I froze. The insult stung, but his accusation against Geatland was what really shook me.

Heorot, under siege by trolls for two whole years? How on earth had we not heard of this? Whatever had happened between Hrothgar and my father in the past, Geatland never would have ignored such a threat. Hrothgar had to see that this was a misunderstanding.

"Your majesty," I implored. "You must believe me when I say Geatland has had no such news, or else we would have come immediately."

Hrothgar took a deep breath. He seemed to regain a bit of his composure. "I don't blame your father for not coming, girl," He grumbled. "He knows more than anyone how fruitless a fight with those monsters are. Still, a man has a right to his anger."

My mind could barely process his words. Two years. The trolls had been back for two years and we hadn't even known it. I shook my head, glad that my helmet helped to conceal the dumbstruck expression on my face. This was a surprise that I wasn't expecting, but I had to keep focus on my mission here. Ingrid was my priority.

"We have reason to believe that the trolls who kidnapped Princess Ingrid brought her to Heorot," I said.

"Of course she's in Heorot," Hrothgar snorted, as if this should be obvious. "The whole damn lot of them is. Their camp isn't more than ten leagues west."

A whole camp of them. I pushed aside my questions and went on. "Your majesty, I humbly request to assemble a search party looking for her."

Hrothgar gave a small laugh while the rest of the men filling the hall gave me looks of pure incredulity. "A single troll would kill your whole party without lifting a finger." The men around me stirred, murmuring their agreement. When the noise died down, Hrothgar leaned forward and became more serious. "Forget your sister, girl. If she's not dead already, she's bait for you and your father." But in just a split second the cruel gleam returned to his eyes once more. "Why not take it as a golden opportunity? With your sister dead, I suppose you'd be heir to Geatland now."

For a moment, my vision went red. I drew Spoon from its sheath with a metallic hiss. Gripping the hilt with both hands, I plunged it into the floor. The metal easily cleaved through the solid stone, sinking halfway into the ground. A gasp went up through the room, and some men reached for their weapons. I released Spoon's hilt and looked up to Hrothgar once more. His eyebrow was raised.

"I am Brynhildr of the Geats," I bellowed, raising my voice to be heard above the muttering crowd. "I have defeated a troll in battle-" an exaggeration, but the loud murmur from the crowd proved the white lie's worth- "and have the strength of ten men." Another exaggeration, but why quit while I was ahead? I fixed a steely gaze on the king sitting upon his throne. "I swear to you, if you give me your leave, I will rid Denmark of these trolls and find my sister."

Hrothgar regarded me for a minute more, allowing the crowd to stew. Beside him, Breca shifted nervously. The tension in the room continued to mount, and I saw my men reach for their weapons in my peripheral vision. Finally, Hrothgar raised a hand and the men instantly quieted.

"Very well," He said. Hope flared inside me, but I tempered it down. I did not like the sly smile that had crept upon his face. "I offer you a deal. If you can defeat my strongest warrior in holmgang, I shall give you all you need to attack the trolls."

"I accept," I said without hesitation.

The noise of the crowd flared up once again, and I silently cursed myself for my over-eagerness. Hrothgar thought to humiliate me, to see me brutally defeated before I could even begin my mission. There was no reason to make him suspect that perhaps it would be his champion who would suffer the defeat.

I smirked beneath my helmet. He really had no idea that he had practically ensured that I'd get what I wanted from him. All I had to do to go after Ingrid was win a battle in single combat? Ha! As if I could ever lose against men the likes of these. Unless there was a troll hidden somewhere in this crowd, I was guaranteed to win.

Breca seemed to have come to the same realization, and the deep scowl on his face showed it.

"Your majesty," He said hesitantly. Hrothgar turned to him with a raised brow, an expression of annoyance on his face. Breca hesitated, then just shook his head. Hrothgar turned away and Breca glanced back at me with an infuriated expression. He was the only man here who had seen the evidence of my strength and knew it to be more than a bluff. But he had no way of telling Hrothgar so without seeming like either a fool or a traitor to his lord's daughter. I grinned widely back at him.

Women and men quickly came forward to move the wooden tables out of the way, creating a large space in front of Hrothgar and Freydis' thrones. I gave a sharp yank on Spoon and pulled it out of the floor, bits of rubble flying up with the motion of it. I tried to conceal my confidence as I walked into the center of the space, but I could hardly restrain myself. I was giddy with thoughts of finding Ingrid.

I turned around in a slow circle, eyeing the men who stood jeering and waiting to watch a foolish princess crushed by a mighty warrior. Which one of them would I face? The one with the bulging muscles that looked strong enough to crush rocks? The one with a face as sharp as knives and armed to the teeth?

The noise of someone drawing their sword sounded behind me, and I spun around. It was a young man, the one who'd been drinking by himself in the corner when we'd arrived. I scowled at him as he prepared for the duel. His face was much too handsome, earning him an automatic spot on my mental list of arrogant bastards, right beside Breca.

At the same time, he didn't look particularly impressive. For one thing, he was too young to be a seasoned veteran, most likely no older than I was. His dark black hair was cropped short, and he didn't have any beard or scars to speak of. He was as muscular as any young warrior should be, but it was nothing especially intimidating. In some ways my consternation served to damper my confidence. Not being able to see his strengths right away put me on guard.

"Siegfried," Hrothgar called. "Will you accept this honor and defend your king's name?"

The young warrior turned to face the throne and fell to one knee. "I will, your grace," He answered simply, before standing up once more. I frowned. I'd never heard the name Siegfried before, and I liked to think that I knew all the great warriors of the kingdoms.

"The holmgang will continue until one fighter is incapacitated," Hrothgar announced to the crowd. "Any man who kills his opponent shall be responsible for paying the weregild. The weapon of choice shall be the sword." The crowd erupted into cheers at his words.

"No killing," Hrothgar repeated to us over the noise. "I couldn't very well send your head back to your father. But anything short of that..." He trailed off with a wink, leaving it to our imagination.

I raised my sword and took a fighting stance, ready for battle, but Hrothgar once again spoke.

"Brynhildr of the Geats," He said tauntingly. "The only weapons to be used in this battle are swords. I must insist that you remove your helmet."

I had been expecting this at some point, but that didn't stop the fear that seeped into my bones at Hrothgar's words. Taking a deep breath, I reached up and pulled off the helmet.

The reaction was predictable, but no less demeaning. Jeers and taunts were flung at me from all around as men stamped their feet in outrage and reached for weapons to come forward and attack me. Queen Freydis gave an audible gasp, her pretty blue eyes widening. 

Only Hrothgar's expression remained the same. It was evident that he'd already known that I was more than just the usual sort of ugly. Perhaps I'd met him as a child, before the distance had grown between him and Volsung. He held up a hand, and the crowd reluctantly quieted, although still ready to kill me without hesitation if their king so wished it. I wondered how many of them it would take to take me down.

Ignoring the glares I turned back to my opponent. He too seemed unfazed by my appearance, his face remaining focused but totally neutral.

"Well then," Hrothgar said. "Begin!"

Siegfried lunged forward to strike as soon as the word was out of Hrothgar's mouth, the crowd cheering him on loudly. A wise move, too- if I had had the chance to make the first move this fight would have been over much too quickly. I didn't have to just win this fight- that outcome was never in question- but I had to make a show of it. Hrothgar was a man who valued presentation as much as strength. I had to give him a spectacle entertaining enough to win him over.

I lifted my sword and the blow glanced harmlessly off. Siegfried retreated once more to the edge of the circle. We began to circle each other, each waiting for the next move. His blow had been strong- for a normal human. Now that I had assured myself that this man had no unusual tricks up his sleeve I regained some of my previous confidence.

I feinted to the right then struck left, but he deftly deflected my sword and ducked out of the way once again. His skill at swordsmanship was good, I had to admit, very good. But it wouldn't be enough for him to beat me.

He lashed out with a wide arc of his sword. Instead of blocking it, I leaned back, letting it swing right past me as the crowd booed.

But the sword didn't continue its arc as I'd anticipated. It stopped mid swing and lashed back, heading straight for me. I cursed and dodged. It grazed my arm, leaving a shallow cut there. A small drip of blood began to pour from the wound. I grit my teeth. Impressive skills indeed. Perhaps I wasn't the only one holding back a bit. I gripped my sword tightly, holding it in a defensive stance.

I lunged forward and we began a series of blows and parries, with me retaining the upper hand and pushing him backwards. His brow furrowed in concentration. We both knew I was stronger. I felt almost guilty, watching him try to devise a strategy to beat me. I certainly wouldn't have had such composure in the face of those odds.

The crowd's boos grew louder and louder. Finally, I decided that it had been enough. It was time to end this. How to incapacitate him then? I had to make sure that I didn't kill him, but inflict enough damage to unquestionably take him out. It had to be something extreme, something that would gain Hrothgar's respect.

I decided that cutting off his arm would do nicely. I held nothing against Siegfried, but this was a holmgang. There was no such thing as mercy in battle, and all warriors had to accept that as Odin's truth. Just as I wouldn't fault him for taking my arm, he would have to understand it was the price he had to pay to Odin for his defeat.

I sharply deflected his sword to the side, leaving a quick but clear opening. I put all of my strength into my swing and brought my sword downward.

There was the sound of bone and muscle splitting beneath the sharp edge, and the crowd's loud jeers suddenly silenced. He truly was a talented swordsman- at the very last second he'd managed to deflect my blade, though not enough to save him. Instead of cutting his arm off, it was more like I'd cleaved a deep, grisly gash in his shoulder. Fortunate for him, but the result would be the same. No man could continue fighting with such a grievous injury, especially to his sword arm.

Siegfried grit his teeth in pain and fell to his knees, his hand moving to try and staunch the steady flow of blood seeping from his neck and shoulders. I turned from him towards Hrothgar and knelt to the ground before the king.

"Your majesty," I said. He didn't seem visibly upset that his best warrior had been defeated so easily, although perhaps he'd already expected this as well. Ignoring his thin lipped smile, I continued. "I emerge the victor of the holmgang and therefore humbly request-"

I gasped out in pain and spun around. Siegfried, standing calmly on his own two feet, pulled his sword from my leg with a disturbing squelching sound. I stood to my feet as well, as best I could with the stab wound in my leg, and readied Spoon in a defensive stance once more. 

The injury I had inflicted upon his shoulder was nowhere to be seen, as if it had all been a grand illusion. But that couldn't be! I wasn't crazy. And besides, the shoulder of his shirt was torn and ragged exactly where I had cut through it to the flesh and bone. But otherwise, it was totally healed.

I didn't have the time to ponder it any further before I was forced to defend against his attacks once again. My leg hurt like hell, but my strength made me more tenacious than to be stopped by a single injury. Siegfried frowned as I parried his blows. It seemed he'd thought that that would have been enough to stop me. Then I suppose we're at an impasse, I thought bitterly, hissing as I leaned back on my bad leg.

I wasn't stalling anymore. I blocked a strike, our blades meeting in the middle with a metallic clang. Pushing forcefully with my arms, he was forced to lower his sword, and I had another opening. I stabbed Spoon straight through his side. I hoped I didn't hit anything vital enough to kill him, but this time I had to be sure of his defeat.

He gasped sharply and stopped his movements, his sword clattering to the ground. I pulled out my sword, the blade covered in blood, and he immediately collapsed to the floor, hunched over and clutching his stomach.

There, I thought irritably. Not quite so impressive, but victory was still mine. That was all that counted in the end.

I moved to put Spoon in its sheath, but hesitated. Siegfried had suddenly stopped shaking and straightened up. He reached out a hand to grab his fallen sword and stood up once more, completely unscathed and ready to resume our fight.

My eyes widened now. What kind of magic was he employing? He had to be some sort of sorcerer, using spells and witchcraft to quickly heal himself. That had to be some kind of violation of the terms of the holmgang- Hrothgar had specifically said no weapons but our swords! 

But I couldn't stop the duel to question his tactics, as he began to attack with renewed energy. I, meanwhile, was growing tired, and my leg was now almost completely useless. As I continued to deflect his blows, I began to panic. Under the terms of the holmgang, I couldn't kill him. That ruled out decapitation and stabbing him through the heart, which I feared would surely be fatal. But it appeared that nothing short of death could incapacitate him! I growled as I struck out at him, both frustrated and terrified by the conundrum.

One thing I knew for certain, though: if the battle went on like this for too much longer, I would be defeated. Hrothgar would not hear my demands, and I would be sent away, heart heavy with shame, to live out the rest of my life in exile. Defeat was not an option.

As Siegfried swung his sword to strike once more, I yelled and grabbed the blade with my hand, stopping it in its path. The edge cut deeply into my palm, and blood trickled down to the floor, but I could worry about injuries later. Victory was all that mattered now. I saw Siegfried's eyes widen as he realized, too late, his position. He was stuck, unable to move his sword while I held it still. I released my right hand's grip on Spoon and it clattered to the ground. I pulled back my arm as far as I could and let loose a punch right to Siegfried's jaw.

It felt immensely satisfying to swing my arm all the way forward, packing as much strength as possible behind my fist. It sent him flying backwards to where he lay sprawled on his back, eyes closed but his chest still moving. I didn't lower my guard for fear that he would simply rise once again and renew his attacks, but this time he stayed down.

I was gratified to hear at least my own men whooping and cheering loudly amongst the maelstrom of insults and outrage from Hrothgar's warriors. Breca was so mad his face seemed to go purple. 

Breathing in ragged breaths and still bleeding from the cut on my arm and stab wound in my leg, I turned to Hrothgar. He was not smiling now. Good.

"Your majesty," I repeated with noticeable irony. "I emerge the victor of the holmgang-"

"I'm afraid not, princess," He snapped. A few men came to carry Siegfried away, and Hrothgar watched them go with an irritated scowl. "The terms of the holmgang were that your swords would be your only weapons. No mention about fists, I'm afraid."

I ground my teeth together harshly and clenched my fists. It had been a hard fought battle between two skilled warriors, an occurrence which I'd almost certainly never experienced before. But I had won before the eyes of the gods. Hrothgar couldn't take that away from me with a ridiculous technicality!

"And so the holmgang is a draw," He said louder, announcing it to the assembled audience of warriors. The mass of them looked confused as to whether they ought to be cheering or booing for such an outcome.

"And just what does that mean?" I spat. "What about my requests?"

Hrothgar narrowed his eyes at me. "We shall see, Brynhildr," He said simply. "We shall see."