Chapter five - Brothers

Uhtred had been given the task of taking his men up river alongside Aethelred and his Mercian men, to Lunden where the brothers Siegfried and Erik had taken hold of the city. As they were packing up the boats Daciana approached the man.

"Lord Uhtred, I have something to ask you." She stood herself next to him.

"Go ahead."

"My new friend, Garrick. His brother was headed in the direction of Lunden and he's worried he may have been there. I'd like to see if he could accompany us, he's a skilled fighter and he..." she started but was cut off.

"Of course he can come Daci, if you trust him then I see no reason why I shouldn't as well." He smiled at her with a nod.

"Thank you, I'll go and tell him." She hurried off in the direction she had left Garrick.

Once she'd found the man and brought him to the docks, they all got comfortable in the boats and headed up the river.

✵ ✵ ✵

"They say Lunden is dangerous." Sihtric said as the group of them all walked from the dock to the city.

"Oh it is, but Lunden is alive with every kind of life." Finan threw his shoulder over Sihtric.

"I hear the women do not walk the streets unguarded, that bodies are found in the river, daily." Sihtric went on making his sister chuckle and shake her head.

"Twice daily, with each and every tide." Uhtred added.

"Stop trying to frighten him both of you." Daciana rolled her eyes at them.

"Lunden is not Winchester, but one year here is worth ten elsewhere." Finan told the man as they entered the city.

"Then why do you not live here?" Sihtric asked him

"And end up dead in the river? Do I look like a fool?"

"Yes, yes you do." Daciana laughed as she shoved him.

"Make sure non' of youse have got anything worth stealin' on show, don't wanna be getting robbed by the pick pockets." Garrick told them as he shoved something into his sleeve.

"You've been here before?" Daciana slowed to walk with him.

"Spent three years here just after me and my brother left Waelas, he was busy being trained to be a priest and... well, I probably shouldn't tell you what I got up to when I was here. Let's just avoid that street down there." He pointed down one of the cobblestones streets that was full of drunken men and barely dressed women.

When they finally arrived at the area that the brothers were occupying, they walked passed a Priest who had been crucified. Daciana watched Garrick look up at him and relief washed over his face, until they rounded the corner and he suddenly tensed up and sighed. She stepped closer to him so that she wouldn't be heard.

"I take it your brothers here?"

"That's him over there." He gestured to a balding Priest who was on his knees over by a giant wooden cross, his hand moved to his sword and Daciana quickly stopped him.

"No. Not yet. We have to be smart about this or they'll kill him and you, Uhtred will think of something."

"He best had, or my brothers a dead man. Your lot hate priests, I know that." He smiled meekly at her so she knew he meant no offence.

Both Uhtred and Aethelred started to negotiate with Siegfried and Erik, the latter teasing Aethelred about his marriage to the Kings daughter. Uhtred just ignored them whilst Aethelred got frustrated and angry.

"Perhaps we can begin with a cup of ale? It's a long walk from the river." Uhtred faced the brothers with his hands on his hips.

"A cup of ale it is, Lord Uhtred." Erik agreed letting them pass.

"Do you have food, Lord?" The giant man looked down at Erik as they walked.

"Must you always think with your stomach Clapa." Daciana raised her brows in amusement.

Erik let out a small laugh, "the bread is stale, but good.

Daciana grabbed two cups of ale and handed one to Garrick, she took it upon herself to sit in the chair diagonally from the one Sigefried was in. Ignoring his eyes as they slowly raked over her while she sat on the comfortable furs.

"Your prisoners are from where?" Uhtred asked.

"They are from Guthrum's arse." Erik laughed.

"The Earl Guthrum is now called Aethelstan now." The right hand man of Aethelred, Aldhelm spoke up.

"Guthrum is a shit stain. He sends Priests to Beamfleot, begging for peace, begging for warriors to settle and do what, raise sheep?" Sigefried looked disgusted by the idea and Daciana laughed because she agreed.

"Many men do, Lord" Aldhelm spoke again.

Sigefried raised his brows "There are no sheep farmers in Valhalla."

Daciana nodded and raised her cup to that, "No there are not."

The woman turned back to face her lord, not wanting to give attention to the man who so clearly wanted it. Sigefried had a hard smile on his face as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes studying her.

"Who is your friend, Uhtred? Have you found yourself a new wife?" Sigefried asked earning a laugh from the man.

"No, no, my wife is at home. This is Daciana, one of my best warrior's." Uhtred shook her shoulders.

"Do you have any intentions of marrying? to create new ally's for Lord Uhtred... of course." He asked leaning closer to her with a smirk on his face, his discoloured teeth showing ever so slightly.

The whole group of them burst out laughing, bar Finan who practically choked on the bread he was eating.

"I have no interest in becoming a wife, for the sake of my Lord or any other reason. I think I'd rather be quartered by horses." She returned the smirk and rolled her eyes.

Her eyes, by chance just happened to land on Finan, who was leaning against the wall with a frustrated look on his face. She chose to ignore it and the sly looks that Aldhelm was giving her, and looked back at Uhtred who had started talking again.

"Do you intend to put all the Priests on the cross?"

Erik held his hands out, "it is Sigefried's game."

"I do not understand how it kills a man."

"Slowly, Lord. It's a cruel death." Finan told him as he moved and sat down next to Daciana.

"That's what the Priest there said."

"The Priest is right."

Garrick's hand's clenched around his cup so tightly that they had started to turn white, at the mentioning of his brother and the possibility of him being crucified. Daciana made eye contact with Uhtred and he caught on that the Priest in question was the one that Garrick was here to free.

"The Priest looks like a pale bag of bones and dough. You should let him fight." He smiled and so did Daciana because she understood what he was doing.

"The Romans used the square for just that purpose, did they not, Lord Uhtred" Garrick spoke as he stepped forward.

Uhtred nodded, "It was used for combat, yes."

"He would die too easily."

"Give him something to fight for... his freedom." Uhtred suggested.

Sigefried stood up, and eyed the man. Putting everyone on edge, "Why?"

"I'd rather watch him spill his guts than nailed to a piece of wood. Where's the fun in that?"

The two Mercians backed away from the men who were now face to face and Clapa took hold of his axe, Daciana went to stand but Finan shook his head no and she frowned settling back down and moving closer to him instinctively. When Sigefried started to chuckle and patted Uhtred's arm their neves all settled.

"Boltan! We need to be entertained!" The man yelled as he walked out into the square, "are you man enough to kill a Priest?"

The men all started to cheer and everyone went outside, a sword and shield were given too Garricks brother, Father Pyrlig, and he was pushed into the square. People surrounded the two men circling eachother, everyone cheering with anticipation.

"Almost ready. Pointy end forward, is it?" Pyrlig asked rhetorically, "So, when I kill him. I'm allowed to go free, that is the bargain?"

"That is the bargain." Erik nodded.

"Hear that, Boltan? He plans to kill you!" Everyone started to laugh.

"Yes, I do. Beware."

Boltan turned to his lords and his tone was full of sarcasm, "I'm afraid, Lord. Spare me this trial, I beg you." He puffed out his bare chest and chuckled before swinging his sword.

Pyrlig cowered back behind his shield, multiple times until he was pushed out the square twice, only to be thrown back in. Boltan pushed him to the floor, and he lay there panting but hauled himself back up.

"Garrick, I thought you said he was a warrior?" Daciana whispered.

Garrick turned with a mischievous gleam in his eye, "He is."

When Daciana looked back up Pyrlig was charging at Boltan, swinging his sword with skill and using his shield as an advantage. He cut Boltan arm and then manoeuvred around the younger man and held the blade to his throat, making more people start to cheer.

"Now, I do not wish to kill this idiot, as I'm sure his mother loves him..." he removed the blade and moved to look at the brothers, keeping the tip of the blade to his throat. "But do I have your word, as warriors, that I am now a free man?"

"You have my word, Priest." Erik spat.

"If all your men fight like this, Alfred will have no trouble throwing you out of Lunden."

"Put down your sword."

"Thank you, Lord. It was a bit on the heavy side." He flipped the sword around his hand and outstretched his arms before letting it clatter onto the stone floor.

Sigefried pushed through the crowd, slitting Boltans throat as he stormed up to the Priest.

"Where have you learnt to fight, Priest, the monastery?" He asked, his face inches from Father Pyrligs.

"I'm a Briton, Lord. I was brought up killing Saxons."

"Then join us, join me."

"Ten years ago, maybe. But now I will fight for my god, and my freedom it seems."

Garrick rolled his eyes at that.

"If it is acceptable, I will return with the Lord Uhtred." Pyrlig gestured over to their group.

"But not before we've settled on a price. I hope?" Aethelred came up next to Pyrlig. "How much... for you to leave Lunden?"

To that Siegfried laughed, it seemed that the brothers would not leave Lunden for any sort of gold or silver. Their party were asked to leave and obliged, they didn't have the men with them to start a battle. Uhtred decided they would return to Alfred and give him the news, so that the King could make a decision on what to do with them.

Once they were on their boats back on the way to Winchester, Garrick embraced his brother and then smacked him over the head.

"That's the last time I'm rescuing you, Pyrlig. Being a Priest has caused you more grief than you had being a fighter, brother." He laughed.

"I'm sure the day will come we're I return the favour, baby brother." Pyrlig clapped a hand on his shoulder.