Chapter 1

Mathias awoke to the familiar smell of straw, piss and stools. A few geese honked their way past the small stable, doing their best to assist the rooster with its morning call. Before long, an orchestra of livestock sang on top of their lungs. The chilly wind of late-April snuck around the thin curtain that hung around the sleeping area. The farmer's wife put it up to avoid draft, which was appreciated greatly even if it did not make much of a difference. The wind always found a way through the cracks and holes in the wattle and daub. Mathias tried to get comfortable in the bed that was way too short for his tall figure. Being taller than most people meant he had to sleep with his knees bent even when sleeping in a halfway sitting position. He had a boy on each arm so turning was not an option. Instead, he hugged their naked bodies close to his own, burying his nose in the younger one's hair. With a sigh, he looked to the side where Tino and Berwald lied in the bed next to his. They were sound asleep, still tired from yesterday's labor. Aside from the five of them, the stable also housed three cows, though the latter only slept inside during winter.

The stable belonged to a tenant farmer. He sold anything from rye and barley to cheese, butter and different kinds of meat. He and his wife paid their taxes on time and produced more than enough food to feed themselves and their servants. Crops always grew well and the livestock rarely got sick or eaten by wild animals. The wife said their luck was due to the nisse* that lived alone in the attic. She put out porridge for him in the morning, never missed a day, and so he helped out around the farm in secret. The farmer told her rats ate the porridge, but she insisted she had heard little footsteps running around the attic at night. Mathias was not a big believer of folklore, but everyone besides her husband seemed to enjoy her stories, especially Lukas and Emil, the sole children of the household.

Lukas and Emil were orphaned brothers, nothing but skin and bones when Mathias found them hiding in the darkest corner of town. It was shortly after the rebellion and Mathias took them in even though he had no home or money for food. It was by coincidence he met the farmer and his wife who immediately offered the three of them shelter. Probably because the young ones reminded them of their late children. A servant once told Mathias that one died of illness and the other was taken by the Nøkk.* In exchange for room and board, Mathias worked at the farm. Lukas and Emil were still too young to work on the field so they assisted the farmer's wife in her everyday tasks, whether it was preparing meals, making clothes or taking care of the kitchen garden.

"Hello?" a small voice called as the stable door dragged across courtyard stone. "Are you up?" One of the female servants appeared from behind the curtain. She was a petite, blond girl with blue eyes and a sweet smile. She was wearing a white apron with dried lines of dough over her long, green dress. Most of her hair was hidden under a linen coif, which drew attention to the slim jaw and pointy chin.

"Almost," Mathias replied, sitting up straight, quickly noticing the stare that lingered on his tan chest. He got up, stirring the boys, and put on clothes with his back turned against her. Lukas and Emil hid under the covers and when Mathias turned to tell them to get up and get dressed, he realized she was still there, her cheeks slightly pink. He smiled wryly. "We'll be there in a second. Just gotta wake these sluggards."

She nodded and went back to the main house to get breakfast ready. Mathias put his hands on his hips and watched the bump move under the thick covers.

"Are they still asleep?" Tino asked from behind him. He and Berwald were already up and in the middle of getting dressed.

"Nah, they're just pretending. Guess I'll have to throw them in the creek." Without warning, Mathias ripped away the covers and quickly swept up the two boys onto his shoulders. They laughed and screamed as Mathias walked towards the exit, reassuring him that they were awake, begging him not to throw them in the creek again. He sat them down and gave them both a friendly smack on their bare asses. "Go get dressed. Breakfast is getting cold."

Emil, the youngest of the flock, ran back to the bed and tossed an oversized shirt over his head. A shirt the farmer's wife gave him, purposely making it big enough for him to grow into.

"Are you going into town today?" Tino asked. Emil immediately looked up at Mathias expectantly.

"Can we come?! Please!"

With crossed arms, Mathias continued to watch the children get dressed, ignoring Emil's plea. "I suppose. The carpenter probably has some extra work for me."

After Mathias brought Tino and Berwald to the farm, simply working the field was not enough. The farmer was reluctant to take in anymore stray people, but when Mathias suggested he found work in town so he could pay actual money for rent and food, the farmer agreed as long as he was still available during sowing and harvesting season. Turned out Berwald was quite the worker. Never complained, never argued. In fact, he barely spoke if not addressed directly. Tino was Berwald's complete opposite. A ray of sunshine that brought joy to everyone on the field with his singing and endless stream of questions and chitchatter.

Tino was the middle child of the five, cheery by nature and with a strong sense of justice. Mathias did not hesitate to take him under his wing when he found him half frozen and starved behind an inn. Berwald, on the other hand, was old enough to handle himself, only a few years younger than Mathias. So when Tino and Emil told him about a beggar they had seen several times during their trips to town, he did not really care at first. But Tino, being the charitable person he was, saved bread from his own meals to give to the beggar whenever possible. Mathias witnessed the bond the two of them formed over just a few weeks and finally, he caved, promising the farmer that this would be the last one he would ask for him to house.

"Big brother, please, I wanna come!" Emil tugged at Mathias' arm, earning his attention.

He smiled, ruffling the short boy's hair. "You can come if Elena doesn't need you today."

"Can you ask her?"

"No, you're a big boy, aren't you? If you wanna come, you can ask her yourself."

Emil pouted, but Mathias could only laugh at it. Everyone knew that Elena, the farmer's wife, adored Emil and that she would never say no to his face. The youngest of them was no more than 5 years old. He had round cheeks, a playful laughter and eyes as big as an owl's. He was eager to help Elena with whatever she asked him to, but had troubles with sitting still for more than a few minutes at a time. His older brother, Lukas, was around 7. He liked spending time alone, even in the dark. He found folklore fascinating and usually did not care to socialize with anyone but the forest witch. Elena warned him that nothing good would come of spending time with the likes of her, but he ignored everyone who spoke badly of her. The forest witch was known to practice unorthodox medicine, a skilled healer, yet people were afraid to seek her out unless they were desperate. Her reclusive way of life made it difficult to make enemies, which was probably why no one had demanded her burned. As long as she cured the ill, the citizens felt no need to designate her as scapegoat.

"You think we can come too?" Tino asked on behalf of himself and Berwald. Over time, he had sort of become the voice of the older boy.

Mathias shrugged. "Maybe. We finished sowing a day earlier than expected so Erik probably won't mind."

When everyone was ready, they went to the main house.

A/N

(In order of age)
Mathias - Denmark
Berwald - Sweden
Tino - Finland
Lukas - Norway
Emil - Iceland

In Denmark during the middle ages, people slept in very short beds with way too many pillows. Because of that, they slept in a halfway sitting position. They also slept completely naked, preferably next to others. Up to three people slept in the same bed and as many people as possible slept in one room. This was partly to keep warm and partly because they were freakishly afraid of the dark, which is understandable with all the scary folklore stories they had going on and their lack of light. Also, the medieval people were very sociable in general. Always kept together in groups.
Their beds were stuffed with straw and their pillows and duvets were stuffed with feathers. The curtain around the bed was a common way to avoid drafts.

*Nisse: is a form of house God that lives on farms in the attic or in stables. They bring luck to the humans they live with, but only if they're treated nicely. If humans serve him porridge with butter during holidays (like jul=Christmas), he'll happily help out on the farm. Like in Snickers commercials, he turns into a little bitch when he's hungry so if they forget about him, he'll get angry and tease them or steal things from the neighbors to start a feud. If he gets royally pissed, he'll leave the farm and take the luck with him, burn the farm or even kill humans, like a true diva. In his human form, he's as tall as a 10-year-old kid, but looks like an old man. He's dressed in traditional farmer clothing and sports a long white beard. He can transform into different livestock or even turn invincible at will.

*Nøkk (Nøkken): is a creature that lives in creeks and lakes. He often takes form as a human man. He plays a mean violin that lures people into the water so they drown. He can also take form as a horse with a long tail. He'll trick dumbasses into touching his tail, which then wraps around the body and drags the person into the water till they drown. He's lonely, I suppose.