the invisible string. Sihtric Kjartanson

Chapter twenty one: the battle of Beomfleot

That night I did not take off my armour the usual time when i was supposed to do my bedtime routine with the rest of Aethelflaeds maids. I briefly rested but I did not take off my armour.

"Don't you think Erik is so brave?" Aethelflaed whispered to me because she also couldn't sleep. She was much to excited of what was to come.

"Aethelflaed you're in love with him everything he does you should find brave" I told her quietly. "I've got my own husband to pine over"

"Do you love him?" She asked me as I started brushing her golden hair. I stopped briefly thinking about it.

"I think I do" I said slowly. Did I love Sihtric? I wasn't sure. I didn't know what love was.

"You can't think that. Either you know that you love him. The way that he's all you think about. The way that your hearts beats higher every time you think of him. The way that he makes you believe in all things good" She told me with a soft voice. God she truly was on love.

"Yes that happens but-" I hesitated. "I do love him. Love and hate lives in such proximity. Both is filled with passion and emotion but I truly started to see the person that he is. How kind he is. How much he cares for me and our son. The way he's so protective of me makes me feel so special. I never saw myself as a woman, as a wife that is. I was a weapon and I was content but he makes me feel like I'm more than that. Like I'm someone not just anyone" I hadn't even realised that I felt this way but I let my words run free. I had been honest with myself.

"See that's-" Aethelflaed started but she was interrupted by commotion outside. I heard fighting outside one moment then piercing screams the next until the leather tarp that was our door was put back and it was Haesten who stepped inside. I pulled Corpse Claimer immediately. He was eying Aethelflaed the way a predator would eye its prey.

"You will not touch her" I warned him as I realised he or his men had killed our guards.

"Oh I will Kendra and when I'm done with her I'll fuck you as well" He pulled his sword out and got into fighting stance. I defended myself when he came at me with a huge sword and shield. My strength was no match for him but I was faster. Several times I dripped over furniture and lost my speed and balance. He was laughing until with a lucky swipe of my sword I wiped across his throat but not deep enough to do any damage, only deep enough to draw blood. He clutched his neck in fear that this silly battle had cost him his neck but it hadn't. When he realised he was to be alive a savage grin appeared on his face. Aethelflaed was cowering in a corner in fear. Haesten came at me again. At first he had been trying to be nice and keep me alive but when he noticed my passion to kill him he switched to fighting dirty and harshly. There was no mercy in his savage strokes. I blocked him but when one of his men grabbed Aethelflaed which made her yelp I was distracted for just a moment which Haesten used to use his entire strength to push his shield against me. I fell and my sword clattered to the floor. Haesten stepped on my wrist before dropping his shield on me.

"No! Leave Kendra be!" Aethelflaed yelled as she was pulled from the hall. The thatch had started catching fire.

"I can't do that pretty princess" Haesten said as he stepped on the shield crushing me, making me feel powerless. All the air was squeezed from me. He was breaking several of my ribs, I could feel the snapping. I was crying and gasping because I knew I was dying today.

"To bad Kendra, I always thought you pretty. If you wouldn't have resisted I could've taken you as my wife when we sold the pretty princess" He said as he pulled the shield from my chest allowing me to breathe again. The thatch was coming down a few yards from me.

"I will haunt you!" I promised when I had caught enough air when Haesten was already at the door. I tried to get up but my ribs were broken and I was in pain. A cough from the smoke shook me and it felt like my lungs tore from inside because of it. "Sihtric!" I was crying for him. Feeling that he could be the only salvation I could find. I clasped my hands in one last prayer as I curled on my side. "Lord I look forward to you welcoming me to heaven but first you must promise me to protect my husband and my son. I wish I would've told him truly how I felt about him. I never hated him. Even if he is a pagan please let me see him again in the next life. I cannot live or die without him. Without Sihtric" Another painful cough interrupted me. The world slowly went dark as I drifted out of consciousness.

Sihtric

My lungs were rebelling against my effort to climb the hill to Beomfleot. In my boots was mud and murky water which did not easy the climb. Men were streaming past me in the opposite direction either fleeing or running to aid the battle. As soon as Aethelflaed had told me Kendra was still in the hall I jumped overboard deaf to all the yelled commands from Uthred. I did not care in that moment for all I could think of was my wife in the burning hall up that hill. Haesten had lit Erik's hall but soon the fire caught all of the buildings around. I knew where Aethelflaed had been kept. That hall was burning but the front was still standing. I ignored the burning buildings that should motivate me to get far from this place. Somewhere a cow was screaming while other livestock already fled down the hill. I stepped towards the hall and took a breath before taking the leather tarp aside. In my mind I had to prepare that she was already dead. This was madness anyway. Running into a burning hall in the middle of a battle. That's just what love makes you do. I realised that night that I love Kendra when that all consuming fear clutched my heart at the thought that she could be dead. But she was still breathing weakly when I found her in the middle of the hall unconscious. I didn't waste time when the thatch continued to come down and scooped her in my arms. She felt so small and limp. Usually she was this strong, independent warrior but now she was so still and it was terrifying. "Please don't die here Kendra" I told her quietly as I hurried out of the burning hall. I stumbled over Kendras ya sword with the pink stone in the hilt. I grabbed it. She'd want to have it when she woke up. "Live. If only out of spite. I cannot live without you bullying me" I told her and she startled me by coughing in my arms.

"Sihtric?" She muttered weakly. "Thank you God for answering my prayers" She said before her head went limp again.

"Kendra fucking hel don't die on me" I was screaming but she was no longer conscious. I was so afraid of losing my wife.

The battle had ceased but the Sea-Eagle had sunk. We claimed a ship from Sigefrid to sail back to Lundene but first I'd find a healer for my wife. "Finan!" I saw the Irishman first and yelled for him. Uthred would be mad at me for running off during battle but right now I didn't care. "We need to get a healer right now" I was frantic and hysterical but I was also panicking because I believed Kendras breathing was getting more and more shallow.

"Sihtric calm down she's breathing" Finan told me after I had put her down but I couldn't calm myself. I looked at him with wild eyes.

"Where did you run off to you little runt?" An angry voice sounded from behind me but I couldn't tear my eyes from her.

"Uthred" Finan warned him as a hand already rested leisurely on my sword.

"I'll get a healer" Uthred said hurriedly as I took off Kendras mail and leather and looked at her body. There were no visible wounds until I lifted her linen to look at her torso. I could feel Finan lingering behind me.

"Finan I swear if you look at my wife once I will personally take your eyes" I bit out as I looked at her stomach which already revealed bruises in all shades of blue and purple. I gasped, almost sobbing when I saw her. Lifting the linen higher revealed the mess that used to be her beautiful, pale ribs. The ribs were in various states of disarray. Her lungs must be punctured. Tears of desperation welled in my eyes. A healer touched her torso to asses the injury. On the woman's face was a bitter expression. This wasn't good.

"If she survives the night and I think she will pull through but I've never seen ribs so broken" The woman said emotionlessly before getting up. "Try to stabilise her torso if she wakes"

"Well thank you for nothing" I told her with growing menace. Finan grabbed my shoulder to hold me back. I was to agitated to think clearly. The woman ran as I shrugged Finan off angrily. My wife was dying and there was nothing I could do.

***
This is a short filler chapter but after this will be spice so be prepared.
Also updates will unfortunately come a little slower as I have A-levels coming up just be aware.

Hope you're enjoying this story!