CHAPTER THIRTY ─── battle plans

"Sihtric, you should not carry her shield." Finan rolled his eyes as they emerged onto the field.

"She is carrying her weapons, I can carry her shield." Sihtric rolled his eyes, setting the shield down behind Finan for Yrsa to sit on. She winked at him as his hand found the back of her neck, letting her rest on him. Finan sighed once more, before they turned back to watch Haesten appear on the parapet.

"He gets uglier every time I see him." The men around her nodded in truth.

"Lord Uhtred! Such a frightening sight!" Haesten cackled to himself.

"You are a coward, Haesten, hiding inside your fortress." Uhtred grinned, as Yrsa rolled her shoulders back, settling her hands on her armour. She was ready for a fight, ready to kill some men. "When the priests of Eoferwic did rise, you fled! When Sigefrid attacked Alfred, you fled and at the nunnery, once again, you fled!"

"I took your woman!" Yrsa began to laugh, seeing the way Haesten's shoulders tensed in annoyance.

"And as long as I live and breathe, she still is my woman." Uhtred grinned. "Fight me! I'll wait for you in the clearing there. Bring a guard and no more. Let us make the square and let the two of us fight."

"That is what you want, Uhtred, to die?"

"What I want is an end to this." Uhtred shouted back as Yrsa yawwned. "What is most likely to happen is you will remain a coward. You will remain inside your fortress. Songs will be sung about your cowardice. I will pay for them to be written."

The men around them all began to laugh, and Yrsa felt Sihtric's chest shake behind her as he joined in. She giggled, shaking her head.

"I am no coward, Dane-Slayer!" Haesten spat. "If death is what you want, then you shall have it."

"Someone did not wake up in a good mood this morning." Yrsa whistled, before letting Sihtric pick her shield back up as they turned around.

"Lord, the job is done." Finan nodded.

"Time to get our hands dirty." Yrsa agreed as they headed back towards their meeting place to wait out Haesten and the remainder of the army that Alfred had promised. Yrsa knew it would take a while.

The snow fell around them, piling up as Yrsa leant back against her shield, her eyes closed. Finan and Sihtric paced behind her, Osferth sitting a little to her left, his head against his staff.

"It has been half a day." Uhtred growled as Yrsa hummed in agreement. "Yrsa, you should be ready for anything."

"I am tired, leave me be." Yrsa groaned in annoyance, blinking blearily.

"Maybe he's scared of the priest?" Finan, Sihtric and Yrsa all chuckled. Sihtric yanked his wife upwards, as she swung her shield over her shoulder, before they all turned away.

"We leave!" Uhtred motioned for them all to move out.

"Lord! Lord! Lord!" They twisted back, seeing that Haesten was coming for them.

"Run!" Uhtred thundered, pushing Yrsa ahead of him. The woman ducked behind the men, pulling her bow off of her back as she prepared to take out as many as she could, despite being the lone bowman. "Halt! Shield's up."

Haesten had brought his entire army and Yrsa did a quick prayer to her gods, to bless them for a good battle and to pray for the protection of her friends and her husband.

"Surround them, give them no escape!" Haesten thundered. "And then we kill every last one of the bastards!"

Sihtric twisted, glancing at Yrsa quickly before looking back at those surrounding them. He would have to trust that she could handle her own.

"Turn!" Uhtred called. "Circle!"

Yrsa remained in the middle with Osferth, handing him her shield as he panicked.

"Hold that." She shoved it into his arms.

"May the good lord protect me, protect us all." Osferth muttered.

"Osferth, look alive." Yrsa gave him a shove, notching an arrow and drawing it to her chin. "We fight our way out of this and then your god and my god can celebrate together."

"We hold! We give them no ground!"

"What ground?" Yrsa called back as Osferth turned to her. "Stop panicking."

"That is difficult to do when we are surrounded." Osferth ground out, as Yrsa rolled her eyes.

"Give up, Uhtred and the rest of you will live." Haesten smiled. "All I want is the Dane Slayer."

"What you will get Haesten, is my sword up your hairy ass." That image alone made Yrsa gag and pull a face.

"As you wish. You will die on your knees." The Danes cheered as Sihtric looked around.

"Lord, where is Alfred's army?" Sihtric hissed. "Why are they waiting?"

Yrsa drew her bow tight to her cheek.

"I want the head of Uhtred Ragnarsson." The Danes cheered once more as Yrsa rolled her shoulders back and gulped. This was by far the worst battle she had ever been in, the odds firmly not in their favour and her stomach twisted and turned. Normally, she called for blood, she enjoyed the fight, but she was, admittedly, for the first time in a long time, scared. The cheers grew louder before being overcome by the blood pounding in her ears as they slammed into the shield wall.

One was flipped over the top and Yrsa released her arrow into the crowd, wincing as it whizzed past Finan's ear, before slitting the man's throat. She turned to Osferth, smacking him as she continued to let arrows fly.

"Sihtric, no!" Yrsa spun, seeing her husband on the floor, his shield above him as Osferth tried to defend him. She rushed over, throwing her bow over her shoulder, and drawing her hatchets. She slammed into the men who attempted to kill her husband, slaughtering and stabbing as many as she could. They would not harm her husband. Fear rushed through her at the thought, but when she turned, she found that her husband was beating people to death with his shield.

Yrsa placed her back to him, slicing back and forth as she and Sihtric fought to work in sync. She had a clear view of Osferth dropping, abandoning her husband to slice at the men who fought to hurt him. Standing over the top of the young monk, she sliced back and forth, her red hair a blur with the bodies.

"It's Edward!" She only heard Uhtred for he shouted in her ears. "It's Edward and his army!"

Twisting, Yrsa brought her hatchet down onto another Dane. Sihtric, Finan and Uhtred were rushing for Haesten, but Yrsa defended Osferth's unconscious body as soldiers went rushing past her.

"It's alright, Osferth, it's alright." Yrsa called, before killing the last of the men near her. She reached down, grunting as she hauled the young monk up and over her shoulders, dragging him out of the way of the battle. 

No one came near her, others fighting to clear a path, and Yrsa groaned in pain and stress as she pulled him out of the way.

"You are not dying on me, boy. You hear me?" Yrsa groaned. She found a tent, slumping Osferth down as she searched for healing supplies. It was not her specialty but she knew enough to get by. When she got back, Osferth was choking, looking around. "Stop moving."

"Yrs-Yrsa?"

"Stay still, you're alright." She grinned at him, though Yrsa was worried that it might look a bit too feral for she was sure that blood covered her face and her eyes were a little wild. Throwing her bow to the side, Yrsa began to unlace his armour, looking for the blood.

"This-What will Sihtric think?"

"I am saving your life." Yrsa rolled her eyes at the pious man.

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"Yrsa!" She whistled at her name, causing Sihtric to hurry through the camp to go and find her, Finan on his heels. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine. Osferth decided to get injured." Yrsa called back. The sound of her voice led Sihtric right to her and he paused in the doorway as he watched Yrsa clean the wound on Osferth's abdomen.

"It was not a conscious decision." Osferth choked out as Finan gave Yrsa a gentle nudge to the side, being far more competent at healing than the woman was. It was only then that it hit Yrsa that the battle was over, her adrenaline leaving her as she slumped down beside Finan.

"Go and fetch Uhtred." Finan called as Sihtric hurried off. 

"Osferth?" Uhtred called, patting Yrsa's hair gently as Sihtric crouched beside his wife, looking for wounds. She brushed him off, exhaustion taking over as she felt the sore points on her body that were sure to turn into colourful bruises in the near future.

"He's alive, Lord." Finan confirmed. "Maybe next time we'll be lucky, eh?"

"Did you see me fight, Lord?" Osferth croaked out as Yrsa pulled a face. She would not really call what Osferth had been doing fighting. Maybe panicking.

"I did. It was a sight to behold." Sihtric helped her to her feet as Yrsa brushed the trickle of blood that traced down the left side of his face and over his eye. 

"I hope I killed no man."

"You did not." Yrsa turned around with a sigh, before grinning. "I did."

"You gave many a sore head." Uhtred pointed out with a chuckle.

"I feel cold."

"Because it's winter, you fool." Finan corrected as Yrsa took her turn to check her husband over for injuries. 

"You were a warrior today, Osferth." Uhtred patted his chest.

"Am I to die, Lord?" Osferth whimpered out. "I do not fear it."

"I forbid it." Uhtred shot his idea down.

"You dare die, Baby Monk, and I'll kill you myself." Finan grinned as Osferth winced at the threat.

"Right, I'll try not to, then." The rest of them laughed at his words.

"We will return to Aethelflaed's estate. You will recover there." Uhtred smiled at the boy, before turning back to Yrsa.

"Yes Lord."

"What of Skade?" Uhtred stopped before he could open his mouth to speak to Yrsa, who was rubbing her back in pain. He turned instead to look at Sihtric, who's face was set in a dark glare as he held Yrsa up.

"She's been taken by Haesten."

"Then nothing has changed." Sihtric ground out. "We remain cursed still."

Uhtred pushed past him.

"I am cursed."

"It touches us all, Lord." Sihtric corrected, looking at his wife and Osferth once more, before turning back to Uhtred. "It continues."

"Sihtric." Yrsa ground out, turning to look at her husband with narrowed eyes. He relented momentarily, softening his gaze before he tensed once more and Yrsa felt a dark pit settle in her stomach.

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Hiya,

So, everyone's not really vibing all that much tbh. Osferth is not sure what to make of Yrsa, which is kind of funny, and Yrsa is just done with it tbh. Anyhow, it's fun times and I'm super excited for next chapter.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx