Slave Girl

infobox Book |
name = Slave Girl
title_orig = They Came on Viking Ships


image_caption =
author = Jackie French
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Australia
language = English
series =
genre = Children's historical novel
publisher = HarperCollins
pub_date = March 30, 2005
pages = 288 pp
isbn = ISBN 9780207200113
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Slave Girl", (or "They Came on Viking Ships" in the Australian edition) is a book by Jackie French which was published in Australia in 2005 and in Britain in 2007.

It is about a 12-year-old girl called Hekja lived as a simple girl in a simple village. She finds a puppy, names him Riki Snarfari and nurses him back to health and they developed a strong bond and she even brings him over to the hills where all the girls go to tend to the cows. One day she see's strange ships in the distance and although everyone tells her not to go, she runs down the hill and see's the killing of her mother and the others.She tries to out run these strangers but she captured and taken as a slave by these killers who are Vikings. Hekja hates the Norse and will not share her beautiful gift of singing with them, even if it does mean that she would not have to mind the cows as a thrall if they heard her. Hekja's spirit and sheer determination means that she soon finds herself joining her mistress Freydis's expedition to Vinland. Hekja befriends Freydis's brother's thrall Hikki and he is the only one she shall sing to. They developed a friendship.When they arrive at Vinland everything is lovely there.Vinland winters are so mild that the cattle can be left out all year round. Freydis (Hekja's mistress) and several other women in the colony are pregnant. Hikki then asks Hekja to marry him. Hekja is taken aback and tells him to wait until she has finished serving her mistress in two years time.Then there is the mysterious Snorri the skald. He seems to like Hekja but isn't good at showing it. Hikki dies in the skraeling raid, and after about 2 months, she marries Snorri the Skald.