Olin got up and grabbed his sword and Stigr got up and did the same as the voices got closer. Four men in armor and carrying axes came up to their camp. "Well look at what we got here,"The first man said as he looked at Hertha, Stigr, and Olin. "Some lost children in the woods," The second man said as he laughed. "What do you want," Stigr asked as he gripped the hilt of his sword harder. "We're here to kill you," The third man replied as he pulled out his sword. "There's a price on the children of King Hjalmar," The third man continued. "By who," Hertha asked as she keep her axe low but ready to attack. "I don't know who," The third man replied as he stepped closer. "I'm only following orders. Attack now," The third man continued as he charged forward.
The other men followed his lead and attacked the children of King Hjalmar. Hertha dodged the first man and killed the second man by bringing her axe down on his neck. Blood sprayed on her face as she pulled her axe from his neck. Olin killed the first man by stabbing him in the chest and kicked him into the campfire as he pulled out his sword from the dead man's chest. Stigr was fighting the third man as the fourth man was trying to sneak up on him. Hertha threw her axe at him and struck in the head. The third man dropped his sword and ran away as he saw that he stood alone. Stigr grabbed Hertha's axe from the dead man's head then aimed and threw it at the third man.
The axe hit the third man in the leg and fell to the screaming in pain. Hertha walked up to the third man and pulled out her axe out of the third man's leg. "If you tell me who orders you follow and I'll spare your life," Hertha said as she crouched down in front of them. "I followed the bandit leader in Preben," The third man replied as he looked at Hertha in pain. "Thank you for your honesty," Hertha said as she stood up and walked away from the third man's view. She stood behind him and brought down her axe upon his head. She bashed his head until he was unrecognizable and his head was covered in blood. "Why did you do that," Stigr asked as he looked at Hertha who was covered in blood. "You told him that you would spare his life," Stigr continued. "They were sent here to kill us brother," Hertha said as she wiped the blood off her face with her arm sleeve.
"Anyone who threatens my family I will not allow them to breathe any longer," Hertha continued. "We should go to Preben sister," Stigr said as he sheathed his sword. "I know where this bandit leader lives. He lives in the old stronghold," Stigr continued. "Then let's go find this old stronghold and kill him," Hertha said as she sheathed her axe. The next morning Hertha, Stigr, and Olin arrived at the old stronghold. A door was unprotected and Hertha, Stigr, and Olin entered the old stronghold. The old stronghold could contain no more than twenty men in the old stronghold. Hertha unsheathed her dagger and her axe. "We do this quietly and quickly," Hertha whispered as she looked at Stigr and Olin. Stigr and Olin unsheathed their swords and daggers. "Follow me," Hertha said as she moved behind a wagon that was filled with hay.
A man was on the other side of the wagon as Hertha slowly stood up with her dagger and her axe she placed in the wagon. Hertha covered the man's mouth with her hand and slit his throat. She pulled the dead man's body into the wagon filled with hay. After she hid the dead body she grabbed her axe. They headed up to the watchtower and Stiger killed one of the men who was by the window with his dagger silently. Hertha threw her axe at the man who was coming down the stairs of the tower. The axe hit him in the chest and he fell down the stairs of the tower. Hertha grabbed her axe from the dead man's chest and kept moving. They were in the hallway when three men came to see what was coming from the stairs. Stigr and Olin got in front of Hertha.
The three men unsheathed their swords once they saw Stigr and Olin with weapons in their hands. The first man went after Olin and the second went after Stigr. The third one went after Hertha, when he charged her she moved out the way and slashed opened his back. As he fell to the ground she bashed the third man's head in. Stigr stabbed the second man in the throat with his sword. Olin slashed the first man's leg and he fell to the ground. He brought down his sword on the back of the first man's head and the tip of the sword went through the front of the dead man's face. At the end of the hallway there was a door. Hertha silently opened the door and saw four men sleeping in beds. There were ten beds in the room, five on the left and five on the right.
"We go in quietly and slit their throats in their sleep," Hertha whispered as she looked at Stigr and Olin. She sheathed her axe then Stigr and Olin sheathed their swords. Hertha slit two of the sleeping men's throats. Stigr slit the third sleeping man's throat and Olin slit the fourth sleeping man's throat. Hertha, Stigr, and Olin went out of the tower's bedroom and exited the tower. When they were out of the tower thirteen men were outside eating and drinking. Hertha threw her dagger and hit one of the men sitting down in the back of the head. The rest got up scrambling to unsheathe their weapons. "Stand together and they won't overcome us," Hertha said as she unsheathed her axe. "Yes sister," Stigr said as he unsheathed his sword. "May the gods be with us," Olin said sheathed his sword as the thirteen men rushed towards them.
Hertha killed five men with her axe covered in their blood. Three enemies with open chests and two with their head chopped off. Stigr killed three men with his sword dripping in their blood. Two men had their necks sliced open. One dying from a stabbed wound as he fell to the ground. Olin killed four men with his sword dripping in their blood. Two were stabbed in the heart. The other two were stabbed in the throat. Two men ran towards the door. As they ran inside the building a man was sitting on a chair. He was the leader of the bandits, the man that King Calder hired. "What is it," The leader of the bandits asked as he looked at the two men. "We're under attack by the children of King Hjalmar and their companion," One of the men replied. "Take me to them," The leader of the bandits said as he stood up from the chair.
"Welcome my friends," The leader of the bandits said as he exited the door. "What are you doing here," The leader of the bandits continued as Hertha grabbed her dagger from the dead man's head. "You sent three of your men to kill me and my brother," Hertha said. "And I want to know why," Hertha continued as she wiped the bloody dagger on her sleeve. "Because someone paid me to," The leader of the bandits said as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Who paid you," Hertha asked. "I can't tell you that," The leader of the bandits replied. "They paid me to keep their identity secret," The leader of the bandits continued as Hertha was admiring the leader of the bandit's sword. "Tell me or I kill you," Hertha said as she pointed her dagger at the leader of the bandits.
