Runfrid Hildrisdotter

Quote

“Runes.” Runfrid rested her hand on the leather bundle. “Bones from a fallen enemy, carved with a knife dedicated to Freja, Our Lady of the Slain.”

Questions

What's your name

Runfrid Hildrisdotter

How old are you

I have seen twenty-five midsummers

What do you look like

Strawberry blonde hair down to my lower back. My eyes are mis-matching, with one sapphire blue and one pale grey

Where were you at the start of the story

Visiting my husband's memorial. It had been six months since he threw himself into Rán's embrace

What did you want, when the story started

I wanted to forgive him for what he did to me, to his family, to his children

Who are your parents

Hildri Gormsson and Arna Kórisdotter. They died in a fire three years ago

What was your education like

I think quite normal. I learned all the things I needed to keep a household, and when I was fourteen midsummers, I married Mór Bjalfisson. Of course, my grandmother also taught me runes and the art of magic

Do you make friends easily

Yes, I am good at diplomacy. I had to, to handle the household after my father-in-law died and Mór was out on Viking

Do you have a best friend

My sister Snöfrid, but she moved to the other side of the country, so I rarely see her

Can you get people to do what you want them to? If so, how

As I said, I am good at diplomacy

Do you have scars? Where did they come from

None I wish to speak about

Can you navigate without getting lost? To what degree

It has never been something I needed to do

Can you bake a cake

Quite a few different kinds

Do you know how to perform basic maintenance on a car

I am not sure what that is

Is there something you do that most other people don’t

I practice runes in secret, so my brother-in-law does not find out. Mór never minded, but Leifr is Christian and does not like the old faith

What is the most formative moment in your past

Holding my daughter in my arms. That something so precious could come from me and Mór

Do you have any phobias

No

What are some of your bad habits

I talk to myself

Do you have a moral code? To what extent are your actions dictated by this code

Honour and family above everything

Excerpt

1st draft

Runfrid knelt by the rune stone, lighting the incense she had brought with her. On the flat granite surface in front of it, she lay down three locks of hair bound with copper threads.

“Six full moons have passed since you choose Rán’s embrace to mine.” She whispered the words, closing her eyes as hot tears trickled down her freckled cheeks. “And I still do not know if I still love you, or if you killed my love.” Grief wrecked her body, with sobs forcing themselves out despite her best efforts.

“Cry not, mistress.” The melodic voice, with a broken accent, of her husband’s thrall broke through her grief. The woman lay a tanned hand on her shoulder.

Runfrid straightened, shielding her emotions with her pride. “I was not crying.” The discomfort flittered up her spine, and again she wondered why she had not sold her when Mór threw himself off the cliff.

At the rejection, Esti’s face stiffened into a mask of hurt. “Of course, mistress.” Her hand resting on her swollen belly stung in Runfrid’s heart, and tears flooded her eyes again. She sank to her knees, unable to stop herself, sobbing against the ground. The thrall knelt with her, taking her hand and holding it, while the storm washed over Runfrid, until the grief ebbed away and left only the emptiness she was used to.

She met Esti’s grey eyes and read only sympathy in them. “Why are you comforting me?” She pulled her cloak around herself.

Esti shrugged. “You not sell me.” She smiled lightly. “You not hate me, despite …” She gestured at her stomach with an awkward movement.

Despite. The thought bit into Runfrid as she rose again, hoping she could wash the redness away before anyone else saw her. She stalked into the low house, her head bowed, leaving Esti by Mór’s rune stone and memorial. The only one they had, as his body had not yet washed ashore.