8

168Chapter 8

Chapter 8

1 month later

Perseus POV

It was only a couple of days before my eighteenth birthday. The day I would get my domains and titles. But it was also a bad thing, as I had even less time to find an excuse to leave for a couple of days. And I couldn't leave Ubbe to run Kattegat by himself.

Ragnar had left with a handful of men and two ships along with Ivar. They were headed back to Wessex. Ragnar had pulled me aside before leaving, saying that he was glad to have a son such as me. It hit me that he was saying good-bye. I was sad to hear that he was going to his death, but I hoped that Ivar got back to Kattegat okay.

I had noticed that Helga and Bjorn's wife, Torvi, had been in Hedeby for longer than they usually were. That set off alarms in my head. I quickly made my way to the gate and summoned all of the guards. "Something doesn't feel right. Tomorrow, we double the number of guards all day. Make sure you are on your toes. You are all dismissed for the night as I will stand guard. Go home and get well rested for tomorrow." They all nodded and left without protesting.

I had already told Thora and Ubbe what I was doing and requested that Thora stay in with Aslaug and Ubbe for her protection for the course of the night.

I had summoned my armor and gear to my figure. Even in the distance, the shadows highlighted Lagertha's army at the forest entrance for me. I knew that my enchanted armor kept me out of sight. The sight that I provided to Lagertha must have been mixed between 'too easy' and 'stay on guard'. No defenders in sight, the gate down for an easy entrance and torches on fire lighting the perimeter for them.

Nothing happened last night, but I still made sure that our guard numbers were doubled on the perimeter, I even had some patrolling the docks. I stayed in the center of Kattegat with Thora as we walked around making sure our defenses were ready for anything.

As I walked around I could feel the eyes of someone watching my moves, but I kept walking as to not tip off the tail. When I could no longer feel the eyes on me, I sent Thora back home. Ubbe was also patrolling the docks. And Aslaug was sitting in the main hall.

A shout brought my attention to the forest entrance as Lagertha led her force towards our gate. My heart clenched as I heard Lagertha's shout as she started slaughtering defenseless farmers, her force was larger than my defenses and guards combined. Even with my surprises, she was still moving through them nonetheless.

Time to step up.

I shadow traveled myself to the middle of the fight, maneuvering around strikes and slicing throats of our invaders effortlessly with my hidden blades. I was defending defenseless villagers from attackers that had no mercy when I felt a whoosh of an arrow fly near my head from behind me. I stabbed the man I faced in the throat and looked up behind me. I could feel the trajectory from where the arrow came from through the air.

There were archers on the buildings all around me. that could only mean that some of my people had turned on my home. I quickly pulled out my bow and notched three arrows, sending them into the nest of archers taking out the traitors. When I had gotten all of them, I made my way towards my home in fear of what I might find.

I burst through the locked door to find the sheer stench of blood enough to make me nauseous. I looked around my home to find my wife when I heard a pleading coming from the bedroom. I kicked open the door quickly. But I could hear a blade slicing through skin and a gasp of pain to know what was happening. I roared as I launched myself at the attacker, pushing her out of the way and into the wall behind her, knocking her unconscious. I stood over Thora's fallen body as the others in the room unsheathed their weapons standing in front of their leader.

"LEAVE!" I roared out.

They all left quickly gathering Lagertha's body into their arms and left the room. I kneeled down next to Thora and felt down her body for her wound. I found a knife, hilt deep into her chest, right where her heart rests. I could feel tears escape my eyes and fall off my cheeks as I cried.

"Perseus…you must…keep fighting...For m-me. You must...not l-let your anger-r...cloud j-judgement-t…Please for me…I love you Perseus." Thora gasped out as she took her last breath.

My emotional dam broke as I felt her life force fade from her body. I cried my heart out as I held her limp corpse against my chest. I rested her head on my chest as wrapped her body around mine trying to squeeze any warmth and life back into her body so she could live. But nothing seemed to work as I stayed on the floor, crying at the loss of my love.

I eventually fell asleep with Thora's body on top of me. That was how I woke up. To see that yesterday was not a dream and that my love was really gone from my life. I had risen to my feet when the door was opened by Helga and Torvi. They gasped when they saw that Thora was killed. I guess they weren't aware of what Lagertha had done.

"Lagertha requests your presence in the main hall." Torvi stated firmly.

I looked up at her. "And what of Ubbe and Aslaug?" I asked as I rose to my feet and laid Thora back on the floor softly as if she was still sleeping.

"Ubbe is already there, and Aslaug is dead by Lagertha's hand." Helga answered as she cuffed my hands together with iron cuffs. She led me through the wreckage that used to be my home and towards the main hall.

As we entered, I could hear Ubbe's yelling in anger at hearing that his mother was killed when she surrendered to Lagertha and only wanting safe passage to her homeland. At my entrance, all talk stopped as everyone looked at my appearance.

"Hello Perseus." Lagertha greeted me, but I stayed silent, fuming with anger.

A warrior to my left yelled at me, "your queen has greeted you, and you will answer back boy!" She raised her sword to hit me with her hilt but was blocked by my cuffed arms. I looked at her and smiled as I easily broke the cuffs and unsheathed a hidden blade into her throat. My white eyes looking her straight in hers as she died quickly by my blade. A mist of blood sprayed my face when I decapitated the warrior.

I sheathed the blade back into my sleeve and looked back to Lagertha. "Control your followers before I have the pleasure of silencing the rest of them with my blades." I jabbed at her, showing a blood covered smirk.

I heard an arrow being drawn back and looked in that direction of the archer. "Do you truly think you can hit me, young one? I would love to show you otherwise." I licked my lips in a teasing manner.

"Stop!" Lagertha ordered the both of us. The girl placed the arrow back in her quiver, but I looked back to Lagertha. "You think you can order me around? I would love to end you right here and now, but my brothers need to know of your actions before I can end your life." I informed her as I took a step closer.

"Take them away." Lagertha ordered her guards, but I wasn't through talking. The guards also seemed to forget that i had already broken my cuffs, when they crowded around me. The one that grabbed my arms was met with a blade slicing through his stomach. Then the next one to try got my other blade through their ear into their brain. I grabbed a knife from my waist and threw it into the archer's chest, the hilt burying itself up to its hilt in the middle of her chest.

Apparently they had also forgotten about my hidden blades that I carried around with me at all times.

"Make no mistake Lagertha. You may have killed their mother, but you killed my wife. And I will have my revenge. Enjoy what little time you have left as Queen of Kattegat, because it will be short." I ranted, licking my lips at the image of running her through with my blades. With that I walked out of the room with Ubbe as we were ushered back into my home.

When Ubbe saw Thora's body he gasped in shock. He heard what I said, but apparently didn't believe it. "Yes, Ubbe. Thora was killed yesterday by Lagertha's hand. Even after Thora laid down her weapon to live, Lagertha showed no mercy and killed my wife. Thora was carrying my child. That's why she surrendered, as she knew she was carrying and wanted to give birth to our child. So not only did I lose my wife, but my unborn child as well."

The door opened slightly and I threw a knife on the door frame. "If you wish to see tomorrow's sunrise, you will leave now. I have no patience to deal with my wife's killer's words. Nor do I have any wish other than to stay here and mourn the loss of my wife and unborn child." I barked out.

"We bring news of Bjorn's journey. They've had only minimal loses. Bjorn and your brothers will arrive back here in two days." A voice sounded from outside the door.

"Is that all?" Ubbe asked.

"Lagertha wishes to speak to you, Ubbe." The voice replies again. Ubbe gets onto his feet and places a hand on my shoulder signaling that he is leaving, I nod.

"I'm coming out, so don't shoot me." Ubbe warns as he makes his way to the door.

I could hear the footsteps fade away as they all left me alone. I couldn't believe this. I was turning eighteen in two days and I would be alone. Ragnar had left to his death, Aslaug was dead, Thora was dead, and my dream of having a child is gone. My brothers and Floki wouldn't get back for a couple of days, and Ivar was still missing with Ragnar's crew.

I looked over Thora's corpse, "Tomorrow I will give you the funeral you told me that you wanted. I thought that you would live for a long time with me but it seems the fates don't like that idea." I said to no one in particular.

"My son." Nyx's voice came from behind me from an IM.

"Hello mother." I choked out as I looked behind me, tears still running down my face.

"Why are you crying my son...is Thora alright?" My mother asked. "What's wrong son?" Erebus asked as well.

"Thora…was killed…carrying my child." I gasped out.

"When?" Erebus asked, as Nyx was crying on his shoulder.

"Yesterday. I was defending the village as my duty commands of me. I heard my wife calling for me and rushed home to find my enemy stabbing my wife in her heart. Thora knew she was…carrying my child and surrendered so she could live, but was shown no mercy." I explained as I continued to cry softly, reliving the nightmare that yesterday was.

"Oh my son…I'm so sorry." My mother kept repeating as she cried into my father's chest.

"Do your brothers know?" Erebus asked.

"Ubbe stayed here to defend Kattegat and knows. Ivar is on a journey with Ragnar and hasn't been heard from in a month. I hope he's still alive. Bjorn, Hvitserk and Sigurd are on a trip from the Mediterranean and will be back in two days. They have no idea what has happened here. And Bjorn's mother is the one that killed Thora." I informed them.

"Well then you know your next mission from us, correct?" Nyx asked me evenly.

"Kill Lagertha." I intoned, lifting my head to face the message with a determined look.

Updated:07/27/2018