Freya Ironside, Gifted by the Gods

Reaching Valhalla

All where they had intended to fight had been covered by a thick mist, coming to their favour.

Ivar's eyes were deep blue more often than rarely those days. He hurt himself, he walked rashly to them after aching and grunting, longing for a seat.

"Your eyes are very blue, Ivar. You should rest" said Hvitserk trying to make him slow down with all the preparations he was looking after but his brother looked lost in his thoughts and pain.

"Ivar?" called Hvitserk and then he turned to all of them, "I know how to do it" he said, "Huh?" asked Hvitserk, "I know how to win" added Ivar and King Harald gave him a pat on the arm and said, "What are you going to do?" "I'm going to cripple them" he said cheerily while Freya tried to imagine how.

"I don't understand, what do you mean you want to cripple them?" asked King Harald, "If we kill five hundred Saxons then we just kill five hundred Saxons, if we manage to cripple and injure five hundred Saxons but not kill them, then it will take a thousand more Saxons to come and rescue them. That is three times the amount of warriors and all at our mercy" he explained, "But how can you be sure that King Alfred will try to rescue them?" asked Hvitserk and both her and Ivar knew he would have, "Because he is a Christian, he cares about them and to make it worse, I shall take his Queen" said Ivar eagerly, "Impossible, she will be heavily protected" said King Harald, "How do we get past the Queen's guard, I mean –'' said Hvitserk, "That's simple, we just walk right up to her and take her" said Ivar confidently, King Harald laughed, "You are crazy, you truly are crazy" he said.

Freya couldn't handle it anymore, "You will do no such thing" she snarled, "Yes, I will" said Ivar calmly, "I forbid you" she said sternly, he looked at her challengingly, "If you have even an ounce of love left for me in you, you will promise you won't take her" she said, he stared at her, then at Hvitserk and then at King Harald, "Very well, I won't have my grand ending, for you" he swore lovably bitter. She was relieved, at least for that.

They began to prepare the traps to cripple their enemies right away. Freya, King Harald and Hvitserk were walking through the forest where they would have fought to make sure their men were working fast enough for everything to be ready in the next three days when Alfred's forces would have arrived. "I must admit, Ivar does come up with great ideas" said King Harald offering her his hand to walk past a ditch, she took it and took a leap over to the other side, followed by Hvitserk. They kept walking, "So, you're sure you won't fight?" asked King Harald, "We could use you" he added, "Oh, I am fully aware of that" she said with a small laugh, "But I am afraid I have made up my mind about this" she finished.

*

It was time for battle. Ivar had come up with a marvellous plan for them but not so intriguing for King Alfred; the traps to maim the Saxons soldiers and to cripple them had been planted and once at their mercy, Ivar was sure that Alfred wouldn't have left his men at the enemy's mercy and that he would have gone to their help, thus allowing Hvitserk assaulting them from behind after they had remained hidden in the ground, under Alfred and his men.

Hvitserk walked to her that morning, confident and with a certain shine in his eyes, he loved to fight. He took her hands and put his forehead onto hers, still smiling and trying to calm his nerves, "I love you" he just whispered, she met his eyes and smiled brightly for a split moment, "I love you" she told him proudly. He kissed her gently, yet almost suffocating her with his love, he pulled back and looked at her one last time before leading his men to their hiding place, she watched him go, calm, knowing he wasn't fighting as an enemy this time. Ivar was being helped onto his station for the battle, a platform on the trees, while Freya wished good luck to the remaining part of their army.

King Harald was happy to part with a quick nod but Freya called him back, "King Harald?" she said making him turn to her, "Does Ivar want you to tell me something I should know before the battle?" he asked, "No" she said with a smile standing inches from him, she took his hand and knowing that might have been one of the last times they saw each other, she kissed him, almost too briefly for him to fully absorb the moment.