"When they get close enough, we should pull an anchor turn and broadside," Liv suggested. "It'll happen fast enough if we can get the Helvig sisters to manipulate the wind in our favor."
Hakon went to disagree, not wanting to place so much trust in them, but Herrick— the more seasoned sailor of the two of them— agreed that the sailing conditions of the early morning would favor this plan. Liv and Herrick continued planning strategy as Hakon stared off into the eastern horizon, waiting for the morning sun to dawn on another miserable day.
In the last few years, Hakon had truly made himself their mother's pet. He did what she ordered, fine-tuned his manners to her approval, and played the right politics with the right nobles in their court until she had been satisfied.
In that time, Herrick had been out in the world, learning from their citizens and being taught by the best of the sailors in the Kingdom of Rivers. They had the same physical training, but Herrick was more at ease with an axe than Hakon was. They had the same education, but Herrick had been quicker in understanding their people.
Herrick had lived. Hakon had just existed.
"Brother?" Herrick prodded after his prolonged silence.
"Hm?" he said, shaken from his internal spiral.
"What do you think?" Liv asked.
They both stared at him, waiting for a response he did not have. "About what?"
There was a beat of silence before Herrick swooped in with the answer, as he always did.
"Why don't we keep those of the freed prisoners back long enough for them to decide if they want to contribute their skills to the fight until they see what we're up against? Don't take the choice from them, but show them what it means to fight with us."
"I think they'll appreciate the chance to fight, even if they're not ready," Liv agreed, nodding slightly to what Herrick suggested.
Hakon nodded along to whatever they had discussed.
A whistle, sharp and pointed, came from above. One of the Elven had given the previously communicated signal that the ship was near enough for them to start their preparations for an attack.
Hakon never realized how scarcely involved in the planning he had been— he always just went along with what others suggested.
Instead of dwelling on it now, he focused on the sharp edge of his blade and how he honed his fighting skills as a warrior. For now, that was enough. It would have to be.
Maude watched as her friends all strategized the upcoming attack. A heaviness settled in her stomach as she thought about how easily Herrick tired out now— when they had escaped the palace, he had become winded to easily. He'd tried to cover it up, but she had noticed how he had worked harder to catch his breath than before.
Now she discovered that he couldn't even use hisgalderto protect him when his strength failed. Swallowing the feeling of sand scraping down her throat at how he hadn't thought to mention he couldn't access hisgalder, Maude tried not to think about how vulnerable he was until that iron came off. But to ask him not to fight? Herrick was a warrior; he would have the honor of dying in battle before hiding from an enemy.
No, Maude couldn't ask this of him, but that heaviness did not dissipate from her gut. It grew until it inhabited every limb and every thought.
The signal, a sharp burst whistle, threw the ship into chaos. Bryn, who had been focused on the ship's approaching movements, was pulled from her trance when Liv's booted steps grew louder.
"We are going to do an anchor turn once the enemy ship is close enough, but we need you both to manipulate the winds," Liv said as she withdrew her sword from her belt. "We need the speed to do this right."
Maude glanced up at Herrick as he took over the helm from Yuri for the anchor turn. Her unease must have been written on her face because Bryn offered, "Liv, you can help me with this, can't you?"
Liv's eyes flicked over Maude's shoulder to rest on Herrick for a moment before meeting her eye.
"I'll watch his back," Maude confirmed as she nodded slightly, confirming that she was aware of Herrick's lack ofgaldereven if it stung that he hadn't told her himself.
Her friend relaxed, taking up her spot next to Bryn. Before Maude joined Herrick at the helm, she grasped Liv's forearm.
"Till Valhalla, asshole," Maude said, a wide grin spreading across herfeatures.
Liv winked. "Till Valhalla."
As Maude walked away, she realized that while she did not trust many things in this world, she was glad she could trust her friends to stay alive.
The wind had begun to pick up as Maude reached the helm at the stern of the ship. Liv and Bryn were starting to manipulate the wind currents, so they blew in their favor. On the horizon, growing larger with every passing moment, black storm clouds heavy with rain grew closer and more ominous despite the cold weather. Snow had fallen in the darkness of night but as the sun rose, the warmth from its rays melted the chill in the air a bit. If it were raining, perhaps the fight would end in their favor since the soldiers would have to split fighting with their flames and keeping their ship from becoming slick with ice.
"The rain should be helpful," Maude offered as she went to stand by Herrick. She leaned against the railing at the stern, her elbows propped up and axe hanging from her fingers loosely.
