"That was the day the ancient song of blood and war spilled from a hole in the sky."
chapter V, act III ✧ 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
Nero re-braided parts of her hair quietly. After the walk of shame of the previous night, she was ready to do two things, have sex with the first willing person, and kill every single enemy of hers.
Her dark kohl etched into her skin like a tattoo, her eyes as dark as ever. As always, Nero glowed and her face looked more beautiful than ever with each war she took part in.
Odin, she hated the way they were playing games with their prey. But she knew it was the strategy, she knew it was for the best.
She enjoyed the kill, not the chase.
Nobody questioned why the girl decided to fight with the army that was under Harald's command. She simply couldn't bear being near Ivar nor Hvitserk. Halfdan and his brother began the war. After all the confusion they had caused to their enemies, it was finally time for combat.
They roared into war, the sharp noise of steel against steel and the dull sound of silver clashing over wooden shields echoed through the screams and grunts of men.
Nero seemed to leave her own body at moments like those, her actions were primitive, natural, instinctive.
She lunged at whoever was daring enough to run for her people with no shield, her knife quickly and effortlessly dug into the man's neck as her other hand lifted his body through his chest piece, using him to protect herself.
Someone else was onto her, she dropped the corpse she had been carrying and kicked her new enemy's thighs, aiming her weapon at his face, he fell back and she fell with him her knife digging into his forehead with the strength of the impact.
Nero's eyes caught Björn's in the battle and she ran to him, protecting his back like she had done when she was a child, someone reached for him and she, using one of the fallen bodies, propelled herself up and jumped on the man, bringing him down as her two trusty knives clutched onto each side of his neck, she got up and looked at her prince, "Old habits."
He chuckled at her and looked behind him before crouching, she quickly unclasped her axe and hurled it at the man who neared his back. She laughed and ran after it, pulling it away from the Saxon's neck and quickly swinging it at the man who tried to run past her.
Her eyes roamed the war around her and the scent of blood brought her mind into overdrive, she howled playfully yet so loudly that Halfdan and Harald howled with her. Now, the battle truly started.
The wolf threw her axe into the spine of a man who was rushing for Ubbe, she ran to gather it back, as she did, yet another Christian swung his sword at her, she used the mud to her advantage as she dropped to the ground, sliding underneath his weapon before she got to her feet again, hurling her axe off the corpse and into her attacker's chest.
Heavy breaths already escaped her lips when Nero looked at the shield-maidens, they nodded and got on their knees bringing their shields on their backs as she jumped on them, running from one to the other before pouncing on Aethelwulf.
The direct contact of her body on his brought them both tumbling out of his horse and into the hard muddy soil.
She bared her teeth at him before speaking the words she had just learned on the nights before, with the lovely teacher Aelle, she leaned close to his ear, the man breathed in and out rapidly, not understanding why his body refused to fight her off, "I am the ulv."
His eyes widened, understanding her words and his breath hitched in his throat, wolf. Suddenly her head shot up and she found a man lunging for Hvitserk while he already held one off.
She pulled her lips back before running her tongue over her teeth almost as if in thought, she smirked and closed her lips, smashing them on his, for some reason he reciprocated her kiss. Her hands pulled out his sword, gripping it tightly from where it was sheathed. She quickly climbed off him, grunting and spitting on the soil before running for Vit.
She didn't know why she did what she had just done. Her mind was spinning with the war around and maybe she simply wished to do so for mere sadism. Or maybe, to know if she was still... desirable.
The boy was on the ground and the enemy above him was ready to strike, she swung her newly acquired sword at the man, roaring. His head rolled off and Aethelwulf stared at the scene, completely dazed by the girl, by her actions, by her.
The girl smirked. A running horse made its way towards her. The rider was screaming at the top of his lungs and she looked at him, nodding, his sword held high thinking she was a threat to his prince.
She hit the horse's front leg with the butt of her axe so she wouldn't hurt it before the man came crashing down out of his animal, and as he did, his chest was quickly impaled by her weapon.
She growled at Hvitserk in warning before yet another man lunged at her, she barely looked at the Christian's direction before she raised her knee, kicking the man on the chest and burying the axe that laid on her other hand on his stomach.
She pulled it off and as she did someone decked her with a shield, she groaned, falling to the ground and noticing that the wound Harald had given her days before had opened.
Nero merely looked up seeing a man charging at her before Aethelwulf screamed at him, getting his attention for long enough so the girl could bury her axe into the man's side, his ribs breaking with the mere impact.
She threw her head back onto the floor, feeling the wetness of the bloodied soil soaking through her hair before her head dipped to the side, her eyes immediately finding Aethelwulf's. She realized he had been screaming for retreat.
She smiled at him, of course, she would kill him, but she would have to kill his father first, and the whole family would pay. Her face was painted with the blood of his people, but he found himself smiling back.
She threw his sword at him, but he kicked it back to her. Her hands gripped its handle tightly and she nodded, showing her respect and gratitude before he climbed onto his horse and ran off. A laugh escaped her lips, coward. Victory or Valhalla.
She stumbled to get on her knees, using her sword for support while her hand clutched at her stomach and at the open wound.
Blood oozed lazily from the cut, and with the impact of the side of the shield, she wouldn't have been surprised if the cut had, in fact, become wider.
A shaky breath left her lips but her legs were willing to give out from under her, she had battled to exhaustion, such being so that she barely felt her wound.
It happened way too fast. Her legs were trembling, she forced them to obey her as suddenly something felt off. Odd.
A cold breeze swept around her in even in the midst of the warm battle. Soon after her bones rattled with the wind, a horse followed, sending her back down to the soil as it fell on its side her entire lower body under it. She was slightly in diagonal, oddly placed under the animal, she could see the rim of her wound gushing with blood.
She sighed, closing her eyes and allowing herself to bask in the crimson that mixed in with the waters from the rain. The rider of the horse groaned beside her, signaling his condition, she opened her eyes and turned her head to face him, only to mock his groan and weakly grab her axe, that lay in the mud next to her, before digging it in his chest.
She allowed herself to close her eyes once again, just as she did, it began raining harder. Each drop feeling the same as small needles tearing against her exposed face, "Are you bloody serious right now, All-father?"
The sky thundered and she could swear Odin was laughing at her.
The Vikings screamed and hollered at their 'victory', but they were nowhere near fully avenging Ragnar. Nero Gunnolf, for a brief moment, thought she would die.
She tried pushing the horse off of her, to obvious no avail. Over the celebrations of her people, she screamed, an animalistic yet weak growl leaving her lips.
Halfdan and Harald, who were closer to the girl ran to her, crouching down next to her body as they looked over to the Ragnarssons, they were cheering next to Ivar's chariot, Harald almost roared, "It's the wolf!"
"Mind giving a wolf a helping paw?" she laughed weakly, opening her hands to motion to the horse on top of her as if it weren't obvious.
The Ragnarssons turned around, looking at the two crouching Vikings, and their wounded girl.
Ubbe, Hvitserk, Björn ran towards her like their own lives depended on it. Floki fell to his knees, the sight breaking him after all he had been through. Sigurd and Ivar looked at each other, for the first time no anger in their shared glances, only pure concern.
Ivar whipped his horse with the reigns, the animal dragged him as fast it could and the boy crawled out of the chariot as soon as they reached the wolf.
Her breaths were ragged, her chest rising quickly. In a choked cough, she turned her head to the side, allowing blood to seep from her mouth before looking at the boys who stared at her in concern.
Hvitserk was about to tell her everything that ran through his mind. Ubbe wanted to say he was sorry for ever throwing that fish at her and for forcing her to watch him marry the woman she hated. Both of their eyes were wide with fear. The oldest son of Aslaug began pacing, "Odin..."
"Yeah, Odin is kind of busy having a laugh over this, so if you could," she chuckled, motioning once again to the horse on top of her, they were all too entranced by the situation to do anything about it.
Ivar crawled to her, bringing her head onto his lap as she looked up at him, a faint smile on her face, almost questioning his actions. Her eyes were glazed over yet she was fully awake and still confused by all he had done and was doing.
"I love the attention, really, but if you could..." she smiled kindly, waving her hands around as blood began pooling inside her mouth, her head tilted slightly to the side, allowing more of it to seep out, staining Ivar's pants, "TAKE THIS BLOODY HORSE OFF OF ME"
Björn knew she wouldn't die. He chuckled at the girl, his hands wrapping around the animal's head as he motioned for the boys to help him. Harald and Halfdan pulled on its front paws as Hvitserk and Ubbe lifted the hind legs.
Floki, who watched from afar, almost cried at the sight of the crimson that dripped from her mouth, she found his eyes and gave him a reassuring nod.
The Vikings threw the horse's body off of the girl's, and she breathed in deeply, glad that air could finally properly enter her lungs.
As soon as the wolf was free, Ivar noticed her blood-stained clothing and his eyes trailed to the gaping wound on her stomach, his eyes became bloodshot with anger, "What... happened?"
She almost shivered at his tone, but smiled when his eyes softened, "It all began when I was born..." she joked but nobody found it amusing, especially when, for the first time in their lives, they had seen just how mortal the girl truly was, and it scared everyone to no end, "Do you all wish to say goodbye to the horse? You seemed to be bonding pretty well when it was over my body."
"We saved your life." Hvitserk barked, his voice low and threatening.
He hated how she was so stubborn, but he hated the fact that she was hurt even more. The boy was angry at the entire world, at the Saxons for laying a finger on her, at the gods for not protecting her. At himself for having almost lost her without saying all he wished to say.
"Oh! Oh! Yeah, alright Hvitserk, alright, do you want to know why you had to save my life in the first place?" she spat out blood, laughing, she hadn't only put herself in danger once, but twice for him. That had to mean something.
"I've seen the devil," the poor prince quivered, having to confess himself after what he had done. He would never whip himself again, he would never allow God to make his decisions for him, not when she offered him so much more, "and I loved her."
He finally understood when his father said: I would sup with the devil if he would show me how to achieve my earthly goals.