A Whisper to the North

Chapter XIII ✠ Warm Bodies

Una rode back with Yvar with a smile on her face. She tried not to let Yvar see it. Una wonders if he has gone mad for accepting such an offer. Yvar was the one to devise this plan from the start, so she knew he would understand that he would not be staying in Snowdonia for long.

Yvar might even have to pick up a sword. He knew this too, as much as he despised the thought of ending someone's life. You must carry a weapon if you wish to travel through Saxon lands. Yvar was a fierce opponent on the battlefield with the Saxons, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed cutting down the enemy.

Yvar and Una parted ways after she thanked him extensively. There at the stables, Una let Frey walk next to her freely. He was no longer a prisoner, but if he pulled any more stunts, she would not hesitate to make him one again.

"Where to my lady?" Frey asked, covered in filth.

"To the river so you can wash off that caked manure and earth," Una said, pointing at the mouth of the river.

"Another long ride!?" Frey sounded disappointed.

"You are not to step foot in my castle smelling the way you do, now let's go!" Una said, mounting Roosa and holding out a hand for Frey.

They grabbed each other's forearms, and Una pulled up. She must have been tired because Frey was much heavier than she remembered, but she could still hoist him up with ease. She felt his small arms wrap around her waist, and she nudged Roosa into a heavy trot through the valley, trying to avoid the townsfolk.

"Me, lady, forgive me for the asking, but why are you so kind to me?" Frey asked.

They managed to see a few guards along the way but seeing that it was Una, they allowed them to continue without suspicion or questioning.

"Because you are going to help me."

"Help you with what?" He scoffed.

"Do you not recall, my lord?" Una laughed.

"Ah, yes. You seek my home Jorvik in the kingdom of York, do you not?" He said.

"Yes, and you will guide me there. We have already discussed this, have we not?" Una asked.

"Yes, we have. And yet still, I feel a bit of hesitation in your tone. Are you scared?" He laughed.

"I'm scared your father will see my father in my eyes, and he will speak to me with his sword rather than wit," Una said.

"Well, if you speak of the Saxon army to the south that is pressing on him, then yes. That would most definitely cause him to become cross with you." He laughed.

"But that is the reasoning of which I am going. I wish to create an alliance so the Saxons too, will stop pushing us back."

There was a long pause.

"Well...wouldn't it be easier to marry me, so that there will be no needless bloodshed?" Frey said seductively.

"As savory as that sounds, I cannot wed you. I don't even know you!" Una laughed.

"You soon shall, my love." He laughed.

"Is that so? You're not very convincing." Una laughed sarcastically as she pulled Roosa into a steady walk since the ground has become muddied again.

"You would be a fool not to take my offer. It will be the best-arranged marriage you will ever agree to. Think about it. You will save your kingdom and mine as well. You will kill two birds with one stone, and not one battle is needed to prove your loyalty against the impeding Saxons!" He laughed.

"I must say that I am not a fan of arranged marriages. My parents bitterly despised one another. My mother was from Germania. She was forced to wed my father in East Anglia. That goes to show that different groups do not make for great pairings." Una chuckled.