The Crimson Dream

I awake from my mundane life to I realize I am standing on an open field surrounded distantly by forest and hills. I look to my left and see a group of maybe fifty men, all wearing armour of leather and carrying wooden shields and axes and swords of steel which shimmer in the early morning sun as if possessed of some ancient magic. I look to my right and see yet another fifty or so men all clad in similar armour and carrying steel as well. Ahh, I know this dream, one of my favorites!

I look across the field, the early morning frost glistening like tiny globes of frozen silver, my view partially obscured by the witch-fog of a cold Fall morning, I can make out a host of maybe two hundred men, their bronze helms shining in the morning sun.

Without warning they begin to charge, closing the hundred yards distance at a rapid pace! I put my horn to lips surrounded by a frosty beard and give a strong, almost deafening blow, in return the blood curdling roars of my men echo across the field as we begin our charge toward the wall of rushing blades.

As we close the distance I can see the King, his armour and crowned helm blazing with polished bronze and gold, I head straight for him!

Our men clash with a sound like no other, one must hear this sound for themselves to understand the feeling which comes over me as our armies collide.

I swing my axe at the first man to cross my path, the blow smashes through his shield cutting deep into his arm, throwing blood and splinters high into the air. before he can recover I pull the axe free and swing again, this time hitting home with a blow that cleaves his helm in two, burying my axe to his teeth!

I pull free the axe as the body falls and take aim at another enemy, this one wielding a huge two handed sword. he swings wild and I duck with the quickness of a wild cat, swinging my axe in the same instant, cutting his un-armoured leg out from under him! He goes down screaming as I recover for another blow, which severs his head.

The roar of battle grows louder as the two armies are now fully engaged in a struggle to the death.

I see again the King in his beautiful armour, which I know will soon be mine! He swings his broad sword with lightning fast precision, cutting a wide swath through my war hardened veterans. He sees me! We lock gazes momentarily and continue to cut our way through each others men.

My axe becomes lodged in the armoured shoulder of a hugh, bearded highlander, a mercenary from the south, no matter he dies as easily as the rest!

I abandon the axe and draw my sword, its razor sharp blade stained with the blood of a thousand of foes, all the while ducking and dodging the attacks of yet another mercenary. Swinging with all my might I cut him in half from shoulder to waist, his body sliding limply down to the still frosty earth.

Charging forward to engage another warrior I slip and lose my footing on the blood soaked ground, a sword coming down towards me at the same instant! Hitting my back hard, I am momentarily stunned as the sword hits hard against my helm causing me to see stars before my sky blue eyes!
I recover with a quick thrust through the stomach of my attacker, blood and bile spraying me as I jump back to my feet, cleaving his head off with another lightning quick slash.

Head pounding from the sword blow I advance farther into the enemy line slashing and thrusting my ancient steel sword, quenching its firey blood lust in the bodies of a score of screaming men!

At last I am within reach of my prize, that beautiful armour, I must have it!

Hypnotized by its magnificent gold and bronze knotwork I almost lose my head to a near perfect slash from the Kings broad sword! Ducking like a bolt of Thors lightning I return with a deftly placed blow striking his helmeted head, dislodging the jewel encrusted, golden crown which flies off into the melee, yet another prize to be claimed after the battle!

But the battle is far from over! I slash and thrust and cut like a steel weilding demon of the north, Hell bent on blood and destruction. Yet with every attack comes a defense and a counter attack! This man seems untouchable! He is so fast he seems to be countering my blows before I throw them! Neither slash nor thrust can I get through his defense!

We fight for what seems like an eternity, then his age seems to finally be catching up with him, for he must be twice my 25 years, I land a solid blow, cleaving his shield in half and cutting off his arm at the elbow, blood spilling forth like a waterfall after the Spring sun thaws the snows of Winter!

The blood sprays my face, temporarily blinding me and he lands a hard blow to my bronze helm knocking from my blonde haired head with a deafening "thunk"!

Blinded by blood and a head full of searing pain I swing wildly, somehow blocking yet another blow aimed for my now bare head, the Kings sword shatters on impact with my ancient blade sending shards of bloody steel flying off into the distance. My now weaponless foe pauses, taken aback by the destruction of his prized sword.

I step back quickly to wipe the gore from my eyes, only to see the King coming at me again with a sword taken from a fallen warrior! Thors Hammer! He is relentless! A lesser man would be bled dry by now, Yet he comes at full charge! blood flying from he severed shield arm. He swings his sword, coming within a hairs breadth of slashing my throat.

I leap back to avoid the blow and return with a roar and a deadly slash, the mighty Kings gray haired head goes flying in an high arc above the battlefield, blood spraying the combatants like summer rain on the wheat crops of the Norse farmland.

The now lifeless body of the King slumps to the crimson ground, his armour covered in gore yet still shining like the sun, the gold and bronze knotwork dripping with royal blood.

I recover my dented helm and continue the battle unaware of the many cuts and bruises taken during the fighting. Hours pass and finally the battle is won, after regrouping I find we have lost only a score of men!

The ravens have begun to feast as I strip the Kings lifeless body of its prize.

The armour!

The beautiful gold!

The magnificent bronze!

The workmanship is absolutely amazing!

Its as if this prize had come from the All Father Himself!

ODIN BE PRAISED!!!!

PRAISE THE MIGHTY THOR FOR GIVING ME STRENGTH!!!!!

and curse LOKI for those blows to the helm!

Damn my head still hurts!

Ahhhh but its nothing a mug or ten of MEAD won't cure!!!! Ha Ha Ha!!!

Any and all questions, comments and criticism is welcome. I am pretty new to writing, could use some help. If you see any typos let me know or if parts don't flow properly please tell me.