hellize
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2017
- Messages
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Witch's knife
A lonely dragon ship was flouncing on the water's azure surface. The weather was calm, almost too calm for this part of the year. Only a weak little wind could be felt, which was delicately pushing the approaching boat, coming from fjord's direction, closer and closer to the hull.
With a dull bang the boat arrived and warriors started to flood the deck, where the jarl was waiting patiently.
"Sire! The cave was hidden, but still there, as you told us. We have caught the witch!"
The jarl slowly examined the large bundle of ropes which his men have thrown on the deck, it was concealing a young woman, tied like a pig, underneath. He removed the gag from her mouth and without hesitation put his seax to her throat. The weapon's edge bit her skin, but her eyes showed no fear.
"Witch! You will help, or your life ends here!" - thundered the jarl's voice.
"I am no witch." - leaked the words from her mouth under one's breath, but there was consent in it.
The jarl cut her ropes and led her to a low, makeshift bed on the other side of the ship. A woman laid there, heavily wrapped in rags and fur to protect her from the sea's wrath, moaning in great pain.
With one single move the witch pulled the rags off, leaving the woman naked in front of the curious crew. There was no time for shame and no need for questions, the woman's swollen breasts evinced for milk fever and the gigantic belly made the case even more obvious, her over carried pregnancy was killing both her and her child.
"Hurry! A knife!" - the words hit the jarl's consciousness like a battering ram, but he managed to hold his wits and handed his two foot long seax over.
"Not this! But something small and very sharp!" - yelled the witch and pointed at the bundle of ropes left behind.
The deck creaked under the heavy steps of the jarl as he ran towards it like a madman and dug a pouch out of the mess. It was packed with all kinds of plants and herbs, but it also contained the witch's tiny knife, which had just the right size.
"My great-grandmother told me tales of such things, but I never done it before" - mumbled to herself as she made a cut on the fainted woman's tummy.
The next minutes were like an eternity, both for the viking chieftain, who was at the verge of loosing everything dear, love and heir alike, and for the witch, who had her life depending on her divination.
Finally the long awaited cry made the strained silence to dissipate. The jarl grabbed the infant, bloody as it was and roared with joy:
"I have a boy!"
Unrestrained cheer gushed out of the horde of vikings, yelling and laughter filler the ship, forgetting the excruciatingly long minutes, which just passed.
But the witch's mind wasn't at ease. She pulled out a string of hair, from among her long blonde curls and sewed the wound with it. She knew that taking the baby out was the easy part. Keeping the mother alive will be next to impossible.
[video=youtube;uUByl9kcrbU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUByl9kcrbU[/video]
The knife is 14.5 cm long. The blade is 6 cm long, 2.7 cm wide and 3.5 mm thick.
Its sheath is made of thick cowhide.
The floral ornament is raised bronze.
A lonely dragon ship was flouncing on the water's azure surface. The weather was calm, almost too calm for this part of the year. Only a weak little wind could be felt, which was delicately pushing the approaching boat, coming from fjord's direction, closer and closer to the hull.
With a dull bang the boat arrived and warriors started to flood the deck, where the jarl was waiting patiently.
"Sire! The cave was hidden, but still there, as you told us. We have caught the witch!"
The jarl slowly examined the large bundle of ropes which his men have thrown on the deck, it was concealing a young woman, tied like a pig, underneath. He removed the gag from her mouth and without hesitation put his seax to her throat. The weapon's edge bit her skin, but her eyes showed no fear.
"Witch! You will help, or your life ends here!" - thundered the jarl's voice.
"I am no witch." - leaked the words from her mouth under one's breath, but there was consent in it.
The jarl cut her ropes and led her to a low, makeshift bed on the other side of the ship. A woman laid there, heavily wrapped in rags and fur to protect her from the sea's wrath, moaning in great pain.
With one single move the witch pulled the rags off, leaving the woman naked in front of the curious crew. There was no time for shame and no need for questions, the woman's swollen breasts evinced for milk fever and the gigantic belly made the case even more obvious, her over carried pregnancy was killing both her and her child.
"Hurry! A knife!" - the words hit the jarl's consciousness like a battering ram, but he managed to hold his wits and handed his two foot long seax over.
"Not this! But something small and very sharp!" - yelled the witch and pointed at the bundle of ropes left behind.
The deck creaked under the heavy steps of the jarl as he ran towards it like a madman and dug a pouch out of the mess. It was packed with all kinds of plants and herbs, but it also contained the witch's tiny knife, which had just the right size.
"My great-grandmother told me tales of such things, but I never done it before" - mumbled to herself as she made a cut on the fainted woman's tummy.
The next minutes were like an eternity, both for the viking chieftain, who was at the verge of loosing everything dear, love and heir alike, and for the witch, who had her life depending on her divination.
Finally the long awaited cry made the strained silence to dissipate. The jarl grabbed the infant, bloody as it was and roared with joy:
"I have a boy!"
Unrestrained cheer gushed out of the horde of vikings, yelling and laughter filler the ship, forgetting the excruciatingly long minutes, which just passed.
But the witch's mind wasn't at ease. She pulled out a string of hair, from among her long blonde curls and sewed the wound with it. She knew that taking the baby out was the easy part. Keeping the mother alive will be next to impossible.
[video=youtube;uUByl9kcrbU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUByl9kcrbU[/video]
The knife is 14.5 cm long. The blade is 6 cm long, 2.7 cm wide and 3.5 mm thick.
Its sheath is made of thick cowhide.
The floral ornament is raised bronze.
:doublethumbsup:
