Anna Cadogan

A N N A  C A D O G A N

OOC • ALIAS & PRONOUN: Hanna – She / Her • AGE: 25+ • TIMEZONE: GMT • TRIGGERS: Rape, Child Abuse, Mutilation IC

• DESIRED FACECLAIM:  Florence Pugh • FULL NAME:  Anna Cadogan • AGE: 27 • OCCUPATION:  Servant • CHARACTER TRAITS: + Brave + Loyal - Stubborn - Trusting • LABEL: The Maudlin • GENDER + PRONOUNS: She / Her • SEXUALITY: Heterosexual BIO Anna is the only child of Aneurin, a Welshman of high standing within the Kingdom of Gwynedd.  Her Mother Cerwen passed away during childbirth, subsequently leaving her daughter Motherless.  She was raised by her father within an age of repression, patriotism and rebellion for the Welsh.  

Along with his political teachings, Anna was schooled in the art of yielding a sword.  Unlike her contemporaries in other parts of the British Isles, Anna being a woman in early medieval Wales yearned to play an active part in determining her family and country’s future.  

Sadly, it was a future that for her would never come to pass.

A horde of Vikings raided North Wales having been driven out of Dublin, Ireland.  In some areas, they settled as peaceful farmers, merchants, and skilled craftsmen, but in others the contact was both brutal and opportunist.  The villagers fought valiantly, but Anna amongst others were subsequently captured and brought to Hedeby as servants – Anna for King Ragnar and his royal household.

Torn from her home, her family, her status and all that she knows, Anna now faces a life in a country with a language and culture so alien to her own.  In between her new duties, she keeps an open ear, noting their words, traits and traditions.  Over time she’s picked up a few words, and though she’s far from fluent it’s enough to get by. Her captors have luckily shown some kindness towards her, but still being her captors, she craves her freedom.

inspired by @all-is-fair-in-love-and-war​ and @xdestinyisall​

“We live to fight another day”

“In my mind, I wish I had never left the farm.”

“A Viking never gives up on his revenge. This is who we are.”

“You give the Gods too much credit”

“I’ve asked for a sign. You have given me a sign. You’ve answered my prayers. I was blind, but now I see. I was dead, but… I’m reborn.”

“When the spring comes, and my blood heats up, I want nothing more than to raid and fight.”

“I would worry less about the gods and more about the fury of a patient man.”

“I was hoping that I could cheat the fates.”

“Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.”

“We fight. That is how we win, and that is how we die.”

“I have had a sign. A sign that blood must be spilled, a sacrifice be made. I have waited a long time for such a sign. And now my purpose is clear.”

“Don’t waste your time looking back you are not going that way”

“It is the Gods that have woven our destinies, not ourselves”

“You can all say whatever you want, but he was a human. People started to talk as if he was a god. He was not a god,he was a man! A man with many dreams and many failings.”

“There is nothing more beautiful than a mother.”

“We have one life… so go and live it.”

“Axe time! Sword time! Shields are splintered!”

You will die on the day that the blind man sees you.”

“Force is only necessary against one’s enemies.”

“Possession is the opposite of love.”

“I feel trapped, in all this happiness.”

“You don’t need a title to be a leader.”

“Someone needs to control what, apparently, you cannot.”

“The gods are here. They’re watching.”

“In my world, I am constantly torn between killing myself or everyone around me.”

“Always remember to finish off your opponent, if you can. No man ever ran away with his entrails hanging to his knees, or his head cut off.”

“The fly always follows the dead meat.”

: “Dark shapes come to me at night. Monstrous forms. When I wake, they skulk in the shadows, shapeless, but no sooner am I asleep than they creep forward again.”

“No man can walk through life without things happening to him.”

“When your time comes, you must lead with your head, not with your heart.”

“In my world, you must have a life worth living before you can even consider death.”

“We should not wash our dirty clothes in front of others.”

“Don’t die stupidly.”

“Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst. And corrupts the best.”

“Gods blessed upon a sea of corpses.

You Couldn’t Kill Me If You Tried For A Hundred Years

“It Is Always A Strength To Know The Weakness Of Your Friends.”

It Is All The Same With We Women. We Just Give Birth To The Slaughtered.”

The Truth Can Be A Bad Choice For A Wise Man.”

How The Little Piggies Will Grunt When They Hear How The Old Boar Suffered.”

Always Remember To Finish Off Your Opponent If You Can.

The Future Is Open. Trust In The Gods. Live For Each Moment.”

Power Is Always Dangerous. It Attracts The Worst And Corrupts The Best.”

I’ve Been Told Your God Is A Carpenter. And Guess What? So Am I.

What Is It About The Word ‘King’ That Makes Even Reasonable People Behave Like Idiots?”

Yes, I Have Made Mistakes. Life Didn’t Come With Instructions.”

Gwyn Ap Nudd

Gwyn is a figure seen in welsh and Arthurian mythology. He is the king of the Tyhwyth Teg otherwise known as Fair Family (The Fae) and one of the rulers of Annwn, the underworld with Arwan. Notable symbols of Gwyn are owls & hounds.

Gwyn means "fair, bright, white"

A couple of his tales include, the abduction of Creiddylad. In this legend Gwyn falls in love with the flora/love goddess Creiddylad (who may be his sister) and takes her back to Annwn. But at this time she was to marry warrior Gwythyr Ap Greidawl. Gwythyr fought for her to return until King Authur intervened and set the two men would fight every May Day until judgement day. This is at the change of seasons; a fight between winter & spring.

In other legends it explains that Gwyn is the psychopomp, a mysterious figure that gathers the souls of fallen soldiers in battle.

He is the leader of The Wild Hunt, in which he leads a pack of supernatural hounds known as the Cŵn Annwn to harvest human souls. In Welsh folklore, to hear the baying of Gwyn's hounds was a portent of imminent death in the family.

Anna’s expression softened, noting the small smile of the stranger before her. Always a weary one, she’d often be on her guard, but he seemed polite enough.

“Company?” She questioned with a light laugh, turning back to her tasks. She pulled in her line yet again and span it around a small piece of wood. Today hadn’t been as successful as she’d hoped. “I don’t know about company, but how talented a fisherman are you?”

.

“Fishing, you say?” He matched her laugh effortlessly, showing that he could be in a good frame of mind normally. “Fishing and the sea go hand in hand, do they not?” When sailing, Rune found that there was a lot of time and a need to eat so he fished what he could. “My father has taught me a thing or two in regards to catching fish?”

.

For a moment she rested against the roughened bark of a nearby tree.  It offered her a brief pause from the weighted pain of her legs, but although her injuries were bad, they were far from the worst she’d experienced over the years.  She dreaded to think how beastly the outcome could have been had Erik not appeared, and wondered if he’d ever realise how grateful she was for the intrusion.

“I can walk.”  She replied with an air of stubborn determination.  “I ought to make my way back to the village, and you ought to keep out of sight.”  She breathed out what faintly resembled a small laugh and sauntered passed Erik to stand above her attacker, still laying motionless upon the ground.  She didn’t quite know what possessed her, but she gave the body a brief rock with her boot.  The furs upon his neck eased off to the side, and in doing so revealed a silver cross.  “A Saxon?”  She seethed, turning to face Erik with a look of pure unease.  “That’s Saxon made.”

.

“saxon made?” erik mused, as he wandered over towards the body of the man. crouching down next to him he got a good look at what anna meant. gloved hands reached out to pull the silver cross closer to him. this was saxon made for sure. and not something old or uncared for. this was new. polished and well taken care of.  not something a man could have simply taken off a corpse of a fallen saxon and just kept. no. this was something else.

“fuck.” he said standing up. just as he was about to say something else the first screams and cries were emanating out from the village. “it’s an attack.” he’d seen enough of these to know what this meant. pulling out his sword, there was no hesitation as he plunged it into the heart of the man who had just been attacking them. “we need to move.”

The sound of Eriks sword plunging into the Saxons heart cleaved at her ears. It was a distant yet familiar sound to her. A necessity, as was ridding the corpse of his concealed blade and anything she could find on his persons that would be of use to them.

“Where to?” She questioned, rolling the Saxon seax between each hand gaging its weight and dexterity. Whilst it wouldn’t cause as much damage as a sword she could at least protect herself this night. A weapon in hand was a welcomed change.

With her back to the world, Anna continued to hum. The dulcet notes drifted gently into the salty air around her. It was a pleasant habit and accompaniment to her chores.

Today she’d been tasked with some fishing, and whilst the men had their boats and their nets, she had her line and her barbed hooks. Over time she’d learned where the best fishing spots were. She’d caught many a herring and cod here, and had hoped that today’s bounty would be equally fruitful.

She turned to pull over another bucket, but her attention was caught. Her eyes flew open, wide open as the stranger approached and her humming came to an immediate halt.

“Can I help you?” She questioned cautiously.

.

Rune hadn’t realised that someone else was around until they spoke. He looked at her in wonder, absolutely thrown off guard. His walks usually consisted of not seeing anyone else around and he wondered if it was her that had been humming. Instead of running away, as a voice in head was instructing him, he fixed her with a smile, albeit a small one.

“I was actually enjoying the peace. I suppose you wanted to do the same?” Rune kept his tone polite, even. He didn’t to worry someone else with his worries. She probably had her own, for all he knew. “Should I leave you to it or do you need some company?” Rune had said it now. In reality he wanted to be alone but sometimes being around a stranger helped to clear your head better than being alone.

“Company?” She questioned with a light laugh, turning back to her tasks. She pulled in her line yet again and span it around a small piece of wood. Today hadn’t been as successful as she’d hoped. “I don’t know about company, but how talented a fisherman are you?”