Blood Moon| The Last Kingdom| Sihtric Kjartansson

FIFTY-ONE

"What are you waiting for?" Brida roared, "Kill me, please!"

"No!" Uhtred blurted out, his voice strained, "I will not kill you." He leaned off her, breathing heavily. "If my son could forgive you after what you have done to him...then I must do the same."

He could forgive her for mauling his son, but I could not forgive her for threatening mine. I could not forgive her for making my daughter wake up in terror in the night. I could not forgive her for the slaughter of my soldiers and for Eforwic... and I could not forgive her for taking my youth from me and killing my father.

"No!" Brida roared, "No, come on. No, do it. Do it, you coward. Do it. Do as I ask for. Send me to Valhalla!"

"To kill you would be to kill part of myself!" Uhtred yelled back,  "We were bound as one! We were the same. As there was hope before, there can be hope again."

A crack behind me made me cut off my listening and look through the grass, lowering my sword slightly.

A forth heart beat joined the area, and I shut my eyes, figuring out who it belonged to.  My heart leapt as I realised who had followed after me, and I scrambled through the grass, my eyes flying around wildly.

A figure went to dart past me, and I grabbed the person's arm, forcing them to the ground with me.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed angrily, "Have you any idea how dangerous that decision was?"

"I wanted to help you," Rúna breathed out heavily, staring at me with wide eyes, her heart pounding in my ears.

"Rúna," I groaned quietly, "I am here to kill someone, not to skin a rabbit."

"I know," Rúna muttered, creeping closer to me, her hand reaching out to touch my face, "you came to kill Brida. I came to do the same thing."

I blinked at her, wrapping my arm around her, "What do you mean, My Sweet Girl?"

Rúna's little hands clung to my armour, "She tried to kill me, Mama. You taught me that I have to defend myself. I want to make her pay her price."

Pride filled my veins, coursing through me as I looked at her determined face, her heart beating nervously but certainty joining it.

I nodded curtly, pulling back from her and beginning to walk back to my hiding spot, holding Rúna's hand as I went.

"The girl that I loved," Uhtred was mumbling, "she's there still."

"Why has he not killed her?" Rúna mumbled, standing close to me.

"Because he is a victim of his own heart," I whispered, tucking my sword back away into my sheath and turning to Rúna. "Do you have your weapon of choice?"

Rúna nodded, pulling a small, pale bow from the back of her armour, along with a single feathered arrow. "I do."

"I will help you," Uhtred laughed sadly, staring down at Brida as he cradled her in his arms, hugging her close.

I pulled Rúna forward to stand in front of me, "Arch your arm back and look right at her. Tyr will guide your arrow."

Rúna did as I asked, straightening out in the grass, the bow and arrow positioned perfectly. Henrick had taught her well.

Uhtred and Brida did not see her.

"Trust me," Uhtred exhaled, sniffling softly.

"Trust me," I mumbled to Rúna, "you can do this."

Another blood price would be paid today. Rúna would no longer have anything to fear; the woman from her nightmares would be dead.

Rúna's arrow strained, and her heart levelled out to an even rhythm. Not a second later, she released the arrow through the air.