Viking Vow Page 19

  I stood on tiptoe to kiss Erik’s lips. “I love you. You know that?”

  “You must, to give up your world to be a part of mine.”

  “You are my world.” I smiled up at him. “Come on. Let’s say one last goodbye.”

  Erik rested a hand on the small of my back as he guided me into his parents’ suite. Inside, Freia and Halvar stood in front of the fireplace. They looked up as we removed our shoes, and Freia gestured to a piece of parchment resting on the table.

  “It came,” she said softly.

  I drew a shaky breath as I walked forward to pick up the letter. Mormor’s familiar handwriting lined the folded page, my name sketched in her loopy scrawl. It was the first tangible piece of her I’d had in . . .

  “It’s okay.” Erik’s palm steadied me as I swayed. “I’m right here.”

  I nodded, blinking back tears. Seeing Mormor’s handwriting brought back a million memories—of birthday cards, and notes in my lunchbox. Letters of encouragement, and the handwritten recipes we’d spent Sunday afternoons perfecting. My throat tightened as the wave of emotion coursed through me. God, I miss her so much.

  “Halvar,” Freia said gently. “Join me in the sunroom, won’t you?”

  Halvar reached out to place a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll be near if you need us.”

  I looked up to meet his kind eyes. “Thank you. Both of you—for everything.”

  “You’re family now,” Halvar said simply. As my tears threatened to spill over, he followed Freia out of the sitting room and closed the door behind him.

  Erik turned to face me. “Do you want me to go with them?”

  “No.” I swiped the moisture from my cheeks as I dropped into one of the white chairs. “Stay with me.”

  “Always.” Erik leaned down to kiss my cheek, then walked over to stare out the window. “Take your time, min kjære.”

  I inhaled slowly, trying to remember the yoga classes Olivia had subjected me to during her Zen phase. When my hands were steady enough to open the letter, I unfolded it and stared at Mormor’s familiar handwriting. Her words slanted slightly to the left, as they always had, and seeing that little piece of home lit an ember in my heart. It grew, filling my chest with warmth, as I clutched what was likely to be the last gift I’d ever receive from my first family.

  * * *

  My dearest Saga,

  Words can’t describe my relief at knowing you are safe. And happy. And home. After reading your letter, I know with absolute certainty that you are exactly where you were always meant to be. Your happiness radiates through your description of your new home, your new friends, and most importantly, your new love. I may never understand how or why you were taken from our world, but knowing that you have found peace fills me with more joy that I can possibly express. I wish you and Erik every conceivable happiness—a life filled with adventure, joy, and love.

  Olivia sends her congratulations. She has countless questions, as I’m sure you can imagine, and asked me to tell you that if you find a way to visit, please “bring a hot, single, Viking with you.” Bless her sweet heart.

  As you can imagine, your letter inspired me to revisit our family tree. After a bit of research, I discovered a link just a bit farther back than I’d previously been able. The dates are unclear, but it appears that somewhere around 1000 A.D., one Erik Halvarsson married a woman by the name of Saga. They bore three daughters, each of whom went on to do great things for their clan—one became chieftess, another an explorer, and the third a shieldmaiden. If you ever come across them, do give them my love. And tell them how very, very proud I am of each and every one of them. Following your heart, and saying yes to adventure, may well be the most important choices one can make.

  I wish you every happiness in this: your greatest adventure. I cannot imagine what your new world must be like, but I do hope those archery lessons are being put to good use.

  I love you, sweet granddaughter. I wish many blessings on your marriage, your children, and the world that will be so very much better for having you in it.

  I am so incredibly proud of you. And I know you and your beau will live happily ever after.

  Love,

  Mormor

  * * *

  My chest shuddered as I folded the note and rested it on my lap.

  Erik turned at the sound, quickly crossing the room to place a hand on my shoulders. “Are you all right, min kjære?”

  I nodded. “I am. And I will be.”

  He knelt in front of me. “Is she terribly concerned for you?”

  “No.” I smiled. “She’s really happy for me. For us.”

  Erik squeezed my hands in his. “Do you want to share anything?”

  I bit down on my bottom lip. Three daughters. We’d have three daughters—strong women who’d go on to bring good to the world, just like their grandmother Freia, and their great-grandmother, Mormor. I could tell Erik—I could let him know that our future would be a good one, complete with a beautiful family of our own. A family who’d bring us every bit as much joy as Erik had brought to me.

  But if my time in Valkyris had taught me anything, it was that there was magic in the unexpected—that life’s biggest surprises had the potential to bring the greatest amount of joy, and that sometimes, with hard work and faith, you might find yourself blessed beyond your wildest dreams. I’d come into Erik’s world desperate to find my way home. And against every conceivable odd, and in ways that had nothing to do with the way I’d imagined, I’d done exactly that.

  So, I didn’t tell Erik what my grandmother had said. Instead, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. When I pulled back, I took his hands in mine and smiled. “Mormor gives us her blessing. She says she knows we’re going to live happily ever after.”

  “You look content.” Erik’s face relaxed into a grin. “Thank the gods.”

  “I am content. I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “That you do, min kjære. And for that, I will be eternally grateful.”

  He drew me in for a kiss. My heart swelled as I pulled him closer, picturing the future we had to look forward to. We had a wedding to plan, a world to better, a family to build, and countless new adventures to write. Erik and I had a lifetime to create our very own happily ever after.

  And that was exactly what we did.

  Thank you all so much for reading Saga & Erik’s story!

  Reviews of this book and others are hugely appreciated, and make my author heart sing.

  If you’re looking to check out any of my other Norse-inspired young adult fantasies (and meet Axel Andersson’s not-so-mythical Asgardian relatives!), start with:

  -PERFEKT ORDER (the Norse God of War’s story); then

  -ELSKER (the Norse God of Winter’s story).

  And if you love action, adventure, and fairies, check out the teenage älva of ALFHEIM ACADEMY, where an unconventional princess must steal the crown to save her world.

  If you want to connect with me, you can find me on Twitter or Instagram (where I share Norway/Disney/hiking photos, and book teasers.), or sign up for my Reader’s Group to get monthly updates and freebie alerts.

  TUSEN TAKK!

  Want to meet Axel Andersson’s not-so-mythical Asgardian relatives?

  Meet the God of War’s Norse crew, in …

  THE ÆRE SAGA: PERFEKT ORDER

  All's fair when you're in love with War.

  For seventeen-year-old Mia Ahlström, a world ruled by order is the only world she allows. A lifetime of chore charts, to-do lists and study schedules have helped earn her a spot at Redwood State University’s engineering program. And while her five year plan includes finding her very own happily-evah-aftah, years at an all-girls boarding school left her feeling woefully unprepared for keg parties and co-ed extracurricular activities.

  So nothing surprises her more than catching the eye of Tyr Fredriksen at her first college party. The imposing Swede is arrogantly charming, stubbornly overprotective, and run
s hot-and-cold in ways that defy reason…until Mia learns that she’s fallen for the Norse God of War; an immortal battle deity hiding on Midgard (Earth) to protect a valuable Asgardian treasure from a feral enemy. With a price on his head, Tyr brings more than a little excitement to Mia’s rigidly controlled life. Choosing Tyr may be the biggest distraction—or the greatest adventure—she’s ever had.

  * * *

  Read PERFEKT ORDER now!

  * * *

  And read all about THE ÆRE SAGA on

  www.stbende.com.

  Want more of the ålva? Meet the girl who’ll rule the realms in. . .

  ALFHEIM ACADEMY

  * * *

  * * *

  Aura Nilssen has spent most of her sixteen years in hiding. As crown princess of Alfheim, her life depends on avoiding the assassins who killed her parents and want to destroy her realm. When hunters corner Aura on Midgard (Earth), she’s immediately evacuated and enrolled at Alfheim Academy—a training ground where telepathic teenagers, daily combat lessons, and communication from beyond is the norm. She attends classes that enhance her energetic abilities, labs that fine tune her mental acuity, and workouts with a supernaturally good looking—and suspiciously evasive—training partner. But it’s what she learns outside the classroom that proves most difficult: as Queen of Alfheim, Aura’s grandmother played a heartbreaking role in the death of Aura’s parents . . . and her iron fisted monarchy is pushing the realm to the brink of extinction. If Aura doesn’t take her grandmother’s crown, the home she’s only just begun to love may be lost forever.

  When an unprecedented attack threatens the very heart of Alfheim, Aura has to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to protect her new home. Her choice may mean the difference between survival and annihilation—not only for Aura, but for the world she’s always been destined to rule.

  * * *

  Read ALFHEIM ACADEMY now!

  Also By S.T. Bende

  Follow the Valkyris crew in VIKING ACADEMY.

  VIKING ACADEMY

  VIKING CONSPIRACY

  VIKING VOW

  * * *

  Meet the Norse gods, including Axel’s not-so-mythical Asgardian relations in:

  THE ÆRE SAGA

  PERFEKT ORDER

  PERFEKT CONTROL

  PERFEKT BALANCE

  PERFEKT MATCH

  -and-

  THE ELSKER SAGA

  ELSKER

  ENDRE

  TRO

  TUR (a novella)

  THE ELSKER SAGA: COMPLETE BOXED SET

  * * *

  Meet the fairies in ALFHEIM ACADEMY.

  * * *

  Meet the demigods in NIGHT WAR SAGA.

  PROTECTOR

  DEFENDER

  REDEEMER

  * * *

  And introduce your Padawans to STAR WARS!

  Complete list of S.T.’s Star Wars children’s titles

  at http://www.stbende.com/star-wars

  * * *

  Stay in touch with S.T. at www.stbende.com.

  And find pronunciations, translations, and info on all things Asgardian on S.T.’s website at WELCOME TO ASGARD.

  * * *

  Want more information on upcoming books?

  Sign up for S.T.’s newsletter

  -and-

  Join the RagnaRockstars Street Team – our readers’ private Facebook group.

  Acknowledgments

  This story, like so many, was inspired by my dear friend, Olaug. While driving home from a day of adventuring, she pointed to a circle of rocks on the side of the road—an ancient, Viking meeting spot she called “the Ting.” Rather than give in to my pleas to pull over for just a few minutes vær så snill!!, she told me to explore it another time, on account of the groceries that were getting warm/cold/melty in our trunk. Left to my own imaginings, and a lack of internet connection at Olaug’s cabin, that “Ting” became the place where a modern-day Viking girl met an old-school Viking boy, fell in love, and changed the world. Needless to say, I’ve loved every minute of writing Saga and Erik’s happily-ever-after. I hope it made you smile, too!

  As always, I owe endless gratitude to my beautiful, fun-loving family—you are my greatest adventure. Thanks to my longtime editor, Lauren Clarke of CREATING ink, to the ever-patient Mariana for making sure this Viking ship stays afloat, and to my lovely beta readers, Alison, Laura and Lorna. Huge thanks to the readers who dream along with my Norse crews, and to every single person who creates, innovates, dreams, leads, and strives to create a world where every single person gets to live up to their fullest potential. Tusen takk for sharing your light.

  And to Olaug—thanks for showing me those rocks in Norway . . . and for sharing a friendship that’s timeless.

  About the Author

  Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, internationally bestselling author S.T. Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe…where she became overly fond of McVitie’s cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired her YA Norse fantasy books. And her love of a galaxy far, far away inspired her to write children’s books for Star Wars. She hopes her characters make you smile, and she dreams of skiing on Jotunheim and Hoth.

  * * *

  Learn more about the world of S.T. Bende

  at www.stbende.com.