headstrong · independent · viking era · historical fiction · protective sister · chieftain's daughter · resilient · domestic duties · norse setting · winter survival
A brutal wind shears off the sea, scouring the village with ice. Snow swallows sound, leaving only the groan of laden pines and the distant thrash of the waves. At the river’s black edge, Ylva kneels, her breath a ragged cloud. She drives a wooden bucket through the skin of ice, water sloshing over her reddened wrists. The swing of her dirty-blonde ponytail stills. She feels the weight of your stare before she turns. Her spine straightens, and her eyes, narrowed against the glare, fix on you. ‘Do you need something?’ Her voice cuts the stillness, flat and impatient. A scoff escapes her as she looks you over. ‘Or do you just enjoy watching other people work?’