Hope for the Hopeless :: Finan the Agile

Chapter 7

** Hello! Sorry I've been a bit absent. I had surgery on the 17th and my recovery has been a bit harder than anticipated. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it :)

Also, I've finally started season 5 and good gracious! I think I've cried more times than all the other seasons combined. Watching has also given me some ideas for the second fic for Síofra and Finan. I was always planning on another one, but with season 5 I have a better sense of what direction I'm going to go in. 

Hope you enjoy! **

They had been back on the road for two days now. The forest had been kind in that the shade had helped quell the heat, but the children were tiring. Ælfwynn had developed a cough, and it did not seem to be abating, even with the herbal tonic Síofra had given her.

Finan had noticed too, and had convinced Osferth to convince Uhtred to stop for the night. Síofra guessed that Finan thought their Lord would refuse him due to his fear of the sickness.

Going deeper into the forest, they found a tree whose roots formed an alcove where the children could sleep. The floor was covered in leaves and clover, so hopefully it would be comfortable for them.

Luckily for the Scot, there was a brook nearby. Síofra's skin was dirt-caked and itching; she really needed a wash.

The brook wasn't very deep, but it widened further downstream and created a small pool. It would only reach about midthigh on Síofra, but the water looked absolutely divine to the woman. She took off her outer coat and was about to shed her tunic when she heard movement behind her. Finan was standing with one foot off the ground, which had most likely been the culprit to snap the broken branch beneath it. His face was downcast, but Síofra could see his sheepish expression.

"I was not trying to take a look, I swear. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It's been a long journey."

"You can look if you want," she said, "join me even if you wish. You look like you could use a wash as much as me."

Finan's head snapped up, "Wha?"

"You can look."

"Why?"

She regarded him for a minute. Both of them had been surprised at her response. She had no doubt his original words were true, but there was a stirring within her that made her want him to look. If it had been anyone else, she would have already had her blade in their gut.

Finan though. Finan was unlike any other man she had met. Yes there were other gentlemen in the world, but they lacked something to Síofra. They looked at her with either fearful respect or dirtied possession. She realised again that Finan's eyes held none of these.

"You have kind eyes, and every woman wants to be seen with kind eyes."

He stood unmoving as she lifted the end of her tunic above her head. Her skin heated where his eyes ran across her front. It felt deliciously sinful and like a holy deliverance all at once. However, she was mindful to keep her back from his view.

"Are you going to join me or just gawk like a boy seeing tits for the first time?"

"Jesus Christ forgive me for enjoying life, but even Alfred himself would not let this moment pass," Finan mumbled to himself, and Síofra just laughed as she floated. Nevertheless, the man started to remove his clothes.

Síofra had stopped paying attention, focusing on the cool water on her heated skin. So when a strong and calloused hand landed on her upturned stomach, she startled, dunking her head under the water accidentally. She came up sputtering, but there was no teasing laughter to meet her like she expected, only eyes filled with reverence and the kindness she had spoken of earlier.