Eyes of Fire

Hel

  "People of Kattegat! I am Ivar the Boneless! I am a son of Ragnar Lothbrok! All hail your new King!" Ivar shouted from his chariot, and the crowd went to their knees while bowing their heads to the man. I could tell from the look on his face that Ivar very much liked his new status.

~

  The hall was filled with laughter and shouting from all of the drinking and brawling warriors and spectators. I sat next to King Harald before the thrones, drinking mead from a carved horn and celebrating our victory like the others.

  "To Kattegat!" King Harald raised his horn, and a cheer rang out among the chaos.

  "To Kattegat!"

  "The greatest prize of all." Harald slurred, and I looked over to where Garmr was to check on him only to see the wolf with a very drunk Ivar as the two of them were pissing on what was previously Lagertha's throne. Rolling my eyes, I scoffed before taking a drink.

  "As long as Lagertha remains alive, then I have not yet had my revenge." Ivar limped over and plopped down beside Harald. "We have gained the Kingdom of Kattegat, but I still have a hollow feeling inside." He said and drank from his horn.

  "Don't worry. How long can she and the others escape us? We have scouts everywhere! And, after all, where can they go? Who will shelter them from us?" Harald questioned, and I stood up.

  "Where are you going?" Ivar looked at me, and I handed him my cup.

  "Hold that for me. I gotta take a piss."

  "Ah, ladylike as ever, Hel." Harald grinned, but I simply waved my hand and made my way through the crowd of drunken people. When I found myself outside, I took in a deep breath of fresh air and let it out slowly. With the cold of the night, my breath was visible as it curled up toward the sky in a small cloud.

  Putting my hands on my lower back, I leaned back to pop my spine before stretching out my arms and rounding the hall. It was quieter out here, but there were still drunken Vikings stumbling about, and the roaring from within the hall could still be heard.

  "Hel." I raised my head upon hearing my name and saw a man that was taller and broader than me standing a few feet behind me.

  "Yes?" My brow raised at the blue-eyed brunette, his face was only vaguely familiar, but I couldn't recall his name if I had ever even known it.

  "I've been meaning to speak to you, but you are hardly ever alone." The man chuckled while taking a step forward as he looked at me.

  "What do you want?" I turned to face him and crossed my arms over my chest as he took another step closer. There was something about him, something in his eyes, that I knew was trouble, but I couldn't tell how.

  "I just wanted to ask," He suddenly pushed me down by my shoulders, and I hit the ground harshly. "how do you like being the whore for the Ragnar sons?" The man's tone shifted as he stood over me, but as I was sitting up and baring my teeth, he was on me and trying to pin me down to the cold, hard earth. "You must love the favor and partiality you get from them just because you fuck them."

  I tried to push the man off of me, but I was at a disadvantage as he had leverage over me.

  "Well, let's see if those pricks are still fond of their toy once it's been broken." He swung a fist, and the ring on his finger busted my lip. The man only pissed me off even more when he ripped the ties on my shirt, exposing my collarbone and cleavage. When he shifted to pull my pants down, I took the opening he made and reared up my legs to mule kick him in the gut.