The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 1 //

Seeing them play was like a piece of art moving across the field, she could look at it for hours. The four of them ran after each other in the high grass, the one faster than the other. Her dark eyes followed them concentrated not letting any of them out of sight. Until they had enough of their hunting games and one of them got frustrated. 'Always the same.' Ase smiled. Torhild looked aside to her friend and breathed slowly out before she looked back to the two boys, tackeling each other and a whole lot of yelling. 'I go.' Ase volunteert. A lot had changed in the past four years but still ... somethings never changed. Ase found a husband, a far of Earl who gave his army to the mercy of Queen Lagertha. But he died in battle, leaving Ase alone with Freya, her two year old daughter. The blond girl ran over, panting because she wasn't that fast like the others.
'You learn.' Torhild smiled, looking up to Ase who picked up the youngest one in the company, little Freyr. He got his name to the conditions in what he was born, a heavy storm terrorizing Kattegat when Margrethe gave bird to her second child. He had a lot of spirit to stand up against Raynor with his age, he could just walk but was determind to succeed. His big sister walked aside Ase, looking up in concern to her brother. And than you had Raynor. Torhild looked to the stubbornness in his face while he walked over, knowing his father he wasn't any better.
'He started.'
'Don't start.' Torhild smiled softly. He was the only one with that dark almost black hair, with those piercing blue eyes ... he was just his father. Torhild couldn't hide it, everybody knew but never said a word about it. When he grew older he got more of that judgement, stubbornness, thinks she recognized to often. Torhild felt guilty, giving birth to a child that wasn't her husbands and not getting pregnant again after that. Raynor wrapped his arms around his mother and Torhild hidded her head against his neck. 'You need to play along with the others.' She whispered. He pulled back, looking up at her and she felt the shivering getting down her spine.
'When comes father back?' He asked. Torhild stroke her fingers over his forehead, getting some black strains out of his eyes.
'Soon.' She promised. Raynor got that devilish smile on his lips and ran the house in. He was almost four now and Hvitserk couldn't choose a better name, a combination to his own father, Ragnar, and a warrior of judgement. Torhild looked after him before she looked back at Ase. 'We better get them home.' She nodded towards the grey sky.

Just when they entered the great hall the rain dropped down on them. Lagertha came out of the bedroom behind and let her eyes fell on the childeren. Eira and Freyr ran of to their mother who sat on one of the tables. Ase followed with her daughter on her arm so that Torhild was alone with her mother. Lagertha crouched down and smiled to Raynor. 'What did you learn today?' She asked him. Torhild narrowed her eyes, curious to what he would answer.
'That you can't lead an army without the help of others. I need to play along.' To much words, way to smart. Lagertha looked slowly up and gave her daughter a promesing look.
'You will be a great warrior.'
'Like father?' He asked. Lagertha stood up and runned her fingers through his almost black hair.
'Yes, like your father.' She said. But Torhild could see she wasn't talking about Hvitserk. Lagertha never fully accepted Raynor and that was all because the state where Ivar had put her in. The first months where terrifying. Torhild was always thinking about wether or not she had made the right decision. But after marrying Hvitserk and the birth of Raynor she found some place again, she started loving again, forgot the man she supported for years, fell in love with. That man was Hvitserk now, she forgot Ivar a little more every day. The hardest part was always Raynor, him getting bigger and growing stronger gave her always memories. He was four now and the only bit he had from Torhild was his tenderness, his loyalty. Things didn't always went good, not even between her and her mother. Lagertha had some big secrets and Torhild learning from it brought a little gap between them. But Torhild overcame it all and after four years she finally found peace.

'Mom hurry!' Raynor yelled. Torhild pulled herself in the saddle behind Raynor and pushed her heels in the flanks of the animal. For all the peace and quiet she sometimes needed they lived on a hill just above Kattegat. What gave a vieuw over the sea, the sea in which Raynor could see arriving ships. Raynor held on to the manes of the black horse while Torhild sent it down over the path, just in time for Raynor to see the ships arrive. He ran over the dock, pushing himself between the people, Torhild hardly could follow him. She walked to her mother who stood aside Margrethe and Ubbe. 'It was about time.' Torhild smiled. Ubbe wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezed her almost to dead.
'Who are you more eager to see? Your brother or husband?' He asked amused. Torhild looked up to him, every year that passed Ubbe changed more and more to his father.
'Harald actually.' She joked.
'What?' Raynor turned around, looking at his mother with flammy blue eyes.
'I'm joking son.' She reassured him. His looked for a moment to Ubbe before he looked back to the ships, leaving Torhild and Ubbe laughing. How closer the ships came, the more she recognized. The first was her brother offcourse, big and strong, smiling already. Her heart skipped always a beat when they came back, scared that somebody would miss. But when she looked away from her brother she found him and a smile spread over her lips, biting her lip when he smiled back. 'Father!' Raynor yelled, jumping up and down. The ships hitted the dock and Björn jumped out as first. Raynor had no time for Björn who he looked up to so much, he ran straight for Hvitserk. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw Hvitserk lift Raynor in the air, treating him as his own kid.
'You grew so big!' He said.
'I eat a lot, so I could be like you.'
'Don't know if you want that little man.' He joked amused. Raynor squeezed his arms around Hvitserk, determind to not let go until Hvitserk was close enough to Torhild. 'Need to put you down son, your mother is already crying again.' He said with that intens look to Torhild. He sat Raynor down, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
'Welcome back husband.' She smiled. He runned a tear from her cheek and placed his lips on hers. Torhild wrapped an arm around his neck, pushing herself as close as possible. She felt the warmth spread through her body and started laughing when he turned her around.
'God I missed you.' He whispered. She pulled back and looked into his eyes.
'Me to. Raynor especially.'
'I'm staying for a while now.' He winked. Torhild maked herself loose from him and turned to her brother.
'Sister.' He greeted her with a warm voice.
'Brother, was it a good raid?'
'Uncle Rollo insisted that you join the next time, he wants to meet the great Torhild after all that I told him.' Björn answered. Torhild bowed as a answer that she would take it in consideration. 'Where is my favorit man?' Björn looked around. Raynor walked from behind Hvitserk and ran towards Björn. Björn trew him in the air and Raynor started to laugh, Torhild loved to hear him laugh. Se looked smiling to her son, Hvitserk wrapped an arm over her shoulder pulling her close again.
'They are so big, how long where we gone?' Hvitserk laughed with a sight over all the kids who runned over the dock between their parents and friend.

Raynor felt a sleep in the middle of the feast on Hvitserk his lap. Torhild emptied her cup and stood up. 'I will lay him in my mothers bed.' She nodded towards the room behind in the great hall.
'I will do it.' Hvitserk insisted, giving his cup to Torhild and pulling Raynor closer to his body. Torhild looked how he walked away and shifted her look to Björn who walked over to her.
'You are lucky Torhild.' He nodded towards Hvitserk.
'I feel guilty for getting him not a child of his own.'
'Keep trying.' Björn joked. Torhild smiled and pushed herself away from the table when Hvitserk walked back.
'Did you miss me hard enough to go home early?' She asked while taking the clothes against his chest in her hands. He laughed, twerling her around before pushing her to the doors.
'Keep an eye on Raynor.' He yelled to his elder brother. Ubbe grinned, showing his cup before he drank it empty. His lips traveled down her neck. 'I missed you, your sent, your body, you,' He murmured against her neck. It was a little while before they were home but by the time she was there he already lost half of his clothes. She traveled her hands over his bare chest and smiled when he untied her dress.
 'Missed you to more than you can imagine.'
'I can imagine some things.' He reacted playfull, looking down over her body. She bited her lip, pushing him towards the bed. Yes, she had missed him after three months away.


Need to find my way a little in the adjustments and changes, but hope I gave a good start. ;-)