Leif looked into the distance, his eyes narrow slits. "What are you looking so annoyed about?" Torsten came up next to him and asked, the lanky man not even sparing him a look.

"Sven’s men. I sent them in, but I don’t trust them." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"What is it with you and this Jarl?"

Leif smirked, "I killed his son, and yet he looked me in the eyes and shook my hand. Tell me, dwarf, could you do that unless you had other motives."

"No." Torsten looked to the ground, "But it doesn’t matter, Sven isn’t here. He couldn’t have told every man whatever plan he had, word would have spread by now."

"You’re right." Leif gave an exaggerated sigh. "I told them to burn any food storage they could find, but the best outcome is if they burn along it. Just can’t trust them."

"They will be a valuable fighting force in the coming siege."

"Doubt it." Leif dismissed it as he watched the distance. Torsten chuckled hearing the disdain the man held for anything related to Sven.

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Gunnar watched Helga’s home. Ever since he had caused the black cloaks and soldiers to begin their fight, small skirmishes had been going on around the town as the loyalists and supposed traitors fought. This caused the internal security to be overrun, culminating in every black cloak being summoned by Helga.

Even now when he listened closely, Gunnar could hear the shouting of two forces in the background sometimes followed by the clashing of steel. He closed his eyes and smiled, but quickly pulled his blade and spun around. Rolf stood there with his hands in the air as the old warrior laughed.

"Fucking hell. What are you doing here? Almost killed you, Rolf." Gunnar put away his dagger and let out a sigh of relief as he stared at the three. He bitterly smiled seeing that assuming the worst.

"The kid got bored and wanted to come here. Besides we don’t have the men to keep attacking those other villages anymore." The old warrior frowned as he said that but Gunnar smacked his arm playfully.

"They died honorable deaths, be proud. How did you find me?"

"Wasn’t hard. Had to assume where you would be and seeing the chaos around, could only assume you would be watching one place. Just had to narrow down the old man lurking in the background." Rolf joked getting a smile from Gunnar.

"Yeah. Something’s happening up there and I’m waiting. Could be a chance."

"Has Helga returned?" Rolf asked, the impatient in his voice evident.

"A while now, but it must wait, she rarely leaves the manor. I’ve been trying to force her out for a while now, but nothing is working."

"So everything going on is your mes..." Rolf stopped talking from Gunnar’s raised hand as the doors opened, the black cloaks flooding out. Helga followed behind.

"Come on, we got one chance." Gunnar slipped through the streets around the back, the three following behind. "Keep watch all of you. If someone is coming, signal me." Gunnar ran up the hill towards Frida’s window and gave it a gentle knock. Seconds passed before it opened the girl looking at him with annoyed eyes.

"Sorry about this again girly, but can you get the old man." Frida groaned but seeing Gunnar’s desperate eyes she eventually sighed and walked off, relenting. He waited for a minute before hearing the door open again.

Frida went back to bed, working on a small craft leaving the two alone. "Supirse you’re not dead yet," Brede said jokingly getting a weary smile from Gunnar.

"Could say the same about you. I ain’t got a lot of time so I’ll cut to the chase. What is the security like here now?"

"Strange. Helga doesn’t like having a lot of people around, but she keeps two very annoying guys here. The one you saw last time and a name you will know, Ketil."

"The soft berserker." Gunnar rubbed his forehead as he sighed, "Does make things harder."

"I’ve noticed she has been on edge, especially after she killed the regent and a new boy who keeps pestering her." Frida stiffened at his words as Gunnar’s jaw dropped.

"She killed him? Thought he was a die-hard loyalist." H pushed aside the comment about Astrom’s son, in disbelief about Ivar’s death.

"Frida saw it. Apparently, a guy he sent with Helga tried to kill her. Guilty by association."

"Fuck..." it was all Gunnar could say but he smiled happily. "Makes things easier for us at least. The kids, they guarded heavily still."

"That guy is still around them, but he leaves occasionally when Helga summons him. She’s the priority, not her children."

"So I and a few colleges can get close then?" Gunnar smiled with Brede nodding. Frida who overheard the conversation got up.

"Brede. You can’t be talking about killing children." She said in horror as she looked at the two.

"Frida, you don’t understand these things."

"I can’t believe you. Let me guess, my father would do the same so it’s fine. Their babies, Brede." She almost screamed as Brede went over and quickly grabbed her.

"You have to calm down, no one said about killing babies yet." Brede grabbed her cheeks and forced her to look him in the eye. "Frida, I promised I’d keep you safe. If this is the only way to get you home then it must be done."

"But..."

"Frida," Gunnar called out from the window. "She didn’t spare my lieges children even as they slept in their beds. This is simply how these things are."

"That doesn’t make it right." Frida grabbed her hair as she dropped her head. "If I have to go home because of this, then I don’t want to."

Brede sighed and got up going back to the window. "Things are tense in the town right now, I’m sure you must know why. With everything going on outside, it won’t be a surprise if an opening appears. Keep yourself nearby and I’ll signal when you have a chance."

"How will I know?"

"You miss it that’s on you. I’m taking a big risk doing this, and if you fail to show up then we’re done." Brede said coldly but Gunnar understood and reached his hand out, Brede shaking it. "Good luck."

"Survive for a little longer. Everything is gonna crumble soon." Gunnar stopped. "Rolf come here real quick," Gunnar called out down the hill, with the young man coming up quickly. "I don’t know how you got in Helstia, but you know anything important about those outside."

Rolf looked at the old warrior inside suspiciously. "You must be the guy Jarl Sven sent over. Gunnar told me a little." Brede nodded and Rolf frowned. "I don’t know much about the West, but a guy outside seems to not like you. Nearly killed me thinking I was a spy for Sven. Lanky guy."

"Leif," Brede said ominously. "This isn’t good." Gunnar raised his eyebrow confused. "He has a blood feud with Sven. He’ll know who I am if he sees us and I don’t doubt he will kill me given the chance. You sure he’s outside." Rolf shrugged but the thought was already in Brede’s head.

"Okay, I’m gonna need help getting out of Helstia if I do this for you. A way that avoids Leif."

"Difficult but shouldn’t be impossible when the attack starts."

"Good..." Brede stopped talking as he squinted. Gunnar wondered why he was acting like that but soon it became obvious. The sound of screams in the distance followed by an intense battle soon echoed.

"GUNNAR WE GOTTA GO, NOW!" The Old warrior who was keeping watch could see in the distance the rising black smoke. Taking a step back he followed the old warrior’s eyes and frowned.

"Give the signal when ready, I’ll be around." Gunnar and Rolf ran down the hill leaving the two alone in Frida’s room.

"You’re serious aren’t you?" Frida asked in a depressed voice as she looked at him disappointed.

"Frida... You have to understand. This is the only way."

"Just get out." Frida lay on the bed turning away from Brede as he clenched his fist before leaving.

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"YOU TRAITORS!" Helga screamed out as she swung her sword down, killing another. Her arm hurt, but she couldn’t look weak. "TO DO THIS WHEN WE ARE AT WAR!" Ketil ran passed, swinging his axe up. Dirt and snow flew with it as he impaled the chest of a man and lifted him.

"DEATH TO THE FALSE GOD!" Sven’s men were retreating as they screamed with a few holding the line for them. They laughed happily at their destruction, pushing passed the crowd that came to see. Many warriors tried to block them but many stayed still watching with faint smiles.

Helga’s breathing became heavy upon hearing the repeated cries. "Ketil." She froze, her sword dropping blood on the ground. "Why does no one understand my vision? What I wish to do for them." She walked forward, the sword by her side. One of Sven’s warriors lunged out her, with Helga side-stepping it, and stabbing through his chest.

"They are vermin," Ketil said happily as he blocked an attack. "They can’t see the truth." He pushed the attack away and kicked the man to the ground. Standing over him he swung above his head, bringing his axe down and splitting the man’s skull in two.

Helga looked around. Many fought for her and tried to stop the attackers, yet many also stood by doing nothing. She turned to the raging fire as people desperately tried to put it out to no avail. "hahah." A light chuckle escaped her lips as something in her mind seemed to snap.

"They don’t deserve me. None of them do." Her eyes seemed to go empty as she watched the carnage around. Looking at her people they flinched whenever making eye contact with her. "They’re all so pathetic. Not worthy of seeing the New Age."

She watched as the last of Sven’s men who held her force back died the rest desperately fleeing. "Let us return. Bring the Black Cloaks. Those who will do anything I order." Ketil shook hearing that order as an overwhelming feeling of dread overcame him.

"Of course My lord." He watched as her back became smaller, no one daring to block her path as she walked through the roads.

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"Hahahaha." Leif held his stomach laughing as he saw the black smoke rising behind Helstia’s walls. "They did it." He had sent them to their death and expected complete failure.

"It seems the defending force is less unified than we thought. They should have been caught quickly if it was otherwise."

"That doesn’t matter, we have our chance now." Astrom nodded at Leif’s words. "ALL MEN! BEGIN OUR ASSULT!" He couldn’t give a chance for them to collect themselves. Astrom grabbed his claymore with an expecting smile, ready for the battle.