Winter Solstice Winter - Book I in the Viking Blood Saga

“What a surprise! What are you doing here, Great Sentinor?” Eiess asked when she saw Lucia enter the throne room with Vilda. Lucia had approached the Surtorians at the drawbridge, and told them she was Princess Lucia and needed to speak with Eiess. Recognizing her, the Surtorians had sent for Vilda, and her fat aunt had escorted her to Eiess.

  Lucia clutched the infant in her arms as if he were her own, and from the corner of her eye she could see how his blanket shook. Standing before the Empress of Darkness, her words had dried up.

  “I see you have brought a child? Is it yours?” Eiess asked, not bothering to rise from her throne.

  “No. It is not my child. This is the child of a Viking king,” Lucia managed to say, lifting her chin. “I saved his life and I will raise him as my son.”

  Eiess’ lips sprouted a devious smile. “Ava’s son,” she whispered. “It is very courageous of you to come here after all that has transpired.”

  “I have come to side with you. I believe I have been on the wrong side all along,” Lucia said.

  “I could have told you that years ago. Why the sudden change of heart?” Eiess asked, her delicate, pale hand caressing her chin.

  “My eyes have finally been opened to many lies. I have been taken advantage of and used to promote the other side’s purposes,” Lucia said. Thinking about their deceitfulness still stung.

  “So, Lucia, what can I offer you?” Eiess said.

  Vilda stepped forward. “I believe the girl should be asking us that question, Your Grace.”

  “Very well, I will concede to that, Vilda. So?” Eiess said, glaring at Lucia.

  “I can offer you information that will open your eyes to the truth instead of the mirage in which we have all been led to believe,” Lucia said.

  Eiess raised a thin eyebrow. “Are you implying I have been deceived?”

  “We all have,” Lucia said.

  “You presuppose I do not already know the full truth,” Eiess said.

  Lucia would not be made into a fool—never again. “Are you saying you have no need for my services?” She took a step back.

  Eiess looked at Vilda and then back at Lucia. “No, that is not at all what I am saying. This is your home, just as much as it is mine.”

  “Ha!” Lucia said. “It certainly did not feel like it when you had me locked up in the castle’s tower and sent your Surtorians to beat me.”

  “I regret that it happened,” Eiess said.

  “Your cheap apology is accepted,” Lucia said. “But for me to join you and if you expect me to reveal anything to you, I need your sworn protection.”

  “How would I know you are telling the truth?” Eiess asked.

  Lucia smiled. “I have proof and you will know in time. Test me, if you please, and let me prove that I am being truthful.”

  Eiess looked at Vilda. “Ready the queen’s chamber.”

  Vilda smiled and bowed deeply, her dress flaring wide.

  “United we will extinguish the rebellion,” Eiess said.

  Vilda escorted Lucia back to her chamber and left straightaway.

  Have I made the right decision? Lucia thought as she held tightly onto the small infant. My life and this child’s life, may be in danger. She sat down on the four-post walnut bed—the same bed she had been born in and the same bed her mother had died in. I should leave before it is too late.

  Vilda entered the room with two handmaidens who brought a tray of food and a fresh outfit for both Harald and Lucia. Her orange and gold dress made her look extraordinarily large and disturbingly pale. “Lena is bringing in the crib your father made,” she said. “It was the one you slept in when you were a babe.” She stood still for a moment. “I thought I might mention, Eiess named all the handmaiden’s in the castle, Lena—to keep things simple.”

  Lucia found that strange, not to mention impersonal.

  Vilda placed her hands on her elephant-size hips. “I must let you know, and it is apparent to everyone here in the castle who see me every day, that my heart is shattered because I lost my beloved brother,” she said dramatically.

  Lucia gently placed Harald on the cobalt-blue silk bedding. She loved hearing him coo and watching him gnaw on his clenched fists. “Are you hungry, little one?” she asked, playing with his feet. “Who killed him?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the infant. The memories of her and her father’s last conversation rose to the forefront of her thoughts. He did give his life for me.

  “Several guards were ordered to end his life simultaneously,” Vilda offered.

  “You mean kill him?” Lucia said. “Say it—kill him.”

  “Yes, kill him.” Vilda lowered her eyes. “I never wanted it, you know,” she said, stepping closer to Lucia.

  “Perhaps.” Lucia continued to play with Harald’s feet. “But you did nothing to prevent it either, did you?”

  Vilda’s face flustered. “There was no other alternative, Lucia.”

  “You could have let him live.” Lucia looked over at her aunt. She is a selfish, fat coward.

  “No, he threatened the Empress’ life. He even threatened my life. That is treason!”

  “Treason? Ha!” Lucia barked. “Who is to say what treason is. You stole the throne from my father—your own blood—and made us prisoners in our own home. Was that not treason?”

  “He was never a great leader and something desperately needed to be done—someone needed to do it. I could not change the man, nor the way he reigned. I did not possess enough power,” Vilda said, her voice rising.

  “Is it much better now?” Lucia asked. “Have all the problems of Midgard suddenly disappeared with this new ruler? She rang in the eternal winter. Did you fail to recognize that?”

  A handmaiden entered the room with the crib and silk sheets for the newborn.

  “There are fewer problems and most things have improved, yes. Eiess listens to her advisors, you will see. She changes things when needed and she is not deceitful like your late mother and father.”

  “We will see,” Lucia said. She pulled Harald’s shirt off and he immediately started fussing.

  “I will need more new clothes made for my son,” Lucia said to Lena. “Seven outfits to start with—one for each day of the week. Outfits that are fit for a future king of the Northlandic Kingdom.” She lifted Harald into her arms, feeling his silky smooth skin beneath her fingertips. “I also need a wet-nurse immediately. It has been hours since he has eaten. I will need a new wardrobe. Send the tailor in first thing tomorrow morning. I cannot bear to wear these repulsive peasant clothes anymore.”

  “One of the Lena’s just had a child. I will summon her, Your Majesty,” Lena said and curtsied. “And we have an excellent tailor who is in charge of all of the Empress’ wardrobes. I will have him here tomorrow morning.”

  “Swell, that will be all.” Lucia walked over to the stained-glass window and over looked the fallen snow-white kingdom.

  “Eiess would like to meet with you as soon as you are settled in,” Vilda said, stepping next to her.

  Lucia glanced over at Vilda. “Ah, Bergendal,” she said, bouncing Harald up and down, patting the crying child on his back. “It has changed much since Eiess has taken over. Not for the better, I am afraid. Tell Eiess I will meet with her in the throne room at sunset.”

  “Yes, my lady.” Vilda turned to leave.

  “It is ‘Your Highness’ to you,” Lucia corrected, not softly. “I am still the heir to the Northlandic Throne. Your mind seems to be slipping, old woman.”

  Vilda’s lips puckered. “I must give you some advice, so that your head is not the next thing to roll,” she said perturbed.

  “No, you must not. That will be all,” Lucia said, throwing Vilda a threatening glare.

  Vilda huffed and left the room.

  Lena came quickly and started nursing the ravenous child. The child suckled at the woman’s full breast until his sleepiness overcame him.

  He is my child, Lucia thought. There is a divine connection between he and I?
??I can feel it. The gods have brought him to me, so I will have an heir.

  When the sun had gone down, Lucia walked through the corridors. How can I take back the throne? It was her throne, rightfully, as granted by the gods, as was right by her bloodline. When she entered the throne room, Eiess was already sitting on her throne in an indigo silk dress.

  “Greetings.” Eiess smiled. “May I offer you some food or wine?”

  “Food and wine,” Lucia said.

  “Lena,” Eiess summoned one of the handmaidens in the room.

  Lena stepped over immediately. “Yes, Your Highness.” She bowed her head.

  “Prepare repast for us both and bring up a bottle of red wine immediately. We will dine in here,” Eiess said.

  “Yes, right away, Your Excellency,” Lena said and departed faster than a galloping horse.

  “I can imagine it must have been hard for you to come back here,” Eiess said.

  Four Lena’s set up a small table with two chairs in the center of the throne room.

  “It was,” Lucia said. “However, I could no longer stay where I was, so the choice was clear.” She would not tell the empress that it was either come here or be left to die.

  Eiess stood up and took Lucia by the arm. “You must be wondering how to get your throne back?” She walked them both back to the table.

  Lucia was shocked, but she tried not to reveal it. I should not show my emotion.

  “I would expect nothing less from you. Of course, you are the rightful heiress of the Northlandic Throne. I would be a fool to think otherwise.” Eiess offered her to sit.

  “And I would be a fool if I accepted your first offer,” Lucia said.

  “Offer?”

  Lucia sat down. “You are going to offer me something, are you not?”

  Eiess sat down on her chair, her light green eyes reflecting the torches and candles in the room. “Yes,” she said. “You are a smart one.”

  “Start with the offer you were going to give as a last resort,” Lucia said.

  “Very well.” Eiess smiled and folded her hands on top of the table. “I want the Aesira Jewel, and in return, you will be crowned queen of the Northlandic Kingdom.”

  “And—?” Lucia leaned forward, her elbows on the table now.

  Eiess scoffed. “What else is there to give you?”

  “I want Vilda dead. She betrayed my father and me. She used me to get what she wanted,” Lucia said. “I want Soren dead.” She paused. “And I want Ailia, the Great Sentinor dead.”

  Eiess leaned back in her chair and smiled cunningly. Lena came with two gold goblets and poured the wine.

  “Ailia is your sister. Do you not have any loyalty toward your family?” Eiess sipped from her goblet.

  “You knew?”

  “There is not a thing I do not know.”

  “If you knew, then why—”

  “Together we can be strong. You need me and I need you. Now tell me, why do you want your sister dead?”

  “When she saw the opportunity, she betrayed me like her worst enemy. Do I owe her anything?” Lucia shook her head.

  Eiess set her goblet down on the table. “No, but she is your sister, after all. The only family you have left besides Vilda.”

  “I do not consider her or Vilda family,” Lucia said. “Should I?”

  Eiess studied Lucia’s face for a while before saying, “When I left Alvheim and the other three Sentinors tried to bring me back, I refused to listen to them. I could no longer live under their oppressive rules. There was no individuality, no freedom to express, no gratification. I speak of the gratification that comes from creating something unique. All we were to do was protect Midgard and humanity.” Eiess traced the rim of her goblet with her middle finger. “Soon, I found that my existence brought me no fulfillment. All I lived for was to please and help humans and of course the humans were never grateful for my many years of selfless sacrifice.”

  “Do you regret leaving?” Lucia asked.

  “I regret the relationships I lost. I loved the Sentinors and the oneness we shared. I still love them now. But do I regret leaving and claiming my right as a living spirit to choose my own path?” She leaned forward and looked Lucia intensely in the eyes. “Never.”

  “I am like you,” Lucia said.

  “You still have time to go back. It is not too late. You can still save your relationships, still fight on the other side.” Eiess drank from her goblet again.

  “Would you let me go just like that?”

  “Yes,” Eiess said. “ I would be very put out, of course. Together, you and I would be invincible. With your powers as the Sun Queen of the Aesira bloodline and my powers as a Sentinor, we would be as powerful, or even more powerful, than Ailia and Soren combined.”

  Lucia’s eyes wandered as she thought about Eiess’ offer. The idea excited her. This means I will have to make a choice, one that is for certain, without any doubt in my mind.

  Three Lena’s entered and decked the table with mounds of heavenly food.

  Lucia had not noticed how hungry she was until the aroma hit her nostrils. She gulped all the wine from her cup and held it up for more.

  Lena walked over and filled it to the brim.

  “Eat,” Eiess offered, gesturing to the food.

  After the meal, they walked together to the queen’s chamber. Lucia was relieved to see that Harald was still sleeping soundly in his new crib. A dress and sleeping tunic were laid out for her on the bed.

  “I had them bring these in for you to wear, while we are waiting for more to be made,” Eiess said. “They should fit. They were your mother’s.”

  Lucia lifted the gown off the bed, squeezed it tight to her chest and smelled it. Her mother’s rose-perfumed scent still lingered in the garment.

  “If it is too much to bear, I can have—” Eiess started.

  “No, this will do,” Lucia said, clinging onto the dress.

  “Good,” Eiess said, gliding over to the door. “Take as long as you want to make your decision. After a decision has been made, I expect it to be a lifelong commitment.”

  Lucia nodded. “Of course, as would I.”

  “Sweet dreams,” Eiess said as she exited.

  Lucia slipped into her mother’s sleeping tunic and hopped into bed. I am the Sun Queen now. She heard Harald stirring and grunting in his crib, but he remained sleeping. She never thought she would have ended up here today. Eiess’ offer had been very generous and she was right: they would be more powerful than Ailia and Soren together.

  34

  Frostland