen Floki?" Bjorn asked. I nodded and gestured towards the boats where Floki was tirelessly working away (as always).
As Bjorn walked away, I sat back down on the beach and was soon joined by Hvitserk.
"You should sing more often." He smiled, breaking the silence that had fallen over us. I gave a shy smile in response. This was one of the few occasions where anyone had ever heard me sing. Ivar had walked in on me singing to myself once before and, other than that, Helga and Floki were the only two people that I felt comfortable enough to sing around. "I'm serious, you're good at it." He spoke again.
I gave a small chuckle, "You, Hvitserk Ragnarsson, being serious? Is Loki playing some sort of trick on me?" Hvitserk joined my laughter.
"Ivar was wondering if you'll be back at the great hall again tonight." Hvitserk dropped into the conversation casually.
"He was?" I looked at him, my eyes a little wide.
"Well, it'd be good for me and Ubbe if you were there as well. You're the only person who stops Ivar and Sigurd from killing eachother." Hvitserk smiled.
I laughed a little but could feel the rosy heat rushing to my cheeks. "Then I'll be sure to drop by to save you two from having to clean up any injuries."
"Hvitserk!" Bjorn yelled after returning from his talk with Floki. The two of us stood up from the sand.
"Be safe, Signy. I'm certain Ivar would lose it without you." Hvitserk said, giving me a small hug before leaving. "See you tonight."
"See you tonight." I sighed.
After the brothers had disappeared, I decided to go on a small walk in the woodlands around our hut. When I was a little girl, Floki would take me out to the forest to try and teach me the telling signs of which trees will create the best ships. I'd always liked the serenity and quietness of the woodlands. There was something soothing about walking out into the heart of nature. My eyes wandered around, watching small birds fly and sing to eachother.
"Talit þeira otta jok ok leysingar joko enn — en oft er svar eit þyngra ok, þó spurning at bera brenn.
Ek fekk sofa lika vel, ek truða þat væri best — at hvila mik á goðu þel´ ok gløyma svá folki flest´.
Friðinn, ef hann finzt, er hvar ein firrest þann mennska skell, fær veggja sik um, drøma þar um silki ok ærlig pell." I was singing to myself quietly, finishing my song from earlier. I hushed myself when my blue orbs noticed a figure sat in the distance, aggressively throwing stuff at trees. I soon realized that it was Ivar and a frown set upon my face as I walked over to my friend.
"Ivar?" I asked as I walked down the small hillside behind him. My voice was gentle and caring, his name just rolling off my tongue like a sweet birdsong.
Ivar grumbled a few words that I couldn't quite understand under his breath. He didn't look at me, he just scowled into the distance, harshly throwing rocks against the trunk of a tree. I walked up beside him, careful not to get in the way of his rock throwing. I sat down next to him and, as he was about to throw the next stone, I gently placed my delicate hand on his own and urged it down. He finally looked at me, his vibrant blue eyes blazing but tempering slightly when he saw my concerned expression.
"What do you want?" He asked harshly.
I was no stranger to Ivar's mood swings, how he'd push everyone away to get some sense of control and to make himself feel less vulnerable. It never put me off though. I realised that this was how he dealt with his emotions and I tried my best to keep that in mind. Though I would often love to just push a sword up to his throat to shut him up, I never did. I patiently sat and tried to calm his temper.
"Why are you mad?" I asked, my voice still soft and careful. You had to speak carefully when he was like this for he was unpredictable.
"My brothers." He answered, still scowling into the distance. I sighed but before I could say anything else, he spoke again. "They're right." This time, however, he did not sound furious. He sounded as though he could've cried. I hated seeing Ivar like this but I knew that behind his firey and bloody exterior he felt things far more deeply than most people.
"They're right about what?" I spoke again.
"A girl." He sighed. My stomach did summersaults at the thought that my dearest friend had feelings for a girl. My first thoughts were thoughts that I could've never predicted. For some reason, I found myself almost jealous of this girl. I never let it show though. I kept calm as I knew that my emotions were not what anyone needed now. "She'll never love me."
"Why would you say that?" I gasped, genuinely shocked that he could ever think so lowly of himself.
"Because she's beautiful and funny and the kindest person in all of Kattegat and I'm the crippled son of the King that abandoned his people. I'm not good enough for her, she's like a goddess. She deserves someone kind and gentle like her. I'm not a good person, Signy. And I'll never be good enough for her." He sighed.
I gave a small smile and held onto his hand reassuringly, "If she doesn't see you as good enough then she's clearly the one who isn't good enough. I think people deserve a chance to change. To become better than what the world made them. Freya knows you've been through more than most!"
Ivar gave a weak smile before looking up again. "What should I say to her?"
"Just tell her how you feel Ivar, it's not as difficult as you seem to think." I chuckled, still feeling bitterness in my tongue as we spoke if this mystery woman. Yet, at the same time, happiness for my friend.
