Warriors at Heart (The Last Kingdom Fanfic)

Chapter 21

We rode for what felt like forever. I was growing tired and could feel my old horse staggering beneath me. At last we came upon the village, Oxford, and Uhtred found us a place to rest. Neither of us had a word to say to one another and we broke off on our own. Brida stayed in our lodgings and moped. Uhtred wandered off, probably to find ale, and I decided to explore the village. I wandered amongst the small thatch huts and imagined them burning and smoking as Danes raided the peaceful village. Ragnar would come for us; I knew it in the pit of my stomach.

I continued to wander around, feeling more hopeful, for that was all I had left. I spotted Uhtred approaching a blacksmith. He appeared to be negotiating the creation of a sword. He held out silver, a deal had been struck. Then he held out something else. Curious to know what it was, I approached. It was the orange stone he had let me hold when we were children. "I want it in the handle," Uhtred said to the man.

"That can be done," the man said, holding it up to the light.

"Don't lose it or sell it," Uhtred warned.

The man nodded at him and went to work. Uhtred turned to look at me and we silently walked away. Once we were out of earshot, I decided to speak to him. "I'm sorry," I said.

"For what?" he chuckled.

"Not having faith in you," I replied.

He smiled sadly at me, "You are right to have hope."

We stared at one another. "So, a sword?" I asked.

"A warrior's sword for a lifetime," he smiled, a small amount of true happiness in his eyes.

"A weapon fit for a warrior and a lord," I replied, smiling back.

"Indeed," he chuckled, slinging his arm around my shoulder and walking us back towards our accommodations.

"Why do you follow me?" he asked suddenly stopping.

"Because you are a Ragnarson and I serve the Ragnarsons," I replied.

"Why do you really follow me?" he rephrased his question.

"Because I have faith in you Uhtred Ragnarson."

He smiled at this and replaced his arm around me and we continued on towards our dwelling.

~~~~~

We entered our small makeshift hut to find Brida sitting on the bed. She looked up at us as we entered and then returned her attention back to cleaning her feet.

"What did Storri say to you to make you bind his mouth and uh?"

"He threw a curse," Brida replied.

"That said what?" Uhtred asked her.

"It doesn't matter. I responded with the branch."

Uhtred smiled at her and brushed her hair behind her ear. Brida asked him what he was doing, and he replied she knew. I rolled my eyes and exited the room and went in search for some ale. I wandered down the street and finally came across the small pub. I clicked my tongue at the sight of it and wandered in.

Upon entering I was greeted by a thick cloud of smoke hovering in the air. The smell of ale and piss filled my nose. I wandered passed fascinated eyes and straight to the counter where a tall bald man stood cleaning a cup with a dirty rag. He eyed me, "What will ye be havin' luv?" he asked in a thick Saxon accent.

"Ale," I replied calmly, sitting on a stool.

He nodded and brought me a foaming cup of ale. I slapped two coins down which he scooped up in one swift movement. I began to gulp down my drink and was approached by a slimy looking man. His hair and beard where covered in grease, and he looked extremely drunk. "Hello gorgeoush," he cooed at me.

"Not interested," I replied, not looking at him, suddenly aware of his friend now on my other side.

"Don't be afraid sweetheart," his friend said, sliding closer to me. He was clearly not drunk like his friend and I was in no mood to deal with them.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't want any trouble," I warned.

"You come quietly and there won't be any trouble," the sober one said, showing me his knife.

"Ah," I said, chugging the rest of my ale. "Right then, shall we?" I asked, standing and pointing towards the door.

The two stupid men seemed to believe that I was going with them and stood. With no warning, I slammed my elbow into the face of the sober one who grabbed his gushing nose screaming in pain. Before the drunk one could respond I had his head in my hand and was smashing it against the counter. He crumpled to the ground and I returned my attention to the sober one who was calling me a bitch. I grabbed him by his hair and held my knife to his neck. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to kill you now. But mark my words, if I see you again, or even breath your filthy stench, I will kill you so slowly and painfully you will be crying for your mother and begging for mercy."

I brought his already injured face to my knee and dropped him to the ground, leaving him to writhe in pain. I stepped over his knocked out drunk friend and peacefully made my way out of the pub, nobody wanting to come near me, or too drunk to know what was happening. I pushed open the door and welcomed the fresh air into my lungs. I stalked back off towards our makeshift hut where Uhtred and Brida laid fast asleep.

"Idiots,"I mumbled, pulling a box near the entrance to keep watch.