55 Weight of an oath

**Big thanks to Luke Karls for your support**

Freya's eyes wandered round the settlement, taking in all she could. It was just last summer when she and a few others followed Sigorn to Skagos. They had left in three boats but quickly lost the first to the crows at Eastwatch and the second had been lost on the rocky shores of Skagos.

The flimsy thing had broken once it made contact, dumping the unlucky one riding upon it to the cold waters of the bay of seals. The passengers were quick to call for help as a majority of them knew not how to swim, Freya had attempted to dive straight in as one of her friends a woman she had seen as her sister was amongst the fellows drowning.

She was held back however, she struggled to free her self kicking one of the two men holding on to her straight in the balls. She had almost broken free of the other man when Sigorn had spoken up, he said they would wait half an hour, allowing for those who could catch up to.

If they did, it meant the gods favored them and if they did not it was the will of the gods.

Freya had wanted to argue for she knew her friend would not make it, but she held her tongue. She knew what Sigorn had offered was the best and only offer he would make. Their boats could only carry so many, any more and it would be likely that none of them ever stepped on land again.

"They'll see you now" Freya was drawn out her thoughts by a man decked in furs with a full beard. Freya took in the figure of the man, he was the burly sort, before arriving on Skagos she would've considered him huge.

But after spending all winter with the Skagosi, Freya did not even spare him a second glance. Freya had heard of giants further up north back home, she had never seen one but Freya would bet that the Skagosi had giants blood flowing through their veins.

The two made their way into the tent, there was a slow fire in the middle of the tent with the people Freya assumed to be the leaders of the various tribes seated around it. Each of the eleven leaders had a person or two behind them, who all fixed their gaze upon them.

"Alright, you asked for us and here we are. So out with it." The bald man in the middle spoke he wore armor which was made from the bones of which animal Freya could not tell.

"Arthor sent us" at Sigorn's words the temperature in the tent seemed to disappear, to Freya's eyes even the flame seemed to cower although that should have merely been a trick of her mind. "You speak of the wing maker?" A spear wife seated a bit farther to the right questioned.

"Aye he has plans to confront the surrounding Skagosi clans-" Sigorn began but was cut off by the man who had spoken earlier. "Aye we heard everyone's heard, he wiped out four villages and tomorrow he will hold his last stand".

Freya's eyes widened at the news, they had left not long ago yet the climax of this bloody spring was supposedly going to happen on the morrow? Everyone present ignored Freya's confused and questioning gaze as another of the leaders spoke up.

"What is it you've come to ask us to aid the fucker?" The sneer on the speakers face answered Freya's question she quietly awaited for Sigorn to try and pull them to their side but the words that left Sigorn's lips caused Freya to snap her head to the side staring at him with mouth agape.

Sigorn spat at the floor and began, "who the fuck wants to help the bastard. Bastard forced us to kneel, and since then I've watched that brat massacre village after village. The brat is a problem and I say we end him now, if he is surrounded then we join them and fuck him up!" Sigorn's voice rose with each word.

Finally Freya grabbed his arm forcing him to turn towards her, "what the fuck are you doing we gave Arthor our word. He protected us gave us food and shelter and now ye stab him in the back".

"Protected? open your eyes Freya! the boy merely treated us as tools! how many of our people have died for his stupid wars?!" Making himself clear, he freed himself from her grasp and stood before her continuing to address the free folk leaders.

Freya remained silent, with Sigorn's words repeating in her mind. She thought of the wars she had fought this past winter, of the tongues which would never again mention her name. As she did however she remembered the few the had lost before they met Arthor for the first time.

She thought of the people she had seen in this encampment, the looks in their faces and finally the oaths she had made. With all the thoughts she made a decision, "Sigorn!" hearing his name the man turned around only to have a knife buried in his throat.

His eyes fixed on the hand holding the knife and followed it, his eyes met Freya's cold eyes. He parted his lips to speak, probably to ask 'why' but he merely made a gurgling sound before blood poured out his mouth.

Freya pulled out her weapon allowing for Sigorn to fall to the earth before turning her attention back to the chieftains who all had their weapons at the ready.

With one deep breath to gather her thoughts she spoke up.