A Wandering Spirit

"I told Freyja that I wanted to finish my ski run. She said I was brave to do so, handed me this necklace to remember the day, and said we would meet again in the future. She helped me back onto the trail and told me my car was only one kilometer away. After she headed off, I fought the intense pain and made my way back to my car on one ski. The doctors fixed me up, and I while I was recovering, I made this drawing. I spent the next several months learning everything I could about the Goddess Freyja."

I looked closer at her drawing and noticed a quotation beneath it. 'As a woman, I now strive to walk within my own power, know my limits, and challenge myself to overcome them. In this, I believe I am closest to what this complicated deity expects of me.' She credited the quote to Patricia M Lafayllve, from 2006. Her words echoed those Freyja had spoken to me this morning.

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Chapter 16 - Love and Beauty

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Ellie said, "So much of your story makes perfect sense now. You met Freyja on a Friday, known as Freyja's Day in Old Norse. Freyja wears a magical cape of brown falcon feathers and can transform herself into a falcon, like the one you saw. Freyja is Queen of the Valkyries and she is the one who led you to shore so Anna could help you. Freyja knows a type of powerful Norse magic, called seidr, and can change people's Fates. She is supposed to ride around on a sled pulled by her two large cats, like the one I saw, but since you were kayaking, she used a boat."

Ellie continued, "The necklace she gave us is called a Valknut. The three interwoven triangles are called Odin's Knot, and many believe it is a symbol of Valkyries. Freyja is the Goddess of young women, like us. Go over to the Viking calendar I have on the wall and find February."

I did as Ellie asked and located it. "It is marked Goa," I replied.

"Goa lasts from mid-February through mid-March and is known as the Woman's Month. It is the month of 'sowing the first seeds', marking the beginnings of new life. Out of all the months, it is the one most strongly associated with feminine energy. And one more thing. Freyja is known as the Goddess of Love and Beauty." Ellie looked into my eyes. "And you possess plenty of both."

I leaned forward and kissed Ellie on her lips. Not a simple kiss, but rather, a 'kiss with intentions'. When our lips parted, Ellie smiled, took me by the hand, and led me willingly into the bedroom.

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Chapter 17 - Expanding My Limits

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One Week Later

Bing! My cell phone announced the arrival of a new text message. I lifted my head from between Ellie's soft warm breasts and reached for the source of the unwelcomed interruption. It was a text message from Toivo, the editor of the Scandinavian Outdoor Adventures website. Yesterday, I emailed him the true story of my fjord adventure, from put-in to take-out.

His text said, 'I'm sorry Leah, but I can't publish your story. I asked you to write a winter kayaking story, but the one you sent is simply not believable. A Valkyrie and a Norse goddess? It reads like some kind of erotic lesbian fantasy story. It didn't actually happen that way, did it? --Toivo'

I replied to his text, 'Some readers might prefer the story the way I wrote it! Don't worry Toivo, I will email you the story you wanted later today, along with photos of the ruined farmhouse, wonderful winter scenery from the fjord, and great shots of the four guys climbing Seven Sisters.'

I could have submitted Toivo's story to him first, and never sent the true story of how I met Anna and Freyja, but I no longer live my life that way. Now, 'I strive to walk within my own power, know my limits, and challenge myself to overcome them, even when one of those limits is my editor!'. So, I found another place to publish my story, one without limits!

The end of February was very cold in Norway, allowing the Seven Sisters to completely freeze. It was good news for the climbers and good news for Toivo, but it was even better for me. Thanks to Anna and Freyja, I found a place here in Stranda to rest my wandering spirit, at least for a while. And if I choose to continue my nomadic way of life, I will no longer wander alone.

THE END

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Author's Notes

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This is my first story in the lesbian category. As I am still a relatively new writer, your comments, suggestions, and criticisms are especially important to me. Please let me know how you liked it, or not.

The places depicted in this story are real, however, you should assume that all characters and events are fiction. All characters, at all times, and in all events depicted in this story, are over the age of 18.

Anna, the Valkyrie, first appeared in my earlier story, "A Viking, A Valkyrie, and a LW".

Valkyries are known as the 'choosers of the slain'. Their mission is to collect the bodies of brave warriors who die in battle and transport them to Valhalla, using magical powers bestowed upon them by Odin. However, they also possess the gift of clairvoyance, allowing them to sense when a warrior will die. This gives them the ability to influence the Fate of selected warriors by deferring their death, or by intervening to protect them. This power, possessed by both Anna the Valkyrie, and the Goddess Freyja, is an important part of this story. Why did Anna and Freyja intervene for both Leah and Ellie? That is another story.

I am Jorunn, a Wandering Spirit!