In the next chapter of the saga of the skald's early years, Thorgal is in love! He and Aaricia are talking of marriage, of running away, of a future together. But Aaricia's father, Gandalf-the-Mad, has other plans. A dozen handsome, strong, and mostly intelligent suitors have shown up to the summer festival of Sigrblót to fight for her hand in marriage. But there is another mysterious guest on hand for the festival: Runa, a shieldmaiden, who comes bearing a kingly gift for the village lord. But what is the true reason behind her visit?
Young Thorgal is no closer to finding peace and calm, and neither are those close to him. Aaricia's companions are about to be tortured by her own brother, and she finds no help in Thorgal, who is off on a desperate search for Hierulf. The wise man narrowly escaped death on the Sacrificial Rock, but hasn't been seen since... Is he even still alive? Meanwhile, Gandalf-the-Mad is keeping a beautiful woman prisoner in a windbeaten tower. But this fiery-haired queen may have more to her than meets the eye...
After years of torment, the Queen of the Frozen Seas has finally escaped the clutches of Gandalf-the-Mad... and it appears that she knows something of Thorgal's origins. In order to find him, though, she'll have to survive in an unfamiliar world that seems bent on revenge. Could Slivia be the last of her kind? Plus, Thorgal is desperately searching for the love of his life, lost at sea in a storm. He prays to all the gods and goddesses that, against all hope, Aaricia is somehow alive...
Stuck in the world of the mysterious Assalepson, Wolfcub has agreed to let the sorcerer extract her wild side. What she didn't know was that he would use that wild side-a physical double of the little girl, filled with all her strength and aggressiveness-to attempt to retrieve a powerful relic from the realm of Fenrir the giant wolf! Meanwhile, back at the village, Aaricia must continue to deal with the villagers' hostility... as well as the handsome Lundgren's insistent attempts to seduce her.
Of all the enemies Thorgal has faced in his life, Kriss of Valnor is by far the fiercest. She is also one of the most ambiguous, as the mother of one of his children and someone who has committed countless unspeakable acts. Can she find redemption? Perhaps, as Kriss sacrificed herself to save not only her son Aniel, but also Thorgal's wife Aaricia. An act of selfless bravery for which she's rewarded with waking up in the kingdom of the gods. But Valhalla is not quite yet hers... She is brought before the valkyries to face up to her deeds and have her life judged by the goddess Freyja.
While Thorgal is away looking for his son Aniel, his family faces the hostility of certain inhabitants of their Viking village. Thorgal's daughter, the fiercely independent little Wolfcub, finds herself particularly targeted, as her strange talents make people ill at ease. Her ability to speak with animals will come in handy, though, when she finds herself caught in a trap with a genuine wolf. So begins an adventure that will take her far, far from home...
Kriss has been brought before Freyja at the Valkyrie tribunal to recount her life story and be judged for her cruel deeds. Victimized early in her life, Kriss fought back and managed to gain her freedom and independence. She then quickly became the bully herself, allowing her worst instincts to rule her. Until, one day, her past caught up with her, and her horrific revenge turned out to have serious consequences-including for Freyja's final judgement...
The Valkyries have passed judgment. Kriss of Valnor has been sent back to Midgard, free to live a new life... on one condition: should she kill anyone or anything, she herself will be struck down. Befriended by Hildebrun, daughter of King Gustavson, she suddenly finds herself in the midst of intense political scheming, caught between the threat of Emperor Magnus, invading from the south, and a new, mysterious healer-king who's trying to unite the Vikings...
Both halves of Wolfcub-her wild side, extracted by Assalepson, and her civilized side-are now in the Realm of Chaos, a land ruled by the monstrous wolf Fenrir, and they will have to cooperate in order to retrieve the severed hand of Tyr, return to their world, and be reunited into a single, whole person. Meanwhile, Aaricia, shattered by Thorgal's supposed death, is beginning to give in to the very man who concocted this malicious lie...
Kriss has become queen of the Vikings of the Northeast! The brand-new monarch must immediately face a serious threat: the troops of Emperor Magnus are heading her way, intent on conquering the northern kingdoms. Meanwhile, Taljar Sologhonn, the masked Healer-King, is trying to unite the Vikings under his own banner to resist the Emperor, and wants Kriss's allegiance. A deadly game of alliances and betrayals begins, with one crucial question: who is the mysterious Taljar?