Prologue (Valhalla)
Prologue was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan in 2020 through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description
Eivor's family invited King Styrbjorn Sigvaldisson to Heillboer for a feast.
Dialogue
The voice of a Seer could be heard in the cosmos.
- Seer: Silence, you children of gods... And heed my tale of time's beginning. All was dark. There was no sand, there was no sea. No earth nor sky, no grass nor wind. 'Til fire met ice in the gasping void. And from this scream came the giant Ymir, first of all beings... Proud Ymir, cruelly killed. Yet from whose bones and blood and brains the world was made... The world you walk and war upon...
The vision dissolved to a young Eivor found a ring in a side-room of a longhouse.
- Young Eivor: There you are.
She opened the door, approaching the feast taking place in the main hall. A skald approached her.
- Skald: Eivor, here's a tune for you! One to liven your step.
Eivor continued inwards and approached behind her father Varin, who was drinking with another villager.
- Varin: Ah, there you, my little drengr.
Varin let go of the villager.
- Varin: Go!
He approached Eivor.
- Varin: So, did you see our king?
Eivor pointed towards the fireplace.
- Varin: Yes, good. Come, Eivor. Did you find the... the ring?
Eivor lifted up the ring, showing her father.
- Varin: Yes. Now... now for our little plan. When you see us talking, be quiet as a wood mouse and then surprise him with our gift. And you hold it out like this and look him in the eyes and you say, "Styrbjorn King, may our clans be forever bonded in friendship and in love." You think you can do that for me?
Eivor nodded.
- Young Eivor: Mm-hmm.
- Varin: Good. Tonight, you will be the cord that unites our people. And I'm so proud of you, Eivor.
Varin gave Eivor a kiss on her head before leaving to continue drinking.
- Varin: Get up, Olaf! Stay lucid, friend!
- Olaf: My sword is gore-greedy. I am ready to fight!
- Holger: I hewed the heads of joyless hel-dogs! I imbibed Odin's brew and I snipped the scraggly beards of troll-kings! I danced naked upon the bleaching beaches...
- Tove: Drink, Holger. And save your poems for your king.
- Holger: He is your king as well.
- Tove: He is, but I don't have to sing his praises for my meals.
- Holger: Hello, little one! Ready to celebrate this great day?
- Young Eivor: I have a gift for the king. Then I will dance.
- Holger: Good! Kings love those arm-fetters. Raise your horn with me, Tove. Tonight we sleep in the heat of clan-fire. Made happy by mead.
Eivor continued onwards before being stopped in her tracks by Sigurd.
- Sigurd: O! No drink in your fist? Come on. I'll find you something.
- Eivor: I can't. I have a tribute for your father.
- Sigurd: O, what a piece! That must be worth two sturdy longships! Give it here. I'll pass it on.
- Young Eivor: My father asked me, Sigurd.
- Sigurd: Suit yourself. But you're not getting any mead!
Sigurd left. Eivor proceed forward and headed towards the kitchen table, where her father and mother Rosta were at. Varin gave Eivor a headpat before leaving her to Rosta.
- Young Eivor: (giggle)
- Rosta: So, you have the ring? Good. This was worn by your grandfather in a battle on the Northern Way.
- Young Eivor: Mother?
- Rosta: Yes?
- Young Eivor: Can we show Sigurd the cairn stones we stacked yesterday?
- Rosta: That's a good idea. We'll do that in the morning, at first light.
The two watched as a villager pushed down another villager down to the ground from the upper deck, leading to an uproar of laughter.
- Rosta: Now go. You have a gift to deliver.
Eivor approached the throne table where Varin was standing next to King Styrbjorn.
- Varin: Eivor, wait. Skal to Styrbjorn, the true King of Rygjafylke! Tonight we are all made anew! Skal!
The clan raised their glasses in praise of Styrbjorn.
- Varin: Eivor. Eivor, come.
Eivor, holding the ring in her palms, approached Styrbjorn.
- Young Eivor: King... May our clans be forever bonded in friendship and love.
She handed the ring towards the king.
- Styrbjorn: Thank you, Eivor. Now and forever, I am pledged to you.
Varin began reciting a skaldic poem.
- Varin: Harken well in hall of kings...
- Norse Soldier: Hoo! Haa! Hoo! Ha!
- Varin: On ocean-steed, my words gain wings.
Odin's mead, I forth will bring.
For noble deeds, thine honor sing! - Norse Soldier: For noble deeds, thine honor sing!
Varin carried Eivor on his arms.
- Varin: The brave men slain, Valkyrjur wakes...
- Norse Soldier: The brave men slain, Valkyrjur wakes!
- Varin: Reward for strain to Valholl takes!
- Norse Soldier: Reward for strain to Valholl takes!
- Varin: Then horns resounds the mighty hall!
- Norse Soldier: Then horns resounds the mighty hall!
For those who fight, for those who fall—
The main door blew open as two Norsemen entered in a panic, and a loud horn was heard.
- Varin: Ready yourselves, men! Ah!
The villagers set out to go to battle, including Rosta and Varin, though Eivor remained behind.
- Varin: Good Rosta, go. Not you, Eivor. Not just yet.
- Svala: It is foretold. The curtains are raised. Nothing is true until it is severed from the branches of Yggdrasil.
Unheeding her father's warning, Eivor approached the main door. As a Viking was about to kill Eivor, her mother Rosta brought her to safety and eliminated the warrior.
- Rosta: Down!
Rosta brought Eivor up upon a cart while defending herself against Kjotve's men. She then reached for Eivor from the cart and carried her on her left shoulder.
- Rosta: Come. Eivor...
Rosta approached the stables while eliminating more of the attackers. She then put Eivor on a horse.
- Rosta: Go! Now!
- Norse Woman: Stop! Please!
- Rosta: Ride! Go!
Leaving Eivor behind, Rosta entered the stables to assist her fellow villager, not noticing an attacker following behind. Eivor, having noticed the ambusher, got down the horse and picked up a sword, dragging it along as she entered through the building window. She watched as her father defended himself against Kjotve's men.
- Varin: Kjotve! Show yourself!
As Eivor carried the sword over the window, it pierced the attacker who was pushed into it by Rosta. Noticing her mother struggling against another attacker, Eivor jumped over and distracted the enemy.
- Young Eivor: Momma!
Siezing the opportunity, Rosta killed her distracted opponent. As another Viking attempted to drag Eivor away, Sigurd entered and slew him.
- Sigurd: Grah!
- Young Eivor: Sigurd!
Meanwhile outside at the statue of Odin, Varin fought against Kjotve.
- Varin: Kjotve! Let's end this bloodshed.
- Kjotve the Cruel: O, I will!
As Rosta gave the deceased attacker a proper rite, a fire arrow was launched on the stables' hay.
- Rosta: Speed to Valhalla.
- Norse Warrior: Fire!
- Rosta: Sigurd, take the horse.
- Sigurd: Alright, wait here.
Eivor then hid behind a bunch of barrels and watched as her clan members were defeated or captured one by one, including Rosta.
- Kjotve the Cruel: Now it's my turn to offer you a deal, slave-whore. Accept your fate and die a coward, here before your people... and I will spare the rest.
- Rosta: Fight, my love! Do not listen!
- Varin: If I give my life, will you spare my clan?
- Kjotve the Cruel: You have my word.
Varin proceeded to kneel down and lay down his arms.
- Rosta: No, no, Varin! No Varin! Pick up your axe.
Left defenseless, Varin was slain by Kjotve.
- Young Eivor: No!
Rosta freed herself from Kjotve's men and charged towards Kjotve, only to be killed by a throwing axe.
- Kjotve the Cruel: Kill them all!
Before Eivor was killed, Sigurd rescued her on horseback and escaped the village. While dodging arrows being shot at them, the horse was knocked down by one of Kjotve's men, throwing Sigurd and Eivor off the cliff. The horse and Eivor landed on a frozen lake, the first one cracking the ice and drowning itself in the process. As the cracks reached the child, a wolf reached her and attacked, biting her in the neck. As she began to lose conscious, she saw herself reaching for a closing door to a bright room. She screamed, scaring the wolf for a few seconds.
- Young Eivor: (scream)
Suddenly, as if they had heard her, a pair of ravens proceeded to attack the wolf, allowing Eivor to slowly crawl to her axe and hit the wolf in the throat, right in the moment when it would deal the final blow. At this point, the memory became extremelly unstable as two different DNA streams began to conflict with each other, causing the Animus simulation to finally collapse.
Outcome
Eivor's parents were killed during a raid by Kjotve the Cruel. She was adopted into the household of Styrbjorn Sigvaldisson.
Behind the scenes
The seer's beginning monologue is an alternate translation of lines 1-2 and all of stanzas 3 and 4 in the Völuspá, the opening poem from the 13th century text Poetic Edda by Snorri Sturluson.
References
