Blessed by the Gods

The Lake

She removed her cloak and turned to the lake, the smell of fish and fresh water in her nose. However, before she could step in direction of the lake, Hvitserk grabbed her arm and stood in her way.

"Where are you going?"

"To wash myself in the lake" Rùna tilted her head as he laughed.

"You intend to take your clothes off?" Ivar smirked as he spoke.

Shaking her head, Rùna turned in his direction. "Of course not, someone could see me. I will wash my cloak first and then enter the lake clothed" Her confident smile turned into pressed lips and furrowed eyebrows upon Hvitserk's snort. "What?"

"Can you swim?"

"No. I will just walk into the water until it reaches my shoulders"

"What if you slip and drown?"

Rùna freed herself of his grip and leant closer. "Then I am sure you will tell my father that the queen was behind it"

Ivar chuckled, climbed off the carriage and sat upon a tree stomp behind Rùna. "Let her go, I want to see this"

Pleased with the response, Rùna walked over to the edge of the lake, but halted.

With an eye roll, Hvitserk followed her and helped her find a good spot to step into the water without slipping on the stones.

Together they walked into the water until it reached Rùna's waist. She washed her cloak and dagger, had Hvitserk check for blood stains and with his approval returned to the carriage to spread the cloak across for it to dry off in the sun. By that chance, she shortly sat beside Ivar, who inspected another axe and found the same symbol on it. "If the smell is coming from you and not just from me, I suggest you clean up as well" She gave him a smile and rose from the stomp.

Just as she stepped forward, Ivar held on to her hand and pulled her back. "This, feel this" He held her fingers to another symbol on a blade and Rùna turned back to him. "It's the same one from that vision, right?"

"It is. Only I don't know yet what it means"

Ivar nodded. "Neither do I"

Dragging the heavy water and blood soaked dress with her, back into the water, Rùna reached the point where the water touched her shoulders just as her foot brushed over a slippery rock that made her lose her balance. Laughing and yelping, she dropped into the water. Cold and wet it hit her face and swallowed her, but Hvitserk grabbed her waist and pulled her back up to the surface, ensuring she found hold on the stones that covered the ground of the lake.

Water splashed in every direction as she held onto him, coughing, her head rested on his shoulder, the arm around his neck. After a moment of shock, she let go and thanked him, only to grab his arm again when the stone beneath her feet moved.

Both laughed and Hvitserk helped her clean out the blood from her clothes while Rùna washed her face and hair as well as her arms. To clean the back of her dress, she moved and again lost her balance, dropping into the water. This time, when Hvitserk grabbed her to lift her out of the water, she whimpered. Clutching him tight, Rùna bit her lip to not scream out in pain.

Ivar, who had made his way into the lake and floated next to them, glared at her back. Small cuts through the fabric of her dress revealed the skin beneath, but none grave enough to cause her such pain. However, when Hvitserk removed his arm from her back, it gave sight to a nasty gash that reached from her side all the way to her spine on her lower back. The dress hung off, since the last bits of thread holding it together had ripped when Hvitserk grabbed her.