Irene's Struggles

Irene Alder:

3/7/975 AD

"T-that was pathetic!  HAHAHA!  And you call yourself a man?  You can barely even punch!" I heard a Viking shout as I ran out of the forest, towards Aslerta.  As I reached the edge of the clearing, I spotted the man who spoke.  He was tall, quite a bit taller than Aslerta, and bulky.  He used a large axe which he had risen over his head.  I watched in shock as the axe came crashing down through the air upon Aslerta.  It tore easily through Aslerta's body, splitting him in two.  "A-aslerta?!" I called out in distress, tears forming around the edges of my eyes.  It was the first time I'd even seen him die and soon, I'd find out if what he'd said about him being immortal was true.  "W-what happened?!" I blurted even though I'd watched, as tears streamed down my cheeks in a steady flow, falling onto my clothes.  That was when I witnessed a miracle.  Long winding strings of flesh burst from Aslerta's halves, connecting to each other.  They intertwined in a disgusting way as they stitched his body back together.  "I-it's true!  He is immortal..." I muttered dumbfounded as I witnessed the godlike revival of Aslerta.  His eyelids opened again, revealing his dreamy blue eyes.  The eyes held an angry look as his leg shot out at the Viking's leg.  His leg slammed into the Viking's snapping it in half, bending it in a very unnatural manner.  I watched wide-eyed as Aslerta brought his leg down upon the Viking.  His foot crushed the man's throat, ending the poor Viking's life in an instant.  "What has happened to the lovely Aslerta I know?" I cried, trembling as I took a few steps towards him.  "Why does it look like h-he's...  Enjoying murder?" tears poured from my eyes like a waterfall as I walked behind him.  Sniffling, I asked him a question "W-what was that?!"

"What was what?!" he yelled, sending me into a trembling fit of fear, my eyes blurring with tears.

"Y-you...  You died a-and t-then you're body...  I-it.  What was that?!" I struggled to get the words out as I trembled in fear, struggling to even look him in the eyes.

"I'm immortal.  That's what," he hissed aggressively as his eyes scoured the region, probably looking for their next victim.

"I-I know that...  I just never believed it was true," I admitted with slight guilt.

"I don't care about all that.  I must end this band of Vikings!" he turned around, showing his back to me, clearly not interested in me.

"D-don't go Aslerta!  I don't want to lose you!  P-please!" I begged, my hands shooting out, grabbing onto his shirt.  I tried to pull him back with all the strength my small arms had but he didn't even react. 

"Unhand me you foul woman!" he ordered aggressively as he tore my hands off of him, throwing me to the floor.

"D-do you not recognise me?!" I questioned urgently, surprised he had it in him to treat me so roughly.  After that he paid me no attention and bolted off, deeper into the village.  "N-no...  I suppose this is the end of our peaceful life," I sniffled, my fingertips scraping at the dirt beneath me as I struggled to stand.  I looked after Aslerta as he sprinted, further and further away from me.  Moving far beyond my reach.  I stumbled as I broke into a desperate sprint after him.  'I have to save Aslerta!  I have to convince him to come back!  I don't want him to suffer,' I thought to myself as I started running after him.  He was so fast that the distance between us still grew at a massive rate even though I was running too.  I struggled to keep running as my crying was also depleting my energy levels fast.  But, I managed to push through the pain as my legs began to cramp up and sting with pain.  I continued sprinting, allowing the strong urge to save Aslerta take over my normal thought process, disabling any sense of logic I had left.  Aslerta must've gotten into a fight as I was able to catch up to him just a bit after that.  My eyes widened in shock when I saw the scene before me.  He was lying on the floor, both his legs just stubs pouring massive amounts of blood.  Then, the other guy there, presumably the one who did this to him, wrapped his shirt around the wounds to stop the bleeding.  "A-Aslerta!  Are you alright!" I ran out of hiding, making my way to his unconscious body.  I knew the other man was speaking but I couldn't make out what he was saying as my mind whirled around in circles, thinking only of Aslerta.  I crouched down beside Aslerta, my hands clutching his head as I shook it vigorously trying to get a reaction out of him.  When nothing happened, I gently rested my head against his as tears began to rush down my cheeks.  The man spoke again, but once more, I ignored him.  That was until I felt Aslerta being pulled from my arms.  I looked up, tears filling my eyes, to see that the man was trying to take him.  I burst into even more tears as I grabbed desperately at Aslerta's arm "N-no!  Please, leave him here!  I don't want him to go!"

The man's cool, collected voice spoke again, only I could hear him this time, "I'm not leaving him.  As second in command of this band of Vikings, I can't just give up this guy's powers.  He's like a god with the way he can revive like that.  So, if you'll excuse me, I best be off"  Distracted by what the man said, my grip loosened as Aslerta was taken from me.  'Aslerta, a-are you a god?' I thought to myself dumbfounded, trying to make sense of the man's words.  'No, if he was a god, he wouldn't be captured so easily.  And, he wouldn't need my help,' I thought to myself reassuringly as I refocused on what was happening around me.  Something was missing from my arms.  I looked down and saw that Aslerta was gone.  My head shot up and focused on the man carrying Aslerta.  I darted at the man, grabbing onto his leg "Please!  He doesn't want to live that sort of life!  Just let him go!"

The man's voice spoke again and yet again, I could hear him  "Stop acting like a child.  I'm taking him with us and that's final.  If you wish to tag along, then tag along.  But I can't stress enough how terrible your future will be if you follow us," 

"I don't care!  I will save Aslerta!" I declared, not sure what he meant by a terrible future.  I followed them stubbornly, not giving up on Aslerta.

"Suit yourself," I head the man mutter in sympathy as he carried Aslerta away with him.  He walked off in a brisk walk, clearly very eager to get Aslerta somewhere.  We travelled through the ruins of what was once a thriving village.  I looked around and all I could see were burning remains of houses and mutilated corpses of those who had died.  My eyes watered, tears just about flooding from my eyes as I looked around at the village sympathetically.  "H-how can you be so calm when looking a-at t-these horrors," I gestured around to the village buildings we passed.

"Because, I've been doing this for almost 2 decades now," the man responded bluntly.

My eyes widened upon hearing that - he'd been a Viking longer than I'd been alive, "H-how many have you k-killed?"

"I don't keep count," the man answered coolly.

"T-then do you remember where your last raid was before this?" I asked, curious as to whether or not these Vikings were the ones who raided our village.

"Hmm.  I believe it was downstream, near the coast," he pointed down in the direction of the river.  Tears resurfaced within my eyes as I realised the village he was talking about...  Was our village.  "Y-you monster!  You people ruined our lives!  You killed my parents!  You killed his parents...  You killed everyone!" I burst into a fit of tears and anger.

"Oho.  Was that your village young miss?" the Viking man asked curiously.

"Did you perhaps kill a short blonde woman with green eyes, named Cordelia?  Along, with her husband; a tall bulky guy with dark brown hair, named Harald?" I asked, glaring viciously at the man.

"Hmm.  Those names do a ring a bell.  Perhaps I did," the man thought back to his last raid, trying to recount everyone he'd killed.  "Actually now that I think about it, the name 'Aslerta' does ring a bell.  That's right, it was those two screaming about their son Aslerta!" the Viking spoke as he recounted his previous raid.

"T-they were Aslerta's parents...  P-please don't tell him you were the one who killed them.  I don't like seeing him angry..." I murmured, hopeful the man would agree to those terms.

"Don't worry, young girl.  I'm not stupid," he answered proudly as he thought back to that time.

Asger 23/6/975 AD

As I ran through the burning buildings, I searched for my next victims.  That was when my eyes fell upon a small house near the edge of the village.  The door was shut, which told me that it probably hadn't been touched by anyone else.  Meaning, there could still be people inside.  I marched quietly up to the door.  My leg blurred as it soared threw the air, kicking the door wide open.  The door spun around inside, slamming into the wall.  As I took a step inside, I was met by a rather muscular man running at me, a chair held above his head.  I dashed calmly to the side as he swung the chair downwards with immense strength.  The chair burst into smaller pieces as it slammed into the floor.  "You're quite strong.  You'd make for a good Viking," I nodded, observing his actions carefully.

"Shut up!" he roared as he ran at me again.

"Hm, on second thoughts, you lose your temper too quick," I took a step to the side as the man ran right past me, crashing into the wall.  "Too slow," I observed as I analysed his abilities.

"Harald!  Are you alright?" I heard a feminine voice grow near as a short blonde woman dashed out of the shadows, trying to get to the man I now know is Harald.

"Is she your wife perhaps?" I asked Harald as I moved to block the woman's path.

"Yes, so don't you dare touch her!" Harald growled, standing up slowly.

"I won't.  I'm not one of those lowly Vikings who can only think about women," I shook my head, disappointed they'd think such terrible things of me.  "Well, now, how about we wrap this up?" I asked with a cold voice as my leg flashed out in front of me, slamming into the woman's chest.  She coughed blood as her body was sent flying to the other side of the house.  "Cordelia!" Harald cried, concerned for his wife.  "Cordelia, run!  Run while I hold him down!  You need to make sure Aslerta's alright!" Harald commanded as he moved up behind me, his arms reached out, trying to grab me.

"I'm sorry, but that won't work.  For two reasons actually.  One, I don't think she can stand up anymore - I kicked her quite hard.  And, two, you can't sneak up on me if you're so loud," I spun around and glared into Harald's eyes.

"What did you do to Cordelia!  You demon!"  Harald's voice boomed as his arms desperately tried to latch onto me.

"There's that anger again.  Anger really makes one an easy target," I muttered logically as I slashed his legs with my sword.  Blood burst from his legs, pooling on the floor as he fell to his knees in agony.  "I hope you have a lovely rest," my sword darted out of the shadows, stabbing deep into the mans heart.  His body went limp as I pulled my sword out, releasing an arc of blood.  Kicking the lifeless body, I pivoted on my foot and marched towards the back of the house.  "Cordelia, you're next," I announced as Cordelia came into view.  She was lying near the back of the house where their beds were.  She was breathing heavily, blood dripping slowly down her chin.  "Now that I'm getting a good look at you...  You are quite pretty," my hand gently cupped her face, rubbing her smooth skin.  "It's a pity I have to kill you here," I smiled as I moved my face close to hers.  She looked at me with disgust as tears welled up in her eyes.  "Any last words, miss?" my eyes stared calmly into hers as I brought my sword up to her throat, Harald's blood dripping onto her pale white skin.  "Could you do me a favour?" more blood spilled from her mouth as she struggled to speak, her tears finally beginning to drip down her cheeks.  "A favour?  I'm not sure, but let's hear it," I leaned in closer, my hand rubbing her amazingly soft cheek.

"C-could you help my son Aslerta?" with one last struggle, the words fell from her lips as she looked down at my hand with slight disgust.

"Are you sure he's not dead?" I asked, very aware of how unforgiving Vikings are.

"I know he's not dead," she gave one last bright smile as she closed her eyes slowly, ready to accept her fate.

"I'll try my best, ma'am," I whispered quietly into her ear as my hand made a quick movement, slitting her throat.  Standing up, I looked around at the bloody mess I'd made of the house.  Sheathing my sword, I bent down, scooping the woman into my arms "The least I could do is let you two rest together,"  I was surprised at my own kindness for a second - I wouldn't usually go out of my way for such acts of kindness but here I was, laying a woman down next to her husband so that they could spend the eternity that is death together.  "If I ever meet this Aslerta, I promise that I shall help him.  If I remember this promise at that time, that is," I muttered as I walked solemnly out of the house.

3/7/975 AD

"I remember that promise," I looked down thoughtfully at the unconscious Aslerta in my arms.  "Don't worry Cordelia, I'll guide him through his treacherous path as a Viking," I murmured as the Viking ships finally came into view.

Irene Alder

"We're nearly there," the man announced as he resurfaced from his thoughts.  In the distance, two massive sails could be seen, held up by equally massive masts.  As we got closer, the sound of men rejoicing and swords clanging could be heard, along with the sounds of women crying desperately for help.  "Stop it!", "P-please no!", "I have a husband!" they cried out in desperation.

"Hey, um sir.  A-am I going to end up like those women I can hear?" I gulped anxiously as I listened to their cries.

"Yes.  I already told you that.  No going back now, they've already spotted you," he responded, nodding his head in the direction of two Vikings ogling her body lustfully.

'I-I should've listened to him!  Stupid me, I was so caught up in my love for Aslerta, I forgot about myself!' I thought to myself out of regret and fear.

***

As the Viking man who was carrying Aslerta, who I now know as Asger - as he was speaking with Guttorm, I felt two massive hands gripping me.  I gulped, fearful tears dripping from my eyes as I was pushed to the ground.  I could hear Aslerta talking desperately to Guttorm, hopefully to save me.  But he wasn't making much progress as I felt the hands tear my clothes off of my body, revealing my naked self.  I thrashed around in their grip as another two men joined the first one.  They were all staring at my body with great desire.  As I struggled to get away from them, I felt sharp pains all along my body.  I screamed out in pain as I got slapped by the hard hands of those foul Vikings.  'P-please save me Aslerta!' I thought to myself desperately as I cried out in agony.  Looking down my body, I saw a man kneeling over me, grinning lustfully at me as he slowly began to remove his clothes...  After that, I felt sharp pains in my lower half as I was raped by these terrible Viking men.  My ears perked up as I heard Aslerta speak but I was immediately disappointed when I heard "N-no...  I-I'm sorry Irene!  I can't save you..."  Tears rushed down my cheeks as I groaned in pain, my lower body on fire.

7/7/975 AD

For the few days after the initial capture of Aslerta and I, I was...  The Vikings did terrible things to my body each day after that until finally I was relieved as we reached the slave market.  My body was exhausted after the whole ordeal, but I was forced to look my best for any potential buyers.  I just hoped they'd treat me at least a little better than the Vikings.

Me and a few other women had to stand in a line, completely naked at this slave market so all our potential buyers could admire our beauty.  Most women were purchased based on beauty rather than our skills or strengths - that was more the male side of the market.  Well, anyway, since the criteria was beauty, I was quickly spotted by quite a few of the buyers.  "What's her name?" asked a shorter man with hairs just beginning to grey, perhaps in his early 50s.

"Oh it seems you've spotted our highest quality product!  Her name's Irene and she'd be perfect for you!  She's very obedient and easy to control; meaning she'll follow any and all your instructions!" our salesman spoke eagerly, trying desperately to get a sale.

"I see.  Irene's a very beautiful name.  Has she ever given birth?" the man asked curiously as he took a step closer, his hand gliding over my soft skin.  I struggled to keep a straight face as the man's old hands touched places they shouldn't have touched.  'Why did this have to happen to me!  I should've listened to that Asger guy's warnings!' my mind flooded with regrets of all my previous actions that led to this terrible fate of mine.

"No, sir.  She has yet to give birth - her body has never been touched by a man!" the salesman said proudly, somehow not having any fluctuation in his confidence even though he knew he was lying.  I almost scoffed at those words considering these very Vikings were the ones who touched my body!  And now they're saying I've never indulged in such acts - how despicable.  "Oh?  She sounds perfect!" the man said, moving even closer as his fingers combed gently through my hair.

"Right!  So, what do you say?  Do you wish to purchase her?  She only costs three sheep or 1 pound of silver!" the salesman spoke eagerly, rubbing his hands together like any true businessman would.  The older man took a step back and looked me up and down, admiring every nook and cranny of my nude body.  He nodded slowly as he gave an answer "Yes, I will be buying Irene here,"  He turned back to the salesman and pulled out a small sack full of silver.  The salesman grinned greedily as he took the sack right out of his hands "Pleasure doing business with you, sir!  I hope our Irene here can please you!"

Giving a small nod of his hand, the man took my hand and pulled me along with him.  "You're going to need some clothes, Irene," he looked at me before grabbing a spare set of clothes from a sack he was carrying.  "Thank you, sir," I thanked him sweetly as I pulled the clothes over my body, fitting into them perfectly.  'I've been...  Sold.  How demeaning.  Well, I just hope this man here isn't as bad as those foul Vikings,' my nose wrinkled in disgust as I thought back to the Vikings touching me all over with those lusting hands of theirs.  "Sir, c-can I ask you a question?" I asked, nervous not to get a beating or a punishment of any sort.

"Go ahead," he smiled at me, giving me a slight nod of his head.

"Um, w-what should I call you, sir?" I looked down at my hands anxiously.

"My name's Olaf, so you may call me Master Olaf.  We've gotta keep our owner-slave boundaries, right?" he chuckled lightly as he responded to my question.

"O-ok Master Olaf," I gave a small, embarrassed nod of my head as I spoke the name of my new owner.  "So, Master Olaf, if you don't mind me asking.  Where do you live?" I asked curiously.

"On a farm in Denmark is where you'll be living from now on," he shot me a toothy grin, nodding his head proud of his new purchase.

"D-Denmark?  How do you speak English so well?" I looked at him, amazed he can speak two languages.

"Oh, you know.  A trader ought to know a few languages!" he gave me a small pat on the head as he gave an answer to my curious question.

***

After that, we spent an hour or so looking around at the rest of the market.  He didn't buy much else, just some cloth.  After he'd finished shopping, we headed to the docks; where his boat was located.  There were two other men onboard who were presumably ship hands.  The boat itself was significantly smaller than the Viking boats I was used to.  Whilst the Viking ships could carry up to 50 men, this small boat could only carry a maximum of 7.  "So, Irene.  Here's the boat that'll be taking us home!" the man, Olaf, jumped excitedly onto the boat, running up to the other men eagerly.  "Arne, Carl what do ya think of our new slave girl?" he pointed at me, nodding his head proudly.  My face went red as I felt their eyes fall on my body, looking me up and down.  "You've bought yourself a pretty one, haven't ya Olaf?" the smaller of the two with jet black hair, Arne, nodded with a bright smile on his face.  The other, a taller, bulkier man with a build similar to Harald nodded in reciprocation; his long brown hair moving with his head.  This one was Carl.  "Everyone back home's gonna love her!" Olaf beamed as he patted me on the back firmly.  "Sir, we ought to be off.  If we want to get home within a week, then we ought to leave before nightfall," Carl spoke seriously as he moved over to where our ship was tied to the dock.  "Right, right.  Well, Irene, it's time we go to your new home!" he waved his hand at Carl before spinning around and giving me a bright smile.

13/7/975 AD

"Olaf sir!  We're home!" Arne shouted, pointing excitedly at the land in front of us.  My jaw dropped as I looked where he was pointing.  There was farmlands stretching all the way along the shore and even further beyond, over the hills.  There were farmlands as far as the eye could see.  'This land is much richer than my fathers!  No, it's much richer than the whole village combined!' I thought, shocked one man could own so much.  "M-master Olaf...  Is this all yours?" I pointed at the farmlands, looking at Olaf with a surprised expression.

"Well, yes.  It's quite the good farm, no?"  placing his hands on his hips, he looked out across his lands with a look of great admiration.

***

Once we'd arrived and headed to the slave quarters, I was given a debrief on how everything worked here and what my job was.  All I was required to do was some housework stuff such as cooking, cleaning, washing dished and clothes.  Then, in the night, I might be asked upon by the master.  And, in that case, I'm required to go in his room and comfort him.  After barely being here for a day, I can already tell that this life is going to be much more boring without Aslerta.  But, I have hope Aslerta and I will reunite...  One day...

Aslerta

2/8/975 AD

"Tch.  You can't be losing focus like that," Asger spoke as he pierced the small boy's heart, letting his lifeless body slump over.

"Sorry, Asger!  I got distracted by his screams," I sighed, shaking my head in disappointment.  If I wanted to get stronger I'd have to stop getting distracted so easily.  "Let's try this again.  There's another house next to this one.  I'm sure there's people in that one," Asger commanded, launching into a light jog out the door.  I followed quickly behind him, catching up swiftly.  We ran along the grass quickly and quietly, making sure our presence stayed unknown to the people within.  As we reached the door to the house, my leg struck out like lightning, sending the door flying off its hinges.  "My, your legs are strong Aslerta," Asger complimented before following me into the house.  Just like the house from before, this house was cramped with only a table and a few beds.  I looked around inside for a few seconds before my eyes fell upon the family who lived here.  It was a family of four.  The mother, the father, along with two children; a young boy and a girl who looked to be around my age.  The father made his way to the front of the group, trembling in fear as he glared at me "Don't you dare kill my family, you Viking!"

"I-Is this what my father looked like before he was killed?" I muttered to myself before taking a step forwards.  Asger, upon overhearing this question, smiled gently 'Yes, Aslerta.  This is just like how your father reacted,'.  He only thought the response, as he didn't want Aslerta to know it was him who murdered his parents.  He would only lose his focus in this volatile state of his.  Taking a deep breath, I dashed forwards, crossing the house in an instant.  Trying not to look at the expressions on their faces, my sword lashed out in front of me.  It released a spray of blood as it exited out through the man's neck.  The corpse of the father of the family fell to the floor, his head rolling eerily away.  The edges of my lips began pulling to the sides, morphing my lips into a bright smile.  'If I can just replicate that, I should be able to get over my moral of no killing innocents,' I thought to myself proudly as I worked towards my first step for power.  Bringing my attention back to the family, I took another step forwards, swinging my sword in and upwards arc.  I felt a slight bit of resistance on the sword's tip as it dug through the flesh of someone.  Their blood spattered all over me, staining my clothes blackish-red.  "No!  Mother!  Don't die!" I could hear the two children screaming in despair.  The moment the two voices entered my ears, I convulsed as my mind once again played that terrible memory.  I stumbled to my knees, panting heavily, my sword clattering on the floor next to me.  "Aslerta.  This is exactly what you need to stop doing.  Stop falling to your knees in the last moment.  And, especially, don't leave your sword lying around for someone to steal it," Asger's wise voice sounded as he moved swiftly through the remaining family, slaughtering the children and mother.

"I-I can't though...  Whenever I hear...  Their cries, I'm reminded of what I felt..." as I turned my head to focus on Asger, I noticed his eyes twitch in discomfort.  'What thoughts was he having for them to display on his face, even if only a twitch' I thought to myself curiously before forgetting about it just as fast.

My hand gripped my sword's handle as I stood up slowly.  I looked down at the bloodied bodies of the family who once lived here.  "Why didn't you take the girl?  Could've sold her into slavery.  Isn't that what Guttorm would want?" I pointed my sword at the teenage girl who looked to be my age.

"No.  Unlike others, I don't like placing terrible fates such as slavery upon these poor souls.  I'd rather end their suffering," Asger responded, looking at the girl thoughtfully.

"T-then why did you let Irene get sold into slavery!" I retorted, anger seeping back into my tone.

"I warned her.  I would've killed her, but I believe you would be left without a purpose if I did so.  Isn't that right?  Your only goal, here, as a Viking is to become strong enough to save Irene. right?" Asger stared into my eyes with deep understanding.  He smirked slightly once he saw my eyes widen, knowing that he once again hit the nail on the head.  "So, would you really have preferred me killing her?" Asger asked again.

"N-no...  I wouldn't," I responded quietly.

"That's what I thought," he smiled gently as he turned to face the door, "So, shall we try the next house?"

"Fine," I muttered, giving the family one last look before marching towards the doorless doorframe.

***

For an hour or so, we moved from house to house, slaying family after family.  But each time, I could never kill the whole family.  The memories of my past always held me back.  Each and every time.  So, by the time the raid had finished, I hadn't made very much progress.  "Think about it like this, Aslerta.  If you don't kill these children, they're going to end up suffering the same fate you are.  Despair and regret for not being able to save their family.  But, instead, if you kill them here, they'll be able to join the family in the afterlife, and reside peacefully for eternity," Asger whispered in my ear as I trembled before a set of triplets; two were boys and one was a girl.  "T-there is no afterlife though.  I've seen death with my own eyes!  I-it's terrible..." I murmured, looking down at the children guiltily.

"Have you ever thought that maybe that sort of death is exclusive to you?  That darkness could perhaps be your realm alone.  Us normal folk may not end up in the same place.  Maybe Valhalla really does exist for us," Asger pointed out, providing me with a sense of realisation.

"M-maybe that is true," I muttered as my body started to move on its own.  "Sorry," I murmured quietly as I brought my sword in a downwards arc, sweeping cleanly through all three of the triplets.  Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the walls of the house red.  The lifeless bodies of the three fell over onto the floor, letting the blood pour from their wounds, pooling beneath them.  "I-I did it," I whispered before shouting out in victory "I finally killed an entire family with my own hands!"  'Never thought I'd see the day I celebrated such a terrible thing,' I thought to myself.

"Now, if you can continue to replicate that on our future raids, I believe you have the talent to surpass Guttorm.  Considering how much your swordsmanship has grown in this one raid, it is safe to assume you will attain that power you so powerfully desire, potentially even more," Asger nodded in approval as his body turned systematically toward the door.  Following him, I came to stand beside him in the door way.  The village was silent, the crackling of fire as it tore houses apart was the only sound remaining.  There were no screams, or shouts of victory.  It was silent.  The raid had ended.  "So, I take it the raid has succeeded?" I asked Asger, who stood silently by my side.

"Indeed," he returned in a monotonous tone as he began a brisk walk back to the shore, where the Viking camp had been set up.  As we drew closer to the camp, the moaning and groaning of women became evident as these foul Viking men had their way with the poor girls.  "Do they do this to every woman they capture?" I whispered the question, a tone of disgust evident in my voice.

"Yes, so you'd better get used to it," Asger responded, unfazed by the sounds.

"You said you'd rather stop their suffering than let them go on to be slaves.  So, why don't you go end their suffering right now?" I asked, trying to convince him to do just that.

"They've already been captured by the rest.  Doing so, would only end up with unnecessary fighting," he shot back as we approached Guttorm's tent.  It was quite obvious which was his; it was the biggest, most central tent here.  It towered above the rest.  Asger came to a halt as he reached the tent, "Sir, Aslerta and I have returned,"  Rustling could be heard in the tent as Guttorm moved to open the tent flap.  As he opened it, light shone in, revealing everything inside.  I looked inside, disgust evident on my face, for inside his tent were two young girls, their clothes torn from their bodies, that were covered in red slap marks.  They breathed in heavy exhaustion, rivers of tears streaming from their eyes.  I took a step forwards, ready to pounce at Guttorm when Asger's arm appeared in front of me.  He looked at me with an expression that told me 'Stop, it's not worth it,'

"Fine, I get it," I looked sympathetically at the women before my gaze turned over to Guttorm as he poked his head out the tent.

"I see our young god didn't run away," he shot me a grin before looking back at Asger, "So, what is it?  I have matters to tend to, if you can't tell," he gestured to the women behind him, inciting a resurgence of hatred on my face.

"Haha, I see you don't like that, do you?  Little god?" Guttorm, noticing my expression, mocked me.

"Now, now.  Calm down you two." Asger pushed me behind himself as he returned to Guttorm, "That was all, sir, you may go back now,"

"Good," Guttorm's voice drew out slowly like a growling wolf as he sank back into his tent.  I heard a loud squeal of pain from inside the tent as Guttorm presumably returned to the women.  I wrinkled my nose in disgust before following Asger away.  "How can you just let him do that?" I asked viciously as we walked out of Guttorm's earshot.

"What else am I supposed to do?  We can't beat him yet, Aslerta.  You must be patient," Asger responded as we walked away from the encampment, into a small patch of untouched grass.  The sun had risen at this point and shone down burning hot rays of light around us, colouring us a golden sort of orange.  "So, Aslerta.  How about we train your sword skills?" Asger asked, but I knew it wasn't a question.  He was declaring that we would be training now, whether I liked it or not.  "Sure," I responded eagerly as I drew my sword from its sheath.

"Be warned, though.  I will be killing you during this fight," Asger added as he drew his sword, poising himself to strike.

"Death doesn't faze me anymore, no need to warn me," I gave him a cheeky smirk before dashing at him.  The air howled as my sword tore through it towards Asger.  Asger's eyes darted around, watching my sword closely.  My blade barely even entered his range when his sword lashed out at mine with such force that it was sent flying out of my grip.  "W-wha?!" I exclaimed as Asger appeared before me, his sword in hot pursuit of my neck.  I felt a sharp pain flow through my body as Asger's sword tore through my neck.  I died.