*The moons waxed and waned, a silent clock marking the passage of time in the world outside our fragile, fractured bubble. Ax became a ghost in my life. He was there, but he wasn't. He never spoke to me, never met my eyes. Our conversations were reduced to curt, impersonal commands delivered through his men. A nod, a gesture, and a sack of clothes would be dropped at my door—larger, heavier fabrics and dresses, cleverly sewn to drape and conceal the slight gentle curve of my growing belly. Alongside them, bundles of food: crisp apples, pungent herbs, and rich, dark bread. The sustenance was a lifeline, but the silence was a poison.*
*It was a strange, tense peace. I was still here. Bjørn, our leader, remained blissfully unaware. If he knew, my fate would have been sealed long ago, my body a testament to my foolishness, my life forfeit.**The missions, once a source of adrenaline and a meager living, dwindled to almost nothing. I was given the smallest, safest jobs—picking a pocket here, lifting a purse there. It was insulting, a clear sign that I was being sidelined. And yet, a part of me, a desperate, foolish part, clung to the possibility that this was his doing. That in his own strange, silent way, he was trying to protect me, to keep me from the dangers of the streets while my body betrayed me. The thought was a fragile hope, a single candle flame in the crushing darkness.*
*One evening, as I changed into one of the new dresses Ax had sent—a loose, dark woolen thing—I caught my reflection in the polished bronze of a shield. My gaze dropped to my chest, to the small, constellation-like birthmark I'd had since i could remember. It was a cluster of faint, silvery flecks of 4 stars, like scattered dust. But now, one of them, the one just below my collarbone, was different.*
*It wasn't brighter, not exactly. It was... warmer. A subtle, deepening of its usual pale silver, a soft, honey-gold hue that seemed to catch the dim light of the room. It pulsed with a faint, internal light, like a tiny, sleeping ember. My fingers, trembling slightly, hovered over it. I pressed a thumb against the spot, rubbing it hard, as if I could scrub the strange change away. But the mark remained, unchanged, save for its new, subtle glow. It was a part of me, and it was changing. The thought was deeply unsettling, a secret whispered by my own skin.**Frustrated, I went to the small basin of water I kept, splashing some onto a rag. I scrubbed at the mark with the rough cloth, my movements growing more desperate. The skin beneath reddened, but the golden star remained, its glow serene and indifferent to my panic. It was a part of me, and it was changing, and I had no control over it. The helplessness of it mirrored the helplessness of my situation. I was a vessel for a life I hadn't chosen, marked by a sign I couldn't understand, and watched over by a man who was both my ex- friend and my reluctant savior.*
*Later, as I lay in the dark, the silence of the room pressing in on me, I thought of the herbs he sent. Some were for nausea, the bitter taste a familiar companion now. Others I didn't recognize. Were they to keep the child strong? Or to make sure something happened to it? The questions swirled in my exhausted mind, unanswered.**The days bled into one another, a slow, monotonous march towards an inevitable future I couldn't begin to fathom. My belly, thankfully , ddnt look big as i enter the 4th month, maybe it was due to malnutrition but it was a secret hidden under layers of wool,. It's 1slight protrude under the dresses Ax provided, a constant, physical reminder of the life growing inside me. I felt it move now, a fluttering like a trapped bird's wings, a secret only my body and the child shared. Each time it happened, a jolt of pure, unadulterated fear would course through me. This wasn't just my life anymore. I was carrying a piece of Annex, a piece of the King's guard, inside me. A living, breathing secret that was a threat to everyone in the Takers, especially Bjørn.*
*And still, Ax remained my silent shadow. He never came to my door himself. His orders were always relayed through a gruff young man named Kael, who would drop the supplies with a curt nod and averted eyes.**The air in the leirhus was thick with the scent of woodsmoke, damp wool, and a hundred unwashed bodies. It was a living, breathing thing, pressing in on me as I took my place near the back, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs. Every muscle in my body was locked tight with tension. My gaze darted to the dais, to Bjørn, a mountain of a man carved from intimidation. His dark eyes, sharp and predatory, swept over the assembled Takers, and for a terrifying second, I felt them land on me. I forced myself to stand straighter, to keep my face a placid mask, but inside, I was a storm of panic. Had he known? Had someone finally spoken?*
*Then, my eyes found Ax. He stood like a sentinel beside Bjørn's throne, his presence a stark, silent column of strength. He was the third in command, a position of honor, and yet he looked right through me.**Bjørn's voice, a low rumble that seemed to shake the very timbers of the leirhus, cut through the silence like a blade.* "I gathered u all here fir a special announcement." *His words hung in the air, heavy and portentous. His dark eyes, sharp and predatory, swept over the assembled Takers, and for a terrifying second, I felt them land on me. I forced myself to stand straighter, to keep my face a placid mask, but inside, I was a storm of panic. Had he known? Had someone finally spoken?**The summons had been delivered with a simple, curt nod from one of Bjørn's lieutenants. The words,* "Bjørn requests your presence in the leirhus," *had landed in the quiet of my room like a stone in a still pond. The ripples of panic were immediate and violent. A cold sweat prickled at my skin. My mind raced, a frantic litany of questions. Did he know? Had Ax finally broken his silence? Or had Kael, with his perpetually averted eyes, let something slip? The thought was a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. I had to compose myself. I couldn't go into that hall looking like a cornered animal. I took several deep, shuddering breaths, pressing a hand against the slight, hidden curve of my belly, a silent plea to the child within to be still.*
*Forcing my limbs to move, I pushed myself up from the stool. The loose wool dress Ax had provided felt like a shroud as I adjusted it, ensuring the fabric fell just right to hide my secret. I walked with deliberate slowness, each step a battle against the tremor in my hands. The journey to the leirhus was a short one, but it felt like marching to my own execution. The familiar sounds of the camp—the clang of a blacksmith, the barking of a dog, the low murmur of voices—faded into a dull roar as my focus narrowed to the heavy wooden doors of the hall.*
*I reached for the iron ring that served as a handle, my fingers wrapping around the cold metal. With a final, steadying breath, I pulled the door open and stepped inside. *I slipped through the door, my movements careful so as not to draw any more attention than necessary. The leirhus was cavernous, the air thick with the smell of woodsmoke, damp earth, and the collective body heat of the Takers. A hundred pairs of eyes, some curious, some bored, some hostile, turned toward me as I entered, and I felt a flush creep up my neck. I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, walking a quick, silent path to a shadowed spot near the back wall, pressing myself into the corner as if I could disappear into the timber.*
*Before me, on a large wooden chair that looked more like a throne, sat Bjørn. He was a terrifying figure, his long black hair and a thick, braided beard framing a face that was a roadmap of scars. His body was a slab of hard muscle, and his dark eyes, sharp and intelligent, scanned the room with an unnerving stillness.*
*He lifted a single hand, and with a sharp crack of his fingers, the low hum of conversation died instantly. The silence that fell was absolute, heavy as a burial shroud. Every man and woman in the hall straightened, their focus locked entirely on their leader.*
*I felt a tremor run through me, but I forced myself to remain still, my eyes fixed on the rough-hewn floorboards. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't risk seeing the knowledge I feared was in his eyes.*
"I gathered u all here fir a special announcement," *Bjørn's voice rumbled, deeper and rougher than I'd ever heard it. It scraped against the silence, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.* "Word has reached us of a new opportunity. A shipment of silver from the southern mines, moving under heavy guard., it will be arriving by a ship, headed by the dangerous , powerful southern mercenary, Gorm, It will be a difficult prize, but the reward is great."
*My own breathing was the only sound I could hear.**My gaze, drawn by the magnetic pull of his familiar presence, drifted to the dais. There he was. Ax. Bjørn's third in command, standing tall and proud beside the throne. He was a picture of stoic loyalty, his expression as hard and unreadable as the stone walls around us. And my heart, which had been hammering against my ribs, clenched with a sharp, painful pang.*
*Before all this...before the fear, before this secret I carried had taken root... there was a different language between us. A small, almost imperceptible shift in his stance when our eyes would meet across a crowded room. A subtle quirk of his lips that was just for me. When he stood here like this, he would find me in the throng. His eyes would hold mine for a fraction too long, and he'd give me a tiny, almost invisible nod, a secret smile playing on his lips. It was a reassurance. A reminder that in this harsh world, he saw me.**But now... now he was a stranger. His face was a mask of cold indifference, his gaze sweeping over the assembly of Takers without a flicker of recognition. He looked right through me, as if I were nothing more than a shadow, a piece of the wall, a ghost from a life he had already forgotten. The casual cruelty of it was a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. He had erased me. And in that moment, the crushing weight of my solitude settled upon me, heavier and more terrifying than any threat Bjørn could have made.**Bjørn's voice cut through the tense silence like a whip.* "Ax?" *he barked the name he had given Ragnar, After he had shown his usefulness of his strenght , loyalty , defence strategyand use of the Ax*
*Ax, who had been a silent statue, gave a slight incline of his head. He turned with deliberate grace and descended the two steps that separated him from the floor, his heavy boots making no sound on the stone. He stopped a few paces from Bjørn, his posture rigid.*
"Sigrid," *Bjørn growled, his eyes landing on me. The name felt foreign to my ears , a title he had given me after a string of successful thefts had proven my worth. It wasn't my name, but it was the one he used now.* "Sigrid," *he repeated, his voice laced with impatience, snapping me out of my trance. I looked up, my heart hammering against my ribs, and slowly pushed my way through the sea of parting bodies until I stood beside Ax. The space between us crackled with an unspoken tension that felt thicker than the smoke in the hall.*
"Ax,"*Bjørn's gaze was a physical weight, pressing down on both of us. He leaned forward slightly, his knuckles white where he gripped the armrests of his throne.* "I entrust this mission in both ur hands." *The words were a decree, a command that settled over the hall like a shroud.*
*Ax's head whipped toward me, his eyes wide with a silent, desperate protest. He opened his mouth, but before a single sound could escape, Bjørn slammed his fist down on the ornate, deer-carved head of his seat. The sound was a deafening crack that echoed through the leirhus, silencing Ax instantly. A vein throbbed in Bjørn's temple.* "Do not disappoint," *he hissed, the finality in his tone leaving no room for argument.*
*He then dismissed us, his attention already moving on. As the other Takers filed out, a heavy silence fell between Ax and me.**I took a hesitant step forward, my fingers trembling slightly as I reached out to touch his arm.* "Ax, please, talk to me—" *I started, my voice barely a whisper.*
*But he recoiled as if I'd burned him. He unhooked his arm from mine with a sharp, almost violent motion, nearly sending me stumbling back. His face was a mask of cold fury.* "Make sure to take your medicines before tomorrow to avoid sickness," *he said, his voice flat and devoid of any warmth. He then dusted off his own arm as if I had left some foul stain upon it, his gaze fixed on some point just over my shoulder.*
*My heart shattered.* "Next time," *he added, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper,* "don't touch me." *Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode away, leaving me standing alone in the suddenly empty hall.*
*A few Takers who had lingered saw the exchange.**A few Takers who had lingered saw the exchange. Their curious glances quickly turned to worried ones, their eyes darting between me and Ax's retreating back. Whispers, once hushed, now buzzed through the air.* "By the Gods, what happened to them?" *one muttered.* "They were inseparable. Did they have a fight?" *another wondered aloud, his voice carrying in the sudden quiet. Some of the older members even exchanged knowing looks, recalling the frequent teasing that Ax and I would one day rule this camp together as husband and wife.*
*I felt my cheeks burn with a humiliating heat. I couldn't meet their eyes. I turned on my heel, my movements stiff with shame, and practically fled from the hall, the weight of their stares pressing down on me like a physical weight. I walked back to my small, private room not with my usual quiet grace, but with a hurried, desperate need to be alone.**I slammed the heavy wooden door shut, the sound echoing in the small room like a gunshot. My legs gave out, and I slid down the rough-hewn wood until I was a crumpled heap on the floor. Silent tears streamed down my face, hot and shameful, as I clutched my stomach. What had I done? What had I become to make him hate me so?*
*My gaze fell upon a curved, crude hanger hanging from a rod near my bed. A strange, detached part of my mind recognized it from a book of forbidden knowledge I had once shared with Freya. I remembered the words, the diagrams, the desperate, whispered accounts of women who had tried to take back control of their own bodies. My hands trembled violently as I picked it up, the cold metal a shocking contrast to the heat of my tears. I held it up, staring at my own distorted reflection in the small, round shield that leaned against the wall. My face was pale, my eyes wide with terror and resolve.*
*Maybe if I do this,**Maybe if I do this,* *the thought echoed in the suffocating silence of the room,* *things will go back to normal? Ax will look at me again. The teasing will stop. This... this burden... will be gone.* *The logic was a desperate, twisted lifeline in a sea of despair. I raised the hanger, its tip trembling inches from my centre , my breath catching in my throat.*
*Just as I was steeling myself, a sharp, insistent knock shattered the moment. The sound was so sudden and loud that I cried out, dropping the hanger as if it were a live coal. It clattered to the floor, and i kicked it under the bed. I scrambled to my feet, my heart hammering against my ribs, and wiped furiously at my tear-streaked face, trying to compose myself into an expression of sleepy indifference.*
*I ignored the first two knocks, but the third came, firm and unyielding. Taking a shaky breath, I pulled the door open just a crack.**Standing in the doorway was Kael, his weathered face a mask of professional neutrality. He held a small bundle of supplies—herbs, a piece of dried meat, and a clean piece of linen. It was his weekly delivery, a routine that had become a small comfort in this harsh place. After a murmured,* "Thank you, Kael," *I moved to take the bundle, but he didn't release it immediately.*
*He cleared his throat, his eyes flicking past me into the room before settling back on my face, his expression unreadable.* "Lord Ax," *he began, his voice low and formal,* "demands your attention. Now."
*The words struck me like a physical blow. The air left my lungs in a whoosh. My blood ran cold, and for a horrifying second, I thought he knew. Knew about the child, about the hanger, about the scene Ax and I had just made in the hall. I stood frozen, my composure shattering all over again.**I stood frozen, my composure shattering all over again. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I could only stare at Kael, my eyes wide with a mixture of terror and dread. The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Had Ax sent him? Was he going to drag me before Bjørn? Or worse, was he going to do something to me himself right here in my room?*
*Kael, seeing my reaction, shifted uncomfortably. He cleared his throat again, a nervous gesture that was completely unlike him. He glanced down at the bundle in his hands, then back at me, his professional neutrality cracking just enough to show a flicker of pity—or perhaps, fear.*
"He said it's urgent," *Kael added, his voice barely above a whisper.* "And... private." *He emphasized the last word, his eyes darting down the corridor to ensure no one else was listening.*
*He finally held out the bundle to me, but my hands were still limp at my sides. He had to place it into them.*
*I took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing my limbs to move. I followed close behind Kael, my footsteps silent on the packed earth. The walk to Ax's longhouse was the longest of my life. Each step felt heavier than the last. A tiny, foolish part of me clung to a desperate hope:*Maybe he wants to apologize. Maybe he'll explain. Maybe this is all some terrible misunderstanding.*But the cold memory of his rejection, of him dusting himself off as if I were filth, was a constant, icy weight in my gut.*
*We finally reached the imposing wooden door of his dwelling. I stood straight, smoothing my cloth over my stomach, trying to compose my features into an expression of calm readiness before pushing the door open and stepping inside.*
*The sight that greeted me stole the breath from my lungs. It wasn't the intimate, private setting I had foolishly imagined. The room was filled.*
*The sight that greeted me stole the breath from my lungs. It wasn't the intimate, private setting I had foolishly imagined. The room was filled. The other fifteen Takers who were to accompany us on the mission were already there, gathered around a heavy wooden table, their voices a low hum of conversation that died the moment I entered. All eyes turned to me, a mixture of curiosity and mild annoyance on their faces. The air was thick with the smell of woodsmoke, damp wool, and anticipation.*
*My shoulders slumped. The disappointment was a physical blow, hollowing out the last shred of hope I had been clinging to. I looked at Ax, my silent question hanging in the air between us.*
*He didn't even look at me at first. He was tracing a route on a rolled-up map with a thick finger. Only when the silence stretched did he glance up, a muscle ticking in his jaw. His expression was a cold mask of indifference. He let out a short, sharp scoff that was more of a bark.*"Nice of you to finally join us," *he said, his voice devoid of any warmth, laced with an arrogance that cut deeper than any blade. He didn't wait for a response, but immediately turned his back on me, his focus returning entirely to the map.* "As I was saying," *he began, his tone leaving no room for interruption,* "the mercenary's route is unreliable past the old stone bridge. We move through the woods at dusk, using the cover of the hills. We are ghosts. Silent. We take what we need and we are gone before the sun breaches the horizon."
*I stood there for a moment longer, the sting of his words a fresh wound on top of the old ones. The other Takers shifted uncomfortably, their glances flickering between me and their leader. Slowly, quietly, I walked to the far end of the long table and took a seat, tucking myself into a shadowed corner.*