The Youngest Ragnarson

Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

Ashter followed his father and brother to battle that day, unseen and unnoticed, hiding in the trees, agnar by his side, bow and quiver on his back. He hung on every move his father made, how he wished he could be fighting too. In the end he saw his father kill the Lord when a saxon boy maybe a few years older than himself came running, sword raised at earl ragnar. That caught ashter by surprise, why was a boy trying to attack his father? He took his bow from his back and an arrow from his quiver, drawing back the sting he took a breath before he let loose. Ragnar had already disarmed the boy when the arrow landed not two inches away. Young ragnar and his father looked up at that,
"Ashter... father I thought he stayed at home".
"He's wild son, you know that. Anyway the wind blows, he follows. This one's wild too."
Young ragnar looked at the boy still trying to harm his father once more and questioned,  "Are you sure he's a saxon? He fights like a dane."
They knocked the boy out with a blow to the head.

Both ragnars looked around again, trying to locate the youngest ragnarson.
"ASHTER RAGNARSON!", Ashter knew he was in trouble now so he chose to reveal himself to avoid further punishment. He jogged onto the battle field agnar keeping pace with him.
"I'm here father"
"I told you, you were not to fight"
"I didn't fight though! I watched from the trees"
Young Ragnar laughed at his brother,
"I'll take him home, father" young ragnar proceeded to lift Ashter onto his horse,
"I can do it myself you know" ashter grumbled crossing his arms, his brother just laughed.

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That night the celebrations were in full swing, Ashter sat with his grandfather up above the rest of the hall playing with the water in his goblet making shapes with it in the air.
"You're meant to drink that, youngwolf"
"I know grandfather", he didn't stop.
"I hear you missed a shot today, is that true?"
"The shot did what it was meant to. Scare the boy, which it did. And since when do I ever miss unintentionally?" Ashter had a cheeky grin on his face.

The scream of a king was heard in the background and ashter saw his father leading the boy through the hall to where he and ravn sat,
"Father, this is the boy I spoke of"
"The one who almost killed you..." ragnar started to leave.
"Youre leaving him with me?"
"I've never seen a man get the better of me yet-". That's when ashter chose to but in,
"I have", ragnar pointed a finger at his son
"You boy, are in trouble"
"I meant to miss"
"That's not what I meant" earl ragnar left.
"I'm going out" ashter stood ready to leave, fastening his cloak around his body.
"Agnar come" the wolf followed the boy down the steps and out the hall into the darkness of the night. Uhtred looked on at him in Curiosity, he had seen him making the water float.

Ashter returned when the celebration had ended his hand alight so he could see the way, there were dead men and drunk men on the floor. He led his wolf through and saw two other children on the stairs, a girl and the boy that was with his grandfather, they held hands. Ashter continued onto his room.

The following morning they returned to the battlefield, ashter riding alongside his brother and father. He saw the boy, Uhtred he learned was his name, he was collecting weapons. Ashter sat slouched on his horse between his father and brother.
"I'm thinking of keeping them both. The boy and the girl, they can help your mother" ragnar looked to his sons, "Disagree?"
"No, but we did kill his father and young ashter here nearly shot him" young ragnar voiced.
"And if he's an earldorman, we can sell him for ransom."
"Perhaps". It was then uhtred came trudging up the hill, broken and beaten weapons in hand. He lifted his head, only to see his father nailed to a post and ashter could hear an audible gasp before uhtred walked away and sat down in the grass.

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In liodis (leeds) both brida and uhtred had been put to work and ashter had been made to train harder. Thyra was plating ravns hair, young ragnar and ashter sat opposite
"Will there be time for uhtred to play?" Thyra had made a friend of uhtred, who was twelve making him two years younger than herself and 3 years older than ashter, but ashter tended to avoid him like he did with every other child in their settlement.
"Only when work is done" was their mother's response.

"I don't like our daughter having to play with the slaves" earl ragnar said to sigrid.
"They're only children"
"They have a place" sigrid brushed her husband off, "grumpy..."

Young Ragnar stood and left the hall following uhtred out, he mounted his horse and left after telling uhtred he won't teach him how to fight. Back in the hall ravn tried to ingage conversation with his grandchildren,
"What does the play involve?" He asked thyra.
"We built a hall in the gorge, i am a mistress and uhtred is a warrior"
"Not a servant?"
"It is a game!" Thyra insisted.

They were playing in the woods later that day, thyra, uhtred and brida. Ashter sat with agnar creating pictures with the flames in his hand when they all heard a noise in the distance,
"Did you see that?" Uhtred asked the others.
"Ashter? Uhtred?" Thyra called worried for her brother and to find out what was happening below.
"Stay up there" They began to be surrounded by other children, brida saw someone down the path, "Look!".
"Uhtred, what is happening?"
"Stay up there thyra. It's sven, he won't hurt you" uhtred reassured.
"But he'll kill us" came brida's response.

Sven ran at them sword raised,
"He'll kill us, run!" Uhtred and brida started to sprint in the other direction. They had run a fair distance before they heard thyra's scream,
"Uhtred! Uhtred!"

"Thyra", Ashter stood his ground against sven to protect his older sister using his powers to draw roots from the earth to keep sven and his goons away. All he had was his powers to defend himself from the boys who were five years his senior, Ashter had sent agnar back to the settlement for help. Sven had his goons bombard and beat nine year old ashter, who was being held up by his arms while sven backed thyra up against a tree.

Sven ripped open thyra's dress, she sobbed while ashter struggled even more against the boys holding him,
"Let my sister go! Sven, you clotpole! Don't touch her". Sven laughed then turned around punching ashter in the gut,
"Be quiet! You're an abomination, not blessed. If you're not quiet ill cut you" sven pulled out a knife. Ashter spat at sven, "urgh, you disgusting wolf boy, that's it". Ashter felt a sharp sting under his left eye and let out a cry of pain, before lifting his hand to svens wrist and burning it so he dropped the knife. Thyra let out another cry at the scene unfolding infront of her. Soon Uhtred came out of nowhere and tackled sven to the ground.

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Uhtred and brida were sat by the fire when young ragnar walked past
"Whats this? You been fighting again?"
"Yes" uhtreds face was bruised.
"With sven?"
"Kjartans son?" Sigrid asked.
"Yes" came the answer again.
"Uhtred, he's much bigger than you." She scolded like the mother she is.
"He's a trud"
"Why do you say that?"
Ravn spoke up now, "who started it?" Silence.
"Who began the fight?"
"I began the fight" was uhtreds response to ravn. Uhtred huffed exasperatedly.
"For no other reason than that he's a turd?"
"Danes have murdered for less"
"Uhtred that's enough!"
After the threat of being sold, uhtred wanted to eat but ragnar refused.

"Fighting is expected, disobedience is not". Then thrya spoke up when uhtred was hit,
"Sven began the fight", everything was then explained. How thyra and ashter were attacked and how uhtred fought sven. After hearing what happened Earl ragnar called for his youngest son who hadn't entered the hall since he returned, instead ashter had chosen to sit in the rafters of the barn while agnar sat by the door. "I'll look for him father" young ragnar assured.

"Youngwolf!" Ragnar called while stood outside. "Barn" was called from inside, ragnar recognised this as his brothers voice. When ragnar walked in he gave agnar a scratch behind the ear and looked to his brother who was layed on the rafter staring at the roof. "Show me your face"
"No" Ashter was curt with his answer
"Ashter I will not ask again unless you want me to get father" that had ashter sitting up and looking down to his brother who now had a clear view of the fresh scar under his left eye.
"I know ragnar. I'm weak and unworthy of being a worrior"
"No, your nine and still a boy. You have time. You have the skills, you just need the practice". What his brother said to him that night, stuck with the youngwolf.

Kjartan was sent away and Ashter had been able to get back his own on sven by watching his father take his eye. uhtred was soon brought for the wieght of earl ragnars sword in sliver and brought into the family as a son. from that day on ashter had tried to be more social and both young ragnar and uhtred became more protective of him and thyra.

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