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Hæsten orders both women on a horse to blindside Uhtred and his men like the coward he is. Once they reach the field she and Skade ride to the sidelines to watch the fight, she was not worried. She knew they would succeed.

"Surround them! Give them no escape and then we'll kill every last one of the bastards!" Hæsten shouts as his men cheer. "Give up Uhtred and the rest of you will live. All I want is the Dane-slayer!"

"What you will get Hæsten, is my sword up your hairy arse!" Finan shouted and Sigrún laughed quietly.

"As you wish. You will die on your knees. I want the head of Uhtred Ragnarsson!" Hæsten shouts as they close in, she feels Seidr's unease causing her to search for Sihtric, and grows relieved when she spots the Dane.

"Turn the fields red with Saxon blood and flesh!" Skade shouts bloodthirsty and even Hæsten looks terrified.

"Seriously, do you have to be this irritating?" She asked the blonde.

"Stand! Every man is to stand! Dagfinn! Everyman is to stand!" Hæsten shouts with worry as an army emerges from the trees.

"It's Alfred, he lives." Skade says as she grows tense, Sigrún gives her a smug smile.

"Looks like you don't know everything." Skade scowls at the dark-haired girl.

"Stand! Everyman is to stand! Stand!" Skade inhaled sharply when she and Uhtred locked eyes, Skade looked at Hæsten before attempting to escape, but it did her no good as Hæsten knocked her out. Hæsten looks at her and she holds her hand up in surrender.

"I quite like being conscious." After a day of travel, they reach the camp, Hæsten roughly pulls Skade off her horse and into the mud. She laughed at the grunt of displeasure from the seer, she smirked at Bloodhair when he glared.

"Lord Hæsten, my friend." Cnut looked over at her in curiosity.

"Cnut," Hæsten walks to the table for some ale. "Point your cock somewhere else, Bloodhair. The woman is mine, make no mistake." Hæsten threatened Bloodhair.

"What has happened?" Cnut asked.

"I have lost everything, bar what you see."

"You've lost more than half your men." Bloodhair stated.

"And my man, Dagfinn."

"How?"

"He's always been a failure of a Dane, that's a known fact." Sigrún said as she crossed her arms in boredom.

"Alfred lives, that is how they came at night, in their thousands." Hæsten says distraught at his loss, ignoring her.

"He lives?" Aethelwold questioned in shock.

"And Uhtred is with him."

"Who says Alfred lives?" Aethelwold questioned.

"I say. I saw him on horseback, as strong as he has ever been."

"That is nonsense. It must be."

"He lives! And half my men do not!" Hæsten shouted as he stood up in anger.

"If Uhtred is with Alfred, then it is over before it has begun." Aethelwold said defeated.

"Nothing is over. Nothing is over! We are strong still!" Cnut demanded.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked purposefully goading him.

"How'd you come by Skade and her?" Bloodhair asked looking at them.

"They're not important."

"Hæsten spared Uhtred." Skade taunted as she moved to lean against Sigrún.

"You will shut your mouth!" Hæsten demanded.

"It's true."

"We do not care." Cnut spoke and Skade continued.

"He could have easily killed Uhtred and the princess, but instead, he desired me. He thinks with his cock." Bloodhair chuckled. And Sigrún shoved the blonde over when she got a little too handsy.

"You find that amusing, Bloodhair?" Hæsten questioned.

"I've missed her sharp tongue."

"She is mine. I will lose nothing more." Hæsten ordered.

"We are meant to be one army. Hæsten, you will rest. Then the three of us shall sit and decide how we are to proceed. A war council." Cnut claimed.

"You mean the four of us?" Aethelwold says.

"Aethelwold, another word from you, and I shall take your head." Cnut snapped as he walked past the boy.

"Very well." The boy mumbled softly. The two women sat far from the table as the men spoke of war. She reached into her pouch took out a vile of blood and uncapped it.

"Why do you have blood? And who does that belong to?" Skade whispered leaning against her.

"For visions. This is Sihtric's, I also a vile for you and Uhtred." Skade's eyes lit up at the news.

"I am important to you." She stated.

"No, I just like to know the whereabouts of everyone." Sigrún answered and downed Sihtric's blood, she clutched her head in pain and Skade moved her head to lay on the blonde's shoulder, making it seem as if she had fallen asleep.

Sigrún walked through the fog surrounding her and emerged into a hall, Aethelflæd's hall. She watched as Sihtric and Uhtred fought, Finan moved between the two but couldn't seem to talk them down.

"You have cursed us all!"

Sigrún ignored the surge of arousal at Sihtric's voice, she watched as he swallowed in anger, she desperately wanted to mark his throat and claim him as hers.

She quickly shook away the thoughts and focused on the man, she followed him as he grabbed the keys to the prisoner's cage. Seidr turned her direction and let out a soft sound similar to a purr, he knew when his mother was near. Sihtric ignored the fearful looks of the prisoners as they saw the snake and instead smiled when he felt Sigrún's presence.

"We will join your mother soon, little one." Sihtric whispered to the snake and leaned down to kiss its head.

She is going to ride him the moment she had the chance.

Sigrún groaned in pain as she was pulled from the vision and reluctantly allowed Skade to rub her head to soothe her, it did feel nice after all.

"You abandoned your fortress and your men abandoned you." Bloodhair taunted.

"Some."

"You fell into Alfred's trap." Bloodhair spoke and looked over at them, he wouldn't deny that the two women looked deadly together.

"I was told that Alfred was dead, by your messenger." Hæsten explained as if it wasn't his pride that ruined him.

"The trap was Uhtred's. Alfred brought his armies to Beamfleot because that is what Uhtred asked of him. Alfred will die soon enough, but Uhtred we want dead. He should have died at Dunholm, but Ragnar was weak. If we are to make Wessex ours, we must rid it of its talisman. Uhtred of Bebbanburg must die."

"You will not kill Uhtred. I can tell you that now." Sigrún said quietly, but she was ignored.

"The days are short. We've been weakened and Ragnar's death is an omen. Wessex must wait."

"Aethelwold, you will return to Winchester." Cnut said.

"I cannot. I will not. For what reason?"

"Your king promised to deliver us a Saxon army." Cnut clarified.

"Once Alfred is dead, yes. Æthelred is ripe for betrayal, as are many men of Wessex. But as a corpse, I can do nothing. Alfred would kill me." Aethelwold explained frantically.

"You will ask for forgiveness."

"And I will be ignored." Aethelwold backed up.

"Then you will beg! You will deliver me a Saxon army and if Uhtred has joined Alfred at Winchester, you will kill him." Cnut shouted.

"I will kill him, how?"

"As you killed Ragnar."

"Lord..." Aethelwold begged.

"He wouldn't have the balls." Hæsten said and smirked at the boy.

"Lord Cnut, you must learn to hold your tongue." Aethelwold said.

"This fool killed Ragnar?" Bloodhair questioned.

"Cnut is joking with you."

"While he slept." Cnut answered.

"He was not sleeping! It was either he died or I died. I am no fool."

"This goes no further than this table."

"Are you part of this?" Bloodhair asked.

"I am no longer concerned by his death." Cnut said instead.

"You wish to lead?"

"Ragnar should have never allowed Uhtred to live. He should never have allowed him to leave with your woman." Cnut spoke playing to Bloodhair's ego and pride.

"Who is now my woman." Hæsten added.

"Who will take Ragnar's men?" Skade asked.

"Ragnar's men belong to Brida. They merely await her return. Aethelwold, you will leave tomorrow" Cnut ordered as they were.

"So, I am journeying to Wessex, to become a corpse, and from my grave, I am to raise an army. And kill the greatest warrior in the land?" Aethelwold scoffed at the mission.