ɬῳıʂɬɛɖ - ɬ.ʂɧɛƖცყ

2

The flat that was occupied by the Darling family was full of laughter that morning. The mother and son were attempting to throw grapes into each other's mouths. The laughter increases when a grape hits Iduna in the eye. A loud, booming knock on the door causes the laughter to instantly cease.

"Police!" The voice booms, knocking harder.

"Seb" Iduna whispers to her son, knowing this won't be a friendly visit with the new inspector in town. "Out the back, over the wall, follow the path, alright? Go, straight to Polly!"

Iduna presses a kiss to her son's forehead before gently pushing him towards the back door that leads to the stairwell. The boy turns to look at his mother before he runs down the stairs.

Iduna approaches the door but before she can open it, the door flies open. Pieces of splintered wood fly from the doorframe as two officers enter her home. One of the officers slams into her, sending her falling to the floor. A sharp pain radiates from her head, indicating that her head had collided with the corner of the table. A hand on her ankle makes her cry out as she's yanked backwards. The woman grapples for a piece of the broken vase as the officer flips her onto her back. She is quick to stab the sharp piece of pottery into the officer's hand, the pain distracting him. The distraction allows Iduna to scramble to her feet.

Iduna swings for the second officer, landing a solid punch straight to his nose and the officer falls back, clutching his nose. Whilst he was distracted, Iduna swings her leg u[ and gets him straight between the legs. As he drops to the ground, Iduna grabs the closest thing to her, which was a frying pan and hits him hard. He drops to the ground unconscious.

"Don't fucking touch me," Iduna spits at him.

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All eyes were on the blonde woman who was sprinting down the street. Iduna did not care that blood was seeping down her cheek, that her dress was torn or that she was barefoot. The residents of Small Heath take in the woman's distressed state as she stumbles towards Watery Lane as the adrenaline in her system begins to dwindle.

"Iduna?"

The woman turns at the sound of John's voice, her chest heaving. Standing in front of her were the three Shelby brothers, taking in her appearance. The woman doesn't hesitate as she stumbles into John's arms. The man drapes her arm over his shoulders as Tommy takes the other side.

"POLLY!" Tommy shouts.

"Oh, my word,"

Polly is quick to begin tending to the woman's injuries, examining the cuts on her hands from grabbing the broken shard. Iduna cries out as Tommy presses a whiskey-soaked rag against the cut on her forehead.

At the sound of his mother's pained cry, Sebastian had run downstairs. John and Arthur attempt to stop the boy but he pushes through them before wrapping his arms around his mother.

"Hey," Iduna says, pressing a kiss to Sebastian's head.

"Mum! You're alright"

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Night had fallen, and Iduna and Sebastian were still in the Shelby household at Polly's behest. Finn scuttles over, a long grey coat in his hand which he places on Iduna's lap.

"We're having a fire," He says, offering Iduna his small hand. "Tommy, John and Arthur invited you if you were feeling alright"

"Who am I to ignore an invitation?" Iduna says, with a smile.

Iduna walks out the front door, holding Finn and Sebastian's hands as they walk towards the roaring bonfire in the centre of the street.

"Hello, Finn lad," One of the men, who Iduna recognises as Scudboat, greets the young Shelby boy.

"Who's your lady friend?" Scudboat asks.

"This is Iduna," Finn says. "She's friends with my brothers"

"Why are you burning the King?" Iduna asks, standing next to John who throws an arm over her shoulder.

"Something about him not looking at what coppers are doing to us," John says with a shrug. "Tommy's idea"

"Chuck them on boys," Tommy says, joining the rest of his family watching the fire.

A red, orange and yellow ball of rage roared upward eating its way through the wooden pyramid at its base and the portraits being thrown in. Plumes of grey were buffeted into the night sky, carried aimlessly by a chilly wind.

Ashen debris glided silently away from the smoke onto the throng of excited children and talkative adults that all stood in awe of the great beast, their eyes transformed into orbs of light, each flickering orange flame playing a light show on their pupils. Before Arthur and John drag Iduna away to dance.

"I hope to god you know what you're doing," Arthur says later before Iduna walks over carrying a tired Sebastian.

"We're going to call it a night," Iduna says, readjusting Sebastian before saying goodbye and walking away into the darkness. Tommy's eyes never left Iduna's retreating figure.

"Scudboat," Tommy says. "Make sure they get home safe"

The man nods before jogging to catch up with the blonde woman who greets him with a kind smile.