The cripple and the shieldmaiden

// 13 //

Torhild took her axe that rested against the wood and walked after Ase. They where with twenty shieldmaidens and all of them were heavily armed with hair in long braids over their shoulders. Most of them carried a bleu shield, de colors from her mothers. Torhild felt ready for her first raid, despite that she was tensed. She knew she couldn't fail, not for herself, not for her mother or brother. But with Ase by her side who had been there for two years and longer it felt like a comfort, they had each others backs. The group walked over to where Björn was assembling the men ... and they were the only group of girls and woman. Eyes pierced through her and she felt the responsibility getting heavier every second they stared. Everybody wanted to see what became of the daughter from Lagertha and it was a heavy burden if she had Björn Ironside as an example. But the confident of the others girls gave her a little strenght enough to let the uncertainty vanish from her face. King Harald and Halfdan looked at her with a slight grin, probably asking themselves if she would make it. The others girls stayed with the men while Torhild and Ase walked over to her brother and the other leaders. She stood still besides the chariot of Ivar. 'You seem ready?' He said softly. She looked up to him, her eyes reflexting her tension. Ivar crossed his arms over the edge of the chariot, his head resting aside hers.
'The fact there where soldiers on the beach meant that they were watching us. They will be suspecting an attack and will be ready for it.' Björn began. Torhild turned her head and looked at her brother.
'What is our plan of attack?' Halfdan asked.
'It isn't heavily secured but it is a big village with four entry points. We split up in four, attacking each side of those gates.' Her brother explained. Torhild had heared the stories about the big heathen army and so she looked aside to Ivar, his face hardly inches removed from hers. He had maked the plan then, she was curious if he would interfere with the plans now from her brother. She piled his reaction on this, he nodded, not looking back.
'Did you got a person on the inside?' He asked Björn. Everybody looked at Ivar, like he was selling some fish or something. 'They could get reinforcements, we're going in blind.' He followed. He had a point. Normaly raiding would involve killing people and steeling but with the soldiers the encountered before his idea wasn't that bad. Why should you send your men to the beach if you could use them in the defenses?
'King Harald,'
'Me and my man take one gate.' Harald nodded. They ignored Ivar and she looked aside to him, to the anger running through his eyes. He clenshed his jaws, controlling his breath without going in to it. Torhild looked at Harald turning towards his brother who immidiatly turned to his men. They were all so organized, changing looks without changing words.
'Ubbe.' Pointed Björn towards the nord. 'Hvitserk and Ivar take the west, me and Torhild take the east.' Björn ended while looking at his sister, she nodded. Hvitserk changed looks with Ivar who grinned only on his own sarcastic way. Everybody got back to his men, Torhild pushed her body away from the chariot but Ivar pulled her softly back. She turned around looking at his fierce bleu eyes.
'Be careful, we don't know what we are walking in to. I need you alive.' He whispered pulling her closer than necessary. She studies his face and smiled a little.
'Don't get all soft on me Ivar.'
'I'm serious Torhild.' He reacted. She gave him a reassuring look and backed away.
'Be safe Ivar, we see each other on the raid.' She bowed a little and walked with Ase back to the girls.
'Be safe love!' She heared Hvitserk yell from on the other side of the square, knowing no shame. Torhild putted here axe in the air, waving towards him. Her brother had the biggest group, he turned to his sister being all practical.
'You seem ready.'
'By all the gods, why is everbody keep asking me that.' She rolled her eyes.
'You need to be sister.' He said straight on. She turned to him, looking up with onfident dark eyes.
'I am.'
'Than let's go raiding.' He said with a smug smile. He motioned his people in the right direction and everybody started walking.

The village was quite big and they hadn't any form of cover on the way to it. 'Shield wall!' Yelled Bjôrn. Torhild putted her shield up, keeping it in front of her, a long rank of colorfull shields ready to take some attacks. But when they moved closer there was nothing of an attack. Torhild looked through a slit towards the big wooden gate ... but nothing. She thought of what Ivar had said ... what if they got reinforcements? But there was no turning back from it, she wouldn't convince Björn and aside that, the others where on the other gates. Björn putted his fist up and everybody stopped walking. Torhild looked at the gate, it didn't look like it was strengthened. She looked aside to her brother who looked at her, asking himself the same question.
'One way to find out.' She shrugged. Björn lowered his shield, walking to the gate and pushing his hands against it. It swung open, he pulled his shield up right away in case of an attack but nothing happened.
'Be alert, search the place.' He commanded. Torhild nodded towards her shieldmaidens and they all walked in. She clutched her fingers around her axe, focused for what might come. Torhild walked besides some traiding stations, she held her hand over some coal.
'It's still hot.' She noticed, turning towards Ase who squatted beside a bowl of water.
'Also hot.' She nodded. Torhild turned around looking for Björn when she saw how the gates felt shut.
'It's a trap!' She yelled. Soldiers came from everywere, surrounding them all. Torhild and the others maked a circle, facing those soldiers.
'May the gods be with us.' Ase said.
'Attack!' And they attacked. Torhild smached her shield against a soldier, killing him by the blow before she dropped it and pulled her sword. She focused from the one soldier to the other without asking questions of the number of soldiers there were. Killing became quite easy when her own life was on the line. The soldiers drove them to the center, she saw Halfdan fight, even Ubbe. She slit a soldier through his stomach, turning to the next but he smached his shield against her head. She gasped, air pressing out her lungs when she felt with her back against the ground. Blood running from her nose and headwound, a little dizzy for several seconds. But then she saw the soldier came closer, she reached fort he knife in her belt, ready to use him when a white horse ran by, not seconds later the soldier dropped dead on the ground. Torhild rolled on her stomach, pushed her body up and grabbed her axe from the ground. Her eyes found those of Ivar, still with her knife in one hand she directed to one of the soldiers who wanted to attack him from behind. She trew the knife, hitting the soldier right in the chest without a change to kill Ivar. Ivar looked over his shoulder and then right back to her, she forced a smile on her lips before killing another soldier. She was out of breath and tired like hell. This were to much soldiers, they were more prepared than they all thought.
'Torhild!!' Torhild turned around, looking for her brother. 'Get out of here!' He commanded. She looked for Ase but wasn't nowhere to be found.
'I'm staying, I will fight beside you brother.' She yelled back, fighting of another soldier. But her movements got weaker, the blow to her head maked it harder to concentrate.
'Ivar, get her back to the settlement, assemble the other men and prepare for defenses for when they attack the settlement.' Björn fought his way to Torhild, grabbing her with her arm and pulling her towards Ivar his chariot. 'You are young, you will learn, go protect the settlement.' He said with a concerned voice. Torhild cursed and jumped on the chariot from Ivar. He spanked his reigns against the horse and it started to gallop through the fight. She saw some of her shieldmaidens ... lying, dead eyes staring back. She felt her stomach turned by the sight of it. Someone had mangeged to get the gate open and they galloped right throug it. How could this happened? Ivar looked over his shoulder towards her.
'I'm fine.' She answered his look.
'No you're not.' He reacted right away. She started trilling, shaking her head with his words. She saw the dead bodies of her friends, the blood, the way she had attacted those soldiers. 'Torhild.' She startled out of her thoughts, looking at Ivar again. 'You did good.' Did she?