Warriors at Heart (The Last Kingdom Fanfic)

Chapter 58

Mildrith was thrilled that Uhtred had been summoned. She decided that he was once again in the king's good favor and graces. I watched as she spent the week scurrying about washing Uhtred's clothes and placing items for the journey into his pack. She played the dutiful wife, even though prior to this news she had remained distant and cold towards Uhtred, engrossing herself in the care of their son and going to church. The men trained and polished their blades. 

Haesten and I seemed to be the only two who were not looking forward to trudging back to Saxon court. We bonded over this mutual distaste and I learned that though he followed Uhtred, he was still pure Dane at heart. I made note that Haesten would probably turn tail if an opportunity presented itself. I couldn't fault him. Loyalty is a powerful force, but love is even more so, and it was love that bound me to Uhtred. It was love that gripped my silent oath to never leave his side. Love drove me to swear an oath to his brother Ragnar, that I would not abandon Uhtred, no matter the costs. At the time, I do not think I thought of it in this way. I was younger and very naive to the world. I was stubborn and thought of myself as Uhtred's sword, his protector. I had the heart of warrior and a yearning for the battlefield. Politics were a new arena, and Alfred was a type of opponent I had never faced before. But more on that later.

Uhtred was equally young and naive. He did not know the specific reason of why he was being summoned, but blindly went. The date we were summoned to stand before the king was quickly approaching. Uhtred allowed two days for the journey. As we departed, Mildrith did her best to urge Uhtred to not be confrontational and to keep his temper in check. As we loaded up our horses, I avoided her as best I could, but was surprised when she approached me and asked me to promise to keep Uhtred safe. I nodded at her. She excitedly waved us off and soon was a speck in the distance behind us.

~~~~~

Uhtred, Haesten, and I rode into Cippanhamm with six armed men. The rest remained at Oxton to guard Uhtred's estate and family.  The air was crisp, and I shivered under my fur cloak. Our faces were red with cold, and we happily entered a tavern where I met the famed redhead Eanflaed. 

Eanflaed was as fiery as her hair. She talked tough and took no shit from any of the men there. I liked her. She complained a while to Uhtred about where Leofric was. I think though her exterior was tough, she had a secret soft spot for him and him alone. Uhtred told her that he hadn't heard from Leofric in months, to which she huffed, but gave us ale, food, and a place to sleep amongst the livestock. 

The next morning we approached where Alfred was holding court. At the gate we were ordered to surrender our weapons. I was growing more used to the Saxon's fear that I might slit their king's throat and handed mine over with more grace than Uhtred, who grumbled and slammed his gear into the guard's hands. Granted, unbeknownst to anyone, I had a trick hidden away as usual. Satisfied he'd taken all of our weapons, the gatekeeper let us through. I eyed the shabby wooden structures and wondered why Alfred had left his fortified castle for this place. Uhtred spotted a familiar face that did not look happy to see him.

"You're late," Beocca grumbled.

"You're not pleased to see me?" Uhtred laughed.

The priest's face did not flinch. Uhtred's smile turned into a frown. 

"I prayed to never see this day," Beocca made the sign of the cross. "They should wait here." He indicated at me and the other men.

"Tara comes with me," Uhtred replied.

"She should stay here," Beocca insisted.

"She comes."

Beocca looked tired and shrugged. "We must go in, and may God have mercy on your soul." The priest hurried away without further explanation.