DragonChill

32- Bjorn The Villain ? End

Bjorn stood in the center, not moving. His breathing had finally slowed to normal after the fight. The adrenaline was wearing off now, leaving behind that familiar emptiness that always came after violence. His sword hung in his right hand, still bloody. He should clean it soon or blood would pit...

31- Bjorn The Villain ? Part II

The silver-haired youth raised his hand and spoke in a low voice toward the tree line. His words carried just far enough for his men to hear.

Five Norsemen stepped out from the main group. Aelfric noticed they carried no shields, only axes. The tallest had a thick-bladed woodcutter's axe st...

30- Bjorn, The Villain ? Part I

The quill scratched faintly against the vellum, a whisper in the quiet of Jarrow’s scriptorium, broken only by the soft rustle of parchment and the occasional creak of wood. Brother Aelfric, not yet twenty winters, sat hunched at his desk, the stiff wool of his robe bunched around his shoulders...

29- Björn Fixes Society, One Raid at a Time

'My name is Björn, and this week has been one of the most demanding I can remember.'

I spent an entire day teaching sixty warriors how to move backward in formation without breaking ranks or injuring each other. The exercise proved more challenging than expected, as maintaining un...

28- How to Train Your Viking, Also 'He said what?'

The sun cast a flat, grey light over the training field, the air holding the damp chill of the fjord. Sixty warriors stood in the wet grass, their silence a heavy, waiting thing. It was not the silence of awe, but the quiet of professionals assessing their new Earl. They had all seen him kill Ear...

27- New Earl, Who Dis?

The great hall of Kattegat was lit only by torchlight and the long central fire, which sent shadows flickering across the carved wooden beams. Outside, the summer night held its breath, and inside, the people stood packed wall to wall; freemen, warriors, elders, women and children, all drawn by t...

26- The Silver Edge of Dawn.

The quiet of the longhouse was broken by the soft rustle of linen. The hearth had long since gone cold. Shadows stretched over the wooden beams. Smoke from the funeral still clung faintly to the air, but here inside, all was still.

The third watch of the night had begun when Hrafn Ketilsson...

25- A regent's Oath.

The people of Kattegat came out of their longhouses and smaller dwellings into the grey morning. A damp mist from the fjord made the ground soft and quieted their footsteps as they walked toward the Thing-circle. They came as individuals, each with their own thoughts.

Erik Wood-Carver, a f...

24- The Beginning Of A New Era Part II

From deep within the wound, the nanites infused the metal, rewriting its very essence. The rough-forged blade grew sleek, its color shifting to a dark, gunmetal grey that seemed to drink the light. Along its length, intricate silver filigree etched itself into existence, forming ancient, powerful...

23- The beginning of a new era Part I

"So I ask you, Bjorn Ragnarsson," Haraldson's voice was a force of nature in itself, even though he was a little bit old. "Prove your divine favor! Or face the worst punishment for lying to your people. Blood eagle."

A collective intake of breath rippled through the crowd. The words alone w...

22- The Thing.

MORNING

Bjorn was still working on his table and the chairs, while close to him, Gyda and Athelstan sat learning the Bjornic Alphabet, on stools and benches, outside the longhouse.

He was carving the final chair for the set he'd been making, his brow furrowed in conce...

21 - Soul 101: How Not to Embarrass Yourself with Bjorn

The three of them were alone, moving through the woods in a tense silence. Every snap of a twig underfoot seemed unnaturally loud.

Ragnar walked first, his broad shoulders cutting a path through the low-hanging branches. He felt no satisfaction from the day's events in the great hall. He ha...

20- No matter the Era, Faith stands above all else.

The salt-scoured wind that had pushed them across the Sea began to change. It was a subtle shift at first. Then it carried a new scent, one woven from damp earth, pine, and the familiar, reassuring tang of woodsmoke. It was a scent every man on board knew better than his own name: Home.

On ...

19- Carving a Legacy

The men worked with bright energy, hauling treasure from shore onto the longship. The longship rocked gently at anchor, pulled close to shore. The wind dragged the smoke from the monastery behind them in long black lines across the sky, but no one looked back.

Wooden chests filled with silv...

18- Gods Give, Gods Take.

Bjorn stepped out of the church, leaving behind the sounds of looting and shouting, and paused just outside the door, squinting as a shimmering silver light flickered vividly in his blue eyes while they adjusted to the bright daylight.

He took a deep breath, hoping the fresh air would clear...

17- Strange People, New God.

The sixteen Vikings stepped through the breach in the outer wall, not into the chaos of battle, but into a silence. The only sound was the slow, rhythmic tolling of a single bell somewhere within the compound.

The courtyard was empty. No one ran. No one screamed. It was as if the inhabitant...

16- Land

Next day Ragnar sat near the front of the boat, hunched over against the biting wind. Bjorn lay beside him, wrapped in the driest cloak they could find, one Ragnar himself had given up. His son's face was pale and drawn, his breathing shallow and faint.

The encounter with the storm had cle...