Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Please don't sue me I'm poor.
Athelstan and Ragnar made their way down the sandy bank, Athelstan tried to keep his balance but it was difficult with his hands tied behind his back. He knew they were at the public beach where people often camped. When they reached the bottom Athelstan could see camp fires and hear music. He saw people kissing and dancing, he heard people singing, talking and laughing. Ragnar grabbed his arm and pulled him through the sea of people. Athelstan tried to shy away from all the looks people were giving him but it was impossible to avoid them all.
Ragnar pulled Athelstan towards a camp fire where there were fewer people. Athelstan noticed the masks on the floor and made the connection that some of them were the robbers. There were men and women around the fire, they were talking, drinking beer and eating...Oh! They were eating his cakes. The sound of Ragnar's boots caught one woman's attention.
She turned to them and smiled "Ragnar what took you so long?" She got up and flung herself into his arms. She went to kiss him but noticed he still had his mask on "Why are you still wearing this thing?" She pulled it off, threw it to the floor and kissed Ragnar hungrily. Athelstan looked at Ragnar and saw he had long dirty blonde hair that it was tied up in a braid of some sort half way down his back and the sides of his head were shaved, he couldn't see much of his face but he could see he had a beard and moustache as well.
Athelstan stared at the kissing couple for a moment in disgust only to realise Ragnar was no longer holding or watching him, this was his chance to escape. Athelstan swallowed hard and took a step back keeping a close watch on the kissing couple and praying they would not notice him. He took another step back and another step back and another and another 'This is it I'm going to make it' he thought. Athelstan tried to take another step back when he bumped into something solid behind him. He never saw a wall behind him and was confused until he looked behind him. His eyes winded when he saw a mountain of a man with long hair which was kept loose and long beard which was tied up half way down. Athelstan opened and closed his mouth a few tied but nothing would come out and he was too shocked to move, this man could crush him with one hand if he wanted to.
"Ragnar your prisoner is escaping" He spoke picking Athelstan up and tucking him under his arm.
Ragnar stopped kissing the woman and looked towards them. The large man brought Athelstan back to him but kept him under his arm. Athelstan caught a Ragnar's eyes and my lord he had never seen such blue eyes before. Ragnar gave Athelstan a look he could not figure out and spoke "You're so naughty little priest I thought I could trust you"
"Prisoner? Priest? You took someone from the church?" The woman asked
"Yes. Lagertha this is Athelstan. Athelstan this is my wife Lagertha"
His wife? Athelstan got a good look at woman she was tall, had a fierce beauty about her, she had wild blond hair that had many braids and had a motherly softness to her eyes. None of the women Athelstan knew could match this woman.
She looked very unimpressed at the boy under Erik's arm. "Why did you bring him?" she scowled at Ragnar
"He's interesting and I thought everyone would like to thank him for the cakes" Ragnar smiled at her
'Cakes that you stole' Athelstan thought
She was not convinced she knew Ragnar had another motive. Her eyes went back to the boy her looked like a frightened rabbit, ready to run but would attack if provoked. "Put him down Erik" she said.
He nodded and put Athelstan down. Athelstan was a little bit shaken but able to stand. Lagertha approached Athelstan to get a good look at him. He was smaller than her but not by much, he was thin, had clear blue eyes, short curly brown hair, his face was clean of any facial hair and he looked very...Ohhh so that was Ragnar's hidden motive it was the boys innocence.
"You baked those cakes? They were really nice" she smiled. Lagertha had always had keen eyes but she had only just noticed that his hands were tied behind his back. She scowled at Ragnar again "Why is he tied up?"
Ragnar looked at Athelstan with a smirk "So he wouldn't run away"
"Really Ragnar" She swatted his arm
"What? I wanted you to meet him" Ragnar laughed
Lagertha approached Athelstan and went behind him. "You used your belt?" she noticed and Ragnar just shrugged "I gagged him earlier with a cloth, so what?" Ragnar was only playing of course but she knew that Athelstan did not see it that way. She untied the belt and threw it at Ragnar who caught it.
Athelstan rubbed his wrists that looked a little bit red but would be fine.
"You'll be fine. Come join us priest" She invited him to sit with them
"No thank you I just want to leave" Athelstan protested maybe Lagertha would listen to him
Ragnar walked up to Athelstan "Nonsense you'll have fun" he picked him up bridal style and sat him down on the sand next to him. Ragnar turned around "Erik" he said and Erik got the message. He sat on the other side of Athelstan while Lagertha sat next to Ragnar.
Trapped Athelstan was trapped between the man who had tied him up and kidnapped him and a man who could snap his neck with ease, he could never escape now.
Athelstan looked around him to find all eyes were on him, he shrank back and made himself look smaller. He jumped slightly when Ragnar placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Everyone this is Athelstan he's the one who made those cakes" he smiled only to furrow his brow and ask "By the way where's mine?"
Leif pulled out a cake and handed it to Ragnar who took it with a child like excitement and took a big bite and moaned they did taste as good as they looked.
"Ragnar" Leif spoke with a very confused look on his face "What happened to your face?" he asked
Everyone around the fire looked as Ragnar touched his face, he had completely forgotten that Athelstan had smacked him in the face with a tray "Oh this" Ragnar cocked his head towards Athelstan and said "He hit me" and took another bite of the cake.
The others gapped in shock and looked at Athelstan in disbelief, who shrank back even more as his face flushed.
"Let me see" Lagertha said. It was cut slightly, bruised and swollen how did she not see it before.
"There's no way he hit you that hard" One of the other men said and there were murmurs of agreement
"Did you really do that?" Another asked Athelstan
Athelstan did not like this one bit if he said the wrong thing Ragnar might not kill him but his friends or his wife might. "I-I-I did not me-mean to" He stuttered quietly.
"So you did hit him? With your fist?" The same man asked still a bit confused
"No with a baking tray" He was still taking quietly but Erik heard him and let out a hard laugh
"He hit you with a baking tray? That's the funniest thing I've heard today" The others joined in his laughter even Lagertha.
"Well it seems you were right" She spoke up as Ragnar finished his cake "His is interesting. The priest has some fight to him"
"Priest? Why the fuck did you bring a priest here? He's not going to try and convert us is he?" The others sneered
"I'm not a priest" Athelstan spoke a little louder than before "I-uh I was just hired by the church to do some cooking, that's all" and he was thankful the church had paid him three days before
"And it was delicious, right everyone?" Ragnar said and the others agreed. Athelstan liked it when people enjoyed his cooking but he would have like it better if they weren't stolen.
"Pass use some beers" Erik said and Leif passed a beer to Lagertha, Ragnar, Erik and..."What about him?" He pointed to Athelstan
"I don't-" Athelstan was going to reject the booze but Ragnar took and put it in his hand, finally Leif passed a beer to Erik "Thanks son" He said
Son? So that explained why they looked so alike Athelstan realised.
"Cheers everyone!" Ragnar said and everyone responded "Cheers" and knocked their beer cans together, except for Athelstan who said nothing and didn't move.
Ragnar knocked his can against Athelstan and said "Cheers" With a wink
Athelstan didn't drink beer but feared what would happen if he didn't. So he slowly put his lips on the can and took a small sip...he nearly gagged it tasted terrible but he swallowed it under Ragnar's hot gaze Ragnar smiled as he looked away and began chatting to his friends.
Athelstan was so confused he had been kidnapped, his cakes had been stolen and eaten, he was tied up and gagged, brought to a beach full of strangers and is now drinking beers with them...What on earth was going on? He looked at Erik sitting next to him who was looking at him with one eyebrow raised, he quickly looked away and took another sip of beer just to seem like he was enjoying it. Athelstan was not sure what he should do so he decided to wait it out, he was thankful he had his watch on.
Hours went by and soon the sun was just starting to rise and Athelstan was tired and hungry, he only drank half his beer and was finally ready to escape. He looked around and realised that everybody was asleep. Ragnar, Lagertha, Leif, Erik and everyone else was sleeping. He slowly put his beer can in the sand and quietly got up. He kept his eyes out for any movement as he made his way across the beach. He reached the sandy bank and climbed up until he got on the road. He took one last look at the beach and ran. He ran and ran and didn't stop until he got home, when he got home he locked his door and went up stairs. He collapsed on his bed and fell asleep hoping he didn't have any nightmares.
