Loki: Storm of Swords

Chapter 63 - The Brotherhood Without Banners

Ragna walked down the side of the path that wound its way through the woods. She was close enough to the brush that if she needed to make a dive for it, she could. Ragna was dirty and a little tired, but that did nothing to deter her in her desire to return to the capital. Although, she was curious as to how she had evaded recapture by her parents. Ragna knew exactly what was going to happen the moment she was reported missing. Rhaenar would go to Sif and Sandor, and the alarm would be raised. Sandor would depart to give chase, and no doubt, Sif would follow him. Obara Sand would remain with Rhaenar and Ser Harrold Hardying would send a raven to Kings Landing, informing the Frostborns that their daughter was missing. "Surprised that Father hasn't magically appeared in front of me. Using magic is just another form of cheating," Ragna mumbled to herself. She continued to trudge down the path until she heard the sound of horse's hooves approaching her. Swiftly and silently, she slid into the bushes and watched to see who was coming. She heard the gruff voices and crude language of men and when they appeared, she could tell that they were not from any organized group. They were strange and unlike the ruffians Ragna had heard of.

"See those little footprints?" one of the men with a topknot said and Ragna stiffened, her hand sliding towards her daggers.

"Aye. I see them. What's a child doing this deep in the woods, I wonder," a second man with an eyepatch said.

"What should we do if we find her?" another man queried.

"The Lord of Light told me that she is valuable alive and not dead. We bring her back to camp," the topknot man said.

"What would the Lord of Light want with a little girl? What's so important about her?" another fellow posed.

"The Lord of Light did not reveal that to me in the flames. We can ask her when we find her," the topknot man responded. Ragna slowly eased herself down the slope through the bushes she had chosen as her cover. Her dagger was out in case one of the men found her. She would take a finger, an ear, a nose, an eye...

"Oi!" a voice rang out and Ragna did not hesitate to propel herself down the hill, rolling at the bottom.

"That way!" another one cried and Ragna broke off in a sprint. She was off her path, but she could double back after she lost the hunters. Ragna heard footsteps as the path was too dense for horses to pursue her. Ragna did not look over her shoulder to see how close the rogues were. She knew better than to take her eyes off the path before her. Suddenly, she felt the presence of a hand reaching for her. Ragna spun around, slashing with the knife as she fell on her back. A cry of pain was heard and the man withdrew his injured hand, dripping blood. Ragna was able to turn her fall into a summersault and bared her teeth at the men. There were at least eight of them, and they surrounded her. The topknot man and the eyepatch man stepped forward to get a better look at her.

"Well, little one. You are not a normal child, are you?" the eyepatch man queried.

"If you can tell me there's another one like me out there, I'll give you my respect," Ragna rejoined as she tightened her grip on her blade, while calmly reaching for her second one.

"The Lord of Light says you are significant; that your soul is worthy," the topknot man explained. Ragna grinned a little.

"Well, if I'm not a normal child, it would stand to reason that my soul would be worthy," she commented. Both topknot man and eyepatch man laughed lightly.

"You have a wicked tongue, child. What are you called?" the eyepatch man queried.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Ragna responded. She swung the blade when she heard somebody try to sneak up behind her. The man barely jumped back in time to avoid losing a finger. The eyepatch man sprang forward to grab her and Ragna turned, a snarl on her face and her second knife drawn. The eyepatch man took hold of both her wrists, but Ragna began to run up his body, using her previous momentum to her advantage. Her dirty boot made contact with his jaw and his teeth rattled in his head. He still held her wrists, so Ragna had to resort to wrapping her legs around his neck and squeezing with all her might. However, that was when a sack went over her head and she lost the ability to see. She was yanked away from the man and her head hit something, causing her to black out.