iii. the saxon man

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Angrboda walked next to Sihtric as her brother held a Saxon by his neck and shoved him to the group of Danes. She was thankful for Sihtric's help, he had finished digging the grave for her and helped her perform the ritual to grant Bloodhair the way to Valhalla. It was the least she could do for her big brother.

"We have a message from Mercia." Bloodhair announced and Cnut turned to him. She and the beast stood with Sihtric as they watched, she didn't like being front and center. She preferred the shadows.

"What's this?"

"We have a message from the Dane-slayer."

"Uhtred, sent you?" Brida asked in doubt.

"He did, lady." The Saxon man spoke.

"And his message is what?" Cnut questioned as he placed a hand on Brida's shoulder.

"He says he will come for you, lord. For all of you, in the night, as a shadow walker. He says you will die, as Ragnar died. He says he will send you all to Niflheim." The Saxon spoke with fear and Angrboda tilted her head as she watched Sihtric for any kind of reaction. He turned away from her brother and faced Sihtric, the Dane looked at her hands waiting for what she wished to speak.

"You never betrayed him, did you? This was all a scheme to retrieve Skade."

She felt her lips twitch and fought the urge to smirk, Sihtric noticed and reached out to hold her wrists with a subtle nod. To anyone else, it would look like he was terrified of her gaze and not that he had just revealed his and Uhtred's grand plan.

"I say, let him come." Bloodhair speaks loudly and looks around him, he pauses when he witnesses Sihtric holding his sister's hands in his, and he grits his teeth in anger.

"Yes."

"Feed his guts to Odin's ravens." Skade snarled as she looked at Bloodhair. Skade watched the interaction between Sihtric and the mute witch, she felt threatened by the woman and her gift.

"I'll make a sacrifice of the Saxon bastard." And his Dane, Bloodhair thought as he watched Sihtric with a glare.

"You should have done that at Fearnham." Hæsten spoke but not loud enough as he looked away. Angrboda moved closer to Sihtric as she felt the growing tension that would lead to her brother's death.

"I hear a rat's wheeze." She hid her amused smile by looking at Bjarki.

"I said, if you wished to make a sacrifice of Uhtred, you should have done it at Fearnham, but you chose to run." Hæsten snarled as Skade watched smugly.

"Hæsten, no." Cnut ordered.

"Mind how you speak."

"Oh, you fled, did you not run away?" Hæsten taunted. She reached out to grab Sihtric's wrist with nervousness, she felt him lean against her to give her a subtle show of comfort.

"Bloodhair, say nothing." Cnut demanded and then looked at Angrboda for help.

"I lost men in battle. You were fool enough to lose men in a fortress." Bloodhair snapped at the blonde. She moved to her brother and placed a hand on his chest to nudge him back, he did so without complaint but they both knew he wasn't done.

"Though, I managed to keep hold of my woman." Hæsten spoke smugly and looked at Angrboda lustfully making Bloodhair even angrier.

"Shut your mouth!"

"Shall I show you how I bed her?" Hæsten placed his hands on Skade's shoulders as she just smirked.

"Shut your mouth!" Hæsten chuckled.

"Don't, brother. He is goading you into a fight, this is her doing."

Bloodhair looked at her with a frown and placed a hand on her waist to push her back to Sihtric's side. He knew that the man wouldn't let any harm come to her if the glare sent Hæsten's way was anything to go by.

"Stay with Sihtric, my little giantess." Bloodhair said and kissed her forehead. The look he gave Sihtric would have killed him if he were a seer, but the younger boy nodded in understanding.

"Come on, come on Bloodhair! I'll be gentle, come to Hæsten. And I will whelp some pups on you." Hæsten taunted purposely humiliating the man.

"We make the square, you and I!" Bloodhair demanded and she felt her hands begin to shake, Sihtric noticed and gently cradled them in his own.

"Bloodhair, no! Enough of this!" Cnut shouted.

"Do you want me to hump you in the square, Bloodhair?"

"We fight! We fight now!" She glanced at Sihtric and nodded toward Bloodhair, the boy understood and moved forward to grab Bloodhair.

"If this is what you want, then yes." Sihtric grabbed Bloodhair when he unsheathed his sword and Dagfinn grabbed Hæsten.

"Fight me!"

"Hæsten, no more!" Cnut shouted as he watched the two men.

"I'll cut your heart from your chest!" Bloodhair threatened in Sihtric's hold.

"Prepare."

"I'm ready! I'm ready!" Bloodhair snarls and cuts the throat of the Saxon man.

"We will make the square, then." Cnut said defeated and he tossed his hands up.

Angrboda enters Bloodhair's tent once she sees Skade leave him. Bloodhair smiles at her sadly when she frowns, she reaches for him and is delighted when he pulls her into his embrace. If he was to die, she wanted him to hold her one last time. She felt her tears stream down her cheeks and quickly wiped them away, it just made it worse by smearing the liquid.

She felt him pull away and fought against her instincts to pull him close again, Bloodhair used his hand to wipe away her tears as best as he could. The blood she cried joined the dried crimson already on his hands as he gently wiped them away.

"Do not cry, little sister. I will win, I promise." Angrboda reached out to clutch his armor and sobbed against it, a sick part of her wanted to bleed herself dry if it would guarantee her brother would live. But he would never know how much this knowledge tore her up inside.

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