Blood Moon| The Last Kingdom| Sihtric Kjartansson

FORTY-SEVEN

☾

"My Queen, I will follow you anywhere and protect you always, but..." Sigtryggr trailed off, moving from side to side as his horse marched over the hills alongside me. "Am I permitted to ask?"

I kept my face staring straight ahead, the winter's wind biting at my face as we rode against it, onwards to the Saxon camp. "You are permitted."

"Why does your husband not ride with us to battle?" He asked the question everyone wished to ask of me the second I stepped out of Dunholm that evening, alone.

I had slept at Saga's house that night after her, Stiorra, and I had gotten royally drunk and sung songs until the dawn. I had only gone back into the castle to change before noon, and when I had entered my room, only Hrafen and his nanny greeted me. I had left without saying goodbye because I doubted Sihtric wanted to see me.

"My husband," I began flatly, "does not think battle is the right answer. He advocates for peace."

"But the peace... has been broken by the Saxons," Sigtryggr frowned, "does he not realise this?"

"He is stubborn," I muttered, reaching out to stroke Helios's head, "and he is angry with me."

"Surely, he should still be here," Stiorra called out, riding closely behind us, her ears and eyes keen.

I shrugged calmly, "I will fight him on this once peace is restored."

A brown horse rode up beside mine, strong and young, named Skadi meaning shadow.

"Mother," Emil greeted me with a tight smile, trying to hide his own anger that he had felt since the evening when we left Dunholm. He resented his father for not appearing.

"We will leave you," Sigtryggr urged his horse backwards beside Stiorra while Emil and I went slightly ahead of the group.

Emil reached out to pat Helios's back, eyeing the old war horse's braided mane and painted runes, "I will fight beside you tonight, Mother, in place of Father."

"You will stay in the hill and wat—"

"I will fight beside you," Emil cut me off with a sternness that he did not often hold, his eyes meeting mine, "Tyr wills it."

I could not stop the bark of a laugh that left my mouth suddenly.

Emil relaxed as I laughed, his own smile becoming more genuine, "Does it not sound right from me yet?"

I shook my head slowly, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder, "It works fine, I just did not expect it."

"I was trying to sound like you," Emil mumbled, suddenly shy, "you command hundreds of men by simply telling them Freyja demands something."

"But I do not lie when I say it," I mumbled, pinching his cheek lightly before returning my hand to my bridle. "Do you have a gift from your God?"

Emil nodded curtly, "It came to me when Brida went to cut down my sister."

As usual, anger filled my chest at the mention of the woman, but I tried to push it down, "Oh?"

"It is my skin," Emil revealed, holding up his arm, "it goes hard like stone so that blades can not cut it."

Pride replaced the anger I felt, and I reached out to stroke his hair, "I am so proud of you. That is a wonderful gift."

Emil lowered his hand back to his bridle, "So I will fight beside you, Mother, as Tyr has willed me to fight. I am a man now. I wish to stand beside you in a shield wall."

I watched his determined face and knew that it would not matter what I said; Emil would be there. Instead, I glanced back at Sigtryggr, "You will stand beside Sigtryggr and me and not a step away from us."