The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 26 //

Their horses galopped the settlement in, Torhild in front and Ivar with his chariot after her. 'Mother!' Raynor yelled from somewhere behind her. Torhild pulled her horse to halt before the great hall and looked over her shoulder to the little boy that ran over. Her eyes traveled shortly to Ivar who smiled while Raynor just ran past him. Torhild jumped from the horse just in time to catch him in her arms. 'You made it!' He reacted excited.
'Offcourse I made it, what did you thought I would do.' She said while hugging him tight. Feeling him back in her arms restored all her confidence back. 'Missed you little man.' She whispered, placing a kiss against his hair. She looked to Ivar who observed the two of them intensly. But his gaze frooze from the moment the settlement came to life and everybody started to assemble around the chariot. Torhild putted Raynor down and he ran over to the chariot, climbed on it before Ivar pulled him on his lap. Torhild turned to Marion who was with Raynor and arrived first at her side.
'You look good.' She noticed with a motherly stroke over Torhild her cheek.
'It was good, some alone time.' She looked over to Raynor and Ivar who had a serious conversation with each other, or so it seemed. Marion smiled, embracing her arm and leading her to her brother.
'Glad to see you alive.' He grinned.
'You really thought she would be harmed.' Ivar protested in an instant. Torhild masked her love for him by trowing him a short glare.
'I hope you bring some good new princess.' Ubbe greeted her with an embrace. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled when he pulled back. But that smiled fadded when Hvitserk showed up, looked at her from top to bottem before he looked over to his brother.
'I think we have a change.' She finally said. Her brother grinned, pulling her in an embrace like there was already a victory.
'Come inside, tell uss everything.' Her brother pointed to the great hall before he turned to one of his men. 'Get me Lord Edward.' He commanded. Torhild walked over to the chariot and catched Raynor in his jump down while the others helped Ivar into the great hall. She took her place aside, ignoring the throne again and Ivar did the same, sitting aside her.
'Did you take good care of the place?' He asked Raynor. Torhild looked down to Raynor who gave him a puzzling look.
'Did you take good care of my mother?'
'Smart boy.' Ivar smiled the conversation away by pulling his hand through Raynor his hair who started giggling. Torhild slapped Ivar his hand away and smiled down to Raynor who let his head rest against her chest, satisfied to have his mother back. Torhild never dreamed this kind of a relationship between Raynor and Ivar, their stubborness clicked together when they were together, like they were already used to each other. Ivar was a verry different person around him, not only matured but also fatherly and that was just the thing she never expected him to be after she left him four years ago.

The plans were made, the Heathen army started to prepare themselfs for the journey, for the war. 'What is he doing?' Ase asked, stading aside Torhild at the gate. Torhild shook her head, looking to Ivar and Floki who where working on something outside the gate. In the few days that past those two kept working on something she even couldn't see. It was like they putted something into the ground. Floki assambled a great deal of men for making some kind of ladders to get over the stone walls of that castle. The boats where ready and adjust, Lord Edward was ready. The only two that didn't care about the coming battle where Ivar and Floki, keeping bussy with whatever they did. 'How was your scouting trip with Ivar?' Ase asked a little airy. Torhild smiled and looked aside, knowing she wasn't asking for the trip but more what the two of them did along the way.
'Nothing special.' She answered while looking back to Ivar who drove over the surrounding lands.
'We better get ready, we leave at sundown.' Ase announched, turning around to walk back.
'Ase.' Torhild said. Her friend turned around with frowned eyebrows because of the carefull tone Torhild used. 'If something should happen with me or Ivar, please keep Raynor safe. Bring him back to Kattegat.' She said softly. It bothered her for days now, not knowing if she should leave Raynor behind while she wat getting into war. What if she died? Ase walked back to her and embraced her.
'I will do anything for you and that boy. As long as I'm around, you will be safe and so Raynor to.' Ase comforted her. Torhild closed her eyes, holding on to the embrace. When she pulled back Ase nodded towards Ivar. 'He is the master of this game, as long as he is in charge I don't think we are doomed.' She stroke her hand short through Torhild her hair before she walked away. Torhild looked back to Ivar and Floki, it was a good solid plan, she needed to believe in that despite the fact he wouldn't give all the details. Her eyes drifted to the main road that leaded towards Lord Edward his kingdom. A whole army, mostly cavalry approaced the settlement. Their were a little more than twohundered men she guessed, that and the whole heathen army would make a fine match against Aethelred his troopes. She walked back to her house, only to see Hvitserk and Raynor in a heated discussion. As soon as he saw Torhild he jumped up, walking past her.
'What is going on?' She asked before he could run of. Hvitserk stood still and turned to her.
'Nothing, prep yourself for battle love, you won't want to leave him motherless.' He pointed with his head inside before walking of. Torhild turned around to Marion who carefully came out of the little house, like she had hidded all the time.
'What's going on?' Torhild asked despaired.
'Raynor mentioned something of Ivar being a better father.'
'He didn't.' Torhild whispered, looking over to Hvitserk walking away. Last days Hvitserk didn't do much with Raynor, Ivar did the most, he learned him fight, maked an axe and the both of them were just more around each other. But she never thought that Raynor would switch sides, she knew it was his stubborness, being the spoiled child, acting before thinking. Something he clearly had from Ivar. But none the less, it broke even a little of her heart in two.
'I'm not sure if I should go into battle Marion, leaving him here.' Torhild sighned. The old lady, stroke her arm softly, pulling her inside.
'Let me prepare you.' She announched. Clearly it wasn't up to discussion, she would lead that heathen army into battle.

Torhild her horse was a little restless, standing on the beach, facing more than only a few ships ready for take off. A load horne sounded through the air and Torhild shivered under the sound of it. The ships laid after her while in front of her the whole heathen army stood awaithing orders. The army was parted, Ase had her part, Ubbe, Ivar and Halfdan. Behind them the whole cavalry from Lord Edward, all in shining armor while the vikings where loaded with their finest axes and other weaponry. Lord Edward galloped his horse over the sand and placed his horse aside her. 'Nervous?' He asked.
'Little.' She answered honestly, looking aside to Edward.
'Me to, it would be strange if we weren't.' He encouraged her. Torhild looked over her shoulder to Björn and Hvitserk who would take the boats with a part of Harald his group.
'We are ready.' Björn annouched. Torhild looked from him to Hvitserk.
'Keep each other safe.'
'We will. You know the plan, we meet each other on the spot you showed on the map, we attack at nightfall.'
'We will be there.' She nodded.
'Safe travel sister.' Björn breathed in heavily before he walked back to his ships. Torhild looked to Hvitserk and smiled softly.
'Don't die on me love.' He smiled and Torhild nodded, looking how he ran after her brother. Edward looked at her and Torhild looked fastly back to the army.
'We will not vanish under those christian feet. We are viking, we rise, we conquer, we get back what belongs to uss!' Ivar yelled for the entire army, galloping his stallion over the sand before them. The whole army reacted, from the land as in the boats, trembling their feet, smaching there axes against there shield. 'Fight for your queen, as she fighted all this time for uss!' The balder broke loose and the horses snorded, axcious to move. Torhild felt a certain power running through her body by his words, she looked over the army, all fighting for one goal, to get her on the throne. Ivar galopped his horse towards her and stopped aside her, his bleu eyes widened from excitement. 'Ready to go to battle my queen?' He asked. Torhild looked over the army, over her shoulder to the boats that started to sail away before she looked back to Ivar.
'The faith of this whole heathen army lays in your hands. Bring us victory Ivar the Boneless.'
'I'm sure planning to.' He smiled dark before moving his horse back forward. Torhild and Edward followed him to a small part that would stay here, Floki among them. Little Raynor stood with them, aside Marion, complelled by the whole army that stood their.
'Three times, so hard as you can.' Ivar give him the horne. Raynor took it over from Floki and placed it on his lips. He took a deep breath and sounded the horn into the air. Torhild couldn't be more proud on that moment, seeing her son announching the start of a war. After the third time the heathen army started moving. Torhild looked to Floki.
'Keep him safe.'
'I will my sweet Torhild.' He whispered. Ivar pulled of his vikingbracelet off and give it over his chariot to little Raynor.
'Keep it safe until my return little man.'
'We will pray to the gods.' Floki nodded. Torhild give her son a last look before she pushed her horse forward. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering that face of her little boy. Maybe it would be the last time, maybe she won't see him again. Despite that she was more concerned about Raynor himself, keeping behind with a small part of the men to protect him.
'He will be alright.' Ivar guessed her thoughts. Torhild looked aside to him and smiled softly.
'He will, he doesn't carry the name Raynor Ivarsson for nothing around. Just his father, fighting for what's his.'
'Till death.' He followed. Till death, althrough she hoped it wouldn't come to that.