Warriors at Heart (The Last Kingdom Fanfic)

Chapter 5

"Somebody needs to tell me what happened, now," Earl Ragnar demanded, looming over the three of us.

We all remained silent, unsure why we were in trouble. It slowly dawned on me that Sven had probably went crying to his daddy and relayed a false account of what had taken place in the wood. We three exchanged glances, wondering what to say.

"Have you been fighting with Sven again?" Ragnar the Younger asked, grabbing a cup of ale.

"Sven started it," I piped up. Earl Ragnar wheeled his gaze on me and I felt my courage slip away.

"Yes," Uhtred answered, his head down, "but he's a turd."

Earl Ragnar turned his attention back on Uhtred and I hid my laugh at Uhtred's comment in my sleeve.

"You fought because he is a turd?" Ravn cut in, sounding deeply disappointed.

"Yes," Uhtred replied.

"Who started it?" Ravn asked, not an ounce of tenderness in his voice. When neither of us replied he said it more forcefully, "Who started the fight?"

"I did," Uhtred said honestly, though I wanted to scream it was actually Sven, but Ravn was speaking once more.

"Simply because he is a turd?"

"Danes have killed for less," Uhtred grumbled.

"Speak up!" Earl Ragnar said with such force I shrunk backwards.

"It wasn't Uhtred's fault!" I piped in, once again losing all confidence as Earl Ragnar turned his attention to me.

"I'd expect this from a boy slave, but you Tara?" he said with great disappointment that made me want to cry. "Fighting is to be expected, but disobedience is not," he said turning back to Uhtred, slapping him in the face.

My eyes grew wide and the urge to cry grew stronger. I was saved from the embarrassment by Thyra suddenly shouting in her little voice, "Sven began the fight!"

Earl Ragnar turned to face his daughter and asked her what happened. Thyra explained everything as she cried. Between sobs she told her father about Sven charging at us with a sword to Uhtred throwing the first punch to protect her. Earl Ragnar patiently listened and then turned back to look at us, his face a bit calmer. "Is it true?"

We all silently nodded our heads. He let out a great sigh of relief and then ordered Ragnar to get their horses ready and two men. He then grabbed Uhtred and me by our collars, and slightly more gently than before dragged us out of the hall. I was helped onto Ragnar the Younger's horse and he climbed up behind me. I held on tight to the saddle as we took off. Uhtred was forced to follow on foot, a solid reminder of his place as a slave and not an equal to the rest of us. I glanced down at him with an apologetic look that he returned with a sad smile. We started off slow but soon picked up pace and Uhtred had to run to keep up with us.

I remember wondering where we were going. We soon crossed a small river and went around a small bend. A comfortable looking cottage stood in the distance. As we drew nearer I saw Kjartan coming out of the house. He looked slightly concerned and eyed the two armed men with us Earl Ragnar dismounted in one swift and graceful motion, shouting Kjartan's name as his feet touched the ground.

He knew why we were there and I watched as Kjartan began to beg Earl Ragnar's forgiveness, but bent and went to get Sven at Earl Ragnar's demand. A terrified looking blonde boy came out of the house. His head was bandaged, he had a black eye, and his nose looked skewed. We had done a pretty good job on him and I shamelessly admired our handiwork.

"Please Lord, he is just a boy," Kjartan pleaded.

"Step aside!" Earl Ragnar demanded, and Kjartan, eyeing the two guards, obeyed.

Earl Ragnar looked Sven over as a frightened and shaking Sven tried to avoid making eye contact with him.

"What do you have to say for yourself boy?" Kjartan shouted at his son.

"I'm sorry Lord," Sven said, head and eyes cast down.

"He carried a sword on my lands," Earl Ragnar said disappointedly.

"He's just a boy," Kjartan begged.

"He looked upon my daughter's nakedness," Earl Ragnar, roared, his tone getting angy once more.

"He was just being a boy, please Lord, have mercy," Kjartan pleaded.

"Half," Sven tried to cut in.

"Half? Is this true?" Earl Ragnar turned to Uhtred and me for confirmation. We both nodded. "In that case I'll only take the one eye."

Kjartan tried to protest, but Earl Ragnar was quick and deposited the hilt of his dagger into one of Sven's eyes. I saw the blood and looked in horror as Sven collapsed to the ground writhing in pain. Kjartan was in a state of shock and confusion, looking from his crippled son to Earl Ragnar who was re-sheathing his weapon and mounting his horse once more. "Kjartan Kjartanson, you are no longer welcomed in my home. You are henceforth stripped of your title and your lands," Earl Ragnar finished, now sitting astride his horse. He grabbed Uhtred and pulled him up onto the horse in front of him. "Burn it," he said coldly to his two men waiting behind us. They took the torches they'd been carrying and chucked them into the thatch roof of Kjartan and Sven's home. I watched the house blaze and the smoke billow behind us as we rode away.

The ride was quiet, yet the tension in the air seemed to have dissolved. Earl Ragnar rode beside me and Ragnar, thanking me for my loyalty. I did not know what to say and just smiled slightly. He then turned his attention to Uhtred and thanked him. We rode the rest of the way back to the hall in a deep silence, Uhtred and I every so often grinning ear to ear at one another.