Alicent had hidden herself in the shadows with her cloak securely around herself to watch the home of her former mistress turned step-daughter burned with the woman and her family inside. Much to her surprise and frustration, as the blaze fully engulfed the structure, a watchman of the village took note of the blaze and began to call out for aid. However, before even the first bucket of water could be poured on the burning building, a small figure emerged from the inferno, followed several others, none looking, from Alicent's vantage point, to even be slightly burnt. Not long after the first child emerged from the flames, an older boy took off in her direction. With Alicent being fully unaware that Nyra and her family were blessed to be unburnt, she swung the torch at the boy as soon as he was close enough to her. Yet neither the boy nor his clothes burned despite being close enough that Alicent was able to see the violet eyes of the youth.
When young Sihtric saw the torch coming at him, he pulled his blade and quickly disarmed his attacker.
"YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!" Alicent screamed. "YOU ALL SHOULD BE DEAD! HOW ARE YOU NOT DEAD! I NEED YOU ALL DEAD! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SACRIFICE THAT WILL FINALLY GIVE ME SONS! WHAT WICKED DARK SORCERY HAS YOUR MOTHER WROUGHT TO KEEP YOU FROM BURNING?!"
Finan, Sihtric, Nyra and several other villagers had heard Alicent's shrill yells and had gathered about Alicent and Young Sihtric, hearing parts of her confession.
"Lad, head to Lord Uhtred's hall," Finan said softly to Young Sihtric. "Tell him that the Whore tried to kill your family by setting your home ablaze. Take your siblings with ya as I know Uhtred will provide you all a safe place to sleep tonight."
"What about her?" the boy inquired.
"We'll handle her."
So Young Sihtric gathered his siblings all while Alicent kept ranting and raving even as the villagers held her back from attacking the children.
"UNHAND ME YOU PAGAN OAF! I AM QUEEN OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS AND MY HUSBAND WILL ORDER ALL OF YOUR DEATHS IF YOU DON'T RELEASE ME THIS INSTANT! I AM HERE ON A HOLY MISSION FROM THE GODS THEMSELVES TO RID THE WORLD OF A GREAT EVIL AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOUR SOULS, YOU WILL AID ME IN ENDING THE LINE OF RHAENYRA TARGARYEN! SHE WAS BORN OF GENERATIONS OF THE WORST POSSIBLE SIN, HAS ALWAYS WORSHIPED FALSE GODS RATHER THAN ATTEMPT TO CLEANSE HER SOUL BY FOLLOWING THE TRUE GODS, HAS DEFILED HERSELF WITH HER SCANTILY CLAD DRESS AND INKED SKIN AND ALL OF HER CHILDREN ARE NOTHING BUT SINFUL BASTARDS!"
Then Alicent saw Nyra who stood in her husband's embrace while Finan stood in a defensive position slightly in front of them.
"ITS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOUR MAIDENHOOD, YOUR RUIN WAS SUPPOSED TO GUARANTEE THAT I BORE SONS! TRUEBORN, DEVOUT AND LOYAL SONS! MY FATHER PROMISED ME THAT! NOW YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO DIE PROPERLY ALONG WITH YOUR FAMILY SO THAT I CAN FINALLY BIRTH A KING. A TRUE AND PROPER HIGHTOWER KING! ONE THAT WOULD CLEANSE THE KINGDOMS OF THE TAINT OF YOU DRAGONS!"
Even as her fury reached greater heights, Alicent wrestled free of those holding her and grabbed a dagger from one of the men's belts. She then swung her arm down in a quick arc, hoping to stab Nyra in the heart. However, Nyra's instincts were too quick and she was able to block the attack with her left arm, with the dagger drawing a line into it even as, with her right arm she was able to snatch Alicent's wrist, preventing it from getting any closer to her or doing her any further harm. Sihtric then pried the weapon out of Alicent's hand and passed it off to Finan.
"You've just made a huge mistake, Lady Hightower, by attacking my wife," said Sihtric in a quiet but deadly tone. "You may be 'queen' where you live, but your stupidity has made you an enemy here. Our Lord is a Dane as am I. You are not a Saxon, nor are you a citizen or Wessex or Mercia and so are not subject to their laws. I highly doubt Lady Athelfled or King Edward would be opposed to you facing Danish justice for your crimes. Know this, you will face punishment. There is nothing your Lord Husband can do. In fact, if you are allowed to leave here with your life, you may face further punishment in your homeland from your Lord Husband for having harmed his only child and attempting to kill her children."
With that said, Sihtric turned to Finan, "Bind her well and take her to Uhtred. Tell him once I've tended to my wife's injury, we will be along."
By this time, Sihtric's home had fully collapsed from the flames but the villagers had put out the blaze. Neighbors came to help bind Alicent who kept struggling and screaming until finally someone knocked her out and gagged her. Other neighbors came to assist Sihtric with stitching and bandaging Nyra's wound and providing refreshment since they knew the ordeal the couple had just faced.