warriors do not show their heart
until the axe reveals it
They came down from the Mountain and Lagertha quietly fell in step, slipping to the rear of the group to keep an eye out for stragglers (hopefully Riva had agreed to come with her) and offer her protection to the best of her abilities. There are familiar faces in the group - the Sisters that went with Naga - and some unfamiliar faces that she simply nods to if they make eye contact. The warrior treks along in silence, focusing on remembering the path they take and creating personal identifiers. At a fork, she quickly nudges a few stick into a pile to mark the correct way, and then hurries after the retreating band of women.
Eventually, Naga leads them out of the trees (out of the trees? How different than before!), to a coastline, and Lagertha can smell the salt in the air. She lingers atop a dune, letting the breeze lift her mane from her neck, as the Jungle never did. It isn’t home yet. But she imagines that they will carve it into something of their own. Her thoughts and eyes wander, half-listening to Naga’s long speech until she hears her name, and after only a moment’s hesitation, steps forward. Oh yes. This sort of thing. Lagertha knows full well what is going on without listening - having done similar things not all that long ago.
General, eh? It is a role she knows well. There will be time for revamping and remolding their defenders (ugh, pacifism) later. For now - she offers a smile to Sunday, happy to see the friendly little witch again, and makes a mental note of the mousey mare who steps up to challenge Naga - oh yes, they should talk later. To the ones who want to be in her caste, she announces directly, “Army-type folk will meet in a week. I need a very long nap.” Because she will always be up front with them about her abilities and her state of being. The way a General should be.
And with that, the scarred, gray mare leaves the meeting to find a dry cave, away from the ocean spray, yet accessible by foot, in which to sleep two years of pain away. Those who know her will forgive her, and those who don’t will quickly learn that she never does anything without a reason.
Lagertha
