Vikings: Nordic women

Chapter 51 Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold

The next day, all the lords were ready to leave in a happy mood.

Before they left, Margaret sent letters to everyone and attached a strong war horse and a sharp sword.

Lord Sigrune excitedly opened the letter, his face filled with pride and joy. He handed the letter to his eldest son who came to see him off, as if he was showing off a treasure, and said proudly: "Look, how Her Majesty the Queen praised me!"

Little Sigrun took the letter respectfully and read the contents of the letter softly:
"Dear Lord Sigrune,

Hello!

I am Margaret, Queen of Gotland. I would like to express my deep respect and firm trust in you. I am deeply pleased with your care and management of your people. I hope you can continue to govern your territory with kindness and wisdom, and ensure that your people live a happier and healthier life.

In order to support you to better perform your duties, I have specially prepared a sword and a warhorse for you. This is not only a recognition of your bravery, but also a hope that you can train a strong team of soldiers. I believe that under your leadership, these soldiers will become the pride of our kingdom and fight for our future.

Next year, we will invade the coastal areas of Ross, and I look forward to the excellent performance of the soldiers you have trained. As a reward for your contribution, I will consider allocating a better territory for you after the war. This is not only a recognition of your past work, but also an expectation that you will continue to serve the kingdom in the future.

Please accept my sincere blessings and I look forward to meeting future challenges with you.

Sincerely,

Margaret
Queen of Gotland

A proud smile also appeared on the face of little Sigrun, and he solemnly handed the letter to Lord Sigrun.

Lord Sigrune folded the letter carefully and stuffed it into his clothes with great care.

Lord Sigrune patted his son's shoulder gently and said earnestly: "Well, my son, your mother, sister and I are about to leave. I hope you can remember the glory of your family, serve the queen loyally, and win her heart!"

Little Sigrun answered with a firm look and full of confidence: "Yes, father! I will definitely surpass other competitors and become the husband of Her Majesty the Queen, and bring honor to our family!"

Lord Sigrun's wife stepped forward, kissed her son's forehead lovingly, stroked his hair tenderly, and said, "We are always proud of you, my son!"

Little Sigrun hugged his mother tightly, then turned to his father and hugged him again. He said reluctantly: "I will miss you too, mother and father, please take care of yourself!"

His sister also came forward, with tears in her eyes, and gave him a deep hug. Little Sigrun bent down, hugged his sister tightly, and said softly: "I will miss you too, my sister, please take good care of my father and mother for me!"

With a farewell, Lord Sigrune, his wife and daughter turned and left.

Little Sigrun stood there, smiling and waving at his family's backs, watching them disappear from his sight.

At the same time, other lords also boarded the carriages and said goodbye to their sons who stayed behind.

The air is filled with a feeling of parting, but at the same time it is also full of expectations and hopes for the future, which is the fragrance of Margaret's "pancakes".

Those rebellious lords who unfortunately lost their carriages also received generous gifts from Margaret, which enabled them to re-equip their carriages and restore their ability to move.

Margaret summoned Ralph, who was about to take office, and carefully told him about various matters that needed his attention. She especially mentioned the importance of checking dangerous buildings, fearing that the heavy pressure of snow might cause the houses to collapse.

With the change of seasons, winter comes quickly, and this year's winter seems to be colder than previous years.

Margaret held the lute and sang on the beach, rubbing her hands to keep warm. Her hair, covered with ice crystals outside her headscarf, stamped her feet.

Almost every day, snowflakes were flying and the cold wind was blowing directly into her face. The cold weather made her want to squat in the house and cry. The artistic conception of playing the piano? That's all a trick!

The bard had told her how wonderful it was to play the harp in the snow, but now she felt like a fool.

The furnace had gone out, and the guards on the city wall were so frozen that they had to hide in the arrow tower, shivering in an attempt to resist the cold.

Margaret ordered the canteen to prepare an extra portion of meat for the guards and allowed them to drink moderate amounts of alcohol to warm themselves up.

Such severe cold weather is like a natural protective barrier.

Unless one is extremely stupid, no one would start a war under such circumstances, as doing so would likely result in frostbite or even amputation of all personnel.

The free people on the streets were forcibly gathered together. Margaret couldn't bear to see people being frozen into ice sculptures under the eaves.

Several houses unfortunately collapsed under the relentless weight of the snow.

Upon learning the news, Margaret immediately dispatched soldiers to the scene to carry out rescue excavations.

However, tragedy had already occurred and the family inside the house lost their lives in the cold.

Margaret, filled with anger and grief, severely punished the officials responsible for inspecting the dangerous buildings.

She gave him thirty lashes with her own hands and severely reprimanded him for his dereliction of duty. After venting her anger, she reluctantly let him go.

The lord's hall was transformed into a relief center, distributing free charcoal and medicinal herbs to the people.

Margaret's heart was filled with worries. Being sick, she was not only worried about her own health, but she was also afraid that the people in other territories would not be able to survive this harsh winter.

Her heart was under tremendous pressure, but she still insisted on providing help and support to the people.

"It's so cold, I'm freezing!" Margaret's teeth were chattering and her voice was trembling.

She looked at Alexander, who was running around the house, jumping around happily, and she could hardly suppress her anger and burst into tears.

She finally understood why Northern Europe was called the Land of Giants.

In this bitingly cold weather, being small means losing heat quickly, making it difficult to survive.

The heavy snow is like a ruthless selector, eliminating the weak individuals and leaving only the strong and big ones.

"Go away, go away!" Margaret said to herself. She felt that she could not bear it any longer. "I don't want to spend the winter here anymore. Even if you kill me next year, I won't stay here for another day!"

She pulled the quilt over her head and curled up in an attempt to get some warmth.

Her nostrils were blocked and every breath was heavy, only the hot air from her mouth could bring her some comfort.

She was full of disgust for winter and just hoped to get through this difficult season as quickly as possible.

Northern Europe is a place that even the powerful Roman Empire was unwilling to set foot in. If it weren't for her belief in moving next summer, she would have worried that she wouldn't be able to bear it.

(End of this chapter)