Virago - Ivar The Boneless

Pent Up Anger

The weather changed on the day that Bjorn and Hvitserk left Kattegat. Iona had said casually told them she would see them later instead she headed off into the forest hoping to disappear until they had left. It wasn't that she didn't want to say goodbye, she just didn't want to get caught up in begging to go with them. She'd come to terms in her mind that she was staying in Kattegat, but she knew if she watched them go, it would make it harder on her.

Her right hand clutched her axe tightly, her left held her small knife as she walked along further from Kattegat. She needed the release, which she felt in being away from everyone. Bjorn had told her the night before that Ragnar would be leaving on the same day he did. This was something which brought a small amount of joy to her life. Watching Ivar go was something she would take great pleasure in yet she knew she wasn't ready to see Ragnar go. Bjorn was right about one thing, his father would treat her as his equal and like his own.

The trails were long gone as she walked, the light shone through the branches, and the distance brought new sights to her eyes. She realised as she watched from behind the tree that she had ventured too far, far away from Kattegat as she spied the small camp of men and women who were just doing normal things. Iona had wondered what it would be like to be a no one but the truth was she would never have the luxury with her mother and the reputation Lagertha carried.

Little Bear's mind didn't work quite like others though, seeing these people here brought her a feeling that she could prove herself. Reasonable people might have thought about moving on, going away and leaving them in peace but not Iona. Her hands shook as she tightened her grip around her weapons as she observed, waiting to see if anything was afoot.

Closing her eyes, she steadied her breathing before she walked out calmly from behind the foliage. She held her axe and knife behind her back as she approached the camp.

"Young one," a woman called out when she saw Iona. "Are you lost?" She seemed kind and caring in her nature as she walked towards the young blonde.

The woman watched as the eyes of Iona turned from blue to a pale grey before they seemed to flash red for a brief second which could have mistaken for the light. Iona was quick as she brought her knife around, slashing the throat of the woman. A smirk crossed the lips of the blonde as the spurting blood coated her face, and the older woman dropped to the ground, babbling sounds leaving her throat as she tried to gasp for air.

Screams ensued from around the camp before men tried to rush at Iona. She stood calmly, stepping to the side of the woman who was in a pool of blood now. Using her axe, she threw it at the largest man, holding him back for a brief moment, the axe penetrating his chest as she fought off two smaller men.

Little Bear used her own speed and strength against them, her knife slashing their bodies as she darted around them. As she skimmed past the second smaller man, she stabbed her sword into the side of him before dragging her blade through his skin his body falling down when she pulled her weapon out. Her attention was swiftly distracted when she felt a sharp pain of her left cheek, her eyes widened as she turned and looked at the first man who had cut her face.

Throwing her knife, it landed smack in the middle of his forehead, he seemed to just fall to the ground before Iona found herself faced with the larger man who had arrived over, axe still in his chest.

She tilted her head as she tried to make a plan in her head, her ears were still filled with screams from watching women and children, she couldn't let them distract her.

The man pulled the axe from his chest, his eyes dancing as he watched the expression of the blonde change as she felt panic in her body. This time if she messed up, there would be no one to save her.

The blood on her face dripped down before she felt a warm droplet on her lips, she stared into the eyes of the man as she licked her lips the metallic blood coating her lips and tongue before she smirked at him. The man before her was confused. In front of him stood an angelic-looking blonde woman who was quite young, but she was an evil genius, a monster in her own right. No one took this much satisfaction in killing the innocent, but she seemed to. He noticed there was something inside of her that seemed to be different from others that he had met.

Iona didn't wait, she pulled back her small right hand before cracking it forward and up into the end of the man's nose. She knew certain moves were deadly, and she watched proudly as she stood back, her eyes watching the masterpiece that was about to unfold.

The man's brown eyes rolled back in his head as his body shut down, his nose cartilage having shunted into his brain and killing him almost instantly. His massive body fell down lifelessly as Iona stared towards the rest of the people in the camp.

Women watched her with wide, scared eyes, children screamed as they realised what had just happened. Picking up her axe, she wiped the blood from it using the large dead man's top before she pulled her blade from the head of the man who she had killed second.

Quick as a flash she dropped her knife as she looked forward, her left hand reached up before stopping the sword that was coming at her shoulder. She stared at the blade of this knife which was between her two forefingers as she shook her head then looked up at the small woman who was standing with her hand up.

Iona concluded this was the woman who had thrown it, she let out a sigh before reaching for her own knife from the ground again and marching towards the woman who turned on her heel and began to run. Little Bear threw the knife she had acquired at the woman, the blade hitting the dead centre of her back before she threw her second one. She watched as her prey began to slow before stopping slumping against a cloth home, a wooden post keeping the woman upright.

Approaching her, Iona watched the others as they scrambled, screaming as they went. She had to deal with this woman; first, she ripped both blades from the back of the woman before stabbing them in over and over, her rage being taken out on the innocent lady who had tried to defend her home and people. Little Bear's anger was a force to be reckoned with, when she stepped back, satisfied for a brief moment only then did she see the destruction she had caused to this woman's body.

Her brown hair was covered in blood, there was only a hundred stab wounds and blood pouring from every single one of them making her unrecognisable. The cuts were not limited to her body either, there were cuts to her face, arms and legs also. Iona hated herself, she hated how easily she let things affect her, how others words got to her. She didn't know why she was so angry, there seemed to be many different factors contributing to her feelings.

Standing straight, Iona shrugged her anger off as she brushed herself down. She wiped clean her weapons before she took a few moments to raid the dead people's homes, hoping to find something of value. She didn't need anything, she didn't really want anything either, but she needed to make herself feel better for the events that had taken place.

As she reached under one of the beds, there was a small box, opening it Iona's eyes widened at the little necklace that was hidden in the box. She'd seen the same design before, the small pendant was the same as the one around her mother's neck. Picking it up, she put into on, clasping it around her throat before she left the small cloth home.

Standing in the middle of the small camp, she thought about her past. Before she wouldn't hesitate to kill, she also wouldn't need anything to justify her actions, she'd just do it. Her mind was working overtime as she picked up one of the extinguished torches, relighting it in the fire, Iona threw the flame on the nearest cloth home before she walked away leaving the small place to go up in flames.