The weapons of war are ofttimes considered to be only blades and whips and rockets, but that is not necessarilly true. Tactics are vitally essential to battle, be it between two men or thousands. Intellegence, cold and calculating, is also necessary. It's sort of like Darwin's survival of the fittest. In that manner, the strong and brave may fall against the intellegent. Then again, they may prevail.
The Valkyries and all their ranks are rather well aware of this, as are the Norns and Tyr. They value bravery above most else. And one, just born to the hut on Astrid's farm, is well aware of this. Her name is 'War and Battle.' She is a small dragon, red in hue, spiked down the back, and possessing a sharp, cold intellegence, or so her eyes belie. She is child of Amon'Ra and Keisne, bondmate of Astrid. She is Gunnhild, and she will be capable of holding her own.
Sitting, curled between two halves of a shattered egg gone to dust, is a red snake-like creature. She has black spines down her back and stares, pre-occupied, into the flames of the fire. She warms herself on the hearth, twitching her back spines to dry all parts of her moist body. She turns with a sharp, inquisitive, "tree?!" as she notices she is being watched.
"Not a very pretty thing, is she?" Denby asks, holding Freya tightly.
"Wasn't a very kind thing to say, was it?" Havelock counters, stroking a spine of Gunnhild.
Suddenly, Denby sneezes and startles the wyrm. Gunnhild nearly leaps into Astrid's arms in startlement. The woman chuckles and strokes the young dragon.
"Looks like a storm's brewing up," Denby states, shaking off another sneeze.
"Yes," Astrid states, her mind blissfully adrift with the new-hatched.
"We should start heading home, Miss Astrid," Havelock cuts in.
"Hmm? Yes, I suppose you should. Come on, I'll come with you," Astrid states, looking up suddenly. She beams and nuzzles the little dragon who seems to purr. Soon, they are all bundled up and ready to depart.
"Will the horses be scared of Gunnhild, Miss Astrid?" Havelock inquires.
"I don't know..." Astrid replies absently. "But let's not find out, shall we? The last thing I need is a spooked horse." She hands Gunnhild to the boy and preps one of the nags as well as the horse the two boys share to travel to and from the farm.
"Yes, Miss Astrid," Havelock pats Gunnhild on the head gently and smiles. Denby stands aloof but is obviously interested in the little wyrm.
When the horses are ready to be ridden bare-back, for all the saddles and stirrups were lost in the fire, Astrid bridles the two and leads them to the barn doors. She sits the boys on one horse and leads both outside. A light flurry is already floating down. "Let's go now," Astrid states quietly and vaults to the back of the horse. She spurs it into a light trot and the three head in to town.
"Miss Astrid, me Da and Ma don't take kindly to magic 't'all," Denby whispers to the woman as they approach his house.
"Which is why Havelock will take Gunnhild and start on his way to his house. His mother's a little loopy at times, and she certainly won't mind Gunnhild for a moment." She beams and nods to Havelock who walks off through the streets with Gunnhild in his arms. Astrid knocks on the door to Denby's residency.
The door creaks open. "Yes?" hisses an expectant voice, rhaspy but feminine. An eye peers out from the opening.
"Kelda, I'm bringing your son home. I didn't want him to be caught in the storm for a moment." She smiles sheepishly. "It looks like a doosy is brewing out there." She glances up to the sky.
"Yes, so it is. Come in here, Denby before you catch cold. I don't like you travelling so far in the deep of winter and you know that perfectly well. Your father's been pacing like there's no tomorrow waiting for you to come home." A mildly wrinkled, pale arm thrusts itself out from behind the door, grabs the little boy's wrist, and drags him inside. "Thank you for your trouble, Astrid. Good day to you." She then slams the door shut.
"That was pleasant," Astrid mumbles and leads the two horses towards Havelock's home.
"It sure did take you a bit to drop him off, Miss Astrid," Havelock states, mildly incredulous.
Astrid chuckles. "I ambled through the streets. They're almost empty by now, you know." She grins before coming in the open door to her little Gunnhild.
"She's lovely, Astrid," Dagny, Havelock's mother, states, stroking the soft, red flesh of Gunnhild.
"Thank you, ma'am," Astrid replies, scooping the wyrm into her arms. "I appreciate it very much. But I have to be going. I'm leaving one of the horses here for whenever Havelock and Denby can return. Until then, I'll easilly manage with just the one."
Havelock and Dagny wave good-bye as Astrid mounts one of the grey nags. She settles Gunnhild in her sweater and spurs the horse. She waves quickly before departing down the road to her own home.
Background by Ender Design