A Viking's Rage

Chapter 23

It didn't take the men long to find Esma before Aiya knew it they were dragging her on deck.

"Well, well, well!" Shouted James. "Another beauty! Love the hair,"

"She was in one of the empty barrels below,"

"Couldn't have found a better hiding spot, love? Do we need to check and make sure she's also a woman?"

He shouted to his crew, reaching for Esma's shirt.

"Don't you dare!"

"Oh I was only jesting, I'm more of a gentleman than that. Don't you agree?"

Aiya laughed, he was anything but a gentleman.

"So who do we have here Jaril?" James gestured towards the two woman.

"I only know them by Reinn and Skallagrim," Jaril replied.

"Skallagrim....really?" asked James in amusement, looking at Aiya. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Tell me your names. Your real names."

"I'm Aiya Einardaughter and this is my companion, Esma. We are traveling back to Northumbria. I seek revenge against Lord Hemming of York,"

James laughed and soon his whole crew joined in.

"I'm going to need help once we get there, I need men, good fighting men to aid me in my assault," She looked at him sternly.

Suddenly he stopped laughing, "You're serious?"

"Yes,"

"I just attacked your ship, killed most of your crew, embarrassed you and your companion and you want to ask me to help you invade a city with only forty men?"

"More will come," She didn't want to ask him for help but she knew she would need them. She couldn't return to York with just Esma and expect to avenge Noah.

"You're my prisoner now, what makes you think we would help you get to York and furthermore help you lay siege to it?"

She smiled a little. "You will help me because of who I am. You will help me because if you don't, the armies of Jarl Ragda Roelson will hunt you down and lay waste to you and your men,"

James's first reaction was to laugh at the girl, but the look in her eye at that moment left him wondering if her threat was true.

"Who are you exactly?"

Esma stood, "She is Aiya Einardaughter, daughter to Einar Jorgenson The Red King of the Danes and future Queen of Denmark."

James looked at Jaril, "You had no idea who she was?" Jaril shrugged in response and looked away embarrassed.

He was silent for a long moment before saying. "I will think on this and decide if you tell the truth. Until then you will remain, my prisoners, now take them below." He told his men.

Aiya, Esma and the rest of Jails' crew were all locked down below the ship. She could only hope that James would believe her and set her free, she had to get back to York and now her thoughts were only on Ragda and how she should have trusted him. It was a long while they all sat in the dark, and damp dwellings before anyone spoke a word.

"Did you mean what you said up there?"

"About?"

"That Ragda's armies would kill James and his crew?"

"I don't know, Ragda is probably very angry with me for leaving but I know he will come. I need him too, for without his armies how can I possibly take York?"

"Then why ask the Marauders for help?"

"I can use all the help I can get, I didn't exactly think things through before we left, I was angry and irrational, plus I wanted James to think twice before trying to hurt us."

"Jaime won't hurt ya, he's never hurt a woman as long as I've known him." Jaril interrupted.

"How do you know him?"

"He's the bastard son of an English Lord, left home as a boy and has been terrorizing the open ocean ever since..." Before Jaril could finish his story the hatch door was thrown open and James came barreling down the wooden latter.

"There seem to be ship's on the horizon, perhaps you recognize them?" He grabbed Aiya by the arm and hoisted her up the latter to one of his men, who took her hand and helped her on deck.

She put her hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright light. James once again took her arm gently and escorted her to the side of the ship and pointed to something in the distance. It took her eyes a moment to adjust but then she saw them. Five ships lay evenly spaced across the horizon, they were still far off but she knew who it was. "Dragon ships." She whispered, surely it was Ragda coming after her.

"I will assume that is the Jarl Ragda you spoke of earlier, but I must say, five ships is hardly an army,"

"Five ships with twenty men each," She smirked at him.

"Alright Aiya, perhaps I believe you now. What's next?"

She turned around to face him, a look of concern and question on his face. "Keep sailing west, Ragda's ships will catch up soon and then we will be at his mercy."

"His mercy? I thought you said he was your friend?"

"I may have angered him, I won't know until he catches up to us. He is an unpredictable man." Her voice was calm, but her heart was a flutter. What would Ragda do? Would he understand what she had to do and would he be willing to help her? She had not been entirely honest with him.

****

The day went on and they could do nothing but wait for the ships to get closer. Aiya knew for sure it was Ragda now for she could see the Lowzow house banner waving in the wind. As the sun set she knew by morning she would be looking Ragda in the face. He had no room to be angry with her for leaving, he was the one who betrayed her. Her thoughts were scattered as she climbed down the latter below deck to find Esma curled up against the wall fast asleep. She walked over to her and slide down the wall to sit next to her, what a loyal friend she turned out to be, Aiya was grateful to her and was glad she came with her. Aiya drifted off to sleep next to her friend with the sounds of the ocean smacking the sides of the ship and men's boots pounding around above her.

"Aiya, wake up!"

She awoke to find James standing above her.

"Ragda has arrived."

Early update! 5/10/18 

Happy Thursday All! Love you guy's!