Warriors at Heart (The Last Kingdom Fanfic)

Chapter 36

"Push you lazy bastards!" Uhtred shouted over the loud commotion of men screaming. Alfred had wasted no time upon our return to Wessex and on that very same day had Uhtred in a field with a battalion of men.

I laughed in amusement as Uhtred's small shield wall attempted to push mine back. "Hold! Hold!" I shouted at my group. I caught Uhtred's eye, and he flashed me a wide grin. I wondered how he'd talked me into helping him train these Saxon men but had to admit it was better than sitting around doing nothing.

Brida was who knows where, mourning, waiting, biding her time until Ragnar came for her, for she was convinced he would. As the days slew onwards, I found myself having less and less faith that Young Ragnar was actually alive and would indeed come to rescue us from Danes and Saxons alike.

The days wore on and Uhtred and returned tired yet energized from whipping Saxons with wood staves in the field. The men of Wessex were slow learners, but nonetheless learning. Their shield walls were growing stronger. We were taking men and making warriors. Odin forgive us.

One evening upon our return to Wessex Alfred called Uhtred to his chambers. I was not permitted in, so I wandered about the peaceful courtyard waiting. It seemed so long ago that we were three frightened refugees seeking shelter within the walls of Wessex. Had we made the wrong choices? Surely no, for if we had stayed fugitives from the Danes, and ultimately Kjartan and Uhtred's Uncle, we would've eventually been caught and killed in the most horrific way one could barely bring themselves to imagine. No, we did the right thing, even if it meant selling our swords and souls to the Saxons. But isn't it somehow better to live another day? I had promised Earl Ragnar I would live to tell his story and help Young Ragnar avenge him and his family's deaths. My thoughts were interrupted by Uhtred arriving. He looked gleeful. I frowned at him. "What are you smiling about?"

"Twelve ships," he continued to grin.

"Okay?"

"Alfred has built twelve ships. He wants me to teach the men how to sail and fight at sea," Uhtred continued to smile.

"You know very little about that," I chuckled, a smile breaking on my face.

"Alfred doesn't know that," Uhtred beamed.

I rolled my eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Thank you." He was now standing right in front of me grinning like a fool.

"So, when do we leave?"

His face contorted into some half smile, half plead. "Uhtred?" I asked, growing suspicious.

He made a clicking sound with his tongue and pursed his lips tightly together. "About that, it's only me. You'll remain on shore. The Saxons think it's unlucky to have women aboard vessels."

"And they think we're the pagans, the uncivilized?" I scoffed.

Uhtred attempted to smile at me in sympathy. I felt my blood boiling at the idiocy of the Saxon's beliefs. Women can't fight, sure not all women want to fight. But women can't be at sea? Try telling my mother, and countless other Danish women that.

"Tara?" Uhtred asked, snapping me out of my internal rage.

"What?" I snapped back.

"You, okay?" He knew I wasn't.

"We should go before I burn this place to the ground," I snarled. Uhtred laughed at this, and I had to admit it was a pretty pathetic plan. Alfred's castle was made of stone, it wouldn't do much burning to the ground. I mean, maybe the furniture and people inside would burn, but not the building itself.

~~~~~

We wandered round the woods in search of Brida. At last, we found her huddled around a small fire. Brida has insisted on living as an outcast in the woods, even though she was welcomed to stay in Wessex. She spit on the Saxons and all their hospitality. Uhtred flopped down next to her and I leaned against a tree, suddenly feeling aware of something, but I couldn't put my finger on. I glanced around us and saw nothing.

"You're eating this slop?" Uhtred asked, poking into Brida's small cooking pot. She slapped his hand away and nodded. Uhtred spooned some into his mouth and made a face. He spit it out and gagged. "Brida you aren't a cook."

Brida glared at him and I held back a laugh. It was true, Brida despite the hours of spending time with Lady Ragnar and her cooks never managed to get the hang of it. Granted, I never even bothered to learn, so I supposed Brida should be given some credit for even trying.

As I thought fondly of the good days where we were carefree and happy, I felt the hairs on my neck stick up. I grabbed my axe and whipped around just in time to see a sword bearing down on me. I caught it with the handle of my axe and shoved my attacker backwards. An axe flew out of nowhere, whizzing by the side of my head. I watched the cloaked attacker duck fast, the axe smashed into a tree instead of his skull, pity. I looked quickly at Brida who gave me an apologetic shrug. Though I sensed she'd been wanting to throw an axe in my direction for a while and was sorrier it hadn't scratched me.

I didn't have any more time to think about it as the cloaked figure came charging at me, sword drawn. I planted my feet and prepared for impact. The head of my axe clashed against the sword and I felt myself being pushed backwards. Uhtred came at the figure from the side, but the figure had been expecting this, for with great grace, yet ferocious force it pushed me backwards, causing me to fall over a tree root and land hard on my back, and was soon facing off with Uhtred.

I scrambled back onto my feet and charged back into the fight promptly losing my axe, for this swordsman was tough. He was capable of parrying every blow, as if he knew... I jumped sideways as the blade came for my head. Uhtred who was on the ground looking for his sword kicked the attacker, briefly distracting him. Without giving it much thought other than I needed to stop Uhtred from being beheaded, I jumped the swordsman's back and clung on tightly to his neck as he struggled to get me off. He charged backwards with undeniably good coordination and slammed us into a tree. The rough bark scratched my skin through my clothes, and the impact send vibrations down my spine, but I refused to let go. I grabbed at the hood and pulled it back revealing a mass of blonde hair. Uhtred looked confused and in the moment of confusion the swordsman grabbed hold of my arm and I soon found myself flying over his shoulder onto the ground. I laid on my back and looked up.

"Tara Melgaard," he smiled down at me, his blade inches from my neck.