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(Horik Gudfredsson / Seer POV)

- What are you coming for? Do you think the gods forgot about you?

- Tell me what you see ... Will I become king?do I take revenge? the gods are for me?

- So many questions ... Yess, you will do your revenge ... defeat and kill your ssix uncles ... who killed your father ... your mother ... and your ssisters ... yess, you will be king ... King Horik ... but you won't change the will of the Gods ... and the wolf will come... and the world will burn.

- I know tales about Ragnarok and Fenrir.

- Yess, leave me alone now, I'm tired ... you got what you came for.

(End POV)

In front of me sat a red-haired woman whom I had once ordered to cut off a finger to remove the ring. Her eyesight was alert but submissive too. She had a few bruises on her face and she lost some weight. I put my hand under her dress, touched her vagina ... got a grimace of pain on her face. I told her to get up and let her show me her private parts ... they were red and slightly swollen. I also had her breasts shown, there were teeth marks on it ... there were also hematomas. Someone was visiting her, and he was not gentle.

- You sleep with men often?

- Almost every day, Lord ... but with only one man. Then I get some food from him.

- Do you know who I am?

- No, my lord. I know you commanded those who attacked our settlement.

- I'm Jarl ... for you to understand better, kind of like a Prince from your country, though not by birth ... I'm looking for a new housekeeper, I had to kill the old slave, would you like to take her place?

- What did she do to deserve to die, Lord?

- Lack of loyalty, sometimes when she was alone, she said things... Itta thought no one could hear them ... but I have eyes and ears everywhere.

The girl did not know what to say and how to behave.

-... Think, you can stay here, work and survive, you can even earn a piece of bread more ... or be my housekeeper, better food, easier work ... but if you don't stay loyal you will die.

- Will I have to sleep with you, Lord?

- I think so, but it won't be soon... first I must beget a son, and his mother must not be a slave... Think about it and I'll come tomorrow for an answer... and if you forgot, I ordered your finger to be cut off.

Many people listened to our conversation as I was about to leave, one of the women grabbed my legs and begged me to choose her. I leaned over her and stroked her head.

- I can't take you, my people need entertainment too, I can't be selfish.

I went home and told Lagerth that maybe I found a replacement for Itta ... I told the whole conversation and stories with a finger ... it's not like I can ask someone for references from his previous job ... the girl looked scared and broken, she was alert, but she could fear for her life.

Perhaps it was a mistake I made with Itta, from day one she stayed in my house, no one beat her or forced her to do other things. She was with the priest ... she did not experience such difficulties, the redhead had worse from the beginning ... for sure it will be an interesting experiment.

I called Mira and told her to spend more time with my daughter and to watch over her, I also ordered Mira to prepare food for Yrsa.

The next day I went to the slave quarters to ask the redhead if and what decisions she had made... She was sitting in the corner of the room, her face looked more swollen than the day before, and there were dried spots of blood on her lips.

- Your lover visited you yesterday?

- No, Lord.

- So you did it to yourself? If you don't want to serve in my house then you don't have to agree to my proposal ... there are many women who will.

- No (growling), Lord.

She was hungry and beaten, her lover did not visit her ...

- Let me guess what happened ... Yesterday after my visit, one or more slaves attacked you and took your food. I'm right?

- Yes, Lord.

- Envy ... what a great quality. If we are all in the same situation, everything is fine, but when someone suddenly starts to do a little better, we try to bring them down. If we cannot do it, we slander him behind his back, lie and try to harm him ... Sometimes it is safer to lie down in a nest of vipers than to turn your back on the other person ... Do you understand what I'm talking about?... No, nevermind, you don't have to understand, I talk too much sometimes. Do you want this job or not?

- Yes, Lord.

- You are not very talkative today ... and we have such a beautiful day ... and what is your name?

- Hild, Lord. After Saint Hild of Whitby. My mother was from Northumbria ...

- Whitby Abbey? It's south of Lindisfarne?

- I don't know, Lord. I've never been there, only my mother told me about it.

My new slave girl has already turned out to be a profitable investment. She accidentally reminded me of a wealthy monastery that has avoided viking attacks for many years ... I have to mark it on the map.

- Hild, collect your things and let's go. Unless you want to say goodbye to your friends.

However, she did not want to say goodbye to anyone. Some people looked at the redhead with envy. She took some of her belongings, but when I looked at these items, I told her to leave it ... I didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart, it's just my house is not a garbage can.

Several minutes later we were at home and I entrusted Hild to Lagertha's care... Let my wife train the servants.