Gyda

Name: Gyda Sigurdsdottir
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Occupation: Queen of Birka
Sexual Preference: Straight
Status: Married to Egil
Hair: Pale blonde, to her hips
Eyes: Blue
Skin: Fair
Height & Weight: 5'6" and 120lbs
Traits: Empathetic, generous, open-minded, creative, passionate, idealistic, emotionally vulnerable, too eager to please, self-critical
Likes: Sewing, weaving, cooking, taking care of the household, jewelry, clothing, and pretty things
Dislikes: Her husband

Gyda was the second daughter of King Sigurd of Birka and his wife, Amma. Her older sister, Freydis, had been born just the year prior. And a year after Gyda was born their mother died in childbirth, as did their baby brother. Sigurd grew quite depressed after this, so much so that sometimes the only thing that kept him going were his two daughters. It took him many years to finally pull himself out of that depression, and then he began to flourish as a King again.

King Sigurd spoiled his two little girls with dresses and jewelry and shoes and fur cloaks and anything you could think of. And he was so close with his daughters that he even knew their preferences in colors and styles. Gyda was far more like their mother, favoring light and bright coloring for clothing and delicate jewelry pieces.

Gyda took after Amma in more ways than just fashion sense however. She was basically the spitting image of her mother in looks and personality. Like Amma, Gyda loved to sew and create. She'd try new clothing designs frequently... some would fail so miserably she wouldn't even let it out the door, while others inspired fashion trends around Birka. She also loved to create and refashion jewelry, just like her mother. And Gyda also loved to prepare meals for the family.

Even though Freydis was older, Gyda was more grounded and responsible, and so acted as Lady of the Household, and carried the keys. She had no mother to learn from, but had many people to lean on for support regarding any of the duties and responsibilities that title carried. It was a position that Gyda took very seriously.

One day, one of their guests was Egil Angantyrsson. The way he looked at Gyda gave her shivers down her spine as she passed him the mead horn during the feast welcoming them to Birka as honored guests. She wanted to talk to her sister about it, but Freydis was already in the crowds, sitting on one of Egil's men's laps. So Gyda endured the feeling she got whenever Egil looked at her.

But much to her horror, he then asked King Sigurd if he would let Gyda marry him. Their father always impressed upon them that he would never force them to marry someone they wouldn't want to, that they would get to choose who they would marry. And so when all eyes fell on her, Gyda was on the spot. She swallowed hard and forced a smile, then apologized and said that she would not marry until her elder sister first married. She felt that was a polite way to turn him down.

Life went on as normal after that, at least until a few months later, during the end of the summer raids, Harald Halfdansson's raiding party showed up on their shores. At first the city prepared to be invaded by this raiding party, everyone grabbing up weapons and shields to fight them. But as the ships drew nearer it was clear to see none of the occupants were pulling their own shields off the gunwale, which was a sign they weren't there to fight. On edge, Harald Halfdansson and his brother Ubbe, along with all their men were brought to the Great Hall, where Sigurd and his family awaited them.

Harald told them that Jarl Angantyr had attacked his city while they were away raiding, burned his family in the Great Hall, and took over the city for himself. He asked that they aid him in retaking his city. Gyda thought Harald was passionate and brave, very admirable qualities. It certainly didn't hurt that he was good looking as well. But most importantly when he looked at her she didn't get shivers down her spine, she got butterflies in her stomach.

But he left, along with several of their own warriors to reclaim his city. Gyda hoped she would see him again after they won, but the Birkan Warriors returned home on their own. A couple months later, in the autumn, Harald came back to Birka, with a chest of gold and jewels as thanks for helping him reclaim his city. Gyda's heart soared just at the sight of him, but just when she thought it couldn't soar any higher, Harald added that he also wanted to ask Sigurd for Gyda's hand in marriage. Gyda felt faint with happiness, and tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to maintain her composure in front of everyone. She merely nodded to her father, who then turned to Harald to give his agreement.

The wedding was to take place in Birka in the spring, after the ice thawed out. That gave them time to prepare. Gyda worked tirelessly on her wedding gown with giddy anticipation. Only that joy would soon be robbed from her.

One day another raiding party came to their shores, only this time they took their shields off the gunwales. It was Egil Angantyr, now Jarl Egil. Sigurd met Egil in battle. He was older, which gave him the disadvantage, but more experienced and tested in battle than Egil was. The battle seemed pretty evenly matched, however youth won out. Egil killed Sigurd.

Egil made his way to the Great Hall, where Gyda forced herself to stand strong and tall. Egil bragged about killing her father, then proclaimed himself the King of Birka. Leaning forward, he then whispered in her ear,"You can be my thrall... or you can be my wife. The choice is yours." It wasn't really much of a choice. Either way, she was his. She chose to marry him, not wanting to be treated like a slave by him.

Part 1

Part 2