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CHAPTER VIII:

✧. ⋆ lady wolf

     𝕬 DELEGATION HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THEM AT THE PALACE THAT MORNING. Eldrid felt a little uneasy having so many unfriendly eyes on her. But now that they had left the city far behind them, she was finally starting to breathe a little easier. Though the words of the king still haunted her thoughts, the prospect of seeing her brother and her men made her feel a lot better. Soon, she'd be amongst her own people again. She had her fill of Saxons for a while.

Green hills stretched out around them as far as the eye could see. A soft breeze made the grass sway and tugged at her long, unbound hair. Eldrid would've been perfectly content with the wind and the hooves of their horses as the only sounds to keep them company. Sadly, the king's nephew Aethelwold decided to open his mouth.

"When will we have sight of Eoferwic? I have never ridden for so long nor so far."

"Have you a sore arse, Lord?" Steapa asked, causing a few soldiers to laugh. None of them had been very pleased with Alfred's decision to send his nephew to speak for him. As they were all very fond of reminding him at every possible opportunity; he was a turd.

"I have a sore everything," Aethelwold continued, either ignoring or missing the mocking tone of the question. "I need a woman to rub and bathe me."

"You should've brought more silver then," Eldrid spoke through gritted teeth.

Behind her, Finan chuckled, but he quickly managed to mask it with a cough when Aethelwold glared at him. Though the mischievous sparkle within his eyes did not fade. In fact, it only seemed to become brighter when he noticed Eldrid looking at him.

"We will be stopping soon enough," Uhtred said calmly.

"At Eoferwic?" Beocca asked. The fact that he needed to ask at all was enough indication of the answer he expected to get.

"We ride first for Loidis."

"What awaits us at Loidis?" Aethelwold asked skeptically.

Uhtred and Ragnar looked at each other, before the latter replied: "We shall see."

Eldrid couldn't hold back a smile. Despite the king's orders, Uhtred clearly hadn't forgotten his blood feud. Which was a good sign. She'd been right to trust his anger at Kjartan was as fierce as her own. They wouldn't rest until he was sent to Helheim.

"Need I remind you, that first and foremost our purpose here is the King's business," Beocca pressed.

"Nothing has changed but our path, Beocca," Uhtred reassured him.

"We shall see."

They rode for most of the day, only stopping once to feed the horses. Pretty soon, Eldrid learned to ignore Aethelwold's complaining. She found his voice blended perfectly with the noises of the insects hiding in the grass. Instead, she kept close to Hild, enjoying the company of the warrior nun more with each passing day. Though she would never admit such a thing out loud.

"What did the king want to speak with you about?" Hild asked as they descended another hill. "Or do you not wish to tell me?"

Her eyes scoured the horizon as if she would somehow find the words to describe king Alfred's offer written among the clouds. "I was told to either fight for him or be forcefully removed from his lands." She looked at the nun. "More or less."

Hild frowned, many thoughts seemed to pass through her mind before she replied. "I expected as much. Steapa will have told him of your skill. You're valuable to him."

"I do not wish to be valuable to him," she sneered. Then took a measured breath to calm herself. "He seems to believe that me helping to free Uhtred was an act of rebellion against my people. But he's wrong. It was an act of service to Ragnar."

"So, if we do manage to kill Kjartan, your only options are to either join him or fight him," Hild concluded.

"It would seem so." Eldrid straightened her shoulders. "But I have a third option."

Hild raised a brow. "Which is?"

Her features hardened. "As soon as my blood feud with Kjartan is settled I will return to Denmark. I have no interest in getting caught up in the politics of the Saxons."

For a moment it seemed as though Hild wanted to say something but she pursed her lips and remained quiet. Her silence made Eldrid shift with unease. She hated unspoken words and whispered secrets, for they always seemed to come back to haunt her somehow.

The day was coming to an end when they finally reached Loidis. It was a small village and yet its roman walls stood proud and strong. They followed the main road into the town until they were halted by two familiar figures waiting for them. With a smile Eldrid dismounted her horse and walked towards her brother.

"Glad to see the Saxons have left you in one piece," Bjorn laughed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"The King almost didn't," she said, smirking at his stunned expression.

"You brought friends?" Brida joined in. "They serve Alfred"

Eldrid turned to look at her, watching as the woman glared daggers at Ragnar.

Ragnar sighed. "Do we have men?"

Brida nodded, despite looking slightly annoyed at his avoidance of her question. "Some. This way."

They left their horses in the care of a stableboy and followed Brida into a tavern. The small room was completely packed with Danes. Her heart was set aglow at the sight of them and all of her worries about Alfred's threat finally disappeared from her mind. As soon as their presence was noticed, the entire room erupted into cheers. Fists were slammed against the table and feet were stamped against the ground. The noise washed over her like a tidal wave and embraced her with the comfort of home.

"I didn't think so many would come," Ragnar said. She couldn't remember ever seeing a bigger smile on his face. It must be such a relief to see that even after being held captive by a Saxon king, his men would still return to him.

"Ragnar!" One of the men cried out.

Immediately the room fell silent. Eldrid watched as a tall Dane with long brown hair rose from his seat. Slowly the man approached Ragnar.

"Rollo," Ragnar said with a nod.

"What makes you think we're here for you?" Rollo questioned.

He reached Ragnar and Eldrid felt herself smiling before it even happened. The men laughed when they dropped the act. The room broke out into cheers as they fell into each other's arms. Her smile transformed into a genuine laugh. This was where she belonged, with these loud and joyous people. Not in those silent and cold hallways of the Saxons.

"Drinks all around!" Ragnar shouted.

Apparently it was possible for the Danes to cheer even louder because the very ground seemed to shake upon his declaration. She grinned and then walked up to her men to greet them.

Kara stood up, her trusted white owl seated on her shoulder. "The time has finally come," her raven-haired friend said, smiling.

"It has," Eldrid said, nodding. "I trust the men are willing to join the Saxons in battle, just this once?"

Kara looked around, her smile widening as she nodded. "They are. If fighting along the Saxons is what has to be done to kill Kjartan, they will do so. They trust Ragnar and he trusts Uhtred. We will follow without complaint."

"And I thank you for it."

"Eldrid, Uhtred, over here!" Ragnar called out, He gestured for them to join him at an empty table.

She patted Kara's shoulder before walking over towards her friend and taking a seat beside him. Almost immediately a servant placed a jug of ale in front of her, which she gratefully took. Their Saxon travel party joined them at the table.

"How is the spirit amongst the men?" Ragnar asked, turning to look at Brida.

Brida took a long sip of her ale before replying: "Good. They're ready to march on Dunholm."

"There is another battle to be fought first," Uhtred said.

Brida raised a brow.

"Alfred sent me north to restore Guthred's authority. To do so we will have to face the brothers Sigefrid and Erik first."

Eldrid sighed and took a big sip of her ale. She refused to let her men die for Alfred's wishes. She ordered Bjorn to gather them here so they could march on Dunholm, not to fight the Northmen in Guthred's name.

"Guthred is seen as weak and friendless," Brida said, her voice venomous. "These men won't fight the brothers for a turd."

"We need the turd's army to take Dunholm," Uhtred pressed.

"So why not kill the Northmen, then kill the turd, take Eoferwic and its army for yourself?"

"Sounds like music to my ears," Eldrid said, earning a smirk from Brida.

"Agreed," Finan weighed in, "she's got a point."

"No, she does not have a point," Beocca snapped. "Those are the words of a traitor."

Brida simply laughed.

"I don't want Eoferwic," Ragnar spoke up, putting an end to the discussion. "All I want is Kjartan's heart on the end of my sword and to see my sister."

"We will need Guthred's army," Uhtred persisted.

"I promised these men silver and the glory of avenging your father," Brida said, turning to look at Ragnar. "Don't dishonor them by getting them killed for Guthred, the turd." Her eyes were glued to Beocca's face upon saying those last words, carefully watching his reaction. For the monk wasn't very skilled at hiding his true thoughts and feelings.

"I certainly won't dishonor my men," Eldrid added sharply. "We won't join you to fight Guthred."

"You're right," Uhtred said.

She frowned. Wasn't he the one declaring they had to fight Alfred's war?

Beocca sat up straight. "What do you mean 'she's right?'"

"Beocca they're right. These men are here for Ragnar and Eldrid, we can't ask them to die for the likes of Guthred."

"Isn't it what Danes do, fight?" Aethelwold mumbled, sounding almost bored.

"Don't speak of matters you do not understand," Eldrid hissed, glaring at him from across the table. She was growing tired of being insulted by Saxons.

The boy shifted uneasily in his seat but still managed to get his next words out. "We cannot face the brothers alone."

"Why not?"

"Finan, there is bravery and then there is stupidity," Aethelwold replied, glaring at the Irishman.

Finan ignored him. "The Northmen have a camp, do they not? Not a fortress, but an open camp?" He leaned across the table. "If it is Sigefrid and Erik we must kill, then let us just do that. We kill them while they're sleeping."

"Well, well," Eldrid said as she crossed her arms over her chest, eyes examining his face. "Who knew Irishmen had guts after all?"

A small smirk tugged at his lips. "You know how to bite, Lady Wolf." He winked. "You should see me in battle."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that a threat?"

He faked a pained expression. "Oh no, I would never." Then he flashed her a grin. "It's an invitation."

She held his gaze, feeling tempted to give in. She refused to let her men go into battle for that turd of a Guthred, but who was to say she couldn't join herself? No matter how much she hated to admit it, Uhtred was right. They didn't have enough men to face Kjartan and Guthred was the only one who could provide them with more. After all, Uhtred had trained those men. She was certain they would much rather fight for him than for their cowardly king.

"We could use a warrior like you," Ragnar said, his signature amused smile on his face. He knew she wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. She was much too prideful for that.

"Very well," she got to her feet. "Someone has to make sure you don't get yourselves killed before we face Kjartan. I will see you at sunrise."

She made her way upstairs to a room Bjorn had prepared for her. But the night passed without her getting any sleep, she rarely did before a fight. Finan had surprised her with his plan, still it wouldn't be easy to invade a camp filled with Northmen. The brothers were exceptional warriors. They wouldn't easily be overpowered. But it was their only hope to secure an army without too much bloodshed. Her blood feud was the only thing that mattered now.

Dawn came with gray clouds and a thick curtain of rain. They set out with just their traveling party towards the camp of the brothers. Which, according to Ragnar's spies, was located in the woods north of Loidis. By the time they got there, her armor was soaked and her hair plastered to her face. They left the horses behind and continued on foot, hiding in an abandoned shed from which they could perfectly observe the camp.

Between the trees up ahead stood countless tents, spread out across a glade without much of a pattern to it. She sucked in a breath. It wouldn't be easy to find the brothers without waking up any of the others.

"I see three on watch," Uhtred whispered from her right. "The rest will be huddled inside their furs."

"There could be more, behind the tents, sitting low," Ragnar countered.

Brida shook her head. "I don't have a good feeling about this. Which tents are full and which are empty?"

"And in which tent is Sigefrid, which is Erik?" Ragnar added. "We are blind."

The rain filled the silence as each of them rattled their thoughts for the best course of action. Surprisingly to all of them, it was Aethelwold who spoke first. "Tafl. The game Tafl. The king is positioned at the center of the pieces. I would say that tent there-" he pointed towards a large white tent in the middle, "is the king."

"From any other mouth it'd make perfect sense," Finan said, the first to recover from his surprise.

"It is perfect sense," Aethelwold snapped.

Uhtred sighed. "I will go in alone."

Ragnar shook his head. "No, we go in as agreed, together."

"We cannot risk the both of us being killed."

"Yes, we can."

Uhtred turned to look at his brother. "This is for Alfred. You must save your sword for Kjartan."

Steapa stepped forward. "If it is for Alfred, I will go with you."

"And me," Finan added. "It was my bastard plan." He turned to look at her with a raised brow. "What about you, Lady Wolf?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. If she refused to join him, he might think her a coward but this fight was a risk. If she were to die here she would never be able to see her blood feud through. This wasn't the right time to stare death in the face.

"I shall have to accept your invitation another time," she told him.

"I will hold you to that." He grinned at her and she quickly looked away so the warmth that had appeared in her stomach would disappear again. She had no time for such distractions.

"And I shall wish you all the best of luck," Aethelwold said.

Eldrid looked at Hild, who simply shook her head with shared annoyance for the boy.

"If you get caught?" Brida asked.

"Do nothing," Uhtred ordered.

Ragnar scoffed, making Uhtred grip his shoulder tightly. "Ragnar, think only of our blood feud and of Thyra."

The three men reached for their weapons. Just before they set out towards the camp, Finan stopped at Steapa's side and patted his shoulder. "Hope you're light on your feet, big man."

Eldrid looked away from him before he'd see her smile and watched as they disappeared into the rain. With her fist clenched firmly around the hilt of her sword to contain her nerves, she stared through the curtain of water pouring down from the heavens.

Steapa was the first to reach one of the guards. It turned out he was indeed light on his feet because he managed to sneak up behind him and slit his throat without the guard ever noticing. On the other side of the camp, Finan took care of another, allowing Uhtred a free path towards the tent in the middle.

That was when they disappeared from her sight and she was left standing there to wait. She absolutely despised this feeling of uselessness but she knew she'd made the right choice. She had to stay alive to see her revenge through.

The silence seemed to drag on endlessly, until a high and panicked voice finally raised the alarm. A woman came running out of the tent Uhtred had entered, screaming: "Raiders! Raiders!"

Steapa knocked her down while he and Finan hurried towards the entrance of the tent, hoping to help Uhtred with whatever he was planning.

Soon enough the Northmen had appeared out of their tents, their weapons raised as they gathered around the enemies.

Then, finally, Uhtred appeared.

He had his sword against Sigefrids throat, forcing the man to his knees. He was clutching his hand and even from this distance Eldrid could see the blood. He no longer had a hand.

Beside her, Ragnar started to move but Brida managed to pull him back.

"They'll be slaughtered where they stand," Ragnar told her, breathing heavily.

"And you with them," Brida reasoned. "You save your sword for Kjartan."

The Northmen had encircled Uhtred and the others but had not yet dared to attack.

"Erik, I swear I'll kill him and be damned what follows!" Uhtred shouted.

Her heart was racing as she awaited Erik's response.

"No one is to move!" The Northman shouted. "No one! Stand still!"

"Kill him!" Sigefrid tried to shout but his voice was weak. "Kill him!"

"No one's to as much as raise their sword!" Erik ordered again. "Uhtred you will spare him!"

"Steady your men!" Uhtred shouted.

"Back! Hold!"

Eldrid hardly believed what she was witnessing. They might just be able to walk away from this...

"Uhtred, you will spare my brother. Name your price."

"Kill him, Erik!" Sigefrid shouted. "Kill him I say!"

But Erik shook his head. "Sigefrid, there will be another day! Another time! Uhtred, name your price. It will be done, I swear. I give you my word! Kill him and you kill yourself."

"Your word?" Uhtred shouted.

"I swear! Believe me." And he put down his sword.

Uhtred nodded. "You will take one ship and you will leave Northumbria. One ship! You will not return!"

"For my brother's life, this is done," Erik agreed.

A trembling breath left her lips. Slowly she was starting to understand why the Saxon raised as a Dane was such a force to be reckoned with.

―♛―

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Chapter 8 has arrived! First of all I wanted to apologise for the lack of action in this chapter. I hope it wasn't too boring. I just didn't think it would make sense for Eldrid to join in this fight. I hope you guys still enjoyed it though! I still loved writing it because the flirting between Finan and Eldrid is growing more and more intense ;)

Also I wanted to thank you all for the amount of love and attention this story has been getting recently. So many new readers are leaving comments and votes! Thank so much for all the love guys, genuinely! Your support truly keeps me going.

Hope to see you all soon,

xx Nelly