Moon-Heart | The Last Kingdom |

2.

All of them. The Danes behead all of the children that inhabited Aegelesburg. They murdered the innocent and took away the sweet faces of the children, leaving them unidentifiable. It was a hard task to accomplish, but by the orders of The Lady of Merica, all the children were to be blessed before the survivors left. Aldhelm couldn't help but think about his own. If she was there still, he would have to find her body and wrap her delicate little self in cloth, like the one he was doing now. A small girl around her age, bloody and dead. Her parents were either died or didn't even know she was dead.

As Aldhelm placed the lifeless body to the ground in the hall of the palace, young Uhtred stood over the bodies giving them a final blessing, "Oh, Lord, grant us the knowledge of your power, when it comes to pass that a man and wife may bring a child into this world. They clothe him. They cherish him, but God alone may know his fate. For these children were in darkness, Now they are saved. Bring them the light of your love, Lord God, and let them walk as children of light.--"

They were helpless children who knew nothing of how curl men could be. The least they could do, was try and give them a proper send off to God. Lord Aldhelm stood next to Sable, the Lady's handmaiden, as she sobbed uncontrollably. It was a grim sight, with the other survivors behind them with their heads held low. While the Mercians stood praying, Uhtred and his men were waiting impenitently. The more they waited the closer the Danes were getting. Uhtred tried to comfort the Lady, but also tried to oppose on to her that they needed to leave now.

"Not, until they have been blessed!" Aethelflaed snarked at Uhtred.

"Danes! The Danes are here, Lord!", Finan alerted everyone running through the doors, "They're heading towards the gate!"

In haste Uhtred walked over to the door, "How many!"

"To many, Lord." Osferth answer trying to close the door, before the Danes could get in.

"Stay back Aethelflaed!" Uhtred pushed the Lady back form the door, "Seeing you will inflame them. Go! Upstairs now!"

"Go. We will hold them off." Aldehlm halted Uhtred, letting him know that he could protect Aethelflaed.

Together, Aldehlem and the other men held the door closed, as the Danes tried to ramp it open. With few men, they could feel every jolt to the wood. Pieces flew every where around them, while the Danes shouted just outside. There was no other way out, they were all trapped.

"What are we doing, Lord? The door will not hold!" Sihtric shouted with his shoulder to the door.

"Where is she?" Dagfinn shouted from the outside. Ramming harder, and harder the door was starting to break with a large hole being created. The men jumped out of the way, not to be hit but still held from to the door, now two men less. "Kill them all!"

"Enough!" Uhtred shouted from the top floor ledge, "Come and face me. I have Cnut's sons." On command Finan and Sihtric relived the boys, holding knifes to their throats. "Leave this place or I will cut their throats!"

"Take a son of Cnut, every Dane in this land will see it avenged." Dagfinn spat back.

"Yes, and every Dane will come for you, too." Uhtred tilted his head, "The blood of his child will be on your hands."

Dagfinn harden his face, trying to save the children, "Do not play games! Send them down now of all the men here will be killed."

"Leave this place, or I will cut off their heads!"

"You harm them and every Saxon here dies!" the Dane threated.

Uhtred looked to Sihtric, who knew what to do. As both the young boys scream, the bastard son placed young Cnut to the ground. With the thud of the sword, Uhtred stood throwing a headless body, wearing the rode of young Cnut down for all the Danes to see, "Leave! Or I will kill the other one also!"