Originating from what become Denmark in continental Scandinavia, Valdis was at one point married to the Viking chieftain Rued. Unhappy with her marriage of at least five years, Valdis left and emigrated to England in 868 with her brothers to escape from Rued.[2]

Valdis and her brothers settled in East Anglia, a former Anglo-Saxon kingdom that became dominated by the influence of the Vikings led by the Sons of Ragnar, which included Valdis' cousin Halfdan and his brothers Ivarr the Boneless and Ubba Ragnarsson. By this time, East Anglia had been left without a stable kingship following the deaths of King Edmund in 869 and the Viking-appointed Æthelred.[3] Halfdan thus assigned Finnr as the steward of East Anglia in his absence, and Valdis was bethrothed to the last remaining thegn Oswald, grooming him to become the East Anglian king with the marriage as an alliance between the Saxons and the Norse.[1]

However, Valdis' brothers, Brothir and Broder, were not receptive to the engagement. They deemed the Oswald, who had no fighting experience, too weak and unfit to rule East Anglia, thus refusing him permission to marry Valdis. As a result, Valdis was often left stranding in between the brothers' conflicts with Oswald, while Oswald struggled to prove himself and present a strong impression.[1]

This changed with the arrival of the shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan, who had came to East Anglia to seek the raiders who attacked her settlement. After a disastrous dinner involving Valdis' brothers and Eivor,[1] Oswald underwent numerous tests and trials to improve his fighting ability and prove himself worthy.[4]Back in Northwic, Valdis was presented and impressed with loafs of gifts from Oswald which he had recovered from a raid alongside Eivor and Finnr. However, Broder was still unconvinced of Oswald's abilities, believing that he would never be able to lead the East Anglians into battle. Before the argument escalated, Brothir arrived carrying the body of a Norse warrior, revealed to be a scout from the clan of Rued's, Valdis' former husband.[2]

Following the capture of another scout by Eivor, Valdis and the rest learned that Rued had been planning an attack on Northwic, by rallying and attacking the town through its weakest wall. Determined to prove himself once again and protect the village, Oswald made the decision to confront Rued at Dunwic, with Valdis and others agreeing to follow. After Eivor cleared the castle of the Vikings and lit the brazier, the group awaited the arrival of Rued and his clan. Reud is a muscular man, who has a huge .