Disclaimer: This is a fictional story for adult entertainment purposes.
Now, to the story...
Clad in a cloak green, hood up to hide her beautiful features, Lagertha, Queen of Kattegat, moved quickly through the forest. Her kingdom was under threat by the jarls that had descended upon the coastal town. They sought her hand in marriage and rule of all her lands. It had become clear to the famed shield-maiden that she had to choose one, but the selection had proved elusive.
Seeking guidance, she had set out to visit the Seer. The blind one, who spoke prophesies, cast the bones and read the runes was both revered and feared. He straddled the two worlds, living in the land of men, but communing with the hidden world of the gods. Fate was already decided by the gods, and Lagertha would have their counsel, know the fate of herself and Kattegat.
Passing a rune-carved tree, she spied the house of the Seer. Animal bones and charms hung from the trees and adorned the wooden portal to his sanctuary. Small offerings of fruit, bread and dried meats were placed in small baskets by the door. An earthen jug stood, its top sealed.
Taking a deep breath, Lagertha pushed through the door and entered. Inside it was dark at first but her eyes quickly adjusted. Cold light cast about the gloomy room, shining from more totems hanging from the low rafters. With a warrior's grace, she moved deeper into the house. Then she spotted the Seer, his hunched form facing away from her.
'All hail Queen Lagertha. Queen of Kattegat,' the ancient one said, his tone coloured with mockery.
Lagertha removed the concealing hood. Her honey-coloured hair in its intricate braiding shone, her porcelain skin reflected the light, and her pink lips glinted. She would not be intimidated, not by man, woman, beast or prophet. Stepping closer, she took a low stool and sat by the small hearth in the middle of the room. Embers glowed, dispelling some of the chill in the air.
Turning, the Seer moved closer the fire. Head bowed, he moved slowly as if picking his way over a dry riverbed, picking the safest path. With a grunt, he dropped into his rune-carved chair. Head tilting back, he revealed his horrific visage.
His skin was a waxy, pale white, the skin of a corpse. Where his eyes should have been were twin cavities, fleshed over with his corpse-hide flesh. His mouth was a black cave, guarded by thick lips of darkest midnight, slick with saliva. Scars crossed and re-crossed his face, as if a murder of crows had set about him, clawing and scratching.
'What is it you wish to ask the gods?' he asked, his voice rasping in the chill air.
'I have only one question: who must I marry to safeguard Kattegat?'
The Seer looked at the blonde beauty seated before him, as if seeing her through his eyeless gaze. No answer came forth. Pale, gnarled fingers pushed a cold piece of meat into his mouth.
'Did you not hear me?' Lagertha asked, leaning forward on her stool. Light from the glowing embers from the fire shone on her skin, giving her a radiant appearance. She was the only thing of beauty in the dark hovel.
'Yes, I heard you,' rasped the Seer, face still turned to her as if he studied her beauty.
'Then what is the answer, oh wise one. Who must I choose to protect my kingdom?'
A hiss escaped over the gross lips of the Seer, bubbles in the saliva. Leaning forward he said, 'Already have I answered questions of your future, Queen Lagertha. For Kattegat I foresee strife and battle. But it will endure and grow. Like barnacles on a boat, it will spread, its grasp firm. It will become the envy of the Viking world, far beyond the avarice of the jarls now gathered.' With another hiss, he leaned into the back of his chair.
Unfazed by the disfigured mask of the Seer's face, the beautiful ruler leaned forward. 'But tell me, how do I bring that to pass? How should I deal with these men?'
'The gods have shown me what they wish for me to see, and no more.' The words spoken, his head turned away, hidden once more in the dark recesses of his hood.
'There is more, isn't there? I can hear it in your voice,' Lagertha said, a frown upon her face. 'Tell me! I must know.'
Turning, the hood faced her once more. Movement, then the corpse face slid forward, empty eye sockets looking at her.
'Take the words I have given you. For anything else, you have nothing I want. Nothing to barter with or bargain with, Queen Lagertha,' he said, his ghoulish gaze on her.
'I will have the knowledge I seek,' the warrior said, angered that she would be denied, concerned for her kingdom and its people. Throwing her cloak from her shoulders and sliding off her stool, she knelt before the Seer.
Behind his power he is still but a man
, she thought. 'A woman
always
has something to bargain with,' she said out loud.
Reaching forward she placed her hands on the Seer's knees, his dark robe rough. Beneath, she could feel his bony kneecaps, felt a tremble from the man. As she looked directly into his blind gaze, Lagertha's hands moved downwards, feeling the hard stems of his legs. Hands moving under the hem, she touched the Seer's shins, cold and thin. Ignoring the clammy flesh, fingers wrapped around the legs and moved upwards, drawing the robe up. Two pale sticks were revealed, the flesh appearing burned and scarred.
Pausing with her hands now on the prophet's knees, the queen smiled at him, sure he could see her countenance somehow. Gently, slowly, she pushed his knees apart, opening his legs. A tilt of his head and an in-drawn breath were his only reactions. But as his legs were opened further, the Seer moved his feet outwards, creating a space between them.
