† in which a young girl has been saved by the one and only, Uhtred Ragnarsson, which leaves her to be indebted to him. while serving by his side, love begins to blossom, and families are formed and born. she finds herself not only falling into t...
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❝ you know that I could use somebody. ❞ °✦.° ( damage gets done — act one ) °✦.° 『 chapter two 』 ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
The sun slowly rises as the moon does the same to set. The days go by slowly and the nights even slower. The sun seems to linger in the sky, casting long shadows that refuse to shift. Mornings bleed into afternoons, and afternoons into evenings, with a tiresome rhythm that dulls everyone's senses. The world, far away from them, remains still, as if time itself has taken a moment to hide from the Danes as well, leaving everything suspended in a hazy, unbearable wait.
Hiding away in Athelney, also known as the marshlands of the Severn, Uhtred and his group of four manage to coincidentally stumble upon King Alfred, as well as his wife, Lady Aelswith, and their two children. Seeking sanctuary from the Danes, the large group of men and women, consisting of Alfred's guards, priests, and marsh-people remain hidden in the swamplands for multiple weeks. In the time they are there, not only are they able to help Alfred's sick child from death but they also spread the word to their allies of the King's survival. In time, a plan forms and it is decided that a war is soon to come and they need to prepare for it. With little planning, everything begins to come together, which leaves them to make a decision.
It is time to split up and put the plan into action.
Uhtred, alongside King Alfred, Leofric, Father Beocca, Hild, Iseult, and Narcissa, are the first to leave the marshlands and head for the estate that belongs to Lord Odda the Elder. The group of seven travel for days, using multiple different forms of transportation. In order to leave the marshland, they have to use small boats, causing the group to split into two whilst on the water. Once on land again, they travel on foot, taking many breaks for their Lord King. Their time on land seems to go slower than it did on the marsh, for everyone is too anxious due to the war that is brewing. They plan to meet a group of people halfway, but to their surprise, on the road, it is not Wulfhere and his men whom they find waiting for them, instead, it is a scrawny, fretful boy named Halig who is waiting for them with their horses.
Traveling at a slow pace, the miles begin to tick down as they grow closer to the estate waiting for them in Devon. Finally, after three days of traveling by horseback, they arrive at the gates of Odda's estate, Exanceaster. Ahead of them, voices can be heard inside the building from a distance away, causing curiosity to spring. It is Uhtred and Leofric — as well as Alfred, who sneaks in after they do, without the pair knowing — who are the first ones to enter the building. The three who are left behind wait for a while, listening to the loud ruckus coming from the building finally calm down; it is only then, do the three men retrieve Narcissa, Iseult, and Beocca.
The night swiftly falls upon them, and the chaos once again rises in the large estate. As those in the building eat the supper served, the warriors, as they always do the night before a big battle, chug multiple jugs of the ale offered to them, getting drunk. Narcissa on the other hand, doesn't touch a single drop, instead, she leisurely roams through the house, in search of one man. Outside is where she finds him. Uhtred is seated with Leofric beside him, at one of the tables that have been set up in the back of Odda's estate. The two men quietly talk amongst themselves, discussing battle plans for the following day.
