The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 28 //

Hvitserk P.O.V.

The horn sounded two times through the air and Hvitserk looked aside to Björn. They gave each other a promising look before his brother commanded the boats to move forward. Hvitserk hang over the edge, looking to the darkness that surrounded him, the far off screams of battle, metal against metal, dead above life. He never gave it to himself, but in this moment he thought of Torhild. Although he hated her in some way for what happened, he wasn't ready on losing her. She was the best female warrior that Kattegat had but recent events broke her as much as it broke him. She wouldn't be able to stand up for herself as she used to. 'She will be fine.' Hvitserk looked aside to Björn who leaned on one of the ropes. 'It's Torhild.' He smiled secure. Hvitserk shook his head, looking back in front of him.
'She lost a lot Björn.'
'But she has a lot to fight for to.' He gave Hvitserk a firm pet on the shoulder before he walked to the back of the boats. Hvitserk looked back in front of him, to the beacons that lighted the edges of that castle. The boats slipped through the water, hardly making any noise while sailing closer to the back of that castle. From where they sailed in the water you hardly could see anything of the battle that was going on.
'This plan of Ivar better works out.' Harald said from on his boat. Hvitserk hated and doubted his brother on many levels but not if it came to battle strategies.
'It will.' Björn reassured them both. Hvitserk leaned his head on his hand, looking to the castle and asking himself the same question on and on, would it be better if he had kept Torhild home? That question broke his heart every time over. But the more they sailed closer, the more he clenched his hand around his sword, making up his mind, making himself ready for battle.

The big ladders Floki made fitted perfectly against that wall. Björn pulled his axe and climbed up as first while the other ships docked against the wall and did the same. Hvitserk looked up to the wall, following his brother to the top. It was silent up there, nobody kept watch, all pulled in to the battle at hand. He jumped over the stone wall and pulled his sword, covering the full length of the wall while the others climbed up to. He crouched down aside his brother who looked over the big courtyard, the battle at the gates.
'This will be a lot easier than we expected it to be.' Björn noticed with a frown.
'Nothing is suspect to be easy, definitely if they learned enough from our manors in battle, I tell you, this won't be the last of it.' Hvitserk whispered. Björn looked aside to him before he spit on the ground and stood up again.
'Take the left; we will go down from this side. Kill every last one of those soldier.' Björn announced. Hvitserk nodded and pointed his part of the army to the left. As soon as they began to take the stairs down somebody noticed.
'They come over the wall, we are under attack!' Somebody yelled. An arrow flew past him, hitting the yelling soldier right in his throat. But the alarm was sounded, the soldiers fighting at the gate turned around to fight them. Hvitserk smiled because of their panic, he pushed his sword through a soldier and kicked him against the wall. Maybe this was exactly what he needed, steam off all his frustrations into battle. The Vikings started running down. The numbers where already so small that he was almost sure this would be a victory. He saw his brother on the other end chopping his way through the soldiers. Hvitserk fought his way through them to his brothers.
'There isn't any Lord here.' He shouted. Björn started to look around, grunting while he chopped somebody's head clear off.
'Go check out the castle, we got this.' Björn nodded towards the wooden doors. Hvitserk pulled away from an arrow, grabbing his axe and throwing it right in the face of the one who tried to kill him. He whistled to some of his men and pointed towards the wooden doors. It took them some time to get in but when they did they encountered another handful of soldiers, what meant there was more down here. Hvitserk walked through the hallway, his sword leaved a bloody mark over the ground while he and his man searched.
'Go up.' He commanded some of them. They split up, half of them searching up and down while he and some others kept walking through the hallway. They came at a door, guarded by a couple of other soldiers. Two of them ran right at him, pushing him with all the power against the wall. Hvitserk gasped, folding his hands around the sharp blade that leaned against his throat, ready to slit in. He closed his eyes when he felt the blade get into the flesh of his both hands before some of his men killed one of them and he was free to kill the other. He hissed in anger, pushing those doors open only to see ... 'What are you doing here?'
'Hvitserk, you need to help me.' Elisabeth ran from the throne but fired right back by the chains she was imprisoned with. No lords and they left lady Elisabeth here, Ivar's former lover? What did they expect that would happen?
'Why? You betrayed us.' He reacted, walking closer to her, looking skeptical around, was this a trap?
'I was forced to. Please Hvitserk, I beg you, don't kill me.' She fell on her knees and started crying. Hvitserk walked over, crouching before her, he pulled her chin up with his fingers.
'I don't kill woman. But you have to tell me what this means.' He asked while looking to her chains. One of his men came closer, giving his axe when Hvitserk gestured for it. He laid her chains on the ground and gave her a promising look while bringing his arm back with the axe before letting it smack down on the chain. It broke right in the middle, leaving her still imprisoned around her wrists but at least she could run of if she wanted to. 'Tell me.' He insisted, helping her up. She wiped away her tears before looking up to him. Torhild was never as fragile like Elisabeth was, not even in her deepest moment.
'This is a trap.' She announced, while grabbing for his elbow. Hvitserk looked down to her long graceful fingers holding tight to him.
'What are they planning?'
'They knew you would bring the heathen army here. And while you are here fighting they will travel to the settlement.' Why? Hvitserk looked at her before he realized why.
'Raynor.' And that one name settled the panic right back in his chest.
'They are planning on taking him, force Torhild out. They want to burn down the whole settlement, the whole kingdom Lord Edward has, the harbor, your ships, everything. You need to warn the others.' She insisted.
'Why are you telling me this?'
'Because my brother betrayed me. Ivar never did, Vikings never did but my own flesh and blood did. Please let me come.' Nothing more than a soft begging on the end. Hvitserk pulled her on her elbow after him back through the hallway. 'Will they kill me?' She asked when they landed right in the middle of a dying fight again.
'I'll make sure they won't.' He promised her. They looked at each other for a moment and she smiled, relieved before he pulled her with him.

There weren't many soldiers left except for out of the gate. Björn slayed those last couple of soldiers, blood everywhere, bodies everywhere. Elisabeth walked after him, dress up, shocked by the amount of dead around her.
'Her?' Björn asked when he turned around.
'We have a problem, where is Torhild?' He asked, gazing over the last remaining soldiers fighting against the Vikings. He noticed his brothers chariot, Ubbe but Torhild wasn't there. Ivar leaned over the edge, shocked and when Hvitserk his eyes trailed to the ground he saw her, Torhild, bend over another body. In that moment his heart skipped a beat but as soon as he saw how Torhild got up he knew what this meant. His eyes went back to the body. 'Not Ase.' He whispered. Aside him and Ivar there was only one person who meant more to her and it was Ase. She was as a sister to Torhild, her right hand, her loyal servant, Ase was everything and know they took that away to. And not only to Torhild, he felt his heart crack under her death. 'Stay here.' He said to Elisabeth while walking over. How much he wanted to embrace and comfort her, he knew this wasn't the time and by the looks of it she wasn't in the mood either. 'Torhild.' He said. She turned away from Ivar his chariot and looked up to him. But her eyes didn't stay long on him, she looked to Elisabeth.
'What is she doing here?' She asked, flat, angry. Hvitserk looked up to his brother who clenched is teeth, seeking for something to kill ... but everything was dead.
'We have a problem.'
'She is my problem.' Ivar pointed to the girl.
'There isn't any Lord here, nobody. She was imprisoned on a chain in the throne room. This is all a trap, they are marching for the settlement.' He repeated Elisabeth her words.
'Raynor.' Torhild jerked her head around and looked up to Ivar, he was relaxed and smiled soft, cleaning the axe he hold.
'I was anticipating that.' He announced.
'You knew they would go to the settlement?' Hvitserk asked him confused.
'Always think three steps ahead brother. I knew they wouldn't hold their whole army here, not without trying to be as smart as we are.' He was a little proud of the fact he was right again. But the only thing Hvitserk could do was looking at him, anger already crawling up his chest.
'You let a whole army march back to the settlement where my son is with Floki and a handful others.' Torhild asked him so calm Hvitserk knew she was beyond her anger. The loss of Ase couldn't be good for her but this ... he used Raynor as bait.
'He is perfectly safe, he knows what to do.' Ivar tried to comfort her.
'You gave him instructions? He is four Ivar, you left him there to die.'
'But he is also with Floki, I wouldn't let them alone if I wasn't sure that he would be in any danger.' Ivar hissed back.
'Fighting won't help the cause, we need to get as fast as possible.' Björn stopped the argument. Torhild walked away, looking for a horse and Hvitserk turned to Ivar again.
'If something happens to Raynor, I will kill you.'
'Sure brother, go fetch your little princess over there and give her a horse before she drops dead halfway the travel.' Ivar reacted. Hvitserk rested his eyes on the dead body of Ase, sure Valhalla would welcome such a shield maiden as her with open arms. He turned back, gave Ivar a deadly look before he turned around, walking back to Elisabeth.
'Find yourself a horse.' He commanded her. Torhild pulled a horse after her and Hvitserk stopped her from walking further.
'Hvitserk please.' She hissed impatient.
'He is our son more than he is Ivar's and I love that boy with my whole heart. If somebody does him harm I will kill them, even if that is the man you love.' He warned her. She looked at him and he could she her heartbreak hidden within. She nodded before she pulled herself in the saddle. He let loose of the reins and looked how she cantered away. 'Ivar and his stupid plans always.' He groaned, pulling himself in the saddle of a horse Elisabeth gave him.
'He loves that boy to, I'm sure Raynor will be alright.' Elisabeth tried to comfort him.
'I hope it for him.' Hvitserk murmured. A big part of the army took the boats again, because they travelled faster, the others gathered all the horses they could find, driving them to the point of exhaustion while they marched back to the settlement. Like he foresaw ... it went way to easy.

Here I am again!
Let's say I never missed something so badly than writing further on this.
Got kicked down from my horse last week and after thinking everything would turn out alright it didn't. Got some bad docteradvise that included a pretty good concussion and a whiplash so I needed to stay home a week, rest, no laptop use, no horse riding again. It was the hell! Lived on painkillers and a lot of sleep but finally, since friday I feel up to writing again so here I am! 
Sorry you had to waith so long in this fired up battle, I promise to be back from now on. ;-)