WRATH OF THE NORTH [BJÖRN IRONSIDE]

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Vál opened her eyes slowly, she felt Björn's arm tightly wrapped around her waist. She didn't remember him joining her to bed since she walked back to the cabin after tucking Ubbe and Hvitserk into their beds. She carefully slipped off the bed, Björn groaning but didn't wake up, only turning around. Fully dressed in her thick black pants, furry jacket and her bow she took her arrows before walking outside. The sun had barely risen. She took a deep breath, enjoying the crispy air before walking towards the forest.

She walked for a while before stopping by a smaller lake. Vál cupped her hands, filling it with water before splashing her face. A sigh left her lips as the cold water awoke her senses. Wiping her face with her sleeve before continuing to walk. She soon found traces of deer in the moist ground. Deciding to follow it she got ready with her bow and arrow as she silently walked over the branches, through the bushes and on the mud.

Seeing the deer she hid behind a bush further away so she wouldn't scare it. She quickly calmed and silenced her breathing as she observed the beautiful animal. She saw the jaw of the gracious animal, chewing the greens as it looked around for potential threats. A smirk covered her lips when it didn't seem to notice her presence. It bent down again to eat some more before the sound of a branch snapping was heard in distance. The deer quickly looked up and Vál quickly stood up before it started to run and released her arrow after aiming. Almost missing its head due to the sound. She didn't bother to run up to it as she looked around to find the owner of the sound with a third bow ready.

Vál squinted her eyes when she saw something in distance, or rather someone. It looked like a man, a tall man with broad shoulders completely dressed in furs in black, grey and white colors. However she couldn't see his face since the face was shadowed with a black hood. She saw the bow draped over his chest and two swords was visible on his back. Her breath was rugged when the man almost seemed like her. The clothing, the armor and the height.

However Vál clenched her jaw before aiming her arrow. The man started to run in the opposite direction of her as her arrow hit the tree a few inches from his head. Vál quickly started to run towards the man, following him as she reloaded with a new arrow. Her heart was beating through her chest. She stopped in her tracks when she aimed at the man who ran towards a horse further away. She once again aimed before releasing, the arrow grazing his shoulder causing her to curse. The man on the horse started to run away from her and when she could only watch before she realized she hadn't noticed the loud sound of croaking. However this time it wasn't only one raven.

With her mind clouded with questions she walked back, the exact same way she had arrive from. She stopped where the man had been standing, to observe her. She got a strange feeling spreading through her body. Not fear but seeing the man only standing there, reminding her of herself in some twisted way made her uncomfortable. Her eyes moved to the tree where her arrow had hit and a frown spread across her face; the arrow was gone. She quickly looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary before she picked up her face to return to Kattegat. Various of questions filled her mind as she had her hands placed over the two places she had daggers hidden. It bugged her, the fact that she hadn't been able to catch the man.