GLORY OR VALHALLA | BJORN IRONSIDE

14

"What I want..." He trailed off, his tone becoming lower as he leaned closer to her, "Is for you to do what we could not. I want you to rule this world. To have patience. I want you to play the game of chess around us. I want you to wait. To wait until the perfect moment to take Norway for yourself. I want you to wait even longer before you take Denmark and Sweden as well. I want you to take all of Scandanavia and make it your own. I want the name Ylva the Dread to be spoken of for centuries. I want your name to cast a shadow over Ragnar Lothbrok's. I want you to be the most famous Viking who ever lived. And I want you to kill and eliminate anyone who gets in your way. I want you to avenge your youngest son and when the time comes, I want you to kill King Harald and then Ivar the Boneless to avenge your daughter."

Ylva remained silent for a long moment, taking in what her father had told her. "Tell me all that I must do," She insisted, causing Sigefrid to smile proudly.

______

At Lagertha's farm, Whitehair and his team of bandits stood in the maze, looking around for any sign of the villagers.

Hearing a cawing sound, Whitehair frowned. He stood around, seeing numerous shieldmaidens running through the maze, taunting them.

One of his men released an arrow from his bow, which ended up hitting one of the women.

"Come on!" Whitehair shouted and was the first of many to run into the maze.

"Gate! Go! Go!" Gyda ordered a few of the women around her.

One of the men rushed at her but she raised her shield in time to save herself from being slashed with his sword. She grunted, striking back at him with it before she slashed with his sword.

As she stepped out of the maze, alongside Lagertha and numerous others, they began to stab their blades through the openings in the wood to kill the men trapped near it.

She stepped away and moved toward a group of men. One swung their sword at her and Gyda ducked. She avoided his form of attack and as he stumbled a bit, she slashed him across the belly. She kicked to the ground and turned in enough time to use her shield to protect herself from the man about to strike her.

She grunted as he shoved her against the wooden wall. She raised her shield in time to block his arm. She grunted, jabbing her sword forward to stab him in the leg. She kicked him and forced him into a kneel before she drove her sword through his chest.

She continued to run through, stabbing any who came into her path. "Oil! Oil!" She shouted out as she commanded the shieldmaidens to enact the plan she and her mother had created together before Ylva had been forced to leave.

From above, she watched the shieldmaidens pour hot oil onto the bandits. It wasn't long before Lagertha tossed the flaming torch in, causing many men to be set aflame.

Those who survived ran through, only to come face to face with Gyda and numerous other warriors.

One of the men charged at Gyda, beginning to slash his sword at her. She was able to deflect his forms of attack, killing him soon after.

She whipped herself around, grunting as she struck a man with her shield. His body whipped around and she wanted no time driving her sword through him.

She turned again, hitting another with her shield while slashing her sword at another.

Two other shieldmaidens fought men to her right while Gunnhild stood to her left, taking out men left and right as if it were nothing. She understood why her mother like her. The woman was a beast on the battlefield, comparable to many of the men they fought beside. Men like Ubbe, Hvitserk, and perhaps even her father.