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We sat around a fire in the woods, the night sky casting shadows over our faces.
The aftermath of the battle hung heavy over us.
Uhtred and Finan had burned the bodies of Sigurd's men, but we had let Sigurd himself live as a hostage that we kept bound between two trees.
Olav was still in the pit, but right before the moon rose, I had heard the first beat of his heart return as Yggdrasil breathed life back into his body.
The men did not fear me, but Saga avoided me. She believed I had done something evil. She believed that I had played with the line between life and death unjustly.
Saga had returned to Cetreht right after Sigurd was captured, declaring she wished to tend to the horses and be with her thoughts. I did not stop her.
"Lady," Osferth cleared his throat quietly, breaking the silence of the night as he shuffled on the tree stump we sat on. "I do not know how to do this,"
Sihtric sat in front of Osferth, the side of his head shaved now, and the other side of his hair loose. He'd sustained a cut to the head so he'd shaved his hair to let Osferth clean it and apply tree sap he'd drained from a nearby tree.
"I have never braided anyone's hair before," Osferth explained quietly, "do you know how to?"
"Osferth," Sihtric sighed, shifting forward, "do not bother her. She is tired—"
"I am not," I cut him off, my voice coming out faster and louder than I intended, so I coughed, lowering it, "I am not tired. I can help."
We had eaten in silence, cleaned in silence, and thought in silence; I needed something to keep myself sane.
I always knew I was powerful, as my mother had been too, but I did not know that I had the strength to demand an exchange of souls. It was a new feeling, knowing that I could be this dangerous, but I had to accept it readily.
It helped that Uhtred and his men made sure to pretend that nothing had changed.
Osferth rose up as I did, changing places with me so I could sit behind Sihtric.
I touched Sihtric's shoulder, urging him to lean back slightly, "It is quite simple." I started to divide sections of Sihtric's hair, still damp from the short trip the men had taken to the village to bathe.
"In Wessex, most men keep their hair short," Osferth mumbled, "so there is no need to braid it. They think it is cleaner that way."
I hummed in response, taking a bit of Sihtric's hair and splitting it again into three sections, "Do Saxons not only bathe once a month? They should worry about that more than their hair."
The men around the fire snorted quietly, and Uhtred reached out to poke the fire with a stick, the small smile on his face growing visible to me.
"I think," Osferth whispered softly, "some bathe more often, but you are right."
"I am often right," I threw him a small smile, completing the first of Sihtric's braids. "Now," I turned the braid to Osferth, "do you understand how it is done?"
Orange light danced across Osferth's face as he smiled gently, "Yes, Lady, I understand."
I nodded curtly, standing up again, "Then, you will show me what you have learnt."
Osferth snorted but shuffled behind Sihtric anyway, "I can not promise good results."
"Just don't rip out any more of my hair," Sihtric groaned playfully, eyeing me as I sat down beside him in the dirt, crossing my legs. "Lady."
I rolled my eyes, "I have a name."
"I can never seem to remember it," Sihtric shot back quietly, raising his arms to rest them on his knees, a strand of grass turning between his fingers. "How are you feeling? You must be tired, despite what you say."
My heart panged slightly, and I looked down, shaking my head, "I am only tired when I use my gift without a sacrifice."
I did not need to speak the words for them to understand that I was not tired because I had sacrificed a person. They did not falter in their calmness.
"That is a relief then," Sihtric decided.
"You may still want to rest," Uhtred called out lowly, drawing my attention to him, "as soon as dawn breaks, we will ride for Bishop Auckland and find your warrior."
A single heartbeat from inside the pit sounded again, and I stilled slightly, waiting to see if more would follow. Unfortunately, there was still silence.
I cleared my throat, rotating slightly to face him and Finan, "I am amazed that you still wish to ride with me."
"Lady," Finan gruffed, "you can perform miracles. I am amazed that you want to ride with us."
"A miracle?" I repeated carefully, "You think I performed a miracle?"
"What else do you call bringing someone back to life?" Sihtric muttered softly, his hand reaching out and covering mine that lay on my knee.
I swallowed, looking down at his hand on mine, "I killed someone to do it."
A steady silence settled, and then, Uhtred sighed heavily. "Gyda, I have killed countless men, and I have never once revived one. If you are looking for someone unjust, you can point fingers at us but not yourself."
My cheeks flushed red, and a hint of a smile touched at my lips as I looked up, "You are not afraid?"
"On the contrary," Finan blurted happily, opening his arms out, "we are terrified."
"But," Sihtric rushed in quickly, grinning at me, "we are grateful to have you. To not have to mourn a friend is a rare blessing."
"Oh, yeah," Finan nodded quickly, "I meant to say that."
"If it is time to mourn a friend, you should mourn," a sharp voice spoke between the trees, and Saga emerged from the dark, the horses following behind her. "The dead should not be woken simply so we do not feel pain."
Sihtric's hand on mine tightened, and he shifted slightly despite Osferth's quiet protest as he lost his grip on a braid he was tying, moving closer to me.
"Saga, what's done is done," Uhtred spoke firmly, "be grateful for the second chance Olav will have as the rest of us are."
Saga tied off the horses to a tree, "I am grateful," she snapped, "and I am also aware that sacrificing a human is the worst thing a seer can do."
"He fell into the pit," Sihtric shot back swiftly, "she did not push him. She killed him, yes, but him being in the pit was his own doing. She could not waste the chance."
"Yes," Saga's eyes flashed as she turned back to us, "she could have. Olav would be in Valhalla now, at peace, if she had."
"You think it is selfish of me to bring him back?" I asked coolly, looking up at her.
Saga met my eyes briefly before turning away, "Olav would not have wanted this. He would have preferred to die with honour."
Anger bubbled up inside me, and I swallowed, "Olav believed that my gift was the best thing in the world,"
Saga snapped her head to me, but she said nothing as I stared up at her.
"Olav was there when my mother died, and he was there for my first vision. He has worshipped my blood tie to Freyja since that day," I continued plainly. "He sacrificed every chance he got and prayed every night. Do you really believe Olav would reject the gift of second life from the Gods after considering all this?"
I understood Saga's fear and indecisiveness, but it had to be said that she was wrong. Olav would appreciate this chance, and he would thank the Gods for deeming him worthy of another life.
Saga did not turn away from me, so I turned away from her, glancing over my shoulder at my wolves who slept beside each other.
"Olav died for Derya, I owed him a life debt," I concluded, looking over Derya's head, "I have paid my debt."
"You could have paid the life debt to Torben," Saga muttered.
"I assure you," I turned back to her, "whatever I would have given, Torben would never have compared to having his son alive with him."
Uhtred moved to the side of the tree stump he occupied, motioning to it, "Enough arguing. A good thing has been done. We should respect it. Saga, come eat with us."
"I am not hungry," Saga rolled her eyes, taking a seat beside Uhtred anyway.
"Why?" Finan quipped, a cheeky grin growing on his face, "Does your spite keep you full?"
Saga tossed something at him, and I moved my gaze away from her, relaxing as she did.
"I think I have done a good job, Lady," Osferth mused, bending Sihtric's head with a small shove, showing me the braids.
They were slightly uneven, and some were looser than others, but his effort was what counted.
Sihtric smiled softly, saying nothing, but he raised his hands over his braids, toying with the ones that were loose.
"They look excellent, Osferth," I mused, lifting myself onto my knees so I could reach Sihtric's hair easily. "It needs to be decorated now."
"Decorated?" Osferth frowned in confusion.
I dug my hand into the pouch at my hip, pulling out old beads and thread that I always carried around for my own hair. "Yes, Osferth. I will show you how."
Sihtric bent his head to my side slightly, and I took hold of one of the loose braids, weaving it through the bead and pulling it up to the top of his head. "Like this," I spoke, "it is to keep the hair in place for a few days."
Osferth watched carefully as I looped thread around the flimsiest braids, tying them again so they held their form. "A lot of patience goes into Dane braids, and I fear I am not naturally gifted at the skill."
My lips twitched up into a smile as I continued working on the rest of the braids, "It may be because you are not a Dane."
"You have done a good job though," Sihtric mumbled quietly, "thank you."
Saga ate despite her protests as Uhtred handed her bits of cooked meat, and Finan teased her. Osferth let me decorate the rest of Sihtric's braids silently, occasionally mumbling under his breath when I did something differently. A peace settled over the camp, and I found my heart was at ease, especially when Olav's heartbeats began to grow more common.
"Do you think I should grow out my hair, Lady?" Osferth blurted suddenly.
A laugh tore out of my throat before I could catch it, and both he and Sihtric turned to me, matching my smile.
"You do not think it will suit me?" Osferth grinned, raising his hand to his short hair, "Maybe you are right."
"No," I blurted, still laughing and shaking my head, "no, I think you would look great with long hair, like a true Dane."
"And I would braid it for you," Sihtric piped up, straightening out as I released his hair and shuffling to turn so he was looking at us both.
"That sounds quite nice," Osferth mused, "I can not wait."
"Osferth," Uhtred called out, "prepare the beds. We will sleep now,"
"Yes, Lord," Osferth stood, still smiling.
"Sihtric, you will take first watch," Uhtred continued, "wake me in two hours."
"Of course, Lord," Sihtric stood up as well, holding his hand out to me so I could stand too.
My eyes were drawn to the cut on the side of his head; it was not deep, but without proper care, it could become infected.
Sihtric noticed my gaze and turned his head slightly, blocking the wound from my sight. "It is a graze."
"It looks painful," I raised my hand to his chin, turning it gently, studying to cut again.
Sihtric stared down at me, a smile ghosting over his lips, "It is not."
"Who hurt you?" I mumbled, dropping my hand slowly so it rested over his heart instead.
Sihtric said nothing, but his eyes flit over to Sigurd, who was still unconscious between the trees.
I followed his line of sight, a slow sneer forming on my face, "I see."
"Do not concern yourself with him," Sihtric whispered, his hand covering mine on his chest, "he will die."
I glared at the traitor, my heart pounding with anger, "Yes... he definitely will."
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