Chapter 1: A peaceful life

Anyone who was captured in battle —and whose life was spared— had been given a tremendous gift —namely his life. He ought to pay back with an equally tremendous gift: his freedom.

Such was the case for Önd. He has been an orphan since his youngest age. As a child, he was not really strong but his lack of force was widely balanced by his mind. His father was an explorer, a merchant whom traveled through all the Europe, always seeking for adventure and wealth. He could not choose between his family and adventure, but no one ever ashamed him for that. Every time he was back on land, his wife and Önd were the first person to whom he told his journey. The evenings spent hearing tales of all part of Europe was for Önd a quite entertaining show,  so much that at barely the age of three, he already knew all those tales by heart.

For his mother, Önd has always wondered how could a women like her married his father: they had nothing in common! Furthermore, the lazy trait of Önd came from his mother. His father, in counterpart, gave him his smartness and his determination. Before getting married, his mother was a peasant, whose parents were modest farmers. She met her husband when the latter needed a place to stay after he tried to sell his goods in many villages, as a wandering merchant. No day passed without these two amorous stopped thinking to the other. As time went by, the fire that liven up their love continued burning much and more harder.

While her husband was away, she spent her time teaching Önd. His mother taught him to count and to understand the runes, although that was considered as effeminate. She urged Önd to use his mind, and his father urged him to not use violence. His father had tremendously impacted him, even if he was merely a child. "Son, promise me you'll never become a warrior nor a looter" used to repeat his father. He has already seen enough violence and death for a lifetime, and he wished to spare all those awful things to his son. His father eventually took part in raids, memories that he tried to forget at any cost. Later, Önd understood that the consequences were the real problem.

Unfortunately, the adventures of his father stopped: he was killed at sea. Apparently, pirates took aim of his boat, and in their looting, tried to kill all the crew. Some of his men had survived, but the others were less lucky like his father. Önd remembered well of the day which his father's men brought a burned corpse to their door. Those hideousness had more convicted him that no one should ever experience violence in any forms. Her mother wept before the door and Önd ran away to the forest. He stayed there mourning his father's death for a whole night.

He went back the morrow, but his mother could certainly not scold him, for his reaction was purely sane. His father's men told him in detail some of their journeys, while hoping it could help the kid. For the first time in two days, Önd stopped weeping and listened to their adventures. The soft memories of his father helped him to sleep, and the more he listened to, better he was. However, his mother had much more difficulties to forsake her sadness. But, Önd sometime helped her to feel better by staying longer at her side.

Önd was only five at his father's death. The latter had left behind him a family and a small fortune. Önd inherited of that wealth, but he gladly gave it to his mother. His father had also left a new member of his family: his three-years old daughter. Önd's sister had few memories of their father, but sadness yet reached her.

His funeral was traditional: we had placed him in a small boat with all the things he loved, a part of his fortune, his weapons, although he absolutely hated use them, and a seiðkona wrote some runes on the boat, which we then lit up. Once the boat alit, we pushed it in the water, and the family of the deceased watched melancholically the latter getting further.

After the tragic end of his father, Önd transmitted the memories and the small education of his father to his sister. Although they sometime had arguments, their brotherly love was strong. They passed their time to play together and discuss of miscellaneous things. They also had this custom to play in the forest, where Önd sharpened his skills in archery by hunting animals, and his sister sharpened her knowledge about plants. Usually, their mother forbade them to go in the woods, for she feared to lose her children. Hopefully, they always found things to do, every time getting more and more original!

Her sister absolutely loved skálds' stories, and in order to make her happy, Önd learned some melodies to accompany her mother as she told poems. Önd and her sister also passed a huge amount of time in the hall during winters. Önd loved to play Hnefatafl, some sort of Scandinavian chess, for it forced him to use his mind. Her sister, loved to listen to skálds and their tales about gods, but loved above all the epic stories. Of course, their favorite activity was spending time with their mother. At usual, Önd collected wood and her sister lit up the fire. Their rune classes happened mostly outdoor, while their food was cooking. Their mother taught them the small she had learnt with a seiðkonna.

Önd and his family were happy again, and his peaceful life with her mother and her sister was quite pleasant for him. He never considered travelling like his father, gain wealth and seek adventure: all his possessions were fair enough for him, and his father especially asked him to not become a warrior nor a looter. Time flew, and Önd grew up.

But the quietness he loved so much was suddenly disturbed. In addition, Önd was forced to break the promise that appeared so precious to his father's eyes. War was at the door of the kingdom! Each man whom was still able to fight was forced to take his weapons. In a instant, life appeared no more so calm.

The kings wished the whole world at their feet, and in consequence, each man had the duty to fight for them. Önd found all that absurd, insane: the kings had started this war, hence, it was their problem, not the populace's.

Each man was gradually sent to the several formation encampments that the king rapidly ordered the construction while deaths increased every day. Önd feared each instant that his hour would come, that he would fail the promise of his father. His family also feared for him, whom would wish for a relative to go to war!

But the sinister day arrived after all! A group of men came to the village, and all the men had a last day to spend with their beloved ones. If one declined, we instantly made him a slave, and gods know that a slave's life is nothing more than misery!

Once the new heard, Önd dined one last time with his family. The dinner was horribly quiet, and although the fact that everything was delicious, every one only had a bitter taste in the mouth. Before going to bed, Önd discussed lingeringly with his mother and then with his sister. Their discussions had nothing serious, but Önd principally tried to avoid the fact that he could die at battle. The night was really bad for each one, and at dawn, Önd had to bid his farewells to his family. He started with his sister:

- I unfortunately ought to go. But I promise you to return home in a single piece—! You, in counterpart— pledge me to take care of Mother.

His sister avoided speaking, and instead, lingeringly hugged him before weeping. Then, Önd spoke to his Mother:

- Do not worry Mother— I shall come back, I swear—! I shall come back at any cost—!

His mother also lingeringly hugged him, and she then went to solace her daughter. Önd rapidly sighed in honour to the past and admired for a last time the village where he grew up. The group of men came to pick him up, and he followed them without hesitation. As he got further of the house of his childhood, he waved at his mother and her sister a last time, while trying to not weep. Önd got gradually further of the village, and he continued his way to the war. Thus, at the end of his adolescence, Önd was forced to become a warrior.