"There are several farming families who are willing to fight with us against Jarl Borg." Rollo whispered. Aslaug slept silently with Hvitserk and Sigurd, whilst Ubbe's sleeping body was curled close to my chest with his body sat on my lap.
"How many?" She questioned. I knew that we need at least fifty men to take back Ragnar's lands... There was no way that several families would supply us with enough men.
"Twenty, maybe thirty warriors." He sighed. My head dropped with my chin gentle resting on the child's head. I could feel his fingers tightly curling into the material of my shirt.
"It's enough to stir things up. We can torment him, make him want to leave." I whispered.
"We can make raids on his outposts, disturb his incoming supplies... We just have to avoid open battle." Rollo added. I could see Siggy's head nodding, her eyes moving to the child in my arms. "Sooner or later, Ragnar will return. But until then, we have to keep my brother's memory alive." Rollo finished. Siggy began to smile, my brow rising in confusion. I wasn't convinced this was a time for happiness, but maybe i was wrong.
My frame dropped back, holding Ubbe's body to my chest as i carefully lay back. I felt his frame shuffle slightly, his little fingers lacing into my blonde hair.
The rain was gushing from the skies, much to my disgust. My frame perched in the doorway of the barn with my orbs cautiously watching Siggy. A knife slipping through the gaps between my fingers before i would begin to plunge the blade into the wooden planks below.
Something caught my eye. My figure raising up till i filled the doorway. Men. Men with shields and pikes.
"Siggy, get inside." I shouted. Her head snapped around, looking at the men as they drew closer and closer. "Go and find Rollo." I added. Stepping to the side, her small body slipped inside. My fingers curled around the sword that clung to my waist, drawing it before i stepped out into the pouring rain.
Then i faintly heard it. My name. A voice shouting it louder and louder with each growing second. Ragnar and Floki.
"Ragnar!" I screamed, my body sprinting towards the crowd till arms engulfed me. I could feel Ragnar's tight grip on my frame loosen as i moved to the best friend beside him. Floki.
"Where is my family?" Ragnar snapped with haste. My arm outstretched, pointing towards the farm building with a growing smile.
"All safe and sound, i'm glad that you're back." I replied. He sprinted off instantly. Helga's hand gently grazed my arm, a wide grin on her lips.
"What happened? Killed your first man yet?" Floki uttered. His makeup was faded, it didn't seem right. His face was confused yet full of happiness as he saw the reuniting of a family.
"Jarl Borg attacked from the sea. Must have been five ships, each with at least twenty men. Rollo and I, we tried to defend the village... But they outnumbered us." I sighed, my slim fingers brushing through the long locks of wet blonde hair. "Man and Woman." I added, watching a twisted grin wriggle onto his lips. With a quick giggle, an arm jumping around my shoulder as we began towards the barn. I could hear the children giggling with joy inside, their little faces light up like the sun.
Aslaug had put the children to bed by the time that Siggy returned with Rollo. The two brothers walking outside together. I could hear the words as they left Ragnar's lips. The anger and fury in his words sending chills down my spine. A lot of curses and dark hopes. Mostly of Jarl Borg's head on a spike.
The barn was silent that night. No one stirred in their sleep. Everything was peace. I awoke to the whimpers of a child as Ubbe took his usual place beside me. His fingers clinging to small strands of my hairs as he drifted in and out of sleep.
And then the sun rose.
"Ragnar, they're coming!" I heard a voice shouted. My eyes sprung open, carefully shaking the small boy into consciousness. Her hands gently pushed his body in the direction of his mother and Siggy as i ran for the doorway, snatching my sword on the way.
"Is it them?" Helga snapped, her eyes glanced towards me as i skidded to a halt at Ragnar's side.
Floki snarled, shaking his head towards his lover with a frown. "Of course it's them." Floki growled. Ragnar stayed silent. I could see the smile slipping onto his lips as he began to walk down the hill towards the dirty path. "What is he doing?" Floki hissed. My orbs narrowed, trying to make out the figure on the first horse.
"It's not Jarl Borg... It's Lagertha." I gasped. I almost ran down that hill, skidding to a halt behind Ragnar as he spoke to the blonde woman, whom i used to know so well.
"Olyvia?" She whispered, her hands pushing Ragner out of the way as she moved to me. "Look at you, you've grown so tall, and so beautiful." She continued. Her arms pulled me into a close embrace, my face buried into her armoured shoulder. "I wish that i could've seen you grow." She finished. Her body shuffled to the side, my gaze travelling to another face. A face that seemed so familiar yet so new.
Bjorn's P.O.V
There she was. All grown up. Her blonde hair like golden straw crafted by the dwarfs. Her blue eyes shimmering like the fish that we used to chase as children. Olyvia had grown more beautiful that i ever would've imagined.
"Look at you, you've grown so tall, and so beautiful." My mother cried. Her arms dragging Olvia's frame into a close embrace, whilst Olyvia's face buried into my mother's armoured shoulder. "I wish that I could've seen you grow." My mother finished. Her body shuffled to the side, i could feel her gaze drifting towards me, till her blue eyes became entwined with mine.
"Olyvia, Do you reme-" My words were cut off as her frame leaping into mine. Her arms tight around my shoulders while my arms cradled her waist. I could hear soft whimpers muffling into my shoulder as she buried her face into me.
"I've missed you so." She whispered. I could not bring myself to release her frame from my grip, even as i heard my mother and father talking, i wanted to hold her.
"I missed you more." I sighed. Her frame wriggled from my grip, a small sniffle followed by a wide grin.
"Look at you, you got tall." I could feel her eyes slipping over me like i was as easy to read as the runes. "And big." She teased, her fingers prodding at the worked muscles of my arms. "I bet that you still can't fish however." She whispered. A let out a swift laugh, shaking my head with a smirk. My eye glanced towards the old lovers moving up the hill.
A body ran forward, his lips shouting her name. "Olyvia? Can it really be you?" He cried. Her body shuffled back with a raised brow, her eyes scanning the man with confusion. "It's Tyr." He quietly said. Olyvia's face dropped, her eyes filling as she stared at this man.
"Tyr?" She repeated. Her hands snapped out, grabbing his frame as she wept in his shoulder. "I don't believe it." She cried. Olyvia's eyes slipped open, staring directly towards me with her teeth nibbling on her lip. She had found brother.
Olyvia's P.O.V
The gods must've smiled down on me that day. Not only did i have Bjorn back, i had my brother. Tyr told me of my younger brother. The winter we were taken, their village was beneath the deepest snow. They said he must've been caught out too long... I was just thankful to have Tyr back.
"Enough of the pleasantries, let's make a plan." Ragnar commanded. All warriors made their way to the table, at which he sat. Torstein, Rollo, Lagertha, Bjorn, Ragnar and myself. The only Kattegat born warriors left.
"Even with your additional forces, Lagertha, we cannot attack Kattegat and hope to succeed." Torstein sighed. "Jarl Borg is well dug in."
"Well, what do you propose?" Lagertha questioned. All eyes moved to Ragnar, his back turned to us with his head resting on his hand.
"We want to drive Jarl Borg out of Kattegat." I replied. Rollo's head nodding with my words as three pairs of eyes shot to me. "With any luck, he'll have no idea that we've been reinforced."
"We have a plan... Tonight, a few of us will go into the town and destroy the winter grain stores." Rollo started. Ragnar's frame began to turn with a smirk on his face. "
"My son and I will go. We'll only need a few men." Ragnar uttered. We all nodded in unison, unable to overturn his decision. I could feel Bjorn's eyes resting upon my frame again. Something about it made me smile. He had changed. As had i. I had always wished that the friendship between us wouldn't have changed. But it had. At least it felt like it had.
The sky began to grow dark, the men going into the town all assembling with weapons in hand. They travelled light, only with their weapon of choice, no shields. Aslaug gave a kiss to her husband, and i could feel Bjorn's eyes still looking towards me. I released a gentle sigh, moving towards him with a heavy heart.
"Be careful. Don't do anything stupid." I whispered. I could see him open his lips in an attempt to argue, my frame rising onto my toes as a gentle kiss planted onto his jaw. "And make you that you come back." I finished. I could feel his hand grazing against my fingers. Ragnar's hand slapping against his shoulder before the two left the barn.
The plan had worked. We could still see the smoke rising as we assembled. Our bodies hidden behind trees and shrubs with shields and blades. I could Bjorn to my left, and Tyr to my right. We waited for the giggling Floki to call us, the horn in his hand.
"Olyvia... Stay close to me." Bjorn whispered. My head turned to him with a groan.
"You're kidding me... I'm not eleven years old anymore, Bjorn." I hissed. And with that, Floki signalled us. The sound of the horn luring us out of the shadows. Our ranks covering the horizon with shields and blades.
Jarl Borg's men ran towards us like a wave. Their shields colliding against ours. I grimaced as the forced smashed against us. Bjorn and Tyr slipping their shields in either side of mine, our combined muscle pushing against the wave of Jarl's men. The bloodshed began.
A blade jabbed over the shields, missing his aim every time. "Hold the shields." I growled to the two men at my sides. Both pushed their full weight against the shield wall as arm reached down, slashing beneath the shields till the man fell to the ground with a yelp. We pushed forward, my blade eventually putting the man out of his pain. The wall began to break apart.
Tyr began to push forward as Bjorn battled wildly. A man sprinting towards me with a growl. My legs crouched slightly, lowering my shield. His body slammed against the shield, my legs forcing up as the shield rose. The shield helping my arms flipping the man onto his back. Yet again, my blade lowered before it plunged into his chest.
A horn blew. My body snapping around as a large group of Jarl's men retreated to his side.
"Brace!" Ragnar shouted. All of our shields interlocking with our weight heavily against it. Bjorn was completely oblivious to his father's words. Jarl's men ran forward, knocking many of our men onto their backs... Including Bjorn.
"Bjorn!" I shouted. My brother was at my side as we sprinted forward, my frame standing tall in front of the shocked Bjorn. Tyr ran from my side, sprinting towards a warrior. "Bjorn, get up!" I screamed, my foot kicking his leg as the first man hit against my bare frame. I tumbled back, my knee lodging into the ground as i snatched an axe with my free hand. Slicing at the man, i dodge a hit from his shield before my sword cut at his stomach. He hunched over, my axe hitting at his back. The man dropped down. I could feel the blood on my face. Both my blood and the blood of others.
"Retreat!" Jarl Borg shouted. All of the surviving warriors following as he fled like a coward. I shook my head, dropping the weapons in my grip as i began off towards the forest. The sound of coughing stopping my steps. With fury filled eyes, i span around. My hand snatching an axe as i moved to end the man's suffering. My cry echoed through the whole field. My frame collapsing at the side of my brother.
"Olyvia, it's alright." He choked through his blood. My head shook, looking down at my dying brother as he coughed and gargled. I felt his blood splatter onto my face. "You saved him. You did what i couldn't." He grimaced. My gaze slipped up as i realised what had happened. My brother would die because i chose to save Bjorn, instead of checking on him. I watched as they life left his eyes.
The gods were not so kind that day.