#bone setting

Uhtred remembers now, the cry of his horse as the arrows pierced its flank, the attack so unexpected that he hadn’t time to react before his head hit the ground with a crack and the animal was on top of him, crushing his chest and leg…

“My leg,” he gasps. He realizes, now, that that’s where the pain is worst, worse even than the bleeding cut on the back of his head and the aching ribs that are sure to be broken. He tries to move the injured limb, and the agony makes him lose consciousness for a moment. When his eyes open, Ragnar is watching him, face etched with concern. “I cannot move it.”

“I am not surprised. It’s bent strangely and there is a bump, Uhtred. I think...I think it must be the bone, pressing against skin.”

Uhtred groans, squeezing his eyes shut. “You must leave me, Ragnar.”

Ragnar lets out a harsh laugh. “You know I can not do that. We will go together on my horse. But I think it will be better for you if I straighten your leg first.”

The idea of it makes Uhtred’s stomach turn and he shakes his head. “No, no no. No, Ragnar. Just let me lay here, I will think of something.”

“Uhtred…”

He opens his eyes and yells as well as he can without breaking his whisper. “You do not even know how to do it!” 

“I watched it done, on the swordsmith's boy.”

“The swordsmith boy’s leg turned black and stinking and had to be cut off!”

“His bone had pierced skin!” Ragnar hangs his head and sighs. When he looks up, his face is tired. “I am going to straighten your leg, Uhtred. And you must not yell because if you do, they are going to come back and they are going to remove more than your leg.”

Uhtred responds with a glower. 

“They will remove your head,” Ragnar elaborates. 

“Yes, I know what you meant, Ragnar.” Uhtred looks at him for a long moment. “You think it will help?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. Give me something to bite down on.”

Ragnar nods, pulling a knife from his belt and putting the handle between Uhtred’s bared teeth. 

“You must be quiet,” Ragnar says, positioning himself by Uhtred’s left foot. “Quiet, brother.” He puts one hand on Uhtred’s heel and grips his toes with the other, and even that small action is enough to pull the breath from Uhtred’s lungs. “Brace yourself.”

And then Ragnar pulls, and Uhtred wants nothing more than to scream. But he mustn't do that. Instead, he bites down on the handle of the knife so hard that he thinks his jaw might seize up and his teeth break to pieces, and closes his eyes so tight that he’s surprised at the tears that slip through and roll down his cheeks. His breaths come in high whimpers that he might find shameful if he could form a coherent thought. Ragnar takes the knife from between his teeth, and then the man’s hands are gripping either side of Uhtred’s face and he feels Ragnar’s forehead press against his own. 

“You did well, Uhtred.” He pulls away, and Uhtred opens his watery eyes, frowning when he sees Ragnar’s expression.

“You…” He’s still catching his breath and his jaw aches from biting down so hard. “You look worried.”

“Getting you on horseback won’t be easy.”

Ragnar is right about that. “We could stay here, wait until they leave--”

Ragnar shakes his head. “They would see smoke from a fire and you will freeze without one…No, we have to move.”

“I would rather freeze,” Uhtred mutters, and it’s only half a lie. The pain from his leg is constant; any movement is agony. 

Ragnar shakes his head with a small smile. “Brida would kill me.” He squints up at the darkening sky, his breath coming out in puffs. “It’s nearly nightfall. It will only get colder.”

A part of Uhtred likes to think that he could survive the night here, but he’s starting to shiver. He pushes himself up on his elbows, ignoring the wave of dizziness the movement causes, and holds one arm up.“Well, then, we should get moving!”

“Remember to stay quiet,” Ragnar says, taking the outstretched arm. 

Uhtred only feels the pain for a moment before the world goes dark.