Hidden and Patient - Vikings (Ubbe)

chapter 17

"Someone find a healer!" Alwin yelled into the crowd of people as the Ragnarssons approached the commotion. Everyone peered, trying to get a look inside, but all parted when they saw Ubbe.

"What's going on?" He questioned Alwin, searching the crowd for one very specific face, but by the time he had reached the Saxon king, he'd already found it. Lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, Althena lay unconscious. Her hand was loosely placed upon the wound, as though she'd tried to stop the bleeding in any way that she could manage, but it was little use. He'd seen wounds like these before. If she miraculously survived the initial injury, she'd still have to worry about infection and fever. It was practically a death sentence. And so his sight moved back towards Alwin, a look that was far from calm. "What happened?" He spoke again, and Alwin could that he was going to have to speak fast as he watched his life flash before his eyes.

"S-she cam to me to talk about something... But someone-" He faked tears, kneeling down to hold his dying sister as healers approached the scene. "I tried to help her. Please, you have to save my sister!" He told them. But he had no hopes that she'd survive.

Ivar reached out, grabbing the Saxon healer by the arm as he glared daggers at Alwin. They all knew that he was lying. The last they'd seen her, she was about to confront him about something that could ruin his life, and now she lay at death's door? It was no accident. "She'll have one of our healers." He commanded, sending someone towards her. As she was escorted away and back towards the church, the brothers all turned their attention back to the young king.

"What did she want to talk to you about?" Hvitserk questioned, knowing full well what the topic of conversation was.

"I don't know!" He returned, weeping, "I was preoccupied with my dying sister."

"She's not dying." Ubbe spoke up again firmly, unsure what to do as he stood between his wife and the man that he was certain had tried to kill her. As he stepped towards Alwin, the young King's face ran pale, shaking in his boots as he looked up at the Viking. "If she dies..." He spoke through gritted teeth, watching the man shake and knowing that they both knew he was lying. "So do you."

As he followed after Althena, ensuring that nothing else could possibly happen to her so long as he was by her side, Alwin took a deep breath. But, as he waited for Hvitserk and Ivar to follow their brother, he became well aware of the thoughts in their head. Of course they knew he was lying. But they couldn't prove it and he was still king. So why was he still afraid? Why did he still feel as though Ubbe and his brothers were preparing to tear the lungs from his body at any moment?

"Who would want to hurt her?" Ivar questioned loudly, watching Alwin squirm. "My men all love her, swore to look after her. They all know that if anything happens to her, they'll pay with their lives."

"And your men all love her too." Hvitserk persisted, neither of them taking their eyes off of Alwin for a moment. They understood the situation perfectly. While Ubbe was making sure that no further harm befell his wife, they'd watch Alwin and ensure that they got him to say something that he didn't mean to say. And then? Then Ubbe would most certainly rip him to shreds. None of them ever said anything, but Hvitserk and Ivar had both watched the couple's glances and smiles. They knew, perhaps better than Althena and Ubbe even knew themselves, that what they both felt was more than just a marriage that they'd been forced into. It was love.

"Clearly someone must've attacked her!" Alwin roared back defensively. "Your men hate Christians, not mine."

"My men haven't touched her while she's been with us." Ivar retorted quickly. When Alwin scoffed, the brothers narrowed their eyes at him, urging him to say something that he'd regret. Instead, he silenced himself and looked between them. He knew that this could never end well for him. At least if she died, Althena could never tell a soul about what she knew. And he was certain that she could not survive.