It is a story night at the monastery of St Patrick. Colm is up late working hard copying manuscripts. Cold wind comes in through the window. He shivers and rubs himself to keep warm. He looks outside and sees the river.
It was a scary night but he felt safe. Growing up in a coastal village taught Colm to fear the sea. Its storms sank boats and Colm witness many fishermen sent to watery graves. Storms from the sea also could destroy homes too close to the shore. And worst of all there were the Northmen. Terrible heathen raiders who took to the high sea to raid, pillage and enslave Christians across Europe.
St Patrick's was miles inland and the Vikings would have to sail down the river.
Colm's eyes were beginning to sag and his head felt heavy from all the writing. He was beginning to fall asleep. Before he fell asleep, he noticed something. It looked like a ship was sailing down the river.
"No, it can't be?" Colm looks towards the shadowy figure outside the window. It couldn't actually be a Viking raiding ship. Their ships couldn't go this far inland.
The shadowy ship appears to stop.
"Please be nothing. Please be nothing" Colm prays.
The ship only becomes more visible. Large shadows descend from the ship. Colm runs to awaken the abbot.
He bashes the on the door of the abbot's room.
"Abbott Patrick! Come quickly!" The door opens the abbot face is wrinkled and his eyes puff. His eyes are filled with fear.
"I believe I know what this is."
Before Colm can even say it.
"The Northmen are coming." The abbot finishes.
He goes into his room and scrambles around to find his keys.
SMASH! Colm can hear the sound of doors being tore in half by the monstrous Norse raiders. Their war cries fill the halls. Colm notices that some of the war cries are not men but women. Before Abbot Patrick finds the key large burly man shoves Colm to the floor and enters the room. Colm lands on his back knocking the wind out of him. He hears the sounds of Abbot Patrick screaming and then a loud thud and groan.
Colm struggles to catch his breath and get up. He staggers towards the office to see what happened to the abbot. The elder monk frail head has streams of blood running down his tonsure. The hulking Viking stares down Colm the young and unarmed monk. Colm gets down on his knees to pray. The brute laughs at him and Colm is struck from behind and knocked unconscious.
Colm is awakened by the loud squawking of seagulls. His eyes feel heavy and slowly open. He looks around and tries to move his body. His hands are bound and he is lying side by side other monks from his monastery. Colm is on a longship being taken away to some unknown location. He looks up and sees one of his captors.
It is a woman. A woman with blond and braided hair. A strong jawline that is sharp as an axe. She wears leather armor, furs and a cloak. She sharpens her sword while she guards the monks.
Colm tries to get up and look around. The shieldmaiden puts her foot down on Colm forcing him back down. The boat rocks on the waves making Colm feel very sick. Colm remains strong and keeps the puck in. However, the other monks weren't as strong. Two monks' vomit in the boat. This makes the captain furious. He grabs the two monks and throws them overboard. Colm shivers in terror. The Captain glares at him. His eyes red like blood and fire. He raises his ax as if to strike. Before he can swing the shieldmaiden stands in front of him with her sword drawn.
"Calm yourself Ragnar. Or your ugly head will roll on the deck. The captain's rage turns to fear and stands down like a dog that had just been scolded.
A short while later they reach port. The longboat docks and Colm and the other monks are unloaded from the ship. The Vikings also take the monastery treasure with them. Crowds assemble by the docks and cheer the returning raiders.
Colm looks around. He has no idea where they are however, he is terrified to speak out of fear of suffering like the two monks.
The crowds part and allow the returning Norse raiders to make their way to the longhouse. The long house is a large wooden building. The doors open and Colm is hit by a wave of strong smells. The smell of smoked meat over roaring fires. Colm and the other captives are escorted into the dimly lit longhouse.
The Norse bring in the looted treasure. Colm sees the Jarl. A muscular and aged man. He has gray hair and is covered in furs. He takes his share of the loot which included a tenth of the treasure plus one of the monks as a slave. The raiders than take their shares. Colm is taken by the shieldmaiden. She loads him up with her share of the pillaged gold and he follows her. She leads him with a rope around his neck. He can't run away without risking strangulation. Colm stays close behind her. He follows her outside the settlement limits to a little hovel.
She points to it. "This is your new home thrall." Colm nods obediently.
The shieldmaiden opens the door to a cellar and lights a torch. She gives Colm his next order.
"Put the treasure in there then join me in the house."
Colm obeys making sure the treasure is safety placed in one the chests downstairs.
He goes into the hovel to join his mistress. Colm enters the hovel. There he sees a bed which belongs to his mistress. A fireplace and chair beside it. In the chair sits his mistress and she is wearing a heavily woolen robe. Her armor and weapons are in the corner of the room by the fireplace.
Colm looks to his mistress. She is a tall woman who stands above the skinny, young and small monk. Colm smiles meekly and bows his head to his mistress. He gets out of the chair and slowly walks over to him.
Her hand grabs Colm by his throat forcing him to look up at her.
"On your knees Thrall." She commands
Colm falls to his knees immediately. He looks up at his tall mistress. She still has his neck in the tight grip of her left hand. With her right hand she parts her robe. Revealing bare breasts.
Colm shuts his eyes and tries to look away.
No please. Do not tempt me into sinning. Colm's mind goes on lock down.
SMACK! Colm's face is struck by his mistress's strong right hand. Knocking him right out of his mental lock down.
"Look at me boy." Colm keeps his eyes shut in spite of his mistress's command.
SMACK!
"Thrall boy you better abandon your old morality. Or you will be in for a world of pain."
Colm's eyes and face ache from the two slaps and his eyes struggling to stay shut.
SMACK! The third strike does the trick and Colm opens his eyes. His face burns hot from the slapping.
He looks at his mistress. She holds his head in place as he is forced to gaze at her exposed breasts. Her breasts are the only ones Colm has ever seen. They were round and a big yet no excessively large size.
Colm boils with excitement and shame. His mind races with sinful thoughts. Thoughts he was taught to always repress with prayer. Yet here he was helpless at the mercy of this strong Viking woman. There was no way the abbot or any of the saints could save his purity now.
"You like what you see boy?"
Colm nods sheepish and embarrassed.
"Good." His mistress says without smiling. She lets go of Colm. He looks up at his mistress.
She raises her right leg up atop her bed and pulls apart more of her robe. The Shieldmaiden's exposes her sex to Colm. Colm's mouth hangs open. He had never seen such a thing before in his life. It looked like a pair of lips but was horizontal. Above her sex with as a massive bush of blonde hair. Colm sweats profusely and his eyes water.
His mistress grabs him by the back of his head and shoves his face into her crotch. Colm's nose in between the lips between her legs. The shieldmaiden still holding on to Colm's head rubs his face up and down. Her pubic hair gets in Colm's eyes and mouth.
