Free Ragnar the Murderer by Lily Byrne Page B

tended to, although not many were badly injured.
    Ragnar had knocked out his opponent, then dragged him away from the fighting to a safe place. He saw Aelfwyn and his face lit up, despite his bloodied eye.
    Saehild noticed her sister’s face brighten in return, and felt a shiver of… something, but what? She shook it off.
    “ Help!” A child’s shriek cut the evening air. A boy of eight raced to Steinar, out of breath.
    “ What is it, child?” The commander softened his voice.
    “ Vikingr, sir! Norwegians! At the coast!”
     
     

Nigon
     
    Steinar leapt into action, producing such a loud whistle everyone jumped.
    “ Stop this nonsense! Huskarlr! Arm yourselves! We are under attack! Anglisc, concede or help us!”
    The fighting slowly ground to a halt.
    Steinar explained the situation at high speed and the Huskarlr lined up ready to march back to Hallfridby.
    “ What can we do?” asked Maegla, hovering.
    “ Follow us back to the village, and help, if you are strong enough. Women! Rouse the unconscious men!”
    The Huskarlr and their former opponents hastened back to the village. Not before Aelfwyn and Ragnar had exchanged scorching glances of frustration however.
    Leofrun, Saehild, Aelfwyn and the other women each went to an unconscious fighter, and roused him in their different ways. Some of these involved slapping, some shaking, some grabbing the man’s balls and waking him with pleasure.
    One of the unconscious was Saehild’s admirer from the bathing lake, and she felt glad to wake him. He smiled into her face, his dark grey eyes dotted with golden flecks.
    “ What is your name?” she asked him.
    “ Ljotr.”
    She didn’t know what to say about the bathing incident, so just explained the current situation while admiring his wet sand coloured hair, much darker than Bjarni’s and unusual among the fair haired Danes. But wasn’t she content with Bjarni, her handsome, brave, kind husband, skilled at pleasuring her? Ljotr was just different and new and she must not lust after him.
    After all the men had been awakened and enlightened, they hurried to Hallfridby, followed by the women.
    “ This is a great life, so exciting,” said Leofrun to Saehild, her eyes bright and her breathing fast. “A change from my boring daily one.”
    Saehild nodded, still uneasy.
    They reached the men. The Anglisc were helping the Danish. The skilled Huskarlr wore well used rounded metal helmets, some with eye guards, some with just nose guards. The novice Huskarlr like Bjarni and Ragnar, wore hardened leather helmets, strengthened with iron strips.
    The Anglisc men speeded up the Danish preparations immensely by fastening their leather or chainmail armour for them and strapping on their weapons, handing them their shields and so on. Every man assisted another, like a squire attending a knight in days gone by.
    The Huskarlr company was a fearsome sight when fully armed. They had round red shields in one hand, axes in the other, spears on their backs with swords at their belts. Armour  covered their upper arms and body from neck to knee and the helmets covering their heads and faces gave them a sinister, forbidding air.
    The other Danes were less well armed and armoured, but still wielded a fair collection of spears, axes, clubs and some bows.
    All the Danes formed up into a war band. The Anglisc stood behind, holding their spears plus anything else they could get their hands on. Their armour was basic, just extra padding and the odd piece of toughened leather a man had inherited from his father.
    “ There is no time for practice, just defend our coast as best you can!” instructed Steinar. “The Norwegians will be easy to recognise. Huskarlr, when they see you, be prepared to attack with all you’ve got, because they’ll know you’re the main opposition.”
    He marched off, the Danes and Anglisc following him, all rivalry between them forgotten.
    The women, left behind, wrung their hands and clutched each other.
    “ We