The Red Queen (Editing)

The Profit and the Loss

With the men preparing to attack Paris, you and the women sat around and weaved blankets or cooked food and made fur blankets. Helga said that it was good that you learned this, for even when you become a shield maiden, you would know your wifely duties.

After making many fur blankets and cooked lots of food, Ubbe came to you, bringing a bow and a quiver filled with arrows.

"Come!" Hvitserk called from a nearby tent

You looked to your mother as you stood, a small smile on your face.

"You may go." Helga chuckled

You thanked her as you gave her a hug before grabbing the weapons Ubbe held out for you and rushed to Hvitserk.

Following them, you soon ended up in front of Ragnar.

"Father, May we fight with you tomorrow?" Ubbe asked. Ragnar hesitated to answer causing you to speak up.

"Please, Uncle Ragnar?"

"You're not strong enough yet, children."

This caused all 3 of you to sigh in annoyance as you and Ubbe glanced at each other.

"I want you to stay here." Ragnar continued. "I want you to protect all the food and the supplies. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Father." Ubbe said, a proud smile on his face. He was happy his father trusted him for even that was a very important job

"Yes?"

"Yes." Hvitserk answered as you nodded

Ragnar smiled as he pulled all 3 of you toward him, giving you all a big hug and he held you all close. "Good. Keep your weapons close."

With that, he sent you off.

-

You could feel in your bones that something was wrong.

You were right for soon enough, you saw lots of smoke floating ip into the sky from the down the river.

Worry for your father and Ragnar and Bjorn made its way into your mind. You only hoped that they would overcome whatever challenges they face.

You and Hvitserk were fighting while Ubbe monitored. You, thanks to Lagertha's training, we're quite good at fighting and kept repeatedly pinning Hvitserk to the ground.

All of a sudden, a woman screamed. Looking towards the sound, you saw that the Franks were attacking camp.

Yidu and Helga immediately rushed to you all and tried to get you to flee but after seeing the Franks attacking children in the food tent, you ran past them all to help, ignoring your mother's screams for you to come back. Ubbe tried running after you but Yidu managed to hold him back.

"ASTRID! ASTRID, COME BACK!" Helga shrieked as she watched you grab a sword.

Ubbe and Hvitserk went pale at the sight of you taking a sword from the ground. They knew you were trying to help but you were being irresponsible. They went to shoot their arrows but Yidu managed to drag them away, even if they were yelling at her.

"ASTRID?! ASTRID?!" You heard Helga screaming as she searched for you

Approaching the men's horse, you cut the animals leg causing it to fall. The man got caught between the horse and the ground, giving you the opportunity to stab him in the chest multiple times, his blood coating your clothes.

After taking down 2 more, the other Franks left the people alone after burning and killing many of them.

You were circled by 5, maybe 6. Then, they charged. Covered in blood, you fought like a real shield maiden, killing the Frankish guards left and right. Until, one finally managed to catch you when you were distracted.

What distracted you? Helga was laying on the ground, chest burnt and injured.

The man stabbed you in the gut, ripping his sword out as he slashed at your chest. Then, deciding to be extra cruel, he dropped a torch next to you as you fell to the ground.

Sadly, this burnt your arm quite severely until you managed to roll out of the way and hide under a burning table.

You could barely breathe. Your eyes were heavy as you tried to stop the bleeding from both your chest and gut. Unable to keep them open any longer, you closed your eyes.

-

Floki had found Helga but he still searched for you, throwing things around, looking under the ruins of the burnt tents. You hadn't been with Helga, the other women or the children. After Ubbe explained what you had did, it only made Floki panic more as he screamed and screamed your name.

"FLOKI!" Many heard Bjorn roar

Turning to face the young man, Floki saw Bjorn trying to lift a table up. Floki rushed to help, soon throwing the table away as Floki's heart shattered.

There lied you, his little girl. Arm burnt black, chest and stomach pouring blood. You were also covered, head to toe in other people's blood.

"ASTRID!" Floki wailed in worry.

Ragnar, Bjorn, Torvi, Ubbe, Hvitserk and Yidu all watched in horror as the man rushed to your side.

Thankfully, you were just barely breathing as your sobbing father screamed for help from a healer.

A healer did help but if you did survive, you would be in pain for a long time.

Though, that wasn't the thing on Ragnar's mind, nor everyone's else's. Sure, it was a war that they still needed to fight but they scanned the many dead Franks in confusion. There has been no warriors left to defend the camp so who had killed them all?

What shocked them even more was when Ubbe and Hvitserk explained that it was you who killed them all, without hesitation. It made them proud that you defended your people to the best of your ability. Floki and Lagertha, the proudest.

His little girl killed many Christians with one sword. You didn't have a shield, yet you still killed 8 Christians. Lagertha was proud because you, someone who she saw as a daughter and someone she had barely trained managed to save many people. More could have died if not for you.

-

Floki had carved runes for both you and Helga. Neither of you had woken up yet and it worried him to no end.

"These runes will cure you, my dears." Floki whispered. You and Helga had been placed side by side in the medical tent. After being cleaned up, they let you rest.

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