After searching both Ledecestre and Templebrough for Burgred of Mercia and finding only food stores and his wife, Eivor returned to Tamworth to see if Ubba and Sigurd had had any luck getting information out of Aethelswith. She found the two standing before a pig sty.
Ubba:Your turn. She won't talk to me.
Sigurd:Eivor will handle it. Go on.
Eivor entered the building where Aethelswith and her handmaidens were being kept.
Eivor:You've exhausted my friend Ubba here, but I'm wide awake. Maybe tell me where Burgred's hiding and let him rest happy.
Aethelswith turned up her nose and looked away.
Aethelswith:Never.
Eivor:Stone-faced and tight-lipped, all for a king who hides like a cowardly vole, too scared to protect his family and his people.
Aethelswith side-eyed Eivor, but couldn't keep from glancing at the waterskin on her hip.
Eivor:Thirsty?
She took the skin from her belt and held it out to Aethelswith, who smacked it out of her hand.
Aethelswith:My husband does what he must for Mercia. How could he do otherwise, knowing that even his closest friends could betray him?
Aethelwith looked over Eivor's shoulder, out past the sty, where warriors cheered as Ubba and Sigurd greeted a newly-returned Ivarr.
Aethelswith:Give that traitor, Ceolwulf my message... he may win this earthly battle, but the Devil has won the war for his soul.
Eivor:Ceolwulf is a Mercian doing his best to find common footing in this new land. Seems to be the only true Mercian by my reckoning.
Aethelswith:I spit on him. Whatever life he makes in Mercia will be built on the graves of the nobles who gave their lives to defend it.
Eivor:The longer you drag this out, the truer that becomes.
Eivor:He stabbed you in the back, true. But the people of Mercia are scared, and Ceolwulf offers them a balm for that fear.
Aethelswith:I spit on him. Whatever life he makes in Mercia will be built on the graves of the nobles who gave their lives to defend it.
Eivor:The longer you drag this out, the truer that becomes.
Eivor:I don't care how you feel about Ceolwulf. But he will be king. It's only a matter of when.
Aethelswith:Burgred is king. Elected by the witan and anointed by God.
Eivor:My lady, I know what the losing side looks like. And you're on it.
Eivor:We've taken Repton, Tamworth. Now Templebrough and Ledecestre.
Aethelswith's handmaidens looked at each other with worry.
Eivor:With each victory, your hope for peace recedes.
Aethelswith:Yet Burgred has what you do not. The loyalty of his people. Good men. Faithful men.
Eivor:Who? The thegns and ceorls of Mercia? No, No. Only Leofrith remains loyal. And he too will fall.
Rather than discouraged by Eivor's words, Aethelswith seemed emboldened by the mention of Leofrith.
Aethelswith:Yes, goodly Leofrith. He will die defending his king. And win or lose, he will send a hundred more of you to Hell!
Ivarr strolled into the building, with two severed heads under one arm and a third gripped by the hair in his other hand, swinging casually while blood dripped from the neck.
Ivarr:Eivor... Your Ladyship... do not mind me. Only here to count my spoils.
He tossed the heads to the floor and Aethelswith and her maids flinched away in horror.
Aethelswith:O, God!
She turned away, eyes tightly closed, as a couple pig surged eagerly forward to feast on the heads.
Eivor:Pigs have to eat, my lady. The trouble is, it takes a lot to sate their hunger.
Ivarr grinned behind her, looking proudly on his work.
Eivor:Only a matter of time before they finish those and sniff around for fresher meat.
Ivarr:And the smell of pig shit after this? Hoo!
Eivor:Out, Ivarr! Now.
She pointed away behind her.
Ivarr:All right, all right. But if you mean to stay, mind the smell after they finish this.
Ivarr:I would not stick around too long. The smell of pig shit after they pass this is something dreadful.
Ivarr turned and walked away with a smirk.
Aethelswith:M-my God! Get me out of here! Please!
Eivor:Talk now and we'll draw you a nice, warm bath.
Aethelswith:You... you are asking me to betray my husband! How can I do that?
She looked away in indecision.
Eivor:If you don't, you will betray countless others. In legend, you may be remembered as the king and queen who abandoned their kingdom in its darkest hour. But there will be peace. This is Ceolwulf's promise, and it will be honored. You have my word.
Finally, Aethelswith looked up and nodded, resigned.
Eivor left the building and returned to Ubba, Sigurd, and Ivarr, waiting outside the sty fence.
Sigurd:Does the caged bird sing?
Eivor:Burgred is hiding in an old crypt to the south, where the Alne and Arwy rivers join.
Ivarr:A crypt... now tell me this is not a sign from the gods.
Eivor:It's a long way to carry a king. The three of you must clear a path back to Tamworth. Where can me meet?
Ubba:Bring him to the bridge at Venonis. It's a straight line through. We'll deal with any trouble there.
Ubba and Sigurd walked away, and Eivor turned to speak to Ivarr.
Eivor:The heads were a nice touch. I'm not one for spectacle, but it got her talking.
Ivarr:Spectacle? That's just me.
Eivor:How many more times will I have to curtail your spectacles, Ivarr?
Ivarr:Spectacle? That's just me.
He walked away.
Leaving Tamworth, Eivor traveled to the southeast of Ledecestrescire to Offchurch, where she found several soldiers.
Eivor:Heavy guard for a musty crypt. It cannot be the dead they're protecting.
Either fighting the guards or sneaking in, Eivor made her way to the church.
Letter From Burgrid The situation has turned dire. The filthy Danes have taken Tamworth from me! I am trapped, hiding in a muggy crypt with no telling when I may resurface. This is unacceptable! The fate of Mercia now lies in the hands of my thegn, Leofrith, but I have no faith that he can succeed. He is a loyal rat, nothing more, and is now best served as my human shield.
And so, for this matter that must be resolved with the utmost urgency, I am writing to inform you that I have called upon your loyal hunters. And rest assured, you have my promise that this favor will not be forgotten.
The Lord King of Mercia
Outcome
Eivor convinced Lady Æthelswith to give up the location of her husband, allowing her to capture the king and bring him back to Tamworth.
