Merciful || Ivar the Boneless

t h i r t y s i x

It would have been a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, few clouds here and there. Older women were at their homes with children in Kattegat. Some of them were praying to gods for a safe return of their husbands and sons. Children, on the other hand, didn't understand why they had to stay at home when the weather was so nice. They begged the women to let them go and play outside but that wasn't an option. 

Floki was watching over the people in Kattegat, his eyes constantly searching for an intruder. Two men showed up and he managed easily to kill them with his ax. He wasn't alone, few other men stayed behind to protect their loved ones. They weren't the youngest but they were for sure the most experienced. 

Ivar and his men didn't let anyone pass them. Those two who escaped were hiding the whole time and then they ran away like cowards. They probably didn't even know how to fight properly, they looked young and inexperienced but that doesn't matter in a battle. There is no such a thing as empathy in war or any battles. It's either kill or be killed. Ivar knew that and Eira knew that. 

While the crippled Viking was on the ground killing anyone that came closer, Eira hid behind one tent that was still standing. She was trying to catch a breath. Her heart was beating like crazy thanks to the adrenaline circulating through her system. Once she managed to calm down her breathing and set her mind straight, she looked around for a weapon that might come into use. All she had was a small blade and Ivar's blade which wasn't much. It would have been enough for a one on one fight or even to kill two men but she had to take down much more. 

Jarl was still hiding behind his men, backing away, trying to mingle out of this alive. There was no such an option for Eira. There was no way she would let him walk away. Her eyes spot an ax few feet from her, in a hand of a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood from his detached leg. He wasn't moving, probably dead. She crouched down and swiftly moved towards him. When she reached out for the ax, his hand moved up, towards her head but she was quick enough to step on his arm as hard as she could, the action accompanied by the sound of his bone breaking. He yelled in pain, letting go of the ax. 

Eira grabbed her blade and quickly stabbed him in the heart to end his misery. After all, her name means Merciful. 

With an ax in one hand, she looked further. There was an okay looking shield on the ground. She quickly jumped towards it, her eyes cautiously watching everything around. It was heavier than she expected. 

Eira slowly turned around to get a better look at the Jarl. He was now further away from her, still backing away. On her right, there were bushes so she used them as a cover to get easily towards her target. 

There were still five men surrounding Jarl Bjarke. Five was an alright number. Eira could work with five. 

Somehow she unnoticed got almost to Jarl Bjarke. Her leg hit something. She looked down to see a dead body of a boy younger than her. A bow and two arrows laid next to him. Eira immediately grabbed those items to use them. She shot an arrow in one of Jarl's men right where his heart was. He fell to the ground unknowingly what hit him or who killed him. Jarl's face changed the second his man got hit. A pure fear and shock paralyzed his face. 

Eira shot the other arrow right after the first one, hitting the same spot on a different man. And then there were three. 

Eira dropped the bow and grabbed the ax and the shield again, making a run for it. Jarl Bjarke noticed her, screaming at his men to cover him and to kill Eira. Two men ran towards Eira. Both holding swords. One swang at her, which she blocked with her shield while throwing her ax at the other man. Hit. Right in his forehead. 

Two more. 

The sword of the attacking man kept hitting her shield. Eira was annoyed by him already so she kicked his knee as hard as she could, causing him to lose his balance. Eira used the opportunity immediately, with her shield in front of her she jumped on him. The sword fell on the ground. Eira grabbed her shield tightly and with its edge, she started to hit his head repeatedly until there wasn't much left of his head. She was covered in blood, her shield was dark red.