Northwind

18

Blood dribbled down the shaft of my blade. I stood panting soaked in crimson, my mask too stained with the blood of innocents. Skorpa had kept me at his side, tied one end of a rope to my wrist and the other to his. I couldn't have backed off even if I wanted to. I had watched Uhtred retreat with his men, but Skorpa gave me no choice he threatened to end me if I left.

"Gather what you can, burn the dead!" He exclaimed. "You fought well warrior."

"Like I had a choice," I grumbled.

"Don't say that you guided us to victory," he said. "We will celebrate you and our victory tonight." I cut the rope on my wrist and turned my back on him. "Don't you disrespect me."

"The battles won, the job is done! It's time I return to Uhtred!" I snapped turning slightly.

"You're not his body guard," he said stepping in front of me.

"No, but I am apart of his men," I said.

"You leave, it will look as if you have betrayed me," he said.  The rain began to fall, it was heavy and thudded against the ground.

"So be it," I said pushing him away and kept walking till he threw a knife into my back. I stopped in my tracks and ripped it out with out making a sound, I dropped it to the ground and kept walking.

"You will forever be known as the warrior who betrayed Skorpa!" He exclaimed.

"You'll be dead before anyone else hears," I said taking a poisoned dagger off my belt and threw it at him. He laughed and dropped behind me. By the time I returned to Cookham I was soaked, and ready to collapse. Finan was the first to greet me.

"Freya!" He exclaimed, I dropped to my knees. He wrapped his arms around me. "What happened?"

"S...Skorpa betrayed me," I panted. I rested my head on his shoulder and leant my weight into him. "Let's get you inside." He pulled an arm around his shoulders and helped me into the long house. "Where's Uhtred?"

"He needed some time alone, Freya he's very upset," he told me.

"I had no choice," I said and tried to sit closer to the fire.

"We understand that, but he feels betrayed you followed Skorpa so willingly," he said. I lifted my wrist. 

"Do you really think I went willingly?" I barked. "It's not pleasant to kill when someone is begging for their life. Finan, I wanted Odin to strike me down."

"Freya, don't say that," he said as he cleaned the blood off me.

"But you don't know what it's like to have men demanding you fight for them!" I exclaimed and stood up, I almost stumbled over Finan caught me before I could hit the ground.

"I don't, no," he replied. He took my hands in his. "But I do know how hurt Uhtred is."

"I will tell him what really happened, there's a story behind what really happened. I can't have him assuming. I just hope it helps him to heal." Uhtred appeared in the door way. He said nothing, he looked between the two of us. He turned his back on us and walked back out. I went to go after him ignoring the stabbing pain in my back but Finan tightened his grip on my raw wrist, I squealed and tried to pull away.

"Give him some time," Finan said.