Eighteen
Skarth the Godless
As I stand back and look at what we’ve achieved, I know that come sunrise, we will win this battle.
Thanks to Emeline’s ingenious plan of tunneling under the land, we will defeat Wessex and claim Carhampton as Northman land. We’ve ridden for endless days to be here before King Egbert, and once again, Emeline’s knowledge of the terrain has given us an advantage.
We were able to implement our plan without detection, and as I stand before the concealed entrance of the tunnel, I can’t deny that all of this is possible because of Emeline.
I agreed to do this because of her, but in the end, she didn’t need any of us. She did this for revenge, but her vengeance will be had from afar because once she presents herself to King Egbert, we will attack while she navigates through this tunnel to the safety of the waiting ship, the ship Cecily will be on.
Emeline agreed to this plan because of me. She knew if anything happened to Cecily or my child, I would never forgive myself for it. She put her retribution aside for me. Her love for me is more important than her own needs, and I thank her by asking she protect my wife and child.
I am a fucking bastard. I know that.
But it doesn’t matter because she and Ulf have grown close.
Since the night when she saved my child, she has stayed by his side. She also shares his bed. I am certain Ulf holds something over her. I refuse to believe she goes to him of her own free will. My heart couldn’t take it.
But even if she did, I have no right to stand in her way of happiness because I have hurt her enough. I have asked her to sacrifice so much for me. I am robbing her of her revenge by sending her away.
The only way I can make amends is to ensure every last man and woman who hurt her dies by my sword. This is the only thing I can do to show her how much I…love her, for love her, I do.
More than anything, anyone.
“Talking to the gods?” Ulf stands beside me.
“There is no need, for we will win this,” I reply, turning to look at the fifteen longships.
My people are here, waiting to win this battle or to feast in the halls of Valhalla.
Their ships are created for war. The figureheads are carved in the shapes of fierce, powerful animals like dragons and snakes. These are to stir fear in the Saxons as this is something they do not understand. The dragon’s head is to also protect my people along the long voyage.
“Yes, you are right.” Ulf looks into the distance, where we know an army of Saxons awaits us.
We are simply biding our time until dawn. But what King Egbert doesn’t know is that another twenty ships are on the way. He has seen our army, and no doubt, he and his men are strategizing ways to defeat a legion of our size.
He is not expecting any more Vikings to arrive, which is why we will win.
He will be fooled in every possible way, all because he would do anything to get Emeline back. We will win on sea and on land, and I will finally get my vengeance for what he did to my family. It seems unfair, however, because this fight is Emeline’s as well.
“Don’t worry, félagi , I will do what you cannot.”
“And what is that?” I ask with a snicker.
“I will keep the princess safe.”
I keep my temper under control because I cannot lose focus before the battle.
“She is the one who keeps us safe,” I correct, not interested in this petty talk. “She is the one who will grant you your land.”
I want to remind Ulf that that is the reason he began this journey.
“That was the reason, but things have changed.”
Turning over my shoulder to look at him, I dare him to say it.
“The princess has changed things, and I intend to build a life with her here. I have lands to offer and wealth. She will never be harmed again.”
“And this is what the princess wants?” I ask, torturing myself.
Ulf nods. “It was when she vowed that she belonged to me.”
I measure my breaths—in through my nose, out through my mouth. But it doesn’t lessen the need to kill Ulf with my bare hands.
He reminds me that I can offer her nothing, that he is the better man for her when he says, “She no longer belongs to you. That choice was made when you allowed her to be sold like nothing but a slave.”
I want to argue, to break his nose, but I cannot, and that’s because he is right. I have failed Emeline time and time again.
“If that is what she wants, then gipta to you both.” I don’t mean it, but I won’t have her as my mistress. She wouldn’t want that either.
Ulf smiles, a victorious sight as we have always fought over everything our entire lives. This time, however, he won the greatest treasure of all.
“Once this is over, I am going to get back Sigrith. And I am going to find my mother.”
Ulf nods as it’s expected he would travel back to Scandinavia with Emeline. Only when it’s safe will I come for Cecily. Emeline is the only person I trust to keep her and my child safe. I know what I am asking her to do is unfair, but I have no other choice.
Ulf would trade Cecily and my child without thought if an offer presented itself, which is why I asked Emeline to protect my family.
All I can offer her in return are the heads of those who betrayed her.
When we hear rushed footsteps behind us, Ulf and I spin in unison, swords drawn. It’s Inga, Sten, and Toke, who are to protect Cecily on the ship, with Emeline.
“They advance early,” Inga says, half her face stained blue in color. Her war paint is victorious. “It’s the king.”
Instantly, I look at Emeline, who nervously chews the corner of her mouth.
We didn’t know when the king would advance. We have been watching him for days, but it seems he’s grown impatient.
“Finally,” Ulf exclaims, his excitement vibrant. “He finally found his cock. Let’s go.”
He’s right. There is no time to waste.
I make my way over to Cecily, who shivers in terror. “It will be okay,” I assure her, cupping her cheek. “You and my son will be safe. Go with Sten and Toke and wait for Emeline on the ship. Ulf will come when it is over.”
“And what about you?”
“You know what I must do,” I reply gently because she knows of the plan. “I cannot leave my sister to rot. And I need to find my mother. I cannot abandon my family.”
“What about us?” she whispers, her tender eyes filling with tears as she rests her hands on her swollen belly. “We are your family too.”
“And it is because you are my family that I am doing this. Northumbria is no longer our home. We need to stay safe and find a new home.”
She told me she left our home in the dead of night after King Eanred’s men were seen riding toward our village. She left her family behind to warn us of the dangers which face us. She is brave and selfless, and I don’t deserve her.
“Please, sváss , please go. I promise to return as soon as I can.”
Tears stream down her cheeks, and I wipe them away.
“I love you,” she sobs, throwing her arms around me.
Peering at Emeline over her head and seeing the pain in her eyes, I don’t reply. I cannot tell her I love her, because I do not. She is the mother of my child, and for that, I love her. But in love with her, I am not. I never was.
She was always a surrogate for who I wanted.
I gesture for Sten and Toke to take Cecily away.
She doesn’t let me go, holding me tightly. But I gently unwrap her arms from around my neck and kiss her on the forehead.
“Skarth!” she cries, attempting to fight the men. But it’s in vain. They have been given orders to protect her with their lives. “Please do not do this! Please choose me. Choose us .”
Her cries echo in the emptiness as I unearth the entrance to the tunnel so the men can lead her to the safety of the awaiting ship. This is where Emeline will come once the battle commences, and that’s all I care about as I re-cover the entrance with branches and rocks so it blends into the scenery as Cecily disappears into the darkness.
Slamming my fist against the bluff edge, I hang my head low, feeling utterly powerless. I have failed my wife. And I have failed the woman I love.
“I will protect her. I promise you.” Emeline’s sweet voice is the salve I need to cure this complete hopelessness within.
When I turn to look at her over my shoulder, my body demands that I protect her, for Emeline has misunderstood my anguish. She believes I am dismayed that Cecily leaves, but the truth is I don’t want to let Emeline go. I don’t want her to belong to another.
And if the gods decide today is the day I die, then I need her to know that.
Before she can protest, I cup the back of her neck and draw her toward me so we are pressed brow to brow. I inhale her scent, her essence, into me because she completes me.
“Skarth?” she whispers, afraid.
“Please, just listen,” I say, needing to express this before I change my mind. “I knew from the day we met that we were fated. It should not make sense, a princess and a Northman, but it does. I have never known anyone like you, and I know I will never meet anyone like you ever again.
“You hold my heart, Emeline. You always have. And I want you to know that. I want you to know that I will never…that I will never crave or…worship anyone as I do you. I will go into battle fighting for your honor as well as mine.
“And I fight to survive not for Cecily…but for you. It’s you who gives me strength.”
A sob leaves her, and I capture it when I press my lips to hers. A salty kiss is our legacy. It’s one which I will revere when I kill every last arsehole who hurt her.
She kisses me back with passion, which confirms she will always be mine. Regardless of our circumstances, we will always belong to one another.
She tugs at my hair, whimpering when I devour her without regret because I don’t know when I will see her again. This memory will keep me going when I want to surrender.
I break our kiss, nudging her nose with mine. “Be safe.”
“I will.”
Without thought, I remove my silver arm ring and place it into Emeline’s palm. “This was given to me by my chieftainwhen I was twelve. It is a link between a Viking and his gods,” I explain, stroking over her hand. “But my people, before a long voyage, we would give the arm rings to our beloveds as a symbol of our love.”
A gasp leaves Emeline as I didn’t give this to Cecily, but to her.
“I will cherish it forever,” she whispers, closing her hand around it.
She then gently removes her necklace and wraps it around my wrist. “This is a sign of devotion to my God…but you, you are the only one I wish to bow before.”
The crucifix dangles off the end, and it seems fitting I go into battle with her God wielding my sword.
Ulf stands by, his face twisted in rage but also pain. He really does care for Emeline, which means he will ensure nothing happens to her. He quickly pulls back his shoulders because now we go to war.
We make our way toward the open field, where our men and women wait. More remain in hiding, ready for the ambush.
“Word has been sent to the remaining ships,” Inga informs us.
King Egbert has no idea what faces him and his army. We attack from land and sea with forces seen and unseen.
The air is filled with a palpable excitement because we are warriors. We live to fight. And to win.
Our men’s and women’s faces are stained with color; their war masks give them the strength to survive this battle. They look fierce and fearless, and when we see three Saxons ride toward us in the distance, that ferocity turns lethal.
They get into position, just how I taught them, shields raised, ready for war.
Ulf does as we discussed—he binds Emeline’s hands together with rope since she is supposed to be our prisoner.
Once bound, she stands in front of us, awaiting her fate.
Ulf and I stand behind her, as we have an army at our back. No harm will come to her.
It’s still dark, but dawn approaches soon. The stage is set for a bloody battle to take place between darkness and light. Mist rolls in, settling around us like invisible fingers ready to draw us into the ground if we fall.
Ulf keeps his eyes on Emeline as do I.
This plan will work as we have the numbers, but I still can’t shake the feeling that something is amiss. It was almost too…easy.
The closer the Saxons ride, the more animated things become. Our men and women commence banging their wooden shields with their swords in a melody of warfare. The song King Egbert will take to his grave.
Emeline stands strong, and it takes all my willpower not to go to her.
“ Argr ,” Ulf spits under his breath when King Egbert rides toward us, bearing the flag of Wessex.
“Do not react,” I firmly warn. “We let him believe he has won.”
Ulf has always been more quick-tempered than me, so I need to remind him what’s at stake.
“I want to shove that flag up his royal arse.”
“He is mine,” I remind him.
Ulf grunts.
King Egbert rides toward Emeline and tugs the reins to stop his horse a few feet away. This time, Ulf is the one to remind me to keep calm when he grips my arm to stop me from advancing and gouging out the king’s eyes.
He looks at Emeline with such possession. I cannot bear it.
“Are you all right, my lambkin?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replies, bowing accordingly.
King Egbert looks over her head, eyes locked with mine. “Skarth the Godless,” he says, attempting to remain civil. “The last time we met, you were fighting to free the princess, but now you give her back? I do not understand.”
With a casual shrug, I reply, “She was always to be traded. In one way or another. I knew her worth and was waiting for the best offer.”
Emeline stands tall.
King Egbert’s attention shifts to Ulf. “You are the one who wishes to trade the princess for Carhampton?”
King Egbert assumes Ulf is the one who ordered me to kidnap the princess and blackmail the king into giving in to his demands.
“That would be me,” Ulf says, his disgust clear that he is talking to the king. “Seems a fair trade. Your property for mine.”
King Egbert’s nostrils flare as he doesn’t like anyone speaking about Emeline as their property because he believes she is his. “How do I know this is not a trap?”
“You don’t,” Ulf replies blankly. “But you see my army. What is one princess compared to all this?”
He spreads his arms out wide.
“Her trade will safeguard our settlement here as I want this to be official. I want this to be Daneland. Once you forfeit your right, this will be ours lawfully. That is how you know this is not a trap.”
To speak of Emeline so flippantly angers me, but we will say anything to have King Egbert agree because it will make the victory, the deception, all the more satisfying.
“Please, Lord,” Emeline pleads, knowing how King Egbert loves when someone begs. “I want to come home. With you.”
She chooses her words wisely, as she knows how to play a king.
He softens, and again, it takes all my willpower not to spear him with my sword.
“All right, Princess. I will give all of this up for you.” He, too, chooses his words wisely, ensuring Emeline knows what he is willing to sacrifice for her. But he also wants her to know she will be indebted, enslaved, to him for the rest of her life.
He gestures for his guard to give him the parchment I assume is the deed to these lands. He scribbles something on it before the guard rides toward us and tosses the parchment at Ulf. We read over it and see that King Egbert has signed his name, renaming Carhampton as Daneland.
The guard offers the feathered writing tool to Ulf, but Ulf has his own ideas when he reaches for his blade and slices the tip of his finger, signing his name in blood.
It’s done. We got what we came here for.
“Princess,” he says, offering his hand. “Let us go and wash the filth from your skin.”
He means that in every sense that there is.
With a nod, she walks toward him, keeping to the plan. It’s dangerous as she will need to escape his clutches once we engage in battle. But Ulf and I will ensure she flees.
We both watch as she allows the guard to search her for weapons, which is why she needed to be unarmed. Once he assures the king she is weaponless, she accepts his hand and gets onto the back of his horse. She keeps her eyes down. To see her holding King Egbert has the rage inside me almost burning me alive.
King Egbert grins, and we know the time is now. He was never prepared to make a deal. And neither were we. “We could have been great allies, Skarth,” he commences. “My dear friend, King Eanred, told me of your greatness.
“You single-handedly taught his men to be the greatest army England has ever seen.”
I wait for him to continue because, on my command, the time for talk will be over when the horn sounds.
“And it’s because of you, because of your training, that you will single-handedly lose here. Today. For those men are here, the ones you trained, and they are to kill every last heathen on my command. Your blood will stain this land forevermore.”
I don’t speak, and King Egbert mistakes my silence for surprise.
“You did not think I would come alone?” he poses with an arrogant laugh. “Wessex and Northumbria fight for the princess’s return. She will be brought back to where she always belonged, and you will pay with your lives for daring to take what belongs to Wessex.”
“The princess belongs to no one,” I state, folding my arms across my chest.
“That is where you are wrong. A dowry was paid. She was promised to Wessex before she was born. Promised to my son.”
“Yet it is you who is here?”
King Egbert clucks his tongue. “Do not fret. He is here too. As is King Eanred and his son, Aethelred. You are surrounded, and you will die today. We have no deal, for I do not make deals with heathens.”
Emeline lifts her chin. She isn’t afraid. She is enraged.
“I am going to rip that little crown from your head,” I state calmly. “And then…I will detach that head from your shoulders.”
“You can try,” he smugly says. “But the army you trained will destroy you because they know how you fight.”
“We will see.”
Ulf shoves the parchment down his pants and wipes his arse with it. He then tosses it at King Egbert. “This is what I think of your treaty.”
He then gives the signal when he raises his fist high in the air. The horn sounds, and the battle begins.
King Egbert circles his finger, and a swarm of men come running from the north.
“Hold!” I cry, ensuring the men and women hold their stances. We can’t go early.
King Egbert’s men continue to come while Ulf and I join the line of warriors as we form a shield wall. Peering down the procession, I see that we are strong. Ulf keeps his eyes on King Egbert because the moment we attack, he will go for Emeline.
The men get closer and closer while we stand firm. “Hold!” I order again.
King Egbert will stay, as he wishes to see his army destroy us. The moment he senses he’s in danger, however, he will flee. We can’t let that happen.
The war cries become deafening, and they fuel us. We are here to fight and kill.
The men get closer and closer, their swords raised as they prepare to slay. I can smell their excitement, their fear, and when they are within reach, I raise my sword.
“Stay in formation!”
Wessex Guard soon charges with a roar, but we stand strong as they attempt to break our line. They stab between our shields blindly, but they are no match for my warriors. We take one step backward together, holding our position as more men ram into us.
“Skarth!” Ulf cries, gesturing with his chin over his shoulder.
I follow his line of sight to see Northumbria’s flag flying proudly behind us.
King Egbert wasn’t lying, it seems, for King Eanred’s army attacks from behind. They intend to box us in, which is what I suspected they would do.
Locking eyes with King Egbert across the battlefield, I smirk. “You are right, King Egbert,” I scream to be heard above the screams. “I did train King Eanred’s army. Therefore, I know how they fight too.”
His arrogance soon fades as he understands what this means.
I taught these men everything they know, which means they are my puppets. I am not theirs.
I raise my sword high in the air, and the horn sounds for a second time, which alerts our men and women it’s time to come out of hiding.
They rush the terrain where they were hiding low to the ground. They were concealed with any foliage we could find. If King Egbert looked hard enough, they would have been seen. But his arrogance has made him complacent.
He thought he could outsmart us by using the same plan and ambushing us with Northumbria’s support. But our army outnumbers his and King Eanred’s, which he sees when Wessex Guard are attacked from all sides.
“Now!” I scream, bringing my sword down. “Victory or Valhalla!”
My army howls in exhilaration because they can finally break formation and fight.
Men and women battle head-to-head, the clanging of swords setting the darkness on fire. The sight is macabre, a vision from the bowels of Hel as I charge forward, killing any Saxon who stands in my way.
Ulf fights by my side because, together, we have always been an unstoppable force. We move in sync—where one defends, the other attacks—which allows us to plow through the enemy with unrelenting speed.
Ulf stabs a man on a horse, shoving him off it as he mounts the steed quickly.
“Do not have all the fun,” he quips with a slanted grin before riding off to get Emeline to safety.
I would have gone, but this is my army, and they obey me.
We fight without restraint or mercy, but the Saxons continue to come. The battle is bloody. There are many casualties from both sides. As I take down a Saxon, a flash of white catches my eye.
It’s Aethelwulf.
He is riding a large white horse, slicing his sharp sword through the air and killing anyone who doesn’t believe in his God. The black patch conceals what I did to his eye. I relished in his screams and long to hear them again.
Charging for him, I easily slay any Saxon who has the gall to hinder my revenge. I think of what he did to Emeline when she was just a young lady. How he used and humiliated her for his personal gain. Nothing will stand in my way.
The field is littered with twisted corpses, and soon, Aethelwulf will be joining them.
With a roar, I leap forward and tackle him off his horse. We tumble to the ground with a thud. He reaches for his fallen sword, but I punch him in the face, breaking his nose. His blood showers my face, fueling the madness within.
Gripping him by his chain mail until he is sitting up, I continue punching him, each strike feeding the need for more and more bloodshed. He attempts to fight me, but I reach out and snap his wrist. The crack reveals I broke it, and I intend to break more than just his wrist.
I elbow him in the mouth.
His head snaps back with a crack, but there is no way his death will be merciful. I intend to torture him until he begs for death.
Coming to a stand, I grip his hair and commence dragging him through the battlefield. I fight with one arm, never letting Aethelwulf go. He writhes desperately, trying to reach for a weapon, but his broken wrist doesn’t allow him to grip anything.
Once I get to where my horse is, I quickly yank Aethelwulf’s arms above his head and tie them to the horse’s back legs. I cluck my tongue, and Ulf’s horse soon appears. I then do the same, tying Aethelwulf’s legs to the back of Ulf’s horse’s legs.
He is suspended between the horses with no place to go.
“You will regret this!” he spits, peering at the restraints overhead.
“No, I do not think I will,” I smugly state. “On my command, these horses run…and they take you with them. Well, they’ll take parts of you because you will be ripped in half…just how you ripped Princess Emeline to pieces with your cruelty.”
What he says next changes the course of everything, however. “We do what we must to survive…just ask your mother.”
Placing my blade against his throat, I snarl, “What do you know of my mother?”
“I know that she keeps the bed warm for many Saxon kings. I believe King Eanred is her favorite.”
“You speak lies!” I exclaim, barely holding back the urge to drive my sword through his neck.
“I do not. It seems to be quite the scandalous affair. Your mother fucking Emeline’s father. It seems your mother and whore are both mistresses to kings.”
“Skarth!” Ulf’s anxious screams in the distance are the only reason I don’t end this bacraut’s life. Besides, I now need him alive.
I speak to the horses in my tongue, telling them to stay—and they obey, for now.
Searching the battlefield, I see the Wessex flag in the distance. It’s time I delivered on my promise.
Spearing a man off his horse, I mount it and ride toward King Egbert. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. It’s time to avenge my family by cutting off the king’s head, just as he did to my father.
Dawn breaks, and the sun peeks out from behind the knolls, revealing the true massacre left behind. Saxons still fight, and I look at where Ulf is, fighting three guards with ease. Whistling, he turns to me and nods.
Emeline is safe.
And that is when I give the third and final signal.
Flipping my sword, I raise it high into the air. The red jewel on the end catches the daylight, setting the battlefield on fire. Emeline’s crucifix around my wrist casts a shadow on the trenches, a morbid sight that gratifies my heathen heart.
“ Vega !” I scream, and the horn sounds, alerting the final warriors, the ones waiting in the tunnel, that it’s time to attack.
King Egbert continues to fight, but when he hears the riotous roars of the warriors, he realizes he’s been tricked—again.
The fight is no longer even; we outnumber the Saxons—five-to-one.
Men and women kill without mercy, and the bodies are piled so high, my horse cannot navigate through the field without jumping over the fallen corpses. My heart begins to beat faster, and it’s the first time this has happened in battle as I am usually calm, but I’ve never wanted anything more than killing King Egbert.
King Egbert fights desperately, but he soon sees he’s lost. He cannot beat us. This victory is ours.
Jumping from my horse, I run for King Egbert because I will not kill him on horseback. I want him to be on his knees. Ulf is beside me, covering me as Saxons try to protect their king.
“Where are King Eanred and Aethelred?” Ulf screams to be heard over the anguished cries of the dying.
One man grabs my leg, begging for mercy. I show him some as I stab him through the heart.
“I thought you killed them when you took Emeline?”
He shakes his head. “I did not see them. I thought you did the same.”
With King Egbert fighting here, I assumed King Eanred and Aethelred were fighting at the other end of the field. That is what would usually happen as kings do not fight side by side.
Suddenly, the noise circles to silence when two ravens with feathers as black as night hover above Ulf and me, changing everything forever.
“No,” I cry, peering into the sky. “It cannot be. It is Huginn and Muninn? They are here as Odin’s ears and eyes?”
Ulf shoves me out of the way, but it’s too late, and a sword penetrates through my shoulder. But I do not care. If Huginn and Muninn are here, Odin sees all. He sees we have failed.
Two Saxons attack Ulf, and usually, he would fend them off with ease, but one stabs him in the thigh.
“Skarth!” he shouts, leaning into me for support. “Have we upset the gods?”
“I do not know.”
King Egbert soon appears a few feet away, smiling in victory. Although we have won the battle of Carhampton, he has prevailed in something far more precious.
“Retreat! Retreat!” he screams, turning and galloping away.
The cowardly Saxons retreat with their lives intact.
I don’t understand what is happening.
The ravens swoop low, their eyes relaying to Odin what they see. Both Ulf and I drop to our knees, paralyzed, helpless to the ravens who are a manifestation of Odin himself.
“Have the gods accepted our gift of sacrifice?” Ulf asks, clutching at the blood-soaked earth.
“I do not think so, for we have failed.”
“Failed? But how? We are victorious. Look.” Ulf sweeps his arm toward the carnage, but no matter how many Saxons we kill…it’ll never bring her back.
“Skarth!”
As I peer into the distance, I see that the seas are on fire. The waters are burning red, just how my need for revenge burns brighter than it ever has before.
“Sten and Toke?” Ulf exhales on a pained breath.
Our injuries are minor, so I know this is our punishment from the gods.
The two men who vowed to protect Cecily and Emeline are here, so where are the women they swore to protect with their lives?
“She’s gone,” Sten pants, clutching his bleeding side. “The king took her. They were waiting for us.”
“How?” It’s all I can say.
“They knew about the tunnel. They knew about the ships in waiting.”
“How?” I ask once again even though I know.
Sten and Toke lower their eyes, as they know they failed me. They failed the gods.
“There is only one person who knew. One person who could easily communicate with the Saxons to inform them of our plans. There is only one person who could have made us believe we had a clear path to Carhampton, but the truth was, this person gave us blind faith.”
“Who?”
The ravens caw loudly, swooping and circling, wishing to see how this ends.
“It was…Cecily. She betrayed us. She was the one who gave Princess Emeline to her brother and father. She was the one who said the princess would never have you. That she sacrificed everything for you.”
Ulf growls, punching the ground. “ Soreinn ! Soreinn ! This is your fault!”
And he is right.
This is my fault.
I asked Emeline to protect Cecily, but the truth is, Emeline was the one who needed protection against my wife, who sided with Northumbria. For she knew a world where Emeline lived is a world where she would never have my love.
The ravens suddenly disappear.
I exhale loudly, my strength returning as I come to my feet. Ulf does the same.
We turn to face one another, slathered in blood, and make a promise here and now.
We won. We won a battle, but the war, the war has just begun.
“We go find her, and I swear to the gods, I will kill your wife for what she’s done.”
Nodding, I accept his challenge as his anger has shown me the truth.
Two Vikings.
One princess.
Who will win?
All’s fair in love and war.
Two best friends, fighting for the one girl.
Let the better man win…