Life was simple, easy, safe despite the nagging of others demanding to know what Y/n wanted to do with her life she had little to complain about.
Still she wished the sea would take her, she didn't want to worry about where her life was headed, she...
The weeks of harshness passed and spring was on the horizon. Before we were to be sent back out on the open waters there were adjustments and repairs to be made to the boat and village we'd been in both of which would take up the majority of spring.
As such we were sent to work cutting down the trees in the nearby forest. Shoes that barely protected our feet walking on melting snow now turned to ice, sticks and stones. I won't complain it was far better to be cutting and pulling down trees on rotation than pulling the ores of a ship.
Life for a time didn't seem as horrible, we weren't beaten anymore unless we did something incredibly stupid. The days didn't seem to feel as long compared to when we were on the water, maybe because we were allowed to break between chopping down trees.
What's more a lot of our time was spent standing waiting for our turn with the axe, even though my weak legs aches from standing I much preferred this to the water.
Before I even realised it spring was almost at its end and summer was quickly approaching. With repairs to the village complete we were informed one morning that we'd set back out onto the waters by the week's end.
We were once again queued up in the forest chopping down trees. I took the axe from one of the other slaves as he had had his share of swinging the axe at the tree trunk. He walks off as I begin to hack away at the tree with no technique whatsoever.
"Here." Finan whispered, walking up to fox my hold once again. He did it daily, after all I was a walking zombie. Nothing I did was a conscious decision, unless Finan, Uhtred or Halig managed to reach out to me. "One hand here the other here swings with a curve so it won't bounce back." He said.
"Today." He the whispers, stepping back in line once I nodded.
I hacked away at the tree for a good five to ten minutes before I relented. Finan next to take over.
I sat on the floor breathless watching Finan hack away at the tree for a few minutes before handing over to Halig. When he joined me on the floor he gave a look, a signal that our plan was under way.
The guard at the tree with the bow was flinching everytime Hakka threw his knife at the tree he was leaning against.
"Do not move." Hakka said to the guard who flinched while Halig made a few swings with the axe to look like he was moving. The guard nearer to us was half asleep.
Hakka walked back to where he was standing and threw the knife again. The guard once again flinched.
"I said, do not move!" He threatened.
This time though when Hakka walked back to his spot and threw the knife, Finan readied his chains for Halig to break while the guard was distracted.
Halig with a rage I'd never seen before, ran to the bowman and sliced him down with the axe before taking Hakka's knife from the tree and killing the man.
His war cry sparked life back into me as I was suddenly alive with adrenaline. Uhtred managed to disarm the third guard who ran away with his tail between his legs.
Uhtred screamed jolting towards Finan and I who screamed back, my voice foreign compacted to theirs as we laughed.
"Don't just stand there looking idle. He has the weight of an ox!" Halig yelled from where he lay under the dead Hakka. Shaking my head I stood and walked over pushing the body of the man who I tightly hugged once he was sat up.
While I did Uhtred and Finan freed everyone of their chains including themselves I ripped a piece of my torn clothes and tied it around Halig's arm.
"We must divide, go separate ways." We ran away soon after, myself, Halig, Uhtred and Finan all going the same way while everyone else scattered.
Dogs could be heard behind us as we made haste coincidentally in the direction ofthe beach.
"Come this way, follow me." Finan said as we ran out onto the beach taking my hand as I tried to keep up despite my weak legs begging to stop.
The first to fall was Uhtred who tripped on the slippery pebbles. Finan and I were quick to help him up.
"Look! A boat!" Halig pointed out.
"Blessed Jesus, there's a bastard boat!" Finan remarks.
"Fuck the ocean." I yelled, picking up my pace to sprint ahead of the others and start pushing the boat into the water. It was far inland and would require quick work to get into the water before the traders caught us. Soon the others were with me helping. We almost had it when an arrow shot through the air and into my leg.
"Ahhh!" I screamed murder at the searing hot pain in my leg.
"Y/n." Uhtred worries, he rushes to me leaving Finan and Halig to push the boat.
"Get her in the boat!" Finan yells, Uhtred tries to pull me along the sand but the decay of muscle mass in our bodies made it difficult to do so.
"No!" I pushed him away. "Leave me here!" I plead. If they could get away that was more than enough for me. But Uhtred refused to leave me behind, as such, because of our weakened states we were caught once again.
Hope was lost.
~~~
To Be Continues
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