In which Ragnar Lothbrok raids England for the first time and in the process, he not only spares a monk named Athelstan, but a slave girl he ends up naming Tova. However, he soon learns that things involving the girl are not what they seem and she i...
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At the Lindisfarne Monastery in the Kingdom of Northumbria, a young girl stood at the window in her room. It was a small room and it had no furniture. All there was inside the small closet of a room was a small bed of furs on the floor and a lit candle for her to see.
She stood at the window, looking out at the storm plaguing the land. She found herself smiling at the sounds of thunder crackling and the sight of lightning illuminating the night sky.
Usually, the monks at the Monastary were afraid of storms, but she never was. She loved them more than anything. They felt familiar to her. She felt at home, which was something she rarely felt. She was a girl living at a monastery with all men. Of course she didn't feel at home. She couldn't even remember ever meeting another child or even a woman before.
Just then, she stopped, frowning at the sight of a boat sailing toward the shores. Who could it be?
"Girl," A voice suddenly spoke up, causing her to turn to see Father Cuthbert standing before her. Everyone at the monastery called her 'girl'. After all, she didn't have a name. No one ever bothered to give her one, either.
"You seem to be the only one in this monastery who isn't running around like a chicken with its head cut off. The Monks claim that Judgement Day is here. Are you not afraid?" He asked her curiously as they began to walk down the hallway together.
"For what reason should I be afraid, Father?" She asked, frowning as she stared up at the man.
"They say Pagans have sailed onto our shores," He informed her and the girl smiled at the thought.
"I heard it said by a man here that we were pagans once," She replied, letting out a small chuckle, "He said that our old god Woden is actually Odin."
"Well, girl, we saw the errors of our ways and looked to Rome," He reminded her, but by the look on her face, the girl standing before him wasn't taking any of it seriously.
"And where has that gotten us? Now, we are plagued by these Northmen," She pointed out as she smiled in admiration, "I heard the men say these pagans have gods for everything, even war and love. Why is it we have only one god?"
"Because our God is the one true God and the others are just masks for the devil," He snapped at her coldly, beginning to look offended.
"Perhaps our God is wrong and theirs are right," She continued to taunt him on purpose, knowing how upset he got whenever she defended matters that were supposed to be considered sinful in the eyes of fellow Christians. Father Cuthbert had baptized her three times during her life, hoping it would cleanse her and invite God back into her life, but it never seemed to work, "Ever think of that, Father?"
"You are dancing closely to heresy, child," He told her in a low tone as he glared down at her.
"Perhaps I shall get some musicians in here," She smiled as she mockingly glanced around, "Oh, that's right. Fun things like music aren't allowed around here."
