The Cripple and The Shieldmaiden II

// 30 //

Ivar P.O.V.

Seeing Raynor torching the ground with that look in his eyes scared even Ivar. His son, from hardly four years just chassed a whole lot of people into their death and he didn't even flinch about it. A normal boy shouldn't even do that and somewhere in those thoughts Ivar could only think that this was his doing. Last weeks he prepared Raynor to fight, not in the way Hvitserk learned him, not in the way Torhild learned him but in the way he had learned it from Floki. He consumed Raynor enough so that the little boy didn't show any fear in killing others, so that he learned to fight like a real Viking. But he was just four and he turned already out like his father, even Ivar knew that it couldn't be entirely good. Torhild jumped on the chariot and Ivar kicked his reins against the stallion who was all to glad to get away from the flames. 'Tell me we can get Raynor out.' Torhild shouted over all the violence. The back end of the circle didn't got enough fire to do much damage. Torhild grabbed for his axe and turned around. Ivar grabbed her with her arm and pulled the reins. 'Get Raynor, don't fail him.' She warned him, ready to jump of and go into battle.
'I want you alive in the end.'
'I will.' She pressed a kiss against his lips. Ivar stroke her cheek hardly long enough to enjoy it, among to much violence to even call it love to begin with. 'Go.' She whispered before jumping off. Ivar looked how she took down the first soldier, every bit of her body carrying the grace and elegant into her movements. Torhild was flawless in battle but the image of her laying stabbed on his chariot never fully leaved his mind. He jerked his eyes away from her, she was right, if he would stay and help her instead of Raynor she would never forgive him.

He had one opening through the flames, just enough to push the stallion through it right into the settlement. In the end this settlement would be unharmed, only the ground would. He galloped over the path to the great hall. 'Where is he?' He asked one of the Vikings who left behind.
'Ivar.' He turned his head and breathed out in relief when he saw Raynor running over before Floki. Ivar looked up to the sky.
'Thank you.' He whispered before turning on the chariot towards Raynor who crawled up. Ivar pulled him up, wrapping his arms around the boy like it was the last hug ever.
'Did I do good?' Raynor asked. Ivar pulled him back, cupping his face while he looked into those strong blue eyes.
'I'm so proud of you Raynor.' He said, feeling some kind of emotional wall breaking down within his body.
'Where is mother?'
'Fighting. I need to get you out.' He placed Raynor back down and leaned over to Floki.
'It went according to plan.'
'Yes well, I need to get him out safe.'
'There isn't a place safer than here for the moment.' Floki pointed around. Ivar looked up, to the fire around the settlement, consuming every bit of life walking around on that little bit of soil. If he wouldn't return out there Torhild would freak out but Floki was right, it was the safest place for Raynor to be.
'Ivar the Boneless.' He jerked his head around when he heard the kind of anger pouring down his own name. Lord Ballard walked over, a part of his face burned while he picked up a bow and arrow. He had around ten man with him, all good and well to fight.
'Get out, I will deal with him.' Floki whispered, standing aside his chariot. Ivar never ran from a fight before but he wasn't alone, he had Raynor with him. The boy looked over the edge to the Lord who pulled an arrow on his bow. Ivar pushed Raynor down but it wasn't Raynor he was aiming for. He shot that stallion right in the head. The animal stood there for over more than two seconds before he dropped dead, causing the chariot to turn on his side. Ivar fell out, already feeling all his dangerous anger rising up out of his chest. Raynor crawled aside his father, lying in the same flat position as Ivar did.
'What did you think to gain with killing that animal?' Ivar hissed.
'The fact you can't run of now.' Ballard pointed his men away and they all started to fight the Vikings around them.
'I wasn't planning on running.' Ivar said with a deep steady voice, to steady. Ballard pulled his sword and Ivar took an axe over from Floki. 'Keep him safe.' He said to Floki who pulled Raynor away from Ivar.
'No!' Raynor protested, fighting Floki in the hope he would win. Ivar pulled his body over the ground to Lord Ballard. He forgot about Raynor for a moment, he forgot about Torhild, he looked for that temper and hate he had used for years without her ... and he found some of it. Lord Ballard was the first who attacked, smashing his sword down. Ivar rolled over, trying to grab Ballard his feet in the process. The man jumped away, kicking his sword down right on Ivar his hand. The cut he made caused Ivar to hiss in pain. But pain was always something that truly motivated him, he was born with pain, he grew up with pain, he conquered pain. Ballard started laughing over the blood streaming down out of the wound. Ivar lashed out with his axe a diversion before he rolled two times to the left. And while Ballard wanted to defend that right side of him Ivar surprised him with an attack from the left, pulling him in one smooth swing down to the ground. He pushed Ballard his right hand to the ground in which he had a sword. Ivar pressed his axe against the man's throat and smiled a little amused.
'Loot at that, never thought you would get defeated by a cripple? Hmm.'
'You will die someday Boneless.' Ballard hissed.
'I will die in honor,  the gods will welcome me. You will die in the idea of that but we both know you don't really have any honor.' He pressed the axe a little closer, listening to the gasps Ballard started to produce. 'What I want to do with you.' He hummed for his own before pushing his axe through. Ballard started to make some crazy sounds before he fell entirely still, his arm reacted a little on the last contractions of his nerves before he died. He died at the hand of Ivar The Boneless. One Lord down, still a few to go.

Floki bandaged his hand in the great hall while the others got his chariot back up with a new horse, a gray gelding. That white stallion had some value to Ivar, it always reminded him at his first true enemy, the first who dared to slap Torhild right in the face, Lord Edgar. 'It's time. Most of the battle is under control. The flames will die on its own.' Floki announced. Ivar pulled his head away from the back of the throne he sat on, looking down to Raynor who was sleeping on his lap. That child really didn't care about the war outside, as long as he was safe he would sleep everywhere.
'Raynor.' Ivar softly said. 'It's time to look for your mother.' Raynor opened his eyes, stretching himself while getting from Ivar his lap, still sleepy. He was exhausted.
'Will she be alright?' He asked, troubled by the thought his mother was all that time fighting. Ivar tilted his head, pulling up his shoulders.
'I know your mother to be a brave and fierce woman. But there is truly one way to find out.' He nodded out. Raynor walked before him while he got carried back to the chariot by two men. Raynor found his spot in the chariot, tired on the floor in the little space before Ivar his leg. Ivar took the reins and clicked his tongue. Floki jumped onto the chariot to and gazed over the flames that still licked the dead.
'What is your next adventure my friend?' Floki asked. Ivar chuckled, slowly shaking his head.
'Depends.'
'Of Torhild?' He guessed.
'Yes, can't let her go a second time.'
'I don't think she would forgive you a second time.' Floki agreed. Ivar nodded, leading the horse through the small stroke to the real battlefield. He held the horse still, looking over the amount of dead, glad that Raynor wasn't really looking or paying attention. Because in some way this was all his doing. 'I think you and Torhild can use a break from all this.' Floki noticed Ivar his expressions. His blue eyes traveled over the dead, looking for that one body he hoped not to find. An approaching horse pulled his eyes away to Lord Edward.
'We took down the army coming from my kingdom. We have Lord Gregor and the prince himself. Further instructions?'
'No.' Ivar reacted, looking back to the bodies.
'Torhild?' Edward asked. Floki gave him a promising look but Ivar ignored it, leading his horse around the circle. There were a lot of dead, also Vikings. This would take days to get all cleaned up, make the settlement back to his old self. His gaze fell on Hvitserk who pulled somebody up and that somebody was exactly the person he was looking for. His head fell forward in relief of seeing Torhild alive. When he looked back up Hvitserk was inspecting a wound on her back but as soon as she noticed his chariot she forgot all of her pain.
'You changed horses in the meantime brother.' Ubbe smiled. Torhild looked at him, in fear and Ivar looked down into the chariot.
'Little man, your mother wants to see you.' Floki waked Raynor again. He helped the boy out of the chariot as soon as Ivar pulled the reins.
'Mother!' In one shout he was fully away, running over the grass to jump Torhild in the arms. She was in pain but she swallowed it for him. And everybody looked at that with a smile. Floki lost something of a tear while Ubbe laughed softly. Ivar never felt more whole than he did now, seeing that, it almost broke all the cruelness right out of his chest. And when Raynor let go of Torhild he ran for Hvitserk who embraced him with the same kind of love Torhild did. For once he didn't got jealous by the sight. He turned his eyes to Torhild who walked over and jumped on the chariot. She laid her hands over his jaws and placed her lips on his for everybody to see it. Ivar sneaked his arm around her waist, opening his lips for her into a long intense kiss.
'I love you.' She whispered, pulling him in an embrace. Ivar closed his eyes, took in the little sent there still lingered around her body before he looked over to Hvitserk who was watching them with Raynor by his side. Ivar pulled back and looked up to Torhild.
'How bad is your back?' He asked carefully.
'Not that bad.' She smiled softly, looking down to the soaked fabrics around his hand. 'How bad is your hand?'
'Not that bad.' He smiled. She petted him on the shoulder and jumped from the chariot, Raynor immediately ran over again. This was the end of it all, or almost at least. Edward walked on his horse by, with a few Lords and a prince.
'Where is Ballard?' Ubbe asked.
'Dead.' Ivar answered with a cold look over to Aethelred, Lord Gregor and Cameron. Cameron was burned for a large part and still he tried to get to Torhild. Before anybody could intervene his move Torhild grabbed him with his throat, piercing her sword through his stomach.
'That is for killing my unborn child.' She said, slowly turning the sword a little. He dropped down at her knees.
'You will never win this land over.' He gasped before dropping dead. Ivar looked to little Raynor who followed all of it intrigued. Torhild shifted her attention to Aethelred who stood there scared to dead while Gregor only looked at his sister.
'What do we do with those two?' Edward asked.
'Lock them both up for now.' She said after looking over to her brother who nodded in agreement. Edward and the men he still had walked off with the traitors to get them somewhere tied up until the flames died out. Ubbe walked over to the chariot with Hvitserk.
'Your plan worked.' Ubbe grinned, pulling himself up to get his hands through Ivar his hair.
'You still doubt me brother.' Ivar fired back with a smile.
'It was a good plan.' Hvitserk admitted.
'I should have talked it over with you, the both of you.'
'No, you should have said something to Torhild. But by the looks of it she already forgot all of that.' Hvitserk reacted. Ivar his smile died a little with those words. He wasn't gonna talk that kiss good in front of his brother. 'It's good Ivar. I will never understand but,' Hvitserk gave him a firm shoulder pet before walking over to Elisabeth again.
'Do good by her brother. She deserves it, you to.' Ubbe said, standing aside the chariot and looking over to Torhild. Ivar followed that look to the woman he probably loved since he was a child. She turned around and looked up to him, he forced the corner of his mouth up and in return he got the most brightest back. Everybody was tired after days of traveling, fighting, remembering the dead. He thought of Ase, how strong that woman was, how loyal that woman was, how fierce, gentle but ruthless on the same time. How she never backed away from Torhild her side and gave her life in purpose to. Maybe when the day came and he could be a father again he knew one thing, if it was a girl, he would name her Ase.