A scouting party was sent out to find where Finehair's army was, and when they returned, the answer was not promising. According to the scouts, the army was less than two days away. And to make matters worse, the original scouting party had been twelve.
Only seven came back.
"We were spotted as we retreated." The shieldmaiden leading the mission explained. The air around the Great Hall crackled with tension. "We fought off our attackers, but many fell as we left."
"Their souls are in Valhalla now." I had responded. When the crowd at the Great Hall dispensed, Hvitserk led a group of more Vikings in the opposite direction, following the coast of the bay leading into Kattegat. They came back in one piece, but Hvitserk reported that a blockade was currently in position to prevent any ships from leaving Kattegat.
We were trapped.
When the army appeared one morning across the valley, facing off against the walls of Kattegat, the people who had stayed to defend it were ready. Several women and families crowded inside the Great Hall, hiding there in case the walls were breached. Thora and Margrethe did their part by weaving among them, offering words of comfort. The Frankish guests were among them, looking like they wished they had left when they had the chance.
I stood outside the Great Hall, listening to the sounds of war outside the walls. Hvitserk was out there, trying his hardest to find and kill Finehair and Bjorn and any others in charge to end this.
"Ma?" Iorek's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned and saw my youngest approach me slowly. He had a dagger hanging from his hip, but for once his eyes weren't narrowed or focused. He looked like a scared ten year old.
Iorek hurried to me and hid under my arm, allowing me to keep him close. He couldn't hear the sounds of battle, but I imagined the inside of the Great Hall was just as tense as standing out here.
The gates didn't open until the sun fell beneath the horizon. The armies had fought the entire day, and the survivors came back bloody and bedraggled. Siggy, Bjorn's own daughter, had expanded upon her midwifery skills and led the charge to heal and tend to wounds amongst the injured. When Hvitserk came back, he went straight for Thora and collapsed into her arms.
"I tried," He said in a drained voice. "I tried to get to Finehair, but Halfdan was on me almost the entire time."
"You're not hurt, are you?" Thora asked, concern for her husband clear in her face. Hvitserk blinked at her but smiled softly.
"I'm fine." Hvitserk told her.
I left the two of them at their reunion and approached the walls of Kattegat. From here I could hear the sounds of camp on the outside. Without looking, I could guess that the valley separating the city from the forest beyond was filled with the dead and resting army.
I remembered the rush of bloody rivers sweeping through Kattegat's streets, and I swallowed. No matter what, Kattegat will bleed.
The path to the house where Hvitserk and Thora lived was familiar. I knocked on their door and after a moment, Thora opened the door. "Oh, hi Runa." She said, forcing brightness into her voice. "Do you need something?"
"I need to speak with Hvitserk about-" I cut myself off and waved a hand in general towards the walls of Kattegat. Thora nodded but didn't need to fetch her husband as he appeared at her shoulder.
"I'm here, Runa." He said, wrapping himself into a fur lined cloak. "I'll be right back, Thora." He smiled at her warmly before stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Hvitserk looked down at me, curiosity in his green eyes. "Everything okay?"
I started walking down the roadway, Hvitserk at my shoulder. "If Finehair and his army enter the gates," I started. "Then anyone who's related to Ragnar is dead."
Hvitserk winced. "I've given that some thought."
"I don't want any of his grandchildren to die." I said simply. "I don't want you, Margrethe, or Thora to be executed." His eyes went dark as he caught on to what I was saying.
"Runa." Hvitserk said firmly. "I stayed behind to help protect our family. We are not separating even more than we already are!"
"You know as well as I do what happens to cities under siege." I snapped. "What happens to cities that've been sacked. People starve to death and are cut down and raped and anyone connected to the line of power is killed off to get rid of that bloodline. The only descendant of Ragnar who is probably safe is Siggy and that's only if Bjorn decides to spare her!"
Hvitserk's eyes were troubled and he shook his head. "I can't leave you, Runa."
I stared hard at him. "Someone needs to stay in Kattegat. I'm the only connection this place has to the gods-"
"Then fuck the gods." Hvitserk snapped. "We leave together, or-" He cut himself off.
"Thora and your children cannot go alone." I said. "I know you don't want to leave because Ivar said-"
"This has nothing to do with what Ivar said." Hvitserk said over me. He met my eyes and shook his head slightly. "Every time we get separated, you get hurt. Heahmund, Freydis. I don't want to add Finehair and his army to that list." When I didn't answer right away, he went on. "You said it yourself, what happens when cities are sacked. What do you think will happen to you? You're queen and Ivar's wife. You're not going to be treated well because of that."
I swallowed. He had a point. "All I can think about is getting my children out of here, Hvitserk."
We glared at each other for a long time. Finally, "Where would we even go, Runa? If you've thought about this so much?"
"There's only one place I can think of where Ragnar's family would be safe." I said. "But you'd have to leave within the next few days, to avoid the winter."
Hvitserk pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked at me again, I could see the pain on his face. "I don't want you to die, Runa."
I reached out and held Hvitserk's face, and he leaned into my touch. "I need you to protect the children. I'll take care of this place." I went to withdraw my hand, but Hvitserk grabbed it and pressed my palm to his mouth. I blinked, surprised at how tender the gesture was. When Hvitserk finally let my hand go, he didn't meet my eyes and instead focused on looking at my hairline.
"Are you able to tell Margrethe?" He asked, sounding strangled. "I'll let Thora know."
"Yeah," I said. "Don't worry about Margrethe. I'll take care of her."
Hvitserk went back inside soon after that. I went back to the Great Hall alone, wrapping my cloak tightly around me as the chill seeped into my bones.
I was up before dawn; it felt like ants were crawling over my skin. I stepped outside of the Great Hall and into the icy air, restlessness making me feel twitchy. I glanced around the streets; no one was out here.
The air felt still. Too still. Silence echoed around the city and the thick fog made it nearly impossible to see anything more than ten feet away.
"Something's not right." I whispered, my breath coming out in clouds. I wrapped the cloak tightly around my body and started walking, feeling like I just needed to move. I wandered the streets, people slowly starting to wake up around me. They were prepping for battle or getting themselves ready to prepare for…whatever.
I wandered to the docks, my head on a swivel as I scanned the streets. What was I looking for? Was I looking for anything? Thick fog blanketed the city and the water of the bay. I looked out over the water that was as still as glass. The sound of water lapping the shore was barely audible.
"Runa?"
I looked over my shoulder to see Margrethe approaching me. She was bundled tightly in a cloak as well, and her eyes were worried looking. "What are you doing?" Margrethe asked as she joined me.
"I don't know." I said, glaring hard at my surroundings. I wanted to keep moving, but it felt like my feet were weighed down. "I feel like something is happening."
"Something is happening." Margrethe said with a huff. She sighed and tucked her pale behind her ears.
The sound of water lapping against the shore met my ears, and I swung my head to stare at the water hitting the shore. My eyes traced the movement of the small waves coming in; something was disturbing the glass like water. I lifted my head and stared at the fog over the water.
Barely discernible dark shapes were gliding towards us.
"Fuck." I said.
A sharp whistle zipped through the air and an arrow launched itself into the post by Margrethe's head. She screamed shortly, staring at the arrow with terror. I grabbed her and shoved her in front of me as we turned away from the water.
"We're under attack!" I screamed, more arrows slicing through the air like knives. I practically threw Margrethe behind the cover of a building, the shouts of battle began as the people of Kattegat realized what was happening.
"Runa!" Margrethe screamed, holding onto my arm like life depended on it. She started moving, dragging me behind her. Shield maidens and Vikings charged past us, sprinting to the docks to meet the approaching army.
The tunnel hidden in the back of the Great Hall was the only way to get the family out of here. Bjorn would know about it. I felt terror grip my heart at the idea of Bjorn entering through there. He could be inside my home right now!"
"We need to get to the Great Hall," I said to Margrethe. She barely acknowledged me.
"My girls are already there." She finally said over her shoulder. We entered one of the clearings of the city, where market stalls normally stood to sell goods. Margrethe looked over her shoulder at me, her green eyes wide and frightened. "Runa, we need to-"
But an arrow slashed through the air and embedded itself right into Margrethe's back, piercing her heart. I screamed and Margrethe let out a single gasp as she tumbled to the ground, pulling me with her. I fell hard, scraping the skin of my palms as I tried to catch my fall.
Margrethe sputtered, blood leaking from her mouth as she twitched and stilled. I stared in horror as she fell to the ground, the light leaving her eyes. "Margrethe," I muttered, grasping her shoulder despite the fact that she was already gone. I looked away from her body and scanned the clearing, taking in the people fighting and dying around me.
My blood went cold when I looked across the clearing and my eyes locked onto Halfdan lowering a bow and heading towards me.
Every threat of violence Halfdan had ever made against me screamed in my ears as I scrambled to my feet. Halfdan picked up his pace, his dark eyes bright with bloodlust. I turned and started running, moving faster than I ever had in my life.
"I'm coming for you, Saxon!" Halfdan screamed, his voice painfully close. The dagger at my hip felt infinitely small compared to anything Halfdan had.
My lungs burned as I moved faster, weaving around people and carts and anything else in between. I could hear Halfdan panting behind me. He was getting closer.
"You're mine, Saxon!" Halfdan screamed.
The Great Hall was in view when I felt a hand snatch at my hair. I screamed as my speed was suddenly halted as Halfdan caught me in a full tackle. I slammed hard into the ground, my face scraping against the stony ground. I squirmed under Halfdan's weight as he pinned me, pressing his hand into the side of my head.
He panted, and although I couldn't see his face, I could hear the smile in his voice. "I told you I was coming for you." He said in a low voice. "It's been a while, Saxon."
I spat up the gravel and blood from my mouth. "Good to see you too, Halfdan." I grumbled.
Halfdan let out a harsh laugh. "That's the spirit, Saxon. Now, I-" He was cut off with a spurt and hot blood rained down into the side of my face. Halfdan's weight collapsed on top of me.
"Hurry!"
I threw Halfdan's dead weight off of me and scrambled around to see both Thyri and Iorek standing behind Halfdan's corpse. A dagger and ax were sticking out of Halfdan's back, the knife lodged in the back of his neck. My two younger children looked frazzled and terrified, but Iorek kicked Halfdan's body away from and wretched the ax out of his back.
"Kids?" I started as Thyri burst into tears and launched herself into me.
"You're alive!" Thyri wailed, tears streaming from her dark eyes. Iorek gave Halfdan's body one last kick before he piled on, his ice blue eyes shining bright.
I squeezed the two of them before shaking them off and scrambling to my feet. "You need to get inside now!" I hissed. "Get your weapons." Thyri took the knife from Halfdan's neck and they stayed close to me as we sprinted into the Great Hall.
A/N: So it's been a while.
I wanted to wait until I had a few more chapters out before saying anything. I didn't plan on taking a five year break from this story, but that's life and shit happens. I was getting a degree in English Writing (ended up changing from education), and when you're writing nothing but essays for multiple classes, it really makes writing for fun hard.
The end is in sight for this story; I'm mapping it out and trying to write as much as possible to get us there. I've also gotten reinspired by this story in general and actually started a rewritten version, just to see how I've changed as a writer since I started seven years ago, using plots I had wanted to and changing some things. So even though the set up is the same, the story itself is adapting and changing. That'll be on my Ao3 account 1K_yers4 in case any of y'all want to go look at that.
Thank you to anyone who is still here and reading.
-Katie
