Warriors at Heart (The Last Kingdom Fanfic)

Chapter 17

The next morning, we rode up a hill and on the other side waited Bebbanburg. We rode down onto the beach, sand damp with the waning tide. Uhtred stopped us and helped Brida off his horse and onto mine. He climbed back upon his and looked back at me. I nodded at him. He pulled his hood over his head and we rode towards the mighty fortress of Bebbanburg.

As we approached the gates a horn blew, no doubt the watchman alerting the fort of our approach. I stopped my horse a few paces behind Uhtred's as he rode forward onto the small bridge. A thin pale looking man with a short beard stood above the gate. His hair was a tussled mess, and his eyes as dark as they were, the day I first saw him. I knew without a doubt that though he had aged some, this was Uhtred's uncle, Aelfric.

Uhtred pulled back his hood and I saw fear fill his uncle's eyes. Without a word Uhtred pulled the head of Scallion out from beneath his cloak. He held is up and swore his oath before his uncle. "I am Uhtred of Bebbanburg and I shall take what is mine!" Aelfric looked beaten, and he lowered his head, looking back up again when Uhtred let out a mighty yell, "Bebbanburg is mine!" He dropped the head to the ground and turned around quick, telling me to run. He didn't have to tell me twice, and I turned my horse and charged after him.

We galloped fast, and I soon heard horse hooves beating the ground behind us. I looked over my shoulder to see us being pursued by a band of Saxons.

"Head for the woods!" Uhtred shouted at me, bringing my attention forward once more. I nodded at him and spurred my poor horse onwards.

Into the woods we dove, ducking under branches as we rode for our lives. Uhtred shouted at me to go right and down into a gully. I nodded and steered right. Down Brida and I rode, and at last we saw Uhtred in front of us. I flashed him a grin, and he nodded. We could hear his uncle shouting at his men to find us, but it seemed that we had lost them.

"He looked like my father," Uhtred hissed.

"And now he knows you're alive, he's going to keep looking for you," Brida hissed back.

"Let him," Uhtred said, dismounting. "I'm going to kill him and take back what is mine."

"He has an army, all you have is us," Brida protested.

"Three against an army, I like those odds," I joked.

"Be serious Tara," Brida scolded me.

"I am," I smiled deviously.

"We have Ubba," Uhtred smiled and untied a branch he'd attached to his horse. "We go to him with our story. With his army we avenge Ragnar's death and we take back Bebbanburg."

"It's that simple?" Brida asked.

"Yes," he replied, climbing back on his horse.

"Do you remember nothing Ravn told us about Ubba?" I asked, clicking my horse forward to follow Uhtred who was already riding off.

"Never fight him," Uhtred replied. "But I'm not going to fight him," he smiled.

"Uhtred," I warned.

"We go to Ubba," he replied firmly.

I sighed disapprovingly but knew there was no changing his mind.

~~~~~

We rode for two more nights, resting only when needed. On the third day Uhtred's mood shifted to being almost cheerful.

"Brida," he called out to her. She turned to look at him, for we were riding in front. "Sing for me," he teased.

"I won't, I'm not your skald," she replied shortly, turning forward once more.