The Prisoner of War (Pilot): Part I of the Serial Novel

In the valley of Gruntal in the kingdom of Rogaland, Audgunn, Ragne and Svanhild, three young women on the brink of adulthood, wait for their village’s longships to return and bring them their fortune. But when the ships arrive, they carry an altogether unexpected cargo: a prisoner of unknown origin, a fierce warrior gravely injured and unable to speak, with a face more mysterious and beautiful than any the inhabitants of Gruntal have ever seen.

As Harald Fairhair’s bloody campaign to unify Norway closes in on peaceful Gruntal, Audgunn’s father arranges a strategic marriage for her to strengthen their family’s alliances. Fearing the loss of her freedom, Audgunn asks Ragne to teach her the ways of influencing men, and the two girls begin to meet secretly in the hut where the prisoner is lodged. One by one other young women hear of their meetings, and soon what was intended to be a series of private lessons has swelled to an informal class. But in a society where a woman’s virtue is her most valuable asset, such gatherings not only carry a terrible personal risk, but threaten to undermine the greater balance of power. And as the number of participants grows it becomes increasingly unlikely that the secret stay will undiscovered for long. . .