Shield maiden ~ Vikings

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The Rus army marched home to Kiev in geat shame after their embarrassing defeat in Kattegat, even abandoning the Kingdom of Vestfolk that they had conquered.

Prince Oleg the Prophet of Kiev watched in fury as his soldiers embraced their loved ones once within the safety of Kiev's walls. "Enjoy your families!" He called, gritting his teeth and adding, "While you can." in a mutter.

He dismounted his horse and immediately gave an order for young Igor to be taken to his room, and kept there.

*

Aila would go see how Avan and his men were later. First, she went to find Katia, the woman she had entrusted with her child.

A sight of relief left her lips when she found Katia on the floor of her chambers, playing with little Red Ragnar in her lap, smiling and laughing.

Katia looked up at the sound of her door opening, and gasped playfully, lifting Ragnar up. "Look, your mama is back. Look, Ragnar." Katia urged.

Ragnar looked up, and his red eyes lit up while a wide smile spread.

"I promised to keep your son safe, and I did. He is safe and well." Katia said softly.

Aila kneeled down in front of Katia and the now reaching Ragnar. "Oh, thank you." Aila breathed. "Thank you so much." She thanked the Rus Princess. "Ooh, I missed you more than you will ever know." Bloodeye took her son in her arms and kissed his cheek. "I will never leave for that long again."

Someone nervously cleared their throat at the door, and a soft voice said, "Princess Katia, Prince Oleg demands you speak with him."

Katia nodded, standing up. She welcomed Aila back to Kiev, then left to see her husband.

Oleg sat with his armor still on, a look of rage and disbelief on his face. He was mumbling to himself, eyes frantically panning back and forth across the floor as if the answer was written down there and he was searching for it.

"We were defeated!" Oleg hissed lowly.

Katia shook her head. "It's not possible."

"We were defeated by a dead man." Breathed Oleg.

She frowned. "I don't understand."

"The great Björn Ironside!" Oleg mocked. "He was dead, but appeared in front of his army like the resurrected Christ. Our soldiers panicked. They ran away. But it was the officers who were the worst cowards."

Katia softened her tone and put a soothing hand on Oleg's thigh. "But if he was dead-"

"It doesn't matter!" He snapped. "They must be punished. Those responsible. It's not possible for us to be defeated. It won't happen again. It will never happen again!" Oleg yelled, makif Katia flinch back.

It was not long after that Oleg's mind wandered to that stupid boy in his care, and the blasted vikings he had grown attached to.

Igor was in his room, where Oleg had commanded him to stay at.

The Prophet, in a blinding rage, sent men to turn Igor's room to hell. Three men marched into the young Prince's chambers and turned it upside down. "What do you want?" Igor demanded from his spot on the bird's nest replica, but was ignored. Igor's desk was thrown across the room and broken in half, his puppets were slammed to the floor and stomped on, his bed was flipped upside down, and his bookshelf was pulled from the wall. "Go away! I command you to go away! No!" He cried. "No! No! No!"