Spoiler alert: Some scenes are from Assassins Creed Valhalla.
The Hidden Blade Strikes
Kaya looked over her shoulder for the last time. Her wide eyes, filled with tears and memories of what was once filled with laughter and warmth, now something thrown away to the depths of her mind. What was left behind was the ash of her home and the bones that would soon crack and turn into dust. The last remnants of her mother and father; covered in cloth and laying side by side- even in death. Her village in ruins as the raiders torn, ransacked, destroyed, and killed.
Those that loved here already left. Nothing. That was all that was left. Their homes, livestock, families, just devastated without hope. Kaya was the last to leave with Ishmael by her side. Traveling long distances and resting when the sun was at its highest. Ishmael told Kaya that they needed to travel through the night as it was colder and danger would not be as present.
Kaya had no choice but to listen and follow the much older man. She needed safety. She needed shelter. She needed someone. Through the distance of the far reaches of the world, an older man dressed in grey and white robes traveled with a young girl by his side.
She was promised a home. She was promised food. Ishmael would train her everyday until she was old enough to understand her new purpose. But, to Kaya, it meant that she had a family. She was not an orphan when she had those her age around her training and going through hardships.
Kaya was reminded of such a distant memory. There was no life, only abandonment. Those who had wished to settle here, were no better then the men who lynched her parents from the rafters. The child inside Kaya grieved everyday and wished for the murderers to be given a similar fate. The Kaya now had to be calm minded and be a perfect example of a mentor to her apprentice.
She could hear talking and laughter in the distance. The group of Saxons did not look friendly as their leader looked to them with a sneer and mocking smile. Kaya kept her eyes upon the group in the way they stood in a threatening manner upon their approach. A good distance was enough for both parties. Better to observe every movement, even if they were unsure of the number.
"There is much movement about." Kaya whispered loud enough for the three men to hear. Sigurd and Eivor gave a low nod in acknowledgment, but Dag did not heed her words. He was not in a pleasant mood to begin with since their landing. Kaya was behind them and keeping close watch to things unseen, but Eivor could see what the young woman was seeing- if not better.
"What do your eyes see?" Eivor said, glancing quickly at Kaya. The young woman was cautious of every movement and sound that was being made by the shadows. She hid a smirk on her lips as she looked to her apprentice. His eyes were sharp and yet he wants to question the teacher?
"An ambush." Kaya warned in a low voice.
"These Saxons make more noise then a mouse in the horse stables." Dag stated, itching for a fight. Men who were eager to meet their demise were always the arrogant and bulky type. Men like Dag believes themselves to be fearless with the strength of a bear. Kaya has seen many arrogant men fall quickly and their names forgotten.
"Focus. Trouble is ahead of us. It would be humiliating if one of us were to be caught easily." Sigurd said in warning. A glint flashed before his bright eyes as he looked to the three of them. Eivor- his trusted brother in arms. Dag- a hardened warrior who thirsts for glory. Kaya- a Hidden One that placed an oath to a secret clan. Each of them had their own fighting style and the gods blessed them and their weapons.
Sigurd was confident that if a fight were to find them, even the strongest Saxon would meet his end.
"Have I ever let my guard down?" Dag said, a sly smile upon his lips.
Coming close to a group of the unpleasant Saxons. Their words coming to a stand still the moment they were spotted. The raven above kept watch to its master below. The black wolf stood tall with its chest protruding in pride and strength. The white wolf was more of a noble and graceful figure- a pack leader that was diplomatic. A pudgy, yet stern and bulky wolf by his leaders side. One could see the arrogance in this wolf, but the raven paid him no mind. The brown wolf was smaller, but she had her own strength. Slim, limber like a salmon going through the teeth of a bear in the mountain.
This wolf was no stranger to the wild eyes of its enemy. She was silent, deadly, and waited to bare her fangs. The raven would protect her as it did Eivor. The raven could sense something near, watching with the same eyes as it. Could it's brother make claim to the woman?
"Oi, what's this? A mess of filthy Danes befouling our riverways?" The Saxon said in a mocking tone. Eyes of the Saxons observed three burly men wearing fur in the warmth of England. Axes upon their belts that have seen and killed, but never tasted Saxon blood. One was rather round, but looked more burly and muscular then the two young men that approached. The two younger men looked bright-eyes and eager to resolve conflict.
"Mongrels that have come from the waters." Another Saxon mocked, looking at each with disgust .
"Have they lost their way? Dane cur should return to their land and leave ours to the true sons of God! Not pagan gods." The Saxons were no strangers to these men and their kin. Like fleas to a dog, the Danes were hard to get rid of.
"Ah! And look, a woman no bigger then their thigh at their side. You're pagan gods must not see favor in you." One pointed at Kaya, though she could see something sinister in his eyes. Kaya could only hold her tongue from lashing out at the bearded brash Saxon.
Though, the thinner figure beside the blonde haired Dane had a much darker complexion. The hood over her head looked like a beak of a bird and her robes grey. Her dark eyes reminded them of an eagles as she observed them as if they were prey. Could a woman like he be any danger to hardened warriors? These men knew that the invaders let their woman fight along side them and die like a warrior.
To see a woman who was no taller then their chests and thin was almost laughable. She looked a girl trying to play soldier.
"You there. Give us your name." Lovely people. Kaya thought with a sneer. Nothing good was going to come from this, she was sure. Men that looked liked bandits often are bandits. This village was empty and looked as if it had not been occupied in a long time.
" I am Sigurd Jarl of Fornburg. And you are?" Sigurd said in a heavy accent for the Saxons to understand. Dag and Eivor standing beside their prince as roguish bodyguards. Heavily armed to the teeth and ready for battle. Kaya stood next to her apprentice; the contrast in her height and weaponry was a focal point to the Saxons.
She looked to be the weakest link. The men beside her would protect her.
"Men who do not take kindly to Dane invaders creeping into our camp. You'd best move along, pagan. Spare yourselves a slaughter. Though, the woman by your side could be exchanged for safer passage." Kaya twitched an eye at one of the Saxons braving his words. Where these Saxons praying for death in such offensive words? By the looks of it, these men were lacking in women. How barbaric, Kaya thought in disgust. Her finger and wrist itching to release the blade.
"You threaten Norsemen with a play of swords, and expect us to cower?" Sigurd wasn't going to show his belly to such weakness. He was not even going to humor them in exchange for Kaya. Men who seek women in such a manner were better off having been castrated.
Taking his axe in hand, Sigurd encouraged the movements of showing force without showing fear. To see a Norseman run from danger was unheard of! They run head first, axe second, and body coming in to use brute strength. Kaya smirked with a glint in her eyes. Her prey was right in front of her and she was going to make sure the man would regret his words. She could cut out his tongue and feed it to the dogs!
"I have been eight days at sea without a drop of blood to whet my axe. So spare the chatter, bacraut, and draw your weapon." Dag shouted, annoyance in his actions. For once, Kaya could almost agree with the brutish man and looked to Eivor with the same thoughts of beating these Saxons to the ground.
"In death, shall you pray for redemption." Kaya sprinted forwards; fast as a prowling wolf in the trees after a rabbit- she had her prey within sight. The Saxon who wanted to put a bargain upon her was the first taste of blood she was going to savor. Her prey had sensed her approach, but he did not expect for the tiny woman to be fast. No one expected Kaya to be fast. The grey blur stretched out her hand and grabbed the Saxon by his collar to throw him a good distance to separate him from his comrades.
"Kaya!" The shouts of Sigurd and Eivor fell upon death ears. Dag shouted in delight, waiting for his chance to put his axe against the bones of a Saxon!
"Kill them all!" One of the Saxons shouted in haste.
Having watched a grey blur rush towards them, this little woman was not a weak rabbit.
A battle had started and would soon drench the land with the blood of Saxon's. Those aboard the longship would not miss their chance for glory, so they took up arms to help their comrades. The Raven clan would be known throughout England. Their stories would put caution and phrase to the side of the victor or to the worried hands of those defeated by them.
"Kill the Danes! Let not one live! Send them to their pagan gods!" Victory was within reach. The Saxons would not let these invaders further molest and breed in their lands. Though, a power struggle has divided their land, the Danes were still not welcomed.
Saxon and Viking locked together in a fight over the village that once homed the sons of Ragnar. This land would be stained with blood. There was a killer look in Kaya's eyes as she dodged the sword coming at her in a frenzy. Her movements were swift, so the sword only slashed at air. The Saxon gritted his teeth as he felt a blow to his unarmed side. Men who did not protect under their arms were susceptible to being struck by a lucky arrow.
"Kill the whore! Kill the Dane whore!" Kaya never felt more offended in all her life. The blood list within her veins fired and further fueled her anger. Such filthy mouths these Saxons!
"Dane whore!" He yelled in pain, saliva dripping from his mouth. The look in his eyes was irritation towards the young woman.
Kaya took hold of the Saxon's arm, forcing him to drop his sword. Her prey was focused on the pain of her hit and the pain of breaking a bone, that he did not hear the sound of steel against cloth. The shine of the blade against the sun glinted brightly that if one was not observant would miss it. Bringing her prey to the ground by his knees, Kaya struck swiftly in the man's exposed neck.
"A woman who chooses a side does not deem the name whore. This land is infested and you're fate has been decided." Kaya spoke to the dying Saxon in her grasp. Her movements were fast and graceful, that no other had time to blink. The sound of battle was too heavy that one had to be focused. Kaya was almost invisible; she was almost a shadow that could move easily.
"Infested? Bah! Infested with Danes and their whores! Pagan gods will never save such souls." The man spat out blood, hearing such nonsense coming from the mouth of the young woman. Her skin glistening with sweat and eyes showing his pathetic reflection. There was something scary within them that the Saxon prayed for salvation.
"Men like you would never understand. Let death take you." Kaya knew the enemy continued to hide. First steps upon England met with a different opposition, but Kaya was determined to sniff out the snakes.
The hidden blade easily went into his flesh through muscle and skin, hitting the spinal cord to paralyze and soon kill. The Saxon was defenseless against her movements that his eyes grew wide in horror. He did not feel the pain. The hooded woman gently placed his body on the ground. The sound of sword against axe had echoed. Gruntled voices of his fellow Saxon brothers were dropping fast to the ground. Their bodies would not be buried into the earth. Their souls not saved. Kaya whispered something in a language he did not know.
She would let him die quietly and in peace. She placed her hand over his eyes to close them.
In peace, you will go.
She stood up to turn away from the Saxon. The glint in her eyes shined against the sun. That instinct that was etched into her bones was like a second sword. Running towards the fight once more, Kaya kicked the back of another Saxons leg.
Kaya killed quickly. Every muscle within her body moving in precision as the years of grueling training came to life the moment she focused her mind and let her body dodge, block, strike, and then kill. She took deep breaths to keep her body moving. There was a stark contrast with how she approached and dealt with the Saxons that the Danes have not seen before.
She was not using brute force, but rather using her opponent's weight against them. Men who would crush her would be thrown a few feet away from her. Kaya was tactical when using her surroundings and when she saw an opportunity, she lifted her left arm, a glint shined in the light and would disappear.
"Continue forward!" Kaya moved through the abandoned settlement of the sons of Ragnar. Empty houses, now filled with cobwebs and dust. Those who had once lived here were nothing more then ghosts. Things left behind mirrored Kaya's childhood and memories, causing her to pause for a moment. The sound of wings fluttering and stopping caught her attention.
Looking to an empty and dust filled chair, a black raven looked back to Kaya.
….
It seemed that the fighting would never end until every Saxon took their last breath. Some fled in fear at the brutal slayings. These Danes were like demons that have come and fought without remorse. Axes were sharp as the Saxons tried to defend with their swords. Arrows seemed useless against these demons! Fleeing to fight another day brought them victory and what seems to be new settlers to their new established village.
Rowan: a young man who will do well as a stable master.
Yanli: a young woman who is a merchant.
Eivor, Sigurd, and Dag heard the sound of a horn being blown in the distance. The rest of the clan had arrived, but in Eivor's mind was Kaya and how she fought. He may have underestimated the Hidden Ones.
Authors Note: Another chapter down and uploaded. There was a lot happening here and finally getting Kaya some action scenes. More to follow with the action! Always fun to write, but can be a hassle because of many of the characters are either off screen or not. Then again, this is all through Kaya's eyes and this story is following her as she travels with Eivor.
Guest: Thank you! I try my best in capturing what we see in the game and having Kaya experience it through her eyes. Kaya plays many roles throughout her time with Eivor and England, but she will never take the spotlight from anyone. Like I said, everything she is experiencing is through her eyes. Sometimes we won't see certain events happening because it does not have to do with Kaya. Good to know I kept Dag in character.
Guest: I plan on having them find the old bureau's and having Kaya teach Eivor about the Hidden Ones as the chapters continue. Plus, it gives Kaya more understanding of who she is when she and Eivor eventually go to one of the old bureau's later.
Bee Bumble: I believe the Hidden Ones would have some idea of the sages or at least records of them. Basim is secretive and knows more then what he is leading on, which to me, he knows something that Kaya and Haytham do not.
I've been debating with myself of whether Kaya should be a reincarnation sage or not. If she is a sage, who would be her reincarnation and the significance it will bring. It's all still up in the air because we are still in the early chapters and there are a lot of events that will take place. I'll play with the idea, but let me know what you readers think.
Should Kaya discover she is a sage or have that plot line scratched?