Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 01

Fox stopped his rowing, his phallus stirring with possibilities, and rested his one good peeper on Thorarna as she ran to the beach and then throwing aside her tunic swam out to where Fox sat stroking his engorged phallus.

Naked arms clinging to the boat, Thorarna brokered this deal with Fox: Not only for the waving of the King's fee of three hundred of silver, four livestock and forty eight ells of homespun this and every year, but also for the keeping of the farmstead and for two hundred of silver besides each year would Thorarna whore herself to Fox.

Fox pulled Thorarner naked and dripping from the deep sea into the boat and their finally unleashed his seasons of lust upon Thorarna. The rutting was violent and uncomfortable, the boards of the boat much bruising Thorarna's tender flesh and Fox's unnatural phallus was a sore discomfort to take. When he was near to finishing fox pulled his pulsing phallus from Thorarna so that his seed might despoil her beautiful face, for he had paid that Thorarna be his to use.

Spent and waning, Fox bid Thorarna kiss and worship his flaccid phallus that he might yet wallow in his new gained whore, until becoming bored, he handed Thorarna her whore money and bid her return to Antler and the farmstead on the middle islet of the Sound.

And as Thorarna swam, the deep sea cleansed Fox's seed from her face and the taste of his unnatural phallus from her mouth so that she said to herself;

"It seems Antler, that you are not a man of luck for you could not pay the King's fee and nor could you pay with me. But you are a man of luck that I am good coinage enough to keep our farmstead and have silver besides and can pay with myself. Silver is often the soother of grief and the hardships of banishment would have destroyed us."

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From his chambers in the stronghold of King Onund, Fox would keep his vigil over his whore through the left eye of Steiner until the seasons rolled around to fee-taking time when he would set sail again for the middle islet in the Sound to satiate his lust.

When it was the season for the fee-takers to visit, then would Thorarna watch from the cliff tops for the coming of Fox that she might bid him keep their secret and thereby spare Antler the knowing.

Antler and Thorarna gave Fox good welcome, offering milk and fresh fish and apologising for having no wine to offer. Only now would Thorarna make a great fuss. The floor would be strewn with rushes, cakes baked and meade poured that Fox may keep his secret and continue their deal.

And each year would Fox take his fee in the rutting of Thorarna, choosing the pig sty for his whore one year, or her marriage bed the next.

Antler said not a word so that Thorarna might believe her secret was safe and that she had saved their farmstead, yet season by season did Antler grow withdrawn and sorrowful, taking to lone walks along the cliff tops at the setting of the red sun upon the deep sea.

People said of Antler that he walked through life as a dead man and he no longer lay with Thorarna until it happened that Thorarna grew with child. When Thorarna's belly grew bulbous with betrayal then could Antler no longer hide behind the 'not knowings' and the 'suspectings' for now was all laid bare.

It was Sigfrid, who having gone to find Antler when his daughter fretted him missing so long, found him upon the cliff top, sword in hand.

"What is the matter, my son-in-law? Whatever it is, take comfort it will have happened to others."

"The worst treachery comes from home." Antler said and threw himself upon his sword and this was his death wound. Because of this is the sword named 'fail-sword'

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Thorarna saw to the burial mound of Antler and it is said that she kept 'fail-sword' that gave Antler his death wound hung above her marriage bed.

When it was time for the child to be born, Thorarna sought the enchantress Jofrid in her cavern and offered 'fail sword' as fee for enchantment that the child be spared the pain that Thorarna's life had born.

"What is it you would have the child do?" Jofrid asked, taking 'fail-sword' and anointing it in the brackish water of the cavern.

"I would have her listen to her heart, for I did not listen to my heart and betrayed myself and Antler and for this has Antler received his death wound and me this unwanted child."

"Anything else?"

"That she be watched over and protected for she is born under a bad star that portends no good."

Where the blood of Antler mingled with the brackish water in the recesses of the cavern was there of a sudden a voice echoing in the cavern, though no person spoke:

"Thorarna harkens not her heart

Although she hears; and it is hers.

And so I am long searching,

And make the endless circle."

"It is the singing of the shrewish woman who walked from out the cliff face." said Thorarna.

"The man you saw, shining silver through the mist, tall and of princely port, and crowned; he shall be your daughter's protector though you recognise him not."

That very night was a daughter born to Thorarna and Jofrid took away and fostered the child that Thorarna might be spared looking upon the face of Fox in her own child.

But it is said that for a secret reason also was the child taken from the mother; for upon the tiny arm of the new born child was there a tattooed face.

Yet Steiner stood at the bedside of Thorarna all through the birthing of the child and is said to have gone blind in his left eye at the sight of the tattooed face upon the tiny arm of the child.

In his chamber in the stronghold of King Onund, did fox witness for a moment the tattooed face through the set eye of Steiner and the creeping willies were cast upon him.

Jofrid took the child with the tattooed face upon its tiny arm to her cavern and found 'fail-sword' broken in two lying in the pool of brackish water and the shrewish voice again echoed around the cavern:

"Guthredd harkens to her heart

And well she hears; and it is hers.

And so I am long searching

Because she heard, but lost."

Jofrid named the child Guthredd and both the sword and the child did she keep safe until the child came of age.

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