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Whoever the third set of eyes is, I don't think they have good intentions.
I thought it was interesting that Katja was able to see the differences between the two versions of the Suomenusko myth. Probably her cynicism is giving her the perspective to recognize this. I wonder how someone with more zeal would try to justify these differences.
It's also funny and ironic that Margareta and Katja were discussing religion while doing something decidedly non-religious. And Margareta finally comes to have faith in Freyja and her mother after doing something both of them would frown upon.
I thought it was interesting that Katja was able to see the differences between the two versions of the Suomenusko myth. Probably her cynicism is giving her the perspective to recognize this. I wonder how someone with more zeal would try to justify these differences.
It's also funny and ironic that Margareta and Katja were discussing religion while doing something decidedly non-religious. And Margareta finally comes to have faith in Freyja and her mother after doing something both of them would frown upon.
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Thanks @StrategyGameEnthusiast , @dmurgell & @jak7139 for all riding along, reading, and commenting. Much appreciated. Thanks to our silent readers too. And great to have one of our silent readers back: @The Kingmaker !
For you and others who may see catching up with this one as too difficult, I now suggest just picking up any of the various appendices. Those have their own story arcs that hopefully are easy to follow and can be integrated into the larger story if you wish. Looking forward to having you back one way or another.
Author's Note: As summer is almost here and I have various major outside-the-forum projects to start, just letting readers know that updates will slow now, just like last summer and fall. Also, I will likely be around AARland less. Definitely love the folks here and appreciate the interactivity, but duty calls elsewhere, at least for a time. I will still be around, just a lot less. I will report back when those projects are over. Thanks for all the support from readers.
Well, it will have to be one of the first two as this is the main and practical AAR. If we were posting this in Lost Myths, supernatural would be favored.
I wish I had your wit, @dmurgell . (Come to think of it, you are the author of one of the few comedic AARs around these days.) There's definitely a touch of the latter in whoever is watching... at least so far.
More definitive answers about the eyes and their intentions coming in the next chapter.
Apologies I did not get to feedback from you before the new chapter dropped, @The Kingmaker . We will certainly look forward to your return to writing in these electronic pages. Will you be reopening your epic in Age of Wonders? Or something else?
For you and others who may see catching up with this one as too difficult, I now suggest just picking up any of the various appendices. Those have their own story arcs that hopefully are easy to follow and can be integrated into the larger story if you wish. Looking forward to having you back one way or another.
Katja is among the converted, and that will be spelled out more clearly next time. But there is some promise we will meet some folks with zeal for the old ways, at least eventually.
Well, young folks have to deal with all those hormones, so given that, I think there is some logic in this behavior... or maybe we should just chalk these interesting ironies all up to hormones. One way or another, I did have some fun folding those ideas into this very short start. Glad you found them and enjoyed them.
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Thanks for the shoutout for Omentide! Yes, that one is in for the long haul. I hope to have a new update up sometime this month.
I wonder who was spying on those young lovebirds? And what will be the consequences of their profaning a shrine with their tryst?
I wonder who was spying on those young lovebirds? And what will be the consequences of their profaning a shrine with their tryst?
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Thanks for jumping into the latest, @The Kingmaker . Easy to pick up the new story here if you are rejoining and if you have an interest you can back-read. Or not.
Some of your questions answered in the next part, which I hope will arrive before the end of the month. Some answers will be provided later. I hope you stay tuned.
I know it’s been a while again, but with everything going on I tend to bookmark and then binge some of my favourite AARs, such as this one! Have loved the rich stories, including the back-casts on the new major character Valdemar. A tricksy young man indeed. I have no doubt that some (later in the story) game event set the scene for the king’s spymaster to be revealed as a double-player. But in the meantime it makes for an intriguing sub-plot.
Hmm, my bet is on those eyes belonging to one of Valdemar’s snoops, but there’s more than one schemer at play in this murky Denmark. Enjoy the summer and its diversions, as things cool down here in late autumn.
Welcome back to these electronic pages @Bullfilter . Great to have you back. Glad to have provided some interesting chapters.
Sometimes I must say, when I play I am as oblivious as King Þorolfr and I usually don't play while imbibing or at least not imbibing much. (I swear it was only one beer!) So Valdemar is definitely in the game and after his schooling he ended up in the king's court. Once Jarl Alfr died (and I was truly sad to see him go) Valdemar had the best espionage scores so he got appointed as spymaster. Only afterward did I look into his genealogy to discover Kraka was his mother! So that chapter was a fun one to write. And I realized I would have to write him as independent and setting his own path forward with his own agenda.
We're going to be watching out for you Spymaster Valdemar!
Sometimes you just have to play the classics when they are available to you.
Sometimes it is good to remember the younger king.
Take care, sir and hope to see you again in this neighborhood when we have time to add to Margareta's new story.
Of course, this is always a drop in when convenient situation. Just glad to have a long-time reader back in the fold. Glad you like the young spymaster and how we are filling in the stories of some of the side characters too.
Sometimes I must say, when I play I am as oblivious as King Þorolfr and I usually don't play while imbibing or at least not imbibing much. (I swear it was only one beer!) So Valdemar is definitely in the game and after his schooling he ended up in the king's court. Once Jarl Alfr died (and I was truly sad to see him go) Valdemar had the best espionage scores so he got appointed as spymaster. Only afterward did I look into his genealogy to discover Kraka was his mother! So that chapter was a fun one to write. And I realized I would have to write him as independent and setting his own path forward with his own agenda.
We're going to be watching out for you Spymaster Valdemar!
Sometimes it is good to remember the younger king.
Thanks. I hope your late fall is a good one, temperate and pretty, along with not being too busy. More time for games and AAR-writing!
Take care, sir and hope to see you again in this neighborhood when we have time to add to Margareta's new story.
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All caught up. Interesting how the game arranged to provide you with a young spymaster who happened to be the son of Kraka. It certainly gives you opportunities, which you've clearly taken. However, and there's always a however, I'm surprised Alfr was so easily duped by the youngster. Did he know about Valdemar and Kraka? That should have raised some alarm bells if he did. There's always Gyrid...
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Thanks for working to catch up @Lord Durham . Great to see you thumbing through these electronic pages.
Yes, Jalr Alfr did make a mistake with Valdemar. A misread really. He didn't understand the boy's well hidden love for his mother. I truly loved Alfr as a character but I wanted to allow for him making this mistake, especially while he was slowly dying, frazzled and distracted by other matters at the end. I think the jarl's own hubris made him feel his interventions with the young Valdemar and work as his guide to the world of spycraft were enough to cut the apron strings. At least, that's how I see it. The jarl was not infallible, even if he was a favorite.
Indeed, there is Gyrið. But can she stop all of the threats to the kingdom without much help? I definitely see her having a wary dance with Valdemar as two duelists, but dueling each other in the thick fog of espionage.
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Appendix D2
Margareta's Plight, Part II
(King Þorolfr’s Partial Reign 791)
The full "Lost Seasons of the Danes" Soundtrack can be heard here.
(The Temple at Lojo sits near the shores of Lake Lohjanjärvi. This image was created with the assistance of Microsoft’s Copilot AI, using the DALL·E 3 image generator, with further edits completed using Microsoft’s Designer digital editor.)Margareta's Plight, Part II
(King Þorolfr’s Partial Reign 791)
Margareta hadn’t been as careful as she thought when planning her walk into the forest to find the altar and the hiisi. Although she was growing in her confidence in her role as the Seeress of Denmark, after more than a year in the position, this came too with hubris and the immaturity to choose following her fantasies instead of focusing solely on her mission.
For her second summer in Finland, Margareta had decided to approach proselytizing on her terms. For her, this started with adjusting the fashion of the godis and seers. She wanted a look that was more modern and appealed to younger people. She felt younger people, who had grown up with Swedish or Danish occupiers, were more open to changing their beliefs.
When he was the Seer of Denmark, Godi Styrbjörn of Hleiðra was known to fashion the skull of a goat into his headdress. Many male godis wore representations of skulls or animal skulls as part of their headdress and long robe. Instead, Margareta eschewed the long heavy robes with a hood and headdress. She wore a brown scarf over her long brown hair to give herself a modest foundation, usually complemented with a simple dark brown linen shift. But to give herself the gravitas of her station, she had paid a craftsman to have jewelry made: starting with an elaborate silver headpiece that pinned to her scarf. The headpiece was a round, ornately molded piece of silver with a silver skull mounted in the center. The headpiece also had an extender, that dangled a second silver piece fashioned like a teardrop with a smaller skull inset in the center. This second piece sat in the middle of Margareta’s forehead. She complemented this imposing, almost mystical look, with strands of multicolored leather cords that she wore around her long neck.
This summer she was following her own plan, instead of using the template Godi Styrbjörn had established. Usually, Styrbjörn had traveled in a circuit around the province giving big speeches and prayer sessions. Margareta had followed that course during her first summer but found grand speeches were not suited to her style. Not having the pomp of the former Seer, crowds seemed to dwindle as her first summer wore on as word of mouth had gone forth that this royal did not put on the same magnificent ceremonies as her predecessor. For this second summer in Finland, Margareta would use a more centralized and modest approach, fitting with her personality.
She based herself at the only Germanic temple in Sjundeå, which stood in the settlement of Lojo (now called Lohja), the second largest holding in the province. This had been a grand temple to the practice of the Suomenusko faith, but when he captured the province 14 years ago, Jarl Sigurd “Ring” af Munsö had the inside gutted. He had ordered it refurbished as a temple to honor Tyr, the Germanic god of war. Godi Fredrik was the holy man the jarl had installed to run the temple and to help convert the province to follow the ways of the Norse. But that work had been long and hard, with most still following the old ways. Often, Godi Fredrik would come out of the temple and look out on a marvelous view of Lake Lohjanjärvi (then as now, it was also called Lake Lohja, sometimes), wondering if the gods had forsaken his efforts or if the Finns were just too stubborn and bound to their pre-conquest religion and customs.
Godi Fredrik had loaned Margareta the use of one of his attendants, a tall and lithe teenager named Antto. Antto was two years younger than Margareta, but towered over her, standing at more than six feet and two inches. Margareta was a tall woman for this era, standing a few notches above five and a half feet, but Antto was another head taller and then some with a flowing mane of blonde hair. Given a few years, he would fill out into a fearsome, broad-shouldered warrior. However, his attraction to the Germanic religion and the teachings of Godi Fredrik had drawn him to his new calling, working at the temple in Lojo.
Margareta’s strategy for proselytizing in the province followed the idea that she would traverse the main trails and paths between the Temple of Lojo, and Jarl Sigurd’s fort, a half-day’s ride away. Jarl Sigurd’s fort was constructed in the holding known as Helsinge, the largest settlement in Sjundeå. Helsinge was located on the rapids of the Vantaa River, near its mouth on the Gulf of Finland. She would organize small gatherings of women and young people to tell the stories of the Sagas and tales of the Germanic gods. Sometimes these were just small gatherings of women and their children to carve wooden toys to resemble the gods or do small weaving projects that could be displayed in their homes. She would make stops in the villages along the way, with Antto serving basically as her bodyguard and translator. Once they had worked their way to Helsinge, they would hold some sessions there for a day or so, and then reverse their course back to Lojo. Margareta figured if she could help Godi Fredrik convert the people in the most populous parts of the province, then that would be the turning point.
And this strategy did work to build goodwill with small groups in villages where the Germanic religion and customs were not always welcome. Given time, and focus, such low-key efforts might eventually gain more ground than the more traditional preaching tour. However, both Margareta and Antto were not solely focused on their religious mission. Often, their teenage minds were distracted by earthly desires.
For after weeks of traveling and working closely with her, Antto had developed a strong crush on Margareta, even though he knew she was married and a royal. These two facts made her completely unavailable to him. Nevertheless, the pain of her unavailability made Antto want her all the more.
For her part, Margareta’s strategy to meet with women and young people was not just one to yield religious results, but she was also scouting for her fantasy woman. After more than six weeks of slowly working the pathways between Lojo and Helsinge, Margareta spotted the 18-year-old Katja at a story-telling session and it was infatuation at first sight. The two exchanged looks, and then introductions.
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.
However, soon Margareta was on her way to meet Katja’s father, Paavo. Paavo was a farmer with modest acreage, growing rye and barley, along with keeping a variety of farm animals. Smartly, Margareta offered Paavo a meeting with Jarl Sigurd or his representatives in Helsinge to sell his excess grains and some cattle to the Danish military. In exchange, Margareta wanted Paavo’s permission for Katja to travel with her, working as her translator.
Paavo wasn’t much for these new gods from the west. He wasn’t sure why the young people thought it was so fashionable to hear the stories and poems about these Norse gods. Also, he wasn’t sure his daughter should be mixed up with the occupiers. However, he was not a particularly zealous or religious man. And he did know a good deal when he saw one. He could stand to make more gold with a connection to Jarl Sigurd and his garrison in Helsinge. Paavo recognized doing a favor for the king’s cousin might also have future benefits. So he gave his permission for Katja to travel with Margareta.
But he had one promise to extract from Margareta first.
“Don’t let that young buck Antto put his hands on my daughter. She has yet to be promised to a man and she will be worth more in the bride’s price if she is a virgin,” Paavo said.
“I understand,” Margareta agreed in her basic Finnish, knowing her own purpose for gaining Paavo’s permission. “She will be safe with us. Antto is a holy man. He can be trusted.”
Paavo had reason to be worried for his daughter because she was a beauty. She had dancing blue eyes and naturally curly blonde hair, that she wore cut just past her shoulders. Her girlish shape was still changing into womanly curves, but her perky breasts in her simple farm dress were growing larger. She had a youthful energy and dynamism packed into her frame, standing at five feet and four inches. Add a captivating smile and high cheekbones to that combination and anyone would want to spend more time getting to know her.
“I want the king’s cousin to swear no one will have their evil way with my daughter,” Paavo insisted.
“I swear it,” Margareta assured him. Then she turned to Katja and said in Norse: “Tell him your maidenhead will not be at threat.”
Katja laughed. Then she spoke on Margareta’s behalf to her father. “She promises no man will have their way with me, father. You can trust her and Antto too.”
That was weeks before the late night tryst in the sacred woods, not far from Paavo’s grazing lands. The tension and teenage lust had grown between the three as they traveled, with Antto pouting and surly on many days, especially when he talked to Katja. For her part, Katja was wondering when Margareta would finally touch her as they traveled and Margareta held her sessions. There were many days of smoldering glances, teasing and hands brushed accidentally against each other, but nothing more.
Then there came the day when Margareta had asked, “Didn’t I hear your father say that there once was a hiisi near your farm? Maybe we should take a walk out there tonight?”
Little did Margareta and Katja know that at dusk that night, when they thought Antto was asleep, he was actually feigning rest and waiting for them to depart. Giving them a large head start, he followed them into the sacred woods. His eyes were the extra pair watching the two women enjoying their sapphic delights. His stomach ached with a mixture of jealousy, amazement, and sexual need as he watched. Then he made his way back to the tent they had pitched on the edge of the forest, his heart filled with sorrow and disappointment. He continued to suffer in silence.
For her second summer in Finland, Margareta had decided to approach proselytizing on her terms. For her, this started with adjusting the fashion of the godis and seers. She wanted a look that was more modern and appealed to younger people. She felt younger people, who had grown up with Swedish or Danish occupiers, were more open to changing their beliefs.
When he was the Seer of Denmark, Godi Styrbjörn of Hleiðra was known to fashion the skull of a goat into his headdress. Many male godis wore representations of skulls or animal skulls as part of their headdress and long robe. Instead, Margareta eschewed the long heavy robes with a hood and headdress. She wore a brown scarf over her long brown hair to give herself a modest foundation, usually complemented with a simple dark brown linen shift. But to give herself the gravitas of her station, she had paid a craftsman to have jewelry made: starting with an elaborate silver headpiece that pinned to her scarf. The headpiece was a round, ornately molded piece of silver with a silver skull mounted in the center. The headpiece also had an extender, that dangled a second silver piece fashioned like a teardrop with a smaller skull inset in the center. This second piece sat in the middle of Margareta’s forehead. She complemented this imposing, almost mystical look, with strands of multicolored leather cords that she wore around her long neck.
This summer she was following her own plan, instead of using the template Godi Styrbjörn had established. Usually, Styrbjörn had traveled in a circuit around the province giving big speeches and prayer sessions. Margareta had followed that course during her first summer but found grand speeches were not suited to her style. Not having the pomp of the former Seer, crowds seemed to dwindle as her first summer wore on as word of mouth had gone forth that this royal did not put on the same magnificent ceremonies as her predecessor. For this second summer in Finland, Margareta would use a more centralized and modest approach, fitting with her personality.
She based herself at the only Germanic temple in Sjundeå, which stood in the settlement of Lojo (now called Lohja), the second largest holding in the province. This had been a grand temple to the practice of the Suomenusko faith, but when he captured the province 14 years ago, Jarl Sigurd “Ring” af Munsö had the inside gutted. He had ordered it refurbished as a temple to honor Tyr, the Germanic god of war. Godi Fredrik was the holy man the jarl had installed to run the temple and to help convert the province to follow the ways of the Norse. But that work had been long and hard, with most still following the old ways. Often, Godi Fredrik would come out of the temple and look out on a marvelous view of Lake Lohjanjärvi (then as now, it was also called Lake Lohja, sometimes), wondering if the gods had forsaken his efforts or if the Finns were just too stubborn and bound to their pre-conquest religion and customs.
Godi Fredrik had loaned Margareta the use of one of his attendants, a tall and lithe teenager named Antto. Antto was two years younger than Margareta, but towered over her, standing at more than six feet and two inches. Margareta was a tall woman for this era, standing a few notches above five and a half feet, but Antto was another head taller and then some with a flowing mane of blonde hair. Given a few years, he would fill out into a fearsome, broad-shouldered warrior. However, his attraction to the Germanic religion and the teachings of Godi Fredrik had drawn him to his new calling, working at the temple in Lojo.
Margareta’s strategy for proselytizing in the province followed the idea that she would traverse the main trails and paths between the Temple of Lojo, and Jarl Sigurd’s fort, a half-day’s ride away. Jarl Sigurd’s fort was constructed in the holding known as Helsinge, the largest settlement in Sjundeå. Helsinge was located on the rapids of the Vantaa River, near its mouth on the Gulf of Finland. She would organize small gatherings of women and young people to tell the stories of the Sagas and tales of the Germanic gods. Sometimes these were just small gatherings of women and their children to carve wooden toys to resemble the gods or do small weaving projects that could be displayed in their homes. She would make stops in the villages along the way, with Antto serving basically as her bodyguard and translator. Once they had worked their way to Helsinge, they would hold some sessions there for a day or so, and then reverse their course back to Lojo. Margareta figured if she could help Godi Fredrik convert the people in the most populous parts of the province, then that would be the turning point.
And this strategy did work to build goodwill with small groups in villages where the Germanic religion and customs were not always welcome. Given time, and focus, such low-key efforts might eventually gain more ground than the more traditional preaching tour. However, both Margareta and Antto were not solely focused on their religious mission. Often, their teenage minds were distracted by earthly desires.
For after weeks of traveling and working closely with her, Antto had developed a strong crush on Margareta, even though he knew she was married and a royal. These two facts made her completely unavailable to him. Nevertheless, the pain of her unavailability made Antto want her all the more.
For her part, Margareta’s strategy to meet with women and young people was not just one to yield religious results, but she was also scouting for her fantasy woman. After more than six weeks of slowly working the pathways between Lojo and Helsinge, Margareta spotted the 18-year-old Katja at a story-telling session and it was infatuation at first sight. The two exchanged looks, and then introductions.
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.
However, soon Margareta was on her way to meet Katja’s father, Paavo. Paavo was a farmer with modest acreage, growing rye and barley, along with keeping a variety of farm animals. Smartly, Margareta offered Paavo a meeting with Jarl Sigurd or his representatives in Helsinge to sell his excess grains and some cattle to the Danish military. In exchange, Margareta wanted Paavo’s permission for Katja to travel with her, working as her translator.
Paavo wasn’t much for these new gods from the west. He wasn’t sure why the young people thought it was so fashionable to hear the stories and poems about these Norse gods. Also, he wasn’t sure his daughter should be mixed up with the occupiers. However, he was not a particularly zealous or religious man. And he did know a good deal when he saw one. He could stand to make more gold with a connection to Jarl Sigurd and his garrison in Helsinge. Paavo recognized doing a favor for the king’s cousin might also have future benefits. So he gave his permission for Katja to travel with Margareta.
But he had one promise to extract from Margareta first.
“Don’t let that young buck Antto put his hands on my daughter. She has yet to be promised to a man and she will be worth more in the bride’s price if she is a virgin,” Paavo said.
“I understand,” Margareta agreed in her basic Finnish, knowing her own purpose for gaining Paavo’s permission. “She will be safe with us. Antto is a holy man. He can be trusted.”
Paavo had reason to be worried for his daughter because she was a beauty. She had dancing blue eyes and naturally curly blonde hair, that she wore cut just past her shoulders. Her girlish shape was still changing into womanly curves, but her perky breasts in her simple farm dress were growing larger. She had a youthful energy and dynamism packed into her frame, standing at five feet and four inches. Add a captivating smile and high cheekbones to that combination and anyone would want to spend more time getting to know her.
“I want the king’s cousin to swear no one will have their evil way with my daughter,” Paavo insisted.
“I swear it,” Margareta assured him. Then she turned to Katja and said in Norse: “Tell him your maidenhead will not be at threat.”
Katja laughed. Then she spoke on Margareta’s behalf to her father. “She promises no man will have their way with me, father. You can trust her and Antto too.”
That was weeks before the late night tryst in the sacred woods, not far from Paavo’s grazing lands. The tension and teenage lust had grown between the three as they traveled, with Antto pouting and surly on many days, especially when he talked to Katja. For her part, Katja was wondering when Margareta would finally touch her as they traveled and Margareta held her sessions. There were many days of smoldering glances, teasing and hands brushed accidentally against each other, but nothing more.
Then there came the day when Margareta had asked, “Didn’t I hear your father say that there once was a hiisi near your farm? Maybe we should take a walk out there tonight?”
Little did Margareta and Katja know that at dusk that night, when they thought Antto was asleep, he was actually feigning rest and waiting for them to depart. Giving them a large head start, he followed them into the sacred woods. His eyes were the extra pair watching the two women enjoying their sapphic delights. His stomach ached with a mixture of jealousy, amazement, and sexual need as he watched. Then he made his way back to the tent they had pitched on the edge of the forest, his heart filled with sorrow and disappointment. He continued to suffer in silence.
Margareta Skjöldung hadn’t been as careful as she thought when planning her walk into the forest to find the altar and the hiisi. Although she was growing in her confidence in her role as the Seeress of Denmark, after more than a year in the position, this came too with hubris and the immaturity to choose following her fantasies instead of focusing solely on her mission.
For her second summer in Finland, Margareta had decided to approach proselytizing on her terms. For her, this started with adjusting the fashion of the godis and seers. She wanted a look that was more modern and appealed to younger people. She felt younger people, who had grown up with Swedish or Danish occupiers, were more open to changing their beliefs.
When he was the Seer of Denmark, Godi Styrbjörn of Hleiðra was known to fashion the skull of a goat into his headdress. Many male godis wore representations of skulls or animal skulls as part of their headdress and long robe. Instead, Margareta eschewed the long heavy robes with a hood and headdress. She wore a brown scarf over her long brown hair to give herself a modest foundation, usually complemented with a simple dark brown linen shift. But to give herself the gravitas of her station, she had paid a craftsman to have jewelry made: starting with an elaborate silver headpiece that pinned to her scarf. The headpiece was a round, ornately molded piece of silver with a silver skull mounted in the center. The headpiece also had an extender, that dangled a second silver piece fashioned like a teardrop with a smaller skull inset in the center. This second piece sat in the middle of Margareta’s forehead. She complemented this imposing, almost mystical look, with strands of multicolored leather cords that she wore around her long neck.
This summer she was following her own plan, instead of using the template Godi Styrbjörn had established. Usually, Styrbjörn had traveled in a circuit around the province giving big speeches and prayer sessions. Margareta had followed that course during her first summer but found grand speeches were not suited to her style. Not having the pomp of the former Seer, crowds seemed to dwindle as her first summer wore on as word of mouth had gone forth that this royal did not put on the same magnificent ceremonies as her predecessor. For this second summer in Finland, Margareta would use a more centralized and modest approach, fitting with her personality.
She based herself at the only Germanic temple in Sjundeå, which stood in the settlement of Lojo (now called Lohja), the second largest holding in the province. This had been a grand temple to the practice of the Suomenusko faith, but when he captured the province 14 years ago, Jarl Sigurd “Ring” af Munsö had the inside gutted. He had ordered it refurbished as a temple to honor Tyr, the Germanic god of war. Godi Fredrik was the holy man the jarl had installed to run the temple and to help convert the province to follow the ways of the Norse. But that work had been long and hard, with most still following the old ways quietly. Often, Godi Fredrik would come out of the temple and look out on a marvelous view of Lake Lohjanjärvi (then as now, it was also called Lake Lohja, sometimes), wondering if the gods had forsaken his efforts or if the Finns were just too stubborn and bound to their pre-conquest religion and customs.
Godi Fredrik had loaned Margareta the use of one of his attendants, a tall and lithe teenager named Antto. Antto was two years younger than Margareta, but towered over her, standing at more than six feet and two inches. Margareta was a tall woman for this era, standing a few notches above five and a half feet, but Antto was another head taller and then some with a flowing mane of blonde hair. Given a few years, he would fill out into a fearsome, broad-shouldered warrior. However, his attraction to the Germanic religion and the teachings of Godi Fredrik had drawn him to his new calling, working at the temple in Lojo.
Margareta’s strategy for proselytizing in the province followed the idea that she would traverse the main trails and paths between the Temple of Lojo, and Jarl Sigurd’s fort, a half-day’s ride away. Jarl Sigurd’s fort was constructed in the holding known as Helsinge, the largest settlement in Sjundeå. Helsinge was located on the rapids of the Vantaa River, near its mouth on the Gulf of Finland. She would organize small gatherings of women and young people to tell the stories of the Sagas and tales of the Germanic gods. Sometimes these were just small gatherings of women and their children to carve wooden toys to resemble the gods or do small weaving projects that could be displayed in their homes. She would make stops in the villages along the way, with Antto serving basically as her bodyguard and translator. Once they had worked their way to Helsinge, they would hold some sessions there for a day or so, and then reverse their course back to Lojo. Margareta figured if she could help Godi Fredrik convert the people in the most populous parts of the province, then that would be the turning point.
And this strategy did work to build goodwill with small groups in villages where the Germanic religion and customs were not always welcome. Given time, and focus, such low-key efforts might eventually gain more ground than the more traditional preaching tour. However, both Margareta and Antto were not solely focused on their religious mission. Often, their teenage minds were distracted by earthly desires.
For after weeks of traveling and working closely with her, Antto had developed a strong crush on Margareta, even though he knew she was married and a royal. These two facts made her completely unavailable to him. Nevertheless, the pain of her unavailability made Antto want her all the more.
For her part, Margareta’s strategy to meet with women and young people was not just one to yield religious results, but she was also scouting for her fantasy woman. After more than six weeks of slowly working the pathways between Lojo and Helsinge, Margareta spotted the 18-year-old Katja at a story-telling session and it was infatuation at first sight. The two exchanged looks, and then introductions.
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.
However, soon Margareta was on her way to meet Katja’s father, Paavo. Paavo was a farmer with modest acreage, growing rye and barley, along with keeping a variety of farm animals. Smartly, Margareta offered Paavo a meeting with Jarl Sigurd or his representatives in Helsinge to sell his excess grains and some cattle to the Danish military. In exchange, Margareta wanted Paavo’s permission for Katja to travel with her, working as her translator.
Paavo wasn’t much for these new gods from the west. He wasn’t sure why the young people thought it was so fashionable to hear the stories and poems about these Norse gods. Also, he wasn’t sure his daughter should be mixed up with the occupiers. However, he was not a particularly zealous or religious man. And he did know a good deal when he saw one. He could stand to make more gold with a connection to Jarl Sigurd and his garrison in Helsinge. Paavo recognized doing a favor for the king’s cousin might also have future benefits. So he gave his permission for Katja to travel with Margareta.
But he had one promise to extract from Margareta first.
Margareta made this agreement in her basic Finnish, knowing her own purpose for gaining Paavo’s permission.
Paavo had reason to be worried for his daughter because she was a beauty. She had dancing blue eyes and naturally curly blonde hair, that she wore cut just past her shoulders. Her girlish shape was still changing into womanly curves, but her perky breasts in her simple farm dress were growing larger. She had a youthful energy and dynamism packed into her frame, standing at five feet and four inches. Add a captivating smile and high cheekbones to that combination and anyone would want to spend more time getting to know her.
After Margareta assured him, she turned to Katja and said in Norse:
Katja laughed. Then she spoke on Margareta’s behalf to her father.
That was weeks before the late night tryst in the sacred woods, not far from Paavo’s grazing lands. The tension and teenage lust had grown between the three as they traveled, with Antto pouting and surly on many days, especially when he talked to Katja. For her part, Katja was wondering when Margareta would finally touch her as they traveled and Margareta held her sessions. There were many days of smoldering glances, teasing and hands brushed accidentally against each other, but nothing more.
Then there came the day when Margareta had asked an important question.
Little did Margareta and Katja know that at dusk that night, when they thought Antto was asleep, he was actually feigning rest and waiting for them to depart. Giving them a large head start, he followed them into the sacred woods. His eyes were the extra pair watching the two women enjoying their sapphic delights. His stomach ached with a mixture of jealousy, amazement, and sexual need as he watched. Then he made his way back to the tent they had pitched on the edge of the forest, his heart filled with sorrow and disappointment. He continued to suffer in silence.
(Lost Seasons of the Danes will return sometime in the next three weeks or so.)
(The images included in this chapter are from accounts linked to @Chac1 where he holds the copyright. The images are from Playground AI, Microsoft’s Copilot AI and ChatGPT-4.0-turbo. The Lost Seasons of the Danes logo is from Microsoft.)
This post marks exactly two years since this AAR began. At this point, this AAR consists of 47 chapters, 3 interludes, 6 poems, and two songs, along with two ancillary AARs (The Lost Saga and Lost Myths) about House Skjöldung, the rulers of Denmark in the 8th Century. Thanks to all the readers who have encouraged this work forward. I am grateful to have more than 41,000 views of this AAR so far. Your time and feedback are truly appreciated.
(Lost Seasons of the Danes will return sometime in the next three weeks or so.)
ᛚᛟᛋᛏ ᛋᛖᚨᛋᛟᚾᛋ ᛟᚠ ᛏᚺᛖ ᛞᚨᚾᛖᛋ
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So I was right, habemus voyeurum ...
I bet he somehow enjoyed the views, though ...
Thanks for dropping in to check out the latest chapter @StrategyGameEnthusiast & @dmurgell . We will see where this teenage love triangle takes us.
Some answers coming in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, the Seeress of Denmark has the blessing....
You will have to decide for yourself if it is "funny business" but Antto's importance to this particular story and appendix of the main story will continue to grow.
Indeed.
No doubt. But how will he handle what he saw?
Some answers coming in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, the Seeress of Denmark has the blessing....
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I suppose that's bound to happen when important religious roles are entrusted to teenagers and twenty-somethings. It could be worse I suppose. The medieval Papacy a century or two later endured the Saeculum Obscurum, a very licentious period indeed.
Everybody has a different speaking or teaching style, I'm glad Margareta is wise enough to not follow in the former Godi's footsteps.
And a third that he was unaware of, at least until the end of this chapter.
Did he know Margaret was lesbian at this point? I'm surprised he even knew that was a possibility.
Keeping secrets bottle up is rarely good. Antto doesn't seem overly cruel though, so his revenge may not be unmanageable. What could he want?
I also have a feeling that Valdemar will somehow find out about this and use it to his advantage.