One of the village's small cod fishing boats spotted the long ships as a two from the group of them split off rowing to the far side of the island. The fishing boat returned to the village. Oother decided not to sound the alarm but sent runners to the homes and farms, he ran to Sam's and the other outlying farms. Sam and his staff and family had just finished the morning meal when they were called to mobilize. Brieanna removed her pinafore and covered herself with her mail tunic then put her pinafore over the mail. She took her sword and slung it over her shoulder as Aednat watched silently, her eyes wide with fear. The other farm hands grabbed pitch forks and axes as they walked to the village.
"Abigail, could you gather the women and children to the caves?" Oother said as he approached then entered Sam's home. "Shield-woman I'm counting on you to hold the cave." Then as he and the men gathered near the village, he added loudly, "The rest of you let's form our shield wall here."
The men gathered forming the shield wall. Those with shield and a spear the first row, the other's behind. Oother was shocked to see the thralls also standing in the second and third rank. He could not recall any incident in the past when thralls joined in a fight. Thralls ran, everyone expected that, but these men looked determined to defend their homes. Sam had not noticed Brieanna's absence until he joined the shield wall. Then he realized she was most likely guarding the cave. He wore his chain mail and the steel helmet Brieanna had given him at their wedding. Sam had never fought in a battle before and his heart raced. They must hold the shield line at all costs he told himself. There would be no retreat, no surrender. The men stood silently as they waited for the Bezerker's attack.
Loki watched from his position on a nearby hill. He smiled with satisfaction when he spotted the little witch as she stepped out of her sod home. Then he watched with disbelief as his brother Sam stepped out of the door just behind the witch. They embraced and kissed before separating. "So our little witch has a husband," he whispered to his companions. "We spare no one, but let's get her alive if we can." The rest of the household stepped out of the home and Loki watched as Abigail holding onto the hand of a red haired child joined a group of other women and children walking away from the village. "That must be the witch's brat," he whispered. In the few minutes he had turned his attention away from Brieanna she had disappeared. She was not with the men walking resolutely toward the village or the women walking to their destination. "Did you see where the little witch went?" he asked his men. They responded by shaking their heads no.
Oother stood in front of the shield wall of overlapping shields, "Steady men. They will rush us making a lot of noise but will stop short of the shield wall. They are hoping some of you will run. Hold the line. Let them hurl themselves onto our spears. We will prevail only if our line holds." The line held as they waited, then they saw the Bezerkers running toward them as they yelled and growled. A few were frothing at the mouth, some biting their shields, all of them dressed in little more than animal skins. Some had painted blue streaks across their face and torso. But just as Oother predicted they stopped short of the shield wall, not throwing themselves against the spears.
One of Oother's men in the back rank shouted, "Their coming up from behind too!"
"Form a square!" Oother shouted as the shield wall dissolved in an instant turning into a square that bristled all the way around like a porcupine. "Steady men!" Oother added. The Bezerkers circled the square like a pack of wolves growling and shouting. Every few minutes a small group of the Bezerkers would rush the square only to be impaled on the sharp end of the spears or pitch forks as the village held its defense. This tactic went on for over an hour as the Bezerkers probed the tight formation looking for a weak link they could exploit to break the square. The villagers were outnumbered two to one but held on with grim determination. Then the Bezerkers backed away moving to a distance of one hundred yards out from the defensive square. They formed into two groups, shields and spears to the ready and began a slow march to hit the villager's defense on two sides. Sam realized that all would be lost in a few minutes but held his place. He whispered a prayer for Aednat and Brieanna as he waited unflinchingly for death.
Suddenly a huge red dragon uncloaked over the battle field. Brieanna rode the dragon waving her uplifted sword in her right hand. She screamed like a banshee and began throwing balls of fire from the tip of her sword at the Bezerkers. Dreki breathed fire instantly incinerating one of the groups of attackers. The other group turned to run but Brieanna and her dragon followed and flying to the long ships burned them to the waterline. Loki watched from a hill top as Brieanna and her dragon burned the attackers to the last man. The Bezerkers screamed as they were consumed by fire. The dragon landed changing to yellow then brown and green mottled color as Brieanna dismounted. She had difficulty balancing at first then she ran to Sam as a volatile mixture of emotions overwhelmed her. She leapt into his arms. They embraced as Brieanna wept.
"I've murdered men!" she sobbed. Sam held her tight kissing the crown of her head. "I fell sick and dizzy too. I never wanted to hurt anyone."
"You have saved the village Brie. I too have killed men, but it was kill or be killed. I so much prefer to live."
"As do I. I was so afraid I was going to lose you. I was flying cloaked overhead, hoping they would give up. When the Bezerkers regrouped I knew it was now or never, I saw my chance and took it."
Loki and his group of men watched the battle, and were horrified by the rapid destruction wrought by Brieanna and her dragon. "With that dragon I could rule this world he whispered."
"What do we do now?" Eric asked.
"We report to Harald Bloodaxe for now. We will return, I will have the dragon." They returned to their long ship and sailed away. The weapons from the fallen Bezerkers were gathered. They also found their mail armor where they had discarded it before the attack. That night the village celebrated in the village mead hall. Brieanna was hailed as Shield-woman and loudly toasted so many times even she last count. Abigail was also toasted as her prediction from the rune stones had been true.
Oother stood before the village and shouted, "Slaves are by nature cowardly and refuse to fight, dependent on real man to do the fighting. We no longer have thralls living among us, but free men. All of you remove your collars. I personally will reimburse any one that loses a thrall." The room became dead quiet, many unsure of what they heard. "You women too...we are a village of free men and women." Slowly the former thralls removed their collars. Sam whispered to Oother.
"I have a large supply of gold, I will help you reimburse the former slave owners."
"From henceforth Sam, you are my brother!" Oother gripped Sam's shoulder as made his announcement.
With the captured weapons they had more than enough to fully arm every man and any woman who expressed a desire. Over the coming weeks and months all would train to use the weapons. Brieanna also instructing in archery to all women that wanted to learn. They had the means and desire to hold their island against all who might come.
YOU ARE READING
The Dragon's Redemption
Fantasy"The destroyer will come, a Valkyrie from hell on dragon back. Your rein will be cut short, your sons will shed each other's blood and your daughters time on earth will end on the last day of her fifteenth year."
