Chapter 5

Skadis head pounded, her heart raced, and she swore she could feel every ounce of blood running through her veins. The edges of her body felt fuzzy, like she was disappearing. It was far to bright, even with her eyes closed. Her breathing was fast and labored, it made her lungs ache.

'Am I dead?' The thought occurred. But if she's dead, why is she in so much pain. Perhaps she'd been sent to Helheim, there was no place for her in Valhalla. She didn't die a warrior, she had died trying to flee to her mother. She was a coward, and there was no place for cowards in Odin's hall.

The thought was short lived when she heard voices, they were fuzzy, and incoherent, but they were there.

Who was speaking, Skadi didn't know, but it was comforting all the same. Slowly her senses started to clear. She could feel the bed under her, and the fur blankets covering her. She even felt the familiar lump laying across her legs, and his breath. With out a doubt Freki was close by to, but Geri was more the cuddler.

And someone sat to her right, stroking her hair lightly. Opening her eyes brought her face to face with Hilde, an older women who acted as nanny for Skadi when she was young.

Hilde was probably near or in her sixties, her hair was long and grey. Her face was wrinkled and worn, but kind and welcoming all the same. Especially when she smiled.

"Hello little love," her voice was soft. "How do you feel?"

"Alright" Skadis voice was hoarse, it made her throat itch.

"Good," her voice was normal now, "now, what on earth were you thinking prancing off like that. Getting yourself kidnapped,-"

Hilde continued on for a long while, but Skadi had stopped paying attention. They're was another person in the room. At first she thought it was Ubbe, but this man was older, and unless her brother could grow such a beard in the two weeks since she saw him, it wasn't him. His eyes were blue, very blue, like Ivars. Skadi wasn't stupid, despite what Hilde was saying. She knew him, maybe not as well as Bjorn, but it's hard to mistake him.

"Skadi, Skadi!" Skadis attention shot back to Hilde. "Have you listened to a word I've said. I swear your as stubborn as yo-"

"As her father." The man stood at the foot of her bed, eyes not leaving her own.

"Hello Skadi."