Astrid pressed her back against the drakkar's wooden hull, drawing comfort from its solid presence as the ship cut through the choppy waters. The sporadic drizzle left a sheen of moisture on her face, cool in the pre-dawn darkness. Beside her, Hilde and Hervor huddled close, their usual chatter replaced by taut silence. Even their hounds seemed to sense the need for quiet, lying still against their mistresses' legs despite the ship's gentle roll.

  Thor sat cross-legged nearby, his massive hands working a length of rope into intricate knots. The familiar pattern seemed to steady him, though his eyes constantly scanned the misty horizon. Along the deck, oarsmen bent to their task in perfect unison, their measured strokes carrying them closer to home. The gentle creak of wood and splash of oars created an oddly soothing rhythm against the whisper of waves along the hull.

  The steep cliffs loomed through the mist, their dark shapes both familiar and menacing in the pre-dawn gloom. Hilde shifted restlessly, then carefully raised herself to peer over the ship's edge. Through the thinning mist, she spotted distant shapes on the horizon. She tugged her sister's sleeve, whispering, "They're coming."

  Hervor rose cautiously, then reached down to tap Astrid's shoulder. Together, the three girls watched as shadows emerged far across the water - Magnus's fleet spread out to their left, while Helga's ships appeared as dark specks from the opposite direction.

  Astrid counted the distant ships, dread seizing her throat. "One's missing," she choked out. Her fingers dug into the wooden hull as visions of Sigrida's ship shattered on hidden reefs flooded her mind.

  Hervor peered through the mist, her face tight with worry. "She's made it this far," she whispered. "Helga wouldn't let anything happen to her."

  "Please be safe, Sigrida." Astrid breathed, her words barely audible.

  The harsh blast of a horn shattered the silence. All three jumped as its echo rebounded off the cliffs. Liv and Lina's ears pricked forward, low whines building in their throats. The twins pressed close to their hounds, murmuring quiet words to calm them even as their own hands trembled.

  "Cliff watchers," Thor said quietly. "They signal to each other along the coast." As if confirming his words, answering calls rang out from the headland where Gunnar's ships lay anchored, the overlapping blasts carrying their warning inland to the village.

  Astrid stared up at the cliffs where the village men hunted, now transformed into enemy strongholds. The thought of Gunnar's men moving along paths her father's warriors had walked made her stomach clench with fury and grief.

  Brandr's drummers took up their rhythm, the steady beats driving their rowers forward. The war-song spread through their fleet as they raced toward Skogstrand. "All strength!" Brandr's command cut through the drumming. Along the oar banks, backs bent and muscles strained as the rowers drove harder.

  Hilde swallowed audibly, her face pale in the dim light. Thor glanced up from his abandoned rope work. "Don't worry, little sparrows," he rumbled softly. "You've trained together, you'll fight together and keep each other safe."

  A weak smile flickered across Hervor's face, her usual confidence replaced by a clammy pallor, but her hand found her sister's and squeezed tight.

  Erik moved carefully along the deck's edge, one hand steadying himself on the oar shafts while scanning for danger. Warriors crouched low, checking their weapons as dark figures darted between the rocks above. Warning horns continued their alarm. His voice carried over the drums: "Watch those cliffs! If Gunnar hasn't taken our bait, there could be archers waiting."

  The twins rose restlessly, craning their necks to see ahead despite Thor's warning growl about taking cover. Their hounds pressed close, hackles raised at their mistresses' obvious tension.

  As their drakkar rounded another cliff, the village of Skogstrand emerged - the familiar cluster of wooden houses along the beach, her father's longhouse and farm buildings dotting the hillside above. Astrid's chest tightened at the sight of home. Between the buildings she'd known since childhood, Gunnar's men darted like rats through a granary.

  Next to the village, Gunnar's drakkars lined the pier, their blood-red hulls forming a barrier across the harbor mouth, gleaming like fresh wounds in the strengthening light.

  Hilde squinted at the harbor. "Look at their ships - they're barely manned."

  "He fell for it!" Hervor whispered excitedly. "Magnus's trick worked!"

  The twins straightened slightly, their earlier tension easing as they processed the tactical advantage. The drumbeat quickened at Brandr's command, the rowers' spirits lifting as they sensed their advantage. Warriors thumped their shields in rhythm, their confidence growing with each stroke toward the harbor.

  Astrid lifted her chin toward the tree line. "My father's archers are up there," she whispered to the twins, pride evident in her voice.

  "To shield our landing." Hilde murmored, eyes steady now as she searched the branches.

  "Yes," Astrid nodded, remembering countless hours watching those same archers practice their craft. "No one knows these cliffs better."

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  Hervor's gaze traveled higher up the slope. "Is that your father's hall?"

  Astrid's gaze drifted up from the cliffs to the longhouse above. Her words faltered at the sight of fresh timber and archer ports defiling the familiar walls. Her throat tightened.

  Hervor's voice softened with understanding. "Your father's men will win it back."

  "My brother Asbjorn is there," Astrid finally managed. "And Erik's brothers, Harald and Sigurd..." She glanced toward Erik where he stood beside Brandr, her hand instinctively moving toward him before she caught herself and gripped her bow tighter.

  As if sensing her gaze, Erik turned. Meeting her eyes briefly, he made his way towards her. Together they watched the harbor inlet grow larger with each stroke of the oars. "I'll land with you," he said quietly. "The fighting will be fierce – and it may get overwhelming. Stay close, remember what Freya taught you." His eyes met hers. "If we're separated..." He hesitated. "Find the twins and Thor."

  Astrid nodded, not trusting her voice, refusing to think about why they might be separated.

  Erik caught Thor's eye, a silent understanding passing between them. Then he moved toward the center of the ship where Brandr directed the preparations for landing.

  "First two ships, take positions!" Brandr's command carried across the water. "Harbor mouth on my signal!"

  Shouts echoed from the other vessels as captains repeated orders to their crews. Warriors checked shield bindings and weapon grips one final time, their practiced movements betraying the tension in their hands.

  Thor watched the girls' eyes darting between ships and shore, taking in every detail. "Watch now," he rumbled. "See how Brandr guides a ship this size through such narrow waters."

  Astrid lifted her head, focusing on the challenge ahead. "At high tide, he can get two ships through," she whispered. "One through each channel."

  "Then Erik and Brandr planned well," Thor said with approval. "But remember - shields up once we're through. Gunnar's men will have arrows waiting."

  At the mention of arrows, Astrid reached for her bow. Her role would be crucial - providing cover while warriors secured the landing. The twins nodded, guiding their hounds into position where they could protect them with their shields. Thor turned to Astrid, his voice gruff with affection. "May your arrows find their marks, shieldmaiden."

  Beneath the twins' shields, Liv's glossy eyes found Astrid's, the hound's steady gaze offering silent support.

  As Astrid moved into formation, Hervor's whisper drifted from behind her shield. "Your elbow is my face, Hilde!" Despite everything, Astrid smiled as the drakkar glided through the channel.

  "Archers, form up!" Erik's command cut through the tension. Astrid drew her bowstring back, feeling the familiar resistance as she tested its tension. Behind her, she heard the twins shifting their shields to better protect their hounds.

  A deadly rain hissed down from the cliffs above, where her father's men had been waiting. Their volley struck Gunnar's positions with devastating effect, forcing his warriors to huddle behind their shields.

  "Loose!" Brandr's command sent their own arrows arcing toward the enemy before her father's men had finished reloading. The staggered volleys gave Gunnar's forces little respite, each group of archers covering while the other nocked fresh arrows.

  "Shield’s up!" Erik's shout carried urgent warning as Gunnar's men seized a brief gap between volleys. He yanked Astrid behind cover, warriors pressing close as they locked shields. Through gaps in the wall, she glimpsed strange bulbs tipping the incoming arrows.

  Horror gripped her as the first arrows struck the second ship's deck. Fire bloomed where they landed, men scrambling to smother the flames with wet sailcloth. During this chaos, Gunnar's men cut the mooring ropes of one of their drakkars. Astrid watched as the unmanned ship pivoted in the current, its massive hull swinging to block their path to the pier.

  "Oars to port!" Brandr shouted. "Keep us off the rocks!" The second ship's captain echoed commands to his own rowers. Men cast grappling hooks while others continued fighting the fires. Erik directed warriors to form a shield wall around the workers as arrows rained down from Gunnar's positions.

  The volleys flew back and forth - Gunnar's archers, her father's men, and their own archers trading deadly fire. With careful maneuvering, the rowers began guiding the blocking drakkar toward the channel entrance. Gunnar seized this delay, his forces retreating in ordered groups toward the village, shield-walls intact. His archers maintained steady fire, forcing Brandr's men to stay behind their shields while protecting those managing the drifting ship.

  Moving past the blocking vessel, Brandr's ship approached the pier. Warriors cast mooring lines fore and aft, the tide pressing them against the wooden dock. Above, Torbjorn's archers kept Gunnar's men pinned with steady volleys.

  Astrid's hands trembled as she switched her bow for her sword. The blade's weight anchored her as she gazed at her village through the smoke. These streets, these homes she'd defended with wooden swords as a child - now she would defend them with steel. She resisted the urge to look back at the twins, drawing strength from knowing they stood ready behind their shields.

  "Archers, back!" Brandr's command rang out. Erik guided Astrid to where the twins huddled together, their shoulders pressed tight. Hilde didn't even flinch when Hervor crushed against her, both sisters' eyes fixed on the battle ahead.

  "Shield-wall forms!" Brandr called. Warriors moved with practiced order, each man finding his place in the formation. Shields overlapped, edge to edge, creating an unbroken wall of wood and iron.

  Thor kept his shield raised above them. "Steady now," he rumbled. "Gunnar's men won't expect such fierce little warriors. You'll have them running before they know what hit them."

  Through gaps in the shields, Astrid watched Brandr's first formation advance down the gangplank, each step measured and synchronized. The second group assembled their own wall behind, maintaining tight shield coverage as arrows whistled overhead. Through the thickening smoke, she saw Gunnar's men setting fires as they retreated, flames already licking at the windows of homes she'd known since childhood.

  Her group would be next. Warriors took their positions with practiced care, shields overlapping as they formed around Astrid and the twins. Behind them, the ship's remaining crew cast off, making way for the next vessel.

  Erik moved through the formation, checking each warrior's position. He took his place beside her, his voice for her alone. "Together, Astrid." Thor's shield locked with those around them as they began their slow advance, Liv and Lina staying close beneath the wall's protection.

  Each step on the gangplank was deliberate, the formation moving as one. Through smoke and arrows, Astrid felt the familiar planks beneath her feet - where she'd once watched fishing boats unload their catch, now carrying her toward battle. Toward her father's hall. Toward Gunnar.