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Blessed & Cursed (Yuna & Alvis Alendran's 1x1)

LadyYunaFFX2

LadyYunaFFX2

Pulsar
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Location
Boone, NC
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All of the people within the large and prosperous city of Athens, Greece, were going about their daily routines. For one specific woman, however, it was a bit different than most of the other citizens and what they did on a day-to-day basis.

That someone was nineteen year old Sophitia and whether through dreams or praying at the temples, though usually the latter, she would see images and visions. Some were forms of good news but most ... showed chaos, disaster, discord; any and every adjective that could lead to something along the lines of something very horrible and unpleasant. She'd tried multiple times to warn the others, but none had heeded her.

None except her mother, one of the local high priestesses. Although they often went specifically to Hera's temple, she encouraged her child to worship all of the deities properly.

Some days, Sophitia would see things, others none. And thus that was what their routine consisted mainly of; to see whether a vision would come to her or not.

Nervous light blue eyes glanced over to her mom as she held her hands in front of her. Multiple whispers could be heard around the couple as they proceeded towards the temple. Despite how often this was done, it still bothered Sophitia. Still, she didn't look towards anyone else, her gaze remaining more towards the ground than anywhere.

As the two arrived, they found the temple mostly empty. Sophitia looked silently to her mother, as if asking if she truly had to do this, before approaching a massive statue of Hera.

The poor girl did, of course, have quite the reputation within Athens albeit many still believed her to be a liar and witch. But even when they should have begun to believe her after witnessing her visions coming to life, the citizens were still in denial, if anything trying to assume that Sophitia was somehow the cause.

As Sophitia found herself now in front of the statue, her head lowered slightly, light brown locks falling in front of parts of her face. Her voice was soft and gentle despite most of the others being anything but that towards her. Slowly, she began to murmur a prayer - one she used often - to Hera.

"Hera, Queen of the Gods and Watcher of Women
I come to you today to continue our ritual of sorts
I ask for your guidance, your sight
If I'm to know of anything significant for today ... let me see now ... "

And soon, an image did come in her mind. There were ... men. They seemed armed, though it easily could have been merely for protection. What got her immediate attention, however, was noting they were .... foreign, not Greeks. But ... who were they? She'd never seen such individuals before.

Her eyes slowly opened as she bowed to the statue, looking up in contemplation. This was the first time a vision had seemed more neutral instead of strictly 'good' or 'bad'. It made her ponder why this had happened now of all times and days.

As Priscilla saw her daughter walking away from the statue, the pensive looked spelled out she had definitely seen something. Slowly approaching, she asked gently, "What is it? What did you see, my daughter?"

"Men ... armed men. But I'm not sure whom they are ... or even where they were heading exactly. It ... didn't make much sense, for once." Her head shook no slowly as she gave her mother an apologetic look for failing to be able to say more.

And yet, she got an all-too familiar reaction; a soft smile as her mother's hand gently caressed her cheek. "Something is better than nothing. Besides, it may not end up being anything to worry about. Like you said, their destination wasn't hinted ... it may not even be our concern. Come, let's get back home."

And with that, the two began slowly making their way back towards their villa. Their father would be away and still at work ... but that they had already known. He was often gone until the sunset, leaving the two women to chores and duties within the home.

Then again, neither minded this too much either. After all, that was one of the greatest pleasures of being a woman during these times; doing any and everything one could to keep their lover - or close person, in Sophitia's case - content.
 
It was a good day to be a mercenary. Well, most days were good to be a mercenary in this land. A veritable horde of cities, and most of them wanting to make war with one another. And habing a group of foreign warriors that stood nearly a foot taller than the average local didn't hurt either. The only downside was how blasted hot it was in these lands compared to back home. Throkell turned to look at the few remaining preparations being made by his men. A few of them had made some concessions to local fashion, donning kilts instead of the heavy trousers of back home, and here and there were bronze guards for arm and lower leg. But most of them had the more familiar iron scales, with a rare few affording the chain mail that had saved them so many times. He turned back to the city, and examined the walls.

They were higher than he was used to, and stone, not wood. That ruled out burning a section down as a distraction. Which meant they were going over them, one way or another. He had bare a hundred men under his command over all, a scarce company, not even a proper ship full. But he'd seen how these Greek fought, and he and his men were not afraid of them. They advanced, keeping low and fast, closing the gap to the walls. The city had been at peace for too long, too secure in their dominance of the region through politics and planning. It was time to make a mess, and get what they were after.

Three pronged hooks flew up, thrown by strong arms, falling onto the top of the wall. With sharp tugs, they made a firm contact, and men started to climb the ropes, heading for their appointed places. Ten roeps, each one supporting a team of ten. It didn't take long, and soon a company of warriors stood on the walls. A sentry came into sight, and promptly died with an arrow in his throat. Thorkell nodded to his archers, and moved on. Ten archers, one to each team, all had arrows nocked and ready as they prowled along the walls. The temple they sought was close to teh wall, far enough that it was a free standing building. Not far enough to prevent a strong man from jumping to it.

Boots landing hard, Thorkell pointed to the edge of the rook closest to the wall, and more ropes were laid out, these ones spiked directly into the rock. Each man rappelled down to the ground, and stepped away, readying their weapons. Thorkell was the last one down, swinging his large shield to the fore. It was larger than average for a man of his people. A full four feet across, it looked more at home among the Greek hoplon shields. Backed by oak in the same way, this one was faced with iron, save for the boss, which had set Thorkell apart from other easily. The boss was chiselled stone. He pulled his axe free, a heavy weapon that most would be uncomfortable swinging in a single hand. With a grin, he touched the pendant around his neck, a silver hammer, and took a deep breath.
"Boys, let's go to work!" He called. With a roar that shattered the quiet city air, they charged.

The temple wasn't well guarded. Thorkell burst through the main doors, his men fanning out. There was gold here, there was always gold in temples. He saw a priestess shriek, and raise a warding hand before one of his men, Ragnar, rammed a sword through her chest. Temple staff ran about erratically, men chasing them with laughter echoing in the chamber. Axes and sword flashed in the dim light, holy women and men falling dead with each stroke. Others were busily stuffing whatever riches they could find into carry bags, before tossing full ones to other men in exchange for empties. It was a well planned raid. And now it was time to get the hell out of the city. Thorkel turned to go, but saw a priestess cowering in the corner, and he approached her. She whimpered as he drew near.

"Please...don't kill me..." She pleaded, not meeting his eyes.
"Can you give me a reason not to?" He askd her. His gruff voice did terrible things to the Greek language, but it was the best he could do. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.
"The...the Seer girl! She claims to see the future!" The woman claimed suddenly. Thorkell smiled. Now that...that was something more valuable.
"Where is she?"
"They left! Her and her mother! Their villa is down the road, not a full stadion!" Thorkell had no idea what a stadion was, but he assumed it was some kind of distance, and not too large of one. He nodded to her.
"My thanks. May Hel greet you fondly." Her eyes widened as his axe swung forward, splitting her head in half. "Let's go boys! One more stop to make on the way out!"

The company pounded down the street, in tight formation. The temple burned behind them. Stone it might be, but the amount of sacred oils within had let them set quite a blaze, adn it should keep people distracted for a while. Ahead he saw two women walking, one of them younger, and made the connection that it was most likely the Seer. He waved a hand forward, and one man sprinted forward, skidding to a halt, and drawing back his bow. The arrow flashed through the air, adn landed solidly in the meat of the thigh of the older woman, while the rest of the company roared forward. They were close, and Thorkell simply tucked his shield in, and used that impact to bowl the younger woman over.
 
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As Sophitia and Priscilla were walking towards their house, quite a few people - they noticed - seemed to be running past them. As if .. away from something. Sophitia frowned, originally thinking it had to do with her. But then .... her eyes closed as she began trying to focus on that vision. Had she missed something? She must have; it had looked far too simple. As she began trying to focus, the vision seemed to split like a shattered mirror. A gasp left, her hand covering her heart as it raced. Now she knew ... something was very wrong. That, of all things, had never happened once before. And to see such a reaction ... she couldn't help but wonder what it meant.

The gasp and fear within her daughter's eyes made Priscilla cease walking and look into her daughter's eyes. " ... Sophitia? What is --- ahhh!" As the arrow pierced her thigh, she collapsed over, but not before giving Sophitia a shove. "RUN!" Her hands held onto the wounded area, her head turning back. She hadn't been given an exact description ... but the men before her eyes were definitely foreign, not from Athens let alone Greece. Something told her these were what she'd seen.

Her heart sunk ... poor Sophitia. Even as an official priestess, Priscilla still didn't quite understand why the gods had given her daughter these abilities. It was a decision that thoroughly confused her. But even if she were to perish ... she wouldn't do so without giving her daughter another gift; one that wouldn't be so obvious to her or these .... raiders? They may as well be that much.

Allowing her eyes to close, she began sending up her own prayer. Though it was mainly to Hera, it seemed to go to any of the female goddesses, such as Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hestia to name a few.

You all have supported me, kept me safe, for so long. Take your sanctuaries away ... and give them all to Sophitia. She needs it all more than me. As her prayer finished, she allowed her eyes to open and gaze up towards the men. Though one could have fairly assumed there would have been an emotion such as hate in her eyes ... they seemed to be void of such a thing, it seemed. In fact, all one could find was peace and serenity; probably because she felt her prayer almost instantly being answered as all the protections began to leave her.

"MOTHER!!" The wince and cry of agony from her mom had made her turn, though the push clearly suggested to turn back around and keep running. Still, those few seconds had been long enough to make the impact hit, causing poor Sophitia to roll over a few times, finally stopping after about the third. However, she noted a few things as she got up to her feet and ran.

For one, she appeared to have gotten an unusual burst of speed. But the more attention-grabbing detail was she didn't have even a small scratch on her. She blinked ... confused at the sight. But she definitely wouldn't complain. Her light brown locks bounced against her back as she broke into a run, whimpering lowly. She felt horrible, like a coward for abandoning her mother the way she had. But she wasn't about to ignore the advice or words either.

Tears formed in her light blue eyes as she ran ... heading for the gate that led into and out of Athens. The guards weren't there ... of course. However, they'd made a lever system for when an emergency arose. Well ... now seemed to be as good of a time as ever. Putting both hands upon the device, she began trying to pull it with all her strength and make the massive gates open so she could run out .... away. Admittedly, Sophitia wasn't exactly sure where she'd go. But anywhere had to be much safer than here; that much was now clear to her.
 
The older woman was put sompletely out of his mind at this point. She was no longer important to him, only this Seer. He whistled as he ran past her, and one of his men tossed him a spear. It was a good weapon, seven feet in length, and with a long iron head. Throkell trotted forward, adn threw. His aim was true, slamming into the lever itself, barely above her hands. As the gates started to roll open, The company dashed forward, getting into a good position. One of Thorkell's men, Ragnar, rushed past the older woman with a grin, his hand whipping out, and grabbing her around the throat. He looked at her, and blanched. The eyes. They were wrong. He was used to seeing fear, anger, hate, but not... this calm. He drew out his heavy bladed knife. It was nearly the size of a small sword, and he held the point to her cheek, and snarled. Those eyes...

Thorkell waved a hand, and his men spread out, getting to the gate. He could hear the alarm bells going off, and knew that there would bena armed response here soon. He reached the lever, adn wrenched his spear from it, tossing it to a man behind him, and weighed his options. The girl was in flight, but fleeing out of the city. It might be easier to let her run for a little while, get her farther away. The nearest outlying farm was a fair clp away, and she'd be exhausted well before reaching it. He gave a whistle, and his men set off after her. Ragnar heard, adn turned to look at Thorkell. The men were leaving, and that meant he was out of time. He made two swift cuts with his knife, the first banishing the thought of those eyes, as he drew teh sharp iron across them, ruinign them. The other went across her throat, before dropping her, adn following his people out of the city.
 
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Poor Sophitia didn't wait for the gates to fully open; just enough that she could squeeze and run past without getting caught in them. A squeal left as the spear landed in the device, though by that time, she'd accomplished what she had wanted. Her hands let go of the device and without any second thoughts or attempting to look behind her, Sophitia began to run, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her head shook from side to side, confused and terrified on not just all that was happening, but the other visions which she'd seen before haunting her mind.

Why?! Why me?! Of course, she got no reply to her mental question .... or hint. But it wouldn't stop her from trying. Her head continued to shake as she focused on running, going ... as far as she knew .... North. Or ... was it South? Hell, it was out of Athens; that would be a start. Or so she hoped.

Never once did Priscilla say anything aloud. No whimpers, no begging, no nothing. Even as her throat was grabbed and the blade got close to her ... she kept silent. Almost as if she herself had expected this somehow. As the iron went across her eyes and throat, a weak gasp left, a small but still noticable smile crossing her lips. It didn't take but seconds for her heart to cease beating, her body falling as it was released. A slow but very steady pond of blood began to coat her corpse. She'd died with no regrets ... not even about having her life taken away rather abruptly or suddenly, without any good reason she could see.

She'd been able to save her daughter. That was more than enough to allow her entrance into Elysia. She may not have been a war hero, but she had been one of sorts.
 
The company was trotting behind, keeping Sophitia in sight. One of the men trotted up to Thorkell.
"I can drop her from here." He said calmly, setting an arrow to the bowstring. Thorkell shook his head.
"The boss will be pissed. He'll want her alive, and in good shape. Who's the fastest?" He replied. The other man thought a moment.
"Be Herliefr. He can run anyone down."
"Send him in. Simple tackle and suppress. Nothing fancy." The man nodded, adn barked out a few ords in their native tongue. A lithe, but till powerfully built man stepped up, slinging his shield onto his back, adn grinning. With a few deep breaths, he picked up his pace.

Feet churning the ground, and his legs pumping furiously, herliefr shot forward. Thorkell had to admit, the man was fast as hell. He ate up the difference between him and Sophitia faster than expected.
"He runs like Thailfi himself." Thorkell muttered. Herliefr grinned as he got close, and when he was within a few feet, launched himself forward, arm outstretched in case she tried to dodge, ready to bring her down. She was good, veyr nearly making it, but once he had a hold of her, he bore her down hard, arms around her to pin her in place. He simply held her and waited for the other to catch up.
 
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When the sounds of footsteps caught her ears, Sophitia turned her head, whimpering to see another male chasing her down ... and rather swiftly catching up. Her head turned back in front of her, a shudder trailing down her body. Normally, she would have assumed maybe she had over-reacted to this entire situation. But they'd outright attacked her mother and herself. She'd made the right decision to try to run from these men. They were dangerous and worse off, they wanted her ... that much was clear. But what for? Probably nothing good.

"Ah!" The mixture of the foreign touch, fear, and force behind her being grasped and pinned made Sophitia fall on her stomach. Her hands covered her face, her body trembling in Herliefr's grip. So many 'what ifs' .... and none were more pleasant than the next. She didn't want to die ... that was one of the main fears racing through her head then and there. That for some reason, she was about to meet her demise. And yet, it didn't make complete sense because of one main thing.

They weren't Greeks ... they were still very much foreigners. She'd never been outside of Athens before now. Even if Sophitia had a chance to somehow wrong these people, she definitely would have recalled .. let alone if anyone from Greece had done so. But she couldn't recall that being true so .... she was even more confused and scared. She swallowed, finally asking shakily, "..W-what ... do you want with me? Who ... are you anyways?"

Struggling would have been pointless; not just because of the sheer number and strength, but she hadn't forgotten they were all armed. Oh no, she'd made damn well sure to remember that perfectly. Their archer had incredible aim ... and that was only one man. She didn't want to test the others' abilities out by trying to run again from this one individual.
 
Thorkell and the company approached Sophitia, and Herliefr released her, they were too close for her to effectively make a break for it now. Thorkell smiled at her question.
"I am Thorkell, Son of Burok Bearslayer, descended from the Skjöldung clan. And the priestess in the temple claimed you to be a seer, trying to buy her own life with that knowledge. And i am here to bring you to my chieftain as a prize of war." He explained to her. He made the first announcement proudly, claerly proud of his ancestry, though it likely made no sense to anyone not sharing his background. But it was the response that was expected to be made really, by the men and tradition.

"Now then lads, take her in hand, and get her up. We've a long run ahead of us." He barked in his native tongue. Men moved to surround Sophitia, and get her on her fet, and moving towards the mountains. They were not terribly close, but they might make it to them at a hustle by dusk. The mercenaries all moved forward with smiles. It had been a good day for them.
 
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"I ... suppose I am. Most of Athens fail to believe or heed all I've tried to say before, though." Funny how it took their arrival for any of the other priests or priestesses to call her that. Fear could make people rather fickle, it appeared. As the word 'war' echoed in her ears, her heart raced more. She'd almost protested that there'd been no official announcement ... but then her mind went back to what she could recall of the vision. This ... is what it'd meant, hadn't it? The end of her life in Athens, the beginning of her one with these .... foreign raiders. Her hands covered her face, a whimper leaving, a shudder trailing down her body.

In all honesty, a bit of her was glad for the assistance of being helped up, lest her shaking body merely force her back upon her rear or knees. The news had been too much. Whomever had kept a hold on her arms would feel how fast and violent her body was trembling by now, more in her arms than legs. These had men reminded her of an exotic version of the Spartans; quick, ruthless, deadly accuracy with any weapon they specialized in ... and her heart only sunk more. Did that mean she'd be used as a sacrifice upon arriving then?

Her head shook no slowly. It was selfish, especially if they'd just finished executing quite the massacre upon Athens, but gods help her she did not want to die. Maybe one of their deities ... someone whom was like Hera ... would help keep her safe to some degree? It was an odd idea but certainly not unheard of. And at the rate things were going, she'd need all the luck and assistance possible.

Her hands slowly moved away from her face, her eyes barely avoiding the desire to cry as she managed to see they were heading towards ... mountains? She supposed if nothing else, it'd be an interesting trip for sure. But none of the revelations ceased her body from reacting the way it was, with her heart constantly racing and pounding in her chest, her mind seeming to try to think a mile a minute if not faster.
 
"Girl, I'm not sure I believe you're a seer. But the priestess thought so, and it's for my jarl to decide, not I." Thorkell answered honestly. He wiped his brow. Eight months in this place wasn't enough to get used to the climate here. It would be winter back home, and the snows would be deeper than he was tall, and by Odin's blind eye he missed it! Here you just sat and sweat it out. At least the mountains gave them some respite, giving them some of the chill that they craved. But since they'd come to be stuck here, thay'd had to make the most of it.

Herliefr leaned in beside the girl, speaking low.
"I'll have a reward for catching you girl. Think I might ask for a night alone with you." He cackled, his hand coming around to slap across her ass. He cackled as he stepped away. The mountains loomed quickly as they made good time, coming to a section that had a well hidden, but well made path that wound into the mountinas proper, makingthe journey much easier.
 
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Fear struck her quicker than any of them could have as a thought and concern quickly came to Sophitia. She'd never been outside of Athens, let alone knew of any other deities! What if she wouldn't be able to prove or save herself because these men were too foreign and unknown to her?! It made her cover her face quickly, muffling a whimper that soon followed. No no no! Not like this ... I don't want to die because I can't prove myself! I ... I .... Her ankles wanted so badly to tense and break away, but between the number, distance they'd already gone, and sheer strength ... there was no way to get out of this. That chance she'd practically tossed away when she refused to fight against Herliefr.

"S-sophitia ... please." She added, not overly enjoying the sound of the word 'girl' being used to address her. Then again, the smack her ass soon got or hint of what he'd want for a reward wasn't much better. The physical contact made her gasp and stumble forward a bit, pulling her toga down more as if thinking it would somehow protect her better. That, more likely than not, was also not helping her state. She had nothing, no one to help her. Sophitia was all alone .... and that alone was drawing her closer to tears.

A seemingly invisible hand took hers and aided her with moving them away from her face. Her head turned but she saw no one, making her blink slightly.

... I'm going insane now? Lovely ...

Not quite, no you're not.

The sounds of a new voice made the poor young girl jump slightly, looking around slightly once again before her gaze went back in front of her.

... W... who?

Hera; even if it may look like it, I have not abandoned you, Sophitia. Your mother asked me to remove her blessings and give them all to you. You can't feel it ... but should any attempt to harm you with a blade or arrow, it will fail. Rest assured ...

Sophitia bit her lip gently as she slowly nodded, deciding to take this time and try to use any and all advantages possible. I ... then I'll still be able to prove myself somehow?

Yes ... though the names of these foreign gods are ones I cannot give you. However, you will be able to describe them properly. They will know whom you speak of and the events will still occur all the same. That alone will suffice for them, no doubt. No matter where they take you, never forget for one second I am always with you .. in a matter of speaking. For the time being, I have other things to tend to. Keep your head up and hold onto faith. You will get through this.

W-wait! But ...

That had been as far as she'd gotten before noting the voice had seemed to completely leave from her head. A shudder trailed down her back as her head slowly raised, the view ahead of her meeting her orbs. Hera had always watched over herself and her mother for years. That small but encouraging talk proved she would hold true to her word; she wouldn't suffer and endure everything alone. That knowledge and slither of hope began to make Sophitia steadily feel somewhat better.

Not to say it got rid of all of her anxieties .. but it was definitely a start and step in the right direction. She remained silent, hearing nothing but her breaths and heart beating in her chest, waiting for a cue on whether to stop, head another direction, or something else of the like.
 
The group moved into a longer file, four wide, and began to amek their way up the trail. It was starting to get dark out, but the men seemed to know the way. Sophitia was wedged into the column, and Herliefr was on the outside, ready to run her down once more if needed. The trail woudn well into the mountains, and ultimately ended at a plateau that was wide enough to accommodate quite a population. The raiding force had been a hundred strong, adn there looked to be forty more here still. Nost of these didn't look to be warriors as such, well, most of them didn't. But all of them carried themselves with the same powerful build that was prevalent amongst the raiders. There were perhaps eight hut-like structures, and one larger one. They kept Sophitia moving towards that, All of the men chuckling, and seeming to enjoy themselves quite a lot. Thorkell pushed the doors open, and led the company in.

"Greeting my jarl!" THe man called. At the back of the structure, a single large seat, almost a throne, rose up. A man sat on it, and he cocked his head slowly at Thorkell. The new man was tall, but not as much as one might expect. He was broad at the shoulders, and showed a great deal of muscle tone in his bared arms. His hari was different than the others, coming in at a veyr light brown with flecks of red in it, rather than the golden hair that most of the men bore. Eyes of deep brown gazed out, though when the light struck them, they gave an almost golden shine. It gave him a very lupine gaze, almost like wolf eyes. He rose as he saw the bulging sacks filled with the valubles from teh city.
"Welcome home my friends! Welcome indeed! It seems you have been fruitful in your work!" He called, grinning broadly.
"Indeed jarl Thorsson! And we bring you this as well!" Thorkell reached back, and siezed Sophitia's arm, dragging her forward into view. He gave her a shove towards Thorsson. The other man stepped from his dias, and advanced on her.
"What was my policy on taking prisoners?" He asked no one in particular. Thorkell swallowed.
"Not to my lord. But she is claimed to be a seer." Thorsson cocked an eyebrow, and looked to Sophitia. He was close enough now that he loomed over her, somehow appearing taller than he was.
"Is this true girl? Are you a seer, a diviner of things yet to come?" He asked her, though their was malice in his voice.
 
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The longer the walk continued, the more her legs began to burn and ache. Her pace slowed a bit, but never fully stopped. While the urge to run tried to tempt her a few times, she never actually heeded the idea ... not with all of them so close nearby. It was quite the relief when they had arrived finally. Her eyes gazed around, beginning to take in her new surroundings and 'home' of sorts. It was massive like Athens as were the buildings and yet different at the same time. She made mental notes on where things were to avoid getting lost, her body unable to help but lightly tremble slightly. She was still uncertain -- mainly of what would happen to her and what she would do exactly. Did they expect her to become their Seer? And was that all? Or would there be more?

She really hoped this man, leader she guessed, would deny Herliefr his request he'd hinted he would try to ask for.

A low gasp left as she felt herself shoved forward, stumbling a few steps. Her eyes managed to look into the wolf-like ones as she held her ground, trying to listen to Hera's advice and keep courage and her head up. She gave a firm and determined nod as the question was brought to her.

"Yes, I am and have been for .... as long as I can remember. I always have the visions before they actually happen, whether it seconds before doing so, minutes, or sometimes days depending. Your men, for example, weren't a surprise. Their arrival ... Hera showed me it but only that. And with never having seen a non-Greek or non-Roman before ... it was harder to identify whom they were or what to expect from them. All the same, I don't usually have more than one vision in the same day."

Her hands held one another in front of Sophitia's body, her heart pounding. She'd done all she could. Hopefully, it'd be enough.
 
Thorsson smiled thinly.
"Then we'll see. But don't plan to See me in your visions Seer. None can, whether blessed by foreign or familiar gods, my fate is shoruded to all." He warned. "Thorkell, you have done something good here, and I will grant you The first choice of the take in return."
"Thank you my jarl. And Herliefr did the proper catching. Might he be granted a gift as well?" Thorsson turned to look at Herliefr. The man grinned.
"I'd take a night with the Seer my jarl." The man said plainly, leering at Sophitia. Thorsson shook his head.
"Your habits are well known to me Herliefr. The Seer is no good broken. Should she prove other than what she claims, then she will be yours to do with as you see fit. But not until. I can only offer you a larger portion from the riches taken." Herliefr scowled, clearly disappointed. He nodded though.
"As you say my jarl."

"Now then, you should all return to your homes, and get some rest. I'll take care of the Seer." Thorsson ordered. It only took a few moments for the hall to empty, leaving him alone with Sophitia. The door closed behind the last raider, sealing her away with him. Thorsson offered her nothing at this pont, simply turning away, and walking back towards the high seat of the hall. It was all a proper tactic. He'd let her stew for a few moments, see how far her nerves and courage extend, and wat other qualities might be present.
 
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Her eyes closed, a shudder of relief quickly trailing down her body. He believed her enough to spare her; it was a nice start. Upon Herliefr speaking up and asking to bed her, though, Sophitia's eyes abruptly opened and looked slowly up to Thorsson. He wouldn't really allow this ... would he? Thankfully, even he understood this power may still be remaining partly because she was still pure and forbid him to touch her. She didn't care on the reasons ... she was very grateful all the same for him saying no, though she knew the sprinter was quite the opposite at the moment.

As the word 'rest' echoed towards all of the men and into her mind, the concept sounded good. Even though it probably wasn't as late as it could be, the day had been exhausting, mentally especially. She allowed herself to sink to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest as her head rested upon her patellas. Her eyes slowly closed again as she tried to relax and calm down. If he had been against her - for the time being at least - being broken, she doubted he would be a hypocrite and try anything himself.

With that slither of hope being clung to, she continued trying to relax. The floor was cold ... but Sophitia doubted much better of a surface would be offered. Nor did she want to try to push her luck. The display of courage, one could argue, had already been proven. Yes, she'd tried to run at first but in the end, she followed Thorkell and the others into a completely unknown fate, never once begging or protesting. The way she was trying to forget of her settings showed she could have a high amount of focus and concentration -- assuming no one bothered her.

There was also a hint of subservience with how she never once tried to protest, not even when Herliefr asked to sleep with her. With enough observation, Thorsson would see quite a bit that he was seeking for in the young girl. All he had to do was look hard enough.

Please ... let me prove myself somehow. Let ... let me ...

But before she could finish, her chest slowed in the rising and falling, showing fatigue was overwhelming her and rather quickly. The long walk had no doubt contributed and even if on a floor, obtaining some rest would be a welcoming idea that she'd gladly embrace and accept.
 
Apparently the biggest quality that she possessed was the ability to fall asleep anywhere. Thorsson looked at her with a smile. Then again, her day had been taxing as one could imagine, being attacked, taken, your mother murdered, and then dragged up a mountain. It was enough excitement to overwhelm most anyone. He went ot eh side wall, and lifted a fur cloak from his homeland, adn walked past her. He dropped it on her, making a crude covering, but it was enough. he went back to his high seat, and sank into it with a sigh.

Mercenary work was easy enough in this land. They fought neat, tidy little wars, in neat tidy little ways, in the same neat and tidy places they had for generations. He found the place horribly idiotic. Battel wasn't supposed to be claen adn neat, and his men wouldn't fight like it was supposde to be. The Corinthians had found that out to their peril, with a phalanx of nearly three hundred being massacred in the space of an hour. He'd seen no real skilled warriors yet, no true professionals, but then every Greek he spoke to warned him of crossing the Spartans. These men wwere to be the hardest and strongest of all of Greece, but Thorsson remained unimpressed thus far. They might be able to conquer the Greeks with a certain degree of ease, but all of their foes fought in the same manner. He knew that sooner or later he'd be facing them from across the field. He was also hoping the messenger that he'd sent away might actually make it home. With a lnad like this, ripe for raiding, it was his hope that he might attract more of his people, which might also bring him the chance to hop on a ship and get out of this land. He sghed, adn set to sorting through the various bags of loot from the raid.

It was nearly five hours before he was done, the horde of gold and silver stacked high around his seat, with different piles set aside to be handed out at the coming feast. And that was coming quickly. He walked across the floor to where his new Seer slumbered, and stomped his booted foot beside her hard enouhg to rattle the floorboards under her.
"Wake up Seer. There's tasks to be done." He warned her.
 
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A low groan left as Sophitia's arms slowly raised, going in front of her eyes and wiping the sleep away from them. Pushing herself carefully up to her feet, she blinked a few times to adjust. Up until the harsh tone and dialect caught her ears, she'd almost asked why the citizens in Athens suddenly sounded so odd. Then the events hit her roughly .. and made a shiver trail down her spine. It was a rude awakening but nonetheless, it did it's job and ensured she was completely conscious by now. A quick nod left as she lightly tossed her hair against her back.

"I .. I'm up. Where do you want me to go to?" Asking the question on what the task would be was stupid. That had been made clear enough yesterday. But she'd likely need to be in a temple ... or somewhere to be able to focus. She would have considered asking what to try to look for but ... that was a factor Sophitia couldn't control. That was purely up to Hera when all was said and done. A deep breath left as her feet tensed, ready to follow behind and see how everything would end up going.

Hopefully smooth enough. She swallowed softly, doubt and uncertainty trying to flood her. Not only in regards to if she'd be able to tell anything to Thorsson and be accurate about it; but what did they intend to do should they succeed in all their raids? They'd have nowhere else to go to, nothing else to do. Would they kill her then? She bit down quickly on her lower lip, concealing a whimper as the thought raced through her head.
 
Thorsson reached down, and lifted the bundle of fur that had been covering her. He took a deep breath, taking in air that was as cold as it seemed to get in this Hel cursed land.
"Your duties are simple. You will See for me, in ways to aid my endeavours. And when we hold the feasts in celebration, you will bear my cup, and wait upon my person. Failure to perform these duties in a way that keeps me satisfied will result in facing punishment that cary from humiliating to very painful. Sometimes both. Am I completely understood?" He asked her, leading her out of the hall. He didn't feel like waiting for the feast in doors, he wanted that cold mountain air. It was thinner up here than normal, but he revelled in that, and knew that it would only help his people in the long run.

They passed a small out building that had a man busily at work over an anvil, and THorsson raised a hand to him. The smith reared up to wave back, marking him as one of the largest men in the settlement, nearly six feet in height, and very nearly that wide. He seemed to be almost bearish in form. He had tongs around a piece of armour, looking similar to the guards worn by the holpites of this land, but made of a dull greyish metal insetad of bronze. Thorsson hesitated, adn then appraoched him.
"Any luck?" He asked.
"It's slow work. But I can get more of tem done quickly. The iron of this land is everywhere, I should be abel to outfit the Housecarls easily enough." The smith replied, his voice low and rumbling.
"Good. I'll let you get back to work." He walked away, checking to see if Sophitia was still behind him.

"You will find that I not a cruel man without need." He offered. "If you do as I ask you, you will be treated well enough. Do well, and I will see given what rewards that can be found. But I am without pity for those who fail me." He warned at the end. Thorsson was wondering if he might find someone to look after ther, someone that he could trust not to take advantage of her. He'd have to think on it.
 
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"Yes sir." She replied without a second thought, nodding to reassure herself. She barely knew if anything would even show today; not all the time did Hera usually show her a vision every day. That was one of her more nerve-wracking thoughts. But she had even heard Hera speak to her with her own ears. She'd sworn she wouldn't be allowed to be struck down so easily, that the Queen of the Gods would be protecting her. And with how long she'd been doing so for years, why should she begin to doubt Hera now?

She shouldn't.

As Sophitia walked outside with Thorsson, she took the time to glance around at everything that was being done, where certain buildings and such were, and all the other people. It was like Athens to some degrees; the concept was similar but definitely not the architecture. And the other warriors and citizens also looked foreign. Another nod left her head as Thorsson spoke up again, giving his word and warning simultaneously. "I ... I understand." She replied softly.

Nothing thus far though then again, that didn't amaze Sophitia. It wasn't yet the correct setting for her to see anything significant. Though that wouldn't stop her from keeping her senses alert should Hera alter her mind.
 
Thorsson heard another affirmation from behind him. Well, at least she seemed to be settling into her role comfortably enough.
"What do I call you? I imagine just calling you girl would get to be an irritant after a time." He said calmly. He saw that a smaller gorup of people were going through the various combat drills. most of them were hoping to improve to the point of earning a place in his battle lines, rather than being relegated to the flank forces, and skirmishers. There were ten of them, and he recognized one f them, and shouted.
"Gerda! Come here." One of the figures pulled away from the excercise instantly, and approached. Draped in a long chainmail hauberk, and topped with a iron helm, they wore the armour well. The shield that was carried was typical, three feet across, and wooden, and they sheathed the single handed blade as they came close. Leaning down, they pulled off the helm, revealing a long mane of bright golden hair. The hgh sculpted cheekbones of a woman of Thorsson's people made her a striking woman.
"You called my lord?" She asked.
"This is a new arrival from the last raid. Claims to be a Seer. She's got basic duties, and I've no time to walk her through them. Take over?"
"As you wish." She bowed her head, and let Thorsson depart. She fixed Sophitia with an appraising look.
 
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"Sophitia, please." She was glad to see that among this new group, at least one of the men here was trying to genuinely be civil. It was maybe one of the main factors keeping her calm enough despite her having been dragged here, stolen away from her family. Nervous orbs continued to glance around, finally stopping upon an armored figure. As the helm left though, she found herself glancing upon .... a woman?

That ... was a new change of pace. Very few females were even warriors; mortal ones especially. Athena was no doubt one of the best though she was also a goddess. In terms of mortals ... Atalanta was probably one of the fastest though she had no idea how her physical prowess was. But to see a woman not only in armor but holding such a heavy weapon hinted enough to Sophitia; she was much more than met the eye. And ... if anything like any of the goddesses, it would be wise to avoid incurring her wrath.

Her head bowed politely as her mind wondered about the other duties that had been hinted at. She'd only heard of mentioning anything Hera showed her; had he failed to mention something else? Or had her mind just not fully woken up yet? Alas, it piqued her curiosity. She'd soon enough see if these would be a good thing or not. She swallowed softly, straightening her toga out while ensuring it remained upon her body.

"So ... duties? What ... did he mean exactly?"
 
"You'll act as his cupbearer at the feast to come. And obviously follow his roders when he issues them." Gerda replied, her own grasp of the Greek language far better than Thorsson's own. The Norse accent still shredded some of the sounds, but it was far more comprehensible to the Greek mindset. Gerda turned, adn began walking a mment, before turning back. "Why do you stare as though you have never seen a woman bearing arms?" She asked. While she might have spent enough time among greeks to learn the language, she had not stopped often to try and absorb much in the way of culture. The Greeks seemed too soft to her, too content with theirease, adn not spending enough time dealing with threats to their survival. Surviving was a challenge to Gerda's people, where the winters could be swift and lethal. It could be that the warmer climate allowed the making of a softer race of people.
 
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"I .. I see." So .. literally fill his cup with wine? Or some form of alcohol? How was that difficult? Maybe it wasn't and she was just over-thinking? Hoping that was the correct answer, she nodded before her head quickly bowed down to avoid seeming as if staring. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to look as if gawking at you. But to answer your question ... we don't have many women who can wield weapons properly. Most are our deities, few are mortals."

Just from the way she spoke, something told Sophitia she was a huge feminist. And that alone made her inwardly cringe, knowing the astonished reaction to come wouldn't be directly at her. But it would still make her cringe slightly, if not very. Her feet continued to follow behind Gerda, ensuring she didn't go at too slow or fast of a pace, her eyes ensuring they didn't try to look as if staring again. They'd glance up every now and again then go back to the ground.
 
Gerda nodded as Sophitia spoke, and turned away again.
"To be frank, many of my own people do not have their women bear arms. But when one travels with a company of mercenaries, you learn to pull your weight however you can. So I learned the sword, and continue to keep in practice. As do some of the wives and daughters of the fighting men." She explained. Thinking of the number of women she knew back home that had disdained the thought of bearing a sword only actually made her vaguely homesick. They were so very far away from the home of her own gods.

"It is good though that your people find their goddesses in war. I shows some wisdom on their part." Gerda said casually, reaching a small structure that she opened the door to, and led Sopihitia in. It was not overly spacious, but had enough room to move around in comfortably. Gerda began to set her war gear aside, placing the sword on a rack, and beginning to put her armour on a stand. "Soon enough Thorsson will want you suitably attired for one of your new station. Not yet perhaps, since you are so new to this place, but soon you will have to leave behind that sheet you drape yourself with."
 
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Sophitia gave a light nod of understanding. "In truth, I probably would have as well myself if I were raised differently. My family were some of the few non-warriors within Athens, though usually there's more than enough to protect the city." It then began to dawn on her ... how had she gotten her abilities to begin with? Anyone else could have been chosen, even from another city-state. So why her of any single individual? It was a very curious thought. But alas, it was also probably one which Hera would never reveal ... or not anytime soon.

She had contemplated on whether to specify that only Athena was the female representative of war but all chose sides when a major fray occurred. In the end, though, she decided not to do so. Unless she was asked a specific question or something of the like, Sophitia would keep silent. She wasn't here to educate them on the Greek ways, she was here as a Divine Seer. Not much more as far as she could tell. However, it did lead to another thought.

" .. Forgive the naive question but ... who exactly are you? You're not Greeks, Romans, Trojans, Spartans so ... who are you?" While waiting for that reply, she snuck a glance down to her toga. It would also be an odd change .. but she doubted Thorsson would allow room to argue with that. Though ... what would she wind up wearing? It couldn't be armor; she wasn't made for it. So alas, it made Sophitia's mind unable to help but ponder even more.
 
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