CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT ─── abbey visits

"This is it, Yrsa?" Uhtred turned to the woman. "You are sure?"

"Do you doubt me, Lord?" Yrsa scoffed, before moving slightly to the side. "Those are Mercian guards, the same ones I rode here with."

"I see." Uhtred nodded.

"Shall we use the front door?" Yrsa suggested, moving to stand up as her knees were cramping up. She was yanked back down again, causing her to choke slightly. "I'll take that as a no."

Sihtric huffed in annoyance at the treatment of his wife, rubbing the back of her neck slowly, as if to calm her down and soothe the irritated skin that came from being yanked back down. 

"We shall go in through the kitchen." Uhtred commanded, as Yrsa rolled her eyes, stamping after Finan and Uhtred, with Sihtric right behind her. He hummed, trying to calm her down as the two older men broke in through the back door, causing muffled screams to sound from inside.

"This seems a sound plan." Yrsa huffed as Osferth muttered an agreement. She followed them through, seeing doors slam ahead of them and assuming that Aethelflaed had heeded her words of advice and barricaded themselves inside. Uhtred disappeared, leaving the others all together. Finan banged upon the wood of the door, all four companions muttering to each other about the illogicalness of this plan.

"This is God's house!" A voice shouted back from inside as Yrsa and Sihtric shared similar looks of annoyance. This could have been avoided. "You will leave us this very moment. If you do not, and you are Christian, then he will send you to the depths of hell!"

Osferth paled.

"Well, then, if you are heathen, he will strike you down!" 

Yrsa and Sihtric laughed. There was a commotion inside before the doors opened once more and Aethelflaed peered around to look upon the remaining members of Uhtred's party.

"Aethelflaed." Yrsa pushed Finan aside, causing the older man to yelp as she shoved him into a stone wall. The woman embraced her friend. "You are well. I tried to tell him to announce himself."

"He does not listen, I understand." Aethelflaed smiled at Yrsa, as Sihtric followed his wife silently into the room, keeping close to her once more. She stifled a chuckle at him, knowing that Sihtric was still not one of the biggest fans of Christian churches.

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"Your guards are not, Lady." Finan explained, as all of them chowed down onto the food that the nuns had provided. 

"Not what?"

"They're not guards." Sihtric explained with a laugh, a hand on Yrsa's leg as he ate. Their cloaks had been discarded elsewhere, and Sihtric was now far more happy to be there, with his stomach full, thirst quenched and wife by his side. "Their swords are trinkets."

"It's true." Yrsa agreed.

"They are good men." Aethelflaed tried to explain.

"I am sure they are loyal, but they are not guards." Finan pointed out. 

"They are barely men." Uhtred pulled a face.

"I do not like you, young man." The Abbess stated as Yrsa tried not to laugh too hard at them. Not many people seemed to like Uhtred nowadays. His brother had disowned him, allowed him to make the square with Bloodhair and then not even allowed him to kill Bloodhair and then of course, Alfred hated them all despite what they had done with him. It was not going well for Uhtred, and by extension, them. "You have a very high opinion of yourself."

"I am heathen, I am godless and an enemy of Alfred..." Yrsa turned back to her food, pulling a face at Osferth. "...but I will keep you alive."

"And who is it that wished me dead?"

"Several people, I imagine." Finan, Sihtric and Yrsa all shared a glance as Aethelflaed tried to keep them all under control.

"What Uhtred is saying is that the lands are changing." Aethelflaed smiling. "Men are becoming sick with greed and we must all be on our guard."

"Perhaps." The Abbess looked back at Uhtred with a scowl. "But I know when I'm hearing half-truths. I do not like him. I like her even less."

"Neither do we." Yrsa muttered, as Sihtric tried not to choke on his drink, Finan joining in on the laughter as the witch shot an insult at the Abbess' back.

"She remind me of my mother, and that woman was never wrong either." Finan joked, causing them all to laugh and chuckle once more. 

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The abbess and the nuns came rushing in the next morning as Yrsa was finishing her plate. She paused, sharing a glance with Sihtric as everyone stood, calling out their queries to the women of God.

"Danes. Outside." Everyone began to clamour, standing and moving to get into position. "I just witnessed them kill a man."

"How many Danes?" Finan drew his sword as Yrsa picked her hatchets up, swinging them around her hand.

"I did not count them, but many," The Abbess stressed. Sihtric pulled his sword free, kissing Yrsa's head as he moved. 

"Why do they not burst through the door?"

"Finan, hold. Sihtric." Uhtred called them both back, passing Yrsa's bow to her as he motioned for her to stand further back. "They may not know we're here."

"That's likely." Yrsa muttered.

"They have asked for the Lady Aethelflaed." The Abbess explained as Yrsa hummed, sidling over to her friend and notching an arrow. No one would put their hands on her.

"They know someone is here." Osferth added unhelpfully.

"There are two other hostages."

"We wait inside and we remain silent. Abbess, you will go to them and talk to them." Uhtred commanded as Yrsa chewed on her lip, she was worried that it was a stupid plan, that the Abbess would give them up.

"No, no, I...I will not."

"Yes you will, because you must." Uhtred demanded as Yrsa turned away from the conversation.

"Find your daughter, stay with her." She muttered to her friend.

"Yrsa, I cannot do that. I have to stay and fight."

"Protect your child. Let us fight." Yrsa shook her head, smiling at the woman. "If you do not trust the men, then trust me."

The Abbess seemed to have found her courage, leaving through the door as everyone watched on.

"It is Haesten, with no more than forty men." Uhtred counted. "Forty that I can see."

"He is not clever enough to bring more." Yrsa pointed out.

"Then let us fight them!" Both her and Uhtred turned to Sihtric, who was looking at the door and then back to them. Yrsa had not seen her husband this worked up before, especially over something that could be fixed without a fight. Normally, she was the one with the insatiable blood lust.

"No, wait." Yrsa reached for her husband, her eyebrows furrowing as she watched him. His eyes flashed back and forth, dangerously, as Yrsa rubbed a finger over one of his rings, before the sound of a scream as someone died echoed through their ears. He was avoiding her gaze, and Yrsa huffed, listening to the sound of another dead body hit the floor. The Abbess' words all blended together, becoming louder before there was another thunk sound as a body hit the floor.

"Lord, now?" Finan broke Yrsa's gaze on her husband, all three turning to Uhtred.

"We do nothing." The trio all shared a look. "Yet."

They had never known their lord to be this patient truly.

"Aethelflaed!" Haesten's voice echoed through the walls as Yrsa sighed. "Enough men and women have died to save your bony arse at Beamfleot and now here."

"Aethelflaed, do not listen to him." Yrsa warned, pointing at the woman, who had made a reappearance. "Go inside."

"But-"

"Did my lord Erik not give his life for you?" Haesten thundered as Aethelflaed's breath turned shaky. "How many more must do the same? Show yourself!"

"Do not even think of it." Yrsa growled as Aethelflaed huffed. Yrsa grasped onto her, taking a deep breath in time with her panicking one. 

"Yrsa, come now." Uhtred called as she pulled her arrow to her cheek, aiming between her husband and Finan's head. The door burst open and she shot an arrow before aiming and notching another, setting it off in quick succession. Then, she followed her husband out of the door and grabbed her hatchet, making good on her ability to fight. 

It was quick, close combat fighting that had all of them pressed near to the backs of each other as Haesten went running.

Yrsa slaughtered the last of the people, flicking the blood off of her hatchet as she stood up, pushing her auburn curls back. It calmed down after that, as Yrsa searched for her husband. He was pulling weapons off of the bodies of the dead, as Yrsa cleaned her own and retrieved her arrows.

"We're trapped." Aethelflaed appeared.

"We're alive." Yrsa coughed as Uhtred smacked her on the back, "and they are 12 or 13 men less."

"Ow?" Yrsa huffed, kicking one of the men off of her arrows and scowling as she saw that it had been broken.

"But we are trapped under a wooden roof." Aethelflaed pointed out slowly, watching the four of them.

"Well, what do you suggest then, Lady?" Finan smacked at Yrsa as she tried to use his tunic to clean her arrows. She grinned, before peering out of a window. "That you give yourself over?"

"Yes."

"No." Yrsa shot her a look.

"Haesten speaks the truth. Why should I live when so many others have died?"

"Haesten has never spoken the truth in his life." Uhtred growled as Yrsa's eyes went wide. "Do not say as much again, never. Or those men have died for no reason."

Everything went silent once more.

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"All the doors have been blocked on the outside apart from that one." Finan called, as Yrsa leant back against the wall, keeping an eye on what was happening.

"Will they set a fire?" Aethelflaed's eyebrows furrowed.

"No. Not yet, they will want you alive." Uhtred pointed out.

"We should fight, Lord." Yrsa turned to her husband, watching him as he approached Uhtred. It was strange, he never truly argued with Uhtred, not as Yrsa and Finan did, so it was strange to see him take this tone. "We should open the doors and fight."

"And die?"

"It's a good a plan as any." Finan pointed out as Yrsa hummed.

"Osferth, you'll open the door on my word and retreat." Uhtred commanded. "We form a shield wall and then we negotiate. Yrsa, stand behind and be our markswoman."

"Negotiate?" Sihtric spun around, eyes wide and tone harsh. Yrsa reached for him, concern rushing through her as she touched his arm.

"Haesten will want his prize." Uhtred warned. "To the door!" 

Sihtric huffed, shrugging Yrsa's hand off as he joined Finan. Yrsa settled behind them, notching her bow as she glared holes into the back of Sihtric's head. He only turned once more, but it was not to look at her as was their custom, but instead to glare at the witch and Uhtred.

"Shield wall ready!" Uhtred called. "Lift the bar and open the door! Move!"

The men grunted as they moved forward, before Finan peaked through at the enemies, before looking back.

"I count a few more than thirty of the bastards."

"Fight, Haesten, and you will lose men!" Yrsa pulled her bow back. "Many men, I guarantee it."

"I have many men."

"But you have just the one life." Finan's head poked through. "And I plan to take it."

"So you think." Yrsa grinned, looking at the arrow notched. "This one has Haesten's name on it."

"Move out!" The shield wall continued forward as Yrsa placed a hand on her husband's back, letting him know that she was there.

"I will not leave without her, Uhtred. I may lose men, but you will lose everything and the bitch will still be mine!" Haesten glared.

"Then take her, because that is what you will have to do." Uhtred shrugged to himself, and Yrsa could feel him growing cocky. "Or we can strike a bargain. One woman in exchange for another."

She turned to look up at the man, cocking an eyebrow.

"I am in no need of a nun."

"He is in need of a burial." Yrsa pointed out, waiting for her husband to hum in agreement but he did nothing. 

"Who is this woman?"

"Skade, the seer." Uhtred called. "Finan."

Yrsa stepped to the side as Finan and Sihtric moved their shields away to let Uhtred bring Skade forward so that they could see her.

"She is yours." Uhtred hummed. "In return, you and your men ride clear of this place and do not return."

"She is not yours to give." Haesten called back, but even from as far away as she was, Yrsa could see the glint in his eyes. "She belongs to Bloodhair."

"I belong to the man I choose. The man who has the will to lead, to conquer." Skade shot back. "Bloodhair is not that man."

"She has seen Alfred's death and in battle. Her man will benefit from that death, greatly." Yrsa watched it all, before staring at the back of her husband's head, and the glint of his arms bands, that matched her own.

"Is this true?" Yrsa turned back to Skade before scowling as she saw that Skade was almost leaning on her husband, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"It's true." 

"May I approach?" Haesten called, as Finan turned around. He noted Yrsa's glare with a roll of his eyes, before turning back to their lord.

"Uhtred, you cannot bargain with this sack of chicken shit." Finan muttered as Haesten grew closer.

"You're close enough, Lord." Skade called. "If a bargain is made, I will not be handed over like you would a whore. I will walk to my new lord and should either man go back on his word, I shall see he is tormented to the end. I swear."

Skade would have grown on Yrsa if she had not cursed her lord and was not standing too close to her husband.

"Do we have an agreement? Skade is place of Aethelflaed?"

"Agreed." Haesten called. "The Seer is mine."

"Then step back and she will walk to you, and then you leave." Yrsa huffed, standing further upright.

"And you are cursed once more, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. You shall wither!" Skade hissed, before catching sight of Yrsa's foul glare. The seer only grinned at her as the call came to open the shield wall. She bumped into Sihtric, glancing back at him, as Yrsa stepped forward to glare down at the woman.

"This does not mean the princess is forgiven, Uhtred." Haesten reminded them. "She is safe for now, no more than that."

"Leave. Go."

The seer turned once more, and Sihtric's face turned to, as Yrsa watched him.

"Your life is not your own, Lord." He huffed, before turning back as Yrsa sighed. There was something off with her husband.

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Hiya,

So, I actually managed to do some pre-writing but yes, we're back and Yrsa and Finan are being chaotically stupid and pushing each other into walls, whilst Sihtric is busy going through an emo phase. Love that for them.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx