The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 19 //

IVAR P.O.V.

It started pouring rain after four days of traveling. Ivar wrapped his cloak over Raynor who sat before him in the chariot. The thunder broke the sky open and Ivar looked aside to Ase who road her horse aside him. It was an exhausting trip, the soldiers of Lord Edward where most of them with horses but the vikings weren't. So they went slower while all he wanted was to go faster. 'The gods are angry Ivar.' Ase yelled over the storm. Ivar stopped his horse and looked over his shoulder to Lord Edward and his brothers. Hvitserk jumped on the chariot to check on Raynor.
'I'm scared.' Raynor confessed.
'Are we almost there?' Ivar asked impatient when Lord Edward stopped his horse aside the chariot.
'Over that hill, hardly an hour walk.' He pointed out. Ivar chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked down to Raynor.
'Do we attack in this weather?' Ase asked him.
'It's an element of surprice, that and the darkness.'
'We should let the man rest.' Ubbe advised them.
'They can rest when we are there.' Ivar protested harshly. Vikings were just to worse sercumstances than this, they would survive. A new thunderstruck lighted the sky and Ivar looked up to the sky.
 'We need to get further, for Raynor.' Hvitserk announched. He gave Ivar a sharp look and jumped from his chariot again. Raynor insisted on coming. Ivar didn't interfere in the matter between him and Hvitserk. Raynor won, because of Ase. Lord Edward pointed his men forward and the whole group started walking again.
'What are the gods saying?' Raynor asked. Ivar took his reins in one hand and wrapped his other over Raynor his chest.
'Maybe they are angry, maybe they have a feast. I think Thor is making uss ready for battle.'
'Do I need to fight?'
'Only if your mother is in danger, that is what we agreed on.' Ivar explained him. The boy nodded and Ivar looked back in front of him. When he came on top of the hill, he stood still, looking over to the little flames guarding the castle. It wasn't a big kingdom, what was quite good. The faster they got to take over this place, the faster he saw Torhild again, the faster he could see that smile on Raynor's lips again.

Because of Raynor he and Ase didn't participate in the attack. It was the only condition Ase had for Raynor to come, she would stay along him at all times. 'Is my mother inside?' Raynor asked, looking up to the castle.
'You mother won't be happy to see you're still up.' Ase smiled to the little boy. Raynor chuckled a little and the corner of Ivar his mouth went also up shortly. The attact didn't take that long, in the darkness the sounds of battle died away with the heaviness of the storm, only the rain stayed. A rider approached from the castle.
'It's safe.' He annouched. Ivar clicked his tongue and together they drove through the gate in. There was a little shelter, Ivar leaded his horse underneath it and released Raynor from the cloak. Ase helped him off the chariot so he could stretch his legs for a moment. Everybody was spitting the building from top to down.
'Torhild is nowhere to be found.' Lord Edward said after a hour long search. Ivar rubbed his eyes, tired and trying not to loose his control, he couldn't for Raynor.
'Where is she then!' Hvitserk yelled, throwing a crattle in the rain, frustrated. At least he wasn't the on Raynor starled of.  Ivar looked aside to Ubbe who walked out with an old woman.
'She wants to speak you.' He announched.
'I'm not in the mood for speaking.' Ivar reacted calm.
'It's about Torhild, the queen. You are Ivar?' The woman began. Ivar slowly looked up from his hand, back to the woman.
'Yes.' He answered her rather coldly. The woman swallowed, walked closer towards the chariot.
'She was locked up with me. I helped her escape, said that she had to run south, there is a forest, a cabin in the woods. Not sure if,'
'When did she escape?' Ivar intterupted her.
'Just before the storm.' The woman answered. Hvitserk pulled himself on to a horse and Ivar leaded his horse back out of the little selter they stood under.
'In this darkness you will never find her!' Ubbe yelled. But both brothers didn't listen. Hvitserk road in front, south, Ivar scouted the area with his eyes but just as Ubbe said, in this rain and darkness you saw hardly enough. They drove in silence to the forest the woman talked about. Hvitserk held still and Ivar stopped aside him.
'We will never find her in this weather.'
'Giving up already brother.' Ivar challenged him while leading his horse further. His fingers clamped coldly around the reins, not to imagine how Torhild must feel if she was outside. His eyes traveled over the path until he saw something between the trees. He whistled to his brother and pointed to the trees. Hvitserk jumped from the horse and gave the reins to his brother. He dissapeared for a moment in the darkness before he came back, with Torhild her dress.
'She took it off to be faster, what means that there are soldiers outside looking for her.' Hvitserk said, looking around.
'What also means that if she is outside she probarble will freeze to dead.' Ivar filled in. Hvitserk dropped the dress back on the ground and turned around to the forest.
'Torhild!' He yelled but no reaction. The only thing that filled the air was the rain dropping down on them.
'If I find her dead I kill you personaly brother.' Ivar reacted. Hvitserk turned back to his horse and got up.
'It isn't entirly my fault, if you sticked your nose not in our business it wouldn't come this far.' Hvitserk reacted angry. Ivar looked down to the dress, biting his nail while he tried to figure out Torhild her movements. 'We should go back. We can't find her, we look again as soon as the sun sets.' Hvitserk said a little calmer. Ivar didn't want to give up, but Ubbe was right, Hvitserk was right, in this weather they couldn't find her. He turned the stallion around after a long look in the woods and returned with Hvitserk back to the castle.
'And?' Edward asked as soon as they arrived.
'We found her dress but nothing more. It's to dark and rainy to see a thing.' Hvitserk murmured, walking inside without saying another thing. Ivar looked aside to Edward.
'We ride out as soon as the sun sets. She is not alone, there are still soldiers looking for her.'
'Offcourse.' Edward nodded. Ivar stayed on his chariot gazing into the darkness before he went inside. There was a throneroom, every castle had one. Raynor laid in that throne, sleeping, tired of the whole trip, Ase stood beside it.
'He didn't even want a bed.' Ase softly said. Ivar pulled up on a table and listened to the rain for a moment. That old lady came in again, with a blanket for Raynor.
'You, what's your name?' Ivar asked her. The woman turned around to him.
'Marion, sir. Torhild told me many things about you. About this boy.' She smiled. Ivar looked back to Raynor. He would wake up and his mother still wouldn't be around to hug him.
'Was she alright when she left?' Ase asked Marion. The woman sat down on a chair, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. Ivar didn't even noticed he was soaking wet hand cold.
'Yes, she didn't eat that much, she gave it all to me.'
'Sounds like Torhild.' Ase smiled, looking to Ivar. He pulled the corner of his mouth up, still gazing to Raynor. He never felt more worried than he was right know, knowing she was out there, alone, maybe a handfull soldiers after her, in the cold, the rain with hardly something to eat.
'I told her about a little cabin, did you find it?' Marion asked curious.
'No and she wouldn't go there if she knew that there were soldiers looking for her.' He reacted, tired, moody. The woman forced a smile on her face and the silence filled the hall for the rest of the night.

'We split up, she can be far by now, for all we know she is wounded and lying somewhere. There are maybe soldiers outside looking for her so keep your eyes open.' Edward commanded his man.
'I want to come.' Raynor begged. Ivar turned in his chariot and looked to Ase who chrouched down before him.
'You stay with Hvitserk and Marion. We will come back with your mother, I promise.' Ase said, stroking her hand over his cheeck. But Raynor didn't look to her, he looked to Ivar.
'I will find her.' Ivar promised.
'Why do I need to stay here?' Hvitserk asked angry.
'Ase is the best tracker we have. You stay with Raynor, be a father for once.' Ivar lashed out to him, kicking his reins against the white stallion. They split up in four groups, each in a direction. Ivar and Ase turned back to the place he found the dress. They couldn't spare much men in the search. With the fear that Lord Cameron could return with a larger force a big deal stayed behind to secure the castle for a possible attack.
'We aren't alone.' Ase pointed to the footmarks around the dress. The rain stopped shortly before morning, this marks where from afterwards, otherwhise it would be vanished in the rain. She gave her reins to Ivar and started looking around. 'They split up.' She pointed towards the forest and the path they were on.
'Torhild wouldn't go to the cabin if she knew she was followed.'
'What if she didn't knew?' Ase asked back. Ivar rolled his jaw and looked around again, trying to think like Torhild would do. 'She leaved it here to lead them away, hoping if someone would find it they went fort he cabin.' Ase pointed to the cabin in the forest. It was hard to see, he didn't even saw it tonight.
'How many where there of them?' Ivar asked.
'Four, five maybe, hard to tell.' She climb back on her horse. 'She wouldn't stay on the path eather.' Ase murmured for herself.
'I need to. You take the forest on the left, I follow it around. Come back here if you didn't find her.'
'Or yell.' Ase suggested.
'I'm not yelling.' Ivar reacted cold. Ase laughed softly and leaded her horse throught the trees in the opposite direction of the dress. Ivar followed the path further. It was a lonely road, not as lonely as Torhild must feel right now. The tracks of those soldiers became more obvious but they dissapeared in a field. Ivar stopped his horse and turned the field on, looking aside the egde of the forest until he saw it, two running soldiers. He grabbed his axe and kicked his reins against the stallion, the animal started galloping over the field. The closer he got the more he saw, it weren't only two soldiers, something runned in front, dark brown long hair, naked shouldes, black dress ... she wasn't dead at least, she still runned. He trew his axe to the one soldier who had a bow and arrow, missing Torhild on just an inch. The other one turned to Ivar, he smiled almost sadistic, piecing his sword right through his troat. 'Running princess?' He said when Torhild stopped before a chreek. She turned around and looked up to him and the feeling that released in his chest was like something he never felt before. She lived.