Just about didn't get this posted today, but here we are. I hate to call this chapter a filler, but some of those will be necessary, so yeah. I also have a confession to make, because of the nature of this story, some scenes can't be re-written. This chapter is like that. And I'll say that I tried to do it this time, and it didn't work.
We learn a few things in this chapter, and it looks like Bjorn is warming up to Athelstan, so that's a plus.
More notes at the bottom!
Kattegat
The next morning, Bjorn woke before anyone else. When Athelstan woke, the boy had already stamped out the fire in the hearth. His down pallet was already rolled up, and he had set out three more for everyone else to have one of their own. Gyda helped Lilith with hers after they changed into warmer clothes, and Athelstan gathered up his, along with a good portion of food and water for them to use on the journey into town. Neither of the girls looked to be concerned about leaving the farm, and Athelstan wished he could draw strength from them to do the same. But as they left the house and began walking the path away from the farm, he found himself anxious.
The skies were perfectly clear when they left, and that should have made Athelstan feel better about the journey. For most of the morning, he only thought about keeping Lilith and Gyda in his sight so they would not stray from the path as Bjorn led them all along through the trees and across streams of water.
"You should not be so anxious, Priest," Bjorn called to him as they walked. "If anything happens, I will be able to defend us."
Athelstan only smirked in the boy's direction, having to rush to keep up with Lilith as she trotted on after Gyda. "Not so fast, Lili. We've a long way to go still."
She sighed when he grabbed her hand, slowing down and reaching for Gyda so she would do the same thing. Bjorn glanced back at them, huffing and falling into step to keep leading them without being so far ahead. He didn't say anything, only shaking his head.
Athelstan tried to save as much food and water as he could, even with Bjorn demanding something to eat at the noon hour despite only stopping so the girls could relieve themselves. While they waited, Athelstan spoke to Bjorn as nonchalantly as he could.
"Bjorn, how often do you go into town with your father?" he asked.
"I have only been once," the boy revealed. "When I received my arm ring and became a man. Why do you ask me this, Priest?"
Athelstan had to choose this words carefully. "Do you know how they punish people here?" he asked, remembering the sight of his brothers hanging in the square almost two weeks after arriving in Kattegat.
"That depends on the crime. Some people have things thrown at them if they steal. Some people are killed when they killed someone else. Why does it matter? Are you worried you will be punished for taking us from our farm?"
"No," Athelstan said shaking his head. "I do not believe your father would do that, even now. But there were others with me, who came from the monastery. I wonder how they might have been treated once they were . . . sold."
Bjorn thought for a second. "If they did not do as they were told, they would be beaten. If they did not bend to their master's will, they would be put out. If they were not useful at all, they would be shown to other slaves, so they would know what would happen to them if they behaved the same way. Why do you ask me this?" he asked again.
Finally, Athelstan sighed, closing his eyes. "When your father and I went back to town just before he left, I saw them hanging in the square. Would they still be there now, after so many weeks?"
"I do not know," Bjorn shrugged. "Why does it matter?"
A rustling in the bushes alerted them to the girls' return, and Athelstan looked up to see Lilith coming closer with Gyda.
"I do not want Lili to see something like that after everything else she has seen," he admitted.
Whatever Bjorn wanted to say, he did not get to say it, as Gyda and Lilith rejoined them so they could continue on their journey.
Once it began to get dark, Athelstan decided to stop for the night, and for once, Bjorn didn't argue with him. Instead he found sticks and rocks to build a fire while Gyda showed Lilith how to lay out her pallet to sleep on. Athelstan separated half the food he'd brought between the four of them, also separating the water so they would have just enough before it was time to sleep.
"When we arrive in Kattegat tomorrow," he said to them all, "I will need you all to stay with me until we see Ragnar and Lagertha. I know it seems like we're all traveling on a holiday, but Kattegat is a dangerous place. We must all stay together while we are there. Yes? Please."
He thought Bjorn might object to his request, but when he nodded his agreement, Athelstan sighed, relieved. When Gyda also agreed with him, Athelstan looked at Lilith to see a little smile on her face.
"What is it?" he asked.
She stood up and moved to his side, sitting under his cloak with him before she spoke. "We've never been on a holiday before," she said and snuggled up beside him. "And we've never been on an adventure. Now we get to do both."
Athelstan grinned and held her closer. "I always wanted you to see Paris," he whispered softly. "I don't know if that will ever happen now, but whatever we do, we will do it together. Yes?"
She nodded, and he kissed her head gently.
"For now, we should all get some rest," he decided. He looked up at Gyda and Bjorn, nodding for them to lay down. "We all still have a good distance to walk."
Even though Lilith had a place of her own to sleep, when Athelstan moved to lay over his pallet, she went with him, sharing his warmth and falling asleep as quickly as she had been since arriving here. Normally, he would not allow her to do so, especially since when they'd been in the monastery, it would have been punishable for them both. But here, she was free to do as she pleased. And Athelstan found that he could not deny her what she wished.
So while Bjorn and Gyda slept on their own pallets by the fire, Athelstan slept with Lilith in his arms for the first time in her life. He dreamt while he lay there, of a tall, beautiful woman with bright brown eyes and freckles across her cheeks. She wore a long, white gown and intricate braids in her hair, smiling at him as it snowed and beckoning him to her as she waited. He did not know what she waited for, but he went to her all the same.
It wasn't until he woke with her secure in his arms, with the feel of her heart beating in time with his, that Athelstan realized the woman in his dream was Lilith.
Morning was kinder this time, as Athelstan put the fire out and helped Lilith and Gyda roll up their pallets. Bjorn was ready to get moving before they were, almost annoyed at having to wait but staying quiet all the same until they again began walking along the path. He led the way, walking quickly but not so fast that they couldn't keep up with him.
Athelstan remained silent as they walked, staying close to Lilith and Gyda, and trying desperately to understand what he'd dreamed. He'd never had a dream like it before, and it frightened him a little. He cared for Lilith with so much of his heart, and he wanted her to be happy here. She finally had a family who would care for her the way she deserved, and he was more glad of that than anything else. But she was a little girl. Why would he dream of her as a woman?
He remembered the dreams Lilith had told him she'd had at the monastery, about Brother Cenwar and about the wave that had flooded the entire island, killing everyone but the two of them. Was that what it meant? Maybe he would see her grow into that woman, and nothing more? Athelstan wanted to see her grow up, and maybe now he knew she would. Maybe that would be enough.
They all shared the rest of the food and water as they walked, arriving at the edge of Kattegat as the last bit of water disappeared into Bjorn's mouth. Still, he led them all through town to the center square. Athelstan prepared himself to explain to Lilith about the other monks who had been hanging there before, but as they passed through, he discovered them all gone. He had never been more relieved.
Commotion outside the Great Hall drew them all inside, and Bjorn pushed his way to the front. They found Lagertha there, along with most of the others who had been with Ragnar when he raided the monastery. Lagertha glanced at Athelstan and then at her children, barely acknowledging him as she faced forward again.
At the front of the hall sat Earl Haraldson and his wife, Siggy, who had both overseen the first hoard Ragnar had brought back, and before Athelstan knew what was going on, the man beside the Earl called to everyone attention.
"Bring in the prisoner!"
From the back of the Hall, several of the Earl's men brought a man forward. Athelstan was stunned to see that it was Ragnar, and Bjorn glanced at his mother.
"Look at him!" Bjorn exclaimed. "He's in chains."
Ragnar turned to him, looking at them all with a slight smirk. "It's all right, boy," he assured him.
Earl Haraldson sat up in his chair then, drawing everyone's attention to him. His eyes fell on Bjorn and then Lilith as he looked around. Athelstan wrapped his arm around Lilith protectively, glancing at Bjorn as he looked up at him.
"We are all aware of our sacred duty here," Haraldson began and looked at everyone else. He looked at Ragnar. "You stand accused of the willful murder of Knut, my brother. Knut, as some of you may know, was the bastard of my father, but I loved him like a brother. I asked Knut to go with Ragnar to England, where they raided a town and brought back many spoils. While they were raiding this town, Ragnar Lothbrok took it upon himself to cold-bloodedly kill my brother.
"It's easy to imagine why a man like this would do such a thing," Haraldson posed. He pointed to Ragnar, singling him out. "This is an ambitious man. He doesn't care to share his spoils, and he resents the fact that he owes me loyalty and obedience as his chieftain. This is man who does not believe in our traditions!" he accused. "This is a man who does not believe in our laws!" he leveled, and many of the people around them agreed.
The man beside Haraldson, who must have been like an advisor, called above the people who had begun to shout. "Silence!" he shouted.
The yelling died down, and Haraldson addressed Ragnar again.
"What do you have to say," he asked Ragnar, "when you stay before us and know that you must speak the truth?"
Ragnar waited only a second, calm and confident as he spoke. "It is true," he said, "that I killed Knut, sadly, your brother. But I killed him when I found him trying to rape my wife."
The crowd gasped collectively. Athelstan held Lilith closer as he looked at Lagertha, horrified at the thought of anyone trying to hurt her. Her eyes never left Ragnar, not even when he turned to the crowd to address them.
"I ask all of you free men, what would have you done if you were in my place? Would have you just stood back? Encouraged the culprit?" he demanded, meeting all their eyes. "I don't think you would."
He turned back to face the Earl. "And even if I had have known at the time he was your brother, I would have carried out the same sentence."
Haraldson's advisor, Athelstan did not yet know his name, looked at Ragnar with nothing but contempt. "Do you seriously ask us to believe your story?"
Without waiting for Ragnar's response, Lagertha stepped forward. "I can confirm the story," she declared.
Haraldson turned to her, his eyes fixed on her even as his brows furrowed. "You are the wife of Ragnar Lothbrok?" he inquired.
Lagertha bowed her head. "I am, Lord."
The Earl scoffed. "How extraordinary that you happened to be there at the same time," he marveled, to which many people in the crowd laughed. Then his face turned hard as he sneered at her. "Your husband is lying! And you are so under his thumb, that he has persuaded you to lie for him!"
Lagertha clenched her teeth, and then her fists at her sides. "May Thor strike you dead," she cursed.
Haraldson sneered at her again. "What did you say?" he demanded.
"My husband did not kill Knut Thordorth!" she yelled.
"Then who did?" the advisor questioned.
"I did!" she exclaimed. "I killed him! I stabbed in the heart when he tried his best to rape me!"
A smirk spread across the advisor's face as he addressed the crowd gathered. "A murder is committed, and the only witnesses are a husband and his wife," he proclaimed even as he chuckled.
Haraldson shrugged. "Unfortunately, we can't tell who did it because they both claim credit for it," he dismissed. He kept his contempt eyes on Lagertha. "You didn't kill my brother. Look at you. How could you?" Then he pointed at Ragnar, singling him out once again. "He killed my brother!" he growled. "Ragnar Lothbrok killed my brother!"
The advisor spoke up then. "We have proof," he announced. "A witness to the killing."
Athelstan watched all the color drain from Lagertha's face, and she glanced back at him and her children before she looked at Ragnar. He was already searching the crowd from whoever this was that seen what happened. Athelstan remembered the man called Knut from his first day in Kattegat. Surely, if Lagertha said she stabbed him in the heart, he was not the witness they spoke of.
Then slowly, Ragnar's brother, Rollo, stepped forward. The crowd obviously knew this man, quieting quickly to hear what he had to say.
"You say you are a witness to the death of Knut Thordorth," the advisor prompted.
"Yes," Rollo said simply.
"You swear this upon your arm ring?"
Rollo sighed. "Yes. I was there. I saw everything."
The Earl sat back, nodding for Rollo to speak. "So who killed my brother?" he bellowed.
With just a look in his brother's direction, Rollo spoke plainly. "Ragnar Lothbrok killed him."
"In cold blood?" Haraldson specified.
Without looking away from Ragnar, Rollo said, "No, Lord. For a good reason." He turned to the crowd and raised his voice. "What Ragnar Lothbrok has sworn is true." Then he faced the Earl. "Your half-brother was caught raping a Saxon woman, and then he attempted to rape Ragnar's lawful wife, Lagertha, the shieldmaiden. So unfortunately, you cannot punish him."
The disappointed look on the Earl's face was so obvious. Even Lilith saw it, lifting her hands to Athelstan's arm as he held her against him. He glanced at her, relieved, before he looked up and saw more than just disappointment on the Earl's face. For a second, he almost looked betrayed.
Ragnar did not hesitate at all, glancing at his wife and children and grinning before he looked back at Haraldson and lifted his arms expectantly. "Who has the keys?" he requested, and it was clear he hadn't meant to be in chains for long.
The same two men who had brought Ragnar into the Hall both looked at Haraldson, waiting. He didn't say anything, nodding without looking at anyone. The men moved to Ragnar's side, removing the chains and allowing him to leave.
Ragnar said nothing to them, absently rubbing his wrists as he glanced at his brother and then turned to face Lagertha and the children. He ruffled Bjorn's hair, cupping the back of his neck and pulling him into his arm. With his other arm, he embraced Gyda and kissed her head. Finally, he faced Athelstan and Lilith, clapping his hand on Athelstan's shoulder and leaning over to look Lilith in the eyes.
"You weren't worried, were you, Little One?" he teased.
Quickly, she shook her head and moved forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He held her against him as well, standing as he called back to the men with him. "Now it's time to celebrate," he proclaimed.
With that, he led them all out of the Great Hall.
I also have to confess about the name of Knut, that I could not figure out another way to spell it.
I'll try to post the next chapter a little sooner, but it depends on how my week goes. I'm still working on the last few chapters for this story, and it's coming along nicely. Right now, the story is going well, but the changes are on their way.
Thanks to everyone following this and putting it in their favorites, and thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed this.
Until next time!
