Cursed 2

FORTY TWO

In a clearing less than ten kilometers from Pendragon, King Uther awaited with his army the expected battle against the Ice King, taking advantage of the momentary truce of the Church.
The army waved the banner of Pendragon while he, without taking off his crown, adjusted his full silver armor that bore the three crowns of the house engraved.
The air was cold and the thick fog reduced visibility. Several hours before it had rained, leaving a quagmire everywhere.

“I can not wait more! Where are they?” King Uther asked anxiously.

“Majesty we must be cautious, they will appear, that viking wants his crown.”

The restless soldiers began to whisper among themselves because of the uncertainty and silence.

“Behold! The Vikings are coming!” one of the soldiers yelled suddenly.

Uther turned his gaze to the forest clearing seeing the Ice King and his army motionless with their shields on their chest.

“What do they do? Why don't they attack?”

“They are provoking us” Uther muttered angrily, “But after all it is not such a large army. I didn't expect to get rid of the heathens so easily” he said haughtily.

Suddenly, a Viking blew a horn producing a thunderous sound. Dozens of Vikings joined Cumber's army led by his daughter Red Spear, causing King Uther's face to change. After the Fey ships sailed to the island of Avalon without a hitch, they joined King Cumber in his great war.
Red Spear turned towards the Viking warriors to give them strength before the imminent battle as Arthur watched her without being able to take his eyes off her.

“Don't be afraid because if our time has come, if that is the destiny of the gods, the Valkyries will come for us and rest assured that the Aesir will welcome us!” the young woman declared directing her fist to her chest, “Odin will be waiting for us in the Valhalla hall with a great banquet and we will drink beer until we can no longer! We will win or die trying. In the name of Odin!”

Men and women screamed and roared at her words of encouragement.
At the other end of the clearing, King Uther drew his sword and his soldiers followed suit.

“Fight for Pendragon and protect your king!” Uther proclaimed.

The two armies clashed violently. The soldiers with the three crowns engraved on their armor stabbed with solid steel swords at the Viking bodies, while their adversaries cut off heads and arms with their heavy axes.
The fury of Cumber and his army was so overwhelming and powerful that soldier after soldier fell under their blows. Blood flowed along the edge of their axes and their shields were covered in spatter of the blood of their enemies. Eydis, Red Spear's older sister, laughed as she separated the christian heads from their bodies with ease.
Clearly Uther Pendragon was losing and in the meantime Morgana was helping Pym with the wounded.

In the middle of the battle, the Ice King sighted King Uther who was kept surrounded by his men. With a determined step he went to him, easily getting rid of those soldiers who were fighting to protect him.

“The time has come, Uther!” Cumber yelled hoarsely, “Be a man and face me!”

Steeling himself, the current monarch took a step forward while the Ice King raised his arms and smiled mockingly. With a quick but clumsy movement, Uther attacked without much success causing the Viking to lunge at him, stripping him of his sword.
Cumber kicked him in the chest that knocked him backward. The Christian king felt his body tremble in the cold mud with his gaze fixed on the misty sky. His gold crown with engraved crosses glided slowly through the mud.
The Viking stood on top of him to end his life by sinking his ax into Uther Pendragon's chest, causing a great deal of blood to gush out and making it difficult for him to breathe.

“Go with your God” he whispered to the dying king who was beginning to taste the blood in his mouth.

“You may usurp the throne, but Pendragon will always remember his rightful king” Uther said gathering strength in his last breath.

“To who? To the son of a peasant?” he laughed out loud pulling his ax from the bloody body.

The Ice King had finally achieved his purpose and at that moment Morgana appeared from the shadows at the side of Uther to take his life. Strangely enough, no one could see her except Red Spear who watched in the distance fascinated.

“The false Christian king is dead!” King Cumber proclaimed aloud, raising his weapon to the sky.

It seemed that everything had finished, the exhausted soldiers of Pendragon began to retreat but, suddenly, one of them got up from the ground with his last strength and pierced the body of Red Spear with a dagger before dying. Arthur saw her and ran towards her holding her on the ground in his arms.

“Guinevere...! Quiet, you will be fine!” he said scared.

“I have seen her, it was all true... I have seen your sister on the battlefield” she said suddenly, “It's Hela!”

“Hela?”

“The keeper of the underworld, Hela.”

In those moments Arthur could not think of anything other than the wound of the young woman that did not stop bleeding. Red Spear brought her hand to his cheek.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you dare cry” she warned seriously, “Now I know what it feels like, Arthur.”

“What do you mean?”

“He died in my arms, the only man who ever loved me, and today I will die in the arms of someone I love. I'm not frightened.”

Arthur was surprised at that fortuitous confession of the Viking.

“You will not die Guinevere, today you will not go to that Valhalla, I will not allow it.”

Upon those words, Red Spear closed her eyes, feeling dragged into deep darkness as he pressed her wound hard.