They had been traveling for a day. Sihtric not bothering to hide his feelings much longer as he was always by her side now. She had saved his life, in more ways than one. They spent their nights stealing kisses and promises of a better life. But this night he didn't come to her, instead she could hear them all talking around the fire.
"You still want to marry her? Are you sure?" Uhtred asked and it was only when she heard Sihtric say yes she felt the final piece of her heart break. After everything, he still wanted Ealhswith back home.
"So, do I have your permission?" He asked excitedly, he needed a Lords blessing to marry and Uhtred would never say no to his loyal friend.
"Of course, you idiot." Sigyn watched as the men laughed and joked around the fire, celebrating the engagement and she made her mind up. She couldn't stay here and watch Sihtric marry another.
She had never changed so quickly, strapping her sword and dagger to her belt as she abandoned the camp. She had managed to leave through the back of her tent and find cover in the woods. She had no idea where she would go, or what she would do. But maybe it's best if she remained alone. That way no one else could cause her pain.
If only she had stayed five more minutes, she would have known the truth. Instead, she was long gone by the time Sihtric found her tents empty and his own heart broken. The proposal was for her, it was always for her.
The roads were long and lonely, traveling from town to town to earn her riches. By the time she had reached Cent she was extremely wealthy. A year had passed. She had even attracted the eye of the Lord from there. Maybe this was her life now, living life as a Lady and ruling over her own land. She hadn't only collected her fortune, but more warriors who would follow her anywhere. She had her own personal guard of around sixty women, and forty men. They helped to bring peace to Cent and stop the fighting between the towns folk and helped to distribute the food fairly and evenly. Which caught the eye of the Lord even more. He was younger than most but had a fully grown daughter. A daughter who hated Sigyn with every fibre of her being because she saw how infatuated her father was with her.
"Lady Sigyn. Lord Gregor would like to invite you to dine with him tonight." One of the guards had presented her with this message and she considered it. Knowing this place would be the perfect settlement to grow her army until she could claim other land, like she wished. She simply nodded; a dinner wouldn't cause her so much discomfort hopefully.
When the same guard came to escort her to the keep for lunch, she had worn a dress, but the dress was covered in armour and a dagger was concealed against her thigh. She would never go anywhere unprotected. She was brought into the grand hall, greeted respectfully and presented with the finest foods and wines that Cent had to offer.
"I've been watching you for a while now. The way you are loved by the townspeople. I have a proposal for you." Gregor was already getting to business, she had barely started to eat so she washed down the food with the wine so she could respond.
"And what is that? Lord Gregor?" She asked curiously, cutting up some of the bellied pork on her plate. She knew he was watching her, she could feel his eyes on her but she didn't let it bother her. There was only one person who could impact her with just a stare and she had no idea where he was.
"I know I may be older than you would wish. But I still have plenty of years ahead of me. I wish for a new wife. She needs to be someone loved by the town's folk. And you are possibly one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen." He was clearly a charmer, she simply smiled his way before using her napkin to clean her lips.
"You wish for a Dane as a wife?" She asked him curiously, he knew who she was and he didn't seem to care but this would cause issues in other towns if they heard about this arrangement.
"I would marry anyone if they looked like you, regardless of status." He grinned, thankfully he had all of his teeth. He raised his cup close to hers. "So, do we have an arrangement?"
She truly thought about it for a moment, before allowing her cup to tap against his. "I agree, but I want to be ruler here once you are gone. My Lord." Her eye lashes were fluttering at him, and he was already under her spell.
"Let me fetch a priest." She wasn't expecting the service to happen so quickly but it would mean less time having to pretend to be the perfect wife, so she nodded her head. As he ran off to find a guard to fetch them a priest she swallowed the rest of her wine – quickly. Followed by three more cups before the priest had finally arrived.
The service was small and sweet, only Sigyn, Gregor, the priest and several guards present so they could witness the marriage. But as soon as it was over the way Gregor looked at her now turned her stomach. She knew what was expected of her, as a wife. And the thought of anyone's hands on her made her tremble but she followed him to his room anyway.
He was quick to close the door, thankfully he hadn't asked for a bedding ceremony because she truly didn't understand the reasoning behind it. He filled two cups of wine and passed her one, sensing she was a little nervous.
"My apologies my lord. It has been a while." She admitted and swallowed the wine quickly. She was only prepared to dine with the man. Now she was in his chambers as his wife. He nodded his head, signalling for her to sit on the bed and when she did he sat beside her. His chapped lips kissing against her neck and already she felt the bile threatening to rise.
He was rather large, so he had her pinned against the bed with little to no effort. His lips never leaving her neck as she tried to play the role of happy wife. But when she didn't react the way he wished she was caught off guard by a punch to her face, her lip splitting instantly as his hand now moved to her throat and he started to choke her.
"You will do as I wish! You are now my wife. Now act like it." Gregor growled out loud, choking her harder but he was reckless. She had reached for the dagger concealed between her thighs and instantly the dagger was shoved deep into his stomach and when he fell off her she gasped for her breath. Climbing onto his lap and repeatedly stabbing his chest over and over until he was long gone. It was probably the shortest marriage in history, but she would never let a man treat her like this.
She left his chambers covered in blood, the guards running back to the room and shouting for her arrest before her army came to her aid. The guards were slain, her men now positioned on the walls as guards and Sigyn was now the lady of Cent. She allowed Gregor's daughter to leave with her life and the towns people thrived under Sigyn's reign.
Weeks passed, various lords sending letters to beg for mercy or for her oath she would not attack them. Thankfully Sigyn was one of the few Danes who had learned to read and write. But it was the one letter that arrived from the new Lord of Bebbanburg that caught her eye. He had requested an audience and of course she had expected it to be Uhtred. She could maybe see Sihtric again. Her heart was fluttering at the thought as she replied inviting the new Lord to Cent.
The horn alerted her to the arrival, she had dressed up for the occasion and made sure she looked breathless as she went to the keep to greet the lord of Bebbanburg. But to her shock it wasn't Uhtred, it was someone she hadn't heard of called Wihtgar. She shook his hand anyway and invited him to sit. Her men guarding the hall as she sat on her throne.
"Tell me, what brings you here today?" She finally asked, hating the way his was staring at her. He was another weasel; she could sense it.
"I was attacked a few months ago, my father brutally murdered in our home. I just ask for your protection. The men will try another attack." He was practically begging her, and it made her uneasy at how weak he presented himself.
"Why would I do this? What could you offer me?" She now sipped some of her drink, she had been done with this conversation before it even started. Especially now she knew it meant she wouldn't see Sihtric.
"I heard about your late husband. A woman shouldn't be left alone without a man, so I propose we combine our houses. You could be Lady of Bebbanburg and Cent." His words made her laugh softly, has he really expected her hand in marriage? For land that wasn't even his to offer.
"I would not be Lady of Bebbanburg because you are not the true Lord. I do not know who you are, I simply do not care. But I will make you a promise today, I will see you again. I will help the true Lord of Bebbanburg reclaim his home. I will help Uhtred and his men." She could see the fear in his eyes, he had no idea this many people knew of Uhtred or his birth right.
"I suppose you would be a good replacement for the man that I killed." Her heart sank, quickly gathering her composure with a small roll of her eyes.
"You couldn't even murder a child." She stood from her chair now, signalling for her men to open the doors because she was done with this meeting. "If you did kill one of his men, who was it?"
"It was his priest. But the intended target was his son." Finally, some relief, but then she suddenly thought of Osferth. Her dagger was soon pressed against the weasels throat and he practically cried for help. "He was old! He would have died anyway!" The news of Father Beocca's death would have broken Uhtred and his men, she dropped her blade and threw Wihtgar towards the doors so he could leave.
"Bjorn. I need you to find Uhtred and his men for me. I need to go help them." And almost like the Gods had decided to be in her favour a letter had arrived. Usually Mercian politics wouldn't bother her but she had made connections and promises to Uhtred's allies. Mercia was under attack, and they were asking for aid. Sigyn knew that eventually Uhtred would arrive if he wasn't there already. "Change of plans, ready the men. We march to Mercia."
Sigyn left Cent with eighty of her swords sworn to her, leaving some behind to protect the town and the people and then they left to provide aid to the Mercians. It took over a day before they arrived to Aegelesburg. But when they arrived the town was empty, dead bodies littering the streets and although Sigyn was a Dane from birth she truly hated how brutal they could be. They had murdered anyone and everyone. They started searching the bodies for survivors.
They soon heard horses in the distance and they all had their weapons at the ready, there was some shouting before she heard the distinctive Irish accent she had loved and loathed.
"What brings you here? Well, answer me!" Finan shouted from his horse and Sigyn had pushed herself through the crowd until she was stood at the front. She watched all of their reactions to her, some seemed happier than others but when she saw Sihtric she felt her stomach tense.
"We received a letter from Lady Aethelflaed, she needed assistance. Cent answered. But we were too late, we are looking for survivors." She could see Osferth with two redheads in a cart and she already knew who they belonged to. War was coming again.
"A lady of Cent? And your husband?" Sihtric spoke and there was such betrayal in his voice. Even though he was the one who was going to marry another.
"Dead. Killed on our wedding night. I'm sorry about Bebbanburg. The new lord came begging for my protection. I threw him out on his ass." She admitted and all of them seemed to be defeated by her words. "I have yet to see Lady Aethelflaed. I assume she has taken sanctuary somewhere."
Sigyn ordered her men to follow and guard Uhtred and the cart as they made their way further in land. Sihtric seemed to abandon his horse so he could walk beside her. Eager to be in her presence again.
"Where did you go that night? I think you broke everyone's heart when we realised you were gone." He was nervously playing with the cuff around his arm, not quite ready to look at her so closely just yet.
"I was waiting for you, I overheard you asking Uhtred to marry Ealhswith. I couldn't stand by and watch that. I guess I'm not as strong as you thought." They continued to follow the men through the town, ignoring the horrors that surrounded them. But Sihtric laughed softly, not the reaction she was expecting.