The Youngest Ragnarson

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

It was the day before thyra was to wed, she was twenty now and more beautiful than ever. Preparations were being made and ashter had managed to slip away to throw knives at a tree. Uhtred was coming back from his wash at the lake when he past ashter. He was creeping up behind his younger brother when a knife landed in the tree he was just about to pass,
"Congratulations, you killed a tree" he jested.
"Very funny uhtred" ashter deadpanned.
"Come, we must return to the hall"
"But I just escaped-". Uhtred grabbed ashter by the collar of his black shirt. They began the walk back to the hall.

"Oh, look at this place..." uhtred and ashter thought it looked beautiful.
"Boys, do you like my wedding necklace?"
"I do, very pretty", "it looks lovely, thyra"
"Ashter knows nothing of necklaces, he's only fifteen" ravn laughed, "you might as well ask me." Their father began walking past,
"Uhtred, with me. You can help slaughter the goats". Uhtred groaned, "I've only just washed, why not get ashter to help". Ashter laughed "the goats will be pleased", Brida joined in on the jokes, "later you can sweep the floor".

Ashter followed his brother and father out,
"This is an excuse to talk, that's all. With thyra to be married, maybe it's time you got together with brida. There are men, good men, asking about her. So you have to decide what you are to her, what you are to eachother." Uhtred laughed "brida has a mind of her own" that's when ashter made his presence known "that she does" he was pushed by his father.
"She has...but I see the way she looks at you. She's watching the charcoal tonight, in the woods. Take my horse and join her. The earth will be warm." Uhtred was laughing at this point and ashter wheezing.
"Why not?" Ragnar questioned his adoptive son. Uhtred became quiet then, "I just thought, in order to be a real dane, I had to marry a dane". Ragnar sighed "come on. I love you like I love young Ragnar" he paused "and this little shit" he ruffled ashters hair then walked off. Ashter watched brida throw an apple at uhtred, "have fun" he wiggled his brows and ran off.

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Ashter had chosen not to join the wedding celebrations, he always tended to avoid celebrations of any sort. He went to the woods with agnar that night. Ashter layed by the stream, creating water droplets in the sky, bending them so they hit the moonlight perfectly. Agnar lifted her head and looked in the direction of home, "What is it girl?". Ashter looked up too and saw red smoke over the trees,
"Shit. Fire" he stumbled to his feet grabbing his fur pelt and knives. Ashter sprinted home as fast as he could tripping over his own feet.

The hall was up in flames now and he could hear his family shouting from inside. Upon arrival he saw kjartan and sven with some other men just watching the hall burn. No doubt they caused the fire, he hid behind the goat shed. He watched as his family ran from the building being cut down mercilessly. Children were killed along with women and he saw sven grab thyra, he became infuriated. They closed the doors but he hadn't seen his mother, father or grandfather leave. The doors of the hall opened and he watched as his father emerged in flames crying his battle cry only for five men to cut him down after fighting to his last breath.

When ragnar died ashter ran at kjartan screaming, hands ablaze, blinded by rage. Thyra yelled a warning to him but he couldn't hear, ringing was the only sound in his skull  when he was hit by the butt of a sword then beaten for extra measure and bound in ropes.
"Leave him alone! He's just a boy" thyra was crying. Uhtred watched from the trees as his father died and his little brother was beaten to unconsciousness, tears in his eyes, he was helpless to do anything.

The fire had long since died down and agnar had run on the site of fire into the woods finding uhtred. Kjartans men were searching for ragnars sliver while uhtred still watched from the trees, his brothers wolf with him now. Both thyra and ashter were sat in a hut that didn't burn down in the action. Thyra sat tears stained her face while ashters head lay in her lap, he still hadn't woken. Sven payed them a visit defiling thyra and shit talking their father, uhtred and ashter.

Thyra saw uhtred across the settlement he had picked up ragnars sword and ducked into another hut. She had hope for just a second before he entered the other hut. Kjartan found nothing and returned to Durham with ashter and thyra.

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