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Once upon a time a young princess, named Gisla with honey-colored long hair and deep brown eyes that rarely laughed in the remote kingdom of Frankia.
She was a fervent Christian, and every morning, when the sun was rising she prayed beneath her window, asking to the blue heaven to possess the knowledge and the insight needed to be a fair and worthy sovereign worthy of her people´s love.
Gisla spent hours and hours praying, and asking to God a proper Husband, because her father was not so young already, and his strenght was leaving him. Gisla loved really very much to her father, the Emperor Charles.
Charles was sick since long time ago, and very usually he ended asleep in the throne after the long audiences, for that Gisla was now who was ruling while his father´s sickness was pushing him. She was who governed and administered justice.
But Gisla was a meditative princess, always thinking and thinking, and very often was seen by the her own people, sitting in her Royal Window, among the high towers of stone, while her brown hair almost combed the Ground as Rapunzel....
-Look mum, the princess is on the battlements-said every evenening Carlotta, the most youngest daugher of Marie, the main Maid of Gisla, who was returning to home after work the whole day in the palace, next to the Princess.
-Don´t stop Carlotta, the princess is watching the Sea, since the Towers, because our Seer Calpurnia said that a Terrible Monster is coming to destroy Paris-said Marie, while she strocked the little blonde curls of Carlotte, and they arrived home.
And the Gisla´s maid was not lieying. This same day in the morning, the emperor Charles in his throne next to the Count Odo, his second voice after Gisla´s in his absence, were listening to the Wise Woman named Calpurnia, as the Noble Woman Wife of Julius Caesar, who next to the Gisla´s war generals always said her predictions.
-The Bear , i see one Bear coming to our Doors, in Paris, searching his own Fate. He will bring us the Ruin, but he will need us at same time. He will need you-pointed the Witch´s finger to Gisla´s face.
-To me? I´ll never let that murderer enter by the Paris doors -screamed Gisla-how is his name?
The Woman closed her eyes, while Gisla touch with her pink slave the map of Frankia, looking the coast points.
-Count Odo, that Bear will arrive by Sea, i want these three points guarded day and night. The first Viking ship you see, sink it, go away-he said to the fat man of dark hair that was always next to the Emperor, almost waiting win the Gisla´s favour.
But all what Odo had done has been in vain. The proud princess did not love him, and she never would do it. The Count Odo knew that.
Marie, behind Gisla, looked with attention as after some seconds, Calpurnia opened her eyes.
Calpurnia was dressed with a long in a strange way. With a black robe, sewn with dark handkerchiefs, barefoot, and with a long stick, decorated with the same colors talismans wearing on her neck and on her waist, little figures of animals and men, bird feathers and colorful boats , strange potings for cure a sickness or for make that a man would fall in love with you....
-Is late! The Bear is here, and he will claim the Kingdom! His Heart is devoured by the Envy to his Brother, Ragnar Lothbrok! -Calpurnia holded pathetically the figure of the Bear that she put on the Royal Table next to the Princess one.
-I don´t believe in those things, Calpurnia, you know this-said Gisla sitting on her throne-God will guide us in this War.
-Daughter, this Rollo is a great Fighter and his army is ...-the Emperor Charles cough was worsing everyday-is powerful-he said with tired eyes.
-This Rollo is nothing but a killer, a barbarian. The legend said that he sold his soul to the Devil, for that he´s a conqueer and he is devasting every land-said Gisla-he´s not worthy man, he does not know what the honour means. I will be there in Paris doors and i´ll stop him. i´m gonna to kill him-said her convinced, as Calpurnia watched her with disgust.
The princess hadn´t got the prophecy.
-Your Highness, the Bear Rollo prophecy says that " Just one princess will stand in your way to power, and she alone will give it to You " , the Bear is famous by that prophecy, Milady. He is moved by that idea, he wants the glory and only a princess will bring it to him-she said, strocking the dolls on the table.
Gisla looked sad the table, where next to the Princess Doll a Bear was almost...roaring to her . "These dolls, ...those dolls, this witch can not to be right....".
Gisla left the room and went to her favourite place: To the Church to play with her cold hands the burning Oriflama , symbol of Frankia´s unbroken power . She would be able of kill herself before fall kneeling before Rollo.
The same burning Oriflame was reflected in the flag that Rollo was in this same moment holding inside his tent at the camp, located across the coast, with her two strong hands that for the Princess were like claws, his serious expression, tired by the battle, full of blood, that for the princess was hiding the two bloody eyes of a Bear...Rollo was a mix between man, between bear...Gisla was right.
But she had underestimated him. Rollo looked the Oriflame full of desire.
-We´re nearer, this must be the land-he said, looking to Jacq, his new translator.
-Yes, this is Frankia, inside Paris is the Royal Palace, ruled by the Princess Gisla-said the translator, while the Bear stopped as he was washing his face, on the stack.
-What? A princess do you say? -the Bear pierced to Jacq with his dark eyes, that with the last sunlights were turning almost in green...-how is she?
Then Rollo heard by first time the legend of Gisla, the brave princess, always watching by her own Coast, in her Towers, as a man. But much more misterious and attracted yet that his own Vikings tales of Valkyries....
Rollo looked anxiously the coast, while he released his long black hair, cleaning with his tongue his viking bracelet. In her another hand, the flag with the oriflame.
He was really wild to Jacq, for all who knew him. Rollo did not know about polite ways....he just was a primordial human being, almost a bear as everyone by his prophcy was calling him. His voice was the Bear´s sad lament when he loses one of his men in battle, his tears by his brother Ragnar glory were like the the first wild tears falling from the eyes of a bear who start to hibernating.
Rollo barefoot, he layed down on the sand, while her long hair like a carpet covered almost the entire tent´s ground.
-The story tells how Gisla is always walking around the Castle´s towers, and her Christian eyes are always looking to the Sea, while her long hair comb the comb of Paris...the children spy her every evening for touch the the tip of her sacred hair, blessed by the same oriflame....she was baptized naked on that sacred symbol by the Christians....and she´s touched by Jesus finger...
Rollo looked how the clouds blue were almost fighting vs the grey clouds....
-Gisla, Gisla..-Rollo repeated hypnotized-and then...Jacq said what just turn on the Rollo´s heart by Gisla´s legend.
-The people say that the only one who has the same hair that could the only rivaling with her is your own hair, Bear-said Jacq.
Rollo strocking the oriflame, suddenly stopped and turned around to Jacq.
-My hair, is like her hair?-he asked to the Sea, leting behind to him to his army....prisoner of a desire that was beating his heart, much more worst than with Siggy, who just bited his body....then his two hands broke the Oriflame´s flag, prisioner of one desire that was nothing to do with his prophecy or with his glory promissed, or even with his jealousy for his brother greatness, but by that woman......
Rollo bited her own lips while ordered to Jacq that would continue telling him more and more about that strange princess....who was in his dreams that night, between his strongs arms, asking to him by more and more passion...while next to them, in the same bed´s clothes the engraving oriflame was keeping his crown. The bear was king, and his woman was that strange woman of long hair....
But Rollo coldn´t close his eyes that night, his dreams were more fantasies, desires, sent by the Gods, by the same Valkyries, envious by the Fairytale Princess, which brave and patient spirit they not even could understand...
-Gisla, Gisla...
At same time, that Rollo was calling her, almost invoking her , with a unknown and magic fever, Gisla was sleeping in her own Room, where the Witch, Calpurnia, got the key of Marie´s hands...she had to advise to Gisla that The Bear was more nearer everytime, and that was the truth.
Rollo, wanted make a surprise attack, his men were already climbing by the Palace´s walls, Calpurnia almost could hear them.
-Princess, Gisla, wake up, The Bear is here-said to the princess who screamed :
-How you dare, Witch?
-Look, the Bear and his men, are here, in Paris. Look , this will be the signal what you will use for recognize him-Calpurnia touch suddenly one the heavies honey strands of Gisla.
-By his hair, but...what? -the confused Gisla´s expression was the only thing that Calpurnia left behind her last words to Gisla.
-His hair will be like your hair, a legendary hair, as the Berenice´s hair was before both of us, hair that was consecrated to the heaven-Calpurnia pointed to the Sky, while the Berenice´s stars illuminated the Gisla´s eyes.
Gisla then, was gonna to say something to the Witch, but was in vain, she was not there. Gisla sounded the alarm in the palace and the city.
But was too late, after three days of bloody battle between the axes of the Bears, and the cold steel of the Franks, Paris capitulated to the hordes of bears.
-Where the princess is?-Rollo asked to everyone of the franks soldier that falled under his claws, but anyone of them said anything. Or they will kill themselves with their own swords or Rollo pierced their hearts, or their necks, sick of bloodlust.
The Bear began to think dissapointed if Gisla would be just a legend, a lie of the ignorant people like him, and if in the city just the old king Charles was ruling. Next to that fat general captive by his Vikings already, named Count Odo.
Not even himself said aything, but Rollo took him as prisioner.
In the third day, Rollo arrived until the main Paris door.
-Gisla, Gisla!-The Bear voice was really a roar, under the walls, while his vikings were climbing them.
Then suddenly, a woman emerged from among the Vikings strings and the Franks, boiling oil thrown to them, the screams of battle, playing the battlements with both hands.
The Bear looked to her Briefly, listening as the Christian God and the Vikings thundered in his heart at the same time with a piercing cry, that plunged him into the heavy bondage of love, by that vision.
The woman was dressed with a purple dress, taking a red overtunic. On his neck, a gold cross so heavy, that covered her breasts under his dress, hiding a graceful & provocative body.
The reflexes of Gisla´s cross by the sunlights dazzled to Rollo, who covered his face with his big ax, blind of such beaty, of such strangeness & passion borning in his bowels.
-I´m Gisla, Bear! -the princess shouted in his Northern language. What was that? A french princess fooling of him, talking his own lenguage? How was this possible? Maybe a gods joke? Again the gods were being favorables to Ragnar...surely.
-And you never will take my palace-she said with his last voice, while air that rose suddenly pulled the tiara from her head, and then all her long hair flew and flew to the vibrant Rollo´s eyes, full of sparkles.
Gisla with horror saw how the Bear full of a courage surely given to him by the Devil himself, started to Climb by the walls, screaming her name, shirtless and with her own hair loose like a savage.
Gisla runed into her own palace, with the rest of her people, ready for give kill themselves by the Princess command, when the Bear would lie down the doors.
Then that thing happened , in the in the throne room.
Gisla did not see To Rollo, but just a Bear walk between the Franks, full of bloody, forcing to one of them to fall under his own feets.
The people, the soldier looked to Gisla asking help, and the princess crossed the room and slightly emerged almost out of the shadows and stood up to bear.
The Cruel Bear, run to her, but he just looked her in a fast way, while she insulted him in a thousand of french insults, that just turned on his desire, more and more, while Rollo took the crown of his father, who was shaking like a reed moved by the wind.
-Don´t dare, animal-Gisla shouted, and Rollo in some weird way got her idea, and he looked with admiration the brave voice of Gisla-let the crown on my father´s head, don´t stain us more with your dirty claws. Do not dishonor us.
-Do not dishonour us-fooled of her Rollo, while he took off to weak king from his throne and put his ax on his neck, squeezing and making him bleed.
-Stop! -she said, in her own lenguage, in french-stop of killing! What do you want, animal? Rollo did not say anytyhing, just smiled, with his claws around Charles eyes now.
-I want stop this slaughter now and i will give you everything you want-she said, with sadness looking the floor.
-I just Want Have My Own Destiny, my Own Glory-the Bear Bellowed-My Brother, Ragnar has his own Palace and his Own Kingdom. Jacq repeated to Gisla all what Rollo pretended.
-But…-the cute princess of dark eyes looked the Bear´s eyes-this kingdom is Mine by Divine´s Right, and a kingdom just can Have One Only Ruler.
Jacq translated that to Rollo, who looked with a lustfull look to Gisla, and let the king go, and said something in his own lenguage, with a terrible roar, giving circles around Gisla, looking her body, touching her long hair, smelling this, while Gisla felt disgusting.
-Then you will marry me, because you are brave & beautiful and i want a great Lineage Own-Jacq translated in a last way.
And in that Way, the Princess Gisla was forced to marry with the Terrible Bear, and they had two children, one little Bear called William, of honey hair and dark eyes very soon, in long and difficult childbirth that Gisla passed, …and the legend says that someday she became to love his imposed husband, who took the glory by the hand of a princess as his prophecy said, , but maybe is just a legend and she never loved him really, while the shadow cover them, the shadow of the Bear who falled in love by the legend of the Princess who walked by Her Most highest Towers.