Scotland- 804 AD

Tualla scarpered as she tried to make sense of the revelation. Her visions had never been wrong and she knew it was him. But why? Why would Kenroy help the saxons? She thought about it over and over but nothing made sense. She considered that his clan had also formed some sort of treaty with Edwin, but her own father had been a part of arranging her marriage.

She needed answers, and until she had them, she couldn’t trust anyone.

***

Pretending to be asleep, Tualla kept a watchful eye on Kenroy, waiting for the right opportunity. It presented itself late into the night when he left the camp.

Keeping at a safe distance, she followed him into the nearby forest. He came to a stop in front of a tree and dropped his pants. Pulling out her scian, she crept up behind him. In a flash, she pinned him with her blade against his neck. “Don’t make a move,” she ordered, feeling his body tremble as she used her other hand to check his belt for weapons. “I have some questions for you.”  

***

At first light, Torsten’s men were ready to leave. With tears in her eyes, she stepped up to him. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Goodbye would be a start.” 

She smiled and shook her head, she would miss him. 

“Are you sure this is what you want?” 

“It is.” She threw her arms around him, squeezing tight and whispered in his ear before pulling away. She took one last look at those crystal eyes of his. 

Before leaving, he glared at Aedan and handed Tualla an axe. “For luck.”

Aedan draped an arm around her as he waved them off and led her back to the camp. Her ears pricked when she overheard some of the men asking where Kenroy was but soon relaxed as they brushed off his absence with jokes. 

“When will we be seeing Bridei?” Tualla asked.

“We were going to head there later this morning, why?”

“I’m not ready to go back yet,” she said with a frown.

“You don’t want to come with us?”

“No, I mean…” She shook her head as she tried to find the right words. “I’m already overwhelmed seeing you here. Having to see my father and the others, it will be too much.”

“So what do you propose? My men will be riding out soon.”

“We could go somewhere for a bit. Just me and you.” She leaned forward, biting her lip. 

“I like the sound of that.” Aedan wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close as their lips met. “Where do you want to go?”

***

“I’ve always wanted to come here,” Tualla said as Aedan helped her down the embankment. 

“I’m surprised your aunt Dena never brought you.”

“She wouldn’t bring me. She said it was too painful.” Tualla looked across the lake where her life had begun. Calm and serene, the clear blue water reminded her of Torsten’s eyes and she felt a pang of regret.

“Everything alright?” Aedan asked, as he sat beside her. “You seem lost in thought.

Tualla forced a smile. “Everything is fine.”

“Now you’ve got me all alone, what do you want to do?” He waggled his eyebrows and gave her his usual cocky grin. 

As he leaned in for a kiss, Tualla stood and grabbed her axe. “Get your weapons out.”

“I really hope that’s a euphemism.” 

“Sorry to disappoint you. I have a new weapon I want to try out.”

He flopped back onto the grass. “I don’t know why, you never win.”

“Always so confident. A lot has changed since we last sparred. Now, choose your weapon.”

They sparred for a while, keeping it light and playful. Tualla liked the axe and she could see why the norsemen used them. With another swing, she knocked the sword from Aedan’s hand.

“I’m impressed,” he said, picking up his sword. “You really have improved. I suppose Nothing beats real life experience.”

She thought about how she got that experience and shuddered. “When you didn’t come back, when I thought you were dead, I made a vow before the gods.”

Aedan listened with interest as she lunged for him. 

“I promised to avenge our people.” She diverted his attack and spun around. “I lost count of the people I killed at Elnwich.”

She didn’t quite know why, but she wanted him to hear what she’d done. “We locked them in a church…” she struck him again, but he blocked her move. “And I set it on fire.”  

Each of her blows became rougher, growing in ferocity. “I can still hear their screams.” 

Concern filled Aedan’s face. “That guilt stays with you if you let it. You have to learn to live with it, otherwise it destroys you.”

“Is that what you do?” Her eyes narrowed as she delivered three blows in quick succession. Aedan struggled to bat them off and the last one caught his arm, slicing it open.

Aedan flinched, grinding his teeth as he sat back on the grass while he inspected his wound. “What has gotten into you, Tully? I’ve never seen you fight like this.”

Keeping hold of her axe, she followed him, but she couldn’t keep this facade up any longer. “I know it was you.”

“What?” His eyes locked with hers and she could no longer hide her fury and disgust.

“I know you led the attack.”

“Tully…” He tried to sit up but she held the axe in front of him. “What are you talking about?”

“No more lies, Aedan. I know what you did. Your friend, Kenroy? He spilled everything when I threatened to cut off his dick.”

He gulped, realising he’d been rumbled. 

“How could you do that to your own people, Aedan? They loved you.”

For a moment, he seemed ashamed but he looked at her with fire in his eyes. “I wanted my father. I wanted to make him pay for what he made you do. No one else was supposed to get hurt.”

“But they did, and you let me believe it was Edwin.”

“Those saxons deserve everything you did and more.”

Tualla shook her head, unable to believe he could be so cold. “They were innocent. Like our people were when you slaughtered them.”

Aedan started laughing. “Is this why you brought me here, to kill me?”

“It seemed fitting,” she said with a shrug.

“Are you really going to kill me, Tully? After everything we’ve been through?”

She looked into his eyes, seeing the boy she’d fallen in love with and hesitated. Aedan pushed forward, tackling her to the ground. As they tumbled, Tualla rolled her body so she would land on top and pressed her scian to his throat. 

“I don’t want to hurt you, Tully.”

“You already have.” 

She raised her scian and Aedan sat up. A searing hot pain shot through her side. She looked down to see Aedan’s knife protruding from her. Biting through the agony of the blade tearing through her, she brought her scian down, using her weight to plunge it deep into his heart. 

Gritting her teeth, she pulled out the knife wedged in her gut and rolled off him. She didn’t try to stem the gushing blood. This is how it had to be. She’d killed the man she loved, and he’d killed her too. 

She lay next to him, staring into Aedan’s lifeless eyes as she waited for death. The world around her began to fade and in her final moments, she saw a doe coming her way. She reached out to the goddess of the lake, smiling as she took her last breath.

***
 

“Stay close. Wait until I’m gone and kill them all.” Those had been the last words she’d whispered to Torsten. He’d done as she asked. They hadn’t even finished packing their camp before his men had torn them to shreds. 

Their trail led to a beautiful lake. Powerful energy emanated from it and he knew it to be a place of the gods. 

Moving down the steep slope, he found her exactly as he expected. She looked so peaceful beside Aedan, he didn’t want to disturb her.

If she’d chosen him, she would have led a long and fulfilling life. But she’d never had a choice. Not really. Her fate had long been decided, laid out by the gods since the day of her birth.

For her, life had been short and brutal, and although she may not have realised, she had fulfilled her destiny by bringing peace to her people. Their spirits could now move on and he hoped Tualla could do the same.

Author's note-

Thanks so much for reading! The support, votes and comments have honestly blown me away. It's been a whole new experience sharing my writing ❤

I will include the promised historical notes soon, I'm relaxing after a mad dash to meet the deadline.

Thanks again! It's been an amazing journey and I look forward to sharing more of my work!