The Viking and His Wife

A Wife

Blood sputtered forth out of the mouth of the tyrant, Arlock. A beast of a man whose ambitions surpassed twice the altitude of a mountain.

Pillaging villages to the ground, killing both men and women; sentencing children to burn alive at the stake. Raping the population for all it was worth. That was his forte.

And now he was no more.

The Gods had grown wary of him and as a consequence, he fell at the blade of the fearless warrior, Lufner Modig.

The battle raged on for as long as time.

Rain fell heavy from above, dead bodies littered the land. Battle cries filled the air.

Like a coward, Arlock hid behind the strength of his men. Though he carried some strength of his own, it was not enough to preserve his despicable life. The empire he dreamed of full of hate and suffering was now a thing of the past. Men like him were never fit for rule; no matter how powerful, no matter how ambitious. Absolutely nothing was possible without the help of the gods.

The adversary's demise made the battle come to an abrupt end. What was left of Arlock's men, fled with their tails between their legs but were hunted down and killed. Every single last one of them. And how the earth welcomed their blood.

Lufner's ears became deaf to the turmoil around him. His breaths were laboured and his flesh burned and stung from his bleeding wounds. At the side of the cadaver, he collapsed.

"Luffy!"

A warrior ran towards him and thanked the gods to find that his dear friend's soul had not yet left the world.

Turning him over, Lufner groaned and winced. Mud caked in his hair and face. The skies above opened up and the rains had finished their pour. The sun reigned above to join the shouts of victory.

"Speak to me, Luffy. Will you live?"

"Usoff."

"Yes?"

Lufner's stomach did the talking, growling like a wild beast and he whined for this was a feeling worse than death.

"I'm hungry."

The colossal doors of the great hall opened up and Lufner and his men piled in. All took their turn to bow to their Earl who awaited them. It was Lufner, the man who lead them all who remained low.

"Welcome back my warriors. Lufner."

"With the help of the gods, we were victorious, Earl Genzic."

One Viking paraded the bastard's decapitated head on a spear. An explicit proof of their success.

"You have done well."

The crowd erupted in cheer and Lufner rose to his feet.

"We lost good men."

"Their families will be greatly rewarded for their bravery. May they dine well amongst the gods in Valhalla."

Lufner nodded and smiled. It felt great to be home but he yearned for something far more.