0 comments/ 3270 views/ 4 favorites Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 01 By: Blithering_Hayseed Of the words spoken in verse by the shrewish woman in this part of the story; these words hold a mystery at the heart of this story, there meaning is revealed by the end. Any criticism is very welcome as I am relatively new to writing, this being the second story I've written. I hope you enjoy. Thanks, Blithering Hayseed ***** Guthredd Sleeve-heart's tale (or The Circle of Three Hearts): Part 1 There was a man called Antler, the son of Eyvind and of Hallbera. Antler was honest and meek, hard working and loyal to his friends. He settled a farmstead with stone and turf on the middle islet of the Sound and yielded many successful crops. Antler ploughed the home-field for crops and tended livestock on the heath. One autumn Antler was working the haystacks and would often see the daughter of the farmer next door hanging out the washing by the log outhouse. The neighbouring farmer was called Sigurd and his daughter was called Thorarna and as Antler tended to the sheep or worked the home field in the morning dew he would say to himself; "She is the most beautiful of women and a great lady." It soon became Antler's favourite past time to rest his peepers on the sight of Thorarna hanging out the washing surrounded by the barren scrubland and singing linnets. Antler thought he had seen nothing more beautiful than Thorarna's graceful silhouette against the red autumn sky as she tied her long hair back. He would rise early from his bed-closet, don his work tunic and boots and be in the home field each morning where his peepers could best rest upon the beautiful Thorarna. Each morning Antler was amazed to discover a new aspect of Thorarna's beauty: One day; the curve of her ear, another; the wisps of delicate hairs at the nape of her neck, again another day; the way she seemed to smile upon all things. Mingled amidst Antler's view of Thorarna's beauty were moments of stolen intimacy: The white flesh of the side of a breast, exposed for a spell from out the side of her grey woollen tunic where it flapped open at the sides, tied only at the middle with twine. Or glimpse of naked thigh when the wind took the hem of Thorarna's tunic. Sitting by the hearth each evening Antler would treasure his horde of memories of Thorarna and it was a great joy to Antler to ponder the softness of her breast suddenly exposed to a chill autumn wind or the secret of her left nipple made visible to the whole brackish moor-land for just a moment. He wandered if the thrush, the pheasant or perhaps the vole were as enchanted by Thorarna's beauty as he. By Winter's Eve Antler had caught the eagers for Thorarna and dearly set his heart upon her. At the Winter's Eve feast, amid much drinking, Antler asked his host for his daughter in marriage. Sigrid saw that Antler was hardworking and loyal and agreed the bride-price and dowry. Antler paid the bride-price with a hundred of silver and two milking cows. The dowry was set at twenty four ells of homespun. The wedding of Antler and Thorarna was held the following spring and people said that never had there been a more beautiful bride married on the middle islet of the Sound. At the leaving of the feast there was a great giving of gifts but Thorarna prised amongst all the gifts the golden arm band from her father, Sigrid. Antler and Thorarna lived happily at the farm, working the home field for crops and putting the livestock to graze on the heath. It was said that Antler took good care of his household and Thorarna of the housekeeping, and although they had little they were content. For the turn of three full seasons Antler and Thorarna shared the sunrises and the sunsets, the dew upon the heath and the nest eggs in the spring and throughout those three years Antler saw these things were but made to frame Thorarna's beauty. Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 01 Fox stopped his rowing, his phallus stirring with possibilities, and rested his one good peeper on Thorarna as she ran to the beach and then throwing aside her tunic swam out to where Fox sat stroking his engorged phallus. Naked arms clinging to the boat, Thorarna brokered this deal with Fox: Not only for the waving of the King's fee of three hundred of silver, four livestock and forty eight ells of homespun this and every year, but also for the keeping of the farmstead and for two hundred of silver besides each year would Thorarna whore herself to Fox. Fox pulled Thorarner naked and dripping from the deep sea into the boat and their finally unleashed his seasons of lust upon Thorarna. The rutting was violent and uncomfortable, the boards of the boat much bruising Thorarna's tender flesh and Fox's unnatural phallus was a sore discomfort to take. When he was near to finishing fox pulled his pulsing phallus from Thorarna so that his seed might despoil her beautiful face, for he had paid that Thorarna be his to use. Spent and waning, Fox bid Thorarna kiss and worship his flaccid phallus that he might yet wallow in his new gained whore, until becoming bored, he handed Thorarna her whore money and bid her return to Antler and the farmstead on the middle islet of the Sound. And as Thorarna swam, the deep sea cleansed Fox's seed from her face and the taste of his unnatural phallus from her mouth so that she said to herself; "It seems Antler, that you are not a man of luck for you could not pay the King's fee and nor could you pay with me. But you are a man of luck that I am good coinage enough to keep our farmstead and have silver besides and can pay with myself. Silver is often the soother of grief and the hardships of banishment would have destroyed us." Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 02 This is part 2 of a tale published in 3 parts and is not meant to be a stand-alone story. Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 02 Meanwhile Prince Ketil consulted the astro-orbs and charts to determine all he could of Guthredd sleeve-heart, her life as the upstart of a whore and where her heart might lean. And once this learning was passed to Arinbiorn and his training complete and Prince Ketil beheld Arinbiorn truly pleasing his entire harem, then did Prince Ketil bid his father meet him in the secret chamber behind the tapestry of King Midas. "Well, what is't thou hast been a crafting whilst leaving me a thumb-fiddling these moons past?" asked King Onund. "An army to conquer Guthredd Sleeve-heart." "Bah; 'tis but one man, you puff up your achievements like a peacock but with nothing to show." "Does not love conquer all?" "Love? You have created love using the arts? This is an abomination, Ketil and will give us reason to regret." Prince Ketil again toyed with the old glass conical and said; "Father, clear it is you have no knowledge of the arts for surely is love eternal and having been created, cannot be so again. But shy of this have I created a man most likely to win Guthredd's heart, for indeed the charts revealed the weakness of the name 'Sleeve-heart'; for she listens to her heart. Nowise was Arinbiorn told the purpose of his testing and training over the waxing and waning of four moons for surely would Arinbiorn have refused his role, being a kind and honest man. Erstwhile did Arinbiorn and Prince Ketil put to sea and made good voyage across the dark sea to the mainland by the sand. Prince Ketil ordered anchorage whilst still the boat lifted to the swelling of the deep sea and there it was he made Arinbiorn slumber that he might cast a weirding thought upon Arinbiorn. Prince Ketil had read deeply of the forbidden books, but even so, was he not so great an enchanter that he could perform the arts without resort to material aids. He took a jar of fleas from his concealed pocket and spoke these weirding thoughts to the fleas in the jar: "Not of the king's will are ye, Arinbiorn, but a traitor to the King. For how can a man as upright and good as ye be, see the robbing of the poor in the name of fee-taking. And one other thing besides; at the hearing of the name 'fail-sword' will all your secret learning be kindled." The jar was smashed against the boat and Prince Ketil ran from the hold. And in every bite from the tiny fleas did Arinbiorn's mind seem to think; "Not of the king's will are ye, Arinbiorn, but a traitor to the King. For how can a man as upright and good as ye be, see the robbing of the poor in the name of fee-taking. And one other thing besides; at the hearing of the name 'fail-sword' will all your secret learning be kindled." Until his very blood pumped this mantra about his brain and Arinbiorn was filled with the weirding thoughts. Still a slumber, it took four men to carry his giant body to a small rowing boat and cast him adrift so that the tide did carry the small boat into the dark sea of the sound. Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 03 This is part 3 of a 3 part story and is not meant as a stand-alone tale. Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 03 Within the cliff face was a vast cavern lit with the soft glow of phosphorous weeds pulled from the ocean deep. And to the shrill whistling of the sea-people did Guthredd Sleeve-heart take her seat on the soap-stone throne of the sea-people, her shame-spear in her hand and 'fail-sword' in her belt. Then, in the soft glow of the phosphorous weeds pulled from the ocean deep was Guthredd Sleeve-heart bid stand and was stripped of her tunic and belt until she stood naked upon the dais except for the gold ring upon her upper arm and the tooth that dangled from her left ear. Guthredd Sleeve-heart stood before the outlaw-kin and the sea-people and two of the sea-people worked coral rings about her ankles and her wrists. A coral belt they fixed about her naked waist and water was poured upon her naked breasts that her nipples might harden. Then were delicate coral rings placed upon her hardened nipples and a coral crown upon her head. Striding to the front of the dais, did Guthredd raise both her arms in honor of her followers and with the rising of her arms did the shrill whistling of the sea-people swell and swirl about the cavern. And now Guthredd's body, naked but for the coral and armband, began to sway as if controlled by the sea-people's whistling crescendo. Arinbiorn and the outlaw-kin did cover there ears to dampen the pain but Guthredd now danced a slow and sensual dance, moving with the rhythms of the dark sea. Now did Guthredd use the boon from eternity granted to her in the endless passageway that she have mastery of the time of small things that she might accelerate or slow their time at will. Guthredd took the time of the coral that adorned her flesh and moved the coral many seasons forward that it did grow and coil about her flesh. And the whistling of the sea-people sang to the coral and told it how it might grow around the beautiful body of Guthredd Sleeve-heart as she danced to the rhythms of the dark sea. But of the runes still scored upon the flesh of Guthredd Sleeve-heart would the coral not cover but otherwise did Guthredd stand with her limbs covered in armour of filigree coral. Of a deep red hue did the filigree coral armour grow so that the pale flesh of Guthredd's body was seen in great contrast through the beautifully coral swirls. Now did polyps inhabit the coral armour with tiny snapping mouths, surrounded by circlets of tentacles until the whistling of the sea-people stopped a-sudden, the armour of Queen Guthredd Sleeve-heart now wrought about her naked limbs. Queen Guthredd Sleeve-heart gave great honor to the sea-people and then bid them prepare for battle and leading the outlaw-kin from the cavern made to unleash great fury upon the Kings men who ruled the assembly upon the middle islet of the Sound. Guthredd Sleeve-Heart's Tale Pt. 03 Arinbiorn kept the still living heart of Guthredd in a locked coffer and would often hold it in his hands and tell it of his love for Guthredd and the heart did love Arinbiorn. But one night, having quaffed much wine, did Arinbiorn confess to the still living heart with the back and glistening face, of his murdering of Jofrid. And so the heart came to hate Arinbiorn and would spit and snarl at him ere he ever opened the coffer, so that in time, was the heart left locked in the coffer to its own bitter rage. Full of hate for Arinbiorn was the heart, but also full of hatred for itself; for it saw its own betrayal of Guthredd in telling Guthredd to sleep with Arinbiorn the night he had slain her foster-mother. And full of hate for the tattoo upon the upper arm of Guthredd was the heart, and often did it ponder the secret reasons for telling Guthredd to listen to her heart. But worst of all to the heart was the echo of the stave; "Because she heard, but lost, barnacles guard the heart I do not hear, but it is mine. And so I am long searching, from end to this beginning. Thorarna harkens not her heart Although she hears; and it is hers. And so I am long searching, And make the endless circle. Guthredd harkens to her heart And well she hears; and it is hers. And so I am long searching Because she heard, but lost." The heart knew itself to be the cause of Guthredd's enchantment of Thora; that Thora might not hear her own heart. So it was that at night Arinbiorn would hear the heart thumping madly against the walls of the locked coffer, ever locked in hatred and torment for it knew that the shrewish voice that sang the stave was that of Thora. And Arinbiorn took the bitter heart in the locked coffer and placed it deep in the locked stores that he might visit the land of Nod without the haunting thump of the heart against the wooden coffer. So seasons turned and Thora became first a child Queen but grew to womanhood upon the throne.