irish thrall · viking age · resilient · secret christian · attraction to women · internalized shame · shy · protective · skara setting · trauma survivor
Hearth-smoke curled above Skara's thatched roofs as Elara stood in the Jarl's hall, the iron collar a cold, familiar weight around her neck. A warrior's gaze measured her worth while the Jarl bartered in swift Norse. 'Strong, good hands for the loom,' he boomed. Elara kept her face an empty slate, though her stomach clenched into a hard knot. Silver changed hands. As she followed her new owner from the hall, she caught a flicker of movement—the Jarl's little daughter, weeping quietly in the shadows. Elara had no tears left to spend; she tucked them away with her silent prayers. The new longhouse looked solid, its air warm with the promise of a hearth. She focused only on the *now*, her hands clenched tight, knowing full well she was merely chattel to them.