The cripple and the shieldmaiden

// 25 //

'I will pray that she wakes up soon.' Torhild her eyes slowly opened, still a little dizzy from her sleep. She slept to much, a sign that her body hardly was recovered.
'And I will pray for you if she don't.' Ivar replied the earlier voice. Who was he talking to? She forced her body up, squeezing her eyes together when she felt the wound protest on her movements. Torhild was tired of laying down despite the fact that she just was awake for twentyfour hours. Aside Hvitserk and Ivar she hadn't saw anybody. She forced her body in the same position as yesterday, the cold against her feet chased the goosbumbs over her arms. She wrapped an arm over her stomach, trying to ignore the pain she felt, the certain nausea running through her body. There wasn't a replie on what Ivar had said, only the distinct voice of hooves and what sounded like a lot of manpower behind it. Torhild grabbed the wall, pushing her body up, stading still a little to catch her breath.
'Come on.' She muttered against herself. But then she felt it, somebody staring at her in the back. She slowly turned around to look at Ivar. 'Who was outside?' She asked, hoping he wouldn't make a scene over the fact she stood up.
'None of your concerne. Back.' He pointed towards the bed. She slowly turned around, her hand still on the place the wound was.
'Don't keep me in the dark. Who was it?' She instisted. He looked impatient but it wasn't in the good way, it was like he was going to kill somebody with it.
'Don't test my patient, there is but so little I can handle right now. Get back in the bed.' He said with a low warning voice. And it was that little of low warning in his voice that got her back to the bed. She knew Ivar the best, she knew when not to argue. When she carefully sat down again she saw that the wound bleeded through the bandage. 'See.' He turned around towards the door again. 'Ase, in, help her.' He commanded Ase who appeared in the doorway. 'Don't mess it up.' He warned her before crawling out. Ase looked after Ivar before she walked in, rolling her eyes.
'I could kill him.' She sighed before she pulled a bright smile on her lips and walked over to the bed. 'I'm so glad that you are awake.' Folding her hands shortly around Torhild's hand before she looked to the bandages. 'You need a new one.' She pointed out, getting everything together. Tolhild rested on her elbows, looking down to her own stomach where Ase slowly took the bandages away. She swallowed when she saw the wound and she even felt in on the other side. Blood dripped over her stomach down and Ase carefully dabbed away.
'Was he so bad?' Torhild asked. Ase looked up, her long black hair braided into a knot, still wearing her warriors outfit.
'Ubbe said that he was different when he killed Sigurd, he was distant afterwards but was still angry, sarcastich. Now he was,' She felt silent and sighed again. Torhild studied her friends face eager to get more answers to her question. Ivar seemed distracted, he was diffrent, a little off maybe. 'We didn't saw him much. We thought he would kill half the village but he didn't he was here or nowhere. Still, not so sarcastic as usual and less focust. But don't worry, he is his old back since he left you sleeping yesterday.' With her last words she rolled her eyes. Torhild flinched a little when Ase smeared some of the ointment on the wound. 'Sorry.' She said. Torhild shook her head and layed back again staring to the ceiling.
'What did I miss? Why is nobody telling me?'
'You missed nothing, that's it. You waked up on the right time, the fun will start tonight.' She answered with a promesing smile. Torhild felt some excitment only to be remind afterwards that she barly could stand and just had to have some fun in this bed.
'And my mother?' She asked after a while, feeling how Ase put some clean bandages on its place. But before Ase could reply on that the brotherhood stapped in. Ase lowered her shirt and helped Torhild to sit up a little.
'Sister.' Björn said with a hopefull smile, carefully embracing her.
'You still seem kind of pale Torhild.'
'What did you expect brother, that she would be jumping around again.' Ivar hissed towards his oldest brother. Ubbe gave her a promesing look and sat down in the chair while Hvitserk came sit aside her on the bed.
'I'm fine, or I will be when you tell me whats going on.' She comforted them, looking from the one to the other, ending with her brother. There were so much mixed signals among them, Ubbe looked relax, while Ivar was angry about something. Hvitserk was his usual charming self, Ase was rather curious and Björn, he switched to often looks with Ivar ... and it weren't good looks. 'Please, or I walk out myself and find out.' She pointed towards the door.
'Lord Edgar isn't dead yet.'
'I figured that out, looking to his face.' She nodded towards Ivar his angry glare towards her brother. 'But why? If I see that bastard I kill him myself, wounded or not. You know he was the one who stabbed me right?'
'Yes Torhild but,'
'King Aelthelwulf was here with a large force of his own to celebrate the victory. We couldn't do it.' Ubbe intterupted Björn, cutting to the case. She gave him a thankfull look.
'Mother is here, you have a heathen army, you could take them all and than just walk his kingdom in.' She turned back to her brother.
'For all the gods, finally, somebody who understands.' Ivar yelled out. Wasn't strange that he would do something like that, especially after what happened to her.
'Lagertha didn't agree. She wanted to waith until he was away, taking back the settlement first before we take Aelthelwulf.' Ubbe explained. Torhild tried to make herself comfortable without giving signs of pain, what was pretty hard to do. But now they said it ... she recognized the voice from somewhere, just after she waked up. King Aethelwulf would pray for her ... now Ivar his words maked sense.
'He is gone now right?' Björn nodded. 'What are we watching for?' She followed. Hvitserk magical pulled an apple in sight and started to eat, amused by the whole conversation and her fight power.
'We take back the settlement tonight, mother will force the soldiers back in, slaughter them when they least expect it, we are going to kill the soldiers who sleep.' Her brother explained, changing short glares with Ivar.
'What is going on?' She asked, pointing towards the two of them.
'He wants to use you as bait.' Ivar said with a sharp voice. Torhild opened her mouth but nothing came out while she slowly turned her head towards her brother.
'It isn't bait. We need somebody who can keep Lord Edgar occupied.' He protested against the words of Ivar. Even better ... like she didn't was just stabbed by one of his men, her brother wanted that she talked to him.
'Do you even now what your asking.' She asked with a low voice, looking back up to him after she stared at the wall the whole time.
'I know, he stabbed you but Torhild, he has to have some focus. If he walks out, suspect something than the whole effort will maybe for nothing.' Björn explained. He maked his point but she wasn't willing to sit before that bastard of a lord while she remembered the feeling of getting stabbed all over again. That was why Ivar was so angry, he didn't agreed.
'I'm not going in alone.' She finally agreed with the plan.
'I stay.' Ase smiled reassuring.
'Me to.' Ubbe nodded. Torhild took a slow breath and looked back to her brother.
'You can't kill him.' He warned her. She smiled, a distant dark smile.
'I wasn't planning to.' She murmured, looking towards Ivar who pulled the corner of his mouth up, satisfied by the look she just gave him.

Some slave had braided her hair, got her in one of those fancy dresses so she had some attitude and power over all the pain she felt. It was the only comfort she had, her self confident had slinked a hugh amount after waking up. 'I will be allright, Ase and Ubbe are with me.' Torhild tried to reassure Ivar of the situation while she sat on the egde of the bed, trying out the movements of her body.
'Oh shut up Torhild.' Ivar reacted angry. She wrapped her fingers around his chin, jerking his head her way, looking angry.
'I will let him suffer so much in the idea that he will walk out alive before you get the pleasure of killing him. I want you to kill him, there is nobody more capable in that than you.' She promised him. His anger drifted away a little, maked place for that intens look, the darkness edging his blue eyes. 'You just have to make me one promise.' She got further. Her fingers let his chin loose, stroking his jawline while she drowned in the confident darkness of his eyes. That was the Ivar she needed now, the ruthless one, the one who didn't knew mercy. She needed some of that.
'What is that?' He asked.
'Make him suffer.'
'For you,' he felt silent, pulling her face closer, pressing his lips against hers. Not so tender, not so sweet but a kiss that went deep, a kiss only Ivar could give. She felt overpowered by it. 'Everything.' He whispered. She opened her eyes, looked at the smug smile around his lips and she smiled back, hardly capable of leaving his eyes when Ase and Ubbe walked in.
'Ready?' He asked not paying any attention on what was going on between her and his younger brother.
'Good luck.' She said to Ivar. He just leaned back, his self confident almost taking power of his body and it was Torhild who gave it to him, just as he gave her enough to handle Lord Edgar. Torhild had to support on Ase and Ubbe to make it to the great hall. Her body felt already tired but she tried to put it away.
'I walk myself in.' She said when they arrived before the great hall.
'You sure?' Ase asked. Torhild pulled her arms back from their shoulders and laid one on her stomach, lifting her head and taking a slow deep breath.
'I'm ready. Stay close.' She said with a short look towards the two of them, they both nodded supportive. Ase pushed the door open to the great hall and Torhild walked in. Her steps were a little unsteady and shaky but she managed to get herself on one straight line in the room. Lord Edgar sat on the throne, the throne that belonged to her and her brother. Ubbe walked aside her, close enough to help her if needed. But she felt quite good, especially when she saw his shocked look. Her eyes didn't show any emotion, her appearance distant and almost cold.
'Princess Torhild.' He stammered.
'Lord Edgar, we need to talk.' She almost itterupted him, placing her dominance above his. Björn was right, she was the bait that they needed and she felt more than saticfied with his look and the idea of Ivar killing him ...