It's never over // Sihtric Kjartansson

Chapter Eleven

After the group had found each other they left immediately for Winchester. The men talked and joked throughout the ride back but Tove couldn't bring herself to join in. All she could think about was how close she had come to being found, but also how she may not have saved herself by killing the Dane. He could have told a friend of his or sent a messenger to relay his findings or to tell his family of the fortune he was about to be granted when he handed her over. Finan's gentle hand broke her out of her thoughts. They had arrived at Winchester, he tried to get an idea of what Tove was thinking but her face was so blank he wasn't sure if she was even listening when he spoke.
"Whats on your mind?" he asked, his eyes continued to travel her face ready to spot her eye twitch or a frown immerge but there was nothing. Tove hesitated with her answer, she wished not to lie but she couldn't tell him about what happened without opening up about her whole past. This wasn't an option, things were going so well for her.
"I am just so exhausted. I haven't really had time to recover and you know, I just want to rest in my own bed." She sighed deeply. This wasn't exactly lying just only telling him part of the truth. Finan gave her a sympathetic smile before turning tot the rest of the men.
"Who's ready to raid these ale houses?" He laughed rubbing his hands together, Clapa joined him in laughing but Lord Uhtred did not.
"Not yet, I am stuck with the pleasureful duty of breaking the news to the king."
"Do you think he will agree to the ransom?" Tove asked, she herself was not sure on the answer. Toves question brought quiet over the men.
"For the sake of the princess lets hope he does but if the brothers have wealth like that Wessex won't stand for long."

That night just like the one before Uhtred and his men spent awake. Tove though couldn't bring herself to join them. Her mind was plagued with the fear she had been found, it seemed like a minor threat but Uhtred doesn't travel quietly, if someone does know she serves Lord Uhtred it wont take long for them to track her down. Tove sniffled silent tears into her pillow as she tried to think of something else, the only other thing she could think of was Sihtric. How long they had been apart, she had no way of contacting him and she knew nothing of when she would see him again, when she would next embrace him. All Tove longed for was his arms around her, the safe feeling he provided. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and tried to sleep.

The next morning Tove knocked on both Finan and Osferth's doors but neither replied. She walked around the town looking for Uhtred to join her instead though he had probably already had breakfast with Gisela. The day was cold with not much going on, it was quiet. The solemn morning was interrupted by the sound of horses hooves. It was Sihtric. Tove exhaled in relief, changing directions she quickened her pace towards him. Sihtric's eyes met hers after he tied his horse up. Just as hastily as Tove he walked towards her. Tove stood on her tippy-toes with her arms held tightly around Sihtric's neck, she buried her face into the crook of his neck. She felt Sihtirc's deep sigh as he gave her a loving squeeze.
"I've missed you." Tove said finally. Planting a kiss on her temple Sihtric pulled away to look at her.
"I've missed you more. I need to deliver something to Uhtred do you know where he is?"
"No." Tove said looking defeated. "I don't know where anyone is I've been looking for them all morning."  Sihtric looked confused. He took her hand and began to search with her.

After a while they had found Finan, Uhtred and Gisela. Sihtric gave Erik's letter to Lord Uhtred while the rest of the group waited to hear what was said.
"So... what does it say?" Finan asked, breaking the silence.
"Erik has enough oath-men to crew a ship. 2 nights before the first of the metal is to be delivered we will make our way down river to Beamfleot. We kill the men who stand guard over the ships. Erik and Aethelflaed sail away. And Wessex is saved."
"How many guards?" Gisela queried.
"About 8 or 10, on the shore." Sihtric estimated.
"That is all?" Finan double checked.
"Yes." Sihtric mockingly replied.
"It's as simple as that?" Finan sounded delighted at the easy job.
"Erik is in command, his men guard Aethelflaed, his ship is ready and waiting. It begins as simple, what happens is fate."
"There is something about this that isnt right, the plan sounds to easy." Tove scrunched her eyebrows thinking out possible things to go wrong.
"Yes and also why go by river and not horseback?" Gisela agreed.
"If we go with the tide it will be faster. And to escape we row across river."
"They will follow you." Gisela was worried, and she was right to be. Tove felt it too.
"They will follow Aethelflaed. She is the silver." Uhtred was not wrong there.

As the night began to creep through the clouds Uhtred and his warriors had began packing their ship ready to travel down river to the fortress. Tove felt the feeling of excitement inside her stomach, she loved missions like these. The dangerous ones, the ones where she could fight (which made a change) and most of all the ones in the dark. The fear she felt the day before had almost entirely disappeared. While Uhtred was still loading things into the boat Osferth approached.
"Lord?"
"Osferth?" Uhtred continued what he was doing, nervously the monk looked to his feet thinking of how to phrase what he wanted to say.
"Can I say to you that I am afraid? I wear a sword but barely know how to use it. I pray that when battle comes... I will not fail you."
"Osferth at times we are all afraid. Courage is finding the will to overcome your fear, nothing more. Perhaps we will find you an axe it requires less skill than a sword, Tove can teach you. But you must find the courage."
Osferth took in what his Lord told him, now with a determined look on his face he looked up from the ground. "Yes Lord, thank you Lord." As soon as Lord Uhtred turned away the fear returned to the baby monk, he breathed deeply attempting to calm himself.
"Come on Osferth, there's nothing to get yourself worked up about. This is my first proper mission too, I'll watch your back if you watch mine?" Tove's gentle eyes comforted Osferth more than any words, with a soft nod he agreed.

"20 guards. Sihtric you said there would be no more than 10," Finan grumbled as he peered through the long reeds at the dock.
"He cannot count." Clapa added rolling his eyes.
"No lord." Sihtric quickly defended himself, "There has never been more than 10 men."
"Rypere's group will strike first from the water. They look to the river and then...we kill them." Uhtred reassured.
"But Lord we are just 11." Osferth had a point.
"2 each." Finan answered.
"We attack as soon as it's dark." Uhtred looked around gaining nods from the group. Osferth looked to Tove for a solution but was only met with a weak smile,
"It's the best solution, 2 each isn't that bad Osferth." she whispered.
Night has fallen, the number of guards had not wavered but Uhtred had not doubted his decision. Rypere had begun the attack, using a cut of reed he breathed air whilst being fully submerged. To the guards surprise one was impaled by Rypere's spear, this signified the beginning of the fight. The rest of the Rypere's group climbed out from the water and began to fight the Dane's who rushed forward. From the land Uhtred's group surrounded the guards. The last to fight was Osferth, instead of rushing forward with Tove like he planned he hung back holding his sword as if it were a bat in both hands. A guard who had been mortally wounded attempted to crawl away, he crawled straight into Osferth's path. With shaking hands Osferth lined up his sword with the man's neck and stuck it deep into his flesh. Ignoring the death of the Dane, Osferth continued to stab the corpse over and over.
"You!" Uhtred shouted marching towards Osferth who was still stabbing the dead Dane. "That's enough." He shouted angrily. "That's not your kill."
Tove watched as Uhtred shouted at Osferth from across the dock. She saw the way the monk cowered and began to cry when shouted at, Tove truly felt sympathy for him. She didn't enjoy watching anyone cry.

With a struggle Uhtred's men had cleared the dock. They waited out of sight for Erik and Aethelflaed but after a while it became apparent something was wrong. There was no sign of them.
"Erik should have been here by now. Something's wrong, why increase the number of guards? For what reason?" Uhtred had been watching the path the whole time they waited.
"Do we care?" Finan said a bit to honestly.
"They are dead." Clapa said with the same tone.
"We go to the fortress." Uhtred said rising to his feet.
"We do?" Finan questioned in disbelief.
"Uhtred we will surely get spotted, we have all been here before. And we have come and done what Erik asked of us." Tove agreed with Finan.
"We came to free Aethelflaed." Uhtred tried to correct her.
"We came to kill the guards." Osferth opposed Uhtred, unhappy with what he was suggesting.
"Bastard you will say nothing." The anger in Uhtreds tone showed he had still not gotten over the monk's failure to kill.
"The guards will soon be discovered missing. And when they are it's all over. We cannot wait." Uhtred said in a calmer tone.
"But Lord we have lost half our men. And there are hundreds of them both inside and outside the fortress." Sihtric too stood whilst he made fair points.
"Then a few more will not be noticed. We go to the fortress." As many flaws that could be pointed out, they knew Uhtred was not leaving without the princess. Uhtred was right for the most part but getting the princess and leaving would not be as easy as he planned.