I was first to arrive on the battle front of our squadron. In front of us lay the battlefield, crowded with many bodies already.
The once golden wall and rocky drop off of Asgard was a shattered hole in the wall. Blue and gray skinned half Jotun barbarians poured through the hole, one after the other the line seeming to never end. They wore crude armor of stone and cheap bronze, their faces tattooed with their own illegible languages and pictures.
The vanguard of six held their ground, slashing away at them and taking them to their knees with ease. I scanned the crowd to see they had formed a line- a barrier to prevent them from breaking through. It would have worked better if the half-bloods weren't increasing their numbers and slipping past the six. Asmund lie on the far left of the line and I set my sights on him.
I slid off of Bjorn and unsheathed my dual handed daggers. I ran to meet the stray barbarian. He swung his icy rock bat at me. He was fairly slow and as I dodged I sliced his throat with ease. I cringed slightly as his cool blood slid down my hand, making it slick. I sprinted to join the ranks- wiping my right hand on my leg.
"Do you have them evacuated?" I shouted over the angry grunts and hollers of the barbarians, I leaned slightly into Asmund so he could hear me better. Asmund jerked his arm up quickly to a gray colored man- his eyes dark with blood rage. The half Jotun suddenly fell to his knees clutching his throat before he began coughing and spitting up shrapnel.
"Well that's new," I jested lightly. Asmund's lips curled up slightly as he blasted a few other forms away.
"First time actually doing it- tada," he said sarcastically. "And yes, everyone from this district is evacuated. We thought if they were to break at all they would break in the west." He said. I glanced back out to the front to see more and more bodies dropping and arrows flying, most likely from Gelka and Tove. I sighed in relief- that means our squadron had caught up to us. I glanced around to find no Thor or Loki and nodded to myself. They were most likely heading back to the palace to prepare further.
Slowly the half-bloods numbers dwindled until there were no more of them. The shattered hole in the wall blowing a chilly breeze to us. The only sound now was the panting between the warriors, the occasional groan of near death barbarians, and the hollow whistle against the broken wall.
"Is everyone all right?" Tove asked, his voice hoarse as if he had been yelling. He tucked his ebony lined bow around his shoulder and back. His ocean blue eyes darting between everyone. He was a good confident archer in our group that towered over most people with broad shoulders but he was truthfully the softest. He would cry in joy if he heard a new child had been born. He had the most gentle heart of us all.
"Ur has a cut in his arm but otherwise I think everyone is alright." Sif's voice broke the awkward silence. Tove nodded and made his way over to Ur who rolled his eyes and yanked his arm away from the warriors who came to poke and prod at it.
The few who weren't interested in Ur's arm wandered amongst the fallen barbarians. Asmund and I walked together, occasionally kicking a few of them to see if they had a reaction- if they did we drove a blade through their necks. There was no point in letting them suffer here if they would suffer more in Helheim.
Asmund turned to the right to inspect a homely looking pile of barbarians- arrows buried in their chests and stomachs painfully deep. I turned opposite of him, walking closer to the edge of Asgard.
A sickly curiosity washed over me and leaned my head in the shattered hole of Asgard and listened.
Shuffling.
Clinking.
Soft murmurs.
A sudden horrid realization washed over me.
"They're not done! There on the move!" I shouted and turned back, already running back to my comrades. They looked at me in horror.
"Where in Hel are they going to come out next?" Heskell shouted, his voice dry and hoarse and his dark hair slick with sweat. Everyone drew their weapons in sync.
"It sounded as if it was coming from the right side." I answered back, we formed a circle back to back to view all sides. Asmund as usual next to me, determination set on his heavy brow.
"Does that mean the South District?" Tove whispered harshly.
Before any of us could answer the same heart stopping thundering sound echoed in the sky.
The wall has been broken again. Goosebumps littered my body as we all called our beasts- a mess of whistles and words echoing in the ashen sky. Our horses ran to us and we jumped on with ease as we drew our shoulders back and ordered to horses to the South District. None of them had been evacuated.
~
We arrived in a funk and had split apart- some to find the entry hole the Half-Jotuns had created, another group riding around and killing all enemies they laid eyes on, and another group yet to evacuate and herd the commoners out.
I galloped quickly around a large group of people, all pushing to try and get through a small ally way to the safe point on the hill.
"Don't push for God's sake! Go in a single file!" I yelled at them and they flinched but nothing changed. Tove joined me as we circled the group of people. The barbarians had begun to appear and circle around through group of people, hissing in their own language and thrusting their blades forward. I glanced at Tove, making eye contact before we both nodded.
Tove shot up at small group of particularly angry Jotuns. They shouted in anger but didn't progress further.
I glanced back to see the crowd had shrunk but people still pushed to get in. I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent yelling at the commoners in rage as they didn't listen to my words.
"Where in the Allfather's name is the rest if the army! Are they not going to protect their own people?" I hissed in frustration. Tove glanced at me, his brows heavy with worry.
"I believe either King Odin has forbidden it or something bad has happened." He answered and he clenched his jaw.
"Hasn't something bad already happened?" I said under my breath as I made angry eye contact with a half-Jotun. His eyes dark and bloodshot looking but hungry for power.
The group of Half-Jotuns stood their ground, slowly growing in numbers but never attacking though they shifted and danced around on antsy feet.
"Once everyone is through we need to give them time to get on top of the hill. They will be upset they couldn't get past us," Tove said gesturing towards the group of barbarians. Foam pooled around some of their mouths, their eyes blood raged.
Inbreds, I thought distastefully.
Already they had begun to move forward taking careful teasing steps, daring us to make a move.
The sudden sound of screams and angry grunts drew my attention to the left. In the sky smoke had risen and clouded what light was even left in the pale sky. Asgard looked as if it were dying slowly and anger festered in my stomach, forming a dark pit.
"Take them out!" he commanded, circling his horse around.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I draw my blades out.
"I feel as if they need help. Once you clear them- head to the fire point over there," he said firmly as he pointed to the left where the smoke had risen further into a dark plume. "I'm sure that is where the fight and the second break is. I will meet you there," he said and dug his steel plated heels into his steeds side and they galloped off, following the trail the people had crammed to get out of. I shifted my eyes back to the half-Jotuns and Bjorn grunted as if to tell me to get a move on.
And I did.
-
I look deep breaths in attempt to calm my uneasy breathing as I finished off the last barbarian, his severed head landing with a heavy thud as it hit the cold ground. Without skipping a beat I slid my foot into the stirrup and onto Bjorns back. Half way through the mini battle I had jumped off of him as the Jotuns had begun targeting Born- it was easier to fight from off his back anyway.
Bjorn galloped to where the fires of burning buildings and muffled screams rang out in the setting sun's light. If there were people screaming that meant things were getting out of hand- people were getting hurt. The buildings became a blur until I had finally arrived at the rendezvous point.
Bodies of barbarians littered the streets, occasionally an Asgardian resident that made my stomach turn. We weren't able to save them.
A caught the flash of deep red and the flick of a horse tail.
"Fifthteen!" I shouted quickly and the clomping of horse hooves stopped and backed up. If we were ever separated we were to call out our number. I was the last and fifteenth to be accepted. Ur spoke up.
"Nearly everyone is evacuated we are just finding stray Jotuns about. I was following Sif and The Warriors Dumb," he grunted.
"What about the screaming and shouting?" I breathed out, Bjorn and Ur's horse stomping impatiently. A gust of wind swept up sand and ashes, coating us all in a thin layer of grime. Ur shifted and frowned.
"The upper corner, that's where they were headed," Ur said and shouted to his horse and he was off. I followed behind him quickly.
The heavy sounds of clomping followed behind me and I turned my gaze quickly to the left of me.
A man with raven colored hair riding upon a matching heather gray steed galloped besides me, his figure bent forward for speed.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, you and your brute of a brother are to be at the castle behind the walls preparing for something!" I shouted, Loki's eyes flashed in amusement.
"With all due respect, Lady Y/N, piss off." He smirked and dug his heels into his beast. She grunted heavily before bolting forward, racing past Ur and I in a storm. Ur only shook his head distastefully. Both relief and anger filled my chest.
Slowly things began looking more ashen and destroyed than the district before us. Hand woven baskets and assorted vegetables and bread littered the streets. This was the market place I had just been at this morning. My gut clenched as I saw dried blood and pieces of hair across an open window.
This must have been the second breaking point where the damned animals reentered.
Another scream echoed through the buildings, Ur and I yanked on the reins and followed the sickening sound.
My surroundings became more and more familiar. An old oak tree here, a patch of Rune Berries there, Sir Jalwn, the man who told preposterous stories of other neighbors and warriors to young Uthgard and I.
Ur and I slowed our horses' pace as sounds stopped abruptly. There was no shuffling, there was no wind. The only sound was of our rapid heart beats and snorting of the horses. We met eyes and he shrugged slightly. Had this not been where Lady Sif and The Warriors Three rushed to? Were there more than two entry gates the barbarians made?
My gut clenched and every instinct and my body screamed at me to turn to the right of me. I bit my lip and turned slowly.
I turned to look to the path that lead to my home.
Without hesitation I hit my heels to Bjorn's side harshly. He grunted and ran, his carefully braided mane bouncing in the action. I could hear Ur shouting my name and eventually the sound of his warning horn bellow behind me. My surroundings became an ugly dead blur.
I knew within minutes or even seconds the area would be swarmed with my comrades. I didn't understand why he had blown the horn though- it was only if he needed help or had found something extreme.
The thoughts that clouded my mind were quickly brushed away as I set my focus back to my family.
My home came into my sight rapidly. The once small but sturdy wooden home was now in shambles. The siding and pillars barley standing as most were piled in burned bunches on the floor. The building itself was still hot with dull flames. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a dark space, cold heaps of fog billowed out of it and the wind sung an eerie tune as it whistled among the broken shards.
A shattered hole on the edge of the plateau we lived on.
The second break through- the reason Ur had blown the dreadful horn.
I scrambled off of Bjorn and he grunted in panic feeling it through me. I nearly fell off of him as my foot got caught on the stirrup ungracefully.
I sprinted into the rubble, stepping over a hot pile of embers. The basket filled with market goods I had gotten earlier today lay half burned and ruined on the ground, items spilled everywhere.
"Papa?" I whispered,my voice failing me as I used a naive name for my father. There was no answer which filled my chest with little hope. Maybe they had gotten out?
I could hear soft murmurs and angry grunts behind me but paid no attention to it and shut it out quickly.
"Uthgard?" I called out, my voice shaking uneasily as I walked to where our beds used to be, they were charred and burnt with all of the blankets and bedding pulled off nearly underneath it. I glanced to the other bed to see the same style but more charred and with an ungodly smell radiatiating from it.
A discoloration of piled up fabric caught my eye. I knelt down quickly and pawed my way through the pile of clothing and bedding to see an arm. A blistered black charred arm.
Panic filled my chest and I could hear someone faintly shouting my name. The trepidation swelled in my throat making it hard to breath- all of my senses dulled and everything seemed to slow down.
I pulled on the arm and dragged it out from under the bed.
Uthgard.
"Blooma?" I asked quietly but it was useless. I knew it was. One side of her face was charred and her skin was blistered and bloody, her body was limp in my arms and she smelled of smoke and something rancid. Her hair was messy and singed. And her once curious ocean blue eyes were a clouded dull gray.
I screamed in rage as I pulled her close to me. My hands tightening around her thin arms. A single hot tear tore down my face and I continued shouting, screaming curses and foul words. I rocked back and forth slowly.
They killed her.
They killed Blooma, my beautiful young sister who wanted to grow up to be a royal healer and help people who hurt. The girl who couldn't hurt a beetle if she tried.
My throat felt as if I had drank scalding water, I could no longer hear myself yelling, only airy pathetic squeaks.
A sudden strong grip landed on my shoulder, dragging me from her. I ripped my gaze from her broken body to see who had dared lay their hands upon me.
Asmund looked onto me with fear and sadness. I could hear light clanks of metal and shouting but like I had with everything else I shut it out. Asmund embraced me tightly, one hand wrapped securely around my mid back, the other holding my head to the flat of his shoulder.
I let my body go limp against him and all of my rage left me.
All of my emotions and thoughts in general left me. My face seemed to reset into a cold void expression, no tears left my eyes.
The only thing that stayed was a single simple thought.
Every last one of those Hel forsaken beasts of Half-Jotuns would die by my hands. Whether it be by blade or bloody knuckles, they will lay dead at my feet.