Page 33 of Shared By the Vikings

When he saw her approaching, Gunnvar stopped. He let his sword tip press into the sand and held his shield—white with a red center—downward.

“You want company?” She grabbed another sword that lay on the ground.

“You can’t join me in berserker training.” He laughed.

“Why not?” Again she stooped, this time to retrieve another shield, the same colors as Gunnvar’s. It seemed the tide was in their favor, washing up belongings.

“You’re a slip of a thing.” His laugh turned into a frown.

“You think I can’t fight because I’m a woman?”

“You can barely lift that sword.”

“True, the maiden sword I’m used to is much slimmer, the blade slender.” She dropped the handle from one hand to the other. “It is much lighter than this heavy bit of steel, my father had it made especially for me.”

“I’m sure he did.” Gunnvar chuckled again. “You can’t wrap your fingers around that one. How can you lift it?”

“Like this.” A bloom of anger rushed inside of her and she raised the sword high. She brought it round over Gunnvar’s head as best she could given his height.

He drew up his shield, fast, and caught the blade over the red center, preventing it from landing on his brow.

“For the love of Thor,” he muttered, taking a step back.

She tensed and drew the sword around again, this time aiming for the right side of his torso.

Once more he blocked it, as she’d know he would. The sword was much too heavy for her to be swift enough to maim a trained warrior.

“What are you doing, woman?” Gunnvar staggered to the left, his feet sinking in the soft sand. His eyes were wide.

“You shouldn’t tell me I can’t train with you just because I have breasts.”

“And very fine breasts they are too.” He raised his eyebrows. “Small, but... fine.”

This time she went for a straight stab, narrowly missing Gunnvar’s belly.

He huffed in what seemed to be part irritation, part admiration that she’d gotten so close.

A loud guffaw came from the fire. “Keep your head on, friend,” Erik shouted as he worked his knife on the wood. “Don’t die at the hands of a maiden on some forsaken foreign shore.”

Gunnvar scowled then threw down his sword and shield. “I’ll not battle you like this, it’s unfair, you have a man’s hefty sword.”

“So how shall we train?” She did the same, throwing her weapon and shield aside. “Your choice.”

“I’m not training anymore. I have a bird cooking, and strawberries to eat.”

“But I want to train.” She jumped on the spot, up and down, getting the blood into her limbs. “All that time sitting on the boat and I have unspent energy. Train with me.”

He huffed again, then walked past her.

“Gunnvar.”

He continued to walk.

Exasperation billowed. There was only one thing for it... attack.

She ran at him, then hurtled herself upward and onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

The air whooshed from her lungs as they collided and she quickly drew her hands up to cover his eyes.

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