Vinland Saga IF – The Tale of the Other Queen, Rím
Rím, the woman who served as King Canute's shadow and devoted everything to him, now gets her own tale, a story that never came to be in the original saga.
Just as he is about to unify England, Canute is poisoned and falls into a deep coma. In her despair, Rím holds onto one secret knowledge: the dream of Vinland, the ideal land that Canute secretly yearned for deep in his heart, a legacy of the man named Askeladd.
"I'll show him Vinland myself!"
With that wild declaration, Rím secretly organ
Vinland Saga IF – The Tale of the Other Queen, Rím - The big-hearted matriarch of the Silver Tide Trading Company meets the fiery female boss.
The stillness before dawn still wrapped the city in its embrace.
Rimu quietly closed the door of the abandoned house. The old wooden door creaked faintly.
" Please wait for me, my king."
Inside, Knut lay in his endless sleep. A thin blanket covered him, and his face looked as though he were merely resting. But his cheeks were cold, and a faint purple hue still lingered on his lips.
This abandoned house had been their secret refuge for over a week now. Every night she came here, held the king's cold hand, and spoke to him. That was everything to Rimu now.
Stepping outside, the late autumn chill stung her cheeks.
From the direction of the River Ouse, a faint scent of the tide drifted over.
The port town of Jorvik still slumbered. But soon, with the break of dawn, it would brim with the lively bustle of merchants and sailors.
Rimu pulled her cloak tightly around her body.
"Well, then."
Her hazel eyes gleamed with a strong light.
Today might be the day of destiny.
The Silver Tide Trading Company. She was going to visit its head.
—What if they refuse?
She decided not to think about what lay beyond that.
After all, there was no point in thinking about it.
" Because I have to protect him."
She murmured the words, then set off down the cobblestone path.
Early afternoon.
The river port on the Ouse overflowed with people and goods.
Several large trading ships, said to have come from Scandinavia, were moored at the docks. Furs, amber, and—iron ingots were piled up like mountains.
Muscular men sweated and shouted at each other as they hauled cargo. Beside them, the shrill voices of women selling fish. A boy rolling barrels. From somewhere, the scent of freshly baked bread.
"Hey! Don't just stand there blocking the way!"
"Heh heh, sorry 'bout that."
Rimu pushed through the clamor and headed for the river's south bank.
Soon, a cluster of gray stone warehouses came into view.
Twelve buildings in total. Each one was large, fitted with sturdy-looking iron doors.
This was the headquarters of the Silver Tide Trading Company, which controlled the North Sea trade.
Rimu stopped in front of the warehouse at the very back.
On a wooden signboard was the crest of a silver wave.
(This is the place.)
She steadied her breathing with a small breath, then pushed open the heavy door.
Inside, it was more of a company office than a warehouse.
Stacks of ledgers were piled everywhere. Nautical charts of the North Sea hung on the walls. Beyond the counter, a young man clicked away at an abacus.
"Excuse me, I would like to see the head of the company, Lady Gudrun Halfdan."
When Rimu spoke, the young man glanced at her, then pointed to the stairs at the back.
"Second floor. But she's in a bad mood today, so be careful."
"Thank you."
Rimu climbed the wooden stairs, which creaked under her weight.
The office on the second floor was quiet, as if the clamor below were a lie.
Bookshelves lined the walls. In the center stood a large oak desk.
And—beyond it, Gudrun Halfdan sat.
Her silver hair was tied back in a single bunch, giving her a practical impression. Her gray eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. Yet, deep within them, there seemed to be a hidden sliver of kindness.
On the ring finger of her left hand was a large gold ring. A memento, she was told, of her husband.
Seeing Rimu, Gudrun tapped her ring against the desk.
" So you're the lady-in-waiting from the royal palace, eh? Well, I'll be. You're still just a kid."
A blunt, brash way of speaking. Much more boisterous than her appearance suggested.
"I am not a child. I am twenty-two."
"From where I stand, twenty-two and fifteen ain't much different."
Gudrun gave a wry smile and leaned back in her chair.
"So? What do you want? I heard you're looking to cash in King Knut's treasures?"
"That's correct."
Rimu placed the leather bag she was carrying onto the desk.
Out came a golden goblet, a jewel-encrusted dagger, a silver necklace—all items taken from the royal treasury.
Gudrun picked up the golden goblet and examined it carefully.
"It's the real deal. Worth quite a lot."
"I would like to request a loan, using these as collateral."
"How much?"
"Ocean-going knarrs, five if possible. Plus supplies for sixty days at sea. Food and water for a crew of two hundred and fifty, weapons, timber for repairs. All told—about twenty thousand marks in silver."
A moment of silence.
Then, Gudrun burst out laughing.
" Ah ha ha! Twenty thousand marks!?"
She laughed heartily, slapping the desk with her palm. The gold ring on her left hand made a satisfying clink.
" Are you in your right mind? A lady-in-waiting, all alone, asking for that kind of money—and a voyage, no less? You plan to cross the North Sea in winter? You might as well be asking to die!"
Even as she laughed, her gray eyes were not smiling.
The old woman was observing Rimu intently.
(She thinks I'm just some foolish girl who brought her an outrageous proposal.)
Rimu suppressed the urge to be overwhelmed.
"...Our destination is Vinland."
At those words, Gudrun's laughter stopped abruptly.
"Vinland? That place from the fairy tales?"
"It is no fairy tale. It is a real land. Leif Erikson reached it long ago and called it the Land of Vines. A man named Askeladd also dreamed of that land."
"Askeladd... the one who was the king's right hand?"
"He has already passed away. But on his deathbed, he entrusted me with this. 'Show that brat a real paradise,' he said."
Rimu's voice was quiet.
But deep within it—there was unmistakable fire.
"...And why are you the one doing this? What happened to the king?"
Gudrun's voice grew a little more serious.
"The king was poisoned. He is now in a coma. The courtiers say he is as good as dead. But I—"
Rimu took a breath for a moment.
"I want to show him Vinland. Even if he never wakes up. Even if my love is never, ever returned."
Then, Rimu began to speak.
Of the winter when she was ten years old.
How she had lost her entire family in the war, and was crouching in the snow when Knut, still a boy himself, had found her.
How for twelve years since, as his food taster, she had nearly died countless times, her life sustained only by his curt command: 'Don't die.'
"...Perhaps it wasn't affection. Perhaps he simply didn't want to lose a possession. But—even so, it was enough."
Rimu spoke flatly, showing no tears.
"I was happy just to be in his shadow. Just knowing he existed in this world made my world shine. So—"
Her voice trembled, just a little.
"—So, even if he remains in a coma, I will show him the promised land. This is my one and only reason for living."
A long, long silence followed.
Gudrun stared intently at the gold ring on the desk.
Unconsciously, she turned it round and round on her left ring finger.
"...My husband, too."
Gudrun spoke the words quietly.
"Twenty years ago. My husband and my only son—vanished into the winter North Sea. A storm. Not even a coffin came back."
Rimu listened in silence.
"Ever since then, I can't help myself when I see young fools heading out to sea. I've funded dozens of reckless voyages over the years. But—"
Gudrun laughed, self-deprecatingly.
"Most of them never came back. I couldn't even give them a coffin. I just waited at the port, waited—and then gave up. I repeated that, over and over."
Then, she raised her head.
Her gray eyes looked straight at Rimu.
"But you know, looking into your eyes—I remembered."
"Remembered... what?"
"The look in my husband's eyes when he first decided to go on a deep-sea voyage. A maddening longing for something—knowing you can never go back, but unable to stop yourself from going. Your eyes have that same light."
Gudrun tapped the desk twice.
"Alright."
And then, she grinned, showing her teeth.
" I'm coming aboard the ship too. I won't let it be a loss!"
Rimu's breath caught for a moment.
"...What?"
"I mean, I'll put up the funds. My entire fortune. And I'll board that ship myself and see this pure love of yours through to the end."
"But—Lady Gudrun, you have your work with the company—"
"I'll leave the company to my head clerk for a while. It's set up to run without me. Besides—"
Gudrun stood up and clapped Rimu on the shoulder.
" Business aside, I can't just send a young fool like you out to sea all alone. I'm a mother hen at heart, you see."
Her hand was rough and calloused.
But its warmth—slowly seeped into Rimu's heart.
"...Thank you, very much."
She managed to say it, with effort.
Her voice trembled faintly.
"Don't mention it. But—"
Gudrun's face suddenly turned serious.
She looked out the window.
From there, the River Ouse and the king's hall beyond it were visible.
"Do you know? There's a rotten eagle in the court."
"...You mean Lord Hervor."
Rimu's voice hardened slightly.
"That's right. Hervor Thorsteinson. The day after you carried the king out of the hall, that man apparently released spies into the port. He's likely caught wind of your plan."
A chill ran down Rimu's spine.
Already, they were moving. The enemy was already—.
"That man is an insufferable noble, rigidly obsessed with Danish blood purity. He's scheming to seize regency, using the king's coma to his advantage. Your voyage gets in the way of that. 'Captured the madwoman trying to abduct the king to heathen lands'—he'd use it as the perfect feather in his cap."
"...But even so, I—"
"Yeah, you've got no intention of stopping, do you? I can tell by looking at your eyes."
Gudrun smiled a little.
"That's exactly why we move fast. I'm heading to the river port shipwright right now to negotiate. They're used, but I should be able to get five good knarrs. Make one of them—your flagship. Build a special berth in the hold or something."
"The Fimbul... It means 'great.'"
"That's a good name."
Gudrun removed the gold ring from her left hand.
Then, she took Rimu's hand and pressed it firmly into her palm.
"Your pure love has lit a fire under this old merchant's business. So let me see it through to the end. Where you're going to take that king of yours."
Rimu gripped the ring tightly in return.
" If it's to protect him—I'll pluck the feathers from any eagle."
It was a quiet, but strong voice.
Gudrun nodded, satisfied with those words.
"Alright, it's a deal. Come on, let's go. First, we'll barge right into the shipwright's place, shall we?"
By the time the two left the warehouse, the sun had begun to sink a little.
The surface of the River Ouse glittered gold in the evening light.
Rimu looked out over the many ships moored at the port.
Among them, somewhere, the yet-unseen Fimbul must surely be there.
(Please wait for me, my king.)
She murmured the words once more in her heart.
Today, she had taken a step forward.
It was still a small step. She had no ship, no crew. The enemy was closing in.
But—she had definitely moved forward.
" Next, I need to find guards and a navigator."
Her hazel eyes no longer held any hesitation.
A cold evening wind swept through the port.
Winter was just around the corner.
Even so, her eyes burned hot, like a blazing fire.
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.