I wanted to post this early, so I hope this is a good follow-up to the last chapter. This is where the supernatural part of the story makes an appearance.

This chapter is also split between Lilith and Athelstan's perspective. I hope you like it.

Please, read on.

Savior

Gyda's skin was ice cold and turning blue. Lilith remembered from the bird she had touched that it meant the blood had stopped flowing. But Lilith had only touched that bird, and it had come back to life. She was sure of it now.

She would have to try something different with Gyda. This time, she was certain something would have to be given. Something would have to be sacrificed. That was the way things worked around here.

Nearly everyone around her was asleep or feverish, including Athelstan. Lagertha was still nowhere to be seen, and Elisef had since left to bring back more herbs for incense. Lilith had to do something before anyone could stop her. She grabbed Gyda's cold hands and pulled on her as hard as she could to get her out of the Great Hall. Lilith only hoped she had enough strength to get her sister to the beach. They were still about the same size, but dragging what was essentially dead weight was different. It took more of her strength than she thought she had, but without alerting anyone, she made it to the water front.

Once there, Lilith took out the knife she had taken and sat next to Gyda. She made sure both Gyda's feet were in the water before she dragged the knife across her palm. It hurt differently than when Father Cuthbert had marked her, but it still hurt, and Lilith had to stifle her cries as she rose and sat over Gyda with her feet also in the water.

"I don't know what God to pray to anymore," she whispered as she lowered her hand over Gyda's mouth so her blood would drip inside. "Whoever or wherever or whatever You are, hear me. I'm pleading to whoever is listening. I don't want to lose my sister. God. Odin. Bless me."

She covered Gyda's mouth with her bloody hand, remembering when they had made a pact to be blood sisters before they'd gone to Uppsala. She hoped this new blood of hers found what was still inside Gyda's body.

With the light diminishing, Lilith lifted her head and found the moon as it lit up the night sky. Then she screamed as loud as she could for as long as she could, the way she always did when she had cried for Athelstan all those times when she needed him to hear her while he was far away. It had worked a few times. She needed it to work now even if it wasn't Athelstan she was attempting to reach.

The birds cawed and the insects screeched along with her, and a large wave crashed into the beach, enveloping them both. Lilith felt something tug at her belly, pulling her to the ground until she was laying on top of Gyda with her hand still over her mouth. She felt her eyes droop as she laid her head over Gyda's chest. She felt her hands and then her arms and then her back tingle like she was cold.

And then slowly, she felt Gyda move. She heard air move inside Gyda's body. She heard Gyda's heart stutter a little and then beat. Once. Twice. Again. And again.

It was the last thing she heard before she closed her eyes.

Athelstan woke with a start, still feverish but finally clear-headed after being so weak for so long. The Great Hall was filled with the sick and the dead, of those who had only just passed. He wanted to pray for their souls, but as he looked around with blurry vision, he realized Lilith was gone from his side. He sat up and crawled over to where Gyda had been laying, but she was gone as well. Beside the mat, Thyri lay dead, and her mother Siggy sobbed over her body. Athelstan would have normally comforted the woman, but he knew no comfort would bring back her daughter.

He rose slowly, unsteady on his feet as he stumbled to the nearby table to gain a little balance. He was almost immediately stopped by Lagertha.

"You are too weak to be walking around like this," she said and pushed him to sit. "You should be still sleeping."

"I have to find Lili," he huffed, falling forward before Lagertha stopped him. "She was here before I closed my eyes, and she shouldn't be by herself."

Lagertha wet a fresh cloth and wiped his face of the sweat covering it. "It will do her no good to find you like this," she insisted. "Stay here or I will move you to a bed where you will not have such freedom to move."

She rubbed his cheek and set a small cup of water in front of him, rising with her hand over his shoulder as she glanced around the overcrowded hall.

"Where is Gyda?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Athelstan looked up then as well, breathing deep and standing as steadily as he could. He looked to the doors as they stood open to let in the light of morning, swearing on everything he believed that he could see two little footprints and then drag marks in the dirt. He didn't wait for Lagertha, moving around the table and toward the doors.

"Athelstan!" she called after him. He did not stop, and she followed him. "Athelstan!"

He stumbled a few times as he walked, following the little feet as best as he could. Lagertha caught him and put her arm around him to hold him up as they got closer to the beach and the ground sloped downward. Then they reached the sand, and he looked out to find the source of the little feet that had led him there.

"Gods!" Lagertha cried. "Gyda! Lilith."

She ran around him to where the two little girls were laying on the sand motionless. Athelstan had to take his time, falling to his knees as he reached Lilith's other side. Lagertha was already running her hands over Gyda's chest, and she moved to Lilith to do the same thing.

"There is blood," she said, "but I cannot find the source. They are both so cold!"

Athelstan leaned over Lilith, laying his ear over her mouth and sighing heavily, relieved, when she exhaled against the side of his face. "She's breathing."

Lagertha repeated his movements, relieved to discover the same with Gyda. "But where is the blood coming from?"

Athelstan ran his hands over Lilith's torso, unable to feel any wounds, but then he took her hands in his and felt one of them wet from a sticky substance, lifting it and discovering her bloody palm.

Lagertha looked up just as he discovered it, looking at Gyda as her face lay smeared with blood. "I do not understand. Why would Lilith do this?"

"I don't know," Athelstan said and shook his head. "But we must get them inside. They need warmth."

A few able-bodied people had followed them to the beach, and Lagertha beckoned them forward to help. "We must get them inside," she ordered. "Now."

No one hesitated or questioned their lady, hurrying forward and doing as she said. Lagertha gathered up Athelstan to help him back to the long house. There weren't many people around to see them enter and then disappear into the back where Lagertha had been attempting to rest when she hadn't been helping the sick.

She deposited Athelstan on one side of the bed before she moved the other where the girls were laid carefully. She wiped the blood from Gyda's face before sitting down to bandage Lilith's hand quickly. Athelstan watched her the whole time, not speaking but remembering the story Lilith had told him before they had gone to Uppsala – about a bird she found dead and brought back to life just by touching it.

He closed his eyes without meaning to, opening them again to discover both he and Lagertha on the bed with Lilith and Gyda between them. Both girls were still asleep but now breathing almost in time with one another. Lagertha held her own daughter close as she caressed Lilith's face.

"I believe that my daughter was dead," she whispered and lifted her eyes to Athelstan. "And if that is true, then I believe Lilith gave up part of her life force to save my Gyda. I do not understand how the gods could work their ways in such a young girl's body, but I am no less grateful to still have them both in my life. And you, Athelstan, for bringing her to us. I know you did not come to us of your own free will, but you are our family now. Do you understand?"

He nodded only a little, as he was still dizzy and did not wish to lose whatever constitution he'd gained.

"When Ragnar returns, I will ask him to free you from your service to us. If you wish to stay, then you will."

Athelstan only understood a little of what she said, hearing her proclamation and simply holding Lilith closer to him as he'd been doing before getting sick himself. He would go wherever she went. He knew that now. It mattered not what god he worshiped or what altar he prayed at. His own God had brought her to him for him to care for, and he would spend his life doing that for as long as she needed. Lilith would never leave Gyda or Bjorn, nor would she ever leave Ragnar or Lagertha. She had adopted them as much as they her. This was her family now, and so it was his as well.

Lilith stirred in his arms, facing him as she opened her eyes to see him in his disheveled state.

"Athelstan," she whispered.

He held her closer and pressed his cheek to her forehead. "I'm here, Lili. I'm right here. You're all right, I promise."

"What about Gyda?" she asked and turned her head toward Lagertha.

"She is all right, as well," he assured her, kissing her head. "Whatever you did, you healed her."

She pushed out a shallow breath, closing her eyes and allowing tears to fall gently.

"Lili, are you in pain?" he pleaded, cradling her head.

"No," she whispered. "I didn't know if it would work. I told you about the bird," she said, and he nodded. "It was so small. I only touched it, and it came back to life. I thought this time would have to be different. I knew I would have to give something away if it was going to work. I only had one thing I could give. It had to be more than a touch. More than with the bird. Gyda is so much bigger than a bird."

Athelstan laughed softly despite himself, kissing her again. "Yes, she is. And now, you are both all right."

Slowly, Lilith turned over so her chest was to Gyda's back, taking her sister in her arms even as Lagertha held her. Almost instantly, Gyda woke up, blinking slowly.

"Gyda!" Lagertha cried softly. "My love. I am here. Lilith is here, and Athelstan is here. You are safe, and you are better."

"I'm thirsty, Mother."

Lagertha smiled and laughed just once. "Then you will drink, my child."

She brought back two cups of water, helping both her girls sit up with Athelstan and giving them as much as they needed. Athelstan watched Lilith closely, slowly realizing how close he'd come yet again to losing her even if this time had been her doing. He also knew that if anyone else in town found out what she'd done, it would not be good for her. Perhaps it wouldn't be like it had been at the monastery, but it wouldn't be much better.

The sun was setting before Asa came in to talk to Lagertha, and she beckoned her lady to the partition that led out into the main rooms before she spoke softly. Athelstan didn't hear any of what she said, instead focusing on Lilith and Gyda, but once as they spoke, he looked up to see a defeated expression spread across Lagertha's face as she received news she wasn't expecting. Just as Asa finished and bowed her head, Edda and Þórunn appeared behind her, obviously wanting to see that Lilith and Gyda were all right.

"Not now, girls," Lagertha said to them as Asa left quickly.

"But Amma and Gerda," Edda shrilled. "Lilith wasn't sick when we last saw her. What happened?"

Lagertha sighed heavily, glancing back at him before she spoke. "She was not sick. She was tired, and we brought her here with Gyda when her sister's fever broke. They are all still very weak. The two of you have other responsibilities right now. In another day, perhaps, they will be well enough for visitors. Go on."

Þórunn didn't wait, taking Edda's hand and pulling her off into the long house. Lagertha paused for just half a minute before she returned and sat on the opposite side of the bed.

Athelstan knew the look on her face. It was the same one she'd had after losing her baby a year earlier and when Thyri had taken him to prepare for the sacrifice. She was grieving. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What's happened?"

It took her a minute to speak as she brought her fingers to her lips. "Ingrid is dead," she revealed, looking at him as he watched her. "Amma and Gerda have also succumbed to the illness. Olaf and a few of the other male servants. Dozens more have also died, and I can't — I cannot fathom what we have done for this to happen to us."

Athelstan tried to sit up, only achieving it part of the way as he settled back against the wall above the bed. Lagertha glanced at him and then the girls, caressing Gyda's cheek and Lilith's before she did the same to him.

"You must save your strength, my friend," she whispered even as tears slipped down her cheeks. "You may no longer be ill, but you need to rest."

He huffed as he struggled to catch his breath. "I'm sorry," he exhaled and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Why?' she asked.

"Perhaps," he began, pausing as he sucked in another deep breath, "if I had been able to be sacrificed, then — "

"Then it would be worse," she shouted, startling him easily. Largertha exhaled sharply, grasping onto his shoulder. "That's not how it works, Athelstan. If you had been sacrificed at Uppsala, it would have angered the gods. Their wrath would have been unavoidable. And we were all wrong to think we knew your destiny. The gods had already chosen your path, and it was not our place to change it as we saw fit. That was our mistake. And now, we must work to remedy that. Perhaps that is how Lilith was able to save Gyda."

For a minute, he said nothing, lowering his gaze to Lilith as she slept in the bend of his arm. "Then why did I get sick?" he asked, almost pleading. "If I wasn't supposed to be sacrificed, then why was I not protected like you or Lili?"

Lagertha lifted her hand to his face again. "The gods are always testing us," she reminded him. "Doesn't your God test your faith from time to time? This was a test, Athelstan. And you have passed their test. Now you must prepare yourself for the next one, whenever it comes. Rest," she commanded. "I'll see about finding us something to eat."

She gave him no time to argue, rising from the bed and leaving quietly to keep from waking the girls. Athelstan barely waited for her to be gone, closing his eyes and sleeping again for the third time that day.

The next time Athelstan opened his eyes, the room around was filled with light from the shutters along the ceiling, making it difficult to see anything beyond the bed where he still lay. Slowly, a new presence entered the room, obscured from his sight even though he could see it perfectly. The light surrounding him caused it to glow so bright that he had to hold his hand up in front of his eyes to keep from being blinded. As he watched, the brightness faded enough so he could see a form within it, and finally, the body of a woman came into focus. It wasn't just any woman. It was the woman from his dreams.

She smiled when she saw that he could see her, sitting behind him as a swath of light illuminated her so brightly that he had to squint. When she reached for his face, he leaned into her touch, only realizing that she hadn't ever touched him before now when he felt her cool fingers against his forehead.

The brightness faded just as quickly as it had appeared, and when Athelstan opened his eyes again, she was gone. It wasn't as bright as it had been, and when he lowered his eyes to the partition, Edda was standing there with two bowls in her hands.

"You're awake," she said and smiled, stepping into the room as quietly as ever.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked hoarsely, clearing his throat gently.

She sat on the bed with the bowls, looking over him and then across from him where Lilith and Gyda were still sleeping. "It has only been a night since I was here last," she assured him. "Lady Lagertha decided it was time for you to all eat, and Þórunn is still helping Asa and Kindra in the kitchens."

Athelstan huffed as he lay there, feeling his arm almost numb with Lilith laying on it. He pulled his arm out from under her as slowly as he could, without waking her before he sat up a little, and Edda smiled again.

"Here," she said and handed him a bowl of grain meal. "You should eat."

He took the bowl graciously, unable to remember the last time he had eaten anything.

The room stayed quiet another minute as he ate, and before he knew it, the food was gone. He tried to cover his mouth, embarrassed by his lack of manners, and Edda laughed softly, taking the bowl as she glanced at Lilith and Gyda again.

"Athelstan," she almost whispered. "Please tell me the truth. Did Lili get sick like Gyda?"

He looked at the girls, knowing the truth and knowing it wasn't safe for anyone else to know what had happened. "She did not get sick," he replied. "She was simply tired, like Lagertha said. And she and Gyda will both be fine."

"Then why is she hurt? She was not hurt when I saw her last."

Athelstan took a deep breath and sat up, his whole body aching from the top of his head to his toes. "Lagertha and I are not certain yet how she hurt herself," he said as he took Edda's hands in his. "But she will heal. We all will. I promise."

Edda bowed her head, holding his hands tighter. "So many people have died," she cried quietly. "How are we supposed to heal from this?"

He lifted her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles and them lifting her chin so she would look at him. "We will all have to help each other," he told her as confidently as he could. "Lili will need you as much as Gyda will need Þórunn, and I feel that I will need you to help me as well. Because I was ill, and it may be several days until I am able to look after them. Since Þórunn is helping in the kitchens, you will help here while Lagertha is tending to the people in town. Will you do that for me, Edda?"

It only took her a second to nod and agree. "Of course I will. I did not expect it to happen, but I have come to love you all so much. You and Lili, especially. I will do whatever is asked of me until you are all well. I swear."

Athelstan was so surprised by her declaration that he pulled her into his arms without thinking. Other than Lilith, no one else had ever told him they love him, not even his parents before they had sent him to the monastery. He knew Lagertha and Gyda cared a great deal for him, but it was different to hear someone say they loved him.

"Edda," he whispered and cradled her head in his palm. "I love you as well. The same as I do Lili and Gyda, and Lagertha. I promise I will take better care of you when I am well. It's the least I can do."

She held onto him as tightly as anyone ever had, and almost a minute, it was completely quiet.

"What are you two doing?"

Lilith's scratchy voice got both their attention, and Athelstan turned to lay beside her as she turned to face him.

"We're waiting for you to wake up," he said and kissed her forehead. "And Gyda. Edda has brought you both some food to eat."

As gently as he could, Athelstan helped Lilith sit up, allowing her to lean against his chest so Edda could help her with the bowl she had brought. As he sat there, Athelstan watched the two of them, surprised by how close they had become in a short period of time and hopeful that it would last as long as they both lived. Nothing would make him happier.

He also watched Edda, noticing how she spotted the bandage on Lilith's hand and coming up with an explanation if she asked about it again. But she didn't. When Lilith had eaten enough, she moved around to wake Gyda and help her eat the rest of the food in the bowl. Just before she left, she looked at him, and it was almost like she knew he wasn't telling her the truth about Lilith. But she said nothing to him and left with the bowls and spoons to take them back to the kitchen.

Athelstan was able to leave bed before either Lilith or Gyda, dressing in an old tunic and pants and accompanying Lagertha to the Great Hall where many of the survivors of the plague had congregated. Though he had been ill with the rest of them, quite a few of them had concerns about his survival that Lagertha felt the need to have him present while she dealt with their concerns.

"This plague is proof, Lady Lagertha," an older man shouted. "That Priest should have been sacrificed at Uppsala. It was agreed. It should have happened."

Lagertha sighed as she sat above everyone else. She glanced at Athelstan as he sat beside her, only waiting a minute before she responded. "We will never know why this happened," she called over the people watching her. "But it was not because Athelstan was not sacrificed. The Seer was clear about that. If we had given this man's life to the gods, this plague would have been much worse. You are alive now because the gods chose to keep you alive. So is Athelstan. Now is the time for mourning. It is not a time for us to question the circumstances of this illness."

"But if the Priest lives," a younger woman pleaded, "we might be struck with another calamity. We should sacrifice him now to keep the rest of us safe."

Quite a few of the others agreed with this woman, prompting Athelstan to bow his head so he didn't have to look any of them in the eyes as they spoke. He was still weak from being sick, and he hadn't eaten a full meal is over a week. Maybe these people were right. Maybe —

"Athelstan will not be sacrificed," she yelled, taking a deep breath and rising slowly. "And if it weren't for him, none of us would have survived this plague to begin with. He is a valued member of my household and will remain so for the foreseeable future."

Slowly, Arvid stepped up through the crowd, glancing at Athelstan before he spoke. "Perhaps, my lady, we should quell the people's fears with the knowledge that we have already performed a sacrifice that very well may have stopped the spread of this plague."

The hopeful look on her face that had been absent for so long made a timely reappearance.

"Yes, thank you, Arvid," she said and reached back for Athelstan's hand to hold it in hers. "There is no need to sacrifice Athelstan to the gods now. As you well know, the plague has not spread to any new victims in nearly two days, and those whose fever has broken are now healing. My daughter being one of them. And her sister is also recuperating from helping many of you when you were ill. As I said, now is a time of mourning. I will be planning a funeral for everyone who perished, and then we will all begin to move forward from this."

Though a few more people still whispered to each other over what was said, when Lagertha said this, nearly everyone agreed. Arvid kept his eyes forward, watching Lagertha as she sat down while still holding Athelstan's hand. He didn't look away until Lagertha gestured for him to come closer. Then he glanced around him and stepped forward.

"My lady?"

"Please take Athelstan back to the long house and stay with him and the girls until I return," she commanded in a soft voice.

He bowed his head without saying anything, reaching for Athelstan and helping him stand up.

The people gathered parted for them as they left, and Athelstan glanced back at Lagertha to see the concern if her face almost double from what it had been before anyone had spoken. Whatever she was thinking, listening to these people had made it worse.

Since Lilith and Gyda were still too weak to get out of bed, supper that night was set up so they could sit with Edda and Þórunn while Athelstan sat with Lagertha and Siggy at the supper table. It wasn't exactly a happy affair, since both Athelstan and Siggy were still recovering from their ordeal, and Siggy was especially quiet because she was still mourning the loss of her daughter. Since getting out of bed, Athelstan had tried to give her some kind of condolence, but she wouldn't even look at him. After this, he would probably stop trying.

Despite initially relieving Arvid when she came back to the long house, Lagertha requested him to come back when they were finished eating. Siggy left before either Athelstan or Lagertha were finished, prompting Asa to enter the small room by herself.

"My lady, is everything all right?" she asked immediately.

"Everything is fine, Asa," Lagertha assured her. "Please go check on the girls and prepare a bowl of water so we may wash our faces before bed."

Asa bowed her head. "Yes, my lady."

She left, and Lagertha glanced at Athelstan.

"Do not worry about Siggy," she said as she ate slowly. "She is still grieving, and I am sure she will be all right soon."

He pushed out a heavy breath, pushing his food away and leaning forward with his head in his hands. "I know she is grieving. I grieve with her. No parent should lose their child. I find myself ever grateful that you did not lose Gyda or Lilith. I am also grateful that I did not lose them. But now everything is uncertain again."

She stood up from her side of the table and moved to sit at his side. "Why are things uncertain again?" she asked.

Athelstan lifted his head, keeping his eyes closed. "While I was ill, no one was concerned with me other than those who needed to be. You and Lili and Gyda. Now that we're all healing, those people are concerned again. And Lili might not be safe anymore. Not if I am still alive and people don't think I should be."

Lagertha did not hesitate. "You are alive by the will of the gods, Athelstan," she declared, taking his hand in hers. "And those people will not question the gods. I will not let any of them harm you or Lilith. I swear it. And it does not matter if they do not believe you should be alive. I know you should be alive. I would be lost without you."

He huffed, lifting his hand to his forehead. "I am still so weak," he whispered.

She cupped his cheek, feeling behind his ear and under his jaw, more than likely for another fever. When she found none, she rubbed his shoulder. "Then you should continue to rest," she said and stood up to help him to his feet.

Athelstan did not refuse her command, allowing her to help him and leaning on her as she walked him back to where the girls were still probably eating. Arvid followed them and then stationed himself at the first partition as they continued on to the back rooms.

"I do not want you to worry about anything happening to you or my children," Lagertha insisted. "The only thing I want you to be concerned with is the care of my girls. And I will take care of everything else."

Still, Athelstan did not argue as they arrived at the back room and discovered Lilith and Gyda asleep over the middle of the bed.

Lagertha helped him to the side of the bed with Lilith before she moved around to get ready for bed. Though his dizziness did not dissipate, Athelstan still watched her as she changed into a gown and began taking her hair down. Neither of them spoke until she was sitting on the bed behind Gyda with a comb in her hands, continuing to unbraid her hair.

"If there are any further concerns," she said, and he looked up at her, "I will handle them personally. If anyone believes more is to be done, I will take care of it myself. We all have a long healing period ahead of us, and I will not have anyone set back by worrying over things that cannot be changed."

He didn't know what to say, choosing not to say anything even when she looked at him and reached for his cheek.

"Hmm?"

He nodded, and she smiled a little, leaning over to kiss Lilith's forehead before she did the same thing to Gyda. When she laid down behind Gyda, Athelstan closed his eyes, almost asleep when he thought he heard her whisper.

"I will make a sacrifice of myself if I must."

He was asleep a second later.

It was another few days before both Lilith and Gyda were strong enough to leave bed, and it was only to gather the bodies of the sick so they could be burned. Athelstan stood with both girls while Lagertha and Siggy lit three large pyres which held many of the dead, including Thyri. He noticed that Lilith hadn't let go of Gyda's hand since waking from healing her, and he wasn't sure Lilith would ever let go.

Several days after the town was empty of the sick, Athelstan felt strong enough to leave Lilith and Gyda in Lagertha's care as he went looking for anyone left who wasn't sick and in need of food or water. At the end of his walk, he found himself at the water front where he had found Lilith unconscious. He sat on the sand near where her head had been, taking a handful and allowing it to fall through his fingers.

How easy could it have been to find them both dead? What had happened to give Lilith that kind of power? Over life and death? As far as Athelstan knew, no one on Earth had that power. How had it been possible for a young girl to do something so extraordinary? The very knowledge of it shook him to his core.

"Athelstan."

He turned to see Lagertha there, almost rising before she stopped him.

"It's all right," she said, her hand on his shoulder.

"Where is Lili?"

"She is with Siggy," she said and sat down. "And Gyda. Edda and Þórunn are with them both. No one will harm her. You have my word."

He pushed out a heavy breath, crossing his legs in front of him and taking another handful of sand. "Lili said something to me once," he began. "She found a bird dead in the woods, and when she picked it up, it came to life in her hands. She only told me about it because it scared her, and I told her the bird must not have been dead. I told her sometimes animals can fall and hit the ground, and they can be in a deep sleep. But they always wake back up. But she was so sure she had healed it herself." He stopped and closed his eyes. "This is my fault," he said and shook his head.

"How?" she asked and squeezed his arm.

"I don't know. It just is. And when everyone finds out what she's done, it will be mayhem. I will not be able to protect her then. She won't be a child anymore."

Lagertha took his face in her hands, making him look at her. "No one will know what she has done," she swore. "No one will know, because I will not tell them. And you will not tell them. When anyone asks, I will tell them it was a gift from the gods, and it is true."

Athelstan sighed, gripping her wrists in his hands. "And what will you tell Ragnar?" he pleaded. "How will you tell him that Gyda was so sick and so weak that it was like she was dead but Lili brought her back to life?"

"He loves Lilith as much as I do," she declared. "He wants to protect her as much as I do. I will tell him the truth, and we will swear him to keep the secret. Until Lilith is able to choose on her own, we cannot force her to give a part of herself to anyone simply because she is able to."

"And Siggy?" he said. "When she discovers that Lili might have been able to save her daughter? How will we explain that?"

Lagertha looked away from him, and then he looked around as it grew darker. No one was around to hear what they said, and once that was clear, she made him look at her again. "We do not know why Lilith chose to save Gyda," she whispered so close to his ear that it was certain no one would hear her. "And we will not question why she did so. Until she is older, we will both keep her safe. I swear that to you."

Athelstan took a deep breath, bowing his head and allowing Lagertha to press her lips to the side of his face.

"We will share this burden with Ragnar," she said and held him closer. "And Gyda will as well."

The birds chirped sweetly as they sat on the sand, watching the sky darken for just a little while longer before she stood up and helped him to his feet. Once they were on their way back to the long house, Lagertha took his arm in hers so they could walk side-by-side.

"You have carried Lilith's burden her entire life, dear Athelstan," she said and squeezed his arm. "For so long, it has been your sole responsibility to see that she is safe and well-cared for, and you have done such a good job making her into the beautiful young lady she is now. One would think she was your own, such as you treat her. But now, you are not alone. You do not have to carry this alone anymore. It is now our responsibility to see that she is safe, and it will stay that way no matter what. Yes?"

He nodded. "Yes."

She nodded as well. "Good. We will eat with our girls and put them to bed, and then you will put yourself to bed. I sense that Ragnar might be home sooner than we believe, and there is much we will need to do before that happens."

That was the last thing either of them said before they reached the long house and got to work preparing supper for the girls and Siggy.

Their meal was simple that night, and the conversation was almost nonexistent as Lagertha and Athelstan tended to Gyda and Lilith with Edda and Þórunn's help. Siggy still wasn't good company, eating only because she was expected to and excusing herself to leave the long house after just a few spoonfuls of food. Athelstan was glad for her exit, sensing that Lilith would want to apologize for not doing more to save Thyri.

Once Edda and Þórunn had Lilith and Gyda ready for bed, Athelstan helped Lilith with her hair before laying her in the bed so he could speak to her alone.

"We need to talk about something," he said softly, holding her closer with her bandaged hand in his. "And I need you to listen to me very carefully. Yes?"

She nodded, and he sighed.

"What you have done, how you saved Gyda, it was a miracle. I've told you about miracles?" She nodded, and he went on. "Lili, you can never tell anyone what you did. I know you don't really understand it yet yourself, but if people knew what you had done, it would be dangerous for you. Do you understand?"

She nodded, but he wasn't sure if she did.

"Please promise me you won't tell anyone what you did, especially Siggy. If she found out you could have saved her daughter, I don't know what she would do. I don't know how she would react, and I must keep you safe. All right?"

Again, she nodded. He was about to pull her closer when she spoke plainly.

"I could not have saved Thyri anyway," she said, and he leaned away, confused.

"Why not, Lili?"

"Because she was not my sister," she stated. "Not like Gyda is."

"How do you mean? Wasn't she as deserving of this gift as anyone else?"

"Perhaps, but not by me. Gyda and I have shared blood. I think that is the reason why it worked. Are you angry with me?"

Athelstan was stunned. But he wasn't angry. How could he be? Lilith was still so young and couldn't possibly understand the things she did, even if it was out of instinct.

"Of course I'm not angry," he promised her. "I just need you to be careful. Don't tell anyone else about this. Please?"

She nodded. "I will not tell anyone. I promise."

To that, Athelstan sighed and held her closer, kissing her hair and slowly falling to sleep.

There's just one chapter left, and we're getting to the last couple of changes I've made for the story.

I'm also already working on Part 2, so I'll have news about that in the last chapter.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading, following and adding this to your favorites.

Until next time!