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I covered the queen's body again with the bedspread, got dressed, took the knife with which Ealhswith cut her veins, and left the room. There was always a risk that I might meet someone hostile and I would have to defend myself.
I didn't know where her children's chambers were, and it was a waste of time to search the entire castle... I made my way to the dining room, it was the only direction I was sure where it would lead me.
There was one maid inside. Before I could say anything, the girl ran to me, fell to her knees, and began to cry and beg.
- Lord, forgive me ... Queen ... don't hurt me. (Maid)
I didn't have the best reputation, but it was highly offensive to claim that I wanted to kill her or do something to her ... it hurt my feelings. I tried to be calm, composed and specific.
- Now I will ask you a few questions, answer them calmly and to the point. Do you know where the prince and princess chambers are? (Ulf)
- Yes, Lord, but the prince and princess are not in the castle. (Maid)
- Do you know where they are? (Ulf)
- Before the feast, the Queen ordered that the children be taken out of the castle at night ... When the Queen went with the Lord to the chamber. The guards took the children out of the castle and headed for Wessex to seek refuge there. (Maid)
- You know a lot for maid or maybe you're trying to mislead me? (Ulf)
- No, Lord, the Queen had been planning this for two days ... She was afraid for the lives of the children. She was looking for a solution ... (Maid)
- She had been planning this for two days? (Ulf)
- Yes Lord, it was a secret. (Maid)
A stone fell from my heart, it was a planned suicide ... I wasn't that bad in bed.
I heard that a fox can bite off its paw if it is trapped ... Well the Queen sacrificed her life and kingdom for the safety of her offspring. She planned everything so that they would leave the castle unnoticed and kill herself ... Foolishly if she obeyed she and her children could live peacefully as my puppets, but it's better than death.
King Ecbert will be very pleased with the gift, the heir to the throne of Northumbria and his sister will fall into his hands, he did not have to do anything and got the kingdom ... In his place, I would get rid of the heir and marry his sister to my own son. Thanks to this, he will have full control over two kingdoms... But the queen has overdone, she has given her son into worse hands than mine.
I ordered maid to lead me to the quarters where my people stayed. I explained what had happened to them and ordered more people to be brought into the city ... with the queen dead, I was now able to loot the place without any problems.
Most of the garrison set off as a guardian of the prince and princess, almost no one guarded the city, and the inhabitants did not know what was going on.
Two hours later, 500 of my warriors came to town.
- The city is yours, take prisoners and rob ... and finally burn this place. (Ulf)
I sat down on a tree stump, watched the city panic. People were dragged out of their homes, women dragged by their hair on the ground ... no one listened to the pleas and prayers.
I watched everything and sang softly...
"My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through
My girl, my girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through..."
Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder, I turned around and saw that it was Floki.
- (giggle) Ulf, what's a song and a melody? I've never heard her before ... neither do I know the language. (Floki)
- No matter, there are many songs in the world and most of them we will never know ... how is our progress in plundering the city? Any losses? (Ulf)
- No, there are a few injured, a few killed, but nothing serious. The Queen has not emptied the treasury, there is quite a lot (giggle) of silver and gold. (Floki)
- Either she did not have time, or she did not want to arouse suspicions, or she wanted to keep us busy, she knew that after her death the city would fall ... I did not appreciate her cleverness, to save the children, she sacrificed the city and hundreds of inhabitants. (Ulf)
An hour later, most of the city was plundered, apart from valuables, gold and silver, we also took food, animals, tools ... everything that could be useful. A few of my men were running around with torches and setting fire to houses, workshops, and finally the castle was set on fire.
We put the treasures in one tent, and I ordered the slaves to be divided into craftsmen and labor. In two days I planned to go south and get Jorvik.
We sat in a dozen or so people by the fire, everyone bragged about their deeds, told stories, random conversations ...
(Random POV)
- So then he says, "Do not foretell me wife, for I will get to know so-proven aye comin home tonight."
- I don't sound like that.
- Roneth slept with her while we took the horses.
- Blowhards, both of you
(End POV)
I listened to it and smiled to myself ... tomorrow, a new day and new adventures.
