Bloody Revenge | Sigyn x Sihtric Kjartansson | The Last Kingdom

Sickness in the air

After another half day on their feet, they were stopped by shouting. Sigyn turned to watch as someone was stealing food from Stiorra's hands. Her blade had quickly found her target, the tip pressed against the mans throat. If he so much as swallowed wrong, she would have opened him up. He quickly dropped the stolen bread, several other villagers appearing around him. They were running from something.

"Why do you flee? Danes?" She questioned and when no one answered quickly enough she applied just the right amount of pressure to remind the man of the blade that kissed his throat. Soon he started squealing.

"Our village. It's been claimed by the sickness. We are headed North to seek refuge." Her sword dropped, placing it back in it's sheath and the mans wife felt the need to grab at her arm to say her thanks for sparing their lives. Finan quickly pulled her back.

"The sickness. It spreads by touch." Finan was quickly cleaning her arm with a rag before he quickly threw it on the floor.

"No. It spreads in the air." Osferth spoke confidently. Everyone had seen this sickness at some point or another.

"It only targets sinners." Young Uhtred offered his input and Sigyn was already rolling her eyes.

"Well, it was nice knowing you all." She scoffed and they started walking again. But the roads were a dead end, bodies of the sick littered the streets. The smell of burning bodies filling the air and turning everyone's stomach.

Finan had covered his mouth this whole time. The threat of sickness seemed to scare him, and it was quite funny seeing him run like a scared babe from it all.

As Uhtred and Finan argued amongst themselves over their next plan of attack. Eadith and Sigyn helped keep the children occupied. Both of them never really considering themselves as maternal until they had to be. And there was a respect building between the pair.

The rest of the group sat in the fields, Osferth and Sihtric seemingly the only relaxed pair of the group as they watched Finan anxiously searching the long grass. His blade taking it out on the grass.

"What are you looking for Finan?" Osferth called out to him, there was a mumble, but no one could understand him due to the rag covering his mouth. "Eh?"

"Bodies." He angrily shouted, quickly covering his mouth as he continued to search the area.

"Why are you shitting yourself?" Sihtric asked while he smiled across at Sigyn who seemed to be loving this whole interaction.

"I've seen men as strong as bears at breakfast time, gurgling blood and pus by supper time. Ya little runt!" Finan shouted across the field and Sigyn couldn't control her laughter. Which set everyone else off. Everyone laughing, except Finan of course.

When Uhtred finally made his presence known again, he seemed to have a plan. Thankfully. The longer they remained here out in the open, the longer they left themselves open to being captured. "We need to get away from the bad air. We need to go to Wenloca."

"Lord. The children. They won't make it." Sihtric whispered. But Sigyn had heard his comment and the thought of anything happening to them had made her sick to her stomach. These children were innocent.

"Come children." Sigyn smiled, she lead Aelfwynn to Uhtred who carried the young girl and Finan had already placed Aethelstan onto his shoulders.

"Who are you anyway?" Finan asked as the boy held onto his hair and shrugged slightly at his question.

"I am no one." He answered, clearly that answer had been drummed into his head from birth.

"He is Aethelstan. Edward's first born." Uhtred answered and it seemed to shock a few of the group, but Sigyn had pieced it together. The rumours Edward had married young and fathered children. The boy was the right age and had done well to survive. People would want his head. He could pose a real threat to the crown in the coming years.