Alfheimr Renaissance

Eira sneek a few peeks at her new Master. She can't meet his gaze but tries, and she's curious about him. It surprised her when he looked happy to see them, even though there was a shudder along her back when he looked appreciatively at her hair, face, breasts and body. But the shudder disappeared when she noticed that his gaze wasn't filled with desire or lust, but seemed more pleased that she looked better and was clean, and he seemed to be feel embarrassed that he looked at her so closely. She enjoyed when Master looked with contempt and disgust at her old, dirty, and smelly dress and told them to burn it. She wish she could've seen it burn.

When she follows her new Master to an uncertain future, she's just happy to be able to feel clean again. Feel a bit like a lady again. It's been so long since she's felt like a lady. Felt like a person and not a slave. Not a thing. It's been half a year since she really felt clean and had such a nice dress. Iselin bathed quickly so that she could take a first bath in Iselin's bath water, so she could use her own bath to get really clean. Iselin helped scrub her skin and fix her hair while giving her admonitions and advice. Iselin is so concerned that their Master should appreciate Eira and be happy with her gift, and that Eira should understand how good her future can be and to not embarrass Iselin in front of Robert. It hurt a little when Iselin loosened the tufts in her hair, but it felt so nice to be able to get clean and get her hair done proper. Get to enjoy hot water and soap. She smells clean. Before she came to this horrible land, she didn't know how nice it is to be really clean, and that water and soap arn't dangerous to the skin.

She especially made sure to clean herself as carefully as she could in her vagina and butt, but memories can't be washed away as easily as dirt. Iselin understood why she needed to do it, and repeated that Master won't force himself on her or want her to accompany him in any sexual way. Their Master is a good Sejdmann, and he looks at women differently than other men. She's glad that Iselin took the opportunity to show how Jarl Steinnes really treats some of his slaves, so that Master won't like Jarl Steinnes, and she could see controlled anger in her new Master over how she has been treated. It felt good.

When she follow after Master and Iselin to buy a new dress for Iselin, she is happy Master hasn't touched her yet, not felt her body or checked her teeth. Master's behavior towards her is completely different from the men she met since she got here. Eira stumbles a little in a few steps when she realises that Master's behavior is different from most men she has met in her entire life, even her own husband Gregor when he was alive. Iselin said that Master said he'd never even hit a woman.

We head down to the market streets, and I buy each a new dress, that is slightly nicer than the one Iselin gave to Eira. It's important that my maids look good. Iselin gets two, and they also each get a simpler shorter sleeping dress in thinner fabric. It's not the unnecessary luxury that Iselin thinks, but a very good idea when we will be sharing a cabin and they would sleep naked.

They get to choose colors, cut and embroidery, and Iselin chooses a nice darker blue and a green dress while Eira chooses a deeper red. Eira quickly knew what she wanted after we explained she had to choose the dress and color, and stood dreamily while she gently let a hand feel the fabric on the dress, and she gently followed the embroideries. It was nice to see how happy Iselin looked when she felt the fabric, held up dresses and looked at colors. At first the thought goes through my head that all women love shopping, but then I realise that Iselin as a slave has probably never bought clothes in this way before. Had to choose from expensive garments. She's probably been given hand-me-downs or had few choices in all her life, and there probably havn't been many cloths either. She's hasn't had the silver for it, and she spent the silver she got to buy Eira instead of buying something for herself. It may have been more silver than she has ever had. More than anything she's ever owned - and she used it to buy me a present. A gift that both saved a person from her miserable fate, and a gift that has already increased in value. She was right that Eira was probably beautiful, and will become so when she gets more and better food. I should reward Iselin's kindness and brains, and give her another ounce of silver.

A pair of leather belts are bought as well as leather shoes and footwear for all of us. Eira was barefoot, and I still use my boots, even though I will continue using my socks until further notice. A shoulder strap bag in fabric for Eira is bought, and just like Iselin, Eira also gets a soap and a comb. A small knife is also purchased for both that are attached to their belts. Above all, Eira seems shocked at how much is bought for her and it's heartbreaking how hard she holds her shoulder strap bag with all her things against her body, obviously afraid that it will be taken from her.

I avoid being even close to Eira, and have been careful to not touch her anywhere, afraid she will jerk back or get scared. I hardly even want to give her any compliments that she can misinterpret. Iselin, on the other hand, shines like the sun and seems to bounce on clouds and is a bundle of energy. I've always seen buying clothes etc as a chore, and never seen joy in it - it's just something that needs to be done. But it's so worth the silver to see Iselin's happiness.

Iselin walks along and Eira just behind when we go back to the ship, and once aboard I show them into the cabin and point to the other bed which I say they will have to share. It will be crowded for them during the journey, but it is the best solution right now. Here they are safer and it's more comfortable than the deck or floor. Both Iselin and Eira look at the bed in surprise and feel the mattress, and become quite entertainingly wide-eyed when they see my backpack tucked under my bed; it's not discreet, and it's not like I could hide it in here.

I peek out and ask a sailor - Cnut? - for some food and water, and then take off my boots and lie down on the bed. Iselin and Eira just sit quietly on the edge of their bed and don't really seem to know what to do, and honestly I have no ideas for them either. It don't need two maids. When someone knocks after a few minutes, Iselin basically flies there; opens, receives the food, thanks and closes the door. She puts everything in front of me on my side of the table. A larger metal bowl with cold vegetable soup with a spoon in, a piece of dried salted meat, a piece of cheese and a whole loaf of bread that seems fairly freshly baked, as well as a large jug of water, and there hangs a mug on the edge.

I stare at the spoon - one spoon. Is it meant just for me to eat? But too much food for one person if you think about the bread. Are they just supposed to get bread and maybe some meat or cheese? I sigh and decide to ask Iselin.

"I don't know what is common here, how is it intended? I'm I suppose to eat by myself? There's only one spoon."

Iselin just looks at me, while Eira looks up and looks completely confused between me, the food and Iselin.

"Usually the Master eats his fill, and then the slaves get to share what the Master thinks they should get. If the Master wants us to go hungry - we go hungry. Jarl Steinnes use to feed the leftovers to the pigs before our eyes, as punishment for something one or more had done."

I should have expected something like that. Some things in this world just suck. There are things I won't adapt to, and this is one; I will not sit and eat in front of two hungry slaves. Urgh, I'm in a good mood, and they'll still see so much in the near future that a little culture shock can be accepted. They might as well learn I'm different, and some of these things I want at least Iselin to learn. What use is a maid if I don't trust her to do the boring things? So I pull out the backpack, and open up it's left side pocket where the food accessories are, and take out my long-handled spoon and the pink little folding cup, the big green folding cup, the empty 2 liter water bottle and finally the water purification pump. Both women look at the things with wonder, which at least distracts them from the backpack and the zipper.

"Iselin. Eira. Don't be afraid of any of what I will do. Eventually I will explain it to you, and these are things you will do in the future, but for now I will show you. I don't expect you to immediately understand, or that you will do it next time. Just look and stay calm."

Both nod seriously, and I open the small window above the table and look out, letting in some fresh air, more light and making it nicer. Then I start by unpacking the water purification pump and pump over water from the jug to the water bottle. It shows the jug was almost 1.8L according to the scale on the side, and probably a deciliter in the pump. I fold up the edges and pour water into the folding cup, fill the mug for Iselin and pour some water back into the jug for Eira.

I tidy things up a bit, and carefully pour over some soup in the large folding cup. Seems to be a 40/60 split - good enough. I set the cup to me and the bowl between them, and give Iselin the accompanying spoon. I cut off a piece of bread for myself and equal parts for Iselin and Eira. There is still probably a third of the bread left. I cut the cheese into somewhat thin slices, it becomes four, and I put a slice of cheese on my own bread, and give them one each. Then I divide the meat in seven parts and give two parts to each of us.

"Just pour water for yourself if you need more. You have to share the soup in the bowl, unfortunately we don't have more spoons, so take turns and share. Eira, you are so malnourished that it is probably important that you eat slowly; you can get sick if you eat fast and a lot. Your stomach simply can't cope if you have starved for too long. You will eat good food regularly, so don't push yourself now, and this may already be too much. But this is fair. The bread, the piece of cheese and the piece of meat that is left, is for Eira to save. So you know that your next meal is secured, but it doesn't stay good in this heat, so eat the cheese by tonight."

They start eating cautiously and insecurely when I start eating. I like to see Iselin's happy face, and silent tears flow down Eira's cheek as she feels the taste of the meat and cheese, not to mention the soup. I guess it was a long time since she ate properly and such food. We eat in silence, and there is nothing left, except what's been set aside for Eira. I'm at least not hungry and Eira and Iselin seems to be really satisfied and full.

"Sit back and enjoy. Iselin, we will rest for a while and then we will go out and buy some food and accessories so you both can eat properly, and always know that food is available if you are hungry. Eira and Iselin, listen to me carefully. I sometimes forget to eat, especially if I'm doing something interesting, but you shouldn't go hungry because of that. I'll probably need you to remind me it's time to eat, and we should eat at least two proper meals per day, preferably three; morning, noon and evening. If you are hungry, you can eat without asking me. It's important to me that we all eat healthy and varied food - it makes you feel better, live healthier and longer. Eira, you are very thin and havn't had enough food, and the food you have received hasn't contained everything your body needs. It will take time to recover, months, maybe half a year or more. I want both of you to be healthy and feel well. I'll have a water purification lesson with the both of you, but not now. Just relax. Iselin, if I fall asleep, I would like to be woken after a while."

For about half an hour or more we just lie there in silence, and I dose off for a while but come to by myself. It hasn't been long. Both women are lying in their bed and Iselin is looking at me with Eira behind.

"Iselin, I want you to take Eira with you and wash this, use some soap and this scouring pad, and scrub it clean. Rinse and let it dry by itself when you come back and put it on the table. Return the bowl, the spoon, the mug and the jug to the sailors. I'm waiting here for you to finish."

They leave, and I pack down the water pump. They come back after a while, and seem really fascinated by the materials, but plastic and rubber-like things don't exist here - thin and one is flexible. Not to mention the color.

"Eira, I want you to stay in the cabin until we're back so there's less chance someone will tell Jarl Steinnes I've bought you clothes, washed and given you food, but it was so worth it, and he can go to hell. It's just a good idea for you to stay in here."

Iselin and I go shopping. Again. It's afternoon and there are a lot of people and trade on the market streets. I forgot about the Ting. We buy four bowls, mugs, spoons, forks and knives, as well as a serving platter. We also buy food in the form of a jar each with honey, lingonberries and blueberries, carrots, about 1 kg of dried meat, quite a lot of crispbread and a couple of freshly baked small loafs, a small cheese and a small piece of really salted butter. I guess it holds up better? I buy a wooden chest to carry and store the food in, and two larger leather bags as well as a needle and finer sewing thread in 7 different colors; beige, black, gray, red, blue, yellow and green. It's quite a lot to carry back, but it's not really a problem. Eira is of course waiting where we left her and she helps Iselin take care of the stuff. I show Eira the wooden chest with food.

"The wooden chest is our small food supply. During the trip, the food is included, but if you get hungry or just a little peckish, there is food. Try to eat varied, a little of each is best but if you don't like something, you don't have to eat it. I'm not so fond of honey, so it's mostly for both of you, but it will stay fresh better than anything else. If food stays too long it starts to mold; it gets soft growth in white and green on it and that is bad. It's certainly still edible, but I don't want you to eat it. Throw it away or give it to someone really in need, and buy new food for us."

They look at me wide-eyed and surprised at that declaration, not directly the norm here.

"These leather bags are yours to store your things in and things you start to own. If I have given you something, it's yours forever, and the only exception is like a situation similar where Iselin's new dress was passed on to Eira, but I would have respected it if Iselin also said no. And afterwards I bought new and better for Iselin. The needle and thread are so we will be able to repair any tears or loose threads, but if you want you can sew or embroider your names on the bags, so you know it's yours without any doubt. You will have time during the journey - it's at least a week or two left and I don't know where my journey will finally end. You can walk around the ship and I will let you do what you want most of the time. Until we leave Kambsnes I want Eira to stay here except for toilet visits."

Medieval life or boat trips without modern entertainment, or when you can't use it, are damn boring. Sleeping and resting away the time in the cabin can only be done for a certain amount of time, and it's a bit distracting when you have two beautiful elvish women chatting about something in next bed. I start to understand why there seems to be so much sex here, but apart from a different morality and view of sex, it might be like the old joke:

"Grandpa, what did you do when you were young? You didn't have computers, internet, TV, mobile phones, no car to go and visit cities, etc."

"Well, mostly make and drink alcohol and chase after sex with the neighboring girls."

Ugh, I walk a round on the boat. Again. Should I take up fishing? Or check out what kind of games the sailors play...

I see a sailor lying on a thick sleeping pelt and resting. How do sailors really sleep? Sleeping pelts or mattresses? That's impractical on a ship. I see Navigator Toke so I go over to talk to him. Yep, they use sleeping pelts and blankets, or a big sleeping pelt folded over themselves, and sleeping on a ship is apparently just a thing to get used to. If it's several days with rougher seas, sleeping just gets hard, and it's easily to injure yourself when you are thrown around against things and storage, and if you lie on them you can fall down. But sleeping on this ship is so much better than an open Longship or Knarr.

Now that is something I should be able to easily improve, by explaining what a hammock is. Muhahah! Something to do! I should try to look around more for things I know easy solutions to.

I go straight to Danr and explain how I have an idea how sailors can sleep better. He seems interested and wonders what it will cost, but I reply that everyone deserves a better and safer sleep. Should they like it, spread the idea for free to others, but say it comes from me. They can make and sell hammocks, as they are quite comfortable to use even between two trees on land. I can help them build two test models, and they can refine the design by making them a little different and trying out what they think is best. I describe that it requires thinner ropes, a couple of wooden rods, two or four strong large iron rings and some strong fabric or net. Well, hammocks can be made without the iron rings.

All the crew who arn't busy doing maintenance on the ship or guarding, starts to get interested; apparently no one likes to sleep on the deck or in the fore castle, and there is a sailmaker in the crew. I let Iselin and Eira sit on a bench outside the cabins in the sunlight and they also look on in amazement at what's happening. I lay out the parts on the deck and explain how it works using a small charcoal sketch. I recommend they use seven ropes at each end, and it may be an idea to use double layers of coarse fabric or fishnet to begin with. I don't know how strong it is or if it stretches. The wooden rods are approximately measured and gets a V cut at each end, so they can be pushed in between ropes 2 and 6, so the outer lines becomes a raised edge that prevents the person lying in the hammock from falling out. Useful at sea.

They improvise the net model in an hour and hang it between the mast and a high but stable beam at the cabins. It's entertaining and gets fun with a lot of laughs when they test, and try to step in and get out. They test with or without sleeping pelts in the hammock, and with or without wooden rods, and with shortened wooden rods. Opinions differ but the general consensus seem to be appreciation, because they immediately begin to manufacture more net hammocks while the fabric hammock is being finished, and they try to attach the existing one in different places both on deck, in the fore castle and below the deck.

Seeing a large muscular viking elf with a satisfied smile lying in a net hammock that slowly sways with the wind during the afternoon sun, just makes the day better, and not just for Hagan in the hammock. I takes some more discreet photos, including on Iselin and Eira sitting and enjoying the sun and happily watching Hagan in the hammock, and some sailors making their own.

I should try to do more things. Ah! That's something I should be collecting right now. I can't expect success right away. I'm going to look for nitrate bushes from stone cellars or similar, where there have been stables or manure. But how will I ask for it? It's a chore just getting Iselin and Eira to understand, and not to mention the hammock designs and purpose. But I could draw those.

I ask if Danr knows about saltpeter and he just looks at me wondering, and my attempts to explain it's a kind of rocky little white crystals, like fuzzy growth on stone basement walls etc, are met by a completely incomprehensible face. Eh! It was worth a try. I guess it's available as saltpeter has several uses and should be known - the Romans knew about it - but here it's probably under a different name and maybe in a different form? How will I find out what they call it here? Certainly more alchemy than chemistry.

It's late in the afternoon but Iselin and I take our shoulder bags and go on an exploration trip and again asks Eira to stay in the cabin of the ship, which of course she happily do, and we leave her gnawing on a carrot with a smile. We manage to find and buy a folding scale, with some lead weights as well, from 1/8 to 8 ounces.

It feels so stupid to ask around, but Iselin helps me by asking if there's any basement space where there has been a stable or manure next to or outside. She doesn't know why I want to know, but I'm a Sejdmann and we're referred to a farm located on a hilly ground a bit outside Kambsnes. There is a farm where the stable is on the side of a rocky hill and in two levels, and it also turns out that there is another farm a little further away where the stable and the cows usually stand on the other side in the winter. We find some fuzzy white crystal there that seems to be right, and Iselin helps me pay the land owners. I collect about 0.4 kg in total and tried to minimize sand and stone in it, and I keep it in one of the leather bags. I thank the farmers and tell them to spread the word to other farms, that it can be sold if someone comes and asks for saltpeter, but let the buyer collect it himself. Don't touch it, because it will slowly become more if there are animals nearby. No need to tell them it's from the urine. I would like to call it potassium nitrate, but saltpeter it is.

On the way back to the boat, I buy a couple of ceramic vessels to store the saltpeter in, instead of a leather pouch that lets moisture through. I should probably use a plastic bag in the future. All saltpeter costs me no more than 20 coins, 0.4 ounces of silver, and if that's what I think and as clean as it should be? Bingo! Actually more 'BOOOM! Shake, shake, shake the room!'.

When Iselin looks at me funny, I realise I've started to sing the song.

It's hard to fall asleep, and I'm not alone with that problem. I have heard my new master Robert lying and writhing in his bed for a long time, but Iselin has quickly fallen asleep and is taking calm deep breaths. It's crowded in the bed, but warm, comfortable and nice. I never thought I would experience it again and strange enough it feels... safe, where I lie behind Iselin against the cabin wall. Even with a big man just an arm's length away on the other side of the cabin, it seems what Iselin said is true, but I think it's because Robert thinks having sex with a slave is below his dignity. He wants better. He wants free women who come to him, and he want to feel coveted by women with status. Iselin seems a little disappointed and unhappy about it. Personally, I'm only happy as long as my Master doesn't force himself on me.

But Robert seems to really care about us as individuals, especially about my health. He's so anxious to try to make me feel safe and protect me from Jarl Steinnes attention before we set sail, but according to Iselin, few will dare to risk making such a powerful sejdmann angry. Even a Jarl. According to their strange beliefs, Robert must be blessed by their gods, especially the most powerful Goddess Freya. Iselin is so proud to serve such a powerful man who's so blessed by her Goddess.

Master spent a lot of silver buying dresses, bags, soap and other things for us. He bought food so we would know we could eat whenever we want. So I can eat whenever I want. He bought expensive honey when he himself don't like it. For us. Because we may like it, and it's good for our health. He didn't do it to brag to others about how he can spend silver on his slave's clothes and food, and I'm actually starting to believe that he didn't do it so that I could be resold for more silver. He's just shown us the food, alone here in the cabin, and our dresses have been kept in our bags. Such good food - it's been so long since I ate anything like that. Far too long. Although we are slaves, Master really seems to care about us, and not because we are women he desires or want to brag about. Iselin's probably right that Master - Sejdmann Robert Arnesson - is a good man. A really good man. She's usually right.