It's never over // Sihtric Kjartansson

Chapter Twelve

They met with Osferth and Sihtric round the back of the hall where they stood with the horses. Dane's had begun apon them before they had managed to mount their horses. Tove and Clapa who brought up the rear of the group began to fight them buying the other's time. Tove heard Clapa's stuggle, he was wounded. An axe had hit him in the chest, she stepped forwand to help only to be knocked backwards by his arm.
"Go." he said through gritted teeth. Before she could protest Sihtric was pulling her away.
"Wait," she stuggled against his grasp as he pushed her onto her mare. She had to help. Why was no one helping?
"Clapa with us." Uhtred shouted, but Clapa would not move. His hand grasped to the wound on his chest and eyes set on the men now approaching.
"Clapa!" Uhtred repeated. Clapa gave Uhtred a determined smile before turing away his sword gripped tightly in his hands.
"We go." Uhtred changed his order, his horse sped away followed by the others. Tove began forward in a trot.
"Come on Clapa." she called to him. She looked to the rest of the group who had begun disappearing out of the fortress. When she turned back Clapa had been brought to the floor, 3 men stood above him taking turns in slashing and stabbing at him while he struggled. She let out a cry and tried to turn her horse around, she couldn't bring herself to leave him but someone else had hold of her reigns. Sihtric tugged at her reigns pulling the horse towards the gate.
"Clapa!" She called out to him struggling against her saddle.
"No, Clapa come on!" She desperately shouted to him. It was no use. She knew they couldn't stay. Siegfried had emerged from the flames.

"It is an army Lord." Finan shouted as they entered the clearing. He was right,
"It is Odda," Uhtred agreed "Its Odda's army." They rode forward to meet Lord Odda. Not only was it Lord Odda but the king was there aswell.
"Lord, we are being pursued by Siegfried." he said out of breath as he dismounted and began towards them in a swift movement. "The danes are low in number and disorganised. My advice is that we kill them all."
"Steapa put a guard around my daughter, keep her safe." Steapa took Aethelflaed into his arms guiding her away from the soildiers.
"Father I want to fight." she yelled.
"You will do as i say." he ignored his daughters request harshly. As Alfred looked forward contemplating what to do he saw Siegfried and a small number of Danes ridning out from the forest.
"Erik is dead Lord. Siegfried will have no mind to negotiate nor wait, he wants saxon blood. We have to fight!" over hearing the convorsation Lord Odda approached the king.
"Shield wall Lord, only you can give the order." As Alfred discussed his options with the two Lords more danes had joined Siegfried and Haeston though they were only a fraction of the saxon number. Siegfried knew they would not win. But he knew he could not achieve his plans nor live without his brother.

"Sheild wall!" Alfred bellowed as the danes began up the hill towards them. Tove stood next to Osferth and joined him in watching the saxons build their long barrier of sheilds. Unlike the monk stood beside her she was ready to fight. She hoped that in the fight she would find Clapas killers, anger was a good fuel to fight on.
The shield wall was immediately broken by Siegfried's giant stallion as it charged through the middle. Try as the men did the wall was no use anymore, the men were scattered everywhere some swinging their swords blindly in the darkness. Tove began to move forward until she noticed Osferth's struggle. He manage to hold off a few men before he was knocked to the ground. Tove wrenched the Dane off of Osferth earning herself a punch to the chest, winding her.

The fight did not last long, after Siegfried's demise many of the Danes fled and those who didn't were killed.

"Are you alright Osferth?" Tove said looking him over. She had witnessed his first kill and he didn't seem so pleased about it.
"Yeah just a cut to my thigh but I think i will be okay." he said still brushing himself off. "I just.." he looked around with an unsettled look on his face, he had most likely never seen so many dead bodies before. He excused himself politely and walked to a part of the clearing free of bodies to pray.

"There you are, where did you go you were stood right beside me then you disappeared.Are you alright?" Sihtric put a gentle hand on her shoulder and brushed a piece of her hair out of her dirty face. Tove looked at him teary eyed as she nodded quickly.
"I'm um I'm fine, uh." Tove struggled to find what she wanted to say. She was so overwhelmed, the death of Clapa who she held very dear to her, the battle, fatigue. Everything she had tried so desperately to bottle up just came pouring out in the form of tears and croaked 'i'm sorry' s. Sihtric pulled Tove close to him wrapping is arms around her. This was just what she needed. Sihtric. Tove sighed deeply calming down and wiped the tears from her face.
"Do you think he will forgive me for leaving?" Tove whispered as she watched the remains of Beamfleot burn in the distance.
"Who?" Sihtric replied confused from her question.
"Clapa, I could have stayed and helped he could be here with us."
"Tove," Sihtric pulled away form her to be able to look in her eyes. He held her face gently in his hands wiping the last of her tears with his thumbs. "Clapa told us to go, he would have rather died than see you be killed, that's what he did. If you stayed you would have met the same fate as him. I know you can't help it but you need to stop blaming yourself for everything." he kissed her gently her forehead. "You are the most empathetic and thoughtful person I know and I'm sure he would say the same. He thought very highly of you and his sacrifice showed it."