i will follow you wherever you may go

Finan looked to Uhtred as they traveled. They'd heard of a group of Danes settled nearby and the entire group thought it would be wise to see what was happening, whether they were a danger, an enemy, or if they were just living peacefully as some Danes did. "Lord, I suspect we will be arriving at the village soon," he mentioned, aware that the village the Danes were rumored to be settled in wasn't much further away. With any luck, they'd be arriving within a few minutes, so long as nothing deterred them or slowed them down. The entire journey so far had been peaceful and without any issues or any dangers, and Finan counted them lucky for such a feat - it wasn't one that they managed to witness often.

His gaze went ahead as they continued, curious as to what would be awaiting them when they arrived. He hoped that there would not be any fighting, any turmoil, because it had been a long journey and he was sure they all wished to rest. But, he was also well aware that they did not often come upon peaceful Danes when news reached them of Danes nearby - normally, a battle ensued, and he knew it was best to always be prepared, just in case. Up ahead, he could spot the village, surprised to see that it looked to be quite busy. Even from where they were, it seemed that there were many people moving about. "Lord, it is there, look," he mentioned, pointing ahead as they drew closer.

---

Aalis couldn't believe this was what her life had come to. Just last month, she'd been in her family's castle, safe, protected, without a care in the world. Then, her father had mentioned wanting to marry her off and she couldn't live with the thought of it, so she'd told Runa how desperate she was to leave, and they'd left the first chance they got. With Runa by her side, she'd been safe, as she always was - the two had grown up together, with Runa protecting her from any threat, from any harm. She trusted Runa with her life, Runa was her dear friend, but Aalis hated that she'd gotten Runa involved in all of this. Not long after they'd left the castle, they'd been captured by Danes, who took them as slaves.

There was a fresh bruise on Aalis's cheek, and she'd avoided Runa throughout the day, not wanting to worry her friend, but also worried that Runa had been harmed again, too. A part of her couldn't face the thought of Runa being hurt, of being the cause of it all, because running away had been Aalis's idea, she'd dragged Runa into everything. As she walked, she kept her gaze down, bringing a plate of food to one of the men who'd taken them, though she'd looked up when she passed Runa, pausing with surprise, because as she'd suspected, there was a bruise on Runa, too, and her heart broke at the sight. "Runa," she whispered quietly, "Are you okay?"

Although Uthred didn’t agree on making his men travel to the Dane camp, he knew that it was important for them to know if the Danes had peace or anger in their hearts. He had heard stories of Danes who did want to lead a quiet life, though those Danes were very few and far between. Danes were raised to be warriors and to fight to the death, if it meant they could have land and food and a peace where women and children could live. Other Danes, especially the men, purely just wanted to fight and kill Saxon’s. They wanted to attack kingdoms and force themselves onto women, steal gold and silver, because that is what their fathers did. If these Danes were planning attacks, then it was Uthred’s job to find that out and prepare for another battle. Hearing the Irish accent he glanced over to Finan before following his gaze, “There it is.” The camp was larger then Uthred had been hoping for, a camp this size could very well be a struggle to win against if a battle broke out. “Remember, we are here to rest after a long journey.” He told his men as he didn’t want to start a fight if there wasn’t a need for it, he was getting sick of losing people he cared for.

His horse carried him further towards the camp, it wasn’t long until the Danes started to notice the new arrivals. When they had been noticed, Uthred climbed down from his horse and held onto the reigns. “We have been travelling a long way, would there be room for us to rest?” His eyes moving over the Danes as he searched for the leader, he watched as a man stepped forward. He was shorter than Uthred, his blonde hair was roughly cut under his shoulders and was slicked back. “We have room, yes.” Arne spoke in a deep voice as he also ran his eyes over the new arrivals, he wasn’t sure what to think of them yet, but he would keep his eye on them. “Tie up your horses and join us for some food,” Arne gave Uthred a slight nod before he walked back towards where he had been sitting before the men arrived. Uthred walked his horse over to a makeshift stable before looking to Finan and Sihtric, “This camp is larger than I thought it would be,” He kept his voice quiet as he didn’t want anyone to overhear them.

---

To say that Runa was devasted was underestimating how she felt, she had agreed to leave their Kingdom because she knew it was what Aalis wanted. Runa knew if Aalis stayed in their home then she would have been married to a horrible man, she didn’t want that for her dear friend. Not when she saw the princess as family, she wasn’t upset that she left her home, she was heartbroken that they had been captured by Danes and she wasn’t able to protect Aalis. Runa had been trained since she was a young child, her father being a skilled fighter taught his only child how to fight and defend herself. Yet, she hadn’t been in an actual fight before so when Danes surrounded them, they had quickly overpowered her. Runa had rage flow through her body each day, every time she saw a new bruise or cut on Aalis from the treatment they were receiving from the Danes. She had tried so hard to reach her weapons which she had been stripped off when the Danes dragged them to the camp, every time she tried to gather her weapons she would be beaten.

Looking up at her friends voice, the rage boiled inside her as she saw a fresh bruise marking Aalis’ fair skin. “I’m okay… I will get you away from her,” She whispered as they were both hungry and dirty, their clothes torn and tried mud stuck to their skin. An appearance that a princess should never have, she knew Aalis blamed herself for everything that they were experiencing but Runa would never. It was her fault that they had been captured, she had been raised for this purpose, to protect Aalis against all and any harm. She had failed miserably. She frowned when she heard a commotion, looking over her eyes landed on men who had arrived on horses. Men that she didn’t seen in the camp before, “Have you seen them before?” She asked her friend as she prayed they weren’t like the rest of the Danes in camp, because she wasn’t sure how many more beatings she could take. She needed to make a distraction and have Aalis run or steal a horse, anything to ensure her friend escaped this hell.

Finan looked mildly amused with Uhtred's reminder, though he had no problem playing along with the plan. He was certain each of them could play the part appropriately; they'd travelled a fair way, after all, so they would already appear tired and dirty. All they really needed was to ensure they didn't give away any reasons aside from resting as to why they would be approaching a place like this. "Of course, lord," he assured with a nod, because he knew this was important and he had no reason to mess it up. The hardest part would be blending in, he was sure. He was no Dane, and he was sure the Danes here would not be very trusting of him, but he was well aware that it wasn't too surprising to see a Saxon or Irishman travelling with Danes; more often than not, men such as those were believed to be slaves, or that they had grown bored of their Christian lifestyle.

As they were approached by Arne, Finan watched the man, but made sure not to do it suspiciously. He was well versed in the ways of observing, especially since he had been a slave for a time, and he was sure this talent would come in handy here. Climbing from his horse, he followed Uhtred, nodding as he subtly peered around. "There are many more men than I expected, lord," he admitted to Uhtred, peering over, though he'd caught sight of women nearby, too. "Women, too. Perhaps slaves?" They did not look like they were treated well, after all - and while he wanted to speak to them, to get closer, he knew it would be safer to wait until they were not being watched to do so.

---

Aalis could feel her heart ache as she listened to her friend, though her gaze hadn't left Runa's own injuries, a frown on her features, because this was all her fault. If she'd just stayed home, gone along with the plans of marriage and everything that came with it, neither she nor Runa would be in this situation. And she hated more than anything that she had gotten Runa involved, that Runa was injured because of her, and the very thought made her chew on her lip. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked quietly, needing to make sure, though she knew she wouldn't believe Runa, because she knew that Runa got the abuse just as much as Aalis did, and Runa didn't deserve such treatment.

"Please do not be rash… The last thing I want is for you to be further injured just to try to get us away from here," she murmured gently, though she moved to try to look busy, because she didn't want to attract attention to either of them; she did not want either of them to suffer for lingering or for plotting. Still, hearing the noise, her attention went to the men, and she paused, blinking with surprise. "No, I haven't. But… They look… Kinder than these men…"

Uhtred had noticed quickly that the camp was larger than he first thought, which was confirmed by Finan. “Nothing we haven’t fought through before,” He looked to his closest men, his closest friends as doubt crossed his mind. He had thought of changing the plan, that they could stay the night and, in the morning, they could leave without any bloodshed. Yet, that thought was erased from his mind when his eyes landed on her. Her long blonde hair stood out amongst the Danes, but so did the dark bruises on her pale skin. She didn’t belong in such a place. “Most seem to be slaves,” He spoke quietly as they needed to blend in and not appear out of place, to where they would cause the Danes to grow suspicious of them. “Did you see the two women? Is it just me or are none of the other slaves beaten?” Osferth mentioned as he had seen other women who were dirty and supplying the Danes with whatever they wanted, but the two women he saw together were covered in bruises.

“Yes, I saw them. There could be many reasons of how they are treated here,” Uhtred explained hoping Osferth would listen to him, he didn’t want the young monk taking it upon himself to find out why two slaves received worse punishment then others. “Let’s go about the night, let’s eat and drink.” He tied up his horse as he trusted his men more then anything, they had already followed him all the way out to this camp so he knew they would be able to blend in. Uhtred left his horse and moved through the camp, his guard was up yet he made himself appear tired after a long journey. He took in what he was seeing and witnessing, until he found a fire and decided to warm himself by the flames as he continued to observe.

---

“Yes, you don’t need to worry about me.” All Runa wanted was for Aalis to focus on herself and focus on surviving the Danes, “When have I ever done anything rash?” She smiled softly at her friend, “It’s not getting us free… it’s getting you free, my princess.” Runa was still a solider ordered to protect her princess, that was a promise she made to her King and a promise that she would dare break. As she watched the new men move through the camp, she heard orders being barked at them by Arne. They were to make sure the guests were well feed with drinks and tents made up for them, “One day at a time,” She reminded Aalis quietly, they just had to survive one day at a time until they would escape and be free of the Danes. Runa gave her best friend a reassuring look before she headed off to make sure the tents were prepared, knowing Aalis would have an easier time with supplying the food and drink with her fresh bruises.

Runa gathered up as many blankets as she could in her arms, carrying them around to several tents where the guests would be able to sleep for the night. She had her escape plan mapped out in her head, she just needed the chance where she could put it into place. She also had to keep her plan from Aalis because she knew her princess would never agree to it. They had been there long enough, Runa could feel herself wearing thin and she knew she would break the next time she saw a fresh bruise or cut on Aalis. As Runa stepped out of a tent she looked up to see one of the guests and stopped so she wouldn’t bump into him, “I do apologise for taking so long with your tent,” She lowered her head like Arne had forced her to do every time he made her apologise for whatever she had done to piss him off.

Finan nodded in agreement with Uhtred. “That is true, lord,” he said quietly, frowning to himself, though he hoped that this would be as easy as it usually was. Still, his eyes peered around, taking in everything, his eyes landing on one of the women Osferth spoke of, and he couldn’t quite tear his gaze away. He didn’t really want to. “I see them, yes.” And, admittedly, with his own past when it came to being a slave, he hated seeing the bruises, the way slaves were treated, and he hoped that they would do something about this. Nobody deserved to be a slave, but the woman that caught his eye, he knew she seemed to receive the worst end of it, and she didn’t deserve it at all. She deserved so much better than to be treated in such a cruel way. “Any reason they may have for being treated that way does not sit well with me.” He looked to Uhtred, but he nodded to his decision.

Wandering around, he tried to get an understanding of the area, and he headed towards the tents, but he blinked when the woman came out, and he paused, taking her in, admiring her for a long moment despite himself. Still, he offered a smile and shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for,” he assured her as he watched her, taking her in, amazed by how genuinely beautiful she was, though he hated seeing the bruises on her and wished there was a way he could take them away, a way that he could help her, no matter what it was. “My name is Finan. Are you allowed to talk freely?”

---

Aalis watched Runa quietly, though her words didn’t make her worry any less. “You often do rash things,” she reminded quietly, worried, and she chewed on her lip, a little anxious, but she nodded. She trusted her friend, she just had to keep reminding herself of that. But it didn’t really stop her from worrying. “Just… Be careful, please. And if I am to be free, so are you.” She watched Runa firmly, determined, frowning to herself. “I will not leave this place without you.” She wouldn’t leave Runa behind, not after all they had been through together, and certainly not after everything Runa had done for her. Still, upon hearing Runa’s reminder, she offered a weak smile and nodded. “One day at a time,” she mirrored quietly before she walked away to get to work, not wanting to anger anybody.

She gathered food and drinks, as much as she could hold, and made sure to pass some out, pouring soup and ale for some of the people there, keeping her head lowered to avoid seeming rude. Coming to the man at the fire, she made her way closer carefully, shifting. “Sire,” she mentioned softly, “I’ve food and ale, if you need either.” She’d gotten a look at him before she’d made her way over, and she could admit that he was attractive, especially with his rough appearance, but now that she was closer, she kept her gaze lowered, her head ducked, as she always did, since it was expected of her.

Uhtred had been hoping that once he sat himself down in front of the burning fire, that the stunning blonde would make her way over to him. He knew what it was like as a slave but he also understood that he shouldn’t make his way over to her, no matter how badly he wanted to so he’d be able to speak with her and hear her voice. Yet, once she had walked over to him, he couldn’t stop himself from admiring her and he certainly forgot about hiding it. He even forgot to speak for what felt like a minute too long, he quickly cleared his throat and smiled though he wasn’t sure if she saw his smile with the way her head was lowered. “Food, yes.” He finally spoke and instantly felt like a twat, all he could think of to say were two words. He found a bowl that was empty and near him, he held the bowl up so she wouldn’t need to bend down or struggle with pouring him some soup. “I am Uhtred, thank you for the food.” He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, he was aware of her almighty beauty but he also saw the purple tint on her cheek, he knew a fresh bruise when he saw it and how discoloured her skin was, made his blood boil.

Yet, he had to remain calm throughout the night. The condition that she was in only fuelled his want to put his plan into action, the next morning would still be the perfect time for his plan to unfold, Uhtred had to keep remaining himself of that. “Are you allowed to speak with me or allow me to aid you in carrying those pots?” He asked not wanting to step on anyone’s toes, he simply wanted to talk with her, know her name and hear her story of how she ended up here. And if she wasn’t able to speak with him, then he wanted to help her with providing the Danes with enough soup and ale to make them happy.

---

Rune hadn’t been told that she didn’t need to apologise since she had been dragged into the camp by a Dane, the second she was there, she constantly had to apologise for something. She was also surprised hearing the man’s accent, he was Irish and a very long way from home. Something about his deep accented voice soothed her, the way he spoke to her didn’t cause her to be scare or to be on guard around him. His body language also didn’t alarm Rune, to where she thought that she’d need to protect herself. She had seen him on his horse when he entered the camp with the other men, his appearance was rough yet Rune felt that he wasn’t completely untrustworthy, she obviously wasn’t going to be trusting him after a second of knowing him. “Finan,” Rune couldn’t help but repeat his name, she liked his name and it seemed to suit him well. Looking at him she nodded her head lightly, “I can. Only when Arne isn’t seeing,” She told him because the second that Arne saw her talking to the guests, well Finan would probably be fine but she wouldn’t be. “Have you travelled a long way?” She asked as she had this urge to talk with him, find out more about him and where he called home.

She had her escape all planned out, a plan where she knew it would work for Aalis but she hadn’t thought of a way where she would escape the camp as well. Rune had been taught by her father, who was the King’s second in command and greatest warrior, to always put the princess before herself. The princess would always come first. There was a small part of Rune that thought maybe Finan could help with her plan, if he turned out to be a good person, Aalis could go with him. He could take the princess to freedom, her body was growing weaker by the day as Arne hardly gave them enough food and drink to survive on. A form of physical and mental torture, a way Arne would keep his control over them.

Aalis nodded slightly when Uhtred confirmed he wanted food, and she quietly began filling the bowl he held out, not wanting to speak unless it was necessary, worried about getting into trouble and getting hurt. The last thing she wanted was to cause more trouble, because she knew Rune would get upset, and that would result in Rune getting hurt as well - and she didn’t want Rune to ever get hurt because of her again. When Uhtred introduced himself, though, she blinked, lifting her gaze to watch him for a moment. “Aalis,” she introduced quietly, figuring that it was the polite thing to do, but she mentally reminded herself that she really shouldn’t say much else.

That thought was almost immediately cast aside, though, because Uhtred spoke to her further, and it shocked her quite a bit, because she wasn’t used to anybody here being so… Kind - aside from Rune, that was. “I… Cannot really stop you from doing either, lord,” she said quietly, watching him for a long time, wondering if perhaps she should try to dissuade him from doing either. But, a part of her didn’t want to. A part of her found herself wanting to… Trust this, to trust him, to believe that no harm would come from this. She could only hope.

---

Finan listened intently to Rune, wanting her to know that he wasn’t going to ignore her. He wanted her to know that he wanted to help, that she didn’t have to be alone in this. A part of him hoped that, perhaps, they could save the women here from the Danes who were keeping them as slaves. They deserved so much better than to be treated the way they were being treated, especially Rune. When she spoke his name, though, he couldn’t help but grin, enjoying the way his name sounded coming from her, enjoying the way she said his name, and it surprised him. But still, he nodded. “Then, when Arne isn’t around, we can speak as much as you would like to,” he told her quietly, offering a smile, but he nodded slightly. “I would say we have, yes. But it is nothing new for us. We tend to travel long distances - and quite often at that.”

For a moment, he took her in, examining her, hating seeing the injuries on her skin, the bruises that dotted her features, and he frowned to himself. “If you don’t mind… Could I ask how you ended up here?” His eyes settled onto hers, and he could admit that he could get lost in them - he could get lost in her. And a part of him wanted to, but he was more focused on helping her right now, on doing what he could for her. He hoped, more than anything, that he could save her from all of this. He’d have to speak to Uhtred about it later, at the very least. “Do they… Hurt you often?”

Uhtred smiled slightly when the stunning blonde shared her name with him, “That’s a beautiful name” He looked at her and wanted to know her story, how someone so beautiful and graceful ended up in a Danes camp. He was curious about her, had Arne kidnapped her? Was anyone searching for her? There was something about her that Uhtred couldn’t put his finger on, but he sensed that Aalis didn’t come from a small struggling village. There was more to her and he was desperate to find out more about her, yet he also knew he had to be careful as to not overstep while inside the camp as he didn’t want to cause trouble for Aalis.

Hearing that Aalis wasn’t going to stop him from helping her, he took a few large mouthfuls of food before he stood up from where he was sitting. “Good because I can never sit still for long,” He chuckled softly looking at the blonde, he slowly reached his hand towards her so he could take one of the pails from her. “You don’t belong here,” He told her quietly as he watched her, that much was obvious, and he wanted to help her. The dirt and rips in her clothes, the bruises marking her fair skin. She deserved so much better than this, and he wanted to give that to her.

---

Rune wasn’t used to having attention purely on her, at least the good kind of attention. The attention that she wanted from a man who wasn’t going to hurt her. She looked at him and nodded her head slightly, “I would like to speak with you more,” The only person she could talk to was Aalis, she had learnt her lesson early on not to bother talking to anyone else in the camp and she only got punished for it. “You must have seen many places,” Places that Aalis would be able to see if she could convince Finan to take the princess with him when he carried on with their travels, she wasn’t entirely sure how to bring it up to him, but she had to.

“Well…” Rune swallowed and looked up at Finan, she wanted to tell him everything, but she wasn’t sure that she should. “Our kingdom was arranging a marriage for Aalis, to this horrible older man who I knew was only going to end up hurting her. So, we decided to leave… we packed up and ran away. We set up camp one night, it was my turn to keep watch while Aalis got some sleep.” Rune spoke softly before she looked down in shame, “But I ended up falling asleep… I woke up to Arne holding a knife to my throat and he dragged us here.” It was something that Rune would never forgive herself her, all she had to do was stay awake and she couldn’t even do that. She failed Aalis that night, she caused them to get captured and beaten. Arne took all of Rune’s weapons and she couldn’t fight back without her weapons, she couldn’t win against the Danes without them. “It’s normally each day, they find something that we’ve done wrong and hit us for.” She told Finan because she wanted him to know, she wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do anything to help her but she wanted to be honest with him.

Aalis felt her cheeks warm when she heard Uhtred compliment her name. She’d been used to it back home, where everybody was trying to earn her favor. But Uhtred didn’t know who she was, he didn’t know her station, had no clue she was royalty; he had no reason to give compliments outside of being genuine. “Thank you,” she whispered, offering a smile as she watched him, though she was glad to see him eating. It did cause her stomach to rumble in hunger, but it was quiet and hopefully warranted little attention. When he reached to take the pail, though, she wasn’t sure. “I do not wish to get in trouble, lord,” she murmured, certain Arne would punish her if he thought she wasn’t doing her job, but she lowered her head when he mentioned she didn’t belong there. He was right, but this was all her own fault for wanting to escape the life her family had set out for her. “Perhaps. But this is my life now.”

---

Finan was surprised to hear Rune admit that she’d like to speak to him more, but he smiled and nodded. “Then I am happy to speak with you for as long as you wish,” he assured as he watched her, intent on listening to whatever she had to say, though he chuckled. “I’ve seen many places, yes. I suppose you could say I’m well-traveled in that sense.” He had also seen many battles, many wars, but he wasn’t sure he should divulge that information just yet, worried that he might frighten the girl and scare her off. As she began to explain what happened, though, he blinked, taking the information in. If the other girl had been in the process of an arranged marriage, that meant she was likely of high status. “You haven’t told these men that story, have you?” he asked her gently, wanting to make sure, because he knew that they would likely come up with two ways to deal with it - either ransom the girls off for the highest price or take them as their own as more than just servants.

Frowning, he could hear the shame in her voice, and he reached to rest his hand on her shoulder in hopes of comforting her. “You’ve done nothing wrong, you cannot blame yourself for this.” As she explained the punishments, though, he sighed quietly. “You do not deserve that. I’m sorry that’s what you have been through.” For a long moment, he watched her, taking her in, but he was already determined, having already decided that something had to be done. “We will find a way to free you, I swear it.”

Uhtred heard her stomach rumble faintly and it was the final straw that he was going to take, not only were these Danes beating the slaves but he now knew the slaves were barely being able to eat. He was certain that if a slave was to grow weak, they wouldn't survive through the night and that made Uhtred's blood boil. As he stood up, he gently took the pail from Aalis' delicate hand. "You will not be getting into trouble anymore," He told her quietly yet with a firm voice, he would handle Arne himself if things came to that. He had been treated and beaten like Aalis was inside this camp, he had help to escape and survive the abuse. It was his turn to repay that blessing and help Aalis escape, "You will not be here for much longer," He promised her as he gazed into her beautiful but exhausted eyes. Turning around he wandered through the camp and offered the danes food while they simply watched him in confusion, not only was he helping Aalis but he was also memorising the camp. Once the pails were empty, he placed his down by the makeshift kitchen and grabbed a loaf of bread. His eyes checked the area surrounding them and noticed no one was paying attention, the danes were all far too drunk now. "Take this," He looked at Aalis as he handed her the bread, she deserved to eat more than any dane.

---

Rune wanted to hear stories of his travels, listen to what he has seen and people he has met but she was aware it was getting late and he could be tried from the travels to the camp. She looked at him when he asked if she had told anyone else about the arranged marriage that Aalis had ranaway from and she shook her head, "No. No one else knows that apart from you," She didn't regret telling Finan even though it was risky, even a dane would realise what the arranged marriage meant. They might not realise how high of a status Aalis was, but it was high enough to have an arranged marriage. She felt differently with Finan, she didn't feel like she was in danger or that he was going to hit her for any reason, which is why she wanted to stay in his presense and be near him. Feeling his hand on her shoulder did bring her comfort along with his words, she would always blame herself for Aalis getting captured. His next words nearly made tears form in her eyes, he was going to help her escape the camp and get Aalis to safety. "I don't have to do it alone?" She asked in case she heard him wrong, "You'll help me get Aalis away from her?" That was her duty, to keep Aalis safe at all times. Rune had realised quickly that she needed help, she couldn't fight all the danes on her own and make sure that Aalis escaped, if she tried then neither of them would survive.