Always Be By My Side - Sequel to Always Return to Me (The Last Kingdom Fan Fic)

Chapter 5

Ragnar

Dawn approached and my eyes grew heavy. I sleepily sat with my back against a barrel, my wife asleep on one of my shoulders, and my son asleep in the crook of the other. Cnut sat across from us, his eyelids looking droopy.

"You are a lucky man cousin," he smiled at me.

"I am," I agreed.

"Many men would kill to have what you have," he continued.

"And what do I have?" I asked.

"A woman who loves you. An heir. A great fortune."

"You have some of those things too cousin," I replied.

"Then why am I not satisfied?" The look as he spoke sparked something in me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up slightly.

"Perhaps you're missing the great victory over Wessex," I tried.

"Perhaps," he said, unable to hide his downtrodden tone.

His eyes dropped closed and I felt myself breathe again. What was going on in my cousin's head? There was something he was hiding. Something he wasn't telling me.

I felt Nadia begin to stir and looked down into her alert eyes. "What time is it?" She whispered.

"Dawn," I replied.

"Have you slept at all?"

"No," I replied, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"You should sleep," she murmured, her eyes fluttering shut again.

I smiled at her and looked back to my cousin who was watching us. "I should go find a bed to sleep in," he chuckled. He groaned as he stood, and almost teetered over.

"You should help him to his room," my wife mumbled.

"Oh no, I'm quite alright to walk," my cousin protested, almost falling over again.

"Oh, let me help you," Nadia insisted, now fully awake. She planted a quick kiss on my cheek and stood to assist the hungover Cnut make his way up the stairs.

"Thank you" I silently mouthed to her. She smiled back at me and I watched her attempt to get my large cousin up the stairs.

"Morning Dada," Little Ragnar looked up at me, wide awake.

"Morning," I replied, stretching my now free arms. "Shall we eat some breakfast?" I asked him.

He eagerly nodded his head yes, and we made our way to the tables where breakfast had been laid out.

Nadia

Unbeknownst to Ragnar I had an alternative motive for helping Cnut up the stairs. I intended to gather whatever information I could from a still inebriated Cnut. Unfortunately, he wasn't in much of a talking mood as sleep began to take him. I had to steady myself against the wall with my free hand as Cnut's weight grew heavier. "Sorry," he grumbled.

I nodded and managed to push the door to his room open. We staggered in and with one drunken grumble and burp later, Cnut was laying face first on his bed. He mumbled something inaudible as he promptly passed out. So much for talking. I shook my head at the child-like loon on his face and managed to pry a portion of the furs he laid on out from under him and gently tossed it over as much of him as I could. There was another soft grumble before the sound of snoring filled the room. I quietly exited, pulling the door carefully behind me. Back downstairs I went to find Ragnar and our son sitting across from one another. Ragnar was showing our little one the bad habit of playing with one's food. I rolled my eyes and went over to join them. "What are you two up to?" I asked, swinging myself into the seat next to Little Ragnar.