The battle proceeded, Finn was fighting through teeth and nails but he could not stand the onslaught much longer.
They were being pushed back, he wanted to retreat but he knew if he lost ground then this battle might very well be lost, he was smart enough to know that.
He could not give the command to hold the line because of his speech impairment but he did not need to speak; he was also surprised by the number of casualties.
The casualties were on the low side, everyone was fighting cautiously, it was a shocker because he thought they would be more aggressive.
It was like when the Mad Hound attacked their camp.
Despite his overwhelming strength, the casualties were on the low side. They have been fighting for close to an hour and their body was giving into exhaustion, and Finn realized that the plan was to wear them down so they would become easy pickings and it was working.
"VIKINGS!" A voice echoed, it was Tyr's voice and everyone's head turned in his direction.
And what followed was a shocked expression, Tyr was holding up the decapitated head of Sturla.
His men instinctively dropped their blades as even the men under Gissur were astonished.
"I HAVE KILLED YOUR LEADER, THE MAN YOU ALL REVERRED WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A BODY FOR MY SWORD! GISSUR HAS FALLEN IN BATTLE BUT HIS SACRIFICE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN! WITHOUT HIM, I WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KILL STURLA!" Tyr screamed at the top of his lungs because he knew this was a big step.
He had shown once again that having superior strength was not enough, strength was not a deterrent to death and Tyr has proven it times without number.
".... I offer you all mercy, for Gissur has given me the mantle to guide his clan! He saw me as a worthy successor…" Tyr continued talking as he saw the enemy give up, Sturla was known as the stronger variation of Sighvatur and if he fell in battle, what stopped Sighvatur from following?
The armor of invincibility had been stripped away and by a child nonetheless.
"I will not condemn you to death just because you were born on the other side of the earth, you were raised and taught your ways and I do not think that deserves death… They want us to fight amongst ourselves because they fear what we can do if we join forces together. The chaos, the death, it is not on our hands, IT IS ON THEIRS! STURLA AND GISSUR, THEY KILLED HIM!" Tyr said; everyone was confused as to the message he was trying to deliver.
"You have the choice to decide your fate right now. Sturla was a great warrior and I do not think he deserves to go to Valhalla alone, I know some of you wish to accompany him and I will grant you that honor…. But some of you are questioning your choices, and I can promise you another chance at life, a better chance at conquest so even Odin, the All-Father, would give you the grandest of welcomes in his halls! The Sturlungar clan will fall, for I have cut off one head of the two-headed serpent so I ask you… Which one of you will join me in my conquest of Norway?" Tyr said, his speech was passionate and it struck a string in their hearts.
Tyr did not see them as enemies for he understood that they were only enemies because they were born in different clans. If Tyr could unify them, then he would have a massive army on his hand.
He had taken over the Haukdælir by killing Gissur and lying that he had permitted him to rule over them, his word was the only thing that they had to go by and they had zero reasons to doubt him.
This battle was over and the warriors in the Haukdælir clan bent the knee, but they were not the only ones that did this for Tyr's words had touched the hearts of those from the Sturlungar clan as they too bent the knee to recognize him as their ruler.
The others that remained standing were those that wanted to be sent to Valhalla with Sturla, and that is exactly what Tyr granted them.
Tyr had not only conquered the battlefield, but he had somehow turned his enemies into friends.
The cheer was thundering, and Tyr knew how dirty he had to get his hands to reach this far, he had managed to gain power because once news of Sturla's death spreads, everyone will be shaken to the bone and this was sure to affect their confidence level.
Tyr was not the strongest warrior, but he was a warrior that was willing to sacrifice anything and everything to survive.
-
Kolbeinn had been secured and they were rushed back to camp with the prisoners of war.
They did not need to travel for too long before they heard the earth-shaking cheers.
"Could it be?" Nora thought to herself, she was worried about her brother because Tyr had sent him to his death with his assignment but by some miracle, he was still alive and they secured victory.
Then this would be nothing short of amazing.
Skaði looked confused, there was no way that Sturla could have fallen, and as they got closer.
She realized that this was, in fact, the case, Tyr had his body retrieved and brought back there, but it was not just his body that was retrieved but Gissur's corpse as well.
Tyr wanted to mount Sturla's head but he had opted to give him an honorable burial to show his men that he respected him as a warrior.
They were being sent off respectfully, Tyr had opted to do this so they could see his intentions were pure.
Everyone arrived in time to see the corpses of Gissur and Sturla, and they were speechless.
Skaði's eyes immediately teared up as she looked left and right, before asking.
"Who killed him!?" Skaði was furious as she struggled to break free from the binds holding her.
"I did, but not without the help of Gissur… Take them back to the camp…" Tyr said, instructing them to carry the prisoners back.
Everyone knew that Tyr was Gissur's successor because just like he did with Skol, he had taken Gissur's weapon but had discarded the hammer that had proved rather ineffective in combat.
Gudrun and Nora looked at Tyr and they instantly knew that this boy had what it took to conquer Norway.
This was irrefutable proof that he could make the impossible possible.
The gruesome battle had come to an end and Tyr had claimed victory as Sturla and Gissur were no longer of this world.
RECENTLY UPDATES
