Read Valkyrie’s Fate in order!

Or catch up on The Lost Valkyrie!
******************

Valhalla After Dark. Odin's chosen warriors celebrate with the 3 F's every day and night in Valhalla. Fighting, Feasting and... um... Fornicating. Yeah, that's the word we want, there. And whom better to celebrate with than the lovely Valkyries? Brooke plays the role of Helga, one of the elder Valkyries who has become like an older sister or mother to Runa.


*****************

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT TO RUNA & SAGA???

💜 Brooke

#####################################

shot in Firestorm, edited in PS to fix some clipping and added a layer of smoke :)

> The CMNF Lounge & Gallery 51 are co-located, side-by-side

> Learn more about the Lounge - CMNF & CFNF

> My tiny, semi-pretentious Gallery 51 has exclusive content, including mini-slideshows and photos with short stories!

> Store FiftyOne, my SL Marketplace Store offers photo backdrops, as well as original photographic art by me, AND now with Galactigirl merchandise!!! Sales help fund my SL photography and writing

AI-use transparency: sometimes I generate photo backdrops for my photos using AI

© All Rights Reserved

marketplace.secondlife.com/p/4-Moonlit-Night-Sky-photo-ba...

*** 4 *** Moonlit Sky at Night photo backdrop textures for use as a backdrop for your photos, blogger posts, and creations - photobooth, photo studio. These are AI-generated original textures.

2048 x 2048 resolution - why pay up to 50L each for 2K uploads in SL?
png format
16:9 aspect ratio
NOT seamless

Full perm textures - see MP listing for terms

© All Rights Reserved

💜 Brooke

#####################################

shot in FS - removed an extra tattoo part that was on Crashy's upper arm and was conflicting with her arm tattoo which I LOVE, a part of the whole body tattoo I cut out to show off her arms fully, also some minor clipping fixed

raw image: gyazo.com/80d0e38fb3a47548a0511d4988cfef9a

> The CMNF Lounge & Gallery 51 are co-located, side-by-side

> Learn more about the Lounge - CMNF & CFNF

> My tiny, semi-pretentious Gallery 51 has exclusive content, including mini-slideshows and photos with short stories!

> Store FiftyOne, my SL Marketplace Store offers photo backdrops, as well as original photographic art by me, AND now with Galactigirl merchandise!!! Sales help fund my SL photography and writing

follow me on Primfeed

AI-use transparency: sometimes I generate photo backdrops for my photos using AI

© All Rights Reserved

Read The Lost Valkyrie!

#####################

”As we travel through the forest, tell me when you feel the danger, and tell me from whence it comes,” Friia instructed patiently for the seventh time as she rode alongside Rune, both the women on horseback.

The wife of Odin might be patient, but Rune was feeling frustrated and impatient with herself. So far she’d detected NONE of the dangers her sisters were representing as they hid around the area, ready to strike while Rune was not looking. It was as if her new skill was on a long journey far, far away from this place.

Valkyries playing the role of bloodthirsty demons, complete with how they were dressed and masked with horns and snarling faces, had jumped out to attack from behind trees, rocks, from below, from above. From the water and from out of pits in the earth. And each time, Rune had had no glimmer of warning.

The girl was starting to wonder if the whole “sensing danger” thing had been a coincidence of some sort, and her confidence was getting badly shaken. Worse, she wondered if Friia doubted her, too.

Secretly of course. From what Rune could SEE, the goddess was the very picture of supportive trust that Rune’s skill would manifest.

“Don’t worry, Rune,” the heavenly power counseled her. “Learning to call upon a gift is quite different than having it pop up accidentally, in response to a dangerous encounter. We know the gift is there, but we have to be able to wake it at will. It takes time to learn to connect.”

The young Valkyrie nodded ruefully, trying to trust the older woman as she rubbed her bruised side. Her sisters had started taking to WHAPPING her with their wooden training swords as they attacked, telling Rune she could defend herself only if she detected them before they ambushed.

The last, most forceful WHAP had come courtesy of Helga, herself, who seemed all too happy to torment the junior Valkyrie.

The girl could see a reflection of her own growing doubt in the eyes of some of her sisters, now. She wasn’t sure what would be worse: disappointing the wife of Odin, or the other Valkyries her gifts were supposed to help protect.

“I have to concentrate,” she thought as she and Friia continued their rather idyllic progress through the bright foliage of the forest. Valhalla… all of Asgard, really, was a lovely place.

Rune frowned, knowing her sisters must be near. Maybe it would help if they trained in a place where there might be actual danger, she thought. It would be more realis…

Wait. Was that a sense she was getting? Danger just up the path, waiting for them around a slight bend of the path? Rune stopped her horse.

“Up there. Where the path bends. Behind the rocks of the hill,” she pointed, then looked at Friia for confirmation.

Friia smiled at her. “Sorry, no. There is no immediate danger here.”

Rune made a half-frustrated, half-disgusted noise. “By the gods, this is useless. I can’t do it!” Her rant bordered on a childish tantrum.

As the girl continued to berate herself, the heavenly power laid a gentle hand on her arm.

“Do you have to think about glittering in the sun? Do you have to decide to be strong when you wield a blade? Does worrying about being fast to strike or quick to defend make you even a tiny bit faster? You need to think less and BE more. You are a being of light, Rune. It flows through you, like yonder stream flows along its rocky bed.”

The wise goddess gestured to the gurgling, babbling brook next to the path as demonstration. “Your gifts are like that. Don’t try to MAKE the stream flow. It flows! Whether you will, or not! Instead, try to dip your foot in the water. Feel how cool and clean it is. How refreshing and pure. Then let it take you where it will go.”

“Gifts,” the other woman had said. Like she had more than one! Rune wondered what other gifts she might have. This one, and the heavenly fire, as they had called it. What else? The young woman felt excited to find out, and she had a million questions, forgetting her worries about her training so far.

“Do all the Valkyries have gifts like mine,” she asked.

Friia smiled. “In short, no, they do not. The Allfather created the Valkyries to collect the souls of the slain warriors, the bravest of men, and bring them to Valhalla to be part of his army for the battle of Ragnarok. Valkyries were able warriors in order to complete this task, and lovely, too. These are gifts after their own fashion, of course.”

Rune nodded as the pair resumed their slow ride through the forest. Her sisters were beautiful almost beyond description, it was true.

The other woman continued. “Twas after the demon invasions started that we first saw new Valkyries appear with different and more powerful gifts like the ones you have. And it was very well they did. The original Valkyries would have been swept away, as the demon horde was too great to withstand with skill of blade alone.”

This was fascinating to Rune. A lot of this she knew, but some things she’d never heard. And she had more questions. Even just hearing it from as authoritative voice as the goddess was amazing.

“If the Allfather’s Valkyries needed help, why not have his warrior army fight at their side against the demons? Surely they are strong enough?”

The girl’s question made Friia smile. “My husband is wise, and he knows he needs every warrior he can have at his side to fight the final battle of Ragnarok if he has any hope of surviving. He dares not waste a drop of their blood on this concern. The Valkyries must suffice…”

The goddess stopped, looking thoughtful. “If only the men of the earth would stop fighting each other and join to fight against the demons as one, they might defeat them utterly. But so far, nothing stops men from their selfish ambitions and petty jealousies. And the demons exploit this.”

Rune gazed at her instructor in wonder. “But the demons would enslave and destroy them. Why can’t they see?”

Friia’s response was immediate and forceful. “Men are weak, Valkyrie. When you meet them, you will see for yourself. Men require strong leaders, but those leaders must also be men of virtue or else chaos is the result. Our foes thrive on chaos, lies and division.”

“But how can we make them…” the student began to question, but the wife of Odin held up a hand, silencing her for the moment as the pair came fully around the curve of the path Rune had mentioned earlier.

Ahead of them lay a gully thick with underbrush on one side of the path, and a pile of boulders along the other side. A dense thicket of trees lay further down the way, as well as a deep drift of snow. Rune could see multiple potential ambush spots, here.

“Enough questions and thinking. There is a time for them. But now, you must simply BE. Gaze at the water rushing over the rocks. Consider how the sunlight sparkles on the stream. Enter the stream and let it flow over you. Let it take you where it wants to go,” the older woman commanded.

“And then, tell me where the danger is, here.”

Rune frowned, feeling like it was impossible. But how would she know if she didn’t try? It was true she didn’t have to try to glitter and glow. It was a part of her. This should be, too.

With a sigh, the girl tried to clear her mind by focusing on the stream. Seeing how the water flowed, the gurgling noises it made as it bounded along its merry path of rocks and silt. She could see herself dipping her foot in the cold, clear water and laughed as it licked the skin of her ankle and shin. She imagined herself getting smaller as she waded out to the center of the shallow stream: smaller and smaller until the rushing current swept her away. And she let it take her.

Her eyes closed, Rune didn’t see what was happening to her as she sat atop her filly next to Friia, but the heavenly power smiled as she observed Rune’s glowing aura increase in strength, getting brighter and brighter. “Heavenly fire, indeed,” the goddess said to herself, softly, trying not to disturb the young Valkyrie.

For her part, Rune was seeing the stream flow carry her along, rushing faster and faster, the current so strong it would sweep away a full-sized Valkyrie. Soon she felt it bring her to a high waterfall and go crashing over, down into a brilliant light that seemed to pulse with her heartbeat and the breath in her breast.

The young warrior’s eyes opened, and she could see a new light. Literally. Different parts of the scene before Rune shown with varying degrees of vibrance. Except for one part, which was darker and seemed to be swallowing the light. It was the large, deep drift of snow ahead, the one that lay partially across the path. Her sisters were hidden in the snow, she knew, waiting to pounce.

She felt she could almost feel their life, hear them breathing, feel the soft thud of their hearts. It was fascinating and beautiful. One of them snickered softly, thinking that they’d get to WHAP Rune again as the mounted pair rode round the snow drift.

The girl realized she could feel her sister’s delight in this game, and the realization drew a soft laugh from her.

It was Friia who drew her back to the now. “And? Where is the danger, Valkyrie,” she asked with some amusement in her tone.

“Oh,” Rune gasped, a little startled. “Sorry, my Lady, I was enjoying myself too much.” She cleared her throat, still not sure this was a true vision she’d had, but choosing to trust the process had led her in the right way. “They’re hiding in the snow drift.”

The wife of Odin, the wisest and greatest of all the goddesses, smiled at her, pleased. “Very good, Rune. Now you can see how to tap into your gifts. The more you practice, the easier and quicker it will get. At some point, you won’t have to try to make it happen: it will be as easy as slipping a glove over your hand and fingers.”

Calling over to the snow drift, Friia declared, “You can come out, now.” And four of her sisters appeared, coming up from where they’d been hiding. Helga was there, as well as Hildi. Hildi beamed at Rune, clearly happy for her and proud, too. Rune grinned back at her, liking her more than she ever had.

Helga grumbled, disappointed she’d not get to WHAP her favorite target again with her wooden training blade.

“OK, girls, let’s go to our next ambush…” Helga called out, turning to leave without congratulating the young Valkyrie. But all the others did.

Rune frowned, wondering why the woman persisted in treating her rudely. Wasn’t it good for all Valkyries if she could protect them?

“Try not to be too vexed by Helga, young Valkyrie, “ the wife of Odin commented after the others were gone, divining Rune’s thoughts as they started to ride again. “She lost most of her friends in the demon invasions. It has left her a little hard-hearted, and you remind her of those she’s missing, girls she befriended when all your sisters were young, like you.”

Immediately, Rune felt ashamed for judging the older woman. Could that be her, someday? Yes, it could be. “I am sorry, my Lady. I didn’t know. Please forgive my harshness.”

Friia smiled, “There is nothing to forgive. You have a good heart, sweet one.”

Rune smiled back, “Thank you, my Lady,” as they traveled on.

The goddess knew when it was time to get back to business.

“Now, let’s practice what you’ve learned. Up ahead here there are at least three more ambushes. You will tell me where they are when you see them. If you see them early enough, you will be allowed to throw some heavenly fire at them. Do you think you can?”

“Yes, my Lady,” the young woman replied. “I can try!’ Rune smiled happily at the thought of blasting her sisters a little! Especially Helga!


**********************

WILL RUNE BLAST THE OLD COOT, HELGA? WILL THAT WOMAN EVER RELAX AND GIVE OUR GIRL A BREAK?

NORSE MYTHOLOGY DOESN’T MENTION A DEMON INVASION. WHAT YOU BEEN SMOKING, BROOKE?

WILL RUNE BE ABLE TO DETECT ANY DANGER? OR JUST PRETTY WOMEN HIDING BEHIND BUSHES AND TREES?

TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR MORE VALKYRIE ADVENTURES!
#####################################

Tags:   sl secondlife virtual blackdragon fiction fantasy romance adventure women girl Valkyrie sensual sexy blonde light aura heavenly angelic Valhalla Norse spiritual mysticism mythology Allfather Odin Friia busty pin-up armed armor sword winged headdress artwork illustrated comics young adult graphic novel serial

© All Rights Reserved

Read The Lost Valkyrie in order!


######################


“Your wedding is only two days aways, my Lady. Are you ready?” Liv’s question came as a little jarring to Tyna as the young woman seemed deep in thought.

“What? Oh, yes the wedding,” she replied. “No, I’m not ready. I’m nervous,” the girl replied with a laugh.

It was Wednesday, and the wedding would be on Friday. And she didn’t FEEL ready at ALL!

“Don’t worry, my Lady,” Liv said back. “All the details are prepared. You have your kransen, your ceremonial sword and the handfasting cord ready. Your bathing ceremony will be tomorrow, as will the King’s. Thyra and I are planning the feast. It’s going to be a wonderful celebration!”

Tyna was surprised to see tears in the eyes of the older woman. She’d never thought of Liv as sentimental! As she watched, the tears spilled out, running down her cheeks.

“Awww, Liv, why are YOU crying,” she asked, half in amusement, but half in alarm. Despite her many human experiences in Bollurgard, the young woman still had much to learn about people.

“Don’t mind me, young lady,” Liv reassured her. “It’s just that I’ve come to think of you like I do Thyra: as if you were one of my very own. And now…” she paused, unable to continue.

“And now you’re losing us both at once,” Tyna supplied while Liv nodded her agreement, more tears falling from her cheeks.

The shieldmaiden sighed. Now she felt like crying, too!

“I understand. I really do. But I’ll still be here, Liv, don’t worry!”

Liv seemed to gather herself. “Yes, my Lady, and you’ll be Queen, too! Won’t that be amazing!”

Tyna nodded and smiled brightly. “And, as Queen, I’ll certainly NEED my faithful and supportive lady-servant. More than ever! Don’t you think so?”

Liv laughed, wiping the tears from her face. “Oh, my Lady. You’re getting more savvy every day, aren’t you? You’re going to make a wise and beloved Queen.”

“I hope so, Liv. I really do. Now, can we go over this list once more? I have some questions. For example, during the ceremony, I’m supposed to have my kransen circlet removed from my head, and then a bridal crown is placed there instead, right?”

All these wedding things were new to Tyna. She had no memory of ANY of them. Not even the elusive flashes of memory she’d gotten occasionally for other things.

Liv nodded, “Yes, my Lady, it symbolizes your moving from being a maiden to being a woman.”

“OK, that makes sense, I guess. But, here is the kransen. Where is my bridal crown?”

“Your Queen’s crown will be your bridal crown, my Lady, the same as the King’s mother wore in her time. OH!!! We should make sure it fits you! I can’t believe we didn’t think of that…”

And Liv bustled off at once to go and fetch the Queen’s crown, muttering something that sounded like, “if that man gives me any trouble taking the crown for a fitting, I’ll remind him what it felt like to be dragged around the house by his ear. And I can still do it, King, or no King…”

Tyna watched her go, a smile on her face, her list of questions mostly unanswered. These things were a mystery to her, and she wondered WHY as she turned her attention back to the list.

Wedding on Friday. It was Friia’s day, and it was a day for fertility. This part made PERFECT sense to Tyna. Why did it make sense? She couldn’t say. She just knew she loved it.

Maidenhood bathing. Some sort of ritual cleansing to symbolize washing away her maiden status. They were going to do this ceremony tomorrow, the day before the wedding. OK, whatever. Tyna was already no longer a maiden, and she was pretty sure everyone knew it, by now.

And Ulf would have something similar, bathing to cleanse his bachelorhood. Even more mysterious to the young woman. And something about a sword ceremony, too. The sword was a symbol of his protection.

She kinda liked the sword ceremony idea. She liked how protected Ulf made her feel when he held her close.

And they’d exchange swords during the wedding ceremony, symbolizing the joining of two families. But this aspect of the Viking rituals made Tyna feel sad. She had no family to join with the King’s. She’d argued to omit this part from the wedding ceremony, but nobody involved would hear of it.

The handfasting part of the wedding ceremony. She saw the cord was ready that they’d use to bind her hand to Ulf’s. This part was to symbolize their being bound together in unity, which seemed fine to Tyna.

It just seemed a lot of grandeur for something she felt in her heart was already a completed work inside her, where it mattered most. Tyna felt less need for symbolism than others around her, it seemed.

Having been created in the heavens, she had known the gods and the other heavenly powers. Though she couldn't remember them due to the demon’s curse, she felt no need to invoke them during a ceremony, and she felt little need for the symbolism, either. It was either done or not. And for her, it was DONE. Already. She’d never be parted from her King, her Ulf.

Just thinking of the idea of being parted made her shudder with a very sudden, heavy sense of foreboding.

Would she be parted with Ulf? NO. NEVER. She’d not allow it!

But then, why did she suddenly feel this way?

“Never,” she whispered to the quiet room.

*******************

Tyna spent most of the rest of the day struggling with her almost premonition of being separated from her King. Only diving into the details of the wedding offered her any distraction.

And more than distraction, now she was able to appreciate the symbolism, as it offered her some comfort to fight her fears.

“Maybe THIS is why these symbols mean so much. It helps people fight their fears by making it feel more real,” the shieldmaiden thought.

The next day, Thyra, Liv and a couple of the other women of the village took her out into the forest for her maidenhood bathing ceremony. To Tyna’s surprise, they rode slowly on horseback all the way into the hills, arriving at the same waterfall and pool where she’d bathed when the Captain spied on her.

It remained a beautiful location, and it was a lovely day.

“Today you’re becoming a woman fully-grown. It is time to settle down and bear the King many heirs,” Liv told her as the women washed her. And they laughed and smiled. They’d all heard that the pair had already been together, more than once. They all hoped Tyna was already bearing new life within her!

“This makes it official,” Thyra said a little primly, speaking out loud what they were all thinking. They all laughed a lot more, now.

The other women wouldn’t tell the bride what the groom was doing in the sword ceremony. It seemed to be rather secretive for some reason! In fact, after questioning them about the matter at some length, Tyna was convinced the other women didn’t know much about it, either!

Under the loving care of her attendants, Tyna soon felt cleaner than she’d ever remembered feeling, and the group began the journey back to the village, chatting, laughing and enjoying the weather.

Preparations continued back in Bollurgard, mostly feast-related. From these preparations, Tyna seemed to be mostly banned, with Liv and Thyra insisting they would take care of everything.

Otherwise, all seemed as ready as she could make it, short of getting dressed for the ceremony itself, and the young woman found herself alone. With little to do, Tyna’s foreboding returned, and she grew quiet.

That night, the shieldmaiden and the Princess shared Thyra’s bed for the last time, and Tyna was unable to hold back her fears and tears any longer. She told Thyra all her fears of being separated from Ulf.

“I can’t stand to lose you both, Thyra. I just cannot. I don’t want to lose EITHER. Can’t we ask Ulf to leave Hans as the Governor so you can stay here?”

For her part, Thyra was now worried, too. Tyna’s senses about dangers to come had always been accurate, and now the Princess wondered what was in store for her friend and her brother. It wasn’t a happy thought.

But she did LOVE the idea of letting Hans stay as Governor of Friedrich’s ex-Kingdom. “We’ll ask him together, tomorrow. He can’t deny his bride a request on her wedding day!”

Tyna arched her brows in surprise. “Is that really true? Why didn’t anyone tell me that part?”

“Because I just made it up, silly,” Thyra rejoined, laughing a little in spite of her worry. “But it makes sense. If he can’t give you what you want on your wedding day, when will he ever?”

The bride loved the idea - why wouldn’t she? It was awesome!

“I’ll ask him, but you have to be there to back me up.”

The pair of friends discussed the plan until it was all settled. Feeling better, both girls slipped into slumber.

********************

“I can’t do that. Hans is too inexperienced. He’s a big farmboy.”

The bridal request wasn’t going well. Ulf felt Friedrich’s people needed a more firm, wise hand than a guard could give. He was insisting that Thyra was needed as Governor.

“And it will be good experience for you, sister, “ he added.

“I am getting good experience right here, brother,” she retorted, a little frustrated as he shook his head. “And Hans has a good head on his shoulders. He’s always been one of our favorite guardsmen.”

“It’s best for the Kingdom if YOU go, sister.”

They’d gone round and round now, and King Ulf was not budging. Tyna looked despondent and defeated.

After a short pause, Thyra made her last play, “You can’t deny your bride’s request on her wedding day. Don’t you want your bride to be happy?”

Tyna did her best to look at her groom unhappily. It wasn’t difficult.

Ulf looked from one of them to the other, and back again. Suddenly he laughed.

“How long did you two plan this? Is it THAT important to you?”

“It is,” Tyna said simply. “It truly is. Please, my King.”

The young man shook his head slowly and sighed, but with a smile. “It seems I cannot deny my bride’s request on her wedding day. It’s practically a tradition, you know.”

“My King,” the shieldmaiden cried as she leapt into his arms, feeling more joy than any wedding preparation had given her. Maybe now that nagging feeling of impending doom would dissipate!

“Do you have any OTHER requests for your wedding day, my bride,” the King asked, laughing as she kissed him all over his big, sturdy Viking face.

“No,” both girls chimed together before breaking up into happy giggles as Tyna slipped to the ground from Ulf’s grasp and Thyra grabbed her hand.

“Thank you, brother,” Thrya said. “You’re a good man. Now we have to go get ready for the wedding,” she continued, dragging Tyna with her.

Right. The wedding. That’s an important part of this story!

While Thyra and Liv helped Tyna prepare, the other wedding plans were completed. A wedding altar had been erected in the forest outside the village, with a feast hall nearby! The Gothi, the man who conducted the wedding ceremony, invoked the gods for their blessing, making animal sacrifices to both Thor and Friia to ask for fertility to be on the marriage. The blood from the sacrifices was drained into a bowl that was placed on the altar.

Meanwhile, Tyna’s hair was braided, entwined with flowers, allowed to drape down both over her shoulder and down her back. Everyone who saw the bride’s long hair agreed it was a good sign for her marriage! Donning her kransen, it was also adorned with gems, crystals and flowers on the spot while the bride waited patiently.

Or not that patiently, really. Tyna just wanted this whole thing to be OVER.

“Am I married, yet,” she asked plaintively as Liv pronounced the adorning of her kransen circlet completed.

“Your hair is ready. Your dress is ready. Your kransen is ready. We have the handfasting cord and the ceremonial blade,” Liv recited patiently and with a smile. “Let's get you married.”

“Thanks to the gods,” Tyna breathed out. “Finally.” All the comforting symbolism in the world couldn’t make the process any easier, it seemed.

Ulf was also waiting, not so patiently, at the woodland wedding altar, while the gods were invoked in a dozen different ways.

“By the gods,” the young King declared. “Is there any way to speed this along? Which sacrifice asks the gods to hurry it up?”

The others there laughed and clapped the man on the shoulder, telling him it wouldn’t be long, now.

But Ulf was not comforted, much. The King found himself missing his friend, the Captain.

“He should have been here,” Ulf thought to himself sadly. “How did it come to this?”

It seemed like every person from the Kingdom of Bollurgard had come to his wedding. And in a woodland hall roofed with the arching limbs of many trees and crammed full of people, the King felt alone.

Finally, horns began to wind their calls from the back of the hall, moving forward and getting louder as more and more guests took up the call.

His bride was here! And she finally came into Ulf’s view, walking with Thyra and Liv behind her. He’d never seen her looking more lovely as she shyly accepted her people’s congratulations and compliments, looking from side to side as she walked up the aisle toward the altar, greeting her well-wishers.

“One would imagine I’d be used to her glow, by this time,” Ulf thought to himself as he was transfixed by the girl’s beauty. If there was any lingering doubt, it was banished: the woman produced her own light, somehow. It welled up from within and spilled out around her. Not figuratively. Actually.

And THIS was the creature that was approaching HIM, ready to be HIS wife and Queen.

Ulf was struck dumb in wonder as she finally looked at him, her gentle glance and soft, rosy smile making him want to weep for joy.

Not some other man’s wife or Queen. HIS wife. HIS Queen.

Honestly, the wedding ceremony proceeded - for Ulf - like a dream sequence where the only thing he could see was his bride, Tyna. She approached him, and she took his hand in hers, looking as shy as he’d ever seen her. They faced the Gothi, who spoke words Ulf would never remember, afterwards.

Meanwhile, Ulf found his gaze kept getting directed back to his bride.

At some point, she was handing him the ceremonial sword she’d been given. “My family is now your family, my Lord and my King,” she told him. He remembered that part, after. “I don’t know if I have any family. But if I do, we are now joined with yours.”

Right, the sword ceremony! One of his guards produced the sword and handed it to him.

And he gave it to his bride, saying, “My family is now your family, my Lady, and my Queen. Thrya will be your sister from this day forth.

Her smile at his words was like a beautiful sunrise, and he grinned back at her, feeling stupid but not caring.

And then the Gothi asked for the handfasting cord, which he was supposed to provide at the correct time. Fortunately, his guard had that, too, and he handed it over to the Gothi.

Now the Gothi used the cord to tie his hand to his bride’s hand as they looked at each other dreamily. And he said some words. Yes, there were for sure some words the man had said, Ulf was sure of it. What they might be, he couldn’t say!

It was probably a good thing the Gothi asked Tyna the questions first.

“Lady Tyna, do you agree to be bound to this man for the rest of your life?

“I do,” she said, looking away from Ulf long enough to nod at the man.

“And Lord Ulf, do you agree to be bound to this woman for the rest of your life?”

“I do,” he said, never looking away from Tyna, not even a second.

“Well then, you are married! May the blessings of Thor and Friia rain down upon this marriage!”

There was thunderous cheering from all the people, and stomping of feet!

But the Gothi was not finished, yet.

“There is one last part, my Lord. Will you make this woman your Queen? To rule with you from your throne? If so, take the kransen from her head, and place on her head the bridal crown!”

Ulf looked into his bride’s eyes as he was handed the queen’s crown - the one his mother had worn. He placed it on Tyna’s head in front of them all.

“People of Bollurgard… BEHOLD YOUR QUEEN!!!” the King shouted, to even more cheering and stomping from all gathered there!

Tyna’s tears spilled down her cheeks as she smiled and blushed.

“Now, kiss her, you big oaf, so we can go feast!” The Gothi laughed, along with everyone else.

Looking at Tyna, Ulf saw she was drawing close to him, looking at eyes but then down a little, at his lips, and then back at his eyes.

So he kissed her as his people cheered!

“LET’S PARTYYYYY!!!!” the Gothi roared. “Run to the feast hall!!!”

It turned out, this wedding was just getting started! All the people ran from the wedding altar to the feast hall! The latest guests to arrive had to serve the rest!

Lastly, the King and Queen arrived, and they were escorted to the head table as everyone cheered again, after which, the feast began. And it was a feast to rival the mighty feasts of Valhalla! There was more food than even the great throng of hundreds could possibly eat, and the ale flowed like water as people began to get drunk!

It was a Viking custom that the bride and groom would get completely drunk, too, as it was considered a sign of blessing and fertility.

Why that was, no one could seem to explain to Tyna, who thought if they got too drunk, they’d not be able to make love, later. But she obliged them anyway, drinking one horn of ale after another at the insistence of the people, and Ulf did the same.

After all, Tyna really, REALLY wanted to enjoy her wedding feast. And it was her hope that perhaps all that booze would stifle the renewed sense of foreboding she was suddenly feeling!


#####################


WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE ANIMAL SACRIFICE??? THAT’S KINDA GROSS!

DID I REALLY GET THE DETAILS OF A VIKING WEDDING OFF OF THE INTERNET? YES, YES I DID!

DANGER? FOREBODING? WHEN IS OUR HEROINE GOING TO CATCH A BREAK???

TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR MORE EXCITING VALKYRIE ADVENTURES!


############################

💜 Brooke

Tags:   sl secondlife virtual blackdragon fiction fantasy romance adventure women girl Valkyrie sensual sexy blonde light aura heavenly angelic Valhalla Norse spiritual mythology artwork illustrated comics young adult graphic novel serial lovers nude couple flowers attractive man artistic

© All Rights Reserved