#Sihtric\Ealhswith

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

My Person | Sihtric & OC

Part of my Fire In Her Eyes series

‘Finan is the love of my life, but you are my soulmate.’

A/N: I have been obsessively watching Grey's Anatomy recently and I love Meredith and Christina's friendship and the way they call each other their 'person'. It inspired this little fic, which was supposed to be happy and sweet but actually turned out quite sad (I just couldn't help myself!).

Warnings: angst, spoilers for Fire Turns To Ash

Word Count: 706

Sihtric smiled as he walked across the meadow outside Coccham, the scatter of different coloured wildflowers gently swaying in the breeze. Lucinda lay in the grass, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her face as she rested her hand on her swollen stomach. She looked so peaceful lying there, her red hair splayed out across the ground around her head, glowing golden under the sunshine.

‘I know you are there,’ she murmured, opening her eyes and smiling up at him.

He smirked a little – he had never been able to sneak up on her.

She patted the patch of grass beside her. He lowered himself to the ground and laid down beside her, looking up at the blue sky.

She let out a sigh. ‘It’s good to be home.’

Sihtric said nothing. It had only been a week since they had returned from Winchester, a week since the siege had ended. He had spent the past month consumed with worry, fear gnawing away at his insides as he lay awake every night thinking that she was dead. Everything was alright now, they had all survived and Lucinda was happy, expecting her and Finan’s fourth child, but that fear of losing her and stayed with him.

He reached for her hand and held it tight.

‘You know I love you, don’t you?’ he said softly.

Lucinda looked over to him with a small frown. ‘Of course I do. What made you ask that?’

‘I came so close to losing you…’

‘But you didn’t,’ she said firmly. ‘I am right here, with you.’

He gave her a smile which was tinged with sadness. ‘I’d be lost without you. Finan acts as if he’s the only one who couldn’t live without you, but I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.’

‘Me neither. You are my person.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘Oh, you know. You understand me, you know what I’m thinking, you’re always there for me no matter what. You’re my person,’ she smiled and gave him a slight shrug.

‘Shouldn’t Finan be your person?’ he asked, playing with a blade of grass between his fingers.

Lucinda thought for a moment. ‘Finan is the love of my life, but you are my soulmate.’ She let out a small chuckle. ‘Platonic soulmate, before you get the wrong idea.’

He laughed with her.

‘You’re my person too,’ he said softly, looking over to her. ‘But don’t tell Eal I said that.’

She let out a laugh. ‘I think she already knows. She always jokes that we come as a pair.’

He shook his head, a wide smile on his face. He felt her squeeze his hand tight. ‘You mean so much to me, Sihtric. Never doubt how much I love you.’

Sihtric smiled, a warm feeling in his chest. He thought back to his childhood in Dunholm – back then he would never have imagined he would be lucky enough to feel so loved. He closed his eyes, and they laid in silence for a long time, the sound of birdsong above them.

Sihtric opened his eyes and felt tears roll down his cheeks.

He could hear the now familiar crash of waves against the cliffs below Bebbanburg, the harsh northern winds whistling through the shutters and bringing a draft into the room.

He let out a sigh, wiping his face with his hand tiredly as he rolled onto his back.

He often dreamed of Lucinda, of days long ago. Some nights he got to relive happy memories of them together, to see her laugh and smile again. Other nights he relived the day of the battle, the day his fears became real, the day he lost her. Even after years had passed, the memory of losing her still stung as fresh as the day it had happened.

He looked over at Ealhswith who was still asleep beside him, and he smiled softly, learning across to kiss her cheek. He tried hard never to take for granted the family he had, knowing too well that the gods could take them away from him.

He then got up and readied himself to face another day without his friend; without his person; without his Lucinda.

@morosemagick @solinarimoon @lauwrite1225 @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @anotherwinchesterfangirl @muddleofnervouswords @cibs @blah-blah-blah-bla @medievalfangirl @persephones-journey @magravenwrites

[persephones-journey]

HMMMM.... ALL OF THEM? #11, 12 & 13 😈

Here you go. I hope it lives up to what you wanted

Finan turned and looked at Aisling as she rode beside him. She was wrapped in her blue velvet cloak, sullen and quiet. He sighed. He reached out to take her hand but she moved her horse away.

She would not even look at him.

A far cry from the girl who, five days before, was kissing him so recklessly in a dim hallway.

Aisling giggled and moaned into his mouth as he pinned her to cold stone wall. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body against his. His hands grabbed her ass through her dress and tugged her closer kissing her over and over.

“I missed ya,” he breathed out as he kissed along her jaw and neck.

He knew if they were caught, he was risking everything. She was a ward of the King, her brothers exiled away and their lands torn away.

She was meant for more than him, a lowly foreign exiled prince who was penniless.

And yet, all she wanted was him.

“I missed you more,” she answered as she hummed as he sucked on her neck and collarbone.

“There's the village Osferth spoke of,” she said softly.

Finan looked ahead. Sure enough, the village rose up ahead of them. Osferth, Aisling's close friend and a monk had not been wrong. He was back with Sihtric, another warrior fixing the broken carriage wheel. Finan had not wanted Aisling to be out in the open too long, least someone get the idea to kidnap her.

Or bed her.

Which is all you have been thinking about, Finan thought as they rode up to the inn.

Aisling dismounted from her horse and stood beside him as he did the same. He handed the reins to a stable boy and pressed his hand on Aisling's lower back leading towards the inn. He felt everyone's eyes on them.

He didn't like it but they had little choice.

He pushed open the door to the inn and walked inside. He heard the laughter of the drunkards gathered around the fire. Aisling tensed beside him but she said nothing. He lead her towards the back of the room where he saw the owner pouring ale.

“Do you have any rooms available?” he asked softly.

“Aye,” the man said. “One left, but I am a god fearing establishment here and will not let ya have it to bed ya mistress,” he nodded towards Aisling.

“I am his wife, good sir,” she answered pointedly. “We are also god fearing people,” she added with a sneer.

Finan's heart pounded hard in his chest. His wife? Aisling? If only. He saw the owner huff and look at Finan. Finan dug in his pocket pulled out some coins. The owner produced a key and Finan took it as the owner took the coin. He took Aisling's hand then and pulled her down the short hall towards the stairs.

They climbed them quietly and to the second floor. Finan saw their room, it was at the end of the hall and the door was opened. He walked down with Aisling following him. He stepped into the room first. It was not much but it was clean and dry.

Aisling walked into the room and Finan wasted no time in closing the door and locking it. He turned and saw her pulling off her cloak and tossing it aside. She turned and looked at him, her simple travelling gown, a beautiful shade of navy blue. His eyes looked at her cleavage as she pulled off her French hood and tossed it aside.

“I will need help getting out of my dress,” she whispered softly.

“Of course,” Finan whispered. She turned her back to him and he walked over to her. “We should not have left Ealhswith with Sihtric and Osferth,” he said as she pulled her hair over her shoulder. Ealhswith was Aisling's lady maid and close friend.

She snorted. “Ealhswith is in love with Sihtric,” she answered. “I do not believe she was going anywhere without him.”

Finan frowned as he slowly pulled on the ties of her dress. “Does Sihtric know?”

She nodded. “He does,” she glanced over her shoulder at him, “he wishes to ask the King permission to marry her.”

Finan's fingers shook. He was reminded then of why they were in this village. They were riding to bring Aisling from London to Chester where she would marry Lord Aethelred, Duke of Chester.

He would lose her.

“Finan?” she whispered.

He let his hands drop. He placed them at her waist. He leaned in closer and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. He felt her lean back against him.

“I,” he paused, “I do not wish to be here,” he said.

Silence.

“Do you believe I wish to be here either?” she asked her voice soft.

He closed his eyes. “I want,” he stopped. He could not say it. To speak it would be treason. She was the ward of the King. She was promised to another.

He opened his eyes when Aisling turned around in his arms. He looked down at her as she pressed her hands to his plain tunic. Her ocean blue eyes looked into his; into his soul.

“Tell me exactly what you want,” she whispered her voice so low Finan barely heard her over the sounds coming from below.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. His hands moved from her waist to her back. He began pulling more on the ties there. His brown eyes never left her ocean blue ones.

“I want to make you mine,” he breathed out.

He expected Aisling to be angry, to pull away from him. Instead, she stepped closer. She began to slowly undo the buttons on his tunic. Her eyes never left his and he saw his own desire reflected in them.

She wanted for him as much as he wanted her.

“Do it,” she whispered as she pressed her lips closer to his. “Make me yours,” she added. She pressed her body hard against his, closer than she had ever done it before. “Please, mark me,” she breathed out her lips pressing against his, “mark me as yours.”

Finan kissed her. Hard and deep. His hands pulled her dress from her shoulders, pulling the ties out. It fell around her feet in a crumpled pile. He wrapped an arm around her and picked her up. He kicked her dress aside and carried her to the bed. He moved his lips from hers and nuzzled his face in her neck. He nipped on her skin there, loving how she moaned and pressed her body against his. He shrugged off his tunic leaving him only in his thin white shirt. He felt Aisling's fingers pull on the ties as his own fingers went to work freeing her of her stays.

“I love ya,” he breathed out into her skin. His hands pulled her stays apart and tossed them aside. He sucked on her pulse point, biting it. He pulled away to see that the skin there was already red, he looked at her face. He saw her eyes on him. “I love ya, Aisling,” he whispered again.

Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you,” she whispered. “I do not wish to be apart from you, Finan. I do not wish to have some other man as my husband. I want you.”

He smiled. He knew it was madness; love induced madness. But he smiled anyway at the thought of her loving him. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside. He pulled her close, feeling the softness of her line shift against his skin. He kissed her again, slower, deeper. He felt her hands on his chest. Her fingers stroking his chest hair and pressing into his skin.

Her touch was divine against his skin; her hands warm and soft. He moaned and pressed his forehead against hers. He reached up and played with the strings holding her shift closed as he felt her hands run down his chest to his stomach and his trousers. He felt her pop the first button.

“I want ya as my wife,” he whispered to her. “I want to marry ya and bed ya every night.”

He felt her pop another button. “Let's run away together,” she whispered suddenly. “Bed me tonight, make me yours, and tomorrow, let us go. Find a priest who will marry us.”

Finan groaned but his fingers pulled the string to her shift and watched as it come undone. “It's madness, Aisling,” he whispered as he watched her shift fall open and slip from her shoulders.

“Then let us be mad together,” she whispered as she popped open the last button on his trousers.

He watched as she stepped back and pulled her shift completely off. She kicked off her shoes and stood there, naked but for her stockings. He watched as she sat on the bed, completely unfazed with being naked in front of him. She leaned back on her elbows and smiled at him. He leaned down and rid himself of his boots. He pushed his trousers down then and kicked them aside, leaving him in his hose. He pulled those down as well and tossed them aside.

He looked at Aisling, meeting her eyes as she took in his naked form. His cock, hard and standing upright. She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

“You look like a Greek god,” she answered as he walked towards her.

He watched as she opened her legs, spreading them wider so he could step in between them. He did not know if she meant to do it, but it gave him a look at her cunt. He saw that it was wet, glistening, and so perfect. The rust red hair on it matched her hair on her head and he found himself falling to his knees.

He was going to worship her.

“And ya,” he whispered as he placed his hands on her thighs, “ya are a goddess,” he added. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her calf, then behind her knee. “Venus reborn,” he muttered into her skin as he kissed higher.

She chuckled. “I am not,” she whispered.

Finan turned and repeated the kisses on her other leg. He let his hands move closer to her cunt, his fingers and lips loving the feel of her soft skin against them. He had ached for this. He had dreamed of having her naked beneath him.

He had dreamed of making her his.

“Ya're,” he breathed out as his fingers reached her cunt. He let them gently play with her wetness. She sighed and moaned. He looked up at her face. She met his eyes and he smiled. “Ya are my goddess,” he whispered.

Before she could answer, he buried his face in her cunt. She gasped as he licked her folds, tasting her sweetness. She moaned and he felt her fingers in his hair, tugging on it. He let his tongue part her folds and lick around her entrance, drinking her juices from their source. He held her thighs when she wrapped her legs around his head. His nose rubbed up and down against that pleasure nub and he heard her breathing turn more into huffs and puffs. His fingers dug into her thighs as he moved his mouth up to her nub.

“Finan,” she breathed out as his tongue lapped against her nub, over and over.

He was no stranger to pleasuring women. He had his fair share of women in his bed since he was a young man. He knew how to make women come. The only question was to find out what made Aisling come and come hard.

He moved so his mouth was completely covering her nub. He began to suck on it, his tongue swirling around it every once and a while. He felt her legs tighten around his head as they began to shake and tremble. His fingers dug into her thighs more and he knew that he would leave behind bruises but he didn't care. His cock ached and precum dripped from its tip begging him to be buried in her.

He moved one hand from her thigh and rubbed his fingers along her entrance, getting them wet before he slid one inside of her. She was so tight and warm. He almost came right there. She gripped his hair tighter and tugged on it. He did not stop. He slowly slipped another finger in her, scissoring her entrance, stretching her. She moaned and arched her hips.

“Finan,” she moaned his name and he felt her clench around his fingers.

He turned his fingers and crooked them, pressing them into the pleasure spot he knew was inside of her cunt. She moaned deeply and he had to press a hand on her stomach to hold her down on the bed. She came, her whole body trembling and her back arching off the bed. He continued to suck and swirl around her nub over and over. He felt her trembling being to slow and stop. Her breathing slowed and sounded normal. He continued to stretch her with his fingers slowly sliding a third one in, both loving and hating how tight she was.

“Finan,” she cried. He pulled his mouth from her nub and kissed up her stomach and between her breasts as she seemed to begin to sob.

“Shh,” he whispered as he turned and took one of her nipples in his mouth. He let his tongue swirl around her nipple as she huffed. He pulled his mouth from her nipple and turned to move to the other one. “Take slow breaths, my love,” he whispered as he took her other nipple in his mouth doing the same to that one as he had to the other one.

“I,” she took a slow breath, “that was too much,” she whispered.

He smiled against her skin. He pulled his mouth away from her nipple and kissed up her chest to her neck. He nipped and sucked on the bruise forming there. He turned and finally pressed a kiss to her lips, his fingers moving in and out of her, stretching her as his cock ached and twitched.

“That was nothing,” he whispered pulling his lips away from hers. “It gets better.”

She looked at him, her ocean blue eyes filled with desire and tears. “Are you going to make me yours now?” she asked softly.

He nodded. “If ya want me to,” he stated.

She was quiet. He knew that it was asking a lot. If she let him claim her, and they did not get married, she would forever be tainted. He could and probably would walk away without consequence. But not her. She nodded, finally.

“I want you to,” she whispered as she pressed a hand to his cheek. “I would rather have you, someone I love and trust, take my maidenhead then some one else who will not care about me or my discomfort.”

Finan kissed her again. He stood and slowly pulled his fingers from her. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her. He placed her in the middle of the bed and he climbed over her. He went on his knees in between her legs and pulled her closer so his cock rested on her mound. Her legs were on either side of his hips and he gently rubbed them.

“I love ya,” he whispered softly.

“And I love you,” she answered.

He took his cock in hand and slowly moved it, rubbing the tip up and down her folds, getting it wet. He made sure to rub it around her nub looking up at her face. She let her head fall back and he saw her grip the blankets in her hand. He slowly moved his tip down and pressed it into her entrance. He moved so slowly, gently pressing more and more into her. She gasped and let his thumbs rub circles in her thighs.

“Are ya all right?” he asked softly.

She nodded. “It just,” she opened her eyes and looked at him, “it feels both odd and perfect at the same time.”

He leaned down and kissed her, feeling her heat surround his cock. He was holding on so hard not to come. He needed to show her how pleasurable it could be, the joining of two people in love. He did not want to disappoint her.

“Can I keep going?” he asked his lips still against her.

“Please,” she breathed out her fingers gripping his arms.

He nodded. He pressed his forehead against hers and slowly pressed into her more. He moved slowly until he glanced down and saw he was almost completely inside of her. He thrusted his hips and filled her completely. She gasped and dug her nails into his arms. He held himself still waiting. He kissed her nose and her cheeks. She nodded, telling him she was all right. He kissed her again and slowly pulled his cock from her, dragging it out.

“Oh,” she gasped as he did.

“I promise ya, ya will not regret this,” he whispered against her lips.

He thrusted into her again. Her legs came up and wrapped around his waist. He smiled against her lips and he did it again; dragging his cock and thrusting it back in. He did it over and over. She moaned and gasped as her finger nails raked down his chest.

He moved his face and nuzzled it in her neck as he pressed his forehead to her shoulder. He felt her clenching around him, telling him she was close to coming. He continued his pace of dragging his cock from her and thrusting it back in. He loved the sounds she made; the moans, the sighs, her whimpers. He also loved the sound of his cock sliding into her wet cunt.

“Please, please,” she begged as she raked her nails down his back.

“Shh,” he whispered as his hands gripped her thighs. “Soon,” he promised.

She clenched around him, tighter and he knew she was so close. He moved one hand between them. It only took a couple swipes of his fingers on her nub before she came, crashing into the pleasure. She moaned his name, it echoing loudly in the room. She clamped down on his cock and he did not move. He grunted and moaned and couldn't stop himself. He came as her cunt squeezed his cock harder. He filled her with his seed.

He let his body fall over hers, feeling her body tremble as she held him tighter and tighter. He grabbed her thighs and let his fingers rub her skin as his own body twitched as he finished emptying his seed into her. He kissed her neck and sucked on it.

Moments passed. He held her tight, not wanted to leave her. She held him just as tight.

“I will not lose you,” she whispered into the quiet of the room.

“And I will not lose ya,” he answered.

***

Finan looked at Sihtric and Osferth. He expected them to arrest him right there. Hell, perhaps even kill him. Aisling stood off to the side with Ealhswith.

They stood at a crossroads. One road would lead them to Chester. The other road, it would them to Northumbria, where Aisling's brothers were.

Where she could be free and he could marry her.

“Do you love him?” Osferth asked as he turned and looked at Aisling.

Finan looked at Aisling. It had been two days since he had taken her, made her his, marked her. They stole many moments since, and she had other marks on her skin. He did as well.

She looked at Osferth. “I do,” she whispered. “I do not want to be Lord Aethelred's wife. I do not wish to be a duchess,” she looked at Finan, “I wish to be Finan's wife. Even if it means I will have nothing. I will at least have him.”

Finan felt tears come to his eyes. He nodded. He looked at Sihtric. Sihtric looked at him. “What are we waiting for?” he asked. “We are wasting daylight.”

He smiled. Aisling ran over to him and jumped in his arms. He grabbed her and held her tight kissing her deeply.

“We need to stop at the very first church we find,” Ealhswith said. “I will not have my lady with child before she is married.”

Sihtric and Osferth laughed while Aisling blushed. Finan pulled away and kissed her cheeks, where they were getting red.

“Should I tell her ya may already be carrying my babe?” he teased.

She smacked his cheek. “Do not,” she whispered.

He kissed her again, holding her tight and close.

He would marry her.

He would make her his.

And after, they would deal with the problems that came. As long as they were together, he did not care about the rest.

[moonflower-tlk-library]

Exquisite...

blood on his hands (& the truth on his face) Sihtric/Ealhswith rated very much explicit there is spitting and slapping and filth, a good time had by all

“I did slap you,” she agrees, speaking against his chest “I might have to do it again sometime.”  

Or: Sihtric’s after action report except by report I mean kitchen table fuckin’

Heavily inspired by lover to lover by @limenal​ which is also delightful post battle fuckin’. I also definitely had these pictures up on my second monitor for ✨inspiration✨

read it on AO3

[supersonicsidekick]

Home Is Not A Place by Tyler Jorgenson 

[morosemagick]

One of Us | TLK One Shot

Sihtric misses his eldest son & needs to fill that void

Thank you @solinarimoon for this big brain prompt

1,300 words of fluff, k.enjoyyyy

gif by @lauwrite1225 because she's an angel

Something inside Sihtric had been missing since leaving Coccham.

It was his eldest son, Young Sihtric.

The boy, no… the young warrior now much too old for his parents decided to stay behind in Coccham. The town was his home, where he had found a wife and started his own family. It made sense why he did not join his parents, but they were still broken.

Mainly his father, who missed the bond they once shared when the Younger will still... well, young.

He found himself thinking the most about his eldest after a long night of ale, which for Sihtric was most nights. Every night he would come home a little sadder than the last. It got to the point where his dear wife Ealhswith felt the need to ask him to stop going to the alehouse with the others so frequently. Her heart broke for her husband, but not as much as his own did.

One night was especially bad.

Uhtred had spent the night boasting about Aethelstan's growth as a warrior and a man. He was proud of the boy he was raising, and it reminded Sihtric so much of his eldest. Yes, he had other children, and even one on the way, but it would be a long time before he would be teaching any of them the ways of a warrior. He missed the days when he and Sihtric would practice the boys' sword skill from sunrise to sunset, sometimes even being out till dark. It was some of his proudest moments.

He longed so desperately for those moments again.

When Sihtric could not take anymore boasting, he knew it was time to excuse himself for the night and head home. Wobbling his way back to his home in the pouring rain with his head down and his thoughts in Coccham.

Which means he did not see the face of the boy who successfully pickpocketed him.

He still felt the bag being stolen, turning around just in time to see the young boy running with Sihtric's coin.

"Get back here!" Sihtric snarled in his drunken state as he chased the boy down.

Seeing that he was indeed drunk, it was a bit more of a struggle to catch up to the little thief than it would have been sober. Tripping over multiple objects, and slipping once in the mud before finally catching the boy in an alleyway, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Give me back my coin, you little turd!" Sihtric growls as he turns the boy around.

Now that he can see the boy's face, Sihtric has a better look at the fear in his eyes. Pushing the pouch back towards Sihtric as he trembles, "I'm sorry, I was just hungry!"

Sihtric snatches the purse from the boy's hand and then sighs with frustration, the father of plenty's heart rather soft when it comes to children, "Where are your parents?"

"I..." The boy mutters his words, his eyes avoiding Sihtric's, "I have none."

With a sigh, Sihtric pinches the space between his brow. When his eyes open again he takes another look at the boy, noticing just how soaked to the bone he is and then Sihtric catches sight of the hammer hanging from the boy's neck.

He's a Dane.

With his arms crossed and his head tilted, Sihtric takes a deep breath and asks the boy, "Are you hungry?"

The child nods, "Starving."

Sihtric hums okay and then nods his head for the boy to follow him. He hesitates for a moment, but then the child follows, Sihtric glancing down at him as they walk side by side, "What is your name, boy?"

"I am called Cynlaef."

"Cynlaef...?" Sihtric questions, waiting for the boy to tell him his surname.

"I have no father, and my mother is dead," Cynlaef explains in a low voice, "I am a bastard."

Of course, he is.

Sihtric huffs, nodding his head as he leads Cynlaef back to his home in silence.

---------------------------------------------------------

It is late enough by the time he arrives home that his children are all sleeping safely under their furs, but his wife is still wide awake. Cleaning up their home after a long day of their little ones making a mess of it.

Sihtric is grateful that his wife still has a fire burning as they open the door to the home, his bones chilled from walking in the rain.

At the sight of the two soaked boys, Ealhswith gasps, "Where have you been, it's pouring from the heavens out there- " She notices Cynlaef and her words stop short, and as she points to the boy, Ealhswith gives her husband a confused look, "Who is this?"

"His name is Cynlaef," Sihtric explains, ruffling the boys' soaked hair, "He will be staying with us now."

"What?"

"I am?"

"You are," Sihtric tells the boy, his expression hiding whether or not he was pleased about the situation, "He's one of us now."

Ealhswith doesn't argue, at least not yet, walking over to the boy and rubbing her fingers against his dirty cheeks, "Let us get you dried off then, you're soaked to the bone."

"And food, Eal, the boy is starved."

"Of course," she smiles sweetly at Cynlaef, stepping out of the room for only a moment and returning with a quilt for him to dry himself off with and change of clothes. Probably left behind from his eldest when he was this size.

After giving the boy everything he needs, Ealhswith pulls Sihtric to the side, keeping her voice low as she speaks to him, "Sihtric-"

"He has no one, Ealhswith-"

"We have plenty of children to feed, and more on the way," She sighs, crossing her arms over her protruding belly, and sighs, "We cannot take in another."

"He needs this, Eal," Sihtric mutters to his wife, the ale catching up to him as well as his emotions as he frowns, "I need this."

Ealhswith looks at her husband for a moment, seeing the heartbreak in his eyes, and then looks back to Cynlaef, whos enjoying leftover broth and some bread by the fire. The boy looks like he's the king of a very humble castle. It's heartwarming, to say the least, and thankfully the reason she gives in.

"Fine," Ealhswith tells Sihtric as she turns back to her husband, rolling her eyes with only a touch of frustration, "You may keep him, but he is your responsibility-"

She's cut off by Sihtric grabbing her by the cheeks and pulling her in for a big kiss, making her chuckle as it breaks, "Thank you, my darling wife, you will not regret it," Sihtric then goes over to Cynlaef, ruffling his hair as he heads to his room to change into dry clothes and stopping to talk to him, "You are now Cynlaef Sihtricsson, boy, understood?"

Cynlaef looks up back at Ealhswith and then up at Sihtric with a large smile on his face as he nods happily, "Yes, Father. I understood."

Sihtric smiles with a nod, winking at the boy before he turns to leave, "Good."

Part of him is sure his wife isn't as pleased as he is, but Sihtric does not seem to care as he crawls happily into his bed. His heart feeling lighter than it has in the months since moving to Rumcofa. Part of him is worried when he wakes in the morning, his wife would have gone back on her word and kicked the boy out.

But when Sihtric wakes up in the morning and heads to the main room for breakfast, he finds Cynlaef at the table with the rest of his children as Ealhswith serves them all something to eat.

Placing a kiss on the top of Cynlaef's head as the boy so kindly thanked her for breakfast.

TAGGED:

@solinarimoon ​ @thebohemianpenguin @emilyhufflepufftlk @magravenwrites ​ @unicornlovedust @lalahmaria ​ @lauwrite1225 @axe-does-writing @webreathfandoms @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @mrsalwayswrite @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @madamquacklemore

[ulfrsmal]

🎶and every time we kiss I swear I could fly🎶

For @aelflaeds' 100 Followers Challenge, congratulations! Special thanks to @lauwrite1225 for the screen of Finan & Ingrith

I saw Cascada in the Feel Good Vibes section and immediately got an idea ⫽ song link for the road

[thenameswinter99]

You're correct. There's Sihtric with his wife!

I'm sitting here watching a TLK compilation on YouTube of the funniest moments throughout the seasons, and I noticed this; from what I assume is the staircase scene after Aethelflead's wedding, am I crazy or is that Sihtric and what could possibly be his wife before she is his wife?

[mirdaniaa]

[lauwrite1225]

Finan and Sigtryggr are married in season 5 and i love that for them but i hope we get more of Sihtric and his wife!!😫

Me too!!! Let's all pray to see SW next season 😩🙏

[limenal]

first line tag game

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors.

i was tagged by @raincityruckus

i’m tagging idk anyone who wants to do this!

1. Maybe We Could Get To Know Each Other The Last Kingdom: Finan x OC and currently in limbo as my brain refuses to work “You are looking very Rosie the Riveter today.” 2. The Lion’s Roar The Last Kingdom: Finan x OC, complete She awoke before the sun.

3. Lover to Lover The Last Kingdom: Sihtric x Ealhswith, complete Ealhswith tilted her head back, her eyes fluttering shut as her husband nuzzled against the crook of her neck, teeth nipping at the soft skin.  4. How Deep Is Your Love The Last Kingdom: Sihtric x Ealhswith, complete It was a distinct kind of chaos that rippled through the upper levels of the inn, the hallways overrun with warriors and priests and men lucky enough to earn the right amount of silver to grant them access to the women upstairs.  5. Heart It Races The Last Kingdom: Sihtric x Ealhswith, complete It had been thirteen days since she last saw him- no, fourteen if she counted today- and as the sun was beginning to set, she did.  6. What Kind of Man The Last Kingdom: Osferth, complete There was a hint of pink in the sky, the sun barely ready for its descent but already finding its way to illuminate the horizon.

[raincityruckus]

Since make space (if she don't mind) is one of my favorite stories ever, naturally that is what I have to ask about. Plus the title is pretty and poetic (but it was really your AO3 tags that made me click on it because they are Art.)

🥰thank yooouuu i love that stupid threesome fic so much. 

the title is from i don’t mind by kongos

The sun will rise and fall again Kick my shoes off and count to ten Get this girl closer 'til we're touching skin Making some space and if she don't mind

and tbh “why have a love triangle when you could have a threesome” is like my motto. it’s going on my crest. 

and like tbh it's been 30 000 years since i was in a fandom which actively supported OCs and i fucking missed it, i tell you what.

The truth is that Sihtric is mad at his wife. Frustrated with her at least. Æsa and Ealhswith are close, best friends like he said. They share things that he doesn’t share with either of them. But that doesn’t mean Æsa isn’t his friend too. She’s fit herself into his life and if that means that sometimes he wants things he can’t have from her well then he’ll live with that. So if Ealhswith chases Æsa away he loses her too.

“You know Æsa is your friend,” he says again, giving his head a shake. His arms loop around her waist and he shifts her on his lap so she’s facing him more fully, “were you testing her?”

It doesn’t seem right though. If Ealhswith had truly worried she wouldn’t have hovered, leaving them alone would have been more effective. And there’s no jealousy in her face, no anger. If Sihtric’s honest she has cause for jealousy.  

Everything about Æsa cutting and braiding his hair was intimate. When he felt her breath against his ear it was a monumental force of will not to crush her mouth against his and take what it is he wants from her. Worse because the heat in her pale eyes told him she would have let him. Begged him to.  His wife has every reason to be angry and jealous. 

Instead she gives him a sweet smile, shaking her head like he’s said something foolish. 

“I don’t want a friend,” she tells him, leaning close not to kiss him but to speak against his mouth, “I want a wife.”

i don’t know when i’ll update again but i did update last week in case anyone was wondering. you can read the most recent chapter or start at the beginning

[hecohansen31]

Since I am lazy a bit egoistic and procrastinating stuff.

Here comes a list of which song of Taylor Swift’s latest album I relate to my fics

(You are all very welcome)

‘The Last Great American Dynasty’ (To Kill A King)

“She had a marvelous time ruining everything”

“Exile” (Loving You Is A Losing Game)

“You were my crown, now I'm in exile, seein' you out”

“Invisible String” (Royally Screwed)

“All along there was some Invisible string Tying you to me?”

“Cardigan” (Maybe In The Next Lifetime)

“ 'Cause I knew everything when I was young I knew I'd curse you for the longest time”

“Hoax” (From Eros To Filia)

“Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in”

“Peace” (The Tinder Date That Changed Everything)

“And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences Sit with you in the trenches Give you my wild, give you a child Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother Is it enough?”

“Betty” (Not The Right Time)

“The worst thing that I ever did Was what I did to you” 

“The 1″ (I Know The Signs Of The Ancient Flame)

“But we were something, don’t you think so?”

“My Tears Ricochet” (Don’t Fight Fire With A Sword)

“I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace ‘Cause when I’d fight, you used to tell me I was brave”

‘Mirrorball’ (The Princess & The Hacker)

“I'll show you every version of yourself tonight I'll get you out on the floor Shimmering beautiful And when I break, it's in a million pieces”

Seven (Heavy Is The Heart Of A King)

“Please picture me in the weeds Before I learned civility I used to scream ferociously Any time I wanted I, I”

August (Werewolf AU)

“Your back beneath the sun Wishin' I could write my name on it Will you call when you're back at school? I remember thinkin' I had you”

This Is Me Trying (Bad Kind Of Butterlfies)

“I’ve been having a hard time adjusting I had the shiniest wheels, now they’re rusting I didn’t know if you’d care if I came back I have a lot of regrets about that”

Illicit Affairs (Money Don’t Buy Class)

“And you wanna scream Don’t call me “kid,” don’t call me “baby” Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me”

“Mad Woman” (In Darkness I Saw Your Face)

“And there's nothing like a mad woman What a shame she went mad No one likes a mad woman You made her like that”

Epiphany (Only Destiny Can Judge Us)

“Only twenty minutes to sleep But you dream of some epiphany Just one single glimpse of relief To make some sense of what you've seen”

[emilyhufflepufftlk]

Sihtric’s family | Season 5

[iseultdeservedbetter]

The Princess & The Hacker

Hacker! Sihtric x Sex Worker! Ealhswith (Modern AU)

Chapter (2): The Subway

 (Previous Chapter)

SUMMARY: Ealhswith broken apart between needing and wanting, she find herself more and more fascinated by the hacker with a sweet heart and the most beautiful eyes in the whole universe…

WORDS: 4,8 K

WARNINGS: Mention of Sex Work, Revenge Porn, Sex, Mention of Past Child Abuse, Hacker, Incorrect Techonology Knowledge

She watched attentively the conversation going on between Sihtric and the blonde girl.

Or it was better to say that she spied the conversation between the two.

A blonde girl with the whole new ‘age look’, comprehended with a facial tattoo of a half-moon on her forehead, with what looked and Ealhswith hoped was henna, since it was colored.

And if it wasn’t, Ealhswith, personally, would have undoubtedly wanted her money back from the tattoo artist.

But maybe she was simply acting on her idiotic jealousy.

Something that had no reason to exist since she wasn’t in a relationship with Sihtric.

And it was the last thing she needed.

Although it was the first thing she wanted for herself.

But she couldn’t deny the obvious uncomfortableness shown by Sihtric, and you slowed your movements, meanwhile you collected your belongings, rearranging your backpack a few times, before you eventually noticed that the Sihtric looked like he could use an help.

And faking of getting closer to the projector where a few slides were still going, she moved closer to hear better what they were talking about, since the blonde had stormed in, right after Sihtric had finished his lesson.

Eahlswith had actually been attending his informatic lessons both because she had been harboring a crush on the black-haired boy, but more importantly because she found them interesting.

Almost as much as she found adorable the man holding them.

Sihtric wasn’t an imposing teacher and he seemed much more an interesting life motivator, explaining the set-up of computers and encouraging his students through problem solving for  suggesting to use that approach for everyday situations, other than the ones they went through at lessons.

She honestly enjoyed computer science and knowing Sihtric she was always able to exchange a few words like a true teacher’s pet, meanwhile ‘the teacher’ blushed adorably and explained rambling on about the concept and what she might be interested in, adding a few websites where she might find some more info.

He was always open and attentive to everything people had to ask him, although he seemed shy most of the time.

But whenever he was surrounded by computers, he seemed at complete ease.

And he smiled so prettily…

Ok, she had to stop daydreaming about him.

She had promised herself not to delve further in that crush she had.

And that was what she was doing.

Even more when she casually listened in to his discourse with the pretty blonde.

“… for the last time! I won’t hack in Brida’s computer for you!” shouted loudly Sihtric, enough to startle even Ealhswith, something definitely unlike his soft-spoken character, and immediately an ashamed blush coated his full cheeks as he lowered his voice “… why would I even do that?”.

“… because I’ll pay you?” suggested the blonde girl, raising a light eyebrow at him as if to say ‘are you serious, dude?’ “… c’mon, Sihtric, I know that you don’t mind doing this for Finan, so pretty please, be a sweetheart and hack in Brida’s computer from me, so that I can see if she has gotten me anything for our anniversary”.

Oh.

Oh.

Shit.

Was Ealhswith a weirdo if she had just taken a breath of relief at knowing that the blondie had already a girlfriend?

“You can ask her” shot back Sihtric, as he moved to collect his own things, moving to switch off the projector “… you know… talk with her… like real people do”.

“Do I look like the type that cares about what ‘real people would do’?” replied sassily the girl, moving to push herself in front of him, to stop from leaving and Ealhswith couldn’t help but almost intervene, mostly because Sihtric seemed truly panicked, but he quickly ducked to the side of her lithe body.

“… she’ll get pissed to see you probing around in her computer, even if I am the one doing it” replied tightly Sihtric, switching off the projector and switching on the light, making Ealhswith continue her snooping faking her interest for her phone.

“… better!” replied blondie, a smart smirk on her face, her mouth becoming a soft shape, a sensual expression on her pretty face, as her light eyes shone with the artificial light of the only lampshade in the room “… when she is angry, sex is amazing”.

Ok, she had to intervene, because Sihtric looked so red that he might as well have been a few minutes from passing out.

“… Sihtric!” she called out, pushing herself to the side of blondie, who shot her an annoyed look and opened her mouth, probably ready to retort that ‘she was interrupting serious business’ “… we better hurry up or they’ll give away our reservation”.

Thank God, Sihtric’s face was shaped to normally be expressionless, so no surprise at her excuse appeared on his face, making her words effectively the truth in front of the other girl’s eyes.

“Oh” was the only thing blondie was able to utter, her mouth curling in a kitten-like expression, as she shot a ‘I-know-what-you-did-last-summer’ look at Sihtric, taking in Ealhswith and a shiver of uneasiness fell down her spine, as she wondered whether she might have recognized her as a sex worker.

The fear of being outed as such was a dear company of Ealhswith, having happened much more than she had thought when she had first started.

At first it mostly happened, when she was on ordinary habits and although no man would have straight up approached her in a supermarket with his family in toll.

But they certainly smirked like they held some kind of power over Ealhswith for their knowledge.

And those were the moments were in which she felt the dirtiest.

Although she had no reason to, because she tried to hold her head high in each moment, or self-pity would have completely destroyed her.

“… didn’t know you had a date” commented the girl, as she swiftly shifted her eyes from her to Sihtric, an obvious show of wanting to tease him further, but she quickly brought him closer to her with a teasing smirk straight up to the girl.

“… and you are ruining it” she shot back, knowing pretty well that when people were put up with their annoyingness they had to eventually back off.

Although they looked to be enjoying it as much as blondie.

But she eventually raised her hands as a sign of surrender, shaking her head, although her own mission didn’t seem to be finished, as she moved a small card towards Sihtric, with an IP address on it.

That you took, before Sihtric, could and threw away, somewhere in the small room that Sihtric rented in the local oratory, since he knew the priest that worked there, being’ a friend of a friend’ as he had told her, as soon as he had noticed her weirded out look at the whole place, at the first lesson she had attended.

‘I was just worried that I’d be set on fire if I walked in’ she had retorted, stealing a small look from Sihtric, and the man himself had commented that ‘if my friend Uhtred can walk in, so can you, believe me’.

“I’ll leave you to it” blondie’s smile was now more of circumstance as she moved out of the way with a swagger in her step, almost as if she had been wounded by the words of Ealhswith and was now redoubling her flare attempts to impress everyone on her walk.

“… thanks” uttered Sihtric once she was out of earshot, scratching his neck, as his entire body did again that futile attempt at appearing much smaller than it truly was “… Skade is a rough type, we call her ‘the witch’ among us”.

“That seems like a cool nickname truly” she returned loudly “… and you are welcome, I was worried that you might magically transform in a tomato, seeing your red face and unfocused stare”.

“I blush that much, don’t I?” shot back loudly Sihtric, as he sucked on his tongue, a mute sound escaping his mouth as he fought to keep it in.

And you fought to keep in your thought of how adorable Sihtric truly looked.

Time to change the subject.

“… oh by the way” she then moved to get something out of her bags, showing Sihtric a small wrapped up gift she had bought with herself to that lesson “… I thought of you, when I saw it”.

Sihtric looked truly surprised, and although many faked being truly surprised by some gifts, there was some kind of childish innocence in the way he took in the gift, leaving it in Ealhswith’s hands for a moment longer than it was proper and the woman quickly had to push it onto his hands, gently closing them around the wrapped object.

“You shouldn’t have” and he meant it.

He didn’t understand in the slightest why you felt like giving him that small thoughtful piece.

“… oh, don’t worry, I actually… I was actually at a used books market a few days ago and I thought that you might have liked the theme” Sihtric didn’t look less convinced “… ok I’ll admit it, I mostly bought it because I want to read it too, but before… I need to know if it historically accurate”.

The joke was a bit strained, but Sihtric’s curiosity got the best of him and he opened quickly the present, being careful with the paper, which was something that was strange for his big hands, but somehow the man had never acted like he truly knew of his strength.

Guarding it attentively, almost as if he was some kind of Hulk, ready to explode.

Almost as if he hid something.

But she tried not to push him for it, it was obvious that he felt uncomfortable still so she tried to keep herself smart and sharp around him, extremely attentive at what she said and the way she acted.

But at the same time, she couldn’t deny that she felt comfortable with him.

It was as if they were dancing on opposite sides of a tightrope, one wrong step and they would have fallen out, but at the same time they both played this game.

She had found the book meanwhile she was browsing a used books bookstore for some university books, since they were usually cheaper there, and she had found the book interesting.

She had immediately linked it to Sihtric and his lessons, when he had explained that Ada Lovelace, mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, had been the first programmer of the whole history.

Before electrical computers were ever born.

And she had thought about Sihtric when she had found a book about her life, already adding the money for it as she paid for the books she had found, thinking about how happy Sihtric would have been of receiving it.

And right now, as he looked painfully awkward and uncomfortable, she couldn’t help but think that maybe she had thought wrong.

In the end there wasn’t much she knew about Sihtric.

She knew what he let go: that he was a shy hacker, who liked hosting lessons about computer science, being an awesome teacher and interested in knowing more and more.

And he certainly wasn’t somebody who backed up from a challenge, no matter what.

She might not have known much about him, but she admired him.

Sihtric finally managed to unwrap the wrapping paper, and although the moments before had been painfully awkward, his eyes shone with happiness as he took in the name of the book, definitely childish excitement appearing in his face, as for a moment his eyes met hers.

And he seemed truly happy.

“… how did you…” he was a bit of too taken aback to answer properly and talk, and she couldn’t help but smirk lightly at that cute embarrassment coating his face “… Gosh, this is honestly amazing”.

“I do hope that you know how to read…” she shot back, trying to diffuse the heavy air that now was set between them “… because if not there was an adorable books with drawings and…”.

“I do like this one” he laughed, as he turned the book between his hands “… but you shouldn’t have”.

“You let me come here for free lessons, so don’t worry, I do think that this makes us equal, in paying and such…” she said, knowing that although many paid to attend Sihtric’s lessons, he had insisted on her not paying him, since she was a university student.

‘And that gives you a special discount’ he had joked, one of the rare times it had happened, and Ealhswith had been honestly surprised by the fact that he hadn’t tried the ‘you get a discount because you are pretty’ or ‘you get a discount if you get me off’.

Which was putting her even more on edge.

She liked this guy, although she wouldn’t let it get far.

And he hadn’t still shown what he wanted to do with her.

Because every man wanted something from her.

She just had to figure our what Sihtric wanted.

“… you shouldn’t have” repeated Sihtric, but he still set the book down, as he searched for her eyes to express his true gratefulness and she was the one left embarrassed and uncomfortable, unsure of what to say.

“It’s a small thing” she muttered “… and don’t worry, I actually saved up this week since my car decided to break and I got to use the subway and such. Certainly, saved up on the gasoline…”.

And Sihtric’s eyes had become then focused and she had detected something that had made a shiver fell down on her face.

“… you take the subway tonight?” he asked, as he started to also get ready “… want some company?”.

And then he had finally done that misstep.

“I can take care of myself” she simply answered, not knowing truly how much where those words came from “… don’t worry, I have done this for a very long time, I don’t need any knight in his shining armor coming to…”.

“I didn’t mean it that way” Sihtric took a small step back, and Ealhswith felt guilty.

She had been trying to desperately push him in a far corner, but she hadn’t had much territory and much to work on to start, since Sihtric didn’t seem to have any of the flaws that made other men act like true idiots for her.

He didn’t think that being a sex worker was only something ‘fun’ and neither he had a ‘convert the whore’ complex.

But he might have had a ‘knight in shining armor’ complex.

And yet she immediately felt bad for accusing him that way.

She must have sounded like a hysterical bitch…

“I actually didn’t mean to imply anything about you not being able to take care of yourself…” he explained and as much as Ealhswith hated that his words sounded desperately true “… I just wanted to spend some time with you”.

Shit.

Shittest shit.

She didn’t know if she preferred him as misogynist asshole or as a genuinely interested human being.

Either way she was thoroughly screwed.

Which was something she should have been used since she did it as a job.

“Oh” that was all that she was able to utter.

“I must have sounded like a creeper…” and as soon as he had opened up about himself, he was back to that defensive stance he always had, making Ealhswith inevitably feel guilty for her behavior, but words wouldn’t rush out of her mouth “… I just… Gosh, you probably have things to do…”.

“I have a thesis to avoid” she commented, finally having regained her voice, able to word out the phrase because it regarded something mundane on which she could find her focus on “… so… I’d like to spend more time together, if you… I mean if you don’t have better things to do”.

“I actually have a date”.

Shittest shit, again.

“… understood” she replied, unable to think about the fact that maybe she had sounded too eager for everything, which evidently made him uncomfortable, even more if he had a partner on the side.

“… but I have a bit of free time before it, if you want” he explained softly, almost if he hadn’t noticed Ealhswith’s surprise.

As if he hadn’t just given the worst news ever.

And she seriously needed to stop crush on him.

“I have to take the red line” she sputtered out, again focusing on mundane things instead of the fact that the guy she had been crushing on for a few weeks had a partner, probably somebody who made him smile enough to make his beautiful mismatched eyes shine and that made him feel at ease.

Ealhswith had truly been an idiot for thinking that her, a sex worker with a problematic relationship with math could be his type.

She barely liked herself.

He certainly couldn’t have liked her.

“Oh, I also have to take it” he commented, completely not noticing her uneasiness “… till the last stop so we can share our busy time for a bit”.

She simply nodded, pushing herself slightly away from him.

The fact that he said he wanted to spend time with her didn’t mean that he necessarily meant that in a romantic way.

In the end he might have found interesting their convos, but they didn’t chatter together daily.

They didn’t know anything about each other.

Although Ealhswith could have sworn of having confessed him everything, he hadn’t opened up that much with her, and there must have been a reason behind it.

A partner seemed a pretty obvious reason.

Gosh, why hadn’t she thought before about that?

Still, although she was painfully awkward by the recent discovery, she tried her best to have a polite conversation with Sihtric and she was glad when their talk moved onto the lessons: if she was enjoying them and if she had checked out the sources and books he had suggested, having searched a few links between math and computer science for her.

And then moving onto what had happened to her car, something that did help her focusing on one thing at the time and ground her on more terrene thoughts.

Even more when she discovered that the tube of the red line would have had a delay of thirty minutes, making her wait in its hallway till the entire thing was set up and basically rebuilt again for technical problems that had brought themselves up at the last minute.

Leaving her to stand in a painfully awkward conversation with Sihtric, the man seeming quite annoyed by the last-minute problematic, but not enough for somebody who had a nice date.

And Ealhswith’s noisy ass had to comment.

“… don’t you have to let your date know?” she hadn’t meant to sound noisy or bitter, but still it caught Sihtric’s attention, as his eyes set up on her, making a shiver come down her spine, with a playful intensity that made her nervous “… about the delay”.

“I do think she can wait” there was a glint of sadness in his eyes, still, although he held the tight answer.

And she thought that he might not exactly be looking forward to his date.

“… you can get a cab, if you have to go, I seriously can handle myself and my thirty minutes wait” you tried to convince him, wanting him to get away from you and at the same time to stay with you for those minutes.

To choose you over whoever he had to meet.

Although it was a horrid thing to wish.

“I don’t think that she’ll stand me up” he commented, again that blackish tone in his humor that made you feel almost as if he was teasing you withholding some knowledge.

“… never be late for a date” she chastised him, but he just shook his head.

“Let’s just say that you can never arrive late at a date in a cemetery”.

And that shook Ealhswith to the core, turning to face Sihtric.

Who instead turned his head to the ground.

“… oh”.

Couldn’t she have seriously come up with something smarter?

She was finishing a degree in math for God’s sake!

But no matter how smart or how dumb you were, love fucked everybody up.

“I am visiting my mother at the cemetery” now he seemed the one who had to babble everything up “… I do it every month, at least once, to change the flowers and check in with her, although it might sound crazy”.

Ealhswith was silent a moment too long and this was a mistake.

Because Sihtric started to ramble, distancing himself from her physically and mentally.

“… yeah, I know that what I just said might have made me sound like a creeper” he muttered, biting his lower lip, nervous and tense, enough that she couldn’t help but notice a slight tremble in her hands “… but I swear I have no bad intentions”.

“You asked me an ice cream in exchange of deleting a video that could have potentially ruined my life” she found herself muttering, finally able to reply with the doubt she had had for her whole life “… I don’t think that you are even capable of bad intentions”.

Sihtric seemed taken aback.

And Eahlswith had to ramble a bit more.

“You might have this ‘cool emo’ look but believe me I do know that you are as soft as a teddy bear, inside” she should have shut up her mouth “… you aren’t a bad guy Sihtric, although you might think you are. And believe me I do know an awful lot of bad guys”.

Dudes that thought that just because of the job you did, it was alright to call you names or take advantage of you in any way, form or shape, rendering you the shell of what you had been.

“… thank you” it was again worded as if he didn’t deserve it and it took everything in Ealhswith not to simply hug him on the spot, not because she had a crush on him or his expression was sadder than a kicked puppy.

But because he seemed like he could use a hug.

“… so I don’t find you creepy for visiting your mom” she explained softly, suddenly realizing the heaviness that had fallen between them, bringing them closer, as if they had been tied with weights around their bodies and thrown at each other.

The hit was inevitable.

“… and I am sorry to hear about your mother”.

Sihtric scratched his head, showcasing he wasn’t comfortable, but still nodded his head in an acceptance of your thoughts.

“She had a… a sickness and the troubled life that my father brought her in certainly didn’t help” again that sad smile and then he wetted his lips, and Ealhswith noticed that they were horridly chapped and she thought about getting him a lip balm.

She seriously should have considered sticking her nose in her own business.

But yet Sihtric’s confession brought her to realize he had opened up with her, something that had obviously made him feel on the short end of the stick, uncomfortable and awkward and if Ealhswith had learned anything in her line of job, it was that sharing information always required two people.

“I understand it…” she bit her own lips, trying to focus on the words of her declaration, because if she thought about them too much, she would have lost herself “… my brother, I have a younger brother, he… he kind of… he had leukemia, we found it out when he was five and from then on it was a downward road…”.

She damnably refused to face Sihtric’s face.

“He is a sweetheart and he is so so active when he isn’t in the hospital, but he has spent so much time there that… it was expensive on my family and it is the main reason why I joined the sex work world, to support myself on my own and not weight on my family… but…”.

Shit, he would have thought she was a creeper had she started to cry.

“Is he…?” instead that was Sihtric’s question, a clear sign of worry in his tone.

“No, no, he is in remission… he has been for five years, but cancer can be a bastard, can’t it?” she was choking on the words, perfect…

… she must have sounded so pathetic.

In her line of work, she wasn’t allowed to even shed a tear for herself, so the fact that she was doing it right now, made her feel like utter shit.

What would have SIhtric thought?

That she was some crazed mad woman.

“… I am glad to hear that” he said instead, and awkwardly he gained the distance she had pushed between themselves “… is it… is it alright with you if I hug you?”.

And she didn’t know why she nodded immediately, something that made her probably seem even more pathetic.

He had just confessed that his mother had died, and he was visiting her at cemetery and yet she was the one who was being hugged close.

Sihtric wrapped up in her arms, awkwardly at first, but then she also leaned in it, calmly and softly, his head lightly easing up on the crook of her neck, meanwhile she was faced with his chest, because of the height difference.

And then the subway’s natural noise appeared.

And they were startled apart, by that, red-cheeked and with their eyes on their shoes.

They entered the tube in silence, soon discovering they were alone, which made the entire background seem like the one of a post-apocalyptic movie, making them both share a hysterical laugh.

“… thank you” she commented immediately “…and sorry for being an idiot”.

“I don’t think that you are an idiot” Sihtric’s voice was as calm water before the storm, unrelenting and strong, but also calm and brewing inside “… you are one of the smartest person I know”.

“Don’t even try to start” she threatened him jokingly “… I am barely able to function”.

“… and yet you are the best human being I have ever talked with”.

The confession knocked the air out of Ealhswith and honestly her first instinct was to run the shit out of there, but she couldn’t, hence she was pushed to look at Sihtric in the face, straight up to him and not a single trace of dishonesty was marked upon his face.

And she was broken apart and undone again.

“… what is your secret, Sihtric?” her voice was barely a whisper, as she found herself moving  closer to him, a moth driven to a flame truly because no man can truly be that perfect without a skeleton in his closet.

“I might have a small crush on you” Sihtric’s comment was so honest that it definitely shattered anything that she might have known “… but you must think that I am some kind of creeper, I just… I just felt like I needed to let you know, so that you won’t feel forced to comfort me or…”.

And if there was one thing that according to Ealhswith never failed was the physical contact.

And she kissed him, since she was a mess with words.

There was a reason if she studied numbers.

And the kiss felt good, it felt much better than torturing herself with the thought of what Sihtric truly felt with her.

And he seemed to understand her, completely, as he gently moved to reciprocate the kiss, shy as he always appeared, and yet so strong and stable in himself that she anchored herself to him, almost desperately, as the kiss deepened.

And then the intercom announced her stop.

And she awkwardly separated from Sihtric, knowing that she had only a few minutes till she had to get off the subway, and that she could have used them to run away, as fast as she could, and never turn back.

But she might have acted like a coward.

And if there was one thing she wasn’t, was a coward.

“… I do know that you said you had a date, but… would you like some company after it?” Ealhswith was a mess, she was definitely appearing like a huge creeper to him “…I mean… this might… I should shut up”.

“I’d like that very much” simply replied Sihtric, moving closer to her, to kiss her lips swiftly, one more time “… never in a million years I thought that I’d get a date with you”.

“Oh, believe me, sweetie… I thought the same”.

[goldentailedmermaids]

Let’s be Danes: Opening Ceremony.

— prompt: “ “Sh! Stop moving! I’m just braiding your hair.”  — pairing: Sihtric x Ealhswith — wordcount: 3,9k — @ceridwenofwales @pokeasleepingsmaug @whenimaunicorn 

He heard her inside the room above the alehouse, the sounds of her voice drowned amidst the grunts and moans of a man. Sithric's hand gripped the flowers he bought tighter. At least she was alive and well and soon she would return to Coccham where she would be safer. He trusted Hild would see that his family was well and that Eahlswith would run her own alehouse. If anything she would thrive there, that was, if Uhtred's plan did not change and he did not have to move his family to Bebbanburg. In any case he would follow him and fight. He was a warrior after all.

A loud bang drew him out of his thoughts and he heard her scream.

“That's enough.” his voice quivered as he uttered the words and burst into the room, carefully placing the flowers where they ought to be. He drew his sword.

He saw her half naked on a raw bed and a man over her, his cock about to be thrust inside his wife. Eahlswith gasped when her eyes fell upon him, she drew back and steadied herself when she realized he finally had come home, her lips twitching thin in anger and he found her even more beautiful. He suddenly grew soft, his lips spreading into a smile full of devotion. She was beautiful his wife: curvy, dark-haired, fierce. She knew what she wanted in life and was a challenge itself. Sithric chose her because of that; she was graced by Freya and he worshiped Idunn.

“You look like a soaked rat.” she said scowling.

“Oh gods I missed you!” fondness filled his voice as he melted at her sight. He grew cold as the man who was fucking his wife a moment before stepped towards him with an angry face.

“Leave us boy! The whore's mine! Take your turn later!”

Sithric's smile grew threatening at the sight of this old bulky man, sulky-mouthed, fat, red with ale, staggering and bellowing. Sithric grew steady, eyes sharp, smile sharp, sword sharp. Eahlswith rolled her eyes, sighed and shrugged in annoyance, as though she knew what would happen.

“Call my wife yours one more time and I'll slit your balls and leave them hanging on that very door.” he set the tip of his blade near his crotch.

The man gulped. “You wouldn't do that.” he reeked fear. “I- I am a man of God.” he stammered.

“Even better.” Sithric smiled, glad of his little effect. “I am a Dane.” in his mouth it sounded somehow more feral, more threatening. It sounded a death sentence. “Now, go.”

“I- I'll refer to the king!” the old man almost choked with outrage.

“And I'll tell him you were fucking the wife of another man and when you will leave his palace I'll have you dragged into Danelaw so I can kill you myself.” he was calm, but his knuckles told of his anger, all white, clasping his blade. “Now get out!”

The old man, red with rage, staggered on wobbly legs towards the exit when Sithric stopped him, his fist on his chest. He glowered at him as hard as he could.

“Aren't you forgetting something?” Sithric asked, his voice calm and edged with something dark.

“What?”

Sithric tilted his head to his wife. “Pay her. Handsomely.”

For a moment the man looked around, shaking with nervousness and fright as what this dark-haired Dane would do to him. He walked towards Eahlswith to give her a few pieces of silver.

Sithric growled. “Is that all? You fucked the most beautiful woman on Midgard. You fucked my wife, my beautiful lovely wife. Surely for her good graces you can produce more silver.”

“Thief!” the man spat.

Sithric pinned him against the wall. “Be glad we are at Winchester!” he pressed a dagger on his throat. “Be glad I let you live with some silver to spare for your ale and whores, priest!”

Reluctantly, the priest complied and gave Eahlswith a few coins more, enough to buy a small farm, now, with what Sithric had brought with him; a farm where their son would live and play. She thanked him and gave her husband an annoyed glare.

“I could have handled this.” she seethed when the door slammed behind the man.

Sithric sheathed back his sword. “I know you could have.” he grinned. “I couldn't help it.”

He hopped on the bed and crawled to her to take her head in his hands, losing himself in the deep brown of her eyes, a wide smile largely spread on his face.

“You look like an idiot, you know that?” her lips twitched, hardly hiding her smile.

“An idiot who love you.” he lay beside her, marveling at her face, forehead pressed on hers, embracing her as she coiled around his slender figure.

“An idiot who kept me waiting.”

“I've brought you flowers.” he showed them on the table.

“Not enough.”

“Woman, I'd cover you with silver it it could make amend.”

She smiled. “You are here. I missed you, even if you are still an idiot.”

Sithric chuckled as he kissed her fingers. “Did I mention I missed you?”

“Once or twice.” her smile grew gentle and soft. “Where were you all that time? I couldn't bid you farewell and no one would tell me where you went. I was afraid you were dead.” in her voice shone a gaunt ordeal picturing a life without him.

Sithric kissed her forehead. “We had to flee in haste so that we would not be killed. Uhtred was wounded and cursed. We went north – to Dunholm.”

“I thought you wish never to return there.”

“I did. But Uhtred needed to be cured. The sorceress I told you about, that who cursed us, she was here too, pawning the warlords there. We played games, drank and fought, until Beocca came by and told me that you had came back to the alehouse.”

“I was serving ale for a time and I wouldn't whore myself no more so long as our son was there.” she said, on the defensive.

“I know. You did what you had to do.” he kissed her cheek. “Our son-”

“He is with Uhtred's children. The crown wouldn't let me keep him knowing I am the wife of a Dane.”

“Half-Dane!” he corrected, a tad too loud.

“Half-Dane.” she gave him a gentle look. “Abbess Hild promised me she would keep an eye on him. She told me of his health as frequently as she could and was a comfort. He was taken away from me barely a month after you left.”

“Hild is terrifying.” Sithric shuddered. “I once saw her beat a man in front of a church after she attempted to negotiate for the life of a woman. I saw her kill Danes and throw spears and pray thereafter.” he whispered, “I saw her beat Finan in an ale contest.”

“Now that inspires fear.” Sithric nodded, eyes wide opened. “You were gone a year at best. Couldn't you have come back?”

“I could have, but I was tied to Uhtred and his promise to rescue Aethelflaed, and then I was tied by my mission as a spy amongst the Danes and then I was tied by the curse his sorceress threw on him. I couldn't come back until he freed me. Uhtred is my lord, I must abide by him.” he kissed her jawline. “Now I am here and I have never loved you more.”

She squirmed under his kisses. “That sorceress... You went to rescue her.”

“To retrieve her for Uhtred to get rid of the curse that hanged over us. I confess she was a beauty, enticing, enthralling. She managed to keep every single Dane under her yoke, but not I, I promise. I had a talisman for that.” he bumped his forehead against hers. “You. You are my wife and I keep hearing your voice at night. You are a whisper that follows me everywhere. I love you so much.”

“You didn't have sex with any other woman, no doubt?”

“I drank ale, but Finan took all the women for himself, so no, sadly I didn't get that chance.”

She slapped his arm. He chuckled. “I should thank Finan, then.”

“Thank my heart, Eahlswith. It's yours. I swore it to your god and mine.”

“Did Uhtred set things aflame this time again?”

“Alehouses, boats, tents – The man cannot help it.” Sithric snorted.

“Did you fight well?”

Sithric shook his head, offended. “If I fought well? I thought you knew I did. My love, where is your trust?”

She dug her fingers through his black hair, marveling at his eyes, one that bore the color of a dark wine sea, the other that was the color of forests in autumn. She frowned. “Did you wash? You smell so good.”

Sithric gave a beaming smile. “I did. I tried to look good for you so that you won't hate me.”

She laughed. “Do you truly think I can hate you?” she cuddled against him. “You are my husband. I can be mad at you, but I will never hate you.”

“Did I mention I missed you?”

“Once or twice.” she smelled the air. “Oh God.” she grumbled, standing up. “I reek that priest's smell.” she walked towards a bucket of clean water and some soap Sithric once bought from a Spanish merchant.

She undressed and Sithric rubbed his thumb on his lips, lost in the vision of his wife's gentle curves, of her ass, her breasts, her hair. She hardly hid herself, but why should she? He was her husband and she loved him as much as he did her. With a cloth she chased filth and smell, shivered at the coolness of the water, let drops drip down her spine, let her hair flow down her back, her slender figure a spell like nothing else. Had Skade wanted to entice him, she would have had to shape-shift like Loki and even then he wouldn't have yielded; his wife's feisty nature was something that did not stand comparison.

She grew aware of his eyes on her and grinned to herself that he lost himself in the sight of her. She peered over her shoulder and saw him, intensely looking, almost agape, mesmerized, hunger and arousal glimmering in his eyes. He licked his lips. He did missed her.

He fell back on the bed, a wide smile spreading still on his face, a smile of satisfaction, of bliss. He laughed at something only he knew, arms crossed behind his head.

“Is there something funny?” Eahlswith asked as she cleaned up her cunt.

“I was only thinking how fortunate I am.”

“Flatterer.” she sprinkled him with fresh water that made him yelp. “Soaked weasel.” she taunted him, giggling.

Sithric laughed. Once cleansed she put on another dress, a blue one; one that Sithric had bought in Danelaw, and combed her hair as she sat on the raw bed.

He twirled the locks of her chestnut hair around his finger and watched as goosebumps spread across her neck, which he kissed, groaning his pleasure to as much as touch her.

She sighed. “Now what?” her voice was graver. “What will become of us? Shall I stay in Winchester? What if you leave never to return? Am I to remain here until I make myself a whore again, risking never to see our son again?” fear echoed each of her words.

“That will never happen.” he kissed her shoulder. “Not if I can't help it.” he set himself straighter. “Now we follow Uhtred to retrieve his children, we take back our son and we return to Coccham where we buy a farmstead for you to oversee, where I fight for lord Uhtred-”

“The fire-loving heathen.”

He laughed. “The fire-loving heathen – Where our son grow up strong and sturdy and where he will be taught how to fight, where I pour my income in your good care and where hopefully, we have another child.”

She rose an eyebrow. She always did that and it made him crazy. “Another child? Did you miss me that much?”

“Oh yes.” he laughed. “I want a daughter. A beautiful perfect fierce daughter to take after you.”

“Take me back to Coccham and we shall see.” she gave a sad sigh, her shoulders lowering. “I will miss Gisela there. She was always a delight to be around.”

“There will be Hild there.”

She shrugged. “At least, yes.”

Bearing a mischievous smile, Sithric produced from his purse a necklace made of silver and blue glass; a rich gift he had brought from Danelaw thinking it would adorn his wife as well as a queen. While she still combed her hair, he fastened it around her neck and felt her startle under the cold of the silver. She turned to him, aghast.

“What is this?” she marveled at the glimmering blue pearls.

“I stole it from a Dane lord. I thought it would suit you.” he smiled again, proud of his surprise.

Her fingers traveled along the sterling line of blue glass, lingering on her breasts. Sithric took her hands just as gently to kiss her knuckles.

“Do you like it?” he inquired.

“This is too much.” she gave a sharp breath. “Sithric, this is too much.”

“Nothing is too much for you.” he shrugged. “Besides, the man I stole it from will soon be dead.”

“You will return it.” she was astonished.

He rolled his eyes. “No. It's there around your neck and there is no taking it off.”

She slapped his arm. “You could at least have stolen something less.”

He rubbed his arm where she had slapped him. “This was the least extravagant necklace around. Gods woman you hurt more than a shieldwall.”

“I thought you were a warrior.” she rose an eyebrow.

“I am, but I am also your husband.”

“Need I to slap you more?”

“Only if you love me.” he rose an eyebrow, a habit he got from her.

“Ha! Who told you I love you?”

“Your eyes did.”

“Oh really? Then what is to say about your love?”

He leaned back on the bed. “I am not scald enough to sing you songs, but can't you see the longing in my eyes?”

“One tells a story, the other another.” she twisted and leaned to his lips, grazing them. “That is why I love you.”

“So you do love me.” his smile grew giddy.

She shook her head. “You are a child.”

“I like to think myself a fool.”

“Then you are a fool.”

“A fool who loves you.”

She turned back, combing her hair. “How many times must you say it?”

“As long as I live and breathe.”

“You are impossible!”

Sithric chuckled. He reached up her neck, parted the curtain of hair from her shoulder and gently kissed her bare skin, his lips grazing the silver he had hung around her neck. She shivered under his lips and gave a sigh of pleasure. He loved her sighs. He was the only one she showed pleasure to, he tried to convince himself. Eagerly, he trailed kisses along her neck to her jawline, fiddling her wild strands of hair.

His eyes suddenly lit with an idea. He grinned to himself and settled behind her, both his eyes riveted on her familiar figure. He parted locks of hair, dividing her manes and began to twist them, entangle them, braid them.

She squirmed. “What are you doing?” her voice more like a squeal than anything.

“Shh, shh... I'm just braiding your hair.” his voice was deep and steady.

He felt her sit still and noticed a faint discomfort in the way she held her shoulders. He could almost tell she worried her teeth on her lower lip. Perhaps she wasn't as used to it as she was before. Perhaps she had lost a few of their habits. Sithric brushed off theses concerns. She would recover them all soon enough.

Gently, with all the care in the world, he twisted and wrung her hair in two side braids up to the crown of her head which he gathered into two thick intricate braids on the back of her head, each of his touches on her scalp making her moan and release what she had been holding with delight. She released the tension in her shoulders, goosebumps sent, smearing across her bare skin, and Sithric held his breath, mesmerized at the way she moved.

He braided her hair on the top of her head into small and loose braids, up until he reached the crown of her head, intertwined it into a thick loose plait he framed with the two small braids that sourced from the side of her hair. He found himself holding his breath, entranced by the way he seemed to sway her, and eagerly attempted to kiss her before he held back, afraid to ruin the magic of the moment. Still, she was beautiful, her hair shining with all the grace of the sun, warm, gentle, soft, shimmering like a steady sea. His heart seemed to race harder in his heart, while he felt dizzy, giddy, full of a childish glee at the softness of her hair, the frame of her whole.

She shivered again, moaned, breath sharp and short, savoring the warm feelings of his fingers gently brushing her scalp, letting go of every thing, every threads she had clung to when he was gone; every fears that he would die, every concerns that had nibbled at her for so long. She let go completely under his expert hands; let go and drifted in perfect delight that at last her husband had returned.

He let strands hang loose on top of her mane and a few others near her ears. She gave a sharp breath as his hands left her scalp followed by a spasm across the whole of her body.

Sithric released this breath he had been holding, marveled at his work, marveled at her, slowly turning to face him, eyes brown, hair brown, chestnut and fertile land. She frowned at his frozen face.

“What is it? Do I look bad?”

He shook his head, closed his mouth and gave a smile. “No. You are perfect.”

“Can you show me?”

“I have no mirror.” in his mouth it sounded like an apology.

She crawled upon him. “Describe it, then.”

His eyes sparkled, one shimmering sea, the other one burning embers. “You look like – You look like- You look like a Dane.” he gently brushed her cheek. “Fierce. Unforgiving. Beautiful. Freya incarnate.” he chuckled. “It suits you.” he tucked a wild lock of hair behind her ear. “You are enthralling.”

She frowned. “I won't be able to walk the streets looking like this heathen goddess of yours.”

He shrugged. “You can wear a cross – as big as a man.” he turned her around so that she lay on her back. “And even so, I will not leave your side until you are back in Coccham where Hild can defend you. The abbess is a force to be reckoned with. As for now, anyone who tries to do you ill will not live to see any more winter.”

“You wouldn't!”

He shrugged. “I could. But I won't. I care too much about our peace here to do that and it would do Uhtred ill. I couldn't bear seeing him banished twice; not on my account that is.”

“You care about him.”

“I do. He gave me a place when he should have killed me.” he chuckled. “A chance my mother gave me one of her eyes so that her fucker won't claim me whole. Uhtred might have confused us both otherwise.” his chuckle grew sour.

“I am grateful she did.” She brushed off some strands of hair that stuck to his skin and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “I have missed you. My life wouldn't be half the bliss it is without you in it.”

“What did I do to deserve such a beautiful, such a perfect wife?” His smile beamed.

“I have a thing for idiots that looks like wet weasels who happens to be Danes.”

“Half Dane.”

“Half Dane.” she rubbed her nose around his grazing his lips with hers, tempting him with a kiss.

He fiddled with the necklace hanging from her neck, drew her to him just as gently as he loved her, and she leaned to his face, to his mouth, smiled a warm smile and gazed, lost for a moment in his eyes; his eyes, so alive, warm, welcoming, entrancing lit by the dim light of a late afternoon. He went agape as a ray swarmed the room, making her wild hairdo glow fallow, her eyes turn pools of honey, her skin grow as warm as summer. He gave a soft chuckle, barely audible and brushed her lips with his thumb, slowly, gently, a feather against her skin.

“I missed you.” he murmured.

Her lips grazed his. “I know.”

“I love you.” he rose an eyebrow.

She chuckled. “I know.”

“What else do you know?” his voice was soft, almost inaudible.

“This.”

She dipped to him, kissed him, claimed his lips, brushing his growing beard with her hands, combing his hair, entangling them, kissing him again and again, losing herself in his scent, in his moans and groans, in his sighs, in his face; losing herself completely to the soft magic of the moment. He came back; he was there; he was warm. It felt as though everything was revived now, her former life, her marriage, love, hope. He was here now and it was all that mattered – that and his promise to take her back to Coccham as soon as possible. He was back and she kissed him harder as his hands went on her waist, clasping her, drawing her firmer against him, roaming her thighs, her ass, everything he had not claimed yet.

She felt him hard against her and drew back. “Listen now, I just washed scum from my body, I won't let you make me wash again. I have had enough for today.” her voice had a scared edge to it.

Sithric closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand.” he sat back. “Does that mean you must stop kissing me?”

She giggled. “No.”

He nodded. “Good.”

He turned her around and resumed his kisses, the soft ones, the passionate ones, the sultry ones. She laughed and giggled as his hands roamed every single part of her, brushed her scalp or her ass, moaning, sighing whenever he made her do so. He kissed her for so long her lips grew sore, but not long enough for her to be bored of his presence. She needed more. She needed him, his calm, his foolishness; she needed him and the laugh he brought her.

“I can't wait to get back to Coccham.” he breathed as he shifted on his back.

“Oh yes?”

“Yes.” he kissed her again. “I want a daughter.”

“A sweet little daughter.” she tapped the tip of his nose. “Once we are both back in Coccham, we shall see – Once we are home, we shall see.”

“Eahlswith?”

“Sithric?” she mock-shook her head.

“Is it weird?”

“What?”

“That being in your arms feels like home.”

She chuckled, tears rushing to her eyes. She chuckled and shook her head, placing a tender kiss on his lips as his hand rested on her cheek. “No.” she shook her head. “No that is not weird.”

He gazed at her for a moment, wiping off the tears that pearled in the corner of her eyes and kissed her in return.

“Good. I am back then. I have come back home.” he kissed her forehead. “Where I belong.”

She gave a moved laugh. “Welcome home.”

Then, she embraced him.

[morosemagick]

Me and @solinarimoon boutta taggg all our Cynlaef stuff as Cynlaef Sihtricsson and we cannot be stopped