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"So, they decided to let you go?" Finan asks as he gives Uhtred his weapons. Althea and Sihtric were talking to their sons and telling them the plan, they were to stay with Thyra no matter what.
"We should ride."
"Lord, you are cut." Finan said worriedly.
"Barely."
"We will ride to where lord?" Sihtric asks getting the horses. Althea kissed both of her son's heads before ushering them away.
"To Ragnar and to the Danes."
"Then we should go meet your men." Finan said as they mounted the saddles.
"Hurry! Hyah, hyah!" Uhtred yells.
"Why is she not food for the rats by now?" Finan asked as they sat around the fire. Skade watches them from her place away from them with a growing smirk. Sihtric holds Althea in his arms as the girl sleeps.
"Because she has a gift. Because she has taken hold of my path." He mumbled.
"If we kill her, the curse will live on. It is the curse that must be killed," Sihtric says to them. Uhtred gets up with a pained groan. "She is the worm and Uhtred is the apple." Sihtric whispers making them frown. With the help of Sihtric, Uhtred can get onto his horse and Althea frowns.
"Should we not stop to rest? I am tired of the sight of my horse's head, his ears in particular." Osferth says looking over at Althea.
"We need shelter and fire, boy. There's no shelter here." Finan said a moment later Uhtred fell off his horse, and Sihtric and Finan immediately ran to their fallen lord.
"Lord, lord! Are you hurt, lord? Is it your wound?" Sihtric asks as they prop him up.
"No, she has me." Uhtred says weakly.
"Jesus, he looks the color of a Scotsman's arse. Is there anything broken?" Finan questions checking the lord over for injuries.
"She is squeezing the life from me. From both of us." He mumbled and locked eyes with her, a sad look taking over his face.
"Either that or the cold has got to your bones." Finan supplies an explanation.
"Finan, you will find a cart and you will haul me to Dunholm, to Brida. She will know what to do." He whispers and Finan nods.
"Get him up." The two men help lay the lord into a cart and tuck him in with fur cloaks.
"A few days more lord. It is your cart that is slowing us down." Uhtred doesn't say anything so Finan slaps the side and rides farther up.
"Has he drunk any ale?" Finan asks once they make camp.
"A little."
"A little is of little use." Finan says with a cup of ale as he walks to Uhtred, Althea is asleep next to Uhtred. Uhtred has been using the last bit of strength he has to hold her hand.
"All right, do you have the strength to lift up a wee cup, lord? Hmm, even if it is to wet your lips?" Finan moves his hand behind Uhtred's head to lift it gently.
"Oh, eh. I'd wager you feel like you're back on the slave ship. You got past that nightmare, you can get past the. Believe me." Finan clutched Uhtred's hand and searched his face for any sign that the lord was getting better or worse.
"It's her Finan, turning my insides outward." Finan turns to look at Skade who is churning a mixing bowl while looking at them.
"Then kill her. Or let me do it for you." Finan pleads.
"No." Uhtred whispers.
"Uhtred, I fear you are dying. Sihtric, says we will arrive at Dunholm tomorrow. They've been watching us for most of the day, at least I hope it's them." Finan held back his tears as he placed his fur cloak over Uhtred.
"It is the fever, it will pass." Osferth said as he sat down next to the other two men, he had attempted to feed Uhtred but it had not gone well.
"He sees someone. It is the Gods tormenting him." Skade speaks to the men running up the hill when Uhtred sits up shouting and making himself cough. He looks around and sees Althea next to him with dried tears on her pale face, he feels a pang of guilt at the sight.
"Lord, lord! You must eat and you must drink. You are not thinking right." Finan says urgently.
"Brida." Uhtred mumbles.
"Finan, look." Sihtric speaks alerting the Irishman, there in the darkness stood Brida.
"Brida." Finan whispers in relief.
"Good?" Ragnar asks watching his brother.
"It is good." Uhtred replies with a smile as Brida sits down with a smile of her own.
"We thought you gone." Finan said and watched them.
"The same, I fear I'd die an old man's death, under furs." Uhtred spoke and looked at Althea who gave him a sad smile.
"So the great Dane-slayer was afraid?" She looked at the newcomer and noticed his fiery red hair.
"You are who?" Uhtred asked.
"He's no one important, Uhtred." Brida informed with a grin.
"I am Cnut."
"You are what?" Finan spoke.
"He is Cnut, he's my cousin on my mother's side." Ragnar said.
"I'm a dane, lord Uhtred. So are you gonna kill me too?" Cnut taunted.
"You talk like an infant." Uhtred said instead.
"How many of us have you really dispatched to Valhalla? Is it twelve? Twenty? Forty?"
"Cnut, you'll shut your mouth. Now show my brother some respect."
"Or I may have to kill one more." Uhtred teased and watched Ragnar laugh.
"He's back! He's back! Get up. Upon your feet! Get up!" Ragnar says happily, Finan looks at them with a smile as Uhtred stands. "He's back where he belongs. Where he has always belonged, you're a dane for life now. Say it!" Ragnar says happily.
"I am a dane for life." Uhtred says softly.
"No, say it." They began to thump their fists on the tables.
"I am a dane for life." She and Finan look at one another.
"Mean it!"
"I am a dane for life! From this day onwards." Ragnar pulls his brother into a hug.
"This means everything to me." He says softly to Uhtred, as the men cheer she notices Finan growing quiet.
