Roots of Fire

Chapter I: Stolen Childhood
Synopsis: Roots of Fire
In the cold northern lands, surrounded by rugged mountains and raging seas, was the Viking village of Skjarfold. There Thorlund was born, a boy with hair as golden as the winter sun and blue eyes that seemed to contain the entire ocean. He was the son of Freyda, a warrior known for her skill with the axe and her tireless protective spirit. His father, Bjarnulf, had fallen in battle years before, leaving Freyda as his son’s sole support.
At the age of eight, Thorlund was already a restless, adventurous and curious child. He spent his days running through the woods, learning to hunt and listening to the legends of the gods that the elders told by the fire. But his life changed abruptly one night when the village was attacked by the warriors of Sigurd the Iron Skull, a ruthless and ambitious Viking king. Flames consumed Skjarfold as the screams of the villagers filled the air.
Freyda, with her dying breath, hid Thorlund in a small hiding place under the roots of a tree. “Survive,” she whispered to him as the footsteps of the enemies approached. From his hiding place, Thorlund watched as Sigurd drove his sword into his mother’s heart. That moment etched in his soul a scar that would never heal.