Estrid tried to ignore the gnawing feeling of guilt as she sat down on the bench for a short rest. She was only 34 but felt old. Life had become so hard since two summers ago when her husband Ulf had died. The little wound on his foot had looked so small and innocent. Who could have expected that a rusty nail would be the bane of a strong and healthy man? But seven days later Ulf had started to complain that his jaws felt strange and not long after that the spasms and the fever started. It had been a painful and cruel death. The sorrow still felt so acute and painful. But at least until last spring she had had an almost grown strong son to help her with the farm. At the age of sixteen Brage was already strong as an oxe. But one day he had come home and told her that he was going away to join the rebels in the forest. The next day he was gone. Although Estrid didn’t know how she was supposed to manage the farm with only the help of her fourteen year old daughter and seven year old son she could not help to feel relieved that Brage had gone. Jarl Erik’s men were gathering boys of age for their army. Sometimes they would take girls to. Although a life with rebels didn’t sound ideal, at least Brage was beyond the reach of Jarl Erik. She wouldn’t allow herself to wonder if Brage was still alive and well. Surely a mother would feel in her heart if her child was in danger. Estrid shook her shoulders. The rest had been long enough, she couldn’t allow herself to sit and dwell on her worries when there was so much work to be done. As she rose the ache in her back reminded her that she was getting older from all the hard work. The door swung open and Estrid prepared to scold Ragnhild as so many times before for not open the door gently.


“Mother, there are men dressed in armor coming here.” Estrid could tell that Ragnhild had been running, little Gunnar was at her heals.

A chill went down Estrid’s spine. This was not good news. She thought as fast as she could. The men must not see her children. Ragnhild was only fourteen and Gunnar only seven so with some luck they wouldn’t be taken from her but she could not take any risks. "You must hide quickly." All possible hiding places went through her head but finally there was only one that would do. "Quickly you must go down under the floor." She pointed to the hatch that led to the small space under the house that they sometimes had used as a storage place.


“No, you cannot treat me like a little child, I refuse to hide.” Ragnhild gave her an obstinate look. Gunnar was quiet and looked thoughtful. Estrid suppressed an impulse to slap Ragnhild’s obstinate face. She had never hit her children but the panic of knowing that armed men were approaching her house made her more impetuous than usual. Ragnhild had been such a sweet girl until recently. Now she defied every word Estrid said and shook off every attempt of affection.

“You must, please; they will be here any minute.” The panic made Estrid’s voice high-pitched.

“They are closer now,” Gunnar confirmed. Estrid would have preferred that he wouldn’t have looked out through the window. What if Gunnar was seen?


To Estrid’s relief and surprise Ragnhild shook her shoulders and walked slowly to the corner with the hatch. Without a word she climbed down into the dark and fusty space. Then it was Gunnar’s turn. “Don’t be afraid mum, I’m not,” he said and went after his sister.

With all her strength Estrid draw a chest and the bench over the hatch to hide it as good as she could. She was moving the floor rushes to hide the edges of the hatch when the door swung open and she realized that her children would never be able to get out without her help.


Three men came into her little cottage, making it feel even smaller. It was like they were breathing all the air that was in the house because Estrid felt that it was difficult to get enough air.

“Good day Good wife,” the man in mantle said. He was the most costly dressed of the men and the first to speak so Estrid figured that he must be their leader. We are looking for good young lads that are willing to help Erik’s cause. Estrid knew as the man spoke that his words were false. They would not care if the boys were willing or not. All they needed were young men that would take the first arrows in the battle that everyone was expecting. Brage would rather have fought for the queen but they lived to close to the borders of Erik’s province to have that choice. She knew that Erik had confiscated farms belonging to free man to give them to men that were loyal to him already. Other farms had been burned.

“My son has already moved out to find his own luck in life. I don’t know where he might be now,” she replied, almost truthfully. She didn’t dare to deny that she had a son. These days no one could be trusted and some neighbors might have told these men about her family.


The men started to walk around in her cottage, touching her things, as if they were valuing them.

“The youth of today,” the leader said, “they never give a thought of their parents just thinking about their own luck. But don’t you have more children than just a son? We heard that you also have another son and a daughter.”

Estrid swallowed and concentrated hard to not look at the hatch under which her children were hiding. “I have a thirteen year old daughter and a six year old boy,” she replied, feeling that it should be safe to take at least one year of their real age. “They went away to collect wood and berries in the forest and I think they may stay the night over at an old widow that we try to help as much as we can.” She hoped that the men wouldn’t ask more about the widow that she just had made up.

The man in leather armor made a gesture with his head towards the torch on her wall and let his eyes rest on the fire place. Estrid’s throat went too dry for words to pass. How could she have made her children hide under the floor?! Hadn’t she heard about farms that had been burnt down by Erik’s men? The leader followed the gaze of the leather armed man and slowly shook his head. “Let’s go out and see what they have found for Erik,” he said.



Estrid followed the men out of the house to find that there were more men outdoors, men that had been gathering her food on a cart. They had even taken the goat and were trying to collect her geese.

“What am I supposed to live from?” she couldn’t help herself burst out.

“You should feel honored and happy that you can help Erik’s cause,” the leader said.

She thought she heard an undertone of threat in his voice. “Of course, I’m happy to help Erik,” Estrid said and looked down thinking of her children under the hatch.

Finally Erik’s men had taken everything they considered worth taking and left. Estrid hurried to drag the chest and the bench from the hatch.


If felt so good to see her children again. She embraced Gunnar who melted into her arms.

“I was not afraid at all," he said, but his trembling voice gave him away.


To Estrid’s surprise and infinite happiness Raghnild accepted her embrace without reservations. “I love you mother,” Ragnhild said.