Vikings' Possession

Gift

A large village was close to the ocean waters; people had festivities. A large fire pit was at the center of the village, and men and women were eating, drinking, laughing, and dancing. By the fire were wooden statues of the gods, a celebration to worship Odin. Sitting by the wooden statue was a bald man in his mid-40s; his right eye was dark brown, while the left eye was shut entirely with healed markings. The man was sturdy with a slight round appearance on his face and body; he had a long dark brown beard. On his head were a couple of tattoos and scars from previous battles.

"Lord Frode, the men we sent, have not yet returned," said one sitting beside him.

Frode was silent as he looked at the fire. "They are either victorious or dead; we will find out eventually."

Frode kept watching the festivities until he saw a teenage boy running toward them festivities. "Ships! Ships are coming this way!" he yelled. 

Everyone stopped what they were doing. Frode stood; the village's men got their weapons and followed their leader toward the ocean shores. The middle-aged man didn't look deterred even as he saw the many ships approaching his land. Many villagers carried torches to see who was coming. One of the ships was getting closer to land, and Frode noticed one of the occupants. He squeezed his hands into fists.

The first ship made it to land; eight men got off to pull the ship to safety. More ships arrived. Frode walked forward as the man he recognized also did the same. "Itzvar, what a wonderful surprise you landed on our shores."

Itzvar smirked as he walked forward. "Frode, it has been long since we have seen one another. You look well beside the old scars Ragnar has given you." The two leaders greeted one another by shaking each other's arms. "I can see you and your people were celebrating; it would become livelier if my men and I joined."

"I assume you have a reason for being here. Very well." Frode looked at his people. "Itzvar and his men are our guests. We shall continue with the festivities. The two leaders walked ahead while the others followed. Everyone made it back to the village and began to celebrate again. The two leaders sat by the fire and statue of Odin. 

"I hear Ragnar escaped your grasp."

Itzvar took a sip of ale. "Word spreads fast."

"Indeed, I wished you would have killed him sooner instead of slowly trying to torture your prisoners."

"Heh, I learned the hard way. I wanted to give him a slow death, but things changed, and you know the rest. I'm rather surprised you haven't gone to kill him yet. I know you still hold bitterness after what Ragnar did to you."

Frode let out a scoff. "Must you remind me? Ragnar made a fool out of me; I became a laughing stock."

Itzvar still smirked. "Which is why I have come here. You and I have been allies for quite some time. We both have a similar goal of getting rid of Ragnar."

"I know that Ragnar escaped your grasp, but you have another reason for coming here even with that. Why is that?"

Itzvar was silent; he drank his cup of ale. "Ragnar took something away that was rightfully mine; I intend to get it back, along with his head." He noticed a female villager eying him seductively; the young leader raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Frode sighed. "I sent some men to attack Ragnar and his village. It might take a day for them to reach back."

"They might have failed, Frode. Ragnar is someone who is not to underestimate."

"How can you be so sure?"

The young leader chuckled. "It's because it's obvious. Now, I must enjoy the festivities; I will find somewhere to sleep." Itzvar walked toward the woman who flirted with him. He lifted her, and the nameless woman led him to a house. 

Frode watched in annoyance. "Curse you, Itzvar, trying to take away my glory. Even if Ragnar is not dead, he will die by my hand, not yours."

Meanwhile, Ragnar sat on his throne while his people were helping each other with the wounded and cleaning up the village. Lagertha sat beside him while looking at the biking warriors standing before them. However, a man had his hands tied, drenched in sweat and blood. The unknown man was beaten. "Who has sent you to attack my people and me."

The man was silent; one of the Vikings punched him across the face. "Speak when asked by Lord Ragnar!"

Ragnar motioned the Viking to stop. "Young man, you do know how much trouble you are in. My people will want to see you suffer, but I can be merciful. My people will want your blood spilled. They would want to see a blood eagle."

The man's eyes became wide with horror. "N-No! Anything but that! Please, Lord Rangar, I will speak only if you are merciful!"

Ragnar motioned him to continue. "Lord Frode sent us, that is all."

Everyone was silent. Ragnar sighed in annoyance. "It seems Frode is still bitter about the raid and the look I gave him."

"You tend to make many enemies, Ragnar. Thank the gods it was not Itzvar," said Lagertha.

"Yes, but Itzvar still holds bitterness; he and Frode have been allies for years. I fear that he will ask his allies to join forces. We must do the same." Ragnar stood and slowly walked toward the prisoner.

"Are you saying that we must leave?"

"It's as you heard, wife. We are vulnerable; we will not be able to survive another attack." He looked at his men. "Tell everyone to come together; this announcement must be made." 

Without warning, he removed a knife from his handmade holster belt and sliced the man's neck. The man's eyes were wide open as he choked on his blood. "Y-You promised to be merciful." He fell to the ground, dead.

"And I kept my promise. I was merciful enough to give you a quick and painless death. Be grateful." Ragnar walked out of the building. He saw Sophia tending to the injured people from the corner of his eye. She and Maja were helping one another with the dead and wounded. She didn't know he had seen and heard what Sophia had done. He was shocked when he saw her use the ax to kill those Viking fighters. Ragnar knew she was inexperienced with fighting, but he felt she had a hidden skill. He also remembered her dream. Sophia dreamed about the attack before it happened.

It made Rangar wonder if it was pure luck or something more. Was it possible that Sophia was a seer? However, time will tell. Ragnar knew Sophia was valuable to him and his people; he couldn't let anyone have her. Everyone, including Sophia, Maja, and Estrid, formed outside the meeting hall. Lagertha walked outside and stood by her husband. "I have learned that an old enemy has attacked out of bitterness so that we will move away by dawn. We will head toward one of our allies to ask for assistance. I will not lie, but something much bigger will happen, and we must prepare for it."

Everyone murmured, and some looked worried. Ragnar then looked at Sophia and motioned her forward. When Sophia stepped forward, all eyes were on her. "I have seen Sophia's actions during the attack. Even though she had no fighting experience, she was willing to risk her life to help others. Sophia has proven herself loyal and useful to all of us." Ragnar walked toward her and stopped once he was in front of her.

Sophia smiled nervously.

"To show her my gratitude and trust in her, I will gift her a name that she will be known from this day onward. She carries iron inside and out and will forever be at our side. Therefore, her name is now Sophia Ironside."