A/N: So I have to start off with apologizing to each and every one of you loyal readers. It was never my intention to wait a month in order to post a new chapter! But life got in the way, my muse left me, and interests in other areas to be productive this summer had taken over. It was when I started to get notices about more reviews, follows, and favorites that I realized it had been so long (and that people were still interested)! I'm profusely sorry…please don't throw rotten food at me!
As for your various reviews on the last chapter, you all entertain me so much! I have you all worrying about Arne now…some sort of retaliation? Hehe Listen, there is conflict in normal life but there are also good moments too! Athelstan and Helena (I need to make a ship name for them) will have their good moments for a time before life naturally kicks in. And believe me when I tell you, in future chapters I will SHOCK you. You will NOT see this coming. Though someone did allude to a portion in the works in a review once before! Please stick with me, and thanks for all your support so far!
Oh my God
Please help me, knee deep in the river tryin' to get clean
He says wash your hands, get out the stains
But you best believe, boy, there's hell to pay
-The Silent Comedy
Athelstan wiped his brow as the sweat from his exertion trickled down, tickling the skin beneath it. He was winded from driving the nails into the wood, creating a home for him and Helena once they were married in just a short amount of time. Looking to his left, he spotted Ragnar making his way back from a break for lunch at the main house. His friend seemed to be carrying a bundle in his arms and so Athelstan got down from his perch on the roof to help him out.
"More supplies? I'm sure we'll finish before the next raid at this rate. And I may die in the process as well," Athelstan greeted him, joking and yet being serious somewhere in the back of his mind.
"No, it's lunch for the two of us. Lagertha insisted that I bring it here instead of us wasting time with the back and forth." Ragnar handed the meats over to Athelstan while he held onto the cheese and ale. "And don't be ridiculous; of course you're not going to die from building a house. That would be a stupid way to die, and then you would not get into Valhalla."
Athelstan just smirked and shook his brown curls at the idea of entering the Heaven equivalent in the Norse's beliefs. He handed a leg over to Ragnar before taking his own. The meat was course and chewy between his teeth, and he was thankful for its fill of his belly. As the cheese and ale followed, Athelstan welcomed the difference from the dry wooden taste that had previously taken over his taste buds. It would be quite the bother to have to start back up the work again but the house needed to be finished before the two men left in just a week's time.
"I suppose we're back to this again," Ragnar spoke, having been silent during his meal, looking up at the roof that was half way done.
"Yes I suppose."
Ragnar teasingly shoved Athelstan and chuckled, showing off his usual cheeky smile. "Do you want to get married or not, priest?"
"Somehow that phrase sounds wrong. You'll have to start calling me something else soon."
"I don't think so. You came to us as a priest, and so a priest you will always be in my eyes. You'll have to get used to it."
Shaking his head once more at his friend, Athelstan stood from his spot in the tall grass and went back to his place on the roof, wanting to be done with the damned thing and get back to Helena.
"It's finished," he whispered into her ear as he hugged her good-bye. The feeling of Helena in his arms was still a new feeling, and yet Athelstan couldn't reason that he had managed without it for so long.
"What?"
Athelstan pulled away and looked down to her. "The house. We finished it before dinner yesterday but I wanted to keep it a surprise. You can decorate it however you wish with the sparse things that we have," she giggled at his joke, "and then when I get back I'll be able to marry you and take you there to live. How does that sound?"
"That sounds like a lot of work, actually."
Athelstan laughed before placing a firm kiss on her delicate lips, moving over them again and again, nibbling on her lower lip before attempting to deepen it when she pushed him away.
"What's wrong?"
"You need to leave and go make us some money. There will be plenty of time for that once you're home," Helena smirked, leading him over to the dock.
"I look forward to it," he replied, grabbing her waist and pulling her in for another kiss, this one chaste compared to the last.
"Who are you and what have you done with my kind, sweet, virginal betrothed?" she called after him as he walked towards the ship, already full of Viking men ready for the journey ahead.
Athelstan turned around, now walking backwards, and blew her a kiss with a grin to accompany it. He held the place at his chest where his heart beat steady and strong as she blew her own kiss back. Turning around to face correctly, Athelstan greeted some of the local men and took his place on the ship, located just in front of the newest recruit.
"Are you ready for your first raid, Bjorn?" he asked, putting his bag down next to him.
"I was born to do this," the younger man answered, practically bouncing on his seat, hands gripping around the handle of what would be his oar for the trip.
"I truly believe that you were. Just keep your head down and focus on the task at hand. Listen, though, to your leader. Your father only has your best interest at heart, even if he can be quite the pain."
Bjorn chuckled in complete understand of what Athelstan was talking about. Athelstan watched as the boy turned his attention back to the docks and waved to his family as the ship cast off. He, too, decided to send a final wave to Helena who stood by Gyda as Lagertha stood closer to the ship, rocking Ivar in her arms. She waved back, this time a little more reserved and he recognized it as worry. He tried to give her a reassuring smile as Ragnar gave the order to pick up their oars and begin to row. Helena disappeared shortly after, a small speck on the horizon.
Athelstan watched as Bjorn struggled to walk out of the boat and onto the English shores. So many days at sea seemed to have given the boy his sea legs but now when he needed to walk on dry land, his limbs did not want to cooperate. He patted Bjorn on the back and guided him to the shore, remembering the first time that he had to make the adjustment.
"I think I'm okay now," Bjorn mumbled, shrugging off the other man's hand. Athelstan smiled at the antics, appreciating that he could always count on the grumpiness to set in at some point. It was nice to have the familiarity of home during something as vulgar as a raiding.
The group of men, accompanied by a handful of women, made their way towards the nearest village. Athelstan observed the scenic view around them, approving the beauty of the English countryside. While Scandinavia had its own beauty to behold, he found himself missing some aspects of England, such as the song of the local birds or the smell of the native trees. The ground crackled and crunched beneath their feet, the snaps of twigs being avoided as much as possible; it could scare the birds, who would alert the villagers that there was something or someone coming. That would completely foil their plans, and they couldn't have that happen.
"We'll set up camp here for the evening," ordered Ragnar as the day turned to dusk. The pink hues in the sky made it known that soon they would be comforted by the stars and moon and to rest as much as they could. "Start the fires and we'll eat before settling in for the night."
The group set to work, Bjorn sticking close to Athelstan's side. He made no mention of it to the boy but knew that it was due to nervousness, and who could blame him? First raids were incredibly nerve wracking, and even now Athelstan could feel his own heart begin to beat faster whenever he thought of what awaited them.
Food felt like a warm blanket to the Vikings as they ate, becoming content and sleepy. Lying down, Athelstan let his mind wonder to Helena and the girls back home, hoping that they were safe and happy. And as he dozed off he dreamt of the wedding and the life that waited for him after this.
Morning came all too soon for the former monk, and his body was acting in retaliation as well as his mind, not wanting to move in any form of quickness. He pushed himself to get up and pack his things, checking to see if Bjorn had remembered all of his belongings as well. The boy let off a nervous jitteriness, literally on his toes at all moments as he waited for the rest of the group to move on.
"Bjorn, you need to focus. Breathe. And please stop moving around so much, you'll give us away," Ragnar said, using his commanding voice as he held his son's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "You will help me look after him?"
Athelstan nodded his understanding. This was his fourth raid of the summer, and while he was no expert at this point, he had less of a nervous tick and a keener eye than Bjorn. He already felt as if he was an older brother or confidant to the boy, and so keeping an eye on him during a key time in his life was natural.
"Are you ready? Remember to look all around you, keep quiet and always know something about your surroundings just in case anything happens."
"I know. Mother went over everything before we left, and I've been told time and time again. I probably know even better than you do!"
"We will see. But please, be careful Bjorn. I don't want to have to go home to an angry Lagertha."
Bjorn laughed but then remembered to muffle it. The group began to move and so the duo followed suit. The sun was set high in the sky by the time they came across their raiding spot. A new place, and yet the same story once again: not a clue of what was coming their way, barely any means in which to save themselves, many treasures to be taken, and all on a Sunday as they kneel praying to the Lord. Athelstan fought the bile that rose up in his chest.
Forming at the gate that was meant to protect the village from the harsh winters and drenching summers, the Vikings gripped their swords and shields, grown men resembling what Bjorn looked like earlier that day. Athelstan recognized the hunger in their eyes; this was the only life and way they knew how to survive. His ideas on raiding had become torn since his second time around, understanding how they could be beneficial to the survival of the people. But he still could not understand the bloodshed, and feared that no matter how many times he partook in the ritual, he would never understand it.
Ragnar, knowing that the natives were in church, pushed open the gate with ease, letting his men and women inside. He and Rollo headed straight for the church with some of their taller but thinner men ("More intimidating so I can send the stronger ones to the homes to carry the heavy items with ease," Ragnar had explained once before) while the others fanned out, breaking down the doors and going inside with their bags to be filled. Athelstan guided Bjorn to one of the homes and took him inside to show him how he did things.
"Why does my father send you to raid instead of the church?"
Athelstan turned to watch as he picked up trinkets here and there, adding them to his bag. "Because I can speak the language and have talked my way out of bad situations."
"But you're not very strong to carry the bag."
"True. Your father divides it up and carries the other half."
"So you work together in a way." Bjorn nodded his approval, picking up more things and inspecting others before chucking them over his shoulders.
Screams came from the church, causing the two to look towards the noise. Athelstan sighed and turned back to his task, looking at Bjorn out of the corner of his eye. The boy's face showed signs of both fear and interest.
"Floki likes to…show off to the villagers. Due to customs, wine is viewed as holy when in a church. He likes to spit it out all over them. That's where the screams come from."
Blue eyes widened before a snort made its way out, followed by quite loud laughter. Athelstan could not follow suit, disgusted with Floki as much as the others in that church. He quickened his pace, gathering what would get him and Helena through the winter months of stagnation.
"Finish up, Bjorn," he said, stuffing the treasures in his bag harder than he needed to.
Not hearing much movement from his tag along, Athelstan turned around to see where the boy had managed to wonder off to. Instead he found a sword at Bjorn's throat as well as a hand across his mouth, the usually mischievous eyes now filled with panic. Athelstan's heart skipped a few beats before speeding up, his protective instincts kicking in.
"Put the sword down and back away from him," he ordered in his former tongue, pulling out his own sword from its sheath on his left hip. He slowly walked towards the man, apparently the homeowner who had decided to come out of hiding, looking just as frightened as his captured.
The man gripped harder around Bjorn's mouth and arms, digging the sword deeper into the flesh of the neck. Bjorn let out as much of a squeak that he could, not managing the muffled scream that he was aiming for. "Put my things down and I won't have to hurt him."
"Give me the boy and I'll move on."
"You have no right to my things!"
Athelstan nodded his head slowly, recognizing the anger that he felt during Lindisfarne. "You are correct; we do not have the rights to your things. But you do not have the right to take this boy's life over a few little trinkets here and there. These are replaceable; he is not."
"My wife and I have worked hard in order to have these belongings! You have done nothing to deserve them. Give me them. NOW!" The man's face turned red as his words got louder and bolder.
Athelstan sent a look to Bjorn to reassure him that he had everything under control, but the tighter and tighter the man drew the sword to Bjorn's neck, the harder it became for him to believe Athelstan.
"How about we do this at the same time?" Athelstan bargained, not trusting the man with Bjorn's life. "I'll count to three and you can toss the boy to me and I'll give you the bag."
The man hesitated before nodding his agreement.
"One. Two."
Athelstan paused for just a moment, which was all the other man needed to distrust his words. Athelstan watched as he began to slide the sword across Bjorn's supple flesh, and he anticipated the start of the trickle of blood. He dashed forward, dropping the bag all together and lunged for the man. Due to the confusion, Bjorn was able to slip out of the loosened grasp of his capturer, and out of the way of Athelstan's oncoming sword.
It was never his intention for what happened next. Athelstan swung at the man as a means to scare him off until he and Bjorn were able to get away and become surrounded by a larger group of men. But the man swung back and went to slice Athelstan's abdomen. Jumping back, he retaliated, his mind so focused on saving Bjorn and himself from an untimely and unwanted death that he didn't even realize what that would mean doing.
As the man readied his stance, Athelstan lunged forward with everything that he had. The feeling of one's hand on a sword as it slices through the clothes, the flesh, muscle, and finally to the insides is unlike anything that you could imagine unless you have done so. And as Athelstan pulled the sword out of the belly of the other man, he felt no regrets, only calmness and relief that Bjorn was safe.
The man fell to the floor on his knees, eyes wide and spilling his fresh blood on the ground. Athelstan stepped back to keep it from staining his shoes and picked up the bag he had dropped earlier.
"Let's go," he ordered Bjorn, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him out towards the church to wait for the others.
"What did you just do?" Bjorn asked, his voice full of admiration and yet fear as well.
"I saved our lives. Here, divide this between us so that the load is even."
Ragnar walked up to the duo, having had spotted them while marking the progress of his men. "Why do you look as if you have seen a ghost, Bjorn?"
Bjorn stopped staring at Athelstan enough to acknowledge his father. "Athelstan killed a man."
Ragnar's face showed no change in expression, no surprise or concern even though he knew full well that this was the first time his friend had ever had to do so. "Priest? Is this true?"
"He was about to kill Bjorn. I was merely protecting my family."
Ragnar considered the words before turning his full attention to his eldest son. He noted the slight cut on the boy's neck that was accompanied by drying blood. Clamping a hand down on his broadening shoulders, he said to Bjorn, "You need to be more careful of your surroundings. You and I both know that killing is not in Athelstan's nature. But we are grateful that he made that sacrifice, are we not?"
Bjorn agreed, thanking the monk that he formerly cursed in his younger years for his breaths of life in this moment. Athelstan put a reassuring arm around him, wondering why he didn't feel worse about what just occurred but taking it as a sign that it was meant to be.
"Are you alright?" Helena whispered into his ear as she held him close. They had just returned from their trip West and she always greeted him with a hug that could possible suffocate a man. To Athelstan, though, it was always a reassurance that he had truly returned home to her.
"Nothing being home doesn't make better."
"Athelstan," she warned, pulling away and looking him in the eye.
He shrugged. "I took a life."
"Oh, Athelstan." Her eyes held the sadness that he knew he should feel and did not. "I'm sure you did so with a just cause."
"Bjorn's life was in danger."
She offered him a kind smile. "Then you are a hero."
He shook his head in response. "I am not a hero. I am just a man looking out for those who mean the most to me."
Helena paused before giving him a radiant smile and hooking her arm in his. "How about we go home and you can get a full belly and tell me stories. Then we can finish up plans for our wedding."
"That sounds wonderful."
A/N: Anybody noticing what raiding is doing to Athelstan? Starting to look a little different to me…and that's key to future chapters! Hope you enjoyed. Wedding next chapter!