A Viking's Rage

Chapter 1

 York, 883 A.D.  

The air smelled like the sea, the kelp had washed onto the shore, creating a pungent smell of salt and decay. To some, such a scent would be repulsive, but to the girl on the cliffs, it was a comfort.

Aiya sat at her usual spot on the cliff overlooking the ocean, the gentle waves peaking with white foam, before they crashed down onto the soft sand in the distance. The sound of water, slapping rock beneath her.  She sat there often in the morning before her chores began and in the evenings before bed, there her thoughts and emotions were private. There she could sit and gaze out to sea, wondering about what adventures lay out there and if there was more to life than just servitude.

"Up here again Aiya?"

She didn't need to turn around, as the owner of that familiar voice was undoubtedly her dearest friend. "Noah, you know I come up here to be alone." He crouched down next to her, uncertainty on his comely face as he peered at the beautiful sunset.  He was quiet for a moment, "The village of Greeta was raided by Vikings last eve."

"Vikings? That can't be, Vikings have not raided these shores since before we were born." She glanced over at him, shocked by his words. "You don't think they will come here, do you?"

"I don't know." He looked down at the dirt below his worn leather boots, softy running his fingers in the dry, grey earth, uncertainty in his eyes as he studied the small pebbles under his finger tips. 

Noah had been her only real companion in all her years of servitude. He was dearer to her than life itself, a brother and a protector. He wasn't like her though; he was the son of a poor farmer. Noah was free. Aiya was a slave, bound to serve one Lord forever, serve, or die. She worked, hard day in and day out for as long as she could remember. Her back and shoulders held many scars from the whip, reminders of her small moments of defiance. She felt almost free when she thwarted her masters. The crack of the whip no longer scared her, the torn flesh of her back was numb, and the pain was no more.

As the sun was setting, she knew she must return before someone came looking for her. She gave one last longing glance at the crimson horizon. Noah rested his hand on the back of her neck before he stood and stretched. "Come on, I'll walk you back." He hated taking her back to that place. He hated what they did to her.

"No, don't worry about it, you get home before your mother worries herself to death." She said.

Noah gave a long sigh, running his fingers through his thick dark hair. "You're right, I better go."

She couldn't help but smile. "Give her a kiss for me, your mother." She waved as Noah walked back down the steep hill that led back to the small village, just beyond the castle.

She needed to get back to the castle before dark, or Lord Hemming would have another reason to lash her. He was fond of disciplining her. He was not a good man and the people of York hated him for his neglect and cruelty.

She ran along the path below the cliffs, the grass had been worn away slowly over the years as she had traveled them every night since she was a small girl. She could still see Noah's outline in the distance as she hurried back to her quarters, the moon just beginning it's ascend in the sky.

She had only just walked through the door of the servants quarters when a shrill voice shot through her, making her stare with alarm, clutching at her breast as she turned.

"Aiya, Lord Hemming has demanded you be arrested!" Annie shouted. 

"Why? I have done nothing." Aiya replied.

Annie was a bit older than Aiya maybe by two or three years. To everyone else, she was quite cordial, but to Aiya, she always came across as condescending and impatient. She couldn't help but like her still, she was a good Christian and always helpful to her, even in spite of  her trouble making.