Vikings: Nordic women

Chapter 3: Forming a Warband
"How did you get into this mess?" Harold asked curiously.

Ounnie, who was of a delicate constitution, answered with a slight gasp: "He tried to violate me, but I... um... successfully resisted!" Although her voice was weak, it revealed her tenacity.

"Resist? It seems that your strength is comparable to that of a man!" Harold looked up and down at Ou Ni, with surprise in his eyes.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was thinking about some inappropriate questions.

The two quickly walked through the narrow alley and arrived at Ouni's house on the edge of the town. It was a simple wooden house, not luxurious, but the courtyard was neat and tidy.

Obviously, the owner here is a hardworking and slightly mysophobic person.

Ouni pushed open the door and enthusiastically invited Harold to come in and sit down, then handed him a horn and filled it with homemade ale.

"Thank you! Uh..." Harold suddenly froze, the goblet in his hand trembling slightly, and the wine almost spilled. His eyes widened, staring at Eunice's back, one hand unconsciously stroking his chest.

Ouni took off her headscarf and hung it gently aside, then brought out a pot of steaming stew and a plate of soft and delicious white bread from the kitchen. These were originally prepared by her for Feld.

When Harold saw her turn her head, he quickly lowered his head, but he couldn't help but look up and glance at her a few times, as if he was thinking about something in his mind.

Ouni placed the plate of white bread that looked more like a cake on the table. Due to limited material resources, beating the egg liquid was quite laborious, and this was all she could do.

"It's delicious. I thought your father was exaggerating, but he's actually very modest!" Harold pretended to be calm as he took a piece of bread and praised it while eating. It was unclear whether he was praising the bread or hinting at her, or perhaps both.

"Be careful, it's hot!" Ou Ni warned.

"Thank you!" Harold's hands were shaking with nervousness. He clenched his teeth, carefully took the hot soup handed to him by Ounnie, and thanked her again.

Ouni couldn't help laughing at his shy and embarrassed look. His appearance formed an interesting contrast with his shyness, which she found quite amusing.

"The taste is just right, neither too salty nor too bland, it's really delicious. During my days on the ship, I missed this warm food so much, and I think I may not be able to adapt to those cold foods in the future." Harold said with emotion.

Ouni smiled, adjusted her skirt, sat on the stool, propped her chin on her hand, and curiously asked Feld about his experience during the journey. Harold answered one by one, but seemed a little embarrassed to look at her directly.

Somehow, there was a feeling between the two of them, like a teacher giving a lecture to a student who had made a mistake and regretted it. O'Neal realized that the other party had some intention, but she didn't know what it was. Perhaps because he was embarrassed, Harold seemed to have something to say about her father.

She didn't believe that her father had not put forward any conditions when he entrusted her to Harold. No one would easily agree to such a thing without benefits. But she thought it would be better not to ask, so as to avoid embarrassment when refusing. After all, she had never considered such a thing.

"Your father is a great man. When I first went to Viking, he took care of me like a child... Well, it's getting late, and I have to attend the lord's banquet to receive the reward I deserve!" Harold's eyes wandered over Eunice, filled with complex emotions: concern for his friend's daughter and respect for a strong woman.

After eating half of it, Harold reluctantly said goodbye: "I'll come again at this time tomorrow!"

Ouni leaned against the door and watched Harold leave. She noticed that Harold walked with his hands and feet together and his expression was a little strange. She remembered that Harold didn't walk like this when he came. This made her realize for the first time that she was very charming.

She is determined not to rely on anyone, but to gain a foothold in the world with her own wisdom and strength. She does not think she needs to be a vassal of others.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a freeman squatting not far from her house, and after Harold left he whistled at her.

"Hey, girl, your father is gone, right? Does your family need a man?"

Ouni angrily closed the door, slid down to sit on the ground with her back against the door, and wiped her eyes. She used too much force and accidentally let dust get into her eyes.

"Damn it!" She stood up, grabbed the axe from the table, and walked towards the door angrily, but when her hand touched the door handle, she restrained herself.

She wanted to scare the other party away, but suddenly she remembered a social phenomenon of the Norse that went against common sense. They would not run away, and even when facing a mad brown bear, their faith did not allow cowardice, and they would take the initiative to challenge in order to enter Valhalla.

There are only two results after she gets out, either she kills the other party, or she suffers at the hands of the other party.

The unreasonable behavior of the free man made Ouni feel deeply angry and helpless. She knew that in this world, a woman who lost her father's protection was like a lone boat in a storm.

Ouni stayed at home in a daze for the whole day, thinking about many things, feeling confused and hesitant. During this time, there was a knock on the door, but she did not open it.

The knocks were silent, and no one spoke. In this situation, opening the door would be like inviting danger in. There are many disputes at the door of a widow, and there are also many orphans.

……

After a night of tossing and turning and nightmares, Ouni looked a little haggard, wearing an apron and baking sour barley cakes at home. However, she did not like sour tastes other than fruit acid, and this preference lasted throughout her two lives.

In order to neutralize the unpleasant sour taste, she added some filtered plant ash alkaline water. But her mind kept echoing the father's plea in the dream last night for her to take him home.

"I will, I will, just wait for me!" She whispered to herself in response to her anxiety, while picking the smoked fish, adding sour and sweet black currants and some spices to make a sour stewed fish.

After a sleepless night, she suddenly felt sleepy and took a nap on the table. She slept until the afternoon.

When I woke up, the dishes were cold and the fire for baking barley cakes had long gone out.

She panicked and went out to check the sky. The dark clouds were like the haze in her heart, and the rain was falling, as if even the sky was weeping for her helplessness and loneliness.

Harold may have come, but she may have been asleep when he knocked on the door and failed to respond, so he left...

How could this be?
She tapped her buzzing head, regretting her oversleeping and missing out on work.

She didn't know where the other person lived, and she forgot to ask yesterday, which really delayed her. The plan she had been thinking about all night was ruined.

As she was frustrated, her eyes involuntarily fell on the alley between the wooden houses.

There was a boy of about ten, squatting on the ground. Whenever it rained, he would shrink under the eaves.

Perhaps he noticed her, the boy looked up at her, then lowered his head and paid no attention to her.

She knew the child, named "Ralph", from a neighbor's family. His father was executed by the lord for accidentally killing someone in his early years.

But Ralph also has an older brother who followed the lord to Rossviking. Didn’t he come back?

A feeling of sadness welled up in Ouni's heart. She knew that since her father left, she had to become her own protector.

But at this moment, facing Ralph's sobbing, her heart softened, as if she saw her own shadow.

"Ralph?" Ernie called softly.

Ralph turned his head numbly, looked at her with a somewhat panicked expression, said nothing, lowered his head and buried his face in his arms.

A burst of sobbing was heard.

O'Neal looked at Ralph, and a strong determination surged in her heart. She knew that she could not turn a blind eye to the predicament before her, even if it meant that she would face more troubles and challenges.

She covered her head with her hands to prevent the rain from getting her hair wet, walked towards Ralph, and squatted under the eaves. She gently stroked Ralph's wet hair and asked gently, "Don't you want to go home?" Faced with silence, O'Neal seemed to guess something.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" Her voice, like warm sunshine penetrating the haze, illuminated the darkness in Ralph's heart.

(End of this chapter)