Sigtryggr Quotes

“Sigtryggr held out a hand to pull me from the ditch. His one eye was bright with the same joy I had seen on Ceaster’s ramparts. ‘I would not want you as an enemy, Lord Uhtred,’ he said.

‘Then don’t come back, Jarl Sigtryggr,’ I said, clasping his forearm as he clasped mine.

‘I will be back,’ he said, ‘because you will want me to come back.’

‘I will?’

He turned his head to gaze at his ships. One ship was close to the shore, held there by a mooring line tied to a stake. The prow of the ship had a great dragon painted white and in the dragon’s claw was a red axe. The ship waited for Sigtryggr, but close to it, standing where the grass turned to the river bank’s mud, was Stiorra. Her maid, Hella, was already aboard the dragon-ship.

Æthelflaed had been watching Eardwulf’s death, but now saw Stiorra by the grounded ship. She frowned, not sure she understood what she saw. ‘Lord Uhtred?’

‘My lady?’

‘Your daughter,’ she began, but did not know what to say.

‘I will deal with my daughter,’ I said grimly. ‘Finan?’

My son and Finan were both staring at me, wondering what I would do. ‘Finan?’ I called.

‘Lord?’

‘Kill that scum,’ I jerked my head towards Eardwulf’s followers, then I took Sigtryggr by the elbow and walked him towards his ship. ‘Lord Uhtred!’ Æthelflaed called again, sharper this time.

I waved a dismissive hand, and otherwise ignored her. ‘I thought she disliked you,’ I said to Sigtryggr.

‘We meant you to think that.’

‘You don’t know her,’ I said.

‘You knew her mother when you met her?’

‘This is madness,’ I said.

‘And you are famous for your good sense, lord.’

Stiorra waited for us. She was tense. She stared at me defiantly and said nothing.

I felt a lump in my throat and a sting in my eyes. I told myself it was the small smoke drifting from the Norsemen’s abandoned campfires. ‘You’re a fool,’ I told her harshly.

‘I saw,’ she said simply, ‘and I was stricken.’

‘And so was he?’ I asked, and she just nodded. ‘And the last two nights,’ I asked, ‘after the feasting was over?’ I did not finish the question, but she answered it anyway by nodding again.

‘You are your mother’s daughter,’ I said, and I embraced her, holding her close. ‘But it is my choice whom you marry,’ I went on. I felt her stiffen in my arms, ‘And Lord Æthelhelm wants to marry you.’

I thought she was sobbing, but when I pulled back from the embrace I saw she was laughing. ‘Lord Æthelhelm?’ she asked.

‘You’ll be the richest widow in all Britain,’ I promised her.

She still held me, looking up into my face. She smiled, that same smile that had been her mother’s. ‘Father,’ she said, ‘I swear on my life that I will accept the man you choose to be my husband.’

She knew me. She had seen my tears and knew they were not caused by smoke. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. ‘You will be a peace cow,’ I said, ‘between me and the Norse. And you’re a fool. So am I. And your dowry,’ I spoke louder as I stepped back, ‘is Eardwulf’s money.’ I saw I had smeared her pale linen dress with Eardwulf’s blood. I looked at Sigtryggr. ‘I give her to you,’ I said, ‘so don’t disappoint me.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Empty Throne

“He smiled at Stiorra. “I am the Jarl Sigtryggr Ivarson, and you are?”

“Stiorra Uhtredsdottir,” she said.

“And I took you to be a goddess,” he answered.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Empty Throne

“My father still has two eyes,” Stiorra said.

“But not as beautiful as yours, my lady.”

“Did you come to waste our time?” Stiorra asked. “Or did you wish to surrender?”

“To you, my lady, I would surrender all I have, but my men? You can count?”

“I can count.”

“We outnumber you.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Empty Throne

“Sigtryggr had been given an honorable place at the table, as had my daughter.

“It was her fault,” Sigtryggr said, nodding toward Stiorra.

I translated for Æthelflaed. “Why her fault?” she asked.

“He saw her and was distracted,” I explained.”
― Bernard Cornwell, The Empty Throne

“He drew his seax instead and nodded to Sihtric who still guarded Brida. ‘Let her stand.’

Sihtric stepped away. Brida hesitated, then suddenly scrambled to her feet and lunged at Sigtryggr as if trying to snatch the seax from his hand, but he held her at arm’s length with contemptuous ease.

‘You would have blinded my daughter,’ he said bitterly.

‘I would have given her wisdom!’

Sigtryggr held her with his left hand and raised the seax with his right, but Stiorra intervened.

She touched his right arm. ‘She’s mine,’ she said.

Sigtryggr hesitated, then nodded. ‘She’s yours,’ he agreed.

‘Give her the sword,’ Stiorra said. She still held Wasp-Sting.

‘Give her the sword?’ Sigtryggr asked, frowning.

‘Give it to her,’ Stiorra commanded. ‘Let’s discover who the gods love. Uhtredsdottir or her.’

Sigtryggr held the seax hilt first to Brida. ‘Let’s see who the gods love,’ he agreed.”
― Bernard Cornwell, Warriors of the Storm