The cripple and the shieldmaiden

// 9 //

Torhild stood beside her mother, watching the twenty shieldmaidens who would come with her to Engeland. It was her first raid and it would be with an responsibility over a very small part of the army. 'Don't forget to punish King Harald for me.' Lagertha said without looking at Torhild, her eyes were settled on Ivar who crawl over the pier towards the boat he shared with his brothers. Torhild followed that gaze of her mother to the man who was yesterday so nearby. If Lagertha would know of it she would propably punish her daughter herself. Nothing happened between her and Ivar, they just sat there, his head on her shoulder ... his warm breath against her neck. Ivar noticed that he was watched and turned his head towards Torhild and Lagertha. His face expressions were inscrutable, he and Lagertha changed looked that made Torhild walked away. Her brother stood besided Ubbe who smiled when she walked over.
'You look ready Torhild.' He noticed her confident in the steps she took.
'As ready as I can be.' She nooded while looking up to Björn. He was completly in his role as the leader of this army.
'Say your goodbye's sister.' He finally said while walking towards one of his men. Torhild looked him walk away before she turned her head to Ubbe again.
'You sure don't want Hvitserk his company on your boat?' He asked with a little grinn that brought a smile on her lips. Her eyes looked for Hvitserk, who sat crouched besides Ivar arguing about something.
'With all those woman on board? You want him to be distracted?'
'He has only eyes for you Torhild, besides, he will be distracted if you fight with us.' Ubbe responsed. Torhild didn't know what she had to thought about that. She looked over to the two boys and tried to overthink it. Ubbe was right, not only Hvitserk would be concerned about her safity, Ivar to. 'Keep an eye on Ivar, last time we were in Engeland he killed his brother,' Ubbe fell silenced, his eyes glaring towards his brothers. 'It can't happen again.'
'I will keep an eye on him.' Torhild nodded. Ubbe looked at her and smiled thankful before his eyes met the woman he loved and Torhild slowly walked away.

'Be safe the both of you. I will pray to the gods to give you a save passage, journey and return.' Lagertha had her hands on both Torhild and Björn cheek. 'Keep your sister safe.' She said to Björn. Torhild looked aside to her brother who nodded strongly.
'We will conquer mother.' He assurer her. Lagertha give him a ferm pat on the chest before she turned to Torhild.
'You are the princess of the great heathen army now, be strong, be confident, be letal and you will overcome.' Her voice was a little unsteady and Torhild let her arms ambrace her mother.
'Be fierce mother, even if you can't come, Kattegat needs the queen to grow.' She whispered. Lagertha stroke her hand over Torhild her long brown hair before she pulled back.
'You are just back and already I have to give you away again. Keep an eye on your brother.' Lagertha said with a look towards Björn.
'I keep an eye on all of them.' Torhild smiled. Her mother stroke her cheek a last time before Torhild walked to her brother and the other sons of Ragnar.
'Ready love?' Hvitserk laughed. Torhild felt Ivar his eyes burning in her body, the jealousy already causing trouble and they weren't in Engeland yet.
'If you call me one more time love, I chop your head off.' She winked. Björn and Ubbe laughed and Torhild turned around, giving Ivar a reassuring glance before jumping on her boat.

Being on the water wasn't the first time, being on the sea ... yes it was. Half the time she gazed over the blue ocean and caught herself on it to compare it with Ivar his deep bleu eyes. The sea was magnificent and for days there wasn't more than only bleu for as far she could see. The other shieldmaidens hadn't been on see either so everybody was pretty excited about it. Torhild sat against the egde, looking to the boat of her brother and the others while she was polishing her axe. Ivar hang over the edge, his head resting on it while his blue eyes gazed over the ocean. He found her glance and a little corned of his mouth found their way up. It wasn't a loving grinn, it was a grinn full of promises and spite. Torhild looked away from him to the darkened sky.

In nothing more than an hour the sea grew wilder, the wind caught the sails causing the ships to drift apart in the little storm there was. Torhild tried to held her eyes on the other ships but the unsteady waves in the night prevented every sight of her brother or the other ships. It wasn't a dangerous situation, with daylight they wouldn't have a problem keeping together. But the wind, the night, the waves caused the ships to break apart in the storm. 'What should we do?' Asked Ase. Torhild looked over her shoulder and gazed over the sea again.
'There is nothing we can do, we navigate like Björn told uss to do in the hope to find land, or at least find them back.' Yelles Torhild over the wind back. Non of the shieldmaidens were afraid but they all thought the same thing, they had no clue about Engeland and they were all alone now.
'Maybe when the sun comes up we find them back.' Suggested some of the other shieldmaidens. Maybe ... Torhild kept looking in the dark when the thunder brought the rain and they were totaly lost for now.
'If this is Thor's will so be it, we survive.' Called Torhild out. They would survive, offcourse they would. So the hours in the storm they spended pulling all their force in keeping the boat in check.

'Why would the gods do this to us?' Ase asked. Torhild looked away from the sea to her friend aside her.
'To test uss.' She answered quitetly. The sun came up several hours ago and aside the fact that they all survived ... no other boat was to be found. A clear ocean, no Björn, nobody to be found except for the land they were sailing towards. Torhild didn't showed the concern in front of the others but it was there. What if the others didn't make it? What if Björn was dead, or Hvitserk, or Ivar. He couldn't swim, what if he drowed like he almost did when he went with his father? She should take Ubbe's offer to take Hvitserk with her on the boat, at least he knew the land they were approaching, at least, if it was Engeland. 'We search the coastline for the others.' Pointed Torhild towards the beach.
'I don't know if that will be possible.'
'Why not?' But when Torhild asked the question, she saw. She saw a small group of riders galloping over the beach. It wasn't that they could hide or something.
'Fight?' Asked one of the woman. Torhild looked at the riders who had noticed their boa tand get of their horses. They had crossbows, swords, the good stuff.
'Will they kill us?'
'If we fight?' Torhild felt silent and nodded slowly. 'I think so.' She murmured.
'So we just surrender?'
'For now yes, we have to know were we are and how to escape. Maybe Björn and the others come looking for uss.' Torhild said. The boat hitted the sand and the men in front of the boat raised their crossbows.
'Get out.' One of them gestured towards the beach. Torhild looked aside to Ase.
'It would be handy if we knew what he just said.' She whispered.
'They are Vikings, capture them.' The men commanded the other soldiers. They approached the boat, lowered their crossbows to get in.
'Now is a good time to attack.' She decided. She grabbed her axe and trew it to the one men who still stood on the beach while the fight broke lose. She wasn't hardly here and already in trouble now. There wasn't a point to keep one alive, they couldn't understand him so they killed them all, swiftly and without any trouble. Torhild jumped out the boat, her face covered in blood while walking over to her axe that stick in the body of the dead men on the beach. She crouched beside him and looked at the seal on his clothes.
'Someone else!' Yelles Ase from the boat. Torhild pulled her axe loose and turned towards the horse that galloped over the beach towards them. One rider? She clenched her fingers around her axe, ready to attack until she saw who it was. She exhailed relieved when Ivar in his chariot approached. Torhild looked up at him when he stood still, his eyes gazed over the dead bodies.
'Already having fun?' He asked with a glare towards the dead men.
'I really wanna kiss you right now, I thought we lost you all.' Torhild said honestly. Ivar tilted his head, leaning on the egde of his chariot with crossed armes and a cocky smile.
'Why don't you?' He teased her. Torhild slapped him against the shoulder and looked over to the other shieldmaidens.
'Would be a story for my mother, kissing the only man who I don't have permission for kissing.' She explaind herself. Ivar rolled his eyes and sat right again.
'You're glad to see me.' He suggested, still going further on the kissing part.
'I am glad to see you Ivar.'
'Me to, you gave me quite the hart attack getting away like that.' He nodded towards the sea, like it was her fault that they were driffed apart. 'And I can't believe you already killed more people than me.' He got furhter with a stubborn look towards the dead soldiers. Torhild pointed the others in the correct direction before she turned to Ivar again.
'I won't leave your side again.' She promissed. He looked at her and shook his head a little relieved she was alright.
'The gods are testing you Torhild, don't test me.' He warned her. She didn't took it as a threat, she knew it wasn't one. It was just his way to say that she should stay close and listen and after what just happened, it was maybe not that bad an idea ...