“Aaric wishes to have a spell so that he understands your language. Runa disagrees and wishes to cast a spell so that you understand our language,” Hillevi explains. “Aaric will get what he desires, Liv.”
“So, only you and he will understand me? He wants this. Why?” I ask.
The seeress shifts her gaze to the floor, then back to meet mine. “I know not of why kings do what they do,” she mutters, but I know that she is telling me a lie.
“He wants me to be forced to rely on him and only him,” I say, guessing and I know I’m right in my assumption.
She shrugs a shoulder. Runa takes a step toward Aaric. I can do nothing but watch as she winces, then says some words that I don’t understand at all. Aaric’s eyes close. He stands firm as his body jolts and bright sparks of blue fly from him.
Slowly, he reopens his eyes, his gaze turns to mine. “Can you understand me now, Liv?” he asks.
His accent is thick, but I can. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I nod, my eyes focused on his beautiful blue ones and nowhere else. “I can, Aaric. You can understand me?” I ask.
Aaric’s lips curve up into a grin. “Yes.”
“I must talk with all three of you,” Runa snaps, her English almost as good as the seeress’s. “This prophecy that the seeress speaks of. It is not to be taken lightly.”
“Explain this to me,” Aaric demands. “I have heard of no such prophecies. Which gods have set this and when?”
Runa clears her throat, then she motions for all of us to sit. There are four chairs, but Aaric has decided that my seat is on his lap. As soon as I try to sit down, he wraps his hands around my waist and none too gently tugs me down on his thigh.
“Explain, witch,” he grunts.
Runa leans back in her chair, her eyes flicking between us. “This stays within these walls, between the four of us until we know what to do with it.”
We all nod and I can’t help but lean forward, completely enchanted by what could be said next.
“It is said that four sisters will be born. They are not of this world, but of another. These four sisters who are born of the same mother and father, do not share the same appearance. Their hair, eyes, they are not the same as most blood relatives. They are the only ones of their kind in the entire universe. Across our world and all others.
“The four sisters will marry and love the fiercest warriors from all four corners of our world. Once all four relationships are consummated, the events foretold in the prophecy will be set in motion, becoming unstoppable.
“If the four sisters come together once their fate has been sealed, they will absorb all of the powers this world holds. The four sisters will be the most powerful creatures in this world. It is not known if this will be used for good or evil.
“The future is uncertain and unknown if these sisters gather together in our world. Only the fates know what the final outcome will be.”
Aaric stands up, causing me to tumble to the ground. “Völva,” he barks, looking directly at me before he stomps out of the room, slamming the wooden door behind him. Neither of the women says a word. They help me to my feet, and Hillevi makes me another tea.
AARIC
Walking out of the seeress’s home, I try to make sense of what she and Runa have just told me. A prophecy. An ancient prophecy created by the gods. Liv isn’t real, she’s a mirage, a façade. My feelings for her aren’t real. Nothing that I imagined when it came to her was real.
“Konungr,” Seeress murmurs.
Spinning around, I look down my nose at the two women. Both matched in magical abilities, but in much different ways. I keep them close for good reason and today, I am glad for that.
“She is not real. What is she?” I demand.
Runa takes a step forward, her eyes meeting mine. She looks determined, she looks irritated and she also looks a bit, forlorn.
“She is real, Konungr,” she says firmly. “She is not of this world. There are others, I don’t know what they are, but spots in time, different worlds. The gods have brought her here, they have found their great warriors in all four corners of our earth. You have been chosen by the gods, Aaric.”
The way she says it, this all seems like something special. But all I can think about is the fact that I have been deceived.
“What happens now?”
Runa grins. “She holds magic, have you seen it, yet?”
My entire body jerks. “The sea,” I whisper.
“Oh, yes I did see that strange arrival you had. This prophecy will only come to light with the two of you together.”
Flicking my gaze over to the house, I grunt as I shift it back to the women. “What happens if I decide not to make her my dróttning?”
Neither of them speaks immediately. I wait for what feels like long minutes for them to say something. “We do not know,” the seeress finally announces. “The ramifications are uncertain.”
“It is best not to poke the beast, this is what you are not saying?” I ask.
Runa clears her throat before she inhales a deep breath and lets it out on a loud exhale. “Until we have more information, not just on her magic, but on this prophecy itself we cannot be certain. What we do know is that you must love one another and the sisters must be brought together for the prophecy to unfold completely.”
“If that never happens? If I never love her or find these sisters?”
“We don’t know, Aaric. It could mean devastation. It could mean nothing. Until we do some research, we will not know the depths of any of this.”
I need to think. “Keep an eye on her. Keep her safe. I’ll return for her later.”
Without another word, I turn my back to the women and I walk away. I need to talk to my men, to Gunnar. This information is too much for me to go over myself, I need their words of advice and wisdom.
Gunnar is not hard to find, he’s in the öl bær, a drink in hand. Luckily, Hagen, Kjeld, and Sten are sitting with him. Making my way toward them, I don’t bother sitting down.
“We need to talk now,” I demand.
They do not question me. Instead, they stand to their feet and follow behind me as I lead them out of the building. We cannot talk in my hall, or anywhere that we could be overheard. Jerking my chin toward the stables, I walk toward my steed.
“Our spot, yeah?” I ask.
They all grunt, grabbing their horses’ reins and mounting their beasts. Without another word, we head toward the woods. There is a small hunting cabin several miles out. It is mine, my family’s, and it is where I meet secretly with my most trusted men on any issues that I don’t want to be overheard.
Living in a large community, there is always someone around. There is always an opportunity to be overheard. As the king of several islands, I need to strategize and cannot guess as to who is a spy and who is not. This is the only way I can talk freely.
The cabin appears after only an hour’s ride. Dismounting from my beast, I tie Viggo up to a tree next to the river so that he can drink and rest before we return. The other men do the same and together we make our way into the cabin.
“Tell us what this is about,” Hagen demands.
Clearing my throat, I jerk my chin toward the wooden table with five chairs surrounding it. We all take a seat, then I close my eyes for a moment before reopening them and I tell them what Runa and the seeress have just explained to me.