by John Snow
Sparks struck from the swords when they slammed together. The sound struck like thunder in the air. Hakon was the stronger; he drove Sigurd backwards.
"Tuul, Tuul," muttered Sigurd and charged Hakon with utter contempt of death. Hakon was ready. He blocked the strokes and toppled Sigurd. Sigurd fell; he landed on the ground. Was there no power in the rune? He glanced at the sword; in the corner of his eye he saw Grim go towards Yljali.
Yljali! Her name rushed through Sigurd; he came up in a hurry. He went against Hakon. He tried to be sneaky. "Tuul, Tuul," he said as he struck, but Hakon jumped away and turned back; he was impossible to hit.
The surrounding people stood watching, stricken with terror. His mother looked away, and Sigrunn hid her face in her hands. Many prayed to the gods. Two ravens sat in the yard-tree. Grim had made it over to Yljali. He whispered something in her ear.
With a tremendous roar, Hakon attacked Sigurd. He struck blow after blow, and Sigurd recoiled. He was looking for the body of his father. Hakon proceeded to thrash him. Sigurd tried to get the dead body in between, but instead he stumbled on his father's feet and fell over. Hakon came towards him, ready to kill. He raised his sword to run him through.
At that moment Sigurd saw Yljali; he had landed at her feet. "Tuul, Tuul," Yljali whispered, and the sword of Gisli jumped up. It hit Hakon's advancing blade, and Sigurd got away, and up on his feet. He swung Gisli's sword with a surprisingly fast stroke. He hit Hakon in the stomach. The stroke cut his brother in half, and guts and gore fell out. A terrible stench filled the air.
For a heartbeat the legs of Hakon remained standing, wavering. The upper part of Hakon landed on its back, next to his father's corpse. He said something only Sigurd could hear.
"Now the girl rules your sword," Hakon said, and died.
Sigurd straightened up, slowly. He was red with blood, but he looked around. It was over. His father was dead. Hakon was dead. Yljali was out of danger, and Sigurd was chieftain. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he was shaking; he was desperately frightened.
Sigurd looked at the people again. He saw horror in their eyes, but also something else; was it awe? Yljali couldn't hide that she was overwhelmed; she stood gazing at Sigurd and his bloody sword. Sigurd saw that Grim walked away. He went down to the house on the hillside.
People stood staring at the dead. At Hakon, who was cut in two, and at the gaping wound in the throat of his father. They were dead, both of them.
Sigurd cast a glance up at the tree, the yard-tree. The ravens had flown, and the tree stood broken, completely stripped of leaves and large branches.
What now? Sigurd thought. The tree and the yard with the dead were frightening sights. He was both scared and happy, but he could not look at his father's corpse. He sought Yljali.
Yljali stood erect, with sad and thankful eyes. Her hair billowed down her shoulders, and her breasts seemed larger.
Suddenly, as Sigurd caught sight of Yljali, a crack of thunder sounded. Skarphedin pointed, and out of the air, the most beautiful valkyrie on horseback appeared. The valkyrie was tall with long, blue-black hair. She had dark eyes, big lips, and large, rounded breasts; she flew through the air.
There was a murmur amongst people, because out of the woods, a death-pale woman came walking. They could not see the feet of the old hag, or her hands, but they could see the hood and the soot-smeared sword. It was the death-gygre. She came closer.
When Sigurd saw the gygre coming, he didn't want to stay any longer. He grabbed his sword, turned around, and moved away. He kept on walking with his back to the yard.
22
Later that day, the neighbours went home. Thorstein Baldhead left the silver behind at Vik, but he took the grain with him. Thorstein and his men led the horses past the burial mounds and into the woods.
Sigurd Haraldson was awarded with great honour for the battle; the story of Sigurd spread all around the country. Such a sword battle had never been seen, they said. Sigurd had killed his brother and avenged his father.
People also told of Skarphedin, who had seen two ravens. One flew into the forest, and the other disappeared in the sky. The valkyrie, they said, had picked up the chieftain, Sigurd's father. She took Harald the Chieftain with her on her horseback and flew him home, to Valhall.
Hakon Mute, Sigurd's brother, had gone to Hel. The death-gygre had stuck him in his upper body and pulled out his soul. Now, Hakon is drifting around in the shadow land, in two parts; he has stopped speaking again, people said. It is quiet in Hel.
Sigurd, they said, took his sword and turned away from the battlegrounds. He left the fight victorious, but in great pain. Some call him Sigve the Slayer, after what happened. But, struck by his deed, most people call him Sigve the Awful.