The Norse Of the North

Whispering Secrets: A Tapestry of Shadows

Harald commanded Torsten to move the English troops to the dungeon and lock them up there, while Arne had to make sure Robin was safely kept because Harald wanted to question him about the rest of his army, if there was any. Arne grabbed the man's hand and forced him to the basement. He locked him up in a room made of stone; the window was so small that a bird could barely fit. He guided him in and tied the chair that was on his feet to the floor as he slid the cage door open and locked it with a locker. They exchanged a few hateful gazes, and before Arne turned his back, Robin approached the cage rails, banging his head against them and threatening Arne as he was exiting the door without replying to his challenges.

Everyone gathered around the great hall, where the shieldmaidens managed to do their duty and affect a big part of the result of the battle. Harald was personally congratulating the shieldmaidens as the servants were filling the guests cups with beer or wine. The food was plentiful, and the fireplace was keeping everyone warm. The atmosphere was generally really pleasant, and people were sitting in groups talking and laughing with each other.

Estrid had changed her clothes and was ready to come out as Gudrun was running around her fixing her dress, her corset, and her hair. They held each other's hands and got out together. Sarah followed them and sat at the table next to Arne. She leaned against him and held his hand, congratulating him for the battle. He smiled at her in return and praised her skills while touching her shoulder.

"Arne, who is that man in the black dungeon?" I saw you dragging him there, and you know I can't help it; I'm curious." She said it playfully, hiding her actual intentions.

"Of course you are. We don't know his last name, but I think you might be from the same city, according to your descriptions. He is from Northumbria, but he was raised in Britain. His name is Robin, and his father's name is Chester; he is Alfred's counselor. I heard he was a military man, but he ascended his way to the hierarchy. He became the king's advisor a few months ago. Many say that he lost his son and his wife when a Viking army attacked his home. There are a few whispers that his daughter escaped and, out of her fear and desire for life, became a shieldmaiden for the Vikings. I won't bite it."

"Why not? maybe she was good"

"What are you talking about, Sarah? Her father was enslaved by some Vikings for a couple of years; how could she possibly want to join them? Family above all—I think that's a common value whether you're English or Viking."

"How do you know he was enslaved?" she asked in distress.

"Because we made him suffer, of course our settlement wasn't here back then; We dislocated a couple of years ago but Harald was king and I was a commander." He leaned in, whispering as he continued talking.

"Sad story indeed, but I had to do what I had to do. His son wasn't that old; he was barely 20 at the time. I would spare him, but Harald was adamant he wouldn't back down. So we tied him up and killed him and his wife. As for his daughter, I'm glad they never found her. Kid or not, they would make us slaughter her anyways," he finished his speech as he gulped down a cup of beer.

Sarah kept living the same incident, with every creepy detail that made her hands shiver. She was looking into Arne's eyes, filled with anger, as she was trying so hard to restrain herself. She remembered everything; that's why Arne's tattoo was familiar. Her home town was being raided by Harald's men, and her dad was such an honorable man that he would never die without a fight. Before they broke into her house, her brother put her in the closet and told her to stay there and not come out until everyone had left. So she did, and then she saw it all.

Arne came inside and slit her mother's throat as she was trying to defend her husband. After a few punches, they tied her dad with ropes and made sure he was watching after they killed her brother. Once everyone left, she crept out of the closet, took her stuff, and tried to run with the women and kids. They transferred them to Northumbria, and a couple of years later she decided to learn how to professionally fight, and that was the reason she had joined Harald's army: to test her strength.

"Sarah, hello? Are you listening to me?" Arne clapped his hands in front of her face trying to bring her back to the conversation.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm tired after the battle and this beer seems to be very strong, I will go and lay down" she exited without touching him as her eyes were on fire.

⧫⧫⧫

Sarah kept marching down the hallway as she was looking at her back to see if someone was following her. She was holding the cage keys in her hand, thinking how stupid Arne could be to not realize that the only thing that was in his pocket is now missing—and it's in her hands. She was pretty puzzled because of the dungeon structure; it was a bloody maze. She remembered from which side she saw Arne drag her father, and she started following it. She walked and walked, and then she saw her father laying on the floor. He was pretty exhausted after the fights he had undergone to escape. His feet were full of bruises, and his ankle bones were broken. The steel chain was very resistant, and as a result, all he did was injure himself.

"Dad, Dad wake up, it's Sarah." She rushed to the cage shouting at him.

Robin stood up in shock as he kept looking at her, trying to remember the little girl she once was, and to be true, the resemblance was there. Her hair still had its blonde, ashy tone, and her eyes were looking at him with love once again.

"Sarah who?" He asked in order to confirm her identity, but more to convince himself he wasn't hallucinating.

"Sarah Rotherfiled, your daughter, come on, get up; we have to leave." She unlocked the cell and kneeled down, taking off the thick, rusty chain. She cut a part of her shirt and tied it tight around his ankles as he grunted in pain. She lifted him up as she placed his hand on her neck and her hands on his waist. She guided him through a secret passage at the barn and raised him up on a horse.

"Go out of town into the forest, and I will meet you there. In this bag, I have some supplies and also some herbs in case the pain is unbearable. I have some unfinished business."

"Sarah, come back. Where are you going?" her father yelled as she kept running back to the castle without looking back.