Vikings: Harsh Lesson
Chapter 9 of my Vikings story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Vikings belongs to History Channel.
Chapter 9
It was becoming almost routine now for Bjorn; he was chained up in his cell, having only eaten whatever meagre food was sent his way. Any moment now the door would open and he would be dragged up to fight again. He had barely recovered from the last time, his body was screaming in protest at the slightest movement.
He was covered in bruises of varying degrees, cuts and other injuries. He was forced to fight with his bare hands the whole time, but now his opponents had weapons.
'All the while, that scum Hreinn writes everything down.' He thought angrily. 'As if this whole thing were just some game.'
He tugged at the chains holding him to the wall, ignoring the pain glaring up in his body. But it was hopeless, they wouldn't give. He stopped struggled and instead began thinking about what he knew so far. He had no doubt now Hreinn was the elder son of Alfgeir.
The one who was marred by arrogance and impatience; if he could only use that against him. He also recalled the rumours he had heard about Hreinn; regarding his marriage status.
It was whispered that his wife died in mysterious circumstances after presenting Hreinn with their first child, a daughter. The baby girl also vanished mysteriously shortly afterwards; all of which fit into Hreinn's obvious views of women as disposable pleasures.
Bjorn was pulled from his thoughts by the door opening. He tensed, waiting for it to begin. But to his surprise, only Hreinn entered the dungeon. Seeing Bjorn's surprise Hreinn grinned.
"Oh no, you've earned yourself a break Bjorn." He stated casually. "I'm just here to talk; there's more than one way to inflict pain after all."
Bjorn remained tense, wondering what Hreinn was talking about.
Finally Hreinn spoke again. "I can't believe you'd sully your father by falling in love with someone so beneath you."
Bjorn glared; knowing what Hreinn meant. "Don't…"
Hreinn laughed. "She's a slave, worthless, only good for fucking. I should know, the amount of times I've had her…"
Bjorn let out an enraged roar and tried to get at Hreinn, but the chains prevented that.
"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot, you haven't gone that far with her, have you." He mocked. "Well I've made sure she's nice and ready for you, if either of you even see each other again."
Bjorn snarled. "I will kill you for this, how dare you hurt her, force her into something she doesn't want!"
Hreinn scoffed. "Doesn't want, who cares what she wants, she's a slave, she does what is expected of her; that's all whores like her are good for."
Bjorn tugged at his chains again; drawing more laughter from Hreinn. Just then the door opened again and one of Hreinn's men entered.
"What?" Hreinn asked irritably.
The man quickly explained. "An army is approaching; they seem to be coming to attack us."
Hreinn cursed and immediately left; Bjorn allowed himself a small amount of hope; maybe rescue was just around the corner.
Hreinn quickly joined his men just outside the Earl's great hall. He could see the army approaching from a distance.
"How long until they arrive?" He asked casually.
One of his men replied. "They'll be hear by sundown."
Hreinn nodded. "Good; then we have time, prepare everything, the usual welcome, also, let's put Kattegat's defences to use ourselves."
So the army got hard at work, preparing themselves as they laid out the trap for their unwelcome guests. Sure enough, at sundown, the army approached Kattegat; weapons at the ready. Just within they saw Hreinn and a handful of his men, all stationed with their weapons and shields ready. Suspicious of the light resistance, they approached cautiously.
But, as nothing happened they took the chance and charged. Then it all happened at once. Ropes which had been hidden with dirt were pulled up sharply; tripping several members of the army; others fell into pits that had been dug and were promptly killed by the sharpened wooden stakes at the bottom.
Hreinn's other men came out and ambushed the army from both sides, with Hreinn and the men with him also attacking. The leader of the army, visible due to the distinctive clothing they were wearing, was soon tripped by one of the ropes.
Taking advantage of this, the men who used the trap got to work binding their victim. Soon the demoralized army fled and Hreinn relished his victory along with his men.
In the midst of their little celebration, Hreinn turned his attention to the leader of the attackers.
"Well now, here's a well-known face." He remarked with a grin.
The men laughed and the woman glared up at him, struggling against her bonds.
She snarled and spat at him. "I'm sure you're proud of yourself, worthless snake."
Hreinn just shook his head. "That isn't very fitting behaviour for a woman, Lagertha."
The shieldmaiden started as he uttered her name.
"Oh yes, I know all about you; who doesn't." He remarked gleefully. "I think we could benefit from this; take her to dungeons…I'll need to speak to her son, let him know what's at stake now."
Lagertha growled, struggling as the men began to drag her off. "You will pay for this with your life; trust me, the Gods will see it done. What you have done to me, to Bjorn, to all of us."
Hreinn merely laughed her remarks off and followed the men taking her down to the dungeons. Bjorn heard the footsteps and looked up hopefully. But that slim hope faded as he heard one of the other doors opening and the sounds of struggles. The attacking army had been defeated, one of them had been imprisoned. He was still trapped and now, so were they.
The door to his cell opened and he looked up, glaring at Hreinn as he entered.
"Well, that was a bracing fight. If you could have seen it Bjorn." He stated with glee. "We even captured the Earl leading the army. An Earl…Ingstad."
Bjorn froze, icy fear gripping him as he recognized the name. The name his mother used when dealing with her political rivals and allies. They had captured his mother.
Hreinn laughed. "I thought you'd recognize the name, although she's better known as Lagertha. How ironic, what fun this will be. I now have more notes to make for father."
With that he left, still laughing. Bjorn grit his teeth, this was growing worse; not only did he have Porunn to worry about, but now his mother too. He turned his head to the wall on his left; that was the only thing dividing him from his mother, that wall.
He wondered if she knew that he was only on the other side of it. He shook his head, he had to stay strong, he couldn't give into despair, not now. Not with so much at stake.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.