The Shine of the Sword - Open

The slow but steady paces from the dappled grey horse always knew how to calm Björn down after a long day in Kattegat. There had been no heedful issues that day, but the never ending war in his head always exhausted him more than he dared to admit. Prince of Kattegat was a title he’d rather take distance from, but that was easier said than done. Björn couldn’t abandon his people, his family, even though they were often the little spark that started the forest fire inside of him. It all led back to Ragnar, to his father that had abandoned him without any explanation, even without any trace. It was Ragnar’s fault that Björn was being held back in chasing his dreams to discover the Mediterranean, to discover the world. Because of the betrayal of his father, he was doomed to rule over Kattegat, to defend a rank that he didn’t wanted. But no matter what his father had done, Björn would do everything to protect the Kingdom that his father had built, even if that meant that he had to devote his life to it and put aside his own dreams. The only question was how long he could keep up with that.

Hrímfaxi snorted and cloudlike flumes rose from beneath his nostrils. Björn nodded politely to few people who were still left on the darkening streets of Kattegat. The sun had started to set, and like most evenings he was touring the village to give it a quick check before he would head home. Or whatever was left of it, since both his parents had left. ”Goodnight, Ironside.” A polite woman spoke to him and quickly bowed her head before she entered the safety of her house. Björn rose a corner of his mouth and nodded back, only to go back to neutral from the moment the woman had disappeared. A soft sigh came out of his throat, and he gently stroke the mane of Hrímfaxi. A strange feeling in his stomach appeared when he made his horse turn into one of the many streets from Kattegat. At first he wondered where it came from, until he saw the roof of an familiar house. Thora. Björn didn’t knew the girl, had never spoken a word to her even though she was a fierce shield-maiden. Him ignoring him was not something he did by accident, more something he did on purpose. From the day on she had reached Kattegat, she had caught his eye and immediately made him hate her. He hated her for reminding him about someone he’d rather forget. Rougly he pulled the reins and Hrímfaxi immediately stood still. But the tension from Björn made him more nervous than before and he started to trample on spot. The girl was sitting outside her house, taking care of her weapons in the exact same way Björn did. With passion, with love. Love. Björn frowned his eyebrows and a dark glance terrorized his face. He knew it was wrong, to hate the girl for something that she was not, but the similarities.. they were too big to look past. So he just stood there looking at her, a few meters away, with a furious look on his face and a nervous horse beneath him.

While he looked at her the memories rushed in like the unsteady waves on the beach. He felt hatred towards the girl as he saw the face of his half rotten daughter pop up in his mind. He felt guilt when he saw the visional scar running across her face. He felt sorrow when he heard the message in his head again that Thorunn had left Kattegat. But mostly, he felt love. An inexplicable love for someone that had nothing to do with his past and whatever happened in it. But the similarities made confusion take over his reason of sense.

The way she held her eyes connected to his, the slightly mocking frown on her face.. it made Björn’s stomach turn in a way he had never felt before. ”I’m not sure what I did to earn such hatred Prince Ironside.” Her voice was the only thing that was different from Thorunn’s. But Björn paid more attention to her message, and made a scoffing sound. ”Will you hate me more or less tomorrow, after I defeat your brother Ubbe on the training field?” Hrímfaxi took a step forward and brought Björn closer towards the girl. He looked at her axe, that was very clearly craftwork from Uddevalla. Another reason to hate her. ”There is no place for a girl like you on the training field.” He said with an almost frightening, dark undertone in his voice. Was it out of fear of her getting hurt? Out of protection? Björn clenched his jaws firmly onto each other and pulled the reins from his horse making preparative to leave, but reconsidered at the very last second. Hrímfaxi made a circle and snorted nervous, not knowing what his rider wanted from him. Björn stroke over his head with the palm of his head, trying to get his thoughts straight. What in Odin’s name was he doing? His attitude was nothing like a Prince was supposed to behave. He wanted to say something, but not a single word came out of his mouth.

It was indeed.. very confusing. As well for Björn, but maybe even more for the girl that was sitting on the doorstep of her home. It was like he was looking at the ghost from his first true love. As if she had returned to torture him even more. But she didn’t knew were his silence hatred came from. And in a certain way he couldn’t blame her for who she was, but he did it anyway. There was nothing ruler-like to be seen in his posture, because when he looked at her he felt a glimpse from the past and all the feelings that came with it heaved to the surface of his consciousness. While Björn told her -with a dark and angry undertone in his voice- that there was no place for her on the battlefield, she came in action. The girl shoved her axe in the holster by her waist and found her feet. Slowly but certain she took a step closer, the dappled grey horse snorted as a respond. Björn himself only frowned his eyebrows even more. But while there was an untouched anger in his eyes, there was almost nothing to be seen in hers: Neutral, calm but with a wild touch from the green in her eyes.

”And what makes you think the training field is the place for you?” Björn blinked, a frown appeared on his forehead. For a moment he doubted if he had heart her properly. And when she continued, he knew it for sure. ”Your emotions run too wild. When your emotions control you, men die. You are said to be a great warrior. Fierce. Ironside, but one little woman rattles to the core.” Without hesitation Björn jumped out of the saddle. The ground thundered beneath his landing, just as hard as his heart was beating in his chest. ”No matter what emotions rattle inside me, I’ll always be able to wield my axe and make myself worthy of my name.” He took a step forward and forced the girl to take a step back. ”I live and die for my people, but I respect them even more.” He pulled up his nose and stared her straight back into the eyes. ”But only when they foster the same respect for me.” She maybe was able to break his heart without even knowing, but there was no way she would ever be able to intimidate him. ”You have no right to question my actions or put me in place.” He warned her with a furious look on his face. ”This was the first and the last time you have spoken to me in this way.” A few seconds of complete silence hung between them, when Björn took his eyes of her and turned to his horse again. While she couldn’t see his face, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he mounted Hrímfaxi. Even when his eyes were closed he could still see the same beauty of hers that he had seen before. The same temper. The same urge to rise in rank, to live her life and not the life others wanted her to live. ”I am iron, and I forge myself.” With those words he gave a little, annoyed nod with his head. After that he gave her one last look before he spurred on Hrímfaxi and rode of in a controlled canter.