She nodded, once more.

-Yes, that's me.- she confirmed, with a little hint of pride, before walking to a big wooden chest, kneeling next to it and starting to search for something inside.

-I am sure that some of my husband's old clothes will fit you.- she said, checking the size of a green wool shirt -And don't worry about the others boys. You have all the time in the world, to become what you may like to be.-

But after a few seconds, when he talked about a sacrifice, she stopped and she turned to him.

-I will take care of that. But now i'm just wondering if you have fully understood what i am offering you, lad.- she told him -I don't need a slave, but i asked for a son during all my life....-

"I heard a lot of stories about you when I grew up. Its a great honor to meet you. I thought I never would, unless you would come to Guthrums farm some day", Hakon said happily and watched how Freya was looking through the chest for clothes he could wear. Despite being old they looked a lot better than the rags he was wearing currently.

"Will you teach me how to fight?", the boy had to ask since she was such a famour worrior. "With your training I might become someone great,too one day and increase your honor even further!"
He noticed how ambitious he suddenly sounded. This was new for him.
"You want to adopt me...", Hakon said. Yes, by now he had understood what she was offering.
"May I call you mother? You have been so good to me... as if we were indeed family", he asked after hesitating for a moment.

-The greatest honor is to serve the Gods and to die on the battlefield.- she answered, trying to make him put things in the right perspective.

At the end, anyway, she came back to him with a pair of trousers, the green shirt, a cape and a pair of boots.

-Here you are, you can put these on, once you have washed yourself.- she said, passing him the clothes.

After that, when the boy clearly started to build castles on a cloud, she cleared her throat.

-Hakon, now stop for a second and listen to me. Things are not so easy.- she said, trying to hold up his enthusiasm a bit -Yes, i would like to adopt you, if the situation at the Guthrums farm is that bad, and i believe that it is, since you prefered to risk your life than to stay there. But first i have to talk with the Jarl about you, tomorrow.- she explained.

Freja sat next to him, looking very serious.

-On top of that, there is a few things that you may want to consider first accepting my proposal. I will not send you back, even if you change your mind, so don't be afraid of that.- the woman told him -If you stay, you will discover that i can be very gentle but also very severe. I will not tolerate bad behaviour, disobedience, sassiness or laziness. If you will do something wrong, i will punish you.- she warned him now, wanting to draw a complete picture for him, before making any kind of pact.

-That means that i could bare your backside and whip you for good, if you displease me, like every parent would do to every other lad of your age. I want to make this very clear.-

"That is true...", the boy said an nodded. Slaves unfortunately were denied combat as long as their master wasn´t absolutely desperate and about to be overhelmed by a much larger force.
Hakon thanked Freya for the clothes she gave him and decided to bath as soon as their little talk was over. It seemed that the Shieldmaiden could be quite strict, but the boy hadn´t expected things to be different.

Of course there were legal matters to be settled first. Guthrum would probably demand more than twice as much as Hakon was worth on a slave market before he would forget the incident... and first he needed to be persuaded to sell him.

Then Freya told him how she would punish him if he did something wrong. Hakon had experienced a lot of pain in his relatively short life. He wasn´t afraid of a spanking, alltough he didn´t want to risk one, either. He was well aware how much it would hurt. But this kind of punishment was something normal, as Freya herself claimed.
"Of course I will accept disciplin at your hands when I become your son.", the boy said,"May I now call you mother?"

She kept looking at him and in the and, when he asked again the permission to call her "mother" she sighed.

-You really should wait until things will be properly done, lad. The Gods sent you to me and the Gods also made the rules that we all must follow, for our own good. The law say that i have to buy you first, before i can adopt you. So, until that moment, i will treat you as a son, don't be afraid of that, but you will call me by my name. When this will become official, then i will gladly hear your voice calling me "mother".- she explained, firmly.

Then she stood up.

-Now come with me, i'll show you where you can clean up yourself and get changed. Then you will go straight to bed. You must be exhausted, after all.-

The boy gulped slightly, he didn´t exactly look forward to meeting his former master again. But luckily Guthrum wasn´t a wise man and very greedy, so they could hope to succeed with their plan.
"Alright, we have to do as the Gods command", Hakon said, alltough he seemed a little dissapointed.
He immediately followed Freya when she wanted to show him where he could wash. After being out in the cold Hakon had no problem with going straight to bed once he was done with that.
"I can´t remember the last time I got to bathe...", the boy mumbled, sounding rather tired.

* * * * * * TIMESKIP * * * * * *

More than a month had passed, since Freja had bought Hakon from his former master, Guthrum, paying a pretty hight price for him.

So now the boy was officially her foster son and the people of the village was starting to know him.

The woman had lavished over Hakon all her affection and caring, feeding him properly and buying him new and expensive clothes, allowing him to spend his time playing, for the first time in his short life.


Then, one afternoon, while she was sewing in the main hall of her house, Freja suddenly heard some of her workmen shouting and a horse neighing in an angry way.

She didn't had not even the time to get up, that one of her servant walked in, grabbing Hakon by the scuff of his coat, like if he was a kitten.

-Mistress, he could have been dead, right now!- the man said, releasing the younger one -He tried to tame that black devil of horse you just bought, alone and without asking to anyone. He's fell, of course. Please forgive me for such impertinence, but we can't have him making troubles around while we work. It's dangerous.- the man said, bowing his head to her.

Freja stood up, raising her hands toward them, asking for silence.

-You are right, Midgar. He will not bother you again in the future, i'll take care of that.- she said, with a calm voice -Now leave us, apparently i have to scold my son for the first time.- and at last she threw at Hakon a stern glance.

Ever since he had been adopted Hakon had a great time exploring the farm, meeting all the different people living in and around it and generally getting spoiled by them. Soon he started to develop a more healthy built and his hair, now always kempt at the hands of a woman, had become a bit longer as a sign of his new freedom.
He was starting to look like someone of noble blood, though luckily he did not yet behave like one. He had a good heart and was an even better listener, so he quickly became very popular with everyone. Yet he also was a little mischivous and at times he would do things such as the prank that which he was now in trouble for.
"Hey...", he cried while being dragged towards his mother, alltough he offered no real resistance.
"Mother", Hakon whispered sheepishly,"I was just trying to help..."

As the servant had left, Freja looked at Hakon's face, frowning.

-It's not risking your life that you will help them, boy.- she actually started to scold him, just like she had said -Wild horses can't be tamed by children like you! They are dangerous animals. And you should have ask before, anyway.- she said, clearly unhappy about the situation.

A moment later, she sighed, while shaking her head a little from side to side.

-I was hoping to never have to do this, Hakon.- the woman added, with a disappointed voice tone -But you need to learn a lesson. So now i want you to go to the woodshed, search for a stick thick enough to be used as a cane and to bring it to me. I'm afraid that you are going to sleep on your stomach, tonight.- Freja ordered.

"I have ridden wild horses before...", Hakon said, weakly defending himself. When Freya ordered him to fetch a switch he at first looked a little shocked, but then resignated. He probably had hoped she wouldn´t have to do this sort of thing, too, yet he did not protest. Instead he nodded and sighted a little.

"Very well... I will hurry so we can get this over with quick", Hakon replied and trotted towards the woodshed. After a short while he found a thick, but flexible switch that would make a great cane and returned with it. After handing it over to Freya he bend over the table. "Do I have to take off my pants, too?", he asked, blushing slightly.