mfti

Mfti glared and stomped her foot at the troll guard outside Hagal. "Goran be here today. I know that! Tell me where!" The guard shook his head and shrugged.

Irritated, a normal state of mind for the little Valkyn[B1 ], Mfti ran into the walled village and began looking for "the king" and his band of advisors. Locating Goran[B2 ]; was her only way of finding her father, and as much as she disliked his company, she needed Lonber's advice.

Lonber stood by the forge, alone for a change. Mfti approached him slowly, dropped a reluctant curtsy, and waited for him to acknowledge her presence. He seemed lost in thought for a time, but finally raised his hand in a somewhat dismissive manner indicating that he knew she was present.

"First training done. Now must choose. What you say," she asked. Both professions, hunter and assassin, appealed to her. But Lonber would know for which she was most suited. He might be a cold hearted, absent father, but he was her father.

He looked her up and down, a frown wrinkling his snouty, dark face. "What feel you when kill sjorna, fungus, and scimitar cub?"

Mfti pondered the question, an unusual one for Lonber; he had never seemed to care about her feelings before now. After a long silence, she looked at Lonber's boots and replied, "Sjorna and fungus be like rats. They necessary to kill to keep house clean. Scimitar cubs be beautiful but dangerous. Necessary to kill but sorry about it." She looked up to his face, willing herself to numbness, waiting to learn how answer was the wrong one.

"Not hunter," he replied. "Serve best as assassin."

She could not read his face. He seldom wore any expression except that of perpetual disgust. But he had not exploded in anger, nor had he indicated that she was yet again in the wrong. Maybe he did not actually disapprove of her this time.!

With a lighter heart than when she arrived, she dropped a curtsey of thanks and took a horse for Aegirhamn.

After committing herself as a follower of Loki, Mfti sought the advice of elder assassins and learned a few basics. After some experimentation, she realized that learning her profession was going to be a long, difficult task. Dejected, she sat on the wharf and stared at the reflections of the setting sun in the water. Why had Lonber told her to become an assassin instead of a hunter? Surely hunters have life easier with their long bow reach and ability to run away from enemies. She had to sneak close to strike and seldom stayed hidden long enough to strike first.

Suddenly she felt a surge of strength flow through her. Leaping to her feet she whirled around to see a Norse healer smiling down at her.

"Are you going to be heading out to hunt soon," the healer asked.

Mfti stood, dumbfounded. Why was this human healer speaking to her?

The healer looked puzzled then shrugged and ran back to the village, but within minutes she returned. This time she did not speak, but stood on the end of the pier facing the town and did strange things. She curtsied, but not to Mfti. She bowed. She cheered. Who was this strange Norse addressing? Mfti looked around but could see no one. That, of course did not mean no one else was present. Mfti backed off and sat down again to watch. The Norse danced for a long time and then laughed for a long time.

Finally the Norse looked at Mfti and said, "You must think I am crazy!"

Mfti nodded but could not speak.

"My but you are a quiet one! Well, my name is Uska. I am a healer. If you are ever in need of my services, you have but to ask. If at all possible, I will come."

"Thank you," Mfti choked out the words.

"Ah! You can speak!" Uska laughed heartily. "Well, little one, if you are about to go hunting, you should tell me. I can give you more blessings to aid you. I "ll be in the village visiting with friends for awhile."

Mfti was not sure why she needed to know what Uska would be doing, but the offer of Eir's blessings was kind, so she nodded again.

Uska's hands began waving in the air and blessing after blessing filled the little Valkyn. Mfti had never felt so powerful in her life, so she curtsied her thanks and ran to find a worthy foe. On the hill across the river, Mfti found a mygga flying away from its swarm, a perfect chance to test her abilities. The contest was soon over, and Mfti shook her head to clear it from the confusion of her spirit's reentry. Sighing, she started back to a safer hunting ground when she felt the healer trying to communicate with her. Mfti simply trotted up the ramp to the village, intent on her need to learn how to use her weapons and abilities. But the healer stood in her path near merchants, and as Mfti passed, raised her arms and called down another series of blessings. Mfti could stand this unasked for kindness no longer.

Swallowing her distaste for speaking, she asked, "Why you nice to me?"

Uska laughed. "Because I am a healer, of course! And because I can. It is what I do. I like to help people do whatever it is that they do."

Mfti pondered this a moment, but could think of no reply. Shrugging, she turned to go, but Uska?s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Come talk with me awhile, little one. You seem so sad. Maybe talking about it will help." Uska's voice was low and kind.

Mfti said nothing, but followed Uska down to the wharf. It seemed that Uska too found it a good place for contemplation. Under Uska's gentle questioning, Mfti soon found herself pouring out the basic details of her life. Her father, Lonber, served "the king" Goran as one of the counselors, chaffing at the restrictions on his berserker nature because he had to be so far from the battlefields. Her mother, Gredna, a Valkyn of great beauty, roamed the far reaches of the island satisfying her savage nature to kill everything in sight. Mfti's eldest sister had long since left for the mainland and never visited, so no one in the family knew if she even still lived. Mfti's younger brother was the only one of the siblings who caused Lonber's eyes to soften with love, and Menfer tended to stay in fairly close proximity to their powerful father.

"You have no place to call home," Uska inquired.

The concept of home was not foreign to Mfti, but she really had never experienced it. That was something other folk had, not those of the Vakka[B3 ]clan. There seemed nothing worth saying, and she had already spoken more to Uska than she usually spoke aloud over several weeks.

Uska looked as if she expected a reply. Then, receiving none, she said, "Mfti, if you go to the mainland and wish a place to stay, please contact me. I have a small household there, and you are welcome to join us for a night or a year. There are two others, a kobold named BuaBua and a troll named Laswen." Then Uska scribbled a map and handed it to Mfti with a gentle smile.

Mfti tucked the map in her pack and curtsied to Uska. She didn't expect to see the healer again, but she knew how to be polite.

Postscript: As Mfti grew and ventured to the mainland to explore, she found her way to Uska's household and warmed to the strange mixture of female companions. Planning to stay one night, she found herself a permanent member after awhile. Eventually another healer showed her kindnesses too. Vilda was a pretty dwarf who invited Mfti to join a small guild, House of Serpents[B4 ]. Mfti's first instinct was to decline the kind offer, but after living in Uska's household awhile, she had begun to learn that the world did not expect or require her to be completely alone. Shyly, she accepted. and eventually she found that some of her small talents allowed her to contribute to the common good.

Updated 2/16/03
Back to Uska's Home

Mfti