[ Book 1 of my "The Last Kingdom" Fanfiction series]
Khaana was a rare find and a wild prized gifted to Earl Ragnar as a slave from a wealthy ruler who once considered her a prized pet.
The Danes have never laid eyes upon a Black African, and figure...
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Men gathered in the fields in the early morning, Uhtred lay stone and river rock down in the grass, creating a large ring. He'd already spent hours on it with a complaining Aethelwold. "why am I out here laying stones? I am royalty!" Aethelwold whined, Uhtred rolled his eyes "because you wanted to see Leofric get his arse handed to him by a woman." Uhtred said with a bit of a smirk. "I will gladly lay the stones!" Uhtred called mimicking a drunken Aethelwold.
"It was your own words that put you here." Uhtred chuckled. Aethelwold huffed "so it would seem..." he muttered, putting down another stone.
Shortly after the ring was complete Leofric arrived in light armor and a wooden training stick. "I brought your Holy Mother a practice stick," Leofric said to Uhtred. "I will try not to make her cry, lest the Lord smite me where I stand." He added. Uhtred smiled "and what if you start crying?" he asked.
"Then I shall have a scribe record it in glorious detail and have a bard put it into song." Aethelwold chimed in. "Where is she? it is nearly time. gathered her sense and backed out?" Leofric asked.
Uhtred looked to the forest, "She has gone to fetch her sticks." He said. Leofric raised his brows in confusion. "Sticks? Real sticks..." He questioned. "You will understand once the fight starts," Uhtred said simply. Leofric ruffled his hair in frustration, maybe this was a daft idea, the woman was going out to collect sticks, actual sticks.
Uhtred laughed quietly as he watched Leofric, "he has no clue what he has gotten himself into." He thought.
In the woods, Khaana searched the trees, in her hand a fresh tree branch, the length of her shoulder to her hip, only as thick as a walking stick. Khaana's eyes scanned the trees, a branch from the forest floor would not serve her well enough. It would be brittle and easily broken. A familiar presence tugged at her mind.
"You have let your barriers down, so you are either very distracted or vying for attention. I've not been gone a day." Ragnar's thoughts flooded Khaana's mind. She could feel the smug look on his face. "I am hunting for a stick." Khaana thought back in a mutter. "oh?" Ragnar asked, "and who is being beaten today?" He thought to her.
"The Urswine, a great big lumbering Saxon warrior who seems to think I'm frail." Khaana thought. "and I expect no less than half of his teeth to be missing by the end of it" Ragnar thought to her. "You can make me something out of them," Ragnar added.
Khaana snickered, "If anyone's getting a gift of Urswine teeth it will be Brida. I think it would grant me a pinch of forgiveness." Khaana mused. She paused for a moment, "How is she doing?" Khaana asked. She could feel Ragnar sigh heavily "Brida is Brida. She is fine, whether she is angry with you both or missing you two varies on the hour." Ragnar reported.
