“I am seeking any information on Queen Emeline and Ulf the Bloody. I do not expect you to extend me loyalty, but perhaps the rewards I offer can sway.”
Reaching for the coin purse at my hip, I hold it high in the air, the contents clinking loudly, alerting those to what they can possess if they opt to help me.
Wealth has always swayed. And for men who are fighting for survival, money always wins.
The interest is evident, and loyalties are no longer. I may be seen as betraying my kind, but any smart man can see that this wealth will change their fortune. Loyalty does not exist when men’s riches are at stake.
I continue riding, peering into the faces of my kinsmen for that one man who will be the key I need to find my family.
“I have forsaken thee, but I am still a Viking! I do not relinquish who I am. I am Skarth the Godless!”
I cluck my tongue, commanding my horse to stop. Although we are all Vikings, these people and I are no longer the same. The division is evident, and I cannot help but feel that the reign in England my beloved fought so hard for has come to an end.
“I realize your cooperation may be seen as an insult to our people, but you must understand I fight for my family, and I do not wish to upset the gods. I only wish to protect my family. My honor. And I will never turn my back on the gods! I am a Viking, and although my family may be Saxon, I will never turn my back on who I am. And I will do anything to protect who I am and fight for what is ingrained in our blood.
“But I ask for your help. I cannot protect our people from the Saxons if you do not work with me. I am helpless to love, and I will never forget who I am. But my children, my legacy is at stake, and I cannot win without your help.
“I have forsaken thee, but I do so because I did not wish to incite a war. But war is brought to me by the Saxons, the people I fought to protect because of who I swore my life to. I do not wish to start a war amongst us, but I will kill anyone who stands in my way because this cannot have been for nothing.”
My kinsfolk dare not speak.
I confess my sins because I wish for them to be the decider of my fate.
If they see my truth as betrayal, then I will accept my punishment.
“I ask you to deliver justice as you deem fit. I cannot sway your feelings because I understand what I have done by falling in love with a Saxon. But she protected you. She ensured you were fruitful with land and food. She did this because of who our children are. Part Saxon, part Dane.
“Our children are the legacy to our future. Please put aside your prejudices. Queen Emeline has been good to you. She never turned her back on you. She ensured your safety. She changed the course of history and accepted every man, woman, and child into her beloved England.
“I fear my children are now missing, and I cannot find them without your help. I cannot do this because my choices have placed my family in harm’s way. Emeline can be anywhere. She rides with Ulf the Bloody. She rides with a Viking because she trusts our kind more than she does her own.
“I will reward thee with what I have. Surrendering what I have because nothing is more important than family. I beg of thee.”
And only then am I done.
Skarth the Godless does not beg, but here I am, asking for compassion when I did not show it for years. Yes, I saved our people, but I also turned my back on the gods when I fell in love with a Saxon.
I cannot say anything further.
Now, I wait for someone to show me benevolence when perhaps I did not express the same to my kind.
I decide to water and feed my horse, as I know my people are proud and will not come to me in fear of judgment. I cannot judge them, as I too would see their cooperation as betrayal.
I don’t know if my honesty was the right path to follow, but nothing is more vulnerable than a man who has nothing left to lose. And if my family is in danger, then I have nothing left to live for anyhow.
Dismounting, I decide to keep to the shadows, and if no victory will be had, then at least my horse will be well nourished. A small win indeed.
Every part of me functions on something other than human because Emeline is with Ulf when she should be with me. Ulf will fill my role and remind Emeline of who protects her and who does not.
I want to kill every man, for my anger is grand.
“Skarth?” a small voice says from behind me.
I turn and see a man I do not recognize.
“Aye.”
I give him my full attention because a desperate man is at the mercy of all.
