The ship rocked over the waves..The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see with no signs of land. Just as planned, I sat on the deck of one of Lagerth's ships, with the woman herself at my side.
"He'll never forgive me for this." I groaned. My figure dropped back, smashing against the wood. I felt my hands move to my face as i rubbed my eyes. I couldn't help but feel the betrayal. I had gone against the man I had loved for my entirety. How could he forgive that?
"Of course he'll forgive you, I know my son. He has strong feelings for you. And when someone feels like that, they'll forgive you, no matter what." Lagertha whispered. Her delicate hand rested on the flat on my shoulder, her smile showing the hint of reassurance.
"When we land, just come clean with him. And if he will not listen, I will talk to my son." She assured me. I gave her a hint of a smile, the betrayal still weighing on, what felt like, my heart.
After what felt like months, land began to paint along the horizon. It was a new land, for me anyway. I could hear the bustle on the ships as, with each passing moment, we drew closer and closer to the shore. I, on the other hand, could feel my stomach churning, my heart breaking. I would have to face up to my betrayal. But in a way, i was proud of what i had done. I wasn't running from the Saxons, i was going to face them. The ship ran against the shore, and bodies began to plunge into the shallow waters. Weapons in every hand.
I took a large breath, and with Lagertha at my side, i leaped from the safety of the ship.
Bjorn's P.O.V
I snatched the axe from the deck, before launching my heavy frame over the side of the wooden planks. It felt luxurious to feel solid ground again. Rollo joined my side as we began to join the moving crowd. We weaved through, making our way to the head of the convergence. Two blonde woman lead the group, Rollo and I coming up behind them with smiles on our faces. We were in Wessex.
As we reached their side, i felt everything skid to an abrupt halt. At my mother's side, stood the woman i had fallen head over heals for. Olyvia. I felt my eyes widden as i stared at her frame. Covered in leathered clothing with a sword in one hand and a shield in another. She reminded me of my mother.
"Bjorn?" My uncle's voice shouted over the mutter as he turned, finding me still frozen on a single spot. My gaze broke from her frame as, she too, stopped to see me. Her face was soft and held the perfect smile. Her eyes were the color of the sky on a clear day.
"Not now, Bjorn, we'll talk about this later." Olyvia groaned. Her smile disappeared, my mother looking back at me with a frown that mirrored Olyvia's. My mother had brought her here, without my knowing.
Deep down, a small part was almost relieved to see her face. I had the thought that i could never see her again, if i had died in Wessex whilst she was in Kattegat. With a deep breath, I began to jog, catching up with Rollo. My eyes avoiding Olyvia's pale orbs as she glanced in my direction.
The harsh, cold rain was crashing down as our settlement began to take shape. I had not the heart to speak to Olyvia with the crowd that surrounded us. I wanted to tell her that I was not as angry as I seemed. I wanted to tell her that I was glad that she'd be by my side. But I also wanted to tell her how hurt I was that she had lied to me, and how pressured I felt in the knowledge that I could not let anything happen to her.
"Bjorn, If you do not speak to her soon, you'll lose your chance." Rollo sighed, his eyes caught upon her svelte figure tightly wrapped in cloth and fur. The breath was caught in my throat at just the sight of her. Her smile was hidden behind a mask of, what seemed to be, anger and upset. Maybe even shame and worry.
I felt the sigh as it broke through my lips. My frame straightening with a final glance in the direction of my uncle. As my gaze returned to the area of her appearance, my orbs scanned for the missing figure. I frantically searched the open field, weaving through the crowd toward the area that previously held her. A tall blonde mess slipping into the thick forest that stood high beside the field. I broke into a sprint towards the treeline, quickly closing the gap between myself and the blonde mess.
"Olyvia?" I shouted out. Within a small second, a weight smashed against my built back. The air vacated my lungs as I tumbled to the ground in a heap. I felt the weight settle onto my back with muscled legs planted either side of my chest. "Can we talk?" I groaned, trying to catch a glimpse of the woman.
"No. You're listening to me first." She snapped. I could feel the tension in her frame as she spoke. Perhaps she was more upset than I was. "What was I supposed to do Bjorn? You were never going to let me join you, and there was no way that I was stay in Kattegat with the other women." She sighed before continuing. "I didn't want to lie to you, but there was nothing else that I could do." Her voice trailed off as her words came to a close. She slipped from my built back, landing on the rain-drenched ground beside me. I rolled my body to the side, my eyes capturing her gaze.
"Now, you listen to me." I calmly exclaimed. No sound came from her slouched frame, only a solemn nod. "I'm not angry with you, Olyvia. I just saw you and panicked. I thought that you were at home, safe. But instead you appeared in the center of a danger that I am not sure I can protect you from." I watched as her face slowly lit up with my words. Her eyes brightening as the rose to my face. "I am glad that you are here." I whispered.
Her frame flung forward, arms and leg wrapped tightly around my muscular frame. My lips planted small, gentle kisses along her soft skin as she hid in my figure. "Promise me that you'll be careful." I quietly said into her ear.
"I promise." She sniffed, pressing a peck between my brows.
Olyvia's P.O.V
With the light of dawn, all were called to assemble. Warriors and Shield-Maidens taking arms, Bjorn keeping to my side the entire time. I tore the two short axe's from Floki's hands as he approached with spare in his grip. One axe hidden at my left thigh, whilst the other sat beside my right thigh. A large, decorated shield in my right hand and a short sword in the left.
We advanced. Marching towards the Villa of King Ecbert with all riled up for bloodshed. Their force moved into view, I could feel Bjorn's gaze flicking to me as he pressed against me in a gesture of reassurance.
"A large force, but not large enough." Horik growled. "We will go down to them."
"I think we should wait." Ragnar suggested, but Horik was having none of Ragnar's wisdom. With Horik at the head of the advance, forward we went with Ragnar muttering between his teeth. You could almost feel the anticipation from the men as they stalked closer and closer towards the Saxons. More shouts broke out advance. An enemy attacking from head on was simple enough, but an enemy attack from two angles was dangerous. And we were caught in the middle.
Horik and his men continued towards one force, whilst those loyal to Ragnar held firm. A shieldwall assembling beautifully, as it always did. Bjorn firmly at my side, slamming his frame against the shield that blocked the on coming enemy. I felt my teeth grit as the soldier's body crashed against my shield, all my strength holding him back as my sword slashed out toward him. With one large push, his weight knocked my down. But to my advantage. My figure span on the wall-logged ground with my blade slashing at the ankles of the attacker. I watched as he dropped to the ground with screams of agony. Bjorn shooting a nod in my direction before he delivered the finishing blow.
More enemies advance. Flooding down the slope from yet another direction. We were now surrounded. It had become a fight for survival.
My sword expertly slashed around at attackers from all angles, whilst my shield crashed with all my weight against others. I watched as Bjorn leaped into the body of one man, sending the pair to the ground with a grunt. Another oncoming attacked stumbled towards them. I shouted out, sprinting towards the pair as quickly as I could before leaping towards the attacker and dragging him to the ground as I fell. We rolled on the waterlogged ground, slashing at the other whilst Bjorn and his enemy did the same. I felt the sharp pain as a knife plunged into my right thigh. A small screech slipping through gritted teeth as I snatched the axe at my side and lodged it into his chest.
Bjorn was right at my side, not waiting for a word before he clawed me to my feet and raised my body ontop of the nearest horse.
"Go!" He shouted, his palm hitting against the rear of the horse. "Father!" I heard him shout again, my head snapping around to see the men that surrounded Ragnar and the son that was rushing to his father's aid. With my finger curled into the reigns, the horse turned. Rushing back towards the bloodshed, I flung my frame from the horse and atop an advance soldier. My axe planting into his helmet before we hit the ground. "Olyvia!" Bjorn growled, snatching my frame as soon as the soldiers were finished. His arm slithered around my waist as he held my leg off the ground and helped me move. The blade still caught in my flesh.
Bjorn's P.O.V
The walk back to the camp was slow and full of painful groans. Despite her protest, I held Olyvia in my arms high off the ground. Her head rested against my shoulder with her arm slumped around my neck. I could hear her gentle breaths and the quiet murmurs that slipped through gritted teeth.
"So, do you still think that we should not have talked to them first?" Father sarcastically said towards Horik. I could see the fury bubbling in the King's eyes at father's words. But he was right. By moving first, we played right into their hand. And, by doing so, we had lost my uncle. We had lost Rollo. By any account, he was dead.
"You always think you can second guess the Gods, Ragnar." Horik hissed with a pause before his voice raised. "What happened today was fated, It had nothing to do with you or I." The king snapped. The small fidget of the woman in my arms tore my attention away. I traced the lines of crimson liquid that painted her perfect face and stained her sun-kissed hair.
"Bring Olyvia here." Floki snapped, gesturing towards a small area covered by a tent. I gently lowered her body down on to the sheet of fur that covered the ground. "Lets get that thing out." He giggled with a smile. Olyvia gave a small smile in my direction before I stalked away towards mother and father with furious questions spinning in my head. How could we have just left my uncle? Was the most hurtful.
"You fought well today." I heard father say, moving in my direction with his brow raised. "You were favored by the Gods." No matter what my father said, I did not feel like I was favored.
"Favored? We were defeated, we may have lived but my uncle died." I snapped. My father keeping furiously calm as he stood before me. I had lost Rollo. Under worse circumstance, I could've lost Olyvia... We were not favored.
"Since not axe, spear or blade could touch my son today, he shall now be known as Bjorn Ironside." Father announced. I felt the eyes fall upon me, a small proud smile upon her lips. Olyvia's gaze shifted across to my frame following my mother's. Her grin mirroring the pride of my mother's.