The cripple and the shieldmaiden

// 22 //

'What did he say to you? That maked you so loyal.' That last word a little sarcastic. Her eyes looked toward lord Egdar who road it front of the army, with his men. It was a day walking, except for some small group back at the settlement everybody was going to battle and raid.
'You don't want to know Torhild.' Hvitserk answered instead of her brother. She looked from him back towards her brother with a questioning face.
'You're my sister. I can be reckless in battle, kill every lord who try to take us over but when it comes to you, family I will let go my proud if it means it will keep you safe.' He explained pointing towards his two other brothers. 'Same for them.' He followed. She didn't know what the lord had said but it was enough.
'And what is the plan now? You changed your mind, right?'
'Yes but I think we should waith on mother.'
'Any time now right?' She asked hopefull. It was quite the journey but weeks had past now so Lagertha could arrive any moment. Torhild has send one of the girls to the others, if her mother arrived she would get word of it. 'Can we waith that long?'
'Will see. If we come unharmed out of the raid we attack them by surprice, otherwise we go home and waith for our mother.' Björn explained. Torhild nodded and looked toward the lord while she thought back to that man she had killed. Would lord Edgar see it coming, an attack.
'If there will be a battle, can't we slaughter his men during it?' Ubbe asked. It was quite the army, if they could slink it they would have a little advantage on the situation.
'Let us first see what we have to fight.' Björn concluded. Torhild looked towards Ivar who road his chariot on the edge of the army, king Harald and Halfdan with him.
'He is planning something.' Hvitserk nodded. Everybody looked at Ivar who laughed about something Halfdan said. It wasn't something that you saw often, him laughing so spontaneous.
'Do we need to get worried?' Björn asked. They all looked toward Torhild now. She opened her mouth but shutted it no far after.
'The worst he can do is kill the lord.' She shrugghed.
'If he does that we fight two army's. And if word gets out to king Aethelwulf than we have a serious problem on our hands.' Björn thinked out loud. He had a point, they fighted one joined force now but if he would kill the lord his army would turn against him. Maybe she should talk with him, talk it out of his head only she wasn't so sure if she could do that with Harald and Halfdan.

They maked camp a few miles from the kingdom they would take over. Torhild her horse galloped over the field after Lord Edgar with some of his men, her brother and Ivar. They stopped on a hill from where you could see the kingdom they had to take over. 'This is it.' The lord pointed out. Torhild came of her horse and walked over to the egde, looking toward the castle and the village. Battleplans wasn't her expertise so she turned towards her brother and Ivar.
'How many gates?' Björn asked the lord, he pointed towards the nord and south. 'What is it that you want to do? Do we need to kill them all of do we need to capture their king or lord?' He continud his thoughts.
'I hope I can kill something.' Ivar murmured. The lord turned his head and looked towards Ivar who had that typical arrogance on his face. But he didn't say a thing and just turned to Björn.
'They aren't loyal to the one king, king Aethelwulf, we are here to make a deal. But if they fight, we fight back.'
'You can threat their princess instead of ours than.' Ivar smilled meaningless. Torhild didn't replied on that one, she just looked down to the castle. 
'We have to attack by the gates, the walls are to high and we haven't the time to maked some things to get over.' Björn said, turning towards Ivar. 'What do you think?'
'Now my opinion is needed.'
'Ivar please.' Torhild sighed, getting tired of his going protest against this all.
'Fine by me.' He just said before he turned his chariot around and cantered away. Torhild jumped on the chariot and gave him a promesing look.
'What's wrong?' She asked him. But he just looked stubborn to the road back to the camp they had maked. 'Ivar.' She laid her hand on his shoulder and he exploded, pulling his horse to stop.
'I'm sick of it Torhild, all of this.' He waved around. 'Since when do we bow down for some lord, since when do we battle a war that isn't ours. For your safety. You are viking Torhild, you should embrace dead, you shouldn't be afraid of it!' He hissed. Torhild nodded slowly before jumping from his chariot. 'I'm gonna kill him, if you want it or not.' He spitted.
'You know Ivar, I can't stand you sometimes.' She reacted angry. He tilted his head and gave her a selfish grinn.
'Embrace yourself for battle princess.'
'Don't call me that.' She warned him. From where did this came? Ivar clenshed his teeth together, fingers gripping around his axe. 'Think good of what you gonna say next.' She said. He didn't say anything, he just drove of leaving her in de middle of nowere without a horse.

'Shield wall!' Björn yelled. Torhild felt the arrows hitting against her shield, some of them even pushing throught her shield. It was obvious that they were expecting them, what irritated her the most was the fact that they were first lines while lord Edgar and his men safely stood after the shield wall. Torhild looked aside to Ase and the other girls. 'Let's blow of some steam.' Ase smiled challenging. Battle always brought up the best in a viking. In the moment that the battering ram smached against the gate she could only think of battle, of what she had to do. She forgot Lord Edgar, the deal, she even forgot her meaningless fight with Ivar. And when those gates flew open after a few hits her brother yelled that one word.
'Attack!' And they did. Last battle they were surpriced, outnumbered, now ... Torhild could see the fear in those soldiers eyes when a whole heathen army slipped in the village. Ase stayed close, just as Hvitserk did, all three of them fighting around each other.
'Can you handle this love?' Hvitserk joked while copping of an arm from a soldier. Torhild kicked her shield against another and when he dropped down she putted her sword through his heart.
'You have no idea,' she avoided another sword and dropped her shield to change it with her axe, fighting her body against him. 'how good this feels.' She finished her sentense. Hvitserk gave her a wild smile before they fight further. She saw her brother easily work his way through the crowed with Ubbe by his side, Ivar was nowhere to be found. Her arms didn't felt tired and she didn't get hurted except from some cuts and bruises when victory was that close by. The soldiers from lord Edgar started to mix them under the vikings, fighting against the enemy together. Hvitserk his sword hitted a shield and didn't came loose right away, getting him in a little danger with another soldier. She fighted her way to him, saving him on the last minut before bowing.
'My princess.' He smiled amused. She had missed him, more than she admitted to. 'We should drink on this later.' He shouted. Torhild laughed, noticing that the soldiers in attack slowly reduced. Until there was no one left to fight. She took her breath and walked over a courtyard, pointing the tip of her sword up to a small group of other soldiers.
'We aren't done yet.' Björn followed her eyes. The rest of the soldiers came on the courtyard when she noticed something else. A viking dropping down by the hand of a soldier from lord Edgar.
'Björn, he is killing our men.' She yelled hoping he would hear it, turning around to look for Lord Edgar himself but facing something entirely different. She felt the sword throught her stomach, swift and without any mercy. Torhild gasped for air, holding her body straight by laying her hand on the soldiers shoulder. He was a soldier from lord Edgar and he smiled down on her while he pulled back his sword from her body, blood dripping from it as he gave her a little push. Torhild sank down on her knees, feeling for the wound she had, looking to the blood on hands.
'Björn your sister!' Ase shouted. Torhild saw her friend, falling aside her, pulling her on her lap while she tried to close the wound by pushing her hand against it.
'It's,' torhild tried to whisper but nothing really came over her lips.
'Torhild.' Björn crouched down beside her, tilling her easily in his arms.
'Find Ivar!' He commanded his other brother.
'Lord Edgar.' She tried to say but noices of battle overcame every word she tried to say. Ase worked her way trought the enemy until they were of the courtyard. Torhild turned her head, facing the white stallion of Lord Edgar.
'Bring her to safty.' He said like he really cared about her. But in the moments she tried to talk and waithed she felt every bit of live slipping through her body.
'Stay with her, bring her to the settlement.' Björn said while he laid her down on some wood. Torhild opened her eyes a little, looking at Ase and getting short glimps of Ivar his eyes filled with fear. 'Go!' Björn yelled. She tried to stay awake but the blood loss and the pain just pulled her back in that dark black world.