My Norse Story Pt. 4

***

Kjartan’s jaw clenched, his mind working in overdrive. He could tell this girl didn’t believe him, and to be truthful, he could hardly blame her.

Her glare was enough to make even Kjartan Ironfist squirm.

“All I can offer you is my word. Perhaps in time, that will be enough. But for now, I’ll tell you my own story, and you may judge it how you see fit.”

He took a deep breath, turning to continue walking. The rest of the party followed suit.

“But first, I have a question for you. How many people did you lose in the war? How many deaths can you attribute to the Varakai?”

Her shoulders tensed and Kjartan noticed her grip tighten on her sword.

“My brother. My father’s strength, as well as most of his friends.” She finally answered, her voice so low Kjartan barely heard it.

He nodded grimly. “Then you understand how near we were to losing that war.”

“What does that matter now?” She whispered.

“It matters because that’s why I’m here.” He glanced over at her. “The Varakai caught us when we weren’t looking and kicked us while we were down. We were unprepared and untrained. They attacked us in the north first. We held them off for as long as we could, but eventually they made their way here. And you know well what happened next.” He sighed.

“I have long held the belief that if the lands of the North Sea had been unified, many less lives might have been lost. Smaller targets are easier to beat. I came here to make alliances to help rectify that. Because make no mistake, the Varakai will be back. In fact… They may already be so.”

She stopped walking.

“This is absurd.”

He turned back to face her.

“Is it?”

She stared at him for a long moment before Carson came up next to her.

“Why are you so sure of their return?”

Kjartan shifted his gaze to the young man. “Because we have something that they want.”

“What in the realms could we have that they’d want that badly?”

He pursed his lips. “I don’t know. During one of the final battles, we were searching the bodies of the dead. We found correspondence. Orders from their general instructing them to ‘keep searching for it and don’t come home until you have it’. I investigated for nearly a year after the war’s end but came up with next to nothing. I don’t know what they’re searching for, but I’ve long suspected they’d return for it. After what I’ve seen today, I am now certain.”

Carson frowned. “So you expect us to believe that the Varakai attacked us, and not you? We’ve seen many of your kind pass through here. We know what you look like.”

Kjartan glanced to the girl. “Tell me something. How often have you known the Northern clans to be prone to slaughtering villages? Yes, we’re warriors, but we’re disciplined. We avoid conflict wherever we can. Tell me how that reconciles with the destruction you see around you.”

She searched his expression with an intensity he couldn’t read. Finally, she nodded once, seeming to come to a conclusion. She continued walking.

“Just get us to your ship.”

He suppressed a small smirk. “Yes Ma’am.”

They soon reached the shoreline and Kjartan gestured to their rowboat. “Shall we?”

The girl frowned at it before gazing out at the horizon, her eyes landing on the Syreeta.

Kjartan couldn’t help but feel his chest swell a bit as she appraised her. She was one of the finest ships he’d ever sailed, and she’d carried him through more battles than he could count. He had a right to be proud of her.

The girl shook her head.

“I’ll keep my feet on solid earth for now, thank you. But I’ve seen enough. Our new leader will decide what happens next.”

She glanced over at the two young men.

“Carson, grab four of those bandages from your bag.”

He frowned, but complied and handed them to her.

She took one, and handed the other three back to him. “Have Finn help you.”

She glanced to Kjartan. “I hope you understand. Precaution, and all that, you know.”

The next thing Kjartan knew was darkness as the blindfold was tied over his eyes.

As Carson and Finn blindfolded their guests, Eylin had to admit she was impressed with how well they were taking it. She could have sworn Ironfist had almost chuckled when Carson put his on.

With a small shake of her head, she turned her attention to switching out her own bandage with the one she’d taken from Carson.

Her prediction had been right. Holding the bow at that angle for so long had broken the coagulation that had started and her old bandage was soaked red. She tossed it aside heedlessly to start struggling with wrapping the new one one-handed.

While Finn finished with the men, Carson came up to her.

“Let me help you.” He murmured, taking the bandage from her hand and wrapping her arm up the correct way.

With a small huff, she turned her face away, not meeting his gaze. He just offered a small smile.

“There we are.” He said, stepping back.

“Thank you.” Eylin whispered. He nodded and moved to take blondie’s shoulder in hand in order to lead him. Finn did likewise with the big guy, so that left Ironfist for her.

Gingerly, she grabbed his wrist with her good hand and let Carson and Finn lead the way with their respective companions.

***

Kjartan was pleasantly surprised to see that his guide took care in the path they chose. She would always alert him to bumps or roots that he might trip over.

After about fifteen minutes, he felt the ground even out into might be a clearing.

Suddenly, they stopped, and his blindfold was removed.

“We should probably disarm you gentleman before we get to camp.” The girl said lowly, exhaustion lacing her voice.

He nodded. “Of course.” As he unstrapped his sword belt and drew his dagger out of his boot, he took the opportunity to appraise her once more.

She was haggard. More so than she let on. He noticed the way she swayed a bit when she was standing still.

Kjartan made quick work of the rest of his weapons, handing them to the boy she called Carson.

As she went to put the blindfold back on, he put a hand on hers, halting her movements.

“What’s your name?” He murmured.

She met his gaze. “Eylin.” She said softly, shaking off his hand so she could finish her work.

He nodded once, acknowledging it. She needed no reply.

After all three men were re-blindfolded, they set off again, and soon Eylin’s voice cut through the silence.

“Carson, go get Kalman. I’d rather he meet us here, otherwise we’ll have a riot on our hands the moment we enter camp.”

Kjartan heard the boy’s footsteps hurry away.

No one spoke as they waited.

A few minutes later, he could hear two sets of footsteps coming back, the other heavier, and a little unsteady, with an extra beat. The man must be using a walking stick.

“Well, well, well.” A deep voice began, “Let’s start with getting those blindfolds off. I’d prefer to have this conversation man to man.”

***And that's all I got for now, but I am definitely going to continue!***