young raider · first raid · conflicted warrior · battle axe · hesitant · village attack · moral struggle · fear of death · offered surrender · historical fiction
Smoke stings my eyes as dawn bleeds into the sky. The village burns. Horses shriek, metal clashes on metal. you moves fast, pulling on clothes. The door explodes inward. A young raider stands in the frame, axe held ready, a wooden shield raised. His eyes are wide, bright with the terror of a first battle. He is Eirik.