Til Valhalla

Duchess/Shield Maiden Kaia Walsh of Ireland. Daughter of a duke and a norwegian viking. "I have the whole world raging under my skin. I’ve always been a girl armed for war. and war has learned to fear me."

[kaiawalsh-blog]

duchessalexandra:

“I feel like I’ve just got used to being away from home, and now here we are, uprooted again,” Alexandra said. “I am sure France will feel like a home away from home in no time, it’s quite lovely here,” she added, positively. 

“We are never anything up uprooted. Peace it seems, is not destined to happen.” There should have been a way to get them to their homes, kings who sat in rooms seldom did any real work though. “But France... is not so bad.” 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

isiskahn:

“It’s nothing I assure you.” She said shaking her head at the bruises on her cheek. “It is normal for some the be a little more rough, I am a prostitute after all, less than nothing to some people, just let me clean up these and I’ll be out of the way, your majesty.”

“You should let someone else bruise his cheek.” Kaia stared at the bruise on the woman’s cheek. Last man who ever hurt her was dead now, it wasn’t as simple for Isis. 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

kingtorren:

Torren was shirtless as he mended a hole in the shirt he’d been wearing. “Would you pass me that thread?”

Kaia stared at the Welsh king for a moment, “How did that happen?” She finally questioned before handing him the thread he was asking for. “Or do I even want to know?”

[kaiawalsh-blog]

clarissabennett:

She was surprised by the words coming from the woman’s mouth, but she felt a grin forming on her face instead. “Do not worry, I will never tell anyones secrets when I have so many of my own that I carry with me.” She said, chuckling as she tapped her fingers against her thigh. She looked down the halls as though someone may hear her. “Just ask the English why their weapons seem to have become so intricate in the past years.” 

“You forge steel? It would be interesting to see.” Kaia had no faith in the steel of the English over her own but it would be interesting to see steel made by a woman. Even where she was not many women made their weapons. Sure some used them, but it wasn’t common for them to make them.

[kaiawalsh-blog]

padrigfirth:

“Fortunately for you the world is more likely to bow than crumble.” He said with a chuckle, shaking his head as he continued to clean, making sure it was nice and dry after. “Luckily I think you may just survive the cut, though it may be tough, you may only just pull through might be touch and go.” He teased, laughing as he pulled his hand away.

“A sound I like to hear, but my life will not be at a Kings side. If they bowed to anyone but a queen I think they would be in trouble.” She thought of Mekonnen for a moment before she pulled her mind back to Padrig. “Touch and go? I think I will live.”

[kaiawalsh-blog]

kingjohannes:

“The Swiss better be torturing the surviving rebels.” Johannes had been quick to send people to the rack- or worse- since the beginning of his reign. Not only did it insure truthful confessions, but it was punishment for the deeds of others. “Perhaps Austria should be in charge of it- we always get our answers.”

“I would not be sure that the Swiss even know what torture is.” Perhaps she should have been more formal with a king, but she didn’t particularly care at the time. “There are many old Nordic ways that... could truly make them suffer. But I have not been close enough to hear if there are any screams. But I do hope there are.” 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

duchessalexandra:

“I am glad. I was worried for you,” Alexandra confessed. She was full of admiration for Kaia, who had been far braver than she had in the face of danger, and even now, gave off an undeniable air of defiance. 

“Better me than you.” She answered, the smile falling from her face. Alexandra had seen it all happen to her. Every bit of it, things she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. And she’d seen what Kaia had done to the men, she’d watched her kill them, watched her place their heads on the walls. “I hope there are... things you keep to yourself.” For the sake of her people more than herself.

[kaiawalsh-blog]

padrigfirth:

“Of all the women in the world, I imagined it would be you who cared least about scars.” Pad admitted with a soft chuckle, word of Kaia had spread to him fast. “It may sting a little, but only for a second.” He said as he reached out to press it against the cut.

“If I cared for them the world would be crumbling under my feet.” He’d seen some of the others on her torso, not the ones any lower but he’d seen enough. “I think if I can handle a knife being run across my face I can handle this.” She teased as he cleaned the cut. 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

nordcs:

“It will scar then?” Ingrid eyed the other woman, gaze drawing over that long cut. She wondered just how much of her act was false bravado? Everyone was faking a little right now, there was nothing else to do. Eventually, perhaps, the survivors would all be okay. Perhaps. Ingrid doubted that all of them would be. “A battle wound, only survivors carry scars.” She smiled, thankful that her muscles remembered how to, and moved aside the hair she had used to cover a long cut just below her ear that narrowly avoided her jaw and face. “I hope you gut any man who tells you he finds it distasteful.” 

Looking at the duchess she nodded at the woman who’d once been a princess. “It will. As will others on my body, perhaps the small one on my lip. But no one will look at that when I have this.” It didn’t bother her, it was a badge of honor. When she went back home, when her people saw her face they’d know she’d won another battle. But they would never know what she had to go through to win it. A smile came to her lips again as she looked at Ingrid’s scar. “I am waiting for one to do so, it would brighten many women’s day to see me make a grown man cry and beg for forgiveness if he did!” 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

clarissabennett:

Clarissa barely knew how normal worked anymore, she was sure she had lived a thousand lives in the past few days and her back was still burning. She smiled softly as she made her way through the corridors and heard the conversation. “My father used to call me marked, I’ve come to enjoy the scar on my lip, it tells a story.”

“This has a story as well. If anyone touches me ever again I will kill them and hang their heads on their own walls.” Her face fell for a moment before the smile was back on her face. “But of course you did not hear what I just said. No one would take your word over mine.” It wasn’t that she wanted to be rude, her mind had left her, if this woman did share what she’d said Kaia would be taken and everything was at risk. 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

ladyhanasong:

“Tis’ not a scratch!” Hana exclaimed  looking over at Kaia’s face “But it should heal leaving only a roguish scar.” Hana had been lucky enough to escape mostly intact, a touch starved and under the weather, the only ill that had befallen her the cut on her hand from before not having healed yet.

Kaia had many other bruises and cuts from this, some deeper than others but the blade that had been run across her jaw was one that would forever linger. “Perhaps not a scratch but it does nothing to take away from my beauty.” 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

padrigfirth:

Padrig nodded his head, bowing away from what was bound to end in some kind of quarrel if he didn’t back away from his work. “A scratch can get infected, and even if I use something that would stop that the scar will still remain.” He shifted on his feet uneasily as he held a piece of cotton that had gin coating it.

“A scar will not bother me.” Kaia shook her head, if she had to have a scar it might as well have been an impressive one. “But if someone must pry at it again I suppose you are not the worst to do so.”

[kaiawalsh-blog]

duchessalexandra:

“You wear it well,” Alexandra said, awed with admiration. Her own beauty was her greatest asset, and she could not say honestly she would have the courage to respond to such a visible injury half as well as Kaia was. “I hope it is not troubling you too much, and healing well?”

She was bitter about it, she didn’t have to prove her power through scars. But now she had long one on her jaw. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t wear it with pride and fight anyone who said anything against her. “It is healing, hopefully well or things will go terribly wrong for me!”

[kaiawalsh-blog]

You are the most stubborn and unbowed woman I've ever met, it's honestly kind of sexy.

Those are words I could listen to forever!

[kaiawalsh-blog]

Who do you hate more than anyone in the world?

Well that’s such an easy answer, Gunnar. If I could challenge him in the old way here and thought his people would be honorable about it, I would.

[kaiawalsh-blog]

Forcing herself back into normality was key to everything, if she acted like nothing was wrong then she’d be fine. “It is only a little scratch! Some find those with scars distinguished!” She felt eyes looking at the long cut on her jaw and spoke. 

[kaiawalsh-blog]

She’d had to let it happen, get taken or let them follow people out of the tunnel. Kaia hadn’t bothered to hide when it all happened, she tried to run away herself but when she heard the other women screaming, saw them kill a young servant she’d grabbed her axe and did what she could. Seating in the small room she tried to undo the bindings of her hands, “Damn it to hell!” she cursed, looking at the person next to her, “Can you get free at all?”