Bodil.

I was watching an owl fly around above the camp thinking to my self what it must be like to be free. Another couple days and I was sure we would be in Theramill. That would be my chance to get away. The moment I could. The city was so big Uri wouldn't find me, and I planned to leave Theramill and get as far away from there as I could. Laying back onto the ground, I pulled my cloak over my arms to warm myself. I could hear the smaller animals in the bush near me crawling around and picking at the foliage on the ground. I closed my eyes listening to them. I thought about them eating the berries that had fallen off the near by bush. "Do you think we will be safe tonight?" I heard a man ask his neighboring soldier of fortune. "What will you do about it, Cadmun?" The man snapped back. "Run." Cadmun said then laughed. This was the last thing I had the joy of listening to as I drifted off to sleep, hugging my axe against my body.

~

"Aadi, watch out!" I was trying to warn him of the trouble that he was walking into. I needed him to run. I was unable to move, I could see him standing there talking to blurred figures, panicked. I was sure he could hear me. Every time I called his name, he would turn his head just slightly in my direction. "RUN!" I yelled at him as loudly as I could. Aadi looked right at me confused, or maybe shocked?. He looks just like me, his black hair, his green eyes. When I looked into his eyes, something different happened. Something changed. I was freed by my invisible chains. I didn't hesitate, I ran as fast as I could to Aadi. I felt in my soul that I need to reach him. He was staring at me, his eyebrows creased, sweat dripping from them. I knew he was in danger and I had to help him or...

~

I sat up, cold and sweaty at the same time. I could still feel the dream in my body. The same feeling I had when Aadi looked at me. What happened there? I laid back down and pulled my fur coverings over my face, closing my eyes I could still see this man staring into me. Everything about him was familiar. Why do I keep dreaming of this man? Who is he to me? I thought this many times to myself. It was frustrating.

The men around me were stirring and heading into the forest line to do their business, I made sure I went the other direction. The morning duties of these men were simply not something I needed to be around. "Bodil, I want ask you something." It was Erik. Great. "What now?" I asked trying not to sound irritated. "Well, when we get to Theramill..." He trailed off looking off into the distance, squinting trying to focus in on something. "What are you looking at?" I turned around to see what it was. I wish I didn't. In the forest beyond us were bodies hanging from the trees. I turned back to Erik, "What the hell is happening?" I asked him. Shaking his head, he grabbed my arm and we started over to Uri's fire. He was sitting on a log eating some dried meat grumpily. "Uri, there's men hanging from trees outside the camp." Erik said to him. "Are they our men?" Uri asked uninterested. "I don't know." Erik said, still gripping my wrist. "Then go find out, and leave Bodil here." Uri said to Erik as he looked at his hand. Erik released his grip in a hurry. "Alone?" He asked nervously. "If you don't want to go alone, then fine some men to accompany you, Erik." Uri stood up huffing impatiently. "I can go." I said. Uri looked at me amused. "Give her a sword then." He said to whoever was listening.

After arming myself and Erik collecting a few more men we were on our way to investigating the scene in the forest. "Look there," Olag said pointing to the group suspended by their necks. "There's a rune there, on that tree." It looked as though it was burned into the bark. It was a circle shape with two horns stretching from the top of it. "The mark for dark gods." I said without thinking. "Really?" Olag asked me in disbelief. "Nah, that's enough for me, I'm going home. I've enough off all this shit." He turned and started back towards the camp mumbling about how Uri was not paying him enough to deal with the gods, let alone the murdering type. "Erik, lets go with him." another man, Rory said to Erik in a hushed voice. At that the other men with us started to leave. I watched as they left, but didn't join them. Erik noticing I was not walking with him turned to me and asked, " What are you doing, let's go." Shaking my head I pulled out a dagger I acquired. "We should bring them down, don't you think?" I asked him. "No, I do not." He said as he reached for my hand holding the dagger, "We don't know why they are there." He took the dagger from me and slid it back into the pouch on my hip. "Let's just go." He said softly, taking my hand he pulled me away.

We had only gotten a few steps before the screams of men and woman filled the air. Jerking my hand away from Erik's I pulled my axe out from under my cloak. Erik looked at me confused seeing the axe, then pulled his own sword and started to run to the camp, I followed him. Everything inside me was screaming at me to stop. Not to go towards to the sound, to turn and run. I was scared, but why was I going to defend Uri and his men? They were terrible people. Well, most of them were. "Erik! Stop, wait!" I called to him. I leaned against a tree catching my breath. "Stop, we can't go to them." He stopped running and turned to me, his golden hair falling into his panic stricken face. "What? Why not? They are dying, Bodil!" "Yeah, and so will we if we go to them! Look!" I yelled at Erik. He took in the scene at the camp. There were three dark figures walking through the camp, people were being split into pieces mid air. A few men kept trying to get close enough to bury their weapons into the dark beings, they were unable to get the chance before they were sent across the ground dead in one way or another. Erik dropped to the ground and I creeped over to his side. "Please, let's just run." I begged him. "We don't stand a chance!" Erik studied my face, then took my hand once again and started away from the camp. "Come on!" He hissed as he pulled me north away from everything.

We ran until our legs were unable to run any longer. We had no water, or food. We were in trouble in more ways then one. "We need to find somewhere safe to go." I said to Erik as I tried to catch my breath. "You ever see anything like that before, Erik? You've been places, haven't you?" "No. Never. Not even in the forest of Gorffennol." He told me. "You've been to the forest of Gorffennol?" I asked slightly surprised. Nodding he said, "Yeah, when I was a younger man. With my father... And my two brothers." He sounded sad after saying this. I wasn't going to push the topic. I just nodded. I couldn't help but wonder in that moment what Erik's real story was. I studied his face for a moment as we crouched, resting. Erik's skin was light with a tanned tone, it made his blue eyes stand out against his golden hair. He was slightly taller then me, and built for being a warrior. I suppose fighting for Uri made sense. I knew Erik's father was a wanderer, and worked for who paid the highest. I didn't know he had two brother's however.

Erik looked at me from the side, then half smiled. "What? Nervous?" He asked me. "What are we going to do now? Where are we going to go?" I relaxed my grip on my axed as I asked this realizing my hands were throbbing from holding the hilt so tightly. He took a deep breath and stood up. "I don't know, I think we should keep going until we find some water though." I nodded in agreement. We were going to need some water if we planned to live anyways.

The sun was low in the sky, after moving all day I was in need of a full nights rest. "Erik, can we stop for the night? My legs, they feel like they are made of water right now." He chuckled, "Yeah, let's rest here tonight, we have made some good distance between the camp and us. I hope so anyways." He let the last part trail off. "Me too." I started to put together a fire to warm myself. I was cold and my body was tired and in need of something to drink. "I wonder if we can collect some water off of these leaves?" I asked out loud. "Probably not enough." Erik said. The small pile of sticks I had piled together began to smoke and burn. I blew on it and tossed in some dryer grass to keep it going. Erik brought over a few larger piece of wood and placed them on top of the flames. The heat was welcoming. "I'll be back, see if I can catch something to eat." He pulled the bow he had strapped to his back off and gave it a few test pulls before disappearing into the forest.

I was walking around sipping the few water droplets hanging to the leaves hoping I would be able to get enough for a good drink. I was sorely disappointed when I only found enough to really wet my mouth and throat, and not enough to satisfy the ache in my stomach. I felt foolish for not bringing my water skin into the forest with me, let alone for both of us to not have one? Terrible. I scolded myself as I watched the flames lick the air, flickering. I held my hands out to soak up their heat, if anything I thought, at least I'm warm and armed and with any luck wont be hungry if Erik returns with something...anything. "Ota, guide us to safety, and keep us alive." I whispered to Ota. After everything today I felt it appropriate to ask Ota for help. Or any god for that matter. Erik came out of the forest happy with himself only a few moments later, he was holding up a fat rabbit. "Dinner." He said with a grin and a wink. "Excellent." I clapped my hands together and started to build a spit for the rabbit while Erik gutted it, making it ready. "No sign of anyone else out there?" I asked him. He shook his head, "Nah, I haven't seen anyone behind us, around us, nothing since we left the camp. I doubt they noticed us, Bodil. I will get us somewhere safe and away from here." He paused and then smiled at me. A real tooth baring smile. "Who would have thought we would end up running away together?" I through a small rock at him. "I'm not running away with you, we are just... Running away." I laughed shrugging my shoulders. "Shut up. What's your story anyways, Erik?" I asked him. He looked at me seriously. "My story?" He asked. "Yeah, I remember your Dad. I remember he was a tough man. He was a good. You said you had brothers though. Where are they?" I was curious and only trying to ease my own nerves. "Yeah, I did. They died, years ago. My father took us to the forest of Gorffennol, there were some beasts there we were paid to kill. My father lost his eye, and my brothers lost their lives." He stopped talking. " My father brought me to Uri's farm and we have worked for him since." "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you." I said almost embarrassed I brought up something that must have been a sensitive subject for him. "Nah, it's okay." He nodded and then pulled the rabbit meat onto a sharped stick, hanging it over the fire without another word.

I hated being cold. It reminded me of the nights I was caged in a barn in the early days after Uri brought me to the farm. I hated him so much then. The death of my parents, stealing my life from me. Its not that I ever forgave Uri for what he and his men did to my family, but I was never able to escape him, or live my own life. I just learned to accept my life for what it was in the end.

"Bodil?" Erik interrupted my thoughts. I looked at him silently waiting for him to continue. "Where were you going to go when you ran away?" He caught me off guard. "How did you know I was going to leave?" I asked him.

"I would have if I were you. I wouldn't want to be married to anyone Uri chose for me either." He laughed. I laughed with him.

"Do you think they are all dead?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said lowering his head slightly.

"I do hope other got out of there. Not everyone who worked for Uri was awful. Why would these things be following Uri anyways?" I wondered.

"Maybe it's a bad omen" Erik chuckled.

"I didn't take you to be the superstitious type, Erik."

"I am a believer in many things, I told you, I have see many things in my life." He winked at me and changed the subject. " How did you come to Uri?" He asked me. I was almost surprised he didn't know this already.

"Uri. In his greed for steel and gold. He and his men attacked my family farm, many years ago." I shrugged. "The rest explains itself, as here we are together now."

"So your parents were killed then?" He asked.

"And my younger sibling. A brother. At least I think I remember a brother. Sometimes I wonder if what I remember is real at all." Why was I telling Erik this anyways? We were not friends, nor were we fond of each other really. Erik always seemed to mistreat slaves when they brought him what he asked for. He has made plenty of remarks to me in our past times at the farm that I choose to forget.

"Why do you care anyways?" I asked him.

"I care about you." He admitted.

I was confused. "Oh, yes." I said laughing. "Since when, Erik? You have always been so flat towards others."

He shrugged. "Somethings change when you learn to respect someone. I respect you." He laid back onto the ground.

"Respect me? And what is it that I have done to gain that respect from you?"

Before he could respond, Olag came through the trees, bleeding from his face, and missing part of his arm.

"Olag! You're alive?" I got to my feet seeing Olag.

"Help me, slave." He sputtered at me as he stumbled over to me not seeing Erik.

"Even half dead your still a bastard." Erik said rising to his feet watching Olag slump to the ground near the fire.

"Erik? They are all dead. Even the woman. Those heks, they killed everyone." Olag rushed the words out.

"Heks? Magic users?" Erik asked in disbelief. I was tying a bit of torn fabric around Olag's arm above the ripped skin. "Did they tear your arm off?" I asked out of curiosity.

"They tore everyone apart. They just raised their arms and it happened! Lucky it was just my damned arm, I was able to get away before they got the rest of me. Uri's dead, Erik." Erik didn't seem to care about this news, at least not as much as Olag.

Olag worked for Uri for decades. If he was apart of the raid on my families farm I was unsure of. He was a worm of a man and talking to him was never in my interests.

Erik sat back down and tossed the stick with the remaining rabbit at Olag, "Eat, at least you wont starve to death before that wound kills you."

Olag grabbed the stick with his only hand and tore what was left of the meat off the bones greedily.

"I didn't see you fighting. Did you run away with this girl?" Olag asked him amused.

"I wouldn't call it running away, I would have said, chose to live and left while I could. The girl happen to have the same idea as I did, and we left together. What chance did we have anyways, look at you!" Erik said.

"You sure you're not just a coward?" Olag asked him darkly.

"Want to finish that meal as your last, Olag? Or would you prefer to live another day?" Erik was on his feet and against Olag's throat with a dagger before Olag could react.

Olag shook his head and pushed Erik back with the stick. "Back off, I have no wish to fight you."

Erik looked at me, "Want to stay here the night? Or should we leave him to die alone?" He asked me.

I looked at Olag, "What do you say, Olag? Want to die alone, or should we pity you and stay?" I could see Olag's eye flash with anger.

"I will leave in the morning back to the farm, inform Uri's wife of his death." He said.

"Good idea!" Erik said with a grin as he put more wood to burn on the fire.

I was sure Erik was only letting Olag camp here incase we need an extra sword in the night. I only cared that morning came quickly and without trouble. The fact the Olag came across us tells me others can as well. I pulled my axe from under my cloak and a sharpening stone from my pouch. I started sharpening the blade edge when Olag started up again.

"Where did you get that then?"

"None of your business." I said to him calmly. I wasn't about to give him a reason to start another fight.

"Stole it from Uri didn't ya? I knew you were a thief." He spat at me.

"I was a slave, Olag. What else was I supposed to do?" I asked him.

"Was a slave? You still are. Uri's wife is still alive, isn't she?" He pointed out.

"You wont be for long if you don't stop talking." Erik reminded him.

"Oh, I see. You've taken a shinning to this one, haven't you Erik? Thought you would take her for yourself then?" He laughed.

"Shut up already, Olag." Erik said already regretting helping Olag.

For the next little while the only sounds were the stone against my blade accompanied by the crackling of flames. My thoughts kept drifting to my family. I was finally free. I am free. I am free. I kept repeating it over and over in my head as I pushed the stone against the metal. I started to laugh out loud before I could stop myself out of pure joy that I was no longer Uri's slave. Anyone's slave. Erik and Olag looking at me like I had lost my mind, I laughed some more.

"What is so amusing?" Erik asked me.

"I'm free." I said for the first time out loud. "I'm finally free." I started to cry. The tears rolling down my cheeks, completely happy. I stood up and clipped the axe to my hip. I took a deep breath. "I'm going north in the morning. A new life awaits me and I am going to find it." I said to Erik.

"Alone?" He asked me?

"Well, didn't you say you were coming?" I smiled at Erik. He nodded. "Yeah, I am."