Chapter One
"No! I will not hear of it! It is not the proper place of a woman!" said Aeolmundur Sigmundursen. The warrior turned his head back to the fireplace. "Your brothers are all fine warriors, I need you to marry the man I choose for you so this family can remain strong." he said in a softer tone. "The gods will see." said Raghilda Sigmundursdottir. She was secretly training in the family barn with a target dummy and had only just now broached this topic with her father. Raghilda and her mother cleaned the plates off the table and daydreamed about the day she would be able to join a shield wall.
The next day, she put on some birch training armor and started to train outside with a target. The Thane and his men rode up to the farmhouse from the hold and saw her in training. "Lad, where is your father?" asked the Thane. She quickly bowed herself and told him that he was in the house. "Oh! You are no lad! Why do you train for war lass? Are your brothers all dead?" asked the Thane. "No my lord Thane, I desire to join a shield wall someday." she said. The thane looked at her distance from the target and the placement of the arrows. "You would make a fine archer! Is your father objecting to your dream?" asked the Thane. "I fear so, my lord Thane. I do wish to eventually marry but in the immediate future, my dream is on the shield wall." The Thane grinned and shook his head. "Let me soothe this over with your father." he said. Raghilda nodded. The Thane walked into the house and everyone saluted. "Thane Rosinkar!" exclaimed Aeolmundur. "Is it war?" he asked. "I need you as well as your sons and your daughter, she is very skilled in archery. Don't worry, I'll keep her in the back with the other archers and I will warn her that war is not a child's game. Perhaps one or two battles will knock any notions of glory from her head." he said to the concerned father. "We all meet at the Hall tonight, everyone in gear and weapons." the Thane rode off. "Did you hear that? Everyone, including Raghilda, gets to go to war." said Aeolmundur. He walked his daughter to the weapons rack in the attic of the house. "You'll need my bow and arrows if you want any chance of surviving a battle." he opened a drawer and pulled out some studded leather armor. "Put this on." he said. She put the armor on like an expert and equipped the bow like a professional. "You seem to know the basics but you'll barely get a chance to train on a moving target. The Thane has a moving target you can practice on. Are you scared yet?" he asked his daughter. "Plenty." she said, honestly. "Good, your brothers lied to me in their first battle and nearly got their skulls split open by an Orc Basher." said the warrior. "Will the Thane make you a huscarl papa?" she asked. "That is up to the Thane." said Aeolmundur. "Come, lets get to the Thane's Hall!" he bellowed to his family. The last time she was at the Hall was for the Yuletide Feast last winter, when she was helping her mother and her aunts with the food and watching the kinders to keep them out of trouble. The warriors and the new shield-maiden mounted their ponies and rode to the Thane's Hall.
Chapter Two.
The Thane and his 30 warriors plus one archer girl marched out the next day. The enemy was camped only five miles away up the creek in the mountains. The young men saw that she was a female and began to flirt with her. "I am too young yet." she said to the warriors. "Keep your minds on the battle ahead!" said the Thane. "Treat the girl as if she is a man! One moment of dreaming could result in you with an Orcish mace bashing in your skull! Keep a sharp eye!" he warned the men. They came upon the Orcish camp and the Thane signaled for the archers to get into position. The shield-maiden followed the example of her fellow archers and got into position. He motioned for the shield wall and they formed. "Forward!" he cried. The line started forward, the men hitting the shields with their short swords and singing Vyir battle hymns. The Orcs spied the female and dropped their weapons. An Orc finally spoke up. "We will not fight females! It is not honorable!" said the Orc warriors as the surrendered. "Take these damned Orcs prisoner. We'll march them to the Yarl tomarrow." said the Thane. The men gathered up the Orcs and the Orcs went in peace. "That was certainly an odd turn of events!" said the Thane to his trusted huscarls. "The problem is, these Orcs will only face us in battle someday." said a huscarl. "Just kill them!" said another. "We are not like them! We will escort them to the Yarl." said the Thane.
The troops marched all day to the Hold Capitol with their prisoners and gave them to the jailers. "The Yarl wants to see you!" said a huscarl from the Yarl. The Thane knew what the Yarl was going to say. He rushed up to the Throne room and saluted. "My Yarl!" said the Thane. "You know full well that we can't afford to house and feed every Orc we capture. It's the woman in your ranks. We can't have her in our battle line or they'll refuse to fight. Give her to me and I'll make her an honorary huscarl in my Hall." said the High Yarl. The Thane went to get the girl. "You caused some complications for us and the Yarl is unhappy. He has agreed to make you an honorary huscarl to keep you out of trouble." said the Thane. "Honorary? You can keep it." she said. She marched off into the Hold city and went to stay with a relative. "The girl refused." said the Thane. "Just as well, we don't need women messing up this war." said the Yarl grimly. Raghilda met her Uncle Sandur and explained the situation. "You would do well in disguising yourself as a man and adopting another name." said the uncle. She went to cut her hair and used a sticky paste to make a false mustache and she adopted the name Rikhardur. She traveled to another Hold and offered her services. The men could not tell that "he" was a "she" and the Yarl offered her a place with the archers. After a few days in the Hall, a huscarl took her aside. "How long did you intend to deceive us? You are clearly not the right age to fight with us." said the huscarl. She wisely said nothing and the huscarl let the matter drop.
After a month of training and feasting, the Army marched out and went hunting for Frost Orc rebels. The Frost Orc rebels moved from cave to cave and raided livestock, even during peacetime. The Yarl's Army encountered a band of Frost Orc rebels in the mountains, a band of twenty. The Vyir warriors slaughtered them and Raghilda got her first kill. She was worried at the response that her mind gave her, instead of feeling exultation, she felt grief and sorrow at the loss of life. She retreated to a private area to cry and she wept in private and she began to regret her decision to become a shield-maiden. She rejoined the Army and the Army settled down for the night. "Hey, it is against our laws for a woman to fight alongside men!" said the Yarl to her. "How did you know?" she asked weakly. "I saw you, by happenstance, expose yourself to bathe." he said. "Where can I go?" she asked. "I will send you back to your family." said the Yarl. "My father is already angry with me and will beat me if I return." she said. "I should beat you for taking the needless risk!" said the angry Yarl. He walked to his mount and told the huscarl to hold the Army in position until he got back. He rode her back to her house after he asked her where she lived. "My daughter." said Aeolmundur. "Thank you my lord" said Aeolmundur to the Yarl. The Yarl said nothing but he turned his pony away and rode off. "The Yarl was angry! Why did you run off from our Yarl? Are you a madwoman?" asked Aeolmundur. She said nothing. "Stay at home like I ordered! I was a fool to believe you!" he said in a fury. He did not hit her but her mother hit her bottom with a wooden spoon. "Stay home girl!" said her mother, reproving her daughter. Her father stormed off. "He was disgraced in the sight of the Yarl. Perhaps one day this reproach will leave our family but until then your father is going to have to give the Yarl many gifts before his anger will disapate." said her mother in an angry tone. "I am sorry." sobbed Raghilda and she ran into the house. She dropped the armor and weapon into the attic. She dressed into her night clothes and went to bed. The next day came and she was given an angry look by her father and her brothers gave her an angry look. She knew that she had to seek her own fate, outside of her family. She packed her bags and left am note for her mother; "I am sorry mother, I must leave so that the reproach of this house will lift." she left the note on the table in the main room and left.
She walked to the Hold Capitol and took a boat to the Hold of the High Yarl. Once she arrived in the city, she walked to a tavern and offered herself as a bar-maiden. "Sure!" said Egbert Karlsen, the Tavern owner. "Just stay busy and the tips you get from the customers are your income. Did you have a falling out with your family?" asked Egbert. "I prefer not to discuss it." she said evenly. "Not my business." he said. "Just watch out, some men in this city seduce girls like you and turn them out into the streets to sell their bodies! It is shameful." he said. "I am no whore." she spat. "Good. Keep your nose clean here and maybe you'll be able to marry a well-off merchant here? Who can say?" he said with a smile. "Now go to my wife, she will give you our tavern dress." he said. The girl looked for the "woman in charge" and saw a scary-looking older woman with a scowl that would scare the Orcish Emperor himself. "Yer new here! Put this on new girl!" she said, tossing a blue dress to Raghilda. "I expect you to clean everything here daily. Don't flirt with the customers and don't act like a little girl or I will treat you like a little girl. Understood?" the ugly woman asked. Raghilda nodded her head. "Good, now get out there and sell some mead to the customers!" she said. Raghilda didn't see herself doing this forever but she needed money to stay in the city. She used her disposition to sell the Black Mead to the men and the wine to the ladies. Egbert saw her selling more Black Mead than anyone else working there and complimented her on it. "You are good for our business. There is a certain bravado about you, a certain brashness." he said. She smiled and nodded and he left her alone. At night, she was allowed to sleep in the servants quarters downstairs. Then a day came that changed her life forever. She was serving Black Mead when she saw her merchant uncle, Skarfur Skallagrimur, sitting at a table with some other men. She walked up and presented herself. "Raghilda! You were but a babe when I last saw you! Why did your family drive you out?" he asked. She told them the full tale and left nothing out. "That is unfortunate my dear niece. You said you are an archer?" he asked. She nodded. "That is fortunate for me, I need archers to protect a my caravans. I will hire you. If you want, I can send a gift and a letter to your father to explain that you are working with me now and I am also looking after you as a father." he said softly. "I am dead to them." she spat. "Give it time, perhaps you will be eventually reconciled." he told her and he patted her on the shoulder. The older woman came up and actually smiled. "Skarfur! As I live and breathe! How is my old boyfriend doing these days?" she said with a smile. "I just hired my niece off you." he said with a grin. "What? She is your niece? Then her father is your brother, Aeolmundur. How is he doing?" she asked. "Angry." said Raghilda. "Yes, certain events caught my niece here a bit off guard. She will be a fine archer for my caravans." said Uncle Skarfur. "What? I am losing my best serving girl?" asked Egbert. "Indeed, she is going to fill enemies with arrows if they dare touch my goods." said Skarfur. "Well, may the gods bless your endevours young woman." said Egbert. The old woman merely nodded. Skarfur and Raghilda left the tavern once she packed her goods.
Chapter Three.
The caravan was well into the borders of the Venetian Empire and Raghilda proudly sat on the lead horse with her crossbow at the ready. The road seemed safe enough, it passed through the fields of wheat belonging to the wealthy nobles of the Empire. "I see a bandit." said Raghilda. "How can you tell?" asked a fellow caravan guard. "He is armed, he is in poor clothing and his ear is punched, like a slave." she said. "Kill the bugger then!" said Sigurbrandur, a freebooter. "Wait, he is waving to us and putting away his weapon." she said. "Can I come near?" asked the run-away slave. "Don't make any sudden moves or I'll put a bolt right into your heart." said Raghilda cold-bloodedly. "Are you the shield-maiden Raghilda? Our bards are singing of your brave exploits! You marched in a man's army and fought with men until discovered. Then you ran off and joined up with this caravan?" asked the escaped slave. "Sure, kind of along those lines." she said. "I want to join your caravan until we get to Halakir, then I will jump off." he said. "What can you offer us?" asked Skarfur. "I am a swordsman. I was the Nord son of a Thane but I was driven off by a false rumor." he said. "And that rumor was?" asked Skarfur. "That I had slept with twenty daughters of Thanes, all unmarried but of age." he said. "You would be a liability for our caravan. Run wherever you want to but I don't hire whoremongers!" said Skarfur. The runaway slave looked downcast and walked off. "Keep an eye on that one, he is a lone wolf and could cause trouble for us." said Sig. "Hold on! On second thought, I had too had my share of fun as a young man, just not with that many." said Skarfur to the runaway Nord. Sig tossed the new man some armor and a sword and a shield. "Ride here with us, can you chase down bandits on horseback?" asked Skarfur. "Yes, I have seen my share of battles." said the runaway. "What is your name?" asked Skurfur to the runaway slave. "Adrianus Arnfredsen" said the Nord. He joined the caravan and got on a wagon to protect it. Nightfall came and Adrianus went to Skarfur and said; "Watch out in these parts, runaway slaves form together into raiding bands and they are like rabid wolves, they don't care who they kill! They would kill their own kinsmen if they could get some gold from their purses. They are still slaves in their minds and they can easily turned back into bondsmen, with the right amount of torture." said Adrianus. His words proved to be right, that night, bandit-runaways attacked the caravan. The guards fought for an hour and killed all of the attackers. The guards looted the bodies for gold and silver and found quite a bit of plunder. "This how we make most of our income." said Sig. "The bandits that attack us are loaded! Even their weapons sometimes fetch a good price." he added. "Why are so many caravans on this route unlucky?" asked Raghilda. "Because they don't hire the right people, I have heard horror stories of caravan guards turning on the caravan they are guarding and looting them and becoming bandits themselves." said Sig. The caravan got underway again and they reached Venetia and unloaded their goods. The guards remained with the Caravan Master and kept their eyes open for anyone that was watching them. The city was uneventful and Skarfur bought 1,000 bolts of silk and loaded them onto the wagons. The caravan started up again and after several hazard-filled days of bandit attacks, they reached the Free City of Halakir. The city was filled with stacks of fired-clay glazed brick houses alongside marble towers of the nobles. The entire city was a storefront, everything was for sale. Even the Temples did a brisk business in selling forgiveness of sins and withholdments of the wrath of the gods and other such hubris. "This whole city seems to be gold mad." said Raghilda. "The Trade Prince of the city is the richest man in the whole world." said Skarfur. "Only the richest Kings and nobles can sit with him, everyone else he politely turns away. He has a weakness for dark-haired women with blue eyes and he drinks coffee with liqour instead of ale or Mead. His policies helped build this city from a collection of stinking mud huts to the grand city it is today. The Colosseum was built by him, with his private funds, same with the city water system and sewer system." said Skarfur. "How do I know all this? I used to work for him!" he said with a smile. The wagons of the caravan rolled down the main bolavard, slowly least they run over one of the millions of humanoids that thronged the streets. The wagons rolled to a stop in front of a silk merchant and the workers from the caravan unloaded the wagons and after an hour of haggling, Skarfur walked out with 15 million in gold. "Well, when we get back to Vyirlundia, I am going to retire and build a large home in the Hold Capitol." said Skarfur. "But first, we are loading up spices and cumin!" said the merchant. "You said you are retiring? I am getting off here." said Raghilda. "Here is your pay, and thank you." said her uncle and he tossed her a bag of gold. She caught it and counted it. It was enough to let her live in comfort in the city for some time. She saluted her uncle and walked away into the crowd.
Chapter Four
She went to see the Trade Prince and asked his Grand Bashsir if he needed personal bodyguards. "We hire new guards all the time, assassins keep killing our old ones!" laughed the Grand Bashsir. "Well, I don't die so easy. I am Raghilda the Blade." said the young woman. "I like your confidence Vyir woman, what brings you out of your homeland?" he asked. "Adventure and the chance to win a reputation for myself." she said. "Our bards sing of your gutsy attempt to join the war against the Orcs, to fight alongside the male warriors of that land? We are impressed!" said the Grand Bashir. "At least someone is." she said, unemotional. "Fine, you are hired. You will be paid 100 dinars a day. Remember you are "on call" all the time. Sometimes the the Prince's Guards are sent on bounty-hunting missions. You look like you would thrive as a paid killer." said the Grand Bashir. "I might." she said. "Good! Go see the Captain of the Guard and then he will send you to the Captain of the Assassins. He will train you to kill with only your hands and body." said the Grand Bashir. She went looking for the Captain of the Guard. He waved to her and she saluted. "A Vyir, very good! You people have a reputation for being blood-thirsty killers of the worst sort." he said with an evil grin. "I am Raghilda the Blade." she said. "Oh! I should have guessed you would eventually come here." he said. "You are drawn by wealth and power? The Trade Prince might have some work for a warrior of your reputation. The Master Assassin will help shape your skills and make you into a deadly weapon." he said. "In the meantime, follow me." he said. They walked down the stairs and into the chambers bellow the Palace. "Here are the rooms of our guards, pick a bunk and it is yours. Everyone eats at a common table, you will see both of us on a daily basis. There is a large training room down here." he said. "I suggest that you hone your skills until the Master Assassin can see you." said the Captain. He walked off. She went looking for an empty bunk. She found one but soon saw a large, snoring Orc right next to her. She tensed up, her fear increasing but she remembered that the War wasn't going on down here. "Great, a snoring Orc for a room-mate" she said outloud. "Do I hear a Vyir? Did you come down here to slay me?" asked the Orc. "No. I am a mercenary." said Raghilda. "Good, then don't bother me." said the Orc and she went back to sleep. "Wait, are you female?" asked Raghilda, wondering what a female Orc was doing way down here. "I am, I wanted to fight the Vyir on my father's column but he said "No!" so I ran away and the Trade Prince hired me as an assassin." said the female Orc. "Yes, that is pretty much my story too." said Raghilda. "I will be leaving the Trade Prince's service. I am pregnant. I am marrying Tir'hald'a'kar and we are going back to our homeland to start a farm and raise a family." said the female Orc. "I never thought I would say this to an Orc but the gods bless you." Raghilda said with a tear running down her cheek. "Same to you." said the female Orc. She went back to sleep and Raghilda went looking for the Master Assassin. She felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and when she turned, someone punched her in the face. She dropped like a sack of potatoes. "If you want to survive here, you need to learn how to fight." said a male voice that sounded Nord. She rubbed her face and got up. The Nord hit her with his distaff and she fell again, this time she swept the legs out from under him and he went down. "Very good!" he said as her threw her down the hallway. She got back up and grabbed a polestaff lying nearby. She attacked and floored him. "I let you do that." he said, getting up. She swung at him and floored him again. He jumped to his feet and conceeded. "You are as skilled as they say." said the Master Assassin. "I am Ambrosius Edmondsen." he said, "Usually known as 'Ambrosius the Assassin' I alone survived the Assassins War." he said. "Actually, there is a former assassin turned to a Priest in northern Vyirlund that also survived the war." she said. "Yes, I have heard of him by reputation. But I meant I survived the blades sent for me by the High Elves in their attempt to end that war. I fled here and received employment by the Trade Prince and the rest you know." he said to her.
Chapter Five
She trained with the Master Assassin for three weeks and one day heard that the Trade Prince himself wanted to see her. She expected to see a dark-skinned Sultan and instead saw a veiled Thaugmar sitting on a Throne. "I am the Trade Prince." said the Thaugmar in Vyir. She supposed that she wasn't surprised. "Why did you call me?" she asked. "I wanted to view the one they call Raghilda the Assassin." said the Thaugmar. "You can go now, I have other business." said the Thaugmar and suddenly the audience was over. She returned downstairs and went back to the training room. She found it odd that the Trade Prince did not give his name but she remembered that most people in this city were either felons or escaped slaves. The High Kings tolerated the city because it was useful to them. She stayed down bellow the Palace and avoided the city streets so she would be able to operate freely and undetected. "We have a job for you." said the Master Assassin. "You are to go to Al-Jarazid and kill their Sultan. He refuses to pay his loan back to the Trade Prince so he must die." said the Master Assassin. She geared up and put on a cloak of concealment and went to find a caravan going to Al-Jarazid. She got on a wagon undetected and waited for the journey to begin. The caravan pulled out and when it was halfway to Al-Jarazid, it stopped for no reason. The teamster in the wagon shoved her out and ripped off her cloak. She was visible. "Good, we shall soon have our friends here." said the teamster. A troop of Calvary showed up and one of the men threw a net on her. She knew that someone had betrayed her. "Come with us." said the soldiers. They chained her and put her on the back of the wagon and took her to the Sultan of Al-Jarazid. "So, the Trade Prince wants to kill me? To the deepest dungeon you will go until you are either executed or freed by me." said the Sultan. The soldiers dragged her down into the lowest level of their Palace dungeon and threw her in nude, except for her undergarments. She scanned the walls of the dungeon and looked for a way out of the cell. She felt air coming out of one of the cracks behind the stone blocks and she dug at the ancient caulking with her fingers until she was able to remove the stone. The wind stank of corpses. She threw the weakened masonry out of the way and made her way into the ancient tomb. She checked all the corpses and found plenty of ancient weapons to choose from. She took a kitana and armored up from a recently dead soldier. She advanced deeper and deeper into the dungeon, fighting zombies and skeletons every inch of the way. She finally got to an iron ladder and climbed it. It led to the desert outside of the city and she felt the 134 degree heat against her skin. She walked back to the city and jettisoned the armor outside of the wall and laid prostrate near the gate. "My goodness!" said a merchant and he lifted her up and took her to his place and tended to her. She remained with him for a few days, getting her strength back. "I need to get back to Vyirlundia." she told him. "Hard to do that. The High Yarl has ordered all trade with our part of the world stopped until further notice. I suppose a caravan can take you as far as Nordlandia." said the merchant. "Fine, and thank you for the kind treatment." she said as she slipped into the city disguised as a native woman. The guards looked for her but she stayed one step ahead of them as she looked for a caravan going back to Nordlandia. She had no money but offered to cook and clean for the caravan. "Fine, you are hired." said Dumas the Master Caravaneer. The caravan took several days to reach Nordlandia. She made a small sum after the caravan reached the Capitol city of Nordlandia. She disembarked without a word and began the journey back to Vyirlundia. After she reached the Capitol City of Vyirlund, she looked up her old employer and rehired as the serving maid.
Chapter Six
She remained in safety and obscurity in the Capitol City for several years until she met a Thane and married him. Her family heard of her marriage to Thorbald Arbjartursen and came to forgive her. She wanted nothing to do with combat or warfare and yet something inside of her still waited for a battle to begin. She bore him three boys and seven girls and was surprised to see a large payment of gold show up one day at the Hall. "Mistress, this gold was given to you by the Trade Prince of Halakir. You left in a hurry and never reclaimed it." said the servant of the Trade Prince. She counted it. It totaled 20 million guilders. She took the money to her husband and he placed it in his chest. "We'll save that for a bad day." he said. "Besides, I am happy here with you and the children, why would we need more than what we can afford?" he asked and she nodded and smiled. Her husband was promoted to Yarl when the old Yarl died without a clear heir. "So you are a queen now! Well I know that you have good sense." he told her. He ruled for several years and she tended to the household. He died in battle, which caused her to mourn for several months. She was afraid to be thrust into combat again. She appointed Thane Annarsen the Commander of the Army until he was killed in battle. She had enough of it. She donned her armor for one last time, equipped a battleaxe and left her kids with a servant and led the Army into battle. "We will fight in the memory of my beloved husband, my father and my brothers! All killed by the Orcs! Shield wall, advance!" and the Vyir warriors fought and defeated the enemy, knowing that they were being led by Raghilda the Immortal. No-one could kill her it seemed. She was the only Vyir, ever, to receive that title in her lifetime. She killed over 2,000 Orcs in her fury over a series of 20 massive battles. One battle went badly for her and she was dragged off the battlefield badly wounded. She almost died but rallied after she heard that they had won. Years passed and she ruled her Hold as the only Queen in Vyirlundia, she was respected by all Yarls and even the High Yarl seeked her out for her advice. When her daughter wished to become a shield maiden, she took her aside and told her; "Honey, I love you very much and I would never do anything to drive you out of my home or my Yarldom. If you want to be a shield maiden, fight alongside your husband, only when you have to. Don't follow the dark path of being a mercenary." she said to her teenage daughter. "Thank you mother." she said and smiled. Her daughter trained on practice dummies and eventually was married off to the Crown Prince of the High Yarl. When her time came, she led the Grand Army into battle when her husband, the High Yarl was sick or on a diplomatic mission. Raghilda the Immortal was buried with full honors as the Yarl in Mt. Ysgramor when she died at 98 years old.
THE END
"No! I will not hear of it! It is not the proper place of a woman!" said Aeolmundur Sigmundursen. The warrior turned his head back to the fireplace. "Your brothers are all fine warriors, I need you to marry the man I choose for you so this family can remain strong." he said in a softer tone. "The gods will see." said Raghilda Sigmundursdottir. She was secretly training in the family barn with a target dummy and had only just now broached this topic with her father. Raghilda and her mother cleaned the plates off the table and daydreamed about the day she would be able to join a shield wall.
The next day, she put on some birch training armor and started to train outside with a target. The Thane and his men rode up to the farmhouse from the hold and saw her in training. "Lad, where is your father?" asked the Thane. She quickly bowed herself and told him that he was in the house. "Oh! You are no lad! Why do you train for war lass? Are your brothers all dead?" asked the Thane. "No my lord Thane, I desire to join a shield wall someday." she said. The thane looked at her distance from the target and the placement of the arrows. "You would make a fine archer! Is your father objecting to your dream?" asked the Thane. "I fear so, my lord Thane. I do wish to eventually marry but in the immediate future, my dream is on the shield wall." The Thane grinned and shook his head. "Let me soothe this over with your father." he said. Raghilda nodded. The Thane walked into the house and everyone saluted. "Thane Rosinkar!" exclaimed Aeolmundur. "Is it war?" he asked. "I need you as well as your sons and your daughter, she is very skilled in archery. Don't worry, I'll keep her in the back with the other archers and I will warn her that war is not a child's game. Perhaps one or two battles will knock any notions of glory from her head." he said to the concerned father. "We all meet at the Hall tonight, everyone in gear and weapons." the Thane rode off. "Did you hear that? Everyone, including Raghilda, gets to go to war." said Aeolmundur. He walked his daughter to the weapons rack in the attic of the house. "You'll need my bow and arrows if you want any chance of surviving a battle." he opened a drawer and pulled out some studded leather armor. "Put this on." he said. She put the armor on like an expert and equipped the bow like a professional. "You seem to know the basics but you'll barely get a chance to train on a moving target. The Thane has a moving target you can practice on. Are you scared yet?" he asked his daughter. "Plenty." she said, honestly. "Good, your brothers lied to me in their first battle and nearly got their skulls split open by an Orc Basher." said the warrior. "Will the Thane make you a huscarl papa?" she asked. "That is up to the Thane." said Aeolmundur. "Come, lets get to the Thane's Hall!" he bellowed to his family. The last time she was at the Hall was for the Yuletide Feast last winter, when she was helping her mother and her aunts with the food and watching the kinders to keep them out of trouble. The warriors and the new shield-maiden mounted their ponies and rode to the Thane's Hall.
Chapter Two.
The Thane and his 30 warriors plus one archer girl marched out the next day. The enemy was camped only five miles away up the creek in the mountains. The young men saw that she was a female and began to flirt with her. "I am too young yet." she said to the warriors. "Keep your minds on the battle ahead!" said the Thane. "Treat the girl as if she is a man! One moment of dreaming could result in you with an Orcish mace bashing in your skull! Keep a sharp eye!" he warned the men. They came upon the Orcish camp and the Thane signaled for the archers to get into position. The shield-maiden followed the example of her fellow archers and got into position. He motioned for the shield wall and they formed. "Forward!" he cried. The line started forward, the men hitting the shields with their short swords and singing Vyir battle hymns. The Orcs spied the female and dropped their weapons. An Orc finally spoke up. "We will not fight females! It is not honorable!" said the Orc warriors as the surrendered. "Take these damned Orcs prisoner. We'll march them to the Yarl tomarrow." said the Thane. The men gathered up the Orcs and the Orcs went in peace. "That was certainly an odd turn of events!" said the Thane to his trusted huscarls. "The problem is, these Orcs will only face us in battle someday." said a huscarl. "Just kill them!" said another. "We are not like them! We will escort them to the Yarl." said the Thane.
The troops marched all day to the Hold Capitol with their prisoners and gave them to the jailers. "The Yarl wants to see you!" said a huscarl from the Yarl. The Thane knew what the Yarl was going to say. He rushed up to the Throne room and saluted. "My Yarl!" said the Thane. "You know full well that we can't afford to house and feed every Orc we capture. It's the woman in your ranks. We can't have her in our battle line or they'll refuse to fight. Give her to me and I'll make her an honorary huscarl in my Hall." said the High Yarl. The Thane went to get the girl. "You caused some complications for us and the Yarl is unhappy. He has agreed to make you an honorary huscarl to keep you out of trouble." said the Thane. "Honorary? You can keep it." she said. She marched off into the Hold city and went to stay with a relative. "The girl refused." said the Thane. "Just as well, we don't need women messing up this war." said the Yarl grimly. Raghilda met her Uncle Sandur and explained the situation. "You would do well in disguising yourself as a man and adopting another name." said the uncle. She went to cut her hair and used a sticky paste to make a false mustache and she adopted the name Rikhardur. She traveled to another Hold and offered her services. The men could not tell that "he" was a "she" and the Yarl offered her a place with the archers. After a few days in the Hall, a huscarl took her aside. "How long did you intend to deceive us? You are clearly not the right age to fight with us." said the huscarl. She wisely said nothing and the huscarl let the matter drop.
After a month of training and feasting, the Army marched out and went hunting for Frost Orc rebels. The Frost Orc rebels moved from cave to cave and raided livestock, even during peacetime. The Yarl's Army encountered a band of Frost Orc rebels in the mountains, a band of twenty. The Vyir warriors slaughtered them and Raghilda got her first kill. She was worried at the response that her mind gave her, instead of feeling exultation, she felt grief and sorrow at the loss of life. She retreated to a private area to cry and she wept in private and she began to regret her decision to become a shield-maiden. She rejoined the Army and the Army settled down for the night. "Hey, it is against our laws for a woman to fight alongside men!" said the Yarl to her. "How did you know?" she asked weakly. "I saw you, by happenstance, expose yourself to bathe." he said. "Where can I go?" she asked. "I will send you back to your family." said the Yarl. "My father is already angry with me and will beat me if I return." she said. "I should beat you for taking the needless risk!" said the angry Yarl. He walked to his mount and told the huscarl to hold the Army in position until he got back. He rode her back to her house after he asked her where she lived. "My daughter." said Aeolmundur. "Thank you my lord" said Aeolmundur to the Yarl. The Yarl said nothing but he turned his pony away and rode off. "The Yarl was angry! Why did you run off from our Yarl? Are you a madwoman?" asked Aeolmundur. She said nothing. "Stay at home like I ordered! I was a fool to believe you!" he said in a fury. He did not hit her but her mother hit her bottom with a wooden spoon. "Stay home girl!" said her mother, reproving her daughter. Her father stormed off. "He was disgraced in the sight of the Yarl. Perhaps one day this reproach will leave our family but until then your father is going to have to give the Yarl many gifts before his anger will disapate." said her mother in an angry tone. "I am sorry." sobbed Raghilda and she ran into the house. She dropped the armor and weapon into the attic. She dressed into her night clothes and went to bed. The next day came and she was given an angry look by her father and her brothers gave her an angry look. She knew that she had to seek her own fate, outside of her family. She packed her bags and left am note for her mother; "I am sorry mother, I must leave so that the reproach of this house will lift." she left the note on the table in the main room and left.
She walked to the Hold Capitol and took a boat to the Hold of the High Yarl. Once she arrived in the city, she walked to a tavern and offered herself as a bar-maiden. "Sure!" said Egbert Karlsen, the Tavern owner. "Just stay busy and the tips you get from the customers are your income. Did you have a falling out with your family?" asked Egbert. "I prefer not to discuss it." she said evenly. "Not my business." he said. "Just watch out, some men in this city seduce girls like you and turn them out into the streets to sell their bodies! It is shameful." he said. "I am no whore." she spat. "Good. Keep your nose clean here and maybe you'll be able to marry a well-off merchant here? Who can say?" he said with a smile. "Now go to my wife, she will give you our tavern dress." he said. The girl looked for the "woman in charge" and saw a scary-looking older woman with a scowl that would scare the Orcish Emperor himself. "Yer new here! Put this on new girl!" she said, tossing a blue dress to Raghilda. "I expect you to clean everything here daily. Don't flirt with the customers and don't act like a little girl or I will treat you like a little girl. Understood?" the ugly woman asked. Raghilda nodded her head. "Good, now get out there and sell some mead to the customers!" she said. Raghilda didn't see herself doing this forever but she needed money to stay in the city. She used her disposition to sell the Black Mead to the men and the wine to the ladies. Egbert saw her selling more Black Mead than anyone else working there and complimented her on it. "You are good for our business. There is a certain bravado about you, a certain brashness." he said. She smiled and nodded and he left her alone. At night, she was allowed to sleep in the servants quarters downstairs. Then a day came that changed her life forever. She was serving Black Mead when she saw her merchant uncle, Skarfur Skallagrimur, sitting at a table with some other men. She walked up and presented herself. "Raghilda! You were but a babe when I last saw you! Why did your family drive you out?" he asked. She told them the full tale and left nothing out. "That is unfortunate my dear niece. You said you are an archer?" he asked. She nodded. "That is fortunate for me, I need archers to protect a my caravans. I will hire you. If you want, I can send a gift and a letter to your father to explain that you are working with me now and I am also looking after you as a father." he said softly. "I am dead to them." she spat. "Give it time, perhaps you will be eventually reconciled." he told her and he patted her on the shoulder. The older woman came up and actually smiled. "Skarfur! As I live and breathe! How is my old boyfriend doing these days?" she said with a smile. "I just hired my niece off you." he said with a grin. "What? She is your niece? Then her father is your brother, Aeolmundur. How is he doing?" she asked. "Angry." said Raghilda. "Yes, certain events caught my niece here a bit off guard. She will be a fine archer for my caravans." said Uncle Skarfur. "What? I am losing my best serving girl?" asked Egbert. "Indeed, she is going to fill enemies with arrows if they dare touch my goods." said Skarfur. "Well, may the gods bless your endevours young woman." said Egbert. The old woman merely nodded. Skarfur and Raghilda left the tavern once she packed her goods.
Chapter Three.
The caravan was well into the borders of the Venetian Empire and Raghilda proudly sat on the lead horse with her crossbow at the ready. The road seemed safe enough, it passed through the fields of wheat belonging to the wealthy nobles of the Empire. "I see a bandit." said Raghilda. "How can you tell?" asked a fellow caravan guard. "He is armed, he is in poor clothing and his ear is punched, like a slave." she said. "Kill the bugger then!" said Sigurbrandur, a freebooter. "Wait, he is waving to us and putting away his weapon." she said. "Can I come near?" asked the run-away slave. "Don't make any sudden moves or I'll put a bolt right into your heart." said Raghilda cold-bloodedly. "Are you the shield-maiden Raghilda? Our bards are singing of your brave exploits! You marched in a man's army and fought with men until discovered. Then you ran off and joined up with this caravan?" asked the escaped slave. "Sure, kind of along those lines." she said. "I want to join your caravan until we get to Halakir, then I will jump off." he said. "What can you offer us?" asked Skarfur. "I am a swordsman. I was the Nord son of a Thane but I was driven off by a false rumor." he said. "And that rumor was?" asked Skarfur. "That I had slept with twenty daughters of Thanes, all unmarried but of age." he said. "You would be a liability for our caravan. Run wherever you want to but I don't hire whoremongers!" said Skarfur. The runaway slave looked downcast and walked off. "Keep an eye on that one, he is a lone wolf and could cause trouble for us." said Sig. "Hold on! On second thought, I had too had my share of fun as a young man, just not with that many." said Skarfur to the runaway Nord. Sig tossed the new man some armor and a sword and a shield. "Ride here with us, can you chase down bandits on horseback?" asked Skarfur. "Yes, I have seen my share of battles." said the runaway. "What is your name?" asked Skurfur to the runaway slave. "Adrianus Arnfredsen" said the Nord. He joined the caravan and got on a wagon to protect it. Nightfall came and Adrianus went to Skarfur and said; "Watch out in these parts, runaway slaves form together into raiding bands and they are like rabid wolves, they don't care who they kill! They would kill their own kinsmen if they could get some gold from their purses. They are still slaves in their minds and they can easily turned back into bondsmen, with the right amount of torture." said Adrianus. His words proved to be right, that night, bandit-runaways attacked the caravan. The guards fought for an hour and killed all of the attackers. The guards looted the bodies for gold and silver and found quite a bit of plunder. "This how we make most of our income." said Sig. "The bandits that attack us are loaded! Even their weapons sometimes fetch a good price." he added. "Why are so many caravans on this route unlucky?" asked Raghilda. "Because they don't hire the right people, I have heard horror stories of caravan guards turning on the caravan they are guarding and looting them and becoming bandits themselves." said Sig. The caravan got underway again and they reached Venetia and unloaded their goods. The guards remained with the Caravan Master and kept their eyes open for anyone that was watching them. The city was uneventful and Skarfur bought 1,000 bolts of silk and loaded them onto the wagons. The caravan started up again and after several hazard-filled days of bandit attacks, they reached the Free City of Halakir. The city was filled with stacks of fired-clay glazed brick houses alongside marble towers of the nobles. The entire city was a storefront, everything was for sale. Even the Temples did a brisk business in selling forgiveness of sins and withholdments of the wrath of the gods and other such hubris. "This whole city seems to be gold mad." said Raghilda. "The Trade Prince of the city is the richest man in the whole world." said Skarfur. "Only the richest Kings and nobles can sit with him, everyone else he politely turns away. He has a weakness for dark-haired women with blue eyes and he drinks coffee with liqour instead of ale or Mead. His policies helped build this city from a collection of stinking mud huts to the grand city it is today. The Colosseum was built by him, with his private funds, same with the city water system and sewer system." said Skarfur. "How do I know all this? I used to work for him!" he said with a smile. The wagons of the caravan rolled down the main bolavard, slowly least they run over one of the millions of humanoids that thronged the streets. The wagons rolled to a stop in front of a silk merchant and the workers from the caravan unloaded the wagons and after an hour of haggling, Skarfur walked out with 15 million in gold. "Well, when we get back to Vyirlundia, I am going to retire and build a large home in the Hold Capitol." said Skarfur. "But first, we are loading up spices and cumin!" said the merchant. "You said you are retiring? I am getting off here." said Raghilda. "Here is your pay, and thank you." said her uncle and he tossed her a bag of gold. She caught it and counted it. It was enough to let her live in comfort in the city for some time. She saluted her uncle and walked away into the crowd.
Chapter Four
She went to see the Trade Prince and asked his Grand Bashsir if he needed personal bodyguards. "We hire new guards all the time, assassins keep killing our old ones!" laughed the Grand Bashsir. "Well, I don't die so easy. I am Raghilda the Blade." said the young woman. "I like your confidence Vyir woman, what brings you out of your homeland?" he asked. "Adventure and the chance to win a reputation for myself." she said. "Our bards sing of your gutsy attempt to join the war against the Orcs, to fight alongside the male warriors of that land? We are impressed!" said the Grand Bashir. "At least someone is." she said, unemotional. "Fine, you are hired. You will be paid 100 dinars a day. Remember you are "on call" all the time. Sometimes the the Prince's Guards are sent on bounty-hunting missions. You look like you would thrive as a paid killer." said the Grand Bashir. "I might." she said. "Good! Go see the Captain of the Guard and then he will send you to the Captain of the Assassins. He will train you to kill with only your hands and body." said the Grand Bashir. She went looking for the Captain of the Guard. He waved to her and she saluted. "A Vyir, very good! You people have a reputation for being blood-thirsty killers of the worst sort." he said with an evil grin. "I am Raghilda the Blade." she said. "Oh! I should have guessed you would eventually come here." he said. "You are drawn by wealth and power? The Trade Prince might have some work for a warrior of your reputation. The Master Assassin will help shape your skills and make you into a deadly weapon." he said. "In the meantime, follow me." he said. They walked down the stairs and into the chambers bellow the Palace. "Here are the rooms of our guards, pick a bunk and it is yours. Everyone eats at a common table, you will see both of us on a daily basis. There is a large training room down here." he said. "I suggest that you hone your skills until the Master Assassin can see you." said the Captain. He walked off. She went looking for an empty bunk. She found one but soon saw a large, snoring Orc right next to her. She tensed up, her fear increasing but she remembered that the War wasn't going on down here. "Great, a snoring Orc for a room-mate" she said outloud. "Do I hear a Vyir? Did you come down here to slay me?" asked the Orc. "No. I am a mercenary." said Raghilda. "Good, then don't bother me." said the Orc and she went back to sleep. "Wait, are you female?" asked Raghilda, wondering what a female Orc was doing way down here. "I am, I wanted to fight the Vyir on my father's column but he said "No!" so I ran away and the Trade Prince hired me as an assassin." said the female Orc. "Yes, that is pretty much my story too." said Raghilda. "I will be leaving the Trade Prince's service. I am pregnant. I am marrying Tir'hald'a'kar and we are going back to our homeland to start a farm and raise a family." said the female Orc. "I never thought I would say this to an Orc but the gods bless you." Raghilda said with a tear running down her cheek. "Same to you." said the female Orc. She went back to sleep and Raghilda went looking for the Master Assassin. She felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and when she turned, someone punched her in the face. She dropped like a sack of potatoes. "If you want to survive here, you need to learn how to fight." said a male voice that sounded Nord. She rubbed her face and got up. The Nord hit her with his distaff and she fell again, this time she swept the legs out from under him and he went down. "Very good!" he said as her threw her down the hallway. She got back up and grabbed a polestaff lying nearby. She attacked and floored him. "I let you do that." he said, getting up. She swung at him and floored him again. He jumped to his feet and conceeded. "You are as skilled as they say." said the Master Assassin. "I am Ambrosius Edmondsen." he said, "Usually known as 'Ambrosius the Assassin' I alone survived the Assassins War." he said. "Actually, there is a former assassin turned to a Priest in northern Vyirlund that also survived the war." she said. "Yes, I have heard of him by reputation. But I meant I survived the blades sent for me by the High Elves in their attempt to end that war. I fled here and received employment by the Trade Prince and the rest you know." he said to her.
Chapter Five
She trained with the Master Assassin for three weeks and one day heard that the Trade Prince himself wanted to see her. She expected to see a dark-skinned Sultan and instead saw a veiled Thaugmar sitting on a Throne. "I am the Trade Prince." said the Thaugmar in Vyir. She supposed that she wasn't surprised. "Why did you call me?" she asked. "I wanted to view the one they call Raghilda the Assassin." said the Thaugmar. "You can go now, I have other business." said the Thaugmar and suddenly the audience was over. She returned downstairs and went back to the training room. She found it odd that the Trade Prince did not give his name but she remembered that most people in this city were either felons or escaped slaves. The High Kings tolerated the city because it was useful to them. She stayed down bellow the Palace and avoided the city streets so she would be able to operate freely and undetected. "We have a job for you." said the Master Assassin. "You are to go to Al-Jarazid and kill their Sultan. He refuses to pay his loan back to the Trade Prince so he must die." said the Master Assassin. She geared up and put on a cloak of concealment and went to find a caravan going to Al-Jarazid. She got on a wagon undetected and waited for the journey to begin. The caravan pulled out and when it was halfway to Al-Jarazid, it stopped for no reason. The teamster in the wagon shoved her out and ripped off her cloak. She was visible. "Good, we shall soon have our friends here." said the teamster. A troop of Calvary showed up and one of the men threw a net on her. She knew that someone had betrayed her. "Come with us." said the soldiers. They chained her and put her on the back of the wagon and took her to the Sultan of Al-Jarazid. "So, the Trade Prince wants to kill me? To the deepest dungeon you will go until you are either executed or freed by me." said the Sultan. The soldiers dragged her down into the lowest level of their Palace dungeon and threw her in nude, except for her undergarments. She scanned the walls of the dungeon and looked for a way out of the cell. She felt air coming out of one of the cracks behind the stone blocks and she dug at the ancient caulking with her fingers until she was able to remove the stone. The wind stank of corpses. She threw the weakened masonry out of the way and made her way into the ancient tomb. She checked all the corpses and found plenty of ancient weapons to choose from. She took a kitana and armored up from a recently dead soldier. She advanced deeper and deeper into the dungeon, fighting zombies and skeletons every inch of the way. She finally got to an iron ladder and climbed it. It led to the desert outside of the city and she felt the 134 degree heat against her skin. She walked back to the city and jettisoned the armor outside of the wall and laid prostrate near the gate. "My goodness!" said a merchant and he lifted her up and took her to his place and tended to her. She remained with him for a few days, getting her strength back. "I need to get back to Vyirlundia." she told him. "Hard to do that. The High Yarl has ordered all trade with our part of the world stopped until further notice. I suppose a caravan can take you as far as Nordlandia." said the merchant. "Fine, and thank you for the kind treatment." she said as she slipped into the city disguised as a native woman. The guards looked for her but she stayed one step ahead of them as she looked for a caravan going back to Nordlandia. She had no money but offered to cook and clean for the caravan. "Fine, you are hired." said Dumas the Master Caravaneer. The caravan took several days to reach Nordlandia. She made a small sum after the caravan reached the Capitol city of Nordlandia. She disembarked without a word and began the journey back to Vyirlundia. After she reached the Capitol City of Vyirlund, she looked up her old employer and rehired as the serving maid.
Chapter Six
She remained in safety and obscurity in the Capitol City for several years until she met a Thane and married him. Her family heard of her marriage to Thorbald Arbjartursen and came to forgive her. She wanted nothing to do with combat or warfare and yet something inside of her still waited for a battle to begin. She bore him three boys and seven girls and was surprised to see a large payment of gold show up one day at the Hall. "Mistress, this gold was given to you by the Trade Prince of Halakir. You left in a hurry and never reclaimed it." said the servant of the Trade Prince. She counted it. It totaled 20 million guilders. She took the money to her husband and he placed it in his chest. "We'll save that for a bad day." he said. "Besides, I am happy here with you and the children, why would we need more than what we can afford?" he asked and she nodded and smiled. Her husband was promoted to Yarl when the old Yarl died without a clear heir. "So you are a queen now! Well I know that you have good sense." he told her. He ruled for several years and she tended to the household. He died in battle, which caused her to mourn for several months. She was afraid to be thrust into combat again. She appointed Thane Annarsen the Commander of the Army until he was killed in battle. She had enough of it. She donned her armor for one last time, equipped a battleaxe and left her kids with a servant and led the Army into battle. "We will fight in the memory of my beloved husband, my father and my brothers! All killed by the Orcs! Shield wall, advance!" and the Vyir warriors fought and defeated the enemy, knowing that they were being led by Raghilda the Immortal. No-one could kill her it seemed. She was the only Vyir, ever, to receive that title in her lifetime. She killed over 2,000 Orcs in her fury over a series of 20 massive battles. One battle went badly for her and she was dragged off the battlefield badly wounded. She almost died but rallied after she heard that they had won. Years passed and she ruled her Hold as the only Queen in Vyirlundia, she was respected by all Yarls and even the High Yarl seeked her out for her advice. When her daughter wished to become a shield maiden, she took her aside and told her; "Honey, I love you very much and I would never do anything to drive you out of my home or my Yarldom. If you want to be a shield maiden, fight alongside your husband, only when you have to. Don't follow the dark path of being a mercenary." she said to her teenage daughter. "Thank you mother." she said and smiled. Her daughter trained on practice dummies and eventually was married off to the Crown Prince of the High Yarl. When her time came, she led the Grand Army into battle when her husband, the High Yarl was sick or on a diplomatic mission. Raghilda the Immortal was buried with full honors as the Yarl in Mt. Ysgramor when she died at 98 years old.
THE END
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