Part 1: A Final Hope
The air hung thick with dread silence as the men of Frostfall sat gathered in the long oaken hall. Outside, snow deepened by the hour, the long night creeping in with slow certainty to the edge of the communal fire. There was no feast on this solstice, no cups in their hands, no revelry on their faces. All knew why they had come, though none dared speak it. They waited, heads bent low, each heart heavy with despair.
A large man in battle mail approached the dais in solemn gait. After a long moment, he lifted his forlorn gaze to the gathering. "My brothers" he began in a low voice. "It is no pleasure, no honor to stand before you tonight. Since the beginning, when our fathers first emerged from the forest to claim this land, we have known prosperity, victory and dominion over all which resides here."
Again he paused, deeply searching himself for the strength to carry on. "Tonight, I cannot offer you these. Tonight I tell you that evil has lain its foul grip upon our home and we are at its mercy."
The men looked upon him with fear in their eyes, not of their leader, though not a voice raised against him.
"What I have come to ask of you here is something that I cannot give, and I am ashamed." His strong voice cracked as he fought to suppress his emotion. " I have given my sons in battle and they have met their ends with honor. Too little remains of my house. I know many among you have given no less. ... Our strength is broken."
Even the hardest men before him began to well tears. Their defeat, their loss, could not be denied. The glorious days of old had come and gone, blazing through the darkness, to leave behind only ash.
"We must preserve what remains. No path to survival lies before us, save to appease those which have taken from us all that we hold so dear." The once proud king wept openly. "I cannot decide this matter for you!" his voice swelled. I leave it for the council and for you to decide. May the gods forgive me."
At this, he turned and departed the hall, leaving the crowd as silent as he found them.
The old men of the council began to mutter amongst themselves as the others looked on with trepidation. It was quickly that they concurred. The eldest placed his gnarled hands upon the table and struggled to his feet. His breathy words rasped through the chamber, cutting like a blade. "We put forth Eira, daughter of Randolf. This is our decision"
The hall shifted as one, visibly relieved at the words. Only one voice rang out in the silence.
Randolf, the grizzled warrior sprang to his feet. "No! It will not be!" he boomed over the crowd, panic burning bright in his wide eyes. The man beside him set a hand on his shoulder, his sympathetic gaze urging caution.
The men began to mutter. "It is sensible" could be heard. "She is the fairest of our daughters" another said. "If any may appease the beasts..."
Randolph's furious glare scanned desperately around the room, but found not a single dissenter among them. "No... no..." , he sank to the bench, his rage turning to tears.
The murmers died as he sat, the eyes of the men turning softly upon him. All present felt for his pain, but none spoke another word.
"It is decided" , the elder spoke. "The priests will make haste to gather the offerings and prepare them before the moon is high. Send for the women and children. All shall remain in the great hall tonight."
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Part 2: For the Greater Good
Word was spread throughout the village, sending all who were able running for the hall. Eira heard the panicked rush passing by and peered out from the door. He mother, Hella, stood behind her, watching cautiously.
"What is happening, mother?" she inquired in a hushed tone, craning to see.
"I do not know" Hella answered. "But gather your things. Be prepared to leave."
They hurried to grab the few precious belongings they possessed, but soon stopped as the sound of rushed footsteps approached the door. With no announcement, three robed priests entered their home, followed closely by Holger and Calder, the king's most loyal guards.
"What is this?" Hella started angrily, offended at the sudden incursion. "We need no assistance."
Without a word, the priests seized Eira by her arms. Hella knew never to touch a holy man, but her instinct drove her immediately toward them. Holger stepped in her path, not meeting the frightened woman's eyes.
Hella pressed against him, shouting as she tried to move past. "What are you doing!? Release her now!"
"It has been decided." Holger's voice was hollow. "By order of the king, the council and the people, Eira is to be taken as an offering of peace to the enemy."
Hella's knees buckled beneath her, her face went white. "No... Please..." , she sobbed up at the sympathetic guard. "Take someone else. Take me" , she begged. "Please, not Eira."
The two men stared down at her with pity in their eyes. "It has been decided" Calder spoke.
Terror enveloped Eira. Her stomach knotted, her legs went weak. "Mother?" , her voice raised in panic. "Mother, what is happening?"
The priests did not delay, dragging Eira away toward the door.
"I'm sorry, Eira" Hella bawled out. "I'm so sorry."
Hella had heard the tales from nearby villages, but she had spared her daughter from the worst of the stories. A final, horrible, thought occurred to her as her daughter was being pulled from their home. She shouted, "Do not scream! Whatever happens, be silent! Be strong, Eira!"
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Eira was afraid to resist the priests, even without her mother's warning. Their divine authority was central to everything she had been raised to believe. Whatever they intended for her, it was not her decision.
The snow had already begun to freeze her bare feet as they dragged her through the doorway of the temple. She found the warmth inside a small reprieve in her terror. The men quickly laid her flat upon the alter, and without warning, drew a sharp knife down the front of her dress as the others pulled the ruined garment from her trembling body. She had never been exposed before a man. The shame of her position sent blood rushing to her paled face.
Eira tried to lay still as two of the men dipped cloths into bowls of water and set them to her body, carefully washing her from head to toe, but she could not still her squirming as they scrubbed the rags over her nethers and into the crevice of her hind parts. Tears began to fall down her cheeks. She didn't understand why they had to do this, to shame her so. She wanted to know what it was that they were offering her for... Or to.
Despite her mother's attempts to shelter her from the horrors that the villages faced, she had heard rumors from the other girls. She never believed them. They were only tales meant to frighten her, to make a fool of her. Her father had assured her of as much. But now her mind raced, edging on panic. Now she was unsure of what to believe.
The third priest returned holding a thin, white dress. Eira was held up as they placed the delicate garment over her head and slipped it down onto her damp body. She was relieved to be covered once again, however inadequate she found the sheer cloth to be.
But her relief abruptly ended as they brought up a length of rope, binding her wrists tightly together in front of her. Eira found herself whimpering and pulling subtly against the rough restraints. Even in the old days, those who had been sacrificed had offered themselves willingly and with honor, without bonds upon them. She had not fought them. Why did they shame her yet again?
Her feet were lifted from the floor, her hands were pulled above her. She hung suspended between two of the emotionless men. She wanted so scream, to tell them to release her, but her mother's words came to her now, the only thing holding her silent and still.
