SLOW LIKE HONEY - the last kingdom

5 - free

...

a few hours later i awoke on my own, the room devoid of all people. i panicked, uhtred was gone. so were hild and halig. what if they'd left? surely they hadn't?

i rushed to get myself ready for the day, making sure my dress was on alright, and packing away my few belongings. i untangled my hair quickly with my fingers and put half of it in a braid, leaving the other half to fall down my back.

i grabbed my sack and quickly made my way down the rickety stairs of the inn and out of the door. outside the city of eoferwic was stirring. it was still quite early, the sun had just risen, they might still be here. i looked around for any familiar faces, father beocca, anyone. until i spotted hilds familar nun attire next to the stable.

'hild!' i rushed towards her. uhtred and halig emerged from the stable and stood beside her waiting for me.

'sunniva? what is wrong?' she asked as i reached them.

'i thought you had left without me. i am glad you are still here that is all.' i smiled and hugged her.

'you had me worried sunniva, why did you think we had left?' uhtred said, stepping toward me with a worrying look on his face.

'the room was empty, no one woke me up' i said, looking down to avert his gaze.

'sunniva, you know you needed the rest. i let you sleep until you woke up on your own' uhtred explained.

'oh.

thank you' i said.

i suddenly realised how rested i felt, i had been so alarmed by the fact i was alone that i hadn't even realised.

'we were just watering the horses and deciding which one would be suitable for you lady sunniva.' halig said.

'oh' was all i managed. the only thing was - i couldn't ride very well, growing up i rarely left the village. when i did, it was in a cart behind my fathers horse or in a boat to fish. he focused on teaching me to swim rather than to ride a horse, he said that it was more important because i was always near the water where i was scared of horses as a child. i had ridden a few times but didn't trust myself not to fall off.

'what is it?' hild asked, concerned.

'i can't ride very well. father focused on swimming lessons growing up, he never had time to teach me before he was killed' i frowned.

'that's alright. you can ride with me again, but i'll teach you eventually. and properly' uhtred replied, smiling.

some time later halig, hild, father beocca and brother trew mounted their horses. other men and the cart full of lepers guarding the treasure were not far behind. i stood by uhtreds horse with a stablehand near the gate, waiting for him to be finished and join us to leave eoferwic.

moments later he started towards us, leathers and fur on, sword with the amber hilt at his back and half of his long hair scraped into a knot. he smiled and me and nodded, picked me up and placed me on the horse before mounting the horse himself. this time he sat in front of me on the horse.

'me move!' and moved we did. we exited the gates of eoferwic and rode for days northward to our destination.

uhtred and i often rode beside father beocca, the two men reminiscing about uhtreds childhood and northumbria.
we rode along roman roads and past thick forests and vast fields, the air becoming clearer and more familar every day we continued.

'can you smell the northern sea, boy? the northumbrian air?' father beocca asked one day.

'i smell it and i feel it father. it feels like home.' i smiled at this, relating to him.
me and uhtred were both northumbrians, something else we had in common.