A Viking, a Valkyrie, and a LW

This is a Fantasy story submitted for the Halloween Story Contest 2023.

After a Viking finds his Loving Wife sleeping with another man, a Valkyrie helps him fulfill his Fate in an unexpected manner.

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Chapter 1 - The Valkyrie

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I glided over the darkened fjord just as a faint glow of the upcoming sunrise appeared on the Eastern horizon. Below me, a solitary figure stared at the sea fog blanketing the waters. A cool breeze was blowing out to sea, slowly forcing the fog to retreat. Wispy tendrils of fog still clung to the spruce trees, lighting up their darkened tresses. I circled above the man, unnoticed, then recognized him. The man is Gudmund, and he lives in the nearby village. As a Valkyrie, I have watched him fight bravely in many battles between the jarls and those vying for control of Norway. The time of day was odd, and the place quite solitary, so I landed quietly behind him, hoping to speak with him.

I shouted, "Hail! Viking!"

He turned suddenly, startled, and drew his sword. "Oh, it is you, Valkyrie," he said gruffly. "Why do you disturb my peace."

"You may call me Anna. You have seen fog in this fjord countless times, but I sense your gaze lies beyond this fog."

"Your senses are true, Anna. I am waiting to go a-Viking in England as soon as the fog lifts."

"It is late in the season to start a raid. The storms of winter are not far behind. Did you not just return from a raid?"

"My ship arrived two days ago, right about this time. We came out of the fog, and no horns announced us. I rushed to my hut to see Elsa, my wife, and there found Sven, lying with her. I roared at the two of them, and placed my sword against Sven's throat. But my wife begged me not to kill him. I love Elsa, and her words still hold sway with me, so I sheathed my sword. In that moment of weakness, Sven grabbed a hidden dagger and slashed at me. We fought, and I was able to free the dagger from him. The fury within me welled up and knew no bounds. I grabbed his cock, sliced it off with his own weapon, and tossed it to my screaming wife."

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Chapter 2 - The Loving Wife

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He continued, "I wed Elsa three years ago, in an arranged marriage. I could not believe my luck. She was widely known as an incredible beauty at the time, and attracted suitors like bees to a honey tree. We had a grand wedding ceremony with the entire village attending. Looking back, I should have paid attention to those whispering Elsa had already been de-flowered. Elsa is a wonderful lover and knows many ways to please me. Our life together has been magical and full of surprises. We had plans for the future and were building a hoard from the raids so that we could buy a farm."

"Elsa has betrayed me, and I am done with her, forever. I am angry, hurt, and frustrated. I relive every moment of our marriage in my mind, constantly doubting myself. I will never be able to trust her again. Every time I leave our house, I will wonder if she is entertaining another man."

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Chapter 3 - The Völva

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"Unsure of what to do, I sought out a völva, and asked the witch to tell me my Fate. She accepted the few silver coins I had taken on the last raid, went into a trance, then told me that my Fate is to be killed by my fellow villagers. I knew at that moment, I would suffer a coward's death, and could never enter Valhalla. Sven's family has been searching for me, and if I remain here, I will die at their hands."

"After visiting the völva, I saw a longship being loaded with supplies, and the captain was willing to take me on as part of his crew. I hope to avoid my Fate by leaving Norway. When the ship returns after the raid, I will not be on it, and will instead travel to the Viking cities in Northern England."

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Chapter 4 - A moment in Valhalla

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I had to tell him, "You cannot escape your Fate by fleeing to England. Either something will happen before you leave, or you will find your way back to Norway and still meet it here. The Norns wrote your Fate the day you were born, and it cannot be changed."

His loud mournful yell broke the foggy silence. "I know in my heart that you speak the truth, Valkyrie. If it is to be, then I have no use for my sword! I will let Sven's family find me and be done with it!" He unsheathed his sword and flung it far out into the waters of the fjord.

I felt his pain and sadness. This man has fought bravely his entire life, and now, knowing his Fate, his lifetime of efforts will be forgotten. I moved toward him, took his hand, and looked into his eyes. "I cannot take you to Valhalla, but I can offer you my body, as if we were there together."

He looked hesitant, so I reached behind his neck and drew his lips to mine. He tasted of mead, though like all such drinks, it had also failed him. I pressed myself against him, only to hear him say, "Owww!"

It was the pointed breastplate of my Valkyrie armor! I tapped my two bracers together, and watched them shrink down to bracelets. My armour instantly disappeared, leaving me dressed in a simple white tunic. At my side was my sword, along with two daggers. I undid my long tie belt and let the weapons fall to the ground.

I hugged the Viking and felt the strength of his muscles as they lay hidden beneath his tunic. Together we tugged and pulled at the wool fabric, drawing it up over his head. I ran my hands over the hairs of his chest, and issued a soft moan of anticipation. His trousers quickly joined my tunic, together forming a pile on the pebbly shore. Taking his hand, I led him to the soft clothing and lay down. He knelt, straddling me, his erect cock hovering over my hips.

"Come for me!" I pulled my legs back, offering him entry into the moist, hairy opening between my legs. He used his hand to direct his cock and entered me, slowly at first, each of us savouring the magnificent sensations. He was not exceptionally large, and soon reached his hilt, drawing soft moans of pleasure from my lips. He began pumping, driving his cock in and out.

His thrusts increased in intensity, and I used my inner muscles to hold him and squeeze him. Each time our bodies met, a loud CLAP issued forth, and echoed back from the spruce trees lining the shore. CLAP-clap! CLAP-clap! CLAP-clap!

"Release your anger!" I yelled.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Uhhh! Uhhh! Uhhh!" His cock throbbed inside me, and a long "Ahhhh!" let me know he had finished.

Breathing hard, he asked, "Is this what Valkyries do in Valhalla?"

"It is one of many things Valkyries do to prepare warriors for Ragnarök."

"Then I thank you, Anna, for taking my spirit to Valhalla, if only for a moment. But I have returned. I will go to the longship, hoping to find Sven's family waiting for me there, and I will fulfill my Fate."

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Chapter 5 - It is a good day to die!

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Gudmund and I dressed and walked along the craggy shoreline to the village, where the ship was ready for launch. A crowd had formed, and judging by their weapons, many were friends or family of Sven. As we neared the ship, they moved behind us, cutting off any chance of escape.

One of them shouted, "We expected you to flee on this ship, coward!"

Gudmund yelled back, "It is a good day to die!"

I moved closer to Gudmund and said softly, "You should go on the ship. Here, it is certain death. At least in England you will live a while longer before meeting your Fate."

He replied, "I have no life without my honour and my Elsa. Let Odin's will be done!"

I have watched thousands die in battle, and every man wished they could live longer. Gudmund is a fool. I yelled at the mob, "Let this man go to England. He will return on this same ship. When your tempers have calmed, you may carry out your justice."

I looked at Gudmund, and he nodded his acceptance of my idea.

The crowd was not willing. "We'll inflict our punishment now for what he did to Sven. Some things are worse than death!"

Two ravens flew overhead, and I pointed to them. "It is a sign! Odin does not wish this man to die."

"Or it is a sign that Odin does want him to die!" roared the mob.

I moved next to Gudmund and together we faced the mob. "I forbid you to kill this man!"

"We must have vengeance."

I yelled back, "Then I shall fight with him!"

"She is just a woman. She must be his whore! Kill them both."

I unsheathed my sword, tossed it to Gudmund, then drew my two daggers. The mob charged. I dodged a thrust from a swordsman wearing primitive armor, spun around, and my dagger pierced right through his armor into his right shoulder. He dropped his sword, and I kicked him back with my boot.

"I am just a woman, with a pair of daggers given to me by Odin himself."

The mob was not impressed. They were too many. I parried several thrusts, but they attacked from all directions. I clicked my bracelets together and found myself instantly bedecked in my Valkyrie armor.

The mob paused, and I could hear their whispers, "She's a Valkyrie!"

But vengeance is a cruel master, and the mob resumed its attack. An axe came swinging down to my left, and I lifted my bracer to block it. The axe head shattered against my armor. The stunned axe man dropped the axe handle as his hands trembled with the vibrations.

"I am just a woman, with armor forged in the halls of Valhalla!"

I saw three wounded men crawling away from Gudmund and he continued fighting two more. From the corner of my eye, I saw a blur to my right rear. A man was trying to stab me in the back. I spread my Valkyrie wings, using the alula to thrash the man in the face. I turned as he screamed, and found him lying on the ground, his face thoroughly blooded.

"I am just a woman, with the wings of a Valkyrie. No one has died, yet. Who wants to be the first?"

The mob pulled back and began conversing amongst themselves.

"We accept your conditions, Valkyrie. When he returns, we will let the village decide his punishment."

I turned to Gudmund, "Keep my sword and board your ship."

I watched as the ship pushed off and the crew began rowing away. Leary that the villagers might follow, I flew into the air, and followed the ship until it left the fjord, knowing that Gudmund would never return to Norway.

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Chapter 6 - Two Months Later

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A horn sounded, announcing the arrival of a ship. I joined the other villagers who rushed to greet its return. A cold day, the low grey clouds kissed the grey waters of the fjord, turning everything to a single dull hue. Footing was treacherous because of falling sleet. As the ship moved closer, I saw it coated in ice, as if it had just emerged from Niflheim, one of the nine worlds, a land of cold, mist and ice.

Beneath my ice-covered robe, I carried only a single dagger. I awaited a report on the battles, and to see if Gudmund decided to return to Norway or remain in England.

Among the crowd was Gudmund's wife, Elsa. Beneath her hooded cloak, she wore carefully arranged golden blonde hair, crowned with a wreath of dried flowers. She had on a fine tunic, and together with her well-tailored purple cloak, showed off her shapely figure. Her clear blue eyes and wide smile lit up the otherwise grey day.

I asked her, "Do you wait for your husband?"

"I do. When last he returned, he found my laying with another man. I have now forsaken such things, and hope to beg his forgiveness. I miss him so, and promise to remain faithful to him, evermore."

The watchers on the shore gasped when they saw so few men manning the oars. Where were the others? The men beached the ship and hopped out onto the shore. I looked for Gudmund but did not see him.

Elsa ran up to the men and cried out, "Where is my husband?".

One of the men shook his head, "He will not be returning."

Elsa cried out, "Then my life is shattered. My life is over. I curse you, Odin!"

I pulled out my dagger and pressed it to her throat, "Don't let me ever hear you curse the All-Father again, or I will have your head."

Elsa burst into tears and ran away, slipping several times on the icy path. I asked the men what happened to Gudmund.

One of the men began the story, "We charged into a small village and began ransacking it. But the English formed up quickly and began fighting back. The English were too many, and us too few. We fled the village with the English in pursuit. At a small bridge, Gudmund stopped, and yelled for us to keep going while he delayed the English. The bridge was narrow, so he only had to face two at once."

"We fled across a field, then up a hill to a cluster of trees, and watched his solitary battle. A number of English fell. But two spearmen forced Gudmund to fall back to our side of the bridge,. We counted a dozen or more dead and wounded English in his wake. No longer confined to the narrow bridge, the English spread out and surrounded him. Gudmund went down after a vicious gash across his back, and another English bastard used the opportunity to thrust his sword into Gudmund's stomach."

"The English looked up toward us, but daylight was fading, and after talking they fell back to tend their wounded. We needed to do the same, and remained that night in the woods in a cold, dark camp. Several hours later, Gudmund staggered into our camp, gravely wounded. Alive, but barely. Seeing his stomach wound, we all knew there was no hope for him."

"We gave him some water and offered to carry his body back to Norway, but he said it would slow us down, so he refused. We expected the English to resume their pursuit in the morning, and he could neither fight nor flee. He begged us to finish him off. None of us wanted the task. He pleaded, and I gave in."

I slit his throat. His last words were, "My Fate is fulfilled."

"What Gudmund did was the bravest thing any of us had ever seen. We realized we owed him our lives. As exhausted as we were, we dug a grave for him, so the English would not find his body and hack him to pieces. We dared not start a fire to bend or kill his sword, so we buried it with him. Rather than placing it alongside him, we laid the sword on his chest, the hilt near his hips with his hand upon it, and the tip of the blade over his face. He had fought the English with honour and since he must remain in their country, we wanted his spirit to be ready to fight them again."

"We left him there, in the woods atop a small hill, and stacked three mounds of rocks near him. In the morning, we saw the English surge across the bridge, in greater numbers. Grabbing only our meager spoils and weapons, we managed to reach our ship and leave that cursed land."

The revelation left me stunned. Gudmund had met his Fate, as foretold, dying at the hands of his fellow villagers. And yet, it was not a coward's death, but rather was one of the bravest stories I had ever heard. Sadly, there are no Valkyries flying over England to see his worthy death and carry him to Valhalla. There, on a lonely hilltop, Gudmund shall remain.

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Chapter 7 - A thousand Years Later

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At Odin's request, I took a position with the University of Oslo, which allowed me to search their archives looking for the history of Viking battles. One day at work, a colleague showed me a story on the Internet of a Viking grave found in England, with a remarkably well-preserved sword. I looked at the photograph. It was my sword! The article had just enough information for me to locate the dig site.

I clapped my bracelets together and donned my Valkyrie armor and wings, then flew to England. Other artifacts were discovered near the body and the entire dig site was being carefully excavated. For security reasons, the entire area was fenced, with a single guard at the gate.

I changed back to my tunic, then approached the guard and began a conversation. The guard was a grad student in the archaeology department at the University of York. I asked if I might take a quick look at the dig site. He was hesitant, but my identification papers from the University of Oslo, along with his reverence for institutes of higher learning, were enough to get me in for a quick look.

I approached the partially excavated body, carefully preserved under a tent. Looking down, I confirmed it was indeed my sword, though slightly weathered. I turned and saw Gudmund. Or rather, his spirit.

"Is this you, Gudmund?" I asked.

"You see who I was and what I am now."

"I met your ship when it returned, and the other men said your fought bravely."

"There is nothing brave about dying at the hands of my fellow villagers."

I looked at him and said, "Fate is often unclear and incomplete. Some parts may be revealed, others hidden, and few know all. You died as your Fate foretold, but you never learned the rest of your Fate, which is to enter Valhalla."

"How is this possible?"

"Odin foresees the Fate of all men, and knew you would eventually join him in Valhalla. For the last thousand years, he tasked me with finding your body. But there was so little information on where to look. I have found you at last, and together we will fly to Valhalla."

"My body is little more than a skeleton. Surely Odin will not want such a thing."

"Watch." I clapped my bracelets together, and transformed into my Valkyrie armour. This drew the attention of the guard.

The guard said, "Cool costume. But Halloween was yesterday."

I replied, "It's not a costume." Then I spread my wings to prove it.

"WHOA!" shouted the guard.

I stretched out my hands over the skeleton to reunite Gudmund's spirit with his body. "Valkyries possess magical healing powers. We heal the wounds of all the chosen. Odin does not bring the dead into Valhalla until we restore them."

Gudmund's body quickly manifested itself and he appeared again in human form. He stood up and looked at his arms and legs as he flexed them. Then, he picked up the now gleaming sword and slid it into his sheath.

The guard yelled, "Like, wow! Is this some kind of trick? Are you two shooting a Halloween video for social media?"

I ignored the guard. "You are just as I remember when last I saw you, Gudmund. Now we fly to Valhalla."

The guard interrupted. "Hold on. If you really are a Valkyrie, then what do I tell the others when they find the body and sword missing."

"Tell them the truth. A Valkyrie flew into the dig site, raised the Viking warrior up from the dead, and flew off with him to Valhalla. It will make a great thesis paper for you."

The guard replied, "Ummm, I might tell them something else. The only way I'll ever tell this story is if I become an erotic fiction author. Nice breastplate by the way! Are your boobs really pointed like that?"

I hugged Gudmund close to my body and spread my wings. We flew long and high up to the gates of Valhalla.

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Chapter 8 - The Gates of Valhalla

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When we landed at the Gates of Valhalla, Gudmund asked about his wife.

"When you did not return, the village scorned Elsa as an outcast. After spending down her money, she traded her body for food, living a meager existence on the outskirts of the village. As she grew older, her body failed, and she had nothing left to trade. Weak and frail, her emaciated body was discovered one spring. We cannot change our Fates, but our actions affect how they manifest themselves. She made a decision to lay with another man, and that led her to a cold lonely death. It was Elsa's Fate to be Frozen."

Gudmund looked at me, "It is time for me to clear my memory of Elsa. I must Let It Go!"

The massive gate to Valhalla swung open.

"Now, let us enter, and enjoy a horn of ale. Afterwards, I want to be the first to bed you, before the other Valkyries learn of your arrival."