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Thanks for chiming in @StrategyGameEnthusiast & @jak7139 . Indeed, Antto's reactions will remain key to this story right through to the end of the tale.
Antto's a smart lad. He knows sleeping in a house gives him better opportunity to keep an eye out. And it probably also deters Margareta and Katja, which Antto will want because he is jealous.
Jak... I think you understand Antto completely. He is definitely in an uneasy position. At least the lad finally gets some dialogue! Next chapter coming very soon (tomorrow?).
Appendix D3
Margareta's Plight, Part III (King Þorolfr’s Partial Reign 791)
The full "Lost Seasons of the Danes" Soundtrack can be heard here.
>>> WARNING: This post includes scenes of sexual liaisons and other sexual situations. Please be advised before reading further. <<<
Seeing what he had, Antto was more sullen and cranky in his responses to both women as he went about his daily chores to support them as they made the relay back and forth between the settlements. Sometimes they stopped in a small village for a day or two; sometimes they stopped in Lojo or Helsinge to reprovision, and this stop might also stretch for a few days. During those stops, nothing more happened, except a few stolen kisses between Margareta and Katja when they thought no one was looking. There was an evening when Katja had come to Margareta’s private quarters in Helsinge. When they were in Helsinge, Margareta stayed in the jarl’s quarters, as Jarl Sigurd was off at war, and Margareta was a member of the high council. But Margareta had turned Katja’s advances away with a few quick and passionate kisses, worried that someone might hear them. Antto realized he was now their unofficial chaperone, keeping the women from their lustful desires, and he was none too happy with that role. Both Margareta and Katja yearned to return to the sacred woods, where they felt they could find privacy and peace together.
One day, as the weeks passed, Margareta said as the three of them rode out from Helsinge, “I think we should go to see your father, Katja. Maybe he will allow us to camp on his fields and we can stay there for several days to gather our strength. August will be upon us before we know it and we could use the rest.”
“Why don’t we ask old Paavo to stay in his house this time?” Antto suggested. “A bed would be preferable to the grass in one of his fields.”
“You must think us rich and living in luxury,” Katja laughed at him. “There is only one bed and that is for father. Even if he had a wife, he probably would not share that lumpy old bed. No, all of us children sleep on hay. I find the fresh grass better.”
“Yes, we all know how you like to convene with nature,” Antto snapped at her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Margareta asked with a concerned tone as she reigned her horse to slow down a bit.
“Nothing. Nothing,” Antto shook his head. “Forget I said anything. I’m sure you don’t think I have anything to say that’s important anyway.”
“I would have thought your morning moods would have passed with a fine breakfast,” Margareta said, “but I can see that was too optimistic.”
But Margareta could not get him to say anything more on the ride to see Paavo.
Of course, Paavo was happy to see his daughter and her summer companions again and he had no problem with them staying at the edge of his fields, near the forest. Margareta had been true to her promise and Paavo had struck good deals with the jarl’s representatives in Helsinge. He was glad his daughter had returned and that she appeared as happy as ever.
However, he still wasn’t sure about Antto, who was more sullen than the last visit and hardly spoke. Paavo invited the three to a dinner that his other three daughters had prepared and they readily agreed. During the meal, Katja and Margareta were full of tales of their summer travels and how one village or another had reacted to the telling of a certain Saga. But Antto kept his near silence except for making polite requests for more food.
This gave Paavo pause and he resolved to find out more about why Antto was so silent.
That first night after dinner proceeded much the same way as the first time the group had camped on the edge of Paavo’s fields near the forest a month ago, but with one crucial difference. Antto pretended to fall off to sleep in the tent before dusk, while the women crept out slowly and silently so as not to wake him. Then he too carried an unlit torch with him into the forest far behind the women.
But as dusk fell, and the three teenagers had already gone into the woods, Paavo approached the tent. He sat outside and listened for a long while, but heard nothing. Carefully, he moved himself down to the grass and crawled on his stomach around the tent. He found an edge that was raised a bit and peered inside. In the dark, he couldn’t make out much, but he suspected the tent was empty. Then he heard in the distance, the unmistakable sound of a woman’s laughter, carried to him on the breeze. He was certain that it was Katja’s laugh.
“That boy is having his way with her in the forest,” Paavo thought to himself immediately, “maybe with both of them!”
He tried to tamp down his anger and his imagination as he made his way to the forest. He moved into a stalking mode like he was hunting and instinctively he pulled out his hunting knife as he walked with careful purpose so no one could hear his approach.
“He’s taken them to the sacred grove. What sacrilege is in that boy’s mind?!” Paavo thought.
Like a good hunter, Paavo thought to circle away from his target to approach where he thought the trio might be so he was both upwind of them and the rising crescent moon was to his back. He didn’t want any light to reflect off of his face. This more circuitous route would take time but would guarantee he was undetected. Although Paavo knew these woods, like others, he did not enter the sacred sections, marked as they were by the Suomenusko shamans with wooden carvings on certain trees. So he moved carefully in these unknown portions of the woods until he was close enough to see the sacred altar, illuminated a bit by the scattered moonlight.
There he was shocked to see his daughter cavorting, but not with Antto. Instead she was with Margareta.
All thoughts of Antto were pushed out of Paavo’s shocked mind by his anger and disgust. If he had searched the forest carefully, instead of watching the spectacle of his daughter intertwined with the Seeress of Denmark, he might have noticed Antto’s face peering from around a tree watching the same scene that he was, almost directly across from him, with only the altar in between them. But he did not notice as his gaze was affixed to the two young women giving each other oral pleasure.
Paavo clenched his fists but he decided not to do anything. For now. He watched for another minute and then turned and carefully made his way out of the woods, slowly so he would not be detected. A plan was forming in his mind.
(Margareta and Katja kiss in the sacred forest as imagined by Playground and the Stable Diffusion XL image generator. Additional edits made with Playground’s digital editor Canvas. The Playground image generator and digital editor are no longer available.)
>>> WARNING: This post includes scenes of sexual liaisons and other sexual situations. Please be advised before reading further. <<<
Seeing what he had in the sacred forest, Antto was more sullen and cranky in his responses to both women as he went about his daily chores to support them as they made the relay back and forth between the various Finnish settlements. Sometimes they stopped in a small village for a day or two; sometimes they stopped in Lojo or Helsinge to reprovision, and this stop might also stretch for a few days. During those stops, nothing more happened, except a few stolen kisses between Margareta Skjöldung and Katja when they thought no one was looking. There was an evening when Katja had come to Margareta’s private quarters in Helsinge. When they were in Helsinge, Margareta stayed in the jarl’s quarters, as Jarl Sigurd was off at war, and Margareta was a member of the high council as the Seeress of Denmark. But Margareta had turned Katja’s advances away with a few quick and passionate kisses, worried that someone might hear them. Antto realized he was now their unofficial chaperone, keeping the women from their lustful desires, and he was none too happy with that role. Both Margareta and Katja yearned to return to the sacred woods, where they felt they could find privacy and peace together.
One day, as the weeks passed, Margareta said as the three of them rode out from Helsinge:
“I think we should go to see your father, Katja. Maybe he will allow us to camp on his fields and we can stay there for several days to gather our strength. August will be upon us before we know it and we could use the rest.”
“Why don’t we ask old Paavo to stay in his house this time?” Antto suggested. “A bed would be preferable to the grass in one of his fields.”
“You must think us rich and living in luxury,” Katja laughed at him. “There is only one bed and that is for father. Even if he had a wife, he probably would not share that lumpy old bed. No, all of us children sleep on hay. I find the fresh grass better.”
“Yes, we all know how you like to convene with nature.”
Antto’s reply came with a snappish tone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Margareta asked this with a concerned turn in her voice as she reigned her horse to slow down a bit.
Antto shook his head.
“Forget I said anything. I’m sure you don’t think I have anything to say that’s important anyway.”
“I would have thought your morning moods would have passed with a fine breakfast, but I can see that was too optimistic.”
But Margareta could not get him to say anything more on the ride to see Paavo.
Of course, Paavo was happy to see his daughter and her summer companions again and he had no problem with them staying at the edge of his fields, near the forest. Margareta had been true to her promise and Paavo had struck good deals with the jarl’s representatives in Helsinge. He was glad his daughter had returned and that she appeared as happy as ever.
However, he still wasn’t sure about Antto, who was more sullen than the last visit and hardly spoke. Paavo invited the three to a dinner that his other three daughters had prepared and they readily agreed. During the meal, Katja and Margareta were full of tales of their summer travels and how one village or another had reacted to the telling of a certain Saga. But Antto kept his near silence except for making polite requests for more food.
This gave Paavo pause and he resolved to find out more about why Antto was so silent.
That first night after dinner proceeded much the same way as the first time the group had camped on the edge of Paavo’s fields near the forest a month ago, but with one crucial difference. Antto pretended to fall off to sleep in the tent before dusk, while the women crept out slowly and silently so as not to wake him. Then he too carried an unlit torch with him into the forest far behind the women.
But as dusk fell, and the three teenagers had already gone into the woods, Paavo approached the tent. He sat outside and listened for a long while, but heard nothing. Carefully, he moved himself down to the grass and crawled on his stomach around the tent. He found an edge that was raised a bit and peered inside. In the dark, he couldn’t make out much, but he suspected the tent was empty. Then he heard in the distance, the unmistakable sound of a woman’s laughter, carried to him on the breeze. He was certain that it was Katja’s laugh.
“That boy is having his way with her in the forest,” Paavo thought to himself immediately, “maybe with both of them!”
He tried to tamp down his anger and his imagination as he made his way to the forest. He moved into a stalking mode like he was hunting and instinctively he pulled out his hunting knife as he walked with careful purpose so no one could hear his approach.
“He’s taken them to the sacred grove. What sacrilege is in that boy’s mind?!” Paavo again thought to himself.
Like a good hunter, Paavo thought to circle away from his target to approach where he thought the trio might be so he was both downwind of them and the rising crescent moon was to his back. He didn’t want any light to reflect off of his face. This more circuitous route would take time but would guarantee he was undetected. Although Paavo knew these woods, like others, he did not enter the sacred sections, marked as they were by the Suomenusko shamans with wooden carvings on certain trees. So he moved carefully in these unknown portions of the woods until he was close enough to see the sacred altar, illuminated a bit by the scattered moonlight.
There he was shocked to see his daughter cavorting, but not with Antto. Instead she was with Margareta.
All thoughts of Antto were pushed out of Paavo’s shocked mind by his anger and disgust. He had never seen nor imagined anything like two women enjoying each other carnally. It stunned, shocked, and sickened him in equal measure. However, if he had searched the forest carefully, instead of watching the spectacle of his daughter intertwined with the Seeress of Denmark, he might have noticed Antto’s face peering from around a tree watching the same scene that he was, almost directly across from him, with only the altar in between them. But he did not notice as his gaze was affixed to the two young women giving each other oral pleasure.
Paavo clenched his fists but he decided not to do anything. For now. He watched for another minute and then turned and carefully made his way out of the woods, slowly so he would not be detected. His anger against the occupiers and their perverted Seeress increased with every step he took toward his home. He was repulsed by these alien customs these Norse were polluting his lands with, especially this despoiling of both his daughter and the sacred forest. A plan was forming in his mind.
(The images included in this chapter are from accounts linked to @Chac1 where he holds the copyright. The images are from Playground AI and ChatGPT-4.0-turbo. The LunaPic image editor was used to alter some images. The Lost Seasons of the Danes logo is from Microsoft.)
(Lost Seasons of the Danes will return sometime in the next three weeks or so.)
There he was shocked to see his daughter cavorting, but not with Antto. Instead she was with Margareta.
All thoughts of Antto were pushed out of Paavo’s shocked mind by his anger and disgust. He had never seen nor imagined anything like two women enjoying each other carnally. It stunned, shocked, and sickened him in equal measure. However, if he had searched the forest carefully, instead of watching the spectacle of his daughter intertwined with the Seeress of Denmark, he might have noticed Antto’s face peering from around a tree watching the same scene that he was, almost directly across from him, with only the altar in between them. But he did not notice as his gaze was affixed to the two young women giving each other oral pleasure.
Paavo clenched his fists but he decided not to do anything. For now. He watched for another minute and then turned and carefully made his way out of the woods, slowly so he would not be detected. His anger against the occupiers and their perverted Seeress increased with every step he took toward his home. He was repulsed by these alien customs these Norse were polluting his lands with, especially this despoiling of both his daughter and the sacred forest. A plan was forming in his mind.
Of course, this connection did not go without notice by Antto. Seeing the charged looks, the pang of jealousy dug its way into the young man’s guts. He was uncertain what to do with his feelings about Margareta. How he wished to be in Katja’s shoes.
The truth and nothing but the truth as the whole truth is deliberately discarded. No one turned to no man. This deceitful hubris will of course come back to bite. A second strand added to Antto’s jealousy.
Indeed, fermentation is a good comparison to what has been going on with this story and a certain point has been reached.
I can assure you that although this is Margareta and Katja's story, both men will be the key players in the next chapter.
The truth and nothing but the truth as the whole truth is deliberately discarded. No one turned to no man. This deceitful hubris will of course come back to bite. A second strand added to Antto’s jealousy.
In my mind, this is a version of the teenage game that some play by trying to be clever with their word choices: being overly legalistic (not much of a concept for those days though, I'll admit). I think if Margareta and Katja were older they would be more careful.
Anyone who has lusted after another when that person was obviously connected to another knows this feeling and then what makes it worse is the situation calls for you to be close to those other people when the best course is to get some space.
I think we all know the truth of what is really behind those words, Antto, although I doubt we'd get you to admit it.
Yes, indeed, that path is now marked and it gives Paavo a certain righteous anger. You will have to keep score on how many of these are included before we get to the end of the story.
Just in time @dmurgell to lighten the mood! You, sir, indeed are a comedic rapscallion . That word switch would work if we were telling this story in your style. Definitely.
Oh, it seems we have crossed the line with the Seeress with our snickering and second-guessing from the sidelines. Time to go....
Paavo seems very capable, which means Margareta and Katja won't be able to weasel their way out of this. Could this have larger consequences for Finland? If King Thorolfr learns his cousin has been mistreated...he does have quite the temper.
Paavo seems very capable, which means Margareta and Katja won't be able to weasel their way out of this. Could this have larger consequences for Finland? If King Thorolfr learns his cousin has been mistreated...he does have quite the temper.
It seems @jak7139 that you have read enough of this AAR that you know where things might be headed. However, I hope that I have a few surprises up my sleeve so as we bring this particular story arc to conclusion you still have some interest and perhaps you haven't anticipated everything. As usual, you are asking the right questions. Thanks for reading and commenting.
As these are her tales, the Seeress will take the last comment:
Hey! I just nominated you for an AARland Choice Awards award for this last quarter. I hope that everyone who follows will participate by voting.
It’s also a great way to learn about other high quality AARs that you haven’t read. See here the details: Q2 2025 ACAs.
