When I was small child my mother sent me to a Christian monastery to be educated and be able to read and write the language of the Romans. As I grew older and stronger my father started my training to one day take control of his longhouse and to lead his men at arms. However, I have always had a call to the sea. I had dreams of exploring new worlds to the west. By the time I was
young man I had become an accomplished Viking, going on many raids with my father and defending Jorvik. I had been on a pilgrimage to our homelands in the north and become a capable steersman navigating my own Drakkar longship across the open sea with confidence.

My closest men at arms, and I took to the sea, exploring, and raiding in the waters all around Britannia. We have had many raids along the coastline. On one such raid, we happened upon a large trading vessel loaded heavily with furs, and cargo traveling to the west toward East Angles. We did not know where this ship had come from or what else she may be carrying. However, we knew this will be a good day. We had to plan this raid right as we are only 7 fighters, and we count 12 on the other ship. Our plan was to keep our distance until night fall. We had a new moon coming so it would be a dark night and gave us the element of surprise. We knew we could catch them quickly and quietly on this unusually calm night in the North Sea.

We made our move as night fell across the sea, the wind was at our backs as we quickly overcame their ship before they saw us. Or so we thought… As we closed in their flaming arrows rained down upon us! This was no ordinary trading vessel. These appeared to be experienced warriors, what could be so valuable on this ship to have such a protection force on board? We must get
on that ship! Our sail was ablaze as we returned a round of arrows. We then prepared to board that ship, we now know this will be a fight to the death. We have been here before. A quick prayer to the Gods Odin, Thor, and Freya, with my seax and shield in hand, I leaped across to the deck of the traders’ ship and into battle.

Now face to face with our foe, they are Rus Vikings. These men were the size of bears. But, we are fast, nimble and all experienced fighters. Four of my men have fallen, but we were able to quickly kill their captain and take control of this ship. It is a fine ship with good oars, a strong mast with a large sail. She is laden with fur, amber, silver, many closed barrels. Then, I see a door with a massive lock. That must be where the real treasure is.

This Rus ship is now ours; we will move our supplies to this ship and give our fallen brothers a proper Viking send off to Valhalla with my longboat. Two of the Rus fighters that had surrendered to us kept saying that we made a mistake by attacking this ship as it was carrying a precious cargo that must be delivered to Wessex. If they do not arrive on schedule there will be a search for this vessel. In my blood thirsty rage and laughter, I tell them “Let them try to find me!” as I slit their throats and tossed the bodies overboard.

The Locked Door. . .
We say our goodbye to the fallen as the Valkyries take them on their journey to Valhalla to feast with Odin. One day we will meet again. We look around at our new ship and look for what may be so important to warrant having a crew of such fighters. Yes, they are fine furs, barrels full of amber, Spices from the Far East, Opium, Silks and Silver. This must have been a smuggler’s ship carrying fine prizes into Wessex. But why is all of this treasure and valuable cargo out here and not locked behind the door? Something does not add up, what could be in there, and where is the key?

I laughed at myself as I probably threw the key overboard with one of the Rus warriors. We will just have to knock it down. This door is made of heavy oak and iron. It will take some time, but time is what we have out here on the sea. To keep our new ship and cargo safe we then set course south for the channel and west nor-west to the Irish Sea. I have kinsmen in the north, and after losing four good men in this battle we are going to need more men.

We have a calm sea for the next day, as we each chop away at this door. We are taking turns laughing at each other because the door seems to be stronger than the men guarding it. With one last mighty blow, the lock brakes free, and the door flies open.

A pile of debris comes falling out as it swings wide. Why would all of this be piled against the door? Did the captain have rough seas on the days before we found this prize? More questions to be answered….

The dust settles and sunlight is slowly filling this room. This room is not a cargo hold; it appears to be a fine stateroom, with 3 beds and finely built tables, chairs, and chests. I see food, water, and wine along with fine silken clothing around the room.

Who was in here? What is this for? And then, I see her for the first time……

Astrid. . .
She is the youngest daughter of the Kievan Rus ruler Oleg. She is a deeply spiritual woman with a connection to the old Gods. This connection concerned many in her family as the Orthodox church was growing and gaining influence in and around Kiev. She speaks with the God’s as if they are old friends. She was sent on pilgrimage to Upsalla when she was kidnapped by Rus Viking raiders along the Dnieper River. As the lore goes, she can enter a trance-like state and see her future and the future of others.

As the sunlight fills the room, Astrid’s two companions, one male and one female, appeared to be twins on first glance both stood between her and I; They are heavily armed and ready for a fight. They both stepped forward to protect her from me, and she spoke to them in a language I did not understand.

They both stepped back quietly as Astrid stepped forward toward me and said to me softly “I told them that you are not a threat to me, I have seen you before in my dreams. I know you will not hurt me.” She reaches forward and gently pushes my blade down and away.

Her beauty is second to none with the face of an angel, porcelain skin, with golden eyes that see right into your soul. I feel as if I had known her my entire life.

She tells me that the captain of this ship was a trader and smuggler working all along the Silk Road, and she has been in his possession for the past 5 years. They had been traveling throughout the Mediterranean Sea, and as far east as Constantinople, and then South into Arabia.

Astrid had been well taken care of and is currently on her way to being sold to King Edward of Wessex. She was to be used as a Volva, or seeress, so that Edward may learn how to drive the Vikings out of Mercia, and East Angles. She told me stories of how she charmed the captain of the ship into allowing her to have her own armed guards in exchange for her visions to help him gain wealth. The captain was a harsh man, but was afraid of Astrid because of her visions, and how often they came true. Astrid assured me that her companions would not be a threat if she is well cared for.

I told her she was safe and that we are headed north and away from Wessex. She just smiled, and said, “The Gods will show us the way”.

The Maelstrom. . .

As night fell upon the sea an unusual warm and strong wind out of the Southeast began to blow. Astrid is certain that Edward would be looking for this ship all along the southern coast. We should take heed and stay far away from the shore to not be seen. I turn the ship southeast away from land directly into the wind. There was a storm in the distance. My crew secured all of the cargo and prepared for a long night ahead. Astrid and her companions took shelter in their secure quarters.

The skies have turned black as the wind becomes stronger, turning the sea dark and angry. We can no longer see the horizon, only the walls of water all around us, as we ride straight into this Maelstrom. This is a large vessel for such a small crew, but she is strong and easy to maneuver. All we can do is hold on as the wind roars in our faces and as we rise and fall on the violent waves. I think to myself I must have angered the Gods by taking Astrid. “Thor to give me strength to steer this noble oak”, I shout into the dark sky! I am answered with a crash of lightning and thunder as the waves crash over the bow throwing me onto the deck, and then into complete darkness…..

The last thing I remember as I open my eyes was shouting Thor’s name. There was a flash of lightning and thunder as if Mjolnir had crashed down upon us! I try to stand, bleeding and disoriented. The storm had ended. How long have I been unconscious? Where are we and why is it so damned hot? We are sitting in a flat calm sea with no wind, and we are blinded by the heaviest fog we have ever seen. I go to check on Astrid and her companions. I find her alone in her cabin, she had also been knocked unconscious. She is now coming to as I walk into the cabin. She starts calling out for her companions, we are all met with silence, as it seems what remained of my crew is also now gone. We are all alone.

As an experienced Steersman I try to find the sun with my sunstone. The fog is too dense, and I cannot see anything. The light becomes darkness with no break in the fog. As we wake again the next morning, still a dense fog. I climb to the front of the bow and yell out to Odin. “All Father! What is this? Why are we here in this Fog?” Astrid is Praying to her Gods and seems to be in a state of trance when I check on her. She grabs my arm and says, “Believe in Thor, He will show us the way”.

What is Thor going to do? The last time I spoke to Thor, I was met with lightning and woke to this damned fog! He put us here, how is he going to help? In the distance Thor and Mjolnir are rumbling once again, and it is getting louder.

I told Astrid to prepare herself, for the storm was to come again. We must be ready! And then another roar of thunder, but this time the sounds are different, like nothing we have ever heard. Again and again, like rolling thunder through the Fjords of Norway. The sound is louder now and coming from both sides of our ship. We begin to see a shadow in the distance; it seems that the fog is lifting. A large dark wall is moving toward us, as if we are sailing straight into a mountain coming up from the depths of the ocean. There then seems to be the sound of a battle all around us. Thor must be fighting with Jormungand, the mighty serpent. What else could it be? We were miles from land before the storm.

I call out again; “Thor! Show me the way!” With the loudest thunder we have ever heard! Then along with fire and smoke exploding over, and over, out of this dark wall in front of us. We hear many things flying overhead and then the front of our ship is hit. The deck explodes throwing debris, and cargo all over, almost throwing us over the side.

Astrid and I can now see this is not a mountain, but a great ship with three large masts reaching into the sky with many sails, ropes and rigging. This ship is larger than anything we have ever seen on the open sea. Men are moving about the ship with the precision and skill of a great army. There is a great black flag showing a bloody axe and skull, flying proudly from the rear of the ship. At that moment another round of explosions with fire and smoke repeatedly. It is so loud, what is this? We have never heard and felt such sounds and concussion as we are thrown to the deck once again.

A roar of cheers rises from the decks of this giant ship as there is a huge explosion behind us. We can now see there are two ships, also behind us. One is burning with a mast falling into the water, and the other has tied up to its side and the crew is boiling over the rails, killing everyone on board. We found ourselves in the middle of a great battle between three ships! I do not recognize any of the flags and see no shields on the sides of each ship. Who are these men? They are speaking in a language we do not understand.

We turn back to the first ship and now see they are throwing ropes and hooks onto the side of our vessel. Several men are now boarding us speaking in language we do not understand. Standing on the rail above, another man is giving orders. He is clearly the leader of this group, as all the men surround us then stop. I hear a loud voice speaking to us in my native tongue. “I am not Thor. I am Captain Morris Vandiver Axe, you may address me as Captain Axe. This is my ship, my crew, and you are now my prize.” I tell him my name and that we are on the way to see King Edward of Wessex. I then warn him that Edward would be looking for us.

Captain Axe bursts into laughter, says something to his crew and now they are all now laughing. Axe turns to us and says, that he has either captured a Viking that has somehow traveled through time 700 years, or an absolute mad man! The Captain then tells us that King Charles I, is the King of England, and Wessex became England in the year of our Lord 927 ….

The Captain gave orders to his men, and they take us captive and onto his ship. As we are being hoisted on board, I see that Captain Axe has found our barrels of treasure as well as my charts and scrolls. He stops, looks back at Astrid and then to me with a look of wonder, then nods his head. We were pulled away by his crew and separated. I was taken to the dank brig down in the belly of the ship. Astrid was taken in another direction.

I have been down in this dark dank cage for hours, it could have been days. I can tell the ship is moving by the sounds of the hull groaning. A most disgusting place full of rats, and filth. There are a few other captives down here in other cages. They appear to be slaves of some sort. I have never seen men that look as they do. I now hear the footsteps of men coming down toward me they open my cage and pull me out and take me up to deck. I see some of my clothing, as well as some other items along with buckets of water. The men guiding me are speaking to me, but I do not know their words, however I understand they are telling me to wash and change my clothing. I do so, get dressed, and I am guided up stairs and into what I assume to be the Captains quarters.

Meeting Captain Axe. . .

As I walk through the doors, not only do I see Astrid which brings me much relief that she is safe. I see all her belongings, furniture, clothing, all my charts, maps, and logs from my travels. They are spread out across a massive table with the Captain sitting on one side. Captain Axe, and Astrid a talking and laughing as if they were old friends. I hear they are both talking in the language of my mother and the priests that educated me, the Language of the Romans. I was welcomed into the room, offered food and wine.

Astrid walks toward me and greets me as “husband” with a warm embrace and loving kiss. She looks me deeply into my eyes, and I know to let her take the lead. She had told Captain Axe of the long journey from Kiev through Constantinople, and onward toward our proposed meeting with King Edward. She continued with the story of the storm. Astrid has also explained to Captain Axe that I was not her captor, and she was on my ship of her own accord, and that we had been married in Kiev before our journey began.

Captain Axe begins to speak. Christof Birger Son of Aelfgar, I can see you are a man of experience, I have read your ships log, and reviewed your charts. There is no doubt you are a capable warrior, leader of men, and very able steersman, as you have called yourself. Any Captain worth his salt would want you as part of his crew.

What cannot be understood is how did you go from the English channel, to sitting between three gunships 100 miles north of Tortola, not to mention pass through 700 years of time. With your only answer being a storm, and dense fog. To hear this tale makes me believe you are a mad man. Believing it makes me question my own sanity. However, after reading your log, and speaking with both of you; I am convinced that your story cannot be anything but true. There are many stories of unusual happenings in these waters, entire ships and their crews disappearing, just as yours appeared out of a fog. It is unexplainable. Some might call it witchcraft, others the work of the Devil himself. This is in fact why many call this area, as he points to a map “The Devil’s Triangle”.

Our conversation lasted for hours. Captain Axe was a student of history, and asked many questions about my homeland of Jorvik, which he has told us is now only one city in England, named York. He told us of the many wars and changes that have occurred since the departure from our time. We discussed the advancement of maritime navigation, the rise and fall of empires, the
colonization of lands, the threat of future wars and of course who their adversaries are in these waters. Most importantly we discussed piracy, privateering, and how we would profit, if we choose to join his crew. Heoffered his quarters to Astrid and I as his guest until we reach the next port.

Captain Axe was a privateer for the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and given a charter to operate against the Spanish Main at our free will as the war between the Spanish and Dutch Crown was occurring. He told us if we move against Spanish ships, the English, and Dutch will “look the other way”so to speak, and the Spanish Main is ripe for the picking.

South into the islands. . .
The next days were some of the most beautiful we have ever seen sailing in the open sea. Warm winds from the southwest, and calm seas. This ship is pulling 6 knots without all her sails unfurled. Captain Axe is showing me how navigation is done with an hourglass, a quadrant, a compass, and a nautical chart. I am a fast learner, and the captain was impressed with my skill of reading the wind as we tack and jib into the wind.

Captain Axe asked us to join his crew. We sailed with Captain Axe for the next two years hunting our prey and collecting our treasures. Anything that was a Spanish vessel learned to fear our flag. We had been a very successful crew. On our last visit to Tortola, Astrid and I decided to stay on the island for a time. We have amassed a small fortune and wanted to slow down if only for a time.

Dice. . .
For two years at sea, we watched the crew play games, the Captain had forbid gambling while underway, but the men always found a way. We never interacted with much of the crew as most thought us to be guests of the Captain, so they never asked us to join in. It always looked like a good time.

One day in the local tavern Astrid and I were together discussing what was our next adventure going to be. We had heard of settlements far to the north, an island called Iceland. The stories were told it was founded by Vikings 600 years ago, and we thought it would be a good place to go. Possibly to be around a people with our heritage. Suddenly from across the tavern we heard a very loud SKAL! Followed by many voices and laughter.

The table that seemed to be having the most fun in the room was a motley crew of individuals. A large man with a red beard, he appeared to be a captain simply by demeanor and how the men revered him. He was accompanied by several other crew members in similar dress, a very tall man that appeared to be a priest, and a Viking…. How is another Viking here? Did he arrive as we did?

We approach the table cautiously and the Viking man rose from his chair and says Skal brother in my native old Norse language. I introduced Astrid and myself to him and asked what is this game you play. The man with a red beard stands to introduce himself as Captain Red Beard. This is a game of dice; do you have coins? Would you like to play?