XXXVIII. Embers of War

Eksel leaned his hand on the wooden table, inhaling as he gripped his side.

“Maybe we should take a break,” Sten cleared his throat, reaching for him.

Eksel grunted, forcing himself to stand up straight. “No.”

Elva stepped to Eksel, wrapping her arm around his and looking up at him with a questioning gaze.

“I’m fine,” He whispers.

Sigrid chews on his lips from the other side of the table and Alden shifted between his feet.

The map laid out on the table is dirty, covered in mud and candles lined the edges.

The dimly lit interior of the tent was filled with hushed voices, the crackling of the fire the only constant sound.

Eksel nursed his wounds as the others whispered among themselves. His face was etched with pain but his eyes burned with a fierce determination.

Elva looked at him again, her eyes filled with concern. “You should rest, Eksel. You need time to heal.”

He shook his head, his voice low and filled with resolve. “There’s no time. We must stop Agnar.”

Alden nodded in agreement, “We must stop Arrion. We can’t let them go unpunished. We need to plan an attack.”

Sten fixed his eyes on Eksel, eyeing the wound on his face, “We’ll do whatever you say.”

Sigrid nodded.

Eksel looked around at the small group of people, the only people he trusted. He looked down at Elva. The only person he loved.

She let her shoulders drop, because even though she worried for him, she wanted to support him. Only together would they take Agnar and Arrion down.

“Okay then,” she whispered, nodding to the map, “What’s the plan?”

Eksel nodded, wincing as pain flared up his back, “Agnar’s forces are formidable.”

“But we have the numbers,” Alden added, rubbing his chin as he looked over the map.

“We’ll use the cover of night and take them by surprise,” Sten mumbled leaning over the map.

“We can exploit their weaknesses, attack from the rear and create confusion within their ranks,” Alden crossed his arms on his chest.

“How?” Elva frowned.

“We can sneak in,” Sigrid nodded, “Take out just a guard or two and make our way inside.”

“We can take their armor.” Sten looked Sigrid.

Sigrid smiled, “Set the longhouses on fire to create the diversion.

“We can’t do that,” Elva whispered.

Eksel sighed, “We can’t risk hurting the innocent. The plan is to take out Agnar. Gleneg is still my home.”

Sten pursed his lips, “You care for them much more than they care for you.”

Eksel glared at him,”I won’t change my mind.”

Sten nodded.

“We strike tomorrow night. Under the cover of darkness. Sten and Sigrid will sneak in. You can set fire to Agnar’s longhouse.”

Sten and Sigrid smiled wide.

“And the mead hall.”

“Now we’re talking!” Sigrid clapped his hands.

They continued to strategize, the firelight dancing in their eyes, reflecting their determination.

They spoke until the fire dimmed and everyone left the tent, wanting to rest before starting the biggest battle of their lives.

Elva and Eksel walked hand in hand back to their tent, were a warm fire waited for them.

Eksel looked down at her as they walked, “Are you worried?”

She sighed, “It’s so soon and your are still very much injured.”

“I trust my men.”

She looked up at him, “So you won’t go into the middle of the fight?”

He grimaced. “If my brother is to die then it has to be by my hands. I owe him that.”

“You owe him nothing,” She gritted, her eyes blazing with anger.

“Maybe, but I don’t like the idea of anyone else getting to kill him.”

“I guess I understand that.”

They walked into their tent and Elva eyed her measly stack of skins.

“You can sleep with me,” Eksel nodded to his pile.

She shook her head,”No, I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”

“Elva,” He reached for her, running his hands down her arm.

“Can you honestly tell me you are not in pain right now?” She whispered, tracing her fingers across his chest.

He grimaced, his eyes travelling across her face.

“Lay down. I have to clean your wounds.”

He gave in, laying on the makeshift bed of furs and his face contorted in pain.

Elva moved quietly around him, placing the water on the fire and watching him on concern.

She took the bucket once the water had boiled and cooled just a tad. She knelt beside him, her touch gentle as she began to undress him.

“I’ll recover in no time,” Eksel grunted, hissing when she pressed a clean cloth to his wounds.

Elva’s eyes softened and she pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead,”Sleep. I’ll finish tending to you.”

Eksel closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her presence beside him. For a moment, he did not mind the pain. Not when it meant he could have her so close to him.

Elva grimaced as she looked down at his back. The deep lashes had turned brown from the dried blood and though none looked infected, she hated the sight of them. She inhaled sharply, but she tried to be as quiet as possible.

Eksel began to relax with every passing second, the frown on his brow easing. The comforting presence of the woman he loved was something he could not explain.

“Does it hurt?” Elva whispered, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back a cry.

Eksel tensed at the sad sound of her voice,”Not anymore. Remember?Nothing else takes the pain away. Only your touch.”

Elva smiled, a tear trickling down her cheek. She remembered that night in his tent all those weeks ago. Back when she thought he was still Agnar. Back before everything truly fell apart.

“You’re the strongest man I know,” She whispered.

Something new and warm exploded in Eksel’s chest and his heartbeat quickened.

“But even you need to take some time to rest,” She dressed his wounds, gentle with her touch.

Eksel reached out, cupping her face with his hand, “We’ll have the rest of our lives to rest.”

Elva held on to his hand and nodded, more than ready to get to that part of their lives. They still had a lot to face.

Her lips trembled and her mind ran a mile a minute at the thought of facing her father.

Eksel noticed the scrunch of her brow, “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “I-I’m afraid of facing my father. Or-Arrion.”

“It’ll take a while to break the habit,” He reassured her.

She pursed her lips, “I hope not. Alden has been a better father in the past week than Arrion has been my whole life.”

“We have a lot of time to make up for,” Eksel whispered, his eyes latching onto her lips for a moment.

“We do,” She nodded, leaning and pressing a soft kiss on his lis. “Rest now, we have a long day tomorrow.”

Eksel brushed his fingers across her lips and she pulled away, making her way to her own makeshift bed.

They both drifted into a healing sleep, their love a quiet guardian in the quiet moments of the night. In the middle of everything they were facing, their love proved resilient.