"Bjorn, raise your shield!" Lagertha snapped. I watched Bjorn's arm struggling to lift the circle shield higher, his mother pausing for a moment. Bjorn's eyes flicked towards me, an encouraging nod filling his gaze with a warm smile rippling onto his face. The shield raised and the sword at his side began to swing. His mother nodding with a grin before she took her first swing at his son. Bjorn smacked the advanced away with the edge of his blade before his wrist sent the blade lunging in his direction. Lagertha hardly flinched, his sword seeming to just bounce off thin air.
"Attack with more strength." Lagertha added, gently tapping the boy's shield with the tip of his sword. Bjorn nodded, the smile being replaced with a serious glaze. Gyda landed at my side, her frame resting against the wooden post of the fence, her eyes resting on her mother and brother. Bjorn thrust again, almost throwing his sword at his mother who dodged the blow with a nimble leap to the left.
"Can i learn how to fight, mama?" Gyda pleaded as her eyes began to tug at her mother's gaze. Lagertha smiled, her glance moving across to her daughter. A small nod following her gaze.
"Of course, one day. Not today." Lagertha sighed. Gyda nodded obediently, turning her head as she smiled wide towards me. "Can we see Olyvia fight?" Gyda gasped. Bjorn's head began to nodded wildly, his hand dropping the shield as he began to beckon me over.
"I agree, Olyvia should try against Bjorn." Lagertha agreed with a nodding temple. A small sigh left my chapped lips, my frame raising to my feet. My eyes glanced to the weapons that lined the rack before my fingers began enclosed around the handle of a small axe. "Good choice. I like this girl a lot." She whispered through a chuckle.
I took my place facing Bjorn head on. I could see the smile on his lips, his shield being dragged to the by Gyda. Bjorn lunged forward, his blade clanging against the axe head. My frame took a step forward, the axe swinging in the space between our bodies. I could see Bjorn's attention was caught on the axe, which was exactly what i wanted. With a spin, my axe froze and my elbow smashed into his jaw. Bjorn's body stumbled back till my foot hooked onto his ankle, sending him frame to the ground. I pounced onto his torso, holding the axehead at his throat with Ragnar's hands clapping behind us.
"Don't get distracted, Bjorn." I whispered. The sound began to fill our ears. The whooshing of arrows in the air. The muttering of the women on the sand shore as the old man dropped to the ground. All heads turning, Bjorn's hands carefully pushing my body to the side as he rose into a sitting position. The horses and men stood ready to attack. Men of our village. The horses began to charge, the men on the back cutting down all in their path. At my side, Bjorn launched to his feet with his hand snatching my wrist and dragging me to stand beside him. No one could escape the sound of screams.
"Everyone inside!" Lagertha commanded. I guided Bjorn's running body towards the doorway of the hut, all of the children wielding whatever weapon they could find. Bjorn still held the sword in his grip, i clung to the axe while Gyda cuddled the knife. Bjorn stood at my side with Lagertha in front and Gyda behind, Athelstan was too busy staring at the axe in his hand to notice anything. "Your father will be back." We could hear Lagertha say beneath her breath, assuring herself and all of us children that we would be saved.
All we could hear was screams. Screams of pain. Screams of fear. The door began to edge open, all bodies taking a ready stance for an attacker. But Ragnar began to hobbled through the door.
"Father!" Bjorn shouted, running from my side towards Ragnar, Lagertha was close behind. You could see the worry in their eyes as they noticed the wounds that decorated Ragnar's flesh, A slice to the leg and an arrow sticking out of his back... He wasn't in good shape.
"We have to go. Now." Ragnar groaned through the pain, pushing Bjorn towards the creaking floorboards at the rear of the hut. Bjorn's hand once again clung to my wrist, dragging me with him to the secret exit. Ragnar collapsed on the floor, his fingers pulling at the floorboards till a few moved freely. "Down you go. Now!" Ragnar insisted, helping Lagertha and Gyda down before he was met with Bjorn's battles.
"I'm not leaving without you, father." Bjorn shouted. Ragnar shook his head, forcing his son closer to the exit with my arm pulling him in the direction.
"Bjorn, you have to go!" Ragnar growled. His eyes turned to me, my head nodding at the messages that his face with giving. My arm swung around, Bjorn swinging with it. "Olyvia, take care of my son." Ragnar whispered, watching as his son reluctantly wriggled down to the crawl space. My head nodded as i followed close behind. I could hear the men shouting Ragnar's name. Demanding that he revealed himself from the hut. Breaking out the other end, we could see the devastation that these men were causing. Burning houses, weeping and wailing women, screaming children. Lagertha's arm was tight around her daughter as she began to move out of the shadow of the hut. Athelstan was close behind. Bjorn moved first, his eyes glancing back at my frame as i followed.
"Bjorn Lothbrok! Stop right there!" A man shouted. His body sprinting towards Bjorn with his sword raised. I could see Lagertha move as if she were about to run back for her son. But her eyes watched as the man plummeted to the ground... An axehead embedded in his torso. With empty hands, i ran forward and snatch Bjorn's wrist, dragging him with me as i ran closely behind Lagertha.
The boat was near, every person leaping into the boat and collapsing onto their back in an attempt to hide. Bjorn's hand was wrapped around my wrist with his head turned to me. The sound of burning wood dragging us all from the shadow of the boat. The burning huts lighting the village into a sea of orange, yellow and red. In silence, everybody lay back down. My head resting against Bjorn's shoulder with a small sigh slipping through my lips. I couldn't see my home from the boat. I didn't know if Eir and Porr were safe.
On the top of the cliff, Ragnar stood tall but soon his body began to tumble. Crashing into the water with Athelstan close behind, dragging Ragnar's unconscious body to the surface.
Floki's hut was warm and comfortable as we all shuffled inside. Lagertha was by the fire with her unconscious husband, Floki was helping her. Helga sat with Gyda, trying to calm her irregular breaths and tears. Bjorn lay against my frame. My spine leaning against a wall with Bjorn's head resting on my thigh. He had not spoken a word since reaching Floki's.
When word reached us, we knew what was to come. The Earl had taken Rollo prisoner. Word was he was being tortured for information on Ragnar's location. We knew that Ragnar wouldn't leave Rollo to that fate. Even a blind man could see that this was a trap, but no one could dispute his decision. Floki would go to the Earl and demand a combat for Ragnar.
The demand was accepted.
"This is a personal combat. The combatants may choose any weapon and shield that they desire. Each man has two shields, if both are broken, there can be no further replacement. " The rounded men announced to the crowd. An old man shuffled over, handing the Earl his sword and shield, both men tossing away their first shield. The crowd gasped, Bjorn's eyes full of fear as they turned to me. I could say nothing.
Taking their second shield in hand, Ragnar made the first blows. Both men lunging and swinging at the other with the crowd jeering and shouting for their favoured. I could feel Bjorn's body stiffen as the blade in his father's hand snapped in two. Ragnar using his shield as best he could till that too split. The men were down to bare hands, moving the racks and grasping axes in their hands.
The Earl made the first swing, Ragnar dipping under his arm with ease. Both men swung the axes until both were face to face with axes in hand. The Earl slashed out, the red liquid sloshing out of Ragnar's already wounded shoulder. My eyes slammed shut, not wanting to see. But the crowd's silence clawed my eyes open. The view of the Earl on the ground with unsteady breaths and blood stained sand. My head turned to Siggy, his wife, watching her slowly edging forward towards the two men. All watched as the life slipped from the Earl, Siggy at his side with pain in her eyes.
"Kill him." The rounded man growled, his finger pointing towards Ragnar. No one moved, until Rollo reached for a weapon off the rack. His frame stalking towards the fat man before lodging the axe deep into his chest. Siggy rose up, running to her daughter as she snatched the knife from her daughters hand and plunged it into the Swedish man's stomach. All stared in shock.
Then Siggy's words echoed throughout the village. "Hail, Earl Ragnar!" She shouted. Every man, woman and child repeating her words as they lowered to their knee. Only Lagertha was left standing.