War and Peace || wintersday92 & minot18 ||

[wintersday92]

The sun had just started to rise as Anna got herself dressed in her usual outfit. Her young son still rested silently in his bed as she checked on him as she did each morning. She closed his door enough so that she wouldn't wake him while she started on her household chores. Her and her son lived in a modest sized house. It was the biggest within her small village, but not as grand as other homes owned my other Lords and Ladies. She was the Lady here, her late husband was the Lord till he sadly died a few years earlier. His death still haunted her and her son at night but they had both learnt to deal with the pain.

There a lot that she needed to attend too. With the war with the vikings most of the men where helping the Kings aid there was plenty that needed to be done. Her little town had fields of crops which needed to be tended too before the last harvest kicked in. It was all hands on deck and we as little as 10 helping hands she could use some luck and some early mornings without her 7 year old boy running around causing mischief.

The weather outside was clear, the sun had started to warm up the ground but there was still a cool enough breeze to send the hairs on Anna's neck upright. Her chestnut color hair was loosely tied up in a bun so it was away from her face. She had decided to eat breakfast later on when her son Ben woke up later. She always enjoyed the meals together. Sometimes it felt like the only time she would see him since he enjoyed running around and play fighting with some of the other children. First task for Anna was to check on the horses and bring them more hey to feed on. They would need all their energy for the upcoming harvest.

The door to the barn was open slightly, which caused for alarm bells to ring in Anna's head. Her son could have left it open the night before but he had be told time and time again to close the stables and he had done so for quite some time now. On the side of the barn was an axe for chopping fire wood. As quietly as she could she pick it up and slowly opened the barn door, just enough for herself to fit through. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she kept telling herself that there was nothing there for her to find but still her breath was rushed and her palms become sweety. She heard a noise from her side, and quickly turned, her eyes searching and the axe held high ready for her to take her swing at who ever or what ever might jump out at her.

 

[minot18]

Frode rested his back against the wooden pillar. The cold wet clothes and armor hung heavy on his well built frame. Pulling his hand from his right side, the young prince looked at the red blood that now covered his palm. How had everything gone so wrong?

He and a small group of men had come to this country on a secret mission. They would sneak up to the king's hunting lodge and assassinate the ruler on his holiday. This would destabilize the country and make the invasion so much easier. But, something had gone wrong. There had been an ambush. Most of the party had been wiped out. In the commotion of escape Frode had been separated from the others. The arrow had been easy enough to remove but the pain was slowing him down.

He had traveled for hours and finally came across the small village. The barn had been a welcome relief from the cold and the wet. Removing his cloak he tore a small chunk away and began to wrap his chest to halt the blood flow. A slight wince of pain escaped his lips.

The plan had been to stay for an hour or so than continue on back towards the ship. But,sleep had claimed him and a sharp noise revealed the error made. Frode quickly rose grabbing his sword and hiding among the hay. The door finished opening and a young woman entered. Pulling to the side, he crept up on the woman's side. The blade was held up and aimed with intent. "Scream and I gut you were and now."