Jarl Magnus narrowed his eyes. “The goal is to show them how weak they are and that their weakness makes them unfit to live, but before we make any moves, I’m sending in a spy to assess the situation, and then we will go from there. Everyone begin setting up camp. Stay alert—we might have to defend the beach, and I will not lose before this has even begun.
My men and I didn’t bother setting up our own camp, considering we would be staying in the palace if things went as planned. Instead, we helped the others unload the ships and set up defensive stations with spiked blockades in case the English came in on horses. We checked with the archers and made sure the bows were in working order and that there were plenty of arrows. Several hours later, we hear a shout as Magnus’ spy came running over the hill and down to the beach. He was holding something in his hand, but was too far away to tell what it was.
I motioned for my men to follow and we headed for the jarl’s tent. When we arrived, it was already surrounded by most of the men.
“What have you found out?” Magnus asked the spy.
“The other king has indeed arrived, and he only brought a small contingency of guards, not an entire army. However, I wonder, my lord, if we might need to pick another kingdom to raid.”
“What are you talking about?” Magnus snapped.
“The people are poor. I overheard some villagers talking and they’ve been relentlessly raided by another Viking clan for months. They’ve practically cleaned King Albric out, which is why Albric has agreed to the marriage of his daughter to the king of Tara.”
“If they have no funds, they are weak, making easy to defeat,” Magnus said.
I frowned. Did he not just hear what the spy said? There were no riches to be had here. Why on earth would he still want to raid the English? His madness was becoming more and more apparent, and it was going to get us all killed. The spy continued to tell Magnus what he’d learned, but I’d heard enough. I moved quietly away from the group and headed back to where we’d left our things.
“It seems we have no reason to be here,” Rush spoke up as all six of my men joined me by our packs and weapons. I began gathering my weapons and went through my pack, throwing out anything I felt was unnecessary. The others followed suit.
“We are here for a reason,” I said. “Regardless of the jarl’s plans, we have our own. The Oracle has spoken, and I am here to fulfill her prophecy. But no one,” I paused, looking each of them in the eye, “no one is to know about it. This is a private mission. Understood?”
Each of them nodded their heads and gave their word to take the secret to their graves. I didn’t feel the need to elaborate on what the Oracle had told me, and nobody asked. I glanced back over toward Magnus’ tent and saw he was still occupied. “Wait here for me,” I told Brant. “I need to speak with my mother before we take our leave.”
I didn’t have to look long to find Hilda. She was bossing around some warriors who were setting up her tent. She looked to be in good health for being on a ship so long. She was strong, my mother, and it was a good thing, too.
“Are you just going to stand there watching or are you going to help?” She asked me without bothering to look at me.
I chuckled as I picked up a large trunk that probably held her clothes and possibly a few hidden weapons. “It didn’t appear as though you needed my help.”
“I raised better than to have you stand and watch others work,” she told me.
“Yes, Mother, you did. And see,” I motioned to the trunk in my arms, “I am proving you right.”
She pointed, telling me where to place the trunk, and once it was in its temporary home, she turned to the others. “Thank you for your assistance; I can take it from here.” She waited until the men had gone before speaking again. “Why are you still here? You need to be in the castle.”
“My closest men and I were just about to begin our trek, but I wanted to check in with you before we departed. Are you well?” I asked.
“Aside from being stuck on a boat with that crazy oaf of a jarl, I’m fine.”
“You’ve brought weapons with you?”
She clucked her tongue at me. “Do you take me for a fool or a child? Of course, I brought weapons. I will be fine, unless you fail to woo your princess—then none of us will be fine. Do not just snatch her up, Torben. She is meant to be yours; you only need to be available for her and fate will take over.”
She made it sound so easy, yet I knew it would not be that simple. There would be obstacles to overcome, like infiltrating the castle without getting caught.
“Deal with things one thing at a time, Torben. Once you get in the castle, you can forge ahead with a more laid-out plan. Don’t try to have it all figured out before you know what the situation is.”
“I will do what I must to ensure that our clan survives,” I told her. “You just make sure that idiot of a jarl we have doesn’t put you in any more harm than he already has by bringing you on his fool’s errand.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve been taking care of myself for quite a while now. Now, off with you.” She pushed me in the direction from which I’d come from. “And do not fail.”
“Thank you for your encouragement, Mother,” I said dryly.
“It’s not my job to encourage you, Son. It’s my job to kick you in your arse when you need it. Now go get my future daughter-in-law and keep her safe.”
I left, chuckling at my mother’s words. The woman had a wicked, sharp tongue, but I would do as she asked. I would somehow convince the princess to come with me. I would do whatever it took to save my clan. What I didn’t know, was that I would soon want to save her and her people, too.
“I never realized the curse of beauty. Undoubtedly, I’m not the fairest in all of Britannia, but I have caught the eyes of certain men, most of them powerful allies of my father. For the most part, I’ve avoided their advances. But after meeting my future husband, I would give anything to be as ugly as an old wrinkled hag.”
* * *
~Diary of Princess Allete Auvray
“At least he does not resemble the back-end of a boar,” Dayna whispered.
I shot my sister a quick nod of agreement then covertly turned to peer at my future husband, who was conversing with my father. After our morning ride, my sister and I had found a hiding spot behind some large drapes just to the left of the room now occupied by our guests. It afforded us the surreptitious ability to listen and watch the two kings interact. Thomas had taken his leave, but not before he informed me what he thought about our childish behavior. I did not care if I was being childish. I was not yet ready to meet King Cathal.
“He’s not ugly,” I murmured back, “but his handsomeness is marred by that tight-lipped frown. He looks cruel.”