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...
"Sit, remove your shirt." Taking Uhtred's hand I forced him into a seat outside the alehouse. Night had long since fallen over Eoferwic and the streets were lit by torches or the candles that reflected from inside peoples houses.
"Coming on strong, I like that in a woman." Steapa comments.
"Gross." I whisper loud enough for everyone to hear eliciting laughter among the men. Taking Uhtred's arm I move it back and forth, bending it at the elbow. It was badly bruised and caused some pain when moved but it wasn't broken.
"You are lucky. Nothing's broken. It'll hurt wielding your sword, though." I step back allowing him to cloth himself while I move to sit next to Brida and Hild.
"Well, we cannot wait for the wounded." Ragnar hums sipping his ale as he casts a look at his brother. Everyone knew the ambition hanging in the air, the sheer determination as we drew ever closer to the fortress of Dunholm thickened the air with unnerving tension.
"You'll not have to wait for the wounded." Uhtred asserts.
"We should kill him." Brida jests. Uhtred hums a laugh before she continues. "Guthred, the turd King." She once again poses her previous suggestion.
"Do you never tire of menace?" Beocca says disapprovingly.
"I do not." Brida snarks.
"If we are successful in taking Dunholm, who gets to keep it?" I ask from my seat beside the Dane freeing the attention from the glaring priest and Viking.
"Guthred. Guthred, naturally." Beocca replies.
"He has Eoferwic." Finan states.
"Ragnar should have it." Uhtred claims.
"No." Ragnar refuses with a small shake of his head.
"It is Alfred's wish that it goes to Guthred." Beocca asserts while I sip away at my soup.
"Alfred has never set one foot in Northumbria, it's not his decision to make. Kjartan built Dunholm on the blood of Ragnar the Fearless. It belongs to his blood-son, Ragnar." Uhtred proclaims Ragnar's rights to the fortress.
"As long as my sword finds Kjartan's heart, I do not care." Ragnar who really couldn't seem to care less speaks his mind on his ownership.
"I care. The arseling is right... for once." Brida speaks up in jest.
"He is wrong. Uhtred, you say Alfred has never set foot in Northumbria. He has no need. We are here, all of us, to do his bidding. And he knows how each of us will think, what each of us will do. Eoferwic can never be the seat of power in Northumbria whilst Dunholm remains strong, and so he allows Uhtred to attack." Aethelwold chimes, it wasn't honestly a bad argument.
Despite everyone's deep dislike of the man he was unfortunately smart. An annoying trait he possessed as I tried my best not to argue in his favour. God knows what attention that would bring.
"He allows nothing. I'm here because it's my business to be here..." Uhtred argues.
"Uhtred, you are his man. You more than anyone will bring about his dream of an England. Alfred's wish is for Guthred to become the one true lord of the north, and you will make that happen." Aethelwold rebukes. "I say it as I now see it." He finished.
"You have shit in your eye." Uhtred quips.
"I see it as a king would see it." Aethelwold finishes the conversation with that comment.
Finishing my soup and ale I rest my chin on my palm as I listen to the ongoing conversations around me that I am not a part of. Although I am bound to Uhtred, I had shared basically everything about myself to Finan and Uhtred all those months ago that we spent on the sea.
I also had nothing in common with anyone here. I was a needle in a haystack that stood out like a saw thumb. I lived a whole other life that they could not even begin to imagine. I felt once again out of sorts.
'Why was I here? What purpose does it serve.' I sigh, my mind pondering the possibilities of why I was brought here.
"Lord, who is the new lady you've brought with you." A voice with a thick Danish accent calls over the chattering voices.
"You could just ask me yourself." I yawn.
"Sorry Lady." He apologises. I cock a brow. He was a nervous fellow yet he dressed like a warrior.
"My name is Y/n. I was a slave alongside Uhtred and Finan." I reply, turning to face the man. "Who might you be?"
"My name is Sihtric Kjartanson, lady." At his name my eyes widen in realisation of the relation this man shared with the current lord of Dunholm.
When I told the boys my full name on the ship they gave me a funny look at my last name unable to comprehend the reasoning behind it. They then explained how their naming system worked hence why I spun in my seat to look at Uhtred.
Uhtred nods confirming my thoughts. "I'm Kjartans bastard, and sworn to Uhtred. You've nothing to fear from me, Lady." Replies the man now named Sihtric.
"Forgive me it was not fear I felt, more confusion, but if Uhtred trusts you then I will as well." I say to the man offering a smile.
"Do you want more soup, Y/n?" Hilda's voice calls out.
"Oh no I don't think I could stomach anymore, thank you Hild." I dismissed it.
"It is good to see you eating, I was starting to worry." Uhtred comments. "I have no doubt you'll have the strength to kill your first man in a few days' time." I tightly smile at this comment reaching for my cup of ale to hide the discomfort brought on by the thought of killing a man.
Uhtred is then called away by Guthred to speak. With the declaration that Guthred would write to Alfred saying he's instructed Uhtred to go fight at Dunholm our path ahead laid set in stone.
In four days time I would fight at the battle of Dunholm where I'll be expected to kill and take my first life.
~~~
To Be Continued
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
