On Icy Shores » Places

         With mysterious new spirit companion Kotah in tow (see post made under Dark Ages Europe) Vilhjalma made the journey down from the sacred temple back to the great hall she'd started out from. She wasn't sure where she and Einar would be traveling next. Off to sell their services no doubt but to whom? She felt a bit restless of late, itching for a new battle to test herself in.

Her footsteps slowed as she approached the entrance of the great hall, glancing back for the presence of Kotah as she shook snow from her cloak. After a deep breath and a weary sigh she entered.

         The tigress nodded as her charge exited the temple. The man seemed wiser than most, he seemed to understand the flow of fate and fortune however much he talked in pointless riddles. She would speak more to him, but now was not the time for that. She stood, her fur ruffling in the cold wind and approached the one armed warrior.

The crippled Berserker was ready to start down the temple's meager stairs when she stopped. She'd missed it at first, white fur blending in so well with the snow. She had no excuse for missing the dark stripes. Despite having no idea just what a tiger was she was still certain seeing such a creature was significant.

The creature stretched as if bowing and then moved backwards to rise onto its hind legs. Slowly it shrank, giant, clawed paws becoming frail looking hands. Powerful furred muscles became lithe, smooth skin. And the deadly muzzle became a smiling female face. She stood there for a moment, smiling as her white gown flapped gracefully in the wind. She closed her eyes and hummed enjoying the sensation of being in a human form. Then she opened her eyes, the same brilliant silver as the tiger's. "Hello, Vilhjama."

Even the blonde warrior knew that the supernatural was not something to mess with and a shapechanger knowing her name brought the trickster Loki immediately to mind. She took half a step back and changed her stance. "You have business with me, spirit?"

She nodded, seeming unpleased by Vilhjalma's change in stance. "I have had for a very long time. But now is when we finally talk, face to face."

"What could you possibly want from me, and why now?" She wasn't openly hostile but there was something to be said for being suspicious. Few would accuse Vilhjalma of having a smooth personality.

"The only thing I want is for you to fulfill your destiny and for me to be there when you do. And now? Times are changing, something big is coming. Now is the time for us to meet, there was no other way."

Hearing the spirit's purpose suddenly made her feel uneasy. Destiny. It was said that even the Gods could not escape or change their destiny, Ragnarok. What if her destiny was something she wanted no part in? She would have no hope of changing it. "Destiny you say...is mine so important?"

"I would not be here otherwise."

"Do you have a name?" She stood up straight once more, Dane's axe resting against her shoulder. No sense asking about this important destiny of hers. Oh it was tempting, but was it better knowing? Maybe one day she would regret not asking.

She nodded, smiling again. "I am called Kotah." She was happy to see her acceptance so readily. She had not known what to expect, so this was a pleasant surprise.

"Kotah, right." The woman sighed. "You already know my name. Introducing you to my traveling companion may be...tricky." Einar, still waiting for her down at the great hall. He was going to think she was mad.

"I can remain hidden, or in the form of a tiger, if you wish."

"That...is up to you, spirit. Kotah." She finally descended the stairs and passed by her newest companion, asking "Aren't you cold?" over her shoulder.

"Tigers do not mind the cold. But being like this...is somehow more freeing." She shrugs then turns back towards the old man. "It was nice talking to you."

         Trudging through shit and snow was most likely to be the least pleasant part of the entire winter, Gods bollocks was it cold. It probably wouldn't have been so bad, if he were further south, or if he indeed knew exactly where he was actually going. The fact of the matter was Kenver was lost, to make things worse, he was lost in a foreign nation, populated by a race of people who hated his, and who he couldn't stand the smell of, why hadn't he been smart enough to take one of his fathers ships and simply sail north? He paused once more to look up at the sky, which proved fruitless due to the thick grey curtain hanging above, he should of expected that honestly, but then again, the weather this far north was unpredictable and bizarre.

""Pascoe!" He called back, in his native Cornish. "How far do you recon we've come now then?" Pascoe was the only man who had decided to join him when he left his fathers lands, though the man was a bastard, and had no name himself he found him to be a good travelling companion, if a little slow.
"Considerin' we left Exeter ten days ago, no' tha' far I'd imagine." Kenver nodded and rolled his eyes before turning back to the path ahead, though he may have little idea of where they were, Kenver didn't need telling they hadn't come too far, even though he was only just beginning to grasp the sheer size of the Kingdom of Wessex, how could one man bend so many kings to his will to creat such a vast land?

He paused as he heard the sound of metal on metal, and strange screaming noises ahead. He picked up the pace, it seemed that some form of fight was in the works ahead. He picked his way through the trees- again he was surprised at just how many of the blasted things grew this far north. He wasn't really expecting to burst out of them the way he had, almost being knocked down by one of the fighting men, riding what he assumed were horses, though he had seen the trading Franks selling the odd horse here and there, he had never actually seen one being ridden into battle, let alone ridden one himself. He quickly backpedaled, colliding with Pascoe as he was coming up behind him.
"Woah! Watch where you are going, Pascoe!"
"Here! How was I 'possed to know that you would be jus' standin' there?"
"Never mind that, whats going on here?"

Looking into the center of the fight, it seemed to be two men on horseback, dressed in the battle-finery of kings that clashed together, it would seem one king had declared a battle for the lands of the other, pretty par for the course as far as Kenver was concerned. Both he and Pascoe would have been perfectly happy until he realised their talking their native language, as well his own rather well equipped form had drawn the attention of one of the horsemen, who presumably mistook them both for Danes and decided to charge the pair, sword raised.
"Oh for fucks sake." Kenver muttered before drawing his own blade and raising his oval shield high before letting loose a warcry. "Kernow et Fal! Fal et Kernow!"

Though he was a fair fighter, he had never fought a man on horseback before and he didn't expect the man to come at him at such speed, though he did manage to deflect the oncoming blade his own only managed to score a gash on the horsemans leg. Through some kind twist of fate, this was enough to cause the man to flinch and somehow hit his head on one of the low hanging branches, the crack was probably enough to have broken his skull open, or the painful fall the frozen ground has enough, but Pascoes spear made sure that the man wasn't going to get up again.

Looking back across the sprawl of chaos he could see one of the kings had unhorsed the other and was about to land the killing blow, luckily it seemed that nobody else had noticed them, which for most part worked well enough for him, after all he did have his sword drawn and bloody.