born to die,

jeong bo. twenty-eight. shieldmaiden.

[artemisiatargaryen]

[jecngbo]

endrisms‌:

With the last grunt, he tossed the bale of hay to the side. His mother wasn’t feeling well again and Endre was behaving as a good son, tending to his farm before he would return back to Hedeby. Iona, his sister, was busy chasing boys again. Gods help her … His mind had been wrapped in thoughts again when something landed against the base of his neck. Endre had his back to the entry of the farm, so to notice someone entering would be impossible. 

He turned around to find  JEONG . Though his face displayed annoyance, he was humored. “What was that for?” he exclaimed. “Are you attempting to provoke war?”

     “That I am!” Jeong tried to remain as serious and hardened as he was, but she wasn’t capable. Hands on her hips, she burst into a fit of giggles, flipping her braids out of her face. Quickly, she settled her fit, scooping up another clump of mushy snow before bounding towards him.

     Making a running leap onto his back, Jeong wrapped legs around Endre’s waist, smashing the white ice into his face. She was rather fond of her betrothed--as one should be. Jeong’s soul was as restless as her demeanor, constantly tossing and turning within the confines of her bones. But, something about him set a flame about her, a possessiveness. Staking a claim was necessary.

     But, she was also rather fond of annoying him, “Fight back, you coward! Surely no husband of mine gives up this easily?” 

[jecngbo]

runaisms‌:

The loud clang of swords and thumps of wooden shields echoed the chilled air. This was  FUN —- it made Runa felt powerful. She showed no interest in the strength of politics; this was something her father wanted to partake in, to become an earl of sorts. Runa’s form of dominion displayed in her might against Hedeby’s men and pushing them to the ground.

 However, she felt otherwise now that her opponent had pushed her on her back. A flash of panic echoed through her body, and she struggled to get to her feet as the other continued to stand their ground. There was no way that she was going to win this scrimmage. “I give! I give!” Panic left her lips, and the man moved off of her, a grin of pride fell on his face. She longed to wipe it off his visage, but she was too tired to do so. Instead, she stayed there in the dirt, and she felt a pair of eyes on her.

“What?” she asked the individual, moving her gaze toward the staring individual. “If you wanted to poke fun at my failure, go ahead. It won’t be the first.”

     “Runa--you need not break your back for me to poke fun at your faults. I will do that anyways,” As a show of good sportsmanship, Jeong extended a hand, winding it around the brunette’s taut wrist and tugging her up. The heat of battle warmed her more than a good swig of mead, and it was always delightful to knock someone off their feet. Especially when it garnered the attention of someone as fun as Runa, whom she put up a shield with often.

     “Dust yourself off. You’re buying me a drink.”

[jecngbo]

olufsson‌:

Aric had fallen asleep propped up against a tree, unintentionally of course - he would never usually leave himself so open - but the night had been one of the longer ones. He was something of an insomniac. It came in boughts, some days better than others, at least he could say the hours were semi-productive. He never liked to be bored. He woke up with a grunt of annoyance, shifting under his woolen coat, the winter biting at any piece of exposed skin it could find. He blinked away the sleep in his eyes, suddenly alert - aware of a pair of eyes staring at him.

“What do you want?” he asked gruffly. At least they didn’t seem intent on killing him, he saw no need to be too defensive just yet.

     “I thought I’d come to get you, before you perished,” Jeong replied graciously, as if she deserved a standing ovation. This was, of course, all theatrics. She rather enjoyed getting on the guard’s last nerve, especially when it ended in a worthy scuffle. 

     She jabbed his stiff body with a boot, first softly, then another, jamming the toe hard in the crook of his ribs. When this didn’t garner enough reaction for her satisfaction, she crouched down, pinching his nose, “I’ve already claimed ownership of your possessions. Would you like to be set on fire now, or later?” A nonchalant shrug, “Now? Well, if you insist.” 

[jecngbo]

    Jeong was fond of the cool, spring ocean spray breaking against Hedeby’s rocky shore. But this? This was far from cool. It was frigid. Pulling her furs close, Jeong trotted forth on her horse, who snorted at the snowflakes that fell so gingerly on his mighty nose.

    Pulling his trot to a stop, Jeong dismounted from her steed, brushing at a few flakes that crusted her ebony hair, “What fun,” She smacked her icy fingers together, digging them into the snow. If you can’t beat them, join them, after all. Hands trembling, she molded a snowball, smacking it into the neck of the nearest person ahead of her.

[jecngbo]

( CLAUDIA KIM, SHE/HER ) behold! there’s ( JEONG BO ), the ( SHIELDMAIDEN ). she is ( TWENTY-EIGHT ) and known as ( DEBONAIR ), but also ( PROMISCUOUS ). hedeby is the land of wealth and opportunity, will you stand with it, or against it?

TDLR; bastard child of a noble who rose to recognition through bloodshed.

+     Bo Jeong–respected part of the military, shield sister, and resident goofball. However, it hasn’t always been this way [except perhaps the goofball part]. Everything in Jeong’s life has come about by circumstance and coincidence. She was never imbued with privilege, never chosen, never meant to inherit or be anything. In fact, the only thing she should be now is dead.

+     Jeong came into the world the same way she wants to go out–bloody and screaming. The result of an affair between a prominent noble and a foreign prostitute. Her mother, not suited for a child by any means, traveled far within the Hedebian wilderness to seek out a mythic magic woman, whom she heard would be able to help her.

+     Finally arriving, she begged the magic woman, Freydis, to rid her of the child growing within her. Not one to do something for free, Freydis demanded payment, but Jeong’s mother had nothing to give–except her unborn child. Pleased with this trade, Freydis delivered Jeong–early, and tiny, but healthy–leaving her mother to die in the process. She hadn’t even tried to save her, and why should she? What was another prostitute in a weary world?

+     Jeong spent a good chunk of her childhood harbored away from society, hunkered down with Freydis and her dark magic and lore. Her gods are those that are banished, hidden away from the eyes of society and only willing to give their gifts to those who they’ve deemed worthy. Freydis weaved spells, blood, legends, and secrecy into Jeong, and despite her young age, she remembers every dark moment of it. Lore and legends are something very real to Jeong–she’s extremely superstitious.

+     When Jeong was eight, Freydis perished during a monthly blood ritual. Deeply religious, Freydis never faltered or skipped one of these, even in her old, cracked and weary age. She died beneath a full moon, blood soaking into soil, cursing at Jeong for crying in the face of their gods.

+     Food soon ran dry. Dirty and starving, Jeong ventured to the inner population of Hedeby, and soon became a vagabond–stealing, cheating, doing anything for her next meal. She spent many times locked away–but at least she had a meager slice of bread guaranteed behind bars. Taking pity on the frequent visitor, an old onlooker suggested that she think of a more honest way to earn her bread. This is when Jeong takes up the lute.

+     She was quite good, and became very popular among the locals, even adding new strings to her instrument to create an entirely new sound. The shieldmaidens of Hedeby were rather fond of this young, orphan girl, whose charm was just as swoon-worthy as her playing. They took her under their wing, and induced her into the order.

+     She’s played a big role in many a battle, rising from nobody to purely recognizable by the passerby. It was only then that her father “legitimized” her--though, her half-siblings aren’t too happy about this arrangement.

+     Despite her witty and chaotic nature, Jeong is fiercely loyal to Hedeby and it’s people. She would do anything to ensure their safety and keep, and has no interest in pursuing anything else. Her love only fuels her fighting–making her a force to be reckoned with, indeed. She fights as an equal among her fellow warriors, and takes pride in it. She still plays that same lute–and she’s still quite good.