Fighting, Honour and Valhalla || Vikings x The Originals x TVD

Bebbenburg

(Bebbenburg)
(Three Days Later)

Bebbenburg was bustling with many servants who were rushing to organise everything for an upcoming feast. The reason they rushed was because an unexpected development had come up, King Aelle was coming to Bebbenburg. Lindisfarne was in Lord Uhtreds domain and so it was his duty to make sure no harm came to it; the raiding and burning of Lindisfarne remained a mystery to most as no one had survived, but while everyone in the monastery was dead, the amount of bodies did not match how many bodies were actually present, while one could assume they were burned in the flames it was more likely they had been taken.

Lindisfarne was an incredibly holy place and it truly shook the people of Northumbria and even beyond when it was desecrated in such a manner. Many cried out in borrow when they found that Saint Cuthbert's coffin had been desecrated; whoever raided the isle had taken everything of value off the coffin and left Cuthbert's body to burn in the flames. Many believed that only the forces of hell could do such a thing to such a holy place, while Uhtred believed it must be the work of the Pagan Picts who had not attacked for a while and so must've been planning something like this.

Uhtred was distraught about it as well, not only as a Christian but as an Ealdormen as well. It was his responsibility to protect the isle as while it was independent land, it was still afforded protection from him. That was the reason King Aelle was coming, because he had failed in his duty and they had lost one of their most holy places because of it. The King would want to know how he allowed this to happen and what he was doing to find the perpetrators, both questions he would not like the answers to. The only witness to the event was an old half-crazed man who had been fishing on the mainland at the time, he said a dragon came from the sea and burnt the priory to the ground. He obviously wouldn't be telling the king that.

Uhtred breathed heavily as he sat down on his bed having dealt with far too much today. He had not been worried about the monastery as of late, but last-minute news that the King was coming, put a lot on his shoulders. He hoped that a grand feast might calm the King's anger as he was certainly well known for his temper. "Such a mess," he said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples.

"We will be fine Uhtred, there was nothing you could've done, the King will understand that," his wife Lady Mildred said to him as she took his hand in her own. Uhtred smiled and squeezed her hand before laying a kiss on it.

"You are right my love, I hope the king sees it that way as well," he said before letting go.

"Perhaps he brings good news, if it were only about Lindisfarne would he have brought his daughters?" Mildred said questioningly.

Uhtred stood up giving her words some thought "Perhaps you are right, this could be a good opportunity to secure a wife for Uhtred, he is in his seventeenth year now, and he would do well with one of the king's daughters," Uhtred commented.

"What about that girl on the farm west of here? Wilfred's girl," Mildred asked.

Uhtred cursed, he had been so caught off guard when he received the letter that the King was on his way that he had forgotten about Wilfred. Offa and his men had still not returned, which caused a deep pit to form in Uhtreds stomach; Offa was his most loyal man, he would not run away or disobey him, the fact he had not returned did not bode well and most likely meant he was dead, and if that was the case then Wilfred had met a grim end as well.

"Wilfred is most likely dead, and so is his family, the fact Offa did not return makes me believe he has also perished," Uhtred said with a grim expression on his face making his wife gasp.

"I will have to send a larger patrol to the area, and double the guards around the castle, there must be a group of bandits or perhaps the Picts have come down south again," Uhtred suggested, but it didn't matter. The most important thing would be there were people in the area causing harm and it was right around the time when the King was coming, while he didn't think they'd be stupid enough to attack Bebbenburg, the surrounding village could be raided in the night before they had time to organise a defence.