Everyone Is My Enemy

Thorfinn couldn't stop screaming. He was thoroughly finished. The man he was supposed to be protecting had just killed the man he was supposed to kill. That was his kill. And on top of that, he was on a slave ship being taken god knows where without the one thing his father left him.

"Sorry dad, I've failed you," he muttered to himself, over and over again. Those words were repeated the rest of the night. The little food he was offered was untouched and his eyes lost the glint they once had. His last bit of humanity was gone. He had gone completely insane. He didn't realize it at the time, but Askeladd was a father figure to him, the only one he had left. He hated himself for missing Askeladd, and hated himself even more for not killing him when he had the chance. All he could remember was all of their duels. All of the mistakes he made, all the opportunities he had. He should've killed him. Askeladd should be dead; but by his hand.

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Thorfinn found himself on a farm. A large, green farm extending further than the eyes can see. He was ordered to clear out a forest and plant wheat, then he could be free, but he wasn't going to wait that long. He didn't want to wait that long. Every nerve, every vein, every artery in his body wanted to seek and destroy.

Canute was the only one on his mind, and killing him had become his new purpose. Every night he would dream about it. The kind of death Canute would have. A long, painful death. One that would make him suffer enough to make up for 17 years of his life. The 17 years he wasted trying to kill Askeladd. He dreamed of cutting off Canute's long, blonde hair that he treasured so much and wrapping it around his neck as a noose. He dreamed of bashing his head in so hard that the ground below him would crack. He dreamed of cutting all his limbs off and leaving him there as a little nugget to bleed out, but to do all this, he needed to leave the damn farm. He had decided to break out tomorrow morning.

Thorfinn woke up before anyone else—actually, he hadn't slept. He just had to wait for the security to stop patrolling first. He trudged his way from the little slave shack to the owner's house and opened the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked. He made his way into Ketil's bedroom and put his hands around his neck, waking him up in that awkward position. Before Ketil could open his mouth, Thorfinn stuffed a piece of his bedding into his mouth, preventing a scream.

"Where the hell are my daggers?" he asked.

"What daggers?" Ketil dared to respond, spitting out what was once his bedsheets.

"When you bought me, you also bought two daggers. I know this. I watched the guard hand them to you. Give them to me or I'll squeeze." Reminding Ketil that his hands were still around his throat.

"In that trunk over there. Take them. Please."

Thorfinn reached for the trunk, but could feel Ketil's malicious intent behind him.

"If you even try to attack me, I'll kill you before you can even blink." Thorfinn threatened.

He took his daggers from the trunk and thrusted one directly upwards, introducing it to Ketil's neck.

"I told you not to fucking attack me," Thorfinn said calmly

Interestingly, Ketil's eyes on his dead body were half-closed, in the movement of blinking.

Thorfinn was on his way out of the farm, only to find a man in his way. The man had black hair wearing a dark purplish shirt. He looked ragged, with a beard that clearly needed to be shaved, and his eyes looked tired. He had a strange sword. It curved at the tip and had some weird design in the middle. The man swung first, aiming for his legs, but Thorfinn was too agile and swiftly moved out of the way. Thorfinn threw one of his daggers, but the man easily blocked it.

"Wait, where did he go?" The man questioned himself.

He looked both ways, and Thorfinn was nowhere to be seen. When he turned around, Thorfinn was right there in his view, clearly going in for the kill. The man dodged, but not fully. There was a cut extending from his nose to the very bottom of his earlobe, which no longer existed. He was no match for Thorfinn, but he had to keep fighting. The man had hardly made any attacks and it was clear who was dominating this battle. The man swung down at his legs in an attempt to immobilize Thorfinn, but Thorfinn jumped onto his sword and cut off his hand, forcing the man to switch hands. Despite his new disability, the man decided to go for a decisive blow to the neck, and swung. Thorfinn's raw strength alone broke his sword while deflecting the attack, and stabbed him right in the mouth, literally shoving the knife down his throat. Thorfinn picked up his father's dagger and continued to leave the farm.

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(In the Royal Palace)

Canute was different now. He had a new air about him after his first kill. He seemed scary and cruel now. Like his father. That's what made the messenger so scared to tell him the news. But he had to. It was his job.

"Um… Your Majesty. Good morning," The messenger bowed.

"State your business," Canute coldly replied.

"Umm. Well. There's news."

"Spit it out already."

"Thorfinn Karlsefni has escaped, killing the Master of the farm, as well as their strongest guard, rumored to be a runaway fugitive."

Canute didn't say anything.

"Your Highness, did you hear me?"

The guards looked at Canute's face for a second and saw a look of pure horror. The fear he showed made even the guards terrified of Thorfinn. They didn't know the kind of force they were dealing with. Someone that could make the king of England, someone protected by Thorkell, the most powerful viking in the world, freeze up.

Thorkell threw the door open.

"Canute I heard the news!" He screamed excitedly. He was like a little girl receiving a toy for the first time.

Canute didn't respond. He was petrified. He witnessed Thorfinn beat Thorkell with a broken arm, only needing a little help. Thorkell rubbed his two finger stubs.

"I miss having someone as strong as me to play with." Thorkell reminisced. This stunned the guards. This was the man that cut off two of Thorkell the tall's fingers. This was the man that faced the strongest man in the world and won. This is the man that dared to attack the king and left a scar on his face. And he was coming for Canute…