Akin to Gods

chapter two

when ragnar had announced the return raid on paris, you had begged floki to let you go too. it was only fair, wasn't it? after all, ubbe and hvitserk were going and you were the same age as hvitserk was. you had given him and helga both your biggest puppy eyes, hoping to sway them into agreeing and it had worked.

when you had gotten your sacred arm-ring at The Thing and swore an oath to serve ragnar, your king, you had looked back at floki and helga, only to see them both shining with pride. even after the loss of angrboda and everything that had transpired between your family and ragnar, floki was still full of pride at you in that moment.

the voyage to paris had been amazing - finally you were getting to be on one of your fathers ships, a thing of pure beauty that everyone could amaze at. floki was respected for his skills and his ideas when it came to creation, and it was no wonder why. the boats sailed on the great waters effortlessly and there were times where all you wanted to do was peer over the sides, watching the waves roll beneath the boat. floki and other vikings taught you the mechanics of sailing on this trip and you took it all to heart, wanting to never forget the lessons.

upon the army's arrival in frankea, within site of the almost impregnable walls of paris, you did what you could to help set up camp - following floki and helga around, carrying what your little arms could manage. and when it was announced that you, ubbe, and hvitserk would stay behind to 'guard the supplies' you recognized it for what it was ; a reason to leave you all in safety. neither ragnar nor your father would risk the lives of children and you didn't disagree. but as soon as the warriors had left the camp, the frankish soldiers had come. sent by rollo, a traitor to his own people, to kill and destroy everything left behind by the warriors.

in the mass panic of the surprise attack, you were separated from helga and the others and driven towards the woods. with your heart beating in your chest, almost louder than the screams from camp, you had hidden yourself behind a tree. you would have stayed there, safe and sound, if it weren't for the screams so close to your hiding place. peeking around the tree you saw hvitserk - clearly he too had been separated from your people, but unlike you, he had been followed. a frankish soldier had gotten him away from his bow and now held him by the arm. you knew that his life would meet an early end if you didn't act, and act fast.

pulling the hammer from your belt - the beloved gift from your father, the one thing you never went anywhere without - you snuck up on the soldier, who now conveniently was leaning down towards hvitserk - and struck with all of your might. your hammer smashed into his face with a sickening crunch, the soldier's nose spurting blood as it broke under your attack. in surprise, he let hvitserk go and you didn't waste time thinking before you struck again and again and again. the soldier's face and head gave way under the assault, adrenaline giving you more strength than your little body had. and all too soon the soldier's head was cracked open, his blood and brain matter splattered on your hands and arms, a thick coating of it on your hammer.

there was no time to think about the fact that you had taken a life for the first time ever. instead you swallowed back the horror that threatened to rise within you and, one hand still grasping your hammer, the other grabs hvitserk's hand. you mean to pull him back to the camp, to the safety of others but he stops you - his brown eyes wide as he puts his free hand over the one you're holding his other hand with.

"swear on your arm-ring that from now on, you'll go wherever i go," he demands. and really, it should be him promising to follow you since you saved his life. but there's still fear in his eyes and even then, you could never say no to him.

lifting your left arm, the one holding your hammer so tightly that your knuckles were white under the blood, you nod. "i swear hvitserk. i'll follow you anywhere the gods lead you."