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solinarimoon · 2 years ago

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On Raven's Wings - Chapter 7

AN: I apologize for such a long absence in updates for this story. I have not abandoned it! Thank you to anyone who is sticking with it.

Warnings: canon-compliant character death, death by fire, amnesia, loads of pent up angst and regret

Word Count: 3.543

Raven’s Masterlist

My Full Masterlist

AO3 if you prefer

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Jerking awake, Liva coughed and covered her nose with her tiny hands. She sat up, continuing to cough and peering over the edge of the loft where she slept. Terror and panic welled up in her stomach and gripped her chest as she cried out. Flames were licking the edges of the long house and sparks rained down from the thatched roof overhead. Smoke was collecting near her, drifting up to the ceiling. Crawling back, Liva cowered against the wall and covered her head with her arms.

“Rag…” she coughed, the smoke burning her throat, “Ragnar! Sigrid!”

“Liva!” She heard Thyra shout followed by a bellow of rage from her grandfather amidst the roar of the fire growing more and more steadily. She looked back over the loft to see them all.

Liva’s hoarse voice cried out again, breaking with a sob for her grandfather. Turning to look up at her, Ragnar stalked over raising his arms.

“Jump to me, child.”

She grabbed up her nightdress around her legs and shifted to the balls of her feet, still kneeling. She coughed harder now. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, streaking through her smoke stained cheeks. Getting her balance, she pushed herself off the ledge into nothingness only to be snatched from the air roughly and firmly a mere moment later. Ragnar crushed her to his chest, brushing his hands through her hair swiftly and resting his forehead against Liva’s own as he settled her bare feet to the floor. The tender moment lasted no longer than a second, before he bodily swung the young girl into the waiting arms of her aunt.

“What do we do?” Thyra pleaded for a solution. “Mother, what can we do?”

Coughing more, Liva buried her face in Thyra’s arms as the young woman looked to her mother. Thyra’s fingers dug into Liva’s shoulders as she hugged the girl from behind, enveloping her and trying to shield her from the panic.

Sigrid looked from her daughter to share a meaningful stare with Ragnar. Stepping forward, she hugged the two girls close while shouting over the sound of the timbers burning and beginning to crash.

“There is a weak spot in the wall, just behind the loom and furs. Air drafts in from the cracks while we sit and weave. Do you remember?”

Thyra nodded her head and gripped Liva impossibly closer. Liva knew of the spot her grandmother spoke of. Often she had fallen asleep laying at her grandmother’s feet, listening to her stories as she wove the yarn Liva and Thyra spent all year spinning. She wove cloth and Liva liked to imagine she wove her stories into the fabric as well. The sound of the weights tethered to the dangling strands shifting along with her fingers as she wove always matched evenly with the cadence of Sigrid’s stories. And the draft from the winds slipping through the cracks in the wall brushed along Liva’s face as she rested.

It was this corner of the home that her grandmother spoke of now.

“It is weak from rot and age and would not burn well. It will give way if forced upon. If the flames have not found it, you can shove against it and make a way out. Go, Thyra. Take Liva and go.”

Ragnar’s voice broke through as he gripped his daughter’s arm in farewell, “Find Uhtred and Brida. Once you are out, run to the woods and find them.”

In the next instant, Liva was on her knees, crouched next to Thyra and pressing herself against the rotted logs in the wall. They were soft and shifted under the weight of their thrusts. With Thyra shoving with all her weight against the logs, Liva scrambled and scratched, digging at the earth beneath the wood. She cried out and covered her head with her hands when a loud crash of a fallen beam landed behind them followed by a whoosh of flames rippling closer.

Thyra shifted herself back from her knees to her bottom and kicked out viciously at the wood. It began to splinter more and soon a hole large enough for them each to squeeze through took shape.

“I’ll go first and you follow,” Thyra gripped Liva’s hands, wiping away the girl's tears and smudging the soot on her cheeks.

She turned and shifted herself, crawling and wriggling to squeeze through the hole. Liva waited tensely, little cries of worry slipping past her lips.

As soon as Thyra was through, Liva crawled forward, slipping her head through the wood and peering around. She saw Thyra standing only two paces away, peering around a corner, looking for any unwanted attention.

Liva’s younger and smaller frame didn’t have nearly as tight fit getting through the hole. But as she scrambled through and cleared the wall, she heard Thyra cry out. Shakily, Liva stood up and watched two men round the corner and grab at Thyra. They looked enormous. Dark and terrifying, silhouetted by the flames of her family's home.

Liva froze in panic. A raging, bellowing sound rang out from the front of the longhouse. Ragnar the fearless was going to Valhalla. Time seemed to stop. Liva was aware of Thyra struggling against the grasping hands of the two men. She was aware of another crash as the roof of their home continued to collapse. She could hear shrieks and cries and shouts all garbled together one over the other.

And then she was running. Straight into the forest. Her bare feet pounding against the undergrowth and her arms pumping at her sides. She was vaguely aware of someone pursuing her. A danger that was tracking her down.

She had never run so hard in her short life. There was a burning in her lungs from the smoke and the ash. There was a burning in her legs from fleeing through the woods in the cold. And a burning in her mind at the terror and confusion waging war on her young psyche.

In a matter of mere minutes, she had awoken to chaos and lost all she held dear in her world. And now she was running for her life. She knew to head towards the hills in the forest to the West. That way led towards the blacksmith’s charcoal fire. It led to Uhtred. But which way was West?

Chancing a glance over her shoulder, Liva gasped hard seeing her pursuer looming in the distance. His legs were longer but hers was a child’s stamina and she fled for her life. Liva turned back and continued running, clambering up a steep hill to her right.

Up.

Up towards the hills.

When she reached the top, she turned sharply back again crouching and looking for any sign of the man. Her breath came in quick, shallow rasps. She quickly wiped sweat and soot and tears from her eyes, trying to clear her blurred vision. Smoke from the burning hall was melting amongst the trees and shrubs of the forest. Giving her a final shelter and hiding her path from the man.

She thought she could hear him crashing around and fading away, but she was too scared to risk moving to look. Minutes passed. Only a few brief minutes, but Liva stifled her coughs and tears until she could hold them at bay no longer. Choking on the smoke and the grief, the child stood and looked to the sunrise. A sun rising over the still flaming remains of the hall of Ragnar. Sobbing, Liva stepped back. A sudden and intense need to flee gripping her.

Continue West. Uhtred and Brida will have seen the smoke. They must have heard the screams. She knew she must find them. Stepping back again and shifting to turn, the leaves under her toes slid and gave way. She fell, tumbling a short ways before something hard smacked her head and then the smoke filled her vision until all she saw was black.

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Hiding a shaky breath by sipping her wine, Liva paused and looked up at the faces of those surrounding the table. She found the words had come easily once she had started. Keeping her eyes down, staring unfocused at the wood of the table, the events of that night had tumbled from her lips. A story that wanted…that needed to be told.

But she knew these next words, the questions left unanswered would not come so easily.

“That is terrible, Liva.”

It was Osferth who spoke first. Liva gave a short nod in agreement at the simple truth from the gentle and comforting presence of the warrior monk at her side.

Hild found her voice next, also offering support and condolence.

“It is a miracle you survived such a horror.” Liva looked up to see a genuine concern radiating from her.

A large, calloused hand reached out to grasp her own. Uhtred squeezed her hand tightly, but she could not meet his eye. She could not face whatever thoughts would show on his face.

Liva’s chest had begun to tighten and she was fighting back a large lump growing in her throat, when Finan spoke up from the other end of the table.

Clearing his throat, the Irsihman asked what Liva felt sure they all wished to know.

“So what happened to you after?”

Liva found herself staring at Finan and unable to answer his question. The silence around the table grew.

“You hit your head. What happened after? When you woke up?” he clarified, trying to guide a response from her. Trying to get her to answer the question at the front of everyone’s mind. For the briefest moment, Liva’s focus shifted beyond Finan.

Sihtric sat, arms folded across himself with tense shoulders and his jaw firmly set. His stare did not move from his plate.

Liva opened her mouth to speak but found her throat constricted and dry. She took a sip of her wine, lowering her eyes and fixing her gaze on her own hand fidgeting with the rim of her goblet.

“I do not think you will accept my answers,” she replied, finding a strength and steadiness to her voice that surprised her.

Uhtred still said nothing. Only squeezed her hand again. She still could not look at him.

It was Hild who reassured her.

“We may surprise you, Liva.”

Live chanced a glance up to meet Hild’s face. She saw nothing but genuine concern. Another slow breath and then she continued, haltingly. Her words unsteady and unsure.

“My truth is that I do not know what happened to me. I only know that the next I remember…my next solid memory is standing at the edge of a field. A man with a bow kneeling in front of me, asking me what happened. It was Gallen. And he and his wife took me in and raised me. Everything else in between…”

She shrugged her shoulders. Lifting her face to meet Finan’s face and then HIld’s she let her silence grow.

“So you remember nothing,” Finan questioned her, not unkindly but with a clear skepticism at her confession. “Nothing from the time you knocked your head to when someone found you?”

Liva nodded, “I remember nothing of meaning. Or nothing that makes sense anyway. The memories,” she paused, worrying at her lip, “they’re like ghosts. Not truly there. When I try to remember them they fade away. Always at the edge of my sight and never full on. They are a child’s memories. Jumbled and confused. Lots of green leaves and trees and brush. And small hands covering my own. And,” she stopped shaking her head slightly and knotting her brow in concentration. She shook her head again, more firmly then continued, “I feel sure someone helped me in the forest. You can see the scar just below my hairline.”

Liva ran her fingers through the fine, flaxen strands that framed her face brushing them back to reveal a faint white mark. She fingered it gently and continued, “it would have bled a lot with how hard I must have hit it. It remained bruised and swollen for days and days. But when Gallen found me, my face was clean and a bandage was wrapped around my head.”

“Perhaps it was Hlin, the protectress guarding your life in the wood.”

Skade picked up her cup and leaned back from the table. The woman had listened quietly to Liva’s story, her face betraying no emotion. But now she continued, the fanatical craze growing in her eyes, “Or it may have been Vithar. Silence and Revenge. These are his domain.”

“I have never sought out revenge,” Liva sneered. Her words spoken as much to herself as to the woman across the table.

“Not looked for it, but would have taken it had the chance presented itself. No,” Skade smirked in agreement, “but something has stolen your memories from you. And why would your mind need those thoughts removed?”

Before Liva could bite back a remark across the table, Osferth’s soft voice pushed back against Skade’s musings.

“She was a child with a head wound. And some kind soul helped her.”

“Baby monk is right,” Finan interjected, quickly chancing a glance towards Uhtred at the head of the table. “It is often so in battle after someone gets a good, hard hit to the head. Things grow fuzzy.”

Hild spoke up in Liva’s defense next, offering Liva a warm smile, “And I think it matters little if a person can remember all the details from an event that is years since past and held so much pain already. What matters is that a sister who was lost is now found.”

Liva’s brow furrowed slightly although her mouth slid upward in a timid smile at the group’s easy defense of her story. Accepting her truth on its face. She had not anticipated such kindness. And even with the guarded reserve coming from Sihtric and the instigating remarks from Skade, Liva was glad to have spoken her story aloud.

“I am sorry, little bear.”

Uhtred’s words broke through her thoughts and his hand gripped hers tighter. He had remained quiet while she spoke. So his voice, quiet but firm at her side startled her.

She sensed there was more her brother wished to say, but his voice was not cooperating. She squeezed his hand in return and gave him a sad smile.

“Well since we are telling stories, Munnin,” Sihtric’s voice, quietly slinked from the end of the table, lilting and full of the weight of mead.

Finan scoffed and shifted back in his chair, putting a heavy hand on Sihtric’s shoulder and muttering under his breath, “Och, will ye no leave anything alone tonight, ye little shit.”

Quickly, Osferth stood to help as Finan muscled Sihtric out of his chair and began ushering him out of the hall. Uhtred, Hild, and Skade all watched on, each with varying looks of anger, shock, or enjoyment playing across their faces at the chaos that arose.

Liva quickly stood, her chair toppling backwards and clattering onto the ground. The calm and peace she had felt from giving voice to her story about the hall burning replaced instantly by the same sharp anger she had felt in the forest when she and Sihtric had both drawn their blades.

At the sound of her chair hitting the floor, Osferth’s had turned, his attention distracted, allowing her to step past him.

Stepping up to Sihtric, Liva planted her feet. Her hands were curled tightly into fists at her side and she clenched her teeth as she looked up to meet the Dane’s eyes.

Carefully, Finan tried to place himself between them, but with Sihtric staggering he only succeeded in placing an arm between the pair while supporting Sihtric and stopping Liva from stepping closer.

“Go on then, Kjartanson.”

If he was back to calling her that bloody raven then she would name him his father’s son. Her words struck their mark and she watched as Sihtric’s eyes that had been fogged over from drink snapped to red hot focus.

“Ask me your questions from the woods again. There is no knife at my throat this time,” she glowered, “I will give you answers.”

She was vaguely aware of Uhtred’s own chair crashing to the floor as he stood up at her remark. There was a scuffling and bodies shifting noisily and in an instant Osferth and Hild were between Uhtred as the man stalked towards the three.

Liva and Sihtric’s eyes bore into one another, laced with rage. Finan tried without success to maneuver between them or pull them apart.

“Ask me,” she shouted, while she felt Hild’s arms come around her waist and try to pull her away.

“Why weren’t you at Dunholm,” Sihtric bellowed back, forcing himself forward and out of Finan’s hold.

In an instant, his face was in hers. So close his forehead pushed back on hers for a moment.

“Bloodhair brought his people to Dunholm. We were there. And Ragnar was there. But little Liva, Little Munnin was nowhere to be seen.” His words were full of biting ferocity. Liva felt spittle fly from his lips. His rage fanned her own anger and the confession spilled from her lips just as furious tears ran down her cheeks.

“I was there!” She roared.

Sihtric’s face flashed from anger to shock and confusion. The shoving and disorder surrounding them faded at her words as they all registered what she had said.

Liva allowed the tears to continue to roll down her face as she choked out her next words.

“I was at Dunholm. I saw you,” she shoved him hard once in the chest and he took a step back into Finan’s arms.

“I saw all of you,” she turned and looked at the faces of the people around her.

“Then why not reveal yourself then, Liva? Why not…. To Ragnar?”

She could hear the confusion, a stunned pain in Uhtred’s questions.

She turned towards him, half lunging and half collapsing into Hild as she cried.

“Because I was a coward, Uhtred.”

Sobs choked her words.

“Because my father abandoned me long before our home was burned to ash. And because,” she looked past them all to see Skade standing on a chair to better see their quarrel. The woman grinned her self-satisfied grin, reveling in the chaos.

“Because I let the witch’s words worm their way into my mind. She gave me fear and doubt and it is why I lost any chance to ever speak to my father again. And it is why I am loath to see others heed any vile lies that spill from her lips.”

Liva pushed herself away from Hild. The abbess had held her and steadied her since gaining her side. But now, Liva wrestled herself away and gave no moment’s pause before letting her anger move her forward.

Snatching a dagger from Finan’s hip, Liva rushed at Skade. She swung the blade high, aiming for anywhere she could strike.

Warrior reflexes on high alert, Uhtred was on her in an instant. His arm wound around her waist, while his other grabbed her wrist, forcing her to drop the blade.

It all was over in mere moments. Liva slumped against Uhtred’s chest and grasped to hold onto his arms as he enveloped her from behind.

The only sound came from the logs burning in the hearth and their own heavy breaths while they all processed the last several minutes.

Tears still flowed down Liva’s face, unchecked. When she looked up, it was Sihtric’s face, his eyes on her that she could not turn away from.

His brow was ridged in bewilderment and uncertainty. And his eyes looked on her more softly.

A chuckle from Skade to their backs broke the quiet. She stepped down from her chair and wound herself around to Uhtred’s side, placing her hand atop Liva’s own. Liva’s rage had quelled but she felt the anger burn bright again at the feel of Skade’s hand on her skin.

“Though you say you do not seek out revenge, Liva Ragnarsdottir, does not mean you will not avenge when opportunity strikes. Perhaps avenging Ragnar is the path the Gods have laid at your feet. Whether you seek it or not.”

Liva could not stay to hear any more of Skade’s lies. She wanted to argue with her. Strike out at her again. Scream and cry and tell her and everyone else in the room that she did not care what path the gods set before her.

She wanted to tell them all how she had watched them from the rafters of the roof at Dunholm as they sat together and schemed. She wanted to yell that she had instead turned her back and ran. That she was a coward.

Instead, she twisted herself away from her brother and stalked past everyone’s staring eyes. She flung open the door to the hall and as she walked away, she heard the sound of more scuffling along with HIld and Osferth pleading with Uhtred. There was a sound of flesh hitting flesh and a body dropping to the ground with a grunt.

She did not turn around to see who had been hit.

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solinarimoon · 2 years ago

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Well I loved this! It hits in so many things I love about Sihtric and what I write about him too! That soft and observant and protective side! I didn’t think it was OOC but just the more hidden and close parts of his character!

I loved all of the details and sweet conversations. Looking forward to more of your writing!

+ · 。~ they don’t know about us

pairing: sihtric x f! reader | genre: secret relationship, fluff, tiny bit of angst? | warnings: blood, cursing, just the normal tlk warnings, kissing, kinda suggestive at one point? (Idk) | wc: 15k+ |

synopsis: “they can’t know about us” a look into sihtric and uhtred’s sister, secret relationship and how they started and how they are now.

note: this fic was me getting back into writing, so that’s my excuse if this is terrible. I had an idea for it, and it went a whole different way and turned out longer than it was supposed to be. I do hope you enjoy it <3 My requests are open!

thank you @dailytlk for letting me use the the lovely gifs <3

You couldn't remember or pinpoint a certain moment when you realized you had feelings for him. Maybe it was when you started noticing that your eyes would always try to find him, or the tension filled eye contact that would leave you breathless. Or the way your cheeks would burn red when he would offer to braid your hair for you.

Sihtric was so charming. The small things he would do for you, the way he would step closer to you if he sensed danger, or the way he would always have you sit closest to the fire so you would be warmer.

He wasn't always like that though, he used to be distant, awkward. And he would try to not be alone with you, even though that's all he wanted. You couldn't blame him though, the first few days of knowing each other weren't the best for a first impression.

From him being with the group of danes that tried to kill you and your brother, to him being your brother's prisoner, then being one of your brothers' men. It was all too confusing and happened too fast. So, you didn't blame him when Sihtric kept his distance and avoided you.

You wouldn't admit it aloud, but it did hurt a little. When he did avoid you. You had seen him become close with Clapa, and even Hild. You weren't mean or sent him dirty looks like Halig did, so you wondered why he didn't try with you. He wasn't rude to you or anything, he just seemed to have no interest in you. And that hurt.

But you were totally wrong. He did have interest in you; maybe a little too much because he would catch his eyes following after you and it also didn't help that you seemed to fill up his thoughts and it made him nervous, he barely knew you. So why did he think of you so much?

Was it because he felt guilty for what he had done? Or was it something more? Whatever the reason was…He didn't know it.

He very much had interest in you, but he just didn't know where the two of you stood. Hild was nice and was quick to forget and forgive what happened. Clapa was easy going and called him tiny dane. Halig didn't like him, and he knew it, Halig made it obvious, and he was okay with that because at least he knew where he stood with them. But with you, he knew nothing.

You had no idea of his conflicting thoughts, you just assumed that he didn't like you. And he assumed that you wanted nothing to do with him after what he's done. God you both were so wrong.

The two of you walked on unknown ground around each other for the first days of knowing each other. You wanted to talk to him, but you didn't have near enough courage to do so and Sihtric was avoiding you to the best of his ability. And he was doing a great job until Halig told you and him to go back and warn Uhtred about the brothers, Sigefrid and Erik.

That was the first time the two of you talked. It was a few words, but it still left a long-lasting impression. You could remember it, like it was yesterday.

The two of you were quietly but quickly walking towards the camp you were staying at. Sihtric was focused on making sure the two of you aren't being followed and you were focused on the…the trees? Okay you weren't focused on anything; you were in fact internally panicking because the two of you were alone.

You had to stop yourself from glancing at him after the third time you tilted your head to look at him. You weren't the most discreet person, and you were afraid that he would notice if you didnt stop. You were walking side by side with some distance between you, but not too much distance. Sihtric wanted to be close to you if something had happened.

“I hope you don't feel offended by Halig’s words, he's normally not like that” you say quietly but loud enough for him to hear you. You tilted your head to look at him before quickly facing forward to watch in front of you.

“It's no problem My lady, I find it amusing” He replies as he looks away from the trees, he was watching to give you a polite smile. He was grateful that you broke the silence because he had no idea how he would have done it, in all honesty he probably wouldn't have.

“Oh i..i'm not a Lady" you say with a shy smile as you stumble over your words. You have been called a lady many times. But it felt different when he said it, it just rolled from his tongue so nicely and you couldn't help but feel flustered at the way he said, ‘My lady’.

“Your brother is a lord is he not” he states smoothly, with a cheeky grin.

You didn't respond to that. Instead, you looked ahead of you, a blush on your face. A blush that Sihtric was quick to notice. He couldn't help but feel proud that he could make you feel flustered so easily. Maybe now he had a small idea on where the two of you stand.

The rest of the walk was silent, not one minute of it being awkward.

The next few days the two of you didn't get a chance to talk much. He was too busy doing things for your brother and you were almost always at your brother's side. So that didn't leave much time for you to talk. And you wouldn't dare talk to Sihtric in front of your brother, he was way too protective and would assume things.

So that left you two to have longing stares, shy smiles. Well shy smiles on your part and cheeky grins on his. His stares would leave you flustered, something that Lady Gisela was quick to notice and quick to tease you about.

The next time the two of you talked was one of the worst days of your life. You were filled with fear and your hands were shaking, But Sihtric was there to help you. He was always there for you.

You were sleeping peacefully in the surprisingly comfortable bed in the inn you were staying in, In Eoferwic. You were tired from the long day you had yesterday, so you fell asleep almost immediately when you layed down.

You woke up in a jolt at the sound of loud footsteps, shouting and the sound of someone being dragged. You quickly toss the sheets off and grab your sword from the nightstand before rushing out of your room, out of the inn and into the streets of Eoferwic following the sound of shouting.

It led you to the front of Eoferwic and the sight in front of you made your heart drop in fear. It was your brother and Halig being pushed into a cage. Your grip on your sword tightens and you move to rush forward and help them, but you're pulled back by someone wrapping their arm around your waist and pulling you into their chest.

“Shh lady we can't help them if you're taken too” Sihtric whispers in your ear and at the sound of his voice you stop pushing against his arm and let him pull you back and out of sight. You wanted to go out there and help them, but Sihtric was right, you could only make it worse for them and yourself.

So, all you could do was lean back against his chest and watch your brother and Halig being sold away as slaves with tears in your eyes. When your brother started shouting that's when it broke you. You quickly turned around and hid your face in Sihtric’s chest as you let your tears fall freely. Your tears falling faster when you felt Sihtric hold you tighter and start whispering that it would be okay in your ear.

You stand in the streets for a few more moments before Sihtric pulls you away and into your room in the inn. You just let him pull you away, not fighting against it. When you get into your room you step away and wipe at your tears, embarrassed to have cried in front of him. Sihtric locks the door behind him, and you grab the chair from the small table and shove it under the door handle for extra protection.

You stood there in shock for a few moments, trying to process everything that just happened. Your thoughts raced a mile a minute, your heart started to feel heavy, and your tears came back. You were scared. Sihtric was quick to pick on the terrified expression on your face.

“Please dont panic y/n, you need to calm down” he says softly as he brings you back into his arms. You froze at first but then let yourself relax in his arms, resting your head on his shoulder. The both of you stood there for a few minutes, you calm down you're breathing and him rubbing your back.

As much as you wanted to stay in his arms you couldn't. You quickly pull away and turn your back to him as you grab your leather bag, stuffing all of your things that were around the room in it, in fast movements.

“We can't stay here Sihtric, we could be next” you tell him in rushed words, your voice cracking in the beginning from crying. Your hands were shaking as you tried to stuff one of your shirts in your bag and Sihtric noticed. He moved closer to you and pulled your hands into his, making you turn to look at him.

“We have to be smart about this y/n” he says softly but still sternly as he rubbed his thumbs over the top of your shaking hands. His hands were warm, and rough but smooth at the same time. Was that even possible? You could feel the veins on his hands, and you were sure that it would bring a blush to your cheeks if they weren't already red from your tears.

Your eyes slowly look away from his hands as they travel up to his strong forearms and to his necklace of thor's hammer. Your eyes lingered on the hammer for a few moments before they drifted up, where you locked eyes with his beautiful brown eyes.

You wanted to look away, telling yourself that it wasn't the time to be getting lost in his enchanting eyes. But you couldn't seem to look away, And neither could he. Sadly, the tension filled eye contact was broken by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

You immediately step away from the door and reach for your sword that was on the unmade bed. Sihtric quickly pulls out his ax, glancing at you before stepping closer to the door.

“It's Hild” A voice says from the other side of the door, and you immediately recognize the voice. You urgently move from behind Sihtric’s protective stance and pull the chair from under the door, your now still hands unlocking the door before throwing it open.

You let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Hild in front of you, quickly pulling her into the room; that felt hot from the actions moments before, before shutting and locking it behind her.

She had immediately brought you in her arms and explained to you what had happened and what to do next. She was going to ride to Winchester, To King Alfred hoping to get help to free your brother and Halig. And you…you were going to stay put.

You immediately refused saying that you should join her, that you couldn't stay. You feared what King Guthred would do to you too. You were shocked that she would ever suggest a thing, but what she said next shocked you even more. King Guthred said that you would still be safe here and have a room in the inn and that no harm would be brought to you. As long as you don't cause any trouble.

You of course refused. He was only saying that because he probably felt guilty for what he had done. How were you supposed to trust his words after all he had done? Hild tried to convince you more, but you didn't listen. But then Sihtric had to open up his pretty mouth ‘Its smart, we could get information from the inside.’

You and Sihtric ended up staying in Eoferwic.

The next time you saw hild was a week and half later when she rode back to Eoferwic, and she wasn't alone. She was joined by a few men, The King's warrior Steapa and your eldest brother. Ragnar Ragnarson.

You were standing next to sihtric, the two of you were in the small market looking at the tables that had random things on them. You didn't want to leave your room at the inn, you wanted to stay in, still fearful after what had happened. But Sihtric asked for you to come out of the room, he thought it would be good for you.

You were smiling at some of the necklaces that were on the table as you admired them and Sihtric was smiling at you, happy to see your smile again. He was about to offer to get you the flower pendant necklace you couldn't seem to take your eyes off, but stops when he hears the sounds of approaching horses.

You carefully set down the necklace and turn around to see who was coming, absentmindedly stepping closer to Sihtric who stood in front of you. You stepped closer to him so you could see who was coming, your hand softly gripping onto his forearm.

But you drop your hand from his arm in shock when you see who it was. It was Hild, Steapa and your big brother Ragnar. The sight of your big brother almost bringing tears to your eyes. You missed him so much and you didn't know you would see him again after hearing that he and Brida were prisoners to king Alfred.

Your eyes followed him as he continued riding out of your sight. You bring your hand up to grab Sihtrics arm as you pull him to follow you so you could get a better look at your brother. You were closer but made sure that you were still out of sight. You were so caught up with the sight of your brother you didn't notice Sihtric snatch an apple as he followed after you.

You wanted to step closer to get a better look of your brother but Sihtric softly pulled you back with a shake of the head. You frown but stay where you are, watching your brother's side profile with a sad smile, he looked healthy, not sickly like he was in the nightmares you had gotten.

“What are you doing?” You asked in a whisper when you noticed Sihtric stuffing the note that Lady Gisela had given the two of you to give to Hild, in the apple. Sihtric hands you the slice of apple he cut off and you take it while watching him with curiosity as you eat the slice.

“Well we can’t exactly walk up and give it to her, can we?” He says with a small smirk before turning around and waving over a young girl. You greet the young girl with a smile, watching as Sihtric bends down to her height and asks her to deliver the apple to Hild. The young girl nods with a smile and makes her way to give it to Hild.

“That was a smart idea” You compliment him, giving him a small smile before turning your head to look at your brother. Sihtric watches your side profile, he could tell how much you've missed your brother, how much you miss all of your siblings. When Hild got the apple she turned her head, where she saw the two of you, she gave you a small nod before looking forward.

Before you knew it the conversation was over and they were turning around on their horses and leaving, all you wanted to do was go and run to your brother, but you couldn't. You couldn't be seen with him. So you just watched them go with sad eyes, praying to the gods that they would find your brother and Halig and come back to get you soon but you knew it would be awhile until you see them again.

The first three months were hard. You were still suffering from the fact that your brother Uhtred was gone. You feared what was happening to him, your imagination ran wild and it tormented you in the night, causing you to have nightmares. Some nights you would wake up to the sound of your own cries or you would be woken up by Sihtric who heard you from the room over.

It got to the point where you were barely sleeping, you were scared from your nightmares and still scared that something was going to happen to you or Sihtric. The paranoia was the worst. Sihtric was worried for you so he tried to get you outside of the room as much as he could. But the stares of the village people and the paranoia you had made it less pleasant.

You were thankful for sihtric because even though the two of you still had your awkward moments and time filled was silence, he was still there for you. He was there to wake you up from your nightmares. He was there to sit next to you and try to comfort you the best he could as you cried for your family.

You were embarrassed at first, that he saw you in such a vulnerable position. You hated crying and you hated when someone saw you cry, hell you didn't even let your brothers see you cry. But with him it was different, he didn't make you feel silly or looked at you in pity. He was just simply there.

By the Fourth month Sihtric moved into your room. Your nightmares had gotten worse and Sihtric wanted to be close to you if anything happened, and it put your mind at ease a little. Knowing that you weren't alone. He claimed that he was fine with sleeping on your floor, he said that he's slept in worse conditions but it didn't make you feel better.

It was two weeks into him sleeping on your floor when you noticed that he also wasn't getting much sleep. You at first thought it was because of your nightmares, but it couldn't be that. You barely had them now that he was with you, his presence really helped. You then realized it was the floor. And after having a very awkward conversation that left the two of you with flushed cheeks, you decided it was best to just share the bed.

You remember how the first night was, it was very awkward.

You folded your arms over the blanket as you laid on your back, looking up at the ceiling. Hoping to find something to focus on instead of the fact that you're about to share a bed with Sihtric. The bed wasn't small, but it wasn't big. It would fit the two of you perfectly where you didn't have to worry about touching if you both stayed on your own side.

You looked away from the ceiling when you felt the bed dip and the covers move alerting you that Sihtric layed down. You had no idea if you should look at him or not, you didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable but you had a feeling he would feel that regardless.

You almost immediately felt the warmth of his body spread under the sheets. Your mind wandering to the thought of what it would feel like if he kept you warm during winter, his arms around you. You had to dig your nails in your palm to make you stop thinking about it before it went too far. You internally prayed that he wouldn't notice the flush on your face from your provocative thoughts. And if he did, you would just blame it on being warm.

You licked your suddenly dry lips and slowly tilted your head to the left to look at his side profile. Sihtric was also laying on his back, his arms also folded over the blanket, his eyes were closed and his face looked relaxed but you could tell from his tense posture he was everything but relaxed.

His hair was still braided; you have never seen him without it braided. Your eyes looked over his face, your eyes lingering on the scars on his face before looking down towards his neck tattoo. You didn't have a tattoo, when you were younger you witnessed your brother Ragnar getting one and you didn't like the sight at all. It was one of the few times you've seen your older brother shed a tear. You wondered if Sihtric cried when he got his. You liked Sihtrics tattoo, it looked good on him.

You brought your eyes back to his face only to lock eyes with his. Your eyes widen and you quickly look away from him and back to the ceiling, biting your lip in embarrassment because he caught you staring at him, well more like checking him out. The air suddenly seemed thicker in the room and you internally cursed at yourself for offering to share the bed. You waited for a few moments and Sihtric didn't say anything, and you were thankful because you didn't think you could form any proper words at the moment.

You turned to your left, laying on your side to lean over to the side table to blow out the candle with a soft blow. You decide not to return to laying on your back, you had hoped laying on your side would put some distance between the two of you. You move your hands under your cheek as you stare out into the dark room. The only sound you could hear was your own heartbeat and the occasional sound from outside.

“Goodnight Sihtric” you say quietly.

“Goodnight” His smooth voice broke the silence and seconds later you felt the bed move and the blankets shift letting you know that he also moved to lay on his side.

You quietly sighed and closed your eyes and before you knew it you were lulled to sleep. The first time in four months where you didn’t stress yourself to sleep in the fear of nightmares. Your mind was too occupied with thoughts of the man who laid on the other side of the bed to think of anything else.

It went like that for Two more weeks, the awkward small talk before bed, the shy whispers saying goodnight. The third week was when your first woke up in his arms. You had rolled over in your sleep and nestled into his side.

You woke up first, well rested and warm. You didn't notice at first until you tried to move; your eyes still closed When his arms pulled you closer into his chest. Your legs were entangled and his arms were wrapped around you, and you were panicking. You quietly and carefully freed yourself from his embrace before getting ready. Sihtric woke up confused, he always woke up first. He noticed your shy behavior during the day but didn't say anything.

It happened a lot more during the rest of the month; you waking up in his arms. Sihtric never brought it up though so you wondered if he even noticed. But he did notice and he didn't want to bring it up, he didn't want you to feel bad or uncomfortable. Because he…he liked it. He didn't like physical touch unless he was the one who initiated it. But with you it was different. He felt warm, comfortable, and safe.

It was just something that stayed not talked about. Neither of you seemed to mind it.

The fifth month was when you noticed that you indeed had feelings for Sihtric. Your small talk before bed became long talks of memories or just random things you've never told anyone. His kind actions and words felt different to you, the eye contact the two of you shared felt so much more intense. All awkwardness was gone, you could tell that the two of you were a lot more comfortable around each other.

You were also in a much better mood, your nightmares rarely happened now. The weather was getting colder, it would be winter soon. You loved winter. The stares from people didn't happen as much, they had gotten used to you. One day you and Sihtric went outside the walls of Eoferwic and found a nice field that isn't too far. It wasn't much but it made you happy so Sihtric tried to take you out to that field as much as he could.

You noticed that sihtric was starting to act differently too, he seemed happier. He wasn't quite like he was months ago. The two of you could talk for hours and not seem to get bored. You even noticed yourself starting to miss him even though he was gone for a few hours. You had gotten attached to him and it scared you a little bit.

His presence itself made you happier, the small things he does for you that would make you feel all warm inside, the long talks that you wish could last forever. Your talks before bed were your favorite. The way Sihtric would look at you as you talked, gods it made your heart flutter.

You and Sihtric were laying in bed, both of you on your sides facing each other, you had your hands under your cheek and he was holding his head up on his palm. It was starting to get chilly as winter was approaching, so you had a fire lit in the fireplace, creating a warm and cozy setting.

“So he pushed him in the lake?” Sihtric laughs, as he listens to the story you were telling, trying to picture a young uhtred getting pushed in the lake. But for some reason he just couldn't, he just pictured the uhtred now giving him an intimidating look.

“Ragnar didn't like that uhtred bested him with a sword, so he grabbed him by the back of his tunic and tossed him in” you smiled and laughed quietly at the memory you had of your brothers. You were so much younger, innocent to the pain of losing your family. You wish you could feel that peace again.

Sihtric who was admiring your face noticed how that happy gleam in your eyes faded into sadness. Sihtric moved closer to you, your legs now almost touching. You blinked a few times, clearing your mind from your sad thoughts before looking back at Sihtric, holding your breath when you noticed how close he was.

“You will see your family soon my lady, don't lose hope” He said in a soft tone as he looked into your eyes. He wished he could say more to comfort you, but he didn't know what to say, he didn't know how it feels to miss a sibling, or anyone really.

You let out a shaky breath and offer him a small smile staring into his warm brown eyes, you've decided that his eyes were your favorite thing to look at. “I won't lose hope”

“Tell me more of your childhood” Sihtric says with a smile, he loved hearing the stories you would tell him about your childhood. You smile softly and start telling him about a memory you had with your sister. Sihtric can't help but admire you as you speak fondly of your family.

You stop talking when you notice the look on Sihtric’s face, he was looking at you but he wasn't listening. You couldn't help but feel flustered under his longing gaze. He hadn't noticed the way you noticed him looking at you yet.

“Sihtric, you're not even listening to me” You laugh, leaning towards him absentmindedly. Sihtric blinks a few times trying to clear his mind from his thoughts, before looking back at you. He just now seemed to notice how close the two of you were and he couldn't help but feel flustered himself.

“Yes i am Lady, you were talking about your first horse that Ragnar got for you” He lies with a grin. He knew for a fact that you told that story last night, he just wanted to tease you a little bit.

“I told you that last night” You gasp dramatically as you slap his shoulder playfully, giving him a fake glare. Sihtric laughs when he sees your expression, while others might seem intimidated by your glare he wasn't, he thought it was adorable; which pissed you off of course.

The two of you spent the next few minutes in playful banter, Sihtric just saying things that he knew would annoy you just so he could see your reaction to it. God he loved rilling you up, And you weren't blind to his jests so you just went along with it.

After your playful banter the two of you were lying in bed, enjoying the sound of silence and the sound of the crackling from the fire. You were laying on your back, your eyes closed. Sihtric was still laying on his side as he now admired your side profile.

Sihtric would often find himself overwhelmed with feelings when he thought or looked at you for too long. The feelings he felt for you he never have felt before, It was all new for him. It was confusing but he wasn't complaining…he just hoped you felt the same way.

It was the next night when he made the first move. The two of you were laying in bed, laying closer to each other than usual. The weather was getting colder and Sihtric was as warm as a fire. You were talking and Sihtric was trying to listen but he just couldn't help but to get distracted with his own thoughts as he looked at you.

He was so enchanted with his thoughts of you that he didn't notice how you stopped telling your story or how you leaned closer to him and asked if he was okay. You were a little worried because he seemed distracted and he had this look on his face you didn't recognize.

Sihtric didn't know what came over him, but when he heard you ask if he was okay as you looked up at him with worry in your eyes, he just couldn't stop himself from what happened next. No one has ever looked at him the way you did, or asked if he was okay.

He mumbles a breathy yes and before he could stop himself he was leaning down and capturing your lips with his. It would be an understatement if you said you weren't shocked. You didn't expect it all.

But as soon as you felt his warm lips on yours all those thoughts went away and all you could focus on was him and his lips. The kiss was hesitant and just as you were starting to feel his soft lips touching yours he was already pulling away.

You were slowly opening your eyes to look up at him, even though the kiss was a few seconds it left you breathless and wanting more. The two of you stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, neither of you saying something. His brown eyes looked into your eyes and he searched for a sign to know what you were feeling, But all he saw was an emotionless stare.

He was about to open his mouth to apologize but shuts up when he feels your warm hands softly grip his chin and pull him down and sealing your lips in a desperate kiss. He closes his eyes and kisses you back just as desperately.

Sihtric felt your hand move from his chin and to his nape, only pulling him closer as the kiss heats up. Your chest was warm and you could feel the tingle in your stomach when his hands started to explore your sides, his warm hands sneaking under your shirt and resting on your bare hip.

Sihtric slowly pulled away from your soft lips, his eyes still closed as he rested his forehead on yours. All Sihtric could feel was the blood rushing through his veins and the way your, now sweaty palms were on his nape and the way your warm skin felt under his hands. Sihtric wanted to open his mouth and talk about what just happened but he decided not to. He wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as he could, the feeling he felt at the moment he has never experienced before. And you could say the same.

You lean forward to lock your lips again in an eager kiss. Sihtric hums in surprise at the feeling of your lips on his again, but he was quick to explore your lips. The sound of surprise he made made you grin in the kiss and pull away to laugh. Sihtric smiles and opens his eyes to see you already looking at him. The way you looked at him with such love was the moment where he realized he reached a point of no return. It would never be the way it used to be.

It was the Sixth month when Sihtric officially asked you to be his and him yours. Ever since your first kiss the two of you couldn't leave each other's side. You were happy and didn't want to leave his side, you truly felt happiness with him and you did not want to lose it. Sihtric, gods all he wanted was to be by your side. You made him feel true happiness and gave him the love and attention he always desired for.

It wasn't until the night before he asked you to be his, was when he realized he never asked you. The two of you did coupley things already and you never brought it up to him that the two of you weren't really together. Sihtric could just continue with the way it was but he didn't want to, he wanted to ask you to be his. And he wanted it to be special, you deserved it. He wanted you to have that happiness.

So that night before he asked you, he stayed awake longer as he thought of ideas to ask you to be his. You were already sleeping in his arms, nestled into his side; your body warm all over from his body heat. Sihtric didn't get much sleep that night as he thought of ways to make it special, there wasn't much he could do with where the two of you were and every good idea, he had he would overthink and decide not to do it. That night he ended up tiring himself out with his thoughts and he soon fell asleep. Dreaming of the two of you in a flower field as you basked in the sun, smiles on your faces. That morning he woke up with a smile, he had the perfect idea.

It was one of the colder days so you decided to stay inside. Sihtric took that as his chance to finish his perfect plan. He kissed your forehead before leaving the room. He came back a few hours later.

You were standing at the small table and cutting some bread that you would use for dinner tonight. You were dressed comfortably, well as comfortable you can get. The room was nice and warm, the fire Sihtric lit before leaving was still burning and it created a nice atmosphere.

You were starting to get a little worried as you thought of Sihtric, he has been gone for a few hours and you were starting to let your paranoid thoughts get to you. Was he okay? It's freezing out, is he freezing? Is he hurt? Did someone hurt him?. Should I go find him?

Your paranoid thoughts stop when you hear the door to your room unlock. You turn around to see Sihtric walking in and closing the door behind him. He has one of his arms behind his back and you raise your eyebrow in suspicion. He was giving you a small smile, his fur coat had some snow on it and so did his shoes, you were too distracted wondering what was behind his back to get onto him about getting snow tracks in the room.

“What's behind your back?” You say straightforwardly, tilting your head to the side to get a better look when he steps closer to you. Only to pout when he moves so you won't see.

“It's a surprise,” Sihtric laughs and gives you a small smirk, knowing that you don't like surprises. His smirk turns to a smile when he sees your pout thinking of how cute you look.

“I hate surprises.”

“I know but i think you will like this one…now close your eyes” He says giving you a nod of reassurance not just for you but also for himself. Even though it was cold out his hands were a little sweaty from his nerves. He hopes you like it…and he hopes you say yes.

You give him a look of suspicion if it was anyone else telling you to do this you would tell them to fuck off. But it was Sihtric, and you trusted him. So you close your eyes and your hands move to your sides, nervously playing with the hem of your shirt.

Sihtric lets out a shaky breath, telling himself that it would be fine. He moves his hand to grab yours but stops and looks down at his sweaty hand before rubbing it on his pants with wide eyes, hoping to clean them off. He says some encouraging words in his head before softly grabbing your hand that was on your side; praying that you don't feel how shaky his hands are.

He takes his hand from behind his back and helps you hold onto what he got you. He whispers a gentle open and watches you nervously for your reaction. Your hand tightens on what you're holding and you open your eyes, looking down at what's in your hand. You feel yourself start to feel emotional at the sight, your eyes starting to water.

In your hand was a bouquet of your favorite flowers that grew in that field that Sihtric would take you too, but that wasn't all that was there. In the middle of the bouquet was a wood carving of a flower. It was beautiful and so detailed…you loved it.

Sihtric starts to get worried when he sees you start to tear up worried that he did something wrong but it was the opposite. You have never been given flowers before, you remember seeing your father give your mother flowers when you were younger, you would always smile when you see your mother get so happy. And now here you are receiving them yourself and you couldn't be happier.

“i'm sorry..i understand if you don't lik-”

“I love them” you cut him off.

“I love them Sihtric really, I've never been given flowers…and the carving, it's beautiful” You tell him with a smile on your face as you bring them up to your nose smelling them. Sihtric feels himself calm down from the nervousness and he gives you a genuine smile at your words, happy to be the first man to give you flowers…and hopefully the last.

“I wanted to ask you something”

“You can ask me anything, Sihtric...you know that” The smile you gave him almost made all his worries go away. You looked at him with such adoration that all he wanted to do was step closer to you and lock his lips to yours. Sihtric clears his throat and those thoughts from his head and looks into your eyes.

“Will…Will you be mine?” Sihtric breathed out with a nervous smile. You feel yourself hold your breath as you stare at him. He did all this…just to ask me to be his? You think with a big smile.

You softly set down the bouquet of flowers and the wood flower carving on the table before stepping closer to him and taking his hands in yours. You stare up at him, hoping that you could express all your love you had for him in your eyes.

“ Sihtric, i would love to be yours” You tell him with a grin. Sihtric feels all his worries go away. He breaks out in a huge grin and he wraps his arms around your waist, picking you up and twirling you around in glee. You pat his shoulder and tell him to put you down in between your laughter.

Sihtric lets you down and you don't get a chance to say anything because he's already holding your face and capturing your lips with a fiery kiss that makes you feel as if your legs will give out. You feel yourself getting lost in the kiss as it only gets more heated.

Sihtric eventually pulls away from you so the two of you could catch your breath from the intense kiss that left your lips tingling and knees weak. Sihtric who's still holding your face in his hands stares at you with a grin on his face. “You don't know how happy i am to hear that”

“I guess you will just have to show me then” you tease him as you bring your hands up to rest on his shoulders. Sihtric smirks at your response.

He slowly moves his hands from your face and down your back and to your hips and down to your bum lightly squeezing it. You gasp and slap his arm yelling his name in shock. Sihtric laughs and you soon join in his laughter before he leans down and captures your lips in another kiss. The two of you, feeling nothing but pure happiness and love.

It was the eighth month when you first said I love you aloud. You knew weeks before that you loved him, but you couldn't say it aloud yet, not until the night when the two of you were celebrating yule. There wasn't much that the two of you could do in the town of Eoferwic, but Sihtric tried to make it special for the two of you.

The two of you were sitting on the fur rug in front of the small fireplace, a half full jug of wine that Sihtric may or may have not stolen from King Guthred was on the floor next to the two of you, both of your empty cups next to it.

“Can I open my eyes now?” You ask impatiently, your hands covering your closed eyes. You didn't think it was needed, your hands. But Sihtric had a feeling you would try to peek as he got the gift he got for you. A few minutes earlier you had given Sihtric his gift that you had gotten him. He didn't expect you to give him anything because he's never gotten a gift before.

When Sihtric opened his gift you could tell that he had gotten a little emotional when he opened it, and that made you get a little emotional as well. Sihtric thanked you and gave you a kiss before telling you to close your eyes saying with a smile that it was your turn.

“Not yet” Sihtric says from the other side of the room, you pout and keep your eyes closed as you focus on the sounds. You could hear some things moving around, hinting that Sihtric hid your present very well. And that's what he did, he remembered you telling him a story about when you were a child you would stay up late and search your home for your present, even convincing uhtred into joining you…only to be caught by young ragnar and sent to bed.

“Sihtric, i don't like surprises”

“ You said that the last time, and look how that went” Sihtric teases you, he grabs the small present and makes his way back to you, sitting in front of you, his legs crossed as he looks at you with a small smile. “ You can open your eyes now”

You move your hands from your face and open your eyes, immediately making eye contact with Sihtric. He smiles at you and you look down at his outstretched hand that has a cloth in his hand, used to wrap the gift. You glance up at him before you grab it, he gives you an encouraging nod, and you carefully grab it from his hands.

You carefully unwrap the cloth to see a beautiful necklace, but not just any necklace. It's the flower pendant necklace you would find yourself looking for whenever you went to the small market, it was the necklace you fell in love with months and months ago. You never did find it though when you went back to the market 3 months ago, and this is why. He had gotten it for you.

“How?...How did you know?” You ask quietly, your eyes not leaving the necklace as you continue admiring it. It was such a beautiful necklace and the fact the Sihtric had gotten it made you fall in love with the necklace and him more.

“I noticed you looking at it a few times, So do you like it?” Sihtric smiles when he sees the way you were looking at it. He already knew the answer but he wanted to ask anyway.

“Like?...Sihtric i love it, Thank you” You expressed as you looked at him with a grin on your face. Something inside of you was telling you that tonight would be the night you told him that you loved him. The way he paid attention to you warmed your heart, he noticed things others wouldn't. He made you feel special.

“ I'm glad, here let me help you put it on” Sihtric stands up and moves to sit behind you on the rug. You smile and hand him the necklace before moving your hair to the side. Sihtric sits close to you and he leans even closer, his back was against your chest and you could feel his warm breath on your bare neck.

You feel your breath hitch and your body go still when you feel his warm hands on your nape as he puts it on for you. After he clasps the clasp he rests his warm hands on your shoulders, whispering a ‘there you go’. You tilt your head to look back at him, your face so close to his, you could feel his breath hitting your face.

You didn't get to finish saying thank you before Sihtric was leaning closer to you and capturing your lips with his in a gentle and tender kiss. You felt one of his hands travel up your neck and rest on your cheek as the kiss became more hungry. You could taste the wine on his tongue and you felt yourself wanting to taste it more.

The kiss ended abruptly when Sihtric pulled away from you breathlessly. Your eyes fluttered open as you looked at him in confusion, wondering why he ended the kiss so fast. Maybe it was because he needed some air from the intense kiss when you noticed him trying to catch his breath. To be fair you were also left breathless from the kiss, like always.

“I love you” Sihtric professed as he looked into your eyes, his touch on your cheek not wavering. Sihtric started to worry when all you did was look up at him, you didn't respond right away. He thought that maybe he said it too soon and that you didn't feel the same way but really you were too shocked to say anything.

“You do?” hesitation was in your voice, something that SIhtric was quick to pick up on.

“Y/n i've never loved someone the way i love you” He vowed to you, the sincerity in his voice was clear. You twisted your body so you would be facing him fully. Sihtric gives you a small smile, starting to get nervous. He was really putting himself on the line, he's never told someone he loved them like this. The only love he felt for someone was his mother.

Sihtric is brought out of his thoughts when he feels your soft warm hands move up to hold his face in your hands. You give him a grin and slowly pull him down, locking your lips in a sweet tender kiss, pouring all your love you had for him in it. You slowly pull away, resting your forehead on his. You flutter your eyes open only to see Sihtrics eyes still close as he breathes heavy from the kiss of his life.

“I love you to Sihtric, so much”

He opened his eyes to see you giving him a grin, a grin he couldn't help but mirror. Sihtric was afraid of rejection, but you would never reject him. And now he understood that. He whispers a ‘i love you so fucking much’ before attacking your lips with his in a hungry kiss. You didn't expect it but you were quick to kiss back.

Without separating from the kiss, Sihtric moves his hands down your body and to your crossed legs, he uncrosses them and pulls you forward, wrapping your legs around his waist. You let out a loud gasp from the quick movement, Sihtric smirks before kissing you again. One of his hands moving to hold the back of your head as he gently pushes you to your back laying on the rug, him laying between your legs, his forearm supporting his top weight from fully laying on you.

Sihtric, who was too focused on the fiery kiss and the taste of your lips, didn't notice the half full jug of wine that was too close to his foot. He only noticed when the sound of the jug hit the wood floor and the sound of wine spilling with a loud clang. Sihtric pulls away from the kiss and tilts his head to look behind him. You sigh and sit up leaning back against your elbows giving him a playful disappointed sigh. “Sihtric”

“Who cares i didn't pay for it.”

It's the first month of spring and the ninth month of you and Sihtric being alone in Eoferwic and you were starting to get a little inpatient, something Sihtric noticed right away. He wanted to keep you mind off of things, off your brother who was still not back. So, he would take you out on walks every day, you would visit the flower field as much as you could. He wanted to make sure you were calm and happy. And that brings us to the present.

You were sitting on the floor on the fur rug in front of the unlit fireplace. Sihtric was sitting behind you on a chair, his hands braiding your hair. Ever since you asked him to help you a few weeks ago he found himself offering to do it for you instead. Neither of you minded it, SIhtric liked helping you and you liked it because he was better at it than you…and you liked the way he played with your hair.

Just as he ties your hair off with a thin leather ribbon, your peaceful silence is interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps leading and stopping in front of the door. Your closed eyes open and you immediately look to your door. Sihtric stands up and grabs his ax from the table before walking closer to the door. “I'll open the door”

No one has ever come and bothered the two of you, so you were a little worried from the loud footsteps and the loud knocks. You get up from the floor and grab your sword that was on the table while sihtric hesitantly unlocks and opens the door. You take a small step closer, looking for a sign from sihtric.

“You're not my sister” a deep voice says from the other side of the door, a voice you instantly recognize. You drop your sword and rush to the opened door, softly pushing sihtric away from it to stand in front of your eldest brother. A huge grin spreads over your face when you see him and an almost identical grin on his face.

“Ragnar you don't know how happy i am to see you” You exclaim as you grab his arm to pull him inside of the room, not paying attention to the other person behind him. Ragnar laughs and pulls you into a tight hug, lifting you slightly off of your feet.

Sihtric looks back at the door and sees a tall brown haired woman, she looked very intimidating and cold when they made eye contact, she gave him a stiff nod before looking back at the reunited siblings, a small smile now decorating her face. Sihtric decided then that he would not want to get on her bad side, especially with the amount of daggers strapped to her.

Sihtric fights a smile when he sees you hug your brother. He knew how much you missed him, how much you missed all of your siblings. SIhtric felt as if he knew your siblings personally from all the stories you would tell him about them. He loved the sound of your voice or the way your eyes would brighten as you talked about your family. He hated the frown that would soon follow as you remember that you siblings are nowhere near you. All of them Living in their own hell.

You closed your eyes and let yourself relax in your big brother's arms, you knew you were safe in his embrace. An embrace you missed dearly. You missed him so much, having him here, holding you brought tears to your eyes. Even though you didn't want to get out of your eldest brother's arms you needed answers. So you hesitantly pull away from the hug.

“How did you find me here? Where's hild? Did you find uhtred?” You tremble in fear and worry, your questions coming out in a rushed tone. Your mind was running wild as you thought of every bad outcome that must have happened. You were scared.

“One question at a time little sister” he hushes you. He places his hand on your cheek when he notices you start to panic from your questions. His voice was stern but gentle enough, hoping to sooth you and calm you down from your dangerous thoughts.

“We asked the turd king,” Brida stated plainly answering the first question, She would have Ragnar answer the other questions. At the sound of her voice you look away from Ragnar, to see Brida standing behind him, next to the door. Ragnar lets go of you knowing that you would want to hug her. “Brida” you sputtered out in shock. Brida smiles and opens her arms for a hug.

“I missed you” You whisper to her, your hold on her not loosening. When you saw Ragnar all those months ago you were very worried that something happened to her because she wasn't with him. It was no secret she had a foul mouth and a temper so that just made you worry even more. You had fear that she would have said something to anger the king and have herself killed.

Brida chuckles warmly and holds you tight, not wanting to let go too. While you and Brida were still hugging, Ragnar looks away from the two girls and over to sihtric who was awkwardly standing there quietly watching the exchange. Ragnar looked over sihtric with suspicion in his eyes; he didn't know much about him, only that he was Kjartan’s bastard. Sihtric noticed Ragnar’s look and he felt a chill run down his spine. He felt extremely intimidated by your eldest brother.

“Come little sister, I have to show you something” Ragnar Grins, softly grabbing your arm after you pull away from your hug with Brida. While Ragnar pulled you to the door, Brida took the chance to look around the room, her eyes stopping on the bed. It was obvious that you and sihtric slept in it. Brida smirks and glances at sihtric who was watching you.

“ Wait you didn't answer my questions Ragnar” You gave him a confused look as he basically dragged you out of the room and out of the inn, Brida and sihtric following after the siblings. You were confused…and emotional and a little annoyed that ragnar didn't answer your questions but you still let him drag you outside. But you stopped dead in your tracks when you saw who was standing a few feet from you.

You don't let your mind process the sight before you were already running towards him. The tears were already rolling down your cheeks by the time you threw your arms around his neck. Uhtred hid a wince and despite the pain he felt he hugged you as tight as he could, he never wanted to let go of you again, his little sister.

“I missed you so much, never leave me again” you sniffed, your hold on him not loosening. Hild who was standing next to Uhtred smiles big at the sight, she was so happy to see you two reunite. Ragnar, Brida and sihtric stop a few steps behind you, wanting you and uhtred to have space.

“I missed you too sister” Uhtred said in a comforting tone as he rubbed your back hoping to help stop your tears. Uhtred gave you one more big squeeze before pulling away from the hug, he still kept you at arm's length though. He wanted you close.

“Halig?” You ask in a nervous tone as if you were afraid of the answer. When you didn't see him with your brother you had a feeling that he was no longer with us, you hoped your gut feeling was wrong. But seeing the sad look in your brother's eyes you knew you were right.

“Sister, this is Finan. He was with me and Halig '' He was quick to change the direction of the conversation, not wanting to talk about it more. A pinch of sadness at his heart when he said halig’s name, it was still too painful. You noticed so you didn't say anything else about it.

“It's nice to meet you, Finan, I'm glad to see you with us” You smiled brightly at the man.

“Thank you Lady Y/n, It's nice to meet you as well. Uhtred talked about you all the time” he said with an Irish accent. He gave you a kind smile back. You look back at your brother with a worried look, already thinking about all the embarrassing things he could have told him. Uhtred smirks and hild and Finan laugh at your expression.

“Don't worry lady, it was all good things” Finan laughs as he gives you a charming smile. You could already tell that he would make you laugh many times in the future.

“Good because I would have to kick your ass if it wasn't” You smirk at Uhtred trying to give him an intimidating look but you just make him laugh and cross his arms over his chest.

“You're only saying that because you know my body is weak” Uhtred teases you. You roll your eyes mumbling how that's not true, but everyone knew it was true. Uhtred looks behind you to give his older brother a happy smile, the three of you are reunited again, now you just have to get Thyra back. Uhtreds eyes stop at sihtric who was watching you closely but he quickly looked away from you when he felt eyes on him.

“SIhtric” Uhtred greets sihtric with a small smile. When hild told him that you were still in Eforwich with Sihtric he was worried, But Uhtred was thankful that he stayed here with you, kept you safe. He would have to thank him.

“Lord, it's good to see you well” He said truthfully. It put his mind and heart at ease seeing him standing well in front of them. You would worry so much about uhtred that sihtric couldn't help but worry as well. He was happy because now you would be less stressed and paranoid, now that your brothers are back to you.

You tilt your head to look back at sihtric, you can't stop the smile that spreads over your face at the sight of him. You have been waiting for this moment for so long, to finally be reunited with your brothers again. And you were so happy that sihtric was here to be with you as well, you wouldn't have survived all those months without him.

It was a few hours after your reunion with your brothers. It was already dark outside, and you were sitting between Uhtred and hild at a long table outside. You were enjoying some ale as you listened to everyone start talking about who should keep dunholme. Every so often you would find yourself looking at sihtric who sat at a table nearby, next to Clapa.

You had to stop yourself from smiling every time you locked eyes with him. Your brothers were very observant people so you had to be careful, you didn't want them to find out about you and sihtric…at least not yet. All you had to do was tell sihtric that, and you were dreading it. You hoped that he wouldn't take it the wrong way.

Sihtric noticed something was wrong when you avoided eye contact with him for the third time. He also noticed the small frown on your face, the same frown that would appear on your face whenever you would think about something too hard. The frown didn't last on your face long, you were quick to change it to a small smile, hoping that no one noticed. Especially your brothers, because all they would do is ask you questions.

You tried to pay attention to the conversation again but you stopped when aethelwold started talking. You hated the poor excuse of a man and you had no way near enough patience to listen to him talk. You were happy that your brothers and the others were back, but you had gotten used to your nights being just you and sihtric. You wanted to be curled up in bed with sihtric, or sitting at the table eating and telling each other stories.

You tried to pay attention to the conversations, you really did. But your thoughts were distracting you, something that ragnar noticed. He didn't say anything aloud though, he knew it must be a little overwhelming for you, he didn't know what happened over the months of you being here but he had a feeling it wasn't the easiest for you.

You looked up from your half full cup of ale at the sound of familiar laughter, your eyes immediately went to sihtric who was laughing at whatever Finan was talking about. SIhtric almost immediately notices your stare and he gives you a small smile before looking back at Finan. You looked back down at your cup to hide the way the corners of your lips twitch up to a smile. Even when he wasn't trying he could make you smile.

“Uhtred,” Finan said, getting Uhtred's attention. Finan tilts his head towards King Guthred who's walking towards them.

“Uhtred will you join me please” King Guthred asks with a nervous tone. The silence after his question was filled with tension. You could feel Uhtred tense up beside you and Ragnar was clenching his cup a little too tightly and everyone was looking back and forth from Uhtred to the king, Waiting for an answer.

“Please?” King Guthred asks with a shaky breath. You look at Uhtred to see him staring blankly at the king but when he feels your stare he turns to look at you. You give him a reassuring smile and he sighs but stands up. Squeezing your shoulder softly as he walked past you and towards King Guthred. Everyone's eyes watching the two of them.

Everyone was sitting in silence as they watched the two talk. You were anxiously watching them, you were scared that your brother would do something he wasn't supposed to. And of course just as you think it, he does it. Your eyes widen and you cover your mouth, stopping yourself from laughing when you see uhtred slap king Guthred. That must have been very humiliating for him.

“Uhtred! No!” Father Beocca shouts from behind you as he stands up. Oh no the father is mad.. You think to yourself. You were worried that any second guards would come and take your brother for putting hands on the king but none came, and they continued talking. But not for long because a few minutes later the king was walking away.

Ragnar nods his head at you silently telling you to come with him. You set your cup down and stand up, following Ragnar as he walks towards uhtred. You make eye contact with sihtric as you walk past him, he gives you a small smile and you return it before looking away and standing next to ragnar.

“What did he say?” Ragnar asks as he rests his hands on his hips. Both you and ragnar looked at uhtred, ragnar wanted an answer but you just wanted to make sure he was okay.

“He said Dunholm is yours, brother.” Uhtred says with a blank stare as he turns around to face you and ragnar. You were happy for your oldest brother but you couldn't help but feel worried for uhtred. Before you could voice your thoughts uhtred was already talking.

“Sihtric” Uhtred calls out and you look at him in confusion and watch as sihtric walks towards you, standing next to you. Close but not too close that your brothers would say anything about it. You really fought the urge to reach out and hold his hand, especially when you saw the nervous look on his face.

“Lord?” Sihtric nods his head politely as a greeting.

“You lied to me” Uhtred said emotionlessly as he stepped closer to sihtric. You felt your heart stop for a moment at your brother's words. Too many thoughts immediately going through your mind.

“Lord I-I would never-” Sihtric stuttered as he looked between the three of you, his eyes lingering on you the longest before he looked back at uhtred. You can tell he was slightly panicking. Hell you were also panicking, you had no idea what was going on or what to do.

“You told me dunholm has no weakness, yet last time i was there, I saw a door along the east wall, Access to a water spring” Uhtred informs the three of you. And you watched as the realization hit sihtric’s face. You felt yourself relax a little at what uhtred said, it wasn't too serious.

“Yes, Lord, But..You could never bring an army through it.” Sitric doubted as he stepped closer to uhtred. Uhtred smiles and brings his hand to sihtric’s cheek before resting it on his shoulder and smiling at ragnar.

“I would not be bringing an army,” Uhtred smirked. You glanced at Ragnar to see him smirking too. They had a plan and you trusted them that it was the right one. You looked at sihtric, he wasn't as tense as he was before. Ragnar laughs and throws his arm over Uhtred's shoulder, leading him back to the table as they start talking about a plan, leaving you and sihtric.

Sihtric lets out a shaky breath and he turns to fully face you. You give him a small smile and gently squeeze his hand as you walk away from him. Sihtric smiles and watches you walk away from him and back to your brothers and Brida. Fighting the urge to grab your hand and pull you back to him and kiss you.

You Didn't get a chance to talk to Sihtric until late that night. You were by your brother's side the whole night as they made a plan for taking dunholm, leaving the two of you to send each other small smiles when no one was looking. The longing stares you shared reminded you of the first few days when you guys met.

You had said goodnight to your brothers and Brida and you made your way to you and sihtric’s room, not before making eye contact with sihtric, hoping that he would get the message to join you. Sihtric picked up on the way you acted tonight, you didn't want anyone to know of you and him. Sihtric was smart and he waited a few minutes before he sneaked away from the others and joined you in your guys room.

You waited for sihtric’s presence as you packed the few things you had around the room into your satchel, being extra careful when you packed the flower carving. You turned your head to the door when you heard it opening. You see sihtric swiftly coming in and closing the door behind him, a tired smile on his face.

“Hey,” He quietly greeted you, he didn't stop his strides until he's in front of you and pulled you into a tight hug. His arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you as close to him as he can. You let yourself relax in the hug, closing your eyes and resting your head on his shoulder. Mumbling; “I missed you”

“I was close to you the whole night” He chuckled, you could feel the vibrations of his laugh on your chest. Sihric smiles and kisses your forehead before responded; “But i get what you mean, i missed you to”

You made sure that the two of you kept your distance throughout the night. It was difficult, the both of you were used to being so close. Sihtric had no idea why you kept your distance from him but he went along with it. You knew you had to give him an explanation…but you just didn't know how to say it.

“Sihtric”

“Yes?” He answered with a hum, his hold on you not wavering. He liked having you close to him, so close that he could feel your heartbeat against his chest. The sound of your beating heart comforted him.

“I…don't think we should let the others know about us” You hesitated at first but you knew it would be easier if you just spit it out and get the conversation over with.

“Oh” Sihtric whispered, if you weren't so close to him you were sure you wouldn't have heard it.

“Is there a reason why?” SIhtric asked calmly, trying to hide how upset he got over those 11 words. To anyone else they wouldn't have noticed the sadness in his tone, but it was different for you. You knew Sihtric better than anyone else. You felt your shoulder droop when you heard the sadness in his voice.

“My brothers are very protective…I don't think I'm ready for them to find out” You say truthfully. It was true, your brothers are very protective of you and you were worried that they would say or do something that would scare sihtric away. You know your brothers wouldn't do it in a malicious way, they would only do it thinking they are protecting you, but sometimes they can take it a little too far. You didn't want sihtric to go through that.

You pull away from the hug and bring your hands up to hold sihtric’s face. You could tell that he was upset and that was the last thing you wanted. You gave him a reassuring smile and looked into his brown eyes as your thumb softly rubbed against his cheek.

“Its not going to be for long sihtric, just until things cool down”

Sihtric understood where you were coming from. You had told him many stories about how protective your brothers would be over you, and he knew you were just doing it to protect him. But that didn't stop the negative thoughts from collecting in his mind. Sihtric cleared his throat and answered you, his tone emotionless.

“I should get my things; it would be suspicious if i slept with you tonight.”

You didn't get to talk to sihtric over the next 2 days. Those 2 days were spent planning to take Dunholm and the journey to Donholm, the whole time you were by your brothers and bridas side and sihtric was by clapa”s and finan”s side. You tried to talk to him with the few chances you had but sihtric was inconveniently always busy and doing things for your brother.

It was hard not being able to be by his side all the time, or being able to have those ridiculous conversations that would have you talking for hours. But by far the hardest thing was how lonely it was at night. You didn't like sleeping without sihtric by your side, he made you feel comfortable. He made you feel safe.

And with sihtric not sleeping next to you, you didn't get much sleep the past two nights. You tried to rest but your mind kept you up. Not only were you missing sihtric you were also worrying about the battle at Dunholm. You hoped that you hid your tiredness and worry well but there was one person who knew you better than anyone. And that was uhtred. With one look he could tell something was bothering you.

You were currently walking alongside your brother Uhtred, ahead of the others and the small army. Uhtred was leading the march because he knew the way for the plan and you decided to walk with him, you didn't want him to be alone and plus you missed him. Uhtred appreciated your presence dearly.

“What's on your mind sister?” Uhtred asked you, turning his head to glance at you before looking ahead. You look away from the grassy hill to look at your brother. .

“I’m just worried about what's going to happen at dunholm…It's been a while since we had a battle like this” It wasn't a lie, You were worried. But it wasn't the whole truth but you couldn't tell that to uhtred.

“We will be fine sister, stop worrying” Uhtred said in a reassuring tone. You just hum in acknowledgment and go back to looking at the view. You could feel stares on your back and you knew that one of them was sihtric. You were comforted by the fact that sihtric still had his eyes on you, making sure you were okay.

“Were you okay while I was gone?” Your brother asked as he looked at you with a worried look of his own. You thought it was funny how he was just telling you not to worry and here he is, worrying himself.

“I won't lie, it was hard at first, I was so scared and paranoid. But it got easier with time” You pondered aloud, Thinking of the struggles over the months he was gone. You felt a little guilty, your struggles were nowhere close to how your brother, Halig and Finan struggled.

“I'm glad sister, i would never forgive myself if something happened to you and i wasn't there to stop it”

“I am fine brother, Don't speak of such things” You give him a small smile and gently bump your shoulder into his, making sure it wasn't the injured one before doing so. Uhtred laughs and bumps his shoulder back into yours, a little harder than you expected, making you almost trip over.

Uhtred lets out a loud laugh and helps you stand straight, stopping you from falling. You give him a dramatic glare that only makes him laugh more. Your glare turns into a grin at the sound of your brother's laugh. You missed his laugh, his smile, his jokes. You soon joined him in laughter.

“And sihtric?” Uhtred asked you with a small smirk after the two of you calmed down from your laughter. Your neck almost snapped with how fast you turned your head to look at your brother. Why is he asking about sihtric? you think with a panicked thought.

“What about him?” You internally curse at yourself from how fast you respond, and the way your voice goes higher doesn't help. Uhtred hides his smirk and gives you an innocent smile.

“You guys were alone for many months, was it okay?…did anything happen?”

“Everything was okay, nothing…nothing really happened” you tell him with a nervous smile. Uhtred looks and your side profile when you turn to look away from him, he has a smirk on his face that you didn't notice. Uhtred just responds with a snicker.

The trek up the mountain to Dunholm was hard. It was even more difficult because of how dark it was. But it was nowhere near as hard as it was when you had to part from Ragnar and Brida. You knew that when you hugged them both that that could be the last time you hugged them or the last time that you would see them.

You tried to distract yourself from those negative thoughts. So you went over then plan in your head again, again and again as you ran up that mountain and hid in the bushes. Wait at the wall until they come for water, sneak into dunholm, kill Kjartan’s men, Kill Kjartan, Find your sister.

It was a very straightforward plan. A plan that you hoped worked.

You were by Hilds side as you crouched behind the bushes. On the other side of you was Sihtric, he was so close to you that you could reach out and hold his hand and no one would see, and that's what you did. You reached out and took his shaking hand in yours. Sihtric immediately turned his head to you when he felt your touch. You give him a small smile before focussing back on watching the men on the wall.

You felt his hands stop to shake and hold onto yours tighter. His hands were clammy but you didn't mind. You knew he was nervous, this couldn't have been easy for him. Coming back to this place, Knowing that everyone had the same goal. To kill His father. You knew that sihtric had little to none love for his father in his heart, But this still must be hard.

You look away from the men and to uhtred, waiting for his signal to run towards the wall. You saw the concentration and determination on your brother's face. Uhtred looked at you and hild and nodded; the signal. You give sihtric’s hand one more squeeze before letting go and quietly sprinting after hild and uhtred.

When you get to the wall you quickly put your back against it and let out the breath you were holding. The cold stone feels nice against your back and palms. You look across the grass and towards the bushes where the others were at. Your eyes looking at sihtric who's waiting for the right time to run towards you.

Sihtric nods towards Father Beocca before he stands up and starts sprinting towards us. You feel your body tense up in fear when sihtric trips over his own feet. You helplessly watch as sihtric looks up at the men on the wall in fear praying to himself that they wouldn't notice him. Thankfully they didn't. Sihtric quickly got to his feet and ran to the wall, taking the spot on your left.

You watch as the others run over as well, and you let yourself relax a little knowing that you weren't caught. The first step in the plan was almost a success. Now all you had to do was wait until the morning when they opened the small door to collect some water. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long of a wait.

Sihtric tilts his head to the side to look at you. Your eyes were closed as you leaned your head back against the stone wall, you were trying to calm down your nerves. The moon was reflecting against your face and you looked absolutely beautiful in Sihtrics eyes.

Sihtric brushed his fingers against yours before holding your hand. You opened your eyes and tilted you heard to look at at sihtric, locking eyes with him. You give him a faint smile and lace your fingers with his. Looking into his warm eyes you knew you would be just fine with him by your side.

Before you breached, dunholm uhtred told you, well more like demand you that you have to stay by his side or by the others side during the battle. You just responded with a roll of your eyes, you and uhtred both knew that you could protect yourself. But Uhtred just wanted you to be safe.

Despite the small annoyance you felt about Uhtred’s over protectiveness, you listened to him. So during the battle you were by Sihtrics' side. Fighting side by side, making sure that the other was okay. One second you were fighting against one of Kjartans men and the next you were standing next to Sihtric as a Square formed, For Ragnar and Kjartan.

You feel anger and disgust when you see Kjartan standing in front of your brother as he shouts for one of his men to give him a shield. Your Grip on your sword was starting to hurt but you didn't care. All you could focus on was The sound of shields and swords clashing and the sounds of shouts of the people around you.

It felt as if you were stuck in place as you watched the battle in front of you. You couldn't bring yourself to shout out like Brida or uhtred. You just stood there watching. Tears of anger forming in your eyes at the words Kjartan was saying about your sister and parents.

You move closer to sihtric and he wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to his chest, His eyes not leaving the fight in front of him. You flinch when Ragnar stabs his sword in Kjartans arm. Your jaw clenches when Kjartan yells for his sword. You watch with a blank stare as Ragnar swings his sword down at Kjartan.

You felt Sihtric flinch at every swing of Ragnars sword. You couldn't watch after the second swing and turn away and lay your head on Sihtric’s chest, trying to drown out the screams and the awful sound of ragnars sword meeting Kjartan’s body. One of your hands moving to sihtric’s back to rub up and down, hoping to comfort him in some way.

You squeeze your eyes shut and flinch when you hear ragnar's shout of anger. You couldn't bring yourself to turn around and see the sight, you wouldn't be able to handle that. You were feeling many things at that moment, happiness that your family has been avenged, disgust from the fight, tiredness from the battle. And most of all you felt sadness, sadness because Kjartan’s death did not make you feel any better.

You felt one word, Overwhelmed. After the brutal death of Kjartan your sister stepped out, surrounded by wolves. You wanted to cry at the sight of your sister and you did when she yells in agony and runs back inside, her wolves following after her. You look at your brothers, Uhtred has tears rolling down his face and Ragnar's face is covered in blood but you could still see the tears.

You tried to talk to your sister again but she just stayed silent as she looked away from you, her wolves staring you down. You left her alone, it was obvious she wasn't ready to talk to you and you would respect that even though all you wanted to do was bring your older sister in your arms.

But instead of being in your sister's arms you were in Sihtric’s arms. After trying to comfort your brothers and failing you decided to look around for sihtric, you knew he needed comfort as well after what he witnessed. But it was no surprise that you couldn't find him, You didn't know your way around dunholm.

So you were very thankful when Sihtric randomly appeared in front of you. You could tell by the look on his face that he needed to be with you, alone. You didn't question him when he took your hand and pulled you away from the eyes of others and up the stairs to an empty guard tower.

You didn't say anything either when sihtric locked the door behind him and pulled you down to sit on the stone floor, Both of you leaning back against the stone wall. You could hear the loud talking of the drunk men celebrating the victory. You stretch your legs out in front of you, bumping your foot against sihtric’s.

You wanted to say something but you didn't know what to say, So you just closed your mouth and rested your head on sihtric’s shoulder. There was a tense but comfortable feeling in the air, Sihtric knew you wanted to say something and that you were waiting for him to make the first move. So he took your hand in it and rested it on his lap.

“I dont think im ready to talk about it” Sihtric whispers but you hear him perfectly.

“That's okay, i'll be here when your ready”

“I'll always be here no matter what” You promised as you squeezed his hand, tilting your head to look at his side profile. Sihtric can't stop the smile from forming on his lips at your words. He tilts his head as well, your lips almost touching. Sihtric twists his body to face you and brings his hand up to cup your cheek before sealing your lips in a gentle kiss.

You felt sihtric pour his emotion in the kiss. A once gentle kiss turned into a desperate and heated kiss. The hand he had on your cheek traveled to your nape, tangling his fingers in your hair, pulling you closer.

“I love you” SIhtric whispered against your lips. The feeling of the kiss was lingering on your lips, You let out a heavy breath and opened your eyes. SIhtrics brown eyes were already looking into yours.

“I love you” You breathed out, still trying to calm down your breathing from the kiss. It also didn't help that every time sihtric told you he loved you it felt like you couldn't breathe. Sihtric smiles at your words and moves his hand for your hair to tuck a few strands of hair behind your ears.

“I'm sorry” You muttered after a few moments of silence. Sihtric who moved back to leaning against the stone wall looks at you in confusion, not knowing why you would be sorry. “What for?”

“For wanting to hide our relationship, it wasn't fair to you” you apologized, the more you thought about it over the past two days the more you realized how unfair it really was to him. You didn't even ask for his opinion, you just made the decision yourself.

“I understand why you did it, It's okay” He reassured you, softly gripping your chin with his thumb and pointer finger to make you look at him instead of the floor. Your anxiousness drifting away at the sight of his beautiful eyes.

“I don't want to hide anymore” You confess to him. Just hiding your relationship for 3 days was hard enough, you couldn't imagine doing it for longer. Before sihtric could open his mouth to say something you were already saying something.

“I never want to hide my love for you again” You whispered as you tilt your body to face him, your hand cupping his cheek, your thumb softly grazing over a small scar. SIhtric out of instinct leans closer to your hand, not breaking eye contact with you. Those words left a heavy but nice feeling in his heart, Gods he loved you so much.

“Does that mean i can kiss you in front of the others?” Sihtric jokes with a teasing smirk as he leans his face closer to yours.

“Hey now! Don't push your luck” You laugh and playfully push his shoulder away from you making him go back to leaning against the stone wall. Sihtric joins you in your laughter

“Let's start off slow, like holding hands. Can you do that?” You smile softly, bumping your shoulder into his. Sihtric felt warm inside seeing your beautiful smile, it made him forget about all of his problems, he could only focus on you.

“Oh i can definitely do that” He smiles with a flirty tone. He takes your hand in his and brings it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on your knuckles as he winks at you. You felt your cheeks burning from his actions.

“Anything for you” He says in a much softer tone, leaning down to kiss your forehead before wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer to lay your head on his chest. You hum in acknowledgement and watch as the pretty sunset peaks over the wall.

All the worries you had about the future, about your sister, about your brother's reaction to you and sihtric’s relationship drifted away as you sat in silence watching the sunset. Being in sihtric’s arms gave you a sense of clarity and peace that you never wanted to lose. You knew that whatever happened in the future you would be fine, because you had sihtric by your side and he never plans to leave it. With or without your brother's approval.

ཻུ۪۪ bonus:

Unknowingly to the both of you that while you guys were cuddling and watching the sunset, your two brothers were resting by the fire inside, their newest topic being you…and sihtric.

“How long do you think it's gonna take until they realize we already know” Ragnar chuckles as he takes a sip of his ale. After the conversation with Uhtred that just made him feel even more down he knew he had to change the conversation, and he knew the perfect topic. Their little sister.

Uhtred immediately knows what his brother is talking about. Uhtred knew you very well and he already had suspicions about you and sihtric when he noticed how you would glance at him ever so often the day he got back, and he knew he was right by your strange behavior and the way you responded to him when he asked you those questions.

“Hopefully not too soon, Sihtric is being extra polite…i think he might be scared of you” Uhtred smirked as he tilted his cup towards Ragnar before taking a large gulp. Thinking about how polite he's been the past few days.

“Should we scare him a little?...threaten him?” Ragnar smiled mischievously, already thinking of a few ideas to scare sihtric. Ragnar set his cup on the wooden table and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he looked at his brother.

“No, I can tell he makes her happy, And he protected her when we couldn't” uhtred shook his head as he glanced at Ragnar before looking towards the burning fire. Uhtred could tell that you really cared for sihtric and the fact that sihtric did in fact kept you safe made uhtred feel a lot better about you and his relationship.

“And besides the last time I threatened one of her ex’s she didn't talk to me for a week…which is a lot to her because it seems like she can never shut up” Uhtred added when he noticed Ragnar thinking a little too hard on his last words.

And Uhtred was right, Ragnar did think too hard on what uhtred had said. Ragnar didn't like the fact that he wasn't there to protect her, He had missed out on so much he missed how it would be him protecting her.

“Yeah well at least you didn't get pushed into the mud” Ragnar scoffed as he shook his head and leaned back in his chair as he remembers that day. There was a boy who lived close to them, he was the youngest son of the weaponsmith, And Ragnar noticed how that boy always seemed to appear when you were around. Raganr did not like it.

“I Don't blame her on that one…you deserved it” Uhtred snickers as he remembers the furious look on your face as you pushed your eldest brother into the mud before running off to your father to tell him how angry you are. While the son of the weaponsmith was running to his father, scared that Ragnar was going to chase him and feed him to the ‘cannibals who live a few villages away if he didn't leave you alone’....there were no cannibals but the boy did in fact leave you alone.

“Who knew that a six year old y/n was so strong?” Ragnar chuckles as he grabs his cup from the table and drinks from it. Ragnar couldn't help but smile at the memory, he did in fact deserve to get pushed into the mud for scaring that boy but it was no way near as bad as the scolding he got from his mother when he finished cleaning himself in the stream.

“Our little sister can handle herself, i taught her well” Uhtred smirks as he looks back on the memories over the years.

Ragnar chooses to ignore what uhtred said about how he taught her well because everyone knows it was really ragnar. He instead focuses on ‘our little sister’. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional as he thought about it, he had missed out on so much in your life. You weren't that small girl that needed her big brother to help her with everything. No, you were older now, and knew how to take care of yourself.

“Our little sister isn't so little anymore.”

note:

Okay so like i kind of love this fic, and I genuinely like how it turned out. I hope you guys do too!

Please comment if you would like to be added to my tlk taglist or my Sihtric taglist.

I’m also currently working on a Aethelstan story, it's going to be published on wattpad soon. I'll try to also publish it here if you guys want?

I really like the plot and story I made with this fic and i wouldn't mind making a full on story for it, just let me know if you guys would want that or just other parts.

Also, i do apologize if sihtric seems a little ooc, i was just really trying to explore another side of him? But like I said before I do hope you enjoyed this fic! Likes, comments and reblogs are very appreciated.

#sihtric x reader #Sihtric #sihtric kjartanson #the last kingdom #tlk fanfiction

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cryingoverafictionalcharacter · 4 years ago

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Necklace

“Request: Hey:) do you still take requests for the prompt list? If yes could you maybe do an Angsty with nr 7 and with Sihtric form the lst Kingdom? Lots of love!😊 (@red-roses-are-gonna-shine)

Angst #7: “You’re going to be ok, please be ok I can’t lose you”

Warnings: mentions of injury/blood, Angst ending in fluff, I tried to keep it gender neutral so lmk if I missed anything, No proof read, I think that’s it.

You sat stared at the passing landscape as you and the rest of Uhtreds group traveled towards Aethelflaeds army. You fiddled with your necklace as you tried to count the trees, or day dream, or anything to try and forget about the impending battle that would be taking place tomorrow. You were a skilled warrior, having been raised as a Dane when you were young but that didn’t make having to fight your people any easier.

You had left for Cookham when you had heard that your mentor, and old friend Uhtred had land there and began gathering warriors to fight for his land in Bebbanburg. He had taught you everything you knew, so it only seemed right to come and assist him in his time of need when he had done so much for you, but now as you approached the battlefield, an uneasy feeling had began to settle in your stomach and it was becoming impossible to ignore.

You were snapped out of your thoughts when Sihtic, your boyfriend rode up beside you with a grin that changed the feeling of unease in your stomach to one of butterflies.

Sihtric had become a good friend, so had the others of course, but something about the way Sihtric made you laugh, how he never underestimated you and how he always wanted to make sure you were ok made your heart flutter.

“Say Y/N, what do you call a priests that’s been stabbed?” Sihtric suddenly asked

“What?” You asked

“Holy”

You couldn’t help the snort that left your mouth, quickly covering your mouth to stifle your laughter as Osferth looked towards you both with narrowed eyes.

“That’s not funny!”

Immediately any attempt to try and hide your smile failed as you and Sihtric both fell into a fit of laughter, much to the young monks dismay.

“Its not! Finan, do you think its funny?” Osferth asked, trying to defend his claim

“Its a little funny” Finan replied, working to hid his own smile.

You were about to respond when Uhtred suddenly raised his fist, motioning for everyone to stop.

“We’ll make camp here. Get your rest, you’ll need it.”

And just like that, the feeling of dread returned.

You couldn’t help it, whether you were collecting water, or fetching firewood, or sharpening your sword, you couldn’t get the intrusive thoughts out of your head. The thoughts of having to face the people you once saw as friends, the possibility of watching the people you’ve grown to love die, of watching the man you love die.

You walked back to camp with another armful of logs, placing them down by the campfire before taking a seat. Most of the others had gone to sleep, leaving you to keep the fire going. Or so you thought.

“You’re up late” A voice said from behind you, causing you to reach for your sword, only for you to turn and see a smiling Sihtric looking back at you, obviously amused by your reaction.

“One of these days you’re going to get stabbed” You grumbled, turning back to face the fire as Sihtric laughed.

“Nice to see you too” He replied with a grin, kissing the top of your head before taking a seat next to you, shifting to a more serious tone. “Can’t sleep?”

You didn’t answer, just shook your head. Sihtric wrapped his arm around you, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder as you both stared into the fire. You and Sihtric had spent many nights like this, both of you having trouble with sleep, you would spend hours in bed, or in front of a fire talking about your pasts, your hopes, your fears, your dreams. Its how you eventually found your relationship growing from friends to something more.

You knew everything about each other, which is what made what happened next so much more surprising.

“Here, I want you to have this” Sihtric said, making you lift your head off his shoulder as you watched his hands move to his necklace which adorned Thor’s hammer. Your eyes widened as he removed the article and held it out towards you.

“I cant accept this” You replied. After all your years of knowing Sihtric, his necklace was the one thing that was always with him. It had been a gift from his mother, a charm or protection to keep him safe. It was the only thing he had to remind him of her, and now he was giving it to you.

“Y/N, I insist. You’re an absolutely amazing fighter, and you probably don’t need the extra protection, but I want to make sure my love is safe.” He persisted, keeping your gaze with an expecting look, before you finally nodded your head, allowing him to put the necklace over your head, letting it fall to rest on your clavicle.

“I love you” You murmured, returning your head to rest on his shoulder.

“I love you” He replied.

You had spent the night either in the fire, or in each others arms, both too nervous to fall asleep. However, as much as you would hope the night would last forever, the sun still rose, and soon you were off towards the battle field.

You stood near the edge of the field, looking over the land as your hand fiddled with the charm around your neck. It was a beautiful place, and you almost felt sad for the place, the land so unaware of what was about to come.

You were brought out of your thoughts as you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your torso, pulling you towards them so your back was now flush against Sihtrics chest. He pressed a kiss to the side of your neck before resting his chin on your shoulder.

“Its going to be ok” He whispered, holding you tighter to him.

You turned to face him and opened your mouth to reply, but before you could you heard hoofbeats from across the battle field, followed by the sight of a wall of Danes heading your direction. It was time.

“I will see you again soon. I swear” Sihtric said.

You grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face down to yours, capturing him in a deep kiss. It felt like an eternity, but still, it was not nearly long enough.

“You better”

It must have only been a few hours, but to you, it seemed as though days had past on the battlefield. Sweat and blood coated your body as you continued wielding your sword. You and Sihtric had stayed close together, and while you wanted to make sure he was ok, you also couldn’t get distracted. You felt a blade glide past your face, causing a cut to form on your cheek but you were quick to retaliate, ignoring the sting and burying your sword into the man who had cut you. You were exhausted, and feared the battle would never end, but after a few more slashes of your sword, you watched as the last Dane took off running into the forest. The battle was finished.

You had won.

You looked over the battlefield and met eyes with Finan and Osferth who stood a bit aways. You threw your arms in the air and cheered, watching as they returned the action. You turned around, expecting to see Sihtric standing behind you, but he wasn’t where you had seen him last.

Your heart dropped into the pit of your stomach as your hand rested on the necklace he had given you. You and Sihtric had been in many battles together, and after each one he had always been the first one to greet you, pulling you into a hug as you let relief wash over you.

Your attention was quickly brought to the sound of groaning, causing you to look over just in time to see a hand raise in the air before quickly falling, to exhausted to stay upright. You ran towards the noise, relief filling you as you caught sight of Sihtric, but the feeling was short lived, as your eyes soon landed on his hands resting over his abdomen, which was now covered blood.

You closed the distance between you to and sunk to your knees, moving his hands to reveal a large stab wound. You quickly replaced his hands, putting your own on top of his to put more pressure on the wound.

“I told you I would see you again” He said, his voice forced, like it was taking all of his energy to form the words. “I’m just not sure how much longer I’ll get to”

“Its not that bad, your going to be fine” You said, trying to keep your voice steady though the lie as you thought to make a plan as to how to get him back to the medical tent.

“Y/N, we’ve known each other for years, I know when you’re lying” Sihtric said, his face beginning to grow more pale.

“Ridiculous, I have never lied to you in my life, you just need some rest is all, here, you need this” You moved your hand to remove his necklace but he shoo his head stopping you, your eyes now brimming with tears. “Uhtred!” You yelled, but he was too far, he couldn’t hear you.

Sihtric brought your attention back to him, moving one of his hands to rest on the side of your face as your eyes met his “I want you to keep it. You have done so much for me, I never knew I could ever love someone as much as I love you”

“You’re going to be ok, please be ok I cant lose you” You said through sobs, your tears leaving trails down your blood stained face.

“I love you” He choked, giving you a small smile before closing his eyes, the hand that was on your face falling to his side.

“No no no Sihtric!” You yelled, trying to shake him awake “Don’t you dare, don’t you dare leave me here. Help!”

You finally caught Finans attention, who saw your face and was now sprinting towards the two of you, gaining the attention of Osferth and Uhtred as well.

“I love you, please be ok I love you so much” You cried. You were only met with silence.

After the others had gotten to you, they helped to carry Sihtric back to the Medical tent to get stitched up, but he had still lost a lot of blood. The healers had told you that they did everything that they could, and all you could do now was wait for his body to heal. Two days later, you had yet to leave his side. Uhtred, Finan, and Osferth had offered to watch him for you, to allow you to take a break and get some sleep but you had refused, preferring to stay close just in case he woke up.

You sat on a chair next to the cot, holding his hand in yours as you watched him sleep. He seemed so peaceful, like he was only resting and not recovering from a stab wound.

“You remember the day we first kissed?” You asked, not expecting an answer. You had been talking to him the last few days, both in hopes to wake him, and also to keep yourself sane. “We were practicing with those wooden swords out in the field, and obviously being the better fighter I knocked, you on your arse. I expected you to be somewhat angry, or bitter but you just laughed, which made me laugh, which distracted me enough to let you knock me on my arse. We just laid there laughing forever, and then you leaned in and kissed me” You said, smiling at the memory.

“I let you beat me” A voice mumbled, causing your gaze to shoot up from the floor to Sitrics eyes, which were now open and looking at you, a small smile on his face.

“What?” You asked, not quite believing what you were seeing.

“You didn’t beat me, I let you knock me over, so that I could finally kiss you. It was all part of my pla-”

You didn’t let him finish his sentence, instead (making sure to avoid his wound) you wrapped your arms around his neck and fell into his chest, hugging him as you sobbed.

“I thought you were gone” You managed to say through sobs, pulling back to look him over.

“You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried” He mumbled with a smile, moving a hand to brush a strand of hair behind your ear, then cupping your cheek.

You couldn’t contain your smile as you laughed through tears at his remark. You moved your hands to the sides of his face and closed the space between you, connecting your lips to his.

He was quick to respond, moving one hand to the back of your head to bring you closer and the other to your hip. You only broke away when you heard the flap of the tent open, revealing a surprised Finan, Uhtred, and Osferth on the other side.

“Well I see you’re feeling better” Uhtred said

“No kidding, Y/N what kind of magical healing kisses have you been hiding?” Finan joked, causing you and Sihtric to laugh, which made Sihtric wince a bit at the pain in his abdomen.

“Well, leave you alone, you still need your rest. We’re glad to see you’re better” Osferth said, motioning for the other two to leave before closing the tent flap behind him.

“Now, where were we?” Sihtric asked after he was sure they were gone, moving his hand to dip underneath your shirt, making a face when you slapped his hand away.

“No, you heard what they said! You need your rest” You argued, making Sihtric give you an annoyed look.

“But how am I supposed to heal without your magical healing kisses?!” He replied, making you laugh.

“You’ll live” You said playfully, smiling as Sihtrics face softened, noticing his necklace still dangling from your neck.

“I’m glad to see it worked” He said, lifting his hand to play with the charm.

“Oh yeah, its seems like you may need it more than me” You said, moving to remove the necklace, to which he refused once again.

“Its yours. You’re the most important part of my life, and I want to make sure you’re safe”

You sighed, knowing it was useless to try and argue. So instead, you pressed your lips to his once again, this kiss shorter than the first.

“I love you” You said

“I love you too”

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

A/N: Ahh sorry the ending is bad I wasn’t sure how to finish it. Also sorry it took so long, works been crazy this week but I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave any other requests you may think of! :)

#sihtric x reader #sihtric imagine #sihtric fanfic #sihtric kjartanson #sihtric kjartanson fanfiction #sihtric angst #sihtric fanfiction angst

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morosemagick · 2 years ago

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Lost Voices | Chapter 12

“You can take it back, it's good as gone

Well, flesh amnesiac, this is your song

And I hope what's left will last all summer long

And they said that boys were boys, but they were wrong”

TAGGED:

@solinarimoon @emilyhufflepufftlk @magravenwrites @lauwrite1225 @93xdiagonxalley @trenko-heart @illjustgositinthecorner @blah-blah-blah-bla @lizblogging @saint-helga @osferth @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @filliandkili @mrsalwayswrite @amuddleofnervouswords @medievalfangirl @persephones-journey

#the last kingdom #tlk #mcloveproductions #fanfiction #read on ao3 #sihtric kjartanson #sihtric kjartansson #sihtric x oc #aethelflaed of mercia #uhtred of bebbanburg #Osferth #Ingrith #aldhelm #finan

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lauwrite1225 · 4 years ago

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Somebody to die for.

Finan x OC; The Old Guard inspired Alternative Universe

Summary : Victoria's life is rather simple until she has a car accident from which she ends up miraculously unscathed. A series of weird events animates her daily life, everything seemingly bringing her to a strange man. Until this very man knocks at her door.

Playlist : Somebody to die for by Hurts • Can you hold me by NF • Stay Alive by José González • Young and Menace by Fall out Boys • Cosmic Love by Florence + the machines • Supercollide by Banners • Alone together by Fall out Boys • Start a Riot by Banners

Masterlist

Chapter 1 : I'm fallin' so I'm taking my time on my ride

Chapter 2 : There's a truth and it's on our side

Chapter 3 : We've open the door and it's all comin' through

Chapter 4 : I’m not calling you a liar, just don’t lie to me

Chapter 5 : I think that God is gonna have to kill me twice

Chapter 6 : Collecting pictures from the flood that wrecked our home

Chapter 7 : Je suis le roi, le roi des cons

Chapter 8 : And I'm ready to suffer, and I'm ready to hope

Chapter 9 : And all the chaos crystallized, when you and I, supercollide

Chapter 10 : This is not what you wanted

Chapter 11 : Welcome to the panic room

Chapter 12 : I will find you here inside the dark

#the last kingdom #finan #finan the agile #fanfiction #tlk #uhtred ragnarson #uhtred of bebbanburg #finanxoc #osferth #Sihtric #sihtric kjartanson #masterlist

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onesaltyhunter · 4 years ago

Note

Hi! I just finished reading your Werewolf!Sihtric x reader and I loved it! I hope there’s at least a part 2 coming soon. I was wondering if you’d be willing to write some sort of monster!Finan x reader where he’s drawn to the blood or something. Maybe the reader gets injured while fighting alongside Finan or throws herself in front of him to take an arrow meant for him. He has to resist the smell of her blood in order to get her to safety and save her life. Just an idea! xx

thanks for the kind words as well as the prompt request! Part 2 is gonna be a little delayed bc I have way too much work for school, but I'm gonna try my absolute best to make sure it will come out asap. Also this idea prompt is super cool and I will attempt to work my way through it *my brain has the capacity of a slice of sourdough bread*

Miracles in a Godless Land P. 1

find my general masterlist here!

Vampire!Finan x reader

Prompt: ^^^

Warnings: Blood, Violence, my poor grammar, Swearing

As the sun rose on the horizon, every person in the Saxon camp was feeling a little shaky. The Danes were to attack within the next few hours and their numbers were to be tremendous. Uhtred paced back and forth from one tent to another while the rest of his group sat around and ate.

"Is everything alright Lord?" Finan didn't move his head from his arm that was supporting it as he sat at a table. "You haven't eaten yet. You're going to need your energy for battle."

"Yes, Lord, we can't have you passing out like Osferth did yesterday." Y/N replied, chuckling.

"It was from the ale." The monk shook his head and Sihtric laughed, as well as Finan and Y/N.

"The lady at the alehouse only gave you water. Uhtred advised against anything else." Sihtric smiled, ripping a piece of bread off of the loaf.

"I cannot eat or rest knowing that the Danes are going to attack." Uhtred butted in and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.

"And Y/N cannot eat nor rest as long as Finan lives and breathes." Sihtric said into his cup, hoping it would muffle the sound, but Y/N just shoved him off the table with her foot, pushing him backwards.

"Well, I'm going to lay down. I've been on watch half of the night, and my eyes feel as if they are going to pop out of my head." Y/N yawned and set her empty cup down.

As she gave a brief nod to everyone in the group, and earned a few waves in return, but from Finan, she just earned a stare, which seemed to last for minutes. Y/N walked past every tent, and saw a servant girl in one trying to carry a large platter with many cups on it. Her arms were shaking and her whole body was trembling. So Y/N approached the tent and knocked on one of the wooden supports holding it up.

"Need some help?" She smiled and the servant girl shook her head.

"I can do this my lady, I'm alright, but thank you for the offer."

"I do not want to be rude, but you don't seem alright." Y/N grabbed a platter and took some of the cups and placed them onto her own. "How long have you been working today?"

"Since last night, the men have wanted so much ale before battle, lady." The girl stopped in her path. "If I am not to lie, I am tired. I'm just going back and forth serving them pitcher after pitcher of ale, and cleaning the cups, and giving then back, and again and again-"

"Give me a few moments, I will fix this. Please rest, though, and do not value their 'wellbeing' over your own." Y/N replied and the girl nodded before leaving everything where it was.

Going back outside and looking upon multiple soldiers, she yelled, "Oi!" And everyone turned towards her. "We need you all somewhat sober before battle." Y/N pulled out a pitcher of ale. "This is the last of the ale in the camp." She said before pouring it onto the ground. "And, let me rephrase what I just said. That was the last of the ale in the camp. We need you all sober enough to fight! You came here to serve your country!"

Finan chuckled, raising his cup to his lips.

"That goes for you too, Irishman." Y/N smiled.

Hours and hours went by, and the soldiers failed to grow weary. Smoke from signal fires rose in the distance as the Danes approached the battleground. There were so many of them, as ash filled the air.

Uhtred was the first to call every man to the front, and Y/N slumped off of her makeshift bed. She quickly tightened her armor and grabbed two swords before running into the tent next to her to wake Finan up. Y/N placed a hand on Finan's bare upper arm, before she was to attempt to shake him awake.

Why is he so cold? It's the middle of summer. She thought

Finan sat up immediately and looked around, hearing all of the men yelling in the camp to get ready. He followed Y/N out and joined up with Osferth, Uhtred, and Sihtric in front of the camp. Small specks of varying colors that did not match with those of the forest loomed closer and closer to the Saxon army.

"There are so many of them. How are we to win this?" Y/N looked to her left at the other 4 men.

"We pray." Sihtric firmly his thor's hammer pendant, and looked to Finan on his right.

"Where is your cross, Finan? You always carry that around." Y/N tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't need it." He replied, rubbing a small cross-shaped burn on the front, near the bottom of his neck.

It wasn't long before the Danes were running at a high speed against the Saxon army. They had definitely outnumbered the Saxons when it came to cavalry. It was a clear issue, but everyone was too preoccupied to care a this point. In a matter of moments, a near silent field of rolling hills became painted with the blood of both Saxons and Danes. The air reeked of it as well, as the screaming and slashing became louder.

Something was clearly wrong with Finan. Y/N saw him, as he seemed to be more aggressive towards the enemy. She would have thought that is was just the adrenaline flowing through his veins but no, he seemed to be growling and yelling at enemies he had downed. Finan's fighting techniques immediately became more up close and personal, which was a style he had previously admitted to despising. Y/N turned once more to her left to check on him as she shoved the Dane in front of her. An arrow flew through the air straight towards Finan, and without thinking, she jumped in front of it, and it struck her in the shoulder. As she hit the ground, she pulled the arrow out of her shoulder. (10/10 would not reccomend)

The sound of one's heart pounding in Finan's ear slowly faded away, as he looked around the battlefield to check who it was. Y/N could barely move on the ground, and she was too scared to make a sound. All of a sudden, a Dane stabbed Finan straight through the neck with a sword, and without even flinching, he pulled the weapon out completely, and the area where there should have been a hole in his neck, was healing rapidly.

He ignored the Danes's screams of terror and dodged multiple attacks to reach Y/N. As he scooped he up, her bloody wound was only inches away from his face. Finan panicked, and he didn't know what to do; the camp was being raided and there was a whole war going on around him. He rushed towards the forest, with Sihtric keeping the Danes away from Finan and Y/N until they were out of sight.

Finan only stopped when the sounds of screams were distant. He set Y/N down slowly, but that scent of her wound was too strong. He attempted to remove her armor to try and cover the wound, but his hand was drenched in her blood by the time he was done.

"W-What are you d-doing?" Y/N managed to say.

Finan just stared at his hand, realizing that if he gave in to the creature inside of him, Y/N would either become a blood-drained corpse, or one of his kind.

"Before I g-go, I just have to tell you something." She coughed and blood began to trickle down the side of her cheek.

"Save it my lady, you'll be able to tell me after this." He pushed the part of her undershirt surrounding the wound away.

"I saw what you did."

Silence.

"How are you e-even alive?"

No response.

"It's nothing." Finan slowly replied, stuttering a bit.

"Oh it's something. You might as well tell me, because in a few moments, I'm about to be with the devil himself. At that point, nothing truly matters."

"I said it's nothing!" Finan growled as he felt two sharp objects pierce his lower lip.

"Your eyes, what the hell? What a-are you?" Y/N shot a terrified look at him.

Finan firmly pressed a medium sized cloth from his pocket on the wound, and didn't say a word. Her heart pounded even louder in her chest, as the pace was getting slower and slower. But the blood! It just smelled so sweet to him, and every muscle in his body clenched trying to hold himself back.

But deep down, he knew what was sweeter. Y/N. Though she was a jokester, she was responsible, and the kindest person Finan had ever known. The one night after he had turned, he didn't say a word to her, yet she could still sense his pain, his distraught. Y/N held him close to her that night, promising to never let him go no matter what happens. And she never asked about it ever again. All that mattered was that she tried to comfort him, because in the end, he was truly the only person she had ever loved. But she had never said it, because she feared that he wouldn't love her back. It was all she ever wanted.

"Finan, I do not know what you are, nor do I know what you'll say back to me. But, I-I care about you. Ever since I had seen your face the day you helped to save my city from the Danes, but-" She coughed once more, but the blood seemed to drip faster down the edge of her mouth. "I love you Finan."

"I love you too Y/N, but you aren't dying. If you were going to hell, you aren't going there without me. And guess what, it's not my time, so it's not yours either!" Finan held her closer and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, knowing the risks, because there was nothing else he could do, no matter how many times he wanted to tell himself that there was another way.

He wouldn't condemn her to the life he was forced into. He wouldn't let her scavenge the woods late at night to drink the blood from an innocent forest animal. He wouldn't put her in the way of hunters that only wanted death to all of his kind. Finan just couldn't, he refused to put her in harm's way.

He pulled back, and he glanced at the wound on her shoulder that slowly began to heal. Over the course of a couple minutes, the wound wasn't even visible anymore, and there wasn't even a scar to prove it was even there in the first place.

Then he heard the yells of Uhtred and Sihtric who were calling out to the both of them. He has no idea how she healed so quickly, because she was human. The scent of her blood wasn't like that of any other creature. It was simply, human.

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~

Y/N laid in bed, resting, in her home in Winchester. For once, there was no commotion outside, just silence. Finan and Sihtric waited outside for her to wake up.

"She saw you didn't she?" Sihtric took a bite of his apple and clenched his jaw. "Y/N saw the beast within you."

"I didn't mean to, it's just-"

"You can tell her that she lost so much blood that she only imagined what she saw."

"Sihtric, she healed for God's sakes! What she was capable of, clearly is proof that something happened. Y/N felt that arrow pierce her shoulder! I cannot simply tell her that she 'imagined' that!"

"She is awake," Uhtred said as he closed the door behind him.

Finan was the only one who entered, and Y/N put down the leather-bound that she had been reading.

"How are you?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, which was still completely wrapped in cloth, to make her think that her wound had not healed yet.

"I am well."

"You didn't see anything unusual while we were out there?"

"I did, and I heard something as well."

Dead silence.

"A handsome Irish man told me he loved me back." Y/N giggled.

"Anything else?"

"Not to my knowledge. I don't really remember anything else, except the pain in my shoulder."

"Now where is this lad you speak of?"

"I wonder. Whoever could it be Finan?" She replied and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Hmm."

"He must be extremely lucky, whoever he is."

"Finan hurry up, we are to leave for Coccham soon!" Uhtred yelled.

"I guess I must go." Finan shook his head.

"Will you come back soon?"

"Of course m'lady."

Finan pressed his lips softly against hers for a period of time he wished to be years. He pulled back, and waved goodbye to her before leaving.

Y/N pulled the book back out, and slowly read over the pages.

________

From the Year 800, a Hunter's Guide and Manual to the Creatures From the Depths

Vampires are extremely predatory creatures. While they may look like a normal human being, they look extremely pale in comparison. They also are known under the name of a "walking corpse," as they are presumably dead humans walking the earth, restless, and violent. Just like a corpse, they are also cold, freezing almost. Vampires have also shown an extreme vulnerability to holy objects when in direct contact with them. Some render vampires almost immobile, while others simply leave a burn, or a mark upon the place of contact. Vampirism can be contracted through the consumption of a vampire's blood, where the turned vampire will become a sire, or an eternal servant to the one who turns them.

Their behavior is connected to extreme aggressiveness, an uneasy feeling around large amounts of exposed blood, and violence towards any individual. Vampires are also known to possess great strength, as they require it to hunt down their prey: humans. Since they feed upon the blood of individuals, we have classified this species as a lot of high priority targets.

Weaknesses

In some cases the sun

Holy objects

Weapons made of pure silver

A stake to the heart will kill them

__________

"Now." Y/N sat up in bed. "What have you not been telling me, Finan? How long have you been lying to me?"

A tear dropped down the side of her cheek

"He never loved me." She threw the book across the room. "He just wanted to turn me into a fucking eternal servant!"

Y/N, got out of bed, fixed her hair, and headed outside to the blacksmith, which was only down the road, wiping the tears out of her face until the look of sadness had completely transformed into anger.

"Ah, Ms. L/N, back so soon? Do your weapons need polishing from your last battle?" The blacksmith asked.

Y/N dropped 30 pieces of gold on the smithing table.

"I need three of the finest silver weapons you have."

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

A/N

Just for clarification, this will NOT be a standalone story. I really enjoyed writing this one, but I'm gonna need more time to think of a part 2. And btw, it is still a love story! I just like spicing things up a bit. So yes, the reader and Finan will eventually be together. But its gonna be one hell of a journey to get to that point.

Also no, the reader is not a monster hunter and just randomly found the book in a church.

Alright, I hope I didn't ruin your prompt submission.

adios,

-dumbass american

#sihtric #the last kingdom #sihtric kjartanson #finan x reader #tlk finan #finan the agile #finan #tlk uhtred #uhtred #osferth #thelastkingdom #tlk #tlk x reader #tlk fanfic #tlk fanfiction

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bird-on-a-wire20 · 4 years ago

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Fanfic: haunt all of my what-ifs - Sihtric x OC

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417515

#the last kingdom #tlk #thelastkingdom #tlk sihtric #sihtric #sihtric kjartanson #sihtric x oc #original female character #modern au #fanfic #fanfiction #tlk fanfiction #tlk fanfic

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fangirl--of-everything · 6 years ago

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The Prisoner (Sihtric x Reader)

word count: 4530

request: nope

summary: the reader is one of Gisela’s ladies, drawn to the celebration after Uhtred’s little army thwarts Kjartan’s attempts to have him kidnapped. She finds herself drawn to their young prisoner. But just because he may have a young face, that doesn’t make him any less a Dane, a fact which she will be reminded of.

warnings: a bit of blood,

A/N. This takes place during the plot of season 2 episode 2, where Sihtric is introduced. I’ve been wanting to write this for a bit, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I hope you guys like it :) (Also this title is totally unplanned and cheesy but oh well.)

Alright, enjoy :)

There were not many respectable ways for a woman to earn money in Mercia, and so it was a great opportunity to be a lady in waiting to the king’s sister. The prestige meant nothing to (y/n), she served Lady Gisela because she respected the other woman and felt she was worth her service, but it helped that her position brought money and reputation to her family, securing them a safe place within one of Mercia’s fortresses. It was there where she, and her lady, spent most of their time, but not today. Today she was inside a small tent, lit by candle light and lanterns, brushing out her lady’s hair somewhere south of Mercia, marching with Guthred’s army to face the Viking brothers.

“Is it warm enough in here for you Lady?” (Y/n) asked, finishing plaiting Gisela’s hair down her back.

“It is.” Gisela gave her a warm smile. “You look tired (y/n), I will be alright for the rest of the night. Go and get some sleep.”

(Y/n) gave the other woman an affectionate smile, and turned to take her leave, when the sounds of shouting and steel rang outside. The two women shared a look, and (y/n) led the way, peering cautiously outside. She signalled a passing soldier, asking what was happening, and the man explained that Lord Uhtred had been attacked by Danes, but the king’s army had fought them off.

(Y/n) opened her mouth to say that they should stay here, but Gisela was already outside, moving quickly through the crowd to check on Uhtred. (Y/n) cursed under her breath and followed.

The crowd of men was large, and loud, drunk on ale and victory, but they parted as Gisela passed, (y/n) trailing in her wake. They made it to the front of the cluster of men, and she could see Uhtred standing on the other side of a loose circle that was surrounding the king. She knew her lady wanted to go to him, and (y/n) put a hand on her arm. It was impertinent, and she knew if any of the priests saw it she would be punished, but Gisela gave her a grateful smile, reaching up and giving her hand a squeeze. The two women stood together as Guthred shouted to the crowd, the men cheering.

Something caught (y/n)’s eye, and she leaned to the side, squinting in the gloom as she looked through the crowd. “Do they have a prisoner?”

Gisela shifted, looking where (y/n) was pointing. (Y/n)’s eyes had landed on Clapa, the hulking, bald man by Uhtred’s side, and the boy he held by the collar. He was obviously a Dane, but she was struck by his youth, the fear on his face as the men around him cheered over the deaths of his companions. There was blood drying on his temple, and more trickling from his nose, and she saw him flinch as the men shouted, his eyes flicking around as he looked at the threats he was surrounded by.

Gisela’s face was soft and sympathetic as she looked at him. “He is just a boy.”

There was something about his face, the fear and tension there, that made (y/n) concerned. She knew it was silly, the boy had come with a group of Danes to abduct Uhtred and ultimately kill him, but she couldn’t help the sympathy that swirled in her stomach as she looked at him.

“What will they do to him?”

Gisela turned to look at her, her face soft as she realized (y/n) was concerned for the boy. “Uhtred has honour. If the boy can be spared then he will be.”

With a final cheer the crowd dispersed, Guthred reaching around (y/n) to press a kiss to his sister’s cheek. (Y/n) forced the boy from her mind, and focused on her task, her job as a lady in waiting, leading Gisela back to her tent safely. Once her Lady was settled she went to her own tent right beside, which she shared with Gisela’s other lady and the young woman who worked with the cook. Both were already in their cots, and they looked to her to explain the noise.

She gave a quick explanation of what had happened while she shimmied out of her dress, draping it over the post that ran the length of the tent, on top of the dresses of the others. She stripped down to just her shift as she explained, and shook out her hair, pulling it quickly into a braid and climbing down into her bed. The girls all exclaimed their shock, but they were women, not men, and their blood did not pump for cruelty and violence. They had done a hard day’s work and were tired, and conversation petered out quickly as the three women felt fatigue begin to pull at their consciousness. The whims of men could not hold their interests for long, not while there was real work to be done and them being the only ones who could do it.

As (y/n) felt sleep begin to take her, the gentle lulling of it causing the outside sounds to soften and blur, the boy’s face returned in her mind, sharp and clear. Sound crystallized, and the tendrils of sleep were forced back as his fearful eyes darted around. Blood ran down the side of his face.

With a heavy sigh she pushed to her feet, reaching above her head and pulling her dress back down. One of the girls raised her head, her voice heavy with sleep as she asked what was happening, and (y/n) lied that nature was calling. She twisted her hair around her hand, aware of the dangers of her going out looking so unkempt, but sleep would not find her until she had done this one thing, and so she moved as quickly as she could to get it done.

It did not take long to collect a bucket of fresh water, or to find where Uhtred’s men had taken the prisoner. Halig and Clapa were guarding him, both of them deep in their cups, while the boy stood awkwardly with his wrists bound in front of him, tethering him to the back of a wooden supply cart. All three of the men looked up as she approached.

Halig and Clapa both knew her. With Lord Uhtred courting her Lady, she had spent a lot of time talking with the former, and the latter was from the same village where she had lived before she and her family had moved to the fortress. She gave both of them a friendly smile, ignoring their surprise at her arrival at such a late hour, and held up the bucket in her hand.

“I’ve been sent to look after the Dane boy’s wounds.” She kept to herself that she had not been sent by anyone in particular, knowing the men would fight her less of they thought she was acting on her Lady’s orders.

She still had to convince them to let her close. Halig was adamant that it was dangerous, to which she scoffed. “He’s barely even a man Halig, and he’s looking like a drowned rat. If I couldn’t handle myself in the face of that I would be a sorry excuse for a villager. Besides, I have you two fine warriors here to deter him from trying anything.”

Finally she got both of them to surrender, after Halig gave the boy a stern warning of what would happen to him if he tried anything, and forced him to his knees. The boy grunted, his jaw clenching tightly as he was manhandled to the ground with his arms suspended above his head, still tethered to the post. It was clear he wanted to protest, but wisely kept his mouth shut and his eyes down.

“Don’t get too close.” Halig warned.

She shot him an exasperated look, resting the pail on the ground and lifting her skirts so she could kneel on the ground in front of him.

“Is it alright if I clean your wounds?” she asked softly, ignoring the men behind her and focusing her attention on the Dane.

He lifted his eyes to meet hers, face hard and wary. She raised one eyebrow. “Is that a yes? It’s very late, and I have had a rather long day, and this ground is cold.”

The boy shifted and gave her a nod. She kept one eye on his hands, which remained high, unable to drop lower while bound to the cart, as she shifted closer. The cloth was dipped into the water and wrung out, and she shifted her weight back, taking a second to study the boy’s face.

Now that she was closer she realized that he wasn’t as young as she might have first thought. In fact he was probably around the same age as her, but it didn’t make her feel any less empathetic for him. She remembered how frightened she had been when she had first been brought into the fort to train as a lady’s maid, how foreign and hostile the environment had felt. This must have been much worse, because in her case she had never been considered a threat, or been surrounded by enemies.

“Where are you hurt?” She asked softly. She could see where the blood was drying on both sides of his head, and she could see another dark streak of it down the inside of one of his arms, but something told her giving him the option of choice would give him a tiny ounce of control in his very powerless situation.

It took a second for him to respond, and his dark eyes were searching her face suspiciously, but he finally grunted, gesturing with one of his hands toward the side of his head.

She didn’t prompt him to speak, just gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and shifted her weight onto her knees. She had to put one of her hands on his chin to hold his face steady, and she felt him tense as she did, but she kept her movements slow and gentle as she started wiping away the blood caked along his scalp, and eventually she felt him relax.

“You were here to capture Lord Uhtred?” She asked, simply because no other topic of conversation came to mind.

He looked surprised by the question, giving her a single nod. She flashed what she hoped was a conspiratory smile. “That wasn’t too clever of an idea, was it?”

He barked a dry laugh, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling too widely. “Was that a sound I just heard from you? I assumed you were a mute Dane.”

His eyes were dark and warm as he looked at her now, and he shifted, raising his arms a little higher. Both the men behind them tensed, but he was just trying to get more comfortable. She spared a quick glance at his hands before looking back at her work, washing the blood out of his hair. As she did she caught a glimpse, beneath the short dark hair, of dark patterns along his scalp.

“Why are you doing this?” His voice was different than she had expected. Deeper, and rolling with the Danish accent.

She blinked, turning her attention from her work to his gaze. She shrugged, and cast a glance over her shoulder to make sure the men weren’t listening too closely. Dropping her voice, she responded. “Do you want my honest response?”

“I thought your god didn’t believe in lies.”

She tried not to laugh. “That’s true. If I’m being honest, I saw you in the crowd and you looked frightened, and I thought you might like some comfort.”

His eyebrows raised. “Even though I’m a Dane who came to capture your Lord?”

“Uhtred’s not my Lord. And even Danes deserve comfort, don’t they?”

She felt a blush rise in her cheeks as she said it, and she dropped her head to hide it, focusing on the split in the corner of his lip. When she finally did look up again he was staring at her, and something in his face caused a strange feeling to stir in her belly, like a fish flopping after it was thrown out of the water. She forced it down.

“Is there anywhere else?” She asked, breaking eye contact and dunking the cloth into the water again.

“My arm.”

Was it in her head, or was his voice huskier now then it had been before? She shook that silly thought aside, and shifted so she could clean the blood off his arm. She worked in silence, but she could feel his dark eyes on her, and the heat never seemed to fade from her cheeks until finally she was able to push to her feet, dropping the rag into the bucket of reddish water.

She refused to meet the boy’s eyes and turned with only the curtest goodbye to Halig and Clapa, and before she knew it she was back in her bed. Sleep took her quickly, but it was restless, filled with dark eyes and rolling voices and a warmth in her belly that was gone when she awoke, but left a ghost of a feeling that refused to leave her even as she got up and prepared to start her day.

-----/--/-----

It had been two weeks since the night Uhtred had almost been taken, and (y/n) had slid from her bed to wash the face of a Danish warrior. In the light of day, free of the haze of sleep, she was ashamed of her behaviour. It had been reckless, and shameful, and completely inappropriate, regardless of the fact that the boy had been a Dane. She could convince herself that it had been nothing but pity that had driven her from her bed and to his side, but even still. If the priests ever found out she would lose her position, at least. She would be ruined, and likely labelled a traitor.

For the last two weeks, she had forced down all thoughts, all memories of that night, and had thrown herself into her duties. She worked as hard as she could, pushed herself and never stopped, so that when her day was done and she fell into bed sleep would take her too quickly for fear or dark thoughts to set in.

It was for that reason that she found herself carrying two pails towards the stream to fill with water and give to the men training. Normally that labour would never fall to her, but since her Lady had not needed her and she couldn’t be idle she had volunteered to be the one to fetch it. She was so focused on her task that she didn’t even notice what she was walking past, and it wasn’t until she heard the low voice trying to catch her attention that she realized where she was.

“You, girl!”

Her eyes dropped from her path to see the Dane boy in front of her, twisted onto his side so he could track her movements and catch her attention. She locked her gaze back on her course, refusing to meet his eyes, and kept walking.

“Woman.” He called as she walked past him, but she pretended she didn’t hear.

There was an exasperated sigh behind her, and his voice dropped deeper. “Lady.”

Her stomach tightened and she turned, the pails swinging limp and heavy in her hands as she did so. He looked proud to have gotten her attention and shifted his weight, opening his mouth to speak. She cut him off before he could.

“I am not a lady.” She said, her voice hard.

His face changed slightly, all traces of satisfaction disappearing, and he shifted again. “I need to go into the woods there.” He gestured in the direction she had been going.

She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and forced apathy onto her face.

He sighed once it became clear she was not going to move. “I need to shit.”

Her eyebrows rose on their own accord, and she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. The boy had no idea the danger he had just put her in, all because he had to go into the woods? She turned to leave.

“I do not wish to fill my breeches!” He shouted at her retreating back.

She sighed, looking to God for strength, and searched the camp grounds until her eyes fell on Halig and some other men. “Halig?” she called, diverting from her course so she could approach him. “The boy needs to go into the woods. Apparently it’s urgent.”

Halig rolled his eyes, but this had taken too much of her attention already, and when she looked around she could see the Bishop’s eyes on her. She ducked her head and dug in her heels, moving as quickly as she could to the trees and the narrow stream that ran through it. She filled the buckets and set off as fast as she could back towards the camp.

There was noise in the trees, and she looked up at the sound of steel slamming into steel. For a second she could make out three forms in the trees, but one of them grew larger and larger in the time it took her to blink, a heavy weight knocking the wind out of her.

The pails fell from her hands, and cold lakewater ran over her feet.

Her back was pressed against something firm and warm, and cold steel pressed hard against her neck. Her breath hitched as she heard deep breathing behind her. “Don’t move.”

Halig came running towards them, sliding to a stop so quickly that his ass hit the dirt. “You son of a--”

“Go fetch Lord Uhtred.” The Dane was breathing heavily, but his voice was steady as he held the blade to (y/n)’s throat. “Tell him I have his Lady.”

“If you hurt her Lord Uhtred will not rest until he has killed you.” Halig tried to sound strong, but his eyes were panicked as he met (y/n)’s. “Don’t panic (y/n), you’ll be--”

“I said fetch Lord Uhtred.” The boy’s voice was hard. “Now!”

Halig’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, but when the sword pressed harder against (y/n)’s neck he took off quickly.

(Y/n) watched him disappear, and her heart seemed to want to pound out of her chest to follow him, but she was stuck fast, as she was reminded by the thin, sharp blade against her throat and the rapid hammering heart of the Dane behind her.

“W-what is your plan?” she asked, taking a deep breath to keep her voice steady.

“I want to fight for Lord Uhtred.”

Her eyes widened. “Is this really the best way to go about that?”

“They would not let me speak to him. I was tired of waiting.”

Halig had disappeared into the camp, but (y/n) kept her eyes locked on the spot where he had disappeared, praying he would return. Her hands were clutching at the folds of her skirt to keep from shaking, and blood pounded loudly in her ears.

There was a soft sigh behind her that made gooseflesh prickle on her arms. “I am sorry. I did not know it was you.”

“What do you mean?”

His chest pressed against her back as he took a breath, but just then there was the thunder of numerous feet, and (y/n) felt her back pressed even tighter against him, her head forced up to keep the blade from digging too deeply into her throat.

“Be silent.” The boy breathed in her ear. “With luck we shall both live.”

Her blood was thundering in her ears, and she could barely hear the exchange between Lord Uhtred and the boy. Her eyes had landed on her Lady, seen the way Gisela’s face was pale and tight with worry, and she tried to be brave, if not for herself then for Gisela.

It almost took her a second to notice the boy shifting against her back, the blade dropping from her throat. She felt his shoulder bump against hers, and it hit her all at once. She was running before she could think, and did not stop until she was safely in the arms of Gisela, ignoring the eyes of the priests on her.

Her Lady wrapped (y/n) safely in her arms and led her away from the standoff that was still taking place between Uhtred and the Dane.

-----/--/-----

There was a silence that followed (y/n) around, but she ignored it.

After the events in the woods Gisela had insisted that (y/n) see the physician, and then spend the day in her tent to rest. She had tried to protest, but there were too many eyes, and she could not be insolent. The second her head hit the pillow she fell into a troubled sleep, and slept straight through the day and into the next morning, waking late enough that she had missed both breakfast and lunch.

She got up as quickly as she could, scrambling to get herself in order, guilt tight in her stomach at having been absent for so long. She moved as quickly as she could, pulling on her dress and combing out her hair, rushing out of the tent with the hopes that she could reach the makeshift hall in time to help serve the meal, but she was too late. Even worse, as soon as her Lady saw her she was given a firm scolding and sent back to the tent for another day of rest.

This time she was even more adamant about protesting, but to no avail. After no more than 20 minutes she was on her way back to the tent, and to say she was unimpressed would be putting it lightly. The next person who gave her a sympathetic glance was going to get kicked. Or worse.

She decided there was no need to go right back to the tent, and she went to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could do to help with cooking or washing. There was some washing to be done, and she found herself alone behind the meal tent with two buckets of water and some cookware, scrubbing it down with some wool and soap. She lost herself in the work, and didn’t notice the presence of another person until there was the soft clearing of a throat behind her.

“Lady?”

Startled, she spun around, a glass held so tightly in her hand that it creaked.

The Dane boy froze where he was, a couple paces behind. He had his hands raised, as if to show he wasn’t a threat, but it did nothing to slow the rapid thundering of her heart. She couldn’t swallow, and suddenly her throat was cold, and she could almost feel the stinging of the blade again.

The boy took a step forward, and she took a step back, holding the glass in front of her like a weapon.

He froze, watching her carefully and taking a deep breath. “I did not mean to startle you.”

Her body stayed taut with nerves, and she kept the glass between them. Her heart was thundering painfully in her chest, and she could barely breathe, but at the same time there was that fish swimming around in her stomach again, though this time it was more frantic, more anxious.

The boy was studying her face, and he took another slow and careful step forward. She rocked back on her heels but stayed where she was, and he took it as a good sign.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was low. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, but the words were still locked in her throat.

“I swore an oath to Lord Uhtred. Now I’m part of the king’s army.”

Her heart was still thundering, but (y/n) was not one to allow fear to overtake her. She took a deep breath and allowed it to clear her head, loosened her fingers from the glass, and forced her body to relax. As the fear faded, so did the image that had clung to her mind and contorted the boy into a monster, a threat.

“I’m glad you’re alive.”

His dark eyebrows rose. “Are you?”

She pursed her lips and turned to get back to the cleaning. Whatever the boy wanted, she didn’t have time for it. A hand caught her arm, gently, but with enough confidence to turn her around. The boy was earnest as he looked at her.

“I wanted to apologize, but I couldn’t find you.”

She forced a small smile onto her face, and pulled her arm free of his grip. He let her, but it didn’t stop him from talking.

“I didn’t know it was you in the woods, and if I did…” he sighed. “You were kind to me. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

Something inside her melted, and she sighed. The glass was placed back in the water. She dried her hands on the apron of her dress, turned to give him her full attention, and gave him… perhaps not a smile, but a look she hoped would be reassuring.

“You didn’t hurt me.”

“But I did wrong you.”

She couldn’t argue with that.

He swallowed and took a step forward, reaching up to hold the small hammer hanging from his neck. “You showed me kindness when you did not need to, and I repaid it by threatening your life. I owe you a debt, which I swear I will repay.”

“You owe me nothing--”

“On Odin’s hammer I swear, you have my sword Lady, as much as it can be given while my oath belongs to Lord Uhtred.”

She opened her mouth, eyes widening. She was not a christian, in fact she had not been raised in any particular faith, but she knew what an oath like that meant, and she could not accept it. “Don’t--”

“Please Lady.” His eyes, and his voice, were earnest. “Will you accept my sword?”

She sighed, reaching up to scrub her hand over her face. “I am not a Lady.”

“And I am not a Lord. I am nothing but a bastard, but I will protect you with everything I have.”

“But--”

“I’ve already sworn the oath, on Thor’s hammer and in Odin’s name. Whether you accept or not, my sword is yours.”

She sighed, letting out an exasperated laugh. There was nothing else to do. “Then I suppose I must accept.”

He smiled and nodded. “I am Sihtric Lady. What should I call you?”

“(Y/n). And please, no Lady.”

“Very well. (Y/n). My sword is yours.”

#sihtric #sihtric x reader #sihtric imagine #sihtric fanfiction #the last kingdom #the last kingdom imagine #the last kingdom fanfiction #the last kingdom x reader #sihtric kjartanson #fanfiction #writing #mine #lets be danes ⚔️#lets be danes #sihtric elflaedsson

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solinarimoon · 3 years ago

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Seeds We Sow Masterlist

A series of snippets and sequences of Cwen and Sihtric’s life together during the time jump between seasons 4 and 5. This is a sequel to my completed fic, Fields of Wildflowers

AO3 if you prefer

Love As One

Winds of Change

Needles and Shields

The Eggs

Undergrowth

The Boy in the Woods

Rest Now, Love

#sihtric #sihtric x oc #sihtric x ofc #the last kingdom #fanfiction #tlk #the last kingdom fanfic #finan #tlk fanfic #osferth #uhtred #sihtric kjartansson #sihtric kjartanson #Eadith #fields of wildflowers #Cynlaef #Aethelstan

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solinarimoon · 2 years ago

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On Raven’s Wings - Chapter 6

AN: I apologize for such a long absence in updates for this story. I have not abandoned it! Thank you to anyone who is sticking with it.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.717

Raven’s Masterlist

My Full Masterlist

AO3 if you prefer

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Osferth’s predictions about the vacuum of power left in Uhtred’s exile proved to be accurate. Upon entering the main hall, Liva watched while Uhtred bandied words with the priests sent at the behest of King Alfred. According to the townsfolk, the tithes and taxes these priests insisted on were leaving a heavy burden on the people.

Liva stood well back, straining to hear while keeping her presence inconspicuous. Once again, she was the mouse she had been in the Danish camp, small and of no consequence. She faded into the edges, leaning gently against a wooden beam next to Osferth. The young monk also quietly observing the tense conversation between Uhtred and who she assumed to be the priest in charge. But Liva did not miss the fleeting glance Sihtric threw her way as he also settled into watch the exchange, leaning back against a stair rail, remaining close to the doorway.

She needn't have worried too much about keeping herself out of focus though. A loud thump brought all eyes to the table where Skade made herself known. Stabbing a slice of meat on one of the priest’s plate, she made some retort, eliciting frustration and intimidation from many of those in the hall. As she stood, Uhtred regained the priest's attention, demanding answers for the treatment of the townsfolk and an explanation for the cross that now hung over the entrance of the hall.

“Alfred has told me, on many occasions, that this is a pagan’s hall.”

The priest's feeble arguments continued while Skade met Liva’s eye, the infuriating smirk gracing her lips as she strode past the group back towards the hall entrance. Liva followed her with her eyes. The witch slinked towards Sihtric, casually grasping the head of his axe. She slid the weapon from its sheath at his waist, neither looking for his permission or meeting his eye. Instead, she turned her face back, once more watching Liva’s reaction before glancing at Uhtred and making her way up the stairs behind Sihtric.

Liva felt her breath catch in her throat as she took in the encounter. Sihtric’s brow furrowed and his eyes betrayed his suspicion and discomfort with Skade’s closeness. As she slid around him and up the stairs, he turned back and met Liva’s stare before bringing his focus back to the mounting tension between Uhtred and the priest. She thought she noticed a subtle shift in the lines of his frown.

“I could take it down, Lord,” Osferth offered from next to her side. Liva was only vaguely aware of the continued conversation surrounding them. A small rock fell in the tightness of her stomach as she studied the Dane from across the room. Her thoughts drifted back to his comment outside the hall. Why had he spoken up to assure her? After the cold indifference since the woods.

Liva pulled her eyes away from him as another woman entered the hall.

“It is my cross, Lord. My doing. I put it there and I would like it to remain there unless of course your plan is to once again be the Lord of Coccham.” The woman spoke with a calm authority. A familiarity. From her dress, it was plain she was a woman of the church as well. Liva could not see Uhtred’s face as he turned to face the woman.

The sharp thud of Sihtric’s axe against the wooden beam and ropes holding the crucifix aloft startled them all as it was followed by the clatter of the cross hitting the floor. Liva felt Osferth jump next to her along with several of the priests. She struggled to keep the gasp on her own lips slight.

“Maybe now we can eat,” Skade sneered down from the landing, looking from Uhtred to the woman in the doorway.

Liva scoffed, having gathered composure and felt Osferth stifle a laugh at her elbow. She did not miss the incredulous look the woman in the doorframe gave Uhtred as he responded to Skade.

“Come down and eat. The priests will not mind sharing with us. They’ve taken enough food from the townsfolk to feed all of Alfred’s army,” Uhtred continued despite the protests and accusation of lies from the priests at his words, “my men will stay here with you. I will meet with Hild and find you later.”

From the corner of her eye, Liva turned her head slightly to watch Skade descend the steps as Uhtred spoke. The look on the face of the flaxen haired sorceress was indignant. Uhtred’s shout snapped her attention back to the door, “Liva, with me.”

Swiftly, she crossed the floor and caught up with Uhtred as he and the unknown woman left the building to walk outdoors. She caught the question Uhtred was asking the woman as she got to his side.

“I wish to see my children, Hild. Where are they?”

“They are not here, Lord.” Uhtred pulled up to a stop and stared incredulously at the woman, Hild. She continued on, her voice somehow both sharp and comforting, “They are cared for and safe, Uhtred. The King has taken them,” but her words were choked off by Uhtred’s bark.

“Taken them? Taken them where? They are my children, Hild!” Uhtred’s voice rose above the general commotion of the streets and a few townsfolk paused to look at their former lord.

Hild kept her voice even and measured in an attempt to cool Uhtred’s temper. “They are in the care of the church. I have been kept informed of their condition. They are well looked after.”

“Alfred continues to find ways to torment me. My children, Hild!” Uhtred’s voice rose to a shout, drawing glances from several of the townsfolk.

“And where would you have them be, Uhtred?,” Hild questioned him, planting her feet and crossing her arms over her middle. “At your side, in the face of uncertainty and danger? They are children. Osbert is only an infant.”

At the mention of his youngest child, Liva noticed Uhtred’s head drop and his breath hitch. Hild must have noticed as well, because the bite in the abbess’ words was lost when she spoke again.

“The King would not be dissuaded, Uhtred. I know he did it to spite you. But regardless if you believe in the teachings of our Lord and the power of the church or not, your children are safe. I have appealed to have them moved here to be with me, but that request falls on deaf ears,” she paused and placed a comforting hand on Uhtred’s arm before she continued, “You hurt him, Uhtred. Both his pride and his friendship. If that’s what you can call your bond with him.”

Uhtred shuffled his feet, lifted his head, and stared around the town, avoiding Hild’s face. He sniffed and cleared his throat.

“The man views me as his hound, nothing more. He cares nothing for the lives and feelings of those surrounding him.”

His final comment hung heavy between them before Hild spoke up once more, her voice returned to the calm and confident tone from the hall.

“I see some new faces with your return, Uhtred.” Hild glanced beyond his shoulder at Liva, lingering back to give them their space.

The young woman had remained quiet during their exchange. She watched their faces as they spoke, obviously too concerned with their conversation to bother with her. Her hand found the worn leather of her quiver’s strap again, gently rubbing back and forth across the smooth surface.

Uhtred sniffed and took a final deep breath before turning and settling his eyes on Liva. He placed his palm on her shoulder, drawing her closer.

“You met the pagan witch, Skade, in the hall. But this young woman I am happy to introduce to you. This is Liva Ragnarsdottir.” He grinned down, draping his arm across her shoulder and then glancing up to meet Hild’s shocked expression.

“Ragnar…not your brother Ragnar, surely?” Hild smiled, clearly stunned.

Uhtred chuckled around his words, “the very same. We thought she was lost to the fire as a child but,” he paused to pat Liva on her shoulder and pull her up close to him, “here she is. Alive and well.”

Liva let her head hang low as she scuffed her boot against the dirt, smiling at Uhtred’s words despite her apprehension over meeting this new woman. And her next words did nothing to improve her nerves, even though it was clearly meant to put her more at ease.

“The hall burning? My, yours must be quite the story, Liva,” Hild smiled warmly at her.

I will have to relive it, Liva thought. I will have to tell them soon.

“Word reached us weeks ago of Ragnar’s death,” Hild’s comment interrupted Liva’s thoughts. “I was sorry to hear it. I spent some time with him in years past.” Hild reached out grasping both Liva and Uhtred’s arm in a friendly gesture of comfort. Strangely, the gesture did not feel too forward from the woman Liva had just met moments before.

Liva hung her head a moment. She had no words to give in reply to the abbess, choosing instead to give her a simple nod.

Uhtred cleared his throat, “Hild has been a dear friend for many years. She will be able to help you settle in here in Coccham.”

“You speak as if you are not staying, Uhtred,” HIld interjected. “First you come into the hall reclaiming it as a pagan one and now it sounds as if you will be leaving once more. Which is it?”

Craning her neck up to look at him, Liva questioned him, “And settle me in here. Does that mean if you’re leaving, you would not have me with you?”

Uhtred opened his mouth in reply, but a voice behind them interrupted his retort.

“You need your strength too, my love. Come join us and eat in the hall.”

Skade stood off several yards. Her eyes still held untrust directed at the abbess.

She wishes none but her to have his ear, Liva thought.

While Uhtred gave Skade a reply, Liva saw the barely contained shock on Hild’s face. She had little hope that her own expression did not betray her annoyance and disdain for the woman. Hild met her eye with a quirked brow to which Liva’s mouth drew into a sharp line.

Liva was aware of Skade throwing a scoff at Uhtred’s dismissal of her invitation to the hall, before the blonde woman stalked off, back through the doors. Off to make Sihtric and the others uneasy again. Liva was surprised that the Dane’s ill-ease around the witch was the first person who came to mind.

At a sharp word from Uhtred, Liva’s attention rushed back to the couple meandering away from her, down the street. Hild appeared to be speaking firmly to Uhtred again and Liva was able to make out the name Gisela. She kept herself back again, not comfortable moving into their conversation any longer. Until, after more than a few discomfited moments as Hild stared at Uhtred, she sighed and shook her head.

“I will help Liva with a change of clothes and some freshening up. I trust we will have dinner in the hall tonight, Uhtred? No doubt, you have much to share.”

Hild held out her arm to Liva, a gesture to accompany her further and a casual dismissal of Uhtred as well. Uhtred met Liva’s eye and gave her a nod to go, “We will meet for dinner in the hall.”

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Liva’s time spent with Hild was not unpleasant. It had been ages since she had been able to properly cleanse herself or wear clothes that were not completely soiled. Life in a Danish war camp was anything but clean. Hild found a discarded tunic and breeches forgotten by a lady novice from her former life. They were not a perfect fit, but Liva could not complain. They were clean and free from tears or long use.

The abbess kept a gentle flow of conversation balanced with a calm focus and attention to the task at hand. It was an easy and instant companionship Liva felt towards the Saxon woman. She reminded her of Aldwina and the thought made her smile sadly. And then, as thoughts often do, her mind strayed to memories of others she had lost.

Breaking a few moments of silence, Liva turned over her shoulder to look at Hild, “You know… you knew Ragnar, the Younger?”

“Yes, I did. I spent more than a season with him hunting for Uhtred while he was imprisoned on the slave ship. He was a good man.,” she replied, pausing in her brushing of Liva’s hair to meet the young woman’s eye.

Liva pursed her lips together softly and gave a short nod, before turning around to let the abbess continue brushing out the knots and tangles of her hair.

Clearing her throat, Hild continued on, “I had not known he had a daughter.”

Liva suppressed a mirthless laugh as her mouth quivered into a wry smile. “No, I imagine I was nothing more than a fleeting memory to him by that time. Not even significant enough to be a ghost,” she replied, keeping her tone carefully measured.

For the first time, the quiet between the two women was uncomfortable. Several moments passed with only the sound of the brush running through Liva’s smoothed hair. Uncomfortable with her final words, Liva placed her palm atop Hild’s hand, stilling her brushing.

She stood, taking the brush and turning to face the abbess.

“Thank you Hild. I feel much refreshed. Thank you, for your kindness.”

Hild smiled warmly at her while Liva felt her own cheeks swell with the smile she returned.

“I cannot let anyone be left to suffer the absence of creature comforts that Uhtred and his men relish in. It is as if they enjoy smelling like a pig stye.”

Liva laughed loud and long and boisterous and her levity brought laughter from Hild as well. It was several minutes before Liva could regain control of her laughter. The tension and painful memories that clung to her for so many months now, relinquishing their grip on her as the laughter resonated in her chest. Her spirits lifted.

Snorting, Liva finally found her breath enough to reply, “Oh, I haven't laughed like that in ages.”

Sighing contentedly, she continued, “truly, I cannot remember the last time I had cause to laugh. Thank you again, Abbess.”

Still chuckling lightly herself, Hild placed the brush back on the table and took Liva’s arm, escorting her towards the door. “Please, call me Hild. And a good laugh can ease even the heaviest burdens. My heart feels lighter too. Let us walk a bit before dinner so I can show you around Coccham.”

Liva stayed with Hild the rest of the afternoon, allowing the woman to tour her around and give her a lay of the borough. She found in Hild a companionable and genial nature. It was clear, despite her sharp words with Uhtred earlier that the pair held a great deal of respect and affection for one another. And Liva witnessed Hild’s generosity and kindness as well as her wisdom freely shared amongst the rest of the townsfolk of Coccham.

Despite Hild keeping Liva occupied, Liva’s thoughts did find occasion to wander. More than once, she found herself wondering where Skade had spirited herself away to and was Uhtred with her, snaring himself further in her web. Uhtred had given her council regarding her distrust of Sihtric. But she had not found time to gauge his feelings for the witch and give him her council in kind. Could he be falling under her spell, same as Bloodhair or Haesten or the nameless others she has left in her wake.

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The great table of the hall was laid with a cheerful, though not extravagant feast. The wine was plentiful and the meat was juicy and served hot. Liva’s shoulders shook with laughter, as they had many times over the course of the meal. It felt exhilarating to allow herself to feel joy again.

Uhtred was seated to her right at the head of the long table while Osferth had taken a seat on her other side. Finan’s retelling of their many adventures along with interruptions from Hild, reminding him to keep his embellishments at least somewhat realistic made for hilarious entertainment. Every now and then, Osferth would provide a quiet comment or refute the accuracy of the story along with Hild which resulted in more bickering and by the end of the meal, Liva’s stomach ached from laughing. On more than one occasion, Uhtred had reached across the corner of the table to grasp her shoulder or clasp her arm for a moment, a warm smile on his face as he listened to his friends or interjected his own comment.

Liva’s cheeks felt flushed and warm from her wine and a happy tiredness was slowly overcoming her. It was one of the best nights Liva could remember having in a long while. Despite Skade sitting across from her, sober and withdrawn. And despite, even Sihtric’s quiet demeanor.

The Dane had wavered between catching Liva’s glance in one moment and holding her stare to then avoiding the entire table and conversation for whole minutes at a time. Instead, staring intently at his plate of food, while only picking at it or else watching the door to the hall as if waiting for an intruder to barge through them.

“So then, Uhtred starts lighting the building on fire,” Finan’s words brought Liva’s mind back from wondering about Sihtric’s mood. The table laughing genially at Finan’s story and none more so than the Irishman..

Next to her, Osferth added with a smirk, “Lord Uhtred really does enjoy lighting things on fire.”

“So it would seem,” Liva laughed as she took a sip of her wine, “it has played a role in more than one of Finan’s stories this evening.”

The smile fell from her face and the laughter in the hall died away when Sihtric spoke up from the end of the table.

“As fire has played a role in your story too, right, Little Raven?”

The young Dane’s usual quiet tone remained but underlaid with a calm defiance. There was a challenge to his words and the set of his jaw. He leaned forward, resting on his arms and folding his hands, before he looked up the length of the table to lay his eyes on Liva. The demeanor of a man who knows he is playing with fire, but is ready for the burn.

“Sihtric,” Uhtred’s voice sounded to her right, low and dangerous. A warning.

Ignoring Uhtred’s menacing glare, Sihtric brought his cup to his lips and took a short swallow, his stare never leaving Liva.

“Isn’t that supposed to be true, Muninn?”

Liva had met his eyes at his words. For the first time since she had met him, she did not bridle at his comment. She did not have a sharp word or flush with anger at his challenge. Even with his return to the use of that wretched name.

Perhaps it was the warm welcome she had found in Coccham. It may have been the high from the wine and the laughter. It could be that she felt Skade’s eyes on her and wanted to break away from a shroud of mystery and mysticism that placed her in a fashion with the witch. But she was tired. She felt safe. She had felt happy. And she was tired of the weight of always knowing she would need to tell her story.

Osferth shifted in his seat uncomfortably beside her. Finan cleared his throat and slid back his chair, placing a hand on Sihtric’s shoulder, attempting to defuse the tension.

“Come on now, Sihtric. It is late and we’ve all been drinking. Now is not the time for this. It is time for bed.”

The intensity of Sihtric’s stare overwhelmed her and Liva closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly with a sigh. Steeling herself for what she was about to do.

“He is right, Finan,” she opened her eyes to look across the table. She gave a slight nod, asking the Irishman to sit back down, before she looked back to Sihtric. His stare had not left her, even when Uhtred had spoken. The low light of the fires from the hearth cast wavering shadows along his face.

“Liva,” Uhtred slid his hand across the table, his fingers closing around the scar on her forearm, “now is not the time for…” but his words were quieted when she looked at him with a pained smile.

“Now is a fine time, Uhtred. All of you must have questions. You may not like the answers I have or the story I have lived. But let me tell it now, here, so you all can hear. I would rather not tell this story more than necessary and I would likewise not have others need to tell it for me. It is how stories are twisted and take on a life of their own. I would not have others use that trick to their advantage.”

At these last words, she glanced across the table at Skade. The woman’s face remained cool but a spark in her eyes betrayed a sick pleasure in the tension of the room. A twisted enjoyment but also, a hint of apprehension Liva thought.

The room had grown still and quiet except for the crackle of the hearth behind Liva. Despite the chill in the air outside, she was suddenly all too conscious of the heat that the flames were casting on her back. The cloth of her tunic began to stick to her skin and the palms of her hands were clammy. She shifted in her chair and pushed her plate away. Forcing herself one more time, she met Sihtric’s stare. His jaw flexed as he took another swig of his drink, the challenging look in his eyes replaced with something Liva couldn’t place.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat with her own sip of wine, she closed her eyes.

With a staggering breath, she began her story.

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