The cripple and the shieldmaiden

// 8 //

Torhild putted on a white dress, equal with her mother. They braided their hear up and putted some gold on their face. 'Are you ready to give the gods a sacrifice?' Her mother asked. Torhild turned around, stood before her mother and pushed her chin a little higher in confident.
'I'm ready mother.' She replied swiftly. Lagertha smiled a little and stroke her fingers over Torhild her cheek.
'You're so much matured. The gods did well for you, I hope they favor you in battle to.' She whispered. It was one thing Torhild always wanted to do, making her mother proud. And the look Lagertha gave her now radiated that proud. Torhild looked to the door when she heard the sound of drums. A sacrifice was a very important and serious ritual. Everybody was calm, rather focust and praying to the gods for the save passage through Engeland tomorrow. They would offer two animals to the gods, a horse and a goat, both of significant value within the culture. Lagertha took her owl on her shoulder and walked before Torhild outside. Torhild wasn't nervous, it was like the gods give her a certain calmness, it maked her confident, just as confident as her mother was.

The people of Kattegat, the warriors of other villages, the earls and distant kings who would sail with the ragnarssons tomorrow stood in a large circle around a kind of altar. Lagertha stood still on the steps of the great hall and looked at her people. Torhild stood beside her, her eyes first rested on her brother who looked at both of them with the most of love and pride. Then her eyes traveled further, to Ubbe who stood besides his wife, Hvitserk who looked at her like she was a goddess herself and finally Ivar. The intensity they exchanged chased the goosebumps over her body.
'Today we honor the gods. Tomorrow will my beloved childeren, your daughters, sons, friends and family sail back over the sea to Engeland. We wish him the best of luck,' Lagertha looked a small moment to Torhild before she got futher. 'but let tonight be a feast for the gods so that they give or beloved ones a clear path towards destiny.' Some farmer brought a nice looking dark horse to the middle, not far behind an other one with a brown goat. Torhild walked down the steps to the man with the daggers laying on a piece of silk. Torhild took the dagger and her mother followed. Their were two empty bowls nearby the animals. It was like the horse smelled it, he snorted anxious when Torhild walked closer. She knew the ritual almost out of her head, had seen it a hundered times but it was the first time she did it herself. She petted the animal, looked in his strong brown eye.
'You doing uss a great honor my friend.' She whispered to the animal before pushing the dagger to his throat and slittling it. It didn't took the animal long before he felt through his knees and died, his blood filling the bowl. Torhild looked to her mother who did the same with the goat before they both looked to the sky, to the gods. When she looked back to the people she saw Ivar staring back at her with a smile she couldn't put to words. She know he was all for blood and sacrifices, but that longing in his eyes maked her body trill with excitement.

Everbody moved in line for a personal ritual. Lagertha shelled a bundle with strong herbs through the blood before blessing everybody by spatting some of the blood on their faces. And while everybody was with Lagertha getting blessed Torhild took the bowl with the blood of the horse and got around with everybody else. When she came with Ivar she crouched before him, he looked at her with that same glare as earlier. She putted her fingertips in the blood, putted them against his temples while running her fingers down over his face, leaving a trale of blood all over him. She smile a little when she saw him close his eyes, like he was receiving this gift from the gods themselves.
'May the gods be with you tomorrow Ivar the Boneless.' She whispered. He opened his eyes and smile at her while putting his thumb in the blood. He putted his thumb on her forehead and runned the blood between her eyes, over het nose and lips towards her chin.
'I rather have them keeping an eye on you, princess of Kattegat.' He said. She couldn't replie, his thumb lingered on her lips before he pulled his hand back so she could get to the next person.

Torhild felt never more strong than she did now. The whole ritual brought her in a weird state of excitement. Her body was eager to get on a ship and the feast that followed didn't tempered that kind of desire. Hvitserk didn't mind it that she sat with her mother and brother when he came for her.
'Can I steel Torhild for a moment?' He asked her mother polite. Lagertha looked at Hvitserk, as if she was douthing his intentions. Torhild knew his intentions, it would get her back in bed with him.
'Offcourse.' She nodded after a long look at the boy.
'Who says I want?' She teased Hvitserk who almost pulled her out of her seat. He tilted his head and gave here a long warm almost charming look she couldn't resist. She stood up and followed him outside. 'What is it that you want Hvitserk?' She asked smiling, already knowing what he wanted.
'You.' He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his chest.
'Tell me something I don't know.' She grinned. He placed his lips against hers and she let him get his kiss.
'Please?'
'No.'
'Why not?' He asked between to kisses through.
'You can't distract me.' Torhild placed her hand against his chest and pushed him back a little, looking at him with a tender smile.
'It may be our last night.' He suggested. She shook her head.
'That is to decide for the gods. Let it be a,' she stopped for a moment, runned her finger over his chest. 'Let it be a longing that gets you through battle.' She finally spoke. Hvitserk smiled, a strong charming smile and he maked a small bow.
'For you everything my love.'

She runned her feet through the sand, looking at the steady sea before her. Torhild sat there in complete peace with herself. It didn't take long before she heared the familiar sound of Ivar crawling over the sand. She didn't looked over her shoulder, she just looked at the sea. Tomorrow they would sail and it was if her whole life was build to this exact moment. She felt Ivar as nearby as Hvitserk earlier was. His warm breath behind her on her colarbone. She reacted on him, more than she would do with his brother. He pressed his lips softly against the lower of her neck, putting one kiss there before he putted one a little higher. Torhild closes her eyes, absorbing the feeling of Ivar his lips against her neck. It was the first time he did something like this but she saw it coming. After she gave the gods her sacrifice he had looked at her with those intense bleu eyes she couldn't ingore.
'You can't sarcrifice an animal, cover yourself in blood and think I wouldn't react on that.' He whispered against her ear, his words were confident, cocky, his true self. He let his head rest on her shoulder and she turned her head a little to look at him.
'Keep your head in the game Ivar.' She advised him with a soft loving smile, running her finger over his jawline.