My fingers quickly folded each piece of cloth that sat in a large pile beside me. My mind wandered to where Helga had gotten off to, and finding Floki outside hammering into a large piece of timber. His back was tense, signaling that he was stressed. He'd been snappy with Helga recently, going so far to not even talk to her.
I finished the rest of the linens, setting them next to the basket and making my way outside. My eyes caught Floki's harsh stare, and I ignored him like usual.
"Em!" I turned to find Helga rushing up to me with a smile. The lower half of her maroon dress was wet, showing me that she had been in the water.
"Yeah?" She gripped my wrist and began pulling me towards town. I laughed and tried to keep up without tripping.
"Where are you taking me Helga?" I kept an eye out ahead of us, noticing a large group of people ahead. She let go of my wrist, hurrying ahead of me.
"You must meet Ingrid!" Her feet came to an abrupt stop, causing me to pummel into her. A bit of pain came from my abdomen, but for the most part it has healed.
Other than the huge group, there was a certain buzz around Kattegat. Bjorn and Hvitserk were getting ready for their trip to the Mediterranean, and now we have a new visitor.
"Who is Ingrid?" I wiped the dirt off of my new dress and glanced up. A blonde woman was riding up on horseback, a sword slung across her back. Her chin was held high, and her cobalt eyes darted back and forth between the people surrounding her.
"She is the daughter of one of the best shield maiden's that Kattegat has ever seen!" She whispered excitedly in my ear. I turned away from the woman to look around me.
I was half expecting to see one of the sons around here, but to my surprise, there's wasn't one in sight. I turned back in time to see Ingrid hop off of her horse. The horse itself was powerful looking, with silky white fur and large muscles in each leg. Helga jumped up and down excitedly, then bolted towards the woman while clapping her hands.
"Sister!" Ingrid exclaimed with a large smile. Helga jumped into her arms while I stood still.
"Sister?" I whispered to myself, turning towards the woods. That's when I saw Ubbe and Hvitserk appear from the darkness with mischievous smiles highlighting their faces. Sigurd came right behind them a few moments later, but there was no sign of Ivar.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard heavy footsteps approaching me. My torso swung around to find Helga and Ingrid there with happy expressions.
"Ingrid, I'd like you to meet Embla. She just arrived in Kattegat a little while ago." Her calculating eyes ran over the length of my body.
"Lovely to meet you Embla." She looked away quickly, holding her head high just like before. A growing aggravation made me turn away, watching Ubbe and Hvitserk. Ubbe watched me then turned to Ingrid with a small nod.
"Hello Ingrid." His voice was covered in restraint, and when I turned to look at her I noticed her unwavering stare at Hvitserk. He was seemingly oblivious to her eyes, and started to pick at something on his hands. I turned back to Ubbe, noticing Sigurd walk past us.
"And what have you all been doing?" Helga's voice came from behind me, beating me to the question. Ubbe's eyes sheepishly glanced up at Hvitserk before chuckling.
"Helping Ivar."
"Sparring." A laugh escaped my mouth as they both answered, then glanced worriedly at one another.
"You see, we were helping Ivar while sparring." Hvitserk attempted to explain, and I glanced over at Ubbe. All of our eyes were focused on the brothers, and Ubbe crossed behind me, slapping a hand on Hvitserk's shoulder.
YOU ARE READING
Fallen Chariot
Fanfiction"Ivar, the hardest battles always go to the only ones that can survive them. " "Then what is your battle?" "I do not have one, for I am not as strong as you."
