Tyr had unknowingly broken a rule imposed by this clan, he had just executed a person he 'deemed' guilty without a trial and even Kolbeinn had a look of disappointment on his face because there was nothing he could do.
Tyr's story was not believed, because Tyr could have very well beaten Finn and killed the other man when he tried to stop him.
Then try to have his way with Nora but Nora was too scared to speak up against her Chieftain so this was the ultimate result.
Kolbeinn knew he had to look at every possible angle, he could not be biased just because it was a son of Ragnar that committed this crime.
It would have made more sense if Tyr kept him alive for him to confess to his sins and not take matters into his own hands.
The dark-skinned boy was forced on his knees in front of Kolbeinn, Kolbeinn looked at Tyr.
He was not stupid, he had tested Tyr's sexual appetite on numerous occasions and Tyr had shown no interest so why did he suddenly lunge at Nora?
But if he went this way, people might start to question why he would trust an outsider this much over a 'respectable' member of his clan.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKolbeinn's hands were tied but Tyr had a chance to prove his innocence, he did not look frightened or worried.
Kolbeinn read out what he was being charged with but Tyr only chuckled in response before saying.
"Whatever it is I am accused of, I wish to defend my honor, I choose trial by combat for if I am guilty, the gods will strike me down," Tyr said and Kolbeinn was slightly relieved by this because he knew all he had to do was pick a representative which he was sure that Tyr could defeat.
"I choose you, Kolbeinn Ungi Arnórsson, you are the warrior I choose for the gods…." Tyr pointed at him, the look in his eyes was different and Kolbeinn knew he might have sealed his fate with that. Maybe he thought Kolbeinn would go easy on him? If that was not the case, he was wrong because this would be an insult to the gods.
The warriors around looked excited because they knew with anyone else, the murderer might get a chance to escape but with Kolbeinn, they were sure justice would be served.
"Very well then," Kolbeinn accepted his condition.
-
They did not waste time in setting the place in which they would be fighting, the warriors were excited as it had been a while since they had seen their Chieftain in combat.
The savages were worried because they knew once Tyr died, there would be no place for them.
They were asked to pick their weapons and Kolbeinn went with his default sword with no shield because a shield greatly limits his movements.
But Tyr did not go with his sledgehammer he had to learn to use it on a whim, he instead went for the two axes that were there.
Everyone was confused as it took exceptional skills to dual-wield and Tyr did not strike them as someone skilled enough to do so.
"Yes… This feels better," Tyr muttered, it has been a while since he has fought with an ax, but would a change of weapon make any difference?
"The rules are simple, you cannot kill until you make your opponent submit, only then can you pass judgment with your weapon," Kolbeinn read out the rules, it was a bit different than Tyr was used to but it made the battle all the better.
But Tyr began doing something strange, he removed his coat to reveal his upper body revealed different degrees of injuries and everyone kept quiet. They knew at this point that Tyr was not just some boy and the injuries he had were a representation of the battles he has survived.
Kolbeinn was cautious, Tyr felt like a different person and the battle began.
Tyr's speed was so refined that he closed the distance with Kolbeinn in a literal second, Kolbeinn reeled back in surprise.
Tyr attempted an overhead slash, which Kolbeinn barely avoided but that swing soon turned to a throw as Tyr threw the ax at Kolbeinn's feet with the force generated from the swing, turning it into a two-in-one attack.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThis forced Kolbeinn to deflect it because he could not avoid it without getting injured but looking up, he saw the incoming ax of Tyr aimed at slicing his neck open.
It made contact with Kolbeinn's neck but the cut was shallow, Kolbeinn immediately distanced himself from Tyr. Tyr overwhelmed the senses of his opponent, making it difficult to follow all his moves.
Tyr casually picked up his ax buried in the floor and looked at Kolbeinn with a sickening smile, Kolbeinn knew at that moment that Tyr was coming at him with intent to kill.
Everyone was stunned, what was this fighting style and how did he manage to wound their Chieftain? The savages, however, were excited as they began to cheer for Tyr because they knew their lives relied on Tyr coming out victorious.
"You…" Kolbeinn muttered, rubbing the wound embedded in his neck. If this was a straight-up death match he might have lost his head.
"You are strong…" Kolbeinn said as his body language changed completely, and Kolbeinn attempted to attack Tyr but what Tyr did next shocked him, Tyr left himself full of openings, just like Kolbeinn had done previously.
"It was like this if I remembered…" Tyr said and Kolbeinn was impressed that he could mimic this skill to this degree only after seeing it once and realized why Tyr was such a good fighter.
But then Tyr vanished the moment Kolbeinn blinked, entering into his blind spot.
Kolbeinn, however, registered him before he could land a hit, thrusting his blade in a bid to impale him.
Unfortunately for him, Tyr predicted this as Kolbeinn had unknowingly attacked one of his openings allowing Tyr to dodge his attack and land a spinning jump kick right into his face to send Kolbeinn crashing into the ground.
"That makes two hits in two exchanges. There won't be a third," Tyr threatened, licking his blood off his ax.