The Old Grind

"The Old Grind" is a short story by Laura Frankos, published in Chicks in Chainmail, edited by Esther Friesner, Baen 1995; reprinted in the omnibus Chicks Ahoy!, 2010. It is fantasy story set in northern Europe in 910-911, incorporating historical events into the plot.

Fenia is an Orkney giantess who is discontent with her life as a salt farmer. Striking out for the wider world, she joins the army of a Viking chieftain named Rollo and fights in the Siege of Chartres. After visiting Valhalla as a tourist (due to a royal mix-up), Fenia decides that there's no place like home, and returns to Orkney with a new perspective on life.