“In the end, I fear the only thing standing between Aethelbald and conquering England will be Emeline.”
“We ambush them then?”
“They will be expecting an attack. The only way to outsmart him is to present ourselves as vulnerable.”
“He’ll kill you before we can infiltrate the palace walls.”
“It’s a risk we must take. Emeline and I will put on a front. We attempt to reason with Aethelbald, saying we cannot win with the army we have. He will put his demands in place, and we bide our time until you and Ulf ambush from the inside.
“Emeline knows that palace like the back of her hand. She will instruct where to go without getting caught.”
“And in the interim, we’re to hope Aethelbald doesn’t cut off your heads?” Aedan asks, not concealing his objection to our plans.
“We just stall him. I am betting on his obsession with Emeline to work in our favor.”
“I want to help.”
Aedan and I turn to see Benedict.
A mere boy, but far braver than ten men. Perhaps his youth is the reason he is naive. Whatever the reason, he is an ally we need.
“Aethelbald wants me dead. So allow me to be bait.”
“Absolutely not.” Her voice is hoarse from her slumber, and her fatigue is apparent, but it seems Emeline also feels the change in the air.
I kiss her atop the head as she hugs me good morning. Memories of last night linger. Although it was pleasurable, I don’t plan on making it a regular thing. I meant it when I said Emeline is mine. Although I accept her love for Ulf, that does not mean I am going to consent to another man touching her.
Sigrith and Ulf appear.
I do not understand what my sister or my beloved sees in this buffoon. He winks at me as he drinks the hot tea he most likely stole from a monk.
“Get ready, today we ride to the palace. Sigrith, I ask something important of you.”
My sister arches a brow.
“I do not trust anyone but you to care for my sons. I know you want to fight, but I need you here to protect my children and defend the monastery if it is attacked.”
“Skarth,” she protests, but Ulf nods.
“For once, I agree with your brother.”
“If something were to happen to them, I may as well perish in battle. Please, do this for me.” I hope she sees reason.
With a sigh, she eventually concedes.
“With that settled, we stick to the plan. Emeline and I will ride to the castle. I don’t know what we’ll ride into. But we do not have the manpower to win a war. We do not have the time to recruit or train men. And honestly, I do not trust many, whether that be Dane or Saxon.
“We only have ourselves.”
“This is the worst idea you’ve had,” Ulf says, but he, too, can see we’ve run out of options.
“Without an army to back us, it’s suicide if we declare war. We use our smarts to battle because Aethelbald lacks any brains.”
“And what if you cannot stall him for long enough?”
“You work fast then.”
Ulf runs a hand over his beard, deep in thought. “I am going to talk to the gods before we leave. Or perhaps we should seek counsel from your son.”
