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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Jul 20, 2019 13:03:12 GMT -5
Chapter 13
Andrew made sure the brown horse was comfortable around him before trying to stroke his mane. The horse stood calmly in his stall and whinnied softly as Andrew gently stroked his mane. "He likes you, stallions are usually more skittish", said Merryn.
"Horses like me, my sister too. She's going to run the farm after our parents. I wanted to be a musician and I did", he chuckled.
"What shall you name him?", she asked.
Andrew studied the horse and became thoughtful. The stallion was a handsome animal and his nut brown coat gleamed, a white mark on his forehead which resembled a white star. "Gilroc, it means Star Horse in Sindarin", said Andrew.
"Dude", said Ben, shaking his head.
"What, it's appropriate", Andrew retorted.
"I like it, since he has a star on his forehead. Such horses are seen as lucky", said Merryn.
"My horse is going to have a normal name, when Andrew was little he used to give the animals Elf names", said Ben with a rueful smile.
"I've heard worse, but make sure you can pronounce it and it fits", said Valeria.
Ben nodded and him and Valeria went to see the rest of the horses. "I'm not adventurous like Andrew, I don't want ride a stallion which will trample me. A gelding's all right", said Ben.
Valeria nodded. "I prefer a mare myself, I only did a bit of pony riding", she said.
"You didn't grow up with horses like we did, but you're a quick learner. After all, you're friends with us", he teased.
"If I can be friends with a pair of slobs like you, I can learn anything", she laughed.
Ben pretended to examine the horses as a blush creeped up his neck and his face and he adjusted his glasses. A gray gelding with a black mane and tail caught his eye as the horse looked at him calmly. "I had a gray horse as a kid, I named him Ash", he said.
The horse whinnied and his mane flapped about. "Not Ash, since that's a beginning. How about Greymane?", he asked. The gelding whinnied and stomped his foot as if giving approval.
"Nice name", said Valeria.
She went over to another stall and saw a white mare as the horse looked at her with placed brown eyes and whinnied. "Hello, Polaris", she cooed as the horse neighed.
"Polaris? That's a fitting name since she's a white horse", said Ben.
"Yes, I know", she replied.
The group saddled their horses after leading them out of the stalls, the saddles very similar to modern ones except made entirely out of leather and wood. The horses stood calmly while being saddled and having the reins and bits placed in their mouths. While Ben and Valeria had a moment of hesitation mounting their horses, Andrew and Merryn mounted theirs with ease. Andrew felt right at home in the saddle atop Gilroc, remembering riding on his family's farm many times before he went away to college.
"It's like I never stopped", he mused aloud.
Merryn laughed as she patted Saemearh on his head. "Once you have ridden, you don't forget that feeling. City life made you soft", she teased.
Andrew blushed guiltily. "I know, I went to college in New York and then moved out to Bayonne cuz it was cheap, there's no place to ride a horse there", he said.
"I want to show you around our castle lands, follow me", she said.
Merryn sat straight and tall in the saddle as she guided Saemearh towards a narrow dirt track in between the grass. The others followed behind as they moved away from the stables. "The lands around our castle are for growing crops and the copse of trees provide a few animals for meat, for us and our people. They are only allowed to hunt when the animals are not breeding", she explained. Off to the left about a hundred yards away was a small wood nestled at the foot of a hill, the hill a sheer drop of rock covered with a thin layer of scraggly grass. Far off to the right they could see a shore lined with rocks and pebbly gray sand and they could hear the consistent pounding of the waves against the shore.
Merryn led them towards the shore and Saemearh's ears perked up when he heard the sea. "I want to see what is on the other side of the sea, if all seas are cold and grey", she said.
Andrew shook his head. "No, warmer water is blue. I suppose cold water is gray", he replied.
"Interesting. I know Flanders is on the other side of the sea, and I hope it doesn't look like Northumbria", she said.
Merryn dismounted and the others followed suit. The tall red-haired girl walked towards the edge of the tidal line and watched the low tide as the cool gray water stopped an inch from her boots. Seagulls circled around them and their caws filled the air, the sky as gray as the sea. Her red braid blew in the wind and a few loose strands framed her face as she stood looking out on the horizon. "Our ships go to the continent", she said.
Andrew understood in a way. Growing up on his family's farm, he'd dreamt to travel and meet interesting people who were different from the folks in rural Pennsylvania. But at least he had grown up with TV and radio and later the Internet, meaning her life here in Northumberland was far more narrow and circumscribed than anyone in the modern US. "We are leaving for the continent soon, then you'll see what's across the sea", he said.
Merryn nodded. "Perhaps you are right, Andrew. But you still have to learn many things", she replied.
"I've been told I'm a quick learner, Lady Merryn", he said with a grin.
"Good, we'll see what a quick learner you are", she teased.
Ben and Valeria tried not to giggle. "This is going to be interesting", he said dryly.
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Post by Tim on Jul 20, 2019 16:40:01 GMT -5
Don't know much about horses myself, but I did enjoy this chapter.
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Jul 25, 2019 11:05:34 GMT -5
Chapter 14
Andrew's arm muscles ached and the shallow cuts on his forearms stung as he hefted the sword. "My goodness, you're soft. Do people in your time not work?", asked Merryn in disbelief.
"Yeah, if you mean by work making money. But only a few people do hard labor", he replied.
Merryn shook her head. "You must develop faster reflexes in order to block a blow from a sword. If not, you'll be cut down before you can react", she chided.
Andrew sighed and watched as she picked up her own sword. It had been made especially for her from fine German steel and it gleamed in the watery light of overcast sun, the tough leather hilt adorned with just a green glass stone which twinkled. His sword was one of Prince Edwin's, made of the same German steel and well-kept but with a plain hilt. This sword was heavier than his copy of Anduril back home and harder to lift and to swing, the recoil from hitting her sword vibrating through his body. Merryn had been patient as she taught him how to hold the sword and use it to thrust at another person, effortlessly blocking every thrust with the sword.
"You are doing well, Andrew. It will become familiar to you the more you practice", she said.
Andrew nodded and watched as Ben practiced with Prince Edwin, Valeria back at the castle with Philip and Constantine going over plans for the trip. Ben was panting with exertion and his normally olive complexion was a pinkish-red from the unaccustomed exercise, but his eyes sparkled and his lips turned up in a grin. "You're finally getting some exercise, dude", he teased.
Ben set down the sword and grinned. "Yeah, and I already feel better. I'm a lazy bum and I need to get some exercise", he chuckled.
"You are not lazy, Benjamin Gordon. You can finish a novel in six months", Andrew chided.
Ben blushed. "Thanks, bro. But I need some exercise, I'm physically lazy", he said.
"Everyone is good at something, Ben. I happen to be good at swords and riding", said Merryn.
The group practiced a bit more with the swords until the sun began to set. "Rub some ointment on your arms, our family healer Meg will give you some", she said.
"Do you need any?", asked Andrew.
"No, I am used to this, my muscles no longer get sore. But you ought to toughen your muscles, people in your time seem week", said Merryn.
"We are not weak, we got tools and machines that do the hard work for us", Andrew protested.
"Yes, but what if those machines and tools break? Then you are helpless", replied Merryn.
Andrew was about to retort something but then realized she was right, thinking about the times people freaked out during blackouts. "You might be right, Lady Merryn", he said.
Merryn laughed as her green eyes danced with amusement. "Call me Merryn, I am sick of Lady this and Lady that. I suppose tools and machines are handy but if they break people are helpless. We will make a proper warrior out of you yet, Andrew Wilson", she teased.
"And I look forward to it, Merryn", he chuckled.
"My sister fancies Master Wilson, this is the first time I have seen her interested in a man", said Prince Edwin.
"Is that going to get him trouble?", asked Ben worriedly.
"No, if he completes the mission he may court Merryn. Most men don't like that she's skilled with swords and a horsewoman, they want a meek girl who sews and prays and has babies. Merryn isn't like that, even as children she preferred men things", said Edwin.
"In our time, some guys still want submissive women but they tend to be very religious and conservative, or jerks. Most guys don't have a problem with woman working, but most women still have husbands and children", said Ben.
"Of course, most women want husbands and children. My father wants to arrange a marriage for me with a Frankish princess, as long as she is not ugly or stupid I won't mind", said Edwin with a shrug.
"Don't you want to choose your wife?", asked Ben.
"Why, as Crown Prince I am going to become king after my father and I need a capable wife. I could always take a mistress if I don't like my wife", said Edwin pragmatically.
Ben just shook his head and he mused that people back then seemed cold-blooded. "Do people in your time marry someone of their choice?", asked Edwin.
"Yes", he replied.
"That is silly, what if the man is a drunkard or abusive and the wife is silly and doesn't work or cook or likes children? Then you will be stuck with them until you die", said Edwin.
"In our culture, it's easy to get a divorce if you don't like your spouse", said Ben.
"That is wicked!", exclaimed Edwin.
"I understand, that's why a lot of people don't want to get married", said Ben.
Edwin shook his head and wondered if people in the future had lost their senses. "I will marry the Frankish princess and whether or not I like her, I will try to be a good husband and father to my children", he said.
"Does this princess have a name?", asked Ben.
"Yes, the Princess Clotilde", replied Edwin.
"Okay, then be a good husband to Clotilde", said Ben.
The group went back to the castle where the others were studying two maps spread out on a table in the dining room. One was a contemporary map of the Low Countries and Germany while the other was a modern map, the former looking nothing like actual boundaries of the area and having seas filled monsters and other creatures. "Lucky these don't exist", said Andrew.
"Really? But what about the in the ocean past Ireland? Sailors have seen mountains of fire and very big fish", said Edwin.
"Yeah but we're talking over here", said Ben.
"From here to Flanders is a four-five day journey by ship if there are no storms. Lucky this is not the stormy season, autumn there are bad storms in the North Sea", said Philip.
"And onwards to Aachen may take weeks, depending on the weather. Since we are traveling with the king's signet on a document, the authorities in the empire will leave us alone and Germans aren't a talkative people", said Constantine.
"Okay, we go to Aachen and speak with Charlemagne. But what about the princess?", asked Andrew.
"We believe she is being held in the land of the Wends, which is now eastern Germany and western Poland. When we take the mushrooms, it will give us a better idea", said Valeria.
"Wait, we take mushrooms?", asked Ben in shock.
"Not those kinds, the kind that help us see. Only we can take them when necessary in our missions, these are not the kind that make you trip. They give you a clear vision and help you solve things", said Valeria as Ben looked relieved.
"But why that far and what's special about that place? It doesn't make sense if it's just for a ransom", said Andrew.
Ben became thoughtful. "Not all motives are so obvious, dude. Money is nice but the princess herself might be more valuable, maybe the kidnappers want something else. What's in that area?", he asked.
"The Wends are barbarians, little better than animals. But they do control the island of Rugen in the Baltic, that is a big trading post with people from all over the world. I fear she is in Rugen among filthy heathens", said Edwin in horror.
"What, do they worship Satan?", asked Andrew.
"No, but they worship vicious fire and war gods, plus they have human sacrifice. Their king Boris is said to be a very scary man, it said he murdered his brothers in order to become king. He has many wives and other women from all over, I fear the worst and pray for the best", said Edwin.
Andrew let out a couple of swears. "Wow, so we might have to go into Mordor and face Sauron", he whispered.d
"And we thought Saddam Hussein was bad. This dude sounds horrifying", said Ben.
"You're a mystery writer, Ben. Don't you write about bad guys?", teased Valeria.
"Yeah, but not about evil kings. Just gangsters and other lowlives, not kings", said Ben.
Merryn had been quiet throughout this conversation but the mention of King Boris made her blood run cold. King Boris killed a group of Saxon merchants at Rugen after several of his men stole from our merchants. He had them executed for complaining", she said.
"Wow, evil", said Andrew softly.
"Yes. But I pray we don't have to go to Rugen or his area", said Merryn with a shudder.
"Frodo and Sam had to go to Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Maybe we have to do the same", said Andrew.
"Dude, normally the LoTR stuff is lame, but you may have a point. But we have to make sure, or else we'll find the Princess is another castle", joked Ben sardonically.
"I know, that was annoying", Andrew agreed.
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Post by Tim on Jul 25, 2019 11:23:45 GMT -5
Talk about strangers in a strange land!
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Aug 1, 2019 9:06:08 GMT -5
Chapter 15
During the next week and a half, the group prepared to sail to the continent. A small trading ship was loaded with supplies and Ben and Andrew continued their lessons and swordsmanship. Both men grew stronger each day due to the exercise and a healthier diet, feeling better than they had in years.
Merryn watched as Andrew easily mounted Gilroc, riding coming easily now that he remembered his youth on the family horse farm. His skin had lost some of its ghostly pallor and had a healthy pink glow, his dyed black hair now growing out a bit to reveal the brown underneath. "Activity agrees with you, Andrew Wilson", she said.
"Yeah. When I'm working on a remix, I'll work on the song for a long time until I think it's perfect. Which means I'm not getting a right mount of sleep or eating right", he said ruefully.
"I see. So when you're working on a song, you forget to eat or sleep?", she asked.
"Yeah, same thing with Ben and his writing. It's an artist thing", he said with a shrug.
Merryn flicked the reins and Saemearh whinnied as he began to trot, followed by Andrew on Gilroc. The brown stallion moved smoothly under him as he followed Merryn, her red braid swaying slightly with every step. "I want to do some riding before we leave tomorrow. I don't know how long the voyage will be", she said.
"And later tonight we have to take the mushrooms. I hope it'll give us some clues, and we don't have to meet this King Boris guy or go to that Rugen place", said Andrew with a shudder.
"If we do, we must pray and be careful. Who is Sauron?", she asked.
"He's the big bad guy in Lord of the Rings. He once had a human form and he used his charm to persuade the people of Numenor to turn away from their old beliefs and friendship with elves and instead worship the king as a god. The people did bad things and obeyed Sauron and worshipped these evil, greedy kings as gods so the main god Illuvatar sent a tidal wave to drown Numenor. Only a few good people who respected the old ways fled and went to Gondor in Middle Earth", he explained.
"How awful! And what happened to Sauron?", she asked.
"He lost his good-looking form and turned into a big, ugly monster. He had a ring called the One Ring which is really dangerous since it makes people invisible but eventually makes them crazy. He was defeated by Isildur but the idiot got greedy and didn't destroy the ring, instead Sauron turned into a big black eye in his land of Mordor and wanted the ring back so he could conquer all of Middle Earth. He also made rings for the dwarves, elves and human kings but the elves were smart enough not to use them. The dwarves were killed by orcs, Sauron's ugly monsters, and the kings became Ringwraiths, which are like ghosts", he replied.
"That Isildur was a stupid man, I would destroy such a wicked thing", she vowed.
"But the ring is very powerful, that's why he didn't destroy it. People are stupid like that", he said.
"I want to read this books, we have few books. Father has a few but they are very costly", she said.
"Yeah, they had to handwrite them. Books are cheap in our time", he said.
"Tamsyn likes reading more than me. I prefer riding and swords", she chuckled.
"Just like Eowyn, she is an awesome warrior woman in Lord of the Rings. She's the king's niece and she doesn't stick behind with the women, she disguises herself as a man and ends up slaying the Witch King", he said.
"Demons of that sort don't exist", she chided.
"How would you know, Merryn? Don't you think monsters live up North in the sea?", he teased.
"Perhaps, but not demons who create monsters or ride on dragons. Besides, dragons are Welsh and I'm Cornish and Northumbrian", she laughed.
"I'm half-Irish and half-Dutch, logic and emotion in one", he joked.
Merryn giggled and her green eyes were bright with amusement. Andrew felt his face grow warm and hot blood thrummed in his veins as he shifted atop Gilroc. He saw that the sun had begun to set and frowned. "We must go back to the castle or else Father will send soldiers after us", she said.
Andrew sighed and followed Merryn back to the castle grounds. He dismounted easily and felt a slight twinge instead of the burning pain he'd had the first few days. They led the horses into the stables and brought them into the stalls. The horses drank water and munched on straw as the saddles and reins were removed and their coats brushed. The familiar tasks brought Andrew back to his childhood on the farm as he brushed Gilroc's mane and tail, using a softer brush for his coat. Gilroc whinnied in pleasure at the sensation of the brush against his coat. Merryn did the same for Saemearh and murmured something in an unfamiliar language to the bay stallion.
"What language is that?", he asked.
"Cornish, our mother's language. It is very similar to the Welsh tongue", she replied.
"I've never heard any language like that before. I only know English", Andrew said ruefully.
"So do most of our people", she replied.
They finished with their horses and went back inside the castle. Ben and Valeria had the maps spread out on the table, one a modern one of the Baltic region and a contemporary one. Like the previous maps, the old map looked nothing like the modern one and had sea monsters in the water. "Sea monsters don't exist", Andrew chuckled.
"We know, but people back then didn't. And this is Rugen", said Valeria as she pointed to a large island off the northern Baltic coast of Germany.
"I hope we don't have to go there, but sometimes you have to enter Mordor", said Andrew.
"When we take these weird mushrooms, maybe we'll get some concrete answers. It's a weird way to do it, but it can't hurt", said Ben pragmatically.
"The mushrooms don't have side effects like magic mushrooms. But you have to be calm and relaxed or else you won't have a good vision. Whatever you do, don't be scared. It's not for real", said Valeria.
"We'll try, Val", said Andrew.
Ben concentrated on the map and tried not to get anxious about taking the mushrooms, since he hadn't taken anything stronger than alcohol. But another part of him was excited, if only from a writer's point of view. This was certainly the most unusual few weeks he'd ever had, and if there's something writers want more of, it's new experiences.
"Just relax, Ben. If you get anxious, the mushroom vision will be a scary one and you won't see anything useful", said Valeria.
Ben was startled and his wide eyes were magnified by his glasses, which made his face look more owl-like than usual. "Oops, I just spaced out there, Val", he mumbled.
"I know, this is by far the most unusual experience you ever had and you might still be digesting it. Take it one day at a time and relax, don't act all suspicious by everything. You don't want to look suspicious like a yokel at the fair", she teased.
"I do feel like a country bumpkin at the fair, Val. You're the history major, not me", he retorted with a grin.
"I know, but lucky we have a good guide", teased Andrew.
Valeria laughed and her blue eyes gleamed. Ben's face grew hot and he nervously adjusted his glasses as they fell down his nose again. Andrew gave him a knowing smile and Ben blushed even more, lowering his head to study the map. "Once we reach the emperor's court, we might have some fellow travelers. At his court, he has many people from all over his empire and other areas since he is fascinated by all sorts of people. We might need someone who is familiar with the Wendish people", said Constantine.
"You mean, like Slavic people? I don't know any Russian or Polish or any of those languages", said Ben.
"Same here, dude", Andrew replied.
"I forget I know Russian, if you know Russian you can understand other Slavic languages", said Valeria.
"Oops, our bad. We're just a couple of dumb Yanks", joked Andrew.
"You are not dumb", exclaimed Merryn.
"I'm kidding, it's a stereotype that Americans don't know anything about languages or other countries", Andrew explained.
"I have not traveled much, but I do know there are different people in this world. And I want to meet them", vowed Merryn.
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Post by Tim on Aug 1, 2019 11:10:18 GMT -5
Good chapter, but the Lord Of The Rings talk lost me. Never got into that stuff.
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Aug 19, 2019 8:46:14 GMT -5
Chapter 16
While Valeria, Philip and Constantine were at ease in their long white wool robes, Ben and Andrew wondered why they had to wear the odd garments and reckoned they looked like shepherd's in a school Christmas pageant. "The white robes symbolize purity and the white wool robes are expensive, it takes a lot of time to bleach the wool properly. At least it's not dyed wool, the dyes were set with human urine", teased Valeria as they looked horrified.
"Trust me, it's true. Lucky we don't do that anymore", she chuckled.
"So we have to go outside while wearing the robes and take shrooms? I hope it works, the last time I took shrooms or acid was in college and I had a seriously gnarly trip", said Andrew dubiously.
"That's because magic mushrooms and LSD are illegal and they have very dubious quality, some guy growing it in his basement or cooking it in a lab. Believe me, you won't be seeing demons or be chased by monster or fall into a pit unless you're in a bad head space", said Constantine.
Hugo came forward, clad in his shiny black robes trimmed with silver. He looked like the wizard he was in the robes with his long white hair and beard which contrasted with the black robes, his eyes silvery as the trim of his robe. "You must put your mind at ease in order to see a good vision, when we all come down and our minds clear up we will compare what we saw and see what they have in common", he said.
He said a quick prayer in Norse and made everyone lay down on the grass in a circle, having them close their eyes and keep their breathing even. After a few minutes of stillness, he had them open their mouths and swallow a brown mushroom cap which had an odd salty and bitter taste not unlike coffee with salt instead of sugar. Within a few minutes the black starry sky above and the green grass below seemed to tilt on its axis and off they went.
Andrew felt as though he were approaching the first loop in a roller coaster as the world around him spun so that the sky was off to the right and the grass to his left. He felt himself floating in air and then being propelled further like he was flying, the world now tilted correctly so that the sky was above and the ground below. The ground below moved rapidly and he was alarmed to find himself flying over a sea or another large body of water, the cold wind indicating he was somewhere in northern Europe. Below he could see dark shapes that were different landmasses but no lights unlike a modern electrical grid map, which made finding out where he was difficult. He passed over a thin piece of land and then more water with lots of islands, but he was alarmed when he felt his body yanked out of the air and towards the land.
Andrew was relieved when instead of landing to the ground with a thud, he landed gently on the ground somewhere in a forest. This forest was different from the woods near his family's farm in Pennsylvania as this one had lots of beech and smaller coniferous trees like those found at higher latitudes, the gently lapping of waves on a shore nearby the only sound except for a lone owl. He looked down and saw that his body was nearly transparent as he placed his hand on a tree trunk, seeing the bark of the tree through his hand as though he were invisible. A dry chuckled escaped his lips as he realized he was a wraith of some sort, but knowing he wasn't an evil Ringwraith out to hurt the Fellowship.
There was a boom of a drum which echoed from a clearing as he glided above the trees towards the sound. In the clearing a large fire crackled in the center as it illuminated a wooden pillar with odd carvings, the flickering flames briefly lingering on its surface. It was about the same height and circumference as a totem pole and the faces carved on its surface grimaced with their open mouths, protruding tongues and bulging eyes. Around the fire were men in black trousers and bare chested who danced around while chanting something in a language that to him sounded vaguely like Russian or Polish, a man in black trousers with a red headdress made of bird feathers watching impassively. In the shadows further away from the fire were cages made of sticks tied together with rope where frightened looking people in furs and rags watched with mounting horror. In another cage set apart from the others was a young blond woman in a simple white robe who looked cleaner and better fed than the others, but this did not detract from her fear.
The high priest of this odd cult addressed the crowd in that vaguely familiar language as the rabble cheered. The cages were opened one by one and the frightened looking captives were frog-marched over to the statue and the fire as the high priest chanted something that sounded like Svantovit or something similar which was taken up by the crowd. Without warning, the captives were thrown one by one into the fire by the assistants of the priest as the unfortunate people screamed in agony as they were consumed by the flames.
Andrew was horrified and wanted to reach out and stop them and kill these horrible cultists but that was impossible since he was both invisible and translucent. The burning of these poor people and the stench of their burning bodies seared into his consciousness as he couldn't tear away his eyes, the sight the most horrifying and bizarrely compelling thing he had ever seen. After the poor people were consumed by the flames, the cage with the girl was opened and she was led over to the high priest as her face was paler than the moon and she was speechless with shock. The high priest leered at her as he took off his trousers and roughly lifted up her skirt.....
Andrew woke up with a start and let out a long string of swear words. Hugo nodded in understand and handed him a notepad and pen as Andrew feverishly wrote down all he had remembered. "Hugo, that was the worst fucking thing I have ever seen, and I couldn't help those people. And the priest was about to rape the princess. What the holy, motherfucking fuck", he muttered.
"Normally I don't like using such language, but I understand. When the others wake up, we will compare notes", said Hugo.
Soon the rest of the group woke up from their mushroom sleep and they all seemed haunted about what they had seen. "Did you see it, guys? What kind of people are we dealing with?", he muttered.
"Evil ones, this is a perverted version of Slavic pagan worship. Svantovit is the Slavic deity of war, yes, but also of divination, fertility and abundance. They only worship one aspect of him, the aspect of war. Burning people alive isn't part of normal Slavic paganism, some of the Celts did that but that involved asking for victory and the victims were captives. It seems as though we're dealing with evil cultists, and I fear the worst for the princess. If we do get her back, there's not guarantee she will be right in the head after all this", said Valeria sadly.
"So we have to save a princess from a bunch of evil cultists who sacrifice humans and have been raping her. What the actual fuck", muttered Ben.
"I share the sentiment. And we all saw the four-headed wooden column, that's in Rugen which is a center for Slavic paganism. That's in the emperor's domain, we will have to go to Aachen and get permission and perhaps he will send some soldiers to help. Tomorrow we sail", vowed Philip.
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Post by Tim on Aug 19, 2019 23:13:27 GMT -5
Best to stay away from magic mushrooms, I think.
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Sept 2, 2019 7:27:10 GMT -5
The chapter I was going to post accidentally got deleted so here it is.
Chapter 17
Ben and Andrew looked dubiously at the boat that was supposed to take them to mainland Europe, wondering if it was even seaworthy and if the shipwright had gotten ideas from a kid's storybook. "Trust me, it's seaworthy. It's also an Anglo-Saxon ship so the Flemish won't think it's a Viking ship and flee from it", said Valeria reassuringly.
"Okay, but it looks dumb", said Andrew.
"Yeah, it looks like Noah's Ark from a kid's Bible", agreed Ben.
"Ships like this were common cargo boats back here, it'll look like we're traders. And in case we get slightly blown-off course, the people will think we're traders. And I know old Frankish and Norse", said Valeria.
"Myself as well, Papa insisted we all know the Frankish tongue and the Norse language", added Merryn.
"That's good to know, all we know is English", said Andrew as he gave her a smile. Merryn wore a long green robe the color of pine needles with her red hair in a braid to her waist, the robe with a little hood. The folds of the robe concealed her brown leather trousers which she wore underneath for comfort along with her boots, the outer robe that of a gentlewoman but the trousers that of a horse rider.
"The schooling in your time must not be very good then, if you were not poor, than why do you only know our language?", she asked.
"That's common, us Americans are bad at languages except English. Ben and I spent much of college drinking and going to keg parties but we managed to graduate with B's, if we applied ourselves we might have gotten A's but that's boring", he said with a shrug.
Merryn shook her head. "Then you ought to stay close and observe us, perhaps you will learn something new on this trip", she replied.
The servants loaded the last of the supplies into the boat. The boat was wooden and resembled Noah's Ark from a children's Bible, a broad wooden base with a little triangular wooden hut on top for the captain. Below decks were their horses, barrels of food and water and a few trade goods common to Northumbria in case they needed to trade. Merryn had a document signed by her father inside her robe, tied up with a bow as she felt the smooth parchment roll with her fingers. The sky was half blue and half gray with clouds with a wind blowing southeast in order to make the sailing go by faster as the sailors urged everyone on board and then pushed the boat further into the surf. Below decks a few rowers pushed the boat even further until they were in deeper waters and then the sailors on deck unfurled the sail, a square oiled cloth in the green and blue of Northumbria. The sail caught the wind and propelled the boat further away from shore until the land was but a grey bump on the horizon.
"How long until we reach Flanders?", asked Ben.
"Two to three days, if the wind is blowing in our direction. The worst thing for a sailing ship is to be calmed, the rowers can't do much in the open water. That's why the boat tries to keep in sight of land", explained Valeria.
"So, what do we do know?", asked Andrew.
"Stay out of the crew's way, the deck is better than below so you don't get seasickness. The stormy season is past in the North Sea and won't start up until late August or September, so we ought to not get any big storms. If it rains, go below deck until the sailors say it's all right to come out", said Valeria.
Merryn stood by the rail of the ship and watched the endless blue-gray waters with curiosity and dismay. The water seemed vaster than any meadow or field she had ever seen and it gently undulated with waves as the ship bobbed up and down softly on its surface, not unlike being on Saemearh. She wondered if there was a horse that could trot on the waves like the boat bobbed up and down on the water, not used to being transported without a horse.
"You're new to this too, huh? The only boat I've taken is the ferry to New York and the ferry from Cape May to Delaware, those aren't very long trips", said Andrew.
"Yes, I'm used to riding Saemearh everywhere and have never been on a ship. But it is not unpleasant, the rocking motion is like riding Saemearh when he's going fast. I wonder if a horse can trot on the water like they do on land, but perhaps not since no one can walk on water", she chuckled ruefully.
"That makes too of us, I guess we ought to stay out of the crew's way but that's all right since I don't know anything about sailing on a ship either. I'm just following everyone's lead", he laughed.
Merryn laughed. Her heavy red braid swayed softly in the sea breeze and a few loose strands curled around the long braid and framed her face, her green eyes gazing at the sea and the horizon. On either side of the horizon were flat gray bumps of land and the sky appeared to become more gray the further they went, a strong scent of rain in the air. "Valeria has been to the court of the Frankish emperor and many other places, I have never left Northumbria. I do want to see the court of the Frankish emperor and perhaps the land of the Danes, they are a fearsome people who have settled to our south. Father does not bother them since he doesn't want them raiding our lands, he pays them a bit of tribute and they leave us alone. The Saxons to the south do not pay them tribute and keep bothering them to take up the Saxon religion so the Danes are always attacking them", she said.
"You mean, Vikings? That makes sense to pay off those guys and leave them alone, I've heard some scary stuff about them", said Andrew with a shudder.
"They are not scary, we have had Danish traders come to Northumbria to trade. They are very big men with yellow hair and beards but they have never been a bother to us", said Merryn.
"Oops, my bad. There's a show called Vikings and it portrays them as being very scary guys, they kill each other and other people for the LOL's and have lots of swords. It's an awesome show", he replied.
"It's bad history, it's made by an American company so that's why it's historically illiterate", Valeria retorted cheerfully.
"We're dumb Americans, we don't know history and like blood and guts", said Ben with a laugh.
The sky grew darker and they could hear the distant rumble of thunder as they crew urged everyone below decks. It was very dark with the only light coming from the narrow windows above their heads, the neighing of the horses and the creak of the timbers combined with the waves splashing against the side of the ship echoing in the little room. "Uh, are there any lifeboats?", asked Andrew in a quavering voice.
"No, but we all can swim. We just have to ride it out", said Valeria.
There was a loud clap of thunder and below decks was briefly illuminated by a flash of lightening. Everyone waited with bated breath as the ship sailed through a storm, the boat rising and falling in an irregular pattern. "You said the stormy season passed", accused Ben.
"The North Sea gets storms all year round, but the really big ones are in late summer. This isn't too big", replied Valeria.
The storm seemed to last an hour but at most it was only 30 minutes as the sea gradually calmed down and the rain stopped. The crew opened the hatches and told them to come back on deck as they climbed the ladder on wobbly legs. The wooden decks were slick with water but most of it had run back into the sea, the skies turning from gray back to blue and the air cooler. The sun had begun to set and there was an orange tinge to the horizon as the crew handed out hard biscuits and dried fish, washed down with water from the barrels. "This is our food until we land", said Valeria apologetically.
"We've eaten worse in college", said Andrew pragmatically.
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Post by Tim on Sept 2, 2019 11:33:54 GMT -5
Nice to finally see this chapter
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Dec 31, 2019 14:18:34 GMT -5
Sorry for the long delay, there was work and college and a bit of writer's block. I hope no one has forgotten about this.
Chapter 18
The voyage across the dark grey expanse of the North Sea towards mainland Europe felt to the modern members of the group like something out of a Poe story or perhaps Coleridge's Ancient Mariner. For the last week all they could see was a wide expanse of flat gray sea with dirty off-white thin waves that stretched on like a never-ending watery plain, the sky above them the same dull grey except slightly lighter with a thin watery sunlight barely filtering through. While they had gotten over their seasickness over the last few days, the interminable rocking and rolling of the wooden boat and the flat gray sea made them feel on edge and anxious and sensitive.
Andrew lay back on the small deck and mentally willed the sun to shine a bit more as there were only a few rays of dull, watery sunlight peaking through the thick dull gray clouds. "British weather really sucks", he muttered.
"At least it's the summer, if it were winter it would be both rainy and cold. It's dry for now. The captain says we ought to reach Flanders soon since we have been going steady eastwards since we left", said Merryn.
Andrew smiled at the red haired girl and laughed. "I hope so, the only boat I'm familiar with is the ferry to Manhattan and the biggest boat I've been on was a cruise to the Bahamas when I was in high school. That's a really big boat that goes to different islands, the boat is like a floating city. It has shows, restaurants, big cabins and everything, you just chill poolside and eat and go to shows. If you're older you can drink and gamble, but I can just go to Mohegan Sun for that since Atlantic City is a real dump", he chuckled.
"Does this big boat have a lot of trading goods?", she asked.
"No, it's a boat trip for fun. The Bahamas are a group of islands in the Caribbean, it's hot and sunny there. It's too hot and sunny, though, I get sunburned really bad. Plus it isn't as much fun when with your parents and have to mind your little sister, it would be cool to go on one as an adult 'cuz you can drink and gamble", he said.
There was a flurry of activity as the sailors started to go below decks to man the oars. "We've sighted land, we ought to land in an hour", said Valeria as she looked through her binoculars.
"Awesome. I hope it's not some cannibal tribe and stuff", said Andrew.
"European cannibals died out in the Stone Ages, people are either Christians or pagans but they don't eat humans. Pagans eat horsemeat", said Constantine.
"Gross, that's like eating Mr. Ed", said Ben in distaste.
"I agree, there was a scandal years back when a meat supplier was putting horsemeat in frozen burgers and sausages to cut costs, the horses were the old ones from the racetrack. I can't go through with eating horsemeat", said Constantine as the group looked disgusted.
"We only eat horsemeat if there were a famine or some other extreme circumstance. But not an old one unless there was no alternative, the old ones are for the dogs to eat", said Merryn as she made a face.
The waves got higher and rougher as the rowers steered the boat towards the shore. As it came closer, they could see a narrow strip of beach backed by a rocky shore were long thin tussock grass grew in the background with scrubby dark green moss and hardy salt grass in the foreground, the tussock grass hold the big dunes in place. A small group of men stood on the shore and watched calmly as the boat approached, most of them in dark and worn leather trousers and matching shirts except for a tall man in newish leather trousers and a fur-trimmed cloak.
The boat stopped on a sandbar and the men approached, the tall man in the cloak surrounded by men. Philip bowed in the direction of the men and said something in Saxon as the men on the shore murmured something in a similar language. Valeria nodded and stepped forward and started speaking to the men, their eyes wide as though they were not used to being addressed by a woman. "Hello, sirs. Is this your territory and are you guarding your chieftain? We are travelers on the way to Rugen, we are from northern Angle-Land. We are under the protection of the King of Northumbria", she said, gesturing to the plaque on the boat.
"Where is your husband, woman?", asked one of the bodyguards.
"Silence. I know the king, our people have traded in Northumbria and the Danelaw. And we are acquainted with Rugen, some of our traders have gone there to trade with the Slavs but some have not come back. Are you going to worship or trade? I am Rolf, the chieftain of this part of Jutland", said the tall man in a deep voice.
"I am the Lady Merryn, the king's daughter. We were on the way to Jutland but we encountered a storm. All we ask is safe passage through Jutland to the Baltic, we have some goods for tribute", said Merryn.
Rolf raised an eyebrow when he was addressed by Merryn, thinking it odd that the king would send his illegitimate daughter on such a voyage. "I suppose he doesn't want to risk his son on a voyage, but he does have a legitimate daughter", he mused aloud.
"His legitimate daughter, my sister Elsbeth, was affianced to the nephew of the Emperor Charles but was stolen on the way to Aachen. Our seers said that she was in Rugen and we are going to bring her back to Northumbria", said Merryn.
"Some of our men have gone missing in Rugen, they were traders and never came back. The Slavs are a poor people and have few resources and nowhere the civilization of their cousins in Kieven Rus, something happened to them. If they had settled there with local girls, they would have come back first to notify us and move their belongings", said Rolf.
Rolf said something to his men as they stepped back and allowed the group and the crew to go on shore. "Our main village is past the dunes. You will rest and we will look after your ship. In a few days, we have a caravan going to Hedeby on the other side of Jutland and from there you will go to Rugen. You will be looking like traders and there are many ships to Rugen going to there from Hedeby, there are many strangers in that town", he said.
"We thank you for your hospitality, lord", said Valeria.
"Jutland is in Denmark, it's the big peninsula on the mainland. Hedeby was a Danish trading port on the other side", explained Constantine.
"All right, I'm trying to remember from my high school geography class. So it looks as though we got blown off-course, but at least the natives seem friendly", Ben mused aloud.
"Because there are many Danes in England, they live mostly in the Danelaw which is like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. There were a lot of Danish settlers in northern and eastern England, so they trust us", said Valeria.
"And you guys were speaking Danish?", asked Ben.
"No, Old Norse. You forgot that it's one of my languages, Ben Gordon", she teased.
Ben blushed as he nervously pushed the glasses back up his nose. The group was led past the high dunes and tussock grass as they walked about a mile inland. The further they went away from the shore, the more solid the land became and the grass and vegetation more substantial. Soon they encountered farms where peasants were busy pulling weeds and hoeing rows of crops, next to pastures where sheep and cows grazed placidly. Wooden fences enclosed pens were pigs wallowed in mud and snorted, the earthy aroma of mud and earth and vegetation reminding Ben and Andrew of rural Pennsylvania.
The village was surrounded by a wooden palisade and most of the houses were small wooden huts with straw-thatched roofs, some with smoke coming from a hole in the roof. The chief's house was larger than the others but in the same plain wooden design with a thatched roof, the only building larger the town's temple for their gods. Unlike the houses, it was made of planked wood and had a roof made of wooden planks with carved wooden dragons' heads on the edges which resembled gargoyles with their wide open mouths. "You will stay in different houses, tonight we will have a big supper and in two days you will join us on our way to Hedeby", said Rolf.
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Post by Tim on Dec 31, 2019 18:21:10 GMT -5
I was under the impression this story had died.
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Dec 31, 2019 18:42:34 GMT -5
I was under the impression this story had died. It’s not dead, I had some writer’s block with it but I know now where the story is going. I’ll try to update on the weekends, have a Happy New Year
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Post by Tim on Jan 1, 2020 0:50:49 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I've had writer's block myself.
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Post by ladyfiaran22 on Jan 5, 2020 15:14:45 GMT -5
Chapter 19
"I hope Hedeby is better than that place, it's like something from Game of Thrones or worse", said Andrew with a shudder as the group prepared to leave for Hedeby.
"Hedeby is like this, but bigger. Believe, there are places in Europe right now worse than this. At least there's no plague or marauders and they haven't decided to kill any missionaries", said Valeria dryly.
"What the heck? You mean, like actual missionaries? I know they're a pain in the ass but they actually get killed?", asked Ben incredulously.
"Yeah, the Emperor keeps sending Christian missionaries here and the locals either drive them off or kill them. I wish the Christians would stop bothering the people, if people aren't interested, they're not interested", she said with a shrug.
Andrew and Ben looked on dubiously as the traders packed their goods onto wooden wagons, some of them piled high with straw so that the goods inside wouldn't break. The horses pulling the wagons weren't as large as modern horses and seemed to be the size of large donkeys, all of them a dull brown the color of mud and a few even appeared to be sway-backed. "Horses were smaller back then and only the rich had good horses, the average trader or person in general had smaller horses and even ones with sway-back", said Constantine.
"I am not used to riding in a wagon, I wish I had Saemearh here with me", said Merryn.
Andrew gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her cheek. "You'll see her again after we finish, I miss Gilroc too. The only wagon I've been on were the hay rides for Halloween, at least it's different", he said.
The merchants finished loading the wagons and the group split up to ride on different wagons, the vehicles each with a soldier armed with a sword and a shield to guard them. The head driver got on the wagon seat and flicked the reins as the horse neighed softly, leading the first wagon away from the village as the others followed suit. It was warm and sunny with a slight breeze coming in from the North Sea as the little caravan left the village behind, a few children following behind curiously before going back to their homes. The wagon ride was similar to being on a hayride in the sense that they rode on hay in a wagon on a dirt road, but the horses meant that the ride was slower and more bumpy as each bump and jolt made them shake as they tried to hold on. Beyond the village were more fields of barley and a few of wheat, the tops of root vegetables peeking through the ground. The peasants looked at them for a bit and waved but went back to work as the village depended on the crops to be free of weeds and insects for their winter stores.
It was dark outside when they arrived at Hedeby on the other side of Jutland and both men were disappointed. After all this talk about Hedeby they were expecting a substantial town but instead it wasn't much bigger than the village they had left behind. A wooden wall surrounded the town with its wood buildings thatched with straw and the air stunk with the carcass of a cow recently sacrificed to Odin, along with animal wastes and open latrines and a mass people. The offending carcass was suspended on a platform above the temple as people left behind votive offerings of food, drink and coins, seemingly oblivious of the stink. Around them they could hear all sorts of languages, not just the now-familiar Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon but others which sounded vaguely like Spanish or French along with Slavic languages and even Arabic and Chinese. The people were just as diverse with Scandinavians and Germans and Slavs in furs and leather trousers and their women in long robes and brooches, Arabs in long hooded robes, Chinese and East Asians in silk robes and Greeks from Constantinople in fancy silks and caftans who seemed to look about in distaste. Stalls set up around the temple sold everything from cloth to jewelry, pottery, animals in cages, spices and prepared foods as people milled about and examined the merchandise.
Even inside the town's inn the stink from the carcass still permeated, a miasma that seemed to seep into everything. "This place really sucks, I hope we get out of here, And that's a serious health hazard", said Ben as he carefully tested the fur-covered bed.
"I know, it's gonna attract so many flies and it stinks so bad. It's stupid, they could make steak from that damn cow", agreed Andrew.
"Yeah, but this is like being in a really realistic RPG", said Ben.
"Or Witcher, since it's about the same time period and place", said Andrew.
"Of course, I never got into the fantasy stuff like you, dude", teased Ben.
"Too bad the girls have to stay in a separate room, I wouldn't have to look at your ugly face", joked Andrew as Ben flipped him off.
"I really want a hot shower and I don't think I'll ever eat another steak again", said Ben. From the window they could see the temple with its cow carcass and the stink filled the room, unable to be kept out by the shutters in lieu of glass windows.
"Same here, maybe not even a burger. The old days really suck, it's not like how I imagined it", said Andrew.
"Of course not, bro. There's probably diseases we never heard of before around here", said Ben with a shudder.
"So be grateful for modern medicine. Philip and Constantine are looking for a merchant heading towards Rugen, since most merchants won't talk to a woman", said Valeria with a scowl.
"People back then were sexist assholes, Val", said Andrew.
"I know, that's why I'm a feminist. We can't go directly into Rugen, we have to be around the island but not directly since the island is a temple complex to the Slavic gods. We'll have to pretend to be Slavic pagans, I'll tell you what you need to know", said Valeria.
"Wow, looks like we're going to hell", joked Andrew.
"Not me, I'm not a Christian. But I did study Slavic paganism in college and have books on it, the Jarvinens are pagans and both branches worship the old gods. The Finnish branch practices Suomenusko, the traditional Finnish paganism and the Lithuanian branch practice Romuva, Lithuanian Baltic paganism. I practice Suomenusko alongside Wicca", she said.
"I have no idea, I was raised Presbyterian", said Andrew.
"And Mom is Presbyterian and Dad is Jewish", said Ben.
"I'll give you a crash course, you'll learn more later", said Valeria.
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