The year is 851 and it is night. Maria is about to give birth when the night became morning, the child are born and it is a boy. Sven and Maria both decided that he should be named Erik. He has red hair and tiny freckles across his face, he has a birth mark on his cheek that looked like a crescent. Maria who is the princess over Northland has received its first born who has freckles and red hair to. Crescent birthmark is no one who has, and this is unusual. Sven, who is the King of Northland looks at his son Erik sees a similarity with his wife but tells Maria that the noble part must be from his side then Sven laughing out loud. Maria, who was exhausted after giving birth was traditionally eat a good cake and had she withstand so much pain and suffering can finally rest. Sven wants the biggest party in the North’s history. Sven are the master of King's Village. He says to his right hand Harald to arrange the festivities and the mead must be extra strong and good. The whole village gathered with treats and food. They walk to the king's house to celebrate the new-born Erik. All with high positions had to be around the big table. There were two new grilled pigs, three grilled lambs. There was so much food that all two hundred and forty people who live there could eat a whole week. People is drunk and danced to great music, everyone is happy and the people shouted hurray to Sven and he hugged everyone one by one and this took a long time, finally came Lisbet with Erik. Sven took Erik carefully and showed everyone by holding Erik high. He yelled out: “ERIK” everyone shouting hurray and hurray. Erik is only a few hours old looked towards the herd of people. He got a little scared and peed several yards and hit Harald right on the face. Everyone looked surprised and Sven started laughing out loud. Harald was first sour and could not do anything but smile. Would he be angry, Sven had been insulted. Everyone laughed with Sven.
Sven says: "Erik is a real man, did you see he peed many yards. Not many adults can piss so far!"
Everyone started laughing even more and people shouted hurray. Festivities continue beyond the evening and night. During the night stories is told. One told about the beast is living at Shadow Valley by night. One says that he had seen the eyes at night and rustling around the forest. No one had seen the beast, but it is named Shadow. Then came an old lady who said she had seen it twenty years ago. It had yellow eyes and was black with yellow stripes around the body. The beast ears was split in two and it had a long tail that was shared at the end, she thought she saw wings too but was not one hundred percent sure.
Old lady named Sigrid said: "I saw the beast just a minute but it was large and hissed at me."
All listened to the old lady with the big ears and they got big eyes, she told me things that it could not be true.
Sigrid said: "Fifty years ago when I was only twenty years when the king's father named Frederick. He ordered seven men to try to kill the beast Shadow. The brave seven began their trek towards the Valley of the Shadow. It was afternoon but quickly began to get dark. That's when the Shadow appears. The brave seven found Shadow and started shooting arrows at it with the bows. The shadow was too fast and escaped all arrows. The shadow disappeared into the bush and suddenly disappeared one man and then the second and third and finally there was only one man left who had his sword up , he crawled down a bit and spin around , he looked everywhere but he could not see the Shadow . Suddenly the shadow above the last man named Ivar. He looked terrified and tried to swing at Shadow with the swords. Beast took his paw with their sharp claws and struck hard to Ivar. Ivar passed out and woke up day after and he looked around but no shadow was there and all the six brave men were gone. Ivar started walking towards King's Village, he limped his way, and he felt that he had broken his arm. He arrived at the King's Village and he was so scared even brave Vikings can become fearful. He told me what had happened to the king Frederick and then decided the King to make a new wall has to be around the village, everyone started working on cutting trees to reinforce the wall. They dig some holes to make traps but them never got hold of Shadow and he is still waiting out there in the night."
All who heard this were so afraid that the slightest sound so jumped. The children who had listened to the old lady were so frightened that they shook the whole body and suddenly Sven saying: "Nonsense, nothing to be afraid of, this is just fairy tales."
Sven grunted and Old Lady Sigrid who was not afraid of the king said: "Beware Sven, The Beast is out there and will probably be here soon when the food runs out at Shadow Valley."
Sven raised his fist and said: “How dare you speak to me. Get out from the King's Village! "
Old lady Sigrid who lives outside the village went away and said: "Beware Sven, Shadow is coming soon. Be prepared!"
The King looked over the sea of people with big eyes that he was mad and yelled out: "Now the party ends! Everyone go home now!”
People nodded and bent against Sven and all looked scared out and started walking home to their small houses. The kids were so frightened that they clung to their parents. The night turned into morning everyone slept late for the party was a huge success. Many gathered at Kings House for breakfast at all that was over, they reveled in the lamb and pork and never in his time, have people been eating such a nice breakfast at the table.
Then Sigurd came running in and said to Sven: "Something awful thing has happened at night, a horse has been killed!” Sven and the other rushed out to see what had happened.
Inside the barn where all the animals were collected, they found the horse's head, but nowhere did they find the body. There was a blood trail that went from the barn to the wall and went out to the woods.
Then the old lady came up and said in a trembling voice: "What did I tell you, shadows are coming!"
Everyone started talking to each other and they were so frightened.
Sven says: "Peace all, it could have been a bear or a wolf that has taken the horse."
Then said Sigurd: "But I do not think the bear or a wolf can climb over the wall."
Harald says: "This has to been the Shadow that made it, who else can drag a five hundred pound horse over the wall?"
Sven decided to double the guard and have a lot off fire near the walls to try to scare off Shadow.
Because he did not want it happen again. The guard kept an eye toward the forest that leads to Shadow Valley. When nightfall comes they changed the guards. Especially one named Ivar he was blond and big. He is very nervous and he heard a rustling in the forest edge, he sounded the alarm and all rushed to him.
Ivar shouted: "The Shadow comes, Shadow is here”
All men hear the rustling and suddenly there came out a deer running from the forest edge.
From above there came a yellow fireball and hit the deer, all the men were dazzled by the light and when the light is gone and so was the deer. The men heard some rustling in the forest and then there was a big roar like a hawk but hundred times higher. All guards starting to shake the bodies and was afraid. Branches were cut off and something was eating the deer and disappears to Shadow Valley. Sven ordered two men to see what had happened. They both hesitated, but the King he looked at them with angry eyes and then they got a bit of courage to start going to the forest edge. Both take with them swords and torches to be able to see what it is. They began to approach the edge of the forest and they saw blood on the grass and a leg of deer. They crept slowly into the forest and they looked at each other with frightened eyes. They came to the end and saw the remains of deer and a yellowish slime that was around the trees and grass. It was almost like it was glowing and lit up the place they were at. They took a branch with little Slime and run back towards the King's Village.
They both shouted: "Open the gate! We want to come inside!” They came in with big eyes and were completely exhausted.
They showed up the branch with the luminous Slime. They told what they had seen. The king and all the others looked at each other and wondered what kind of monster could have such slime. Everyone agreed that there must be Shadow that has been there. The King ordered that there would be three double guards the rest of the night. The night turned into morning and nothing has happened during night. Each night they had doubled the guards and lighten up the village with lot of camp fires. After two weeks started life go back to normal again.