The muddy ground was slippery, and the bushes were like sharp hooks, cutting people's legs and clothes. Unknowingly, their legs were covered with wounds, but no one dared to stop and rest, because of the pursuit behind them. The soldiers are getting closer.
"Hoo, ho."
The sound of heavy breathing was very obvious in the rain and fog, the sound of hands pushing away the grass was also very loud, and occasionally there was a slight muffled groan from someone falling.
"Don't stop. Don't worry about the straggler." Iron Belly turned his head and glared fiercely behind him, and said to the other Wessex nobles who wanted to help him.
Several other Wessex nobles were slightly startled. They had already stopped their hands in mid-air, and it seemed awkward to retract them now. They all turned their attention to Alfred who was walking in front.
"Huh." Alfred was soaked by the rain. Everything that happened tonight made him feel physically and mentally exhausted. When he turned around, he saw that his followers were covered in mud, and there were still a few nobles there. appearance.
"We must abandon the weak. Only in this way can we escape pursuit." Iron Belly frowned and said to the Wessex nobles and Alfred.
Anyone who has survived in the harsh environment of Northern Europe knows that the weak will become a hindrance. Only by abandoning the weak can the tribe be strong.
However, Alfred didn't seem to think so. He staggered to the side of the fallen Wessex noble and stretched out his hand to pull him up so that he could follow the team.
"You will kill us all." Iron Belly said to Alfred dissatisfied.
"This is the Kingdom of Wessex, my kingdom. My decree will not abandon anyone." Alfred breathed heavily. After the others took over, he raised his head and faced Iron Belly. said.
As the escaping team continued to move forward, the rain falling heavier and heavier overhead covered and confused the trackers. The footprints were washed away and the smell disappeared in the rain.
"Oh wow." Heitan raised his head and shouted, shaking his body desperately at the same time. The rain-stained fur made it very uncomfortable.
"What's wrong? Is there no smell?" Ulf stepped forward, patted Heitan's head gently, squatted down and looked ahead. The dense woods and bushes formed an obstacle for their tracking.
"Damn it, I'm going to chop down all the gatekeepers." Vargas slapped his head angrily and raged helplessly in the rain.
Ulf frowned and narrowed his eyes. He observed everything around him keenly. Then, he half-squinted his eyes and imagined in his mind how he would escape if it were him.
"Vargos, take the people and continue in this direction." Ulf opened his eyes, raised his finger and pointed forward, saying to Vargos.
"Got it." Vargas nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he led several North warriors in pursuit.
"Luthor, take people in that direction." Ulf raised his hand again and pointed in a direction, which was the direction of the village. Ulf expected that even if Alfred and others escaped, they would not be able to bring food. Water is easy to deal with, but without food they simply can't leave this area. ….
"Okay." Luther weighed the ax in his hand and led the people away from the direction pointed by Ulf.
"Even if there is no food, they can still hunt." Ange seemed to see Ulf's purpose, she frowned and said to Ulf.
"No, I just made it impossible for Alfred and the others to get help and forced them to go on the right path." Ulf stood up, actually a little shaken in his heart. He had clearly surrounded the entire castle, but he could still let them go. Does running away really have a destiny?
However, Ulf quickly pushed this question out of his mind.
at the same time
"These bastards are chasing after them. They are just like the snakes in my hometown. They bite and won't let go." Iron Belly led Alfred to escape while observing the movement behind him. He originally thought that the pursuers in the castle, At most, he would give up after chasing for a while, but he didn't expect that he had no intention of stopping for the whole night.
"I'm so hungry, I really can't run anymore." At this time, in the forest,
On the ground, the Wessex nobles also reached their limit. They were all slumped against the big tree.
"With these weaklings, there is no way to escape." The state of the Wessex nobles also affected the other Vikings, and they began to complain to Iron Belly in their own Nordic language.
"Shut up, we can only get the reward if we take them with us." Iron Belly raised the ax in his hand, swung it in mid-air, and warned the other Vikings.
"Anyway, as long as we save the king, everyone else is a complete burden." A Viking warrior said to Iron Belly with resentment in his eyes.
"Well, let me think about it." After hearing what his men said, Tiedu had to think carefully. Even though he was the leader of this team, if he ignored the opinions of others, he would be stabbed in the back. indefinite.
Alfred sat on a stone, with his hands on his knees, trying to maintain his dignity as a king, but he was exhausted and had reached his limit.
"Your Majesty." At this time, a Wessex noble handed over a skin bag. There was only a little ale left in it, but now it became the key to survival.
"Thank you." Alfred didn't care about the king's reserve at this time. He took the skin bag and poured the wine inside into his mouth. The cool, mellow and slightly bitter wine flowed into his stomach and immediately made him feel all over. I felt a surge of warmth, as if my strength had returned to me.
"Fortunately, I always carry it with me." The Wessex nobleman smiled, and Alfred remembered that this nobleman's nickname was a drunkard, and he usually drank wine. Alfred once attended the royal meeting I had criticized him in the newspaper, but I didn't expect that today, thanks to this drunkard, I would find the feeling of being alive.
"Yes, thank you Lord, thank you, sir." Alfred reached out and patted the nobleman on the shoulder.
"Your Majesty, do you think we can escape?" The Wessex noble nicknamed "The Drunkard" solemnly put the empty skin bag into his arms, and then asked Alfred in a low voice.
"Of course, for the sake of the Lord and the people of the Kingdom of Wessex, we must escape. As long as we enter the swamp, those Vikings will not be able to catch up with us." Alfred nodded solemnly and assured the nobleman road.
"Great. To be honest, there is too much wine in the world. I haven't drunk it yet. I really don't want to die so early." The drunkard sighed softly and said to Alfred.
"Don't worry~~, it's me." Alfred was about to comfort him, when suddenly, there was a sound of bowstrings in his ears.
"Oh." I saw a sharp arrow hit the drunkard's head. The missing arrow pierced his throat and appeared in front of Alfred.
"The enemy is attacking, raise your shield." Iron Belly roared loudly. .
Two ounces of saccharin
