The Gjölsig Chronicle

by Algautr

Chapter I

40-93 CE

Stig the Huntsman

In a land of drifting snow and ice, there was a huntsman Stig who was greatly skilled in his craft, much so that he bestowed many offerings to the Jötunn in return for his survival. He lived in a small shieling in the mountains with his wife Ina and his handmaiden Brita, and it housed many of the animals Stig caught but did not kill.

One day, the Jötunn lord of the land called for Stig, and when Stig arrived at his dwelling the lord told Stig of a beautiful white stag with many antlers. If Stig brought the stag to the lord, then he would be given a house far greater than the shieling he had present, and he would become the lord of that house. So, Stig spent many days and nights searching for the white stag, and when he finally came upon it on the brightest night, he saw his handmaiden Brita hiding behind a tree trunk, with a bow and quiver in her possession.

Treading lightly as not to scare away the stag, Stig followed Brita until she had gotten in close range of the stag. With one pull of her bow, Brita fired at the stag's leg only to injure it and not kill it. Thus, Stig discovered Brita's true intentions, and in his avarice, he attacked Brita from behind and killed her.

Stig carried the stag to the Jötunn lord, but the lord was furious at Stig, and he revealed himself as a Supreme Being from above and not a Jötunn. He banished Stig from ever setting foot in the land again and provided him and his wife a warship to sail to a new land. However, the Supreme Being also felt pity for Stig, and in his pity, he created a group of peoples much like Stig himself so that he and his wife would not be alone. They accompanied Stig and Ina on the warship, and they sailed far along the seas until they reached new land, land that was flat and suitable for crops, and they were overjoyed and settled on this land thereafter.

The Supreme Being appeared to them again and said that if they crave wealth, they must earn it themselves. He gave them a name, Hun, meaning "their" and signifying that they thrived as many and not as one. They named their land Hunland and became great warriors as well, and for many years their kingdom flourished under Stig and Ina as king and queen.

Chapter II

93-129 CE

Sigrid the Lioness

Years passed, and King Stig had difficulty controlling the whole kingdom by himself. Thus, he created a council of Huns, wealthy and knowledgeable aristocrats to advise separate matters of the kingdom such as its treasury and armory. This proved to be an efficient method, as the kingdom did much better in terms of its economy and trust with the people. He also led many expeditions across the land and created borders of Hunland that stretched from the eastern shores to the forests in the west. They also could not expand north because of the uninhabitable marshland and not south because of the large mountains. Many praised Stig for his kingship, but it wasn't long until he was also envied by many of the aristocracies.

Ina then gave birth to a daughter and named her Sigrid, but Stig was discomfited because he wanted a son to inherit the throne. But he still loved Sigrid and raised her as a princess who did not leave their castle much. However, it was also at this time that the aristocracy was plotting treason against the king. By gathering with the council, they assassinated the king and queen in a false assembly. They could not find Sigrid, as there were aristocrats loyal to Stig who knew about the treason and had escaped with Sigrid beforehand. They fled Hunland, and the council had taken control of the kingdom and persuaded the people that Stig had to be overthrown for the good of Hunland. Therefore, Stig was remembered as a tyrant in his death.

Many years later, when Sigrid had grown into an able and fit young woman, she was trained by the people who raised her and became a gifted fighter much like her father. She declares revenge against the aristocrats who murdered her mother and father, and in her return to Hunland, she convinces Huns still loyal to Stig to rebel against the aristocracy. Hence, civil war breaks out in Hunland between the two sides, and blood is spilled on the soil of the land.

As her army fights the army protecting the castle, Sigrid charges the castle by herself and kills the remaining warriors inside. She then finds the council hiding in the throne room, and in her fury, she spares none. With their deaths, Sigrid is crowned as the new empress of Hunland, deciding to rule the nation under an iron fist unlike how her father ruled long ago. She becomes known as the Lioness of the Huns, and before long she becomes the most feared person in all the land.

Chapter III

129 CE

Fenrir the Predator

As Sigrid's expeditions continue, Hunland expanded in size and wealth. The land had also been accompanied by many more peoples, including the merfolk, dragons, and elves. Sigrid was not all pleased with this happening, and she issued multiple raids on merfolk and elvish settlements near Hunland. The raids gave Sigrid plentiful riches, and her rule as empress grew even larger as time moved on.

On one of her raids, Sigrid and her troupe expedited the swamp marshes that lay north of Hunland. Amidst the marsh, Sigrid discovered under dead trees a man surrounded by a pack of wolves, bare naked and unable to speak her tongue. The pack of wolves was roused by Sigrid's appearance, but the man was not. Instead, he was affectionate towards her. Sigrid fell in love with the man, and she swayed him to come with her and leave his pack behind. So, he did, and she brought him to her castle and clothed him, naming him Fenrir, or the "father of wolves."

After many years, Fenrir had gotten accustomed to behaving like a human, and he and Sigrid married as she hoped to have heirs to the throne with him. However, even as mighty as Sigrid was, she was unable to have children. In desperation, she prays to the Furious One for a miracle. He answers her prayer by sending a giantess Ysla, daughter of the Jötunn king, who gives Sigrid an apple of parturition to eat, and a year after Sigrid eats the apple, she becomes pregnant with a son. She names him Gjölsig, the next heir to the kingdom of the Huns.

Some years after the birth, Fenrir begins to have disturbing dreams, ones where he would return to his pack and crave human flesh. In one of his dreams, a man dressed in robes approaches Fenrir, calling himself the Devious One and Fenrir's father. He persuades Fenrir to return to his roots by killing Sigrid and Gjölsig and leading the wolves to eradicate all the Huns.

Fenrir cannot resist his temptation, and he kills Sigrid at midnight but is put under a curse from the Furious One before he kills Gjölsig. He is turned into a monstrous wolf and is sentenced to eternal isolation on an island where he can never return to a human again. After his mother's mournful death, Gjölsig is named king at a young age and rules in peace for the next fifty years.

Chapter IV

129-172 CE

Gjölsig the Warrior

During those fifty years, Gjölsig grows into a big and strong warrior like his mother and grandfather, He conceded most of the raids Sigrid issued to ensure peace between races, which proved to be beneficial as the land became more occupied with new races like dwarves and other humans in settlements besides Hunland. The Furious One is pleased with Gjölsig, and with the giant king's permission, he sends Ysla the giantess to marry Gjölsig and bear many children. She bears four sons and one daughter, Gjölsig II, twins Sigdiarfr and Sigdís, Hjalmar, and Valdemar.

Soon each of Gjölsig's heirs become strong in their own way, Gjölsig II being blessed with his father's strength, Sigdiarfr with his swordsmanship, Sigdís with his intelligence, and Hjalmar and Valdemar with his determination. However, the peace in the kingdom does not last, as Gjölsig receives a warning of enslavement from the three-headed dragon, Azquilin, and refusal means annihilation of their people. Gjölsig knows they cannot win against the Azhdaya, so he submits to slavery which causes many outbursts from the prideful Huns. They soon revolt against the king, as well as Hjalmar and Valdemar, who take arms with the people as a result.

Civil war breaks out once more in Hunland, and many Huns are killed, as well as Gjölsig II, who loses his life in battle. Gjölsig is forced to flee with Sigdiarfr and Sigdís for their safety, and Ysla returns to the Jötunn land. There are some Huns who follow Gjölsig and some who remain in the homeland.

Hjalmar and Valdemar both remain as the successors to the throne, and they face each other in combat, the victor being the next king of the land. Valdemar kills his brother and is victorious, and he renames the land Valdenduin, or "land of warriors." Hunland is lost, and Gjölsig and his people result in searching for new land.

Chapter V

173-230 CE

Sigdiarfr the Sword-bearer

The remaining Huns wander the land for many months, searching for suitable land away from the fearsome Azhdaya. They travel south of the elven forest and west mountains of the dragons, but some die from starvation or exhaustion. When all seems lost, a company of warriors led by Sigdiarfr comes upon a flatland bordered by mountains southwest of the elven forest. They named these mountains the Strazené (Lost Mountains) and settled on the flatland there.

The flatland has livestock and rivers, so the Huns can grow crops and feed themselves. Many years pass, and after multiple mining trips and tree raids, a city is built upon the mountain ground. It is named Gjölstok, and it prospers well that Gjölsig builds a great hall caved inside the tallest mountain, and it becomes the new palace of the Huns. Amid the palace, Gjölsig announces a marriage between his daughter Sigdís and one of his loyal and wealthy aristocrats whose name was Eysteinn. After their marriage, a great oak tree grows in the center of the hall, which served as a burial place for Sigrid and Stig. A Guardian spirit sent from the Furious One combines with the tree to create a Guardian Tree, Mlad'at, its purpose being to watch over the Huns.

As wealthy and prosperous as Gjölstok and the Great Hall become, Gjölsig is concerned about the well-being of his homeland and yearns to return there. When the Furious One tells Gjölsig that Valdemar has succeeded to the throne, Gjölsig grows envious and wishes for a weapon so great that it would bring fear to the Azhdaya and retake Hunland. Mlad'at then grows a sword garnished in gold but says that the one to pull the sword from its trunk is worthy to fulfill the pride of the kingdom as king and vanquish the Azhdaya.

After many Huns try to pull the sword from Mlad'at, none are successful until Sigdiarfr approaches it and takes it out from the tree. Gjölsig soon grows envious of his son, as does Eysteinn, and they both bribe Sigdiarfr to give them the sword. Gjölsig promises that if given the sword he will bring an army to the Azhdaya, and Sigdiarfr will stay in Gjölstok as king and benefit from the wealth there. Sigdiarfr refuses, as he is worried about his old father's state, and believes he is worthy. Corruption falls upon Gjölsig, and in his wish to become a worthy and wealthy hero, he sends men out to kill Sigdiarfr and take the sword by force.

Sigdís discovers her father's intentions, and she tells Sigdiarfr to flee the city with the sword, saying the pride and bloodline of the Huns must not be lost. She decides to gather Huns from the city grounds and rebel against Gjölsig after telling them of his intentions. They become enraged with Gjölsig and attack the Great Hall with Gjölsig's men defending it.

The Guardian Tree Mlad'at becomes furious at the Huns for their lunacy, and in his rage, the mountains tremble and collapse onto Gjölstok burying the city and the Huns. King Gjölsig and the nobleman Eysteinn, as well as all the other people who survived inside the Great Hall, kill each other and starve until there is no one left alive inside.

And so, Sigdís is saved by her brother, and they escape the ruined city to the elvish forests. Thus, they become the last Huns that remain on the earth.

Chapter VI

230 CE

Sigdís the Sinner

Further and further the two twin siblings traveled, away from what terrible disasters that befell their people. They walked for many days and many nights, soon without many supplies left to nourish themselves. They could not go back to the homeland, as they would be considered traitors of the new king Valdemar and thereto sentenced to death. Hence, they were left with no home and were forced to wander the land with only thoughts of survival.

When all seemed lost, Sigdiarfr and Sigdís came upon what was known as the forest of the wood elves, Le Rosenverní. There they met with the wood elves, and the wood elves kindly let them take refuge in their kingdom and replenish themselves. They seek the wood elf king, asking if he has any news of their homeland. He tells them that the people of Valdenduin were subjugated to conquest by Azquilin and his empire, with many dying from the Az Valden War and Valdemar killed in the war. His son, Valdemar II, is now a vassal for Azquilin and his people made slaves. This leaves the twins in much grief, as now all their brothers had died as well as their father, and the Huns were all either deceased or forced into slavery.

After a short while, some wood elves do not believe Sigdiarfr and Sigdís and their story and judge them to be spies of Valdenduin sent by Azquilin himself. A group of conspirators ambushes the twins at night, and they are forced to flee and Sigdiarfr kills some wood elves with his sword from Mlad'at. Now Sigdís is in desperation, knowing that if they both die, they will have no bloodline and the Huns will be vanquished from the earth, as she sees no hope for Valdenduin. So, she performs the unspeakable, planning to seduce Sigdiarfr in another form so that he cannot recognize her and bear a son.

As if her desires were being sensed, a wood elf sorceress appears to Sigdís, and Sigdís begs for the sorceress to turn her into an elf to deceive Sigdiarfr. The sorceress accepts and tells Sigdís to drink the blood from an elf's ear and recite a spell. Sigdís does so, and miraculously she grows elvish features. Thus, she appears to him at midnight as an elf, and he is entranced by her appearance. They slept with each other for several nights as she was an elf, and by day she was Sigdís.

Some time passes, and as her elvish form disappears, Sigdís becomes pregnant with a son. She tells Sigdiarfr that the babe is from Eysteinn, but the truth is that it is Sigdiarfr's son. They both live together with the newborn child near the borders of Le Rosenverní, hoping to raise it to be a strong descendant of the Huns.

But alas, all is not bright, as the Guardian Tree soon grows by their home and lays a curse on the two, saying that Sigdís performed a taboo and there shall be punishment. He curses them under the Furious One with lycanthropy, and soon they turn into beasts known as werewolves who are half-human and half-wolf. They are both sent to the island where Fenrir dwells and will receive the same fate as he once did. The sword of Mlad'at is submerged back into its trunk, and the child born of his mother's sin lives the rest of his life lost and alone.

And so, the story of the Huns comes to a tragic end, banished from the minds of all Czahunlians and forgotten until the end of days.

***

Freezing water that felt so endearing was just the right way to keep Silva mindful. Experiencing a shocking read like the Gjölsig Chronicle was enough for an afternoon swim. She needed something to keep her mind off all the disturbing thoughts parading around her head.

The pond wasn't as quiet at noontime, which was due to the different sounds of wildlife during their time of pleasantries. Silva did not mind since she was getting more accustomed to this forest each day. It almost felt like the forest back home, disregarding the nostalgia. These were times of meditation for Silva, times to think of absolutely nothing. The only thing Silva did was observe her surroundings.

But even as she studied her setting, Silva would retrace her mind to certain events throughout the book. She pictured a lonely stag prancing through the snow-white forest, only for an arrow to strike its chest. Following, blood would stain the white snow after Stig's dagger plunged into his handmaiden Brita's back.

Trying to focus again, Silva splashed some water on her face. She went headfirst into the water and back out, her hair already soaked from the ordeal. As she did so, a lurking shadow was rising from the water.

In fear, Silva kicked her legs out to blind the monster, but the shadow continued until it appeared in front of her eyes. There was the wolf-man Fenrir, with his fangs stained with flesh and the dismantled head of Sigrid the Lioness in his claws.

Silva held back a scream, trying to tell herself again and again that none of this was real. It was only a fairytale, a made-up fable persuading others to believe it was the genuine story of the Huns. No part of it sounded logical, no connections to the story of Olaf that described the hall of the Huns. Then again, why would it be in Olaf's study? Did he believe it so much that he had to keep it hidden and safe so no one could find it?

Now Silva had found it, was able to read it, and wished afterward that she never did. It was less of an informative book and more of a fictional tragedy, and it didn't blend well with her fragile thought. She'd reenact events from the book in her mind, with none of them having a happy end.

The last memory, the story of twin siblings Sigdiarfr and Sigdís, was especially tragic and disturbing. Not only were they the last remaining Huns on the earth, but they committed a sin with each other that Silva learned from the church was a forbidden act.

She imagined the elf sorceress giving Sigdís an elf ear in the forest, and Sigdís drinking its blood. Feeling something strange, Silva placed her hand on her right ear. Blood revealed itself on her palm, and for a second, she realized her ear was cut off.

This time, she could not hold back her scream, and it echoed around the forest with no apparent response. Nature seemed to have ignored her cry for help and went along with its day. Silva realized that the pond wasn't helping with her hallucinations, deciding to get out for the time being.

Even if it was early July, Silva was catching chills from getting out of the pond in her bare-naked state. She sat next to her pile of clothes, letting herself dry before changing into them again. Silva felt cold and helpless, wanting to go back to her warm and comfortable bed in the manor. The upside was that her bruise had fully healed, and Silva could partake in activities again. The downside was that her first activity was a waste of time.

Silva took her drying time to think of the story again, hoping to piece together a bit of it so it made more sense. She went through the six chapters again, remembering any amount of importance in them.

Stig was the first ruler of Hunland, she recalled, then Sigrid, then Gjölsig. That's it! There was no other ruler than Gjölsig because their nation was conquered by Azquilin. Wait, I remember that name...

Azquilin, Silva realized, was the tyrannical dragon who enslaved the merfolk and the people of Valdenduin in the history books. He led the Azhdaya, the three-headed serpents, and their empire but were defeated by the Zmay and their allies in the War of Dragon's Blood. The humans of Valdenduin rebelled, and for two years the Az Valden War occurred with total annihilation for their nation. All these events were real and recorded in history, so how did the fourth chapter in the Gjölsig Chronicle depict just that?

Silva racked her brain for another connection, and she was feeling much calmer than in the pond. Perhaps only thinking of the story in another way was how she could erase the eerier parts of it.

Hold on, Silva thought, wasn't one of Gjölsig's sons named Valdemar? In the story, he defeats his brother Hjalmar and becomes the next king of...Valdenduin!

It was impossible. There was no way that this story could be connected to Czahunlian history. If it was all real, then Silva now knew the entire story of the people before Valdenduin from start to finish.

There's more, Silva wondered. At the end of the story, Sigdís receives a curse from Mlad'at for performing a taboo. She and Sigdiarfr turn into wolves, and their son becomes a lost memory. That reminds me of...

In Olaf's story, he was given a curse by Mlad'at after breaking the laws of his magic. Because he was a descendant of the Huns, he had to bear the sins of his ancestors. Mlad'at had even said, "The daughter of the King performed a taboo that tarnished our pride. Therefore, the curse states that daughters bring misfortune."

Silva realized now that the daughter was Sigdís, and she had brought misfortune to all future generations of Hun.

So, this story fits with both Olaf's story and Czahunlian history, Silva finalized. Olaf must've figured this out as well, which was why he kept the book hidden. If anyone found it and was able to read it, who knows what they could've done with that information.

Something was lingering in her thoughts, and it had been there ever since Silva heard about Olaf and Matylda. She did not want to think it would ever happen, and in time it would vanish and be forgotten. However, there was still a possibility.

Markus could die.

Because he was born with earth magic, much like his father, he may be cursed to the same fate as his parents. Silva was worried that in time, the "stone sickness" that affected Olaf and Matylda Siegfried may have been passed down to their son who inherited his father's magic.

Andreja doesn't possess earth magic, Silva thought, which means the sickness could not have been passed down to her. She may have a curse, but not resulting in her death. Markus, on the other hand, has a real chance of receiving the disease.

He was in his early fifties now and already gaining towards old age. He had used plenty of his magic towards many things, especially combat. By now, Markus already should have overused the magic he was given. That meant if the stories were true and the sickness was real, Markus could die.

Silva didn't want that.

Averting her panicked glance at the clothes, Silva frantically got them on as she dried up. There was someone she had to talk to. Rather, it was something confirming that her suspicions were true.

And so, Silva left the pond and took the way she remembered from the week before. She needed answers, and she knew just where to find them.