Vikings: Imagine you and Ivar ...

Imagine you being the one to safe Ivar his horse - VI

Words:  5860

Alsvinn vanished between the trees, Gyllir galloped over the path while you looked over your shoulder to the two soldiers on their horses behind you. The smoke of a burning village started to reach above the forest, would alarm other villages, maybe more soldiers. But it was hardly something you thought about while pushing Gyllir over the edge of his speed limit. In the back of your thought you could only think of Sjolvir, that dog always kept your safe and now his protection caused him to get stabbed. He probably would die, alone in that burning village. The tears ran over your cheeks with the thought, the chaotic feeling inside your stomach. You wanted to turn around, face those two soldiers hunting you down but you actually never used a weapon before, so who were you kidding you could face them. 'Faster Gyllir.' You whispered when the soldiers ran in on the both of you. You zig zagged Gyllir between the trees, while he fastened his steps, racing over a little path between the trees. You had no idea how far you ran, if you even ran in the right direction towards Ivar his camp. Alsvinn just disappeared, who knows you would never see that horse again, just like Sjolvir. All of the sudden Gyllir lost his speed, stumbling, almost falling before he corrected himself. Before you even had to change to check why he all of the sudden stopped running you got pulled from out of the saddle. Your head kicked against the ground, causing some dizziness before you turned around looking at the other rider that approached. You crawled backwards over the ground and just when you thought your life was over Cosam galloped right beside, pulling that chariot in full strength behind him. Blood sunk down over the soldier when he fell from his horse, an axe locked in his skull. You screamed a little, pushing your body more away from where that body dropped down. You turned on your stomach, eyes gazing around. 'Gyllir?' You pushed up, conflicted, in panic. 'Gyllir!'
'Y/n!' You jerked your head around to the chariot. 'What is going on?' Ivar asked. You shook your head, looking around for Gyllir before you took a hold on to the edge of the chariot.
'We need to get back to the village.' You insisted, gazing into his blue eyes while the panic consumed your body.
'I think there is not much to go back to.' Ivar pointed over the trees to the dick cloud of smoke.
'I need to get back. Sjolvir is stabbed, and I,'
'Just forget the dog Y/n.'
'He saved my life Ivar. My parents are there, I just can't,' You broke your sentence, kicking his chariot before resting your head against it, crying like the stupid girl you were. How could you let it come so far? Why did you run? That imagine, Sjolvir been stabbed, your mother yelling for you ... and now there was nothing. Alsvinn ran off, Gyllir did the same. You lost a dog and two horses and the only one standing in between you and throwing yourself from a rock was Ivar.
'They will have a war on their hands,' he began. 'Y/n.' He stroke your hair and you pulled your head up, eyes filled with tears looking up to the danger he showed in his sea blue eyes. 'I will avenge this, but I need my men, I need you to calm down.'
'We need to go back, please.' You begged.
'We will,' He promised. And something in his eyes really promised you that. You recognized that anger in his eyes but it wasn't for you, it was for whoever hurted you. He nodded you to jump on his chariot before he clicked his tongue, Cosam cantered away, leaving two soldiers dead on the ground, horses running off.

You sat on a campfire, a heavy fog settled down over camp Ivar and his brother had out here. You hardly could do anything else than gazing in the fire, asking yourself where Gyllir would be, Alsvinn, your parents ... would Solvir be dead. It was two days ago ... and none of them showed up. 'Y/n.' You swiped your eyes away from the fire and looked up to Ubbe, he crouched down beside you. 'We are leaving over an hour, with the fog we are a little safer. Would you like to come?' He asked you carefully. You nodded, looking back to the flames from the fire. Looking at them made you tired so you stood up, walking between the looking for Ivar who sat on the edge of his chariot, pulling bracers over his hands. When he saw you coming he looked up, something of concern flashing in his eyes before he became his practical self again.
'I don't have a horse.' You whispered. He didn't answer, not because he didn't had the words but because he know that it weren't just any words. You had horses all your life and now they just vanished in thin air. You sat down aside him on the chariot edge, resting your head against it while you gazed into the fog. Ivar pulled something from his belt, handing it over to you on his flat hand. You looked down to the dagger, a small sharp knife, before you looked back at him.
'I will do the killing but in case,' he didn't finish his words and you took it over. It felt unusual in your hands, a weapon you hardly used. You took a deep breath looking back aside to Ivar.
'Thank you for doing this.' You thanked him.
'I was planning on raiding anyway, why not raging into war.' He reacted, rather joyful with the statement he just made. You nodded, not understanding where he got that eager for. When you looked up the fog figured something else. You squeezed your eyes together, leaning a little forward to make it a little easier, not that it helped. 'What is it?' Ivar asked, already leaning a aside to grab his axe. You gave him the dagger back while you slide from the chariot. Whatever shady movements you saw in the fog, it was gone by the time you set a few steps. 'Y/n?' Ivar asked again. You turned around, shaking your head.
'Nothing.'
'Let's go.' He said, pulling himself up to his seat on the chariot. You pulled yourself onto his chariot, looking towards Ubbe who gathered some men. The night ... the fog, it made it harder to find your way but those seemed to know it very well. There wasn't any hesitation in their steps, they didn't doubt while you only did that. And while the whole group walked over the path you looked around into the fog, seeing something shading pass in a short fast moment.
'I think somebody is following us.' You whispered. Ivar looked away from Cosam towards the forest trees.
'If they follow it is because they haven't men enough to attack.' He smiled, reassuring you it was nothing to worry about. You looked the whole way back to your village into the woods, hardly seeing anything but the one thing that seemed to follow. All your attention faded as soon as you arrived. You jumped from the chariot, looking to the smoking houses from the fire two days ago. You swallowed, holding on to your tears while you looked for some movement.
'Mother? Father?' You asked loudly. But the only thing your voice did was echoing through the environment. There was nothing. You walked to the house you once lived in but it was barley a house. The started to spread around, looking for things they could use for you knew there would be nothing here anymore. Your eyes went to the place you saw Sjolvir for the last time but he wasn't lying there. Your eyes started to search around. 'Sjolvir!' You shouted, hoping to hear something, a bark, something but there was nothing. You walked over to the place crouching down aside the blood stained ground. He could have died on another place, there wasn't a track leading away from this place so where was he. Your eyes shifted to the fog again, a shady figure standing just there. 'Come on!' You hissed, angry about all the lose you had, the heart pain. 'If you want to kill me so badly just come here and do it.' You followed, hardly looking up to Cosam who stopped beside you.
'Y/n.' Ivar said. But you didn't look away from the fog. The figure, moved, approached hesitating and it was when it became more a body than just a shade of fog that you recognized it.
'Alsvinn.' You whispered. Ivar his horse snorted, not knowing his way through the fog with just one eye to guide him with. Cosam greeted him and Alsvinn changed his course, walking over to the horse for which he knew it was solid. 'Did you follow us?' You whispered, walking slowly towards him, giving him your hand. He putted his nose against you, standing close to Cosam who reassured him a little.
'That's one.' Ivar said. You looked over your shoulder to him, a short smile of relief spreading over your face.
'He lost his way in the fog, didn't dare to approach.' You explained more for yourself than for Ivar. You stroke his body, looking if he didn't had any wounds. You looked towards the shed, looking over in the hope you found some things you still could use underneath all the damage the fire caused.
'You think you can ride him?' Ivar asked when you turned back with nothing more than some rope to make a lead rope with for Alsvinn.
'No, I never learned him. He always trusted Gyllir, didn't want to pressure him with that.'
'And if I place him before the chariot?' He asked. You looked up to Ivar.
'I don't know, I don't even know if I can leave him somewhere behind where he doesn't know it without somebody he knows.' You explained, softly making a lead rope around his head. Alsvinn walked stepped aside, stretching his neck towards Ivar. Ivar smiled softly, stroking him over his white head. You turned to Ubbe who walked over to the both of you, he smiled shortly to the horse before laying his attention to the both of you.
'We looked around, no people alive and hardly something left to take with us.'
'Send scouts out.' Ivar commanded before he looked aside to you.
'We go back, we make a plan, we attack and kill ever one of them. Or at least, I do the killing, you can watch.'
'This isn't funny.' You reacted. He chuckled, softly shaking his head.
'No it isn't but trust a little Viking, I will avenge you.' He promised. You stroke Alsvinn over his neck and nodded, tired of the past two days. You hardly slept, eat, you were exhausted. Alsvinn coming back lifted your spirit a little. Ivar kept on his chariot with Cosam and Alsvinn while you walked around a little more, looking in the paddock hoping to see Gyllir waiting there for you. It would be logic if he came back but he didn't, what meant he was hurt of captured, both facts you didn't want to consider. You saw some chickens running through the fog, a goat, some hay, some blackness on the ground. You squeezed your eyes together, walking into the paddock to the corner. If you wouldn't know this paddock so well you wouldn't see it but you worked here, day after day. That distant seemed to take ages, not seeing it move made your heart crack.
'Sjolvir.' You fell on your knees aside his body, placing your hand on body, he was stone-cold. You pressed your ear against his chest, fingers fading in his black coat. You squeezed your eyes together, concentrating on a heartbeat. And when you heard it you pushed up, started running back the paddock out to the burned down shed.
'Y/n, what are you doing?' Ivar hissed from on his chariot. You ducked underneath a burned piece of wood, looking for the wooden chest. You tried to pull the chest away from underneath the damage, opening it, grabbing for the blankets you had in there, you even felt some bottles. You grabbed it all, pushing yourself back out. 'Are you crazy!' He was mad.
'Sjolvir is alive.' You nodded while running back to the paddock.
'That dog just doesn't give up, does he.' You heard Ivar hissing for his own. You ran back to Sjolvir, pulling your top layer vest off to cover it around his chest where the wound was, you tied it together, pulling the blankets over him before looking over your shoulder to Ubbe who walked over.
'He is alive?'
'Barely, can you bring him to Ivar?' Ubbe nodded, carefully pulling Sjolvir in his arms. The dog made a sound and you hushed him while holding on to his head. Ivar turned on his seat, looking how the dog hardly was breathing.
'You should let him go Y/n, Valhalla would greet a dog like that, if you let me,'
'No, I want to safe him. Let me try.' You interrupted him. Ivar looked back to the dog and nodded before giving you the rope of Alsvinn. The whole company walked out of the village. You looked over your shoulder one last time, knowing this would never be home again.