The Zebrafish

Aislinn said she loved Ragnar very much, and willingly entered the Viking world. She could not bring her morality into that world, any more than she could bear to tell Ragnar his world no longer exists. In the modern age, she would immediately divorce Ragnar, but she was not living in that age now, and did not want to pull Ragnar forward into it. She said it is impossible for her to love someone with 90% of her heart. To her, real love is either total, or it does not exist. It is sometimes necessary to endure life's trials and tribulations, because once past them, they remind us how much we truly do love someone.

Since infidelity by the husband was part of the world in which she was living, Aislinn said she would accept it, because the alternative would be the Norse vision of Ragnarök - the literal end of the world here in the fjord. Project Zebrafish would die, and the fjord would be empty. While Aislinn might be able to return to modern life, she loved Ragnar with all of her heart, and would do anything to avoid exposing Ragnar to the modern world for as long as she possibly could.

Aislinn said she always considered me to be her friend, and a part of her life here in the fjord. Her life would not have been possible without me, nor would it continue to exist without me, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

At that moment I realized the horror of my mistake. I went from matchmaker to the dreaded 'other woman'! I placed Aislinn into this difficult position. She wasn't the one bringing Ragnarök down on the fjord and tearing it apart. It was me! I tearfully apologized and promised never to come between her and Ragnar again. I told Aislinn if she ever asked me to leave the fjord and never return, I would respect her wish.

I was surprised by Aislinn's response. It was not one of anger, but rather forgiveness. Instead of banishing me, she told me once again that I was welcome to join Ragnar and her here in the fjord.

The Viking world is full of sagas of brave warriors fighting battles against incredible odds. Only later did I realize how brave Aislinn truly was. She was like a Viking Shield-Maiden fighting intense inner battles, and she defeated them. Her victory saved her marriage, our friendship, and the world she and Ragnar had built inside the fjord.

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Chapter 13

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Project Zebrafish Diary - Month 24 - June

Please forgive the mottled appearance of this page in my diary. I have been crying, and cannot hold back my tears. I am back from my annual summer Solstice visit to the fjord, returning with a broken, yet hopeful heart.

In Oslo last year, I learned I was pregnant. I had not slept with any other man, so I knew Ragnar was the father. Nine months later, I delivered our son and began nursing him.

While I could travel freely between the ancient world in the fjord, and the modern world of Oslo, I could not expect a child to do so. The contrasts were too great. My heart was torn between two worlds! If my son remained in Oslo, he would never know his father. I prepared myself to accept Aislinn's offer to move full-time to the fjord.

When Aislinn checked in on her regularly scheduled call via satellite phone, I discussed that possibility with her. Aislinn suggested an alternative. Since her breasts were still heavy from her son, she was willing to accept my son as her own and agreed to raise him in the fjord with Ragnar. Aislinn said I was welcome to visit as often as I wished. I asked for time to consider her offer and told her everything depended upon Ragnar accepting my son as his own, as Odin had accepted Thor.

Arriving at the fjord, I reluctantly handed my three-month-old son to Ragnar, much as Jord had done when she handed Thor over to Odin. I was prepared for the worst. I told Ragnar this was his new son. After seeing the look in his eyes, I knew he accepted my son. Our son. His son. Following the Viking tradition, Ragnar sprinkled him with water and named him Björn Ragnarsson.

Aislinn and I discussed how my son should refer to me when I visit. Aislinn suggested he call both of us by Mamma. While a strange concept in the modern world, we were here in the fjord, where no one would criticize or tell us otherwise.

As I walked away from the longhouse, I saw Ragnar holding Björn, and Aislinn holding her son. I knew this was for the best, and knew I would visit Björn often. I could hold him, play games with him, tell him stories, and watch him grow up. I waved to Aislinn and Ragnar, turned away, and began crying. Nothing will ever be able to heal the empty place in my heart. I have not stopped crying since.

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Chapter 14

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Project Zebrafish Diary - Month 36 - June

Project Zebrafish remains an unprecedented success. My direct involvement in the project has ended, as I have turned over my documentation duties to others at the foundation. However, I will continue visiting the fjord as often as I can to see Aislinn, Ragnar, Ivar and Björn.

Accompanying me on my visits have been a variety of other scholars and historians, and our hoard of knowledge has multiplied several-fold. These visits gave Aislinn and Ragnar a welcome chance to interact with others, but the foundation recognized that Project Zebrafish could not continue to leave them in isolation.

The foundation brought more people to the fjord, to form a small village. To do this, we received two large grants from the Norwegian government. With those grants, we recruited four young couples to come live in the fjord. They all possess critical skills that will be useful in a small village setting, and foundation members taught them Old Norse and Viking history. One of the things we added to the village was cattle, an important source of food and milk for Viking families, and will help them become more self-sufficient.

One of the women was an expert in wild herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes. One of the men helped reconstruct a Stave Church and replicas of Viking-era buildings. Another man worked with his father as a blacksmith and was well-practiced working with bog iron. There was also a leathersmith among the group. Each couple agreed to build a longhouse and become immersed in Viking culture. Most important of all, they have pledged not to reveal anything about the modern world to Ragnar. If they choose to leave, or even if they want a short visit to their modern-world families, they are free to do so.

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Chapter 15

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25 Years Later

Aislinn called me on the satellite phone and told me Ragnar was dead. I hastened by helicopter to the fjord and made the now familiar walk to the longhouse. I reached her, and she told me how he died.

"I saw him collapse while chopping firewood. I immediately rushed to his side and recognized the symptoms of a heart attack. I knew his only chance was to get him to a modern hospital. I thought about using the satellite phone to call for help, but I feared help would arrive too late. However, I had an even greater fear. What if the helicopter did come? Such a thing would destroy the world that Ragnar had built here for me and our children. I had to choose. One or the other would die. I held him tight and cried as never before. He said he loved me. I told him I loved him, but I knew in my heart he would never know how much."

"He asked for his sword, and I handed it to him. At that moment, two ravens flew overhead. I told him it was a sign from Odin that he has lived a courageous life, and that he will surely pass through the gates into Valhalla. I thanked him for all the love he had given me and told him that love itself required one to be brave. I could think of nothing else to say, nor ask for anymore. A smile of happiness appeared on his lips, then he closed his eyes forever."

She looked at me and said, "Ragnar is not gone, because he will always live in my heart."

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Chapter 16

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It was twilight on Midsommar's Eve. Looking back, so much has happened on this summer day. It was the day we freed Ragnar from the ice, the day Ragnar and I made love, and the day Ragnar accepted my son into his family. And now, it was the day we said farewell.

Two ravens passed overhead, curious about the odd gathering of people. The other families who lived in the fjord these many years joined us to say goodbye to Ragnar. Ragnar's two sons lit the pyre on Ragnar's small boat, and pushed it away from the shore, into the outgoing tide. There was no flaming arrow. Such a thing is not actual history but instead is best left to skalds and Hollywood writers. Standing next to Aislinn, we hugged.

Looking at the flaming boat, Aislinn formed her hands into the shape of a heart, and whispered, "I offer you my heart, carry it with you wherever you go. I'm never letting go, Ragnar! I shall live the rest of my life bravely, and meet you again in Valhalla. There, we will love each other until the end of time."

It was a fitting end for a Viking. As the distant flames faded upon the waters, I asked Aislinn if she was ready to return to the modern world.

She replied, "It is not the amount of Viking blood in your veins, but the amount of Viking spirit in your heart." She then proclaimed, "I AM VIKING!"

Aislinn and I walked over to be with her children and her grandchildren, and together they lit the Midsommar's Eve bonfire, to keep evil spirits away from their homes. Ragnar did this his first summer in the fjord, and it has worked ever since.

I looked over at Ragnar's eldest son. He looks so much like his father. He held a horn to his lips and blew it. The mournful sound echoed through the fjord. It was his father's horn, and it was his son's way of saying goodbye.

He said to me, "Ragnar was such a great storyteller. I will miss him, and now there is no one left to sing the Sagas to the children."

I replied, "Your mother has often asked me to abandon my nomadic life and join her family. It is past time for me to accept her offer. The children must hear the tales of Gods and Dragons, Giants and Heroes. I have listened many times to Ragnar's words, and now I will stay here and tell such tales, and sing such songs."

As we looked out over the waters of the fjord, my son Björn moved behind me and wrapped his arms around me. He hugged me, as Ragnar did so many years ago. I closed my eyes and remembered Ragnar's love that one special night long ago. He lived again, but only for a brief moment. My heart suddenly cried out and I knew what I must do. I will tell his tale, "The Saga of Aislinn and Ragnar", so he will never be forgotten.

These past twenty-five years, I have watched Aislinn grow from a free-spirited Irish lass into a courageous Viking woman, much as her Irish ancestors did a millennium ago when they were brough to Norway. Norwegian woman today are considered to be strong and independent, and while we have plenty of Viking spirit in our hearts, perhaps some of our strength is due to the amount of Irish in our blood.

Here, upon a twilight dreary, while I ponder, weak and weary,
two Ravens wandering o'er the Nightly shore--
Tell me ancient bird, how long Ragnar's love will dwell upon this craggy shore!
Quoth the Raven, "Evermore".

THE END

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Author's Notes

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This is a story dealing with infidelity in the Viking world. Fantasy is part of this story, and writing it with that element allowed me to contrast 'then' with 'now'. An easy decision today by Aislinn to divorce Ragnar was unclear to Aislinn in the fjord, where life had returned to the year 900. If Aislinn left Ragnar, she would destroy a unique world that could never be re-created. Later, Aislinn faced the same decision deciding whether to save Ragnar as he was dying. Calling in a helicopter might save him, but it would destroy the world she and Ragnar had built for their children. If you disagree with Aislinn's decisions, what would you have done differently?

If you enjoyed this story, you may want to read my poem, "The Saga of Aislinn and Ragnar", in the non-erotic poetry section of Literotica. If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a vote there.

In September 1991, a couple of German tourists from Nuremberg stumbled across the naturally mummified remains of a Copper Age man while wandering to an Alpine glacier on the Austrian-Italian frontier. Ötzi was naturally mummified as the result of being covered by ice shortly after his death, roughly 5,300 years ago. He was in such pristine condition that Austrian authorities thought he was a mountaineer who had recently died.

Thousands of older people continue to have their bodies frozen after they die, in hopes they can be revived one day. Scientists are skeptical this can ever happen. But what if a young, healthy male, like Ragnar, were quickly frozen while he was still alive? Could he be re-animated? Those same scientists cannot answer that question because it has never happened before.

If you would like more 'Viking' culture, please look up the musical group Wardruna. The TV series, "Vikings" featured their music. They use historical instruments, and their songs feature elements of magic, spirit-animals, shadows, and nature. Their music videos include the always fantastic Norwegian scenery. Of note, their popular song "Lyfjaberg" is loosely based on the same tale about the Healing Mountain that Ragnar told in this story.