#intrig

They passed Vanaheim, not coming ashore there, instead of continuing around the headlands and across the narrow waterway between it and Midgard. The last time Maebh saw her old lands she was glad to be leaving them, as they made their way now towards them, she would do anything with her power to keep away from them, but it was not her choice as to whether or not she would go there. She never planned for her daughter to see Midgard, in fact of all of her children, Danu was the one that she would actively have sought to keep away from Midgard. But fate had other plans.

‘Mother?’ Danu whispered, her voice so faint, Maebh hardly heard it. it was so low it was not possible for any of the men in the boat to hear her.

‘That is Midgard, the land which I was born to,’ she explained.

‘Why have they brought us here?’

‘To make me suffer.’ She replied simply. ‘Remember what I said, no matter what they do to me, remain strong, do not let them break you. All they want is to see you cry, to hear you beg, and make you scream for me or your father.’

‘Will they hurt you?’

‘Yes.’

‘And Einar?’

‘They will not actively seek to hurt him so long as they do not know he exists.’

‘Are you scared?’

‘Of course.’

‘For just me or both of us?’

‘I am not frightened of them, not for me. But I am so so scared for you. I promise Danu, even if I do not make it off this land, I will get you home to your Father and your brothers.’

‘Mother, what happened to Grandmother, did they hurt her?’

‘Yes.’ Maebh stated sadly.

‘Did they kill her?’ Maebh did not answer, she merely held her daughter closer to her, telling the child the answer to her question. ‘We will make them suffer.’ the child stated, her anger clear in her voice.

‘When the time is right, never strike until this is the right time.’

‘How do we know when?’

‘We will, I will tell you when.’ She promised.

‘Mother, I am a glad father, Vali and Kushtrim were not at the house when they came.’

‘So am I.’

‘Will these men try to hurt me the way the man tried to hurt me the day you saved me?’

‘I sincerely hope not, but I can make no promises, for that would be to understand what it is they are doing and I cannot say I do. It makes no sense to keep me alive, yet they say it is the order to.’

‘Make them regret that order, Mother.’

‘They will rue the day that they not only decided to come to our home, not even just the day they decided to invoke my right, I will make them through the day they came to be born.’ she promised.

‘And I with you.’ her daughter stated clearly, looking her mother in the eye.

Maebh held the girl to her, kissing the top of her head. not wanting to tell her just tell dire their situation was, not wanting to scare her. Maebh knew she needed to concoct a plan. There was little or no chance of her leaving Midgard alive. But if she was lucky, if you found the right person, Danu would be able to escape, she could be saved. She thought of the baby in her, her little warrior; the one that never gave up, who refused to die even when she refused to live, she could not think of a way to save it, try as she might.

Finally, they made it to a dock, where another dozen men were waiting, heavily armed, all looking at her with sickening glee evident in their faces. Maebh refused to look scared, she refused to acknowledge the existence. She merely looked straight ahead, her chin tilted high, and refused to give them anything that they could call her on her behalf. She held her daughter against to her as best she could, considering she was still tied up, her hands behind her back. the rope around her neck had not been loosened to the entire journey, it remains tight, just enough to not impede her breathing.

When the boat was tied to the dock, what she assumed to be the man in charge, took hold of the rope and dragged her ashore. Danu rushed after her mother, refusing to be parted from her. At first, it seemed the men were going to separate them, but much to both women's relief, they allowed them to remain by each other's sides.

The men spat, heckled and jeered Maebh, but she paid them no heed. Beside her, her daughter mimicked her every action. Though she looked exactly like her father in appearance, Danu was very much her mother's daughter when it came to demeanour and poise, though often, Maebh felt that Frigga was the reason for her poise, there were days that one look at her daughter reminded her completely of her mother-in-law. knowing That Frigga was gone never to be with them again, never to meet her youngest grandchild, it gave her some comfort, knowing that she had lived on somewhat in her daughter. But that did not give them much comfort as they walked along the shoreline, men shouting loudly to declare that the so-called queen of Ulster, the deserter, the Barbarian fornicator, had returned and she would suffer for what she had done to the Lands and giving it to the Barbarians of Asgard, for abandoning her people and for breeding more of those sick creatures. Some came to glare, some to jeer, and even some to pelt her with food, but Maebh never faltered in her step only when it was to protect Danu from whatever projectiles they were throwing at them. for her part, Danu protected her mother's stomach and in turn, the baby within. Maebh was unsure how long she could hide her condition, but she had to try, she had no idea what they would have in store for her if they found out she was carrying. At that moment, she was most grateful once again for the fact that Danu had no idea what it was the despicable people around her were saying, not only about her mother but about her too. Nothing they said bothered Maebh when it referenced her but every word said regarding her daughter made her see red, made her want to make them suffer.

They were brought to a building, one almost as fortified as the one Maebh had been brought up in, telling her that escape would be very difficult if not impossible. To her side, Danu stared terrified at building in front of her, having never seen such a dwelling in her life. She remained beside her mother the entire time, holding onto her skirt.

The men brought them to a room and before they even entered it, Maebh noticed that the room locked from the outside. They were effectively thrown into what was, for all intents and purposes, a cell, the manner in which she was thrown caused Maebh to be yanked backwards by The Rope around her neck, which in turn meant he suffered painfully as her head was momentarily deprived of oxygen. the man laughed as she coughed and spluttered from the action before they loosen the rope around her neck and slipped it off. Next, they opened the rope around Danu’s neck, but kept the child between them and Maebh, watching her very cautiously. Even with her hands still tied behind her back, they heard enough of her to know she would be dangerous if she caught hold of them. When she was untied, they threw Danu forward.

‘Are you alright?’ Her mother got to her knees next to where Danu stumbled.

‘Yes, mother.’

‘Can you untie me?’

‘I can try.’ She got behind her mother, and with several minutes of tugging and some sore fingers later, Danu got her mother untied. ‘There.’

‘Good girl.’ She rubbed her cut and bruised hands before hugging her daughter. ‘You have been so brave my darling.’ She kissed her daughter’s head. ‘I am so proud of you. Get some rest, we will be here some time.’ She brought her daughter to the small bed and sat up in a way that her legs would be a pillow for her. The bed was small, dirty and less than appealing.

‘I am really hungry.’ It was the first time Danu made reference to her not eating in the days of travel.

‘I know my love, I know.’ Her mother bit back her tears. ‘Just get some sleep for now.’ She stroked her daughter’s hair.

Maebh waited until she knew her daughter was asleep before she moved and went to the door, her hand going to her stomach to feel the baby that had been moving in her throughout the days of travel, kicking her from time to time, but thankfully not moving to reveal itself. Looking sadly back at her daughter, she knocked twice on the door. A man opened it, two spears aimed at her. ‘What?’

‘I was told I could settle her before this started, she is settled, so let us get this over with.’ she snarled. The men looked at one another blankly, ‘Just tell Fitzgerald I am waiting.’ She hissed.

The men looked at her wrists. ‘You are untied.’

‘Obviously,’ she scoffed. ‘Norns but you are a thick lot.’ She held her hands out to be tied. ‘I doubt you want me untied for this, I can assure you now, you do not want me to be.’

The men looked at one another for a moment before bringing a rope and tying her. They then brought her through the dwelling, her paying attention to everything around her as she did. When she was brought into a room in which there were loads of men sat looking at her, at the head of the room, sat a man in more finery than any other. ‘Yes, Whore.’