Gunderkeen one-shots

The Water Horse Fight from SOTD

A/N

I haven't done one of these in a while, so you are either groaning in annoyance or cackling with glee. Yes, cackling.

Halfborn's POV:

I glared at the redhead from the corner of my eye. Sam had placed us at separate points on the ship as punishment for fighting too much. It had been funny to hear Sam's mom voice directed at Mallory, until she turned her mom anger towards me.

"Stop glaring at each other, you two." The valkyrie demanded from her position at the crow's nest.

"I'm not glaring! Why would I look at the ugly oaf if I didn't have to?" Mallory rebutted.

"I'm only glaring, because I can feel her glaring!" I call half up to Sam and half to Mallory to annoy her.

"I'm not glaring at you. You demented son of a-" Mallory's curse is cut off by a water horse grabbing her hair and pulling towards the freezing depths.

Acting quickly, I grab my axe and cross the ship to Mallory's aid. Expertly and desperately swinging my axe out, the blade slicing through her hair. The momentum caused me to land on Mallory with an oof.

"Now I'm glaring at you." She says with a fierce glare, rolling out from under me an drawing her knives in one swift move. I notice I had cut her hair to chin length. It looked good, if I do say so myself.

Sam had joined us on deck and we were quickly surrounded by water horses.

"Keen, hadn't you mentioned something about songs to calm these things." I say to a not very happy Mallory.

"It doesn't work when there are this many." She snaps venomously.

"Hey, I saved your life you're not allowed to be mad at me." I protest her ungrateful attitude.

"Allowed to? I will do what I damn well please." She says.

"If you two don't stop I swear I will throw you into the water myself!" Sam shouts, plunging her spear tip into one horse and hitting another with the hit of the weapon.

Mallory flicks me off, stabs a monster with both knives through the head and tosses in the corpse in my direction.

"Real mature, Keen." I snap.

She doesn't answer for the first time, her focus fully directed at the battle ahead of us.

The rest of the battle goes on. When dark hit the beasts eventually went back to the depths. Sam, Mallory, and I take turns standing guard over night. My shift was half way over and only two water horses had attacked on my watch.

I listen to the dark waves crash against the side of the ship, straining my ears to hear any waver in the rhythm.

"Go get some sleep oaf." In my focus I managed not to hear Mallory approach me.

"It's not your turn yet, I've got another hourish." I say, tearing my gaze to look at her. Mallory's chin length hair was cut choppy. She probably thought it looked terrible -as would any one else for the matter- but it suited her nicely.

"Don't argue, you haven't slept-"

"I did sleep, I'm second watch. I slept during Sam's shift." I interrupt. It wasn't a complete lie. I had slept a little, maybe an half hour.

"Don't be a whiny baby and go get some sleep." Mallory said obviously getting impatient.

"I don't need anymore sleep. Why do you care, anyways." I snap.

"Because, I don't want the ship to go down when you fall asleep on watch." She hissed and pointed to the stairs. "Now march!"

It took everything in me to hold in my smile, instead rolling my eyes. I give in and make my way to the stairs, looking back and letting my smile loose. Mallory had directed her attention to the horizon. Had we been in a different position I would have gone up and asked what was troubling her? What was on her mind? Alternatively I make my way down the stairs and try to get some sleep.

When morning came the battle raged on with six water horses. Though Mallory would never let her sleep deprived sleep interfere in an actual battle, I made a mental note of making sure she slept tonight.

Suddenly, as I was fighting a difficult water horse another comes and begins attacking me. I land flat on my back. Before I can get up, a horse stomps on my shoulder, causing it to snap. I spit blood and stab the stupid thing in the chest.

As soon as my composure is regained, Sam is dragged underwater by her hijab. I hear Mallory growl and try to sidestep her beast and help the valkyrie. It wasn't necessary.

Seconds later Sam burst from the water riding the water horse that had pulled her under. In all my years I had never seen someone tame a water horse, so I took my time to stare in awe.

The last two horses left on the deck also seemed to freeze in shock. Sam leapt off the beast and it gave a whinny to its companions. With that all the water horses dove into the depths, leaving us wet and alive.

"Let me see that arm, Gunderson." Mallory says, snapping out of her shock.

"It's fine, woman." I protest as she disappears below deck for some medical supplies. Glancing at my arm I see it is bent at an awkward angle, a bruise had formed on my shoulder, and a bump showed were the bone had been relocated incorrectly to.

"Bite this." Mallory returns with a long stripe of towel.

"I think I can handle my own injuries, Keen." She sliences me with a stern look, but I don't bite the cloth in a petty form of retaliation.

Mallory places her hands on my wrist and opposite shoulder. I resist the urge to lean into her touch; trying to focus on keeping my breathing normal and not her calloused hands on my skin. A pop sounds, and a flood of relief flows through my shoulder. Carefully, I bend my arm into a 90 degree angle.

My redheaded ex-girlfriend hooks the towel under my arm and begins tying a tight knot behind my neck. Her breath tickles my neck in her concentration. After what seems like an entirety, Mallory steps away with a string of curse words a blush tickling her cheeks.

I move to say something sarcastic, but Sam cuts me off.

"Here comes, Magnus and them!" The valkyrie calls.

Mallory walks over to join Sam, leaving me with a deep feeling of regret.