⚠️TW: Gisela dies⚠️
Peace had lasted for four years, and in that time, Liv and Finan had welcomed a child; a daughter. They named her Sigrid, after Liv's grandmother.
"A good morning Lord?" Came from Osferth as he saw Uhtred walking, as he looked at his daughter, "Ready the horses. We leave at night fall." He told the young Monk, who nodded his head, as Sihtric got into trouble with his wife, for wanting to go to battle. Liv was braiding her daughter's hair, the locks unruly like her mother, but dark like her father, she truly was a mix of them both.
"We will be back soon, and you will be good for Hild, you will be safe. I will see you soon, my little warrior." Liv spoke, kissing her daughter's head, before she left, mounting Arlo, who was next to Finan's horse.
Finan then came and said his goodbyes to their daughter, before he mounted his horse, before they left for Alwetun. Once they arrived, they reached Alton and Osferth was being made to distract the Danes which were camped outside the front of the church, who all laughed at him, "Who are you? What do you want?" One of them asked him, as he held his hands in front of him, "I would like you all to surrender or I will smite you." Osferth answered, as the Dane who originally spoke, spoke up again, "Smite? What is smite?" He asked, Osferth who answered, "Well it's a word, isn't it?" He asked, genuinely not believing how stupid these Danes were, he was glad, at least, that Uhtred, Thyra, Sihtric, Gisela and Liv weren't this stupid, "A word from the Holy Book. It means slay or kill. I will kill you." He finished, as the guards laughed at him, not believing that a monk with a sword was anything dangerous.
"Smite." Osferth muttered, looking over his shoulder, as Finan and Uhtred shared amused smiles from where they were hiding, "You will smite all of us?" The same guard asked, as Osferth nodded, "Yeah, most. Some of you might run away, hopefully." He added quietly, as the guards stepped closer to him.
"I've got, I've got a sword. A very sharp sword. But I'd prefer it if you'd surrender." He spoke, hoping that Uhtred and the others would come out soon, otherwise he would be a dead monk.
Sihtric launched a knife at one of the Danes, before Liv threw her chakram, watching as it lodged itself in the throat of one of the warriors, the fighting was soon done, Liv grabbing her chakram, cleaning it on her pants, before Finan looked through the window of the church, seeing Skade, and a strung up monk. "Haesten says she is of the devil." Uhtred spoke, as Finan leaned against the bricks, "Then it might be an idea to bar the door and burn the place down." He said, as Osferth nodded in agreement, "To Bloodhair, she will be priceless." Uhtred told them, as he used his sword to open the door, entering the church.
They entered seeing dead priests, Finan gripped his cross, as they looked upon the blonde witch named Skade, "You are Skade?" Uhtred asked her, before her guard unsheathed his sword, as Uhtred pointed his finger at him, "You! You will do nothing except go to your lord. You will tell him that Uhtred of Bebbnaburg has his witch." He ordered, before Skade spoke, as she stepped forward, a heart in her hand.
"I knew it was you." She spoke, her eyes never leaving his face, as Uhtred kept his eyes on her, "There will be a ransom." He said, before Skade spoke once more, "No. You willl go to my lord and you will tell him that from this moment forth, Uhtred of Bebbanburg is cursed. The witch holds his heart in her hands and she will squeeze it and break it." She spoke, as she squeezed the heart in her hand, before letting it drop to the floor with a squelching thud. She ordered her guard to go, before she stalked towards Uhtred like a predator stalking its prey, "It is you who is my prisoner now, Uhtred." She spoke, as Uhtred remained where he was, "Seize her." He spoke, his voice calm as though, he hadn't been threatened a few seconds ago, as Liv felt a sick feeling rise in her stomach, Gisela was Uhtred's heart, just as she and Sigrid were Finan's.
"I said seize her, Sihtric. Now, bind her hands." Uhtred spoke, his voice sharp, as Sihtric and Finan moved to bind her, "I have aligned myself with the three spinners of fate and taken hold of your life." She said, as Sihtric bound her, "You belong to me now." She added, as Uhtred ordered for her to be gagged, "Your path is the path I choose for you, Uhtred Ragnarson, and your spirit is mine to torment." She told him, before Finan gagged her, "Cover her eyes." Uhtred ordered, as Finan slapped his hand over her eyes, "We take her with us to Ascengum." He said, as they left the church, taking Skade with them.
They were almost at Ascengum, when Uhtred stopped, as his men rode towards the burh, "I think she may have got herself inside his head." Finan spoke up quietly, "He should kill her and be done with it." The Irishman said, before Sihtric spoke up, clearly disagreeing, "That will not kill the curse." He said, before Osferth spoke up, "There is no curse." The monk said, as Sihtric and Liv looked at him from the corner of their eyes, "And if I say there no Christian God, does that make it so?" Liv asked her friend, "There is no curse, Sihtric, Liv." Osferth answered, before Sihtric retorted, "I have seen women throw a curse and the next day a man is dead." Finan decided to butt in, having had enough talk of curses, "Right, that is enough talking. To speak of it, makes it stronger." He said, as they rode into the burh.
Finan, Liv and Uhtred were in the witan, discussing Bloodhair, when Alfred made the request of wanting to see the witch, as they nodded, as Finan and Sigrid left to join the others by one of the fires, as Uhtred took Alfred to where Skade was. "I feel uneasy, I do not trust that Bloodhair will not attack, or starve us out." She muttered, before she began muttering a prayer to the gods, as Finan grasped her hand.
Uhtred allowed Skade to scream, as he stood with Osferth, Sihtric, Finan and Sigrid, when Aethelwold approached, and told them of why Siggrybrit wanted to kill Edward, when Liv touched her stomach, feeling a strange feeling in her belly. "Liv?" Osferth asked, as he stepped towards the shieldmaiden who quickly wiped her nose, "It is nothing, it is unimportant." She murmured, knowing Finan would only worry, as Sihtric looked at her, Skade had not cursed Uhtred, she had cursed his daughter, his heir to Bebbanburg should he ever retake it.
Finan left for Fearnham, as the others left, to draw Bloodhair and his men towards the Mercian army, as Liv rode Arlo next to Sihtric who kept an eye on her, as Finan was looking for the Mercian army. He knew Sihtric and Uhtred would let nothing happen to her.
They reached Fearnham, but Finan and the Mercian's were not, as Sihtric spoke up, "Perhaps Finan didn't make it." He said, as Liv shook her head, as she saw Finan, as she raised her sword with the others, as Finan did the same. They quickly reunited, before forming a shield wall, as they battled, unaware that Gisela was giving birth at this moment to Uhtred's second son.
The Wessex army formed their own shield wall, as Bloodhair and his army were surrounded on all sides, before he escaped, leaving his men to die, as he ran away. Liv and Finan were fighting back to back.
After the battle, they returned to Winchester victorious, but it wouldn't last long as Hild looked at him, before she pulled him into a hug, telling him what had happened, before she handed his son to him, "She named him Osbert." She spoke, her voice soft, before Liv saw Sigrid, who ran to her mother and father, who pulled their daughter into a hug.
Later that evening, Uhtred had dug up Gisela, and burned her, in their custom. Following Uhtred's decision to burn Gisela on a pyre, he had been summoned to Alfred, where he had struck and killed Brother Godwin, who had called Gisela a whore, his children bastards and had also insulted his niece.
Now, Uhtred was inside his home, his sister Thyra was in the home she shared with Beocca, whilst Liv was sat with her father, as she held her sister, Stiorra, singing her a Danish lullaby. Outside was a different matter.
Steapa and a guard had come for Uhtred, "Uhtred!" Steapa yelled, before Finan shushed him, "I told you, big man, he's resting." Finan spoke, trying to keep the piece, when Steapa spoke again, "Uhtred, do not make me fire the house! That is what I will do" He threatened, as Finan glared at him, "Steapa, do not make me kill you first, that is what I will do." Finan threatened, glaring at Alfred's enforcer. "Uhtred, do not make me step on your Irishman! For that is what I will do!" Steapa rebutted, before Hild appeared.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, stop behaving like children." The abbess spoke, as she pushed between them, as she stopped briefly at Finan, "You are goading him." She scolded Finan, who sent her a grin, "I was, Hild. And enjoying it." He spoke, watching as she walked into Uhtred's home. "So the Abbess may enter, but I may not?" Steapa questioned, as Liv left the home, coming to stand next to Finan, "They're afraid of the Abbess." She spoke, earning a laugh from all the men surrounding them.
Beocca had soon arrived, and had managed to get Uhtred to go and see the King, where he was outlawed, he and his men soon left, Uhtred leaving his sons and youngest daughter, and Liv leaving her daughter behind. One way or another she vowed that she would kill Skade.
(Hey guys!! Sorry for just abandoning my books. My nan passed away two weeks ago, tuesday was her funeral, so I've been really trying to just wrap my head around alot of changes. Updates will be slow, but they will be there.)