THE STUDENT DINING HALL was a hive of excitement when Helene and I walked in. She’d met me at my room shortly before breakfast, and woven my hair into the intricate braids she claimed most students favored. She’d left her own curls flowing free, insisting that since combat courses were more loosely structured for healing arts students, she could do what she pleased.
“What’s your morning schedule?” Helene took the piece of parchment from my hands as we made our way through the buffet.
“Inter-Tribal Relations in the morning, Archery in the afternoon,” I recited.
“Ooh, archery.” She returned the parchment, and I slipped it into the pouch at my waist. Since I’d be attending a combat course, I’d selected the tan leggings, white blouse, and blue vest and cloak from my ‘starter wardrobe.’ The outfit made me feel extremely tough—like I could take out an entire forest of intruders, steal from the rich, and give to the poor, all before lunchtime.
“I’ll be in Biology this morning, and Rider Training in the afternoon.” Helene placed a selection of bread, fruit, and cheese on her plate. I filled mine with ham, fruit, and . . . ooh, they had lefse!
Too bad Nutella wouldn’t be invented for another thousand years.
I followed Helene to a round table, where three girls were huddled together. Their whispers stopped when Helene and I set down our plates.
“Girls, this is Saga. New student; be nice to her.” Helene plopped into a seat, and I did the same. “Saga, this is Jules, Tendris, and Audhild. They’re in the healing arts program with me.”
“Hi.” I raised one hand in a nervous wave. Assuming Helene had gone in order, Jules was the redhead, Tendris the one with freckles, and Audhild had the silver combs in her hair.
“Hei,” the girls chimed in unison. I smiled tentatively and began cutting my ham.
“So.” Helene broke off a piece of bread. “What’s everybody so excited about?”
“The executions,” Tendris whispered. “They’ve never done them publicly before.”
“They’ve never done them in Valkyris at all!” Jules chimed in.
“I can’t imagine what Erik was thinking.” Audhild tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Chieftess Freia must have been furious.”
“Unless she ordered it to be done that way.” Helene finished her bread and speared a piece of fruit with her knife. Weird. Where are the forks? We hadn’t had any last night, either. Was there some kind of flatware shortage?
“Why in the world would the chieftess do that?” Tendris asked.
“She was overseeing the whole situation,” Helene shrugged. “She must have wanted them to be killed here.”
“But why?” Jules rested her chin on her fingertips. “Why would she want us to see something so horrible?”
“Did a lot of people actually see it?” I asked. “Wasn’t it done on the side of the castle?”
Audhild raised a white-blond brow. “Everybody saw it. There was a music performance scheduled for right afterward—half of Valkyris was already gathered on the lawn.”
“Well . . .” Tendris took one last bite, then folded her utensils across her plate. “I think Freia was in on it. The question is, why?”
“Maybe she’s trying to send a message?” I copied Helene, and knifed a bite of ham.
“But to whom?” Helene nibbled her cheese. “The men they killed can’t report back to their tribes. They’re dead.”
“True.” I laid my utensils across my plate like Tendris had done.
Just then, a deep bell chimed, sending Helene rocketing to her feet.
“Ooh, we’d better get to class. Saga, I’ll show you the way.” Helene picked up her plate and carried it to a bin near the wall. I did the same, waving at Helene’s friends. They waved back, and I hastened out the door and down the staircase. I moved quickly, but Helene stayed well ahead of me, a blur of black hair and blue cape.
When we reached the first floor, she pointed to an open doorway. “Inter-Tribal Relations will be in there. I’ll come collect you after class, and we can have lunch together.”
“Sounds good,” I panted. I was mildly winded from chasing Helene down the stairs. “Boy, your teacher must be a stickler for tardiness.”
“Hmm? Oh, right. Yes, I need to be on time, or—oh!” Helene’s eyes lit up and she straightened her spine. “Zaan! Hei! I completely forgot you’d transferred to morning biology!”
“Hei, Helene.” A tall, muscular guy carrying a stack of books paused outside one of the doorways. “See you in there.”
Helene angled her chest toward the person who was obviously her crush. “Absolutely.”
I bit back my laugh. When Zaan was safely inside the classroom, I grinned at Helene. “You were saying about a strict teacher . . .”
“Oh, hush.” Helene swatted my shoulder. “And don’t tell my cousin. He’ll never let me hear the end of it.”
My stomach fluttered at the mention of Erik. “Does he study here too, or . . .?” Did Vikings graduate? God, I had no idea how any of this worked.
“He finished his studies last year, but he helps out with some of the upper division warfare courses. I think he’ll be in one of the combat classes this afternoon—I can’t remember which one.” Helene smoothed her skirt, and tugged the neckline of her blouse down an inch.
Don’t giggle, Saga. “Right. Well . . . see you after class?”
“See you then!” Helene pulled her neckline another half-inch lower, then skipped into the biology classroom. Through the open door, I heard her high-pitched squeal. “Zaan! I didn’t know we’d be lab partners, too!”
With a smile, I turned and entered my own classroom. Two rows of tables with long, wooden benches faced a podium where a grey-haired, stiff-backed woman stood primly. Bony fingers drummed the surface of the wood, and the stern frown lines between her eyes led me to believe it had been a long time since her last smile. Her eyes settled on me as I hovered in the doorway.
“Miss Saga, I presume?”
Ten heads turned in unison—a veritable firing squad of curiosity.
“Yes, ma’am.” I shifted nervously from one foot to the other.
“I am Professor Idrissen. Velkommen to my class. You will sit here.” She pointed to an empty seat in the front row.
“Thank you.” I ducked into my chair, where a writing feather, ink pot, and piece of parchment were neatly set out. Professor Idrissen walked over and lay a textbook beside me.
“You’ll want to read up on the allied tribes—the first two essays in this text detail their leadership and ritual practices, which will be the focus of tomorrow’s exam.”
Tomorrow? I was a good student, but that was pushing it.
“Now, class.” Professor Idrissen returned to the podium. “I’m sure many of you witnessed yesterday’s execution of the Clan Bjorn intruders.”
So, Lars had sent a revenge party after Erik. God, if they’d found him . . . or me . . .
“That event marked the first time an intruder has ever breached Valkyris. And do you know why Chieftess Freia ordered they be admitted within our borders?” Professor Idrissen scanned up and down the rows.
“To remind us of Valkyris’ might?” A freckle-faced guy offered.
“Precisely.” Professor Idrissen nodded. “As members of Valkyris, we have the unique position of having been blessed by the gods. And we shall maintain their favor so long as we dwell in the virtues they espouse—love, honor, and loyalty. But there is one among our numbers who has risked not only our way of life, but the favor of our divine benefactors. Someone who accepted payment in exchange for exposing our whereabouts. We do not yet know the identity of this individual, but I assure you, if he or she turns out to be one of my students, the wrath of the gods will be the least of their concerns.”
The girl next to me swallowed hard.
“Since we have a new student with us, and this may be a new subject for her, let’s take a moment to review what we have learned this term. Who can tell me a bit about the relationships between the allied tribes? Kiersten?”
The girl two seats over raised her chin. “The nine tribes who make up the allies—Valkyris excepted—are among the most brutal in all of the northern countries. They keep women and slaves in positions of subservience, conduct more raids and conquer more lands than any others in the realm, and regularly seek vengeance for blood feuds. Leadership is passed from a chief to his son, or to his nephew if he has only daughters, and citizens are afforded little voice in their own governance.”
“Correct.” Professor Idrissen’s gaze flicked over my shoulder. “Embla, how do the allied tribes maintain peace among their people?”
“They meet bi-annually at the Ting—a meeting at which they negotiate the terms of their alliance,” a petite girl answered. “Protections are afforded in exchange for goods or slaves”—or captive brides, if memory serves—“and oftentimes the tribes will agree to work together to seize a particularly desirable region of land.”
“Yes. And what is the function of our people in this uneasy alliance? Finn?” Professor Idrissen pointed to a gangly boy.
He cleared his throat before speaking. “As the allies make up the most aggressive tribes in all of Norway, it is our duty to stand for those who face their oppression. We have successfully converted many tribes to a more progressive way of living, but the allies appear unwilling to evolve. Our role is to maintain the outward appearance of brutality, all the while looking for a way to serve the oppressed. Whether it be through admission to our sister colony on the mainland, Valkyris East, which serves as a decoy for the true Valkyris, or perhaps one day through conquering the allies, and imposing our will in the style they best understand—brutality.”
“Well put,” Professor Idrissen praised. Still no smile. “Now, let us continue our discussion of the differing ideals between the allied tribes and the egalitarian society of Valkyris. Finn, you’ve done well today. You may argue the position of the allies. Kiersten, you may defend Valkyris.”
Oh, skit. This was a debate class. Or, at least today it was. I’d literally just been dropped into this world . . . and I’d definitely embarrass myself if I had to argue a position. I sent a silent prayer to any deity that was listening, Norse or otherwise. Please, please, please don’t let me get called on. Kisses, Saga.
Finn and Kiersten stood and walked to the front of the room. They each folded their hands at their waist, and blinked at Professor Idrissen. I seriously hoped my archery classmates had more personality than this group.
“You each have two minutes. Finn, take the lead.” Idrissen nodded.
“Thank you, Professor.” Finn drew a breath and faced the class. “In these dark times, we must come together to defend the Norse lifestyle against near-constant threat. Conquerors travel from across the globe seeking to destroy our religion and seize our land. Brutality is the only means by which to preserve our way of life. The allies have remained steadfast in keeping weaker citizens in positions of subservience. Strength is not only its own reward, but the means through which the Norse way of life shall be preserved and disseminated. If the allies were to give in to this egalitarian system of governance, as many northern tribes have already done, we would appear weak in the eyes of our enemies—both domestic and foreign. And weakness always begets attack.”
Finn nodded at his opponent, who pulled her shoulders back and began.
“While Finn makes an eloquent case, his argument cedes to my position on one key point. Brutality may be a means to preserve a way of life, but does anyone actually want to preserve the allied way of life? They enslave not only neighboring tribes, but their own people, keeping those with less income—and therefore less influence—in positions of powerlessness. Allied women have few political rights, and thus have very little voice in resolving grievances both within their communities, and at the Ting. Those tribes the Valkyris have been able to reach—who have embraced the more benign tenants of egalitarianism—have seen a surge in income, productivity, and overall goodwill. It behooves not only the allies, but the greater northern region, to empower women, educate their youth, and allow all citizens, regardless of income, a voice in their own governance.” Kiersten nodded at Professor Idrissen, who remained stone-faced at her podium.
“Well done,” she praised without cracking a smile. “You may both be seated.”
Finn and Kiersten returned to their benches, where they picked up their feathers and held them aloft, no doubt ready to take notes.
A barrel of fun, this group was.
“What did you find to be the most engaging points of each argument?” Professor Idrissen pointed to the freckle-faced boy who’d spoken up earlier. “Edvard?”
“Kiersten’s argument referenced the tribes Valkyris has already converted to a more advanced way of existence—those who afford women basic rights that range from being permitted to run family properties in their husbands’ absence, to being allowed to divorce that husband should he prove unworthy,” Edvard responded.
“And Finn’s argument . . . Agnetha?”
The girl to my left looked up with a start. She tapped her fingers on her desk as she spoke. “Finn’s argument highlighted the allies’ motivation—fear of losing religious freedoms. While Valkyris honors all faiths, many of the conquering invaders seek to usurp our right to worship our gods. The allies are afraid of losing something that matters a great deal to them.”
Professor Idrissen nodded. “True. Does anyone believe that empowering those who are currently oppressed would weaken the allies’ armies in any way? Saga, what is your opinion?”
My blood stilled in my veins. Oh, God. “Me?”
“Do we have any other Sagas in the classroom?” Professor Idrissen pursed her lips.
“Right.” I cringed. “Well, I, uh . . . um . . .”
“Oh, dear. Must we enroll you in elocution lessons, as well?”
Snickers erupted from behind me.
Heat crept up my neck, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady as I hurriedly formulated an argument. “Actually, Professor, empowering the oppressed would strengthen the allies’ position. If their ultimate goal is to defend their land and expand their raiding and trading territories, they’ll need a continual influx of numbers. Mortality rates for raiders are probably high, so the best means by which they could increase their workforce is to utilize those within their own tribe. Women can run farms, maintain lands, and perform the duties of men while their husbands are away. A structure of this type allows for a greater sense of security, as temporary governance would be placed in the hands of leaders with a vested interest in the tribe’s future.”
Professor Idrissen looked down her long nose. “Well put. Now, I should like for each of you to fill your parchment with an essay arguing one side or the other. Explain to me why the allies are justified in maintaining their structure, or why they would benefit from empowering their disenfranchised, and converting to a modified Valkyris system of governance. You have half an hour. Begin.”
Whew. I exhaled slowly. This was going to be harder than I’d thought. But I picked up my feather and wrote, filling my paper and even turning it in a few minutes before Professor Idrissen began her lecture on trade routes.
By the time Helene picked me up for lunch, I was more than ready to get out of that classroom. My schedule had me in archery all afternoon, and I could not wait to go outside and do the one thing Vikings did that I was actually good at.
Maybe I’d even bump into a certain blond-haired heir while I was at it.