Wigfrid had seen a lot of breathtaking things in her time in the constant. Giants beasts that towered above the trees, unknown creatures and surroundings, horrifying noises that called out in the night. In any lesser of a person Wigfrid imagined these sights would have left them stunned in their tracks. But she was a mighty Valkyrie and so she would face anything the world could throw at her head on and without hesitation. She prided herself on her ability to maintain her calm throughout all this, to channel the hunter and warrior strength within her to persevere through without ever being fazed.
That was at least until she washed up on this island shore. It wasn't that finding food was difficult, there were plenty of fish and crabbits for her to dine on. And the new monsters she came across were no more of a challenge than what she had seen before. No, now Wigfrid was finding herself stunned by something she had never dealt with before.
A few days after washing up on the shore she ran into a camp belonging to another survivor, not new, Wigfrid had run into several others camps before, though she often didn't stay long in the past. But something was different this time, when the girl introduced herself as Walani her voice sounded like a melody heard in a dream and Wigfrid found her own voice unable to respond.
As she continued to camp with Walani her ability to stun Wigfrid only increased. Her relaxed smile, her laugh, the way she huffed in frustration when the wind wasn't cooperating for her to surf. All small tiny offhand things Wigfrid wouldn't think to pay attention to in others and yet in Walani they left her momentarily frozen, as if enraptured by a siren song.
And she was frozen in the light of the full moon when Walani suggested they go out on still water to stargaze. They rowed out to the nearby reef and watched the scales of the fish shimmer and ripple through the reflection of the stars on the sea. Wigfrid thought she had never seen a more beautiful moon in her life but the thought was brief as Walani gently touched her arm and smiled at her and Wigfrid felt she could see every star reflected in her eyes. And she was frozen.
As the days went on the two of them built up their camp and found enough steady resources that they were able to fall into a rhythm together. Wigfrid found herself looking forward to walking up to see Walani in the mornings and hearing her sleepy greetings. And she had never had too much interest in the sea before but was entralled by the way Walani talked about all the things she knew about the ocean and the tides and the best surfing techniques. Likewise the way Walani would lean forward in focus to listen to Wigfrid's hunting stories and caught her eyes and almost made her entirely loose her train of thought.
Even though she kept finding herself distracted by Walani, Wigfrid found it certainly didn't dampen her warrior spirit. She fought off monsters and beasts away from their camp, their home, with newfound fierceness and determination. And when Walani kissed her for the first time under the twilight as a thanks for saving her from a snake, with her soft lips pressed against hers Wigfrid felt as though she could fight off a hundred snakes for her but also as if she wouldn't notice if they all bit her there in that moment.
Wigfrid had seen a lot of breathtaking things in the constant, but none as powerful as Walani. She was continually captivated by this woman she was blessed to live with and fight for, someone who could not only stop her in her tracks but also filled her with the strength to continue to carry on. She made her absolutely breathless. And Wigfrid wouldn't have it any other way.
