Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

- ROSE -

The air was cold, but not cold enough to keep Rose from wishing to goback in the confines of her home. If she had the option, she was sure she’d like to stay outside, basking in the silence from nature in turn for the constant ruckus her brothers and father made back in their humble cabin.

Rose closed her eyes, breathing in the crisp morning air as she let her horse trot against the horribly beaten trail she was accustomed to. Only the gentle crunch of snow and muted calls from animals greeted her. Yes, she would definitely trade her days with her noisy family if it meant she was able to savor more of this silence, even for just a moment. 

Though, she knew that would not be an option in a very long time. She was needed at home, taking care of the younger half of her brothers when she is not where she is now. Like her brothers, Rose had a duty to uphold for her family and, to some extent, even those who would ever come by the areas she always crossed through.

“ Rose .” The voice, annoyingly familiar, called out to her from ahead. Rose continued to close her eyes, ignoring the familiar voice as she took in the smell of the snow and the sound of her horse trotting. “Rose—”

“Jehan if you speak once more, I will certainly make sure you come home with no game and a split lip if you continue to disrupt me.” The girl said sharply, giving her twin brother a scathing look for ruining what little time she had with the outside world. Her irritation subsided, however, when her brother cast her a look that indicated anything but jesting—eyes wide, jaw tense—that she was not most favorable to: a threat was nearby.

Quickly, Rose’s fingers thumbed at the daggers attached to her back before checking for the ones hidden in her arms and boots before pulling her hood over her eyes. “Where.” Was all she asked, head whipping around until she finally spotted the billowing smoke rising from below a cliff just several feet away.

“Sounds like there's many. Almost fifteen…” Jehan whispered in his usual low, steady voice. He halted his own horse, effectively stopping Rose’s own from moving as well. “We can’t take that many if they really are a threat…”

“Definitely not.” Rose mutters back. “How do you know it’s a threat, though?”

“I don’t.” Her brother replied honestly, his jet black hair brushing against her own set of curls as she drew closer. “But the sound of swords being sharpened is enough of a warning.”

Rose nodded, scarily impressed by Jehan’s sharp hearing. If she were alone, Rose was sure she would hear the crunching of the snow beneath her horse’s hooves instead of blades being sharpened. “Do you need me to look?” She asked, though she had already been off her horse and throwing the rope to her twin in smooth succession.

Jehan nodded. “Just get a glimpse of them, see who they are: Dane or Saxon.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Both are threats to us no matter which one they are…”

Her brother only urged her forward with a warning look, Rose taking note that he hadn’t corrected her behavior statement. She was right, is all Rose could conclude from the silence, fingers dropping to the cross on her neck before brushing her fingers at the Yggdrasil hair beads woven into strands of her hair.

Dane or Saxon, they were surely in need to run away if they ever were to ever catch sight of Rose and Jehan’s appearance. The very thought made Rose tuck away the cross and pull her cloak’s hood further over her head as she carefully made her way over the cliff, not a sound being made by her as she glanced over the cliff.

Jehan had been almost correct; there was a camp full of men under the cliff, sixteen or seventeen to count from what Rose could spot, fingers signaling a succession of numbers behind her back for her brother to understand what was happening. They all looked worn out, tired from marching around in the freezing cold, she could only presume.

Her eyes narrowed in on six men sitting around the middle of a fire—well, four men and two boys, from the looks of things. Rose made sure to signal that to her brother as well. They were all unique in look and Rose’s eyes narrowed in confusion as she finally took notice of the group.

A mix of Danes and Saxons, she concluded, frowning as she spotted two of the six to be wearing Mjolnir around their necks and another two bearing Christian crosses. Curiously, her eyes drifted to one of the Christians; the tallest of the six, a blonde wearing garbs she only sees on monks.

It was modified, the sides ripped so he could possibly sit easier instead of being restricted by the long fabric, a sword hanging off his hips and a chestplate over the drabby beige clothing. Rose wasn’t sure what to signal, but she did her best to tell her brother what she saw with her hands.

“A… Warrior monk ?” Jehan asked, voice echoing in their empty space. “The hell does that mean...”

Rose whipped her head, finger pressing against her lips harshly, heart pounding. She had yet to determine if they actually were trouble or not for them. She was too caught up in the group’s strangeness to notice the amount of weapons all of them had attached to themselves. Jehan’s eyes widened, shocked at his own loudness as well, slapping a hand over his lips.

Though that was too late.

“Whoever’s there, come out. Now.” A sharp voice, annoyingly familiar as well, ordered from below.

Sounds like Father. Rose would have mused to her brother if she hadn’t been on edge about watching these men. Her eyes glared at Jehan, who moved forward toward the cliff. Rose stayed as still as possible, body closely wrapped against the large boulders she had been laying her stomach against. Surely, she couldn’t be spotted—

“The same goes to your companion as well. Come out now.”

Rose let out an aggravated groan.

I just wanted to go outside…

- OSFERTH -

“How did he know someone else was with him?” Aethelstan asked, staring at Uhtred in wonder before turning his gaze back to the pair standing over them.

“Intuition.” Was all Osferth could offer, hand ghosting the hilt of his sword as the second figure maneuvered their way to their horse. The man already on his horse offered a stiff smile to Uhtred and Finan’s suspicious gazes.

“A fine morning to hunt, don’t you think?” The man tried to offer, the hooded figure beside him turning their head to them. Seems that even they found his ice breaker strange. From the corner of his eye, he could spot Sihtric move backward a bit, as if ready to melt into the shadows and come closer to them.

Looking back, Osferth could see the hooded figure trot their horse backward as well, as if sensing Sihtric’s movement. Osferth held a hand out to his friend, shaking his head. “The hooded one is watching you. Stay cautious.” He advised. Sihtric only nodded, keeping himself from still instead.

Uhtred, always so blunt and brute, was quick to stay on the topic. “Who are you? What are you doing on this trail?”

“I could ask you the same thing, but we’re clearly all here for one thing: hunting, correct?” The man said. His dark hair, long and straight, blew with the wind as he motioned at the bow and arrow attached to him under his cloak. “What else can you do around here besides trade at Rumcofa? Besides, Blood Month is coming soon and we all know the pressures of that celebration as men, do we not?”

Cynlaef and Aethelstan nodded, making Osferth shake his head. Clearly, the man was trying to convince them of something else but he made a good argument; around this time men did go out hunting to practice. Finan was the next to speak up.

“You know of Rumcofa, yet we’ve never seen you.” Finan said, eyes glancing at the hooded figure. “And it seems like we have yet to see your friend as well.”

“She is hardly a friend. Torturer would be a better word.” The man states, earning a harsh slap in the arm by the figure. Finan snorted at the action. “She is my sister; wanted to accompany me and possibly hunt something as well.”

The man motioned for his sister to pull down the hood and Osferth was in no need to convince himself the pair were siblings. Their hair was jet black, both of their tan skin showing under the sunlight. Osferth was more focused on the girl, however, noticing the curls that were hardly contained when it gathered at the nape of her neck.

Still, Osferth can detect the discomfort on her face despite keeping it so still since she had removed her hood, unlike her brother, who seemed to be smooth at every motion he made as they continued their standoff. They were like day and night, despite their appearance clearly indicating they were possibly twins.

Finally, she spoke, eyes trained on Uhtred. “I apologize for my brother’s long winded explanations but he is not wrong; we are meant to hunt. We follow this trail often but it is a bit of a ways away and we never see anyone. Forgive us for not being too friendly at the beginning, lords. We like to remain cautious, especially in times like this.”

Uhtred nodded in understanding. Living in a village was troublesome enough; only those who have lived on their own outside of promised protection knew how much more dangerous it was to willingly trust random strangers on the road.

“I hope we didn’t scare any of the game you are seeking then. A few of our men hunted and managed to hunt quite a few animals.” An amused chuckle escaped from Cynleaf’s lips. Years of accompanying Uhtred let Osferth know it was a boast masked under a jesting. He watched as the siblings gazes settled on the dead animals stacked next to the fire.

The girl was seamless with her expression, only offering an unreadable expression to Uhtred before saying, “I’m sure we’ll find something.”

Her voice was soft but Osferth could sense a bit of rigidness behind it, almost like the snowflakes gently coming off from the trees above and landing on warm skin; similarly, it sent shivers down his back when her voice came out. His mind wandered for a moment, questions arising left and right from his mind until he finally asked a question as the siblings pulled off from the cliffside.

“You didn’t answer the question.” He suddenly pronounces, catching everyone’s attention. His eyes locked on the girl’s own, widening as he noticed they were almost glowing from the rays of light. He was sure they were almost like gold, the color seemingly paling against the stone at the pommel of Uhtred’s sword. Gold. It looked like molten gold.

“You know of Rumcofa, yet we have never seen you there.”

A few men nodded, others looking expectantly at the set of siblings, knowing Osferth wasn’t wrong. It had been years since Rumcofa was built, Aethelstan being only a boy when they settled in the trading village. Now he was accompanying hunts, carrying steele weapons instead of practicing with wooden ones within the safety of the village walls. Throughout all those years, Osferth was sure he’d remember eyes that seemed to shine under sunlight.

He watched as the girl’s lips twitched, to a smile or a frown, he wasn’t so sure. Still, he garnered a reaction out of her and some sense of satisfaction consumed him. “We have lived here since before Rumcofa’s construction. We just wished to stay outside the village borders since we are self serving ourselves.”

Osferth nodded, taking her words to value, seemingly knowing she wasn't lying. Still, he wondered one more thing. 

“What are your names?” It was Uhtred who asked the question, seemingly reading the ex-monk’s mind.

The girl opened her mouth, then closed it. She turned to her brother, who shrugged before they responded, one after the other.

“My name is Jehan.”

“My name is Rosemonde. I go by Rose.”

Rose . Osferth thought, staring at the woman thoughtfully. Rose .

Somehow he couldn’t keep the name out of his head, even when her brother, Jehan decided to speak. “It is not safe to be out here too long, lords. Even in broad daylight, there are many dangers out there you should keep watch for. My sister and I must go now. Bountiful luck to you all during your hunt.”

With that, both siblings rode off, before anyone could ask any more questions. 

Strange people.” Finan mused, Osferth nodding

Silence returned on the group, though Osferth’s mind seemed to be somewhere else, Rose’s name still repeating in his head, not wishing to forget it.

- ROSE -

“Bountiful luck?”

“Shut up.”

A look of amusement crossed Rose’s face as she eyed her brother. “You sure love hearing your voice, brother.”

Jehan sent a glare her way. “As if you could do any better, sister. You talk sweetly but look as if you’re ready to go into battle. I hardly think I’d be ever able to believe you if I were those men out there.”

Rose shrugged. “If they detect a lie, they would have had us taken away. Clearly they believed us. Besides, it’s not as if we aren’t hunting.”

She dismounted from her horse as she said this, walking toward one of their hidden traps set up not far from the trail. She listened for the crunch of the snow, ignoring Jehan’s call from behind.

“That monk sounded like he didn’t believe you!”

A smile made its way to her lips again, the idea of the blonde man wishing to know them so much amusing her. He was peculiar, she remembered thinking, watching his expression intently when she had given her name. She could see his lips moving, though she wasn’t sure what she could make him out from saying.

Rose was ready to speak once more, before a muffled scream had brought her back, the memories of the crunching snow and the warrior monk pushed to the back of her mind. She narrowed her eyes, realizing the trap she set up the night before had worked. The muffled screams turned to a panicked one as Rose made herself visible to the man trapped by the spikes dug under the soft piles of snow that were carefully packed together as if to seem stronger.

“Nasty wound you have there.” Rose responded, eyes narrowing in on the man’s leg, which had the five wooden spikes jutting out from it at the start of his ankle to just below his knees. His hair was matted and frosted over, clearly having been there for several hours. “Would be a shame if we left you here.”

“Please,” the man begged. “Let me free.”

Rose ignored him, procuring a dagger hidden beneath her sleeve. “Since you said please, I will.” The man sighed in relief. “But not before you answer some questions.”

The men let out another wail, only to be silenced as Rose struck the back of his head with the hilt of her dagger. She didn’t waste time to take out a sack from the bag hanging off her, bringing it over the unconscious man’s head. A four toned whistle was heard from a distance and Rose was quick to send a two toned one back.

From a large pile of snow close by, another dark head popped up. “He’s been screaming all day. I had to come around and shut him up a few times before he could spot me.”

“It was a good thing you did.” Rose says to her younger brother, remembering the warrior monk and his warrior friends. “Help me out, won’t you Saewin? This man probably weighs like a horse.”

Saewin only nodded, making his way around the pile of snow so quickly, Rose felt like some sense of time disappeared on her when he made his way over. They lifted the man by his arms and legs, Saewin huffing out of anger after taking careful steps closer to the road. “This man weighs more than a horse; he’s probably the same weight as Jehan…”

“Hey!” Was all Jehan offered, running to help his siblings drag the man onto the large cloth he spread out and attached to his and Rose’s horse. All three of them heaved sighs, looking at one another before nodding to one another in understanding as they stared at the unconscious man in front of them.

“Let’s go home.” Jehan mused. “Looks like we’ll be having a busy night.”

Rose only nodded, her gaze lingering longer on the man while Saewin moved to mount her horse, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach as she spotted a cross around his neck. Faintly, her fingers brushed against her own and a prayer was sent out silently, Rose praying that her way to Hell was as painless as possible before she finally made her way to her horse.

Chapter Text

- OSFERTH -

Of all his years being part of Uhtred’s party, Osferth was quite used to being pulled out of slumber in the dead of night for whatever reason. He did his best to fight off sleep as he stood in the hall, eyes glazing over to his companions, who were also most likely pulled out of sleep from the way Sihtric leaned against a pillar and from Finan rubbing at his eyes.

Uhtred and Aethelstan, the latter of which had been the one in charge of manning the night’s watch, were the only ones wide awake, eyes alert. “A body has been found. Again.” Was all Uhtred announced. “Just outside the village entrance. His body was burned to the point of no return so no one knows who he is. Heavy cuts were all over his body, like he was tortured.”

“Just like last time.” Osferth muttered to no in particular, but it was heard nonetheless from the way Uhtred shot him a glance and offered a nod in confirmation.

“Just like last time.” Was all that was echoed. “He’s been buried already.”

Osferth only nodded at the notion, signing a cross silently out of respect but also in selfish relief. The last time he had seen a body similar to that condition, he nearly vomited out all the ale he had consumed that day. The day had been unfortunately etched into his memory. The snow hadn’t fallen, but the ground was cold. A day he expected to be no different than before had been interrupted when a child’s scream was heard past the borders.

Everyone, especially Uhtred and his men, ran immediately to the sound, only to find what seemed to be the remains of a man laying on the dirt, strewn about as if he had been tossed to the ground haphazardly. Osferth and Cynleaf had been the ones to bury the first man, but found it difficult to bury him in such conditions. As mentioned, the ground had been cold.

The dead man had put everyone on edge; mothers making sure their children never wandered far and when it was time to go to sleep, nearly everyone had been locked into their home. The only ones brave enough to stay up and out in the middle of the night were men who couldn’t sleep without ale or Uhtred’s men (though, Osferth could argue that it didn’t make much of a difference).

Uhtred ordered a select few of men to scout the areas, most of them finding nothing before he had decided to make a small party of men, saying larger groups should try and find something. All that was found was a pathetic excuse of a dirt trail that had not been seen by anyone, just far enough from Rumcofa for anyone to notice. They followed the trail for half the day, only going back to the village after Uhtred had said there was no use of wasting good men to hunt for something that might not even be there.

Days had since passed from their first party scouting and Osferth had a sense of innocent hope that nothing else was to come of this incident anymore. How naive that was of him to think, watching as the great hall in Rumcofa was near dead silent, despite it being consistent of the loudest men he has ever made an acquaintance with. 

“What do you want us to do?” Finan finally asked.

“Secure the area. See if anyone knows anything else.” Uhtred commands, grabbing his riding gear. A look of contemplation was evident on his face, clearly something else on his mind. “Come back here when the sun breaks; another search party. We can’t waste time.”

Everyone nodded, turning toward the door. The only ones who stayed were Finan, Sihtric, and Osferth, who seemed to have sensed something in the way Uhtred stared off into the distance. Once it felt as if the room was cleared, Uhtred turned to the three men, ready to speak his mind.

“That girl and her brother. They might be in on this.” Uhtred admits, holding his hand out to show a familiar bead in his hand. Osferth frowned, narrowing his eyes on the symbol, which had a tree inscribed on it. “This was found in the man’s beard. The same one I saw in the girl’s hair when we met them.”

The notion made Osferth frown even more, but didn’t question it. His mind drifted to that moment, when the girl pulled her hood down, to her long black hair. She did have beads in her hair and he hadn’t seen anything like them; encrusted in gold instead of the usual silver he sees and no doubt a valuable item to have. So why was it found on a dead man? An unsettling churn was finding itself in his stomach as he examined the bead between his fingers.

Passing it along to Finan and Sihtric, he looked at Uhtred. “What do you need us to do?” He asked, ready to follow whatever it was Uhtred had to say. 

“I need you and Finan to check the trails where we met the girl and her brother. See if there’s something from the trail that could possibly lead to the man. Stay hidden as best as possible..” Uhtred commands, pausing for a moment, lips set in a tight line before turning his attention on Osferth. “You spoke to the girl the longest, almost even got a reaction out of her. If you find her, do your best to keep a distance from her, baby monk.”

Osferth felt as if his mouth had been sewn shut at the warning, embarrassment flooding through him as he only offered a nod of understanding, the implication behind Uhtred’s words as clear as day. He was used to it by now, the jesting and teasing of his disposition around women from his companions after all these years. For some reason, he felt like the young monk that had just left the monastery once again as he watched Finan and Sihtric send him a teasing look.

He only let out an annoyed sigh, making sure to send a harmless punch at Finan’s shoulder, his eyes narrowing for him to not say anything anymore as they made their way to the stables.

- ROSE -

“Nice to see you here.” Rose calls, making the figure several feet ahead of her nearly jump from his spot. The man heaved a great sigh, giving the girl an irritated glance while she supplied an amused one as she trudged through the snow.

“Scared me half to death, Rosemonde.” The man said sternly as the girl stood beside him.

“Do you ever venture outside those walls nowadays, Father Ricard?” Rose asks. “You were never this afraid before the settlement was built. Rumcofa’s made you soft.”

“Rumcofa’s made me realise there's a lot more dangers to fear than what I initially thought.” The priest counters, lip stiffening as he glanced back at what was in front of them. “I still would like to come see my sister, however. That, I am more than willing to leave the settlement for.”

Rose offered a sullen smile, glancing at the tombstone in front of them. “I'm sure my mother enjoys your company.”

“Do you enjoy my presence, Rosemonde?”

“I do, uncle.”

“But not as much to visit me at Rumcofa.”

At those words, Rose bristles. She opts to stay silent, looking at the wooden cross staked into the ground, her eyes focused on the carvings she made last year; a mix of Christian symbols and Danish runes littered the cross, most for protection for her mother’s journey to Heaven and a few prayers that essentially begged God to allow such a woman in to the gates.

If she had to beg God to let her mother into Heaven, then what of Rose? Her mother didn't have to do what she did, leave her home and be called a traitor for marrying a Dane and bearing his children. Would there even be a place for Rose in Heaven? She would most definitely not find herself in Odin’s hall, either, given that she struggles who to pray for daily. At this point, the reminder of having a lack of possible salvation made her send her uncle a look of lost hope.

“I do not believe I will be happily accepted into your home.” She responds, matter-of-fact. “Last I remember, Friar Timult practically damned us to your Hell when I accidentally pushed over the offering candles.”

Ricard sighed. “You were eleven and Friar Timult is, and pardon my language, as tight as the devil’s arse about procedures done at the church.”

Rose smiled. “Nearly passed a decade and I still hear from Saewin that he warns townspeople about ‘godless heathens’ outside the gates.” She watched as her uncle’s lips set to a harder line. His eyes, so similar to her mother’s, become foggy at the mention of godless heathens.

She raised an eyebrow. “What news has come now?”

“Vragi. He was found dead just this morning.” Ricard says, staring at the wooden cross solemnly before casting a glance at Rose. “They're suspecting a couple of godless heathens had done it.”

The implication was as subtle as a knife to the throat. A sense of worry had her mind running all the possibilities of what could come over her. Worry laid over Rose, her stomach lurching as she processed the information. 

She had just seen Vragi, the old man, stopping by her family’s home almost a week ago, asking to be lent some gold to buy more feed for their shared cattle. Rose had given one of her hair beads to him, a joke about giving more feed for her family surfacing in the midst of drinks being passed around that night before he bid them goodnight.

She had only assumed he travelled far, not being able to return for the next few weeks due to the amount of feed he would have had to buy. The last thing she expected was for him to turn up dead . Her mind thought back to him, committing to memory his kindness and how beloved by their small community. His wife must still be waiting for him, she thinks to herself, letting out a sigh as she realized that she would be the one who has to break the news to her family to signal warnings to the others.

Rose shakes her head, unsure how to continue as she feels Ricard look at her expectantly.

“These godless heathens they’re mentioning…” Rose implies, Saewin crossing her mind. He had been the one always willing to venture into Rumcofa while her and Jehan stood near the settlement instead. If they had seen him then he would have to stay inside the home for a while.

“Mainly town gossip,” Father Ricard reassures. “Sounds like they’re just saying it to warn their children to not walk past settlement boundaries.”

“But they’re still talking about godless heathens…” Rose trails off, making her uncle nod. “That’s not good for us. Surely, some believe it?”

“A few months ago, a man was found the same way Vragi was. It left the town shaken and wanting answers. Talks around the town were saying they spotted someone dressed like a Dane just outside the walls; they were quick to settle on that suspicion and continue to believe it.” Ricard explained, looking at Rose’s wool and fur lined shawl peeking beneath her cloak.

Silence settled over them, the young girl finding her mother’s grave more interesting than whatever she just heard for a while, savouring the milliseconds of blissful ignorance before speaking once more. “My family is not safe.” She denounces, an alertness finding itself in her once more as she looks around, panicked.

“The warriors posted around the settlement are starting to believe it. They’ve been coming around the trail you and your brothers frequent. People have been restricted from leaving recently as well. I only managed to leave after the day's break.” He explains, confirming Rose’s concerns. “I cannot stay here for too long, but I just wished for you to know.”

Rose nodded. “Thank you, uncle. You must have travelled here against your own safety so I’ll make sure to let my brothers know.”

The man raised his hand to smooth out the unruly curls that escaped from her hood. “My niece, the diplomat.” He mentioned, laughing when Rose rolled her eyes as she whispered something about diplomats not hiding blades in their sleeves. “I must leave. I’ll make sure you have your alone time with Melissande.”

He walked away, leaving Rose and her mother alone, the wind carrying any sense of voice Rose had previously. She lifted a hand to brush off the piles of snow settled on the cross, a whisper of a prayer leaving her lips as she continued to clean the area around her, the snow being pushed aside until the ground beneath the sheet of white was finally revealed.

She sat down after a hushed Amen . Her mouth opened, words never finding itself settling on her lips as she examined her mother’s grave. Rose couldn't remember a time where she spoke to her mother; her voice was as lost as she is whenever she tried to conjure the will to speak.

Instead, she wiped her cross and grave so it can see the sky better and offered a prayer—Christian or pagan, whichever one suited the day—before trekking back home. Today was no different, though Rose made sure to add extra carefulness to her prayers as her uncle’s words repeated itself in her head.

“Saewin.” Rose calls out, the earth and snow almost silencing her already soft call. “Saewin, I know you are there.”

She spun around, glaring at the treeline her brother was most definitely hiding behind. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at the farther end of the trees, her vision failing to distinguish if the movement nearby was a person or a large branch.

Faintly, she was sure she saw brown cloth tugging against the trunk of a tree she was focused on. Taking a step forward, she leaned closer as she did her best to focus better on it.

“Are you just going to watch the trees all day?” Saewin’s voice cuts through from behind, making Rose jump. 

She hadn’t given herself a second to think as her hands automatically signalled for the blades hidden in her wrists to release itself, only stopping herself from pressing the knife against Saewin after recognizing a familiar set of gold-brown eyes.

“Idiot.” She snaps at him, retracting her blade and punching his bony shoulder. “I could have killed you, Saewin.”

“What were you looking at?” Her brother asks, ignoring Rose’s chastising glance over her shoulder. Rose turned back, looking back at the treeline, narrowing at the empty space. “Rose?”

She only shook her head in response, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. “How much did you hear?” She asks him, watching him glaze his fingers over the cross in front of them.

“Everything.” He admits, offering a concerned glance back at her as he walks past her. “I’m assuming we should have our honoured guest released?”

“No. If Vragi is dead, then he really does know something and we need to pry that out of him.” Rose says, manoeuvring around the trees carefully as they try to make their way back to the beaten path back home. “Has he said anything about why he was near the borders?”

Saewin gave a disappointed grunt. “Only a few things. Said he was just out hunting for—”

“Blood Month, right.” Rose said with an eye roll, remembering Jehan’s words from a few weeks ago. The man had most definitely not been out hunting, Rose recalling the man hadn’t had any gloves—a small detail to note, but an important one nonetheless if someone was going to practise hunting for hours for an important event like Blood Month. “What else?”

“He said he’s one of the warriors at Rumcofa.” Saewin says, making Rose nearly whip her head around at him. They stared at one another, their uncle’s warning fresh in their minds.

The sudden crunch in the snow caught both siblings’ attention. Rose reached for her blades behind her. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted Saewin reaching for the axes strapped to his hips, though she kept her eyes forward, staring at the treeline she had looked at earlier.

“Rose—” Saewin started, ready to tug at her hands as she crept closer to the trees, squinting in the darkness ahead. Within moments, the snap of a twig caused both siblings to nearly jump out of their skin.

Without a second thought, Rose found herself shoving her brother forward, screaming, “Run. RUN!”

Rose felt like her heart had dropped to her chest as she darted around the trees, only keeping focus on Saewin’s back and the hurried steps just behind her. Faintly, she could hear someone calling for them to stop. Rose could only hear the blood rushing to her ears as the calls continued, adrenaline and fear overshadowing anything else she had to process.

Her body felt like it wasn’t her own. Weaving around the countless trees in the snowy woods was something she was familiar with, though the countless times she had been running this course, it was her laughing as her brothers chased after her. If she wasn’t attempting to save her own life, she would have found this situation more amusing that she was doing the same thing but for different purposes.

“Stop!” A voice called out, the sharpness to it unfamiliar to Rose as she darted around a mass of trees in an attempt to slow them down. Her ears perched as she heard the voice yell something to someone else and fading footsteps.

There’s more than one person, but how many? Rose thought as her eyes darted around where she could see, trying her best to spot any suspecting shadows or people manoeuvring around from beside them.

A grunt from Saewin made Rose pause completely, turning to see his foot catch onto a branch, flinching as his chin brushed harshly against a stone. Quickly, she grabbed his arm, giving him a once over (his chin had been completely red, though she was sure it was just a deep cut) before helping him on his feet to keep him running. A set of footsteps approached them and Rose found herself reaching behind for her daggers with one hand, the other grasping her brother’s arm tightly.

She pushed herself in front of Saewin, blade pressed against the side of her arm as she watched a growing shadow come forward in the clearing they were at. Rose grit her teeth as she felt Saewin press against her. “Do not approach.” Rose snapped, making the shadow pause at the sound of her voice.

“We just need to talk, lady.” The shadow calls out, this one familiar to her. “You mentioned the dead bodies—”

“We know nothing.” Rose counters. “We only heard about them.”

“You said one of the men’s names.” The voice says. “ We hadn’t even known about his name. Not to mention, you apparently have one of our men.”

“Christ, how much did he hear?” Saewin whispers into Rose’s ear, who only shook her head as she backed them away when the man slowly exited from the shadows, a weathered brown tunic familiarising itself to her.

The warrior monk was much taller than Rose had anticipated, the man nearly towering over Rose and her brother as he held his hands up to her when he spied her blade. “I only need to ask questions.”

“Like hell .” Rose quips again, pointing her blade forward to the monk. “You’ll have us killed.”

“I promise I will not.” The man responds, keeping his hands up and motioning to his sheathed sword. “My sword is away, as you can see, yes? My hands are also up. Let us—”

Whatever words he had yet to say were quickly silenced by Saewin, who had been constantly whipping his head from side to side, as he swung his axe behind him, the metal of the blade offering a shrap clink! as it collided with another man’s blade. She recognized him as the one who stood beside the warrior monk all those weeks ago. She also remembered how ready he was to draw his sword if Jehan were to say something suspicious during their conversation.

Saewin’s actions alone made Rose move as well, pulling out her second dagger from behind to swing at the warrior monk, who dodged her swipes. From behind, the sharp smacking of swords could be heard, though it was faint to Rose as she kept a heavy gaze on the warrior monk, waiting for his next move as he withdrew his sword.

“I only wish to speak!” He repeats, bringing his sword up to block a dagger, quickly manoeuvring away when Rose brings her other one up to aim at an opening he left.

A curse nearly spits out of Rose as she motions toward the fighting men behind them. “Your friend didn’t seem to think the same way.” She responds before turning and throwing one of her daggers toward the short haired brunette still fighting Saewin. She watched as the edge of the knife caught against his sword, almost ready to strike down against Saewin if she waited any longer to throw her dagger at him.

“Christ—” The brunette curses, the sudden movement nearly causing him to tip over before dodging another one of Saewin’s swings.

“Wait!” The warrior monk starts, ready to grab her arm but was stopped when Rose ducked under his arms. The blade remaining on her other hand found its way to his throat, seemingly seizing the fight at the notion of someone’s life could be finished with just a swipe. Regardless if a blade is placed on him, the monk held Rose’s murderous gaze. Faintly, she could feel Saewin press his back against her’s, most likely having his axe pointed at the brunette.

“Lady, please —” The monk starts.

“No. You do not speak with my blade to your throat.” She snaps, not taking her eyes off him as she nudged her brother’s foot, her voice switching to their father’s Norwegian tongue. “ Take my blade and go. ”

Saewin snaps his head at her. “What—?”

“ Take my blade and give it to Father. ” Rose instructs again, using both men’s confusion to her advantage.

“Rose—” Saewin says, but stops when Rose shoves him away from the men, sending him a hardened glare as she swipes at Saewin’s opponent with the blade hidden under her sleeve.

“How many knives you got you?” The man snaps, hissing when the edge catches his arm.

“Run!” Rose snaps at Saewin, swiping her larger dagger at the monk, knicking him slightly on the neck and cheek when he hadn’t moved fast enough.

“Hold her down.” The brunette snaps, voice sharper now that she had struck both of them. There seemed to be an unspoken conversation going on between the two, much like how Rose had with her brothers, as there was a pause between the two of them when the shorter man gave the order. “Osferth, hold her down! ”

What sounded like a groan mixed with a struggling sigh escaped the monk as he grasped Rose by her arms tightly. She was sure she felt her shoulder connect to his collarbone from the hiss of pain when tried to swing herself away from his grasp, trying to see if Saewin had managed to run off yet.

She was sure she saw a flit of his cloak brush past a tree, far away from where they are, making her feel better a little as she felt something hard hit the back of her head, sending her into a void of darkness.