The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 27 //

Torhild sat crouched, her chin resting the little sword she carried around. Her eyes focust on the darkness slowly slipping in. The leafs turned from the bright yellow, to the warm orange before they got swallowed by the shady moonlight covered behind the clouds. That forest carried a certain heaviness. Depsite the fact that half the Heathen Army was covered in these woods, the silence said otherwise. It was like there was nobody there except for a lost owl, calling out the warnings of war. Her eyes traveled up to the sky, closing her eyes to ask the gods for extra strenght. 'Scared?' His voice sounded hollow despite he said it so softly. Torhild came up and looked aside, up to the chariot.
'I'm always scared, ever since I got stabbed.' Her hand stroke softly over the spot that almost took her life four years ago. When she looked at Ivar his eyes were steady and focused, comforting, saying her he would protect her without even using the words. 'You don't have the eyes in your back Ivar.' She whispered.
'Maybe not,' his words vanished in the air when a swift silhouette runned between the trees towards them. Ase got an upgrade, with the time she spend here in England Lord Edward give a certain improvements, she didn't wore a whole armor like his army had but she had a chestshield, shoulderpieces and a fancy shield. It maked her the perfect mix between a viking shieldmaiden and a christian warrior. Ase looked shortly up to Ivar before her body turned to Torhild herselfs.
'Two blasts and they will attack. Björn wishes you a good battle.' She announched.
'I wish him that to.' Torhild whispered, turned around and looking up to Ivar.
'Let's go to war.' He raised his hand and the whole army reacted on that. Torhild pulled herself back in the saddle, Lord Edward joined himself at her side when Ivar his chariot crossed the last trees and walked on the plain field.
'You think it will work?' Edward asked. The moonlight reflexed in his armor, the chill winds lifted the army up to the highest form of alert.
'It's Ivar, everything works with him.' Torhild said, looking aside to Lord Edward with a soft smile.
'You really believe he has the answers for everything?' He asked. Torhild looked over to Ivar and shook her head.
'No, hardly, but when it comes to battle,' she didn't finished her sentence. Ivar was maybe the youngest son of Ragnar, but he proved himself to be quite resourceful, to look further than only battle and it was exacly that, being him the leader of this side of the army ... that gave her the confident to strike with bravery.

Even from this distance she could hear the reactions from out of the castle. She saw the beacons with flames liking the night, the archers on the wall, the cavalry riding out as a first line of defense. And when all this happened Torhild looked aside to Ivar who nodded for himself, half smiling because he knew exact how this would go. 'Cavalry first line.' Edward commanded, pulling his whole army in front of the vikings, just before Ivar and Torhild.
'We lock them in, don't give them a change to pay attention somewhere else.' Ivar said to his brother and Ase, the both nodded and walked back to their part of the army. Torhild turned in the saddle and looked over the large group of force. 'Never thought that I could fight along side of you.' Ivar smiled towards her.
'Never thought I would fight for stupid crown to begin with.' She reacted back.
'Be the viking today Torhild, tomorrow you can be a queen.'
'Don't die on my, Raynor needs a father.' She reacted when he grabbed for his horn, blasting one time.
'Not planning on dying today.' He said. Torhild thought of Raynor, who would be waiting for her at home when that cavalry of Lord Edward started moving on the same time the calalry of the enemy started galloping. And from where she stood that kind of impact was enormous, horses running right at each other, shields clashing with shields. Horses and soldiers running towards the heathen army while Edward and his men took the first hits. On the left and the right Ubbe and Ase walked in, forming a tight wall of shields supressing the battlefield to a smaller space. 'Afer you.' Ivar nodded. Torhild her horse jumped forward when she let just enough go of her reins. She felt the ground tremble when the viking army started moving, the roares of battle gave her the chills, the first arrow hitting the ground right becide her horse gave her focus. 'Shield wall!' Ivar reacted on the first arrows that flew in. Torhild was out of reach before the first wave of arrows kicked in on the strong shields. Torhild grabbed her axe, swinging it at a soldier that galloped by on a horse. It was choas, horses panicking, finding a way out while shields and vikings closed in. Her eyes rested on the gate, now all the cavalry was out the first soldiers followed. Torhild grabbed the horne and bleasted two times, the signal for her brother to approach. Her horse jerked to the left, causing Torhild to loose some balance before a shield kicked her out of the saddle and she fell, smacked with her back against the ground. She grabbed her knife, trew it from on the ground to a soldier before another one got killed in the back. Ase gave him a little push before she stretched her hand out to Torhild. She grabbed it and Ase pulled her up. Torhild pulled her sword in her left hand while her axe was in her right. Ase carried a shield and her sword, getting back to back before they started to fight. Ase fought in a way Torhild totally understanded, they anticipated on each other, Torhild trew her axe at a third soldier attacking Ase while Ase protected Torhild with the shield when nessesary. Torhild slitted a soldiers throat, looking aside to Lord Edward who was still fighting from on his horse. For a short time it was like some kind of a slow motion, seeing the details of battle, soldiers dropping death while vikings covered in blood just didn't give up on the battle. But nothing went so slow, Torhild worked her way through the soldiers, feeling how much energy it took from her body to get through that kind of armor. She and Ase worked their way through the soldiers, fearless and not getting their exhaustion get a change to loose this find. It took a while before she heared the yells from inside the castle.
'We are under attack from the water.' Torhild turned around to Ase, panting, smiling even a little, Björn had arrived. A hugh part of those soldiers splitted up, giving her some breatingspace. Torhild looked up to the wall, arrows still flying around from up there.
'We need to get on the wall.' She pointed out under heavy breathing.
'Leave it to Björn, we need to finish up here.' Ase reacted, holding her shield up when an arrow tried to hit Torhild who just wasn't paying attention. She saw Ivar get kicked from his chariot, hard. The only thing she really could think of were her own words, Raynor needed a father. She fought her way through the army, jumping on his chariot before that horse totally dissapeared. 'Torhild!' Ase yelled. Torhild turned the horse around and looked for Ivar while Ase ran aside the chariot. 'There, he is with Ubbe.' Ase pointed. Torhild felt a certain relief, seeing him in one piece, fighting with that grinn on his face. He loved this, his bleu eyes grew in the obsession of seeing one of his enemies die. She cantered his horse back, over the dead bodies of this long fight.
'Get on.' She commanded Ivar, killing one of the soldiers that approached. Ubbe helped his brother up, pulling him towards the chariot. Torhild jumped off, helping Ubbe while Ase kept them safe. Once he was back up Torhild took the little time there was to look over his body.
'I'm fine, let's finish this.' He said, turning his horse back to the center of the battle. Torhild jumped off and there they stood, two brothers and two shieldmaidens. Torhild looked aside to Ase who trew an axe she found right at a running soldier. Torhild grabbed two weapons from the ground while Ivar his chariot started moving again, all four of them fighting merciless through the enemy. She trew an axe to Ivar when he came short of one and Ubbe covered the whole left flank for his brother. Her eyes went up to the wall, where vikings killed of the archers. She saw soldiers running back out, only to hit the reformed cavalry of Lord Edward. Torhild saw this as a victory. She ducked underneath the swordarm of her enemy, slitting right through his guts. Her braid followed the strong movements of her body and for the second time everything went in slow motion. She saw a soldier standing up from the dead carpet laying over the grass, picking up an axe he found and trowing it right at her. That exact moment kept on for minutes, minutes in witch Torhild looked for a shield and she got one. Ase got kicked back before that axe hitted Torhild in any way. They both fell on the ground and from then on everything started to move fast again. Torhild pushed her body from underneath Ase, panicking by the axe she saw, carved in her chest and throat, even this kind of armor couldn't protect her. 
'No no, Ase.' She reacted. Her friend breathed heavely, shallow while the blood streamed out of the massive wound. 'Please no.' She said, trying to put pressure around the axe to stop the bleeding. Ase grabbed her wrist, pulling her closer.
'Take care of Freya for me,' she said, hardly talking, hardly whispering. Torhild lowered her head, resting her head against Ase her forehead. 'I see you back in Valhalla sister.'
'Don't.' Torhild begged. But what was there to beg? She felt Ase her hand weaken around her wrist before it felt softly back in the mud. There weren't any tears, she only felt that hatered, that rage pumping through her body. She softly layed Ase her head in the grass, stroking the dark strains of her hair before he eyes slowly looked up again. Her hands clenshed around Ase her sword, pushing her shaky body back up. If their was one thing that gave her more will, more strenght ... it was the loss of somebody dearly and Ase was more than that. She wasn't only a friend, they grew a large part up together, she was half a mother for Raynor, her right hand in every adventure, the sister Torhild never had. And she was dead. Freya wouldn't have a father, she wouldn't have a mother and for what? For all who didn't knew Torhild's true nature, they were about to find out. What was it that the seer fortold her ... "every battle needs a sacrifice and it is not you who will pay that price Torhild, it is for you the sacrifice will be made."