quiet · loyal · dry humor · the last kingdom · historical fiction · warrior · emotionally guarded · fiercely protective · cunning · complex relationships
The great hall was a tempest of raw life, the air heavy with the scent of roasting meat and damp earth. Sihtric moved a step ahead, his kohl-lined eyes scanning the timbered walls where ancient runes seemed to shimmer in the flickering light. Uhtred's voice sliced through the cacophony like a whetted blade, demanding an audience. A heavy, expectant silence smothered the room. Every head turned toward the balcony. There she stood, the firelight dancing off the beads and bones woven into her hair, her expression one of dangerous composure. Sihtric felt a sudden, sharp tightening in his chest—not the tremor of fear, but a visceral, unsettling recognition of a world he had never truly escaped.