Virago - Ivar The Boneless

Secrets

Returning to the battlefield, Little Bear stood at the front. She was between Ivar and Hvitserk, her eyes trained forward, her hands ready for battle. She had a small knife in her left hand, a left sword in her right, her shield on her back. She stared forward, watching as Ubbe, Bjorn and Halfdan made their way through their own army. Iona closed her eyes and smelt the air, there was a strong wind and a faint smell that caught her attention. 

"What do you think?" She heard King Harald speak. 

Opening her eyes, she looked at her brother. She wondered what he was thinking. If they met on the battlefield, would he kill her without hesitation? Little Bear did not know, but when it came to Ubbe, she hoped their blood was stronger than that. 

"I have a feeling Bjorn is playing a game," Ivar told Harald as he looked forward. 

Harold looked up at Ivar, "What kind of game?"

Little Bear closed her eyes again, blocking out the sound as she felt the air around her. She tried to calm her body as she breathed in a shallow manner. Peace, it was all peace before the battle. 

Her moment was interrupted when Hvitserk nudged her, she opened her eyes and looked at Hvitserk who headed off to the left. Her eyes looked up at Ivar, Astrid was now on his chariot, he gave her a small nod before he snapped his reins against his horse then headed off to the right. 

As the army dispersed in different differents, Iona looked at Harald and Heahmund, the two who were left to lead this army forward. She didn't know if she was meant to follow someone, she didn't know what Ivar was thinking, she'd not been listening but she knew that he always had a plan when it came to battle. 

Ivar looked back at the young blonde as his chariot headed forward. The drums of war were loud in his ear as his horse led them away. He didn't know why she had chosen to stay there but he knew she could look after herself. She was one of the most skilled women out there, he also knew she was coming up against bigger people than herself. He turned his head forward as she focused on where he was going, hoping, praying to Odin that she would be safe. 

Little Bear looked at Harald who nodded at her. He would be the only one here who had her back. 

She followed his lead as he led them forward several paces being halting. 

Her breath was heavy as she stared forward, her brother looked dark as he looked up and over at her. She heard him shouting as he moved his sword. Then Ubbe's army started to run forward. Harald gave the order, letting everyone run past him and into battle. 

Iona closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she headed forward. She knew better than to run, she wasn't going to waste her energy that way. She found herself against people, her efforts minimal as she took them down. 

She was covered in blood as she took down a few at the back, her large sword doing a lot of damage before she felt a slice on her right shoulder. She didn't scream, instead, she turned before finding herself opposite a random shieldmaiden. She swung wildly at the woman with her large sword, her sword slashing at the woman. When the woman before her fell to the floor, Iona looked up, she spotted her mother in battle but she was far away. 

Iona's eyes narrowed as she sniffed the air. 

As she started towards her, she found herself getting into small battles with men and women who seemed to be stopping her. She was like a rabid dog as she used her small knife to take people down, her sword stabbing into their necks and eyes as she jumped upon on. 

She came face to face with Ubbe, her eyes wide as he stared at her. Between them, there were mere inches. She held her hand up, her small knife in it as she took a deep breath. "I don't want to hurt you," she clenched her fists as she looked at her friend. 

"I loved you as I loved my brothers," Ubbe told her. 

As she opened her mouth to reply, her knife high in the air, she heard Harald calling for a retreat. For a moment, she looked away from Ubbe, letting her guard down as she looked for Harald. She knew better than this, maybe she believed Ubbe wouldn't harm her when her back was turned, but she was wrong. Ubbe raised his sword, he couldn't kill her but there was an alternative. As he went to land a blow on the back of her head with the hilt of his sword, Iona turned to face him raising her own sword to protect herself, blocking his sword with her own. 

Ubbe called out loudly as he removed his sword and stopped someone from attacking the blonde before turning back to her, hitting her in the back seeing her stumble forward into the wet ground below her. 

Little Bear started to panic, she was trying to scramble to her feet but she was stopped. Ubbe put his knee into her back holding her in place as she thrashed against him trying to get free. "You can't do this!" She tried to strike back with her knife but she couldn't reach him, Ubbe reached her though, snatching her weapon from her grip. "Ubbe, you can't do this!"

He reached for both of her wrists as the other opposite side started to retreat, the ones who were alive anyway. "This is best for you, I promise." Ubbe was strong as he held her down, "Away from Ivar you will be safe, back with your mother, you'll be where you belong." Once he was satisfied there was no one who could save her, Ubbe pulled her to her feet. 

"Get away from me!" Little Bear tried to push him away from her, her voice loud as she tried to attract attention. She hoped that wherever Ivar was, he could hear her. "Ubbe, let me go!" 

Bjorn approached grabbing hold of his younger sister, gripping both arms as she tried to step back from him. "You belong with us, you are the daughter of Lagertha, you will return with us to Kattegat." His voice was rough as he showed his strength by holding the blonde in place. 

"Let her go, Bjorn." 

Everyone turned their heads to see Astrid approaching via horse. Bjorn removed his hands from the blonde but looked back to his sister. His voice dropped to a whisper as others watched on, "Ivar will not let you live. You are merely a pawn in his game, everything he has let you do is for a reason."

Little Bear looked at her brother before she looked around, her mother was watching from a distance, her hands on her hips as she stood beside Halfdan. Iona returned her attention to her brother, "You are wrong." She shook her head as she smirked. "We shall meet again, Bjorn." 

She stepped back, "Bjorn is right. We are your family."

"You have always been a good friend," Little Bear reached forward and stroked the face of Ubbe. "But Ivar and I, you know it's more-"

"It's dangerous!" Ubbe interrupted as he stepped away from the young woman. 

Lagertha sauntered over, checking out the scene before her. "Iona, you should come home. We have much to discuss." She held out her hand to her young daughter. 

Little Bear stared at the hand, she narrowed her eyes as she took in a deep ragged breath. "I have nothing to say to you," the young blonde said as she looked away from her mother. 

"There is a conversation we need to have," Iona's mother spoke in a harsh tone. "It would be best had in private."

Iona looked at her mother with a strange curiousty, she was intrigued, wanting to know what her mother may have to say. Turning her head, Little Bear glanced up at Astrid. Little Bear didn't think she would have been this conflicted. What if her mother really did have something important to tell her? What if this was her opportunity to get closer to her mother and do what she'd planned to do all this time? 

Turning back to her mother, Little Bear shook her head. "I can't come with you, there is nothing more to say." 

"I have lied to you," Lagertha admitted to the blonde. 

Closing her eyes, Little Bear struggled with the emotions within her. The fire inside her burned, it was slowly squeezing her from the inside as she tried to reason with herself. Being with Ivar was all she wanted, it just felt right. "What do you mean?" Iona opened her eyes as she stared at her mother. She couldn't see her eyes, but others could, a deep dark black taking over her blue iris'.