Caecilia come and fetch me for a meeting on the sofa group in the dining room, where my sambos are waiting, and it turns out it is Gisela who asked for the meeting. Iselin switches sofas and sits down next to me in a stately manner, just as Kari, Ciara and Gisela do, while Jane is more relaxed in the other sofa, and Alith stands next to the sofa with Frida as an interpreter along with Kari. It's kind of funny how Gisela slowly has taken on a completely different posture and attitude than the servants and staff in general, but we assume that is partially because she never really got to experience the harsh realities of life like Ciara or the others. She has been a prisoner and sold as a slave yes; but not really lived, worked, been abused, raped etc, and becoming a free woman just bound by her oath and surrounded by my sambos, has probably made her fall back to the posture and stateliness she probably had before.

Gisela asks if it is true that I intend to send her back to her home country and family with one of my merchant ships later this spring, which I confirm may be true, although I have thought about letting her stay here to translate, teach language, culture and so on if she so wishes. She was surprised that I basically ignored her in Borgarsandr, and then after many weeks brought her here and freed her. That I am giving her training in very advanced maths and other knowledge, as well as fascinating but quite scary crafts. I will show and teach her incredible 'magic', and in the end maybe just send her back to her home country. Maybe get her a farm where she can practise that 'magic' on my behalf. She finds it hard to understand why.

She knows what she was sold for, and she doesn't understand why I would spend time and more silver to just free her, educate her and send her back to her homeland without any reward for my trouble, without even being sure she will fulfil it. Why have I not just sold her on if I don't want her? Why have I not taken her as a concubine, or just as a bed slave, as she knows I could have done anything I wanted with her as my slave. I am the absolute ruler of this island, and the rich and powerful do not behave like that in her homeland. She expected to be called to my bed when I brought her here to Thrymheim, as part of the payment for the education and important knowledge and skills that Miss Kari said they would receive, because Northmen have many wives and mistresses and have sex with their slaves. Even after she became a free woman, she has expected me to ask her to come to my bed, which she seems strangely annoyed that I haven't done.

Gisela knows why she spent three years in 'England', and when she was no longer useful, was sold as a beautiful bed slave for a lot of silver, shipped far across the sea while being cared for better than other slaves on the ship. She has feared her future, but in recent months accepted her fate, and actually seems to be of the opinion that if God has decided that her destiny is to be a bed slave to a Northman, then she will be the best she can be and hopefully earn to be freed and become a proper concubine. She talked a lot with Frida. She knows what their last few years have been like, and has been grateful that she her fate would surely be much better, especially after Ima returned and told them about life here, which was reinforced when she was freed and became Digraldi's woman.

Gisela has seen all the women here and knows that I have had sex with most of them, from the lowest servant who used to be a slave, several of the bodyguards and regularly with my high status personal hóra, to a powerful Jarl woman and even the former queen of the kingdom. Apart from Ida, Gisela is the youngest at 16 years old, but she is a young and beautiful adult with a large bust, is healthy with good skin, nice teeth and really long beautiful light-coloured hair, is a noble and virgin, so she should be very desirable. Yet I've been ignoring her, and she seems almost offended by it.

I get a bit of a flashback to Caecilia and Jane's experience and thoughts, so I hope Gisela doesn't start behaving the same way, but she doesn't know the language. Still, it might be a good idea to ask Jane to talk to her about why I haven't thought of Gisela in a sexual way. I mentally curse the devil on my shoulder, because now that I think about it, I suspect that if Gisela really wanted sex, I might not have said no, but it is just curiosity that I can ignore, not lust or desire. In fact, barely even curiosity. Sure, she's beautiful but ... so what? Beside being too young, it's not like I care about 'taking trophies' or such things. There are really only disadvantages to having sex with her.

Gisela continue talking, and says that I obviously have no intention of selling her back to what's left of her family as her value has been maintained, and even increased, which she also doesn't understand. Not only freed, but allowed to experience luxuries, comforts and things she has never heard of, for many weeks, while receiving interesting advanced training, then sent home at no cost.

She just doesn't understand me or her situation.

Kari and Ciara tell me that they and Frida have tried to explain it to her, but Gisela just won't accept it. She doesn't think they're lying, but there must be a reason they don't know and I haven't told them, and she hopes I can tell her.

To be fair, I don't know how to really explain it, as it is very illogical to do something like that just because it feels right. I assume it doesn't happen often here, especially not to someone as beautiful and young as her, because she is desirable even without property, and most men who could would probably have taken her at least as a bed slave or mistress. At least for a while. But besides the fact that I definitely don't want any more regular partners, Gisela just doesn't appeal to me, partly because she's young. I don't feel any desire or like there is anything special about taking her virginity. I know why virgins are special in many cultures, and that many men look forward to taking a virgin, especially a young and beautiful one; I just don't really understand it. I felt a whole lot of anxiety with Kari's first time, and she was much older and already my concubine and someone I spent quite a lot of time with. I didn't even know I took Lifa and Unn's virginities until several days later, and that feels especially awkward because they were both one of several women during the stag night, so I sort of feel like I cheated them on a special experience. Well, it sure was a special experience for all of us, but not a good one. I genuinely feel like I should have sex one more time with Lifa and Unn individually, to do it properly, because it feels like I've tricked them with shoddy and unfinished work. But I'm smart enough to keep that thought to myself. It would also be awkward to have sex with them again just for that reason.

I don't know what to say about the rest of what Gisela said, and there are a couple of silent minutes as I think. Kari signalled Gisela to just wait, and has taken the opportunity to relax a little. Iselin carefully removes her stiletto heels and curls up against me with her legs folded to the side on the sofa. Her embrace of high heels makes me smile; they're for indoor use and she loves them, but has realised that sleeping in them is a bad idea. She has high hopes for my casual suggestion of a conical detachable part that can be carried in a pocket or handbag, and snapped onto the stiletto heel so the heels gets a larger surface area and the shoes should work better outdoors. Of course, the heel of the stiletto will need to be designed so there is a notch for locking, and a couple of small notches can also help spread out the interface pressure. There is some irony in the fact that Iselin, who likes to silently sneak about, is now usually heard approaching because of her heels, while Ciara in her thick knitted wool socks is almost silent. Ciara is usually either stately and attractively dressed, or just damn cute as she loves knitted wool socks and my large hoodie.

I miss seeing Iselin come walking barefoot; it's so cute and sweet when my elven nerdy goddess does that, especially in a borrowed big shirt, hoodie, t-shirt, shorts or thin dress. Almost ethereal, especially if she has her beautiful red hair loose, or with small braids which she has started to do again. Iselin was looking forward to the right to wear her hair tied up in a wife's cloth, but it quickly faded over just a couple of weeks, just like drinking the honey mead, and now I don't see her in her wife's cloth - she always has loose hair or more or less in braids of various types, and she really looks good in it. She looks so damn beautiful in certain hair styles. It's also cute how she braids her hair into her crown when she wears the crown, just so she doesn't drop the crown, as she is more lively and active than most Queens and high nobility women.

My thoughts about Iselin are quite indicative of how little I care for Gisela, but I simply answer her that I feel no desire or wish to make her mine, because although she is very beautiful and desirable, she is not attractive to me, and I am not interested in her virginity. I think Gisela should see her own value as more than just a beautiful young woman of noble birth. More than just a beautiful woman to take to bed and give children. She is young and has more choices for her future than, say, Shakini or Frida, and I think she should appreciate being able to return to her home country. To be able to build a life there in an environment, language and culture she knows, with her family nearby, but hopefully continue to be loyal and perform any task I give her.

Gisela listens intently as Frida and Kari translate it, and Ciara confirms something too. My answer has left Gisela silent and pondering, so I just give her time, just like she gave me, and I cuddle with Kari and Iselin. It's good that Jane doesn't seem to mind, but she did sit in the other sofa.

It takes several minutes before Gisela starts talking, now very serious and not looking happy. Gisela does not want to return to her home country. There is only family feuds, war, violence and death. As far as she knows, for the last twelve years and earlier than she can remember, there have been wars and battles pretty much every summer between at least some of the princes and their vassals. At least they keep the fighting away from the larger towns and castles, but that's only so the mercenaries don't burn down and loot the nobles homes and town wealth, but the villages and countryside don't have the same protection. And when they don't pay the mercenaries, they become bands of brigands roaming the countryside. Winter is cold, in cold draughty stone castles it sometimes rains into, and there can be ice on the walls of some rooms if it is a really cold winter. Fire baskets and large fireplaces are not always available, and not everywhere. Cold inside during winter because few use glass in the windows like here - not even in much of the nobility or in all the rooms, because they don't want to shut out the weather God made. Piles of thick blankets or thick clothes, and the exhaled air can fog. It's dark indoors both summer and winter because of tall narrow windows and no oil lamps.

Everything smells bad and is dirty. The smoke smell doesn't cover it up enough, and different types of flowers and herbs are everywhere to hide the smells, and richer people use perfume. Many people only wash a couple of times a year, if that, because everyone believes that water opens up the skin and makes wounds infest and sick, and the body easily becomes sick if it gets wet too often. They use cloth rags and wipe themselves and comb their hair with a fine-toothed comb, and only carefully wash their hands and part of their face so as not to lose their eye sight or get sick. They pick their teeth and maybe swirl a bit of wine, but no-one brush their teeth.

She didn't realise it before coming here, but the smell was everywhere and many people stank, including her, and there were often bugs in their hair and clothes. She has always wiped herself with dry cloths, and combed her hair thoroughly three times a day with a fine-toothed comb to keep her hair clean, and was proud of how clean she was, but now she feels so disgusting knowing what it can be like. Now she combs her hair to keep it tangle-free and smooth, and she know that clean water and soap are not dangerous and doesn't make you sick - it's the water in her home country that is sick, just like the land and their minds. Nobody there is careful about drinking water, rivers and protecting it from contamination and separating drains and so on, so it's no wonder there are diseases in the water. The workers and slaves here on the island who wash their whole bodies once a week, even in winter, are more clean than the nobility or priests in her homeland. Some there are sewn into their clothes for months to prove themselves deeply faithful, and many call the Northmen barbarians, vain and ungodly for washing once a week. So many insects and bugs in beds, clothes and hair. It can itch so much, but it has just been the way life is.

Everything here is so clean and tidy, and she has hardly even found cobwebs or dust anywhere. The maids still take out mattresses, bed linen, blankets, duvets, pillows and sleeping pelts to hang up when the water is frozen or the sun is shining. At least every two weeks, to ensure any insects are dead and to air out, and they scrub the wood of the beds with salt and water once a month. She loves how clean the oak floors are, and the fact that no one drags in dirt, mud or slush. The floors are like fine furniture, and the carpets stay nice and soft. Ciara just walks around in her wool socks, and they don't get dirty, yet are still being washed. And I like to go barefoot and still have clean feet. No-ones shoes and feet smell terrible.

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Everyone here in Thrymheim is so clean, all the time, and washes several times a week. Especially me and Jane. She has been washing every third day, as is expected and required by the staff - and it is now so wonderful. She would love to stand in the showers wonderful warm rain and use the soap every day, but she thinks that even every third day is a bit wasteful and sinful, but so very wonderful. No-one is complaining at it either. The warm shower is so quick and is better than a bath tub, because the dirt and other stuff just wash away and disappear instead of sitting in it. No work before or after to organise the bath and warm the water, or take care of the bath water after.

Gisela seems to see showering like warm rain, and rain is water from heaven and thus cleaner. She even likes the toilets, and says she is careful to always wash afterwards in warm water with soap. The toilets here in Thrymheim smell less than many fine rooms in castles, and no one uses night pots and just piss or poo in their rooms and leave it there until the maids take care of it.

The food is so varied, even for the staff. So many different dishes she never knew about. The food smells are so much more noticeable and enjoyable because it smells so good here without perfumes and scented herbs, and she likes to help in the kitchen before meals or when baking bread. She loves baking bread and the smell. She has already learnt that the food belief in her country is wrong, that the stomach must be opened and closed, and that food must be eaten in the right order from light to heavy dishes, and that food should be moist and lukewarm like the body. Food also does not need to be finely chopped, ground or mashed to be mixed properly.

She has really started to question her belief in the body's four elements, as that is totally rejected by me, Jane with several others, while we have some other important beliefs for healthy living, and I look so young and healthy for my age. We exercise and keep fit.

She loves the faint smell of wood, the oil lamps and the beautiful scents of nature. She loves everything here, and although the sea sometimes smells, that is the sea. It's warm, bright and beautiful in here. Amazing paintings, windows, tapestries, rugs and artwork everywhere. Most of the things she's heard about what it's like amongst the Northmen are lies. Even Borgheim was beautifully decorated and clean and nice, although nothing beats Thrymheim.

Gisela looks so dreamy and lyrical, and Frida, Kari, Ciara and Iselin are a bit smug when it's translated. Her talk of the body's elements brought a smile to my face because I know the medieval beliefs about 'humours', and they believed the body and mind were a balance of healthy fluids - blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm - which in turn were also linked to the four elements, the seasons of the year, temperament, body organs and age. All food and personalities were linked, and different foods or diets compensated or balanced out certain things. You are melancholic? Then you should eat this, but not this. Difficulty sleeping? Then you have too much of this and should eat this to compensate. And so on. Bloodletting and a few other weird cures become much more understandable when you know about that belief. This way of thinking lasted in many cases until the 19th century, because even though it started to be questioned a couple of hundred years earlier, it was mostly philosophy about how the body worked as there was no scientific knowledge, or even thinking.

After a short pause, Gisela's lyrical and happy smile disappears, and she tells us that in her country, men and priests rule; women have no voice or rights, are morally weak, inferior to men and not worth educating because they cannot think like men. Women, wives and daughters must always obey and are often beaten so they are reminded of their place, don't embarrass their husbands or fathers, do a good job, or hurry up. Especially maids. When Frida told her what it was like here in the North, Gisela hardly believed her, but it's all so obviously true.

She wouldn't be able to keep a promise to me about the radio and so on, because the men there wouldn't let her, and the priest will probably destroyed the radio if they find out. A priest would have destroyed most of the things in Thrymheim, especially the lightning machines, and maybe burned Thrymheim. They destroy anything that doesn't agree with their teachings, and beat, torture or kill those who disagree. She will be beaten to drive the devil's knowledge out of her, and she will have to confess her sins and weakness, and then do some great penance. If she refuse, they will probably burn her at the stake, because she is irrevocably seduced by pagan and the devil's thoughts, and fire is the best purification to hopefully save her soul. It won't matter what she think of it, because she is irrevocably seduced by pagan thoughts.

Women there can't inherit and rule by themselves as the can here. Only widows can own property - until they marry or their children are grown, when their husbands and sons take over. Gisela has spoken to Frida, Kari, Ciara and Haera, and knows that up here in the 'barbaric dark and terrible north' that worships 'barbaric gods and condemns themselves to hell', she has much more rights and freedom, even as a freed slave. She can educate herself. She can choose to be a warrior. She can choose who she will marry and raise a family with. Even in marriage, she cannot be beaten. Not even a little slap in the face, and can ask for divorce for so many reasons, including that they just don't get along. Gisela blushes and glances sideways, so I guess she's also thinking that she could get a divorce if her husband doesn't sexually satisfy her.

But the smile disappears, and Gisela's posture hardens again as she continues talking. Divorce is impossible in her home country. The only thing that exists is separation from bed and home, and then the couple live apart but remain married. The inheritance is also kept intact. It is always the woman's fault if that happens, so most other women don't want to socialise with the woman, and their husbands or fathers will generally stop them if they try. The woman may find it difficult to survive if she is not rich or has a family to look after her. Lower noblewomen almost always become nuns, or have to discreetly sell their body as a companion to some lord, but this is dangerous and shameful because she is still married. Gisela has always looked down on women who sell their bodies, whether they have a choice or not, or those who indulge in carnal lust, because she was taught to do so. But she no longer does. Especially not Caecilia. Caecilia was smart to give up her old life and head north. Since she became my hóra and personal servant, Caecilia lives better than many noblewomen in Frigonia, and she has much more rights, freedom and respect. If ordinary women knew and understood what it is really like for women here in the North, they would make a pilgrimage if they could.

Here in the North, it is the wife who controls the home and the economy, and if the man is away, his right to vote becomes hers and that is taken for granted. The woman can own land herself and her vote is equally valuable in a Ting. As an ordinary free woman, Gisela has the right to participate in Ting and express her opinion, even though she does not own any land, and women are expected to go to Ting and participate in society and politics. Slaves are also allowed to stand on the sidelines and listen during Tings, because they should know the laws. Miss Kari has inherited huge estates, which remain being hers even though she is my concubine, and when we marry they will still remain hers, even though I am expected to help defend them and perhaps look after them for her, and if so, am expected to increase their value. Storman Kari has more voting rights than Furst Robert Arnesson in the Stor Ting.

Storman Haera, the queen who has been unfaithful and been exiled, continues to own so much and still has enormous voting power, although she has to appoint someone to vote for her, as she cannot participate herself. But the right is still hers, and she owns her properties and she can continue to live a good rich life, even as a sinful lustful woman who betrayed the throne and king. In her homeland, Storman Haera had either been executed, or stripped of everything and walled up in a tower. Forgotten by the world except by the one who fed her.

Gisela's eyes lock on mine and it is with strength and conviction that she says she does not want to go back. She wants to learn everything she can and wants me to let her handle a radio and other things, here or on one of my properties, wherever that may be. She knows I have several properties and as long as it's up here in the north, she doesn't care where it is or what job it is. She can take care of the animals and the stable, or run a household if I wish. Even if I don't want to have her working for me, she would rather be thrown out in her clothes than be forced to return to her home country. Whatever her life becomes like here in the North, it will be better than there, and here she can make a good life for herself. There, people toil and suffer for a chance to go to heaven after they die, but here in the north, she can live in the near enough, and our Gods are better and more just than their God. As a rich person, you can behave like a pig all your life and do all kinds of sins, and then buy God's forgiveness from the priests. Some of the priests in her home country also behave like pigs. But here? Either you die a good death in battle and are taken to Valhalla, or you live a good, honourable life and are rewarded by the goddess Freya, who has her own heaven filled with art, culture and music. She wants a chance to go to that heaven.

Well, I can't really argue against that. I've read that in some parts of Viking era Midgård, British men complained to their rulers and the church that Norse men took their women after they colonised. Not by force, but by luring the women with better lives, respect, more rights and the men were clean and handsome. The British men complained that it was unfair, and that the Northmen were even satisfied with one woman, and too many of their women sought a better life with the Northmen. This happened across the social range, from nobility daughters as well as the wives of ordinary men.

So hearing Gisela's word and decision shouldn't really be surprising, although life here in Thrymheim and even Borgheim is exceptional. I hope in perhaps 30 to 50 years it will not be so exceptional any more, but I will be dead by then.

I do need radio operators or telegraph operators, and someone to look after my scattered properties, but I have thought about keeping her here on the islands for language-culture lessons. She can always look after mine and Kari's future hunting lodge on Orusingen, and still be close enough for languages and other things. I really respect that Gisela is strong-willed and actually takes the initiative enough to ask for this meeting, and quickly made the decision to want to stay here no matter what. A strong will and motivation seems to have been awakened in Gisela, and it is a good sign for a future to be able to manage a farm herself, but she needs to be trained in all that too, and it will be interesting to see how motivated she truly is.

Iselin whispers 'yes' while Jane nods and blurts out: "That destroyed any romantic notion I had left about this era and life, and I really don't want to experience some parts of this world."

Kari whispers: "If you don't want Gisela to work for you, I will hire her as a caretaker for my property at Orusingen."

Yeah, she does want someone there, and I don't want to lose a good motivated candidate who knows radio and seems eager and will probably be grateful. So I welcome Gisela to continue working for me, and if she behaves and learns enough about everything, she might be tasked to take care of a smaller farm or similar. Gisela relaxes, adjusts her posture and brightens up, before she gracefully curtsy and thanks us all, and after a dismissive wave Frida and she leaves looking happy.

Kari, Ciara and Jane also leave, and Jane says she needs a shower after hearing that. I can't help but ask, "Creepy crawlies?" and get a biting, "Piss off!" says enough. Iselin stay cuddled up against me, which is nice, before kissing me and moving away a little and Iselin put up her feet so I can give her a foot massage. Iselin relaxes and as she leans against the back of the sofa with a content sigh.

"Robert, I never thought I would say this, but I'm happy that I was born a slave here, instead of a common free woman in Frigonia."

The lessons and exercises for everyone are progressing slowly, but we clearly need more equipment for teaching and for students to practise on and with, but at least we have slate boards and chalk, and writing tools are being improved, and we can use construction of new stuff as teaching aids. I really need the parts for the more powerful wind turbine so I can finish the higher voltage system, and get all the battery vessels so they can practice making batteries too. We decide that we need to go down to Borgarsandr. Again. Sailing during winter sucks, and I have work to do. Do I really need to go myself? No I don't, and Iselin agree. I'll ask Caecilia to go and tell Asta and to prepare the ship and help Iselin create shopping lists, bring the folder with the prepared lists and drawings, talk about who is going, etc. Hrappr has to take a trip over to Lysesund so the king's man there Boli will have a chance to buy two lumps of crucible steel, so we can sell three to Ketill. Yeah, that trip to Borgarsandr will happen in a few days, partially to give the Borgarsandr craftsmen and women more time because it has only been two weeks.

I return to my workshop, and see Gisela sitting on the mezzanine, reading a Frigonese maths book while smiling and making notes on a slate board. Gunhild looks pleased as she joins us and tells us, that they have let Gisela use their Freya statue in the day room so that Gisela could pray to Freya for the first time, and she renounced her old religion loud and clear, and hoped that Freya will eventually reward her choice and faith to let her come to Folkvangr. Gisela seemed a little worried that something would happen when she renounced her old religion, but pleased and relieved when it didn't. They are going to help her make her own Freya jewellery and Freya statue while they tell her more stories about the gods, and teach her more about all the gods.

I ask Gunhild to tell Heimir that he can start giving Gisela basic self-defence and combat training, if she wants it, and of course that includes training from Gunhild and the other bodyguards. I want all the staff to have basic combat training, because this is a violent world.

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