The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 3 //

Torhild turned her axe around her wrist and looked to Ase challeging. She needed a lot of things to think about and to avoid that she trained harder than usual. Ase attacked, Torhild parried the attack with the sword she had in her right hand. Ase tried to smack her shield against Torhild but she jumped away just in time. And than the fight got more heated, Torhild attacked, sword against sword, until Ase had to back down. Torhild surpriced her, pulling her feet from underneath Ase her body so she crashed down to the ground. She got a applause from behind her and Torhild looked shortly to Raynor who sat aside Hvitserk in front of the house. 'You are good.' Ase complimented her.
'We learn from the best.' Torhild smiled, refearring to her mother.
'Can you fight father now?' Raynor asked. Torhild opened her mouth to answer but looked over to Hvitserk who smiled amused.
'Ah come on, fight your husband for once.' Ase helped the little boy a little bit. Torhild looked over to Hvitserk who pushed himself up and pulled his sword. She didn't wanted to admit it but Torhild got pretty excited when Hvitserk pulled his sword for her.
'What do I get if I win?' He asked.
'Everything your heart desires my love.' She bowed for him. He didn't need anything more than just that. Hvitserk had learned one thing from fighting with Torhild and that was to waith for her to attack. Every time he attacked first she had always somewhere a surprice causing him to loose.
'Come on father!' Raynor encouraged him. Torhild attack as first, Hvitserk ducked underneath her axe, parried her sword and threw her a little out of balance. She corrected her body fast enough, getting herself five minutes of fame before his attack grew a little stronger. He knocked his elbow in her side, she fell a little foward. He took her with her long braid, pulling her way to gentle back before he laid the blade of his own sword against her neck.
'Mine.' He whispered in her ear, kissing her neck from behind. He let her loose and Torhild turned around facing him.
'Whatever you want.'
'I'm counting on that.' He reacted with a promesing look before turning to Raynor.
'Can you learn me that to?' He asked excited.  Hvitserk looked her way, like he was asking premission to her, she only nodded. He said it himself, Raynor was his son to.

All the fighting exhausted Raynor, he fell asleep as soon as Torhild layed him down. She sat on the egde of the little bed and strok her fingers over his dark hair. When she looked up Hvitserk stood in the doorway looking. He could read her so well after all those years she didn't did much effort of hiding things. She walked back to the little kichten and gazed out of the window. 'Maked a desicion yet?' He asked. Torhild turned around, he was eating, again. He did nothing else.
'You know me to well.' He shrugged as a reply, a little proud even. She walked over to the chair he sat on. She climbed on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her, fingers already looking for some bare skin. She closed her eyes, absorbing the light touch he gave her. 'My life is perfect now.' She began without looking up. Hvitserk always got her calm, as calm as he always was. Sometimes he was a little lightheaded over certain situations but it wasn't a bad thing.
'Don't you want to raid again?' He asked. She opened her eyes and looked up to him. 'Tell me you aren't training for nothing.'
'Yes but I don't want Raynor to be motherless on a day.' She spoke her fears out loud. Hvitserk nodded, rested his chin on her head and it fell totaly quiet again. She wanted to know what he thought, what he had to say over that whole England thing she needed to handle. And like he read thoughs it came out.
'You need to go Torhild, for our people.' He said in one large breath.
'I know.'
'And you need to take Raynor with you, he has the right to know his real father.' He followed.
'I know.' She only replied, thinking about all the things that could go wrong on that journey.
'It won't be easy.'
'I know.'
'Is there something you don't know love?' He asked a little amused. Torhild looked up, looking for his eyes.
'It took me over a year to forget him. You are by far the most amazing thing that happened to me Hvitserk, there is nobody who could handled me better than you in that year. Thinking about facing Ivar again, I don't know if I can even handle that. If I can put you and Raynor through that.' Her voice had something despaired, something that cause Hvitserk pulling her a little closer in his lap.
'You grew stronger Torhild and you are not doing this alone. I will be there, Ubbe to, if you ask your brother I'm sure he would come to.' Hvitserk comforted her.
'I'm not pulling my brother in all this. I'm scared, I will admit that.'
'You know,' Hvitserk began. Despite the heavyness on the subject, that soft smile still laid on his lips. 'you are married, you have a husband, a child, you are an heir to the throne in England. What will he have? A woman to make you jealous and a whole lot of anger. You can handle that.'
'I'm not so sure.' She protested.
'Be the queen you are supposed to be, he has to obay you, it will hurt him more if you are cold and distant than the other way around because you,' he putted his finger on her chest. 'are just to it.' He finally said. Torhild looked at him and smile a litted.
'Some other advise?' She asked with a slightly titled head.
'Tell Raynor, tell him who his real father his. He noticed your silent, he asked already to much questions. Tell him, it won't change a thing. I promise you that, therefore I know the both of you to well, Ivar don't so,' he didn't finish his sentence and pressed a kiss on her forehead. How could she dererve someone like Hvitserk? Who was so kind, supportive and loyal all the time. 'I'm not saying it will be easy but I'm sure you can handle it.'
'If you come I can handle everything. To what have I deserved you?' She asked with a loving voice.
'Father asked me once, when we were just childeren, if I would marry you. I did and there is nothing I wanted more.' And Torhild couldn't handle nothing more, she placed her lips on his and pulled him in a long and tender kiss.

'I am going.' Torhild annouched when she arrived the next morning in the great hall. Lagertha was a little surpriced.
'And I take that Hvitserk will go to?' She asked looking to Hvitserk who ran after Raynor outside.
'Yes and Raynor to, he has the right to meet his real father.' She tried to be a little high above about it. Not letting her feelings and emotions getting in the mix in front of her mother.
'If you thing  that is wise.'
'I will protect Raynor.' Ubbe nodded from behind his breakfast. It looked like Raynor had a whole defense team to take it against Ivar. Torhild trew him a thankfull smile before she looked back to her mother. Lagertha studied her face and nodded accepting.
'When you set sail you become a queen. In the past four years Ivar had  the reins but you need to take them over.' She followed
'I will go as a queen, I will rule, set the new borders, do what I have to do. Why are you so pressing about Ivar?' She asked already exhausted.
'Because I know what he means to you.'
'Yes and I don't love him anymore mother, the man I love is right,' she turned around. Hvitserk stood in the doorway with Raynor on his arms, the little boy looked a little confused. 'there.' She pointed out a little softer.
'Are you gonna tell,'
'Ivar will notice.' Hvitserk helped Torhild a little. It was way to easy, Raynor had the same deep bleu eyes, the same hair color, for god saked, he could look even angrier that Ivar sometimes did.
'I send a hundered man from your brother with you.'
'Is there something else I need to handle while we are there?' She asked a little calmer.
'No, I want to see the three of you in one piece back, in your body and in your mind.' She pointed her finger on her own temple. Body woudn't be a problem if none of them got stabbed, mentaly, that was something different. Raynor walked aside his mother and looked up to her.
'Are we going away.'
'Yes,' she chrouched and smiled to him. 'We are gonna make you an even better fighter.' She promised him. Her eyes traveled to Hvitserk who gave her encouraging smile. 'But first I need to tell you something.' She said softly. Raynor narrowed his eyes a little confused. She didn't knew if he would understand but she had to explain it to him. If Ivar would say it ... what was a strong possibility than she would felt like she failed her own son. If he heared it from her first she was honest and Raynor would understand the situation a little better when they arrived in the settlement. She took Raynor up and turned to her mother. 'We sail as soon as the ships can handle. The faster I go, the faster I can come back.' She forced a smile on her lips before she walked out with her son.

On the beach they found a good spot, Raynor looked at the sea, as fasinated as she did sometimes. 'Are we going to sail those waves?' He asked cursious. Torhild stroke her hands through the sand and nodded on his question. 'I like the sea.' He whispered for himself.
'When I was a little older than you I had a friend, we where always watching the sea together.' She smiled in her own thoughts. She didn't knew what she was making with the sand but it went automatic.
'Where is your friend?' Raynor asked. Torhild looked up out of her thoughts and looked to Raynor. His bleu eyes, almost as bleu as those waves looked at here and it was just like she was looking at Ivar.
'You will meet him soon enough. Four years ago we went over the sea together.'
'And you fought battles?' He asked already excited.
'Yes,' she smiled spontanious. 'but I felt also in love with him,' She looked troubled, not knowing how to say that to a child of only four. Raynor was smart, smart enough to understand it a little maybe.
'Why did you left your friend?'
'Because his brother became the father of his son.' She whispered. She felt the tears burning in her eyes when she looked aside to Raynor. How could she do this to Hvitserk to begin with?
'Where is that son?' Raynor asked confused, already looking around if he didn't miss a child that was close with his mother.
'You are. You are his son.' Torhild confessed. Silent tears runned over her cheeks and Raynor looked troubled for a moment while he processed the information. But her tears were a bigger concern for him. He pulled himself on her lap and snuggled again her chest.
'Why are you crying?'
'Because I love you so much.' She pressed a kiss on his hair and looked over the sea again. 'Did you understand what I just said?' Torhild asked him after a little while.
'No.' He answered honestly.
'Good.' She murmured. He was from Hvitserk, Ivar would try, she was sure of that but she wouldn't let him. If he had hold her back four years ago this maybe never happened. It was his own fault and now they where all paying the price of it, even Raynor.