Josefine Ottesen

The Warrior Princess

Alrune, 2006

Extract from The Lindorm

Part 1: The Lindorm
Gro tries to make it up with Runa again. ”We're so saddened by this. You're lucky. You can go in and out of the tower. Alvilda and I are forced to stay here day in and day out. We're only allowed to come over to the lady's bower at night. I hope someone will come soon and kill the serpent.” Gro sighs deeply. She is as tired of being shut in as Alvilda is.
Alvilda looks out at her brothers once again. ”I would rather learn to fight,” she mutters. ”Then I could kill the beast myself.”
”I heard very clearly what you said.” Runa tosses his head. ”You don't know what's good for you. Think of all the trouble your father and mother have gone to. First they've built this tower of copper. Then they've managed to find a lindorm that could protect your virtue. Many young men have lost their lives for your sake.”

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Extract from The Lindorm:

”Oh no, not again!” Alvilda stamps angrily on the floor. Her needle has broken.
She throws her sewing down on the bench and gets up.
”Why must I be locked up in this tower?”
She goes to the small window. On the other side of the serpent's yard, her two brothers are doing some training on horseback.
”Vemund and Østen are allowed to ride where they want. They learn to fight. I just have to sit here and sew.”
Alvilda turns to Gro. Her maid is trying to thread a new needle. She's not doing too well. She can't get the thread through the little hole. At that moment, Runa comes in. She is carrying a tray of food. She sees what Gro is doing and takes the needle off her.
”You'll never learn,” she says grumpily. With no trouble at all, the golden thread slides through the eye. Giving a sigh, she picks Alvilda's sewing up. Gro makes fun of her behind her back. Alvilda tries not to grin but can't stop herself. Soon they are both laughing out loud.

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Author's comments:

Many years ago I was captivated by a story from Saxo's collection of myths and sagas. The tale was actually about Alf, son of Sigar, but one of the other threads in the story told of Alvilde, who ran away from home and became a warrior chief. It has been great fun taking the old tale as a starting point and continuing writing from there. There will be seven parts in all to the serial, which is wonderfully illustrated throughout by Pernille H. Jensen.

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