Chapter 1

Year 991 – In what is now known as Sweden

The entire village was gathered by the shoreline to watch the approaching longboats, which carried their men back from Dublinia a new settlement that they were still trying to conquer. The clan had been fighting battles with the locals to claim the fruitful piece of land for a several years now. A piece of land that is known today as Dublin, Ireland but, that the clan had named Dublinia. Some of the men had been gone for almost a year others longer and the emotions of the crowd gathered were a mixture of excitement and sadness, excitement for the men who have returned home safely and sadness for those who had been lost in either battle or the long harsh trip home. They feared that they would be building pyres tonight to send their fallen warriors to Valhalla.

When the boats reached the shore tired weary men disembarked and surveyed the gathered crowd, not all the men were recognisable even to their own families. Some because they had not been seen for years , time and harsh battles changing them and others because of their nomadic lifestyles had forgone the shaving and trimming of their hair, instead allowing it to grow covering their faces, until they could arrive home and been tended to by either their wives, lovers or one of the slaves. Even with all the changes, it took but a moment for family members to be identified within the crowd returned warriors. Seeming to move as one, the crowd converged and gathered their warriors into warm embraces filled with tears, laughter and warm smiles.

On the shore the king a queen stood watching the homecoming with happy anxious eyes searching for their own warrior amongst them. The queen idly brushed the hair off the forehead of the small boy who was moulded to her side, his head lay on her hip and his arm snaked around her waist.

He turned his head up to her to speak "I don't see him moder (mother), which one is he?"

She crouched down so she was at eye level to him and pointed "Look there he is Erikk, See the tall man in the green tunic helping to unload the boat." The small boy nodded his head yes.

"That's him, that's your brother...well what do you think dess (son), will we go down and greet him?"

The small boy narrows his eyes and gazes down where his brother stood still unloading the boat appearing to contemplate the question. He wasn't sure if he was brave enough to go down and see the brother who he barely remembered, he defiantly didn't remember him looking so scary. He was a seasoned warrior now and gone was the soft faced fun loving boy from before and in his place, now stood a hard core Viking warrior prince.

He watched as his brother bent over to gather something from the floor of the boat and stood with what appeared to be a bundle of blankets. Smiling his brother brought the bundle closer to his face; Erikk could see his brother's lips moving as if he were speaking to the bundle. Just then the harsh Nordic wind gave a mighty gust whipping his brother hair and the blankets around his head, when the wind settled it revealed that beneath the bundle of blankets was a small girl. His brother shifted the girl so that she was sitting on his hip leaning down he spoke in her ear smiling and pointing to where Erikk and his parents stood on the hill. The girl lifted her head from his brother's shoulder and turning to look where his brother pointed. Erikk could make out that the small girl had beautiful wavy deep auburn hair that whipped around her face in the angry wind.

Not taking his eyes away from her Erikk tugged on his mothers sleeve. "Moder who is that?"

"I don't know baby". His mother answered without taking her eyes off the approaching form of his brother and the small girl.

"That must be the kings daughter that he sent as payment to secure the peace treaty". His father answered his queen.

His mother gasped " But, Einarr she's only a babe, younger than Erikk".

"True, but dear Odin she is a pretty thing is she not Erikk?"

Erikk looked up to his father, wearing a look way beyond his years "Oh yes, Fader (father) she is. Erikk gave his father a mischievous grin "I will make her my princess, and she will love me always."

His mother gave him an indulgent smile, while his father let loose a deep hearty laugh. "Well, my boy does she get a choice in your plans for her future."

Erikk looked at his father and smiled "Norse men don't ask fader (father), she will be mine".

His brother had finally reached them during their little exchange, he bowed his head.

"My King, my Queen"

His mother gave a watery smile and gathered his brother into her arms, kissing his forehead. "Gunnar my son, thank Freya your home. Oh, how I have missed you."

As she released him his father gave him a slap on the back and a squeeze on his shoulder. "My son, it is good to have you home, I fear you have been gone far too long." He whispered in Gunnar's ear "Your mother has me almost driven mad with her worrying over your long absence." His father smiled down at the small girl, who tried to bury her face in his brother's hair. "Who is that trying to hide in your hair?"

His brother bent down placing the small girl on her feet, allowing her to still grip his hand.

"Your majesties may I present King Thomas the Reds daughter Cloudagh, She has come to stay with us as agreed in the peace treaty." He tugged Cloudagh forward. "Cloudagh, this is King Einarr and Queen Astrid Norseman." Gunnar reached down ruffling Erikk's hair. "And this handsome young man is Prince Erikk."

The small girl bowed her head and curtsied, keeping her down, not making eye contact she spoke in perfect Norse "Your majesties it is my pleasure to pledge fealty to you, in the name of my father King Thomas the Red of Eire. I hope I may be of service to you and your crown, I know that to honour and please your majesties is to bestow great pride to my family's name and the crown of my family's kingdom." She kept her head bowed looking at her feet, not daring to raise her eyes.

Erikk, Einarr and Gunnar, watched Astrid's smile leave her face to be replaced with a look of absolute shock and disgust, she brought her hand up to cover her mouth , as if she was trying to hold back a sob.

They all knew she was thinking of her lost little girl and wondering how a mother could allow her daughter to be used as a bargaining tool even if the result was an end to a long and bloody war. How could she place her beautiful little girl into the hands of her enemies, Knowing the possible cruelties that little girl could face once in she was in their clutches. Any other opposing fraction would have taken this little girl a done as they wished with her. She would have become a slave in the King's household until she was old enough to be of service to the men of the King's army in other ways. Erikk knew that this was not the fate that Cloudagh would face; his mother would not stand for it. Not after losing her own little girl, Erikk's twin sister Erika not two years ago to a fever.

His mother knelt down in front of Cloudagh and tipped her chin up until she had no choice but to look Astrid in the face when she spoke to her "Well, Cloudagh welcome to our kingdom, I'm sure you will be very happy here." She smiled at Cloudagh "You will be staying with the King and me in that house up there on the hill." His mother stood holding her hand out to the small girl "Come along now little one, I will show you to your quarters, what you need now is a warm belly full of food, a hot bath and a dry bed. You have been at sea for awhile and must be tired and hungry."

Cloudagh looked at the out stretched hand and then up all the smiling face with trepidation.

Gunnar smiled down at her "It's alright little one, the Queen she will take good care of you."

Cloudagh turned to look at Erikk and seemed to be analyzing his face, or possibly asking his opinion on the situation. He just looked her right in the eye and nodded his head in his nonsense way that must have been all the reassurance she needed. Cloudagh slowly released Gunnar's hand and grasped the queens. The queen smiled at her turning to lead her up to the path to the royal home.

Cloudagh seemed to hesitate, when the queen noticed this stopping to watch as Cloudagh extend a shaky hand out to Erikk. He grabbed her hand with no hesitation and gave her a crooked grin; causing Cloudagh's face to break out into a breath taking smile. They all three turned hand in hand and once again began the journey up to the house. After a few steps, Erikk glanced at his brother and father over his shoulder giving them both a cocky grin and a wink. Both men gave a hearty laugh that continued until tears streamed from their eyes.

Einarr wiped his eyes and slapped his oldest son on the back smiling he said "The apple doesn't fall from the tree, both my boys will be leaving broken hearts all over Odin's green earth, just like their fader."

Smiling Gunnar replied "Never truer words have been spoken fader, The men of the Norseman line are known for their womanizing ways, but when we find that one women that's able to tame and hold us, we bestow upon them a kind of love that is truer than steel, they will write sagas about the women that were able to tame us" as he spoke Gunnar was searching the crowd for Audi, the woman he knew would tame him.